asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he has taken to ease the transfer of family-owned small businesses where holdings are transferred from a parent to a child or grandchild; and if he plans to introduce measures to assist this process.

In 1976 a special relief from capital transfer tax was introduced for transfers of controlling shareholdings in companies, interests in unincorporated businesses, and certain assets used in a business. The relief was initially a 30 per cent. reduction in the value of such transfers. This was increased to 50 per cent., from 27 October 1977, for transfers of controlling shareholdings and interests in unincorporated businesses, and a relief of 20 per cent. was introduced from the same date for minority shareholdings in unquoted companies. There is also provision for payment by interest-free instalments over eight years in many

Year	Single person £	Single-wage married couple £	Two-wage married couple £	Single parent £	Widowed mother £
1938–39	125	225	281	125	125
1950–51	138	225	363	138	138
1960–61	180	309	489	231	231
1970–71	418	598	1,016	546	546
1978–79	985	1,535	2,520	1,535	1,535

Earned income relief was allowed for years up to 1972–73 and has been taken into account in these figures.In the case of the two-wage married couple it has been assumed that the wife earns enough to qualify for the full allowance.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, in the light of the continuance of the civil servants' strike, he will make emergency arrangements to make payments on account in respect of value added tax repayments due through social security offices, post offices or other appropriate public offices.

I regret that while the Customs and Excise computer is out of action it is not possible to make VAT repayments. Once the industrial action is over, however, Customs and Excise will do all it can to see that repayments are resumed as quickly as possible.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table comparing the personal tax allowances for each of a single person, a single-wage married couple, a two-wage married couple, a single parent and a widowed mother in 1938–39, 1950–51, 1960–61, 1970–71 and 1978–79.

The figures are as follows:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made on the effects on employment of the recent fluctuations in the minimum lending rate.

Since the changes in MLR were in response to changes in other market rates, any effects on employment will have been negligible.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make immediate provision for the payment of interest, calculated by the day, at the same rate as that exacted by the Inland Revenue in the case of late payment of income tax, on all Government payments due to farmers that have been, or will be, held up as a result of current industrial action.

I presume that the question refers mainly to repayments of value added tax which are at present suspended because the VAT computer at Southend is shut down as a result of industrial action.There is no provision in law either for the payment of interest by Customs and Excise in respect of delayed repayments of value added tax or for the charging of interest by them on overdue amounts of tax.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give an estimate of the cost or gain to the Revenue if all investment allowances were abolished, and if corporation tax were levied at 10 per cent.

I am afraid it is not possible to cost this hypothetical proposal.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were the total receipts of corporation tax from industrial and commercial companies in the years 1974–75, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1977–78 and for the current year as available; how much of this was accounted for by advance corporation tax; what were the total amounts of money paid in investment assistance to industrial and commercial companies in each of the above years, excluding corporation tax relief; and how this compared with corporation tax receipts.

I regret that in the time available it has not been possible to provide the information requested. I will write to my hon. Friend.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish a table showing, on a quarterly basis starting at June 1970 (a) the real take-home pay and (b) the real net income of a married man with two children under 11 years of age, with average adult male earnings, all expressed in terms of present prices, in a form similar to the answer given to the hon. Member for Norfolk, South (Mr. MacGregor) on 15 December 1978 (Official Report, columns 518 to 520).

I regret that in time available it has not been possible to provide the information requested. I will write to the hon. Member.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the additional revenue if the after-tax income remaining with individual taxpayers were to be limited to £10,000 each; and what would be the benefit per person on a weekly basis if this additional revenue were to be applied in making an allowance to each person over the age of 18 years.

I regret that in the time available it has not been possible to provide the information requested. I will write to the hon. Member.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people are paying income tax although their incomes are below the supplementary benefit level.

I regret that in the time available it has not been possible to provide the information requested. I will write to the hon. Member.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer which countries have a higher marginal rate of tax on income than the British 98 per cent.

I will let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give the current account of the balance of payments excluding trade in petroleum and petroleum products for each quarter since 1970 in (a) current prices and (b) constant prices.

I will let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, pursuant to his right hon. Friend's answer to the hon. Member for Reigate (Mr. Gardiner) on 13 February, he will now provide figures for the last quarter of 1978 of (a) the balance of payments current account surplus or deficit and (b) the contribution to the current account balance of North Sea oil and gas.

I will let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what taxable annual unearned income would be required to yield a net income of £100,000, £150,000, £200,000, £250,000 and £300,000 respectively, assuming the taxpayer is a single adult with no other income and with no dependants.

I will let my hon. Friend have a reply as soon as possible.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Reigate (Mr. Gardiner), on 9 February, he will now estimate the total Government revenues accruing from North Sea oil and gas exploitation, broken into individual categories.

I will let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if retirement pensions, disability pensions or widows' pensions are subject to tax in any of the EEC member States apart from the United Kingdom, any of the Scandinavian nations, Switzerland or Austria; and if he will publish details, from international sources, in the Official Report

I will let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has reached a decision on the future of vehicle excise duty on electric vehicles.

Yes. I have decided that vehicle excise duty on electric vehicles should be abolished along with that on petrol-driven vehicles. There is a strong case, on energy policy and environmental grounds, for encouraging the development of this industry. The cost to the revenue will be less than £2 million per year. Detailed proposals for implementation will be announced in due course.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing the annual rate of growth of both M1 and sterling M3, on a seasonally adjusted basis: (a) over the six months to February 1979 and (b) over the six months to February 1974.

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 28 March 1979; Vol. 965, c. 233], gave the following answer:The information is as follows:

GROWTH AT AN ANNUAL RATE
		Per cent.
	M1	Sterling M3
Six months to mid February 1974	5·1	28·4
Six months to mid February 1979	16·8	15·4

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will estimate the revenue cost of indexing the threshold and bands of higher rates of income tax by the same amount as is required for the personal allowances under section 22 of the Finance Act 1977, (a) on the basis of 1978–79 earnings, and (b) on an assumption that 1979–80 earnings exceed those of 1978–79 by 15 per cent.

pursuant to his reply[Official Report, 26 March 1979; Vol. 965, c. 52], gave the following answer:The increase in prices in 1978 was 8·86 per cent. To revalorise the threshold and bands of higher rates at 1978–79 income levels by this amount would cost about £130 million in a full year. The cost for 1979–80 would depend on the increase in total income, including investment income.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will estimate the likely revenue cost in 1979–80 of complying with the indexation provisions of section 22 of the Finance Act 1977, in his forthcoming Budget (a) on the basis of 1978–79 earnings and (b) on an assumption that 1979–80 earnings exceed those of 1978–79 by 15 per cent.; and if he will state the basis of indexation as provided by the retail price index and the levels to which the allowances would have to be raised.

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 26 March 1979; Vol. 965, c. 52], gave the following answer:The increase in prices in 1978 was 8·86 per cent. This is measured by the increase in the general retail price index between December 1977/January 1978 and December 1978/January 1979.The levels to which the allowances would have to be raised are as follows:

Allowance	Revalorised amount £
Single person and wife's earned income allowance	1,073
Married person	1,672
Additional personal allowance	599
Age allowance—single person	1,416
Age allowance—married person	2,259
Age allowance income limit	4,355

At 1978–79 income levels the estimated full year cost of this change would be about £960 million. The cost at 1979–80 income levels would depend on the increase in total income, including investment income for that year.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Numismatic Bureau of the Royal Mint opened account number 414 2225 with the National Giro; in how many advertisements by the Numismatic Bureau this account number has appeared; and what other steps have been taken by the Numismatic Bureau to tell customers that payments to the Bureau may be made into that account.

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 29 March 1979; Vol. 965, c. 233], gave the following answer:The Numismatic Bureau of the Royal Mint opened account No. 414 2225 with the National Giro in November, 1974. This account number has not appeared in any national newspaper advertisements.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the estimated cost to the Royal Mint of handling an order received by its Numismatic Bureau by each of the following methods, (a) an order written on the reverse of a cash inpayment or transfer form credited direct to the Royal Mint's account with the National Giro, (b) an order form incorporating an authority from the customer to charge the purchase to his Access or Barclaycard accounts, (c) an order form accompanied by a crossed cheque or postal order, after taking into account staff costs, bank charges, credit card company charges and any benefit gained from the differing periods of time which elapse before a cleared balance is obtained.

, pursuant to his reply, [Official Report, 29 March 1979; Vol. 965, c. 352], gave the following answer:It would be undesirable, for commercial reasons, to publish details of these costs.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the increase in the United Kingdom's gross national product at January of the current year, expressed as a percentage increase in real terms over January 1974.

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 30 March 1979], gave the following answer:Monthly figures for the gross national product are not available. Between the fourth quarter of 1973 and the fourth quarter of 1978 the United Kingdom's gross national product at constant factor cost increased by 4·2 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what is his estimate of the number of redundancies likely to be caused in the boat building yards of Scotland in the next 12 months should the White Fish Authority continue to refuse the payment of grants to fishermen who wish to place orders for new vessels;(2) what discussions he has had with the Boatbuilders Association over the refusal of the White Fish Authority to authorise the payment of grants to fishermen wishing to place orders for new vessels.

My right hon. Friend the Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, and I met the Fishing Boatbuilders' Association on 22 March. The Association expressed anxiety about a possible standstill in grant approvals by the White Fish Authority. The Association has since submitted an assessment which shows that a small number of redundancies has occurred recently and forecasts further redundancies but does not offer any figures. This assessment is being examined urgently.I understand that the authority has told applicants that, because of existing commitments, it is unable to approve any more vessels attracting payment of grant in 1979–80. The provision to the authority for making grants will not be settled until the House has considered the Estimates. The Government's policy remains to make a reasonable level of funds available for such grants, subject to the general constraints on public expenditure.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will now make a statement on the position relating to the qualifications of Scottish art teachers.

I shall reply to the hon. Gentleman shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what appointments he has made of members of the Lothian regional council to the boards or councils of quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations.

Full information is not readily available and could not be provided except at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether, in making appointments of local government councillors to quasi-autonomous non-govern- mental organisations, he takes account of possible conflicts of interest which might arise for such councillors between their responsibilities to the councils of which they are elected members and to such quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations.

In cases where councillors are appointed in a representative capacity to public bodies for which I have responsibility, I seek nominations either from the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities or from the appropriate council. Otherwise, invitations to serve are extended on a personal basis; and the primary considerations I take into account in making appointments are the qualifications and suitability of the individuals concerned.

asked the Secretary or State for Scotland if, pursuant to his answer of 8 March 1978, Official Report, column 711, he will give the latest figures for expenditure on roads and transport in Scotland for the years 1973–74 to 1982–83.

I refer the hon. Member to my reply on 31 January 1979 to the hon. Member for Dumfries (Mr. Monro.)—[Vol. 961, c. 484–6.]

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if, pursuant to his answer of 24 July 1978, Official Report. column 588, he will give the latest figures for the percentage increase in average standard rent before rebate for each year since 1970;(2) if, pursuant to his answer of 24 July 1978,

I have no later information than that given in my answers of 24 July 1978 and 25 July 1978.—[Vol. 954, c. 588, Vol. 954, c. 678.]

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, pursuant to his answer of 25 July 1978, Official Report, column 677, he will give the latest figures for the percentage of average household income accounted for by the average standard rent after rebate of local authority tenants and the equivalent percentage in each year since 1970 in England and Wales.

The average overall for local authority tenants in Scotland, and not merely those receiving rebate, was 3·9 per cent. in 1977, according to a survey based on a small sample. For comparable figures for England and Wales I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment and my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, pursuant to his answer of 19 May 1978, Official Report, column 339, he will give the latest available figures for electricity generating capacity in Scotland from coal-fired, oil-fired, nuclear and hydroelectric plant, respectively.

The total generating capacity, including the island systems, currently available to the Scottish electricity boards expressed in megawatts sent out is as follows:

Coal-fired	4,282
Oil-fired	2,060
Nuclear	1,496
Hydroelectric-including pumped storage	1,866
Total	9,704

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) pursuant to his answer of 3 May 1978, Official Report, column 125, what are the latest figures for proposed capital expenditure on roads in Scotland;(2) if he will give the latest figures for proposed capital expenditure on roads in Scotland.

I refer the hon. Member to my reply on 31 January 1979 to the hon. Member for Dumfries (Mr. Monro).—[Vol. 961, c. 484–6.]

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer of 21 July 1978, Official Report, column 450, and 24 July 1978, Official Report, column 586, what was (a) the cost of land acquired under the Community Land Act to 31 March and (b) the quantity of land re-acquired at that date.

Subject to the submission of audited accounts in some cases, the position at 31 March 1978 was that 180 acres had been acquired at a cost of £1,042,188, and 15 acres had been disposed of.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many rent rebates were granted in Scotland in each year since 1970.

The information was published in "Rents of Houses Owned by Public Authorities" for 1970, 1971 and 1972; "Rents of Public Authority Houses and Rent Rebates and Allowances in Scotland" for the years from 1973 to 1976; "Scottish Housing Statistics" issue number 1 for 1977. Copies of these publications are available in the House of Commons Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, pursuant to his answers of 24 July 1979, Official Report, c. 587, he will publish the percentage of local authority tenants in receipt of rent rebates at the latest available date, and the average standard rent of all those in receipt of a rebate.

I have no later information on rent rebates than that given in my answer of 24 July 1978.— [Vol. 954, c. 587.] The average standard rent of all of those in receipt of a rebate is not available for any year.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland by how much bus fares have risen in Scotland since February 1974; and by how much they rose between June 1970 and February 1974.

For bus services operated by the Scottish Bus Group the increase in average fare levels approved by the traffic commissioners between February 1974 and March 1978 was 197 per cent.; between June 1970 and February 1974 the average increase was 29 per cent. For bus services in the four major cities the average increase from February 1974 to date was 76 per cent.; between June 1970 and February 1974 the increase was 35 per cent. No figures are available for buses operated by independent companies.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, pursuant to his answer of 24 July 1978, Official Report, c. 588, he will publish the latest figures for the number of dwellings sold by local authorities, the Scottish Special Housing Association and the new towns.

The information is as follows:

Year	Local Authority	SSHA	New Towns
1978	87	5	636
1979 to date	14	9	80

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, pursuant to his answer of 21 June 1978, Official Report, c. 190, he will publish the latest figures for the amount of money made available to Scottish borrowers from building societies; how much was deposited by Scottish lenders in the same period; and whether he can give equivalent figures for 1974.

I have no later information than that given in my answer of 21 June 1978 to the right hon. Member for the Western Isles (Mr. Stewart).—[Vol. 952, c. 190]. The 1974 figures are given in the Building Societies Association publication "Facts and Figures—April 1978", a copy of which is available in the House of Commons Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, pursuant to his answer of 22 May 1978, Official Report, column 448, he will publish the latest figures for the amounts advanced by local authorities in each of the past 10 financial years as loans to assist with house purchase and improvements.

It is not possible to give separate figures for lending for house purchase and improvements prior to May 1975. The estimated figure for 1978–79 is £22 million. Figures for the period 1975–76 to 1977–78 were given in my answer of 22 May 1978 to the hon. Member for Inverness (Mr. Johnston.)—[Vol. 950, c. 448.]

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the average total level of unemployment in Scotland between the months of June 1970 and February 1974, inclusive, and the average level from March 1974 to the latest available date.

Between June 1970 and February 1974, inclusive, average total unemployment in Scotland was 113,500 and between March 1974 and March 1979 inclusive it was 149,000 per month.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, pursuant to his answer of 24 July 1978, Official Report, column 590, he will give the Scottish unemployment relative for each of the past 12 months.

The Scottish unemployment relative is measured by expressing the rate of seasonally adjusted unemployment in Scotland—excluding school leavers—as a percentage of the corresponding United Kingdom rate. Over the past 12 months the relative has been:

1978
March	136
April	134
May	133
June	133
July	132
August	130
September	132
October	134
November	134
December	135
1979
January	134
February	137
March	136

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, pursuant to his answer of 26 January 1978, Official Report, column 687, he will publish an updated table for public expenditure on housing in Scotland based on Cmnd. 7439 of January.

The information requested is as follows:

£ million at 1978 Survey Prices
	1973–74	1974–75	1975–76	1976–77	1977–78	1978–79	1979–80	1980–81	1981–82	1982–83
Current expenditure
General subsidies
Central Government subsidies to local authority housing	130	170	166	181	156	144	196	197	201	211
Rate fund contributions to local authority housing	50	67	51	42	48	49
Subsidies to new towns and Scottish Special Housing Association	62	29	36	45	51	58	62	66	70	72
Housing association revenue deficit grants	—	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Total general subsidies	242	267	254	270	256	252	259	264	272	284
Rent rebates
Central Government	35	22	22	16	26	32	37	37	42	43
Rate fund contributions	6	4	6	6	7	3
Rent allowances
Central Government contribution	1	1	1	—	1	1	1	2	2	2
Rate fund contributions	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Total income related subsidies	42	27	29	22	35	36	38	39	44	45
Option mortgage scheme	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	4	6	7
Administration
Central Government	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Local authorities	3	4	3	2	2	2	2	2	2	2
Total current expenditure	289	300	288	297	295	293	303	311	325	339
Capital expenditure
Local authority investment
Land	16	7	2	3	4	5	193	201	200	195
New dwellings	169	174	172	141	105	90
Acquisitions	—	—	—	—	—	—
Improvements	92	74	68	71	89	85
Other	5	10	12	9	7	10
Total local authority investment	283	265	254	224	205	191	193	201	200	195

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, pursuant to his answer of 26 July 1978, Official Report, column 751, he will publish the latest figures for the proportion of rented and owner-occupied properties for each of the new towns.

At 31 December 1978 owner-occupied housing as a percentage of total housing in each new town was as follows:

East Kilbride	18·1 per cent.
Glenrothes	15·9 per cent.
Cumbernauld	22·4 per cent.
Livingston	9·1 per cent.
Irvine	21·3 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, pursuant to his answer of 24 July 1978, Official Report, column 585, he will publish the figures for the numbers employed in the manufacturing and service sectors in Scotland in each year since 1976.

Estimates of employment in Scotland in the manufacturing and service sectors from June 1976 to June 1978 are given in the table below. The figures for 1977 and 1978 are provisional and are subject to revision when the results of the 1977 census of employment become available.

	Manufacturing Thousands	Services
June 1976	608·0	1,179·0
June 1977	613·0	1,187·0
June 1978	611·0	1,192·0

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, pursuant to his answer of 8 December 1978, Official Report, column 842, he will publish the latest figures for employment in the construction industry in Scotland.

In September 1978 some 166,900 people were employed in the construction industry in Scotland. This figure is a provisional estimate and is subject to revision when the results for the 1977 census of employment become available.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer of 12 December 1977, Official Report, column 99, what is the most recent estimate of the number of jobs in the small business sector of the Scottish economy; and what proportion this represents of total employment in Scotland.

The information is not available in the precise form requested. However, some indication can be had from the annual censuses of employment which provide information relating to individual work places rather than to complete businesses. The census unit, which is the basic unit reporting information, is normally a complete individual, address such as a shop, office or factory. The branches of multiple firms thus constitute separate units. In some cases there can be more than one census unit for a single address.The table below shows the annual census of employment units with under 200 employees—covering all industries and services except agriculture, horticulture and private domestic service—with addresses in Scotland in June 1976. Total employment in these units accounted for 57 per cent. of the total number of employees in employment in Scotland in June 1976.

Size Range	Total Labour Force thousands
1–10 employees	2730
11–49 employees	457·4
50–199 employees	460·3
Total	1,190·7

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, pursuant to his answer of 18 July 1978, Official Report, column 161, he will list any incoming firms developing in Scotland in the past 12 months: how many jobs have been produced; and what are the comparative figures for each of the years 1970 to 1977.

Information as requested for the years 1970 to 1972 is not readily available. The number of new manufacturing units opening in Scotland with an origin outside Scotland in the years 1973 to 1977, and their latest available employment is:

	Number of Units	Employment
1973	27	1,600
1974	21	800
1975	21	800
1976–77	7	300

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, pursuant to his answer of 24 July 1978, Official Report, column 589, he will give the latest figures for the proportion of local authority housing revenue accounts in Scotland borne by each of the rate fund, rents, and central Government subsidies, respectively; and whether he will give the equivalent proportions for England and Wales for the past eight years.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer of 24 July 1978, Official Report, column 591, if he will publish figures for the amount granted by 411 European funds for projects in Scotland in the latest available year and for each year since the United Kingdom's accession to the EEC.

Financial allocations from EEC sources in respect of projects in Scotland are set out in the table below:In addition there is aid from the European Coal and Steel Community. As many of the grants and loans are for United Kingdom projects, precise figures for the Scottish share are not readily available.

The position so far as the period 1971–78 is concerned remains the same as that given to the hon. Member in my reply of 24 July 1978.—[Vol. 954, c. 589.]Estimated information for 1978–79 is set out in the table below:

Rate Fund Contributions	14 per cent.
Rents	49 per cent.
Central Government Subsidies	37 per cent

Corresponding figures for England and Wales are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment and my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish the latest figures for the proportion of owner-occupied housing as a percentage of total housing available, and the equivalent figures for 1974 and 1970.

This information is given annually in a supplementary table of the quarterly publication "Housing and Construction Statistics" which is

	Scotland 1977–78 £ million	Proportion of Great Britain figure Per cent.
Local Employment Act grants—payments	0·1	11·1
Expenditure on land and factory building	22·6	39·9
Selective financial assistance—offers:
Loans	2·6	24·8
Grants	16·1	10· 6
Highlands and Islands Development Board:
Loans	3·8	Not available
Grants	3·1	Not available
Regional development grants—payments	105·0	26·7
Regional employment premium—payments	1·5	50·0
Tourism—grants under section 4 of the Development of Tourism Act 1969	1·0	37·0
Loans to small tourist enterprises	0·2	13·3
Small firms employment subsidy	0·7	36·8

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, pursuant to his answer of 24 July 1978, Official Report, column 591, he will give the latest figures for the total regional assistance to

EXPENDITURE ON REGIONAL ASSISTANCE TO INDUSTRY IN SCOTLAND AND IN ENGLAND IN FINANCIAL YEAR 1977–78
	Scotland—whole region assisted	Assisted areas in England
Total gross expenditure—£ million	150·1	270·1
Total number of employees—estimate at mid-1976—millions	21	6·4
Expenditure per employee	£72·5	£42·3

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, pursuant to his answer of 1 August 1978, Official Report, column 220, he will give the latest details of equity stakes in industry held by the Scottish Development Agency.

The agency holds equity stakes, including convertible prepared by the Department of the Environment. Copies of this publication are available in the House of Commons library.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, pursuant to his answer of 24 July 1978, Official Report, column 590, he will give the latest figures for regional assistance by programme granted to firms in Scotland; and what these were as a percentage compared with Great; Britain as a whole.

The information is as follows:industry per head of employee in (

The information is as follows:loan and convertible preference shares, in 22 companies. In three of these the share of the equity is between 30 per cent. and 50 per cent., and in six the shareholding is over 50 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, pursuant to his answer of 25 July 1978, Official Report, column 677, he will give the total loss to date by the Scottish Development Agency as a result of investment in firms that have subsequently failed.

I refer the hon. Member to the agency's annual report for 1977–78, a copy of which is in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, pursuant to his answer of 25 July 1978, Official Report, column 677, he will list the sums so far made available to the Scottish Development Agency.

£107·6 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, pursuant to his answer of 22 February 1978, Official Report, column 687, he will give the latest figures for total expenditure of the Scottish Development Agency since its inception; and what funds are being made available to it in the year 1981–82.

The agency spent £124 million gross to 28 February 1979. The provision included in Cmnd. 7439 for 1981–82, revalued to 1979 survey prices, is £96·6 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the total expenditure by the Scottish Development Agency on industrial investment to the present date; and what has so far been committed to capital projects.

The agency has undertaken industrial investments totalling £21 million to 28 March 1979. Expenditure, both actual and committed, on capital projects amounted at 28 February 1979 to £131 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, pursuant to his answer of 7 December 1977, Official Report, column 777, he will give the latest estimates for the current financial year of (a) the cost per job created by the Highlands and Islands Development Board, (b) the total number of jobs created, (c) the total expenditure by the board on the creation of jobs in manufacturing, construction, services and fishing and (d) total approved unallocatable expenditure.

In the 11 months from 1 April 1978, the Highlands and Islands Development Board approved the following expenditure on financial assistance to enterprises in the categories mentioned:—

	£
Manufacturing industry	2,992,203
Construction industry	995,929
Service Industry—including tourism	4,001,093
Fisheries	3,167,194
Agriculture	1,262,066
Total	£12,418,485

The board estimates that the equivalent of 1,589 full-time jobs have been or will be created by the enterprises assisted, at a cost per job of £7,815.The board estimates that it will incur expenditure of about £3·45 million in the current financial year on schemes and projects designed to improve employment opportunities generally. It is not readily practicable to allocate this expenditure to particular industries or to estimate its effect on job creation.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, pursuant to his answer of 26 July, Official Report, column 744, he will give the percentage of total local government expenditure in Scotland represented by rate support grant for the latest available year.

Rate support grant, together with specific grants, amounts to 68·4 per cent. of relevant expenditure accepted for rate support grant purposes for 1978–79.Relevant expenditure excludes certain expenditure undertaken by local authorities, mainly on housing. The percentage figure given differs from that initially determined as a result of adjustments made by an increase order.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, pursuant to his answer of 26 July, Official Report, column 751, he will give figures for total revenue expenditures of local authorities in Scotland for the latest available year and also figures for the proportion of expenditures net from (a) grants, (b) rates, (c) charges and (d) other services.

I have nothing to add to the answer given on 26 July 1978 to the hon. Member for Edinburgh, West (Lord James Douglas-Hamilton.)—[Vol. 954, c. 751.]

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the most recent total number of persons on hospital waiting lists in Scotland.

There were 56,713 persons on hospital waiting lists in Scotland at March 1978, the latest date for which figures are available.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, pursuant to his answer of 12 June 1978, Official Report, column 344, he will give the latest figures for the total number of discharges from National Health Service hospitals after abortion in Scotland.

Figures for 1977 are:

Therapeutic abortions	7,088
Other abortions	6,659
Total	13,745

The first figure represents abortions carried out in National Health Service hospitals and notified under the Abortion Act 1967.The second figure covers a range of non-therapeutic abortions, the majority being spontaneous abortions.

MEAN WAITING TIME (IN DAYS) FOR PATIENTS DISCHARGED BY SELECTED DIAGNOSIS
Diagnosis	1974	1975	1976	1977
Strabismus	91	98	77	91
Cataract	84	98	91	91
Varicose veins	147	168	168	154
Haemorrhoids	98	105	105	105
Hypertrophy of tonsils and adenoids	112	112	105	105
Hernia of abdominal cavity	91	98	105	98
Diseases of cervix including cervicalerosion	70	63	63	56
Utero-vaginal prolapse and malposition of uterus	98	77	84	84
Internal derangement of knee joint	84	77	77	91
Displacement of invertebral disc	42	35	35	35

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, pursuant to his

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, pursuant to his answer of 20 July 1978, Official Report, column 409, he will give the total number of beds available in hospitals for the latest available year.

The latest available information relates to the six months up to 31 March 1978. During that period the average number of available staffed beds in National Health Service hospitals in Scotland was 59,061.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, pursuant to his answer of 20 July 1978, Official Report, column 409, he will give the latest figures for income from pay beds in National Health Service hospitals in Scotland.

For the financial year 1977–78, the latest year for which statistics are available, the income was £482,886.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, pursuant to his answer of 30 November 1977, Official Report, column 243, he will publish the latest figures for average waiting time for the admission of non-urgent cases to hospitals in Scotland as a whole for 1974 and for each year since then.

The following table shows mean waiting times in days of patients discharged during the years 1974 to 1977, with selected diagnoses. The figures refer only to patients discharged during the years listed and not to all patients on the waiting list in those years.answer of 6 June 1978,

Provisional figures for September 1978 show that 95·1 per cent. of secondary school pupils were in education authority schools, 2·1 per cent. in independent schools and 2·8 per cent. in grant-aided schools.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, pursuant to his answer of 3 July 1978, Official Report, column 90, he will give the latest figures for the proportion of total expenditure for the United Kingdom voted to Scotland for the National Health Service.

Comparative figures of health expenditure for the United Kingdom on the above basis are not available.The proportion of expenditure voted by Parliament for the National Health Service in Scotland for 1977–78 compared to that so voted for Great Britain was 11·6 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, pursuant to his answer of 3 July 1978, Official Report, column 89, he will give the latest figures for the amount of National Health Service funds allocated to Scotland.

The net amount voted by Parliament for the National Health Service in Scotland in 1977–78 was £709·0 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, pursuant to his answer of 17 May 1978, Official Report, c. 212, he will give the latest figures for the gross amount of housing subsidies in England and Scotland and figures for 1970–71, 1971–72 and what the figure represents as a proportion of Great Britain's figure for each year since 1970.

This information is not readily available.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, pursuant to his answer of 20 July 1978, Official Report, c. 410, he will give the latest figures for the percentage of school leavers at the age of 16 years with O level passes in the certificate of education.

The latest figures available remain those given in the final column of my answer to the hon. Member for Edinburgh, North (Mr. Fletcher) on 20 July 1978.—[Vol. 954, c. 410.]

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, pursuant to his answer of 26 July, Official Report, c. 750, he will give the latest figures and estimates for the average domestic rate payment in Scotland.

The estimated average domestic rate payment—excluding domestic water rate—for 1979–80 is £139·20, an increase of 15·4 per cent. over the latest provisional average domestic rate payment for 1978–79 of £120·64.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, pursuant to his answer of 26 July, Official Report, column 749, he will give the latest estimate of the proportion of net disposable income taken by rate payments; and what was the equivalent proportion in England and Wales.

The estimate of the proportion of net disposable income taken by rate payments—excluding domestic water rates—for 1977—the latest year for which figures are available—is 3·43 per cent. in Scotland, where rate payments cover drainage charges. Figures for England and Wales should be obtained from my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for the Environment and my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Wales, respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, pursuant to his answer of 20 July 1978, Official Report, column 410, he will publish the latest figures for the number of children receiving nursery education in Scotland.

I am sending the hon. Member a copy of a statistical bulletin on nursery education published earlier this week which provides further information about the number of children receiving nursery education in education authority schools in Scotland at September 1977. This shows that between 1972 and 1977 the numbers of such children more than doubled, the numbers of nursery schools increased by 80 per cent. and the staff by almost 90 per cent. Comparable figures for September 1978 are not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, pursuant to his answer of 25 July 1978, Official Report, column 677, he will publish the latest figures for the percentage detection rate of crimes and offences in Scotland.

£ million at 1978 survey prices
	1970–71	1973–74	1979–80	1982–83
Water supply and Conservation and sewerage:
Capital	80	85	65	66
Current	23	29	37	37
Local environmental services:
Capital	92	108	71	73
Current	118	126	167	170
Urban programme	—	5	15	24
Community ownership of development land	—	—	5	5
Royal palaces and parks	—	—	—	—
Historic buildings and ancient monuments	—	2	5	5
Central and miscellaneous environmental services	3	7	10	11
Total	316	362	375	391

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, pursuant to his answer of 24 July 1978, Official Report, column 588, he will give the latest figures for total subsidy granted to the Scottish Transport Group in respect of ferry services to the Western Isles.

Revenue and capital grants to the Scottish Transport Group's subsidiary Caledonian Mac-Brayne Ltd. were:

	1978	1979 (Estimate)
	£	£
Revenue grant	3,634,000	3,700,000
Capital grant for improvement of terminals	294,000	94,000
	(1978–79)	(1979–80)

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, pursuant to his answer of 20 July 1978, Official Report,

The provisional figures for the percentage detection rate of crime and offences in 1978 are set out in the table below:

	1978
Crimes	30·1
Offences	84·6

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, pursuant to his answer of 22 February 1978, Official Report, column 688, he will give a breakdown of expenditure on other environmental services for the years 1970–71, 1973–74, 1979–80 and 1982–83.

The information is as follows:column 407, he will give the latest figures of (