asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will review regulations giving traffic wardens powers to fine on the spot, and examine their effectiveness and how they are operating for the more straightforward parking, vehicle and traffic offences.

The effectiveness of the fixed penalty system, which traffic wardens use to enforce parking and other road traffic offences, is kept under review. Traffic wardens have no powers to fine on the spot.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now ban the advertising of alcoholic drinks on television, pursuant to his powers under Section 8(5) of the Independent Broadcasting Authority Act 1973.

It would not be appropriate for me to do so in the absence of evidence that such a ban would make an effective contribution to the prevention of the misuse of alcohol. As indicated in paragraph 154 of the White Paper on prevention and health. Cmnd. 7047, published in December 1977, the Health Departments are to publish a consultative document on the misuse of alcohol which will outline for discussion the arguments for and against various preventive measures, including restraints on advertising.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what were the figures for enlistment in the special constabulary in England and Wales from 1st January to date this year; and how this figure compares with enlistment for the years 1974, 1975, 1976 and 1977.

The information is not held centrally and could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many current vacancies there are for prison officers; and how many officers have left the service in the last 12 months.

On 1st March 1978 there were 14,365 prison officers in post in England and Wales, 575 fewer than the total of 14,940 approved for the financial year 1977–78. In the 11 months ended 1st March 1978 677 officers left the service and 954 joined, a net gain of 277.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, when giving consideration to the question of the pay of police in the light of the forthcoming Edmund-Davies Report, he will also give consideration to adjusting the pay and conditions of prison officers on a similar basis to that of the police.

No. Prison officers are civil servants whose pay and conditions of service fall to be considered, in accordance with the report of the Committee on Remuneration and Conditions of Service of Certain Grades in the Prison Service (Cmnd 544), under the Civil Service agreement on pay, hours and leave. An offer for the pay settlement due from 1st April 1978 to non-industrial civil servants, including prison officers, was made last month.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many air tickets have been provided out of public funds in the last five years to facilitate the speedy removal from the United Kingdom of undesirable aliens.

I regret that this information is not readily available and could not be provided without disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, now that it is acknowledged that the Palestine Liberation Organisation is supplying arms and explosives to the Provisional IRA for use in the current campaign of atrocities, he will apply the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Acts and other relevant legislation to persons associated with it in the same way that they are applied to persons associated with the Provisional IRA.

The powers in the prevention of terrorism (temporary provisions) legislation were provided in the context of a terrorist threat connected with Northern Irish affairs and may be used against any persons suspected of involvement in that context.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many immigrants from the Philippines were admitted to the United Kingdom in the past 12 months.

The figures for 1977 are in the Command Paper "Control of Immigraion: Statistics 1977", which is being published tomorrow.

asked the Lord President of the Council if he will publish details of the boards, commissions, committees or other types of organisations established by his Department since October 1974, giving in each case the purpose of the organisation, the chairman's and members' salaries and expenses, and the total cost of the organisation for each year since 1974.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the total sum in grants made for the building of agricultural roads in the Loch Goil area in each of the past five years.

The only payments of grant in the past five years were made in 1975 and amounted to £1,300.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people were employed by the Scottish Development Agency at the latest available date.

At 28th February 1978 the Agency employed 599 people.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish in the Official Report the monthly figures of United Kingdom barley exports with the cumulative total for the current marketing year.

Exports of barley for the current August 1977 to July 1978 crop year are as follows:

	'000 tonnes	Value £ million
August	4·9	0·4
September	29·8	2·5
October	125·5	9·7
November	125·9	9·4
December	152·7	11·7
January	194·0	15·0
February	311·7	24·0
Total	944·5	72·7

The previous best total for a full year was 1·1 million tonnes. In comparison our export performance this year reflects the commendable efforts made by United Kingdom cereals producers and traders.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether the discussions that he held in Romania and Bulgaria recently resulted in arrangements for an increase in the level if imports from those countries; and in what industrial sectors such imports would take place.

No formal arrangements for an increase in imports from these countries have ben made as a result of my right hon. Friend's discussions. They were generally about the expansion of trade with these countries which will, of course, involve an increase in the levels of both imports from them and exports to them, but the main emphasis was on the latter.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether it is his policy that any developments at East Midlands Airport should be based on its role as a regional airport and not as a gateway international airport.

The Government consider that the development of East Midlands Airport should be related closely to demand, which is forecast to increase to 1½ million passengers a year by 1990, and to the conclusions of the White Paper on airports policy. In the longer term either Birmingham or East Midlands could develop into a gateway international airport, but this will depend on the growth of demand.

asked the Secrtary of State for Trade further to his reply to the hon. Member for Tynemouth of 10th March 1978 indicating that the Government's reasons for not accepting the proposal acceptable to the American Government

						United Kingdom Exports January/February 1977	United Kingdom Exports January/February 1978	Increase
France	…	…	…	…	…	44	61	17
Belgium/Luxembourg			…	…	…	31	54	23
Netherlands		…	…	…	…	96	131	35
Federal Republic of Germany				…	…	89	103	14
Italy	…	…	…	…	…	55	84	29

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection if he is satisfied that there is no danger as a result of the misuse by sniffing of Zoff plaster remover, which is freely available at pharmacies; and if he will make a statement.

Zoff is one of a wide range of solvent-based products which present no hazard in normal use but can be harmful if deliberately inhaled. I do not consider that it would be practicable to prevent misuse by sniffing by imposing controls over the many products which lend themselves to it, and more harm than good may well be done by identifying the individual products which can be abused. However, young people should

I shall reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade to which members of the European Community there has been an increase in the export of British footwear to date in 1978 compared with 1977; and whether he will make a statement.

Statistics are available only for the first two months of this year. They show that United Kingdom exports of footwear to all member States of the European Community except Ireland and Denmark were higher than in the same period in 1977. A breakdown of the figures, all in thousand pairs, is as follows:be warned of the dangers of this practice, and much is being done in this respect by drug addiction liaison committees, school teachers, social workers and youth organisers.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will seek powers to require containers of goods which incorporate whale products to be so marked.

The sperm whale is the only whale whose products can legally be imported to the United Kingdom. The major whale product is sperm oil, which is used in the leather and engineering industries. I am currently examining the position to see whether goods containing whale products or produced with their use can be so marked.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will publish figures showing the deficits or surpluses produced by Cable and Wireless Ltd. during each of the last complete 20 operating years for which figures are available.

The pre-tax profit figures published in the Cable and Wireles Group reports and accounts for the years 1957–58 to 1976–77 are as follows:

	£
1957–58	2·9
1958–59	3·9
1959–60	4·0
1960–61	5·1
1961–62	5·2
1962–63	4·8
1963–64	3·7
1964–65	3·7
1965–66	3·6
1966–67	4·3
1967–68	5·8
1968–69	6·8
1969–70	9·1
1971–72	5·6
1972–73	9·6
1973–74	14·7
1974–75	19·0
1975–76	28·4
1976–77	58·2

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he is able to announce any further appointments to the Board of British Shipbuilders.

Mr. R. C. Whalley has been appointed as a full-time member of the board of British Shipbuilders. He will serve as personnel member with responsibility for personnel and industrial relations matters.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will publish details of the boards, commissions, committees or other types of organisations established by her Department since October 1974, giving in each case the purpose of the organisation, the chairman's and members' salaries and expenses, and the total cost of the organisation for each year since 1974.

Such information as is available will take some time to collate. I will write to my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will publish figures showing the deficiences or surpluses produced by the electricity industry duing each of the last complete 20 opeating years for which figures are available.

The figures are as follows and relate to the electricity supply industry in England and Wales. They are taken from the Handbook of Electricity Supply Statistics 1977 edition, Table 24:

Year	Profit/loss (-) after interest £ million
1957–58	16·1
1958–59	27·3*
1959–60	26·7*
1960–61	16·3*
1961–62	26·9
1962–63	42·5
1963–64	70·4
1964–65	64·1
1965–66	84·7
1966–67	20·6
1967–68	55·0
1968–69	100·6
1969–70	64·5
1970–71	(-) 55·8
1971–72	(-) 25·5
1972–73	0·5
1973–74	(-)185·6†
1974–75	(-) 268·5‡
1975–76	8·5§
1976–77	206·5
* After contributing £0·5 million to Centra Guarantee Fund.
† Before £268·6 million Government compensation for price restraint.
‡ Before £257·6 million Government compensation for price restraint.
§ Before £56·5 million Government compensation for price restraint.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what agreements have been signed between the United Kingdom and West German and Polish Governments for the importing of coking coal to the United Kingdom in the year 1979–80; and what tonnage is intended should be imported from these two countries.

There are not intergovernmental agreements, but the British Steel Corporation has contracts for the supply of some high grade coking coal from Poland and West Germany.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will review the possible application to the United Kingdom of the policy of the United States Government to impose penalties on cars not meeting the consumption criteria of 18 miles per US gallon in 1978 and increasing progressively to 27 miles per gallon by 1984.

As my right hon. Friend informed the House in his statement on energy conservation on 12th December last, the Government have opened discussions with the motor industry on possible targets for raising the average miles per gallon achieved by new cars and on methods of achieving those targets. I cannot anticipate the outcome of these discussions, which will take into account relevant experience in other countries.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what plans he has to change the situation whereby men aged 84 to 95 years and women aged 80 to 90 years are eligible for a reduced death grant and over these ages no grant is made; what is the cost of giving grants to all these persons at full rate; and if he will make a statement.

I cannot add to my reply to my hon. Friend the hon. Member for Hemel Hempstead (Mr. Corbett) on 16th June 1977.—[Vol. 933, c. 264–5.]

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the percentage of the gross national product spent on the National Health Service in the United Kingdom in each year from 1970 to the latest available date; and how this figure compares with other members of the European Economic Community and the United States of America.

The National Health Service in the United Kingdom took, in current prices, the following proportions of the gross domestic product (GDP) at factor costs, which is the measure most readily available for these comparisons, in 1970 and subsequent years:

	Percentage
1970	4·7
1971	4·7
1972	4·8
1973	4·7
1974	5·3
1975	5·7
1976	5·8

Expenditure on health care is not recorded on a strictly comparable basis in the national accounts of the various EEC countries, and there are widely varying definitions of "health care". There are therefore serious difficulties in expressing such expenditure as a proportion of GDP so as to allow meaningful comparisons to be made. However, the latest comparisons made by the OECD of the fraction of GDP spent on health indicate that, if United Kingdom spending is taken as 100, then around 1974 the picture was as follows:

	Total Public and Private Health Expenditure	Public Health Expenditure
United Kingdom	100	100
U.S.A.	142	65
Denmark	N.A.	141
Netherlands	140	111
France	133	115
Germany	129	113
Ireland	119	117
Italy	115	113
Belgium	96	91
Luxembourg	77	N.A.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many patients are now on the waiting lists for beds at the hospitals in Coventry; and what is the longest period any patient has been so waiting.

5,167 at 31st December 1977. The longest waiting period was by an orthopaedic case for four years eight months.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services, in view of the fact that in various regions there are fully trained nurses who are unable to obtain positions in hospitals because the hospital authorities are not able to pay them the required salaries, if he will take steps to make increased funds available to remedy this situation and what was the nurse-patient ratio in National Health Service hospitals in each year since 1970 to the latest available date.

Finance is only one of a number of factors which may influence health authorities' recruitment of qualified nurses. I understand that some of the nurses who register as unemployed are unwilling to work other than limited hours, have poor sickness records or reside in localities where there is no immediate demand for their services.The ratio of nurses—in whole-time equivalents—to occupied beds was as follows:

1970	1:1·56
1971	1:1·49
1972	1:1·38
1973	1:1·30
1974	1:1·25
1975	1:1·12
1976*	1:1·09
*provisional

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) in view of the importance he attaches to the good neighbour policy and the campaign, if he will take steps to remove all the names of the public who have had their names recorded by investigators without their knowledge or approval through the use of form A6 (LT);(2) if he will make a statement on the use of form A6 (LT) since its distribution in January; how many claimants have been subjected to the questions; and how many additional names have been compiled on the forms;(3) if he will immediately suspend the use of form A6 (LT) by his officials when interviewing social security benefit claimants.

Form A6(LT) was introduced at the beginning of 1978 as part of the Supplementary Benefits Commission's new policy for ensuring a more sensitive and humane administration of the law relating to the entitlement to benefit of couples who are living together as husband and wife, though not married. It provides a structured report from the specially trained interviewing officer to the senior officer, who decides whether or not a couple are living together as husband and wife. Its purpose is to ensure that all relevant aspects are considered and claimants are treated consistently. These reports are treated in strictest confidence; are used only for assessing entitlement to benefit; and are destroyed 18 months after a person has stopped claiming supplementary benefit.It would not be practicable to keep a record of the names of people other than claimants recorded on these forms or to remove such names from the forms that have been completed in respect of some 10,000 claims so far.These new arrangements have been in operation for only a few months. I have drawn the concern expressed by my hon. Friend to the attention of the Supplementary Benefits Commission. I have asked the commission to keep the new arrangements under close scrutiny and to assess whether any modifications are necessary when the arrangements have been in operation for a reasonable period of time.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he is satisfied that the proposals to withdraw child tax allowances from, and deny child benefits to, immigrant workers, whose children live in countries with whom Great Britain does not have reciprocal arrangements, does not contravene the letter or the spirit of ILO Conventions No. 118 Article 5 and No. 97 Article 6, Clause 1(a)(1).

The Government's proposals are wholly consistent with their obligations under Article 6 of ILO Convention No. 97. The United Kingdom has not accepted any obligation under ILO Convention No. 118 for the reasons given in White Paper Cmnd 1993 of April 1963. No question of contravention therefore arises.

asked the Prime Minister if he will make an official visit to Markham Village in the Bedwellty constituency.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will ensure that the Department of Health and Social Security and the Department of Employment co-ordinate their research on the subject of damage to lungs caused by welding practices particularly in the shipbuilding industry; whether he is satisfied with the work being undertaken to overcome welders lung; and if he will support the restoration of mobile X-ray units to attend shipyards at least once each year.

I have been asked to reply.The prime responsibility within Government for commissioning or undertaking research into matters of occupational health rests with the Health and Safety Executive on behalf of the Health and Safety Commission.I am advised that "welder's lung" is not a clearly defined medical term. It may be applied purely to the condition—generally regarded as benign—where iron oxide particles are deposited in the lungs—that is, siderosis—or, more colloquially, to any respiratory complaints suffered by welders. Although a number of toxic conditions can be produced by gas and fumes generated during welding processes, the prevalence of any longer-term damage to the lungs, leading to excessive morbidity or mortality, is difficult to determine due to a number of factors such as smoking habits and previous employment records.The Employment Medical Advisory Service is conducting a study of welders in the North-East to help clarify this and I understand that the Institute of Naval Medicine is also carrying out a series of studies in naval dockyards.In addition, the Health and Safety Executive is represented on the Welding Institute project into the generation and control of welding fume and is concerned to promote progress in the development of adequate ventilation, which it considers to be the effective solution to most welding problems. In view of these initiatives, it seems that adequate work is being undertaken to encourage a healthy working environment for welders. The evidence available does not appear to support the need for annual chest X-rays of welders.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement concerning the circumstances of the death in Botswana of Nicholas Love.

As the hon. and learned Member will be aware, Mr. Nicholas Love was shot by members of the Botswana Defence Force on 29th March, together with two South Africans.My right hon. Friend and I were greatly saddened to hear of the tragic death of this young man and would like to take the opportunity to extend to his family and friends our most sincere sympathy in their sad loss.Since he was first informed of the incident on 30th March, our High Commissioner in Gaborone has maintained the closest contact with senior Botswana officials. My right hon. Friend has instructed him to register our deep concern and he is endeavouring to ensure that the High Commission will be represented at any inquest or inquiry that takes place. A post mortem was held on 1st April and we have asked for a copy of the conclusions. Meanwhile, an investigation is being carried out by the Botswana police.We enjoy the friendliest of relations with Botswana and they have in President Seretse Khama a man who is widely respected in this country. We are therefore in no doubt that the Botswana Government share our desire to establish the full facts, and we have just heard that the President will be seeing our High Commissioner in Gaborone this afternoon to discuss the case.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Newham, North-West [Official Report, 17th March, c. 364], he will list the designation or rankings of the 288 officials who accompanied him on his 35 visits overseas, their salaries and allowances; and whether these latter figures were included in the costs of the visit as stated in the original reply.

The costs given in the reply to my hon. Friend's original Question of 17th March were those incurred specifically in connection with my right hon. Friend's overseas visits. They therefore included subsistence allowances for each official member of the party based on the local cost of living, but did not include salaries.To supply further detailed information about the designation, rank, figures for salaries and allowances would require a disproportionate expenditure of time and cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects to complete the discussions which have been continuing since the 20th January 1978 and reach a decision regarding the possibility of accepting a number of Vietnamese refugees at present in Hong Kong into the United Kingdom.

I expect the discussions to be concluded shortly. The decision, of course, is for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has now obtained the detailed report on alleged mercenaries in Addis Ababa as described in The Times newspaper which he advised the House that he had called for, Official Report, col. 1490; whether he has decided to make representations to the Ethiopian Government; and whether he will make a statement.

I have discussed the situation in Ethiopia with Her Majesty's Ambassador, who is in London for consultations. I received the Ethiopian Ambassador in London at his request yesterday. I reiterated to the Ethiopian Ambassador what I had said to the Deputy Foreign Minister on 18th January; that I consider the human rights situation in Ethiopia to be a matter of serious concern. The Ethiopian Government are therefore fully aware of the strength of feeling in this country on this subject.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the average waiting time for (a) husbands, and (b) male fiances from the Indian sub-continent requiring entry permits.

Details showing the period waited by applicants interviewed on 28th February are shown in the following table:

	Husbands months	Fiancés months
New Delhi	5	6
Bombay	15	15
Islamabad	17¼	17¼
Karachi	18	17½
Dacca	21	—*
* Dacca received only three applications from fiancés during the last 12 months.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he next plans to meet the Chairman of the British Railways Board.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he next proposes to meet the Chairman of British Railways.

I refer the hon. Members to my answer earlier today to the hon. Member for Carshalton (Mr. Forman.)

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what is his latest estimate of the profit/loss to be made by the National Freight Corporation during the current financial year.

Although it is too early for any detailed estimates, the National Freight Corporation is expecting the improvement in its trading results to continue in 1978.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to issue his consultation document on the planned change-over from miles to kilometres.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to issue his consultation document on the planned change-over from miles to kilometres.

Consultations will not take place before next year. No plans have been made meanwhile.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to receive from the National Bus Company its proposals on a concessionary fare scheme for pensioners based on its national network.

The National Bus Company aims to introduce commercially-based off-peak fare schemes for pensioners in areas where there is no local authority scheme of concessionary fares. Even if they prove to be successful, these NBC schemes are no substitute for a local authority scheme which meets half the cost of local bus fares as recommended in our recent circular.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to meet representatives of the railway unions.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he next plans to meet representatives of the railway unions.

I expect to meet them shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has had from the road haulage industry concerning his statement on 1st March 1978 that he believed in a very strong public sector pushing its priorities forward.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what is the maximum size of road transport vehicle currently permitted; and if he will undertake to permit no increase and to proceed to gradual reduction in maximum permitted size.

The harmonisation of lorry weights and dimensions is currently the subject of discussion within the European Community. The Commission's latest proposals envisage no substantial increase in dimensions.Details of maximum permitted lorry sizes are as follows:

Vehicle	Length metres	Width metres
Draw-bar trailer (road train)	18	2·5
Articulated vehicles	15	2·5
Rigid vehicles	11	2·5

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will take steps to discourage the practice of adding bright red lights to the rear of motor cars, in addition to the statutory two rear lights, in view of the fact that they give the continued and erroneous impression of braking.

We are strongly in favour of cars being fitted with rear fog lamps and we propose to make regulations which will require all new cars to be fitted with at least one. We accept, however, that such lamps must be properly installed and used if they are not to dazzle other road users. We propose accordingly to lay down requirements on the installation of such lamps and to permit their use only in fog or falling snow.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what proposals he has received concerning the increased carriage of freight by water.

My Department has received a number of representations recommending the increased carriage of freight by water. I lately had the opportunity of discussing the prospects of the Thames in the course of a trip on the river kindly arranged by Transport on Water.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether his impending White Paper on roads will contain proposals for bypasses and relief roads.

I refer the hon. Member to my answer earlier today to the hon. Member for Hereford (Mr. Shepherd).

asked the Secreary of State for Transport what is the latest estimated date of the opening of the Humber Bridge.

The Humber Bridge Board's latest estimate is June 1979.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the latest position in the discussions on the European Economic Community driving licences.

I cannot add to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member on 1st February.—[Vol. 943, cc. 191–2.]

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made in consideration, by his Department, of the eventual formulation of a European driving licence.

I cannot add to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for Banbury (Mr. Marten) on 1st February.—[Vol. 943, cc. 191–2.]

asked the Secretary of State for Transport how long on average it is taking the Swansea Vehicle Licensing Centre to furnish details of driving convictions to courts of law that request them.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to my answer to the hon. Member for Leominster (Mr. Temple-Morris) earlier today.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he is satisfied with the implementation of European Economic Community regulations concerning tachographs; and whether he will make a statement.

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Shrewsbury (Sir J. Langford-Holt) earlier today.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to meet the general secretary of the Transport and General Workers Union.

None, at present.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a further statement about progress on transport experiments in rural areas.

The second experiment under the Passenger Vehicles (Experimental Areas) Act started in North Yorkshire on 20th March. Two others in Devon have been authorised and are due to start this month. The statutory procedures for four other experiments, three in North Yorkshire and one in Scotland, have now started.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he is satisfied with current levels of productivity on British Railways.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he is satisfied with current levels of productivity in British Railways.

I refer my hon. Friends to my answer to the hon. Member for Hastings (Mr. Warren) on 1st February.—[Vol. 943, c. 187.]

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he is satisfied with present Government arrangements to support rail export efforts.

The full range of the Government's export assistance schemes is available to the railway industry. I am very anxious that the industry should continue to build on its good record.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will convene a joint meting between the chairman of British Railways, the chairman of the Price Commission, and himself to discuss the implications of the Price Commission's recent report on passenger fares for future transport policy.

No. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection, and I, expect shortly to announce our conclusions on the Price Commission's report on increases in rail passenger fares.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he next expects to discuss transport policy with the EEC Transport Ministers.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer that I gave today to my hon. Friend the Member for Newton (Mr. Evans).

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the latest state on the discussions he is currently holding within the European Community in connection with proposed increases in lorry weights.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Faversham (Mr. Moate) on 8th March 1978.—[Vol. 945, c. 698.]

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has for improving motorway communications between the East and West Coasts of England.

I would refer the hon. Gentleman to the White Paper "Policy for Roads: England 1978" published yesterday.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will indicate to the Council of European Transport Ministers that Her Majesty's Government would not accept a reduction from 14 to 12 in the age limit for child fares on British railways.

As I explained on 8th March to my hon. Friend the Member for Chester-le-Street (Mr. Radice)—[Vol. 945, c. 699.]—neither the Council of the EEC nor the Commission has made any request for the age limit for children's fares on British Rail to be reduced from 14 to 12. I would certainly not regard such a proposition as acceptable.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what arrangements he has made to implement the Leitch Committee recommendation for comparing road and rail schemes where direct alternatives arise.

In considering proposals for new roads I shall take account of possible rail alternatives where there could be a cost-effective way of meeting needs.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what reply he has sent to Mr. John Kennedy, of Fair Oak, Hants, a constituent of the hon. Member for Winchester, concerning the provision of a pedestrian crossing in the vicinity of The Square, Fair Oak.

I am writing to the hon. and gallant Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if, in view of the move to offer consumers a more unified passenger rail system within the European Community, he will request British Rail to implement the "Eurailpas" unlimited travel season ticket, and request the Council of Ministers to raise the age limit for child rail fares from 12 to 14 years.

As the EEC Commission recognises, these are matters for the individual railways to decide although I share my hon. Friend's wish to ease and increase the movement of rail passengers in the Community as a whole.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what is the total mileage of motorways now completed and open to the public at the latest convenient date; how much of that mileage is for three-lane carriage-ways and how much for two-lane carriage-ways; and what plans he has to up-grade all the two-lane carriage-ways to three-lane carriage-ways.

On 1st October 1977 there were 1,285 miles of trunk road motorway in England. 290 miles were dual two-lane; the other 995 were mostly dual three-lane, but included a very small amount of dual four-lane. There were also 58 miles of local authority motorway. We shall consider improvements, where necessary, on their merits.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport how many vehicles were taxed at post offices in the last 12 months for which figures are available and how many at local licensing centres; and how the costs of each transaction performed by the post office compares with the costs at licensing centres.

In the 12 months ending in November last year 14,980,000 licences were issued at post offices and 15,170,000 by local offices—in most cases at local vehicle licensing offices; in cases where a central record had not yet been set up, by local authority motor taxation offices.Only simple renewals are dealt with by post offices; the charge is some 80 pence per transaction, excluding VAT. Local vehicle licensing offices deal with a wider range of transactions; the average cost is approximately 40 pence each.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what consideration he has given to the need for local vehicle licensing centres on the present scale in the light of the establishment of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Centre at Swansea and the facilities provided at post offices for the taxation of motor vehicles.

The network of local vehicle licensing offices was planned as an integral part of the centralisation of vehicle registration and licensing. It performs important functions best undertaken locally, and provides a wider range of services than do post offices. We do not at present envisage changes.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what is the annual cost of operating the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Centre and the cost of operating the local licensing centres; and how the cost compares in real terms with the costs of the registration and licensing system before the establishment of the Swansea Centre.

In 1977–78 respective costs will be £44 million and £7·5 million. The former sum includes the cost of providing common services. No direct comparison between the costs of the new system and the old can usefully be made. The latter was failing to provide an adequate record and could not continue; in any event it dealt with fewer vehicles and drivers and not all of its costs were separately identified. Had it been expanded simply to deal with increased numbers, its costs would probably have been about the same as those of the new system.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will state the latest noise measurement of traffic on Doncaster Road, Dalton, near Rotherham; or, if no such measurement has been made, if he will make the necessary arrangements to carry out such a test.

No noise measurements have been carried out over this stretch of road and, since no new construction or improvement work has taken place or is in contemplation, there are no plans to do so.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has plans to abolish the road fund licence; and whether he will make a statement.

I have nothing to add to the answer given to a similar Question on 23rd March to the hon. Member for Hazel Grove (Mr. Arnold).

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his latest estimate of the size of the public sector borrowing requirement expressed as a percentage of the gross domestic product; and how this percentage compares with that in each of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries.

The latest information on the public sector borrowing requirement relates to the calendar year 1977 and shows that the PSBR was around 4 per cent. of gross domestic product in that year. Comparable figures for other OECD countries are not available. International comparisons are usually made in terms of the general Government financial deficit. This was 3½ per cent. of GDP in the United Kingdom in 1977. Comparable OECD estimates for the larger member countries are shown below:

GENERAL GOVERNMENT FINANCIAL DEFICIT 1977: RATIO TO GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT*
	Per cent. of GDP at market prices
Canada	2
France	1
Germany	3
Italy	7½
Japan†	5
United Kingdom	3½
U.S.A	1
* OECD forecast (Economic Outlook, No. 22) except for United Kingdom.
† Financial year 1977–78.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish figures showing the profits or losses made by the Bank of England during each of the last complete 20 operating years for which figures are available.

The profits made by the Bank of England in the operating year ending 28th February 1971, and in succeeding years up to 28th February 1977, are shown in the annual reports and accounts of the Bank for those years, copies of which are available in the Library. Figures for earlier years are not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the present value of the halfpenny compared in real terms with the farthing at the time of its abolition in 1961; what estimate he makes of the administrative cost of the continued inclusion of a vulgar fraction in the decimal currency system; and what other currencies feature such a fraction.

The present value of the halfpenny compared in real terms with that of the farthing at the time of its abolition in 1961 is 1·26 farthings.No estimate has been made of the administrative costs of the continued inclusion of a vulgar fraction in the decimal currency system as this would involve disproportionate costs. But the retention of the halfpenny is still warranted by its use in price shading.I understand that Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and the Irish Republic use fractional coins; and there are several other countries whose currency systems involve the division of the major unit into a thousand parts.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give active consideration to individual taxation of a married couple as part of any proposals for a wealth tax.

In the Green Paper on wealth tax which my right hon. Friend presented to Parliament in August 1974, Cmnd. 5704, the Government left open this point and invited public discussion on it. In reaching a decision on the treatment of husband and wife for wealth tax we shall take account of all the views that have been expressed.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the revenue loss in giving an option to married couples to disaggregate the taxation of their investment income.

I regret the information on which to base an estimate is not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the cost of reducing the number of income tax bands from the present 10 to the five suggested, if the taxable income up to £7,000 was reduced to 30 per cent., the taxable income of £7,001 to £10,000 was reduced to 35 per cent., the taxable income of £10,001 to £14,000 was reduced to 40 per cent., the taxable income of £14,001 to £21,000 was reduced to 60 per cent., and the taxable income of over £21,000 was reduced to 70 per cent.

About £2,375 million at 1977–78 income levels.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department has spent on advertisements in Labour Weekly in each year since 1972.

The Treasury has not advertised in Labour Weekly.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will make a statement on the use of the test discount rate.

The White Paper on nationalised industries, published today, indicates that financial targets for these industries should take account of the opportunity cost of capital by means of a required rate of return—RRR—which they would be expected to achieve on the totality of their new investment, Cmnd. 7131, paragraphs 58–65. This required rate of return has been fixed at 5 per cent. in real terms—before tax. 'The responsibility of devising methods of investment appraisal which would achieve this will rest with industries in consultation with their sponsor departments. The Government will therefore no longer specify a general test discount rate for project appraisal by nationalised industries.The opportunity cost of capital, representing the rate which an investment would have to earn in order to justify in economic terms the commitment of national resources which could be used in other ways, is equally relevant to investment decisions in other parts of the public sector, and the Government have been considering how best to bring this consideration to bear on decision-making in this area.Some of the other public sector bodies concerned—the water authorities, the Royal Mint, the Royal Ordnance Factories, and so on—are engaged in trading services similar to those of the nationalised industries. The Government will consult these bodies about the extent to which similar financial arrangements, adapted to their particular circumstances, would be appropriate.Apart from the nationalised industries, most of the public sector cannot be brought within the framework of financial objectives and the RRR system because the services are not provided on a trading basis. To promote the efficient use of national resources, however, it is necessary to retain project appraisal in the non-trading public services. In selecting the appraisal rate consistent with the general objective in Cmnd. 7131, account has to be taken of the special circumstances; for example, the absence of market forces and the greater risk of appraisal optimism for projects whose returns are primarily non-financial. The appraisal rate will generally, therefore, need to be set somewhat higher than the rate of 5 per cent. which reflects the opportunity cost of capital. Taking these considerations into account, a rate of 7 per cent. is considered to be generally appropriate for appraisal in the non-trading public services. However, in certain cases a different rate may be used, depending on the circumstances of the case; the Departments concerned will consider, in consultation with the Treasury, the rate to be applied in the particular circumstances. Where investment decisions are solely concerned with the choice of the best technique for producing a given output, or with issues concerning the phasing of capital expenditure, the appropriate rate would be the rate representing the opportunity cost of capital.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing index numbers of manufacturing output per person employed in manufacturing, at constant market prices, in the United Kingdom, United States of America, West Germany, France, Japan and Italy, for each year from 1973 to 1977, taking 1973 as 100 for each of the countries specified and taking the 1977 figure as the average of those months for which figures are already available in each case.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing index numbers of output per head of occupied population at constant market prices in the United Kingdom, United States of America, West Germany, France, Japan and Italy, for each year from 1973 to 1977, taking 1973 as 100 for each of the countries specified, and taking the 1977 figure as the average of those months for which figures are already available in each case.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish two tables showing index numbers of (a) industrial output and (b) manufacturing output at constant market prices in the United Kingdom, United States of America, West Germany, France, Japan and Italy, for each year from 1973 to 1977, taking 1973 as 100 for each of the countries specified, and taking the 1977

GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT* AT CONSTANT MARKET PRICES
1973=100
			United Kingdom	United States*	West Germany*	France	Japan*	Italy
1973	…	…	100·0	100·0	100·0	100·0	100·0	100·0
1974	…	…	98·8	98·6	100·4	102·5	98·7	103·9
1975	…	…	96·9	97·3	97·9	102·1	101·3	100·3
1976	…	…	99·8	103·2	103·4	107·3	107·3	105·9
1977	…	…	99·9	108·3	106·0	N.A.	112·4†	107·8†
Source:
United Kingdom—latest published estimates.
France—estimates published by INSEE.
Other countries—OECD Main Economic Indicators.
N.A.=Not available.
* Gross national product for United States, West Germany and Japan.
† Average of first three quarters of 1977 at an annual rate.

The series has been derived from data which have not been standardised to international definitions; but differences in definition are unlikely to have an appreciable effect on the comparability of growth rates over this period. OECD published projections suggest that the United Kingdom growth rate in 1978 will be above the average for European OECD countries.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, further to the Written Answer to the hon. Member for Blaby on 21st March, Official Report, columns 520–1, if he will publish similar tables of net income and take-home pay (a) for a married man on average earnings with no children and (b) for a single man on average earnings with no children.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing index numbers of gross domestic product at constant market prices in the United Kingdom, United States of America, West Germany, France, Japan and Italy, for each year from 1973 to 1977, taking 1973 as 100 for each of the countries specified, and taking the 1977 figure as the average of those months for which figures are already available in each case.

Following is the information:

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, further to the Written Answer to the hon. Member for Blaby on 20th March, Official Report, column 460, how many firms are now being subjected to economic sanctions for having negotiated pay settlements above the 10 per cent. limit.

Twenty-three.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent on advertising the trustee savings banks in 1977 and in each of the three previous years; how much it is planned to spend on advertising the trustee savings banks in the current year; and what is the reason for any increase in real terms planned for 1978.

This is a matter for the management of the trustee savings banks.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether it is the policy of the Inland Revenue progressively to shorten the period it will permit companies to delay in remitting PAYE due to the Revenue.

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 4th April 1978], gave the following information:PAYE tax is due to be paid over to the collector within 14 days of the end of the tax month in which the deductions are made. There has been no recent change in the Inland Revenue's practice in applying the regulations so as to secure prompt payment.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish a table in the Official Report detailing the percentage increase, in real terms, in defence expenditure for (a) the United Kingdom, (b) NATO, (c) the USSR and (d) the rest of the Warsaw Pact countries.

Between 1970–71 and 1976–77, the United Kingdom's defence expenditure decreased by about 3 per cent. in real terms. Precise statistics for NATO at constant prices are not available. However, defence expenditure by NATO countries probably declined marginally in real terms between 1970 and 1977 as a result of the fall in United States defence spending which followed the end of the war in Vietnam. Total defence expenditure by the Western European members of NATO probably increased by about 13 per cent. over the same period.There are no reliable figures for military expenditure published by members of the Warsaw Pact and only broad assessments of trends are possible. Between 1970 and 1976, there was probably a real increase of the order of one-third in the USSR's expenditure, with comparable increases by other members of the pact.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish in the Official Report a table listing the percentage of gross national product that is spent on defence by the Union of Soviet Social Republics and the rest of the Warsaw Pact countries, for each year since 1964.

I have nothing to add to the answer which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Chorley (Mr. Rodgers) on 21st February.—[Vol. 944, c. 553.]

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether any papers relevant to the Haig board of inquriy into the Etaples mutiny in 1917 are retained by the Public Record Office; if any are not accessible to public inspection; and, if so, why such an exception to the normal rule has been made.

Although the PRO holds a war diary for the Etaples Base—(WO95 Piece No. 4027)—which describes the events of the mutiny and records that a board of inquiry was set up on the spot on the authority of the commanding officer, it has not been possible to trace any papers relating either to the board of inquiry or to one involving Field Marshal Haig. The rules governing the disposal of Army records which were in force until recently provided that records of boards of inquiry need be kept for only 10 years, so it is probably that the Etaples board of inquiry records were destroyed many years ago.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what emergency procedure he has set up to deal with oil that might leak into the sea in the event of accidents involving oil tankers off the coast of Gwynedd.

Responsibility for dealing with oil pollution at sea rests with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade. Every coastal local authority in Gwynedd has prepared a contingency plan to deal with oil pollution which is within one mile of the Gwynedd coast. The Welsh Office and the Department of Trade held a full-scale exercise in April 1976 which confirmed that these plans were operationally sound.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is being done to simplify the procedure, and provide parking, for those requiring customs clearance in Londonderry.

I have been asked to reply.As the hon. Member is aware, Customs last year introduced a simplified procedure which enables a copy of the official document supplied by exporters in the Republic to be used to establish the entitlement of goods to free entry into Northern Ireland. On 1st April 1978 a new import entry processing system was introduced which should generally simplify procedures and improve clearance times. Other measures being studied would further reduce the number of Customs forms in use and simplify the procedures for particular types of traffic.Customs are not aware of any parking problems directly related to the obtaining of customs clearance at Londonderry.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next expects to attend the EEC Council of Ministers.

On 2nd May in Brussels.