asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is satisfied with the present administrative arrangements for operating the old persons' home television licence scheme.

I have reviewed the old persons' home concessionary broadcast receiving licence scheme under the Wireless Telegraphy (Broadcast Licence Charges and Exemption) Regulations 1970 (SI 1970 No. 548) in relation to their application to dwellings provided for pensioners by local authorities, housing associations or development corporations in association with other accommodation or facilities intended for the common use of all the occupants.I have decided to dispense with the requirements that, first, a warden employed to look after pensioners living in such accommodation must himself be resident within the group of dwellings and, secondly, any other kind of communal facility provided for the pensioners must be within the boundary of the group of dwellings. In future, wardens resident, and other facilities situated, outside the boundary of a particular group of old persons' dwellings will be regarded as a common facility for this purpose so long as they are provided in association with the dwellings.This change will take effect from today. I have also decided that those persons who are today living in accommodation which comes within the scope of the new arrangements for this concessionary licence for the first time, and who hold a current licence which was obtained at the full rate or at the blind persons' concessionary rate, will be eligible for a payment. The amount of this payment will be the cost of the licence held less 5p, which is the cost of the old persons' home concessionary licence with which it will be replaced.I am arranging for this change to be brought to the notice of directors of social services and of the National Federation of Housing Associations and the development corporations so that they may consider the effect of this change on their dwellings. Old persons who think that they may now come within this extension of the concessionary scheme should approach their warden or the supervisor of the accommodation in which they live for advice as applications have to be made through the organisation responsible for the dwellings.I am arranging for a copy of the revised leaflet about the concessionary scheme which is being issued by the television licensing organisation to be placed in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he remains satisfied with the operation of the law restraining organisations dedicated to inciting racial hatred, in view of the recent activities in the United Kingdom of a Ku Klux Klan leader in recruiting for that organisation.

The Race Relations Act 1976 has been in force for only nine months, but I am keeping the provisions on incitement to racial hatred under review.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is satisfied with the frequency of issuing statistics relating to immigration.

Yes. In addition to the annual Command Paper entitled "Control of Immigration, Statistics", which is published today, summary statistics are issued quarterly and annually in the form of a Press notice which is freely available and detailed quarterly figures are placed in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will now take steps to implement the Erroll Committee's report on liquor licensing.

The Government have no plans at present to introduce legislation on this subject.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he intends to make any proposals for changes in the law relating to suicide.

The law on offences against the person is under review by the Criminal Law Revision Committee as part of its programme of codification of the criminal law, and the law relating to suicide falls to be considered in the course of that review.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will state the number or approximate number of resignations from the police in the first quarter of 1978.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the serious decline in recruitment to the police force; and what action he proposes to take to remedy the situation.

We do not yet have any figures for March, but there were 884 resignations from the police service in England and Wales during January and February. However, recruitment has been reasonably satisfactory and there was a net gain in strength of 150 over the two months, bringing the total to 108,351.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of recruits into the police force in the past year have been women.

For police forces in England and Wales, 27 per cent. in 1977.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will announce what new steps he is taking to stimulate police recruitment in view of the latest manpower figures.

Budget provision for national publicity in 1978–79, subject to parliamentary approval, has been increased to £793,000, which is £200,000 more than in 1977–78. This will finance a campaign in support of local recruitment, by means of Press advertising, films and booklets for use in school visits, and special projects.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to receive the report of Lord Shackleton on the working of the Prevention of Terrorism Act.

I cannot add, at this stage, to my comments in our debate on 15th March on the order renewing the Act.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now issue statistics on the prison medical services which make clear the volume and cost of each type of drug prescribed to prisoners.

We intend to introduce arrangements to record, collect and make public information about the prescription of drugs by type, when the necessary administrative resources are available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has decided to establish an independent inquiry to investigate all the issues raised in the Osmonde Report following the dismissal of Mr. Stanley Parr.

I have this matter under consideration and hope to reach a decision shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has for paying national insurance for prisoners so that when they are discharged they do not lose their rights to pension benefits.

None. It would not be right to give prisoners preferential treatment in this matter over other people whose circumstances preclude them from paying national insurance contributions.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he remains satisfied with the working of the Public Order Act.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Salford, East (Mr. Allaun) on 2nd March.—[Vol. 945, c. 655–6.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what level of grants he has approved in 1977–78 under Section 11 of the Local Government Act 1966; what is his estimate of the level for 1978–79; and if he is satisfied that the grants claimed are adequate to meet the needs of the areas concerned.

£24,715,000 is provided in the Supplementary Estimates for the payment of grants to local authorities under Section 11 of the Local Government Act 1966 in 1977–78. The Supply Estimates for 1978–79 are to be published tomorrow, and it will be seen that it is proposed to provide £25,710,000 for Section 11 grants for that year. It is for eligible local authorities to determine an adequate level of expenditure and to submit claims in accordance with the guidance available to them.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now make a statement on the possible use of the fourth television channel in Wales.

I would ask the hon. Member to await the Government's proposals for the future constitution, structure and organisation of broadcasting.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to ensure that working hours of 42 hours per week are achieved in the fire service on 7th November 1978 as agreed after the recent dispute; and if he will make a statement.

In accordance with the 1977 pay settlement, negotiations about the introduction of a 42-hour working week are proceeding in the National Joint Council for Local Authorities' Fire Brigades. We are keeping in close touch with both sides of the council.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to reduce the television licence fee for pensioners living alone.

The Government are currently considering the question of licence concessions in the light of the Annan Committee's recommendation that no further concessions should be introduced.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will seek to increase or introduce minimum penalties which may be imposed by the courts.

No. I believe that the courts should, except in cases of murder, be free to impose whatever sentence is most appropriate to the individual offence within the substantial maximum penalties available to them.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is satisfied that retrenchment in the Thames Division of the Metropolitan Police will not lessen the security of the Palace of Westminster; and whether he will have a statement on the future of the River Police.

In the light of the changing pattern of policing needs on the River Thames and throughout the Metropolitan Police District, the Commissioner has decided that a reduction in the number of police officers, patrol boats and police stations in Thames Division is justified in order to achieve a more efficient distribution of his limited resources. It is, of course, for the Commissioner to decide the most effective deployment of his resources on the basis of his professional judgment of operational requirement. The Commissioner's object, which I support, is to release more officers for patrol duty on the streets of London without materially impairing standards of policing on the river. He assures me that the proposed changes in Thames Division will not reduce the degree of protection he is able to afford to the Palace of Westminster.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Chief Constable of Avon and Somerset on the rise in crime in Bristol, particularly as regards assaults in the streets at night.

No, since I am aware of the concern expressed by the Chief Constable, and arrangements already exist for me to be kept fully informed of the problems facing the police both in Avon and Somerset and elsewhere.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why the recent illegal entry into the United Kingdom of Mr. William Wilkinson, Imperial Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, was not discovered earlier; whether he will give an assurence that illegal immigration by way of and from other European Economic Community countries is not now being practised; and what action can be and is taken against those who enter from the European Economic Community and remain without authority.

The countries from which they have travelled does not determine the action to be taken against people who require and do not have leave to enter or remain under the Immigration Act 1971. It will depend upon the circumstances of each case.Prompt action was taken by the police to apprehend Mr. Wilkinson immediately it became clear that he was in the country.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will make a further statement on his declaration of the increased number of immigrants from the Mediterranean area as a result of the new countries now being admitted into the European Economic Comunity, providing fuller details of the likely numbers involved.

My remarks were in general terms and not intended to indicate likely numbers.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will seek to amend the law to prevent those persons who deliberately enter the country when their eventual deportation has previously been decided from receiving free legal aid to contest the deportation order.

Legal aid is not available to appellants under the Immigration Act against decisions to deport them. Advice, and assistance in presenting their appeals, may be sought without charge from the United Kingdom Immigrants' Advisory Service.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will make a statement on the visit to the United Kingdom of Mr. Joshua Nkomo, and the reasons why he was detained at Heathrow Airport by immigration officials for half an hour.

The purpose of Mr. Joshua Nkomo's visit was to hold discussions with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. Mr. Nkomo and his party were not detained; they passed through the immigration control within a few minutes of arrival.

asked the Lord President of the Council what was the average increase in earnings between June 1976 and February 1978; and to what extent Members' salaries would have to be raised if they had received the same average increase in their salaries.

The Index of Average earnings^* increased by 16 per cent. in the period June 1976 to January 1978—the latest date for which figures are available. Applying this percentage increase to the parliamentary salary as at 13th June 1976 produces a figure of £7,030.

asked the Lord President of the Council when a new Register of Members' Interests will be published.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Wokingham (Mr. van Straubenzee) on 3rd April.—[Vol. 947, c. 25.]

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the total sum of money spent by the Arts Council during the last complete year, and what per capita apportionment this represents.

The Arts Council's grant-in-aid for 1977–78 was £41,725,000. This represents about 77p per head of the estimated population of Great Britain.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, in view of the improving prospects for the economy, what proposals she has for meeting the needs both of the national heritage and of the living arts in 1978–79 and if she will make a statement.

Details of the financial support which is proposed in my area of responsibility are in Class X of the Supply Estimates presented to the House today. I propose to increase by an average of 78·1 per cent the purchase grants for national museums and galleries, including the funds administered by the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Science Museum to assist purchases by local museums and galleries. The Victoria and Albert Museum's central fund will be increased by 83 per cent., and there will also be a higher than average increase for those institutions specialising in the applied and decorative arts and archaeology, where recent price rises have been higher than average. My Department's share of the £1 million announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 26th October 1977, revalued to current prices, has been used to augment the resources available to each recipient to enable recipients to meet the expected increased volume of sales.I have already announced a 17½ per cent. increase in the grant-in-aid to the Arts Council, and I propose to increase by 27·8 per cent. the total grants to area museum councils for the assistance of local museums.The total increase of my Department's Estimate for the arts, museums and galleries is 15½ per cent. In addition, all services will benefit from the Government's success in reducing inflation, which will reduce the escalation of costs and increase the ability of private individuals and institutions to support the arts.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will take steps to redefine rules which restrict local authorities in dealing with applications for student grants for such applicants who, at present, are deemed not to have been ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom within the meaning of present criteria.

No. My right hon. Friend has no present intention of changing the requirement that an applicant for a mandatory award must have been ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom for the three years before his course.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will publish figures showing the profits or losses produced by British European Airways, British Overseas Airways Corporation and British Airways, respectively, during each of the last complete 20 operating years for which figures are available.

The following figures taken from published accounts show net profit (loss) attributable to the corporations after interest, taxation and adjustments for minority shareholders in subsidiaries where appropriate. Combined accounts for British Airways were published from 1972–73 following establishment of the British Airways Board.

	BEA	BOAC
	£ million	£ million
1957–58	1·055	(3·485)
1958–59	0·233	(11·636)
1959–60	2·086	(0·556)
1960–61	1·545	(1·984)
1961–62	(1·488)	(50·072)
1962–63	(0·265)	(12·860)
1963–64	3·030	(10·356)
1964–65	1·317	8·875
1965–66	1·284	8·052
1966–67	0·708	23·867
1967–68	(1·784)	22·492
1968–69	3·536	21·680
1969–70	6·532	19·313
1970–71	0·524	3·441
1971–72	0·181*	(1·405)

	British Airways
	£ million
1972–73	5·2
1973–74	16·6
1974–75	(9·4)
1975–76	(16·3)
1976–77	35·1
* After charging £0·14 million taxation for associated companies.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade, further to his reply to the hon. Member for Tynemouth of 10th March 1978 indicating that the Government's reason for not accepting the proposal acceptable to the United States Government for low transatlantic fares to destinations other than New York was the right to ensure that long-term considerations of efficiency, safety and the ability to invest in new and quieter aircraft were not impaired, what change in these factors has subsequently led to the Government's decision to accept the proposals.

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 5th April 1978], gave the following information:As I indicated to the hon. Member on 10th March, we had misgivings about the proliferation of these experimental low fares. But, as my right hon. Friend said in his reply of 20th March, after detailed discussions with the United States authorities we have agreed to accept the new fares to and from all the United States gateways for an experimental period subject to the important proviso that the conditions of competition must be equal and that the number of seats available at these fares shall be limited on most routes.We have also agreed with the United States that this experiment will be reviewed in the autumn in partnership with other European countries and with Canada. In that review, we shall be taking closely into consideration the factors to which the hon. Member draws attention.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection whether he will indicate the response to the Government's request to the Chairman of the Price Commission about nationalised industry financial targets, to which reference was made in paragraph 75 of the White Paper on nationalised industries, published on 6th April.

My correspondence with the Chairman of the Price Commission on this subject was placed in the Library of each House yesterday.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what the pension entitlement would be after 10, 15, 20, 30, and 32 years' service, respectively, of a civil servant on the same rate of pay as an hon. Member.

The pension and lump sum payable to a civil servant whose pensionable pay is £8,208 are shown in columns 1 and 2 of the following table. It also shows, for convenience, the hypothetical pension that would have been payable to a Member of Parliament at 31st March 1978 with the same service and relevant terminal salary—column 3—and the resulting pension and lump sum—columns 4 and 5—where the pension

				Civil Servant		Member of parliament
				1	2	3	4	5
Years of pensionable service				Pension	Gross lump sum	Pension	Pension	Gross lump sum
				£	£	£	£	£
10	…	…	…	1,026	3,078	1,368	1,044	3,078
15	…	…	…	1,539	4,617	2,052	1,567	4,617
20	…	…	…	2,052	6,156	2,736	2,089	6,156
30*	…	…	…	3,078	9,234	3,194	2,438	7,186
32*	…	…	…	3,283	9,849	3,194	2,438	7,186
* The parliamentary scheme at present only allows 10 years' service prior to 16th October 1964 as reckonable for pension purposes, giving maximum reckonable service at 31st March 1978 of 23 years 126 days.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service whether, without identifying the recipients in person, he will publish as detailed a list as possible, showing the amounts of public expenses received by Ministers for the longest and most convenient period of time in addition to their parliamentary and ministerial salaries and expenses for any or all stated reasons; and on what basis and for what reasons those extra payments have been made.

As I have previously made clear to my hon. Friend—[Vol. 939, c. 370]—no extra payments other than the London supplement are made to Ministers in addition to the parliamentary and ministerial salaries and expenses.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the total sum of public money expended by the Manpower Services Commission in 1977; how many new jobs were created by the Commission in 1977; and what was the average cost to public funds of each new job created.

The total sum of public money expended by the MSC in the calendar year 1977 is not available. However, the estimated grant in aid to the MSC for the financial year 1977–1978 is £466,836,000. I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that 63,574 temporary jobs were created under the job creation programmes in 1977 at

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will establish an inquiry into the practice of recruitment of workers in the United Kingdom for employment overseas in the light of the activities of Depike Engineering Limited; and if he will make a statement.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that its employment service division has recently introduced a number of workers to Depike Engineering Limited, of Hayes, Middlesex, to work on a contract that the company was understood to be fulfilling in Germany. Two of the workers were engaged and no complaints about the employment have been received. As a result of a subsequent Press article concerning other employees of the company in Germany, further inquiries are to be made.The Employment Agencies Act 1973 applies to employment a gencies and employment businesses—staff contractors—in Great Britain which supply workers to third parties abroad. Regulations made under the Act place specific obligations on such agencies and businesses, and failure to comply with these regulations is an offence. Complaints made to my Department are fully investigated, and the position of Depike Engineering Limited in relation to the Act is currently being examined. This Act, however, does not apply to sub-contractors who enter into work contracts. I shall write to my hon. Friend when our inquiries are complete.

asked the Attorney-General if he is satisfied that the United Kingdom Parliament retains omnicompetent legislative powers in the light of the judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Communities in the case of the Italian Tax and Revenue Administration versus S. A. Simmenthal Monza, European Law Report, 10th March 1978; and if he will make a statement.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Banbury (Mr. Marten) on 22nd March 1978.—[Vol. 946 c. 560.]

asked the Attorney-General if he will refer to the Director of Public Prosecutions the producers of Independent Television News for prosecution under the Official Secrets Act for unauthorised disclosure of classified official information on the neutron bomb, in their news broadcast on Monday 3rd April.

I have no knowledge of any unauthorised disclosure, and accordingly there is no action which I propose to take.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when he expects a health centre to be opened on the Ise Village estate, Kettering.

I understand that the Northamptonshire Area Health Authority has no immediate plans to build a health centre on the Ise Village estate.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what are anticipated commencement and completion dates for the construction of the health centre at Walderslade, Chatham; and if he is satisfied that the existing general practitioner and pharmaceutical services will be sufficient meanwhile to serve the expanding population of Walderslade.

Anticipated dates are: start, June 1980; completion, December 1981.I expect the health authorities concerned to maintain adequate services and have no reason to doubt that they will do so.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what are the anticipated commencement and completion dates for the construction of the health centre at Princes Park, Chatham; and if he is satisfied that until the opening of the health centre that the local population will be adequately served by general practitioner and pharmaceutical services.

Anticipated dates are: start, November 1979; completion, February 1981.I expect the health authorities concerned to maintain adequate services and have no reason to doubt that they will do so.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish figures on the most convenient basis showing how much blood was supplied by the National Service to commercial hospitals, and at what cost, for the latest year for which figures are available.

In 1976, which is the latest year for which complete figures are available, 1,844,363 units of blood were collected by the National Blood Transfusion Service in England and Wales. Approximately 2 per cent. of the total was supplied to private hospitals, clinics and nursing homes either in the form of whole blood or of components. No charge is made for the blood itself or for the blood from which blood products are derived and the additional cost to the National Health Service of handling and processing this blood would be difficult to assess retrospectively. It is, however, the intention that the NHS should not be out of pocket when blood and blood products are supplied to the private sector of medicine and a scale of charges which reflect handling and processing costs will be worked out as soon as a basis for apportioning all the relevant items of expenditure has been settled.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what arrangements are being made for payment of child benefit to (a) citizens of the Republic of Ireland working in the United Kingdom in respect of children not living in the United Kingdom, (b) similarly placed workers fromy Cyprus and (c) those from India.

Broadly, child benefit, like family allowances, is paid for children resident in this country, including under EEC regulations children in the European Economic Community. Child benefit is therefore not payable for any children of a worker here remaining in Cyprus or India, but is generally payable for children remaining in the Republic of Ireland, being a member State covered by the EEC regulations.

asked the Secretary of State for Health and Social Services what recent representations he has received from widowed mothers and other similar groups who are not gaining financially from the increased child benefit and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend and I have received about 250 representations and about 1,400 other inquiries have been dealt with at departmental level. Widows, like other national insurance beneficiaries, received a substantial increase in their incomes last November.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what action he is taking under the new pension scheme to inform women over 60 years and men over 65 years still at work that they are no longer liable to pay national insurance contributions; and whether refund will be made of any contributions paid in error.

Information about the ending of liability for national insurance contributions of people reaching pensionable age was included in the publicity about the new contribution rates which came into effect today and in appropriate departmental leaflets. A form drawing attention to the change was included with the contribution tables issued to employers and a leaflet containing similar information is being enclosed when a self-employed or non-employed person exchanges his now-expired 1977–78 card for a new one. A note on the change is also printed on the new card.Where contributions are wrongly paid by people over pensionable age, they are refundable.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when it is now proposed to issue a book for the payment of housewives non-contributory invalidity pension to Mrs. Laure Ripley, 18 Manscroft Road, Hemel Hempstead; on what date Mrs. Ripley was told she was eligible for this benefit; and what are the reasons for the delay in issuing the payment book.

I apologise to Mrs. Ripley for the delay in payment of her benefit. I am writing to my hon. Friend explaining the circumstances.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services why he will not allow the pharmacists' pay dispute to be referred to arbitration.

As indicated in my reply to the hon. Member for Dorset, South (Mr. King) on 23rd March—[Vol. 946, c. 717]—I have placed in the Library of the House copies of recent correspondence I have had with the chairman of the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee in which I explained the reasons for my decision. I have received a further letter from the committee and I hope to be able to reply shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will compare the services provided under Section 2 of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act, per 1,000 of the population, by (a) Berkshire County Council, and (b) the city of Manchester.

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 17th February 1978; Vol. 944, cc. 411–2], gave the following information:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what factors entered into his decision to reduce the surface area of the £1 note to 83·5 per cent. of the old note.

Under the Currency and Bank Notes Act 1954, the Bank of England has responsibility for the issue of bank notes of such denominations as the Treasury may approve. The decision on the size of the notes in the new series was taken by the Bank of England in 1967, and not by Treasury Ministers. The new issue was announced in a Press notice issued by the Bank in March 1968. I have asked the Bank to write to the hon. Member with an explanation of the factors behind the new issue and enclosing a copy of the Press notice.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer 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.

The Property Advisory Panel was set up in November 1975

"to provide confidential and informal advice to the Treasury on developments in the commercial property market and their implications for the financial sector generally".

The members are unpaid. The cost of the panel is nil.The Committee on Policy Optimisation was set up in June 1976

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the current value of the £ sterling compared with the value at February 1974; and, at the present rate of fall in its value, when it will reach the equivalent of 50p.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing, for each member country of the OECD, the percentage change in the trade-weighted external value of its currency since end-February 1974, arranged in descending order of appreciation.

The information is as follows:

PERCENTAGE CHANGE IN TRADE-WEIGHTED EXTERNAL VALUE OF CURRENCY SINCE END-FEBRUARY 1974
Switzerland	+52
Germany	+24
Austria	+24
Japan	+22
Netherlands	+16
Belgium	+13
Denmark	+ 7
Norway	+ 1
Sweden	- 4
France	- 5
United States	- 7
Canada	-11
United Kingdom	-24
Italy	-32

Effective exchange rates for other OECD countries are not calculated. But the exchange rates of most of these countries have depreciated substantially against the major currencies listed above. It is thus likely that if effective rates were available, these countries would appear at or near the bottom of the table.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of income is retained after deduction of tax and social security payments by a married man with two children below the age of 11 years (a) on average earnings, (b) on twice average earnings, and (c) three times average earnings in each Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development country.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what controls are exercised by the Bank of England over the rates of exchange and commissions charged by bureaux de change trading independently of the clearing banks;(2) if he will list the powers he has to regulate the trading of bureaux de change which operate independently of the clearing banks.

Under the Exchange Control Act 1947 bureaux de change require permission from the Bank of England to deal in foreign currency. The principal conditions are that foreign currency receipts must be sold regularly to an authorised bank; transactions must be effected at rates in line with those quoted by authorised banks; quarterly returns of total foreign currency handled must be made to the Bank of England; and the rates of exchange offered and the commission charged must be displayed clearly and permanently during business hours.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if in the interests of the tourist trade he is satisfied that the rates of exchange and commissions charged by bureaux de change, operating independently of the clearing banks, are in line with those of the clearing banks.

Bureaux de change are required by exchange control to effect transactions at rates of exchange in line with those of the clearing banks. The commissions they charge do have to reflect the costs of providing a service outside normal banking hours and at weekends.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he has discussed with the British Tourist Authority the recent proliferation of bureaux de change trading independently of the clearing banks, in view of the high commissions charged and unfavourable exchange rates offered to tourists.

There have been recent discussions between the British Tourist Authority and the Bank of England, which administer exchange control on the Treasury's behalf and keep the development of bureaux de change under constant review.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will refuse to allow any tax concession for children overseas where the wife has made no application to join her husband in the United Kingdom during the last five years.

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 4th April 1978], gave the following answer:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will allow the head of immigrant households with children overseas to continue to claim a tax allowance for a maximum period of 12 months from the child benefit scheme coming into effect, provided that the number of children overseas is clearly stated, and that no tax concessions be allowed for any children born overseas after 1st April 1978.

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 4th April 1978], gave the following information:The Finance Act 1977 contained a provision whereby the general reduction in child tax allowances for 1977–78—the first year of child benefits—does not apply to the parents of certain non-resident children. This provision appears to meet my hon. Friend's point.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the outcome of the Council of Ministers (Agriculture) meeting in Luxembourg on 4th and 5th April.

I represented the United Kingdom at this meeting accompanied by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary and the Under-Secretaries of State to the Scottish Office and Department of Prices and Consumer Protection.This Council was mainly devoted to a detailed examination of the Commission's proposals for 1978–79 farm prices and related measures. I argued against any price increases for products in structural surplus and I supported the concept of more flexible intervention arrangements for beef and skimmed milk powder. No decisions were taken. Many Ministers expressed serious concern about the effects on farm incomes in their countries if the Commision's restrictive price policy was endorsed. The Commission said that proposals to revise the calculation of monetary compensatory amounts on a number of products, including pigmeat products, would come forward in time for them to form part of the price package.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proposals he has received from the Greater London Council for speeding up completion of the Thames flood barrier; and what additional costs are involved.

The Greater London Council has not yet submitted any proposals.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much of the costs of work on the Thames barrier associated ancillary works has been met by central Government, the Greater London Council and the river authorities, respectively.

Expenditure on work on the Thames barrier and associated works up to 31st December 1977 has been met as follows:

	Barrier	Associated works
	£ million	£ million
Exchequer grant	56	33
Greater London Council	26	5
Water authorities	—	8

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when it is expected that all ancillary work connected with the Thames barrier, downstream of the barrier, will be completed.

Under the present programme the downstream defences are scheduled for completion by the estimated date of completion of the barrier in late 1982.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proportion of the costs of work on the Thames barrier has been met by central Government, and what proportion by the Greater London Council.

The rate of Government grant payable to the Greater London Council in respect of the barrier was raised from 65 per cent. to 75 per cent. with effect from 1st April 1975.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to what he attributes the rise in cost of both the Thames barrier and its associated ancillary works.

In the case of the barrier, about 85 per cent. of the increase in estimated cost given in my answer of 9th March to my hon. Friend the Member for Woolwich, East (Mr. Cartwright) is attributed to wage and price increases, and the remainder to changes in the programme and construction methods. Of the corresponding increase for the associated flood defences 91 per cent. is attributable to wage and price increases and the remainder to changed construction methods offset by design savings.—[Vol. 945, c. 747–8.]

asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he last discussed fishing matters with his EEC colleagues; and if he will make a statement.

Fishing matters were last discussed at a meeting of the Council of Fisheries Ministers in Luxembourg on 3rd April 1978.At this meeting the Council agreed to extend until 30th April the interim fishing arrangements with Norway, Sweden and the Faroe Islands. The Council also agreed to meet again on 24th April to resume the discussions on a revised internal fisheries policy as well as the third country arrangements.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will raise in the EEC Council of Ministers the fact that egg producers in France receive special interest-free loans for capital investment in new poultry houses and ask for a ruling on whether this is within the Community rules

I am not aware that any such interest-free loans are being given to French egg producers, but if the hon. Member has any further information perhaps he will send it to me.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the estimated probability of the Thames breaking its existing flood defences in any one year.

The risk of the tidal Thames reaching the level of the present defences is on average of the order of 50–1 against in any particular year.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many flood alerts there have been in London for each flood season since 1970–71.

No public flood warnings were issued in central London during this period. The number of alerts for which the London Flood Room was manned and the number of public flood warnings issued in the area of Greater London bordering the Thames above Chiswick Eyot were as follows:

Season	Alerts	Public warnings in 'upstream' London
1970–71	7	1
1971–72	3	—
1972–73	8	—
1973–74	17	3
1974–75	26	5
1975–76	20	1
1976–77	—	—
1977–78 (to 5th April 1978)	1	1

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish in the Official Report the various routes of the proposed Macclesfield inner relief road to be considered during the forthcoming consultation of the public; and if he will publish full details of the arrangements for the consultation.

We are still considering the choice of routes. Details of the consultation arrangements will be published as soon as practicable and I will ensure that a copy of the consultation document is then sent to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport how many local authorities operate concessionary fares schemes for retirement pensioners in their areas under a "permits" system, how many under a "tokens system", and how many arrange free transport upon proof of retirement.

A survey carried out in England and Wales in August 1976 showed that 118 local authorities issued passes to elderly people in their areas entitling them to reduced fares on buses; 130 authorities operated schemes involving the use of tokens; 25 issued passes for free travel.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the bus companies that have concluded agreements with local authorities for a "permits" system for concessionary fares to retirement pensioners, those that have concluded agreements for a "tokens" system, and those that provide free transport upon proof of retirement.

I regret that this information is not available in the Department and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport how many retirement pensioners are eligible for concessionary fares on buses in their areas, how many of those qualify under "permits" schemes, how many under "tokens" schemes, and how many obtain bus transport free upon proof of retirement.

In 1976 an estimated 7·1 million persons of pensionable age in England and Wales were eligible for travel concessions. Of those taking up the concession, 2·16 million held passes allowing them free travel on buses, 1·87 million had passes allowing travel at reduced rates and 1·10 million received tokens.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport why he has not yet fully replied to the letter of 14th December from the hon. Member for Hertfordshire, South-West concerning the resurfacing of the Hunton Bridge—Maple Cross section of the London outer orbital route; and if he will undertake to do so as a matter of urgency.

I very much regret the length of time it took to reply to the hon. Member's letter. This was due to the complex technical nature of the matters raised. My reply was sent on 3rd April.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will as a matter of urgency provide a transcript of the inquiries relating to the Hunton Bridge—Maple Cross section of the outer orbital route in order to locate the undertaking given about the resurfacing of that route.

In my letter to the hon. Member of 3rd April I have suggested arrangements to meet this point. I do not feel that the amount of work involved in providing a transcript of the public inquiry would be justified.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will consider producing a White Paper on the problems of rheumatism and arthritis in Scotland.

While my right hon. Friend does not consider that a White Paper would at present make any significant contribution to progress, he fully recognises the need to alleviate suffering by continuing efforts in improving patient care and through research. The White Paper "The Health Service in Scotland: The Way Ahead" gives guidance to health boards on broad priorities, and these include the need for improvements in hospital and community health services for the physically handicapped. My right hon. Friend attaches great importance to research and keeps in close touch with the Medical Research Council and other bodies about priorities in this field.

			1966	1976	Percentage change
Average number of beds available daily	…	…	62,268	60,038	-3·6
Number of in-patients treated	…	…	640,950	709,056	+10·6
Total out-patient attendances	…	…	7,966,469	8,631,676	+ 8·4
Note: In each case the figures relate to the 12 months ending 30th September. The figures reflect a general trend towards shorter duration of stay in hospital, which has been assisted by the provision of new accommodation and facilities in place of a larger number of beds in smaller, fragmented units; as a result, the service has been able to treat more patients in fewer beds.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on his proposals on fees for in-service training for teachers; what waivers he is prepared to consider; and whether he anticipates that the current take-up rate on such courses will be maintained when the fees are changed.

Consultations are proceeding with the colleges of education and my right hon. Friend is not yet in a position to make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many nurses are now unemployed in Scotland.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many applications have been received by licensing boards in Scotland for afternoon opening under Section 64 of the 1976 Licensing (Scotland) Act; how many licences have been granted; and if he will make a statement.

I am making inquiries about applications under Section 64(3) at the March meetings of licensing boards and will make a statement when my inquiries are complete.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a table in the Official Report showing, in 1966 and 1976, the average number of beds available daily in the National Health Service in Scotland, the number of in-patients treated in each year, and the total number of out-patients attendances; and if he will express these figures as a percentage increase or decrease over the 10 years.

The information is as follows:

On 8th December 1977 there were 746 trained nurses registered as unemployed in Scotland.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will publish in the Official Report figures showing the rate of return on capital employed, earned by the Gas Council during each of the last 20 years.

The rates of return on capital employed before allowing for interest earned by the British Gas Corporation—formerly the Gas Council—are as follows:

PERCENTAGE RETURN BEFORE INTEREST
1957–58	4·1
1958–59	3·3
1959–60	3·3
1960–61	4·1
1961–62	4·4
1962–63	4·5
1963–64	5·2
1964–65	5·9
1965–66	5·4
1966–67	4·8
1967–68	3·7
1968–69	6·5
1969–70	6·5
1970–71	6·2
1971–72	7·4
1972–73	7·4
1973–74	5·6
1974–75	6·1
1975–76	8·8
1976–77	9·3

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will publish in the Official Report figures showing the net surplus or deficit earned in each of the last 20 years by the Gas Council.

The surpluses/deficits earned by the British Gas Corporation—formerly the Gas Council—since 1957–58 are as follows:

	£ million
1958–59	2·8
1957–58	1·5
1959–60	-2·4
1960–61	2·0
1961–62	3·3
1962–63	4·9
1963–64	9·6
1964–65	15·2
1965–66	11·1
1966–67	3·9
1967–68	-12·9
1968–69	17·5
1969–70	12·8
1970–71	1·1*
1971–72	17·0*
1972–73	5·7*
1973–74	-41·3*
1974–75	-30·8*
1975–76	25·1
1976–77	31·5
*These figures exclude Government compensation for price restraint.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if, in view of the hazards to shipping and fishing boats now present in the North Sea due to oil operations, he will initiate an insurance scheme for compensation for fishermen against damage.

, pursuant to the reply [Official Report, 20th March 1978; Vol. 946, c. 433], gave the following further information:Fishing boats are normally insured privately by their owners. This covers unattributable damage, but in cases where the operator responsible can be identified a claim in respect of damage to either vessel or fishing gear can be made against the company concerned. Damage to fishing gear due to unattributable oil-related debris is covered by a separate compensation scheme funded by the United Kingdom Offshore Operators' Association. These arrangements are discussed regularly in the Fisheries and Offshore Oil Consultative Group on which my Department is represented.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will consider the stationing of an element of the new generation of frigates at Rosyth.

Although there are no plans to allocate Type 21 or Type 22 frigates to Rosyth, an element of the frigate force will continue to be based there.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence by whose authority the technical information on the neutron bomb which was used by ITN in its news broadcast on Monday 3rd April was disclosed to ITN before it had been made known to the House of Commons.

As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister made clear on Tuesday 4th April, the Government are not responsible for the statements made by ITN or any of the news media on this issue.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is to be the role of the Sea King squadron at present aboard HMS "Ark Royal" after she is withdrawn; whether it will operate from HMS "Bulwark"; what is to be the role of HMS "Bulwark"; when she is expeted to be withdrawn from service; and whether she will be replaced by HMS "Invincible" and when HMS "Invincible" should join the fleet.

The Sea King squadron at present embarked on HMS "Ark Royal" will continue to be used in the anti-submarine [ASW] role. It will be based at RNAS Culdrose and will be available for operation, as required, from the large RFAs and other ships, including HMS "Bulwark". HMS "Bulwark" will be employed primarily in the ASW role to increase our operational effectiveness until the new ASW cruisers enter service. She will also be able to contribute to our amphibious lift capability. She will run as long as is necessary. With regard to HMS "Invincible", as I said in my reply to the hon. Member for Harrogate (Mr. Banks) on 16th November 1977, it is not the normal practice to publish advance information, except for the current year, about planned acceptance dates for new ships.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what will be the other roles of the Wessex helicopters to be replaced by the Chinook to which he referred in his reply to the hon. Member for Tynemouth of 24th February.

The other roles of these RAF Wessex helicopters are planned to be search and rescue, communications and training.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many Whirlwind and Wessex helicopters will remain in the RAF search and rescue force after the introduction of the Sea Kings.

1. In Service:
(a) Aircraft	…	…	(i) Carrier based—Buccaneers with bombs, rockets or Martel Phantoms with bombs, rockets.
			(ii) Land based—Buccaneers with bombs, rockets or Martel.
(b) Helicopters		…	Wasp, with AS 12 missiles.
(c) Submarines		…	Conventional or nuclear submarines, armed with torpedoes.
2. Planned (Early 1980's):
(a) Aircraft	…	…	(i) Ship borne—Sea Harrier with bombs, rockets or P3T missiles.
			(ii) Land based—Buccaneers and Tornado with bombs, rockets or P3T missiles.
(b) Helicopters		…	Lynx, with Sea Skua.
(c) Submarines		…	USGW (Sub-Harpoon) for SSNs

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Navy's two

On present plans a force of four Whirlwinds will be retained in the search and rescue [SAR] role in the United Kingdom until about 1982; the United Kingdom Wessex SAR force will then be increased from six to 10 and the Whirlwinds phased out of service. Some Wessex will also serve overseas in the dual roles of support and SAR.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence, what are the two armoured regiments in the United Kingdom equipped with Chieftain tanks; where they are located; and what is the peace-time role of each.

The regiments are the United Kingdom Armoured Regiment, based in South-West District, and the Royal Armoured Corps Training Regiment, based in North-East District. The peacetime role of each is in support of the United Kingdom land forces and, in particular, the training organisation.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will give further particulars of the aircraft, helicopters and submarines referred to in his reply to the hon. Member for Tynemouth of 10th March 1977, as providing anti-ship operations at ranges beyond that of Exocet indicating the weapons concerned in each case; and when they will enter front-line service.

Systems capable of providing anti-ship operations at ranges beyond that of Exocet are:Buccaneer and Phantom squadrons are to be replaced on an equal basis by two new RAF squadrons when they are disbanded; and what is to provide civilian radar cover for the Navy in the place of the Navy's Gannet AEW aircraft other than existing RAF aircraft after HMS "Ark Royal" is scrapped at the end of 1978 and before the AEW Nimrod comes into service in several years' time.

While a new RAF Buccaneer squadron will be formed, it is not at present planned to form a new RAF Phantom squadron. Existing RAF squadrons will be augmented to maintain the overall strength of the Phantom force. Since the RAF's Shackleton AEW force was formed specifically to provide land based AEW cover for the Fleet after the withdrawal of the aircraft carriers, no additional cover is planned.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence to what extent each of the figures for expenditure on war stocks in 1975–76, 1976–77 and 1977–78 given in his answer of 10th March 1978 to the hon. Member for Tynemouth represented increases in such stocks in real terms.

There has been no change in the general level of war stocks over these years. Most of the expenditure referred to was needed for the maintenance of war stocks of ammunition and weapons at their present levels by refurbishment or replenishment and for the replacement of ageing or obsolete items. However, as my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence said in reply to a Question from the hon. Member for Stretford (Mr. Churchill) on 7th March—[Vol. 945, c. 630.]—it is our intention to increase stocks of anti-armour and other critical munitions by one-third.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will publish figures giving examples of the average weekly hours worked by typical members of the Services and of the maximum hours regularly worked by a significant number of Service men and women.

Working hours vary from unit to unit and from week to week, depending on operational needs. Overall statistics of the type requested by the hon. Member are not maintained.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will give examples of the reductions in units and establishments which will lead to a further cut of 3,200 in the strength of the Army and to which he replied in his reply to the hon. Member for Tynemouth of 27th February.

As I have explained previously, the Army's restructuring plan involves changes in the size and organisation of practically every formation, unit and establishment in the Service. Restructuring is now in its final stages and the reductions referred to are being implemented in those units and establishments not previously affected. It is not the practice to give details of individual unit strengths.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many naval vessels have been involved during 1977 in Hong Kong waters in patrols associated with the repatriation of refugees to China; and how many such refugees have been handled by the Royal Navy.

There are five Royal Navy patrol craft in Hong Kong which support the Hong Kong Marine Police in a number of ways including the interception of illegal immigrants. The Royal Navy is not involved in the repatriation of illegal immigrants. This is a matter for the Hong Kong Government.