asked Her Majesty's Government:What are the sums from which the Government are starting their negotiating in settlement of their compensation to (a) shipbuilding and (b) aerospace companies referred to in reply to a Parliamentary Question in this House of 13th June 1978 (Col. 169).

Negotiations have already opened with some stockholders' representatives and will have been opened by the end of July with all remaining stockholders' representatives who are, or will be, ready to participate in them. Compensation under the Aircraft and Shipbuilding Industries Act 1977 is to consist of base value, derived from an imputed Stock Exchange quotation during the reference period (the six months ending 28th February 1974), less any appropriate deduction falling to be made under the safeguarding provisions of the Act. Although a preliminary view on appropriate deductions had to be taken for the purposes of various payments on account, the amount of the deductions in some cases is by no means clear pending full exploration in negotiations. For this reason it is not possible to put a precise figure on the Government's starting point in negotiations in relation to either the shipbuilding group or the aerospace group of companies. To publish a figure would, moreover, run the risk of misleading the stock market. Nor would it, in the Government's view, facilitate negotiations.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What progress has been made in the extension of British television to those areas of Germany where British Forces are stationed.

The full service giving live transmission of television programmes to well over 150,000 Servicemen and their dependants in Germany will be in operation by 1980. In the meanwhile, video-taped programmes are being transmitted over completed parts of the network, with new sections being phased in as they are built.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will take steps to inform persons licensed to keep small quantities of petrol, who (under S.I. No. 635 of 1978) face a ten-fold increase of their annual licence fee, that an alternative scheme whereby small quantities may be kept without licence is provided by S.R. & O. No. 952 of 1929.

The chairman of the Health and Safety Commission informs me that application of the exemption provisions of the Petroleum-Spirit (Motor Vehicles, etc.) Regulations 1929 (S.R. & O. 1929 No. 952) which permit the keeping without a licence of limited quantities of petrol for the purposes of use in motor vehicles, motor boats, aircraft and certain classes of engine, is a matter for individual local authorities who are licensing authorities under the Petroleum (Consolidation) Act 1928. For all but minimal amounts, such storages of petrol are subject to prior notice being sent to the appropriate local authority. It is for them to advise the applicant of the conditions which are applicable in the circumstances

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many former Members of the House of Commons or their widows are now in receipt of a Parliamentary pension under the Ministerial Salaries and Members' Pensions Act 1965 under which only 10 years of their earlier membership of the House of Commons was reckonable.

The relevant figures as at 28th June 1978 are as follows:—