asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government, whether he will make a statement about the future of the Local Government Commission, so far as the North-West General Review Area is concerned.

I would refer the hon. Member to my statement about local government reorganisation on February 10th and to the Answer I gave to his subsequent Question on February 17th.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government to what extent, following the inquiry into objections to the extinguishment order relating to footpath number 82, Bledlow-cum-Saunderton, a principle governing future applications to close similar footpaths will be based on the inspector's conclusions that, when there is a choice of footpath or bridle way, a footpath can be extinguished on the grounds that it is not needed for public use.

No general principle was established by this case. The existence of an alternative way is always relevant in considering whether the path in question is needed for public use.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government when he expects to approve the proposed green belt between Birmingham and Coventry.

When I am satisfied that adequate and suitable provision has been made to meet the needs of the conurbation for housing land. Meanwhile, the proposed green belt is protected, as the submitted maps form the basis of day-to-day planning control.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will state the average period between appeals and Ministerial decisions on planning matters.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what action he is taking to remedy the shortage of inspectors available to his Department for the purpose of holding local planning inquiries.

I would refer the hon. Members to the Answer I gave the right hon. Member for Kingston-upon-Thames (Mr. Boyd-Carpenter) on 22nd February.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he is aware that the building of two community centres in the Wycombe constituency has had to be discontinued by reason of the restrictions imposed by his Department's circular 62/65; and when this embargo will be lifted.

The answer to the first part of the Question is, "No"; as to the second I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Oxford (Mr. Woodhouse) on 15th February.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what steps he is taking to review or revise planning procedures and in particular the conduct of public inquiries: and if he will make a statement.

I am examining the recommendations of the Planning Advisory Group which, if implemented will simplify development plan procedures; and, as I informed the House last week, I am also considering changes in the methods of dealing with planning appeals. The essence of this problem is how to give those affected by schemes of development a fair opportunity to express their views, without unreasonable delay in reaching decisions.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government to what extent redevelopment plans are being held up by local authorities because they do not wish to accept responsibility for rehousing immigrants living in twilight zones of major city areas.

There is no evidence that redevelopment plans are being held up by local authorities for this reason.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what steps he is taking to protect the countryside from excessive exploitation and disfigurement as a result of winning gravel and hoggin.

Sand and gravel, including hoggin, is an essential raw material for the construction industries. But working is subject to planning control and is regulated by permissions to which conditions are attached for the restoration or landscaping of the site. Advice to local planing authorities is given by my Department, and I intend to discuss with them, and with the industrial interests, the possibility of converting more wet workings into recreational lagoons, and in other ways ensuring that some amenity value is extracted from this inevitable disfigurement of the countryside.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what representations have been made to him from Wiltshire regarding the preservation of scheduled buildings and monuments; whether he will set up an inquiry which will report on the protection of integrated groups of buildings, facades and organic town centres of artistic and architectural merit; and what action he will take to protect old buildings of merit in Wiltshire,

I know of the concern felt in Wiltshire and indeed generally, about historic town centres. I recently held a conference to discuss this problem and I am now arranging to get some pilot studies done in a few selected towns. These will show what needs to be done and how to do it.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will now introduce an amended General Grant Order increasing the general grant in order to relieve ratepayers of the large immediate burdens of rate increase which they have to face.

I have no power to make such an Order, and if I had I would not make use of it.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what specific loans or grants for inland sewage works for coastal towns have been sanctioned by his Department over the past two years; in which cases applications for such grants or loans to facilitate such works have been refused; and on what grounds in each case.

The following is a list of such schemes for which loan consent has been given in the past two years.There are no specific grants for this purpose.In no case has loan consent been refused.

LOANS SANCTIONED FOR INLAND SEWAGE WORKS FOR COASTAL TOWNS FROM 1ST JANUARY, 1964 TO 28TH FEBRUARY, 1966.
Local Authority	Scheme	Amount
		£
Mablethorpe and Sutton U.D.	Improvement and extension at Mablethorpe	13,500
Skegness U.D.	Improvement and extension	4,500
Southwold B.	Joint works for parishes of Walberswick and Reydon	162,000
Tendring R.D.	St. Osyth works	232,000
Worthin B.	Extension of works	172,000
Havant and Waterloo U.D.	Budds Farm works, Stage 1	580,000
Christchurch B.	Story Lane works (preliminary)	39,704
Bournemouth C.B.	Intercepting sewer (1st Stage)	112,433
Poole B.	Broadstone works (No. 2)	318,000
Bristol C.B.	Avonmouth (latest part of 10 year scheme)	1,000,000
Southport C.B.	Improvement and extension	8,000

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government (1) if he will publish a table in the OFFICIAL REPORT showing at the latest convenient date the estimated number of gypsies and similar travellers in each county in England and Wales, the number of camp sites in existence and planned for these people in each county, and the total estimated number of travellers in England and Wales who have moved into council houses since records of these people have been kept;(2) what steps he is taking to ensure that counties with a substantial population of gypsies and similar travellers take steps to provide camp sites for them, so that they do not move to other more helpful counties and become a burden on the ratepayers in counties to which they are strangers; and what plans he has for the future financing of all such camp sites from national resources.

I am at present discussing this problem with the Local Authority Associations and intend shortly to issue a circular which will provide most of the information for which the hon. Member asks.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what conclusions he has now reached in his studies of the future of local government on Tyneside; and whether he will make a statement.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will make a statement on Tyneside reorganisation.

Having considered the views of the local authorities on my provisional conclusions about Tyneside in the light of the decision to appoint a Royal Commission, I have decided to make a formal proposal for a single county borough. Whatever my final decision, I am convinced that it will be of value to have the arguments for and against the proposal thoroughly ventilated at a public local inquiry and that to do so will not prove in any way prejudicial to the work of the Royal Commission.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what official consultations he had with the urban and rural district councils of South Yorkshire, before issuing his public statement about their attitude to the Clean Air Act.

Consultations were unnecessary because, the attitude of the authorities to smoke control was obvious. If they would like to consult the Department's officers about a smoke control programme my right hon. Friend will gladly make arrangements.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government when he expects to receive the report of the Working Party on Refuse Collection which was set up by his predecessor.

This report is taking longer than expected but my right hon. Friend understands that it should be submitted in the late spring.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what representations he has received from individuals and organisations against the Greater London Council's proposed camping site in Hainault Forest; and whether he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend has received protests from two individuals, one of whom enclosed a petition bearing 500 signatures. He will be submitting a report on the Greater London Council's Bill to the Private Bill Committee and will bear in mind the views which have been put to him.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will advise local authorities to abolish fees for the use of public conveniences.

No. My right hon. Friend thinks this is a matter best left to the discretion of local authorities.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what administrative action he will take to designate Cramlington as a new town under the New Towns Act; and if he will initiate discussions on this matter, in view of the need for faster industrial development in south-east Northumberland.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will designate the Killingworth Township as a new town under the New Towns Development Act.

My right hon. Friend does not think designation under the New Towns Act is necessary in either case.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will make a statement on the rate relief of the Oxford and Cambridge colleges.

I have today laid an Order under Section 11 of the Rating and Valuation Act 1961 which will withdraw from the colleges and halls of Oxford and Cambridge their 50 per cent. rating relief.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will take steps, by legislation or other-

Type of Advertisement	Dealt with by:—							Total
			Total of appeals decided	Public Local Inquiry		Accompanied Visit		Correspondence
	Allowed	Dismissed		Allowed	Dismissed	Allowed	Dismissed	Allowed	Dismissed
Posters—below 16-	375	—	—	15	114	33	213	48	327
sheet size	(81)			(4)	(15)	(10)	(52)	(14)	(67)
Posters—16-sheet and larger	891	—	—	34	212	81	564	115	776
Illuminated trade signs	613	2	4	51	97	198	261	251	362
Un illuminated trade signs	297	3	4	16	110	31	133	50	247
Totals	2,176	5	8	116	533	343	1,171	464	1,712

The figures in brackets relate to public information panels. No separate figures are available in respect of the number of appeals allowed subject to conditions imposed by the Minister. The number of appeals awaiting decision at 31st December 1965 was 1010.

No. Such a responsibility would be impracticable to enforce. When a private street becomes heavily used, either by developers' vehicles or other traffic, there may well be a case for getting it made up and adopted under the appropriate Private Street Works code. But this is a matter for the local authority in the area.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many appeals under the Control of Advertisements Regulations, 1960, were dealt with in England and Wales during 1965 at public hearings, at accompanied visits, and by correspondence, respectively; and in respect of each of the following categories, that is to say, outdoor poster sites of below the 16-sheet size, outdoor poster sites of 16-sheet and large sizes, illuminated trade signs, and unilluminated trade signs, how many appeals were allowed outright, how many appeals were allowed subject to conditions imposed by the Minister, how many were dismissed, and how many still await his decision.

The number of appeals decided in 1965 under the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) Regulations was 2176. Details are as follows:

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government when he will publish the Llewelyn Davies Report concerning future population growth in the Swindon-Didcot-Newbury and Hunger-ford area.

The report will be published next week. I will make a statement then.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he is aware that the high cost of erecting a fire escape, as required by recent legislation, is deterring many people from letting rooms and flats in their houses, thereby aggravating the housing shortage; and whether he will seek to empower local authorities to make grants towards the cost.

This is one of a number of problems arising from the multiple occupation of houses which my right hon. Friend is studying at the moment but he does not think it is widespread or that grants are necessarily the answer.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what further progress he has made with his plans on mortgages; when he will publish details of the proposals; and if he will make a statement.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what plans he has for taking steps, by legislation or otherwise, to reduce the cost of mortgages for new borrowers.

The Government have said that they intend to lay their plans for helping owner occupiers before the House this Session. I am not prepared to anticipate the date or content of this announcement.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will circularise local authorities with the advice that where housing schemes for retired people are projected provision of small plots of land for cultivation should be considered.

This will be dealt with in an up-to-date booklet of advice on housing for the elderly which is now being prepared.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many housing units he estimates will not now come on the market as a result of the recent Rent Act.

The number of privately rented houses has been declining for a long time, and it is too early to say what effect the Rent Act will have on this trend: it should not induce anyone to sell who is content with fairness as between landlord and tenant.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many rent officers have been appointed under the Rent Act, 1965; in which local government areas no such officers have yet been appointed; and what is the reason for the delay in such appointments.

57 senior rent officers, of whom 16 are on a part-time basis, and 291 rent officers, of whom 120 are on a part-time basis, have been appointed. Some of these appointments, and a few more still to be made, will take effect in late March or early April, by which time it is hoped that the local rent assessment committees will be in readiness. There is no area in which the absence of a rent officer is at present holding up the operation of the Act.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will give the maximum and minimum capital cost, together with the maximum and minimum weekly rental, of council houses, excluding council flats, currently being built in each county in England and Wales.

The information about maximum and minimum capital costs is not available and my right hon. Friend does not think the time and effort required to compile the figures would be justified.Local authorities are not required to notify him of the rents they charge and consequently he has no reliable up-to-date figures.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what is the number of houses in which baths, hot water and inside lavatories have been installed with standard improvement grants in the last 12 months to a convenient date; how many of these were houses owned by owner-occupiers and

STANDARD GRANTS: ENGLAND AND WALES
Period			Local authority dwellings*			Private dwellings†
					Bath or showers	Hot water supplies	Water closets	Bath or showers	Hot water supplies	Water closets
1962	…	…	2,114	14,850	2,379	30,271	33,743	29,584
1963	…	…	1,393	14,047	2,272	34,048	35,317	36,976
1964	…	…	1,878	12,738	3,488	39,448	41,135	44,684
1965	…	…	2,024	20,548	5,401	37,690	40,916	43,333
* Numbers in applications approved.
† Numbers where works completed. It is not known how many of the dwellings in which these installations were made were owner-occupied or let. Of all standard grants to private owners in each of the four years 69 per cent., 70 per cent., 68 per cent. and 67 per cent. respectively were for owner-occupied houses.

asked the Minister of Power what undertaking has been given by the National Coal Board on preventive measures to avoid subsidence in the county of Durham.

This is a matter for the National Coal Board and I have asked the Chairman to write to my right hon. Friend.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development what progress has been made with the proposed Institute of Development Studies.

The Formation Committee which was set up in July last year produced a detailed plan for the establishment of the Institute on the campus of the University of Sussex. The general lines of this plan have now been accepted. An Acting Director and Administrative Secretary are already in post and steps are being taken to recruit further teaching staff in the near future. The Institute will be incorporated as an autonomous institution with a governing body, the chairman of which will be the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sussex, and this will include distinguished people from this country and abroad. The Institute will start active operations in the autumn.

asked the Minister of Technology what progress has been made towards establishing science-based industries in Northern Ireland.

The primary responsibility for promoting the establishment of new industries in Northern Ireland rests with the Ministry of Commerce in Belfast. My Department maintains close contact with the Ministry and, in developing its industrial policies, will keep very much in mind the needs and possibilities of Northern Ireland.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will now make a statement about the adoption of a decimal currency system.

I would refer the hon. Member to what I said in the House today.

asked the Minister of Health how many deaths from accidental drowning occurred during 1965; how many children are included in this figure; and how many of these fatalities occurred at coastal resorts.

Full analyses of 1965 figures are not yet available. 580 deaths registered in England and Wales in the first three quarters of that year were assigned to International Classification of Diseases Category E.929, Accidental Drowning and Submersion. Of this total, 211 occurred to children aged under 15.In 1964 the total number of deaths in England and Wales from accidental drowning and submersion was 834; 264 of these deaths were of children under 15; 155 of the total deaths occurred in coastal waters.

asked the Minister of Aviation how the actual drag of the F.111 compares with the design drag; what progress has been made on re-matching the high and low pressure compressors in the engine for the F.111, and whether the re-matched engine has yet been flight tested; how much work remains to be done on the variable spike control of the F.111 engine inlet; and what tests have been conducted on the compressor bleed mechanism for the F.111 engine.

I cannot disclose details of the progress of the F.111 development programme. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence and I have, however, been kept closely informed of the situation and we are satisfied that measures in hand to deal with the matters to which the hon. Member refers will ensure that the R.A.F. receives an aircraft which meets its requirements.

asked the Minister of Aviation whether the price quoted for the F.111 in the Defence Review includes the avionics; if he will state the total cost per aircraft; and what arrangements over what period have been made for the purchase of spares for the F.111 at fixed prices.

The unit ceiling price of £2·1 million quoted in the Defence Review is for the basic F.111A aircraft and includes some but not all the avionic equipment required by the R.A.F. The total unit cost of the aircraft is estimated at about £l½ million, including all the R.A.F.'s special requirements. A supplementary ceiling price will be negotiated as soon as practicable.As far as the second part of the question is concerned, I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given on the same point by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence on 28th February, 1966 in reply to a Question by the hon. Member for Cirencester and Tewkesbury (Mr. Ridley).

asked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs what administrative responsibility he has in relation to Northern Ireland.

My right hon. Friend's responsibilities for the co-ordination of economic policy extend to economic policy in the United Kingdom as a whole. However, he does not, of course, seek to enter into those matters which are the sole responsibility of the Northern Ireland Government.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are the maximum figures for total bank advances to agriculture in Great Britain in each year since 1963; and whether it is the Government's policy that total bank advances to agriculture should increase.

The published maximum figures for total bank advances to agriculture in Great Britain which include loans to merchants and auctioneers, were £446 million in 1963, £505 million in 1964 and £516 million in 1965.The Government have made it clear that the industry will need to have the financial resources required to carry out its selective expansion programme under the National Plan. The banks have an essential part to play in helping to finance the industry's investment, subject to the restrictions on credit which are at present required in the interests of the national economy as a whole.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations how much has been spent to date by Her Majesty's Government in transporting petrol and fuel oil to Zambia.

The cost of the British civil and Royal Air Force airlifts of petrol and oil to Zambia up to the 22nd February, the latest date for which figures are available, was about £1·7 million. The transport of petrol and oil by other routes is the responsibility of the Zambian Government, but, as I stated on the 25th January, the British Government have agreed to meet expenditure of some £3½ million on equipment and construction work necessary to develop alternative surface routes into Zambia.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is now the strength of the Royal Navy in skilled senior electrical ratings; what proportion this represents of the authorised establishment; and what were the corresponding figures in 1964.

As a rule, we do not give detailed figures of this sort; but, broadly, the shortage is now 8 per cent., and was 10 per cent. in 1964.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the number of naval ships now under construction; and what was the number under construction one year ago.

Twenty-eight ships whose keels have been laid, compared with twenty-seven one year ago.

Arm/Service	Unit/Sub Unit	Location
Royal Artillery	One Light Air Defence Battery	Glasgow, Edinburgh.
Royal Engineers	H.Q. and two Field Squadrons	Glasgow, Coatbridge, Edinburgh.
	Field Park Squadron	Dundee.
	Field Squadron	Paisley.
	Two minor units	Edinburgh, Glasgow.
Royal Signals	One Signal Regiment	Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen.
	Four minor units	Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee.
Infantry	H.Q. and five Companies (Lowland Battalion).	Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dumfries, Lanarkshire, Ayr.
	H.Q. and five Companies (Highland Battalion).	Perth, Aberdeen, Dundee, Stirling, Inverness, Wick.
	H.Q. and three Companies Parachute Battalion.	Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen.
	One Squadron Special Air Service Regiment.	Invergowrie.
Royal Corps of Transport.	Two H.Q. and five Squadrons	Dunfermline, Glasgow, Perth, Edinburgh, East Kilbride.
Royal Army Medical Corps.	General Hospital	Glasgow, Edinburgh.
	Field Ambulance	Aberdeen.
	Field Dressing Station	Dundee.
Royal Army Ordnance Corps.	Ordnance Field Park	Glasgow.
Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers	Five Squadron Workshops	Perth, Dunfermline, Glasgow, Edinburgh, East Kilbride.
	Two minor units	Glasgow.
Royal Military Police	Provost Company less four Sections	Edinburgh.
Intelligence Corps	C.I. Platoon, Composite Intelligence Unit.	Edinburgh.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the foreign exchange cost of defence in 1970.

Considerably less than now. I estimate that in 1970 the total of defence foreign exchange expenditure on both equipment and stationing costs will be only 4½ per cent. of our total imports as against 6 per cent. of our total imports today.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence why admirals of the fleet and field marshals are allowed to retire on full salaries for the rest of their lives; how many are in receipt of these life pensions; what is the amount drawn per annum in each instance; and to what extent these retirement pensions

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the number, type and location of Army Volunteer Reserve units in Scotland.

Subject to possible changes in a few cases, the list is as follows:—are conditioned on the recipients receiving other forms of payment or expenses from private or public sources.

By custom, these officers go on to half pay, not a pension, when they are no longer working. Half pay now amounts to £3,900, which is roughly the same as a pension would be, and 25 officers now get it. Half pay is not affected by other payments, but there are five officers of this rank who get neither full pay nor half pay.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT the number of days lost to British industry as a result of industrial disputes and industrial injuries, respectively, for the years 1963, 1964, and 1965.

The number of days recorded as lost through stoppages of work due to industrial disputes in Great Britain in the years 1963, 1964 and 1965 were 1,727,000, 2,243,000 and 2,796,000, respectively. The figure for 1965 is provisional. In the two years ended May, 1963, and May, 1964, injury benefit was paid for 19,850,000 days and 21,780,000 days, respectively, for incapacity relating to industrial accidents and prescribed diseases. The figure for injury benefit for the year ended May, 1965, is not yet available.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance (1) what is the value in real terms of the retirement pension to the latest convenient date, compared with the value in real terms at the date of the list increase in March, 1965;(2) what would be the cost of restoring the value in real terms of the retirement pension to the value in real terms at the date of the last increase.

The retirement pensions of 80s. for a single person and 130s. for a couple are, at current prices, worth, respectively, 3s. 1d. and 5s. less than when they were introduced in March, 1965. The cost to the National Insurance Fund of raising retirement pensions

The following tables give the information:by these amounts (with no changes in other benefits) would be of the order of £50 million a year.

asked the Postmaster-General why the sub-post office in North Thorsley, Lincolnshire, was removed from a shop where it had been for 14 years, where there was good parking accommodation for cars, to premises on a corner with no parking facilities, after the first business had been purchased in good faith on the assumption that the post office business would remain; and, in the light of the correspondence sent to him by the hon. Member for Louth, if he will reconsider this decision.

After the former sub-post master resigned, and the normal public advertisement and interview, the candidate who appeared best qualified was appointed as sub-postmistress. The new post office is no great distance from suitable parking space. There was no ground for any assumption that the appointment would go to the purchaser of the former post office premises. I have considered the correspondence sent to me by the hon. Member, but I can see no reason for cancelling the appointment which has been made.

asked the Postmaster-General what would be the cost of erecting a new telephone kiosk at Moyagney in County Londonderry.

About £400.

asked the Minister of Pubic Building and Works to what extent the new form of contract for the building industry as recommended by the Royal Institute of British Architects and referred to in the Scottish National Plan, is being adopted in Scotland.

There has been a satisfactory demand for the new form since its publication in October last.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list by counties and cities in Scotland the number of persons convicted of inability to drive through drink or drugs for each of the last three years.

Figures for the last three years available of the number of persons convicted in Scotland of driving while incapacitated by drink or drugs are:—

1962	2,780
1963	3,042
1964	3,256

A geographical breakdown of these figures could not be made without undue work. The following table gives, by police areas, the number of cases in which proceedings for this offence were taken:

	1962	1963	1964
Total	3,081	3,358	3,527
Counties of Cities
Aberdeen	93	101	141
Dundee	111	106	125
Edinburgh	278	383	367
Glasgow	999	942	972
Large Burghs
Airdrie	15	21	18
Ayr	8	28	33
Coatbridge	23	31	29
Greenock	42	43	52
Hamilton	20	20	19
Inverness	29	34	46
Kilmarnock	22	33	29
Motherwell and Wishaw	9	18	26
Paisley	27	22	14
Counties
Angus	61	48	49
Argyll	52	89	85
Ayr	118	150	140
Berwick, Roxburgh and Selkirk	21	32	39
Caithness	44	33	49
Dumfries and Galloway	37	65	68
Dunbarton	83	85	78
Fife	94	101	110
Inverness	66	94	65
Lanark	232	228	250
Lothians and Peebles	96	121	110
Orkney	4	3	6
Perth and Kinross	67	80	81
Renfrew and Bute	76	59	86
Ross and Sutherland	50	52	74
Scottish North Eastern Counties	185	177	222
Stirling and Clackmannan	117	156	140
Zetland	2	3	4

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT a revised version of Table 2, page 7, of the National Economic Development Council's booklet, "Investment Appraisal", showing the after tax net cash flow under the new investment grant proposals, the discounted value of the cash flow for each year, and the total discounted value for the 17 years, assuming Corporation Tax to be at the rate of 35 per cent. and 40 per cent., respectively.

Revision of material contained in the booklet to which the hon. Member refers would be a matter for the National Economic Development Council. The Government have, however, made some calculations of the benefits of the new system of investment incentives on the two assumptions about the rate of Corporation Tax suggested by the hon.

CASH RECOVERIES ON £100 INVESTED IN NEW PLANT OR MACHINERY ELIGIBLE FOR GRANT UNDER THE NEW SCHEME OF INVESTMENT GRANTS, AS COMPARED WITH THE SYSTEM OF INVESTMENT ALLOWANCES, WHEN THE SCHEME IS IN FULL OPERATION
	Cash Recoveries not discounted			Cash Recoveries discounted at 7% p.a.
	(i)	(ii)	(iii)	(iv)
	Within 18 months	Subsequently	Total	Total
A. ASSUMING CORPORATION TAX AT A RATE OF 35%
	£	£	£	£
(1) Investment Allowance System
(a) National rates	19·25	26·25	45·50	34·49
(b) In Development Districts	50·95	—	50·95	46·63
(2) Investment Grants System
(a) National rates	24·20	23·80	48·00	38·62
(b) In Areas	43·15	17·85	61·00	53·13
B. ASSUMING CORPORATION TAX AT A RATE OF 40%
	£	£	£	£
(1) Investment Allowance System
(a) National rates	22·00	30·00	52·00	39·43
(b) In Development Districts	56·80	—	56·80	51·92
(2) Investment Grants System
(a) National rates	24·80	27·20	52·00	41·38
(b) In Development Areas	43·60	20·40	64·00	55·20

asked the Minister of Transport what sums are to be spent on classified roads in East and West Suffolk, respectively, during the coming financial year; and if he will give similar details in respect of each of the past three years.

The following is the information:

	East Suffolk	West Suffolk
	£	£
1966–67	1,073,420	436,956
1965–66	882,089	310,559
1964–65	1,015,440	344,144
1963–64	970,914	468,459

asked the Minister of Transport how many local authorities have sent her resolutions calling for the reconstitution of transport users' consultative committees so as to extend their scope and powers; and what reply she has sent.

My right hon. Friend has received no such resolutions.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what progress has been made with the main north to south Wales trunk road.

Many major improvements have been completed and work estimated to cost some £200,000 is planned to start in 1966. In addition, minor improvements to short lengths of trunk road are also being carried out.