asked the Minister of Aviation what consideration has been given to the problem of sound control in the interests of householders living in the vicinity of the new Abbotsinch Airport.

I am sure that Glasgow Corporation will have this matter under consideration. My Department's advice is available to the Corporation at any time.

asked the Minister of Aviation what schemes now exist to provide compensation towards the cost of providing sound insulation in houses and schools in the vicinity of Abbotsinch Airport.

None. The powers conferred by the Airports Authority Act, 1965, do not extend to dwellings near an aerodrome owned by a local authority.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer by what amount annually since 1960 sterling balances have gained by reason of the presence in the United Kingdom of United States armed forces; and what proportion of the annual cost of maintaining these forces is paid directly or indirectly in foreign exchange.

The greater part of the receipts is in foreign exchange. Total Government receipts from both United States and Canadian forces are shown in Table 6 of "The U.K. Balance of Payments 1965", which may be found in the Library. The figure for 1964 was £12 million. I am unable to supply a figure for private receipts.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in his forthcoming Budget statement, he will reduce Purchase Tax on motor cycles and bicycles.

My right hon. Friend will keep this suggestion in mind in his review of taxation.

asked the Postmaster-General how many new telephones he expects to install during 1966 in Corby, Burton Latimer, Desborough, Kettering, and Rothwell, respectively.

The current estimates are:

Exchange	New connexions
Corby	600
Burton Latimer	180
Desborough	50
Kettering	740
Rothwell	45

asked the Postmaster-General what steps he is taking to replace the parts of telephone kiosks damaged or removed during the present wave of vandalism; which parts these are; what have been the size of orders placed by him in each of the last six months; and how many new sources of supply he has obtained during the same period.

Post Office contractors are working to capacity to improve the supply of new coinboxes, and the great variety of spare parts which are needed to repair kiosks damaged by vandals and thieves. Unfortunately many kiosks are damaged repeatedly and supply of spares is temporarily inadequate. We are urgently seeking other sources of supply.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will consider using tokens in telephone boxes as a means of stopping the growth of vandalism.

My right hon. Friend does not exclude consideration of any possibility for reducing vandalism.

asked the Postmaster-General when the new system of all-figure numbers for telephones will be available in North-East England.

Present plans provide for the introduction of all-figure telephone numbers in London, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester during the next three years, and the telephone numbers of subscribers in North-East England will not be affected.During the same period the subscriber trunk dialling codes used by all subscribers with this facility, including those in North-East England, will be changed gradually to all-figure form.

asked the Prime Minister what representations Her Majesty's Government have made to the Government of the Irish Republic concerning the bomb attack made on the residence of the British Military Attaché in Dublin; and what assurances have been given to Her Majesty's Government concerning the future protection of British Embassy property and personnel.

I have been asked to reply.The British Ambassador in Dublin has asked the Government of the Irish Republic for a report on the incident. They have expressed to him their regrets, are carrying out a full investigation, and I am confident will do everything possible to prevent such incidents.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what is the estimated cost of building the stabling at Knightsbridge Barracks.

The estimated cost at current prices of the stable block to be built in the new Knightsbridge Barracks is about £500,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many men and apprentices are employed in Portsmouth Dockyard today; and how this compares with the numbers employed in October, 1965.

10,026 men and 1,476 apprentices now, compared with 10,386 men and 1,540 apprentices in October, 1965.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list those African countries in which British officers or instructors are still serving, giving their numbers and their cost in so far as that cost falls on Great Britain.

309 officers and 557 men from the three Services are serving on training duties in Ghana, Kenya, Zambia, Malawi, Sierra Leone and Sudan, and with the naval and military missions in Libya. The annual cost to the United Kingdom is about £1·4 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the total estimated cost to this country, in dollars and sterling, respectively, of the F111A force, the Phantom force for the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force and the Hercules force, over a 10-year-period, including initial purchase price, spares replacements, the United Kingdom contribution to United States research and development costs, running costs and all interest payable as a result of the credit terms arranged for payment.

Following are the figures requested:

£m.
Aircraft	Dollars	Sterling	Total
F111A	240	40	280
Phantom	310	280	590
C130	110	100	210

The dollar exchange cost of the F111 programme will be fully covered by the offset arrangements outlined in para. 11 of Chapter III of Command 2901.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what warships, and of what type and class, are to be laid down or ordered in 1966.

The seventh County Class guided missile destroyer was laid down in January and the eighth will be laid down a few days from now. Two more Leander Class frigates will be laid down later in the year. We plan to order the first Type 82 guided missile destroyer, more Leander Class ships, and a nuclear-powered fleet submarine; and further orders are under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what new weapon is being developed as a replacement antiaircraft weapon.

I would refer the hon. Member to pages 46 and 47 of Part II of the Statement on the Defence Estimates 1966 (Cmnd. 2902).

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many helicopters are available for service in the forces.

I would refer the hon. Member to the Answer I gave to the hon. and gallant Member for Lewes (Sir T. Beamish) on 2nd March, 1966.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what steps have been taken in the course of the past year to improve the conditions of married sailors serving in home bases.

There have been two main improvements in the past year. By building more married quarters, and by starting a scheme of interest-free loans to help ratings buy their own houses, we have greatly improved the prospects that a sailor will be able to house his family where he wants them.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what decision has been taken on the proposed Government development of the blowpipe project.

I have been asked to reply.I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave yesterday to the hon. Member for Belfast, East (Mr. McMaster) in reply to a similar Question.

asked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs what was the cost to public funds of the publication of the wall newspaper, "Upswing".

The estimated cost of producing the first issue, based on a print order of 50,000 copies is £736—including the cost of C.O.I. staff and overheads. In addition, cost of postage and distribution is estimated at £711.

asked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs whether he will forward the application of the London Transport Board for an order to increase fares to the National Board for Prices and Incomes, as it presents a prima facie case for reference in accordance with paragraphs 10, 11 and 26 of Command Paper No. 2808.

No.

asked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs if he will state the nationally negotiated wage increases granted since October, 1964, and the percentage rise in each case; and if he will name those referred to the National Board for Prices and Incomes.

Nationally negotiated wage increases are summarised each month in the Ministry of Labour Gazette. This shows the complexity of these agreements and the difficulty of calculating percentage increases generally representative of the agreements. In the 15 months to the end of January, 1966, the index of weekly wage rates rose by about 6½ per cent. Eleven references involving pay questions have been referred to the National Board for Prices and Incomes since it started work last May.

asked the Minister of Power what consultations he has had with the Scottish Gas Board regarding the recommendation of the National Board for Prices and Incomes that the proposed increase of 13 per cent. in the price of gas in Scotland be approved.

I hope to make an announcement shortly.

asked the Minister of Power how many collieries were closed between 25th November, 1965, and the latest convenient date; and how many are likely to be closed in the next two years and five years, respectively.

In the Second Reading Debate on the Coal Industry Bill on 25th November last year, I made a full statement on the scale and pace of closures envisaged by the Coal Board, supported by the Government. Between then and the 28th February, 1966, 20 collieries were closed. The National Coal Board expect to close between 80 and 90 more collieries by the end of March, 1968, and about another 100 in the three years to March, 1971.

asked the Minister of Power what have been the total losses, and the capital expenditure in the coal, gas and electricity industries since nationalisation, respectively; and what has been the increase in price per unit charged for their services.

The information, which relates to the periods between the respective vesting dates and the end of 1964–65 financial year, is as follows:

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will circularise local authorities advising them that where tenants on their overspill sites have to travel very long distances to their work they should, if possible, arrange a housing transfer to an estate nearer their place of employment.

Local authorities have been recommended to facilitate housing transfers for this and other reasons in three reports of the Housing Management Sub-Committee of the Central Housing Advisory Committee. Most authorities recognise the importance of living near work and do their best to house tenants in accommodation best suited to their particular needs. But in overspill sites the problem is often the difficult one of getting employment out into the receiving area. My right hon. Friend doubts if further advice from him is necessary at present.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will express the average amount paid in rates as a percentage of the average wages now and five years ago.

The available information does not permit valid comparisons to be made. Information about earnings is available only for manual workers in manufacturing and certain other industries; there is however no information as to the rates paid by this group of workers, the available data relating to householders generally. A separate point is that many householders contain more than one wage-earner, so that a comparison of the sort asked for would in any case be misleading.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will introduce legislation to clarify the law relating to the parking of commercial vehicles in driveways and forecourts of private houses in residential districts.

There is no general law governing the parking of commercial vehicles in driveways and forecourts of private houses, though the consent of the Highway Authority under the Highways Act of 1959 has to be obtained for any modifications to the kerb which are necessary to enable a vehicle to mount and cross the pavement.Such parking in the curtilage of a dwelling house by the occupant is normally incidental to his occupation of that house and my right hon. Friend is not aware of any need for legislation.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what progress has been made by planning authorities in their surveys of coastal preservation and development; and if he will make a statement.

The coastal surveys which maritime planning authorities were asked to carry out in 1963 are in different stages of completion. In January this year my right hon. Friend issued a circular asking the authorities to produce and publish maps showing areas to be protected. They will be doing this over the next few months. In addition to this, a series of regional conferences between the National Parks Commission and the planning authorities are about to start; their purpose is the formulation of longer-term coastal policies.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government when he will take a final decision about the future of the Meltham Urban District Council.

My right hon. Friend is considering the proposal for the amalgamation of Meltham and Colne Valley along with those for the rest of the West Yorkshire Special Review Area and will be announcing his conclusions as soon as possible.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government when the award will be made in the case of Pattleton's Farm, Westfield, which was considered at a public inquiry on 25th January.

My right hon. Friend expects to announce his decision shortly.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government (1) if he is aware that water orders set out irregular and illegal distributions to water shareholders; and if he will take steps to stop this practice;(2) if he is aware that compensation from water boards is invariably divided between preference and ordinary shareholders contrary to the provisions of the statute; and if he will take steps to stop this practice.

My right hon. Friend is not aware of any irregularity or illegality of this kind in water orders. The second parts of the questions do not therefore arise.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the paid appointments he has in his patronage, other than Civil Service appointments, giving the name of each holder of such appointment and the current salary, allowances and duration of the appointments.

I refer to my reply to the Question asked by my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow, Provan (Mr. Hugh D. Brown) on 26th January. In addition, I appoint 37 clerks of the peace, who are remunerated by fees or salaries determined locally and 2 stipendiary magistrates in Glasgow, who are remunerated by the corporation. If my hon. Friend requires particulars of any of these appointments, I suggest that he might write to me.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what special action he proposes to take in order to dispose of the newly-built advance factory in Fraserburgh to a suitable tenant.

The factory has now been allocated. I hope that an announcement can be made shortly.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what steps he will take to relax the discrimination against bicycles and mopeds in hire-purchase regulations.

None, since my right Friend does not accept that there is any such discrimination.