asked the Minister of Health when his Department's inquiry into the needs of people who are both deaf and blind will be submitted to him; whether it will be published; and what action he is taking to provide better trained and more numerous visitors to such people.

The Ministry is studying the needs of the deaf blind, but no formal report will be made.The Council for Training in Social Work is now considering what type of training is required by social workers to equip them to help the deaf and the blind. The Ministry is giving the Council all the help it can.

asked the Minister of Health how many invalid cars have been made available under the National Health Service; and whether he has yet reached a decision about the issue of two-seater invalid cars.

There are about 14,000 tricycles on issue to National Health Service patients. I am reviewing the whole question of invalid vehicles.

asked the Minister of Health if he will amend the form of contract with general dental practitioners in such a way as to make it a breach of contract for a dentist to require a patient to pay for one or more items of private treatment before accepting him as a National Health Service patient.

No.

asked the Minister of Health what is the total amount he has received for the prescription fees of 2s. per item from general practitioners in the last 12 months, to the latest convenient date.

About £626,000 in the year ended 31st December last.

asked the Minister of Health what is the number of interest-free group practice loans granted since the inception of the scheme; how much money remains in the current year in the fund set aside for that purpose; and what steps he is taking to persuade general practitioners to organise group practices.

460 loans have been approved. There is no separate fund. The advantages of group practice are generally known but my right hon. Friend takes all opportunities for stressing its value.

asked the Minister of Health what new drugs, or new compounds of drugs previously in use, have been marketed for the first time since 1st January without having been referred to the Drug Safety Committee.

The only case that my Ministry has traced is the marketing of two new formulations of the same standard drug.

asked the Minister of Health which new drugs, or new compounds of drugs previously in use, have been submitted for clinical trial since 1st January without having been referred to the Drug Safety Committee.

I know of none.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that the incidence of death before reaching retiring age and serious illness amongst dentists is higher than in any other profession; what action has been taken to ascertain the cause of this; and what action he proposes to take in the light of these facts.

My right hon. Friend is not aware that the available figures for occupational mortality support my hon. Friend's assumption. We have no information on the incidence of serious illness among dentists.

asked the Minister of Health what precise and conclusive chemical tests are available to determine whether a human being might be suffering from chronic fluoroacetate poisoning, bearing in mind that a negative test for fluoride in the bone tissue of the reported human case will not provide evidence that chronic poisoning is non-existent; and if he will make a statement.

None; but my right hon. Friend is advised that certain tests may justify the inference that an organofluoride compound had been present. He is not, however, aware of any case of chronic fluoroacetate poisoning of a human being.

asked the Minister of Health if he will give the numbers and percentage increases in deaths from lung cancer in females in each year since 1957.

The figures are as follows:

DEATHS OF FEMALES—CANCER OF THE LUNG (I.C.D.* NOS. 162, 163)
ENGLAND AND WALES, 1958 TO 1962
Year	Number of Deaths	Percentage increase from previous year in
		Deaths	Death Rate
1957	2,670	4·6	4·1
1958	2,780	4·1	3·7
1959	2,882	3·7	3·0
1960	3,118	8·2	7·3
1961	3,350	7·4	6·8
1962	3,501	4·5	3·7
* International Classification of Diseases.

asked the Minister of Health when the relevant Whitley Council will resume its discussions on the salaries of hospital engineers.

A meeting of the negotiating Joint Sub-Committee has been arranged for 19th February.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether in this month's price review he will take into account the sharp decline in dairy farmers' income in the last five years.

My hon. Friend will not expect me to anticipate the Annual Re- view, but he may rest assured that all relevant factors will be taken into account.

asked the Minister of Agriculture. Fisheries and Food what advice he has received from the Food Standards Committee on the practice of tenderising beef by injections prior to slaughter and if he will make a statement.

The Food Standards Committee has advised me that it can seen no hazard to human health from the consumption of meat tenderised by the pre-slaughter injection of papain. The Committee also considered the question as to whether its use on meat is deceptive to the consumer and has advised that provided meat so treated is labelled, the practice is unobjectionable.I accept the Committee's advice and propose to provide accordingly when the labelling of Food Order is revised following the Committee's current review of labelling generally.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will state, for the last five and ten years, respectively, the increases in the production of farm products in Staffordshire; and to what extent the average incomes of farmers and farm workers have increased or decreased in these periods.

Because produce sold throughout the country cannot be attributed to counties of origin, I regret that it is impossible to supply estimates of production for individual counties. Similarly, it is not practicable to estimate average incomes of farmers and farm workers in separate counties.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he is aware that over the past five years farming costs have risen by 10 to 15 per cent., while prices have fallen by 4 per cent.; and whether he will take this into account when preparing his price review.

Movements of costs, prices and efficiency are reflected in the aggregate farming net income. Between 1958–9 and 1962–3 this figure rose from £333 million to a forecast £408 million. At the forthcoming Annual Review all relevant factors will be taken into account.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many nations have now signed the International Convention for the introduction of copyrights in connection with the breeding of plants and seeds; and when it is expected to come into operation.

Eight, including the United Kingdom. The Convention will come into force when three of the signatory States have ratified it; none has so far done so.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will extend the provisions of the Pests Act, 1954, to provide powers to make Mole Clearance Orders as well as Rabbit Clearance Orders.

No. My right hon. Friend does not consider that the damage caused by moles would justify such legislation.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what conclusions he has reached from studying the constant recurrence of outbreaks of fowl pest; in how many cases the birds had been treated once or more with a vaccine approved by his Department; and to what extent he expects that continuing research in the laboratory and experience on the farm will result in a more effective vaccine being produced.

The following conclusions can be drawn from the first 10 months experience of the control of fowl pest by vaccination. First, where vaccination is widely and properly practised control is as successful as it was under the slaughter policy: this is borne out by experience in Norfolk and Suffolk, where vaccine has been widely used and disease incidence has been much lower than in previous years. The amount of virus released from an infected vaccinated flock is less than from a similar unvaccinated flock. Second, where vaccination is not widely practised and disease strikes outbreaks are numerous and spread is rapid: this is the situation in Lancashire and more recently in Cheshire, where 84 of the 98 outbreaks which were confirmed in January occurred in unvaccinated or only partly vaccinated flocks. Were it not for the large number of outbreaks in these two counties the position in England and Wales would in fact be much better than in previous years. Third, where disease does strike a vaccinated flock, it is usually less severe and the amount of illness and mortality less than in infected unvaccinated flocks.Of 1,896 outbreaks of fowl pest in the period April, 1962, to January, 1963, 809 occurred in flocks which had not been vaccinated, 452 in flocks which had been partly vaccinated, and 635 in fully vaccinated flocks. In about one-third of these 635 cases, disease appeared before maximum protection had developed.Research into fowl pest vaccine and vaccination techniques is a continuing process and we have only had just over one year's experience of reliance on vaccination. It would be contrary to experience with other vaccines, and indeed in other fields of research if progress were not made and an even more effective vaccine developed.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the total sum which the Agricultural Market Development Executive Committee is making available to the Potato Marketing Board in respect of the Board's experimental packing station at Sutton Bridge.

About £100,000 over three years, but in relation to particular experiments to be carried out and not the station itself.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will state the average rent per acre of farmland in North Staffordshire for the years 1950, 1955, 1960 and 1963, respectively.

A sample survey of farm rents is conducted annually by my Department to provide a measure of the change in rent per acre from year to year in the country as a whole. It is not possible to use this information as the basis of reliable estimates of rent levels in particular localities.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, in view of recent scientific knowledge gained by his Department into the causes of illnesses and deaths in cattle caused by the disposal of chemical residues, when affected farms may be safely used again for all forms of agriculture.

It will be a little time before we know how soon the affected fields may be safely used again for all forms of agriculture. Regular water samples are being taken and advice will be given to the farmers as soon as possible.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is aware that since the pre-war period milk producers are materially worse off in terms of real money at the present Lime whereas consumers of milk are receiving more favourable treatment than pre-war; and if he will take this into account in his annual price review.

I cannot agree with the statement made in the first part of my hon. and gallant Friend's question, but my right hon. Friend will, of course, take all the relevant factors into account at the forthcoming Annual Review.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will give priority in his price review to the increasing difficulties of milk producers.

My hon. and gallant Friend may rest assured that the claims of milk producers will receive the consideration that is their due.

asked the Minister of Labour what plans he has for assisting, financially or otherwise, the International Apprentice Competition when Great Britain is the host country in 1964.

The competition is to be held in this country in 1965 and I propose to make available a grant of up to about £42,000 towards the cost.

asked the Minister of Labour if he is aware of the domestic disorganisation which will take place among the families of the 400 work-people who will become redundant as a result of the decision to close down the Peak Frean biscuit factory at Avon-mouth; and what steps he is taking to find alternative employment for these workers.

I appreciate the concern which must be felt by the work-people affected by the closure. Our local officers will do everything possible to assist those who seek their help in finding alternative employment. Prospects of other work are good in the Bristol area although, as elsewhere, opportunities of part-time factory employment are more limited.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will state the estimated size and structure of the labour force in the Rotherham employment exchange area in 1967 and 1972, respectively, in the light of recent revised population projections.

It is not practicable to make satisfactory estimates of the future size and structure of the working population in individual employment exchange areas. General assumptions and methods used in the national forecasts are not necessarily appropriate to a particular area.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will state the number of women and girls employed in clerical and secretarial work in the Rotherham employment exchange area in 1961, 1962, and 1963, expressed in numbers per thousand of the total female population, and the number per thousand for the country as a whole.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will state the number of women and girls employed in clerical and secretarial work, the retail and distributive trades and in factory work in the Rotherham and district employment exchange area for each year since 1955; and what forecasts have been made of future labour requirements in each of these categories.

The following table shows the estimated number of female employees in employment in the manufacturing and the distributive industries. I regret that information is not available for clerical employment and I have no comprehensive information about future labour requirements in these categories.

—	Female Employees (thousands)
	Manufacturing Industries	Distributive Industries
1955	4·3	2·5
1956	4·4	2·5
1957	4·4	2·7
1958	4·3	2·8
1959	3·8	3·0
1960	3·9	3·1
1961	4·4	3·4
1962	4·4	3·5

NOTE: The figures for years before 1959 are not strictly comparable with those for later years because of changes in the Standard Industrial Classification.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will state the number of men and boys, respectively, employed in the coal industry in the Rotherham employment exchange area and in the County Borough of Rotherham, for each year since 1955; and what forecasts have been made of future labour requirements in that industry in the area.

I understand from the National Coal Board that the numbers of men and boys employed in the coal industry in the Rotherham Employment Exchange area which includes the County Borough of Rotherham are as follows:

—	Men	Boys
September, 1955	8,513	548
September, 1956	8,256	516
September, 1957	8,174	435
September, 1958	7,995	337
September, 1959	7,546	325
September, 1960	6,659	226
September, 1961	5,854	195
September, 1962	5,567	294
September, 1963	5,354	401

The Board considers that employment prospects are good.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will state the number of qualified scientific and engineering staff, as defined in Command Paper No. 2146, employed in the iron and steel industry in the Rotherham employment exchange area in 1956, 1959, 1962 and 1963; and if he will express these figures as a percentage of the total manpower employed in that industry in the area.

I regret that the information is not available.

asked the Minister of Labour (1) if he will state the number of boys employed as craft apprentices, process workers, clerical and administrative workers and scientific workers, respectively, in the iron and steel industry in the Rotherham employment exchange area for each year since 1955; and what forecasts have been made of future requirements for each of those categories in that industry in the area;(2) if he will state the number of men employed as process workers, craftsmen, clerical workers, administrative staff and scientific and engineering staff, respectively, in the iron and steel industry in the Rotherham employment exchange area for each year since 1955; and what forecasts have been made of future requirements for each of these categories in that industry in the area.

I regret that an occupational analysis of employment in the iron and steel industry in this area is not available and I cannot give any forecast of future labour requirements.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will state the number of boys taken on as craft apprentices in the iron and steel industry in the Rotherham employment exchange area for each year since 1955.

Local figures are not available for dates earlier than 1st July, 1961. Since then the numbers of boys entering employment as craft apprentices in the iron and steel industry in the Rotherham youth employment office area were 50 in the last six months of 1961, 79 in the year 1962 and 32 in 1963.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will state the number of men, boys, girls and women, respectively, employed in the iron and steel industry in the Rotherham employment exchange area for each year since 1955; and what forecasts have been made of future labour requirements in that industry in the area.

The following table shows the estimated number of male and female employees in employment. Separate figures for boys and girls are not available, and I cannot give any forecast of future labour requirements.

EMPLOYEES IN EMPLOYMENT IN THE IRON AND STEEL INDUSTRY IN THE ROTHERHAM EMPLOYMENT EXCHANGE AREA
(thousands)
—	Male	Female	Total
1955	14·6	1·1	15·7
1956	14·7	1·1	15·8
1957	15·0	1·1	16·1
1958	14·7	1·0	15·7
1959	15·1	1·1	16·2
1960	16·1	1·2	17·3
1961	16·7	1·2	17·9
1962	16·5	1·3	17·8

NOTE: The figures for years before 1959 are not strictly comparable with those for later years because of changes in the Standard Industrial Classification.

asked the Minister of Labour how many young persons were unemployed in the Northern Region at the end of January 1964; how many were unemployed in January, 1963; and how these figures compare with the rest of the country.

In the Northern Region, 5,514 on 13th January, 1964, and 9,560 or 14th January, 1963. The cor- responding figures for the rest of Great Britain were 27,144 and 57,833 respectively.

asked the Minister of Labour what percentage of gainfully employed people work in firms that operate a two-shift system and what percentage in firms operating a three-shift system.

I regret that the information is not available.

asked the Minister of Labour how many jobs he expects to be available for Easter school leavers this year.

It is not possible to forecast how many jobs will be available, but the trend in employment prospects is definitely firmer and I am hopeful that most of the Easter school leavers will be able to obtain employment without undue difficulty.

asked the Minister of Labour how many men were employed in the shipbuilding industry on the Wear in January, 1963, and in January this year; and how many men are expected to be so employed in July this year and in January, 1965.

I regret that figures are not available for the month of January. It is estimated that there were 6,000 wage-earners employed in shipbuilding on Wearside in November, 1962, compared with 5,300 in November, 1963. It is not possible to give estimates of the numbers likely to be employed in the future in particular areas.

asked the Minister of Education (1) whether he will list the numbers of foreign and Commonwealth students attending full-time and part-time courses in Great Britain at the last convenient date for 1963 in the following categories: university students, technical college students, inns of court students, teacher training students, nursing students, practical training students, private, and other college students;(2) whether he will detail the number of overseas students attending full-and part-time courses in Great Britain together with the numbers coming from the following countries at the last convenient date in 1963: Nigeria, India, Ghana, Jamaica, Malaya, Iraq, Trinidad and Tobago, Kenya, Hong Kong, Pakistan, Iran, Uganda, Barbados, Singapore, British Guiana, Sierra Leone, and the United Arab Republic.

The most comprehensive and latest available information is contained in the booklet Overseas Students in Britain (October, 1962) and its statistical supplement Overseas Students in Britain 1962–1963 (October, 1963). These are published by the London Conference on Overseas Students, under the auspices of the British Council, to whom my own Department, other Government Departments and non-governmental bodies regularly supply statistical information. I am sending the hon. Member copies of these pamphlets.

asked the Minister of Education what ratio exists between the number of dentists in the School Dental Service and the number of school children in each local education authority in England and Wales.

The ratio at 31st December, 1962, is shown on pages 16 to 32 inclusive of the Ministry's List 71 Selected Statistics relating to Local Education Authorities in England and Wales of which I am sending a copy to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will seek powers to establish by order control of the distribution between wholesaler and retailer of amphetamine derivatives, and such other Schedule 4 poisons as may appear to him from time to time necessary, by requiring wholesalers to keep available for inspection records of every outgoing sale, of current stocks, and of their purchases from manufacturers.

I would refer the hon. Member to the replies I gave on 30th January to Questions on this subject by the hon. Member for St. Pancras, North (Mr. K. Robinson) and himself.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is aware that the stage in the large-scale manufacture of scheduled drug tablets most vulnerable to organised theft is where components emerge as tablets not yet counted or assessed, and where there is a variation of up to 4 per cent, in quantities expected to produce 100,000 tablets; and whether he will seek powers to supervise manufacturers' own security measures at this point and to consult them as to the effectiveness of security measures at other points.

I understand that many manufacturers of tablets apply weighing as well as counting procedures at this stage, and that their general methods of control obviate the possibility of organised theft. I have already asked the pharmaceutical industry to review their precautions to ensure that such drugs do not get into the wrong hands.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in view of the recent disturbance by an accident at one of the main distribution centres in London of amphetamine derivate tablets for illicit sale, if he will instruct the Commissioner of Metropolitan Police to institute a special watch on this place and on the clubs and cafés chiefly used for large-scale operation of this illicit traffic.

The police are well aware of this problem, and are taking action to deal with it.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the instruments now available for calculating the amount of alcohol consumed by testing samples of blood or other samples are more or less accurate than the instruments for testing breath such as the breathalyser.

The relative accuracy of different types of instrument under field conditions is one of the matters being considered by a working party which I have appointed to advise on the problems involved in the introduction of breath-testing equipment for the purposes of the Road Traffic Act, 1962.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations if he will make a statement on the present situation in Cyprus.

Negotiations and discussions on this matter are still in progress. I will make a statement to the House later in the week.

asked the Minister of Aviation what reply he has sent to the letter sent to him on 28th January, 1964, by the Town Clerk of Birmingham, representing Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool, asking for deferment of the new airport charges until consultations take place between his Department and the three local authorities.

I am arranging to discuss the proposed charges with representatives of the airlines and aerodrome owners, including the three Corporations referred to in the Question.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give the percentage of the national product that was spent on housing for the years 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, respectively, and the estimated amount for 1964.

The hon. Member will appreciate that total expenditure on housing is composed of two main elements; (a) consumer expenditure, (b) gross fixed capital formation. The total for each year is as follows:

asked the Secretary to the Treasury what was the revenue gained from the tax on safety belts for cars during the last financial year.

There is no Purchase Tax on car safety belts, when sold separately. When safety belts are fitted to a car before it is delivered from the manufacturer's premises, their value is included in the value of the car for tax purposes, like that of any other standard part or accessory. There is no means of ascertaining the total amount of tax revenue attributable to safety belts in such cases, but in any individual case it is trivial in relation to the total tax on the car.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs on what date formal planning consent was given to construct the ready-mixed concrete plant recently erected in Wigston, South, coal sidings; and what further action he proposes to take.

I am informed that the Wigston Urban District Council refused planning consent on 2nd July, 1963, and that they now intend to serve an enforcement notice under Section 45 of the Town and Country Planning Act, 1962. If an appeal is made to my right hon. Friend against the notice he will determine it in in the usual way.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will give the areas specified in the recent ballot affecting the transfer of the Post Office Savings Bank: and if he will publish the result in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

The inquiry to which the hon. Member refers was not a ballot but was aimed at getting the general reaction of the staff on the basis of broad information then available about three areas—Glasgow, Liverpool and Tees-side—so that their views could be taken into account. These preliminary inquiries were not conclusive. Visits to the local authorities in all three areas are now taking place for the purpose of securing more detailed information.

asked the Minister of Power how much coal is now annually obtained from opencast mining methods, giving the annual production from each of the Coal Board divisions.

Figures for opencast coal production by regions for each year from 1942 to 1962 inclusive are given in Table 34 of the Ministry of Power Statistical Digest for 1962. Corresponding figures for 1963 are:

	Thousand tons
Northern	1,373·2
North Eastern	595·0
North Midland	526·0
North Western	376·2
Midland	573·7
Wales—total (including anthracite)	1,404·9
(anthracite 832·2)
Scotland	688·3
Total	5,537·3

asked the Minister of Power (1) what prospecting and boring is being conducted throughout the coal fields, specifying the areas, for seams that can be won by opencast mining methods;(2) why opencast boring and prospecting is being undertaken in Barnsley and district; and if he will refrain from giving his consent to more opencast mining in this area;(3) if he is aware of resolutions of protest by local authorities in Barnsley and surrounding districts at the prospect of more opencast coal mining in their areas; and if he will contact each of the local authorities concerned with a view to assuring them that no further opencast mining is contemplated and that boring is for the purpose of cataloguing hidden reserves of coal.

I am asking Lord Robens to write to the hon. Member about the National Coal Board's prospecting activities, with particular reference to the Barnsley area. My right hon. Friend has not received any protests recently about prospecting in this area, but if the Board applied for consent under the Opencast Coal Act, 1958, for the working of any sites, he would consider each application on its merits in the light of any objections from local authorities or others.

asked the Minister or Power if he will give a general direction to the National Coal Board that no additional coals be produced by opencast mining methods.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development which materials are subject to regulations requiring clear labelling and identification before they can be sold; and whether he will introduce legislation which will make clear labelling of materials used in goods legally enforceable.

Several laws and regulations require the marking in a specified manner of designated goods, for example, food and drugs, seeds, fertilisers and feeding stuffs, pharmacy and poisons. I am considering the recommendation made by the Molony Committee on Consumer Protection that the Board of Trade should have power to prohibit consumer trade in designated goods unless they bear a label or are accompanied by a written statement conveying prescribed information.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development how many new factories have been opened in Sunderland in the last six months; and what are the prospects for 1964.

One factory and one extension were completed during the last six months. Several extensions to existing premises are under way, two of which will employ significant numbers. We are at present seeking a tenant for the Board of Trade advance factory of 26,00() sq. ft. A number of firms have been making inquiries in the Sunderland area, but have not yet decided on their plans for the future.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development what steps he is taking to encourage new industries in the Ashington-Morpeth areas of Northumberland so as to give an assured future to young persons.

My right hon. Friend will continue to encourage suitable industrial development in the area. Morpeth and Ashington will benefit from the increase in the level of activity throughout the region as a whole, which is the objective of the Government's programme for the development and growth of the North-East.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will state the terms of the resolution to reduce noise from surface transport which was adopted by the Council of Ministers of the European Conference of Ministers of Transport at its meeting in Paris last November; and what action he is taking on this subject.

The terms of the resolution adopted on 26th November, 1963, are as follows:

asked the Minister of Transport what is the annual cost to the British Railways Board of maintaining and operating level crossings.

The British Railway Board tells me that the annual cost of maintaining and operating public level crossings is about £2·6 million. No figure is available of the expenditure incurred by the Board in maintaining private level crossings.

ask the Minister of Transport how many level crossings are maintained by British Railways.

The British Railways Board informs me that according to the latest available records the total number of level crossings maintained by it is 24,368.

asked the Minister of Transport when he expects to make a statement about the construction of a British nuclear-powered ship.

I am still not yet in a position to make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish in the Official Report a list of the criminal courts in Scotland, showing separately for 1962 the number of persons ordered to be held in custody before trial, the average length of time so held, the number subsequently dealt with by fine or

—		Number Held		Longest Period	Average Period
		Males	Females	Days	Days
Prisons
Aberdeen	…	21	1	60	10
Barlinnie (including Logriggend)	…	235	—	93	15·5
Edinburgh	…	40	3	104	17
Greenock	…	2	—	19	9·5
Inverness	…	1	—	10	10
Perth	…	17	—	70	17·5
Dumfries	…	5	—	14	3
Legalised Police cells
Ayr	…	4	—	8	3
Dundee	…	2	—	7	4
Falkirk	…	2	—	14	6
Forfar	…	2	—	1	1
Kirkcaldy	…	15	1	12	8
Oban	…	1	—	1	1

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many persons held in Scottish prisons before trial in 1962 were subsequently released without trial.

Three hundred and thirty-six men and 34 women held untried in

Detailed information of this kind is not presently available. In view of the questions raised by the hon. Member, the Lord Advocate and I are investigating the detail of the figures given to the hon. Member on 29th January and in the light of the information that this investigation produces we shall be in a position to judge whether further inquiry, for instance by the Criminological Research Unit of the Home Office, which serves both Scotland and England, would be useful.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the number of persons being held at present in each of Her Majesty's prisons in Scotland; what for each prison is the longest period of such detention; and what is the average period, respectively.

It is assumed that the question refers to persons held awaiting trial. The following figures relate to persons awaiting trial in each of Her Majesty's Prisons in Scotland and each legalised police cells unit in which such persons were lodged on the night of Monday, 3rd February:Scottish prisons and 28 men and two women held untried in legalised police cells in Scotland at various times during 1962 were subsequently released without trial.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what proportion of persons held in custody before trial and subsequently sentenced to imprisonment have their sentences reduced by the length of time already spent in prison awaiting trial.

Sentences of imprisonment pronounced by the courts are not reduced by the length of time spent in prison awaiting, trial or sentence: this is one of the factors which courts take into account, at the time of passing sentence, in deciding what period of imprisonment to impose.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what scrutiny is exercised by the Law Officers of the Crown over the practice in Scotland of holding persons in prison before trial; and what conclusions the Law Officers have reached concerning the conduct of this practice over the past four years.

Whether a person is detained in prison before trial or liberated with or without bail is a matter for the courts. Objection to bail must be based on principles of law laid down by the High Court of Justiciary, and Procurators Fiscal are instructed by the Lord Advocate to restrict objection to those applications which come within these principles. While numbers and circumstances have varied, the Lord Advocate is not aware of any general change of attitude by the courts in dealing with individual applications for bail during the past four years. Procurators Fiscal have followed and continue to follow the principles enunciated by the High Court.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland by what methods he is informed of the extent to which suspected offenders in Scotland are held in prison awaiting trial.

At each establishment to which persons are committed untried by the courts a record is maintained of the number of persons so committed, the number of nights spent in custody by such persons and the way in which each is disposed of.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what proposals he has received from Roxburghshire County Council regarding implementation of the Mental Health (Scotland) Act, 1960; what applications it has made to him for the provision of day centres for ineducable and untrainable children; and what schemes it has prepared for the transportation of such children to such centres.

The county council's scheme for the provision of mental health services was submitted to my Department in 1962. It provides for the establishment of day centres for children who are ineducable and untrainable, and for the conveyance of such children. No centre is yet in operation, but I understand that the county council intends to acquire premises in Hawick for this purpose as soon as possible.