asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development, how much land remains available to his Department for industrial development; and how much was rented to industry in 1963 in the Hartlepools.

There are 33 acres of land available for development at the Hartlepools on the Board of Trade's industrial estate. No Board of Trade land was separately rented to industry in 1963, but Government advance factories totalling 94,000 sq. ft. on land owned or acquired by the Board of Trade were approved for rent during the year.

I am grateful to my right hon. Friend for that reply. Will he ensure that some of the land left vacant by the rundown of Gray's Engineering Works and Shipping, part of which is owned by British Railways, is rapidly made available for industry in the not-too-distant future?

As my reply shows, we have good land already available for industrial sites there. Our main purpose must be to persuade industrialists to go to this area of development.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development whether he intends to build a further advance factory in the Hartlepools in 1964.

I am considering what further advance factories may be required, and I have the claims of the Hartlepools in mind.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that I am grateful for the advance factory now being leased to Messrs. Reed and Company? Will he ensure that a decision is taken at an early date on the building of a new factory? Is it not the case that, if there is an advance factory in the pipeline all the time, this acts as an incentive to get industry to an area?

I very much agree with what my hon. and gallant Friend has just said and I will certainly endeavour to obtain a speedy decision.

Will my right hon. Friend bear in mind the first-class Report of the North-East Development Council and its Director at the quarterly meeting, showing that tremendous progress is being made? Do they also not agree that we should immediately replace a let advance factory by another?

I agree that progress in the North-East is immensely encouraging. There is much in what my hon. Friend says but, at the same time, I have to look at the country as a whole from the point of view of the progress of advance factories.

Is not the right hon. Gentleman aware that, in the Report, the Director and others expressed their dissatisfaction that not enough has been done? There has been some progress but a great deal more requires to be done and the Government appear to be dragging their feet.

You were not at the meeting.

The last thing that can be said about the Government is that they are dragging their feet. The programme outlined in the White Paper allows for sustained progress.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development what special inducements he now proposes to apply in order to attract manufacturers of consumer durables to Scotland.

Substantial financial and fiscal inducements are already available to manufacturers of consumer durables setting up in development districts in Scotland.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that there is grave concern in Scotland because the increasing prosperity and production, banner headlined in the national Press, are not being shared there? Is he further aware that the raising of the Bank Rate as applied to the need to expand capital investment is a serious setback for Scotland?

In the first three and a half years of the Local Employment Act, 1960, £21 million was offered to manufacturers on consumer durables to establish new projects in Scotland. A further £11 million was offered for expansion by manufacturers of consumer durables already there. A great deal has been offered to manufacturers, both those already there and those who might go there, and these inducements are the best in any Western industrialised country.

The right hon. Gentleman says that these are offers. What acceptances have there been?

If the hon. Gentleman wishes to have details he should put down a Question and I will give him the answer.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development what steps he is now taking to encourage industries now established in Scotland to remain there.

The comprehensive measures which the Government are taking to provide a favourable environment for industrial growth in Scotland will give the best possible encouragement to established companies to continue manufacturing there.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that in the last month two well-known industrial establishments in Scotland have contracted their production? One has done so completely—the firm is folding up. The other is limiting its production and taking it back to the parent company in Italy. Will the right hon. Gentleman try to do something, particularly with the Canadian Govern- ment, who seem to adopt serious restrictive measures on the import of many Scottish products?

We are bound to get this from time to time in the pressures of industrial change and decisions which may have to be made on the basis of commercial judgment. On the other hand, I think the hon. Gentleman knows that we have had some cases in Scotland where a firm has had to close, but a replacement has arrived in a very short time indeed because of the attractions offered by the estates in Scotland.

With regard to Board of Trade factories, whether in Scotland, in the North-East, or elsewhere——

Order. The Question is confined to Scotland.

I shall confine my self to asking about Scotland. Will my right hon. Friend consider approaching the Treasury so that he may adopt a more positive policy in selling Board of Trade factories to occupants and using the cash income for financing further advance factories?

I am prepared to consider proposals from firms which are already in their factories.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development what estimate he has made of the rate of gross profit earned, respectively, on sugar confectionery, tobacco goods and items of stationery by a retail dealer whose turnover averages £250 per week and whose supplies come half from manufacturers and half from wholesalers.

In the censuses of distribution information is supplied about gross margins for different kinds of retail businesses, but not for particular commodities or for goods from particular suppliers. The average gross margins in 1961 of retailers selling the articles named and classified as confectioners, tobacconists and newsagents was 15 per cent. of turnover for businesses with an average weekly turnover between £200 and £400.

While thanking my hon. Friend for that reply, may I ask him to bear in mind that tens of thousands of shopkeepers of this kind will want to be assured that as we make progress with the Resale Prices Bill their interests are being considered?

I note what my hon. Friend has said. The Government are looking forward to a full discussion of all these matters.

Does not the real solution lie in these shopkeepers trying to get a more generous profit margin from the wholesalers?

I do not doubt that that is one point that they have in mind. On the other hand, it is true that in general they probably operate on relatively low margins by comparison with some other types of business, because they need less labour and less stock-keeping, and factors of that kind have to be taken into account.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development on what classes of goods of the £5,000 million worth of sales subject to resale price maintenance he has information on retailers' margins; and in which cases he considers them excessive.

Statistics about margins are available and are published; but their adequacy or excessiveness cannot be determined simply by looking at the figures. Margins which are no more than adequate for some may be excessive for others. This is usually best left to the market to decide.

I thank my hon. Friend for that Answer, but is he aware that in my constituency all retailers' overheads have risen considerably, especially on account of rates?

I note what my hon. Friend has said.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development what plans he has for the establishment of advance factory accommodation in adaptable units in the Dundee development area.

In my consideration of the need for further advance factories I have the claims of Dundee in mind.

May I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether he is aware that recently a new enterprise which might have come to Dundee went elsewhere because of the lack of an advance factory in the city? Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that during the Labour Government's period of office we had advance factories as a normal matter, and had great success with them? Will the right hon. Gentleman deal with this urgently and give us the chance o having small advance factories?

I have noted what the hon. Gentleman has said. If he lets me have details of this case, I shall certainly examine it.

May I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether he is aware that he has left Dundee out of the growth areas in Scotland? Can he say whether in deciding where to put an advance factory he gives priority to growth areas or not?

No priority is given to growth areas. We have to consider the circumstances of all areas as a whole.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development if he has studied the representations sent to him by the Aberdeen Trades Council regarding Her Majesty's Government's policy on the sale of buses to Cuba, and its effect on employment in the relevant British industries; and what reply he has sent.

No, Sir. The Board of Trade has been unable to trace the receipt of any such representations.

May we have a clear categorical statement on the distinction which the Government draw between the export of commodities which can be used for warlike purposes in Cuba, and those which cannot be used for warlike purposes? Such a statement would have an important effect on the industrial situation in this country; it would have an important effect on the workers in the relevant industries; and it would also have an effect on the industrial situation in Cuba.

I know that my right hon. Friend has written to the hon. and learned Gentleman, and I hope that he will find the facts in that letter reassuring. The only ban on exports to Cuba is the embargo on strategic goods applied to the Sino-Soviet bloc.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development why he has refused the request of the Scotch Whisky Association to ban the export of immature Scotch whisky.

A full explanation has been given to the Association. It is very desirable that the reputation of Scotch whisky abroad should be protected, but the proposed ban would only stop useful exports; it would not prevent immature whisky produced abroad from being described as Scotch whisky.

The hon. Gentleman is evading the issue. Is it not stupid, as well as bad business, to spoil the high reputation of one of our best export lines by allowing poor quality stuff to be exported? Would not it be more sensible to revert to the practice which until 1954 restricted the export of immature whisky, a practice which, unfortunately, is increasing to an alarming extent at the present time?

With respect to the hon. Gentleman, I do not think that I evaded the Question at all. The fact is that the best safeguard for Scotch whisky is protection for the description "Scotch whisky". The United States already gives this protection. We are currently negotiating in the Council of Europe for the description to be given legal pro- tection in Europe, although it is bound to take time to achieve that.

In view of the unsatisfactory nature of that reply, I beg to give notice that I shall raise this matter on the Adjournment at the earliest possible opportunity.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development what is the general level of present United Kingdom tariffs on iron and steel tubes, pipes and fittings.

The rate is 17½ or 20 per cent. The corresponding E.F.T.A. rate is 7 per cent. or 8 per cent. Imports qualifying for Commonwealth preference are duty free.

Are these exceptionally high tariffs imposed because British prices for these products are too high and inflexible? May I ask the Minister whether he is aware that the export of these products from France and Germany has risen much more rapidly than British exports? Is not the reason for this performance the fact that British prices are high, and that restrictive agreements have adversely affected our exports and the work available to the men in the industry?

I would not accept the hon. Gentleman's argument. In 1962 our exports of iron and steel tubes, pipes, and fittings were equivalent to 30 per cent. of home production, whereas imports were equivalent to less than 1 per cent. of home production.

Will the hon. Gentleman say whether the object of high tariffs is to put up the price of tubes against the British consumer or to make it quite certain that Stewarts & Lloyds have enough money for political propaganda?

With respect to the hon. and learned Gentleman, I deplore the last part of his supplementary question. The fact of the matter is that the Kennedy Round is now in prospect and we have to consider our negotiating position on particular products at this time.

Does the hon. Gentleman deplore the political propaganda of Stewarts & Lloyds?

I do not deplore the political propaganda of any concern which is anxious to defend itself against the misjudged plans of the Opposition.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development if he will publish a provisional map of the proposed regional planning areas of the country to assist discussion on the problems involved in such demarcation, and to provide guidance to other Government Departments which, under new legislation, have to set up regional bodies.

As I explained in the debate on regional development on 3rd December, 1963, I have set up interdepartmental machinery which can provide any necessary guidance to Government Departments. I am placing in the Library a map showing the areas covered by the studies which we have completed or put in hand.

Would the right hon. Gentleman accept that it would be most valuable to informed opinion outside the Government to know what the planning areas are going to be? For example, we do not know what the Yorkshire planning area is to be.

These areas emerge from the studies themselves. A study may cover a different area, and what emerges from that will show the regional area required. As the House knows, we have published those dealing with the North-East and Central Scotland, and today we are concerned with the South-East.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development what proposals he has for legislation in the lifetime of the present Parliament upon the basis of the Report of the Departmental Committee on Industrial Design, Cmnd. 1808.

None, Sir.

In view of the arguments that I have put before my right hon. Friend in a letter on the subject, if and when legislation comes forward will he do his best to ensure that the very important aspect of international reciprocity is given particular consideration?

I will, indeed. The Government accept the principal recommendation; of the Committee, but at the moment I cannot give my hon. Friend a clear indication of the date of legislation.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development how many firm commitments have been made by industrialists to develop in the Kirkcaldy development district since 1st January, 1963; and how many jobs are likely to be provided for males and females, respectively.

Twelve, which are expected to provide about 1,850 jobs for males and for females.

Is the Minister aware that nearly all those jobs are being provided in the new town of Glenrothes? Further, is he aware that in my constituency, in which about 3,000 people were unemployed last month, not a single job has been provided since it was created a development district? Will he therefore instruct his officials to advise prospective industrialists coming to that area of Fife that the same financial inducements are available in Kirkcaldy, Burntisland and Buckhaven, as exist in Glenrothes?

I take the point that the hon. Member makes about the location of these places. We have been pointing out the advantages of other places in his constituency to industrialists, but the main movement has been to this area of growth.

Is it not a fact that, being a new town, Glenrothes is the baby of the Government, and particularly of the Secretary of State for Scotland, and that all industrialists are being channelled to the new town rather than to existing populations where education and other services are already available?

I cannot accept the hon. Member's statement on that point. We are equally anxious that industrialists should go to other areas.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development when the White Paper for the proposed Yorkshire regional planning area will be published.

I am not yet in a position to add to the reply I gave to the hon. Member on 30th January.

Will the right hon. Gentleman bear in mind that although we do not have the great problems of Scotland, the North-East Coast or Wales, there are real problems on the horizon, especially in the Sheffield area, arising from new production methods, and that it is a matter of urgency for us to know about any ideas that the right hon. Gentleman has concerning the future?

Yes, Sir. I discussed the problems when I was in the region, as the hon. Member knows. In the last five months we have published studies for the North-East, and Central Scotland, which were implemented, and there is one for the South-East which we are publishing today. We have also put in hand studies for the North-West, the Midlands and the south-west of England, and studies for Wales are under way.

What steps have the Government taken to see that the various regional plans are consistent with each other?

That will be achieved by the inter-departmental co-ordinating machinery, which is working very efficiently.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development if he will designate the County of Yorkshire as a planning region; and, in view of the geographical position of Leeds in relation to the North-East and North-West, if he will designate Leeds as the regional centre.

For regional development purposes the North Riding of Yorkshire is included in the North-East region and it is covered by the North-East plan. I am at present considering the position of the East and West Ridings, but I do not contemplate designating Leeds or any other city as their regional centre.

Will the Minister bear in mind that this is a serious problem? Will he consider the enormous influx of population and bear in mind that there are far too many old and decayed industries in the county and that the scale of wages paid there is not comparable with that in most other areas?

I will certainly take account of the point which the hon. Gentleman has raised. It would not be right for me to become involved in the other point made in his Question about the capital of the region.

Will the right hon. Gentleman do something to clear up the small pockets of unemployment which exist in various parts of South Yorkshire—of which he is aware, as reference has been made to them over and over again —while he is going through the long and complicated process of making Yorkshire a planning area and carrying out long-term planning?

I am aware of the problem arising from this aspect of change in South Yorkshire. It is dealt with to a certain extent by travel to work to firms at the moment in need of labour. This is a problem which will be covered by the study.

When dealing with the various regions which have been referred to today, will my hon. Friend see that the Government do not forget the interests of that part of the United Kingdom called Northern Ireland——

Order. I shall have to buy a map and give instruction in geography.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development why he has given up the idea of a report on the economic development of the South-West as a whole.

My right hon. Friend has invited the Joint Committee for the Economy of the South-West to consider, in conjuncion with the other interests concerned, the scope for studying the economic development of the south-west peninsula.

Will the hon. Gentleman therefore deny the report which appeared in the Press to the effect that they had given up any idea of a study of the South-West as a whole?

Will the hon. Gentleman turn that Question round, somehow, because it is not for the Minister to confirm or deny statements in the Press for which he is not responsible.

Will the hon. Member confirm or deny the statement——

Order. That will, I fear, not do.

If it will be of any assistance to the House, and to the hon. Member, perhaps I can say that I returned only yesterday from a tour of the South-West, following the successful tour that my right hon. Friend had in the early part of January, and discussed the question of a development plan with representatives of local authorities in the area. So far as I am aware, there is every likelihood that the work that is already in hand will be continued. It is in the interests of Her Majesty's Government and of any rational appreciation of the problems of the South-West to see the original area of the study broadened. We hope that it may happen, but it is not for us to decide. As for Dorset, that is to some extent covered by the study of the South-East, which is published today.

Will my hon. Friend confirm, in spite of what the Minister has said, that a regional plan for the South-West will be produced before the General Election?

I would think that that was thoroughly unlikely. It must be so, because the putting together of a plan inevitably requires a great deal of time. I hope that my hon. Friend will agree with the firm impression that I have that the economy of the South-West is very much improved as a result of measures which the Government have already been able to take.

Has the Ministry yet decided whether or not to give financial aid to the South-West Regional Committee?

As my right hon. Friend has stated, we have already offered it.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development (1) what licences have been refused for the export of arms to the Republic of South Africa in consequence of the decision of Her Majesty's Government to limit the export of arms to purposes of external defence;

It is not the practice to disclose details about licence applications for the export of arms and military equipment. As regards Wasp helicopters, I would refer the hon. Member to the Answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Aviation on 2nd March to the hon. and learned Member for Ipswich (Mr. D. Foot).

I thank the hon. Member for answering at the same time Question No. 41, which is quite low on the Order Paper. If it is not possible for him to give the detailed specifications of orders, can he give the number of licences which have been refused, in view of the Prime Minister's statement that arms which can be used to further apartheid will not be supplied? In view of the fact that £90 million is to be expended on military equipment to South Africa from this country over a three-year period, cannot the hon. Gentleman at least say how much has been refused in order to prevent any oppression under the policy of apartheid?

I am obliged for the compliment contained in the first part of the hon. Member's supplementary question. The whole House takes his point. As for the main part of the question, it has been the long-standing and well-known practice of successive Governments not to disclose details of arms exports and export licences. We believe this to be sound practice, and we do not intend to depart from it, so my answer on this question is "No". As for our policy in relation to the export of arms to South Africa, that has been clearly announced in this House and in the United Nations.

Is my hon. Friend aware that this vendetta against our good friends in South Africa, at the behest of Ghana and others, is singularly repugnant to all fair-minded people in this country?

I agree that it is extremely important to preserve a sense of proportion in the matter.

As the hon. Member gave us fairly close details about the export of arms to the Yemen the other day, can he say why the Government draw this sharp distinction between the kinds of arms which they will give us information about and the kinds which they will not? Can he answer the question that I asked the Price Minister the other day, whether helicopters are included in the schedule to the Simonstown Agreement on arms which we have undertaken to supply?

The right hon. Member suggests that there is a conflict between the Answer I have given and the Answers given by the Prime Minister and the Minister of Aviation a day or two ago, but there is no conflict. As for the second part of the supplementary question, if the right hon. Gentleman will be good enough to put down a Question I will do my best to answer it.

Is not the hon. Gentleman's answer quite absurd? Is it not a fact that we have been called upon by the United Nations to uphold this arms embargo, and that we have been asked to supply information to the United Nations about the extent to which we are carrying out resolutions, some of which we have supported? How can this House know whether or not the Government are operating the policy they say they are if they refuse us information which is necessary to enable us to judge?

I can assure the hon. Lady that the supply of the helicopters is in accordance with our policy, as stated in the United Nations.

Will the hon. Member answer the question which I put to him? I asked whether he could give me specific details about the number of orders and whether he could state the numbers and the value those numbers represent? That would not give away any secrets or affect national security.

The answer is "No", for the reasons which I have given.

In view of the unsatisfactory nature of the reply, I beg to give notice that I shall endeavour to raise this matter.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development if he will meet an official delegation from the Federation of Industrial Development Associations to discuss industrial development in areas that have not received adequate consideration by his Department.

Yes, Sir, but I should be particularly glad if they would first send me a memorandum covering the main points which they want to discuss.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development if he will raise the first-feature film quota for 1964–65 to 50 per cent.

The quota for 1964 is already in force. I shall decide the quota for 1965 in the light of the advice which I expect to receive from the Cinematograph Films Council in April.

When considering that advice, will the right hon. Gentleman consider that recent experience seems to show that it would be perfectly practicable for the trade to fulfil a 50 per cent. quota? Is not it important that he should now take a step which would give a boost, particularly to the independent film producers, and try to maintain the expansion of the film industry?

The facts show, as the hon. Gentleman realises, that the size of the quota being fulfilled at the moment is between 45 per cent. and 50 per cent. It is the intention of the circuits that it should remain at this. I feel that there is no point in incurring the disadvantages this year which would arise from fixing a higher quota because the advantages are already there, but when it comes to April I shall consider the situation for 1965.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development to what extent his policy in relation to industry in Dorset is based on the grounds that the economy is flourishing, unemployment is low and that communications are under way.

I take all material considerations into account. I am always prepared to look sympathetically at applications for industrial development certificates for projects in Dorset that cannot go to develoment districts.

Whether my hon. Friend considers that Dorset is in the North-West or the South-East—about which I am not clear from an Answer to a previous Question—is he aware that in the Report on the South-East it has received scant attention? Is he aware that we have no prospect whatever of getting new roads? In the Report on the South-East communications are mentioned as being of particular importance, but we are not getting them.

Whether Dorset is in the South-East or the South-West, obviously it is affected by its proximity to London, and hence there is a reference to i in the South-East study. Speaking as an hon. Member from the West Country, I regard my hon. Friend as a West Country Member also. The Minister of Transport announced in the House at the end of January that over £6 million had been spent on roads in Dorset for the five years ending 31st March, 1963. In addition five classified road schemes, valued at £265,000, have been committed by the Ministry of Transport in the current financial year. Between 1st April, 1960, and 29th February, 1964, I.D.C.s have been approved for 51 projects in Dorset.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development if he will make a statement on the result of his request to firms in North-East Scotland to complete a census of production to be completed and returned by 31st March; and how such production in those areas compares with similar production in each of the preceding 10 years.

It will be several months before enough 1963 census of production returns are received for results to be compiled. Full censuses of this kind are taken only once in five years, and separate figures for regions like North-East Scotland are not normally extracted. Employment figures show, in general, little change over the last 10 years.

How do the Government propose to use the figures collected in this way? Is it a last-minute attempt to solve the problems of industrial unemployment in Scotland, after 12 years of failure?

No, Sir. The first census was taken in 1907.

May I ask my right hon. Friend to what extent he considers that trade in the North-East will be damaged by the Socialist-controlled Town Council of Aberdeen's boycott of south African products?

It is a point to which my hon. Friend has drawn public attention.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development if he will introduce legislation to give him power to assist small shopkeepers to form buying associations to enable them to get discounts comparable with those allowed to big stores and supermarkets generally; and if he will issue a leaflet to explain to them the opportunities available to them under the Resale Prices Bill.

No legislation is required to enable small shopkeepers to form buying associations. Information and advice of the kind referred to in the second part of the Question would naturally be provided by trade associations, but I will certainly consider the provision of such a leaflet as my hon. Friend suggests.

I thank my right hon. Friend for his reply. Is he aware of the tremendous service which he would be doing to the community if he could enable small shopkeepers to compete and so help their friends in the community at large?

I wish to do everything possible to encourage the sort of arrangement mentioned by my hon. Friend. During my Second Reading speech on the Resale Prices Bill I described how this was in operation in the grocery trade covering a £500 million turnover, and so naturally I should wish to encourage such arrangements.

May I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether he will issue a leaflet indicating which of the 150 Amendments to the Bill he intends to accept?

Is my right hon. Friend aware that not only in the grocery trade but in other trades there are a number of successful buying organisations so that there is not the slightest reason why retailers, should not get together and mitigate the effects of the Bill?

I agree with my hon. Friend. This is developing in other trades and should be encouraged

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development if he will make a statement on trade between Scandinavia and Scotland; and what steps he is taking to increase it.

I am anxious that Scottish businessmen should take full advantage of the lowering of barriers between E.F.T.A. countries to increase their trade with Scandinavia. The export services of the Board of Trade are always at their disposal.

Is the Minister aware that, geographically speaking, Scotland is in a favourable position to develop trade with Scandinavia but there is a good deal of concern about the proposal to cut back the air service between Prestwick and Scandinavia? Will he look at this from the trade point of view and raise the matter with the Ministry of Aviation? Is he aware that there is a tremendous amount of concern in Scotland about the effect that this will have on trade?

I agree with my hon. Friend about the geographical position of Scotland with relation to Scandinavia. It is gratifying that the United Kingdom exports and re-exports to Scandinavia are rising and have risen from £378 million in 1961 to £432 million in 1963. The hon. Gentleman will be aware that as was announced by my right hon. Friend in Geneva a week or two ago, the next E.F.T.A. meeting will be held in Edinburgh and we hope that this will help to cement an already happy relationship.

Will the Minister take into account the salient point arising from the question of business interests between Scotland and Scandinavia, and do what he can——

Order. I should have been quicker in stopping the hon. Member for Glasgow, Craigton (Mr. Millan) when he referred to this point, because of the next three Questions.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development what representations he has received from industrialists in Scotland concerning the industrial effects of proposed restrictions on Scandinavian air services at Prestwick; and what reply he has sent.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development what is his estimate of the effects of the diversion of Scandinavian air services from Prestwick upon trade between Scotland and the Scandinavian countries.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development what representations he has received regarding the effects on Government policy for expanding industrial development in Scotland of restricting air services between Scotland and Scandinavia; and what replies he has sent.

My right hon. Friend has received a number of representations, mainly from local authorities, which he has brought to the notice of my right hon. Friend, the Minister of Aviation, who is responsible for air services. In reaching a decision on this matter the Government will take full account of the importance of air communications to the development of Scotland's industry and trade.

Can the hon. Gentleman say why this was even considered in the first instance in view of the fact that the declared policy of the Government is to encourage industrial growth in Scotland instead of taking measures to hinder it, as this undoubtedly will do? Will the hon. Gentleman take note of the almost unanimous protests of industrialists of all political persuasions in Scotland that this kind of attack on or threat to the growth of the economy of Scotland must be stopped at once if the Government are sincerely interested in the future expansion of the Scottish economy?

I note what the hon. Member has said and will bring his remarks and these Questions to the notice of the Minister of Aviation, but I am not satisfied that on the whole the development of trade with Scandinavia or Scottish industrial development is likely to be affected substantially by the decisions made.

I hope that the Minister will have another look at this and at the real problems involved. He should be aware that the Minister of State and the Scottish Council made a special visit to Scandinavia to build up trade. One of the things brought to their notice was the establishment of a link between Scandinavia and Scotland via Prestwick. [HON. MEMBERS: "Question."] Will the hon. Gentleman bear in mind that it is upon this that we have some Scandinavian industries established in this part of the world? Will he look upon this as much more his concern than that of the Minister of Aviation?

We are at the moment talking about transatlantic services. If there is an unsatisfied demand for services between Scandinavia and Scotland there is nothing on earth to stop those services being introduced. Certainly the remarks made my the hon. Member will be noted.

Will the hon. Gentleman take note of the fact that Ayrshire Members of Parliament met the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Aviation last week? Will the hon. Gentleman do what he can to understand the issues involved here—which, apparently from his answers, he does not—and use his influence and the influence of his Department strongly to inform the Minister of Aviation just how important it is in the sense of employment and trade?

I have already undertaken to bring the views expressed today to the notice of my right hon. Friend the Minister of Aviation, and I am happy to give the general assurance required by the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development whether he will advertise in the national newspapers those advance factories which are not yet tenanted.

I am prepared to consider advertising in suitable cases.

May I thank my right hon. Friend for that reply? Does he consider that bringing these advance factories to the notice of industrialists is being pursued vigorously enough at the moment? If property companies find it advisable to advertise in the local papers, should not his Department do so?

That is why I say I am prepared to consider advertising in the newspapers where that appears to be suitable. Advance factories are advertised regularly in the Board of Trade Journal and we find that most tenancies result from approaches either to the Industrial Estates Management Corporations or to our regional offices. We wish to pursue every possible channel and I shall consider the suggestion made by my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development what preparations Her Majesty's Government are making for the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development to be held at Geneva from 23rd March; and what proposals Her Majesty's Government will make at that Conference.

Her Majesty's Government have taken a full part in the preparatory work, and intend to take a constructive part in the conference itself. The United Kingdom delegation will lay particular stress on the importance for the trade of the developing countries, and for world trade generally, of wider access to markets and the removal of barriers to trade.

Is the Minister aware that a large number of under-developed countries have put great faith in this conference in Geneva? Can he say what practical steps the Government are to take there to see that other industrial countries do at least as much as this country is doing to buy products, both primary and manufactured, from less-developed countries?

I agree with what the right hon. Member said in the first part of his supplementary question. Great hopes have been expressed—I hope not too great—for the success of this Conference and we shall work for its success. Her Majesty's Government take the view that we have done a great deal to open our markets for manufactured goods not least from the Commonwealth. What is important is that other countries should follow that example. My right hon. Friend is at present engaged in discussions with Commonwealth trade Ministers.

Can my hon. Friend send to the right hon. Member for Battersea, North (Mr. Jay) a copy of the resolution proposed by the British delegation at the I.P.U. Conference in Belgrade last September, which stresses the importance of raising and stabilising the prices of raw materials as the best way of helping those countries? These proposals were accepted by his Department.

This obviously is a very important matter and one which will be very much discussed. I think many people who follow these affairs, as I know my hon. Friend does, have been gratified by the recent increase in commodity prices.

Will the Government in preparation for this conference consider existing restrictive agreements, particularly the agreement made in December, 1962, in Paris by the British steelmakers, which is adversely affecting British exports? Will the Government look at this and bring up the subject at the conference?

I am not certain that I understand or necessarily agree with the point the hon. Member has made, but I shall pay attention to it while not giving the assurance which he seeks.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development whether, in view of the public interest shown in regard to his decision to abolish resale price maintenance, he will state how many representations have now been made to Her Majesty's Government supporting and opposing this decision, respectively.

About 2,000 letters have been addressed to the Board of Trade or passed on by other Departments. The great majority were from traders and trade organisations expressing opposition to the Government's decision. Those from other members of the public were mainly in favour. The Consumer Council has also expressed its support for the abolition of resale price maintenance. I cannot make any estimate of the number of letters on this subject answered by other Departments, but I would not expect it to make any significant difference to the total I have given.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that he has not given me any real figures or total, but that the response which he has got from both trade organisations and the public differs strangely from my correspondence inasmuch as out of the scores of letters I have received on this subject not one has been in support of it?

I am afraid that my hon. Friend's experience does not meet that of us at the Board of Trade or, I think, perhaps that of other hon. Members. The consumers have not made their views felt in the same way as some organised trade associations have done, and I must confess to my hon. Friend that the groups of letters which have been received at the Board of Trade often reveal a common inspiration.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development what representations he has received in respect of the proposed extension of Queenslie Industrial Estate, Glasgow; and if he will reconsider his decision to refuse acquisition.

The Lord Provost of Gasgow has asked that the Board of Trade should acquire from the Glasgow Corporation some 90 acres of land as an extension to the Board's existing estate at Queenslie. The Board of Trade already own 24 acres of underdeveloped land there and is developing an estate of over 100 acres at Bellshill only eight miles away. I should be prepared to authorise acquisition of some part of the 90 acres if a specific project requiring more land were proposed but I do not consider I would be justified in acquiring the whole of this area.

Will the right hon. Gentleman remember that in view of the abnormal figures of unemployment in this area—in addition to those which were given by the Minister of Labour on Monday—he should look at this problem yet again with a view to acquiescing fully in the request of the Corporation?

The important thing is that we should persuade industrialists to go to this area. We already have 24 acres there of good industrial site and we have 100 acres at Bellshill which we are developing. I do not believe that we would be justified in tying up more public money in acquiring additional land now. However, I am prepared to take any part which is required for a specific project.

Will the Secretary of State remember that one of the criticisms of the Local Employment Act by the Estimates Committee was its failure to appreciate and buy in advance land that was essential? Is he aware that this, particularly in relation to Glasgow, is what he should now be doing?

I do not think that that criticism could apply in this case in view of the land which I have said we have available.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development what was the total number and value of grants under the Local Employment Act, 1963, applied for since its inception by firms in Scotland and Coatbridge and Airdrie, respectively; and what were the number and value approved, the number and value refused, and the number and value of those still undecided.

As the Answer contains a number of figures, I am circulating it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Does the right hon. Gentleman agree that a substantial number of grants under the Act were refused by the Board of Trade and that this attitude on the part of his Department seems to ignore the unemployment complement in Scotland, which is now about 100,000? Will he in future try to be more generous and help us in Scotland to employ the present unemployed?

I do not think that the hon. Gentleman is justified in drawing those conclusions until he has examined the figures. Having done that, I think he will find that what he says does not follow from the figures.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development if he will make arrangements for improved machinery for co-ordinating the work of Government Departments in the West Yorkshire industrial conurbation with regard to development of the region as a whole; and if he will make a statement.

I am satisfied that present arrangements provide satisfactorily for the co-ordination of Departments' work in the area.

Is not the right hon. Gentleman aware that he and his colleagues have been consistently playing down this problem? Is it not a fact that Yorkshire has an ageing industrial structure? Is he also aware that if he came to my constituency he would discover that no effective I.D.C.s have been granted to new industrial undertakings in, for example, the heavy woollen district since the war?

I am aware of what the hon. Gentleman says but the machinery of co-ordination is working satisfactorily. The controllers meet regularly and I think that it is a question of machinery which the hon. Gentleman is raising. The rest of his points are covered by the study I have discussed.

Is the Secretary of State aware that his Department is turning away growth industries from the West Riding?

We are endeavouring to persuade industry to go into the develop- ment districts, which must have first priority. This certainly applies to those parts of the West Riding which do not have heavy unemployment like the development districts.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development if he is aware that during the last 10 years the town of Coatbridge has lost 1,000 jobs; and what action he is taking to reverse this trend.

Coatbridge, as part of the North Lanark growth area, will continue to receive the benefits of the programme of growth outlined in the White Paper on Central Scotland. Excluding the areas of Blantyre and Hamilton, the estimated number of insured employees in employment in the Growth Area has increased by over 5,000 between 1951 and 1962.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that there are 3,000 unemployed in this area now and that 11,450 others must travel elsewhere, out of the district, to work? Does he agree that he cannot challenge these figures, which have been announced today? Is it not about time that we got cracking with the building of some advance factories in the Coatbridge and Airdrie areas to prevent the unemployment position from becoming even worse?

The important figures I have given show a growth in the numbers employed of about 5,000 between 1951 and 1962.

Will the Secretary of State explain his exclusion of the exchange areas of Hamilton and Blantyre, which are in my constituency and which are in the centre of this growth area, and his inclusion of the figures for East Kilbride, which provides employment not for people from Lanarkshire but mainly for people from Glasgow?

I was answering a Question about Coatbridge and was giving the figures for which the hon. Member for Coatbridge and Airdrie (Mr. Dempsey) had asked.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development if he is aware that the factory known as Bakers and Bessemers Ltd., Kilnhurst, will become vacant during the early part of next month; and if he will schedule South Yorkshire as a development district, in order to take action to encourage some other firm to take the place of the outgoing company.

I am aware of the forthcoming closure of this factory and I shall do all I can to find a new occupier for the premises. The level of unemployment in South Yorkshire is not such that I should feel justified in making it or any part of it a development district.

Does the right hon. Gentleman realise that the consortium that bought the plant did so deliberately to close it down? Is he aware that this so-called outdated plant is being transferred to other companies attached to the consortium throughout Yorkshire and the rest of the country? Is he aware that part of the machinery is the most up-to-date in the country, and that the two major members of the consortium—United Steel and English Steel—are falling out about it? Will he do something to ensure that this kind of thing does not happen in the future, and may I press him to bring some other industry into this part of Yorkshire when this factory has closed down?

The factory is to close down on 28th March. About 900 out of 1,100 workers have already been discharged, and some 800 of them have already found other employment. The economy is expanding there. The steel industry is doing well, and over most of Yorkshire the unemployment rate is below 2 per cent. Several firms are already interested in the factory, and some of them have inspected it with a view to possible purchase.

The right hon. Gentleman says nothing about the welfare of the men who have lost their jobs. About 300 more men are to be put out of work on 28th of this month. The right hon. Gentleman has said nothing about the intentions of the consortium, or the fact that the two main members of the consortium—United Steel and English Steel—deliberately purchased the plant to close it down. This sort of thing should not be allowed to happen in the future.

I say that it is encouraging that 800 men out of 900 should already have found alternative employment; that the rate of unemployment in the area is below 2 per cent.; that other opportunities are coming along, and that other firms are inspecting the factory for their own use. All this is extremely encouraging, and certainly does not allow me to accept the hon. Gentleman's suggestion of making this area a development district.

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. In view of the very unsatisfactory nature of that reply, I beg to give notice that I shall raise the subject on the Adjournment at the earliest possible moment.