asked the Minister of Labour to what extent Her Majesty's inspectors of factories pay routine visits to factories within the Chesterfield area; and what is the average length of time which separates each visit.

As I said in reply to a previous Question, our programme of general inspection is a four-year cycle. In the Chesterfield area, however, factories have been receiving a thorough general inspection, on average, rather more frequently than this. About 400 other visits to factories of the kinds mentioned in my previous reply are made in the area annually.

asked the Minister of Labour what representations he has received from local authorities on their difficulties in obtaining staff to implement the purposes of the Offices, Shops and Railways Premises Act, 1963.

One authority wrote to this Department last April protesting, on grounds of staff shortage, about the burden imposed by the Act. In addition a number of local authorities have referred to staffing difficulties when forwarding to us the statistics prescribed for inclusion in their annual reports for 1964. I know from our central advisory inspectorate, which is in touch with local authorities throughout the country, that many of them have staffing difficulties, but that nevertheless they are generally making a start on the enforcement of the Act.

asked the Minister of Labour how many additional staff have been appointed by local auhorities to undertake the inspection of offices, shops, warehouses and catering establishments since the Offices, Shops and Railway Premises Act 1963 became law.

No figures are available. However, I understand from our central advisory inspectorate that additional appointments have been made or authorised by a number of authorities in different parts of the country.

asked the Minister of Labour what plans he has for offering for men employed at present in British Railways Board's design offices alternative employment; and if he will make a statement.

I am not aware that any of the staff concerned are seeking other jobs but, should any of them ask for my Department's help, the full facilities of the Employment Service will be made available.

asked the Minister of Labour what estimate he has made of the number of married male workers whose wages are lower than the scale of the National Assistance Board, and of the number of children under 16 years of age in the families of these workers.

The only figures at present available are based on a very small sample subject to wide margins of error. The number of families in which the wages of the head of the household—as distinct from the total household income—are below the National Assistance Board's scale, seems to be between 100,000 and 200,000. The avergae number of children under 16 years of age in these families is probably something over three.

asked the Minister of Labour what estimate he has made of the number of families and children where the wage earner's income is below the scales of the National Assistance Board.

The only figures at present available to me are based on a very small sample and are subject to wide margins of error. The number of families seems to be somewhere between 50,000 and 150,000. The average number of children in these families is probably something over three.

asked the Minister of Labour what representations he has received from Lep Transport Limited about the proposed closure of its Doncaster factory; what reply he has sent; and what action he is taking regarding the 150 men who will be made redundant.

I have received a letter from Mr. Bollon, Branch Manager of the Doncaster factory, expressing concern for the future of the employees there.I am replying today to Mr. Bollon telling him that I have passed a copy of his letter to the Minister of Defence for the Army and that the facilities of my Department will be available to all those who need our assistance. In general, the prospects of other employment in the area are good.

asked the Minister of Labour if he is aware of the redundancies which are imminent at the factory of Messrs. Patchetts Limited, in Leeds; and what steps he will take to find jobs for those made redundant.

I understand that some 90 workers will be redundant at this firm on 20th April. Our local officers will do all they can to assist those who need help in finding other work. The prospects in the area of finding other employment are good.

asked the Minister of Labour what consideration has been given to the implementation of the policy announced in the White Paper on Machinery of Prices and Incomes Policy, as regards his own responsibilities for industrial conciliation and the settlement of disputes; what will be the relationship between the new Income Review Division and his Department; and if he will make a statement.

My statutory responsibilities for conciliation and the settlement of disputes will continue but I shall, of course, carry them out in accordance with any prices and incomes policy agreed between the Government, the employers' organisations and the Trades Union Congress.

asked the Minister of Labour when he expects to make a statement on the transferability of pension rights.

The Committee of my National Joint Advisory Council which is considering this question will be reporting later this year. I shall need to study this report before making a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what steps Her Majesty's Government are taking towards establishing a nuclear-free zone in Central Europe.

I have nothing to add to what my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister said on this subject in the House on 11th February.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs when Her Majesty's Government last proposed to sell aircraft or arms to Portugal; and what was the response.

It is not Her Majesty's Government's practice to disclose details of arms supplied or offered for supply to other countries.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what reports he has received, as co-chairman of the Geneva Conference, on the readiness of the Republic of Vietnam and the South Vietnam Liberation Front to conclude a full agreement for the neutralisation of Vietnam as envisaged in the 1954 Geneva Agreement.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will seek to recall the Geneva Conference, with a view to achieving the peaceful reunification and neutralisation of Vietnam.

As I said on 8th February, I do not think there is sufficient agreement on the basis for a settlement to make the recall of the Geneva Conference on Vietnam useful at the present time. This may be why the joint statement of 10th February by Mr. Kosygin and Mr. Pham Van Dong calls for conferences on Cambodia and Laos, but not on Vietnam. The reference to Indo-China in Mr. Kosygin's earlier speech occurs only in a passage about Laos and the joint communiqué is both later and more official.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will make a statement on the situation in South Vietnam in so far as British interests are affected.

Our first interest in South Vietnam is the safety of the British community there. Since I told the House on 8th February that the latest incidents had not significantly increased the risk to British subjects, we have kept a close watch on the situation. I have now decided, as a routine precaution, that Her Majesty's Consul General in Saigon should advise British subjects not living in Saigon itself to consider carefully whether they should remain and in any case whether they should make temporary arrangements for their wives and children to leave. This advice has already been issued.British business interests in South Vietnam are comparatively small. They have not, to my knowledge, been directly affected by the recent series of events.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what initiative he will now take to help resolve the present critical situation in Vietnam.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on British policy in the light of the situation in Vietnam.

My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and I are in close and constant consultation with the United States Government, both directly and through the United States Ambassador in London, in our efforts to promote a basis for a peaceful and durable settlement in Vietnam.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what were the results of the approach made to the Danish Government about the Faroese decision not to provide facilities for the repair of British trawlers.

I am glad to say that the Faroe Islands Artisan Association, the body which had declared the ban on the repair of British trawlers, subsequently lifted it of its own accord with effect from midnight on 23rd December.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on the frontier difficulties at Gibraltar in relation to current proceedings in the United Nations.

There are no current proceedings at the United Nations which relate to Gibraltar.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what further representations he has now made to the Spanish Government about frontier restrictions with Gibraltar.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what further steps he has taken to protect the interests of British citizens in Gibraltar and to counter the actions of the Spanish Government.

In replying to the debate on the Adjournment on 11th February my hon. Friend gave the House details of representations made by Her Majesty's Ambassador at Madrid and an assurance that Her Majesty's Government would take the necessary steps to protect the interests of British citizens in Gibraltar. I have nothing to add to what he said on that occasion.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what action is being taken by Her Majesty's Government at the United Nations Assembly to resolve the dispute concerning the removal of voting rights under Article 19 of the Charter of those member States who are over two years in arrears with their financial contributions.

Negotiations are taking place in New York, in which my noble Friend Lord Caradon is playing an active part. I hope to be able to give the House more information about the situation very soon.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on his recent talks with representatives of the Six countries on European political unity.

I had useful talks with the Luxembourg Prime Minister and Netherlands Foreign Minister when they were in London for the funeral of Sir Winston Churchill, and with the Belgian Foreign Minister in Brussels on 11th February. European political unity was among the subjects we discussed.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has taken steps to ensure that, in the case of Leading Electrical Mechanic Alan Chesworth of H.M.S. "Owen" and from Edge Hill, Liverpool, at present imprisoned in La Linea and accused of using insulting language about the Spanish Head of State, no departure from normal practice and procedure relative to the venue and mode of trial will be resorted to.

Leading Electrical Mechanic Chesworth will appear before the Civilian Court of Public Order at Madrid. I understand that this is the Spanish court which normally deals with cases of this sort and its normal venue is Madrid.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government towards Recommendation 410 on European Economic Problems, which was adopted by the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe on 28th January, 1965; and what action Her Majesty's Government have taken, or propose to take on it.

Her Majesty's Government continue to participate actively in the co-ordination of national economic and financial policies in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the International Monetary Fund and elsewhere, and they are anxious to strengthen the international monetary system. They are playing a full and constructive part in the industrial negotiations in the Kennedy Round, as the shortness of the United Kingdom's exceptions List shows. They are also eager to secure progress on the agricultural side of the Kennedy Round, and are ready to table an offers list as soon as the other leading contracting parties are in a position to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government towards Recommendation 406, which was adopted by the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe on 26th January, 1965; and what action Her Majesty's Government have taken, or contemplate taking, in regard to it.

Her Majesty's Government fully accept the importance of concluding agreements on the non-dissemination of nuclear weapons and on the extention of the partial test ban treaty so as to cover underground testing. They believe, however, that a special conference of nuclear powers would not accelerate and might well retard the conclusion of these agreements. As for the suggestion that verification procedures could be settled after the conclusion of provisional agreements, there would be some serious practical objections to this course, which might also be an unhelpful precedent in the long run. Her Majesty's Government, however, hope that, when the Geneva Disarmament Conference resumes, proposals can be put forward which will provide a basis for the conclusion of agreements in these fields.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government towards Recommendation 407, concerning the present crisis in the United Nations, which was adopted by the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe on 26th January, 1965; and what action Her Majesty's Government have taken, or propose to take, in regard to it.

Her Majesty's Government share the concern expressed in the Recommendation at the grave crisis of the United Nations, and fully accept that all member States should do their utmost to solve the difficulties by negotiation. My noble Friend Lord Caradon has played a leading part in the recent negotiations in New York, in close consultation with his colleagues. These negotiations have resulted in the setting up of a Special Committee on peace-keeping which we hope will use the period of adjournment of the General Assembly, to negotiate a solution.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government towards Recommendation 408 on European political union, which was adopted by the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe on 26th January, 1965; and what action Her Majesty's Government have taken, or contemplate taking, on such Recommendation.

Her Majesty's Government welcome Recommendation 408 to the extent that the principle of European political union on the broadest possible basis and the inclusion of the United Kingdom in discussion of the political future of Europe are recognised in it.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government towards Recommendation 409 on action to secure the release of political prisoners in Central and Eastern Europe, which was adopted by the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe on 27th January, 1965; and what action Her Majesty's Government propose to take in regard to it.

Her Majesty's Government share the concern of the Consultative Assembly about political prisoners and welcome the attention drawn to the question by this Recommendation.As regards direct governmental intervention, we have to consider whether this would be helpful. I do not believe it would be right to commit ourselves to a general proposition that Governments should intervene officially.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government towards Recommendation 412, on the present situation in Roumania, which was adopted by the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe on 28th January, 1965; and what action to expand commercial and cultural relations with that country Her Majesty's Government have taken or propose to take.

It is the desire of Her Majesty's Government to develop relations in all possible ways with the countries of Eastern Europe. At the discussions which we shall be having with the Roumanians later this year, we shall continue our efforts to expand our trade and cultural relations with that country.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government towards Recommendation 416, on measures to make the European Convention on Human Rights more effective, which was adopted by the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe on 28th January, 1965; and what action Her Majesty's Government have taken, or contemplate taking, on such Recommendation.

As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister told the hon. Member for Worthing (Mr. Higgins) on 9th February, the Government are looking into the matter of the two optional provisions of the European Human Rights Convention.With regard to the possibility of appointing a national official to report on human rights matters, the Convention already lays down a procedure whereby a contracting party is required to furnish the Secretary General with information on the way in which its internal law ensures the implementation of the provisions of the Convention.The United Nations Human Rights Commission will consider at its next session, which begins on 22nd March, amendments recommended by the Committee on Periodic Reports to the procedure for reporting to the United Nations on human rights matters. We propose to await the outcome of the Commission's discussions before considering paragraph three of the Recommendation of the Consultative Assembly.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government towards Recommendation 418, on the Hague Convention, concerning the powers of authorities and the law applicable in respect of the protection of infants, which was adopted by the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe on 28th January, 1965; and whether, in view of the terms of such Recommendation. Her Majesty's Government will now accede to such Convention.

While Her Majesty's Government sympathise with the humanitarian objectives of this Convention, they have not found it acceptable.One reason for this is that the Convention is in certain respects inconsistent with the paramount principle of English law concerning the guardianship of infants, which places the main emphasis on the protection of the interests of the infant rather than on considerations of nationality and habitual residence.Her Majesty's Government do not therefore intend to accede to the Convention.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government towards Recommendation 421, on the initial measures for the achievement of free movement of manpower within Europe, which was adopted by the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe on 29th January, 1965; and what action Her Majesty's Government contemplate taking in regard to it.

Her Majesty's Government are playing an active part in the study of this question on which the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development is already engaged. It is in their view undesirable for the Council of Europe to duplicate this work.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what steps he has now taken to help resolve the present situation in Vietnam and South-East Asia.

My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and I are in close and constant consultation with the United States Government, both directly and through the United States Ambassador in London, in our efforts to promote a basis for a peaceful and durable settlement in Vietnam. We are also in touch with other interested Governments. But the way to peace is more likely to be found through patient, discreet diplomacy than by public pronouncements from the British Government.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what instructions have been given to the United Kingdom delegate in the Security Council with regard to British support in the forthcoming discussions on the Congo for Mr. Adoula.

No discussion of the Congo in the Security Council is envisaged at the present time.

asked the Minister of Land and Natural Resources if he will now introduce legislation to protect Great Britain's coastline from further development and to preserve for future generations such stretches of it as still today remain unspoilt.

I am considering this in consultation with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Housing and Local Government as part of the review of proposals for amending the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act, 1949, which I mentioned to the House on 21st December.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works whether he has concluded his consideration of the future of Telford's Bridge at Conway; and if he will make a statement.

I have not yet concluded my consideration of the future of Telford's Bridge at Conway. I have asked the Ancient Monuments Board for Wales to give me its advice on the subject and it will be holding a special meeting for this purpose.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works if he will state the number of men now employed on the Polaris base at the Gareloch and the various trades in which they are employed.

Details by trades are as follows:

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what estimate she has made of the number of recipients of National Assistance benefits who are affected by the wage stop and of the number of children under 16 years of age in the families of these recipients.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if she will tabulate for the latest available period the number of families and children who, because of the wage stop, receive less than the National Assistance Board scale of allowances.

In December, 1964, the National Assistance allowances of approximately 14,000 unemployed persons were restricted by reference to their normal earnings. The number of their dependent children is estimated to be 59,000.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if she will indicate what steps are being taken to explore the possibility of granting pension rights to elderly people who are not eligible to receive pensions under existing legislation.

As my right hon. Friend made clear to the House in the debate last Friday, the Government are working on their plans for providing help to persons of retirement age with low incomes, whether they have title to pensions under existing legislation or not. In the meantime the provision made through National Assistance is being substantially improved.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance when she proposes to introduce legislation covering the Government's proposals for an income guarantee; and what is the earliest date at which such a guarantee could come into effect.

I cannot yet indicate when legislation on this subject is likely to be introduced.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance whether she will introduce legislation to remedy the anomaly by which students training for the teaching profession are obliged to pay National Insurance contributions at the unemployed rate while at their university or college, if they are not to risk forfeiting certain of the benefits due to them.

In a contributory scheme it would be an anomaly if students received benefits without paying contributions but special provisions enable them to qualify quickly for sickness or unemployment benefit shortly after completion of training and they are allowed a very generous period in which to pay any arrears of contributions should they so wish. Members of the teaching profession may, of course, benefit from sick pay arrangements under their conditions of employment and have a vocational pension scheme under the Teacher Superannuation Acts.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance how many unemployed workers, due to the operation of the wage-stop policy, are receiving less in benefits, including National Assistance, than the normal subsistence amount; and how the number compares with the total for a similar period last year.

In December, 1964, the National Assistance allowances of approximately 14,000 unemployed persons were restricted by reference to their normal earnings. The estimated figure for December, 1963, was 23,000.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what is the maximum weekly sum which a current old-age pensioner could have actuarially earned by reason of his contributions.

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Somerset,North(Mr.Dean)on Friday, 12th February. That reply related to people retiring next April, but the corresponding figures for someone retiring now would not be materially different.

asked the Minister of Health why general hospitals spend an average of 30s. a week per patient for power, light and heating when for mental hospitals it is only 10s. or less and in some cases less than 3s. per patient; and what investigations have taken place to ascertain the reasons for this disparity.

There are more resident staff in acute hospitals and the cost of services for them is proportionately much higher; proportionately more power and heat is needed in the acute hospitals for operating theatres, lifts, sterilising, etc.; and patients in the acute hospitals who are physically ill and immobilised require a higher standard of heating than those in psychiatric hospitals.I am not aware of costs as low as 3s. 0d. per patient per week in 1963–64.

asked the Minister of Health if, in his review of the hospitals building programme, he is considering the provision of more day hospitals; and if he will make a statement.

Provision for day patients is part of a comprehensive hospital service and as such will be considered during the review of the hospital building programme.

asked the Minister of Health if hospitals will receive an extra allocation of funds in the estimates for the fiscal year 1965–66 to allow for the fact that this period includes two Easter holidays.

No. Easter occurs only once in the financial year ending 31st March, 1966. Hospital expenditure is in any event not noticeably affected by the incidence of Easter.

asked the Minister of Health what is the total number of wards and hospital beds closed due to a shortage of nurses or nursing staff.

I regret that the information is not available.

asked the Minister of Health what is the average length of time served by chairmen of regional boards who have ceased to hold such office during the last 10 years; in how many cases during this period a chairman has not been reappointed after serving one term; in how many cases during this period a chairman has been reappointed at the conclusion of his first term of appointment; and in the case of those not reappointed after one term, how many had expressed willingness to be reappointed for a further term.

The figures for the 10-year period ended 31st March, 1964, are 8¼ years; 1; 12; none.

asked the Minister of Health what proportion of all confinements in the Runcorn constituency in the years 1963 and 1964 took place in hospital; and what proportion of first confinements took place in hospital in these years.

In 1963, 59·5 per cent. of all confinements and 87·2 per cent, of first confinements. Figures for 1964 are not yet available.

asked the Minister of Health what is the total number of maternity beds in hospital available to National Health Service patients residing in the Runcorn constituency.

153.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will give an estimate of the number of cases of multiple sclerosis, poliomyelitis, spasticity, rheumatoid-arthritis and arterio-sclerosis which are accommodated in chronic wards, and of the proportions of these cases in which the patients are in the age groups under 25 years, 25 to 35 years, and 35 to 45 years of age, respectively.

I regret the information on which to base such estimates is not available.

asked the Minister of Health whether, in view of the complete absence of psychiatric in-patient units for adolescents within the Manchester Regional Hospital Board area, he will take action to remedy this deficiency and provide such a unit within the area.

The Regional Hospital Board's present programme includes plans for adolescent psychiatric units at Prestwick Hospital and, at a later stage, Springfield Hospital, and it has two further units under preliminary consideration.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will confirm that the building of the new district general hospital to serve Chester and Ellesmere Port will commence early in 1967.

The Liverpool Regional Hospital Board hopes to start work on this hospital in October 1967.

asked the Minister of Health if he will make a statement on delays in the completion of the second stage of the Princess Margaret Hospital in Swindon arising from faulty workmanship to windows; and what steps he will take to meet the need for extra maternity facilities which will not now be available for several months.

I understand that the new ward block at the Princess Margaret Hospital has been found to be draughty. This is being put right and the Regional Hospital Board does not expect that there will be much delay in bringing the building into full use. Meantime the Board is examining the possibility of moving some maternity patients after their confinement to wards at the Princess Margaret and Victoria Hospitals.

asked the Minister of Health if he will now introduce legislation for the quality control of drugs on prescription, in particular those imported direct from abroad; and if he will make a statement.

I am considering this.

asked the Minister of Health what recommendations he has received regarding the giving of instruction to teenagers and young people about contraception; what consultations he has had with the education authorities on this matter; if he will give consideration to the danger of widespread use of contraceptive appliances and drugs used by immature persons without direct medical advice and supervision; and if he will make a statement.

I have received representations both for and against wider contraceptive advice. At this stage I cannot add to my reply on 8th February to the hon. Member for Surbiton (Mr. Fisher).

asked the Minister of Health whether he is satisfied that the number of dentists qualifying each year is adequate to provide replacements for those dentists who leave the service through death or retirement; and what additional number of students is being trained in 1965 compared with 1960 and 1955.

Precise figures of deaths and of retirements from all forms of dental practice are not available but estimates suggest that they are well below the number of dentists qualifying. I understand from my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and Science, that the number of students now in training is about 30 more than in 1960 and about 500 more than in 1955.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is satisfied with the number of students being trained as pharmacists; what is the shortage of pharmacists in the Health Service; and when he expects to have sufficient.

The current level of student entry, if maintained, appears to be sufficient to meet the probable requirements of the National Health Service as a whole; as regards hospital pharmacists, I have nothing to add to my reply to the hon. Member for Oswestry (Mr. Biffen) on 1st February.

asked the Minister of Health if he will give consideration to the training of health visitors to deal with the special sickness of elderly people.

I am informed that the new syllabus of the Council for the Training of Health Visitors includes provision for the needs of elderly people who are sick.

asked the Minister of Health why he has raised the annual allowance for war pensioners and others using cars supplied by the health departments by £15 a year, whereas the grant for eligible owner-drivers has been raised by £7 a year only; and if he will increase this latter sum to £15 forthwith.

Those who use cars supplied by the Health Departments, do not have to pay vehicle excise duty and insurance premiums. Owner drivers are themselves responsible for these payments, except that some were excepted from payment of vehicle excise duty by section 11 of the Finance Act, 1964. The annual allowances reflect these differences.The allowance to owner-drivers was increased by £22 abated by £15—the amount of the vehicle excise duty—in the case of those now exempted from payment of the duty.

asked the Minister of Health if he will take steps to hold official consultations with representatives of those doctors who have remained in private practice since 1948, with a view to obtaining their advice on the running of general practice.

No.

asked the Minister of Health what investigation he has made of methods employed in other countries to prevent the emigration of doctors from those countries; and if he will publish such information as he has on the subject.

No studies with this particular object in view have been undertaken by me.

asked the Minister of Health what is the average pension received by a medical practitioner after 10, 15 and 20 years' service, respectively.

Information in the form requested is not available.An individual general medical practitioner's pension is in any event related to his own total superannuable remuneration throughout the period during which his name has been included in an Executive Council list. There are wide variations depending upon the amount of service undertaken and other factors and averages could have little meaning.

asked the Minister of Health how many nurses and nursing staff are employed at the latest date; and how many are required to bring the numbers up to the establishment allowed.

The table below shows for England and Wales the numbers employed, at the latest available dates, in the local health authority service (31st December, 1963) and the hospital service (30th September, 1964).

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that a number of general practitioners have been approached by certain pharmaceutical firms who have offered them financial gain if they will prescribe contraceptive pills to their female patients; and if he will take steps to prevent the medical profession coming under pressure of this kind.

If the hon. Member will let me have details, I will consider what action should be taken.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will consider extending the loan of Ministry motor cars to men and women who are virtually unable to walk because of a disability having an indirect effect on their legs, and who for this reason are unable to take up any form of employment.

Not at present.

asked the Minister of Health up to what price range items on prescription cost the Department more than if such items were privately purchased over the counter.

If the item may be supplied only on prescription, the cost to the Department for a National Health Service prescription is less than the charge for dispensing a private prescription when professional fees are charged by the chemist in accordance with the scale recommended by the Pharmaceutical Society. If no professional fee is charged for an item which may be sold over the counter without prescription, the cost to the Department at the present time will be more than the retail price up to approximately 9s. 6d. retail value.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will bring the average wages in Her Majesty's Dockyard, Portsmouth, up to the national average.

Dockyard wage rates are periodically reviewed on a standard of comparison with outside rates agreed with the trade unions.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for an increase in the size of the conventional navy.

I have nothing to add to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 3rd December, 1964, to the hon. Member for Torquay (Sir F. Bennett).

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether the non-commissioned officer stationed at Chelsea Barracks, whose name has not been disclosed, was afforded the services of a defending officer to advise him prior to his discharge from Her Majesty's Forces.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if the non-commissioned officer who attended the political meeting at Leyton was charged under Queen's Regulations; and what the court of inquiry found.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what part of Queen's Rules and Regulations were breached by a non-commissioned officer stationed at Chelsea Barracks; and what were the findings of the subsequent court martial.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if there has been a court of inquiry into the political activities of a non-commissioned officer stationed at Chelsea Barracks; and what were the recommendations.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence on what charge a non-commissioned officer was discharged from Her Majesty's Forces for participating in a Parliamentary by-election.

Soldiers whose retention in the Service is considered undesirable on account of persistent petty breaches of discipline may be discharged under paragraph 503 (XIX A) of Queen's Regulations for the Army, 1961. A soldier whose discharge under this regulation is under consideration has to be warned by his commanding officer three months before the application is submitted to the competent military authority, the brigade commander in this case, that discharge under the regulation is being considered. When this warning is given, and if it is practicable, the soldier is transferred to another company, or equivalent sub-unit, within his own unit. If the breaches of discipline continue, the commanding officer may submit an application for the soldier's discharge before the three months warning period has expired and, where the brigade commander considers it essential for disciplinary reasons, an immediate discharge may be authorised.This soldier, then a non-commissioned officer, went absent without leave and on 17th November last, was summarily convicted and punished by his commanding officer. Because of this, and previous unsatisfactory military conduct, he was warned as to his future conduct, under the previously quoted regulation. He signed an acknowledgement of this warning and was posted from the regimental headquarters to the 1st Battalion of his regiment.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence for how long the target of 15,000 Gurkhas is to remain; and what number of Gurkha recruits he is authorising for 1965.

As long as our present commitments in support of Malaysia continue substantially unchanged, we have no intention of altering the strength of the Gurkha Brigade. We plan to recruit 900 men and 100 boys in 1965 which will employ the training organisation of the Brigade to its full capacity.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the cost to public funds of the Royal Naval Volunteer Supplementary Reserve in each year of the last six years; how many officers have been on this Reserve in each year; and how much has been contributed in total each year in cash by these officers towards the running expenses of this Reserve.

The Royal Naval Volunteer Supplementary Reserve has cost public funds about £4,000 a year over the last six years. Direct new entrants to the Reserve pay mess bills and travelling costs for training, but apart from this no member of the Reserve is required by the Navy Department to contribute out of his own pocket towards running costs and so I can give no answer to the last part of the question.During the last six years the numbers in the Reserve have declined from 7,000 in January, 1959 to under 2,000 today, the intervening January totals being 5,350, 3,440, 3,040, 2,147 and 2,157. I have therefore been forced to give careful consideration to the future of the Reserve, and I have come to the conclusion that, having splendidly fulfilled its mission, it should disband now with ceremony rather than fade ingloriously away. I know that many will share my regret at this decision. The Reserve has given sterling service since 1936 and the part played by its officers in the last war was beyond praise; but we cannot now foresee a useful rôle for the Reserve in a future war.A number of the present R.N.V.S.R. officers will be offered places in the R.N.R. where they will be warmly welcomed; and if the R.N.V.S.R. units care to form their own officers' association they can be sure of every encouragement from the Navy Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he proposes to take to improve the positions of all service pensioners.

I would refer the hon. Member to the Answer I gave on 15th February in reply to the hon. Member for Woking (Mr. Onslow).

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will take steps to prevent the interception and detention by Spanish patrol vessels of British shipping in the Straits of Gibraltar.

As my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs said in the debate on the adjournment on 11th February, we shall take all necessary measures to protect British shipping should the need arise.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will state the value of imports from and exports, including re-exports, to Latin-American countries during the last 10 years; and what percentages these figures represent of total Latin-American imports and exports.

The following is the information:

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is the rate of unemployment in the Bude exchange area; whether this is included as a development district; and if he will make a statement.

Unemployment in Bude averaged 3·7 per cent. of the insured population in 1964. The area is not a development district.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what are the rates of unemployment in the Wadebridge Employment Exchange area and the Padstow Employment Exchange area; whether these are included in development districts; and if he will make a statement.

Unemployment in the Wadebridge and Padstow area averaged 5·3 per cent. of the insured population in 1964. The area is not a development district.

asked the Minister of Aviation whether the Concord is still classified by Her Majesty's Government as a prestige project.

I described the Government's attitude to Concord in my statement on 20th January.

asked the Minister of Aviation what element of the cancellation fee he will be making to the Hawker Siddeley group will be a contribution towards their redundancy payments.

I am urgently considering to what extent severance payments to redundant workers can properly be claimed as a charge against the contracts recently cancelled by my Department. However, both the total payments which my Department makes to a contractor in respect of a cancelled contract and the way in which these payments are made up must remain matters for confidential negotiation.

asked the Minister of Aviation if he will consider Belfast-London and other Ulster routes as exceptions to his general policy, and permit one or two additional services to be flown to Belfast by British Eagle in the interests of the travelling public.

No. The service licensed to British Eagle was the most which even the last Administration considered could be granted without unacceptable detriment to B.E.A. I was content for this service to continue alongside B.E.A., but the operator has decided otherwise.

asked the Minister of Aviation how many independent British airlines there are; and which ones he saw and consulted before his announcement of the change of policy for dealing with independent airlines.

Before making my Statement on Civil Aviation Policy, I saw representatives of the British United Airways Group and of the British Eagle Group. The services operated by these two groups account for three-quarters of the operations of British independent airlines. There are 9 other British airlines which operate scheduled services under licences granted by the A.T.L.B. and a further 8 which similarly operate charters.

asked the Minister of Aviation to what extent the decision to cancel certain contracts for military aircraft will cause redundancy in Scotland among those employed on aero-engine and component manufacture.

So far as I can judge, none.

asked the Minister of Aviation what was the total value in 1964 of exports of aircraft, aero engines, and guided weapons, including spare parts, and of electronic equipment generally.

The total value in 1964 of these exports was £196,140,000 made up as follows:

asked the Minister of Aviation if he will give an estimate of the number of passengers expected to use Aldergrove Airport in County Antrim during the months of June, July and August, respectively, in the present year; and what percentage increase this indicates over the same months, respectively, in 1964 and 1963.

The information is as follows:

asked the Minister of Aviation if he will give an estimate of the number of daily visitors to Aldergrove Airport in County Antrim during the months of June, July and August, respectively, in 1963 and in 1964; and what percentage increase he expects for the same months, respectively, in 1965.

Visitors to the civil airport at Aldergrove are free to come and go as they wish. There is, therefore, no official record of their numbers on which to base the estimates for which the hon. Member has asked.

asked the Minister of Aviation if he will state his plans for increasing the accommodation for visitors to Aldergrove Airport in County Antrim; when work will start on this extension; and for what numbers such accommodation will cater when completed.

asked the Minister of Aviation if he will state his plans for assisting passengers to reach the upper floor at Aldergrove Airport in County Antrim without having to climb stairs; and when he expects such alteration to be completed.

I have nothing to add to the Answer given to the hon. Member on 3rd February. As the hon. Member knows, I have invited all the Ulster Members of Parliament to a meeting on 2nd March to discuss the development of Aldergrove.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many robberies have been reported to the police in the four months to the latest convenient date in the Greater London area, and in England and Wales; and if he will give corresponding figures for the same four months in each of the last five years, and the corresponding figures for the four months immediately preceding the four months first mentioned.

The numbers of offences of robbery reported to the police in the Metropolitan Police District and in England and Wales for the periods in questions were as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners are awaiting hostel scheme treatment.

There are 215 places available in prison hostels for men for which suitable prisoners are selected as vacancies occur.

asked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs (1) if he is aware that the National Coal Board's selling price of Sunbrite is £1 8s. 4d. or 15 per cent. a ton more than it was a year ago; and if he will ask the proposed price review body, to examine the justification for such an increase;(2) whether he will refer the recent increases in charges for domestic electricity supply in the South-East to the price review body, to examine the justification for such an increase.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply on 18th February by my hon. Friend, the Minister of State, to the right hon. Member for Sutton Coldfield (Mr. Geoffrey Lloyd).

asked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs what assurances have been given to him by employers' organisations on dividend policy in public companies; and if he will make a statement.

None. The general criteria for prices and incomes policy are currently under consideration and will be the subject of further discussion by National Economic Development Council.

asked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs whether he has yet made a decision as to whether East Anglia will be treated as a separate region.

This is one of the questions which is being considered in our review of policy for the South-East.

asked the Minister of Transport why the report of the National Ports Council relating to the Bristol Channel area is to be confidential.

I assume that the hon. Member is referring to the report on the importation of iron ore into South Wales, which has been submitted to me by the National Ports Council at my request and in accordance with the duties laid on the Council by the Harbours Act, 1964. When the Government have reached a conclusion on this subject, the House will have an opportunity of debating the matter, in accordance with the undertaking which has been given. I propose, however, to treat as confidential reports which the Council may tender to me on this or similar projects based on information given to them in confidence.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will preserve the access now enjoyed by the public along the towpath of the Lancaster Canal between Tewitfield and Stainton in the event of the extinction of navigation rights proposed in the British Waterways Bill now before Parliament; and what cost additional to that of culverting would be incurred at the six crossings of the canal by the M.6 motorway.

If Parliament approves the British Waterways Bill it is my intention to seek to preserve towpath access. At three points short diversions may be necessary at an estimated cost of £2,000.

asked the Minister of Transport what investigations are being conducted to ascertain the contributory factors in road accidents.

In addition to the normal police reports on all accidents involving personal injury there is a continuing programme of research and statistical inquiry into the factors involved in road accidents. My Department is reviewing the machinery for obtaining statistical information to see whether it can be improved.

asked the Minister of Transport how many examiners engaged on driving tests were dismissed during the last five years; and what were the reasons for dismissal.

Two were dismissed after conviction on charges of bribery; two had their appointments terminated during their probationary period for failure to reach the required standard of competence; and one other had his appointment cancelled during the same period on medical grounds. Seventeen more failed to pass their initial training course.

asked the Minister of Transport (1) if, in his study of coordinated transport services, he will consider the desirability of achieving operational co-ordination by planning a new tube connecting the Northern Line to south-east London and north-west Kent;(2) if, in his study of co-ordinated transport services, he will consider the development of passenger services on the River Thames, connecting the centre of London with the down-river areas of Woolwich and Erith, including the provision of hovercraft, in order to relieve the overcrowded services by road and rail;(3) if, in his study of co-ordinated transport services, he will undertake a review of the facilities for road and rail transport in South-East London, in view of the growing discontent amongst the travelling public with the existing services, and the possibility of the creation of the new town in the Woolwich-Erith area.

Transport in the London conurbation, including the Woolwich-Erith area, is already being intensively studied, notably in the London Transportation Study. The object of these studies—with which the L.C.C., my Ministry, the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, British Railways and London Transport are closely associated—is to develop long-term comprehensive proposals for meeting the future demand for transport in London in what is, overall, the most practical and economic way, taking into account the effect of possible future changes in land use and the location of population and employment.

asked the Minister of Transport how many persons, who hold valid driving licences but neither own a vehicle nor have an insurance of their own, have been involved in accidents which have led to court proceedings in the last three years.

This information is not available.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will amend his regulations so as to ensure that every person holding a driving licence must take out his or her own personal third party Road Traffic Act insurance cover-only policy; that such an insurance certificate and driving licence should be one document and incorporate a photograph of the holder and a number to avoid confusion with persons having similar names; and that a flat-rate annual insurance should be payable to the taxation authority when applying for a new driving licence or renewing one.

The object of the present law is to secure compensation for third parties injured as the result of drivers' negligence. In this respect the hon. and gallant Member's proposal appears to have no advantage over the present arrangements and would be more complicated to administer.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will give an estimate of the number of persons in the United Kingdom with valid driving licences who neither own a vehicle nor have an insurance of their own.

On a rough estimate, between 3 and 4 million holders of driving licences do not own a vehicle, but their use of any vehicles must be covered by the third-party insurance related to that vehicle.