asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what progress has been made in the proposals for the improvement of the economy of Gibraltar.

The Government of Gibraltar are still examining the report of the Senior Economic Adviser to my right hon. Friend. They are setting up an Economic Development Committee under the chairmanship of the Minister for Housing and Economic Development, and a new post of Financial and Development Secretary is being created and will shortly be filled by a senior officer who will be specially concerned with economic development.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what proposals he has for the constitutional future of Gibraltar.

The present Gibraltar constitution came into force last year, and no fresh constitutional proposals are at present contemplated.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what precautionary measures he is taking to prevent a repetition of the run on the banks in Hong Kong which occurred in December last; and if he will make a statement.

The failure of one small bank, and suspension of payments by another, led to a high rate of withdrawals from other banks for a short time in February, 1965. Action by the Hong Kong Government in concert with the leading banks quickly restored the position to normal and there is no indication that the strength of the banking system as a whole has been affected.A new Banking Ordinance came into force in December, 1964. The Hong Kong Government will use the powers conferred by the Ordinance to ensure adequate regulation and inspection of the affairs of all banks and is considering whether recent events indicate any need to strengthen these powers.While overall liquidity is still 29 per cent., certain banks need to increase their liquidity. To help them to do so without readjusting their advances too rapidly, the Hong Kong Government is arranging to make available to them substantial liquid funds from its reserves in London.

asked the Secretary of of State for the Colonies what are the prospects for a constitutional conference this year in London on the future of the Little Seven West Indian Islands.

I would refer the hon. Member to my statement of 25th February. In a despatch which I sent to the Governments concerned on 22nd March I have suggested a conference in London starting on 1st July.

asked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs whether he will bring to the attention of the Price Review body the increases in prices that have occurred during recent months.

No, but it is our intention to select particular cases to be examined in the light of all relevant considerations.

asked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs what components and what base have been used to calculate the figure of 23 per cent. for profits in the Progress Report No. 2 of his Department; and to what extent the ratio of this figure to that of 51 per cent. given for wages and salaries in the same report conveys the relative influence of net disposable wage income and net disposable profits on costs and prices.

The base used to calculate the figure of 23 per cent. for profits in the D.E.A. Progress Report No. 2 was Table 9 of the National Income Blue Book (1964) which gives an analysis of the composition of the output of goods and services in the United Kingdom in 1963. As regards the second part of the Question, the figures on which these percentages are based are gross and therefore do not indicate the relative influence of net disposable wage income and net disposable profits on costs and prices.The figures for net disposable wage income and net disposable profits on costs and prices were not used because they were not relevant to the point being made—that by far the most important element in the selling price of goods and services making up final output is money incomes.

asked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs whether he will now announce the membership of the Economic Planning Council for the South-West.

asked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs if he will now announce the names of the members of the Economic Planning Council for the South-West.

My right hon. Friend hopes to do this very soon.

asked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs if he will make a statement on the progress of his plans for the reduction and stabilisation of prices of household goods, food and utensils with particular reference to the working of those plans in Scotland.

We have made a good start. My right hon. Friend hopes soon to be able to publish an agreed statement of the considerations which should in the national interest guide all concerned with questions of prices and incomes and to announce the composition and terms of reference of the National Board for Prices and Incomes. This will cover the whole United Kingdom.

asked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs whether he will bring to the attention of the price review body the increases in prices imposed by Government Departments since mid-February.

No.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will give an assurance that his proposed legislation on mergers will contain provisions to ensure that in such conditions employees' interests are reasonably safeguarded.

I do not think that this is a matter which should be covered by specific provisions in the legislation. The Bill which has been introduced leaves the Monopolies Commission, in investigating a merger at the request of the Government, free to take into account all matters relevant to the public interest, including where appropriate the effect of the merger as regards employment.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will now make a statement on legislation to deal with the misdescription of consumer goods.

My right hon. Friend is preparing new comprehensive legislation which would greatly extend the classes of misdescription, including those in advertisements of goods and services, which are a criminal offence. It would also provide powers to require informative labelling of particular classes of goods and to issue statutory definitions of trade terms. It would lay a duty of enforcement on local authorities.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has noted the extent of the achievement of British motor car manufacturers in sustaining exports in recent years to countries of the European Economic Community; what assessment he has made of the effect on these exports of the next adverse movement of the European Economic Community common external tariff; and what will be the policy of Her Majesty's Government to enable the industry to maintain its exports.

Yes. Exports of cars to the E.E.C. have increased by 85 per cent. over the last four years, though there was a fall in 1964. The next movement towards the common external tariff will result in the reduction in the tariffs on cars imported into France and Italy and the Government are working for a further reduction in tariffs in the Kennedy Round.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what proportion of the total exports of British-made bicycles were taken by the United States market in each of the years 1960 to 1964 inclusive.

The proportions are as follows:

1960	16 per cent.
1961	31 per cent.
1962	40 per cent.
1963	45 per cent.
1964	35 per cent.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what action he is taking, in the course of the international discussions regarding tariff reductions, to secure the abolition of the United States protective tariff against British-made bicycles.

The basis for negotiation in the Kennedy Round is that the main participating countries offer, subject to reciprocity, to halve their industrial tariffs across the board with a minimum of exceptions. On this basis our negotiators will do all they can to reach the widest possible settlement for the benefit of our exports.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will set up an official investigation into the facts contained in the letter sent him by the British Pottery Manufacturers Federation, dated 16th March, 1965, with a view to bringing about an improvement and a larger percentage of world trade.

This letter is one of a series of regular quarterly reports on the current position in the pottery industry and I do not consider that the facts contained in it call for any special investigation. The Board of Trade keeps in close touch with the British Pottery Manufacturers' Federation and is always ready to do all it can to assist the industry to improve its trading position particularly in export markets.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will now make a statement regarding the petition which he has received from the Mercantile Marine Service Association concerning the late Captain Stanley Lord of the "Californian".

No. I have nothing to add at present to the answer I gave the hon. Member on 1st March.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the effects to date of the 15 per cent. surcharge on imports.

I have nothing to add at present to my right hon. Friend's answer to the hon. Member for Chigwell (Mr. Biggs-Davison) on 4th March.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will encourage the development of health centres within the precincts of universities, to cater not only for the sick students residing at the university, but also for those students in lodgings.

Nearly all universities operate some form of student health service. It is the policy of the University Grants Committee Where necessary to encourage the development of such services for all students, wherever they may be living in co-operation with the National Health Service.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many beds are available to students in halls of residence in the universities of Birmingham, Cambridge, London, Manchester, Oxford and Southampton; excluding term times, on how many nights during 1962, 1963, and 1964 beds at these universities were unoccupied; and if he will express these figures in terms of bed/nights.

In the academic year 1963–64, beds were available for some 19,000 students in colleges and halls of residence at the universities concerned. This accommodation is fully used during term time, and much of it is occupied by students and others during vacations. The universities and colleges are themselves responsible for allocating it, and the detailed information requested is not available centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement about the proposal to establish a teacher training college at Sittingbourne.

My right hon. Friend has authorised the Kent local education authority to go ahead with its proposal to establish a day teacher training college at Sittingbourne in premises due to be vacated next year by the Kent Farm and Horticultural Institute.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what expansion has taken place in the work of the Furzebrook Research Station of the Nature Conservancy.

The research work being carried out at Furzebrook Research Stations is described in the Conservancy's last Annual Report for the year ended 30th September, 1964. The Station started in 1954 with a staff complement of 6 (3 scientific). The staff complement is now 26 (18 scientific). These figures are exclusive of Regional Officers and their staff who are also based at the Station.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will give details of the expenditure of £430,950 on grants for educational research in England and Wales, as shown in the Civil Estimates, 1965–66, Class VII, Vote 2M (1), and of the benefits which will be obtained from the doubling of the expenditure compared with 1964–65.

The following is the information:

Civil Estimates, 1965–66 Class VII, 2, Subhead M(l) Grants for educational research, etc.		1964–65 Estimates
	£	£
Main research programme	194,000	(114,000)
Central Advisory Council (Plowden Council)	30,000	(13,000)
Schools Council for the Curriculum and Examinations	10,000	—
Modern Languages Committee	10,000	—
National Foundation for Educational Research	40,000	(15,000)
Council for National Academic Awards	30,000	(12,000)
National Council for Diplomas in Art and Design	19,000	(13,073)
Council for Education in World Citizenship	950	(950)
Nursery Schools Association	250	(250)
British Association	12,500	(12,500)
Council of Europe, film	2,000	(4,000)
British Film Institute	19,000	(19,000)
Film of Royal Institution lectures	60,000	—
Grant to organisations providing summer holiday camps for schoolchildren	3,000	—
Total (rounded)	430,950	(203,745)

The substantial increases in the first five items are aimed at improving, through research and development work, the efficiency of the schools and other educational institutions.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will give details of the benefits which will be obtained from the expenditure of £3,662,000 on social and recreational education, as shown in the Civil Estimates, 1965–66, Class VII, Vote 2L.

This provision is made for direct Exchequer grants to voluntary bodies for the youth service, community centres and village halls, and sport and physical recreation. Assistance is given to national voluntary, youth organisations and national governing bodies of sport towards their headquarters administration and training or coaching expenses; experimental developments in youth work and the training of youth leaders and community centre wardens are assisted; and local capital grants are made to voluntary bodies towards the cost of buildings for the youth service, of sports facilities such as playing fields, sports halls and swimming pools, and of community centres and village halls.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is aware of the dissatisfaction amongst prison officers about the failure of the prison division of his Department to reply to the claim submitted by the Prison Officers' Association on 15th June, 1964, for a 5-day, 40-hour week in the prison service; and if he will give a reasoned reply at an early date.

This multiple claim involves a number of difficult issues which have necessarily required careful consideration. A reply will be sent to the Prison Officers' Association as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much overtime has been worked by prison officers during each of the past five years, respectively; and what is the cost of such overtime.

The cost of overtime by members of the prison officer grades during the last five financial years was as follows:

	£
1959–60	846,257
1960–61	964,282
1961–62	1,158,920
1962–63	1,274,012
1963–64	1,387,413

During the nine months ended 31st December, 1964, the amount was £1,239,050.The actual number of hours overtime to which these figures relate could not be determined without a good deal of re- search which I would not feel justified in undertaking.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will issue instructions to the Commissioner that the Metropolitan Police should allow the proposed Easter march by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament to proceed without any police interference.

No. I understand that the Commissioner hopes to agree with the organisers on arrangements which will facilitate the progress of the march without causing undue interference with other sections of the public.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department from which countries the majority of the 500,000 Commonwealth citizens who are already entitled to emigrate to this country would come; what are their age and sex groupings; on what grounds they are entitled to come; how many he expects to come and when; in view of anxiety in Great Britain about further large-scale immigration, if he will introduce legislation to prevent this further influx; and if he will make a statement.

Section 2(2)(b) of the Commonwealth Immigrants Act, 1962, gives a right of admission to this country to the wife, or any child under 16 years of age, of a Commonwealth citizen who is resident in the United Kingdom. I have no means of ascertaining how many people now overseas have this right or whether or when they are likely to exercise it; but I do not think they can number less than half a million. Most must be in the West Indies, Pakistan and India. We have no intention of introducing legislation to abrogate the right.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many immigrants have come to this country since the passing of the Commonwealth Immigrants Act on the grounds that they were coming here to study.

From 1st July, 1962, to 28th February, 1965, 53,600 Commonwealth citizens subject to control under Part I of the Commonwealth Immigrants Act were admitted as students.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why, in view of the fact that he was in possession of authentic documents proving his identity, Mr. Walter Schlüng who was invited here as a personal guest of the honourable Member for West Ham, North, was not allowed to land at London Airport on Sunday, 21st March, from Warsaw; and whether he will arrange that when Members of Parliament desire to have visitors from overseas these persons are not prevented from landing in Great Britain.

Mr. Schlünz was refused leave to land because he was unable to produce an acceptable travel document—which in his case would have been either a Federal German passport or a temporary travel document issued by the Allied Travel Office in Berlin and endorsed with a United Kingdom visa. Immigration officers always attach due weight to invitations made to foreign visitors by Members of Parliament, but such an invitation does not exempt the recipient from the normal requirements of our immigration control.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much money was spent on after-care and criminology research for each year from 1959 to 1964; and how much has been allocated for the period 1965 to 1970.

Home Office contributions towards the expenditure of the after-care organisations during the financial years 1959–60 to 1965–66 are:

	£
1959–60	176,326
1960–61	212,092
1961–62	279,493
1962–63	332,077
1963–64	411,887
1964–65	650,000 (Estimated)
1965–66	761,000 (Estimated)

The figures for 1964–65 and 1965–66 include some £150,000 in each year for travel warrants and clothing given to inmates on their discharge. In earlier years expenditure on these items was incurred but not separately recorded. The figures for 1964–65 and 1965–66 also include £30,000 and £120,000, respectively, for cash payments on discharge, not made in earlier years, in cases in which immediate application to the National Assistance Board would otherwise have been necessary. The figures do not include any payments made by the National Assistance Board to former inmates or their families or after-care work undertaken by probation officers. The cost of these services is not readily ascertainable. All figures are exclusive of expenditure by the after-care organisations from voluntary funds.The estimated cost of the Home Office Research Unit is £60,000 a year. In addition grants made under Section 77(iii)(

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much money was spent on prison buildings for each year from 1959 to 1964; and how much has been allocated for the period 1965 to 1970.

The following table gives the information for the years up to 1965–66. Figures for later years are not yet settled.

Financial year	Amount £
1959–60	2,228,741
1960–61	3,474,164
1961–62	4,880,891
1962–63	5,248,229
1963–64	6,317,635
1964–65	5,079,000(a)
1965–66	5,575,000(b)

NOTES:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what hours of work are at present being performed by prisoners in the local prisons in this country.

During a recent week, of 9,185 male prisoners working in workshops in local prisons, 1,379 worked 17 hours or less, 3,282 between 18 and 25 hours, 1,675 between 26 and 30 hours, and 2,849 for more than 30 hours.

asked the Minister of Power when legislation to nationalise the steel industry will be introduced.

I have nothing to add to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 18th March, 1965.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give details of the machinery and equipment costing £105,000 purchased by Ordnance Survey during 1964–65 and of the £128,000-worth expected to be purchased during 1965–66.

Subject to the clearance of outstanding items by the end of the financial year, the sum of £105,000 will have been expended on the purchase of printing machinery and ancillary equipment £43,000; automatic reading planimeters £3,500; air survey cameras and instruments £53,000; miscellaneous survey equipment £4,500; and workshop equipment £1,000.The sum of £128,000 provided for purchases during 1965–66 is made up of £26,500 for printing machinery and ancillary equipment; £19,000 for automatic reading planimeters; £70,000 for air survey cameras and instruments; £10,500 for miscellaneous survey equipment, and £2,000 for workshop equipment.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give details of the £362,000-worth of stores, etc., expected to be purchased by Ordnance Survey in 1965–66, as shown in the Civil Estimates, Class X, Vote 10c.

The sum of £362,000 is made up of £94,000 for map printing paper, map mounting cloth and map cover boards, £114,000 for printing plates, photographic plates and film, £61,000, for maintenance and running expenses of motor transport, including vehicle replacements £23,000, £48,000 for miscellaneous survey stores and materials and £45,000 for miscellaneous drawing and printing stores and materials.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proportion of maps produced by Ordnance Survey is sold to the public in competition with commercial firms; and what steps are being taken to improve the sales.

Ordnance Survey maps on the scales of one-inch and quarter-inch to the mile are those chiefly in competition with commercial publications. They represent about half the total sales of Ordnance Survey maps to the public. The revenue from sales of all Ordnance Survey map series rose from £421,000 in 1962–63 to over £550,000 in 1964–65. Several steps are being taken to increase sales even further, including the design of more attractive covers, the issue of improved publicity aids for use by Agents and the Trade, and an increase in press advertising.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will make a statement about the Fishing Vessels Improvement Scheme.

The White Fish Authority is now in a position to make grants for certain types of improvements which have been chosen as likely to improve catching ability and the handling of fish in the interests of efficiency and quality. In approving applications the Authority will satisfy itself that there is a clear promise of a good economic return on the investment proposed. Particulars of the eligible improvements and of the arrangements for making applications will shortly be issued by the Authority.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many non-industrial staff were employed in his Department in the years 1963 and 1964; and what is the estimate for 1965–66.

The information is as set out below:

1963	104,390
1964	105,657
1965–66	103,725

The above figures include all United Kingdom based non-industrial staff but not locally engaged personnel.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether it has yet been decided to replace the Valiant bombers formerly assigned to Supreme Allied Command Europe.

After most careful consideration of all the operational and other factors involved, the Government have formed the view that replacement of the Valiants for the few remaining years of their planned service with N.A.T.O. cannot be justified by military or other considerations sufficient to override the countervailing need to deal with the pressures upon our defence programme. S.A.C.E.U.R. and the North Atlantic Council have been so informed.

asked the Minister of Health what was the cost of producing and sending through the post the handbook on Provision of Medical and Surgical Appliances, bound in an attractive folder and containing information of no concern to many of its recipients; and to what extent he considered placing a few copies in hospitals, for purposes of reference, with a view to saving money and effort.

The cost of producing 20,000 copies of the handbook and folder and distributing copies to regional hospital boards and boards of governors was about £2,300. The handbook describes the procedures for the supply of appliances. Boards were asked to distribute copies to all staff, including those of hospital management committees, concerned with these procedures and I am sure that its distribution to all such staff will help to ensure that the procedures operate smoothly and efficiently.

asked the Minister of Health what proportion of the estimated cost of the extensions to the Chalfont and Gerrards Cross Hospital will be contributed from money raised by local efforts; and if he is aware that such contributions materially assist the work of the National Health Service.

About three-fifths of the cost of the new out-patient and physiotherapy department at the Chalfont and Gerrards Cross Hospital will be met from money raised locally by the Hospital's League of Friends. I am grateful for this generous contribution which has allowed these improvements to be made earlier than would otherwise have been possible.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will now place on view in the Library the plans for the proposed rebuilding of St. Thomas's Hospital.

I have not yet anything to add to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Bristol, West (Mr. Robert Cooke) on 8th February, 1965.

asked the Minister of Health what he now estimates to be the additional annual cost to the National Health Service resulting from the abolition of the prescription charge.

About £25 million in England and Wales; there will be an offsetting saving of some £2½ million in respect of refunds by the National Assistance Board.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will consult the Durham County Council on the delay in making up roads and streets in those parts of the county for which they have responsibility and about which many complaints are made by residents in those areas, with a view to quicker action.

Durham County Council has a heavy roads and streets programme. Within this programme the council is in the best position to determine priorities and I do not think I could help matters by intervening.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development what progress she has made in providing for Dominica an economist to help with a detailed development plan and a geologist to carry out a new survey.

I shall do my best to meet the request from Dominica for an economist to help with the development plan; this request was received only two weeks ago. No request has yet been made for a geologist, but if we are asked I should be able to make suitable arrangements, in consultation with the Overseas Geological Surveys, to provide whatever advice may be needed.

asked the Postmaster-General why there is a prolonged delay on Waterloo 7999 before anyone answers the telephone; what action he is taking to rectify this; and by what date his Department will have arranged for incoming telephone calls to the Ministry of Transport to be answered with expedition.

My right hon. Friend is sorry for these delays. The switchboards are having to be taken out of service successively for modification while the private automatic branch exchange serving the Ministry is being enlarged and additional private wires installed. The difficulties have been aggravated by the need to provide, meanwhile, temporary service for some additional offices in a separate building. Some remedial measures have been taken and others are being examined urgently. The service will be restored to a more acceptable standard as quickly as possible.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will consider the issue of a commemorative series of postage stamps next year to mark historic occasions of the two world wars, including the Battle of the Somme, the 50th anniversary of which falls in 1966, and the signing of the Atlantic Charter, the 25th anniversary of which also falls in 1966.

I will see that the hon. Member's suggestions are considered, along with others, when next year's programme of special stamp issues is being drawn up.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works if, in order to achieve public co-operation, he will insert the word Please in front of the notices reading, Keep off the Grass, on the newly-laid lawns outside the No. 10 Downing Street garden on Horse Guards Parade.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what action he is proposing to take over the strikes by members of the Scottish Schoolmasters' Association.

I have repeatedly told the Association that I shall be glad to consider any fresh points in relation to the Scottish Joint Council for Teachers' Salaries which are put to me in writing. I have asked officials of my Department to meet representatives of the Association on other matters which it has said it is anxious to discuss, particularly the problem of recruitment to teaching. I regret that the Association should seek to pursue its aims by strike action.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give details of the benefits obtained through the work of the Civil Service Pay Research Unit during 1964–65.

The surveys by the Pay Research Unit for the year 1964–65 have not yet been completed. Pay settlements for surveys carried out in 1963–64 have been reached for certain Civil Service classes. The relevant information is difficult to summarise, but I am writing to the hon. Member with full details.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make the necessary provision in his Finance Bill for all tolls paid by bona-fide travellers when crossing ancient toll bridges to be an allowance for tax purposes.

I cannot anticipate my right hon. Friend's Budget statement.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make the necessary provisions in his Finance Bill to relieve the users of ancient toll bridges of paying tolls.

No. It would not be appropriate to include provisions to abolish bridge tolls in a Finance Bill.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will investigate why temporary charge import certificates on leather imported from Australia in the s.s. "Canberra", which docked in Southampton on 10th November, 1964, details of which have been sent to him by the hon. Member for Louth, have not yet been issued; if he is aware that a complaint by the British Footwear Manufacturers Federation to him on 18th February has produced only a printed card in acknowledgement; if he will take steps to end such delays in imports and exports at the docks; and if he will make a statement.

I am having inquiries made and will write to the hon. Member.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what terms the German Government have agreed to finance the £8,800,000-worth of British capital exports in connection with the Mantaro hydro-electric project in Peru; and if he will make a statement.

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply of 18th March. The effect of the German offer is that part of U.K. exports in the Mantaro project would be paid for in cash. The detailed terms are a matter for the German and Peruvian authorities and, I understand, are at present being negotiated in Lima.

asked the Minister of Transport what has delayed the announcement of a decision on the Thetford Inner Relief Road Orders, which were published in draft form over a year ago; whether he is aware that traffic con- ditions in Thetford continue to deteriorate, with doubts now arising about the safety of the road bridge over the river; and whether he will now announce his decision and authorise an early start to relieve and remove the present bottleneck on the main London-Norwich road.

I am considering the provision of a pedestrian subway in order to meet objections to the draft Section 9 Order. The landowners affected are being consulted on the consequent modification of the Order. Work on the scheme will begin as soon as the preparatory work is completed.