asked the Minister of Overseas Development to what extent, in granting aid to eligible countries, she takes into account the presence of British-born elderly people residing there, who may be suffering financial hardship, and the benefits which they may receive as a result of such grants.

Our aid is intended to raise the standard of living of the countries in question through economic development. We do not normally give aid directed to specific sections of the community.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development if she is aware that the effectiveness of British overseas volunteers is in some cases diminished by the inadequacy of the arrangements made by the reception country; and what steps she is taking to eliminate this area of waste.

Volunteers sometimes find that because of changes of emphasis in development plans or other changes since the project was first mooted, the job they came to do no longer exists, or has changed in character. A few cases of this kind are to be expected where countries are developing fast and are accepted as one of the hazards of the volunteer operation.The voluntary bodies, with the help of the British Council, have already done much to eliminate such cases. They are planning to travel more, so that their representatives can see at first hand the jobs proposed for volunteers and discuss them with the overseas authorities. Project selection and evaluation is becoming a major activity of the voluntary bodies.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development what effect the restrictions on private overseas investment imposed by the Budget will have on her plans for fixing the amount of overseas economic aid for 1965 and beyond.

We must first see what effect, if any, the measures announced by my right hon. Friend have on the developing countries.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development if she will make a statement about her visit to Tanzania.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development what discussions she had with European farmers in the Arusha area of Tanzania; and what steps she took to restore the confidence of the British farmers in the area.

The purpose of my visit to Tanzania from 22nd to 28th April was to discuss Tanzania's development plans and how our aid can help with their implementation.This was my first visit to that country, and I had frank and useful talks with President Nyerere and his Ministers in Dar es Salaam. I was able to visit Zanzibar and Pemba islands, and to talk with Vice-President Karume and his Ministers. I also had discussions with representatives of the British community, including Government servants, businessmen, farmers, teachers and volunteers.The Tanzanian Government told me that they had a pressing need for a study of the obstacles hampering the implementation of Tanzania's five year development plan, and I agreed to send a team of economists to undertake this study.As regards the problems of British farmers in Arusha which I was able to learn about at first hand, my right hon. Friend, the Minister of State for Commonwealth Relations informed the House on 4th May of the decision of the Tanzanian Government to set up regional Committees to advise on land usage, and that there would be representatives of the expatriate farming community on these Committees. Moreover, it has been reaffirmed that compensation will be paid for unexhausted improvements to those farmers whose rights of occupancy have been revoked. I greatly hope that these developments and the discussions I held on them have contributed to a restoration of confidence in Arusha and will help to bring about closer and more cordial co-operation between the British community there and the Tanzanian authorities.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development what will be the terms of reference of the economic mission to be sent to Tanzania.

The mission's terms of reference as agreed with the Tanzanian Government will be to identify the main obstacles to the implementation of the five year development plan and to recommend to the Tanzanian Government how these obstacles can be removed, with special reference to the contribution which could be made by external technical and economic assistance.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development if she is aware of the desire expressed by the West African Examinations Council to take over full responsibility for examinations in technical and commercial subjects; and if she will make a statement on the steps taken by her Department to advise the West African Examinations Council on this development and particularly on the training of African personnel.

Yes. Funds have been promised by my Ministry to bring two persons from West Africa to Britain for training with the relevant examining bodies. One of these is here already. We are negotiating for the appointment of an adviser to go out and help set up a new sub-department of the West African Examinations Council to deal with technical and commercial subjects. We have also agreed to provide funds to enable chief examiners from examining bodies in this country to go out and train local examiners.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development what requests she has received in the last six months from the Colony of Dominica for special help; and what she has provided.

I have had six requests for development aid from Colonial Development and Welfare funds of which five have been put in hand and one we are looking at urgently. The most notable is for road building. Of five requests received for technical assistance, four are already in hand, including provision of the geologist in which my hon. Friend is interested and a survey for a new jetty at Portsmouth.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development what requests for agricultural assistance have been received from the Government of Zambia; and what response has been made.

Requests for agricultural assistance have been almost entirely for staff under the Overseas Service Aid Scheme and advisers under the Special Commonwealth African Assistance Plan.Out of 70 such requests since Zambia became independent, 26 posts have been filled and recruitment is proceeding for most of the remainder.At the request of the Zambian Government we are contributing to the support of agricultural research in the area.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development what was the outcome of her discussions with voluntary organisations on more effective co-operation to ensure public support for overseas aid and development.

I am happy to say that the following organisations:The Catholic Institute for International Relations (formerly Sword of the Spirit):Christian Aid:The Overseas Development Institute:OXFAM:The Save the Children Fund:The United Kingdom Committee of the Freedom from Hunger Campaign:The United Nations Association:War on Want:have decided to set up forthwith a co-ordinating committee to be known as the Voluntary Committee on Overseas Aid and Development. Dr. Leslie Farrer-Brown has accepted their invitation to become Chairman. The object of the Committee will be to promote the closest possible co-operation between its members and other voluntary bodies and groups in Britain concerned with work in overseas aid and development, including work in education, health, agriculture and food production. The promotion of a climate of opinion favourable to the work of the member organisations will be a particularly important aspect. I understand that the intention of the Committee is to appoint a full-time Secretary and a full-time Education Officer; the Ministry will meet half of the cost of these officers provided that the societies are willing to meet the other half. The Ministry will be represented on the Committee by an observer.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development (1) how many qualified engineers, scientists, and technologists have been seconded from the public sector of British industry for private sector and public sector projects, respectively, in each of the last five years in the Commonwealth and developing countries, respectively; and what has been the cost of the financial assistance granted by Her Majesty's Government for such technical assistance;(2) how many qualified engineers, scientists, and technologists have been seconded from the private sector of British industry for private sector and public sector projects, respectively, in each of the last five years in the Commonwealth and developing countries, respectively; and what has been the cost of the financial assistance granted by Her Majesty's Government.

I regret that the information is not available in the detail in which the hon. Gentleman seeks it. I will however send him some information bearing on these matters which I hope will be helpful as soon as it can be prepared.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development what priority she proposes to attach to aid disbursement by her Department in 1965–66 as between education, agriculture, health, communications and survey projects.

Overwhelmingly the greater part of disbursements in 1965–66 will be the result of commitments entered into a year or more previously. I can influence priorities only in making new commitments which will be for disbursement mainly in the years after 1965–66. The priorities will vary in different parts of the world, in accordance with the development needs of the countries concerned.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development whether she will make a statement regarding new proposals affecting the scale or nature of British aid to Zambia following her recent visit to that country.

In my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Hitchin (Mrs. Shirley Williams) on 23rd March I announced that Britain had offered a further £10 million financial aid over the period 1965 to 1970 and I discussed some of the aspects of this aid during my recent visit. Zambian Ministers made clear to me the importance they attach to British assistance in meeting their manpower needs, and we shall of course continue to do all we can to help them.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development if she will make a statement about development aid to Kenya.

Her Majesty's Government have offered to lend to the Kenya Government up to £3 million for capital development in the Kenya financial year 1965–66 on terms to be agreed, and to advance a sum of £1 million for the Kenya Land Bank and Agricultural Finance Corporation for the same period. The loan for capital development will be used for projects to be agreed between the two Governments.The House will be asked to vote a Supplementary Estimate in due course for such amounts as will be borne on my Department's Votes; in the meantime, advances will be sought from the Civil Contingencies Fund as necessary.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development whether she is aware of the wide range of scientific and technical services available from the independent laboratories which are members of the Association of Consulting Scientists; to what extent her Department already uses these services to supplement British technical assistance to developing countries; and whether she proposes, in future, to make greater use of such services.

Yes: my Department is aware of the services available from members of this Association.Normally requests received from developing countries for advice or assistance on scientific problems are dealt with by my scientific and professional advisers or by the scientific and technical organisations associated with the Ministry. My Department also has arrangements for obtaining assistance from other Government Departments, the research councils and universities. There have been some contacts with members of the Association of Consulting Scientists and the possibility of making use of their facilities will be borne in mind.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development whether, in view of the importance that developing countries are now attaching to increasing their agricultural productivity, she proposes to strengthen British technical assistance in this field by the greater use of independent agricultural consultants and advisers.

A high proportion of the agricultural advisers made available in response to requests from overseas Governments are independent in the sense that they are not in the regular employment of the British Government. I also keep in touch with private firms in Britain equipped to provide agricultural advisory services and the possibility of employing them in appropriate cases is always borne in mind.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development what independent consultants have been and are being used by her Department as distinct from its existing staff or directly recruited technologists.

Since October, 1964, the following consultants and organisations offering a technical advisory service have been engaged or are continuing to be engaged by my Department:

• Messrs. W. S. Atkins & Partners.
• Commonwealth Development Corporation.
• Commonwealth Development Finance Company Limited.
• Messrs. Coode & Partners.
• Messrs. Geoffrey Crockett, Stewart & Shirley Thomson.
• Economist Intelligence Unit Limited.
• Engineer Planning & Resources Limited.
• Sir Alexander Gibb & Partners.
• Sir William Halcrow & Partners.
• Messrs. Humphreys & Glasgow Limited.
• Messrs. Howard Humphreys & Sons.
• Mr. J. R. Jowett.
• Messrs. Derek Lovejoy & Associates.
• Messrs. Merz & McLellan.
• Mr. John Musgrove.
• National Coal Board.
• National Industrial Fuel Efficiency Service.
• P-E Consulting Group Limited.
• Messrs. Henry Pooley.
• Messrs. Posford, Pavry & Partners.
• Powell Duffryn Technical Services Limited.
• Messrs. Preece, Cardew & Rider.
• Messrs. Rendel, Palmer & Tritton.
• Messrs. O. W. Roskill Industrial Consultants.
• Messrs. Scott & Wilson, Kirkpatrick & Partners.
• Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders Limited.
• Messrs. Spencer & Partners.
• Television International Enterprises Limited.
• Transport Tourism Technicians Limited.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development what funds at the disposal of her Department have been and are now available for consultancy services, particularly for feasibility studies in the Middle East and Central Africa.

Funds are not specifically earmarked for consultancy services but in 1964–65 the provision available for technical assistance—including consultancy services—to the Middle East was £553,000 and for Commonwealth Africa including Central Africa £2,929,000. The corresponding figures in the current financial year are £631,000 and £2,995,000.

asked the Minister of Technology whether, in order to remove uncertainty, he will give an undertaking that he does not intend to introduce proposals to take over, nationalise, or bring into public ownership the machine tool industry or any part of it, and if he will make a statement.

I hope to make a statement shortly on my proposals for the machine tool industry.

asked the Minister of Technology if he will make a statement setting out the arrangements he has made to improve the technological performance of British industry.

The resources of my Department are being deployed to this end in a variety of ways including the investigation of the performance and the needs of individual industries, studies of general technological problems such as process control instrumentation and engineering standards as well as the support of civil research and development. This is a continuing process and I shall announce the more important specific measures as my plans are formulated.

asked the Minister of Technology how many official visits he has made to Scotland since his appointment.

None as yet, but I hope to visit Atomic Energy Authority establishments in Scotland shortly.

asked the Minister of Technology what progress has been made in the production of plant for the desalinising of sea water at reasonable cost.

A design study for a plant to produce 30 million gallons a day has been completed by the Atomic Energy Authority in conjunction with industry. Studies of combined nuclear power and desalination schemes are under way.

asked the Minister of Technology what is his policy towards the use of mechanised dictation and simplified typing methods; and if he will seek to encourage their adoption in Government, industry and commerce.

The use of the most suitable office machinery and methods is an important contribution to efficiency. The Organisation and Methods Branches of Her Majesty's Treasury and other Government Departments have this matter under constant review and many improvements have been made in recent years. There is no evidence that Government intervention in industry and commerce is necessary.

asked the Minister of Technology what plans he has for establishing new scientifically-based industries in the Yorkshire Regional area.

My right hon. Friend has no such plans at present.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue he expects to raise by excise duty on Scotch whisky in 1965; and how much he expects to earn abroad through sales of Scotch whisky exports.

It is estimated that the duty receipts from Scotch whisky will be about £125 million in 1965. The value of exports in 1964 was about £92 million, and 1965 is expected to show some increase over this figure.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer in view of the increasing competition in the export market and of the uncertainty caused by the Export Rebates Order 1965 as it affects tops, noils and associated wastes, to what extent the export rebate will apply to all tops, noils and wastes of sheep's and lamb's wool or of other animal hair, fine or coarse, if they have been carded or combed in the United Kingdom; and if he will make his decision have retrospective effect to 26th October, 1964.

The rebate applies provided that not less than 20 per cent. of the costs of production or manufacture is attributable to United Kingdom expenditure. I appreciate that this criterion raises certain practical problems in the case of wool tops, noils and wastes, and representations made by the trade are under active consideration.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much unemployment, he expects will be created by his credit squeeze policy; what trades he expects to be affected most; when he estimates that this unemployment will materialise; how long he expects it to last; and if he will make a statement.

As I explained in my Budget speech, my policy is to achieve a balance on our external current and long-term capital account in the course of 1966. To do this we need to contain the growth of home demand in order to make room for the progressive improvement of the balance of payments. Unemployment is now very low and likely to remain so. I am, of course, able to modify my measures, one way or the other, by adjustments of monetary and fiscal policy should new circumstances make that appropriate.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that for the past few years the same Members of Parliament have been appointed by Her Majesty's Government to Parliamentary delegations abroad, lecture tours overseas, Strasbourg and other conferences, where Treasury expenditure has been involved; and whether these visits will be arranged in future to include as many Members as possible.

I agree that it is desirable that the field of selection should be as wide as possible. But the choice of Members for particular visits must remain the responsibility of the individual Departments or grant-aided bodies concerned.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he made of the expenditure of time and labour involved in obtaining details of overseas visits by Members of Parliament for any given period.

I was satisfied that the cost would have been very heavy, probably amounting to several hundred pounds worth of staff time.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish in HANSARD details giving particulars of Members of Parliament who have since October, 1964, been on an overseas visit where either directly or indirectly, Treasury money has been expended either wholly or in part in support of such visits, with particulars of the countries visited and the time of such visit in each instance.

Yes. The information is being collected and I will circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT as soon as possible.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the days or hours of Mr. Kaldor's employment as a civil servant.

As my hon. and learned Friend the Financial Secretary told the House on 10th November, 1964, Mr. Kaldor is employed, as a part-time Civil Servant, on the basis of a 3½ day week (i.e. 3½, out of the five "working" days).

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the cost, in a full year, of raising the income limit for age relief from £900 a year to £1,000.

About £1 million.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give, for each of the financial years 1960–61 to 1965–66, inclusive, the actual or estimated amounts of the rates paid on domestic hereditaments, the total personal incomes before tax, the taxation on incomes, and the percentage of rates paid on domestic hereditaments to personal incomes after deduction of taxes on incomes.

Estimates for the years 1960–61 to 1963–64 are given in the

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the main causes of the recent weakness in sterling; if he will now impose large cuts in Government expenditure so as to help sterling; what special steps he is taking to meet an autumn drain on sterling; and if he will make a statement.

The strength of sterling will be reinforced as we get our balance of payments right. Meanwhile, there are adequate resources available to meet any seasonal requirements in the exchange market.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how far the wage and salary increases over the last six months without extra productivity have increased the costs of production and reduced the capacity to export; what new steps he is taking to stop a further rise in the cost of living; and if he will make a statement.

I have been asked to reply.The need, as recognised by the Government, the employers and the unions and set out in the Joint Statement of Intent on Productivity, Prices and Incomes, is to raise productivity and efficiency, to keep increases in money incomes in line with increases in real national output, and to keep the general level of prices

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will take steps to ensure that demolition of houses currently used for office purposes or in areas at present zoned for offices in development plans ceases, except by consent of the local planning authorities, until the future use of such properties and sites has been reviewed for possible residential occupation.

As was said in reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Holborn and St. Pancras, South (Mrs. L. Jeger) on 9th March, the whole question of demolition is under consideration.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will take steps to empower local authorities to requisition residential property which lies empty on the market for more than six months.

Local authorities have power under existing legislation to acquire vacant houses by agreement or compulsorily if they need them to fulfil their housing responsibilities.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what steps he has taken to implement his crash programme for the building of North London overspill houses in the Lea Valley;(2) if he will announce his time-table for the completion of the first 3,000 overspill tenancies to be allocated to the Borough of Harringey and thus enable that borough to harmonise its own demolition and building programme with the crash programme announced by the Government.

The development which my hon. Friend has in mind would require planning permission. This aspect is under discussion between the Greater London Council and the Essex and Hertfordshire County Councils. My right hon. Friend is urging them to bring the planning issue to the point of decision as soon as possible.

asked the Minister of Power if he will give an assurance that, since nuclear reactors are in future to be gas-cooled, hitherto unspoiled stretches of sea and estuary coast will no longer be devastated by siting power stations thereon.

All existing and prospective designs of nuclear power stations need large quantities of cooling water for the steam turbines and this must continue to influence the choice of sites. As in the past, the Central Electricity Generating Board will do all it can to minimise the impact of its works on the amenities of the surrounding area.

asked the Minister of Health what is the average annual cost of maintaining an individual in a geriatric ward; and what is the capital commitment of accommodation in respect of each person.

No separate costs are available for geriatric wards. The majority of geriatric patients are treated in hospitals for the chronic sick and the average cost for 1963–64 of treating patients in this type of hospital and in a small number of other hospitals specialising in the treatment of geriatrics was about £780. In a new hospital the capital cost per bed is likely to be between £4,500 and £6,000.

asked the Minister of Health what is the average annual cost of maintaining an individual in Part II accommodation; and what is the capital commitment of accommodation in respect of each person.

In 1963–64 about £450 and £2,000 respectively.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will set up an inquiry into up-to-date professional opinion on the medical aspects of escalation from dependence on amphetamine-barbiturate and similar drugs to addiction to heroin and other dangerous drugs.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply by my right hon. and learned Friend the Home Secretary to his Question yesterday. The medical aspects will be among those that we shall consider.

asked the Minister of Health if he will take steps to ensure that the established practice of hospitals in checking the individual consumption of doses of Schedule Four poisons is now extended to wholesalers and dispensing chemists co-operating with general practitioners in the National Health Service.

I am not sure what my hon. Friend has in mind. Only those caring for a patient at home are able to check what quantities of a dispensed medicine the patient actually consumes.

asked the Minister of Health to what extent nursing, clerical and administrative staff in the National Health Service are given the option of deciding whether their wages or salaries shall be paid by cheque or in cash.

I would expect employing authorities to consult staff interests before making any changes in arrangements, and to respect any objections of employees to being paid by cheque.

asked the Minister of Health how much has been spent on equipping laundries for the hospital service since the inception of the 10-year plan.

£1·94 million on upgrading hospital laundries and £1·97 million on new equipment. This does not include the amount spent by hospital authorities on minor replacements of which I have no record.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he will send a reply to the letter sent to him by the Association for the Preservation of Rural Scotland on 9th April, acknowledged by his Department on 12th April, asking whether he or another Scottish Minister would be prepared to receive a deputation from the Association on the subject of litter control and preservation of the countryside.

I have told the Association that, while I should be happy to receive a deputation at an appropriate time, the meeting could best be held with the various bodies in Scotland concerned with the prevention of litter.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the present cost of building a modern school in Scotland.

The cost depends on the size, type and location: the total cost of a two-stream primary school at present ranges from about £150,000 to £200,000; secondary schools generally cost between £¼ million and £¾ million.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the present average cost of building a modern hospital in Scotland.

The cost depends upon many factors including the type and size of hospital, the nature and extent of its several functions and the area and site. Detailed figures for current schemes are given in the Civil Estimates 1965–66, class VI, pages 94–96.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the present average cost of building a three-apartment house in Scotland.

The average tender price for typical three-apartment local authority houses approved in the first three months of 1965 was £2,545.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many houses under the control of his Department are let or hired to private people with no connection with the Services; and what security of tenure these people enjoy.

In the United Kingdom, 1,832 houses are let to former employees of the Department or their dependants, or to tenants in occupation when we bought the houses or their descendants. These have security of tenure unless they act in serious breach of their agreements or there is an over-riding defence need.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many hostels are available for Service families in the United Kingdom; where these hostels are situated; how many families can be housed in them at any one time; and what similar hostels there are overseas.

There are three Army hostels, at Corsham in Wiltshire, Blackpool, and Emsworth in Sussex, which can house 325 families at one time. There are ten Army Transit hostels in Germany and Malaysia which house families for very short periods. The R.A.F. has a similar transit hostel at Blackpool.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many houses or married quarters under the control of his Department are occupied by civilians employed in the public service.

In the United Kingdom, 6,352.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish a list in the OFFICIAL REPORT setting out the number and situation by counties in the United Kingdom, and by countries overseas, of married quarters available to each of the three Services.

The information is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many married quarters are available in the Maidstone constituency.

Eighty-three; many more are building.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many mink farms are listed by his Department as prohibited areas for the low-flying of Government aircraft.

Twenty.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence in how many cases compensation has been paid by his Department to the owners of mink farms as a consequence of claims made by them in respect of damage wrought by low-flying Government aircraft.

In one case.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many cases of claims for compensation for damage wrought by low-flying Government aircraft have been received from the owners of mink farms listed as prohibited areas for low-flying Government aircraft since the list was first drawn up.

Four.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has as to alterations in staff/pupil ratios in the area of any London boroughs formerly educationally administered by the Middlesex County Council; and what is the reason for these changes.

The necessary information is not yet available. The first return of statistics about pupil/teacher ratios in the new London boroughs is due next January.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners are working a 40-hour week and less than a 25-hour week, respectively; and what proportion of the prison population this represents in each case.

During the quarter ended on 31st December, 1964, an average of 2,527 prisoners (11 per cent. of the total) worked a 40-hour week or more, and 5,653 (24 per cent.) worked less than a 25-hour week.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the average earnings of prisoners in local prisons.

The average earnings of convicted prisoners in local prisons during a recent week were 5s. 2d. each, the wages of prisoners in prison hostels being excluded.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners in the hostel scheme are working outside prisons at a normal rate of pay.

The hostel scheme accommodates about 200 men and 20 women, all of whom work outside prisons and are paid normal wages.

asked the Minister of Labour what proportion of the disabled unemployed in England, Wales and Swansea, respectively, have been registered as unemployed for longer than six months; what proportion for longer than one year; and what proportion for longer than two years.

The latest available information is give in the following table. No information is available about the proportion of the disabled unemployed who have been unemployed for longer than two years.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works if he will give a list of the buildings he is now constructing for the Ministry of Defence; and if he will specify the estimated cost of each.

No. Apart from security reasons, the compilation of this information would entail a disproportionate amount of time and effort. The total estimated expenditure in the current year on buildings for Ministry of Defence is given in Civil Estimates, Class IX, Votes 4, 5, 6, 8 and 20.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works how many garages are to be built at the Polaris submarine base at the Gareloch; and at what cost.

132, excluding those in married quarters, at an estimated cost of £25,000.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what is the estimated cost of the administrative block of buildings to be built at the Polaris submarine base at the Gareloch.

£115,000 (provisional).

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many farms, listed by counties, have been classified as being eligible for winter keep; how many have been refused grants on account of material dairying, fattening or cash cropping; and how many received grants for winter keep in respect of the 1964 cropping year.

The information requested is given in the following table:

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many officers of the Livestock Improvement Branch of the Department of Agriculture have had a training and hold qualifications in animal genetics.

My Department of Agriculture and Fisheries does not directly employ any staff who have had special training and hold qualifications in animal genetics. The Department does, however, have access to advice on genetics through its close contacts with agricultural research institutes and through certain of its advisory committees.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many applications for industrial development certificates were received by his Department in the East and West Ridings of Yorkshire in the first quarter of 1965; how many were granted; and how this figure compares with that for the first quarter of 1964.

The figures are as follows:

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many applications for industrial development certificates were received by his Department in the area covered by the Colne Valley constituency in the first quarter of 1965; how many were granted and in respect of what industries; and how this figure compares with that for the first quarter of 1964.

The figures are as follows:

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is the value of cork, and also of timber, which cannot be grown in the United Kingdom, imported during each of the last three years to the most convenient date.

The following is the information:

asked the Minister of Transport on how many occasions in the period of 1963 to 1965 dispensation was sought by county council authorities operating a direct labour road construction department from the ruling that certain trunk road contracts over £50,000 must be put out for competitive tender to firms on an approved list; and on how many occasions such dispensation was granted.

Twelve such applications have been made since 1st January, 1963; six have been granted, five refused and one is under consideration.

asked the Minister of Transport what proposals he has received from British Railways regarding the closure of the Edinburgh, Waverley, Hawick and Carlisle service; and whether he considers this to be a major closure.

I have not yet received the basic details from the Board about this proposal. Until I do I cannot say whether I would regard it as a major closure.