asked the President of the Board of Trade when he intends to publish the Monopolies Commission Report on the solus site system of retailing petrol and other commodities; what action he contemplates; and if he will make a statement.

The Report was published this morning. It deals with the supply of petrol to retailers in the United Kingdom. The Monopolies Commission was asked to investigate the existence in this trade of monopoly "conditions", as defined in the monopolies legislation, and, if it found that such conditions prevailed, to investigate whether certain practices were followed as a result of, or for the purpose of preserving, those conditions, and, if so, whether the practices operated or might be expected to operate against the public interest.The practices in question were:

asked the Minister of Aviation, if, in view of difficulties experienced by passengers in booking on flights from Birmingham to London and Glasgow in the summer months, he will give the estimated date of completion of the runway extension at Elmdon airport to permit the use of larger aircraft on this feeder service.

I understand from Birmingham Corporation, which is responsible for the operation and development of Elmdon airport that it hopes to have the runway extension completed by the end of March, 1967. I also understand that B.E.A. is planning to initiate a new service between Birmingham and Edinburgh—which may relieve some of the pressure on the Glasgow service—in November this year, and to increase the frequency of the Birmingham-Glasgow service next spring; B.E.A. is also thinking of providing an additional Birmingham-London service next summer.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what estimate has been formed of the cost to local authorities of recent increases in vehicle taxation and postal charges; and if he will take steps to give relief to ratepayers in respect of these additional charges.

Clause 6 of the Finance (No. 2) Bill widens the classes of local authority vehicles exempt from vehicle licensing, and this has to be weighed against the general increases in rates applying to some of their other vehicles. There is insufficient information available to estimate the net effect of these changes, or the cost to local authorities of the increases in postal charges. Increases in the costs of local authorities are reflected in consequential increases in grants and my right hon. Friend does not propose to take special steps on account of these items.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he is satisfied with the adequacy of present arrangements for enabling inhabitants of villages to make timely comments on applications for planning permissions in view of the distances and lack of public transport between most villages and the offices where the public register of such applications is kept; whether he will study the arrangements which have been made in certain counties, details of which have been sent to him, for enabling such comments to be conveyed at an early stage through the parish councils; and if he will make a statement.

I cannot accept that every planning application should be made available for public comment. I am investigating the arrangements to which my hon. Friend refers.

NUMBERS OF WHOLLY UNEMPLOYED ON THE REGISTERS OF THE BEXHILL, HAILSHAM AND RYE EMPLOYMENT EXCHANGES AT 12TH JULY, 1965
			Men			Women
			Aged 18 to 54	Aged 55 and over	Total	Aged 18 to 54	Aged 55 and over	Total
Bexhill	…	…	41	180	221	27	8	35
Hailsham	…	…	11	82	93	3	4	7
Rye	…	…	10	15	25	2	—	2

In addition to the above there were 4 boys and 2 girls under 18 years of age registered as unemployed at the Bexhill Youth Employment Office, which also covers the Rye, Hailsham and Battle areas. There were no school leavers registered for first employment.

asked the Minister of Labour by how much and by what percentage the average weekly earnings of adult male manual workers have increased in the last 10 years in respect of each of the regions of the country.

Regional figures are not available prior to April, 1960. Since that date, however, increases in earnings in the industries covered by the Ministry's half-yearly inquiries have been as follows:

INCREASES IN AVERAGE WEEKLY EARNINGS OF MALE MANUAL WORKERS, APRIL, 1960—OCTOBER, 1964
Region	Amount		Percentage
	s.	d.
London and South Eastern	88	10	30·5
Eastern and Southern	84	2	29·6
South Western	83	3	32·5
Midlands	79	5	26·7
Yorkshire and Lincolnshire	74	8	27·5
North Western	79	3	29·1
Northern	73	10	27·1
Scotland	80	1	31·0
Wales	74	10	26·2
Northern Ireland	66	7	29·3
United Kingdom	80	1	28·4

asked the Minister of Labour how many males and females were registered as unemployed at Bexhill, Hailsham and Rye employment exchanges at the latest available date in July; and how many of them were over 55 years of age, under 18 years of age and school leavers, respectively.

The following is the information:

asked the Postmaster-General, why London telephone operators regularly state in answer to inquiries that Bembridge, Isle of Wight, is not obtainable on a trunk dialling code, in view of the fact that the hon. Member for the Isle of Wight has been using the code OWT 387 to obtain Bembridge telephone numbers for a period of five months.

Although it is technically possible to dial a trunk call to Bembridge, the extension of the STD facility from London to this and other places at this point in time would aggravate congestion in the STD service generally. More equipment is being provided and is expected to be ready early next year; the additional codes will then be made available.

asked the Postmaster-General what meetings he has had with representatives of the Telephone Users' Association; and if he will make a statement.

One; on 13th July, 1965.I told the Telephone Users' Association I should be glad to consider any complaints or suggestions it had about the telephone service.

asked the Postmaster-General why the date of commencement of broadcasting the B.B.C. 2 television service to North Wales from the Llanddona transmitter has been put back from January, 1966, the date originally promised, until the autumn of that year.

This is a matter for the B.B.C. It tells me that it had hoped originally to start broadcasting B.B.C. 2 from the Llanddona transmitter in the summer of 1966; but that the date has gone back to the autumn. It asks me to point out that this station is part of a large programme of construction and, as the work proceeds, some adjustments of this kind are inevitable.

asked the Postmaster-General what proposals he has for the provision of low-power television relay stations in the valleys of North Wales in addition to those already planned for the valleys of the south.

It is for the broadcasting authorities in the first place to make proposals for the provision of low-power television relay stations.The B.B.C. tells me that it hopes to open low-power television relay stations to serve Dolgellau and Llangollen during 1966. It is now considering what places in North Wales and elsewhere might be included in a further stage of its relay station programme.The I.T.A. is also considering what proposals is might make for the extension of the coverage attained by its service; but I understand it does not at present envisage additional stations to serve North Wales.

asked the Minister of Power (1) if compensation paid by the National Coal Board was determined by the expected life of a colliery; and if compensation is still being paid for collieries that have been closed;(2) what proportion of the National Coal Board's compensation charges is attributable to compensation charges in respect of collieries that have been closed.

Compensation was settled for compensation units and not individual collieries, the basis of valuation of the units being laid down in S. 13(4) of the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act, 1946. On the question of collieries that have been closed I would refer my hon. Friend to the Answer I gave to my right hon. Friend the Member for Caerphilly (Mr. Ness Edwards) on 13th July.

asked the Minister of Transport, in view of the fact that the motorway route linking the M.6 and M.1 will have an access point within three miles of Elmdon airport, which is of importance to the development of air traffic in the Midlands, if he will expedite plans for completion of this access, at present scheduled for 1971.

On present plans, construction of the Midland Link Motorways will be completed in 1970–71. Since further detailed design and statutory processes have to be carried out and land acquired, any earlier date would be unrealistic.The intervening trunk roads between the motorway and Elmdon airport, have been largely improved to dual carriageway standard and the remaining length, including a flyover at Denbigh Corner (A.446/A.452) is under construction.

asked the Minister of Transport what action he is taking in response to the petition from 128 constituents sent to him by the hon. Member for Ilford, North, protesting against the condition imposed by him restricting pedestrian access to Eastern Avenue when planning permission was granted for the development of the Havering Gardens Estate, Ilford.

In the interests of safety I cannot agree to relax the restriction on access to this exceptionally busy trunk road. I have replied today, in greater detail, to the hon. Member's letter on this subject.

asked the Minister of Transport how many railway superannuitants exercised the option of remaining in the pension funds of the former railway companies at the time of re-grouping in 1923 instead of transferring into the new pension funds of the four group companies; how many of these superannuitants retired before 1st January, 1963: and how many are still living.

The British Railways Board tells me that this information is not readily available, and that to provide it would entail a disproportionate amount of work.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will give a general direction, in the public interest, to the Railways Board not to withdraw concessions in coal purchases from railway workers, with especial reference to old-age pensioners.

No.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will introduce the appropriate regulations or, if necessary, legislation at an early date to ensure that the discharge of exhaust fumes from motor lorries is in an upward direction from a point no lower than the roof of the vehicle's cabin in order to lessen the risk of semi-asphyxiation of other road users, particularly in traffic jams, and to improve visibility for overtaking vehicles.

No. The vertical discharge of vehicle exhaust gases at cab roof level has positive disadvantages. Many of the constituents of these exhaust emissions, especially diesel oil smuts, are heavier than air and are better blown out near the ground than on to the heads of passers-by or into first-floor windows. Further, the shape of many vehicles is such that, when in motion, the air-flow produced would draw exhaust emissions down at the rear on to following vehicles.There is no technical reason why diesel engined goods vehicles should not be prevented from emitting excessive smoke. The road-side "spot checks" carried out by my technical officers and other preventive measures are designed to reduce the incidence of diesel smoke emission.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the comparable figures for wayleaves for the South of Scotland Electricity Board to those recently given for the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board by categories.

In the year ended 31st March, 1965, the South of Scotland Board's payments in respect of wayleaves for transmission lines amounted to £6,000 and for distribution lines to £35,000. As a result of the discussions mentioned in

ELECTRICITY WAYLEAVES—STANDARD RENT AND COMPENSATION PAYMENTS
				Grazing and hill land		Enclosed permanent pasture		Arable
				s.	d.	s.	d.	s.	d.
Poles
Single	…	…	…	3	0	7	0	12	0
Double	…	…	…	5	0	10	6	18	0
Stay	…	…	…	2	0	5	0	9	0
Towers
Under 10 sq. ft	…	…	…	7	6	10	0	30	0
10 sq. ft. to 12½ sq. ft.	…	…	…	7	6	10	0	35	0
12½ sq. ft. to 15 sq. ft.	…	…	…	7	6	10	0	45	0
15 sq. ft. to 17½ sq. ft.	…	…	…	12	0	19	6	59	6
17½ sq. ft. to 20 sq. ft.	…	…	…	12	0	19	6	59	6
20 sq. ft. to 25 sq. ft.	…	…	…	12	0	19	6	69	6
25 sq. ft. to 30 sq. ft.	…	…	…	15	0	30	0	87	6
30 sq. ft. to 35 sq. ft.	…	…	…	15	0	30	0	107	6
35 sq. ft. to 40 sq. ft.	…	…	…	21	6	36	6	144	0
40 sq. ft. to 45 sq. ft.	…	…	…	21	6	39	0	159	0
45 sq. ft. to 50 sq. ft.	…	…	…	27	6	45	0	195	0
50 sq. ft. to 55 sq. ft.	…	…	…	27	6	50	0	215	0
55 sq. ft. and over	…	…	…	27	6	50	0	250	0

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many inquiries he has now received as a result of his teacher-recruiting publicity campaign; and how many have resulted in definite commitments to undertake teaching training this autumn.

Since the Special Recruitment Scheme campaign was launched on 12th April 10,645 enquiries have been received. 808 firm applications have been made to the colleges of education, and of those who have been interviewed so far 200 have been given firm offers of financial assistance during courses of study or training leading eventually to teaching qualifications. Another 117 have been accepted subject to the results of examinations which they have taken.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many dentists are now being trained each year; how this compares with five and 10 years ago; and what is estimated for 1970 and 1975.

The number of undergraduates in dental schools in universities

asked the Minister of Health (1) if he will consult the representative organisations which cater for people engaged in the hospital service with a view to making arrangements to give them satisfaction on status and salaries; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he will grant an interim weekly payment pending a final settlement to all people engaged in the hospital service who receive less than £17 per week; and if he will set out in tabular form, for each grade which receives less than £17 per week, the amount received each week and the value of their weekly payment expressed in terms of purchasing power as at 1st January, 1950.

The pay and conditions of service of hospital staff are matters in the first instance for the Whitley Councils, the Staff Sides of which are composed of representatives of Trade Unions and other staff organisations. Information about earnings of staff in different grades is not available but I will write to my hon. Friend about staff whose negotiated rates of pay are less than £17 a week.

asked the Minister of Health if he will set out in tabular form

HEALTH AND WELFARE SERVICES—GREAT BRITAIN
		Gross Cost of National Health Service	Expenditure expressed as a percentage of National Income
			Gross Cost	Hospital Doctors and Dentists	Hospital Nurses	Other Hospital Staff	Hospital Building	New Hospitals (included in previous column)
		£ million	per cent.	per cent.	per cent.	per cent.	per cent.	per cent.
1949·50	…	436	3·88	0·22	0·45	0·57	0·09	—
1954–55	…	575	3·57	0·22	0·44	0·60	0·09	—
1959–60	…	867	4·00	0·20	0·53	0·65	0·11	0·01
1963–64	…	1,148	4·20	0·25	0·57	0·69	0·23	0·05
1965–66	…	1,338 (Estimated)	*—	—	—	—	—	—
* National Income figures for 1965–66 are not yet available.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware of the increasing inadequacy of the existing dental services in the Halesworth district; and what steps he will take to help the East Suffolk National Health Executive Council to bring about immediate improvement.

No; there is an established dental practice in Halesworth, which has a population of under 2,500; 10 other dentists have practised for some years within a radius of about 10 miles and they have been augmented within the last year by an eleventh dentist who has entered practice in Beccles.

asked the Minister of Health what measures he is taking to overcome the general national shortage of dentists, and their uneven distribution about the country.

The hospital building programme provides facilities for the clinical instruction of additional dental

The following is the information:students to match the present steady expansion of dental schools. As regards distribution, I have no power to direct dentists to particular areas, but Executive Councils have been asked to take what steps they can to encourage dentists to practise in areas of shortage and in particular to enlist the help of local housing authorities in making accommodation available and to advertise the availability of such facilities in the professional Press.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will institute an inquiry into the case of Mr. Derrick Jackson, who was convicted at Darlington and sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment, in the light of the particulars which have been sent to him by the hon. Member for Darlington.

I understand that on appeal fines totalling £300 have been substituted for the sentence of imprisonment. I am not aware of any ground for inquiry into the case.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration he has given to taking action on the recommendation of the Law Society with regard to the establishment of special traffic corps; and if he will make a statement.

I am giving careful consideration, in consultation with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport, to the recommendations contained in the memorandum about motoring offences which was sent to me recently by the Council of the Law Society, but it is too early to make any statement.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what regulations exist controlling the retail sale of surgical spirits in England and Wales.

There are no such regulations.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many licences were issued by the Commissioners of Customs and Excise for the sale of mineralised methylated spirits in the Metropolitan Borough of Stepney in 1964, 1959, 1954, and 1949.

29 in 1964. I regret that the figures for the earlier years are not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many applications to the local office of Customs and Excise for the purchase of industrial methylated spirits were granted to persons in the Metropolitan Borough of Stepney in 1964, 1959, 1954, and 1949.

5 in 1964 and 4 in 1959. I regret that the figures for 1954 and 1949 are not available.

asked the secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has made a further approach to the Government of Barbados to ascertain when the local legislation to incorporate the enlarged Admiralty jurisdiction, conferred upon the High Court of the United Kingdom by the Administration of Justice Act 1956, into the legal system of the territory will be passed by the Legislature; and if he will make a statement.

I have nothing to add to the reply given to the hon. and learned Member on 27th May.