asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government when he intends to announce his decision on the possibility of special grants being made through the University Grants Committee to the Oxford and Cambridge colleges in lieu of rates.

I have nothing to add at present to the reply given to the hon. Member on 26th May.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government when he intends to announce his decision on the Oxford development plan.

My right hon. Friend hopes soon to announce his decision.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will now make a statement on the reform of the rating system.

I hope to present to the House the first instalment of the Government's proposals early in the new session.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what discussions he has had with local authorities about their rating situation; and if he will make a statement.

I do not know quite what the hon. Member has in mind. A number of local authorities have represented to me the need for further Exchequer assistance. In addition, I am in the course of consulting the local authority associations about possible changes in the rating system.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will make a statement on the part to be played by local authorities in the future control and ownership of the new towns and their assets.

I want to see the law changed as soon as possible so as to enable local authorities to play a much bigger part in the future control and ownership of new towns and their assets. Meanwhile, both in the completed new towns and in those still building, I am encouraging the fullest co-operation between the Commission or Corporation and the local authorities.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what representations have been made to him by local authorities in regard to difficulties experienced by Her Majesty's Government's restriction of local authority spending; and if he will make a statement.

I have received no general representations. A number of authorities have put forward special reasons for continuing particular projects; these are considered on their merits.I would like to take this opportunity of thanking local authorities for the way in which they have co-operated in applying these healthy but irksome restrictions.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what progress he has made in his discussions with local authorities on the question of their performing estate agency services in their own areas.

After discussions with the associations of local authorities and officers of the authorities concerned, my right hon. Friend has asked eight local authorities to consider setting up on an experimental basis registers of small houses for sale.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will publish a list of those coastal local authorities who are currently engaged on works which will eliminate completely sewage outfall within the next five years.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will give a list showing what each of the principal coastal local authorities estimate they will have to spend to provide proper sewage outfall treatment for their districts, together with a list of those coastal local authorities who have not yet obtained any such estimate; and whether he will request the latter to obtain such an estimate at any early opportunity.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will publish a list of those local authorities who discharge untreated

SEWAGE DISPOSAL IN COASTAL AREAS
(a) Local authorities with current schemes to improve sea outfalls with estimated costs
Local Authority							In Progress	Approved or Submitted	Being Prepared
							£	£	£
Barrow in Furness.		…	…	…	…	…	216,000		Cost of revised proposals not yet known
Birkenhead		…	…	…	…	…
Wallasey	…	…	…	…	…	…
Hoylake	…	…	…	…	…	…
Wirral	…	…	…	…	…	…
Brighton	…	…	…	…	…	…			Not yet known
Hove	…	…	…	…	…	…
Chailey	…	…	…	…	…	…
Eastbourne		…	…	…	…	…		430,000
Tyneside Authorities			…	…	…	…			25,000,000
West Hartlepool		…	…	…	…	…			Not yet known
Hartlepool		…	…	…	…	…
Bedlingtonshire		…	…	…	…	…	557,000
Blyth	…	…	…	…	…	…		400,000
Bognor Regis		…	…	…	…	…		1,500,000
Bridlington		…	…	…	…	…			Not yet known
Bridport	…	…	…	…	…	…		339,000
Brightlingsea		…	…	…	…	…		107,000
Burnham-on-Sea		…	…	…	…	…		420,000
Clevedon	…	…	…	…	…	…		2,500,000
Long Ashton		…	…	…	…	…
Crosby	…	…	…	…	…	…			1,000,000
Deal	…	…	…	…	…	…		500,000
Exmouth	…	…	…	…	…	…		500,000
Frinton and Walton			…	…	…	…		750,000
Gosport	…	…	…	…	…	…		447,000
Hastings	…	…	…	…	…	…		1,075,000
Hythe	…	…	…	…	…	…			273,000
Littlehampton		…	…	…	…	…			360,000
Looe	…	…	…	…	…	…			180,000
Lowestoft	…	…	…	…	…	…	1,250,000
Minehead	…	…	…	…	…	…		214,000
Penzance	…	…	…	…	…	…		551,000
Portishead	…	…	…	…	…	…			340,000
St. Austell	…	…	…	…	…	…		309,000
Sandwich	…	…	…	…	…	…			300,000
Seaton	…	…	…	…	…	…		200,000
Teignmouth		…	…	…	…	…			50,000
Torquay	…	…	…	…	…	…			40,000
Ventnor	…	…	…	…	…	…			Not yet known
Whitstable		…	…	…	…	…		312,000
Workington		…	…	…	…	…			130,000
Totals					…	…	£2,023,000	£10,554,000

My right hon. Friend recently asked the principal local authorities on the coast for information about their sewage disposal arrangements and their plans for improvement, with estimates of cost. I am circulating in the OFFICIAL REPORT a summary of the replies.Coastal authorities are, in general, alive to their responsibilities in this matter, but my right hon. Friend is studying the returns and considering what further action to take.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he has examined the evidence sent to him by the hon. Member for Stepney relating to the need for the collection of waste paper by local authorities; what conclusions he has come to in this regard; and what action he proposes to take.

My right hon. Friend has read the Press cutting and letter which my hon. Friend forwarded. As the Press cutting says, a working party is considering how to increase waste paper supplies. Their report should be ready within a few weeks, and my right hon. Friend and his right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade will then consider what action is appropriate.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what steps he intends to take to prevent a rise in the water rates of Poole, in view of the proposal that the present Poole and East Dorset Water Board should become part of a new Dorset Water Board.

My right hon. Friend is expecting the water undertakers concerned to put to him an agreed order setting up the new board. The order will contain their proposals for charges; if it provides for differential charges in favour of Poole for a limited period, he will consider this sympathetically.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what grant, and on what basis of assessment, is being given to local authorities on Tyneside to meet the demands imposed on them by a decision to deal with the pollution of the River Tyne.

No special grant is being paid to local authorities on Tyneside towards expenditure on dealing with pollution of the Tyne. But all authorities except Newcastle are eligible for rate deficiency grant, which would take account of such expenditure.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government when his bulletin on the preservation of historic town centres will be published; what letters he has received on the possible transfer of gem towns from the local planning authority; and whether he will make a statement on the action he proposes in this regard.

The bulletin is now being drafted, but I cannot say yet when it will be ready for publication.Only the Council for British Archaeology have so far written to me to suggest that responsibility for the more important historic towns should be transferred from the local planning authorities. I am very doubtful whether this would be right, since preservation is so closely bound up with other planning problems.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will issue a circular to local authorities requesting them to appoint municipal commissioners for administration similar to the proposed Parliamentary Commissioner; and if he will introduce legislation to give them powers to do so.

The Government's proposal is that as a first step there should be a Parliamentary Commissioner to investigate complaints of faulty administration by Government Departments. The intention is to obtain experience in this field before considering whether similar arrangements should be made for complaints against other public authorities.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government, in view of the representations already made, if he will now increase the current rates of financial loss allowances, under the Local Government Financial Loss Allowance Regulations 1962.

No immediate increase is proposed. This decision takes account both of the need for public economy at the present time and the fact that changes in these rates are made only at relatively infrequent intervals: the last increase was no more than three years ago. The matter will, however, be reviewed in 1966.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will now take steps to prevent the discharge of untreated sewage into the sea.

My right hon. Friend would not be justified in completely prohibiting the discharge of untreated sewage to the sea as there is no evidence that a properly sited and designed outfall is not safe and effective. The problem is that a number of outfalls now in use are defective. I am circulating in the OFFICIAL REPORT today information about local authorities' current schemes for improving outfalls and for treating their sewage before discharge.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government, how many local authorities are at present pumping untreated sewage into the sea.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the information I am circulating in the OFFICIAL REPORT today about the sewage arrangements of the principal coastal authorities.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what is his policy regarding camping in general, and, in particular, regarding the problems which have arisen in popular holiday areas; and, in view of the rapid growth of camping mentioned in his report, what assurances he has received that suitable sites for tents and caravans would be found by county councils to replace those lost through Article 4 Directions which he has approved; and what sites have been found.

The Town and Country Planning General Development Order allows a good deal of freedom for camping, and my right hon. Friend has no wish to see this freedom curtailed except where there is a special need to protect amenity.It is clearly in everybody's interest that the unspoilt parts of the coast should be effectively safeguarded from unsightly development, but in my right hon. Friend's dealings with the planning authorities he has stressed the importance of making proper provision for holiday development in the right places.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will permit the granting of standard improvement grants to install baths, hot water and inside lavatories in houses needing them, without insisting on a period of existence of the house of 15 years.

My right hon. Friend has no power to do this under the present system. But he will consider the pro- posal in the course of his review of the existing legislation on improvement grants.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what increase or decrease in staff there was in the Department under his control in the period 16th October, 1964 to 15th October, 1965; and what increase or decrease he anticipates in the period up to 15th April, 1966.

Between 16th October, 1964 and 15th October, 1965 the number of staff in my Department decreased by 48. This figure takes account of the transfer, with their responsibilities, of some 270 staff to other Departments.During the next six months the staff must increase; for one thing the Department has to service the Rent Assessment Committees to be established under the Rent Bill. But I cannot yet say what the numbers will be.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government when he intends to introduce cheap loans to councils to build houses to let; if he will ensure that these will be at three per cent. without interfering with present subsidies; and if he will make a statement.

I hope to make a statement shortly about local authority housing finance.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will publish in HANSARD details of the local authorities' housing programmes in the Greater London area for the years 1965 to 1968 and a table of figures showing the comparison with previous performance for each of the London authorities with tenders approved between 1961 to 1964, the programmes approved for 1965–66, and the percentage increase or decrease in each such programme.

The following are the relevant figures:

LONDON HOUSING PROGRAMMES
Authority					Tenders Approved					Programme Approved					Percentage increase in programme
									1961	1962	1963	1964	Total	1965		1966	1967	1968	Total
															%
Greater London Council				…	3,783	4,161	7,839	4,838	20,621	6,000	6,250	8,000	8,100	28,358	37
Barking		…	…	…	222	64	69	285	640	550	450	725	575	2,300	259
Barnet	…	…	…	…	259	300	326	366	1,251	300	575	625	500	2,000	60
Bexley	…	…	…	…	396	97	172	108	773	300	475	675	450	1,900	146
Brent	…	…	…	…	424	79	500	87	1,090	700	1,025	1,300	1,075	4,100	276
Bromley		…	…	…	368	146	146	616	1,276	675	825	500	375	2,375	86
Camden		…	…	…	422	687	22	389	1,520	1,475	1,000	1,025	775	4,275	181
City of London			…	…	24	48	13	1,398	1,483	850	415	60	150	1,475	—
Croydon		…	…	…	637	908	667	551	2,763	1,950	450	200	425	3,025	9
Ealing	…	…	…	…	460	294	548	877	2,179	600	875	750	900	3,125	43
Enfield	…	…	…	…	351	703	669	527	2,250	800	700	725	700	2,925	30
Greenwich		…	…	…	519	535	535	589	2,178	675	950	1,050	1,100	3,775	73
Hackney		…	…	…	524	337	735	419	2,015	700	975	1,050	1,100	3,825	90
Hammersmitr		…	…	…	60	40	412	654	1,166	160	325	450	525	1,460	25
Haringey		…	…	…	316	526	545	444	1,831	700	950	825	950	3,425	87
Harrow		…	…	…	24	18	110	78	230	375	225	475	225	1,300	465
Havering		…	…	…	157	414	318	92	981	1,300	475	500	600	2,875	193
Hillingdon		…	…	…	486	38	107	894	1,525	575	750	800	825	2,950	93
Hounslow		…	…	…	423	530	236	885	2,074	650	1,875	1,100	1,250	4,875	135
Islington		…	…	…	724	153	212	190	1,279	1,100	825	675	800	3,400	166
Kensington and Chelsea				…	—	63	120	83	266	125	275	550	750	1,700	539
Kingston-upon-Thames				…	126	80	38	169	413	400	300	350	375	1,425	245
Lambeth		…	…	…	98	359	219	301	977	250	600	675	925	2,450	151
Lewisham		…	…	…	638	498	319	434	1,889	250	625	750	750	2,375	26
Merton		…	…	…	300	4	198	180	682	265	175	400	625	1,465	115
Newham		…	…	…	979	959	1,026	1,932	4,896	1,775	1,675	1,475	1,425	6,350	30
Redbridge		…	…	…	169	212	251	84	716	620	375	325	350	1,670	133
Richmond		…	…	…	118	361	77	290	846	525	200	250	475	1,450	71
Southwark		…	…	…	467	432	616	1,160	2,675	1,100	1,250	1,800	1,550	5,700	113
Sutton		…	…	…	148	13	294	235	690	100	850	600	350	1,900	175
Tower Hamlets			…	…	620	517	—	366	1,503	630	1,600	700	1,100	4,030	168
Waltham Forest			…	…	738	495	170	925	2,328	1,450	1,400	1,050	1,000	4,900	110
Wandsworth		…	…	…	723	299	919	464	2,405	475	675	1,200	1,200	3,550	48
Westminster		…	…	…	79	27	44	544	694	350	800	975	875	3,000	332
					15,782	14,397	18,472	21,454	70,105	28,750	31,190	32,610	33,150	125,700	79

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether the services of the specialist appointed to advise local authorities on industrialised building will also be available to private developers.

My main purpose in making this appointment was to provide expert advice and help in the large scale organisation of local authority demand for industrialised building. Private developers are most likely to want advice about the availability and characteristics of particular systems of building, and this would best be given by the National Building Agency.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what are the conditions which local authorities must establish before he will relax the restriction on their lending for house purchase; and to which local authorities this exemption has been granted.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will modify the mortgage restrictions imposed on local authorities to enable owner-occupiers whose homes are immediately affected by clearance orders to take up new mortgages through the local authority where desired.

Local authorities were informed in a circular dated 16th August that they should as far as possible restrict advances during the current financial year to the average of the past three years; and that, apart from firm commitments at the date of the statement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 27th July, loan sanction to cover lending beyond this would be given only where there were special reasons. A number of authorities, including Oldham, have succeeded in showing special reasons.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will take steps to extend the provisions for the payment of supplementary compensation to owner-occupiers affected by slum clearance who bought their houses between September 1939 and December 1955.

Yes, The Government propose to introduce a Bill early in the new Session to provide that owner-occupiers in this category, who have had less than 15 years' possession when orders are made on their houses, will continue to qualify for payment after the present provisions end on 12th December. The Bill will also make payment depend on the date a house is included in an order. People who qualify now and whose houses are affected by orders made by 12th December will get the supplement even if their houses have not been purchased or vacated then.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government upon what basis he proposes to divide the proposed annual limit on housing between the public and the private sectors.

I plan to be guided by a periodical review of housing demand in which I hope the organisations concerned with building houses for owner occupiers, no less than the public housing authorities, will be prepared to take part.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how he proposes to control the number of houses built by private enterprise.

I am at present discussing with representatives of the builders, the building societies, the local authorities and other interests how best to secure a rising and predictable programme of private house building.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether his Department has yet completed its examination of the implications for building resources of any given level of improvement of old properties.

Further study is necessary but investigation so far suggests that the improvement of five or six houses makes the same demands on craftsmen as building one new house. The increase which my right hon. Friend wants to see in the rate of improvement will call for an increase in productivity on that kind of work. But of course many firms and craftsmen engaged on improvement work would be unlikely to work on new house-building.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's part in the negotiations to end the Indo-Pakistan war; and what plans he has to take a Commonwealth initiative aimed at restoring good relations on the Indian sub-continent.

Her Majesty's Government gave the fullest support throughout the period of fighting between India and Pakistan to the efforts of the United Nations Secretary-General himself an] to the calls the Security Council issued to both sides to cease fighting. We were very glad when these efforts and the efforts made by many other countries in support of the United Nations' demands for a cease-fire expressed in the Security Council Resolutions of 4th, 6th and 20th September resulted in a ceasefire on the morning of 23rd September. This was an act of wise statesmanship by the Governments of India and Pakistan to which I should like to take this opportunity to pay tribute.Her Majesty's Government will continue to do their best to contribute to a restoration of good relations between India and Pakistan. We hope that the Security Council will shortly he successful in arranging a withdrawal of the armed personnel of both countries. The Security Council has also agreed to consider "the political problem underlying the present conflict". In view of the discussions proceeding in New York, it seems best to defer for the present consideration of a Commonwealth initiative.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations what is the present strength of the Commonwealth Secretariat; and how many of the staff are citizens of the United Kingdom.

I am informed by the Secretary-General that, of 11 senior staff positions to be filled, 6 officers have been appointed, 1 of whom is a United Kingdom Citizen. Of 24 junior positions, 8 officers have been appointed, of whom 3 are United Kingdom Citizens.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations whether he will make a statement on his recent conversations with the Prime Minister and Ministers of Rhodesia.

I should not wish to make any further statement on the Rhodesian situation while my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and Commonwealth Secretary are engaged in discussions in Salisbury.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations what action has been taken with Greece and Turkey, the co-guarantors of the Constitution of Cyprus, and through the United Nations, to maintain the constitutional rights of the Turkish-Cypriot community, and with what result; and whether he will make a statement.

I have nothing to add to the Answer which my right hon. Friend gave to the Question by the right hon. Member for Streatham (Mr. Sandys) on 28th July. When on 5th August the action of the Cyprus Government was debated in the Security Council, our representative made our position clear.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has yet ratified the 1961 United Nations Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness.

No. However, I am glad to say that the technical difficulties referred to in my reply on 26th July, which concerned the drafting of the necessary Order in Council to amend the British Protectorates, Protected States, and Protected Persons Order, 1949, have now been overcome. It is intended to submit the Order to Her Majesty The Queen in Council before the end of this month. When the Order has been made ratification can take place.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will seek to initiate, through the United Nations, an investigation into ways in which economic aid can be given to countries without thereby enabling their own resources to be used for the purchase of arms for aggression.

Economic aid is granted to promote the long-term development of a country's resources, but the control of those resources remains in the sovereign power of the individual country concerned. I do not believe it would be practicable for the United Nations to carry out the investigation proposed. In the event, however, of the United Nations deciding that a country was committing aggression, means are open to it under the Charter of dealing with the situation.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government with regard to Recommendation No. 424, on European and Atlantic economic problems, which was adopted by the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe on 6th May, 1965; and what action the Government has taken or will take on it.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to the hon. Gentleman the Member for Weston-super-Mare (Mr. Webster) on 12th July.

asked the Secretary for Foreign Affairs what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government with regard to Resolution No. 294 on the general policy of the Council of Europe, which was adopted by the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe on 6th May, 1965; and what action the Government has taken or will take on it.

I have nothing to add to the reply I gave to the hon. Gentleman the Member for Weston-super-Mare (Mr. Webster) on 12th July.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government with regard to Resolution No. 295, on the situation of the Jewish Community in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, which was adopted by the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe on 6th May, 1965; and what action the Government has taken or will take on it.

I have nothing to add to the Answer I gave to a similar Question asked by the hon. Gentleman the Member for Weston-super-Mare (Mr. Webster) on 12th July, 1965.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government with regard to Resolution No. 296, in reply to the Third Report of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development to the Council of Europe, May, 1965, which was adopted by the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe on 6th May, 1965; and what action the Government has taken or will take on it, in particular concerning Chapters II, Development assistance, and III, Agriculture.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the written reply given to the hon. Gentleman the Member for Weston-super-Mare (Mr. Webster) on the 12th July by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.As regards Chapter II (Development Assistance) of the Council of Europe Resolution, I would say in amplification that my right hon. Friend the Minister for Overseas Development took part in the Ministerial Meeting of the Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development on the 22nd and 23rd July. Amongst the recommendations made at that meeting was one for an effort by donor countries to increase the amount of assistance given in grant form or at low interest rates. This recommendation was in line both with the Council of Europe Resolution and with my right hon. Friend the Minister for Overseas Development's statement in this House on the 21st June that the United Kingdom would consider making development loans free of interest to developing countries whose economic circumstances warranted it. The recently announced £10 million United Kingdom loan to India is an example.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government with regard to Recommendation No. 415, on statutory limitation as applicable to crimes against humanity, which was adopted by the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe on 28th January, 1965; and what action the Government has taken or will take on it.

I have nothing to add to the reply I gave to the hon. Gentleman the Member for Weston-super-Mare (Mr. Webster) on the 12th of July. Discussion in the Council of Europe on the second part of Recommendation 415 still continues.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how many application forms for claims under the Anglo-German Agreement for compensation to victims of Nazi persecution were sent out by the Department up to 31st July, 1965.

5,900.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how many claims have been registered for compensation under the Anglo-German Agreement of 1964 for compensation to victims of Nazi persecution.

463.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what is now the position concerning negotiations with Hungary about her bonded debts; and whether the talks which were to have taken place this autumn have yet opened.

Talks with the Hungarians have been continuing, but since these are confidential I cannot give any details of them.

asked the Minister of Transport if he is aware of the concern caused on Tyneside by the National Ports Council's decision not to recommend immediate investment on the Tyne; and, in view of the transport needs of the North-East, what proposals he has received for development of the docks on the Tyne.

Yes. But the National Ports Council's Interim Plan is essentially concerned with those major schemes of development most urgently required to provide facilities for deep-sea shipping. It does not purport to be an exhaustive list of all port development that should be carried out and I have stressed that no scheme will be debarred from consideration simply because it is not specifically mentioned in the Plan.I have authorised a new roll-on roll-off terminal at Whitehill Point. No other proposals have so far been received.

asked the Minister of Transport when work will begin on the realignment of Balcombe Road, Horley, at its junction with the London-Brighton A.23 trunk road, and on the installation of traffic signals to control the junction.

Until the statutory processes have been completed I cannot say precisely. At present I expect it to be started in the next financial year.

asked the Minister of Transport what precautionary steps are being taken, against the possibility of a severe winter, to make provision of an adequate supply of mined salt with adequate loading gear in proper working order to ensure speedy delivery to local authorities.

Highway authorities generally are already stocked up or are just completing stocking up with salt in readiness for winter weather. I understand that the suppliers will have further supplies readily available for use this coming winter if needed.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware of the amount of debt outstanding for work done and goods supplied on the construction of the Wye Bridge-Crick section of the M.4 motorway; and what steps his department propose to take to settle these debts.

Certain suppliers have made representations about outstanding debts due by the contractor. As I have already told the right hon. Member by letter, a receiver and manager for the company has been appointed and I am taking all steps necessary to protect the interests of the Ministry, but my Department cannot accept any responsibility for the debts of the company.

asked the Minister of Transport how many road accidents, fatal and otherwise, have been caused by dogs in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

In the 12 months ending 31st July, 1965, dogs were reported as having been in the carriageway in 565—less than 1 per cent.—of the road accidents which resulted in fatal or serious injury.It is rarely possible to assign road accidents to a single cause and the presence of dogs at these accidents does not necessarily mean that they were the primary or even contributory causes of them. Equally, it is possible that dogs may have contributed to unwitnessed accidents when their presence went unknown.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will give the numbers of fatal accidents at Christmas 1964 and the numbers of fatal accidents throughout the year which involved drivers who had consumed alcohol.

During Christmas, 1964, there were 110 fatal accidents in England and Wales over a period of six days. In 44 of these accidents at least one driver or rider had been drinking. A special analysis of post-mortem examinations carried out on road users who died within 12 hours of a road accident during December and January last winter showed that 38 per cent. of drivers or riders who were themselves killed had been drinking. I regret that there is no similar information for the year as a whole; drivers involved in accidents, fatal or otherwise, are not normally tested for alcohol consumption unless their behaviour gives the police reason to suppose that their ability to drive properly is impaired by drink, and post-mortem examination of road accident victims is not the standard practice.

asked the Minister of Transport when he expects work on the Ripley by-pass on the A.3 to begin.

I cannot yet say when it will be possible to include this scheme in a future extension of the trunk road programme, and it is therefore much too early to forecast a date for start of work.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will give a general direction, in the public interest, to the British Railways Board to maintain and improve commuter services into large cities, in view of the overcrowding at peak hours on existing transport.

Such a direction, even if practicable, would not help to achieve the results the hon. Member has in mind. The Railways Board already takes careful account of commuter needs. It is also participating in the comprehensive transportation studies now in progress in London and most other large urban areas. These studies will provide a basis for co-ordinated development of transport services, including commuter rail services where appropriate. In the few cases where the Board has so far proposed closure of lines with substantial commuter traffic which could not be adequately catered for in other ways, I have refused consent: I would, of course, do so again if the need arose.

asked the Minister of Transport how many steam locomotives sold for scrap have been reclaimed by British Railways because of the shortage of steam locomotives; and what is the average cost per engine brought back into service.

The Railways Board informs me that there is no shortage of steam locomotives and it has not been necessary to reclaim any previously sold for scrap.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will give a general direction in the public interest to the British Railways Board not to withdraw coal handling facilities from local railway stations, in view of the increased cost of coal to consumers resulting from this action.

No. Nor can I accept that the rationalisation of the railways coal handling facilities leads in itself to any overall increase in the cost of coal to consumers.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the normal practice regarding the police asking persons who elect to go for trial from a magistrates' court to complete a questionnaire about their antecedents with questions concerning date and place of birth, education, parentage, children, employment, military service, income, position in family if unmarried, for example, fourth child of a family of six; and by what authority the questions are asked.

It is the practice of the police, in accordance with a resolution of the Judges of the Queen's Bench Division, to obtain from a person who is to appear before a superior court information of this nature about his previous history and his domestic and family circumstances.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is aware that in the Report of the Littlewood Committee it is stated that the policy of the Royal Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is not to oppose experiments on animals even where they cause pain, whereas the Society now state that their policy has not changed since 1953 and is opposed to experiments which cause pain to animals; and what representations on this matter shave been made to him by the Society.

The Society has recently drawn my attention to a passage on page 66 of the Report which it regards as misrepresenting its policy towards experimentation on animals. The Society has drawn attention to the preamble to its memoranda of evidence which reads:

"The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is not an anti-vivisection society. It recognises that some amount of experimental work, involving the use of live animals, may be essential in the interests of human beings and animals. Nevertheless, the Society is firmly opposed to all experimentation that causes pain to animals and is convinced that there exists today a most urgent and imperative need substantially to reduce the number of such experiments, as well as to impose more adequate and stringent safeguards against all possible risk of the infliction, in the course of experiments, of unnecessary suffering."

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will amend the cremation regulations so as to allow cremation to take place despite written declaration to the contrary and a change of view.

The Cremation Regulations 1965, which came into operation on 1st June, revoked the provision in the previous Regulations which prohibited the cremation of the body of a person who had left a written direction to the contrary.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many copies of his pamphlet advising the public how to lodge complaints against the police were distributed; and how many complaints there were against the police in the three months prior to publication and in the period since.

As recommended by the Royal Commission on the Police a short leaflet informing the public on the proper procedure to be followed by persons wishing to make a complaint against the police was made available on request at police stations and citizens' advice bureaux. Over 90,000 copies were distributed at the end of August for this purpose.Information about the number of leaflets so far asked for, and about the total number of complaints against the police in particular months, is not available without special inquiry. The figures of complaints for the Metropolitan Police District are as follows:—

Month	No. of complaints from public
June	255
July	266
August	213
Total	734
September	235

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons of various European nationalities have settled in Great Britain since 1945.

No exact statistics are available of foreigners accepted for permanent residence before 1960.The tables below show the numbers of foreigners of the principal European nationalities who were resident in the United Kingdom on 1st January, 1961 (including pre-war residents) and the number who have since been accepted for residence up to the end of 1964. These figures do not allow for wastage due to naturalisation, emigration and death.

Persons of European Nationality resident in the United Kingdom on 1st January, 1961
Polish	93,276
Hungarian	13,552
Russian	12,969
Yugoslav	8,270
Latvian	8,079
Lithuanian	3,632
Estonian	2,485
Czechoslovak	1,980
Roumanian	1,516
Other East European	9,317
Total East European	155,076

Italian	42,234
German	25,103
French	7,835
Austrian	5,897
Dutch	5,861
Spanish	4,924
Swiss	4,599
Belgian	2,985
Danish	2,407
Norwegian	1,660
Greek	1,641
Swedish	1,150
Other West European	1,695
Total West European	107,991

Persons of European Nationality accepted as Residents in the United Kingdom for the period 1st January, 1961–31st December, 1964
Polish	2,481
Hungarian	363
Russian	112
Yugoslav	745
Latvian	6
Lithuanian	—
Estonian	7
Czechoslovak	74
Roumanian	41
Other East European	53
Total East European	3,882
Italian	22,953
German	6,918
French	2,462
Austrian	982
Dutch	1,890
Spanish	8 199
Swiss	1,218
Belgian	470
Danish	1,041
Norwegian	773
Greek	978
Swedish	696
Other West European	1,878
Total West European	50,458

asked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs if he will now make a statement about the South-East Area Study.

My right hon. Friend gave the results of the first part of our review of the South-East in his answer to hon. Members on 4th August and a more detailed account has been given in the National Plan. The next stage of the review is well in hand.

asked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs if he will refer to the National Board for Prices and Incomes the increase in tariffs and charges charged in the area of the North Eastern Electricity Board.

We have carefully considered the possibility of a reference but have come to the conclusion that it is not a suitable case.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what steps he is taking to arrest the rising cost of house building; and if he will make a statement.

Rising costs in house building can best be countered by improving efficiency, and in co-operation with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Housing and Local Government, I am taking all practicable steps towards that end.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what progress has been made in working out the scheme to provide lithographs of works by young artists in rooms used by the public in Government buildings; and if he will publish in HANSARD a list of the works so far acquired and exhibited under this scheme.

Arrangements for the purchase of lithographs on favourable terms have now been completed, and the first batch has been supplied. Some of these have already been delivered to the buildings concerned, and I expect that the remainder will be hung within the next few weeks.The list, which includes 15 artists under 40, is as follows:

Artist	Title
Trevor Allen	Run Race, Here we go
Elizabeth Aslin	Oundle
Lewin Bassingthwaighte	Wall and Gate, Brick Structure
Edward Bawden	Coal Exchange, Stock Exchange
Richard Beer	Covent Garden, Spanish Hillside, Venetian Church, Red Valley
Tadek Beutlich (Polish, lives and works in England)	Magic Pool, Boy wilh Insect
André Bicât	Wellington, Cheltenham and 4 Abstracts
Martin Bradley	Rickshaw, Cart, Black Sun
John Brunsdon	Welsh Valley II, Night Marches
JacCharoux (Mauritius, studied Central School of Art, London)	Diptych, Green, Message I, Message Organique
George Chapman	Repton
Henry Cliffe	The Fates, 3 Figures, Pomona Summer
Jack Coutu	Red Monolith, Witches Moon
Anthony Currell	Memories of Levant I, II & III, Miner
Jennifer Dickson (South African, teaches Brighton College of Art)	Hoochi Coochi Man, Dual Image, Lune sous 1a Mer
Eveline Gibbs	Rock Torso
Alistair Grant	Azincourt I—VIII (small etchings), Window
Anthony Gross	Tumult, Midsummer Night's Dream
Anthony Harrison	Mooring, Night Fishing, Red & Black I, II & III, Requiem I, II & III
Gertrude Hermes	Monarch of the Glen
Walter Hoyle	Henley, Rugby
Allen Jones	That is the Question
Bernard Kay	Las Casas, Cathedral School, Apse of Notre Dame
Edwin La Dell	Westminster, Fosters Fowls, Harty Ferry, Winter Sun
Helena Markson	Set of 6 Lithos of Liverpool, Beaumont
Robert McBryde	Black and Blue Still Life
Ceri Richards	Trafalgar Square I & II
Sheila Robinson	Monckton Combe
Michael Rothenstein	Boats, Farm, Farm & Pig, Farm & Horse, Tournament, Red & White Gothic, Liquito, Cross & Circle
Agatha Sorel (Hungarian, teaches Cam-berwell & Maidstone Schools of Art)	Night Drive, Rochers, Après la Moisson, Peacock, Troubled Square, Fumée
John Sturgess	Primal Symbolic Head, Night Form
Valerie Thornton	Standing Form, Grand Canal, Pan Am., New York City, San Père Soust, Well Cathedral
Julian Trevelyan	London Suite (set of six)
John Ward	Inns of Court (set of five)

asked the Secretary of State for Defence to what extent the recent changes in the Federation of Malaysia will affect British defence commitments in that area.

There has been no immediate effect on our commitments as a result of Singapore's independence. It is too soon to say what (if any) the ultimate effects may be.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the annual cost of the maintenance of the depôt at Nepal; how many staff are maintained there; and what is the estimated cost of the recruitment of each Gurkha soldier.

The annual cost of maintaining the depot is £710,000 and 182 military personnel and about 1,050 civilians, some of them part-time, are employed there. Taking into account the fact that the staff at the depôt provide transit, medical, resettlement, and welfare services for the Gurkhas and are engaged on other tasks in connection with their employment, the estimated cost of the recruitment of each Gurkha soldier is £56.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will notify national Service men demobilised before 1961 of the conditions now attaching to uniforms kept by them at the time of their demobilisation.

National Service men are no longer expected to maintain uniforms kept by them on demobilisation. Before they dispose of them or put them to personal use, they should remove badges of rank, medal ribbons, official buttons and any other marks of identification.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent on Army accommodation for the British Army, of the Rhine during the past five years, divided between sterling and German marks.

Much accommodation for the Army is held in Germany at no cost to the British Government but estimated expenditure for all hired accommodation for the British Army of the Rhine for the last five years is as follows:

	£
1960–61	800,000
1961–62	2,000,000
1962–63	2,350,000
1963–64	3,800,000
1964–65	4,700,000
Total	£13,650,000

Estimated expenditure on works services for all accommodation for the British Army of the Rhine, excluding Berlin, during the same period is as follows:

	£
1960–61	4,600,000
1961–62	4,600,000
1962–63	6,000,000
1963–64	8,800,000
1964–65	11,000,000
Total	£35,000,000

A precise division of expenditure on accommodation and works services between that in Sterling and that in Deutschmarks is not possible but the great bulk is in Deutschmarks.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of the United Kingdom's adverse balance of trade with Europe is represented by the costs of the British Army of the Rhine.

I have been asked to reply.The foreign exchange cost of our forces in Germany was £86 million in 1964. The Federal Government has recognised the burden which this large component of our overseas military expenditure presents and is making offsetting purchases in the United Kingdom. There is no direct relationship between this expenditure and the balance of United Kingdom visible trade with Western Europe, which, including United Kingdom exports under the offset arrangements, was favourable by £77 million last year. Nevertheless, both figures are important components of our overall balance of payments accounts.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) whether he will arrange for standard charges to be made for embalming the bodies of Service men who are killed or die while serving in overseas theatres;(2) whether he will lay down maximum and minimum charges for the transport home of embalmed bodies of Service men who are killed or die while serving in overseas theatres, so that those families who are prepared to incur the expense of such transport can be aware of the cost, and not have to make their own arrangements through local undertakers, who have to rely on civilian airlines.

If a Service man dies in North West Europe, we offer his next of kin the choice of bringing the body home at public expense, or of flying out two relatives to attend the Service funeral. There are obvious practical difficulties about extending this arrangement to more distant areas with different climatic conditions save in exceptional cases, but we are about to review these arrangements. Embalming will be considered during this review.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether Her Majesty's Government will propose that the new United Nations body concerned with trade and development should establish its main office in the capital of Scotland, in view of the existing pressure on space and housing in London and of the proved suitability of Edinburgh as a conference centre.

No. I do not think that for practical reasons any city in the United Kingdom except London would be likely to be found acceptable by the other Governments represented on the Trade and Development Board of U.N.C.T.A.D.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will state the total value of furniture imports into the United Kingdom for the year 1964 and the first half of 1965; and what percentage of such imports came from Eastern European countries, including Yugoslavia.

The information is as follows:

IMPORTS OF FURNITURE INTO THE UNITED KINGDOM
Period	Total Imports	Percentage coming from Eastern Europe including Yugoslavia*
	£'000
January-December, 1964	8,327	40·4
January-June, 1965	4,248	36·6
* Soviet Union, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Eastern Germany, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Albania, Bulgaria, Roumania and Yugoslavia.

asked the Prime Minister what progress has been made by Her Majesty's Government towards a peaceful settlement of the Malaysian-Indonesian conflict.

I have been asked to reply.This is a matter to which Her Majesty's Government are giving continuous and urgent attention but I have no statement to make to the House at this time.

asked the Prime Minister if he will make a statement about his correspondence with the Prime Minister of Rhodesia.

I have been asked to reply.I am sure the House will understand that this is not the moment to answer Questions on this subject.

asked the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the progress made by Her Majesty's Government towards a peaceful settlement in Vietnam.

asked the Prime Minister what progress has been made in the last three months by the Commonwealth Peace Mission on the solution of the problem of Vietnam; and what initiatives by the mission are contemplated.

I have been asked to reply.Since my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary reported to the House before the Recess, I regret to say that it has not been possible to make progress towards peace in Vietnam despite all the efforts that have been made by the British Government, the Commonwealth Mission, other Governments and the world leaders concerned. The obstacle remains North Vietnamese insistence on prior acceptance of Mr. Pham Van Dong's Four Points. Her Majesty's Government will continue their efforts to promote unconditional discussions which we regard as offering the only route to a negotiated peace in Vietnam.

asked the Prime Minister if the Government will take steps to bring the docks under public ownership.

I have been asked to reply.The Government attach a very high importance to the efficient working of the docks and are urgently considering ways in which their efficiency can be improved. Many ports are, of course, already publicly owned.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many cases of sheep worrying by dogs have been recorded in the last 12 months for which figures are complete; and what estimates are available of the value of the loss to the farming community.

In 1964 3,260 cases of sheep worrying by dogs are recorded as having been reported to the Police in England and Wales. 4,319 sheep were reported killed and 4,049 injured. We have no information from which to estimate the financial loss.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will now seek to issue directions for the date stamping of perishable prepacked foods.

In its comprehensive Report on Food Labelling, the Food Standards Committee took the view that a requirement for date stamping was not practical because so much depended not on the date of manufacture but on the material used and the conditions of transport and storage. After studying the Report and the many comments made about it, I have not included such a requirement in my proposals for new labelling regulations issued recently. I shall, of course, take into account any further representations that may be made on this question.