asked the Postmaster-General what arrangements will be made to ensure that subscribers are not charged for wrong numbers when all-digit dialling is introduced.

The existing arrangements for ensuring that subscribers are not charged for wrong numbers, will not be affected by the introduction of all-figure dialling. Subscribers at present report wrong numbers to the operator who either establishes a call without further charge or arranges for a credit to be recorded.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will consider the introduction of concessionary telephone rentals or provide a number of unlimited calls at standard rates for the old and the chronic sick whenever subscriber trunk dialling is introduced.

No. But as the House knows I am looking into other possibilities which may help those who have a need for emergency communications and I hope to make an announcement later.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will give the proposed sites and heights of Post Office communications towers.

The Post Office Tower in London is 620 ft. high and a similar one in Birmingham will be 500 ft. high. There are—or shortly will be—109 Post Office communications towers in use, ranging from 30 to 300 ft. in height and linking different parts of the country on sites about 25 miles apart.If my hon. Friend is interested in any particular tower, I will be pleased to send him details.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he will circularise all premium bond winners who have not claimed their winnings and do so in future to all winners six months after their names were drawn.

It is already the practice to follow up all cases of unclaimed prizes through the local head postmaster. Lists are also exhibited in many post offices. I do not think that a routine circular after six months would be worth while.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he will make a statement on progress in the establishment of a postal Giro service following the appointment of the director of Giro.

A site for the Giro Central Office has been chosen at Bootle and arrangements are well under way for the purchase of about 15 acres of land which will be required for the initial buildings. Specifications for the buildings have been completed and work on their design is in hand. The Giro system is now being designed in detail on the basis of the most up-to-date computer techniques in prospect and taking into account the likely requirements of the users of the service. Discussions with the clearing banks on arrangements for links between Giro and the banking system are taking place. A firm of consultants has been engaged to advise on the use of programme evaluation review techniques in the network analysis which is essential if Giro is to be in operation at the earliest possible date.

asked the Postmaster-General why a package posted in Northampton on 5th October and a package posted in Sheffield on 6th October, the covers of which have been sent to him, were not delivered in Gosport until 13th October.

I am having inquiries made about the delay in delivery and will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

asked the Postmaster-General if he is satisfied with the facilities for transmission at Newcastle allocated by the British Broadcasting Corporation to serve the North-East area with sound and television programmes; and if he will recommend to the British Broadcasting Corporation that action should be taken in the North-East in order to improve reception.

It is for the broadcasting authorities in the first place to decide what measures to take to improve the reception or extend the coverage of their services.The B.B.C. tells me that reception of its television and V.H.F. sound services in most parts of the North-East is satisfactory. There are, however, some localities including parts of the hon. Member's constituency, where reception is difficult.I am sure that the Corporation will bear in mind the needs of these places along with those of others where reception is poor or non-existent, when putting forward for my approval the next stage of its plan to extend and improve the coverage of its television and V.H.F. sound services.Reception in the North-East of the B.B.C.'s sound programmes on long and medium wavelengths suffers in the North-East as it does elsewhere from continental interference. The B.B.C. points out that this is, of course, why these programmes are transmitted also on V.H.F.

asked the Postmaster-General when he expects to make a statement on the introduction of colour television.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the Answer I gave yesterday to my hon. Friend the Member for Heywood and Royston (Mr. Barnett).

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recommendations he proposes to make regarding seals in The Wash following the investigations carried out on his instructions into the food, habits and effect on fishing in that area of these animals.

I cannot at present forecast the results of this investigation which has only recently started and will not be completed until 1968.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will introduce measures to ensure that control of the number of seals is carried out by qualified and licensed operators so that the animals are humanely destroyed and their carcases properly disposed of.

The Grey Seals Protection Act already secures this in the case of the grey seal. As regards the common seal, I have nothing to add to the statement which my hon. Friend made in reply to a similar Question by the hon. Member on 16th March.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he expects to receive the Report on intensive farming methods; and whether it will be published.

My right hon. friend and I have now received this Report and it will certainly be published in due course. In the meantime I should like to thank Professor Brambell and his colleagues for the thorough way in which they have carried out their work.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the latest figure of the total number of ponies being exported to the Continent; and what proportion is slaughtered.

The returns of animals exported do not distinguish between horses and ponies. In the first nine months of 1965, however, the Department dealt with applications in respect of 2,444 ponies. None were exported ostensibly for slaughter and I am inquiring into reports that some were in fact slaughtered.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will give the names of the 14 smallholders of Thirdpart, West Kilbride, who on 19th May had intimated their agreement to his proposal to increase their rent by 110 per cent.

No, it would breach the usual confidentiality of relations between landlord and tenant to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent steps he has taken to extend comprehensive secondary education in Scotland.

MANPACK SETS
SR A40	…	…	VHF set used mainly at Platoon-Company level							10 lbs.
SR A41	…	…	VHF set used mainly at Battalion-Company level							22 lbs.
WS A510	…	…	HF set for jungle use			…	…	…	…	20 lbs.
WS 62	…	…	HF set	…	…	…	…	…	…	62 lbs.
SR A13	…	…	HF set incorporating the latest transistorised techniques and advanced tuning facilities, for use where VHF is unsuitable, for example, in the Far East							30 lbs. basic set
										48 lbs. high power set (valve amplifier)
										40 lbs. high power set (transistorised amplifier)
SR A43	…	…	UHF set for ground to air work, e.g. with helicopters							21 lbs.
HF 156	…	…	HF set	…	…	…	…	…	…	39 lbs.
VEHICLE-BORNE SETS
SR C42	…	…	VHF set for use mainly at Battalion-Company level							308 lbs.
SR B47	…	…	VHF set used mainly between Infantry and Royal Armoured Corps at Platoon-Battalion level							240 lbs.
SR C11	…	…	General purpose HF set at Battalion Headquarters							378 lbs.

As to the second part of the Question, the Infantry have, as well as the WS 62, two sets for use in jungle warfare: the relatively light HF set, the WS A510, and the modern transistorised A13 HF set which is in the course of largely replacing it and which has been designed for world-wide use and incorporates many improved facilities suitable for jungle

I am issuing today a circular calling on education authorities to further the reorganisation of secondary education on comprehensive lines. It indicates various ways in which this may be done in the light of local circumstances. I have asked education authorities to review their existing arrangements and to inform me by 31st March next of their general intentions for reorganisation.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the weight of the present infantry battalion wireless sets; and what proposals he has to design and issue lighter sets especially for jungle use.

Infantry battalions have a series of manpack and of vehicle-borne wireless sets in the HF, VHF and UHF bands and these, with the weight of the basic station are listed below:warfare. The possibility of providing within the next few years a lightweight man-portable wireless set designed especially for operations in the jungle is also being examined and for the more distant future, a complete new range of lightweight transistorised manpack and vehicle-borne radios is under development.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what airfields, Army camps and other Service stations which are not in full use are at present held by his Department; and what is the total area of land which is involved.

Forty-two airfields, camps and stations are not fully used at present but are held to meet changing tasks and requirements: they cover some 16,000 acres. This does not include camps and barracks which have been declared redundant and are for disposal, nor those which are being rebuilt.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will re-equip infantry battalions serving in the Far East with a new type of webbing equipment especially for jungle use; and when this will take place.

All troops engaged in jungle operations in the Far East are provided with the 1944 pattern of webbing. This allows equipment to be held higher on the body than the 1958 pattern in use in other theatres and accordingly

£ millions
—			Germany	Mediterranean	Middle East	Far East (excluding Hong Kong)	Hong Kong
Personnel	…	…	87	31	23	85	7
Equipment		…	60	18	16	128	3
Building	…	…	12	7	9	11	2
Welfare*	…	…	12	5	3	9	2
Other Costs		…	9	6	9	22	1
			180	67	60	255	15
These figures are based on the spring's functional costings and are currently under revision.
* Includes net expenditure on family housing.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement regarding the faults that have been discovered in the hull of the Dreadnought submarine.

A routine survey carried out while H.M.S. "Dreadnought" was in dock last August revealed hairline cracks

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if the Government review of pensions for naval widows is now complete; and what decision has been taken.

I will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible after the Queen's Speech.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will provide a functional analysis of the costs of overseas theatres in terms of the costs of personnel, equipment, buildings and welfare services, respectively.

The approximate analysis is given in the following table:associated with some welds in the submarine.The construction of "Dreadnought," like that of other submarines, provides very substantial reserves of strength and at no time do we consider "Dreadnought's" safety to have been at risk. However, repair and strengthening work is being carried out wherever we think an addition to the safety margin to be desirable.When this work is complete, a series of sea trials will be made by "Dreadnought" early next year to study the behaviour of the affected areas, and there will be detailed metallographic surveys.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will now consider appointing Chatham dockyard to construct nuclear attack submarines, in view of the need for these vessels and the likelihood that the two yards already designated for their construction will be unable to carry out the programme on time.

No. Our existing arrangements should suffice.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will take steps to help those local authorities which have not been able to assist their elderly people with concessionary bus fares, because of there being more than one transport authority and in certain cases private transport undertakings, running bus services in the area.

Local authorities can arrange for travel concessions on their own transport undertakings and on those of other local authorities. These arrangements have not been extended to cover company undertakings for the reasons which were explained during the passage of the Travel Concessions Act, 1964.

asked the Minister of Transport what steps he has taken since July in order to improve the standard of efficiency of braking systems on heavy goods vehicles; and if he will make a statement.

Draft amendments to Construction and Use Regulations to require improved braking efficiencies for new goods vehicles were circulated on 1st September and I am now considering the observations I have received upon them. In consultation with my Working Party on Brakes I am also considering strengthening the braking requirements for existing vehicles.

asked the Minister of Transport what results he has achieved in his efforts to ensure that there is adequate inspection of heavy goods vehicles in the interests of public safety.

The increased effort devoted to spot inspections of goods vehicles does not appear yet to have brought about any general improvement. Nevertheless, operators have been induced to take collective measures to improve vehicle maintenance standards; and I particularly welcome the initiative of the Traders' Road Transport Association in establishing a maintenance inspection service. The spot inspections will continue, and I am also pressing on with my plans for the annual testing of the heavier goods vehicles.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will take steps to improve the system of waterways in Great Britain; what study he has made of "New Waterways", the interim report on this matter of a development committee appointed by the Council of the Inland Waterways Association, a copy of which has been sent to him; and if he will make a statement.

The British Waterways Board has now almost completed the detailed engineering, financial and costing review envisaged in its Interim Report. This will have to be considered with other new material—including "New Waterways"—before I can make a statement.

asked the Minister of Transport what are his reasons for refusing to receive a delegation from the West of England Transport Joint Co-ordinating Committee, consisting of elected representatives of the county councils and other local government authorities in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset, as well as county National Farmers' Union branches, who wish to submit the case for a co-ordinated transport policy for the West Country.

The Committee sent me a list of points on railway passenger closures and associated matters which, it appeared, could be dealt with in correspondence. It has not so far sent me anything which could be described as a case for a co-ordinated transport policy for the West Country. If it does, I will of course examine it with care.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will appoint an interdepartmental committee to look into the question of child road casualties, in view of the fact that it is 30 years since the last report of such a committee.

The National Road Safety Advisory Council which I set up earlier this year, is already giving special attention to children's training. This work has the fullest support of my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and Science. The Council will also be reviewing other measures designed to provide greater safety for children, and I do not think that an inter-departmental committee could, at this stage, add to the effectiveness of what is now in hand.

asked the Minister of Transport, in view of the fact that the majority of radio listeners during summer months are people travelling in cars, what assistance his Department gives to the British Broadcasting Corporation in broadcasting advice on safe driving, with a view to improving road safety.

					1962		1963		1964
Drivers and Riders of Motor Vehicles					Killed	Killed and Seriously Injured	Killed	Killed and Seriously Injured	Killed	Killed and Seriously Injured
Aged under 25			…	…	1,091	21,983	1,143	22,861	1,401	26,298
All Ages		…	…	…	2,716	45,437	2,867	46,923	3,246	51,377
Under 25 as Percentage of All Ages	…	…	…	…	40	48	40	49	43	51

Responsibility for programme content rests, of course, with the British Broadcasting Corporation. At the same time my Department is in frequent touch with the Corporation on matters affecting safer driving and improved road safety. This is a continuous process and I am grateful to the B.B.C.—in particular its motoring unit—for the help given in publicising road safety measures on sound radio.

asked the Minister of Transport what additional road improvements he is authorising to deal with increased road traffic resulting from the switch of the British United Airways air ferry from Hurn to Southampton; and what schemes in the area surrounding Hurn will be delayed.

I have not received any proposals on this account from the highway authorities directly concerned.

asked the Minister of Transport (1) in how many road accidents in the years 1962, 1963 and 1964 the drivers of the vehicles involved were under the age of 25;(2) how many deaths arose from road accidents in the years 1962, 1963 and 1964, in which the drivers of the vehicles involved were under the age of 25.

Information is not available in the form requested by my hon. Friend. However, the table below compares deaths and serious injuries to drivers and riders of motor vehicles aged under 25 with those to all drivers and riders.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will now authorise the use of a red reflecting triangle by private motorists and commercial road users to signify accident or breakdown.

I hope shortly to be able to do this.

asked the Minister of Transport how it is proposed to give effect to the Government's assurance to the London Transport Board that it will not have to bear the loss in revenue caused by the postponement of fare increases planned by the Board for this year.

I intend to make payments to the Board during the remainder of 1965 totalling £3·85 million, the amount of the additional revenue which the Board estimated the proposed increases would have brought in by the end of the year. A Winter Supplementary Estimate making provision for these payments will be presented to the House early in the new session. Pending the availability of Supply they will be financed from the Civil Contingencies Fund.The Government have not yet completed their examination of the conditions under which the Board operates. The House will be informed of their conclusions as soon as possible.

asked the Minister of Transport what progress has been made in constructing toilet facilities on trunk roads in the four pilot scheme counties; and what is the sum earmarked for this purpose.

The total sum earmarked for the Exchequer one-third contributions to toilets provided by local authorities under the scheme is £50,000. We are now including in the scheme toilets which local authorities are willing to provide in other counties as well as the four originally proposed.So far two toilets have been provided. Plans for a further seven are well advanced and discussions on others are proceeding.

asked the Minister of Transport whether, in view of the state of the Newcastle section of the coast road under the alterations at present in operation, he will take steps to ensure the safety of the travelling public and workmen on the site.

The Newcastle County Borough Council, as highway authority, is responsible for the works in progress on this section of the coast road. I am sure that the Council has well in mind the need for safety precautions.

asked the Minister of Transport, in view of his recently announced long-term road plan for East-West communications in the East Riding, what road improvements or building will take place before 1970.

Work on by-passes of Elloughton and Thorne is planned to start in this period. Some smaller schemes will also be undertaken.

asked the Minister of Transport why the footbridge at Welton, which was to be built in August, has not yet been started.

Tenders for the construction of the bridge were to be submitted in August but work was not expected to start in that month. A tender has now been accepted and the bridge will be built as soon as possible. But it will take several months to manufacture its component parts before site work can begin.

asked the Minister of Transport what procedures are laid down for local opinion to be considered in urban and rural districts in the matter of road safety crossings and other relevant matters; and if he is satisfied that due weight is given to local opinion as opposed to advice which may be proffered by his Departmental officers.

The initiative in proposing pedestrian crossing facilities lies primarily with the local highway or agent authorities, whose views are taken fully into account. My Department can advise me as to the experience in the country as a whole and I must obviously also pay due regard to this.

asked the Minister of Transport if he is satisfied that the road from Eton Wick to Dorney is safe for motor traffic, in view of the number of cattle straying across the road; and if he will make a statement.

It is for the Buckinghamshire County Council, as highway authority, to determine the need for safety measures on this road. I am sure the County Council is alive to its responsibilities.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will now reconsider his refusal to permit the provision of a light-controlled pedestrian crossing at Burlington Road, Slough.

I am advised that there has been no change in conditions at this site which would justify a reversal of my predecessor's decision.

asked the Minister of Transport if, in view of recent economic measures, the estimated completion date of the M.5 south of Quinton to Great Barr is still the autumn of 1968.

Owing to the complicated engineering problems involved, it is not expected that this section of motorway will be completed before 1969.There is no reason to suppose that the current deferment measures should affect this target date.

asked the Minister of Transport, in the light of the hardship finding of the Transport Users' Consultative Committee, if the Manchester-Oldham-Rochdale passenger train services will continue.

I have only recently received the report of the Committee on the Railways Board's proposal to close these services and I cannot yet say when I shall be able to give my decision.

asked the Minister of Aviation what estimate he has made of the potential market for the Anglo-French project for the Breguet 121 and the Anglo-French variable geometry fighter project.

Both Governments are confident that in addition to their combined national requirements there is a big world market for a light strike/trainer aircraft in the 1970s, and a good potential for a medium-size variable geometry aircraft in a rather later time-scale.

asked the Minister of Aviation what assistance he will give to British contractors to enable them to compete on a fair basis with American firms for sub-contracts now available on the Phantom.

If a British item is satisfactory technically and can be delivered at the time demanded by the aircraft production programme, we are prepared, if necessary, to pay up to 20 per cent. more than the cost of the U.S. source of supply.

asked the Minister of Aviation when he expects an interim report from the consultants engaged at Short Brothers and Harland, Belfast; and whether he will make a statement about the future of employment there.

The question of an interim report from the consultants is a matter for my right hon. Friend the First Secretary of State.

asked the Minister of Aviation what proposals the Government have for international agreement upon conditions for the transport of animals by air.

asked the Minister of Aviation if he will take the initiative in suggesting to the International Air Transport Association that minimum standards should be laid down for the transport of animals by air.

My Department has already suggested to the International Air Transport Association the drawing up, for adoption by its members, of more comprehensive regulations on this subject. A Committee of the Association has recommended that a specialist study group should be set up for this purpose.In addition, a Committee of Experts of the Council of Europe, on which the United Kingdom is represented, is drafting a Convention on the international carriage of animals by all forms of transport.

asked the Minister of of Aviation on what date he first knew of the official visit in early September by M. Jacquet, the French Minister of Public Works and Transport.

M. Jacquet accepted my invitation on 17th May last, but the details of his programme were not finally settled until shortly before his arrival.

asked the Minister of Aviation whether it is the policy of the Government to transfer air services from Hurn Airport to Southampton; and what consideration he has given to the adverse effect on western counties like Dorset.

Government policy is not involved. Provided they have the necessary air service licences, the choice of airport lies within the commercial discretion of the airlines.

asked the Minister of Aviation how many vacancies exist at present in this country for air traffic control officers.

The National Air Traffic Control Service is expanding, and my Department is at present aiming to recruit 150 new air traffic control officers a year.

asked the Minister of Aviation what is the cost of the new aids to navigation that are to be installed at Rochester Airport; what proportion of the cost will be borne by the Government; and when the aids are expected to come into operation.

The Rochester City Corporation, which owns the airport, applied some time ago for assistance under the Technical Aid Scheme and we have arranged to make it a grant at the standard rate of 50 per cent. towards the purchase and installation of certain items of equipment, the estimated cost of which totals £4,800. The equipment is expected to be in operation by 30th November.

asked the Minister of Aviation, what future he envisages for Rochester Airport; and what help he intends to give in order to ensure that sufficient traffic is generated to avoid the need for subsidy from the local ratepayers.

I understand that the Rochester City Corporation intend to maintain its aerodrome and it will, therefore, continue to be available to serve the civil aviation needs, both public and private, of the locality.As regards the generation of traffic, I have no powers to direct airlines or private fliers to use a particular airport, but the financial assistance which I am giving Rochester Airport will help to ensure that it is equipped to the standard necessary for public transport operations.

asked the Minister of Aviation what is the total sum of money paid by him to electronic and other companies which have incurred development and other costs connected with the TSR2 programme.

I cannot at present improve on my earlier estimate of £195 million. Negotiations with all the companies concerned are not yet complete.

asked the Minister of Aviation what support he is giving to the Air Transport Licensing Board in its efforts to protect package tour holidaymakers against unscrupulous travel firms.

The Air Transport Licensing Board is responsible for licensing the airlines, not the travel agents, but it is nevertheless with my full encouragement doing what it can to ensure the good standing of the tour organisers. My own Department, which controls permits to foreign air transport operators in this field, applies as far as possible the same standards as does the Board.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will hold discussions with the Ford Motor Company in order to keep up employment on Merseyside, which is a development area where little alternative work is available, rather than at Dagenham.

I understand that since early October there has been no short-time working at any of the Ford Motor Company's plants. The firm announced recently its confidence that the demand for its products would enable full-time working to continue in the foreseeable future.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the further acquisition of filling-stations by petrol companies, and the continued pressure by such companies on retailers to enter into the same restrictive covenants as heretofore, he will now as a matter of urgency introduce orders to give effect to the recommendation of the Monopolies Commission.

My right hon. Friend intends to make a statement as soon as possible.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what was the type and total tonnage of food imports that increased the deficit in the balance of payments in July, 1965.

Food imports did not cause any worsening of the balance of payments in July, 1965. In addition to values, tonnages are given in the Overseas Trade Accounts for most items of food.

asked the President of the Board of Trade when he expects to announce a decision with regard to the proposed removal of the Patent Office from Central London.

Shortly, I hope.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what action he has taken, following the evidence he has received from the hon. Member for Manchester, Wythenshawe, on the-subject of improper doorstep selling techniques.

The police have made a full investigation into the activities of the magazine salesmen to which my hon. Friend refers and I have written to tell him the outcome of the investigation.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations what progress has been made in the formation of a Commonwealth Secretariat; and to what extent trade within the Commonwealth will come under its purview.

The Memorandum on the Commonwealth Secretariat agreed at the Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Meeting in June was presented to Parliament as Cmnd. 2713 in July.In accordance with the Memorandum the Commonwealth Secretariat has now been established in Marlborough House. The Secretary-General arrived to take up his duties in London on 17th August. His two Deputies have been appointed and will shortly take up their posts. Three other senior and eight junior officers have taken up their duties and the process of appointing the remaining staff is continuing.On the subject of Commonwealth trade I would refer the hon. Member to the paragraphs in the Memorandum on economic affairs which describe the roles the Secretariat will play in the economic field.

asked the Minister of Health following the decision taken at the recent Commonwealth Medical Conference to provide 50 places for young doctors to serve abroad in various territories, how many doctors he estimates will not be available during the first three years for the National Health Service; and whether he is aware of the acute shortage in some areas of general practitioners.

These appointments will be for a maximum duration of two to three years. If all the places are taken up, between 100 and 150 doctors will not be available to the National Health Service during any three year period. I am of course aware of the shortage of general practitioners and other doctors in this country, but also of the shortage of doctors in developing countries in the Commonwealth, and of the extent to which doctors from overseas work here in the National Health Service.

asked the Minister of Health if, before authorising the release for sale to the public of corned beef from the same consignment as that which gave rise to the Aberdeen typhoid epidemic, he will ensure that it carries a distinctive mark to enable any purchaser to distinguish it from other supplies.

I am informed that all the relevant tins from the establishment associated by the Committee of Inquiry with the outbreak have left the country. The question of marking them therefore does not arise.As to the other stocks which have been withheld from the home market on the advice of the Government, my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has said that the Government have informed the trade that they do not propose to release their own stocks of the meat in question; and that the Government have already been informed by the major importers that they for their part will not dispose of their stocks on the home market for human consumption. Other private stockholders are considering their position in the light of these two decisions.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state the number of Rolls-Royce motor cars used by Government Departments and list the relevant Departments and the number of such cars allocated to each Department, respectively.

Thirty-three. All these cars are operated by the Diplomatic Service Administration Office for the official use of Her Majesty's Ambassadors and High Commissioners overseas.

asked the Minister of Technology what steps he has now taken to encourage practical research and development on the desalting of sea water for industrial use.

As I announced on 27th April, in reply to my hen. Friend the Member for Barking (Mr. Driberg), I have made the Atomic Energy Authority responsible for Government research and development into methods of desalination. The initial programme involves expenditure of about £1·5 million from public funds. Further substantial sums will be spent by industry with whom the Authority is co-operating closely.The Authority and industry have completed a design for a plant to produce 30 million gallons of fresh water a day from sea water. Further design work has been done, particularly in respect of dual purpose plants for producing electric power and fresh-water from nuclear reactors, and economic studies on these plants have been carried out in some detail.At the recent international conference on desalination in Washington the great contribution made by Britain in the field of desalination in the past was recognised. More than two-thirds of all land-based desalination capacity in the world, in- cluding the world's biggest sea-water distillation plant at Kuwait—1·4 million gallons a day—was built by British industry. Much interest was also shown, in Washington, in details of the British design studies for combined power and distillation plants. The Authority, in conjunction with Weir Westgarth and the nuclear engineering industry, has done a great deal of work on optimising the steam cycle of these dual purpose plants, and this work is continuing.The flash distillation process—a British invention—remains the most promising process so far available. Every effort is being made to improve the technical and economic efficiency of the process. In addition, work has been started on alternative processes, such as reverse osmosis and electrodialysis, which may become increasingly important in future.