asked the Minister of Health if he will make a statement on his correspondence with the editor of the Grocers Gazette on the subject of imported corned beef; and if he will state the position regarding the stocks of imported corned beef, indicating what steps he is taking to protect people from infection by it.

In reply to requests for evidence supporting allegations made in this publication on 1st January, the editor referred my Department to an article to be published on 8th January. This, however, did not contain any such evidence. With regard to the second part of the Question, I would refer my hon. and learned Friend to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Huddersfield, West (Mr. Lomas) on 26th January, 1966, by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

asked the Minister of Health whether, in view of the fact that the present safeguards for the sale of soft ice cream from motor vehicles are inadequate, he will seek to give local authorities greater powers to ensure proper and safe standards of hygiene.

I do not think this is necessary as the Ice Cream (Heat Treatment, etc.) Regulations 1959 and the Food Hygiene (General) Regulations 1960 already provide all the necessary powers.

asked the Minister of Health how many disabled drivers of invalid tricycles issued by the National Health Service in all parts of the United Kingdom are haemophiliacs.

Sixty-one in England and Wales.

asked the Minister of Health if he will undertake a study of the effects of adding chalk to flour, with a view to terminating the practice.

Clinical and dietary studies are in hand and I cannot prejudge their outcome.

asked the Minister of Health what steps he has taken to analyse the causes of the increase in the issue of prescribed medicines since the abolition of prescription charges; and if he will make a statement.

I do not think a precise analysis is possible. A number of factors are involved but their relative influence cannot be reliably assessed.

asked the Minister of Health what are the factors which are now inhibiting the full carrying out of the experimental incentive scheme for maintenance workers in the National Health Service.

Some of the maintenance staff are not yet willing to cooperate.

asked the Minister of Health if he will seek to prevent doctors being circulated with excessive amounts of literature from drug and appliance manufacturers.

It would be difficult to define what is excessive; doctors aggrieved at the amount of promotional literature they receive should ask manufacturers to omit them from their mailing lists.

asked the Minister of Health if he is satisfied with the arrangements that exist in the Bournemouth area for the screening of women for cervical cancer tests; and if he will take measures to advertise the importance of this service.

The screening facilities in the Bournemouth area are limited by shortage of trained technicians and laboratory facilities, but they are being steadily expanded. Publicity for the screening service is a matter for local arrangements, co-ordinated with the development of facilities.

asked the Minister of Health what estimate he has made of the cost of providing, through the National Health Service, suitable hearing aids for severely deaf people who derive little benefit from the Medresco aids.

I am investigating possible ways of helping these patients, but I am not yet able to make such an estimate.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will review the work of the Council for Professions Supplementary to Medicine to ensure that chiropodists, who are giving good service to the community, are not denied the opportunity of appealing against their exclusion from the Register.

No. There is for appropriate cases a procedure for appeals, governed by Rules approved by the Privy Council.

asked the Minister of Health if he will state his policy on voluntary health insurance.

This is not a matter in which I have any statutory responsibility.

asked the Minister of Health, why there has been no child psychiatrist in the Bolton area since August 1965; which qualified child psychiatrist is at present caring for patients in that area; and where his surgeries are held.

The child psychiatrist for this area resigned in August 1965, and despite repeated advertisement of the vacancy it has not proved possible to appoint a successor. Children requiring psychiatric help may be referred to the two consultant psychiatrists at Bolton Royal Infirmary.

asked the Minister of Health by what authority he is offering to indemnify local authorities and water undertakers involved in legal proceedings arising from fluoridation of the water supply.

In accordance with my general duty under the National Health Service Act, 1946.

asked the Minister of Health if he will introduce legislation to enable local authorities to guarantee a minimum income to general practitioners who agree to practise in Section 21 Health Centres.

While I am anxious to encourage the development of health centre practice, I do not think it would be proper to place upon local authorities the obligation suggested by my hon. Friend.

asked the Minister of Health what progress has been made in the establishment of a full cervical cancer test service for Swansea; and what shortages of staff now remain.

In the Glantawe group of which Swansea is a part nearly 400 smears are being examined per month. The Hospital Management Committee consider that two additional technicians are needed to provide a full service for the group.

asked the Minister of Health if he will give the total number of doctors in general practice in England and Wales and available to the National Health Service at the last date for which statistics are available; and what were the numbers of withdrawals from the additions to the medical list during the 12 months preceding that date.

The total number of principals providing full general medical services in England and Wales at 1st October, 1965, was 20,027. The numbers of admissions and withdrawals during the preceding 12 months were 980 and 1,199 respectively, but it is estimated that these figures may include 170–180 principals leaving and returning to general practice during the year.Privisional figures for the last quarter of 1965 indicate a further net loss of 44 principals during that period.

asked the Minister of Health what study he has made of the work of the German Democratic Republic Academy of Science Research Department regarding the discovery of a cure for smoking, which is now undergoing a mass experiment in Potsdam; and if he will make a statement.

I have seen a preliminary report in the Press. I shall be interested to see the detailed results when they are published.

asked the Minister of Health what cervical cancer screening service is available to women at risk in Llanelly and district.

A service is available for patients attending the Llanelly Hospital gynaecology clinic.

asked the Minister of Health when the building of Basildon Hospital is to start; and what is the estimated date of completion.

I expect building to start as early as possible in 1967 on the main phase, which will take about four years to complete.

asked the Minister of Health which hospitals in the City of Manchester allow the parents of sick child patients unrestricted visiting; and which do not.

Booth Hall, Monsall, St. Mary's and the Royal Eye Hospitals and Manchester Royal Infirmary, allow unrestricted visiting: Ancoats and Manchester Northern Hospitals, the Manchester Victoria Memorial Jewish Hospital and two wards at Wythenshawe Hospital have extremely generous visiting hours: visiting is restricted at the Duchess of York Hospital for Babies, Christie Hospital and some wards at Wythenshawe Hospital.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware of the growing public anxiety about the delay in commencing the building of the new hospital in Boston, Lincolnshire; and if he will give an assurance that there will be no further delay before a complete clearance is given by the Government for this hospital to be built.

I have to be satisfied that the cost will be reasonable, but I can assure the hon. Member that there will be no unnecessary delay.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will take steps to provide one or more homes for the treatment exclusively of young patients suffering from multiple sclerosis.

There are already special units within the hospital service for young chronic sick patients. I should not be in favour of separate provision for those suffering from multiple sclerosis.

asked the Minister of Health at how many hospitals parents are now permitted to visit their children on the day of an operation, and at how many this is forbidden.

Detailed information is not available, but I have recently further consulted the Standing Medical Advisory Committee and the Central Health Services Council, and on their advice shall shortly be advising hopsitals that there should be no general rules restricting visiting by parents on the day of operation, or on any other day.

asked the Minister of Health how many people have been waiting for upwards for one and two years, respectively, at hospitals coming within the administration of the Bournemouth and East Dorset Hospital Management Committee; how many of these are children; and what action is being taken to reduce this waiting period by the provision of adequate accommodation and medical staff.

165 (including 20 children) and 10 (no children) respectively. A further 50 beds will be opened at Poole Hospital in September and other improvements to the service are currently being undertaken.

asked the Minister of Health how many junior doctors in the Liverpool area have sought to leave the hospital service; and what steps he is taking to meet their complaints.

I am unaware of any and have not received complaints.

asked the Minister of Health how many child psychiatrists are at present employed in the area of the Manchester Regional Hospital Board; and how many unfilled vacancies there are for such posts.

Three and one respectively.

asked the Minister of Health what was the recommendation of the Report on Maladjusted Children 1955 concerning the population area per child psychiatrist; and what is the present average population area per child psychiatrist in the area covered by the Manchester Regional Hospital Board.

The Report recommended that over the next decade the aim should be to have one child psychiatrist full-time to serve 45,000 schoolchildren. The proportion in the Manchester Region in 1965 was one for approximately 260,000 schoolchildren.

asked the Minister of Health what is his policy with regard to the use of hospital land for the building of health centres by local authorities.

Any proposal from a local health authority to use hospital land for this purpose would be sympathetically considered.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will alter the present system of computing laundry costs in hospitals so that measurement should be by dry weight instead of the number of articles laundered.

Present evidence does not show whether dry weight would be a better unit of measurement. In the revised costing system to be introduced on 1st April both units will be used wherever possible.

asked the Minister of Health how many British hospitals require applicants for appointments to submit photographs of themselves; and what is the reason for this practice.

I am not aware of any such requirement by hospitals, but I understand that it is a common practice for overseas applicants to submit a photograph for identification purposes. If the hon. Member wishes me to investigate a particular case, I will do so.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he has now received the report of the committee studying the transferability of pension rights; and if he will now make a statement.

My right hon. Friend's National Joint Advisory Council is now considering the report which will be published shortly. The issues are complex and need careful thought by all affected. I am sure the report will help in finding workable and acceptable solutions.

asked the Minister of Labour what plans he has to encourage employers to engage male clerical staff over the age of 45 years; and if he will make a statement.

Our employment exchanges have standing instructions to urge employers not to impose maximum age limits and to submit any suitable candidates regardless of such limits. We have had some success in this direction but there is still a certain amount of prejudice in the clerical field.

asked the Minister of Labour what was the number of Commonwealth immigrant vouchers issued in 1963, 1964, and 1965.

41,101 vouchers were issued in 1963, 20,824 in 1964 and 16,046 in 1965.

asked the Minister of Labour what was the rate of issue of Commonwealth immigrant vouchers for September, October, November, and December, 1965 and January, 1966.

The numbers of vouchers issued were:

September, 1965	649
October, 1965	806
November, 1965	750
December, 1965	801
January, 1966	690

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will take steps to ensure that when redundancy notices have to be given by firms employing British and alien labour, such notices will be given to aliens rather than to British people.

No. The order of dismissal in the event of redundancy is a matter for industry itself.

asked the Minister of Labour to what extent craft demarcation barriers have been removed and interchangeability between crafts and skills permitted in the Clyde shipyards since January 1965; and what progress has been made in this direction since the new Fairfield project was established.

There have been a number of agreements since January 1965 for the more flexible use of labour. This is encouraging but more should be done. The management at Fairfields has, I understand, begun to discuss with the unions ways in which working methods might be improved.

asked the Minister of Labour what plans he has to implement the recommendations of the Devlin Committee's report on the docks.

Action is going forward on several fronts. The National Modernisation Committee set up by the industry under the Chairmanship of Lord Brown has reached agreement in principle on a revision of the Dock Labour Scheme, which will introduce a fully decasualised system of employment. I hope to publish the draft of a new Scheme shortly. The Committee is urgently engaged on negotiating the terms and conditions which will apply under a system of permanent employment. A survey of welfare amenities by the Dock Labour Board is nearing completion. Legislation on welfare amenities and on a system of licensing port employers is in preparation

asked the Minister of Labour what plans he has to deal with the large number of men unemployed in the Bideford area, particularly those over the age of 45 years.

The area is a Development District where the full benefits of the Local Employment Acts are available. It has also been proposed by the Government for inclusion in the new South-Western Development area announced in the recent White Paper on Investment Incentives.Our local officers will continue to do all they can to help those who are unemployed to find work, whether with incoming or expanding firms or in consequential vacancies with other local employers.

asked the Minister of Labour how many men and boys are now being trained under the Indus trial Training Act 1964; and what are the estimated numbers for the years 1967, 1968, 1969, and 1970, respectively.

I take it my hon. Friend is referring to men and boys trained in industries covered by Industrial Training Boards. I regret this information is not available.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will give the percentage of unemployed men and women in the Mexborough and Wombwell employment exchange areas, respectively, on the latest available date.

Percentage rates of unemployment are available only for travel-to-work areas. For the combined area of Mexborough and Goldthorpe, the percentage rate at 10th January, 1966, was 2·2 for males and 3·5 for females. For the combined area of Barnsley, Hoy-land, Royston and Wombwell, the percentage rate at that date was 1·6 for males and 1·2 for females.

asked the Minister of Labour if he is aware of the concern arising from the practice of some firms employing self-employed workers in design and technical offices, thereby circumventing the purpose of the Redundancy Payments and Contracts of Employment Acts and established conditions relating to payment for sickness, periods of notice, redundancy and holidays, whilst keeping technically within the law; if he will take steps to prevent this; and if he will make a statement.

I would deprecate any attempt to deprive employees of rights against their will by these means. For the purposes of the Redundancy Payments and Contracts of Employment Acts the question whether or not a person was in fact self-employed at law could only be finally decided by an industrial tribunal or a court of law when a claim arose.

asked the Minister of Labour to what extent there has been any change since June 1965 in the number of persons registered as unemployed in skilled building occupations in relation to the number of vacancies in such occupations.

In June, 1965, 5,946 men in skilled building occupations were registered as wholly unemployed and there were 12,570 notified unfilled vacancies. In December, 1965, the figures were respectively 11,730 and 9,909.

asked the Minister of Labour in how many cases the training and expansion programme of a Government training centre has been modified on account of trade union unwillingness to permit the employment as skilled men of persons retrained or to be retrained in such training centres.

It is not possible to isolate this factor amongst the others which have to be taken into account in planning the programme. In general, unions have been very co-operative, though there have been local difficulties in some trades.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what steps he has taken, in pursuance of Her Majesty's Government's policy of seeking a peaceful solution in Vietnam, to induce the nations at war in Vietnam to prolong their Christmas truce.

I have nothing to add to the statements made by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and myself during the debate on 8th February.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will state his present plans in conjunction with the United Nations or otherwise to achieve peace in Vietnam.

I have nothing to add to the explanations which my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and I gave the House on 8th February.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what official assistance is being given to organisations like Amnesty International in bringing diplomatic pressure to bear in the interests of human rights and the release of political prisoners in both East and West.

Her Majesty's Government are sympathetic to the aims of such organisations. It is not our practice to bring diplomatic pressure to bear in support of non-governmental organisations. The independence and impartiality of these organisations are essential to their work.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what steps he took in recent talks with the Rumanian delegation visiting the United Kingdom to urge them to implement Article 3 in the Political Clauses of the Paris Peace Treaty 1947, guaranteeing the enjoyment of human rights and of the fundamental freedoms.

None. Our views on the question of human rights are well known.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what action is being taken to stop the supply of oil, whether crude, refined or for lubrication at present being supplied to Rhodesia from South Africa.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the Answers which my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister gave to similar Questions on 25th and 27th January.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what progress he has made in 1966 in Her Majesty's Government's policy of building bridges between the European Free Trade Association and the Common Market.

At their meeting at Copenhagen on 28th and 29th October the European Free Trade Association Ministerial Council reaffirmed its readiness to begin a dialogue between the European Free Trade Association and the European Economic Community, with a view to establishing closer relations between the two groups, and the Community was informed of this. The difficulties within the Community have until recently prevented it from responding to this initiative; in view of the agreement reached at Luxembourg on 29th January, we hope that the Community will soon be in a position to reply.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what progress has now been made towards achieving a non-proliferation treaty at the Geneva Disarmament Conference.

My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister explained on 1st February how we were tackling the need for progress on a non-proliferation treaty. Two draft treaties are already on the table. The next step is to get down to the discussion of texts at the Geneva Conference.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what initiatives he is preparing to obtain agreement on the establishment of zones of nuclear and conventional disengagement in Central Europe.

Her Majesty's Government have considered a number of proposals for arms control measures in Central Europe. None so far suggested meets all the essential preconditions, which include progress towards a political settlement, in particular of the German question. We shall continue to seek progress towards a more secure system in Europe.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what steps he has now taken to secure the establishment of a nuclear-free or neutral area in central Europe.

Her Majesty's Government have considered a number of proposals for arms control measures in Central Europe. None so far suggested meets all the essential preconditions, which include progress towards a political settlement, in particular of the German question. We shall continue to seek progress towards a more secure system in Europe.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will place in the Library a copy of the communication received from the Sudan Government announcing their decision to break off diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom Government; and whether he will make a statement about the present position.

The Sudan Government formally announced their decision to break diplomatic relations with Her Majesty's Government in an aide memoire dated 18th December last which was handed to our Ambassador in Khartoum. A copy of this aide memoire has been placed in the Library.The United States Government have agreed to act as the Power protecting our interests in the Sudan. Arrangements are being made for the maintenance of consular, commercial and cultural relations on a reciprocal basis.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether Her Majesty's Government will take steps to ensure the extension of international law to make it wide enough to define the status of the territory of the moon, to settle any claims that may be made to control areas of it, and to regulate agreements upon the use of its surface.

This is a problem which the United Nations is tackling. We shall continue to play a constructive part in the work of the Legal Sub-Committee of its Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he is aware that almost all the United Kingdom's dependent territories are in a position to comply with the obligations imposed by the United Nations Convention on the Political Rights of Women, and that non-ratification leaves the United Kingdom's policy open to misunderstanding and misrepresentation; and if, in view of the fact that ratification, even with reservations, establishes the United Kingdom's position in relation to the principle of women's political rights, he will now ratify the Convention, with reservations if necessary.

The position regarding the ability of the dependent territories to comply with the obligations imposed by the Conventions was set out in my reply of 31st January. The position in the metropolitan territory has also been thoroughly studied recently. Her Majesty's Government are now considering in the light of their recent review of the whole position whether the United Kingdom should accede to the Convention. In principle they would like to do so, and we have the possibility of making reservations in mind.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what conditions to ensure verification are considered necessary by the British Government in seeking to extend the nuclear test ban treaty to cover underground testing.

Despite recent advances in seismic research it remains true, as is shown by the recent publication of the results of United Kingdom research, that underground nuclear tests cannot be positively identified by seismic means alone. All that the new seismic techniques can do is to eliminate a large proportion of earthquakes and so considerably reduce the number of underground events which may or may not be nuclear tests. In consequence, to provide an assurance that the terms of a comprehensive test ban treaty were being complied with and to deter cheating there would need to be some means of identifying nuclear tests underground, and this can only be by inspection on the spot. It would not, of course, be necessary to inspect the site of every unidentified event but only that proportion which we think would be adequate to deter cheating and to provide a sufficient degree of assurance that no clandestine testing was being carried out.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on the future of the international peace-keeping force in Cyprus after 26th March, and on the provision of finance for it.

The future of the United Nations Force in Cyprus and the question of its finances will no doubt be considered by the Security Council before the current mandate of the Force expires on 26th March. In Her Majesty's Government's view, the Force is playing a vital rôle by preventing local incidents from developing into major conflict. We are therefore much concerned about the difficulties which have arisen over the provision of adequate finance for the Force and we are doing all we can to help the United Nations authorities to resolve them.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs why he flew on 26th January to the United States of America by Pan American when the Secretary of State for Defence had available a Royal Air Force Comet flying to the United States of America on the same day and to the same destination.

The Royal Air Force Comet in which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence travelled was fully occupied. Some members of my staff travelled in that aircraft.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, in view of Dr. Subandrio's official statement that Indonesia would not refuse to exchange views with Great Britain on Indonesian confrontation against Malaysia if the matter came up, if he will now open negotiations.

Her Majesty's Government are always ready to consider any step that would contribute to better relations with Indonesia. However, it is primarily for the countries concerned—Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia—to consider any proposals for a peaceful end to confrontation.

asked the Minister of Land and Natural Resources when he will publish a White Paper on Her Majesty's Government's countryside policy.

Within the next few weeks.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance, in view of the fact that the National Assistance Board gives allowances for coal, to what extent the Board gives allowances to aged people residing in dwellings equipped only with electricity.

Where old people receiving assistance necessarily have to spend more because they have to use electricity instead of coal for heating the National Assistance Board make additions to the allowances. The amount of the addition depends on the extra cost of the heating.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance how many widows are now not in receipt of any pension.

It is estimated that there are about 40,000 widows under age 60 not currently receiving any pension administered by this Department. I regret that information as to the number of older widows without pensions is not available because after pension age, widows are not separately identified in the Ministry's records.

asked the Postmaster-General (1) what is the cost of erecting and equipping a public telephone kiosk in Belfast;(2) what plans he has during 1966 for the erection of additional public telephone kiosks in Belfast; and how many were erected during 1965.

Six kiosks were provided in 1965. The approximate average cost per kiosks is £410.No specific target is set for 1966.

asked the Postmaster-General what proportion of subscriber trunk dialling calls from Belfast during 1965 was not received; and if he will tabulate the reasons.

The information requested by the hon. Member is as follows:

STD calls from Belfast failing due to
(a)	(b)	(c)	(d)	(e)
Dialling Errors by Calling Customer	Plan Defects	Engaged Tone from all causes*	No Reply by Called Customer	Total
per cent.	per cent.	per cent.	per cent.	per cent.
5·7	4·1	20·1	5·8	35·7
* Combines engaged tone due to called customer engaged and to trunk lines engaged. Arrangements are being made to give separate indications of these two conditions, but until the necessary equipment alterations have been made it will not be practicable to give a reliable statistic for each condition separately.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT a list of the telephone exchanges outside Greater London to which outside extensions from Central London exchanges cannot be provided.

No. Such a list could only be compiled after the very considerable labour of examining the feasibility of outside extensions between subscribers connected to about 50 exchanges in Central London and those served by the 5,600 exchanges, or so, outside Greater London. I should be happy to look at any specific requirement which the hon. Member has in mind.The public telephone system comprises about: 6,000 local exchanges; 300 separate trunk and auto-manual exchanges; 55,000 trunk circuits; 600,000 short trunk and junction circuits, and the local lines to about 6¼ million subscribers. The system is designed primarily to connect calls from an originating subscriber's telephone through his local exchange to the terminating subscriber's telephone through his local exchange. Depending on the locations a call may be switched through several intermediate exchanges.The feasibility of extending such calls to a third destination over an external extension from the terminating subscriber's telephone depends on whether the extra plant involved will allow satisfactory signalling and speech transmission. This can only be established by detailed examination in each instance. If extended calls are impracticable the calling subscriber can, of course, telephone the ultimate destination directly.

asked the Postmaster-General if the British Broadcasting Corporation is the sole user in the United Kingdom of that part of the very high frequency broadcast band lying between 88·0 and 95·0 megacycles; and what are the technical characteristics, including location, radiated frequency, deviation, radiated power, polarisation, and mean aerial height, of each non-British Broadcasting Corporation station.

The British Broadcasting Corporation is the sole user in the United Kingdom but two frequencies in this band are used in the Isle of Man by the Isle of Man Broadcasting Company Limited.

asked the Postmaster-General which of the Stockholm assignments to the United Kingdom are at present vacant; and whether any existing radio station, either British Broadcasting Corporation or non-British Broadcasting Corporation, renders these unusable.

I assume the hon. Member is referring to assignments in the 87.5–100 Mc/s band. 358 of the Stockholm assignments to the United Kingdom for Sound Broadcasting Stations in this band are at present vacant. 190 of these are in the 95–100 Mc/s band and were included to permit the further development of VHF Sound Broadcasting in the event of existing fixed and land mobile radio services being withdrawn at any time in the future; the remainder are reserved for broadcasting but planning was on a largely theoretical basis and changes are made under a recognised procedure, if assignments are found to be unusable in practice.

asked the Postmaster-General (1) which radio station, other than the British Broadcasting Corporation, is using that part of the very high frequency broadcast band lying between 95.0 and 100.0 megacycles; and what are its technical characteristics, namely, location, radiated frequency, deviation, radiated power, polarisation, and mean aerial height;(2) why the band lying between 87.5 and 88.0 megacycles which, in the International Telecommunication Union Radio Regulations, Geneva 1959, is allocated to broadcasting services in Western Europe, contains no assignments to the United Kingdom; and whether this band is already in use in the United Kingdom for other services or is available for broadcasting stations with an effective radiated power not exceeding 1 kilowatt.

Regulations Nos. 264 and 265 of the International Telecommunication Union Radio Regulations give international recognition to the allocation in the United Kingdom of the band 87.5 to 88 megacycles a second to the land mobile service and of the band 95–100 Mc/s to the fixed and land mobile services. The lower band is extensively used in the United Kingdom by private mobile radio services and is not allocated in this country to the broadcasting service. The upper band is extensively used by Police and Fire Service but a few broadcasting station assignments are permitted by agreement between the Government Departments concerned.

asked the Minister of Transport if she will state the percentage of their capacity at which liner trains are running at the present time.

The Railways Board informs me that last week the number of loaded containers carried by liner trains represented about 30 per cent. of total train capacity.

asked the Minister of Transport what regulations she sets down for the minimum heights of newly-constructed bridges carrying minor roads over trunk roads or motorways, and also for bridges carrying these roads over minor roads; how long these regulations have been in force; and what other regulations on minimum heights have been in force during the last 10 years.

Bridges must normally provide a minimum headroom of 16 feet 6 inches over the carriageways of public roads. This was so in 1938 and has not since been changed.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he intends to introduce legislation regarding safety cabs on tractors; and whether his new safety regulations for agricultural vehicles will affect Land Rovers, Austin Gypsies, Mercedes Uni-Goys and other types of powered vehicles used on the land.

Proposals for regulations were issued on 14th January, 1966 to all interested organisations; comments have been requested by 14th April, 1966. It is too early to say when regulations may be made. The proposals apply only to agricultural wheeled tractors of 11 cwt. weight or more and we have no evidence that they need to be extended to any other type of agricultural vehicle.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what certificates of exemption will be allowed in the new regulations regarding safety cabs on tractors; and if certificates will be given to tractors used in the cultivation of hops and fruit.

When our proposals for regulations on safety frames and safety cabs for tractors were issued for comment, it was stated that certificates of exemption would only be granted exceptionally for purposes such as research and development. We will of course be willing to consider comments on this as on other aspects of our proposals.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations what measures he is taking to co-ordinate Government information services in connection with its Rhodesian policy.

My hon. Friend the Minister of State is charged with day-to-day direction of our efforts to get objective and accurate information to the Rhodesian people in the face of the illegal regime's censorship and propaganda. Otherwise the ordinary arrangements for co-ordinating Government information services apply to the presentation of our Rhodesian policy at home and overseas.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many officers have joined the Navy on short service commissions for flying duties during the current financial year; and how this total compares with the intake over a comparable period in 1964–65 and 1963–64.

Between April 1965 and January 1966, 173 (including transfer from non-flying branches and promotion of ratings). The figures for the corresponding ten months of 1964–65 and 1963–64 were 143 and 108 respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many ratings of all categories have been recruited so far in the current financial year for Fleet Air Arm duties; and how this total compares with recruiting over a comparable period in 1964–65 and 1963–64.

870 in the first ten months, compared with 882 in 1964–65 and 893 in 1963–64, for the same period.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many Fleet Air Arm officers have requested termination of their short service appointments on completion of four, eight and 12 years' service during the current financial year; and if he will give comparative figures under these headings for 1964–65 and 1963–64.

Figures for the eight and 12 year optional break points are shown below. No four year short service commissions have been granted since 1956.

	1965–66 (full year)	1964–65 (full year)	1963–64 (full year)
8 year break point	21	5	4
12 year break point	4	2	1

Comparison of these figures is bound to be misleading because the numbers eligible to leave at these break points have varied considerably over the three years.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many artificer apprentices have been accepted for training in naval air specialisations on completion of their initial year's training during the current financial year; and how this figure compares with those for 1964–65 and 1963–64.

95, compared with 106 in 1964–65 and 110 in 1963–64. All these figures relate to the full financial year.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many artificer apprentices training in naval air specifications have been moved into the overall artificer branch in the current financial year; and how this figure compares with those for 1964–65 and 1963–64.

None during the first six months. There were two in 1964–65 and none in 1963–64 (full year in each case).

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many cadets under training at the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, or junior officers undergoing training in the Fleet, have so far volunteered and been accepted for fixed-wing flying training during the current financial year; and how this figure compares with those for 1964–65 and 1963–64.

General List Cadets, together with Supplementary List entries into non-flying branches who have volunteered for fixed-wing pilot duties, total nine during 1965–66. Comparable figures for 1964–65 and 1963–64 were eight and thirteen respectively. All these figures relate to the full 12-month period.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many officers have been appointed to the Royal Naval Air Station, Culdrose, and how many to the Royal Naval Air Station, Brawdy, during the current financial year on completion of basic flying training at Royal Air Force, Linton; and how these figures compare with those for 1964–65 and 1963–64.

Officers appointed to Royal Naval Air Stations Brawdy and Culdrose on completion of basic flying training are as follows:

	Brawdy	Culdrose
1965–66	44	71
1964–65 (full year)	54	44
1963–64 (full year)	34	43

Figures for the current year assume no further failures, before the end of the financial year, on courses still undergoing basic flying training at Linton on Ouse.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many resignations by naval officers under all commission headings have been accepted so far during the current financial year, apart from those whose appointments have been terminated on medical or disciplinary grounds; how this figure compares with those for 1964–65 and 1963–64; and how many requests to resign are at present under consideration.

Total resignations by naval officers during the full financial year 1965–66 are expected to number 170. Comparable figures for 1964–65 and 1963–64 (full year in each case) were 163 and 141 respectively. At the present time 240 applications for release by officers are being considered, some of them will not leave the Navy until 1968–69.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what is the cost of the latest refit at Portsmouth of the aircraft carrier H.M.S. "Victorious"; and what is the present anticipated operational life of this ship;(2) what was the cost of the recently completed refit of the aircraft carrier H.M.S. "Hermes"; and what is the present anticipated operational life of this ship;(3) if he will estimate the present proposed operational life of the aircraft carrier H.M.S. "Ark Royal" and approximately when it is expected she will next undergo an extended refit;(4) what decision has now been reached regarding the future of the aircraft carrier H.M.S. "Centaur", and if he will give details;(5) if he is aware that a group of Royal Navy officers has inspected one or more aircraft carriers of the United States Navy's Essex class during the past few months; and what conclusions have been reached by his Department on the feasibility of operating such a ship within the Royal Navy.

Estimated costs of the current refits of "Victorious" and "Hermes" are about £2½ million and £10 million respectively. The future of the carrier force will be made known shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the recommended area in square feet of floor space for children in primary schools in England; and what is the estimated actual area.

The information is as follows:

Number of Pupils for whom the School is designed	Appropriate Teaching Area per Pupil
Not more than 75	40 sq.ft. for each of the first 25 pupils and 23 sq.ft. per pupil thereafter.
More than 75 but less than 120.	50 sq.ft. for each of the first 30 pupils and 21 sq.ft. per pupil thereafter.
120 or more	50 sq.ft. for each of the first 40 pupils and 17 sq.ft. per pupil thereafter.
More than 480	As may be approved.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what percentage of the universities' building programme for 1965–66 was delayed in consequence of the restrictions on capital building; and what will be the effect of the recently announced reductions on the university building programme.

Some 25 per cent. of the total building programme for universities, including; the colleges of advanced technology, for 1965–66 will now be started in 1966–67.The building programme for the four years 1966–67 to 1969–70, totalling £120

				Total taxation as a percentage of gross national product at factor cost	Income taxes paid by personal sector	National insurance and health contributions	Income taxes paid by corporations	Taxes on expenditure
as a percentage of total taxation
1946	…	…	…	39·2	31·0	4·9	18·8	45·3
1947	…	…	…	37·6	27·9	6·5	14·5	51·1
1948	…	…	…	37·6	24·8	8·5	15·9	50·8
1949	…	…	…	37·9	23·8	10·3	18·7	47·2
1950	…	…	…	36·7	23·8	10·2	18·1	47·9
1951	…	…	…	35·8	25·3	9·7	16·1	48·9
1952	…	…	…	35·2	24·1	9·6	19·9	46·4
1953	…	…	…	33·2	22·9	10·5	19·3	47·3
1954	…	…	…	32·5	24·2	10·3	17·2	48·3
1955	…	…	…	32·8	24·2	10·7	17·5	47·6
1956	…	…	…	31·7	25·2	11·0	15·3	48·5
1957	…	…	…	31·8	26·1	10·6	15·6	47·7
1958	…	…	…	32·5	25·9	13·0	15·2	45·9
1959	…	…	…	32·1	26·1	13·1	14·1	46·7
1960	…	…	…	30·9	28·6	13·0	10·2	48·2
1961	…	…	…	32·0	29·1	13·8	10·4	46·7
1962	…	…	…	33·6	28·9	14·0	11·5	45·6
1963	…	…	…	32·3	28·9	14·9	9·9	46·3
1964	…	…	…	32·6	28·9	15·3	8·5	47·3

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for reports to determine the ratio of criminals apprehended to crimes committed

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much of the gross national product was taken by taxation in the United Kingdom in each year since 1946; and what percentages of the total fell under the heads of direct taxes on households, social security contributions, direct taxes on corporations, and indirect taxes, respectively.

The available information is given in the table below.for the year 1964 from the following authorities respectively, Metropolitan, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Lancashire County, and Blackpool.

Statistics of persons apprehended are not readily available for each police district. The following table shows, for the police districts concerned, the numbers of persons convicted of indictable offences in 1964 expressed as a percentage of the number of indictable offences known to the police in that year.

	Number of persons convicted of indictable offences in 1964	Number of indictable offences known to the police in 1964	Column (2) as a percentage of Column (3)
(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)
Metropolitan Police District	40,314	254,260	15·9
Birmingham	5,244	35,368	14·8
Liverpool	5,581	30,308	18·4
Manchester	6,285	28,550	22·0
Lancashire County	8,990	38,061	23·6
Blackpool	1,270	5,326	23·8

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police forces are now using closed circuit television and two-way receivers; how many are fully mechanised; and what action his Department is taking to speed the use of modern methods of crime prevention in provincial police forces.

There is no general use of closed circuit television, but it has been and is being tried out experimentally by a number of forces. As regards two-way radio sets, I would refer my hon. Friend to my reply to a Question by the hon. Member for Runcorn on 27th January. Mechanisation is a continuing process. The police service as a whole is much better equipped than it was only a few years ago, but there is still scope for further improvement. Police equipment is to be considered by one of the three working parties to be set up under the Police Advisory Board.The Home Office Police Research and Planning Branch is paying close attention to modern methods of crime prevention and the ways in which they can be best used. 321 police officers from 118 forces in England and Wales have received training during the past three years at the Home Office Crime Prevention Training Courses, and a national crime prevention campaign, vigorously supported by provincial forces, is at present in progress.

asked the Minister of Power what measures are to be incorporated in the design and construction of the cooling towers for the new power station at Drax, arising out of the findings of the inquiry into the collapse of concrete cooling towers at Ferrybridge last year.

I am informed that the new power station at Drax has not yet reached the stage when a decision has to be taken on the design and construction of the cooling towers. At that stage account will be taken of the findings of the Committee of Inquiry, whose final report should be available later this year.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will state the average price per acre for land for new towns, and the average price per acre for land on the periphery of existing towns, in each year from 1957 to 1965.

Some of this information is not readily available, but I will see what can be obtained and will write to my hon. Friend in due course.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what is his policy concerning the review of local authority boundaries; and if he will make a statement.

I assume the hon. Member has in mind the reviews which county councils are required to undertake under Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1958.If so, I would refer him to what I said on this subject in my statement about local government reorganisation on 10th February and in reply to the supplementary question by the right hon. Member for Kingston-upon-Thames (Mr. Boyd-Carpenter) (OFFICIAL REPORT, February 10th, cols. 644 and 645). I cannot add to this yet.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will introduce legislation to extend the powers of local authorities to cleanse and purify the beaches of Great Britain.

Local authorities already have extensive powers, as owners of beaches and under the Public Health Acts, to keep their beaches clean. But my right hon. Friend will gladly consider any evidence my hon. Friend cares to send him that these powers are inadequate.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works (1) on what programme of work his research division is currently engaged;(2) what are the number and structure of staff in his research division;(3) what is the annual expenditure on his research division.

The Directorate of Research and Information is one of the four Directorates in the Ministry's Directorate-General of Research and Development, the work of which was generally described in the Answer which my right hon. Friend gave on the 1st November, 1965, to the hon. Member for Folkestone and Hythe.The work of the Directorate of Research and Information includes advising on research policy and on specific projects, commissioning research work, a wide range of activities in connection with the dissemination of technical information, and investigation of problems connected with the maintenance of buildings and with the use of computers in the construction industry. It also deals with matters concerning training and education for the industry.The Directorate is headed by a Director, who is a Deputy Chief Scientific Officer, and an Assistant Secretary, supported by 21 professional and scientific, 10 technical, 9 executive and 12 clerical staff.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what representations have been made to him requesting that the name Edinborough appearing on a plaque in the Central Lobby should be corrected to read Edinburgh; and what is his estimate of the cost of making the necessary alteration.

The Committee of Members which advises me on Works of Art in the House of Commons recently recommended that no action should be taken to alter the spelling of the word "Edinborough" as it is part of a beautiful piece of calligraphy over 40 years old and could not be altered without detriment to its appearance. The cost would be negligible.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what effect the policy of curbing capital spending will have on the public investment programme in Scotland.

As announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 8th February, the Government's policy of containing public investment, introduced on 27th July last year, is being continued, but it will now be possible for investment programmes to be adapted more flexibly.As housing, schools, hospitals and projects in development districts are not affected the policy has had relatively little effect upon public investment in Scotland. The investment figures in the White Paper "The Scottish Economy 1965 to 1970" (Cmnd. 2864) took account of that effect.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what sum is expended in one year on educational research within the schools in Scotland; what proportion of this is disbursed through the Scottish Council for Research in Education; and what proportion goes directly to the local authorities.

In the current financial year I expect to make grants of about £23,000 to the Scottish Council for Research in Education and about £9,000 to other bodies for research related to the work of Scottish schools. Education authorities also conduct and assist research of this kind but no specific grant is made to them for the purpose.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish separately the roads section of the annual report of the Development Department, in order that the information, including expenditure and other figures, may be available as early as similar figures for England and Wales.

I am considering with my right hon. Friends the Secretary of State for Wales and the Minister of Transport, whether we should publish at least the statistics of road expenditure for all three countries in consolidated form. At present the Ministry of Transport's annual report relates to the financial year, whereas the Scottish Development Department's relates to the calendar year, as will the Welsh Office's report.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will set up a technical committee to investigate the feasibility of a monorail project in Scotland.

If any specific project of this kind is put forward I shall consider it in consultation with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, in view of the desirability of encouraging modern heating installations, particularly in smoke control areas, he will seek to exempt night storage and central heating systems from assessment for rating purposes.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to the hon. and learned Member for Edinburgh, Pentlands (Mr. Wylie) on 22nd December, 1965.

asked the Minister of Technology what were the numbers of persons employed in his Department on 1st September 1965 and on 1st February, 1966.

The numbers employed were 5,396, including 1,183 industrial staff, on 1st September, 1965, and 5,516, including 1,181 industrial staff on 1st February, 1966.

asked the President of the Board of Trade from what countries the United Kingdom is obtaining copper, tobacco, gold and asbestos as a result of orders being diverted from Rhodesia as a result of sanctions.

The tobacco industry will not have to purchase from alternative sources for some time. The main alternative source of asbestos is Canada. Purchases of copper and gold from Rhodesia were marginal to British supplies.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that the International Publishing Corporation intends to acquire a one-third interest in Farlways Limited, the multiple newsagents; and, in view of the monopoly situation this will create, if he will refer the transaction to the Monopolies Commission.

I presume my hon. Friend is referring to Forbuoys Ltd.I have no reason to believe that the acquisition to which my hon. Friend refers falls within the scope of the Monopolies and Mergers Act 1965. It does not appear to create or intensify a monopoly situation; neither do the assets of Forbuoys exceed five million pounds.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will refer to the Monopolies Commission the tendency towards monopoly interest in the position of the International Publishing Corporation in the publication of periodicals.