asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action he is taking to safeguard the welfare of horses and ponies exported from this country.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and I have made the Export of Horses (Veterinary Examination) Order, 1966, the Export of Horses (Excepted Cases) Order, 1966, and the Exported Horses Protection Order, 1966, and they will come into operation on 15th June, 1966. Copies are available today.Under these Orders exported horses and ponies which are exempt from full veterinary examination will be inspected for fitness to travel, except in specified cases—racehorses for instance—where this is not necessary. The Orders also consolidate the existing law and extend it to air transport.The interests concerned have been consulted and have supported our proposals.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many tests of nuclear warheads or their components have been carried out by or on behalf of Her Majesty's Government since 15th October, 1964.

The only test has been that announced by the Prime Minister on 18th November, 1965.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many General List and how many Supplementary List naval officers, respectively, employed on flying duties, have made application to resign since 1st January, 1966; and how this figure compares with that for a similar period in 1965 and 1964.

The number of aircrew applications for early release from 1st January to end of April this year and in the corresponding periods of 1964 and 1965 were as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many naval Supplementary List officers employed on flying duties have not taken up their option to remain in the service after their initial or second period of service so far this calendar year; and if he will give comparable figures for 1965 and 1964 over a similar period.

Thirty-seven Supplementary List officers have given nine months' notice that they will leave the Service in 1966. There were 38 in 1965 and nine in 1964.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence why the construction of the fifth and sixth ships of the new class of 500-ton survey vessels has not been authorised, in view of the fact that approval for their construction was given in 1964.

Orders for new survey craft are under review.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the eventual replacement of H.M.S. "Protector" for duties in the Antarctic, in view of the fact that this ship is now 30 years old; and if he will give an assurance that there are long-term plans to continue naval support of British interests there.

The provision of a suitable ship to replace H.M.S. "Protector" is under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many requests have so far been received by his Department from British, Commonwealth, and bona fide foreign correspondents, respectively, for facilities to visit Her Majesty's Ships on patrol in the Mozambique Channel; and how many such requests have been approved to date;(2) what representations he has received to date from the three Service Departments to permit the dissemination of information by Press, television, radio and newsreel agencies on the professional aspects of the work of the British forces in connection with the present Rhodesian situation; and if he will make a statement, in view of the concern in all three services, about the policy of Her Majesty's Government on this matter.

Extensive facilities have been afforded for Press, broadcasting and television authorities to report on the work of the British forces in Zambia. Five requests to visit H.M. ships and R.A.F. detachments operating in the Mozambique Channel area were refused for operational reasons.I am glad to say there has been much excellent publicity for the first-class work of all the British forces taking part.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many miles have so far been logged, and over what period, by Her Majesty's Ships "Eagle" and "Ark Royal" since they were ordered to carry out patrols in the Mozambique Channel.

I regret that precise figures of the number of miles covered on these patrols since they were ordered in early March are not readily available.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many vessels have so far been investigated in the Mozambique Channel by Royal Air Force Shackleton aircraft operating from the Malagasy Republic;(2) how many vessels have so far been investigated in the Mozambique Channel by Fleet Air Arm aircraft.

Complete surveillance cover has been provided by R.N./R.A.F. forces deployed in the Mozambique Channel. It would be undesirable to disclose precise details of how these operations have been carried out.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the longest period of time so far spent continuously at sea by any of Her Majesty's Ships in the Mozambique Channel during the current patrol activity there.

H.M.S. "Eagle" has spent 46 days continuously on patrol in the Mozambique Channel, in the course of 71 days spent continuously at sea.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what representations have been made to him to permit the payment of local overseas allowances to Royal Air Force personnel in Zambia; and what action has been taken, in view of the payment of a £5 daily bonus to crews of civil aircraft chartered by Her Majesty's Government to carry oil and stores to Zambia.

Local overseas allowance is paid to Service personnel, serving abroad in the course of duty, in respect of the essential extra cost, as compared with the United Kingdom, of maintaining a reasonable standard of living; and it has accordingly been paid to Royal Air Force personnel serving in Zambia since their first arrival there. The rates for Zambia are being reviewed in the light of present circumstances.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether it has been possible to make alternative arrangements for airborne radar surveillance along the coasts of Malaya in view of the withdrawal of Her Majesty's aircraft carriers "Eagle" and "Ark Royal" to East African waters and the employment of their Gannet airborne early warning aircraft, formerly employed in support of the security forces in Malaya, in the Mozambique Channel.

The effectiveness of our arrangements for radar surveillance of the approaches to Malaya does not depend on the presence of aircraft carriers in the vicinity of Singapore. It is, however, wrong to imply that "Ark Royal" and "Eagle" have been together in East African waters.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many suspicious craft have been detained by security forces around the coasts of Malaysia in the past six months; and how this total compares with that for a similar period a year ago.

Without giving details, I call assure the hon. and gallant Member that the Commonwealth forces have kept up a highly successful guard.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence when approval was given for design work and associated contracts to be initiated on the new Type 82 guided missile destroyers, the fifth nuclear Fleet submarine and the 22nd, 23rd, and 24th units of the Leander class.

At various times since 1962. The fleet submarine and Leanders follow the design of earlier ships of their class.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received to cancel the original approval for construction of the destroyers, following his decision of 1965 to cancel the new Fleet carrier CVA-01, and to allow another design of ship to be substituted which would not have carrier support as its primary function.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what representations have been made to him to allow a thorough evaluation to be made of the P1127 aircraft for naval service.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made on design work for a new type of minesweeper/hunter initiated some two years ago; and when it will be possible to tender for the first of these ships, in in view of the limited hull life of the existing force of coastal minesweeper/hunters.

Our studies are continuing. We have no plans to order any of these ships in the immediate future as our present coastal minesweepers/minehunters will meet our needs for some years to come.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will make a further statement following his announcement on 9th March that Her Majesty's ship "Resolution" and Her Majesty's ship "Renown" will be launched this year.

I have no further statement to make at the present time; public announcements of the respective launch dates will be made in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what were the terms of the agreement entered into by Her Majesty's Government with the Government of the Malagasy Republic for the basing of Royal Air Force Coastal Command aircraft there; and what rental and other charges have been requested by the Government of the Malagasy Republic for the use of airfield facilities and accommodation by Royal Air Force personnel to date.

The Malagasy Government gave their agreement on the understanding that the operations were to be confined to the application of sanctions against Rhodesia. A limit to the size of the detachment was also stipulated. Detailed financial arrangements are under negotiation.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what organisation and deployment he proposes for Category Three of the Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve, the Territorials.

The Territorials will have an establishment of just under 29,000 and a maximum strength in peace time of about 23,000, representing 80 per cent. of the establishment. They will be organised into 87 infantry-type units and their deployment will be related to the civil defence regional organisation. Most civil defence sub-regions will have 3 units of Territorials, though some will have more or fewer as local circumstances dictate.In war it is already planned that there will be in each sub-region a regular officer of one of the three Services as military commander, who will be responsible to the sub-regional commissioner for command of all regular and reserve units in the sub-region; it is from these officers that Territorial units will take their war-time orders.In peacetime the strength of the average Territorial unit will not be more than about 270 and will comprise three rifle companies about 75 strong, together with a small headquarters, and reconnaissance, pioneer and signals platoons. Again, some units will have more or fewer companies according to local circumstances. Most units will have two training centres of their own and will share a third with a volunteer unit. In each civil defence sub-region will also be a Signals troop, numbering about 30, to serve the military commander; there will be up to 10 posts for W.R.A.C. in this troop.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will consult the curricula study groups with a view to introducing into every secondary school a short course on the physics of dampness and condensation in housing.

The curriculum of the schools is not for my right hon. Friend to determine. But teachers of science and those engaged on studies of the science curriculum are well aware of the importance and value of relating their teaching to problems of everyday life.

Approximately £85, £119, and £94, respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, in view of the increase recently in the number of casualties in Aden and the threats of murder to a number of individuals, what action is being taken, politically, to try to bring the present state of emergency to an end.

The responsibility for the continued terrorism in Aden lies outside South Arabia. We shall continue to urge upon those responsible that the true interest of the Arab world is best served by allowing the South Arabians to prepare themselves for independence free from outside interference.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he is satisfied that local authorities are making adequate use of their powers under the Caravan Site (Control and Development) Act, 1960, to ensure that residential caravan sites are properly supplied with basic amenities; and if he will make a statement.

Local authorities are required by the Act to have regard to the model standards specified by the Minister when they issue licences for caravan sites. My right hon. Friend is satisfied that these standards make adequate provision for basic amenities, but he has no responsibility for the terms of individual licences.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will take steps to encourage building societies and local authorities to use figures now based on the proposed option mortgage or similar scheme for the purpose of calculating the adequacy of income for the granting of a mortgage; and if he will make a statement.

I will certainly take up this point at the appropriate time with the representatives of both building societies and local authorities; but I do not think it would be profitable to do so until the present discussions on the working details of the Government's scheme are further advanced.

asked the Minister of Labour what progress has been made towards implementing his undertaking to review before April, 1966 the arrangements and publicity necessary to encourage an increase of applicants for scholarships for the Royal College of Nursing occupational health courses.

The minimum age limit which applied in previous years has been removed; maintenance allowances have been increased by £40 and the usual announcements in the Nursing Times, Nursing Mirror and the Occupational Health Journal have been supplemented by two announcements in the British Hospital and Social Service Journal. In addition my Department's Information News-sheet, which has a wide circulation in industry, has included a special article.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he had received a report from the Chairman of the Motor Industry Joint Labour Council; and whether he will make a statement.

In accordance with the terms of his appointment, Mr. Scamp, the Chairman of the Motor Industry Joint Labour Council, has submitted to me a report on the Council's activities and on certain general aspects of industrial relations in the motor car industry.The report points out that since its establishment the Council has been largely occupied with enquiries into particular disputes. In my view, these have been of great value in the settlement of disputes and the avoidance of stoppages.The report expresses the hope that the Council will be able in future to give more attention to its wider task of promoting good relations in the industry. As a basis for action, Mr. Scamp considers it essential that there should be more and better information about industrial relations matters in the industry and that a detailed examination of the procedural arrangements for dealing with disputes in the industry should be undertaken. The Council is pursuing these and other matters.Mr. Scamp hopes to sbmit a further report on these wider issues in the autumn and suggests that it might serve as a basis for examination by the Government, the employers and the unions of the state of relations in the industry. I have indicated my agreement with this suggestion.I should like to take this opportunity of thanking Mr. Scamp and his colleagues for the valuable work they are doing.

asked the Minister of Labour, whether he will inform the House of the results of his talks with the Trades Union Congress and the Confederation of British Industry, consequent on the Report of the Interdepartmental Working Party on Equal Pay.

I have had preliminary talks with both the T.U.C. and the C.B.I on equal pay, I now propose to arrange a joint meeting under my chairmanship to discuss the problems of implementation.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development whether the Report of the Higher Education Mission to the South Pacific will be published; and whether its recommendations have been accepted.

The Report is being published today.Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom welcome the Report and propose to discuss it as soon as possible with the other Governments and interests concerned with educational and economic development in the area. If they agree that the concept of a comprehensive third level institution outlined in the Report is one which ought to be worked out in greater detail at an early date, it will be necessary to examine such questions as the suitability of the site and the availability of the buildings, sources of capital and recurrent finance, the organisation of the proposed institution, and the balance of courses within it, bearing in mind the educational and manpower situation of the area.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development how many requests from Governments of developing countries for help in the literacy field have been received by Her Majesty's Government in the past year, to the nearest convenient date; what was the nature of the requests; and what has been the response of Her Majesty's Government.

There has been a firm request in the past year, from the Government of Sierra Leone, for assistance in literacy allied to a programme of general adult education. An official of the Ministry of Overseas Development visited Sierra Leone in April for preliminary discussions.The Government of Zambia have requested the services of an adviser and trainer for their adult literacy programme; the request has been accepted.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he will alter the postal address of Ash, Surrey, and Ash Vale, Surrey, from Ash, near Aldershot, Hants, and Ash Vale, near Aldershot, Hants, to Ash, Surrey, and Ash Vale, Surrey.

I am looking into this question and will write to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he is taking to prevent the spread of disease in salmon from Irish rivers to Scottish rivers.

I would refer the hon. Member to the replies given on 26th April and 4th May by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, to questions about this disease. I can assure him that similar action is being taken in Scotland to prevent its spread to Scottish rivers. The issue of licences for the importation of salmon and trout eggs into Scotland is being suspended for the present and I have given to the Salmon District Fishery Boards information of the symptoms of the disease so that any appearance of it in Scotland can be immediately detected.As indicated by my right hon. Friend the Irish authorities have arranged for all affected fish to be destroyed; they do not permit dead salmon to be exported by persons other than licensed dealers and they have arranged for a systematic inspection of all licensed premises. My right hon. Friend and I will continue to keep in close touch with investigations which are still proceeding in Ireland.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will consult local authorities with a view to introducing into every secondary school a short course on the physics of dampness and condensation in housing.

I am sure that science teachers take every opportunity to bring in practical matters of this kind in their teaching and that they will bear the hon. Member's suggestion in mind. It is not for me or the authorities to prescribe the detailed content of courses.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will seek to make an amendment to the Prison (Scotland) Rules 1952 (S.I., 1952, No. 565) to permit remission of sentence under Rule 37 to apply to prisoners serving sentences of imprisonment for contempt of court.

I am considering whether amendment would be appropriate.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will take steps to ensure the supply of sheepskins for the tannery industry; and if he will make a statement.

I am aware that the tannery industry is concerned about the supply of sheepskins and I shall continue to keep in close touch with them about the situation.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has yet received the report of the Monopolies Commission on the proposed merger of the Ross Group and Associated Fisheries Limited.

I received the Commission's Report on 2nd May. I am now considering it and I expect to lay the Report before Parliament and publish it in the near future.

asked the Minister of Transport if she will give a general direction, in the public interest, to British Road Services not to sell sections of its works to private firms.

I hardly think this would be appropriate.

asked the Minister of Transport if she is aware of concern in South Wales and Monmouthshire lest travellers from that area be put in an unfavourable position relative to travellers from the south of the Bristol Channel at the time of the opening of the Severn Bridge; and will she ensure that equal facilities are available to those travelling to the ceremony from both sides of the channel.

Arrangements for the opening of the Severn Bridge are now being worked out with the authorities and organisations concerned, and the question of guests from Wales and Monmouthshire travelling to the eastern side of the bridge is one of the points under consideration. I can assure my hon. Friend that the difficulties he mentions have not been overlooked.

asked the Minister of Transport whether she has given her sanction for the capital expenditure involved in the electrification of the railway from Weaver Junction, Crewe, to Glasgow; and whether provision will be made for improvement of the rail load gauge to allow carriage of road semi-trailers and vehicles by rail.

My right hon. Friend does not expect the Railways Board to submit investment proposals to her for this electrification until it has completed a detailed survey now under way. I understand that the Board has no plans for increasing the loading gauge on this route.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how far it is his intention so to draft the Finance Bill that the proposed duty on fruit machines will apply to the ld. machines operated at fairgrounds by travelling showmen.

The exemption for small-scale gaming which my right hon. Friend mentioned in his statement in the House on 1st March, will extend to gaming machines operated as amusements with modest prizes at arcades and fairs. Details of the exemption will be included in the Finance Bill.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the number of fruit machines in use operated by a coin of 3d. and 1d. respectively; and what he expects to receive during the financial year from the proposed £37 10s. duty in respect of such machines.

This precise information is not available but the yield is expected to be a small part of the total of £3½ million forecast as likely to be forthcoming from gaming machine licences.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what rate of duty he proposes shall be levied on fruit machines operated by a disc and not by a coin.

I would ask my hon. Friend to await the publication of the Finance Bill.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the number of 6d. fruit machines in use in Great Britain; and what revenue he expects to receive during the financial year from the proposed £75 duty per annum in respect of such machines.

About twice as many as in 1963 when a statutory inquiry revealed 23,257 such machines. As my right hon. Friend stated in the House on 1st March his estimate of the yield of the gaming machine licence duty is £3½ million.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the cost to the Exchequer if all single taxpayers over the age of 75 years, who had previously paid tax as married persons, continued to be treated for tax purposes as married persons.

If all single persons over 75 years of age who had ever been married were entitled to the higher personal allowance the cost might be of the order of £10 million in a full year.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will draft the Finance Bill so as to exempt charities from paying the proposed Selective Employment Tax.

No.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what will be the estimated gross revenue of the Selective Employment Tax in a full financial year divided between employers who will eventually receive a premium, employers whose tax will be offset, and employers who will not be refunded, respectively.

The present estimate is:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what will be the expected net value of the premium to be paid to manufacturing industry in a full financial year under the Selective Employment Tax.

The present estimate is:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proposals he has to make grant-aided schools subject to the Selective Employment Tax.

The Selective Employment Tax will be applied to all in grant-aided schools, as to all other employers, who pay flat-rate employers' National Insurance contributions. The question of compensating grant-aided schools—and other grant-aided educational establishments—for all or part of the cost through the normal grant machinery is being considered.

asked the Chancellor of the Excehquer how much revenue from the Selective Employment Tax he estimates will be raised from private schools, private educational establishments, and public schools outside the state educational system in a full year; how much of this revenue will be attributed to full-time teachers, part-time teachers, full-time ancillary and domestic staff and part-time ancillary and domestic staff, respectively; and what will be the average cost per pupil or student over all these establishments, taking into account the fact that this cost will vary from establishment to establishment.

The best estimates immediately available—which are very approximate—are: