asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he expects an increase in the retail price of milk on account of the Selective Employment Tax.

I do not anticipate any need, on account of the new tax, to increase the retail price of milk before the end of 1966. Any effect will be taken into account, to any extent which may be necessary, in determining the retail price in future years.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he has yet concluded his consideration of the representations made by parties interested in the Brambell Report; and what steps the Government intend to take to implement the report by legislation or other means.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave on 11th May.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what arrangements he proposes to make about the application of the Selective Employment Tax in regard to agriculture and horticulture; and whether he will make a statement.

As the House will be aware, I have had a number of discussions with the National Farmers' Union, who have made representations on behalf of all three Farmers' Unions. I have also had discussions with the Country Landowners' Association and the National Union of Agricultural Workers. My right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my agricultural colleagues and I have given the most careful consideration to the representations from these organisations. In the light of this, while reaffirming that employers in agriculture and horticulture should remain in category (ii) of Cmnd. 2986, the Government have decided that the most satisfactory method of refunding the tax would be to make payment direct to individual farmers and growers. The detailed arrangements will now be considered in consultation with the organisations concerned.

asked the Minister of Aviation how many foreign students during the last convenient year attended air training schools approved by his Department.

I am informed that in 1965, about 75 foreign students attended and completed various professional pilot training courses at schools approved by my Department.

asked the Minister of Aviation what invisible overseas earnings accrued to the United Kingdom, during the last convenient year, by way of fees paid by overseas students following air training courses at schools approved by his Department.

It is estimated that in 1965 the equivalent of about £110,000 in foreign earnings was received by the approved training schools in respect of fees for overseas students attending professional pilot training courses.

asked the Minister of Aviation if he is aware that discussions are now taking place between France and China on the establishment of a direct air link between Paris and Peking; and what steps he is taking to promote similar facilities between London and Peking.

I understand that talks between the French and Chinese authorities took place last year without result, and I have seen the reports that talks have now resumed.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if it is his intention that buying offices drawing the whole of their income from overseas, and set up with the sole purpose of purchasing British merchandise for principals and/or customers overseas, will receive a full rebate of the Selective Employment Tax.

No.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the Selective Employment Tax will apply to establishments engaged in intensive animal husbandry which do not qualify for agricultural rating relief.

Yes.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what he estimates to be the annual cost to charities of the Selective Employment Tax as proposed in Command Paper No. 2896.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what he estimates to be the annual amount of the premiums which will be payable to publishers of newspapers and periodicals, respectively, under the Selective Employment Tax as proposed in Command Paper No. 2986.

About £9·9 million for establishments in Heading 486 of the Standard Industrial Classification—printing, publishing of newspapers and periodicals. Of this about £7·6 million represents selective employment tax paid. It is not possible to give a breakdown of this heading.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what he estimates to be the annual cost of the proposed Selective Employment Tax to the various services described as cinemas, theatres, radio, &c., in item 881 of Annex II to Command Paper No. 2986; and which of the television services is or are intended to be included therein.

About £6 million in a full year. Both television services are included in this classification.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give an estimate of the cost to the Revenue of granting the housekeeping allowance for widows and widowers in respect of a housekeeper or similar employee not living in.

The information on which to base an estimate is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what contributions Her Majesty's Government made during 1965 to the United Nations Organisation and to each of its subsidiary and voluntary funds and specialised agencies, respectively; and what proportions these contributions were of the respective total budgets.

I would refer the hon. Member to the full reply given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State on 25th January in answer to the hon. Member for Devon, North (Mr. Thorpe).

asked the Minister of Health whether, in view of the salary increase of doctors in the Liverpool area, he will recommend them to discontinue the practice of charging for supplementary medical certificates.

No. Charges for private certificates are a matter for the doctors themselves. My concern has been, in the interests both of patients and of doctors, to reduce the demand for such certificates, and I am continuing my efforts to that end.

asked the Minister of Health what steps are being taken to provide health centres in the area of South-East Northumberland; and whether he will make a statement.

According to my information the county council is planning for three health centres in this area during the next three years.

asked the Minister of Health what steps he is taking to ensure that adequate supplies of smallpox vaccine are available in the London area.

Adequate supplies of smallpox vaccine are available in all areas. There have been delays of a day or two in dispatch of the vaccine in some areas owing to heavy demand but these difficulties are being overcome.

asked the Minister of Health whether he has considered the Report of the Committee on Senior Nursing Staff Structure; and whether he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and I are considering the recommendations of the Committee, to whose Chairman and members we should like to pay tribute for a most valuable and comprehensive report. The Committee itself recognised that before decisions on its recommendations could be taken wide consultation with hospital authorities, professional bodies and other organisations concerned would be necessary. We are asking the authorities and bodies concerned for their views.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish as a Blue Book the evidence submitted by professional bodies to the Royal Commission on Penal Reform.

The evidence obtained by the Royal Commission on the Penal System will be published by the Stationery Office.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will study and seek to introduce as soon as possible a method of keeping a more accurate voting register.

Consideration is being given to the recommendations on this subject made by the Conference on Electoral Law.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what study he has made of the memorandum by the Council of the Law Society on the use of the dock in criminal courts, a copy of which has been sent to him; and whether he will take steps, by legislation or otherwise, to ensure that the dock should be replaced by a seat for the accused immediately behind the accused's advocate.

My right hon. Friend has studied with interest the Law Society's important proposal that the dock should be abolished and is seeking the views of others concerned in the administration of criminal justice.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will cause an investigation to be made in the area of Bethnal Green Road, Brick Lane and roads and streets within the vicinity known as Club Row on Sunday 15th May between the hours of 8 a.m. and 2 p.m., to ascertain the number of vehicles in this area without road fund licences; and whether he will publish the results of such investigations in HANSARD;(2) whether he will direct the Commissioner of Police to investigate the number of cars and vehicles without road fund licences which are parked in or around the vicinity of Mecklenburgh Square, W.C.1, at any given time between the hours of 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Monday, 16th May; and whether he will publish these figures in HANSARD;(3) whether he will direct the Commissioner of Police to investigate the number of vehicles without road fund licences which are parked on the roads and streets in and around the vicinity of Finsbury Park underground station at any given time on Monday, 16th May; and whether he will publish these figures in HANSARD;(4) whether he is aware that the Royal Dance Hall, Tottenham, is situated almost opposite the Tottenham Police Station and that on a Saturday night and other evenings when there is dancing at the Royal Dance Hall, dozens of cars are parked in Tottenham High Road outside the police station and in Chestnut Road and in this general vicinity without road fund licences; and whether on Saturday evening, 14th May, 1966, he will cause an investigation to be made by the police into this deliberate breaking of the law;(5) whether he will request the police to cause an investigation to be made on Saturday, 14th May into the number of vehicles parked in and around Tottenham High Road without road fund licences, and report these law breakers to the appropriate authorities.

My right hon. Friend is satisfied that the Commissioner of Police has made proper arrangements for reporting to the appropriate authorities for such action as they consider fit cases in which vehicles are observed by Metropolitan Police officers to be apparently kept or used on public roads without valid road fund licences.It would not be proper for my right hon. Friend to seek to direct the Commissioner in the detailed exercise of his responsibility for enforcing the law. I have, however, drawn his attention to the places mentioned by my hon. Friend, with whom I will communicate when I have heard further from the Commissioner.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance how many widows in the United Kingdom are drawing no State pension of any sort; and what proposals she has in this matter.

It is estimated that there are about 40,000 widows under age 60 not receiving pensions administered by my Department. I cannot say how many of these widows may be receiving pensions for which other Government Departments are responsible. Information about the number of older widows without pensions is not available because, after pension age, widows are not separately identified in the Ministry's records. As to the second part of the Question, I would remind the hon. Member that substantial improvements in the short-term widows allowance will come into operation later in the autumn. Other conditions for widows' benefits are being considered as part of our review of social security arrangements.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance how many men and women over 80 years of age are not in receipt of the retirement pension; and what proposals she has in this matter.

About 200,000 in Great Britain. On the second part of the Question I would ask the hon. Member to await the text of the Ministry of Social Security Bill which I have today presented.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what was the total Exchequer subsidy paid in respect of local authority housing in England and Wales during the last financial year for which figures are available; and what was the total additional subsidy provided by local authorities during the same period from their rates funds.

The total amount of subsidies for permanent housing paid to local authorities in England and Wales in 1965–66 was £74,069,823. Figures of total rate fund contributions in that year are not yet available, but in 1963–64 net contributions amounted to £20,806,000.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government when he expects to announce a decision regarding proposed boundary changes between Norfolk and the Isle of Ely.

My right hon. Friend has received the Inspector's report on the public local inquiry into objections to the proposals and he will announce his conclusions as soon as possible.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will give details as to the break-up of the Post Office services estimated to cost £17 millions which are run as social obligations and are referred to in paragraph 11 of Post Office Prospects 1966–67.

Paragraph 11 of Post Office Prospects 1966–67 is written in the context of the postal services, and the £17 million is a very broad figure related mainly to the relatively high cost of providing collection and delivery services in country areas.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT those references to expanding employment in the service industries and the rôle of those industries in the development of the economy which appear in the Press release referring to Command Paper No. 2864, The Sottish Economy, 1965–70.

The Press release did no more than summarise, and quote the most relevant extracts from, paragraphs 120–143 of the White Paper which deal specifically with the service industries, and to which I would refer the hon. Member. I do not therefore consider it necessary to reproduce the Press release in the OFFICIAL REPORT but I have placed a copy in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, in view of the increases in bus fares and the difficulty of obtaining public transport in the rural areas, he will review the rule that local education authorities will only pay for the transport of schoolchildren if they live more than three miles from the nearest school.

Education authorities have power to make arrangements for transport without reference to any particular distance, as they consider necessary. I shall be glad to look into any individual case.

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) in view of the facts that imports of finished cloths have increased in the first quarter of 1966 from 31 million to 43 million square yards and that 64 per cent. of this increase comes from Hong Kong and India, if he will take steps to protect the Lancastrian trade; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he is aware that the imports of grey cotton cloth in the first quarter of 1966 were 156 million square yards as compared with 108 million in the same period for 1965; if he will take steps to curb imports from Hong Kong, India and Pakistan in order to assist the Lancastrian industry; and if he will make a statement.

Imports of finished cotton cloth and imports of grey cloth in the first quarter of this year were heavily inflated by the arrival of goods shipped before the end of 1965 after I had decided that no carry-over of 1965 quotas into 1966 could be allowed. Imports from India, Hong Kong and Pakistan and many other countries are subject to a total limit under the interim control arrangement now in operation. Final arrangements to cover the period until 1970 will be announced as soon as possible.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that since all quota restrictions on Japanese cutlery imports to this country were lifted in January under the terms of the Anglo-Japanese trade agreement, imports of cheap Japanese cutlery have swamped the United Kingdom market and are a threat to British industry; if he will impose safeguards against this; and if he will make a statement.

There has been an increase in imports of cutlery from Japan since the lifting of import restrictions, but the Japanese cutlery industry are operating a voluntary system of control over exports to this country. I am keeping a close watch on the level of imports in consultation with the industry.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that imports of man-made fibre piece goods increased from 20 million to 29 million square yards in the first quarter of 1966, and, in view of the fact that they come mainly from non-Commonwealth sources, mainly low-cost eastern suppliers, if he will take steps to curb these imports; and if he will make a statement.

The bulk of imports of man-made fibre piece goods come from North America and from Western European countries. Imports are generally subject to a substantial tariff. I am, however, examining representations which have been made to me that some imports of these goods from some sources are a deliberate circumvention of the arrangements applying to cotton textiles.

asked the President of the Board of Trade, in view of the facts that last year Canada sold £250 million more to Great Britain than she purchased and that Canada has enjoyed a big trade surplus for many years, and imposes tariffs much higher upon British goods than the United Kingdom imposes on Canadian goods, if he will make representations to obtain a reduction of Canadian tariffs or impose quotas against Canadian imports; and if he will make a statement.

There are a number of ways in which we are seeking to reduce the large deficit on our visible trade with Canada. We are laying the main stress on energetic export promotion measures. For the first three months of this year our exports to Canada were 30 per cent. higher than for the same period of 1965 and the deficit on visible trade was substantially reduced. We are in continuous touch with the Canadian Government in an effort to reduce obstacles to the expansion of British exports, particularly in relation to the operation of Canadian anti-dumping legislation.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has received the report of the Monopolies Commission on the supply of electrical wiring harnesses for motor vehicles; and when it will be available to Parliament.

I received the Monopolies Commission's Report on the supply of electrical wiring harnesses for motor vehicles on 26th April.It will be laid before Parliament and published as soon as possible.

asked the Minister of Transport if she will list the major road schemes in towns which are being carried out in accordance with Buchanan principles.

All major road schemes in towns are now examined in the light of the principles of the Buchanan Report. In selecting schemes for the urban road programme my right hon. Friend gives preference to those which follow from an integrated approach to land use and transport planning.

asked the Minister of Transport if she will list the 81 major road projects which were due to start between August, 1965, and January, 1966, and which were deferred for six months, giving the actual date on which work was originally scheduled to start and the date on which each actually started or is now planned to start, and indicating in each case the increase in cost which has resulted from the deferment.

The following is the list. Where an early revised starting-date is not given the additional delay is due

asked the Minister of Transport what instructions she has given for a reduction in expenditure for maintenance of roads for which her Department is responsible.

None. The sums allocated for maintenance of both trunk and classified roads are greater this year than last.

asked the Minister of Transport what progress is being made with the provision of the Morpeth bypass in the County of Northumberland; and whether she will make a statement.

The preparation of the scheme has taken a little longer than expected. Some re-designing has been necessary. But land acquisition is now going ahead and we hope construction will start early next year.

asked the Minister of Transport what estimate she has made of the increase in cost per mile of motorway as a result of the Selective Employment Tax.

No such estimate can be made at this stage.

asked the Minister of Transport whether she is aware of the state of Abbey Lane leading off Stratford High Street, and that the road is used by heavy lorries as a short-cut with considerable danger to residents in the vicinity and schoolchildren who attend Three Mills School; when she expects to be able to remove this danger; and whether she will have an investigation made into this situation.

The London Borough of Newham is responsible, as highway authority for improvements to this road, but my right hon. Friend is prepared to consult with the borough on any specific problems my hon. Friend wishes to put to her.

asked the Minister of Transport if she will list the railway passenger services for which she has authorised the closure, giving the date of her decision and the date of withdrawal of services in each case.

The following is the information:

asked the Minister of Transport whether she intends to increase the £6 million so far authorised for investment in liner train services.

asked the Minister of Transport if she will give the total capital investment so far on the liner train service, showing separately the expenditure on terminals and rolling stock; and what further expenditure is planned.

The total capital investment so far incurred or committed on freightliner services is £3·3 million, comprising £1·5 million on railway wagons and containers, £0·5 million on road vehicles and £1·3 million on terminals and associated equipment. The Railways Board is at present authorised to invest up to £6·7 million on freightliners, including £0·7 million on road vehicles. It has not so far sought my right hon. Friend's approval for any increase.

asked the Minister of Transport if she will give the proportion of capacity at which liner trains must operate to cover running costs, and give a return on capital, respectively.

No; it would not be in the commercial interest of the Railways Board to do so.

asked the Minister of Transport if she will give the percentage of capacity utilised for each week for each liner train service since they have been operating; and if she will estimate the loss incurred by these services to date.

No. It would be against the Railways Board's commercial interests to disclose so much detail on individual services.

asked the Minister of Transport if she will give the dates on which she has discussed with the National Union of Railwaymen the opening of the liner train terminals to private road hauliers.

My right hon. Friend had discussions with N.U.R. representatives on 20th April and 10th May.

asked the Minister of Transport if she will give the total numbers employed in the railway workshops on 15th October, 1964, and 1st May, 1965.

My right hon. Friend is informed by the British Railways Board that on 15th October, 1964, the total staff employed for railway workshops was 46,581; on 29th April, 1965—the nearest convenient day to the one asked for—45,943.

asked the Minister of Transport how many licensed road vehicles were registered at the latest convenient date; and how these figures compare with the previous two years.

12,872,000 vehicles had licences current during the September quarter 1965 compared with 12,306,000 in 1964 and 11,384,000 in 1963.

asked the Minister of Transport if she will list all the private road hauliers who have been acquired by the Transport Holding Company since 1962, showing the date of acquisition, total sum paid, and number of vehicles and of employees at the date of acquisition for each.

My right hon. Friend is informed by the Transport Holding Company that since 1962 it has announced the acquisition by the company or its subsidiaries of the road haulage undertakings listed in the table below, which also shows the approximate number of vehicles involved in each case. It would not be in the best interests of the Company to provide information about the price paid for individual undertakings or the number of employees in those undertakings.

asked the Minister of Transport if she is aware of the public concern about the increasing number of lorries with abnormally wide or long loads; whether she is satisfied that the existing width limit of 14 feet is appropriate, having regard to present traffic densities; whether present regulations ensure that police get sufficient warning from lorry owners about their intention to convey abnormal loads; and if she will make a statement.

The movement by road of heavy and large loads, for example those more than 14 ft. wide or more than 90 ft long, has to be authorised by my Department and is normally only permitted for indivisible loads for which movement by sea or rail is impractical. There has been no significant increase over the past two years. The 14 ft. width was laid down after consultation with all the interests concerned to strike a balance between traffic requirements as a whole and the need of industry.The amount of warning notice provided by the current regulations is kept under continuous observation.

asked the Minister of Labour what proportion of employees in the Highland counties is employed in the service industries, including agriculture; how many individuals this proportion represents; and how many extra vacancies in manufacturing industry will be provided in the Highland counties by the end; of 1966.

Taking the Highlands and Islands and North-East Scotland together, the proportion of all employees in the service industries and agriculture in 1964 was about three-fifths, representing some 249,000 people.Full information on the new jobs in manufacturing likely to arise in 1966 is not available, but estimates based on industrial development certificates issued for these areas, excluding Dundee, show that 1,900 jobs were expected to arise from projects completed in 1965 or approved but not completed by the end of the year.

asked the Minister of Labour what estimate he has made of the number of pensioners, part-time workers, and other employees in the service industries in Scotland who will lose their jobs following the introduction of the proposed Selective Employment Tax.

None, since the information on which any estimate of this kind could be based is not available.

asked the Minister of Labour what estimate he has made of the extra unemployment in the service industries within the Perth and Blairgowrie Employment Exchange areas which will result from the proposed Selective Employment Tax; and how many unfilled vacancies exist in manufacturing industries in these areas.

The tax is expected to give a positive encouragement to employment in manufacturing industries; it is not intended to increase unemployment. On 13th April, 1966, there were 62 unfilled vacancies in the manufacturing industries in the Perth and Blairgowrie Employment Exchange areas.

asked the Minister of Labour what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of administering the Selective Employment Tax; and what extra staff he expects to employ.

asked the Minister of Labour how many additional civil servants will be necessary to operate the Selective Employment Tax in view of the need for checking the claims for rebate where firms act as manufacturing wholesalers, and, in addition to wholesaling their own products, buy in and merchant the products of other manufacturers.

I would refer the hon. Members to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Oswestry (Mr. Biffen) on 9th May, 1966.

asked the Minister of Labour how many people he expects to lose their jobs in the service industries as a result of the Selective Employment Tax, especially in North Fylde; and what extra retraining facilities he is setting up to deal with the retraining of persons so unemployed.

The tax is expected to give a positive encouragement to employment in manufacturing industries; it is not intended to increase unemployment. I have no proposals at present in mind for a further expansion of Government Training Centres beyond those I have already announced.

asked the Minister of Labour (1) whether men's and women's retail manufacturing tailors are to be treated as manufacturers for purposes of the Selective Employment Tax;(2) whether manufacturing wholesalers are to be classified as manufacturers for the purposes of the Selective Employment Tax, or if they will qualify as such only for those employees actually engaged in manufacturing;(3) whether manufacturers who act as agents and/or distributors for other manufacturers are to be treated entirely as manufacturers, or if the rebate paid to them will apply only to that part of their staffs employed only in manufacture; and how he intends to arrive at the total number of employees engaged in each category.

I cannot add at this stage to the information given in the White Paper on the Selective Employment Tax (Cmd. 2986). Further information about the application of the tax will be made available as soon as possible.

asked the Minister of Labour in what category for the purposes of the Selective Employment Tax the staffs of Her Majesty's Dockyards engaged entirely on repair and refit work are to be classified.

Staffs of Her Majesty's Dockyards are classified to the Department in which they are employed. The Department concerned with repair and mechanical and electrical refit is classified under the Standard Industrial Classification to minimum list heading 370 in Order VII (Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering).

asked the Minister of Labour how many vacancies for full-time employment there are at present in North Fylde in the manufacturing industries as defined in the White Paper on the Selective Employment Tax; and whether these are for skilled, unskilled or semiskilled labour.

In the area covered by the Fleetwood and Thornton Cleveleys Employment Exchanges at 14th April, 1966, 122 notified vacancies remained unfilled for Orders III to XVI of the Standard Industrial Classification (1958).

asked the Minister of Labour, in view of absenteeism in industry due to prolonged illness where early diagnosis could result in quicker recovery, and of the reluctance of workers to take time off work for fear of loss of earnings or deduction from annual leave, if he will seek agreement between employers and unions for a reasonable amount of time off work to seek dental or medical advice.

No. I think this is best left to employers and trade unions. I am not aware of any evidence that intervention on my part is necessary.

asked the Minister of Technology what proposals he is considering to ensure the full use of the national resources available at the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment, Aldermaston; and whether he will make a statement.

Useful diversification of the work of the establishment, outside the atomic weapons field, has already taken place. Further possibilities for increasing the scope and volume of this work are under examination, but these are at present too tentative to be specified. Suggestions under examination include those put forward by the Atomic Energy Authority staff side at a recent meeting with my right hon. Friend.

asked the Minister of Technology (1) how many staff in total are employed in the office of the Principal Establishment officer of his Department, in what grades they are, and how many have university degrees, or equivalent qualifications, in a scientific or technological subject; and what will be the cost of the division in the current year;(2) how many staff in total are employed in the office of the Principal Finance Officer and General Division of his Department, in what grades they are, and how many have university degrees, or equivalent qualifications, in a scientific or technological subject, and what will be the cost of the division in the current year;(3) how many staff in total and in what grade are employed in the Economics Manpower Statistics Division of his Department, in what grades they are, and how many have university degrees, or equivalent Qualifications, in a scientific or technological subject, and what will be the cost of the division in the current year;(4) how many staff in total are employed in the Standards Division of his Department, in what grades they are, and how many have university degrees, or equivalent qualifications, in a scientific or technological subject, and what will be the cost of the division in the current year;(5) how many staff in total are employed in the Information and Regional Organisation Division of his Department, in what grades they are, and how many have university degrees or equivalent qualifications, in a scientific or technological subject, and what will be the cost of the division in the current year;(6) how many staff in total are employed in the Public Corporations Division of his Department, in what grades they are, and how many have university degrees, or equivalent qualifications, in a scientific or technological subject, and what will be the cost of the division in the current year;(7) how many staff in total are employed in the Stations Branch of his Department, in what grades they are, and how many have university degrees, or equivalent qualifications, in a scientific or technological subject, and what will be the cost of the division in the current year;

The information asked for is given in the following comprehensive table.

asked the Minister of Technology (1) what permanent arrangements the Electrical Engineering Chemical Plant and Materials Division has for liaison with the appropriate commercial, industrial and trade associations involving either attendance at least once a year of a representative of his Department at one of the associations' meetings or alternatively involving at least one association meeting in his offices; and what are the associations on which the division has permanent representatives, and what is the number of representatives in each case;(2) what permanent arrangements the Mechanical Engineering Products Division has for liaison with the appropriate commercial, industrial and trade associations involving either attendance at least once a year of a representative of his Department at one of the associations' meetings or alternatively involving at least one association meeting in his offices; aid what are the associations on which the division has permanent representatives, and what is the number of representatives in each case;(3) what permanent arrangements the Machine Tools Manufacturing Machinery and Automation Division has for liaison with the appropriate commercial, industrial and trade associations involving either attendance at least once a year of a representative of his Department at one of the associations' meetings or alternatively involving at least one association meeting in his offices; and what are the associations on which the division has permanent representatives, and what is the number of representatives in each case;(4) what permanent arrangements the Electronics Telecommunications and Instruments Division has for liaison with the appropriate commercial, industrial and trade associations involving either attendance at least once a year of a representative of his Department at one of the associations' meetings or alternatively involving at least one association meeting in his offices; and what are the associations on which the division has permanent representatives, and what is the number of representatives in each case;

The divisions of the Ministry of Technology have generally not found the need for formal liaison arrangements of the kind the hon. Member suggests. They maintain contact with commercial, industrial, trade and research associations, institutes and organisations in the ways which enable the Department to function effectively and which serve the needs of those organisations which are interested in and concerned with the Department's activities. The links between industry and the Department through its research stations and through the research associations, to which it gives grants, are particularly close. All these links are being strengthened as the Department develops its policies for accelerating technological progress in industry. If the hon. Member is aware of any instance where in his view these arrangements are not working to the satisfaction of an industrial organisation, I should be grateful if he would let me know.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many places, divided between infants and juniors, are provided at each of the following schools, namely, Heathmere School, S.W.15, Danebury School, S.W.15, and Roehampton Gate School, S.W.15; and how many of the places in each are now occupied.

The latest information is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what he estimates to be the annual cost to universities, schools and colleges, respectively, of the Selective Employment Tax as proposed in Command Paper No. 2986.

As indicated in paragraph 22 of Command Paper No. 2986, the universities will receive a refund of the tax through the University Grants Committee. Arrangements to be made to offset the effect of the tax on the finances of local authorities will cover all educational establishments that they maintain. The question of compensating grant-aided educational establishments—for all or part of the cost—through the normal grant machinery is being considered. As to the effect of the tax on independent educational establishments, I would refer the hon. Member to the Answer given by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 6th May.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science why he has withheld permission for the Manchester City Corporation to purchase properties in areas proposed for redevelopment as school playing fields not before 1971.

The area in question is not yet scheduled for redevelopment and the land will not be required for some years. In present economic circumstances, my right hon. Friend could not justify the use of public funds for acquiring the property immediately.