asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how many occasions, since the passing of the Finance Act, 1965, his Department has sent an inspector of taxes to attend auction sales to take particulars of sale prices and articles; and if he will make a statement.

Once. I see no reason why Revenue officials should not attend public auctions in appropriate cases.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the annual cost to the revenue of the tax concession, in respect of travel to and from work, to persons evacuated from their homes in the last war: and what estimate he has made of the approximate cost of extending a similar relief to workers who, in the interest of mobility of labour, are required to travel considerable distances to work, and of the approximate cost of extending it to all employed persons.

Under £¼ million for the present relief, and about £50 million for a general £10 relief for home-to-work travel. The cost of the limited relief envisaged by my hon. Friend cannot be estimated.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will seek to establish a national lottery in order to benefit medical and cultural projects.

No.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware that the imposition of the Selective Employment Tax upon the disclaimed hospitals will be more than their financial situation can bear; and if he will exempt them from it.

No.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what relief he proposes to make in the case of horticulturalists who will have to pay the Selective Employment Tax but who are not covered by the Agriculture Price Review.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture on 13th May.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether it is his intention to apply the Selective Employment Tax to the employment of retirement pensioners.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will exempt the employment of retirement pensioners from the Selective Employment Tax.

I shall continue to have them in mind, but I have no statement to make.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what levels of employment tax, levied in the same ratio as men 25s., women and boys 12s. 6d., and girls 8s. but on a non-selective basis without refunds or premiums, would be required to yield an estimated revenue of £315 million, £240 million and of £100 million, respectively.

Following is the information:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will exempt organisations registered as charities under the Charities Act 1960 from the Selective Employment Tax.

No, this would not be possible.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will set up an interdepartmental committee to report on the effects of the Selective Employment Tax on depopulation in rural Wales.

No. Satisfactory arrangements already exist for considering Welsh problems.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will assess the proposed Selective Employment Tax by way of companies rather than establishments.

No.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will give consideration to the special position of learned societies with a view to exempting them from the Selective Employment Tax.

I can see no reason for exempting these societies.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what annual amount he expects to recover from charities by means of the Selective Employment Tax.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the yield in a full year of the Selective Employment Tax derived from payments made by registered charities in respect of persons employed by them.

This information is not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the value of their work for deep-sea fishermen, he will exempt the Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen from the Selective Employment Tax.

I cannot add to what I have already said about charities.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the total revenue of the Selective Employment Tax in a full year if the rate were reduced to 7s. 6d. per week per person with no exemptions.

About £324 million, assuming refunds to those employed in the public sector. But to dispense with refunds and premiums would frustrate the whole purpose of the scheme explained in the White Paper.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assistance he will give to retailers to meet additional costs which will arise from the imposition of the Selective Employment Tax.

None. My purpose is to widen the tax base by taxing services, of which retailing is among the largest.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will seek to exempt the staff of places of worship from the operation of the Selective Employment Tax.

I am considering representations that have been made to me, but I cannot add to what I have already said.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the effect of the proposed Selective Employment Tax on the price of goods retailed by multiple stores.

Depending on the extent to which the tax were passed on, the effect on retail prices including the price of goods sold by multiple stores, would vary between nothing and ½ of 1 per cent.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to the Exchequer of exempting all part-time employees who work 21 hours a week or less from the provisions of the proposed Selective Employment Tax.

No precise estimate is available but it would be a substantial sum.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer by what sum his net prospective yield of £240,000,000 in a full year from Selective Employment Tax would be reduced by exempting all payment of the tax by employers with fewer than twelve employees at any single establishment.

There are no comprehensive statistics for employers with fewer than twelve employees at any single establishment. I do not in any case propose to relieve such employers of the tax.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether Members of Parliament and their staffs are liable to Selective Employment Tax.

In their capacity as Members of Parliament hon. Members have always been regarded as self-employed. They will therefore be liable to the selective employment tax only in respect of their personal staff.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Selective Employment Tax will be levied on British citizens working for British companies in overseas countries.

Employers with a place of business in this country are normally required to pay National Insurance contributions for persons ordinarily resident here during the first twelve months of employment overseas following employment in this country. Liability for tax will run with liability for these contributions.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will exempt from payment of the Selective Employment Tax widowers or widows with children of school age or under who employ full-time domestic help, or increase the tax relief allowed for the employment of full-time domestic help by a sum which on average would equal the selective employment tax.

It is not practicable to exempt these persons from payment of the Selective Employment Tax. I have noted by hon. Friend's suggestion about Income Tax relief.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what rates of employment tax, in the same proportions as proposed for the Selective Employment Tax, would be required to collect the same amount as is yielded for Income Tax; and what would be the approximate saving in cost of collection for the Inland Revenue.

It is not possible to make any useful estimates.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will define tourism as a manufacturing industry for the purpose of the proposed Selective Employment Tax.

No.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the anomalies and difficulties which will arise, he will define agriculture as a manufacturing industry for the purposes of the proposed Selective Employment Tax.

The position of agriculture will not be anomalous. I would refer my hon. Friend to the statement made by the Minister of Agriculture on 13th May.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what reply he has sent to the Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen to their letter asking for exemption from the proposed Selective Employment Tax, which would cost this charity nearly £10,000 a year; and if he will make a statement.

I have taken careful note of what they say but at present I cannot add to what I have already said about charities.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware of the evasion of the payment of road fund licence by vehicle owners; and if, as large sums are being lost to the revenue, he will include in his forth coming Finance Bill measures to ensure that petrol may only be supplied by garages to vehicles which are exhibiting a current road fund licence.

On evasion I would refer my hon. Friend to the speech of my hon. Friend the Joint Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport in the Adjournment Debate on 3rd March. The Answer to the second part of the Question is No.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on his talks with representatives of the building societies; and whether he will refer their proposed in creases in mortgage interest rates to the National Board for Prices and Incomes.

I am not yet in a position to make a statement as my right hon. Friend the Minister of Housing and Local Government and I will be meeting representatives of the building societies to morrow.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why he did not announce his decision to sell Her Majesty's Government's holding in the Amerada Petroleum Company to the House of Commons in accordance with his undertaking of 2nd August, 1965.

The hon. Member is mistaken. It is not the normal practice to inform the House of individual sales from the portfolio.

asked the Chancellor of the Exhequer what is the value of the British Government-owned United State securities which have been sold since 1st January 1965; and how much has been transferred to the reserves.

It is not the practice to give details of sales. No transfers have been made to the Reserves since my statement on 1st March.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will terminate the appointment of Mr. Kaldor as a financial adviser to Her Majesty's Government, in view of the fact that he has no business experience.

No.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will seek powers to control the price of whisky sold free of duty by rail, air and shipping companies to passengers arriving in the United Kingdom.

No.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to avoid Corporation Tax liability falling on family-owned close companies which is not borne equally by much wealthier public companies.

I assume the hon. Member has in mind the provisions restricting the deduction allowed for director's re- muneration and for certain kinds of interest. I do not propose to abolish these restrictions.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will take action to ensure that purchasers of dogs do not take possession of their dogs until they have obtained a dog licence.

I have noted the hon. Gentleman's suggestion.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the estimated percentage charge in the seasonally adjusted gross trading profits from income arising in the United Kingdom for companies between the first and second half of 1965; and if he will make a statement.

Gross trading profits of companies, seasonally adjusted, were 2 per cent. lower in the second half of 1965 than in the first half of the year.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer in view of the fact that the copper content of a penny piece is currently worth approximately 1·2d., what steps he is taking to prevent the melting down of penny pieces and their resale at 20 per cent. profit.

None. I doubt whether any profit could be made after allowing for the cost of extracting the copper from the alloy.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will initiate an inquiry into tax incentives to private savers.

This matter is kept under continuous review.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the annual net yield of short- and long-term Capital Gains Tax and Corporation Tax, respectively, on the transactions in land of the kind set out in Cases A to E of the Land Commission Bill.

The information is not available on which to base these estimates.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware that the high C licence duty causes hardship to lorry owners on islands where the possible mileage is very small; and if he will take steps to reduce the duty.

No. A "C" licence costs 30 shillings and is valid for 5 years.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware that in 1950 the Inland Revenue published a concession whereby capital allowances could be used to create or augment a loss available under Section 341 of the Income Tax Act 1952 and that statutory recognition was given to the practice by Section 20 of the Finance Act 1954; that the Inland Revenue are now seeking to interpret paragraph 20 of Schedule 15 to the Finance Act 1965, continuity of loss relief, in such a way as to exclude capital allowances for loss relief purposes in section 341 claims made by companies for 1965–66; and whether he will now instruct the Inland Revenue to allow these capital allowances for inclusion in Section 341 loss claims.

I am aware of this point, but I cannot instruct the Inland Revenue to disregard the express terms of the provision to which the hon. Gentleman refers.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that the Estimates Committee in Session 1960–61 reported that they were not satisfied that sufficient attention was paid to the cost of collection of taxes and the apportionment of costs to subjects of taxation; what action the Board of Inland Revenue has taken towards implementing that recommendation; and to what extent regard was paid to it in framing the Capital Gains Tax in the Finance Act 1965.

It has not been found practicable to make a reliable apportionment of costs of collection between the different taxes on income or the tax charged under the different Schedules. In framing the capital gains tax due regard was paid to costs of collection.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why he has extended 10 per cent. Purchase Tax to all school uniforms.

The hon. Member is under some misapprehension. There has been no such extension of the tax.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what revenue he received from the road fund licence for each of the last five years; and to what extent the rise and/or fall in these amounts is due to the number of vehicles on the road, the number of new licences applied for, and the number avoiding payment of this duty, respectively.

The information in respect of the first three of my hon. Friend's questions is as follows: it is impossible to answer the fourth:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what advice he has given to authorised dealers in gold to secure the implementation of Statutory Instrument 1966, No. 438.

Authorised banks and other Authorised Dealers in Gold were sent detailed instructions on 27th April, 1966.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the estimated loss to the reserves from the import of gold coins and medals in each of the last five years.

The figures for imports of gold coins in the period are as follows:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give an estimate of the value of gold used for the manufacture of medals and medallions in the United Kingdom in each of the last 10 years.

No separate figures are available for the value of gold used for these purposes over this period. Gold sales to industry amounted to £10·2 million in 1965; a reasonable estimate is that about £1½ to £2 million of this was used for making medals and medallions.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will issue an explanatory leaflet describing what action people who are not coin collectors but who hold more than four gold coins minted after 1837 should take as a result of Statutory Instrument 1966, No. 438.

A leaflet explaining the provisions of the Order and the action which should be taken to comply with it is available from any bank.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether non-coin collectors holding more than four sovereigns minted since 1837 are required to surrender them; and by what date, to whom, and at what price they should do so.

Unless the holder wishes to apply for exemption as a collector, any holdings at 27th April, 1966 of gold coins minted since 1837 in excess of four should be offered for sale immediately at the current London market price to an Authorised Dealer in Gold or to a Trader in coin or to a coin dealer specifically authorised by the Bank of England.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the number of sovereigns minted by the Royal Mint in each of the last 20 years, and the aver age price at which they have been sold in each year.

Sovereigns were minted in only eight of the last 20 years, as follows:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the total value of hoardings of gold coins in the United Kingdom; and what proportion he anticipates will be surrendered as a result of Statutory Instrument 1966, No. 438.

No estimate is possible, but there is evidence that hoarding of gold coins was developing on a substantial scale.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state the percentage of total personal income distributed as wages, salaries and pensions, forces' pay, social security benefits, mixed in come and property in 1938, 1950, 1955, 1960, and 1965, respectively.

The information is as follows:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimates he has made of the cost to the Exchequer of drawbacks of tax arising from the strike in the Merchant Navy.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 10th May to a Question from the hon. Member for Louth (Sir C. Osborne).

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will now accept unestablished service rendered before 14th July, 1949, as counting in full for Civil Service pension purposes.

No. Full reckoning of unestablished service would cost over £300 million in total and even if implemented gradually would cost several million pounds annually in the first years.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will introduce legislation to repeal Section 159 of the Income Tax Act, 1952, which gives tax relief on any expenses of travel to work attributable to the 1939–45 war.

No.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will make a statement upon the financial and economic consequences of the seamen's strike affecting the British Mercantile Marine.

I would refer the hon. Gentleman to the statement made by the Prime Minister in his television broadcast to the nation yesterday evening.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what financial changes have to be achieved before he can recommend a reduction of the present Bank Rate, which has lasted longer than in any previous period; how much longer he estimates that the present rate will continue; and if he will make a statement.

I have no statement to make about Bank Rate.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government why he decided that the administrative costs of the Rates Rebate Scheme should be chargeable to local authorities rather than the Exchequer.

My right hon. Friend thought it better to concentrate the avail able money on the rebates themselves, so giving the maximum incentive to economy in administration.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will institute an inquiry to consider what additional powers would be necessary to ensure that industrial buildings and industrial sites conform to modern standards in respect of physical decay, continued neglect, lack of good husbandry and injury to environmental amenities.

Local authorities already have powers to deal with dangerous and dilapidated buildings and derelict sites.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will now give approval to the Hockley and Hawkwell sewerage scheme submitted to his Department by the Rochford Rural District Council on 4th November last with a request for an early decision.

My right hon. Friend cannot reach a decision on this scheme until the council supplies certain further information for which he has asked.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether in view of his statement to the House last December, he will now make a further statement on the future of Ashford.

There have been discussions between my Department and the county council about the arrangements for a study of expansion in the Ashford area. These should be completed soon but, not before other local authorities have been consulted on what is proposed.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government (1) whether he will give his consent to the application for the compulsory purchase by the Sidmouth Urban District Council of 200 acres of Mutters-moor, which is partly outside their council boundary, for provision of a golf course for visitors, with a luxury club house; and if he will grant their application for loan sanction for £250,000 for the provision of the course;(2) what action he is taking to secure the public footpaths and rights of way on Muttersmoor, to the west of Sidmouth, Devon; and whether he will schedule this moor as a permanent open space.

The council has already been told that there is little prospect that the Minister could sanction a loan for this purpose at the present time and it was advised to consider carefully whether it should in fact proceed with a C.P.O.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what consideration he has given to the recommendation of the National Water Safety Commission concerning a national colour code for warning signs for bathers, a copy of which has been sent to him; and whether he will take steps to see that local authorities utilise the code at beach and inland water resorts this season.

I am sure that when local authorities have studied these very recent recommendations they will see the advantages of the standardisation which is proposed. It is too early to say that any form of Departmental guidance or compulsion is required.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what consultations he had with the Building Societies Association before announcing his option mortgage proposals; what were the results; and what future consultations with them he proposes to have.

I had confidential discussions on several occasions with the Building Societies Association who were in broad agreement with the principle of assisting owner-occupiers. More detailed discussion of the best method of doing this has taken place since the announcement and is still going on.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will take steps to enable house mort gages to be obtained even though the applicant is not an investor in a building society.

House mortgage advances are not limited to building society investors. I am aware that when demand exceeds supply building societies frequently give preference to existing investors over new applicants who should then have recourse to the local authorities.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will now make a statement on the inquiry into dampness in new houses and flats.

I assume that my hon. Friend is referring to a recent conference of West Midland local authorities at which the Ministry and the Building Research Station were represented. At this conference it was agreed that individual local authority problems would be investigated by the councils concerned, and that they would have the support and assistance of the Ministry and the Building Research Station.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he is satisfied that the provisions for the compensation of owner-occupiers are sufficiently brought to the attention of those owner-occupiers whose homes are situated in slum clearance areas; and whether he will publish a guide in simple language to explain these provisions.

All owners affected by slum clearance receive statutory notices which contain a great deal of information about compensation. My right hon. Friend has no evidence to suggest that anything more is needed.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will introduce legislation to assist owner-occupiers in slum clearance areas to obtain better financial compensation in cases where the house was bought after 13th December 1955 but before the local authority had designated the area in which the house was situated a clearance area.

I cannot at present go beyond what was said in the debates on the Housing (Slum Clearance Compensation) Bill last year.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many houses were started in England and Wales in each of the third and fourth quarters of 1964 and in the equivalent periods in 1965.

95,500 and 101,200 respectively in 1964 and 80,400 and 84,100 in 1965.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will issue a circular to local authorities to ensure that the opportunities for rate rebates are sufficiently publicised to ensure that full advantage is taken of them.

My right hon. Friend does not think that a further circular would help. He has already issued two, made available nearly three million leaflets, broadcast about it, and sent through the press a message to ratepayers. But he is watching the position and considering whether further publicity is needed.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether, in view of the Government's incomes and prices policy, he will seek to establish an advisory panel to which council house ten ants may refer proposed rent increases for an independent assessment as to whether they are justified.

No.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government by what percentage he expects the cost of a house to rise this year.

Any forecast of movement in house prices would be pure conjecture.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will estimate the average additional cost of a three-bedroom semi-detached local authority house arising from the Selective Employment Tax.

My right hon. Friend estimates that the Selective Employment Tax amounts to about 2 per cent. on the cost of the average house but this should be partly offset by the lifting of the import surcharge and the extension of the new investment grants to the construction industry. The effect on prices will depend on how much of the extra cost is passed on, but builders should be able to absorb at least part.

asked the Minister of Power whether, in the light of the severe manpower wastage in some coalfields, he will give a general direction to the National Coal Board to complement the recent introduction of regional price differentials by the introduction of regional wage differentials.

The industry's wages structure is a matter for negotiation between the Board and the unions.

asked the Minister of Power if he will make a statement on the consultations he has had with the National Coal Board and the National Union of Mineworkers on the effect that the large supplies of gas to be obtained from the North Sea will have on the mining industry.

I am in touch with the National Coal Board and the National Union of Mineworkers on the North Sea gas discoveries but much more information and study are required before I can assess what would be the effect of large supplies of natural gas on fuel policy and on the mining industry in particular. However, I see no reason to suppose that the country will not continue to need all the coal that can be produced at an economic price.

asked the Minister of Power, in view of recent developments in the North Sea gas field, what tonnage of coal he expects to be used in the production of gas in the year 1970; and how this compares with the estimate on which the White Paper on Fuel Policy was based.

The implications of large supplies of natural gas from the North Sea are being studied. It is too soon to say what the effects might be on the use of other fuels.

asked the Minister of Power what is his future policy regarding help to the National Coal Board in maintaining effective man power in the mining industry.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the Answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Lewisham, West (Mr. Dickens) on 3rd May.

asked the Minister of Power if he will make a statement on the latest discussions he has had with his Energy Advisory Council on the future of the mining industry.

The Energy Advisory Council will be meeting shortly to consider important recent developments in the fuel industries, including coal.

asked the Minister of Power if he will state in mil lion tons the amount of known coal re serves in this country.

Reserves of coal in this country are extensive. The National Coal Board are constantly extending their surveys and I am asking Lord Robens to write to my hon. Friend to give him the Board's latest assessment.

asked the Minister of Power if he will include in legislation for public ownership in the steel industry proposals for contributory and transferable pensions for all steel workers.

I cannot anticipate the contents of the Bill.

asked the Minister of Power whether he will give a general direction, in the public interest, to electricity boards not to cut off pensioners' supplies without proper preliminary investigations.

On the general question, I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to the hon. Member for Beckenham (Mr. Goodhart) on 1st February. I am asking the Chairman of the Midlands Electricity Board to write to my hon. Friend about the particular case he has drawn to my attention.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development whether he will make representations to the appropriate foreign Governments to ensure as far as possible that no undue hardship is experienced by ex-colonial civil servants obtaining double taxation relief because of the delay in forwarding taxation assessments by certain foreign Governments.

Yes. Representations have been made to two overseas Governments.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development what was the total value of United Kingdom contributions to multilateral aid schemes in the last financial year for which full statistics are available.

£15,601,000 in 1964–65.

asked the Lord President of the Council if he will move to amend the Standing Orders of the House so that Bills which have reached their Committee stage at the time of the Dissolution of Parliament need not be reintroduced in a new Parliament, and so that the discussion of them can continue from the point at which it was suspended, at the discretion of the incoming Administration or of the private Members originally in charge of each Bill.

Proposals of this nature have been discussed in Parliament and carefully considered on many occasions and it was then concluded that the constitutional law by which Parliamentary proceedings are discontinued by prorogation ought not to be disturbed. The Select Committee on Procedure could, if it wished, look at this matter.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance whether the proposed Selective Employment Tax will be paid by the Treasury, in respect of Members of Parliament, with National Insurance contributions, and later refunded.

A Member of Parliament, unless he has some other occupation as an employed person, is classed as a self-employed person. It has not been proposed that the Selective Employment Tax should apply to self-employment.

asked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs whether he is aware that, when the Government placed the 10 per cent. surcharge duty on imports, many firms increased their prices by 10 per cent. and more; and what action he is proposing to take to ensure that these firms reduce their prices by the amounts of the earlier increases when the 10 per cent. surcharge is lifted in November.

As my right hon. Friend has made clear on previous occasions, we would expect the manufacturers and distributors concerned to recognise their responsibility to reduce prices wherever possible without the need for Government intervention.

asked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs if he will revise the terms of reference of the National Board for Prices and Incomes, in view of the effects of the Selective Employment Tax on the costs of retail distribution.

No.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what representations and communications he has received from the Co-operative movement and the distributive trades in connection with the effects of his pay roll tax on the price of retail goods and services; and what replies he has sent.

I have received a number of representations, both direct and through hon. Members, from such bodies that the effect of the tax will be to put up prices. In reply, I have explained or shall be explaining further the reasons for the imposition of the tax as set out in the White Paper and amplified during the Budget Debate.

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) what is his estimate of the value of British ex ports financed through multilateral aid schemes in the last financial year for for which full figures are available;(2) what estimate he has of the value of United Kingdom exports to developing countries, the purchase of which is financed by aid payments from the United Kingdom, and from third countries, respectively.

In the 12 months ended 30th April. 1966, some £58·8 million was paid to exporters of British goods and services under contracts financed from formally tied British bilateral aid. A considerable volume of export business is also financed from untied and partially tied British aid, technical assistance and aid contributed in various ways by third countries but the value of this cannot be precisely estimated.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what estimate he has made of the tonnage of exports and imports now being transferred to foreign-registered ships as a result of the impending seamen's strike on 16th May.

No such estimate is possible.

asked the Minister of Health when he proposes to reply to the letter dated 25th April from the hon. Member for Leicester, South-East, asking him to receive a deputation of citizens of the City of Leicester led by the hon. Member for the purpose of presenting a petition regarding the need for a new maternity hospital; and what proposals he has for receiving the deputation.

My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary wrote and spoke to the hon. Member yesterday. He will he glad to receive the deputation.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware of the shortage of medical staff at the emergency unit of the Royal Gwent Hospital, New port, and that patients in need of attention have been unable to secure treatment when attending the hospital; and what action is being taken to improve the situation.

I understand that owing to a vacancy in one Senior House Officer post and the sickness of another doctor it was necessary on one morning to ask patients to see their own doctors or to return in the afternoon; no accident case was refused treatment. Both the Hospital Management Committee and the Hospital Board are endeavouring to fill the vacant post.

asked the Prime Minister why he has transferred responsibility for Great Britain's relations with the European Free Trade Association from the President of the Board of Trade to the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs.

My right hon. Friend the First Secretary of State has a general responsibility for external economic policy, and particular responsibility for economic policy in regard to Europe. He is thus directly concerned with our relations with the European Free Trade Association in this wider context. My right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade remains responsible for the conduct of commercial and economic relations with the European Free Trade Association.

asked the Prime Minister what steps he will take to give the Minister of Housing and Local Government more power in carrying out his responsibilities for housing; and whether he will make a statement.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the Answer I gave today to Questions by the hon. Member for Hereford (Mr. Gibson-Watt) and my hon. Friend the Member for Acton (Mr. Floud).

asked the Prime Minister if, in view of the improbability of the Welsh Grand Committee being able to function on the old basis, and as part of the policy of improving Parliamentary accountability, he will move to refer to the Select Committee on Procedure the giving to a reconstituted Welsh Grand Committee, limited to Members representing Welsh constituencies, of the functions of a Select Committee, to examine in public the workings of the respective departments in the Principality.

This suggestion will, I understand, fall within the pro posed terms of reference of the Select Committee on Procedure and they will, therefore, have authority, when appointed, to make recommendations about it.

asked the Prime Minister what plans he has made in view of the threatened seamen's strike to ensure the movement of essential freight between Great Britain and Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

I have been asked to reply.The Government are taking all appropriate step to ensure the maintenance in Northern Ireland of supplies essential to the life of the community.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) why action has not been taken against the owner of vehicle number OO7234, in view of the fact that this has been unlicensed for many months and particulars have been supplied to the appropriate authorities; and if he will instruct the Metro politan Police to report the matter to the local authority;(2) whether he is aware that vehicle number SRK 351 has, since before October, 1964, been used continually on the roads without a current road fund licence; that although this has been reported to the appropriate authority no licence has been obtained; and whether he will ask the police to make investigations;(3) whether he will cause an investigation to be made by the police into why a small covered van number 560 TMF, showing a time-expired road fund licence, is parked during the daytime at or near the entrance to 81 Taybridge Road, Lavender Hill, S.W.13, and instruct them to report this to the appropriate authority.

The Commissioner of Police informs me that evidence of the unlicensed use of all those vehicles has been obtained and reported for any necessary action to the Greater London Council, who are the appropriate licensing authority, with whose discretion in the exercise of their statutory functions my right hon. Friend has no authority to intervene.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware that on 7th April a person paying the road fund licence duty went to Earlsfield Police Station to complain about the large number of un taxed vehicles on the road in and around the Earlsfield Road, S.W.18, area; and what action the police have taken or intend to take regarding this breaking of the law.

The Commissioner of Police informs me that a complaint was made at Earlsfield Police Station on 7th April about two cars apparently un licensed and parked outside the complainant's home. Inquiries have been made by the police and a number of apparently unlicensed vehicles reported to the Greater London Council.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will introduce legislation to enable traffic wardens to take numbers of vehicles being used on the roads without a current road fund licence and to for ward these to the appropriate authorities for action thereon, and additionally to issue suitably worded warnings to the drivers of these vehicles by sticking these on the vehicles' windscreens.

My right hon. Friend is keeping under review the question of possible further extensions of the functions of traffic wardens, and he will bear in mind this suggestion.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware of the growing practice of owners of Tippy and rubble lorries of using false number plates, and refusing to license these vehicles when warned by the police; and what action he has taken or proposes to take to see that when the police attempt to enforce the law these drivers are not allowed to ignore police instructions.

It would be for the chief officer of police to decide what action to take on any evidence put before him about the use of particular vehicles with false number plates, and the Commissioner will investigate any cases arising in the Metropolitan Police District about which my hon. Friend may provide details.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his estimate of the effect of the Selective Employment Tax on food prices.

It is not possible to make a precise estimate. But as the House was informed by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary on 5th May, there is no reason to expect that the increase in food prices will be greater than in the cost of living generally, i.e. about two-thirds of one per cent., on the pessimistic assumption that all increases in cost are fully passed on to the consumer.

asked the Attorney-General how many prosecutions were instituted under the Obscene Publications Acts 1959 and 1964 in the calendar year 1965.

49.

asked the Attorney-General how many articles were subject to seizure and forfeiture under the Obscene Publications Acts 1959 and 1964 in the calendar year 1965.

35,377.

asked the Attorney-General whether the organisation of the administration of justice by the High Court in England and Wales is presently under review by the Law Commissioners; whether they are inviting individual evidence concerning changes in the organisation of the administration of justice, particularly outside London; and whether he will make a statement.

The Law Commissioners are reviewing the organisation of the administration of justice by the High Court only to the extent that, under Item X(c) of their present law reform programme, they are required to make a preliminary examination of the jurisdiction of the courts dealing with family matters and to say what agency should further examine the question. It is too early to say whether the Commission will decide to invite evidence for the purpose of their preliminary examination.