asked the Minister of Overseas Development what representations he has received from the Overseas Service Pensioners' Association on the subject of tax assessment for pensioners of the Ceylon Government.

The Overseas Service Pensioners' Association has drawn attention to the fact that six pensioners resident in the United Kingdom have not received tax assessments from the Ceylon Government.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development what is the purpose of the project for the training of South Vietnamese in Great Britain.

There is no single project. Trainees, of whom there are six, have come under Colombo Plan arrangements and are studying social welfare, manufacture of drugs, colour photography, photography, broadcasting, public health.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of his proposed deferment measures in the public sector for 1967–68 will affect the Ministry of Transport and Department of Education and Science, respectively.

£36 million will be found from programmes with which the Ministry of Transport is concerned, including nationalised industries. No reductions are proposed in programmes with which the Department of Education and Science is concerned.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many civil servants were employed by the Inland Revenue full time and part time, respec- tively, at the latest convenient date; and what increases or decreases these figures represent on the comparable figure for October, 1964, and August, 1965.

59,238 full time and 2,556 part time staff at 1st July last. These figures represent increases of 4,212 and 2,303 full time staff and decreases of 352 and 164 part time staff as compared with October, 1964, and August, 1965, respectively.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of the reduction in overseas expenditure will come from cuts in overseas aid; and where these are likely to fall.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 26th July to a Question by the hon. Member for Sevenoaks (Sir J. Rodgers).

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in order that other companies may be able to follow the precedents, he will publish the reasons for the Bank of England's approval for Ralli Brothers (Securities) to put£800,000 into Cox Brothers, the Australian retail firm; and whether all the conditions mentioned in his recent letter, and that of the Bank of England, have been fulfilled.

Details of individual cases are confidential, but the answer to the last part of the Question is "Yes".

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, in view of the financial difficulties of old-age pensioners who invested in undated stocks before 1949, he will take steps to assist them.

I regret that it is not possible to do so.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that, notwithstanding no statutory authority to require divulgence by taxpayers in respect of chargeable assets for capital gains duty held at 6th April, 1965, Her Majesty's Inspectors of Taxes are requesting such information and that taxpayers are often gratuitously submitting information concerning such chargeable assets; and whether he will now instruct Her Majesty's Inspectors of Taxes throughout the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to cease requesting such information.

One or two isolated instances have come to notice. I am satisfied that no general instruction is needed.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the effects of the Selective Employment Tax on small businesses.

None; small businesses, like other businesses, will fall into the premium, refund and no refund categories and the effect of the Selective Employment Tax will vary accordingly.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps the Government propose to take to provide better terms of credit for businesses that justify it.

None.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the total amount of Great Britain's debt to the International Monetary Fund which is a gold guarantee liability, in view of the fact that it would be proportionately increased in case of devaluation.

£868 million.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer at what date in 1967 the loan of £385 million from the Swiss Bank and the International Monetary Fund is due for repayment; and whether it is a gold-guaranteed loan.

December, 1967. The usual Fund guarantee attaches to the Fund drawing.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware that a public company, whose name has been sent to him, has just announced sales reductions for the first half year of £432,000, net profit reduction of £511,000, and that this type of profit-margin squeeze will be general throughout British industry; in view of the fact that the dividend cut will result in less revenue from taxation of profits and dividends, and that the Budget estimates will be falsified, if he will now impose severe cuts in current nonproductive Government expenditure; and if he will make a statement.

The net profit reduction in the case mentioned will not affect the yield of Corporation Tax this year because tax on those profits will not be payable until 1967–68. For the same reason any reductions in the profits of other companies for accounting periods ending in this financial year will have little or no effect on the Budget estimate for 1966–67. It is too early to say to what extent reductions in dividends will cause the yield of Schedule F tax to fall short of the estimate. The Government will continue to exercise strict control of public expenditure, and will have regard to all relevant economic factors, including forecasts of revenue.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer to what extent the new tourist allowance of £50 will apply to those participating in sporting events overseas, in the non-sterling areas; and whether this will be applicable to the international polo tournament in the Argentine on 1st November 1966, so far as the British participants are concerned.

Applications will be considered on their merits. I understand that the question of special provision for the international polo tournament in Argentina is unlikely to arise since most of the foreign currency expenses are to be met by the organisers.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware that the recent announcement of a fall of £25 million in the gold reserve for July is incorrect and that the losses were nearer £150 million; and, in view of the fact that issuing incorrect figures adds to the difficulties of foreign exchange dealers and casts doubts on Her Majesty's Government's policy on economic matters, if he will now issue the correct figure so that the nation may be aware of the economic position.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is satisfied that the correct figure of a £25 million fall in Great Britain's gold reserves for the month of July was announced by his Department on Tuesday, 2nd August.

The fall in the reserves in July was correctly announced at £25 million.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in view of the fact that the £270 million swap arrangement with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York is exhausted, what new defence he proposes to use against the continuing run on sterling; for how long he estimates such new lines of credit will last; and if he will make a statement.

The assertions of the hon. Member are mistaken.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer; in view of the fact that the £1,145 million reserve at the end of July consists of £899 million borrowed from the Swiss Bank and the International Monetary Fund, and more than the balance is borrowed from the United States of America, and that there is no net reserve, what action he proposes to take when these loans have to be repaid; if the arrangements allow for the declaration of a moratorium; and if he will make a statement.

The prime object of our present policies is to balance our payments and then earn a surplus.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many non- industrial civil servants will continue to receive incremental increases and will be exempt from the prices and incomes standstill.

The Incomes Standstill applies to all, and Civil Service increments will be treated in accordance with paragraph 18(iv) of Command 3073.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what preparation he is now making to safeguard the imports of the 50 per cent. of the food needed by the United Kingdom and the 90 per cent. raw materials needed to maintain full employment, in view of the fact that the United Kingdom reserves are less than its liabilities and the materials; when he estimates that a balance will be reached; and if he will make a statement.

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for South Angus (Mr. Bruce-Gardyne) on 25th July.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the cost to the Treasury of making respectively widows' pensions, family allowances and retirement pensions non-taxable for Income Tax and Surtax purposes, both shown separately.

For family allowances, about £26 million Income Tax and £½ million Surtax for a full year. It is not possible to give separate costs for exempting widows' pensions and retirement pensions; but for those pensions taken together the full year's cost would be about £90 million income tax and £1½ million surtax.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer from which authority can be obtained the list of authorised prices for gold coins laid down in Article 3 of Statutory Instrument, 1949, No. 2042.

I assume that the hon. Member intends to refer to Article 3 of Statutory Rules and Orders, 1947, No. 2050. There is no such list. As announced in the London Gazette of 23rd March, 1954, the price authorised by the Treasury for the purposes of Section 2(4) of the Exchange Control Act, 1947, in relation to gold which must be offered for sale to Authorised Dealers under Section 2(1) of the Act is the current London market price.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what prerequisites are required of persons desiring to be granted a licence to become a trader in coin within the meaning of Statutory Instrument, 1949, No. 2042 (other than a person exercising or carrying on a trade or business of a hawker, pedlar or petty chapman).

I would refer the hon. Member to Article 1 of the Order mentioned, but such persons are not the only persons today authorised to deal in gold coins.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many licences were granted to traders in coin since 27th April, 1966, and the number of grantees who formerly came within the legal definition of Trader in Coin.

67 coin dealers have been given full authority to deal in gold coin and 41 have been given limited authority. Of these, 26 were Traders in Coin within the meaning of Statutory Instrument 1949, No. 2042.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether, in the light of paragraph 14 of Command Paper No. 3073, he will now urge the Greater London Council to reconsider its proposed early introduction of a large and expensive public relations and information service.

No. The Greater London Council, like other local authorities, is aware of the need to ensure all proper economies in expenditure at this time. It is for each council to consider how economy can best be achieved.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will send a circular to local authorities giving advice on dealing with abandoned cars.

Proposals for strengthening the law on the subject are in the Civic Amenities Bill, which received a Second Reading in this House on 8th July.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government (1) whether he will give an assurance that the recent deferment of certain local authority expenditure will not affect the validity of his recent policy that there will be no difficulty for loan sanctions for any coastal sewage scheme which is urgently needed, provided that it is efficiently and economically designed;(2) what action he intends to take to implement his official policy that the pollution of beaches by sewage must be stopped and that, where amenity is being affected on this account, the necessary money will be found.

Even in the present economic situation, I am prepared to consider sympathetically loan sanction applications for sewerage schemes which are urgently needed to end gross pollution of beaches; and I shall continue to press individual local authorities to take action wherever I believe it is needed.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government (1) whether he will now make available the results under the detailed headings of the analyses which his Department has made of the replies received from all the main coastal authorities to a letter sent to them last year asking them whether they discharged sewage into the sea; whether it was treated; when the system was constructed; whether they were satisfied that their present arrangements left their own and neighbouring beaches free from serious pollution and obnoxious conditions; and what they proposed to do about it;(2) in connection with the letter sent by his Department to all the main coastal authorities last year about their sewage disposal arrangements, how many of the replies are unsatisfactory; and what action he is taking to ensure that the situation at those places is remedied at an early date.

Inspectors from the Department have just finished a series of visits to certain areas which, from the replies to the letter, seemed to need further investigation, and I am considering their reports.Of 153 authorities who replied to the letter, 117 were discharging sewage to the sea, 110 either without treatment or after screening or comminution only. The outfall sewers were constructed at various dates up to 90 years ago. Ninety-one authorities either had recently carried out schemes to improve their disposal arrangements or had such schemes in progress or in preparation. There were 26 authorities who had not recently carried out improvements and who considered their present arrangements satisfactory.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will sanction under the proviso to Section 228(1) of the Local Government Act, 1933, the normal out-of-pocket and travelling expenses of members and appropriate officers of local authorities, who are selected by their councils to accept the invitations to visit the Building Research Station, contained in his Department's letter of 20th July, 1966, in preference to the more cumbrous procedure of having to rely on Section 115 of the Local Government Act 1948, as amended by the Public Authorities (Allowances) Act, 1961.

No. Sanctions under Section 228 are reserved for exceptional circumstances. Attendance at the Building Research Station falls naturally within Section 115 of the Local Government Act 1948, as amended.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether, in line with current Government policy on rents, he will take similar action to ensure that rates are also held at their present level during the emergency, in order that ratepayers may receive the same protection as council house tenants.

No. I look to local authorities to avoid all unnecessary expenditure, but, as the White Paper points out, rates are a form of taxation and are necessary to finance the whole range of services provided by local authorities.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will seek to empower local authorities to repay borrowings from the Public Works Loan Board over a period of 70 years for housing schemes.

No.

asked the Prime Minister when the Government intend to implement their policy of reviewing and overhauling the rating system.

I have been asked to reply.I would refer the hon. Member to my speech in the Second Reading debate on the Local Government Bill on 14th June.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what progress has been made in the past 12 months in the search for a suitable soft-based detergent.

The Eighth Progress Report of the Standing Technical Committee on Synthetic Detergents published on 2nd August contains an up-to-date account of progress. I am sending the hon. Member a copy.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what steps he is taking to reduce the current expenditure of local authorities.

I have no power of control over expenditure by local authorities out of revenue, but I am sure that they can be relied on to pay full regard to the requirements of the economic situation.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many local government officials will continue to receive incremental increases and will be exempt from the prices and incomes standstill.

Local Government officials are not exempt from the standstill. Increments are dealt with in paragraph 18 of Command Paper 3073.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will take steps to ensure that rent assessment committees refuse any application for an increase in rent made during the period of the standstill on prices.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government, whether it is Her Majesty's Government's policy that private rents should now be frozen, or whether increases granted under the Rent Act machinery can be implemented and backdated, in view of the Government's new economic policies.

Rent Officers and Rent Assessment Committees are governed directly by the Rent Act 1965 in making their determinations, and in the great majority of these the rents are being reduced.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government by what percentage the repayment and in- terest charges on local authority housing schemes would be reduced if the permitted repayment period was extended from 60 to 70 years, if the money is borrowed at the current Public Works Loan Board rate of 6⅞ per cent.

If the loan is assumed to have been raised on an annuity basis, the annual repayment would be reduced by 0·86 per cent.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what is the average time taken to build a house; what is the average time now taken to obtain planning consent; and if he will gear the speed of his planning machinery to the speed of building production.

At the end of 1965, the average construction time for private houses and flats in England and Wales was 11·5 months.A sample taken in 1965 showed that over most of the country planning authorities were dealing with well over 80 per cent. of all applications for planning permission within the statutory time limit of two (or, in some cases, three) months.I am discussing with the local authority associations arrangements for a management study of development control in a sample of local authorities.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how regulated rents decided on compare with the gross rateable value for such of these dwellings as the gross rateable value is available, if possible breaking the answer down into the different types of property listed in Table 9.5 of the Milner-Holland Report.

In the first 1,000 rents registered in Greater London (all but 9 of which were determined by Rent Officers) the average annual registered rent was £219 and the average gross value for rating was £126; a ratio of 1·75 to 1. The further breakdown asked for is not available.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government when planning consent will be granted in respect of the application to build 75 houses at the Northmoor Farm Estate, Wareham; and what period of time has elapsed since outline consent was given.

These are matters for the local planning authorities; but I am informed that agreement now seems imminent. Outline permission was granted two years ago; the detailed application now being considered was made in February of this year.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will seek to amend the law so as to relieve local authorities of their obligation to balance their housing revenue accounts, in view of the need for a standstill on both rents and rates during the present economic difficulties.

It would not be in accord with sound financial principles to empower local authorities to carry forward deficits on their housing revenue accounts from one year to another.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what average time now elapses between refusal of planning consent and a decision on appeal.

The average time between receipt and decision is now 47 weeks for appeals which go to inquiry and 32 for those settled on written representations: my right hon. Friend has insufficient information to give an average time between refusals of planning consents and submissions of appeals.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs what is to be the future of the office of the British High Commissioner in Peshawar.

The Office of the Deputy High Commissioner in Peshawar is to be closed on 30th September, 1966.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs which countries are at present breaking the sanctions against the illegal Rhodesian régime, and in respect of which commodities.

Accurate figures cannot be given because of Rhodesian censorship of trade statistics. The countries chiefly concerned, however, are South Africa and Portugal (neither of which is co-operating in economic sanctions against Rhodesia) and Zambia, Malawi to which special considerations apply. In the case of the two last mentioned countries, we are in touch with them about the possibility of further reducing their trade with Rhodesia.No other countries are continuing to trade with Rhodesia on any significant scale.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs what further steps he proposes to take to increase the effectiveness of sanctions against the Smith régime in Rhodesia.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given this afternoon by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, to which I have nothing to add.

asked the Minister of Power if he will give a general direction, in the public interest, to the nationalised gas and electricity industries not to encourage their sales staff to urge the public to buy new equipment on hire purchase.

No. The nationalised industries have already been asked to exercise the same degree of restraint as the banks and other financial institutions in the provision of hire-purchase finance.

asked the Minister of Power if he will estimate the amount of coal it will be necessary to import into the United Kingdom to meet Great Britain's energy requirements in 1967;and from what countries these supplies will be drawn.

As I explained when answering my hon. Friend's Question on 1st August, until current trends become clearer, I should be reluctant to attempt estimates for 1967.

asked the Minister of Power what effect the gas successfully drilled for under licence from him will have on the gas supplies of Scotland, with particular reference to the areas supplied from this source.

I would refer my hon. and learned Friend to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Edinburgh, North (Earl of Dalkeith) on 26th July.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when it is intended to publish the evidence of the Royal Commission on Penal Reform.

In the autumn.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of Commonwealth citizens who have entered the United Kingdom illegally since the Commonwealth Immigrants Act came into force.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 23rd June to Questions by the hon. Members for Manchester, Moss Side (Mr. Frank Taylor) and Birmingham, Selly Oak (Mr. Gurden).

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the committee under the chairmanship of Sir Roy Wilson, which is considering whether Commonwealth citizens who are refused admission to or are required to leave Great Britain should have any right of appeal, will make its report.

I hope to receive the report in the early months of next year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will announce the legislation arising from Command Paper No. 2793, Immigration from the Commonwealth, foreshadowed in his statement on the Queen's Speech of 9th November 1965.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend gave on 4th August to the Question by the right hon. and learned Member for Huntingdonshire (Sir D. Renton).

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has about the steps being taken by the British Standards Institution to secure that servicing and repairs of electric blankets are undertaken only by the manufacturers concerned, and that the safety of electric blankets is checked after servicing or repair.

The technical committee concerned is now considering an amendment to the present British Standard so as to require the label attached to an electric blanket to emphasise the importance of returning the blanket to the manufacturers for servicing or repair, and the British Standards Institution is taking steps to encourage retailers to do this on behalf of their customers. The Institution also proposes to see whether a method can be developed for checking the serviceability of electric blankets after repair.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has now had from the British Standards Institution's Advisory Committee on Personal Safety about the use of materials that are only temporarily flame-resistant in electric blankets and about the British Standard in this respect.

This Committee recently expressed the view that the use of such materials in electric blankets should not be permitted by the British Standard concerned. The technical committee responsible for the Standard will study this proposal as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will indicate the stages reached by individual police authorities in considering his proposals for amalgamation.

Since my statement of 18th May, which listed 30 proposed amalgamation schemes, the following police authorities have agreed in principle to amalgamation, subject to satisfactory agreement on the details of schemes:

Scheme		Authorities
1	…	Lancashire
		Barrow-in-Furness
3	…	Liverpool
4	…	Cheshire
	…	Wallasey
		Birkenhead
5	…	Cumberland
		Carlisle
6	…	Durham
		Sunderland
8	…	Sheffield
9	…	West Riding
		Dewsbury
		Halifax
11	…	Worcestershire
		Worcester City
		Shropshire
		Herefordshire
12	…	Leicestershire and Rutland
		Leicester City
13	…	Staffordshire
14	…	Derbyshire
15	…	Warwickshire
16	…	Lincolnshire—Lindsey
		Lincolnshire—Holland
		Lincolnshire—Kesteven
		Lincoln City
		Grimsby
17	…	Nottinghamshire
18	…	Norfolk
19	…	East Suffolk
		West Suffolk
		Ipswich
20	…	East Sussex
		West Sussex
		Eastbourne
		Hastings
21	…	Essex
22	…	Reading
		Oxford
23	…	Somerset (agreed before 18.5.66)
		Bath
24	…	Dorset
		Bournemouth
25	…	Hampshire and Isle of Wight
		Portsmouth
		Southampton

26	…	Devon and Exeter
		Cornwall and Isles of Scilly
		Plymouth
27	…	Denbighshire
28	…	Glamorganshire
		Swansea
29	…	Carmarthenshire and Cardiganshire
		Pembrokeshire
30	…	Monmouthshire
		Newport

In the schemes numbered 4, 6, 11, 12, 16, 19, 24, 25, 26 and 30, all the authorities concerned have agreed in principle and I hope will soon agree on the details of the amalgamation schemes.I have considered but rejected alternative proposals made by the following authorities:North Riding; East Riding; York; Buckinghamshire; Berkshire; Oxfordshire; Stoke-on-Trent; Rotherham; Nottingham City; Bootle and Liverpool; Manchester; Salford; Oldham and Rochdale.I am considering further representations on behalf of Nottingham City, and of the North Riding, East Riding and York; and an alternative proposal has just been submitted to me on behalf of Cheshire and Stockport. A number of authorities contemplated alternatives which would have involved legislation; I have now informed them of my decision not to introduce amending legislation, and asked them to resume consideration of my original proposals.Three authorities—Cardiff, Mid-Wales and Tees-side—have said they are not prepared to amalgamate, and I have asked them to reconsider this view.

asked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs (1) how he intends to strengthen the provisions of the prices and incomes policy and redefine the rôle of the National Board for Prices and Incomes;(2) what authority he proposes to ensure that the six months wage and salary freeze will be enforced.

The hon. Member will have seen the White Paper on Prices and Incomes Standstill (Cmnd. 3073). The Government have emphasised the great and continuing importance they attach to voluntary co-operation in implementing the standstill. Further statutory powers are now provided for in the Prices and Incomes Bill.The rôle of the National Board for Prices and Incomes in the special circumstances of the Standstill is described in Section V of Command 3073.

asked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs whether he is aware that the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen has declared itself against the Government's wage standstill and is asking for an appointment with him; and whether he will agree to receive representatives of the union before Wednesday, 10th August.

The Answer to the first part of the Question is "Yes"; the Answer to the second part is that my right hon. Friends the First Secretary and the Minister of Labour hope to meet representatives of the Union on 12th August.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what estimate he has made of the cost of the shipping strike in the charter of foreign ships and in the payment of freight in foreign currency for imports and exports.

The greater part of the eventual net loss on shipping account, estimated to be not more than some £25 million, results from the additional use of foreign shipping.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is the Government's policy towards setting up the new Shipping Board as recommended by the Geddes Committee; and if he will make a statement.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the statement I made today.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if, in view of the fact that Government policy lost £280 million worth of exports to Spain, Portugal and South Africa, he will now, in the light of the economic situation, issue instructions that export orders shall have overriding priority.

No. The figure quoted by the hon. Member is wholly without foundation. Our exports to South Africa continue at a high level, and exports to Spain and Portugal are rising very satisfactorily. In the case of South Africa our exports are running at £80 million a year above the level of five years ago.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will give the value of imports of dental equipment in each of the last five years, and the corresponding figures for British exports of dental equipment.

Only exports of dental instruments are separately distinguished in the trade statistics. These were as follows:

Year				value £'000
1961	…	…	…	230
1962	…	…	…	249
1963	…	…	…	463
1964	…	…	…	438
1965	…	…	…	533

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is aware that the banknotes which only certain Scottish banks have authority to issue have been forged and put into circulation by unauthorised persons; and what steps he has taken and plans to take to stop such forgeries, to penalise the forgers, to protect persons damaged by such forgeries and to compensate them for loss sustained thereby.

I am aware that forged banknotes are in circulation and I understand that proceedings have been started against persons who are alleged to have uttered them. I am not aware that any changes in the law are necessary in respect of offences of this nature. The police and public prosecutors investigate all cases brought to their attention with a view to prosecution.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many cases have been dealt with by rent assessment panels in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, and Dundee, respectively; and in how many of these the rents proposed by the rent officers have been confirmed, decreased or increased.

The following is the information requested for the period 1st March to 31st July, 1966:—to the rent officer, was reduced in 48 cases, confirmed in 4 cases and increased in 3 cases.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will publish a table, showing the charges at present levied for crossing the River Tay by ferry as compared with the charges recently

	Ferry charge		Bridge toll		Percentage Reduction
	s.	d.	s.	d.
(a) PASSENGER VEHICLES—
Motor cycle, etc., including rider	2	2	1	0	54
Motor cycle, etc., with sidecar, including one rider	3	5	2	6	27
Private car, etc., including driver only	5	9 to	2	6	57 to
	9	6			74
Buses, including driver only—
10–12 seats	14	2	2	6	82
21–32 seats	20	4	10	0	51
over 32	22	6	10	0	56
(b) COMMERCIAL VANS—
Up to 30 cwt. unladen weight	9	9	2	6	76
Over 30 cwt. unladen weight	12	8 to	10	0	21 to
	18	8			46
(c) GOODS VEHICLES—
Direct comparisons cannot readily be made because the ferry charge is a charge for the empty vehicle plus a separate charge for the load; examples are:—
Up to 30 cwt. unladen, empty	4	11	2	6	49
Up to 30 cwt. unladen, carrying 1 ton	9	10	2	6	74
From 31 cwt. to 2 tons unladen, carrying 2 tons	14	9	10	0	32
5 tons unladen, empty	10	8	10	0	6
5 tons unladen, carrying 8 tons	50	0	10	0	80

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will hold a referendum in Gibraltar as to whether the citizens of that colony wish to be under the Commonwealth Office or the Home Office.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, as part of the economic aid to be allocated to Gibraltar, he will hand over to the Government of Gibraltar, for use as a tourist resort, the area previously occupied by the Royal Air Force.

In so far as comparison can be made, the following is the information asked for:—

The extent, if any, to which land may become available for non-military use as a result of the reduction of the Royal Air Force presence in Gibraltar is being urgently studied by the Ministry of Defence.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies why indoor and outdoor public meetings in British Honduras remain banned by the Governor; and if he will make a statement.

Public meetings held at the end of June led to disturbances and the ban was introduced to prevent any recurrence; it is kept under review.

asked the Minister of Labour what steps he is taking to hold consultations, for the ending of restrictive practices by management and labour.

In a wide range of industries consultations on the more efficient use of manpower have been taking place as a result of Government initiatives, as set out in my reply on 26th July to the hon. Member for Bournemouth, West (Sir J. Eden), Restrictive trade practices are subject to the provisions of the Restrictive Trade Practices Act, 1956.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will now review his decision to treat horticultural growers' co-operatives and marketing organisations as a service industry.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 2nd August by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to the hon. Member for Lewes (Sir T. Beamish).

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he is aware that, since the Government's announcement of a 10 per cent. surcharge, many brewers have already announced price increases in their products in excess of this 10 per cent.; and what action he has taken to see that the Government increases in taxation have not and will not be used as a means of increasing prices above the tax increases proposed.

I am not aware that many brewers have announced price increases in their products in excess of the regulator duty increases. But in a few cases, the duty increase caught up with a wholesale price increase that had already been cleared with my Department under the early warning arrangements and put into effect. Consequently both the resultant increases in retail prices took place at the same time.I agree with my hon. Friend that tax increases must on no account be used by firms as an excuse to obtain extra income and I am keeping a close watch on the position.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he is aware that the Agricultural Mortgage Corporation has just announced an increase in its interest rates from 7¾ per cent. to 8½ per cent. for new borrowers; and, as this is contrary to the Government's wages, prices and incomes policy, what action he proposes to take.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave on 5th August to the hon. Member for Norfolk, Southwest (Mr. Hawkins).

asked the Minister of Aviation what steps he took to satisfy himself that the Douglas Aircraft Company has the facilities to enable it to produce six Boeing 747 aircraft by 1969 and 1970.

I assume the hon. Member means the Boeing Aircraft Company and is referring to the six aircraft which B.O.A.C. are ordering. It is up to the Corporation to ensure that its contract with the supplier has the necessary sanctions against delayed deliveries.

asked the Minister of Aviation what reply British European Airways have made to his request for a report on the recent delays and cancellations caused by technical failures in British European Airways' Vanguard aircraft; and if he will make a statement.

I explained the position fully in my reply to the hon. Members for Antrim, North (Mr. Henry Clark) and Sudbury and Woodbridge (Mr. Stainton) on 6th July. The technical difficulties with Vanguard aircraft are being overcome, but are not yet at an end. Meanwhile, the Corporation and I naturally regret the inconvenience they are causing.

asked the Minister of Aviation what action he will take to obviate the dangers to the British electronics industry if the industry is allotted work mostly subcontracting production as opposed to development work under the Anglo-American offset purchase arrangement.

The electronic items which are at present under consideration both for direct sale to the U.S. Services and for supply under sub-contracts would in all cases involve either production to U.K. design or development work in the U.K.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much the Government have spent on research into arthritis and rheumatism during each of the past five years; and what proposals he has to increase the amount.

It is not possible to give an estimate of the total amount. Direct expenditure by the Medical Research Council has been as follows:

			£
1961–62	…	…	104,000
1962–63	…	…	87,000
1963–64	…	…	79,000
1964–65	…	…	107,000
1965–66	…	…	109,000

Work is also carried out in universities and at hospitals under the National Health Service.Fundamental research undertaken under the Council's auspices and in the universities may well lead to increases in knowledge about the causes and treatment of rheumatic conditions. The cost of this work, which is of direct relevance to these diseases, cannot be isolated.As regards the Council, plans for expansion are a matter primarily for them to decide in the light of their scientific experience, but I am assured that they have not to date felt themselves restricted by lack of funds from supporting scientifically worthwhile projects arising in this field.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that hardship is now being experienced by junior hospital doctors who have committed themselves to financial expenditure in terms of house mortgages, and car purchase in the belief that the Government's policy that the Review Body's recommendations would be implemented in full, in their case with retrospective effect from 1st April, 1966; and if he will take steps to mitigate these hardships.

I would refer my hon. Friend to my reply to the hon. Members for Essex, South-East (Mr. Braine), Paddington, South (Mr. Scott) and Farnham (Mr. Maurice Macmillan) on 8th August.

asked the Minister of Health what is the latest available ratio of patients to dentists in the King's Lynn area; and how this compares with the rest of the country.

The ratio of dentists providing general dental services to the population served in King's Lynn and the surrounding area is estimated as 1 to 7,515, but because of the resignation of one dentist and the illness of another the proportion is likely to become less in the next few weeks. The national average at 30th September, 1965 was one dentist to 4,566.

asked the Postmaster-General when he proposes to make an announcement with regard to an overall policy for sound and vision broadcasting.