asked the Postmaster-General why, in view of the Government's wage and salary standstill, his Department advertised in the Evening Standard on Tuesday, 16th August situations with pay rises to £1,077 in Central London; and whether he will now amend those advertisements in line with the Government's policy on wages, prices and dividends standstill.

Pay for Postal and Telegraph Officers progresses by regular increments to a maximum of £1,077 in Central London. As the White Paper on the Prices and Incomes Standstill indicates, a normal arrangement of this kind is not affected by Government policy on the standstill.

asked the Postmaster-General why he will not cause an investigation to be made as to how his decision to establish a Government board for the Post Office was prematurely divulged to the Press.

There had been speculation for some months about the possibility of a change in Post Office status. My predecessor mentioned the possibility on a number of public occasions and there have been articles in staff association journals. A well-informed journalist would have been able to gather these several threads into a convincing statement of the likely outcome. I do not think any useful purpose would be served in trying to establish the exact pattern of events, particularly as national security was not involved.

asked the Postmaster-General what further steps he proposes to take to improve the fully paid letter service; and whether he will put into effect the deferment of printed papers as proposed in Command Paper No. 2931, paragraph 23.

I am about to introduce arrangements to give letters a greater measure of priority over printed papers than at present.At some offices, the latest time for posting minimum rate printed papers intended for dispatch that day will be advanced from about 4.30 p.m. to about noon. Deferment may be introduced at some offices that do not defer at present; and we intend to keep printed papers off our heavily pressed Travelling Post Offices as far as possible.As well as improving the first class letter service, this will be helpful in our continuing study into the possibility of introducing a two-tier system, under which customers would pay according to the speed of service required instead of the content of the envelope.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he will now announce his programme of special issues of stamps for 1967.

I shall issue stamps to mark the achievement of free trade within E.F.T.A. and pictorial stamps depicting:

British Flora,

British paintings, and

British discovery.

I shall again issue special Christmas stamps.In addition to these special issues I shall also be issuing the first of the new definitive series.Details of values and dates of issue will be announced shortly.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will instruct the Post Office in Wales to use the Welsh language as well as English on all its vehicles and buildings.

In predominantly Welsh-speaking areas where both languages are used on public buildings, we display the name "Post Office" in Welsh as well as English on new or reconstructed Crown Post Offices, if a request is made and supported by the local authority and it is practicable to do so. I think this meets a need in a Welsh-speaking community. My right hon. Friend does not think there is any need to use both languages on Post Office vehicles, which are very familiar and easily identified.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will make a statement on the progress being made by McKinseys, the consultants advising the Post Office.

I expect their review of the postal services to be completed by next spring. Following my announcement on 3rd August last of the Government's decision to convert the Post Office into a public corporation I have asked McKinseys to make a fundamental examination of our organisation and management practices. This should also be completed by next spring.

asked the Postmaster-General what proposals he has for issuing further regional stamps.

I am considering issuing regional stamps in the 9d. and 1s. 6d. denominations to take account of recent rate changes.

asked the Postmaster-General why he is proposing to close the main Post Office in Richmond an hour early on Saturdays.

The proposal is part of our plan to close post offices generally at 4.30 p.m. or earlier on Saturdays to help keep down costs.

asked the Postmaster-General what is now the average length of time taken by a letter and parcel from London to Dorchester, Dorset.

Nearly all letters posted in London for Dorchester are delivered on the next weekday after posting and most parcels by the second weekday after posting. Recently some parcels have taken a little longer than usual due to staffing difficulties involving British Railways portering staff at Waterloo Station.

asked the Postmaster-General why, in the Post Office booklet on a national giro, it is stated that the Postmaster-General will have to retain the right to open an account or to close one without notice.

The National Giro Service will provide a current account banking service and will offer its customers the right to draw Giro payment orders, which will be equivalent to cheques, and to initiate transfers to other Giro accounts. To safeguard other Giro customers and the public at large it will be necessary to prevent a person from opening an account who might use the service fraudulently or otherwise misuse the facilities provided. Similarly, it will be necessary to close any account where the account holder has been guilty of fraud or otherwise abused the service.

asked the Postmaster-General why, in the Post Office booklet on a national giro, it is proposed that the minimum transfer permitted will be 5s.

The National Giro will not be charging for the transfer of amounts between two Giro accounts, and postage to and from the National Giro Centre will be free.It would be uneconomic to allow Giro customers to use the service for transferring amounts less than 5s. I do not expect that this minimum will inconvenience the users of the Giro service.

asked the Postmaster-General whether, in the light of representations made to him by the hon. Member for Wokingham arising out of the non-delivery of a telegram to Mr. G. L. Davies of Sandhurst, he will review the regulations regarding the non-delivery of telegrams in caravan sites.

Yes. I am looking further into the point raised by the hon. Member and will write to him shortly.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that the 50 per cent. increase in the air letter rate made by his Department will increase the postal costs of all firms engaged in the export trade; and, as this is contrary to Government policy on both export prices and the wages, prices and incomes policy, whether he will suspend these charges for the period of the Government's wages and prices freeze.

I would refer my hon. Friend to my Answer earlier today to the hon. Member for Gillingham (Mr. Burden) and other hon. Members.

asked the Postmaster-General whether, in view of the large number of additional houses which have been built in Wonston Close, Sutton Scotney, he will authorise the installation of a telephone kiosk in Wonston Close.

No. The houses in Wonston Close are within half a mile of the kiosk at Sutton Scotney.

asked the Postmaster-General what action he is taking to stop the deterioration in the transfer service for doctors' telephone calls.

I am not aware of any general deterioration in this service. I have arranged for the number of overnight operators to be increased at the exchange concerned with the delays which the hon. Member brought to my attention recently.

asked the Postmaster-General how many people are awaiting telephone installations in the Macclesfield and Congleton area, and what is the average delay under the present installation programme.

447, of whom 271 cannot be given service at present owing to shortage of equipment. 69 should have service by January, and the remainder by May. Over 50 per cent. of orders where plant is available are completed within two weeks, but I am sorry that figures for average delay are not available.

asked the Postmaster-General when he now expects that the modernisation of the Linlithgow telephone service will be completed.

My right hon. Friend expects to open a new automatic exchange, with subscriber trunk dialling facilities, at Linlithgow during next spring.

asked the Postmaster-General what steps he has taken during the last six months to deal with the problem of pirate radio stations; and with what result.

As my hon. and learned Friend knows, a Bill to suppress pirate radio stations was presented on 27th July, and legal proceedings under the Wireless Telegraphy Act have been instituted against certain of the stations. The full effect of these steps lies in the future but they will have served to demonstrate to other countries whose broadcasting services have been impaired by these stations our determination to fulfil our international obligations.

asked the Postmaster-General whether, in view of the possibility that foreign competitors may get ahead of Great Britain in the field of colour television, he will consider further steps to stimulate demand for colour television in this country.

As my predecessor made clear, in deciding to authorise the provision of a colour television service which will begin towards the end of 1967, the Government saw as an important factor the export opportunity which an early start would afford. At the same time, they have—especially in present economic circumstances—to weigh the demand on resources.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will state the effect on the British fishing industry and fish supplies to Great Britain of the operation of the agreement dated 3rd March, 1966, Command Paper No. 2973, between the British Government and the Kingdom of Denmark relating to the delimitation of the Continental Shelf between the two countries.

None. The agreement relates to the exploitation of the sea bed and does not affect fishing.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he is aware of the closure of a Yorkshire Farmers' bacon factory causing redundancy and loss of production; and whether he will adjust the price levels within the industry to encourage its expansion.

I have been told of the decision to cease curing at the Sherburnin-Elmet factory. The present difficulties of the curing industry largely stem from the decline in the number of pigs, and I have taken action to encourage expansion of pig production.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will specify the local authority association and other associations concerned with public health as well as others referred to in his circular of 7th September, 1966, concerning the Meat (Staining and Sterilisation) Regulations, 1960, as recommending that knackers' meat should be sterilised.

The Association of Municipal Corporations, the Urban District Councils Association, the Rural District Councils Association, the Association of Public Health Inspectors, the Society of Medical Officers of Health and the Association of Sea and Air Port Health Authorities besides a number of individual local authorities and others including the right hon. Member for Thirsk and Malton (Mr. Turton) in response to whose approach my right hon. Friend and his right hon. Friend the Minister of Health decided to review the Regulations.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many local Acts passed between 1948 and November, 1960, authorised local authorities to make bye-laws requiring sterilisation of all meat sold for animal feeding; how many local authority areas had this power; and how many sought to make use of it.

Twenty-six local Acts passed between 1948 and November, 1960, authorise local authorities to make byelaws requiring sterilisation of all meat sold for animal feeding; 200 local authorities had this power; and 22 sought to make use of it.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food by what percentage prices for store cattle, sheep, and lambs were lower this year during the months of August and September than for the corresponding months of 1965.

Market prices in August and September for store cattle and sheep obtained from 44 representative markets in England and Wales have shown falls from the previous year of up to about 10 per cent. and, in the case of rearing calves, of up to about 25 per cent. Prices are collected and published for a considerable number of types of store animals, and I will arrange for copies of the relevant documents to be placed in the Library of the House.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give an assurance that it is still the policy of the Government to increase home production of beef to the limit of the technical possibilities between now and 1970.

Yes.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he is satisfied that the present provision of credit facilities to British agriculture is adequate; and if he will make a statement.

Yes; I have nothing to add to the speech I made on 20th September when I set out, in some detail, the present position on credit to agriculture. I have arranged for a copy of the Press Notice issued in connection with that speech to be placed in the Library.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will set up an inquiry into the practice of men classifying themselves as self-employed in the retail trades to avoid tax and other contributions.

If my hon. Friend will send me further details I will look into the matter.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many individual reports of increased prices he has received since the appeal of the Government for reports to be sent in; to how many commodities they relate; and in how many cases action involving a reduction of price has been taken.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for the Department of Economic Affairs to my hon. Friend the Member for Fife, West (Mr. William Hamilton) on 20th October, 1966 [OFFICIAL REPORT; Vol. 734, c. 68].

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether, prior to the Annual Price Review of next year, he will consider increasing the sugar beet subsidy.

The guaranteed price for sugar beet can be varied between two Annual Reviews only as a result of a Special Review. I am not aware of any existing circumstances that would make a Special Review desirable.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will state the numbers and percentage of farms in Wales at the last convenient date which were under the 275 standard man-day limit, as defined in current legislation, and the numbers and percentage of farms which were above the limit of 275 standard man-days but below the 600 standard man-day limit.

The information is as follows:

AGRICULTURAL HOLDINGS IN WALES, JUNE, 1965†
Standard man-days	Number of Holdings	Percentage of all Holdings
Under 275	26,500*	56
275–599	12,700	27
* Excludes 1,550 statistically insignificant holdings, i.e., those with virtually no crops or livestock on them.
† These and other related statistics were recently published in The Structure of Agriculture. H.M.S.O. 1966.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when legislation will be introduced to give effect to the Brambell Committee Report.

Proposals for legislation have been issued and consultation is proceeding. I cannot yet say when legislation will be introduced.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much barley of the 1966 crop has been exported, to the most recent date for which figures are available; and how this compares with exports from the 1965 crop for the same period last year.

The quantity of home-grown barley exported during July and August this year was about 108,000 tons compared with only 800 tons in the corresponding period last year. Nearly all the 70,000 tons or so exported during July this year would have been from the 1965 crop.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he will seek to make it compulsory for tractors to be fitted with safety cabs.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and I are still considering the comments which have been made on our proposals for regulations. We expect to make a statement very soon.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, in view of the fact that he sent a letter to the hon. Member for West Ham, North, dated 30th September, 1966, returning the communication sent to him by the hon. Member giving details of the surcharge on tomatoes, why the contents of this communication were not noted; and whether he will cause an investigation to be made into this matter.

No. The anonymous communication in question was copied before it was returned to my hon. Friend the Member for West Ham, North (Mr. Arthur Lewis) by my hon. Friend the Joint Parliamentary Secretary on 28th September. I have now arranged for a copy of it to be sent to the National

DUAL CARRIAGEWAY TRUNK ROAD SCHEMES
1. Completions
Year of Completion		Trunk Road	Section	Length (miles)	Actual or Estimated Cost£m
1956	…	—	—	Nil
1957	…	A.74	Dalmakethar Diversion	0·75	·08
	…	A.92	Kingsway East, Dundee	0·77	·04
1958	…	A.82	Improvement from Dumbuck to Dunbarton Cemetery	0·9	·11
1959	…	A.74	Paddy's Rickle Bridge	0·75	·13
	…	A.92	Reconstruction, Bridge of Don, Murcar	0·81	·07
1960	…	A.9	Diversion and new bridges Bridge of Allan	0·35	·29
	…	A.78	Ayr Bypass (Northern Section)	4·00	·78
1961	…	A.9	Improvement, Blueton to West of Blackford, Perthshire	1·96	·14
	…	A.74	Newfield Inn to South of Millbank, Lanarkshire	5·00	·93
	…	A.80	Mollinsburn to West of Cumbernauld, Dunbartonshire	3·13	·50
1957–1961	…	A.80	Cardowan Road, Stepps to Mollinsburn (Three schemes)	4·53	·70
1962	…	A.74	Lockerbie Diversion to Ecclefechan Diversion	4·50	·67
	…	A.74	Dalmakethar to North end of Lockerbie	5·00	·57
	…	A.74	Widening south of Johnstone Bridge	0·62	·06
	…	A.74	Beattock to Johnstone Bridge	5·20	·76
	…	A.74	Abington and Crawford Diversion	5·75	1·05
	…	A.77	Improvement. Malletsheugh to Eastwood Toll, Renfrewshire.	2·70	1·04
	…	A.8	At B.M.C. Development. Bathgate	1·65	·35

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is satisfied with the progress made by the Highland Development Board; and to what extent its work is being hampered by lack of financial resources.

The Board has made an excelent start and has not been hampered by lack of finance.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the sections of dual carriageway trunk road, showing the mileages in each case, which have come into use since 1945, which are under construction, for which tenders have been invited, and for which schemes have been made, showing the actual or estimated completion date and the actual or estimated cost wherever possible.

Details of new and improved trunk roads provided each year in Scotland are available only from 1956. The information requested for 1956 and subsequent years is as follows:

Year of Completion		Trunk Road	Section	Length (miles)	Actual or Estimated Cost£m
1963	…	A.9	Improvement, Southern approach to Dunblane Bridge	0·40	·05
		A.74	Diversion at Beattock	2·60	·75
		A.74	Improvement between Lesmahagow and Canderwater	4·00	1·29
		A.77	Diversion at Eastwood Toll	·030	·23
		A.8	Baillieston to Newhouse	5·60	1·4
1964	…	A.82	Barloan Diversion, Dunbartonshire	0·53	·13
		A.90	Cowdenbeath: Kelty Bypass Stage I	1·9	·23
		A.92	Cortens to Bridge of Muchalls, Kincardineshire	0·72	·13
		A.80	Haggs to North of Dunipace Stirling (Denny Bypass	4·68	2·01
1965	…	A.74	Telford Bridge to Hector's Bridge	4·73	1·08
		A.77	South end of Fenwick Bypass	·7	·09
		A.74	Lockerbie Diversion	2·23	·9
		A.74	Hector's Bridge to Lanark County Boundary	2·2	1·0
		A.80	West of Cumbernauld to Castlecary	2·65	1·2
		A.74	South of Millbank to Duneaton	5·86	1·45
		A.85	Inchmichael to Longforgan	4·5	·9
1966	…	M.8	Harthill Bypass	5·15	2·4
		A.876	Bonnybridge and Larbert Diversion	3·75	1·41

2. Under construction
Estimated Completion Date		Trunk Road	Section	Length (miles)	Estimated Cost£m.
December, 1966	…	M.74	Hamilton Bypass Stage I	9·0	8·34
December, 1966	…	A.74	Beattock to Dumfries County Boundary.	5·75	1·4
Spring 1967	…	A.74	Ecclefechan to Kirkpatrick Fleming	5·5	2·3
Summer 1967	…	A.13	North of Riggend to East of Condorrat	2·87	1·52
Autumn 1967	…	M.8	West of Harthill to Newhouse	5·9	3·1
End 1967	…	A.8(M)	Renfrew Bypass	6·2	5·4
Winter 1967	…	A.92	Cortens to Limpet Mill	·74	·11
Summer 1968	…	M.9	Polmont and Falkirk Bypass	5·8	4·9
Autumn 1968	…	A.82	Mountblow Road, Clydebank	·34	·15
End 1968	…	A.74	Hamilton Bypass Stage II	4·5	7·5

3.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether, in view of the jury's rider to the verdict arising from the death of six patients in the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, he will instruct the respective hospital boards to ensure that the said jury recommendations be fully implemented.

The guidance issued on 12th October, and referred to in my reply of 24th October to my hon. Friend, the Member for West Lothian (Mr. Dalyell)—[OFFICIAL REPORT; Vol. 734, c. 110]—fulfils the jury's recommendation in regard

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received that grants available for rabbit clearance should be extended also to the destruction of moles.

Representations in favour of paying grant for the destruction of moles have been made to me by the Scottish National Farmers' Union and by agricultural executive committees and rabbit clearance societies.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when his review of the work of rabbit clearance societies will be completed.

I am discussing several aspects of the question with my right hon. Friend, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, who has a similar interest in these matters, and I hope we can complete our consideration before long.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will announce the result of his discussions with local authorities on the distribution of rate support grant to be introduced in 1967.

My hon. Friend the Joint Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State met representatives of the local authority associations on 14th October, and reached general agreement on a distribution formula which will be submitted for the approval of the House after the Local Government (Scotland) Bill becomes law.The local authority associations agreed that the formula should be one which would not give rise to major changes in grant as between different authorities of classes of authority, because of the possibility of more fundamental changes after the structure of local government has been considered in the light of the report of the Royal Commission.It was agreed that the Rate Support Grant will be divided into its three elements as follows:—

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is yet in a position to make a statement about the siting of a further nuclear power station at Hunterston.

The South of Scotland Electricity Board has applied for my consent under Section 2 of the Electric Lighting Act, 1909, as amended, to the construction of a 1,200 MW. advanced gas-cooled reactor nuclear generating station at Hunterston. Notice of the application will be published by the Board and, when the statutory procedure is completed and all relevant information is available, I shall decide whether this consent should be granted. Meantime, I have agreed that the Board may issue letters of inquiry to enable the nuclear consortia to prepare the necessary plans, specifications and tenders.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements have been made to return to the United Kingdom some British troops from Germany.

I have nothing to add to the reply given yesterday by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer to the hon. Members for South Angus (Mr. Bruce-Gardyne) and West Lothian (Mr. Dalyell)—[OFFICIAL REPORT; Vol. 734, c. 805.]

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what decision has been reached for the disposition of British forces from Borneo and other areas in South-East Asia.

British forces from Borneo are being transferred either to other stations in the Far East or to the United Kingdom. Some of the forces which have been serving in Singapore and Western Malaysia are also being withdrawn to this country.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence why he did not send a representative to the funeral of the Polish war-time resistance leader General Bor-Komorowski.

I would refer the hon. Gentleman to the Answer I gave to similar Questions on 18th October.—[OFFICIAL REPORT; Vol. 734, c. 11.]

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what responsibility is exercised by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission for the graves of Commonwealth dead of the First World War at Lumbo in Mozambique; and whether he will make a statement.

The Commission maintain Lumbo British Cemetery through their area Superintendent for East Africa. British Consular officials also visit the cemetery on behalf of the Commission. There has been some difficulty in providing for the care of the garden, but the cemetery was reported last August as being in fair condition, and the war grave headstones were in good repair.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the progress of the Anglo-French variable geometry aircraft.

I have nothing to add to the Answer I gave to the hon. Member for Woking (Mr. Onslow) on 19th October, 1966.—[OFFICIAL REPORT; Vol. 734, c. 45.]

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what are the reasons for the heavy expenditure in connection with the Polaris Submarine School at Faslane; and what he now estimates will be the total cost of the school.

As I told my hon. Friend on 9th May and 27th July, I estimate this School will cost Navy Votes £8·5 million; it contains a lot of sophisticated technical equipment.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the total expenditure on the Polaris base in Scotland up to the end of September; and what further expenditure is likely to be incurred there before its completion.

£22½ million up to the end of September, and another £22½ million before completion.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement regarding the use of fruit machines in army clubs and messes.

Gaming machines may be installed in Service clubs and messes at the discretion of Commanding Officers. Their use is restricted to members of the Services aged 18 years and over. Machines in junior ranks clubs will be installed and administered by N.A.A.F.I. Profits will be given to unit and other charitable funds.

asked the Minister of Transport what information is available regarding the comparative costs of and profits from B roads and of unclassified roads in the United Kingdom; and if she will make a statement.

No such information is available to my right hon. Friend. The highway authorities for these roads are the local councils.

asked the Minister of Transport if she will introduce legislation to control the parking of vehicles at road junctions.

Powers already exist to impose restrictions at particular junctions either for traffic or for safety reasons. My right hon. Friend is considering the need for additional legislation.

asked the Minister of Transport on what evidence she estimated that it would cost £10,000 million to provide a reasonably adequate primary network of roads in towns by the early 1980s.

The estimate was based on a study of the needs of a number of towns of different size and character, from which the general order of cost for England and Wales was derived. It allows for connections to the secondary road system and for essential interim improvements to deal with localised problems.

asked the Minister of Transport, in view of the fact that the new arrangements made by British Railways for pedestrians at the New Waltham level crossing, near Grimsby, are inadequate, if she will reconsider the matter in the light of the correspondence sent to her by the hon. Member for Louth from the New Waltham Parish Council; and if she will make a statement.

Arrangements at this level crossing are a matter for the highway authority and the Railways Board, but to leave the wicket gates open would contravene the statutory obligation on the Railways Board to fence the line. This obligation could only be waived by my right hon. Friend on application from the Railways Board under Section 66 of the British Transport Commission Act. 1957.

asked the Minister of Transport whether she is aware of the danger to motorists and pedestrians at the road junction at Hamfrith Road Bridge and Forest Lane, Stratford, E.15; why she will not support the installation of mirrors; and when her Department's inspectors visited the site.

Because of restricted visibility, Hamfrith Road has a Halt Major Road Ahead" sign at its junction with Forest Lane. Traffic mirrors can mislead drivers and reflection of the sun or of headlights can cause positive danger.There has been no recent occasion for a visit to this site by a Ministry engineer.

asked the Minister of Transport what progress is being made in discussions to extend concessionary fares to retirement pensioners by bus companies which at present do not or cannot grant them, in particular on certain routes operated by the Sheffield Joint Omnibus Company.

The Associations of Local Authorities have been asked for their views on what would be involved in the extension of their powers to contribute towards the cost of concessions on fares. My right hon. Friend will consider in the light of their replies the action needed. This general review includes the type of case referred to by my hon. Friend.

asked the Minister of Transport if it is her intention to introduce her proposed legislation for integrating transport in the current session of Parliament or the next Session.

In the next Session.

asked the Minister of Transport whether she will issue a general direction to the Railways Board that time tables of the nearest train services should be prominently displayed in areas where local railways have been discontinued.

No. This is a matter for the Railways Board. I understand it is common practice for the Railway Regions to supply station timetable sheets to local councils on request.

asked the Minister of Transport when she will introduce legislation to give effect to the policy laid down in the White Paper that commercial viability for railways is important but secondary.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Twickenham (Mr. Gresham Cooke) on 8th August—[OFFICIAL REPORT; Vol. 733, c. 268.]

asked the Minister of Technology how many additives to food have been examined by the British Industrial Biological Research Association; and with what result.

Fifteen food additives have been tested under the British Industrial Biological Research Association's safety evaluation programme. Reports on four additives have been published, reports on eight more are awaiting publication and reports on a further three are in course of preparation. The R.A. has also examined many other food additives in the course of its basic research programme. The results, which are complex, are being studied by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Ministry of Health.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what net increase took place in National Savings in the first half of 1966; and what were the comparable figures for the first six months of 1964, 1963, and 1962, respectively.

Increase of £23·7 million, £222·2 million, £199·1 million and £140·2 million respectively.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will accept all the items in the Drake Collection in lieu of death duties; and if he will ensure that they are offered to Plymouth City Council and not to either the National Maritime Museum or the National Trust.

The Trustees of the Estate of the late Baroness Seaton have offered under Section 34 of the Finance Act, 1956, Drake's Drum to the Inland Revenue in part satisfaction of Estate Duty due in connection with the death of Mr. Richard Meyrick. No other items in the Drake Collection have been offered. The offer of the Drum is now under consideration.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total revenue obtained from tariffs on imported foodstuffs in 1965; how many officers were involved; and what was the estimated cost of obtaining this revenue.

The revenue from the protective duties on foodstuffs (including animal) and on non-alcoholic beverages in 1965 was approximately £35 million. These duties are collected by Customs and Excise officers together with duties charged at importation on a wide range of other goods and it is not possible to estimate their cost of collection separately.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a further statement on the escape of George Blake from Wormwood Scrubs.

I have nothing at present to add to the statement which I made in the House on Monday afternoon.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the number of disagreements by juries at Blackpool Quarter Sessions, Liverpool Crown Court and the Old Bailey, respectively, within the last five years, the result of the subsequent retrial, and the nature of the charge in such cases.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the proposals for local authority personal social services in Scotland contained in Command Paper No. 3065 represent the Government's policy on the appropriate organisation for the corresponding services in England and Wales.

No. The organisation of these services need not necessarily be identical throughout Great Britain. The question what changes should be made in the organisation and responsibilities of the local authority personal social services in England and Wales remains quite open until the Seebohm Committee has reported and its recommendations have been considered.

asked the Attorney-General when he expects to receive from the Director of Public Prosecutions his report on the investigation into matters connected with the John Bloom enterprises; and whether he will make a statement.

The police have now reported to the Director of Public Prosecutions the result of their investigations to date. The Director is considering that report. In the meantime, the police inquiries are continuing.

asked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs why he has declined to publish Her Majesty's Government's plans for dealing with large-scale unemployment; and to what level Her Majesty's Government propose to allow unemployment to rise before putting these plans into operation.

The Government are not envisaging the emergence of large-scale unemployment; developments will be watched very carefully with a view to re-expanding the economy as soon as the balance of payments permits.

asked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs what is his policy towards action taken by trade unions to raise dues to their members during the present period of prices and incomes standstill.

; Such dues and subscriptions differ materially in character from prices or charges and they are not covered by the requirements of the standstill.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many would-be teacher-trainees were unable to get places in colleges of education at the most recent convenient date; and how many trainees are now in training at such colleges.

Last year only 223 acceptable candidates, together with 812 classified as "near acceptable", did not obtain places.I hope to be able to announce the number of students now in training very shortly, when the final results of this year's recruitment to the colleges of education are known.

asked the Minister of Health how many barbiturate and other sleeping pills are supplied weekly to the public; and what evidence he has that such supply is having a bad effect on the health of the population, especially those with neurotic tendencies.

The information requested in the first part of the Question is not available, but in the first six months of 1966 about 10 million National Health Service prescriptions for barbiturates and other hypnotics, which may be used in the treatment of many conditions, were dispensed in England and Wales. I have no evidence that harmful effects or dependence occur at all frequently in relation to the number of prescriptions.

asked the Minister of Aviation if he will publish the result of the inquiry into the leakage of information from his Department.

I have nothing to add to the Answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 2nd August to the hon. Member for Moray and Nairn (Mr. G. Campbell)—[OFFICIAL REPORT; Vol. 733, c. 84.]

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will estimate the amounts which, on current forecasts of manufacturing investment, he will pay out in the form of investment grants in the current financial year; and what estimate he has made of the corresponding value of investment allowances plus free depreciation plus all such Board of Trade grants as are subsumed into or replaced by the new system of investment grants.

No investment grants will be paid in the current financial year. The second part of the Question does not therefore arise.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what was the value of investment allowances plus free depreciation plus all such Board of Trade grants as are subsumed into or replaced by the new system of investment grants during the financial years 1964–65; and what would have been the amount paid out under the new system of investment grants if it had been in operation during that financial year.

The tax relief allowable in 1964–65 in respect of investment allowances, and the extra tax relief in respect of free depreciation, plus the offers of grants under the Local Employment Acts for plant and machinery, totalled about £265 million. I estimate that the amount of investment grants which would have been payable in that financial year had the new system been in operation then would have been of the order of £200 million. A comparison between these figures is however not meaningful, principally because of the changes in company taxation, because not all investment incentives are included, because of the selective nature of investment grants, and because free depreciation is only an acceleration of writing down allowances.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what would be the cost during the current financial year of paying investment grants six months after the date of purchase of the equipment.

The cost would be approximately £190 million but it would not in fact be practicable during the current financial year to pay grants within six months of the relevant investment expenditure.

asked the President of the Board of Trade when he proposes to give details of the Loans Scheme in respect of hotels which was announced in July.

As soon as I have completed my consultations with the hotel industry.