asked the Minister of Labour if he will take steps to ensure that trades unions have full negotiating rights for staff workers and facilities to organise.

My Industrial Relations Officers are always ready to help in attempts to resolve disputes over these questions.

asked the Minister of Labour what representations he is making to companies who make payment in the form of Premium Bonds to employees in recognition of some special effort or achievement, in the light of the wages and incomes standstill.

In the one case that has been brought to my notice no breach of the standstill was involved. The nature and scale of the payment, which was a reward for a five-year accident free record, was in accordance with previous Practice.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will state the average weekly wage of registered dock labourers in the ports of London, Liverpool, Hull, Manchester, Bristol and Southampton for the first nine months of this year.

The information is as follows:

	£	s.	d.
London	23	17	5
Liverpool (excluding Birkenhead and Bromborough).	19	14	4
Hull	20	17	0
Manchester	19	12	1
Bristol (including Avonmouth and Portishead)	20	9	6
Southampton	25	14	6

asked the Minister of Labour if he will take steps to compel the payment to blind persons of supplementary payment of 14s. weekly given to other workers employed by local authorities in the London area.

No. The remuneration of blind workers employed in workshops for the blind is a matter for the National Joint Council for Workshops for the Blind.

asked the Minister of Labour what progress he is making in securing the elimination of restrictive labour practices in industry.

In a wide range of industries progress has been made and will be further stimulated by action following the National Productivity Conference. I am giving every encouragement to management and trade unions to identify and eliminate such practices as an essential element in the drive for greater productivity. At plant level, my Industrial Relations Officers continue to give advice on this and other problems.

asked the Minister of Labour how many operatives are currently on short time; and how are these divided between manufacturing and service industries.

Statistics of short-time working relate only to manufacturing industries, excluding shipbuilding and ship repairing. During the week ended 15th October, 1966, there were 163,800 operatives on short-time in these industries.

asked the Minister of Labour what studies his Department is making for the establishment of a national minimum wage in order to establish a firm base from which to organise a productivity prices and incomes policy and aid the lowest paid workers.

The Government have the problems of the lowest paid workers very much in mind as is made clear in paragraph 28 of the recent White Paper on the Prices and Incomes Policy during the period of severe restraint.

asked the Minister of Labour (1) what instructions he has given to officers of his Department regarding the classification of storage establishments of manufacturing establishments under the Standard Industrial Classification when the said storage establishment is in premises separate from the point of manufacture;(2) whether he will now provide for wholesale establishments owned by a manufacturer to which he sends his goods for storage prior to sale to be classified under the same heading in the Standard Industrial Classification as the manufacturing establishment regardless of its distance from the point of manufacture.

A warehouse of a manufacturing company, no matter how far it is situated from the point of manufacture, is classified under the same heading of the Standard Industrial Classification as the Employer's manufacturing establishment. Our local offices have been instructed accordingly.

asked the Minister of Labour how many vacancies are at present available in Government training centres within 30 miles of Oxford.

The nearest Government Training Centre to Oxford is that at Slough, which is about 39 miles away by road. The number of vacancies there on 2nd December was 25.

asked the Minister of Labour what was the number and percentage of unemployed, and the number of vacancies in manufacturing industry, in Oxford at the latest available date.

At 14th November, 1966, total numbers registered as unemployed at the Oxford Employment Exchange were 15,026 (14,864 males and 162 females) including 13,307 (13,233 males and 74 females) temporarily stopped. The percentage rate was 15·5 per cent.

asked the Minister of Labour what plans he has for stimulating productivity after the standstill.

The Government have taken, and will take initiatives to stimulate productivity, and will encourage the more efficient use of manpower. The White Paper presented on 22nd November gave guidance on productivity agreements.

asked the Minister of Labour what action he is taking following the Railway Board's refusal to accept his recommendation that the dispute between the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association and the Railways Board, regarding the qualification for first-class travel, be submitted to independent arbitration.

I have explored the possibility of arbitration. The British Railways Board, however, takes the view that this issue is not within the scope of its negotiating arrangements, and is not therefore suitable for arbitration. There is no further action I can usefully take at present.

asked the Minister of Labour when agreed improvements in holiday entitlements in the private sector of industry may be implemented.

Improvements in holiday entitlements whether in the public or private sectors are subject to the Standstill. Existing commitments resulting from agreements reached before 20th July, 1966, should be deferred for six months, and improvements agreed after the 20th July, 1966, should not be implemented before 1st July, 1967, at the earliest unless they can be justified for earlier implementation in accordance with the White Papers on the Standstill and Period of Severe Restraint.

asked the Minister of Labour whether, in view of the difficulty in redeploying the over-40s, he will review the services provided by the Professional and Executive Register so as to give further assistance to these people.

The answer to this problem lies as much in the attitude of employers and the demand for executives and professional people as in the kind of machinery needed to bring them together. But we do regularly review the service and allow for extra staff to deal with the special difficulty of placing older people.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will take action to help those car transporter workers in Birmingham to return to work, in view of the fact that they are being prevented from so doing, and thereby ending the trade dispute, because of the discrimination practised by a local trade union official.

I understand that two of the firms which had not previously reached a settlement with the union did so at the end of last week. This means that of the 15 firms in the Longbridge Group of Delivery Agents, 13 have now settled.

asked the Minister of Labour how many persons retrained in the two Welsh training centres have, since retraining, found work in Wales.

During the period 1st October, 1965, to 30th September, 1966, 702 people completed training at the two Government Training Centres in Wales. Of the 660 who came from places in Wales, 589 had obtained employment in Wales and 38 outside the Principality by 30th September.

asked the Minister of Labour how many places for prospective bricklayers in retraining centres exist at present; and how many vacant places for prospective bricklayers remain to be filled.

On 14th November the number of places for trainees in bricklaying at Government Training Centres was 640. Of these 124 were unfilled.

asked the Minister of Labour what proportion of industrial workers is currently on double and treble shift working, respectively.

In all manufacturing industries, about 8 per cent. in each case. This estimate is based on the results of an inquiry into shift-working held by the Ministry in October, 1964. We have no reason to believe that there has been any substantial change in the proportions in the past two years.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will introduce legislation to remove some of the anomalies in the redundancy payments scheme.

I have no present proposals for legislation, but if the hon. Member will let me have details of the points he has in mind I will be glad to consider them.

asked the Minister of Labour how many civil servants are registered with his Department as unemployed.

On 14th November 1966, 8,656 persons were registered as unemployed who had last been employed in National Government Service. This figure does not include civil servants classified under other industrial classifications for whom separate figures are not available.

asked the Minister of Labour what is the expected income of the Engineering Industry Training Board from the levy; what consultations have been held with smaller firms; whether he is satisfied that the Board yet has the organisation and staff to meet their requirements; and if he will make a statement.

The answers are as follows:

(1) about £72½ million;

(2) the Board is regularly in touch with smaller firms in the industry; and is well acquainted with their views.

(3) I understand that the Board has a number of vacancies for training staff, but is making good progress in meeting its requirements.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will consider exempting from the standstill agreements for increases in wages and salaries based upon agreed periodic reviews and reassessment of skills and merit.

No.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will give further consideration to the demand for a new Remploy factory to be opened in the vicinity of the north-west of Sheffield, in view of the considerable number of disabled unemployed workers living within reach of that area, as well as the demand that still exists in and around Sheffield for Remploy products.

Having regard to the needs of other areas I should not feel justified in asking Remploy to open a third factory in Sheffield at the present time.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will make a statement with regard to his obligation to state reasons for rejecting a claim for the repayment of Selective Employment Tax or for a premium, or to reject such claims within any specified time.

The local offices of my Ministry have been instructed not to reject such a claim without previous discussion with the employer, normally including a visit to his premises. They will deal with all claims as quickly as possible and any necessary discussions will be treated as a matter of urgency. If it nevertheless proves necessary to reject a claim they will state the reason. I am not however under a legal obligation to state reasons for rejecting a claim or to reject it within any specified time.

asked the Minister of Labour whether a citizen is entitled to put forward for determination a question to which the Industrial Tribunals (Selective Employment Payments) Regulations 1966 (S.I., 1966, No. 1231) apply before the Minister of Labour has given his reasons for taking a view of that question or when he has rejected a claim for repayment of the tax or for a premium without stating reasons.

Yes.

asked the Minister of Labour what steps he is taking to improve statistics on earnings as between one part of the country and another so as to facilitate discussions on related social and economic questions.

Information on the earnings of manual workers is already published for Ministry of Labour administrative regions and it is intended next year to publish similar information for the economic planning regions. Estimates of regional earnings are also available from the Family Expenditure Survey, based on samples covering the whole field of employment. The size of the Family Expenditure Survey sample is being increased in 1967 and again in 1968 and this will improve the regional estimates.Information about regional earnings is also available from other Government Departments. The distribution of personal incomes (before tax) analysed by region and county, published by the Commissioners of Inland Revenue quinquennially, will shortly be available for 1964–65 and the Board of Inland Revenue are improving their regional statistics of earnings derived from their income surveys and will be publishing the results annually in future.I understand from my right hon. Friend the Minister of Social Security that her Ministry is also developing statistics of earnings, collected in connection with the graduated pension scheme, to show variations between one part of the country and another.

asked the Minister of Labour what was the percentage increase in the cost of living since 15th October, 1964; and what proportion of this he estimates is accounted for by increases in taxation.

Between 13th October, 1964, and 18th October, 1966, the Index of Retail Prices rose by nearly 9 per cent. It is estimated that changes in rates of Customs and Excise duties, Purchase Tax and motor vehicle licences accounted for about one-quarter of this rise.

TOTAL NUMBERS REGISTERED AS UNEMPLOYED AND RATES OF UNEMPLOYMENT AT DALKEITH AND LOANHEAD EMPLOYMENT EXCHANGES
		Men	Boys	Women	Girls	Total	Temporarily Stopped included in Total	Percentage rate
14th November, 1966
Dalkeith	…	162	6	48	9	225	4	1·6*
Loanhead	…	139	8	65	7	219	2
13th June, 1966
Dalkeith	…	112	10	62	5	189	2	1·2*
Loanhead	…	101	5	81	4	191	—
* Percentage rates can be given only for the whole of the Edinburgh "travel to work" group which comprises Edinburgh, Dalkeith, Leith, Loanhead and Portobello.

asked the Minister of Labour how many adults are now unemployed in each employment exchange area in the County of Midlothian as a consequence of the Bathgate British Motor Corporation redundancies; and how many are on short-time at each exchange.

On Monday, 14th November the numbers were as follows:

	Wholly Unemployed	Temporarily Stopped
West Calder	44	11
East Calder	7	1
Loanhead	2	—
Edinburgh	2	—
Leith	2	—
Portobello	—	—
Dalkeith	—	—

asked the Minister of Labour whether the working conditions at the National Trust's headquarters in Queen Anne's Gate conform to the regulations affecting offices; and when this office accommodation was last inspected by the appropriate local authority department.

The enforcement of the Offices, Shops and Railway Premises Act in these premises is the responsibility of the Westminster City Council. That authority informs me that

asked the Minister of Labour if he will state the number of registered unemployed at the employment exchanges in the parliamentary constituency of Midlothian at the latest available date, and the percentage as compared with the figure in June last.

Following is the information:the premises have been inspected within the last three months.

asked the Minister of Labour what was the average penalty imposed by the courts in 1965 for contraventions of the Factories Act causing death or bodily injury; and what is the maximum penalty for such contraventions.

The average penalty imposed by the Courts in 1965 for contraventions of the Act causing death or bodily injury was £48. The maximum penalty for contraventions which cause, or are likely to cause, death or bodily injury is £300.

asked the Minister of Labour what assurances he has secured from the trade unions that workers trained in Government or other technical centres for skilled work up to an equal standard will be allowed to work alongside skilled men, who have completed a normal apprenticeship, in similar work.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave on 17th November to the hon. Member for Louth (Sir C. Osborne) in answer to a similar Question.—[Vol. 736, c. 184.]

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will publish in HANSARD details of all price increases notified to his Department since 20th July, 1966; which of these are still in operation; and which of these received his sanction and approval.

No price increases have been notified to my Department for sanction or approval since 20th July, 1966.

asked the Minister of Land and Natural Resources if, in view of the large number of cases pending in the courts, he will introduce an interim measure of protection for lessees who are thereby being threatened with eviction.

No, because the leasehold reform Bill will be introduced this Session.

asked the Minister of Land and Natural Resources how many appointments to 30th November, 1966, he has made of staff to be established to work under the provisions of the Land Commission Bill; what is the expense incurred to date; and what office accommodation has been taken to date.

About 500, of which 460 have been transferred from other Departments; and £224,000. Twelve offices have been allocated.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what method of measurement is used to calculate the value of output in the construction industry; how the basic information is gathered; and whether the same measurement is equally applied in the private contracting sector as compared with Ministry Departments and local authorities.

Gross output is measured in terms of the cash value of the work done. Private contractors make quarterly returns of output, based on the progress payments which they claim from the clients.Local authorities make returns of output twice a year, based on their valuation of the work done, produced by their accounting machinery. Government Departments make returns once a year of output on the same basis as local authorities.The figures for contractors include profits, but no comparable item can be included in respect of local authorities or Government Departments.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works why he gave permission for the Southern Rhodesian service held at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Day.

My permission was neither sought nor given. Services at the Cenotaph do not require my authority.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what steps he proposes to take to increase the supply of building materials in the northern region in order to achieve the higher housing targets estimated as being required in the regional economic development plan.

There is no indication that supplies of building materials are, or will be, inadequate to meet housing requirements in the North.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what reply he has given to the representations recently made to him by trade unions and employers in the stone masonry industry regarding the increasing use of natural stone in building construction; what is his policy on the future role of stone; and if he will make a statement.

I told both sides of the industry that the Department could not discriminate in favour of a particular building material but that in the national interest the use of economic materials produced by modern methods should be encouraged.Stone has a distinctive rôle to play in the British building industry and I very much hope that both public and private clients will use it wherever it is appropriate.

asked the Minister of Social Security if she will review the regulations for seasonal workers receiving benefit.

No. It would be unfair to contributors generally if seasonal workers did not have to satisfy additional benefit conditions in order to get unemployment benefit for the periods when they are not normally employed.

asked the Minister of Social Security if she will investigate the circumstances in which a medical practitioner, details of whose case has been sent to her, is drawing unemployment benefit at the Edgware Road, London, Employment Exchange while taking a course to qualify as a consultant; and if she will make a statement.

It is a basic condition for the award of unemployment benefit that the claimant must be available for employment. Whether a person who is taking a course satisfies this condition is a matter for the independent adjudicating authorities who decide claims to benefit.In the case to which my hon. Friend's Question refers, I understand that the insurance officer is to review his decision to award benefit in the light of the doctor's statements about his course. Meanwhile payment of benefit has been suspended.

asked the Minister of Health why the number of patients on the waiting list at Frenchay Hospital, Bristol, has increased from 2,043 in 1962, to 4,630 in 1966; and how he proposes to reduce the waiting list.

The main reason is the large increase in the number of patients awaiting plastic surgery, due in part to the closure of the theatre for a time in 1965 for improvements. Work is in progress or will start next year on several major schemes to improve hospital provision in Bristol. These include the provision of new thoracic theatres at Frenchay.

asked the Minister of Health whether, in view of the substantial increase in the failure rate among students taking the final examinations of the General Nursing Council, he will initiate an investigation into the causes; and if he will now take immediate steps towards a revision of nurses' training.

I am asking the General Nursing Council for its comments. I have nothing to add to my reply on 20th July to the hon. Member for Ilford, South (Mr. Arnold Shaw) about changes in nurse training.—[Vol. 732, c. 109–10.]

asked the Minister of Health how many persons with the full qualifications recommended in the Tyler Report have been appointed to the posts of hospital engineer and group engineer, respectively, since the publication of that Report; how many appointments have been made to these posts of persons not carrying these qualifications; and how many vacancies for these posts exist at present.

The qualifications recommended by the Tyler Committee were incorporated in a Whitley agreement published in January, 1965. A special inquiry showed that up to 1st January, 1966, hospitals in England and Wales had by then appointed 24 Hospital Engineers and 12 Group Engineers with the prescribed qualifications and 13 Hospital Engineers and 5 Group Engineers without. Information after that date is available only for appointments of staff without the prescribed qualifications which require approval by my Department; of these there were 29 to Hospital Engineer posts and 9 to Group Engineer posts. Information about present vacancies is not available.

asked the Minister of Health which hospitals reserve the right to send away without treatment, except in cases requiring urgent treatment or special facilities, patients who object to being used for teaching purposes; and what action he is taking to draw attention to the undesirability of this practice.

I am not aware of any teaching hospital which makes treatment conditional on the patient consenting to be used for teaching purposes.

asked the Minister of Health if he will draw the attention of hospitals to the need to explain in their official booklets patients' rights to refuse to be used for teaching purposes.

The purpose of the leaflets is to explain the teaching activities and to seek the co-operation of patients in the teaching of medical students, and I have no reason to believe that any amendment is necessary.

asked the Minister of Health how many hospitals exempt particular categories of National Health Service patients, such as doctors' wives and nurses, from being used as hospital teaching material.

None to my knowledge, but I am making inquiries into a particular incident that has recently been brought to my attention.

asked the Minister of Health how many hospitals use patients as teaching material in lecture rooms; what is the average number of students present; in how many hospitals are patients consulted beforehand; what alternative treatment is offered to patients who do not wish to co-operate in this form of teaching; and what modifications of the usual procedure are made in gynaecological cases.

I regret that information in this form is not available. I expect all patients who co-operate in teaching in lecture rooms to be consulted beforehand.

asked the Minister of Health when work on the reconstruction of the Cumberland Infirmary, Carlisle, will commence.

The hospital building programme is intended to be flexible, and I am unable therefore to give firm starting dates a number of years in

1. TOTAL NUMBER OF SIGHT TESTS BY OPHTHALMIC OPTICIANS
Liverpool	Manchester	Birmingham	Cardiff	Chelmsford	Lancashire
73,932	86,261	135,681	39,563	8,137	189,783

2. NUMBER OF SIGHT TESTS, IN STEPS OF 200, UNDERTAKEN BY OPHTHALMIC OPTICIANS*
	Numbers of Ophthalmic Opticians' Premises
Numbers of Sight Tests		Liverpool	Manchester	Birmingham	Cardiff	Chelmsford	Lancashire
Under 200	…	28	53	14	18	Nil	83
200–399	…	17	24	11	2	1	53
400–599	…	19	18	16	3	1	38
600–799	…	11	22	10	4	Nil	36
800–999	…	6	9	20	4	Nil	23
1,000–1,199	…	5	12	21	1	Nil	21
1,200–1,399	…	6	4	8	2	Nil	18
1,400–1,599	…	5	3	8	2	Nil	11
1,600–1,799	…	5	1	5	1	Nil	8
1,800–1,999	…	Nil	3	5	2	1	3
2,000 and over	…	6	4	13	5	2	8
* This information is only available for ophthalmic opticians' premises and not for individual practitioners.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will state the number of registered ophthalmic opticians on the current register, showing how many of them, at the nearest convenient date, were employed by corporate bodies.

I understand from the General Optical Council, which has statutory responsibility for the Register, that the number on 8th December, 1966, was 6,454. Information is not available about the numbers employed by corporate bodies.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will state the number of individual practice addresses of ophthalmic opticians listed by executive

asked the Minister of Health whether he will state the number of sight tests carried out under the National Health Service by ophthalmic opticians during 1965 in Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff, Chelmsford, and the county of Lancashire, respectively, showing the number who did less than 200, and the remainder in steps of hundreds up to the maximum.

:councils, which are controlled by corporate bodies in England and Wales.

At 31st December, 1965, 1,981 establishments where ophthalmic opticians operate were listed under the name of a corporate body.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will implement the recommendation of the Central Health Services Council Report for 1965 for the reconvening of its sub-committee on the Medical Care of Epileptics; and whether he will make a statement.

The sub-committee has met, and it has been decided that in order to facilitate a comprehensive review of both the medical and welfare services for epileptics, a joint subcommittee of the Standing Medical Advisory Committee and the Advisory Council on the Health and Welfare of Handicapped Persons should be set up to review these services and to make recommendations for their future development and in particular about co-ordination between them and with other statutory and voluntary services. The Joint Sub-Committee is in course of being appointed.

asked the Minister of Health how many applications for the supply of a car have been refused since 1st April 1966 where there have been two disabled members of a family, on the grounds that one was too young to hold a driving licence.

One.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give the number of non-industrial civil servants in October 1955, 1960 and 1965 as a percentage of the total insured population in the United Kingdom at those dates.

Excluding the Post Office, 1·8, 1·7 and 1·8 per cent.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with the Rootes Group Limited and Chrysler regarding a purchase of control by the latter of the former; and if he will make a statement.

Rootes have been in preliminary contact with the Treasury about financial arrangements which may lead to a closer association with Chrysler. The Government are awaiting further information before reaching a conclusion.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the full complement of the statistician and economist classes of the Civil Service; and how many are in post in each class.

The complement of the statistician class at 1st July 1966 was 224 and the number in post at that date was 165.The Economist Class at present has 99 full-time and 32 part-time members in post.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress he has made in appointing the Decimal Currency Board; and whether he will make a statement.

Sir William Fiske has accepted my invitation to be Chairman of the Board, and the right hon. Lord Erroll of Hale my invitation to be Deputy Chairman. Their appointments take effect immediately.The Board's functions will be

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give the classification of income by size before and after tax for the years 1964–65 and 1965–66, respectively, as set out on page 82 tables 59 and 60 of the Inland Revenue Report for 1965, Command Paper No. 2876.

The 1964–65 tables will appear in the 109th Inland Revenue Report early next year. The corresponding figures for 1965–66 will be published in the following Report.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will seek to relieve export merchants from payment of the Selective Employment Tax, the incidence of which cannot be passed on to their customers, in order especially to encourage exports.

As I have indicated in answer to previous Questions, I have the operation of this tax generally under review. I cannot anticipate the results of this review in particular fields.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give a calculation of the value of the stamp duty which would have fallen to be paid on property received by the Exchequer in lieu of death duty and handed over to the National Trust.

About £30,000.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish in HANSARD details of all price increases notified to his Department since 20th July 1966; which of these are still in operation; and which of these have been given his approval and sanction.

The Treasury is not among the Departments to which proposed price increases are notified tinder the arrangements described in Cmnd. 2808 and Cmnd. 3073.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the amount of Customs Duty and Purchase Tax payable on a gift from South Africa of a wooden chest made of local wood and valued at £29 10s.

I am looking into the matter and will write to my hon. Friend.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the present total estimated revenue of Purchase Tax on Christmas greetings cards; and what the estimated cost would be of granting exemption to registered charities.

Receipts of Purchase Tax on all greeting cards and similar articles are estimated at about £7 million a year. Receipts from Christmas cards are not separately recorded but it is known that they represent a substantial part of the total. As regards the second part of the Question, charity cards are sold in competition with cards distributed through commercial channels so that exemption for the former would tend to eliminate demand for the latter and the whole of the revenue from Christmas cards would be at risk.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will reduce the number of staff employed in the Paymaster-General's Department.

Not at present: but the forthcoming installation of a computer will offer good prospects of continuing the reductions made in recent years.

asked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs if, in view of the recent production figures, he will now take steps to increase employment and productivity.

The Government have recently announced a number of steps in this direction, including the increase in investment grants, new Government training centres and grants to training boards for retraining within industry, and the extension of the facilities provided by the Export Credit Guarantee Department.

asked the Postmaster-General whether, in view of the export goodwill attached to the name Cradley Heath, in Warley, he will reconsider his decision to discontinue the use of the name for postal purposes.

Those parts of the new County Borough of Warley which now have in their address the name "Cradley Heath" are to keep it. I will write to my hon. Friend to explain in more detail the general postal changes being made, in co-operation with the local authorities, following the establishment of the new Borough.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he will publish in HANSARD details of any price increases which have been made for services

				Previous		Present
				s.	d.	s.	d.
Italy:
As from 1st August, 1966	…	Ordinary telegrams, rate per word	…		9		10
		Urgent telegrams, rate per word	…	1	6	1	8
		Letter telegrams, rate per word	…		4½		5
As from 1st September, 1966	…	Ordinary Press telegrams, rate per word	…		4½		5
		Urgent Press telegrams, rate per word	…		9		10
Vatican City State:
As from 1st November, 1966	…	As for Italy.
Peru (Tacna only):
As from 1st August, 1966	…	Ordinary telegrams, rate per word	…	2	11	3	6
		Urgent telegrams, rate per word	…	5	10	7	0
		Letter telegrams, rate per word	…	1	5½	1	9
As from 1st September, 1966	…	Urgent Press telegrams, rate per word	…	2	11	3	6

Similarly, as from 1st October, 1966, there were offsetting reductions in overseas telephone charges to Czechoslovakia, Italy, Poland and Vatican City State.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will give a direction under the Licence and Agreement to the British Broadcasting Corporation to refrain from broadcasting programmes showing hanging scenes on television during hours when children are watching, such as those shown on 5th December in "The Monroes"; and if he will make a statement.

No. Successive Governments have reaffirmed as fundamental the principle that the broadcasting authorities are independent in matters of programme content. I am sure the B.B.C. will take note of the hon. Member's view.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence for what reason he has postponed the release of land at

Certain postal tariffs and the poundage on some postal orders were increased on 3rd October. Full particulars were published in the OFFICIAL REPORT for 20th July, 1966.In addition, the following increases in overseas telegraph charges were made under international accounting arrangements:Kidbrooke, in the borough of Greenwich, to the Greater London Council.

In 1961 it was decided to release 105 acres of Government land at Kidbrooke for housing. Certain R.A.F. units occupying 5 acres of land were then to move to the Woolwich Arsenal site. This move had to be changed in 1965, when it was decided to release the 1,000 acre site at Woolwich Arsenal for a major housing project. Accommodation for the R.A.F. units had therefore to be found elsewhere in Woolwich; the new buildings are expected to be ready by August 1968 for one unit and early 1969 for the other. There has been no change in this programme since September, 1965. Meanwhile certain adaptations of the R.A.F. buildings have been made which it is hoped will help the housing development to proceed. The delay in releasing the 5 acre site at Kidbrooke was caused by the release of the much larger 1,000 acre site at Woolwich for housing.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will now make a statement on the reasons for the delay in handing over surplus service land at Kidbrooke to the Greater London Council for the building of houses.

I would refer my hon. Friend to my earlier Answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Woolwich, East (Mr. Mayhew).

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many men are in the strategic reserve in Great Britain.

About 20,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is his estimate of the expenditure on the Polaris submarine programme up to 31st December, 1966; and how much the sum is now likely to be by the time the submarines are completed.

£155 million and £370 million respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence who are the members of the executive in charge of the Polaris submarine programme; and what are their salaries.

Vice-Admiral Sir Hugh Mackenzie—the Chief Polaris Executive—and Mr. Rowland Baker—the Technical Director. Their salaries are 284 shillings a day and £5,500 a year respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is his estimate of the total expenditure on the Polaris submarine school at Faslane up to 31st December, 1966.

£6½ million from Defence Votes.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what are his plans for reducing expenditure on Her Majesty's Ship "Britannia" during the period of severe restraint.

Expenditure will be kept to a minimum.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that a growing number of mills in the Nelson and Colne constituency are closing down and that the growth of unemployment in the constituency over the past three months represents a rise of 109 per cent. compared with 71 per cent. for Great Britain; and what steps he is taking to arrest this deterioration.

I know that a number of mills in the area are closing down, some of them as a result of mergers and of the concentration of production in more efficient units. However, unemployment in Nelson and Colne is below the national average and in the circumstances I would not be justified in introducing special measures to provide additional employment in the area.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what international action is being taken to promote the safety of fishing vessels and their crews.

Three of the agencies of the United Nations have an interest in this important matter: the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organisation (I.M.C.O.), the Food and Agriculture Organisation (F.A.O.) and the International Labour Organisation (I.L.O.). The three agencies have agreed to collaborate in the preparation of a code designed to cover all aspects of the safety of fishing vessels and their crews. Action is being taken accordingly by the staff of the three Organisations and it is expected that a draft code will be submitted to the competent organs of the three Organisations for general approval next year with a view to publication in 1968. Her Majesty's Government plays a full part in the work of all three Organisations.

asked the President of the Board of Trade when he expects to receive the report from the Monopolies Commission on the man-made fibre industry.

It is not yet possible to forecast this.

asked the Attorney-General in how many cases audits of charities have been ordered by the Charity Commissioners under Section 8 of the Charities Act, 1960.

I have no responsibility for the ordering of audits of the accounts of charities. Under Section 8 of the Charities Act, 1960 this is the responsibility of the Charity Commissioners.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether, in view of the high accident rate amongst agricultural workers in Wales, he is satisfied that there are enough Welsh-speaking divisional safety officers in Wales who are able to instruct all Welsh-speaking agricultural workers in the Welsh language, and if he will make a statement.

I have been asked to reply.The accident figures in Wales are somewhat lower than in most of the English regions. A high proportion of the officers engaged on safety work in Wales are Welsh-speaking and I am satisfied that this work is not significantly hampered by language difficulties.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what increase or decrease there was in the general level of farm incomes in Wales for the year ending 31st December, 1965 and the preceding year.

According to information published by the University College of Wales, Aberyswyth, in November last average net farm incomes increased substantially in the farm year 1964–65 on all types of farm. There was some reduction in net incomes in 1965–66, but they remained very much higher than in 1963–64.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he is aware that 66 per cent. of corned beef samples tested officially in Dorset were adulterated or not up to standard; how this compares with other parts of the country; and what action he takes to examine consignments on arrival in this country.

No. But we are aware that in a period of just over three years 14 samples resulting from complaints by consumers and one other sample were tested, and of these eight were found to be unsatisfactory.The period in question was 1st April, 1963, to 30th June, 1966. In every case the food and drugs authority took such action as they considered appropriate in the circumstances. The complaints related to the presence of foreign bodies in, or the appearance, taste or smell of, the particular corned beef.Bearing in mind the large quantities of corned beef consumed annually, we do not consider that these figures give cause for anxiety.It is not possible to give comparable figures for other parts of the country.Consignments of corned beef arriving in this country may be examined and sampled by authorised officers of port health authorities under powers conferred on these authorities by the Public Health (Imported Food) Regulations, 1937.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will cause a survey to be made into the full effects of the increase in the importation of fat and store cattle into Great Britain following the imposition of the tariff in relation thereto by the countries of the European Economic Community.

The most careful watch is being kept on the situation and I am well aware of the effects in question.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what has been the rate of surcharge on sugar over the 12 months from 1st December, 1965, to 30th November, 1966; for what period it has been at each rate given; and what is the estimated total yield from the surcharge for the 12 months in question.

The rate of surcharge has been as follows:

	per lb.
1st Dec, 1965, to 20th Jan., 1966:	3¾d.
21st Jan., 1966, to 31st Jan., 1966:	3½d.
1st Feb., 1966, to 21st Feb., 1966:	3¼d.
22nd Feb., 1966, to 16th June, 1966:	3½d.
17th June, 1966, to 31st August, 1966:	3¾d.
1st Sept., 1966, to 28th Nov., 1966:	4d.
29th Nov., 1966, to 30th Nov., 1966:	4¼d.

The estimated total yield from surcharge for this period is £88 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what oceanographical work he is sponsoring.

Funds are made available for oceanographic research through the National Environment Research Council, whose Oceanography and Fisheries Committee, under the Chairmanship of Professor M. J. Light-hill, F.R.S., is specially charged with the promotion and co-ordination of research in oceanography. This Committee is responsible for the work of the National Institute of Oceanography and of the grant-aided marine biological laboratories; and for co-ordination with the Ministry of Defence (Navy Department) and the fisheries laboratories of the agriculture departments; it co-operates with the Council's Geology and Geophysics Committee on exploration of the sea floor; and advises the Council on research grants for oceanographic research in Universities. The Council's purpose in the deployment of the resources available is to stimulate the balanced development of both physical and biological aspects of the subject and to provide essential facilities (e.g. research vessels). An Advisory Sub-Committee on International Oceanographic Research has been set up by the Committee.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps he is taking to prevent a repetition of the export of important works of art in circumstances similar to those in the recent case of the alleged Rubens, Daniel in the Lions' Den.

The Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art are examining this question in consultation with the Board of Trade, H.M. Customs and Excise and my Department, in order to minimise the risk of any similar occurrence in future.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, in view of the difficulty which further education students in London face in finding lodgings, what steps he will take to assist local education authorities.

I sympathise with the students' difficulties and shall be glad to consider any suggestions which local education authorities may wish to make to me about possible ways of alleviating them.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development whether he will now announce the scope of the effects on the aid programme of the economic measures of July, 1966.

The economic measures of July, 1966 included programmes for the restriction of Government overseas expenditure. As part of these, disbursements under the aid programme are to be limited to £205 million in 1967–68 as compared with a target of £225 million in 1966–67. This will be achieved partly by cutting and partly by the slowing down of disbursements. The reductions will fall mainly on bilateral financial aid which is the largest element in the aid programme. Reductions to individual items are being applied in the course of normal negotiations and consultations with the recipient countries, and this process will continue during the coming months. The Government regret that this degree of restraint was necessary in the interest of economic recovery and to maintain the strength of the pound. Our ability to give aid depends on this. Despite the setback, the flow of resources from the United Kingdom to developing countries and the proportion of it represented by official economic aid will still compare well as proportions of national income with those of most other donor countries.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will take steps to review the Criminal Appeal Act 1966, in view of the Court of Appeal's decision in R. v. Brett on 2nd December, 1966.

I am aware of no point of law decided in the case which would justify such a review.