asked the Minister of Land and Natural Resources on what date he proposes to issue the explanatory booklet intended to assist the professions in advising upon problems arising from the Land Commission Bill.

Early in March.

asked the Minister of Land and Natural Resources what he estimates will be the annual yield from the Land Commission levy upon the sale by owner-occupiers of dwellinghouses with up to one acre of land; and what is the estimated annual cost to the Land Commission of such collection.

It is not possible to estimate this. In the great majority of cases no liability for levy will arise on transactions related to owner-occupied houses, because no development value will be realised.

asked the Minister of Land and Natural Resources what is his estimate of the gross annual yield of the levy under the Land Commission Bill in respect of transactions relating to owner-occupied houses.

I would refer the right hon. Member to the Answer given today in reply to a Question by the hon. Member for Birmingham, Hall Green (Mr. Eyre).

asked the Minister of Land and Natural Resources what proportion of the yield of the levy imposed by the Land Commission Bill he proposes to allocate to local authorities; and what is his estimate of the amount which he will so make available in the first full year.

I would refer the right hon. Member to the Answer given today in reply to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Salford, East (Mr. Frank Allaun).

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what steps he is taking to discourage the general public from feeding the deer in Richmond Park, in view of recent incidents.

There are 27 boldly printed notices, warning of the dangers from deer, prominently displayed at strategic points in Richmond Park. I will arrange for a few more notices to be put up, particularly in some of the car parks which do not have them at present, but I do not want to spoil the view by putting up more notices than necessary.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what steps he will take to ensure that the fair wages clause is observed relating to building contracts entered into by Government Departments under which sub-contractors for labour only are engaged.

The Fair Wages Clause is included in all Government contracts. The contractor is responsible for the observance of the clause by his sub-contractors. I am not aware of any cases in which it has not been observed.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what steps he will take to abolish sub-contracting for labour only in building contracts entered into by Government Departments.

Labour only sub-contractors, and in particular self-employed operatives, are only used in exceptional circumstances on Government contracts.As I announced to the House on 21st November, 1966, my right hon. Friend the Minister of Labour and I have decided to appoint an independent Committee to inquire into the subject of labour-only sub-contracting generally. My right hon. Friend will be making a further announcement about this in the near future.—[Vol. 736, c. 912.]

asked the Minister of Social Security if she will take steps to make Sundays and Saturdays count as waiting days for unemployment benefit in industries or sections of industries which are working a continuous process on a four-shift basis, as at present worked in the paper industry.

Waiting days for unemployment benefit are the first three days for which benefit conditions are satisfied. Provision is already made to enable Saturdays and Sundays to count for this purpose in certain circumstances but they vary considerably. I will gladly look into any particular case the hon. Member may have in mind.

asked the Minister of Social Security whether an ex-gratia payment of £25 made at Christmas ranks as income for a pensioner when assessing deductions in accordance with the earnings rule.

Under regulations made in 1965 the first £10 of any Christmas bonus received by a retirement pensioner from his employer is disregarded for the purposes of the earnings rule. Income other than earnings does not affect a retirement pension.If my hon. Friend has a particular case in mind I will gladly look into it for him.

asked the Minister of Health if he will now find out from the trade association of manufacturers of prosthetic dental fittings, namely the Dental Laboratories Association Limited, how many of its member companies have gone into liquidation or substantially modified their production methods in the last two years, and how many craftsmen employed by its member companies have left their employment in the same period; and if, in the light of the information he received, he will make a statement on the general standard of prosthetic products available to dentists in the National Health Service, and the prospects of maintaining their standard and improving it as new technological methods become available.

No. The general standard of dental prosthetics supplied to National Health Service patients is satisfactory and we see no reason why it should not remain so.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will lay down statutory standards for ice cream, in view of the present health risks involved in its sale.

asked the Minister of Health if he has considered the representations made to him on behalf of the council of the London Borough of Barking, expressing concern that no standards are prescribed for ice cream which would enable local authorities to take legal proceedings against vendors of ice cream found, on analysis, to be substandard; whether attempts are still being made to devise a bacteriological test sufficiently precise to enable him to prescribe statutory standards; and whether, meanwhile, he is satisfied that the methylene blue test is adequate.

My right hon. Friend has considered the representations, but he is not proposing to introduce statutory bacterial standards for ice cream, which is a very safe food. The methylene blue test has proved satisfactory, and adequate powers already exist under which local authorities can take proceedings should these be necessary.

asked the Minister of Health how many qualified medical practitioners are known to have emigrated during the latest period of 12 months for which figures are available and during the previous 12 months.

I would refer the hon. and gallant Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Richmond, Surrey (Mr. A. Royle) on 18th October last.—[Vol. 734, c. 25.]

asked the Minister of Health how many of the sight tests carried out by ophthalmic opticians during 1965 in Cardiff, Chelmsford, Birmingham, Liverpool, and Manchester, respectively, were carried out by cor-

1. TOTAL NUMBER OF SIGHT TESTS BY OPTHALMIC OPTICIANS WHICH WERE CARRIED OUT BY CORPORATE BODIES OR OTHER PRACTITIONERS HAVING MORE THAN ONE PRACTICE ADDRESS IN THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL AREA
Cardiff	Chelmsford (in area of Essex E.C.)	Birmingham	Liverpool	Manchester
4,407	2,231	68,041	18,771	38,370

2. NUMBER OF SIGHT TEST, IN STEPS OF 200*, UNDERTAKEN BY OPHTHALMIC OPTICIANS, WHICH WERE CARRIED OUT BY CORPORATE BODIES OR OTHER PRACTITIONERS HAVING MORE THAN ONE PRACTICE ADDRESS
Numbers of Sight tests					Numbers of corporate bodies or other practitioners having more than one practice address in the Executive Council area (Numbers of premises shown in brackets)
					Cardiff	Birmingham	Liverpool	Manchester
Under 200	…	…	…	…	3 (6)	3 (6)	Nil	5 (10)
200–399	…	…	…	…	Nil	Nil	Nil	4 (8)
400–599	…	…	…	…	1 (3)	Nil	Nil	2 (4)
600–799	…	…	…	…	1 (2)	2 (4)	Nil	2 (5)
800–999	…	…	…	…	1 (2)	1 (2)	1 (2)	3 (6)
1,000–1,199	…	…	…	…	Nil	1 (2)	2 (4)	1 (2)
1,200–1,399	…	…	…	…	Nil	1 (2)	2 (4)	1 (2)
1,400–1,599	…	…	…	…	Nil	1 (2)	Nil	1 (3)
1,600–1,799	…	…	…	…	Nil	Nil	Nil	2 (6)
1,800–1,999	…	…	…	…	1 (2)	Nil	2 (5)	3 (6)
2,000–2,199	…	…	…	…	Nil	2 (4)	Nil	Nil
2,200–2,399)	…	…	…	…	Nil	1 (4)	Nil	1 (2)
2,400–2,599	…	…	…	…	Nil	1 (2)	Nil	Nil
2,600–2,799	…	…	…	…	Nil	Nil	Nil	1 (3)
2,800–2,999	…	…	…	…	Nil	1 (2)	1 (2)	Nil
4,000–4,199	…	…	…	…	Nil	1 (2)	Nil	Nil
4,400–4,599	…	…	…	…	Nil	1 (5)	Nil	Nil
5,400–5,599	…	…	…	…	Nil	Nil	Nil	1 (2)
6,400–6,599	…	…	…	…	Nil	Nil	1 (2)	Nil
8,200–8,399	…	…	…	…	Nil	Nil	Nil	1 (5)
14,400–14,599	…	…	…	…	Nil	1 (14)	Nil	Nil
26,400–26,599	…	…	…	…	Nil	1 (17)	Nil	Nil
* Where any step of 200 is omitted all four columns would show "Nil".

The 2,231 sight tests in Chelmsford were carried out at one set of premises used by a corporate body with premises elsewhere in the Executive Council area.

asked the Minister of Health how many dwellings in England and Wales are at present without baths and/or indoor toilets.

The latest available figures are from the 1961 Census which, corrected for discovered misreporting, showed that in England and Wales about 3·4 million households (23 per cent.) were porate bodies or other practitioners having more than one practice address; and whether he will show an analysis of their contribution commencing with those who saw less than 200, rising in steps of 200 to the maximum, and linking the number of practice addresses to each figure.

:entirely without a fixed bath and about 1·5 million households (10 per cent.) entirely without a water closet within or attached to the building.There are indications that these figures have fallen significantly since 1961 and statistics from the sample census held last April will give more up-to-date information later this year.

asked the Minister of Health when he expects to receive the report of the standing medical committee set up to investigate treatment and diagnosis of spina bifida cases.

I understand that this subcommittee, which was set up jointly by the Standing Medical Advisory Committee and the Scottish Standing Medical Advisory Committee has completed its report. The report has been accepted by the former and is to be considered by the latter next month.

asked the Minister of Health how many of the total number of general practitioners are receiving less remuneration under the new award than under the previous one.

When all payments for the December 1966 quarter have been made, including payments in respect of the provision of premises and the employment of ancillary staff which were not due to be claimed until after 31st December, few if any doctors are likely to find that their income for the quarter is less than it would have been under the former system. If it is less in any case it is likely to be because in the opinion of the Executive Council the doctor is not devoting a substantial amount of time to general practice under the National Health Service.

asked the Minister of Health how much capital has been invested in the past two years in the building of laundries to serve hospitals in the National Health Service; how much this represents in interest charges; and how much has been saved in the costs of washing compared with the charges made by existing independent laundries.

£3·6 million (including cost of machinery): capital expenditure of the National Health Services is financed from general revenues but a notional calculation of the cost of borrowing, and Exchequer rates prevailing at the time, would give interest charges of about £230,000 per annum. Information in the form requested in the last part of the question is not readily available.

asked the Minister of Health if he will state the future policy of the South-West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board in relation to its laundry services.

The Regional Board's policy is to maintain the central laundries which already serve much of the region and eventually to rationalise the service in the rest of the region by setting up group laundries.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will ask the Manchester Regional Hospital Board to consider whether the proposed new outpatient department and improvements to the accident department at Ancoats Hospital, Manchester, should be commenced earlier than envisaged in the Hospital Building Programme, in view of the demands made upon Ancoats by the residential and industrial community in East Manchester.

The planning of the new departments is proceeding urgently so that advantage may be taken of an earlier starting date if the Board's continual review of their programme shows this to be possible.

asked the Minister of Health (1) what is the annual hospital admission rate for the mentally ill in the Basildon and Brentwood Urban District Council areas;(2) how the admission rate for the mentally ill from the Basildon and Brentwood Urban District Council areas compares with the national average;(3) what percentage of mental patients in the Basildon and Brentwood Urban District Council areas have a history of relapse;(4) what percentage of mental patients are discharged annually in the Basildon and Brentwood Urban District Council areas.

Separate figures for Basildon and Brentwood Urban District Councils areas are not available. The latest information for the catchment areas of Runwell Hospital (which covers Basildon) and Warley Hospital (which covers Brentwood) shows that, per 1,000 population the annual hospital admission rate for the mentally ill is 2·5 and·22 respectively compared with the national average of 3·35; of the patients admitted to these hospitals 61 per cent. and 56 per cent. have a history of relapse, and 95 per cent. and 96 per cent. are discharged within one year.

asked the Minister of Health how many of those mental patients discharged in the Basildon and Brentwood Urban District Council areas, particularly those with relapse histories, are followed up within a month of discharge.

In general, all such cases where follow up is necessary.

asked the Minister of Health what facilities are provided in the Brentwood and Basildon Urban District Council areas to aid rehabilitation; and how far this compares with the national pattern.

I assume my hon. Friend has in mind the rehabilitation of the mentally ill.In addition to general advice and support provided by mental health social workers, after-care services for the two areas include a social club, some hostel places and the help of the Disablement Resettlement Officer. The pattern of services varies from area to area and no useful comparisons are possible.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will give an assurance that the building schemes for the Christie and Crumpsall hospitals, Manchester, set out in the Hospital Building Programme, Command Paper No. 3000, will proceed as planned; and when work will commence.

Speciality					1962	1963	1964	1965	1966
General Medicine	…	…	…	…	17	10	17	9	14
Chronic Sick	…	…	…	…	5	9	11	14	11
General Surgery	…	…	…	…	92	175	528	644	440
Tonsils and Adenoids	…	…	…	…	214	278	267	309	205
Other Ear, Nose and Throat		…	…	…	62	70	49	66	83
Plastic Surgery	…	…	…	…	1,696	1,660	1,671	2,467	2,938
Thoracic Surgery	…	…	…	…	54	84	129	61	112
Neurosurgery	…	…	…	…	73	129	68	69	33
Gynaecology	…	…	…	…	162	220	527	589	785
Gastro-enterology	…	…	…	…	Nil	4	28	5	15

At the Christie Hospital work on one part of the building scheme has started and is expected to start on another soon. Planning of the remainder is proceeding urgently but I am unable to forecast when work on this and on the schemes at the Crumpsall Hospital will start.

asked the Minister of Health if she is aware that a Laceby old-age pensioner aged 74 years has temporarily left his wife, aged 84 years, to nurse his invalid mother, aged 95 years; that both mother and son are now so ill they are being cared for by neighbours, but the medical officer in charge of the Grimsby Aged Persons Hospital has refused to admit the aged mother into hospital; and, in view of the facts sent to her by the hon. Member for Louth, if she will give instructions forthwith to deal with this case.

There appears to be some misunderstanding and I will write to the hon. Member when my inquiries have been completed. Meanwhile I have been informed that a request for the lady concerned to be admitted to hospital was received on 3rd January; the consultant geriatrician for the Grimsby area visited her on 4th January; she was admitted to Glanford Hospital, Brigg, on 5th January.

asked the Minister of Health if he will list the number of patients awaiting admission to Frenchay Hospital, Bristol, divided into categories of treatment required at the 31st December for the years 1962 to 1966, inclusive.

The number of patients awaiting admission to Frenchay Hospital at 31st December was as follows:

asked the Minister of Health when he expects work to commence on the new general hospital planned for South Cheshire.

The Manchester Regional Hospital Board expect work to start about the end of this year.

asked the Lord President of the Council what progress has been made in the recruitment of staff for the proposed new specialised committees.

As I said in answer to a Question after the Business Statement on 19th January, I am at present actively engaged with the House of Commons (Services) Committee in considering the acute problem of the recruitment of staff for our new Select Committees.

asked the Attorney-General whether he will introduce legislation to enable a court to make orders for co-respondents in divorce actions to pay damages to the children of a broken marriage in divorce actions.

It is already the practice of the courts in appropriate divorce cases to order the damages, or part of them, to be settled on the children. Accordingly, I do not think there is any need for legislation.

asked the Minister of Labour if he is satisfied with the existing basic safety regulations required for the shipbuilding and ship repair industries; and if he will make a statement.

The existing regulations which came into operation on 31st March, 1961, marked a major advance in basic safety requirements for the industry and have proved to be generally effective.

asked the Minister of Labour if he is aware that Acrow (Engineering) has broken the incomes and dividends standstill for the third time in six months; and what steps he proposes taking to bring them into line with other employers.

On the incomes side, any payment of an incentive bonus by this group would need now to be considered in the light of the severe restraint criteria. I understand that the bonuses are designed to improve productivity and have been a normal feature of the group's system of remuneration over a number of years and that their discontinuance would have the effect of reducing the remuneration of the employees below the 20th July, 1966 level.Any question relating to dividends is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

asked the Minister of Labour (1) why, on Tuesday 17th January, Dr. Emil Savundra, an unemployed person attending the Finchley Employment Exchange, was allowed to be photographed on the premises of the department together with an official; why this was issued to the Press; what was the objective of this publicity; and whether he will make a statement;(2) why Dr. Emil Savundra, an unemployed company director, was taken into a private office at the Finchley Employment Exchange whilst six men who had been in attendance prior to Dr. Savundra's attendance were still kept waiting; and why a chauffeur who was also in attendance was not afforded the same privileges of a private interview.

The photographs of Dr. Savundra were not authorised or issued by the Department. When Dr. Savundra came to the Finchley Employment Exchange on Monday, 16th January, he was followed in by over 30 reporters and photographers, and the photographs were taken without the manager's permission.

asked the Minister of Labour how many officials are currently employed full time and part time, respectively, in assessing and adjudicating the validity of productivity agreements in justifying income increases; and how many of these officials had industrial or commercial experience before joining his Department.

Sixteen officials spend part of their time assessing the extent to which productivity agreements justify income increases, and advising industry accordingly. They also have other responsibilities in relation to the Government's incomes policy. Two of these officers have had industrial or commercial experience.

asked the Minister of Labour what is the latest number of proposed changes in income arising from presumed increase in productivity which have been notified to his Department; how many concern employment in service industries; how many of the proposed changes have been authorised; how many rejected; and what is the average time taken between notification to his department and final decision.

Since last July up to 20th January, 1967, 221 such proposed changes in incomes have been notified to my Department. 31 of these which related to the standstill period have not been raised again for consideration during the present period of severe restraint. 54 of the remaining 190 cases have been found to be consistent with the Government's policy and 6 have not. 105 cases are the subject of further correspondence. 25 are under consideration. Of the 221 proposals notified 165 relate to manufacturing industries and 56 to service industries. It would be misleading to give an average time taken to deal with these cases. Some call for considerable correspondence and discussion between my Department and the parties concerned, while others can be dealt with much more quickly.

asked the Minister of Labour what steps he is taking to ensure the redeployment of the further 250 redundant men at International Harvester Limited. Doncaster.

Everything possible will be done to assist these workers to find other jobs. A team of employment officers will begin interviewing shortly and special approaches are being made to employers in the area.

asked the Minister of Labour what review he is making of the Factories Acts; and if he will make a statement.

Revision of the Factories Act can only be carried out at fairly wide intervals but the Act is kept under constant review. I am not at present in a position to indicate when the next revision will take place.

asked the Minister of Labour what discussions he has had with the Chairman of the National Coal Board, following his announcement that a further 120 pits are to close and 84,000 miners are to be redundant by 1970, about training and alternative work.

The figure of 84,000 refers to the estimated reduction in coal-mining employment by 1970, largely on account of normal wastage and retirements. There is no question of that number being made redundant.The Board expect to be able to offer jobs in the coal industry to all men who are displaced by closures who are fit and willing to transfer. The Department is in close touch with the other Government Departments concerned and with the Coal Board on the employment and training implications of colliery closures.

asked the Minister of Labour what is the annual intake for each training course at the Cardiff training centre; and what is the present waiting time for each of the courses.

On the assumption that each class is fully occupied throughout the year, the annual intake is as follows:

Bricklaying	32
Carpentry	64
Heating and Ventilating Fitting	32
Contractors' Plant Maintenance	32
Electrical Contracting	39
Draughtsmanship	21
Fitting (General)	64
Fitting (Jig and Tool)	24
Centre Lathe Turning	20
Capstan Setting/Operating	40
Milling Setting/Operating	20
Precision Grinding	20
Welding (Electric Arc)	48
Canteen Cooking	13
Hairdressing (Men's)	24
Instrument Maintenance	12
Motor Repairing	56
Radio, Television and Electronic Servicing	30
Storekeeping	4

It is not possible to be precise about waiting time which varies from course to course, but for more than half the courses at Cardiff the maximum waiting time would be less than 9 months. In some cases earlier opportunities could be offered to men willing to go to Llanelli or other centres. More than half the applicants for training in Wales are in employment.

asked the Minister of Labour in view of the loss of skilled labour by old-established firms in the South Humber area to the contractors to the new oil concerns, details of which have been sent to him by the hon. Member for Louth, if he will seek to call a conference of all employers in the district to restrict this form of labour poaching; and if he will make a statement.

I have looked carefully into this matter and I do not think any such action is called for.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the United Kingdom Government have yet ratified the International Labour Organisation Convention number 122, on Employment Policy; and, if not, what are the reasons for the delay.

I have been asked to reply. Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the United Kingdom Government has yet ratified the International Labour Organisation Convention number 120, on Hygiene in Commerce and Offices; and, if not, what are the reasons for the delay.

I have been asked to reply. I hope that we can ratify this Convention shortly, since the Offices and Shop Premises Act (Northern Ireland) 1966 has now been passed.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the United Kingdom Government has yet ratified the International Labour Organisation Convention number 119, on the Guarding of Machinery; and, if not, what are the reasons for the delay.

I have been asked to reply. As indicated in Cmnd. 2548, our existing law while largely in conformity with the requirements of this Convention does not fully meet them. Appropriate amendments will be introduced at a suitable opportunity.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the United Kingdom has yet ratified the International Labour Organisation Convention number 117, on Social Policy; and, if not, what are the reasons for the delay.

I have been asked to reply. No. This Convention was expressly designed for newly independent states. The question of ratification by the United Kingdom does not, therefore, arise.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the United Kingdom has yet ratified the International Labour Organisation Convention number 90, on the Night Work of Young Persons in Industry; and, if not, what are the reasons for the delay.

I have been asked to reply. I.L. Convention 90 has not been ratified because there are circumstances in which male young persons over 16 may be employed at night.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the United Kingdom has yet ratified the International Labour Organisation Convention number 89, on the Night Work of Women; and, if not, what are the reasons for the delay.

I have been asked to reply. I.L. Convention 89 has not been ratified because there are circumstances in which women may be employed at night.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the United Kingdom has yet ratified the International Labour Organisation Convention number 79, on the Night Work of Young Persons in Non-Industrial Occupations; and, if not, what are the reasons for the delay.

I have been asked to reply. The Government have not ratified I.L. Convention 79. This would require legislation and I have no evidence of any need to extend the existing legislative restrictions on the hours worked by children and young persons.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (1) whether the United Kingdom has yet ratified the International Labour Organisation Convention number 78, on the Medical Examination of Young Persons in Non-Industrial Occupations; and, if not, what are the reasons for the delay;(2) whether the United Kingdom has yet ratified the International Labour Organisation Convention number 77, on the Medical Examination of Young Persons in Industry; and, if not, what are the reasons for the delay.

I have been asked to reply.It is not intended to ratify either Convention. They include provision for universal periodic medical examinations. Selective examination is now considered to be more effective and to make a better use of medical manpower.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what reports he received during 1966 of bomb damage to residential areas of Hanoi; and what means of communication to the United Kingdom are available to Her Majesty's Consul at Hanoi.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what analysis has been made by Her Majesty's Government of the effects of United States bombing in and around Hanoi; if he will publish the findings; and what protest has been made against the further escalation of the war in Vietnam.

I have nothing to add to what I told the House on 18th January [Vol. 739, c. 425–38.] and to my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's reply to the hon. Member for Lewisham, West (Mr. Dickens) on 19th January.—[Vol. 739, c. 126–7.]

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will publish a white paper setting out British efforts to secure peace in Vietnam and the response elicited in each case from the United States of America and the North Vietnamese, respectively.

I am considering publishing a further list of attempts to promote peace in Vietnam to follow up the collection of documents published in Cmnd. 2756 in August 1965. I will keep the House informed.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what reports he has received in his capacity as a chairman of the Geneva Conference from the International Control Commission on the number of incidents and casualties caused in South Vietnam by Vietcong action.

I have received no information of this nature from the Control Commission.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on the establishment of a United Nations mission to Southern Arabia following the agreement in principle by Her Majesty's Government to this proposal.

Discussions with the Secretary-General of the United Nations on the composition of the mission are proceeding. I hope that they will soon be completed.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what further action has been taken in respect of the interrogators referred to in the Bowen Report; and whether he will make a statement.

I would refer my hon. Friend to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Hampstead (Mr. Whitaker) on 20th January.—[Vol. 739, c. 163–5.]

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what are the latest reports he has received on events in China and the safety of British subjects there.

The latest reports from Peking indicate that there have been no threats to the physical safety of British subjects in the People's Republic of China.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the new British Consul in Taiwan has yet arrived in Tamsui; why he is officially described as an expert in Japanese when Taiwan has been under Chinese control since 1945; why Chinese-speaking members of his Department are no longer being posted to Chinese-speaking Taiwan; and to what extent this is because mainland China would not permit them eventually to return to a post on the mainland.

Mr. Bray, the Consul Designate, will arrive at his post on 31st January. Mr. Bray has excellent consular and commercial experience and I have no knowledge of any official statement describing him as a Japanese expert. Chinese speaking officers are considered in the usual way for appointments to Tamsui.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government with regard to the discussions arranged on peace-keeping in the United Nations General Assembly at the special session in April next.

Her Majesty's Government's policy remains to strengthen the capacity of the United Nations to maintain international peace. The immediate practical lines of advance which we advocate were set out in my right hon. Friend's speech to the General Assembly on 11th October last, a copy of which is in the Library. The tactics best calculated to promote these aims are under discussion.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs when he proposes to reopen discussions with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the Baltic bonds; and whether he intends to discuss this question with the Russian Premier when he visits London in February.

This does not depend on us alone. I cannot undertake to say in advance which questions my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary hope to discuss with Mr. Kosygin, but I have this question much in mind.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what contributions have been made by Her Majesty's Government to the United Nations and its specialised agencies, including voluntary contributions, for the year ended 31st December 1966; and what proportions these contributions are of the totals of the respective budgets.

The information requested was given in my reply of 17th January to the hon. Member for Hertfordshire, South-West. I regret that through an oversight, however, the reply omitted the payment of £300,000 which Her Majesty's Government made in 1966 to the Special Industrial Services Trust Fund, established last year. With this payment, the total of contributions during 1966 by Her Majesty's Government is £28,010,000.—[Vol. 739, c. 18.]

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how many times between 1945 and the nearest convenient date each of the Permanent Members of the Security Council has used the veto.

Between 1945 and the present date, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics has used the veto on 103 occasions; France on 4 occasions; the United Kingdom on 3 occasions; China once; and the United States of America not at all.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has studied the report prepared by the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation on the effects of apartheid in South Africa and made public on 18th January, 1967; and, in the light of that report, what support the Government intends to give by practical measures to the resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly on the question of apartheid.

I am informed that only a summary of the report was published by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation. The full report has not yet been received here and I should prefer to await it before commenting.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Portugal to obtain more co-operation in international affairs from Portugal in exchange for the £5 million being spent by Her Majesty's Government to lay a cable between England and Portugal.

None. This cable is to be laid as a commerical investment and as part of our continuing efforts to improve world communications.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether all the payments due to the victims of Nazi persecution have now been made; how many applicants there were; how many were awarded payments; whether any alterations in the original plan for compensation have been made; and whether a full report will be presented to Parliament.

On 9th June, 1964, the House was informed that Her Majesty's Government had concluded an Agreement with the Federal German Republic whereby the latter paid the sum of one million pounds to be distributed at the discretion of Her Majesty's Government to British victims of National Socialist (Nazi) persecution or to their eligible surviving dependants. Following this on 24th July, 1964, a one year period of registration—to 31st July, 1965—was begun and widely publicised. It was subsequently decided to extend the period of registration by eight months until 31st March, 1966. Further Press announcements were made culminating with the final one on 18th February, 1966.

The total number of application forms distributed (including batches sent to overseas posts, banks, solicitors, etc.) was	6,608
The number of applications rejected was	3,046
The total number of payments made to victims or to the dependants of deceased victims was	1,015

Notes for the guidance of applicants setting out the terms of eligibility were distributed with the application forms. In the exercise of the discretion vested in Her Majesty's Government Nazi persecution was defined for the purposes of this distribution in paragraph 9 of the Notes for Guidance, which read as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will raise in the United Nations as a threat to peace the crimes against humanity now being waged by Egyptian aircraft against the Yemen with consequent killing, wounding and blinding of civilians.

I assume that the hon. Member has in mind reports in the Press of the use of poison gas by United Arab Republic forces in the Yemen. Her Majesty's Government are at present evaluating the information which has reached them. These inquiries are not yet complete.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will take action to ensure that the Duchy of Cornwall registers the status and ownership of common land of which it is the owner under the Commons Registration Act 1965.

This is a matter for the Duchy, but I am sure that they will give every assistance to the registration authorities.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why Her Majesty's Government abandoned the practice of holding all but a small proportion of the central monetary reserves of the sterling area in gold.

The practice has not been abandoned. 61 per cent. of the reserves were held in gold at end-September 1966. The currency proportion is higher than in the past mainly because drawings from the International Monetary Fund and central bank assistance are taken and repayable in the form of currency.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what evidence he has that Selective Employment Tax has been an effective factor in encouraging the redeployment of manpower in directions calculated to be economically essential to the country.

It is too early to make a useful assessment of the effects of the tax.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what action he is prepared to take to relieve the distributive trades of the excesses and anomalies of the Selective Employment Tax and reduce the subsidy effects of the tax to manufacturers where labour is loaded unnecessarily or efficiency is not in accord with the aims of the tax.

I do not accept the implications of the question. Apart from raising a substantial sum of revenue the long-term economic objective of the tax is to reduce the demand for labour by service industries, including distribution, and to make more available for manufacturing. This is desirable in the interests of the economy as a whole.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give an estimate of the alteration which would be necessary to the standard rate of Income Tax to enable the Exchequer to bear the whole cost of education and police services.

An increase of nearly 3s. 0d.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the effect on the United Kingdom balance of payments due to the necessity to import more oil, following the decision by the National Coal Board that a further 120 pits are to close.

These closures, by increasing the coal industry's competitive position, will help to contain rather than themselves add to the level of oil imports.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much Great Britain's gold reserves, and gold liabilities are, respectively; to whom the gold debts are owed; and when they are due for repayment.

I assume that the hon. Gentleman is referring to my reply to an intervention following my statement on 17th January. Our reserves held by the Exchange Equalisation Account stand at £1,107 million and the value of gold held in the Account at the end of September, 1966, was £693 million. Our repayment obligations to the I.M.F. at present total £861 million. Of this sum £317 million is payable by December, 1967, £500 million by May, 1970, and £44 million by March, 1971.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the cost of abolishing the tax on fuel for public transport.

The cost of abolishing the tax on fuel for public road transport in the United Kingdom would be about £32 million a year in addition to the repayments in Great Britain under Section 92 of the Finance Act, 1965, and the Bus Fuel Grants Act, 1966, which amount to about £7 million a year.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give the annual duty and yield of the tax on fuel for public transport since 1955.

The estimated yield of the tax on fuel for public road transport in the United Kingdom is as follows:

	£ million
1955	27
1956	27
1957	28
1958	25
1959	25
1960	25
1961	27
1962	28
1963	29
1964	31*
1965	31*
1966	32*
* Excluding relief given under Section 92 of the Finance Act, 1965, and the Bus Fuel Grants Act, 1966.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will reduce or abolish the tax on fuel for public transport.

My right hon. Friend cannot anticipate his Budget Statement.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what reply he has sent to the memorandum from the British National Committee of the International Chamber of Commerce on the effect of Corporation Tax on the treatment of overseas income; and if he will take account of the arguments and facts therein contained which are similar to those presented to the House by the hon. Member for Meriden on 10th May, 1965.

My right hon. Friend has undertaken to study with great care what the Committee have to say. He will certainly at the same time take account of my hon. Friend's views on this subject.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will detail by countries or areas the location of United Kingdom overseas sterling balances, within the sterling area and outwith the sterling area, respectively, at year's end for 1950, 1955, 1960 and 1963, and for each quarter in 1964, 1965 and 1966.

Figures from 1962 up to the end of September, 1966, are published in "Financial Statistics" (p. 99 of January, 1967, issue). Those for earlier dates appeared in the Bank of England Quarterly Bulletin for December, 1963.

asked the Minister of Power what recent information he has regarding the price paid for coking coal by industrialists in Scotland compared with England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.

I have no information more recent than that quoted by the hon. Member in the Iron and Steel Bill Committee stage on 1st December, 1966. It is the Government's policy that the prices of coal should reflect the costs of production and supply.

asked the Minister of Power what reply he has made to the communication of 9th January from the Haunchwood branch of the National Union of Mineworkers about pit closures; and what action he will take.

As individual pit closures are a matter for the National Coal Board, I have asked the Chairman of the Board to reply to my hon. Friend and to send me a copy of his letter.

asked the Minister of Power if he is aware that if current trends of production in the coal industry are projected to 1970 the industry will only be capable of producing 135 million tons a year; and what steps he is taking to arrest these trends.

Short-term trends are not a satisfactory basis for long-term projections: the manpower losses of the earlier part of the coal year have been greatly reduced and the National Coal Board is expecting a resumption of better rates of growth of productivity.

asked the Minister of Power what undertakings he has given about the future of Consett Iron and Steel Company.

My right hon. Friend has undertaken before decisions are reached on the future of Consett to take into account their social as well as their economic implications, their effect on associated industries and services and their implications in relation to regional economic planning.

asked the Minister of Power what recent estimates he has made of the average revenue per unit received by the Scottish Gas Board and the gas boards in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.

The average revenue per therm in Scotland for the financial year 1965–66, the latest year for which figures are available, was 25·92 pence. This compares with figures ranging from 18·31 to 27·59 pence in other areas and a national average of 22·47 pence per therm. Since then there have been tariff changes by several Boards, the full effects of which are not yet known.

asked the Minister of Transport if she is aware of the British Railways' and London Transport's withdrawal of rail travel concessions to young employees, as a result of the prices and incomes standstill; and, in view of the adverse effects on young people taking poorer paid apprenticeships and long-term training jobs, if she will give general directions that the prices and incomes standstill should not apply in these circumstances.

In July 1966 the Transport Tribunal accepted proposals by the two Boards to withdraw these concessions in the London Passenger Transport Area. However in deference to the Government's Prices and Incomes Policy no fares increases have yet been made.

asked the Minister of Transport whether she will take steps to substitute for the Emsworth short by-pass scheme either the original long by-pass scheme or some other scheme for diverting heavy commercial traffic from the centre of Emsworth which conforms with the recommendations of the Buchanan Report on Traffic in Towns.

No. We have published proposals for an inner relief road through Emsworth in the form of draft Orders under the Highways Act 1959 and the objection period expires on 4th February. My right hon. Friend will then consider the objections received and whether to hold a public inquiry before deciding whether or not to make the Orders with or without modification.Our proposals for this road provide for the diversion of through traffic from the main shopping area. The outer bypass is a very expensive scheme and can only be considered as a proposal for the longer term.

asked the Minister of Transport what is the latest estimate for the commencement of the Banbury bypass.

My right hon. Friend hopes to announce next month a list of additional trunk road schemes to be put into preparation for the programme in the early 1970s. This scheme is being considered for the list.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will initiate discussions with the Vatican to secure a fixed date for Easter.

At the request of the British Council of Churches, the World Council of Churches is conducting an inquiry into the possibility of reaching agreement among the Christian Churches

CHILDREN WHO CAME INTO THE CARE OF THE BRIGHTON COUNTY BOROUGH COUNCIL, IN PERIODS OF TWELVE MONTHS ENDING 31ST MARCH
Year	1960	1961	1962	1963	1964	1965	1966
A. Children committed by court order as in need of care etc.	2	2	7	14	11	15	7
B. Children received under the Children Act 1948 because the family was homeless	17	12	38	51	46	26	14
C. Total who came into care for all reasons combined	201	242	219	234	287	279	260

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children were placed into private fostering of whom local authorities received appropriate notification in 1964 and 1965.

The number of children supervised by local authorities under the Children Act, 1958, was 8,485 on 31st March, 1964, and 9,183 on 31st March, 1965. Notifications received by on a fixed date for Easter, and to this end they are in consultation with the Roman Catholic Church.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children in Brighton have been forcibly removed from the care of their parents and taken into the care of the local authority because of the lack of housing in each of the years 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965 and 1966.

Such removal requires a court order committing the child to the care of the local authority as being in need of care, protection or control. The number of children received into the care of the Brighton county borough council under such orders is shown at A of the following Table, but I have no information on the number of these cases, if any, in which lack of housing was a consideration before the court.In cases where the local authority considers it necessary to receive a child into care because the family is homeless, no question of compulsion normally arises, and the child is received under section 1 of the Children Act, 1948. The numbers are at B of the Table. The figures at A and B are mutually exclusive. The numbers received for all reasons combined are shown for comparison at C.local authorities in respect of such children are not recorded in national statistics.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the committee set up to examine central purchases for police forces has yet consulted industry, the appropriate trade organisations and other interested bodies; when he expects to issue a report on their recommendations; and if he will make a statement.

The recent report of the Working Party of the Police Advisory Board on Police Equipment came down against the introduction of central purchasing arrangements, but recommended that the possibility of bulk buying and joint purchasing arrangements should be further investigated. I propose to discuss this with the local authority associations.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make available copies of the draft order designating part of the Clyde Estuary as a Queen's Harbour to firms in the area who may feel their interests are involved.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give a list of the authorities, organisations and individual firms who were provided with the draft order for the establishment of a Queen's Harbour on the Clyde; and why the county council of Dunbarton was not included in the list.

Yes.

• Clyde Port Authority.
• National Ports Council.
• Chamber of Shipping.
• Northern Lighthouses Board.
• Clyde Pilots Authority.
• United Kingdom Pilots Association.
• Royal Yachting Association.
• Clyde Yacht Clubs Association.

We are first consulting the maritime interests which will be directly affected. Dunbarton County Council and other interested bodies will be provided with a revised draft of the Order shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects a reply to be sent to Messrs. Shipbreaking Industries Limited, Faslane Port, to their inquiry of 8th November, 1966 with regard to the designation of the Gareloch as a Queen's Harbour.

A reply was sent last week.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many employees of his Department are engaged in dealing with the records of Royal Navy personnel.

There are many different kinds of records which relate in one way or another to Royal Navy personnel. Almost all the staff in the Naval personnel field of work deal with one or other type of these records. There are, however, 46 members of the Headquarters staff who work mainly (but not in all cases exclusively) on maintaining the records of service or serving Royal Navy officers and ratings.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will give instructions that no further estimates of starts and completions by London housing authorities are to be issued under the authority of his Department until he has investigated their credibility.

No. I am not aware of any London housing authority which has made unrealistic estimates of starts and completions. In accordance with the advice given in Circular 1/67 officers of this Department will be available to help all authorities meet their targets and progress schemes through all their stages—from land acquisition through pre-contract planning to starts and completion dates.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many local authorities have increased their council house rents or have announced their intention of increasing council house rents since the publication of Command Paper No. 3150, Prices and Incomes Standstill: Period of Severe Restraint.

Comprehensive information is not available.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will list the 32 local authorities that increased thein council house rents during the period of standstill and which were referred to in paragraph 20 of Command Paper No. 3150, Prices and Incomes Standstill: Period of Severe Restraint.

The following are the authorities referred to in paragraph 20 of Command Paper No. 3150:

England	Leighton-Linslade
Bath C.B.C.	U.D.C.
Birmingham C.B.C.	Saxmundham U.D.C.
Rochdale C.B.C.	Sheringham U.D.C.
Ashton-under-Lyne	Ware U.D.C.
B.C.	Wells-next-the-Sea
Slough B.C.	U.D.C.
Stafford B.C.	Clutton R.D.C.
Ampthill U.D.C.	Dartford R.D.C.
Cheshunt U.D.C.	Ringwood and Ford-
Gainsborough U.D.C.	ingbridge U.D.C.
Keynsham U.D.C.	Sedbergh R.D.C.
	Wing R.D.C.
Scotland	Newport-on-Tay B.C.
City of Dundee	Peebles B.C.
Dunoon B.C.	Penicuik B.C.
Loanhead B.C.	Tayport B.C.
Monifieth B.C.	East Lothian C.C.
Wales	Chepstow U.D.C.
Bridgend U.D.C	Holywell R.D.C.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if the memorandum submitted by his Department to the Royal Commission on Local Government Reorganisation represents the policy of Her Majesty's Government; and if he will withdraw that part which is unfavourable to the smaller authorities.

The Department were invited to tender evidence to the Royal Commission and, as is usual on such occasions, the memorandum which was submitted reflects the experience and views of officials. The Government will not be expressing any line of policy to the Royal Commission but will remain free to consider their report and recommendations in due course.