asked the Minister of Aviation whether, following the nationalisation and amalgamation of the two main firms in the aircraft industry, other firms will be given equal opportunity to tender for all Government contracts which they are capable of undertaking; and if he will make a statement.

The Government's objective is not to nationalise the British Aircraft Corporation and Hawker Siddely Aviation but to merge their airframe interests into a single company in whose equity the Government will take a substantial minority share. Other firms will, as at present, continue to be considered according to their capabilities for Government contracts.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will now make a further statement on last year's epidemic of foot-and-mouth disease in Northumberland.

Yes. I have today placed in the Library a full history of the diagnosis by my veterinary staff of the initial outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease which occurred in the Rothbury area of Northumberland in July, 1966.The procedures followed in the slaughter of farm livestock during the epidemic will be the subject of another full statement which I shall make available to the House at an early date.I shall make a third statement as soon as I have received and considered the report of Professor J. W. Howie and Sir William Weipers on the problems referred to in my Reply to my hon. Friend on 27th January, namely those arising from the rare occurrence of a case of suspected foot-and-mouth disease in a human being.—[Vol. 739, c.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish a White Paper on the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease last summer in the Rothbury area, including as appendices reports received by his department on the outbreak from the headquarters and the Northumberland branch of the National Farmers' Union.

I would refer the hon. Member to the Reply which I have given today to my hon. Friend the Member for Wallsend (Mr. Garrett).As regards the report which is understood to have been made by the Northumberland Branch of the N.F.U. to the Union Headquarters, I would refer the hon. Member to the Reply which I gave him on the 30th January.—[Vol. 740, c.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received from Cheshire concerning the Manchester Education Committee's decision to use the name Brooklands High School to describe one of the schools in South Manchester to be included in its reorganisation of secondary education from September, 1967; and what reply he has sent.

My Department has been approached by the Cheshire Authority in an attempt to secure a change in the name of the school. I am informing them that this is not a matter in which I would propose to intervene.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will state the number of pupils at secondary schools in England and Wales during the years 1965 and 1966, respectively, and the estimated number in 1967.

The figures for January, 1965 and 1966 are 2,819,000 and 2,817,000 respectively. The estimate for January, 1967 is 2,807,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what percentage of the 1945–46 estimates for recurrent and capital grants to universities is represented by the estimates for these items in the year 1966–67.

The provision in 1966–67 for recurrent and capital grants to universities in the Vote for Universities and Colleges, etc., Great Britain, including the Winter Supplementary Estimate, represents 3,577 per cent. of the comparable elements in the 1945–46 Estimates.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when the hon. Member for Stroud may expect an answer to his letter dated 5th December, 1966, on the subject of dyslexia amongst children.

I wrote to the hon. Member yesterday.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the number of overseas students on full-time and sandwich courses in universities and further education establishments in 1955–56, 1961–62 and 1965–66, respectively; what was the estimated amount of subsidy in respect of those students; and how this compares with the subsidy in 1967–68 expected under the new arrangements recently announced.

The figures are as follows:

Overseas students
	Universities	Further Education
1955–56	9,290	Not available
1961–62	13,020	13,770
1965–66	16,256	16,292

Estimated Subsidy
	Universities	Further Education	Total (£m)
1955–56	3·4	Not available	—
1961–62	6·9	3·2	10·1
1965–66	12·0	6·0	18·0
The subsidy in 1967–68 under the new arrangements is expected to be no less than it was in 1965–66.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many civil servants of clerical officer grade have been promoted to the executive class in each of the last five years.

The numbers are as follows:—

1961	1,727
1962	1,455
1963	1,447
1964	2,039
1965	2,281

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of the staff of his Department are engaged in the recruitment and training of interviewers for the Social Survey; how many applicants for this work have been trained, and at what cost; how long, on average, are the intervals between initial application and completion of training, and completion of training and start of work; and how many applicants have been found unsuitable after they have completed their training.

Interviewers are recruited and trained by the staff of the Social Survey which is at present a Division of the Central Office of Information. Interviewers for the International Passenger Survey are dealt with separately from those for the general field programme of the Social Survey. The position in the year 1966 was as follows:

	General Programme	Passenger Survey
Number of staff engaged in recruiting and training	2 full-time and 6 part-time	8 part-time
Applicants	2,210*	898*
Starting training	195	79
Completed training	84	51
* The majority of applicants are not selected for training as interviewers.

Much training is done on the job in the course of fieldwork and cannot be costed separately. The salaries of staff engaged on training which can be distinguished was £6,300 for the general programme and £1,500 for the Passenger Survey.In addition fees and expenses of trainee interviewers amounted to £3,700 in the case of the general programme trainees and £1,500 for Passenger Survey trainees.The average interval between initial application and successful completion of training in respect of London and Home Counties applicants is eight to nine weeks. A part of this time is devoted to taking up references. The average interval between completion of full training and start of work is very short. Twelve interviewers in all were found unsuitable during 1966 after they had completed training.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what in terms of money value today would be the equivalent of 2·4d. in 1938.

It is estimated that 8·4d. in December, 1966, the latest date available, would have had the same purchasing power as 2·4d. in 1938. This estimate is based on changes in the consumer prices index, adjusted for movements in the index of retail prices during 1966.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what in terms of money value in 1938 would be the equivalent of today's £2,000.

It is estimated that £2,000 in December, 1966, the latest date available, was equivalent in purchasing power to £572 in 1938. This estimate is based on changes in the consumer price index, adjusted for movements in the index of retail prices during 1966.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the internal purchasing power of the £ sterling today as compared with 20s. in 1946.

Taking the internal purchasing power of the £ sterling as 20s. in 1946, its value in December, 1966, the latest date for which information is available, is estimated at 9s. 8d. This estimate is based on changes in the consumer price index for calendar years up to 1965, adjusted by movements in the retail price index during 1966.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many public companies have reported lower profits since July, 1966; and how many more he expects will do so in the next six months.

I regret that the information asked for is not available, and I am unable to make any forecast for the next six months.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give, at the latest date for which the information is available, the number of persons with net capital over £2,000, £5,000, £10,000, £20,000, £25,000, £50,000, £100,000, £250,000, £500,000, £1 million, £5 million and £10 million.

The estimated numbers with net capital in 1965 are as follows:

£
over 2,000	7,500,000
5,000	3,000,000
10,000	1,200,000
20,000	500,000
25,000	400,000
50,000	150,000
100,000	50,000
250,000	10,000
500,000	2,000
1,000,000	200

The available statistics are not adequate to support estimates of the numbers with net capital over £5 million and £10 million. The above estimates are based on the Estate Duty statistics, are subject to wide margins of error and therefore have been rounded, so that the difference between any two does not necessarily give the best estimate of the number in a range.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement about the liability of companies to tax in respect of short-term gains on assets acquired before Budget day, 1965, following the repeal by Schedule 13 to the Finance Act, 1966, of Section 82 of the Finance Act, 1965.

It was intended to repeal only subsection (1) of Section 82, which was superseded as from 6th April, 1966, from which date all capital gains of companies were brought within the Corporation Tax charge (paragraph 12, 5th Schedule, Finance Act, 1966). By inadvertence, however, the whole of Section 82 was repealed.If this repeal were allowed to stand a company which, after 5th April, 1966, realised a short term gain on property acquired before 6th April, 1965, would escape tax liability on the gain for the period from the date of acquisition up to 6th April, 1965. Similarly a loss for that period would be unrelieved.It would not be right to accept these unintended consequences of a drafting error. My right hon. Friend accordingly intends to propose in the coming Finance Bill that the former treatment of these short-term gains should be restored with effect from the beginning of the current year, 1966–67.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what was the cost of Government advertising in the Daily Mail in each of the years 1961 to 1966;(2) what was the cost of Government advertising in the

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the cost of Government advertising in the Sunday Citizen in each of the years 1961 to 1966.

Pursuant to my reply of 26th January—[Vol. 739, c. 370–372.]—The following table shows the cost in 1963–64 and 1965–66 of display advertising in the newspapers named:—

AMOUNTS PAID BY GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS ON DISPLAY ADVERTISING SPACE IN CERTAIN NEWSPAPERS IN 1963–64 AND 1965–66
Newspaper	Expenditure
	1963–64	1965–66
	(£)	(£)
Daily Express	175,850	314,892
Daily Mail	119,878	125,602
Daily Mirror	200,116	381,485
Daily Sketch	18,045	20,933
Daily Telegraph	130,622	200,247
Financial Times	13,429	29,511
Guardian	15,194	36,605
Morning Star (Daily Worker)	nil	nil
Sun (Herald)	32,334	43,973
Times	30,577	54,993
News of the World	117,221	142,007
Observer	50,664	104,798
People	115,875	182,231
Sunday Citizen	2,340	3,590
Sunday Express	135,357	199,322
Sunday Mirror	76,632	193,250
Sunday Telegraph	22,850	86,715
Sunday Times	106,979	198,589
Evening News	23,840	29,439
Evening Standard	17,064	29,791

NOTES:The amounts are those paid to the advertising agents.Advertising by the Post Office is excluded: complete information in comparable form is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the totals for the year 1966 of foreigners entering and leaving the United Kingdom.

3,091,968 and 3,061,924 respectively.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will receive a deputation, if asked by the local authority, to discuss amending his regulations to ensure the provision of adequate means of escape in case of fire in multi-occupied premises in Croydon.

Croydon Council have asked for a deputation to be received to consider problems relating to dwellings in multiple occupation, including the provision of fire escapes. Officers of the Department will shortly be visiting Croydon to study, in company with officers of the Council, the extent of the problems. A full discussion will be arranged after that.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government, whether, as a result of the inquiries made by his Department, he will now state how many people were on local authority housing waiting lists in Great Britain on 1st January, 1960, 1962, 1964, 1966 and 1967.

No inquiries of this sort have been made, except on a sample basis. Housing waiting lists are of very limited value as an indicator of need, since the method of compiling them varies considerably between authorities.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will give an estimate of the numbers paying Income Tax and Rates, respectively, and the number of ratepayers who earned insufficient to pay Income Tax; and if he will institute an inquiry into alternative methods of raising local government revenue with the aim of abolishing the whole rating system.

The number of persons in Great Britain paying Income Tax in 1966–67 is estimated to be 19·3 million. The number of rateable hereditaments is nearly 20 million, of which about 16·8 million are domestic.I cannot given an estimate of the number of individual ratepayers as such, or say how many of them do not pay Income Tax.The Government are making a further study of local government finance in connection with the Royal Commission on Local Government.

asked the Minister of Labour what is the total establishment of youth employment officers in England and Wales; how many vacancies were unfilled at 31st December, 1966; and how many of these had been unfilled for six months or more.

The total establishment is about 1,475 posts. There are at present 79 unfilled vacancies; I cannot say how many of these vacancies have been unfilled for six months or more.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will ensure that the Ministry of Labour Gazette has a comprehensive list of contents each month, as it used to do in its previous format.

There is already a list of contents covering the main features in each issue. If my hon. Friend has a particular point in mind perhaps he would kindly let me know.

asked the Minister of Social Security whether she will now make a statement on the membership of the Supplementary Benefits Commission.

Yes. The members of the Commission are:

• Mr. Richard Hayward, C.B.E. (Chairman).
• Alderman Percy Morris, C.B.E., J.P. (Deputy Chairman).
• Alderman S. C. Hamburger, C.B.E., J.P.
• Mrs. M. A. McAlister, J. P.
• Professor David C. Marsh, M.Comm.
• Mrs. Barbara N. Rodgers, M.A.
• Mr. M. R. F. Simson, O.B.E.
• Professor Richard M. Titmuss, C.B.E., Hon. LL.D., Hon. D.Sc.

This, as I am sure the House will agree, is a strong and distinguished team. I am confident that the Commission has an important part to play in the development of our social security arrangements.

asked the Minister of Social Security what is the total, or estimated total, cost to public funds of the case of Minister of Social Security versus Amalgamated Engineering Union in the House of Lords in December, 1966; and what was the amount of weekly industrial injury or disablement benefit involved.

It is not possible to state the total cost to public funds of this appeal as the respondent's bill of costs has yet to be received, and taxed. The amount of benefit payable in the case which was the subject of the appeal has not yet been determined by the adjudicating authorities under the National Insurance (Industrial Injuries) Act. The appeal was made because the case involved important questions potentially affecting a large number of cases under the Act.

asked the Minister of Technology (1) whether he will list the Government industrial establishments in which numerically controlled machine tools have been established, with the number of such machine tools in each establishment;(2) how many of each main type of numerically controlled machine tools, such as lathes, milling machines and so on, have been installed in Government industrial establishments;

Information is not readily available in the great detail requested. My Department is about to undertake a review of the machine tool holdings of major Government establishments, which should provide some of it, and I will circulate this when available in the OFFICIAL REPORT. Meanwhile if my hon. Friend has any particular point in mind, perhaps he would write to me about it.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what information he has as to the capital and free assets of the Translife Motor Insurance, Belvedere Motor Policies, New City (Motor Policies), Dickinson and Company, B. H. Bowring (Motor Policies) and Coventry Insurance companies; and whether he will institute inquiries into these companies under Section 165 of the Companies Act, 1948 on the ground that the circumstances suggest that these businesses are being conducted with intent to defraud their creditors.

The following is the latest information available to me.1. Translife Insurance Company Ltd.—Incorporated 10th January, 1966, with nominal capital £50,000. I have no information as to the free assets. A petition for the compulsory liquidation of the company is to be heard on 20th February.2. Coventry Insurance Company Ltd.—Incorporated 18th April, 1966, with nominal capital £50,000. I have no information as to the free assets.3. The other companies named are not insurance companies but are engaged in insurance broking. The nominal and paid up capital of Belvedere Motor Policies Ltd., Dickinson & Co. (Insurance) Ltd., and New City (Motor Policies) Ltd., is £100 in each case. The nominal capital of B. H. Bowring (Motor Policies) Ltd. is £1,000 of which £127 is paid up. Insurance broking companies do not make returns to the Board of Trade under the Insurance Companies Act.4. The affairs of Coventry Insurance Company Ltd., and of certain other insurance companies are under investigation by inspectors appointed under Section 165(b) of the Companies Act, 1948. If the circumstances warrant it, I will not hesitate to appoint inspectors to investigate the affairs of the companies referred to in paragraph 3 above.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has yet received the report of the two-man delegation to Portugal to consider the question of competition in cotton and man-made fibre textiles; and whether he will make a statement.

I understand that the report will shortly be submitted to the Textile Council and I will receive a copy as soon as it is available.

asked the Minister of Transport if she will publish the results of the trials of off-set double white lines on three-lane roads in various parts of the country.

My right hon. Friend expects to make an announcement in the very near future.

asked the Minister of Transport what proportion of the traffic currently conveyed by railway liner trains represents new business.

The Railways Board estimate that about 60 per cent. of current freightliner traffic represents new business.

asked the Minister of Transport how many of the new proposals for complete closure of a further 400 railway route miles carrying passenger traffic, referred to in paragraph 20 of Command Paper No. 3057, have been published; which routes were affected; and what was the route mileage involved in each case.

No such new proposals have yet been published under Section 56 of the Transport Act, 1962. But the Railways Board have published under Section 54 of the Act advance notice of plans for discontinuing passenger services on the Hull-Bridlington-Scarborough line and the Whitland-Pembroke Dock line. The first involves the withdrawal of passenger services from about 51 route miles, of which 20 miles are proposed for complete closure. The second involves the complete closure of about 28 route miles.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales which authorities with current house building schemes in progress do not qualify for the backdating of housing subsidies under Clause 1(3,c) of the Housing Subsidies Bill; and if he will give separately the net financial loss accruing to these authorities.

The local housing authorities in Wales which would qualify under Clause 1(3,c) of the Bill are listed in the OFFICIAL REPORT for 31st January last.—[Vol. 740, c. 95–6.] Other authorities would qualify for the proposed new subsidies in respect of housing schemes now in progress in so far as tenders were accepted on or after 25th November, 1965 or in so far as the provisions of Clause 1(4,c) are applicable. It is not possible at this stage to quantify for all the authorities not in the list the financial effect of their not being eligible under Clause 1(3,c).

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what arrangements are in operation for the approval of alternative provision for out-of-hours care in general practice in the Health Service; and whether the local health executive councils are satisfied that the emergency treatment at present provides such an adequate alternative service;(2) what information he has regarding the operation of an emergency treatment service in the Glasgow area; what percentage of the doctors in the area take advantage of the service; how many doctors are normally available in the emergency service to undertake the out-of-hours duties; how many patients they require to cover; and if he is satisfied with the adequacy of the service;(3) if he is aware of the report submitted by the Glasgow division of the British Medical Association to the national council of that association, a copy of which has been sent to him, conveying their disquiet regarding the operation of the emergency treatment service in the Glasgow area; and if he will instruct the local health executive council to investigate the position.

Under their terms of service, general medical practitioners are required to make all necessary arrangements for securing the treatment of their patients. They must inform the Executive Council of any standing deputising arrangements and remain personally responsible for all acts and omissions of a deputy unless the deputy is himself in contract with the Executive Council. I have recently invited the profession's views on a revision of the terms of service which would make it necessary to obtain the Executive Council's consent before using a deputising service.The Glasgow Emergency Treatment Service, which is not a National Health Service agency but is sponsored by the British Medical Association, has been in operation since May, 1966 and covers the city of Glasgow and certain adjacent areas. It provides a telephone answering service and an out-of-hours deputising service for general practitioners on payment of annual or monthly fees. I understand that about 45 per cent. of the doctors in Glasgow subscribe to the service, and that 47 doctors have been appointed as deputies. I have no information about the numbers normally on duty or available on call or the number of patients covered at any particular time.I have read a report of a meeting of the B.M.A. council at which this matter was discussed. There is a statutory procedure for investigating complaints by patients; and one complaint made to Glasgow Executive Council in respect of a deputy provided under the Emergency Treatment Service has been dismissed. I have in addition asked Glasgow and Lanarkshire Executive Councils to consider whether, in general, the deputising arrangements made by general practitioners are adequate.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development whether the Virgin Islands Government have yet examined the cost of enlarging and surfacing the Beef Island airfield; and what financial contribution Her Majesty's Government will now make towards implementing this project.

A survey party from the Royal Engineers has submitted to the Virgin Islands Government a report on the cost of improving the airfield. The Government have been informed that the British Government is in principle prepared to consider sympathetically a request for the project to be financed from the territory's C. D. & W. allocation for the period 1968–70.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what would be the total cost of rehousing Malta-based Service personnel and their families in Great Britain, as a result of the proposed cuts in United Kingdom defence arrangements in Malta.

It is not possible to isolate and cost the element of the United Kingdom housing programme which will be attributable to withdrawals from Malta because the cost of housing an individual family varies greatly according to the type of accommodation provided. Even in the extreme case, however, in which the most expensive type of accommodation is attributed to this contingent, the cost would be little more than a year's budgetary saving from the redeployment.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what will be the net financial savings to Great Britain as a result of the proposed cuts in United Kingdom defence arangements in Malta, first, taking into account the additional cost of rehousing returning Servicemen and their families in Great Britain, and secondly excluding the additional cost of rehousing the Servicemen and their families.

As I informed the House yesterday—[Vol. 740, c. 872.]—the the annual budgetary saving will be a little under £6 million a year. As I have explained in answer to another Question by the hon. Gentleman, the capital cost of rehousing would at the worst absorb the equivalent of little more than a year's saving at this rate.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons it is cheaper to base in Great Britain the two infantry battalions now in Malta than it is to leave them in Malta, where the men and their families are already well housed.

I gave details of the budgetary economies on Army account to the House yesterday—[Vol. 740, c. 872.]. As for rehousing costs I would refer the hon. Member to my Answers to his earlier Questions.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many British Service families will be returning to Great Britain during the next four years, as a result of the proposed cuts in United Kingdom defence arrangements in Malta.

The number of families returning to Great Britain will depend upon future postings of accompanied personnel to and from Malta, as well as upon the Service rundown. We expect the average number of families of United Kingdom Servicemen and civilians to fall from about 3,100 in the financial year 1966–67 to about 1,500 in 1970–71.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the estimated cost of redundancy payments to be made to discharged Maltese civilian workers during the years 1967, 1968, 1969, and 1970; and how many workers are involved.

Since terminal benefits are related to the individual's rate of pay and length of service, it is not possible at the present stage of planned rundown in Malta to give a reliable estimate.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what are the estimated numbers and percentages of Maltese civilian workers who would be made redundant during the years 1967, 1968, 1969, and 1970 if present Government policy is put into effect.

It is not possible at present to give reliable estimates of the numbers of Maltese civilians who would be made redundant during the years in question, because detailed programmes of unit moves, and the corresponding dates when redundancies will be declared, have not yet been worked out.However, on the basis of estimated average strengths of civilians the reductions would be as follows:

		Percentage of Original Strength Per cent.
1967	1,440	18·5
1968	1,650	21·2
1969	550	7
1970	770	9·9

Part of this reduction will be achieved by normal wastage. For example, approximately 1,000 employees would reach the normal retiring age of 60.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence why the Special Air Service Regiment based at Hereford is appealing for any large, uninhabited house within 30 miles of Sennybridge, Brecknock, to be made available for blowing up in an exercise between 28th and 31st March; why they say a roofless derelict building will not be suitable; why they are prepared to build an extra storey on any house not high enough for this destruction exercise, in view of the shortage of old and new accommodation; and what is the estimated cost.

Farmers and landowners have in the past offered this unit, at no cost, disused buildings for demolition, so providing valuable opportunities for realistic training. The unit would welcome further offers of this kind but they have not proposed to build an extra storey on to any house.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has regarding an accident near Little Aden between British military vehicles and a private car driven by Mr. B. S. C. Barnett, accompanied by his wife, on 3rd January, 1967; and whether Mr. and Mrs. Barnett have been released from hospital.

A road block was set up for operational reasons on the night of 3rd January, with a Royal Marine posted to warn approaching traffic. Mr. Barnett's car struck and injured the Marine. It then collided with the road block vehicles. Mr. Barnett was only slightly injured but his wife was detained in hospital until 20th January, and is receiving further treatment as an outpatient.

asked the Minister of Health how many cases of human brucellosis have been reported each year between 1961 and 1966; how many deaths have resulted; and how many of these cases have been linked with the sale of raw milk.

The information for England and Wales is given in the table below.

Year	Reported Cases	Deaths
1961	101	Nil
1962	97	1
1963	136	2
1964	124	Nil
1965	123	Nil
1966	169	Nil
	(provisional)	(first 9 months only)

The disease can be contracted through contact with infected animals as well as through drinking infected raw milk, and the number of cases linked to the latter is not known.