asked the Minister of Power what steps he is taking to overcome the difficulties experienced by people and industries in Scotland in the use of North Sea gas in the technical machines available to him.

North Sea gas is not yet available in Scotland but I would not expect that its use there would present special difficulties. The Scottish Board shares in the results of the research into the use of natural gas, pilot conversion schemes and study of the experience of other countries which are being undertaken by the gas industry.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is the value per head of their population of British goods exported last year to Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, the European Economic Community, European Free Trade Association, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and the United States of America, respectively.

The following is the information:

asked the President of the Board of Trade, in view of the large number of accidents to trawler fishermen, what action is being taken to improve safety arrangements in trawlers.

I have decided to set up a working group to study this matter and to recommend what action may be appropriate. I shall be inviting representatives from the various sections of the industry concerned.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on his inquiries into the Irish-American Insurance Company Limited, in view of the conflicting statements of the directors of that company.

The company has presented a petition for its compulsory winding-up to the court. As the matter is before the court, it would not be proper for me to comment on the company's affairs at present.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether Her Majesty's Government will give consideration to a three-yearly trade agreement with East Germany; and whether he will make a statement.

British trade with East Germany is expanding satisfactorily under annual Trade Arrangements, and I see no reason for making any change.

asked the Minister of Social Security how many claims for supplementary pensions have been received on the latest available date by the Supplementary Benefits Commission from the London region; and how many have been accepted for benefit.

Thirty-five thousand by 31st January, of which about two-thirds resulted in pension awards.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the shortest interval between the notification of a claim for repayment of Selective Employment Tax by a farmer in Scotland and the date at which such repayment has been made.

Eleven days.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will give an estimate of the cost of collecting the motor vehicle duties, showing both the total cost of collection and also the cost in pence per pound of revenue collected, ignoring in both cases the export rebates;(2) if he will give an estimate of the cost of collecting the following taxes, showing, in each case the total cost of collection and the cost in pence per pound of revenue collected, namely, Income Tax, Surtax, Capital Gains Tax, Corporation Tax, death duties and stamp duties;(3) if he will give an estimate of the cost of collecting the following Customs and Excise duties, showing in each case the total cost of collection and the cost in pence per pound of revenue collected, namely, tobacco duty, Purchase Tax, oil duties, spirits, beer and wine duties, betting and gaming duties and import duties, ignoring in each case export rebates.

My answer to the hon. Member for Liverpool, Wavertree (Mr. Tilney) on 20th December, 1966 gives the information required so far as it is available. In terms of pence per pound the figures for 1965–66 are:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much Income Tax and Profits Tax was paid by companies, and by nationalised industries, respectively, in 1964–65.

About £789 million and £3½ million respectively. These figures exclude tax paid by companies and nationalised industries but recovered by deduction from payments of dividends and interest.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give an estimate of the cost in a normal year of collecting the Selective Employment Tax, showing both the total cost of administering the tax and the repayments, and also this cost expressed in pence per pound of net revenue collected, that is the difference between total tax received and repayments and premiums disbursed.

The administrative cost of operating the tax is estimated at about £1½ million in a full year, representing about 1·7d. per pound of net revenue. Rather less than one-third of this is the cost of collection.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will introduce legislation to exempt areas where the proportion of manufacturing industry is small in comparison with service industry from the payment of Selective Employment Tax.

My hon. Friend will not expect me to anticipate the Budget.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the increase in United Kingdom gross domestic product at constant factor cost between the third quarter of 1962 and the third quarter of 1964.

About 9½ per cent.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the net cost, allowing for Income Tax and Surtax, of giving an additional family allowance for each child, after the first, of 2s., 5s., 10s., and £1, respectively.

In a full year, £25 million, £61 million, £121 million and £242 million, respectively.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will examine the possibility of siting Government-owned factories for the manufacture of telephone equipment in the Blyth constituency, and other suitable areas of the Northern Region; and if he will make a statement.

The Industrial Reorganisation Corporation is already surveying the telecommunications industry and its relations with the Post Office. While this is going on, it would not be profitable for me to examine separately the ideas put forward by my hon. Friend.

asked the Postmaster-General why it is not the practice of the Post Office to make contract prices public, in view of the policy of Her Majesty's Government to require companies to publish more information.

Because there is no incentive to prospective suppliers to quote the lowest practicable prices if they know exactly what the buyer is already paying for the same thing.

asked the Minister of Transport whether, in view of the congestion and danger at the junction of the A5 and Station Road and Greyhound Hill, Oakengates, Salop, she will sanction the installation of appropriately phased traffic signals there.

Traffic conditions at this junction have been examined. This shows that the provision of signals is not justified.

asked the Minister of Transport what is the proposed timetable for the Amesbury bypass.

Subject to acquisition of the necessary land, work should start this year. The new road should be open to traffic early in 1969.

asked the Minister of Transport whether she will introduce legislation to improve the visibility of temporary traffic signs warning motorists of road works; and if she will make provision that all such signs shall be reflectorised.

The Traffic Safety Codes for Road Works set out the recommended standards to be followed by all concerned with the provision of signs at road works. These Codes are being revised and will be issued as a Chapter in the Traffic Signs Manual.The Traffic Signs Regulations, 1964, require that all new road works warning signs be reflectorised and that old style, non-reflectorised signs are not used after 31st December, 1968.

asked the Minister of Transport, in respect of all traffic accidents on the A62 Manchester road within the Colne Valley urban district during 1966, in how many such cases was a vehicle reported to have entered upon the footpath.

This information is not immediately available. I will send it to the hon. Member as soon as possble.

asked the Minister of Transport if she is aware that booking clerks at stations affected by the electrification of British Railways have been instructed to post copies of the new timetable to season ticket holders; and if she will issue a general direction that timetables should be available for all railway users on application at booking offices in order to save time and costs.

This is entirely a matter of management for the Railways Board.

asked the Minister of Transport if she will introduce a compulsory examination as a recognised qualification for driving instructors.

The Road Traffic (Driving Instruction) Bill, introduced by my hon. Friend the Member for Morpeth (Mr. Will Owen), provides for the compulsory registration of driving instructors, who must first pass a qualifying examination. As my right hon. Friend said in a reply to a Question on 15th February by the hon. and gallant Member for Eye (Sir H. Harrison) we warmly welcome this Bill.—[Vol. 741, c. 115.]

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what representations he has received from the Manchester City Council concerning the future of Baguley Hall; what replies he has sent; and if he will make a statement.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the Answer given in reply to a Question by him on the same subject by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Public Building and Works on 23rd February.—[Vol. 741, c. 333.]

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will refer to the National Board for Prices and Incomes the Oxfordshire Water Board's proposal to increase the water rate from Is. 6d. to 2s. 5d.

No. 1967–68 is the first financial year of operation of the Board. Their proposed charges are not as much greater than those of the undertakers whom they succeed as the rate poundages referred to suggest. The only parts of their area where they propose a water rate of 2s. 5d. are those where, during 1966–67, consumers are paying part of the cost of their water through the general rate in addition to their water rate. The Board's expenditure is expected to be about 12½ per cent. more in 1967–68 than that of the previous undertakings in 1966–67; and nearly 7½ per cent. of the 1966–67 expenditure was charged to general rate funds. My right hon. Friend is satisfied that the Board have made every effort to keep charges down.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government (1) how much railway land has been made available for housing in the Greater London area as at 24th February 1967;(2) whether he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT an estimate of the amount of railway land which will be made available in future for housing in Greater London.

I understand from British Rail that, since 1st April, 1965, they have sold, or authorised for sale, to local authorities in Greater London, 356 acres of land. The Board estimate that a further 370 acres will be made available in the foreseeable future. Not all of this land is suitable for housing but the local authorities will use for housing as much of it as local circumstances permit.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what were the numbers of housing starts and completions in the Greater London area in 1966; and how many of these were by local authorities, housing associations and private enterprise, respectively.

The information requested is as follows:

asked the Attorney-General how much public money has so far been expended on the adoption by the Law Courts of the use of the tape-recording method of recording proceedings in the Courts.

Mechanical recording equipment has been installed in the six new courts recently added to the Royal Courts of Justice and in a recording room outside those courts. The purchase and installation of this equipment cost £5,654 2s.

asked the Minister of Labour how many trainees are enrolled in industrial training centres in the North-East; and whether he will make a statement.

On 13th February, 1967, there was a total of 633 adults under training at the three Government Training Centres in the North-East. A fourth Centre, initially capable of accommodating 200 trainees, will be opened later this year.

asked the Minister of Labour in how many districts outside development areas the percentage figures of unemployment exceed the figures for Fleetwood and Thornton Cleveleys; and which districts they are.

At 9th January, 1967, the latest date for which information is available, there were five places outside development areas with percentage rates of unemployment higher than at Fleetwood and Thornton Cleveleys. They were: Bedworth, Brixham, Gunnislake, Teignmouth and Witham.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware of the 25 workers made redundant by the Bristol Pipe Company at Fleetwood; what prospects there are for the re-employment of these men; and what steps he is taking to deal with the situation.

A majority of the 24 men who were discharged on 17th February have already been placed by the employment exchange in other jobs or are under submission. The employment prospects for the remainder are fairly good.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will now take action to provide alternative employment for the 600 employees of Shore Mill, Little-borough, who are being made redundant on the proposed closure of that Mill.

The employment exchange is in touch with the firm and will make arrangements to register all those who are in need of other employment. Some difficulty may be expected in finding jobs in the immediate vicinity, but all possible help will be offered including re-training in suitable cases.

asked the Minister of Labour what special training is accorded the disablement resettlement officers; and for how many years on average such officers occupy their posts.

Disablement resettlement officers, in addition to training as employment officers receive specialist training lasting up to seven weeks, the actual period being determined by whether the officer concerned is engaged part or full time on these duties. Information regarding the average period of occupancy of such posts is not readily available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received from British and foreign airlines about delays to passengers boarding at London Airport due to shortage of staff in Her Majesty's Immigration Service.

None. But I understand that when the hon. Member embarked from London Airport on the morning of 17th February there was some delay due to a temporary shortage of immigration staff. While I much regret this, I understand that all scheduled aircraft departed on time.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much is being spent on the new gymnasium at Shrewsbury Prison.

The new gymnasium will also be used as an assembly hall. The total cost, including gymnastic equipment, will be about £26,000.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give details of the research work which is being done to discover the cause of Irish Fish Disease at present affecting stocks of fish in the Lancashire and Cumberland areas.

Research is being carried out by Government Departments and other bodies in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It includes studies of the behaviour of fish affected by the disease, bacteriological examination of diseased fish to ascertain the precise nature of the causative organisms, transmission experiments involving diseased and healthy fish in tanks to facilitate study of the disease in its various stages and of possible means of controlling it, and tests of the extent to which the disease can be carried on fishing tackle. There is full collaboration with the scientists carrying on parallel research in the Irish Republic.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what funds the Government are providing to finance the research into Irish Fish Disease.

Detailed figures of the expenditure on staff salaries or equipment relating to this particular item of research cannot readily be isolated from the other expenditures of the laboratories concerned. Estimates for the next financial year include provision for plans which are in hand to step up the scale of the research into the nature and cause of the disease.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many slaughterhouses are now approved for the export of meat; and whether there is likely to be an increase in the number in the near future.

56 slaughterhouses in England and Wales are approved for export purposes. Two other applicants for approval have been advised of alterations needed at their premises to satisfy the requirements of importing countries. It is for the occupier of a slaughterhouse to apply for approval and consequently I cannot forecast future increases.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many new primary and secondary schools were completed in the fourth quarter of 1966.

107 and 30 respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if, in view of the widespread opposition to the proposed increases in fees for overseas students, he will, in the public interest, refer the matter to the National Board for Prices and Incomes.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many unfilled vacancies for students there now are at colleges of education.

For the current academic year the colleges once again admitted as many students as they possibly could. They took in some 33,400 new students—4,000 more than in the previous year and over 1,000 more than the number that in July, they had been planning to admit.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if, in view of the national shortage of qualified teachers and the refusal of the local authority side of the Burnham Committee to consider the teachers' claim, he will take early steps to improve the pay and status of the teaching profession.

I would refer my hon. Friend to my reply yesterday to the hon. Members for West Ham North (Mr. Arthur Lewis) and Tonbridge (Mr. Hornby).—[Vol. 741, c. 1941–42.]

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether, in view of the rapid increase in crimes of violence among those under 21 years of age, he will call a conference of head teachers and others in the education system to discuss the causes of such violence; and whether he will advise schools and higher education institutions on steps to be taken to deal with the problem.

Most crime by young people does not involve violence and is committed by those who are no longer receiving education. Teachers and others in the educational system do however frequently discuss at their conferences what contribution education can make to combat tendencies to delinquency and I do not think that general advice from the centre is possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many men and women teachers, respectively, have left the profession within five years of having completed their training within the last five years.

The latest available estimates suggest that among non-graduate men and women who enter teaching in maintained primary and secondary schools in England and Wales, almost 20 per cent. of the men and approximately 60 per cent. of the women are no longer in such teaching service after five years.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will seek to take over financial responsibility for the transport museums at York, Swindon and Clapham.

I understand from my right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport that the future of the Transport Museums is one of the matters being examined as part of the current Railways Policy Review which is being undertaken by her and the Chairman of the British Railways Board. The question of responsibility for the museums will be further considered in the light of that review.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received about the projected closure of Studley Agricultural College: whether he will reconsider his decision to close it; and whether he will make a statement.

I have received representations from the governors, students and others interested in this college. I have nothing to add to the Answer given on 23rd February to my hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mr. Rowland).—[Vol. 741, c. 1943–45.]

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what further plans he has for the setting up or transfer of Government offices to the Fylde area.

During 1967–68, offices are to be established at Norcross for about 250 Ministry of Social Security staff on welfare food work, and at Fleetwood for an additional 350 staff from the Health Services Superannuation Division of the Ministry of Health.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will make a statement on the major additional work involved in the construction of Polaris submarines which had not been anticipated in the original contract.

No major additional work has been necessary.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what was the original cost of each Polaris submarine, inclusive of weaponry, at the time of the Nassau negotiations; and what is the latest figure of such cost.

£50 million and £52 million respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether the agreement to share in the construction of the Anglo-French variable geometry aeroplane has involved any reconsideration of the rôle of Great Britain's Polaris fleet in the 1970s.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether Her Majesty's Government will reserve the right to use the Polaris weapon unilaterally where essential British interests are deemed to be at stake.

As has been explained on a number of occasions, Her Majesty's Government's policy is to internationalise our strategic nuclear forces as our contribution to the Western nuclear deterrent.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether any discussions have taken place with the French Government during present negotiations over possible British entry into the European Economic Community regarding the structure of political command over the use of Polaris.

I would remind the hon. Member that in reporting on the visit to Paris the Prime Minister explained that defence had played very little part, a much smaller part than some had expected [Vol. 739, c. 1772], but I do not consider that it would be correct at this stage to answer detailed questions about particular points. I would, however, assure the hon. Member that the Prime Minister's statement on our nuclear deterrent policy on 17th November remains our position.—[Vol. 736, c. 771.]

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give a breakdown of all the items included in the estimated gross expenditure of £87 million towards the foreign exchange costs of purchases of military equipment in 1967–68, as set out in Annex H of Command Paper No. 3203.

About a third of this sum is for Polaris, and another third for C130, Phantom and F111K aircraft. The remainder is for the purchase of a range of communications and radar equipment, armament and ammunition. As indicated in Cmnd 3203, £13 million of the £87 million represents the cost of equipment of United Kingdom origin re-imported in the finished product.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how much foreign exchange he estimates accrued to this country in each of the years 1965 and 1966 as a result of the presence of United States forces; and how much he estimates will accrue during 1967.

I would refer the hon. Member to my Reply of 23rd February to the hon. Member for Hendon, North (Sir Ian Orr-Ewing)—[Vol. 741. c. 340.]

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what was the approximate number of members of the United States armed forces stationed in the United Kingdom in each of the years 1965 and 1966; what is the approximate number now; and what he expects to be the approximate number at the end of 1967.

The figures are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion the out-turn of defence expenditure in 1965–66 bore to the gross national product.

On the basis of the January, 1967 assessment of the GNP in 1965–66, 6·55 per cent.