asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will establish minimum import prices for eggs.

No. I do not consider that a case has been made out for any change in our policy on imports of eggs.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will endeavour to release training areas in Devon and Dorset by seeking alternative areas elsewhere which are less close to population and less coveted by tourists for recreation and natural beauty.

We are making a general review of training areas.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence on what date he received representations from the National Council for Civil Liberties concerning juvenile recruitment to the Armed Forces: and what reply he has made.

On 27th February. I am still considering the reply.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development how many British Government officials have been seconded to service in Tanzania; whether he is satisfied that their pay and pensions are adequately provided for; and whether he will make a statement.

Six British Government officials selected for appointment by the Ministry of Overseas Development are at present serving on secondment to the Government of Tanzania.This number does not include officials seconded to the East African Common Services Organisation who may be serving in Tanzania nor officials whose secondments have been arranged by the Crown Agents for Oversea Governments and Administrations, in respect of whom details are not readily available.The emoluments of seconded British officials are paid directly to them by the British Government through their parent Departments and, while overseas, they remain pensionable under the United Kingdom Superannuation Act.If the hon. Member is aware of any case of possible inadequacy in the provision of pay or pension, I will gladly have it investigated.

asked the Minister of Power if he will give an assurance that he will not use his powers under the Iron and Steel Bill to frustrate the permission given to the Millom Hematite and Ore Company by the Iron and Steel Board to build a continuous casting and spray steel-making plant at Millom.

Under Clause 15, subsection (7) of the Iron and Steel Bill, it would not be possible to rescind the Board's consent, given before vesting date, to the provision of production facilities.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why certain sizes and shapes of industrial polythene containers made by Thurgar Bolle of Kettering, Northants, are subject to Purchase Tax when bought by manufacturers for industrial use.

Because they cannot be distinguished from similar articles used domestically.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state the foreign exchange cost of servicing United States direct investment in the United Kingdom in 1938, 1950, and 1965, and his estimate of this cost in 1966 and 1967.

I am afraid that figures for 1938 and 1950 are not available. The latest detailed figures now available relate to 1964, when interest, profits and dividends (excluding oil and insurance, but including unremitted profits) on United States direct investment in the United Kingdom were estimated at about £153 million. It is not the practice to give forecasts of this kind for future periods.

asked the Minister of Transport what investment she has agreed to in the cartage fleets of British Railways.

£1·1 million.

asked the Minister of Transport what was the value of maintenance and repair work in the Signal Engineering Department of British Railways undertaken by private contractors during 1966; and if she will give a general direction to British Railways to eliminate private contract work in this department.

£282,000. A general direction would not be appropriate in this case.

asked the Minister of Transport to what extent the proposed selective increases in freight rates on British Railways are in accordance with the Government's prices and incomes policy.

I have agreed that the Railways Board should be allowed to resume the renegotiation of freight rates which was interrupted in July 1966. I am satisfied that this is justified in view of the increased costs which have fallen upon the Board, and which it has not been able to cover in full by operational economies.

asked the Minister of Transport whether she will make a statement about the accident last night at Star Lane Crossing, Wokingham, involving a train and a minibus.

The facts are that at about 19.00 yesterday the 17.54 electric multiple unit train from Waterloo to Reading, running at about 60 m.p.h., collided with a Dormobile minibus on Star Lane public level crossing near Woking-ham. The road vehicle was carried some 300 yards along the track and was severely damaged. I regret to inform the House that the driver of the road vehicle was killed.The level crossing was equipped with automatic half barriers and red flashing light signals, operated by the approaching train.Preliminary inquiries by the police indicate that the barriers and red flashing light signals operated correctly in this instance. I understand that the driver of the train has said that he saw the road vehicle slow down on approaching the crossing and then accelerate on to it; also that he noticed that the barriers were down and the red lights flashing when he approached the crossing. Subsequent tests by British Railways have confirmed that the barrier equipment is functioning correctly.An inspecting officer of railways visited the site soon after the accident occurred. Further inquiries are being made after which my right hon. Friend will decide whether to order a formal inquiry.

asked the Minister of Transport why the bridge carrying the A30 over the railway line at St. Dennis Junction in Cornwall has been closed to vehicles of more than 8 tons; why it has been closed to road passenger vehicles of more than 10 tons; when repairs will start; how much they will cost; and when the bridge will be open again to all traffic.

The weight restrictions have been imposed in the interests of public safety.We are considering urgently what needs to be done to restore use of the bridge to all traffic as quickly as possible. I shall then write to the hon. Member about the points he has raised.

asked the Minister of Transport how many road improvement schemes have been approved by her in Greater London since the inception of the Greater London Council; and what was their value.

108 schemes of major improvement, estimated to cost altogether —41·9 millon.

asked the Minister of Transport if she will state the number of accidents which have occurred since 1st January, 1966 at the junction of Heath Park Drive and the North Circular Road, N.W.10, giving the numbers of persons killed and injured and the number of vehicles damaged.

From 1st January, 1966 until 31st January, 1967 11 accidents involving 27 vehicles and causing 18 people to be slightly injured occurred at the junction of Heather Park Drive and the North Circular Road.

asked the Postmaster-General if, for retirement pensioners, or in cases of hardship, he will waive or reduce the year's rental required in advance for installing a telephone.

No. I appreciate the hon. Member's motive, but I cannot make exceptions to meet the needs of individual circumstances.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that the present rental for telephones bears especially hard upon pensioners; what proposals he now has for reducing this rental; and whether he will make a statement.

I have much sympathy with pensioners and others, but concessionary charges by the Post Office would not be an appropriate way of meeting such difficulties.

asked the Postmaster-General what was the total cost to the Post Office of all telephone exchange equipment purchased in 1965–66 from Associated Electrical Industries, General Electric, Standard Telephones, Automatic Telephone and Electric, and Ericssons; and what would have been the cost if this had been purchased from other manufacturers.

In 1965–66, orders to the value of £81·7 million were placed. These orders could not have been met from other sources and the second part of the Question does not arise.

asked the Postmaster-General what percentage of British homes now has at least one telephone; and what estimate his Department have made of the percentage of British homes which will have at least one telephone in 1970, 1975, 1980 and 1985.

At the present time about 25 per cent. of all households in the United Kingdom have at least one telephone. It is estimated that in the future these percentages will be:

asked the Postmaster-General how much money has been spent since October 1964 on market research to ascertain the probable demand for Post Office Giro services; and whether he will place a copy of the findings of these researches in the Library.

About £10,000. The Answer to the second part of the Question is "No". Market Research into the probable demand for Giro services is a continuing process and the Post Office findings from it cannot be made available.

asked the Postmaster-General in which post offices in the Rye division the poster giving information about the way in which a taxpayer's money is spent has been exhibited in the last 12 months.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what steps were taken by Her Majesty's Government to convene a conference to fix a date for the independence of South Arabia and to conclude a defence agreement for the protection of the Federation after independence; and what prevented the conference from taking place.

The circumstances were outlined by my noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies in another place on 8th March, 1966. The crucial breakdown was in August, 1965, when the House was in Recess and the circumstances were fully explained in a public statement of 7th August, 1965, by my right honourable Friend the then Secretary of State for the Colonies, a copy of which I am placing in the Library of the House.—[Vol. 273, c. 1008.]

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether Her Majesty's Government has approved the Constitutional proposals put forward by Sir Ralph Hane and Sir Gawain Bell for the future of South Arabia; and what steps are being taken to implement them.

The proposals were commissioned by and made to the Government of the Federation of South Arabia. The question of their approval by Her Majesty's Government does not therefore arise. Her Majesty's Government are now awaiting constitutional proposals from the Federal Government arising out of their consideration of the Hane and Bell Report.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what representations have been made by the Governments of the United States of America, Saudi Arabia, and Israel to Her Majesty's Government about the situation which may arise in South Arabia when the British forces are withdrawn.

As the right honourable Gentleman knows it is not the practice to reveal what confidential diplomatic exchanges take place between Governments nor what their subject matter is.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, before agreeing to the dispatch of the United Nations Mission to South Arabia, he took steps to ensure that it recognised the Federal Government.

It was agreed in the United Nations before resolution No. 2183 (XXI) was passed on 12th December, 1966, that no preconditions were to be laid on the dispatch of the United Nations Mission to South Arabia. It had previously been made clear by my noble Friend Lord Caradon that the Federal Government were the effective authority in the Federation.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs on what dates the British representative at the United Nations has stated that Her Majesty's Government have no power to amend the Constitution of the Federation of South Arabia without the consent of the Federal Government and the Supreme Federal Council.

Such statements have been made on several occasions and are on record in the letter of the 1st of August from the Acting Permanent United Kingdom Representative at the United Nations to the Secretary-General, the text of which was contained in my right hon. Friend the then Foreign Secretary's reply to the hon. Member for Battersea, South (Mr. Perry) on 5th August last.—[Vol. 733, c. 205.]

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs which of the political groups in Aden has declared its intention to organise strikes, disorders or demonstrations when the United Nations Mission arrives.

The Front for the Liberation of Occupied South Yemen (FLOSY).

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to what extent the information he has received indicates that terrorist activities in Aden are being organised with financial and other assistance from Egypt and that the Egyptian-controlled radios from Cairo and from the Yemen are inciting the population of Aden to violence and disorder.

My information indicates beyond doubt that terrorist activities in Aden are organised and financed by Egypt. The radio stations in Cairo and the Yemen incite violence in Aden and the rest of the Federation daily.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to what extent the Front for the Liberation of Occupied South Yemen has been concerned with the organisation of disorder or violence in Aden; and to what extent the Front is financed from Egypt.

The Front for the Liberation of Occupied South Yemen is responsible, together with the other main terrorist organisation, the National Liberation Front, for organising and carrying out acts of violence and terrorism in Aden. Both organisations have received large-scale financial and material support from the United Arab Republic whose forces in Egyptian-occupied Yemen openly assist in such matters as training and equipping of terrorists. Egyptian-controlled radios in Cairo, Sana'a and Taiz not only incite violence in Aden every day but have recently taken part in directing strikes and disturbances there.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the United Kingdom or any other member- State has sought to place on the agenda of the United Nations Security Council the threat to peace arising from tension and incidents on the Sino-Soviet frontier, and whether he will make a statement.

No.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the activities of the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation.

Copies of the Third Annual Report of the Eurocontrol Organisation, summarising its activities during 1965, have been placed in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland why the Scottish Certificate of Education Examination Board has altered requirements for the 1967 examination, art papers, only three months before the date of the examination which requires a full year of preparation.

It is my practice to leave the detailed arrangements for the conduct of examinations to the Board. I am informed by it that no changes have been made recently in the art syllabuses for the 1967 examinations that will in any way prejudice candidates' chances of success. Only certain minor practical modifications have been made in the presentation of pottery and block and screen printing for the craft paper.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what arrangements are being made to implement the recommendation in the Cohen Report that a new and stronger central organisation for health education should be established.

I propose to establish a new health education unit within the Scottish Office to be responsible for stimulating health education in Scotland, for developing the most effective methods and techniques, and for evaluating the results of particular campaigns or programmes. The new unit will work in close association with the Scottish Council for Health Education, which has agreed in principle that, in future, its main rôle will be to provide training for local authority staff engaged in health education.I hope that the new arrangements, which are planned to come into operation later this year, will give a new impetus to health education in Scotland and will be of assistance to local authorities in carrying out their responsibilities in this field.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if the profits of the Land Commission from the sale of virgin land will be devoted solely to help the development of twilight areas or if they will be devoted as additional financial relief towards the rebuilding of slum clearance areas.

No decisions have yet been made about the specific uses of which the Land Commission's profits will be put. My right hon. Friend hopes that when the Commission has built up its Land Acquisition and Management Fund it will be able to devote some of its resources to the redevelopment of twilight areas, as well as to other purposes, but he would not expect these to include purposes, such as the rebuilding of slum clearance areas, for which specific Exchequer subsidies are already provided.

asked the Minister of Transport if she will list those highway authorities which have produced town centre maps as set out in Planning Bulletin No. 3, issued jointly by her Department and the Ministry of Housing and Local Government.

I have been asked to reply.I am writing to my hon. Friend giving him the detailed information he requires. At the last available date there were 398 towns with town centre maps.

asked the Minister of Labour if he is aware of the proposal to improve the pay and holidays of Merchant Navy officers from 3rd July; what is the estimated increase in rates and earnings that will arise from this settlement; if such a settlement falls within the Government's prices and incomes policy; and if he will make a statement.

I understand that agreement has been reached to improve pay and holidays of Merchant Navy Officers from 3rd July, 1967. The agreement will be considered in the light of Government policy for the period following Severe Restraint as soon as possible.

asked the Minister of Labour what progress has been made in setting up regional offices of the Industrial Tribunal and appointing full-time chairmen.

Regional Offices of the Industrial Tribunals were set up on 1st March, 1967, in Manchester and Leeds. An office will be set up in Newcastle in the near future, and one in Birmingham will open as soon as is practicable.The Industrial Tribunals (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 1967 laid before Parliament today which are to come into operation on 13th March contain the necessary constitutional provisions, covering all jurisdictions of the Industrial Tribunals, for the powers of the President of the Tribunals to be delegated to chairmen nominated by him from the panel appointed by the Lord Chancellor.The statutory Rules governing the procedure of the Tribunals under each of their jurisdictions will shortly be brought into line with the new constitutional provisions where this has not already been done. The Rules will provide for appeals and applications to continue to be sent to the Central Office of the Tribunals, where they will be registered; the Central Office will then forward them, where appropriate, to the Regional Office of the Industrial Tribunals for action.Similar amendment regulations will apply to Scotland, though it is not at present contemplated that the work of the Tribunals in Scotland should be decentralised.The Lord Chancellor has made full-time appointments to the panel of chairmen and the President of the Industrial Tribunals is nominating the full-time chairmen to exercise his powers under his direction as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will take steps to introduce, on a nationwide basis, a standard citizens' warning system to facilitate both public co-operation with the police and requests by the public for police assistance.

The present arrangements for summoning police help,

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will circulate in the Official Report a table showing the cost of the Public Carriage Office, the number of taxicabs in Greater London, and the expenditure per taxi in each of the last 10 years.

The costs of the Public Carriage Office are not separately estimated and no apportionment can therefore be made on the basis sought by the hon. Member. The number of taxis licensed by the Deputy Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis in each of the ten years ended 31st December 1966 was as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the number of convictions for drunkenness, and convictions for the age groups under 18 years and between 18 and 21 years, in the Metropolitan Police district, and in the City of London, respectively, during the calendar year 1966.

The provisional figures for the year 1966 are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has for representatives of laymen as well as lawyers to review complaints concerning legal aid cases.

Under my proposal already before the House, the constitution of a complaints tribunal would be settled by rules. My noble Friend the Lord Chancellor and I shall wish to consider whether there should be lay representation.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will make a statement about proposed changes in the official description of his honourable Friends the Member for Islington, North, and the Member for Barnsley, as Minister of Defence (Administration) and Minister of Defence (Equipment), respectively.

Yes. The new titles of my hon. Friends the Member for Islington, North (Mr. Reynolds) and the Member for Barnsley (Mr. Mason) will be Minister of Defence for Administration and Minister of Defence for Equipment, respectively.

asked the Minister of Health when he expects to publish the report of the Committee sitting under the chairmanship of Professor Capener.

This Committee is a sub-Committe of my Standing Advisory Committee on Artificial Limbs which is an informal advisory body whose reports are customarily not published.

asked the Minister of Health how many complaints have been received and how many have been dealt with by the procedures laid down under H.M. 66/15/7 iii B since this circular was issued.

Comprehensive figures for all types of complaint are not available centrally; one.