asked the Minister of Overseas Development if he will consider and widen the scope for fit, highly-skilled retired people to volunteer for overseas service where such service is urgently needed by developing countries.

There is no upper age limit for volunteers under the British Volunteer Programme.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development how many officers sponsored by his Department are serving in Somalia; and what plans he has for developing assistance to this ex-Commonwealth territory.

The Answers to both parts of the Question are "None".

asked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs how many references of prices have been made to the National Board for Prices and Incomes since 20th July, 1966; and how many price increases have been withheld under the provisions of the Prices and Incomes Act.

Nine. Under a Section 26 Order, 76 increases in laundry and dry cleaning charges were temporarily withheld. Many other proposed price increases have been voluntarily withheld as a result of the early warning arrangements and discussion with Government Departments.

asked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs which specialist, professional and consultancy services have been employed by the National Board for Prices and Incomes; and what was the particular terms of reference in each such instance.

I understand that accountancy services, management consultants, academic advisers, statistical and computer services have been used. It would not be practicable to detail the terms of reference: there have been many of them, and they are usually extensive.

asked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs what action the Government proposes to take on the National Board for Prices and Incomes' Report on the pay of manual workers in local authorities, the National Health Service and gas and water supply.

This Report makes a large number of recommendations. The Government accept the recommendations relating to the pay during the period of severe restraint of County Council Road-men, Scottish Local Authority manual workers, National Health Service ancillary staffs, and the small groups of Local Authority manual workers not covered by the main agreement in England and Wales.Many of the remaining recommendations are directed towards the improvement of pay and productivity in the longer term and the Government hope that the parties concerned will open discussions on these as soon as possible. The Government will also wish to examine with the parties concerned the possibility of introducing an interim pay and productivity scheme in the National Health Service and local authorities on the lines proposed by the Board.

asked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs when he expects the report of the South West Regional Economic Planning Council to be published.

I cannot yet give an exact date but it will be during the summer.

asked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs what professional and consultancy services have been and are now being employed by the Industrial Reorganisation Corporation; and if he will state the specific purpose in each case.

The Corporation itself decides what services of this kind it should employ in the course of its work and I cannot provide information about the day-to-day conduct of its affairs.

asked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs what steps he is taking to rectify anomalies or regional differentials in salaries and wages which have resulted from the prices and incomes policy.

Representations have been made in a number of cases that the deferment of increases in wages and salaries during the period of severe restraint would constitute a gross anomaly within the terms of paragraph 30 of Cmnd. 3150. These have been considered on their merits.

asked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs what discussions he has had with the Trades Union Congress regarding the function of legislation and an incomes policy; and if he will make a statement.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to similar Questions earlier today.

asked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs whether he will make a statement about the chairmanship of the West Midlands Economic Planning Council.

I regret to say that Sir Joseph Hunt, M.B.E., has decided that he must relinquish the Chairmanship of the West Midlands Economic Planning Council, owing to the increase in his business commitments outside the Region.I have been fortunate in being able to secure as his successor Mr. Adrian Cadbury, Chairman of Cadbury Brothers Limited, who has accepted my invitation to serve as Chairman of the Planning Council from the middle of April.

asked the Postmaster-General what consideration he has given to the possibility of reduced rental for the telephone service for pensioners and invalids who live alone; and if he will make a statement.

As I said in my reply to the hon. Member for Stroud (Mr. Kershaw) on 10th March, 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.—[Vol. 742, c. 358.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what methods will be adopted to test breathalysers before they are ordered in large quantities for use under the new Road Safety Bill; whether they will be tested on women as well as men; and whether they will be capable of testing drivers who adopt chemical or other devices to modify the alcohol in their breath.

Breath testing devices are being tested against blood alcohol concentration values. They are tested on women as well as men. There is no known practicable method by which a driver can modify the alcohol in his breath so as to cause a device to give a falsely low reading when the test is correctly conducted.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will ensure that the breathalysers to be ordered for use under the Road Safety Bill are efficient over a definite period which will be known to the police and will give accurate results in all temperatures, barometric pressures and lighting conditions; and what medical and scientific advice he proposes to use in this connection.

Breath testing devices are being tested by forensic scientists at the Home Office Central Research Establishment. Devices recommended for approval will be suitable for use in this country in all temperatures and barometric pressures. Their shelf-life will be known to the police. Devices cannot be read easily under some forms of street lighting, but the police will be advised to use them with torch or vehicle lighting, which is satisfactory.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Chief Constable of Bristol into his inquiries into the circumstances whereby some 500 people required hospital treatment after attending a pedal car race at Whitchurch Airfield, Bristol, on Saturday, 4th March; and if he will make a statement.

I understand from the Chief Constable that the trouble was due to dust which was contaminated by tar and free tarry acids from the track, and sensitised the skin and eyes of those affected to sunlight.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what request he has received for political asylum for the Russian refugee Svetlana Posipna Stalina; and, in view of Great Britain's tradition of granting asylum to refugees from political autocracies and her sheltering of the Russian revolutionary Vladimir Ilyitch Lenin, what reply he has sent.

I have been asked to reply. I have not received any such request.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department to what extent the services of private security firms have been used by his Department in place of regular police officers; and what was the cost during each of the last five years.

As from 17th February, 1967, a private security firm has been directly employed by the Home Office on a trial basis to collect cash for an outstation, at a cost of two guineas a week. In addition, the Home Office shares in similar arrangements made by other Government Departments, which have the major interest, for collecting cash for other Home Office buildings. In none of these cases has the private security firm been used in place of regular police officers.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to lay down conditions of employment in respect of au pair girls so as to implement the decision taken by the Council of Europe.

There is nothing I can usefully add at present to the reply my hon. Friend gave on 26th January to Questions about the recommendations made by the Consultative Assembly, Council of Europe.—[Vol. 130, c. 1753–5.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has as to the longest period of extra imprisonment ordered under Section 6 of the Criminal Appeal Act, 1966.

191 days. But since 1st December, 1966, following a review by the court of its practice, the longest period has been 91 days; and earlier orders inconsistent with the present policy of the court are under review.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will now introduce legislation to grant a right of appeal to all people sentenced at quarter sessions.

I assume that my hon. Friend has principally in mind the restriction on the right of appeal in Section 29(3)(d) of the Criminal Justice Act, 1948. I propose to ask the House to amend the Criminal Justice Bill to prevent a recurrence of the difficulty which arose in a recent case, and I am considering the need to deal with other similar restrictions.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will make a further statement on the effect to date of Her Majesty's Government's Rhodesian policy on the balance of payments.

I would refer the hon. Gentleman to the Answer which my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister gave to the right hon. Gentleman the Member for Streatham (Mr. Sandys) on 21st February.—[Vol. 741, c. 1433–8.]

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many copies of the National Plan have been printed and at what cost; how many have now been sold; what revenue this has produced; and what proposals he has for dealing with the copies remaining unsold.

I would refer the hon. Member to the Answer given to the hon. Member for Harrow, Central (Mr. Grant) on 9th August, 1966. Since then 2,018 further copies have been sold, leaving 1,825 now in stock out of a total print of 25,000. Copies are selling steadily and net revenue from sales is now £15,360.—[Vol. 733, c. 1384.]

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give an estimate of the extra revenue, in the form of Stamp Duty, he will receive as a direct consequence of the increased cost of private house building in Scotland; and what steps he will take to alleviate this financial burden on prospective house buyers.

No estimate has been made, but I have noted my hon. Friend's suggestion.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department will undertake research to discover how people prefer to pay their taxes.

Any such research would inevitably produce many conflicting views depending on the personal cir- cumstances of respondents. I think it is more relevant to examine objectively the incidence of taxes and of social benefits as is done in the continuing work of the Central Statistical Office. In relation to the years 1963 and 1964 this was reported in Economic Trends for August, 1966. The economic, social and administrative aspects of taxes are, of course, kept under continuous review by the Treasury and the Revenue Departments.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will exempt the laundry and cleaning industry from the Selective Employment Tax; and if, in framing his policy, he will take account of the impending loss of jobs in this industry in Perth.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Shrewsbury (Sir J. Langford-Holt) on 14th March.—[Vol. 743, c. 43.]

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the new Government proposals and administrative decisions, together with the cost of each, that have been announced since 10th March, 1966, and any adjustments that should now be made to the previous list given on 10th March, 1966.

I am collecting the information and will circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT when it is available.

asked the Chancellor of Exchequer what further measures he proposes to safeguard the conveyance of classified official waste to the place of incineration, in view of the recent discovery of such waste in a public place in Greenwich.

The Stationery Office arrangements for the transport of classified waste have been examined very recently and are considered to be secure. As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence explained yesterday, the classified documents at Greenwich had been erroneously included in unclassified waste.—[Vol. 743, c. 114–15.]

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if, in view of the establishment of a nuclear consultative committee with the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, it remains the policy of Her Majesty's Government to internationalise the nuclear deterrent.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what steps the Government are taking to maintain good relations and close collaboration between Great Britain and West Germany, in view of the many matters, including defence, which are of common interest.

Her Majesty's Government attach great importance to maintaining good relations with the Federal German Government, with whom we keep in close and regular contact at all levels. As the House knows, my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary were in Bonn last month, and we are looking forward to welcoming the German Vice Chancellor and Foreign Minister, Herr Willy Brandt, to London in April.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the scope of the proposed Constitutional Conference for South Arabia, which was abandoned following the failure to reach agreement at the preparatory meeting in August, 1965, included the conclusion of a defence agreement for the protection of the Federation after independence; or whether Her Majesty's Government specifically stated that negotiations on defence matters would be left over until the time of independence.

The Working Party set up to determine the agenda and scope of the proposed 1965 Conference broke down in August of that year, as I explained in a written reply to the right hon. Gentleman on 10th March. These questions do not therefore arise.—[Vol. 742, c. 359.]

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the Federal Government of South Arabia has now rejected independence without a defence treaty; and whether he will now conclude adequate defence arrangements to safeguard the integrity of South Arabia after independence as envisaged in the assurances given on behalf of Her Majesty's Government by the right hon. Member for Streatham in 1964.

My conversations with Federal Ministers in London are confidential. I dealt fully with the question of the assurances given in 1964 by the right hon. Gentleman the Member for Streatham (Mr. Sandys) in the Defence Debate on 28th February.—[Vol. 742, c. 281–320.]

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs why Her Majesty's Government have not yet ratified the United Nations convention against racial discrimination.

As explained in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Ashfield (Mr. Marquand) on the 27th February we have the question of ratification very much in mind. But some further examination of the implications is necessary.—[Vol. 742, c. 6.]

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether Her Majesty's Government have had discussions with the Governments of the non-federated States of the Aden Protectorate regarding plans for their independence; what decisions have been reached; and what arrangements have been made to fulfil Great Britain's treaty obligations to defend those States after the withdrawal of the British forces from Aden.

The High Commissioner in Aden has discussed with the non-federated States their forthcoming independence. These States wish to defer a decision on the arrangements for their independence until the United Nation mission has made its recommendations As has been stated many times in the House and elsewhere, Her Majesty's Government's obligation to defend these States will end upon independence.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs which political groups or terrorist organisations in Aden have been banned.

The National Liberation Front (N.L.F.).

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, in view of the official proposal again put forward by U Thant during the conversations which took place with Her Majesty's Government in the course of his recent visit to Great Britain, that the bombing of North Vietnam should cease as a prerequisite to peace talks, if Her Majesty's Government will now dissociate Great Britain from the United States policy in Vietnam; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary have repeatedly made it clear to the House that we do not think that we would be helping to bring peace in Vietnam any nearer by dissociating Her Majesty's Government from American policy.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, if he will give an assurance that the 200 or so employees of rabbit clearance societies will, during the period of severe restraint, receive the same treatment as to wages as agricultural workers.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave on 21st February to the hon. Member for East Grinstead (Mr. G. Johnson Smith).—[Vol. 741, c. 259.]

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will take the necessary measures to induce the establishing of new industries in the old industrial valleys of South Wales.

I shall use to the maximum all the powers available to me to assist in establishing new industry in these valleys, and special attention has been given to them in allocating advance factories in the four programmes announced since November, 1964.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is the sum total of the national incomes of the European Free Trade Association countries, excluding Great Britain, compared with that of the Common Market countries.

The following is the latest information, from the United Nations Monthly Bulletin of Statistics, February, 1967:

National Income in 1965 (converted from national currencies using official rates of exchange)
Million
European Free Trade Association٭	£21,000
European Economic Community	£82,500
٭ Excluding the United Kingdom, including Finland. The estimate for Sweden is before providing for depreciation.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many persons have been authorised by his Department to act as auditors under the provisions of Section 161(1), paragraph (b), of the Companies Act, 1948, since the Act came into operation.

2,133.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many persons have been authorised by his Department to act as auditors under the provisions of Section 161(1), paragraph (b), of the Companies Act, 1948, during the years 1960 to 1966, inclusive, in each of the three categories mentioned therein.

As having similar qualifications obtained outside the United Kingdom, 423; as having obtained adequate knowledge and experience in the course of employment by a member of a body of accountants recognised for the purposes of Section 161(1)(a) of the Act, 346; as having before 6th August, 1947, practised in Great Britain as an accountant, 461.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the value of capital expenditure by manufacturing industry in Scotland in 1965 and 1966; and what estimate he has made of such expenditure in 1967 and 1968.

I have been asked to reply.Expenditure in 1965 is estimated at £115 million. A figure for 1966 is not yet available. Estimates of capital expenditure in 1967 and 1968 are available only for the United Kingdom as a whole.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT details of foreign flag participation, the tonnage they carried and the cost in foreign exchange, in United Kingdom coastal trade.

In 1965, which is the latest representative year, foreign flag vessels carried about 9½ million tons of coastal cargoes, of which ¾ million tons were moved in dry cargo vessels and 8¾ million tons in tankers. No figures are available of the cost involved.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT the amount of money spent on the charter of foreign-owned vessels by United Kingdom coastal shipping companies.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the President of of the Board of Trade if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT his estimate of the amount spent on the charter of foreign ships by non-United Kingdom shipowners engaged in the British coastal trade.

No such estimate has been made.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT the amount of tonnage of participation by British ship- owners in flags-of-convenience fleets including British colonies, indicating the colony or country where the ships are registered and the tonnage.

No figures are available, but the tonnage involved is believed to be small.

asked the Minister of Labour what was the rise in the Cost of Living Index as a result of the petrol price increase last year.

The direct effect was about 0·15.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will introduce legislation for the licensing and control of au pair agencies.

The Employment Agencies Bill, introduced by my hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Mr. Hugh Jenkins) will, if enacted, provide for a national system of licensing and regulation of employment agencies, including au pair agencies. It is down for Report and Third Reading on 28th April.

asked the Minister of Labour if he is aware that 140 employees of a firm of launderers, cleaners and dyers in Perth will lose their jobs in April; how many vacancies exist in service and other industries in Perth; and what are the prospects for those employees made redundant.

My information is that about 120 workers will lose their employment on 5th April as a result of the closure of this firm. On 8th March there were 298 vacancies in service industries and 50 in other industries in Perth. Although some of the workers may find it difficult to find other jobs immediately, their prospects in the longer term appear to be reasonably good. Every possible assistance will be given by the Employment Exchange.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs what projects have been agreed with the Zambian Government on which the recent loan of £13·85 million will be spent.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs what agreements have been reached with the Zambian Government about the projects on which the recent loan of £13·85 million will be spent.

I would refer the hon. Members to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State to the hon. Members for Dorset, South (Mr. Evelyn King) and Worcestershire, South (Sir G. Nabarro) on 14th February [Vol. 741, c. 327–8], and my reply to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mr. Rowland) on 7th February [Vol. 740, c. 271]. The following statement shows the purposes to which our grants will be applied.Under the agreement with the Zambian Government grants of up to £13·85 million will be made for the following purposes:

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he has taken to ascertain the reason for the loss of confidential documents, dated 1966, belonging to his Department, which were found in a public place by Mr. Gary Bishop and Mr. Graham Wardle and delivered by them to the police; and if he will make a statement.

I explained the circumstances in which these documents were found in the Answer I gave to the right hon. Member for Wolverhampton, South-West (Mr. Powell) yesterday. The origin of these incorrectly handled documents has been established and steps have already been taken to prevent a recurrence.—[Vol. 743, c. 114–5.]

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what priority will be given to wage increases for low-paid workers in all Defence Department establishments.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply that my hon. Friend the Under Secretary of State for the Royal Navy gave him on 1st March.—[Vol. 742, c. 490.]

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has from North Atlantic Treaty Organisation sources of how many troops of all nationalities there are stationed in Western Europe; and how many of these are British, how many American, how many French, and how many German.

Information regarding the United Kingdom troops is contained in Annex G of the Statement on the Defence Estimates, 1967 [Cmnd. 3203]. Such information as I have from North Atlantic Treaty Organisation sources about the numbers of troops of other nationalities is confidential. I am not prepared, therefore, to add to what has appeared in nonofficial publications such as the Institute for Strategic Studies' "The Military Balance, 1966–67".

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has about the total cost per head of population of defence expenditure in the United Kingdom, United States of America, Russia, and the Common Market.

The cost of defence per head of population in the United Kingdom is about £40 a year. I am not responsible for the figures of other countries, which can be interpreted in different ways, and I am not prepared to add to the information which has appeared in non-official publications, for example, in "The Military Balance 1966/67", published by the Institute of Strategic Studies.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to announce the amount and timing of the increases for service legal officers under the Grigg award operative from 1st April, 1966.

As soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) which are the 16 barrack complexes being prepared for the reception of troops from the Continent; and on what dates, respectively, they will be available;(2) whether the 4,000 houses to be bought in the area of the 16 barrack complexes being prepared for the reception of troops from the Continent, are additional to those referred to in the Defence Statement;(3) why he will not specify the 14 barracks which were available last August for troops brought back from the Continent.

Following is the list:

• Westdown, Wilts.
• Warminster.
• Horsham/Lingfield, Sussex.
• Piddlehinton, Dorset.
• Edinburgh.
• North Weald, Essex.
• Catterick, Yorks.
• Barnard Castle, Co. Durham.
• Ripon, Yorks.
• Denbury, Nr. Newton Abbot.
• Pembroke or Chester.
• Lanark.
• Perth.
• Marchington, Uttoxeter.

The list contains some barracks and camps which have been in a state of care and maintenance since August, 1966, or earlier and others which could be made available for this purpose. All the accommodation would be provided progressively from autumn, 1967. At this stage, it would not be meaningful to give precise estimated dates when particular barracks or camps could be made available, since these will depend on the number and description of the units concerned and the timing of their withdrawal, on which no decision has yet been taken. All the houses to be purchased will be in addition to the figure of about 3,700 given in Cmnd. 3203, Chapter X.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will receive the delegation of mayors in Lancashire to make representations on the import of cotton goods from Portugal.

I have asked my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade to receive this deputation.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will now outline the Government's policy regarding a possible application to join the European Economic Community following the Luxembourg talks; and if he will make a statement.

I have, as yet, nothing to add to the Answer I gave on 9th March to the hon. Members for Banbury (Mr. Marten) and Shrewsbury (Sir J. Langford-Holt).—[Vol. 742, c. 1754.]

asked the Prime Minister whether, having completed his discussions with all the countries comprising the Common Market, he will now seek the agreement of the Trades Union Congress to Great Britain's acceptance of the relevant clause of the Treaty of Rome dealing with the free movement of labour.

The Government are aware of the importance of this provision of the Treaty of Rome, but, as the House knows, no decision has yet been taken whether or not to open negotiations for membership of the European Economic Community.

asked the Prime Minister if he will state the names of the persons he suggested to Amnesty International as possible donors who might be willing to help; and what sum of public money was paid to such donors.

No. The donors have the right to remain anonymous. Otherwise, I have nothing to add to my Answers to earlier Questions on this subject.

asked the Prime Minister whether Her Majesty's Government have now decided to retain some forces in the South Arabian Federation for a period after independence; and whether it is proposed to conclude an agreement with the Federal Government for this purpose.

I would refer the right hon. Gentleman to my reply to a supplementary Question by the noble Lord the Member for Hertford (Lord Balniel) on 14th March.—[Vol. 743, c. 230.]

asked the Prime Minister whether he will now give the latest estimate of the total cost of Britain's involvement in the Rhodesian crisis from the date of unilateral declaration of independence until the end of 1966, and of the special aid given or promised to Zambia, in this connection, calculated on the same basis as the estimate of about £100 million given by him to Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference in September; and whether he has communicated this revised estimate to the other Commonwealth Governments.

The direct cost to the Exchequer in 1966 (including aid to Zambia) was about £15 million. The cost to the balance of payments, excluding any effect of the Rhodesian situation on the price of copper, cannot be precisely estimated but was of the order of £40 million. The Rhodesian situation was one, but only one, factor affecting the price of copper which, as the House will know, was higher last year on average than in 1965. Clearly no precise estimate of this effect is possible. But our best estimate now is that per- haps something like £10–15 million of the additional import cost of copper last year compared with 1965 might be attributable to the Rhodesian situation. As to the information which we from time to time give to our Commonwealth partners, it would be contrary to practice for me to reveal details and the right hon. Gentleman will remember that the figure he quotes in his Question derives from a confidential document whose contents have improperly become public knowledge.

asked the Prime Minister if the Minister of Housing and Local Government's speech at Manchester on Saturday, 18th February, 1967 on the sale of council houses represents the policy of Her Majesty's Government.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proposals he has to end the payment of the £200 per research student hitherto paid by the Science Research Council to university departments training research students; how much would be saved thereby; and what consultations he has had with the Science Research Council and the universities on the subject.

The approach of a new university quinquennium makes it appropriate to examine this source of income in consultation with the University Grants Committee, the Council for Scientific Policy and the Research Councils concerned, but no decision has yet been reached.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he will make an announcement regarding the plans for the reorganisation of secondary education, submitted to him by Hillingdon Borough Council.

I hope to write to the Hillingdon Borough Council in the near future.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what new machinery he proposes to set up to review the salary scales of academic staffs in British universities.

I am still discussing this matter with the other parties concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how the hardship fund for overseas students in British universities and places of higher education will operate; and if he will make a statement.

I am not yet in a position to add anything to the statements I made in the House on 14th and 23rd February, but hope to be able to do so shortly, when consultations have been completed.—[Vol. 741, c. 73; Vol. 742, c. 1981–2005.]

asked the Minister of Health (1) what plans he has for future research on the effect of fruit syrups on the dental health of young children;(2) if any direct relationship has been detected from recent research between the normal usage of rose hip syrups and the prevalence of dental caries in young children.

No increased prevalence of dental decay in young children has been found to be directly associated with the taking of vitamin supplements, including rose hip syrup, but examination of the data is continuing to ascertain, if possible, whether there are any harmful effects when supplements are taken on a dummy or feeder.

asked the Minister of Health what advice he has given local authorities regarding the use of fruit syrups containing vitamin C in the light of recent research on dental caries affecting young children.

None.

asked the Minister of Health what is the total number of deaths from kidney failure in the last year for which figures are available; how many of these could have been avoided if treated with an artificial kindney; and what would be the estimated capital cost and annual running costs, respectively, of providing artificial kidney treatment for all these cases.

In 1964 there were 6,765 deaths in England and Wales from diseases terminating in chronic kidney failure, but treatment by intermittent dialysis on artificial kidney machines is not suitable for all such patients and present indications are that only between one and two thousand might have benefited from it. At present the capital cost of providing hospital facilities for intermittent dialysis is about £2,000 for each new patient and the annual running cost of a hospital unit is about £2,000 per patient. Because there are so many variables, these figures give no more than a broad indication of what might be the cost of this treatment for all suitable patients.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will expand on his leaflet explaining the working of the Land Commission Act, 1967, Betterment Levy, to deal with the case of a person who purchased land after 1st August, 1966, from a local authority at the district valuer's figure, with outline planning permission to build a house, and who subsequently and before 6th April, 1967, obtains detailed planning approval but at that date has only completed strip excavation in connection with the development.

No levy will be payable in the circumstances indicated. The position is explained in the answers to questions 2 to 4 in the "Guide for Builders and Developers on Betterment Levy", a copy of which was sent to my hon. Friend yesterday and which may be obtained free of charge from Regional Offices of the Land Commission or from local authorities.

asked the Minister of Power (1) if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT figures for the years 1960 to 1966 of the amount of fuel carried and the cost for industries under his supervision in nationalised vessels, United Kingdom chartered vessels and foreign chartered vessels, respectively;(2) if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT the comparative operating costs of the nationalised collier fleets and tonnage.

I am informed that the National Coal Board does not own or charter vessels. As regards the electricity and gas industries, I am asking the Chairmen concerned to write to my hon. Friend and give him such information as is readily available.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works whether he has revised his plans for developing the British Museum site; and whether he will make a statement.

I assume that the plans my hon. Friend has in mind are those for the new national Library, and I would refer him to the Answer I gave the hon. Member for Tynemouth (Dame Irene Ward) on 6th March.—[Vol. 742, c. 1030]

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland to what extent Command Paper No. 2864, The Scottish Economy 1965–1970, took account of the effect of the Selective Employment Tax on employment in the laundry and cleaning industry; if he is aware that 140 jobs will be lost in this industry following the closure of a firm in Perth; and what action he will take, in view of the impact of this tax on the Scottish economy.

The proposal to introduce the Selective Employment Tax was announced after publication of the White Paper on the Scottish Economy. The effects of the tax in stimulating growth in manufacturing industries or encouraging the more efficient use of labour in services could not, therefore, be taken into account, but I am naturally keeping its general impact in Scotland under review. While I regret all closures of Scottish firms, the tax may not be the only factor in the case referred to by the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many organisations have submitted observations on the proposals made in the White Paper, Social Work and the Community, for reorganising local authority social work services in Scotland; to what extent they support the proposals; and when he proposes to put the proposals into effect.

I have received observations on these proposals from 87 organisations and individuals. The proposals are generally supported by observations from a wide range of interests and opinion, and many helpful suggestions have been made. Major features of the proposals have, however, been criticised by the local authority associations, medical professional organisations and the probation service. I have invited representatives of the main bodies in these fields to meet the Joint Parliamentary Under Secretary of State or myself so that their views can be fully considered before I reach conclusions about the proposed reorganisation.

asked the Minister of Transport why Main International Traffic Artery E1 from London to Palermo is shown in Command Paper No. 3206 as being routed to Paris via Southampton and Le Havre instead of by the shortest sea route; and what proportion of motorists or drivers of goods vehicles use that route.

The Main International Traffic Arteries (E-routes) listed in Command Paper No. 3206 make up an internationally agreed network covering the whole of Europe. Since these routes continue across frontiers, those in the U.K. must connect by ferry with the E-routes on the Continent, where the E1 runs from Paris to Le Havre. There is no direct E-route between Calais and Paris. But the numbering of the E-route system does not of course inhibit choice of route. Statistics of vehicle traffic between London and Paris using particular sea routes are not available.

asked the Minister of Transport whether she will now introduce legislation to prohibit noise above a certain level for cars, commercial vehicles and motorcycles; and whether she will make a statement.

I would refer the hon. Member to the Answer given to the hon. Member for Northants, South (Mr. Arthur Jones) on 14th March.—[Vol. 743, c. 79.]

asked the Minister of Transport if she will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT details of those shipping services which British Railways have discontinued.

Since 1st January 1963, the vesting date of the British Railways Board, the following shipping services have been discontinued:

• 9th May, 1964: Southampton-Le Havre.
• 19th December, 1964: Jersey-St. Malo.
• At end of Summer Season, 1964: Southampton-St. Malo (Summer only service).
• 3rd December, 1966: Folkestone-Boulogne (Cargo Service).

asked the Minister of Transport if she will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT details of the number of vessels owned by British Railways, the number of charterings by British Railways, the amount of cargo and passengers carried, respectively, and the profit or loss, for the years 1960 to 1966.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the annual Financial and Statistical Accounts of the British Transport Commission for the years 1960–62 and the annual report and accounts of the British Railways Board for the years 1963–65 which give most of the information required. Figures for 1966 are not yet available.The numbers of vessels chartered by the Railways Board in each of the years 1960–66 are as follows:

1960	9 vessels
1961	21 vessels
1962	15 vessels
1963	14 vessels
1964	14 vessels
1965	19 vessels
1966	13 vessels

asked the Minister of Technology how many design changes have been made by Great Britain in the Concord project in the past six months; and how many of these have had French agreement.

No design changes are made without French agreement; there have been no major changes in the past six months.