asked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs if he is satisfied that the Confederation of British Industry can effectively supervise a prices policy applying to its constituent members; what proposals he has for a prices policy for those employers who are not members of the Confederation of British Industry; and if he will make a statement.

The Confederation of British Industry has not proposed any scheme for it to supervise a prices policy. The criteria for price behaviour and the arrangements for voluntary notification of proposed increases as set out in the White Paper (Cmnd. 3235) apply to all concerned in the determination of prices whether or not they are members of the C.B.I.

asked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs if he is satisfied that the Trades Union Congress can effectively supervise an incomes policy applying to trade unionists; what proposals he has for an incomes policy for employees who are not members of a trade union; and if he will make a statement.

The Government have warmly welcomed the voluntary scheme drawn up by the Trades Union Congress which has been endorsed by a Conference of union executives. The White Paper on Prices and Incomes Policy (Cmnd. 3235) sets out criteria which should guide all employers and employers after 30th June, 1967, and the arrangements for voluntary notification of claims and proposals to increase pay.

asked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs what was the total number of wage increase agreements frozen as a result of the incomes standstill; what these amounted to in terms of cash and as a percentage in each case up to the latest convenient date; how many price increases were reported during the same period; what was the cause of the rise or fall in prices; what action he took to retain the real value of income; and how he proposes to control prices and incomes during the period of severe restraint.

I regret that the information requested in the first two parts of the Question is not available. There have been some 700 notifications of proposed price increases under the early warning arrangements of Cmnd. 3073 and Cmnd. 3150, but by no means all of these have been accepted as justified against the criteria. The Index of Retail Prices on 19th July, 1966, was 116·6 and on 21st February, 1967, was 118·6; the greater part of the increase was due to the effect of changes in taxation.To restrain increases in prices is a prime objective of the Government's economic policy and the response to the Government's call for severe restraint has been outstandingly good. It has been necessary in only a few cases to exercise the temporary powers available under Part IV of the Prices and Incomes Act.

asked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs what discussions he has had with the Confederation of British Industry and the Trades Union Congress on the future of the Government's prices and incomes policy; and if he will make a statement.

I would refer the hon. Member to the Reply given him on 20th March by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and to my statement to the House yesterday.—[Vol. 743, c. 183.]

asked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs if he will make a statement about the work of the Industrial Reorganisation Corporation.

No.

asked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs what investigations he is making into the affairs of firms supplying the Post Office; and what is the rôle of the Industrial Reorganisation Corporation in this regard.

None; but at the invitation of the Government the Industrial Reorganisation Corporation is examining the structure of the telecommunications industry and its relations with the Post Office as the major home customer.

asked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs what advantages are likely to accrue to the Northern Region in the event of Great Britain entering the European Economic Community; how much consultation he has undertaken with the Northern Regional Economic Planning Council on this subject; and if he will make a statement.

As regards the first part of the Question, the Northern region would, like other areas, share in the industrial opportunities that a larger European Economic Community would create. As regards the remainder, I would refer my hon. Friend to the Answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Manchester, Blackley (Mr. Rose) on 7th March.—[Vol. 742, c. 253.]

asked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs if he will tabulate the annual expenditure by the National Economic Development Council since its establishment and the estimated expenditure during 1967–68; what is the compound rate of growth during the period up to 1966–67; and what is the expected percentage increase during 1967–68.

The following is the information:

	£
1961–62	4,825
1962–63	105,477
1963–64	159,398
1964–65	206,006
1965–66	252,411
1966–67	437,500 (estimate)
1967–68	610,000 (estimate)

The compound annual rate of growth during the period 1962–63 to 1966–67 was 42·7 per cent.: the estimate for 1967–68 is 39·4 per cent. above that for 1966–67.

asked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs what were the number of full-time and part-time employees of the National Economic Development Council on 1st March, 1967, and on the same date during the years 1962 to 1966; and what will be the expected figures for 1st March, 1968.

The following is the information:

	Staff
Date	Full-time	Part-time
1st March, 1962	13	3
1st March, 1963	72	7
1st March, 1964	97	8
1st March, 1965	98	4
1st March, 1966	116	8
1st March, 1967	141	4

The recently published estimate provides for the staff to increase to 165 by 31st March, 1968.

asked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs what has been the expenditure on fees and expenses for consultants during 1967–68 employed by his Department, the National Board for Prices and Incomes and the National Economic Development Council, respectively.

It is too soon to say with any precision how much will be spent on fees and expenses for consultants during the next financial year.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proposals he has for increasing the commencing salaries of teachers who have qualified to enter the profession.

This is a matter for the Burnham Primary and Secondary Committee.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether teachers on a basic scale from £730 to £1,400 are regarded as lower paid workers for the purposes of the Government's prices and incomes policy.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps he has taken for the establishment of comprehensive education in Clevedon, Somerset.

I understand that the Somerset Authority hope to enlarge the Clevedon secondary modern school in the early 1970s with a view to reorganising it as a comprehensive school in 1973.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what facilities he is providing for the education of children in Clevedon.

The Somerset Local Education Authority maintain four primary schools and one secondary modern school in Clevedon. My right hon. Friend expects to approve the building of another primary school in the Schools Major Building Programme for 1968–69.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) how overcrowding in secondary schools in Essex compares with the national average;(2) how the latest figures on the extent of overcrowding in secondary school places in Essex compare with those for all the other home counties.

The only relevant statistical information available relates to oversize classes. The figures are as follows:

	Oversize classes as a percentage of total classes per cent.
Essex	32
England and Wales	27
Berks./Bucks./Herts./Kent/Surrey	24

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is his estimate of the proportion of the population of appropriate age group who were receiving university level education, in each of the last 10 years; and what are his estimates for each of the next five years.

University students range in age from under 18 years to over 30 years and information about the age distribution within the student population has been collected only since the academic year 1965–66. It is not possible to relate these figures to the total population of Great Britain in meaningful way or to produce future estimates of this kind.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will state the number of students who applied for places in universities in England and Wales for the years 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, and 1966, respectively, and the number of unfilled places in each of those years.

Information on this question is contained in the reports of the University Central Council on Admissions. The Council only commenced full operations in the academic year 1963–64 and in years since this coverage has extended to a progressively greater number of university institutions. I regret that it is not possible therefore to provide information which would be comparable for the years in question.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will state the percentage of students, in their relevant age group, who entered universities in England and Wales for the years 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, and 1966, respectively.

On the assumption that the average age of new entrants to universities in England and Wales is 18½ years at the October in which they enter, the percentage of these students^* to the total population of their age group would be as follows:

	per cent.
1962	4·1
1963	4·3
1964	4·6
1965	5·7
1966	5·7
* Including university entrants from overseas.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science why he did not consult the University Grants Committee before raising the fees charged to overseas students at universities and colleges in Great Britain.

I would refer the hon. Member to my Answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Aberdeen, South (Mr. Dewar) on 25th January.—[Vol. 739, c. 306.]

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he is satisfied that the future of the Polish Library has been safeguarded, in order to cater for the needs of scholars undertaking research and of those who wish to borrow Polish books of a popular character, in a manner satisfactory to the Polish community without imposing an undue financial burden on British public funds; and if he will make a statement.

The Polish Social and Cultural Association have offered to take responsibility for the library. Her Majesty's Government have stated their readiness to agree that the ownership of the contents of the library shall be vested in the Association, provided satisfactory arrangements can be made to give the library an assured future, so that it can continue its present services to scholarship and research. Discussions are proceeding, and a further statement will be made as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will include in the new regulations dealing with nightdresses for children and adults provision for the marking of the material sold for making such clothing so as to indicate whether it has been treated against inflammability.

Any fabric which is chemically treated to make it flame resistant is already marked by the pro- cessers. There would be serious practical difficulties in requiring untreated fabrics sold by the piece to carry a warning, but the Working Party on Inflammable Clothing is still studying this problem. I do not propose on this account to delay the making of new regulations dealing with the safety of nightdresses.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has studied the evidence of a correlation between chromosome abnormalities and criminal behaviour accumulated by Dr. M. D. Casey of Sheffield University, a copy of which has been sent to him; and if he will sponsor further research on this subject.

I am well aware of Dr. Casey's work. As the published work indicates, some of the research on this subject was undertaken in prison with the voluntary co-operation of prisoners. Facilities have been granted for more extensive research in prisons by several workers in this field on condition that prisoners are willing to co-operate.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will investigate the circumstances in which Miss Barbro Eriksson was detained for two hours by immigration officers at Gatwick Airport when she was visiting this country on a charter flight in company with some 40 other girl students; and if he will make a statement.

Miss Eriksson was referred for medical examination by the immigration officer, in the exercise of his discretion under the Aliens Order, to assist him in deciding whether to grant leave to land. After examination she was granted leave to land as a visitor, as she had requested. The total delay, including the time taken for the medical examination, amounted to about 45 minutes. I sincerely regret the inconvenience which this caused; but, having considered reports, I have no reason to believe that the immigration officer acted unreasonably or failed to show proper courtesy. I have written to Miss Eriksson explaining the position.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why a Swedish student, Miss Barbro Eriksson, was required to undergo a medical examination at Gatwick Airport on 17th March.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what was the purpose of the detention and examination of Miss Barbro Eriksson on her arrival at Gatwick Airport;(2) if he will check the facts about the treatment of Miss Barbro Eriksson at Gatwick Airport.

I would refer to the Answer I gave earlier to a similar Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Wood Green (Mrs. Joyce Butler).

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of those employed in the prison service was formerly regular members of Her Majesty's Forces; and what numbers of such former members of the armed services were recruited by the prison service in each of the past 10 years.

This information is not immediately available. I am obtaining it and shall write to my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what further proposals he intends to introduce to ensure the security of premises where drugs are stored or manufactured; and when legislation is likely to be introduced requiring these proposals to be carried out.

I am considering this matter, but am not yet ready to make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will authorise a period of amnesty this year for handing in illegally-held firearms to police stations.

I will keep this in mind for consideration when the date on which Part V of the Criminal Justice Bill will come into force has been fixed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the cost of the legal aid provided to defend Dennis Stafford and Michael Luvaglio at the last Newcastle Assizes.

£4,205.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will call for a report from the Chief Constable on the financial costs of recent police investigations into allegations against members of the council of the county borough of Rotherham and the number of man-hours of police service taken up by these investigations;(2) if he will call for a report from the Chief Constable as to whether it will be the police authority of the county borough of Rotherham which will pay the costs of recent police investigations into allegations against members of that local authority;(3) whether he will call for a report from the Chief Constable as to whether the costs awarded to Councillor James Rogan at the Rotherham Borough quarter sessions on 9th March 1967, at which Councillor Rogan was completely acquitted of charges laid against him, will fall upon the local police authority; and what those costs will be.

I have asked for a report on these matters, and shall write to my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a table showing the age groups and previous occupations of male persons currently detained in Her Majesty's Prisons.

Statistics about previous occupations of prisoners are not compiled centrally. On 15th March the numbers of male persons, other than non-criminal prisoners, aged under 21, and 21 and over, detained in prisons in England and Wales were 2,562 and 24,199 respectively. A more detailed age analysis of current population is not available, but in 1965 the numbers of receptions of adult male persons into prisons under sentence of imprisonment, corrective training or preventive detention were as follows:

21 to 24 years	10,684
25 to 29 years	9,318
30 to 39 years	10,301
40 to 49 years	6,547
50 to 59 years	2,837
60 or over	904

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list Her Majesty's Prisons, showing for each the year of construction, the present number of prisoners, the current size of the staff and the weekly total cost per prisoner for the latest available year.

The cost of maintaining a prisoner is not available for individual prisons. The average cost for all prisons in England and Wales in 1965–66 has been calculated provisionally as £14 10s. 4d. a week, excluding costs of new building, rent, rates, public utilities and building maintenance. Other information is as follows:

PRISONS IN ENGLAND AND WALES
Year of Completion		Number of Prisoners 15th March, 1967	Number of Staff
OPEN PRISONS—MALES
‡1960	Appleton Thorn	279	60
‡1955	Ash well	293	79
‡1953	Bela River	264	38
‡1958	Drake Hall	357	64
‡1950	Eastchurch	514	123
	Exeter (Haldon)	117	*
‡1960	Ford	514	105
‡1962	Kirkham	402	125
‡1946	Leyhill	405	164
‡1953	Spring Hill	157	37
‡1948	Sudbury	316	94
‡ l959	Thorp Arch	286	70

CLOSED PRISONS AND REMAND CENTRES—MALES
‡1961	Ashford R.C.	480	181
1965	Brockhill R.C.	97	60
1964	Cardiff R.C.	43	*
1964	Exeter R.C.	26	*
1965	Low Newton R.C.	65	86
1965	Pucklechurch R.C.	36	*
1965	Risley R.C.	471	245
1965	Thorp Arch R.C.	87	*
1964	Winchester R.C.	41	*
†pre 1877	Bedford	269	88
†pre 1877	Birmingham	848	273
†pre 1877	Bristol	521	215
1853	Brixton	840	275
†pre 1877	Canterbury	363	126

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the persons who have escaped from Her Majesty's Prisons and who have not yet been recaptured, showing the date of committal to prison, the date of escape, the name of prison and the original offence in each case.

Not all this information is available. I shall write to the hon. Member as soon as I can.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development how many Africans from Southern Rhodesia are studying under his aid; and what steps he is taking to increase this number.

Forty-one Africans have been given awards out of a total of 47 given to non-Europeans. The race of some of the other six cannot be exactly determined.We are continuing to take an active part in the Special Commonwealth Programme for the Education of Rhodesians outside Rhodesia.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development, how many members of the administrative grades in the Overseas Civil Service recruited in the United Kingdom were still employed on pensionable terms in territories in the Commonwealth on 1st January, 1967; and in which territories they were employed.

There were approximately 550 Administrative Officers still employed on pensionable terms of service on 1st January, 1967, in the following Commonwealth countries:

Aden.	Mauritius.
Bermuda.	Nigeria.
Botswana.	Sierra Leone.
Fiji.	Singapore.
Gambia.	Swaziland.
Gibraltar.	Tanzania.
Hong Kong.	Uganda.
Kenya.	Western Pacific
Lesotho.	High Commission.
Malawi.	Zambia.
Malaysia.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development if he will give details of the recent £1 million of assistance to Indonesia.

The offer of a grant of £1 million for emergency aid to Indonesia was announced by my right hon. Friend, the Foreign Secretary's predecessor, now First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs, in a statement to the House on 29th April, 1966.The Indonesian Government itself drew up a list of requirements comprising the following commodities:

	Nominal Total Cost £
(1) Department of People's Industries—raw materials for toothpaste, tanning, food, glass and paint industries, and marking materials	71,000
(2) Ministry of Agriculture—Plant Protection Products	179,012
(3) Ministry of Agriculture—Tea Manufacturing Equipment	18,000
(4) Ministry of Textile Industries—dye stuffs and chemicals/auxiliaries	357,143
(5) Ministry of Textile Industries—grey cotton shirting	124,642
(6) Ministry of Textile Industries—machine/spare parts	125,000
(7) Ministry of Health—Pharmaceutical Supplies	61,000
(8) State Electricity Enterprise—Material	28,000
(9) Department of Land Communication—Ford spare parts—Dodge Kew truck parts—Tyres—Train Lighting Set	35,850
Total	999,647

Actual shipments under the grant commenced only in December and January last, this rather slow beginning being largely due to the initial difficulty of obtaining precise information about the items requested. Nevertheless, by the end of February nearly one half of the goods had already been shipped or were in course of shipment. My Hon. Friend may have seen the references in the Press recently about the arrival in Djakarta of the first shipments of British goods under the grant.—[Vol. 727: c. 1111.]

asked the President of the Board of Trade why the seamen of Trinity House have not had their back-pay award backdated like other seamen.

Agreement on how the award to seamen in the Merchant Navy should be applied to the seamen of Trinity House had not been reached by 20th July, 1966. The operative date of the eventual settlement had, therefore, to be deferred in accordance with the standstill policy.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what was the trade balance between Denmark and the United Kingdom in the last financial year; and how it compared with the years 1963 and 1964.

The excess of our imports from Denmark valued c.i.f. over our exports and re-exports valued f.o.b. was £69 million in the financial year 1965–66, compared with £65 million in 1964–65 and £63 million in 1963–64, but these figures are not a good measure of the balance of payments for our trade with Denmark.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many reports of merchant ships leaking or disposing of oil into British coastal waters have been received by his Department in the last year; how many of these ships have been identified; and what action was taken.

One hundred and five reports in 1966. In 89 of these reports a vessel was named. Forty-four prosecutions were undertaken by harbour authorities or conservancy boards. By the end of the year, 27 convictions had been obtained, 10 cases remained to be heard in court, and the possibility of legal proceedings was being considered in three further cases. Representations relating to nine foreign ships were made to the Governments concerned.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what steps he is taking to ensure that the British holiday industry is not threatened by oil pollution of beaches.

The Board of Trade will continue to use every available means to enforce the law which prohibits the discharge of oil into the seas surrounding our coasts. Whenever practicable offenders are prosecuted. Offences by foreign vessels are reported to their Governments. The law will shortly be strengthened when the Amendments to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea by Oil come into force in May, 1967. However, it must be recognised that in the event of shipwreck or other serious marine casualty some pollution of the sea may be unavoidable.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what progress is being made in reaching further international agreement on the problems of oil pollution at sea especially of that resulting from shipwrecks.

Amendments to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea by Oil designed to strengthen the laws against pollution will shortly come into force for the ships of all the 31 member countries. Research is proceeding in a number of countries on methods for the confinement of oil and for its removal from the surface of the sea. Progress in this matter is kept under continuous review in the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organisation. However, it must be recognised that in the event of shipwreck or other serious marine casualty some pollution of the sea may be unavoidable.

asked the President of the Board of Trade on how many occasions from 7th March to 21st March incoming and outgoing aircraft to Turnhouse, Edinburgh, were diverted to and from Abbotsinch, respectively.

14 and 14.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what progress has been made in plans to establish advance factories in Rhondda; and if he will make a statement.

Two advance factories have been announced for the Rhondda; one, which has already been allocated to a tenant and an extension to it authorised, will be sited at Treorchy. A site for the second has now been found at Llwynypia. In both cases, the difficulty of finding suitable sites in this area has delayed progress; but we hope that the site purchases will be completed very soon, so that building can be commenced. The large new Board of Trade estate at Llantrissant is also partly intended to provide work for those living in the Rhondda.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will refer to the Monopolies Commission the gramophone record industry.

I am ready to consider any evidence which suggests that it would be in the public interest for the Monopolies Commission to investigate this industry.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will seek to make the necessary intergovernmental arrangements to enable operators to establish a direct air service between the United Kingdom and the German Democratic Republic; and if he will make a statement.

I am not prepared to enter into negotiations that would involve the East German authorities, whom Her Majesty's Government do not recognise.

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) when the routes for the flights of Concord over the United Kingdom will be determined;(2) if he will give an assurance that no final decision on the flight routes of Concord over the United Kingdom will be made without a full opportunity for local authorities and other bodies to make a full study of possible effects and to make representations.

The Concord will be flying subsonically within 100 miles or more of the United Kingdom airports served and this aspect will not, therefore, give rise to any unusual noise problem. The pattern and frequency of supersonic overflying of any part of the United Kingdom has not yet been determined but I can assure the hon. Member that a final decision will not be taken until the public have been given the fullest possible information on the likely effects and an opportunity afforded for relevant representations to be made and considered. It is, however, too early to give a specific assurance on the mode of such consultation.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will make an order consolidating the Patents Rules 1958 Order (S.I., 1958, No. 73) and subsequent amendment orders.

I am taking steps to initiate the required procedure for this.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what proposals he has for further investigations by the Monopolies Commission.

I propose to ask the Monopolies Commission to investigate the supply and export of rods for cigarette filter tips.

asked the Minister of Transport if she will state in table form the estimated number of vehicles using the M1, M2, M4 and M6 roads, respectively, during each of the past three years and in each case during the final year and the estimated number for each month for each motorway, respectively.

Year	M1	M2
1964	10,666,400	4,708,000
1965	11,705,000	—
1966	12,780,200	—

Year	M4	M6
1964	8,113,700	5,799,600
1965	11,312,500	7,069,500
1966	13,556,800	7,916,600

No records of traffic flow on M2 have been taken since 1964. M4. In 1966 additional check points were used and if the average of all these is taken then the average flow over the year would be 16,557,400. Table 1 figures being based on two check points only, viz., Slough and Maidenhead. (See Supplementary Table).

asked the Minister of Transport whether she will exempt doctors from regulations on speed limits in cases of emergency.

No. Speed limits are general safety measures, and this concession might defeat its own object.

asked the Minister of Transport what is the estimated cost of the Launceston by-pass on the A30; and when work on this is scheduled to begin.

Over £2 million. The scheme has not yet secured a place in the trunk road programme; it is being considered for inclusion in the next list of schemes for the preparation pool.

asked the Minister of Transport what was the expenditure per mile by the central Government on trunk roads in Cornwall, and in the rest of the United Kingdom, in each year from 1960 until the latest year for which figures are available.

I regret that the information is not available in the form the hon. Member seeks. I will write to him explaining the position.

asked the Minister of Transport what is the estimated total cost of converting the A30 between Exeter and Penzance into a dual carriageway, limited access, route.

To make a reliable estimate of the cost of such a project would be an expensive undertaking occupying many months of work. I regret that I cannot supply the information.

asked the Minister of Transport whether she is aware that the Chigwell Urban District Council has decided to make formal objection to her proposed route for the M11; and whether she will give an assurance that there will be full discussion of the detailed route within the urban district with interested parties before it is finally determined.

Yes; the council and other objectors will be consulted before the detailed route within the urban district is fixed.

asked the Minister of Transport which roads in the Metropolitan area have synchronised traffic signals.

Most traffic control signals in the central area of London are co-ordinated in various ways to provide progression to the main traffic flow.In some cases the overall plan changes at different times of the day to meet varying traffic conditions.In Greater London outside the central area, traffic control signals are coordinated wherever practicable.

asked the Minister of Transport if she is aware that a car park for 350 cars at Wembley Central Station, close to a busy shopping centre, is virtually unused because of the lack of signs advertising its existence; and if she will send a circular to local authorities and railway authorities urging them to cooperate with firms who provide this and other such car parks so that the public is made aware of their existence.

I understand that the operators of the car park have asked the Council of the London Borough of Brent to erect suitable roads signs and that the council is considering the matter. General guidance on the signposting of car parks is contained in paragraph 86 of Planning Bulletin No. 7, Parking in Town Centres, which was issued to all parking authorities in 1965.

asked the Minister of Transport what additional investments she is planning in the facilities for a liner-train terminal in Hull.

The Railways Board has submitted no proposals for additional investment in the freight liner terminal at Hull beyond the authority already given for the first stage of the freight liner network.

asked the Minister of Transport what provision is made by British Railways for the sale of obsolete steam locomotives to railway enthusiasts and preservation societies; and how many locomotives have been sold since 1st January, 1967, to date.

I understand from the Railways Board that applications to purchase redundant steam locomotives are considered by the Board, and prices are based on the current scrap values of the locomotives. Four locomotives have been sold to preservation societies since 1st January, 1967.

asked the Minister of Transport if she will give a general direction to the Railways Board to make arrangements for the running of special steam-hauled private trains on the national rail network in the current year; and how many applications are being considered by the Board.

No. A general direction would not be appropriate. I understand that the Board at present has 45 firm bookings for steam-hauled private trains, and are considering a further 18 applications.

asked the Minister of Transport to what extent she has decided to treat the noise level of 92 decibels as being the permissible maximum and why she has ignored the recommendations that the level of 85 decibels should be adopted as recommended by the Wilson Committee.

The maximum noise levels to be prescribed for various classes of motor vehicles in the Regulations which I intend to make have not been settled; the second part of the Question does not therefore arise.

asked the Minister of Transport what was the net revenue from road fund licences in the county of Cornwall in each year between 1960 and the latest year for which figures are available.

The information for 1960–61 is not readily available. The net revenue from Vehicle Excise Duty for the five succeeding years was:

	£ 000s
1961–62	1,164
1962–63	1,254
1963–64	1,379
1964–65	1,505
1965–66	1,970

asked the Minister of Transport whether she will now accept the invitation from the Port of Bristol Authority to visit the city and docks early in April, and the suggestion made to her by the hon. Member for Bristol, South, to view from the air the adjacent Severn countryside designated for survey as a possible development area with an ultimate population of over a million people, in relation to the Port of Bristol Authority's proposals for deep water container berths at Portbury.

I have accepted an invitation from the Port of Bristol Authority to visit Bristol on 14th April. I understand the Authority is arranging for a helicopter to be at hand, and if weather permits I shall be glad to view from the air as much of the Severnside area as will be possible in the time available.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government which coastal local authorities are to be charged for the cost of cleaning the crude oil drifting ashore from the "Torrey Canyon", in view of the fact that central funds were not available for this purpose; and if he will arrange for a special grant to repay the services of the Royal Navy on this occasion.

There is no question of local authorities having to pay for the cost of the present operation of cleaning the oil from the sea. Local authorities have been assured that financial assistance will be forthcoming if necessary in order to ensure that the work of clearing the oil from the beaches does not cause an excessive burden on local rates. The situation will, of course, be kept under review.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government when the joint working group on oil pollution will make its report.

The chairman of the joint working group has said that he hopes their report will be ready by the end of June.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government (1) whether in the light of the continuing menace of oil pollution, he will now introduce amending legislation to enable him to make a specific grant to coastal local authorities to help them financially in their task of clearing polluted beaches;(2) if he will give guidance and financial help to local authorities towards the establishment of mobile emergency teams, acting in co-operation with the Defence Department, to tackle problems of oil pollution both on sea and on land.

As far as oil from the "Torrey Canyon" is concerned, local authorities have been assured that financial assistance will be forthcoming if necessary in order to ensure that the work of clearing the oil from the beaches does not cause an excessive burden on local rates and the Department's officers have been helping local authorities in their preparations for dealing with pollution if it should occur. The situation is under continuing review.More permanent measures will be considered in the light of experience gained in the present operation and of the report of the point working group set up last October by the local authority associations and the Institute of Petroleum.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what measures are to be taken to reduce the amount of pollution in the River Thames.

The control of pollution requires the determination and enforcement of an appropriate standard of purity for each substantial discharge. The Thames Conservancy, for the non-tidal river, and the Port of London Authority, for the tidal river, give continuing attention to this problem. Any reduction in pollution must come from the improvement of existing discharges to the river and the restriction of new ones.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether the costs falling upon the county borough of Rotherham in respect of investigations and proceedings arising from allegations against members of that local authority will be reflected in the total of the rate support grant to that authority.

If the costs fall on the local authority, half will qualify for police grant and the remainder will be taken into account for rate deficiency grant or resources element of rate support grant.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will state the total financial costs of the Bognor Regis Inquiry, arising from the dispute of Mr. Paul Smith, at present General Secretary of the Local Government Reform Association, with the Bognor Regis Urban District Council, presented to him and the chairman and members of the Bognor Regis Urban District Council on 22nd October, 1965; and if he is satisfied that charges of corruption in local government were completely unsubstantiated.

The cost of the Bognor Regis Inquiry, which was shared equally between the Urban District Council and the Exchequer, was £2,111 10s. 4d.On the second part of the question I would refer my hon. Friend to the Reply that my right hon. Friend's predecessor gave on 16th November, 1965, to a Question by the hon. Member for Chichester (Mr. Loveys). My right hon. Friend's predecessor then said in reply to a supplementary question that the report had made clear that the charges of widespread corruption in local government were completely unsubstantiated.—[Vol. 720, c. 918.]

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what is the total staff of the Land Commission now situated in Bristol; and what will be the total staff by April, 1970.

The total number of staff is 115 now and between 20 and 30 staff may be added by 1970.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what is the total annual cost of the salaries of those staff of the Land Commission now based in Bristol.

£141,000, including Selective Employment Tax and employer's National Insurance contributions.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether the Land Commission will inform vendors and others who might be liable for levy in all cases where no liability to levy arises.

No. I have repeatedly said that in the ordinary case, if people do not hear within a few months, they can assume that there is no liability to levy.Advice on particular cases can however be sought from the appropriate office of the Land Commission who will inform the applicant whether on the facts before them levy appears to be payable.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he is aware that the basis on which local authorities are at present required to provide for capital repayments imposes an undue current burden upon them; and whether he will help by authorising them to amortise capital expenditure on the basis of a more realistic rate of interest than the 3½ per cent. now generally allowed.

I am aware of the problem which especially affects authorities which have large and increasing building programmes. I have already told local authorities with consolidated loans funds that they may base their provision for capital repayments on a rate of interest of 5 per cent., and this will reduce the rate of provision which needs to be made. I have now amended the Local Authorities (Sinking Fund) Regulations to give similar help to local authorities with mortgage loans pools.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he has yet received the consultant's report on the proposal for a new town in the Leyland, Chorley, area.

Yes. It is with the printers and it will be some time before it is published.I will then consult all the local authorities and the other interested bodies and consider the consultants' proposals in the light of the views expressed on the major issues involved.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what is Her Majesty's Government's policy with regard to reform of the law on leasehold flats.

Flats have been excluded from the Leasehold Reform Bill for practical reasons such as the difficulties of flying freeholds, but the legislation which the Government are preparing to implement the Report of the Wilberforce Committee on Positive Covenants affecting Land may enable flats to be brought within the scope of leasehold reform.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many owner-occupied dwellings have been purchased by local authorities under clearance orders since the passing of the Housing (Slum Clearance Compensation) Act, 1965; in how many cases the compensation paid was less than the market value of the property; and what estimate he has made of the additional cost if full market value had been paid for all these properties.

I regret that the information is not available.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what studies have been made into the toxic effects on white fish and shell fish of the emulsifier which is used to clear oil pollution at sea.