asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether, as soon as the resources are available, he will extend the benefits of the forces' family pensions scheme to the widows of soldiers who gave colour service before 1st September, 1950.

An extension would have repercussions for other widows of public servants who do not have pensions. The implications would need examination at the time.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what consultations he had with the Atomic Energy Authority regarding the use of nuclear reactors in naval surface ships.

The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority has been fully consulted and will continue to play an active part in our investigations into this matter.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence why he has made no announcements on the Grigg increases due in April, 1966, as they concern the legal officers of the Army and Royal Air Force.

I would refer the hon. Member to the Answer I gave this afternoon to a similar Question by the hon. Member for Hertfordshire, South-West (Mr. Longden).

asked the Secretary of State for Defence for what purpose he recently purchased the islands of Farquhar, Desroches and the Chagos Archipelago; and what strategic value, actual or potential, these islands have for the overall purposes of British defence.

The freeholds of the islands named, which are parts of the British Indian Ocean Territory, have been acquired to ensure that they will be freely available for facilities, such as refuelling or communications, which we might wish to establish. Their strategic value would derive from those facilities.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many officers above the rank of brigadier of the Army and the equivalent in the Navy and Air Forces representing the various countries are on the headquarters staff of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.

I can answer only for the United Kingdom's contribution. Excluding officers who hold a national appointment which also carries a N.A.T.O. responsibility, there are ten British officers above the rank of brigadier or equivalent serving as Allied Commanders-in-Chief or on the headquarters staff of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on his meeting in Washington with the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation Nuclear Planning Group.

I am glad to report that at its first meeting the Nuclear Planning Group made valuable progress on a wide variety of nuclear policy questions. Because of the importance of these matters I reproduce below the text of the Agreed Communiqué issued at the close of the meetings:

"The N.A.T.O. Nuclear Planning Group, composed of Ministers of Defence of seven N.A.T.O. countries, adjourned today after a two-day conference in Washington. Attending the first meeting of the Nuclear Planning Group were Paul Hellyer, Canada: Gerhard Schroeder, Germany: Romberto Tremelloni, Italy: Willem Den Toom, Netherlands: Ahmet Topaloglu, Turkey: Denis Healey, United Kingdom: and Robert S. McNamara, United States. N.A.T.O. Secretary-General Manlio Brosio was Chairman.

The United States Secretary of Defense, Mr. Robert S. McNamara, led a discussion of the strategic nuclear forces of the alliance and anti-ballastic missile defence. The Ministers reviewed the changes which have occurred in the strategic nuclear threat facing the Alliance since the meeting of the Nuclear Planning Working Group in February 1966, and the means and plans available to counter that threat. They concluded that the size of existing strategic nuclear forces and the plans for employing them are adequate to the need. They discussed the technical, strategic and financial aspects of ballistic missile defense including both the Soviet deployments and the U.S. R. and D. program, and agreed to keep this subject under review. The Ministers also received a report from Secretary McNamara on the current status of discussions initiated by the U.S. with the Soviet Government to explore ways of preventing a further spiralling of the arms race. The Ministers noted that the U.S. Government intends to keep its allies fully advised as these discussions progress. The United Kingdom Secretary of State for Defence Mr. Denis Healey, led a discussion of tactical nuclear forces. The Ministers agreed that the number of tactical nuclear weapons available to the Allied Commanders in Europe and the Atlantic are adequate but that the appropriate distribution of types of weapons should be kept under continuous review. They also agreed to initiate a number of specific studies to help in clarifying important questions related to the use of tactical nuclear weapons. Mr. Ahmet Topagloglu, the Minister of Defence of Turkey, led a discussion of Atomic Demolition Munitions and considerations related to the possible use of these weapons in the defence of the Treaty area. The Ministers agreed to conduct further studies on this subject.

Dr. Gerhard Schroeder, Minister of Defence of the Federal Republic of Germany, led a discussion on the role of host countries in Allied arrangements for the planning and use of nuclear weapons.

The Ministers noted that the Nuclear Planning Group itself as well as the Military Committee of the Alliance offer the opportunity for National Governments to exert a direct influence on nuclear planning in the Alliance through their senior political and military authorities. They will conduct further detailed studies on specific aspects of this question and will continue their discussion at the next Ministerial Meeting of the Nuclear Planning Group.

The Ministers set a work program for the future and agreed to meet again in Ankara in September 1967.

The Nuclear Planning Group is part of the permanent structure established by the North Atlantic Council at its Ministerial Meeting in Paris in December 1966. At that time, the Council established the Nuclear Defence Affairs Committee, open to all N.A.T.O. countries, to advise the Council on Nuclear Policy. At the same time the seven-nation Nuclear Planning Group was created to handle the detailed work of the Nuclear Defence Affairs Committee."

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many casualties have occurred to United Kingdom forces in Aden since October, 1964, giving the numbers of killed and wounded, respectively.

The figures for Aden State up to 10th April are 14 killed and 435 wounded.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many troops in Aden are currently employed solely on internal security duties.

Some 3,600 personnel of all three Services are currently engaged in internal security duties. In addition, there is a heavy burden of extra guards and picquets which all units, including administrative elements, share.

asked the Secertary of State for Defence what is the estimated foreign exchange cost of a battalion of troops maintained in Great Britain.

It has been estimated that about 15–20 per cent. of total final spending in Britain represents imports. The foreign exchange element in the cost of a battalion would not be markedly different from this average.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what was the total cost to United Kingdom public funds of the assistance given to the Government of Malaysia during the recent war with Indonesia.

The extra costs to the Defence Budget during the whole period of confrontation were about £15 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence to what extent the long-distance weather forecasts foretold the recent freak eight-week period of westerly winds.

The noteworthy spell of westerly winds extended only from about 19th February to 4th April this year. The persistent nature of the spell was well recognised in the forecast for March issued on 28th February, but the forecast issued in mid-February gave no indication of the long westerly spell to come.As the hon. Member is aware, long-range weather forecasts are based on analogies with the weather patterns of earlier years. Although about three quarters of the forecasts so produced are in moderate or good agreement with the weather actually experienced, some failures are to be expected since there is not always a close similarity between past and present weather patterns.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence on what evidence he bases his estimate that research and development on Anglo-French variable geometry aircraft will cost £200 million, and that unit cost will be £1·5 million, in the light of the fact that no precise estimates of development costs can be made until a project definition study is completed.

I am not prepared to confirm the precise figures used by my hon. Friend. Although precise estimates must await completion of the project studies, our current cost estimates are based on the extensive studies already carried out by the firms and on detailed parametric studies of other related aircraft of which we have considerable experience. The scrutiny of costs has been more thorough than for any other project at a comparable stage.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence on what date he ceased to maintain the concept of a datum aircraft in relation to the Anglo-French variable geometry concept.

I have no intention of abandoning this concept.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what orders have been obtained or are anticipated from Germany and other countries for the projected Anglo-French variable geometry aircraft.

It is too early yet to expect firm orders from other countries but we and the French are taking all possible steps to ensure that prospective customers know of our plans and what we will be able to offer. Join Anglo-French teams have visited Germany and Holland to discuss their possible operational requirements and the chief of the German Air Staff has visited the U.K. to learn more of the aircraft.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Anglo-French variable-geometry aircraft will be able to operate from the decks of United States aircraft carriers.

So long as the French maintain a requirement for a carrier-borne aircraft, that version of the A.F.V.G. aircraft will be able to operate from the decks of aircraft carriers. The British version is not designed to have this capability.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) whether the £1·5 million unit cost of the Anglo-French variable geometry aircraft includes an allowance for monetary inflation between now and 1974;(2) whether the £200 million figure for research and development cost of the Anglo-French variable geometry aircraft includes an allowance for monetary inflation between now and 1974.

I am not prepared to confirm the precise figures used for this particular project, but all our forward cost estimates are based on the level of prices current at the time they are made.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what estimate he has made of the cost of upgrading the Anglo-French variable geometry aircraft from a mach 2·2 aircraft to a mach 2·5 aircraft;(2) what estimate he has made of the extra weight of titanium needed to convert the projected mach 2·2 Anglo-French variable geometry aircraft into a projected mach 2·5 Anglo-French variable geometry aircraft; which parts of the aircraft in addition to windscreen and air-intakes would have for heat reasons to be coated with titanium; and what would be the cost of such an alteration.

As part of the process of determining the most cost effective aircraft officials have been considering at French request the implications of incorporating a high speed/capability beyond that called for by the operational requirement. Studies so far show that the modifications for achieving this would be expensive. We are in no way committed to adopt them.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what experience he has bought from the United States of America in the technical problems of operating a U2 above 80,000 feet, relevant to the Anglo-French variable geometry aircraft project; and what was the cost of such an agreement.

The Answer to the first part of the Question is "None"; the second part does not arise.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with the French Government on the operational requirements of an Anglo-French variable geometry aircraft.

I would refer to the Answer I gave this afternoon to a related Question by the hon. Member for St. Albans (Mr. Goodhew).

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the ratio of British Services' doctors to patients in West Germany.

The ratio of British Service doctors to patients in Germany is about 1 to 900.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what was the number of bombs dropped on the "Torrey Canyon", the number of direct hits, and the number of bombs which did not explode.

The total number of bombs and rockets used against the "Torrey Canyon" was 207. The ship was half submerged and obscured during the oil fire by thick clouds of smoke. These conditions made it impossible to count with any degree of certainty the number of misses and the number of bombs which did not explode.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the reason for the rise in costs in relation to the purchase of the F111K military aircraft from the United States of America.

As I indicated in reply to earlier Questions today the unit cost of the F111K, in real terms, continues to be about £2½ million as we have hitherto assumed. The ceiling price of £2·1 million for the basic aircraft is, however, subject to adjustment in the light of increases in the cost of labour and materials since April, 1965, and to allow for this to date I am adding something over £100,000 per aircraft for purposes of costing forward defence plans at current price levels.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether the £2·1 million price for the Fill includes an allowance for United States Monetary inflation.

No. The £2·1 million ceiling price is subject to adjustment in the light of increases in labour and material costs since April, 1965.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many troops are now stationed in Thailand; if the Royal Engineers have completed the airfield at Long Nok Tha; and what further tasks are being arranged for this unit.

About 400; for the Answer to the second and third parts of the Question I would refer to the Answer I gave this afternoon to similar Questions by the hon. Members for Lewisham, West (Mr. Dickens) and Feltham (Mr. Russell Kerr).

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements exist for Great Britain to participate in project Mallard.

Discussions are still proceeding on ways of associating the United Kingdom with Project Mallard.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what pledges he has given the Australian Government on the question of a continuing British military presence in the Far East.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to acquire extra training areas for tracked vehicles to meet future needs.

I have nothing to add to the Answer I gave the hon. Member for Stroud (Mr. Kershaw) on 10th February 1967.—[Vol. 741, c. 396–7.]

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he is satisfied with the number and quality of barrack places and married quarters available for troops and their families returning home in the next 12 months; and whether he will make a statement.

Yes. Apart from possible withdrawals from Europe, some addtional camps have been, or are being reactivated to meet the increased requirement in the U.K. Work is programmed to ensure that when troops are returned sufficient accommodation of an adequate standard will be available. I gave details to the House on 27th February 1967 of preparations being made to accommodate families.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence when he will make his decision concerning the future of the Royal Naval College, Greenwich.

I am aware of the widespread interest in this matter. Proposals for the future use of the College buildings are being considered and I will make a statement as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what studies he has made concerning ships specially designed to carry and operate V/STOL aircraft.

As my right hon. Friend said in his reply to the hon. Member for Haltemprice (Mr. Wall) on 18th January, we are looking at every possible way of meeting the Royal Navy's requirement for support in the tactical strike rôle.—[Vol. 739, c. 416–7.]

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what major deliveries of defence equipment and spares have been made to South Africa during the last year.

I would refer to the Answer I gave this afternoon to a related Question by the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will state either the quantity or value of textiles bought by his Department from abroad in the last year; and if he will state separately the figures for Portugal and Hong Kong.

My Department has not bought any textile piece goods, that is cotton and cotton blended cloths, directly from abroad in the last year. However, the value of such piece goods imported by our United Kingdom contractors, before being finished for us, totalled approximately £213,000; about £45,000 from Portugal and about £167,000 from Hong Kong.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether in future, on all occasions that he mentions a financial figure in a Parliamentary Answer, he will put in brackets after the figure, the year which forms the basis of his price calculation.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will state the total cost of the bomb modification programme which will enable Phantoms and F111s to use existing ammunition.

No. I told my hon. Friend on 7th April what it will cost to modify each bomb. It would not be in the public interest to divulge also the number of modified bombs we shall have. —[Vol. 744, c. 105.]

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he has taken to institute a detailed costing of the operations of Transport Command, as recommended by the Estimates Committee.

During the debate on the Air Estimates on 14th March I gave an undertaking to consider the Select Committee's recommendations with every care and to lay our comments before the House in due course in the customary manner. This is in hand.In the meantime I would state categorically that each main component of the R.A.F. transport force is fully costed every year and comparative costings made wherever there is a choice between executing a particular task with civil aircraft or with R.A.F. aircraft, and I would say specifically that I am considering in the light of the Committee's comments whether the basis of these comparative costings could usefully be altered.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he has taken to institute an examination of the possibility of making more use of the civil capacity of air charter companies for air trooping, as recommended by the Estimates Committee.

Consideration of this recommendation of the Estimates Committee is also in hand.I would only say now that in considering future orders for long-range aircraft for Transport Command, we shall continue to take into account all advantageous ways of using the capacity of the air charter companies and the air corporations.

asked the Minister of Transport (1) why the Lighting Working Party at present considering the use of reflective number plates meets only every two months;(2) if she will, in the interest of road safety, instruct her Lighting Working Party to meet more frequently to expedite their findings into the value of reflective number plates.

The Working Party on Vehicle Lighting and the Working Party reviewing the Motor Vehicle (Construction and Use) Regulations meet in alternative months. Many of the members attend both Working Parties and my right hon. Friend does not feel justified in asking them to meet more frequently.

asked the Minister of Transport on what date her Lighting Working Party last met; and on what date they are next to meet.

The Lighting Working Party last met on 28th February and is next due to meet on 9th May.

asked the Minister of Transport what progress has been made by her Lighting Working Party in con sideration of the effectiveness of reflective number plates for motor vehicles; and what proposals she has to speed up the deliberations of that Working Party.

The Lighting Working Party is still considering the use of reflectorised number plates and they will make recommendations when their study of this subject has been completed. We are satisfied that they appreciate the importance of this matter.

asked the Minister of Transport if she will take steps to ensure that no vehicle is allowed to carry loads of granulated minerals unless they are effectively covered to prevent spillage.

Provisions to ensure the safe loading of vehicles are already included in Regulation 75 of the Motor Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations, 1966. We have no evidence that spillage of granulated materials at present creates a significant hazard to safety. If my hon. Friend has any particular case in mind I should be pleased to have information about it.

asked the Minister of Transport if she will take time on television for a Ministerial broadcast to give hints to motorists on safe driving habits, in modern traffic conditions.

The need is not for an isolated Ministerial broadcast but for continuing education in safer driving and road safety. My Department is in regular touch on these matters with the broadcasting services and I myself give television interviews as appropriate on various aspects of road safety.

asked the Minister of Transport when she will reach a decision on the proposal that the overall length of articulated vehicles be increased to 15 metres.

As soon as draft regulations now being prepared to give effect to this and associated proposals have been circulated and my right hon. Friend has considered what view is taken of these.

asked the Minister of Transport if she will now introduce legislation to place the responsibility for the roadworthiness of a motor vehicle upon the vendor of the vehicle instead of, as at present, upon the purchaser.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the Answer given on the 8th February, 1967, to my hon. Friend the Member for Norwich, North (Mr. Wallace).—[Vol. 740, c. 320.]

asked the Minister of Transport what further interim action she proposes to take to hasten the rationalisation of parcels and sundries services in the public sector.

To permit greater efficiency and economy in their freight sundries service, and improved utilisation of their cartage fleet, I have given my consent under Section 4(2) of the Transport Act, 1962, to the request by the Railways Board that they should be permitted to carry parcels and sundries traffic throughout its journey by road. This is an important step towards the rationalisation of the nationalised road and rail freight services in preparation for the setting up of the national freight organisation.My consent is subject to the conditions that the Board shall not acquire additional vehicles for the purpose of exercising this additional power; and that the routes over which it is exercised must be approved by the Joint Parcels Organisation which the Board and the Transport Holding Company have established to promote inter working in the field of parcels and sundries traffic, on the basis of criteria drawn up by the Joint Parcels Organisation, and taking full account of the vehicle resources of T.H.C. companies. These road operations by the Railways Board will still, of course, be subject to the normal carriers' licensing requirements.

asked the Minister of Transport whether plans are now available showing in detail the line of the M62 from Ferrybridge to the River Ouse; and when it is expected to commence work on this road.

No. This road was in the recently announced list of schemes on which preparatory work is to go ahead with a view to subsequent inclusion in the road programme. It is too early yet to say when construction is likely to begin.

asked the Minister of Transport if she will make a statement on the provision of access points from Huddersfield to the proposed new section of the M62.(2) how many houses and other buildings will be affected by the provision of access points to the proposed new extension to the M62 as far as it affects Huddersfield.

We envisage providing a junction with A640 at Outlane for Lancashire traffic and full interchanges with A629 at Ainley Top and with A644 at Clifton. The effect of these junctions on property cannot at present be indicated. The improvement of New Hey Road (A640) will affect 17 dwelling houses, 3 shops and a barn.

asked the Minister of Transport when the widening of Scots Hill and of Cassio Bridge on the A142 between Rickmansworth and Watford will be put in hand.

These are improvements to A412 which is a classified road. Rickmansworth Urban District Council are the highway authority responsible for the widening at Scots Hill; I am told that present plans are to start work next summer. Watford Borough Council are the highway authority responsible for the Cassio Bridge improvement; I understand it is hoped that work can start before the end of this summer.

asked the Minister of Transport if she will state the estimated date by which the work in respect of the installation of crash barriers adjacent to the lighting columns on the central reservation of the M4 motorway will be completed.

By late summer.

asked the Minister of Transport when it is now expected that that part of the north orbital road between Maple Cross and Hunton Bridge will be started and completed.

As to the starting date of this improvement, I cannot add to the Answer given to the hon. Member on 24th June 1966. A scheme of this magnitude normally takes between 2 and 3 years to complete.—[Vol. 730, c. 170.]

asked the Minister of Transport what was the number of road casualties expressed as a proportion of the total traffic on the roads in each of the last five years.

The figures for Great Britain are:

				Casualties per 100 million motor vehicle miles
1962	…	…	…	437
1963	…	…	…	433
1964	…	…	…	422
1965	…	…	…	412
1966	…	…	…	385

asked the Minister of Transport whether the proportion of road accidents attributable to drink has increased during the last three years.

The figures are not available for the reasons given to my hon. Friend the Member for Watford (Mr. Raphael Tuck) on 8th March.—[Vol. 742, c. 1494.]

asked the Minister of Transport if she will now announce her decision concerning improvements to the A4 Bath road through Thatcham which are needed to ensure the safety of the local residents; and if she will authorise the necessary work as a matter of urgency.

Following a meeting with local representatives at Thatcham, the Divisional Road Engineer is considering what practical improvements are feasible to improve safety. I will write to the hon. Member shortly.

asked the Minister of Transport when she intends to confirm the side roads order for the proposed M56 road from Hapsford to Preston Brook, the Centre Line order for which was confirmed in February 1967.

My right hon. Friend will publish an Order by the end of the month.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will now give further details concerning the agreement he has reached with Portugal over its future level of textile exports to this country.

I have nothing to add to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Oldham, West (Mr. Hale) on 15th March.—[Vol. 743, c. 474–5.]

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will negotiate new global quotas for cotton textiles taking into consideration the changed circumstances arising from increased Portuguese imports.

The present global quotas were negotiated with the exporting countries for a five year period, and I have no ground for thinking that any attempt to renegotiate them would be beneficial to the British industry. As to Portuguese imports, I have already said that I have every reason to believe that these will not continue to run at the rate of recent months.

asked the President of the Board of Trade at what level of imports of Polish eggs he will consider using his powers under the Customs Duties (Dumping and Subsidies) Act 1957.

I have nothing to add to the reply I gave to the hon. Members for Chippenham (Mr. Awdry) and Galloway (Mr. Brewis) on 15th February [Vol. 741, c. 116–7.], to which I referred in my reply to the hon. Member for Aberdeen-shire, West (Mr. James Davidson) on 22nd March.—[Vol. 743, c. 275–6.]

asked the President of the Board of Trade what action he proposes to take to implement the Monopolies Commission's report on detergents.

I have nothing to add to the reply which I gave my honourable Friend on 15th March.—[Vol. 743, c. 97–8.]

asked the President of the Board of Trade what consideration has been given to paragraph 257 of the Yorkshire and Humberside Economic Planning Council's review of Yorkshire and Humberside; and whether he will make a statement.

With my right hon. Friend the First Secretary of State and other colleagues, my right hon. Friend hopes shortly to meet the Chairman of the Yorkshire and Humberside Economic Planning Council to discuss in more detail this and other recommendations in the review.

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) how many firms in Scotland have been refused Board of Trade grants because they were running bank overdrafts;(2) what procedure his Department follows when dealing with firms which apply for Board of Trade grants when such firms are running bank overdrafts.

I assume that these Questions relate to grants under the Local Employment Acts. All applications for these grants are considered by the independent Board of Trade Advisory Committee in accordance with the Acts. A bank overdraft would be taken into account in the Committee's consideration but is unlikely to be the sole determining factor. The Committee does not give reasons for its decisions.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many grants have been made to date in the Bradford area towards the provision of automatic fire alarms and sprinkler systems under the Industrial Development Act; and what is the total amount of such grants.

This information is not available. Grants have been payable only since 1st April. Statistical records are being kept, but it would involve a disproportionate cost to provide information in this detail.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what estimate he has made of the annual amounts of foreign currency earned by British registered aircraft and ships, respectively, in each of the last five years by the carriage of passengers and freight.

The information available is given in tables 8 and 9 of "United Kingdom Balance of Payments, 1966", published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that the "Torrey Canyon" travelled too far inland in breach of regulations and at too high a speed and ran into a fishing fleet; and if he will take steps to protect British fishing fleets from similar invasions of their traditional fishing grounds.

The Liberian Government is conducting an inquiry to establish the cause of this casualty. The Government has already made known the urgent steps it is taking to have the implications of the disaster fully considered.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his estimate of the annual cost of importing foreign eggs, beef and pigmeat.

The information, based on the average annual costs in the last three years of imports from all sources including the Commonwealth, is as follows:

			£ million
Beef and veal	…	…	108·9
of which
Fat Cattle	…	…	6·9
Carcase Meat	…	…	80·7
Canned	…	…	21·3
Pigmeat	…	…	155·7
of which
Pork	…	…	3·5
Bacon and Ham	…	…	114·5
Canned	…	…	37·7
Eggs	…	…	4·7
of which
Shell	…	…	2·4
Processed	…	…	2·3

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will arrange for a national soil and land use survey of the whole country to be carried out.

Arrangements already exist for surveys both of soil types and of land utilisation. The former is the responsibility of the Soil Survey of England and Wales, under the aegis of the Agricultural Research Council. The results, showing the distribution of soil types, are published by the Soil Survey Research Board. A survey of land use is currently being conducted on a voluntary basis by the Second Land Utilisation Survey of Britain, and the results are being published as they become available.In addition, our Department is currently carrying out a survey of agricultural land quality in England and Wales. One of the main aims of this survey is to correlate the physical properties of agricultural land with its productive capacity, and so to provide guidance to planners in selecting or avoiding particular areas of agricultural land for non-agricultural development. The first survey maps, together with an explanatory report, will be available shortly, and I hope that the survey will be completed over the next two to three years.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what arrangements will be made to help the bacon curing industry following the ending of the temporary scheme of assistance; and whether he will make a statement.

The exceptional difficulties that have recently faced the bacon curing industry have arisen from the decline in the number of pigs, and the measures we have taken to restore the level of pig production were set out in the White Paper on the Annual Review and Determination of Guarantees 1967 (Cmnd. 3229).These difficulties were alleviated by the temporary scheme of assistance introduced last December. In announcing that scheme I said that it was our desire to see a strong and efficient bacon curing industry, and that I should be discussing with the industry what action to that end might be necessary in the longer term.In the light of these discussions, the Government have decided to introduce new arrangements designed to bring greater long-term stability to bacon curing. Essentially these arrangements will rest on a comparison between the price of pigmeat for bacon on the one hand and the returns from the market on the other. When this shows a situation seriously adverse to curers generally, assistance will be given from the Exchequer; and conversely, when the situation is favourable to curers generally a levy will become payable. Between the two will be an area of some loss or profit in which neither assistance nor levy will operate. This will ensure that there is a continuing spur to efficiency of operation. The arrangements will also provide for the rate of assistance or the rate of levy to be scaled down in certain circumstances having regard to the quantity of bacon produced, in the interests of other users of pigmeat, and having regard to the provision of the Bacon Market Sharing Understanding.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is satisfied with the current building programme of teacher training colleges; and what estimate he has made of the shortage of teachers by 1970–71, when the school-leaving age is to be raised.

The current building programme is designed to enable the colleges of education to meet the expected demand for places.As regards the second part of the Question, it is impossible to make a close estimate, but the number of qualified teachers in primary and secondary schools is expected to rise to about 44,600 by 1970–71. This would be about 6,400 short of requirements as at present forecast.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give details of the incidence of cysticercous bovis in areas of meat inspection authorities in Scotland during the years 1964 to inclusive.

The following table gives the information requested.

ANNUAL PERCENTAGE INCIDENCE OF CYSTICERCUS BOVIS
Counties	1964	1965	1966
Aberdeen	·35	·78	·84
Angus	·25	·15	·25
Argyll	Nil	Nil	Nil
Ayr	·42	·76	Nil
Banff	Nil	Nil	Nil
Berwick	·04	·10	·05
Bute	Nil	Nil	Nil
Caithness	Nil	·04	Nil
Clackmannan	·09	·08	·04
Dumfries	·10	·14	·63
East Lothian	·56	·41	1·14
Fife	·50	·34	·16
Inverness	Nil	·24	·14
Kincardine	Nil	Nil	Nil
Kirkcudbright	·32	·30	·28
Lanark	·08	·09	·07
Moray	·42	·49	·49
Nairn
Orkney	Nil	Nil	Nil
Peebles	·51	·39	Slaughterhouse closed September 1965
Perth and Kinross	·06	·24	·08
Renfrew	·25	·21	·12
Ross and Cromarty	·50	·23	·10
Roxburgh	·07	·01	·08
Selkirk	Nil	·17	·42
Sutherland	Nil	·08	Nil
West Lothian	·11	·34	·37
Wigtown	·04	·15	·29
Zetland	Nil	·11	Nil
Large Burghs
Aberdeen	·05	·05	·05
Arbroath	·03	·19	1·32
Ayr	·51	·51	·82
Coatbridge	·10	·19	Slaughterhouse closed November 1965
Dumbarton	2·36	·22	·15
Dumfries	1·29	1·64	1·08
Dundee	·26	·29	·24
Dunfermline	·49	·34	Nil
Edinburgh	·39	·47	·39
Falkirk	·01	Nil	·09
Glasgow	·10	·08	·05
Greenock	·04	·02	Nil
Hamilton	·07	·05	·04
Inverness	·06	·04	Nil
Kilmarnock	·24	·20	·26
Kirkcaldy	·18	·14	·06
Motherwell and Wishaw	·29	·14	·08
Paisley	·66	·54	·18
Perth	·05	·09	·02
Stirling	·30	·42	·22

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland to what extent he took account of the assessors' recent revaluation of housing in the new towns when sion was taken to introduce new structures.

This and all other relevant factors were taken into account by the new town development corporations in drawing up the scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he proposes taking to deal with the rapidly worsening staffing situation in Glasgow schools with its sequential increase in part-time education for large numbers of the city's pupils; and whether, to meet this problem, he will adopt the recommendations of the Roberts Committee Report as suggested by the local association of the Educational Institute for Scotland in their letter to him dated 23rd March, 1967.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the replies given on 5th April to the hon. Members for Glasgow, Cathcart (Mr. Edward M. Taylor), Glasgow, Hillhead (Mr. Galbraith) and Glasgow, Pollok (Mr. Wright). —[Vol. 744, c. 224–5; c. 241.]

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has for the development of the hospital services under his jurisdiction in North-East Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

The North-Eastern Regional Hospital Board's proposals for the future development of its services are set out in its Hospital Plan, published in 1964, which it is at present bringing up to date. I have asked the Board to send my hon. and learned Friend a copy of its up-to-date plan when it is available.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the recent changes in the personnel, control, management and scope of the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board and its plans for the future development of trade and industry in North-East Scotland, indicating what sums he and the Board plan to advance to industries actual and prospective, and which industries.

There have been no changes affecting the Board's activity in encouraging and supporting the development of trade and industry in its area. The Board is not empowered to give financial assistance to industrial firms.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what local naval forces are being trained to undertake sea defences of Aden when South Arabia attains independence.

With assistance from Her Majesty's Government the Federal Government is raising a small naval force for coastal protection after independence.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will enter into discussions with the South Arabian Federal Government about delaying the complete withdrawal of British forces from Aden until all Egyptian troops have left the Yemen.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how Aden will be defended from the air after the South Arabian Federation becomes independent.

I have nothing to add to my reply to the right hon. Gentleman the Member for Wolverhampton, South-West (Mr. Powell) on 6th March. —[Vol. 742, c. 194.]

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what arrangements he has made for the air defence of Aden following the granting of indedence to the South Arabian Federation.

I have nothing to add to my reply to the right hon. Gentleman the Member for Wolverhampton, South-West (Mr. Powell) on 6th March, 1967. —[Vol. 742, c. 194.]

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will publish a list of members of the United Nations which have now complied with the request of the Secretary-General to inform him what action each has taken to implement the Resolution applying selective mandatory sanctions to Rhodesia; and which of those members have now undertaken to honour the Resolution in full and which have not.

The 92 countries which to date have complied with the request of the Secretary-General for information about the progress of implementation of the Security Council Resolution of 16th December last, are:

Afghanistan	Luxembourg
Albania	Malawi
Algeria	Malaysia
Argentine	Mali
Australia	Malta
Austria	Mauritania
Belgium	Mexico
Botswana	Mongolia
Brazil	Nepal
Bulgaria	Netherlands
Byelorussia	New Zealand
Burma
Cameroon	Nicaragua
Canada	Niger
Ceylon	Nigeria
Chile	Norway
China	Pakistan
Colombia	Philippines
Costa Rica	Poland
Cyprus	Portugal
Czechoslovakia	Roumania
Dahomey	Rwanda
Denmark	Sierra Leone
Ecuador	Singapore
E1 Salvador	Spain
Ethiopia	Sweden
Finland	Switzerland
France	Syria
Gabon	Thailand
Federal Republic of Germany	Togo
Greece	Tunisia
Guinea	Turkey
Guyana	U.A.R.
Hungary	Uganda
Iceland	Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic
India
Indonesia	Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
Iraq
Ireland	United Kingdom
Israel	United Republic of Tanzania
Italy
Ivory Coast
Jamaica	United States of America
Japan
Kenya	Upper Volta
Republic of Korea	Venezuela
Lesotho	Yemen
Libya	Yugoslavia
Liechtenstein	Zambia

The texts of all the replies can be studied with copies of the Secretary-General's reports of 21st February and 9th March which have been placed in the Library. Most countries have indicated that they have taken or are about to take measures to ensure compliance with the resolution.

asked the Minister of Technology what is the estimated cost of the engines for the Concord; and what information on the matter has already been made available to him by the manufacturing company.

The current official estimate of the costs of developing Concord is £450 million to be shared equally between Britain and France, plus an overall contingency of £50 million. Of the £450 million, about £180 million is for the engine. The manufacturers provide quarterly reports in which actual costs are compared with budgeted costs.

asked the Minister of Technology what further research and development, and similar work, will be necessary in respect of the 50 F111 aircraft he plans to order from the United States of America after they are delivered to this country; what is the estimated overall cost of this work; and whether he will make a statement.

It is expected that clearance will have been given for the aircraft, and for the functioning of the British equipment which is being fitted, before delivery from the United States. Some further work will be required to prove the aircraft's various operational configurations, but it is not yet possible to state its extent.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the refusal of the Chief Minister of St. Vincent to provide a quorum for a debate on a no confidence motion in the legislature; and whether, in view of the confused situation, he will postpone the date on which the new associated territory status is planned to come into effect on the island.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the political situation in St. Vincent.

The present difficulties in St. Vincent arose when an elected Minister crossed the Floor on 16th March. The Government Party previously held a 5–4 majority of the elected members. As the situation developed, it appeared that the correct first step in resolving the situation was that the elected members should be asked to show whether or not they retained confidence in the Government. It appeared from an exchange of messages with the Chief Minister that the business of the Legislature was unlikely to be arranged so that a motion of no confidence would be given priority. An Order in Council was made on 5th April empowering the Administrator to summon a meeting of the Legislature for the purpose of hearing such a motion. On the same day a message was received from the Chief Minister advising the immediate dissolution of the Legislature to be followed as soon as possible by fresh elections on the existing nine-constituency basis. I agreed that this was the right solution and the Legislature was dissolved on 7th April. I considered it right, however, that in the circumstances there should be complete political impartiality in the administration of the territory during the election period. An Order in Council has been made today dissolving the Executive Council and conferring sole responsibility for the administration of St. Vincent on the Administrator. He will retain these powers until a new Government is formed immediately after the election, which is expected to be held on 16th May, but will consult with the leaders of both parties represented in the last Legislature on all significant matters within the responsibilities hitherto allocated to Ministers.In the Agreement signed with the Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition of St. Vincent on 1st February, published as a White Paper (Cmnd. 3219), it was envisaged that Associated Statehood would be conferred on St. Vincent not later than 1st June this year, and provisional arrangements had in fact been made for Statehood Day on 29th May. While it remains our objective that St. Vincent should become an Associated State as soon as circumstances permit, it is now clear that it will not be practicable to keep to this date.

asked the Minister of Health what is the doctor-patient ratio in the National Health Service.

One to 1,135, including part-time doctors and excluding those employed by local authorities and those not engaged in clinical work.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will make a statement about acquisitions of property in lieu of Estate Duty.

Sissinghurst Castle, its gardens and some 270 acres of adjoining agricultural land have been offered to Inland Revenue by the Executors of the late Lady Nicolson (Miss Victoria Sackville West) in part satisfaction of estate duty. The offer has been accepted, at a cost to the National Land Fund of £41,500, and the property has been transferred to the National Trust, which will hold it for the enjoyment of the public.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will give a list of organisations engaged in cancer research; and whether he will have consultations to co-ordinate such research, and also that research undertaken by other different organisations into a single medical subject.

An exhaustive list is not available. Cancer research is undertaken in the United Kingdom through the Medical Research Council, Universities, hospitals of the National Health Service and a number of voluntary bodies of which the British Empire Cancer Campaign for Research and the Imperial Cancer Research Fund are the largest. The most fruitful forms of collaboration between research workers are of an informal nature—through publications in the scientific journals, attendance at conferences and other meetings. But one of the Medical Research Council's main functions is to keep all biomedical research under review and to this end it maintains close links with the principal organisations, including the major voluntary bodies, concerned with cancer and other diseases. I am satisfied that these co-ordinating arrangements are fully adequate to prevent undesirable duplication and to ensure the most effective apportionment of total funds available.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what is the estimated cost of the preliminary feasibility and cost benefit study of the proposals for the crossing of the Dee estuary; and whether he intends to publish such report as presented by the consulting engineers.

The agreement with the consulting engineers provides for payment of £52,500 for this study. The report is being printed and will be published as soon as possible.

Period		Numbers Wholly Unemployed (Great Britain)	Index of Weekly Wage Rates (United Kingdom)	Index of Industrial Production—Seasonally adjusted (United Kingdom)	Index Number of Wholesale Prices (Home Market Sales) All Manufactured Products (United Kingdom)
		Percentage Changes
September, 1957 to April, 1958	…	+56·5	+1·1	-3	+0·4
July, 1961 to February, 1962	…	+65·7	+1·6	-1½	+ 1·8
July, 1966 to February, 1967	…	+108·2	+0·9	-2½*	+0·4
* July, 1966 to January, 1967.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will state the average cost estimated by the Greater London Council Housing Department for one-, two- and three-bed-roomed dwellings, respectively, for housing projects to be started in the year 1967–68.

I regret that forecasts of G.L.C. housing costs are not available in the form requested.

asked the Minister of Labour what was the percentage change in wholly unemployed, the index of weekly wage rates, the index of weekly earnings, less overtime, the index of salary rates, the index of salary earnings, the seasonally adjusted index of industrial production and the index of wholesale prices between September 1957 and April 1958, July 1961 and February 1962, and July 1966 and February 1967, respectively.

Following is the information in so far as it is available:

Period	All full-time manual workers Average weekly earnings excluding the effect of overtime Percentage change
October, 1957 to April, 1958	+ 1·2
April, 1961 to October, 1961	+2·1
April, 1966 to October, 1966	+1·3

asked the Minister of Labour how many workers in the cotton textile and man-made fibre industry are registered as unemployed; what is the number of known vacancies; and what were the comparable figures in each of the past six months.

Following is the information for Great Britain for the spinning and doubling of cotton, flax and man-made fibres and the weaving of cotton, linen and man-made fibres (Minimum List Headings 412 and 413 of the Standard Industrial Classification). This

		Heywood		Royton		Littleborough
		Unemployed	Vacancies	Unemployed	Vacancies	Unemployed	Vacancies
March, 1967	…	346	37	185	7	26	14
February, 1967	…	64	34	209	12	49	8
January, 1967	…	44	47	43	33	132	9
December, 1966	…	38	45	65	16	14	22
November, 1966	…	30	64	27	32	6	26
October, 1966	…	38	77	24	36	8	47
September, 1966	…	16	97	5	36	5	40

The numbers registered as unemployed who last worked in these industries have been expressed as percentages of the total estimated numbers of employees for Hey-wood and Littleborough. As Royton and Shaw form a "travel to work" area, percentages can be calculated for the area as a whole but not separately for its constituent parts. The Percentages were:

asked the Minister of Labour how many workers in the cotton textile and man-made fibre industry are registered as unemployed; what is the number of known vacancies in Heywood, Royton, Crompton, Milnrow, Wardle, Littleborough and Whitworth; what were the comparable figures in each of the past six months; and what percentage of the total labour force in each of these towns these figures represent.

Information is available for Heywood, Royton and Little-borough, each of which has its own Employment Exchange, but not for Crompton, Milnrow, Wardle and Whitworth which form only parts of Employment Exchange areas. Following is the information for the spinning and doubling of cotton, flax and man-made fibres and the weaving of cotton, linen and manmade fibres (Minimum List Headings 412 and 413 of the Standard Industrial Classification), showing the total numbers registered as unemployed who last worked in these industries and the numbers of notified vacancies remaining unfilled:

		Heywood	Royton and Shaw	Little-borough
March, 1967	…	3·06	2·78	0·46
February, 1967	…	0·57	2·52	0·86
January, 1967	…	0·39	2·08	2·33
December, 1966	…	0·34	1·63	0·25
November, 1966	…	0·27	0·41	0·01
October, 1966	…	0·34	0·27	0·01
September, 1966	…	0·14	0·05	0·01

asked the Minister of Labour what estimate he has made of the increase in labour costs to the industry by the abolition of concessionary fares for British seamen on British Railways.

None. The basis on which the estimate should be made has not yet been determined by the industry.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has had about conditions of employment of au pair girls; and what action he proposes to take.

The main representations are that the present minimum age of 15 is too low, that a standard form of agreement should be signed by the au pair girl and the head of the receiving family, and that there should be a system of licensing the agencies which deal with au pair placings. The first two points are covered by recommendations made by the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe which I shall shortly be discussing with representative organisations in this country. The third may be met by the Employment Agencies (Regulation) Bill.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development if he will issue a revised table showing the percentages of national income, during the financial years 1964–65 and 1965–66, represented by Government aid to developing countries and by the new long-term movement of private capital to those countries in accordance with the criteria agreed at the 1964 U.N.C.T.A.O. Conference, and the total of national income, Government aid and private capital to which these percentages relate.

I am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman for the opportunity to provide a revised version of the table included in my reply of 21st February. This relates to calendar years as the figures available cannot be sufficiently accurately broken down on a financial year basis to justify publication.

	£ million	£ million
	1964	1965
1. Net national product at factor cost (National Income)	26,593	28,279
2. Flow of official resources (net of amortization)	175	172
3. 2 as a percentage of 1	0·66	0·61
4. Estimated flow of private resources (net)*	143	151
5. 4 as a percentage of 1	0·54	0·53
6. Total flow of official and private resources	318	323
7. 6 as a percentage of 1	1·20	1·14
* Private Investment, net of disinvestment, plus the net change in the amount of private export credits under British official guarantee of over one year's maturity. —[Vol. 741: c. 262–63.]

asked the Postmaster-General why a telephone subscriber with an instrument in a colour other than black has to, pay more for having that instrument moved than a subscriber with a black telephone.

When telephone instruments are moved we charge the same for black as for other colours. If my hon. Friend has a specific case in mind I will gladly look into it.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he will allow existing telephone subscribers of modest means to pay their telephone rents by instalments when they move house instead of having to pay a year's rent in advance.

No. I cannot make special arrangements to meet the needs of individual circumstances.

asked the Postmaster-General when people living in Wales will be able to receive B.B.C.2.