asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what is the estimated increase or decrease in work load in his Department's establishment within the next 12 months.

Expenditure on works and supplies services has risen from £271 million in the financial year 1966–67 to an estimated £292 million in the financial year 1967–68, an increase of about 8 per cent.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works whether he will take steps to clean down the roof of the cloisters and the Members staircase at the House of Commons during the Summer Recess.

I will arrange to have this work done, but I am afraid it cannot start until the 1968 Summer Recess. My Department already has a very full programme for the 1967 Summer Recess.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what study is being made by his Department of the use of glass fibre reinforced plastics in the housebuilding and construction industries; and if he will make a statement.

No specific study of the use of glass fibre reinforced plastics is being made by my Department but the Building Research Station has made a study of the weathering behaviour of this material and a good deal of development work is going on in the industry. My Department is keeping abreast of these developments.

asked the Minister of Health in view of the fact that the hazards of cancer are not minimised by smokers switching from cigarettes to cigars or pipe, whether he will take steps to prohibit the advertising of cigars and pipe tobacco on television.

No, Studies have shown that pipe and cigar smokers are less likely to develop lung cancer than cigarette smokers. I agree nevertheless that the best advice to cigarette smokers is to stop smoking altogether.

asked the Minister of Health what study his Department has made of the connection between the practice of preparing citrus drinks by pulverising the whole fruit, and the risk of cancer to the consumer; and whether he will make a statement.

I am not aware of any risk to the consumer arising from the use of pulverised whole citrus fruit.

asked the Minister of Health what are his plans to encourage more women doctors to return to the practice of the profession.

I would refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend's reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Harrow, East (Mr. Roebuck) on 23rd June, 1966.—[Vol. 730, c. 139.]

asked the Minister of Health when he expects to conclude discussions with the profession on the basis on which a salaried method of payment might be offered to those general practitioners who wish to be paid in this way.

My right hon. Friend is anxious to find a sound basis for payment by salary for those family doctors who would prefer this. He has made certain proposals but he cannot yet predict when his discussions with the representatives of the profession will be concluded.

asked the Minister of Health whether there has been a fall or a rise in the price index of pharmaceutical products during the past 10 years; and if he will compare this on a percentage basis with the overall price of the products of manufacturing industry as a whole during the same period.

The wholesale price index for pharmaceutical preparations, published by the Board of Trade, shows a rise of 4·1 per cent. between 1956 and 1966. This index is, however, based on a cross-section of products which were on the market in 1954, and does not reflect the many important new drugs which have been introduced subsequently. Over the same period the index for all manufactured products (home market sales) rose by 24·6 per cent.

asked the Minister of Health what arrangements he proposes to make in order to safeguard the interests of diabetic patients and invalids requiring a special diet including a high proportion of food items of which the cost is likely to be significantly increased if Great Britain joins the European Economic Community.

No special action appears likely to be required since there are already arrangements made by my Department, by the Supplementary Benefits Commission of the Ministry of Social Security and by local health and welfare authorities to help where necessary invalids and people who may need special nourishment.

asked the Minister of Health what progress the Advisory Committee on Drug Dependence has made in considering the question of publicity about the effects of drug addiction on health.

The Advisory Committee have set up a Sub-Committee on Health Education and Publicity to give detailed consideration to the matter.

asked the Minister of Health what steps he is taking to end the anomaly whereby partially disabled persons receive free cars and other benefits from the National Health Service, whereas the totally disabled receive no assistance in arranging private transport.

I would refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend's statement on 15th February.—[Vol. 741, c. 523–31.]

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that the funds of the Sheffield Regional Hospital Board are so limited that there is only sufficient money for 39 out of 90 medical and dental staff required; and if he will take steps to remedy this situation.

I would refer my hon. Friend to my right hon. Friend's reply to his Question on 5th June.—[Vol. 747, c. 116–117.]

asked the Minister of Health if he will send a circular to hospital authorities reminding them of the rights of patients in regard to medical experiments, and asking for regular reports of the number and type of such experiments.

My right hon. Friend is not aware of any evidence that the comprehensive guidance circulated in September 1964 is not being followed. Special reports do not seem called for.

asked the Minister of Health which mental hospitals have geriatric units where patients are in the care of geriatric consultants.

Geriatric consultants do not normally have charge of units in psychiatric hospitals, but may be brought into consultation or hold sessional appointments.

asked the Minister of Health what is his best estimate of the present average cost per week of maintaining an in-patient at a teaching hospital in England.

Teaching hospitals cover a variety of undergraduate and post-graduate hospitals, providing a wide range of treatment and training facilities. The average costs per in-patient week shown in the Hospital Costing Returns for the year ended 31st March, 1966, for teaching hospitals in England and Wales classified as acute and costed under the main scheme were £56 11s. 6d. in London and £50 13s. 11d. in the Provinces.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will give for the years 1951, 1956, 1961 and 1966, respectively, the numbers of the separate classes of members of regional hospital boards as a whole, the Birmingham Regional Hospital Board and the North Staffordshire Hospital Management Committee, respectively.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence which naval units are currently engaged on patrol duties off the coast of Mozambique; and whether this naval patrol has been maintained at all times in the past fortnight.

It is not the practice to disclose details of current fleet deployments but the hon. Gentleman can be assured that the Navy has continued to meet its commitments.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the progress being made on the MacNamara Committee proposals for sharing control of nuclear weapons within the Western Alliance.

I have nothing to add at present to my reply to the hon. Member on 12th April, when I set out the full text of the Agreed Communiqué issued after the first meeting of the N.A.T.O. Nuclear Planning Group.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what was the total tonnage of flax and tow yarn imported into the United Kingdom in each month from January, 1967, till the latest available month; and whether he will estimate what proportion of each of these totals is used in Scotland.

The following is the information on imports:

Imports of flax or ramie yarn
1967					tons
January	…	…	…	…	319
February	…	…	…	…	189
March	…	…	…	…	214
April	…	…	…	…	197

I have no knowledge of the proportion of imported yarns that are used in Scotland.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what was the total mileage flown by all British airlines in 1964, 1965 and 1966.

Revenue mileages flown by aircraft of United Kingdom airlines in 1964, 1965 and 1966 were 171, 183 and 199 million miles respectively.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what was the staff strength of the Air Safety Department on 1st January, 1965, 1966 and 1967, respectively.

Some 5,000 staff in the Board of Trade provide services designed to promote the safety and regularity of air travel. Of this number, at 1st January, 1967, 169 were directly engaged in the licensing of aircrews, certification of the competence of operators, accidents prevention and work connected with airworthiness and aircraft performance. The corresponding figures for 1965 and 1966 were 171 and 169 respectively.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will now take action to prevent dumping in this country of wood chipboard, in view of increasing imports and the official encouragement which has been given to the establishment of factories in the United Kingdom for its manufacture, especially in development areas.

Demand has been expanding and British production has risen steadily in recent years. Imports have also been increasing, but I have no reason to believe that any significant proportion is dumped or subsidised. The industry know that if they have evidence that dumped imports are causing or threatening them with material injury, they can apply for anti-dumping action under the Customs Duties (Dumping and Subsidies) Act.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many companies during the year 1966 failed to complete an annual return within the time laid down in Section 126 of the Companies Act, 1948.

70,000 companies have been informed that they failed to forward annual returns in respect of the year 1966, and it is estimated that a further 90,000 companies will be so informed.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many staff now were employed at Companies House on 1st January, 1966 and 1st January, 1967, respectively; and what increase in staff he anticipates will be necessary to meet the requirements of the Companies Bill currently before the House.

The number of staff employed was 552 on 1st January, 1966, and 536 on 1st January, 1967. It is estimated that the number may increase to 590 over the next two years.

asked the Minister of Transport what has been the cost to date of the Victoria underground line extension preparatory engineering works in Bessborough Gardens, Westminster; what will be the total cost if approval for the extension is not given; and by whom it will be paid.

No bills have yet been rendered for the work. The cost, if approval for the extension is not given, would depend on the timing of a decision not to proceed. Any cost would be borne by the London Transport Board. They have been authorised to spend up to £100,000.

asked the Minister of Transport what was the cost to public funds of asking all motorists their opinion of the 70 miles per hour speed limit, as stated in page 32 of the Road Research Laboratory Special Report No. 6.

The cost of this survey of a sample of motorists was £1,700.

asked the Minister of Transport by the end of which year in the 1970s she expects the first 1,000 miles of motorway to have been completed.

We still expect to finish 1,000 miles of motorway in England and Wales by the early 1970s. But for a project of this size and complexity, with its inherent uncertainties because of climate and of the deep impact it makes on people and property, it is impracticable at this stage to specify a precise year for completion.

asked the Minister of Transport what she estimates to be the cost of building a northern access road where the Midland motorway is to join the M1.

About £1 million, but there are more convenient routes between Birmingham and the North-East.

asked the Minister of Transport if she will give the latest figure showing how much of Great Britain's gross national product was devoted to the road programme; and if she will also give the comparable figures for other Western European countries, available to her from international sources.

In 1965–66 approximately 0·6 per cent. of Great Britain's gross national product at factor cost was devoted to public expenditure on the new construction and major improvement of roads. Comparable figures for other Western European countries are not readily available from official international sources for that year.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs what reply he has sent to the request of Mr. Robert Bradshaw, Prime Minister of St. KittsNevis-Anguilla, for the dispatch of British troops to restore order in Anguilla.

None. I am at present discussing all aspects of the Anguilla situation with Mr. Southwell, the deputy Premier of St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla who is in London to see me at the Premier's request.

asked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs how many complaints from members of the public or Members of Parliament have been received by his Department since 20th July 1966 about specific increases in prices; and in how many cases he took action to reduce prices.

As I explained in reply to a Question from my hon. Friend, the Member for Woolwich, West (Mr. Hamling) on 11th May, most complaints about prices are made direct to the Ministers immediately concerned with the goods and services in question. Up to 31st May some 18,000 complaints in all were received. All were followed up except where the Department concerned was already aware of the justification for the increase.—[Vol. 746, c. 1680–1.]

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will give details of representations made to the British Government by France, Germany, Italy, and the directorate of C.E.R.N. on the timing of a 300 GEV accelerator.

No such representations have been made.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the net yield of the Selective Employment Tax in Scotland in the year 1966–67.

This is estimated at about £27 million.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, in view of the fact that the practice of chief constables conducting investigations into criticisms of, and allegations of, misconduct by members of the police forces is unsatisfactory, he will now amend the law so as to have such allegations investigated independently.

The Royal Commission on the Police which reported in 1962 recommended, by a majority, against the provision of any arrangements for independent review of the manner in which complaints against the police are dealt with. Improvements in procedure, based on recommendations by the Royal Commission were made by the Police Act 1964 and the Police Discipline Regulations.The working of the procedure is kept under review, but on present information I am not proposing any change in the law.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will take steps to see that adequate stocks are available of circulars issued by his Department.

Yes. It is not always possible to anticipate demand with any certainty but so far as possible adequate stocks are maintained of all circulars issued. Occasionally, however, an unusually heavy demand for a particular one may result in a temporary shortage.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government (1) whether he will now commend to local authorities the national colour code recommended by the National Water Safety Committee established by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents;(2) if he will make it easier for local authorities to promote water safety by contributing to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.

The Government are anxious that the code shall gain general currency and be understood as widely as possible, especially by children. My right hon. Friend and his right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales have already issued on 9th June a circular commending the code, which has already been widely adopted, to local authorities and river authorities. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Science will send a copy to local education authorities and to non-maintained educational institutions, voluntary youth organisations and certain sports organisations.The circular also conveys a general consent by my right hon. Friends under Section 136 of the Local Government Act, 1948, to relieve local authorities of the need to seek specific Ministerial approval in each case where they propose to make a financial contribution towards the valuable work which R.o.S.P.A., and many other voluntary bodies, are doing, both nationally and locally, to promote water safety.

asked the Minister of Power what is his policy on the construction of advanced gas-cooled reactors by and for the use of industrial undertakings.

Applications for such construction would be treated on their merits, but so far none has been received.

asked the Minister of Labour what progress has been made as a result of his discussions with interested parties in industry on the proposal to introduce arbitrary dismissals appeals machinery.

A Committee of my National Joint Advisory Council recently reported on the ways in which unsatisfactory dismissal procedures might be promoted in industry generally. The Council had a preliminary discussion of this report at their meeting in April and will discuss it further in July.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that certain airlines are not giving cabin staff written statements specifying the terms and con- ditions of their employment, in accordance with Section 4 of the Contracts of Employment Act, 1963, including in particular the hours of work; and what action he will take on this matter.

I am not aware of any such cases. If the hon. Member will send me details of any he has in mind, I will gladly consider them.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many agricultural contractors and employees of agricultural contractors were killed while driving agricultural tractors in Scotland in each of the past five years to the nearest convenient date; and how many were seriously injured in the same period;(2) how many farmers and farm workers were killed while driving agricultural tractors in Scotland in each of the past five years to the nearest convenient date; and how many were seriously injured in the same period.

The numbers of persons killed or injured by overturning tractors were as follows:—

	1962	1963	1964	1965	1966
Killed:—
Farmers	1	2	1	4	5
Farm workers	9	6	5	4	8
Agricultural contractors	—	—	1	1	—
Contractors' workers	—	—	—	—	—
Total	10	8	7	9	13
Injured	17	16	11	8	9

The statistics available on other types of non-fatal tractor accident do not show how many of those injured were driving at the time.The information about injuries is derived from applications for National Insurance benefit and, therefore, does not relate to employers. Information is not available about the degree of injury in non-fatal accidents.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the new agreement reached between the Forestry Commission and the pulp mill near Fort William, in view of its effects on forestry in the north and west of Scotland; and if he will state the prices for timber and any bonus arrangements in the agreement.

The agreement made in 1961 between the Forestry Commission and Wiggins Teape and Company Ltd. for the supply of pulpwood to its Fort William mill is still in force. The company has asked the Commission to review some aspects of this contract, but there is no new agreement.The terms of the Commission's contracts are confidential, in accordance with normal commercial practice.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will seek to amend Section 22 of the Crofters (Scotland) Act 1955 to enable him to offer

Value £'000
1966			Total	Primary	Schools Secondary	Special	Approved
Projects approved	…	…	13,141	5,708	6,872	190	371
Projects started	…	…	16,664	5,641	9,794	991	238
Projects completed	…	…	19,151	6,472	12,387	242	50
Projects under construction		…	38,819	9,866	26,206	1,710	1,037
Work done	…	…	16,005	6,008	9,070	609	318

asked the Minister of Social Security what was the amount paid in supplementary benefit in the first six months after the abolition of National Assistance in Coventry compared with the amount paid in the previous six months when it was still in existence.

I regret that information about amounts paid in National Assistance or supplementary benefit is not available for particular areas.

asked the Minister of Social Security what personnel and financial economies have resulted from the reorganisation of her Department's regional administration.

The main purposes of merging two Departments into a single Ministry of Social Security were to assist in the co-ordination of social security

This is one of the points that can be considered when crofting legislation is reviewed.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a table showing the value of school building work approved, started, completed, under construction, and done, in 1964, 1965 and 1966 under the same headings as those used in table 16 of the report Education in Scotland 1965, Command Paper No. 2914.

For the figures for 1964 and 1965, I would refer the hon. Member to the report "Education in Scotland, 1965" (Cmnd. 2914). The table below gives the required information for 1966:policy and to combat reluctance to claim non-contributory benefits. The reorganisation of the regional administration is in its early stages and any savings will be outweighed by the extra cost, including staff costs, resulting from the success of the new supplementary benefits scheme, the development of the contributory benefits schemes and additional tasks placed on the Ministry, such as the repayment of Selective Employment Tax in certain fields.

asked the Minister of Technology whether he will make it a condition of all future Government contracts with Rolls-Royce Limited and Bristol Siddeley Engines Limited that as much of the work involved as possible, including subcontracting, must be done in this country.

It would not be practicable to impose such a condition, but my Department is, under the normal contract procedures, made aware of any significant sub-contracts and would consider on their merits proposals to sub-contract overseas.

asked the Minister of Technology if he will estimate the cost of enriched uranium to be produced in the Capenhurst gaseous diffusion plant; and if he will state the cost of elec- tricity per kilowatt hour on which this estimate is based, and the cost of enriched uranium which would be achieved if electricity consumed by the plant were costed at 0·45d. per kilowatt hour.

While I cannot give specific figures for enriched uranium costs, which are a commercial concern of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority, the cost of the separative work element would be reduced by 10 per cent. for every 0·1d. reduction in the unit cost of bower supplied.