asked the President of the Board of Trade what estimate he has made of the possible loss of exports consequent upon the United Kingdom joining the Common Market.

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) what estimate he has made of the rise in imports consequent upon the United Kingdom joining the European Economic Community;(2) what estimate he has made of the possible loss of exports consequent upon the United Kingdom joining the European Economic Community.

No exact quantitative estimates are possible because the effects on our trade, if we join the Common Market, would depend upon many uncertain factors, including the terms of any agreement reached and on the economic conditions both in the United Kingdom and overseas at the time of entry.

asked the President of the Board of Trade when he expects to receive the report of the Monopolies Commission on estate agents.

It is not yet possible to forecast when the Report will be received.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what was the total value of exports of British books and British aircraft, respectively, in 1966; what proportion these exports represent of total production in each industry; and what was the value of Government assistance and subsidy to each industry's exports respectively.

Many books are exported by post and these exports are not separately distinguished in the Trade Accounts. The industry has estimated that total exports of books, plus sales of rights, amounted to £51 million last year, and that this represented 43 per cent. of turnover. Exports of aircraft engines and parts (excluding used aircraft and guided weapons) were £201 million, about one-third of the industry's total sales to final buyers. Government export services are available to all exporters but exports are not subsidised.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what proportion of total employees within the Merseyside development area reside outside the area; and how many residents within the area daily travel to work outside it.

This information is not available on the precise basis for which the hon. Member has asked. On the basis of the 1961 Census returns it is estimated that, in the local authority areas most closely corresponding to the Merseyside development area, some 5–6 per cent. of those working in the area were resident outside the area and that something over 30,000 persons were resident in the area but working elsewhere in England and Wales.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is the current pilot shortage in British European Airways, the British Overseas Airways Corporation and the British independent airline companies; and what percentage of the total number of pilots employed in each case this represents.

B.O.A.C. have no shortage of operational pilots at the present moment. B.E.A. have a shortage of 52 pilots, which represents 4·8 per cent. of the total.Accurate figures are not available for the independent airlines.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the development of Great Britain's trade with South Africa.

Since the latter part of 1966 South Africa has substantially relaxed her import restrictions. Our exports have consequently increased substantially, and in January to April of this year she was our second largest market.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is the United Kingdom's share of the value of goods imported into the Republic of South Africa for the year following the imposition of trade sanctions against Rhodesia; what was the share for the year preceding the imposition of these sanctions; and if he will make a statement.

For the period February to September, 1966—later South African import statistics are not yet available—our share of the South African market was 26·7 per cent. This compares with 28·2 per cent. for the corresponding period February to September, 1965 and 28·6 per cent. for the year from February, 1965 to January, 1966.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is his estimate of expenditure by industry in each quarter from April, 1966 to April, 1967 which qualified for investment grant; and what was the proportion of that expenditure falling within development areas.

Investment qualifying for grant was approximately £300 million in the second quarter of 1966; £325 million in the third quarter; £350 million in the fourth quarter; and £300 million in the first quarter of 1967. Probably about a fifth of this expenditure fell in development areas.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that claims for investment grants must be certified by an independent accountant, that the accountant is required to certify that the expenditure for which grant is claimed is in accordance with explanatory notes prepared by his Department and that accountants are unable to obtain these notes because they are in short supply; and if he will take steps to ensure that claims for grants are not held up for this reason.

There is no shortage of explanatory notes. Applicants are always provided with them and additional copies are immediately available on request from the Investment Grants Offices.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has for direct Government intervention in development areas to set up new Government-sponsored industries at growth points of the economy.

I shall continue to make full use of my existing powers under the Industrial Development and Local Employment Acts to assist the growth of industry throughout the new wider development areas.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what action is being taken in respect of non-development areas where declining industries such as coal and cotton are creating pockets of unemployment and dereliction, in order to arrest the decline in population and to provide for a diversification of industry.

Our whole i.d.c. control is being operated so as to meet the needs of these areas.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what statistics he keeps showing the type and numbers in each category of animals shipped to overseas countries for research purposes.

Animals exported for research purposes are not separately distinguished in the trade statistics.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what regulations are in force to govern the crating and conditions of travel in which animals are dispatched from this country for vivisection purposes overseas.

None.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what action he is taking to encourage more office employment in the Fylde coast area.

Although first priority must be accorded to Development Areas, the Location of Offices Bureau draws the attention of their clients to the Fylde Coast towns and some Government office dispersal is taking place in the area.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what steps he is taking to encourage the expansion of the British hotel industry necessary to accommodate the 5,000,000 visitors who are expected to visit Britain by 1970.

The Government are already assisting the hotel industry in several ways. Before deciding whether this assistance should be extended I think we should await the completion of a number of studies, including the economic appraisal of large new investment in the industry which is being undertaken by the Economic Development Committee for the Hotel and Catering Industry.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is the position regarding long outstanding payments guaranteed by the Exports Credit Guarantee Department for payments due from West African countries; and if he will make a statement.

I assume that the hon. Member has in mind payments outstanding long after due date. These are reflected in claims. Ghana is the only West African country on which large claims have recently been paid. The total is about al million since 1st April, 1966.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what representations he has received this spring concerning the importation of eggs from abroad and their effect upon the price of eggs produced in this country.

An anti-dumping application was made by the Egg Marketing Board on the 25th April. I am not yet in a position to announce my conclusions on this application.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what reports he has received from his officials in Lan- cashire as to the effect on industry of reorganised Whitsun holidays of 1967.

My officials in Lancashire report that the change has had no significant effects on industry.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is satisfied his recent stimulation of the home demand for motor cars, by the easement of hire-purchase regulations, will not seriously increase inflation and help to create new wage demands; and to what extent this factor was considered before the changes were made.

Yes. My right hon. Friend and I fully considered the likely consequences of this change before it was made.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many advance factories have been allocated in Scotland since March 1966 to manufacturing companies; how many are now in production; and what percentage this allocation represents of the whole advance factory programme.

10 advance factories have been allocated in Scotland since 1st March, 1966. Of these, six are in production and it is hoped that production will soon begin in the remaining four. Additionally, a small unit of 2,500 sq. ft. built in advance has been allocated and is in production. These allocations include one factory which was authorised in a programme dated April, 1963, and one authorised in April, 1964, and they represent, in numbers, about 7 per cent. of the advance factories authorised in Great Britain since April, 1963.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will now refer to the Monopolies Commission the motor-tyre industry, in view of the dominance of the market by Dunlop, and the recommendation of identical prices by the major manufacturers.

I will bear the suggestion in mind when considering future references to the Monopolies Commission.

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) if he is aware that there is only one British supplier of seamless thickwall tubing in the range 1·5 inches to 7·9 inches outside diameter suitable for further manufacture; and what steps he is taking to end this monopoly position;(2) if he is aware that the 20 per cent. tariff on seamless thickwall tubing suitable for manufacture imported into Great Britain from all countries other than members of the European Free Trade Association has the effect of protecting the single British monopoly supplier; what steps he is taking to increase competition in this product; and whether he will now negotiate for the reduction of the tariff.

On the evidence before me, I do not consider that this is a suitable matter or reference to the Monopolies Commission. The hon. Member is already aware that the Board of Trade are always prepared to consider applications for a reduction in the import duty on a particular commodity from organisations representing a substantial proportion of the producer or consumer interests that are concerned.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what discussions have taken place with officials of the Association of British Travel Agents in regard to possible extensions of Operation Stabiliser; and if he will make a statement.

The Association is keeping the Board informed of its ideas on possible extensions to the scheme, but at present these are tentative and no firm decisions have been taken.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the high cost to shipping companies of purchasing both new container ships and also the containers themselves, he will extend investment grants to firms leasing containers to shipping companies, to enable them to compete better with their foreign competitors.

No. I consider that we are providing a sufficient incentive by giving 25 per cent. grants to shipowners on three sets of containers for each new container ship. The ships themselves are also eligible for 25 per cent. grants.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will now make a statement on the installation of data processing equipment for freight handling at London Airport.

Data processing for their own requirements is the responsibility of individual airlines some of which already employ such processing for freight at Heathrow. I understand that discussions are proceeding between Customs and Excise and the airlines about installing a data processing system to deal with the documentary processes relating to the arrival and Customs control of goods imported at the airport.

asked the President of the Board of Trade by what date a decision will have to be taken on the siting of London's fourth airport in order to meet the civil aviation needs of London and the South-East from the mid-1980s.

On present estimates the needs of London and the South East can be satisfied until the 1990's by the development of Stansted, which has a four runway potential and the progressive increase in the capacity of the other existing airports in the area. It is not realistic to plan airport requirements beyond this remote date, as there may by then, for example, be far-reaching changes in the airfield characteristics of aircraft.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is his policy on flight time limitations for airline pilots.

The objective of flight time limitations is to prevent pilots from becoming so fatigued as to endanger the safety of aircraft. The present requirements are being reviewed in the light of recent aeromedical knowledge and other relevant factors. My Department has had extensive consultation with those concerned and I expect a report to be made to me shortly.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will consult with the Secretary of State for Education and Science regarding the establishment of additional facilities for certain aspects of pilot training in order to forestall the shortage of trained commercial pilots now developing.

No. The planned increase in output of trained pilots from the flying schools, together with recruitment from other sources, is expected to overcome the shortage of pilots by 1969.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what arrangements he is making regarding the provision of properly qualified flying instructors to meet pilot training requirements, in view of the shortage of commercial pilots now developing.

The provision of flying instructors, as of other staff, is primarily the responsibility of the flying schools. To encourage, however, the training of flying instructors the Board of Trade is willing to contribute up to 25 per cent. of the cost of training under a sponsorship scheme.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware of the continuing outflow of British airline pilots to the services of operators in Europe and the United States of America; and if to reverse this trend he will issue directions to the British Overseas Airways Corporation and British European Airways to improve conditions and salaries of pilots employed by them.

This is not the kind of matter about which a direction should be made.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what facilities exist for the training of ab initio pilots; how many ab initio pilots are now in training at each school; and how many have been trained at each school in the last five years.

The Answer is as follows:There are four schools now running approved courses for the training of professional pilots; these are:The College of Air Training, Hamble; Airwork Services Limited, Perth; The Oxford Air Training School, Oxford; and the London School of Flying, Elstree.The followng numbers of

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether expenditure on the proposed Stansted air terminus has yet been agreed; and whether contracts have yet been let.

No, to both parts of the Question on the development of Stansted as a major international airport, but some small and continuing expenditure is obviously necessary in connection with the use of the existing runway.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what tests have been or are to be conducted, in connection with the proposal for the expansion of Stansted Airport, to determine the degree of danger caused by vibration from supersonic and other modern aircraft, flying low, to such ancient buildings as the parish churches of Thaxted and Tilty.

I have no reason to think that there is any danger from vibration from aircraft to ancient buildings in the Stansted area. However, in view of the importance of Thaxted Parish Church and of the local anxiety about it, I am arranging for a special assessment to be made of the likely effect on it of vibration from aircraft, with the object of introducing remedial measures should these appear to be necessary. I am prepared to consider similar action in this case of other ancient buildings of merit in the locality of Stansted, should they appear to face a real threat of material damage because of vibration from aircraft using the new airport.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will publish a map showing the various directions from which it is expected that aircraft would approach the expanded Stansted Airport, and in which they would depart from it together with indications of the approximate heights at which they would be passing over the principal towns and villages in the area affected.

Maps of this kind were prepared for the Stansted Public Inquiry and put in evidence there. I am sending copies to my hon. Friend.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether it was with his authority that his Department issued a Press release to the effect that aircraft leaving Heathrow are making less noise.

No such Press release was issued. My hon. Friend is presumably referring to the published quarterly summary of the results of onise monitoring of aircraft at Heathrow which showed a lower percentage of infringements than in the same period last year.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement about the report of the joint Board of Trade/Royal Air Force medical team which has been investigating the causes of fatigue in flight deck personnel in civil airline operations; and if he will give a general direction to the British Overseas Airways Corporation and British European Airways to find, or provide themselves, sleeping accommodation which is soundproofed and properly venti- lated for crews spending the night at foreign cities served by those airlines.

The Flying Personnel Research Committee of the Ministry of Defence is carrying out a study on flight deck workload with a team of Board of Trade officials and R.A.F. personnel, and in co-operation with British airlines. An interim report was issued in 1965 and the work is continuing. The Corporations' attention has been drawn to the report and I am confident that they will take whatever action they consider necessary.

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) how many Concord flights to or from any airport in Europe it is estimated will pass over any part of Great Britain;(2) how many Concord flights to or from airports in Great Britain it is estimated will pass over any part of Great Britain;(3) whether public inquiries will be held by his department prior to deciding upon the flight routes of Concord over any part of Great Britain.

I cannot at present add to the information contained in my replies to my hon. Friend's Questions on 23rd March—[Vol. 744, c. 311–12]—and 6th April.—[Vol. 744, c. 71.]

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement about the negotiations with Czechoslovakia over a North Atlantic air service.

I have nothing yet to add to the Answer given to the hon. Gentleman on 26th April.—[Vol. 745, c. 287–8.]

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will make a statement about his policy on air transport in regional development; and what action he is taking to promote a coordinated national airports policy.

I would refer the hon. Member to paragraphs 18 to 23 of the White Paper (Command 3259) on the Third London Airport under the heading "Development of regional airports and air services" and also to my reply of 17th March to the hon. Member for Southampton, Test (Mr. R. C. Mitchell). —[Vol. 743, c. 174.]

asked the President of the Board of Trade what final proposals he has made for the establishment of an official airport for the southwest of England.

The Devon County Council, and the City Councils of Exeter and Plymouth, are studying the civil airport requirements of their area, under the guidance of the Regional Economic Planning Council. I have offered to make a financial contribution to a survey of possible sites.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what has been the reduction in the numbers employed in agriculture in England and Wales during each of the past four years; what trends are apparent in the figures so far available for 1967; how recent trends compare with the reduction envisaged in the National Plan; and whether he will make a statement.

In recent years the numbers of seasonal and casual workers have fluctuated up and down, but the general trend in the labour force is best indicated by the number of regular workers employed which has declined in successive twelve month periods ending June, 1966, by 12, 22, 22·7 and 21·9 thousand respectively. More recently the reduction has been rather less marked, being 18 thousand in the twelve months ending March, 1967. No precise annual rates were given in the selective expansion programme, but the general trend is not out of line with that envisaged.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, if he will give figures showing the number of people employed in agriculture and horticulture in the United Kingdom in the years 1965 and 1966 in the following categories, advisory services, administrative, clerical, bailiffs and foremen, cowmen and other stockmen, tractor drivers, general workers, market gardeners and auxiliary workers.

The information for these years is available only for regular whole-time male adult agricultural workers in Great Britain:

	Thousands—at June
	1965	1966
Managers, bailiffs, foremen and and grieves	19·5	16·7
Cowmen	19·0	19·6
Other stockmen	26·6	23·2
Tractor drivers	45·0	42·3
General workers	104·6	94·0
Market garden workers	17·0	20·0
Auxiliary workers	5·6	5·4
Partners and unclassified family workers	48·4	47·5
Total (a) (b)	285·7	268·7

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether, in view of the consideration by the Economic Commission of the European Economic Community with regard to the co-ordination of member States' legislation concerning the use of cyclamates as additives to food destined for human consumption which have resulted in investigations being made into the toxicity of this substance, he will take account of the result of these investigations before reaching any decision about the use of cyclamates in food in this country.

Research and investigation are going on all the time and it would not be practicable to wait for all current work on this subject to be concluded. My right hon. Friend is however awaiting a further report from the Food Additives and Contaminants Committee on the results of work done on the toxicology of cyclamates since their Report in November, 1965.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is aware of the serious damage to wild life caused by the uninformed and indiscriminate use of cutting machines and weed killers along hedgerows; and if he will advise farmers and landowners of the long-term harm resulting from this bad farming practice.

I would deprecate the uninformed and indiscriminate use of cutting machines and weed killers along hedgerows but I am not aware that this is significant or that there is any serious danger to wild life.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many names were submitted to him by the National Farmers' Union for membership of the committees of the Meat and Livestock Commission; and how many of these he has accepted.

I expect to receive names shortly from the National Farmers' Union and will then consider what appointments to the Production Committee should be made.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if, following the advice of the Food Additives and Contaminants Committee that the human intake of aldrin and dieldrin should be kept to the lowest possible level pending further toxicological evidence of their hepatotoxic and possible carcinogenic properties, he will introduce legislation implementing the recommendation that the use of aldrin and dieldrin in fertiliser mixtures and dips and sprays for sheep should cease.

No. It would be premature to pick out these particular uses for im- mediate legislation. The Advisory Committee on Pesticides and Other Toxic Chemicals is already re-examining the risks arising from the use of aldrin and dieldrin and certain other persistent organochlorine pesticides. The Government is also receiving comments on the Committee's recent Review of the Present Safety Arrangements for the Use of Toxic Chemicals in Agriculture and Food Storage which recommends certain legislation.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if, in the light of the decision of Her Majesty's Government to apply for membership of the European Economic Community, he will initate a separate inquiry into the effect on British farmers of the increased price of animal feeding stuffs, which would result from a successful conclusion of these negotiations.

No. The Government's assessment of the effects of applying the Community's agricultural arrangements and prices as they stand have taken full account of the higher cost of animal feedingstuffs. The effect on British farmers would depend in the event on the nature of the agricultural arrangements agreed for an enlarged Community.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many purse-seiners he expects to join the Scottish herring fleet next year; what amount of extra catch they are expected to bring in; and what provision is being made to handle the additional fish.

Six new vessels are known to be under construction or on order, and one secondhand vessel is being purchased abroad, for use as purse seiners by British fishermen. I cannot form any useful estimate of the additional herring supplies they will land as this will depend on the way in which the vessels are used and in the areas fished. It may well be that some new problem of handling will arise but, in the opinion of the Herring Industry Board, the supply of herring of suitable quality has on many occasions in recent years fallen considerably short of what could have been handled by the trade.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a table showing the annual deficit or balance in the housing accounts of each of the new towns annually since 1960, and the estimates for 1971–72 assuming the full implementation by then of the proposed rent schemes.

TABLE
APPROXIMATE ANNUAL DEFICITS ON HOUSING
			East Kilbride	Glenrothes	Cumbernauld	Livingston
			£	£	£	£
1960–61	…	…	229,000	61,000	43,000	—
1961–62	…	…	147,000	80,000	71,000	—
1962–63	…	…	201,000	88,000	79,000	—
1963–64	…	…	190,000	98,000	11,000	—
1964–65	…	…	237,000	130,001,	171,000	9,000
1965–66	…	…	231,000	158,000	236,000	17,000

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT any additions to the list of Scottish rivers known to be infected with the salmon disease since 31st May, 1967.

The additional rivers from which individual fish showing symptoms of the disease have been examined in my Department's laboratory are:

• Girvan.
• Ayr.
• Nairn.
• Findhorn.
• Deveron.

It is too early yet to say whether these rivers should be regarded as infected or whether the diseased fish are isolated occurences. Investigations are continuing.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has for the removal or improvement in the appearance of pit bings and slag heaps not suitable for commercial exploitation.

I have been urging the local authorities concerned to submit programmes of work of this kind, particularly since the grant arrangements were recently improved. I am grateful to the local authorities who have responded well: grants paid to them in 1966–67 amounted to £432,000, the highest annual

Below is a table showing the approximate deficits for the years 1960–61 to 1965–66. The account for 1966–67 are not yet available but in each new town deficits will again be higher than in the previous year. Because of the variable governing factors I cannot make accurate estimates for 1971–72, but even with the new rent schemes all four of the new town corporations will still be incurring deficits on housing which in total are likely to be larger than the sum of the existing deficits.total so far. But other authorities could show a greater sense of urgency, and I am taking steps to emphasise this to them.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he will announce plans for the purchase of a nuclear power station by the North of Scotland Hydro Board; and to what extent the representations from British Nuclear Exports in relation to the potential export of British nuclear power stations will be taken into account.

I have received no such proposals from the Board and no representations from the British Nuclear Export Executive.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will ensure that no suitable applicants for places in the teacher training colleges will be turned away solely on grounds of late application so long as places are available at these colleges;(2) what discussions took place between his Department, the teachers' professional organisations and the principals of the teacher training colleges before it was decided that no late applications for places in the colleges would be entertained this year;

Colleges of education expect to offer about 2,700 places to first year students in the diploma course for primary teachers. The number of effective applications cannot be given at this stage since many applicants not yet qualified for admission are awaiting examination results and others are dual applicants to a college and to another educational institution. There has been no decision by college principals excluding late applicants from consideration. Such applicants will be referred to a central clearing house for allocation, if possibly, when timely qualified applicants have been assigned places, and I understand that in the case of Roman Catholic students the individual colleges concerned will adopt a similar procedure.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the cost of official hospitality given by his Department in each year since 1960.

The information is as follows:

				£	s.	d.
1961–62	…	…	…	652	19	0
1962–63	…	…	…	441	11	6
1963–64	…	…	…	879	11	4
1964–65	…	…	…	1,249	9	9
1965–66	…	…	…	1,337	11	2
1966–67	…	…	…	1,267	16	6

asked the Minister of Transport if she will take steps to accelerate the progress of the compulsory purchase of land required for the Reading by-pass; and if she will make a statement on this scheme.

We are pressing on with the statutory processes leading to the compulsory purchase of land for the section of the M4 Motorway south of Reading. We hope to publish the subsidiary Orders relating to this section in two or three weeks. The final require- ments for the compulsory purchase of land will not be known until these Orders have been made.

asked the Minister of Transport by when it is expected that sufficient experience will have been obtained of the incidence of breakdowns in all varying conditions on the Severn Bridge to enable the charges for the recovery of broken-down vehicles to be reviewed.

This depends on the build up of traffic and is not possible to predict.

asked the Minister of Transport what arrangements will be made to consult interested organisations when the charges for the recovery of broken-down vehicles from the Severn Bridge are reviewed.

Similar arrangements to those made when the present charges were being considered, when 28 organisations and other interested parties were consulted.

asked the Minister of Transport why an automatic system of toll collection has not been installed at the Severn road bridge, as is the practice in the United States of America and other countries, instead of the present manual system which holds up and delays traffic.

Experiments elsewhere in Great Britain have shown that faster transit through a toll booth is achieved by manual collection using modern equipment rather than by the automatic system. In the United States of America general speed of transit through the toll area rests on the greater number of booths, rather than on the speed of collection at each booth. Traffic delays on Severn Bridge over the Bank Holiday were caused by a number of breakdowns on the bridge.

asked the Minister of Transport what steps are being taken to provide adequate roads to serve the freight terminal at Heathrow Airport.

Work is in hand on the preparation of three road schemes:

(a) a new link road and roundabout junction with Stanwell New Road;

(b) the improvement of Stanwell Road, and

(c) improvement to the Stanwell Road/Great South West Road junction.

asked the Minister of Transport why she is considering spending £13 million on a Humber bridge, details and specifications of which are not in her possession.

General consideration of a project must often precede detailed design. We are kept informed of the reports made by the consultants to the Humber Bridge Board, and of work done in preparation for a Humber Bridge. A detailed specification will be prepared at the appropriate time by the Humber Bridge Board, which is empowered by the Humber Bridge Act, 1959, to build the bridge and raise the necessary funds.

asked the Minister of Transport whether she will state the latest figure of vehicles having been reported to the Greater London Council as being apparently unlicensed on the roads in London during the past 12 months; how many of this number have been prosecuted; how many were guilty of more than one, two, three and four offences previous to these prosecutions; and how long from the date of the report a prosecution is instituted.

I have been informed that 183,535 cases have been reported for the twelve months ended 31st May, 1967. Of these 9,566 have to date resulted in prosecutions and a further 5,893 have been referred for similar treatment. In addition 31,415 owners have paid mitigated penalties imposed by the Council, and a further 31,621 have been cautioned. Convictions for previous offences are reported to the courts, but it would take an undue amount of time and effort to give the detail requested. It takes from three to nine months, according to circumstances, for proceedings to be instituted.

asked the Minister of Transport (1) what estimate of road traffic to the proposed new airfield at Stansted has been made by her Department for the year 1971;(2) what estimate of rail traffic to the proposed new airfield at Stansted has been made by her Department for the year 1971.

I would refer the hon. Member to the Answers given to him on 31st May.—[Vol. 747, c. 11.]

asked the Minister of Transport what has been the total capital expenditure incurred by British Railways in each of the past 10 years; and what is the anticipated capital expenditure in 1967.

For figures up to 1965, I would refer the hon. Member to the Answer given to the hon. Members for Worcester (Mr. Peter Walker) and Chippenham (Mr. Awdry) on 27th May, 1966. The Railway Board's capital expenditure in 1966 was £105·9 million including £3·1 million for ancillary activities; in 1967 it is expected to be £104 million, including £10 million for ancillary activities and £2 million which should be recouped by investment grants. —[Vol. 729, c. 197–198.]

asked the Minister of Transport what was the total value of contracts for carriage building placed by British Railways with private carriage building firms in each of the last 10 years.

The information is as follows:

				£ million
1957	…	…	…	8·65
1958	…	…	…	10·47
1959	…	…	…	7·54
1960	…	…	…	0·21
1961	…	…	…	0·85
1962	…	…	…	Nil
1963	…	…	…	Nil
1964	…	…	…	Nil
1965	…	…	…	1·65
1966	…	…	…	Nil

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs in view of Her Majesty's Government's policy on trade with Rhodesia, what study he has made of the extent to which the 59 per cent. increase in Italian exports to South Africa during the first two months of 1967, compared with the corresponding period of 1966, involved an increase in entrepot trade destined for Rhodesia; and with what result.

I have nothing to add to the reply given by my hon. Friend to the Questions by the hon. Member for South Angus (Mr. Bruce-Gardyne) on 1st June.—[Vol. 747, c. 60–2.]

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list in the OFFICIAL REPORT the total number of civilians employed in the United Kingdom by the Armed Forces in the years 1965 and 1966, and the estimated numbers in 1967 and 1968; and what percentage of these are skilled craftsmen.

Vote		Service	Net Estimate	Expected Outturn
			£	£
Defence (Navy) 8	…	Miscellaneous Effective Services	10,193,000	11,219,000
Defence (Army)	…	Purchasing (Repayment) Services	2,000,000*	Nil
				(plus receipts payable to the Exchequer of £3·1 million)
Defence (Air) 7	…	Aircraft and Stores	259,900,000	232,700,000
Defence (Air) 8	…	Miscellaneous Effective Services	1,370,000	1,070,000
* Purchases of £143,500,000 less repayments of £141,500,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will reduce the minimum period of service for volunteers to three years.

No. There are already some engagements of three years or less in special cases.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what criteria he proposes to adopt regarding the level of private

The figures are as follows:

		Total Ministry of Defence Civilian Staff in the United Kingdom (thousands)	Percentage of the Total who are Skilled Craftsmen
1965	…	270·5	14·9
1966	…	266·9	14·7
1967*	…	268·8	14·7
1968*	…	269·6	14·7
* Estimated.

The figures include civilians employed in the Royal Ordnance Factories but exclude all locally engaged and United Kingdom based civilians serving overseas.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list in the OFFICIAL REPORT the Defence Votes for the financial year 1966–67 in which the outturn exceeded or fell short of the sum granted by Parliament by a margin of more than 10 per cent.

Since the Accounts for 1966–67 will not be closed until several weeks from now it is impossible to give a definite reply to the Question. The Accounts will be published in due course. However, on the basis of the most recent information available, surpluses and deficits of more than 10 per cent. are expected on the following Votes:profits required as an incentive to encourage initiative and economy in production costs by Government suppliers as referred to in paragraphs 7 and 8 of Public Purchasing and Industrial Efficiency, Command Paper No. 3291.

The measures referred to in these paragraphs will of themselves encourage initiative and economy. Where-ever possible, Government contracts are let after competition, and in these cases the level of profit is dependent upon the supplier's efficiency. Where non-competitive contracts are let the negotiated price takes account of the present profit formula. The question whether this needs any revision is at present under discussion with industry.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will take action to encourage voluntary confession by persons who have made false claims to personal allowances in their Income Tax returns, and who are prevented by the fear of prosecution from coming forward.

Yes. We are anxious to encourage such people to confess, and have decided to make them a special offer of freedom from prosecution for a limited period. The Inland Revenue will not prosecute (or, in Scotland, report for prosecution) anyone who comes forward before the end of September, 1967 and admits that he has been making false claims to personal allowances. He must make a full confession to the Revenue. He will have to pay all the tax lost, and a monetary penalty may be imposed. But there will be no question of criminal proceedings against those who confess, by 30th September, to making false personal allowance claims. I hope that anyone who has been making false personal allowance claims will take immediate advantage of this undertaking in order to put himself right with the Inland Revenue.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide information concerning the arrangements made to check the accuracy of the breath testing equipment which has been purchased for use by the police to enforce the new drink and driving laws.

Samples of the device were tested by the Home Office Central Research Establishment, Aldermaston, to establish the reliability of its physical characteristics, and the indications given by the device against varying blood alcohol concentration values.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many murders are known by his Department to have been committed in 1966, compared with the figures for the previous 10 years.

The latest corrected figures for offences of murder known to the police in England and Wales are:

1956	…	…	…	150
1957	…	…	…	151
1958	…	…	…	125
1959	…	…	…	141
1960	…	…	…	135
1961	…	…	…	130
1962	…	…	…	142
1963	…	…	…	133
1964	…	…	…	153
1965	…	…	…	151
1966	…	…	…	143

The figure for 1966 includes one offence not yet disposed of by the courts.The figures for 1957 onwards are not directly comparable with those for earlier years because, as a result of the Homicide Act, they exclude some cases that would previously have been classified as murder but are not now so classified.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if, to ensure that large numbers of teachers will no longer be debarred from participating in many branches of local government, he will at an early date seek to amend the Local Government Act, 1933, so as to allow teachers to serve on the councils of the local authorities which employ them.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Ilford, South (Mr. Arnold Shaw) on 25th April.—[Vol. 745 c. 241.]

asked the Minister of Labour what study he has made, in preparing Her Majesty's Government's application for entry to the European Economic Community, of the changes which will be necessary in the laws of this country regarding employment agencies.

The articles of the Treaty of Rome governing the free movement of labour do not deal with this particular matter but might affect the operation of both public and private employment agencies.

asked the Postmaster-General what function the Post Office Users' Council will have in the reorganisation of the Post Office.

My officials have been discussing with the Post Office Users' Council how to make effective the consultative machinery at national level and below as described in paragraph 20 of the White Paper on the Reorganisation of the Post Office (Cmnd. 3233).

asked the Postmaster-General whether it is his policy that experiments in local sound radio are to be subject to contracts which would bind the local authorities' successors where there was a change of political control: and to what extent such contracts are intended to allow for emendation or cancellation.

The B.B.C. are responsible for the experiment and are undertaking negotiations with local authorities to this end. Any agreements that may have been reached and any subsequent revision of these arrangements are a matter for the negotiating parties to settle themselves.

asked the Minister of Power what is the Gas Council's estimate of the total cost of converting consumer's appliances to the use of natural gas; when this estimate was first made; and what size of domestic gas load, in millions of therms per year, was assured as the basis for this estimate.

The estimated cost of converting consumers' appliances, which was first made in the middle of last year, is about £400 million. This estimate is based on the overall costs of converting the appliances of the present nearly 13 million consumers and not on the size of the domestic load. This cost should not be significantly affected by increases in the number of appliances since before approval by the Gas Council, new appliances must be convertible to use of natural gas by minor adjustments.

asked the Minister of Power by how much, in therms per annum, he estimates sales of gas to the domestic sector will increase between 1967–68 and 1971–72; how much of this increase will be in natural gas supplied direct to consumers at 1,000 calorific value, and reformed before distribution at lower calorific value, respectively.

Domestic sales in 1971–72 are estimated at nearly 2,000 million therms more than in 1966–67. It is not possible to say how much of the increase will be met by natural gas supplied direct, but the objective is to convert to direct supply in such a way as to obviate the need for further town gas manufacturing plant.