asked the Minister of Public Building and Works how many brick kilns which were in production at the end of 1964 are no longer in production.

No figures are available of the number of kilns, but 68 brick works had ceased production between the end of 1964 and the end of April, 1967. It is normal in this industry for old works to be closing down (and new to be opened) as, for example, deposits of clay are worked out, and the pattern of demand changes.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works if he will arrange to have copies of the principal notices and descriptions appearing on historic buildings for which he is responsible, particularly on the Palace of Westminster, displayed in at least two languages as well as English.

Some notices in French and German are already displayed at a few of the major historic buildings in my care. I will consider providing them at other buildings, including the Palace of Westminster.

asked the Minister of Social Security how many sick and unemployed people are now affected by the wage stop.

On 28th March 1967, 2,740 temporarily sick and 24,357 unemployed people receiving Supplementary Allowances were affected by the wage stop.

asked the Minister of Social Security if she will disregard luncheon vouchers in assessing earnings of men retirement pensioners under 70 years of age and women under 65 years of age.

Regulations recently made by my right hon. Friend, which began to operate from 5th June, prescribe that the value of any meal vouchers, up to three shillings for each working day, shall not be taken into account in assessing the earnings of retirement pensioners subject to the earnings rule.

asked the Minister of Social Security on what estimate of the sum necessary to meet the weekly food and clothing needs of a single pensioner she bases the amount of the pension.

A wide range of considerations is taken into account in determining the appropriate level of the pension.

asked the Minister of Social Security whether she will amend Regulation 12 of the National Insurance (Claims and Payments) Regulations to confer upon the insurance officer a discretion to pay benefits which are not paid within six months from the date when they were receivable.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the replies which I gave on 1st May to the hon. Members for Southgate (Mr. Berry) and Gravesend (Mr. Murray).—[Vol. 746, c. 65–6.]

asked the Minister of Social Security whether she will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT the number of households who have applied for the repayment of Selective Employment Tax in the months February, March, and April 1967, under the regulations for qualified households under the following categories, households including a person over the age of 70 years, households including a person needing domestic or nursing assistance, and households including child and one parent or guardian, respectively, and the number from each category which were referred during this period to the Supplementary Benefits Commission.

The number of households from which claims for refund of Selective Employment Tax were received during the months of February, March and April totalled 24,847, made up as follows:—

Category	Number
1. Households including a person over the age of 70 years	21,363
2. Households including a person needing domestic or nursing assistance	2,795
3. Households including a child and one parent or guardian	689
Total	24,847

The responsibility for dealing with all these claims rests with the Supplementary Benefits Commission.

asked the Lord President of the Council whether he has now resolved the difficulties which prevented him from continuing with his proposal to make the small changes in voting procedure recommended by the Select Committee on Procedure; and whether he will move at an early date to put this reform into effect.

I appreciate my hon. Friend's interest in the matter, but I am still examining the difficulties which have not been overcome.

asked the Lord President of the Council why the minimum charge for lunch in a private dining room in the House of Commons, which twelve months ago was 18s. 6d., is now 32s. 6d.

I have been asked to reply.After an independent investigation by the Treasury Catering Adviser and in view of the losses incurred in trading in 1966, a review of banqueting charges, including those for private lunches, has recently taken place, in order to bring them into line with comparable charges elsewhere.

asked the Lord President of the Council if he will seek to arrange that the members of the Ministry of Public Building and Works who are carrying out a preliminary survey to try to establish the range of Members' requirements for a new Parliamentary building, make an on-the-spot study of the facilities provided in the United States Congress.

The survey to which the hon. Gentleman refers has been commissioned by a sub-committee of the House of Commons (Services) Committee and I will ask the Committee to bear his point in mind when considering this matter further.

asked the Lord President of the Council what arrangements he has now made to ensure that Members of the House have access to State Papers as soon as they are made available to the Press.

This matter is still under consideration.

asked the Lord President of the Council what calculations have been made as a result of which a charge of 1s. 8d. is made for a single grilled sausage in the Members' Dining Room.

Sausages are not usually sold singly in the Dining Room. The charge for two grilled sausages in the Members' Dining Room is 3s. 3d. This price takes into account garnishings, and the cost of providing silver and waitress service.

asked the Lord President of the Council if he will move to refer to the Select Committee on Procedure the matter of the wearing of wigs by the Clerks at the Table in the Chamber.

As this question is already within the competence of the Select Committee on Procedure to examine, if it thinks fit, it is unnecessary for the House specifically to refer the matter to it.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will make arrangements under the National Health Service for chemists to recover the cost of dispatching prescriptions to persons living in rural areas.

My right hon. Friend sees no ground for changing the present obligation of chemists to supply drugs and appliances at their places of business. When difficulties in obtaining drugs and appliances arise, in rural areas or elsewhere, arrangements can usually be made for the doctor to dispense or for medicines to be collected.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will seek to establish a national authority with regional subdivisions, on the lines of Birmingham's Analytical Department, details of which have been sent to him, in order to test unbranded drugs, and especially imported drugs, before they reach the consumer.

One of the important matters being examined in the Government's review of medicines legislation is the provision that should be made to secure that checks on the quality of drugs meet modern requirements. Meantime food and drugs authorities, of which the City of Birmingham is one, have powers to take samples of drugs available for sale by retail and to prosecute in suitable cases if deficiencies are found.

asked the Minister of Health which local health authorities have appointed to their training centres for the mentally subnormal, or in a super- visory capacity in this field, members of staff with educational qualifications.

Of approximately 3,500 members of staff working in training centres at 30th September, 1966, about 850 held the Diploma of the Training Council for Teachers of the Mentally Handicapped or equivalent qualifications. In addition some of the staff of training centres are qualified to teach in primary and secondary schools, but my right hon. Friend does not know how many.

asked the Minister of Health (1) in each of the inner London boroughs how many vacancies existed among the staff of training centres for the mentally subnormal on 31st December 1964, 1965 and 1966;(2) what vacancies existed in each of the inner London boroughs on 1st June, 1967 for staff dealing with the mentally subnormal; and what steps were being taken to recruit suitable replacements.

Vacancies for staff other than domestic staff at training centres for the mentally disordered which are mainly for the mentally subnormal, are given below. Information about vacancies for other staff dealing with the mentally subnormal is not available.Recruitment to fill particular vacancies is a matter for the health authority concerned.

STAFF VACANCIES IN TRAINING CENTRES FOR THE MENTALLY DISORDERED
Inner London Boroughs		31.12.65	30.9.66
Camden	…	—	—
Greenwich	…	2	1
Hackney	…	—	—
Hammersmith	…	—	—
Islington	…	—	2
Kensington and Chelsea	…	—	—
Lambeth	…	—	—
Lewisham	…	—	—
Southwark	…	—	1
Tower Hamlets	…	—	—
Wandsworth	…	—	—
Westminster	…	—	—

asked the Minister of Health, in each of the inner London boroughs, what was the average number of mentally subnormal children for which each member of staff at training centres was responsible at the latest available date.

I regret that information in the form requested is not available.

asked the Minister of Health if he will instruct mass radiography units to perform respiratory tests as well as X-rays.

No.

asked the Minister of Health how many deaths from drowning occurred in 1966.

Numbers of deaths in England and Wales caused by drowning in 1966 were as follows:

Accidental	…	832
Suicidal	…	305
Homicidal	…	Not at present available.

asked the Minister of Health how successful the Government's campaign for the vaccination and immunisation of children against smallpox and poliomyelitis has been; how many children remain unvaccinated; and what evidence he has that vaccination and immunisation adversely affect children, possibly resulting in illness or death.

The percentages of children in England and Wales vaccinated against smallpox and poliomyelitis have recently increased as shown below, but need to be further increased in order to maintain protection against these diseases in the general community.

	31.12.64	31.12.65	31.12.66
Percentage of children in their second year of life who have been vaccinated against poliomyelitis	60	65	68
Percentage of children in their second year of life who have been vaccinated against smallpox	32	33	38

No cumulative figure of children remaining unvaccinated is available, but out of about 860,000 babies born in 1965 about 278,000 had not been vaccinated against poliomyelitis and about 536,000 had not been vaccinated against smallpox by the end of 1966.Adverse effects from poliomyelitis vaccine are very rare. Smallpox vaccine- tion gives rise to ill-effects in a small proportion of children and there are occasional deaths. Full details are published each year in my right hon. Friend's Chief Medical Officer's Annual Report.

asked the Minister of Health if he will take appropriate action to remove the difficulties which prevent a clinic for cervical cytology being established in Lutterworth.

Efforts are being made to recruit laboratory technicians to vacant posts at Leicester Royal Infirmary, so that the routine screening service for cervical cancer in Leicestershire may be expanded.

asked the Minister of Health when he expects the new maternity unit of the Northgate site at Great Yarmouth to be completed.

The Board consider that the contract completion date of early 1968 will be maintained.

asked the Minister of Health when he expects work to start on the building of the new district general hospital to serve Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft; and what progress has been made in obtaining a fresh site.

I regret I cannot say; the site has not yet been determined.

asked the Minister of Health what plans he has for the development of the Lowestoft Hospital; and whether he will give an assurance that it will not be closed down after the building of the new district general hospital.

No major redevelopment is proposed, but the East Anglian Regional Hospital Board are planning to improve facilities at this hospital. It is not possible at present to assess the effect of the provision of the new district general hospital.

asked the Minister of Health if he will give an assurance that the Patrick Stead Hospital at Halesworth will not be closed, in view of the proposal by local people to raise money for fresh installations.

There are no plans for the closure of this hospital in the foreseeable future.

asked the Minister of Health how many staffed hospital beds have been withdrawn since 1960 in each of the eight hospital areas in Wales.

Since 1960, 1,923 beds were withdrawn but, 1,276 beds were added, a net decrease of 647. Details are as follows:—

Hospital Area	Withdrawals	Additions
Cardiff	99	103
Newport and Abergavenny	112	239
Merthyr Tydfil and Pontypridd	205	34
Bridgend and Neath	12	30
Glantawe	45	16
South West Wales	76	63
Mid Wales	159	212
North Wales	243	205
Psychiatric Hospitals	966	41
Subnormality Hospitals	6	333

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that on many occasions emergency cases from South Lowestoft take up to two hours to get to Northgate, Great Yarmouth; and what consultations his Department have had with the local police to provide an escort where necessary.

My information is that during the last twelve months 31 emergency cases were conveyed by ambulance from Lowestoft to Northgate Hospital, Great Yarmouth; the journey time averaged 40 minutes and in no case exceeded 50 minutes. My Department has had no consultations with the local police, but I understand that they expedite the movement of ambulances through traffic, and during the same period have as requested provided an escort on one occasion.

asked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs when he expects to report to the House on reactions from private industry to the Government's proposal of regional employment premiums.

The White Paper on the Regional Employment Premium, Command 3310, gave the main reactions of industry to the proposals in the Green Paper and answered the criticisms made.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the total expenditure of the Depart- ment of the arms salesman up to 31st May, 1967.

Approximately £400,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether, in view of the United States House of Representatives decision to cancel the order for seven minesweepers which were part of the offset agreement for the F111 he will renegotiate the terms for the purchase of the F111 by Great Britain; and if he will make a statement.

No. No orders have so far been placed by the United States Navy for the building of minesweepers. The United States Government have told us that we shall be invited to bid and invitations are expected to be issued shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the recent discovery of defence documents at Romford in a car repossessed by a hire-purchase company.

The documents consisted of 6 sheets showing parts of the wiring diagram of a Javelin aircraft and 2 sheets showing parts of the wiring diagram of a Canberra aircraft. They bore the lowest security grading of "Restricted" when they were first issued in 1957, but their contents ceased to be classified some time ago. Large numbers of these documents were issued for Government and industrial use but investigations are being made to see whether the ownership of the documents can be discovered.

asked the Minister of Transport whether she has yet decided when to bring into operation the various Sections of the Road Safety Act 1967.

Most sections of the Road Safety Act 1967 became operative on Royal Assent. Of the remainder, Section 7 was brought into operation on 15th June. It would be premature to fix dates for Sections 1 to 6, 16 and 17, and 32. The necessary preparatory work is going ahead as quickly as possible.

asked the Minister of Transport what is the estimated public expenditure on the road programme for the years 1970–71, 1971–72, and 1972–73.

I have nothing to add to the Answer given to the hon. Member for Gainsborough (Mr. Kimball) on 22nd February.—[Vol. 741, c. 290.]

asked the Minister of Transport whether she will intervene in the dispute between the British Railways Board and the National Union of Railwaymen, regarding the manning arrangements for the Continental freight terminal at Stratford; and if she will make a statement.

I have already made it clear to the National Union of Railwaymen that I consider the Board's plans for Stratford to be reasonable and sensible and in the best interests of railwaymen. The new depot is designed to help our international trade and to bring new traffic to rail. I sympathise with railwaymen who have had to face many difficult changes in recent years, but the Board have been at pains to ensure that the interests of those affected by the opening of the depot are very fully protected and this has been made abundantly clear to the Union and to the men themselves. Railwaymen in general will benefit from the operation of the depot. I trust therefore that the Union will now co-operate in making it a success.

asked the Minister of Transport if she will describe the action she takes to ensure that services under threat of closure are run in the most economic and efficient manner possible, when considering applications for such closures.

It is the responsibility of the Railways Board generally to operate services as efficiently and economically as possible. But before reaching a decision on passenger services proposed for withdrawal one of the factors I consider is the likely effect of any alternative methods of operation or level of service. For example, in some cases substantial economies might be achieved by singling track or by introducing conductor guard working. This was one of the considerations that prompted me to set up the special Economic Unit in my Department If necessary I seek further information from the Railways Board on these aspects before taking my decision.

asked the Minister of Transport what communications she has received concerning the reopening of the Padstow to Bodmin Road branch line; and what reply she has made.

We have received several letters asking for this line to be reopened. Our replies have said that, when my right hon. Friend gave her consent to the closure, she was satisfied that the replacement bus services, provided as a condition of that consent, would meet the needs of displaced rail users. We have also indicated that my right hon. Friend cannot reverse her decision but that she will consider any specific evidence that the bus service is not adequate.

asked the Minister of Transport if she will make a statement about the future of Arkwright Street Station, Nottingham.

The Railways Board have told me that they plan to reopen Arkwright Street Station in September this year.

asked the Minister of Transport if she will state the estimated cost of the British Railways electrification programme for the next five years in Wales, Scotland and England, respectively.

The Railways Board's expenditure on electrification in the next five years depends largely on approvals which have not yet been sought. I cannot therefore state the estimated cost.

asked the Minister of Transport if she will state the expenditure on electrification of British Railways during the last ten years in Wales, Scotland and England, respectively.

I would refer the hon. Member to the Answer given to him on 14th February.—[Vol. 741, c. 89.]

				1963	1964	1965	1966
				£	£	£	£
Swansea	…	…	…	118,158	125,728	-71,433	-66,726
Port Talbot	…	…	…	268,755	131,927	96,600	206,110
Barry	…	…	…	176,994	119,852	120,816	77,250
Penarth Harbour	…	…	…	(a)	(a)	6,017	4,998
Cardiff	…	…	…	-115,880	-100,320	-124,104	102,794
Newport	…	…	…	384,240	486,522	420,196	324,767
Lydney	…	…	…	1,365	2,055	-4,097	681
Grimsby and Immingham	…	…	…	72,912	265,225	171,287	493,604
Goole	…	…	…	3,897	42,564	31,085	48,729
Hull	…	…	…	105,279	175,801	194,220	125,398
Plymouth	…	…	…	-4,417	10,828	1,005	10,124
Southampton	…	…	…	345,962	304,644	160,171	191,047
Lowestoft	…	…	…	-12,836	-2,488	418	5,193
King's Lynn	…	…	…	12,345	25,920	-9,463	7,943
Middlesbrough	…	…	…	-15,278	15,576	6,657	-24,338
Hartlepools	…	…	…	157,623	58,238	43,795	-92,899
Troon	…	…	…	9,856	10,450	7,244	5,326
Ayr	…	…	…	3,623	35,145	41,665	28,924
Silloth	…	…	…	-5,241	-3,309	-1,845	-193
Barrow	…	…	…	-162,115	-189,354	-50,325	-66,924
Fleetwood	…	…	…	-68,880	-35,574	-14,739	-23,131
Garston	…	…	…	15,030	-42,751	-68,666	-91,801
Grangemouth	…	…	…	124,851	133,345	81,020	159,012
Burntisland	…	…	…	-18	15,128	13,047	12,085
Methil	…	…	…	85,035	22,987	46,127	19,801
Others (b)	…	…	…	-15,232	-7,374	-10,032	-6,718
Total Ports	…	…	…	1,486,028	1,600,765	1,086,666	1,451,056
Trade Investment Income	…	…	…	48,940	38,871	45,249	44,375
TOTAL	…	…	…	1,534,968	1,639,636	1,131,915	1,495,431
Notes
(a) Penarth Harbour is included in Others in 1963 and 1964.
(b) Others comprise Alloa, Bo'ness, Burry Port, Charlestown (sold 1964), Penarth Dock, and Tayport (sold 1964).
(c) These results are after depreciation on a replacement cost basis and interest and include allocations of the cost of central administration and common services.

asked the Minister of Transport what are the annual figures for profit or loss on each port operated by the British Transport Commission from the date the Commission took over to the year 1962, together with aggregate figures for this period.

The following statement of working results by area covers all the docks, harbours and wharves

asked the Minister of Transport what are the annual figures for proft or loss on each of the 29 ports operated by the British Transport Docks Board for the years 1963 to 1966, together with aggregate figures for this period.

The following is the information:which were owned and operated by the Commission, and which were distributed between the British Transport Docks Board, the British Waterways Board and the British Railways Board as from 1st January, 1963.Figures for individual ports are not available, and it will be noticed that these figures are not on a comparable basis to those given for British Transport Docks Board ports.

asked the Minister of Transport on what date the White Paper on Conurbation Transport Authorities will be published.

I cannot add at present to what my right hon. Friend told my hon. Friend the Member for Rother Valley (Mr. David Griffiths) on 31st May.—[Vol. 747, c. 10.]

asked the Minister of Transport (1) whether she will take steps to introduce numbered daily log-sheets for transport drivers, as at present practised by some continental countries;(2) whether she is satisfied that her Department has enough staff to enforce a nine-hour driving limit for transport drivers by means of silent roadside checks; and what other methods of enforcement are being considered.

My recently-published proposals for new legislation on drivers' hours include a number of new measures which would help enforcement. The most important of these are that mechanical recorders (tachographs) should be a statutory requirement on all goods vehicles exceeding 30 cwt. unladen weight and on all public service vehicles (except those mainly engaged on stage services), that drivers should have numbered weekly log books for recording their hours of work and that the powers of enforcement staff should be strengthened in various ways. I expect that these measures together with the silent roadside checks and other methods of enforcement at present in use will enable Ministry examiners to enforce the new rules effectively.

asked the Minister of Transport whether the proposed National Freight Organisation will be organised on a regional or functional basis.

The National Freight Organisation will be organised on the best basis to enable it to compete with the private sector as a commercial undertaking. I shall be setting out details of my plans for the N.F.O. in a White Paper to be published this autumn.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what payments have been made under the Hotel Loans Scheme; and which of these have been made for hotels in the South-West of England.

So far, development loan assistance under this scheme has been offered for only one project, which was not in the South West. Offers of loans for further projects are likely to follow soon. I shall not be able to announce the amounts of the approved loans, or of the drawings, until enough projects can be announced together to avoid the risk of disclosing the affairs of individual borrowers.

asked the President Board of Trade what is the total paid in building grants to hotels in development areas in the latest convenient year.

Separate figures in respect of hotels are not readily available, and could only be extracted with a considerable amount of time and effort. However, from April 1st, 1966 to March 31st, 1967, building grant assistance of £3·8 million was offered to the service industries as a whole under the Local Employment Acts.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what action he intends

The figures of accident casualty rates for United Kingdom airlines are set out in the table below under three headings, as requested
ACCIDENTS TO AIRCRAFT OPERATED BY UNITED KINGDOM OPERATORS, WHICH INVOLVED FATAL INJURY TO PASSENGERS OR CREW
Five year averages for the years 1962 to 1966
Accidents to aircraft, involving fatal injury
		Passengers killed per 100 million passenger miles flown	per 100 thousand stage flights flown	per 100 million capacity-ton-miles flown
All operators
Scheduled flights	…	0·76	0·43	0·09
Chartered flights	…	1·53	1·02	0·14
Total	…	0·98	0·52	0·10
Private civil airlines
Scheduled flights	…	3·62	0·66	0·68
Chartered flights	…	1·83	0·87	0·13
Total	…	2·22	0·72	0·31
B.O.A.C. and B.E.A.
Scheduled flights	…	0·48	0·23	0·03
Chartered flights	…	0·05	1·41	0·18
Total	…	0·45	0·31	0·04
Note:
(i) Inferences drawn from these figures about comparative levels of safety must be regarded with caution as accidents are too varied in nature and, from a statistical point of view, too few in number to provide a reliable basis for comparison between types of operation or between classes of operator.
(ii) The best measure of the scale of risk to passengers is shown in the first column, while the best measure of risk to aircraft is shown in the second. The figures in the last column are not generally used as a measure of accident casualty rates.
(iii) Statistics are not available for civil charter flights in isolation or for an analysis by reference to weight of freight.

On 1st January, 1966, we imposed far-reaching restrictions on imports of cotton textiles for a period of five years. I see no prospect in present circumstances of the exporting countries, who acquiesced in what we had done with the greatest reluctance, now agreeing to further restrictions on their exports to this country.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how the accident casualty rates of British civil charter flights, private civil airlines, and the State-owned airlines compare when judged by freight tonnage carried, passenger miles travelled, and the number of take-offs and landings.

The information is as follows:

asked the President of the Board of Trade whom he has appointed to carry out the special review of the performance of United Kingdom air operators announced on 5th June.

Detailed proposals in regard to the conduct of the review are now before me and I shall make a further statement shortly. Meanwhile the Director of Aviation Safety, in consultation with the Air Registration Board, has already begun inquiries.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what hovercraft services are in operation at the present time within the United Kingdom and between the United Kingdom and the Continent.

The following hovercraft services are in operation at present:—

WITHIN THE UNITED KINGDOM
Hovertravel	Ryde-Southsea.
	Ryde-Gosport.
	Occasional services to Sandown, Isle of Wight.
Seaspeed (British Rail)	Southampton-Cowes.
	Portsmouth-Cowes.
Townsend	Local pleasure services from: Dover-Folkestone-Hastings-Margate-Littlestone on Sea-Leysdown.
P. & A. Campbell
Hoverlloyd	Local pleasure services from Ramsgate.

BETWEEN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND THE CONTINENT
Hoverlloyd	Ramsgate-Calais.
Townsend	Dover-Calais.
P. & A. Campbell

asked the President of the Board of Trade what information he has about the sale of the "Queen Elizabeth" to foreign buyers; and if he will make a statement.

I understand that Cunard have received a number of enquiries, but that no decision about the disposal of the "Queen Elizabeth" will be made for some time.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, following his proposal to establish a prison at Wolverley Camp, he has followed or will follow the procedure laid down in Ministry of Town and Country Planning Circular 100 of 1950.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has for the improvement of conditions in Wales for men and women prisoners, respectively.

Sites are being sought in Wales or Monmouthshire for new prisons for men. The number of women committed to prison from Welsh courts is not large enough to require the provision of accommodation in Wales for women prisoners.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the number of cells and the average number of prisoners per cell in Welsh prisons.

The number of cells in the two Welsh prisons at Cardiff and Swansea and the remand centre at Cardiff is 410. On 31st May, 1967, 632 prisoners were housed in these cells, 357 of them three in a cell, 42 two in a cell and 233 in single cells. 37 cells were unoccupied, undergoing renovation and redecoration. A further 60 prisoners were housed in dormitories or hospital accommodation.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what is the reason for the delay in announcing his decision whether or not to hold a public inquiry into the proposal, published early in May, to establish a prison at Wolverley Camp in a green belt; and when a decision can be expected.

My right hon. Friend and his right hon. Friend the Home Secretary have been considering what procedure to adopt in this and two other comparable proposals. They have now decided to arrange a public inquiry.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will allow the Jaywick Sands Freeholders' Association to qualify for the refund of Selective Employment Tax under Section 4 of the Act.

No. This would be outside the purpose of Section 4.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT a table showing the counties, county boroughs and metropolitan boroughs in England and Wales which exercised their power under the Local Government (Financial Provisions) Act 1963 to incur expenditure for extra statutory purposes in the year 1966–67, showing in each case the amount of the rate devoted to those purposes.

I regret this information is not available. Local authorities are not required to inform my right hon. Friend of expenditure they incur under Section 6 of the Act.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what advice he will be issuing to local authorities concerning rent rebate schemes; and if he will make a statement.

A circular giving advice to local authorities on rent rebate schemes will be published on 30th June. It will contain advice on the principles on which sound rent rebate schemes should be based and how those principles can be applied in practice. The circular has been discussed in draft with the local authority associations, who generally welcomed the proposal to issue advice on these lines.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what estimates have been made of the demand for local authority loans for house purchase in the area of Greater London, excluding loans for the purchase of council houses.

The Greater London Council and London Boroughs sought authority to lend up to £96 million for house purchase in 1967–68. Loans are not normally required for the purchase of council houses, as the sale price is generally secured by a mortgage of the premises.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT the total amount lent by local authorities for house purchase in the years 1964–65, 1965–66, and 1966–67, and the estimated lending in the year 1967–68; and if he will publish separately similar totals for lending by the Greater London Council and by the London boroughs.

The following are the figures:

LENDING BY LOCAL AUTHORITIES FOR HOUSE PURCHASE, ENGLAND AND WALES
		Greater London Council £ million	London Borough Councils £ million	Other authorities £ million	Total £ million
1964–65	…	53*	24†	102	179
1965–66	…	66	31	94	191
1966–67‡	…	38	27	70	135
1967–68§	…	30	21	79	130
* Former London County Council and Middlesex County Council.
† Former authorities in area of present London Borough Councils.
‡ Provisional.
§ Allocations.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will estimate the number of animals likely to qualify and the cost to public funds by extending the calf subsidy to Friesian heifers slaughtered before having produced a calf.

The calf subsidy is already payable on Friesian heifers born in the United Kingdom and slaughtered for beef, provided that the carcases are certified as eligible for the fatstock guarantee. In the twelve months ending last March, the total number of heifers of all breeds qualifying for the subsidy after slaughter was 64,449, at a cost of £503,185, but separate figures for Friesians are not available.

			Total Calves	Heifers	£	Steers	£
1962–63	…	…	2,065,745	818,612	6,139,590	1,247,133	11,535,978
1963–64	…	…	2,268,485	890,044	6,675,330	1,378,441	12,750,574
1964–65	…	…	2,348,746	920,290	6,902,175	1,428,456	13,479,254
1965–66	…	…	2,492,931	972,243	7,475,900	1,520,688	15,110,174
1966–67	…	…	2,642,246	1,023,870	8,172,081	1,618,376	16,575,124
1967–68 (estimated)		…	2,738,000	1,078,000	9,020,000	1,660,000	17,695,000

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when the formal garden behind Kew Palace in Kew Gardens is to be opened to the public.

It is intended to be opened by the spring of 1969.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what part of the agricultural subsidies has either a direct or indirect benefit to the tourist industry.

Our system of agricultural support is designed to maintain a prosperous agricultural industry. It is not possible to assess in financial terms its effects on the tourist industry, but in my view a flourishing countryside is itself a tourist attraction.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs (1) what is the average wage paid to Rhodesian Africans; and by how much he estimates sanctions are likely to lower that wage in the next 12 months;(2) to what extent his policy of sanctions has lowered the standard of living of Rhodesian African; and what estimate he has of the effect in 12 months time; and(3) having regard to sanctions, what level of unemployment he expects among Rhodesian Africans in the next 12 months.

I have nothing to add to the reply which I gave to the Questions of the hon. Member for Dorset, South (Mr. Evelyn King) on this subject on 16th June.—[Vol. 748, c. 162–3.]

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 43 per cent. increase in exports from the European Economic Community to South Africa during the first two months of 1967 compared with the first two months 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. 60–62.]

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will consider a policy of major economic assistance on behalf of Her Majesty's Government designed to help the people of Jordan in their present plight.

I have been asked to reply.Her Majesty's Ambassador informed King Hussein on 17th June that in view of the problems arising from the recent hostilities, Her Majesty's Government are willing to provide a grant of £500,000 for expenditure on urgent rehabilitation and reconstruction projects to be agreed between the two Governments.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the special allocation made to each local education authority for the provision of accommodation for the raising of the school-leaving age, and the projects which, in accordance with paragraph 3(b) of Circular 13/66, each authority intends to carry out within the special allocation.

The allocations announced for each of the two years 1968–69 and 1969–70 are:

ENGLAND
£000's
Counties
Bedfordshire	…	350
Berkshire	…	410
Buckinghamshire	…	500
Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely	…	160
Cheshire	…	870
Cornwall	…	215
Cumberland	…	105
Derbyshire	…	770
Devon	…	350
Dorset	…	265
Durham	…	960
Essex	…	1,025
Gloucestershire	…	375
Hampshire	…	840
Herefordshire	…	195
Hertfordshire	…	660
Huntingdon and Peterborough	…	260
Isle of Wight	…	55
Kent	…	890
Lancashire	…	2,605
Leicestershire	…	555
Lines—Holland	…	135
Lines—Kesteven	…	130
Lines.—Lindsey	…	365
Norfolk	…	280
Northamptonshire	…	410
Northumberland	…	130
Nottinghamshire	…	870
Oxfordshire	…	230
Rutland	…	14
Shropshire	…	410
Somerset	…	360
Staffordshire	…	905
Suffolk, East	…	185
Suffolk, West	…	165
Surrey	…	485
Sussex, East	…	200
Sussex, West	…	280
Warwickshire	…	455
Westmorland	…	29
Wiltshire	…	430
Worcestershire	…	315
Yorks, East Riding	…	130
Yorks, North Riding	…	550
Yorks, West Riding	…	1,280