asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether he will make a statement on the number of special constables recruited in the Metropolitan Police district for the years 1964–65, and 1965–66 and the latest figures for 1967, and on the cost to public funds;(2) if he is satisfied that special constables in the Metropolitan area are being allowed to make the maximum contribution in assisting regular police in the performance of their duties; and what recent proposals he has considered in this respect;(3) whether he will consider the establishment of an auxiliary traffic police division in the Metropolitan area composed of special constables for duties over weekends and during public holidays, to be used as a unit, and not merely to supplement the regular police;(4) whether he will seek to make arrangements to draw the attention of ex-members of the Territorial Army to the need for special constables in the Metropolitan area, in view of the slaughter on our roads.

The numbers of recruits in the years mentioned were 367, 292 and 119 (to mid-June) respectively. The cost of recruitment is not readily identifiable, partly because the work falls to regular officers who have other duties and partly because the publicity material used is provided for the use of all forces.I am informed by the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that members of the Metropolitan Special Constabulary are in his view giving the maximum assistance to their regular colleagues, within the limitations of their numbers and the voluntary and occasional nature of their service. The Commissioner of Police appreciates the value of their loyal and devoted work and is always ready to consider ways in which further assistance might be given to the regular force; but he does not think that it would be practicable at the present time to set up a self-contained auxiliary traffic division of special constables.

asked the Minister of Technology what is the basis for the royalty of 0·014d. per unit sent out from the proposed advanced gas-cooled reactor nuclear stations payable by the electricity generating boards to the Atomic Energy Authority; whether he is satisfied that this covers the cost of all work done by the Authority on the civilian nuclear reactor programme; and if he will make a statement.

The royalty of 0·014d. per unit sent out represents a sharing between the generating boards and the Atomic Energy Authority of the benefit of the advanced gas-cooled reactor over comparable available alternatives. This royalty will not cover the cost of all the work done by the Authority in the civil nuclear reactor programme which embraces a much wider field than the advanced gas-cooled reactor system.As I told the House on the 6th June it is the policy of the U.K.A.E.A. to secure such return, principally by the way of royalties, as the market will bear.I am satisfied that the arrangement agreed is in line with this policy.

asked the Minister of Technology if he will give an assurance that Short Brothers & Harland will remain an aircraft building firm.

The suggestions that have appeared in the Press that the Government wishes to eliminate the aircraft interests of Short Brothers & Harland are untrue. The Company is already working on a number of important projects several of which have been only recently authorised.

asked the Minister of Technology what representations he has had from Professor Lord Jackson on promoting the training of technical supporting manpower in the United Kingdom; and what reply he has sent.

This matter was discussed in Chapter V of the Report on the 1965 Triennial Manpower Survey (Cmnd. 3103). The resulting recommendation in paragraph 95(e) is being pursued in cooperation with the appropriate educational and training authorities. I have not received any further representations, but Lord Jackson has arranged a meeting, to take place shortly, of those concerned with the supply of and demand for technicians to consider what further action is necessary.

asked the Minister of Technology what was the value of spares produced in 1965 and 1966 for Anson aircraft.

:£21,336 and£11,436 respectively, on the basis of deliveries paid for by the Department in those years.

asked the Minister of Technology if it is proposed to use Continental type threads in the Anglo-French variable geometry aircraft.

Yes, for the airframe.

asked the Minister of Technology if he will make a study of the costs of packaging technical equipment for Her Majesty's forces.

A joint study of packaging costs has recently been carried out by the Department and the Ministry of Defence. A number of recommendations arising from the study are under consideration.

asked the Minister of Technology how many persons are employed in his Department's offices in Orpington; and how many of these are registered disabled persons.

At 1st June, 1967, 135 Ministry of Technology staff were employed at St. Mary Cray, Orpington, of whom 11 were registered disabled persons.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what measures he is taking to encourage those who have left Her Majesty's regular forces to take appropriate courses in teacher training.

The Services Resettlement Bulletin includes extensive sections on teaching as a new career and on training courses. The Services do all they can to encourage and help men and women approaching their date of discharge, who might be suitable candidates for the teaching profession. The colleges of education welcome suitably qualified mature students.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he will reach a decision with regard to modifying the arrangements for the provision of milk in schools; and whether he will give an undertaking that the present arrangements will not be interfered with during the current year.

I cannot yet say when my right hon. Friend will be in a position to make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what estimate has been made by his Department of the net saving which would accrue from introducing a charge for school milk in secondary schools.

:£3¾ mililon.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many studentships for postgraduate studies in the humanities have been awarded for study at universities outside the British Isles in each of the last three years.

The Department's studentship scheme for the humanities is designed primarily to provide awards for study in United Kingdom universities, though there is power to make these awards tenable at universities overseas in exceptional circumstances. This power was exercised once in 1964 and once in 1965. When his studies in a United Kingdom university require an award-holder to spend a period abroad these expenses can be paid for under the scheme. I have no information about the number of postgraduate awards in the humanities tenable abroad under arrangements not administered by the Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will make a statement on the recent official visit of the Minister of State to the Norfolk Broads.

I was much impressed by the determination of all those concerned with the administration of the region that its potential for recreation should be developed to the fullest possible extent consistent with the preservation of the unique characteristics of the area.I look forward to the publication of the "Strategic Plan for Broadland" which is now being formulated by the Broads Consortium Committee.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what action he intends to take on the expansion programme outlined in the Nature Conservancy Report of 1965 entitled Report on Broadland;(2) what action he proposes to take arising out of his investigations into means of making better use of the existing waterways in the broadland area, and in particular the opening of the River Waveney from Beccles to Bungay.

These matters will be considered when the Broads Consortium Committee have completed their work and the financial and legislative implications of the proposals put forward in their Strategic Plan have been assessed.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many foreign students are reading for first degrees in British universities; how many are engaged in research; what is the proportion of foreign to British students in British universities; and how many British students of all kinds are studying in foreign universities.

16,963 overseas students attended full-time courses in universities in the United Kingdom in the academic year 1966–67. Of these 7,769 were undergraduates and 9,194 postgraduates. The proportion of overseas students to students from the United Kingdom is approximately one to ten.Comprehensive information is not available about the number of British students studying in foreign universities.

asked the Minister of Social Security how many retirement pensioners have suffered a reduction in their pension since the new earnings rule regulations came into operation on 5th June.

Figures are not available. A small number of pensions will be reduced by larger amounts than hitherto as a consequence of eliminating the anomalies which had grown up through the disregard of pay-as-you-earn deductions. The pensioners concerned have previously been enjoying in effect a higher earnings limit than other pensioners. The majority of pensioners affected by the earnings rule will now get more pension.This change is in accordance with the recommendations of the National Insurance Advisory Committee.

asked the Minister of Social Security how many persons are employed in her Department's offices in Orpington; and how many of these are registered disabled persons.

The number of persons employed in the two Orpington offices of my Department is 55, of whom 4 are registered disabled persons.

asked the Minister of Transport what representations and evidence she has received about the bottleneck at Borough Market; and what action she will take.

We received recently a paper from the Travellers' Associations Joint Committee suggesting how the bottleneck might be removed. British Rail were also sent a copy. The Board are developing plans for further increasing the capacity of their commuter services and will, I am sure, take into account the Committee's suggestion.

asked the Minister of Transport if she will now make regulations prescribing the maximum noise levels which it will be an offence for motor vehicles, including motor-cycles, to exceed when used on a road.

I will circulate very shortly revised draft regulations which would make it an offence for motor vehicles including motor-cycles to exceed certain noise levels.

asked the Minister of Transport what have been the main factors contributing to the increased amount of compensation paid out by the Motor Insurers' Bureau during the last five years.

The increasing vehicle population, increased sums awarded to victims of road accidents or their dependants, and the failure of four motor insurance companies in the period 1961 to 1966.

asked the Minister of Transport what was the total number and value of claims paid by the Motor Insurers' Bureau arising from accidents by uninsured motorists for each of the last five years.

Details of payments by the Motor Insurers' Bureau are as follows:

Year			Number of Claims Paid	Total Value£
1962	…	…	179	136,873
1963	…	…	136	114,521
1964	…	…	200	181,919
1965	…	…	201	163,857
1966	…	…	229	207,624

No figures are centrally available in respect of other claims which have been paid by motor insurers as agents of the Motor Insurers' Bureau in cases where insurance policies existed but were ineffective.

asked the Minister of Transport what is the result of her consultations with local authority associations with a view to arranging travel concessions for old-age pensioners in areas served by non-municipal buses; and if she will make a statement.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to my hon. Friends the Members for Croydon, South (Mr. Winnick) and Ealing, North (Mr. Molloy) and the hon. Member for Roxburgh, Selkirk and Peebles (Mr. David Steel) on 7th June.—[Vol 747, c. 1056.]

asked the Minister of Transport (1) which local authorities with municipal transport undertakings operate half-fare travel concessions for old-age pensioners under the Travel Concessions Act;(2) how many local authorities have used the powers available under the Travel Concession Acts to apply the wider concessions to old-age pensioners to travel by bus in trans-municipal traffic areas.

The extent to which local authorities use their powers under these Acts is at their individual discretion and we have no comprehensive information on the extent to which they use them.

asked the Minister of Transport what approaches she has made to non-municipal transport undertakings to grant concessionary fares to old-age pensioners; and if she will make a statement.

The grant of concessionary fares by these undertakings is at their discretion.

asked the Minister of Transport if, in view of the substantial increase in road fatalties and casualties during 1967, she will publish a breakdown of the published figures showing the cause of these accidents.

The figures for the first 4 months of this year, to be published shortly, show that fatalties were 1 per cent. more, but total casualties 2 per cent. less, than in the corresponding period last year.A breakdown is not feasible. Most accidents result from a combination of factors, relatively few from a readily assignable cause. The police reports from which the published figures are compiled concentrate on circumstances and actions and do not attempt to specify causes.

asked the Minister of Transport if she will give an assurance that the finished stretch of two-lane track at present under repair on M45 will be of sufficient width to accommodate the volume of traffic using it.

Yes. This road is expected to be adequate for the volume of traffic using it for the foreseeable future. The M6 Midland Link is planned to come into use in 1971 and will afford considerable relief to the M45.

asked the Postmaster-General (1) whether he is aware that the capital expenditure on telephone subscribers' apparatus has risen from£38·1 million in 1964–65 to£45·1 million in 1966–67; and what approximately was the rise in the area covered for the Kettering Parliamentary constituency;(2) whether he is aware that the capital expenditure on telephone exchange equipment has risen from£41 million in 1964–65 to£60·7 million in 1966–67; and what approximately was the rise in the area covered for the Kettering Parliamentary constituency.

As to the first part of the two Questions, Yes.To align the outfall of our expenditure with particular Parliamentary constituencies would involve undue cost.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what steps he will take to maintain the level of activity and help the employment position in the development areas.

While there are practical limits to what can be done, I have arranged for extra building maintenance work to the value of about half a million pounds to be carried out by my Department in the financial year 1967–68.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many persons are employed in his Department's offices in Orpington; and how many of these are registered disabled persons.

245 including 10 registered disabled persons.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many applications for industrial development certificates have been made in the non-development areas of Lancashire; how many have been granted; and what is the average time between the date of application and the date when a certificate was granted.

707 applications have been approved since 1st January, 1964. Statistics of the total number of applications received are not published. The average time between the date of application and the date when a certificate was granted was about three to four weeks.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that the standard of detergents supplied by the manufacturers arising from his agreement with them on the Monopolies Commission Report has been lowered and is giving cause for concern among consumers; and if he will institute an inquiry.

No. But I intend to keep under review the implementation of my agreement with the manufacturers, and I will take up with them any evidence which indicates that the arrangements are not working satisfactorily for the consumer.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what representations he has received from the British Air Line Pilots Association in regard to his decision to hold a private inquiry on air safety; and if he will make a statement.

None.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development (1) what he is doing to encourage small firms to promote training of technicians from developing countries; and what representations he has received from Professor Lord Jackson on this matter;(2) what representations he is making to large firms in British industry with a view to training more technicians from developing countries.

Under the Ministry's new Industrial Training Scheme, which was devised after consultation with Industrial Training Boards, the C.B.I. and the T.U.C., details of which have already been published, it is hoped to provide training for more technicians from developing countries in British industry.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development if he will state in a convenient table form, the numbers of young men and women from developing countries who were given a technician training in the United Kingdom in 1966–67.

I regret that the figures requested are not available. A sample survey in May, 1965 suggested that about 1,150 students from developing countries were then undergoing technical training in industry in this country and a further 8,850 were attending courses in technical colleges.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development what he is doing to encourage public authorities to promote training of technicians from developing countries; and what representations he has received from Professor Lord Jackson on this matter.

For some years both nationalised industries and public utilities have co-operated with the Department in the promotion of training technicians from developing countries. Most of these authorities have training schemes and trainees from developing countries have been able to attend courses arranged by them or make use of attachments to them.So far as I can ascertain I have received no direct representations from Professor Lord Jackson on this matter though I am aware of the views expressed by him both publicly and at meetings of the Council for Technical Education and Training for Overseas Countries of which he is a member.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development what he is doing to promote the training in the United Kingdom of technical supporting manpower from developing countries; and what representations he has had from Professor Lord Jackson on this matter.

The policy of the Ministry is to encourage the expansion of such training in the developing countries. The training offered in this country is limited as far as possible to the more highly specialised fields.So far as I can ascertain I have received no direct representations from Professor Lord Jackson on this matter though I am aware of the views expressed by him both publicly and at meetings of the Council for Technical Education and Training for Overseas Countries of which he is a member.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development how many training places have been provided under the Colombo Plan over the past 15 years; and, of those, how many have been provided by Great Britain.

Records for the first two years of the Colombo Plan are not separately available, and figures are therefore necessarily given for the past 16 years, i.e. since the inception of the Plan. The U.S.A., furthermore, joined the Colombo Plan in 1958, and its very considerable programme in S. and S.E. Asia is only therefore recorded in the statistics of the Plan from that date. Exclusive of the U.S. programme, 25,183 training places were provided between 1st July, 1950, and 30th June, 1966, of which 6,838 places were provided by Britain. From 1st July, 1958, to 30th June, 1966, the U.S.A. provided an additional 17,301 places.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development what was the cost of aid, loans and gifts by the British Government during the period 1957 to 1967 to Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Syria, respectively.

The following table shows the totals of loans and grants made during the past ten years in the category of "British official economic aid" as it has been defined since the establishment of the Ministry of Overseas Development in October, 1964.

BRITISH OFFICIAL ECONOMIC AID 1957–58–1966–67*
£'000
Country	Grants (including Technical Assistance)†	Loans	Total
Egypt	9·0	3,623·0	3,632·0
Iraq	72·0	—	72·0
Israel	2·0	—	2·0
Jordan	19,535·0	6,230·0	25,765·0
Kuwait	—	—	—
Lebanon	61·0	—	61·0
Saudi Arabia	1·0	—	1·0
Syria	225·0	—	225·0
Total	19,905·0	9,853·0	29,758·0
* Figures included in respect of 1966–67 are provisional.
† Technical assistance prior to 1961–62 cannot be identified separately.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the total cost of administering Statutory Instrument, 1966, No. 438; and how many public officials in the Bank of England or the Treasury, respectively, are engaged full-time or part-time, respectively, in its administration.

The Bank of England have some four or five people concerned either full-time or part-time in the administration of this measure, and the Treasury two part-time, on policy and Parliamentary questions and other business connected with it. The cost of administering the Order cannot be estimated but I am satisfied that it is low in relation to the benefits achieved.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer to what extent persons possessing gold coins in the United Kingdom have surrendered their gold, in accordance with Statutory Instrument, 1966, No. 438.

Information about the total value of gold coins minted after 1837 which have been offered for sale following the making of this Order is not available. Sales to the members of the London Gold Market (which do not represent the whole of the total) amounted to about£270,000 on 21st June, 1967.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the total number of gold sovereigns of Queen Elizabeth II for which residents of the United Kingdom have received permission to retain under Statutory Instrument, 1966, No. 438.

It is not possible to say. Authorised collectors are generally permitted to retain up to two specimens of any gold coin, and to add further coins to their collection subject to the same limitation.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will given an estimate of the proportion of the 855 million Victoria, Edward VII and George V sovereigns, which are still in circulation, held by United Kingdom residents.

This information is not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give an estimate of the bullion value of gold used for manufacturing purposes in the United Kingdom in each of the last five years.

The figures are as follows:

				Value (£ million)
1962	…	…	…	5·4
1963	…	…	…	7·3
1964	…	…	…	8·3
1965	…	…	…	10·3
1966	…	…	…	10·2

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the value of current trading relations between Zambia and Rhodesia.

In the absence of any Zambian or Rhodesian monthly trade statistics for 1967 it is not possible to make any estimate of the current value of trade between the two countries. Zambian imports from Rhodesia in 1966 were valued at£23·2 million as compared with£35·5 million in 1965, a fall of just over 30 per cent. Zambian exports to Rhodesia in 1966 were valued at£2·5 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs if Her Majesty's Government are aware of the visit of Oldham Athletic football team to Southern Rhodesia; and why he allowed this tour.

Her Majesty's Government are aware of this visit. We deplore organised tours of this kind while the state of illegality exists in Rhodesia, and we made our views clear to the Oldham Athletic Football Club before the team left. We have no powers, however, to prevent private citizens from going to Rhodesia.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the arrangements which have been made for a number of British schoolboys to spend part of their summer holidays in Rhodesia; and what steps he is taking to ensure their welfare and safety while in the colony.

I have no knowledge of the arrangements for this visit other than that in the Press. If the boys turn to the British Residual Mission for assistance while they are there they will be accorded the same facilities as are available to any other United Kingdom citizens.

asked the Attorney-General what is the estimated total administrative and other costs, including staff and office accommodation, of the proposed transfer of undefended divorce suits to the county court.

It is not possible to give a precise estimate of these costs but they are unlikely to be significant. It is expected that apart from a few courts on the outskirts of London only the county courts at places where there are now district registries with divorce jurisdiction will be designated as divorce county courts when the transfer of jurisdiction takes place. The work will therefore continue to be done in the main by the same officials and at the same places as it is now. The new rules may possibly impose additional duties on the court officials with regard to the service of process and similar matters but no forecast can be made at this stage of the effect of any such changes on administrative costs.

asked the Minister of Labour what is the total amount of wage, salary and other income increases in the period since 20th July, 1966, and how many have received increases; and how these figures compare with the comparable period before that date, in relation to cost of living changes.

IMPORTS FROM IRISH REPUBLIC
			Head
		1964	1965	1966	1967
			(Period January-April in each year)
Fat Cattle	…	16,456	8,844	21,274	7,351
Store Cattle	…	286,729	190,281	170,570	217,249
Total Cattle	…	303,185	199,125	191,844	224,600
Sheep and Goats*	…	46,204	42,020	31,948	28,388
* The Overseas Trade Accounts include goats but imports of these are insignificant.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, what tonnage of carcase mutton and beef has been imported from Eire in 1967 up to the latest possible date: and what are the com-

IMPORTS FROM IRISH REPUBLIC
			Tons
		1964	1965	1966	1967
			(Period January-April in each year)
Beef and Veal	…	5,998	7,187	12,773	27,796
Mutton and Lamb	…	1,976	1,400	1,578	1,808

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proposals he has in view for establishing a Rural Development Board in England.

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

asked the Minister of Labour to what extent it is the policy of Her Majesty's Government that the wages in workshops for the blind shall remain linked to those of municipal manual workers.

The remuneration of blind workers in workshops for the blind is for determination by the National Joint Council for Workshops for the Blind.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many live cattle and sheep have been imported from Eire during 1967 up to the latest possible date; and what are the comparable figures for the previous three years.

The figures are as follows:parable figures for the previous three years.

The Overseas Trade Accounts do not show beef separately from veal or mutton separately from lamb. The available information is as follows:—

I intend to open consultations forthwith with local authorities and other interested bodies with a view to proposing the establishment of a Board in the Northern Pennines. I am at present considering representations which have been made to me about the possible establishment of Boards in other areas.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, what is the estimated foreign exchange saving of British redeployment in the Middle East including the closure of the base at Aden and the proposed adjustment to military facilities in the Gulf; and what is the extra foreign exchange expenditure on military aid to South Arabia.

The answer to the first part of the Question, is£15 million a year; to the second part, about£4 million a year. The latter figure is net of a sum of about£6 million in foreign exchange expenditure which we were spending on military aid to South Arabia before the military expansion programme. There will thus be a considerable net saving for the next three years; thereafter, the saving of£15 million per annum will be complete.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many personnel he employs on engineering standardisation in the defence field; and if he will state their qualifications.

142 people in the Ministry of Defence, all suitably qualified, are directly employed on standardisation in the defence field. In addition we have a number of personnel who, although not directly engaged on standardisation, do perform tasks which contribute to it.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what was the value in 1963, 1964, 1965 and 1966 of sales of Royal Air Force surplus equipment.

The figures for the relevant financial years were as follows:

1963–64	…	…	£1,997,000
1964–65	…	…	£3,857,000
1965–66	…	…	£3,500,000
1966–67	…	…	£6,130,000

asked the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the Wilson Smith Committee on the civilian relationship with the Services to report.

The Committee are considering the terms of their report which they hope to present within the next few months.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will consider ways in which information on diving, obtained by the Royal Navy, can be made available for British industry involved in the civil development of the seabed.

Details about standard naval operational diving techniques are already available to industry generally. Information on techniques still in the Research and Development stage, however, could be released only to those firms who have a clear appreciation of the considerable risks involved. The Navy Department is already planning a symposium on this subject to which representatives of industry and of other Government Departments concerned would be invited.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will circularise local authorities advising them to remove all used car battery casings from unauthorised tips in their areas accessible to members of the public.

My right hon. Friend agrees that the attention of local authorities should be called to this problem.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will take steps to make it an offence to abandon car battery casings of high lead content in places easily accessible to members of the public, and in particular children.

In many cases this is already an offence under the Litter Act, 1958. Much heavier penalties are provided for dumping (whether of car batteries or anything else) in the Civic Amenities Bill which is now before Parliament.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will establish a section within his Department on environmental health comparable in function to the similar division of the National Institute of Health, Washington, details of which have been sent to him.

I have studied with interest the material which my hon. Friend has supplied. I think that the Department is suitably organised already to discharge my right hon. Friend's responsibilities in the field of environmental health, with help and advice from the other Departments concerned with health matters, from Government research organisations, and from the Clean Air Council. But he will gladly consider any further suggestions which my hon. Friend cares to send him.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government to what extent it is Her Majesty's Government's policy to accept the recommendation of the Committee on the Management of Local Government in Chapter 4 of their report that central control of local authority capital investment should no longer be used to prescribe the details of local expenditure.

I would refer the hon. Member to the Answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Newport (Mr. Roy Hughes) on 13th June.—[Vol. 748, c. 51–52.]

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether, in view of the need for recruitment, he will now take steps to institute a new salary scale for full-time prosecuting solicitors independent of the salary scale of other local authority officials.

No. This is a matter for local authorities to consider through the negotiating machinery for local authority staffs.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many local authorities increased the rents of their council houses between 2nd January, 1967 and 5th June, 1967, inclusive.

Comprehensive information is not available as local authorities are not asked to notify the Ministry of changes in rents during the period of severe restraint.

asked the Minister of Health what has been the total cost of preparation and printing of National Health Service forms E.C.73A, E.C.73B and E.C.73C; and how many of his Department's staff are concerned with the processing of these forms when completed and returned by doctors.

The cost of printing 3¼ million each of Forms E.C.73A and E.C.73C and 900,000 forms E.C.73B has been£16,500. The forms are needed for accounting purposes by Executive Councils and for statistical purposes by local health authorities, and they are not processed by my Department.

asked the Minister of Health if he will take steps to ensure that the general public are made aware that the use of old car battery casings as a fuel cause lead poisoning and death.

After an outbreak of lead poisoning at Rotherham in December, 1954, my Department wrote to Medical Officers of Health drawing attention to the dangers of using old battery cases as a fuel. These dangers have, as a result of the recent incident in Bradford, now been widely publicised again, but when full information is available my right hon. Friend will consider a further letter to Medical Officers of Health urging the need for continued vigilance.