asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received from scholars at Dormers Wells Boys' Secondary School, Southall, about United Kingdom assistance to relieve famine in the Indian State of Bihar; and what was his reply.

I have seen a letter from boys of the Dormers Wells Boys' Secondary School, which my hon. Friend sent to the Minister of Overseas Development. I am writing to my hon. Friend in reply.

asked the Minister of Technology from what vote he will pay for damage to glass and houses caused by the unannounced sonic bangs he is authorising over British towns.

Any compensation payments for damage caused in any way by Ministry of Technology aircraft are paid from Ministry of Technology Vote 20 (Aerospace).

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many different types of official form were being used in his Department at the latest available date; and if he will give the equivalent numbers for October, 1964.

The printed forms now in use in my Department include about 420 different forms for internal use and about 1,200 for external use. The corresponding numbers for March 1964 were about 340 and 1,250.

asked the Postmaster-General (1) 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 Northamptonshire, in. eluding or excluding Northampton, whichever is statistically most convenient;(2) whether he is aware that the capital expenditure on telephone subscribers' apparatus has risen from £38·1 million in 1964–65 to £451 million in 1966–67; and what approximately was the rise in the area covered for Northamptonshire, including or excluding Northampton, whichever is statistically most convenient.

As to the first part of these two Questions, yes.As I told my right hon. Friend in reply to his Questions on 23rd June, the alignment of our expenditure with parliamentary constituencies would involve undue cost, and I regret that alignment with county boundaries presents the same problem. I am writing to my right hon. Friend to explain the problems involved.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will now relax the requirement that new subscribers must pay a year's telephone rental in advance and revert to the customary period of three months.

No. I cannot go beyond the relaxation announced to the House in my reply to the hon. Members for Cheadle (Dr. Winstanley) and Surbiton (Mr. Fisher) on 1st June this year.—[Vol. 747, c. 232–3.]

asked the Postmaster-General what evidence he has that the Crown property known as Roughs Tower has been occupied by private individuals for the purposes of evading broadcasting legislation.

None; but I am watching developments.

asked the Minister of Labour what was the average number of persons employed and unemployed,

				Employees in Employment		Registered Unemployed
				June, 1957	June, 1966	June, 1957	June, 1966	June, 1967
Airdrie	…	…	…	15,900	19,300	547	676	1,284
Bellshill	…	…	…	7,500	9,200	206	179	427
Cambuslang	…	…	…	7,900	6,500	317	319	391
Carluke	…	…	…	3,000	4,000	59	61	87
Coatbridge	…	…	…	21,700	24,700	762	942	590
Larkhall	…	…	…	4,600	5,900	186	149	266
Motherwell	…	…	…	29,500	32,500	557	572	875
Uddingston	…	…	…	6,500	9,400	194	194	311
Wishaw	…	…	…	12,800	13,700	551	629	953
Lanark	…	…	…	9,600	8,500	117	213	346
Lesmahagow	…	…	…	3,800	2,500	92	126	143
Shotts	…	…	…	7,500	6,100	259	245	439
Hamilton	…	…	…	29,800	26,800	700	837	1,168
Blantyre	…	…	…			172	275	405
East Kilbride	…	…	…		17,700	54	88	194

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of the gross national product was allocated to social security, including health and medical services, in the United Kingdom and in each of the European Economic Community countries in the last five complete years.

I would refer my. hon. Friend to the reply given on 17th April to a similar Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Lancaster (Mr. Henig).—[Vol. 745, c. 44–46.]

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what records have been kept by the Bank of England of securities, including Russian gold-backed debentures, taken over in 1939.

I will write to the hon. Member about this.

The Ministry makes employment estimates for Employment Exchange areas in June each year only and the latest available are for June, 1966.The following table shows estimated numbers of employees in employment at June, 1957 and June, 1966 and the total numbers registered as unemployed at June, 1957, June, 1966 and June, 1967:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state the quantity of imported non-wool fabric bought by Government purchasing departments in each of the three years 1964, 1965 and 1966; and what percentage of the total purchases this represented in each year.

I am arranging to have this information collected and will circulate it in the OFIFCIAL REPORT when it is available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many different types of official form were being used in his Department at the latest available date; and if he will give the equivalent numbers for October, 1964.

At the end of June, 1967 the Treasury was using 236 different types of official form (of which 21 were for external use); in October, 1964 the equivalent number was 232 (of which 20 were for external use).

asked the Minister of Transport whether she will bring up to date the figures given in the British Transport Commission's Annual Report and Accounts 1961, Volume 2, page 161, showing the occupations of British Road Services' staff by providing similar figures for the Transport Holding Company's road haulage subsidiaries.

The Transport Holding Company inform me that it would not be in their commercial interest to publish these figures.

asked the Minister of Transport how many different types of official form were being used in her Department at the last available date; and if she will give the equivalent numbers for October, 1964.

The number of forms in use in the Department at the end of June, 1967, was 962. Taking into account certain functions transferred from the Department since October, 1964, the comparable number at that date was 950.

asked the Minister of Transport why the minimum charge for the removal of a vehicle which breaks down on the Severn Bridge is set under her regulations at £5; and how this figure was arrived at.

The charge is intended to cover the estimated total annual cost of the breakdown service. It was arrived at by dividing this estimated annual cost by the number of breakdowns estimated to occur in a full year's use of the bridge. It is too early to say to what extent the charge will cover the costs.

asked the Minister of Transport what is her most recent estimate of the annual cost of the service for the removal of vehicles which break down on that section of the Severn Bridge to which the £5 removal charge applies; and if she will give a detailed analysis of these annual costs.

About £9,400. The estimate, which has been examined by the Department's accountants and is considered reasonable, provides for a twenty-four hours service involving the exclusive use of one special vehicle, and the holding in reserve of another, for the rapid clearance of breakdowns from the bridge. Details of the costs are confidential between the agents and the Department. The position will be reviewed when we have had sufficient experience of the operations.

asked the Minister of Transport whether she has yet begun consultations about the reorganisation of the ports on the basis of public ownership.

Yes. I have circulated a working document as a basis for consultation with the interests concerned, on the understanding that the Government is not, at this stage, committed to the proposals in the document. Copies of the document have been placed in the Library.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many limited companies have 10 or less members; and how many have assets which exceed liabilities by not more than £50,000.

I regret that the in-information relating to assets is not available and that relating to members not ascertainable without an undue expense of time.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is satisfied that the standards and requirements laid down by his Department for the granting of an air operators certificate are adequate and if his machinery for enforcing them is sufficiently effective; and if he will make a statement.

I have nothing to add to the reply given by my right hon. Friend on 28th June to the hon. Member for Woking (Mr. Onslow) about a special safety review. If, on reviewing the conclusions, my right hon. Friend sees the need for improving the effectiveness of any of the present arrangements he will take the necessary action. [Vol. 749, c. 98.]

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many air operators certificates have been issued to date and how many are still in force.

97 operators have been granted air operators certificates; 40 certificates are still in force.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many infringements of the conditions of issue of the air operators certificate have occurred since the inception of the system; and what steps have been taken to deal with them.

The information requested in the first part of the Question is not readily available. In cases where the Director of Aviation Safety has not been satisfied with the conduct or performance of operators or where the conditions of issue of the Air Operators Certificate have not been observed, he has generally been able to secure that the shortcomings have been corrected. When he has not been satisfied as to the competence of the operator he has suspended the certificate in accordance with the prescribed procedure.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many inspectors are employed by the Department of Flight Safety to supervise the day-to-day operations of British airlines.

At the present time there are 23 Flight Operations Inspectors employed on the supervision of British airlines. Three additional Inspectors are undergoing training.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will now make a statement on the use of the former Royal Ordnance factory sites at Swynnerton.

The use of this property is being urgently reviewed. I will keep the right hon. Gentleman informed of developments.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will make a statement about the number of British refugees who have come to this country from the United Arab Republic, about the arrangements which have been made for their accommodation, and about the financial assistance which is being given by the Government.

Of the British people evacuated from the United Arab Republic under official arrangements, 193 have come to this country. Others have come here under their own arrangements. In addition, 32 passengers and 74 British seamen from British ships held up in the Suez Canal have been flown here.Temporary accommodation was provided in local authority rest centres as necessary, and the Ministry of Social Security have made appropriate payments of supplementary benefit.As my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary explained on 26th June, the Foreign Office are in touch with those evacuated about claims for compensation for personal injury and loss or damage to their property.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many first offenders have been convicted of unlawful possession of drugs in each of the last 10 years; and in how many cases they were sentenced to a period of imprisonment or detention.

I regret that police reports on past offences of this kind do not indicate whether a convicted person was a first offender, but I have arranged that the police should provide this information in future.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions in the last six months books and magazines have been confiscated by the police from bookshops in the Metropolitan area; what were the bookshops concerned; how many books and magazines were confiscated in each case; what has happened to the property so seized; whether any of the property concerned has been sold; and if so to whom, at what price, and for what purpose.

Published material was taken away from bookshops in the Metropolitan Police District on 17 occasions during the period 1st January—30th June, 1967, in the quantities set out below.

	Type-scripts	Books	Pin-up Magazines	Cartoons
1	—	16	—	—
2	20	—	—	—
3	22	9	—	—
4	114	50	—	—
5	12	42	—	—
6	170	—	—	—
7	5	3	—	—
8	124	—	14	—
9	—	8	—	—
10	41	34	—	—
11	58	4	—	—
12	20	60	30	—
13	—	—	11	—
14	116	116	14	90
15	49	19	—	20
16	7	—	9	—
17	—	55	5	—
Total	758	416	83	110

These articles are submitted to the Director of Public Prosecutions for destruction if court proceedings in respect of them are successful or are returned to the owners (if so desired) if proceedings are not instituted or are not successful. They are not retained permanently by the police or sold by them. It will not be in the public interest to disclose the names of the bookshops concerned.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many cases have been submitted to the London Rent Assessment Panel; how many have resulted in increases and decreases, respectively, of rents being paid at the time of submission; and how many have resulted in increases or decreases, respectively, of rents registered by rent officers.

Of 3,337 cases submitted to the London Rent Assessment Panel up to 23rd June, 1967, 2,011 have been decided by rent assessment committtees. Of these 464 have resulted in increases of rents being paid at the time of submission, 64 original rents were confirmed and 1,483 were reduced. The rents fixed by rent officers were increased by committees in 942 cases, confirmed in 747 cases, and reduced in 322 cases.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what was the average benefit to owner-occupiers and council-house tenants, respectively, from the cost to the Exchequer, during the financial year 1966–67, of private home ownership and local authority rented housing.

The information is as follows:

Great Britain	Average amounts 1966/67
	£	s.	d.
Mortgage interest relief per house purchaser	36	0	0
Exchequer housing subsidies to local authorities per council house tenant	20	11	0

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he is aware that the London Rent Assessment Panel have decided the rent of Mr. J. F. McEvery, of 126 Cavendish Road, London, S.W.12, in confirmation of the rent assessment officer's report, which contains the grounds that it is making a reduction from the market value for the scarcity element which appears to be in contravention of Section 27 of the Rent Act 1965 which excludes consideration of market rent in these cases; and if he will now take steps to ensure that Section 27 is complied with by rent assessment officers and rent assessment committees.

Section 27 of the Rent Act, 1965 provides that in determining a fair rent, regard should be had to all the circumstances of the case, excluding personal circumstances and that any effect of scarcity should be disregarded.It would not be right for me to disuss the merits of an individual decision, but I have no reason to believe that these provisions are not being complied with by rent officers and rent assessment committees.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will state the quantity of imported non-wool fabric bought by local authorities in each of the three years 1964, 1965 and 1966; and what percentage of the total purchases this represented in each year.

I regret that this information is not available.