asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he proposes to include the Lake District mountains in his proposed North Pennine Rural Development Board.

I shall not be in a position to make a definitive proposal for the Board's area until I have consulted the local interests concerned.

				General Grant	Exchequer Equalisation and Transitional Grants	Rate Support Grant	Total Grants
				£	£	£	£
1964–65	…	…	…	74,558,281	25,026,870	—	99,585,151
1965–66	…	…	…	82,318,234	27,891,395	—	110,209,629
1966–67	…	…	…	95,240,396	30,880,254	—	126,120,650
1967–68	…	…	…	702,929	4,257,412	143,817,052	148,777,393

The rate support grant for 1967–68 includes estimated amounts of £2,042,075 in respect of the school milk service and £8,140,125 in respect of the school meals service.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has made of the amount which will be distributed to the corporation of Glasgow by way of rate support grant in the current financial year; and how this compares with the total general and equalisation grants Glasgow received

				General Grant	Exchequer Equalisation and Transitional Grants	Rate Support Grant	Total Grants
				£	£	£	£
1964–65	…	…	…	15,022,321	3,407,553	—	18,429,874
1965–66	…	…	…	16,434,823	3,780,785	—	20,215,608
1966–67	…	…	…	19,111,865	2,108,571	—	21,220,436
1967–68	…	…	…	131,105	1,239,773	24,339,221	25,710,099

The rate support grant for 1967–68 includes estimated amounts of £381,854 in respect of school milk service and

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what will be the total amount distributed to Scottish local authorities by way of rate support grants in the current financial year; and how this compares with the sums actually distributed in general and equalisation grant under the previous system in each of the past three financial years, allowance being made for the inclusion of milk grant in the rate support grant.

The figures are as follows: in each of the past three financial years, allowance being made for the inclusion of the grant for school milk supplies in the rate support grant.

The following are the amounts, estimated for the current financial year and actual for the preceding three years:—£1,522,180 in respect of the school meals service.

asked the Minister of Social Security (1) what was the total gross cash expenditure on all social security payments for the year 1967–68;(2) what was the total gross cash expenditure on all social security payments for the year 1964–65;(3) what was the total gross cash expenditure on all social security payments for the year 1961–62.

The total expenditure on social security benefits in 1961–62 and 1964–65 and the estimated total expenditure in 1967–68 are as follows:

			£ million
1961–62	…	…	1,554
1964–65	…	…	1,962
1967–68	…	…	2,716*
*Excluding the cost of any increase in family allowances under the temporary power in Clause 5 of the National Insurance (No. 2) Bill 1967.

asked the Minister of Health what was the figure for capital expenditure on hospitals between the years 1965–66 and 1967–68.

Actual and estimated expenditure, for the three years inclusive, £227 million.

asked the Minister of Health what was the figure for capital expenditure on hospitals between the years 1962–63 and 1964–65.

For the three years inclusive, £143 million.

asked the Minister of Health how many hospital beds were completed through new building or conversion schemes between October, 1964 and September, 1966.

8,198.

asked the Minister of Health how many hospital beds were completed through new building or con- version schemes between October, 1962 and September, 1964.

5,639.

asked the Minister of Health what progress has been made towards providing all adult women with the opportunity for having regular cervical cancer tests.

The latest returns I have are for the period ending 31st December, 1966, when tests were being taken at a rate of over 1,350,000 a year. This was an increase of more than 75 per cent. over December, 1965. Although the service has not developed evenly throughout the country, by the end of 1967 there should be few areas where the service has not been introduced.Priority is at present given to women aged 35 years and over, as it is in this age group that the yield of prevention is likely to be greatest. Since 1st April, 1967, general practitioners have been entitled to a fee for examining well women in this group. I am considering whether the service can be extended generally or selectively to younger women, many of whom are already being examined in ante and post natal and Family Planning clinics. We have to be careful that any such extension is timed to match the resources available.

asked the Minister of Health what has been the response by women in seeking tests at local authority clinics for cervical cancer.

At the beginning of this year women were being screened at the rate of 31,933 a month at local authority clinics; this is over one-quarter of all the women who are screened.

asked the Minister of Health (1) how many technicians are available to read cervical test smears;(2) how many technicians would now be needed to read cervical test smears in order to offer a full national coverage of all women at risk;(3) how many technicians are being trained to undertake the reading of cervical test smears.

At 31st December, 1966, 545 technicians were trained and available (whole-time or part-time) for reading cervical smears and 143 were in training. No precise estimate can be made of the number needed in order to offer national coverage; this would depend on the demand from women at risk, the geographical distribution of the technicians, and the proportion of their time occupied with other types of pathology laboratory work.

asked the Minister of Health how many women died from cervical cancer in 1964, 1965 and 1966.

Deaths of women due to cancer of the cervix uteri (I.C.D.* No. 171):
England and Wales 1964 to 1966
		England and Wales
1964	…	2,577
1965	…	2,453
1966 (provisional)	…	2,483
* International Classification of Diseases.

asked the Minister of Health (1) how many local health centres have been built since the beginning of 1965; how many have been opened; how many are under construction; for how many have plans been approved; and how many are in the planning stage;(2) how many local health centres were built between 1951 and 1964.

Between 1951 and 1964 21 health centres were built in England and Wales. Since the beginning of 1965 16 have been built and opened (including one replacement of a temporary building opened in 1952); 32 are under construction; 35 more have been approved; and the plans for a further 50 are under consideration.

asked the Minister of Health (1) how many new homes were provided for elderly and handicapped persons between the years 1965–66 and 1967–68;(2) how many new homes were provided for elderly and handicapped persons between the years 1962–63 and 1964–65.

The number of homes opened in England and Wales between 1st April, 1962 and 31st March, 1965 was 277; the number between 1st April, 1965 and 31st March, 1968, including an estimate for 1967–68, is expected to be 358.