asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will set up an inquiry into the facilities for selling food in London street markets, the conditions under which food is sold, and comparative prices for similar articles sold in different markets and in different localities;(2) whether he will introduce legislation to regulate the marking of price tickets for goods in food shops and markets.

I do not think a case has been made out for a general inquiry into the sales of food in London street markets, nor do I think special legislation is called for on the marking of food prices. If, however, the hon. Member has any specific points I should be pleased to see that they are looked at by the appropriate Department.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether it is his policy to expand the production of milk in the United Kingdom for manufacturing purposes.

Not for that specific purpose. But the expansion of the dairy herd to meet beef requirements should result in an increase in the amount of milk available.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, whether he will publish as a White Paper all the information he has on the type and level of indirect subsidisation of overseas producers in competition with our own.

Much information about direct and indirect measures of support for agriculture in most countries is regularly available from published sources, and I doubt whether it would be suitable to assemble all the material relevant to this diverse subject within the compass of a White Paper. If the hon. Member requires any specific information I will gladly write to him.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will name the representative markets in Wales where his officials take note of store prices when calculating the effect of Irish cattle on market prices.

Abergele, Carmarthen, Llangefni, Newport, (Monmouthshire) and Welshpool auction markets are the Welsh markets contributing to our calculation of the average prices of homebred and Irish store cattle.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give the average prices reported to him as having been received for store cattle in West Wales markets for the first six months of 1967 compared with the comparable period in 1966.

For first quality 18 month old beef and beef/dairy cross steers, about £64 13s. this year compared with £68 5s. for 1966.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will now take steps to limit the quantities of imported eggs entering this country.

I have nothing to add to the reply I have given today to the hon. Members for Shrewsbury (Sir J. Langford-Holt), Norfolk Central, (Mr. Ian Gilmour) and Cardigan (Mr. Elystan Morgan).

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what instructions he has given to the Forestry Commission in respect of fees to be paid by car rally organisers for the use of forestry roads.

My right hon. Friend has given no directions to the Forestry Commission in this matter. I understand, however, that the Commission and the Royal Automobile Club have an agreement covering the use of the Commission's roads for authorised car rallies. This includes a fee based on 6d. per vehicle mile over the scheduled route, plus the actual cost of making good any identifiable damage to Commission property.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give the number of pigs eligible for guarantee, slaughtered in the period covered by the forecast made in August, 1966, following the publication of the June returns; and how this compares with the forecast.

The forecast of annual certifications made in August, 1966, was just over 12·4 million pigs. It is estimated that some 12·2 million pigs eligible for guarantee were slaughtered in the period to which the forecast relates.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many redundancies he estimates will take place by next October in the East England Conservancy of the Forestry Commission North Norfolk forests; and to what extent private contract work will be reduced to minimise the number of redundancies amongst the Commission's industrial staff.

Fifteen men are expected to become redundant by October, 1967. This is mainly due to the introduction of new and more economical methods of working. As to the second part of the Question, the Commission propose to work some four-fifths of the timber to be felled in the coming year with their own labour. Only one of the fifteen redundancies is due to contract working.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement indicating the amount of private contract work undertaken in each of the past three years in Forestry Commission forests, and the total number of industrial workers and the total number of supervisory staff employed in each of the past three years by the Commission.

The estimated numbers of workers employed on forestry contract work for the Forestry Commission were about 1,900 in 1964 and 1965, and about 1,980 in 1966, and are now about 1,950.The total numbers of industrial workers and non-industrial local supervisory staff employed at 31st March were 11,002 and 1,153 respectively in 1965, 10,684 and 1,152 in 1966 and 10,237 and 1,105 in 1967.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to what extent there has been a response to his recent appeal for a reduction in the price of beef to retail customers; what were the average prices of the various cuts of beef before and since his appeal; and what further action he proposes to take to ensure that the reductions in meat prices are passed on to the retail customers.

Because of the very wide range of cuts sold in some 40,000 shops, and the quality and other variations even between apparently comparable cuts, it is impracticable to quote price changes in the way my hon. Friend asks. But I have sufficient reports of competitive reductions, particularly on stewing, braising and brisket beef, to show that there are opportunities for many customers to buy very cheaply the cuts that are most plentiful. I shall continue to watch the situation.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what consultations were held with representatives of farming interests prior to his decision to establish rural development boards.

The customary consultations with farming organisations took place after the issue of the White Paper of August, 1965, proposing inter alia the establishment of rural development boards, and before the introduction of the necessary legislation.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give an assurance that in the appointment of members to the Welsh Rural Development Board a high priority will be given to the ability of eligible persons to speak Welsh.

This is one of the considerations which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales and I will take into account.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his estimate of the annual cost of administering the Meat Commission.

The financial needs of the Meat and Livestock Commission in carrying out its functions will largely depend on the extent to which these functions are developed and the industry wish to take advantage of them. These matters will become clearer when the Commission, after consulting the interests concerned, submit their levy scheme to Ministers, and before the scheme is considered by Parliament.The additional cost to the Exchequer in respect of the salaries and allowances of Commission members is expected to be less than £50,000 per annum.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what study he has made of the Report by the Food and Health Organisation Scientific Group on Procedures for Investigating Food Additives, a copy of which has been sent to him, which advises that a very high margin of safety for food additives in food which may show wide variations in daily intake; and whether he will give an assurance that these recommendations will be taken into account when considering to what extent the addition of cyclamates as artificial sweeteners may have dangerous toxic consequences.

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply today to a Question from my hon. Friend the Member for Brentford and Chiswick (Mr. Barnes) in which I announced my decision on the use of cyclamates in food. In arriving at its recommendations on cyclamates, the Food Additives and Contaminants Committee certainly had in mind the various considerations which are mentioned in the report to which he refers and also those set out in the Memorandum on Procedure for Submissions on Food Additives and On Methods of Toxicity Testing published by H.M.S.O. in 1965.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is satisfied that home producers will fulfil their quota in 1967 of the Bacon Sharing Agreement; and if he will make a statement.

Home production of bacon since April has been below the rate necessary to fulfil the minimum allocation for 1967–68. I cannot predict the final outcome but I am sure that the home industry, with the help of the stabilisation scheme, is doing its best to increase its output.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proposals he now has to protect United Kingdom beef producers from substantially adverse effects of importation of beef cattle from the Republic of Ireland.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply I have given today to the hon. Member for Rye (Mr. Bryant Godman Irvine) and others.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland, following his decision to authorise the construction of a nuclear generating station at Hunterston, what estimate he has made of the additional coal consumption likely to be needed for further pumped storage in Scotland.

I can offer no helpful estimate until the Scottish Electricity Boards submit proposals to me for the provision of generating capacity after the commissioning of Hunterston "B".

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has yet decided what special sum will be made available to Edinburgh for the construction of a sports centre and swimming pool in connection with the Commonwealth Games to be held in that city in 1970.

I am glad to say that, subject to the authorisation of the necessary funds by Parliament, the Government will be prepared to make a grant of £750,000 towards the cost of the sports centre and stadium at Meadowbank estimated to cost £2·2 million. Grant towards the swimming pool would not be justified.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will set up a committee to inquire into the rating burdens of commercial and retail establishments in Scottish cities, in view of the closure of several such establishments and the additional burdens which these closures will place on other ratepayers.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what measures he is taking to revive the sea fishing industry in Galloway.

Fishermen based in Galloway are eligible for all forms of financial and other assistance generally available to the sea fishing industry.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what consultations he has held with local authorities concerning the desirability of broadening the scope of their family planning arrangements with appropriate legislation on the lines of the Bill before Parliament in respect of England and Wales.

None The Bill which received the Royal Assent last month was a Private Member's Bill; and as has already been made clear in another place, I would look sympathetically on any similar Private Members' Bill suitably adapted to Scottish circumstances.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he intends to introduce legislation to ensure the effective preservation of buildings listed as being of architectural and historic importance in the City of Edinburgh.

As we announced in our recent White Paper on town and country planning, the Government intend to make further improvements in the statutory protection afforded to buildings of special historic or architectural interest. The necessary Scottish legislation will be introduced when the Parliamentary programme permits.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what information he has regarding the level of emigration from Scotland during the year to 30th June, 1967.

The Registrar-General has estimated that the net migration loss from Scotland during the six months ended 31st December, 1966 was 23,600–16,100 to overseas countries and 7,500 to the rest of the United Kingdom. The estimate for the full year to 30th June, 1967 should be available towards the end of this year.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a table showing the interest charges on housing and other services, respectively, paid by each local authority in 1963–64 and 1965–66.

The figures for each county city and large burgh council are set out in the table below. The extraction of similar particulars for each of the 175 small burghs would require undue time

			1963–64		1965–66
			Housing	Other Services	Housing	Other Services
COUNTY COUNCIL
Aberdeen	…	…	312,881	243,782	369,548	326,653
Angus	…	…	84,825	139,237	101,650	200,754
Argyll	…	…	197,182	126,405	259,737	188,505
Ayr	…	…	1,186,903	344,005	1,396,788	560,141
Banff	…	…	40,688	36,280	41,892	37,454
Berwick	…	…	45,019	64,581	44,542	68,588
Bute	…	…	19,353	17,218	16,854*	20,974*
Caithness	…	…	65,940	105,582	80,351	141,453
Clackmannan	…	…	141,897	64,572	174,843	111,551
Dumfries	…	…	179,463	135,752	203,292	183,023
Dunbarton	…	…	435,922	381,017	572,256	685,076
East Lothian	…	…	129,280	68,410	192,729	108,004
Fife	…	…	812,432	600,411	979,835	814,605
Inverness	…	…	177,798	161,976	230,185	219,993
Kincardine	…	…	39,980	36,506	50,942	58,764
Kinross	…	…	8,350	2,170	10,104	2,953
Kirkcudbright	…	…	65,906	70,804	71,764	90,807
Lanark	…	…	1,976,102	962,882	2,713,862	1,377,615
Midlothian	…	…	514,781	285,864	608,023	454,028
Moray	…	…	58,166	8,922	63,616	11,265
Moray and Nairn	…	…	—	30,485	—	48,249
Nairn	…	…	8,263	2,495	10,208	2,901
Orkney	…	…	196	29,191	317	35,130
Peebles	…	…	15,481	21,003	16,003	27,505
Perth	…	…	151,977	30,966	188,314	47,699
Perth and Kinross	…	…	—	135,868	—	193,433
Renfrew	…	…	318,409	499,990	407,359	741,327
Ross and Cromarty	…	…	112,233	154,468	180,138	233,739
Roxburgh	…	…	51,115	71,443	52,053	79,347
Selkirk	…	…	2,183	49,543	2,756	77,775
Stirling	…	…	938,666	367,307	1,148,565	530,414
Sutherland	…	…	53,163	55,301	64,927	77,523
West Lothian	…	…	471,394	145,081	637,904	265,122
Wigtown	…	…	68,726	47,020	91,333	92,667
Zetland	…	…	39,239	33,876	44,566	54,878
COUNCILS OF CITIES AND LARGE BURGHS
Aberdeen	…	…	1,076,273	508,717	1,436,181	688,454
Airdrie	…	…	298,284	33,315	370,486	39,807
Arbroath	…	…	128,781	27,634	179,751	39,666
Ayr	…	…	334,069	34,312	406,398	74,296
Clydebank	…	…	365,106	41,138	610,422	69,672
Coatbridge	…	…	474,688	57,121	656,967	72,498
Dumbarton	…	…	190,988	16,858	221,984	30,505
Dumfries	…	…	288,477	64,095	335,603	83,689
Dundee	…	…	1,268,647	406,667	1,742,311	636,852
Dunfermline	…	…	319,136	30,771	347,745	37,488
Edinburgh	…	…	2,238,961	1,160,690	3,139,501	1,614,009
Falkirk	…	…	301,566	83,737	367,541	154,289
Glasgow	…	…	6,740,676	2,652,709	9,141,627	4,082,456
Greenock	…	…	464,471	105,028	623,557	162,157
Hamilton	…	…	326,986	22,780	421,614	44,005
Inverness	…	…	110,439	54,088	173,471	73,771
Kilmarnock	…	…	404,426	48,841	454,990	78,307
Kirkcaldy	…	…	468,364	75,442	662,193	111,353
Motherwell and Wishaw	…	…	684,903	66,396	1,148,677	114,415
Paisley	…	…	742,999	111,616	931,031	149,971
Perth	…	…	313,067	76,564	387,128	101,351
Port Glasgow	…	…	153,381	25,424	220,897	38,790
Rutherglen	…	…	174,373	12,986	210,355	17,790
Stirling	…	…	201,912	30,264	271,404	42,868
TOTALS
Counties	…	…	8,723,913	5,530,413	11,027,256	8,169,915
Large Burghs	…	…	18,070,973	5,747,193	24,461,834	8,558,459
Small Burghs	…	…	5,989,801	843,151	7,802,322	1,280,398
Other	…	…	—	258,000	—	850,588
All Authorities	…	…	32,784,687	12,378,757	43,291,412	18,859,360
* 1964–65.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will state the numbers of murders, attempts to murder, threats or conspiracy to murder, wounding, malicious wounding, offences involving firearms, and robberies in which firearms were carried in each of the three

		Edinburgh		Glasgow		Aberdeen		Dundee		Rest of Scotland
		Murder	Attempts to murder	Murder	Attempts to murder	Murder	Attempts to murder	Murder	Attempts to murder	Murder	Attempts to murder
1964	…	2	3	12	12	3	—	2	3	8	4
1965	…	3	3	18	20	—	2	1	3	10	9
1966	…	2	1	14	12	2	—	1	—	11	15

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what expenditure has been incurred by local authorities in the neighbourhood of the Polaris base at Faslane on roads, water supplies and other services consequent upon the establishment of the base and the missile depot there.

Except in regard to housing provided by Dunbarton County Council, expenditure by local authorities on services due to the establishment of the base cannot be separated from their expenditure due to other developments in the area. So far the County Council has incurred expenditure of £1·5 million on houses, which are to be leased to the Ministry of Defence at full economic rents.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give, for the last convenient 12-month period, the number of vacancies in medical schools at the universities in Scotland and the number of applicants for such places, respectively; and what steps he is taking to ensure that those wishing to train as doctors are not restricted by lack of facilities at the universities.

In October, 1966, 590 students entered pre-clinical medical courses at universities in Scotland, but full information is not available on the number of applicants. The provision to

I regret that information is not available under these classifications except for murders and attempts to murder. The number of these crimes made known in Scotland involves the following table of figures:be made for the training of doctors is at present under consideration by the Royal Commission on Medical Education.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to reform or refine the rating system in Scotland.

The Government have already introduced new arrangements for rate rebates and rate support grant. Further proposals must await the report of the Royal Commissions on Local Government.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many and which, adventure and educational centres in the Highlands have been accorded grants by the Highland Development Board in the last financial year.

In the year 1966–67 the Board approved 17 grants totalling £12,326 for adventure or educational projects. These cover a variety of activities, including sport, drama, hostels, crafts, and include two small grants for field or holiday centres for school children at Inverlair Lodge, Lochaber and at Inveralligin, Ross-shire.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what action he is taking upon the recommendation in the annual report for 1966–67 of the Scottish Tourist Board that the effect of the Selective Employment Tax upon the tourist industry requires immediate reconsideration;(2) what proposals he has for the Scottish tourist industry, in the light of the finding in the report for 1966–67 of the Scottish Tourist Board, that the introduction of the Selective Employment Tax forced a number of hoteliers to dispense with staff whom they would normally have retained during the winter and also served to aggravate the industry's staffing difficulties.

Clause 25 of the Finance Bill, which gives a rebate of half the tax paid in respect of part-time employees, is a result of the continuous watch which the Government are keeping on the effects of the tax.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to announce approval of plans and expenditure to enable work to be started on construction of the Glenfeshie road linking Aberdeenshire and Inverness-shire.

There is nothing I can add at present to the Answer I gave the hon. Member on 9th November, 1966.—[Vol. 735, c. 1295.]

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, in view of the shortage of orders in the Clyde shipbuilding yards, he will give an assurance that the new dredger shortly to be ordered by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland will be built on the Clyde.

I shall shortly invite competitive tenders for building this vessel and until these have been received and considered I cannot say where the contract will be placed.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when the Report by the Government Actuary on his investigation of the National Health Service Super- annuation Scheme for Scotland for the seven-year period ended 31st March, 1962, will be published.

The Report will be published tomorrow and copies will be placed in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a further statement about the Halliday Report on Conveyancing Legislation and Practice.

I have been considering this Report with the Lord Advocate in the light of comments I have received on it from interested organisations. As a result I have decided that there should be an intensive examination of the possibility of major reform of the Scottish system of land tenure itself (the system of land tenure was not of course within the remit of the Halliday Committee). I have authorised officials to enter into consultation with the main bodies concerned with land transactions and conveyancing in Scotland with a view to developing proposals for this purpose, and I shall be consulting the Scottish Law Commission.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will set up an independent inquiry into the administrative arrangements by the Territorial Army, whereby Lance-Corporal Handy and four other non-commissioned officers of the Royal Gloucestershire Hussars, were not paid Territorial Army Emergency Reserve Bounty in 1966 although they were under the impression that they were liable to call-out.

No. I have made a full investigation into the circumstances in which Lance-Corporal Handy and four other N.C.O.s of the Royal Gloucestershire Hussars were not paid a Territorial Army Emergency Reserve bounty in 1966 and I passed the results of my inquiries to the hon. Member when I wrote to him on 23rd May, 1967. I do not intend to set up an independent inquiry.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence when he proposes to reply to the letters of the hon. Member for Brighton, Pavilion, concerning the case of Mr. Murphy, now under detention in Portsmouth.

I have now replied to the hon. Member. I regret the delay.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence why widows of members of the Armed Forces who remarry and are again bereaved are subject to a means test before a decision is taken on the restoration of their original widow's pension.

Examination of the widow's circumstances is the accepted practice in the public sector. My right hon. Friend has re-examined the question, but decided that a change in the rules would not be justified.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what he expects the effect of the Defence White Paper, Command Paper No. 3357, to be on the work load in each of the Royal Naval Dockyards in Great Britain.

Some readjustments in the refitting programmes will be necessary, but we expect all four home dockyards to remain fully loaded for some years to come.

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

I wrote to the right hon. Gentleman on 20th July explaining that we propose to use the derelict areas and the hutted camp for training. The surplus factory and office buildings to the south east of the site will be put up for disposal.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give the sums spent by his Department on recruiting advertisements during the years 1962 to 1966 and the sums he expects to spend during the current financial year.

The sums spent by and on behalf of the Ministry of Defence are as follows:

		£
1962–63	(actual)	1,753,077
1963–64	(actual)	1,803,365
1964–65	(actual)	2,467,477
1965–66	(actual)	2,725,455
1966–67	(probable out-turn)	2,864,626
1967–68	(estimated)	3,000,000

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will now expedite the publication of the results of his inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the arrest and discharge of Leslie Parkes in February last.

It would not be right for me to make any statement while there is a possibility that Mr. Parkes may appeal against his sentence.

asked the Minister of Transport when she expects to introduce regulations allowing the use of reflective number plates.

As soon as the British Standard for reflective material has been agreed and interested bodies have been consulted.

asked the Minister of Transport if she will study the possibilities of taxing motor vehicles on the basis of a factor related to the surface area of the wheel in contact with the road.

We do not think a detailed study would be worth while. A preliminary examination indicates that such a system would be both impracticable and detrimental to road safety.

asked the Minister of Transport if she will study the possibility of taxing motor vehicles on the basis of a factor related to the wheel loadings of the vehicle.

The Department is engaged in various studies of the factors affecting costs imposed by motor vehicles, but any question of taxation is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

asked the Minister of Transport if she will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT details of the advice she has now given to local authorities after completing her review of the nationally approved scheme for special car badges for disabled drivers; if she is satisfied that this will lead to the national recognition of the badges issued by different local authorities; and if she will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend the Minister of Health and I have completed our review of the National Car Badge Scheme for disabled drivers and are now consulting with the local authority associations on the form of advice to be issued to local traffic and welfare authorities.The badges issued under the Scheme confer no legal rights; and I am aware that in certain areas, in particular in Central London where the traffic and parking problems are severe, it has not always been possible to extend to all disabled drivers the privileges that have come to be associated with the Scheme. But I am satisfied that the Scheme receives nation-wide recognition; and that, as a result of the ready means of identifying disabled drivers which it provides, it affords them a real measure of assistance.

asked the Minister of Transport whether, in publishing the monthly car registration figures, she will break them down by model and make, as is the practice in most other countries.

This information is already made available by the Department to the motor manufacturers and concessionaires concerned through a scheme operated by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. Since particulars of models and makes relate to the business of individual undertakings, it would not be the practice in this country for the figures to be published without the consent of the firms concerned.

asked the Minister of Transport whether, in consideration of further proposals arising out of Road Safety—a Fresh Approach, she will take into account the merits of the Terrell Plan for Road Safety, a copy of which is in her possession.

No. As my hon. Friend explained to the hon. Member last week, we do not consider that Mr. Terrell's plan offers a way of reducing road accidents.—[Vol. 750, c. 314.]

asked the Minister of Transport whether, while considering the proposed new Highway Code, she will seek to put the force of law behind seven of the most important driving rules envisaged in the Terrell Plan for Road Safety, a copy of which is in her possession.

No. This would be inappropriate for the Highway Code, which aims to guide and advise, rather than coerce.

asked the Minister of Transport if she has completed her consideration of the danger to the driver when an articulated lorry executes a turning movement owing to the fact that no mechanism exists in many vehicles to prevent the heavier near part swinging round and overturning the driver's cabin sometimes with fatal results; and if she will now take steps to prevent this type of accident in the future.

Loss of directional control of articulated vehicles, involving tail swing or jack-knifing, is a complicated matter and development and testing of various means of preventing it will continue for some time. Extensive testing under normal operating conditions is necessary before the value of mechanical solutions can be fully assessed.A proper balance of braking effort between axles is the first requirement and provisions for achieving this have now been included in the Code of Practice for the new vehicle brakes which the manufacturers have agreed to follow.

asked the Minister of Transport whether she will introduce legislation to provide for the automatic disqualification from driving of persons who are convicted for driving while uninsured.

No. The circumstances of the offence vary so much that disqualification is not appropriate in every case. The courts already have power to disqualify for driving while uninsured when the circumstances warrant it. In addition the offence is included in the totting up system.

asked the Minister of Transport why her new draft regulations on vehicle noise permit lorries to be noisier than recommended by the Wilson Committee in 1962.

The limits proposed in the new regulations are lower than those recommended by the Wilson Committee except for heavy goods vehicles, for which a limit four decibels higher than that suggested by the Wilson Committee is proposed.Two decibels are accounted for by changes in the methods of testing. A vehicle which made 85 decibels under the test procedure accepted at the time of the Wilson Committee would register 87 decibels under the new testing procedure.The further difference of two decibels is necessary initially because it would not be reasonable to require some of the heavy commercial vehicles now in production to comply initially with the Wilson Committee levels since they would require major redesign. The level now proposed is in line with that approved by the Economic Commission for Europe. My right hon. Friend will be proposing more stringent standards to the Commission.

asked the Minister of Transport when she will permit the Greater London Council to erect a pedestrian footbridge across the Great Chertsey Road, A316 and to put a 40 miles-per-hour speed limit from the Winning Post public-house to the boundary with the London Borough of Hounslow.

My right hon. Friend has agreed to make a grant of 75 per cent. of the approved cost of a footbridge across the Great Chertsey Road at the "Hope and Anchor" roundabout. This grant can be issued when we are advised of the current estimated cost of the scheme.We are also prepared to agree that a 40 miles-per-hour speed limit may be imposed on this road between the Winning Post and the Hospital Bridge Road roundabout, subject to conditions, and will so advise the Greater London Council.

asked the Minister of Transport whether she will now make a further statement about progress with the arrangements which are under consideration for the financing and construction of the Channel Tunnel.

Provisional proposals for financing and managing the construction of the tunnel have been submitted by each of the three groups invited to do so. When the proposals have been studied by British and French officials, detailed discussions will begin with the three groups.

asked the Minister of Transport how many broken-down vehicles were removed from the Severn Bridge during the Easter weekend and the Spring Bank Holiday weekend; and whether the daily rate of breakdowns during these weekends was greater than the average daily rate.

Nineteen vehicles from Good Friday to Easter Monday, and eighteen during the Spring Bank-holiday weekend. This is much higher than the average daily rate.

asked the Minister of Transport what plans she has for increasing the number of box junctions in London; and, in particular, whether she will instal them at the junctions of Oxford Street and Davies Street, W.1, and Bond Street and Brook Street, W.1.

We have invited local highway authorities to put in box junctions wherever they are needed throughout the country. Overall responsibility for such markings in London rests with the Greater London Council as traffic authority.I understand that they and the London Boroughs have plans for increasing the number of box junctions considerably as soon as the necessary arrangements can be made. The two sites mentioned will be included in the list of sites under consideration by the Greater London Council in consultation with the police and the London Boroughs.

asked the Minister of Transport how many deaths and serious injuries occurred in each of the last five years on the A38 between Droitwich and the road junction at Martin Hussingtree.

The information is as follows:

Years ending 31st July
	1963	1964	1965	1966	1967 (to date)
Fatal	2	—	—	—	2
Serious injury	3	1	5	3	13*
* Nine of these occurred in one accident (which also caused the two fatalities) on the 15th July, 1967; the injured were sent home after hospital treatment

asked the Minister of Transport why she allows parking on each side of the approach roads to the main London stations; and if she will take steps to see that one side parking alone is permitted.

This is a matter for the Greater London Council as traffic authority, or for the British Railways Board if the hon. Member has in mind the approach roads within the curtilage of the railway stations.

asked the Minister of Transport, in view of the recommendations of the South-West Economic Planning Council in "A Region with a Future", if she will take steps to ensure the completion of an adequate spine road in the South West by 1975.

We are carefully studying the Planning Council's Report. Their views on the spine road are of course already well known to us. There is, however, nothing I can usefully add at this stage to what has already been announced.

asked the Minister of Transport whether she is aware that road access to the Manchester Ringway Airport is inadequate and that plans for developing the motorways M62 and M56 which could provide the necessary relief have been seriously delayed; and what plans exist at the present time to speed up the necessary work on these motorways.

We are aware of the contribution which these proposed motorways will make to improve access to the Airport. Construction will begin as soon as the preparatory work, including the statutory procedures and land acquisition, can be completed.

asked the Minister of Transport what annual contribution has been made by British Railways in lieu of rates in Scotland and England and Wales, respectively, in each of the last six years; and what estimate she has made of the amounts which will be paid in the current year.

The information is as follows:—

			Scotland	England and Wales
			£	£
1961–62	…	…	182,110	2,838,363
1962–63	…	…	181,480	2,980,107
1963–64	…	…	189,356	2,397,824
1964–65	…	…	197,964	1,734,999
1965–66	…	…	195,348	1,849,467
1966–67	…	…	207,467	2,056,602

The figures for 1961–62 and 1962–63 relate to payments made by the British Transport Commission, and include payments in respect of waterways and London Transport railways.As regards 1967–68 the payment in respect of England and Wales will be £2,218,288. The payment in respect of Scotland is expected to be about the same as in 1966–67.

asked the President of the Board of Trade by what criteria it is his policy to decide on the admission of dumped and subsidised exports of foodstuffs.

Before anti-dumping or countervailing duties can be imposed the Board of Trade must be satisfied that dumped or subsidised imports are causing or threatening material injury to an industry in the United Kingdom, and that the imposition of duties would be in the national interest. The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food is always consulted and given full opportunity to advise.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will give an assurance that he will not sign a film co-production treaty with the Italian Government, unless such treaty embraces and embodies the terms discussed between the British and Italian film producers and film trade unions.

No. The draft agreement already embodies much of what was agreed at the inter-industry discussions.

asked the President of the Board of Trade when he will now publish a White Paper on the trading and industrial consequences of Great Britain's application to join the Common Market.

There is no intention at present to publish a White Paper on this subject.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has for alleviating unemployment in Prudhoe, Northumberland; and if he will make a statement.

Prudhoe is part of the Northern Development Area and the full range of financial assistance to firms in Development Areas is available there. My Regional Office in Newcastle have full details of the industrial sites in the area, and in all suitable cases are suggesting these for consideration by firms looking for sites.

asked the President of the Board of Trade in view of the proposals to close Mosley Common Colliery and Bedford Colliery in October and thereby rendering approximately 3,500 men jobless in addition to those who have suffered through progressive mill closures in the Leigh area, if he will now grant development area status to the towns of Leigh, Atherton and Tyldesley.

I am informed that no final decision has yet been taken to close these collieries in October. We are already operating a liberal i.d.c. policy in the area and I do not consider designation at a development area would be justified.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether in view of the recommendations of the South-West Economic Planning Council in, A Region with a Future, he is considering the extension of the South-Western Development Area.

This and other recommendations in the Report will be given careful consideration.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in the light of the Protocol to the Treaty of Rome regarding East German trade with the German Federal Republic, he proposes to consult with both German Governments to clarify the implications of that Protocol for British trade with East Germany following Great Britain's accession to the European Economic Community.

No.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will now take the necessary steps to prevent the import of contraceptives which do not meet the appropriate standard of quality laid down by British Standards Specification No. 3704.

I have no evidence that such goods are imported. In any case the Board of Trade use their powers to control imports only for economic or commercial purposes in the broad national interest.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in the light of recent experience, he will introduce legislation requiring any company registered outside the United Kingdom and calling itself a bank to obtain the permission of the Board of Trade to trade within the United Kingdom.

In preparing a further Companies Bill I will consider the recommendation of the Jenkins Committee that the Board of Trade should have power to control the name of a company, incorporated abroad and having a place of business in Great Britain, when the name is undesirable on grounds other than similarity.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is satisfied that progress in the planning and building of advance factories is being accelerated in order urgently to provide work to areas of high unemployment such as Wales; and if he will make a statement.

Yes. Everyone concerned is conscious of the need to get advance factories ready for occupation as quickly as practicable and the position is watched closely.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is the amount of factory floor space covered by industrial development certificates allocated to Wales this year to the latest available date.

3,085,000 square feet, to the end of June.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will take steps to regulate the manner in which take-over bids are conducted.

I will consider the recommendations of the Jenkins Committee on this matter in preparing the further Companies Bill which I hope to introduce in the present Parliament.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is now ready to invite claims for investment grants on mining works; and whether he will make a statement.

Yes. The Board of Trade have completed their discussions with bodies representing interests in the extractive industries about the scope of investments grants for mining works. Application forms and explanatory material relating to them are now being printed and will be available in the five Investment Grant Offices on 1st September. Claims covering expenditure on mining works incurred during the period 17th January to 31st December, 1966, can be submitted from 1st September onwards. The payment of grants in respect of this expenditure will begin as soon as possible after 1st October, 1967.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what steps he is taking to ensure that the best technical means are employed to minimise the noise nuisance caused by jet aircraft using Southend Municipal Airport, and also to limit night flying by such aircraft.

My right hon. Friend has no powers to impose at Southend Airport noise abatement measures on aircraft in flight or to limit the number of night movements. Officials of my Department are, however, discussing the noise problem with the aerodrome management and have suggested a number of measures to reduce the disturbance.

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) whether he will introduce further restrictions on the noise-level of aircraft which are licensed to fly over Great Britain;(2) what maximum decibel level he intends to lay down for air traffic over densely populated areas.

As I announced in answer to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Mr. Hugh Jenkins) on 17th April, I have decided to introduce a scheme of aircraft noise certification under which future civil aircraft, operating in this country, will be required to obtain a certificate from the Board of Trade or from an appropriate foreign authority saying that they can comply with certain noise standards. Details of the scheme are now being worked out in consultation with the aircraft and engine manufacturers, airlines and other interests in this country, and with the French and United States authorities. I cannot at present say what noise levels will be specified. I shall of course continue to take all other practicable steps to minimise noise disturbance.—[Vol. 745, c. 24–5.]

asked the President of the Board of Trade what steps are taken against airlines which contravene height or noise limits; and how many such steps have been taken in the past year.

Airlines which infringe height limits imposed by or under the Rules of the Air and Air Traffic Control Regulations, 1966, are liable to prosecution. There were no such prosecutions in the year ended 30th June, 1967. Airlines which infringe the Board of Trade's requirements under Section 14 of the Airports Authority Act, 1965, for limiting and mitigating the effect of noise and vibration caused by aircraft using the aerodromes owned by the British Airports Authority are requested (except when the infringement is very small) to provide a full explanation and to take steps to avoid a recurrence. In the case of persistent offenders the Board of Trade could direct the British Airports Authority to deny or limit the use of the airport by the aircraft or persons concerned, but so far this has not been found necessary. During the twelve months ended 30th June, 1967, airlines were requested to give explanations in respect of 265 infringements at Heathrow (about 0.4 per cent. of the flights monitored).

asked the President of the Board of Trade if, in view of the recommendations of the South-West Economic Planning Council in A Region with a Future, he will contribute to the cost of a survey aimed at establishing the feasibility and merits of the alternative choices for a sub-regional airport in the far South West.

Yes. The Government are prepared to make a contribution towards the cost of the survey mentioned in the report "Region with a future" recently produced by the South-West Economic Planning Council. The Council and the local authorities have been told about this.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many extra pedestrian crossings have been authorised in Wales since the announcement of last February that more would be permitted; and whether he will make a statement about the future number.

Three additional pedestrian crossings have been authorised in Wales since February. I am considering with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport the terms of a circular of guidance to local authorities concerning the arrangements which will determine the number of pedestrian crossings in the future.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give an assurance that the members of the proposed Mid-Wales Development Corporation will be drawn predominantly from Mid-Wales.

In appointing members of the Corporation my aim will be to choose persons having the kind of knowledge and experience which are likely to be of most value to the town and who would make an effective team. As required by the Act, I shall certainly have regard to the desirability of securing the services of one or more persons resident in or having special knowledge of the locality and will consult the local authorities most closely concerned before making any appointments.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will state the total amount of forward expenditure on all road programmes in Wales, taking into account the White Paper on the Welsh Economy entitled The Way Ahead, and his announcements on 28th June.

The £200 million programme mentioned in paragraph 55 of the White Paper covers major works of construction and improvement of motorways and trunk roads in the 1970's and beyond. I announced the first £19 million worth of these schemes on 13th March and a further £3 million worth on 28th June. Excluding these schemes the present programme contains £49 million worth of major trunk road schemes including the Chepstow inner relief road which I announced on 28th June.The principal road programme at present contains £25 million worth of major schemes of which £17 million worth should be carried out by the early 1970's including the Milford Haven high level bridge which I announced on 28th June.There will in addition be substantial expenditure on smaller schemes on trunk and principal roads throughout Wales and expenditure on roads of less importance financed entirely by local authorities with assistance from the rate support grant.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales, in view of the fact that the number of persons unemployed in Wales on 12th June was the highest for the month of June in any year since the war, if he will produce, as a matter of urgency, an economic plan to set in motion the balanced development of Wales.

The Government's policies for promoting the balanced development of Wales are set out in the White Paper (Cmnd. 3334) published on 19th July.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what protection he is affording to net salmon fishermen off and around the Northern Irish coast.

Northern Ireland fishermen can expect the same kind of protection as that afforded to fishermen in other parts of the United Kingdom. If the hon. Member has in mind a particular case, I shall be glad to look into it if he will send me details, and if it lies within my responsibility.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the cost of the hire of the motor coach used to transport prisoners from Wandsworth to Parkhurst and from Parkhurst to Wandsworth; and what was the cost of the transport used on the remainder of Adam Ogilvie's journey to Perth Prison and return to Parkhurst.

The cost of the motor coach for the round trip from Parkhurst to Wandsworth was approximately £30; and that of the transport from Wandsworth to Perth and back approximately £70. At no stage of the journey was Ogilvie the sole passenger.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in view of the half million unemployed, and the danger there will be over one million unemployed next winter, if he will introduce legislation to amend the Commonwealth Immigration Act, and forbid all immigration until Her Majesty's Government's policy of full employment has been achieved.

No. I do not in any event accept the premises to this Question.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is aware that there is danger of the otter becoming extinct in Great Britain; and what action he proposes to take to prevent this.

My information is that the otter is in no danger of extinction at present.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to increase prison earnings, in order to facilitate his proposal that prisoners should pay restitution.

As the efficiency of prison industries improves, earnings are being increased. The question of reparation by the offender is under consideration by the Advisory Council on the Penal System.