asked the Minister of Health when he will reply to the letters sent to him on 2nd October and 11th October by the hon. Member for Bodmin, regarding the inquiry at St. Lawrence's Hospital, Bodmin.

I replied yesterday.

asked the Minister of Health (1) whether the name of the contributor to the book entitled "Sans Everything" who made allegations of cruelty and neglect at St. Lawrence's Hospital, Bodmin, will be disclosed by the committee of inquiry to any person required to give evidence to the Committee in respect of these allegations;(2) whether the committee of inquiry investigating allegations of cruelty and neglect at St. Lawrence's Hospital, Bodmin, contained in a book entitled "Sans Everything", will be empowered to disclose the nature of these allegations and their source to any members of the medical staff who may be required to give evidence during the course of the investigation;(3) to what extent he verified the allegations about St. Lawrence's Hospital, Bodmin, contained in a book entitled "Sans Everything" before ordering an inquiry into these allegations; and whether he will make a statement.

I am not willing to confirm or refute assumptions about the identity of the hospitals which were the subject of allegations in "Sans Everything" but where serious allegations of malpractice are made it is my duty to see that they are investigated. So far as "Sans Everything" inquiries are concerned if a witness so indicates to one of the Independent Committees of Inquiry his name will be revealed to no one except the members of the Committee and its secretary, who will themselves observe complete confidentiality in the matter. Witnesses who wish to make allegations against named individuals must, however, be prepared to give evidence in the presence of the persons accused.

asked the Minister of Health what guidance has been given to executive councils on the factors they should take into account in their review of existing doctors' dispensing arrangements in the light of the resolution passed at the annual general meeting of the National Federation of Women's Institutes, a copy of which is in his possession.

As has been explained to the National Federation of Women's Institutes, the resolution passed earlier this year appears to be based on a misunderstanding of proposals in the Third Report of Joint Discussions on the Family Doctor Service. The implementation of the proposals still has to be fully worked out with the medical and pharmaceutical bodies concerned, and Executive Councils have not yet been asked to undertake a review of doctors' dispensing arrangements in rural areas.

asked the Minister of Health how many general medical practitioners there were in 1965; and how many doctors there were working in National Health Service hospitals in 1965.

There were 20,027 unrestricted general practitioners, and 20,924 doctors working in National Health Service hospitals in 1965.

asked the Minister of Health which of the 39 English counties have a smaller population in 1967 than they had in 1867; and in what Welsh counties the population has declined during the last 100 years.

I am writing to the hon. Member.

asked the Minister of Health what percentage increase in population there has been in England, Scotland and wales, respectively, since 1921.

It is estimated that between the 1921 Census and mid-1966 the population of England increased by 29 per cent., that of Scotland by just over 6 per cent. and that of Wales by 2 per cent.

asked the Minister of Health if he has recommended loan sanction for the new junior training school in the London borough of Brent; when he expects the new centre to be operational; the total number of places which will then be available; and if he will make a statement.

No application has yet been made to me for loan sanction for this centre but I expect to receive one shortly. Work on the new centre should be completed by March, 1969. It will provide 159 places.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will introduce legislation to have all packaged food items clearly marked with the date of manufacture and the last date by which the food should be consumed.

No. In the light of the advice of the Food Standards Committee and of the representations my right hon. Friend has received on the proposed new regulations on food labelling, he is satisfied that the balance of advantage is against compulsory date stamping.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking to expedite the export of restricted varieties of seed.

The Department does not restrict the export of seed from the United Kingdom. Steps to secure the removal of restrictions on plant varieties imposed by other countries include giving support to arrangements for assessing the value of British varieties in official trials overseas.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs what assistance is being given to British subjects, originally employed in Nigerian Railways and later by the Nigerian Railway Corporation, who have been evacuated from Enugu to England and are unable to get any payment or means of support from the Federal Government of Nigeria.

No assistance is being given and none has been sought. My information is that officers of the Nigerian Railway Corporation who have returned to the U.K. from the Eastern Region of Nigeria have received regularly payments of their leave salary.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will set out in the OFFICIAL REPORT his plans to preserve the traditions of the 1st Battalion XX The Lancashire Fusiliers, 1st Battalion The York and Lancaster Regiment and 1st Battalion The Durham Light Infantry on the reduction of these three regiments as a result of his Supplementary Statement on Defence Policy, Command Paper No. 3357.

Since the Fusilier Brigade and the Light Infantry Brigade intend to form Large Regiments, the regimental traditions of 1st Battalion the Lancashire Fusiliers and 1st Battalion The Durham Light Infantry will be merged and preserved to the same extent as those of the other three regiments in their Brigades, when the new Large Regiments are formed. The traditions will be maintained and fostered in the existing regimental areas by the appointment of Deputy Colonels.The 1st Battalion the York and Lancaster Regiment will be disbanded but the possibility of preserving some at least of the traditions of the regiment, once the battalion disappears, is now under active consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will announce an accelerated programme for the withdrawal of British forces from Aden.

British forces will remain in Aden until independence.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the withdrawal of British troops in Aden to be completed.

When Aden becomes independent.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the result of his investigations into the assistance given by an official from his Department in the sale of arms to Rhodesia.

I have found no evidence that any official of my Department has given assistance in the sale of arms to Rhodesia; but investigations are continuing into the disciplinary aspects of the episode referred to in the Question.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to provide for the publication of candidates' political affiliation on ballot papers for local and parliamentary elections.

The recommendations of the Speaker's Conference on Electoral Law, which on this point recommended no change in the law for parliamentary elections, will, when complete, be considered as a whole by the Government; the implications for local elections will be examined in the forthcoming review of local election law.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many ratepayers in the Borough of Hartlepool receiving rate rebates are in the following age groups: 21 years to 35 years; 35 years to 45 years; 45 years to 65 years, and over 65 years.

This information is not available because applicants are not required to state their ages. In The Hartlepools in 1966–67 88 per cent. of recipients were believed to be wholly or mainly retired.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what is the total number of applicants in 1966–67 for rate relief under the Government's Rate Rebate Scheme in the Borough of Hartlepool; and what proportion of these have had relief granted.

I regret that information is not available about the number of people who have applied. The qualifications for rate rebate are defined by statute and if the applicant satisfies them, the authority must afford rebate.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many ratepayers in the Borough of Hartlepool have received rebates since the introduction of the Government's Rate Rebate Scheme; and what was the average benefit per head.

Rate rebates were introduced in April, 1966. During 1966–67 rebates were received by 1,560 ratepayers within the area of the present Borough of Hartlepool, the average amount being £10. My right hon. Friend has not yet collected information about rebates afforded in 1967–68.

asked the Postmaster-General whether, in view of the Government's stated plans for developing certain towns in the Mid-Wales area, and of arresting the depopulation of Mid-Wales, he is aware of complaints of the inadequacy of television and radio reception within the area; and what steps are being taken to improve it.

I am writing to the hon. Gentleman.

asked the Minister of Social Security what additional benefits are proposed for people on low fixed incomes to offset the increase of electricity charges.

I would remind the hon. Member that National Insurance Benefit and Supplementary Benefit rates are being increased next week. I understand that it is estimated that for the small domestic consumer higher electricity charges will absorb no more than a small proportion of the new benefit increases, at least 5s. for householders.

asked the Minister of Social Security what additional benefits are proposed for people on low fixed incomes to offset the proposed increase in the price of gas.

The question of gas prices has been referred to the Prices and Incomes Board. As the hon. Member will know, National Insurance and Supplementary Benefit rates will be increased from next week.

asked the Minister of Social Security if she is aware of the criticism which exists among insured persons about the administration of wage-related benefits, particularly in those industries, such as the textile industry in particular, where short time is in operation; and what steps she proposes to take to improve the administration.

Legislation provides that the earnings-related supplement to unemployment benefit should not be payable during periods of short-time working. This is part of a deliberate policy by the Government to concentrate unemployment benefit on the wholly unemployed and to leave to industry itself the responsibility for devising arrangements to cover short periods of temporary suspension of employment. This policy will become fully operative in March 1969 when flat-rate unemployment benefit will no longer be payable during periods of short-time working.I am of course aware that there has been some criticism of this new approach not, as far as I know, of administration. If my hon. Friend has any such point in mind I will gladly look into it, in consultation with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Labour, if he will let me have details.

asked the Minister of Social Security if she is aware that the operation of the waiting days prevents workers, particularly in those industries, such as the textile industry, where short time is in operation, from obtaining any benefit under the wage-related sections of the National Insurance Act, although such contributors have paid contributions on that basis; and what steps she proposes to take to meet these complaints.

The provisions of the National Insurance Act, 1966 were deliberately framed to prevent earnings-related supplement from being paid to workers on short time and the level of the graduated contributions required to finance these earnings-related supplements was fixed accordingly.

asked the Minister of Social Security if she is aware of the great dissatisfaction which exists about the effect of the operation of the graduated pension provisions of the National Insurance Act; and if, in view of this continued criticism, she will give an undertaking to suspend the provisions until such time as the new scheme of National Insurance is embodied in legislation.

No. I do not think my hon. Friend's suggestion would help the development of our social security scheme.

asked the Minister of Social Security (1) how many families there were on the books of the Department in Salford, at the most recent date, who were reduced in their supplementary benefits because of the wage stop; and how this compares with the corresponding date last year;(2) how many of the heads of families wage stopped in Salford are disabled, sick and unemployed.

The table below gives the available information:

Operation of the wage stop in Salford
Category		September, 1967	September, 1966
Temporarily sick	…	14	14
Unemployed	…	123	29
Total	…	137	43

asked the Minister of Technology whether he has studied the evidence of Dr. Edward Teller that fast breeder reactors are potentially dangerous, owing to the amount of plutonium required to operate them, details of which have been sent to him; and if he will make a statement.

Dr. Teller's recent statement raises no new issues. The safety of fast reactors has been a major consideration in their development over the past fifteen years. The design of the prototype fast reactor at Dounreay is of the highest standards of safety. I am confident that commercial fast reactors based on this design will maintain the excellent safety record already established by the British nuclear power industry.

asked the Minister of Technology if he is satisfied that there is no duplication or overlapping in the four separate projects of transistor production research and evaluation at present being conducted by the Admiralty at Baldock, the Atomic Energy Authority at Harwell, the Telecommunications Research Establishment at Malvern, and at the Post Office Research Station at Dollis Hill; and if he will make a statement.

Yes. The Co-ordination of Valve Development Organisation is used by the four establishments concerned to avoid unnecessary duplication.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the total amount of public funds advanced by the Highland Development Board to the six businesses which it has assisted and which have subsequently gone into liquidation, or become insolvent, or otherwise ceased to trade; and what proportion this sum bore to the total sums so far advanced by the Highland Development Board.

£68,938; of which £15,700 was by way of grant and £53,238 by loan. These payments represent 6½ per cent. of the total assistance advanced by the Board up to 30th September, 1967.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give the number of honours graduates teaching in Scotland and the proportion of all graduate teachers holding honours degrees in Scotland in the years 1964, 1965 and 1966; and whether it is the intention to include these statistics in the future reports of the Scottish Education Department.

The figures for 1964 and 1965 are given in the table below. Corresponding figures for 1966 are not available. It is hoped to publish statistics of honours graduate teachers in future issues of "Scottish Educational Statistics".

HONOURS GRADUATE TEACHERS IN EDUCATION AUTHORITY AND GRANT AIDED SCHOOLS
	Number		As percentage of all graduate teachers in the category
	1964	1965	1964	1965
Certificated	5,544	5,600	32·3	32·5
Uncertificated	91	117	31·6	30·2
Total	5,635	5,717	32·3	32·5

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many uncertificated teachers in Scotland are presently in receipt of responsibility payments.

Uncertificated teachers employed in education authority schools are not eligible for responsibility payments in terms of the Schools Code and the Salaries Regulations.

asked the Minister of Transport whether, in connection with her legislative proposals for making heavy goods vehicles with a radius of more than 100 miles subject to a licence which would only be granted if the railways cannot provide equally good transport, she will ensure that the decision-making tribunal will be able to take into account the possibility of railway strikes which will immobilise the goods which would thus be transferred from road to rail.

The licensing authority responsible for granting authorisations for journeys exceeding 100 miles would be required to take into account, amongst other things, the relative reliability of the competing road and rail services when considering an application. They would also have a separate power to grant special short term authorisations quickly if rail services were interrupted.

asked the Minister of Transport if she will make a statement about the derailment at Faversham on Tuesday, 24th October; and if she will order an inquiry into the incident.

This was a minor incident which occured during shunting. As it was not statutorily reportable, the question of an Inquiry does not arise.The British Railways Board tell me however that the rear four wagons of a goods train became derailed on striking the buffer stop of a siding during a propelling movement. There was little delay to passenger services, but the derailed wagons damaged and blocked the public subway. No persons were injured.

asked the Minister of Transport if she will authorise the commencement of the scheme for a road crossing of the Duddon Estuary, in view of the closing down of the iron ore mine at Millom, and the availability of the necessary slag.

No scheme for a road crossing of the Duddon Estuary is at present being considered.

asked the Minister of Transport if, in view of the high percentage of unemployed in the White-haven area, she will authorise improve-

		Target Dates
Location (County)	Length	Start	Finish
The "Comet" to South Mimms (Hertfordshire)	5·5 miles	1970s "Preparation Pool"
Lemsford·Welwyn (Hertfordshire)	3·25 miles	1969/70
Hail Bridge·Southoe Bends (Huntingdonshire)	1·84 miles	July, 1967	January, 1969
Eaton Socon (Huntingdonshire)	By-Pass 2·6 miles	Mid 1968	Mid 1970
South of Wansford to Stibbington (Huntingdonshire and Soke of Peterborough)	0·75 miles	Scheme being considered for inclusion in the programme

Schemes to a value of £115,000 are in hand on this route and a further £47,000 of work is included in the current year's normal programme. As a part of the measures for aid to Development Areas, three more schemes costing some £49,000 have just been added to the programme. Grants totalling over £220,000 have also been authorised since June towards the cost of local authority roads in the White-haven area.

asked the Minister of Transport what is the latest position with regard to the D ring road proposals, particularly those affecting the constituency of the hon. Member for Harrow, East.

The London Borough of Harrow, with the support of four neighbouring authorities, has asked for an extension of time until the end of February, 1968, for submission of the views of the five authorities upon the alignment suggested by the Greater London Council. We have agreed to this.

asked the Minister of Transport what stretches of the A1 road between London and Newcastle remain single carriageway; what are the mileages involved in each case; and when work to make these stretches dual carriageways is expected to commence and be completed in each case.

The information is as follows:

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will publish a table showing the vacancies available to the unemployed in the North-West for the month of October for the years 1940 to 1967, inclusive, separating them into the following categories, namely, men, women, boys, girls, skilled and unskilled.

The only vacancy information available is for notified

NOTIFIED VACANCIES REMAINING UNFILLED IN NORTH WESTERN REGION
			All occupations				Unskilled occupations included in previous columns
			Men	Women	Boys	Girls	Men	Women
4th September, 1946	…	…	24,233	36,678	20,466		—	—
3rd September, 1947	…	…	22,490	34,878	8,868	12,587	—	—
1st September, 1948	…	…	15,483	27,706	8,226	10,926	—	—
28th September, 1949	…	…	17,293	23,568	6,500	11,195	—	—
27th September, 1950	…	…	17,805	20,123	7,684	10,885	—	—
26th September, 1951	…	…	26,052	16,280	8,999	9,669	—	—
24th September, 1952	…	…	11,802	8,909	2,909	2,606	—	—
23rd September, 1953	…	…	12,497	13,532	3,971	5,898	—	—
22nd September, 1954	…	…	16,686	14,636	5,082	7,803	—	—
21st September, 1955	…	…	18,304	14,042	5,732	7,591	—	—
19th September, 1956	…	…	14,209	12,160	4,424	6,969	—	—
11th September, 1957	…	…	11,946	12,729	3,530	7,062	—	—
10th September, 1958	…	…	7,571	6,623	1,474	3,329	531	422
9th September, 1959	…	…	9,794	11,189	1,916	5,487	834	719
7th September, 1960	…	…	13,303	14,271	5,123	8,281	2,396	1,013
6th September, 1961	…	…	12,068	13,955	5,172	8,103	1,895	1,361
5th September, 1962	…	…	5,927	8,715	2,118	3,546	567	547
4th September, 1963	…	…	6,291	9,278	1,793	3,126	697	626
9th September, 1964	…	…	10,597	13,979	3,138	4,909	1,444	1,149
8th September, 1965	…	…	14,540	15,247	5,168	6,719	1,929	1,579
7th September, 1966	…	…	14,483	14,963	4,844	6,621	1,695	1,516
6th September, 1967	…	…	8,931	10,069	3,089	3,569	1,123	1,151

asked the Minister of Labour if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a list analysing, by industry, the number of redundancy payments made since 6th December, 1965.

Up to 30th September, 1967 payments have been made under the Redundancy Payments Act in respect of the following numbers of workers:

Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing	6,925
Mining and Quarrying	8,951
Food, Drink and Tobacco	13,599
Chemicals and Allied Industries	7,467
Metal Manufacture	13,432
Engineering and Electrical Goods	42,674
Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering	7,586
Vehicles	22,012
Metal Goods not elsewhere specified	9,488
Textiles	19,887
Leather, Leather goods and Fur	1,491
Clothing and Footwear	9,397
Bricks, Pottery, Glass and Cement, etc.	7,885
Timber, furniture, etc.	9,943
Paper, Printing and Publishing	11,533
Other Manufacturing Industries	5,390
Construction	44,839
Gas, Electricity and Water	1,912
Transport and Communication	16,754
Distributive Trades	31,895
Insurance, Banking and Finance	2,310
Professional and Scientific Services	3,290
Miscellaneous Services	17,042
Public Administration and Defence	3,180
Total	318,882

asked the Minister of Labour if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a list analysing, by region, the number of redundancy payments made since 6th December, 1965.

On the basis of Ministry of Labour regions payments have been made under the Redundancy Payments Act up to 30th September, 1967 in respect of the following numbers of workers:

Northern	…	…	22,799
Yorks and Humberside	…	…	23,739
Eastern and Southern	…	…	38,158
London and South Eastern	…	…	77,283
South Western	…	…	18,696
Wales	…	…	16,905
Midlands	…	…	45,850
North Western	…	…	42,280
Scotland	…	…	33,172
Total		…	318,882

asked the Minister of Labour if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT the number of persons at present unemployed who have received redundancy payment.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT the number of persons who have received redundancy payments and who have since found employment.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Minister of Labour how many payments have been made under the Redundancy Fund since 30th June, 1967.

From 1st July to 30th September, 1967 payments have been made from the Redundancy Fund to employers in respect of 52,338 workers who qualified for redundancy payments. In addition, payments to 3,331 workers have been made direct from the Redundancy Fund on behalf of employers who because of insolvency, and other causes failed to meet their obligations under the Redundancy Payments Act.

asked the Minister of Labour how many wage-earners in Scotland receive less than £12 10s. a week; how the percentage of the labour force earning under this figure compares with the percentage of the total United Kingdom labour force earning under £12 10s. a week; and what is the total number in Scotland in families where the income is less than this figure.

Information available from the Family Expenditure Survey indicates that the proportion of full-time adult employees earning less than £12 10s. per week was higher in Scotland than in the United Kingdom, but the numbers in the sample in Scotland are too small to enable accurate percentages to be quoted or to support an estimate of the total number of employees in Scotland in households with a weekly income under £12 10s.Figures produced by the Ministry of Social Security from a sample of records relating to those who had virtually a full year's employment, showed that in the Income Tax year 1965–66, 14 per cent. of men aged 18 and over in Scotland had earnings of under £650 per annum compared with 10 per cent. in Great Britain. The corresponding figures for women 18 and over were 78 per cent. in Scotland and 75 per cent. in Great Britain. These figures exclude persons with low earnings which do not bring them within the scope of the income tax P.A.Y.E. arrangements.

asked the Minister of Labour what is the number of disabled persons on the disabled register in Sunderland; and how many persons so registered are at present unemployed.

On 17th April, 1967, 1,313 persons were registered as disabled at the Sunderland Employment Exchange. On 9th October 1967, 227 persons so registered were registered as unemployed.

asked the Minister of Labour how many men there were at work in Wales on the last date for which the figures are available; and how many were at work in the corresponding month of each of the preceding 10 years.

Estimates of the numbers of male employees in employment in Wales in March, 1967 (the latest date for which information is available) and March, 1966 were 634,000 and 657,000 respectively. Before the introduction of the quarterly series of employment estimates, figures were available for June only each year and those for June, 1956 to June, 1966 were given in my reply to the hon. Member's Question of 10th February.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will give the numbers employed in the shipbuilding and ship-repairing industries in Sunderland at the latest available date, and the corresponding figures for 1963, 1964, 1965, and 1966.

Following is the information:

ESTIMATED NUMBERS OF EMPLOYEES (EMPLOYED AND UNEMPLOYED) IN SHIPBUILDING AND SHIP REPAIRING (MINIMUM LIST HEADING 370.1 OF THE STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION) IN THE AREA COVERED BY THE SUNDERLAND PALLION AND SOUTHWICK EMPLOYMENT EXCHANGES
(Thousands)
			Males	Females	Total
June, 1963	…	…	8·2	0·3	8·4
June, 1964	…	…	7·3	0·3	7·5
June, 1965	…	…	7·2	0·3	7·5
June, 1966	…	…	7·5	0·3	7·8

Estimates for June, 1967 are not yet available.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will introduce legislation to compel all employers to insure against employers' liability.

No.

asked the Minister of Labour what special advice is given by his factory inspectorate regarding the training and safety of younger employees.

The basis of the advice is contained in a leaflet "The Prevention of Accidents to Young Workers"; I am sending a copy to my hon. Friend.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will give the number of young people who left school in July of this year who are registered as unemployed in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

On 9th October, 1967, 182 boys and girls who left school this summer were still registered for first employment at Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will make a statement on the current industrial dispute at the Ford Motor Company, Dagenham.

I understand that the dispute arose over the duties of an employee under the new grading and wages structure. The men have now accepted their union's advice to return to work to enable discussions to take place.

asked the Minister of Labour how many prosecutions under the Factories Acts were taken in each of the last three years in cases arising from the death of an employee due to breach of statutory duty; and what was the average fine in such cases.

The following is the information:

	1964	1965	1966	1967 1.1.67–1.10.67
Number of prosecutions	50	56	60	31
Average fine for prosecution	£98	£110	£114	£131

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what is the estimated cost of equipping a school to teach science subjects to Nuffield standards;(2) how much has so far been spent on equipping schools to teach scientific subjects to Nuffield standards;(3) how many schools in the United Kingdom have so far changed to Nuffield standards in their teaching of scientific subjects;(4) how many schools his Department estimates could benefit from changing to Nuffield standards in their teaching of scientific subjects.

I am writing to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what progress has been made in the Further Education building programme during the current financial year.

The £30·5 million Further Education building programme authorised to start during the current financial year exceeds that in any previous year. Excellent progress has been made in dealing with the backlog of projects from past programmes thanks to the efforts of local education authorities and to improvements in the Department's procedures. Progress has recently been so rapid that it will be necessary to space out starts for the present to ensure that the substantial amounts authorised are not exceeded.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will make a statement about grants to universities in the next quinquennium.

The Government has considered recommendations made by the University Grants Committee for the sums to be made available to the Universities towards recurrent expenditure for the five year period covering the academic years 1967–68 to 1971–72, and has informed the Committee that, subject to the annual approval of Estimates by Parliament in the normal way, they should plan on the basis of the following grants for the five years beginning in August each year:

				£ million
1967–68	…	…	…	150·8
1968–69	…	…	…	153·6
1969–70	…	…	…	159·5
1970–71	…	…	…	166·0
1971–72	…	…	…	172·5

2. The grant for the University year 1966–67 was £134 million. On 6th December, 1966, my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade announced a provisional figure of £147·5 million for 1967–8, and said that this figure would be reviewed in the light of advice from the University Grants Committee when they had completed their consideration of the estimates put forward by the Universities for the next Quinquennium.3. The figures, as in the past, exclude provision for expenditure on rates, which are financed annually by separate grants outside the Quinquennial settlement. They include the cost of certain research work taken over from Research Council funds, and, from 1968–69 onwards, part of the cost of the Provincial Agricultural Economic Service previously met by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.4. From 1968–69 onwards the figures exclude provision for equipment for teaching and research in existing buildings in view of the decision to introduce new arrangements for financing the purchase of such equipment. Under these arrangements each University will be provided with an annual sum of money, related in the main to student numbers, weighted to allow for differences in the balance of subjects and the balance between undergraduate and post-graduate students, from which the University will be free at its discretion to purchase equipment as needed for new or existing buildings. These grants, like the grants for recurrent expenditure, will be fixed for a period of years in advance, and the University Grants Committee have been informed that, subject to the annual approval of Estimates by Parliament, the following amounts will be made available for allocation to the Universities in the four academic years starting in 1968–69:

				£ million
1968–69	…	…	…	16·5
1969–70	…	…	…	19·0
1970–71	…	…	…	18·25
1971–72	…	…	…	18·25

5. An additional £1·65 million is also being made available for the purchase of University furniture and equipment in the current financial year.6. In 1966–67 the number of full-time students in Universities in Great Britain was 184,800. The Committee on Higher Education, on the best estimate that could then be made, suggested that 204.000 places would be needed in 1971–72. The grants for the next Quinquennium assume that the student population in Universities will in fact rise to between 220,000 and 225,000 by this date.

asked the Minister of Power if he will give a general direction to the National Coal Board regarding the disposal of land for the siting of new industries in areas where miners have lost jobs due to pit closures.

No. I have no knowledge of the failure on the part of the Board to co-operate in disposing of land in their possession which would facilitate developments in a colliery closure area.

asked the Minister of Power how many area electricity consultative councils have endorsed and approved the recent increases in electricity charges and tariffs; and how many have notified him that they are opposed to these increases.

Seven notified me of their concern.

asked the Minister of Power if he will list the iron and steel products for which he has a statutory obligation to publish prices under the Iron and Steel Act 1967 and state those categories of products for which he has still to publish prices.

The British Steel Corporation, not the Minister of Power, are under a statutory obligation to publish, from time to time and in the form they consider appropriate, the prices which should normally be charged in the United Kingdom by the nationalised steel industry for iron and steel products other than castings and forgings. They have already done so for all such products except iron ore, sales of which outside the public sector are minimal, and certain highly specialised products production of which is very small. Copies of the Corporation's price lists have been placed in the library of the House of Commons.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the percentage change in tourist expenditure at constant money prices by United Kingdom residents outside the sterling area between 1957 and 1958, between 1961 and 1962, and between 1966 and 1967, respectively.

• 1957 to 1958: +4½1 per cent.
• 1961 to 1962: nil.
• 1966 to 1967: (foreign price data for 1967 Season are not yet available.)

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what he now estimates would be the cost to the revenue if Surtax payers were allowed to keep the last 7s. 6d. in the £ sterling earned.

If in cases of mixed incomes the earned income was treated as the bottom slice of total income the cost would be about £13 million for a full year.