asked the Minister of Labour whether he will issue a booklet informing applicants before industrial tribunals of the procedure of the tribunals and their rights.

Leaflets explaining these matters are issued by my local offices or, as regards the training levy, by the Industrial Training Boards. I am sending copies to the hon. Member.

asked the Minister of Labour, whether he will review the operation of the Redundancy Payments Act as it affects shipbuilding and repair yard workers, in view of the serious anomalies that have arisen.

My right hon. Friend discussed this with both sides of the industry last year and is awaiting their proposals.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will examine the anomalies arising from the operation of the Redundancy Payments Act 1965; and if he will make a statement.

If my hon. Friend will let me have details of the points he has in mind, I will be glad to consider them.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will establish a Government training centre to retrain Londoners for new types of employment in Swindon and other expanding towns with modern industry and a shortage of certain categories of skilled men.

Londoners who want and are suitable for skilled employment in Swindon and other expanding towns can be trained at the existing Government Training Centres in and around London. There are seven such Centres with nearly 2,000 training places, and work is to start next year on an eighth, with 250 places. By early 1970 it will be possible to train nearly 5,000 men a year at those eight Centres.

asked the Minister of Labour how many places at his Department's training centres will be available to applicants amongst the 2,000 men faced with redundancy at Mosley Common Colliery, due to close in February next.

I am informed that, on present estimates, between 100 and 300 of the men now employed at this colliery may become redundant when it closes in February next. The Government training centres at Hindley and Manchester are within daily travelling distance of the Mosley Common Colliery, and have a total of 293 training places. These should meet the needs of redundant miners from Mosley Common who want and are suitable for this type of training.

asked the Minister of Labour if he is satisfied that Government training centres in the northeast of England now have a wide enough range of courses to satisfy the demand in the regions for new skills; and if he will regularly review these courses.

There are courses in 23 trades at the centres in the Northern Region. The range is frequently widened, and existing courses are modernised as necessary. Regular reviews are undertaken to ensure that the trades taught are in line with the demand for new skills in the Region.

asked the Minister of Labour how many places in Government training centres are at present for service industry trades, as classified in the Official Classification.

The trades taught at Government training centres cannot be identified precisely with particular industries; trainees in servicing trades may subsequently be employed in manufacturing industry. There are, however, 1,560 places for trainees who would most frequently be placed in industries covered by the general headings "Distributive Trades and" Miscellaneous Services "in the Standard Industrial Classification.

asked the Minister of Labour what action he proposes to reduce the waiting list for entry to Government training centres in Scotland.

I would refer the hon. Member to the Answer given to his Question on 11th December.—[Vol. 756, c. 19.]

asked the Minister of Labour what courses for industrial retraining are provided at Government training centres in the Northern Region.

Following is the information:

• Bricklaying—6 classes,
• Carpentry—6,
• Contractors' plant maintenance—3,
• Electrical installation and maintenance—2,
• Heating and ventilating fitting—2,
• Street masonry and paving—1,
• Capstan setting/operating—8,
• Centre Lathe turning—6,
• Milling setting/operating—6,
• Jig and tool fitting—3,
• Precision grinding—3,
• General fitting—2,
• Instrument fitting and machining—,
• Sheet metal work—2,
• Electric arc welding—2,
• Draughtsmanship—1,
• Motor repairing—5,
• Instrument maintenance—2,
• Radio and television servicing—2,
• Agricultural machinery repairing—1,
• Woodcutting machining—1,
• Motor body repairing—1,
• Men's hairdressing—1.

asked the Minister of Labour what progress he is making in promoting an occupational health service to provide advice, diagnosis and treatment at work for all employees.

My right hon. Friend has accepted in principle the recommendations of the Sub-Committee of the Industrial Health Advisory Committee set up to review the Appointed Factory Doctor Service, and he is working out draft proposals for their implementation. In addition, my right hon. Friend has recently extended the work of the Factory Inspectorate in industrial hygiene by setting up an Industrial Hygiene Division.

asked the Minister of Labour which organisations, institutions and experts he consults on industrial accident prevention.

The membership of the Industrial Safety Advisory Council comprises representatives of the Confederation of British Industry, the Trades Union Congress, the nationalised industries, the British Insurance Association, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, and includes an independent expert.The Ministry also consults a large number of other organisations and individuals according to the particular problems involved. It would not be feasible to list them.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will now introduce legislation to establish a national minimum wage.

I have nothing at present to add to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Croydon, South (Mr. Winnick) on 10th April of this year— [Vol. 745, c. 710–711.]

asked the Minister of Labour whether he yet has evidence regarding the effect Selective Employment Tax has on redeployment of labour.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Chelmsford (Mr. St. JohnStevas) on Monday, 13th November—[Vol. 754, c. 3.]

asked the Minister of Labour when he expects to receive the next report of the Manpower Research Unit.

A report of the Manpower Research Unit was published on 11th December, 1967 under the title "Manpower Studies No. 5: Electronics".

asked the Minister of Labour if he will publish a table showing the total number of strikes per 100,000 employees in the countries listed on page 880 of the Ministry of Labour Gazetteof November 1967.

The information for which the hon. Gentleman asks is not included in the material supplied by the International Labour Organisation on which the table in the Gazette is based.

asked the Minister of Labour (1) what was the average number and percentage of persons unemployed in the Stornoway area at the November count over the last 20 years;(2) what is the number and percentage of persons unemployed in the Stornoway area at the most recent count; and what emergency action, commensurate with the situation in the area, is being taken by Her Majesty's Government to provide continuing insurable employment.

An average of 1,336 persons have been unemployed in the area covered by the Stornoway Employment Exchange at the November count over the past 20 years. This represents an unemployment percentage rate for all employees of about 25 per cent. At 11 th December, 1967, 1,549 persons were registered as unemployed and the percentage rate was 28·2.

asked the Minister of Labour in how many months in the years from November, 1951, to October, 1964, did the number of wholly unemployed stand at over 500,000; and in how many months in 1967 did the number of wholly unemployed stand at over 500,000.

The number registered as wholly unemployed in Great Britain exceeded 500,000 on ten occasions between November, 1951, and October, 1964, and eight in 1967.

asked the Minister of Labour (1) how many shipbuilding workers were unemployed in the upper reaches of the Clyde at the most recent date for which figures are available; and what were the comparable figures in the same month of each of the previous six years;(2) how many men and women were employed by shipbuilding and shiprepairing establishments in the upper reaches of the Clyde at the most recent date for which figures are available; and what were the comparable figures in the same month of each of the previous six years.

Following is the information relating to the upper reaches of the Clyde, which has been taken to include the areas covered by the Barr-head, Bridgeton, Clydebank, Dumbarton, Glasgow Central, Glasgow South Side, Govan, Hillington, Kinning Park, Mary-hill, Paisley, Parkhead, Partick, Renfrew, Rutherglen and Springburn Employment Exchanges:

asked the Minister of Labour if he will now hold an inquiry into the official dispute at Roberts-Arundel Limited, Chestergate, Stockport; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend has decided after careful consideration not to set up an inquiry into the Roberts-Arundel dispute. The practice of Ministers of Labour for many years has been to appoint inquiries if they are likely to help resolve a major dispute or an important problem of industrial relations. In my view, an inquiry would not have helped in this way at any stage during this dispute. I see no reason to alter this view now that the company have decided to cease manufacturing from mid-January.

asked the Minister of Labour what advice has been sought by and given to Roberts-Arundel Limited, Stockport.. following their declared intention to close the factory in January, 1968, with particular regard to redundancy payments to the employees.

At the company's request, local Ministry officials visited the company on 15th December and discussed the question of redundancy payments for their employees and the advance registration of redundant employees for alternative employment.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will instruct managers of employment exchanges that, where workers who became redundant due to the insolvency of the employer cannot receive payment in lieu of notice under the requirements of the Contracts of Employment Act, 1963, unemployment benefit should be paid, subject to the normal requirements, without delay being caused because of any assumed payment of the workers by way of payment in lieu of notice.

Unemployment benefit is not payable when a payment in lieu of notice or in lieu of remuneration is made to an employee. In cases where firms become insolvent it is necessary to make inquiries to see if a payment will be made. No decision can be given by the independent statutory authorities until this has been done. These inquiries are made as quickly as possible.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will appoint a representative from the bodies interested in consumer protection to the advisory committee on the Cost-of-living Index.

The Cost of Living Advisory Committee has recently been reconstituted and has already begun its work of considering the questions on which they have been asked to report. My Statistics Department will always be glad to receive from any bodies including those interested in consumer protection, information which will help to ensure that the Retail Prices Index continues to measure as accurately as possible changes in the level of retail prices.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will decentralise to local offices of his Department the consideration of applications by aliens for part-time work permits so that they can be obtained as expeditiously as ordinary work permits.

No. Work permits for part-time employment are not normally issued for foreigners abroad as the remuneration is rarely sufficient to maintain them and British labour is usually available for this kind of work. Aliens in this country for some other purpose may occasionally be permitted to take such employment but these cases are exceptional and require consideration centrally.

asked the Minister of Labour how many claims which, if granted, would increase the remuneration of workers are now outstanding; and how many workers are, or would be, affected by them.

Sixty-three major claims affecting a little over 7 million wage and salary earners.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will now insist on a much closer inspection of the quality and quantity of industrial training facilities provided by firms before permitting repayments under the Industrial Training Act.

Industrial training boards already relate the payment of grants in varying measure to the quality and quantity of the training provided by employers, and are making increasingly effective arrangements for validating claims for grant.

asked the Minister of Labour if he is aware that certain firms have made a profit out of the Industrial Training Scheme without providing adequate training; if he will amend the Scheme so as to prevent this; and if he will make a statement.

The grant schemes of industrial training boards normally provide grant only for training which satisfies certain minimum standards. As the boards continue to develop their activities, particularly through the publication of training recommendations, the conditions for payment of grant will become progressively higher.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will make a statement on the employment of his officers secretly to trace the number of people registered as unemployed and drawing unemployment benefit, but who are also in casual employment.

Members of my staff are instructed to make discreet inquiries if it is suspected that a person is concurrently working and receiving unemployment benefit.

asked the Minister of Labour (1) whether he will take steps to amend the relevant wages council orders to raise the total remuneration paid to a female sales assistant in retail trade from £8 8s. per week and to classify such a person as a lower-paid worker for the purposes of the Government's incomes Industrial Training (Grant) policy;(2) whether he will take steps to amend the relevant wages council orders to raise the total remuneration of a male sales assistant in the tailoring trade from £12 1ls. per week and to classify such a person as a lower-paid worker for the purposes of the Government's incomes policy.

I have no power to initiate amendments of Wages Regulation Orders. I can only make orders to give effect to wages regulation proposals submitted to me by wages councils.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will charge employers for the services they receive at employment exchanges.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what reduction there has been in anti-British propaganda from Cairo Radio since the resumption of diplomatic relations with the United Arab Republic.

Diplomatic relations were resumed only on 12th December. But before this the Head of the British Interests Section in Cairo had raised the matter of broadcasts from Cairo with the United Arab Republic authorities on a number of occasions. The United Arab Republic authorities have assured us that there is good will on their side. I hope we shall find this leads to some practical results.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement about the Suez Canal.

The Security Council Resolution passed unanimously on 22nd November affirmed amongst other things the necessity for guaranteeing freedom of navigation through international waterways in the Middle East.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will take steps to refer the question of compensation for the owners of British vessels held in the Bitter Lakes to the International Court of Justice.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on Great Britain's future relations with the People's Republic of Smith Yemen.

The British Government naturally hope that we shall have normal friendly relations with the Southern Yemen. I have nothing to add to my replies to the hon. Member for Bury St. Edmunds (Mr. Eldon Griffiths) on 4th December and my hon. Friend the Member for Swindon (Mr. Francis Noel-Baker) on 5th December.—[Vol. 755, c. 216–7; c. 268.]

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in what form, and at what interval, he is making over to the Government of South Yemen Republic the £9–£10 million of post-independence aid pledged by Her Majesty's Government over the next six months.

The financial aid we have agreed to continue at recent levels for the next six months will be paid to the Crown Agents for the account of the People's Republic of Southern Yemen. That part of the aid which contributes towards recurrent expenditure will be paid in three bi-monthly instalments in advance; that relating to capital expenditure will be made available on proof of need. Equipment ordered and included within the offer will be delivered as available.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on resumption of diplomatic relations with the United Arab Republic.

I am glad to say that diplomatic relations with the United Arab Republic were resumed on 12th December.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will initiate discussions in the United Nations Organisation, with a view to the acquisition by the United Nations of the Sinai Peninsula as an assembly point and first base for a permanent United Nations World Constabulary and a laboratory for large-scale irrigation of arid zones through desalination of sea-water, and a permanent settlement area for refugees.

No. My right hon. Friend has very much in mind the desirability of forthright measures to tackle the refugee problem in the Middle East. As he made clear in his speech in the debate on 6th July, he is intensely conscious of the human problems involved but believes that this and the other points raised by my hon. Friend can now best be considered as part of a general political settlement in the area. The United Nations Special Representative has now started his work in the Middle East. We consider that his mission represents the best chance of real progress towards such a settlement and we do not wish at this juncture to take any initiatives which might prejudice or prejudge his work.—[Vol. 749, c. 2123.]

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on the relations of Her Majesty's Government with Somaliland.

A resolution was passed in the Somali National Assembly on 11th December calling on the Government of the Somali Republic to start negotiations with Her Majesty's Government, and to resume diplomatic relations. We welcome this development, and are in contact with the Government of the Somali Repblic through our Protecting Power (the United States). As has been stated in the House on earlier occasions, we should of course be glad to resume diplomatic relations with the Somali Republic.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether Her Majesty's Government will support the recent recommendations of the Assembly of the Council of Europe in supporting the Scandinavian countries in their reference of the position in Greece to the Commission on Human Rights and if he will make a statement.

I have nothing to add to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Lewisham, South (Mr. Carol Johnson) on 13th November. —[Vol. 754, c. 19.]

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will propose in the United Nations Security Council the creation of a United Nations Sanctions Committee to assist and advise the Secretary-General in the application of mandatory sanctions against Rhodesia.

Her Majesty's Government are always open to practical suggestions for improving the effectiveness of sanctions, but I am not convinced that my hon. Friend's proposal would help towards this end as things stand at the moment.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will arrange for urgent discussions within the appropriate organs of the United Nations about ways and means to relieve the extra hardships which the onset of winter will cause to Palestinian refugees in camps on the barren plateau near Amman.

Discussions are at present in progress in the Special Political Committee of the United Nations on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency and the problem of the refugees including those newly displaced. The Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, Dr. Michelmore, in his speech in the Special Political Committee on 11th December laid particular emphasis on the plight of newly displaced refugees now made more acute by the onset of winter. The Commissioner-General has Her Majesty's Government's full confidence and support in the efforts he is making to deal with the problem.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what reply he has sent to Prince Sihanouk's official request that Great Britain recognise without reservation the present territory Cambodia administers.

The Cambodian Government have put certain requests to Her Majesty's Government for declarations relating to Cambodia's frontiers. We are still considering these requests and no reply has yet been given.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what has been the total expenditure by Her Majesty's Government on propaganda and other activities in the effort to enter the European Economic Community since 16th October 1964.

The presentation of the British case on this is part of the normal overseas information effort and its cost cannot be separately identified.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will instruct the United Kingdom representative at the United Nations to support the Maltese Resolution in the General Assembly for the international regulation and exploration of the sea bed in the interests of mankind.

During the debate on this item in the First Committee of the General Assembly, the United Kingdom representative welcomed the Maltese initiative in raising questions concerning the sea bed and ocean floor for international consideration. We co-sponsored the resolution adopted at the end of the debate, and the United Kingdom is to serve on the ad hoc committee which is being established to look further into these matters.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what arrangements he is making, especially in Hong Kong, to adjust cost of living allowances for appropriate officials and dependants following devaluation.

Hong Kong will naturally be included with the many posts covered by the current review of emoluments to which my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State referred in his reply to the hon. Member for Edinburgh, South (Mr. Clark Hutchison) on 23rd November, to which I have nothing to add.—[Vol. 754, c. 427.]

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what representations he has received as co-chairman of the Geneva Conference that Her Majesty's Government should dissociate themselves from the massacre by the Viet Cong of the village of Dak Son in South Vietnam; and what reply he has sent.

I have received no such representations but I deplore this deliberate massacre of civilians as I do all the killing in Vietnam.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he has now received the report on the state of health of Mr. Brooke which he requested from the Russian authorities; and if he will make a statement.

The Soviet Ministry of Foreign Affairs have now assured us that there is no reason for concern over the health of Mr. Brooke, with particular reference to tuberculosis.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, in view of the recent official commercial arrangements for printing and publication in Great Britain of a Russian/ English periodical, Sputnik, what official arrangements exist on a comparable basis for British publications in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

The Soviet publication to which my hon. Friend refers is a monthly magazine published in this country by the Daily Mirror, through a commercial arrangement with the Soviet Government-controlled agency, Novosti.The British Russian-language quarterly

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what new census of Arab refugees has been carried out by the United Nations Works and Relief Agency; and what economies are being made.

No new census of Arab refugees has been carried out by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, but the Commissioner-General, Dr. Michelmore, has stated that 350,000 to 400,000 people have been displaced in the Middle East as a result of the recent war, of whom 113,000 or thereabouts were already United Nations Relief and Works Agency-registered refugees. The situation is still fluid and our information is that 200 to 300 refugees a day continue to cross from the West Bank of the Jordan to the East (where there are at present some 275,000 "new" refugees). More precise figures will be available when the results of a recent review carried out by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency become known in the next few weeks.As regards economies, as the Commissioner-General made clear in his speech at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency debate in New York on 11th December, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency is already practising as much austerity as possible. Her Majesty's Government were greatly encouraged that the Commissioner-General, in his most recent report, was able to say that much progress has been made since June, with the co-operation of the Jordanian authorities, in the rectification of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency ration rolls in Jordan. We naturally look to the day when this will apply to all the "host" countries and we share the Commissioner-General's anxiety to make all possible economies provided that they are not detrimental to the welfare of the refugees.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs when he will publish the text of the non-proliferation treaty.

The text of the nonproliferation treaty has not yet been completed, and negotiations are continuing. Publication of the final text is therefore not yet possible. However, copies of the drafts which were tabled by the co-Chairmen of the Geneva Conference on 24th August are in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will now propose at the United Nations that the ban on arms for South Africa be made mandatory on all member nations.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will give an assurance that the Government will not resume arms sales to South Africa.

I have nothing to add to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Ipswich (Sir Dingle Foot) on 14th December.—[Vol. 756, c. 628]

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how many embassies, delegations, and related offices the United Kingdom now has in Belgium.

Three: Her Majesty's Embassy, the United Kingdom Delegation to the North Atlantic Council and the United Kingdom Delegation to the European Communities.

asked the Minister of Health who was the chairman of the Leeds Regional Hospital Board when the £423,618 extension to Scalebor Park Hospital was opened; how much of this sum of money was voted by Parliament; why the parliamentary representative was not invited: and what steps he has taken to prevent similar discourtesies happening in other places.

The Chairman of the Board is L. E. Laycock, Esq., C.B.E., J.P. On the other parts of the Question, I would refer the hon. and gallant Member to my reply on 24th July and to my right hon. Friend's letters to him on 22nd May and 29th June.—[Vol. 751, c. 15–16.]

asked the Minister of Health how many years the lease has still to run of the Leeds Regional Board headquarters at the Queen Hotel, Harrogate; if all the rooms at the hotel are in use; how much money voted by Parliament has been spent on maintaining the gardens in the last 15 years; and if he will instruct the Board that they should find more suitable and less expensive headquarters when the lease runs out.

Eight; yes, apart from some currently being adapted; £12,260 in gardeners' wages over the last ten years. All options for the Board's long term accommodation needs will be kept open for a decision at the appropriate time, but it is most unlikely that more suitable premises would be less expensive.

asked the Minister of Health what Government assistance is being given to medical units specialising in the transference of hearts and other human organs.

asked the Minister of Health if he will make a statement on his plans to assist scientific practice and investigation into the transference of internal organs from one human being to another; how far this practice and investigation has progressed; and what is the number of cases in which the operation was successful or otherwise, distinguishing between English and Scottish figures.

Corneal grafting is undertaken at many hospitals in the National Health Service. Kidney transplantation is being undertaken at a small number of such hospitals, with support to some extent from the Medical Research Council; and, as I said in answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Bolton, West (Mr. Oakes) on 14th December, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and I have appointed an Advisory Committee to advise us on the further development of work in this field. Research related to the transplantation of other organs, including the heart, is being supported by the Medical Research Council and the Ministry of Health, as well as by universities.Precise information of the number of operations is not available and the time has been too short for an appraisal of permanent results even in the major centres.—[Vol. 756, c.

asked the Minister of Health (1) what was the total number of patients on the hospital waiting lists at the most recent date for which figures are available; and what percentage increase has taken place in this figure since 1948;

On 30th June, 1967 there were 540,876 patients on waiting lists, and 468,000 available beds; 4,898,000 in-patients were treated in 1966. Comparable information for 1948 is not available.

asked the Minister of Health how many persons were on the waiting list in the area served by the Welsh Hospital Board on 31st March in 1964, 1965, 1966 and 1967.

asked the Minister of Health if he will set up a departmental inquiry into the case, details of which have been sent to him, of a patient seeking treatment under the National Health Service who was advised by a consultant to gain priorty by becoming a private patient; and if he will make a statement.

I have asked the Regional Hospital Board for a full report.

asked the Minister of Health (1) whether he is aware that local authority dark-room technicians receive approximately 60 per cent. more than those employed in the National Health Service; and if he will take steps to remedy this anomaly;(2) whether he is aware of the low rates of pay received by dark-room technicians in the National Health Service; and if he will now take steps to increase the rates from the present level of £12 per week.

This is a matter for the Whitley Council, who on 23rd November agreed a new salary scale with a maximum of £685 a year and new allowances for additional duties and long service. My information is that there is no comparable class of local authority dark room technician.

asked the Minister of Health to what extent meat imported from abroad became unfit for human consumption during the recent dock strike; and how and where it was disposed of.

Part of a chilled beef cargo of 1,000 tons subjected to refrigeration because of the strike in London was subsequently found to be unfit. Mould was found on some of the meat and the affected areas are being removed under supervision by the health authorities and sent for conversion into industrial fats and fertilisers. The other unfit meat in the cargo will be disposed of in a similar way.

asked the Minister of Health what further action he proposes to take to remedy the lack of essential supporting services for those helping to keep mentally-handicapped children in the community, as envisaged in the Mental Health Act, 1959.

Local authorities' plans for developing their services for the mentally handicapped were published last year in Cmnd. 3022. Advisory Mental Welfare Officers of my Department pay regular visits to all local health authorities to advise on their services in this field, which are steadily expanding.

asked the Minister of Health when the next census of population is to be taken; and what preliminary investigations are to be carried out.

The Government have decided to seek the authority of Parliament to take the next Census in April, 1971, the earliest date possible under the Census Act. This Census will involve a full enumeration of the whole population.To ensure the efficiency of the whole operation, including the enumeration procedures as well as the design and content of the Census questionnaire, a number of tests will be carried out in the field during the next few years.Most of these tests will be on an extremely small scale. However, two larger tests will be carried out in April, 1968, and April, 1969, each involving some ten selected areas in England and Wales and ten in Scotland, where a full enumeration will be carried out. These will be on a wholly voluntary footing, but my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and I hope that we shall have the full co-operation of those members of the public invited to take part in them.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will now receive a deputation from the Congleton Borough Council to deal with the question of sand quarrying in the borough of Congleton.

No. My right hon. Friend is precluded from discussing this question with an appeal relating to sand working in the borough still before him.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will take steps to make the finances of the Court of Common Council of the City of London subject to the same controls as elsewhere in the local government of England.

I do not know what my hon. Friend has in mind, but my right hon. Friend is not contemplating any move in this direction.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government why his Department's Circular N.T.43 dated 16th August, 1967 makes no provision for any reduction in price in the sale of New Town Commission loans for sitting tenants; and whether he will re-examine the matter with a view to providing this help for sitting tenants.

In the interests of good estate management the Commission are likely to restrict sales of their rented housing stock to particular estates. It would inequitable to allow a tenant, permitted to buy the house he was already renting, to receive a financial concession denied to one who could only purchase by moving house.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what facilities are available to motorists, who make a request at a police station for a breathalyser test when they are in doubt as to the amount of alcohol consumed.

Breath tests at police stations are offered only to persons arrested under Section 6 of the Road Traffic Act 1960 or Section 2 of the Road Safety Act 1967.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, in view of the public confidence in the distribution of liquids in non-returnable glass containers, he will take steps to encourage the greater use of this container on grounds of safety and hygiene.

Provided that containers present no undue risk to the public, I have no grounds for preferring one type to another. Containers used to supply food or drink to the public must satisfy the relevant requirements of the Food Hygiene (General) Regulations, 1960, irrespective of the materials from which they are made.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will consider recommending a posthumous free pardon for Sir Thomas More when the plaque commemorating his trial is placed in Westminster Hall.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will take steps to remove the anomalies in the franchise and restrictions on candidates in local government in the City of London.

The franchise for elections of Common Councilmen is the same as that in boroughs generally; so, for all practical purposes, will be the qualifications for candidates when the City of London (Various Powers) Bill 1967, now awaiting Royal Assent, becomes law.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to publish the results of his inquiry into allegations made against the staff who were at Reading Borstal some years ago.

The inquiry now being carried out by members of the Board of Visitors at Reading Borstal is not yet concluded, but I hope it will be ready in a month's time.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to ban the export of animals for vivisection.

I have no proposals for legislation, but the question of safeguards for animals exported for research purposes is under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to ensure that the new police training centre to be built by the Cornwall and Devon Police Authority is sited at Launceston.

The selection of a site for any new police training centre would, in the first instance, be a matter for the police authority.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will name the organisations which have communicated to the Government their wish for British Standard Time to be introduced;(2) what organisations or associations have indicated their opposition to the introduction of British Standard Time.

The views of the 80 or so organisations and associations consulted do not lend themselves to a clear separation on the lines asked for, but I will give an account of the views expressed in consultations when the British Standard Time Bill comes before the House.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer in how many cases, in each of the last three years, a widow of a civil servant who has remarried and

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the effect on Great Britain's balance of payments that has been caused by industrial disputes over the last 18 months.

I regret that this information is not readily available and could not be obtained without disproportionate cost and effort.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in the Official Report figures showing the percentage increase in the value of corporation profits before tax, the value of corporation profits after tax, the value of the gross domestic product, and the percentage ratio between the first and second on the one hand and the third on the other over the past 10 years the past five years, and the past three years, respectively, for the United Kingdom and, from information received from international sources, for the United States of America, respectively.

The figures are given below:

The seamen's strike in 1966 and the dock strikes in 1967 have caused a direct and violent disturbance to the trade figures for individual months—with secondary effects on confidence in sterling—but their net effect on the trade balance over a period will probably be found to have been relatively small. The seamen's strike however caused a net loss of shipping earnings in 1966 estimated at about £25 million.Many other industrial disputes are also likely to have had at least an indirect effect on the balance of payments, of a son: which cannot be quantified.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the desirability of maintaining the maximum possible commercial and cultural relations between European Free Trade Association countries, he will investigate the possibility of making a special arrangement to increase the amount of foreign exchange available for British persons wishing to visit European Free Trade Association countries so as to compensate for the reduction in the purchasing power of the £ sterling in those European Free Trade Association countries which have not devalued.

No. Currency issued (or travel to one non-sterling country is freely convertible into any other currency. A special allowance for visitors to European Free Trade Association countries would be impracticable as well as contrary to our international obligations.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the purchasing power of the £ sterling on 17th November 1967, in terms of its purchasing power in mid-October, 1964.

Taking the internal purchasing power of the £ sterling as 20s. in October, 1964 its value in November 1967 is estimated at 18s. 0d.This estimate is based on changes in the Consumer Price Index for calendar years adjusted by movements in the Retail Price Index for the months at the beginning and end of the period.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proposals he is considering to restore the value of the pre-1956 public service pensions.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the former Financial Secretary's speech on the Public Service and Armed Forces Commission Bill on 3rd February which dealt with the question of the form and the timing of measures to increase public service pensions.—[Vol. 740, c. 985–90.]

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he intends to take to ensure that consumers expenditures, in real terms, are lowered following devaluation.

The measures which the Government has taken so far will check the growth of consumers' expenditure; there can be little if any scope for an increase in consumption next year, given the need to shift resources into improving the balance of payments and increasing investment.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs what discussions he has had with the Trades Union Congress since devaluation to satisfy himself that wage and price movements will be contained through the voluntary systems of vetting.

My right hon. Friend the Minister of Labour and I saw the T.U.C. on 20th November to discuss the application of prices and incomes policy after devaluation. My right hon. Friends the Prime Minister, the Chancellor of the Exchequer and I will be discussing with the T.U.C. this afternoon their Review of economic prospects, and the implications for incomes of the economic outlook.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs under what statutory and other authority he will deal with increases in prices due to devaluation where they are greater than is justified by the increase in overall costs.

The Prices and Incomes Acts, 1966 and 1967, enable the Government, where necessary, to refer price increases to the National Board for Prices and Incomes and to impose temporary standstills on prices. I would also refer my hon. Friend to the reply given on 8th December to my hon. Friend the Member for West Lothian (Mr. Dalyell). —[Vol. 755, c. 412–3.]

asked the Minister of Transport whether she will ask the appropriate transport users' consultative committee for a report on the effects of weather on the operations of British Railways, Southern Region, in view of the fact that the information made available to passengers about cancellations and delays is inadequate, communication between control and individual stations is at times non-existent and rail journeys of 60 miles may take over eight hours.

I regret the inconvenience caused to passengers by the recent bad weather but my right hon. Friend does not think that she should refer this to the T.U.C.C.

asked the Minister of Transport what proportion of the mileage of railways has been closed since 1957 in Wales, Scotland and England, respectively, to passengers or freight or to both.

I regret the information requested is not available. But I can assure the hon. Member that no consents have been given to the closure of passenger railway lines in Wales since October, 1964.

asked the Minister of Transport what percentage of the estimated cost of maintaining suburban rail services in the Passenger Transport Authorities will be met by Government grant in the second, in the third and in the fourth year.

As stated in the White Paper on Public Transport and Traffic, the level of Government grant will be tapered over a period of years in the light of progress with the transport plan which the new authorities will have to prepare and of the rising level of other forms of Government help to public transport. No decisions can be taken at this stage on the exact rates for years after the first.

asked the Minister of Transport what figures she has obtained, in preparing her proposed legislation, for the estimated loss on suburban rail services in the Manchester, West Midlands, Merseyside and Tyneside areas, respectively, for 1968, 1969 and 1970.

The financial situation of suburban rail services in future years will depend on the policies pursued by the Authorities and Executives for the areas concerned, and on what services the Authorities consider should be provided to meet local travel needs.

asked the Minister of Transport what figures she has obtained, in preparing her proposed legislation, to indicate the proportion of peak-hour passenger traffic being carried by rail in and out of Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and Newcastle, respectively.

Because of differences in definition, no precise comparison can be made, but about 15 per cent. of peak hour passengers travel into the central areas of Manchester and Liverpool by rail; for Newcastle and Birmingham the proportion is about half this.

asked the Minister of Transport if she will ensure that all Government four-wheeled vehicles on the road at night are fitted with at least two headlamps.

My right hon. Friend will lay very shortly after Christmas, Regulations requiring most four-wheeled vehicles to be fitted with at least two headlamps. These will cover Government vehicles other than those belonging to or in the service of Her Majesty's Forces. We are now considering how far Forces vehicles may be included.

asked the Minister of Transport which local authorities will be consulted on the delineation of the areas to be covered by the Greater Manchester, Merseyside, West Midlands and Tyneside Passenger Transport Authorities, respectively.

Clause 9(2) of the Transport Bill provides for the Minister to consult with all county councils, county borough councils and county district councils whose areas fall wholly or partly within an area to be designated and also those councils whose areas are continuous with the area to be designated.

asked the Minister of Transport (1) what calculations she has made to indicate the capital requirements of the Greater Manchester, Merseyside, West Midlands and Tyneside Passenger Transport Authorities, respectively, in equipping themselves for the business of providing tours and excursions;(2) what calculations she has made to indicate the capital requirements of the Greater Manchester, Merseyside, West Midlands and Tyneside Passenger Transport Authorities, respectively, in equipping themselves for the business of hiring out buses and cars;(3) what estimate she has made of the profits which will flow from the hiring out of buses and cars by the Greater Manchester, Merseyside, West Midlands and Tyneside Passenger Transport Authorities, respectively, in the first, second and third year of operation;(4) what estimate she has made of the profits which will flow from the provision of all facilities needed to complement the basic public transport system by the Greater Manchester, Merseyside, West Midlands and Tyneside Passenger Transport Authorities, respectively, in the first, second and third year of operation;(5) what estimates she has made of the profits which will flow from the operation of tours and excursions by the Greater Manchester, Merseyside, West Midlands and Tyneside Passenger Transport Authorities, respectively, in the first, second and third year of operation.

The powers to operate tours and excursions, hire out buses and cars, and provide facilities needed to complement the basic transport system which is proposed in the Transport Bill for Passenger Transport Executives, are permissive. Each Executive will be able to decide for itself what services and facilities to provide, subject to obtaining the permission of the Traffic Commissioners where necessary and to any limits imposed under the legislation.

asked the Minister of Transport what representations she has received from the Transport and General Workers union on the level of wages and conditions of employment in the areas to be covered by the Greater Manchester, Merseyside, West Midlands and Tyneside Passenger Transport Authorities, respectively.

The Transport and General Workers Union and the other trade unions concerned have discussed with my right hon. Friend various matters relating to the employment of their members by Passenger Transport Executives.

asked the Minister of Transport (1) at what rate it is intended to replace the existing buses with one-man buses in the Greater Manchester, Merseyside, West Midlands and Tyneside Passenger Transport Authorities, respectively;(2) what calculations she has made, in preparing her proposals for the reorganisation of transport, of the cost of changing over the existing bus fleets in the Greater Manchester, Merseyside, West Midlands and Tyneside areas, respectively, to one-man operation.

The replacement rate of vehicle and the extent of one-man operation will be a matter for each Passenger Transport Executive and other bus operators to determine, taking into account local operating circumstances and the scope for improving efficiency by these means. The cost of replacement will vary according to the number and types of vehicles involved. The proposals for new bus grants in the Transport Bill are intended to assist undertakings in this respect.

asked the Minister of Transport, in view of her proposed legislation, what estimate she has made of the capacity which exists in the Greater Manchester, Merseyside, West Midlands and Tyneside areas to carry more passengers on public bus transport than at present in the morning and evening rush-hour periods.

In terms of the number of buses available the capacity exists already, but because of rush hour congestion it cannot often be exploited to the full. In most urban areas significant improvements in bus movement can only be achieved if systematic traffic and parking control measures are adopted by the local authorities concerned.In the statement of their policies which the Transport Bill provides for a Passenger Transport Authority and Executive to make after the first year of the Authority's existence, we are proposing there should be included an item on machinery for securing co-ordination between the planning and operation of bus services and the plans and policies of local authorities for traffic regulation and parking.

asked the Minister of Transport (1) what she estimates will be the additional number of drivers required as a result of the proposed reduction in work hours in the Greater Manchester, Merseyside, West Midlands and Tyneside conurbations, respectively;(2) what she estimates will be the additional cost in wages and benefits to the Greater Manchester, Merseyside, West Midlands and Tyneside Passenger Transport Authorities, respectively, for the extra drivers that will be required as a result of the proposed new limit on hours of work.

The extent to which additional bus drivers may be required and changes in the total cost of employing drivers would depend upon what adjustments were made in the bus undertakings concerned, taking into account the considerations referred to in para- graphs 111 and 112 of the White Paper on Public Transport and Traffic (Cmnd. 3481).

asked the Minister of Transport what she estimates will be the number of redundancies in staff resulting from the proposed centralisation of all municipal bus services under a single passenger transport authority in the Greater Manchester, Merseyside, West Midlands and Tyneside conurbations, respectively.

The arrangements for staff transferred to the employ of an Executive will be a matter for the Executive, subject to legislative provisions for protecting staff interests.

asked the Minister of Transport (1) what calculations she has made to show the economies that will result from centralised purchasing in the Greater Manchester, Merseyside, West Midlands and Tyneside Passenger Transport Authorities, respectively;(2) what estimate she has made of the savings which will result from rationalisation of services in the areas of the Greater Manchester, Merseyside, West Midlands and Tyneside Passenger Transport Authorities, respectively;(3) what calculations she has made to show the economies that will result from the rationalisation of garage and maintenance facilities in the Greater Manchester, Merseyside, West Midlands and Tyneside Passenger Transport Authorities, respectively;(4) what calculations she made to show the economies that will result from the standardisation of vehicles in the Merseyside, West Midlands, Greater Manchester and Tyneside Passenger Transport Authorities, respectively;(5) what calculations she has made to show the economies that will result from the standardisation of supplies in the Greater Manchester, Merseyside, West Midlands and Tyneside Passenger Transport Authorities, respectively.

The savings and economies referred to will depend on the policies for the organisation and management of their undertaking adopted by the Passenger Transport Authority and Executive in each area.

asked the Minister of Transport if she will list the specific problems of severance and restrictions facing public transport travellers in each of the following areas, Greater Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and Newcastle, respectively.

In these areas municipal and company bus services frequently overlap and complex working agreements are necessary. In some cases these agreements impose restrictions on boarding and alighting points and fare levels which prevent development of an economic pattern of services on an area basis. Other inconveniences include the absence of through-booking facilities in some areas and different conditions of carriage between operators.

asked the Minister of Transport if she will publish detailed costings indicating the estimated economies of management arising from the merging of the municipal bus undertakings in the Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and Newcastle areas, respectively.

It will be for Passenger Transport Executives to organise their undertakings in units of the size they themselves think most suitable for efficient management. I have no doubt they will take advantage of the opportunities for economy that this offers.

asked the Minister of Transport what calculations she has received from the bus manufacturing industry to show the savings as a result of increased standardisation of bus types.

The savings cannot be quantified at this stage, but the bus manufacturing industry has always said that they would be substantial.

asked the Minister of Transport what calculations she has made as to the estimated cost to the local authorities of introducing travel concessions throughout the Greater Manchester, West Midlands. Merseyside and Tyneside conurbations, respectively.

The introduction of any further travel concessions, under local authorities' existing powers or under the extended powers proposed in the Transport Bill, will be at the discretion of the local authorities concerned or of the Passenger Transport Authorities. The cost would depend on the nature of the concessions granted.

asked the Minister of Transport what length of time she proposes to allow the municipal bus operators to adjust to the requirements of the proposed new limits on bus drivers' hours.

My right hon. Friend will consider the date for introducing these requirements for bus undertakings generally, taking into account the factors referred to in paragraphs 111 and 112 of the White Paper on Public Transport and Traffic (Cmnd. 3481). The bus industry will be consulted as there stated.

asked the Minister of Transport whether she will list the towns and cities which are to be invited to prepare transportation plans up to the mid-1970's.

All traffic and parking authorities in the conurbations outside Greater London and all other English urban authorities over 50,000 population will be invited to prepare the traffic and transport plans referred to in Section X of Cmnd. 3481. Smaller traffic authorities may also prepare such plans if they wish.

asked the Minister of Transport (1) what will be the basis of compensation for the acquisition of freehold properties used for the operation of municipally-operated buses in Liverpool by public transport authorities; and how this cost to public funds will be met;(2) what will be the basis of compensation for the acquisition of leasehold properties used for the operation of municipally-operated buses in Liverpool by public transport authorities; and how this cost to public funds will be met;(3) what will be the basis of compensation for the acquisition of municipally-operated buses in Liverpool by public transport authorities; and how this cost to public funds will be met.