asked the Secretary o f State for Economic Affairs on what authority the National Board for Prices and Incomes went beyond its terms of reference given by the Minister of Labour and the First Secretary of State on 12th May, 1967, in its subsequent Report No. 49, Pay and Conditions of Service of Engineering Workers, published 19th December, 1967.

The comments and recommendations made by the Board in Report No. 49 were all relevant to the questions which were referred to it and the Board's study of them.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs if he will make a statement on the results achieved by the Minister responsible for the Northern Region since his appointment on 13th October, 1967.

My right hon. Friend was appointed to reinforce the existing regional organisation in representing to the Government the special problems and needs of the Northern Region, so that these may be given full weight in the formulation and administration of the Government's policies affecting the regions. This he is doing.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether 1970 remains the target date for completion of the installation of electronic data processing equipment for freight handling at London Airport, Heathrow.

Yes.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the balance of payments for 1967.

I would refer the hon. Gentleman to the estimate which I gave in the debate on public expenditure on 17th January.—[Vol. 756, c. 1787–8.]

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what reductions in the size of the Industrial Civil Service are anticipated in the financial years 1968–69 and 1969–70.

To the extent that commitments are reduced, I would hope to see a reduction in numbers but I cannot yet forecast these for the years in question.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total annual cost in salaries of the non-industrial staffs of the nationalised industries in October, 1964.

The total annual cost in salaries of the non-industrial staffs of the nationalised industries in October, 1964 was about £690 million.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of the extra 57,000 posts as civil servants that have been made since October 1964 are temporary; and how many are permanent.

The increase of 54,000 (not 57,000) staff in the non-industrial civil service between 1st October, 1964 and 1st October, 1967 was made up of 24,000 permanent and 30,000 temporary staff. At the latter date there were 333,600 permanent and 136,100 temporary staff in post.

asked the Minister of Health if he will consult with the Secretary of State for Education and Science, with a view to avoiding interdepartmental payments for educational facilities used by the National Health Service.

No such payments are made centrally. I see no reason for disturbing the present arrangements under which payments are made by hospital authorities to local education authorities in appropriate circumstances.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is satisfied that there is enough worthwhile work for the prisoners in Armley Gaol, Leeds; and if he will make a statement.

No. I would like to make more and better work available. My hon. Friend the Minister of State has written to the hon. Member to explain the limitations imposed by the very old premises and overcrowded conditions of this prison.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government when he intends to publish the result of the public inquiry held into the proposals for a new town at Warrington.

My right hon. Friend hopes to announce his decision on the new town proposals shortly.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will state the amount of loan sanction for local authorities for sports projects for the last five years which was not in fact taken up.

This information is not available. However, no large amount is likely to be involved since it is not the practice to issue loan sanctions until tenders have been obtained and work is about to start.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will publish the recent message which he addressed to lord mayors, mayors and chairmen of councils about the steps to be taken in connection with the housing programme if the country is to reap the full benefits of devaluation; and whether he has drawn the attention of these authorities to the assistance which would be given to the balance of payments if specific steps were taken to discourage the erection of houses constructed from imported timber and the unnecessary use of such timber in all types of housing.

This message called for economies in local government expenditure generally and was not directly concerned with housing. I am now considering what advice I might give to local authorities about the use of imported timber.

asked the Minster of Labour what is his latest estimate of the increase in staff of local authorities in England and Wales since October 1964; how much of this increase he estimates is attributable to legislation proposed by Her Majesty's Government and passed since that date; and what annual cost is involved.

Between June, 1964 and June, 1967 there has been an increase of 230,000 in the numbers employed by local authorities and in

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works whether he is satisfied that the construction industry will be able to convert to the metric system in accordance with the time table laid down; if he will increase the amount police forces in England and Wales. The information sought in the second and third part of the Question is not available.

asked the Minister of Labour how many of the extra employees in local government since 1964 are temporary; and how many are permanent.

I regret the information is not available.

asked the Minister of Technology how many patents were taken out each year between 1965 to 1967 by the National Research Development Corporation; what percentage of these arose from work in publicly financed establishments; what was the annual cost in these years to the National Research Development Corporation of processing all potential and actual patent applications; and what was the average annual income to the National Research Development Corporation from their current holding of patents.

The following figures relate to the Corporation's accounting periods. A change in the financial year was made in 1966, which entailed a nine-month period ending in March that year.of publicity to ensure that the change is as smooth as possible; and if he will make a statement.

I have no reason to doubt that the construction industry can achieve the programme which it has set itself, and I have already pledged Government's adherence to it on its own building programmes. I hope that all concerned, in both the private and public sector, will similarly play their part in carrying out the agreed time table.The British Standards Institution and various organisations within the construction industry have already embarked on a comprehensive campaign to publicise the change to metric. The technical press and the professions are also playing a prominent part.My Department has recently published the first of a series of bulletins on Going Metric in the Construction Industry, and others are in preparation. In addition, the Ministry of Technology, in collaboration with the other Departments and Organisations closely concerned, are planning more general publicity through such media as posters, films, exhibits, and so on. All this will be timed in relation to the progressive steps of the changeover.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how he intends to implement the undertakings given by Great Britain in the Kennedy Round negotiations.

It is intended to implement the tariff undertakings in four stages. Two-fifths of the reductions to the final rates of duty will be made on the 1st July, 1968, and will be the subject of an Order which will be made under the Import Duties Act, 1958, and laid before the House of Commons in May. The remaining three-fifths of the reductions will be made in equal instalments on the 1st January, 1970, 1971 and 1972 respectively.The implementation of certain concessions on chemicals and unmanufactured tobacco is, however, subject to the prior enactment of legislation in the United States enabling the American Selling Price system of valuation to be eliminated as provided in the Agreement Relating Principally to Chemicals.Our law and practice are already in general accord with the Anti-Dumping Code which was agreed in the Kennedy Round negotiations, but the Government intend to introduce a Bill giving the Board of Trade power to take the provisional action permitted by the Code.The United Kingdom also signed a Memorandum of Agreement on Cereals. This was subsequently incorporated in the International Grains Arrangement which has been signed by the United Kingdom subject to ratification, and will be laid before the House in due course.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will publish a list of countries now classified as underdeveloped; and which countries have been promoted from an underdeveloped to a developed state in recent years.

The United Nations and other international organisations classify countries in various ways for statistical and other purposes, but there is no classification of countries which has been generally adopted internationally.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will give further details regarding eligibility for investment grants of forestry equipment and timber-processing plant, for example, expensive but necessary cranes, to enable potential purchasers to make their plans and calculations before they have to take decisions.

Equipment for the extraction of timber is not eligible for investment grant. Machinery or plant used for manufacturing articles from timber is eligible. Further detailed information can be obtained from the investment grants offices.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will exempt Scotland from the postponement of payments of investment grants announced on 16th January.

Payment is not being postponed. We shall pay out on a full four quarters. We are only deferring a further measure of acceleration which would have involved paying on five quarters. It would be inequitable to exempt one development area alone from this measure, and to exempt them all would cost too much.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what offers have been made to him by private enterprise to construct an alternative international airport to Stansted.

None, as yet.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what proportion of the total North Atlantic air passenger traffic was carried by the British Overseas Airways Corporation in each of the three years, 1965 to 1967.

B.O.A.C.'s share of the total passenger traffic carried on scheduled air services between Europe and North America was 12·6 percent. in 1965, 12·3 per cent. in 1966 and 11·4 per cent. in the first eleven months of 1967.

asked the Minister of Power if he will now appoint an independent body to conduct a complete investigation into the cost of the production of nuclear energy.

As I said in reply to my hon. Friend, the Member for Ince, on 11th December, I know of no "independent" body with a comparable degree of expertise or experience in this field to the Atomic Energy Authority, the Central Electricity Generating Board and the Chief Scientist's Division of my Department, all of whom took part in the studies of nuclear energy costs recently made as part of the fuel policy review.The National Coal Board also participated in the second stage of this work. —[Vol. 756, c.

asked the Minister of Power whether, in view of the present economic situation, he will suspend a major part of the nuclear energy programme; and if he will make a statement.

No. Lower load expectations and the need for economy in capital expenditure have slowed down the start of new generating capacity of all types.

asked the Minister of Power whether, in view of the White Paper outlining cuts in Public Expenditure, Command Paper 3515, he will now take action to encourage industrial users with large specific and continuous demands for bulk electricity, such as those engaged in aluminium smelting, to construct and operate their own electric generating capacity whether coal-fired, nuclear, or using natural gas, and earning a 45 per cent. development grant in development areas or a 25 per cent. investment grant in other areas.

No. The construction of private generating capacity is as much a use of national resources as the construction of publicly owned capacity.

asked the Minister of Power (1) what steps he proposes to take to make available cheap electric power on realistic bulk tariff rates to the steel industry of Sheffield melting steel by means of the electric arc, high frequency and other modern processes, to avoid the loss of an existing large demand for electricity;(2) what consideration he has given to sites in South Yorkshire or a development area for the setting up of a pig-iron smelting industry using cheap electric power on realistic bulk tariff rates.

The criteria for granting special terms to large consumers of electricity are as set out in the recent Government Statement. There have been no applications from steel smelters in Sheffield for the grant of special terms on the grounds that an existing large demand might otherwise be lost, nor have there been proposals for any new iron-smelting industry to be supplied with electricity on these terms.

asked the Minister of Power what price per therm was tendered by the National Coal Board for the new coal-fired power station for Alcan at Invergordon; what was the tonnage; and for what number of years the tender is valid.

Alcan have already made public some aspects of their proposed arrangements for coal supplies but the more detailed information is confidential as is normal with such commercial contracts. I am sending the hon. Member copies of the statements which have been made by Alcan.

asked the Minister of Power whether he will give a general direction to the National Coal Board to stop importing foreign timber for use in English coal mines until such time as all the suitable material from Scottish forests devastated by the recent hurricane has been consumed.

No.

asked the Minister of Power (1) what proportion of the timber used by the National Coal Board in Scotland, England and Wales, respectively, was imported during the most recent year for which figures are available; and what was the average price paid for home-grown and imported material;(2) what was the cost of the timber imported and the value of the coal and coal products exported by the National Coal Board in each of the last three years.

I have asked the Chairman of the National Coal Board to write to the hon. Member and to give him the available information.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the cost in the last two financial years of the subsidy on catridges purchased for rabbit clearance societies.

This information is not readily available, but it is estimated that the cost is about £60,000 a year.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what consideration his Department is giving to the problem of salmonella typhimurium, type 29; and if he will make a statement.

None. Salmonella typhimurium type 29 is only one, and not necessarily the most important of this group of bacteria which affects farm animals. It is a matter for the owner's veterinary surgeon to recommend methods of treatment.If the hon. Member is referring to the report of the Joint Committee of the Medical Research Council and the Agricultural Research Council on the use of antibiotics in agriculture I have nothing to add to my reply on 20th June to my hon. Friend the Member for Hampstead (Mr. Whitaker).—[Vol. 748, c.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many veterinary officers have been employed in field tests during the current epidemic of foot-and-mouth disease; and what proposals he has to publish the evidence and findings of this field research.

Ten scientists (including some Veterinary Officers) have been employed in tests in the field. In addition, there are supporting laboratory staff. It is to early to give any information about the results which will in any case have to be submitted to the Committee of Inquiry which I propose to set up.

asked the Minister of Transport if she will make a statement about the lessons drawn from the experiment on checking parking outside schools which started in London in April, 1965; and what action is to be taken for the future.

The results of this experiment were inconclusive. The Greater London Council have decided to retain the restrictions on waiting outside the schools concerned until the extension of their controlled parking zones includes the streets in which the schools are sited.

asked the Minister of Transport if she will list in the OFFICIAL REPORT all the local authorities which will fall within the proposed Passenger Transport Authority areas.

This has not yet been decided. The Transport Bill provides that the area of a Passenger Transport Authority must be a matter for consultation by the Minister with the local authorities concerned. The views of bus operators and British Railways will also be taken into account before an area is designated.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many local authorities in Wales have been asked to nominate members of the proposed Council for Wales.

The planning authorities, that is the 13 county councils and four county borough councils in Wales, and also the Associations representing the Counties, Municipal Corporations, Urban Districts and Rural Districts in England and Wales have been invited to put forward for my right hon. Friend's consideration the names of possible members.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales which councils have rejected the invitation to nominate members for the proposed Council for Wales; and what were the main reasons given.

The Cardiganshire County Council have rejected the invitation on the grounds that they object in principle to the concept of a nominated Welsh Council. I am in correspondence with Caernarvonshire County Council on a similar point.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will introduce legislation to enable a referendum to be held in the Principality on the future form of government desired by the people, making provision to take advantage of the polling due in November of this year on the Sunday opening question, and thus hold such a referendum without much additional cost.

No. Referenda are not part of accepted constitutional practice in this country.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give an assurance that he will not wait until the completion of the Newtown project before deciding upon the suitability of other towns in Mid-Wales for like development.

My right hon. Friend hopes to see progress in the application of the New Towns Act machinery to Newtown before considering its application to other towns in the area.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent estimate he has made of the numbers of houses in Glasgow which are unfit for human habitation or which are unsuitabe for improvement or repair.

I have no later estimate than that given in paragraph 65 of the report "Scotland's Older Houses", that at May, 1966 there were within the city 10,000 houses which were classified after individual inspection as unfit and 75,000 which were sub-standard and not improvable at reasonable cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will introduce new housing legislation which makes special provision for Glasgow's special housing problem.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend, the Member for Glasgow, Mary-hill (Mr. Hannan) on 28th November, 1967.—[Vol. 755, c. 85–86]