asked the Minister of Technology what proposals he is considering for siting Government-financed industries in the Northern Region.

In all the different methods by which the Department gives support to industry I attach weight to the location of the resulting enterprise in development areas, including the Northern Region. Recent support has included National Research Development Corporation support of £1·4 million for four projects in the Northern Region.

asked the Minister of Technology what plans he has to increase the percentage spent in Scotland of the total sum of £611 million spent by his Department last year.

My aim is to encourage as far as possible the placing of Departmental contracts in Scotland and other development areas.

asked the Minister of Technology whether the £2·4 million advanced by the Government to the Beagle Aircraft Company Limited as part of the capital of the company is a grant or a loan; upon what Vote it is borne; and what is the rate of interest payable upon it.

The sums advanced to Beagle are grants and no interest is payable. They are borne on Class IV, Vote 20.

asked the Minister of Technology if he will give details of the proportion of work which will be undertaken in this country for the manufacture of the three Anglo-French helicopters by weight and value and where each model will be assembled.

Work on all three helicopters will be divided on the basis that each country will receive a share equivalent to the value of its national requirements plus an agreed share of exports. National requirements are not yet final. It is not therefore possible at the present time to assess the volume of work to be undertaken in the country. Each country will assemble its own helicopters.

asked the Minister of Technology what amount was included in the defence reasearch and development budget for 1967–68 in respect of the Anglo-French variable geometry aircraft and what amount will be saved in this year as a result of cancellation.

The provision for the AFVG for 1967–68 was £2·65 million. Payments for work on this project have yet to be made in full, and the estimate for this financial year is £1·2 million, producing an estimated saving of £1· 45 million.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what was the number of dwellings in Great Britain at the end of 1967, and the number of dwellings at that time that were owner-occupied, privately rented or publicly rented, respectively.

It is estimated that the number of dwellings in Great Britain at the end of 1967 was 17,950,000 of which 8,550,000 were owner-occupied, 3,300,000 rented from private owners and 5,250,000 rented from local authorities or new town corporations: and 850,000 dwellings were occupied by virtue of employment.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government (1) what estimate he has made of the number of leaseholders affected by Section 34 of the Leasehold Reform Act, 1967;

I have no details of the numbers of long leases at ground rents which have expired since 8th December, 1964, but I would expect the number to be of the order of some thousands. Public records cannot provide full details of the private transactions under the Act and I cannot estimate the use that has been made of Section 34.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government on what grounds he has not included an obligation for shopkeepers to remove snow on the pavement in front of their shops in his model bylaws under Section 81 of the Public Health Act, 1936.

Such an obligation, enforceable by penalties, would throw an unfair burden on shopkeepers who are aged or infirm.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what consultations have taken place between Her Majesty's Government, Hampshire County Council and Havant Council on the inclusion of North Hayling Island in the current planning review of the area.

None.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what consultations he has had, in view of the danger to health caused by inadequate drainage facilities in North Hayling Island, with the responsible authorities on the possible acceleration of the second stage of the proposed drainage scheme for this area.

Approval in principle has been given for the whole scheme. The local authority are making steady progress with the first stage and there has been no occasion so far for consultation about the subsequent stages. I am not aware of any danger to health.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that during the eight months period January to August, 1967, the value of footwear exports increased by 27·7 per cent. compared with the same period in 1966; and what was the reason for this.

Yes. This is welcome evidence of the continuing efforts of footwear manufacturers in export markets.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many wool mills have been taken over by synthetic fibre manufacturers in the course of the last five years.

This information is not readily available and cannot be obtained without disproportionate expense. However, in December, 1966, there were some 840 firms and establishments in the wool textile industry. I am aware of 10 which are now wholly or partly owned by synthetic fibre manufacturers.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will refer the proposed television and rentals merger to the Monopolies Commission in view of the widespread and important public interest involved.

My right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade is considering whether to refer the proposed merger between Thorn Electrical Industries Ltd. and Radio Rentals Ltd. to the Monopolies Commission.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that his refusal to sanction investment grants for certain types of equipment and machinery for the newspaper industry is causing hardship to many newspapers and if he will re-examine the criteria on which he decides grants to this industry.

I am aware of the representations that have been made by the industry and, as I stated in my reply on Wednesday to my hon. Friend the Member for Bolton, West (Mr. Oakes) I am prepared to discuss these matters with the industry.—[Vol. 757, c. 316.]

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many proof gallons of Scotch whisky were shipped to the United States of America in 1967; and what percentage of value of all British exports this represents.

The trade statistics do not separately distinguish exports of Scotch whisky. Exports of certificated Scotch or Irish whisky to the United States totalled 23·7 million proof gallons or 1¼ per cent. by value of all United Kingdom exports.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many new jobs, approximately, showing male and female employments separately, are estimated to have been steered into the area of the South Yorkshire coalfield since 1st August, 1967 with the assistance of his Department; and how many new jobs he aims to help to provide there during 1968.

In the period 1st August, 1967 to 31st December, 1967, 26 industrial development certificates have been approved in the Yorkshire Coalfield subdivision of the Yorkshire and Humberside Region. These schemes, when complete and fully manned, were estimated by the applicants to provide 420 new jobs of which 200 would be jobs for men and 220 for women. I am unable to estimate the number of new jobs likely to arise through i.d.c. approvals in 1968.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many of the companies which are the subsidiaries of United States of America corporations which have manufacturing interests in Scotland have registered offices in England and are assessed in England for taxation purposes.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many companies registered in Scotland and England, respectively, are subsidiaries of corporations of the United States of America and other foreign countries.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, under his regulations, companies are allowed to be registered in England under the Companies Acts with the name Scotland, in or out of brackets, in their name.

Companies are allowed to be so registered only if special circumstances appear to justify the inclusion of "Scotland" in the name.

asked the President of the Board of Trade on how many occasions between 21st July, 1967 and 21st December, 1967 passengers and friends of passengers made official complaints to his Department that they went to Prestwick Airport when they should have gone to Abbotsinch Airport and to Abbotsinch Airport when they should have gone to Prestwick.

None.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on radio communications between deep-sea fishing vessels and base.

Fishing vessels over 140 feet in length must carry radio telegraphy or radio telephony apparatus complying with requirements laid down by statute. Vessels over 60 feet in length must carry portable radio apparatus for use in survival craft and capable of transmitting on a marine distress frequency. In addition to meeting the statutory requirements, many fishing vessels voluntarily carry additional radio apparatus.It is normal practice for deep-sea fishing vessels to communicate by means of radio with a shore base at least once every 48 hours, and more usually every 24 hours. This is a voluntary arrangement recommended to the fishing industry by my predecessor. I am looking into the possibility of improving the arrangement, particularly on the action to be taken when a radio message from a fishing vessel is overdue.

asked the Postmaster-General what is the annual cost to public funds and the total annual cost, respectively, of running the Post Office newspaper.

The cost to Post Office funds of Courier over its first 12 months of operation—October, 1966 to September, 1967—was £ 45,661.The total cost of production including staffing, pension liability, accommodation, printing, etc. was £72,726. Set against this were sales at 3d. a copy producing £19,239 and advertising revenue of £7,826. Circulation is rising at the rate of about 3,000 a month. Advertising revenue should rise with circulation and together with increased sales should im- prove the relation between total cost and net cost.

asked the Postmaster-General which pictorial postage stamps have produced the greatest revenue to date; and if he will list in order and state the income from the 10 producing the highest total.

Our national revenue records are not compiled on the basis of individual stamp issues, but a guide to popularity is the number of First Day Covers posted at the Philatelic Bureau in Edinburgh and at post offices with philatelic posting boxes. The following ten issues have attracted the highest number of First Day Covers:

Issue	Date	Number of covers posted
British Discovery	September, 1967	803,930
Battle of Hastings	October, 1966	778,477
Christmas 3d. and Is. 6d	November, 1967	664,458
Sir Francis Chichester	July, 1967	663,458
British Paintings	July, 1967	646,255
Christmas 4d	October, 1967	535,895
British Flora	April, 1967	533,220
Forth Road Bridge	September, 1964	446,904
World Cup	June, 1966	418,624
European Free Trade Association	February, 1967	383,187

asked the Postmaster-General what plans he has for making such facilities as the new, high-capacity telecommunications link between British Airways Corporation, Filton, and Sud-Aviation, Toulouse, available to other companies with European interests, in view of the savings involved and the vastly increased amount of work handled.

Similar international facilities are in use by other companies and are available on a world wide basis subject only to plant availability. We should be pleased to assist any company which has use for such facilities.

asked the Postmaster-General what proportion of subscriber trunk dialling telephone calls from the Guildford telephone area failed as a result of plant defects during the years 1966 and 1967, respectively.

5·8 per cent. and 4·3 per cent., respectively. Improvement has been achieved by intensifying maintenance. On some trunk calls during the busier periods of the day lines are engaged, but the likelihood of this will lessen progressively during the next few months, as additional equipment is brought into service.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Chief Constable of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, on the circumstances in which Mr. G. Baxter, the official mascot of Carlisle United, was escorted by police from St. James's Park Football Ground on Saturday, 27th January and if he will make a statement.

The Chief Constable informs me that, contrary to advice given to all spectators before the match, Mr. Baxter was parading round the edge of the playing area while the game was in progress. He was escorted from the football ground in the interests of maintaining order amongst the spectators.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many full-time Civil Defence staff will be redundant at Taymouth Castle Civil Defence Centre in 1968.

The full-time staff at Taymouth Castle, which numbers 57, will no longer be required for civil defence purposes. At this stage, it is not possible to say how many of these staff can be offered alternative employment.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what contribution was made from public funds to the National Marriage Guidance Council in 1967 from Government sources.

£42,000.

asked the Minister of Transport what was the total Government and local government expenditure on cleansing, watering, snow clearing and administration, respectively, for each of the years 1963–64 and 1967–68.

The total Government and local authority expenditure on these services in England and Wales for the year 1963–64 was:

	£million
Cleansing, watering and snow clearing	17·7
Administration	22·8
	40·5

Separate estimates of expenditure on these services in 1967–68 are not available.

asked the Minister of Transport what was the total Government and local government expenditure on maintenance of roads for each of the years 1963–64 and 1967–68.

The information for 1963–64 is not available in the form requested. The main reason for this is that until 1st April, 1967, the definition was "new construction and major improvement". It is now "new construction and improvement", many of the "minor improvements" previously associated with maintenance under "maintenance and minor improvement" being treated as "improvements" in the new definition. Consequently, the 1963–64 figures for new construction and major improvement will not be on a comparable basis with the 1967–68 estimated expenditure on new construction and improvement of roads. The expenditure in 1967–68 is estimated as:—

		£million
Central Government	…	12·8
Local Government	…	123·0

asked the Minister of Transport what was the total Government and local government expenditure on road lighting and car parking, respectively, in the years 1963–64 and 1967–68, respectively.

For reasons given in the Answer of 5th December, 1967, to the hon. Member the information on road lighting is not available for the year 1963–64. In 1967–68 it is estimated that Government expenditure was £0·9 million, and local authority expenditure £26·4 million.Expenditure on car parking is a local authority responsibility: it amounted to above £5 million in 1963–64, and in the current financial year it is estimated to cost about £9 million.—[Vol. 755, c.

asked the Minister of Transport what was the total Government and local government expenditure on new construction and improvement of roads, respectively, for each of the years 1963–64 and 1967–68.

The information for 1963–64 is not available in the form requested. The main reason for this is that until 1st April 1967, the definition was "new construction and major improvement". It is now "new construction and improvement", many of the "minor improvements" previously associated with maintenance under "maintenance and minor improvement" being treated as "improvements" in the new definition. Consequently, the 1963–64 figures for new construction and major improvement will not be on a comparable basis with the 1967–68 estimated expenditure on new construction and improvement of roads. The expenditure in 196–68 is estimated as:

			£ million
Central Government	…	…	197·3
Local Government	…	…	90·0

asked the Minister of Transport how many accidents there were, in each of the last three years, involving pedestrians using pedestrian crossings.

The number of fatal and serious pedestrian casualties on pedestrian crossings was as follows:

	Type of Crossing
Year	Police controlled	Lights controlled	Un-controlled
1964	29	255	1,358
1965	38	287	1,430
1966	22	267	1,460
1967 (Jan.-Sept.)	18	200	965

asked the Minister of Transport how many accidents there were, in each of the last three years, at road crossings controlled by school crossing patrols.

Full figures for this kind of accident are not available, but sample studies in two counties show that about 1 per cent. of the child pedestrians hurt in road accidents were crossing at points with a school crossing patrol. For every 100 crossing patrols in these areas there were between one and two child pedestrian casualties per year.

asked the Minister of Transport when she expects that construction of the new Chesterton Bridge route in Cambridge will begin.

Early in 1969 subject to completion of the necessary statutory processes.

asked the Minsiter of Transport whether she will now waive the renewal fee of £5 due in 1968 from approved driving instructors who took her Department's examination at its inception, though already holding either the Royal Automobile Club or Motor Schools Association qualification, in view of the fact that exemption from taking the department's written test is now to be given to all instructors who held the Royal Automobile Club or Motor Schools Association qualification prior to May, 1967.

No.

asked the Minister of Transport whether her attention has been drawn to recent cases involving the sale of second-hand cars where the mileage indicator has been altered to show a lower mileage and whether she will consider making provision on the test certificate for the mileage on the indicator to be recorded on the certificate at the time of examination.

I am aware that this goes on. I doubt whether requiring the mileage shown on the recorder to be indicated on test certificates would prevent this practice.

asked the Minister of Transport whether she will give an assurance that she will refrain from taking action which will have the effect of making the £230 million capital debt of the London Transport Board and the extra annual running loss of £6 million a charge on the national Exchequer.

The Exchequer is already meeting the whole of the cost of servicing the capital debt of the London Transport Board and the additional operating losses incurred by the Board. The precise terms on which the Greater London Council will take over responsibility for London Transport remain to be determined.

asked the Minister of Transport if she will refer the proposed 10 per cent. increase in motor-rail fares for the London-Scotland route to the National Board for Prices and Incomes; and if she will make a statement.

The Railways Board are required to notify my right hon. Friend under Early Warning procedure of increases in their countrywide scales of fares and charges and these are referred to the National Board for Prices and Incomes. Certain other local adjustments relating to particular routes or services are not formally notified in this way and it is for the Railways Board to make sure that any increases in charges are justified in terms of Prices and Incomes criteria. The revised motor-rail charges, some of which had not changed for a number of years and which had become uneconomic, come within this category and we see no case for referring these particular increases to the National Board for Prices and Incomes.

asked the Minister of Transport what was the annual reduction in manpower employed by the Railways Board for the years 1962 to 1966, inclusive and what was the number of discharges through redundancy for the same years.

The annual reduction in railway staff and the number discharged through redundancy were:

Year			Reduction	Redundancy Discharges
1962	…	…	26,602	not available
1963	…	…	26,994	8,000
1964	…	…	40,546	9,231
1965	…	…	33,926	11,486
1966	…	…	26,092	9,813

The above table does not include the relatively small number of staff employed in the shipping, harbour, hotel and rail catering activities of the Railways Board redundancy figures for these groups are not readily available.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will make a statement on his discussions concerning the present booking arrangements at the National Theatre and the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, whereby seats are often empty despite a heavy public demand for them.

Attendance at both the National Theatre and Covent Garden have recently averaged over 90 per cent. I am shortly meeting representatives of the Royal Opera House to discuss their booking arrangements, having regard to the need to ensure a fair distribution of tickets.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much was expended on the school building programme from 1964–65 to date and what are the revised estimates for the period to 1970–71.

Expenditure on school building contracts in the period from 1st April, 1964 to 30th September, 1967 was £365 million. Revised estimates for the period to 1970–71 are not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science to what extent reductions are proposed in the recurrent grants and equipment estimates to universities; and if he will give the estimates for the years 1967–68 to 1971–72 in each case.

No reductions are proposed. I announced levels of grant on 27th October, 1967 in reply to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Burnley (Mr. Dan Jones).—[Vol. 751, c. 591.]

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will review the arrangements in England and Wales for making awards from public funds to postgraduate students.

I am considering a suggestion that responsibility for making such awards should, in all cases, rest with the central Government. A letter in the following terms has been sent to interested organisations seeking their views.Dear Sir,

asked the Minister of Health how many cases of brucellosis have been reported amongst humans in each of the past five years if he is satisfied with the procedure for assessing the incidence of this disease and if he will initiate a survey to determine this incidence accurately.

The numbers of cases confirmed by the Public Health Laboratory Service in England and Wales are:

1963	…	…	136
1964	…	…	124
1965	…	…	123
1966	…	…	169
1967	…	…	242 (provisional)

asked the Minister of Health if he will take steps to exempt children remaining at school after 15 years of age and all students pursuing full-time courses of education from the proposed prescription charges.

I think it is best to draw the line as indicated in the Statement made by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 16th January.—[Vol. 756, c. 1587.]

asked the Minister of Health (1) if he will state the number of medical practitioners per 10,000 of the population in the Northern Region compared with the figures for the rest of England, England and Wales, England, Wales and Scotland, the whole country and South-East England, respectively, at the latest available date;(2) if he will state the number of medical practitioners per 10,000 for the population in Newcastle-upon-Tyne compared with the figures for South-East England, the rest of England, England and Wales, England, Wales and Scotland, and the whole country, respectively, at the latest available date.

I assume that these Questions refer to general medical practitioners. The information is as follows:

Area	General medical practitioners per 10,000 of population
Newcastle-upon-Tyne	4·4
North Region	3·9
England less North Region	4·1
England less Newcastle-upon-Tyne	4·1
England and Wales	4·1
England	4·1
Wales	4·5
Scotland	5·0
Great Britain	4·2
South-East Region	4·3
NOTE:—The figures relate to doctors providing full general medical services at 1st July, 1967 and the estimated civilian population at 30th June, 1967.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will state the total amount of merit awards paid to consultants in terms of the National Health Service in categories A, B and C in Scotland, Wales and England respectively.

The present number of awards is allocated between Scotland and England and Wales as follows:

Category of award and annual value when drawn in full		Number available to consultants in Scotland	Number available to consultants in England and Wales
A+	£4,885	13	87
A	£3,700	44	286
B	£2,175	130	850
C	£925	260	1,700

The distribution may be varied from time to time in order to maintain parity in the percentages of consultants in receipt of awards in Scotland and in England and Wales. There is no separate allocation for Wales. The amount of each award drawn depends upon the nature of the individual contract.

asked the Minister of Health (1) if he will give the death rate from tuberculosis for Newcastle-upon-Tyne and for the Northern Region with comparative figures for South-East England, the rest of England, England and Wales, England, Wales and Scotland, and the whole country, respectively;(2) if he will state the death rate from bronchitis for Newcastle-upon-Tyne and for the Northern Region with comparative figures for the rest of England, England and Wales, England, Wales and Scotland, the whole country and South-East England, respectively;(3) if he will state the death rate from cancer for Newcastle-upon-Tyne and for the Northern Region with comparative figures for South-East England, the rest of England, England and Wales, Scotland, England and Wales, and the whole country, respectively;(4) if he will state the death rate from heart disease for Newcastle-upon-Tyne and for the Northern Region with comparative figures for South-East England, the rest of England, England and Wales, England, Wales and Scotland, and the whole country, respectively.

		Death rates per million living 1964–1966
Area		Tuberculosis (all forms) ICD* Numbers	Cancer (all forms) ICD Numbers	Heart Disease ICD Numbers	Bronchitis ICD Numbers
		001–019	140–205	410–443	500–502
Newcastle C.B.	…	80	2,527	3,832	843
Northern Region	…	63	2,190	3,912	650
Greater London Area	…	50	2,423	3,384	609
South-East Region	…	44	2,324	3,532	548
England excluding Newcastle C.B.	…	48	2,223	3,724	623
England excluding Northern Region	…	47	2,231	3,710	622
England	…	48	2,228	3,725	624
Wales	…	74	2,233	4,243	726
England and Wales	…	50	2,228	3,754	630
Scotland	…	65	2,287	4,080	538
Great Britain	…	51	2,234	3,786	621
* International Classification of diseases.

asked the Minister of Health (1) if he will give the comparative figures of hospital beds per 10,000 of the population in the Northern Region and in South-East England, the rest of England, England and Wales, England, Wales and Scotland, and the whole country, respectively, at the latest available date;(2) if he will give the comparative figures for hospital beds per 10,000 of the population in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and in South-East England, the rest of England, England and Wales, England, Wales and Scotland, and the whole country, respectively, at the latest available date.

Area	Hospital beds per 10,000 population
Newcastle-upon-Tyne	98·4
Northern Region	89·7
South-East Region	104·8
Rest of England	93·2
England and Wales	97·4
England, Wales and Scotland	100·1
United Kingdom	100·5

NOTES:1. Figures include beds for psychiatric patients.2. Figures relate to position at 31st December, 1966, except those for Scotland which relate to 31st March, 1967.3. Population figures relate to 30th June, 1966.

The death rates for Newcastle County Borough and for other parts of Great Britain for the period 1964 to 1966 are as follows:

asked the Minister of Health if he will state the projected expenditure on hospital building in 1968– 69 for Newcastle-upon-Tyne and for the Northern Region compared with the south-east of England, England and Wales, and England, Wales and Scotland.

Civil Estimates for the year in question have yet to be presented, but it is envisaged that subject to Parliamentary approval expenditure on hospital building will be approximately £110 million in Great Britain and £96·5 million in England and Wales. Annual outgoings on capital projects in particular areas are liable to fluctuation, but expenditure is at present forecast at £35 million in the South-Eastern Economic Planning Region, £4·25 million in the Northern Economic Planning Region and £0·5 million in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

asked the Minister of Health how many health centres were opened from 1948 to 1964;how many have been opened since 1964;how many are at present under construction; and how many are planned.

Twenty-one in England and Wales in the seventeen years up to the end of 1964 and twenty-four since. At 31st December last (the latest available figures) forty were under construction; fifty-four more had been approved; and plans for a further seventy were under consideration.

asked the Minister of Health if he will give the comparative figures of the percentage of pay-beds in hospitals of the Northern Region and in South-East England, the rest of England, England and Wales, England, Wales and Scotland, and the whole country, respectively, at the latest available date.

The following is the information requested:

Proportion of pay-beds now authorised to total number of hospital beds
	Per cent.
Hospitals of the Northern Region	0·68
South-East England	1·13
Rest of England	0·90
England and Wales	0·94
England, Wales and Scotland	0·93
England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland	0·97

asked the Minister of Health if he will give the comparative figures of the percentage of pay-beds in Newcastle-upon-Tyne hospitals and in south-east England, the rest of England, England and Wales, England, Wales and Scotland, and the whole country, respectively, at the latest available date.

The following is the information requested:

Proportion of pay-beds now authorised to total number of hospital beds
	Per cent.
Newcastle-upon-Tyne hospital	2·08
South-East England	1·13
Rest of England	0·86
England and Wales	0·94
England, Wales and Scotland	0·93
England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland	0·97

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the time and cost to industry, trade, commerce, agriculture and forestry in working in their time the returns and claims in connection with Selective Employment tax

No estimate of the cost is available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what action he proposes to take to stop the abuse brought to light by the Comptroller and Auditor General in his report for 1966–67 where false claims to personal reliefs from Income Tax are made by immigrants concerning fictitious dependants living abroad.

I am considering this problem.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that outstanding Income Tax, that had been cancelled in 1939 when a person joined Her Majesty's forces, is now being deducted from post-war credits and what instructions he has issued to his staff on this matter.

I assume that my hon. Friend is referring to cancellations of tax for 1942–43 or any earlier year under the Income Tax (Offices and Employments) Act, 1944. Any cancellation of tax due for 1941–42, the first year of Post-War Credits, or for 1942–43, would reduce the credit otherwise due for that year. I would be glad to look into the facts of any particular case which my hon. Friend has in mind.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the estimated annual cost of reducing the standard rate of Income Tax from 8s. 3d. to 7s. 6d., 6s. 6d. and 5s., respectively.

If the reductions were confined to the standard rate £204 million, £476 million and £1,042 million on the basis of the 1967–68 Budget estimates. The third figure assumes that the higher reduced rate of Income Tax (now 6s. Od. in the £) would be abolished.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total cost to the Exchequer in the tax year 1966–67 of Income Tax rebates on interest paid on house mortgages; and how this cost was distributed among England, Scotland and Wales.

The cost for the whole of the United Kingdom was about £157 million, made up of about £ million for Northern Ireland, £145 million for England, £5 million for Scotland and £5 million for Wales.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total cost to the Exchequer in the tax year 1966–67 of family allowances made on Income Tax assessments; and how this cost was distributed among Scotland, Wales and England.

Family allowances are taxable income and not allowances given against tax assessments. If the hon. Lady will let me know which tax allowances she has in mind I will do my best to provide her with the information she desires.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the minimum size of an occupational group about which he will issue information about the group's Income Tax payments and what criteria he uses to establish this minimum size.

The Inland Revenue publish no information about the Income Tax payments of occupational groups. In general assessments and payments of tax cannot be analysed by occupational group except where one or more individual groups can be identified fairly closely with an occupational group. In such a case the amount of detail published is generally governed by the industrial breakdown agreed with the F.B.I. (as it then was) in 1948. Figures for smaller groups would be published only with the direct consent of those groups or their representatives.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the proposed special turnover subscriptions paid by companies to the Association of British Pharmaceutical Industry are treated as ordinary subscriptions and therefore exempt from taxation.

I am not aware of any proposals relating to special turnover subscriptions, and perhaps my hon. Friend would send me full particulars.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total national deficit in 1967; and how much in the pound this represents on our gross national income.

If the hon. Member is referring to the deficit in the balance of payments, I cannot yet add to what my right hon. Friend said in the debate on public expenditure on 17th January. Figures for the balance of payments and the national income in 1967 will be published in March.—[Vol. 756 c. 1787–8.]

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the estimated cost of reducing Surtax by 2s. and 1s. respectively.

On the basis of the Budget estimates for 1967–68 about £80 million and £40 million respectively.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state the total sums spent last year by Her Majesty's Stationery Office on printing in England, Scotland and Wales, respectively.

The amounts spent by H.M. Stationery Office on printing and binding in England, Scotland and Wales in the last financial year were as follows:

				£
England	…	…	…	11,365,000
Scotland	…	…	…	432,000
Wales	…	…	…	84,000

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why the Pay As You Earn records of the National Coal Board non-industrial staff are being centralised for Scottish staff in England.

Because the National Coal Board are centralising at Cannock the pay records for all their non-industrial staff in Great Britain.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Civil Service examinations require to be sat in England; and which examinations these are.

Where selection is by examination candidates can choose centres reasonably near their homes. There are some sixty regular centres in England, six in Scotland and six in Wales: others are added where necessary— for example to meet the convenience of candidates living in remote places. The only exception is an experimental system of intelligence tests offered to candidates for Clerical Assistant posts in London; those who wish to avail themselves of this method of entry can at present only be tested in London.

				1st October, 1967
				Non Industrial Industrial staff	Industrial staff
Scottish Departments
Accountant of Court	…	…	…	19	—
Agriculture and Fisheries, Department of	…	…	…	2,916	436
Ancient Monuments (Scotland) R.C	…	…	…	19	—
Court of Justiciary	…	…	…	6	—
Court of Session	…	…	…	83	4
Crown Office	…	…	…	14	—
Exchequer (Q.L.T.R.)	…	…	…	68	—
General Register Office (Scotland)	…	…	…	243	2
Lord Advocate's Department	…	…	…	15	—
National Galleries (Scotland)	…	…	…	79	—
National Library (Scotland)	…	…	…	120	6
National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland	…	…	…	31	—
National Saving Committee for Scotland	…	…	…	58	—
Procurator Fiscal Service	…	…	…	219	—
Registers of Scotland	…	…	…	273	—
Scottish Development Department	…	…	…	896	24
Scottish Education Department	…	…	…	799	—
Scottish Home and Health Department	…	…	…	3,477	448
Scottish Land Court	…	…	…	20	—
Scottish Law Commission	…	…	…	13	—
Scottish Record Office	…	…	…	85	21
Sheriff Clerk Service	…	…	…	330	—
Total Scottish Departments	…	…	…	9,753	941
—[vol 757 c. 29.]

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer at what intervals officials of his Department make routine checks on purchase tax in Scotland, England, and Wales, respectively.

Routine checks for Purchase Tax purposes are applied with- Mrs. Ewing asking the Chancellor of the Exchequar what is the total cost of the supplement given to London civil servants for the year to the last convenient date.

Approximately £19 million for the calendar year 1967.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many civil servants there are in Scotland, Wales and England, respectively and if he will list the numbers in the various Departments of Government.

I refer the hon. Lady to my reply to the hon. Member for Aberdeenshire, West (Mr. James Davidson) on 22nd January, 1968. The numbers in every Government Department in Scotland, in Wales and in England are not available centrally: the numbers of civil servants in the specifically Scottish Departments are as follows:out distinction between Scotland, England or Wales. The number of checks made depends on the nature and extent of a trader's business.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs when he expects to receive the report of the Yorkshire and Humberside Planning Council's study of the Calder Valley and Halifax area; and when this will be available to the public.

My right hon. Friend expects to receive this report in the near future and hopes it will be published by the end of April.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs what plans he has to associate the regional economic planning councils with the planning of public expenditure.

Councils are already provided with forecasts of public expenditure on new buildings and construction to enable them to advise the Government on the regional implications and to assist them in developing regional planning.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs how many trained research workers at present work for the Yorkshire and Humberside Economic Planning Board how many of these have been employed by the Board for more than six months in what main subjects each of them graduated; and how many have been engaged in full-time research for more than five years.

I would refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend's reply on 3rd July, 1967. All the trained research workers therein listed are still in post.In addition, a graduate in social science (1966) joined the staff on 9th August, 1967. A graduate in economics (1961) with more than five years' research experience will be taking up his appointment shortly.This research team continues to be supported by the research and specialist staffs of the government departments represented on the Board.—[Vol. 749 c.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he now has, following the cancellation of the order for F111 aircraft for the Royal Air Force, for a Canberra replacement which has supersonic strike and reconnaissance capability.

As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister said in his statement on 16th January, further study is being given to the consequences of the decision to cancel the F111 on the future equipment of the Royal Air Force.—[Vol. 756 c. 1583.]

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what were the numbers of Army personnel below the rank of colonel, and the numbers of naval personnel below the rank of captain serving in the years 1961, 1965, 1966 and 1967, respectively.

Following is the information:

				Royal Navy	Army
1961	…	…	…	85,589	222,556
1965	…	…	…	88,247	192,795
1966	…	…	…	87,382	192,749
1967	…	…	…	86,923	194,278

These figures include the Women's and Nursing Services but do not include the Royal Marines, Commonwealth or locally-entered personnel.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will arrange direct flights for Scots troops in Germany from Germany to Scotland to avoid the long journey involved from Gatwick or other Southern England airports.

Each year about 100,000 soldiers and airmen (including families) travel each way by air between the United Kingdom and Western Germany. Nearly all this movement is by scheduled flights in aircraft of B.U.A to London (Gatwick) and, to a lesser degree, to Manchester (Ringway). The eventual destinations of personnel cover a very wide area of the United Kingdom and there is no particular pattern in the movements. Consequently, if we are to run an economic air service, the airfields used in both countries must largely be determined by the needs of the majority. When the number of personnel moved to and from Scotland justifies special flights, as in the case of unit moves, such flights between Germany and airfields in Scotland are made.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will ensure that new accommodation to be acquired for United Kingdom troops in Scottish regiments brought back from overseas will be provided in Scotland.

In line with the assurances I gave the House on 5th May, 1967, about Servicemen returning to the United Kingdom, suitable accommodation in Scotland will be provided for all units, including those of any Scottish Regiments, who may be stationed there.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the reduction in the number of registered wool producers in England, Wales and Scotland, respectively, in the course of the last 12 months.

The numbers of registered producers of wool in England, Wales and Scotland have been reduced by a total of 4,579 between 21st December, 1966 and 21st December, 1967 (England—3,110; Wales—598; Scotland —871).Details of the numbers of registered producers are as follows:

		21stDecember,1966	21stDecember,1967	Difference
England	…	66,374	63,264	-3,110
Wales	…	22,693	22,095	-598
Scotland	…	23,662	22,791	-871
		112,729	108,150	-4,579

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on what evidence he based his decision that new proposals were necessary for food labelling regulations.

When the question of the revision of the Labelling of Food Order, 1953 was referred to the Food Standards Committee in 1961, the Order had already been amended five times and many requests had been received for further amendments, both general and specific. The Committee invited comments and representations. A very large number were received, the vast majority proposing amendments to the Order. The Committee took evidence in the course of their deliberations. When their report was published in 1964, and again following the publication of proposals for new regulations in 1965, further written and oral

				Thousands
	England and Wales		United Kingdom
	Dec., 1966	Dec., 1967	Dec., 1966	Dec., 1967
				(provisional)
Sheep one year old and over
Ewes kept for breeding	7,597	7,550	13,199	13,000
Shearling ewes (or gimmers)	1,407	1,366
Rams kept for service	238	235	367	363
Wethers and other clean sheep	318	308	866	882
Other sheep, including old ewes	213	243
Total	9,773	9,703	14,432	14,244
Sheep and lambs under one year old
Ewe lambs put to the ram in current year	488	490	578	581
Ewe lambs not put to the ram but retained for breeding	1,059	1,050	1,802	1,797
Other sheep and lambs under one year old	2,926	2,632	4,241	3,823
Total	4,473	4,172	6,620	6,202
Total sheep and lambs	14,246	13,874	21,053	20,446

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the reduction in the number of flocks of sheep kept in England and Wales during the course of the last year.

The most recent figures are for June, 1967, when there were 83,000 agricultural holdings in England and Wales with sheep and lambs, of which 77,000 had breeding sheep. The corresponding figures for June, 1966 were 85,000 and 80,000 respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is aware that medical officers of health have no authority to prevent the sale of dairy cattle known to be carriers of brucellosis and if he will introduce legislation to remedy this and to offer proper compensation to farmers who dispose for slaughter cattle which might otherwise endanger public health.

The answer to the first part of the Question is "Yes". As to the second part, the Government's policy is to tackle the problem of brucellosis in the first instance by means of the voluntary Brucellosis (Accredited Herds) Scheme, the aim of which is to build up a register of disease-free herds as a necessary first step towards an eventual eradication scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations have been made to him by hospital boards regarding brucellosis; what reply he has sent; and if he will make a statement.

I have had no representations from hospital boards, but my Department has had discussions with officers of the North-Eastern Regional Hospital Board about arrangements for carrying out laboratory tests on milk in that Board's area.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give figures breaking down the £30,000 weekly expenditure on civil defence by his Department and with what hazards the civil defence forces are trained and equipped to deal.

The expenditure is broadly divided as follows:

	£
Salaries	1,900
Equipment, material and grants for uniforms	4,800
Grants to local authorities	17,600
Warning and Monitoring Service	1,900
National Hospital Service Reserve	1,500
General and Miscellaneous	2,300
Total	£30,000

The hazards with which the Civil Defence organisation is trained to deal are those that would arise from the immediate and residual effects of a nuclear attack en this country.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what further estimate he has made of the total cost to agriculture, forestry, and horticulture, including consequential losses, caused by the recent hurricane.

I cannot yet make a firm estimate of the damage to agriculture, horticulture and forestry. The immediate need is for my Department to deal urgently with all applications for grant under the Farm Improvement and Horticulture Improvement Schemes. At a later date it will be possible to indicate the amount of work grant-aided under these schemes. It will be some time before a reliable estimate can be made of the damage to woodlands on both Forestry Commission and private properties.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will seek to set up a national disaster fund to provide low interest loans for farmers, horticulturists, woodland proprietors, and householders who suffered severe losses during the recent hurricane.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what assessment he has made of the devastation suffered in Scottish woodlands during the recent hurricane and if he will make a statement on the action he will take to hasten the recovery of this import-saving industry;(2) whether he will introduce a temporary transport subsidy for the movement of timber salvaged from Scottish woodlands stricken by the recent hurricane, so as to enable it to be put to the best import-saving use by industries in areas that are normally beyond the economic range of such supplies.

I would refer the noble Lord to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Fife, East (Sir J. Gilmour) on 31st January.—[Vol. 757, c. 229.]

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is aware that the supply of pulpwood timber to the Fort William pulp mills will be severely disrupted by the diversion of the forestry labour force in Scotland to clearing up the mill-sized timber blown down in the recent hurricane; and whether he will take steps to enable supplies to be supplemented from areas outside the normal economic radius of these mills and thus eliminate the need for them to purchase imported timber.

I have no reason at present to believe that the supply of pulpwood to the Fort William pulp mill will be disrupted.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will direct the Forestry Commission to limit the sale of mill-sized timber from woodlands unaffected by the recent hurricane in Scotland so as to maintain price stability in the home timber market until such time as the produce salvaged from devastated woodlands has been disposed of.

I have no power, either directly or through the Forestry Commission, to intervene in the sale of timber from private estates. The Forestry Commission has the noble Lord's point very much in mind in relation to its own forests but will have to take into account its existing commitments and the interests of the forestry economy as a whole.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he will make a further statement on the hurricane damage in Scotland and if he has now reviewed the proposed reduction of house building approvals in light of the reports he has received on hurricane damage.

Further statements will be made as necessary. Consent to build houses to replace those lost in the storm will not be refused.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the estimated saving on prescription charges in Scotland under the proposed Government cuts.

I would refer to the reply given on 31st January by my hon. Friend the Joint Parliamentary Under-Secretary to my hon. Friend the Member for South Ayrshire (Mr. Emrys Hughes).—[Vol. 757, c. 301.]

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what restrictions he proposes to put on police recruiting in 1968, other than a force reaching its full establishment.