asked the Postmaster-General why it is technically possible for a subscriber who has hung up after completing a telephone call to be charged for further time owing to a mechanical failure to record the end of the call; and what steps he is taking to correct his fault which results in overcharging.

The duration of an operator-controlled call is recorded on a clock which stops automatically as soon as the caller's telephone is replaced. But, if the telephone is lifted again almost immediately to make a fresh call, the clock will restart if the operator has not had a chance to disconnect it. To prevent overcharging, operators are trained to disconnect promptly, and customers are advised to leave a brief interval between successive calls.

asked the Postmaster-General what criteria are employed in deciding to erect a telephone kiosk; and what is the cost involved.

The average annual cost of a kiosk is about £300. The prospects of recovering the cost from revenue are taken into account along with the needs of the locality in deciding whether to erect a kiosk. A more liberal view is taken in rural areas and housing estates than elsewhere.The loss on kiosks in 1966–67 was £4½ millions.

asked the Postmaster-General what costs have been involved in the installation of the new type Trim-phone; how many have been installed; what training methods were used in acquainting staff with the techniques needed in handling this new equipment; and if he will make a statement on the future development of this type of instrument.

It costs no more to install a Trimphone than a standard tele phone, but the instrument is more expensive. About 15,000 have been installed.Initially we used programmed learning machines to train the installers quickly. Now that Trimphone is about to become freely available everywhere we shall give instruction in our standard installation and maintenance training courses.

asked the Postmaster-General what percentage of domestic telephones in the Folkestone and Hythe telephone exchange are shared lines; and how this compares with the national average.

Folkestone 40·6 per cent.; Hythe 40·4 per cent.The national average is 27·3 per cent.

asked the Postmaster-General in view of the fact that the maximum standard size of envelopes will be 4¾ inches by 9¼ inches and that the size will be inappropriate for pamphlets for which it will be necessary to pay an extra 2d., if he will amend the regulations to allow this type of mail to be sent at a lower rate of postage for the benefit of business and voluntary organisations.

No. Although I have not yet finalised certain aspects of the surcharge arrangements I am afraid that the maximum standard size is essential to the scheme.

asked the Postmaster-General what was the total sum obtained by the Post Office in 1967 through the sale of savings stamps; and what were the comparable figures in 1966, 1965 and 1964, respectively.

Including sales through Savings Groups, £73·3 million in 1967, compared with £75·2 million, £69·3 million and £64·9 million in 1966, 1965 and 1964 respectively.

asked the Postmaster-General what plans he has made for improving the collection and sorting of mail in Ulster; and if he will make a statement about the proposed dates of such changes as he has planned.

No significant change is imminent; but we plan to open a new mechanised sorting office in Belfast by 1975 to improve and speed the handling of mail collected over a wide area in Northern Ireland.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what has been the total number of meetings held to date and convened by his Department in order to explain Government policy on the reorganisation of local government in Wales to local authorities; and what has been the total cost of organising such meetings.

To date 18 meetings have been held with local authorities and their associations. Their prime purpose has been to allow local authorities to present orally their views on the White Paper. The cost of organising these meetings cannot be separated from the other costs of running the Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what is the average size of classes in schools for senior educationally subnormal children in England and Wales;(2) what is the average size of classes in schools for senior educationally subnormal children in Cardiff.

The average size of class for educationally subnormal pupils in England and Wales in January, 1966 was 17·4 pupils. Separate figures for senior pupils are not available. The comparable average in Cardiff was 17·1.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what are the figures for public capital investment for sport and physical recreation for the three categories defined in Command Paper No. 2177 of October 1963 for 1966–67; and what are the estimated figures for 1967–68.

I will, with permission, circulate the best estimates that are available in the OFFICIAL REPORT.Following is the information:

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the expenditure value per head of the population in each planning region of education, showing local authority, technical and university expenditure separately, for each of the years 1964–65, 1965–66 and 1966–67.

To provide this information would require a disproportionate effort in terms both of money and time.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many classes there are for special educational treatment in ordinary primary and secondary schools in Cardiff; and whether this is more or less than with comparable urban areas.

Two, for partially hearing pupils. Provision for handicapped children in ordinary schools takes a variety of forms and no simple comparison is possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) how many secondary schools in England and Wales have remedial departments with a recognised head of department;(2) how many secondary schools in Cardiff have remedial departments with a recognised head of department.

The figure for England and Wales is not available. There is one remedial department with a recognised head in a secondary school maintained by the Cardiff local education authority and the authority hopes to establish another such department shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he expects to make a decision on the siting of a new radio telescope; and what consideration has been given to the Oswestry district as a suitable site.

I assume that the question relates to the next telescope for the Manchester University group of radio-astronomers. Oswestry is among a number of sites chosen for investigation up to 100 miles or so away from the existing telescopes at Jodrell Bank. The final choice will depend on site conditions, including freedom from electrical and other interferences. I cannot say when a decision will be made.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the grant proposed for the Nottingham Playhouse in the year 1968–69; and whether it differs from any previous proposal for that year.

The Arts Council have recently offered the Nottingham Playhouse a total grant not exceeding £50,000 for the year 1968–69. No previous offer has been made for that year.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will initiate a departmental study of the need for a veterinary college for Wales.

I do not consider that a study would be justified because the existing facilities for veterinary studies in Great Britain suffice to meet the demand for places and the need for qualified veterinarians.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many persons ordinarily resident in Wales are full-time students at veterinary colleges within the United Kingdom but outside Wales.

73.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he is aware that certain English universities do not accept the Scottish Certificate of Education as an adequate qualification for university entrance; and what steps he will take to clarify this situation.

Universities are responsible for their own admission requirements and decide for themselves what qualifications they are prepared to accept; I do not intervene in these matters.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many students from Scottish homes were admitted to English universities in the year 1966–67; and how many students from English homes were admitted to Scottish universities in the same year.

The Statistical Supplement to the Fourth Report of the Universities Central Council on Admissions shows that 235 students from Scottish homes were admitted to English universities in the year 1966–67, and that 1,247 students from English homes were admitted to Scottish universities in the same year.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will convene a meeting between representatives of Scottish and English universities to discuss the feasibility and desirability of harmonising British university entrance qualifications.

No. This is a matter for the universities themselves.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many places on undergraduate and postgraduate courses at British universities and centres of higher education have gone unfilled since the increase in overseas students' fees as a result of no British students coming forward to fill places left vacant by students from abroad who were unable to pay the new fees.

Evidence supplied by the Universities Central Council on Admissions suggests that the number of unfilled university places is lower this year than it was before the fees for overseas students were raised.Comparable information for other centres of higher education is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many overseas students have so far been helped to pay increased fees by assistance from the Overseas Students' Special Fund.

5,608.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will give an assurance that he will leave the methods of maintaining discipline in schools to the discretion of head teachers.

I have no present intention of seeking powers to limit the discretion of head teachers of ordinary schools in the matter of discipline. This is, or should be, a matter for local discussion between the local education authorities, the governing bodies of schools and the teachers; but, as I made clear in reply to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Croydon, South (Mr. Winnick) on 19th December, 1967, I hope that they will use their powers and influence to secure that the practice of corporal punishment disappears from the schools.I am awaiting the comments of the associations representing teachers and local education authorities on my proposals that the use of corporal punishment for handicapped pupils should cease entirely.—[Vol. 756, c.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what additional safeguards he proposes to take to prevent illegal entry into Great Britain by such means as were used by the two people who flew from France and landed at Harty Ferry, Kent, on Friday, 16th February, 1968.

The police already notify the appropriate authorities of any irregular arrivals of aircraft from abroad which come to their notice, and there is no reason to believe that any significant number of persons enter clandestinely by air or that the incident referred to by my hon. Friend was more than an isolated one.Whilst I am anxious to limit the number of reports I call for from chief constables, I have, in view of my hon. Friend's anxieties and the publicity that arose from this incident, asked for an account of what took place and will communicate with my hon. Friend in due course.

asked the Secretary of State For the Home Department, (1) in view of his recent estimate that something like 70,000 coloured immigrants come each year to Great Britain, and allowing for their known birth rate, how many coloured people will be here in 1985; and at that rate of increase when he now estimates that the coloured population will exceed the white;(2) by what year he estimates that the coloured population of Great Britain will exceed 8 per cent. of the white population which is the level at which it stands in the United States of America, assuming the same rate of immigration and birth increase as at present.

It is not possible to make valid assumptions or reliable forecasts so far ahead.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware that on every weekday within a few yards of the Caledonian Road Police Station many vehicles are parked without a current road fund licence; and why, between 1.30 p.m. and 2.15 p.m. on Monday, 26th February, a number of police going to and from the police station and passing these vehicles did not take down the details of numbers for reporting in accordance with the law.

As my hon. Friend knows, most of these officers will have been reporting for, or going off, duty and so not available for routine tasks; but during the five months up to the end of February nearly 300 reports of revenue offences were made in the local police section.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what date and for what purpose the police raided 17A Maxwell Road, S.W.6; what action they took to ascertain the character backgrounds and criminal records, if any, of the occupants; what was found as a result of this raid; and what prosecutions are to take place.

The premises were searched on 27th February on a warrant under the Explosive Substances Act, 1883. The Commissioner of Police is satisfied that appropriate inquiries were made before the warrant was applied for. No explosives were found.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his estimate of the numbers of former aliens and of the numbers of former British-protected persons who hold certificates of naturalisation received elsewhere than in the United Kingdom; and how many of those are estimated to be currently resident in the United Kingdom, and how many in Kenya.

The numbers of certificates of naturalisation granted in Colonies or British protectorates since 1st January, 1915, are given below. It is not known how many are alive, still citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies, and resident in the United Kingdom or in Kenya.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons who were aliens and how many who were British-protected persons have been granted certificates of naturalisation in each year since the commencement of the British Nationality Act, 1948, specifying separately the certificates granted elsewhere than in the United Kingdom and the certificates granted in Kenya.

From the commencement of the British Nationality Act, 1948, on 1st January, 1949, to the end of 1967

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has yet received the report of the inquiry regarding Reading Borstal; and if he will make a statement.

I have now received the report of the inquiry by members of the Board of Visitors and I am grateful for the thorough and competent way in which the members investigated these serious allegations and the valuable report they have submitted. The inquiry was exacting and made great demands on their time.The Board of Inquiry unanimously concluded that there was substance in the allegations of irregular behaviour by certain officers and that in particular there had been slapping and bullying. They experienced considerable difficulty in establishing truth where unreliable witnesses were involved; but, reaching their findings on their judgment of the weight and similarity of evidence, they were satisfied that there had been a pattern of irregular behaviour, and considered that this had grown up over several years

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT particulars of the accidents caused by fireworks during the period 15th October to 11th November, 1967, together with comparable figures for the five previous years.

The table below analyses the information obtained from hospitals in England and Wales relating to the 2,214 persons who received hospital treatment for injuries caused by fireworks during this period. Figures are also given for the comparable four-week periods in 1966, 1965, 1964, 1963 and 1962 when the total numbers of persons involved were 2,302, 2,339, 2,220, 2,461 and 2,832 respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many of Her Majesty's prisons dogs are now employed; what is the total number of trained dogs; and how many handlers are in charge of them.

Police dogs are being used at eight prisons in England and Wales. At seven other prisons 25 prison dogs are employed, and 44 prison officers have been trained as handlers. Dogs are used to patrol the perimeters of prisons; they are not employed inside the main buildings.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what direct representations he has received on the Commonwealth Immigrants Act, 1968 from individuals or organisations in Orkney and the Shetland Isles, Inverness, West Aberdeen, Roxburgh, Selkirk and Peebles, North Devon, and Hamilton; and what reply he has sent.

One letter from 'West Aberdeen has been received and acknowledged.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development what aid is proposed for The Gambia; how this compares with each of the past two years; and what is the value of trade obtained by the United Kingdom in The Gambia including British contracts for constructional purposes.

British official economic aid to The Gambia totalled £839,000 in 1966 and £876,000 in 1967. Under a 4-year agreement negotiated with The Gambia Government last year disbursements in 1968 are likely to be rather more than £1 million.British exports to The Gambia have risen from £2·1 million in 1965 to £2·5 million in 1967. Contracts won by British firms in The Gambia include one of £900,000 for road building financed from our aid.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in view of the increased efficiency of British banking that is likely to accrue as a result of recent bank amalgamations, if he will now introduce legislation to nationalise the banking industry.

No.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what interdepartmental study has been made of proposals for the combining and computerising of Income Tax payments and allowances and National Insurance contributions and benefits contained in the pamphlet, The New Social Contracts, by Sir Brandon Rhys-Williams, a copy of which has been sent to him; and whether he will make a statement.

The Government are constantly seeking ways of improving the machinery for the collection of taxes and contributions and for the payment of social security benefits. The extent to which it proves possible and desirable, over time, to combine the machinery for receipts and payments will depend on the social and economic priorities of the Government at the time as well as on technical progress in the development of administrative machinery.

asked the Postmaster General what is the total number of women employed by his Department, both centrally and locally; and how many of them are in receipt of equal pay for work of equal value.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the total number of women employed by his Department, both centrally and locally; and how many of them are in receipt of equal pay for work of equal value.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the total number of women employed by his Department, both centrally and locally; and how many of them are in receipt of equal pay for work of equal value.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs what is the total number of women employed by his Department, both centrally and locally; and how many of them are in receipt of equal pay for work of equal value.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what is the total number of women employed by his Department, both centrally and locally; and how many of them are in receipt of equal pay for work of equal value.

asked the Minister of Labour what is the total number of women employed by his Department, both centrally and locally; and how many of them are in receipt of equal pay for work of equal value.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the total number of women employed by his Department, both centrally and locally; and how many of them are in receipt of equal pay for work of equal value.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is the total number of women employed by his Department, both centrally and locally; and how many of them are in receipt of equal pay for work of equal value.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the total number of women employed by his Department, including the Inland Revenue, both centrally and locally; and how many of them are in receipt of equal pay for work of equal value.

asked the Minister of Transport what is the total number of women employed by her Department, both centrally and locally; and how many of them are in receipt of equal pay for work of equal value.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the total number of women employed by his Department, both centrally and locally; and how many of them are in receipt of equal pay for work of equal value.

asked the Minister of Health what is the total number of women employed by his Department, both centrally and locally; and how many of them are in receipt of equal pay for work of equal value.

asked the Minister of Social Security, what is the total number of women employed by her Department, both centrally and locally; and how many of them are in receipt of equal pay for work of equal value.

asked the Minister of Power, what is the total number of women employed by his Department, both centrally and locally; and how many of them are in receipt of equal pay for work of equal value.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works, what is the total number of women employed by his Department, both centrally and locally; and how many of them are in receipt of equal pay for work of equal value.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, what is the total number of women employed by his Department, both centrally and locally; and how many of them are in receipt of equal pay for work of equal value.

I have been asked to reply, as the numbers of civil servants employed are reported quarterly to the Treasury.The number of women employed at 1st January, 1968 is as follows:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will remove Purchase Tax on sanitary towels.

Sanitary towels are not chargeable with Purchase Tax.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state the number of applications to hold gold coins under Statutory Instrument 1966 No. 438 which have been received by the Bank of England each month during 1967; and how many of these have been granted.

The following figures relate to the number of applications for collector status:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the practice of the Inland Revenue regarding the divulging to the Ministry of Social Security or any other Government Department of information in an affidavit filed in relation to the estate of a deceased person; and, in cases where such information is delivered, by what authority it is divulged.

Information in an Inland Revenue affidavit of the estate of a deceased person is not disclosed to the Ministry of Social Security or any other Government Department except on the written authority of the persons who delivered the affidavit.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in view of the fact that, of the total sum of £11,881,000 spent in the last financial year by Her Majesty's Government on printing and binding, only £84,000 was spent in Wales, what steps he proposes to take to ensure that a larger proportion of Government printing and binding work is done in Wales.

Firms in Wales are regularly invited to tender for work required in any part of the United Kingdom and those situated in appropriate areas receive special attention under the Government Development Areas scheme. The proportion of printing and binding work going to Wales depends on the availability of suitable contractors.

asked the Minister of Labour how many new jobs have been provided in the Northern Region since 1965; how many jobs have been lost in the basic traditional industries in the region; and if he will make a statement.

I regret that this information is not available in the form requested. The only comprehensive figures showing changes in the number of jobs are obtained by comparing for different years the mid-year estimate of employees in employment. The figures show net changes only, and there is no way of identifying "jobs provided" and "jobs lost". The mid-year estimates for the Northern Region for 1967 show that there were 1,279,000 employees in employment compared with 1,301,000 for 1965.These estimates indicate little change in employment for shipbuilding and net reductions of about 20,000 and 6,000 for coalmining and iron and steel respectively.

asked the Minister of Labour what has been the percentage rise or fall each year since 1935, taking 1935 as 100, in the cost of living, average weekly earnings and average salary earnings, respectively.

asked the Minister of Labour what are the number

A continuous series of figures measuring changes in retail prices is not available for the whole period 1935 to 1967.The following table shows the movements in (1) the Cost of Living Index and in average weekly earnings from 1935 to 1947 and (2) the Index of Retail Prices and in average weekly earnings from 1947 to 1967. Information about average salary earnings is available only from 1955, and therefore the figures for this date have been taken as equal to 100 in the second part of the table.of men, women, boys and girls unemployed at the most recent convenient date, and the same date in each of the previous 10 years for Brechin, Montrose, Stone- haven and Banchory Employment Exchange areas.

Following is the information:

asked the Minister of Labour, at the last convenient date, what was the percentage of unemployment amongst male workers in the Camborne/Redruth and in the Falmouth employment exchange areas.

At 12th February, 1968 the percentage rates of unemployment for males in the Camborne/Redruth and Falmouth Employment Exchange areas were 5·0 and 5·3, respectively.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what is the expenditure value per head of the population in each planning region for each facet of his Department shown separately for the years 1964–65, 1965–66 and 1966–67.

I regret that the information is not available and it would require disproportionate expense and time to extract.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what is the total amount of Government grants paid to the Rhondda Borough Council for each financial year from 1962–63 to date.

The information is as follows:

asked the Minister of Health what proportion of live births were illegitimate in 1967 in England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, respectively; and what were the corresponding proportions for that year in each town of more than 100,000 population.

I will, with permission, circulate the figures in the OFFICIAL REPORT.Following is the information for 1966, the latest complete year for which figures are available.

asked the Minister of Health what is the latest estimate by the Registrar General of the anticipated population of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland in 1970, 1980 1990 and 2000.

I will, with permission, circulate the figures in the OFFICIAL REPORT.Following are the figures:The latest projections of the total population prepared by the Government Actuary's Department in consultation

with the Registrars General are as follows:

asked the Minister of Health what estimate he has made of the annual cost of collecting the 2s. 6d. prescription charge.

No close estimate is at present possible.

asked the Minister of Health what is the expenditure value per head of the population in each planning region for each facet of health provision shown separately for the years 1964–65, 1965–66 and 1966–67.

Such statistics are not maintained and the expense and time needed to extract this information specially would not be justified.

asked the Minister of Health if he will direct his officials in conjunction with officials of the Newcastle Regional Hospital Board to attend immediately on Tees-side to explain the report on the gastro-enteritis outbreak which caused the death of 15 babies on Tees-side; and if he will make a statement.

The Newcastle Regional Hospital Board has made an inquiry into the circumstances which attended the outbreak of gastro-enteritis among infants on Tees-side during November and December, 1967. In brief, the results of this inquiry, which I have accepted, show firstly that this was a community outbreak of only moderate proportions; secondly, that the deaths which occurred were mainly in weakly babies suffering from some other abnormal condition and were not large in number when compared with similar outbreaks which have occurred from time to time in the past; thirdly, that the clinical care of the babies appears to have been skilfully managed even though it was complicated by infection with intestinal organisms resistant to the action of several antibiotics; fourthly, that local arrangements for the interchange of information during outbreaks of infectious disease need review. This review is now being undertaken by the Regional Hospital Board.It is impossible to form a precise estimate of the number of cases of gastroenteritis which may have occurred among infants on Tees-side during the fourth quarter of 1967. The reasons for this are that infantile gastro-enteritis is a disease of very variable severity and arises from different causes, not being associated constantly with any one identifiable causative agent or group of agents. Mild forms of the disease are common throughout England and Wales. It the normal way the known extent of infantile gastroenteritis in any community is limited mainly to the more severely affected infants who require medical attention or admission to hospital.The record of admissions of infants to the unit for the treatment of infectious diseases at West Lane Hospital, Middlesbrough, shows that an outbreak of gastro-enteritis of moderate proportions began in the general community of Tees-side towards the end of October, 1967, and reached a peak in late November or early December. This outbreak coincided in time with an outbreak of acute respiratory illnesses among infants in the same community. There is no clear evidence whether there was any common factor in these apparently distinct outbreaks. An association of gastro-enteritis with respiratory illness has been observed in other outbreaks in the past. As regards the outbreaks on Tees-side neither showed any particular concentration in any one area of the community.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what representations have been received from the South African Government concerning Her Majesty's Government's policy of continuing to make use of facilities under the Simonstown Agreement.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what was the cost of firing the second Polaris missile in United States waters; and if he will give details of the expenditure involved.

As the hon. Member was informed on 21st February the total estimated cost of H.M.S. "Resolution" 's demonstration and shake-down operation is £1·5 million. This figure covers the cost of both missile firings.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what he is doing to encourage scientific research in defence matters within the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.

The United Kingdom is represented at the high level N.A.T.O. Conference of National Armaments Directors and its subordinate bodies, the Service Armaments and Defence Research Groups. This organisation fosters the exchange of technical and scientific information and the establishment of collaborative projects for research into, and the development and production of, specific items of equipment. The United Kingdom also plays a full part in other research centres and groups such as the SHAPE Technical Centre, the SACLANT Anti-Submarine Warfare Research Centre, the Advisory Group for Aerospace Research and Development, and the Von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what he is doing to encourage scientific research in defence matters on a European basis.

In addition to cooperating with our European N.A.T.O. partners within the organisation of the Conference of National Armaments Directors, and other N.A.T.O. bodies, the United Kingdom is a member of bilateral steering committees for defence research and development (and of their subordinate working groups) with France, West Germany and Italy, and of a trilateral committee with Norway and Holland. The United Kingdom is also a member of the Standing Armaments Committee of Western European Union.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many mobile homes, caravans and private houses have been purchased by his Department for the Army in the past 12 months in the United Kingdom and in the Petersfield constituency, respectively.

75 caravans and 4,250 houses, and no caravans and 60 houses respectively. These include houses still under construction. No mobile homes have been bought.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what he has done to decentralise decision taking in Her Majesty's forces.

It is a normal function of management to consider from time to time whether the balance between central and local decision-making remains appropriate, and this is done by the Service Boards.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what he is doing to improve central policy machinery in his Department.

The various decisions which have recently been taken are set out in the Statement on the Defence Estimates, 1968 (Command 3540), Chapter I, paragraphs 21–36. These substantial changes are part of the general development towards a more unified control of policy, and we maintain a constant search for possibilities of achieving further improvements in the central policy machinery.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the cost per day of the Polaris submarine "Resolution" from the time it left the United Kingdom to 5th March.

As I informed the hon. Member on 21st December, 1967, the cost of running a Polaris submarine is slightly less than £100,000 a week throughout the year. This covers the cost of demonstration and shakedown operations.—[Vol. 756, c. 518.]

asked the Prime Minister what was the calculation of saving of national resources upon which was based the decision to bandon United Kingdom treaty and other commitments in the Gulf.

I would refer the right hon. Gentleman to the Statement on Defence Estimates, 1968 (Command 3540) and to the speech of my hon. Friend the Minister of Defence for Administration in this House last Tuesday.—[Vol. 760, c. 253–69.]

asked the Prime Minister what discussion he had with the Russian Government during his visit to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on radioactive effluent harming marine life.

None.