asked the Secretary of of State for Scotland what is his latest estimate of the amount of windblown timber this winter.

The latest estimate is 40 million hoppus feet, of which 22 million are in Forestry Commission woodlands and 18 million in private woodlands.

Are there not many saw mills outwith the affected area which could process this timber if transport could be made more economic? When will the Secretary of State announce a transport subsidy, as was given by the last Government in 1953?

That point is among the questions which will be considered. We have now received the report of the Action Group, and all aspects of it will be discussed.

Have there been any tangible results? Can the hon. Gentleman tell us anything of the outcome of the Action Group's meeting about a fortnight ago?

We are expecting recommendations from the Forestry Commission on the report almost at once, and we shall be looking at all aspects as soon as they arrive.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether, bearing in mind the recent storm damage and also the need to improve the trade balance, he will send a circular to all authorities charged with the building of houses, hospitals and other public buildings to use Scottish timber where possible.

Those concerned in the public services are well aware that timber, like other materials, should be specified by reference to quality, so that there is no discrimination against home-grown timber. But when I receive the advice of the Forestry Commission on the recent report of the Windblow Action Group I will consider whether a circular should be issued.

I am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman. I think that is a good proposal. Would he also contact the railways and the Coal Board and other bodies like that to see if they can assist over this blown timber?

I think the hon. Gentleman will appreciate that the Action Group and those who are in the business of marketing timber are concerned about this, and we will see that as wide publicity as possible is given to their findings.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that his hon. Friend the Joint Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture has declined to draw the attention of the National Coal Board to the possibility of using more home-grown timber available because of the storm blow? Will he promise to do better than that?

We will certainly make known to everyone how much timber is available, and leave it to their good sense to take the necessary action. I think we want to work this out scientifically, rather than just pressing people to declare their interest.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is satisfied with the number of teachers who have so far registered with the General Teaching Council; and if he will make a statement.

The progress of registration is a matter for the General Teaching Council. The hon. Member will appreciate, however, that from 1st April only registered teachers will be eligible for permanent appointments in education authority and grant-aided schools and entitled to payment on a prescribed salary scale. I would expect teachers in such schools to register by the due date since it is in their interests to do so.

Does the right hon. Gentleman realise that his own attitude to recommendations of the Council on uncertificated teachers has contributed considerably to the reluctance of teachers to register? Will he give an assurance that in future he will give the greatest weight to recommendations of the G.T.C.?

The hon. Gentleman is being a bit unfair. He should appreciate that this is a very difficult question, and the responsibility in respect of employment of teachers and keeping staffs up is the local authorities', not mine. It is a difficult job. The General Teaching Council and all concerned should be congratulated on the progress we have made. The hon. Gentleman may be interested to know that the latest figure for applications is about 23,750, which is getting pretty close to three-fifths of those eligible.

Are there any steps which my right hon. Friend could take, in addition to answering Questions in the House, to stimulate the registration of teachers between now and the final date?

I assure my hon. Friend that I take every opportunity to try to bring the importance of this matter to the notice of teachers. I delivered a speech to that effect when opening a school in Glasgow a short time ago.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether, in addition to measures to strengthen the forms of law and order, he will appoint a committee to investigate the possibility of educational and guided recreational activities being developed to prevent the growth of criminal activities through lack of moral teaching and inability intelligently to use leisure.

I agree with my right hon. Friend that positive measures of the kind he has in mind are needed, and the Standing Consultative Council on Youth and Community Service and the Sports Council for Scotland have already been considering how young people might be helped to make better use of their leisure and how sports facilities might be further developed. My right hon. Friend has also arranged with Glasgow Corporation for its officials and mine to examine the particular problem of improving social and recreational facilities in the new housing areas of the city.

Is my hon. Friend aware that one of the consequences of the decline of church influence in Scotland is that there is an almost complete absence of moral teaching for the young? Will he see what opportunities can be taken to have moral teaching reinstated? I suggest that he enlists the co-operation of the church authorities which arrange broadcasting. A great deal of time is available on the air and the broadcasts reach a large number of children and adults. A good deal of that time is taken on doctrine and not so much on behaviour. It would be a great advantage if citizenship could be introduced into those programmes.

Order. We have 84 Scottish Questions on the Order Paper.

I have very much in mind the whole question of social and moral education. My hon. Friend is also very concerned with this as regards the schools. The consultative committee on the curriculum has been considering this. The broadcasting points which my right hon. Friend mentioned will also be taken into account.

Will the present series of grants for local youth services, which his been of great help to the work of local youth services in Scotland, be continued?

Yes, Sir. Government grants o the youth organisations increased greatly in recent years, as did local authority grants. We shall do our best to ensure that this progress is continued.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what progress is being made with the development of the new Edinburgh-Stirling road, the Polmont motorway; and when he expects it to be completed.

I expect the Polmont and Falkirk Bypass to be open to traffic in the autumn of this year.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the additional financial allocation to Scottish local authorities for work on roads this winter.

£4,825,896.

I am grateful for that reply, which is most encouraging. Is it a 100 per cent. grant from the central authority to the local authorities? What proportion of the money went to the County of Dunbarton?

One of the attractions of this, and a reason for the response of the local authorities, was that it was complete reimbursement from central government. Dunbarton County, Dumbarton Town Council and Clydebank did work to the tune of £97,000 and, acting as agents for the central authority on trunk roads, Dunbarton County Council additionally undertook to do work of £26,000. That is a total of £123,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the present rate of Government expenditure on roads in Scotland; and what is the increase or decrease compared with five years earlier.

Expenditure from the Roads Scotland Vote is expected to be £36·7 million in 1967–68. In 1962–63 it was £20·2 million, but this figure included £3·7 million in respect of grants for maintenance and minor improvement, which are now broadly covered by rate support grant. The increase is thus over £20 million.

Apart from my helpful Question—[Laughter.]—it is a change, is it not?—what steps does my right hon. Friend intend to take to advise local authorities, transport users and the road haulage industry that the so-called cuts in the future are not cuts but reductions in increases? I do not think that we are getting across to road users in general the work that has been done by the Government.

I am sure that my hon. Friend's supplementary question was as helpful as his original Question, and the answers will, given the proper publicity, have the effect he desires. My hon. Friend is right; the road building programme, which is the main part of this, rises from £26·8 million in 1967–68 to £29·7 million in 1968–69, after the moderations, and to £33·5 million in 1969–70.

Since the number of registered vehicles has been rapidly increasing, and the money that they contribute in licences and fuel tax greatly exceeds the expenditure on roads, will the Secretary of State press the Minister of Transport to drop the proposals for two new taxes on lorries, which are likely to be especially damaging to Scotland?

I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on getting in a question that had nothing to do with the original Question.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will state the total road expenditure in Scotland in the year 1962–63 and the estimated expenditure for the current year and for next year.

£31·1 million in 1962–63, and an estimated £61 million in each of the years 1967–68 and 1968–69.

I am taken aback. Does my right hon. Friend recognise that this complete change will be warmly welcomed among local authorities which are being misled by right hon. and hon. Members opposite? Does it not make complete nonsense of the empty propaganda in which they indulge week by week?

It is indeed surprising that all this work is being done and all this is being spent on Scottish roads—nearly double what was spent in 1962–63—and we never hear anything about it from hon. Members opposite. I gave the figure of £61 million for each of the next two years, but within the current year there is the £5 million about which I spoke earlier for special winter work.

Is the right hon. Gentleman able to give the estimated total mileage of motorways in Scotland for the end of next year?

If the hon. Lady tables that Question, she will get the answer. She will probably find that it has already been answered more than once.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the number of houses involved in the proposed housing cuts in the City of Glasgow.

The limitation of approvals necessitates consultations with housing authorities throughout Scotland, but it is clear that Glasgow's programme will not be affected.

I am grateful for that Answer. Does my right hon. Friend recall that I have previously put down Questions about certain local authorities which failed to meet targets? Will he reconsider the quota of those which failed to make progress and make an additional allocation to Glasgow?

I do not think that we need to do it in that particular way. We shall do this in consultation with the local authorities and our aim is to ensure that we get our total without impinging on slum clearance anywhere or schemes related to economic growth or to acute shortage and difficulties of particular areas.

I entirely accept the Secretary of State's real concern about the housing situation in Glasgow. But is he confident that with the extra very great storm damage there will be enough skilled people to carry on the programme as fast as he would like?

I have already said that we must watch this pretty carefully, because if we take people off the completion of houses to do urgent work we may be doing more damage to the completion programme. Moreover, if slaters are not on the roofs at particular times in relation to the completion of new houses, that throws out other tradesmen and creates unemployment. But I understand that the programme is progressing reasonably well at present.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the total number of houses demolished in Scotland during the years 1965, 1966 and 1967, and the total number demolished in the years 1962, 1963 and 1964.

Figures for the last quarter of 1967 are not yet available. In the three years from 1st October, 1964, to 30th September, 1967, 36,947 houses were demolished, and in the previous three years, 26,378.

I am grateful for that increased progress in the removal of obsolescence. But will my right hon. Friend concentrate on local difficulties in getting demolition progressed in Scotland?

That is one of the matters to which we are applying our minds, and we have had the advantage of the Cullingworth Report. I am satisfied that we need to make even better progress if we are to achieve any of these targets. Apart from this, it must be remembered that we are here talking only of slums demolished. For those taken out of use and not yet demolished the figures are about 50,000 for the past three years, compared with 37,500 in the three years before.

Do those figures include or exclude houses demolished for road works?

I think that such houses will probably be included in the total figures I have given of demolished and closed houses.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what progress has been made in the study of comparisons between house-building costs in England and Scotland: and if he will make a statement.

I cannot as yet add anything to the reply given on 6th December, 1967 to ray hon. Friend the Member for Bothwell (Mr. James Hamilton).—[Vol. 755, c. 1416–17.]

I am very sorry to hear my right hon. Friend say so, because the problem of trying to encourage people to come to Scotland has been aggravated by the propaganda about the price of houses in Scotland. If a fair comparison were made, it would show clearly that we are quite competitive in this respect.

Order. The hon. Gentleman must ask a question.

My hon. Friend's point was answered on 6th December when my hon. Friend the Minister of State said that the Heriot-Watt University is undertaking a study of this matter which will take three years. In the meantime, we must bear in mind that our building regulations, which are related to climatic conditions amongst other things, affect the cost of houses in Scotland.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the estimated average increase in local authority rates for the current year; and how this increase compares with previous years.

I estimate the increase in total rate demand in 1967–68 to be about 1·7 per cent., equivalent to a reduction of 6d. for domestic ratepayers, and an increase of 4d. for non-domestic ratepayers. For previous years the latest figures show increases of 7·5 per cent. in 1964–65, 9 per cent. in 1965–66 and 17 per cent. in 1966–67.

I thank my right hon. Friend for that reply. Is he aware that higher rating in Scotland is having a detrimental effect in attracting industrialists to Scotland? Will he review the whole rating system as it applies to Scotland vis-à-vis England?

I think my hon. Friend is wrong in suggesting that there is a detrimental effect on industrialists coming to Scotland because, in the past two or three years, they have been coming there at a greater rate than ever before. In contrast with England and Wales, industry in Scotland still has the benefit of a certain amount of derating.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that, in Glasgow, commercial firms are being forced out of business by high rates? Does he recall his promise on two occasions that something would be done? When shall we have action to save Glasgow from committing economic suicide?

I have never given any rash promises to do anything quickly about this. The business acumen of those firms should have been such that they could appreciate exactly what they were doing when they took over their premises and accepted the leases, bearing in mind the existing valuation laws in Scotland.

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. In view of the unsatisfactory nature of the reply, I beg to give notice that I shall seek to raise this matter on the Adjournment.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the average grant per pupil paid in respect of pupils continuing at school in Scotland beyond the normal leaving date.

£42 in session 1966–67.

Has my hon. Friend considered why it is that the pupil at school is so much less generously treated than the pupil at university? Will he give the reasons and perhaps try to do something about it?

I would not like to analyse all the reasons now, but one is the fact that pupils at university are much older and would have a greater earning capacity than a youngster staying on at school after the age of 15.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the ratio of pupils to teachers in Scottish primary and secondary schools in 1938, 1958, and at the latest convenient date.

26·9, 24·7 and 23·3, the last figure being for 1966–67. Only full-time certificated teachers are counted.

As the number of teachers per student has increased over a period—the ratio has improved in this respect—can my hon. Friend give us an understanding why there is a constant apparent failure to use the increased number of students? Why is there difficulty about student teachers when we have more teachers than ever before in relation to the number of students?

One reason is the nature of the curriculum and the broadening of the syllabus.

Can the hon. Gentleman confirm that the postponement of the raising of the school leaving age is only for two years? Can he tell us what the teacher-child ratio will be when it is raised and that it will be no worse than it is at present?

This point has been adequately dealt with in the House in the last month and the assurances the right hon. Gentleman asks for have been given.

The teacher-pupil ratio after the raising of the school leaving age is critical to the whole of this problem. Will the hon. Gentleman give an estimate of what that ratio will be and tell us what new initiatives he is taking to provide the expertise we need if the raising of the school leaving age is to be practicable?

As a teacher throughout the 13 years of neglect of Scottish education before we came to power, I am conscious of the problems facing us. In 1966–67, the ratio in secondary schools was 16, so we are achieving progress. But it would be impossible to estimate what the ratio might be in future. It will depend entirely on the success of our very considerable efforts.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is satisfied that the rent assessment committees under the Rent Act, 1965, are functioning in accordance with the purpose of the Act by fixing fair rents for landlord and tenant alike; and if he will make a statement.

Yes, Sir. I consider that the committees are doing satisfactorily what the Act requires of them.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that information has reached me that rent assessment committees are fixing rents far higher than those recommended by the rent officers? Is he also aware that, in effect, this means that certain tenants are being evicted because of lack of money to pay the new rents? Will he look further into this?

I will be glad to look further into this matter but my information is that greater use of the rent officer system is being made by those landlords whose rents are relatively low in order to increase them. Among those increases taken to appeal, 37 per cent. were in respect of rents which were under 10s. a week and 43 per cent. were rents between 10s. and £1 a week.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will state the number of houses involved in the proposed housing cuts in the County of Fife.

As I said earier, in reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow, Scotstoun (Mr. Small), the limitation of approvals necessitates consultations with housing authorities throughout Scotland. As a first step, we have asked them which schemes in their programmes are likely to come to tender stage in 1968.

I thank my right hon. Friend. Does this mean that there will be no cuts in house building in Fife? If so, will he give an assurance that this trend will be carried on over the next two years?

It is no good my saying that we are to have discussions with Fife if I give the answer to those discussions before they have taken place. We had better wait and see.

Can my right hon. Friend make it clear that, if the County of Fife concentrated solely in the next year on slum clearance building, it would not have a cut at all?

Let us be realistic. The County of Fife has problems in relation to building for economic growth as well as slum clearance. I have given an assurance that, as far as possible, we shall see that there are no cuts or moderation of the increase. The figure of 34,500 is greater than we expected over the last year. We shall not affect slum clearance, the urgent need for economic growth or building to remedy a shortage of houses.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what consultations he has had with the National Trust regarding damage by seals to fishing on the east coast of Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

None directly, but my right hon. Friend has been closely associated with the arrangements for the meeting of scientists to which my hon. Friend the Joint Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food referred in the Answer he gave on 28th February. This meeting will consider, among other things, evidence, to which the fisheries scientists of my Department have contributed, about damage done by seals to Scottish salmon and inshore fisheries.—[Vol. 759, c. 1397–8.]

In view of the damage to fishing nets which continues to take place, can the hon. Gentleman show more urgency about this? There has been a good deal of talk about this recently but little has been done.

One of the problems is that the National Trust is the owner of the Fame Islands and it has not allowed such a cull to be carried out. We are not the owners and it is a matter for discussion between the National Trust and the Ministry of Agriculture.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that the seal acts as an alternative host to a parasitic worm in the haddock which leads to a significant reduction in the stocks of haddock as a direct result of the increase in the number of seals?

I have discussed this problem with the scientists and have seen the work being done.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has had from local authorities and from other bodies in Scotland regarding an increase in the powers of the police to search for offensive weapons; when these representations were made; and if he will make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has completed his consideration of the law relating to the search by the police of individuals for offensive weapons; and what action he proposes to take.

The Glasgow magistrates asked towards the end of last year for additional powers for the police to search persons whom they have reasonable grounds to believe to be carrying an offensive weapon without lawful authority or reasonable excuse in contravention of Section 1 of the Prevention of Crime Act, 1953. The Chief Constables' (Scotland) Association indicated in January that such additional powers of search would be welcomed by the police generally.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that, last year, the rise in the number of crimes of violence was twice the average of the previous five years? Is it not time to bring these considerations to some sort of conclusion and back up the police and magistrates in the perfectly genuine demands they are making?

Of course I am aware of the increase in violence. It is shared by many other countries. We have been doing a great deal. The hon. Gentleman must not think that there is one panacea. We are looking into all the implications and we believe that the advice we have given about the existing powers of arrest has helped police and the magistrates considerably.

While these lengthy considerations are going on, people in Scotland are being seriously assaulted and others murdered. Is it not time for more speedy action?

I wish hon. Members opposite would show the same seriousness about this problem as do the magistrates, the police and others. They recognise that the difficulties and the problems are not simple. Only certain hon. Members opposite seem to think that there is a simple panacea which will solve all the problems. There is not. We are giving proper and urgent consideration to this matter to try and find the right solution.

Can I ask my hon. Friend if he would think again about the existing powers? Will he try to conduct a survey throughout the country about this, and would he take into consideration how it is almost impossible to obtain a conviction in some cases of arrest? Could I ask him, in the light of recent experience, to give the police authority to detain and to strengthen their powers?

My hon. Friend has this wrong. The police have the powers of arrest where they have reasonable cause to believe that a person is in possession of an offensive weapon and he may use it in pursuance of a crime. This has now been clarified to the police and the magistrates, and they have told us that they have found this clarification helpful. My hon. Friend should keep abreast of affairs.

Will the hon. Member accept that we on this side of the House consider this matter to be of the utmost gravity and that we accept also that there is no question of a simple solution to the problem? Will he also accept from me that if he introduces legislation on these matters it would be generally welcomed, not only by the Glasgow magistrates and the police, but by the vast majority of law-abiding people in Scotland?

I recognise all that the hon. and learned Gentleman has said—we have discussed this on more than one occasion. The problem cannot be properly considered unless it is recognised that such suggestions are no panaceas. This matter is not being treated with any lack of urgency.

In view of the shortage of police, which is very serious in Scotland, can the Under-Secretary tell us what consideration is being given to bringing in potential policemen from the Army in Germany?

We are looking at all possible sources of recruitment.

In view of the unsatisfactory nature of that reply, I beg to give notice that I shall raise the matter on the Adjournment at the earliest possible moment.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many houses, workshops, offices and shops have been demolished in the city of Glasgow to provide new roads for which he is responsible, and motorways; and what are the total moneys lost in rates by their demolition.

Glasgow Corporation is responsible for virtually all the new roads in the city, including motorways, and I do not have the information requested by my hon. Friend.

I am sorry that the information is not available. I am disappointed that it has not been procured in the three weeks during which the Question has been lying on the Table. There is no point in asking a supplementary question.

I can assure my hon. Friend that if it had been readily available he would have had the information, even though it is not within our files at the moment. I understand from Glasgow that it would take a very long time, and that an undue amount of work would be involved in getting it.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will take steps to set up, for both sides of industry, intensive productivity courses on the lines of the London Business School where the latest techniques in planning, methods study, incentives and costs could be studied, in order to improve the overall performance of Scottish industry and commerce.

A wide range of courses related to productivity and management techniques is already available in Scottish universities and other educational establishments.

I know that there are such courses readily available in universities for the upper echelons of industry. Is my right hon. Friend aware that a comparatively modern innovation in industry is the full-time shop steward and that these courses are necessary on the shop floor? Is he further aware that they should be made much more easily available than they are?

I am sure that my hon. Friend will appreciate that Lord Franks in 1963 was invited by the Confederation of British Industry to examine this point. The result was that there was the establishment of two such schools, one in London and one in Manchester. I am glad to say that in recent years there has been a very considerable interest in this in Scotland and I hope that it will lead to some action being taken. I would tell my hon. Friend that the University of Glasgow, in association with the C.T.C. Scottish Committee, is holding a one-day study conference on 18th March, on management training and education, at which the Scottish Department will be represented. It may be that something useful will come out of this.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the total amount of capital spent on primary education in the years 1962 to 1967, respectively.

£7·9 million in 1967 compared with an average of £5·7 million in the five preceding years. For further details my hon. Friend may care to consult the published statistics.

Is my hon. Friend aware that there is a substantial volume of educational opinion in Scotland which believes that if greater priority were given here it would mean a greater attainment level among children of secondary school education?

I am aware of that. The hon. Member knows my own activities in that direction in the past. I accept that.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the proposed capital building programme in primary school building for 1968; and what effect devaluation has had on the projects.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give details of the changes that have been made in the Scottish school building programme as a result of recent cuts in public expenditure; and if he will make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what effect the post-devaluation cuts in public spending have had on the current primary school building programme for Scotland.

School building programmes are in course of adjustment to achieve the cuts announced in January and the details required are not available. My right hon. Friend sees no need at present to consider increasing the recently established school building cost units because of devaluation.

The House will welcome the fact that very little impact has been made upon these proposals as a result of the devaluation cuts. Would my hon. Friend agree that there is a sound educational case for allocating a greater priority to primary education?

Yes, there is a sound educational case for every expansion in education. My hon. Friend knows the background of the economic stringency within which priorities can be given.

My hon. Friend will be aware how important it is, particularly in primary schools, for children to be educated in modern schools. Would he ensure that as little as possible to make students suffer will be done in that sector?

My right hon. Friend will be pleased to know that the value of starts in 1967–68 is still expected to reach the original £26 million target.

Is the Minister aware that I have had considerable correspondence with his hon. Friend about the long delays over the start of the building of a new primary school at Kelso? May I have an assurance that that start will not be further delayed by the post-devaluation cuts?

I will draw the attention of my right hon. Friend to the hon. Member's Question.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give directions to have the 1967 Hill Sheep Subsidy paid now.

Payment of Hill Sheep Subsidy on sheep in flocks at 4th December, 1967, started on 20th February. To date some 8,700 claims involving over £1,750,000 have been paid.

I thank the hon. Gentleman for that reply.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether, in view of the damage caused to the inshore fishing grounds on the North-West coast of Ross-shire by seine net boats, and in particular the threat to the tourist industry in Ullapool which has become a major sea angling festival centre in recent years, he will take immediate steps to protect those grounds from this illegal fishing.

I have no evidence of extensive illegal fishing in the area, but we shall continue to do our best to see that it does not occur.

While thanking the hon. Gentleman for that reply, may I ask him to bear in mind the special claims of Ullapool for the protection of its fishing grounds, in view of the importance of the sea angling festival which started in recent years and promises to be a great success and a special tourist attraction?

We will pay special attention to this. To some extent there is already protection, for example within the Summer Isles, where much of the sea angling takes place. This is a very useful development, helpful to the whole of Scotland and to that particular area. We shall be giving it encouragement.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what proportion of the crimes of violence committed in Scotland in the last full year for which statistics are available were perpetrated by individuals with previous convictions and prison sentences, respectively.

A total of 2,929 crimes of violence were made known in 1966. Of the 1,108 persons recorded as convicted of crimes of violence in that year, 996 or 89·9 per cent. were known to have one or more previous convictions of criminal offences.

Do not these figures highlight the magnitude of the problem of rehabilitation and corrective treatment in prisons, particularly at Borstal level? Can the Minister say what specific action the Government have taken to try to solve the problem?

There are two points to be made here. In the first place, yes I am concerned that our penal institutions should also be reformatory institutions and there is a good deal of work to do to carry this out. The other point is that we can make wrong deductions from these figures. The only deduction that can be made from this high percentage is that among the many who commit criminal offences of any kind there will be a greater percentage who will commit crimes of violence than among the ordinary population.

Is there any evidence that this statistic is changing to any degree? Is the Minister satisfied that he is making any progress at all or is the statistic roughly the same from year to year?

I am not aware of any sharp changes in this direction. To some exent the crimes of violence concerning us do not stem from the normal recidivist. Strangely enough recidivists in crimes of violence are not common.

Would my hon. Friend agree that if more money had been spent in the past to remedy overcrowded prisons we might have had a higher rate of rehabilitation?

This is very true. One of the tasks that I have had has been to grapple with the problem arising from the failures in prison building in the past.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received to date concerning the effects of proposals in the Transport Bill on the Scottish economy; and whether he will make a statement.

I have received representations from a number of firms and organisations. There has been a general welcome for the parts of the Bill setting up the Scottish Transport Group and providing for the various new bus, ferry, railway and other grants.

Can the right hon. Gentleman deny that parts of this Bill contain legislative proposals which are probably more damaging to Scotland's interests than any legislation of the last 100 years? Will he show a little bit of strength of character and stand up to the English Minister of Transport before he drives all of Scotland's people towards Scottish nationalism?

I have heard the hon. Gentleman say that about practically every Bill for the benefit of Scotland which has come forward. It only shows how much of the criticism is hysterical, inaccurate and very, very exaggerated.

Is the Secretary of State aware of the anxious concern of many industries in Scotland about both the two new taxes on lorries and also the quantity licensing proposals? Is he further aware of the estimates which they have made of the extra costs and delays which will be involved? What is he doing about it?

I think that I am aware of the anxious concern which has come to me in respect of some of these representations. I am not satisfied that that anxious concern is based on an accurate reading of the Bill. I think that we had better await the detailed debates which are to take place on the Bill which is presently in Committee.

Is my right hon. Friend aware of the many misleading speeches and statements being made about the Bill throughout Scotland? Is he further aware that thousands of £s per week are being spent by the Road Haulage Association, with the aid of hon. Members opposite, which would be much more valuable if it went into the Scottish economy instead of being wasted in this way?

I am conscious of that. It is not the first time that we have had this on Transport Bills produced from this side of the House. However, I regret that no attention has been paid by hon. Members opposite to what I consider to be one of the greatest measures of devolution brought forward in the House, namely, the establishment within the control of the Secretary of State of the new Scottish Transport Group. No attention is paid to the new bus grants, to the possibility of further grants for rural services, and so on. All that we have is concentration on pure commercialism.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his policy on the future rôle of the Highlands and Islands Development Board in improving the productivity of agriculture in the Highlands and Islands.

In its first report the Board stated its intention, as its overall policy on land use develops, to support measures to strengthen and develop Highland agriculture, and to consider means of filling any gaps in the arrangements for such development. I accept this general statement of the Board's rôle.

Is my right hon. friend aware that there has been talk emanating from the Board in recent months of a statement in the nature of a White Paper outlining the Board's priorities? That would be very welcome in the Highlands where it is not clear whether the Board is giving sufficient attention to the problem of land settlement and land reclamation.

I understand that the Board has prepared a statement about its priorities, but the timing of its publication is a matter for the Board. However, I do not think that we should overlook the fact that the Board has taken an interest and been helpful in respect of certain specific projects. I am thinking, for instance, of the scheme for the marketing of weaned calves from the Uists. It is considering proposals for comprehensive development, including agriculture, in Mull and the Strath of Kildonan.

Would the right hon. Gentleman say to the Highlands and Islands Development Board that it should make agricultural reclamation one of its main priorities?

I do not think that I should say any such thing to the Board. It is in a position to judge exactly the right thing to do, bearing in mind the help already given, the responsibilities of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland and the work which is being done and must be done by the Crofters Commission. The Board does not require prompting from me.

Would the right hon. Gentleman request the Board to exercise vigilance when it comes to taking good agricultural land for industrial development and point out that it should not do this if other land which is not so good is reasonably available?

I think that the hon. Gentleman has a particular scheme in mind. He will probably find that the Board gave evidence in that inquiry.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what proposals he has received from the Highlands and Islands Development Board since its inception regarding the exploitation of the mineral resources of the Highlands and Islands.

I have no formal proposals from the Board for the exploitation of mineral resources in its area.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that this is probably one of the largest single untapped resources in the Highlands and that if we are to have massive industrial development of the North, particularly of the north-west corner of Sutherland, the exploitation of the mineral resources of potassium and magnesium in that area should be undertaken as quickly as possible?

We must watch the position carefully. We do not undertake things as quickly as possible before discovering whether they are worth while. But the Board is aware of the importance of mineral resources and is anxious to promote development. As soon as it was set up, it sought the advice of an independent expert. It followed that up with discussions with the Chief Geologist of the Atomic Energy Division of the Institute of Geological Studies. It is now instituting geochemical surveys in selected areas. No doubt the area which my hon. Friend mentioned will be one of them.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the amount spent on hospitals in 1961, 1962 and 1963; and what was the amount spent in 1964, 1965, 1966 and 1967.

For the financial year beginning 1st April in the years 1961–1963, £62·4 million, £67·3 million, and £74·2 million, respectively; and in the years 1964–1967, £81 million, £90 million, £100·4 million and £110·8 million, respectively. These figures include both capital and revenue expenditure; the figure for 1967–68 is an estimate.

I congratulate my hon. Friend on that wonderful report. Can he tell me whether the progress will be continued and when we are likely to get the new hospital in Motherwell which will mean so much to the constituents of my hon. Friend the Member for Motherwell (Mr. Lawson) and myself who have been making many representations to his Department?

I cannot give a definite assurance about the Motherwell Hospital. I thank my hon. Friend for his congratulations on the development which has taken place. Hospital expenditure increased by 45 per cent. over the four years mentioned in the Question compared with the previous four years.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that the Western Regional Hospital Board is very disappointed at the delay in starting dates announced since devaluation? When is the new general hospital for Dumfries to be started?

The recent statement on hospital building had nothing to do with devaluation or with any other economic statement in the House. The fact was that we had been pushing ahead very quickly. Secondly, we needed suddenly to construct an entirely new hospital, a sick children's hospital, in Glasgow. This meant that we had to push some of the building programme back. The expenditure over the year has been increased by another £6 million to £66 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he estimates there will be the necessary teachers required for secondary schools; and if he will make a statement.

The projection of recent trends in recruitment and wastage would indicate a shortage of some 6,400 qualified secondary teachers in 1973–74 and a surplus of over 7,000 primary teachers. My right hon. Friend is consulting the General Teaching Council about measures to correct this potential imbalance. The prospects of overcoming the secondary shortage depends in part on the outcome of these consultations.

Realising, of course, the economic difficulties in which the Government find themselves, may I ask my hon. Friend if he can assure me that once we get out of the economic difficulties he will give very serious consideration to an increase of the salaries of secondary teachers with particular emphasis on teachers of technical subjects?

I cannot, of course, predict what will happen over another three-year period. The present salary negotiations have just recently been completed. It is, of course, correct to say that the quality of recruited staff is one matter which has very high priority.

What consideration has the Secretary of State given to the great wastage of talent which takes place between 15 and 18 years of age? Has he given any consideration to it? Would it not be very much better to have better grants for people of that age, so that we could have a greater pool of educated manpower on which to draw?

Yes, my right hon. Friend has established a committee to investigate the whole problem of high school bursaries and this is the kind of point very much in its mind.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland by what percentage the number of road accidents in Scotland fell as between October and November and November and December of last year, respectively.

In November accidents involving injuries were about 8½ per cent. fewer than in October, and in December 12 per cent. more than in November, 1967. But seasonal factors are important; total casualties in November were 80 fewer than in November, 1966, while total casualties in December were 247 fewer than in December, 1966.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the comparable figures which were given for England and Wales have shown very much better improvement than that? Will he investigate the reason for the shortfall in Scotland? And has he any suggestion as to what the reasons are?

The reasons could be social, they could be climatic: it is difficult to say. One of the outstanding facts is that the number of those killed on the roads in November and December, 1966, in Scotland was 201; in 1967, in the same period, the number was 145. That is a very considerable improvement.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many applications for farm improvement grant arising out of the recent storm damage have been received by his Department; and how many of these have been approved or provisionally approved.

At 29th February, 1,780 applications had been received. In 486 cases, approval or provisional authority has been given.

Can the hon. Gentleman say whether, in the situation of some stress that exists, competitive estimates are still being insisted upon? Are these being obtained in reasonable time, considering the great burden being placed on tradesmen?

As I have said to the hon. Gentleman before, we are applying the formal rules very leniently, sympathetically and flexibly. I hope he will leave it at that.

Can my hon. Friend give some indication of how the Government are proposing to treat smallholders outwith the ambit of the Government's scheme for agricultural undertakings? Many of these people are almost out of business because of the terrific damage done to their properties.

If my hon. Friend will give me specific examples of hardship of the kind he has in mind I will certainly look at them rapidly and sympathetically.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when the Bill to reform the social services in Scotland will be introduced.

The Social Work (Scotland) Bill will be introduced in the House of Lords this week.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that that reply will give great satisfaction to social workers and members of the committee who provided the earlier report, but can he indicate how soon we may expect the Bill to come to this House?

Well, I should not like to judge the speed with which the other place will deal with legislation—as compared with the speed with which my hon. Friends deal with sewerage in Scotland—but I hope that we shall have it in reasonable time in order to get it on the Statute Book before the end of the Session.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has now completed his consultations with the various bodies concerning the Report of the Housing Advisory Committee on Scotland's Older Houses; whether Glasgow's problem will be considered a special case for greater Government assistance; and if he will make a statement.

The first round of consultations has now been completed, and I hope it will not be long before I can make a statement.

Can my right hon. Friend indicate whether his statement may need legislation to give effect to the extra powers he will need?

I do not want to anticipate what it will contain, but it may be that we shall need legislative powers to deal adequately with this very important matter.

Is the Secretary of State not aware that the problem is even more urgent after the storm damage? In these circumstances, will he review the shameful decision preventing the S.S.H.A. from carrying on building activities in Glasgow?

I think that the hon. Gentleman is, as usual, quite wrong about this. There will be no hold up in building within Glasgow. As he knows, the problem within Glasgow is a limitation of sites. The S.S.H.A. will still be building for Glasgow, although not within Glasgow. The storm damage itself added nothing to our knowledge of the unsatisfactory condition of many of the older houses in Glasgow, and I am sure that the hon. Gentleman himself must have known about that long before ever entering this House. He should have been pressing for his Government at that time to take action immediately.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how long he now estimates it will take to complete the repair work following the storm which hit Glasgow on the night of 14th–15th January, 1968.

I understand from Glasgow Corporation that it expects the repair of its own property to be finished by the end of the year but cannot yet assess how long the repair of privately-owned property will take.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that that Answer will not abate in any way the concern of those who signed the petition which I presented to him last week and which bore over 2,000 signatures? Will he do everything he can to eliminate red tape on the working of the loan scheme and in order to speed up the designation of smokeless areas and to attract more roofers and slaters to the area, so that priority can be given to the repair work rather than to new housing?

No, we spoke about that last point earlier. I want to thank the hon. Gentleman for the helpful nature of the discussions he had with me when he presented the petition from his constituents. As far as I understand, Glasgow Corporation is doing its very best in very difficult circumstances. There is this difficult question relating to labour. Some manpower has been brought in, and the Ministry of Labour is still looking into the question of what additional manpower can be recruited. As to the question about clean air legislation, of course he will himself be the first to appreciate the difficulties of anticipating orders and waiting for orders being made rather than getting on with the work—and there are financial implications.

Will the Secretary of State consider whether he could make a fairly full statement on the storm damage and the ways in which he could speed up consideration of this at an early date in the House as so many Members are deeply concerned?

I know the concern of hon. Gentlemen, and I have been replying to them by letter. The Questions which have been put down for today will give me an oportunity of making further answer to some of these queries publicly. I will, however, look further into this matter.

rose—

Order. Mr. George Thomson. Statement.