asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the total number of student intake into all universities in England and Wales for the academic years beginning in 1965, 1966 and 1967 and, in particular, the number in the universities of Sheffield, Leeds and Manchester; how many students failed to continue their studies at the beginning of the second year, or the third year where applicable, because of sickness, through not reaching or maintaining the necessary academic standard required for the particular course of instruction involved, or because of being required to leave the university owing to disciplinary offences, respectively.

The answer to the first part of the Question, for the years 1965 and 1966, is published in the Annual Survey of the University Grants Committee for the academic year 1965–1966 (Cmnd. 3192); final figures for 1967 are not available. On wastage of undergraduates entering universities, there is at present no comprehensive information later than that given in Appendix Two (A) to the Robbins Report on Higher Education (Cmnd. 2154-II).

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will give for the Manchester Local Education Authority and the Inner London Education Authority the number of pupils in primary and secondary schools in January, 1967, the average attendance in primary and secondary schools in the period 1966–67, and the number of educational welfare officers employed by the two authorities.

In January, 1967, there were 64,390 and 234,486 pupils in maintained primary schools, and 37,645 and 162,945 pupils in maintained secondary schools, in Manchester and Inner London respectively. I understand that in 1966–67 average attendance in the two areas was respectively 88·4 per cent. and 90·2 per cent. in primary schools, and 88·2 per cent. and 89·3 per cent. in secondary schools. Comparable figures for the number of education welfare officers employed are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will instruct his representative on the Schools Council to recommend that schools cease requiring pupils to do sums involving farthings and that the teaching of decimal currency be introduced in the academic year 1968–69.

This is a matter for the local education authorities and the schools, but I am informed that only a small and diminishing number of schools still require pupils to undertake computation involving farthings.At our request, the Schools Council has already prepared a pamphlet, which is to be published shortly, about curricular implications for the schools of the change to a decimal currency. Last month the Department distributed widely throughout the education service an Administrative Memorandum which gave details of the timing of the change, and of the arrangements which have been made for the Decimal Currency Board to keep the service informed about developments.I am confident that the schools appreciate the need to introduce decimal currency into their syllabuses at an early date.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proportion of children in England and Wales in the 3 to 5 age group is estimated to live in the education priority areas, for which special building allocations have been made.

Allocations, which I shall be announcing shortly, will be made in respect of projects not areas. To make such an estimate is not therefore practicable save in relation to the whole area of those local authorities for which any individual projects have been approved and this would lack significance.

asked the Secretary of Stale for Education and Science whether he will introduce legislation to provide for a final date for the submission to him of schemes of comprehensive reorganisation.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will make a financial evaluation of the assistance given by the Forces to civil authorities in the United Kingdom in 1967.

It is difficult to make a complete financial evaluation of the assistance given by the armed forces to civil authorities and to members of the civil population. No charge is normally made for assistance which is given in order to save human life. For example, the Royal Air Force search and rescue helicopters frequently assist in the rescue of civilians in distress at sea and no charges are made for this assistance. They rescued 177 civilians in the United Kingdom during 1967 but of course it is not possible to value this in money. The cost to Air Votes is, however, not very great since the helicopters have to be available for rescue of Service personnel when needed.For other types of assistance charges are made, but in cases of emergency these are usually limited to actual out of pocket expenses. Charges may also be waived or reduced where the assistance given has a training value for the armed forces. It frequently happens that in a major emergency the Government decides to provide assistance and in these cases some of the armed forces' costs may be recovered from the Government Department which is generally responsible for sponsoring the assistance.In the circumstances the only money figure readily available is the amount actually charged for assistance to civil authorities and in the calendar year 1967 this totalled £27,000. In addition £890,000 is being recovered from the Ministry of Housing and Local Government for assistance given after the "Torrey Canyon" incident and about £50,000 from the Ministry of Agriculture for assistance in the foot-and-mouth epidemic.

asked the Minister of Labour how many hours were lost through strikes in England and Scotland, respectively, in the years from 1960 to 1966.

The number of days lost at the establishments where the stoppages occurred through stoppages of work due to industrial disputes in England and Scotland in each of the years 1960 to 1966 were as follows:

	England	Scotland
1960	1,942,000	733,000
1961	2,315,000	332,000
1962	4,648,000	718,000
1963	1,251,000	255,000
1964	1,522,000	302,000
1965	1,942,000	445,000
1966	1,853,000	289,000

asked the Minister of Labour what is the proportion of insured persons qualifying for regional employment premium in the South-West Development Area, the Merseyside Development Area and the Furness Development Area, respectively.

Approximately 19 per cent. in the South-West Development Area, 40 per cent. in the Merseyside Development Area, and 54 per cent. in the Furness part of the Northern Development Area.

asked the Minister of Labour what were the unemployment figures in England and Wales, respectively, for January in each of the years 1952 to 1968, giving a break-up of the figures for male, female and juvenile unemployment in each respective year.

		Total numbers registered as unemployed in England and in Wales
				England
		Men	Boys	Women	Girls	Total
14th January, 1952	…	146,174	7,440	111,055	13,803	278,472
12th January, 1953	…	202,902	9,410	113,392	12,659	338,363
11thJanuary, 1954	…	170,186	8,969	82,995	9,514	271,664
10thJanuary, 1955	…	127,796	7,393	64,974	7,676	207,839
16th January, 1956	…	115,500	5,473	59,858	5,166	185,997
14th January, 1957	…	197,029	8,741	77,054	6,754	289,578
13th January, 1958	…	197,408	10,824	72,949	7,577	288,758
12th January, 1959	…	318,148	18,938	110,055	13,279	460,420
11th January, 1960	…	226,204	15,513	77,903	9,213	328,833
16th January, 1961	…	221,788	10,245	67,780	7,269	307,082
15thJanuary, 1962	…	245,041	15,776	72,091	10,708	343,616
14th January, 1963	…	488,105	31,367	92,904	19,765	632,141
13th January, 1964	…	264,700	12,611	72,683	8,735	358,729
11th January, 1965	…	199,071	8,937	54,410	6,240	268,658
10th January, 1966	…	191,644	7,565	44,666	4,772	248,647
9th January, 1967	…	373,968	13,293	72,452	8,833	468,546
8th January, 1968	…	405,626	12,522	66,712	7,454	492,314

				Wales
		Men	Boys	Women	Girls	Total
14th January, 1952	…	17,429	768	9,951	2,121	30,269
12th January, 1953	…	20,900	893	9,186	1,613	32,592
11th January, 1954	…	17,435	976	8,812	1,727	28,950
10th January, 1955	…	14,354	782	7,604	1,415	24,155
16th January, 1956	…	11,483	592	5,804	879	18,758
14th January, 1957	…	17,062	878	7,910	1,472	27,322
13th January, 1958	…	22,176	1,365	8,653	1,606	33,800
12th January, 1959	…	28,040	2,322	11,001	2,493	43,856
11th January, 1960	…	21,290	1,689	8,876	1,722	33,577
16th January, 1961	…	19,483	1,201	8,147	1,507	30,338
15th January, 1962	…	22,106	1,613	6,842	1,561	32,122
14thJanuary, 1963	…	40,832	3,028	8,284	2,720	54,864
13th January, 1964	…	31,011	1,279	6,875	1,420	40,585
11th January, 1965	…	19,279	1,206	6,228	1,285	27,998
10th January, 1966	…	22,074	1,266	6,025	1,039	30,404
9th January, 1967	…	31,030	2,031	8,024	1,624	42,709
8th January, 1968	…	32,405	1,719	7,628	1,474	43,226

asked the Postmaster-General what proportion of total annual engineering costs was accounted for by labour costs during the period 1965–66 and 1966–67; and what is the estimated annual proportion of labour costs to total engineering costs for the period 1967–68 to 1970–71.

In the years 1965–66 and 1966–67 the proportion was 41 per cent. and 36 per cent. respectively; the estimated proportion in 1967–68 and 1968–69 is 34 per cent. and 30 per cent. respectively. Estimates are not available in sufficient detail to provide figures beyond 1968–69, but the proportion is likely to continue to fall slightly.

Following is the information:

asked the Postmaster-General what he estimates will be the minor engineering wages bill for the year 1968–69, on the assumption that current wage and salary levels remain unchanged.

£118·8 million.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he proposes an increase in the fees payable under the British Nationality Act.

With effect from 1st April, there will be an increase in certain fees payable by people who apply for naturalisation, or for registration as citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies. The main changes are that the fee for a certificate of naturalisation granted to an alien will be £30 instead of £25, and that the fee for the registration of an alien wife of a citizen of the

STATEMENT SHOWING (i) EXISTING FEES AND (ii) THE INCREASED FEES PAYABLE WHERE APPLICATION IS MADE ON OR AFTER 1ST APRIL, 1968
		Existing Fee			Increased Fee
		£	s.	d.	£	s.	d.
1.	Naturalisation of an alien	25	0	0	30	0	0
2.	Naturalisation of an alien and his wife, if they apply at the same time	28	0	0	33	0	0
3.	Naturalisation of a British Protected Person	12	10	0	15	0	0
4.	Naturalisation of a British Protected Person and his wife, if they apply at the same time	14	10	0	17	0	0
5.	Registration of an alien minor or minor British Protected Person at the time when his parent is naturalised	1	10	0	2	0	0
6.	Registration of other alien minors	12	10	0	15	0	0
7.	Registration of other minor British Persons	6	0	0	7	10	0
8.	Registration of a minor if application is made at the same time as an application for the registration of another minor child of the same parent, except in the case of a first child registered	1	10	0	2	0	0
9.	Registration of a person who is, and always has been, stateless	1	10	0	2	0	0
10.	Registration of a woman who is an alien or a British Protected Person and who has been married to a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies	1	10	0	2	0	0
11.	Registration of a woman who is an alien and who has been married to a British subject without citizenship or a British subject by virtue of section 2(1) of the British Nationality Act 1948	1	10	0	2	0	0
12.	Grant of a certificate of citizenship in case of doubt	12	10	0	15	0	0
13.	Registration of a declaration of intention to resume British nationality	1	10	0	2	0	0
14.	Registration of a declaration of renunciation of citizenship of the United Kingdom and Colonies	1	10	0	2	0	0

asked the Minister of Power what was the number of new entrants into the coal mining industry in each of the last 10 years in Scotland, stating for each year the number under 21 years of age.

The figures are:

Year	Total new entrants	New entrants under age 21 years
1957	5,507	3,064
1958	2,439	1,796
1959	1,119	938
1960	2,364	1,925
1961	3,336	2,264
1962	1,201	1,027*
1963	1,063	926*
1964–65	1,436	1,175
1965–66	1,314	1,045
1966–67	1,451	1,049
* These figures relate only to new entrants under 18 years of age.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works whether he will publish figures in HANSARD to show to what extent Her Majesty's Government have economised in the expenditure incurred by the Government Hospitality Fund since the July economy measures; and what was the total expenditure for each year from 1964 to date of this Fund.

The figures for the past four years are as follows:

1964–65	£159,876
1965–66	£178,784
1966–67	£193,245
1967–68	£175,000	(approx.)

Throughout this period I and my predecessors have taken the greatest care to ensure that the cost and nature of hospitality is not more than it is appropriate to extend to our guests from overseas, and that those whose responsibility it is to administer the Fund should do so with every regard to the need for economy.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works (1) what is the size of the programme of new building work and maintenance and repair work carried out by his Department;(2) what are the proportions of his Department's public building programme carried out by direct labour and contractors, respectively;(3) what proportion of his Department's building programme has been the subject of competitive tendering in each of the last three years for which figures are available; and what proportion of each year's total was secured by the Department's own direct labour force;(4) in how many cases his Department's direct labour force has overspent and underspent, respectively, on its estimated costs for a project in the last three years.

My Department spends some £250 million a year on works services, of which about £150 million is on new works and about £100 million on operating and maintenance services. Direct labour is not normally employed on new works, but about 50 per cent. of the expenditure on operating and maintenance services is on work for which this labour is used. Of the contracts let in 1964–65, 1965–66 and 1966–67 (both for new works and for that part of maintenance carried out by contract) about 90 per cent. in each year were the subject of competitive tendering. Services carried out by direct labour are not put out to tender. Most of this work, apart from operating services, consists of a large number of small day-to-day maintenance items. The larger ones are all individually costed and specially controlled by my Ministry's Regional staffs. But figures of underspending and overspending on the many thousands of individual jobs are not kept centrally, and could not be compiled without quite disproportionate effort.

asked the Minister of Technology what advice has been given by the Standing Joint Committee on Metrication concerning the introduction of SI units into the school curriculum.

The Committee has had full discussions on the implications for schools (and also higher education generally) of industry's developing plans for adopting the metric system, which seem likely to lead to a substantial conversion in industry between 1970 and 1975. The Department of Education and Science and the Schools Council have been represented at these discussions in which general agreement has recently been reached that the emphasis in school education should shift from imperial units to SI metric units by 1971, to match the pace of industrial change. The more important imperial units will necessarily continue to be taught in primary and secondary education after 1971, until the timing of the adoption of the metric system by the country as a whole has been agreed.The Schools Council is therefore now considering what advice should be given to primary and secondary schools on the teaching of the metric system and it is hoped to issue this shortly.

asked the Minister of Technology if he will list the names of the members of the Standing Joint Committee on Metrication.

The current composition of the Standing Joint Committee on Metrication is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will request the Welsh Economic Council to examine the effects of the proposals in the Transport Bill on the cost of living and the economy of Wales.

The new Welsh Council will be free to offer me their views on the implications for Wales of this as of other matters affecting the Welsh economy.

asked the Minister of Transport what representations have been made to her about the effects of the proposals in the Transport Bill on the economy of Wales; and if she will make a statement.

There have been only a few representations about the effect of the Bill on the economy of Wales. We expect Wales, no less than the rest of Britain, to benefit from the improved efficiency of freight services by road and rail which the Bill will bring about, and from the specific aids to passenger transport such as the grants for socially necessary railway services, for the relief of fuel duty for buses, for rural buses and ferries, for new buses and for capital expenditure on public transport facilities.

asked the Minister of Transport whether, in view of the proposed increases in fares by London Transport, it is the policy of Her Majesty's Government to expedite the provision of concessionary fares for retirement pensioners.

The Transport Bill now before the House will make it easier for local authorities to arrange for concessions of this kind on bus services outside London. We hope it will be possible to provide similarly in the separate legislation for London which will be introduced when the Parliamentary timetable allows.

asked the Minister of Transport in view of her policy of removing transport of freight from road to rail, if she will introduce legislation to enable her to reopen Welsh railways.

No. The Railways Board are already free to reopen any railway lines.

asked the Minister of Transport what inquiries she makes to ensure that, in cases in Scotland when railway stations were closed on condition that suitable bus services would be provided, the bus operators do maintain a scheduled service; what representations she has received complaining of bus companies' failure to do so; and to what districts the representations relate.

No special inquiries are made; users of the service are free to inform my right hon. Friend or the Traffic Commissioners of any shortcomings in their operation. We have no general record of such complaints but if the hon. Member has any particular case in mind and will let me have the necessary particulars, I shall be glad to make inquiries and write to her in due course.

asked the Minister of Transport what action she has taken on the letter dated 11th March from members of the Kettering Council, the Women's Institute, the Mother's Club, the Parent-Teachers Association, the Evergreen Club and the Rector of Barton Seagrave concerning the hazards facing the residents of Barton Seagrave on the A6.

We have called for a full report from the Divisional Road Engineer. He has already met representatives of the Borough Council and the police on the site. When the report is received I shall write to my right hon. Friend.

asked the Minister of Transport to what extent her Department have assisted in banning lorries from using Downshire Hill, Hampstead; why lorries have been banned; who made representations for this ban; and how far the criteria for imposing such a ban extend to other roads and streets within this area.

No ban exists. Emergency works have necessitated the temporary diversion of heavy traffic on to local roads in Hampstead including Downshire Hill. In order to minimise nuisance and congestion the London Borough of Camden have requested transport operators to avoid the area whenever possible.

asked the President of the Board of Trade when the previous radar system was removed from Turnhouse Airport; what was the reason for and cost of its removal; and to what use was the equipment removed put.

Turnhouse airport has never had a radar system for civil air traffic control. A small precision radar is owned and operated there by a private company for its own research and development flight tests.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will refer the acquisition of builders' merchants and ironmongers by the National Coal Board's subsidiary, J. H. Sankey Limited, to the Monopolies Commission.

If a merger involving J. H. Sankey Ltd. is proposed which falls within the scope of the Monopolies and Mergers Act, we shall consider whether to refer it to the Monopolies Commission.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what he estimates will be the value of orders placed for ships in the United Kingdom by shipping companies controlled by persons resident outside the United Kingdom over the period when those same persons resident outside the United Kingdom draw investment grants to the value of £36½ million.

Companies incorporated in Great Britain, which are controlled by interests resident outside the United Kingdom have, on the latest available information, ordered from shipyards in the United Kingdom ships costing £27 million on which investment grants will be paid. It is not possible to estimate what orders such companies will place in future.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether the volume of British exports and of British services to the Arab States are increasing; what estimate he has made of the effect of devaluation on that trade; and what initiatives Her Majesty's Government have in mind to develop further that trade and to increase and improve the relevant trade communications.

The value of exports to Arab States rose by 12 per cent. between 1965 and 1966 but fell by 15 per cent. last year. The fall reflects the situation in the Middle East as well as the delay to exports caused by the dock strikes in the United Kingdom; there has been some recovery in recent months. Information on exports of services to these countries is not available. I expect to see progressive improvement in exports as devaluation takes effect. Diplomatic relations with the United Arab Republic and the Sudan have been resumed and it has been made known generally that Her Majesty's Government would be willing to resume relations with the other Arab countries which have broken them. These steps, together with the services the Government provides to exporters, should help further our exports to Arab countries.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what are the reasons for the delay in implementing the recommendations of the Blagden Committee.

The need to legislate on more urgent matters.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will establish within his Department a location of industry bureau to bring firms which anticipate expansion into effective contact with local authorities in the grey areas affected by pit closures.

I do not think a special bureau is needed for this purpose. My Department's Regional Offices are in regular contact with local authorities in their regions and with industry.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in order to encourage the full use of Prestwick Airport and adequate services between Scotland and Scandinavia and the United States of America, he will give to Scandinavian airlines an assurance that they will be granted traffic rights to operate as many flights through Scottish airports as the facilities of these airports allow and to pick up passengers in Scotland for these flights.

The Scandinavian Airlines System already operate some services between Prestwick and Scandinavia. If they wish to operate more, or to use other Scottish airports for such services, we should of course consider sympathetically an approach from the Scandinavian governments for further rights. As regards transatlantic services, I would refer the hon. Lady to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Ayr (Mr. Younger) on 11th March.—[Vol. 760, c. 237.]

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will seek the appointment of a Royal Commission to look into the long-term position of improving the prospects and advancement of the teaching profession in Scotland.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage increase in remuneration was asked for by the teaching profession in Scotland in the recent negotiations; what percentage has been offered; and what will be the average increase in salary in pounds a year over the whole of the teaching profession in Scotland as a result of the offered increase being paid.

About 21 per cent.; 61 per cent.; £96.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether, in the proposed salary award to Scottish teachers the honours graduates' differential, as against an ordinary graduate, will be preserved.

Yes, broadly.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many representations he has received criticising the functioning and effectiveness of the general Teaching Council as a whole; how many representations he has received criticising the general Teaching Council's proposed disciplinary committee procedure; and what reply he has sent.

I have received representations from the Scottish Schoolmasters Association and the Scottish Art Teachers Association and nine individuals on the functioning and effectiveness of the Council; and from the Scottish Schoolmasters Association and three individuals on the Council's disciplinary procedures. In reply I have said that the functions and composition of the Council are prescribed in the Teaching Council (Scotland) Act, 1965; and that its disciplinary procedures are not my responsibility.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when, at the present rate of house building in Scotland. it is estimated the houses at present unfit for human habitation in Scotland will all be replaced.

I have nothing to add to the reply I gave to the hon. Member on 27th February.—[Vol. 759, c. 347.]

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what action his Department has taken to prevent students' halls of residence raising their charges in the coming session; and what response he has had.

I would refer the hon. Member to the Answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Aberdeen, South (Mr. Dewar) on 6th March.—[Vol. 760, c. 93.]

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people are still living in hurricane damaged buildings where tarpaulins are necessary to keep the buildings weatherproof.

This information is not available, and a disproportionate amount of effort would be needed to obtain it.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many houses in potential danger due to storm damage have still to be checked; and how many have been checked since 16th January.

I understand that all the houses which were rendered dangerous by the storm on 14th–15th January have been made safe, most of them since 16th January.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland, in view of the further storm damage suffered on 17th March, if he will reconsider the question of giving a degree of compensation to private property owners for storm damage.

No. I refer to the reply given on 6th March to the hon. Member for Glasgow, Cathcart (Mr. Edward M. Taylor).—[Vol. 760, c. 78.]

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make arrangements for the Report prepared by his Department on the effects of the Transport Bill in Scotland to be published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office.

I have nothing to add to the reply given on 6th March to the hon. Member for South Angus (Mr. Bruce-Gardyne).—[Vol. 760 c. 80.]

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will now take steps to secure the situation of the Livestock Commission headquarters in Scotland in the centre of the blood stock of the United Kingdom in keeping with the Government's policy of decentralisation.

I cannot yet add to what I said in the House on 31st January following a Question by the hon. Member for North Angus and Mearns (Mr. Buchanan-Smith).—[Vol. 757, c. 1336–7.]

asked the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was; the origin, and when was the importation, of the consignment of South American ox kidneys or other meat which was authorised for distribution last week in shops in Norwich but not in Norfolk; why such distinction was made; whether foot-and-mouth disease is endemic in the country of origin; whether tests were carried out; and what is the risk of its being infected with foot-and-mouth disease.

I have no particular information about the individual consignment to which the hon. Member refers. Following my announcement of the partial lifting of the temporary ban on imported meat, licences have been issued for the movement out of cold stores of meat and offals ether than mutton and lamb and sheep offals, and under an understanding with the trade the distribution has been principally confined to urban areas.It is not possible to determine with certainty whether foot-and-mouth disease virus is or is not present in consignments of meat from countries in which the disease is endemic.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in his researches into the causes of the foot-and-mouth disease, what investigations were made into the record of immunity of countries which have imposed a permanent ban on imports of all meats from countries where foot-and-mouth disease is endemic; and if he will list these countries.

I have no complete list of the countries which refuse imports from those where foot-and-mouth disease is endemic, but at least the United States of America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland take this line. In fact, the latter three countries import no meat at all.The United States of America has long been free and the only outbreak in Canada in recent years was in 1952. Australia and New Zealand have always remained clear, and the last outbreak in Ireland occurred in 1941.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is aware that before the first meeting of the Northumberland Committee Press photographers were refused entry; that they afterwards refused to say when they would meet again, how often they would meet and whether they would meet in public; and whether he will instruct the Committee that the widest publicity should be given to their work so that persons can be encouraged to give all the evidence possible.

The Committee which I appointed under the Duke of Northumberland, to inquire into our policy and arrangements for dealing with foot-and-mouth disease is an independent Committee of Inquiry. It is therefore a matter for that Committee to decide on its own public relations.

asked the Minister of Health why last week he restricted the distribution and sale of a consignment of imported South American ox kidneys or other meat to shops in the city of Norwich; and for what reasons and by what authority he prevented its distribution and sale to shops in the county of Norfolk.

I have imposed no such restrictions.

asked the Minister of Health if he will take steps to amend the birth certificates. of persons who have changed sex.

Where an apparent change of sex arises from ambiguity or misdiagnosis of the sex at birth, the entry in the birth register can be amended if it is shown that an error was made at registration and that the person concerned was not, at birth, of the sex originally recorded. If my hon. Friend is concerned with a particular case, I will gladly see whether anything can be done to help.

asked the Minister of Health how many people are awaiting admission to hospitals in the Taunton district; and if he will make a statement.

At 18th March there were 2,181 patients awaiting admission to hospitals in the Taunton Group.

asked the Minister of Health what is the policy of his Department on the employment of part-time qualified nurses, married or single.

To encourage it.

asked the Minister of Health what percentage of and type of goods supplied to hospitals is supplied through the Ministry of Public Building and Works' warehouse depots; where is the head warehouse depot situated; and what percentage of the goods is supplied from manufacturers or wholesalers in Scotland.

Approximately 0·3 per cent. of the goods and equipment purchased by National Health Service hospital authorities in England and Wales was supplied through the Ministry of Public Building and Works stores in 1966–67. The goods provided were: furniture, canteen equipment, glassware, crockery, cutlery, fire fighting equipment, carpets, venetian blinds and grass cutting equipment. In addition goods representing about 2·5 per cent. of total hospital purchases were supplied direct to hospitals under contract arrangements made by Ministry of Public Building and Works.The Ministry of Public Building and Works do not have a single head warehouse depot but there are six main groups of stores, one of which is in Scotland.Information concerning the percentage of goods from manufacturers or wholesalers in Scotland which are supplied to hospitals through the Ministry of Public Building and Works stores is not available but I understand that of all goods supplied under the Ministry of Public Building and Works contracts, to all consumers, between 7 and 8 per cent. are supplied from manufacturers or wholesalers in Scotland.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish in HANSARD figures to show to what extent Her Majesty's Government have economised on the expenditure officially incurred for overseas visits by Ministers and their wives since the July economy measures; and what was the total expenditure for each of the years from 1964 to date for this purpose.

This information could only be collected at disproportionate expense.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total amount of public and private investment in Scotland in 1967; and how these figures compare with the corresponding figures for 1966.

Such information as is available for the calendar year 1966 or the financial year 1966–67 is already published in Tables 62 and 63 of the Digest of Scottish Statistics No. 30. I regret that similar information for 1967 and 1967–68 is not yet available.

asked the Minister of Social Security if she has considered the recommendations in the White Paper, Command Paper No. 3545, Question of the Conditions for Unemployment Benefit and Contribution Credits for Occupational Pensioners; and what plans she has to introduce legislation on the basis of the recommendations.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Leicester, North-West (Sir B. Janner) on 29th February.—[Vol. 759, c. 420.]

asked the Minister of Social Security (1) of the 4 million retirement pensioners over 65 years of age who do not receive a supplementary pension, how many are in Scotland, England and Wales, respectively;(2) how many of the 4,000,000 retirement pensioners over 65 years of age who are in receipt of retirement pension and who do not receive supplementary benefit are in Scotland.

About 350,000 in Scotland, 200,000 in Wales and the remainder in England.