asked the Minister of Transport what proportion of trunk roads is now dual carriageway.

Fourteen per cent. of the non-motorway trunk road system in England has dual carriageways.

asked the Minister of Transport if she will announce the starting date of work on the Ditton bypass.

Advance works are expected to start this summer enabling the main contract to be let next year.

asked the Minister of Transport if she will review again the need for footbridges in the Sevenoaks constituency, one from the Lunsford Lane Housing Estate to the A228 and Leybourne Church of England Primary School, and another between Lunsford Lane and New Hythe Lane to allow access to the recreation areas to the North.

No. As the hon. Member knows, the need for these bridges has already been reviewed and the outcome was communicated to him in letters dated 27th November, 1967 and 5th January.

asked the Minister of Transport whether it has now been decided to introduce the proposal for a new bridge at Keadby in the second instalment of the trunk road preparation pool.

No; the matter is still under consideration.

asked the Minister of Transport how many private and commercial properties have already been acquired, and how many persons have thereby been affected, in order to make way for the construction of Bournemouth's town centre bypass; and what is her estimate in each case of the final figures by the time the new roadway network has been completed.

This is a principal road scheme for which Bournemouth County Borough Council are the highway authority. It is understood that one commercial and 31 private properties have so far been acquired, affecting about 109 persons in all. No estimate is at present available in respect of the remainder of the new road network which is a long term proposal and will be dependent on redevelopment proposals.

asked the Minister of Transport if she will give the date when the new bridge to be built at Darfield, on the Barnsley-Goldthorpe-Doncaster road will be completed.

I understand that West Riding County Council expects the new bridge and approaches to be completed in June, 1969.

asked the Minister of Transport whether she is aware of the increase during the past two years in the amount of litter and debris on the verges and in the central reservations of the trunk roads leading into London; what steps she proposes to take to restore the appearance of these trunk roads; and whether she will make a statement.

We have no evidence of any general increase over the last two years in the amount of litter and debris on trunk roads around London or reason to think that our agent authorities or the local authorities have neglected their responsibilities for keeping highways clean.If the right hon. Member has any specific case in mind, and will give me particulars, it will be investigated.

asked the Minister of Transport, in view of the continued uncertainty concerning proposals submitted to her Department on behalf of some local authorities by Professor Colin Buchanan regarding the ultimate London D-Ring Road route, if she will make a statement concerning this matter; and if she will also indicate when she will be announcing her ultimate decision.

No proposals on this route have been submitted by Professor Buchanan or by any of the five local authorities concerned. We are expecting the views of the local authorities shortly and shall have no further statement to make until these have been fully considered. How long it will be before a decision is made about the route must depend upon what the comments of the local authorities are.

asked the Minister of Transport what representations she has had from the National Parks Commission against proposals to improve the A628 Sheffield-Manchester road through the Peak Park; and what reply she has sent.

The Commission has made no representation against the improvement of this road. They asked that we should consult the Peak Planning Board in connection with any improvement that might be proposed, and were informed that we would do so.

asked the Minister of Transport whether she has approved the standard of lighting of the signs erected on sections of the M1 and M18 recently opened; and what report she has had from her inspector on this matter.

The scheme for the erection and lighting of signs on the new stretches of M1 and M18 was approved in the usual way. Unfortunately, some of the lighting equipment was wrongly installed and the consulting engineers concerned are arranging for it to be corrected.

asked the Minister of Transport what are the specific reductions in the authorised expenditure of Gloucestershire highway authorities during 1968–69 and 1969–70 compared with 1967–68; how much of this reduction will come from central Government funds; and how much from local funds.

The position on the larger schemes is as explained in the reply given to the hon. Member for Chigwell (Mr. Biggs-Davison) on 17th January. There will be some specific deferments of smaller schemes, but final decisions have not yet been made about which schemes will be involved. The resultant effect on the expenditure of individual authorities cannot therefore be stated at present.As to the proportions of central and local funds a 75 per cent. Exchequer grant is normally payable on principal road schemes.—[Vol. 756, c.

asked the Minister of Transport what was the original estimate, the extra cost to date and the total estimated extra cost of the roadworks at the Leys Bend, near Monmouth.

The works at Leys Bend are only a small part of the scheme for dualling the A40 between Goodrich Cross and Chapel Farm and figures relating to this part alone are not available.The figures for the scheme as a whole are:

	£ million
Original estimate	1·56
Extra cost to date	0·59
Total estimated extra cost	1·09

asked the Minister of Transport when the Litherland Lift Bridge diversion will be completed; and whether she will take steps to improve road access to the new dock at Seaforth in advance of that scheme.

We hope to complete the Litherland Lift Bridge diversion by 1972. This diversion will connect the new dock with the dual carriageway length of trunk road A567. By the same date the first stage should be completed of the Liverpool outer ring road, a Lancashire County Council scheme connecting the easterly end of trunk road A567 with the East Lancashire Road, trunk road A580. The two schemes together should afford excellent communications between the new dock and the East Lancashire Road.In order to improve access to the new dock between its opening and the completion of the Litherland Lift Bridge diversion, I have agreed to bring forward schemes for the widening of Rimrose Bridge and Rimrose Road, which were included last August in the Merseyside conurbation's programme for the early 1970s, so that they may start in mid-1969 and be completed in 1970. In conjunction with other work in hand this will provide a greatly improved route to the East Lancashire Road, and it will also facilitate communications with Liverpool and the Mersey Tunnels.

asked the Minister of Transport what steps she proposes to take to remove the brow from Longdon Hill between Evesham and Broadway on the A44, which is a dangerous point on a trunk route; and whether she will give authority for this work of road improvement, estimated to cost £100,000, to be carried out during the year 1968–69.

The Worcestershire County Council, as highway authority, is examining alternative schemes. We expect to be able to authorise a start of works in 1969–70.

asked the Minister of Transport what steps are being taken to move the remains of the railway over-bridge on the A44 at the northern approach from Worcester into Evesham, having regard to the road hazards entailed by obscured visibility from remains of stone buttress and railway embankments, notwithstanding that the rail service terminated many years ago and steel girders and rails were then removed; and whether she will give authority for this during 1968–69.

The abutments have now been removed.

asked the Minister of Transport what progress has been made in making it possible for heavy vehicles necessary to the industrial and economic life of the area to use Bideford Bridge again.

Temporary repairs and strengthening will have made it possible to allow vehicles up to 15 tons—including buses and coaches—to use the bridge when it is reopened on 29th March. As permanent repair work, including further strengthening, proceeds, it is hoped to relax these restrictions progressively.

asked the Minister of Transport what steps she is taking to bring about a greater decentralisation of overseas trade in order to make greater use of the modernised South Wales ports where surplus capacity is available.

The grant scheme encourages the modernisation of facilities, but only the port authorities can sell their services to shippers and shipowners. The decentralisation of particular traffics would prevent advantage being taken of the great economies of scale made possible by modern methods, but we are glad to see that a wide variety of ports including those in South Wales, are attracting particular specialised traffics.

asked the Minister of Transport whether she has now received from the appropriate authority proposals for the future organisation of the Port of the Tyne; what they are; and whether she will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend has decided to confirm, with modifications, the National Ports Council's scheme for the unification of the Tyne ports under a new Port of Tyne Authority. The order will be laid before Parliament as soon as possible.

asked the Minister of Transport what proportion of the £21·3 million advanced to port authorities under Section 11 of the Harbours Act, 1964, and of the £16·5 million advanced to British Transport Docks Board under Section 20 of the Transport Act, 1962 relates to Scotland.

My right hon. Friend has agreed to lend £5 million in respect of the new entrance lock at Leith; £3·9 million of this has been advanced. Loans to the British Transport Docks Board are made in relation to their approved overall capital requirements; of their total capital investment of £41·4 million during the period £3·0 million was in respect of Scotland.

asked the Minister of Transport how many forms are firms being asked to complete under the Road Goods Transport Survey 1967–68; and how are the facts collected by this random survey to be related to the future organisation of road transport.

It is expected that firms will complete forms for about 40,000 vehicles. Detailed information about the transport of goods by road is needed for any consideration of the organisation of the industry. The present survey is one of a series designed to keep this information up to date.

asked the Minister of Transport what proposals she has for reducing transport charges in the development areas; and if she will make a statement.

The reply given to the hon. Member on 20th March in relation to Scotland applies to development areas generally.—[Vol. 761, c. 419–420.]

asked the Minister of Transport what is now the average freight rate for Cross-Channel goods; and how this figure compares with the £2 2s. 0d. per ton quoted for the Channel Tunnel by the working group in Command Paper No. 2137.

Sufficient information is not available to give an average freight rate for cross-Channel goods generally. In any case, such a figure would not be comparable with the figure quoted in the White Paper, which was a weighted average of forecast revenue-maximising charges for the range of goods expected to pass through the tunnel.

asked the Minister of Transport what recent studies have been made of the growth of cross-Channel traffic; and if she will now publish revised estimates for comparison with the figures given in Command Paper No. 2137, Proposals for a Fixed Channel Link.

Revised forecasts were made jointly by British and French officials in 1966, but these were not intended for publication and would be misleading if published now. Completely new forecasts will be made before the actual construction of the tunnel is started.

asked the Minister of Transport whether, in view of public confusion about the new regulations governing motor vehicle tyre pressures, she will make a statement clarifying the degree of tolerance above or below the tyre makers' recommendations and the extent to which road conditions and the load being carried in the vehicle are to be assessed when the tests are made.

The regulations require the tyres to be so inflated as to make them fit for the use to which the vehicle is being put.It would not be practicable to lay down hard and fast figures to suit varying conditions without being unnecessarily rigid. When they are checking vehicles the Department's staff will be looking for tyres so under or over inflated as to be clearly liable to failure or to affect adversely the driver's control of the vehicle.

asked the Minister of Transport whether she has considered the representations of the county boroughs of Tynemouth and South Shields on the need to maintain the ferry services put forward by the deputation which was introduced by the hon. Members for South Shields and Tynemouth; and if she will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend has noted the views put forward, and is considering whether there is any way in which she can assist the ferry operators and the local authorities to decide what ferry services are required between North and South Shields now that the Tyne Tunnel is open, and how they should be maintained.For the immediate future, I understand that the reduced ferry service, introduced following local consultation and for which my right hon. Friend's consent was not required, will be supplemented by a Sunday bus service via the Tunnel.

asked the Minister of Transport what reply she has sent to the Grimsby Fish Merchants Association's letter requesting that under Clause 67 of the Transport Bill fish should be excluded from the mileage journey regulations because it is a highly perishable commodity.

We received this letter on 22nd March and we are considering the points raised in it. I will send the hon. Member a copy of our reply.

asked the Minister of Transport how many shillings of each £ sterling fed into parking meters in the Greater London area are used for the administration, including both direct costs and overheads, of the parking meter scheme; and how much of the surplus revenue is available for expenditure on off-street car parks.

From 1958 to the end of March, 1967, approximately fourteen shillings and six shillings respectively.

asked the Minister of Transport what plans she has to publish a new Highway Code; and if she will give an assurance that a Welsh language version will be published simultaneously.

I hope to present a new Highway Code to Parliament immediately after the summer recess and, if it is approved, have it available to the public before the end of the year. The publication of a Welsh language version is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

asked the Minister of Transport what requests she has received for the sanction of capital expenditure to improve the Isle of Wight, Isle of Man and Irish car and passenger ferries, thus encouraging the public to holiday in the British Isles this year.

British Railways' capacity on Irish services is materially increased this year following the conversion of one ship and the acquisition of another. Both projects had my right hon. Friend's approval.She has also recently approved investment by the Railways Board in a new ferry for Isle of Wight services and in a new multi-purpose ship which will enable a further vessel to be transferred to Irish services.The Railways Board's hovercraft capacity on the Isle of Wight run will also be much greater this year.New terminal facilities at Swansea which my right hon. Friend recently approved will further increase capacity to and from Ireland.

asked the Minister of Transport in view of the decision to bring in British Standard Time, if she will send a circular to all local education authorities advising them to provide illuminated crossing signs for use by wardens, particularly in the mornings, at children's crossings.

No illuminated sign is available at present which has proved effective and practical. Other alternatives, including better lighting at crossings may be better. We are looking at various possible improvements for these crossings.

asked the Minister of Transport whether she will now move to have the Transport Bill withdrawn, in view of the need to stabilise industrial costs in Great Britain.

No.

asked the Minister of Transport what was the total number of ton miles of freight business undertaken by British Railways in 1967; and what estimate she has made of the total which British Railways will undertake in 1968.

13·6 and 13·3 thousand million ton-miles respectively.

asked the Minister of Transport how many accidents were suffered by British Railways' employees in 1967; how many of these accidents proved to be fatal; and what were the comparable figures for 1966, 1965 and 1964, respectively.

The final figures for accidents suffered by British Railways' employees which were reportable to my right hon. Friend during 1967 are not yet available.The provisional figures for 1967 and the comparable for 1966, 1965 and 1964 are:

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will introduce legislation to conserve stocks of clams in order to save from destruction the young industry of clam cultivation.

My right hon. Friend will bear in mind the desirability of extending to clams the provisions of the Sea Fisheries (Shellfish) Act, 1967, to supplement the existing power of local sea fisheries committees to make byelaws to conserve stocks.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will taken the steps necessary to ensure that the source of origin will be designated on Argentine beef when it is put on sale to the public.

Under present legislation such meat must be marked; it may however be marked either as "foreign" or with the name of the country or origin. The Trade Descriptions (No. 2) Bill will give powers to require the country of origin to be stated and the question of origin marking requirements will be considered when the Bill becomes law.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if he will give an assurance that in the current year the number of store cattle from Eire to the United Kingdom will not fall below 638,000, as agreed in the Anglo-Eire Free Trade Agreement;(2) if he will make a statement on the recent discussions with the Eire Minister of Agriculture concerning the implementation of the Anglo-Eire Trade Agreement.

Under the Agreement the Government of the Irish Republic undertook to use their best endeavours, consistent with the circumstances of the trade, to send us 638,000 store cattle a year. This is something less than a firm guarantee; but in 1967 the figure was nearly reached.My talks with the Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Blaney, on the trading relationships between our countries arising under the Agreement are still continuing. However, I can say that in the context of our discussions on the balance and phasing of cattle and beef shipments I have repeatedly stressed the importance we attach to the undertaking on Irish store shipments.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that the Sunday Times has recently increased its price because of increased costs for newsprint due to devaluation; and whether, as this newspaper has signed contracts to expend £100,000 for political memoirs and on Sunday, 17th March published an article for which it paid £5,000, he will refer to the National Board for Prices and Incomes the reasonableness of the prices charged to newspapers for such articles.

In reply to the first part of the Question, I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Orpington (Mr. Lubbock) on 8th March. Amounts that may have been paid to contributors are outside my knowledge; they result from individually-negotiated contracts and I do not think it would be appropriate to refer them to the National Board for Prices and Incomes.—[Vol. 760, c. 173.]

asked the President of the Board of Trade if the working party set up to discuss the Norwegian complaint against Her Majesty's Government's policy of encouraging the development of the aluminium smelting industry in the United Kingdom has completed its work; and if he will make a statement.

The Special E.F.T.A. Working Party has completed its work and reported to the E.F.T.A. Council who considered the report between 14th and 21st March. The Council concluded that in all the circumstances further bilateral talks between United Kingdom and Norway should be undertaken. These talks took place in London yesterday and we and the Norwegians will now be reporting back to the Council.

asked the President of the Board of Trade, if he will make a statement on his recent talks with Britain's European Free Trade Association partners on the question of the construction of aluminium smelters in development areas; and if he will give an assurance that these projects will go ahead.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the Answer given today to my hon. Friend the Member for the Hartle-pools (Mr. Leadbitter). A decision on these projects will be announced as soon as possible.

asked the President of the Board of Trade when he proposes to initiate legislation following on the Report of Bankruptcy Law and Deeds of Arrangement.

We hope to introduce legislation to amend the bankruptcy law in the light of the Report, but I cannot say when it will be possible to do so.

asked the President of the Board of Trade, whether in the light of the fact that other member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development have sustained their direct exports to Rhodesia during the first 10 months of 1967 at 87 per cent. of the levels prevailing in 1966, he will now initiate a drive to encourage United Kingdom exporters to recover their share of this export market.

No.I do not know why the hon. Member compares exports in 1967 with those in 1966; the important comparison is with 1965, before sanctions took effect. There was a sharp reduction in exports of other O.E.C.D. countries to Rhodesia between these two years.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many industrial development certificates have been granted in Scotland in each of the years 1962 to 1967; and what is the estimated number of jobs involved in each year.

The information is given in the following table:

INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT CERTIFICATES ISSUED IN SCOTLAND
Year	Number	Total Estimated Additional Employment
1962	120	10,040
1963	172	14,880
1964	204	15,040
1965	266	27,740
1966	219	20,410
1967	250	14,040
* Additional employment expected to arise when the projects are complete and fully manned as estimated by the applicants.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that the rate of unemployment in the Mexborough Employment Exchange area is now over 4·8 per cent.; and if he will make a statement on his plans to reduce the numbers of unemployed in that area.

Total unemployment in the Mexborough-Goldthorpe Employment Exchange area in March was 4·5 per cent., as compared with 4·6 per cent. and 4·8 per cent. in February and January, respectively. In Mexborough, as in other parts of the Yorkshire Coalfield, we follow a liberal policy on industrial development certificates. There are new developments yet to be completed in the area which are expected to provide several hundred jobs.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether the Overseas Marketing Corporation will be required to lay its accounts before Parliament as well as making them available at the Companies Registry.

No. The Companies Act, under which the Corporation is registered, contains no requirement to this effect.

asked the President of the Board of Trade, if he will specify each of the areas of contact his Department has with industry.

My Department has a wide range of contacts with industry collectively and with individual industries and firms arising out of its responsibilities for policy, and the administration of legislation, on investment grants, monopolies mergers and restrictive business practices, companies and bankruptcy, patents, trade marks, industrial property and copyright, distribution of industry, export promotion, the protective tariff and anti-dumping duties, import licensing, hire purchase, consumer protection, and various other aspects of Government economic policy.The Department has particularly close contact with the industries for which it is the sponsor Department; these industries, which now include shipping and civil aviation, were listed in an answer the then Financial Secretary gave in the House on 28th April, 1967. The Department is also represented on many of the Economic Development Committees.At the regional level, close contact is maintained with industry through the Board of Trade regional offices. The Department also has wide-ranging contacts with trade associations and individual concerns over the provision of statistics needed by Government and industry.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how much of the £244 million of private overseas direct investment made by the United Kingdom in 1967 was raised by the reinvestment of unremitted profits and by the new outflow of funds from the United Kingdom.

About 70 per cent. is provisionally estimated to have consisted of unremitted profits; the remaining 30 per cent. was financed in other ways and it is likely that only a small proportion involved an outflow of new funds from the United Kingdom.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is his estimate of the number of new hotel beds which will be necessary by 1970 to accommodate the increased number of overseas visitors expected; and how many of such beds he expects to be provided by that date.

The hon. Member will be aware from my statement to the House on 20th March, 1968, that there is a lack of reliable information on hotels in this country. The British Travel Association have, however, estimated that about 30,000 additional hotel beds are likely to be needed by 1970.The number that will be provided by then will depend on investment decisions already made, and on the industry's response to the proposals for development incentives which were included in my statement.—[Vol. 761, c. 103–5.]

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware of the uncertainty prevailing in Glenrothes, Fife, concerning the future of the Associated Electrical Industries' factory there following the General Electric Company-Associated Electrical Industries merger; and what steps he intends to take to safeguard the future livelihood of the 900 workers there.

OVERSEAS COMMUNICATIONS FLIGHTS MADE BY H.S. 125 G-ATPC, DURING 12 MONTHS—MARCH, 1967 TO FEBRUARY, 1968
Date		Destination					Number of passengers			Direct operating cost of flight
										£
2nd March, 1967	…	Brussels and Bretigny			…	…	5 outward	…	…	312
							6 inward	…	…
4th April, 1967	…	Brussels	…	…	…	…	6 outward	…	…	275
							1 inward	…	…
5th April, 1967	…	Metz	…	…	…	…	3 outward	…	…	293
							4 inward	…	…
25th May, 1967 (return 27th May, 1967)		Turin	…	…	…	…	5 both ways	…	…	356
2nd June, 1967	…	Paris	…	…	…	…	4 both ways	…	…	200
10th July, 1967 (return 11th July, 1967)		Lyons and Rome		…	…	…	5 both ways	…	…	512
14th July, 1967	…	Lyons and Rome		…	…	…	6 both ways	…	…	500
5th September, 1967	…	Paris and Bonn		…	…	…	4 (Paris-Bonn)		…	254
27th September, 1967	…	Basle	…	…	…	…	2 outward	…	…	269
29th September, 1967	…	Brussels	…	…	…	…	5 outward	…	…	174
30th September, 1967	…	Brussels	…	…	…	…	3 inward	…	…	174
5th October, 1967	…	Strasbourg	…	…	…	…	3 outward	…	…	263
27th October, 1967	…	Geneva	…	…	…	…	3 inward	…	…	293
28th November, 1967	…	Geneva	…	…	…	…	3 outward	…	…	287
7th December, 1967	…	Brussels	…	…	…	…	2 outward	…	…	269
							4 inward	…	…
11th December, 1967	…	Paris and Toulouse		…	…	…	5 outward	…	…	356
							2 inward	…	…
11th December, 1967	…	Toulouse	…	…	…	…	6 inward	…	…	375
29th December, 1967	…	Rome and Lyons		…	…	…	6 outward	…	…	500
							3 inward	…	…
18th January, 1968 (return 19th January. 1968)		Cologne	…	…	…	…	6 both ways	…	…	269
29th January, 1968	…	Strasbourg	…	…	…	…	4 both ways	…	…	312
20th February, 1968	…	Cologne	…	…	…	…	3 both ways	…	…	188
26th February, 1968	…	Brussels and Ypenburg			…	…	3 both ways	…	…	162

I welcome this opportunity of making it clear that, in connection with the recent merger, the company has undertaken to give full weight to the Government's regional policies. I understand, moreover, that the company will expand employment and production in Glenrothes.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT details of each of the overseas communication flights made by the HS 125 aircraft operated by his Department during the 12 months to 1st March, 1968, showing the destination, cost and number of passengers carried by each flight.

Yes.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what proposals he now has to encourage British shipowners or United Kingdom subsidiaries of foreign shipowners receiving investment grants to build ships in British shipyards.

I hope that the reorganisation of the shipbuilding industry which the Government are assisting through the Shipbuilding Industry Act will mean that both British and foreign controlled companies will increasingly place their orders in United Kingdom yards.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many small-bore ranges formerly used by cadet forces are no longer available as a result of the closing of Territorial Army drill halls; how many will cease to be available under future plans for the Territorial Army; and if he will provide substitute ranges to ensure that cadets are not deprived of this training facility.

About 320 are no longer available. I have nothing to add to my statement of 6th March regarding the future of T & AVR III centres.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many full-bore ranges formerly available to cadet forces and the reserve forces have been closed down since October, 1964; how many additional ranges have been made available during that period; if he is satisfied with the present position; and if he will make a statement.

Sixty such ranges have been closed down since October, 1964. No additional ranges have been made available. I am satisfied that sufficient ranges are available for essential needs

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what was the origin of the extensive area of oil pollution issuing from Haslar Creek and spreading across the entrance of Portsmouth Harbour on Saturday morning 23rd March.

I can find no evidence of an extensive area of oil pollution. It sometimes happens, however, that the oil film from Portsmouth Harbour is brought into Haslar Creek by the tide and later flows out with the ebb. This effect may have caused the report of oil pollution. Certainly there are no reports of any Royal Navy ship discharging oil on that morning.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what further general directions on the administration of the breathalyser test he has issued to police forces since the issue of his departmental circular No. 129/1967.

My right hon. Friend has no authority to give directions to the police about requiring breath tests of motorists and has given none, either in the circular mentioned by the hon. Member or otherwise.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he will now take steps to obtain a classification of the moving traffic offences alleged to have been committed by drivers of motor vehicles to whom breathalyser tests have been administered since it became law.

No. It would entail too great a diversion of police effort.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on what date he received a telegram from the Licensed Taxi Drivers' Association asking him to make an order under Section 4 of the London Cab Act, 1968; what reply he has sent; and when he will make this order.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he intends to make an order to enforce the provisions of Section 4 of the London Cab Act.

My right hon. Friend hopes to make an order next month bringing Section 4 of the London Cab Act, 1968 into effect, but a reasonable period of grace will be necessary before the operative date so as to give the firms affected time to make any necessary alterations to their advertising schedules. A reply to this effect is being sent to the Association's telegram of 7th March.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he will take steps to have Easton's Syrup and other strychnine preparations added to the list of restricted poisons.

At present Easton's Syrup or other preparations of strychnine may be sold only by an authorised seller of poisons, although the most stringent rules do not apply to those preparations (including Easton's Syrup) which contain less than 0·2 per cent. strychnine.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, what representations he has made to the German Government regarding the officially recorded 11 per cent. increase in German exports to Rhodesia in the first eleven months of 1967; and with what results.

I notice that the percentage increase in German exports to Rhodesia quoted by the hon. Gentleman represents a fall from the 20 per cent. increase which he quoted in a Question in the House on 13th November, 1967. I have nothing to add to the answer which my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary gave on that occasion.—[Vol. 754, c. 15.]

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what representations he has made to the Japanese Government regarding the officially recorded 22 per cent. increase in Japenese exports to Rhodesia in the first eleven months of 1967; and with what results.

I notice that the percentage increase in Japanese exports to Rhodesia quoted by the hon. Gentleman is a reduction on the 54 per cent. for the first seven months of the year which he quoted in a Question in the House on 22nd January. Otherwise I have nothing to add to the answer which my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs gave on that occasion.—[Vol. 757, c. 163.]

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what representations he has made to the Portuguese Government regarding the officially recorded 150 per cent. increase in Portuguese imports from, and 70 per cent. increase in exports to, Rhodesia during the first eleven months of 1967; and with what results.

I notice the percentage increases in Rhodesian/Portuguese trade quoted by the hon. Gentleman represents a decrease from those mentioned in his Question on 22nd January, 1968. Otherwise I have nothing to add to the answer which my right hon. Friend the Minister of State gave on that occasion.—[Vol. 757, c. 15.]

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what representations he has made to the Yugoslav Government regarding the officially recorded 2,500 per cent. increase in Yugoslav exports to Rhodesia in the first eleven months of 1967; and with what results.

The hon. Gentleman is correct in calling attention to an apparent increase in Yugoslav exports to Rhodesia. The overall figures would not, however, appear to be large. We have no reason to suppose that embargoed goods are concerned. It is for the Security Council to determine whether a member Government is in breach of its obligations to implement sanctions.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has investigated the circumstances under which the Netherlands have imported 5·5 million lb. of Rhodesian tobacco in the first eleven months of 1967; and with what results.

The hon. Member will be aware of the report by the Secretary-General of the United Nations of 30th November, 1967, and I see that in this case a footnote explanation has been submitted by the Netherlands Government. It is, of course, for the Security Council to determine whether any particular member Government is in breach of its obligations for the implementation of sanctions.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has investigated the circumstances under which Germany has imported 5 million lb. of Rhodesian tobacco in the first eleven months of 1967; and with what results.

As the hon. Member has been informed on previous occasions, we are in touch with the Federal German Government on the implementation of sanctions. Such exchanges are confidential.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will ensure that there will be no recognition, formal or otherwise, by the British Ambassador in Greece of the viceroy, appointed, without the agreement of the Greek Head of State, by the military régime in Athens.

There has been no change in the arrangements whereby Her Majesty's Ambassador is accredited to the King as Head of State. If an occasion arises for him to have dealings with General Zoitakis, Her Majesty's Government would consider this in accordance with the circumstances.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will withhold the issue of the proposed redundancy notices to Government office cleaners until the effect on costs and productivity of the pilot scheme now being implemented at the Ministry of Overseas Development can be assessed.

The transfers from direct to contract cleaning planned for 1968–69 (and the consequential redundancies) will go forward. These relate only to areas where a very wide discrepancy exists between direct and contract cleaning costs. I am awaiting the results of the pilot scheme referred to. I will do everything possible to ensure the widest application of its results so as over a period to improve the competitiveness and thus the future prospects of Civil Service cleaners.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total value of contracts by Government purchasing agencies placed with industrialists in Scotland in 1967; and what are the corresponding figures for 1966 and 1965.

Figures for calendar years are not available. During the last three financial years the value of contracts placed in Scotland by the main purchasing departments was as follows:

	£ million
1964–65	81·4
1965–66	73·3
1966–67	76·3

The above figures include the value of certain contracts for building and civil engineering work, some of which may have been let to firms not domiciled in Scotland.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to the distributive trades in a full year of the increases in Selective Employment Tax recently announced.

Approximately £45 million.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to the hotel and catering industry in a full year of the increases in Selective Employment Tax recently announced.

Very roughly, £6 million to £7 million.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer taking into account the effect of the changes in the rates of child allowances proposed in the Budget, what additional yield of Income Tax and Surtax will be obtained in the next full financial year on the basis that the child allowances are withdrawn altogether.

My right hon. Friend has not proposed a change in the rates of child allowance but a reduction in the total personal allowances of individuals where a child or children rank for family allowance for 1968–69. The estimated yield from abolishing child allowances is £675 million for a full year.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if long- and short-term capital gains are to be added with investment income for purposes of the levy on investment income.

I must ask the hon. Member to await the publication of the Finance Bill.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will correct the entry in the Civil Estimates, 1968–69, Class I, Government and Exchequer, which indicates an increase of £23,094,600 in the total estimates 1968–69 compared with 1967–68, instead of a decrease of that amount.

Yes. I have arranged for a corrigendum slip to be issued with the bound volume of the Estimates later this week.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in respect of how many employees in Cardiganshire at the last convenient date was Selective Employment Tax paid; in respect of how many employees was regional employment premium paid; and what percentages, respectively, of the total insured population of Cardiganshire these two totals represented.

I regret that it is not practicable to provide this information.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether, in view of changes in his Budget statement regarding interest charges on delayed tax pay ment, he will now take steps to authorise the Inland Revenue to pay interest on delayed tax repayment.

No.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much of the £491 million of overseas investment in oil and miscellaneous items made by the United Kingdom in 1964, 1965, 1966 and 1967 was raised by the reinvestment of unremitted profits and by the net outflow of funds from the United Kingdom.

Most of this sum is invested by the major oil companies. Their normal operating practice is to repatriate their overseas profits, and their overseas investment is authorised and financed on this basis. Part of the £491 million quoted by my hon. Friend is financed by calling on funds from overseas; this is entered separately in the balance of payments, as inward investment.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that dealers and collectors of gold coins find the provisions of Statutory Instrument 1966 No. 438 to be having an unfavourable effect on Great Britain as the world centre of numismatology; and if he will introduce an amending order.

I keep these matters under review.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a further statement on the future of the dockyard at Malta.

Lord Shackleton, the Lord Privy Seal, has returned to Malta and is at present continuing his discussion over the problem of the dockyard with the Malta Prime Minister. It would not be proper for me to make any statement while these discussions are still in progress.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he

		1960–61	1961–62	1962–63	1963–64	1964–65	1965–66	1966–67
		£	£	£	£	£	£	£
Capital Grants:
Highways	…	5,915	89,127	878,941	439,678	360,056	209,821	—
Miscellaneous	…	1,463	—	116	—	—	—	—
Specific Revenue Grants:
Education	…	87,951	94,536	111,718	134,397	126,898	139,346	179,772
Port Health	…	1,098	1,182	1,103	1,327	1,417	1,527	1,664
Care of Aged, etc.	…	1,549	2,400	2,400	2,375	2,199	3,423	3,300
Protection of Children		979	1,296	1,381	1,263	1,668	1,354	1,762
Improvement Grants		5,445	6,934	8,503	9,606	11,257	13,135	14,801
Highways	…	3,575	1,936	2,715	17,314	7,264	8,124	8,128
Fire Service	…	4,597	831	833	1,247	715	717	898
Police	…	131,098	147,840	153,018	164,873	188,967	215,738	210,013
Administration of Justice		9,780	10,792	12,040	12,766	13,527	16,230	17,104
Civil Defence	…	12,486	14,321	15,577	15,139	23,262	20,591	23,885
Miscellaneous	…	366	75	200	1,402	—	2	358
Housing Subsidies and Other Housing		132,195	134,208	153,535	171,763	196,857	196,745	248,637
General Grant	…	1,033,978	1,131,157	1,230,003	1,379,103	1,467,770	1,708,758	1,961,592
Rate-deficiency Grant		77,117	183,413	193,218	67,580	79,434	150,800	—
Sating (Interim Relief) Act (Sections 1 and 5)		—	—	—	—	7,193	8,856	8,650
Rating Act 1966 Rate Rebates		—	—	—	—	—	—	28,652
Totals	…	1,509,592	1,820,048	2,765,301	2,419,833	2,488,484	2,695,167	2,709,216
The county borough was extended on 1st April, 1966 under the Newport (Monmouthshire) Order 1966. Its population was increased by about 5 per cent.
Source: Epitomes of Accounts and Departmental Records.

asked the Minister of Labour how many counties are there in the United Kingdom with less than 10 per cent. of their insured population employed in manufacturing industry and in receipt of regional employment premium.

I regret that the information is not available.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will specify each of the areas of contact his Department has with industry.

The main purpose of my Department is to provide the country's communication services; the major part of it has contact with industry.

The information is as follows:

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that the benefits of fluoridation can be obtained by the private treatment of domestic water by the householder instead of by the treatment of water supplies as a whole; and what quantities of the relevant chemicals his Department recommend should be used for each gallon of water used.

No simple general guidance can be given since the amount of sodium fluoride to be added depends on the natural fluoride content of the water in each case. Having regard to this and to other objections to private treatment of water by the householder I cannot recommend any method other than that of flouridation of public water supplies.

asked the Minister of Health what is the estimated number of deaths per annum from bronchial and respiratory diseases; and to what extent are these attributable to air pollution caused by the burning of pulverised or raw coal.

The average annual numbers of deaths in England and Wales for the years 1962–66 are in the table below. Atmospheric pollution is often a contributory factor in deaths from respiratory disease, especially bronchitis, but it is impossible to say in what proportion of those deaths air pollution from burning pulverised or raw coal is a factor.

Tuberculosis of respiratory system	2,338
Malignant neoplasm of trachea, bronchus and lung	25,401
Other malignant neoplasm of respiratory system	1,087
Benign neoplasm of respiratory system	32
Influenza	2,410
Pneumonia (including pneumonia of newborn)	33,227
Bronchitis	31,759
Other diseases of respiratory system	5,283
	101,537

asked the Minister of Power what settlement has been concluded in the recent dispute involving steel craftsmen at Shotton Steelworks concerning extra bonus payments for week-end working.

The craftsmen returned to work on the understanding that there would be discussions, which are now in progress about the possibility of a productivity agreement.

asked the Minister of Social Security how much money had to be written off as a loss in each of the last three years in respect of supplemen tary benefit, sickness benefit and unemployment benefit, respectively.

The amounts of sickness benefit and unemployment benefit recorded in the published accounts of the National Insurance Fund as irrecoverable overpayments and losses are set out below. This does not mean that no part of these amounts was, in fact, subsequently recovered or will be recovered.

Year	Sickness benefit	Unemployment benefit
	£	£
1964–65	355,245	111,367
1965–66	435,772	87,607
1966–67	555,632	123,754

Overpayments and repayments of supplementary benefit (previously national assistance or non-contributory old age pensions) are at present recorded differently. The excess of all overpayments and losses recorded in the years in question over all repayments received in those years was as follows:

Year in which overpayments and losses recorded	Excess of overpayments and losses recorded in year over repayments recorded in year
	£
1964–65	677,431
1965–66	771,179
1966–67	731,883

asked the Minister of Social Security what estimate she has made of the amount of money overpaid in each of the last three years attributable to fraudulent claims; and how much of this total is due to the claimant working while in receipt of unemployment benefit and supplementary benefit, respectively.

The relevant Appropriation Accounts included statements of overpayments of family allowances, supplementary benefits (previously national assistance and non-contributory old age pensions) and war pensions attributable to fraud or misrepresentation on the part of the claimant or other person, not being a servant of the Ministry, as follows:

Year in which overpayment recorded	*Family Allowances	Supplementary Benefit	*War Pensions
	£	£	£
1964–65	10,736	328,649	5,488
1965–66	8,110	433,086	5,605
1966–67	9,306	349,354	2,515
*Overpayments recorded as irrecoverable.

In the case of National Insurance, no separate estimate of the losses attributable to fraud is available but the following are the amounts of overpayments

recorded as irrecoverable in cases where it was not shown to the satisfaction of the statutory authorities that the claimant had throughout used due care and diligence to avoid overpayment:

Year in which overpayment recorded	Amount
	£
1964–65	133,000
1965–66	128,000
1966–67	185,000

The information asked for in the second part of the Question is not available.

asked the Minister of Social. Security what steps are taken to reclaim overpayments of benefit and what percentage of the total amount overpaid is eventually recovered.

The steps taken to recover overpayments of benefit depend on the circumstances of the particular case, including the claimant's financial situation and the degree to which he may be at fault. The methods used are deduction from future benefit, direct repayment, and, where appropriate, legal proceedings.I regret that the information asked for in the second part of the Question is not available, since, in general, the central records are confined to the part of the overpayment which is classified as irrecoverable because there is no immediate prospect of recovery.

asked the Minister of Technology, in view of the success of the United States Government in fostering the growth of their computer industry, what further measures he is taking to encourage the public and private sectors in the United Kingdom to use British computers.

As my predecessor stated in the House in November, 1965, purchases of computers by the Government will be made from British firms whenever reasonably possible. Other public authorities have been invited to take into account the desirability of supporting the British industry. My Computer Advisory Service provides objective advice and assistance on computer requirements in the public sector, and they draw attention to the merits of British computers where these are being overlooked. The Government's participation in the recently announced merger of computer companies will help to strengthen further the competitiveness of the British industry, especially through the provision of grants towards research and development. The British manufacturers will continue to benefit from the wide variety of measures in the Government's programme to encourage the greater use of computers in Britain.—[Vol. 721, cc. 32–33; Vol. 761, cc. 607–613.]

asked the Minister of Technology in view of the potential importance of hovercraft for the Bristol Channel and Irish Sea, what plans he has to transfer the hovercraft section of the National Physical Laboratory from Teddington to Wales.

The location of the Hovercraft Unit is determined by the need to co-ordinate its work with that of industry, N.R.D.C., the Ship Division of the National Physical Laboratory, and the Interservices Hovercraft Unit. There are no plans to transfer it to Wales.

asked the Minister of Technology what estimate he has made of the cost and time scale of mounting Black Arrow on top of Blue Streak to give Great Britain a national satellite launching capability.

The studies, to which my hon. Friend the Minister of State referred in answer to the hon. Member's Question on 18th March, were of various combinations of Blue Streak with stages of the small launcher now being developed as part of the Black Arrow programme. (The latter is based on the Black Knight vehicle to which the hon. Member's earlier Question referred.) As said in the earlier answer, a simple combination of these launchers could not put a satellite into geostationary orbit. This could only be achieved by considerable additional and costly development.—[Vol. 761, c. 10–11.]

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations against the provisions of the Social Work (Scotland) Bill, or against proposals contained in the White Paper, Social Work, the Community, have been received by his Department, and from whom.

Most of the comments I received on the White Paper gave its proposals general support. There have been a number of criticisms of particular proposals in the Bill, and no doubt these will be represented in debate in the usual way.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what proposals he has, apart from local govern

	Number of Pupils in January, 1967		Amount, or estimated amount, of grant for schools' financial year ended in 1967		Estimated amount of grant for the schools' financial year ending in 1968
			Exchequer Grant	E.A. Contributions	Exchequer Grant	E.A. Contributions
			£	£	£	£
GRANT AIDED SECONDARY SCHOOLS
Aberdeen
Albyn School for Girls	493		41,039	—	45,650	—
Convent of Sacred Heart Secondary School	232	*	22,215	135	23,718	120
Robert Gordon's College	1,150	*	103,730	3,250	103,325	3,250
St. Margaret's School for Girls	391	*	28,119	—	29,050	—
Dundee
High School of Dundee	1,113	*	94,576	1,113	97,761	1,113
Edinburgh
Merchant Co. Schools:			351,045	890
Daniel Stewart's College	927				371,460	890
Mary Erskine School for Girls	953
George Watson's College	1,480
George Watson's Ladies College	960
George Heriot's School	1,490	*	99,025	—	103,220	—
John Watson's School	420	*	26,196	—	30,282	—
Melville College	531		38,843	—	38,600	—
St. Mary's Cathedral Choir School	33	*	4,450	—	4,785	—
Glasgow
Craigholme School	574	*	43,600	—	49,632
Hutchesons' Boys Grammar School	849	*	144,581	3,017	149,141	3,017
Hutchesons' Girls Grammar School	874
Kelvinside Academy	628		35,920	—	43,350	—
Laurel Bank School	591	*	50,135	—	55,835	—
St. Aloysius' College	796		61,023	3,751	65,256	3,504
Westbourne School for Girls	606	*	44,810	—	44,650	—
Ayr
Troon, Marr College	767	*	74,816	50,142	82,572	44,180

I am always vigilant to identify fields in which modernisation is possible and desirable. The Scottish Transport Group which the current Transport Bill proposes to establish is a current example of action taken to this end.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the grant-aided schools in Scotland currently receiving financial help from the Exchequer or local authorities, together with the amount given to each in the last complete financial year and his estimate of what each will receive in the current financial year and the number of pupils attending each.

The following table gives this information: