asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what further steps are being taken to encourage girl pupils to embark on scientific and engineering courses after leaving school.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps he is taking to encourage specialisation in science among senior students in schools.

I would refer my hon. Friends to the Answer which I gave at Question Time today to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Perry Barr (Mr. Christopher Price).

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what plans she has to allocate more to the Scottish Arts Council than the £630,000 at present allocated.

The Arts Council has decided to allocate £695,000 to the Scottish Arts Council in 1968–69, compared with £630,000 in 1967–68, and £175,000 in 1963–64.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what further representations he has received on future arrangements for student grants in further and higher education; and whether he will now make a statement.

Representations were made by the local authority asociations, the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals, and the student organisations. A full statement was made yesterday.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if, in reviewing students grants, he will give special consideration to students of medicine and allied subjects who are at present placed at a disadvantage, compared with other university students, because of the length of their course, their short holidays and the impossibility of their doing vacation work.

The grant for extra attendance beyond the normal period will be increased from 1st September, 1968, and this will directly benefit these students.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a further statement on the level of student grants.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the statement made yesterday.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he is aware that attempts are being made by the University of Manchester to bring pressure on local authorities to impose conditions on the payment of grants to students, other than those in the scope of disciplinary procedures, and regardless of the willingness of the authorities concerned to pay the grant; and what advice he has tendered to local education authorities.

There has been normal consultation between the university and local education authorities; and I see no reason for intervening.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, what action he is taking to reconstitute the National Advisory Council on the Training and Supply of Teachers.

This is a matter to which I am giving careful consideration in the light of the advice given to my predecessor by the bodies most concerned, but I have not yet had time to reach a conclusion.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received on the school building programme of the Inner London Education Authority; and what reply he has sent.

My predecessor received a deputation from the Inner London Education Authority on 1st April and explained the reasons why starts for a number of projects originally programmed for 1967–68 had had to be deferred. The 10 I.L.E.A. projects for which final approval was postponed were approved early in April. Representations have been made by 11 other individuals and organisations.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he is aware that 16 London boroughs have formally expressed support for the retention of the transport museum in London; and whether he will meet a deputation from these boroughs.

I am aware of the views of the 16 London Boroughs. If they wish to send a deputation I will be pleased to receive it, but they have not so far asked me to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the estimated cost of transporting the railway relics at the Clapham Transport Museum to York.

£100,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will now make a statement on a scheme for comprehensive education under his circular dealing with secondary education covering the Brecon, Crickhowell, Devynnog Hay and Talgarth districts at Penlan, Brecon.

The Breconshire Education Authority has submitted a scheme for the reorganisation of secondary education in this area by the establishment of a seven-form entry mixed 11–18 comprehensive school at Brecon and a three-form entry mixed 11–16 comprehensive school at Gwernyfed. My Department has asked the authority to publish statutory notices under Section 13 of Education Act, 1944. We shall not make a decision until this has been done and any objections which may be made have been considered.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science to which official bodies he has given responsibility for research into better varieties of hard wheat; and what work is being undertaken.

Research on the development of better varieties of hard wheat is being carried out at the Plant Breeding Institute, Cambridge, in close co-operation with workers at the National Institute of Agricultural Botany and the Flour Milling and Baking Research Association.The Plant Breeding Institute has an extensive programme for breeding high quality wheats of improved milling and baking quality.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will take steps to ensure that special tuition in English is made available for all immigrant children who may need it by the end of 1968.

Most local education authorities with substantial numbers of immigrant children already make special arrangements to teach them English. It is for authorities to decide how this can best be done in the circumstances of their own areas but I am very ready to help, so far as I can, for example by increasing the authority's teacher quota. This is one of the matters which my right hon. Friend and I shall be discussing in our visits to areas which have large numbers of immigrant children.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what changes there have been in the number of overseas students studying in this country since the increase in fees.

Returns for autumn 1967 indicate that there were 29,800 full-time overseas students in universities and grant-aided establishments of further education in Great Britain, as compared with 35,500 such students returned one year earlier. The real difference is likely to be much smaller than the apparent one of 5,700 because the statistical returns for 1967 followed the definition of "overseas students" used for the purpose of fees, and excluded, therefore, some categories of students which were included a year earlier.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many overseas students have been helped by the hardship fund following the increase in fees; what is the administrative cost of running this fund; and whether students applying to universities for the next academic year have yet been notified of their eligibility.

6,389; £6,000 in the financial year 1967–68; overseas students embarking on full-time study in this country for the first time in the next academic year are not eligible to be considered for assistance from the Special Fund, but those already studying here will be so eligible until their studies are completed.The new Overseas Students Fees Awards Scheme (financed from the Vote of the Ministry of Overseas Development) will come into operation in 1968–69 and it is expected that in the first year approximately 1,000 students from developing countries will have their fees paid for them. The scheme is for students able to contribute to the social and economic development of their country and not primarily for those in hardship.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, if Huddersfield will be one of the places he intends to visit to discuss the educational needs of the county borough, in view of the fact that over 10 per cent. of the school population are immigrant children.

Yes, within the next two weeks.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, if, in view of the shortage of infant school places in Birmingham at the start of the summer term, he will immediately approve an increased allocation of school building resources for this purpose.

This was only marginally a school accommodation problem, and was mainly caused by a shortage of infant teachers. The authority have now provided places for all their 5-year olds and a substantial number of those who will become 5 during the term. The authority are already receiving substantial help within the various school building programmes recently announced, including approval for building starts on six new primary schools in the current year.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, what is the percentage of children under five years of age attending schools in Wales; and what is the percentage of children under five years of age attending schools in England.

19·1 per cent. in Wales and 9·6 per cent. in England, in January, 1967. (Children attending part-time have each been counted as half a pupil.)

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will make a statement on the work of the Central Advisory Council for Education (England).

I have nothing to add to my predecessor's reply to the hon. Member for Tonbridge (Mr. Hornby) on 8th February.—[Vol. 758, c. 636.]

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, if he will give details of the £3·8 million youth service building programme for 1968–69, showing the opportionment between local authorities.

The information is as follows except for £0·74 million of the programme which is for national or regional projects not attributable to any one local authority area and for minor voluntary projects.Since 1960 the Isle of Wight has been allocated £57,787 for their youth service building programme.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the amount of money granted to the West Riding County Council during each of the past five years for youth service building; and what is the figure for the current year.

Youth Service capital allocations for West Riding in recent years are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether the review of the present system of school management and government has been completed; and if he will now consider recommending that representatives of parents be elected to the governing bodies of State schools.

No. The final report of the research unit of the University Of London Institute Of Education, which has been studying the functions of managing and governing bodies, will not be available until early next year. When I have had an opportunity of studying their findings and those of the Royal Commission on Local Government, I will consider whether any fresh guidance needs to be given to the bodies responsible for appointing managers and governors.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what progress has been made towards a cure for the common cold.

The Common Cold Research Union (which is administered jointly by the Medical Research Council and the Ministry of Health) has until recently been primarily concerned with identifying the viruses that cause the common cold, with a view to developing an effective vaccine. However, since this and other work has revealed over 100 such viruses it seems unlikely that a vaccine could be produced that would be effective against all of them.The Unit's main interest is now centred on substances known to prevent the viruses from multiplying under laboratory conditions and which may help in the prevention and treatment of colds and related infections in man. Preliminary results have been encouraging, but this work is still at a very early stage.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, on what date he will announce the names of the new polytechnics to be approved in the Yorkshire and Humberside Region.

I would refer my hon. Friend, to the Answer I have given today to my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Perry Barr (Mr. Christopher Price). Schemes put forward by the Huddersfield, Leeds and Sheffield authorities are among the 20 so far submitted.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will allow local voluntary civil defence associations to retain equipment at present in use by the Civil Defence Corps.

No. But if a local authority wishes to purchase Government-owned civil defence equipment for use by local volunteers, the Department will be prepared to consider applications.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what checks were made that the 600 women and 1,404 children admitted from Pakistan in February, 1968, under the Commonwealth Immigrants Act, 1962, were genuine dependants; and when he estimates that this inflow of immigrant dependants will cease.

The numbers of women and children from Pakistan admitted as dependants in February, 1968 were 450 and 1,301 respectively. In each case the immigration officer will have made such inquiries as were necessary to satisfy him that the family relationship claimed was genuine.The number of dependants arriving will in time decrease as a result of the reduction in the number of employment vouchers issued in recent years, and the number of children admitted will be affected by the provisions of the Commonwealth Immigrants Act, 1968, removing the right of dependant children under 16 years of age to join a single parent here. I cannot envisage that the time will come when no dependants will be admitted.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the 1,582 men admitted from India in February, 1968 under the Commonwealth Immigrants Act, 1962 were classified as dependants of immigrants already here; and on what grounds they qualify as dependants.

Of the 1,582 men admitted from India in February, 1968, only 267 were admitted for settlement, and of these 83 were classified as dependants. They will have been dependent males between the ages of 16 and 21 coming here with or to join the other members of their families, or dependent fathers aged 60 or over. The minimum age of entry for dependent fathers has since been raised to 65.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department under his regulations, what official documentary evidence, and in what language, has to be produced to his immigration officers by dependents in order to establish their legal dependent status and relationship, as wives, parents or children of an immigrant already settled in this country, before they can gain legal entry into Great Britain; and if he will list the number and type of documents required in detail.

It is for the person seeking admission as the dependant of a Commonwealth citizen resident in the United Kingdom to satisfy the immigration officer of his claim to admission, and where necessary to furnish evidence to substantiate that claim. There is no requirement that he should produce any particular class of document. The most satisfactory document is a valid entry certificate.

asked the Secretary of State for the (1) whether he is satisfied that the public analysts approved by him on the recommendation of the Royal Institute of Chemistry are qualified to test for alcohol in the blood by chromatography or other methods to a degree of accuracy satisfactory to the police and courts; and whether he will make a statement;(2) which public analysts in the Sheffield area are able to provide an independent analysis of alcohol in blood for motorists suspected of excess alcohol in the blood.

It is not for my right hon. Friend to approve or list the analysts who make independent analyses for motorists, or the methods they may use. The Royal Institute of Chemistry, however, have drawn up a list of analytical chemists to whom motorists may apply, and copies have been sent to chief officers of police. I am placing a copy in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home department if he will list in the OFFICIAL REPORT public analysts and other analysts who are prepared to carry out independent tests of alcohol in the blood or urine of motorists suspected of driving with excess alcohol in the blood; and whether their methods have been approved by him.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I have given to his other Questions on the same subject today.

asked the Secretary of State for the if, in the enquiry he is making into the allegations made by immigration officers about corruption and deceit by intending immigrants, he will consider the evidence sent to him by the hon. Member for Twickenham.

I was aware of the Press article to which the hon. Member drew my attention. The means by which attempts are made to evade the immigration control are well known, and immigration officers counter them with skill and resolution.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the areas which have reached their absorptive capacity in respect of new immigrants; and what proposals Her Majesty's Government have for diverting new immigrants from these areas.

It will be part of the urgent review of areas of special need which I am at present carrying out to determine where the pressures are greatest as a result of the presence of immigrants and what can best be done to mitigate the effects of this.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he will make an order prescribing taxi fares for journeys over six miles in London.

The timing of the order has now to be reconsidered in the light of the application recently submitted by the London cab trade for a general fares increase.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will make a statement on the working of the system of suspended sentences.

The provisions of the Criminal Justice Act, 1967, which introduced the suspended sentence came into effect on 1st January, 1968. Arrangements have been made to collect appropriate statistical information, and research studies are also planned; but it will be some time before the effect of the new provisions can be fully assessed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT the standing instructions issued to officers of the Metropolitan Police regarding the steps to be taken to inform parents when juveniles are detained upon suspicion of having committed offences.

The standing instructions repeat the administrative direction annexed to the Judges' Rules that, as far as practicable, children (whether suspected of a crime or not) should be interviewed only in the presence of a parent or guardian. The effect is that the police seek to contact parents at the earliest possible opportunity.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many cases, known to him, drugs have been smuggled into the United Kingdom by immigrants from Northern India, West Pakistan and from elsewhere, respectively.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of his immigration officers, at ports and airports of immigrant entry into the United Kingdom, are interpreters in Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi, Bengali, or Ki-Swahili.

The numbers of immigration officers and interpreters qualified in these languages are as follows: Urdu, 15; Hindi, 4; Punjabi, 4; Bengali, 1; Ki-Swahili, 4. Where need arises, other interpreters are engaged temporarily.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many immigrants from India and Pakistan have entered Great Britain since 1947; and how many are estimated to have done so illegally.

From 1st July, 1962, when the Commonwealth Immigrants Act came into force, until the end of 1967, 84,000 immigrants were admitted for settlement from India, and 67,000 from Pakistan. It is not possible to give reliable figures for earlier years, nor is it possible to estimate how many entered without examination by an immigration officer or otherwise in evasion of the control.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give an estimate of the number of Sikhs who have entered the United Kingdom as illegal immigrants, on forged Pakistani passports, using Muslim names.

I have seen a Press report that this method of evasion has been adopted, but have no evidence to confirm this or to enable any estimate of numbers to be made.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development what proportion of the total flow of the resources to the developing countries has been provided by private, as opposed to official, sources in each of the last four years.

According to information published by the O.E.C.D. Development Assistance Committee, the proportions for all D.A.C. member countries taken together were:—36 per cent. in 1964, 40 per cent. in 1965 and 35 per cent. in 1966. Figures for 1967 are not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how much money has been spent by local authorities in Wales during the last five years to assist the improvement of houses used as a second home.

The information is not available. Local authorities are not required to record whether a house improved with grant is used for holiday accommodation.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will take steps to ensure that improvement grants are not paid to holidaymakers wishing to purchase cottages in rural areas unless they intend to make the property their permanent home.

No. My right hon. Friend is advised that it would be difficult to make a distinction in law to exclude holiday accommodation—even if this were always desirable. Local authorities can withhold discretionary improvement grants for the improvement of holiday cottages in any particular case where they see fit to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will institute a pilot investigation to ascertain what proportion of the leaseholders in Wales entitled to benefit from the provision of the Leasehold Reform Act has already made any application for the purchase of their freeholds; and what information he has so far obtained about this.

Public records do not provide full details of such private transactions so that I cannot readily estimate how many applications are in train or are contemplated. The Act has been in force for a short time only and I do not see sufficient reason at present for a pilot investigation.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give for Wales the total estimated road construction commitments outstanding on 31st March last, and the total estimated new commitments in 1968–69 in respect of new construction and major improvements for trunk roads and for principal roads and loans to highway authorities, respectively.

Commitments for new road construction and improvements outstanding at 31st March, 1968 were:

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether the Usk River Authority has considered the Report of the Inquiry presided over by his inspector, which recommended that the Usk and Cray reservoirs in Breconshire should be transferred to them; and whether he is satisfied that such acquisitions will meet their increased demand for water; and if he will make a statement.

I understand that the suggestion for transferring these two reservoirs to the Usk River Authority, which was supported by the Inspector in his Report of the Inquiry into the Llyn Brianne scheme, is one of a number of possibilities being considered by the Authority in planning the development of new sources of supply. As I shall be asked, in due course, to take a formal decision on the scheme which the Authority eventually decides to promote, it would be wrong for me to make any comment, at this stage, on any aspect of the transfer.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will enlarge the powers of the Development Corporation for enlarging Newtown, to cover the whole of the, area represented by the Mid-Wales Development Association; and whether he will take steps to ensure that the Corporation are answerable to elected representatives of the five mid-Wales counties.

I shall consider in the light of progress made at Newtown whether the Mid-Wales New Town Development Corporation should undertake new town functions in respect of any other area.A new town development corporation is a body corporate whose functions and responsibilities are governed by the New Towns Act, 1965, which does not provide for any such steps as the hon. Member describes. The Corporation is required to submit its annual report and accounts to the Secretary of State, who must lay them before each House of Parliament.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales by what number of miles the dual carriageways of Wales will be increased during the current year.

About 12.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs if he will recommend the appointment of a Royal Commission to study the future constitutional development of Great Britain's remaining dependent territories, with particular regard to their geographical position and the ethnic origins of their population.

No. I do not consider that a Royal Commission is the appropriate method of studying the future constitutional development of dependent territories. As has always been done in the past, our policy is to work out arrangements suitable for the special needs of each territory in consultation with the Governments of and interested parties in the territories themselves.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs whether he is yet in a position to make a final statement on the date, composition and venue of the forthcoming Gibraltar Constitutional Conference.

As I announced in the course of the debate on the adjournment on 7th May, the constitutional discussions will begin in Gibraltar on 17th June. The procedure for those discussions and who should take part in them are among the matters to be discussed with the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister in the next few days during their present visit to London.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity under which criteria of the Government's prices and incomes policy the quadrupling of licence fees with effect from 1st April, 1968 for storage of petrol under the Miscellaneous Fees (Variation) Order 1968 was allowed; and whether the proposed increase was approved by the National Board for Prices and Incomes.

I am advised that these licence fees do not relate to prices for the sale of goods or charges for the performance of services and thus fall outside the scope of Section 2(1) of the Prices and Incomes Act, 1966. There had been no increase in these fees for 40 years.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity (1) whether she is aware that the current financial statement and accounts of Leslie and Godwin (Holdings) Limited, show that the directors' fees and emoluments had increased from £51,042 in 1966 to £97,402 in 1967, accounted for in part by the increased number of directors; and whether she will refer the average increase of £716 extra to each director to the National Board for Prices and Incomes;(2) whether she is aware that the current financial statement and accounts of Pointer Group (Holdings) Limited and Subsidiaries shows that directors' remunerations for the year ended 1967 was £35,643, as compared with £32,125 for 1966; and whether she will refer these increases to the National Board for Prices and Incomes.

The voluntary early warning arrangements and the scrutiny of claims and settlements by my Department are intended to apply to negotiating groups and not to individuals. The incomes policy does, however, apply to all those in receipt of employment incomes, and paragraph 50 of the White Paper "Productivity, Prices and Incomes Policy in 1968 and 1969" makes it clear that the principles of the policy apply equally to directors' remunerations as to other forms of incomes. We are keeping the position under review.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity whether she is aware that a large number of company reports show that, for the year ending 1967, company directors were receiving increases in their emoluments varying between 5 per cent. and 10 per cent.; and, as this causes concern to workers who are being prevented from obtaining 5 per cent. on more limited incomes, what proposals she has for bringing about a fair system of payment between these two sections of workers;(2) to what extent, during the period of the Government's prices and incomes policy, company directors with emoluments of more than £4,000 per annum have been obtaining increases of more than the Government's 3½ per cent. norm; and whether she will refer all such increases to the National Board for Prices and Incomes;(3) whether she is aware that a number of public companies annual reports show that many company directors have had salary/fees/emoluments, etc., increased by more than the maximum laid down in the prices and incomes policy; and whether she will examine these reports and refer them to the National Board for Prices and Incomes;(4) whether she is aware that, during the period of severe restraint, many company directors with incomes between £5,000 and £25,000 per annum have been increasing their emoluments by more than the permitted 3½ per cent. norm; and what action she intends to take to prevent these increases varying between 5 per cent. and 10 per cent.

Comprehensive and detailed information about the levels of, and changes to, the emoluments of company directors is not available. Paragraph 50 of the White Paper "Productivity, Prices aid Incomes Police in 1968 and 1969" makes it clear that the principles of incomes policy apply to the remuneration of company directors as they do to all other forms of incomes. This has been the case in the preceding stages of the policy. The Government expect company directors to show the same sense of responsibility towards these principles as is being asked of wage and salary earners generally.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what role H.M.Y. "Britannia" played in the recent North Atlantic Treaty Organisation exercises; and what was the cost per day.

H.M.Y. "Britannia" took part in general naval manoeuvres from 23rd to 26th April, 1968, with other ships from the Western Fleet which were on their way to take part in the N.A.T.O. Exercise "Dawn Patrol". Submarines from the French Navy operating from their bases in France made mock attacks on Her Majesty's ships, including "Britannia", in the May of Biscay.On the question of costs, I have nothing to add to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for the Royal Navy to the hon. Member's Question on 22nd January, 1968.—[Vol. 757, c.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence for what purpose H.M.Y. "Britannia" is to be used in the month of May; and what is the estimated daily cost.

H.M.Y. "Britannia" will be available for use by members of the Royal Family when required. As regards her availability for other naval uses, I would refer the hon. Gentleman to what my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for the Royal Navy said in the course of his speech in the Defence (Navy) Estimates debate on 12th March, 1968. On costs, I have nothing to add to his reply to the hon. Member on 22nd January, 1968.—[Vol. 757, c. 41.]

asked the Secretary of State for Defence on what date in July he expects to publish this year's supplementary statement on Defence Policy.

I aim to publish a supplementary statement on defence as soon as possible in July. I cannot yet set an exact date.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will take steps to increase the salaries of those employees of his Department who have been seconded to the service of foreign Governments but for whose pay Her Majesty's Government remains responsible, to take account of the effect of devaluation upon their incomes.

Foreign Service Allowances have already been increased to take account of the effects of devaluation, and the question of increasing basic salaries does not, therefore, arise.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress he is making towards finding a cure for the disease ulcerative dermal necrosis affcting salmon in English and Welsh rivers.

The main aim of present work, which is being carried out by the Department and also by outside bodies, is to determine the cause and nature of the disease. A fish pathology unit has been established in the Department, and new laboratory facilities for work on the disease are to be made available. Ministry scientists are working in collaboration with scientists carrying on parallel research in Scotland, Northern Ireland and in the Irish Republic, and regular meetings are being held to co-ordinate the work.Even when the cause is known, it is unlikely that remedial measures could be applied to the water or to the stock in an infected river; but it may be possible to develop prophylactic or curative procedures capable of use in hatcheries or other places where fish are held in captivity.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what the stabilisation arrangements for the bacon curing industry are to be.

The Government have reviewed the first year's operation of the arrangements which my predecessor announced to the House on 12th April, 1967. They have decided that, subject to a necessary consequential change on account of new standards of bacon selection which are being introduced by the industry, the present arrangements will be continued with no alteration of substance. They will, however, be specially reviewed after four months' experience of the new standards. This review will take all relevant factors into account, including the recent report on the industry made to the Economic Development Committee for Food Manufacturing (the Worth Report).

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs, what steps he will take to prevent regional planning councils in development areas such as the North-East, from attracting industries away from grey areas, and in particular areas covered by the Yorkshire and Humberside Development Council.

The function of regional planning councils is to advise the Government on issues of regional significance in the light of national priorities. They do not engage in publicity to attract industries to their regions. The North-East Development Council, which is an independent body, does engage in such publicity, and the Government has indicated to them its views on their recent advertising campaign to attract industry from Yorkshire and Humberside.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why he has approved a 20 per cent. increase in total distributions by Mount Charlotte Investments Limited.

The company consulted the Treasury, and a return to the 1964 dividend level was agreed.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why, having required Grattan Warehouses Limited to reduce its total distributions by ·01 per cent. in order to conform to the Government's proposed ceiling on dividend increases, he approved an increase in total distributions by the Guardian Assurance which exceeded that ceiling by ·008 per cent.

The final dividend recommended by Guardian Assurance forms part of the arrangements proposed in connection with the merger of this company and Royal Exchange Assurance, for which negotiations started well before 19th March.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why, having required Grattan Warehouses Limited to reduce its total distributions by ·01 per cent. in order to conform to the Government's proposed ceiling on dividend increases, he approved an increase in total distributions by Gill and Duffus Limited which exceeded the ceiling by ·035 per cent.

Gill and Duffus consulted the Treasury about its final dividend, and a total rate in respect of 1967 of 19·32 3· per cent., precisely 3½ per cent. above the rate for 1966, was agreed.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he takes, before approving increases in dividends in excess of the Government's proposed ceiling on dividend increases in cases where a company is seeking to resist a take-over bid, to ascertain whether the bid is a genuine one.

Generally, documentary proof of a firm bid is required before the dividend of a company meeting a bid is considered.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what profits were earned in 1967 from which £1,610 million were paid in gross ordinary dividends; how much Corporation Tax was paid; how much of the £1,610 million went to pension funds, insurance funds and unit trust funds; of the remainder how much was paid in Income Tax and Surtax, respectively; and what amount was left to shareholders for private spending or investment.

Gross trading profits of companies in 1967 are estimated at £4,851 million, before provision for depreciation and stock appreciation. A further £2,753 million was received in rent, non-trading income and income from abroad. United Kingdom tax accruals amounted to £1,268 million and tax paid to overseas Governments in respect of income from abroad to £530 million. It is not possible to analyse the payment of ordinary dividends between different classes of shareholder, nor is it possible to estimate the tax ultimately payable on these dividends, since this depends on the personal circumstances and other income of the recipients.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the decision of Wormalds, Walker and Atkinson to make total distributions of 17½ per cent. in respect of the year to 29th February, 1968, is in conformity with the Government's proposed ceiling on dividend increases; and if he will set out in the OFFICIAL REPORT the actuarial computations on which his decision is based.

The company has been invited to discuss its dividend proposal with the Treasury.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will undertake not to oppose the 20 per cent. increase in distributions by Ever Ready Trust Limited, and the 5·3 per cent. increase in distribution by Jersey External Trust Limited.

Investment trusts treated as such under Section 37 of the Finance Act, 1965, are exempt from the dividend restraint policy.