asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will circularise Welsh local authorities requesting them to purchase equipment required by them from firms located in the Welsh development areas when the goods are offered at a competitive price and quality.

Such matters are for local authorities to decide for themselves, but my right hon. Friend hopes that other things being equal, Welsh local authorities will always keep in mind the needs of the development areas.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales in what newspapers and public places the date and venue of formal meetings of the Council of Wales are advertised; and what action he proposed to take to ensure that such information about the Council's meetings is brought to the attention of people in Wales.

None. Meetings of the Welsh Council are held in private although the newspapers are informed when meetings take place. The normal arrangements for publicity for the Council's work are that a press conference is held after meetings by the Chairman of the Council. In addition—subject to any overriding conditions of confidentiality —the Council can publish Reports of their work.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many applications have been made in Wales for planning consent for the erection of new hotels, boarding houses and motels, respectively, during the present Parliament; and how many of these applications were granted, and how many refused.

This information is not available. Planning applications are made to local planning authorities. The statistics of decisions on planning applications published annually and compiled from information supplied by planning authorities in England and Wales does not identify these particular categories.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received regarding amendments to the plan for secondary school re-organisation in Nottinghamshire.

The general framework of the authority's plan was approved in March of last year. No amendments have since been proposed by the authority. But they have recently submitted proposals to my right hon. Friend under Section 13 of the 1944 Act for the reorganisation of secondary schools in West Bridgford, and he has received a number of statutory objections. We shall of course consider these before reaching a decision.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether, in view of the expiry of the requisite public notice, he will give his approval to the establishment of a new primary school of 560 places at Sussex Road in the constituency of Lambeth, Norwood.

The period of notice expired last week and the proposal was approved on 13th June.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what action is being taken to encourage the further development of the work of the British Film Institute, in view of the contribution that the film can make as an art form.

The grant to the British Film Institute has been increased from just over £100,000 in 1963–64 to £410,000 in 1968–69. Twenty regional film theatres are now in operation and fourteen more are planned. Twenty experimental films have so far been made and new buildings for the National Film Archive have been opened. Plans are proceeding for a second auditorium and club facilities for the National Film Theatre on the South Bank. More remains to be done. But of course, how fast we can move is a matter of priorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what charge is made to students seeking to use the National Film Archive.

The standard charge for students is one guinea per hour compared with two guineas per hour for other users. The National Film Archive is prepared further to reduce the charge or to waive it completely in individual cases.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what study he has made of the extent to which the present balance between arts and science students at the universities is likely to satisfy the needs of industry and commerce.

This matter is kept under review by the Committee on Manpower Resources for Science and Technology and I have recently received the advice of the Dainton Committee and the interim report of the Swann Committee. The University Grants Committee takes the needs of industry and commerce into account in deciding the number of places to be provided at universities. The new polytechnics will provide further opportunities to increase the supply of qualified scientists and technologists.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will seek powers to hold an inquiry into the number of cases, the dates, and the number of people involved in student demonstrations against authority during the current year, and into the cause of the demonstrations, and to enable him to deal with them.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what study he has made of student unrest in Great Britain this year; and if he will make a statement.

I do not think that any special powers to make inquiries are needed since I and my colleagues are regularly in touch, by visits and in other ways, with universities and colleges on these and many other matters; and when I met members of the Vice-Chancellors' Committee yesterday these matters were included in our discussion. I welcome the Committee's recent statement and await with interest the outcome of the discussions on the points raised by the National Union of Students.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what progress has been made towards meeting the target set by the Henniker-Heaton Committee in 1964 of doubling the number of young people under the age of 18 years obtaining day release from employment by 1970.

Between 1964 and 1967 the precentage of under-18's getting day release rose from 31 per cent. to 36·2 per cent. for boys and from 7·3 per cent. to 9·2 per cent. for girls. This is disappointing in view of the establishment of industrial training boards and I am discussing with my right hon. Friend the First Secretary of State what steps can be taken to increase day release.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many local education authorities have set up teacher centres for curriculum development.

In February there were 167 centres in the areas of 113 authorities. I expect the number will be found to have increased when the results of a Schools Council Survey are shortly available.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what procedures there are for consultations between his department and the Home Office on the admission into the United Kingdom of foreign students.

The normal procedures for consultations on matters of mutual interest.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many, and which schools under his authority, have both swimming pools and teachers of swimming; and if he will state his plans for increasing the number of both pools and teachers of swimming.

I am sending my hon. and learned Friend a list of swimming baths provided from public funds at maintained schools since the war. My Department does not keep records of pools provided at schools from other sources. The number of teachers qualified to teach swimming is not known, but many colleges of education offer instruction in swimming as part of courses in physical education.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many university medical schools were built in the past 20 years; and how many were built north of the Trent.

None. The establishment of new schools at Nottingham and Southampton has been approved, and other schools have been rebuilt or enlarged.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many students, male and female, applied for a place in British medical schools or universities in each of the past two years; and how many were accepted.

4,667 men and 1,607 women applied, through the Universities Central Council on Admissions, for admission in 1966 to medical studies in Great Britain. 1,052 men and 347 women were accepted. 5,590 men and 1,771 women applied for admission in 1967 and 1,745 men and 545 women were accepted. Altogether, 2,019 men and 636 women were finally admitted in 1967, which figures include applicants outside the U.C.C.A. scheme. A comparable figure for 1966 is not available. The 1967 figures include, for the first time, the London medical and dental schools and the Queen's University, Belfast. The figures for the two years are, therefore, not comparable.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science on what date he expects to start enrolling students for the University of the Air.

It is hoped that the university authority will be set up next year and that they will be ready to deal with inquiries and preliminary applications with a view to formal enrolments of students in 1970.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when the subcommittee of the Schools Council which is examining in detail the possibility of a major programme of research and development in the primary field will submit their report; and to what extent they have been concerned with the content and methods of education at this level for the eradication of colour prejudice.

The sub-committee reported in November last. They did not concern themselves directly with questions of colour prejudice, but among the projects they recommended was one designed to help pupils in the middle years of schooling towards a better understanding of human relationships and the nature of human society. This is going forward. As I indicated in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Brixton (Mr. Lipton), on 22nd May, the Schools Council are sponsoring two major projects in the teaching of English to the children of immigrants which should help to remove barriers between races and improve mutual understanding and tolerance.—[Vol. 765, c. 102–3.]

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has had notice of the suspension of the Southall comprehensive schools scheme due to start this year, which is causing anxiety to parents; and if he will ask the London Borough of Ealing to reconsider their decision to suspend the scheme.

The London Borough of Ealing informed me on 6th June that they had decided not to proceed with proposals, of which public notice had been given on 2nd May, 1968, under Section 13 of the Education Act, 1944 (as amended), to change the character of three secondary schools in Southall by making them comprehensive in September next. No final decision could have been taken by me on the proposals now withdrawn until after the period for objections had expired on 2nd July, 1968. I understand that the Authority propose to review the position before submitting revised proposals.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will send a circular to local education authorities giving guidance about co-operation between colleges of further education and sixth-form colleges and sixth-form units of secondary schools.

I already encourage such co-operation, especially in relation to the plans of local education authorities for secondary reorganisation, and I am also considering whether a detailed study in conjunction with a few authorities might be helpful, and in the light of this will consider whether to issue a circular.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will seek powers to require owners of coin-operated dry-cleaning establishments to display a warning notice in regard to the dangers of placing or wearing newly-cleaned garments in unventilated places.

My Department is actively encouraging the display of warning notices. I see no need at present to seek statutory powers.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will state the final total for 1967 of those known by his Department to be dependent upon narcotics; and what total has so far been reported to the central authority under the procedure of the Dangerous Drugs Act, 1967.

The figures are 1,729 and 1,608, respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will make a further statement upon the progress made in the investigation into the bomb incidents in Cardiff.

Inquiries are continuing, but I do not think it would be helpful for details to be disclosed at this stage.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why his department has refused to provide adequate facilities at Heathrow Airport for the work of the welfare officer appointed by the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants.

A decision about the provision of advisory and welfare services for immigrants must await the report of the Working Group on which the Joint Council is represented. I do not wish to anticipate the recommendations of the Working Group.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will give figures to show the number of indictable offences known to the police in England and Wales in the first quarter of 1968, as compared with the first quarter of 1967.

				First quarter 1967	First quarter 1968	Percentage variation First quarter
				(90 days)	(91 days)	1967–1966	1968–1967
Violence against the person	…	…	…	6,302	6,502	+5	+3
Sexual offences	…	…	…	4,713	5,050	+5	+7
Breaking and entering	…	…	…	74,035	73,711	—3	—0·4
Larceny	…	…	…	198,513	198,921	+3	+0·2
Receiving	…	…	…	5,690	6,498	+2	+14
Frauds and false pretences	…	…	…	13,178	14,106	+4	+7
Other offences	…	…	…	7,026	8,010	+7	+14
				309,457	312,798	+1·6	+1·1

The figures for 1968 are provisional.The recent report of the Departmental Committee on Criminal Statistics (Cmnd. 3448) suggested that there might be a need for the publication of statistics of recorded offences more frequently than once a year. I have considered this suggestion and have decided that the balance of advantage lies in quarterly publication. I propose in future therefore to issue provisional figures in the form of the table above for the first three, six and nine months of the year. A copy of the quarterly announcement will be placed in the Library of both Houses.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs whether he will appoint non-Ministerial Members of this House to the National Economic Development Council.

No. The National Economic Development Council is a body in which Ministers and the two sides of industry consult together about current issues of economic policy.

asked the Postmaster-General what correspondence containing payments to the Inland Revenue, licensing authorities, Customs and Excise and nationalised industries is permitted

The following is the information:by his regulations to be sent in envelopes franked O.H.M.S.

The inscription O.H.M.S. has no postal significance. Postage stamps must be affixed to envelopes unless by arrangement they bear a design showing that postage has been paid. This arrangement does not extend to nationalised industries.

asked the Postmaster-General how many people in the City of Aberdeen are waiting for new telephones; for how long they have been waiting; and when these new telephones will be installed and ready for use.

41, and they have been waiting, on average less than two months. They should all receive service by the end of August.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity where are the worst pockets of unemployment in Wales; how many people are involved; how long the problem has lasted already; what steps she is taking to cure it; and when she expects to find a permanent cure.

The Welsh Development Area where 26,062 people were registered as wholly unemployed on 10th June, 1968, covers most of Wales and includes the South Wales valleys and remote rural areas where unemployment has been a persistent problem since the First World War. Incentives to industrial expansion are being reinforced in places where collieries are closing. I expect Government assistance to produce a marked reduction in the disparity between the level of unemployment in the Welsh Development Area and the national level in the next three years.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the yield of Purchase Tax in 1968–69; how much it is estimated will be derived from the 12½ per cent. rate; how much from the 20 per cent. rate; how much from the 33⅓ per cent. rate; and how much from the 50 per cent. rate.

£887 million made up as follows:

	Estimated yield in 1968–69
Rate	£ million
12½ per cent	232
20 per cent	89
33⅓ per cent	458
50 per cent	108
Total	887

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the effects on the present yield from Purchase Tax on all articles of the substitution for the present rates of tax of a uniform rate of 16⅖ per cent. on all articles, of a uniform rate of 25 per cent. and of a uniform rate of 33⅓ per cent. respectively.

Estimates of the effect on the present yield are very uncertain, but the following figures indicate the order of magnitude of the change:

Rate of tax	Effect on yield per annum £ million
16⅔ per cent	—200
25 per cent.	+100
33⅓ per cent	+400

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the estimated total value of tax relief granted on interest in respect of personal loans made to standard rate taxpayers during 1967–68 and 1968–69, excluding relief on house mortgage payments.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement about the provision of capital for the General Practice Finance Corporation.

Yes. My right hon. Friends the Secretary of State for Scotland and the Minister of Health and I have approved proposals by the General Practice Finance Corporation for an issue of stock to repay temporary bank advances and for the purpose of loans for the provision or improvement of surgery accommodation. Accordingly the Corporation has today made the following issue of stock to the National Debt Commissioners under Treasury guarantee:"£2 million of 8 per cent. General Practice Finance Guaranteed Stock 1978–83".

asked the Prime Minister what representations he has received from the Scottish Trades Union Congress on Scottish devolution; and what reply he has sent.

I have been unable to trace any such representations, but I am of course aware of the discussion which the Scottish Trades Union Congress had on this subject at their annual conference last April.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will give instructions that the report on the Effects of Nuclear War, made to the United Nations Security Council by a group of experts, should be reprinted for official general distribution to members of the Diplomatic Service and to officers and men of all ranks in Her Majesty's armed services who are trained in the use of nuclear weapons.

Copies of this valuable Report are readily available to Members of the Diplomatic Service and to establishments concerned with the training of military personnel in the use of nuclear weapons and I do not think that the expense of a general distribution could be justified.

asked the Prime Minister if he will now abandon the inter-party talks on reform of the House of Lords, and introduce legislation to abolish the hereditary chamber.

asked the Prime Minister if he will make a further statement on the inter-party negotiations on the future of the House of Lords.

I would refer my hon. Friends to the statement I made in the House this afternoon.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will seek to require a minimum period of four years to elapse before Ministers or other senior members of public corporations, after relinquishing their posts, take up appointments in commercial concerns with whom they or their Departments have had administrative relations.

No. I think that these matters are better left to the discretion and good sense of the individuals concerned.

asked the Prime Minister if, in view of recent industrial mergers and the redundancies they cause, he will appoint a Minister with special responsibility for ensuring that such redundancies are handled in a considerate manner.

My hon. Friend will know that all members of the Government do their utmost within their own fields of responsibility to ensure that redundancies are handled in as humane and considerate a manner as possible; that many specific steps have been taken to this end; and that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity has particular responsibilities in these matters. I doubt whether a further Ministerial appointment would enable more to be done.

asked the Prime Minister whether he has yet received the Report of Lord Fulton's Committee on the Civil Service; and when he expects that it will be published.

Yes, and I hope that it will be published at a very early date.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received about looting and wilful damage to lobster pots by skin divers; and what action he proposes to take to protect the fishing industry in this matter.

We have received such representations from the Cornwall Inshore Fishermen's Society and the Association of Sea Fisheries Committees who have pointed out the difficulty of finding adequate evidence for legal proceedings. Representatives of the Association have recently discussed the problem with my Department and they are now considering what measures might be taken to deal with it.

asked the Minister of Health if he will make a grant to the Rochdale and District Hospital Group to enable the appointment of an additional gynæcologist to be made.

It is for the Regional Hospital Board after considering the need for such an appointment to assess its priority in the light of the other demands on the resources available to them.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware of the situation which exists in the Rochdale and District Hospital Group, whereby it has not been found possible to obtain the appointment of a radiologist and that the post has been advertised three times this year without one applicant being found; what assistance he plans to give to the group; and if he will make a statement.

I am aware of these difficulties. The post is at present filled by a locum. The Regional Hospital Board are continuing their efforts to make a permanent appointment.

asked the Minister of Health how much it costs to provide a disabled person's tricycle including servicing and depreciation over a five-year period; and how this cost compares with providing an adapted production car instead.

The average cost of providing vehicles, including replacements for worn-out and irreparably damaged ones, and servicing and maintaining them, over the five-year period ending the 31st March, 1968 was £572 for electric and petrol-driven three-wheelers and £720 for adapted production motor-cars.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what communications he has received from the Strood Rural District Council, Kent, as a result of the National Board for Prices and Incomes Report on Council House Rents; and what action he is taking.

The Ministry wrote to Strood Rural District Council on 25th April and again on 3rd May asking them to review the rent increases which they had imposed on 1st April in the light of the report of the National Board for Prices and Incomes. The Council's reply is now being considered.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development whether he has reached a decision on the request of the Government of Nepal for the construction by Great Britain of a 75-mile sector of their East-West Highway.

I recognise that the Highway is of great economic importance to Nepal and the Nepalese Government have been informed that we are prepared to build this sector. His Majesty's Government of Nepal have accepted the offer.Construction will be carried out by the Ministry of Public Building and Works. The cost is provisionally estimated at about £4¼ million over 5 years, half of which would be provided by grant and half as an interest-free loan, repayable over 25 years. For 1968–69 the necessary funds will be charged to Subheads A and B of the Overseas Aid (Bilateral) Vote.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development whether he will make a statement about the pensions payable to British officials previously in the employment of the Government of Tanzania.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development whether, in order to alleviate the concern of former members of Her Majesty's Overseas Civil Service who worked in Tanganyika and Zanzibar before 1st July, 1961, he will announce immediately that he will take over the liability for their pensions recently summarily abrogated by the Government of Tanzania.

I regret that the Tanzania Government have announced that from 1st July they will make no budgetary provision for most of their pension liabilities towards expatriate (mainly British) members of the Tanganyika and Zanzibar Civil Services which arose before independence, and which are covered by Public Officers' Agreements between the Tanganyika and Zanzibar Governments and the British Government. The Tanzania Government will therefore cease to pay about £1 million per annum of its current expatriate pensions bill of about £1·1 million per annum, and will not repay about £6·5 million of loans amounting to £9 million provided by Her Majesty's Government towards Tanzania's liabilities for compensating British officials for loss of career and for capitalising part of their pensions. The Tanzania Government have stated however that they will continue to honour their rights and obligations under the European and Asiatic Widows and Orphans Pension Schemes.We are unable to agree that Tanzania should cease to be responsible for these obligations.We have been in touch with the Tanzania Government through the Canadian High Commission in Dar-es-Salaam and a senior member of my Ministry has recently visited Tanzania to discuss the matter, and to make certain suggestions in order to help them meet the cost. He also urged a postponement of the Tanzania Government's decision pending further negotiations in the autumn. I regret to say however that the Tanzania Government were unable to accept these suggestions.I am taking immediate steps to protect the pensioners from any hardship arising from these decisions, and arrangements are being made to continue payments to them without interruption. These payments will take the form of ex gratia loan advances, equivalent to the amount withheld by the Tanzanian Government. A Supplementary Estimate of about £800,000 for the current financial year will be presented in due course but, meanwhile, advances will be sought as necessary from the Civil Contingencies Fund. In making this arrangement, Her Majesty's Government do not regard themselves as relieving the Tanzanian Government of their liability in this matter.In the light of this Tanzania decision I regret that we shall have to bring our aid programmes there to an end. The development loan of £7·5 million which was under negotiation with the Tan-zanians at the time of the break in dip-

lomatic relations in 1965, and which as announced by my predecessor on 7th February, 1966, has been reserved for Tanzania, will no longer be available. My Ministry will cease recruitment of further technical assistance staff for Tanzania and the other technical assistance programmes there will be brought to an end.—[Vol. 724; c.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland to what extent the recommendations of the Grant Report have been carried into effect by administrative action as the Committee proposed.

In the day-to-day administration of the sheriff court service, on various matters such as work-study projects, office procedures and local consultations among those concerned with the business of the court, I am following wherever practicable the Committee's advice.

asked the President of the Board of Trade who will construct the coal-burning power station to be built at Lynemouth for Alcan Limited; and how much public money will be contributed towards its construction.

This is a privately-owned power station and no public money will be contributed towards its construction costs. The decision on who should construct the power station is a commercial matter.

asked the Minister of Transport in view of the proposals contained in the Transport Bill to eliminate from licensing vehicles not exceeding 30 hundredweight, if he will arrange to make available a one-year licence at a fee of 10s. per vehicle, instead of requiring a five-year licence at a fee of £1 10s.

I have no power to reduce the currency period of C licences to one year. Apart from this, fees for carriers licences are intended to cover the administrative costs of the licensing system and the cost of issuing a licence for one year would not be significantly less than the cost of issuing it for five year.

asked the Minister of Transport how many vehicles it was estimated would have made use of the bus station at Longroyd Bridge, Huddersfield, as a heavy goods vehicle-testing station.

Probably between 6,000 and 7,000 vehicles.

asked the Minister of Transport (1) why a heavy goods vehicle testing station is not being set up in Huddersfield, in view of the assurance given to the Association of British Chambers of Commerce in 1967, and the fact that the nearest heavy goods vehicle testing station to Huddersfield will now be 25 miles away from the one originally proposed at Longroyd Bridge, Huddersfield;(2) why no consultation took place with interested organisations before a decision was taken not to use the bus station at Longroyd Bridge, Huddersfield, as a heavy goods vehicle-testing station;(3) why no heavy goods vehicle-testing station is being set up in the south-west of the West Riding of Yorkshire.

The initial plan, in consultation with the operators' Associations, for location of goods vehicle testing stations in the West Riding did not envisage one at Huddersfield. But in April, 1966, the Huddersfield Corporation offered the use of facilities in their bus depot at Longroyd Bridge, which were accepted as very little capital outlay would have been involved in return for added convenience to goods vehicle operators in the area.At the end of February this year, because of a proposed reorganisation, the Corporation had to withdraw the offer. In the circumstances, we invited the operator's Associations to suggest means by which facilities in the Huddersfield area could be provided without heavy capital outlay. I understand their inquiries are continuing.The nearest testing station to Huddersfield is about 17 miles away at Rothwell, Leeds. Testing stations are also being provided at Walton (York), Steeton (Keighley), Doncaster, Sheffield, Bred-bury and Heywood (Manchester).

asked the Minister of Transport if, in view of the three recent fatalities, he will sanction a pedestrian crossing controlled by lights at Dracaena Avenue, Falmouth, as a matter of urgency.

I very much regret these accidents but investigations show that there is insufficient concentration of pedestrians to justify a light controlled crossing. We have not yet been asked to approve a zebra crossing but we would certainly give urgent consideration to one on receipt of an application. To this end I understand further traffic and pedestrian counts will be taken this week and I will write to my hon. Friend again as soon as I can.

asked the Minister of Transport whether the recommendations of the Departmental inquiries into diesel train fires on the Luton-St. Pancras line, occurring in October, 1964, August, 1965, and February, 1966, have been implemented in full; and whether he is satisfied as to the safety of the multiple diesel units in view of the further fire on 12th June, 1968.

I would refer the hon. Member to my Answer to the hon. Member for St. Albans (Mr. Goodhew) on Monday, 17th June.—[Vol. 766, c. 104.]

asked the Minister of Transport if Salford, the third biggest port in the country as regards tonnage handled, will be one of the ports to be taken into public ownership.

I would ask my hon. Friend to await the statement I referred to yesterday in my reply to my hon. Friends the Members for Newport (Mr. Roy Hughes) and Southampton, Test (Mr. R. C. Mitchell).—[Vol. 766, c. 1099.]