asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will consider increasing the cost of firearm certificates.

Yes. My right hon. Friend is at present reviewing all the fees chargeable under the firearms legislation and, when the review is complete, he will lay before Parliament an Order introducing higher fees.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department by how much immigration, including dependants, has declined in the first six months of 1968 compared with the first half of 1967 and the first half of 1966; and how many immigrants and dependants he intends to let in during the second half of 1968.

The numbers admitted for settlement from the Commonwealth for the first five months of this year show an increase compared with last year, but the figures for the last three of these months show a reduction despite the fact that since the beginning of March the statistics have included certain citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies first brought under control by the Commonwealth Immigrants Act, 1968. I cannot forecast the numbers coming in the second half of the year.The following are the figures:what tests were applied to the Alcotest breath test device before it was approved by his Department for use by the police: what were the results of these tests: and how accurate the device was proved to be before its use was approved by his Department.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him on 15th November last.—[Vol. 754, c. 136–7.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what particular arrangements exist in his Department for dealing with the sponsoring of alien visitors by the British Broadcasting Corporation and other bodies, public or private.

There are no special arrangements for the B.B.C. Anybody sponsoring a visitor can seek advice from the Home Office, and such requests are dealt with as part of the normal business of the Department.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the Seebohm Report to be published.

I hope it will be published shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will make a statement regarding the circumstances under which a prisoner on remand in custody may be detained in a non-remand prison:(2) if he will make a statement regarding the circumstances under which a prisoner on remand in custody may be required to wear prison clothes and to be confined to cells lighted constantly during the hours of darkness.

A prisoner on remand in custody may be confined in any prison. He may forfeit the privilege of wearing his own clothes if he escapes or attempts to escape. For security reasons he may be required to wear distinguishing overalls over his own clothes when outside his cell. Some prisoners prefer to wear prison clothing as an alternative to the overalls. A dim light may be left on in a cell overnight for purposes of medical observation or security.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to amend the Visiting Forces Act to prevent United States servicemen who have deserted because of conscientious objection to the war in Vietnam from being handed over to the United States military forces.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is satisfied as to the present working of the law which forbids the employment of children in films; and if he will make a statement.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the Answer given to his Question on 27th May.—[Vol. 765, c. 180.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consultations have taken place between his Department and the appropriate legal and medical authorities regarding the carrying out of experimental surgery by order of the courts or with their consent; and what general guidance he has given in regard to this.

None. The courts have no power to give directions or make arrangements for the surgical treatment of offenders, and I am satisfied that they are fully aware of this.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement in regard to the death of Mr. Michael Conneely at Wood Green Police Station on 11th June, 1968.

Mr. Conneely was arrested in the street on the evening of 10th June for being drunk and incapable of taking care of himself. I regret to say that he died in the police station on the following morning. A coroner's inquest was opened and adjourned until today. I shall study the findings carefully in consultation with the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis and shall if necessary make a further statement.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to amend the constitution and terms of reference of his Standing Advisory Committee on Drugs; and if he will make a statement.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to receive the Report of his Standing Advisory Committee on Drugs.

I assume that my hon. Friend is referring to the report on the use of cannabis by the Advisory Committee on Drug Dependence. This report is expected to be completed towards the end of this year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will introduce legislation to implement the recommendations of the International Commission on Rules for the Approval of Electrical Equipment relating to agreed colour coding of electrical leads.

My right hon. Friend is consulting the various interests about the need for regulations requiring the cores of three-core flexible cords supplied with domestic electrical appliances to comply with the colour code recommended by the International Commission. These colours are brown for the live core, light blue for the neutral and a combination of green and yellow for the earth core. My right hon. Friend will announce his decision as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to ensure that the provisions of the Toys (Safety) Regulations, 1967, governing the lead content of toys in relation to imported toys are observed.

Local authorities are responsible for the enforcement of these Regulations; but if my hon. Friend has information to suggest that a reminder is needed I shall be glad to consider it.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what authority a South African immigrant without a valid passport or any permit for entry is allowed into Great Britain; and how many cases of this kind are on record.

I understand the hon. Member has in mind the case of Mr. Suliman Gani, a medical student who came here last year with a South African passport. Although Mr. Gani's passport was not endorsed by the issuing authorities as valid for travel to this country, the arrangements for his studies and maintenance here were satisfactory, and admission for this purpose was authorised under the Aliens Order. No special authority was required.I regret that the information sought in the second part of the Question is not readily available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to make regulations under the Public Expenditure and Receipts Act, 1968 to enable compensation to be paid to those who have lost their employment in Civil Defence.

As soon as possible after consultations with the local authority associations and staff associations concerned have been concluded.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what total sum will be paid in 1968–69 to local authorities in England and Wales for fulfilling their duties under the Civil Defence (Public Protection) Regulations, 1967, and other Statutory Instruments and circulars of his and other Departments involving civil defence duties; and if he will state the further sum they will be allowed to spend out of rates, the average amount paid to each authority and the amount of total expenditure available per 10,000 population.

The total of civil defence grants for 1968–69 to local authorities in England and Wales is estimated at £3 million. Expenditure from the rates will be about £625,000. The total expenditure per 10,000 population will be £778. The average amount per authority is £20,916.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what total sum the County Council of Huntingdon and Peterborough will be allowed to spend on performing their duties under the Civil Defence (Public Protection) Regulations, 1967, and the 15 other Civil Defence or Emergency Regulations, during the present financial year; and how much of that total sum will be paid by the Exchequer.

While local authorities have been advised of the civil defence activities which are to be modified or discontinued, they have not been given individual financial ceilings for 1968–69. It is not possible, therefore, to state the effect of the economies on any particular authority until revised estimates are submitted during the autumn.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the consequences, financial or otherwise, of the formal reprimand given to the 38 immigration officers at London Airport as a result of their letter on immigration control.

The award of a formal reprimand is noted in an officer's record and may be taken into account when he is considered for promotion or if he commits another disciplinary offence. It has no direct financial consequence.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will be able to provide accommodation outside prisons, remand homes or detention centres for Commonwealth immigrants whose credentials need extensive checking.

Under existing law, my right hon. Friend cannot alter the present arrangements. Relatively few Commonwealth citizens, however, have to be detained in prisons, remand homes or detention centres while their claims to admission are examined, since most cases are settled at the port of arrival. But the present arrangements are being reviewed in preparation for the introduction of an immigration appeal system.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Commonwealth immigrants were admitted in 1967 on the grounds that they were engaged to be married to a person already living in this country.

2,708.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he has taken in the light of the report of the Poisons Board, concerning the sale of quinine.

My right hon. Friend has asked the Poisons Board, when it meets tomorrow, to review its earlier recommendation in the light of further representations from manufacturers. I hope that the matter can then be brought to a conclusion.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will make a statement about remission in detention centres.

Yes. I have decided that the remission which may be earned by a young person subject to a detention centre order should be increased from one-sixth to one-third of his sentence. This will require an amendment to the Detention Centre Rules. I am laying a statutory instrument before Parliament today.Experience has shown that there would be advantage in allowing a larger proportion of the sentence than at present to be earned in remission. The principal benefit would be to discipline, since detainees would have more to gain or lose than at present. This advantage would apply not only during the period of detention but also during the period of supervision after release, since the available period of recall would be greater.The Sub-Committee of the Advisory Council on the Penal System who, under the Chairmanship of the Bishop of Exeter, are at present reviewing the operation of detention centres, see no reason why this change in the period of remission should not be made while their review is in progress.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department to what extent the additional grants to be made to local authorities, which have special problems owing to the presence of immigrants, will be financed by reducing the grants that would otherwise have been available for other local authorities.

I cannot at present add to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister at Birmingham on 5 th May, a copy of which has been placed in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why the manager of the Citadel state-managed public house in Carlisle left after only five days; what are the regulations in force governing customers' entrance; whether under these regulations the lack of a necktie forbids entrance for a meal; and if he will make a statement.

The resignation of the manager of the reconstructed Citadel Restaurant in Carlisle was accepted by the General Manager on 25th June.The policy of the Carlisle and District State Management Scheme is that all customers are welcome whether they wear ties or not and I am sorry that ties should have been insisted on. A prospective customer may be refused admission if his behaviour is likely to cause offence to other customers or if his clothing is likely to cause damage to the furnishings of the premises concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has completed his consideration of the Littlewood Report; and if he intends to introduce legislation on this matter.

At this stage, I cannot say when it may be possible to introduce legislation on this subject.

asked the Postmaster General what progress has been made in providing car-parking facilities for the staff of the Winchester Head Post Office.

With the co-operation of the local authority we have obtained sufficient parking space in public car parks, including one opposite the head post office, to meet the realistic needs of staff starting or finishing duty when public transport is not available. Additional parking space is available on a post office site less than three-quarters of a mile from the office.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proportion of the serious fires in schools during the last three years have occurred in buildings with more than 50 per cent. timber frame construction: whether he is satisfied that suitable timber appropriately treated offers greater fire resistance than steel of equivalent strength; and whether he will make a statement.

The information asked for in the first part of the Question is not available without considerable research. It is not practicable to deal with the complex technical issues raised on the second part of the Question within the limits of a Parliamentary Answer. I would add that I am satisfied that, if the recommendations made in my Department's Building Bulletin No. 7 are observed, there is no more danger from the use of timber in school buildings than any other material.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will revise the official remitted fees scale now employed by local education authorities for the calculation of fees' remission so that parents paying income tax at the full rate are not penalised for an addition to family allowances which is completely offset by subsequent tax adjustments.

No. Local authorities have complete discretion to fix the scales they use to calculate any contribution they make towards school fees paid by parents and it is for them to consider whether to allow for the effect of family allowance increases on taxable income.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the proportion of immigrant children in Church of England, Roman Catholic and maintained county primary schools, respectively, in the Birmingham, Walsall, West Bromwich, Wolverhampton and Warley local education authority areas.

The following table shows immigrant pupils as a percentage of all pupils in the different categories of primary school in January, 1968.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether, in view of the difficulty in obtaining entry to veterinary schools, he will now take steps to set up a veterinary college for Wales at Aberystwyth.

Existing institutions are expected to be able to meet the demand for places and the need for qualified veterinarians.

of the Exchequer whether he will state the number of branches established in London by United States banking corporations between the end of 1960 and the latest convenient date, the number of proposals to establish such bank branches which are at present registered, and the growth of deposits held by such branch banks between those dates.

Nine branches have been established since 1960. Proposals to open such branches do not have to be registered and I cannot, therefore, give the number of United States banks which may be considering coming to London. Three banks have, however, announced in the Press their intention to open branches shortly. Deposits held by all United States banks in London including dollar deposits increased from £389 million in 1960 to £3,927 million at the end of March this year.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs what is the latest figure during 1968 to date of direct Exchequer expenditure in the maintenance of sanctions against Rhodesia, including the cost of the naval and air patrols off the East African coast, and all indirect costs including extra financial assistance to Zambia, both in absolute terms and in relation to the balance of payments.

The direct cost of payments by the Exchequer, including aid to Zambia, was £34½ million between i.d.i. and 31st May, 1968.The cost to the United Kingdom balance of payments cannot be precisely estimated. In 1967 this cost, excluding any effect of the Rhodesia situation on the price of copper, was probably not very different from the figure for 1966, given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to the House on 16th March, 1967.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs what is the total figure of aid extended by the United Kingdom to war victim refugees in Nigeria, including Biafra during 1968, to date.

Following on the announcement made by my right hon. Friend the Commonwealth Secretary in the House on 21st May, £20,000 has been paid to the British Red Cross Society for supplies of medicines and protective foods to the war-affected areas. A further £250,000 is being made available for humanitarian relief in those same areas, as was reported by the Commonwealth Secretary in his statement of 2nd July.The various voluntary relief societies have distributed substantive quantities of medicines, medical supplies and food. —[Vol. 765, c. 236–8: Vol. 767, c. 1308.]

asked the Minister of Health what increases in the medical, dental and nursing professions there have been in Welsh hospitals as a whole between 1963 and the latest date for which figures are available.

The number of doctors and dentists in Welsh hospitals increased by 222 (of 191 whole time equivalents) between 1963 and 1967, a 20 per cent. increase compared with an increase of 13 per cent. in England and Wales together.In the same period the number of nurses and midwives in Welsh hospitals increased by 2,434 (or 1,989 whole time equivalents), an 18 per cent. increase, compared with 17 per cent. in England and Wales together.

asked the Prime Minister what consideration he has given to the official proposal of the United States Government that Great Britain, of her own volition, should phase out her nuclear weapons programme; what reply he has sent; and if he will make a statement.

Her Majesty's Government have received no such proposal from the United States Government.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what steps he is taking to ensure that the public are fully informed of their legal rights within a national park, and, in particular, what they are not allowed to do, in view of the complaints by farmers in national park areas.

Section 92 of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act, 1949, empowers local planning authorities in National Parks to appoint wardens. The purposes for which such wardens may be appointed are extended by the Countryside Act to include:

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will take action to direct Local Employment Acts' assistance towards activities likely to contribute most to the economic strength of the development areas, as proposed by Her Majesty's Government on 16th January.

I have decided that, in view of the need to direct Government assistance towards activities which would contribute most to the economic strength of the development areas, it is desirable to concentrate future assistance under the Local Employment Acts mainly on manufacturing industry. It is our experience that this sector makes the most effective contribution to employment in the development areas.The service industries (Orders XIX-XXIV of the Standard Industrial Classification) will therefore no longer be eligible for assistance except in respect of projects which bring into the development areas substantial additional employment. Service projects providing less than 50 additional jobs will not be eligible. This change in policy will not, however, affect applications which are already under consideration and applications will continue to be accepted for consideration until 31st August in respect of any service project where building work will have started on or before that date.

asked the Minister of Transport (1) what is the present position with regard to the scheme for widening the existing A56 road through part of the village of Helsby which was commenced at Whitsuntide 1966;(2) what is the current estimate of the total cost involved in the present scheme for widening the A56 road through part of the village of Helsby on which work commenced at Whitsuntide 1966.

This scheme is completed except for final surfacing and the provision of an island. The current estimated cost is about £41,000.