asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity if she will give an estimate of the number of people employed in the stock exchanges and finance houses in England and Wales; and how the number employed compares with the number of civil servants employed in the country.

Stock exchange and finance house employees are classified to Minimum List Heading 860 of the Standard Industrial Classification which also covers banking, insurance and similar activities. Employment estimates are made for the whole of this Minimum List Heading but not separately for its constituent parts. At June, 1967, the estimated numbers of employees in employment in this Heading in England and Wales, and in Great Britain, were 603,000 and 648,000, respectively.The corresponding number of non-industrial civil servants, excluding Post Office employees, in Great Britain was 455,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity why she has not approved the municipal passenger transport employees wages settlement of 14th December, 1967; and, in view of the fact that this settlement will increase productivity, improve labour relations and give a better service to the public in the Cleethorpes and Grimsby area, if she will now give her consent.

Because the National Board for Prices and Incomes, who examined the settlement closely, found that it was not justified in relation to the incomes policy criteria, and recommended that it should not be implemented. The Board also make recommendations about possible pay increases which would be justified in relation to the criteria, and talks have been taking place to find out whether agreement can be reached.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity when the court of inquiry into the dispute between the clerical workers and the British Steel Corporation will commence; and when it is expected that their findings will be reported to the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity if she will announce the names of the members of the committee of inquiry into the dispute between the British Steel Corporation and the Clerical and Administrative Workers Union arising from the union's claim for recognition in the steel industry.

The following have been appointed as members of the Court of Inquiry:Lord Pearson—ChairmanMr. D. Flunder of the Dunlop Rubber Company LimitedMr. H. Norton of the Electrical Power Engineers Association.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity whether she will give, for any convenient stated period, the number of cases investigated by her Department, in which company directors have increased their salaries above the Government norm: how many of these have been referred to the National Board for Prices and Incomes; and if she will give similar details for industrial workers and those in the executive managerial class of employment.

No such case, other than that of Mr. Jocelyn Hambro, has been looked into by my Department, and none has been referred to the National Board for Prices and Incomes. I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given on 9th May—[Vol. 764, c. 134-5.]—to his similar Question and also to the reply given by my right hon. Friend on 1st July—[Vol. 767, c. 1081–2.] —to my hon. Friend the Member for Accrington (Mr. Arthur Davidson). Of the 48 incomes references to the National

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what are the latest available figures to compare with the total number of 24,913,000 men and women employed in 1966, of which 15,955,000 were men and 8,958,000 were women and with the 253,000 who were wholly unemployed at the same period, and with unfilled vacancies of 450,000 at the same time.

Following is the information:Board for Prices and Incomes 27 concerned the pay of manual workers, 19 the pay of non-manual workers and two references concerned both categories.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what steps she is taking to assist the officers and men who will become redundant on the amalgamation of the 10th with the 11th Hussars; and whether she will appoint a special officer of her Department to look into the scope for redeployment.

There are already extensive arrangements for the resettlement and retraining of ex-regulars and these are being reviewed to ensure that they are adequate to meet the additional outflow arising from the proposed rundown of the Armed Forces, including any redundancy that may be caused by the amalgamation of the 10th and the 11th Hussars. These arrangements were briefly described in Chapter 10 of the 1968 Statement on Defence Estimates (Cmnd. 3540). Certain officers at the Headquarters and Regional Offices of my Department are already charged with a special responsibility for considering the resettlement needs of ex-regulars and at each employment exchange there is an officer who keeps special oversight of ex-regular resettlement work.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity how many miners made redundant from the closure of Arley and Kingsbury collieries in North Warwickshire remain unemployed.

498 workers from Arley Colliery are registered as unemployed. The redundancies at Kingsbury Colliery are not due to take effect until 27th July.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity, how many miners made redundant from Arley and Kingsbury collieries in North Warwickshire have applied for courses in Government training centres.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proposals his Department is now considering for

Thirteen redundant miners from the Arley Colliery have so far applied for training at Government training centres. Four of the applications were later withdrawn; the remaining nine are still under consideration. The Kingsbury colliery is not due to close until 26th July, but one man has already applied for training.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity whether she will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a table of figures giving the national incomes in wages, salaries, rent, dividends and net interest, self-employment, weekly wage rates and weekly earnings for men and women for each of the years from 1964 to the latest convenient date.

The information about basic weekly wage rates and weekly earnings of manual workers is given below. For the remaining information I would refer my hon. Friend to the White Paper—Preliminary Estimates of National Income and Balance of Payments 1962–1967 (Cmnd. 3571).transferring government offices, at present located in London, to the Northern Region.

The Minister departmentally concerned announces any dispersal decision as soon as possible.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will introduce an interim budget or other measures to restore confidence in the currency before the end of July.

No. As I made clear in my speech on Third Reading of the Finance Bill, I am confident that, so long as we continue to adhere to the strategy which we have adopted, we shall achieve the balance of payments surplus we require.—[Vol. 767, c. 1787–93.]

Lewis asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will give a detailed statement of the rise or fall in United Kingdom balance of payments for each year since 1964 to the latest convenient date, and detailed figures on current account in general and particular figures for merchandise, trade, Government expenditure, commercial invisibles, long-term capital of private investment at home and abroad and United Kingdom gold and exchange reserves.

Detailed figures for the period from 1964 up to 31st March 1968, were published in Economic Trends on 3rd July 1968.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what short-term and long-term loans he has arranged since October 1964, giving each separately, the amount, rate of interest, date of payment, from whom borrowed and whether in sterling or other currencies, respectively.

The following table relates to short-term and long-term loans arranged by Her Majesty's Government since October 1964.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were the numbers of the total staff of the office of the Chief Valuer at the Board of Inland Revenue on 1st October, 1964, 1st October, 1965, 1st October, 1966, 1st October, 1967, and 1st July, 1968, showing in each case separately the number of Chief Valuers, Deputy Chief Valuers, Assistant Chief Valuers, First Class Valuers and Senior Valuers; and what was the estimated total annual cost of the Chief Valuers office in 1964 and 1968.

The figures are:

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs what estimate he has made of the total number of man-hours of production lost throughout the Merseyside Development Area as a result of the municipal bus disputes which occurred in the past year in both Wirral and Liverpool; and what is his calculation of the total economic costs to the area of these disputes.

None; such calculations are not possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs whether he will request the National Economic Development Office to publish a study of the operation and effectiveness of he control of imports by the prior deposits system.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what further measures he intends to take to deal with the increase in crimes of violence in Scotland.

As my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary said in his reply to Questions by the hon. Member for Glasgow, Hillhead (Mr. Galbraith) and my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow, Govan (Mr. Rankin) on 22nd May, this is a problem which is under continuous review. We have described on various occasions the steps the Government have been taking to encourage and support those dealing with it.—[Vol. 765, c. 505–7.]

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the percentage increase in rate support grants or similar Government revenue grants paid to Glasgow over the past three years; and what has been the comparable percentage increase in the grants paid to Scotland as a whole.

The percentage increases for the years 1965–66, 1966–67 and 1967–68 for Glasgow were 9·7, 5·0 and 24·5 respectively and for Scotland 10·7, 14·4 and 21·3 respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what were the total charges levied for domestic and industrial water supplies by the 38 authorities now comprising the South-East of Scotland Water Board in the years 1965–66 and 1966–67, respectively;

Information supplied to me by the local water authorities showed that expenditure on water supply in the Board's region in 1966–67 amounted to about £2·2 million, of which about £1·2 million was met from local rates (including Exchequer equalisation grant) and about £1 million from other sources of income, including charges for metered supplies. I do not have information for 1965–66. The amounts to be requisitioned this year, on which the water rates will be calculated, fall to be determined by the Board in accordance with the provisions of the Water (Scotland) Act 1967, as read with the South-East of Scotland Water Board (Financial Provisions) Order 1968, and any request for detailed figures should be addressed to the Board. The domestic water rates in Midlothian, Edinburgh and Linlithgow were respectively 6d., 8d. and 2s. Id. in 1966–67 and 6d, 8d. and 2s. 2d. in 1967–68.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimates he has made of the economic damage caused to fishing interests by seals in each of the past five years.

I would refer the hon. Member to the Answer which I gave on 19th June, to Questions by the hon. Member for Aberdeenshire, East (Mr. Wolrige-Gordon). More precise estimates in relation to individual years cannot be given but indications are that seals have been more numerous and more active in Scottish waters in recent years and also that worm infestation of fish has been more widespread and on an increased scale.—[Vol 766, c. 141–2.]

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the latest figures in monetary terms for the import of fish.

Figures of United Kingdom imports for the last full year, and up to the last available date this year, are as follows: —

asked the Minister of Power what changes in the absorption rate forecast of North Sea Gas he estimates to be necessary to halve the rate of those colliery closures arising from this cause; and what estimate he has made of the effects on gas prices of this policy.

Colliery closures are primarily due to exhaustion of reserves and elimination of uneconomic production. They cannot be attributed directly to the introduction of natural gas which should have only a small impact on the level of coal usage in the next few years.

asked the Minister of Power what are the latest available figures to compare with the figure for national steel production of 24,315,000 tons in 1966, with coal production of 174·6 million tons, and with 1,483,000 gross tons of shipping under construction in that year.

In 1967 national crude steel production was 23,895,000 tons and production of deep-mined and opencast coal was 172·1 million tons. My right hon. Friend the Minister of Technology informs me that there were 1,096 thousand gross tons of merchant shipping (vessels of 100 gross tons and over) under construction at the end of 1967 compared with 1,363 thousand gross tons at the end of 1966.

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) on what date and for what reason the Greek Government ratification of the Rolls-Royce and Metro-Cammell £4,000,000 rolling stock order was withdrawn;(2) what stage had the negotiations in the Rolls-Royce and Metro-Cammell £4,000.000 rolling stock order reached prior to the withdrawal by the Greek Government of their ratification of the contract.

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer to a Private Notice Question on 3rd July when my right hon. Friend said that he had had no confirmation of the loss of any export order to Greece. This is still the position.I understand from the British companies concerned with the order to which the hon. Member refers that their Greek agent was told on 28th June that their offers of equipment would be considered by the National Economic Council the following week with a view to ratification. On 1st July, however, the agent was told by the office of the Minister of Co-ordination that the ratification of this business could not be proceeded with. He has since been informed that the

asked the President of the Board of Trade when he now expects the Rolls-Royce and Metro-Cammell £4,000,000 rolling stock order from Greece to be ratified.

While discussions are still in progress on this order I would prefer to refrain from any forecast.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a table of figures giving in £ sterling for each six months since October, 1964, the national exports f.o.b. and imports c.i.f., exports to the sterling area, the European Economic Community, the European Free Trade Association, and North America, giving separate figures for exports of manufactures in general and machinery and transport equipment in particular; and if he will also give the volume of exports and imports on a percentage basis taking October, 1964, as equalling 100.

Following is the information:

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, taking October, 1964, as equalling 100, he will give the percentage rise or fall in retail prices in general, and of food in parti-

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether investment grants will be payable in respect of the plant and machinery in the power stations associated with the aluminium smelters at Lynemouth, Invergordon and North Wales, respectively.

No.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is the amount in monetary terms of the savings in imports which it is estimated will arise from the aluminium smelter at Invergordon.

About £17 million per annum.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will publish a list of waivers of the Most-Favoured-Nation Clause and other derogations from the rules of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade which have been granted since its inception in 1947.

The following are the index numbers re-calculated with October, 1964 as 100.

A list of the waivers from the most-favoured-nation and other clauses of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade granted since 1947 is contained in pages 229-232 of the Fifteenth Supplement to the Basic Instruments and Selected Documents of the G.A.T.T. dated April 1968 (a copy of which is in the Library). There have been no subsequent waivers to date.

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) if the Working Party set up by his Department on the Training of Overseas Nationals has prepared a list of industrial firms who are prepared to train overseas students; and if such a list has been circulated to high commission education officers and technical colleges in the United Kingdom;(2) what progress has been made by the Working Party set up by his Department on the Training of Overseas Nationals; and if reports of their findings are to be published.

The preliminary work, involving discussions with interested departments and organisations and the assembly of information, has now been completed and I hope that the Working Party on the industrial training of overseas nationals will hold its first meeting in the near future. I shall ask the Working Party to consider my hon. Friend's suggestion about the possibility of preparing lists of firms willing to train overseas students. I would prefer to await the Working Party's report before deciding on the publicity to be given to its findings.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he has now completed his reconsideration of his Department's policy of not revealing the number of industrial development certificate applications refused in congested areas; and if he will make a statement.

Yes. I have now decided to publish annually statistics of applications for industrial development certificates which have been refused. The first figures will be available in the Annual Report by the Board of Trade under the Local Employment Acts for the year ended 31st March, 1968, which will be published in the near future. They will give the numbers and area in square feet of applications refused in each standard Region for the year 1967-68. I am also arranging for an article to be published shortly in the Board of Trade Journal giving further information about this new statistical series. I must, however, emphasise that for reasons that will be explained in the article to which I have referred, figures of i.d.c. refusals can be very misleading and must be interpreted with caution. In particular they are not a precise measure of the way the i.d.c. policy is being administered in particular areas.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement regarding the future resumption of diplomatic: relations with Tanzania.

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Monmouth (Mr. Anderson) on 5th July.—[Vol. 767, c. 281.]

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give the various items of the proposed expenditure of £200,000 on the arrangements for the investiture of the Prince of Wales.

Details of maximum limits placed on various items are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give the names of towns in Wales designated as expanding towns under the Town Development Act 1952.

The Town Development Act 1952 does not specifically provide for the designation of expanding towns. Ten local authorities in Wales have entered into agreements under the Act with Birmingham Corporation to accept overspill population, subject also to the movement of industry to the areas concerned. They are Brecon, Flint and Llanelli Borough Councils, Amlwch, Bedwellty, Holyhead, Llandrindod Wells and Llangefni Urban District Councils and Edeyrnion and Pontardawe Rural District Councils. No houses have so far been provided under these agreements.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement regarding financial aid to the deep-sea fishing industry.

I would refer the hon. Member to the statement I made today.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions during each of the past five years to the latest convenient date, fishing vessels have reported mines or bombs enmeshed in their nets; what estimates he has made of the damage caused; and in how many cases injury was caused to members of the crews concerned.

It will require a little time to assemble this information but I will write to the hon. Member as quickly as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will now consider the rebuilding of Pott Shrigley School in view of the general desire of the parents and managers to maintain the school.

School building proposals are submitted by local education authorities after consultation with other interested bodies. I have received no proposal for the rebuilding of Pott Shrigley School from the Cheshire Authority.

asked the Minister of Health how the gross expenditure on the National Health Service in Wales in 1963 compares with the expenditure in the last year for which figures are available.

Gross exenditure on the National Health Service in Wales, including gross revenue expenditure by Local Health Authorities was as follows:

asked the Minister of Health what was the total expenditure on health and welfare in Wales and Monmouth for the year 1967–68; and what percentage of United Kingdom expenditure on this subject this represents.

The following is the information:

asked the Minister of Health what is the average time taken at present for a person to be certified as blind, after the date of application for such a certificate.

This information is not available, but I or my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland will gladly investigate any individual case of delay known to the hon. Member.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will revise the regulations under which persons are certified as blind, to allow examinations to be made by local medical specialists, providing they are approved by him, in order to cut out the delays involved in waiting for appointments with the small number of appointed medical experts who now conduct these examinations.

I am advised that the present arrangements are in the best interests of the blind.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total expenditure on police services in Wales and Monmouth during the year 1967-68; and what percentage this represents of the total United Kingdom expenditure on this subject.

£12·4 million, representing 4·4 per cent. of the total United Kingdom expenditure.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if Welsh versions of forms for use in magistrates' courts in Wales are being prescribed under the provisions of Section 2 of the Welsh Language Act, 1967.

Yes. Good progress has been made with the translation of appropriate forms into Welsh, and rules prescribing the Welsh versions will be made and laid before Parliament within a few months.

asked the Minister of Health, if he will alter the terms of service for consultants so that those who are on maximum part-time appointments may not undertake more than two further sessions in any one week either as locums or on a more permanent basis.

No. The terms of service already provide that the maximum remuneration for part-time appointments which together do not constitute a whole-time appointment shall be that appropriate for nine notional half days; and hospital authorities are well aware of the need to satisfy themselves that the efficient performance of regular duties is not impaired by additional unpaid or locum work.

asked the Minister of Health if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT his estimate of the additional expenditure which will take place in the current financial year by each of the regional hospital boards as a result of the increase of 3·31 per cent. in the hospital price index since devaluation.

It is not possible to estimate the net cost as this will depend on the offsetting savings achieved by increased efficiency.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he has received from the London borough of Lambeth details of proposed rent increases for council accommodation; and what action he proposes to take on them.

I have received no proposals for rent increases from the London Borough of Lambeth.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether the terms of reference of the feasibility study, initiated on the subject of a Thames barrage, include consideration of the use of the Thames through the Greater London area for recreational purposes.

The study is concerned first and foremost with safety from tidal flooding. However, the Greater London Council, in assessing the merits of a permanent barrage, will be taking into account the advantages to amenity and to recreational facilities in London. The South East Economic Planning Council are also advising me upon this aspect of the matter.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government in view of the need for a modern sewerage system for the parish of Irchester, Northamptonshire, having regard to its rapid development, if he will give his consent to the proposal to install such a system.

The Wellingborough Rural District Council were authorised in February to obtain tenders for the first phase of a scheme to sewer the parish. No proposals for the second phase have yet reached me.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will give the names of towns in England designated as expanding towns under the Town Development Act, 1952.

Expanding towns are not designated as such. The places in England with current and uncompleted town development schemes are as follows:

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works how many square feet of office space have been taken by his Department in the Greater London Area since 1st October, 1964.

I have been asked to reply.Just over a million and a half square feet.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works how many square feet of office space have been taken by his Department outside the Greater London Area since 1st October, 1964.

I have been asked to reply.Just over four million square feet.

asked the Minister of Social Security how many retirement pensioners in the area served by her Norwich office were in receipt of supplementary payments in July, 1964; and how many to the nearest date in 1968.

About 7,100 in July, 1964, and about 10,100 in May, 1968. In some instances the supplementary benefit would also cover the needs of a retirement pensioner wife.

asked the Minister of Social Security how many people in the area served by her Norwich office not qualified to receive contributory benefits are in receipt of supplementary payments to the nearest date.

About 2,900 excluding the unemployed in May, 1968. About 1,100 unemployed persons (some of whom were receiving unemployment benefits) were also receiving supplementary benefits in May, 1968.

asked the Minister of Social Security, if she will state to the nearest date how many people in the area served by her Norwich office are in receipt of supplementary benefits; and if she will classify such recipients into their respective categories such as retirement pensioners, etc.

About 15,300 in May, 1968. These recipients fell, broadly, into the following categories:

asked the Minister of Social Security what are the administrative costs, in both labour and material, of the current individual contribution system of state social security, and of the current state graduated pensions scheme.

The total administrative cost to the National Insurance Fund of collecting and recording national insurance contribution in 1966–67, the latest year for which figures are available, was about £17 million, of which about £7 million related to graduated contributions. The total administrative cost of assessing, awarding and paying retirement pensions was nearly £13 million, of which only a small fraction would have related to graduated pensions.

asked the Minister of Social Security what financial savings have so far been made as a result of the amalgamation of the Rugby office with Coventry.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave him on 17th June. There was a saving of five staff in this case.—[Vol. 766, c. 99–100.]

asked the Minister of Social Security what advice she received from the local advisory committee about the amalgamation of the Rugby office with Coventry.

This question was placed before the Local Advisory Committee on 7th March, 1967, but the committee decided to postpone consideration of it, pending the reconstitution of the committee. At the meeting of the reconstituted committee in October, 1967, the arrangements were discussed but no recommendation was made.

asked the Minister of Social Security when she next proposes to reduce to caller status, social security offices in a town of 55,000 people or more.

My right hon. Friend has no immediate plans for such offices.

asked the Minister of Technology (1) what official representation he plans to send to the trials of the preservation of fish by ionizing radiation in Iceland;(2) what plans he has for applying irradiation for the preservation of fish; and if he will make a statement.

Considerable work on this subject has been carried out jointly by Torry Research Station and the Wantage Laboratory of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority. The possibilities of commercial application seem limited and there is concern about a possible health hazard from the product. The sale to the public of irradiated food is generally prohibited in the United Kingdom, individual applications for exemption being considered on merit. There will be no official representation at the trials in Iceland.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will take steps to set up a social cost benefit study similar to the Victoria Line study, into the construction of a link beween the southern termini of the Victoria Line and the projected Fleet Line.

No decision on the southern terminus of the projected Fleet Line has yet been taken. But the chance that such a link would generate benefits greater than its costs is too small to justify a special study.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity whether she will refer to the National Board for Prices and Incomes the 15s. increase in the driving test charge, in view of the fact that this amounts to an increase of 75 per cent. on the present charge; and whether she will make a statement.

I have been asked to reply. No.

asked the Minister of Transport (1) if he will take steps to provide that when the Greater London Council take over responsibility for London Transport concessionary fares for retired people will be introduced at the same time;(2) what proposals he has received for retired people in the Greater London area to have concessionary fares on public transport; and what action he has taken.

I received a number of requests for concessionary fares of this kind in the London area. Under proposals in the White Paper on Transport in London (Cmnd. 3686), the London boroughs, and local authorities outside Greater London where appropriate, will be enabled to arrange for, and meet the cots of, concessionary fares for old people, the blind and the disabled on the services of the proposed new London Transport Executive. These arrangements are similar to those being made outside the London area under the Transport Bill.