asked the Minister for Overseas Development if he will list the financial assistance given on independence to Malawi, Botswana, Lesotho and Mauritius, respectively.

The concept of former colonies being given financial assistance "on independence" is not a meaningful one, since our aid is normally given on a continuing basis extending through independence and beyond. When Malawi became independent in July, 1964, they were promised continuation of budgetary aid for that year up to a maximum of £5 million, and also a development grant of £3 million. In November, 1964 they were given up to £6·25 million budgetary aid and £1·5 million development grant for the year 1965, and subsequent commitments were made for 1966–68. Botswana, independent in September, 1966, was in July, 1966 given the balance of pre-independence aid up to March, 1967 and £13 million budgetary and development aid for the period 1967–70. Lesotho, independent in September, 1966 was in July, 1966 given the balance of pre-independence aid up to March, 1967, and in November 1966 was given £11 million budgetary and development aid for the period 1967–70. Mauritius, independent in March, 1968 is being provided with £3 million for the financial year 1968–69.In addition all these countries have received technical assistance, loans for compensation and pension commutation payments to expatriate officers, and in some cases investment by the Commonwealth Development Corporation.

asked the Minister of Technology whether he is aware that at the end of the first quarter of 1968 engineering orders on hand had fallen to £142 million compared with £149 million in 1967; what the reason was for this decrease; and what action he plans to take to reverse this trend.

I am aware that the index of total orders on hand held by the engineering industries declined from 149 to 142 (on a base of December, 1958= 100) between the end of March, 1967 and the corresponding month in 1968. Export orders on hand rose during this period, but this increase was more than outweighed by a continued fall in orders on hand for the home market, partly due to a continued increase in deliveries. The rise in export order books is a very welcome development in the light of the Government's policy of checking the growth of public expenditure and private consumption and of releasing the resources necessary to sustain as large an increase in exports and industrial investment as possible. On the home side I look forward to an increase in new orders in line with the forecast rise in capital investment by private industry and business.

asked the Minister of Technology what has been the total sum spent since October, 1964 in payments and charges on the TSR2.

About £78 million.

asked the Minister of Technology what has been the total sum spent since October, 1964 on all outgoings relating to the HS681.

Rather less than £2 million.

asked the Minister of Technology what has been the total sum spent since October, 1964 on all outgoings relating to the HS1154.

About £16 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what are the present arrangements for co-operation between Her Majesty's services and the United States naval ships for using Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong.

Royal Naval officers take part as necessary in the arrangements between U.S. representatives in Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Government which were referred to by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of Stale for Commonwealth Affairs on 17th July. Visits of U.S. naval ships to Hong Kong are solely for rest and recreation, and on request Royal Naval officers may assist in arranging the provision of berthing and certain other facilities of the kind normally afforded during visits by naval vessels of a friendly power.—[Vol. 768, c. 235.]

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will consult with the West Sussex County Council, with a view to a Bailey Bridge being erected over the River Arun at Littlehampton by the military, so as to relieve traffic congestion and as a temporary measure until the existing and unsafe swing-bridge is replaced by a new permanent bridge upstream.

The Services are always prepared to consider requests from civil authorities for assistance with work if it provides good training and the agreement of interested parties has been obtained. I understand, however, that my right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport is already considering the problem of the Littlehampton swing-bridge with the County Council.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the total sum spent since October, 1964 at Bahrain on buildings, furnishings, facilities and their maintenance.

Approximately £14·6 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT the rates of pay for trained nursery assistants possessing the National Nursing Examination Board Certificate; and if he will give details of his plans for improving these rates.

The present rates of pay of Nursery Assistants Class 1 in nursery schools and classes are as follows:Age 20 or over—£447x£21 (3)x£20(l)x£21 (4)—£614.Age 19 years—£380.Age 18 years—£343.The rates of pay are determined by the Nurses and Midwives Whitley Council which is at present considering the outstanding recommendations in National Board for Prices and Incomes Report No. 60.

asked the Postmaster-General how many Trimphones have been installed since this type of equipment was introduced; how many visits have been paid to subscribers following installation; and what future orders are still in hand for this type of telephone equipment.

About 36,000 Trimphones had been installed by the end of June. Since national introduction in February monthly sales have averaged 4,350. Separate records of visits made following installation are not maintained. Most orders are met within about two weeks and it is, therefore, estimated that about 2,100 are waiting completion.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will now publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a progress report on the telephone situation in Cramlington New Town, Northumberland.

Good progress is being made on the installation of the new telephone exchange which will provide Subscriber Trunk Dialling facilities. It will be brought into service early next year. To improve the service given by the present exchange some busy subscribers lines have been transferred to a nearby exchange. We are giving service now to 20 people who have been waiting for exchange equipment. 51 more people will be given service when the installation of street cable is completed in less than two months time. Thereafter enough exchange and line equipment will be available to meet further demands for service as they arise.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he will make a statement about the submarine cable transistors his Department is making for private industry.

My Research Depart has developed two types of transistors that meet the very stringent reliability requirements of submarine cable systems: one type is for systems carrying up to 480 telephone circuits and the other is for 1,100-circuit systems. These transistors are being produced on a small scale and many submarine cable repeaters designed around them by British industry are being brought into service. I do not intend to produce special transistors in commercial quantities and private industry has been encouraged to produce its own types. Industry has full access to the techniques and expertise acquired by my Research Department team.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what progress he has made with his investigation of the case for applying anti-dumping measures against imports of raspberry pulp from Yugoslavia.

I have received a report from Her Majesty's Embassy in Belgrade on their enquiries of the Yugoslav authorities about export and domestic prices. These indicate that dumping is not taking place. However, I have asked the Embassy to seek further clarification on some points and expect their reply shortly.

asked the President of the Board of Trade on how many occasions he received representations from the honourable Member for West Ham, North with regard to matters connected with Intertel (V.T.R. Services) Limited, concerning their investment grants; on how many occasions his Department undertook to telephone the honourable Member; and on how many occasions telephone calls were made in fulfilment of these undertakings.

I have received two letters from the hon. Member and he has made a number of telephone calls. It is not our practice to keep a record of all telephone calls but during the last three months the hon. Member has received five letters on this subject and had three telephone conversations with senior officials. I can trace no occasion when any undertaking to telephone the hon. Member was not fulfilled, though there may have been occasions when it proved impossible to get in touch with him on a particular day.

asked the President of the Board of Trade when he was first approached by Intertel (V.T.R. Services) Ltd. concerning their application for an investment grant, and on how many subsequent occasions; what were the dates, together with the dates of his replies; and how many phone calls were made regarding this question.

The firm first enquired about investment grants in January, 1967. They submitted formal claims in July, 1967, and May, 1968, and wrote letters in August and November, 1967, and on three dates in June, 1968. Apart from acknowledgements, letters have been written to the company in May and September, 1967, and in May and June, 1968. Visits were paid to the company's premises in April and July, 1968. It is not our practice to keep a record of all telephone calls.

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) what studies have been made, and are being made, into the economic effects of aircraft noise; and what estimates he has made of the cost to the economy of aircraft noise;(2) what studies have been made, and are being made, into the effects upon people's work of aircraft noise; and what estimates have so far been made of the cost of those effects.

There have been a number of studies on the effect of noise in general upon people's work, but none specifically related to aircraft noise. As yet no estimates have been made of the total costs to the economy.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many applications for industrial development certificates in Rugby have been approved during the past three years, and how many have been refused.

In the three years to end June, 1968, 20 industrial development certificates for schemes of more than 5,000 sq. ft. were issued in the Rugby

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the trade figures over the last five years between the United Kingdom and Kuwait and Bahrain, respectively, as well as the main commodities in both exports and imports which go to make up this trade.

Following is the information:

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many applications for inclusive tour licences have been referred back by the Air Transport Licensing Board during the past 12 months on the grounds that the proposed charge was too low.

Of a total of 831 charter inclusive tour licences granted by the Air Transport Licensing Board in the last twelve months 29 prescribed a tariff higher than that for which application had been made. The hon. Member will recall that the minimum control prices for inclusive tours designed to safeguard the wider public interest have been very substantially reduced next winter as a result of the new approved tariff which my right hon. Friend announced on 4th April, 1968.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what Government aid has been allotted to the schemes in Glasgow and Bristol, respectively, to assist small businesses to employ consultants; how many employees are involved in carrying out the scheme; and where these employees work.

Funds have not been allocated to Glasgow and Bristol separately. Applications are considered on a first come first served basis, and I am glad to say that firms in both Glasgow and Bristol are showing considerable interest. The scheme is being administered from the Board of Trade's offices in Glasgow and Bristol where in each case one official is employed full time with clerical help. A small part of the time of three officials in London is devoted to matters concerning the administration of the scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects the new road bridge over the River Spey at Fochabers to be completed.

Agreement has not yet been reached on the accommodation works required for the benefit of interests affected by the new bridge and associated roadworks, and although every effort is being made to avoid delay I do not now expect the work to be completed before 1970.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs whether under his regulations, a resident of Southern Rhodesia not born in the United Kingdom, who holds a Southern Rhodesian passport but does not have dual nationality, is now stateless unless and until he comes under one of the categories of persons to whom Her Majesty's Government retain the power to issue United Kingdom passports in lieu of invalidated Southern Rhodesian passports.

No. We have taken power to deny entry to this country to certain holders of Southern Rhodesian passports, but not to render them stateless.

asked the Minister of Health what was the total of deaths from lung cancer in the last year for which figures are available; and what is the estimate, projecting present trends, of death from lung cancer at the end of the century.

There were 28,252 deaths from lung cancer in 1967 (23,548 males and 4,704 females), giving rates of 999 and 189 per million population respectively. So far as the future is concerned there are so many imponderables that no reliable projection can be made.

asked the Minister of Health what reply he has given to recent representations for the extension of those categories of persons who are exempt from the prescription charges.

I have indicated that I have no proposals at present for extending the categories of patients who are entitled to exemption from prescription charges.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will take steps to simplify the forms of application necessary for claiming of exemption from the recently-introduced prescription charges; and whether he will make a statement.

I assume that my hon. Friend is referring to the declaration on the back of the prescription form which has to be signed by patients claiming exemption. I would refer him to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Willesden, West (Mr. Pavitt) on 9th July.—[Vol. 768, c. 40.]

asked the Minister of Health how many people receiving the 250,000 questionnaires sent out by the Government Social Survey seeking information as to those who are disabled have so far failed to reply.

Approximately 30 per cent. have not yet replied, and the Secretary of State for Scotland and I have written to them urging them to help by completing and returning the inquiry form.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is aware that the brick built air-raid shelters on the Kingsmead Estate are an eyesore, endanger public health, cause a nuisance and are of no value for defence; what representations he has received from the Greater London Council on the matter; and if he will now give permission for their removal.

The Greater London Council have sought approval to the demolition of shelters on the Kingsmead and other estates in order to facilitate development. My right hon. Friend is awaiting further information about the shelters on the Kingsmead estate which the Council have promised.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will give for the most con- venient stated date since October, 1964 for which details are available, the number of Commonwealth immigrants who have been employed in his Department in executive situations, other than manual or industrial employment, and the countries of origin of these immigrants, and their actual stated appointments.

The number of known Commonwealth immigrants now employed in non-industrial grades in the Home Office is 136. 10 came from Ceylon, 3 from Ghana, 8 from Guyana, 27 from India, 4 from Kenya, 1 from Malaysia, 3 from Mauritius, 17 from Nigeria, 12 from Pakistan, 1 from Sierra Leone, 1 from Singapore, 1 from Uganda and 48 from the West Indies.They are employed in the following grades:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why it takes as long as nine months in many instances for prosecutions to ensue after the Metropolitan Police have reported motorists for not having a road fund licence; whether he is aware that this long delay enables the guilty to evade punishment; and what action he proposes to take to expedite these prosecutions.

Prosecution is a matter for the appropriate licensing authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many additional fieldwork and residential staff, how much more residential accommodation and how many extra field work and residential work training places will be needed for the implementation of the White Paper, Children in Trouble; what the total cost will be; and whether he will make a statement.

The full implementation of these proposals would require about 1,000 additional field staff: including supporting staff, the annual cost would be about £2·4 million. I estimate that the number of students qualifying as field staff will increase from 390 in 1968–69 to 715 in 1970–71, at a cost in 1970–71 of about £750,000. The proposals in the White Paper do not require additional residential accommodation or staff. Alterations and additions to accommodation, and improvements in the recruitment and training of staff, are needed on other grounds.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department which police forces in this country are issued with CS grenades; of what strength; and in what numbers.

I am obtaining the information requested, and will write to the hon. and gallant Member when it is available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will give the amount of fines outstanding at the end of the financial year 1967–68 in the Inner London area; and why £172,000 of fines imposed in magistrates' courts in England and Wales was written off and not collected.

I regret that "arrears" figures for the Inner London magistrates' courts are not available. In 1967–68, however, these courts collected £1,363,000, and about £28,000 was written off as irrecoverable. The normal reason for writing off a fine is that the offender cannot be traced.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much of the £2,963,000 arrears of fines for the financial year 1967–68 in magistrates' courts in England and Wales, excluding Inner London, was due to fines, or parts of fines for which the time of payment had expired; and how much of the arrears has been cleared since April, 1968 to date.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works if he will estimate the value to Government whips, other than the Chief Whip, of the perquisite of free transport from the House of Commons to their London home after the rising of the House, at the time it was first extended to them, and today.

Records of journeys made by Government Car Service vehicles are only kept for one year, and the information necessary to make the comparison is not therefore available.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works if he will now give an estimate of the financial effect of the introduction of the metric system on the building industry.

No such estimate has been prepared by my Department. I have no doubt that the probable costs and benefits of metrication were considered when Industry decided to adopt the metric system.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity if she will announce the date of publication of the Report of the Phelps Brown Inquiry into the use of Labour in the Building Industry.

My right hon. Friend hopes to make an announcement before the Recess.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what was the percentage wastage in the under 26-year age group and the over 60-year age group in the British steel industry over the past six years.

I regret the information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity if she will take additional steps to help disabled miners made redundant in consequence of colliery closures; and whether she will make a statement.

Steps are already taken to help disabled miners made redundant in consequence of colliery closures and these were described in the letter which I sent to my hon. Friend on 4th July. The adequacy of these arrangements is being kept under review.

asked the Minister of Transport what steps he is taking to improve the standard of sign posting from and on to roads for which he is responsible to reduce the difficulties experienced by motorists in the Greater London area, and particularly in that part covered by the constituency of Harrow, West.

We are at present examining a plan for signposting primary routes in London prepared by the Greater London Council as Traffic Authority. The signposting of non-primary routes in the area of Harrow West is the responsibility of the Greater London Council and the London Borough of Harrow.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action he plans to take in regard to the report published in The Lancet, details of which have been sent to him, that cream sold in various parts of the country is dangerously contaminated with bacteria; and if he will make a statement.

The report does not suggest that cream is dangerously contaminated with bacteria. I would refer the right hon. Gentleman to the statement which I made in reply to Questions on 15th May.—[Vol. 764, c. 1195–6.]

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he has approved the scheme of the Wye River Authority for the alleviation of flooding at Penybont, Radnorshire; and when operations are likely to commence.

Yes. The scheme was approved by this Department on 28th June and I understand the River Authority hope to start work at the end of this month.

asked the Minister of Power what has been the outcome of the discussions between his Department and the National Coal Board in regard to the provision of concessionary coal for miners declared redundant under the Coal Industry Act, 1967 and covered by the Redundant Mineworkers (Payments Scheme) Order, 1968; and if he will make a statement.

As I explained when the Redundant Mineworkers (Payments Scheme) Order, 1968 was debated on 14th June, the provision of concessionary coal is a matter for the National Coal Board.

asked the Minister of Power whether he is aware that the percentage of clerical staff in the British steel industry who are receiving full-time and part-time further education is low in comparison to other categories of employees; and if he will give a direction to the corporation to increase this percentage.

The provision of training in the steel industry is the statutory responsibility of the Iron and Steel Industry Training Board established by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity. If my hon. Friend will put his Questions to the Board, they will be glad to answer them.

asked the Minister of Power what was the total number of people employed in the public sector and in the private sector, respectively of the British steel industry in the past six years.

Numbers on the payroll of the British iron and steel industry (excluding iron foundries).

asked the Minister of Power what was the total number of people employed in the public sector and the private sector, respectively, of the steel industry in Sheffield for the past six years.

Numbers on the payroll of the iron and steel industry (excluding iron foundries) inthe Sheffield District.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether all entries required for the recording of tax payments by individuals under the Pay As You Earn scheme are still made by hand; and what is the approximate number of manual entries that are made in a year.

All such entries in Tax Offices are made by hand but P.A.Y.E. records are gradually being transferred to computers. No statistics are kept of manual entries but there are nearly 25 million individuals within the P.A.Y.E. system.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will introduce legislation to provide that tax allowances are only made available to taxpayers in respect of dependants resident in this country.

I have noted the hon. Member's suggestion.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many taxpayers are claiming allowances for overseas dependants; how many dependants are concerned; and what is the total sum of tax relief given in respect of non-resident dependants.

The information is not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the revenue from a tax of 25 per cent. and 50 per cent. on all fees for private education.

I regret that the necessary information for an estimate of this kind is not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the amount of short-term debt outstanding with foreign central banks at 30th June, 1968.

I cannot at this stage add to the information, relating to transactions up to the end of March, 1968, which has already been published in the quarterly articles in "Economic Trends" and in the Quarterly Bulletins of the Bank of England.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, taking 1964 as equalling 100, he will publish a table of figures giving the rise and/or fall in national production for each year to date, comparing this with the United States of America, Japan, West Germany, France, Italy, Australia, India and world production, from information available to him from international sources.

The figures available are given in the table below. They relate mainly to gross domestic product at constant market prices, since this is the basis most commonly used in international publications.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why the cash volume of exports and re-exports free on board for May was £498 million compared with £506 million for April; and why at the same time reserves fell from £1,118 million in May compared with £1,144 million in April.

The backlog of shipments delayed by last year's dock strikes was probably less in May than in April, and May also saw unusually small exports of diamonds. The underlying trend of exports was clearly upward. The gold and convertible currency reserves fell from £1,155 million in April to £1,144 million in May. This was the net effect of many factors (other than United Kingdom exports) relating to the international trading and financial position: these were briefly explained in the article on the Economic Situation in Economic Trends for June.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the net loss of revenue to his Department of the dispensation from Selective Employment Tax granted to public schools as charities.

The best estimate available, for the financial year 1966–67, is about £1·2 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity, in view of the Government's policy of increasing output and production, why the total number of unemployed rose to 2·4 per cent. in June; what action she has taken, or plans to take, to reduce this figure; and on how many occasions since 1945 has unemployment, excluding school-leavers, reached the current figure of 569,000 during the month of June.

I have been asked to reply.The June figure was influenced by the transitional unemployment that is inevitable while the shift of resources from domestic consumption to export and import-saving production takes place; but I expect this production to build up in the coming year with beneficial effects on the level of employment. As to the last part of the Question, the June figure was then the highest recorded since the present series began in 1950. Comparable figures for earlier years are not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware that the Estimates Memorandum for 1968–69, Command Paper No. 3583, contains an error of approximately £133,430,000 in the figure of the Defence Estimates for the year 1964–65; and if, in view of the substantial amounts being expended by the Government and the need to avoid confusion at home and abroad, he will take steps to ensure that the sums which he publishes are correct.

I would refer the hon. Gentleman to the Answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for West Ham, North (Mr. Arthur Lewis) on 16th July. —[Vol. 768, c. 198–9.]

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs what is the present extent of the manpower gap in Scotland, England and Wales, respectively; and if he will give the Scottish figures for each Parliamentary constituency.

There is at present no manpower gap in the sense of a general shortage of labour in Scotland, England or Wales. No detailed information is available for individual constituencies.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs if he will list the places where Government services set up to help small businesses are located, under the headings of the Export Promotion Services, the Ministry of Technology's Advisory Service, the British Productivity Council and the Aston Small Business Centre; and how much has been spent on each service in each year since its inception.

I am providing a grant to the Small Business Centre at the University of Aston, Birmingham; this amounted to £7,250 in 1966–67 and £6,750 in 1967–68. Questions about the export promotion services and the British Productivity Council should be addressed to my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade and about the Ministry of Technology's services to my right hon. Friend the Minister of Technology.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs if he will make a statement on the results of his Depart- ment's examination of the progress made in import substitution; and what steps he is taking to further this policy by catering for the national preference in Scotland to buy Scottish goods clearly labelled as such.

On import substitution I would refer the hon. Member to the answer my right hon. Friend gave on 11th July to the question from the hon. Member for Worcestershire, South (Sir G. Nabarro). There is nothing to prevent manufacturers in Scotland from marking their products with the country of origin and I am sure it can be left to these manufacturers to assess the commercial advantage of adopting this practice.—[Vol. 768, c. 719–20.]

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs by what percentage he estimates there will be less available for private exenditure next year as against 1966 in Scotland, England and Wales, respectively.

There are no separate estimates for Scotland, England and Wales for private expenditure; but there is no reason to expect markedly different developments in each country. Over the nation as a whole, private expenditure in both 1968 and 1969 is likely to be higher than in 1966.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs whether he is aware that since 1964 industrial production in Great Britain has risen by only 4·3 per cent. compared with 23 per cent. in the United States of America, 64 per cent. in Japan, 7 per cent. in Germany, 12 per cent. in France, 35 per cent. in Italy, 16 per cent. in Australia and 14 per cent. in India; and what recent action he has taken or intends to take to ensure that British production will rise above the annual average of 1·4 per cent of the past three years.

The whole of the Government's industrial policy is directed towards increases in efficiency in industry, leading to cost reductions, a strong balance of trade and vigorous growth in output. The basis of the figures in the first part of the Question is not clear; but British industrial production in the three months, March, April and May was 4 per cent. greater than a year earlier and 8 per cent. above the average 1964 level.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs in view of the fact that compared with the first quarter of 1967, during the first quarter of 1968 industry's capital expenditure on plant and machinery had fallen from £288 million to £276 million and new building had likewise fallen from £158 million to £143 million, what estimate he has made of the extent to which these decreases will affect the Government's programme for increasing industrial production.

It is not possible to estimate with any precision the effect of a given level of investment on the growth of productive capacity; but I am glad to see that industrialists expect to invest more this year.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government (1) if he will introduce legislation to prevent elderly people living on small fixed incomes being required to pay tax at the rate of 40 per cent. on the capital they may get from selling their gardens or other similar property;(2) if he will take steps to relieve those on small incomes from paying 40 per cent. tax on the capital sum received for their gardens which have been compulsorily purchased by a local council.

No; and the betterment levy is paid on the realised development value.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he is aware that local authorities do not exercise their powers to rate vacant property under the Local Government Act, 1966 because by the provision in Section 20(2) of that Act any decision to use those powers is irrevocable for seven years; and if he will enter into consultations with local authority associations with a view to taking steps to reduce this period.

The application of the provisions for the rating of unoccupied property is not irrevocable for seven years because my right hon. Friend has power to authorise cessation after a shorter period. While it is important that there should be a degree of stability in this matter, my right hon. Friend is prepared to exercise his discretion where an authority can show cogent reasons for this.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he is aware that local authorities which are getting rate deciency payments do not exercise their power to rate vacant property because they derive no net benefit from using these powers; and if he will introduce legislation providing that rates levied on vacant properties are excluded in the calculation of deficiency payments.

No. Forty-eight of the 90 authorities currently operating these provisions are in receipt of the resources element of the rate support grant.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will take steps to enable rate payments to be deferred for a given period in cases where hardship is caused by the practice of assessing rate rebates in a particular rating half-year by reference to income in the previous calendar half-year.

Rating authorities have discretion as to the enforcement of the payment of rates due to them and I think that it is best to leave them to deal with cases of hardship in the light of the particular facts and circumstances.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what estimate he has made of the net additional income that would accrue to local authorities on the basis that public schools, now exempt as charities, paid rates.

The Government do not collect any detailed figures about the 50 per cent. rate relief for charities, but the Public Schools Commission have had an estimate prepared of the amount of such relief enjoyed by independent schools, and it will be published shortly in their First Report. Abolishing this relief would not necessarily lead to any net addition to local authority income except in the case of authorities receiving no resources element in their rate support grant.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what total acreage of common land was provisionally registered by the end of the first registration period on 1st July, 1968; and on what date will the lists of such registered commons be published in the London Gazette.

Information about progress up to 1st July is being obtained from the registration authorities. When this has been collated, I will write to my hon. Friend. Each registration authority has until 30th September, 1968 to publish and display locally a notice concerning commons registered before 1st July. As soon as possible after doing this, the registration authority must arrange for the notice, including a full list of the commons, to be published in the London Gazette.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will issue a circular to registration authorities impressing upon them the need for lists of registered commons to be published at the earliest possible date, so that interested persons and the public generally may be in a position to consider what further action is necessary in the second registration period.

Under the Commons Registration (Objections and Maps) Regulations, 1968 authorities are already required to publish and display locally, by the end of September next, notices concerning commons registered before 1st July. The registers themselves are always open for public inspection as are relevant extracts held by all other local authorities.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what recent correspondence or discussion his Department has had with local authorities, including Manchester and Birmingham, on the sale of council houses; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend has had correspondence on this subject with a number of local authorities including Manchester and Birmingham, and he is at present reviewing the position.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will state the number of dwellings for each major local authority, improved under grant procedure by installing baths, inside water closets and hot water systems in the last 12 months to a convenient date and within the last five years.

The details in respect of 1967 for county and London boroughs are as follows. I regret that similar details for previous years are not readily available.