asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if. having regard to current inflation, he will seek to raise the starting point for Estate Duty from £5,000 to £10,000 and undertake a review of the lower rates of duty.

I have noted the hon. Member's suggestion.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the total value of real property that has been acquired up to the latest convenient date by the Crown in lieu of Estate Duty payments; what is the total area of land so acquired; and what were the corresponding figures for 1950, 1964 and 1966.

The total value of real property accepted by the Commissioners of Inland Revenue in lieu of Estate Duty was £314,106, £2,028,754, £2,187,137 and £2,356,337 up to 31st March, 1950, 1964, 1966 and 1968 respectively. The property accepted in this way during these periods included buildings, together with 43,624 acres, 173,730 acres, 176,446 acres and 191,693 acres respectively. Out of the total acreage accepted of 191,693, 77,219 has been retained by the Crown for normal departmental purposes; the remaining 114,474 acres have been transferred to the National Trust and similar bodies for the use and enjoyment of the public.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will seek to raise the starting point for Income Tax so as to relieve the lower-paid worker.

I have noted the hon. Member's suggestion.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is now the foreign indebtedness of the United Kingdom; and how this liability is made up.

The total liabilities of the United Kingdom were estimated at £19,365 million at the end of 1967. At the same date the total assets of the United Kingdom were about £21,280 million.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he will take to reduce the number of valuers employed in his Department, in view of the need to reduce the size of the Civil Service.

None. Owing to the national shortage in the profession it has not been possible to recruit the number of valuers required on the most conservative estimate of needs.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is now taking, in collaboration with the Paymaster General, to implement those sections of the Fulton Committee Report relating to the organisation of the Treasury.

I would ask the hon. Member to await the statement which my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister hopes to make tomorrow.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement about the results of the consultations between the Government and the International Monetary Fund mission in August.

The talks, which were confidential, as is usual, covered our economic and balance of payments prospects.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he intends to introduce regulations to provide for the repayment of post-war credits to persons who have been off work due to sickness for any continuous period of 26 weeks, irrespective of whether such persons have been in receipt of sickness benefit.

I am afraid it would not be practicable to extend the repayment of Post-War Credits in this manner.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the increase in the Cost of Living Index since the coming into force of the last Pensions (Increase) Act.

The cost of living, assessed by reference to movement in the Index of Retail Prices, has increased by 10 per cent. since January, 1966.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, without publishing names, he will state how many persons were owing tax on their earnings to the Inland Revenue for 13 years; in how many of these cases the amounts of tax in arrears was more than £1,000; and whether he will make a statement.

The information is not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what studies he is carrying out on the effects of taxation on incentives; and if he will make a statement.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the Answer I gave earlier to the hon. Member for Ashton-under-Lyne (Mr. Sheldon).

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the Government's plans with regard to a tax on wealth.

I refer the hon. Member to the Answer given to a similar Question today from the hon. Member for Bedfordshire, South (Mr. Gwilym Roberts).

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give the present size and the total annual cost of the non- Industrial Civil Service expressed as percentages of the corresponding figures for October, 1964.

114 and 134, respectively.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has come to a decision about the advantage to industry of an Added Value tax in view of its increasing adoption in other industrial countries, especially in Europe.

I have nothing to add to what my right hon. Friend said on this subject in his Budget statement.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state the total amount for each of the years 1969 to 1975 which will be required to pay off the United Kingdom's overseas debts.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give, in column form, the separate debts Great Britain must repay by 1978, showing the separate amounts, in what currencies they are and to which countries they are owned, respectively; what arrangements he is making to meet these debts; and how much balance of payments surplus in excess of £300 million a year he estimates will be required to meet these debts.

Not in detail; but I would reaffirm my statement (in my Budget Speech) that we shall require an overseas surplus of £500 million a year for some considerable time ahead; and for several years this will mainly have to be applied to debt repayment.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assurances he has received from Bonn regarding the revaluation of the deutschmark and from Paris regarding the devaluation of the franc; and what steps he is taking to protect sterling against the adverse effects of either.

Both the German and French Governments have stated that they do not intend to alter the exchange rates of their currencies.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to

Name of Charity		Date established	Assets
			£
MINE DISASTER FUNDS
1. Levant Mine Disaster Relief Fund	…	1919	22,168	(31.12.67)
2. The Fatal Mine Accident Fund for Cornwall and Devon	…	1912	4,440	(31.12.67)
3. North Staffordshire Coalfield Miners' Relief Fund	…	1944	15,650	(30. 6.67)
4. Gresford Colliery Disaster Relief Fund	…	1924	172,373	(31.12.67)
5. Doncaster Mansion House for the Bentley Disaster	…	1931	3,119	(31.10.67)
6. The Markham Colliery Disaster Fund	…	1938	20,384	(30. 9.67)
7. Longton Colliery Explosion Relief Fund	…	1891	3,625	(31. 3.68)
8. Thornhill Colliery Explosion (1947) Relief Fund	…	1947	2,086	(31. 3.68)
9. Oaks Colliery Explosion Fund	…	1866	18,126	(30. 6.68)
10. The Hulton Colliery Explosion (1910 Relief Fund)	…	1911	12,141	(31.12.67)
11. Whitehaven Colliery Disaster Fund	…	1910	1,049	(31.12.67)
OTHER DISASTER FUNDS
12. Mayor of Windsor's Flood Relief Fund	…	1949	4,399	(31. 3.68)
13. Mayor's Fund, Worcester	…	1930	4,868	(31. 3.68)
14. Mayor's Emergency Fund, Lowestoft	…	1927	284	(31 3 68)
15. Thames Flood Damage Relief Fund (Fulham)	…	1927	381	(31.12.67)
16. Mayor of Maidenhead's Flood Relief Fund	…	1947	7,357	(31. 3.68)
17. The Mayor of Appleby Emergency Fund	…	1948	1,056	(12.11.62)
18. Chadderton Distress Fund	…	c. 1920	258	(31.12.67)
19. The Mayor of Greenwich Flood Distress Fund	…	1928	216	(31.12.67)
20. Mayor of Bath's Flood Relief Fund	…	pre-1914	2,642	(30. 9.67)
These funds either have continuing liabilities which it is calculated will in due course extinguish the fund or have objects which provide for other uses.

asked the. Chancellor of the Exchequer what were the total sterling balances held on 1st January, 1st April, 1st July and 1st October, 1967, 1st. January, 1st April and 1st July, 1968, and to the latest convenient date.

Quarterly figures up to 30th June, 1968, the latest available, are published in Table 11 of the September issue of Economic Trends, a copy of which is available in the Library.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer which 10 countries have guaranteed the 2,000 million dollars Basle standby; how much each country has guaranteed, respectively; and whether the interest rates and repayments conditions are the same in all cases.

The names of the countries participating in the agreement to provide the 2,000 million dollars standby are given in the White Paper pre-

The moneys in the possession of charitable disaster funds started prior to 1st January 1949 are as follows:sented yesterday; I am not able to give the details of each country's obligations. Drawings will be made only from the B.I.S., to which interest will be paid and repayments made: the levels of interest rates will depend on the current rates ruling in international centres.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what rate of interest per annum was paid recently on sterling balances held in London; and what rate of interest he has agreed to pay on the $2,000 million Basle standby, in the event of its being used to repay sterling balances.

The sterling balances comprise a wide variety of accounts, some of which do not bear interest. The average rate of interest paid in the year ended last June was about 5 per cent. on net balances excluding non-interest-bearing notes.The rates to be paid on drawings under the $2,000 million Basle credit will depend on the current rates ruling in international centres.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with the international monetary authorities about the possibility of sterling's world banking rôle being taken over by the International Monetary Fund; and with what results.

None.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list in the OFFICIAL REPORT the aggregate value of investment allowances and/or investment grants to private industry in each financial year from 1960–61 onwards, up to and including the estimate for the current year.

The following estimates for the value of allowances and grants are not comparable. Those for investment allowances relate to the tax relieved by the allowance on the expenditure incurred in accounts ending in the year. Those for investment grants relate to the amounts paid in the year, which are gross in the sense that the capital allowances for tax purposes are restricted to the cost of the assets after deducting the grants.

INVESTMENT ALLOWANCES
£ million
Year of Investment	Investment Allowances
1960–61	169
1961–62	205
1962–63	203
1963–64	264
1964–65	323
1965–66	252
1966–67	139
1967–68	28

INVESTMENT GRANTS
Year of payment of grant	Investment Grants
1967–68	301
1968–69 (Est.)	360

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list in the OFFICIAL REPORT the periods since 1945 during which bank rate has exceeded 5 per cent., and the ruling rate on each occasion.

Since 1945 bank rate has exceeded 5 per cent. during the following periods:

	Per cent.
February 1956-February 1957	5½
September 1957-March 1958	7
March 1958-May 1958	6
May 1958-June 1958	5½
June 1960-October 1960	6
October 1960-December 1960	5½
July 1961-October 1961	7
October 1961-November 1961	6½
November 1961-March 1962	6
March 1962	5½
November 1964-June 1965	7
June 1965-July 1966	6
July 1966-January 1967	7
January 1967-March 1967	6½
March 1967-May 1967	6
May 1967-October 1967	5½
October 1967-November 1967	6
November 1967	6½
November 1967-March 1968	8
March 1968-September 1968	7½
September 1968	7

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received during the last 12 months from the catering and tourist industry about the effects of Government measures on the industry; and what action he has taken to assist the industry, in view of the contribution, financial and otherwise, which it has made and is making to the life of the country.

My right hon. Friend has received a good many representations, of which a large number were about the effects of Selective Employment Tax on the industry. These were taken into account in the Budget measure to refund the tax to hotels in certain rural parts of development areas, and in not applying the increase in S.E.T. to part-time workers, who form a substantial part of the industry's labour force. We have also approved a scheme which enables the Development Commission to make loans to small hotels etc. in rural parts of the development areas. But in general questions concerning the tourist industry are a matter for the Board of Trade, and I draw the hon. Member's attention to the White Paper on Hotel Development Incentives (Cmnd. 3633) published earlier this year.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether Government Departments, in replying to letters from Members of Parliament, will use the 4d. or 5d. mail.

My colleagues have in all cases discretion to use the 4d. or 5d. mail according to the urgency of the communication.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state the amount of borrowing by local authorities in England and Wales during the financial year 1967–68 from the Public Works Loans Board for housing, the rates of interest payable, the proportion this represented of total local authority borowing for housing in that period, and the comparable figures for 1968–69 as accurately as they can be estimated.

Almost all local authority borrowing from the Public Works Loans Board is for loan pools and not for identifiable purposes. Total borrowing by local authorities in England and Wales from the Board in 1967–68 amounted to £379 million, and interest rates varied between 5⅝ and 7½ per cent. To date this year these authorities have borrowed about £200 million from the Board at rates varying between 7⅜ and 7⅞ per cent.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the lowest rate of interest for export credit available to all members of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade; and if he will make a statement.

The interest rates of other countries' officially supported export credits vary according to the length of the credit, the source of the funds and sometimes the status of the borrower. They may also fluctuate from time to time.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his latest estimate of the percentage increase in public sector expenditures and in gross domestic product at factor cost, respectively, during the current year and in 1969, respectively.

The figures for gross domestic product are not available. For public expenditure, excluding nationalised industries' capital expenditure and debt interest, I do not expect any marked variation in the increases at constant prices of 4·8 per cent. in 1968–69 and 0·9 per cent in 1969–70, which were set out in Cmnd. 3515.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the further rise of public expenditure, he now plans to take action to restrain it.

What my right hon. Friend said in the debate on the Third Reading of the Finance Bill on 4th July still applies—that total public expenditure this year is running very close to the figures given in the January White Paper (Cmnd. 3515).—[Vol. 767, c. 1791.]

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what decline in home market consumer demand has occurred since his Budget statement as a result of more than £900 million increased taxation in 1968–69; and to what extent this has affected the balance of payments.

Consumers' expenditure in real terms fell by 6½ per cent. between the first and second quarters of this year. I am confident that this fall has contributed substantially to the recent improvement in our balance of trade, especially by freeing resources to feed the rapid expansion of exports.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his latest estimate of the growth rate in the present financial year.

I see no reason to change the view expressed in my Budget Statement that the gross domestic product in real terms is likely to grow at an average rate of about 3 per cent. a year from the second half of 1967 to the first half of 1969.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether it is the policy of Her Majesty's Government to seek to increase or to decrease the level of unemployment during the coming winter; and what steps he is taking to implement this policy.

Our policy is to seek to reduce unemployment from its present level. The full achievement of this must depend principally on the performance of exports, which is at present encouraging. In addition, I would refer the right hon. Gentleman to the answer given by the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs to the hon. Member for Hampstead (Mr. Whitaker) today.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will now introduce an Autumn Budget, in view of the present national progress.

No.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a progress report on the fulfilment of the undertakings given in paragraph four of his predecessor's letter of intent to the International Monetary Fund.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a further statement on his plans to improve the balance of payments within the next two years.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his latest estimate of the balance of payments for 1968; how far this will be in equilibrium; and what improvement is now expected compared with the £540 million adverse balance in 1967.

I have nothing to add to the Answer I gave to the earlier Questions today on this subject.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a progress report on the fulfilment of the undertakings given by his predecessor in paragraph 11 of his letter of intent to the International Monetary Fund.

The paragraph in question gave no undertakings. But I see no reason to alter the expectation mentioned in it.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a progress report on the fulfilment of paragraph 13 of his predecessor's letter of intent to the International Monetary Fund.

Good progress is being made in strengthening our balance of payments. But, until success is assured, it would be rash to abolish the restrictions on current payments or to start considering relaxations on capital transfers.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the growth in the money supply during 1968 to the latest available date, as compared with the growth of money supply during the corresponding period of 1967, absolutely, as a percentage of gross national product and at constant prices, respectively.

The money supply rose by £481 million after seasonal adjustment. or 3·2 per cent., during the first half of 1968. The latest estimates suggest that in that period G.N.P. was 2½ per cent. higher, and G.N.P. at constant prices 1½ per cent. higher, than in the previous six months. In the corresponding period of 1967, the money supply rose by £489 million after seasonal adjustment, or 3·7 per cent.; G.N.P. by 3 per cent.; and G.N.P. at constant prices by ½ per cent. I hope that I have interpreted the hon. Member's Question correctly.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state his plans for stemming the exodus from Great Britain to the Channel Islands for the purpose of tax evasion or diminution; and how much he estimates that the Exchequer has lost during each of the last five years by this exodus and evasion.

The possible loss of tax when people remove themselves or their assets to other countries, including the Channel Islands, is kept under constant review. No estimate can be made of the cost to the Revenue of such transfers.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state the estimated cost of the public services in Scotland, England and Wales, respectively.

For those services only for winch separate figures are available for each of the three countries, public expenditure in 1967–68 was as follows:

	£million
Scotland	985·0
England	6,479·7
Wales	404·5

These figures exclude expenditure of £6,363·5 million which cannot be so apportioned.On a per capita basis the figures are:

	£	s.	d.
Scotland	189	17	11
England	141	16	11
Wales	149	5	3

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will help prevent increases in rents by granting loans at low, subsidised, interest rates, similar to the 4 per cent. loans granted to councils since 1966 for new house building purposes, to local authorities faced with replacing cheap loans with loans at the high current rates of interest.

No. The National Loans Act requires the Public Works Loan Board to charge Government lending rates on its loans to local authorities. The exceptional pegging of P.W.L.B. rates ceased upon the enactment of the Housing Subsidies Act, 1967.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to continue for 1969–70 the arrangement under which the Income Tax allowances of taxpayers entitled to family allowances are reduced in order to confine the benefit of this year's increases in family allowances to poorer families.

I must reserve my proposals on this and related matters for the Budget Statement. It is, however, necessary for the Inland Revenue to proceed in the near future with the work of fixing P.A.Y.E. code numbers for 1969–70, and I have therefore authorised them, without prejudice to any decisions I may announce in the Budget, to carry out the coding on the assumption that the present arrangement will continue.The amount of the reduction in tax allowances to be made in the 1969–70 codings will be £42 for each qualifying child where the taxpayer will be entitled to family allowance for the whole of that year, with proportionate reductions where family allowance will be payable for only part of the year. The reduction is £42, instead of the £36 which applies for 1968–69, because in 1969–70 the 3s. a week increase in family allowances which has just taken effect will be payable for the whole year.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs whether he has now received the proposal of the Malayan Bar Council for the formation of a Commonwealth Court of Appeal; what other such proposals for a tribunal to assume or supplement the Commonwealth functions of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council have now been considered by Her Majesty's Government; and whether Her Majesty's Government will request that this subject be placed on the agenda of the Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference.

I have received no such proposal from the Malaya Bar Council.A variety of proposals to this end have been made in recent years. The British Government have found these proposals attractive and have discussed them with other Commonwealth Governments, but there has so far been no consensus of opinion in favour of a Commonwealth Court of Appeal.It is not the view of the British Government that the question can best be pursued by seeking its inclusion on the agenda for the Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Meeting.

asked the Minister of Power if he will make a statement arising out of his meeting with representatives of the National Union of Mineworkers on the subject of the Government's fuel policy.

My right hon. Friend is taking full account of the representations made by the N.U.M. in his continuing work on fuel policy. He hopes to have a further meeting with the union in the near future.

asked the Minister of Power whether he will now report on the result of his discussions with the British Steel Corporation about their capital investment programme as these affect the future development and provision of additional mills and plant at Colvilles.

As my right hon. Friend told the House on 15th July in reply to the hon. Member for Oswestry (Mr. Biffen), he has approved total capital expenditure by the B.S.C. in 1968–69 of up to £100 million. The detailed allocation of the programme within the general lines he then approved is for the Corporation, but it includes a number of projects at their Colvilles Division.—[Vol. 156, c. 181.]

asked the Minister of Power, what guarantees he has obtained that the publicly-owned assets of the British Steel Corporation valued at about £3,000,000, which have been used to form part of Sheffield Rolling Mills Limited, will not later be sold outright to private shareholders; and if he will make a statement.

The Corporation have told my right hon. Friend that such a sale would be, quite inconsistent with the purpose of Sheffield Rolling Mills Ltd. He has agreed in principle to their participation in this company because he is satisfied that it will be in the interests of the economy generally and of the nationalised steel industry. Before giving his final consent my right hon. Friend will assure himself that there arc reasonable safeguards against the purposes of the agreement being frustrated.

asked the Minister of Power on what grounds the Government gave licences to individuals and companies to drill for oil and gas in the North Sea rather than to nationalised British industries.

The overriding reason was the Government's wish to maintain the pace and momentum of exploration and development of the Continental Shelf. In awarding licences, account was taken of proposals for participation by the nationalised industries. The Gas Council and National Coal Board now have a share in 14 licences.

asked the Minister of Power, if he will give details of the progress of drilling for oil in the North Sea under licence from him; and what estimate he has made of the effects in Scotland of the discovery and production of such oil.

172 wells had been completed or were being drilled, by end September, 1968. No oil has yet been found in commercial quantities.

asked the Minister of Power how long the proposals for a hydrocarbons corporation have been under Government consideration; what evidence has been considered; what progress the consideration has made; and when a decision will be reached.

About a year, but the Labour Party Study Group's Report on the staffing and finance of the proposed Corporation and its relationship with the Gas Council was only published in August this year. This Report will be an important consideration in the wider study now being undertaken of the future exploration and development of the United Kingdom Continental Shelf. I cannot say when decisions will be reached.

asked the Minister of Power when he expects to reach a decision on the Central Electricity Generating Board's application to convert Hams Hall C power station to natural gas.

In view of the difficulties currently facing the coal industry, I have decided not to approve for the present the conversion of the remainder of this station.

asked the Minister of Power if he will now take steps to control the resale price of electricity; and if he will make a statement.

The maximum price at which electricity may be resold is laid down by the electricity boards in accordance with their powers under Section 29 of the Electricity Act, 1957. Investigations are being made into the working of this control, and my right hon. Friend is considering what further action may be necessary to improve it.

asked the Minister of Health what is the cost of employing a radiographer on a full-time contract for three months through an outside agency; and what salary an equivalent radiographer would earn for the same period in the employ of the National Health Service.

Charges made by agencies vary and in London might range from £300 to £385. Over the same period the salary earned by a National Health Service radiographer would range from £205 to £302 according to grading and experience, but this would not include the cost to the employer of National Insurance, superannuation, sick pay, holidays, etc., which might be up to about £100.

asked the Minister of Health how many radiographers who are not civil servants have been employed during each of the last five years; how much they have cost; and how much the Exchequer has lost by employing them instead of qualified civil servants.

Expenditure by hospitals in England and Wales on radiography work carried out by agencies was £55,000 in the financial year 1962–63 and £109,000 in 1967–68. I regret that information about the intervening years, the numbers of radiographers involved, and the cost of the work had it been performed by directly employed staff is not available.

asked the Minister of Health when he expects to receive the Report of the Committee under the chairmanship of Sir Solly Zuckerman which is considering the future of hospital scientific and technical staffs in the National Health Service.

The Secretary of State for Scotland and I have received the Report and we are most grateful to the Committee for their work and for the speed with which it was completed. We are arranging for the Report to be published.

asked the Minister of Health (1) what was the date on which the trial of the mobile intensive care team commenced in Birmingham, the area and population covered by the trial, and the names of the hospitals involved in the experiment; and what proportion of patients is being admitted into intensive care units under consultant cardiologists, and what proportion into general wards under general physicians;(2) with regard to the trial of the mobile intensive care team in Birmingham, if he will state the amount of capital that was required for the introduction of the test scheme, the estimated annual cost of its maintenance, the number of additional medical, nursing, ambulance, technical and clerical staff required to put the scheme into operation, and the annual cost of the salaries of this additional staff.

The trial started on 1st August, 1968 and co-operating general practitioners are in 14 wards in the north of Birmingham which cover a population of about half a million. The hospitals involved are the General Hospital, Birmingham, and the Dudley Road Hospital. All patients with a diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction are admitted into an intensive coronary care area under consultant cardiologists. The initial cost of monitoring and resuscitating equipment for the trial was about £1,000 but the total cost of the trial cannot yet be estimated. Two research fellows are available for calls but no other staff have been specifically appointed for the trial.

asked the Minister of Health what proportion of the cases of arteriosclerotic heart disease including coronary disease admitted into hospital for emergency treatment in England and Wales during 1967 was received into specialised coronary care units under consultant cardiologists.

I regret that the information is not available.

asked the Minister of Health if he will publish the evidence in his possession which indicates the social and medical dangers of the cult of scientology.

The general nature of the evidence was indicated in my speech in the Adjournment Debate of 6th March, 1967 and in my Answer to the hon. Member for East Grinstead (Mr. G. Johnson Smith) on 25th July. The detailed evidence illustrating the cult's potential danger to health mainly takes the form of individual case-histories which it would be inappropriate to make public. Evidence of the social dangers has already been published widely in the Press.—[Vol. 742, c. 1221–8; Vol. 769, c. 189–90.]

asked the Minister of Health, whether he will publish the evidence on which he bases his statements and actions about scientology; and whether he will make a statement.

I would refer the hon. Member to my Answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Fife, West (Mr. William Hamilton).

asked the Minister of Health, how many students have completed a course approved by the Training Council for Teachers of the Mentally Handicapped; how many local authorities are co-operating to encourage formal training for the mentally handicapped; and if he will make a statement.

Since the Training Council was formed in 1964, 882 students have completed approved courses and another 556 hold the Council's Diploma for training undertaken earlier. Almost all local authorities provide training for the mentally handicapped and send staff to the Council's courses for teachers of the mentally handicapped.

asked the Minister of Health if he will add to the list of regulations covering exemption from prescription charges categories to include prolonged treatment exceeding three months, and cases where more than one member of a family is making a claim.

No.

asked the Minister of Health in view of the difficulties arising in the administration of the present scheme, when he will announce details of his intended long-term scheme for exemption certificates from prescription charges to cover those who are chronically sick but who do not come within the categories at present qualifying for exemption.

Under the new powers conferred by the Health Services and Public Health Act, 1968 the Secretary of State for Scotland and I have to-day laid regulations which provide for the issue of prepayment certificates on payment of a fee of £1 10s. for a six-month certificate or £2 15s. for a 12-month certificate. A patient who has obtained one of these certificates will secure exemption by the same procedure as holders of existing exemption certificates.These arrangements will help patients who need frequent prescriptions but are not otherwise exempt. The new certificates can be used from 1st November.Application forms are now available in all post offices and a publicity campaign over the next fortnight should ensure that patients, including hospital out-patients, who might benefit from these arrangements are aware of them.

asked the Minister of Health, by what date he hopes to complete arrangements for the issue of certificates of exemption from prescription charges to cover those patients who do not come within any of the existing categories entitled to exemption; and what arrangements for compensation will be made for the period from the date of reintroduction of prescription charges to the first issue of exemption certificates.

asked the Minister of Health what further exemptions he now proposes to make from prescription charges; and what loss of revenue these will involve.

I would refer the, hon. Members to my reply to-day to the hon. Member for Chichester (Mr. Loveys). The arrangements there described are not expected to affect significantly the Government's original estimate of the extent to which the exempted categories would reduce savings resulting from the reintroduction of charges. There is no provision for retrospective exemption or retrospective repayment of charges.The Regulations also provide for the exemption of Service disablement pensioners in respect of treatment for disablements attributable to service between the world wars. These pensioners at present pay the charges and claim a refund.

asked the Minister of Health what is now the estimated cost of introducing and implementing prescription charges.

There are difficulties in isolating and apportioning some relevant items of expenditure but I still expect the total administrative cost in the current financial year to be between £½ million and £¾ million. This includes the cost of arrangements to make sure that everyone understands what charges have to be paid, who may claim exemption or refund and how to do so, and that everyone knows about the availability of the prepayment certificates provided for in the Regulations laid before the House today.

asked the Minister of Health what further discussions he has had with the National Pharmaceutical Union on prescription charges; and if he will make a statement.

The subjects covered in recent discussions and correspondence have included remuneration, the redesign of the declaration on the back of the prescription form, and other methods of improving the operation of the present arrangements. A further discussion is taking place today.

asked the Minister of Health if he will issue a further Executive Council Note to prescribers to counteract the trend noted by pharmacists to prescribe excessive quantities of medicines to patients since the reimposition of prescription charges.

The circular I am about to issue on pre-payment certificates will repeat an earlier suggestion that it should not normally be necessary for doctors to prescribe in larger quantities than they would consider necessary on clinical grounds.

asked the Minister of Health how many abortions have been notified in England and Wales under the Abortion Regulations 1968; how many of these operations were performed in National Health Service hospitals; and in how many cases death was notified as a result of the operation.

Up to 8th October. 13,042—of which, 8,097 were performed in National Health Service hospitals. Two deaths were attributed to the operation.

asked the Minister of Health what steps he is taking to improve the Home Help Service so as to make it available to a higher percentage of the population aged over 65 years.

My right hon. Friend wrote to all local health authorities in England and Wales in December, 1965 with suggestions for developing the home help service. At present, 80 per cent. of all persons receiving home help are elderly and this proportion is growing. A comprehensive study of the service by the Government Social Survey, whose report we expect in the spring, will provide a basis for further action if it proves necessary.

asked the Minister of Health what progress has been made in arranging for health checks of immigrants to be carried out in the country of origin.

Arrangements have now been completed in all Commonwealth countries concerned for the medical examination of all applicants for labour vouchers.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government when he expects to make an announcement on de-rating of intensive livestock houses.

As I informed the hon. Member on 18th June, I have no

Name of County Borough	Population mid 1967	Rateable values 1st April, 1968	Estimated Rate Yield 1968–69	Estimated Rate Support Grant 1968–69
				Needs Element	Resources Element	Domestic Element	Total
(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	(6)	(7)	(8)
			£	£	£	£	£ 9
York	110,560*	3,989,192	2,437,439	2,255,720	844,193	77,596	3,177,504
Oldham	109,840	3,414,961	2,509,967	2,516,133	1,608,738	67,933	4,192,808
Oxford	109,350	6,987,730	4,119,773	2,174,081	—	122,227	2,296,307
South Shields	107,760	3,317,771	2,058,335	2,628,678	1,086,254	74,665	3,789,599
Preston	106,010	4,610,110	2,736,104	2,375,265	392,598	79,456	2,847,314
Solihull	105,890	4,911,277	3,076,374	2,537,868	—	133,626	2,671,49
St. Helens	103,320	3,696,431	2,350,095	2,339,606	798,195	65,905	3,203,706
Wallasey	102,470	3,766,574	2,521,632	2,331,008	694,713	101,418	3,127,139
Blackburn	100,910	3,440,296	2,651,495	2,348,386	1,092,804	64,855	3,506,045
Gateshead	100,780	3,458,471	2,529,913	2,139,749	1,045,368	63,587	3,248,704
Torbay	98,657*	5,180,937	2,813,611	1,756,188	—	128,489	1,884,677
Hartlepool	98,040	4,108,024	2,477,301	2,339,285	342,445	68,099	2,749,829
Grimsby	96,733*	4,182,515	2,701,961	2,234,689	284,301	79,817	2,598,807
Halifax	94,770	2,794,102	1,731,698	2,138,005	1,137,527	52,302	3,327,834
Exeter	92,550	5,429,442	3,202,041	1,796,921	—	97,959	1,894,880
* Registrar General's estimates of population adjusted for boundary changes at 1st April, 1968.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if Her Majesty's Government will undertake to pay in the year 1969–70 an appropriate level of rate support grant which will reflect the additional burdens being placed by central upon local government.

The R ate Support Grant Order for 1969–70 which my right hon. Friend will in due course bring

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what action he proposes to take on the recommendations of the Select Committee on Science and Technology resulting from the Committee's consideration of the Torrey Canyon incident.

The Government's observations on the Report of the Select Committee will be published shortly.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what are the rateable values, the 1968 rate yield and the 1968 rate support grants for all the English county boroughs with a population between 90,000 and 110,000.

The information is as follows:before the House will provide for the payment of grant on the estimated total of relevant expenditure by local authorities taking account of all the burdens upon them.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government when he proposes to announce the scale of Government contribution to local relief funds following on recent flooding; and whether such contribution will be on the basis of indemnifying local authorities for necessary expenditure incurred.

The Government will announce their contribution to local relief funds when they are able to determine what will be an appropriate amount. This contribution will be determined independently of any assistance which may be given to local authorities in respect of their own expenditure and which will have regard to the scale of the damage, the availability of specific grants and insurance, and the extent of local resources.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how much assistance was given from Government sources for the preservation of buildings of historic or special interest in the last four years to York, Chester, Norwich, Oxford and Cambridge.

During the four years up to October, 1968, grants under the Historic Buildings and Ancient Monuments Act, 1953, have been made as follows:

	£
York	21,646
Chester	7,696
Norwich	1,857
Oxford	100,000
Cambridge	14,660

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will instruct the Land Commission to cancel the request for information containing 12 questions by the North Western Regional Office in respect of the transfer of the fee simple of 29·5 square yards forming part of the Parkfield Estate, Nantwich, on 28th May, 1968, to the Merseyside and North Wales Electricity Board for the sum of £25.

No. This is a matter for the Land Commission. My right hon. Friend has no power to intervene in the treatment of individual levy cases.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government in how many cases he has refused to provide funds to remove pit tips because he was unable to approve of the use to which the reclaimed land was to be put.

My right hon. Friend is not aware of any case where grant has been refused for the reason my hon. Friend states, though he would not pay grant generally for the expensive operation of removing a pit heap, as distinct from grassing it over or landscaping it, unless the land was to be used for a purpose that justified the expense.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what conditions he attaches to the granting of financial assistance towards the cost of clearing land which has become derelict because of it ceasing to have certain industrial use.

The Acts impose certain conditions. For example, the Industrial Development Act requires that a scheme should contribute to industrial development in the area. My right hon. Friend does not himself impose conditions, and it is his aim to give financial assistance to all schemes which are sound technically and which the local authorities concerned consider would benefit the neighbourhood.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will refuse consent to Sheffield Corporation selling off publicly-owned land, acquired by compulsory purchase order, to private builders.

Any such application from Sheffield Corporation for consent to dispose of land they now hold will be considered on the merits of the case.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will introduce legislation to establish equity in financial responsibility for the provision of local authority services of all kinds by removing the anomalies of the rating system; and if he will make a statement.

There will have to be a comprehensive review of the source of local government finance in the light of any proposals for the reorganisation of the structure of local government following the report of the Royal Commission, but meanwhile a number of improvements such as rate rebates and subsidies for domestic ratepayers have been made to the present rating system.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will take steps to prevent the sale of foreshore save for harbour and industrial development, except in cases in which his consent has been given.

Decisions whether to allow sales of Crown foreshore are made by the Crown Estate Commissioners, and my right hon. Friend's consent is not required. The Commissioners' general policy is to sell foreshore only when it is to be reclaimed by public authorities for statutory purposes or is required to complete small extensions to existing non-Crown establishments. If my hon. Friend has a particular case in mind, perhaps he would care to write to me.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what steps he is taking to ensure that increases in water charges are justifiable under the Prices and Incomes Policy.

I am sending my hon. Friend a copy of a recent circular to water undertakers emphasising the relevance of the productivity, prices and incomes policy to water rates and charges; telling them that they should consider increases only when other possibilities of closing the gap between income and expenditure have been exhausted; and urging the need for them to give consumers a full explanation in simple and specific terms of the reasons for any increases which are unavoidable.A copy of the circular has been placed in the Library.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will now state the contents of the legislation he proposes to initiate regarding long leasehold dwellings where film is a variable service charge recoverable as rent, in view of the fact that at present such dwellings are unsaleable by the tenant-owners, building societies refuse to advance upon the security of them and existing tenant-owners stand to lose about £100 million of the money which they paid for them.

I would refer the hon. Member to the Answer I gave yesterday to the Question on this subject by the hon. Member for Woking (Mr. Onslow) and to the Answer which I gave to him as long ago as 23rd July.—[Vol. 769, c. 63–4; Vol. 770, c. 33.]

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will publish in table form the number of houses built to let and the number built for sale in the county borough of Huddersfield for each year since 1945, and the number of houses without inside toilets and/or bathrooms in each year when a census was taken.

All the dwellings built in the county borough of Huddersfield for the local authority since the war were for letting. None were for sale. Information is not available on the division of private housing between those built for letting and those for owner occupation but it is believed that there is little private building for letting.Details of the dwellings completed since 1945 in Huddersfield are given in the table below.The numbers of dwellings in Huddersfield without a fixed bath at the time of each of the three post-war Censuses have been estimated as:

1951	18,700
1961	14,200
1966	11,200

Information on inside water closets was not collected before the 1966 sample census; there were then an estimated 10,100 dwellings without this amenity.

HUDDERSFIELD C.B.
ANNUAL COMPLETIONS
(EXCLUDING TEMPORARY HOUSES)
		Number of dwellings
Year	Local Authority	Private Enterprise	Total
1945	—	—	—
1946	4	83	87
1947	59	52	111
1948	274	20	294
1949	283	8	291
1950	218	46	264
1951	278	42	320
1952	496	65	561
1953	475	144	619
1954	494	232	726
1955	497	231	728
1956	272	290	562
1957	392	365	757
1958	240	326	566
1959	63	417	480
1960	140	366	506
1961	317	378	695
1962	161	353	514
1963	24	325	349
1964	151	395	546
1965	147	394	541
1966	285	362	647
1967	213	300	513

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what progress is being made to reach agreement with Brighton on the level of increase of council rents.

Local Authority			Housing subsidy 1967–68	Dwellings in Housing Revenue Account, March. 1967	Housing subsidy 1968–69	Estimated number of dwellings in Housing Revenue Account, Mid-1968
			£000		£000
Leeds C.B.C.	…	…	1,622	60,909	1,938	63,730
Liverpool C.B.C.	…	…	2,136	88,257	2,500*	92,310
Manchester C.B.C.	…	…	1,772	75,045	2,000*	77,920
Newcastle-upon-Tyne C.B.C.	…	…	797	36,703	850*	38,320
Birmingham C.B.C.	…	…	3,760	135,460	4,554	146,310
Coventry C.B.C.	…	…	637	25,041	650*	26,290
Nottingham C.B.C.	…	…	652	36,961	680*	37,990
Derby C.B.C.	…	…	253	17,230	265*	17,760
Sheffield C.B.C.	…	…	1,613	64,206	1,800*	66,650
			* Estimated figures.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government, in view of the fact that the quota for

My right hon. Friend has welcomed the council's decision to introduce a rent rebate scheme based on the principles which he has recommended to local housing authorities, and to abandon the further rent increases which they had proposed to introduce in October, 1968.The increases which came into effect on 1st April, 1968 involve an average increase in standard rent of 9s. 1d. a week. My right hon. Friend considers that an average increase in standard rent in excess of 7s. 6d. a week is not justified in this case and, in accordance with his powers under the Prices and Incomes Act, 1968, he has directed the Council to submit, not later than 7th December, 1968, proposals for reducing rents so as to mitigate the 1st April increases.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will list in the OFFICIAL REPORT the amount of housing subsidy paid by the central government to each of the county boroughs of Leeds. Liverpool. Manchester, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Birmingham, Coventry, Nottingham, Derby and Sheffield in 1967–68, the number of municipal dwellings owned by each of these authorities in 1967, and comparable figures for 1968–69 and 1968 as nearly as these can be estimated.

The information is as follows:—Macclesfield for house purchase advances for the second half-year has been reduced by some £10,000, whether he will in future adhere to the proposed allocation in order to clarify the position for local authorities.

The quotas of all authorities have had to be reduced by 20 per cent. because of the overriding need to restrain public expenditure and borrowing. I cannot give an assurance that future proposed allocations will remain unchanged throughout any one year.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will now make a statement about the agreement with the Motor Insurers' Bureau in relation to compensation for victims of hit-and-run accidents.

Yes. We have reached agreement with the Motor Insurers' Bureau cm a new procedure in these cases. I would like to thank the Bureau for their co-operation in this matter in discussions which have necessarily been complex and lengthy, and for their agreement to bear additional costs which the Agreement will involve.The new Agreement, between the Minister of Transport and the Motor Insurers' Bureau, will apply to accidents occurring after the date the Agreement comes into operation. The main points are as follows. Under the terms of the Agreement, the Bureau will accept applications for payments in respect of death or injury as a result of an accident involving the use of a motor vehicle on the road in Great Britain where the person responsible, or—in certain circumstances—partly responsible, for the accident cannot be traced, and the untraced driver's liability to the injured person is one which is required to be insured under the Road Traffic Act, 1960.The Bureau will arrange for the circumstances of the accident to be fully investigated, and, when this has been done, will decide whether to make an award and, if so, how much. The Bureau's awards will be based broadly on common law damages. The Bureau will then notify their decision to the applicant, giving their reasons. Their decision will be accompanied by a statement setting out the circumstances of the accident and facts relevant to the assessment of the amount, if any, to be awarded. Unless within six weeks the applicant disputes the decision, either because the Bureau has decided not to make an award or because he considers the sum awarded too small, the award, if any, will be paid.If the applicant disputes the Bureau's decision he will have the right of appeal to an arbitrator selected from a panel of Queen's Counsel appointed by the Lord Chancellor or, if the accident happened in Scotland, from a similar panel appointed by the Lord Advocate. For the purpose of such an appeal the statements and correspondence passing between the Bureau and the applicant will be sent to the arbitrator, who will have power to ask the Bureau to investigate further in order to clarify any matter, and will finally decide on the basis of the written material before him, and in the light of the grounds of the appeal. whether the Bureau should make an award and, if so, the amount. The Bureau have agreed to pay the arbitrator's fee, unless the arbitrator decides in his discretion that it should be paid by the applicant because there were no reasonable grounds for the appeal.The Agreement will also deal with detailed points such as the Bureau's right to require an identified driver whom they consider to have been at least partially responsible for the accident to be sued, and the calculation of the amount to be paid by the Bureau in a case where an identified driver and an unidentified one were jointly responsible.The Agreement will thus retain the advantages to victims of such accidents of the present

asked the Minister of Transport if he will review the bus fares of children of 14 years of age and upwards still attending school; and if he will make a statement.

These fares are a matter for the bus undertakings concerned, subject to the provisions of the Travel Concessions Acts where these apply and subject to the approval of the Traffic Commissioners in other cases. Most undertakings give reduced fares for older pupils on journeys to and from school or college.

asked the Minister of Transport what applications have been made to him for the investment of British money to finance the proposed Channel Tunnel and Channel Bridge; and what replies he has given to such applications.

None. The British and French Governments agreed in 1964 that a rail tunnel was the preferable form for a fixed cross-channel link. Subsequent invitations to submit financing proposals were limited to that basis.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to ensure that where the privilege of receiving persons as honorary Members in any club which is affiliated to the Club and Institute Union has been granted, no club will be allowed to withhold this privilege from a qualified member on the grounds of race or colour.

No, but I deplore racial discrimination in private clubs and the Government expect all organisations of clubs actively to discourage it.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about the protection of badgers in connection with the current League against Cruel Sports campaign, details of which have been sent to him.