asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many additional civil servants are employed by his Department in connection with the investiture of the Prince of Wales; what is the total annual cost of their employment; and if this sum is included in the total estimate of £200,000 for the investiture.

Four, at an approximate cost of £7,000. This sum was not included in the items of expenditure referred to in my reply to the hon. Member for South Ayrshire (Mr. Emrys Hughes) on 8th July.—[Vol. 768, c. 26.]

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give an assurance that any public money saved or profits made from the Investiture of the Prince of Wales will be directed to amenity improvements in Aberfan and other areas hit by mine closures.

No. Receipts will be taken into account in the normal way as appropriations in aid and set against the expenditure of my Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish the names of the political parties which will be invited on behalf of Her Majesty's Government to send representatives to the Investiture of the Prince of Wales; and how many seats have been allocated for this purpose.

As it is intended to invite representatives of both Houses of Parliament to attend the Investiture Ceremony, the various political parties will be adequately represented.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what invitations to be present at the investiture of the Prince of Wales are to be sent on behalf of Her Majesty's Government to representative English bodies and Members of Parliament without special ties with the Principality.

It has been agreed that the Investiture will be primarily a Welsh occasion and most of the seats available inside the Castle will be allocated to representatives of various aspects of Welsn national life. There will however, be a small allocation to Ambassadors, High Commissioners, representatives of other parts of the United Kingdom and representatives of both Houses of Parliament.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what is the amount of aproved expenditure on trunk roads within Pembrokeshire for the current year.

About £280,000 in the current financial year.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what is the total estimated expenditure on construction, maintenance and servicing of roads in Wales in the financial year 1968–69.

About £30 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of the total Government expenditure on motorways and dual carriageways he estimates will have been spent in Wales during 1967 to 1970.

The emphasis of the Welsh road programme is on dual carriageways other than motorways. I regret that English figures are not available to enable the comparison asked for by the hon. Member to be made.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of the Government expenditure on roads in the 52 counties of England and Wales he estimates will have been spent in the years 1967–70 in the six counties of Western Wales, namely, Carmarthen, Pembroke, Cardigan, Merioneth, Caernarvon and Anglesey.

1·5 per cent. in 1966–67 and 1·7 per cent. (provisional) in 1967–68. Figures for the two subsequent years are expected to be of the same order.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales, whether he will take steps to ensure that, in any public inquiry consequent upon an application for compulsory purchase of land for any reservoirs in Wales, objectors in the form of the owners and occupiers of land will be entitled to legal representation at the cost of the acquiring authority or the State, irrespective of the conclusions of the inquiry.

The Government have accepted the main recommendations on the award of costs at statutory inquiries that were made in the relevant Report of the Council on Tribunals (Cmnd. 2471). The reasons for limiting the award of costs to successful objectors in compulsory purchase cases were explained to the hon. and learned Member in correspondence earlier this year.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will now give a starting date for the proposed Carmarthen-St. Clears dual carriageway road.

I have nothing to add to the replies given to the hon. Member on 2nd November, 1967 and 8th February, 1968.—[Vol. 753, c. 15–16; Vol. 758, c. 230–1.]

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will refer to the National Board for Prices and Incomes the proposed increases in water charges in Abergavenny Borough, consequent on its inclusion in the Gwent Water Board.

No. The charges referred to by my hon. Friend are minimum and maximum charges within which, it is proposed, the Board would operate. Their reasonableness will be one of the matters for my right hon. Friend to decide in the light of the evidence presented at the public inquiry which is to be held on 30th October.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he now expects to be able to make further improvements in the provision of nursery education; and if he will make a statement.

The Urban Aid Programme will enable 23 local education authorities and 11 Inner London Boroughs to extend nursery provision in areas where it is most needed.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what progress has been made in establishing a degree course in toxicology; and if he will make a statement.

This is a matter for consideration by individual universities. I understand that the University of Surrey are considering the introduction of a first degree course in toxicology.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what further proposals he has to advance parent-teacher co-operation.

A survey of parent-teacher relations in primary schools as recommended in the Plowden Report will be published by my Department on 5th November. The Department has also held two national conferences of teachers and parents on this subject, and another is planned. From these conferences are emerging local conferences and study groups.I attach the highest importance to these developments.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he is aware that bulldozing the topsoil and undergrowth on Ditchling Common is damaging the exceptional ecological value of this site of special scientific interest; if he will consult with the Natural Environment Research Council; and if he will make a statement.

The Nature Conservancy (a component body of the Natural Environment Research Council) were informed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food that the owners of the rights regarding the soil, the Ditchling Common and Tenantry Down Co., Ltd., had applied for a grant to plough and reseed to grass 50 acres. The most important part of the common, scientifically, lies near the fishpond and, as a result of consultation, the company agreed to exclude from their proposals an area in the vicinity of the fishpond and, further, that another area should remain untreated by chemicals.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proposals he has in the field of computer educational policy to establish training programmes to meet the manpower requirements of the expanding computer industry.

An extensive range of computer education courses has been established in the technical colleges. I will send my hon. Friend a recent Departmental Bulletin giving details of these and where they are to be found. Training programmes also continue to be provided on a large scale by computer manufacturers and users.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many pupils in schools under his authority study computers and other modern business developments; and what facilities he provides by way of industrial scholarships to enable those pupils to secure jobs when they finish their courses

Information about numbers of pupils studying particular subjects is not available in my Department. I understand however that an increasing number of pupils have access to computers and business studies are being developed in a number of schools. Experiments in the linked use of a computer between schools and institutions of higher education are going ahead in several areas. The Department of Education does not award industrial scholarships, but awards for first degrees in these subjects are offered by local authorities; and a number are made by business concerns.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list in the OFFICIAL REPORT total expenditure by the central government on recurrent account and capital account, respectively, on primary, secondary, further and higher education, respectively, in each of the financial years 1963–64 to 1967–68, inclusive, showing the percentage of expenditure devoted to each sector in each of the years in question.

I shall be writing to my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list in the OFFICIAL REPORT the total capital value of university building in progress, excluding minor works, in each year from 1963 to 1967, inclusive, and the estimated figure for 1968.

I regret that this information is not available, but I am writing to my hon. Friend to explain the position.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list in the OFFICIAL REPORT the total capital value of university buildings, excluding minor works, authorised to be started in each year from 1963 to 1967, inclusive, and the estimated figure for 1968.

The value of authorised programmes, excluding minor works costing less than £20,000, is as follows:

	£ million
1963 (calendar year)	28·9
1964 (calendar year)	46·9
1965 (January)-1966 (March)	44·3
1966–67 (financial year)	37·7
1967–68 (financial year)	30·6
1968–69 (financial year)	17·3

asked the secretary of State for Education and Science what progress has been made in the country of Northumberland to establish a scheme of comprehensive education; and whether he will make a statement.

The Authority's reorganisation plan, which was approved by my predecessor last January, is to be implemented in stages during the next few years. I understand that the Authority hope to reorganise Wallsend, Seaton Delaval and Cranlington in September, 1969 and Killingworth and Longbenton in September, 1970. Local consultations on the implementation of the scheme for the Morpeth district are now taking place.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the work of his Department so far as it affects sport during the last three months.

During the last three months my Department has continued with its work of encouraging and supporting the development of amateur sport and physical recreation in England and Wales, with the advice of the Sports Council. This has included the implementation of the schemes for assisting British participation in the Olympic Games, including pre-Olympic training. As has already been announced, the grant to the British Olympic Committee in respect of the actual cost of participation is likely to be in the region of £50,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he is satisfied with the way the agreement on the supervision of school meals is being implemented; and if he will make a statement.

In many schools the new arrangements are working satisfactorily; in others the parties have yet to reach a satisfactory agreement. I am confident that this can be achieved if the principles clearly set out in the report are applied with goodwill and determination on both sides.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs if he will make a statement on the report of the Confederation of British Industry on the Government's regional development policies, copies of which have been sent to him.

I have agreed to meet representatives of the Confederation.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs if he will make a further statement on the progress the Northern Economic Planning Council has made in its study of the prospects of the various sub-divisions of the region.

In recent months the Planning Council and Board have been concentrating on the preparation of a draft strategy for future economic development over the region as a whole. The Planning Board has also been engaged on the special development area studies called for in the White Paper on Fuel Policy.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs what progress has been made by the Northern Economic Planning Council in its investigation of the setting up of a large industrialised building factory in the Northern Region.

The discussions which the Chairman of the Planning Council has had with building component manufacturers and large-scale users, such as New Town managements and local authorities, suggest that prospects for development of this kind will be greater when further progress has been made towards the change over to the metric system.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs when he now expects to receive the Yorkshire and Humberside Economic Planning Council's study of the Colne Valley-Huddersfield area; and whether this will be on approximately the same scale and statistical base as that of the recent Calder Valley-Halifax study.

I understand that the factual part of this study in now in the final stages of preparation and that it is hoped that the full report, including the Economic Planning Council's proposals, will be ready early next year. The study is broadly on the same scale and statistical basis as the study of the Halifax-Calder Valley area.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs when the Report of the Hunt Committee will now be available.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave earlier today to a similar Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Kingston upon Hull, West (Mr. James Johnson).

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs if he will make a statement on the planning proposals for the Northern Region.

As a sequel to their regional study, the Northern Economic Planning Council have now prepared a draft strategy for future economic development in the Northern Region. This document is shortly to be discussed with the body representing local planning authorities in the Region.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs what help he proposes to give local authorities in grey areas to retain existing employment opportunities.

The Hunt Committee which has been studying the problems of these areas is due to report shortly, and my right hon. Friend will reassess the position in the light of their recommendations.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs how many days since October, 1967, when he was allocated responsibilities for the Northern Region, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster has spent in the North-Eastern Region.

I have spent 18 days in the Northern Region in the course of eleven visits.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development what plans he has for assisting the development of marinas in the United Kingdom's overseas territories; and if he will give a list of those territories concerned.

No proposals are before me at the moment for the use of aid funds for this purpose in dependent territories.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development what conclusions he has reached after considering the report on the possibility of establishing a hotel school in Fiji; and if he will make a statement.

The hon. Member is presumably referring to a survey of the need for hotel training undertaken earlier this year by a hotel training adviser from the International Labour Office. This report will be made to the Fijian Government, who I understand have not yet received it.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development, if he will list the amount of direct British financial aid to all countries; and if, from figures available to him from international sources, he will express such aid as a percentage of the total budget of each country.

Figures on British aid to individual countries are provided in Table 20 of my Ministry's publication "British Aid Statistics" which is available in the Library of the House. It would be misleading to express the figures as a percentage of budget income in recipient countries particularly as in many cases budget income does not include development aid receipts.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development how many students from developing countries starting courses in 1965, 1966 and 1967, respectively, have been assisted by his Department, and at what cost; and if he will give a breakdown of the total into the kind of courses undertaken.

The numbers both of students and of trainees who arrived from developing countries and were assisted by my Department in 1965, 1966 and 1967 are shown in my Department's publications "British Aid" June 1966, "British Aid" June 1967 and "British Aid Statistics" 1963 to 1967.Summary tables are given below which show the subjects of study and the field of training for all these persons.

		Students
Subject of Study	1965	1966	1967
Humanities	51	48	2
Education	635	696	780
Fine Arts	28	35	48
Law	38	34	54
Social Science	108	62	325
Economics	90	160	173
Natural Sciences	97	159	99
Engineering	110	162	301
Medical Science	268	282	366
Agriculture	85	96	220
Other	17	6	22
Total	1,527	1,740	2,440

		Trainees
Field of Training	1965	1966	1967
Education	829	715	573
Development Planning	158	79	79
Public Administration	691	856	651
Social Services	418	314	378
Works and Communications	341	369	379
Industry and Commerce	603	578	415
Agriculture	244	182	142
Health	340	273	333
Other	297	223	246
Total	3,921	3,589	3,196

My Department's disbursements for students and trainees under its own schemes, and excluding those of the British Council (for reasons explained in Note 13 of the general introduction to the tables in "British Aid Statistics"), in the three years were £3·5 million, £3·9 million and £5·7 million respectively. It is not yet possible to divide these sums between students and trainees.The distinction between students and trainees is that the former are persons on systematic courses of instruction in British institutions of higher education (such as universities, technical colleges and teacher training colleges) at both undergraduate and postgraduate level; while the latter are persons receiving mainly nonacademic, practical and vocational train-

ing, or training through visiting tours, or attending

asked the Postmaster-General, if he is aware of the hardship caused to many telephone subscribers by the imposition of a reconnection charge of £20 when they move house; and if he will waive this charge when a subscriber has been obliged to move by a local authority carrying out a clearance scheme.

The connection charge reflects the cost of providing the exchange line to a particular house. I cannot make modifications to this charge according to the circumstances in which a customer moves house.

asked the Postmaster-General, if he will establish an interdepartmental study group to consider ways and means of providing a low cost telephone rental service for the chronic sick, infirm and aged who live alone; and if he will make a statement.

Research into the communications needs of the people my hon. Friend mentions is already in progress at Essex University. The Research Fellowship, endowed by the Post Office, was established in January, 1968. A full report will be available in 1970.

asked the Postmaster-General why it is impossible to make contact with a subscribers' telephone number in Deal in less than two or three efforts made by the operator at 100 in the London area, particularly in the evening.

I regret that the telephone service at Deal was poor at the time the hon. Gentleman put down his Question. This was because of unusually heavy evening traffic, together with a shortage of operators at the exchange and shortage of lines between Canterbury and Deal. I am pleased to say the situation has since improved.

asked the Postmaster-General what is the cost of the current advertising campaign announcing the 4d. and 5d. post.

asked the Postmaster-General how much money was spent on commercial publicity for the General Post Office for the years 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966 and 1967, respectively.

The current campaign will cost approximately £240,000. Following are the figures for earlier years:

	Publicity	Recruitment Publicity
	£	£
1963–64	919,000	361,000
1964–65	730,000	706,000
1965–66	686,000	1,043,000
1966–67	653,000	956,000
1967–68	1,146,000	988,000

asked the Postmaster-General what instructions he has issued to his staff with the object of ensuring that letters carrying 5d. stamps should be delivered more promptly than those carrying 4d. stamps; and what instructions he has given for the setting aside, diversion or storage of the latter to ensure that end.

According to instructions first class letters are given priority treatment at all stages. Second class mail is scheduled for a slower service and is dealt with in a manner designed to minimise costs of handling.

asked the Postmaster-General, (1) how many representations he has received regarding the new postal service for letters; and how many of these have, in general, been critical of the new arrangements;(2) whether he is satisfied with the results of the new postal service for letters; and if he will make a statement.

Many hundreds, most of which have been critical in some degree of the new arrangements.About 30 per cent, of the mail is now being sent at first class rate. I expect the proportion will increase gradually to meet our objective of 32 per cent. It has increased from about 25 per cent. in the first few days. There have been mistakes leading to delays in both first and second class services, but I am satisfied that we are delivering the vast majority of first class letters the day after posting and of the second class letters within two days of posting.

asked the Postmaster-General what conversations or negotiations he had with the International Postal Union before introducing the two-tier system; and if he will make a statement on this aspect of the matter.

The Universal Postal Union is concerned only with the international postal services. There was, therefore, no need for us to consult other members of the Union before introducing our internal two-tier system.The system has nevertheless been discussed internationally several times. Its intrinsic merit has been widely recognised, especially where postal authorities are faced with having to process a constantly increasing volume of mail within a relatively short space of time if they are to maintain the quality of their service for urgent mail. As a result, some administrations are already planning two-tier systems of their own; and they and many others are watching developments here with the keenest interest.

asked the Postmaster-General whether, since the 5d. post is made necessary because most letters are posted between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., he will now seek to relieve this congestion by charging 5d. for letters posted after 3 p.m. but only 4d. for letters posted earlier in the day, all mail being delivered by the first post the next day.

No. The increase in postage was necessary to enable the Post Office to meet its financial target.We have for many years encouraged the early posting of printed papers by despatching on the same day those posted before an advertised time, but the quantity posted early remained very small.If we arranged that letters posted after a fixed time would be delivered next day at an extra charge, there would be serious practical difficulties in preventing posting of lower-rate items after the prescribed time and in handling them. A better way of meeting customers' posting needs, and of assisting postal operations, is to give the customer a choice of service throughout the day, as we are now doing.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will make a statement on the operation of the two-price postal service.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will make a statement on the working of the alterations in the postal system, with special reference to the two-tier and two-price system for ordinary letters and the changes in times of their delivery.

I would refer my hon. Friends to my Answer earlier today to the hon. Member for Glasgow, Cathcart (Mr. Edward M. Taylor).

asked the Postmaster-General what are his plans for the future of his two-tier postal system, in view of his recent experience of that system.

I am keeping the service under constant review to ensure that we achieve our service objectives.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will state the changes in organisation, mechanisation and personnel caused in his Department by the two-tier postage system.

The main change has been the increase in the amount of mail which can be deferred so as to reduce our peak working problems. This is a matter of degree; there is no fundamental change in the system of operation, the machinery used or the conditions of employment of the staff.

asked the Postmaster-General if he is aware that his new discriminating two-tier class postage system inflicts hardship on poor people, particularly old age pensioners; and if he will now revert to the former one-class system.

Reversion to the previous system will mean that all our customers would have to pay 5d. on ordinary letters. The new system means that people can continue to send their less urgent letters for 4d.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will state the number of overtime hours worked by postmen in a representative week before and after the new postal service for letters was introduced.

The new service is still settling down, and the new pattern of working has not yet fully evolved. It is therefore too early to make a proper comparison.

asked the Postmaster-General on what principle stamps are issued to commemorate notable anniversaries in British history.

We look for anniversaries of current national and international significance or of wide historical interest and appeal. We aim also to include from time to time events and anniversaries of particular importance to the various countries making up the United Kingdom.

asked the Postmaster-General if he is aware that the information contained in the new official booklet now available in Fareham, entitled British Post and Telephone Services 1968, was out of date before it was received, in that there is no mention of the new two-tier postal charges; how much this publication has cost; how much it will cost to reissue it; and when the correct information will be available in this form.

This booklet was designed to give foreign visitors to this country information about postal and telephone services and charges operative during this summer up to 16th September. Instructions were issued at the time of distribution for its withdrawal on that date.The cost was £5,800. The booklet will not be reissued this year.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware of the growing number of complaints concerning the delivery of mail throughout all parts of the South Coast which have to go through the Brighton head post office; and whether he will give reasons for the delays especially complained of by the Machinery Publishing Company Limited of New England House, New England Street, Brighton, of which the hon. Member for Brighton, Pavilion, has sent him particulars.

There has not been a large increase in complaints about the postal service from Brighton to the South Coast. I am sorry to learn of the troubles this firm has had. I will write to the hon. Gentleman when my inquiries are complete.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will give details of the progress of the Giro system indicating the present number of depositors; what proposals he has for its future development; what was the cost to the Exchequer of the changes recently made; and what estimate he has made of the profits resulting from those changes.

The National Giro is opening for service on Friday, 18th October. An announcement giving the number of applications to open Giro accounts will be made very shortly. I will be considering a number of improvements to Giro services in the light of experience. The cost of revising the Giro application form was not borne by the Exchequer and was in any case negligible. The increase in profit which will result by making the service more attractive is not identifiable.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he will give for any convenient stated period the number of television and sound receiving licence reminders sent out by his Department, the cost involved, and the return in revenue resultant upon these activities.

In 1966–67, the last complete year for which the information is available, 18·7 million sound and television licence reminders were sent out at an estimated cost of £350,000. The revenue paid by the addressees was £65 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what is the average rate of unemployment for Wales to the latest convenient date; how this compares with the rate in England; which are the three worst areas in Wales; what are their rates, respectively; and how soon she expects to eliminate all unemployment in Wales.

At 9th September the percentage rates of unemployment for Wales and England were 4·0 and 2·1 respectively. Employment Exchange or travel-to-work areas in Wales with the highest percentage rates of unemployment at that date were Caerphilly (9·8), Milford Haven (8·2) and Ystalyfera (7·6).I do not expect to be able to eliminate all unemployment in Wales, but Government assistance to the development areas is expected to produce a marked reduction in the disparity between the level of unemployment in the Welsh Development Area and the national level over the next three years.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity, what is the average industrial and agricultural wage, respectively, for men over 21 years of age in Wales; and how this compares with the English figures.

In April, 1968, the latest date for which figures are available, the average weekly earnings of male manual workers, 21 years and over, in the industries covered by the Department's half-yearly inquiries were £21 17s. 9d. in Wales and £22 8s. 8d. in England. As the hon. Member knows, the industrial composition of the two countries differs.Agriculture is not included in the Department's half-yearly inquiries, but my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food informs me that, for male agricultural workers, 20 years and over, the average weekly earnings were £14 13s. 7d. in Wales and £15 6s. 1d. in England in the year ended 31st March, 1968. The earnings of agricultural workers include the value of allowances in kind.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what are the average earnings in York and nationally in the chocolate and confectionery, railway, engineering and catering industries.

Information is not available about earnings in individual industries in local areas. National figures of average earnings are compiled for cocoa, chocolate and confectionery manufacture, engineering and the railways. At present, however, no figures are collected for catering.Following is the information available for Yorkshire and Humberside region and for the country as a whole:

ADULT MALE MANUAL WORKERS
Average weekly earnings in April, 1968
Industry (group)	Yorkshire and Humher side region			Nationally
	£	s.	d.	£	s.	d.
Cocoa, chocolate and sugar confectionery	20	16	7	21	2	9*
Engineering and electrical goods	20	16	6	22	3	8*
Railways (all wages staff)	Not available			21	17	0†
* United Kingdom: derived from the Department's April and October enquiries.
† Derived from the British Rail Census of Staff: April, 1968.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what increase in unemployment is likely to occur in Catrine, Ayrshire as a result of the proposed closing of John Finlays textile mill; and what proposals she has for dealing with it.

As redundancies from this mill are being phased over about two months starting next week and employment prospects within daily travelling distance are reasonably good, I am hopeful that most of the redundant workers will find new jobs without a period of unemployment. My local officers are already helping them to do this.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what steps she has taken to assess the training and retraining requirements for new skills in the Northern Region; and if she will make a statement.

The extent of Government Training Centre facilities and the actual trades taught are kept under regular review to ensure that they are in line with the demand for new skills in the Northern Region. With the opening of the Maryport Centre this month, the region now has five centres, and three more are to be set up by the end of 1970. We shall shortly be introducing new trades such as boring, electrical fitting, and electronic wiring and circuit testing, and the training in some existing trades is being modernised. Training can also be biased to meet the needs of individual employers.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what is the nature and progress of the work carried out in Scotland under the Industrial Training Act 1964 since it was enacted; how many workers have been redeployed; in which areas; and which trades have been principally involved.

The Industrial Training Boards are promoting training at all levels in Scottish firms as in other parts of Great Britain. Twelve boards have established a Scottish regional or area organisation for this purpose. The Scottish Committee of the Central Training Council has kept in close touch with developments under the Act and has been especially active in encouraging group training and co-operation between boards. The number of Government Training Centres in Scotland has trebled since 1964 and these provide courses in a wide range of trades. Information about the total number of redeployed workers is not however available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what were, by sexes, ages and employment, the number of unemployed persons in Aberdeen to the latest convenient date.

I have nothing to add to the reply given to a similar Question on 14th October.—[Vol. 770. c. 12.]

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether official Government and Parliamentary mail will go by the 5d. or the 4d. postal service.

On mail from Government Departments I would refer the hon. Member to the Answer given by my hon. and learned Friend in reply to the hon. Member for Moray and Nairn (Mr. G. Campbell) on 14th October. On Parliamentary mail, as my hon. and learned Friend said, members have discretion to use the first or second class mail services according to the urgency of their communications.Official paid envelopes for both services will be made available to members for this purpose.—[Vol. 770, c.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what instructions have been given to Government Departments regarding the despatch of letters under the new postal arrangements.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Peterborough (Sir Harmar Nicholls) on 14th October, 1968.—

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what action his Department is taking to keep in good repair the public roads in the Tunnel Hill area of Pirbright for which he is responsible; and what response he has made to proposals by the Surrey County Council that the latter should adopt these roads.

The roads in question are maintained, by the Ministry of Public Building and Works on behalf of the Ministry of Defence. We shall shortly be having further discussions with the Surrey County Council about the terms on which they are prepared to accept responsibility for these roads. I shall be writing to the hon. Member in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the total estimated expenditure on construction, maintenance and servicing of roads in Scotland in the financial year 1968–9.

About £62 million, including estimated local authority expenditure and also expenditure on road lighting and car parks.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland why the Government has refused to renew its grant to Community Service Volunteers at a time when it is increasing the grants to other voluntary organisations.

I have not made any such refusal. The Community Service Volunteers have a grant from me of £1,000 a year towards the salary and expenses of their Field Officer in Scotland for an experimental period of three years to 31st May, 1970. The question of renewal will only arise then. Assistance to Community Service Volunteers for their work in England and Wales is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Science.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will appoint a woman to the British Railways Board.

My right hon. Friend had no candidate immediately in mind, but he is always ready to consider anyone who will bring the right qualities and experience to the Board.

asked the Minister of Transport what lengths of dual carriageway roads have been completed in England during the last 12 months.

Figures for the 12 months up to October 1968 are not yet available. In the 12 months up to June 1968, some 125 miles of dual carriageway trunk road were completed in England, including 63 miles of motorway.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will state the lengths of motorways and dual carriageway roads which will be started in England in 1969.

The present programme allows for work to start in 1969 on some 175 miles of motorway, and over 50 miles of other dual carriageway trunk road.

asked the Prime Minister what steps he proposes to take to establish permanent and adequate machinery for examining difficulties to which population growth will give rise.

I would refer the right hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave to a supplementary Question by him on 25th June. [Vol. 767, c. 243–4.]

asked the Prime Minister (1) if he will take steps at and by and through the National Economic Development Council to assist in making the land of large inherited estates available for the ownership and utility of the occupying tenants on those estates;(2) in view of the large number and areas of inherited estates, as distinguished from estates bought by their present owners, and of the unsatisfactory nature of the resulting system of ownership which inflicts loss on the nation, if he will set up a commission to devise means of terminating this system and using the land and privileges for the benefit of the nation.

There are already adequate powers of compulsory purchase which can be used where land is needed for public purposes.

asked the Prime Minister what negotiations he has conducted with the Smith regime in Rhodesia, directly or indirectly, since the end of last July; and what further plans he has to reopen talks.

I would refer the hon. Member to the Statement I made on 15th October.—[Vol. 770, c. 207–23.]

asked the Prime Minister whether he will clarify the second sentence of part v(i) of annex B of Command Paper No. 3793.

If a settlement were reached and Her Majesty's Government were satisfied that it was acceptable to the people of Rhodesia as a whole, an Independence Bill would be introduced in Parliament.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will make a statement on operation "First Look" and the follow-up action he intends to take.

Exercise "First Look" a joint Anglo-American arms control verification exercise, was held in southern England from June to September. The Exercise, the purpose of which was to test in the field possible means of verifying compliance with a hypothetical international agreement limiting conventional land and air forces, provided a valuable opportunity to acquire practical experience of verification problems and techques. Visits by observers from our North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies and from countries participating in the Eighteen Nation Disarmament Committee, as well as by a number of hon. Members, were arranged while the Exercise was in progress. The information produced by the Exercise is now being analysed and it is too soon to draw conclusions from it. But we shall naturally make all possible use of its results in the disarmament negotiations.

asked the Minister of Health if he will publish a table in the OFFICIAL REPORT showing the annual number of abortions carried out in National Health Service hospitals in England and Wales from 1960 to 1967.

Estimates of the numbers of therapeutic abortions carried out in National Health Service hospitals in England and Wales, derived from the sample Hospital In-Patient Inquiry, are as follows. I regret that data are not yet available for 1967.

1960	2,040
1961	2,280
1962	2,830
1963	2,580
1964	3,300
1965	4,530
1966	6,380

ICD (Seventh Revision) Nos. 650.1, 651.1, 652.1.

asked the Minister of Health what further action has now been taken in the public interest with regard to Scientology.

I have nothing to add at present to my reply to the hon. Member for East Grinstead (Mr. G. Johnson Smith) on 25th July.—[Vol. 769, c. 189–91.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many prosecutions have taken place in England and Wales under the Abortion Act, 1967.

There were no prosecutions under Section 2(3) of the Abortion Act, 1967 in the period from 27th April, 1968, when the Act came into force, to 31st July, 1968, the latest date for which statistics are available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is aware that immigrant children now constitute 10·8 per cent. of the school population in Huddersfield, divided almost equally between West Indians and Asians; and if he will take these figures into account when allocating money to those local authorities with special problems.

Huddersfield is one of a number of urban authorities which have been asked to submit proposals for expenditure on nursery provision and child care in the current financial year and 1969–70 which will be eligible for Government aid. One of the factors used in selecting the authorities invited to participate in this initial phase of the Government's urban programme was the percentage of immigrant children in the school population.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many criminal convictions were recorded last year against persons temporarily resident in this country on visitors' permits, including students.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of the prison population is currently employed on mail bag sewing and similar prison employment; and what proportion is employed on work of productive and economic value, such as farm labour.

In 1967, about 57 per cent. of the prison population in England and Wales were employed in workshops, of whom some 6 per cent. were employed in the handsewing of mailbags. About 17 per cent. were engaged in farmwork, building and maintenance work, or were undergoing vocational training or working for outside employers. The remaining 26 per cent. helped to run the essential domestic services of the prisons.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what date the local referenda on Sunday drinking in Welsh counties will take place.

Wednesday, 6th November.

asked the Minister of Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will now approve the urgent request of the Oldham local authority for loan sanction to reinstate the Henshaw Street sub-postmaster for housing and postal services.

I am glad to be able to say that I wrote to my hon. Friend on 14th October, informing him that a loan sanction would be given to the Oldham Council as an exception to the Department's usual policy because there are special circumstances in this case.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will list in the OFFICIAL REPORT the capital debt in respect of housing of each county borough in England and Wales, and the approximate cost to each borough of servicing this debt during the current financial year, assuming no change in bank rate.

The information requested in respect of the current year will not be available until some time after the end of that year. The latest year for which comprehensive information is available is 1966–67, and my hon. Friend may find it useful to consult "Housing Statistics 1966–67" and "Return of Outstanding Debt as at 31st March, 1967", both published by the Institute of Municipal Treasurers and Accountants.

asked the Minister of Social Security whether, for the purpose of calculating supplementary benefit, she will consider allowing a higher level of receipts from charities to be disregarded than of receipts from other sources.

No. My right hon. Friend does not think it would be right to single out such payments for especially favourable treatment as compared with other items of income, for example occupational pensions, but I am writing to the hon. Gentleman.

asked the Minister of Social Security whether she will take steps to exempt from payment of social security contributions all those who retire on public service pensions before the age of 65 years and do not take up further employment

No. Like other non-employed persons, such pensioners can claim exception from contributing if their income, less the cost of the contributions, does not exceed £312 a year; but absence of contributions can affect benefit rights.

asked the President of the Board of Trade to what extent Italian made washing machines exported to this country receive a form of subsidy from the Italian government.

Italian domestic electric washing machines exported to the United Kingdom benefit from a rebate, expressed in lire per kilogram, in respect of certain taxes and customs duties incurred during manufacture. I am unable to say at this stage to what extent this rebate as applied to washing machines contains an element of export subsidy. The British washing machine industry is discussing with my Department the possibility of applying for anti-dumping or countervailing duties.