asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will reconsider his decision to make an ex gratia payment of £20 to Mr. Brewis in compensation for the discomfort and loss of income he suffered from having contracted foot-and-mouth disease.

No, Sir. Mr. Brewis was not an employee of the Ministry. He contracted the disease in the employment of a firm of contractors. During the short period when he stayed away from farms on Ministry advice, he was in receipt of his normal wages. The Ministry has made an ex gratia payment accordingly to the contractors. Mr. Brewis did however suffer a loss of his normal commission earnings. These were partly made up for by the social security benefits which he received, and the Ministry has offered the ex gratia payment of £20 to make up his loss of commission in full.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will introduce legislation to enable men or women who suffered from foot-and-mouth disease to be entitled to compensation.

No sir. Provision of benefit under the Industrial Injury Scheme is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Minister of Social Security.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the annual average saving in capital and running costs to the defence budget by the disbandment of an infantry battalion, an artillery regiment, an armoured regiment and a squadron of Lightnings, respectively.

The average annual running costs of these units in the United Kingdom are £1·4 million, £1·2 million, £2·6 million and £1·5 million respectively; and the capital investments they represent are about £4 million, £2 million, £8 million and £14 million respectively. These figures do not indicate the money which would be saved from disbandment, which would vary according to circumstances.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the annual average saving in capital and running costs to the defence budget by the withdrawal of a type 12 and a type 14 frigate, a guided missile destroyer, and an "Oberon" class submarine, respectively.

The average annual running costs of these units are £0·6 million, £0·3 million, £1·8 million and £0·7 million respectively; and the capital investments they represent are about £4 million, £2 million, £19 million and £5 million respectively. These figures do not indicate the money which would be saved from withdrawal, which would vary according to circumstances.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, whether he will seek an annual return from each local authority showing what it is spending on the arts.

I agree that such a return would be valuable, but it would be difficult for many local authorities to separate their expenditure on entertainment from that on the arts. I will, however, keep the suggestion in mind.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, which local education authorities have not yet submitted any plan for the reorganisation of secondary education on comprehensive lines.

Seven authorities (Bournemouth, Bury, Kingston-upon-Thames, Richmond-upon-Thames, Rutland, Westmorland and Worcester) have formally declined to submit a plan. Eleven authorities (Bath, Bootle, Buckinghamshire, Leicester, Norfolk, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Torbay, Warley, Warrington and Yorkshire, North Riding) have yet to submit a plan. Six authorities (Bexley, Derby, Leeds, Salford, Stockport and Walsall) have withdrawn submitted plans for further review. There are seven authorities (Bolton, Birmingham, Gloucester, Harrow, Hillingdon, Reading and Southend-on-Sea) whose plans have been rejected and which have not yet submitted revised proposals.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, what is to be the rate support grant for capital expenditure in primary and secondary schools expressed as a sum of money per pupil in these schools for 1968–69 for Cornwall, for each of the other local education authorities in the South-West and for England and Wales as a whole.

The rate support grant is a grant in aid of the general revenues of local authorities and it is not possible to attribute any part of it to a particular service or part of a service.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity how many miners have been declared redundant as a result of pit closures in Wales over the past five years; how many have been placed in other industries; how many have accepted retraining at Government training centres; and what is the number of disabled miners declared redundant over the same period.

Information about the total number of miners declared redundant in Wales during the past five years could not be obtained in the time available and I will write to my hon. Friend.Since October 1963 24 colliery workers made redundant by the closure of Welsh pits have accepted training at Government Training Centres. The rest of the information requested is not available for the whole of the five year period. Since June 1966, 707 men have gone to employment in other industries including 479 placed by the Employment Service; 602 disabled miners declared redundant have registered as unemployed; 42 miners have attended courses of industrial rehabilitation.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity how many school leavers were without employment in the week after leaving school his year in the Northern Region; how many are still signing on for employment; and if she will make a statement.

On 12th August 1968, 5,713 summer school leavers were registered at youth employment offices for first employment, and on 14th October, 1968, 1,109. These are the earliest and latest dates for which such figures are available.Youth employment officers are continuing to give all possible help to those school leavers still seeking employment.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what is the estimated percentage increase in rates and earnings arising from the claim by joiners now on strike at Lithgows; on what date the last pay increase was implemented; by what percentage it increased rates and earnings; and if it was consistent with the Government's prices and incomes policy.

The present claim is for an increase in basic rates of 17·5 per cent. and at this stage it is not possible to estimate the effect on earnings. The last increase was implemented in November, 1967, at the time of the merger of the joinery departments of the Scott and Lithgow group and resulted in rate increases ranging from 2·5 to 10·5 per cent. The increase in total earnings was 6·1 per cent. This was part of a productivity arrangement which I am satisfied was consistent with the Government's prices and incomes policy set out in the then current White Paper "Prices and Incomes Policy after 30th June, 1967" (Cmnd. 3235).

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what is the latest figure for the number of men and women, respectively, employed in the hotel and catering industry in Wales.

At June, 1967, the estimated numbers of employees in employment in Wales in catering, hotels, etc. (Minimum List Heading 884 of the Standard Industrial Classification) were 7,800 males and 18,600 females.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity whether she will now intervene in the dispute at Vickers Limited, Barrow, as was done in the recent disputes in the car industry; and why she has not yet done so, in view of the requests made to her Department by the honourable Member for Barrow-in-Furness on 10th July and subsequently.

Officers of my Department have been in close touch with the company and the union since the dispute began. It was not, however, possible as a result of these talks to find a basis on which my Department could bring the two sides together for joint discussions. Close contact is, however, being maintained with both sides and my Department will not hesitate to intervene if at any time this seems useful.

asked the Minister of Health what is the average waiting time for operations for cataract extractions at Doncaster Royal Infirmary.

Over the last 12 months the average waiting time has been: female patients, 8 months; male patients, 7 weeks.

asked the Minister of Health how many people are awaiting treatment for cataract at Doncaster Royal Infirmary; and how long they have been on the waiting list.

28 female patients, for up to 9 months; 3 male patients, for up to 1 month.

asked the Minister of Health what is the shortest time a patient has had to wait for treatment for cataract at Doncaster Royal Infirmary after the first consultation.

During the last 12 months: female patients, 12 days; male patients, 10 days.

asked the Minister of Health what is the number of hospital beds in Wales and the comparable figure for 1958.

27,091 on 31st December 1967; 28,326 on 31st December, 1958.

asked the Minister of Health what was the cost of his Department's advertisements appearing in the Sunday Telegraph, the Sunday Times,

			1968			1967
	No. of prescriptions (a)
Period	Issued	Dispensed without charge	Charges refunded	Column (iii) plus Column (iv)	Column (v) as a percentage of Column (ii)	No. of prescriptions issued (a)
(i)	(ii)	(iii)	(iv)	(v)	(v)	(vii)
	000's	000's	000's	000's	%	000's
June 10th to 30th	12,993	6,130	294	6,424	49	16,667 (b)
July	20,048	9,907	505	10,412	52	21,150
TOTAL	33,041	16,037	799	16,836	51	37,817
NOTES: (a) These figures relate to the numbers of items dispensed by chemists in England and Wales.
(b) The number of prescriptions for the period 10th-30th June, 1967 has been assumed to be 19/26ths of the total for the whole month.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that some organisations will find it difficult to submit written comments on his Green Paper on the administrative structure of the medical and related services by the end of November; and if he will extend the time limit for such submissions.

asked the Minister of Health whether, in view of the difficulty that many organisations will have in sending him their written comments on his Green Paper by the end of November, he will consider extending the time limit.

Her Majesty's Government will wish to consider the future administrative structure of the health services alongside the report of the Royal Commission on Local Government in England. For this purpose I shall first need to consider carefully all comments on the tentative proposals contained in The Observer, the News of the World and the Sunday Mirror on the subject of season tickets for prescription charges which appeared on Sunday, 20th October.

£495, £990, £627, £1,584 and £1,680 respectively.

asked the Minister of Health what number of National Health Service prescriptions have been issued from the date of the reintroduction of prescription charges to the latest convenient date; on what number there has been no charge or a refund; and what was the total number issued for the same period last year.

Following are the figures:—the Green Paper that was published in July and I must allow sufficient time for this. I therefore hope to receive the majority of comments by the end of November, though I shall endeavour to take into account comments that are not presented by that date but which are received before the end of January, 1969.

asked the Minister of Health what improvement there has been in the number of general medical practitioners in England and Wales.

In the nine months to 1st July, 1968, the number of doctors providing full general medical services in England and Wales rose by 86 to 19,935. This may be compared with a fall of 505 in the three years to 1st October, 1966, and a rise of only five in the following year. Although these figures are encouraging, many areas continued to be under-doctored.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what study he has made of the evidence supplied to him by the hon. Member for South Bedfordshire in connection with the death of a baby in South Bedfordshire due to the instability of a particular type of pram if he will take steps to warn the public of the dangers of this type of pram; and if he will initiate an inquiry into the dangers associated with prams generally.

I have learned of this accident with regret. I am having the situation urgently investigated and will write to my hon. Friend as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many aliens were admitted to this country for the last convenient period; how many of these originated from Italy; and what was the total of Commonwealth immigrants arriving in this country over the same period.

During 1967 the number of foreign nationals granted leave to land here was 3,367,205, of whom 180,767 were of Italian nationality. The number of Commonwealth citizens subject to immigration control admitted during the same year was 442,178, of whom 61,377 were admitted for settlement.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many assaults, various, took place in Richmond and Barnes police area in the first six months of 1965, 1966, 1967 and 1968; what increase or decrease each figure represents over that for the previous year; how these percentages compare with those of the Metropolitan Police district as a whole and England and Wales; and what were the details of fines, imprisonment or dismissals of the cases brought before magistrates between 1st January 1968 and 1st July 1968.

I am trying to obtain as much of this information as possible in so far as it relates to indictable offences and which can be provided without disproportionate cost; and I shall write to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, (1) if he will take steps to introduce more stringent steps to control the commercial manufacture of synthetic hemp;(2) what steps he is taking to prevent synthetic hemp, manufactured commercially in Great Britain, being used for illegal purposes.

My right hon. Friend has already referred this substance to the Poisons Board for advice.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions his Department has had with a company, the name of which has been sent to him, regarding the manufacture of synthetic hemp.

My Department has received some oral communications from the company concerned about its intention to manufacture this substance. The company has not so far submitted written information or a sample of any manufactured material.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will investigate the feasibility of the payment of maintenance orders and affiliation orders through the new Post Office Giro.

My hon. Friend's suggestion is being studied.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what are the most recent statistics for corporal punishment in approved schools; and whether he will now prohibit this, following his consultations with the organisations principally concerned, in view of the recommendation of the Plowden Committee.

The punishment returns made by approved schools in England and Wales since January, 1967 record that corporal punishment was used on the following number of occasions, excluding its occasional use in the classroom:

January—June 1967	1,449
July—December 1967	763
January—June 1968	705

The consultations about the development of alternative methods of controlling difficult behaviour in approved schools, foreshadowed in my predecessor's statement in the House of commons on 7th August, 1967, are still in progress. In the meantime, it remains the Government's aim to phase out the use of corporal punishment in approved schools.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what is the approximate average time at present spent by prisoners awaiting trial.

I regret that this information is not available at present, but I understand that the Royal Commission on Assizes and Quarter Sessions have made a special survey of this matter and will be publishing their findings.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he will take steps to change the form of witnesses' oath, as recommended by the Magistrates' Association.

I am considering this proposal in consultation with my right hon. Friend the Lord Chancellor.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what effect the operation of the Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1968 has had on the numbers of older dependant children and dependant fathers admitted for settlement.

The change in the law made by Section 2(1) of the Commonwealth Immigrants Act, 1968 has markedly reduced the number of youths coming to this country at or near working age to join all-male households. The number of dependant fathers seeking admission has also fallen as the result of raising the age of admission from 60 to 65 by administrative action to deal with a number of men suspected to be of working age who were seeking admission as dependant fathers.The following are the figures of admission in both categories during the three-month period preceding these changes and the two following periods of three months:—

	Male Children aged 14–15 joining one parent	Dependant Fathers
December 1967 to February 1968.	1,032	89
March to May 1968	39	6
June to August 1968.	14	—

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he will cause an investigation to be made to ascertain why the Assistant Commissioner of Police wrote to the honourable Member for West Ham, North, on 21st October, 1968, reference 1/68/2535, giving information which was both contrary to the facts and in contradiction to evidence supplied to the honourable Member in writing on 10th October, 1968.

I have carefully considered the letter that my hon. Friend sent me on this subject, but I see no reason to doubt what the Assistant Commissioner told him and no need for any further inquiry on my part.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the honourable Member for West Ham, North, may expect an acknowledgement and answers to his two letters of the 14th and 20th October concerning matters referred to Wood Green Police Station regarding the use of an unlicensed vehicle by a policeman; and why nine days have elapsed without any communication being sent or received.

I wrote to my hon. Friend on this matter on 15th and 24th October.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if, in order to cut down accidents, he will introduce legislation to restrict the period over which fireworks can be sold each year.

I will write to my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what are the terms and conditions of the residence permit of Julius Weitzner, of Farm Street, W.1.

I will write to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to implement the recommendations made by the National Board for Prices and Incomes in their report on London taxicab fares; and whether he will simultaneously prescribe fares for journeys of over six miles in pursuance of the powers conferred on him by section 1(1) of the London Cab Act, 1968.

Yes, the First Secretary of State and I accept the substance of the recommendations of the Prices and Incomes Board. Accordingly a new fare scale will be introduced as soon as possible increasing by about 11½ per cent. the standard rates of fare for journeys of six miles or less and the extra night charge by 6d.At the same time I intend, for the time being, to prescribe fares for all longer journeys within London at a rate of double the standard tariff for those parts of a journey in excess of six miles.The increases, which fall below those claimed by the London Motorcab Proprietors' Association, will be the first which have been permitted since February, 1964.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will now make a further statement on the contribution that the Government will make towards flood relief.

The Government will decide on an appropriate contribution towards flood relief when it has more information than is at present available about the response to public appeals and the extent of the uninsured losses. Claims have been slow to come in and this makes it difficult for the administrators of funds to assess the position.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what advice he has given to local authorities in connection with claims for compensation for damage done by flooding; and what further advice he has given on the exercise of their statutory powers to meet compensation claims for household articles, or damage to property, where flooding and pollution arises directly or indirectly from a lack of drainage or inefficient drainage.

Claims are being made on local flood relief funds, and advice on the way in which such claims should be dealt with has been sent to the administrators of those funds. Local authorities generally are aware of their powers to contribute to flood relief funds or to make payments directly in relief of personal hardship caused by flooding.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what date has been set for the hearing of the planning appeal concerning the request of the Tunbridge Wells Council to build a new sewage works, in view of the representations made about the pollution of the River Grom.

The Department are consulting the parties about suitable dates for a public local inquiry in January 1969, that period having been chosen to give time for the necessary arrangements to he made and statutory notice to be given.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will make a statement on Meldon Reservoir.

I would refer the hon. Member to my Answer to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Lewisham, South (Mr. Carol Johnson) on 24th October.—[Vol. 770, c. 361.]

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what further steps have been taken to assist the Hartlepool Local Authority in its proposals to deal with the problems of flooding; and what progress has been made by the authority to advance their schemes to deal with flooding to a point where loan sanctions can be considered.

A Senior Engineer from the Department visited Hartlepool last week and discussed with the Council's Engineer their proposals for dealing with flooding. Various major schemes of work are proposed. I expect to receive an application for loan sanction in respect of one such scheme within the next few days.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will now authorise the St. Austell Rural District Council to proceed with the Quintrell and Lane Sewerage Scheme.

I am considering the council's reasons for wishing to proceed with the scheme at the present time, despite the need for restraint on public capital investment, and I shall write to the hon. Member shortly.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will now approve the Bude Stratton Urban District Council's scheme for the making up of the road at Summerleaze Crescent, Bude, details of which were sent to his Department on 15th July 1968.

This scheme was agreed in principle early in 1967 and the Council were advised how to proceed. They have now been told that loan sanction will be issued as soon as they notify the Department that they have completed the necessary formalities.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government when he expects a reply to be sent to the Northampton County Allotments and Gardens Council of Corby, Northamptonshire, to their letter of 12th October.

A reply was sent on 24th October. A copy has been sent to my right hon. Friend.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many formal meetings of the Land Commission there have been between 1st April 1968 and the nearest convenient date; and how many of these have been attended by Sir Harold Samuel.

The arrangement of the Land Commission's business is a matter for the Commission.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what is the appropriate Civil Service rate of travelling expenses and subsistence allowances in relation to Mr. C. Beardmore, Controller of the Southern Region Land Commission.

The normal rates for the Civil Service apply, details of which are available in the Library.

asked the Lord President of the Council whether he is satisfied that adequate precautions have been arranged to protect the Palace of Westminster from any incursions or damage by those connected with the manifestations and demonstrations to take place on Sunday 27th October; and if he will make a statement.

The authorities of the House have been in close touch with the police over this matter and have taken appropriate precautions.

asked the Postmaster General under what circumstances second-class mail posted in Arran and for delivery in Arran was sent at the public expense to the mainland and back in order to delay delivery; and whether he will state the total cost of this operation.

No extra cost was involved in this operation, which lasted only a few days at the start of the new letter service.

asked the Postmaster General if he will publish further details of the amounts of the Post Office investment programme being brought forward to provide additional employment this winter which will be devoted to development areas and non-development areas, respectively, in relation to each of the Post Office regions.

The distribution, which reflects the practical opportunities for advancing parts of the programme, is as follows:

	Development Areas	Other Parts
	£	£
Eastern	—	160,000
Midland	—	230,000
North Eastern	110,000	90,000
North Western	140,000	190,000
South Western	175,000	25,000
Scotland	250,000	—
Wales and Border Counties	100,000	—
Northern Ireland	—	30,000
Total	775,000	725,000

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that since the introduction of the two-tier postal system some postmen are themselves sorting out letters in pillar-boxes and putting back all the letters bearing 4d. stamps for collection at a later time; and whether he will take steps to forbid this practice forthwith.

asked the Postmaster-General what new direction he issued, on 22nd October, following his discovery that second-class mail was being deliberately delayed; and if he will make a further statement.

asked the Postmaster-General (1) whether he is aware that each morning at or around 10.30 a.m. the post office box in the village of Crowle, Lincolnshire, is emptied, the mail sorted and the 4d. letters put back again into the box for later sorting and delivery; to what extent this or similar practices are general; and what action he proposes to take to prevent this deliberate action to delay the delivery of mail;(2) why, in view of his Department's recent statement that 4d. mail is not deliberately delayed, he issued a further instruction on Tuesday, 22nd October, that the practice should now cease; and whether he will give an assurance that 4d. mail which is available for collection, sorting and delivery, is not held up pending the collection, sorting and delivery of later posted 5d. mail.

As soon as my attention was drawn to the practice at Crowle I arranged for all local 4d. letters posted there to be collected at the same time as the rest of the local mail, and to be sorted and delivered by next post provided the speedy treatment of first class letters would not be jeopardised. I am not aware that the former Crowle practice is in force elsewhere.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that the hon. Member for West Ham, North is experiencing delay in the delivery of his mail whereby 5d. letters posted in and addressed to London-area addresses are taking two and, in some instances, three days to be delivered; and whether he will restore the postal services to the same degree of efficiency as that pertaining prior to the introduction of the two-tier system.

In general, first class letters posted in London for London addresses are being delivered by the day after posting. I am not aware of the delays to which my hon. Friend refers, but if he will let me have details I shall be glad to look into them.

asked the Postmaster-General what instructions about 4d. mail he has now rescinded.

I have changed the instructions relating to locally posted second class letters, which were excluded from first delivery at the outset of the new service in order to safeguard delivery times for first class letters. These items can now be included in first deliveries.

asked the Postmaster General why customers of Giro who made application some weeks before the initiation of the scheme, and paid their deposit cheques, which were acknowledged and cleared, are having to wait weeks for their stationery, deposit cards and other documents, when these papers were promised to them on return.

I am sorry that there were initial delays in issuing Giro stationery to some customers. These delays arose from packaging difficulties at the printers. The difficulties have now been overcome and the arrears have been overtaken. From now on customers should receive their stationery within a week after initial deposits have been cleared.

asked the Postmaster General whether he will state the total moneys expended, including labour and advertising costs, in initiating and cancelling the new system of telephone directories.

A new system of telephone directories has not been initiated and cancelled.Consultants were commissioned to study the problems in London arising from the foreseeable growth of the telephone service and the need to give our customers the best possible number information. The conclusions were considered within the Post Office and the Post Office Users' Council and several other bodies were consulted about a possible new pattern of directories.

asked the Postmaster General if he will make a statement on pay television.

In their Further Memorandum on the Report of the Committee on Broadcasting, 1960 (Cmnd. 1893), the Government of the day announced their decision to permit an experiment, which would last for some two to three years, in pay television transmitted solely by wire, but expressly without guarantee that on the conclusion of the experiment a general or permanent pay television service would be authorised. Mr. Bevins granted licences to three companies in 1964; but two of them later withdrew.The remaining company, Pay-TV Ltd., began their experimental service in Southwark and Westminster in January, 1966; and in Sheffield in November, 1966. In May, 1967, the company asked my predecessor to consider sympathetically their proposal that the services should be expanded on a non-exclusive footing. Since then, there have been a number of exchanges with the company. In August, 1968, they suggested that the service should be expanded to cover 250,000 houses in London, as against the figures for the experiment of 8,000 in Southwark and Westminster and 1,800 in Sheffield.The Government have reviewed these proposals in the light of the company's representations and of experience of the service. As a result of this review, and bearing in mind wider economic and social considerations, I have decided that no extension would be justified, and that in the circumstances the experiment should be terminated.

asked the Minister of Power whether, in view of the official uncertainly about the amount of North Sea gas likely to be coming ashore in 1975, he will state which fuel will make up the deficiency.

As the Fuel Policy White Paper (Cmnd. 3438) indicated variations in the amount of natural gas supplied are likely to affect both coal and oil as alternative fuels.

asked the Minister of Power why, in a Press statement issued by his Department on 27th September quoting a Brookings Institution Report, no reference was made to the report's recommendation that the investment programme for electricity, especially nuclear generation, should be substantially reduced; and what is his policy with regard to this recommendation.

The Press statement issued on 27th September mainly concerned the Report by the Economist Intelligence Unit and only mentioned those points in the Brooklings Institution Report which were relevant to that context. Investment in electricity generation is related to the estimated demand for electricity and is subject to the criteria set out for all nationalised industries in the 1967 White Paper "Nationalised Industries—A Review of Economic and Financial Objectives" (Cmnd. 3437). Decisions on new power stations are taken in accordance with the procedure set out in paragraph 98 of the Fuel Policy White Paper (Cmnd. 3438).

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what was the cost for the year ended 31st March 1968 of the office premises at Reading occupied by the Southern Region of the Land Commission.

About £32,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when the new occupational centre at Airdrie will be completed; what is the nature of the accommodation which will be provided; and what is the estimated cost of the project.

Building work on the Airdrie occupational centre commenced in June this year and will provide classroom and dining space for 45 children. The estimated date for completion is June 1969 and the estimated cost is £48,262.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when the new old folks home at Shawhead, Coatbridge, will be ready for occupation; what is the nature of the accommodation which he has approved; and what is the estimated cost of the project.

The Town Council expect to have the home ready for occupation in November. There will be provision for 48 old people, in 13 double and 22 single rooms. The estimated cost is £123,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what expenditure on hospitals is planned in the Scottish development area as part of the £10 million programme to create additional employment this winter.

£170,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what expenditure on roads is planned in the Scottish development area as part of the £10 million programme to create additional employment this winter.

£1,800,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what expendoiture on schools is planned in the Scottish development area as a part of the £10 million programme to create additional employment during the winter months.

About £540,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish, for each education authority in Scotland, the number of appointments made by the authority since 1st August 1968 to teaching posts in secondary schools of persons not registered nor conditionally registered with the General Teaching Council for Scotland, including, in each case, the

			Number of References
Education Authority		Total	Withdrawn	Approved	Not Approved	Still under Consideration
Counties
Aberdeen	…	21	—	3	18	—
Angus	…	1	—	1	—	—
Argyll	…	14	—	8	1	5
Ayr	…	12	—	7	5	—
Banff	…	5	—	—	2	3
Berwick	…	2	—	2	—	—
Bute	…	Nil
Caithness	…	8	—	—	—	8
Clackmannan	…	9	—	3	1	5
Dumfries	…	13	1	11	—	1
Dunbarton	…	39	—	28	3	8
East Lothian	…	1	—	1	—	—
Fife	…	29	1	14	4	10
Inverness	…	9	—	7	2	—
Kincardine	…	3	—	3	—	—
Kirkcudbright	…	1	—	1	—	—
Lanark	…	Nil
Midlothian	…	4	2	—	—	2
Moray and Nairn	…	9	—	1	7	1
Orkney	…	10	—	10	—	—
Peebles	…	Nil
Perth and Kinross	…	7	—	—	—	7
Renfrew	…	57	1	47	7	2
Ross and Cromarty	…	12	—	10	2	—
Roxburgh	…	2	—	—	—	1
Selkirk	…	3	—	—	—	3
Stirling	…	5	—	—	—	5
Sutherland	…	2	—	2	—	—
West Lothian	…	6	—	—	—	6
Wigtown	…	2	2	—	—	—
Zetland	…	2	—	—	—	2
Burghs
Aberdeen	…	4	—	—	4	—
Dundee	…	19	—	12	1	6
Edinburgh	…	92	4	39	14	35
Glasgow	…	163	—	151	3	9
Total (Scotland)	…	566	11	362	74	119

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will introduce legislation to amend the Trespass (Scotland) Act, 1865, so that tinkers and tourists are not subject to greater harassment in Scotland than in England.

I have no information at present which would justify legislation. If the hon. Member has any evidence of harassment I will be glad to consider it.

To date, 566 appointments have been referred to the panels constituted under The Schools (Scotland) Code 1956 with the result set out below. I have no information about appointments that have not yet been referred to the panels.

asked the Minister of Social Security what steps she will take to inform social workers of the regulations regarding supplementary aid front the social security department.

I know that the Supplementary Benefits Commission are anxious that social workers should be well informed about the Supplementary Benefits Scheme. The existing leaflet about the scheme, addressed particularly to social workers, has recently been revised and made more comprehensive, and this should be available shortly. The Commission also intend to issue in due course a booklet for social workers and others concerned setting out the Supplementary Benefits Scheme in more detail and how they exercise their powers under it.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will make a statement about the proposed division of ministerial responsibilities within his Department.

I have nothing to add to the statement I made on this subject in yesterday's debate on the Secretary of State for Social Services Order.

asked the Minister of Technology what expenditure his Department has made on noise research during each of the past three years; and what expenditure is projected for the next two years.

Expenditure was £283,000 in 1965–66; £395,000 in 1966–67; and £484,000 in 1967–68. The estimate for 1968–69 is £600,000. The rate of expenditure for 1969–70 and 1970–71 is not yet determined.

asked the Minister of Technology what steps he takes to ensure that the views of his Department on all current aviation projects are always known to the firms concerned; and if he will make a statement.

My Department keeps in close touch with the firms concerned.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what representations the United States Government has made to Her Majesty's Government to prevent British firms selling computers to Eastern European countries; what is his estimate of the loss of exports due to this action; and whether he will propose to the members of COCOM that countries accepting such restrictions should receive compensation for the resultant loss of exports.

I have been asked to reply.The strategic controls on exports to Eastern Europe apply to computers, among many other goods, and are agreed and operated internationally. It would not be appropriate for me to reveal the position adopted by individual countries.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will introduce legislation to limit margin trading on the London Stock Exchange.

No. If a limit were to be desirable, I would expect it to be imposed by the Council of the London Stock Exchange.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will make a statement regarding the future of the Monopolies Commission.

I have recently made two important new references to the Monopolies Commission relating to refusal to supply and fire insurance. The Commission already has in hand a number of other major inquiries.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT a table showing the imports of pulp by tonnage and value for the years 1965, 1966 and 1967, and for the first eight months of 1968; and if he will also give equivalent figures for the consumption of waste paper.

Statistics on imports of pulp of different kinds are given on pages 38 and 39 of Table I of the Overseas Trade Accounts for December, 1966, December, 1967, and August, 1968; these include negligible amounts of waste paper.The usage of waste paper was:

	Thousand Tons
1965	1599·1
1966	1567·0
1967	1568·0
1968 (January to August)	1132·4

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) when he expects to reply to the letter of the right honourable Member for Reigate, dated 2nd August 1968, concerning the illegal activities of a dealers' ring in certain auction rooms; and whether he will now refer this matter to the Director of Public Prosecutions;(2) what representations he has received about the illegal operation of a dealers' ring following a sale at Aldwick Court on 26th March, 1968; and what proceedings he is taking.

I am considering the representations made by the right hon. Member for Reigate (Sir J. Vaughan-Morgan), and also similar representations from the hon. Member for Richmond, Surrey (Mr. A. Royle). I have not as yet received evidence of illegal operations, but will make further inquiries and write to the right hon. Member as soon as possible.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will refuse an export licence for the Madonna and Child, attributed to Duccio, acquired for £2,700 at a sale at Aldwick Court on 26th March, 1968, and currently under offer to Cleveland Museum, Ohio, United States of America, for £150,000.

The application is being dealt with in accordance with the normal procedure set out in the Notice to Exporters on the Export of Works of Art and Antiques dated 26th September, 1966.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement about the chairmanship of the British National Export Council.

I am glad to say that Sir Peter Runge has accepted my invitation to be Chairman of the Council as from 1st November, 1968. He will succeed Sir Derek Pritchard whose very successful term of office ends on the previous day.

asked the Minister of Transport what progress has been made in the studies undertaken by the National Ports Council on the possibility of building a super port on the flat lands, east and west of Newport, Monmouthshire.

The results of the preliminary study carried out by consultants for the National Ports Council and the Government Departments concerned show that a number of sites, including the coastal flats near Newport, are physically suitable for development as maritime industrial development areas. Physical suitability is not, however, the only criterion and a good deal more work will be needed on the wider economic and regional implications of the possible development of one or more of the sites.

asked the Minister of Transport what progress he has made towards a settlement of the line of the new South Coast Trunk Road which is satisfactory to all parties; and what progress he has made in respect of these parts of the road where the line has been determined.

It is hoped to publish a draft scheme for the South Coast road from Cadnam to Portsbridge shortly. This section will be constructed as a motorway and the proposals will embrace the trunk road routes already determined.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will state the purpose and conclusions of the seminar arranged between the Bank of England, the Treasury and the representatives of the International Monetary Fund recently.

I am not yet able to give a reply but I will write to my hon. Friend.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, since he has granted permission to Pergamon Press Limited once again to increase its dividend to 47 per cent. to enable it to take over the News of the World, he will permit this latter company also to increase its dividend payments; and, as both of these increases are of an inflationary nature, why Her Majesty's Government have allowed them to take place.

I am not yet able to give a reply but I will write to my hon. Friend.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will cause an investigation to be made to ascertain why the tax authorities in Leeds have failed to acknowledge or answer the letter sent to them by Mr. W. L. Watts on 16th September and the communication by the honourable Member for West Ham, North, on 21st September, regarding an arrears of Income Tax claimed from one of the constituents of the honourable Member for West Ham, North, details of which have been supplied to him.

I am not yet able to give a reply but I will write to my hon. Friend.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why a widow was pressed for arrears of Income Tax of £15 owing for one year and another woman owing many thousands of pounds for almost nine years has still not to date paid this amount, details of both of which cases have been supplied to him; and if he will make a statement.

I am not yet able to give a reply but I will write to my hon. Friend.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the esti- mated capital value of assets held by citizens and firms of the United Kingdom in the Trucial States and the other countries of the west side of the Arabian Gulf, including Kuwait; and what interest accrues to the United Kingdom from these assets and holdings.

I am not yet able to give a reply but I will write to the hon. Member.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the estimated capital value of assets held by citizens and firms of the United Kingdom in Persia; and what interest accrues to the United Kingdom from these assets and holdings.

I am not yet able to give a reply but I will write to the hon. Member.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he intends to give a special grant to the National Gallery for the purchase of the Duccio of the Madonna and Child bought for a sum of £2,700.

This is a question for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Science and he will be writing to the hon. Member in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity whether he is aware of the growing practice of firms making take-over bids, at sometimes double the market value of the shares, and of bank borrowings to finance these take-overs; and whether she will ask the National Board for Prices and Incomes to investigate to what extent these activities are of an inflationary nature.

I have been asked to reply. I am not yet able to give a reply but I will write to my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give his estimate of central government expenditure on motorways and dual carriageways, respectively, in Wales from 1967 to 1970.

Expenditure in the four years 1967–68 to 1970–71 is estimated to be as follows:

	£
Motorways	3·5 million
Other dual carriageway roads	25·5 million

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he is satisfied with the progress being made on improving road links between the Midlands and South Wales; and if he will make a statement.

The New Midlands Road is complete between the Herefordshire border and Mitchel Troy. The section between Mitchel Troy and Raglan should, given reasonable weather, be substantially complete by the end of the year. My right hon. Friend has invited tenders for the section from Raglan to Usk, and work should start about the end of the year. He hopes to announce his decision soon on the route of the final section between Usk and Coldra on which a Public Inquiry was held on 17th September. The whole road should be open during 1972.Having regard to the need to provide adequate opportunities for the public to object to our proposals and to other calls on the national resources, my right hon. Friend considers the rate of progress being made on this road to be satisfactory.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what expenditure on roads is planned in the Welsh development area as part of the £10 million programme to create additional employment this winter.

£2·13 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will consider sanctioning a traffic patrol for school children at Southgate, Llantrisant, in view of the hazardous contour of the traffic way and the growth of industry in the area.

The provision of a school crossing patrol is a matter for Glamorgan County Council. My approval is not required.