asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs what evidence is now available that grants made under the regional employment premium have been self-financing, as proposed in paragraphs 31–35 of the publication, The Development Areas, issued by his Department in 1957.

Little evidence can be expected about the precise effects of the premium so early in its life.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs what consultations took place between the East Midlands Economic Planning Council and his Department on the question of industrial development for the Birmingham overspill scheme at Daventry.

The original proposals on the expansion of Daventry were made in 1956–57 and all the major decisions were made before the present Government took office. Since its formation in 1965, the East Midlands Economic Planning Council has kept developments under review and has recently drawn attention to certain problems in relation to the creation of employment opportunities. The Council's views are being fully considered by the Government.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, if he is aware of the course on low-cost milk and beef production to be held at Thames Ditton from 17th to 29th November, sponsored by the British Council and the Milk Marketing Board, for foreigners; what is the cost to public funds; to what extent he was consulted before the course was announced; and whether it is now his policy to allow foreign competitors access to British knowledge and experience.

The exchange of technical agricultural knowledge is widespread and mutually beneficial, and my right hon. Friend sees no damage to British interests arising from this course, about which he would not have expected to be consulted.I understand that the fees charged by the British Council for this and similar courses are designed to cover the overall costs of their course programme. Any further question of cost to public funds should be addressed to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence, what he estimates to be the annual savings over the period 1971 to 1975 resulting from the decision to phase out the aircraft carrier force as soon as the withdrawal from Malaysia, Singapore and the Gulf has been completed.

The additional average annual saving on the remaining ships, helicopters and shore establishments will be about £12 million. Aircraft and equipment will be transferred to the R.A.F nd will continue to be operated in the maritime protection role.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what was the total number of unemployed persons in 1967 whose unemployment was attributable to the implementation of automation techniques.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity, what is the number of graduate persons under the age of 60 years known to her Department employed in clerical or manual occupations; and how many such graduates, other than married woman living with their husbands, are known to be unemployed.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many of the nursery classes in the 39 Welsh primary schools in predominantly English-speaking areas in Wales were established by, and are maintained by, local authorities.

There were, in January, 24 nursery classes in the 39 Welsh primary schools, all of them maintained by local

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity if she will publish the figures of unemployment in terms of age groups in Bedlington in each of the years since 1965.

Detailed age analyses of the numbers registered as wholly unemployed are made in January and July each year. Following is the information for each year from 1965 to 1968:authorities. The majority were originally established by the authorities but some had been organised by parents or other private groups and were at a later stage absorbed into Welsh Primary Schools.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has made a decision on the qualifications required for the teaching of mentally handicapped children.

No. This will be a matter for me to consider if the Government decide that responsibility for the education of mentally handicapped children is to be transferred to the education service and my Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will make a statement about the number of scientists who have informed him of their wish to come to work in British educational institutions from North America.

A scientist wishing to come from North America to work in a British educational institution would normally get in touch directly with an appropriate employing authority or institution rather than approach my Department, which is not itself an employer of teachers. Under the Science Research Council's Fellowship Scheme, reference to which was made in my Answer to a Question from the hon. Member for Birmingham, Edgbaston (Mrs. Knight) on 24th October, 1968, 100 Fellowships mainly tenable at universities and colleges in Britain have been offered in the present year and about 85 are expected to be taken up; most of the recipients are scientists who wish to return from North America to this country.If the hon. Member has any specific case in mind I shall be glad to look into it—[Vol. 770, c.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, what qualifications, and from what Commonwealth colleges and universities, he accepts for teachers proposing to work in schools in England and Wales.

All applications for qualified teacher status from holders of Commonwealth qualifications are examined individually on their merits. If the hon. Member has any particular case in mind, I shall be glad to look into it.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will advise the Ministerial Departments who operate income and expenditure accounts to open a Giro account.

In July, 1966 the Treasury called the attention of Departments to the setting-up of the Post Office Giro system, and further information has since been made available as necessary. Departments have been advised to consider the Giro equally with other methods for making their payments and to make use of it where it is economically sound; and to offer facilities for accepting receipts through the Giro if any additional cost is not excessive or can be justified on considerations of increased efficiency.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost in a full year of increasing the personal allowance to £ 1,000 for a married man over 65 years of age with his wife living with him or wholly maintained by him, and increasing the personal allowance to £ 750 for any other person over 65 years of age.

About £ 180 million for a full year.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he is aware that a communication posted by his Department to the hon. Member for West Ham, North, was delayed in delivery due to this receiving second-class postage service; and whether in future he will instruct staff to use the first-class service when writing to Members of Parliament.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office practice is to use the second-class service except where there is a clear and defensible need for the first-class service.If my hon. Friend is referring to my letter on 4th November, I do not consider that using the second-class service was inappropriate.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why Mrs. Carmen del Rio, evacuated from Gibraltar in 1940, who was promised a grant of £35 by the Resettlement Committee on 12th January, 1950, has so far received only £15, in spite of frequent requests.

Mrs. del Rio was informed by the Gibraltarian Resettlement Committee in January, 1950 that the balance of £20 would be paid as soon as she was rehoused. It was not until March, 1968 that she indicated that she had been rehoused. Unfortunately, the funds granted to resettle Gibraltarian evacuees in this country were fully expended in 1952 when the Gibraltarian Resettlement Fund was closed. The case was brought to the attention of the Gibraltar Government who agreed in the circumstances to meet this claim. A cheque for £ 20 was sent to Mrs. del Rio on 13th November.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when a reply will be sent to the letter dispatched to him on 16th October by Major B. C. Harward of Messrs. Penny and Harward, Solicitors, of Tiverton, in Devon; and why no acknowledgment had been received by the latter by 7th November.

The inquiry was referred for advice to the British Government Representative to the Associated States in the Caribbean and a reply will be sent as soon as possible. Major Harward has now been informed of the position.I regret that through an oversight an acknowledgment was not sent at the time.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many illegal entries and incidents have been reported by the London Borough of Brent to the police during the last six months; in how many cases the offenders were apprehended; and what was the number of convictions.

Information in the form requested is not readily available, but the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis has informed me that in the station areas corresponding most closely to the borough area there were 618 breakings into houses and other premises in the six months ended 30th September, 1968. During the same period, 173 offences of this sort were cleared up, and 146 persons arrested in connection with them.

asked the Postmaster General, if he will make a further statement on providing assistance to retirement pensioners in need to meet extra television licence costs.

I am sorry I cannot yet add to my reply of 14th October to my hon. Friend's Question.—[Vol. 770, c. 54.]

asked the Minister of Power if he will direct the Yorkshire Electricity Board to cut off supplies to municipally-owned single storey prefabricated houses in Hull until the wiring in those houses has been checked for safety.

No; the Board already have appropriate powers to act under the Electricity Supply Regulations if they have reasonable grounds for thinking that the wiring is unsafe. They offered to inspect the wiring in these houses, but the Corporation informed them that they had the matter in hand.

asked the Minister of Power what effect he estimates new forecasts on cost for all energy will have on the balance of payments.

Apart from the effects of devaluation, the relative costs of the different fuels to the balance of payments remain broadly as described in paragraph 80 of the Fuel Policy White Paper (Cmnd. 3438).

asked the Minister of Power whether the programmes for the supply of nuclear energy and natural gas are up to date.

I have nothing to add to the information published in the White Paper on Fuel Policy (Cmnd. 3438) and the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Don Valley (Mr. Kelley) on 12th March.—[Vol. 760, c. 247.]

asked the Minister of Power what is the machinery for consultation between his Department and the Defence Department, regarding the defence of the North Sea gas installations in the event of aerial warfare.

There is regular contact between my Department and the Ministry of Defence on all aspects of defence as they affect the supply of hydrocarbons. Aerial warfare would, no doubt, be part of a general conflict and in that case our membership of N.A.T.O. would be relevant.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to review the ambulance service in Scotland.

The forthcoming green paper on the administration of the health service will provide an opportunity to consider future arrangements for the ambulance service. As regards operations, I am making a grant to Strathclyde University to support a study to find ways of improving the performance of the service in terms of both economies of operation and service provided. I have at present no other plans for reviewing the service.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland, (1) for how long the present building code in Scotland in relation to resistance to wind pressure per mile per hour for housing building has been in operation; and what was the previous rule regarding resistance to wind pressure per mile per hour before the amendment of the code;(2) what under his regulations is the prescribed resistance to wind pressure per mile per hour in the new town of Livingston for industrialised house building.

The wind pressures which buildings must be designed to resist are laid down in Chapter V of the British Standards Institution's Code of Practice CP3 of 1952, as subsequently amended. This Code was applied in the model building byelaws issued by my Department in 1954 and became mandatory throughout Scotland when the Building Standards (Scotland) Regulations superseded local byelaws in 1964.It is not possible to give wind loadings for particular areas or types of buildings as they depend on the degree of exposure of individual buildings and have to be calculated separately for each.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the density of building in the new town of Livingston; and what consultations his Department have had on this matter with the authorities concerned.

The planned average density is 13 dwellings per acre. This is a reduction from the figure of 16 in the Master Plan, which has been reviewed by Livingston Development Corporation in consultation with my Department and the two County Councils.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the bed-relationship per thousand population in East Fife hospitals, West Fife hospitals and City of Edinburgh hospitals, respectively.

The ratios of hospital beds (in all categories) to population in the three areas and in Fife as a whole are as follows. Since hospital admissions are not regulated by precisely defined catchment areas these ratios are approximate.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the outcome of his Departments talks with representatives of the gypsies regarding the provision of caravan sites in suitable areas and adequate servicing facilities; and if he will make a statement.

My noble Friend the Undersecretary had a useful exploratory discussion with the representatives. He undertook to examine urgently the problems they raised and will be meeting them again very shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will take steps to undertake an inquiry into the washing of glasses in public houses, and the efficacy of bactericidal agents used with cold water in three pilot test areas in England and Wales.

We have no reason to think that such an inquiry is necessary. The Food Hygiene (General) Regulations, 1960, which are enforced by local authorities, require that glasses in public houses be kept clean and permit the use of cold water with a suitable bactericidal agent for this purpose. If my hon. Friend will give me particulars of any cases of apparently unhygienic practice, I can arrange for them to be looked into by the appropriate local authority.

asked the Minister of Power what is his estimate of the output of coal in the years 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974 and 1975, as compared with the estimates in the 1967 White Paper on Fuel Policy.

The 1967 White Paper on Fuel Policy contained estimates of demand, not output. But in any case I would not be prepared to offer year by year figures.

asked the President of the Board of Trade, what is his estimate of the average proportion of exports by value in any quarter for which payment will remain outstanding for under three months, from three to six months, from six to nine months, from nine months to one year, from one year to two years, from two years to five years and over five years, and of the amount outstanding of payments owed, but not yet due for settlement, for exports.

The latest analysis of the distribution of exports according to the terms of credit extended on them, relating to 1966, is as follows:—

asked the President of the Board of Trade, what types and quantities of food contributed to the increase in the food imports in the October trade figures.

The £ 10 million rise in food imports on a seasonally adjusted basis compared with September was largely accounted for by increases of £3½ million in dairy produce, about £2 million each in sugar and fish and £½ million in meat. Fuller details, including quantities, of these imports will be published on 27th November in the October Overseas Trade Accounts.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what estimate he has made of the number of new jobs in Bedlington during the next 18 months under the Local Employment Act and as a result of other measures designated to create job opportunities.

Four hundred and forty new jobs are expected to arise within the next four years in authorised new industrial buildings and in existing buildings taken over by manufacturing industry in the Bedlington Local Employment Exchange Area. I regret it is not known how many of these will be provided during the next 18 months.

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) how many new jobs have been created as a result of the Local Employment Act in each of the years since 1965 in the Blyth, Bedlington and Seaton Delaval areas;(2) how many new jobs have been created in Bedlington in each of the years since 1965 to the latest available date.

The estimated additional employment to be provided in industrial buildings for which industrial development certificates have been issued is given in the following table:

asked the Minister of Transport, in view of the fact that there have been approximately 15 road accidents in the last two months, most of which resulted in personal injury, if he will treat as a matter of urgency the proposals by the divisional road engineer that traffic signals should be erected at the junction of the Worksop by-pass and the main Worksop—Doncaster road.

Yes. Special equipment has to be manufactured for these signals and both we and the local authority have stressed the need for urgency to the makers. In the meantime, additional and larger traffic signs and road markings are being provided.

asked the Minister of Transport when he will announce details of loss-making passenger services submitted to him by British Railways for social grants under the Transport Act, 1968, together with his decisions, in view of the commencement of the new British Railways financial régime on 1st January, 1969.

I have considered applications by the British Railways Board for grants under Section 39 of the Transport Act, 1968 in respect of a large number of such services. I have given very considerable weight to social questions and to the needs of regional development and have consulted, as appropriate, the Regional Economic Planning Councils, the Scottish Economic Planning Council, the Welsh Council and the Area Transport Users Consultative Committees.I have now decided to pay grant as from 1st January for the following 135 services in addition to all those London commuter services for which the Board has applied for grant and which are not mentioned elsewhere in this statement.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government, how many people have been on housing waiting lists throughout the country, in each of the last five years.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government, what financial assistance has been provided by his Department to Northumberland County Council for the provision of amenities in Cramlington New Town during the past 12 months; and what will be the figure for the 12 months ahead.

No financial assistance has yet been provided towards expenditure by the Northumberland County Council at Cramlington, but discussions are proceeding with the County Council and the Seaton Valley Urban District Council on this subject.The County Council have some derelict land reclamation schemes in hand which may qualify for grant but the amount, if any, is not yet known.