asked the Minister of Overseas Development how far it is his policy to deny to individual African or European farmers in Rhodesia scientific and technical information normally made available by the Tropical Products Institute in order to stimulate agricultural production.

It is not the policy of Her Majesty's Government to supply any information to Rhodesia which might be used to benefit the economy of that country.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development what representations he has made to the Government of Malaysia following its decision to reduce pensions to the pre-devaluation exchange rate of the Malaysian dollar, after paying them at the higher rate for 11 months to October, 1968.

The Government of Malaya are conforming strictly to the Public Officers Agreement of 1959 (Command 854) between themselves and the Government of the United Kingdom. This requires pensions paid outside the Federation of Malaya to be paid in sterling and to be calculated at the rate of 2s. 4d. to the Malayan dollar, notwithstanding any variation in the rate. I cannot therefore challenge their devision.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development what progress was made at the recent meeting of the International Monetary Fund governors on the question of supplementary financial measures.

This subject was not discussed at the recent Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the International Bank, but work is proceeding in an Inter-Governmental Group which is required to make recommendations to the Trade and Development

asked the Minister of Overseas Development, whether the recruitment and provision of Inland Revenue staff for work in developing countries is counted as part of Great Britain's overseas aid contribution.

Yes, 55 officers seconded from the Inland Revenue are serving overseas under technical assistance arrangements at present.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development, what steps he is proposing to take to assist members of Her Majesty's Overseas Civil Service serving abroad whose children are at schools in this country where fees have risen by over £100 in the last 12 months.

British officers serving abroad under the Overseas Service Aid Scheme receive allowances towards the cost of the fees for their children at boarding schools in this country. The allowances are reviewed annually and are then adjusted where necessary to take account of the average rise in fees charged by a comprehensive range of schools.Since the Overseas Service Aid Scheme was introduced in April, 1961, they have been increased five times, most recently on the 1st September of this year. The current rates of allowances are £265 per annum for the first child, £315 per annum for the second child and £375 per annum for each subsequent child. The allowances are free of Income Tax.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development, what financial and technical assistance is being offered by Her Majesty's Government for the reconstruction of the Hejaz railway south of Ma'an and thence to either Akaba or Medina.

No request for assistance has been received from the Jordan Government.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development what aid Great Britain gave to Indonesia in 1966 and 1967.

We disbursed £4,000 in 1966 and £690,000 in 1967. We hope to disburse more than £2 million in the present financial year, and about £2 million in the coming one. Our current aid is largely in the form of interest-free loans for essential imports from Britain.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development what numbers of Burmese students are studying in Great Britain in 1968 as compared with 1964 and 1966.

Figures published by the British Council show that for the academic years 1964–65. 1966–67 and 1967–68 the approximate numbers of Burmese students and trainees in Britain were 147, 189 and 137 of whom 84, 86 and 75 can be regarded as students. In the calendar years 1965, 1966 and 1967 there were 70, 92 and 105 Burmese students and trainees in Britain financed under the British aid programme; of these 60, 76 and 87 were students.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the latest visit of the supervisory team from the International Monetary Fund.

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer gave to the hon. Member for Blackpool, South (Mr. Blaker) in reply to a similar Question on 15th October.—[Vol. 770, c. 62.]

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his latest forecast of the change in the volume of United Kingdom personal consumption in 1968 over 1967.

As my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer made clear in the debate on the Address, the volume of personal consumption is higher this year than was forecast.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will consider exempting sporting clubs from the £75 licence on fruit machines.

I do not think this could be justified.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to introduce a cigarette advertising levy to provide additional financial support for research into cigarette induced disease and for health education designed to reduce the incidence of these diseases.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will consider introducing legislation to provide for the imposition of a health stamp on every packet of cigarettes, the proceeds to be applied to research into cancer and other diseases induced by cigarette smoking.

I have noted these suggestions.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received about the Government's refusal to make payments by way of Selective Employment Tax refund, refund with premium, and regional employment premium in respect of people employed by firms engaged in the business of recovering and processing non-ferrous scrap metals; and what replies he has sent.

Ten letters from firms in the non-ferrous scrap metal trade and several copies of a letter from the British Secondary Metals Association.The replies explained that these firms were classified under a service heading and were therefore not eligible for refund and premium payments, and that the Government, having reviewed the position, had concluded that this was the appropriate treatment.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when the restriction limit upon the commutation of very small pensions was first set at pensions not exceeding £39 a year; whether he is aware that this restriction may cause hardship in certain cases; and whether he will review this limit in the light of the continuous fall in the value of money.

In 1948, while I do not accept the hon. Member's arguments in favour of an increase, I have noted the point for consideration in connection with the general review of the tax rules affecting superannuation schemes which my right hon. Friend announced on 2nd July.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will request the National Economic Development Council to prepare a study of the con sequences for the British economy of the development of the Euro-dollar market, in view of the central position of London in its general organisation and of its particular current problems.

The Treasury and the Bank of England keep this market under constant review and I see no need for a separate study. The development of this market centred in London is one which we welcome.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the latest figures for consumption expenditure and the revision in the Government's forecasts of consumption, Government measures are still intended to reduce consumption by 2 per cent. in accordance with his Budget forecast.

Our measures are intended to restrict consumers' expenditure to the extent necessary to secure the required improvement in the balance of payments.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware of the adverse effect that the application of Purchase Tax is having on the development of British-manufactured electric golf buggies, details of one of which have been sent to him; and if he will introduce legislation to exempt such trolleys from Purchase Tax.

I am aware of the representations that have been made about the Purchase Tax on this vehicle, but I do not consider that exceptional treatment is justified.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that daily advertisements are published and printed literature circulated to members of the public asking them to take out credit facilities; whether expenses incurred for such purposes are allowed as taxable expenses against profits by the companies responsible for such appeals; and, in the light of the Government's recent credit restrictions, if he will seek power to control such advertisements.

Such expenses are allowable for tax relief if they are incurred wholly and exclusively for the purposes of the advertisers' business. The answer to the third part is No.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will amend the regulations so as to enable investors who have money in Rhodesian stock and who, through Government action, are not receiving their dividends to sell that stock at a reasonable price; and if he will make a statement.

The price of Rhodesian stock is not affected by United Kingdom regulations, but reflects the non-payment of interest which is a consequence of the illegal declaration of independence.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware that Mr. W. B. Reddaway, who at his request is undertaking an inquiry into the effect of Selective Employment Tax on service trades, is refusing to regard himself as open to receive representations from the trades affected but only as entitled to seek assistance from such trades as he considers can help him; and if he will revise Mr. Reddaway's terms of reference, so that his inquiry may take account of all relevant representations.

It is for Mr. Reddaway himself to decide how he conducts the inquiry and which representations are

DISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH OWNED BY INDIVIDUALS IN GREAT BRITAIN
Over	Range of net wealth Not over				Number of owners of wealth		Amount of wealth
£	£				'000	Per cent.	£'000m.	Per cent.
—	…	1,000	…	…	5,398	31·2	2·8	3·4
1,000	…	3,000	…	…	5,273	30·5	9·8	11·7
3,000	…	5,000	…	…	2,966	17·1	11·6	13·9
5,000	…	10,000	…	…	2,177	12·6	15·3	18·3
10,000	…	15,000	…	…	620	3·6	7·6	9·1
15,000	…	20,000	…	…	270	1·6	4·8	5·7
20,000	…	25,000	…	…	157	0·9	3·4	4·1
25,000	…	50,000	…	…	279	1·6	9·9	11·8
50,000	…	100,000	…	…	109	0·6	7·5	9·0
100,000	…	200,000	…	…	37	0·2	5·1	6·1
200,000	…	—	…	…	14	0·1	5·8	6·9
Total	…	…	…	…	17,300	100·0	83·6	100·0

I regret that there are no official estimates for 1938.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many persons were in receipt of an unearned income above £20,000 in 1967.

About 2,750 in 1966–67 counting married couples as one.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware of the growing practice of persons, particularly in the entertainments industry, of refusing to pay Income Tax for periods up to 10 years and then declaring themselves bankrupt; and what action he has taken, or intends to take, to prevent this.

I am not aware that this is a growing practice; the action relevant. The terms of reference are fully consistent with this independent approach.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate has been made by his Department on the distribution of private wealth in the country; and if he will publish the numbers in percentage terms, giving comparative figures on the distribution of private wealth in 1938 and now.

The latest official estimates relating to 1967, calculated by applying mortality rates to Estate Duty returns as in the Report of the Board of Inland Revenue for the year ended 31st March, 1967, are as follows:taken by the Inland Revenue will be in the future, as it has been in the past, to get the assessments settled and the tax paid as soon as possible.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the amount a married man with two children requires to earn in 1968–69 maintain the purchasing power of an income of £2,500 per annum awarded in 1964.

About £3,040.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that the Phonographic Juke Box Pin Table Equipment Company have announced an increased dividend from 42½ per cent. to 60 per cent.; and why the Treasury gave permission for this increase.

The Phonographic Equipment Company Limited was firmly committed to total dividends of 60 per cent. in a public offer document issued before the Budget. Treasury approval was given in accordance with the ruling which I explained to the House on 25th March

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to strengthen the position of the £ sterling in view of the present condition of the international currency markets.

My main objective is to strengthen sterling through improving our own balance of payments.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what estimate he has made of the total number of square feet of accommodation which are in the schemes under consideration for extension of those parts of the Palace of Westminster occupied by the House of Lords; what minimum of extra area is required; and what would be the approximate cost per square foot.

18,000 to 19,000 square feet; the minimum extra space required has still to be established; very roughly, £40 per square foot.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works if he will review the present requirements for building licences under the Building Control Act, 1966.

I have done so and I have made an Order which will suspend building licensing from tomorrow. The situation will remain under constant review and the provisions of the Act will enable the control to be reimposed, at short notice, if that became necessary.

asked the Minister of Power whether he is aware that, following upon investigations made last year by his inspectorate, further explosions have taken place at Cwmynyscoy Quarry, Pontypool, endangering lives and property at Penyrheol; what action he is taking upon the representations made to him by the Pontypool Urban District Council; and whether, in view of public alarm, he will order a public inquiry into the blasting methods used at this quarry.

The Pontypool Urban District Council wrote to the Ministry on 31st October about an unusually powerful blast at the quarry which took place on 17th October, 1968. Her Majesty's Inspector of Mines and Quarries had already carried out a full investigation of the incident on 24th October. The Council will be informed of his findings and of my right hon. Friend's view that a public inquiry would not be justified.

asked the Minister of Power how many paid appointments, whole-time and part-time, come within his official patronage; what are the maximum and minimum salaries involved; and how the number compares with that of 10 years ago.

I assume that my hon. Friend refers to the number of statutory appointments that I am entitled to make. This is now 272 compared with 261 10 years ago. The salary ranges are published in the annual White Paper listing the members of public boards of a commercial character, the latest of which was published in December, 1967 (Cmnd.3493).

asked the Minister of Power whether he has completed his study into the desirability of joint meter reading.

Yes, and feasibility studies are being carried out by two Electricity and two Gas Boards. When these have been completed and the results assessed, decisions can be made on whether to extend these studies to field trials, after consultation with trade unions.

asked the Minister of Power what proposals have been made to him by the Central Electricity Generating Board about a new power station at Hams Hall; and if he will make a statement.

None, but I understand that the Central Electricity Generating Board are making routine investigations as to the suitability of the site for a further power station.

asked the Minister of Power when he proposes to set up the Appeals Committee for assessing disputes over the 90 per cent. wage award to redundant miners of 55 years and over in the county of Northumberland; what guidance he has sent to the National Union of Mineworkers in the area on this matter; and what is the composition of the proposed Appeals Committee to be.

Within the coal industry the existing local committees set up in each area to deal with pension and fatal accident cases, and consisting of Board and union officials, are being reconstituted. Cases in dispute under the Redundant Mineworkers' Payments Scheme will also be referred to these new committees, who will advise me of their findings. I am discussing with my right hon. Friend the First Secretary how we might call upon the personnel of Industrial Tribunals if there are disputes not resolved by the coal industry committees.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government, in view of the fact that tinkers are forcing gypsies to leave sites provided for the latter by local authorities, if he will now introduce legislation to provide for the supervision of gypsy sites by wardens.

No. Local authorities can already appoint wardens to supervise gypsy sites under their general powers to manage them. Many have done so.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will introduce legislation to simplify the existing appeal procedure in the Town and Country Planning Act.

My right hon. Friend will shortly lay before Parliament regulations under Part III of the Town and Country Planning Act, 1968 under which appeals relating to small-scale residential development will be transferred to Inspectors for determination, and thereby dealt with more speedily.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what progress has been made in the appeal made by Mr. J. Beesley regarding two outdoor advertisement signs for his business at Okehampton, Devon; and when the result of the appeal will be published.

It was not until August that Mr. Beesley confirmed that he was content for it to be decided on the basis of the written representations of the parties. The decision has now been made and I am sending the hon. Member a copy.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government in view of the need to expand new hotel development and to increase the rate of modernisation of existing hotels, whether he will review the decision to include hotels in the charge for betterment levy under the Land Commission Act, 1967.

No. An exemption for hotels would be a major departure from the principles of the Land Commission Act. Extensions of existing hotel premises up to 10 per cent. of the cubic capacity do not attract levy.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will make a statement regarding the Government's decision on Exchequer grants to local authorities for 1970–71; how this compares with the £1,395 million for 1968–69; what allowance has been made for interest rates and the need for local authorities to expand their social services; and whether he is satisfied that such payments will be sufficient to prevent local rates rising.

Consultations with the associations of local authorities and the Greater London Council have been taking place about the level of grants for 1969–70 and 1970–71. My right hon. Friend hopes to lay the Rate Support Grant Order before the House by the beginning of December, together with the Report on the considerations leading to its provisions. I must ask my hon. Friend to await the Order and the Report.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about Her Majesty's Government's plans for organising European communities in matters not covered by the Treaties of Rome and Paris.

We are engaged with our friends in Europe in examining the possibilities for greater co-operation and common action in fields not covered by the Community Treaties, particularly foreign policy and defence, as proposed by Monsieur Harmel.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether, in view of British public opinion about the burning of the Australian flag by students in London on 27th October, 1968, he will make an official apology to the Government of Australia and publish the terms of that apology.

The British Government, of course, deplore the burning of the Australian flag by demonstrators in London. The Australian authorities are aware of this and I do not consider any further official action necessary.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will seek to put on the agenda of the forthcoming meeting with Commonwealth Prime Ministers means to end the Nigerian civil war and the ensuing problems of post-war rehabilitation.

The agenda for a Prime Minister's meeting is for collective decision by the Heads of Commonwealth Governments. In keeping with the confidential nature of the discussions at these meetings the agenda is not published. I am hopeful that progress may be made towards resolving the Nigerian conflict before the January meeting.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in which British dependent territories people are detained without trial; and whether he will list the number in each.

In Hong Kong 32 persons are detained. No persons are in preventive detention in any other dependent territory.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will introduce legislation to meet the requirements of Articles 5 and 13 of the European Convention on Human Rights, 1950.

Her Majesty's Government consider that the rights specified in these Articles are already accorded under the existing law and practice in this country and we therefore see no need for the introduction of legislation to meet their requirements. In the case of Article 13 I would refer the hon Member to the Answer given by my right hon. and learned Friend the Attorney-General on 22nd July.—[Vol. 769, c. 30–1.]

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will extend the period of acceptance of Articles 25 and 46 of the European Convention on Human Rights, 1950, beyond 13th January, 1969; and if he will extend acceptance to apply to British dependent territories overseas.

Her Majesty's Government are now considering the renewal of the acceptances in respect of the United Kingdom of the right of individual petition under Article 25 and of the compulsory jurisdiction of the Court under Article 46 of this Convention, both of which are due to expire on 13th January next year. The right of individual petition and the compulsory jurisdiction of the Court were accepted on 12th September, 1967, in respect of 21 territories for the international relations of which Her Majesty's Government are responsible. These acceptances are also due to expire on the same date and consideration is being given to their renewal.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will stop the annual payment of £5,000 made by Her Majesty's Government to the ex-Sultan of Zanzibar.

No payment is being made by Her Majesty's Government to the ex-Sultan.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action he proposes to implement Her Majesty's Government's new agricultural policy.

The stated policy of this Government has always been one of selected expansion of agriculture. The annual Review has always had a central place in the development of this policy. In consultation with the representatives of the industry, we then review progress and consider what resources and incentives may be needed and how they may best be provided. This machinery has proved its worth. In my recent statement I set guidelines for further expansion in the coming years. I made clear that we should continue to use the Annual Review for these purposes.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT, from figures available to him from international sources, table showing, in sterling, the average retail price per pound of sugar in each of the countries of the European Economic Community, and the United Kingdom price.

Precise comparison of retail prices between countries are not possible. The following prices, though not allowing for differences in quality, etc., do however give some indication of relative price levels.

Retail Price per lb. of sugar, June 1968
	s.	d.
United Kingdom		8½
Belgium	1	5
France	1	1
Federal Republic of Germany	1	2
Italy	1	5
Netherlands	1	3

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, to what extent the current negotiations on the Commonwealth Sugar Agreement are affected by the British application to join the European Economic Community; and what estimate he has made of the effect of the success of the application on United Kingdom retail prices and the sugar-producing countries of the Commonwealth.

The application to join the European Economic Community is a factor which naturally has to be taken into account in all our external economic policies. The effect of entry on the retail price of sugar and on the sugar-producing countries of the Commonwealth would depend on the arrangements for sugar in an enlarged Community.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether from figures available to him from international sources, he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a table showing, in sterling, the average retail price per pound of butter in each of the countries of the European Economic Community, and the United Kingdom price.

Precise comparisons of retail prices between countries are not possible. Though not allowing for differences in quality, etc., the following prices do however give some indication of relative levels.

Retail price per lb. of butter, June 1968
	s.	d.
United Kingdom	3	4
Belgium	8	6
France	8	1
Federal Republic of Germany	7	4
Italy	8	0
Netherlands	6	11

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are his plans, in the interests of assisting the British application for entry to the European Economic Community, for relieving the European Economic Community of its surplus of butter; and what estimate he has made of the effect of such plans on the retail price of butter in the United Kingdom.

My right hon. Friend has no plans of this kind.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and food if he is now in a position to give a decision on the future of the British Egg Marketing Board.

My right hon. Friend hopes to make a statement shortly.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) whether he will make a statement on the part to be played in further import savings by the horticultural industry, in view of the Government's policy of extra import savings by the whole agricultural industry;

The modernisation of the horticultural industry is proceeding apace, with the help of grants under the Horticulture Improvement Scheme, extended in 1966, and other measures; and it is on this basis that I expect the industry to make its full contribution to the import saving objectives described in my right hon. Friend's statement to the House on 12th November.—[Vol. 773, c. 210–3.]

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what plans he has to develop domiciliary medical services in order to reduce demand for hospital beds.

For those not requiring the types of care and treatment which can be given only in hospital, care in the community is provided by the local authority health and welfare services and by the general practitioner services.The local authorities' plans for the development of their services have been set out in Cmnd.3022, "Health and Welfare: The Development of Community Care: Revision to 1975–76 of the plans of the local authorities in England and Wales", published in June, 1966.As regards the general practitioner services the Government are continuing to encourage developments on the lines set out in my right hon. Friend's reply on 5th February, 1968, to my hon. Friend the Member for Newark (Mr. Bishop). The Health Services and Public Health Act recently passed includes provisions to facilitate developments in a number of domiciliary services.—[Vol. 758, c.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will seek an agreement with drug companies supplying medicines to the National Health Service to limit free drug samples to those specifically requested by prescribes.

This suggestion will be kept in mind in the continuing discussions with the pharmaceutical industry on sales promotion. The industry's present code of practice already sets certain limits on the distribution of free samples.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the difference in the cost of medicines supplied through the National Health Service and of those supplied to Her Majesty's forces.

Prices of medicines supplied to Her Majesty's forces are broadly similar to those under National Health Service hospital contracts; they tend to be lower than those of medicines supplied under the general medical and pharmaceutical services, where the circumstances of supply are different.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what plans he has to increase the number of geriatric beds in Rugby.

I would refer my hon. Friend to my hon. Friend's reply to his Question on 13th February, 1968, which still represents the position.—[Vol. 758, c. 1133.]

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how much money has been spent by the Birmingham Regional Hospital Board on capital projects during the past 10 years; and how much of that sum has been spent in Rugby.

The answer to the first part of the Question is £45·2 million, but any figure for capital expenditure in a particular locality within a hospital catchment area of this kind would not be meaningful.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the estimated cost of operating the hospital of St. Cross, Rugby, in a full year.

The actual cost in 1967–68 was £328,831.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence in what circumstances it is the policy of Her Majesty's Government to accept contributions towards the costs of maintaining forces abroad from the states in which the forces are stationed.

The availability of financial offsets is a factor which may help to determine deployment plans.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what payments are made by Brunei for the cost of stationing British forces there; and whether these payments cover the costs of these forces.

Payments are now being made at the rate of £1 million a year. This sum is based on the assessed running costs of the forces concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) whether he will investigate the cause of a supersonic boom which occurred at approximately 4.30 p.m. on Friday, 8th November, 1968, in the constituency of the hon. Member for St. Ives; and why this occurred without prior warning being given to the local residents following the undertaking given to the hon. Member on 26th June, 1968;(2) whether the supersonic boom at approximately 4.30 p.m. on Friday, 8th November, 1968, which occurred in the constituency of the hon. Member for St. Ives, was caused by service aircraft.

Investigation shows that a naval aircraft from the Royal Naval Air Station, Yeovilton, made an authorised supersonic flight some 35 miles from the North Cornish coast at about 4.30 p.m. on 8th November. This was in accordance with the revised instructions issued last June.It is considered unlikely that this aircraft could have been the cause of the supersonic boom heard in the St. Ives area, but no other Service aircraft can be traced as having carried out supersonic flights at the time stated. If the naval aircraft was responsible and by some unusual atmospheric condition the bang was heard at St. Ives I very much regret any disturbance caused. Prior public warning of supersonic flights made out to sea are not considered to be necessary.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government (1) which local authorities have reduced their proposed rent increases as a result of action by Her Majesty's Government under the Prices and Incomes Act, 1968; and in each case what was the original proposed average increase and the average increase finally approved;(2) what was the original proposed maximum individual increase and the maximum individual increase finally approved in each case in which local authorities have had their proposed rent increases reduced as a result of action by Her Majesty's Government under the Prices and Incomes Act, 1968.

		Original figures				Final figures
		Average		Maximum		Average		Maximum
		s.	d.	s.	d.	s.	d.	s.	d.
		Original figures				Final figures
		Average		Maximum		Average		Maximum
		s.	d.	s.	d.	s.	d.	s.	d.
G.L.C	…	11	7	22	6	7	6	10	0
—(higher rented)	…	not calculated		38	6	10	0	10	0
COUNTY BOROUGHS
Great Yarmouth	…	8	7	14	5	6	9	10	0
Liverpool	…	8	7	15	1	7	10	10	0
Sheffield	…	7	0	21	4	6	0	9	7
Teesside	…	not calculated		10	0	6	0	7	6
LONDON BOROUGHS
Harrow	…	20	0	31	0	7	6	11	7
Westminster (higher rented)	…	26	7	42	3	not calculated		10	0
NON-COUNTY BOROUGHS
Buxton	…	5	10	18	9	5	10	10	0
Chard	…	7	10	10	0	6	8	10	0
Dartmouth	…	8	0	8	0	7	0	7	0
Harwich	…	12	10	27	3	6	5	10	0
Heywood	…	8	7	14	6	7	4	10	0
Hove	…	7	7	14	11	7	2	10	0
Leominster	…	7	10	21	9	6	0	10	0
Lewes	…	8	1	12	3	7	4	10	0
Mansfield	…	not calculated		10	0	2	6	2	6
Totnes	…	7	8	9	2	3	5	4	0
Wokingham	…	5	6	12	6	5	6	10	0
Worksop	…	4	4	11	5	4	4	10	0
URBAN DISTRICTS
Beeston and Stableford	…	3	7	14	3	3	7	10	0
Biddulph	…	7	10	14	6	4	0	4	6
Esher	…	14	7	56	3	5	5	7	0
Hucknall	…	7	5	12	0	7	5	10	0
Newport (Salop)	…	5	6	19	3	3	6	10	0
Oundle	…	4	5	11	6	not calculated		5	0
Sawbridgeworth	…	8	0	12	2	4	0	7	2
Street	…	10	1	12	7	7	6	10	0
RURAL DISTRICTS
Dorking and Horley	…	13	2	21	2	7	6	10	0
Dover	…	8	0	12	4	7	6	10	0
Ennerdale	…	9	4	14	5	2	10	2	11
Faringdon	…	12	9	17	7	7	0	7	6
Henley	…	4	7	12	0	3	5	6	0
Hitchin	…	8	0	13	4	7	0	12	0
Leominster and Wigmore	…	18	1	22	9	10	0	12	6
Long Ashton	…	7	9	10	6	7	9	10	0
Seisdon	…	9	8	9	8	4	10	4	10
Stone	…	12	3	15	8	6	2	7	10
Strood	…	11	6	22	1	5	2	10	0
Totnes	…	12	2	32	5	8	8	15	0
Wantage (higher rented)	…	12	6	12	6	8	5	8	5
Warwick	…	6	0	13	6	4	0	10	0
Wells (old people's dwellings)	…	15	0	15	0	10	0	10	0
Welwyn	…	5	10	14	0	4	9	12	6
Wetherby	…	3	10	18	10	3	0	9	5
Worksop	…	18	6	23	3	13	4	15	6
Wortley	…	4	11	19	3	4	6	10	0

The following is a list of the rent increases or proposed rent increases which were reduced, in response to requests or directions by my right hon. Friend, to levels which he has been able to approve up to 15th November, 1968.Up to the same date 59 authorities have had proposals for rent increases or further rent increases rejected and have not submitted further proposals or re-submitted the original proposals.

asked the Prime Minister when he plans to meet the President-Elect of the United States of America.

I would refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave on 7th November to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Ealing, North Mr. Molloy).—[Vol. 772, c. 1076–8.]

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs (1) what additional steps he proposes to take to alleviate the unemployment position in the engineering, clothing and transport industries in Londonderry, Northern Ireland;(2) what steps are being taken to provide alternative employment for those civilians who will be made redundant when the decision to close the Royal Air Force Station, Ballykelly, Northern Ireland, is implemented.

These are matters primarily for the Government of Northern Ireland although we will do all that we can to assist.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the estimated number of pupils in primary schools in the Basildon and Brentwood Urban District Council areas of Essex in 1969, 1970, 1971 and 1972.

My Department does not make forward estimates of pupil numbers for parts of local authority areas.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the total number of pupils in primary schools in 1963, 1964, 1965, 1967 and 1968 in the Basildon and Brentwood Urban District Council areas of Essex.

The following table gives the number of pupils in maintained primary schools in the Basildon and Brentwood Urban District Council areas of Essex, in January:

	Basildon	Brentwood
1963	11,942	4,363
1964	12,711	4,643
1965	13,541	4,764
1966	14,375	5,041
1967	14,884	5,276
1968	15,571	5,407

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the cost of advertising, publicity and administration of the scheme for free school meals for the fourth child in a family during the six months that the scheme was in force.

This information is not available. To correct misapprehension I should point out that the scheme will run from April, 1968, to April, 1969.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what plans he has for seeking to make the membership of the governing bodies of state schools more representative of the neighbourhood's parents.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave on 24th October, 1968, to a similar Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Manchester, Gorton (Mr. Marks).—[Vol. 770, c. 331.]

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is his policy regarding a public lending right for authors.

Since the Arts Council published in January their proposals for a Library Compensation Fund a number of the bodies concerned have been considering their attitude. Some have already conveyed their views to me and I expect to hear from others.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many students receive grants from local education authorities to enable them to attend drama schools; and how many of these are female.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the total number of drama schools in operation; and in which parts of the country they operate.

Full information is not available, but five drama schools are recognised as efficient establishments of further education—two in London, one in Birmingham, one in Essex and one in Kent; and four are recognised as efficient independent schools—two in London, one in Hertfordshire and one in Sussex.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity if she will make a further statement on the industrial dispute involving joiners at Lithgows; when she expects the pay claim to be settled; and if she is now able to assess the percentage increase in earnings arising from the claim.

A number of joiners have already returned to work and negotiations are going on between the company and the Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers to obtain an acceptable settlement. Until a settlement is reached it is not possible to assess the percentage increase in earnings.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity if, following the failure on 15th November to reach agreement in the Girling brake dispute and the subsequent probability of enforced unemployment this week for tens of thousands of car workers, she will intervene in this dispute to try to lead to an early and just settlement.

My officers have held separate discussions with the company and unions concerned at both local and national level and representatives of the parties are to meet under Departmental chairmanship tomorrow morning.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what recent estimate she has made of the total number of people receiving for full-time work less than £12 a week, less than £14 a week and less than £15 a week, respectively.

The latest information available is for 1967. Approximate estimates for men and women full-time employees in the United Kingdom earning less than the gross weekly amounts stated are:

Earning less than—
	Men	Women
£12 a week	400,000	2,900,000
£14 a week	1,100,000	3,500,000
£15 a week	1,700,000	3,700,000

The figures are derived from information provided by members of nearly 7,400 households which co-operated in the Family Expenditure Survey in 1967. They are subject to sampling error and have been rounded to the nearest 100,000. They relate to men aged 21 and over, and women 18 and over, who were at work and normally work for more than 30 hours a week.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware that letters to the hon. Member for West Ham, North, sent by his Department are being delayed in delivery by two and three days due to second-class postage service being used; and whether, when writing to Members of Parliament, he will instruct his Department to use envelopes with the bold black figure I in a black ruled box to ensure first-class service.

The practice in the Home Office is that post is sent by the second class service, unless urgency requires the use of the first class service. This practice has been followed when letters have been sent to my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps which will have the effect of reducing the delay in bringing cases to trial at the Central Criminal Court.

I am aware of the delays, which are due principally to the increased volume of work before the court. An additional court was brought into use in September, and work to provide further courts is in progress. My noble Friend the Lord Chancellor is considering the possible appointment of a further additional judge.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes of violence were committed in England, Scotland and Wales, respectively, in each of the years from 1958 to 1968.

Following is the information:

OFFENCES OF VIOLENCE AGAINST THE PERSON KNOWN TO THE POLICE
	England	Wales	Scotland
1958	11,560	577	1,193
1959	13,193	683	1,377
1960	15,061	698	1,528
1961	16,811	790	1,661
1962	17,043	905	1,829
1963	19,104	979	1,936
1964	22,357	1,113	2,276
1965	24,235	1,314	2,623
1966	25,464	1,252	2,929
1967	27,717	1,331	3,536
January-June, 1968	13,697*	701*	1,342*
* Provisional.

NOTES:The figures for England and Wales cover the following indictable offences: murder, attempted murder, threats or conspiracy to murder, man slaughter, infanticide, child destruction, causing death by dangerous driving, wounding and other acts endangering life, endangering railway passengers, endangering life at sea, malicious wounding and other like offences, assault, intimidation and molestation, abandoning children under two years, child stealing, procuring abortion and concealment of birth.The figures for Scotland cover the following crimes: murder, attempts to murder, culpable homicide, assaults, threats, rape, assault with intent to ravish and indecent assault.Owing to differences between the two legal systems, the classification of offences in Scotland are not strictly comparable with those in England and Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what effect the new provisions regarding bail in the Criminal Justice Act, 1967, are having on the proportion of people detained in custody prior to trial.

Information about the operation of the new provisions is being collected, but it is too early to draw conclusions. These provisions do not restrict the power to commit in custody for trial on indictment.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many work permits were issued in October: and what was the number of dependants that entered the country in that month.

I assume that the hon. Member's Question relates to Commonwealth citizens. In September 593 employment vouchers were issued, and 477 voucher holders and 4,354 dependants were admitted to the United Kingdom. The figures for October are not yet available.

asked the Minister of Technology what tests are being carried out by his Department to assess the effects of sonic booms on cathedral buildings; when these tests are expected to be concluded; and if the results will be made publicly available.

My Department, with the co-operation of the church authorities, has been conducting an investigation into the effects of sonic bangs on cathedrals. This investigation included a special survey on twelve cathedrals involving a detailed study of each cathedral selected and taking measurements on the walls and other parts of the fabric of the vibration levels resulting from everyday conditions. This survey is planned to be the first phase of a longer term study. Any significant results that may emerge will be made publicly available.

asked the Minister of Technology, if he will list the contractors and the division of responsibility among them for the Linesman system.

Company		Purpose of Contract
The Marconi Company	…	Development and supply of items including displays and display consoles, broad-band channelling equipment, and signal processing equipment.
The Plessey Company	…	Development and supply of displays and data handling equipment and computers, including the XL range of computers.
G.E.C./A.E.I.	…	Development and supply of surveillance radars and associated equipment; development and supply of general situation display equipment.
Elliott Automation Ltd.	…	Development and supply of simulator.
Ferranti Ltd	…	Development and supply of digital data link equipment.
John Curran Ltd.	…	Development and supply of radar turning gear.

Contracts have also been placed with industry for the task of co-ordinating certain aspects of the project. The firms holding such contracts are:—

The Marconi Company	…	Planning and co-ordination of the acceptance trials of the complete system.
The Plessey Company	…	Co-ordinating the commissioning of the hardware and software at the central element of the LINESMAN system.
G.E.C./A.E.I.	…	Co-ordination at radar stations.

asked the Minister of Technology, which companies have received contracts for the display equipment in connection with the Linesman and Mediator systems, respectively.

Display equipment for the Linesman system is being supplied by:

• The Marconi Company.
• The Plessey Company.
• Smiths Industries Ltd.
• G.E.C./A.E.I.

Display equipment for Mediator is being supplied by the Marconi and Plessey companies.

asked the Minister of Technology, which companies have received contracts for computers in connection with the Linesman and Mediator Systems, respectively.

Computers for the major data handling element of the Linesman system have been developed and supplied by the Plessey Company. Computers for other aspects of the system have been supplied by Elliott Automation Ltd., and by the Marconi Company.Computers for the Mediator system are being purchased from the Marconi Company; they are of the Myriad type.

Among the firms working on Linesman-mediator, the following have been awarded major contracts in connection with the Linesman system:

asked the Postmaster General what representations he has received from new town development corporations for the installation of multipurpose cable systems; and what action he proposes to take.

Representations have been received from Milton Keynes, Irvine and Craigavon new towns. I have agreed that, subject to the satisfactory completion of negotiations with their Development Corporations, the Post Office will be willing to tender for systems in these new towns. Negotiations are also about to start with Washington Development Corporation for an extension of the system there.

asked the President of the Board of Trade, if he is aware new machinery and equipment purchased for use in the development areas with the assistance of the 45 per cent. allowance is being transferred after purchase out of development areas; and what steps he proposes to take to end this practice.

Firms that receive an investment grant at the development area rate on new plant or machinery are bound by an undertaking to notify the Board of Trade if, within a period of three years, the machinery or plant is moved out of the development area. An appropriate refund of grant is then payable and the Board of Trade have a system for inspecting grant-aided assets to ensure that firms comply with the undertakings they have given. I would be grateful if my hon. Friend would inform me of any specific instances which he may have in mind.

asked the Minister of Transport what plans he has for improving the standards of legibility of street names.

I am consulting local authority associations about the best method to secure an improvement bearing in mind the present constraints upon their expenditure.

asked the Minister of Transport what discussions he has had with representatives of the Government of Yugoslavia with the intention of making a reciprocal agreement in respect of the Yugoslav road tax which increases the cost of British exports to countries to the east of Yugoslavia; and if he will make a statement.

After inquiries made in Belgrade early this summer we learned from the Yugoslav authorities that a reciprocal agreement between our two Governments would be necessary to obtain exemption from the Yugoslav road tax for British goods vehicles engaged in international road traffic with, or in transit through, Yugoslavia. The Yugoslav authorities later informed us that they were willing in principle to negotiate such an agreement and that they would propose this formally in London.I have now invited the Yugoslav Government to send a delegation to discuss this proposal and I am awaiting their reply. I hope that we shall be able to agree on a mutually convenient date in January next.

asked the President of the Board of Trade to what length it is proposed to extend the main runway at Turnhouse Airport.

There are no plans for extending the present runway. The intention is to build a new runway on a site which is being safeguarded to the west of the airport. Neither the timing of this runway nor its length has yet been decided.