asked the Secretary of State for Defence what were the numbers of men and apprentices, respectively, employed at Portsmouth Dockyard on 1st October, 1964, 1st April, 1966, 1st October, 1967 and 1st October, 1968.

The numbers are:

		Men	Apprentices
1st October, 1964	…	12,908	1,654
1st April, 1966	…	12,220	1,499
1st October, 1967	…	12,013	1,268
1st October, 1968	…	11,779	1,038

The above figures relate to Navy Department staff employed inside Portsmouth Dockyard walls and do not include Ministry of Public Building and Works staff.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) if he will take steps to reduce the limits for the provision of transport by local authorities to take children to school because of the new conditions arising from the introduction of British Standard Time;(2) what further steps he has taken through local education authorities to protect children who have long distances to travel to school but because they travel over distances less than the statutory limits for the provision of local authority transport have to walk in darkness following the introduction of British Standard Time.

Local education authorities already have adequate discretionary powers.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish in HANSARD the details that are readily available showing the number of Ministerial visits overseas, to which countries they were made, for what purposes, and at what costs to public funds either in sterling or foreign exchange.

I have been asked to reply. I regret that detailed information is not readily available and could be provided only at disproprotionate expense.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many persons have been prosecuted since 20th June, 1968, for failing to declare their holdings of gold coins as required by Statutory Instrument No. 438, 1966; how many persons have been convicted: on what dates; and with what sentences.

There have been three prosecutions, involving four people, all leading to convictions: one on 18th September, one on 4th October (with appeal on 2nd December) and two on 21st November; fines were £50, £100 on appeal, £25 and £15, with costs in all cases, and with forfeiture of the coins concerned in all cases. Nearly 300 gold sovereigns and certain certain foreign coins were involved in these cases in total.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is satisfied that the surrender of gold coins provisions of Statutory Instrument No. 438, 1966, have in general been complied with; and if he will make a statement.

I have no reason to doubt that these provisions are generally being complied with. Unauthorised holdings are reported to the Treasury from time to time. I am satisfied that the Order fulfils a useful purpose.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many public officials in the Bank of England are currently employed full-time and part-time, respectively, in the Bank of England administering Statutory Instrument No. 438, 1966.

Some three or four people are concerned either full-time or part-time in the administration of this measure.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state the number of applications to hold gold coins under Statutory Instrument No. 438, 1966, which have been received by the Bank of England each month during 1968; and how many of these have been granted.

The following is the information asked for:

1968			No. of applications
January	…	…	192
February	…	…	219
March	…	…	282
April	…	…	312
May	…	…	285
June	…	…	166
July	…	…	201
August	…	…	189
September	…	…	168
October	…	…	222
November	…	…	238
Total	…	…	2,474

Applications allowed: 1,457.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will bring up to date the figure of £287,520 which at 14th March, 1968, represented sales of gold coins under Statutory Instrument No. 438, 1966, to the members of the London Gold Market.

Sales of gold coins to the London Gold Market up to 11th December, 1968 stood at about £348,330.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether it is the Government's policy to continue the practice of not asking the Director of Public Prosecutions, whose consent is necessary, to proceed against those who now make a voluntary disclosure of gold coins which they were under a legal obligation to disclose on 27th April, 1966, under Statutory Instrument No. 438, 1966.

The Treasury is continuing for the time being the practice of not asking the Director of Public Prosecutions to consider whether to proceed against those who voluntarily disclose their holding of gold coins.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity, what is the waiting period at Government training centres in the North-East; how long an applicant for training has to wait for admission; and whether she will make a statement.

The waiting period varies considerably from trade to trade and Centre to Centre. Applicants can be admitted to nearly all engineering courses almost immediately, and to most others within one to six months. For a few trades, the waiting periods are longer but should be progressively reduced as new training places become available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity, what action has been taken by the Central Training Council and the industrial training boards to see that training is provided for staff engaged in exporting.

A report by the Central Training Council's Commercial and Clerical Training Committee entitled "Training of Export Staff" will be published (by H.M.S.O.) on 16th December. This is a practical analysis of exporting activities and the training appropriate to them, and it should make an important contribution towards improving our export performance. A joint committee of industrial training boards has already been set up to put its recommendations into effect as a matter of urgency.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress was made at the recent meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation Council of Ministers concerning financial support for an international seminar of senior civil servants at the College of Europe in Bruges; and what was the policy of the United Kingdom delegation.

This matter was not discussed at the recent Ministerial meeting of the North Atlantic Council. It is expected to be discussed shortly by the Permanent Council.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the proposals he put to Mr. Smith on his recent visit to Salisbury relating to the referenda to be held before the entrenched clauses could be amended included a provision that a two-thirds majority of all registered voters was required irrespective as to whether or not they chose to exercise their vote.

I have been asked to reply.I described the principle governing this alternative proposal in my statement on the 18th November. In my talks with Mr. Smith in Salisbury I made it clear that we were ready to discuss the details of the proposal with a view to modifying them, if discussion showed that this was right. But Mr. Smith totally rejected the principle on which the proposal was based.In general I would consider it right that if referenda are held on amendments to these vitally important entrenched provisions of the Constitution, those amendments should require the positive support of a majority of the electorate.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he will make a statement on his intentions concerning the bringing into effect of the proposals of the Boundary Commission.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave yesterday to a Question by the hon. Member for Cirencester and Tewkesbury (Mr. Ridley).—[Vol. 775, c. 790.]

asked the Secretary ot State for the Home Department to what extent manpower in the police service is likely to increase during the year beginning 1st April, 1969.

I hope that police strength in England and Wales will increase by 2,000 officers. To achieve this about 7,000 recruits will be needed in the year beginning 1st April, 1969. There will also be increases of 600 traffic wardens and 1,000 other civilians.A circular is being issued to police authorities today.

asked the Postmaster General, what additional revenue he estimates has accrued as a result of new issues of stamps during the last convenient period of 12 months.

In 1967–68 sales from the Philatelic Bureau in Edinburgh and other philatelic sales points at home and overseas amounted to £1½ million as a result of new issues of stamps.

asked the Minister of Power how much solid smokeless fuel of all kinds he estimates that the gas industry will produce this winter; how much will be produced by the National Coal Board; and how much was produced by each industry last winter.

Last winter total production of smokeless fuels suitable for the domestic market was about 6½ million tons, of which nearly 3 million tons came from the gas industry, and nearly 2½ million tons from the National Coal Board. Total production this winter should be about the same with the gas industry producing about 2 million tons and the N.C.B. about 3 million tons, with production by independents also higher.

asked the Minister of Technology what are the technical reasons for putting back the first flight date of the Concorde.

In general terms, the setbacks to first flight have resulted from underestimation of the effort needed to prepare many kinds of complex equipment, to install it in the aircraft, to test it, remedy minor defects and to clear it for flight. It would be misleading to single out particular items; the delay has been due to a combination of a large number of relatively minor problems.

asked the Minister of Technology what representations he has received from Rolls Royce concerning the possibility of redundancies due to the rephasing of the Concorde programme; and how many people it is estimated will be affected.

The company has warned that the rephasing of the production programme as a result of slippage in development may lead to some redundancies. The extent of the effect on employment will not be clear until my officials and the company have established a revised engine production programme.

asked the Minister of Technology (1) whether he will have discussions with Rolls-Royce Bristol Engine Division concerning the effects of their decision to close down their Whitchurch, Bristol factory;(2) how many personnel will be made redundant by the decision of Rolls-Royce Bristol Engine Division to close their Whitchurch, Bristol factory; how many personnel can be absorbed into other aircraft establishments; and what action he proposes to take to ensure adequate local discussion of the changes.

I am informed that no such decision has been taken.

asked the Minister of Technology if he will state the number of departmental examiners employed in each of the establishments under his control.

Thirty-three at 1st December, 1968. All work in the Inspection Division.

asked the Minister of Technology whether he will give authority to the directors of establishments under his control to reclassify departmental examiners as mechanical examiners.

These are semi-skilled and skilled grades respectively. The qualifications needed for the skilled examiner posts are agreed between management and trade unions; experience in the semiskilled grade is not now agreed to be an aceptable qualification.

asked the Minister of Technology which companies have paid back money to the Exchequer in relation to contracts in connection with the Linesman ground-to-air electronic defence system.

None.

asked the Minister of Technology how much money Messrs. Plessey have paid back to the Exchequer in relation to contracts in connection with the Linesman ground-to-air electronic defence system.

None, but in the case of one item £16,000 has been withheld, in accordance with the terms of the contract in respect of liquidated damages.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the paid appointments within his official patronage; what are the maximum and minimum salaries involved; and how the figures compare with 1958.

As regards the first part of the Question, I would refer the hon. Lady to the Answer given on 5th December to my hon. Friend the Member for Fife, West (Mr. William Hamilton). In 1958 the number of paid statutory appointments made by the Secretary of State was 70 and salaries ranged from £400 to £7,500.—[Vol. 774, c. 556.]

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many mink farms and chinchilla breeders or other fur producers there are in Scotland and how many of them receive Government assistance; what plans he has to develop the fur industry in Scotland; and if he will seek to establish a fur centre to assist in the marketing of this product.

There are 57 current licences for mink farms in Scotland but my Department does not keep other statistics of fur farms. Fur farms are eligible for agricultural investment grants on buildings and fixed equipment but the number of grants made to fur farms is not separately recorded. The Government do not envisage giving additional assistance to the fur industry.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has made of the addditional annual cost to public funds of the 13 per cent. increase in non-industrial civil servants employed in Scotland since 1964 in terms of salaries and the provision of office accommodation and equipment, respectively.

I assume the hon. Member is asking about the increase in numbers referred to in his Question of 25th November which covered all Government Departments except the Post Office. I have no direct information about Departments not under my control, but it is estimated that the additional cost in 1967–68 of Scottish Office staff was of the order of £2,300,000. This figure covers salaries and office accommodation.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the current annual value of the average output per head of those engaged in productive industry in Scotland; and how this compares with the forecasts in the Economic Plan for Scotland adjusted to take account of changes in the value of money.

Measures of changes in the value of output are not available, but measures of changes in volume are published regularly in the Digest of Scottish Statistics. It is not realistic to attempt to relate year to year changes with the White Paper on the Scottish Economy which covered a six year period down to 1970.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, in view of the representations already made and the fact that 87 per cent. of the people in Scotland wish to end the experiment of British Standard Time, he will now introduce amending legislation for Scotland.

I have nothing to add to my reply to the hon. Member for Dumfries (Mr. Monro) yesterday.—[Vol. 775, c. 204.]

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what progress has been made with the smear test scheme for cervical cancer.

The latest available returns show that during the year ended 31st December, 1967, smears from 143,105 women were examined, an increase of 14 per cent. over the previous year's figure of 125,890 and that an additional laboratory centre is now undertaking the screening, making 18 in all. The service is steadily being improved towards the provision of full community screening for all women at risk. I hope that all such women will take advantage of the facilities offered.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services why police officers leaving the force on completion of service for maximum pension and willing to take, but unable to find alternative employment are denied unemployment benefit for six weeks.

It is a well-established rule of unemployment insurance, now embodied in Section 22 (2) (a) of the National Insurance Act, 1965, that a person who has voluntarily left his employment without just cause shall be disqualified for receiving unemployment benefit for a period not exceeding six weeks. Police officers who leave the force and claim unemployment benefit are subject to this rule in the same way as other claimants.Whether a person had just cause for leaving his employment and, if not, the period of disqualification are matters for the independent adjudicating authorities who decide all claims to unemployment benefit.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many claims for industrial injury benefit have been refused in each of the last three years on the grounds that the accident occurred while the claimant was working abroad for a United Kingdom employer.

I regret that the Department's statistical records are in a form which does not allow this particular information to be extracted.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many employees insured in the United Kingdom under the Industrial Injuries Acts are working outside the United Kingdom; and what were the respective numbers for the last three years.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what are his reasons for not proposing to amend the Industrial Injuries Act, 1965 so as to authorise payment of industrial injury benefit to insured persons who have an industrial accident while working abroad for a United Kingdom employer.

Where there is scope for a reciprocal agreement with another country, we try to arrange that workers who go there temporarily in the course of their employment with a British employer should remain covered by our schemes of national insurance and industrial injuries insurance and excluded from the corresponding schemes of the other country.Any further extension of the scope of our industrial injuries scheme to cover employment in other countries would involve the risk of double benefit, conflicts between our law and the law of the other country, difficult investigations and other administrative and financial liabilities which are not appropriate for a scheme designed only to suit the conditions of employment in this country.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what decisions he has made regarding the insurance position of nurses working for private agencies, as a result of the meeting held between officers of his Department and representatives of interested bodies on Monday, 9th December.

None. Although the insurance position of nurses was discussed, the prime purpose of having this informal meeting with certain nursing agencies was to re-examine the procedure for claiming refund of Selective Employment Tax in respect of agency nurses employed in households qualifying under Section 6 of the Selective Employment Payments Act.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the number of coloured immigrants resident in Greater London.

The sample census in April, 1966 gave an estimate that there were at that time in Greater London about 369,000 residents who had been born in the New Commonwealth.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many unfilled vacancies for nursing staff there are in the Hospital Service.

This information is not centrally available.

asked the President of the Board of Trade, how many successful prosecutions of moneylenders have taken place under the Moneylenders Acts or the Companies Acts in each of the last five years.

Prosecutions under the Moneylenders Acts are not instituted by the Board of Trade, but by the police or local authorities without reference to the Board of Trade. The particulars of prosecutions instituted by the Board of Trade under the Companies Acts do not distinguish between moneylenders and other persons.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what total sums of public money were granted in 1966, 1967 and to the nearest available date in development and co-operative grants associated with egg production in Scotland; and if he will list the firms and the sums involved.

Figures of such assistance under the Local Employment Acts are not readily available. Details of grants made to individual applicants are confidential. Egg producers would not qualify for investment grants under the Industrial Development Act.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will make a statement on the Report of the Monopolies Commission on the supply of clutch mechanisms for road vehicles.

The Report was published this morning. The Commission have found that monopoly conditions, as defined in the legislation, prevail in the supply of clutch mechanisms for road vehicles. One supplier, the Automotive Products group, has more than one-third of the market.The Commission have found that the Automotive Products group is efficient and progressive, and that it owes its dominant position to the satisfactory service it gives to vehicle manufacturers. The Commission accept that the existence of a large specialist manufacturer of clutches has been beneficial to the vehicle industry because economies of scale have enabled it to supply clutches at prices which the vehicle manufacturers would not have been able to match by their own manufacture; because the concentration of skill and its financial strength have enabled it to develop and take the risk of introducing new designs; and because it has been possible to meet the demand for clutches without creating much surplus capacity. The Commission have not, therefore, found that the group's monopoly position as such has operated against the public interest.The Commission have, however, found that certain of the things done by the group have operated against the public interest. These include its price policy and the level of profits to which it has given rise, which were considered excessive in the period 1962 to 1964; its requirement that its wholesalers should not handle competing clutches; and its interference with the supply of clutch linings to competitors.The Commission have also found that the Automotive Products group's high level of profit is assisted by its practice of charging higher prices for replacement clutches than for initial equipment clutches. They note that the group has made some attempt to reduce the difference between these prices, and express the view that it would be desirable for the difference to be more significantly reduced in any further price changes. They do not consider, however, that it would be practicable to impose a change to a single-tier price system unless changes were also made in the vehicle manufacturers' price policies for vehicle spares. The Commission find, however, no justification for the practice by which the group pays different prices for clutch linings accordingly to whether they are used in initial equipment or in replacement clutches.In addition, a majority of the group who conducted the inquiry consider that the Automotive Products group's practice of appointing and controlling regional wholesalers which it does not supply direct, and its recommendation of resale prices and discounts, operate against the public interest. The minority, in a note of dissent, take the view that the only undesirable aspect of the group's control over its wholesalers is the insistence on loyalty to the group's products; and that the majority's criticism of the practice of recommending resale prices is not justified by the evidence.As remedies, the Commission recommend that the Board of Trade should exercise surveillance over the Automotive Products group's price policy and the profits to which it gives rise, in order to ensure that these do not rise significantly above the levels of 1965–67; that the group should withdraw the conditions imposed on distributors to prevent them from handling competing clutches; that the group should not interfere in any way with supplies of clutch linings to its competitors; and that the group should buy all its clutch linings at the same price, whether they are for use in initial equipment or in replacement clutches. The majority further recommend that the group should cease to appoint and control those wholesalers with whom it does not deal direct, and that it should cease to recommend resale prices. They see no objection, however, to the group's continuing to prescribe enforceable maximum retail prices.The Commission has conducted a useful and thorough inquiry. I accept the report in principle and my Department will discuss with the company the implementation of recommendations unanimously made by the Commission. As regards the other recommendations, I propose to defer a decision until after the discussion with the company.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will invite the Hunt Committee to make an interim report in respect of Edinburgh at the earliest opportunity in view of the present threat to employment arising out of the impending closure of numerous factories and works within the city.

No. Edinburgh has one of the lowest rates of unemployment in the United Kingdom, and I do not accept that there is a present threat to employment there. The Report of the Hunt Committee is expected to be available early in the New Year.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will report on progress on the routing and timing of the M11.

A draft Scheme for the route of the M11 from Stump Cross to its terminal connections with the A406 and the A12, and proposals for the treatment of the side roads affected were published on 4th December. It is hoped that construction will start in 1971, depending on the completion of the statutory processes and acquisition of land.

asked the Minister of Transport when he expects there will be a roundabout for traffic at the crossing of the Leeds-Huddersfield and Dews-bury-Bradford roads in Birstall.

I have no plans for a roundabout at this crossing.

asked the Minister of Transport what progress is being made in the construction of that part of the Yorkshire-Lancashire motorway which passes through the borough of Morley; whether he is satisfied with the rate of progress; and when he expects the motorway to be opened.

Construction of this section of the M62 began five months ago and is due for completion in the autumn of 1970. The rate of progress is satisfactory.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs if he will make a statement on the Industrial Reorganisation Corporation's proposals for the reorganisation of the fishing industry.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs, what proposals he has now had from the Industrial Reorganisation Corporation regarding proposed mergers of firms in the deep-sea trawling industry; and if he will make a statemsnt.

I have nothing to add to my right hon. Friend's reply of 14th October to my hon. Friend the Member for Kingston upon Hull, West (Mr. James Johnson).—[Vol. 770, c. 45.]

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government why the minutes of the Land Commission are not available for public inspection.

The Commission, like any other Government Department, does not make its internal records available for public inspection.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will specify the categories of person entitled to inspect the minutes of the Land Commission.

No.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government which part-time member of the Land Commission draws no salary for his services.

I would refer the hon. Member to my replies of 29th November and 10th December last.—[Vol. 774, c. 207; Vol. 775, c. 74.]