asked the Secretary of State for Defence to what causes he attributes the drop in recruiting; and what proposals he has to improve it.

Fluctuations in recruitment are caused by a variety of influences. At present boys tend to stay longer at school, and there are the counter attractions of industry and commerce and a reduction in the numbers of young men in the age group from which we recruit. There is also perhaps some misunderstanding of Defence policy and of career prospects in the Services.

			1967			1968
		August	September	October	August	September	October
Adult males	…	937	1,173	1,087	799	967	950
Young soldiers	…	246	287	329	243	271	254
Totals	…	1,183	1,460	1.416	1,042	1,238	1,204

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give the recruiting figures for each of the last three available months for the Highland

			Highland Brigade			Lowland Brigade
1967
			Adults	Young Soldiers	Total	Adults	Young Soldiers	Total
August	…	…	20	4	24	14	1	15
September	…	…	18	5	23	17	7	24
October	…	…	19	9	28	10	5	15

1968				Scottish Division*
			Adults	Young Soldiers	Totals
August	…	…	36	11	47
September	…	…	27	1	28
October	…	…	34	10	44
*The Highland and Lowland Brigades became the Scottish Division on 1st July, 1968. Recruiting is now made on a Divisional basis.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what forces are available for home defence on the basis that the British contribution to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation is brought up to its promised strength; and in what ways he has modified his assumptions about the need for a home defence force.

Various regular and reserve forces will remain in the United I am constantly considering measures to increase the competitive pull of the Services, and we have already, for example, improved the recruiting organisation and re-examined our recruiting techniques. As the House is aware, the Government have asked the Prices and Incomes Board to complete its review of Forces pay within a year.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give the Army recruiting figures for each of the last three available months and for the corresponding period last year.

Figures for United Kingdom recruitment from civil life are as follows:and Lowland Brigades, respectively, and for the corresponding period last year.

The figures for recruits from civil life are as follows:Kingdom in the circumstances the hon. Gentleman describes, but it would not be in the public interest to give details of numbers or organisation. The Government stated their position on this earlier in the year and this decision has not been altered.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence when he will be in a position to release the New Camp site, Gibraltar, to enable a marina to be built there; and how long his Department has been discussing this project.

Proposals to redevelop New Camp were received from the Gibraltar Government on a confidential basis a few months ago. These are still under consideration and I am not in a position to give any details at this stage.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will arrange for an independent inquiry to be held into the allegations, copies of which have been sent to him, that officials of his Department attempted to persuade private citizens to capture by force the Rough Towers fort at present in the possession of Mr. Roy Bates.

I inquired fully into the allegations which the hon. Gentleman put to me in his letter of 30th May; as I told him then, no such attempt was made by officials of this Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence, what was the number of Soviet and Warsaw Pact naval auxiliary vessels in proximity to British territorial waters on 23rd November.

Four Soviet destroyers, accompanied by a tug and oiler, were reported in the vicinity of the Scottish coast on that day.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions in the last 12 months Russian naval vessels have been detected in the vicinity of British territorial waters; and if he will make a statement.

On several occasions this year Soviet warships and naval support vessels have appeared on the high seas in the vicinity of the United Kingdom, and in particular off the Scottish coast, where ships have made use of anchorages. These activities have been kept under surveillance by the R.N. and the R.A.F.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions have taken place between Her Majesty's Government and the United States Government on the exchange of confidential scientific and technical information in the defence field since the agreement between Her Majesty's Government and Russia for scientific and technical exchanges made in 1965 and renewed in 1967.

There are two agreements between Her Majesty's Government and the Soviet Government. One on relations in the scientific, technological, educational and cultural fields was signed in 1959 and renewed, as provided for, at two-yearly intervals, most recently in 1965 and 1967. The Anglo-Soviet Technological Agreement, discussed during Mr. Kosygin's visit last year, was signed on 19th January, 1968.Discussions between Her Majesty's Government and the United States Government involving exchange of confidential scientific and technical information in the defence field go on continuously in the numerous areas where we have mutual interests. These exchanges are in no way affected by the Anglo-Soviet Agreement which encourages closer industrial contacts under the auspices of the C.B.I. and does not involve defence in any way. The United States also have an agreement on scientific exchanges with the Soviet Union.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence, what he estimates is the present Russian deployment in the Mediterranean and East of Suez, in the Middle Eastern Area.

The Soviet Mediterranean Naval Squadron at present comprises:

• 1 Cruiser;
• 7 Destroyers or Escort Vessels;
• 7 Submarines;
• 2 Landing Ships;
• 2 Submarine Depot Ships and other supporting auxiliaries.

There are no Soviet Naval vessels at present in Arabian Waters.There are no units of the Soviet Army or Air Force in the Mediterranean or in the Middle East outside the Soviet Union itself. There are several thousand Soviet technicians and advisers with the armed services of countries in the Near and Middle East.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the extent to which the Defence Budget has been increase following the Russian invasion of Czechoslovakia.

I have nothing to add to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Defence for Administration in reply to my hon. Friend the Member for York (Mr. Alexander W. Lyon) on 14th November.—[Vol. 773, c. 146–7.]

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will consider providing grants to Combined Cadet Force units at schools which are organised on a voluntary basis.

Grants are made to all contingents of the Combined Cadet Force.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is his estimate of the strength of the Army in 1972 calculated on the basis of current trends in recruiting from civil life and re-engagement.

If current trends were to continue, about 147,000 officers and men.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence why he has now decided that the voluntary reserves have a rô le as a framework for expansion.

The primary rô le of the cadres is to provide administrative support for existing TAVR II units. Once this rô le has been fulfilled, the cadres are available to perform a number of subsidiary tasks, such as to form a basis for expansion, should this ever be required.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what discussion he has had with the United Kingdom's allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation about the reductions in the United Kingdom's reserve forces.

I have not made, and do not plan to make, any reduction in the United Kingdom's reserve forces of a kind which might affect our allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. There has therefore been no need for discussion.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will now lift the ban on export of arms for use against external aggression to the Republic of South Africa.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what changes have now been made in the policy of Her Majesty's Government regarding the sale of equipment to South Africa.

There is no change in Her Majesty's Government's policy on the sale of arms to South Africa.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will take steps to appoint a Royal Air Force officer to the Admiralty Board.

No. Adequate arrangements, including the appointment of Ministers of State with functional responsibilities, have already been established in the unified Ministry of Defence to ensure full co-operation in all fields.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence, in view of the lowering of the age of majority, what preparations are being made to provide the 18-year-old married serviceman with quarters.

None, but I am examining whether any change should be made in the age of eligibility for married quarters and allied benefits which is 25 for officers and 21 for other ranks.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence why he continues to include in the figures of absenteeism from the Services personnel who have been absent without leave from the Royal Air Force since 1929, from the Army since 1945 and from the Royal Navy since 1951; and whether it is the policy of his Department that these men should be liable to recall to the Services.

As the hon. Member knows, absence without leave is a serious offence under Acts approved by Parliament. I can assure him that, irrespective of their methods of maintaining statistics of such absences, all three Services use their discretion where appropriate in dealing with individual cases: but the offence cannot be condoned or overlooked whatever its date. A man who is absent without leave remains a member of his Service and liable to complete the remaining portions of his engagement. The question of recall does not arise.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a detailed statement concerning the handing over of Her Majesty's Dockyard, Singapore, to the Government of Singapore, including the future rô les of the Royal Navy and that of Swan Hunter.

On 1st December, 1968, the major part of H.M. Dockyard, Singapore was transferred to the Singapore Government for development as a commercial dockyard.The Singapore Government have formed the Sembawang Shipyard (Private) Company to operate the commercial yard from the date of transfer and Messrs. Swan Hunter (International) Ltd. have been appointed managing agents to the company for the initial five years of operation.With certain limited exceptions, where the Ministry of Defence has a continuing requirement for an installation or facilities and has retained ownership, all buildings in the area of transfer have been handed over free of charge together with plant and equipment (including the floating docks) not needed by the U.K. Services elsewhere and considered essential to enable the dockyard to continue to function as a going concern.Some 3,500 of H.M. Dockyard's local labour force have been transferred to the Company, having received all due terminal benefits from H.M. Government: and 153 Navy Department personnel (3 Naval Officers and 150 U.K.-based civilians) have been lent to the Company on secondment terms.In the initial stages of commercialisation the Company will be solely employed on naval repair and refitting work. Whilst no guarantee of future workload has been given to the Company, it is the intention, subject to satisfactory perfomance and price, and R.N. operational requirements, to place contracts with the dockyard for all ship repair and refit work which would have been undertaken in H.M. Dockyard had it remained in Ministry of Defence ownership. In view of this the Company have agreed to maintain in being the existing facilities for this purpose until informed that they are no longer required.Until final withdrawal at the end of 1971, the Company will be dependent on the Ministry of Defence for the supply of a considerable range of services: these are being provided on a repayment basis.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence why he approved the introduction by the Royal Air Force of the individual Studies School, Bracknell, in view of the staff training already given at the Junior Command and Staff School at Royal Air Force, Tern Hill, Shropshire.

The two schools meet different needs and thus use different methods. The Individual Studies School provides a two years' correspondence course in general Service subjects for Squadron Leaders and above. The Junior Command and Staff School gives an eight weeks' residential course to mid-seniority Flight Lieutenants destined for command and staff appointments.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what steps are now being taken to accelerate the redeployment of qualified scientists and engineers from defence to civil research and development projects.

Action to effect the reductions announced in paragraph 42 of the Supplementary Statement on Defence Policy, 1968 is now proceeding. We are considering whether further reductions are possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence in what areas Gurkhas are at present employed; and what are his future plans for them.

Gurkha units are at present stationed in Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and Hong Kong. As has been announced the Brigade of Gurkhas is being run down to a strength of 6,000 by the end of 1971, by which time they will mainly be stationed in Hong Kong. No decision on the future of the Brigade after 1971 has been made.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the present stength of British forces in the Persian Gulf.

In the Protected States of the Persian Gulf there are at present about 6,000 British Servicemen.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he is now in a position to make a statement regarding the future use of the Hadrian Camp, Carlisle; and if he will give an assurance that these premises will be taken over and used to the full, thus providing employment.

There is no defence requirement for Hadrian Camp, Carlisle, and it is too early to say what other use will be made of it. Other Government Departments are still considering whether they need it. If they do not, and if local authorities do not want it, it will be offered for sale publicly.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence on what date it was announced that increases in Service pay and pensions effective from the 1st April, 1968 applied to those eligible for retired pay or pensions on or after 1st February, 1968; and whether all those so eligible who retired between 1st February and 1st April, 1968 are now in receipt of the appropriate increases in retired pay, pensions and terminal grants.

The date of application of the increases to which the hon. Member refers was first published in the White Paper on Service Pay and Pensions (Cmnd. 3756) which was laid before Parliament on 18th September, 1968. Payment of the appropriate increases is complete with the exception of a handful of cases involving special circumstances. If the hon. Member has any particular case in mind and will let me have the details I will look into it.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence by whose authority £10 per day is being charged to Christian Aid for the use of the Drill Hall in Lytton Grove, Putney S.W.15 as a collecting centre and storage depot for Biafran relief supplies; on what criteria this charge was based; and whether he will make a statement.

This drill hall is let by the Territorial, Auxiliary and Volunteer Reserve Association for Greater London, who are the owners. Associations are authorised to let property in any manner consistent with the military requirements of the Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve, provided that the rent charged is at least sufficient to cover the expenses incidental to the letting. I understand that the rent of £10 per day is only about half the rent that would be charged if it were let for other purposes.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence, how much was spent on the building and repair of naval vessels in the United Kingdom in 1962–63, 1964–65 and 1966–67; and what percentage of this total was spent in Scotland in each year.

The total amount spent in the United Kingdom on the building and repair by contract of Royal Naval vessels in 1962–63, 1964–65 and 1966–67 was £44 million, £59 million and £65 million respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will break down Subhead D of Air Vote 7, Subsection I of the Defence Estimates 1968–69 radio and radar equipment £42,800,000 to show each item which is costing more than £1 million.

Following are the items for which provision of more than £1 million was made:Local air defence data handling systems.Aircraft identification ("Friend or Foe") equipment.Communication satellites and related ground stations.Linesman / Mediator.Submarine detection equipment.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he will now give a breakdown of his £62 million estimate of the approximate total cost to date of the Linesman air defence system, showing the approximate costs each year since the project's inception; and whether he will indicate over what period the further £23 million estimated by him as being required for completion will be spent.

To prepare an annual breakdown of costs would entail disproportionate effort. Expenditure on Linesman began more than 10 years ago, but the bulk of it has been incurred during the last five years, at an average annual rate of approximately £9 million.The bulk of the outstanding expenditure will be incurred during the next three years.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what progress is being made in training the Royal Air Force for its future commitment of providing air cover for ships of the Royal Navy at sea.

Much detailed work is in progress between the Naval and Air Staffs to ensure that the Royal Air Force who are already experienced in some aspects of the task, are ready to take over their new responsibilities in entirety in 1972.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will take steps to improve the delivery of mail to Her Majesty's ships serving on the Beira Patrol.

The arrangements for delivery of mail to ships on the Beira Patrol are under constant review to ensure that the best possible service is provided. As part of this, arrangements were made in August, 1967, for air drops three times a week by R.A.F. long range maritime patrol aircraft based at Majunga, Malagasy. In January, 1968, an Army Postal Sergeant was also added to the staff there to assist with the handling of mails.There were difficulties in maintaining the service in November this year. As a result of this newspapers sent by air and small packages were delayed. These difficulties have, I am glad to say, now been overcome.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence on what scale of forces he based his calculation that a military presence east of Suez would cost £300 million per year.

As is explained in Chapter V of Cmnd. 3357, which gives details of the force changes involved, £300 million a year is the approximate difference in cost between the programme outlined in Cmnd. 2901 and that contained in Cmnd. 3357. It is thus a conservative estimate of the cost of a viable long-term military presence east of Suez.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what further action Her Majesty's Government are taking to increase the effectiveness of the forces at the disposal of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.

I have nothing to add to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Defence for Administration to my hon. Friend the Member for York (Mr. Alexander W. Lyon) on 14th November and to his statement on the Territorial Army on 28th November.—[Vol. 773, c. 146–7; Vol. 774, c. 739–40.]

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for improving the mobilisation base of the armed forces.

I would refer the hon. Member to my statement on 28th November on the formation of new reserve units and increases in the establishment of others.—[Vol. 774, c. 739–748.]

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the annual budgetary cost of the present garrison in Hong Kong; and what proportion of the cost is in foreign exchange.

As my right hon. Friend has explained previously, we cannot give a meaningful figure of budgetary costs of forces in a particular area, because a given Service formation, wherever based, commonly has more than one rô le, and because arbitrary conventions would have to be used in allocating between theatres such major elements as the related costs of the home base.On the second part of the Question, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Bury St. Edmunds (Mr. Eldon Griffiths) on 4th December, 1968 by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for the Royal Navy.—[Vol. 774, c. 489–90.]

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he is making for a reduction in the capability of the Royal Navy to take place during the early 1970s.

I have nothing to add to what was announced in the Supplementary Statement on Defence Policy, 1968 (Command 3701).

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about boy recruits desiring release from Her Majesty's forces.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the Answer I gave today to my hon. Friend the Member for Eton and Slough (Miss Lestor).

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what proposals he now has for the use or disposal of land at Inkerman Barracks, Woking.

On present plans, the units currently occupying part of Inkerman Barracks will vacate it during 1970. We shall be retaining some of the existing married quarters for a further period; we are planning to build 23 more married quarters on part of the site; and some 22 acres have been sold or are on offer to the Surrey County Council for education purposes. Further defence use of the remaining area is still under consideration.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what conclusion has been reached from the studies of methods of improving flood warning arrangements; and whether he will make a statement.

The conference held on 11th and 12th December made a number of recommendations for action by river authorities and other bodies to improve the scope and effectiveness of the present flood warning systems. These are summarised in the Press Notice issued after the Conference. A copy of the Press Notice has been placed in the Library of the House.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give details of the trawling vessels now reclaimed by the White Fish Authority because of unpaid loans; and whether he will consider seeking to make these vessels the basis of a publicly-owned fleet.

TRAWLER FISHING VESSELS IN THE POSSESSION OF THE WHITE FISH AUTHORITY AFTER FORECLOSURE FOR DEFAULT OVER LOAN REPAYMENTS (GREAT BRITAIN)
Port		Vessel	Year in which built	Wood/Steel Hull	Class of Vessel	Length of Vessel ft.	Method of Trawling	Date taken over
Lowestoft	…	Bryher	1961	Steel	Near Water	98	Side	Nov., 1968
Lowestoft	…	Ada Kerby	1958	Wood	Near Water	94· 5	Side
Lowestoft	…	W.F.P.	1957	Wood	Near Water	94· 5	Side
Lowestoft	…	Mincarlo	1961	Steel	Near Water	98	Side
Lowestoft	…	Rosevear	1962	Steel	Near Water	98	Side
Fleetwood	…	Catherine Shaun	1916	Steel	Near Water	100· 4	Side	Nov., 1968
Aberdeen	…	Camperdown	1960	Steel	Inshore	68· 1	Side	Oct., 1968
Aberdeen	…	Ebenezer	1960	Steel	Inshore	68	Side	Oct., 1968
Aberdeen	…	Vigilance	1958	Wood	Near Water	102· 3	Side	Sept., 1967

My right hon. Friend has no plans for a publicly-owned fishing fleet based on these vessels.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will direct the Forestry Commission to change its policy of increasing production of quick growth trees to the detriment of survival for the British oak.

There are about 350,000 acres of oak woodlands in England so that the survival of the oak is not in question. Industry's needs are predominantly for softwood and it is sensible for the Commission to concentrate its main effort on producing it.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking to assist imports substitution by encouraging home production of juices from indigenous fruits and vegetables.

While there are no separate figures for imports of fruit and vegetable juices of the kinds grown commercially in Britain, I doubt whether there is much scope here for import saving. But if my hon. Friend will let me know of any particular items he has in mind, I will look into the matter further.

The White Fish Authority has in its possession, as the result of foreclosures, nine trawlers, all of them inshore or near water vessels. The details are as follows:

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will state the policy of Her Majesty's Government regarding the import of Canadian apples.

Fresh apples from non-sterling area sources are restricted by quotas. Canadian apples have the opportunity to compete with apples from other countries under the global quota arrangements. Canadan preserved apples, which account for 35 per cent. of production, enjoy unrestricted access.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will take interim steps to restrict the use of cyclamates in food and soft drinks pending the detailed examination by the Food Additives and Contaminants Committee of the recent studies by Professor Legator and his report to the American Food and Drugs Administration of possible chromosome damage from these substances, a copy of which has been sent to him.

These studies are reported to be highly preliminary and inconclusive. They will be examined by the Food Additives and Contaminants Committee as soon as details are available, but my right hon. Friend and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Security are satisfied that interim restrictions would not be justified.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT prices of basic food stuffs in 1951, in 1964 and at the latest convenient date.

Using data collected for the National Food Survey for the third quarter of each of the three years mentioned by my hon. Friend, the average retail prices of the main foodstuffs were as follows:

	July/Sept., 1951		July/Sept., 1964		July/Sept., 1968
	s.	d.	s.	d.	s.	d.
Milk (pasteurised), per pint		5½		9		10½
Butter, per lb.	2	6	3	8	3	4½
Natural cheese, per lb.	1	2½	3	6	3	9
Sugar, per lb.		6		10		8½
Beef and veal, per lb.	2	3	5	0½	6	3
Mutton and lamb, per lb.	2	2½	3	11½	4	4½
Pork, per lb.	2	5½	4	5	5	1
Bacon (uncooked), per lb.	2	10	4	4½	4	11½
Poultry, per lb.	4	1	3	10½	3	5
Eggs (hen), per dozen	3	11	3	6	4	0
Fish (white, fresh), per lb.	1	11	3	7	4	1½
Fresh green vegetables, lb.		6½		9		10
Fresh fruit, per lb.		11	1	3	1	5½
Potatoes, per lb.		2½		3½		4
Bread (1¾ lb. white loaf)		6½	1	3	1	7
Flour, per lb.		4½		8		8
Tea, per lb.	3	11	6	2½	6	2

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the ratio of farmers to the total number of agricultural civil servants at the present time.

There are about 250,000 employers and self-employed persons in agriculture, but in order to give the ratio requested it would be necessary to say how many of the 16,113 staff of this Department, which deals with Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, should be described as agricultural civil servants and this would be unrealistic.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he will publish Professor Gaskin's study of North-East Scotland commissioned by him.

I refer the hon. Gentleman once again to my reply of 16th October to my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Aberdeen, North (Mr. Hector Hughes).

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland, (1) how many accidents on roads occurred, involving schoolchildren and adults, respectively, during the second half of November in each of the last four years;(2) how many fatal or serious road accidents have occurred since the introduction of British Standard Time; and what were the figures for the comparable period of time in each of the last three years.

I cannot at present add to the information given in reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Aberdeen, South (Mr. Dewar) on 12th December, as the full analysis of the road casualty statistics for November has not yet been completed.—[Vol. 775, c. 206.]

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland in the survey into accident rates in Scotland at present in connection with a possible review of British Standard Time, if he will investigate whether children are more or less alert when going to school in the morning as against returning in the evening.

No. The review will deal with facts.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give, for each of the last three years, statistics showing the number of accidents to children between the ages of five and 15 years in the hours 8 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 5 p.m., respectively, in the last two weeks in November.

I cannot at present add to the information given in reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Aberdeen, South (Mr. Dewar) on 12th December, as the full analysis of the road casualty statistics for November has not yet been completed.—[Vol. 775, c. 206.]

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is aware that ward maids in the Dundee Royal Infirmary are working from 10 a.m. to 8.30 p.m.; and what action he will take to reduce these hours to a normal working day.

This is a matter of day to day management of the hospital, in which I see no reason to intervene. I understand from the hospital, however, that no ward maids in Dundee Royal Infirmary are working these hours but that some dining room staff do so on certain days as part of a three-week cycle of shift arrangements.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what establishment is laid down for the Dundee Royal Infirmary for wardmaids, porters, kitchen workers, and dining room staff; and how this compares per patient with other hospitals.

While there is no formal establishment for these posts, at 31st March there were 140 maids, 54 porters, 50 kitchen staff and 20 dining room staff employed at Dundee Royal Infirmary. This represented 1· 65 maids, 0· 64 porters, 0· 59 kitchen staff and 0· 24 dining room staff for every 100 patients discharged during the preceding six months compared with the average figures for hospitals of the same type of 1· 03, 0· 61, 0· 47 and 0· 37 respectively; but it is difficult to make a comparison of individual grades betwen hosiptals without taking account also of duties, working conditions and the like.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will now issue a revised version of the appropriate sections of his Report, The Scottish Economy 1965–70, relating to Inverurie Locomotive Works.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has received the letter from the Loyal Order of Ancient Shepherds regarding the loss and damage which will be inflicted on the city and county of Aberdeen by the closure of the British Railways workshops at Inverurie; what reply he has sent; and what plans he has to deal with the situation.

This letter reached my office on 16th December and an acknowledgement has been sent. British Railways have said that they are considering the future of the workshops but have not yet taken any decision. Before taking a decision the Board would consult the unions fully. My right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport and I are keeping in close touch with developments.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what communications he has received from the North-East Development Committee regarding the closure of Inverurie Locomotive Works; what study he has made of the implication of this closure for the economy of North-East Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

I have received a request to meet representatives of the North-East of Scotland Development Committee to discuss the future of the Inverurie Workshops together with a memorandum on this subject. I am satisfied that the Government, as well as the British Railways Board, have all the information which they need and fully recognise the importance of employment in the workshops to the economy of the area.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received from fishing organisations in Scotland regarding the introduction of a statutory minimum price scheme for white fish.

I have received no representations since the White Fish Authority announced in April, 1967, that they did not intend to go ahead with the proposed scheme which they had published two months earlier.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement about the independent consultant's report on transport in the Borders, a copy of which has been sent to him.

I have noted with interest this report which relates to the future of rail passenger services on the Edinburgh—Hawick—Carlisle line. Any action to be taken on the report is, however, a matter for my right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport or for the local authorities concerned in discussion with British Rail.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many representatives of teachers, headmasters and non-teaching persons, respectively, form the General Teaching Council for Scotland.

The Council's membership consists of 44 persons comprising:—(

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, in view of the effect which the dismissal of a substantial number of graduate teachers would have on the education and careers of senior school pupils in Scotland, he will introduce amending regulations to postpone the compulsory licensing of graduate teachers until after the Higher Leaving Certificate and Ordinary Level examinations in April.

I would refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I have given today to the hon. Member for Glasgow, Scotstoun (Mr. Small).

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the nature of the request which the Scottish Schoolmasters Association made to him recently as a possible basis for the removal of its objections to the General Teaching Council.

I would refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I have given today to the hon. Member for Glasgow, Scotstoun (Mr. Small).

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a further statement on the progress of registration of teachers with the General Teaching Council.

I understand from the Council that 47,860 teachers have registered. The latest information available to me about certificated teachers who are in service in the schools, and who are therefore under obligation to register is that 1,015 have not so far applied for registration and that 700 have applied who have not yet paid the registration fee. The number who have not applied for registration thus constitutes a very small percentage of the number of teachers in service in the schools and an even smaller percentage of the total number of registered teachers.I regret that this small minority of teachers should be reluctant to accept the arrangements approved by Parliament because they object to some aspects of the constitution and functions of the Council. I accept of course that attention must be paid to minority views but the wishes of the majority of teachers have also to be taken into account. The General Teaching Council has the support of the Educational Institute of Scotland and the Scottish Secondary Teachers Association who between them represent the large majority of teachers in Scotland, and of the education authorities acting through their local authority associations.I have already indicated my willingness to institute an early review of the constitution and functions of the Council if there is any general feeling among the interests most concerned that that would be desirable.The Scottish Schoolmasters Association has asked that no action should be taken against certificated teachers who have not registered. The Schools (Scotland) Code however has required these teachers to register from 1st April, 1968, as a condition of holding permanent appointments in Scottish schools. There has therefore been ample time for this requirement to be met and I see no reason for further delay.The certificated teacher who has not registered with the General Teaching Council has disqualified himself for permanent employment and education authorities in taking steps towards the dismissal of such teachers are simply complying with the statutory requirements of the Schools Code. The teachers concerned have the remedy in their own hands: to register without further delay and this I urge them to do.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the number of cases when an order made under Section 9 of the Conjugal Rights (Scotland) (Amendment) Act, 1861 or under Part II of the Matrimonial Proceedings (Children) Act, 1958 has been varied or recalled by the sheriff, under the provision of Section 8 (2) of the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Scotland) Act, 1966.

None. Before any application can be made under Section 8 (2) of the Act the Court of Session requires to make an Act of Sederunt dealing with the procedure.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many children have been vaccinated against measles since the introduction of the present campaign; if he is satisfied with the availability of supplies of vaccine and the rate of progress of the campaign; and if he will make a statement.

I have asked local health authorities for a return of the number of children vaccinated against measles as at 31st December, 1968. When the information has been collated I shall write to the hon. Member.Apart from initial difficulty at the beginning of the campaign supplies of vaccine are now adequate, and all demands by authorities are being met.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will propose that the Royal Engineers should undertake the construction of a public road across Glenfeshie Forest linking Deeside and Speyside, as part of their long-term training programme.

The provision of a road through Glenfeshie is primarily a matter for the two County Councils concerned. The scale of the operation places it beyond the scope of the Military Aid to the Civil Community Scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will introduce legislation to ensure that individuals who are proved in court to possess knowledge that a crime has been committed and who have wilfully concealed this knowledge or destroyed relevant evidence shall be guilty under Scottish law.

No. The Lord Advocate and I consider that the law of Scotland is already adequate to deal with persons who attempt to pervert or defeat the course of justice.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland why he has proposed that the principle of the judicial system of Scotland that the trial judge exercising criminal jurisdiction should decide only on the facts brought before him in the course of a trial should be altered by the Act of Adjournal (Criminal Legal Aid Fees Amendment), 1968.

I have made no such proposal. The function to be exercised by the trial judge under the new Act of Adjournal will be confined to certifying, on the application of the defence counsel or solicitor, that a particular case has been one of exceptional length, complexity or difficulty; and the intention is that this will be done, after the termination of the case, on the basis of the facts relevant to this particular aspect.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has made of the public money saved by the voluntary work of Criminal Legal Aid Administration undertaken by the Law Society of Scotland since the inception of the Society's scheme.

The general administration of the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme is carried out by the Legal Aid Central Committee and other statutory committees, whose members and officials are all remunerated, by fees and salaries respectively, which are ultimately a charge on the Exchequer. I have no information about what work members of the Law Society undertake voluntarily.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland why applicants for Criminal Legal Aid in Scotland are not, after means assessment, required to pay a contribution to the costs of their defence, in view of the fact that payment of contributions is made by civil legal aid applicants.

Because there is no statutory provision imposing such a requirement.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will send an official Scottish delegation to the next annual International Conference on Public Education in Geneva.

Present arrangements for United Kingdom membership make adequate provision for Scottish representation at the Bureau's annual conferences.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is aware that in the case of 25 per cent. of summary criminal cases and 50 per cent. indict- ment cases the maximum fees laid down in previous legislation have been found to be inadequate after taxation to provide fair and reasonable remuneration for work actually and necessarily done; and if he will now take steps further to increase them.

The Law Society of Scotland, in a memorandum which it sent me in June, made it clear that, in its view, Section 13 (2) of the Act of Adjournal (Criminal Legal Aid Fees) 1964, which enables fees to be paid to solicitors above the prescribed maxima in exceptional cases, was being excessively invoked; and it has continued to be anxious—as I am—to contain the cost of the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme by limiting the applicability of this particular provision. I do not therefore accept that the very large proportion of cases in which the solicitor's maximum fees have been exceeded indicates that the maximum fees (not including outlays) of £47 5s. in summary proceedings in the sheriff court and £78 15s. in solemn sheriff court and High Court proceedings (with a sizeable addition if the trial lasts more than one day) are inadequate; nor have I any plans for proposing to the High Court of Justiciary that they should be increased.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland why no information is available regarding the cost to local education authorities of the provision for children of reflective waistcoats, armbands, sashes, etc.

Cost information supplied by education authorities does not extend to this degree of detail.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what was the average time taken, in the two-year period 1966 and 1967, in deciding appeals against local planning decisions where inquiries were held, from the time the appeal was lodged to the announcement of the Secretary of State's decision; and in what percentage of cases that decision differed from the recommendation of the Reporter;(2) how many appeals to him there have been in Scotland against local planning decisions in 1965, 1966 and 1967; and how many of these have involved inquiries.

The numbers of planning appeals lodged with me, and the numbers of inquiries held, are shown in the following table. About 45 per cent. of the appeals were withdrawn, and about 5 per cent. dealt with by means of written submissions.

		1965	1966	1967
Appeals	…	383	302	341
Inquiries	…	191	166	137

In the two years 1966 and 1967 the average time from lodging the appeal to the announcement of my decision was 45 weeks in the cases dealt with by inquiry. This average, however, was weighted by a number of cases in which action was suspended for long periods at the appellant's request while he negotiated with the local planning authority.In these two years my decision differed from the Reporter's recommendation in about 5 per cent. of the cases decided.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what arrangements are being made by his Department for redundant air pilots to keep their licences by special facilities for training.

None. The provision of training facilities is not a responsibility of the Board.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will state the policy of Her Majesty's Government regarding the licensing of imports of apples grown overseas.

Licences are not required for imports of preserved apples from any source, or of fresh apples from the sterling area. Imports of fresh apples from non-sterling sources are restricted by quotas and require licences. These are allocated to importers on the basis of their imports in a past period of fresh apples and certain other fruit.

asked the President of the Board of Trade, in view of the evidence contained in the Report of the Monopolies Commission showing that without additional costs electric light bulbs can be manufactured to give double the normal light hours, what action he is taking to ensure that these bulbs are made available to the general public.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the Answer which I gave to my hon. Friends the Members for Ash-ton-under-Lyne (Mr. Sheldon) and Bristol, North-West (Mr. Ellis) on 11th December.—[Vol. 775, c. 142.]

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the Monopolies Commission report, he will take steps to set up a public company which will manufacture and supply long-life electric light bulbs.

No; but I would refer my hon. Friend to the Answer which I gave to my hon. Friends the Members for Ashton-under-Lyne (Mr. Sheldon) and Bristol. North-West (Mr. Ellis) on 11th December.—[Vol. 775, c. 142.]

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware of the adverse effect the levying of import deposits will have on the cork sections and slab manufacturing industry; and what action he proposes to take.

I have given careful consideration to the representations I have already received about this from the hon. Member. I do not think that any further exemption from the Import Deposit Scheme would be justified in this instance.

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) what is the result of his consultations with the Council of the European Free Trade Association about the Import Deposits Act; and if he will make a statement;(2) what is the result of his consultations with the European Free Trade Association about the remission or refund to British exporters to European Free Trade Association countries of import deposits; and whether such remission or refund may now be obtained in addition to European Free Trade Association area tariff treatment.

I would refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend during the debate on the Customs (Import Deposits) Bill on 3rd December. The import deposits scheme is now being considered by the Official Council of E.F.T.A. In particular the admissibility for E.F.T.A. tariff treatment of goods on which remission or refund of import deposit has been given is being considered by the Council as a matter of urgency and I hope that it may be possible for them to reach a decision this week on this issue.—[Vol. 774, c. 1310–11.]

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many tins of canned sausages were imported into this country for the months October, September, August and July of 1968 and for the previous year 1967.

Trade statistics do not distinguish canned sausages. Imports of sausages in airtight containers by weight and value are shown each month on page 11 of the Overseas Trade Accounts.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what consideration he has given to taking action against the dumping of Californian table grapes.

Action under the Customs Duties (Dumping and Subsidies) Acts, 1957 and 1968, is normally taken by the Board of Trade upon receipt from the British industry affected of an application, with supporting prima facie evidence, that the imports complained of are dumped and that the alleged dumping is causing or threatening material injury. No application has been received from British producers of grapes.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is the cur- rent estimate of the final total capital cost of the combined Linesman and Mediator air defence and traffic control systems; and what is the total expenditure to date.

As regards Linesman I would refer the hon. Member to the Answer given by the Minister of Defence for Equipment in reply to the hon. Member for St. Albans (Mr. Goodhew) on 9th December. As for Mediator, subject to the difficulty of separating the cost of the two elements of this integrated system the estimated total cost of the system (which is itself designed for both Military and Civil Air Traffic Control) will be of the order of £45 million of which £17 million has been committed to date.—[Vol. 775, c. 58–9.]

asked the Minister for the Civil Service if he will now make a further statement on his plans for the creation of a Civil Service College, indicating the number, nature and qualifications of the staff to be employed and the facilities to be offered to students there.

I have nothing to add at present to what my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister said on 21st November in the debate on the Fulton Report.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what responsibilities the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation now accepts for security in Europe outside the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation area.

The responsibilities of the members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation remain as set out in the North Atlantic Treaty. The alliance has undertaken no new commitments.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what consideration was given at the recent meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation Council to the effects of the Arab-Israeli conflict on security in Europe; and if he will make a statement.

As the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation Ministers stated in the communiqué issued after their recent meeting, they agreed on the need to promote a just and equitable peace in the Mediterranean area as part of their general review of problems affecting the alliance.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether, in view of recent events in Central Europe, he will take further steps to publicise, especially to the young, the success of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation over the last 20 years.

In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation steps will be taken to ensure a full understanding of the work of the Alliance among the young.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions have been held about arranging for a token presence of United Nations forces after the British forces have been withdrawn from the Persian Gulf.

As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence said on 13th November, "after 1971 arrangements for defence will primarily be the responsibility of the States in the area". It will be, therefore, for them to consider whether they desire a token presence of United Nations forces.—[Vol. 773, c. 397–8.]

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received from the Government of South Vietnam regarding the proposed visit to the United Kingdom of members of the South Vietnamese Liberation Students Union.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he has taken to discover the present whereabouts of Mr. Sithole and with what result.

I have been asked to reply.The United Kingdom Residual Mission in Salisbury were instructed to inquire into reports of Mr. Sithole's transfer to another place of detention, but have not so far been able to obtain reliable information as to his present whereabouts. We will, of course, continue our inquiries.

asked the Minister of Transport whether, in view of the danger inherent in the use by public service vehicles of re-cut tyres, he will seek to extend the regulation governing their use.

No. I am aware of no evidence that the use of re-cut tyres on public service vehicles is a source of danger. These heavy duty tyres are manufactured with an additional depth of rubber to permit re-cutting and this process is normally carried out expertly and safely.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what discussions she has had with employers and unions concerning pay increases for maintenance workers in British Road Services; and if she will make a statement.

I have been asked to reply.The National Joint Negotiating Committee for B.R.S. Engineering Maintenance and Repair Grades has asked for a meeting to discuss the situation following the publication of Report No. 90 by the National Board for Prices and Incomes. This has been arranged.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will give an assurance that all the main organisations representing road users will be consulted about the new edition of the Highway Code which he proposes to issue in 1970; and whether he will consult the horse-using interests about the provisions of the current Code which oblige some horses to use the left hand side of the road and others to use the right hand side.

The main organisations representing road users, including horse-riders, were invited in January this year to comment on the draft Highway Code. They will be consulted again when the Code is next revised.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will introduce legislation to provide that bus companies in Scotland shall ensure their timetables are adjusted, or additional services provided, to take account of changes in school hours as a result of the introduction of British Standard Time.

			Financial Year
Highway Authority	1963–64	1964–65	1965–66	1966–67	1967–68
East Sussex County Council	12,056	20,467	8,066	35,225	25,839
Kent County Council	145,000	543,454	2,011,918	1,117,886	2,123,325
Hastings County Borough Council	—	—	—	—	1,420
Grand Total	157,056	563,921	2,019,984	1,153,111	2,150,584

The schemes on which the money was spent were authorised by the highway authority concerned and approved by my Ministry before grants were made towards their cost. Expenditure included the following schemes in addition to the Sevenoaks By-pass:

East Sussex County Council
Paygate, junction with A229	£36,000	(1963–64)
John's Cross	£26,105
Robertsbridge, Silver Hill improvement.	£35,244	(1963–64 to 1965–66)

Kent County Council
Riverhead, junction with A25	£58,000	(1963–64 to 1965–66)
County boundary to south of Lamberhurst.	£162,016	(1963–64 to 1964–65)
Pembury Hospital	£74,617	(1967–68)

Hastings County Borough Council
Sedlescombe Road North, bus lay-bys.	£1,420	(1967–68)

asked the Minister of Transport what plans he has for the

No. The timetables for licensed bus services are controlled by the independent Traffic Commissioners who will consider any requests made to them for alterations.

asked the Minister of Transport what has been the annual expenditure on improvements to the A21 London to Hastings road during the last five years; and upon what authorities and in what amounts has such expenditure been incurred.

Annual expenditure by each of the highway authorities responsible for the A21 London to Hastings road outside the Greater London Council's area is set out in the table below. The figures include expenditure by Kent County Council on the Sevenoaks By-pass in the years 1964–65 to 1967–68 totalling £5,611,652.improvement of, and what expenditure forecasts he has made for, the A21 London to Hastings road.

I have approved a Kent County Council scheme, on which work has recently started, to by-pass the A21 from the southern end of the Sevenoaks By-pass to south-east of Tonbridge at an estimated cost of £5,016,000.In addition, during the next five years, the highway authorities concerned propose to spend £718,860 on A21 outside the Greater London Council's area on schemes which include improvements at Hildenborough (Watts Cross), Lamberhurst, Vinehall Bends, Flimwell and Hastings (Wellington Place/Harold Place).Grants towards the cost of these schemes have been issued or will be considered at the usual rate of 75 per cent.

asked the Minister of Transport in connection with the Road Research Laboratory survey, what weather conditions affected the year of study 1964; and over what period icy conditions prevailed in that year.

I presume the hon. Lady is referring to the Road Research Laboratory's estimate of the effects of British Standard Time on road accidents.The weather conditions during the relevant months of 1964 were not exceptional. In any case, the weather in 1964 was not relevant to the study; the estimates of the effect of darkness on accidents were calculated from accident rates at different times of day in earlier years.

asked the Minister of Transport what investigations the Road Research Laboratory at Crowthorn, Berkshire, made into Scottish road conditions; how often they carried out tests in Scotland; when these tests were carried out and where; and how many tests were carried out in Scotland during winter months.

The Road Research Laboratory maintains a group of eight scientific staff, permanently based in Scotland, who undertake a variety of investigations on Scottish roads. It is not possible to enumerate all the work undertaken by this Group.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will provide a financial incentive to hospital authorities to rationalise and reduce their costs and to encourage redeployment of their resources.

Hospital Boards already have this incentive. Any savings in running costs as a result of redeployment of services or improvements in efficiency are available to the Board for development of their services.