asked the Minister of Technology if he will officially invite the three United States astronauts to visit Great Britain.

The United States Government has made no announcement of a tour abroad by the astronauts, but if such a tour is planned we would be pleased to welcome them to the United Kingdom.

asked the Minister of Technology how many staff including administrative staff in Whitehall, are involved in the operation of the 15 low-cost automation centres throughout the country; what the net cost of this programme is in a full year; and when the last assessment of this programme was made in order to compare results achieved against its cost.

The present staff employed are four full-time at four of the centres, the equivalent of two full-time civil servants in Whitehall, and part of the time of 22 academic and technical staff of the colleges and universities. The current year's cost is £80,000. The service is still building up. The results were last reviewed in November, 1968. Annual savings to firms are expected to exceed the total annual cost of the scheme when it is fully established.

asked the Minister of Technology when he will announce detailed proposals for the future objectives, structure and staffing of the Atomic Energy Authority, arising out of the reorganisation of the nuclear engineering industry and of the creation of a separate nuclear fuel company.

As I said in my letter to the Chairman of the Select Committee on Science and Technology published in the Committee's Third Special Report, we have to consider with very great care how the Authority's resources can best be deployed in future and fitted into the Government's research and development complex so that they can make the maximum possible contribution to the national welfare. This consideration is proceeding.

asked the Minister of Technology (1) what discussions he has had with Rolls-Royce Limited over its plans which will have the effect of making approximately 700 men redundant at Bristol; and if he will make a statement;(2) what discussions he has had with Rolls-Royce Limited on plans for reorganisation consequential on its acquiring Bristol Siddeley.

The company has kept me fully informed about its plans including the reorganisation consequent upon its acquisition in 1966, of Bristol Siddeley Engines Limited. The question of redundancies has been discussed with me and my officials on a number of occasions, the most recent being on Friday, 24th January when I visited the Bristol Engine Division.

asked the Minister of Technology when he proposes to publish the first report of the Shipbuilding Industry Board.

The Report which the House ordered to be printed on 24th July was published on 27th January.

asked the Minister of Technology what are the present numbers and cost of employees of the Shipbuilding Industry Board; and whether they rank as civil servants.

The Board has 20 employees and the present annual cost of their salaries, wages and employer's contributions is £42,328. Except for three who are seconded from Government Departments, they do not rank as civil servants.

asked the Minister of Technology what estimate he has made of the capacity of the machine tool industry to achieve short-delivery periods in face of the expected rise in orders in 1969.

The Machine Tool E.D.C. estimated in September last that overall the industry was operating at 86 per cent. of capacity in 1968. The E.D.C. is at present reviewing capacity and will report later in the year.Weak areas are being studied by the Ministry and action, such as the preproduction order scheme, has improved the availability of more advanced machine tools from home industry in a number of areas. It is important that well conceived expansion schemes should go ahead.

asked the Minister of Technology what action he proposes to take on the report of the pressure vessel committee of inquiry.

The Ministry has already written to organisations that may be affected by the recommendations of the independent committee of inquiry inviting comment by the 1st June, 1969.Their views will be taken fully into account in deciding what action ought to be taken.

asked the Minister of Technology what action he has taken to assist the process plant construction industry; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend appointed a Process Plant Expert Committee in September, 1968, under the chairmanship of Mr. Roy Wright, Deputy Chairman of the Rio Tinto Zinc Corporation. It is in touch with the Process Plant Working Party whose chairman is a member of the Committee. The Process Plant Expert Committee is expected to report in about the middle of the year. Meanwhile work on rationalisation standardisation, better design methods, customer-supplier rela- tions and export promotion are continuing in the different sectors of the industry.

asked the Minister of Technology how much imports and exports of plastic moulding machinery increased in January to November, 1968, over the corresponding period in 1967; and what action he proposes to take.

Imports increased in value by £1·4 million or 35 per cent., while exports decreased by £100,000 or 5 per cent. A survey of the industry undertaken by the Department was referred to the British Plastics Federation last July and discussions are proceeding with the Federation and with individual firms. The Department is prepared to support the development of new equipment.

asked the Minister of Technology what is the Government's policy regarding the measure of its financial support for the building of a medium range 250–300 seater airbus, powered by Rolls-Royce 211 engines.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answers given to similar Questions today.

asked the President of the Board of Trade when he expects the British Standards Institution BS 2655, Electric Lifts, to be extended to include escalators; and what research is being conducted into improving safety standards in the meantime.

I have been asked to reply.The whole of BS 2655, which covers all types of lifts, is now being revised. There will be a separate section on escalators and passenger conveyors. The preparation of this section is well advanced, and I understand that the British Standards Institution hopes to have it ready for printing by the end of April this year.I understand that the manufacturers are undertaking research into all aspects of escalator design which show promise of leading to a further improvement in the already high level of safety standards.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he now has any accident statistics for the period since the beginning of British Standard Time, showing an increase or decrease in the accident rate as compared with comparable periods in previous years.

^{*************}

ROAD CASUALTIE IN SCOTLAND
(Child casualties shown in brackets)
November and December			Fatal		Serious		Slight		Total
1967	…	…	145	(18)	1,602	(281)	3,495	(663)	5,242	(962)
1968	…	…	145	(12)	1,584	(252)	3,219	(676)	4,948	(940)
Difference	…	…	Nil	(−6)	−18	(−29)	−276	(+13)	−294	(−22)
Percentage difference	…	…	Nil	(−33)	−1	(−10)	−8	(+2)	−6	(−2)

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what information he has collected regarding road accidents involving school children in the months of November and December, 1968; what study he has made of these figures regarding the effect of British Standard Time; and if he will make a statement on the results.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given today to my hon. Friend the Member for Fife, West (Mr. William Hamilton).

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many police officers were recruited to Scottish forces in the last quarter of 1968; and how many were lost to the service in the same period.

During the last quarts, of 1968, 165 officers were recruited to and 209 officers left the service.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will state the amount and distribution of injections against Asian influenza now available for Scottish people; and what professional evidence he has as to the needs in this respect of the population of Scotland.

As the vaccine is distributed through normal commercial

In November and December, 1968, the total road casualties in Scotland and the child casualties among them both showed a decrease from 1967. The detailed figures suggest that British Standard Time may have been responsible for reducing the number of road casualties, but I shall reserve judgment until statistics for the whole of the winter have been studied.Following is the information:channels I am unable to state precisely the number of doses now available in Scotland. The Joint Committee of the Health Service Councils on Vaccination and Immunisation advised against any general vaccination of the population. They suggested however that vaccination should be offered to patients suffering from certain types of chronic diseases whose condition would be aggravated by influenza, and to doctors and nurses who might be required to deal with an epidemic.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will give an undertaking that he will not seek to impose general compulsion upon tenant crofters, who wish to remain statutorily protected tenants, to have their tenancies coverted to owner-occupation;(2) if he will give details of the representations he has received concerning steps to be taken for the compulsory conversion of farming tenancies to owner-occupation, subject to further statutory restrictions upon the owner-occupiers regarding change of land use or disposal by sale or otherwise of any part of their land; and what action he is taking.

I assume my hon. Friend has in mind the recommendations made to my right hon. Friend recently by the Crofters Commission about the future of crofting tenure and I would refer him to the Written Answer given on 24th January to my hon. Friend the Member for Caithness and Sutherland (Mr. Maclennan). I do not propose to anticipate the conclusions which will be drawn from the consultations and studies which my right hon. Friend is setting in hand. These will take account of the few representations on the Commission's recommendations which have been received so far.—[Vol. 776, c. 196.]

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what proposals he has received from the Highlands and Islands Development Board for the development of the Strath of Kildonan in Sutherland.

None as yet, but I understand that the Board is continuing to investigate the possibilities.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many prisoners in custody now live three in a cell.

On 21st January, 1969, there were in Scotland 1,035 adult male prisoners, out of a total of 2,898, housed three to a single cell, and three out of 74 adult female prisoners, 144 male young offenders were also accommodated in this way.In an attempt to ameliorate the effects of overcrowding, 364 male prisoners and inmates were accommodated, as an experiment, two to a cell.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish figures comparing the mileage of motorway completed in Scotland with that in England and each of the European Free Trade Association countries.

Comparisons of mileages without regard to traffic conditions are not meaningful.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will report on the progress made to date on his official residence in Edinburgh; and what is the estimated total cost of its purchase and conversion.

I understand that the alterations and decoration put in hand by the trustees from private funds are making good progress. As announced at the time, the house is part of a block of property accepted in 1966 in part satisfaction of estate duty.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland which education authorities have so far issued dismissal notices to non-registered teachers.

Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeenshire, Ayrshire, Caithness, Dunbarton, Fife, Inverness-shire, Midlothian, Ross and Cromarty and Roxburghshire.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether the costs of the construction of the underpass and bridge which allows traffic to go between Rosyth and Inverkeithing without using the Forth Road Bridge approach roads on the north side of the river are included in the costs of approach roads which have to be recovered by the tolls levied by the Forth Bridge Joint Board.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether it is possible for motorists to drive without crossing the Forth Bridge and therefore without paying a toll on any part of the Forth Bridge approach roads, the cost of which are included in the moneys to be recovered by tolls by the Forth Road Bridge Joint Board.

Yes; most of the main southern approach road and part of the main northern approach road can be used without crossing the bridge.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when the Regulations incorporating the new salary scales for policemen and policewomen in Scotland will be laid; and if he will make a statement.

I expect these Regulations to be laid within the next two or three weeks. Applying the agreement reached by the Police Council to each point on the pay scales appropriate to each of the ranks affected and translating these data into draft regulations necessarily takes time. This part of the procedure has been completed and the local authority and police associations and the Police Council have been asked, as they must be, for comments on the Draft Regulations. As soon as this consultation has been completed the Regulations will be printed and laid.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he proposes to consolidate Town and Country Planning legislation.

As soon as practicable after the present Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Bill has become law.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many local authorities have direct labour departments.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave on 22nd January to a Question by the hon. Member for Midlothian (Mr. Eadie).—[Vol. 776, c. 116.]

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many new houses were completed in 1968; what is the target for 1969; and how many times in the last 20 years the completions figure has exceeded 40,000.

A new record was set in 1968, when 41,989 houses were completed, compared with 41,458 in 1967. These are the only two years in which more than 40,000 houses have been built. I expect this figure to be exceeded again in 1969, but cannot say by how many.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received since the beginning of the 1968–69 school session about the reorganisation of secondary education in Sutherland; and what reply he has sent.

Dornoch and Creich District Council, Dornoch Academy Parent-Teacher Association and a number of individuals from the Dornoch area made representations against the downgrading of Dornoch Academy from the beginning of the current session to a four-year secondary school. I have indicated that this is part of the scheme of reorganisation proposed by Sutherland Education Authority and approved by me as a reasonable way of meeting the educational needs of the County as a whole.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what progress has been made with the installation of blind-landing equipment in British aircraft and at British airports; and whether he will make a statement.

The Air Corporations are providing an automatic landing capability for a substantial part of their fleets and it is expected that they will be cleared for landing in runway visabilities of 500 metres in the course of 1969.Heathrow, Gatwick and Liverpool are expected to have corresponding ground facilities on the same timescale. Clearance of aircraft and improvement of ground facilities for automatic landing in lower visibilities there and at other aerodromes will follow.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what steps he has taken during the last 12 months to ensure by regulations that the latest de-icing apparatus is on all fishing vessels using North Sea and Arctic fishing grounds; what penalties he has imposed for their non-use; and in how many and which vessels.

No regulations have been made but tests of various means of de-icing are at present being made in order to establish their effectiveness in operational conditions.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what was the average delay last year between the instalment of machinery in a factory in a development area and the payment of the machinery grant.

The average interval between expenditure incurred by the applicant and payment of grant was and still is about 12 months.

asked the President of the Board of Trade why, in view of the need for diversification of industry in Corby, Northamptonshire, he has recently refused an industrial development certificate for a firm which applied to erect a factory in the town.

Because it was not consistent with the proper distribution of industry.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if, in view of the latest figures of unemployment in the Mexborough and District Employment Exchange area, he will now take further steps to supply more jobs in that district.

I am fully aware of the employment needs of this area and will continue to operate the industrial development certificate policy liberally there.

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) whether he will cause an investigation to be made into the practice known as cube-cutting at the London Docks to ascertain what extent the practice increases the cost of exports;

The Departments concerned are energetically pursuing this matter, but at this stage I have nothing to add to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Attorney-General on 27th January.—[Vol. 776, c. 250.]

asked the President of the Board of Trade what progress has been made in preparing plans for new industry in the Doon Valley of South Ayrshire.

Negotiations are in hand to acquire a site of 40 acres for industrial development at Mosshill, which is well situated to serve the various communities in the area, including the Doon Valley.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether a new tenant has been found for the advanced factory in Girvan, Ayrshire.

The factory has been allocated to the Gordos Corporation of New Jersey, U.S.A., who hope to start moving in next month.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what proportion of exports in 1968 were paid for in cash or within one year; and, of the total amount of credit extended, what proportion was extended for one to five years, five to 10 years, and 10 to 15 years, respectively.

About 95 per cent. of exports are paid for in cash or within one year. I cannot give an analysis of fresh credits extended, but the latest available analysis of exports by credit term was given in answer to the hon. Member for Wan-stead and Woodford (Mr. Patrick Jenkin) on 15th November, 1968.—Vol. 773, cols. 170–1.]

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will give the number of industrial development certificates issued for the Dearne Valley constituency and the number of jobs involved over each of the past four years.

The information asked for is given in the following table:

INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT CERTIFICATES * APPROVED FOR MEXBOROUGH AND WOMBWELL EMPLOYMENT EXCHANGE AREAS 1965–68
		Numbers	Area ('000 sq. ft.)	Estimated additional employment†
				Males	Total
1965	…	5	49	50	220
1966	…	7	144	180	360
1967	…	5	82	60	100
1968	…	9	197	120	180
* Including buildings converted to industrial use.
† Applicants' estimates of the additional employment expected to arise when the projects are completed and fully manned.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what action he has taken with regard to the new standard tariff provisions IX and X, proposed by the Air Transport Licensing Board in its decision of 5th November, 1968.

The Board of Trade has today made a new tariff under Provision I and, in respect to Gibraltar, a new tariff provision under Provision VI, which give effect on a somewhat wider basis to the substance of the Licensing Board's proposal. This means that, whether or not international or cabotage air fares are increased, the minimum prices of inclusive tour holidays on scheduled as well as on charter services governed by Provision I, or Provision VI in the case of Gibraltar, during the coming summer season will be kept at the levels set by last summer's public fares.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will make a statement on the Linesman-Mediator air defence and air traffic control complex.

I would refer the hon. Member to the replies given to the hon. Member for the Cities of London and Westminster (Mr. John Smith) on 18th November, 1968, and the hon. Member for St. Albans (Mr. Goodhew) on 9th December, 1968, in respect of Linesman, and the reply given to him by my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade on 18th December, 1968, in respect of Mediator.—[Vol. 773, c. 223; Vol. 775, c. 58–9, and c. 403–.]

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many aircraft projects for the Army and Royal Navy, respectively, were cancelled between 1st October, 1964, and the end of 1968; and what was the extent of the funds invested in each of them.

No such projects were cancelled during this period.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many Royal Air Force projects were cancelled between 1st October, 1964, and the end of 1968; and what funds were involved.

Six R.A.F. projects were cancelled in the period stated; and the total expenditure involved is expected to be about £225 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many retired officers of the women's armed services are in receipt of retired pay under each of the nine retired pay codes; and, in each case, how many are over 60 years of age and, of the latter, how many are over 70 years of age.

These numbers cannot be separately identified without disproportionate effort but they were included in the figures provided in reply to the hon. and gallant Member's Question on 22nd January.—[Vol. 776, c. 127.]

asked the Secretary of State for Defence when a final decision is to be made on the future of H.M.S. "Condor"; what representations he has received on this matter; what persons or bodies he intends to consult and when; and if he will make a statement.

A statement on the future of all Fleet Air Arm stations will be included in the Defence White Paper to be issued in February. All interested Government Departments have been consulted and the regional and local employment considerations have been fully taken into account.Representations concerning H.M.S. "Condor's" future have been received from Members of Parliament, local authorities and trade unions.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what forecast he has made of net farming income adjusted to normal weather conditions of 1968–69.

The forecast of net farming income for 1968–69 adjusted to normal weather conditions will be shown in this year's White Paper "Annual Review and Determination of Guarantees 1969" to be published in March.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how long the mink trapping service has been in operation; at what cost and with what success; and why he has decided to withdraw this service in view of the still serious problem of predatory mink gone feral.

Nine trappers were appointed in March, 1965, for control of wild mink. The object was to study the habits of these creatures and test the possibility of eradicating them. The operation so far has cost about £60,000 and it seems to have been successful in keeping the wild mink population under control.The experience now gained suggests that there is little prospect of eradicating this pest and that its numbers can best be controlled by riparian occupiers supported by Ministry advice.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what part of the tonnage of potatoes imported in 1968 was imported as canned, frozen or dehydrated products; and what, if reconstituted, would be the equivalent tonnage of fresh potatoes.

United Kingdom import figures for 1968 are as follows:

	Actual tons	Approximate equivalent in fresh potatoes (tons)
Canned potatoes	10,780	170,000
Frozen potato products	14,580
Dehydrated potato	16,905
New potatoes	304,808
Seed potatoes	12,903

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his estimate of the amount of land which was taken between October 1964 and October 1968 for building development for housing, schools, hospitals, roads, industrial development and other development purposes and which will not be returned to agricultural use.

I estimate that between June, 1964, and June, 1968—the nearest dates for which figures are available—the amount of agricultural land taken for development of all kinds, other than afforestation, was 170,000 acres.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will estimate the number of square feet of office space which his Department occupies in administering the system of guaranteed prices and deficiency payments.

About 50,000 square feet.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will estimate how many members of his staff are employed in administering the system of guaranteed prices and deficiency payments.

Many of the staff concerned have also other duties, but it it broadly estimated that the equivalent of 675 staff are engaged in the Ministry in administering the system of guaranteed prices and deficiency payments.

asked the Minister of Power what machinery exists in his department to control the timing of the implementations of the nuclear power building programme; and to what extent the present programme is behind schedule.

I control the scale and timing of the nuclear power station programme through my statutory approval of the C.E.G.B.'s capital programme and my statutory consent for individual stations. In giving these approvals I have regard to the latest load forecasts and other considerations. Of the second nuclear programme, four stations with a capacity of 5,000 MW have been started, a somewhat slower rate than envisaged in the Fuel Policy White Paper (Cmnd. 3438).

asked the Minister of Power if he has completed his consideration of the British Steel Corporation's proposals for a change in their capital structure.

The Government have agreed in principle, that a substantial proportion of the Corporation's long-term capital, which amounts to about £1,000 million, should be converted into public dividend capital as a further experiment with this type of capital. The Govern- ment's agreement is subject to Parliament's approving the necessary legislation and the details will be set out in a Bill which I hope to introduce in March.

asked the Minister of Transport when he proposes to make a further statement on public ownership of ports in the United Kingdom.

I would refer the hon. Member to the statement I made earlier this afternoon.

asked the Minister of Transport (1) if he is aware that proposals by the London Midland Region of British Railways to divert Hereford-Newport main line trains to the Birmingham-Bristol route in 1970 will reduce the number of trains serving Abergavenny to one; and if he will give further consideration to the provision of grant aid in order to provide an adequate service between Hereford and Newport;(2) if, because of the interdependence of the lines between Worcester-Hereford, Shrewsbury-Hereford and Hereford-Newport, he will now consider the lines as a whole for the purpose of grant-aid.

We are already discussing with the Railways Board the revised pattern of service which will be required to meet the social and economic needs of the area from which the main line trains are to be diverted, and the effect of this on associated services.My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales is associated with these discussions. Before reaching a decision we will consult the Welsh Council and the appropriate Economic Planning Councils and Transport Users' Consultative Committees.

asked the Minister of Transport what improvements in safety standards have been incorporated in escalators installed in the new stations serving the Victoria Line of London Transport's Underground Railway.

The escalators installed in the new stations serving the Victoria Line are to the same general designs as those installed elsewhere on London Transport Railways in recent years. There has been no alteration in the safety standards, and all new escalators are tested to the satisfaction of the Chief Inspecting Officer of Railways of the Ministry of

		Killed	Seriously injured		Slightly injured		Minor injuries
		Adults	Adults	Children	Adults	Children	Reported in bulk
1968 (Jan. to Oct.)	…	—	1	1	3	—	864*
1967	…	—	1	—	8	1	955*
1966	…	1	—	—	—	—	838*
							Adults	Children
1965	…	—	—	—	—	—	384	46
1964	…	—	—	—	—	—	309	30
* Includes casualties in connection with power worked doors.
The figures for 1968 are provisional.
Since 1966, reports of minor injuries do not differentiate between children and adults and relate to accidents sustained from power-worked doors on London Transport lifts and trains as well as on escalators.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he is aware of the damage to property and inconvenience which can arise from the congregation of substantial crowds going to and coming from football matches and that residents affected have no legal claim on the promoters of such matches; and if he will discuss with the football associations the possibility of seeking powers to constitute a fund from which ex-gratia payments could be made to persons whose property is so damaged.

I am aware that hooliganism occurs in connection with football crowds but the football authorities have no responsibility for what happens outside the grounds. The answer to the second part of the Question is "No".

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he is satisfied with the performance of the Chilbolton radio telescope; what repairs to this telescope are needed; what is the estimated cost to public funds; and whether he will make a statement.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will publish details of accidents involving adults and children, respectively, on escalators in London Transport stations in each of the last five years.

The available information is as follows:

The steerable dish at Chilbolton was provided primarily for research into radio wave propagation by the Radio and Space Research Station of the Science Research Council, and not as a telescope for radio astronomy.In June, 1967, before the proving trials had been completed, it developed a fault in the main azimuth bearing. This bearing had to be replaced and the dish was out of action, except for limited operations involving only movement in elevation, until July, 1968. Proving trials were later resumed and are going satisfactorily.There is no charge to public funds because the fault occurred during the guarantee period.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what estimate he has made of the number of civil servants required and the administrative cost of introducing a value added tax covering the same range of goods to which the tax is applicable in France and Germany, details of which are available to him through international sources;(2) if he will give the comparison of the estimated cost of collecting the same amount by a value added tax as is at present collected by Selective Employment Tax;(3) if he will give the comparison of the estimated cost of collecting the same amount by a value added tax as is at present collected by Purchase Tax.

The number of staff and administrative cost required to operate a value added tax would depend on its form and coverage, on which policy and practice varies from country to country. But the extra staff would have to run into several thousands and the corresponding administrative cost would necessarily be much higher than for Purchase Tax or Selective Employment Tax.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what is the current annual cost of redundancy payments from the redundancy fund and from employers, respectively.

On the basis of expenditure in the last six months of 1968 the current annual rate of redundancy payments met by the redundancy fund is £47,796,000 and by employers £16,052,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what is the total cost, and what is the total number of payments made, from the redundancy fund, from its inception to date.

The total cost of payments from the redundancy fund from 6th December, 1965, to 31st December, 1968, was £138,642,000 in respect of 653,168 payments.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity if she will introduce regulations to control the permitted noise level in industry and to provide for regular medical examinations for incipient deafness for all employees in industries where a high volume of noise is unavoidable.

The protection of employed persons against the harmful effects of noise is one of the matters dealt with in the general proposals for new safety, health and welfare legislation at present under consideration. The possible provisions my right hon. Friend has in mind include a ban on continuous exposure to noise above a specified level; a general requirement to reduce noise as far as reasonably practicable; and where workers are unavoidably exposed to noise above a specified level, a requirement to provide them with ear defenders. It is also proposed that there should be power to make regulations about noise. The question of medical examinations will be considered further in the light of the forthcoming report of the survey on occupational deafness carried out by the Medical Research Council and the National Physical Laboratory for the Department of Health and Social Security.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the constitutional future of the Caribbean island of St. Vincent.

It was decided at the 1966 Conference that St. Vincent should become an Associated State. Parliament made appropriate provision in the West Indies Act, 1967.The proposals of the St. Vincent Government for the constitution under which Statehood should be achieved were published in St. Vincent last November and have since been extensively publicised and discussed and debated in the legislature. They have recently been sent formally to my right hon. Friend and are now under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when elections will be held on the island of St. Vincent.

Elections were last held in St. Vincent in May, 1967. Under the present constitution the normal life of the legislature then returned would be a maximum of five years.The question of elections in relation to Statehood is one of the matters on which the political parties in St. Vincent hold differing views. It is accordingly one of the matters we shall be considering in connection with the St. Vincent Government's proposals for Statehood.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the total cost to the authorities concerned of staging the referendum held in Gibraltar in September, 1967; and how many people were on the voting register.

The total cost was £4,808 and the number of people on the voting register was 12,762.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the total cost involved in the preparation, compilation and publication of the Report under the Chairmanship of Lady Wootton of Abinger and known as the Home Office Advisory Committee on Drug Dependence, including all salaries and expenses incurred in connection therewith.

About £4,800, of which £4,710 represents the estimated cost of printing and publication.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to deal with traffic problems at the time of the Caernarvon investiture in July; and what is the extra cost involved.

This is a matter for the chief constables of Gwynedd and other police areas likely to be affected. I regret that no estimate of extra cost is available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will obtain from the chief constables concerned reports on how many policemen will be brought into Caernarvon district from elsewhere for the investiture in July; from what forces they will be drawn; and what is their estimate of the cost.

The plans are not yet complete.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what action he is taking to improve the safety standards of escalators in stores, in view of the article on this subject published in the magazine, Focus, Volume 3, No. 12, a copy of which has been sent to him.

I have been asked to reply.I understand that a technical committee of the British Standards Institution which is concerned with the preparation of a British Standard for escalators is considering all practicable safeguards. Meantime my right hon. Friend is asking the appropriate trade associations to consider recommending their members to display warning notices.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will publish details of accidents involving children on wooden-treaded type escalators as used in London Transport Underground stations and on metal-treaded type escalators, respectively, as commonly installed in various shops and stores, in each of the last five years.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the towns in England and Wales where his offices were shut on New Year's Day; which of them have begun a practice of closing on New Year's Day during the last four years; and which offices had a third day's holiday during Christmas week.

In Carlisle the offices of the Carlisle and District State Management Scheme were closed on New Year's Day, as has been the practice for many years. Elsewhere, there is a normal arrangement for staff to take a day's holiday in addition to Christmas Day and Boxing Day but all offices are manned except on these two days and, in Carlisle only, on New Year's Day.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why the profits of the State-owned licensed premises in Carlisle have dropped in the last year from £206,110 to £166,804; and why in the same period their stocks have risen from £395,464 to £426, 205.

The fall in profits in the financial year 1967–68 was due to a sharp increase in costs, which, in pursuance of Government policy, were not fully passed on to the consumer. The increase in money terms of stocks—at some 8 per cent.—mainly reflects increases in cost of materials.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many licensed premises are owned by the State in Carlisle, Gretna and Cromarty, respectively.

The information is as follows:

Carlisle State Management District	…	173
Gretna State Management District	…	15
Cromarty State Management District	…	18

Licensed premises in the State Management Districts of Gretna and Cromarty are the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why no provision is made in the accounts of the State-owned licensed premises for the payment of Corporation Tax on the profits as is the custom with other nationalised industries.

The State Management Schemes for which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary are responsible, like other Government Departments' trading organisations, are not financed on the same basis as the nationalised industries and are not liable to Corporation Tax.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to complete the rebuilding of Holloway Prison due to begin in 1970–71.

Detailed consideration is being given to the programme for rebuilding Holloway Prison and to the design of the new establishment, but I cannot at this stage give precise dates for the start and completion dates of work on the site.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how much was spent per head of population on land reclamation in 1966, 1967 and 1968 in the North-West and Scottish regions, respectively.

The figures are not available on the basis asked for. However, it is possible to give the following figures relating to gross estimated expenditure on derelict land schemes approved by the Ministry:

			£	Per head of Population
1966	…	…	28,559	1d.
1967	…	…	50,942	1·8d.
1968	…	…	810,225	28·8d.

However, expenditure does not necessarily occur in the year approval is given and, moreover, these figures represent only that part of derelict land reclamation where Exchequer assistance is available.Figures for Scotland are a matter for my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will list the towns in England and Wales where his offices were closed on New Year's Day; which of them have begun the practice of closing on New Year's Day during the last four years; and which offices had a third day's holiday during Christmas week.

All post offices in and around the towns listed below were closed on New Year's Day. This practice which began last year follows the pattern in business and industry in their part of the country. No main post offices closed for a third day at Christmas but some 1,350 sub-post offices did so.

Alnwick	Houghton le Spring
Ambleside	Jarrow
Appleby	Kendal
Ashington	Keswick
Barnard Castle	Kirkby Steven
Barrow-in-Furness	Maryport
Bedale	Middlesbrough
Berwick upon Tweed	Millom
Billingham	Morpeth
Bishop Auckland	Newcastle upon Tyne
Blackpool	Northallerton
Blaydon on Tyne	North and South Shields
Blyth
Carlisle	Penrith
Chester-le-Street	Peterlee
Clevelys	Redcar
Cockermouth	Richmond, Yorks.
Consett	Saltburn-by-the-Sea
Crook	Seaham
Dalton in Furness	Stanley
Darlington	Stockton-on-Tees
Durham	Sunderland
Fleetwood	Wallsend
Grange-over-Sands	Whitby
Guisborough	Whitehaven
Hartlepools	Whitley Bay
Hebburn	Windermere
Hexham	Workington

asked the Post-master-General, in view of the fact 1970 will be the 350th anniversary of the sailing of the ''Mayflower" to America and that special celebrations are being held in Plymouth as from 4th May, 1970, if he will consider issuing a stamp to commemorate this voyage.

This anniversary is already on the list from which the 1970 special stamp programme will shortly be chosen.

asked the Postmaster-General how many representations have been received, to the nearest convenient date, concerning letters posted with a 5d. stamp and delivered with the second-class mail; and how much it has cost to investigate these complaints.

These figures are not readily available and could not be obtained without considerable expenditure of time and money.

asked the Postmaster-General if, in view of the delays in mail which will result from the Post Office overtime ban being applied as from Monday, 27th January, he will suspend the 5d. postal service for letters until the dispute with the Union is resolved and the normal service can be restored.

No; 5d. letters are still getting priority treatment.

asked the Postmaster-General why he has placed a ceiling of 2 per cent. on productivity concessions being negotiated at present with the Union of Post Office Workers, in view of Government policy set out in Appendix II of the White Paper on Productivity, Prices and Incomes, Command Paper No. 3590, that negotiations on productivity awards should be based on proper work standards and an accurate calculation of the gains and costs of productivity concessions; and if he will make a statement.

The 2 per cent. is an estimate not a ceiling figure. I have promised that it would be jointly reviewed and adjusted if necessary in the light of actual achievement.

asked the Postmaster-General what steps he is taking to arrange for the payment of retirement and other pensions which are normally collected on Thursdays in the event of a closure of Post Offices on Thursday, 30th January.

I would refer the hon. Gentleman to my speech in the debate on 27th January. I have arranged that these pensions may on request be collected a day earlier.—[Vol. 776, col. 1023.]

asked the Postmaster-General how many qualified scientists and engineers are employed by the Post Office; and how many of these are employed in telecommunications.

The latest available figures are:

Qualified Scientists	…	…	163
Qualified Engineers	…	…	1,300

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how much was spent on hospital building and repairs per head of population in 1966, 1967 and 1968 in the North-West and Scottish regions, respectively.

The following are the figures:

EXPENDITURE ON HOSPITAL BUILDING AND REPAIRS PER HEAD OF POPULATION
	1966–67			1967–68			1968–69(Estimated)
	£	s.	d.	£	s.	d.	£	s.	d.
North West Region	2	8	3	2	13	7	2	17	9

I understand from my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland that the corresponding figures for Scotland are:

1966–67			1967–68			1968–69(Estimated)
£	s.	d.	£	s.	d.	£	s.	d.
3	0	8	3	10	0	3	12	8

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT a list of the local authorities which have taken no action on the Family Planning Act.

Six authorities in England and Wales have not yet informed me of their intentions; so far I know of none which has decided to provide no service.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what facilities he has made available to the Health Education Council to enable them to launch a positive health promotion campaign.

Assistance given to the Health Education Council has included the secondment of staff, the provision of temporary accommodation and the supply of health education material. The Council's income includes a substantial annual grant in aid from Exchequer funds.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the towns in England and Wales where his offices were shut on New Year's Day; which of them have begun a practice of closing on New Year's Day during the last four years; and which offices had a third day's holiday during Christmas week.

All local and regional social security offices in Cheshire, Cumberland, Derbyshire (High Peak), Durham, Lancashire, Northumberland, Westmorland and the North Riding of Yorkshire (except Scarborough) were closed on New Year's Day.Precise information is not readily available about the practice during the last few years but no significant change has taken place.The divisional medical offices in Birmingham, Cardiff, Leeds, London, Manchester, Nottingham and Reading and the Welsh Board of Health in Cardiff were the only offices in this Department to have a third day's holiday during Christmas week.

asked the Sectary of State for Social Services (1) what estimate he has made of the cost of paying the current retirement pension to persons who, by reason of their age, are not at present eligible for the payment of pensions under the National Insurance Act, 1965; and what estimate he has made of the consequential saving in supplementary benefit;(2) how many persons are not eligible for pensions under the National Insurance Act, 1965, because they could not have been insured or treated as insured under it, due to their age when it came into force, or are, wives or widows of persons who did not themselves become insured under it, or are widows who were over pensionable age when it came into operation; and what is the average age of such persons.

It is estimated that the number of people in these groups is of the order of 125,000 and their average age is thought to be about 86. The immediate annual cost of a new right to pension equivalent to the present standard rates of retirement pension for the particular groups would be £30 million with a saving of £12·5 million in supplementary benefits, though account should also be taken of consequential changes it would in all fairness be hard to refuse.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will make industrial deafness a prescribed industrial disease under the Industrial Injuries Acts;(2) if he has now studied the Report of the Working Party on Industrial Deafness; what action he proposes to take upon it; and if he will make a statement.

I understand that the final report on the long-term Government research project on occupational deafness will be received shortly and when we have studied it we shall decide upon the action to be taken.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will seek to include liquidators as employed persons for the purposes of the National Insurance Act, 1965, and allow them to pay Class I contributions.

No. Liquidators are agents rather than employees of the company in liquidation, and I know of no justification for treating them as employed persons under the National Insurance scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what was the gross number of people who moved out of Wales in each of the years 1958 to 1968.

The information is not available. However, the 1966 Census showed that in the five years preceding the Census there were 109,590 migrants from Wales to the rest of Great Britain. The Census also showed that there were 109,820 immigrants to Wales from the rest of Great Britain.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give his assessment of the time it will take to complete the reconstruction of the road from Cardiff to Merthyr Tydvil.

I have nothing to add to the reply given to the hon. Member on the 8th May, 1968.—[Vol. 764, c. 113.]