asked the Secretary of State for Wales what degree of priority he is giving to the completion of the motorway between Cardiff and Newport; and what plans he has for hastening the completion of the road.

My right hon. Friend announced in October, 1968, that a scheme for extending the M4 from Tredegar Park, Newport, to St. Mellons, Cardiff, was being added to the trunk road preparation pool. This indicated its high priority in our future plans. When preparatory work is well advanced consideration will be given to including the scheme in the firm programme.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give the estimated figures for road expenditure for 1968–69, 1969–70 and 1970–71 on the same basis as in Table 3 in Appendix 2 of his Department's recent Report entitled "Roads in England".

For 1968–69 the estimated expenditure is:

	From Central Funds	From Local Authority Funds	Total
	£m.	£m.	£m.
New Construction and Improvement:
Trunk	8·4	—	8·4
Principal	3·7	1·0	4·7
Non-Principal	0·6	3·0	3·6
Total	12·7	4·0	16·7
Maintenance:
Trunk	1·7	—	1·7
Principal	0·3	2·3	2·6
Non-Principal	0·7	10·2	10·9
Total	2·7	12·5	15·2
Combined Total	15·4	16·5	31·9

These figures include extra work authorised to reduce winter unemployment.Detailed figures for 1969–70 will not be available until the Civil Estimates are published: but for comparison the total estimate is likely to be about £30 million. At this stage it is not possible to give a reliable figure for 1970–71.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many council houses were completed in 1967 and 1968; how many were started in 1967 and 1968; and what is the estimated number of completions in 1969.

The number of houses completed in Wales by local authorities and in the New Town at Cwmbran in 1967 and 1968 was 10,476 and 8,603 respectively.The number of houses started in the same years was 9,368 and 7,428.It is too early to say how many houses will be completed in 1969.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what are his latest estimates of the projected approximate sizes and populations of the Welsh new towns at Cwmbran, Monmouthshire, Newtown, Montgomeryshire and Llantrisant, Glamorgan; and what additional new towns development is under consideration for the next two decades.

The designated area of Cwmbran is 3,157 acres and is planned to accommodate a population of 55,000. The designated area of Newtown is 1,497 acres and is planned to accommodate a population of 13,000. No figures can be given for Llantrisant, for which the consultant's report will not be available until next month. No other new towns are under consideration at present.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what estimate he has formed of total expenditure in 1968 in England and Wales on local authority evening classes in bridge, golf and badminton.

I have made no such estimate.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has considered the proposal by the Manchester Education Committee to grant contracts to a firm for the building of schools where the tender submitted by the firm was not the lowest; and what steps he proposes to take.

No such proposal is before me. If and when it is made I will consider it closely.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many students in higher education, including universities, colleges of education and colleges of advanced technology, are accommodated in halls of residence and other accommodation provided by the institutions.

In the academic year 1967–68, about 136,500 students in England and Wales and 8,400 students in Scotland.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science on what date or dates he wrote to the West Riding County Council asking for cuts to be made in proposed or previously agreed local education programmes of expenditure; what percentage cuts have been sought; and what categories of projects are affected.

I issued Circulars 6/68 and 13/68 on 19th January, 1968, and 8th July, 1968, asking local education authorities to review their unstarted projects in building programmes up to 1968–69 and 1969–70 respectively and to submit revised proposals for projects to start in these two financial years. The revised authorised levels of starts for the West Riding are £2·6 million and £3·5(m) compared with programmes as originally announced of £3·8 (m) and £2·9 million. I gave priority to "roofs over heads" projects where plans were sufficiently advanced for building to start in the financial year. Projects deferred were mainly for the improvement or replacement of old schools, but included some for "roofs over heads" where building could not start in the year. I did not make the revisions by reference to some fixed percentage.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what study he has made of the Central Training Council's views on the importance of Arabic and Oriental languages in the Report of the Training for Export Staff; and if he will make a statement.

I have commended the Report to the attention of all local education authorities and colleges of further education. Many of the recommendations call for action on a national basis and my Department is studying these in consultation with the other Departments and bodies concerned. Among the matters being so studied is the question of the place of foreign languages in training export staff.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when the Huddersfield College of Technology will become operative as a polytechnic; and if he will make a statement.

I informed the local education authority last July that, subject to some amendment of its proposals, I would be prepared to designate a polytechnic in Huddersfield to be formed from the College of Technology and the Oastler College of Education.Representatives of the authority have since had discussions with officials of the Department and I await a revised draft of the instrument and articles of Government for the polytechnic.When approved, the instrument and articles will be made by order of the authority, the governing body set up, and the director of the polytechnic appointed. At that stage I shall be able to settle a formal date for the establishment and designation of the polytechnic.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list those colleges of technology and universities where the increase in residential accommodation is greater than the recent increase in the grants to students.

This information is not available without special inquiries of universities and local education authorities, which could not be obtained without a disproportionate expenditure of time and money.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will define in precise terms what the term parental contribution in his regulations is intended to cover; and if he will consider introducing legislation to make this compulsory on parents where such a contribution is required.

It is what the parent of a student following a course of higher education is expected to contribute towards the student's maintenance and study costs. I appreciate that students who do not receive the full parental contribution often suffer hardship. My Department recently wrote to local education authorities asking them to ensure that parents were made aware of the importance of making up the student's grant. But I do not think it would be desirable or practicable to impose a legal obligation on parents to make their contributions.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will include provision for a new primary school at Midhurst in the 1969–70 design list.

I am still considering the West Sussex Authority's proposals for the list and cannot yet say whether I shall be able to include a new primary school at Midhurst.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many agricultural colleges and institutes in Wales had a full complement of students in 1967–68; and how many places at agricultural colleges in Wales are unfilled.

Of the four centres providing full-time residential courses in agriculture in Wales, one, namely the Monmouthshire College of Agriculture at Usk, was full to capacity in 1967–68, and is also full in the current session. There are 33 vacant places in the other three agricultural centres in the current session.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many students have been unable to pursue a career of agricultural education in Wales due to lack of college places.

None, though some would-be students do not satisfy admission requirements.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to accelerate the economic and productive use of manpower in Her Majesty's prisons; and whether he will increase the scale of remuneration to prisoners who volunteer for work such as that on prison farms.

I would refer the hon. Member to what I said about work and pay for prisoners during the debate on 14th November. My aim is to develop higher pay schemes linked to productivity for each main type of prison work, including farming.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will take steps to provide that a temporary residence permit in this country is automatically rescinded by a criminal conviction unless specifically extended by him.

When the conviction of an alien is reported to my right hon. Friend he considers most carefully the question of his extended stay in this country, whether or not the court recommended deportation. A convicted Commonwealth citizen may be deported if the offence is punishable by imprisonment and the court recommends deportation. Recommendations are considered most carefully.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the latest official estimate of the number of Guyanese citizens resident in the United Kingdom; and on what evidence this estimate is based.

Precise information is not available about the number of Guyanese citizens resident in the United Kingdom. The 1966 sample census suggested that some 21,000 people then resident in Great Britain had been born in British Guiana.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take the necessary steps to compile statistics regarding the number of maintenance orders unpaid each year.

The Committee on Civil Judicial Statistics has made recommendations about enlarging the statistics of domestic proceedings in magistrates' courts. My right hon. Friend is considering my hon. Friend's proposal in the light of the Committee's recommendations.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what further plans he has to prevent sabotage by Welsh extremists of water pipelines.

The police forces and water authorities concerned are actively co-operating to protect the pipelines. It would not be desirable to go into detail about the measures being taken.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he is aware that the hon. Member for West Ham, North, wrote to him on 12th November, 1968, regarding a police officer using vehicle registration number 904 KMM whilst unlicensed, and that by 20th January no reply, other than a formal acknowledgment, had been sent; whether he will give details regard- ing this case; and why a reply has been delayed.

I wrote to my hon. Friend on 3rd December, reporting progress, but it was not until some days later that he put the police in a position to take matters further. Police inquiries were completed soon afterwards. The Director of Public Prosecutions was consulted, as required by law; and the outcome was reported to the Greater London Council which, I understand, is considering a prosecution.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what date he received the communication from the hon. Member for West Ham, North, about the actions taken by the police in connection with the raid at Mrs. Skekel's home in Romford Road, Forest Gate; and why there has been delay in replying to this communication.

My hon. Friend's first letter was received on 6th December. The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis arranged for a full investigation of the complaints it contained and my right hon. Friend received his report on 16th January. A reply was sent to my hon. Friend on 22nd January. I do not accept that there was delay in dealing with the case.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will give details of the allocation of moneys allocated to Greater London borough councils with special social needs; why the London Borough of New-ham is to receive £152,310, as against sums of £266,540 to £170,625 to other councils with less urgent needs; and whether he will make a statement.

As the answer to first part of the Question is in the form of a tabular statement, I will, with permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.The sums in the table, like the sums quoted by my hon. Friend, represent the proposed expenditure which my right

hon. Friend has approved in principle for the purpose of the payment of 75 per cent. grant. In deciding which projects to approve in England and Wales in the initial phase of the urban programme, within a total expenditure ceiling of £3·5 million, my right hon. Friend had to

URBAN PROGRAMME—FIRST PHASE
CAPITAL PROJECTS APPROVED FOR GRANT PURPOSES
		Department of Education and Science (Nursery schools and classes)		Department of Health and Social Security (Day nurseries, etc.)		Home Office (Children's homes)
		Number of projects	£	Number of projects	£	Number of projects	£
LONDON
Brent	…	3	52,290	5	214,250	—	—
Camden	…	4	47,100	—	—	1	16,250
Croydon	…	1	32,260	1	15,000	—	—
Ealing	…	3	58,325	—	—	—	—
Hackney	…	2	13,500	—	—	1	87,400
Hammersmith	…	4	27,000	1	105,000	1	72,000
Haringey	…	6	46,865	4	75,760	2	48,000
Islington	…	4	32,500	2	159,500	2	58,000
Kensington	…	—	—	—	—	1	53,000
Lambeth	…	7	65,800	3	120,150	1	14,250
Lewisham	…	2	14,600	—	—	1	55,460
Newham	…	4	54,410	3	97,900	—	—
Southwark	…	9	80,850	2	104,000	1	25,000
Tower Hamlets	…	5	47,650	—	—	1	48,000
Waltham Forest	…	5	19,230	—	—	—	—
Wandsworth	…	4	33,850	1	66,100	1	50,000
Westminster	…	2	13,500	—	—	—	—

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will refer to the Director of Public Prosecutions the evidence supplied to him by the hon. Member for West Ham, North, concerning the persons who were deliberately assisting in evading the law in keeping Bruce Reynolds the train robber hidden and deliberately refusing to give information to the police.

The evidence my right hon. Friend has received from my hon. Friend is a telephone call to his office yesterday drawing attention to articles in the Sunday Mirror. The police are aware of the articles.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware that Mrs. Bruce Reynolds, the wife of the convicted train robber, has publicly admitted to knowingly and deliberately using and spending money stolen from the mail train; and whether he will refer this matter to the Director of Public Prosecutions.

The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis has consulted the Director of Public Prosecutions about this matter. My right hon. and learned Friend, the Attorney-General, is today answering a Question from my hon. Friend on the subject.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been drawn to the growing number of public figures in the entertainment world who have publicly confessed to smoking cannabis; and as this is contrary to the law, if he will refer such cases to the Director of Public Prosecutions.

The investigation of crime is a matter for the police, who are aware of the Press reports which I believe my hon. Friend has in mind.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has now completed the investigation announced on 24th July, 1968, into the admission of fiances to join Commonwealth citizens resident in the United Kingdom.

During 1968 1,676 Commonwealth citizens were admitted for marriage to women resident in the United Kingdom. These men were admitted under a concessionary provision, in addition to the 3,828 adult males admitted under the employment voucher scheme. Their numbers have risen steeply over the last year or so and are now on such a scale that it seems that marriage is being used by many young men of working age as a means of entering, working and settling in this country. This abuse of the concession is inconsistent with the general scheme of Commonwealth immigration control, particularly the employment voucher scheme. The Government have, therefore, decided concession under which male Commonwealth citizens are allowed to settle here in right of their wife must be withdrawn.In future the admission of husbands and fiances from the Commonwealth for settlement will be restricted to cases presenting special features, and it will be a requirement that an entry certificate must have been obtained. Consistently with this, men who have been admitted as visitors, students, or for other temporary purposes, will not be permitted to settle here following marriage, save in exceptional circumstances.Account will be taken in individual cases of any special circumstances, whether of a family nature or otherwise, which make exclusion from the United Kingdom undesirable; but men, whether husbands or fiances, seeking admission under this special dispensation must obtain an entry certificate before setting out for the United Kingdom.I have accordingly issued revised instructions to immigration officers, which come into effect immediately.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs whether he has now received the Report of the Hunt Committee on Intermediate Areas; and when he proposes to publish it.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs whether he has now received the Report of the Hunt Committee; and when he expects to publish it.

My right hon. Friend hopes to receive the report shortly and will then arrange for it to be published as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs what representations he has received about the application for permission to mine coal under north Coventry; and what reply he has sent.

My right hon. Friend is about to reply to representations made by Coventry Corporation. The West Midlands Economic Planning Council has also brought this matter to his attention.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will make a statement on the extent to which 5d. stamps and 4d. stamps on ordinary letters were used during the Christmas and Hogmanay periods, respectively; and if he will now abolish the 5d. stamp and revert to the 4d. stamp for all ordinary letters.

About 22 per cent. of the postings during the period 13th December to 2nd January were prepaid 5d. It would not be feasible either financially or operationally to reduce the 5d. rate to 4d.

asked the Postmaster-General if, with a view to abandoning the two-tier postal system, he will, if necessary, increase his staff and introduce tabulators or computers or other modern scientific instruments to enable earlier standards of delivery to be maintained.

I see no reason for abandoning the two-tier system, which is operating efficiently and has achieved its purpose of offering customers a choice of price and speed.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will publish a list of all increases in charges of his Department in the last year including telephone rentals and telephone extension bells.

I would refer the hon. Member to the details given in the OFFICIAL REPORT of 10th April, 1968.—[Vol. 762, c. 1379–1402.]

asked the Postmaster-General whether he has obtained clarification of the position on the non-delivery of Her Majesty's mail from the United Kingdom to Anguilla; and if he will make a statement.

Official notification of the suspension of mail services between St. Kitts and Anguilla still has not been received. We are continuing in our efforts to obtain clarification of the position.

asked the Postmaster-General what discussions he has had about the agreements made with the national and international television authorities concerning the rights to cover the World Cup soccer tournament in Mexico next year; and if he will make a statement.

asked the Postmaster-General what consultations he has had with the Independent Television Authority and the British Broadcasting Corporation concerning the rights to televise the World Cup football matches in Mexico in 1970.

None.

asked the Postmaster-General when he expects push-button telephones will be available to those who prefer them.

Limited numbers of push-button telephones are in use in the Langham exchange area, and systems have been developed for large private automatic branch exchanges and some are now in service. Making push-button telephones generally available throughout a telephone system raises a number of technical and economic problems. We are resolving these but I cannot yet forecast when it will be possible to supply these telephones to all who prefer them.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development whether he has now received the report from Economic Associates Limited on the extension of the airport at St. Kitts to take tourist traffic; whether the report is to be published; and if he will now announce his decision on the use of British funds to aid the project.

The report was received at the end of December but it is for the St. Kitts Government, to whom it was made, to decide whether or not to publish it. Until the report has been considered by and with the St. Kitts Government, I cannot add to my earlier statement that, subject to this examination, I have agreed in principle to the use for this purpose of the bulk of the C.D.W. funds allocated to St. Kitts up to March, 1970.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development (1) how many Commonwealth students from India, Pakistan and the West Indies, respectively, were admitted to British universities to study for first degrees or their equivalent in 1962, 1963 and each ensuing year up to 1968; and how many postgraduate students from the same countries were admitted in the same years;(2) how many students from India, Pakistan and the West Indies, admitted during the years 1962 to 1967 to study for first degrees, returned home after graduation; and how many of the postgraduate students admitted during the same period returned home after obtaining their second degree.

My Department is responsible for only a relatively small proportion of all the students from overseas who study at British universities. There are also a number of students sponsored and administered by the British Council

	1962*		1963*		1964*		1965*		1966*		1967*		1968*		Total
	†UG	PG	UG	PG	UG	PG	UG	PG	UG	PG	UG	PG	UG	PG	UG	PG
India	1	54	1	96	—	90	—	110	—	103	1	106	—	114	3	673
Pakistan	1	106	3	128	2	81	—	56	4	121	4	148	1	149	15	789
West Indies	5	9	6	37	6	42	7	45	7	36	3	44	4	53	38	266
Total	5	169	10	261	8	213	7	211	11	260	8	298	5	316	+ 56	+ 1,728
* Calendar years where possible, but totals include some figures on the basis of the academic years 1962–63 and 1968–69.
† UG = Undergraduate PG = Postgraduate.

A proportion only of these students are pursuing first degree or postgraduate degree courses leading to academic qualifications. The remainder are attending courses specially designed to meet their needs; these courses do not result in academic qualifications.The average figure for all O.D.M. sponsored students since 1962 who have not returned home is negligible, certainly less than 1 per cent. The average for India, Pakistan and the West Indies is slightly higher at about 1 per cent. The equivalent figure for all British Council Scholars and Bursars over a similar period is similarly negligible; no separate figures are available in respect of the three countries in question. Figures for students administered (mainly postgraduate and research) by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission later than 1963 are not available.There is also the Commonwealth Bursary Scheme under which teachers from the Commonwealth come to Britain for training at Institutes of Further Education. Between 1962–63 and 1968–69 a total of 920 arrived from India, Pakistan and the West Indies to undertake courses in Britain. All returned home at the end of their courses.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the present position of the advance factory programme for Wales.

Since October, 1964, we have authorised the construction of 40 advance factories for Wales with a total planned area of 725,000 square feet. Of these, 25 are completed and eight are under construction. Eighteen factories are occupied and are so far providing 1,030 jobs. A further four factories have been allocated.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what proposals he has for the modification of the control on office development; and if he will make a statement.

The Government's control of office development has succeeded in restraining the growth of offices in the congested areas of the South-East and Midlands. After making a full review of the operation of the control, I have however decided that, while it is necessary to maintain a rigorous control in the congested areas, it would now be appropriate to modify its scope in two ways. First, I propose to exclude from the area of the control the East Anglia Planning Region and the predominantly rural areas of the East and West Midlands Planning Regions. Experience has shown that the demand for new offices in these areas is insufficient to justify the continuance of the control.Secondly, I intend to bring the exemption limit in the metropolitan region outside Greater London into line with that in force in the rest of the area of the control. This means that the exemption limit will be 10,000 square feet throughout the whole of the control area, with the exception of Greater London, where it remains at 3,000 square feet. Outside Greater London, offices of up to 10,000 square feet are required mostly by local users to whom permits have in general been granted fairly freely. Orders to give effect to the decisions will be laid before Parliament.It remains the Government's firm intention to secure a better distribution of employment throughout the country. Within the framework of this objective I shall continue the policy announced by my predecessor in the House on 18th July, 1967, of taking into consideration in the operation of the office control the needs of physical planning and the efficient use of labour by those office employers who are unable to move out of the area of the control.

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) if, in view of the British Railways Board announcement that the Railway Workshops in Inverurie are to be closed, he will now take steps to make the Inverurie area a special development area;(2) what new steps he is now taking to attract new industry to Inverurie now that the Board of British Railways has announced its decision to close the Inverurie Railway Workshops;(3) what action he is taking to ensure that alternative employment will be available in the Inverurie area for all the employees of the Inverurie Railway Workshops.

I understand that the British Railways Board has not announced the closure of the workshops, but has told the unions that in its view closure was unavoidable. Before a final decision is taken by the British Railways Board there is to be full consultation and a further meeting with the unions. While I shall be keeping the position under careful review, I have no plans for designating Inverurie as a Special Development Area. The full range of development area incentives continues to be available for new pro- jects and expansions in the area, and every opportunity will be taken to bring the attractions of the area to the notice of suitable firms.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is the total number of advance factories which have been built or are in course of construction in the five North Wales counties of Caernarvonshire, Anglesey, Merioneth, Denbighshire and Flintshire since 1964; and what is the number of new industries other than advance factories which have been introduced into the area during the same period.

Since 1964 four Board of Trade advance factories have been completed, and another is under construction, in the five North Wales counties. In the same period, 26 firms not previously operating in Wales have undertaken to build or occupy new factories, other than advance factories, in this area.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will prevent the Government-owned firm of Thos. Cook and Son from operating in Southern Rhodesia.

I am not aware of any activities of Thos. Cook and Son Ltd. in Southern Rhodesia that contravene the provisions of our sanctions legislation.

asked the Minister of Transport what plans he has to ensure that the Stretford constituency, comprising the borough of Stretford and the urban district of Urmston, is adequately represented in the new South-East Lancashire/North-East Cheshire Passenger Transport Authority as established under the Transport Act, 1968.

The South-East Lancashire and North-East Cheshire Passenger Transport Area (Designation) Order, 1969, which my right hon. Friend made on 27th January provides for Stretford Municipal Borough and Urmston Urban District Council jointly to appoint one member to the Authority. They will also be able to appoint a deputy. In addition the members appointed by the county councils can be expected to watch the interests of the county districts.

asked the Minister of Transport what compensation has been paid by his Department to the National Coal Board for loss of future output due to the siting of the M1 in the North Nottinghamshire area.

None.

asked the Minister of Transport what claims are still outstanding regarding the loss of coal deposits due to the siting of the M1 in the North Nottinghamshire area.

I assume that the hon. Member intended to refer to the South Nottinghamshire area where there is one claim pending for loss of coal due to the construction of Ml. This relates to part of the 2nd Waterloo Seam from Bentinck Colliery where it passes under the Crick (Northamptonshire)-Doncaster By-pass. No claim has so far been received.

asked the Minister of Transport what consultations have been held with the National Coal Board in the last five years with regard to the siting of the M1; and if he will make a statement.

Consultations during the last five years have been about the phasing of coal extraction with the construction of the motorway, and progress of mining work affecting sections already completed.

asked the Minister of Transport to what extent was the work in progress and future development of the National Coal Board in North Nottinghamshire taken into account when the siting of the M1 was decided.

The route was established in consultation with the National Coal Board subject to the co-ordination, of mining operations with construction of the motorway.

asked the Minister of Transport how many accidents occurred between 1st January and 31st December, 1968, on the five-mile single carriageway section of road A1 north of South Mymms; and if he will state the numbers killed and injured.

In the year 1968 there were 82 accidents involving personal injury. Four people were killed, 35 seriously injured and 104 slightly injured.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will hold an inquiry into the diesel engine fire on the Nottingham-St. Pancras train at London Colney on 22nd January.

No. It has been reported by the British Railways Board that a small fire occurred on the rear bogie of the locomotive, caused by an oil leak being ignited by sparks from the brake blocks. There was no danger to passengers and the first was quickly extinguished. The locomotive was not seriously damaged.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what estimate he has made of the percentage and actual increase needed in a Member of Parliament's salary in order to take account of the rise in the cost of living since the last increase.

Taking the £ sterling as having a purchasing value of 20 shillings at the time of the last increase, it is estimated that an increase of 18·1 per cent. or £589 in the salary of a Member of Parliament would be needed to take account of the rise in the consumer price index since then.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the total value of sales of Service equipment sold to civilians; what is the machinery of his Department for affixing values to items sold; what safeguards exist to check on the sale of equipment; and for how long records and original vouchers are maintained.

Disposals of Service equipment by sale to civilians in the United Kingdom are running at about £6·5 million a year. Most sales are effected by auction or tender and where appropriate a reserve price is stated. All disposals are checked to ensure that they are suitable for civilian use and that prices are consistent with current market prices for similar items. Records and original vouchers are normally kept for seven years.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what were the numbers of persons unemployed in Wales in December in each of the years 1958 to 1968.

Following is the information:

Total numbers registered as unemployed in Wales
8th December, 1958	…	39,463
17th December, 1959	…	31,253
12th December, 1960	…	26,983
11th December, 1961	…	27,060
10th December, 1962	…	36,590
9th December, 1963	…	28,694
7th December, 1964	…	26,088
6th December, 1965	…	28,413
12th December, 1966	…	39,462
11th December, 1967	…	41,922
9th December, 1968	…	39,786

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity (1) if she is aware that some employers are not meeting their obligations under the Contracts of Employment Act, 1963; and if she will therefore seek powers to ensure that evasions are speedily detected and to institute legal proceedings in all such cases;(2) what estimate she has made of the number of employers who have been proceeded against for failure to meet their obligations under the Contracts of Employment Act, 1963; whether she is satisfied that the rights of employees are adequately safeguarded by the present legislation; and whether she will take steps to increase the penalties for noncompliance with the Act.

I am aware from complaints and inquiries made to my Department and from cases referred to industrial tribunals that a small minority of employers are not meeting all their obligations under the Contracts of Employment Act. Redress lies through action in the civil courts or the industrial tribunals.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what special arrangements are made in employment exchanges for placing persons with criminal records in employment.

Every prison is visited regularly by an officer from the nearest employment exchange. He interviews any prisoners who are shortly to be discharged and who desire help. Where they come from another area, arrangements can be made to put them in touch with their home employment exchange.Exchanges work in close co-operation with prison welfare officers and with the local probation and after-care services. Local offices also help to find employment for prisoners who are permitted to work outside the prison during the last months of their sentence, under the hostel and working out schemes.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity (1) what action she has taken as a result of the Report on Training of Export Staff;(2) what steps she is taking to establish facilities for organised training on a national basis in the techniques of export promotion and export sales, and to provide facilities for industry to promote joint export training schemes.

A joint committee of training boards has been set up to consider the Report and advise on the action which the boards can take on it. The first meeting took place in December, 1968, and the committee has since suggested a number of initial steps, including special publicity for the Report, which boards might take.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will state his plans for cleansing and protecting Great Britain's beaches from oil and tar.

At my request coastal authorities in England are drawing up schemes to deal with oil pollution of beaches. Similar arrangements have been put in hand by my right hon. Friends the Secretary of State for Scotland and the Secretary of State for Wales. The Government have provided all coastal authorities with technical guidance and offered them grant aid at 50 per cent. of admissible expenditure.I am expecting schemes to be returned from most coastal authorities within a week or two.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what further plans he has to amend the National Parks and Countryside Act, 1949, with the particular object of preserving the Crown protection of Great Britain's beaches and foreshore.

None. My right hon. Friend is satisfied that Crown foreshore is fully protected by the provisions of the Crown Estate Act, 1961.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the lung cancer death rate among smokers and non-smokers, respectively, at the most recent convenient date.

Since death certificates do not contain information about smoking habits, this information is not available. Special surveys of particular groups have shown, however, that the mortality rate from lung cancer is much higher among smokers than non-smokers and increases rapidly with the number of cigarettes smoked.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will classify brucellosis in cattle as a notifiable disease.

No. Because of the nature of this disease it would not be practicable to make it notifiable.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the cost per issue of the Scottish Economic Development Quarterly Report.

About £600.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if the factual material appearing in the Scottish Economic Development Quarterly Report is published with his approval; and if he will make a statement.

Material for publication is selected with my approval, for its value as contributing to an understanding of the Scottish economy and its development.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what improvements he proposes for Scottish statistical services.

Publication of economic and financial statistics having been considerably expanded in recent years, the main improvements now in immediate prospect are the publication of additional statistics of population, education and agricultural holdings.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if stocks of blood are adequate in each of the hospital board areas; and what action he is taking to encourage sufficient numbers of blood donors.

Stocks are in general adequate; but a particular problem has arisen in the South Eastern Region where demand for blood for advanced surgical operations on patients (a number of whom come from outside the region) has been rising very rapidly. The response to an appeal for more donors in the region has been good and this should meet the immediate needs; but the quantity of blood donated in this region is already proportionately higher than in any other region in the country, and I understand that the question how best to meet the expected further growth in demand is being considered by the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Association.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many local planning authorities have been authorised to use the outline Comprehensive Development Area procedure.

One (Glasgow Corporation).

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he now expects the Royal Commission on Local Government in Scotland to present its Report.

The Scottish Commission is now in the final stages of its task and it is hoped that the Report will be published in the early summer.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many persons are now on the electoral register in Scotland.

There are 3,387,905 parliamentary electors (including "Y" voters) on the February, 1968, electoral register for Scotland.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland why no substantive reply has yet been given to the hon. Member for Moray and Nairn on the question of the impact of selective employment tax on ski schools which he raised with the President of the Board of Trade in a letter dated 13th September, 1968, and which was referred to the Scottish Office.

This was the result of an oversight, for which I apologise to the hon. Member. I have now written to him.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services in what way the characteristics of Mao flu can be distinguished from those of Hong Kong flu.

Both names have been popularly applied to influenza caused by the A2 virus variant first isolated in Hong Kong in July, 1968.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if, in view of the risk of drug addiction, he will now take steps to reduce further the availability of the amphetamine group of drugs.

The Advisory Committee on Drug Dependence has recently begun a study of the medical, social and legal aspects of the use and misuse of these drugs and has been asked to make recommendations. In the meantime my Chief Medical Officer has drawn the attention of all doctors to the risks attaching to the use of amphetamines and other central nervous system stimulant drugs, and officials of my Department are discussing with representatives of the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry the possibility of producing drugs of this kind in a form which will prevent or deter abuse.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how many representatives there are in Birmingham Regional Hospital Board from the Nuneaton and Bedworth areas; and what are their names;(2) if he will take steps to increase the number of representatives from North Warwickshire on the Birmingham Regional Hospital Board.

I would refer my hon. Friend to my reply to him on 23rd January and to my right hon. Friend's reply to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mr. Speed) on 16th December.—[Vol. 776. c. 178. Vol. 775, c. 270.]

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of the £18,125 million of United Kingdom public expenditure in 1967–68 can be attributed to central Government expenditure in Scotland.

Out of the £18,125 million of United Kingdom public expenditure in 1967–68 the Great Britain central Government element was about £9,600 million (excluding debt interest, and transfer payments and lending to other parts of the public sector). Of this, about £3,130 million was for Great Britain services which cannot be appor- tioned directly. Of the balance of £6,470 million, expenditure in Scotland was about £780 million or 12 per cent.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what weekly wage is required in January, 1969, to enable a man to enjoy the same standard of living as a man earning £20 a week in 1964.

The answer depends on family circumstances. It is estimated that in December, 1968, the latest date for which information is available, a single man needed to earn £24 16s. 4d. per week and a married man with three children under eleven needed to earn £25 5s. per week to enjoy the same standards of living as men in similar circumstances earning £20 a week in 1964. These estimates take account of changes in the internal purchasing power of the pound, Income Tax and family allowances.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much he estimates to be the return in taxation from claiming back family allowances in full by reducing the child tax allowance from those above the tax threshold for the years 1968–69 and 1969–70, respectively.

I am not sure what the hon. Member is suggesting. If he wishes the family allowances (and no more) to be clawed back through a reduction in tax allowances from all parents paying any tax, and from them alone, the tax system could not be adapted to secure this result.