asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if, in view of recent flooding, he will give immediate consideration to the application submitted to him for grant aid by the Welland and Nene River Authority in respect of necessary works to the River Jordan.

The river authority has not yet submitted its scheme for the River Jordan. When we have its proposals we will consider them as speedily as possible.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give details of the latest estimate he has made of the cost of agricultural support in the United Kingdom for 1968–69, together with comparable figures for the preceding year.

Following are the details of the latest estimates of the cost of agricultural support in the United Kingdom in the financial year 1968–69 in the form adopted in Appendix V of the 1968 Annual Review White Paper (Cmnd. 3558) together with comparable figures for the outturn in the financial year 1967–68.

I. IMPLEMENTATION OF AGRICULTURAL PRICE GUARANTEES
		£ million
		Latest Estimate of Outturn 1968–69		Actual Outturn 1967–68
Cereals:
Wheat and rye	17·7		10·9
Barley	30·5		23·5
Oats and mixed corn	10·8		7·4
		59·0		41·8
Potatoes		6·1		1·8
Eggs		18·2		19·2
Fatstock:
Cattle	22·1		41·1
Sheep	7·6		10·6
Pigs	17·3		12·0
		47·0		63·7
Wool		7·0		8·5
Total I		137·3		135·0

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the acreage of land in the county of Berkshire that was flooded at any time during 1968; and how much of such land lay within the county borough of Reading.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many mink were trapped by his Department's officers in 1968 in Devon; what evidence he has as to the prevalence of this animal in this country; and if he will make a statement.

The number of wild mink reported killed in Devon during 1968 was 287; of these 159 were destroyed by Ministry operators.Judging from our own operations and from reports by occupiers of land, it would not appear that the wild mink population is increasing in the country as a whole, although the animals are more widely distributed in some areas than they are in others.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the British contractors who have been given contracts for the construction of the Orfordness Radar Station; and if he will estimate the total cost to public funds, including capital cost, of the Orfordness project in respect of the current financial year and each of the next three financial years.

The contract for the design and construction of the civil, electrical and mechanical works for the Radio Research Station has been let to Balfour, Beatty & Co. Ltd., of London. There is in addition a large number of British sub-contractors. The contract for the technical equipment has been let by the U.S. authorities to the Radio Corporation of America. The installation of this equipment will be undertaken by R.C.A. Great Britain Ltd. and there will be opportunities for British firms to tender for sub-contracts.The United Kingdom has agreed to contribute £729,000 towards the capital cost of construction, of which £260,000 will be paid in the current financial year. The arrangements for sharing other costs are subject to further negotiation.It is not the practice to give detailed forecasts of expenditure beyond the current financial year.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the anticipated capital cost to public funds of the Linesman Air Defence System during each of the next three financial years.

It is not the practice to give detailed forecasts of expenditure beyond the current financial year and I cannot add anything to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member on 18th December, 1968.—[Vol. 775, c. 385.]

asked the Secretary of State for Defence on what date he estimates that the Linesman system will go into operation.

In 1971.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will show the cost of each item under subhead D of Air Vote 7, subsection (1) of the Defence Estimates 1968–69, radio and radar equipment, for which provision of more than £1 million was made.

Following is the information:

	£ million
Local air defence data handling systems	2·760
Aircraft identification equipment	1·442
Communication satellites and related ground stations	4·020
Linesman/Mediator	6·080
Submarine detector equipment	1·450

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what was the total sum spent on United States aircraft and air equipment in each of the financial years from 1964–65 to 1968–69; and what is the estimated total for 1969–70 and 1970–71.

The total sums spent in each of the financial years 1964–65 to 1967–68 with a forecast sum for 1968–69 are as follows. It is not the practice to give forecasts of such expenditure beyond the current Estimates year.

£ million
1964–65	1965–66	1966–67	1967–68	1968–69
2	1	5	17	52

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what is the estimated percentage increase in rates, earnings and productivity arising from the recent settlement between Swan Hunter and Tyne Shipbuilders and 600 fitters; and what have been the percentage increases in rates, earnings and productivity over the past two years.

This settlement superseded a variety of rates and earnings in five different yards. Information in the form requested by the hon. Member is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what is the current complement of Her Majesty's Factory Inspectorate; and how many were in post on December, 1968.

The current complement of inspectors of Her Majesty's Factory Inspectorate is 661. There were 576 inspectors in post on 31st December, 1968.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity how many inspectors of factories regularly visit factories for the purpose of carrying out routine general inspections; and how many inspectors carry out the general inspection of construction sites.

Three hundred and forty-three H.M. Inspectors of Factories regularly visit factories for the purpose of carrying out routine general inspections. Sixty-five inspectors carry out general inspections of construction sites.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what study he has made of the summary of the Report from the Social Nutrition Research Unit of Queen Elizabeth College, University of London, entitled Food Intake and the Education of Children, a copy of which has been sent to him; and what action he intends to take on this matter.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what consideration he has given to the summary of the Report from the Social Nutrition Research Unit of Queen Elizabeth College, University of London, entitled, Food Intake and the Education of Children, a copy of which has been sent to him; and what action he proposes to take in this matter.

I have read the summary of this Report, which was commissioned by the National Dairy Council. It is based on questions asked of a very small number of children in different parts of London and I should hesitate to accept that its deductions can be applied to school children generally. If however, the authors of the Report are prepared to let me have the names of the schools and children I will approach the authorities concerned to see what follow-up is possible. Meanwhile I prefer to wait the result of the investigations into child nutrition, at present being carried out for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Security by his Chief Medical Officer's Committee on the Medical Aspects of Nutrition.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will arrange an exhibition of the pictures and sculpture in store at the Tate Gallery which can go on tour.

The Gallery achieves the object envisaged in my hon. Friend's Question in what it considers a more useful way by lending pictures and sculptures to permanent collections and to special exhibitions organised by the Arts Council and other bodies. Some of these exhibitions go on tour.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the total paid by his Department to meet the difference between the total amounts paid by parents of fee-paying pupils attending direct grant schools in each of the last five years and the full economic cost of their education.

It is not possible to isolate the grant paid for pupils whose fees are paid by parents from the total grant for all pupils, but on the basis of information published in Table 11 of Statistics of Education 1967, Volume 5, the estimated amounts for the years shown were:

				£ million
1962–63	…	…	…	2·4
1963–64	…	…	…	2·7
1964–65	…	…	…	2·8
1965–66	…	…	…	3·0
1966–67	…	…	…	3·2

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what assistance he is giving to promote the joint use of school sports facilities by communities; in which places education authorities are implementing such

EXPENDITURE ON EDUCATION BY CERTAIN LOCAL EDUCATION AUTHORITIES DURING THE FINANCIAL YEARS 1962–63 AND 1967–68
£ thousands
					1962–63		1967–68*
					Current†	Capital‡	Current†	Capital‡
Cornwall
Primary Education	…	…	…	…	1,515	51	2,227	249
Secondary Education	…	…	…	…	1,867	431	2,761	264
Devon
Primary Education	…	…	…	…	2,227	213	3,157	508
Secondary Education	…	…	…	…	2,579	497	3,530	369
Somerset
Primary Education	…	…	…	…	2,352	203	3,678	582
Secondary Education	…	…	…	…	2,855	655	4,458	397
Dorset
Primary Education	…	…	…	…	1,481	55	2,232	439
Secondary Education	…	…	…	…	1,718	476	2,704	454
Bristol C.B.
Primary Education	…	…	…	…	2,012	75	3,015	205
Secondary Education	…	…	…	…	2,500	229	3,652	481
Gloucester C.B.
Primary Education	…	…	…	…	425	66	734	294
Secondary Education	…	…	…	…	538	164	894	565
* Provisional.
† Includes teachers' salaries, wages, and other running costs
‡ From revenue and loans.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will investigate the possibility of using some of Carlton House Terrace as a public art gallery.

I have made it clear that I am in favour of the joint use of school sports facilities under proper conditions. In recent years projects designed for this purpose have been approved in a number of areas, particularly Cumberland, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Shropshire. I shall consider sympathetically any further schemes submitted to me by local education authorities including the Inner London Education Authority.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list separately the amounts spent from public funds on education in the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Dorset, Bristol and Gloucester for primary and secondary education, showing the amounts of current and capital expenditure in each case, for the year of 1962–63 and the last convenient year to date.

The information is as follows:

Some of Carlton House Terrace is already in use as an art gallery, to which the public are admitted for a charge, as part of the Association of Societies of Art and Design including the Institute of Contemporary Art.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what estimate he has of the total saving to public funds and to local authorities on account of parents meeting educational costs at independent schools.

Calculations in the First Report of the Public Schools Commission suggest that the figure is probably of the order of £80 million a year.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library copies of the flags of dependent territories.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is yet in a position to make a further announcement about the implementation of the Littlewood Report.

No. I would refer the hon. Member to the reply that was given on 7th November to a Question by the hon. Member for Bodmin (Mr. Bessell).—[Vol. 772, c. 138.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will make a statement concerning the conduct of identification parades.

Following consultation with the Lord Chief Justice and others, I have issued new advice on the conduct of identification parades to chief officers of police. I am publishing the advice today.

asked the Postmaster-General whether in view of the completion of the new telephone exchange at Largs, he will now arrange for the provision of telephones for residents at Holmwood, Largs.

The new equipment at Largs exchange was installed and ready for service on 27th January. I am happy to say that, because installation work for the residents of the Holmwood estate had been carried out in advance, everybody except one, in Holmwood now has telephone service. In the exceptional case we are awaiting the customer's instructions.Everybody in Largs who has applied for telephone service either now has it or will get it very shortly.

asked the Postmaster-General for what reasons he has refused to erect a telephone kiosk at Whiteside, Bathgate; and if he will reconsider the position.

There is a kiosk at Birniehill within easy reach of Whiteside from which the revenue is low. Another kiosk at Whiteside is not justified economically but we have offered to move the present kiosk to a more central position. We shall keep the position under review in the light of any further housing development.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will recommend the appointment of a Royal Commission to investigate, hear expert evidence and report on the methods and working of the premium bonds.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services, whether he will give an estimate of the expected expenditure on health centres for the financial years from 1970–71 to 1975–76, respectively, at current prices.

No precise estimate is possible as the rate of health centre development over this period will depend upon the readiness of general practitioners to practise from them and on the ability of local health authorities to respond against the background of other competing demands on their resources. The Government give high priority to the establishment of health centres, and 39 v/ere opened in England and Wales during the year ending 31st December 1968; 93 are now open, and present indications are that local authorities' earlier estimate of 300 centres in operation by 1975–76 is likely to be exceeded.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will give an estimate of the annual expenditure on hospital building, hospital services, current, and hospital services, capital, respectively, in the financial years 1970–71 to 1975–76, respectively, at current prices.

Expenditure in the years in question will depend on the total resources which can be made available to the National Health Service.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the value of loans lent by the General Practice Finance Corporation in its first year and to date;(2) how many applications for loans were received by the General Practice Finance Corporation in its first year and to date; and how many of these were accepted.

By 31st March, 1968, 352 applications had been received and 320 loans authorised. By the close of business on 24th January, 1969, 642 applications had been received and 597 loans authorised. There have been ten rejections, the balance of applications being still under consideration. The Corporation has also accepted responsibility for loans which had been offered under the Group Practice Loans Scheme but not yet made when that Scheme came to an end on 31st May, 1967; on 24th January, 1969, there were 87 such cases.The total value of the loans made by 31st March, 1968, was £1,075,884 and by the close of business on 24th January, 1969, £2,854,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what study he has made of the proposals for the reform of the supply of medicines in Sweden, a copy of which has been sent to him by the hon. Member for Willesden, West; and if he will give further consideration to the possibility of an agreement with doctors to limit centrally their prescriptions and to the limitation of the sizes of sample packs for drugs to those available for commercial sale.

I cannot comment finally on the proposals until the more detailed account for which I have called has been studied.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what proposals he has for consumer involvement in the administration of welfare services, as suggested in the Report, Participation and Poverty, a copy of which has been sent to him; and if he will make a statement.

The Seebohm Committee's Report, whilst recognising the many difficulties, advocates the maximum participation of individuals and groups in the community in the planning, organisation and provision of the social services. This is one of the important issues raised by the Report which the Goverment are now considering.

asked the Minister of Technology what was the total Government financial support of the RB207 engine up to the date on which the aircraft for which it was intended was withdrawn by the European Airbus Consortium.

Payments to Rolls Royce up to the end of 1968 in respect of the development of the RB207 for the A300 European Airbus amounted to about £1½million. A final settlement is being negotiated with the company.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many persons in Scotland are currently working in advance factories included in programmes announced since October, 1964; and what is the aggregate average cost to public funds to the latest available date of providing each of these jobs.

Of the 50 advance factories in Scotland approved since October, 1964, 19 are now occupied, and are currently providing 1,517 jobs. Many of the factories have yet to recruit all the labour they will need and it is not possible to say what the average cost of providing each job will be.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will announce his decision on the appointment of the Chairman of the Hearing Aid Council.

Not today.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what further plans he has for establishing further industries within reach of Acklington Airport, in order to absorb the unemployment which will result from its closure by the Royal Air Force.

Acklington is in the Amble Employment Exchange Area, where the full range of development area assistance is already available. It is also within travel-to-work distance of the Ashington special development area where a 25,000 sq. ft. advance factory is available for which we are seeking a tenant and where the board is negotiating to buy additional land for industrial development.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set out in the OFFICIAL REPORT a table showing the value of direct investment by United States companies in the United Kingdom, and the cost to the current account balance of payments of interest payments in United States investment, in each year since 1945.

I have been asked to reply.This information has been collected only since 1958; oil and insurance are excluded. The table below gives figures for the annual flow of investment funds (including retained profits); for the total earnings which are debited to the balance of payments current account; and for dividend and interest payments.Estimates covering a longer period, which however are not fully comparable, have been published by the United States Department of Commerce in the Survey of Current Business and Balance of Payments Supplements to it.

UNITED STATES COMPANIES WITH DIRECT INVESTMENTS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM
£million
		Private direct investment	Total earnings*	Dividend spaid†	Interest payments†
1958	…	62	71	33	—
1959	…	97	97	40	—
1960	…	86	105	48	—
1961	…	186	100	64	—
1962	…	95	106	51	1
1963	…	104	134	56	1
1964	…	116	154	71	2
1965	…	151	180	71	2
1966	…	155	152	72	2
1967‡	…	105	155	75	3
* Of subsidiaries, associated companies and branches, after depreciation and United Kingdom taxation.
† Subsidiaries and associated companies.
‡Provisional.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what proposals he has for publishing the result of the trial operation of the British ground station operated in connection with airborne radio teleprinters.

It is widely known by airline operators and others that the trials, which the United Kingdom alone has carried out, have demonstrated the technical capability and operational usefulness of a low frequency, ground-to-air, radio teletypewriter broadcast system. It does not seem, therefore that further publicity is necessary but we shall continue to make our views known through I.C.A.O. channels.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a further statement on aircraft noise at Manchester Airport.

Further to my reply to the hon. Member's question on 20th January, we are willing to give advice to the owners, Manchester Corporation, on measures that might be taken to reduce noise, about which we receive representations from time to time.—[Vol. 776, c. 57.]

asked the Minister of Transport what discussions he has had with the appropriate trade unions about wages and conditions of lorry drivers as part of the implementation of the Transport Act, 1968.

We have had, and shall be continuing, discussions with the road transport trade unions about implementation of the various provisions of the Transport Act, 1968, including the provisions concerning drivers hours. We have no plans for specific discussions on wages and conditions of lorry drivers.

asked the Minister of Transport what representations he has from the unions concerned about the relationship between the provision of overnight accommodation and the reduction in the hours worked by long distance lorry drivers as part of his implementation of the Transport Act, 1968.

The Transport Catering and Accommodation Joint Committee on which employers and unions in the road transport industry are represented has written to the Department about this matter. The Committee's proposals are being considered and a meeting will be arranged.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will seek powers to make provision for improved overnight accommodation for long distance lorry drivers.

No. The provision of overnight accommodation for long distance lorry drivers is primarily a commercial matter for the road transport and catering industries.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will give a date for the introduction of the tachograph and the further reduction of drivers' hours as part of the Transport Act, 1968.

We are not yet ready to make any announcement about the introduction of tachographs.We hope within a few weeks to give a starting date for the first stage reductions in drivers' hours. We will want to study the effects of this stage before proposing any further reductions.

asked the Minister of Transport what discussions he has had with employers' representatives and trade unions in road haulage about the effect of the introduction of British Standard Time on their operations.

None.

asked the Minister of Transport when he intends to set up a Passenger Transport Authority for the area covering Brighton and district.

I have no plans to set up a Passenger Transport Authority for this area.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will issue a general direction to the Board of British Railways, to examine the possibility of manufacturing all concrete railway sleepers required by the Board at the Inverurie Railway Workshops.

No. The procurement of concrete sleepers is a management matter for the Board.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will issue a general direction to the Board of British Railways to publish the costs which are relevant, directly and indirectly, to the operation of all railway workshops.

No. I would refer the hon. Member to the Answer given on 16th December, 1968, to his Question about comparative costs of railway workshops.—[Vol. 775, c. 275.]

asked the Minister of Transport what conditions, in respect of cleanliness, are included in leases granted by his Department to operators of service areas on motorways where food is sold to the general public; and if he will publish details of such conditions.

There is a general requirement that lessees shall operate their facilities, including catering, to the Minister's satisfaction. The form of the other requirements, which differ slightly in some leases, is:—

(a) "to keep the premises clean tidy neat and in good working order and condition….

(b) "to provide on the premises a reasonable number of litter bins of a type approved by the Council of Industrial Design. …"

(c) "not to retain any waste waste oil refuse or other rubbish on the premises and not to dispose of the same on the premises except by a method approved in writing by the Minister."

Public Health legislation is applicable to service areas.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will list with mileage those main sections of the A12 between Gallows Corner and Woodbridge which are not yet dual carriageway and give an estimated date in respect of each, by which they will be made dual carriageway.

The sections of A12 between Gallows Corner and Wood-bridge which are not yet dual carriageway are:—

	Miles (approx.)
(a) Gallows Corner-Brentwood By-pass	2·25
(b) Brentwood By-pass-Ingatestone By-pass	1·75
(c) Ingatestone By-pass-North of Margaretting	1·75
(d) Widford-Hatfield Peverel	7·0
(e) Marks Tey—approaches to Stratford St. Mary By-pass	10·5
(f) Lattinford Bridge-Capel St. Mary By-pass	1·0
(g) Capel St. Mary By-pass-Copdock	·75
(h) High House Farm-Ipswich County Borough boundary	·5
(i) Robin Drive-Woodbridge By-pass	8·0

At present there are no proposals to provide dual carriageways on A12 between Gallows Corner and the Brentwood By-pass; the section will be by-passed by Radial Route 7.Work is planned to start on Spring-field—Boreham and Stanway By-passes this year. These are both approximately 4·5 miles in length and are within sections (

asked the Minister of Transport what evidence he has on the extent to which the level of car exhaust fumes in cities affects drivers or public health; and what proposals he has to reduce pollution.

Research done by the Ail Pollution Unit of the Medical Research Council and the Warren Spring Laboratory of the Ministry of Technology has failed to detect adverse effects on drivers or public health from present-day concentrations of car exhaust fumes in city streets. I have at present no proposals to reduce pollution from petrol engine vehicles, but I am taking action against the nuisance of black smoke from diesel engine vehicles, the bulk of which are heavy lorries.

asked the Minister of Transport what information he has as to the number of local authorities which have installed sloping kerbs at crossings to help prams and invalid chairs, as recommended by one of his predecessors in 1934.

I have no information about the number of local authorities which have installed ramped kerbs at crossing places as this is entirely a matter for them to decide.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will list the amount spent

£ million
				Expenditure
Year		Cornwall	Devon	Somerset	Dorset	Bristol	Gloucestershire
1962–63	…	2·0	3·1	3·2	1·5	1·6	2·8
1966–67	…	3·1	5·3	4·1	2·0	2·6	10·7

Because no breakdown is readily available, the figures for 1962–63 exclude sums paid by the Ministry direct to contractors estimated at about £2 million for the South Western Region (including Wiltshire).

asked the Minister of Transport what action is being taken by British motor manufacturers, with the cooperation of his Department, to standardise bumper heights, as recommended by the Economic Commission for Europe, to reduce road accidents.

The standardisation of car bumper heights would be difficult to

Public expenditure on new and improved roads since 1960–61 has been as follows:

£ million
Financial Year	England	Wales	England and Wales
1960–61	—	—	62·9
1961–62	—	—	75·8
1962–63	—	—	100·6
1963–64	—	—	133·6
1964–65	151·0	12·1	163·1
1965–66	148·3	11·9	160·2
1966–67	164·9	14·3	179·2
1967–68 (provisional)	245·1	13·9	259·0

The above figures include expenditure on local authority roads but before 1967–68 exclude improvements of a minor nature which until that time were combined with the cost of maintaining existing roads. Separate figures for Wales were not available before 1964–65.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will list separately the amount spent from public funds on the roads in the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Dorset, Bristol and Gloucester for the year 1962–63 and the last convenient year to date.

Expenditure in 1962–63 and 1966–67 is shown in the table below.achieve because of the many different sizes of vehicles in this country. In this field it is for the manufacturers themselves to decide how far they can go in designing new cars to meet the bumper height standard recommended by the Economic Commission for Europe.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many official agencies, commissions, corporations and associations there are now in Mid-Wales responsible for development of industry, including the tourist industry.

Five.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many council houses were completed in Merioneth during 1968; how many were started during 1968; and how many are due to be completed in 1969.

During 1968, 96 council houses were completed and 85 were started in Merioneth.It is too early to say how many will be completed in 1969.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales when legislation will be introduced to implement the White Paper proposals for increased improvement grants.

The Bill to implement the White Paper proposals received its First Reading on 29th January and was published yesterday.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what requests he has received from London boroughs since 1st December last for re-designations of green belt land; and what replies he has sent.

Since 1st December, 1968, my right hon. Friend has received no proposals to alter the Green Belt areas shown in the initial development plan for Greater London. He has, however, received under the Town and Country Planning (Development Plans) (Greater London) Direction, 1966, seven applications for the private development of Green Belt land which the London borough councils concerned wish to allow.My right hon. Friend has "called in" for his decision one of these applications, for a car park extension at Rainham Road South, Dagenham, and as my hon. Friend already knows, he has decided not to intervene in another of them, involving the development of "The Limes", Stanmore, as a country club. He is still considering the other five applications.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government why he has not yet come to a decision on the report of the public inquiry on the new town map for Lowestoft, held 16 months ago, in view of the fact that the delay is causing inconvenience to many people; and whether he will now publish the new town map.

I regret the delay but I hope to consult the local planning authority within the next few days about proposed modifications to the town map and thereafter to arrange to have them published as soon as possible.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will investigate the possibility of converting some disused railway stations into accommodation for gypsies, in the light of recent evidence in favour of such a proposal, a copy of which has been sent to him.

The provision of sites for gipsies is a matter for local authorities, which are informed by British Railways before stations are offered for sale. Some stations are being considered for this purpose but so far none is so used.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if the figures contained on pages 31–34 of the Housing Statistics Great Britain, July 1968, indicating the price per square foot of housing built by the public sector, include the cost of land, site costs and costs incurred in the local authorities' own offices.

No. The coverage of the cost estimates is defined in detail in the Notes and Definitions to Housing Statistics (page 88 of the July issue).

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what estimate he has made of the extent to which the number of units of accommodation to be let for rent has diminished following the passage of the Rent Act 1966.

At the end of 1965, when the Rent Act, 1965, came into force, the number of privately rented dwellings in Great Britain was approximately 3·5 million, and represented 20 per cent. of the national stock of dwellings. In June, 1968, the latest date for which figures are available, it was about 3·1 million, representing 17 per cent. of the national stock.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many submissions he has received regarding the Import Deposits Scheme.

Two hundred and eight.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the loss to the Revenue arising from the replacement of the short-term Capital Gains Tax by the long-term Capital Gains Tax at rates of 30 per cent., 32½ per cent. and 35 per cent.

On the basis of the Budget estimate for 1968–69 the loss of revenue from short-term gains in each case would be £2½ million for the full year.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the increase in revenue arising from an increase in Capital Gains Tax to 32½ per cent. and 35 per cent.

About £4 million and £7 million respectively for the full year on the basis of the Budget estimate for 1968–69.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what was the expenditure on military defence other than expenditure on the defence budget for the years 1963 to the most recent date;(2) what was the expenditure on military defence other than expenditure on the defence budget expressed as a percentage proportion of gross national product at factor cost for the years 1951 to the most recent date;(3) what estimate he has made of future expenditure on military defence other than expenditure on the defence budget.

The following table shows expenditure on military defence other than on the defence budget in total and as a percentage of gross national product at factor cost for the years 1959–60 to 1967–68.

			Other Military Defence	Percentage of GNP at factor cost
			£ million
1959–60	…	…	59	0·27
1960–61	…	…	31	0·13
1961–62	…	…	56	0·23
1962–63	…	…	81	0·31
1963–64	…	…	100	0·36
1964–65	…	…	64	0·22
1965–66	…	…	65	0·20
1966–67	…	…	139	0·42
1967–68	…	…	198	0·57

Similar information for the years before 1s959–60 is not available. The levels for 1968–69 and 1969–70 are expected to be progressively lower than that for 1967–68.