asked the Secreary of State for Economic Affairs what study he is making of the economic effects of railway closures in development areas.

Before any passenger services are withdrawn the Regional Economic Planning Council advise on the economic planning implications of the proposal. A separate general study is therefore not required. During 1969, more than one-third of the £62 million payable as grant for passenger services retained on social or economic grounds will relate to services in or to the development areas.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs whether he will publish the results of studies undertaken by the Government on the viability of constructing a Severn barrage; and whether such results have been made available to the Central Unit for Environmental Planning which is carrying out the Severnside Physical Planning Study.

No recent studies have been undertaken by the Government, or on its behalf, on the viability of constructing a Severn Barrage, but the Central Unit for Environmental Planning will be covering the possibilities in its work.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs what study he is making of pollution as an impediment to economic development.

Pollution in its various forms is an important factor which is taken into account in economic planning at both regional and national level.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs what further action is proposed to implement the plans for economic development in South Yorkshire published recently by the Yorkshire and Humberside Economic Planning Council.

The economic development needs of the area to which the Economic Planning Council's proposals relate will be further considered in the light of the recommendations of the Hunt Committee.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs whether he will take steps to end the special measures of investment incentive which favour manufacturing as distinct from service industries.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs what arrangements he is making to promote further research into the net contribution which industries, other than agriculture, are making to the balance of payments, by import saving or export earning; and which Departments are responsible for initiating such research and publishing its results.

In addition to the continuing drive to switch resources into exports and investment, my Department is considering a proposal for a study based on input/output analysis of the import content of the output of various industries, and of their export levels. Responsibility for such research into the net contribution made by our industries to the balance of payments is shared by my Department and the sponsoring Departments concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs if he will initiate a cost-effectiveness study of the proposed change to the metric system in so far as it will affect economic growth and development.

No. My right hon. Friend the Minister of Technology told the House on 26th July, 1968, that it would not be possible accurately to calculate cost benefit in relation to the adoption of the metric system.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs (1) whether the new planning document applies to Scotland;(2) to what extent the new planning document will take into account the White Paper on the Scottish Economy published in January 1966.

The planning document is concerned with the prospect for the economy as a whole, but includes a chapter discussing the prospects in different parts of the country. The hon. Member will find that this takes account of the 1966 White Paper on the Scottish Economy.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs when he will publish the new planning document.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave today to other Questions on the planning document.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs on what date it was originally expected that the report of the Hunt Committee would be published; and why it has been delayed.

The Committee had earlier hoped to complete its report by the autumn, but it found it needed more time in view of the complexity of the issues involved.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs if he will make a statement on the progress of the discussions between the Industrial Reorganisation Corporation and the deep water fishing industry.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs what progress has been achieved in discussions between the Industrial Reorganisation Corporation and the major companies in the deep-sea trawling industry.

I have nothing to add to my hon. Friend's reply of 22nd January to the hon. Member for Haltemprice (Mr. Wall).

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs if he will make a statement about the review of the South-East Economic Planning Council's report, A Strategy for the South-East.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs if he will now make a statement on the first report of the South-East Economic Planning Council report, A Strategy for the South-East.

The Government's reply to the Council's report has now been published and copies are available in the Library. The reply deals with the Council's recommendations on planned expansion schemes, distribution of industry policy, control of office development, roads expenditure and environmental improvement. It reserves comment on the imaginative basic planning concept put forward by the Council because, as the hon. Members will know, the proposals are being tested and followed up by the South-East Joint Planning Team. Their report is expected next year.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs if he will investigate the regional implications of the British shipping industry using foreign repair yards for repair and maintenance work.

The Government are well aware of these implications and of the importance of encouraging where necessary the creation of new employment opportunities.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs which of the regional economic planning councils have, since they were established, conducted surveys of public opinion on matters relating to the regions with the planning of which they are concerned.

No Council has conducted a formal survey of public opinion on regional planning matters, but all have very actively sought views from the public on the proposals in published regional studies and strategies through full use of local media, including radio and television, and have frequent consultations with local authorities and industrial and other representative bodies on regional planning issues.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will give an assurance that he will not raise the standard postal charge for a letter under the two-tier postal system to 5d. in the next financial year.

I see no likelihood of a tariff increase under the two-tier system during the next financial year.

asked the Postmaster-General what were the investigations which he was required to make before he could reply on the 5th February, 1969, to the communication sent to him by the hon. Member for West Ham, North on 27th December, 1968, complaining of postal delays experienced by the Newham Chamber of Commerce; and what prevented these investigations being completed sooner.

I am circulating in the OFFICIAL REPORT full details of the investigations.All complaints by hon. Members about postal delays are investigated very fully by my Department; inevitably detailed inquiries take time. I am sure my hon. Friend would prefer full inquiries which take time to inconclusive replies.Following are the details:1. A check was made on all mail arriving at the Eastern District Post Office, which is the main distributing centre for East London, to confirm that mail intended for seven subordinate sorting offices at East Ham, Leyton, Leytonstone, Manor Park, Plaistow, Stratford and Victoria Docks, all of which serve the area covered by the Newham Chamber of Commerce, was being sorted and despatched to those offices in sufficient time to enable the letters to be sorted into the postmen's rounds and taken out on the first delivery.2. A return was taken at the seven sorting offices concerned to determine the percentage of mail being taken out on the first delivery. The results of this return were compared with the postings prior to the introduction of the two-tier service, and during the period between the introduction and the 14th November, 1968 when modifications to the arrangements for delivering second class mail were introduced in London.3. A check was made on the records of the 214 postmen who deliver mail in the area served by the Newham Chamber of Commerce to see whether any of them was completing his first delivery markedly after the scheduled time, which might have given rise to the complaint which the Chamber of Commerce made on behalf of member firms.4. A check was made on the sickness records and the staffing position at the seven sorting offices to determine whether the local management had been able to make adequate provision for deliveries to be made when staff were sick or otherwise absent.

asked the Postmaster General what was the cost of repairing damage to telephone kiosks in Scotland as a result of vandalism in 1968; and what were the comparable figures in each of the previous three years.

About £47,000. Comparable figures for the years 1965, 1966 and 1967 were £79,000, £36,000 and £30,000, respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to establish a common immigration policy with a quota applicable to Commonwealth citizens, aliens and Irish nationals, irrespective of colour or source of origin and based solely upon United Kingdom manpower requirements.

The immigration of aliens and Commonwealth Citizens follows different patterns and presents different problems, and my right hon. Friend considers that at present separate methods of control are appropriate. The various aspects of immigration policy are kept under constant review: and manpower considerations are taken into account.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will amend Prison Standing Orders 3(f)(1), under which any justice of the peace and the bishop of the diocese in which a prison is situated are allowed to enter a prison at any time without authority from the Home Office or the governor, on satisfying the gatekeeper of their identity, so that the Member of Parliament for the constituency in which a prison is situated may have a similar right.

A governor has standing authority to admit at all reasonable times to view his prison the Member of Parliament for the constituency in which the prison is situated.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why he reversed his decision about the use of Winson Green Prison for housing women on remand from Midland courts.

Because further investigation showed that it was possible to provide overnight accommodation for a limited number of women prisoners on remand.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the Commission on the Constitution to begin work.

Next month, I hope.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list all the constituencies in England and Wales, together with the size of their electorate, whose electorates were 85,000 and over and 25,000 and under, respectively, as published in the Electoral Registers just issued.

Statistics of electorates of constituencies in England and Wales as at 16th February, 1969, have not yet been collected centrally.There was no constituency in Wales with a 1968 electorate above 85,000 or below 25,000. The following is the list of such constituencies in England.

Constituency (above 85,000 electors)	1968 electorate
Billericay	109,319
Epping	102,872
Portsmouth Langstone	102,582
Cheadle	97,875
Hitchin	96,738
Wokingham	95,811
Horsham	94,137
Hornchurch	93,538
Arundel and Shoreham	92,990
Huyton	92,845
Harborough	92,673
South East Essex	91,937
South Bedfordshire	91,335
Gosport and Fareham	91,142
Hemel Hempstead	89,003
Brierley Hill	88,416
Birmingham. Northfield	87,184
Wirral	86,278
Kettering	85,798
South Buckinghamshire	85,695
Woking	85,580
Wycombe	85,190
Sutton Coldfield	85,185
Constituency (below 25,000 electors)
Birmingham, Ladywood	20,730
Manchester. Exchange	19,573

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what were the numbers of offences in the last five years involving taking money from prepayment gas and electricity meters in the Bristol area; how many proceedings were taken; and with what results.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has considered the judgment in the Court of Appeal by Lord Justice Winn in the case of Regina v. Macro and Others; and whether he will institute an inquiry into the circumstances in which material information was withheld from the trial court by the police.

I have taken careful note of the judgment. As the investigation begun by the Chief Constable of Suffolk, which is not yet complete, may lead to criminal or disciplinary proceedings, it would not be proper for me to set up an inquiry.This case does however raise general issues about the procedure that is being followed when the police have warning from an informant of an intended offence in which he might participate, and I have asked Her Majesty's Inspectors of Constabulary to make immediate inquiries into the practices being followed by police forces and regional crime squads and to report to me.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many policemen and policewomen have left the force in each of the last five years in England and Wales.

The information is as follows:

Calendar Year	Men	Women	Total
1964	5,208	465	5,673
1965	4,765	495	5,260
1966	6,283	621	6,904
1967	4,943	568	5,511
1968	5,273	702	5,975

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent on police recruitment in each of the last five years in England and Wales.

The amounts spent on the National Recruiting Campaign in each of the years in question are as follows:

		£
1964–65		198,484
1965–66		320,906
1966–67		329,562
1967–68		261,815
1968–69	(estimated)	175,000

I have no information about the amounts spent by police authorities on their own recruiting measures.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many policemen and policewomen have been recruited in each of the last five years in England and Wales.

The information is as follows:

Calendar Year	Men	Women	Total
1964	6,004	617	6,621
1965	7,773	707	8,480
1966	8,457	954	9,411
1967	8,729	906	9,635
1968	5,480	634	6,114

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are being taken to make good the shortage of work for an outside contractor usually done by prisoners at Chelmsford; if he will list the kinds of work now done in this prison; and how many of the prisoners are sewing mailbags.

Fresh contracts are being negotiated. The prisoners are employed in sheet metal work, engineering, metal recovery, assembling components, mailbag-sewing, farming, building and the domestic services of the prison. Thirty-eight are sewing mailbags.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why there has been a delay in the issue of up-to-date information cards to prisoners at Chelmsford; in which other prisons there have been similar delays; and how soon this administrative defect will be made good.

Because of an oversight, some of the information cards issued to prisoners at Chelmsford were not the latest available, but this has now been rectified. I am not aware of a similar oversight elsewhere. All information cards are now being revised and sets of up-to-date cards will be issued later this year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will obtain a report from the chief constables concerned as to the total police strength at present in North Wales and the extent to which it is short of establishment.

The strength of the Gwynedd force (which includes Denbigh, Flint, Caernarvon, Merioneth and Anglesey) was 914 on 31st January, against an establishment of 1,036.

asked the Minister of Technology whether he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a list of those airline operators who have placed options for the Concorde airliner, the number of airliners each company has so far ordered, and the total sum to which each of those firms is liable on cancelling then-options.

Seventy-four delivery positions have been reserved for the following sixteen airlines:

	No. of delivery positions
B.O.A.C.	8
Air France	8
Pan American	8
Air Canada	4
Air India	2
American	6
Braniff	3
Continental	3
Eastern	6
Japan Airlines	3
Lufthansa	3
M.E.A	2
Qantas	4
Sabena	2
T.W.A.	6
United	6
Total	74

Deposits from airlines in respect of option agreements amount to nearly £4 million shared equally between B.A.C. and Sud. The amount which an airline would be liable to pay in the event of cancelling its option agreement would be a matter of negotiation between the manufacturers and the airline concerned.Recently most of these options have been extended, and negotiations on the remainder are in hand.

asked the Minister of Technology when he intends to publish a detailed technical account of the reasons for the delay in the Concorde project.

The delays to the first flights of the prototypes have resulted mainly from its having taken longer than expected to develop, manufacture, test, install and prove various items of equipment. As with any aircraft, responsibility for the equipment systems is shared between the airframe and engine contractors and numerous equipment sub-contractors. The areas in which difficulties have occurred include:

asked the Minister of Technology if he will inquire into the reasons why the General Electric Company (Domestic Equipment) Limited have increased their service charges for overhauling and repairing electric over-blankets from 30s. to 50s., in view of the fact that this increase is contrary to Her Majesty's Government's policy on prices; and if he will make a statement.

A large increase was necessary because when the service was introduced and the charge fixed at 30s. in 1962 its costs were underestimated. Also costs that could not be absorbed had in any case risen markedly by 1967 when the revised charge was implemented. The charge of 50s. is not out of line with current costs. Prices policy does not compel companies to provide services at a loss.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will hold an inquiry into the premature disclosure by his Department on the 18th February of his intention to amalgamate the Third Carabiniers (Prince of Wales Dragoon Guards) and the Royal Scots Greys.

The decision to amalgamate the Third Carabiniers and the Royal Scots Greys was announced in the Defence White Paper which was published today.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many officers in the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force are in staff appointments down to and including the level of divisional headquarters or the equivalent.

The number of officers in the Services in staff appointments down to and including the level of divisional headquarters or the nearest equivalent totals 7,493.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what are the strengths of Service apprentices in schools and the number of Regular members of the Armed Forces who are required to fill staff appointments in these apprentice schools.

The strengths of Service apprentices in schools total 7,704. The number of staff employed totals 901 officers and 3,276 other ranks on instructional and administrative duties, but some of these are employed on both apprentice and adult training, and it is not practicable to provide separate figures of staff employed on apprentice training.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many civilians are employed at Army district and command headquarters organisations in the United Kingdom.

The number of civilians employed in Army command and district headquarters in the United Kingdom on 1st January, 1969 was 3,000 (exactly) of whom 640 were in part-time employment.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many civilians are employed at Royal Air Force headquarters organisations in the United Kingdom.

The number of civilians employed in Royal Air Force headquarters organisations on 1st January, 1969 was as follows:—

Command HQs	Non-Industrials	industrials	Total
Strike Command	208	9	217
Maintenance Command	220	13	233
Coastal Command	69	83	152
Training Command	112	4	116
Air Support Command	103	6	109
Group Headquarters
1 Group	59	61	120
11 Group	30	102	132
90 Group	308	13	321
22 Group	12	14	26
23 Group	6	4	10
24 Group	12	3	15
18 Group	85	81	166
19 Group	30	1	31
38 Group	37	3	40
Total	1,291	397	1,688

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the progress of the brucellosis eradication scheme in Westmorland.

By the end of January, 381 herds in Westmorland were in the voluntary Brucellosis (Accredited Herds) Scheme, which was designed as the forerunner to an eradication campaign, and 176 of these had been registered as accredited.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many multi-purpose, as distinct from departmental, science laboratories for undergraduate teaching are at present in use in universities in the United Kingdom.

I regret that this information is not available. The value of multipurpose laboratories and of other methods of making more effective use of laboratory resources is however being examined by the Laboratories Investigation Unit, sponsored jointly by my Department and the University Grants Committee.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will seek to provide that universities should standardise their systems of student records so that up-to-date statistical information may be rapidly compiled by central or regional computer services.

I understand that standard definitions are already used in the returns which the universities make to the University Grants Committee. A central computerised student record system is being compiled by the Universities Central Council on Admissions on behalf of the U.G.C., the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals and the universities, and for this purpose further standardisation of data has recently been introduced.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will seek to arrange for a year-by-year statistical study of the success rate of university students ready for a first degree, by using sampling techniques of accepted scientific worth.

A full analysis of student progress was published in August last year and it will be possible to make similar analyses every year when the central records system, which began with the undergraduate entry in 1968–69, has in due course been built up. Meantime I am passing my hon. Friend's suggestion to the University Grants Committee for consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what action is being taken by Her Majesty's Government to follow up resolution 2460 of the General Assembly of the United Nations concerning the creation of an international corps of volunteers.

I have nothing to add to the Answer given on 17th February, 1969, by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to the hon. Member for Hertfordshire, South-West (Mr. Gilbert Longden).—[Vol. 778, c. 24.]

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will give details of the representations received against the scheme for the reorganisation of secondary education submitted by the Breconshire Education Authority for the establishment of a seven-form entry mixed comprehensive school at Brecon and a smaller comprehensive school at Gwernyfed; and whether he has yet made a decision.

The only representations against the Breconshire Education Authority's proposals received by my Department came from ten local government electors who, while wishing to see comprehensive education introduced into these areas as soon as possible, considered that the size of the proposed school at Gwernyfed would be too small to provide an adequate comprehensive education and that the children would reap more benefit from attendance at the larger school at Brecon where their education could continue to "A" level without interruption.These representations and the Authority's submissions are now receiving close consideration but I am not yet in a position to take a decision on the proposals.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will give the names of the polytechnics which have recently increased their hostel charges; by what authority such increases were made; and what were the amounts of the increases involved in actual and percentage terms.

It has long been my Department's policy that the level of charges in hostels attached to further education establishments should cover all the running costs except loan charges and certain other items. An inquiry into costs in the academic year 1966–67 showed that most charges fell well below this level. In June 1968 the Local Education Authorities Committee on Inter Authority

MAINTAINED PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN GLAMORGAN
Average size of classes
						Number of Pupils Secondary classes as taught
					Primary classes as registered	Modern	Technical	Grammar	All Secondary
1962	…	…	…	…	29·1	"	"	"	"
1963	…	…	…	…	29·4	"	"	"	"
1964	…	…	…	…	29·6	"	"	"	"
1965	…	…	…	…	29·6	"	"	"	"
1966	…	…	…	…	29·7	26·2	21·0	22·1	24·6
1967	…	…	…	…	29·8	25·9	22·8	22·3	24·6
1968	…	…	…	…	29·8	25·9	26·5	22·1	24·5

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the average size of classes in all Welsh language schools in Wales in each of the years from 1962 to 1968.

I regret that this information is not readily available.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) whether he will include the proposed Holy Spirit Roman Catholic Primary School, Runcorn, in the 1969–70 Design List, in view of the fact that 33⅓ per

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the average size of classes of State primary, secondary modern, technical and grammar schools in the county of Glamorgan for the years 1962 to 1968. respectively.

Information regarding size of classes in different types of secondary school for individual local education authorities is available only from 1966. The available data are included in the following table:—cent. of the children of primary school age in the Runcorn New Town area are Roman Catholics.(2) whether he will include the new primary school for Oughtrington, Lymm, in the Design List for 1969–70.

I expect to announce my decision very shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what deficiency is shown in the Government Actuary's report on the accounts of the teachers' superannuation scheme for England and Wales at 31st March, 1966; at what rate supplementary contributions are to be fixed to bring the accounts into balance; and if he will make a statement on the reasons for the deficiency and the action proposed.

It would be very difficult to give a satisfactory reply to my hon. Friend's question within the limits of a Parliamentary answer, but the information he seeks is contained in the Government Actuary's Report published on 14th February (H.C. 128). The employers' supplementary contribution will continue at 2½ per cent., on top of their basic contribution of 6 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity (1) if she will take steps to prohibit the fixing of bars to factory windows and to ensure the removal of such bars at present so fixed;(2) what action is being taken by the Factory Inspectorate on the frequency of visits made to factories considered to have a high fire risk;(3) what instructions her department have issued to the Factory Inspectorate to ensure control of the storage and use of foam plastics and other inflammable materials which give off toxic fumes when ignited;(4) if she is satisfied with the working of the Factory Inspectorate in relation to the requirements contained in Sections 40 and 49 of the Factories Act 1961; and if she will make a statement;(5) if she has studied the report of the proceedings at the fatal accident inquiry concerning Messrs. A. J. & F. Stern Ltd. of Glasgow, details of which are in her possession; and if she will make a statement.(6) if she will make a statement on the responsibility for fire prevention and enforcement of statutory regulations relating to fire between the authorities at present responsible.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Hampstead (Mr. Whitaker) on 14th February, 1969. My right hon. Friend will make a statement to the House as soon as possible. Meanwhile, I should like to emphasise that the law already contains stringent requirements about fire precautions, and it was the finding of the jury in the Fatal Accident Inquiry that the deplorable accident at the premises of A. J. & F. Stern, in Glasgow, was attributable to the fault and negligence of the employer who was in breach of sub-sections 1 and 7 of Section 48 of the Factories Act, 1961, which impose respectively obligations to keep escape doors unlocked and to provide a fire alarm.—[Vol. 777, c. 389–90.]

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether in view of the need to establish a dollar clearing house in London, he will designate a proportion of the Exchange Equalisation Account's dollar holdings as backing for such an institution.

This question has not arisen.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he is having with a view to reaching a funding agreement to postpone the repayment of the United Kingdom's international debts, and on what terms.

I have nothing to add to the reply which my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer gave to a similar Question by the hon. Member for South Angus (Mr. Bruce-Gardyne) on 10th December, 1968.—[Vol. 775, c. 84.]

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the foreign currency earned in British ship-repair yards from work on foreign-owned ships in each of the last five years.

The information is as follows:

£ million
1963	1964	1965	1966	1967
9·3	10·4	9·8	9·6	8·1

Figures for 1968 are not yet available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost in foreign currency of repairs to British-owned oil tankers in each of the last five years.

No information is available.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service if he will publish a table showing the numbers of men and women who left the Civil Service below the age of 50 during the 12 months to the most recent convenient date, divided into categories by length of service in five-year spans and showing what treatment they were accorded in regard to their claims for pension and lump sum entitlements.

The information asked for is being obtained and I will send it to the hon. Member as soon as it is available.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance Her Majesty's Government are now giving to Biafran students in this country whose grants have been cut off; and what has been his response to the appeal from the Edinburgh Biafran Students' Appeal on this subject.

Her Majesty's Government have done their best to ensure that students from Nigeria whose funds have been cut off as a result of the present strife do no: suffer hardship. They have been encouraged to register for employment and postpone their studies or pursue them on a part-time basis if possible. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Home Affairs has given sympathetic consideration to applications to extend their permitted stay, while the local offices of the Department of Health and Social Security treat with sympathy applications for supplementary benefits by affected students seeking employment.The attitude of Her Majesty's Government towards the general problem of these students has been made known to the President of the Appeal following his recent letters to my right hon. Friends, the Prime Minister and the Minister without Portfolio.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the outstanding balance of defence aid granted to Malaysia by Her Majesty's Government in 1957 and 1959.

Arrangements are being made by the Governments of the United Kingdom and Malaysia whereby the Malaysian Government will forego the balance due to them from the 1957–59 Defence Aid allotments. In addition the Malaysian Government will withdraw certain claims against the United Kingdom for facilities granted and services supplied to United Kingdom forces whilst they were in East Malaysia. The Government of the United Kingdom will for their part undertake to waive any claim for compensation for camps built in East Malaysia for operational purposes and also for logistic and other support.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will convene a conference on the dangers of pollution of the soil, water and air, and the measures to be taken to prevent this.

So far as this country is concerned, there are already a number of committees and other bodies considering particular aspects of pollution in order to advise me on measures required to forestall dangers from air and water pollution, and my right hon. Friends have the benefit of similar advice on matters within their jurisdictions. In general the executive authorities already have adequate powers of control. The Government are keeping under review the arrangements for co-ordinating these activities.The Government have indicated that they will contribute to the best of their ability to the United Nations conference on the problems of the human environment arranged for 1972 following the recommendation of a U.N.E.S.C.O. Conference on the Biosphere held in 1968.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what plans he has to allow proceeds or part of the proceeds of the Betterment Levy to be paid direct to local housing authorities.

None.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will name those local authorities who have requested the Land Commission to try and negotiate particular land sites for them.

I am obtaining the information and will communicate with my hon. Friend.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how much land has yet to be sold to housing associations or any other body or individual on Crownhold terms by the Land Commission.

The Land Commission have not yet bought any land for the purpose of sale on a Crownhold basis.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what plans are being made by the Land Commission to acquire particular sites to be sold to local authorities for council building purposes.

The Commission are prepared to consider requests from local authorities to act on their behalf and are doing so in a number of cases, but many local authorities prefer to use their own powers.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will make a statement about plans for the ports of Stonehaven and Montrose.

Plans for the development of harbours are a matter in the first instance for the harbour authorities concerned, and I have no proposals before me for any future developments at Stonehaven Harbour, which offers adequate facilities for the fishing vessels using the harbour. As regards Montrose, which is a commercial port for which my right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport is responsible, I understand that the Harbour Trustees there have recently improved Commercial Quay and are asking him for a port modernisation grant towards the cost.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will state, to the nearest convenient date, the amount of money expended from Government sources on the construction and development of Prestwick Airport.

Up to 1st April, 1966, when ownership vested in the British Airports Authority, the gross capital cost of the airport was approximately £8·75 million. The value of the airport at vesting date is regarded as a debt owing to the Government to be progressively repaid together with interest on the outstanding balance. Borrowings in respect of development after 1st April, 1966, to the extent that it has not been self-financed, are similarly treated.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will state, to the nearest convenient date, the amount of money expended on the construction and development of Glasgow Airport from Government sources.

Financial assistance of about £2·4 million has been given so far and is expected to reach £2·6 million in all. These sums are not repayable and do not attract interest.

asked the President of the Board of Trade why he has not prolonged for the summer of this year the current relaxations of the International Air Transport Association's Standard Tariff Provision One in respect of flight charges for overseas tours from the United Kingdom.

The Provision I tariff for the current winter season was introduced as an experiment and the arrangements for next winter are currently under review. As regards the coming summer I would refer my hon. Friend to my reply to the hon. Member for Both-well (Mr. James Hamilton) on 29th January. A number of applications for further reductions in the control prices are now under appeal to the Board of Trade.—[Vol. 776, c. 337.]

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is the estimated expenditure by the British shipping industry in British and in foreign ship-repair yards, respectively, for each of the last five years.

The only information I have is for expenditure in British ship-repair yards, up to 1967, which is estimated to have been as follows:

	£ million
1963	46
1964	46
1965	49
1966	49
1967	49

asked the Minister of Transport what is the total mileage of classified and non-classified roads in England; and what was the average expenditure per mile in 1967–68 on their maintenance and improvement.

The information is not available in precisely the form requested. This is explained in the footnotes to the following table:

	Principal roads*	Other roads
Mileage of public roads†	14,189	129,356
Expenditure|| per mile of road:	£	£
New construction and improvement‡	6,484	325
Maintenances§	2,785	764
* From 1st April, 1967 a new system of classification for grant purposes was introduced.
† Excluding unsurfaced roads, motorway and trunk roads.
‡ It is not possible to provide separate figures of expenditure on road improvement.
§ Including expenditure on road cleansing, watering, snow clearing and administration.
|| Provisional figures.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what is the total mileage of classified and non-classified roads in Wáles; and what was the average expenditure per mile in 1967–68 on their maintenance and improvement.

The mileage of principal and other local authority roads in 1967–68 was 17,945. Provisional expenditure figures for the year give the average expenditure per mile as £406 on improvements and £704 on maintenance. The figures include administration.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of the total central and local government expenditure on new construction and maintenance of roads was spent in Wales in each of the years from 1958 to 1968.

Expenditure on public roads in Wales as a percentage of the total Great Britain figure was as follows:

1958–59	5
1959–60	6
1960–61	5
1961–62	5
1962–63	6
1963–64	6
1964–65	7
1965–66	7
1966–67	7
1967–68	6

Percentages are to the nearest whole number. The percentage for 1967–68 is based on provisional estimates of expenditure.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has for increasing the membership of the Welsh Committee of the Water Resources Board, with a view to associating it more closely with those who will be concerned with the future deployment of water resources in Wales.

I am pleased to say that, after consultation with me, the Chairman of the Water Resources Board, the research and advisory body which serves the Ministry of Housing and Local Government and myself, has agreed to appoint five additional members of the Welsh Committee of the Board. This will now consist of the two Welsh members of the Board (Dr. Bassett and Professor Wareing), the Chairmen of the seven River Authorities operating in Wales and the additional members, who between them will have wide experience of agriculture, industry and the use of water resources for recreation. The new members are as follows: