asked the Minister of Technology what encouragement he is giving to individual firms to develop hardware in the field of the technology of the development of the ocean environment.

Individual firms are assisted by the Department and N.R.D.C. in developing hardware in the many fields of application of marine technology in the same ways as in other fields within their responsibility—with research and advice, testing of products, development contracts and other forms of financial assistance. The importance of this field has been recognised by the recent formation of the interdepartmental Committee on Marine Technology.

asked the Minister of Technology what are the amounts of grants and loans, respectively, made to Wear shipyards under the Shipbuilding Industry Act, 1967.

A grant of £12,600 has been made to one shipbuilding undertaking on the Wear under Section 2 of the Act. No grants or loans have been made under Sections 3 and 4 to Wear shipbuilders.

asked the Minister of Technology what is the amount of the assistance provided or promised under the Shipbuilding industry Acts to the shipbuilding industry on the North-East Coast.

Grants totalling £34,758 have been paid to shipbuilders on the North East Coast under Section 2 of the Act. Grants have also been made or promised under Section 3. For reasons of commercial confidence I am unable to give details of these grants at present except the grant of £1 million to Swan Hunter Shipbuilders Ltd., in respect of the integration of the Furness shipyard within their Group, which has already been announced. No loans have been provided or promised to North East shipbuilders under Section 4 of the Act.

asked the Minister of Technology what is the total number of staff employed by his Department, at the latest convenient date, on industrial services; and how many are qualified scientists and engineers.

At 1st February, 1969, 5,280 staff of my Department were employed on industrial services; 1,150 of these were qualified scientists and engineers.

asked the Minister of Technology what is the total number of staff employed by his Department at the latest convenient date; how is this staff divided between those engaged on aero-space, nuclear work and the remainder of the Department's activities; and what is the number of qualified scientists and engineers employed in each of the three categories.

At 1st February, 1969, my Department employed 34,500 staff, including about 4,000 qualified scientists and engineers. Of these, 20,500 were employed on aero-space and nuclear work, including about 2,500 qualified scientists and engineers. It would not be in the public interest to disclose the number employed on nuclear work.

asked the Minister of Technology what financial assistance his Department gave to the electronic industry in Scotland in the year 1968; and what are the comparable figures for the last five years.

It is not possible to give any single figure to represent financial assistance to the electronic industry in Scotland.Several categories of expenditure support the electronic industry in Scotland including research and development contracts, defence production

contracts and N.R.D.C. contracts. Contracts for electronic equipment, mainly for defence purposes, placed in Scotland were:

		£million
1963–64	…	5·6
1964–65	…	4·6
1965–66	…	−4·3*
1966–67	…	2·8
1967–68	…	6·0
April to September, 1968	…	2·4
* This net reduction takes account takes of contract cancellations.

Contracts for civil research and development in Scotland were placed for the first time in 1967–68, leading to payments in 1968 of £12,750.Expenditure in the form of investment grants, and procurement for other purposes is met by other Departments.

asked the Minister of Technology what work he is doing at the Underwater Research Centre at Portland into research into the extraction of uranium from sea-water.

Research on the extraction of uranium from sea-water is being undertaken by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority at the Atomic Energy Research Establishment, Harwell, and a small testing station leased from the Ministry of Defence (Navy Department) at Portland. Research is leading to improvements in the process and tests on increasing the scale from laboratory experiments are being mounted at Portland.

asked the Minister of Technology what studies the Atomic Energy Authority are making of the use of uranium extracted from sea-water.

The Atomic Energy Authority is undertaking research on the extraction of uranium from sea water, but is not making any studies specifically into the use of this uranium, which is identical to that obtained from mineral sources.

asked the Minister of Technology what he is doing to publicise the relevance to civil contractors of the diving research work done by the Royal Navy Research Centre, Alverstoke.

In collaboration with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence, who is responsible for the Royal Navy Physiological Laboratory (R.N.P.L.) at Alverstoke, and the Construction Research and Information Association (C.I.R.I.A.) a Seminar on Deep Diving Technology was held at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich, in March, 1968. This Seminar was attended by representatives of firms interested in diving technology and presentations were given by scientists from R.N.P.L.Following this, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has recently delegated to C.I.R.I.A. responsibility for the issue of the Ministry of Defence New Air Diving Tables (1968) and the control of their use. Further the Ministry of Technology have placed a contract with C.I.R.I.A. to identify amongst other things, the requirements of industry for research into diving technology. Lastly, frequent use is made by industry of the advice of scientists and the facilities available at R.N.P.L., Alverstoke.

asked the Minister of Technology what was the number of blind landings made during 1968 at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Bedford.

583.

asked the Minister of Technology what is the average daily consumption of electrical power at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Bedford.

189,000 kilowatt hours.

asked the Minister of Technology what is the total number of staff at present employed at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Bedford.

1,479, excluding M.P.B.W. and Met. Office staff. The number given in answer to my hon. Friend's similar Question on 20th January, 1967, also excluded M.P.B.W. and Met. Office staff.—[Vol. 736, c. 137.]

asked the Minister of Technology what were the total number of flights of all types to and from the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Bedford, during 1968.

7,627 landings and 7,631 take-offs. There were also 3,734 overshoots forming part of the Establishment's experimental flying activities.

asked the Minister of Technology what is the total area of land under his control at the Naval Air Establishment at Bedford.

The Naval Air Department is a part of the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Bedford, and many of the facilities are common to the whole Establishment. An area of about 285 acres is at present used mainly by the Naval Air Department.

asked the Minister of Technology how many days of fog

					Occurrences of visibility below 220 yards
					1964	1965	1966	1967	1968
0001 hours	…	…	…	…	—	—	5 (211)	4 (251)	4 (235)
0300 hours	…	…	…	…	—	—	8 (211)	12 (251)	12 (235)
0600 hours	…	…	…	…	17 (254)	19 (254)	12 (234)	10 (251)	16 (236)
0900 hours	…	…	…	…	7 (259)	10 (254)	7 (255)	4 (258)	8 (240)
1200 hours	…	…	…	…	6 (256)	2 (253)	1 (253)	1 (257)	1 (219)
1500 hours	…	…	…	…	5 (255)	2 (253)	2 (253)	1 (252)	2 (216)
					Occurrences of visibility below 440 yards
					1964	1965	1966	1967	1968
0001 hours	…	…	…	…	—	—	9 (211)	4 (251)	7 (235)
0300 hours	…	…	…	…	—	—	11 (211)	13 (251)	16 (235)
0600 hours	…	…	…	…	20 (254)	27 (254)	16 (234)	11 (251)	22 (236)
0900 hours	…	…	…	…	15 (259)	12 (254)	10 (255)	7 (258)	13 (240)
1200 hours	…	…	…	…	6 (256)	5 (253)	2 (253)	1 (257)	3 (219)
1500 hours	…	…	…	…	5 (255)	3 (253)	2 (253)	1 (252)	3 (216)
					Occurrences of visibility below 1,100 yards
					1964	1965	1966	1967	1968
0001 hours	…	…	…	…	—	—	12 (211)	6 (251)	13 (235)
0300 hours	…	…	…	…	—	—	20 (211)	18 (251)	21 (235)
0600 hours	…	…	…	…	37 (254)	39 (354)	23 (234)	20 (251)	33 (236)
0900 hours	…	…	…	…	25 (259)	17 (254)	15 (255)	11 (258)	22 (240)
1200 hours	…	…	…	…	7 (256)	4 (253)	7 (253)	1 (257)	10 (219)
1500 hours	…	…	…	…	6 (255)	6 (253)	4 (253)	3 (252)	5 (216)

The effect of fog on the operation of civil airlines can only be assessed against the Companies' operating limits and the aircraft equipment.A comparison between R.A.E., Bedford, and London Airport, Heathrow, for the period 1959–67, based on observations at 0600, 0900, 1200 and 1500 hours, is given below.

		Percentage frequency of visibility below
		220 yards	440 yards	1,100 yards
Bedford	…	2·7	3·9	6·1
Heathrow	…	1·4	2·0	3·8

asked the Minister of Technology how much of the land sufficient to hamper normal civil airline flights were recorded at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Bedford, during each of the past five years; and how this compares with the record for London Airport, Heathrow.

The following tables show the number of occasions on which visibility at Bedford has been below the limits of 200 yards, 440 yards and 1,100 yards at stated times of day during each of the last five years. The observations exclude weekends. The readings at 0001 hours and 0300 hours commenced in February, 1966. The figures in brackets indicate the relevant number of observations.within the perimeter fence surrounding the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Bedford, is put to agricultural use.

Forty-eight acres. In addition, grass mowings from the airfield area are used for cattle fodder.

asked the Minister of Technology what is the total area of land under his control at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Bedford.

Two thousand two hundred acres (including over 800 acres let for agricultural purposes, mainly outside the perimeter fence).

asked the Minister of Technology what expenditure was incurred by his Department on research and development projects in the Northern Region for the years 1967 and 1968; what percentage this expenditure is of the national expenditure; and what steps he is taking to increase this work in the Region.

£1·6 million in 1966–67 and £1·8 million in 1967–68 which are respectively 0·6 per cent. and 0·7 per cent. of the Department's total expenditure in the United Kingdom on research and development. My right hon. Friend is seeking to encourage the expansion of R. & D. activities in the region, and in this way to support policies for attracting there technologically advanced firms with their R. & D. activities.

asked the Minister of Technology if he will now make a detailed statement on the nature and cause of the faults in the "Queen Elizabeth 2", on the steps being taken to cure them and by whom they are to be taken.

In a Written Answer on 3rd March I gave the full text of the letter Sir Arnold Lindley sent to me about his investigations into the faults in the turbines for the "Queen Elizabeth 2" and the measures being taken by the turbine manufacturer to rectify them. I am glad that the companies concerned were able to accept his assessment.—[Vol. 779, c. 42–5.]

asked the Minister of Technology what consideration he is giving to Capenhurst as a centre for gas centrifuge research.

Work on the gas centrifuge is already being carried out at Capenhurst as part of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority's research programme. We should have to consider carefully how the best use could be made of the expertise and facilities at Capenhurst in any collaborative venture in which we participated.

asked the Minister of Technology what progress he is making towards collaboration with the Dutch and German Governments on the gas centrifuge process.

In reply to a question by the hon. Member for Cheltenham (Mr. Dodds-Parker) on 11th December, 1968, I indicated that a further meeting to discuss this was likely this year. A meeting is to take place in London on 11th March between Ministers of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. It will be attended by:

asked the Minister of Technology for what reasons he has reduced hypersonic work at Farnborough.

The reasons for reducing hypersonic work were explained in the reply which my right hon. Friend gave to my hon. Friend on the 23rd May, 1968, and in a further reply to the hon. Member for Banbury (Mr. Marten) on 24th June, 1968. We are continuing to maintain a small effort at Establishments and to provide some support for work at Universities.—[Vol. 765, c. 136, Vol. 767, c. 10–11.]

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish the results of his survey of road accidents, which he is conducting with the aid of the Road Research Laboratory; when he expects the survey to be completed; and if he will make comparison with earlier years.

The analysis of road casualty figures during British Standard Time, and the comparison with earlier years, should be completed in the spring and I will make the Scottish results known as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects work will start on the new Upper Northwater road bridge on route A94; and when he expects it to be completed.

I expect the work to start in the summer of 1970 and then to be completed in about two years.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the total number of persons imprisoned in Scotland at the most recent date for which figures are available; and what were the comparable figures on the same date five and 10 years previously.

For comparative purposes it is necessary to include persons under 21 detained in young offenders institutions who before January, 1965, would have been sent to prisons.On 18th February, 1969, there were 3,820 persons in prisons and young offenders institutions, either serving sentences or on remand. Comparisons with earlier years can be made only as at 31st December; the figures for 1968, 1963 and 1958 were 3,572, 2,668 and 2,247.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the shortage of police officers in Scotland at the most recent date for which figures are available; and what was the total net recruitment in 1968.

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 21st February to my hon. Friend the Member for Aberdeen, South (Mr. Dewar).—[Vol. 778, c. 181.]

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will now institute an inquiry into the starting and operating of the organisation dealing with storm damage in Glasgow, following the high winds early in 1968.

No. In all affected areas the local authorities, with central Government assistance, were quick to deal with the immediate emergency and subsequently helped with the repair of private houses where necessary. The experience gained is being assimilated and it will provide valuable guidance for the future. Already I have taken steps to strengthen local authorities' powers to deal with such a situation by including the repair provisions in Part II of the Housing (Scotland) Bill now before Parliament.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he estimates the Clyde Tunnel interchange in Glasgow and the Kingston approaches will be completed.

Glasgow Corporation expects the main northern approach to the Clyde Tunnel, including its interchange with the realigned Dumbarton Road, to be completed this spring; and the Kingston Bridge, with its approaches, early next year.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what progress is being made in the planning of an Edinburgh outer ring road bypass; and when he expects the work to be started and completed.

I shall await the results of the planning and transport study of Edinburgh, and the views of Edinburgh Corporation on it, before making a decision about the construction of this road.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what consultations are being held between the Scottish Development Department, the Railways Board and local authorities to determine the suitability of certain sections of the disused Waverley route for conversion into roadways, with special reference to those sections where it passes through built-up areas and over rivers.

None. My right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport said on 15th July, 1968, that he was not prepared to consider for at least two years the disposal of the route formation between Edinburgh and Hawick.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will advise local education authorities not to allow unqualified teachers to teach in their schools after a reference panel has recommended that the appointment of such teachers should be discontinued forthwith.

Where the appointment of an unqualified teacher has been disapproved by a reference panel, the Schools (Scotland) Code requires that the appointment be terminated forthwith, and I see no need for advice to education authorities on this point. No unqualified teacher can continue to be employed by an education authority except in accordance with the provisions of the Code. So far as employment of instructors is concerned, authorities are already aware of my views as expressed in my Department's circular No. 680 dated 6th May, 1968, and I see no need to remind authorities generally on this matter.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what proportion of new building in Scotland in 1965–66, 1966–67 and 1967–68 which was carried out by industrialised methods was sponsored by local authorities acting in consortia; whether he will list the consortia concerned; and what proportion was carried out by contractors offering their own private systems on a package deal basis.

Of houses in public sector tenders approved by my Department for building by industrialised methods, 3 per cent. in 1965, 2½ per cent. in 1966, 8½ per cent. in 1967 and 9½ per cent. in 1968 were within joint programmes. All were arranged by members of the Scottish Local Authorities Special Housing Group.Of these joint programmes, contracts relating to 18 per cent. of the houses were on a "package deal" basis. I regret that information is not readily available about the proportion of all industrialised house building carried out on this basis.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he is taking to increase the number of teachers of mathematics in areas outside the cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow.

My main concern is to improve the national supply of teachers of mathematics, as of other, categories in which there are shortages. To this end I have provided additional places at colleges of education and have continued publicity efforts of various kinds. I have also taken steps to assist areas in which shortages are greatest, such as Lanarkshire and Glasgow, by introducing a scheme of inducement payments to teachers in designated schools of severe shortage.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the number of teachers of mathematics in Scotland, who came into service for any five convenient dates in the last 15 years.

The following are the numbers of persons who qualified as teachers of mathematics in the years shown:

1954–55	1958–59	1964–65	1966–67	1967–68
95	184	210	255	257

I do not know how many of these persons entered teaching in Scottish schools.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the age structure of teachers of mathematics in Scotland.

The information needed for this is not available at present but will be available from the computerised teachers' records now being prepared.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many houses have been demolished in each year from 1960 to the latest convenient date.

Available information relates to houses demolished or closed. The total numbers are as follows:—

1960	…	12,285
1961	…	11,749
1962	…	12,085
1963	…	12,058
1964	…	14,392
1965	…	15,534
1966	…	16,650
1967	…	19,087
1968 (to 30th September)	…	13,827

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, while awaiting the Royal Commission Report on the Structure and Functions of Local Government, he will now appoint a Committee to review future local government finance.

No. The finance of local government must depend to some extent on its structure, and possible ways of improving local taxation can best be considered after the Royal Commission has reported.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what consideration he has given to the recommendations of the jury in the fatal accident inquiry into the recent Glasgow fire disaster; and if he will make a statement.

I am studying their implications along with my right hon. Friends concerned. Meanwhile I cannot add to the reply that my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Employment and productivity gave the hon. Member on 24th February.—[Vol. 778, c. 795–6.]

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many additional snow ploughs have been made available by his Department for maintaining road communications to and from the Borders since the closure of the Waverley line.

None. We have been able to maintain communications without additional snow clearing equipment.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what system of supervision exists in his Department to ensure that statutory river authorities perform the mandatory requirements under the Water Resources Act, 1963, and earlier land drainage legislation.

Most of the land drainage functions of river authorities are discretionary, not mandatory. While my Department naturally takes a close interest in the land drainage activities of river authorities, they are responsible and autonomous bodies and not subject to systematic supervision.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is satisfied that the Thames Conservancy has carried out its statutory obligations under the Water Resources Act, 1963 and earlier legislation; and if he will make a statement.

I have no reason to believe that the Thames Conservancy has failed to fulfil its statutory obligations.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what money has been contributed from local authority funds towards the maintenance of the Thames and its tributaries; and what percentage this figure represents of the money which the Thames Conservancy received from the local authorities during each of the last five years.

The information is as follows:

		A.	B.
		Total Precepts levied on Constituent Councils	Expenditure on river maintenance	B expressed as a percentage of A
		£	£	Per cent.
1964	…	728,000	490,693	67
1965	…	900,000	540,843	60
1966	…	1,135,000	546,345	48
1967	…	1,135,000	593,833	52
1968	…	1,131,000	608,382	54

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what moneys have been spent by the Thames Conservancy during the last 10 years on modern dredging equipment for the main river and modern dredging equipment suitable for tributary streams.

During the past 10 years Thames Conservancy has spent £53,493 on dredging equipment for the River Thames and £176,324 for tributaries of the Thames; during the same period 50 additional excavators have been hired for specific jobs to avoid disrupting the main dredging programme.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will set up a committee to consider the desirability of widening the statutory powers and responsibility of the Thames Conservancy to cover the whole of the Thames catchment area; and if he will make available grants and loans to cover these new requirements, with the necessary larger and highly qualified professional and technical staff.

No. The Thames Conservancy has already assumed responsibility for substantially more "main river" than any other river authority and it can always apply for further watercourses to be brought under its control if it considers this appropriate.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is satisfied with the rate of mechanisation of river authorities in the light of the rising cost of riparian labour.

Yes; river authorities generally mechanise operations whenever this is practicable.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if he will estimate how many individual farms were in operation in Cornwall in December, 1964, and December, 1968;(2) if he will estimate how many farm workers were employed in Cornwall in December, 1964, and December, 1968.

Figures from the December agricultural census are subject to considerable sampling errors at county level, since the census includes only one-third of the parishes in each county. The following figures are therefore taken from the complete census held in June:

			Number of farm workers (including family workers)
		Number of holdings*	Regular Whole-time	Regular Part-time	Seasonal and Casual	Total
1964	…	12,361	6,907	1,600	1,973	10,480
1968	…	10,013†	5,446	1,064	1,540	8,050
* For census purposes, a holding consists of land of more than one acre used for agriculture for which a separate census return is made. It does not necessarily correspond to an "individual farm" because some holdings which are farmed with other holdings as part of a larger single unit are returned separately in the census, while others are returned as part of the larger unit.
† In June, 1968, some 47,000 holdings in England and Wales were excluded from the census on the ground that their contribution to agricultural output was negligible. About 1,690 of these were in Cornwall; they accounted for 21 regular part-time workers and 14 seasonal and casual workers.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proposals have been made to him to overcome the flooding of houses in Kenworth Valley, Bideford, North Devon.

This Department gave approval in principle in August, 1966, to a scheme estimated to cost £55,000 prepared by Devon River Authority on behalf of Bideford Borough Council.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many times have houses been flooded in the Kenworth Valley area of Bideford; and what assistance he is giving to reduce the damage to property.

Flooding has occurred 12 times since 1931. Loan sanction was given in 1963 for the purchase of pumps to give temporary relief. The council has received approval in principle of its major flood alleviation scheme. My right hon. Friend will consider formal approval for grant-aid when the Council have received tenders for the works contract.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, what information he has received regarding the danger to the health of the residents of Kenworth Valley, Bideford, due to the flooding of property in this area.

No evidence has been submitted to my right hon. Friend of danger to health, but the council's proposed main drainage scheme, together with the flood alleviation scheme, is intended to remedy the problems arising from surcharge of sewers.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations have been made by Bideford Borough Council to his Department for loan sanction to deal with the problem of flooding in the Kenworth Valley area of Bideford.

None.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food by what date he expects the work necessary to give security from flooding to the residents of the Kenworth Valley area of Bideford to be completed.

I understand that for technical reasons the flood alleviation works and a proposed main drainage scheme must be planned and executed together. The council has informed my right hon. Friend that it is uncertain when it will be in a position to start work.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will consult with the Secretaries of State for Defence, Education, and Employment and Productivity with a view to facilitating the training of ex-Service pilots for work as civil airline pilots.

Close liaison already exists between Departments in matters concerned with the training of commercial pilots but I will consult with my colleagues to see if the arrangements need strengthening in particular relation to ex-Service pilots.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will undertake a general review of overseas trade policy, with particular reference to the effect on the balance of payments of commodity price support schemes affecting United Kingdom food and raw material imports in excess of £10 million per annum in each case.

No. I am satisfied that our present policy is the right one. This is to support the conclusion of international commodity agreements, where appropriate, with the aim of stabilising prices at levels fair to consumers and remunerative to producers.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many new jobs have been provided in Hartlepool during the past four years.

The estimated additional employment to be provided in industrial buildings for which industrial development certificates have been issued in the past four years is given in the following table:

HARTLEPOOL GROUP OF EMPLOYMENT EXCHANGES (Hartlepool and Hartlepool Headland)
Industrial Estimated			Building Additional	Approved*Employment†
			Males	Total
1965	…	…	1,920	2,610
1966	…	…	1,250	1,360
1967	…	…	330	350
1968	…	…	610	890
Total	…	…	4,110	5,210
* Industrial buildings for which industria development certificates have been issued.
† Applicants' estimates of the employment expected to arise when projects are fully manned.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what estimate he has made of new jobs available during the next 18 months arising from firm inquiries for industrial development and Government projects in the Hartlepool area.

Jobs in prospect expected to arise during the next four years in the Hartlepools area in authorised new industrial buildings and in existing premises taken over by manufacturing industry total 1,700 including 1,350 for males. I regret that no satisfactory estimate can be made for an 18 months period.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is his present policy on the importation of apples for processing; and if he will make a statement.

Special arrangements are not normally made for the importation of apples for processing. In 1961 and 1967 when the home crops of culinary apples were short, licences for imports outside the normal quota arrangements were issued to processors.

asked the President of the Board of Trade, how many licences were issued for the import of apples for processing in the years 1966, 1967 and 1968; and what were the quantities imported.

		Authorised 1963–1968				Authorised 1961–1964
		Total authorised		Completed		Total authorised		Completed
			'000		'000		'000		'000
		Number	sq. ft.	Number	sq. ft.	Number	sq. ft.	Number	sq. ft.
Great Britain of which	…	112	2,295	75	1,632	71	1,489	70	1,464
Cornwall	…	4	45	2	30	4	45	4	45

asked the President of the Board of Trade what was the total number of square feet, including advance factories, of factory space for which industrial development certificates have been granted in Cornwall during the four years 1965 to 1968, inclusive, compared with the number for the previous four years.

The information asked for is given in the following table.

INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT CERTIFICATES APPROVED FOR CORNWALL, 1960–1968
				Estimated Additional Employment*
		Number	Area ('000 sq. ft.)	Males	Total
1961–1964	…	60	1,234	2,050	3,230
1965–1968	…	121	2,374	3,000	5,690
* Applicants' estimates of the additional employment expected to arise when the projects are completed and fully manned

asked the President of the Board of Trade what was the total number of square feet of factory space

No licences were issued outside the quota for the import of apples for canning or processing in 1966 or 1968. 47 licences were issued in 1967 under the special arrangements introduced for that season. Imports of apples for canning or processing are not separately identified in the trade accounts but returns made by processors who received licences under the 1967 arrangements show imports totalling 7,520 tons.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many advance factories, totalling how many square feet, have been built or are now scheduled to be built in the United Kingdom and how many in Cornwall in the four years 1965 to 1968, inclusive, compared with the number for the previous four years.

The following is the information:including advance factories for which industrial development certificates have been granted in the constituency of North Cornwall since 1st April, 1966; and what was the comparable figure for the previous decade.

Following is the Answer:

INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT CERTIFICATES APPROVED IN THE NORTH CORNWALL CONSTITUENCY*
			Estimated Additional Employment†
	Number	Area ('000 sq. ft.)	Males	Total
1956–1965	14	280	410	820
1966 (1st April)—1968	19	218	370	670
* Employment Exchange Areas ot Bude, Camelford. Launceston Wadebridge and Newquay.
† Applicants estimates of the additional employment expected to arise when the projects are completed and fully manned.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will take steps to ban the trade in otter skins in this country.

No. I am not aware of any grounds which would justify my considering interference with this trade.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will give details of the number and value of otter skins imported into this country during each of the past five years, the sources of such skins, and the extent to which such imports were supplemented by the use of skins from the indigenous British species of otter.

The detailed information requested by my hon. Friend is not readily available and could not be provided without disproportionate expenditure of time and money. However, from the limited information available it would appear that between 2,000 and 5,000 otter skins are imported into Britain annually. British produced skins are negligible in quantity.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is the value of Government grants and loans for industrial development in Hartlepool for each of the years 1965 to 1968.

I regret that information on grants and loans made under the Local Employment Acts and grants paid under the Industrial Development Act is not readily available in this detail.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence on what grounds Cyprus is classified as a tropical base.

Cyprus is not a tropical base, though tropical uniform is worn there in the hot months of the year, as it is elsewhere in the Mediterranean and at other stations with a similar climate.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what are his estimates of the foreign exchange expenditure for defence in the Persian Gulf and Far East, respectively, in each of the next three financial years;(2) what are his estimates of the total foreign exchange expenditure for defence for 1969–70, 1970–71 and 1971–72;(3) what proportion of the total foreign expenditure on defence in each of the next three financial years is represented by expenditure falling on Her Majesty's Government in Germany.

I have nothing to add to the information contained in Annex "H" to the Statement on the Defence Estimates, 1969 (Cmnd. 3927).

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the six Royal Air Force projects cancelled between October, 1964, and 31st December, 1968.

The projects cancelled in this period were—HS681, P1154, TSR2, Chinook helicopter and F111. The Anglo/French Variable Geometry aircraft programme also ended with the French withdrawal.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the cost of a fifth British Polaris submarine.

Of the order of £55 million altogether in capital cost with running costs of over £4 million a year in addition.

asked the Secre-of State for Employment and Productivity (1) what discussions she is having regarding a change in the method of collecting the payment of levies for the Agricultural Training Board;(2) what reply she has received from the National Farmers' Union regarding the method of payment of levies due to the Agricultural Training Board.

I have nothing to add to the reply I gave yesterday to my hon. Friend the Member for Rushcliffe (Mr. Gardner).—[Vol. 779, c. 96.]

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity if she will list the Government Departments or agencies and nationalised industries which provide employment within the Bradford Employment Exchange area, giving separate details for Shipley.

The information available from our records is as follows:BRADFORD(1)

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the run-down of the radio biochemical research laboratory at Harwell.

I assume that the Question refers to the Medical Research Council's Radiobiological Research Unit. If so, I refer my hon. Friend to my reply on 26th February to the hon. Member for Abingdon (Mr. Airey Neave).—[Vol. 778, c. 327.]

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what work he is doing on the direct harvesting of plankton.

The Natural Environment Research Council has awarded a Research Grant to the Department of Oceanography, Southampton University, for a preliminary investigation of distribution and biochemical analyses of Antarctic krill, the only plankton worthy of exploration for its food value on the basis of existing knowledge. The feasibility of harvesti3ng krill commercially is being considered.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will now make a fourth allocation of funds for the Cornish school-building programme of £36,000, in order to bring the total figure up to the £1 million asked for by the hon. Member for North Cornwall on 18th October, 1968.

Cornwall has had a generous allocation for 1969–70 of £964,512, for specific schools, and I cannot allocate money just to make round figures.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of South Africa concerning its policy of removing the Hoachanas people of Namibia to a new location, in view of the international character of the territory.

None so far. This question, which was the subject of a United Nations General Assembly Resolution in 1959, was recently raised again in a letter to the Chairman of the United Nations Trusteeship Council by the Reverend Markus Kooper, on behalf of the Hoachanas people. Her Majesty's Government are pursuing inquiries into the facts of the current situation in the light of this new approach. As regards the international character of South West Africa, I would invite my hon. Friend's attention to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend, the Member for Hampstead (Mr. Whitaker) on 14th February.—[Vol. 777, c. 408–9.]

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many persons at present in this country are entitled to diplomatic immunity.

4,633 persons enjoy varying degrees of diplomatic immunity as members of Diplomatic Missions or of certain international organisations, 2,458 wives share their husbands' immunity. Families forming part of the households of certain officials enjoy similar immunities.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will give an assurance that the Save the Children Fund will continue to receive in 1969–70 similar financial support from Her Majesty's Government to that provided in the current financial year, towards the Fund's relief work in Nigeria.

I am glad to say that with the agreement of my right hon. Friends the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Minister of Overseas Development, we have informed the Save the Children Fund that, subject to Parliamentary approval, Her Majesty's Government will continue to underwrite the costs of the Fund's Nigerian relief work in the next financial year up to a total of £90,000. As a result, they have now been able to recruit replacements for one of their medical teams and hope that they will be able to fulfil all demands on their services until the end of 1969. Parliament will be asked in due course to approve a Supplementary Estimate. In the meantime an advance will, if necessary, be sought from the Civil Contingencies Fund.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will now make a statement about the amalgamation of Warwickshire and Coventry police forces.

I have received a report from Mr. L. K. E. Boreham, Q.C. who held a local inquiry into objections relating to the proposed amalgamation for police purposes of Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull. The report was published as a Command Paper this afternoon.Mr. Boreham finds that the amalgamation will increase the efficient policing of the area as a whole. I propose to proceed with the proposal and I shall be consulting the police authorities about the terms of a draft scheme which I shall lay before Parliament.I am grateful to Mr. Boreham for preparing a most comprehensive report following a long and careful inquiry.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action has been taken on the recommendation contained in Report No. 13 of the National Board for Prices and Incomes, that the Government consider the desirability of an inquiry into how best they can maintain control over the sale of alcoholic liquor without at the same time impeding the entry of new competitors into the industry; and if he will make a statement.

This recommendation will be considered in due course in the light of the report of the Monopolies Commission on the supply of beer to licensed premises.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government when he will set up the Warrington—Risley New Town Corporation.

On 4th March my right hon. Friend appointed Mr. G Hamnett, J.P., as Chairman of the Warrington Development Corporation and Alderman W. L. Roberts, J.P., as Deputy Chairman. The appointment of other members of the development corporation will be announced shortly.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will review the Government's present contribution to flood relief funds, with particular reference to the Molesey area of Esher.

I see no reason to review the Government's contribution which, having regard to the scale of uninsured losses and the level of voluntary contributions, was an appropriate one. Esher's share of the £175,000 made available by the Government was £47,460. The disbursement of the funds available to the Esher Flood Relief Fund was a matter for the trustees of that fund.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what percentage the £30 million available for local councils' advances for house purchase in 1969–70 is of the actual amount advanced for this purpose by local councils in 1968–69: and how much this amount was in 1968–69.

It is estimated that local authorities in England and Wales will advance between £90 million and £95 million for house purchase in 1968–69; the £30 million available for 1969–70 represents 32 per cent. of the latter figure.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will state the total allocation to local councils in Cornwall for advances for house purchase in 1969–70; how much these councils advanced in 1968–69; and what percentage the allocation for 1969–70 is of the amount advanced in 1968–69.

It is estimated that local authorities in Cornwall will advance some £1,600,000 for house purchase in 1968–69; the total allocated to them for 1969–70 is £480,000 and represents 30 per cent. of the previous figure.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will set out the allocations for advances for house purchase in 1969–70 for the St. Austell rural, Newquay urban, Wade-bridge and Padstow rural, Camelford rural, Bude urban, Stratton rural district councils, Launceston borough and Launceston rural district councils, respectively; how much each of these councils actually lent in 1968–69; and what percentage in each case the allocation for 1969–70 is of the actual amount lent in 1968–69.

The following is the table of figures:

	1.	2.	3.
	Estimated advances 1968–69	Allocations 1969–70	Col. 2 as a percentage of Col. 1
	£	£	per cent.
St. Austell R.D.	151,000	34,499	23
Newquay U.D.	261,000	56,878	22
Wadebridge and Pad stow R.D	42,000	11,281	27
Camelford R.D.	9,000	10,000	111
Bude U.D	8,000	10,000	125
Stratton R.D.	1,000	10,000	1,000
Launceston B.C.	6,000	10,000	167
Launceston R.D.	1,000	10,000	1,000
	£479,000	£152,658	32 per cent.

asked the Postmaster-General (1) what was the number of applications waiting for telephone connections in the Rhondda in January and December, 1968;(2) how many telephone subscribers in Rhondda who have informed his Department of their desire for a private line are at present compelled to share a line with another subscriber;(3) what is the average length of time which a customer has to wait for a telephone installation in Rhondda.

48 and nil respectively.I regret that figures for residential shared service subscribers who want exclusive lines are not available. All orders are now accepted on demand; 70 per cent. are completed within two weeks and the remainder over the following few weeks.

asked the Postmaster-General what proposals his Department have for widening the scope of the home licence scheme for retirement pensioners' television sets in communal dwellings; and whether he will make a statement.

I would refer my hon. Friend to my replies on 23rd January to the hon. Member for Glasgow, Cath-cart (Mr. Edward M. Taylor) and other hon. Members.—[Vol. 776, c. 645–7.]

asked the Minister of Power (1) how the reduced prices per kilowatt hour estimated to result from the construction of a second power station at Drax compare with the revised anticipated cost of the Dungeness B station;(2) what is the latest estimated cost, inclusive of any element for research development and royalty, of Dungeness B nuclear station.

The C.E.G.B.'s latest estimate of the base load generating cost of the whole Drax station is 0·61d. per unit. The cost of the second half considered separately would be rather less than this. The Board advise me that there should not be any significant change at Dungeness B from the figure of 0·57d. per unit which was given to my hon. Friend the Member for Ince (Mr. McGuire) on 5th March, 1968.—[Vol. 760, c. 53.] This estimate included the royalty of 0014d. per unit payable to the Atomic Energy Authority on AGR stations.In relation to decisions about fuelling of new stations, the relevant comparison is with the cost of a contemporary nuclear station rather than Dungeness B which was ordered in 1965 as the first commercial AGR station.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works if he will list the present members of the Agrément Board, giving their salaries, and stating their qualifications for membership and whom they represent.

Members of the Council of the Agrément Board are chosen in a personal capacity rather than as representative of any particular interest. Their collective experience, however, extends across the whole of the construction industry, and each member is a distinguished figure in the industry in his own right.The Council membership is as follows:—

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what publicity is given to the annual report of the Agrément Board; to whom it is distributed; and how many copies of the 1968 Report have been sold.

The Agrément Board reports annually to me. A résumé of the main points of the Report for the financial year 1967–68 was issued to the technical Press in the form of a Ministry Press notice, to which a copy of the Report itself was attached. Copies of this Report have been sent without charge to all the Board's Associate subscribers and to all who have asked for it.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works whether he will set out in tabular form the number of permanent staff employed by the Agrément Board in April, 1966, April, 1967, April, 1968 and at the latest convenient date, indicating in each case how many of them were professionally or technically qualified, and how many of them were executive or clerical staff.

The Board was incorporated in May, 1966. The information required for April, 1967, April, 1968 and as at present is as follows:—

Professionally and Technically Qualified Staff	Executive and Clerical Staff
April, 1967
Director	Printer
Company Secretary	3 Secretaries
Chief Technical Officer
Technical Officer
Assistant Accountant
April, 1968
Director	Printer
Assistant Director	Printer's Assistant
Company Secretary	Type Setter
Chief Technical Officer	3 secretaries
3 Technical Officers	Receptionist/Typist
Assistant Accountant
March, 1969
Director	2 Printers
Assistant Director	Printer's Assistant
Company Secretary	Type Setter
Chief Technical Officer	3 Secretaries
3 Technical Officers	Receptionist/Typist
Assistant Accountant	Translator/Librarian
	2 Clerical Assistants

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works (1) what was the nature of the work undertaken by the Forest Products Research Laboratory on behalf of the Agrément Board; and what fee was paid by the Agrément Board for this work;(2) how many tests were undertaken in each of the years since 1966 by the Building Research Station on new products, materials or components on behalf of the Agtément Board; and what fees were paid by the Agrément Board for those tests;(3) what was the nature of the work undertaken by the Fire Research Station, the University of Aston, Yarsley Research Laboratories and Messrs. R. H. Harry Stranger on behalf of the Agrément Board; and what fees were paid by the Agrément Board in each case.

The Forest Products Research Laboratory has undertaken test work for the Board on metal connectors, timber roof trusses and composite timber beams, and has advised on methods for developing tests for doors and fibre board.The Building Research Station has carried out test work for the Board on windows and on plumbing, drainage, roofing, damp-proof courses, flooring, sealing and wall finish products. The Station has also done experimental work as part of the development of test methods.Work has been done by the Fire Research Station on special fire investigation; by the Professor of Building Science at the University of Aston on the risk of condensation; and by the Yarsley Research Laboratories on thermal insulation and on test development (with particular reference to plastics) on products submitted to the Board for appraisal. Messrs. R. H. Harry Stranger have done work on surface coating materials for the Board.The Fire Research Station, Yarsley Research Laboratories and Messrs. R. H. Stranger have each received contracts for test work direct from manufacturers with the Board's encouragement. Provided that this work satisfies the Board's observers, it is accepted for certification purposes.The Board's terms of contract both with manufacturers for certification and with the agencies it employs for test or method of test development work are confidential, as are all matters concerning fees for work undertaken. The total amounts disbursed by the Board on test and method of test development work so far, however, amounted to £19,075 in the period May, 1966 to March, 1967, £28,548 in the financial year 1967–68, and £18,789 to date in this financial year.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works whether he will list the building materials components which have received appraisal certificates from the Agrément Board, indicating what is the commercial purpose of each product.

Since the answer is some what lengthy I will send it to the hon. Member by letter.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works whether he will list the research projects currently being undertaken by the Building Research Station; and how many of them are intended to have commercial application.

The Building Research Station publishes its programme on 1st July each year, and publishes changes in it quarterly in B.R.S. News; both are issued widely in the industry and to the technical press. It contains rather more than one hundred projects undertaken at the Station, of which somewhat less than a fifth should have commercial application in the reasonably near future. I am arranging for a copy of the current programme to be sent to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how many general practitioners providing general medical services under the National Health Service in England and Wales have access to general practitioner beds for the care and treatment of their own patients; what is this figure as a percentage of all general practitioners under contract with executive councils to provide general medical services; and how these figures compare with the corresponding figures for 1966, 1964, 1962,1960, and 1958 or the nearest convenient years;(2) what is the average number of general practitioner beds available to each general practitioner with access to them for the care and treatment of their own patients; and how this figure compares with the corresponding figures for 1966, 1964, 1962, 1960 and 1958 or the nearest convenient years;

In accordance with the policy of my Department that general practitioners should be able to have continuing responsibility for the care of suitable patients in hospital, the number of beds available to them and the number of patients treated in those beds in the years indicated were:—

		Staff beds allocated in general practitioner units (at 31st December)		Discharges and Deaths
		Medical (other than maternity)	Maternity	Medical (other than maternity)	Maternity
1958	…	6,967	3,373	109,676	89,296
1960	…	7,104	3,685	114,770	102,343
1962	…	7,076	3,944	113,566	120,567
1964	…	7,069	4,090	113,644	135,877
1966	…	7,027	4,428	109,443	150,443
1967	…	7,125	4,668	109,210	160,127

I do not maintain centrally information about the number of practitioners who participated in these arrangements.

asked the Secretary of State for the Social Services, what proposals he has to expand the superannuation scheme to include part-time nurses, with provisions to opt out of the scheme.

This is one of the points that will be considered when the National Health Service Superannuation Scheme is reviewed in the light of the Government's proposals for national superannuation (Cmnd. 3883).

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what plans he has for a new plastic burns unit in the Sheffield region; when this unit will be provided; and whether it will be located in the Nottingham area.

The Sheffield Regional Hospital Board are at present considering what improved provision for plastic surgery and burns treatment should be made in Nottingham. In Derby, provision for burns treatment will be included in a scheme at the Royal Infirmary which it is hoped to start in the period up to 1971–72. In Sheffield, a burns unit will be included in a scheme at the Northern General Hospital which is in the first list of those to start after 1971–72.