asked the Minister of Power if he will provide statistics of the age and quality of currently-held coal stocks.

The figures are in the following table. Slightly over half of the total consists of general purpose "smalls". It is not possible to estimate the ages of particular quantities currently in stock.The latest figures—15th February, 1969—show that the quality of coal stocks held at N.C.B. deep-mined and opencast sites was as follows:

	Million tons
Unscreened	1·7
Large	1·8
Graded	2·2
Smalls	15·2
Anthracite	3·9
Inferior coal	1·0
Stocks in wagons	·6
Total	26·6

Details of distributed stocks held by each consuming sector are given in the Ministry of Power's Weekly Statistical Statement.

asked the Minister of Power what representations the suppliers of mining machinery have made to him as a result of the industry contracting; and what reply he has sent.

I have received no such representations.

asked the Minister of Power if he will introduce legislation to enable compensation in cases of mining subsidence to be paid to occupiers of property in regard to household effects and related matters.

No, but I have examined this problem carefully and consulted the N.C.B., which has made arrangements at local level to ensure that all cases of special hardship are sympathetically considered.

asked the Minister of Power what applications he has received for open-cast mining operations in North Warwickshire.

An application in respect of the Anker site near Shuttington has just been received.

asked the Minister of Power if he will make a statement about his consultations with the National Coal Board on pricing policy.

Not yet, but I hope reasonably soon.

asked the Minister of Power what change he has made in his estimate of future coal demand, in view of the development of fluidised-bed coal combustion; and if he will make a statement about progress in this field.

asked the Minister of Power what information has now been submitted to him about the fluidised-bed system of coal combustion and the effect of this system on the amount of coal used for electricity generation; and if he will make a statement.

None. I would refer the hon. Members to the reply I have given earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Loughborough (Mr. Cronin).

asked the Minister of Power what assessment he has made of the fluidised-bed system of coal combustion in electric power generation recently put forward by the British Coal Utilisation Research Association and the National Coal Board; what estimate he has made of the cost per unit and of the capital cost per kilowatt from the use of this technique; and how this development affects fuel policy.

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to a similar Question earlier today from my hon. Friend the Member for Loughborough (Mr. Cronin).

asked the Minister of Power if he will give a general direction to the National Coal Board to prohibit the Board from arranging mergers among its suppliers.

No.

asked the Minister of Power what is the daily average of electric current imported from France and fed into the Central Electricity Generating Board's supply; and whether he estimates that this imported current will increase or decrease in the coming years.

asked the Minister of Power what is the estimated annual rate of electric current imported from France and fed into the Central Electricity Generating Board's supply; and how this compares with British export of current to France.

The Central Electricity Generating Board's total imports from France in 1967–68 were 291 million units and its exports 5 million units. The Board cannot usefully forecast future exchanges, as they would depend on relative costs in the systems.

asked the Minister of Power if he will make a further statement on the nuclear power station programme in relation to recent delays in construction; whether he is satisfied with the technological standards and efficiency of the nuclear reactors now being built; and if he will make a statement.

I would refer my hon. Friend to my replies to similar questions on this subject, earlier this afternoon.

asked the Minister of Power why it is estimated that electricity from the fourth advanced gas-cooled reactor nuclear power station at Hartlepool will be no cheaper than the estimate given in March, 1968 for the second station in the programme, Hinkley Point B.

The reason is that the reduction in costs stemming from design advances has been offset by worse site conditions at Hartlepool than at Hinkley Point and by inflation.

asked the Minister of Power what are the latest estimates of the generating and capital costs of the nuclear power station Dungeness B in view of the fact that the first reactor will be 22 months late.

The Central Electricity Generating Board's latest estimate of the construction cost is £83 per kW. As my right hon. Friend told my hon. Friend, the Member for Bassetlaw (Mr. Ashton) on 13th March [Vol. 779, c. 355] the Board's present estimate of the base load generating cost is 0·56d. per unit.

asked the Minister of Power what is the total generating capacity that the investment programme of the Central Electricity Generating Board has been designed to meet in each of the next five years; and what is the highest annual rate of economic growth for which this has been planned.

In regard to the first part of the Question, I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Bournemouth, West (Sir J. Eden) on 13th February [Vol. 777, c. 382]. The Electricity Council's March, 1968, forecast of electricity demand is the basis of the current generating plant programme and is consistent with an average annual rate of economic growth of 3 to 3¼ per cent.

asked the Minister of Power what progress has been made with the development of frozen ground storage units for liquefied natural gas referred to in the Gas Council's Annual Report; and if he will make a statement.

The first two frozen ground units in Europe are now in use at Canvey Island; two further units are expected to become available later this year. Each unit has a capacity of about 1,000 million cubic feet.

asked the Minister of Power whether, in view of recent accidents occurring to rigs engaged in the North Sea on gas exploration work, he is satisfied with present safety regulations imposed; what new regulations he proposes to introduce; and if he will make a statement.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for The Hartlepools (Mr. Leadbitter) on 11th March.—[Vol. 779, c. 248.]

asked the Minister of Power what representations he has received from converted consumers about the technical performance of natural gas; and what research is being undertaken to improve it.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Warwick and Leamington (Mr. Dudley Smith) on 11th February this year.—[Vol. 777, c. 1110.]

asked the Minister of Power what was the total revenue obtained by the Scottish Gas Board from domestic consumers in the last annual period for which figures are available; and what was the total sum of arrears of payments outstanding at the most recent date for which figures are available.

£22·3 million in 1967–68. At the end of the same year, arrears of payments for all gas supplied stood at just over £1 million, on sales of £32 million.

asked the Minister of Power if he will make a statement on the steel capacity now available to the British Steel Corporation; and whether this will be increased by the end of 1969.

The theoretical capacity of the Corporation's crude steel-making plant in optimum conditions is about 28 million ingot tons, but realisable output depends upon a variety of factors, including capacity at subsequent stages of production and the pattern of demand for steel products. In 1969 there will be some increase both in crude steel-making capacity and in later stages of production.

asked the Minister of Power how much investment will be made in the coal, electricity, gas and steel industries, respectively, in Wales in each of the four years from 1969–70 to 1972–73.

Figures for individual parts of the country are not available.

asked the Minister of Power if he will state the number and features of licences he has granted to persons and companies to drill for oil and gas in the North Sea; what provisions those licences contain for reporting to him progress of work and safety of workers; and how many and which casualties have been reported to him accordingly.

I have issued 89 production licences for areas in the North Sea. These licences give

"exclusive licence and liberty to search and bore for, and get, petroleum in the sea bed and sub-soil under the sea in the area of the licence".

They incorporate model clauses set out in Schedule 2 to the Petroleum (Production) (Continental Shelf and Territorial Sea) Regulations 1964 (S.I. 1964 No. 708). Details of licensees and their holdings are given in "Continental Shelf Act, 1964; Report for Year 1967–68" (House of Commons Paper No. 46).Model Clause 22 incorporated in licences requires all operators to furnish me with weekly, monthly and annual returns of the progress of their operations.

asked the Minister of Power what will be the capital investment programme of the British Steel Corporation in 1969, 1970 and 1971; and what percentage of these totals will be spent on capital investment in Scotland.

This programme has not yet been settled.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will now introduce amending legislation to remove anomalies in the working of the Leasehold Enfranchisement Act.

The Government are considering the many and varied representations made to it from Members of Parliament and others on the desirability of further legislation; they will be studying the results of further cases heard by the Lands Tribunal.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what action he plans to take as a result of the Historic Cities Reports on York and Bath.

I commissioned these reports, together with studies on Chichester and Chester which will be published in due course, jointly with the local authorities concerned. I shall be studying the recommendations and deciding what action to take when all four reports have been published and I have received the observations of the local authorities. In this I shall be assisted by the Preservation Policy Group, which is chaired by my noble Friend Lord Kennet.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many private zoos are at present operated in this country subject to his approval; and what guidance he has given to planning authorities with regard to safety in authorising their construction.

Permission has been granted on one application referred to my right hon. Friend in the last five years; he doubts whether any guidance of a general character on this subject would be helpful to local planning authorities.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will consider bringing the installation of central heating within the ambit of discretionary improvement grants.

Improvement grants are given for installing central heating in old people's dwellings owned by local authorities, housing associations, charitable trusts and similar bodies. In other dwellings priority has to be given to the situation where as revealed in the White Paper "Old Houses into New Homes", about 4·5 million dwellings which are not unfit either require at least £125 spent on repairs, or lack one or more of the basic amenities—of indoor w.c., fixed bath, wash hand basin and hot and cold water system—or need both significant repair and the provision of basic amenities.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development whether the Voluntary Service Overseas advertises in professional journals of bodies other than teachers; and to what extent.

Yes. The four voluntary societies in the British Volunteer Programme advertise in about 30 professional journals.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development how many experienced teachers are going to underdeveloped countries to teach under the Voluntary Service Overseas Programme.

Of the 756 volunteers now teaching overseas under the British Volunteer Programme, 82 have taught for a year or more in Britain.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development if teachers engaged on the Voluntary Service Overseas teaching services abroad receive increments on the Burnham Scale on their return to this country.

There is statutory provision for teaching service overseas to be counted for increments by local education authorities in Britain. The decision in each case rests with the authority concerned. I am advised that the provision is being widely used.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development what budgetary and development aid will be made available to Botswana by Her Majesty's Government in the financial year 1969–70.

Following financial talks in London, the British Government have agreed, subject to the approval of Parliament, to make available to the Government of Botswana a budgetary grant of up to £3·73 million and a development grant of up to £1·17 million in the financial year 1969–70. This aid is being provided within the framework of the British Government's offer announced in August, 1966, of budgetary and development aid for the 3-year period beginning 1st April, 1967.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what estimate he has received from the district valuer of the average reduction of house prices in the Manorbier area that will result from the closure of the School of Artillery, Manorbier, and the resultant sale of all married quarters;(2) what estimate he has received from his district valuer of the average reduction of house prices in Haverfordwest that will result from the closure of the Royal Naval Air Service Station, Brawdy, and the resultant sale of all married quarters associated with this unit.

No such estimates have been received.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will state in reference to Section 23(1) of the Finance Act, 1956, what sum at contemporary values corresponds to the sum of £750 at 2nd August, 1956, being the date of the coming into force of the said Act;(2) if he will state in reference to paragraph 4 of the Third Schedule to the Finance Act, 1956, what sum at contemporary values corresponds to the sums of £825, £900, £975, £1,050 and £1,125 at 2nd August, 1956, being the date of the coming into force of the said Act.

The answers are £1,075; and £1,182, £1,290, £1,397, £1,505 and £1,612 respectively.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will request the banks to give the priority in borrowing facilities to private transport operators, in view of the credit granted to National Carriers Limited.

No. This credit was approved within the investment programme of the National Freight Corporation, of which National Carriers Ltd. is a subsidiary. Their investment is not controlled through restrictions on the availability of finance, but directly by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will give the public due warning before he ends the arrangement whereby those illegally holding gold coins can continue to hand them in voluntarily without risking prosecution under the provisions of Statutory Instrument 438, 1966.

I shall make it known if any changes are to be made in the arrangements.

asked the Minister of Technology if he will make a statement on the effect of the proposed gas centrifuge process for uranium enrichment upon the supply of nuclear fuel during the next decade; and if he is yet in a position to indicate the likely effects of this new technology upon power costs in Great Britain during the 1980s.

One of our aims in collaborating with other European countries on the centrifuge process will be to establish a source of enriched uranium which will meet our requirements in the 1970s and later. It is as yet too early to forecast the effect of enrichment by centrifuge on the cost of power.

asked the Minister of Technology if he will make a further statement on the present work of Dounreay Experimental Station with special regard to its contribution to Scotland's trade, industry, commerce and employment.

Details of the work carried out at the Dounreay Experimental Reactor Establishment were given in the reply to my hon. and learned Friend's Question on 4th December.In almost every sector, construction of the Authority's prototype fast reactor at Dounreay is proceeding to plan. Difficulties have, however, arisen in the fabrication of the complex steel radiation shield roof, and these have resulted in delay in its delivery. Everything possible is being done to minimise the delay, and construction of the reactor is now expected to be complete by the end of 1971. Providing this date can be held the reactor should be on power by the end of 1972—a total delay of about twelve months.The difficulty over the radiation shield roof for Dounreay, does not concern the fast reactor system as such. Design study work for the commercial fast reactor has already started and will be unaffected by the delay to the completion of the prototype fast reactor. Although the delay in completion of the P.F.R. will affect the final proving of some components, the timing of the C.F.R. development programme will not be set back by the amount of the P.F.R. delay.—[Vol. 774, c.

asked the Minister of Technology what proportion of the work carried out at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Bedford, is devoted to civil aircraft research.

Since a significant proportion of the research work undertaken at the Royal Aircraft Establishment applies both to civil and military aircraft, allocation between the two categories cannot be precise. However, it is considered that approximately 40 per cent. of the research work undertaken at R.A.E., Bedford, can be regarded as in support of civil aviation.

asked the Minister of Technology what are the computer resources available at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Bedford.

There is one general-purpose computer at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Bedford, and three smaller computers built into specialised equipment. In addition, two general-purpose computers situated at R.A.E., Farnborough, are available for use by the scientists at R.A.E., Bedford.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will give an assurance that all Members of the United Kingdom Parliament will be invited by Her Majesty's Government to attend the Investiture of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales.

No, but representatives of both Houses of Parliament will be invited.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will list the pilot project schemes of general improvement areas his Department are considering under the terms of the new Housing Bill.

A pilot scheme for area improvement is being prepared for the Aber Valley by Caerphilly Urban District Council in co-operation with my Department.Many other local authorities in Wales are considering what parts of their districts might be general improvement areas.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what arrangements he is making to have consultations with county councils and other local authorities in Wales following the publication of the Report of the Royal Commissions on Local Government Reorganisation.

After the Royal Commissions have reported, local authorities in Wales will be given, if they so wish, an opportunity to comment again in writing on the proposals in the White Paper "Local Government in Wales". Cmnd. 3340.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many persons in Wales have benefited by the Rate Rebate Scheme since its inception; what is the total amount in rebates; and how this compares with the amount under the Rating (Interim Relief) Act, 1964.

61,752 ratepayers in Wales received rebates in 1966–67 and 53,948 in 1967–68. The total amount of rebates for the two years was £1,491,142. Relief to individual ratepayers under the 1964 Act totalled £8,406 for the four years 1964–68.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will seek the French Government's agreement to the publication of all relevant documents regarding recent Anglo-French differences over the British Ambassador's report of his conversations with President de Gaulle.

No. As I said in the House on 24th and 25 th February and repeated yesterday the publication of the record would be a most unusual step, and would not be justified.—[Vol. 778, cc. 1088–1107; Vol. 778, cc. 1337–1348; Vol. 780, c. 23.]

asked the Minister for the Civil Service whether he will give an assurance that any announcement made regarding increasing the salaries of the chairmen of the nationalised boards will be made to the House of Commons.

Yes. The report from the National Board for Prices and Incomes will be published in the usual way, and the Government will then announce its decision to the House of Commons in due course.

asked the Postmaster-General (1) what is the percentage of first-class mail posted in London arriving in Belfast by first delivery on the day following, and vice versa; and how this compares with the pre-two-tier postal service a year ago;(2) what percentage of second-class mail between London and Belfast, and vice versa, respectively, is currently carried by air.

About 95 per cent. of this first-class mail is normally delivered by first post next day; there has been little change since March, 1968.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will make a statement on his official discussions with the President of the National Farmers' Union held on 10th March, 1969.

It is not customary to disclose details of these confidential discussions, and I would ask my hon. Friend to await the statement which my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture will be making tomorrow.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will now make a statement on his negotiations for voluntary restraint on deliveries of cheddar cheese to the United Kingdom.

Agreement has been reached with Australia, New Zealand and the Irish Republic on the basis of arrangements for voluntary restraint of exports of cheddar and cheddar-type cheese to the United Kingdom market for the two year period ending 31st March, 1970. In giving its agreement, the Irish Republic has made it clear that it does not regard voluntary restriction arrangements for its agricultural exports as a normal feature of the Anglo-Irish Free Trade Area Agreement and has reserved all its rights in respect of future years.Imports from these three countries together with home production account for just under 90 per cent. of the market supply, and the agreement reached is an important step forward. Discussions are now being urgently pursued with the remaining suppliers. A further announcement will be made as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs, if he will direct a competent authority in terms of the Industrial Expansion Act 1968, to prepare an industrial investment scheme to benefit the economy of the North-East of Scotland and to create, expand and sustain productive capacity in the railway workshops in Inverurie.

The Government are doing everything they can to find an alternative user for the railway workshop facilities at Inverurie, and the hon. Member is no doubt aware of the measures announced by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Scottish Office, on 17th March. These would not exclude the possibility of an industrial investment scheme if a suitable project which could qualify for support under Section 2 of the Industrial Expansion Act were put forward.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs what estimate he has made of the net increase in new jobs provided in the development areas since the beginning of 1965.

Meaningful estimates of the number of new jobs created as a result of the programme of incentives in the development areas are not possible. Applicants for industrial development certificates issued in the development areas since the beginning of 1965 estimated that nearly 270,000 additional jobs would be created when the projects were fully manned. Overall, employment in these areas declined in the three years up to mid-1967, partly due to contraction in employment in traditional industries, notably coalmining. In the whole of Scotland, Wales and the Northern Region total employment in the extractive industries and in railways fell by 110,000 in that period.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs when he will invite civic representatives from Portsmouth to discuss the position of the city in the plans of the South-East Planning Council following the Government's decision to reduce manpower in the dockyard.

I am writing to my hon. Friend about this.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what was the total in the last financial year paid by his Department to all local authorities in Lancashire

GRANTS FOR AIRPORT DEVELOPMENT, 1967–68
County		Population	Grants	Aerodrome(s)			Grant per Capita of County
			£				s.	d.
Lancashire	…	5,189,330	539,695	Manchester	…	…	2	1
Angus	…	278,596	3,370	Dundee	…	…		2·9
Bedfordshire	…	427,970	3,250	Luton	…	…		2
Cumberland	…	296,200	11,964	Carlisle	…	…		7·5
Devon	…	865,120	1,930	Plymouth	…	…		0·5
Durham	…	1,541,470	51975	Newcastle (£1,930)	…	…		8
				Tees-side (£50,045)	…	…
Fermanagh	…	49,876	75	Enniskillen	…	…		0·4
Gloucestershire	…	1,054,380	3,750	Gloucester/Cheltenham	…	…		0·7
Northumberland	…	827,560	965	Newcastle	…	…		0·3
Orkney	…	18,102	16,051	Five airstrips	…	…	17	9
Suffolk, East	…	709,770	1,750	Ipswich	…	…		0·5
Warwickshire	…	2,095,000	166,362	Birmingham (£164 612)	…	…	1	7
				Coventry (£1,750)	…	…
Yorkshire, North Riding	…	584,150	100,090	Tees-side	…	…	3	5
Yorkshire, West Riding	…	3,769,050	1,531	Leeds/Bradford	…	…		0·1
Notes:
1. Newcastle Airport is managed by a consortium of five local authorities in Northumberland and Co. Durham and the grant paid to the Joint Committee managing the Airport has been apportioned between the two counties.
2. Tees-side Airport is managed by a consortium which, in 1967–68, comprised eleven local authorities in Co. Durham and the North Riding of Yorkshire. The total grant paid to this consortium has been apportioned between the two counties.
3. The population statistics have been extracted from the Municipal Year Book for 1968 and relate to the geographical area of the counties and include any county boroughs therein.

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) if he will make a statement on his reasons for issuing the warning to British businessmen visiting East European countries;(2) how many businessmen have been circularised with his warning about dangers in visiting Eastern Europe; and on what basis he has made this circulation;(3) what estimate he has made of the effect on exports of his circulation of a warning to British businessmen visiting Eastern Europe.

Trade with Eastern Europe has grown satisfactorily cashire with an analysis of such payments under the appropriate categories, and a comparison of each on a per capita basis with all other counties.

The sums paid to local authorities in respect of civil aerodrome development are set out in the attached table.Separate figures for Local Employment Act assistance are not available but projects of a kind underaken by local authorities would not normally be eligible.in the last year or two, and I look forward to a large continuing increase. This involves more personal visits to these countries by businessmen, which I have every wish to encourage. In these circumstances it appeared desirable to the Government that guidance on security matters should be available, since it is better to draw attention to known hazards than to run risks which can be avoided. A leaflet based on actual cases has accordingly been made available and is obtainable by businessmen on request.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many cases have been brought to his attention by British citizens abroad of their being blackmailed with a view to spying against Great Britain.

I am not normally concerned with cases of this kind.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many people in his Department and in organisations responsible to his Department are employed full-time and part-time on matters connected with civil hovercraft.

There are, apart from clerical staff, three officials in the Board of Trade who spend all their time, seven who spend a substantial part of their time, and approximately 20 who are involved occasionally on matters connected with civil hovercraft. In the Air Registration Board there are six technical officers who spend all their time, six who spend a substantial part of their time on hovercraft, and 32 who are occasionally consulted.

asked the President of the Board of Trade why Her Majesty's Government apply different criteria regarding noise nuisance as between industry and aircraft; and if he will make a statement on this matter in amplification of that contained in the report, Noise, Command Paper Number 2056.

Industrial noise is generally confined to a relatively narrow radius around premises where the owner can take whatever measures are open to him to abate the nuisance. Aircraft noise is not confined to a static location and noise abatement measures must take account of the needs of safety and air traffic control.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what further measures he has in mind to encourage industrial development in north-east Scotland.

We shall be having consultations on this with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland when the Gaskin Report is published. In the meantime, we have authorised the construction of an advance factory of 15,000 sq. ft. at Inverurie. Space will be provided for expansion.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what scientific advances have been made during the last five years towards improving the methods of fish trawling and towards improving the safety of vessels fishing in Northern and Arctic Seas.

It is not possible to give a comprehensive list of improvements. The Industrial Development Unit of the White Fish Authority takes the lead in developing the results of research to the stage at which the industry can take advantage of new techniques and equipment. Recent notable advances have been made in the fields of mechanisation and automation of the handling of trawls, electronic aids to decisionmaking in the course of trawling and systems for boxing fish at sea. A major contribution to the safety of fishing vessels themselves has been the determination of appropriate criteria of their stability through work in the international field in which the United Kingdom has played a full part. Improved patterns of life-saving appliances have been developed which benefit fishermen along with other seafarers.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what steps he is taking to apply to foreign-registered aircraft operating in the United Kingdom, regulations similar to those which limit the operation of United Kingdom registered aircraft in low visibility.

The International Air Transport Association and the airlines which use United Kingdom airports are being informed of the proposal to extend to foreign-registered aircraft the general limit of minimum visibility set for the operation of United Kingdom registered aircraft which are not specially equipped for landing in lower visibilities. They are also being told of the proposal to extend to foreign-registered aircraft the ban on making an approach to land when the runway visualrange is below the operator's minimum. In accordance with normal practice they are being given the opportunity to make representations on the matter if they so wish before the necessary amendments to the regulations are made.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he is yet in a position to make a statement on the future use of Hadrian's Camp, Carlisle.

I regret that there is no other governmental use for Hadrian's Camp and it is being offered to local authorities. Subject to their requirements it will be offered for sale on the open market.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will issue provisional statistics of offences known to the police in England and Wales, committed in 1968, in the categories of all indictable offences involving firearms, indictable offences in which firearms were carried, used or presented, robberies in which firearms were carried, used or presented, and cases in which firearms were fired at policemen.

The number of indictable offences known to the police in England and Wales during 1968 in which firearms were involved was 2,500; in 958 of these offences a firearm was carried, used or presented. The number of robberies and assaults with intent to rob in which a firearm was carried, used or presented was 386. There were 12 offences in which firearms were fired at policemen.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will have discussions with interested parties with a view to investigating the best unobtrusive but effective technical device to allow drivers of buses, lorries and taxis to indicate to the police that they are being threatened with assault; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he will have further discussions with the union representatives and management of bus companies and taxi owners on the steps which can be taken by legislation or otherwise to reduce intimidation and assault on taxi drivers and bus crews; and if he will make a statement.

I share the public concern about attacks of this kind. The police are well aware of the importance of bringing the offenders to justice and are, I am sure, ready to cooperate in local arrangements for summoning help when it is needed. My right hon. Friend is ready to consider and, if necessary, to discuss with those concerned, any further proposals for dealing with the problem.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what evidence he has concerning the theft of domestic pets which are subsequently sold or used for medical experiment; what record he has of convictions for such offences; what action the plans to take to stop this practice; and whether he will make a statement.

Figures for England and Wales, for offences of stealing animals ordinarily kept in a state of confinement or for domestic purposes, under Sections 18, 21 or 23 of the Larceny Act, 1861, are as follows:

	Number of offences known to the police	Number of persons found guilty
1964	527	123
1965	487	118
1966	512	127
1967	661	120
1968	927	177

It is also an offence to receive stolen animals, and laboratory authorities purchasing animals from dealers are conscious of the need to ensure that their supplies have been properly obtained. I propose to make some further enquiries of the police about the incidence of pet-stealing for disposal to experimental laboratories.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in order to further his policy of maintaining prisoners' links with their families, he will allow a prisoner's closest relations to visit and write to him or her more than the present restricted amounts.

The arrangements for letters and visits were improved last year and will be kept under review. Governors have discretion to allow special letters and visits, additional to the prisoners' normal entitlement, for domestic or other reasons. This discretion is exercised as liberally as staffing, accommodation and other practical considerations permit.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what were the numbers of convictions for drug taking in the London Borough of Havering in the years 1966. 1967 and 1968.

Convictions under the Drugs (Prevention of Misuse) Act, 1964, and Dangerous Drugs Act, 1965, at Havering Magistrates' Court in these years were as follows:

	1966	1967	1968
Drugs (Prevention of Misuse) Act, 1964	3	4	17
Dangerous Drugs Act, 1965	—	5	16
Totals	3	9	33

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works if he will give details of the programme for the completion of the second stage of the Royal Mint project at Llantrisant.

Completion is due by the end of 1973.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works whether he will take steps to increase the penalties for damage to archaeological sites and ancient monuments.

This is one of some 70 recommendations which are made in the recent report of the Field Monuments Committee and which I am considering in consultation with my right hon. Friends concerned and other interested parties.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works how many cases of damage to an archaeological site or an ancient monument, respectively, are known to him in each of recent years; and whether these involved service personnel.

I regret that the information asked for by my hon. Friend cannot be provided without a disproportionate expenditure of time and effort.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works if he will publish the correspondence between himself and the National Union of Mineworkers on the heating of Government buildings and offices at St. James Square, Edinburgh; and if he will list in the OFFICIAL REPORT the tenders received from oil and coal.

I have not had any such correspondence although the Scottish area of the National Union of Mine-workers have been corresponding with my officials. It is not my policy to publish details of individual tenders.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what changes have been made in the membership of the committee set up to consider a memorial for Sir Winston Churchill.

The hon. Member for Wavertree (Mr. John Tilney) has replaced the Right Hon. Christopher Soames, C.B.E. on this Committee.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity how many Government training centres are now open in Wales; how many trades are being taught; how many training places are available; and how this compares with the position in 1964.

Following is the information:

Date	Government Training Centres in Wales	Number of Trades taught	Number Training Places
February 1969*	3	26	691*
October 1964	2	13	267
* The 691 training places now available include 50 provided by the Ministry of Defence at the R.A.F. Station, St. Athan.

TOTAL NUMBERS REGISTERED AS UNEMPLOYED IN THE AREAS COVERED BY WILLESDEN, WEMBLEY, EALING, HARROW, CAMDEN TOWN AND ST. MARYLEBONE EMPLOYMENT EXCHANGES
					Males	Females	Total	Temporarily stopped included in total
Willesden
9th November, 1964	…	…	…	…	609	310	919	1
8th November, 1965	…	…	…	…	598	291	889	—
14th November, 1966		…	…	…	1,470	247	1,717	158
13th November, 1967	…	…	…	…	1,872	264	2,136	14
11th November, 1968	…	…	…	…	1,425	248	1,673	7
Wembley
9th November, 1964	…	…	…	…	255	64	319	3
8th November, 1965	…	…	…	…	230	49	279	2
14th November, 1966	…	…	…	…	470	80	550	84
13th November, 1967	…	…	…	…	495	75	570	17
11th November, 1968	…	…	…	…	446	52	498	1
Ealing
9th November, 1964	…	…	…	…	340	91	431	—
8th November, 1965	…	…	…	…	320	108	428	—
14th November, 1966	…	…	…	…	639	105	744	97
13th November, 1967	…	…	…	…	870	159	1,029	6
11th November, 1968	…	…	…	…	701	176	877	1
Harrow
9th November, 1964	…	…	…	…	467	106	573	2
8th November, 1965	…	…	…	…	473	129	602	—
14th November, 1966	…	…	…	…	723	134	857	42
13th November, 1967	…	…	…	…	807	124	931	3
11th November, 1968	…	…	…	…	800	94	894	2
Camden Town
9th November, 1964	…	…	…	…	912	148	1,060	4
8th November, 1965	…	…	…	…	861	167	1,028	4
14th November, 1966	…	…	…	…	1,368	219	1,587	14
13th November, 1967	…	…	…	…	1,934	234	2,177	4
11th November, 1968	…	…	…	…	1,605	296	1,901	5
St. Marylebone
9th November, 1964	…	…	…	…	1,408	287	1,695	—
8th November, 1965	…	…	…	…	1,337	298	1,635	2
14th November, 1966	…	…	…	…	2,160	534	2,694	12
13th November, 1967	…	…	…	…	2,769	670	3,439	8
11th November, 1968	…	…	…	…	2,139	511	2,650	3

Percentage rates of unemployment can be calculated for the Greater London travel-to-work area as a whole but not separately for its constituent parts. The rates were:

9th November, 1964	0·8
8th November, 1965	0·8
14th November, 1966	1·2
13th November, 1967	1·6
11th November, 1968	1·4

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity if she will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT the numbers of registered unemployed in November of each of the last five years in the areas served by the employment exchanges in Willesden, Wembley, Ealing, Harrow, Camden Town and Marylebone, together with the percentages of employment that these figures represent.

Following is the information:

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what sums have been spent in the last financial year, or are allocated for 1968–69 and 1969–70, for new extensions to hospitals and for hospital improvement projects in Axminster, Sidmouth, Honiton and Ottery St. Mary, respectively.

At Marlpits Hospital, Honiton, £540 was spent in 1967–68 on a laundry improvement scheme. Apart from schemes to be financed from hospital trust funds, no other capital expenditure is envisaged in the years in question but as my hon. Friend the Minister of State explained in reply to a Question from the hon. Member on 12th February, 1969, capital development of the hospital facilities serving this area is being concentrated at Exeter.—[Vol. 777, c. 338.]

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what portion of the proposed 4¾ per cent. national superannuation contribution will be needed to secure full cover for widows' benefits and death grant, together with a pension equivalent to the present flat-rate allowance of £4 10s. per week, with the subsequent adjustments as envisaged in the White Paper, National Superannuation and Social Insurance.

On the basis set out in the White Paper (Cmnd. 3883), the corresponding employee's contributions for widows' benefit (including widow's retirement pension) and death grant, but with a flat rate retirement pension at the present level, would be about 4¼ per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what amounts of money were spent on health and welfare services for which his Department is responsible in Wales for 1968.

The following is the Answer:

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the number of places in local authority homes for old people built since 1945, in Leeds, Bradford, Hull, Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham and Sheffield, respectively.

The following figures show the number of places in homes provided since 1945:

County Boroughs	Purpose-built homes	Adapted buildings
Leeds	688	647
Bradford	234	208
Hull	442	402
Liverpool	643*	293
Manchester	1,025	490
Birmingham	1,065	290
Sheffield	417	279
* Including beds in purpose-built extensions to adapted homes.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will authorise the construction of a pedestrian crossing in Radford Road, Coventry, near Light Lane and so afford protection to the many school children who need to cross Radford Road when proceeding to and from school.

Radford Road is a principal road. The question of pedestrian crossings is therefore a matter in the first instance for Coventry. If they consider there is a need for a pedestrian crossing here they should apply to our divisional road engineer. No application has been received.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will state the total income and expenditure in 1965–66, 1966–67 and 1967–68 on controlled parking zones using parking meters, for all individual cities or boroughs having such schemes outside London.

This information is not readily available. Local authorities are required under Section 44(1) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act, 1967, to keep accounts of their parking meter schemes but they are not required to send us copies.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will list the sections of motorway, showing the mileages in each case, which are in use, under construction, for which tenders have been invited, for which schemes have been made, for which draft schemes have been published,

MOTORWAY MILEAGE (ENGLAND)
Motorways in Use		Miles	Open to Traffic		Actual or Estimated Cost (incl. land unless otherwise stated)
					£m.
M1 London-Yorkshire
N. of Fiveways Corner-Brockley Hill	…	4·3	May, 1967	…	10·6
Brockley Hill-Aldenham	…	4·0	Oct., 1966	…	4·5
Aldenham-Crick (incl. M10 and M45 Spurs)	…	73·2	Nov., 1959	…	28·5 (main work only)
Crick-Markfield (incl. Enderby Spur)	…	26·7	Oct., 1964 and Jan., 1965	…	17·2 (main work only)
Markfield-Kegworth	…	11·0	Dec., 1965	…	6·5 (main work only)
Kegworth-Sandiacre	…	5·0	May, 1966	…	5·2 (main work only)
Sandiacre-Nuthall	…	6·0	Aug., 1966	…	5·5 (main work only)
Nuthall-Annesley	…	5·5	May, 1967	…	3·5 (main work only)
Annesley-Pinxton	…	3·1	July, 1967	…	2·7 (main work only)
Pinxton-Barlborough	…	13·9	Oct., 1967	…	12·0 (main work only)
Barlborough-Morthen	…	7·2	Dec., 1967	…	4·7 (main work only)
Aston-Tinsley (incl. part of Thurcroft Link)	…	6·5	Dec., 1967	…	5·9 (main work only)
Tinsley Viaduct	…	0·75	June, 1968	…	4·5
Meadowhall-Tankersley	…	5·5	June, 1968	…	6·0 (main work only)
Tankersley-Dodworth	…	4·2	Sept., 1968	…	18·3 (main work only)
Dodworth-Ossett	…	10·6	Oct., 1968	…
Ossett-East Ardsley	…	2·5	Aug., 1967	…
East Ardsley-Stourton	…	4·5	Oct., 1967	…	5·4 (main work only)
M2 Medway Motor Road	…	25·2	May, July and Sept., 1963		16·0
M4 London-South Wales
Chiswick-Langley	…	12·5	Nov., 1964 and March, 1965		20·3
Slough By-Pass	…	5·4	Apr., 1963	…	4·9
Maidenhead By-Pass	…	5·9	June, 1961	…	3·0
Tormarton-Hambrook	…	7·9	Dec., 1966	…	28·0
Hambrook-Almondsbury (incl. AlmondsburyInterchange and Hambrook Spur)	…	5·5	Sept., 1966	…
Severn Bridge and Approaches	…	6·5	Sept., 1966	…
M5 Birmingham-Bristol-Exeter
Twyning-Lydiate Ash	…	260	July, 1962	…	9·4
Lydiate Ash-Quinton	…	6·0	Nov., 1965	…	6·6
M5 Filton By-Pass
(Gloucester C.C. Motorway)	…	2·25	May, 1963	…	0·7
M6 Birmingham-Preston-Carlisle
Bescot-Darlaston	…	0·6	Dec., 1968	…	10·7 incl below*
Darlaston-Shareshill	…	5·9	Sept., 1966 and Dec, 1968	…	12·6
Shareshill-Dunston	…	8·4	March, 1966	…
Dunston-Preston	…	78·5	Aug., 1962 and Nov., 1963	…	56·1
Preston By-Pass	…	8·1	Dec., 1958	…	5·2
Preston-Lancaster	…	13·3	Jan., 1965	…	11·0
Lancaster By-Pass	…	11·4	Apr., 1960	…	4·7
Penrith By-Pass	…	7·9	Nov., 1968	…	10·6
M18 Morthen-Doncaster By-Pass (incl. part of Thurcroft Link)	…	9·5	Dec., 1967	…	5·2 (main works only)
M40 High Wycombe By-Pass Stokenchurch-Handy Cross	…	8·02	June, 1967	…	5·1 (main work only)

The following table shows the position at 14th March. Information about local authority motorways is limited to sections in use or for which schemes have been made by the highway authorities concerned and submitted to me for confirmation.