asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the total cost to public funds of the Meteorological Office in the current year; and if he will give separately details including cost and numbers of qualified scientists and engineers employed by each of the research and development establishments connected with the Meteorological Office.

The net annual cost to the Exchequer of the Meteorological Office, including common services (such as headquarters accommodation) and payments by other Government Departments for meteorological services is currently about £8·3 million. The number of Scientific Officer class staff employed in research and instrument development is 73. Their deployment and cost (including salaries, National Insurance, Graduated Pension contributions and Selective Employment Tax) are as follows:

		Approx cost.
		£
Bracknell Headquarters	60	189,000
Cambridge Research Unit	1	3,400
Cardington, Meteorological Office	2	3,700
Farnborough, Meteorological Re search Flight	4	11,500
Kew Observatory	1	3,400
Lerwick Observatory	1	3,400
Malvern, Royal Radar Establishment	3	7,100
Porton, Chemical Defence and Experimental Establishment	1	3,400

Engineer grades are not employed at these offices.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list those services for which the Meteorological Office makes a charge; what was the total revenue from such charges during each of the last five years; and what is the estimated revenue during each of the next five years.

Over the last five years the Meteorological Office has obtained revenue as follows for the services specified:

(a) Recoveries for staff employed on meteorological services for other Government Departments etc.—mainly the Board of Trade which pays for civil aviation services;

(b) Contributions from the Board of Trade and the International Civil Aviation Organisation towards the cost of ocean weather ships;

(c) Charges for special meteorological services, mainly to non-Exchequer customers, which involve additional work, and for training of overseas meteorologists and other miscellaneous items;

(d) Provision of meteorological equipment for other Governments and other Government Departments.

		£ Million
1964–65	1965–66	1966–67
1·66	1·76	1·82
1967–68	1968–69 (est.)
1·94	2·09

Estimated revenue for 1969–70 is over £2 million. Estimates for future years are not available, but revenue is expected to rise.I am sending the hon. Member a leaflet describing the services at (c) above in more detail.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will now make arrangements for the parents of those Servicemen who were killed in Aden to visit the graves of their sons.

Visits can now be arranged although there are difficulties involved. Parents or next of kin who qualify under current arrangements for a visit to a grave at public expense will be informed.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will give the total cost in the current year of the Radio and Space Research Station and the number of qualified scientists and engineers and other staff currently employed there; and if he will list the five most expensive projects on which the establishment is engaged, with the cost of each.

The estimated expenditure in 1968–69 by the Radio and Space Research Station is £1,120,000. The station has 275 staff, of whom 95 are qualified scientists and engineers. The five most expensive projects, with their estimated cost in 1968–69, are:

	£
(1) Data acquisition from Satellites	173,000
(2) Ionospheric Rocket Experiments	104,000
(3) Chilbolton Steerable Aerial	102,000
(4) Radio-Wave Propagation through the troposphere	95,000
(5) Computer Services	91,000

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will give the total cost to public funds in the current year of the Atlas Computer Laboratory and the number of qualified scientists and engineers and other staff currently employed there.

		Date of Foundation	Estimated net cost to public funds in 1968–69	Number of qualified scientists and engineers
			£
Royal Grecnwich Observatory	…	1675	430,000	67
Royal Observatory, Cape of Good Hope	…	1820	120,000	19
Radcliffe Observatory*	…	1772	50,000	5
Royal Observatory, Edinburgh	…	1830	280,000	24
* A private observatory owned, and partly-financed, by the Radcliffe Trustees, and managed by the Science Research Council under an agreement with the Trustees.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) if he will give the total cost to public funds in the current year of the Nature Conservancy and the number of qualified scientists and engineers and other staff employed there; and if he will list the five most expensive projects on which the Conservancy is working, showing the cost of each;(2) if he will give the total cost to public funds in the current year of the Research Vessel Unit, including R.R.S. "John Murray", and the number of qualified scientists and engineers and other staff employed there; and if he will list the five most expensive projects on which the unit is working, showing the cost of each;(3) if he will give the total cost to public funds in the current year of the Institute of Geological Science and the number of qualified scientists and engineers and other staff employed there; and if he will list the five most expensive projects on which the Institute is working, showing the cost of each;

The estimated expenditure in 1968–69 by the Atlas Computer Laboratory is £486,000. The laboratory has 106 staff of whom 26 are qualified scientists and engineers.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will give the date of foundation and cost to public funds in the current year of the Royal Greenwich Observatory, the Cape of Good Hope Observatory, the Radcliffe Observattory and the Royal Edinburgh Observatory, respectively, and the number of qualified scientists and engineers employed in each.

The information is as follows:(4) if he will give the total cost to public funds in the current year of the Hydrological Research Unit and the number of qualified scientists and engineers and other staff employed there; and if he will list the five most expensive projects on which the unit is working, showing the cost of each;(5) if he will give the total cost to public funds in the current year of the Algal Culture Centre and the number of qualified scientists and engineers and other staff employed there; and if he will list the five most expensive projects in which the centre is working, showing the cost of each;(6) if he will give the total cost to public funds in the current year of the National Institute of Oceanography and the number of qualified scientists and engineers and other staff employed there; and if he will list the five most expensive projects on which the institute is working, showing the cost of each.

The following Table gives the information requested in respect of the estimated total cost and staff for the financial year ending 31st March, 1969. The Table includes page references to the Annual Report of the

	Staff
	Estimated Cost	Scientific	Others	Total	Annual Report
	£				Pages
Institute of Geological Sciences	2,100,000	389	261	650	3–5 & 20–26
Nature Conservancy	1,400,000	246	275	521	12–14 & 61–70
National Institute of Oceanography	940,000	101	126*	227	32–38
Institute of Hydrology (formerly Hydro logical Research Unit)	240,000	31	15	46	27–31
Research Vessel Unit	300,000	3	36†	39	39
Culture Centre for Algae and Protozoa	13,000		Nil‡		12
Footnotes:
* The figure of 126 includes 44 ship's crew of whom 13 are Deck, Engineering, Electrical and Radio Officers.
† The figure of 36 includes 19 ship's crew of whom 7 are Deck and Engineering Officers.
‡ See below.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will give an assurance that no public money will be spent on athletes going to South Africa to take part in the forthcoming games there; and what advice he has given to such athletes.

I have repeatedly stated that Government grant is not available for any British participation in sporting events in South Africa. The athletes in question were invited as individuals and they have the same freedom to travel abroad as any other British subject. No advice was asked for.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the total cost in the current year of all research establishments in the public sector, including those which come directly under Government Departments, those which come under the research councils, those which are under the Atomic Energy Authority, but excluding those which are the direct responsibility of nationalised industries.

The gross expenditure on research and development carried out within government establishments (including Research Councils and local authorities) in the United Kingdom in 1966–67 was £205·4 million. In 1967–68 the corresponding figure is provisionally estimated at £220 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what is the estimated percentage rise in the rates, earnings and productivity deriving from the recent 6s. a week increase paid to boilermakers, blacksmiths and shipwrights employed by Swan, Hunter; what percentage pay increase has been made to these men in the last year; and if the new award is consistent with the Government's incomes policy.

It is estimated that as a result of the 6s. a week increase rates will rise by 1·3 per cent. and earnings by about 1·2 per cent. The increase conforms with the national agreement, effective from 16th December 1968, between the Shipbuilders and Repairers National Association and the Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions which was consistent with the Government's incomes policy. A productivity scheme was introduced in November, 1968, for these workers which gave a 4·2 per cent. increase plus an incentive bonus related to performance.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what is the estimated percentage increase in rates, earnings and productivity deriving from the recent pay settlement between Electrical and Musical Industries and the technical and design staff at their Hayes and Feltham factories.

My Department has not yet received details of the agreement.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity on what date she was notified of the national pay claim for engineering clerical workers, and what is the estimated percentage increase in rates, earnings and productivity arising from that claim.

Claims made by the National Association of Clerical and Supervisory Staff and the Clerical and Administrative Workers' Union were notified on 12th November, 1968, and a claim for the General and Municipal Workers Union on 18th December, 1968. The claims, though not identical, are for pay increases between 5 per cent. and 6 per cent. Until negotiations with the Engineering Employers' Federation have been concluded, it is not possible to answer the rest of the Questions.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity on what date she was notified of the pay claim of the bakery employees of John Newbould and Son; and what is the estimated percentage increase in rates, earnings and productivity arising from that claim.

No claim has been formally notified to my Department. I understand that discussions between the parties are now in progress.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what is the total number of staff employed by local authorities at the most recent date for which figures are available; and what were the comparable figures in the same month of each of the previous five years.

Comprehensive statistics of the total numbers employed by local authorities and in police forces are available in respect of June each year.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity how the decision to allow in full the payment to bank workers accords with the Government's prices and incomes policy.

The parties have been advised that the Government would be prepared to agree to the implementation from 1st July, 1969, without retrospection of the balance of the J.N.C. settlement, over the 3½ per cent. interim increase already paid from July, 1968, but stipulated that there should be no further general settlement before July. 1970.This is in accord with the Government's prices and incomes policy and with the findings of Report No. 106 of the National Board for Prices and Incomes which recognises that the rate of increase in productivity is expected to continue, and that the settlement itself with its moves towards equal pay and the industry-wide alignment of clerical scales is a valuable rationalisation, as it provides a common platform for future action on the lines recommended by the Board.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity when she expects to reach a decision on the future of the prices and incomes policy after the expiration of existing legislation.

I cannot yet say. My right hon. Friend is studying the various aspects of the matter and intends to consult the T.U.C. and C.B.I. before reaching final decisions.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity how many companies have asked for the assistance of the manpower and productivity section of her Department; and how many agreements between employers and trade unions have been based on the advice given by this section.

In the last six months the Manpower and Productivity Service has been in contact with some 1,500 undertakings, in 60 per cent. of cases at the direct request of the company.Information is not available on the number of new agreements between employers and trade unions based on the advice given by the M.P.S. but officials of the service are constantly working with managers and trade union officers with the object of improving performance and conditions of employment by agreement. Subjects include wage and salary structures, productivity agreements, manpower plans, organisation systems and procedures and industrial relations generally.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to make further tax exemptions for small depositors in building societies.

I have noted my hon. Friend's suggestion.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will seek to grant income tax relief on a wider scale to building societies in view of the need for housing.

I have noted my hon. Friend's suggestion.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total amount of selective employment tax collected from building societies in the last financial year.

I agree that the information is not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will consider taking steps to exempt building societies from the payment of selective employment tax in the interest of present and future owner occupiers.

I cannot anticipate my right hon. Friend's Budget proposals.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what revenue he estimates to have been raised in the financial year 1968–69 by the 2d. stamp duty on receipts and cheques.

About £12 million

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the known amount of hire purchase in Scotland in each year from 1963 to 1968.

I regret that figures are available only for Great Britain as a whole.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a list of countries to which interest-free loans have been given to enable them to buy British-made buses, together with the amounts and the number of vehicles in each case.

It is not a prior condition of our aid loans that the borrower shall purchase particular goods and loan agreements do not normally specify the goods to be purchased. Discussions are held with the recipient Governments in order to decide on the purpose or project for which our pledged aid is to be used. Subsequently the agreed purpose may be set out in an individual loan agreement. The United Kingdom Turkey Loan (No. 1), 1968, provided for £1 million out of aid already pledged to go towards the purchase of 300 buses. Similarly, a loan agreement with the Government of Indonesia signed in January, 1969, provided for £215,000 out of aid already pledged to be used for the purchase of 12 buses and stocks of spare parts.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development, if he will list in the OFFICIAL REPORT the countries to which interest-free loans have been given to enable them to buy electrical switchgear and other components necessary to the development of electrification projects, together with the amounts and the total of orders given to General Electric Company/Associated Electrical Industries Limited.

The placing of orders to be financed from our interest-free aid loans to developing countries is a matter for the borrower. It is not the practice to specify that particular products shall be purchased or particular British firms employed. Nor are detailed records kept showing a precise breakdown of the classification of industrial products supplied against aid loans.

asked the Postmaster-General what amounts have been received, or will be received by the Post Office from other Government Departments for services that the Post Office has carried out on their behalf in the years 1966–67, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70.

The amounts received for agency services are:—

		£ millions
	1966–67	1967–68
Savings Department	29	30
Department of Health and Social Services	18	20
Other Departments	4	4
Totals	51	54
	1968–69	7969–70 (estimated)
Savings Department	33	24
Department of Health and Social Services	23	23
Other Departments	3	5·5
Totals	59	52·5

asked the Postmaster-General if he will set out in the OFFICIAL REPORT the total yearly expenditure on the very high frequency radio services since they were set up; and the amounts in each future year for which there are plans for developing, extending and maintaining the very high frequency radio services.

I assume my hon Friend has in mind the use of very high frequencies by the B.B.C. for sound broadcasting. The B.B.C. tell me that it is not possible to make an assessment of the separate capital cost of the stations, because they share buildings and masts with other services, including television, at 74 different premises. The running costs, the bulk of which consist of power, staff, distribution circuits, rent, rates and taxes are about £650,000 per annum This assessment is necessarily approximate because the distribution network for Radios 2, 3 and 4 is common to V.H.F. and L.F./M.F.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will set out in the OFFICIAL REPORT figures showing the growth in the number of very high frequency radio sets in Great Britain in each year since the very high frequency radio services were set up; and what estimate he has made of future growth in future years.

The number year-by-year of very high frequency sets in use in Great Britain since 1955, when V.H.F. sound broadcasting services started, is not available. The number of sets disposed of in the period in question by British manufacturers on the home market is as follows:—

	(000's)
1955	242
1956	394
1957	599
1958	540
1959	512
1960	452
1961	314
1962	305
1963	315
1964	336
1965	323
1966	317
1967	331
1968	510

Imports during 1967 and 1968 are estimated at 570,000. I have made no estimate of growth in future years.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will set out in the OFFICIAL REPORT details of the future plans approved by him for extending very high frequency transmitters and equipment associated with the very high frequency radio services.

The present service and future plans are indicated on pages 76 and 77 and 204 and 205 of the B.B.C.'s Report and Accounts for 1967–68 (Cmnd. 3779).

asked the Postmaster-General if he will set out in the OFFICIAL REPORT details of the very high frequency transmitters and other associated equipment installed throughout Great Britain in each year to the nearest convenient date since very high frequency radio services were set up.

Details of transmitters and associated equipment brought into use by the B.B.C. are shown in its Annual Reports and Accounts from 1955–56 onwards.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will give the total expenditure on telephone charges, including both rentals and charges for calls, by Government Departments and other official bodies for each of the years 1961–62 to 1967–68, giving separate figures for each of those departments whose expenditure currently exceeds £10,000.

The information is not available from Post Office sources. Charges for telephone service are billed to Government Departments in the same way as to ordinary customers. The Post Office does not maintain historical records of charges to individual customers.

asked the Postmaster-General what are the principal factors in the profitability of the telephone service.

The main factors are the buoyancy of demand, the increasing mechanisation of the service, the signnificant technological advances made, particularly in the provision of long distance circuits, and the continuing high level of productivity.

asked the Postmaster-General when, where and in what numbers he expects to be able to make available push-button telephones.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Hampstead on 30th January.—[Vol. 776, c. 369–70.]

asked (he Minister of Power what is the cost at 1969 prices of the installation and maintenance of electricity generating capacity for each of the years from now until 1973–74, using the latest estimates of capacity and demand in those years which are available to him, in excess of that which would be required exactly to meet a 17 per cent. margin of spare capacity.

On the basis of its 1968 capital development programme, which is now being revised in the light of later estimates of plant commissioning and demand, C.E.G.B. estimated that the planned margin of 17 per cent. would be exceeded by a maximum of 5,000 MW in 1971–72 declining to zero by 1974–75. The capital cost of this additional capacity at current prices is some £250 million.The excess capacity in the early 1970's reflects the fact that levels of demand foreseen when the plant was ordered were higher than more recent estimates.The Board estimates that operating and maintenance savings due to running this plant instead of older less efficient plant will reach a peak of about £25 million a year in 1971–72. The temporary excess of generating capacity should not therefore signficantly affect the Board's overall cost on revenue account.

asked the Minister of Power in view of the fact that the planning document, The Task Ahead, predicts that the growth of electricity demand will be 6 per cent., to what extent investment in electricity capacity will be cut.

Over the coming months I shall be examining the capital development programmes of the electricity boards against the Electricity Council's latest forecasts of demand and other relevant considerations. As stated in "The Task Ahead", investment in new generating capacity in the period to 1972 will be below the level of recent years as a result of the slower rate of growth of electricity demand forecast.

asked the Minister of Power if he will give details of the number of oil rigs now drilling for oil. the location and crew of each, the effects of the recent gales and snowstorms on each and on the crew of each, indicating how many crew members were killed or injured during the same period.

Five mobile platforms and four fixed platforms are currently engaged in drilling in the British sector of the North Sea, approximately between latitudes 53º and 54º North. Additionally the mobile platform "Staflo" has been drilling about 150 miles east of Aberdeen. There are normally about 50 crew members on each platform.I am happy to say that, although there was some interruption of drilling operations, the recent gales did not cause any fatal or serious accidents among the crews or result in damage to any of the drilling platforms except the "Staflo".On Friday, 14th March, the "Staflo" was being prepared for a move to a new site when the gale started. The platform broke loose from its anchorage and from attending tugs and 16 crew members were taken off by helicopter as a routine precautionary measure. The platform was subsequently brought under control by tugs and is now in Cromarty Firth. No injuries were caused to crew members but there was some minor damage to the anchoring system on the platform.

asked the Minister of Power what is the cost of the acquisition by the British Steel Corporation of T. C. Jones and Co.

Negotiations are still in progress.

asked the Minister of Power if he has now been notified of the pay claim of slingers and crane drivers at the Corby tube works of the British Steel Corporation; and if the claim falls within the Government's incomes policy.

I am fully aware of the unofficial strike at Corby tube works and of the negotiations between the management and the union. All pay settlements must conform to the Government's incomes policy.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works, how many firms in Scotland have been excluded from carpet discount contracts; where the contracts have now been placed; and why a firm in the hon. Member for Midlothian's constituency was excluded.

Five Scottish firms which previously held discount contracts for carpets have been omitted from the current list: the contracts are now held by three firms in England and three in Scotland.As part of a general move to rationalise purchasing my Ministry recently reduced the number of its carpet discount contracts from 38 to 6 and in so doing has obtained better terms.The six firms selected were those whose products had been most in demand in recent years. The Midlothian firm was not one of these.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works why he decided to strike only 1,500 2¼-inch silver and 3,000 2¼-inch gilt-bronze Prince of Wales Investiture medals.

The decision to strike 1,500 2¼-inch silver and 3,000 2¼-inch gilt-bronze Investiture medals was taken following consultations with Spink and Son Limited (medallists to the Queen), which is my commercial adviser in this matter. It based its estimate on such issues as it has handled in recent years.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works on what date the public were invited to apply for the 1,500 2¼-inch silver and 3,000 2¼-inch gilt-bronze Prince of Wales Investiture medals; and how many applications were received.

A Press notice about Investiture medals was issued on 6th February and the announcement received nation-wide publicity on 7th February and on subsequent days. Although the Press notice said the medals would only be available from June, orders began to be received at once and it was decided to accept them. At the last count over 6,100 applications had been received for the 2¼-inch silver medals and just over 3,000 applications for the 2¼-inch gilt-bronze medals.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works whether he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a table showing the cost of striking each type of Prince of Wales Investiture medal, the prices charged to Spink and Son Limited, the prices charged by Spink and Son Limited to other retailers, and the retail prices.

No, this is a matter of commercial confidence.

asked the Minister of Technology what sums have been distributed by the Shipbuilding Industry Board to the industry by way of loans and grants since the board was established; and what part of these totals has been provided to the two shipbuilding groups on Clydeside.

The Shipbuilding Industry Board made grants totalling £149,996 4s. 2d. under Section 2 of the Shipbuilding Industry Act, 1967. Of that sum £58,201 Is. 9d. was paid to shipbuilders on the Upper Clyde and £8,900 to a shipbuilder on the Lower Clyde. With the approval of my right hon. Friend, the Board has also agreed to make grants of up to £9 million under Section 3 of the Act and to make loans of about £14 million under Section 4. These figures include grants of up to £3 million and loans of up to £5½ million to Upper Clyde Shipbuilders Limited but none for other Clyde shipbuilders.

asked the Minister of Technology whether he will give an estimate of the number of tons of sulphuric substance daily ejected into the atmosphere in London.

The estimated emission of sulphur dioxide into the atmosphere of London in the year 1967 (the last year for which figures are available) was 380,000 tons, corresponding to an average daily rate of 1,040 tons. Of this, about 22 tons per day is emission by motor vehicles.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the total loan debt of local authorities at the most recent date for which information is available; and what were the comparable figures in the same month of each of the previous five years.

The most recent figures available are those to which the hon. Member was referred in my Answer of 3rd March, 1969. For comparison with the figures given in Table VIII of the Local Financial Returns (Scotland), that given on page 106 of Financial Statistics, Volume 81, should be reduced by £14 million.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will consider the former Avro factory site at Yeadon, near Bradford and Leeds, for use as a regional or national exhibition site, or alternatively acquiring it as an advance factory, in view of the fact that the adjacent airport, railheads and future road development will make the site accessible and that the property is to be auctioned on 25th March.

The Board of Trade has no plans to use the Avro factory site as either a regional or a national exhibition centre. The factory is not in a development area and the Board of Trade could not, therefore, acquire it under the Local Employment Acts for use as an advance factory.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has for an international airport in the Severn Estuary following the settlement of the question of the location of the third London airport; and if he will make a statement.

After a decision has been reached on the location of the Third London Airport it will probably be necessary to review the need for any further intercontinental airports. Such

Trunk road schemes			Expected completion date
(i) Ring Road A614/A453, Nottingham	…	…	Under construction—June, 1969
(ii) Hogarth roundabout A4/A315, Chiswick	…	…	Under construction—Summer, 1969
(iii) Gallows Corner A12/A127, Havering	…	…	Under construction—September, 1969
(iv) Lodge Avenue A13, Barking	…	…	Programmed—early 1973
Principal road scheme
Mancunian Way/Chester Road A57/A56. Manchester		…	Under construction—November. 1969

asked the Minister of Transport what proposals he has received to make more effective use of the public transport facilities in Leicester and Leicestershire.

Suggestions have been made for closer relations between Leicester Corporation Transport and the National Bus Company. The prime responsibility lies with the operators themselves and discussions are taking place between them.

asked the Minister of Transport, in view of Recommendation Number 539 on road safety in the manufacture of motor vehicles, which was adopted by the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe on 27th September, 1968, what use is made by his Department of traffic engineering methods in urban planning, such as the practice of consideration would embrace all parts of the country, including the Severn area.

asked the Minister of Transport what proposals he has for erecting temporary flyovers at congested road junctions; and on what dates they will be completed.

On trunk roads three temporary flyovers are under construction and a further one has been authorised. On principal roads one temporary flyover is under construction. A list of completion dates is given in the table below.Further schemes for trunk and principal roads are under consideration and we are prepared to consider grant assistance towards others which local highway authorities recommend.segregating four-wheel, two-wheel and pedestrian traffic.

The recommendation does not refer specifically to segregation of types of traffic, but the principle has long been recognised by my Department as of value to safety and traffic movement and has been included in advice given to local authorities.Part IX of the Transport Act, 1968, has also extended the range of circumstances in which segregation can be achieved by traffic regulation orders.In practice, segregation is generally physical but time segregation is also used in urban areas by traffic signal control. Examples can be found in several urban areas and, in particular, in most New Towns.

asked the Minister of Transport, in view of Recommendation Number 539 on road safety in the manufacture of motor vehicles, which was adopted by the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe on 27th September, 1968, what plans he has for improving the efficiency of the driving schools in this country by the introduction of special training methods developed for the training of police drivers.

The Register of Approved Driving Instructors has already done a great deal to improve the standards of driving instruction in this country. The Register is now on a statutory basis, and I propose to make registration compulsory for all professional driving instructors; from 1st August, 1970.There is no laid-down uniform method of training police drivers. But the skills and techniques which may be required by police officers in an emergency are not necessarily suitable for the ordinary learner driver.

asked the Minister of Transport, in view of Recommendation Number 539 on road safety in the manufacture of motor vehicles, which was adopted by the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe on 27th September, 1968, what has been done, or will be done, by his Department to coordinate studies on the different aspects of road safety and measures to combat road traffic accidents in the country under the authority of a single body.

My Department is already responsible for co-ordinating studies on the different aspects of road safety and measures to combat road traffic accidents. The measures for strengthening the organisation foreshadowed in the White Paper "Road Safety—A Fresh Approach" (Cmnd. 3339) are now largely in operation.

asked the Minister of Transport, in view of Recommendation Number 539 on road safety in the manufacture of motor vehicles, which was adopted by the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe on 27th September, 1968, what plans he has to make use of the findings which show that where road capacity can be adjusted to traffic volume, so as to obtain optimal occupancy rates, the number of accidents can be kept clown.

One of the most effective ways of adjusting traffic volumes to road capacity is to control the flow of vehicles using the road. The remotely controlled signal system which has today been brought into use on M4 between Chiswick and Langley is designed to do this. Similar systems are to be installed on all urban motorways.

asked the Minister of Transport in view of Recommendation Number 539 on road safety in the manufacture of motor vehicles, which was adopted by the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe on 27th September 1968, what is the present policy of Her Majesty's Government with regard to the obligatory periodic testing of motor vehicles.

The policy of Her Majesty's Government with regard to the obligatory periodic testing of motor vehicles remains as outlined in paragraphs 43 and 44 of the White Paper "Road Safety—A Fresh Approach" (Cmnd. 3339). Following the check referred to in those paragraphs of the operation of the private car testing scheme, steps have been taken in consultation with the garage industry to raise the standards required.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will arrange for a departmental study to be carried out into issuing transport tickets in books, in view of this method's advantages in saving time, queueing and staff.

It is for the transport undertakings concerned to initiate studies of this or other methods of streamlining fare collection if they consider them useful having regard to their requirements and circumstances. The Department is ready to help undertakings with research into methods of fare collection so far as resources permit.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will publish by an additional White Paper or otherwise the alternative proposal for local government reform in Wales which has been considered by his Department; and whether he will make a statement.

No. The alternative proposals considered by the Government, and the reasons for deciding against them, were fully discussed in Chapter ii of the White Paper, Local Government in Wales. Cmnd. 3340.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the cost to public funds in the current financial year of the Forest Research Station and the number of qualified scientists and engineers currently employed there; and if he will list the five most expensive projects on which the station is working, showing the cumulative cost of each to date and the cost of each in the current year.

The provision for research in the Forestry Commission's estimates in the current financial year is £715,000.The Commission employs 38 qualified scientists, engineers and graduate forest officers on research.The five most expensive projects, and the estimated costs of each in the current year, are:

	£
1. Nutrition of forest and nursery crops	35,000
2. Production of planting stock	30,000
3. Site improvement by drainage and cultivation	25,000
4. Wind stability of crops	15,000
5. Improvement of Sitka Spruce	12,000

The cumulative costs to date of these projects are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what steps he has taken to satisfy himself that aircraft noise does not constitute a danger to public health; and if he will make a statement.

My professional advisers keep in touch with research on noise both at home and abroad, and I understand that no evidence has so far come to light to justify dissent from the views of the Committee on the Problem of Noise.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement on the consideration given by the Dunlop Committee to the use of drugs in relation to driving.

The Committee on Safety of Drugs is concerned primarily with the safety of drugs in therapeutic use and has not specifically considered the question of drugs in relation to driving. The Committee recently wrote to all doctors about the importance of warning their patients of the possible hazards of taking alcohol while being treated with drugs affecting the central nervous system; and this letter mentioned the possible danger involved in driving when a patient under treatment with antihistamines has taken alcohol.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what consultations he has had with the British Medical Association in connection with its co-operation with the Organisation of Economic Co-operation Development's study of drug prescriptions and driving.

None, but I understand that my right hon. Friend, the Minister of Transport has been connected with the British Medical Association's participation in this study.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will authorise opticians to dispense without charge spectacles with toughened glass under the National Health Service for children under the age of 14 years.

Normally the risk of injury from spectacle lenses does not justify the use of toughened glass. Where there is a clinical need for such lenses they can be supplied through the Hospital Eye Service free of charge.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when contracts of employment in accordance with his Department's policy will be issued to the 100 nursing and ancillary staff at Hull Maternity Hospital, listed in a letter of 22nd January, 1969, from the Area Officer of the National Union of Public Employees to the Treasurer of Hull "A" Hospital Management Committee.

All staff have been issued with written particulars of their employment and duplicates are available if required.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department at what height Her Majesty's Government cease to exercise practical control of Great Britain's airspace.

I have been asked to reply.The height to which national control over air space is exercised is a question of international law which has not yet been resolved. For civil aviation purposes at present the United Kingdom authorities provide air traffic control up to 45,000 feet.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has for community development projects: and whether he will make a statement.

I hope that a full statement on this matter will be possible in the fairly near future.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government will now initiate measures for the ratification of the International Labour Conventions Numbers 59, 100, 103, 111, 117, 118 as proposed in Resolution 397 and Recommendation 545 which were adopted by the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe on 28th January, 1969.

It has been the policy of successive Governments not to ratify international instruments until domestic law and practice conform to their requirements.Convention No. 59 states that no child under the age of 15 may be employed in industry. We consider that the 1962 Education Act, which states that all children in the United Kingdom must remain in full-time education until they are 15, safeguards the interests of children in this respect. However, it is possible for a child in this country, whose fifteenth birthday falls during the holidays, and who, therefore, need not return to school, to take up employment some weeks before he is 15. In such cases, the United Kingdom would be in breach of Convention 59, and cannot, therefore, ratify it.Convention No. 100 concerns equal remuneration. Her Majesty's Government accept the principle of equal pay for equal work and are committed to its complete application at the earliest possible time. Talks between the Department of Employment and Productivity, the Trades Union Congress and the Confederation of British Industry on the phased introduction of equal pay have revealed practical difficulties, including a substantial increase in the nation's wages and salary bill, and Her Majesty's Government have been forced to the conclusion that priority must be given to the policy for productivity, prices and incomes. The fact that equal pay has not yet been implemented in the United Kingdom is also the main, though not the only, obstacle to our ratification of Convention No. 111 on Discrimination in Employment.With regard to Conventions No. 103 and No. 118, until the present comprehensive review of the United Kingdom social security provisions has been completed Her Majesty's Government are not in a position to say whether, or to what extent, they could give effect to the terms of the Conventions.Convention No. 117 was expressly designed for newly independent States. The question of ratification for the United Kingdom does not arise.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government with regard to Recommendation Number 546 on the general policy of the Council of Europe which was adopted by the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe on 29th January, 1969; and what instructions he has given to the United Kingdom Permanent Representative in the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe for the implementation of the proposals contained in this Recommendation.

This Recommendation is still under consideration by the Committee of Ministers.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, in view of Recommendation Number 485 on the ratification of Protocols Numbers 2, 3 and 4 to the European Convention on Human Rights which was adopted by the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe on 26th January, 1967, whether Her Majesty's Government are now prepared to ratify Protocol Number 4.

Not at present.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government on Recommendation Number 549 on statutory limitations as applicable and Resolution Number 401 on crimes against humanity, adopted by the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe on 30th January 1969; whether he will instruct the United Kingdom Permanent Representative in the Committee of Ministers to vote for the proposals

RENT OFFICER COMPLEMENTS
Panel		1st July, 1967			1st July, 1968			7th March, 1969
		Full-Time	Half-Time or More	Less Than Half-Time	Full-Time	Half-Time or More	Less Than Half-Time	Full-Time	Half-Time or More	Less Than Half-Time
London	…	87	—	2	86	—	2	85	—	2
Northern	…	10	2	1	10	2	1	10	2	1
Yorkshire	…	13	4	2	12	—	—	11	1	—
Manchester	…	23	3	4	19	1	4	19	1	3
Liverpool	…	14	1	—	11	1	—	11	1	—
West Midlands	…	14	6	5	11	1	5	11	1	5
East Midlands	…	12	1	13	11	1	10	11	2	10
Eastern	…	5	9	3	6	7	1	6	7	1
Luton	…	5	1	1	5	1	—	5	—	—
Thames Valley	…	5	3	6	3	3	6	3	2	2
Bristol	…	10	4	—	10	—	—	10	—	—
Devon and Cornwall	…	5	—	6	4	3	1	4	3	1
Southern	…	4	6	1	4	6	1	4	6	1
Surrey and Sussex	…	11	3	2	11	3	2	10	2	2
Kent	…	7	—	—	7	—	—	7	—	—
	…	225	43	46	210	29	33	207	28	28

The Committee of Ministers took note of the Resolution and is still considering the Recommendation.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government will now sign and initiate the ratification procedure for the European Code of Social Security and Protocol thereto concluded in the framework of the Council of Europe.

The United Kingdom representative deposited the instrument of ratification of the European Code of Social Security on 12th January, 1968 The Code was presented to Parliament and published as Cmnd. 3871 on 13th February, 1969.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will list in the OFFICIAL REPORT for each of the last three years and for each of the 15 rent assessment panels the number of rent officers employed full-time, half-time or more and less than half-time, respectively.

The list is given below.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will list in the OFFICIAL REPORT for each of the last three years and for each of the 15 rent assessment panels the number of cases received by rent officers, the number

APPLICATIONS FOR REGISTRATION OF FAIR RENTS AND APPLICATIONS FOR CERTIFICATES OF FAIR RENT
RECEIVED BY RENT OFFICERS
1966
Rent Assessment			Applications for Registration			Applications for Certificates of Fair Rent
Panel Area			Received	Withdrawn*	Determined	Received	Issued
London	…	…	19,856	3,128	11,547	2,011	1,605
Northern	…	…	1,375	257	856	162	145
Yorkshire	…	…	1,326	284	931	134	127
Manchester	…	…	1,351	233	962	140	135
Liverpool	…	…	1,196	173	804	97	90
West Midland	…	…	2,036	710	1,160	441	404
East Midland	…	…	1,812	606	1,035	215	200
Eastern	…	…	1,196	274	460	106	56
Luton	…	…	496	109	252	76	61
Thames Valley	…	…	422	128	199	171	136
Bristol	…	…	890	213	564	227	199
Devon and Cornwall	…	…	770	268	371	174	161
Southern	…	…	1,031	203	574	85	67
Surrey and Sussex	…	…	1,709	217	1,203	362	291
Kent	…	…	735	108	551	140	119
Totals	…	…	36,201	6,911	21,469	4,541	3,796
* "Withdrawn" includes cases not entertained and cases adjourned sine die.

APPLICATIONS FOR REGISTRATION OF FAIR RENTS AND APPLICATIONS FOR CERTIFICATES OF FAIR RENT
RECEIVED BY RENT OFFICERS
1967
Rent Assessment		Applications for Registration			Applications for Certificates of Fair Rent
Panel Area		Received	Withdrawn*	Determined	Received	Withdrawn*	Issued
London	…	16,352	2,148	15,636	2,365	381	2,070
Northern	…	2,058	209	1,577	344	16	322
Yorkshire	…	1,834	253	1,521	216	14	199
Manchester	…	2,235	332	1,702	277	20	248
Liverpool	…	1,783	237	1,491	175	13	162
West Midland	…	2,274	561	1,657	478	93	401
East Midland	…	5,776	755	1,901	544	31	483
Eastern	…	1,633	454	1,459	277	50	239
Luton	…	1,141	85	913	253	15	222
Thames Valley	…	879	99	749	129	27	131
Bristol	…	1,194	124	1,122	574	39	503
Devon and Cornwall		848	224	665	221	24	192
Southern	…	1,448	201	1,269	174	45	116
Surrey and Sussex	…	2,256	252	2,046	504	80	472
Kent	…	928	89	819	222	30	188
Totals	…	42,639	6,023	34,527	6,753	878	5,948
* "Withdrawn" includes cases not entertained and cases adjourned sine die.

This information is tabulated below, except that no figures are available for 1966 of applications for certificates of fair rent withdrawn.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will list in the OFFICIAL REPORT for each of the last three years and for each of the 15 rent assessment panels the number of cases referred to rent assessment

APPLICATIONS FOR CERTIFICATES OF FAIR RENT REFERRED TO RENT ASSESSMENT COMMITTEES
		Received	1966 Withdrawn*	Determined	Received	1967 Withdrawn*	Determined	Received	1968 Withdrawn*	Determined
London	…	79	—	35	42	24	32	20	7	33
Northern	…	1	1	—	1	—	1	—	—	1
Yorkshire	…	3	—	2	—	—	—	10	—	10
Manchester	…	1	1	—	1	—	1	1	—	1
Liverpool	…	2	1	1	1	—	1	2	2	—
West Midland	…	6	1	5	6	6	—	1	—	1
East Midland	…	—	—	—	3	1	—	5	—	3
Eastern	…	1	—	—	4	2	3	—	—	—
Luton	…	—	—	—	1	—	—	1	1	—
Thames Valley	…	66	—	40	2	1	27	5	—	4
Bristol	…	1	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Devon and Cornwall		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Southern	…	2	—	2	—	—	—	—	—	—
Surrey and Sussex	…	6	—	5	4	1	4	1	—	1
Kent	…	4	1	3	1	1	—	1	—	1
* "Withdrawn" includes cases not entertained and cases adjourned sine die.

The information is tabulated below.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many houses were built by local authority direct labour departments, and by other public authority direct labour departments, respectively, during 1967 and 1968, respectively.

In England and Wales local authority direct labour departments built 9,600 houses in 1967 and 2,120 in the first quarter of 1968 (the latest period for which figures are available).Figures are not available for houses built by other public authority direct labour departments.