asked the Minister of Transport approximately how many miles of British roads are subjected to a 40 miles per hour speed limit.

In England, about 1,200 miles.

asked the Minister of Transport whether, in drawing up the Green Paper, "Roads for the Future", he took into account the requirements of the tourist industry.

My proposals have been based upon all available information about present and future traffic needs. Where tourist traffic is particularly important, this has been fully taken into account.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will give consideration to including the A1 and A68 roads from Newcastle to Edinburgh on the priority list for improvement, in view of the importance of promoting industrial development in North-East England and South-East Scotland.

The Green Paper on Highway Strategy invites suggestions for such priority routes and we will consider these from my hon. Friend.Roads in Scotland are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State with whom we are in close touch on these roads.

asked the Minister of Transport what is the total mileage of road improvements he has now authorised to improve circular and ring road communications round Sheffield, and direct access to the M1 motorway; what is the estimated cost and the total Government grant; and if he will list each project, indicating the cost, Government grant, whether construction has started, planned date of commencement, and estimated date of completion, respectively.

Schemes in the Road Programme designed to improve circular and ring roads in Sheffield and to give direct access to the M1 total eight miles. Total estimated costs are about £9½ million and grant about £7 million. Work on three of the nine schemes has been authorised by the issue of grant and is in progress. I am writing to the hon. Member giving him the detailed information on the individual projects.

asked the Minister of Transport what consideration he has given to the proposal by the Lea Valley Regional Park Authority for a route for the M11 through the Lea Valley; and whether he will make a statement.

No such proposal has been made.

asked the Minister of Transport what action he proposes to take to make the M4 less skid-prone following the recent report of the Road Research Laboratory.

On the elevated length of the motorway west of Chiswick arrangements are being made for early surface treatment to restore the non-skid properties. Meanwhile I have asked the police to indicate an advisory speed limit of 30 m.p.h. by means of the recently erected signalling system when the road is wet.Some surface dressing has already been done at the western end of the Slough Maidenhead by pass. Tenders for widening and resurfacing the length from Langley to the Windsor interchange will be invited next July.

asked the Minister of Transport what reports he has received from the Road Research Laboratory regarding the state of existing motorways; and if he will make a statement.

I would refer to the Answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Brentford and Chiswick (Mr. Barnes) today.

asked the Minister of Transport when he expects the section of the A19 road in the county of Durham to be completed.

I have nothing at present to add to the reply I gave my right hon. Friend on 9th December last.—[Vol. 775, c. 6.]

asked the Minister of Transport when work will be started on an improved road link between the Calder Valley and the M6.

Decisions on the timing cannot be taken until the final report on the feasibility study on this link road has been received and examined. I expect to have this report in September.

asked the Minister of Transport when construction work will be started on the stretch of the M4 motorway between Tormarton and Liddington.

Work is expected to start in June.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will make a statement on the progress which has been made in providing lighting on the trunk and principal roads network.

Since 1st April 1966, schemes for lighting 290 miles of trunk road have been completed or are now in progress. Since 1st April 1967, when grant for lighting principal roads became payable for the first time, applications for lighting schemes on 110 miles of principal road have been approved. These figures do not include lighting schemes associated with new road improvements. We hope that this rate of progress will be materially increased as county councils complete the staffing and other arrangements necessary for the full discharge of their new responsibilities under the Local Government Act 1966.

asked the Minister of Transport by what percentage fatal and serious road casualties in 1968 during daylight hours and hours of darkness, respectively, exceeded the casualties in 1958.

Fatal and serious casualties during daylight hours increased by 23 per cent. compared with 1958: during the hours of darkness they increased by 35 per cent. During this period motor traffic increased by 95 per cent.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT the names of the members of the new Passenger Transport Authority for the West Midlands, together with their addresses and political affiliations, including those members nominated by himself.

I am circulating in the OFFICIAL REPORT the names and addresses of the members of the West Midlands Passenger Transport Authority, including my own appointees. The Designation Order does not require the notification of their political affiliations.Following is the information:

asked the Minister of Transport to what extent it is still his policy that transport users' consultative committees should primarily represent and seek to meet the needs of those who use public transport.

This is their statutory duty.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will now approve the scheme for the improvement of the South Yorkshire Navigation Canal to allow 500-ton barges to travel from the Humber to Rotherham and Sheffield.

No. This scheme was turned down, after careful consideration, in 1967 because we were not satisfied that the economic case for capital expenditure of some £2½ million had been made out. We know of no new factors which would warrant reconsideration of that decision.

asked the Minister of Transport what new measures he is proposing to deal with the emission in urban areas of diesel and petrol fumes from lorries and motorcars.

We are intensifying action against black smoke through the new regulations for the plating and testing of heavy lorries.

asked the Minister of Transport (1) if he will specify the area or areas in East Kent where, because of possible requirements for the Channel Tunnel, his Department are advising Kent County Council that other applications for development may be premature;(2) how long his Department propose to delay decisions on certain applications for development in East Kent on grounds that they fall within an area or areas which may be required for Channel Tunnel development.

These areas are possible locations of terminals for the Channel Tunnel and where the railway to the tunnel portal might run. I published alternative proposals last December.I shall decide on the siting of terminals as soon as the necessary studies and consultations are complete.

asked the Minister of Transport what studies he is now making into alternative forms of a Channel link.

I have nothing to add to the reply given to my hon. Friend on 10th March.—[Vol. 779, c. 948.]

asked the Minister of Transport how many meetings have been held of the committee for the co-ordination of transport in Greater London since its formation in 1966.

The Transport Co-ordinating Council for London has itself met on four occasions, the last being 31st July, 1967. The five specialist groups of the Council have between them met 67 times.

asked the Minister of Transport if, in view of the widely differing penalties now imposed by magistrates for parking without lights under exactly similar conditions, he will seek to establish standard fines for such offences.

No. The Courts should be free to fix fines in the light of all circumstances. A number of police forces adopt the fixed penalty procedure for this offence, but the driver offered the option of the fixed penalty may of course still go before the court if he so chooses.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will arrange for a temporary Bailey bridge or a similar girder-construction bridge to be placed over the canal at Thorne in order to ease the traffic congestion while the new bridge is being built.

No. The existing bridge will remain open while the new bridge is being constructed alongside. A temporary alternative bridge would involve acquiring land and building approach roads and would take as long to complete as the new bridge.

asked the Minister of Transport whether his Department have now issued to each county library copies of the new Highway Code in order that it should be available for motorists to study.

No. I hope every driver will have his or her own copy. The question of copies in county libraries is a matter for the local authorities.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will give a general direction to the Railways Board to make good the present shortage of colliery railway wagons which is causing loss of output and increased costs due to the unnecessary loading and unloading of coal.

No. This is a matter of management for the British Railways Board, in consultation with the other Boards concerned.

asked the Minister of Transport, how many premium and Pullman services have been discontinued on the railways; and how many remain in operation.

The Railways Board tell me that there has been very little change in the total number of premium and Pullman trains which they operate since the Board was set up in 1963; the present number is 38 each week day. The destinations have changed to some extent, and they no longer use ordinary trains with Pullman cars attached.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will take steps to require the 2,500 vehicles and trailers transferred by British Railways to the National Freight Corporation, which the Corporation have not submitted for testing under his Department's schemes, to be submitted now.

No. I have no doubt that the National Freight Corporation will comply with the regulations governing the testing of heavy goods vehicles.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will give a general direction to the Railways Board requiring them to ensure higher standards of cleanliness at London main line terminal passenger stations; and if he will make a statement.

No.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will give a general direction to the Railways Board requiring them to take immediate steps to repair, decorate and put and keep in good order all public lavatories at London main line terminal passenger stations.

No.

asked the Minister of Transport what was the total revenue which accrued to British Railways workshops in 1968 and in each of the previous five years; and what was the total number of workshop employees in each of these years.

Any workshops revenue is included in that of the British Railways Board as shown in the annual accounts.The Board have supplied the following information regarding output and employees of their main workshops organisation.

Year	Value of output	Numbers of employees on 31st December
	£
1968	89m.	39,215
1967	85m.	40,967
1966	81m.	41,926
1965	90m.	44,631
1964	83m.	45,917
1963	85m.	51,182

asked the Minister of Transport what profit or loss he estimates will be made by British Railways in 1969.

The major changes resulting from the Transport Act 1968 make forecasting particularly difficult, but the Railways Board hope to make a reasonably reliable financial forecast about the end of May.

asked the Minister of Transport what further proposals for roll-on/roll-off facilities he expects to receive for the South Wales ports in the near future.

I know of no proposals for roll-on/roll-off facilities in South Wales apart from the terminal at Swansea for the new ferry service to Ireland, which is now almost ready for use.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service whether he will request the Standing Advisory Committee on the Pay of the Higher Civil Service to take into consideration in their review of the salaries of senior civil servants the Report of the National Board for Prices and Incomes on the salaries of higher-paid executives in private employment and the payment to chairmen of the nationalised boards.

They are already doing so.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether, in view of prison riots in Italy, he will make a further statement on the position, treatment and projected date of trial of the five British citizens imprisoned at Trani, Bari, Italy, for a period of 15 months without trial; and whether he will now make representations to the Italian authorities for their immediate release.

I understand that none of the five British prisoners was involved in the recent riot in the prison at Bari, to which they were transferred from Trani on 20th March.On the question of their treatment and the projected date of trial, I have nothing to add to what my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State told the hon. Member on 3rd March. My right hon. Friend will however, raise their case with the Italian Foreign Minister during the forthcoming State Visit.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will give an assurance that no public funds are given for cultural performances given to audiences which are racially segregated in South Africa or elsewhere.

Assistance from public funds is not given for cultural performances given before segregated audiences in South Africa. Elsewhere the Government's well-known views on racial discrimination would be taken into account in the light of the circumstances.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will make provision to enable war pensioners who joined the forces straight from school to qualify for supplementary allowances for lowered standard of occupation.

I am looking into this and will write to my right hon. Friend as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will name the 15 persons whose salaried appointments were made within his patronage, giving in each instance the title of the appointment, the remuneration received and the home address of the recipient.

Details of the seventeen salaried appointments for which I am statutorily responsible, except for home addresses which can be obtained from books of reference, are as follows:—

• The Lord Evans (D.Litt., etc.)—Chairman, National Insurance Advisory Committee—£1,500 per annum.
• Sir Harry Crane, O.B.E., J.P.—Chairman, Industrial Injuries Advisory Council—£1,100 per annum.
• Mr. Richard Hayward, C.B.E.—Chairman, Supplementary Benefits Commission—£5,000 per annum.
• Professor R. M. Titmuss, C.B.E.—Deputy Chairman, Supplementary Benefits Commission—£1,250 per annum.
• Mrs. C. M. Carmichael; Mr. K. J. Griffin; Alderman S. C. Hamburger, C.B.E., J.P.; Professor D. C. Marsh, M.Comm.; Mrs. B. N. Rogers, M.A. and Mr. M. R. F. Simson, O.B.E.—Members, Supplementary Benefits Commission—£750 per annum.
• Lord Platt, Bt., M.D., F.R.C.P.—Chairman, Advisory Committee on Distinction Awards —3,500 guineas per annum.
• Sir John MacPherson, G.C.M.G.—Vice-Chairman, Advisory Committee on Distinction Awards—£600 per annum.
• Mr. R. L. Proudler, L.D.S.—Chairman, Dental Estimates Board—£4,920 per annum.
• Mr. L. Everest, L.D.S., R.C.S.—Vice-Chairman, Dental Estimates Board—£4,639 per annum.
• A. M. Maiden, M.B., Ch.B.—Chairman, Medical Practices Committee—£3,800 per annum.
• Mr. K. F. G. Day, O.B.E.—Member, Medical Practices Committee—£500 per annum.
• D. Dooley, B.A., M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P.—H.M. Inspector of Anatomy—£4,405 per annum.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what arrangements are made under the National Health Service to deal with the case of a person contracting violent toothache on a Sunday.

Most dentists do all they can to provide treatment in an emergency particularly for their regular patients. If a patient is unable to get in touch with a dentist, hospitals with accident or emergency services will normally give treatment for the relief of pain.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will include within the nursing division of his Department an experienced occupational health nurse.

This is one of a number of recommendations made in the report of a Central Health Services Council Sub-Committee on the Care of the Health of Hospital Staff. The report is now under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what progress has been made in transplants of bone as a cure for deafness; if the clinical trials are yet complete; and if he will make a statement.

Clinical and laboratory trials which are in progress will not be complete until problems associated with possible rejection of the transplanted bone have been fully explored.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what shortage of general medical practitioners exists in the Medway towns;(2) what is deemed to be the desirable number of National Health Service patients to every general practitioner; and what is the present average in Gillingham, Kent.

There is no fixed complement of general medical practitioners in this or any other area against which a shortage could be assessed; and the optimum number of patients per doctor will vary from one doctor to another, being influenced by such factors as practice organisation and the nature of the district. The area of the Medway towns is, however, designated as under-doctored by the Medical Practices Committee, although during 1968 there was some reduction in the average number of patients on doctors' lists. At 1st January, 1969, the doctors providing full general medical services from main surgeries in Gillingham Borough had an average of 2,774 patients on their lists.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many post-aural hearing aids have now been issued to children; how many remain in stock; if further orders have yet been made; and if he will make a statement.

Post-aural aids were first issued to hearing aid centres in February. At 31st March, 768 aids had been fitted in England and Wales; 1,819 were in stock at local centres and 1,875 in central stores. The initial contract of 11,250 has recently been extended by a further 2,500 aids.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish a table in the OFFICIAL REPORT showing the average number of patients on the lists of general medical practitioners in each executive council area during each year since the inception of the National Health Service.

Information in this form has been published in the Annual Reports of the Ministry of Health from 1963 onwards. Figures for earlier years have not been calculated and a considerable expenditure of time and effort would be needed to produce the rest of the information requested. If the hon. Member has an especial need for information about one or two areas and will write to me about this, I shall do my best to help him.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services for what reason his Department decided to suspend the work authorised on residential hostels for the sub-normal in the Wessex Regional Hospital Board area; and whether he will reconsider this decision.

My Department asked the Regional Hospital Board to consider how far its proposals involved provision more properly a responsibility of the local health authority. The board has now revised its proposals and they have been accepted in principle.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will set up a special emergency unit to deal with outbreaks of gastro-enteritis in children's hospitals; and if he will now lay down a code of conduct to be adopted in the case of future outbreaks.

In view of the provision which already exists I see no need for a special emergency unit.Gastro-enteritis is a commonly occurring disease and the hospital services are therefore familiar with it. It varies widely in severity, and is not constantly associated with any one identifiable causative agent or group of agents; therefore, each outbreak has to be handled in the light of the local situation.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what action is being taken, in the light of representations made to him, to alert hospitals to the dangers of virulent strains of gasto-enteritis and to take immediate steps to isolate outbreaks.

Provision already exists for the isolation and treatment of children admitted with this disease to children's hospitals or infectious disease units or who develop it while in hospital, having been admitted for some other reason. Advice has been given to hospitals on the control of communicable disease in departmental and other publications.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what assistance is being given to children and what research is being undertaken into the problem of those children who have recovered from acute gastro-enteritis but are left with residual symptoms.

Children who recover from acute gastro-enteritis are not, as a rule, left with residual symptoms. The acute illness may last for a varying period of time according to circumstances. The problem of gastro-enteritis is being carefully studied by specialists in many hospitals throughout the country.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many places for adults and children, respectively, are available for the treatment of epilepsy in units provided by regional hospital boards, local authorities and private bodies, respectively; and what was the comparable number of places five years ago.

There are at present no hospital units exclusively for the treatment of epilepsy, but facilities for diagnosis, assessment and treatment are widely available in the hospital service.A survey in 1967 showed that there were 275 patients with epilepsy in two hospitals exclusively concerned with long-term care, places for about 1,350 residents with epilepsy in 5 colonies run by voluntary bodies and 600 places in 2 colonies run by local authorities. Comparable figures for earlier years are not available. Places are not specifically reserved for people with epilepsy in other establishments but the total number of people with epilepsy receiving care and attention in local authority and voluntary homes at 31st December (including the colonies) was as follows:

	1963	1968
In local authority homes	1,814	1,961
In voluntary homes	1,317	1,252

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will consider establishing a medical school at the new Walgrave Hospital.

I am writing to my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give figures comparing the ratio of staffed beds to trained nurses appropriate for acute wards with the ratios for other types of ward.

The position is still as stated in my right hon. Friend's reply to the hon. Member's Question on 21st October, 1968.—[Vol. 770, c. 213.]

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what is the extent of the shortage of radiologists in hospitals throughout the United Kingdom;(2) what is the shortfall of consultant radiologists in hospitals in the United Kingdom.

At 30th September, 1968, there were 97 vacant posts in this specialty, including 62 in the consultant grade; but some of these posts were occupied by locums.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services to what extent there is a shortage of consultant surgeons and physicians in hospitals in the Medway towns compared with establishment.

I am informed that all consultant posts in these hospitals are filled, one of them by a locum, except for one post at the Medway Hospital combining general medicine and chest diseases.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services by what authority a nurse stands at the next table with a note book and pencil to take notes of the conversation between parent visitors and their children and interrupts the conversation and answers questions to children at the National Health Service Convalescent Home for Children at Hornsea, Yorkshire.

If my hon. Friend has a particular incident in mind and will send me details I will have inquiries made.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what plans he has for the installation of sprinkler stop systems in all mental hospitals.

Detailed guidance for hospital authorities on all relevant types of fire alarm systems and fire fighting appliances is contained in Hospital Technical Memorandum No. 16 entitled "Fire Precautions". This covers the needs of hospitals of all kinds, including those for the mentally ill. The memorandum has recently been revised and the new edition will be published shortly. Advance copies have been sent to hospital authorities.The choice of equipment is for hospital authorities themselves to make, taking account of this guidance and after seeking the advice of the local fire authorities.The memorandum says that automatic sprinklers in hospitals may be justified in areas of high risk where fire is liable to develop unobserved or where, within a main building, an outbreak would constitute an unusual danger to the occupants or be particularly difficult to extinguish; for example, in a main stores below ground level. The use of sprinklers is, therefore, largely confined to areas where there is a relatively high fire risk and which may be unoccupied for long periods.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the average net pay of a student nurse after deductions for meals and residential accommodation.

The annual pay of a student nurse after deductions for meals and residential accommodation, where this system of charge is still in operation, is as follows:—

	£
Student nurse taking non-psychiatric training
Age under 25 on entry:
1st year of training	264
2nd year of training	294
3rd year of training	324
Age 25 or over on entry:
1st year of training	359
2nd year of training	386
3rd year of training	413
Student nurse taking psychiatric training
Age under 21 on entry:
Age 18	364
Age 19	394
Age 20	424
Age 21 or over on entry:
1st year of training	459
2nd year of training	486
3rd year of training	513

These figures are subject to increase by varying amounts for individuals for rebates of the fixed charges for certain authorised absences.Since 1st April, 1969, revised arrangements have been introduced, where practicable, whereby nurses pay for meals as they take them. Where these arrangements are in operation deductions from pay are £106 less in each case.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what studies he has made of the additional fire risk due to the use of the cotton cellular type of blankets in hospitals.

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Harborough (Mr. Farr) on 14th April, 1969.—[Vol. 781, c. 196–197.]

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the average number of patients and staff who had meals in the South-West Regional hospitals for the quarters March to June and September to December, 1967 and 1968, respectively.

The figures are:—

Quarter ending 30th June, 1967	34,084
Quarter ending 31st December, 1967	33,634
Quarter ending 30th June, 1968	33,108
Quarter ending 31st December, 1968	32,674

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how many hospital laboratories carrying out cultural tests of tuberculosis material do not have protective cabinets;(2) how many hospitals do not provide annual X-ray tests for staff working in the laboratories;(3) how many hospitals do not carry out tuberculosis skin tests on newly-appointed laboratory staff;(4) how many hospitals do not provide B.C.G. vaccine for negative reactors working in their laboratories;(5) what steps he has taken to ensure that the recommendations made by the Working Party in 1958 about precautions in hospital laboratories are carried out.

The recommendations of the Working Party on Precautions against Tuberculous Infection in the Diagnostic Laboratory published in 1958 were commended to hospital authorities. A survey of most regional board areas in 1966 showed that the main recommendations were being carried out in the majority of hospital laboratories working with tuberculous material. All children requiring it are now given the opportunity of B.C.G. vaccination before leaving school and subsequent tuberculin testing is no longer considered necessary.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the number of cases of tuberculosis diagnosed in the past 10 years of staff working in hospital laboratories.

The information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement on his official visit to the Central Hospital, Hatton, near Warwick; and if he will state when the hospital will achieve a significant reduction in its overcrowding over and above that already achieved.

This was one of a number of visits I paid to hospitals for the mentally ill and mentally subnormal. I welcomed the progress already made in reducing the number of patients since the hospital's catchment area was reduced from 1,337 in February, 1967, to 1,152 in March, 1969. Some further relief will flow from the opening of a 42 bed psychiatric unit at Walsgrave Hospital in the summer. Meanwhile I am asking the Regional Hospital Board to keep the situation under careful review.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the visit of the team of inspection from the International Monetary Fund.

I have nothing to add to the answer given in reply to a similar Question by the hon. Member for Louth (Sir C. Osborne) on 1st April.—[Vol. 781, c. 61–62.]

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the new Government proposals and administrative decisions, together with the cost of each, that have been announced since 10th March, 1968, and any adjustments that should now be made to the previous list given on 23rd March, 1968.

Experience shows that compiling the Answer to this Question, which the hon. Member is repeating for the fourth year running, involves increasingly disproportionate expenditure of time and money.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer in how many instances he has approved increases in the total value of company distributions in excess of 3½ per cent.; and by what authority he has now required Lesney Limited to reduce its dividend compared with the previous financial year.

None, other than increases in accordance with the guidance given in Cmnd. 3590, details of which were given in reply to Questions from the hon. Member on 20th March and from my hon. Friend the Member for West Ham, North (Mr. Arthur Lewis) on 11th March. Lesney Products and Company Limited have been asked to limit the total ordinary dividend for 1968–69 to not more than 3½ per cent. above the amount distributed for the preceding year. The basis for addressing such requests to companies is set out in Cmnd. 3590.—[Vol. 780, c. 139; Vol. 779, c. 253.]

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the value of total dividend distributions by the Country Gentlemen's Association Limited in 1943–44 and in the latest financial year at constant 1943–44 prices; and what consideration he gave to this relationship before preventing this company from reinstating its former rate of dividends.

£3,600 and about £2,480 respectively for gross ordinary dividends. The relationship does not enter into the operation of dividend restraint.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what will be the extra cost in a full year to the service industries in Scotland of the increased rates of Selective Employment Tax.

About £12½ million.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what will be the total quarterly cost, before repayment, of the Selective Employment Tax at its increased rates to agriculture in Scotland.

I have been asked to reply. The total quarterly cost to agriculture in Scotland is expected to be approximately £1,400,000. The present cost is £1,100,000.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what will be the extra cost in a full year to the hotel industry in Scotland of the increased rates of Selective Employment Tax.

Separate figures for the tax paid by hotels are not generally available. For the hotel and catering industry as a whole, I estimated that the extra revenue from Scotland in a full year will be very roughly £700,000.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the extra cost of the increased petrol duty in Scotland.

The extra yield of hydrocarbon oil duty from deliveries in Scotland is estimated to be about £3½ million a year.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer of what gross salary a married man with two children has to be in receipt in order to be drawing the equivalent of £15,250 a year of which £4,000 is free of tax.

£15,250, on the assumption that the £4,000 related to admissible expenses.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were the number of district valuers at the end of 1968; and how this figure compares with 1967 and 1966.

217, compared with 217 in 1967 and 214 in 1966.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the impact on the balance of payments of the import from France of electric current for the year 1967–68.

Imports of electricity from France in the financial year 1967–68 totalled £773,000. Exports to France totalled £11,000. The net cost of this trade to the balance of payments was therefore approximately three-quarters of a million pounds.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the gross and the net yield of Selective Employment Tax from Scotland in 1968–69.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the estimated yield from Scotland in a full year of the increase in road fuel duty and of the proposed increase in Selective Employment Tax.

It is estimated that the gross yield for Selective Employment Tax in Scotland in 1968–69 was about £125 million. A figure for the net yield for Scotland in 1968–69 cannot be given but it is estimated that the net yield from the tax-bearing sector in Scotland in a full year at the current rates would be about £45·5 million and the additional cost of the increased rates will be about £12·5 million. Manufacturers in Scotland are receiving nearly £50 million a year in Regional Employment Premiums and Selective Employment Tax additional payments.The increase in hydrocarbon oils duty will yield about £3½ million in a full year.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the average cost to a motorist in Scotland in a full year of the increase in road fuel duty.

Statistics of the average costs of motorists in Scotland are not available. But as an illustrative example, for a mileage of 8,000 a year and a petrol consumption of 30 m.p.g., the average extra yield of the hydrocarbon oil duty would be about £2 11s. in a full year.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what he estimates will be the cost in a full year to industry in Scotland of the increase in road fuel duty.

The extra yield of hydrocarbon oil duty from industry and commerce in Scotland is estimated to be about £2 million a year.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in drafting the Finance Bill, he proposes to allow farmers to claim Income Tax relief after 5th April 1970 on interest on overdrafts incurred in their farming operations.

Interest which is a proper business expense will qualify for relief in the case of a farmer on the same basis as in the case of persons carrying on other businesses.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what studies his Department is making of central Government procurement procedures.

These procedures are kept under continuous review by purchasing Departments and the Treasury with the aim of getting the best value for money whilst furthering other policy objectives.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in drafting the Finance Bill he will seek to ensure that a gain realised by a life office on a gilt-edged security within 12 months of acquisition should be subject to Corporation Tax at the special rate of 30 per cent., and that short-term losses should continue to be allowed to be set off against gains made in other ways; and if he will make a statement.

As my right hon. Friend indicated in his Budget Statement, short-term gains on gilt-edged securities, including gains realised within twelve months by companies, will continue to be charged to tax as at present. I have noted the points made by the hon. Member.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will establish the administrative centre for the Contractual Savings Scheme in Harrogate, in view of the fact that accommodation and trained staff are already available there.

A statement about the location of S.A.Y.E. work will be made shortly.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will name the 15 persons whose paid appointments were made within his patronage, giving in each instance the title of the appointment, the remuneration received and the home address of the recipient.

I assume that the hon. Member is referring to the total of fifteen statutory appointments within my patronage that I gave in reply to her Question of 26th February, 1969. Of these fourteen are remunerated by salary and one by fee. Only eleven appointments have been made. The details are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he is aware of the lack of facilities for educating deaf and partially deaf children in North Wales; and if he will take steps to provide boarding facilities to cater for children from this large area within the area itself.

The number of deaf and partially hearing children in North Wales is far too small for the establishment of an effective boarding school, and it is not good practice to educate deaf and partially hearing children together. But there may be scope for one or more partially hearing units in ordinary schools in this area, and this possibility is being investigated further.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if the Cambridge experimental laboratories obtained a licence to capture chaffinches which are protected under the Protection of Birds Act 1954; and if the application for the licence indicated that the birds were to be artificially deafened in an attempt to discover how they learn to sing.

Licences with specific conditions intended to protect birds have been issued by the Natural Environment Research Council to the Cambridge University Department of Zoology Sub-Department of Animal Behaviour to take various wildbirds for scientific research including chaffinches. The application did not specify the particular facet of the bird behaviour to be studied.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will extend the opening hours of the Victoria and Albert and other main public galleries and museums.

The National Gallery already keeps open until 9 p.m. on two weekdays in the summer; and the Imperial War Museum started on 6th April to open on Sunday at 10 a.m. instead of 2 p.m. as an experiment for six months. In general, I should like to see the opening hours extended to suit the needs of the public, both in the evenings and on Sunday mornings, but this depends on the co-operation and availability of staff.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is his estimate of the approximate amount of money needed by the British Museum to put all the items it possesses on public display, and to complete the catalogue of its books.

A major part of the British Museum collections is of interest to scholars and would have very limited appeal to the general public. While the Trustees would wish to display a larger proportion of the collections and to bring all catalogues of books up-to-date, the aim of displaying everything in the collections is not a realistic one. The Museum authorities consider that the total cost of achieving this, including all the capital expenditure on building and equipment which would be involved, might be more than £50 million, though it is not possible to give an accurate estimate.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what progress has been made in phasing out corporal punishment in schools for handicapped children.

There has been a steady decline in the use of corporal punishment in schools for handicapped children and the practice is now very rare. As I have stated on various occasions, I am very much against the corporal punishment of handicapped children but I believe that the decision in particular cases must rest with the teachers.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many nursery schools and places have been provided since October, 1964, compared with an equivalent period prior to October, 1964.

The following table gives the total number of nursery schools in January in the years concerned. Figures for January, 1969 are not yet available; but since the beginning of this year 21 new nursery schools and 139 nursery classes have been approved in the first phase of the Urban Programme. These will provide accommodation for 5,250 full-time pupils.

MAINTAINED NURSERY SCHOOLS IN ENGLAND AND WALES
	Number of schools	Number of pupils*
1960	454	22,877
1964	460	23,672
1968	467	24,315
* Including the full-time equivalent of part-time pupils.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity whether she will make a statement on the taking of unsponsored apprentices at Government training centres in the Northern Region.

From April, 1963, to April, 1965, 67 unsponsored apprentices received first year engineering training at the Tursdale Centre in Northern Region, to meet a temporary need for additional training places. Otherwise it has not been my Department's policy to train unsponsored apprentices at Government training centres.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what was the average hourly wage of male manual workers in manufacturing in Scotland, England and the regions of England at the latest convenient date and in each of the last five years.

AVERAGE HOURLY EARNINGS OF ADULT MALE MANUAL WORKERS IN OCTOBER, 1963—OCTOBER, 1968 MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES
October each year
	1963		1964		1965		1966		1967		1968
	s.	d.	s.	d.	s.	d.	s.	d.	s.	d.	s.	d.
Scotland	6	10·2	7	4·9	8	2·8	8	10·0	9	3·7	9	11·9
England*	7	5·0	7	11·9	8	9·1	9	2·6	9	8·0	10	3·8
Regions of England:
South East	—		—		—		—		10	0·3	10	8·5
London and South East	7	8·6	8	3·4	9	0·2	9	6·7	—		—
Eastern and Southern	7	8·6	8	3·4	9	0·6	9	6·2	—		—
East Anglia	—		—		—		—		8	8·3	9	3·7
South West	7	1·2	7	7·7	8	4·8	8	9·9	9	3·1	9	11·0
Midlands†	7	8·6	8	3·9	9	1·8	9	7·2	—		—
West Midlands	—		—		—		—		10	5·4	11	1·7
East Midlands	—		—		—		—		9	4·5	9	11·6
Yorkshire and Humberside†	6	10·4	7	4·8	8	1·5	8	5·7	8	10·3	9	5·1
North West	7	0·3	7	7·0	8	3·2	8	9·8	9	3·7	9	11·3
Northern	7	1·5	7	8·8	8	7·2	9	0·9	9	5·9	10	0·8
* Estimated figures.
† The October, 1965, and October, 1966, figures for Midlands region include parts of Lincolnshire, formerly part of "Yorkshire and Lincolnshire". The figures for October, 1963, and October, 1964, for "Yorkshire and Humberside" relate to the former "Yorkshire and Lincolnshire" region.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity if she will state the number of millions of days lost for 1966, 1967, 1968 and to the latest date in 1969, for sickness, industrial injuries, unemployment and strikes, respectively.

Following is the information available:

GREAT BRITAIN
Millions
	Days lost in year ended
	4th June, 1966	3rd June, 1967
Sickness*	311	301
Industrial injuries and prescribed diseases*	24	23

	Days lost in calendar year
	1966	1967	1968	1969(Jan.-March)
Stoppages of work due to industrial disputes†	2¼	2¾	4½	1½
* Absence as notified for the purposes of National Insurance. Figures for 1967–68 are not yet available. Days of incapacity following termination of injury benefit are included under sickness.

The following information is derived from the Department's half-yearly inquiries into the earnings and hours of manual workers. The latest convenient date is October, 1968. Comparable figures are given for the month of October in each of the years 1963–67.

† Working days lost at the establishments the disputes occurred.

I regret that similar information is not available for unemployment, but the average of the twelve monthly counts of registered unemployed persons was 360,000 in 1966, 560,000 in 1967 and 564,000 in 1968; and the average of the first three months of 1969 was 592,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity by what date she is required to decide whether or not to impose an extension of the stand-still on the wage agreement negotiated in December, 1968, between the Scottish Electrical Contractors Association and their employees.

On 15th April my right hon. Friend signed an Order, which was laid before the House on 18th April, the effect of which is to extend until 23rd November, 1969, the standstill against the agreement reached by the Electrical Contractors Association of Scotland and the Electrical and Electronic Trades Union on 18th December, 1968.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what estimates she has made of the average increase in the earnings of employees of the Scottish Electrical Contractors Association since 1964, and of the average annual increase over the period of applying the wage agreement which she is currently freezing.

My Department estimates that the average weekly earnings of electricians employed in the electrical contracting industry in Scotland have increased by 9 per cent. per annum in the period June, 1964 to June, 1968. An increase given in September, 1968 was estimated to further increase the wage bill by 3½ per cent.The agreement reached on 18th December was estimated to represent an increase in the wage bill of 9½ per cent. over the September level.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity if she will name the 38 persons whose salaried appointments are within her patronage, giving in each instance the title of the appointment, the remuneration received and the home address of the recipient.

The number of persons holding salaried appointments of the kind referred to is now 39. The name of each holder, the title of his appointment and the annual remuneration received by him is given below. The home addresses of the persons listed is personal information which the hon. Lady is at liberty to request of the individuals involved.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what assistance was given by the Scottish Office, apart from financial assistance, to Messrs. Rootes when it started operations as a new firm in Scotland; and in what year was this assistance given;(2) what assistance, apart from financial aid, was given by the Scottish Office to Messrs. Honeywell when it moved into Scotland as a new firm; and in what year was this assistance given.

The Scottish Office has assisted in the provision of infrastructure in support of the initial projects and subsequent expansions by Messrs. Rootes and Honeywell at Linwood and in North Lanarkshire since they first moved into Scotland in 1961 and 1948 respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will request the Scottish Economic Planning Council to investigate the consequences for industry in the Glasgow area of the re-organisation proposals of the General Electric and English Electric Company Limited, details of which have been sent to him; and if he will make a statement.

I understand from my right Hon. Friend the Minister of Technology, on the basis of information supplied by the company, that this is a progress report on a review which is not yet complete and that no re-organisation decisions have yet been taken. My right hon. Friends and myself will be keeping in touch with the situation.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many places for adults and children, respectively, are available for the treatment of epilepsy in units provided by regional hospital boards, local authorities and private bodies, respectively; and what was the comparable number of places five years ago.

Within the hospital service, patients suffering from epilepsy are not at present treated in special units and no places for treatment are provided by local authorities. There is one voluntary home which provides long-term care for sufferers from epilepsy; local authorities make use of this facility on payment. The home has about 100 places for adults and 40 for children; there has been little expansion in the past five years, but a new unit for 24 patients is to be completed within the next few months.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what progress has been made in implementing the recommendations contained in the Report of the Sub-Committee of the Standing Medical Advisory Committee on Epilepsy; and if he will make a statement.

The views of all those concerned with the health, welfare and education of epileptics have been sought. These show that the recommendations in the report are generally acceptable. Hospital authorities have stressed that the rate of implementation will depend on the resources available and other demands on those resources; but their review of the position has shown that in the main there are adequate facilities for assessment and short-term treatment. There are prospects of improving the medium stay facilities in the South-Eastern region, and the need for further medium and long-stay facilities in Scotland as a whole is being reviewed with the hospital authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will arrange to measure the effect of changes in stock where commercial salmon fishing operates.

At present there are no general means of measuring the stocks of salmon directly. The Hunter Committee recommended new methods of commercial fishing which would enable direct measurements to be made as part of an improved system of management. I am considering this recommendation along with the rest of the Committee's Report.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what further action the Government have now decided to take to alleviate the situation at Inverurie which will result from the closure of the locomotive works by the end of the year.

Already there has been an encouraging response to the Government's campaign to find alternative industry for Inverurie, and a number of inquiries about development in the town are being actively pursued. It will be necessary to see how these inquiries progress before considering whether any further action is required.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he proposes to announce plans for implementing the recommendations of the Greater Glasgow Transportation Study.

The Study Report recommended a primary road and transport network for 1990, with a general indication of phasings but no detailed programme. The commissioning authorities are now carrying out further investigations to determine the detailed phasing of works up to 1980. The longer-term recommendations will be kept under review.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, in view of the fact that many hospitals do not have joint consultative committees, he will encourage hospital authorities to set up such committees.

While I welcome the establishment of such committees, I regard this as essentially a matter for local discussion in the light of local circumstances. Agreed arrangements exist to cover the formation of such committees under which staff or management interests can initiate action to establish or revive a committee where one does not now operate.