asked the President of the Board of Trade what steps he proposes to take to decrease the current high rate of timber imports; and whether he will make a statement.

Imports of timber vary considerably from year to year in accordance with requirements. Processed wood is subject to the import deposit scheme and we see no case for additional constraints.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is satisfied with the progress made with winding-up the Tomato and Cucumber Marketing Board; how many priority creditors have been involved and how far their entitlements have still to be met fully; which outside firms are employed in the winding-up; what is the estimated final settlement figure in shillings in the £ sterling; how long the operations are expected to take since their initiation; and what is the anticipated cost to public funds.

I am satisfied that, having regard to the difficulties experienced by the liquidator in realising the amounts due to the Board, there has been no avoidable delay. He paid the five preferential creditors in full by January, 1965. He has employed a firm of solicitors and an auctioneer. Three dividends, totalling 16s. in the £, have so far been paid to unsecured creditors and the liquidator hopes to pay within six months a fourth and final dividend of about 6d. in the £. But that time the liquidation will have taken about 5½ years to complete. The costs, charges and expenses of the liquidation are payable out of the realisations and no part of them has formed or is expected to form a charge on public funds.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the Holland-Martin Report on Safety at Sea in the fishing industry.

I hope to receive the Report shortly. I shall study it carefully and make a statement as soon as I can.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will withdraw assistance from British firms registered in the United Kingdom and operating in the Republic of South Africa who comply with apartheid and job preference legislation in that country.

No. We cannot in this way seek to influence policies we dislike.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that Norway is importing two German cars for every one imported from the United Kingdom; and whether he will consult the leaders of the motor manufacturing industry with a view to assisting an increase of United Kingdom exports to Norway.

Although Western Germany remains the leading supplier of cars to Norway, the relative position of British cars has improved steadily despite the absence of any tariff preference. In the past five years, the United Kingdom share of Norwegian car registrations has risen from 20 per cent. to 24 per cent. while the West German share has fallen from 51 per cent. to 46 per cent. We are in close touch with the motor industry about car exports to this and other markets.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what effect he estimates the Budget proposals will have upon the value of the export trade in 1969.

The effect will be still further to encourage the movement of resources into activities serving the export trade.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if Her Majesty's Government will seek to compensate home cheese producers for material losses arising from the dumping of imported cheeses, in view of the delay in taking effective measures when the situation was first recognised; and what he estimates to be the cost of such compensation.

There has been no undue delay and there is no question of compensation. The anti-dumping investigation, which presented many difficulties, was completed in just over three months from the receipt of the applications.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what types of cheese other than Cheddar are being dumped in the United Kingdom, and by which countries.

Dumped exports of cheese other than Cheddar from the five countries named in the anti-dumping application are mainly Cheshire, Wensleydale and Caerphilly from the Irish Republic, Edam and Gouda and St. Paulin from the Netherlands and France, and processed cheese from these three countries.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will seek to implement the recommendation in the report of the Textile Council that a tariff of 15 per cent. on duty-free cotton textile imports should be imposed to replace the present import quotas.

I have told the Textile Council that this is a far-reaching proposal which the Government will have to consider with great care in the light of their various obligations.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what proposals he has to review the industrial development and job provision in the Northern Region; and if he will make a statement on the effects of the increases in selective employment tax on industry and the distributive trades.

Industrial development in the Northern Region, as in other development areas, is kept under constant review. The increase in Selective Employment Tax has not yet taken place and it is not possible to assess its effects.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what measures he intends to improve the export efforts of industries in the Northern Region; and if he will make a statement on the current levels of aid, in grants and loans, and future policy.

Government assistance for exporters is available to industries in all parts of the United Kingdom. The provisional figure of Government aid to industry in the Northern Region for the financial year 1968–69 is approximately £105 million. The Government will continue to accord priority to industrial development in the Northern Region and in the other development areas.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how much industrial building has been started and how much completed in Scotland since October, 1964; what is the estimate of new jobs, male and female, respectively, when these projects are fully manned; and what were the figures for a comparable period immediately prior to October, 1964.

Figures for the start of industrial buildings are no longer collected. In the period October, 1964 to June, 1968, 19·2 million sq. ft. of industrial buildings were completed in Scotland, expected by the firms concerned to give rise to 33,000 jobs for males and 22,000 for females. In the comparable period up to October, 1964, the figures were 15·9 million sq. ft., 28,000 jobs for males and 15,000 for females.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what recent progress has been made in finding tenants for factories in the special developments areas in Scotland.

Six Board of Trade advance factories have been allocated in special development areas in Scotland since November, 1967. Two of these were allocated in January this year. A further two advance factories are complete and awaiting tenants. Another factory is being built to the requirements of the prospective tenant.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will name the range of services made available by his Department and the Export Council for Europe to firms in Aberdeen; and if he will give figures showing how many Aberdeen firms, and which firms, applied for and were granted such services during each of the last five years.

Details of these services are published in a number of handbooks which are readily available to exporters from the Board of Trade and the Export Council. Statistics are not kept of assistance provided to firms in particular cities.

asked the President of the Board of Trade in view of the coming into force of the Trade Descriptions Act, what steps are being taken to ensure that all imported goods carry the name of the country of origin.

None. The Act does not enable a marking order to be confined to imported goods except in very special circumstances; and it would be neither desirable nor practicable to impose a universal origin-marking requirement.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has for improving transport and particularly exports of British manufactured goods by hovercraft and otherwise between Aberdeen and Northern Europe.

The operation of these services is a matter for the transport industries in the exercise of their commercial judgment.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what repre- sentations he has received from the National Union of Seamen regarding the present trend of British shipping companies to combine with firms overseas for the development of container fleets; and what reply he has sent.

None. But we have received an interesting report of containerisation from the union which is being considered by an interdepartmental group of officials.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will now make a statement on Government action in connection with the future of the English Electric Company's factory at Netherton.

I understand that the company is undertaking a review of its existing resources and future requirements. This will include the continued use of the Netherton factory. It would be inappropriate for me to make any statement at this stage.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what provision has been, or is to be, made to re-absorb redundant personnel in Bootle in view of the degree of redundancy taking place; what further new jobs in North Merseyside are to be provided; and if he will make a statement.

The full facilities of the Department of Employment and Productivity are available to workers who may be declared redundant from any company. 15,000 jobs are expected to accrue over the next four years from known industrial developments in North Merseyside. The Board of Trade will continue its efforts to assist industrial development in the area.

asked the President of the Board of Trade when he intends to sanction the loan for factory development in the North-East, requested by Pulse Electronics Limited 18 months ago; and what reply he has sent to the letter sent to him on 2nd April by the managing director of the company.

It is not the practice to disclose information regarding applications made for financial assistance by individual firms, but I should remind the hon. Member that we have no powers to give loan assistance under the Local Employment Acts except in accordance with a favourable recommendation from the Board of Trade Advisory Committee. I am writing to the hon. Member regarding the reply sent to the letter received from the managing director of the company.

asked the President of the Board of Trade when he will publish the report of the Monopolies Commission on tied public houses.

The report was published on Monday. As my right hon. Friend stated then, he will be making a statement shortly.—[Vol. 782, col. 183–4.]

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will investigate the premature disclosure of the Report from the Monopolies Commission on the Brewery Interest on the radio and in the Press before the official publication of the Report.

All the advance reports that I saw or heard were largely mistaken as to the Commission's recommendations. There is therefore no evidence of a premature disclosure and hence nothing to investigate.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many baby sealskins were imported in the 12 months to the last convenient date.

Sealskins are not separately distinguished in the trade statistics. However, it is estimated that between 5,000 and 10,000 seal pelts, including both adults and pups, are used annually in the United Kingdom.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will sponsor a British stand at the Somali State Fair in Mogadishu this coming September.

I understand that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is considering the possibility of a British exhibit.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will introduce regulations to provide that in future Easter eggs shall be clearly marked with the net weight of chocolate and sweets, in view of the fact that many children and adults are deceived by packaging which does not give a clear indication of net edible weight; and if he will make a statement.

Easter eggs are sold primarily on the basis of their decoration and packaging, not on their edible weight. It would not, therefore, be any real help to the consumer to require them to be marked with their net edible weight.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if it is his intention to publish the results of his inquiry into the attitudes of firms to questions of plant location and into the experience of firms in new locations.

The results will be made generally available but the form of publication will not be decided until nearer the time when the information has been collected and fully analysed, which will be towards the end of the year.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will include in the survey being carried out by his Department of firm's attitudes to industrial location a survey of the later history of firms whose applications for industrial development certificates have been refused and which did not move to a new location.

No. The survey is already well advanced and it is now impracticable to increase its scope.

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) what was the amount and value of boned meat imported from Uruguay in each of the last three years;

asked the President of the Board of Trade what discussions took place with Norway and the other European Free Trade Association countries involved prior to the decision taken by Her Majesty's Government to cut by 50 per cent. British imports of butter from these countries; and if he will make a statement.

Prior discussion took place only with Denmark amongst our E.F.T.A. partners. This was in pursuance of our obligations under the 1960 Anglo-Danish Agreement on Agriculture and the Protocol of 1963. We have no such obligations to other E.F.T.A. countries and it has never been our practice to hold prior consultations with them about butter quotas.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he proposes, when constituting the English Tourist Board, to include representatives from the official regional travel associations.

It is intended that the English Tourist Board, for which the Development of Tourism Bill now provides, should have a compact functional membership. Members will have such experience as will enable them to contribute usefully to the growth of tourism but they will not be representatives or delegates for particular geographical or sectional interests. We attach

The following is the information:great importance to the English Tourist Board developing close co-operation and effective consultative arrangements with regional travel associations and other organisations.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many ships, and what tonnage, were registered under the British flag in 1967 and 1968, respectively.

2,181 vessels totalling 20,375,000 gross tons were registered in the United Kingdom at the end of 1967 and 2,058 vessels totalling 20,730,000 gross tons at the end of 1968. These figures exclude miscellaneous vessels such as tugs, fishing vessels and dredgers and all vessels under 500 gross tons.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will take steps to improve British trade with the Portuguese provinces of Angola and Mozambique.

In 1968 our exports to Angola and Mozambique increased by about 50 per cent. and 20 per cent. respectively. This represented a substantial improvement over recent years. The full range of Government services to exporters is available to British firms interested in selling in these markets. Our Consulates-General in Lourenço-Marques and Luanda are actively engaged in commercial work.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will now make a statement on the report of the Edwards Committee.

I would refer my hon. Friend to my reply given today to Questions by the hon. Member for Banbury (Mr. Marten), the hon. Member for Liverpool, Garston (Mr. Fortescue), and my hon. Friend the Member for Bolton, East (Mr. Robert Howarth).

asked the President of the Board of Trade what number of training flights were made from Luton Airport in 1968; and how many were made to gain essential operational experience of the airfield.

During the 12 months ended November, 1968, there were 10,863 test and training flight movements at Luton; in addition there were 18,826 aero club movements many of which were instructional flights. The information sought in the second part of the Question is not available.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will support the official proposal of the United States Federal Aviation Agency for international agreement on a reduction in permitted aircraft noise levels to 80 effective perceived noise decibels.

There is no proposal for international agreement on this basis. The F.A.A. has published draft domestic legislation in the form of a Notice of Proposed Rule Making in which 80 EPNdB is referred to as an objective to aim for and to achieve where economically reasonable, technologically practicable and appropriate for the particular type design. The N.P.R.M. states that the objective is not appropriate for many current type designs and it is the case that no large jet aircraft, using any present technology, can be made as quiet as this.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is his estimate of the number of years it will take to achieve a significant reduction in nuisance from aircraft noise.

It is not possible to make a comprehensive estimate of this kind. Noise is being reduced by quieter operating procedures and by the progressive introduction of quieter aircraft, but traffic, and hence number of movements, is growing.

asked the President of the Board of Trade when he expects to receive the report of the investigation into the effects of aircraft noise in the vicinity of Heathrow Airport which was begun in 1967; and whether that report will be made available to the public.

The amount of work involved in this important sociological study is proving greater than was foreseen, and I regret that the full results will not be available for some time. We intend to publish a report.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what progress has been made in negotiations with other European countries to include acceptable levels of aircraft noise as a requirement for the licensing of aircraft using European airports.

As the London International Conference on Aircraft Noise in 1966 recognised, action on noise certification for aircraft lies, in the first instance, with the major aircraft manufacturing countries. We are in close touch with the French authorities, as well as those of the United States, and hope to have technical talks with the Germans and Netherlands authorities, among others, before the matter is considered in I.C.A.O.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what steps he is taking to reduce the infringements of the limits of take-off noise by jet aircraft using Gatwick Airport, especially at night.

Infringements are taken up with the airlines concerned with a view to discovering the cause and securing appropriate remedial action for the future. Noise monitoring was introduced at Gatwick less than twelve months ago and based on our experience at Heathrow, we expect the infringement rate to fall progressively as pilots gain experience of the techniques involved.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will now impose noise monitoring for aircraft coming in to land at Gatwick Airport.

We hope to have facilities at Gatwick this summer for sample height monitoring of aircraft coming in to land.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what steps he is now taking to achieve agreement on international controls to reduce aircraft noise to tolerable levels.

I would refer the hon. Member to my Answer today to the hon. Member for Woking (Mr. Onslow).

asked the President of the Board of Trade what steps he is taking to assist British manufacturers to make progress in bringing into operation quieter aero engines.

Close co-operation is maintained between the Government and aircraft manufacturers on research—including Government sponsored research—into quietening aero engines; and there is also regular consultation on proposals relating to aircraft noise certification.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many householders in the Heathrow area had, by 31st December, 1968, received grants for soundproofing against aircraft noise; and what percentage this represents of houses qualifying for such grants.

At 31st December, 1968, applications for approval of proposed insulation works had been received in respect of 3,541 dwellings; approval had been given for 2,445 dwellings; and grants had been claimed and paid in respect of 1,537 dwellings, representing about 2½ per cent. of those eligible.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the proposed 50 per cent. increase of the navigation service charges to local authority airports, he now intends to extinguish the continuous deficit; and if he will make a statement.

The long-term aim, endorsed by successive Governments, is to increase these charges progressively until the cost is borne entirely by the user. But no further increases are contemplated at present.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has considered the representations from provincial airports relating to navigation charges at Liverpool and other airports; and what consultation and communication he has had with the local airport authorities following their representations against the increase of 50 per cent. proposed in Statutory Instrument No. 510.

Before deciding on the increase for which Statutory Instrument No. 510 provides, we gave careful consideration to the representations we received from the airport authorities and others whose comments we invited last November. We wrote to each of them subsequently notifying them of our decision and answering the specific points which they had made.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will place in the Library of the House a map showing the 30 noise number indicator contour lines of a four-runway airport at Foulness; and if he will distribute this map to all local authorities whose districts are within 2 miles of the contour line as soon as possible and before any public inquiry is held into such an airport.

No: as I indicated during the Adjournment debate on 16th April, it is for the Roskill Commission to decide what information to make available for the forthcoming local hearings into Foulness and the other short-listed sites.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he estimates night jet flights at Gatwick Airport during the summer months of this year to exceed the limits of such flights imposed on Heathrow.

Precise forecasting is not possible but we should expect the number of night jet movements at Gatwick this summer to be slightly less than at Heathrow.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will make a statement about the collision between two light aircraft from Willingale and Stapleford Tawney airfields, respectively, resulting in two deaths.

There is nothing I can usefully add to my reply yesterday to my hon. Friend the Member for Billericay (Mr. Moonman).—[Vol. 782, c. 203–4.]

asked the President of the Board of Trade what steps he is taking to assist local authorities to develop facilities at regional airports outside the London area for travel to Europe and beyond.

We provide advice to local authorities who are considering developments at their airports but there is no evidence that the growth of overseas air services is being inhibited by lack of airport facilities.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement about the forthcoming meeting of the Commonwealth Air Transport Council; and what topics, in addition to aircraft noise, he expects will be discussed.

The agenda for the meeting has not yet been finally approved by members of the Council. It will however cover a wide range of civil aviation matters, such as aerodrome and air traffic control problems, the impact of the jumbo-jet and, especially, the implications of the introduction of supersonic transport aircraft.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement about his latest plans for, and the cost of, improving Aberdeen Airport.

Approved developments at a total estimated cost of £75,000 include a new taxiway link between the runway and the terminal apron, the extension and strengthening of the apron, improvements to apron lighting and extensions to the car park.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has now reached a decision on the test case appeals affecting inclusive tour prices during the coming summer.

I have decided to allow these appeals in the terms of the original applications in order to avoid any requirement on tour organisers to increase the prices at which they have advertised and sold tours. The new minimum prices will be made available for scheduled as well as for charter services. I am satisfied that these changes are unlikely to damage the scheduled services and may well be of benefit to them. I have also decided to allow in the same way a separate appeal relating to inclusive tour prices for Bulgaria and Rumania.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what progress has been made in his consultations with airlines on proposals for wider publication of statistics on civil aviation.

Proposals have been put to the air corporations and to the independent airlines for the publication of passenger traffic statistics with separate figures for the scheduled and charter traffic on important routes and for the collection and publication of financial accounts of all British airlines similar to the accounts for international airlines published by the International Civil Aviation Organisation. I expect discussions on the details to be completed in the next few weeks.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will take steps to increase the sale to Norway of lorries and other forms of transport suitable for use by armed forces.

Every opportunity is taken by the defence sales organisation to demonstrate specialised and armoured forms of transport to the Norwegian Armed Forces; for instance, the Norwegian Parliamentary Defence Committee recently visited the Fighting Vehicles Research and Development Establishment at Chertsey to see a wide range of military vehicles. The sale of civilian type vehicles is primarily a matter for the companies concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many aircraft were diverted to Lossiemouth during 1968 owing to weather and other factors.

193 aircraft were diverted to Lossiemouth during 1968 owing to adverse weather conditions and other factors.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence to which countries Great Britain is supplying arms, or has done so in the last three years.

As my hon. Friend knows, it is not the practice to disclose this information.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many people, military and civilian, are employed at the Army Medal Office;(2) what is the annual cost of running the Army Medal Office.

The annual cost of running the Army Medal Office which employs 2 retired officers and 39 civilians is £60,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the number of applications for medals in each of the years since 1945.

I regret this information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many applications for medals are outstanding at the present time.

About 40,000.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, in respect of 1969–70, what estimate he has made of the quota of Danish bacon imports, ad valorem; how this compares with British bacon consumption, ad valorem, in the same year; and what measure of import saving and substitution is represented in 1969–70 by revised quotas, respectively, for Danish and British bacon.

The supply of bacon to the United Kingdom market is governed by the new Understanding my right hon. Friend announced on 13th February under which the total quantity required each year and the expected level of home production will be determined with the difference being shared among the exporting countries. For 1969–70 the Danish allocation is 302,850 tons, compared with 300,460 tons in 1968–69, out of total market requirements of 639,000 tons, the comparable figure for 1968–69 being 632,500 tons. The expected level of United Kingdom production in 1969–70 is 233,600 tons compared with actual production in 1968–69 of about 219,000 tons.All determinations and allocations under the Understanding are made in terms of quantity. The value of bacon varies from week to week and is not really predictable. However, the average value of Danish bacon imports in 1968–69 was about £317 per ton; and bacon production in the United Kingdom sold at a somewhat lower price at the first hand level.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will now introduce regulations controlling antibiotics and hormones added to animal feedingstuffs.

No. Antibiotics and hormones are already subject to control by the Health Ministers in accordance with the Therapeutic Substances Act, 1956. Regulations concerning some antibiotics for use in animal feedingstuffs have been made. As my hon. Friend will know, the question of antibiotics is being considered by the Joint committee bandry and Veterinary Medicine.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what reports he has received about the death of sheep and lambs from liver fluke in Wales; what steps are being taken to deal with the incidence of this disease; and whether he will make a statement.

Reports suggest that, except in South Wales, the incidence of this disease during the winter months was about, or rather below, average. Considerable publicity and advice is given both nationally and locally, and the liver fluke forecast issued each summer by my Department reminds farmers that control of the disease depends on their taking timely preventive and treatment measures.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what plans he has for making alterations to the public access to Kew Gardens in the future;(2) how many visitors entered Kew Gardens annually during the past 20 years; and what are the terms of the gift of the Gardens to the nation by Queen Victoria in 1840.

I can give the hon. Member a categorical assurance that my right hon. Friend has no plans for making alterations to the public access to Kew Gardens. These Gardens were given to the nation by Queen Victoria for scientific and educational purposes and for use as a public amenity. I will send the hon. Member the statistics of the number of visitors during the past 20 years, but the yearly number of visitors is around 1 million.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he has reached a conclusion in his discussions with the National Farmers Union on the question of the £1 for £1 compensation payment to be made to the farmers whose herds had to be slaughtered during the foot-and-mouth epidemic of 1967–68; and whether he will make a statement.

Not yet, but an announcement will be made shortly.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food upon what basis he estimates a net increase of £8½ million on pigs as stated in note (v) of page 38 of Command Paper No. 3965.

The estimated increase of £8½ million in the cost of operating the pig guarantees during the financial year 1969–70 is based on an assessment of the effect of the recent Annual Review determinations on the original estimate. There are two new elements to take into account—the increase of 6d. per score in the guaranteed price, and the raising of the middle band by 400,000 forecast certifications. This means a potential increase in deficiency payments not only on account of the higher basic price but also because there can be a larger increase in numbers before there is any cut under the flexible guarantee system.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he has now reconsidered the provisions in Schedule 4 of the Labelling of Food Regulations, 1967, regarding the size of lettering in which the common or usual name or appropriate designation of a food shall appear on the label of the container; and if he will make a statement.

All the interested organisations have been consulted, and after carefully considering their views, my right hon. Friend and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services, have reached the conclusion that certain amendments should be made. The main effect of the proposed amendments, details of which are being sent to the interested organisations, is that the provisions laying down specific requirements as to the size of lettering will in large part be replaced by general provisions requiring the name or designation to be shown prominently and conspicuously and without undue emphasis on minor ingredients. The position of firms who have already changed their labels will be safeguarded. Amending regulations will be introduced as soon as practicable as part of consolidated Regulations, which will include provisions dealing with claims and misleading descriptions and will come into operation three years after they have been made.

asked the Minister of Technology whether he is aware that decimalisation is leading to increasing imports of office machinery; and if he will propose encouragements, by tax benefits or otherwise, to stimulate United Kingdom production.

It is to be expected that the change-over to decimal currency will lead to some temporary growth in imports, especially in an internationally based industry like the office machinery industry; but I have no evidence of a major overall increase in imports as a result of decimalisation.

asked the Minister of Technology if he will take steps to speed up the delivery of conversion kits for decimalisation of office equipment, in view of the delays which lead to the purchase of new imported machines.

I have no evidence of delays in the delivery of conversion kits. It is a statutory responsibility of the Decimal Currency Board to promote arrangements for adaptation or replacement of equipment required for decimalisation, and I understand that they are in close contact with manufacturers.

asked the Minister of Technology whether he is aware that typewriter and dictating machine companies are stopping the manufacture of spares in order to make machines unusable within a few years of purchase; and if he will consider the introduction of legislation to make this practice illegal.

I am not aware of the alleged practice.

asked the Minister of Technology if he will give a breakdown of the £18 million which is spent on interest, depreciation and other non-cash items at the Atomic Energy Authority's civil research and development establishments.

An approximate breakdown of the £18 million which is spent on interest, depreciation and other non-cash items at the Atomic Energy Authority's civil research and development establishments is as follows:—

asked the Minister of Technology what is the total number employed in the electronics and telecommunications industries in Scotland; what were the comparable figures five years ago; and what is the estimated expansion in the next two years.

The total number employed in these industries in Scotland rose from 12,600 in 1963 to 28,500 in 1968. I understand from my right hon. Friend the First Secretary of State that, on the information available, she expects that employment in these industries will continue to expand at nearly the same rate during the next two years.

asked the Minister of Technology (1) whether it is planned to carry out supersonic flight tests in connection with the airliner Concorde over Herefordshire;

Routes for Concorde test flights at supersonic speed have not yet been decided. I will make an announcement if tracks over land are eventually chosen. I will refer the hon. Member to my reply on 28th April to Questions by my hon. Friend the Member for King's Lynn (Mr. Derek Page) about warning of sonic bang tests.—[Vol. 782, c. 182.]

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to seek to limit the sale of fish by anglers who have no commercial licence.

None. If my hon. Friend has in mind licences to deal in fish, these are not required at present.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will take steps to make it an offence to be in possession of fish caught by poison or through the use of explosives.

This is already an offence in relation to any person found in possession of fish caught as a result of his using poison or explosives. I have no plans at present for extending the existing provisions to include other persons.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what instructions he intends to give to county assessors in respect of their work in preparing for the next quinquennial review; and if he will take steps to avoid disparities in valuations of subjects of a comparable nature.

I have no authority to instruct assessors about the way in which they should carry out their valuations. I understand, however, that they have been making their usual careful arrangements for securing uniformity of approach.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the present waiting periods for persons residing in the constituency of Midlothian who require hospitalisation; and what is the waiting period before they can obtain appointments with consultants to whom they are referred by their general practitioner.

In 1967 the average waiting time of Midlothian people for admission to a hospital bed (other than for mental, mental deficiency and maternity beds) was 78·8 days. This covers only 34 per cent. of hospital patients from Midlothian; the remaining 66 per cent. are admitted otherwise than from waiting lists.The information requested in the second part of the Question is not available according to place of residence of patients.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the supply of stocks of C.S. gas to Scottish police forces.

As my hon. Friend the Joint Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State told the House last year, a total of 32 CS gas grenades was supplied to Scottish police forces in 1965. Since then five grenades have been purchased to replace four used in practice and one in an incident involving an insane person. The Scottish stock of 32 grenades is distributed amongst seven selected holding forces.Chief constables have been advised that CS gas should be used only to deal with armed criminals or violently insane persons in buildings from which they cannot be dislodged without danger of loss of life, or as a means of self-defence in a desperate situation and that in no circumstances should it be used to assist in the control of disturbances.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the estimated number of jobs which will be lost in the Highlands and Islands through the increase in Selective Employment Tax.

No reliable estimate can be made of the effect on employment in general, but the relief available under the arrangements for refund of the S.E.T. to the hotel industry throughout the Highlands and Islands should help to maintain employment in that industry.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the discussions which he has had with the church authorities regarding the proposals in the Education (Scotland) Bill relating to the provision of religious instruction in schools.

Representatives of the Education Committee of the Church of Scotland discussed the proposal to repeal subsection (2) of Section 9 of the Education (Scotland) Act, 1962, with officers of my Department on 20th March. They accepted the Department's assurances that the repeal of this obsolete provision would in no way jeopardise the statutory safeguards, in Section 8 of the Act, for the continuance of religious observance and instruction in Scottish schools. No further meeting has been held with the Roman Catholic authorities since the meeting of 7th February at which they expressed reservations about the proposed repeal.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his estimate of the moneys required from Government sources in order to establish an oil complex at Longhaugh Point; and how many jobs will arise from this particular initial installation.

The company's application for planning permission is presently the subject of a public inquiry. The company has stated that it expects to employ some 2,500 men during the construction period and to retain an operational staff of about 200. No estimate of probable assistance from Government sources can be made until applications have been considered by the Board of Trade; and in any event it is not the practice to disclose details of assistance to individual companies.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he will announce the results of his consideration of the Lochaber Study undertaken by the Scottish Council for Development and Industry.

The Study is being taken fully into account in the continuing discussions between the Highlands and Islands Development Board and the local authorities concerned about possibilities for development in the Lochaber area.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what advice he is giving to bring European Conservation Year to the attention of local education authorities, with a view to promoting interest in conservation in schools.

I am being advised on this aspect of European Conservation Year by the Committee on Education and the Countryside. In conjunction with the Countryside Commission for Scotland, the Committee has established a working party to consider the issue of publicity material and make suggestions for activity by schools during European Conservation Year.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland in view of the recent approval by the White Fish Authority of the system of boxing fish at sea, what steps he is taking to increase the grants available to the Scottish Trawlers Federation to extend this system.

Grants have been available from the White Fish Authority for some years for equipping new or existing fishing vessels for boxing fish at sea. I have no reason to believe that the grant funds available to the Authority in the current year for this and other purposes are likely to prove inadequate.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the total value of all Government aid to private industry disbursed since October, 1964; and what was the value of such aid for the period July, 1945, to December, 1949, making due allowance for the reduction in the purchasing power of the pound.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend, the Member for Liverpool, West Derby (Mr. Ogden) on 4th March, 1969. Figures for the period July, 1945, to December, 1949, are not available.—[Vol. 779, c. 63–64.]

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the reasons for the decline in the surplus on invisible earnings in the last quarter of 1968; and whether he estimates that this trend will continue in 1969.

I would refer the hon. Member to the quarterly balance of payments article in the March, 1969, issue of Economic Trends, and to paragraph 33 on page 11 of the Financial Statement and Budget Report 1969–70.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the total expenditure by central and local government, respectively, during the most recent annual period for which figures are available; and what were the comparable totals in each of the previous five years.

The information requested by the hon. Member is given in the table below. The figures exclude transfers between the central Government and local authorities.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consultations were held with the clearing banks before the Budget on the problems of discriminating between different types of bank loan, and on what dates.

None.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the average rate of interest paid on the loans from the National Loan Fund for 1968–69 as listed in the Financial Statement 1969–70 and totalling £1,423,000.

About 7·7 per cent.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a further statement about foreign borrowing by local authorities.

As I said in the House on 16th April, the Government wish to encourage local authorities who have the necessary statutory powers to consider the possibility of borrowing foreign currency at medium and long term for the benefit of the reserves, and Clause 14 of the Finance Bill, published yesterday will remove an existing impediment by enabling authorities to pay interest gross of tax on such borrowings. The Government are also prepared to extend to local authorities, in appropriate cases, the special arrangements for dealing with exchange uncertainties which I announced for nationalised industries in my Answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Chislehurst (Mr. Macdonald) on 14th February. Further details are given in a separate notice issued by the Treasury today and obtainable on inquiry at the Treasury or the Bank of England.—[Vol. 777, c. 405–6.]

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what Government agencies have been steered to Scotland in the past four years which are comparable in size with the proposed Royal Mint and the proposed Vehicle Licensing Centre in Wales.

The Inland Revenue computer centre to do London tax work which will be established in Edinburgh and which will employ up to 3,000 people.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what action he has taken following the reporting to his Department by the Association of Teachers in Technical Institutions in accordance with the Further Education Regulations of the dismissal for miscon- duct of seven teachers at the Guildford College of Art.

The regulations require local education authorities to report to my right hon. Friend when a teacher's employment is terminated on grounds of misconduct or conviction of a criminal offence. I am advised that the conduct which led the Surrey local education authority to terminate the contracts of the seven teachers at the Guildford School of Art did not constitute misconduct within the meaning of the regulations.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what communications he has received from the Surrey County Council in pursuance of Section 68 of the Education Act, 1944, concerning the dismissal of teachers at the Guildford College of Art; and if he will publish them in the OFFICIAL REPORT;(2) if, in the light of the recent decision of the Industrial Tribunal in the case of Mr. Robens that no misconduct took place before his dismissal by Surrey County Council for that offence, he will now take action under Section 68 of the Education Act, 1944, to ensure that Surrey County Council ceases to act unreasonably in carrying out its responsibilities for further education;(3) how many representations in accordance with Section 68 of the Education Act, 1944, he has received concerning the action of Surrey County Council in dismissing seven teachers from the Guildford College of Art;(4) if he will now institute an inquiry under Section 93 of the Education Act, 1944, into the conduct of the Surrey County Council in the field of further education, with particular reference to their decision to dismiss members of staff at Guildford College of Art.

Section 68 of the Education Act, 1944, enables my right hon. Friend in certain circumstances to direct a local education authority as to the exercise of a power or the performance of a duty conferred or imposed by or under the Education Acts. Section 93 of the Education Act, 1944, enables my right hon. Friend to hold an inquiry for the purpose of the exercise of any of his specific powers or duties under those Acts. While my right hon. Friend has received many representations urging him to establish a statutory inquiry into the dismissal of members of staff from the Guildford School of Art, none of his powers or duties under those Acts is exercisable in relation to the appointment and dismissal of teachers in maintained institutions of further education, who are appointed under the Local Government Acts, not the Education Acts, and he is therefore not in a position to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many visits his inspectors have paid to the Guildford College of Art in the past 12 months; and if he will publish their reports in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

A central record is not kept, but a dozen occasions are known when one or more H.M. Inspectors have visited the School in the past year. Informal visits are part of the normal functions of inspectors. There have been no formal reports in the period.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when the Surrey County Council submitted to him their amended statutory scheme for further education to include the amalgamation of Guildford and Farnham colleges of art; on what date this amalgamation was originally due to take place; and when it will now take place.

Last year the Department approved in principle the Authority's proposal to work toward the amalgamation of the Farnham and Guildford schools. As a first step the Authority intend to establish a joint governing body from September 1969 with the principals acting jointly, and with some further reorganisation of courses between the two centres. No formal submission for an amendment to the statutory scheme has been made so far.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what action he has now taken to bring European Conservation Year to the attention of local education authorities, with a view to promoting interest in conservation in the schools.

The Department, in consultation with other interested bodies, is considering what information on this subject it would be appropriate to circulate to local education authorities and schools.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much was spent by his Department on health education during the last full year before responsibility for this work was transferred to the Health Education Council.

The establishment of the Health Education Council has not led to any transfer of responsibility from the Department. Cost of the Department's work in relation to health education at schools and colleges cannot be separately estimated.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity whether she will give the index numbers for the prices of fuels which are presented in the form of a graph on page 16 of Domestic Fuel Supplies and Clean Air Policy Command Paper No. 2231.

The index numbers asked for were derived from information collected for the Index of Retail Prices and are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity (1) how many staff were employed by local councils in Scotland at the most recent date for which figures are available; if she will provide imformation on the numbers within that