asked the President of the Board of Trade why, in view of the contribution of after-sales service to the export drive and to general consumer satisfaction, his Department refused to be represented at the First Annual Conference of Service Managers on 2nd May and 3rd May in Birmingham.

Attendance at every conference of interest to the Board of Trade would require extra staff. But if there were to be another conference of this kind and we were invited, I should certainly consider whether we could be represented.

Would my right hon. Friend accept that a conference of this type is extremely important, not only in terms of consumer satisfaction, but also because of its particular contribution to the second, if not the third, sale in the export drive? Is she aware that I am glad that she is to reconsider this matter, and that I hope that for the second conference the Department will be represented?

We would all agree that it is essential to have an adequate after-sales service, and anything which contributes to a greater knowledge of the necessity for consumer protection is to be welcomed.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many industrial development certificates have been granted since 1st January 1965 to companies already operating in the West Midlands: and how many applications have been refused.

A total of 1,887 industrial development certificates for a total of 32·8 million square feet have been issued to existing firms in the West Midlands since 1st January 1965. In the same period 185 such applications for 5·5 million square feet have been refused.

Is the hon. Lady aware that many West Midlands firms are under the impression that if they apply for an i.d.c. they are likely to be refused? As many of them are long-established in the area, what would she suggest to encourage them to apply for a certificate?

I am sure that the hon. Gentleman will accept that people sometimes use subjective rather than objective judgments. My Department is anxious that all modernisation schemes should go ahead, and the only way to find out whether an i.d.c. will be granted is, obviously, to ask for one.

Is my hon. Friend aware that Conservative Members in the West Midlands are always complaining about the so-called ban on i.d.c.s? Is this not rather odd since more development has taken place in the last two years than took place in 1963–64? Does it not show that we cannot believe a word that they say?

I am well aware that, for various reasons, there is in the West Midlands a constant campaign to try to misrepresent the i.d.c. policy of the Board of Trade. We are not in any way restricting growth that is adequate or necessary for the region. What we are trying to do is to alter the situation in which in the hon. Gentleman's constituency there is a 1·4 per cent. unemployment rate, while in Great Britain, on average, it is 2·3 per cent., and higher in the development areas.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will set up an independent inquiry into the effects of the selective employment tax on the tourist industry with instructions to report in advance of Professor Reddaway.

No, Sir. Professor Reddaway's inquiry will cover the hotel and catering industries which are liable to S.E.T., and he has already started work on this part of the inquiry.

Does the President of the Board of Trade not think that this industry, which is a growth industry earning this country nearly £400 million a year from overseas tourists, is worthy of more speedy investigation as to the burden of S.E.T.? Is he aware that the Budget proposals will mean that £35 million will be recovered from it in one year? Will he give further thought to a more speedy investigation?

There has been a great deal of discussion on this matter in the Committee stage of the Tourism Bill and no doubt there will be more when the Bill comes to Report and Third Reading in the House. I must point out two things. First, not all of the tourism industry by any means is subject to S.E.T. For example, the transport part of the industry is not. Second, whatever the alleged burdens of S.E.T. on the industry, our earnings from tourism continue to rise in the most encouraging way.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will give his latest estimate of the level of fixed investment in 1969, expressed as a percentage increase or decrease on the 1968 figure.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what estimate he has now made of the level of investment in 1969.

An official estimate of total fixed investment in 1969 was published in the Financial Statement and Budget Report 1969–70 on 15th April. Results of the May, 1969, Investment Intentions Inquiry were published on Monday, 16th June.

Since the results of that inquiry showed that there is already a marked reduction in industry's expectations of investment, and since on the very day it was published the Chief Secretary to the Treasury told the Finance Bill Committee that on the latest information investment intentions were high, and satisfactory and that there was no reason to change the view on that, was not the Chief Secretary talking out of the back of his head?

My right hon. Friend is notable for talking out of the front of his head and notable for his judgment and ripe experience. We must keep this matter in perspective. The investment inquiry to which the hon. Gentleman referred, while it showed that expectations in manufacturing industry were marginally down, also showed that expectations of investment in services and distribution were not down at all, and that expectations of investment in shipping were markedly up.

Since the most important aspect of investment concerns manufacturing investment, and this is what is causing great concern among many hon. Members, will my right hon. Friend see what can be done to stimulate this kind of investment, bearing in mind also the very serious concern expressed by the Bank of England Quarterly Bulletin?

Investment in any of these sectors contributes to the growth and productivity of the British economy. I agree with my hon. Friend that manufacturing investment is crucially important, but I must point out that there is a limit to the extent of the investment boom that we can have in any year when we are trying for a rapid increase in exports, because exports and capital investments, to a very considerable extent, fall on the same sectors of industry—namely, the engineering sectors.

Does the right hon. Gentleman recall the categoric answer he gave me on 30th April, that there was no evidence of any turn-down in manufacturing industry investments? Would it perhaps not increase confidence in the Board of Trade's sensitivity to changes in trade if he was a little less categorical in future, when he has been overtaken by events so rapidly?

I find it incredible that I was as categorical as the hon. Gentleman says. If he says that I was, then obviously I would admit it. I should like to make the general point because the right hon. Member for Leeds, North-East (Sir K. Joseph) mentioned this some weeks ago, that looking back over the history of the Board of Trade investment inquiries, they have tended to be more often on the pessimistic side than on the optimistic side.

Is not the present shortage of capacity a lesson to us all of what past deflationary squeezes have done to the economy and to investment in particular? Will my right hon. Friend have words with his right hon. Friend the Chancellor with a view to mitigating the worst effects of the present squeeze on this vital aspect of the economy—manufacturing investment?

The effect of the squeeze is something that my right hon. Friend and I and other Ministers keep constantly under review. I agree with the first part of my hon. Friend's question, that this crucial problem of a shortage of capacity has been due to a consistent failure on the part of this country over 20 years to invest a high enough proportion of its national income.

Is it not quite ludicrous that we should have two headlines on the front page of the Financial Times, one reporting the right hon. Gentleman, the other reporting the Chief Secretary, both saying two totally different things? Would he co-ordinate his efforts with the Chief Secretary?

I find it impossible to believe that my right hon. Friend and I could be at odds in any way. I will certainly look into the right hon. Gentleman's point and discuss it with my right hon. Friend.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will pay investment grants to firms in the textile waste processing industry.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will now seek to extend investment grants to machinery used for processing rubber waste and textile wastes.

Those firms in the textile and rubber reclamation industries which carry out manufacturing processes resulting in an end product significantly different from the original waste materials can qualify for investment grants on their new machinery or plant. Firms carrying out less substantial processes, such as sorting rubber or textile waste, do not qualify.

Since both investment grants and S.E.T. are governed by much the same principles, will the hon. Gentleman accept that the industry does not agree with his assertion that large parts of the textile waste reclamation industry do not produce goods to a specification for the purposes of their customers and that the grounds on which he is refusing such firms investment grants and advising that they are not entitled to refunds of S.E.T. are bogus?

There are several questions, such as whether there is a manufacturing process, whether there is a substantial change and whether goods are produced to a specification. We attempt to maintain a clear line between those processes which benefit from grants and those which do not. I think that we are maintaining a clear line here.

Is it not relevant that the reclaimed products are the result of a manufacturing process? Should not they, therefore, qualify for investment grant? In view of the enormous import saving produced, will not the hon. Gentleman reconsider his decision?

I have said that where there is a manufacturing process resulting in end products significantly different from the original waste materials, we make an investment grant. Where it is merely a matter of sorting, we do not.

Since this is an import saving industry, does not my hon. Friend think that such firms are treated unfairly as regards both investment grants and S.E.T. in comparison with the scrap metal and waste paper industries?

The principles involved are similar to those which operate in waste paper and scrap metal. We have never been able to take account of whether a process is import saving. However, one of the beneficial characteristics of the investment grant scheme is that it concentrates on manufacturing industry which produces a large proportion of our visible exports.

Is my hon. Friend aware that the woollen rag trade is centred in my constituency? I am sure that he will have read the report of the Wool Textile Working Party, which was commissioned by Sir Stafford Cripps, and which reported to the present Prime Minister when he was at the Board of Trade. Is my hon. Friend aware that in that report the woollen rag trade was treated as an integral part of the wool textile industry? That being the case, why is not the woollen rag trade on the same basis as the wool textile industry for the purpose of investment grants?

My hon. Friend is requiring me to have a long memory in several respects. I will look at that report. Nevertheless, in respect of investment grants, the division of principle was clearly laid down in the Act. Where there is a manufacturing process, there is grant; where there is merely sorting, there is not. We have to stick to that distinction.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many prosecutions have been initiated since the Trade Descriptions Act came into force.

By the end of last week local weights and measures authorities had notified us of 435 cases in which it was intended to prosecute.

Has my hon. Friend noticed an improvement in the selling practices of retailers, and is she satisfied that weights and measures departments have sufficient staff to deal with complaints which come in from the public?

I do not think that we can be satisfied that the weights and measures departments are fully staffed. There is a shortage of qualified people and one would like to see the departments with more staff. The number of prosecutions which have been set on foot shows that this sort of legislation was needed.

Is the discrepancy between the activities of various local authorities being ironed out now that they have a duty laid upon them to enforce this Act?

It would be foolish to pretend that some are not more active than others. We are trying to deal with this by encouragement from the Department.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what was the three-monthly average of the visible trade balance for the three-monthly periods ending with each of the months from January to May, 1969.

The figures were released in a Press notice issued last Thursday, and they are also published in today's Board of Trade Journal.

What is the right hon. Gentleman's assessment of the contribution made by the import deposits scheme to the containment of the level of imports during this period?

The contribution has been a useful one, although it is not possible at the moment to quantify it.

Would it not be better to admit that there are grave dangers, because of the United States monetary squeeze and the West German policy, of a serious effect on world trade and on our own trade figures this year, especially towards the end of the year and the beginning of next year? Is there not some urgency about having a meeting with both countries and, indeed, an international meeting, to consider the possible effects on our trade figures and on world trade generally?

I take note of the suggestion in the latter part of my hon. Friend's question. On the prospects of world trade for the rest of this year, all our evidence is that while it will not expand at the dramatic rate at which it did last year, we should still have a reasonably healthy growth of world trade in 1969.

Will the right hon. Gentleman consider altering the presentation of the monthly trade figures so as to make the central figure in the eyes of the public and the Press the net outcome of current trading, visible and invisible, and using the invisible figure gross before the deduction of Government overseas expenditure because by that criterion, we were, last quarter, due to invisibles, in current trading surplus?

There are two aspects to this. One is the separation of private invisibles from Government invisibles, and that is a point made to us by the Committee on Invisible Exports which the Government are still considering. The second aspect is whether we could publish every month a joint figure of visibles and invisibles. The difficulty is that, whereas we get the visible figures monthly, we get the invisibles for each quarter some time after the event.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will set up an inquiry into the activities of trade protection associations and the methods they employ to seek recovery of alleged debts.

It would be premature to set up such an inquiry until the Government have decided what action to take on the recommendation of the Committee on the Enforcement of Judgment Debts that unreasonable harassment of debtors should be made a criminal offence.

In view of the fact that the committee confirmed the existence of some highly disreputable tactics involving intimidation and blackmail, has not the matter to be dealt with urgently? Speaking as one who has had a little personal experience of the arm-twisting methods employed, may I urge my hon. Friend that this part of the Committee's recommendations be acted upon forthwith?

I am sure that the whole House will deplore some of the disreputable methods used to harass debtors. But we must make up our minds on this before deciding which action to take.

Is the hon. Lady aware that, following recent legislation, there is a small but growing number of layabouts who contrive to live in London all but rent-free except for occasional down-payments and on debts that they never intend to pay?

One can deal easily with people who are layabouts without making it difficult for people who are genuine debtors and are being harassed unnecessarily.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is the expected total expenditure on investment grants during the current year; and what plans he has to vary the rates of investment grant.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is the estimated cost, in the current year, of investment grants.

The estimated cost is £460 million as shown in the Civil Estimates for 1969–70 presented to the House on 19th February, 1969.

Is it not clear that the International Monetary Fund's indicated policies require the Government to pursue monetary and money supply policies which themselves are having an effect upon manufacturing investment? If, in those circumstances, the Government are not prepared to use the investment grants as a contracyclical device, would it not be better to scrap them altogether?

Investment grants give assistance to manufacturing industry in their investment programmes. In 1967 and 1968, we supplemented the standard rate of investment grant by 5 per cent., and, as the hon. Gentleman will no doubt have noticed, this had a beneficial effect on the level of investments in 1968, especially during the last quarter.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is the value of United Kingdom exports to Greece for the current year to date; what percentage change this represents over the corresponding figure for 1968; and if he will make a statement on the prospect for British exporters during the coming 12 months.

The provisional figure to the end of May is £22·5 million, which is an increase of 43 per cent. over the corresponding period of 1968. On prospects for British exports generally this year, I would refer the hon. Member to my speech in the Budget debate.

Would it not be regrettable if this valuable market were imperilled by those ideological zealots who constantly criticise the domestic policies of the Greek Government? Furthermore, would the right hon. Gentleman take this occasion to indicate what are the prospects now of the deal involving the nuclear power station, which has been the subject of a great deal of Press comment?

There are many developments in Greece which I am sure hon. Members on all sides find regrettable. As to the trade aspect. I am constantly asked to limit trade with different countries because of the views taken in this House on the régimes of those countries. I always reply that if I were to encourage trade with only countries of whose régimes we approve, we should trade with very few countries. That, in my view, has nothing to do with the political aspects of what view might be taken by reasonable people of a régime or its behaviour.

Is the agreement to sell the atomic reactor inevitably linked with the purchase of Greek tobacco, or is there some other way of clinching the deal?

I should be grateful if my hon. Friend would put down a Question on that. I am not certain about the word "inevitably". Obviously, there has been a link but, off the cuff, I would not like to say whether it is an inevitable link or whether the atomic energy deal can be concluded without the settlement of the tobacco point.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what studies he has made or has in progress of the relative profitability of home and export sales; and if he will make a statement.

Sample inquiries carried out in 1967 and 1968 indicated a wide range of experience of relative profitability, and I hope it will be possible to publish the results soon. For the samples, average levels of export profit rates were lower than for home sales before devaluation, but the gap was narrowed in 1968.

Would not the Minister agree that there is something in the argument of Mr. Tessler of The Times that some firms which regard exports as unprofitable are not making a proper analysis of the relevant costs as between home and export sales? Will the report, when published, cover this point?

Mr. Tessler's views may be correct concerning a number of firms. I cannot say whether the report, when published, will cover this point, but it is very important that in costing the profitability of exports firms should do the job properly.

Would the Minister say why those studies do not include the very promising opportunities between North-East Scotland and Scandinavia? Will he take those into account at an early date?

I think that those opportunities are well known, but the report will cover the relative profitability of home and export sales.

Does the hon. Gentleman deny that the Government's own actions since devaluation have virtually eroded any increased profitability which might have arisen from it? If he does, will he publish the Government's estimates of how much their various measures have produced profitability on export sales?

I do deny it. My right hon. Friend only recently stated in the House his current estimate of the continuing advantage of devaluation price-wise.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that growers of radishes in the Vale of Evesham and elsewhere have been prevented from marketing their early spring crops grown under glass by market flooding by Californian radishes; what regulations regarding radish imports are in force to provide protection of home crops; and, in view of the cost to the balance of payments of importing food from abroad, if he will impose fresh import quotas for radishes and similar crops.

I have no evidence that the market for home grown radishes has been depressed by imports. Radishes from the Commonwealth Preference area enter duty-free. Other imports pay a 10 per cent. duty. There are no quota restrictions on imports of radishes, except for the Sino-Soviet bloc, and I do not propose to introduce any.

Would the hon. Gentleman—[Interruption.]

Order. We must bear the truth about radishes.

Would the hon. Gentleman pay a visit to the Vale of Evesham and ascertain for himself why it was necessary to bring Californian radishes into this country in vast quantities in the spring of this year, at the peak of the English market season, thereby destroying all prospects for the English growers to sell their produce at reasonable prices?

What the hon. Gentleman should be worried about is the price which radishes, grown in the Vale of Evesham or elsewhere, are bringing in the market. I have no evidence that, generally speaking, the prices currently being obtained for radishes, particularly in late April and May, are lower this year than they were in 1967 and 1968. In fact, I understand that they are higher. Nevertheless, if people in the industry think that there is a substantial case for an increase in duty, they should present it to the Board of Trade.

Would my hon. Friend agree that this was an appropriate subject for the Leader of the Opposition to discuss when he was at the White House?

Fatuous.

asked the President of the Board of Trade, having regard to the trade deficit in 1969 to date, if he will revise the regulation of imports of foreign fruit and vegetables and all horticultural products in order to enhance prospects for home producers.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will seek to amend the existing controls over the import of foreign fruit and vegetables in order to enable United Kingdom growers to increase production and thereby reduce imports.

As my right hon. Friend told the hon. Member on 14th May, our agricultural programme provides for the expansion of home production. Horticultural growers receive financial and other help to enable them to compete more effectively with imports, and the Government see no need to alter the present arrangements concerning fruit and vegetable imports.—[Vol. 783, c. 1377–8.]

Would the hon. Gentleman bear in mind that the cumulative figure of horticultural grants is now approaching £30 million and that unless there is intelligent co-operation between his Department and the Ministry of Agriculture in regulating imports of foreign horticultural products to keep them off our market during the peak season for English growers, much of that heavy investment will be wasted?

I believe that there is intelligent co-operation between my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture and the Board of Trade. As the hon. Gentleman knows, the main horticultural crops from most-favoured-nation sources are subject to various specific tariffs during the main United Kingdom marketing season. Imports from the Commonwealth Preference area enter duty free.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that import duties have remained the same for 16 years and that, therefore, as each year goes by there is less protection and security for our growers?

I repeat what I said to the hon. Member for Worcestershire, South (Sir G. Nabarro): if there is a substantial case for changing the duties in this area, that case can be made to the Board of Trade. We should have to consider the effect on consumers and on our international obligations.

Apart from the effect on consumers, is not my hon. Friend concerned about the high and rising cost of luxury imports? Is not this not only a most serious matter but one to which his Department must give increasing attention?

The Question is about horticultural products. I do not think my hon. Friend's supplementary question arises in this context.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what progress is being made in the liquidation of Davies Investments Limited; and whether another creditors' meeting will be arranged.

The liquidator appointed by the court has made satisfactory progress with the realisation of the assets and hopes to make an interim distribution to the creditors in July. Further realisations and distributions are likely to be spread over a period of years. The liquidator, to save expense, does not propose to call a further meeting of creditors but will send the creditors a report with the interim distribution.

I recognise the difficulties in bringing about this liquidation. How much will the interim dividend be? How much will these unfortunate investors, many of whom ill-advisedly put their life savings into this company, eventually get to the pound?

I understand that the interim distribution will certainly not be more than 5s. in the pound. The payment of any further dividend must depend on what the liquidator is able to realise, and it is obviously likely to take some time if he is to get the best figures of realisation. So I cannot answer the second question.

Is the new legislation in the Companies Act now working in such a way as to prevent this sort of thing from happening again?

The legislation in the Companies Act would not help particularly in this case. This is a matter concerned with the Protection of Depositors Act. But if hon. Members have any proposals to make which would help to prevent such an event as this, we should be glad to hear them.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what were the net foreign exchange earnings of the consulting engineering industry in 1968.

Information on these earnings is not available, but discussions are proceeding with the profession with a view to obtaining it.

Will the Minister press ahead with these discussions in view of the recommendation of the Bland Committee in 1967 that the statistics for invisible earnings should be improved? Will he also investigate the import content of the earnings of this industry?

I will certainly press ahead. I note the hon. Gentleman's second point, and will see what information we can obtain.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what were the net foreign exchange earnings of the insurance industry in 1968.

The 1968 figures are not yet complete, but I expect the net earnings (including portfolio income) to exceed the £135 million recorded for 1967.

Does the right hon. Gentleman recall that in 1967 the Bland Committee recommended that the Government should find ways of mitigating the impact of S.E.T. on service industries which made overseas earnings? Is not this a good case in point?

I understand that this very matter has recently been discussed at length in Committee on the Finance Bill.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will introduce legislation to ensure the rights of a workman as a preferential creditor for wages owing him, even if the assets of the firm for which he was working are seized on liquidation by local authorities employing such a firm when it fails to complete its contract.

I doubt whether this would be desirable but will consider the suggestion again in preparing any further companies legislation.

Is not this in conflict with the accepted principle that unpaid wages are a priority claim? In the case of the Salford workers which I raised with the Minister, did not several local authorities seize valuable plant belonging to the building company?

As I indicated, my mind is certainly not closed to this idea. In the case mentioned, most of the equipment which was on hire or hire purchase was repossessed by the owners before the winding up. The problem is to balance the interests of the individual, who has certain preferential claims, and the interests of the community, which, through the local authority, wishes to enter into advantageous contracts. Nevertheless, I will certainly consider the matter.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has yet received any request for Board of Trade assistance towards the establishment of a petro-chemical plant in the Highlands of Scotland.

As the hon. Member has already been advised, it is not our practice to reveal details of individual applications to, or inquiries from, the Board of Trade.

As in this instance a taxpayers' subsidy of £72,000 to an American company for every job created is involved, and in view of the recent advice from several independent authorities that the Government are giving excessive encouragement to the development of capital-intensive, as opposed to labour-intensive, industries in development areas, is it not essential that the House should be informed of and have an opportunity to discuss any such grants or loans before they are made?

The hon. Gentleman is now talking about £72,000 a job whereas last time he referred to £176,000 a job, so any rate the figure is coming down. The sort of investment incentives given by Governments over a period have been capital-intensive in the way the hon. Gentleman says. I am not myself persuaded that that is a bad thing. At any rate, it is possible that the present system of incentives which we operate is less capital-intensive than that operated by right hon. Gentlemen opposite.

Is my hon. Friend aware that there are powerful vested interests in the Highlands which do not want any industry there? Will he give an assurance that if the Department is satisfied that this is an economically feasible project, the Board of Trade will give all the assistance it possibly can?

We will consider this project in exactly the same way as any other project. I am glad to note my hon. Friend's welcome for what the Board of Trade is doing to assist employment in the Highlands.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if, in view of the recommendations of the Northumberland Committee on the importation of carcase meat from countries where foot-and-mouth disease is endemic, he will so reduce the 20 per cent. duty on imported boned meat as to ensure that the present levels of beef prices are not increased.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will make a further statement on the proposed reduction of import duty on boneless meat.

It is the Government's intention that the duty should be reduced so that a reasonable amount of trade may flow. Before recommending the new rate, I shall take account of all relevant factors, including the probable effect on prices. Discussions with the interests concerned are continuing, and a statement will be made as soon as possible.

Will my hon. Friend bear in mind that his Department is responsible for consumer protection, and will he assure us that the duty will be reduced to an extent that will maintain beef prices? Will he resist pressure from sections of the agricultural industry which appear to want meat imports to be stopped altogether?

I note what my hon. Friend says. I hope that we shall be able to arrive at a satisfactory conclusion which will have a minimal effect on prices.

Is the Minister aware that many South American countries which supply us with this meat run appalling trade deficits with us? Will he try to reduce this drain on our currency, in particular by encouraging home meat production instead of buying from overseas?

We are encouraging home meat production. What we are here considering is the duty on boneless beef.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many licences have been granted for exports to Southern Rhodesia since the commencement of sanctions.

The information is not readily available and its value would not justify the amount of work which its extraction would entail. Licences have been, and are being, issued for supplies for medical and educational purposes for books and news material and for the essential needs of those Central African common services which are vital to the economic well-being of Zambia.

Is my hon. Friend aware that I have evidence which I have sent to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office that trade in engineering goods is taking place? To exert the maximum economic pressure on the régime, will my hon. Friend give an undertaking that there will be no further exports to Rhodesia by licence granted by the Board of Trade, and will she deal with the problems arising from this for other countries by direct means?

We will certainly look at any evidence which the hon. Gentleman has. As he realises, export licences have to be granted, and normally these are a very efficient check. However, we will look at the matter again.

Will the hon. Lady be very careful in taking such action so that it does not lead to hardship to Africans in Rhodesia and Zambia?

I assure the hon. and learned Gentleman that I am a very prudent lady and I shall do nothing to contravene the United Nations resolution.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will now announce the date on which he will introduce the registration of hotels in Great Britain; and if he will make a statement.

The Development of Tourism Bill now before the House contains enabling powers for the registration of tourist accommodation, and the tourist boards for which it also provides will no doubt consider the question in due course and make recommendations.

Will my hon. Friend take steps to put this legislation into operation as early as possible, in view of the emphasis laid by his right hon. Friend on the importance of tourism?

I hope that the further stages of this important Bill will be completed quickly. We shall then set up the boards, but we must allow them an opportunity to consider these proposals and suggest to us what they would like to see done.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will make a statement on the latest developments within the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.

Over the past several months the Trade and Development Board and all its main committees have met to follow up the results of the Second United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. In addition, the Board has considered, and will continue to consider at its next meeting in the autumn, the proper contribution of U.N.C.T.A.D. to the preparatory work of the Second United Nations Development Decade.

I thank my right hon. Friend for his reply, but does not he agree that if our aid and development programme is to have any meaning, progress must be made on this front? What steps does he propose to take in terms of initiative by the Government?

Aid questions are obviously a matter for my right hon. Friend. On trade, by far the most important thing is to follow up the initiative taken at New Delhi on generalised preference. Since New Delhi, the Government have consistently taken the lead on this. We are waiting particularly for one other major Government to table their proposals.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what action he has taken to correct the balance of payments between the United Kingdom and Canada.

Although we do not aim at an exact balance of trade with individual countries, it is our continuing object, through the Government export services and in conjunction with B.N.E.C., to give all possible assistance to British exporters to exploit the opportunities of this important and expanding market.

Does not my right hon. Friend find it extraordinary that the Commonwealth country of Canada is making large purchases from the United States and elsewhere? Cannot Canada make more purchases from this country to help our balance of payments, otherwise what is the point of Canada remaining in the Commonwealth?

The last part of my right hon. Friend's supplementary question raises rather wider issues. Of course we are extremely anxious to increase our exports to Canada, but I must insist that it would make no sense for this country to aim at an exact balance of trade with every country. Our imports from Canada are mostly of wheat and essential raw materials, and there is no reason why we should have an exact balance of trade with Canada or any other country.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will make a statement on his official visit to Moscow and on the future of Anglo-Soviet trade.

I visited the Soviet Union at the beginning of this month to discuss with the Soviet Minister of Foreign Trade the development of trade between our two countries, and to sign a new trade agreement for the period from 1st July 1969 to 31st December 1975. The text of the agreement will be laid before Parliament as a White Paper later this month. I expect Anglo-Soviet trade, which doubled in value between 1964 and 1968, to continue to grow; and I hope it will become more diversified.

While I am glad that the right hon. Gentleman, unlike the Minister of Technology, took the opportunity to raise the case of Mr. Gerald Brooke, may I ask him whether there was full discussion of the persistently adverse balance of trade with the Soviet Union, and what will be done to redress it?

Yes, there was, of course, discussion on the adverse balance of trade, and the Minister of Foreign Trade assured me that he wished to see an increase in British exports to the Soviet Union. I must point out that this adverse balance has diminished considerably in the last two or three years, and that a considerable part of it is due to our imports of diamonds which we then re-export to other countries.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will institute a study into the cost effect of money offers in the various fields of retail distribution.

How far the benefit of increased sales will outweigh the cost of redeeming coupons is a matter for the individual retailer's judgment.

Is my hon. Friend aware that this is a matter of consumer protection and that an examination of this method of selling and of methods of fixing prices is urgently required?

We should welcome any possibility of examining whether such a cessation of trading practice would really mean a drop in prices, but I am afraid that the form of publicity used by commercial firms does not equal in amounts of money a considerable price reduction.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will now introduce an Order under the Hovercraft Act 1968 giving local authorities control over the siting of hoverports as defined in Section 4(1) of the Act where a material change of use of land is not involved and building or engineering operations are not involved.

No, Sir. The need for this has not been established.

Does not the hon. Gentleman realise that he and his right hon. Friend have misunderstood every letter I have written to them? Most of these hoverports are being established where there is no material change of user and local authorities have no control whatever. If we are to avoid chaos in the Solent, the Government must introduce an Order in Council under the Hovercraft Act to give local authorities power and control.

I am sorry that we have not been as helpful to the hon. Member as I had hoped. I realise that he has a difficult local problem. There are some strong feelings involved. The fact remains that the need has not yet been established for the sort of legislation the hon. Member has in mind.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will submit to the Roskill Commission on the location of a Third London Airport Departmental evidence on the development of vertical take-off airliners, in view of its relevance to the siting of airports.

The Commission on the Third London Airport has already received evidence from the Government on this.

Would my hon. Friend not agree that there is a great need to stress this matter since it is quite useless to have the present long and complicated inquiry involving time, labour and resources if by the '80s and '90s, when such an airport comes into operation, people can fly direct from the centre of London to the centre of New York?

I do not think that my hon. Friend's conclusions follow. I entirely agree with him that the prospects for short take-off and vertical take-off airliners are very interesting. That is why so much work is being done on this, particularly by my right hon. Friend's Department.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what assistance his Department is giving to municipal airports setting up consultative committees under Section 8(2) of the Civil Aviation Act 1968; and if he will list the authorities that are setting up such committees.

Discussions have been held with the bodies representing most aerodrome owners, and advice will continue to be available to individual aerodrome owners about the provision of facilities for consultation. In the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Faversham (Mr. Boston) on 23rd May 1969, I listed the 13 aerodromes which have been designated so far. In practice, nearly all their owners have, or intend to, set up consultative committees.—[Vol. 784, c. 171.]

Will the hon. Gentleman not agree that it is essential that these committees should be working as soon as possible? Can he give an assurance that the Maud proposals will not be used as an excuse to delay setting up these committees?

We favour widespread consultation with the interests concerned, where aerodromes are sited. We are certainly playing our full part.

Can the hon. Gentleman say how many other inquiries he has had recommending the establishment of such committees on which he has not yet given a decision, and what are the criteria which lead him to a decision?

We have so far designated aerodromes where there is most public concern. In general, we attempt to respond to local opinion, bearing in mind that a single criticism would not be sufficient to make us feel it necessary to invoke the provisions of the Act.

asked the President of the Board of Trade when he expects to receive the complete report of the Roskill Commission.

During the course of next year.

Can the right hon. Gentleman say how soon thereafter he will be willing to publish the report and when he would expect the House to have an opportunity to debate it? Assuming that the recommendations are acceptable to Parliament, how soon would he expect construction to start?

The answer to all three parts of the supplementary question is "as soon as reasonably possible".

asked the President of the Board of Trade what consultations he has had with the Chairman of British European Airways concerning the corporation's future aircraft requirements; and if he will make a statement.

We are in close touch with B.E.A. but it has not yet made any proposals to us.

Although I understand that it is very difficult to get firm dates out of the Board of Trade, can the Minister say what target dates he sees as being necessary for a firm decision on the BAC311?

It is now for B.E.A. to come back to us with firm proposals. The consequences of these for the BAC311 or any other aircraft are a matter which we would have to consider with B.E.A. and with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Technology.

asked the President of the Board of Trade when he now expects to publish the White Paper on the proposals of the Edwards Committee.

I am proceeding with the consultations to which I referred in my answer of 30th April. I aim to publish a White Paper as soon as possible but I now think it unlikely that this will be before the summer recess.

Can the President of the Board of Trade confirm or deny that the delay in discussing the future of the multi-million pound aircraft industry is due to the fact that 170 warehousemen have been on strike and, therefore, 10,000 copies of the Edwards Report have been locked in a warehouse for many weeks? If this is the chief reason for delay, would it not have been better to print a few more copies?

This is not the chief reason for the delay. We have ensured that, despite the strike, which created difficulties, copies of the report have gone to all persons and organisations closely affected. The main point is that the Edwards Report, as hon. Members who have read it will know, is a very complex and very controversial document. There are passionate feelings about it in different sections of the aviation industry. I wish to be absolutely certain that every section of the industry has the fullest opportunity to make its views known before the Government take action.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that all that he has just said is completely true?

I am sure that the right hon. Gentleman will be aware that a decision on many recommendations in the Edwards Report is very urgent. Will he consider making his decisions known, if necessarily, piecemeal when they are important, rather than wait until he is in a position to take a decision on all the recommendations?

We might consider that in particular cases. But I must insist that, given how complex and controversial the report is, it is much better for hon. Members on both sides of the House to know in detail the views of all parts of the industry before we finally make up our minds.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what facilities are normally provided by his Department at airports in British overseas territories.

The provision of facilities is primarily the responsibility of the territory concerned. But in certain cases, taking into account, for example, the financial position of a territory, the Board does from time to time contribute to the cost involved.

Would not the Minister agree that in territories such as Hong Kong, to which much wanted tourist traffic is denied by the British Government's action in refusing landing rights to foreign airlines, there is a moral obligation on the British Government to help the Government of Hong Kong to provide facilities such as the lengthening of runways at Kaitak airport?

No, I do not accept that a moral obligation is involved. Some proposals about Hong Kong have been made to us and we are considering them.

To come a bit nearer home than Hong Kong, to the capital city of Scotland, can something be done urgently about Edinburgh airport and, in particular—

Order. The House did not know that Scotland was overseas.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement about the meeting of the Commonwealth Air Transport Council.

asked the President of the Board of Trade when he will make a statement about the recent meeting of the Commonwealth Air Transport Council.

The meeting was a successful one. Nineteen members of the council and five British overseas territories were represented, and the very full agenda was usefully discussed.

What progress is being made on noise certification? What action is being taken to obtain further international agreement on this? What international agreement is being sought on the problem of sonic bangs from supersonic airliners?

The conference was not concerned primarily with certification, because, as my hon. Friend knows, this is mainly a matter for the British, French and United States Governments. The problem of noise was certainly mentioned, including by myself when opening the conference. Good progress was made in discussing all the consequences of the development of Concorde and the operation of S.S.T.

At the Commonwealth Air Transport Council, was it considered appropriate to discuss the Commonwealth Games, which are to be held in Edinburgh in 1970? In particular, what is to be done about the ground landing equipment and the ground radar equipment and Trident installations at Edinburgh airport?

I very much regret that this very important item did not find its way on to the agenda.

The hon. Gentleman said that good progress was made in discussions on the operation of Concorde. Can he say anything about what decisions were taken, or what recommendations were made, about the operation of Concorde at supersonic speeds over land?

The Council did not expect to reach decisions. It was convened largely in order to inform interested Governments of the progress which had been made in the United Kingdom. We shall keep them in touch in future, but we cannot expect just now any decisions of the kind the hon. Gentleman mentioned.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will institute discussions with the controllers of municipal and private airports on the question of aircraft noise, in order that they may have the best available technological advice in preventing undue nuisance to the public living within the radius of such airports.

As I said in reply to the hon. Member's question on 19th March, the Board of Trade is always prepared to give advice to aerodrome owners on ways to reduce aircraft noise disturbance. This advice takes account of the relevant technological factors.—[Vol 780, c. 104–5.]

Is the Minister aware that, with the trend towards greater use of municipal airports for private flying and training flying, the nuisance is increased to residents unfortunate enough to live in the area? Will he therefore do something more positive to help these people?

The arrangements which we have made for consultation at municipal airports are a good way in which local opinion can make its views known. At that stage a balance may be struck between what are sometimes competing interests.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the progress being made with the social survey being carried out into the effects upon people of aircraft noise.

We hope that the computer programmes needed for the analysis of this major sociological study will soon be ready.

Does my hon. Friend agree that serious doubts have arisen about the conclusions of the Wilson Committee on the noise and number index; and that people may be more widely affected than was previously thought? Does he agree that any conclusions on this arising as a result of the new survey need to be taken into account before a decision on the third London airport is reached?

This sociological study is in advance of anything which has been undertaken anywhere else in the world. We think that its results will be important. We shall seek to give priority to those of greatest interest to the Roskill Commission.

Will the Minister say in this context the range within which houses can be situated to an airfield used by vertical take-off airliners, and whether it is possible for such an airliner carrying 100 or more passengers to take off from the centre of a city?

In all our discussions on noise we must certainly bear in mind the prospects of vertical take-off aircraft coming into operation in, say, ten years' time.

Will the Minister bear in mind the importance of giving the House any information on this subject as soon as it is available?

Yes, we will tell the House all we can about the results of the studies.

On a point of order. I yield to none in my admiration of the daily miracle of HANSARD and when I do find an error, which is rare, my only reaction is one of astonishment. But I have to draw your attention, Mr. Speaker, and that of the House, to the fact that in yesterday's OFFICIAL REPORT there was an error in which a gross injustice has been done to the hon. Member for Rhondda, West (Mr. Alec Jones).

The hon. Member has raised his point of order with becoming modesty. I quite understand the embarrassment to both hon. Members if one hon. Member's remarks were attributed to an hon. Member on the other side. The correction will be made. I am glad that the hon. Member took the opportunity of paying a tribute to those who report so assiduously and accurately what is said in the House. As the hon. Gentleman has said, the miracle is that there are not more errors.

Mr. Speaker, I recollect that on one or two occasions in the past you have expressed the view that it is undesirable that late Questions should be tacked on to earlier Questions by Departments.

I might have had today an opportunity of invoking my own Ruling. It is not my practice to insist that an hon. Member who has down a late Question which is answered with an earlier one has the right to put a supplementary question.