asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what is his latest estimate of the effect on the output of the construction industry of the fiscal and monetary proposals contained in the Budget.

It is not possible to isolate the effect of the Budget proposals from other factors, but I expect the output of new work in 1969 to be little different from that in 1968.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works by how much the direct building force in his Department has changed in each of the last 10 years; and what plans he has for further reductions.

The numbers employed each year, which largely reflect the considerable changes which have taken place in the Ministry's workload over this decade, were as follows:

1st April, 1959	13,780
1st April, 1960	13,222
1st April, 1961	13,135
1st April, 1962	12,412
1st April, 1963	40,263
1st April, 1964	40,422
1st April, 1965	38,971
1st April, 1966	38,078
1st April, 1967	37,421
1st April, 1968	36,739
1st April, 1969	35,240

The future size of my direct labour force will be determined by the application of the new policy which I announced to the House on 20th May [Vol. 784, c. 241–3]. It is too early to say what the effect of this will be.

Evans asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what is his estimate of the cost in foreign exchange of the British embassy building recently built in Madrid.

£370,000.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works if he is satisfied with the current supply of bricks to the construction industry in Angus; and if he will make a statement.

The immediate demands of the construction industry in Angus are being met.

asked the Minister of Power what orders have been placed during the past year for pipe by the Gas Council for its pipeline programme; and what is the value of these orders to British and foreign firms, respectively.

Acting for the whole gas industry, the Gas Council has arranged orders for £23·7 million of steel pipe for the 1969 laying programme, £17·2 million from British and £6·5 from foreign sources.

asked the Minister of Power when he expects to make a further announcement about the development of deep-water terminals for unloading iron ore.

asked the Minister of Power what consultations he has had about new deep-water terminals for imports and exports with the industries for which he is responsible; and whether he will make a statement.

asked the Minister of Power when he expects to announced a decision on the proposals by the British Steel Corporation for the establishment of a new iron ore terminal on Teesside.

So far as ore terminals at Redcar and the Clyde Estuary are concerned, I would refer hon. Members to the reply given to my right hon. Friend the Member for Middlesbrough, East (Mr. Bottomley) on 11th July.—[Vol. 786, c. 337.]

asked the Minister of Power what study he has made of the reasons for increased gas usage, measured in therms, by many consumers since conversion to natural gas; and whether he will make a statement.

Average consumption per domestic consumer has increased by about 14 per cent. a year since April, 1965, well before the conversion programme started in April, 1968. This plus lower temperatures account for the increase earlier this year. Conversion which so far covers only 5 per cent. of consumers in itself should not increase consumption.

asked the Minister of Power why he does not intend to fix targets for the nationalised industries under his control all computed on the same basis.

asked the Minister of Power what financial target, in the light of his further consultations, he has now fixed for the gas industry for the current financial year.

I have nothing yet to add to the reply given to the hon. Member for Cambridge (Mr. Lane) and others on 17th June.—[Vol. 785, c. 229.]

asked the Minister of Power what financial target, in the light of his further consultations, he has now fixed for the electricity industry for the current financial year.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply to similar Questions that I gave to the hon. Members for Cirencester and Tewkesbury (Mr. Ridley) and Cambridge (Mr. Lane) earlier this afternoon.

asked the Minister of Power what was the margin of capacity of the electricity industry over the maximum demand experienced last winter.

I would refer the hon. Member to the replies given to him and the hon. Members for Bournemouth, West (Sir J. Eden) and Orpington (Mr. Lubbock) on 20th January, 13th February and 3rd March, respectively.—[Vol. 776, c. 56; Vol. 777, c. 382; Vol. 779, 52.]

asked the Minister of Power what is the output capacity of the Central Electricity Generating Board at the present time; and how this compares with 1963–64.

Last winter's experience adjusted to average cold spell conditions gives an estimated maximum demand on the C.E.G.B. of 37,600 MW as against an output capacity on 1st January, 1969, of 44,343 MW, a gross margin of 18 per cent. The corresponding figures for 1963–64 were 30,750 MW, 33,118 MW and 8 per cent. respectively.

asked the Minister of Power what is the output capacity of the Central Electricity Generating Board at the present time; by how much this differs from the demand forecast for 1969–70; what will be the output capacity of the Central Electricity Generating Board in 1974–75; how much of the additional capacity is under construction; and how this capacity compares with demand predictions for this time.

The present output capacity is about 44,500 MW. Estimated demand in average cold spell weather conditions in the winter of 1969–70 is 39,600 MW. Output capacity should be 66,000 MW in the winter of 1974–75, for which the forecast simultaneous maximum demand in average cold spell weather conditions is 53,000 MW. All of the additional capacity is under construction.

asked the Minister of Power what was the margin of capacity of the electricity industry over the maximum demand experienced last winter compared with the position in 1963–64.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to his similar Question earlier this afternoon.

asked the Minister of Power what direction he has given to gas boards about the supply of gas to high blocks of flats built by industrial methods; and whether he will direct the boards to investigate to what extent the problem of gas explosions could be avoided by the adoption of the safety device, details of which have been sent to Her Majesty's Government.

None. I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 8th July by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Housing and Local Government.—[Vol. 786, c. 240.]

asked the Minister of Power which sites in Welsh development areas were considered for the nuclear power station other than Cwmdhis Quay; and whether the views of the Welsh Economic Planning Council were sought on the site.

The C.E.G.B. are responsible for proposing sites for power stations and I am, therefore, asking the Chairman to write to my hon. Friend.

asked the Minister of Power if he will give a direction to the Eastern Electricity Board to review their method of accounting so as to prevent the further wrongful disconnection of supplies.

No. Their accounting method is a matter for the board. I am not aware that it has led to any wrongful disconnections.

asked the Minister of Power if he has yet completed his review of the temporary surcharge on the prices of petroleum products which allowed the oil companies to recover extra costs of supplying the United Kingdom as a result of the closure of the Suez Canal; and if he will make a statement.

Yes. Although some extra costs will continue, a specific surcharge is no longer appropriate and the Government have decided that it should cease to be recognised. They have discussed the situation with the leading companies and as a result the scheduled prices of all oil products, with the exception only of motor spirit and kerosene, will come down by ½d. a gallon (the present level of surcharge). These price reductions, representing approximately 80 per cent. of current surcharge recoveries at the rate of about £40 million a year, will come into effect from 23.59 hours on Wednesday, 16th July.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what assistance was given by his Department to the London Borough of Brent in the purchase of housing la id at Crawford Avenue, Harrow Road, and Stanley Avenue, Wembley; and to what extent the proposal to sell at an estimated loss of £28,000 is contingent upon approval by him.

Loan sanction was made available for the purchase of these sites but no Exchequer subsidy has been paid. The council would need my right hon. Friend's consent if it wished to sell any sites at a price below the current market value, but not otherwise.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will take steps to expedite the public inquiry into the proposed lengthening of the runway at Leeds-Bradford Airport, in view of the need to establish a jet plane service.

I understand that the local authorities intend to make a compulsory purchase order for part of the land required for the runway extension. It is desirable that a single public inquiry should cover both the planning application and the compulsory purchase order. I will arrange a date for an inquiry as soon as the order is made.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will give details of the estimated annual costs of running Brockhole, near Windermere, as a Lake District National Park Centre, including wages, loan charges and other major costs.

The estimated annual cost of running the Lake District National Park Centre at Brockhole is £32,000, which includes £14,000 for wages, £9,000 for loan charges and £3,600 for rates.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will give details of the total expenditure which has been incurred by the Lake District Planning Board in establishing a National Park Centre at Brockhole, near Windermere.

The National Park Centre at Brockhole was purchased at a cost of £65,000 and is being developed within an estimated cost of £56,000 which includes £19,000 for the car park and £14,000 for toilets. Details of the balance of the development costs will not be available until accounts have been rendered to the Park Planning Board, but it includes such items as the construction of a jetty, the laying out of grounds, and the conversion and equipment of a flat for the director.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what charges are made for the car park at Brockhole, near Windermere, at the Lake District National Park Centre; how many visitors are expected in a full year; what the total revenue from car park and entrance charges will be; and to what extent it is estimated that the revenue from car parking will make a contribution to the cost of the project.

The charges made for the car park at Brockhole are:Cars: 2s. for the first hour and thereafter 1s. per hour.Coaches: £1 for two hours and then 4s. per hour.The number of visitors in a full year is estimated at 100,000 and the annual revenue from the car park at £12,000. There is no entrance charge but further revenue is expected from the cafeteria vending machines, from a putting green, from the rent for the director's flat, and from the sale of publications. The Countryside Commission will contribute 80 per cent. of the net expenditure.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT a table showing the caravan sites provided for gipsies in England and Wales as at 30th June, 1969, giving, in each case, the name of the local authority and the number of pitches on the site; and if, in addition, he will give details of the sites for which loan sanction has been granted, but which are not yet in operation.

Following is a list of caravan sites for gipsies provided by local authorities in England and Wales as at 30th June, 1969, and the number of pitches on each site:

ENGLAND
County	Local Authority	Pitches
Berkshire	Bradfield RD	14
Bradfield RD	Wantage RD	3
Buckingham	Eton RD	31
Greater London	Bromley LB	12
Greater London	Havering LB	27
Greater London	Redbridge LB	16
Greater London	Hillingdon LB	15
Hampshire	Andover B	6
Hampshire	Hartley Wintney RD	15
Hampshire	Ringwood and Fordingbridge	5
Hertford	Bushey UD	27
Hertford	Hertford RD	20
Hertford	Hemel Hempstead B	6
Kent	Maidstone RD	12
Kent	Mailing RD	12
Kent	Hollingbourne RD	12
Kent	Sevenoaks RD	12
Kent	Strood RD	12
Lincoln (Lindsey)	Spilsby RD	15
Surrey	Godstone RD	50
Surrey	Guildford RD	10
Sussex (East)	Cuckfield RD	7
Sussex (East)	Hailsham RD	3
Sussex (East)	Hailsham RD	3
Worcester	Bromsgrove RD	12
Total—25 sites		357 pitches

WALES
Carmarthen	Llanelli B	24
Monmouthshire	Nantyglo and Blaina UD	15
Total—2 sites		39 pitches

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many caravan pitches for gipsies have been provided by local authorities in England and Wales as at 30th June; how this compares with the equivalent figure for 1968; what percentage of the gipsy population he estimates is accommodated on these pitches; and whether he is satisfied with this rate of progress.

There were 396 pitches at 30th June, 1969, compared with 334 at 30th June, 1968. These will accommodate about 10 per cent. of gipsy families. I do not yet regard the rate of progress as satisfactory.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he has considered the representations put to him by the hon. Member for Orpington on the cost of implementing Part II of the Caravan Sites Act; and if he will now give a revised estimate, in the light of figures supplied to him by the hon. Member.

The hon. Member will now have received a letter about this from my noble Friend, the Joint Parliamentary Secretary. I am afraid that we were not able to draw any conclusions from his representations.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will take steps to encourage the use of habitable empty properties which are not soon due for demolition for housing homeless families.

This issue arises particularly in London, with its great volume of redevelopment and intense housing pressures, and the Ministry has already written to the London local authorities about this in the following terms:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many bad debt and business failures occurred in the second quarter of 1969 and 1968, respectively; and how far he estimates the increase is due to the incidence of the selective employment tax and high interest rates.

Liquidations and bankruptcies in England and Wales in the second quarter of 1968 numbered 3,154. The provisional figure for the second quarter of 1969 is 3,239. It is not possible to isolate the causes of business failures.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information will be specified on the new form of certificate which he intends to substitute for the present form R62 used by banks; and whether banks will complete these forms for any interest paid to them or only interest allowable for tax purposes.

The information in question is set out in paragraph 15 of Schedule 13 to the Finance Bill and the Report Stage Amendments—Nos. 308 and 274—which I propose to that paragraph. Banks will be required to give a certificate of interest paid if the customer asks for it, without concerning themselves with his right to tax relief.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer by what means the Treasury ensures adherence by Departments to the purchasing principles it lays down.

The Treasury and purchasing Departments work closely together in agreeing purchasing principles and ensuring that they are observed. Individual Departments have a clear responsibility in this respect, as has the Treasury in the exercise, through normal means, of its control of expenditure.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the general policy of keeping contract awards secret was last reviewed; and on what criteria it was decided that it should be continued.

This policy is kept under review. Tenders for equipment and stores are normally submitted in confidence, and details of awards are there-force not customarily published. On request, unusuccessful bidders are told in general terms why they received no award.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the estimated total number of staff which will be required to operate the nine regional computer centres to be set up to handle the tax affairs of employees in Great Britain, the number of staff of the Inland Revenue who will be redundant as a result, and the net decrease in total staff of the Inland Revenue in each of the next 10 years.

When fully operational, there will be approximately 26,000 staff in the computer centres. This is a saving over the period of approximately 8,000 staff which will be achieved mainly by natural wastage and the slowing down of recruitment. It does not follow that the total Inland Revenue staff will decrease in the immediate future.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the nine regional computer centres to be set up to handle the tax affairs of employees in Great Britain will deal with the aspects of taxable income other than that which comes under Pay As You Earn.

It is proposed to transfer to these centres other types of work now carried out in tax districts and collections.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the rise in the cost of living since October 1964 to the most recent convenient date; which items in the cost-of-living index have risen most; and by how much in each case.

The cost of living, as measured by the index of retail prices, rose by 21·9 per cent. between October, 1964, and May, 1969, the latest date for which information is available. The percentage increases shown by each of the component groups of the index in this period are given below:

Food	21·9
Alcoholic drink	23·2
Tobacco	23·6
Housing	26·7
Fuel and light	22·9
Durable household goods	14·2
Clothing and footwear	11·0
Transport and vehicles	21·8
Miscellaneous goods	25·1
Services	30·8

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is now the total number of staff in Treasury and Bank of England, respectively, employed full-time or part-time in administering Statutory Instrument No. 438, 1966; and what is the estimated total cost in the current year of administering and enforcing this Order.

The Treasury has two people employed part-time on administration connected with the control of gold coins, with limited ancillary support. The Bank of England have three or four people employed full-time or part-time in administration. The cost of administering and enforcing the control cannot be estimated, but I am satisfied that it is low.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he proposes to bring to the attention of those members of the public who, contrary to Statutory Instrument No 438, 1966, have not so far declared to the Bank of England the gold coins they are holding, the necessity of doing so w thin the present period of amnesty from prosecution.

None. Anyone holding gold coins in contravention of the Exchange Control Act, 1947, is liable to prosecution. The intention of not seeking to bring proceedings against those who make voluntary disclosures is already well known.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the amount of the sterling balances guaranteed under the agreements with sterling area countries concluded last September, at end-March this year; and whether he will make arrangements to publish this information generally.

At end-March, 1969, the sterling balances guaranteed by the United Kingdom under the sterling agreements of last September totalled rather more than £1,900 million. Arrangements have been made for quarterly figures of the amount of the balances guaranteed under the sterling agreements to be published in the regular article on the United Kingdom's balance of payments published each quarter in Economic Trends.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will show the actual receipts to his Department in each of the months of the calendar year 1968 in respect of payments of surtax; and if he will give a breakdown of each monthly figure to show how much of it was attributed

SURTAX NET RECEIPT 1968
£'000
		January	February	March	April	May	June
Total	…	67,612	41,322	28,091	15,065	12,317	8,672
Surtax for the year:
1960–61	…	51	67	85	62	99	74
1961–62	…	43	87	138	88	66	73
1962–63	…	87	113	171	122	148	130
1963–64	…	351	204	193	215	198	180
1964–65	…	719	508	622	445	611	507
1965–66*	…	3,951	3,385	3,513	2,582	2,593	2,085
1966–67	…	61,938	36,558	22,118	11,190	8,304	5,302
1967–68	…	—	—	—	—	8	20

		July	August	September	October	November	December
Total	…	9,224	6,792	6,326	6,760	6,723	10,949
Surtax for the year:
1960–61	…	54	47	80	43	44	43
1961–62	…	110	35	94	62	13	55
1962–63	…	193	78	108	131	88	61
1963–64	…	238	206	160	185	105	111
1964–65	…	555	539	354	369	304	233
1965–66*	…	2,363	1,730	1,346	1,500	1,193	921
1966–67	…	5,417	3,847	2,621	2,805	2,308	1,496
1967–68	…	51	79	1,023	1,319	2,442	7,935
* Including the 10 per cent, surcharge.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimates he has received from the joint stock banks of the number of additional bank accounts that will now have to be opened in order to enable taxpayers to separate interest charges which are allowable from those which are disallowable under Clause 18 of the Finance Bill.

My right hon. Friend has received no such estimate.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has now given guidance to the joint stock banks on the amended revision of the R62 Bank Interest Certificate which will be required as a result of Clause 18 of the Finance Bill.

No, but I have tabled amendments—Nos. 308 and 274—to Paragraph 15 of Schedule 13 to the Finance Bill which show what will be required.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in accordance with the normal practice of investigating

The figures required are given below:suspected contravention of exchange control, he has now done so with regard to the case submitted to him by the hon. Member for West Ham, North; and whether he will forward the evidence available to him, which appears to justify a prosecution, to the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Inquiries have begun, but are not yet complete and may well take some time.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make a further statement on developments in Rhodesia.

I have nothing to add to my right hon. Friend's statement in the House on 24th June.—[Vol. 785, c. 1218–27.]

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the production and sale of stamps for Anguilla.

Arrangements are now in hand for the design and production of a special series of stamps for Anguilla and it is expected that they will be put on sale in a few weeks.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will give the total cost to date to his Department of the Anguillan operation.

The extra cost of the Anguilla operation up to the end of June, and lying against Foreign and Commonwealth Office votes, is £100,000 including the sum of £88,000 which represents the cost so far of the Anguilla Police Unit.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will seek to discuss with the Soviet Government the mutual advantages of establishing a full European Common Market from the Urals to the Atlantic, as an alternative to the present Common Market.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister gave him on 8th July.—[Vol. 786, c. 1156.]

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what further discussions he has had with the major Powers on the situation in the Middle East.

My right hon. Friend and I had useful talks on 10th July with Mr. Joseph Sisco, the Assistant Secretary of State for Near East and South Asian Affairs in the State Department. We also remain in touch with the other two Governments taking part in the Four Power meetings.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will set up a committee of inquiry into the possibilities and economic advantages of siting a permanent exhibition centre in Great Britain.

I wholly accept the urgent need for a National Exhibition Centre. My concern is to see the project become a reality at the earliest possible date, and I do not think that a committee would help with this.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what has been the rise in average import and export prices since devaluation.

Between October, 1967, and May, 1969, the unit value indices for imports and exports increased by 14 and 10 per cent. respectively.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is his estimate of expenditure overseas on timber in every form, including pulp and paper, in each of the next five years; what proportion of the total consumption figure he estimates will be met by home-grown supplies; and what steps he will take to stimulate import substitution in the interests of the balance of payments situation.

No such estimate is available, but the proportion of total consumption which can be met by homegrown timber is necessarily very limited. The Departments concerned are aware of the need to encourage the best use of indigenous supplies.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he estimates work on the Ayr and Kilmarnock bypass will be finished.

On present information I estimate that the Ayr scheme will be completed by the autumn of 1971 and the Kilmarnock scheme late in 1972.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will initiate a a public inquiry into the Scottish Development Department's plans to route the reconstructed A9 through the centre of Dunblane.

I am not aware of any need for one.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the comparative costs of the present scheme to route the reconstructed A9 through Dunblane and the original plan by a bypass.

The estimates made by my Department are over £2 million for the bypass; and £½ million for dual carriageways through Dunblane plus a further £½ million if grade separated junctions are needed at a later stage.

asked the Secretary of State for Emloyment and Productivity how many hours she estimates were lost to industry through unofficial strikes during the three weeks preceding 19th June and the three weeks subsequent to that date.

Official statistics of stoppages of work due to industrial disputes relate to calendar months and it is impracticable to extract figures for other periods.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity how many stoppages of work due to individual disputes have been recorded by her Department as beginning in the weeks ending 21st June, 28th June and 5th July, respectively.

Official statistics of stoppages of work due to industrial disputes relate to calendar months and it is impracticable to extract figures for other periods.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what were the numbers of persons employed in Rhondda in the coalmining, transport, manufacturing and service industries in 1968; and what was the number employed in these industries in 1958.

The estimates for 1958 were analysed according to the 1948 edition of the Standard Industrial Classification and for some industries and groups of industries are not comparable with those for subsequent years for which the 1958 edition was used. Following is the information for 1958, 1959 and 1968:

ESTIMATED NUMBERS OF EMPLOYEES, EMPLOYED AND UNEMPLOYED, IN THE AREA COVERED BY THE TONYPANDY, TREORCHY AND FERNDALE EMPLOYMENT EXCHANGES
	(Thousands)
	1958	1959	1968
Coalmining (Minimum List Heading 10 of the 1948 SIC and 101 of the 1958 SIC)	12·7	11·7	3·6
Transport and Communication (Order XIX)	1·4	1·5	1·1
Manufacturing industries (Orders III to XVI)	8·8	6·4	8·0
Service industries (Orders XIX to XXIV)	10·0	10·6	9·3

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity if she will list the numbers of men, women and youths registered as unemployed in each of the employment exchanges in Rhondda in March, 1967, March, 1968 and March, 1969, respectively.

The following is the information:

NUMBERS REGISTERED AS UNEMPLOYED IN THE AREAS COVERED BY THE TONYPANDY, TREORCHY AND FERNDALE EMPLOYMENT EXCHANGES
	Men	Women	Boys and Girls*	Total
Tonypandy
March, 1967	808	298	165	1,271
March, 1968	699	156	83	938
March, 1969	758	157	83	998
Treorchy
March, 1967	599	123	—	722
March, 1968	462	107	—	569
March, 1969	421	69	—	490
Ferndale
March, 1967	240	66	—	306
March, 1968	236	66	—	302
March, 1969	256	50	—	306
* The Tonypandy Youth Employment Service Careers Office also covers Treorchy and Ferndale.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what was the number of work vouchers issued to firms in the Huddersfield county borough for Commonwealth immigrants in 1965, 1966, 1967 and 1968.

The number of vouchers issued in response to applications made by employers in the Huddersfield county borough was:

1965	101
1966	32
1967	70
1968	28

asked the Prime Minister what arrangements have been made by him to secure Ministerial coordination in dealing with the opportunities and problems arising from the construction of Eurotunnel.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to a similar question about the Channel tunnel by my hon. Friend the Member for Hampstead (Mr. Whitaker) on 10th July.—[Vol. 786, c. 1571–5.]

asked the Prime Minister whether the public speech of the Chancellor of the Exchequer at Bury St. Edmunds on 22nd June, 1969, on the balance of payments, represents the policy of Her Majesty's Government.

Yes.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will appoint an independent organisation to assess and report upon the effectiveness of Government information services.

These matters are kept under review, but I have no plans to appoint an independent inquiry of the kind my hon. Friend has in mind.

asked the Prime Minister whether he now proposes to take the chair at further meetings at No. 10 Downing Street with the Trades Union Congress.

asked the Prime Minister what progress he has made as a result of his further meeting with representatives of the Trades Union Congress.

On my discussions with the T.U.C. I would refer to what I said at the end of Questions on 19th June. I have no immediate plans for a further meeting with the T.U.C.—[Vol. 785, c. 700–14.]

asked the Prime Minister whether he will invite the new President of France to engage in talks about British entry into the Common Market.

I would refer my hon. Friend to my reply to a Question by the hon. Member for Dorset, West (Mr. Wingfield Digby) on 24th June.—[Vol. 785, c. 1215–6.]

asked the Prime Minister what is the total expenditure incurred by the Government in seeking admission to the European Economic Community since October, 1964.

It is not feasible to make such a calculation.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will support the proposal that there should be a regular meeting of all Ministers responsible for scientific and technological development within the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.

I am not sure what proposal the hon. Member has in mind. I would however refer to paragraph 14 of the communiqué issued at the end of the last meeting of N.A.T.O. Foreign Ministers in Washington which was circulated in the OFFICIAL REPORT on 28th April.—[Vol. 782, c. 923–6.]

asked the Prime Minister on what date he received the communication dated 22nd June from the hon. Member for West Ham, North, concerning the costs of strengthening tower blocks resultant upon the Ronan Point disaster; when he replied; and what was the nature of his reply.

I received my hon. Friend's letter on 23rd June and, as he is aware, replied on 3rd July.

asked the Prime Minister if he will publish the reply he has sent to the representations submitted by the 11 presidents of trade associations that specialist retailers should be exempted from the selective employment tax.

There will be no objection to the trade associations publishing the reply which is being sent from my office today, if they wish.

asked the Prime Minister if he will ensure that full details of any new contract of employment between Her Majesty's Government and the Chairman of the National Board for Prices and Incomes are published in the OFFICIAL REPORT; and if he will undertake that no obligations are entered into in such a contract which would involve the payment of compensation from public funds in the event of the termination of Mr. Jones' present employment before the completion of such a contract

The terms of any new contract would be announced in the usual way. In the event of termination of an appointment of this kind before completion of the contract, compensation would be considered in accordance with the normal practice.

asked the Attorney-General if he has now received the report of the Royal Commission on Assizes and Quarter Sessions; and when this report will be published.

The Royal Commission has not yet reported; but, as I have said in answer to previous Questions, it has reached an advanced stage in its work and will report in the course of this year. The report will be published as soon as can be arranged.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will take steps to ensure that aerosol and other containers of insecticides are labelled with their ingredients, in view of the recent evidence submitted to him by the Consumers Association.

Under the voluntary Pesticides Safety Precaution Scheme, containers of insecticides sold for use in agriculture, home gardens and food storage are labelled with the names of their active ingredients. We propose later this year to make Regulations under the Farm and Garden Chemicals Act, 1967, which will make such labelling compulsory for pesticides used on farms and in gardens. We are also considering legislation which would include similar compulsory provisions for all pesticides now covered by the voluntary Scheme.Responsibility for the safe use of insecticides in other spheres does not rest with my Department, but the possibility of extending control to cover these further uses is being considered by the Departments concerned.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proportion of the land surface of England is covered by productive woodlands; and how this percentage compares with the average figure for Europe as a whole but excluding the United Kingdom, from figures available to him from international sources.

About 4 per cent. compared with about 13 per cent. for Europe as a whole.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list all the properties or parts of properties in Central London which have been built during the last

Date of completion		Location		Type of construction					Cost of construction £
1962	…	Chelsea Barracks	…	Married quarters and reconstruction of barracks					2,100,000
1963	…	Wellington Barracks	…	Guards Chapel	…	…	…	…	171,000
1965	…	Millbank Hospital	…	Sister Tutors Department (Prefabricated Construction)					8,000
1965	…	65/69 Parkhurst Road, Holloway, N.7		T.A. Centre	…	…	…	…	97,900
1965	…	Wellington Barracks	…	Temporary stabling-cover accommodation for Hyde Park Barracks rebuild					134,000
1967	…	Tower of London	…	Guard Room	…	…	…	…	15,000
1967	…	Millbank Hospital	…	Technical accommodation (Prefabricated Construction)					10,000
1968	…	Army Careers Information Office, Holloway		Office accommodation (Prefabricated Construction)					2,200
1968	…	54 Kensington Park Road		24 Officers' married quarters			…	…	207,000
Scheduled for 1970		Hyde Park Barracks	…	Married quarters and reconstruction of barracks					3,400,000

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the estimated cost so far to his Department of the Anguillan operation.

The extra costs of this operation reported by the end of June and at present lying on Defence Votes amount to a little over half a million pounds.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development what assistance he is providing to teacher training courses overseas this summer.

At the request of overseas Governments we are sending teams of tutors to 24 countries, 18 Commonwealth and 6 foreign, in Africa, Asia, the Pacific, the Caribbean and the Mediterranean. 24 Directors of Studies and 156 tutors will go from Britain and some 3,000 overseas teachers are expected to participate. The bulk of the courses are intended to play a part in a continuing programme of educational innovation in the overseas countries concerned, in such subjects as English, science and mathematics, and teaching methods.

Building which has taken place within 5 miles of Charing Cross is as follows:

asked the Minister of Overseas Development what steps his Department is taking to ensure that British storage equipment is suitable for use in the developing countries.

The Tropical Stored Products Centre, a department of the Ministry's Tropical Products Institute, maintains close liaison with manufacturers of storage equipment and associated apparatus and advises on modifications for use in the tropics.The Tropical Stored Products Centre has for instance assisted the primary British silo manufacturer; in modifying designs to ensure efficient air-tightness or gas-tightness and more even temperatures within their structures to effect insect control. This is essential in the tropics but may not be necessary in Britain. The Centre has collaborated with manufacturers in the development of new moisture meters for use with copra, for which there was no suitable meter on the market, and in the development of new methods for inspecting produce. A new British instrument which replaces X-ray equipment for examining cereals has come from the Centre's activities. The Centre also has designed a way of incorporating equipment for the application of insecticides into bulk grain storage plants.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development what additional financial aid the British Government will provide to the Ghana Government in the year 1969–70 following the meeting on aid to Ghana sponsored by the International Monetary Fund which was held in Paris in May.

We are increasing our £2 million loan to Ghana by £1·65 million. An agreement with the Ghana Government was signed in Accra on 14th July. With the carry-over of disbursements from the 1968 loan, this brings the total of British financial aid to Ghana in 1969–70 to about £4 million.The loan, interest-free with a maturity of 25 years, is for the purchase of British goods and services and as a contribution towards the cost of development projects to be agreed between the two countries.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs what financial assistance has been given in each of the last five years to development corporations and other similar bodies in each of the five development areas.

The information is as follows:

GOVERNMENT GRANTS TO DEVELOPMENT COUNCILS
£ (thousand)
	Northern Development Area		Scottish Development Area	Welsh Development Area
	North East Development Council	Cumberland Development Council	Scottish Council (Development and Industry)	Development Corporation for Wales
1964–65	40	—	40	—
1965–66	30	—	30	—
1966–67	20	—	20	5
1967–68	10	4	10	5
1968–69	10	4	10	5

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the estimated cost in the current year of grants to postgraduate students from the Research Council and his own Department, respectively.

The estimated cost in 1969–70 of grants to postgraduate students, including fellowships and bursaries, is £6,996,000 from the Research Councils and £1,369,000 from my Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the current average cost per place per annum of students in establishments of further education engaged in school level work, intermediate level work and advanced level work, respectively.

Courses of further education are now classified as Al, A2, B and C, of which Al and A2 together broadly correspond to the old classification of advanced level work, B to intermediate level and C school level. I estimate the annual net cost per full-time equivalent student in 1969–70 at £684 for A1, £584 for A2, £428 for B and £368 for C. These figures take no account of any increase in teachers' salaries in further education from 1st April, 1969.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will seek to remove from the operation of the Parliament Act legislation to amend electoral law.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has received the representation from the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants asking for a grant to allow it to set up offices in India, Pakistan and the Caribbean to provide an advisory service in connection with the temporary non-statutory appeals system; what reply he has sent; and if he will make a statement.

Yes. I have decided to appoint an independent person to inquire into this matter. I have therefore invited Sir Derek Hilton, M.B.E.,

"to consider what arrangements should be made to advise Commonwealth dependants overseas who wish to come to the United Kingdom for settlement about the procedure for obtaining entry certificates, and the facilities for appealing against a refusal to issue a certificate."

I am glad to say that Sir Derek has agreed to undertake this enquiry. The voluntary bodies and others concerned will be able to make their views known to him.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what was the total of the salaries paid in the last year to the 52 regional medical officers concerned with containing the prescribing costs of doctors;(2) what was the total cost of the expenses, including all car allowances, paid to the 52 regional medical officers who visit general practitioners to discuss their prescribing costs for the last year to a convenient date.

In 1968–69 about £190,000 in salary and about £17,000 in expenses was paid to officers of the regional medical service concerned with the prescribing costs of doctors. On average about a third of the time of these officers was spent on visits in which prescribing was among the matters discussed, in general or particular terms. Other Departmental staff and staff employed by the Joint Pricing Committee were engaged on preparation of the statistical material used by these officers in discussing with doctors their individual prescribing costs.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a list of those local health authorities who have taken no action so far to implement the powers granted to them by the National Health Service (Family Planning) Act, 1967.

Recent inquiries have shown that all authorities in England are now providing a family planning service of some kind, with the exception of Bootle, who are actively considering the matter in conjunction with the Family Planning Association. 80 per cent. of authorities have expanded their service following the National Health Service (Family Planning) Act, 1967. I regret that full information is riot available to enable me to list authorities who do not provide a service in non -medical cases; I am, however, arranging to collect for next year onwards statistical information covering this point.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many foreign doctors applying for the first time for temporary registration, who had the necessary qualifications, were refused registration in 1966, 1967 and 1968 respectively.

I regret that information is not available in the form requested. When a first application is not accepted by the General Medical Council this is not usually a final refusal. Applications for temporary registration relate to specified posts and the Council from time to time regards a particular post as unsuitable having regard to the qualifications and experience of the doctor but might be ready to grant registration in relation to a different post.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many women domiciled in Scotland were aborted in National Health Service hospitals and private clinics in England and Wales during each quarter since the beginning of 1968.

Since the Abortion Act 1967 came into operation. (27th April, 1968) notifications of abortion received in England and Wales in respect of women usually resident in Scotland were as follows:

	Place of termination
Notifications received during	National Health Service hospitals	Approved places
27th April–30th June, 1968	1	16
1st July–30th September, 1968	8	11
1st October–31st December, 1968	4	19
1st January-31st March, 1969	4	37

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what were the numbers of consultant dental surgeons and periodontologists employed by the North-West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board for each of the last five years.

The numbers of consultant dental surgeons, employed for each of the last five years, were 11, 10, 11, 12 and 12 respectively. Many of them are employed part-time and the whole-time equivalent figures are 7·1, 6·9, 7·0, 7·8 and 7·6 respectively. The work of these consultant dental surgeons includes periodontics.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what were the numbers of consultant ophthalmologists employed by the North-West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board for each of the last five years.

26, 26, 26, 26 and 23 respectively. Many of these doctors are employed part-time, and the whole-time equivalent figures are 10·0, 11·4, 11·7, 11·5 and 11·7 respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services by what means nurses and members of the public are informed about proposed changes in hospital staffing, when these are not reported by newspapers.

It is for the responsible hospital authority to arrange for nurses to be informed about staffing changes in particular hospitals which affect them. The professional and staff associations are consulted on national changes of staffing policy and have their own channels of communication with their members. Reports which recommend major national changes in staffing structure (such as that of the Salmon Committee) are published and available through Her Majesty's Stationery Office and widely discussed in professional journals on sale to nurses and interested members of the public. My Department also brings them to the attention of hospital authorities who make their own arrangements to inform their staffs on matters of interest to them.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will instruct his Department's Press Office to send a single copy of each of its Press releases to the Orpington Nurses and Citizens Association.

Yes.

asked the Minister of Technology what is the total annual value of contracts placed by his Department from 1964 until the latest year for which figures are available in total and by industry order; and what percentage was placed as a result of competitive tendering in each year.

The net total annual value of production contracts placed by industry order for 1967–68 and 1968–69 is detailed below. No statistics are available for earlier years broken down into industry order.

S.I.C. Order Number	Value	Competition
	£	Per cent
IV	1,220,000	7
V	1,229,497	8
VI	273,965	24
VII	8,231,731	12
VIII	7,301,519	15
IX	95,883,707	16
X	113,275	33
XI	161,277,747	—
XII	531,701	30
XIX	9,983,522	32
Not allocated	1,257,812	17
Totals	287,304,476	8

asked the Minister of Technology in what ways the organisation of the contracts division of his Department has been altered since the description given of it in paragraphs 21 and 22 of the Report of the Committee of Inquiry into certain contracts made with Bristol Siddeley Limited.

Paragraphs 21 and 22 of the report did not mention the existence of the Directorate of Administration—set up in its present form in 1965—the third Directorate of Contracts—set up in November, 1967—or the Directorate of Patents, which is of long standing. This structure has not required significant alteration beyond the strengthening of the staff involved, since the report was published.

asked the Minister of Technology how many times during the past five years the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Bedford, has been open to the public.