asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proposals he has to cull seals on the Fame Islands.

I have nothing further to add to the reply given to the hon. Member on 14th May.—[Vol. 783, c. 213.]

asked the Secretary of State for Defence of the products procured by his Department regularly for three years or more, what proportion has, within the last three years, been specifically reviewed to evaluate product design against present need and potential cost reduction.

The scrutiny of all operational requirements includes an assessment of the potential trade-off between specification and cost. In particular, value analysis techniques have been applied intramurally both at the design stage and to production equipment, and in addition a requirement to apply value engineering techniques has been introduced into appropriate contracts.A special study is being made to determine the optimum organisational structure within the Ministry for the application of value analysis techniques to all aspects of design and procurement.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what committee exists within his Department to co-ordinate procurement policies; what is its composition and terms of reference; and how often it meets.

There is no single committee to co-ordinate procurement policy, in the wider sense, within the Ministry of Defence. Defence procurement policy generally is co-ordinated by the Second Permanent Under-Secretary of State (Equipment).The Director General of Defence Contracts, who represents the Ministry of Defence on the Official Committee on Public Sector Purchasing and the Procurement Policy Committee, is responsible for ensuring that Ministry of Defence procurement is carried out in accordance with Government purchasing policy. He meets regularly with his purchasing directors and his directors of administration and accountancy to co-ordinate the purchasing policy and methods followed by the Defence Contracts organisation.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether manuals of procurement instructions and regulations are provided for procurement officers in his Department; and what arrangements are made to ensue compliance.

Instructions and regulations governing procurement exist in various forms covering general policy and detailed procedure. Compliance is ensured by normal line management, and contract managers regularly scrutinise procedures followed in individual cases.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what are the salaries of the most senior officer with full-time responsibility for procurement, and of those reporting directly to him.

The annual salaries of the officers concerned are as follows:

	£
Director General of Defence Contracts	5,500	+ £125 London weighting in each case
Director of Contracts (1)	5,080
Director of Contracts (2)	5,080
Director of Contracts (Administration)	4,950
Director of Contract Accountancy	4,950,

These rates are subject to adjustment in the light of the Government Statement in the House of Commons on 11th July, 1969, on the pay of the Higher Civil Service.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of procurement staff in his Department are

EXECUTIVE AND CLERICAL STAFF
Directorate			Directorate 1	Directorate 2	Administration	Accountancy	Total
Director General	…	…	—	—	—	—	1
Director	…	…	1	1	1	—	3
Deputy Director (P.E.O.)		…	4	4	—	—	8
Assistant Director (S.C.E.O.)		…	11	7	2	—	20
Chief Executive Officer	…	…	3	—	—	—	3
Senior Executive Officer	…	…	26	27	5	—	58
Higher Executive Officer	…	…	53	52	9	—	114
Executive Officer	…	…	99	147	18	3	267
Clerical Staff	…	…	201	209	78	22	510
Total	…	…	398	447	113	25	984

PROFESSIONAL AND TECHNICAL STAFF
Directorate			Directorate 1	Directorate 2	Administration	Accountancy	Total
Director	…	…	—	—	—	1	1
Assistant Director	…	…	—	—	—	3	3
Chief Accountant	…	…	—	—	—	14	14
Senior Accountant/Accountant		…	—	—	—	51	51
Recording Staff	…	…	—	—	—	57	57
Patent Staff	…	…	2	—	—	—	2
Visiting Inspectorate	…	…	12	—	—	—	12
Timber Inspectorate	…	…	2	—	—	—	2
Custodian of Patterns	…	…	1	—	—	—	1
Technical Grade II	…	…	—	2	—	—	2
Total	…	…	17	2	—	126	145
Grand Total	…	…	415	449	113	151	1,129

2. The present organisation which was set up earlier this year by merging, on a functional basis, the former separate Navy, Army and Air Force Contracts Directorates, is at present undergoing a comprehensive review in the light of current and future needs. It is not possible to give meaningful comparisons with previous years on the same basis. The

The information required to answer this Question is not readily available and cannot be produced without disproportionate effort, but the number is likely to be small.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the establishment, by numbers of staff in each grade, of each directorate or section concerned with procurement; and what has been its average strength in each of the past three years.

The current establishment of the Director-General of Contracts is as follows:following figures indicate average strengths of the three Service Contract Departments prior to the reorganisation:

	Navy	Army	Air Force	Total
1967	499	433	108	1,040
1968	554	438	110	1,102
1969	576	434	107	1,117

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the average length of service in the procurement function of staff currently allotted to it.

Executive contracts staff: about 10 years.Professional Accountants: about 12 years.Clerical staff have been excluded as a large proportion have been in the service for a very short time and their inclusion would distort the general picture.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence to what extent the same organisation and staff of his Department is required to handle negotiated procurement and competitive tendering; and what proportion of staff is allocated to each.

There is no deliberate segragation of procurement by negotiation and competitive tendering respectively and staff are trained to function in both fields.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence to which professional institutes and institutions procurement staff belong; and how many of the staff belong to each of these professional bodies.

• Institute of Purchasing and Supply: 3 Fellows, 11 Members.
• British Institute of Management: 4 Associate Members.
• Value Engineering Association: 3 Members.
• Institute of Chartered Accountants: 42 Fellows, 13 Members, 6 Associates.
• Institute of Cost and Works Accountants: 2 Members, 3 Associates.
• Association of Certified and Corporate Accountants: 1 Fellow, 3 Associates.
• Institute of Internal Auditors: 1 Member, 1 Associate.
• Chartered Institute of Secretaries: 2 Fellows, 1 Associate.
• Corporation of Secretaries: 1 Fellow.
• Institute of Work Study Practitioners: 1 Associate Member.
• Royal Institute of Public Administration: 1 Member.
• Royal Institute of Naval Architects: 1 Associate.
• Royal Institute of Chemistry: 1 Associate.
• Institute of Electrical Inspectors: 1 Associate.
• Royal Society of Health: 1 Associate.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what staff, by number and grades, is allocated full-time to standardisation and variety reduction within his Department.

The Directorate of Standardisation was created within the Ministry of Defence in 1965, and its staff employed full-time on standardisation and variety reduction are as follows:

Grade	Numbers
Brigadier	1
Asst. Directors/Eng. (Director)	2
Engineer Grade I	4
Engineer Grade II	3
Engineering Tech. Grade "B"	6
Engineering Tech. Grade I	19
Engineering Tech. Grade II	53
Senior Executive Officer	1
Higher Executive Officer	2
Executive Officer	9
Clerical staff	36
Total	136

In addition, the following staff in other areas are also employed full-time on similar duties:

Wing Commander	1
Squadron Leader	1
Major	1
Retired Officer Grade III	2
Technical Grade "B"	2
Technical Grade I	4
Engineer Grade II	1
Experimental Officer	2
Chief Draughtsman	1
Senior Draughtsman	3
Leading Draughtsman	7
Draughtsman	7
Drawing Office Assistant	3
Senior Scientific Assistant	2
Senior Production Engineer	3
Clerical Staff	7
Total	47

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what costing and accounting support is provided to the Contracts Directorate in his Department; and whether this is organised as an integral part of the Contracts Directorate or as a separate supporting activity.

Technical costing advice is provided by the Ministry of Technology's Directorate of Technical Costs, which is part of that Ministry's contract organisation, and by technical estimators employed in various production directorates in my Department.Accountancy advice is provided either by the Ministry of Defence Contracts accountancy directorate or, where appropriate, by the corresponding directorate within the Ministry of Technology Contracts organisation.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence, whether in view of the fact that it has been the custom for Defence Force officers from Trinidad and Tobago to be trained at British military and naval institutions, and that a number are going for training to the United States of America, he will ensure that places for this training are made available in Great Britain.

Military training is made available in the United Kingdom Service establishments for personnel of the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force in the same way as for personnel of other Commonwealth countries. There is no reason to suppose that these arrangements will not continue in the future.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs whether, in order to inform the general public in the area, he will publish a Green Paper setting out the work completed by the several agencies involved and alternative strategies under consideration by his Department for development in the Severnside area.

It would be premature to publish any Government statement on the work in question before the Central Unit for Environmental Planning has submitted its Severnside Report.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what study he has made of the employment prospects for musicians in Scotland.

The Scottish Arts Council set up a year ago a Committee of Inquiry into Orchestral Demands and Resources in Scotland. Its Report is likely to be published later this year.The Orchestral Resources Inquiry set up by the Arts Council of Great Britain has begun work, while the Committee of Inquiry into Opera and Ballet is also likely to publish its Report this year.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much money was spent during the financial year 1968–69, and how much is planned to be spent in 1969–70 on Press, television and billboard advertising for the purpose of increasing the recruitment of teachers.

There was no expenditure on either television or billboard advertising in 1968–69 and there will be none in 1969–70. The figure for Press advertising, mainly for the recruitment of specialist teachers of mathematics and science, was £45,260 in 1968–69 and in 1969–70 is expected to be just over £50,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is his target for recruitment of new teachers in the year 1969–70.

My aim is that all the students who successfully complete their training this year and who are willing to go where the jobs are should secure employment. I estimate that there will be 29,000 of them, and that all will find posts.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the current position regarding the supply of speech therapists in the services under his control; how many appointments at the latest convenient date are unfilled; and what steps he proposes to take to make up the deficiency.

On 31st December, 1968, 668 full and part-time speech therapists, the equivalent of 470 full-time appointments were employed by local education authorities in England and Wales who at the same time reported 165 vacancies.My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Science considers there is a need to inquire into the work of speech therapists, the numbers required and how they should best be trained and deployed and has jointly with his right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Social Services, Scotland and Wales appointed a Committee under the Chairmanship of Professor Randolph Quirk of London University to look into these matters. The Committee held its first meeting on Tuesday, 15th July, 1969.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what was the total expenditure by her Department on research into the causes and prevention of industrial accidents during each of the last five years.

The information is as follows:

	£
Year ended 31st March, 1965	Nil
Year ended 31st March, 1966	23
Year ended 31st March, 1967	4,654
Year ended 31st March, 1968	6,922
Year ended 31st March, 1969	7,586

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what was the total number of industrial accidents during the year 1968; what was the total time lost in working days as a result of these accidents; and what percentage increase there was on the previous year.

The number reported in premises subject to the Factories Act was 312,430, an increase of 2·8 per cent. on the total for 1967.The total time lost in working days as a result of these accidents is not known precisely. It is estimated that they caused the loss of some eight million man days.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity when she proposes to bring in legislation to implement the Industrial Health and Welfare Regulations.

I am sorry but at the moment I am not in a position to add anything to the reply I gave my hon. Friend on 25th November last.—[Vol. 774, c. 23.]

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity how many farmers have paid the Agricultural Training Board levy this year; how many have still to pay; how many have not yet paid the levy for last year; and if she will distinguish the figures for Scotland and for England and Wales.

I understand from the Board that about 21,000 employers have so far paid levy for this year, leaving some 70,000 still to pay. About 12,000 have yet to pay levy for last year. Separate figures for England and Wales and Scotland are not readily available for this year; for last year only some 7 per cent. of payments were outstanding in Scotland compared with about 14 per cent. in England and Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity whether she will make a statement on the costs of the Road Transport Training Scheme; what is the trend of these costs and the results obtained; what representations she has had about the effect of the Training Board levy on small undertakings; and whether she will now make participation in the scheme voluntary.

The Road Transport Industry Training Board expects to spend approximately £17 million on training grants in the next training year. This is an increase over current expenditure and reflects the continued growth expected in claims from employers for grants in respect of the training they are undertaking. My right hon. Friend has received representations from associations of employers on a number of points about the Board's latest levy scheme. The provisions for assessing smaller firms at lower rates of levy than the standard rate have been generally accepted. There is no intention of changing the statutory basis of the levy.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what is the estimated rise in the cost of living, expressed per £ sterling, since October, 1964.

There is no official index which measures changes in the cost of living as such; the average level of retail prices, measured by the general Index of Retail Prices rose by 21·9 per cent. between October, 1964, and May, 1968, which is equivalent to about 4s. 5d. in the £.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity how many of the 60,000 jobs for male employees lost in Scotland since 1964 were in the service industries.

Of the 60,000 decrease in the estimated number of male employees in employment in Scotland between June, 1964, and June, 1968, 26,000 were in respect of the service industries (Orders XIX to XXIV of the 1958 edition of the Standard Industrial Classification).

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what proportion of unemployed males in Scotland were last employed in the service industries.

29·5 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what is the estimated change in the numbers of self-employed persons in Scotland between 1961 and the latest convenient date, giving separate totals for males and females.

Estimates based on the latest available information are given in the following table:

	Males	Females	Thousands Total
1961	134	24	159
1967	112	23	135
Change	-22	-1	-24

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity if she will publish details of total employment in Scotland at more frequent intervals.

The estimates are based on the quarterly exchange of National Insurance cards and cannot, therefore, be produced more frequently.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity why an official from her Department advised Mr. J. H. Mitchell, formerly employed by K. & M. Shipbrokers Limited, to approach the Daily Express Action Line when he asked her Redundancy Payments Acts Department for advice; and to what extent it is the practice of her Department to advise persons to go to newspapers for information which is available in her Department.

I am inquiring into Mr. Mitchell's case and will write to my hon. Friend. It is not the practice of my Department to act as in the second part of the Question.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether, in view of Recommendation 185 on the political implications of the Soviet intervention in the Mediterranean adopted by the Assembly of the Western European Union on 18th June, 1969, Her Majesty's Government will now support the on-call naval squadron established in the Mediterranean by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation to deal with any increase in the Soviet political and military threat in that region.

At their meeting in Brussels on 28th May the Defence Planning Committee of the North Atlantic Alliance approved the establishment of a naval on-call force for the Mediterranean. We shall contribute from our permanent force of frigates in the Mediterranean.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether, in view of Recommendation 181 on the evolution of European space activities adopted by the Assembly of the Western European Union on 17th June, 1969, he will promote the convening of a conference of C.E.T.S. to consider a comprehensive range of draft final arrangements for the INTELSAT negotiations, and propose profitable tasks for the European space organisations in the field of telecommunications by satellite.

A series of meetings of the European Conference on Satellite Communications (C.E.T.S.) was held prior to the first Conference on the Definitive Arrangements for INTELSAT, held in February-March of this year, with a view to co-ordinating the positions of C.E.T.S. governments. The work of the INTELSAT Conference is now being carried forward by its Preparatory Committee of which the United Kingdom is a member. The United Kingdom Delegation, together with Delegates of other C.E.T.S. Governments, are in continuous consultation throughout these negotiations. None of these Governments has expressed the view that a formal C.E.T.S. Conference is necessary at this stage.C.E.T.S. Governments are represented in the European Space Conference Committee of Senior Officials, which is drawing up a programme of European space activities including projects in the field of satellite communications.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what official publication is prepared by his Department giving information about Her Majesty's Overseas Civil Service similar to the Diplomatic Service List.

No such publication is now issued. The last list to appear was produced by the Commonwealth Office in 1967 and was entitled "H.M.O.C.S. Records of Service of Senior Staff". There was little demand for this list and it was accordingly decided not to produce further issues.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he is aware of the continued interference with Gibraltarian fishing rights by the Spanish authorities; what action he is taking or proposes to take; and if he will make a statement.

I have no knowledge of any interference of this kind. I will certainly investigate any evidence my hon. Friend may have.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether, in view of public concern about the accuracy in police radar equipment used in the detection of speeding offences, he is satisfied as to the accuracy of such equipment; and what progress has been made in the development of an improved device;(2) if he will set up a working party, including officials of representative organisations, to investigate and report on the efficiency of the different types of speed recording equipment currently available and to make recommendations as to the suitability of each from a technical and operating standpoint for use by police forces.

I have no reason to doubt the accuracy of the type of instrument supplied by the Home Office to the police, and I think that any public concern there may be on this score is misplaced. The Home Office is in constant touch with the police service in ensuring that advantage is taken of technological improvements and I see no need for the special working party proposed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will make a statement on the application of Mr. Letlakha, a South African citizen, for political asylum in this country, and on the action which he has taken.

Mr. Letlakha arrived here from the Congo, via Brussels, on 4th July and applied for political asylum. His application was most carefully considered. I made enquiries from the British representative at Kinshasa, and have also been in touch with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. I have no reason to think that the Congolese authorities will cease to accord Mr. Letlakha proper treatment as a refugee and so, consistently with the internationally-accepted criterion which we apply, there is no case for the grant of asylum here. Arrangements are being made for Mr. Letlakha's departure.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will publish, from information available to him from international sources, a table comparing the official statistics recently published on the com- mission of serious crime in Great Britain with those for the United States of America, the Scandinavian countries and other developed countries for which comparable statistics are available.

It is generally accepted by criminologists that there is as yet no satisfactory way of comparing the criminal statistics of different countries. Statistics from a number of countries are collected by Interpol and published in a volume "International Crime Statistics" that is to be found in the Library of the House; but they are of only limited value for the purpose of making international comparisons.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will make a statement on his intentions regarding the building of a civilian prison in the South-West of England; and whether it is intended to house men or women.

My right hon. Friend has no plan for a new women's prison in this area. There is likely to be a need for at least one new closed prison for men in the South-West but I cannot yet say when such a prison could be accommodated in the building programme or where it would be built.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many local authorities in England and Wales purchase constuction materials in bulk directly from the manufacturer for the purposes of their building programmes; and what was the value of the materials thus purchased in 1968 or at the latest date for which information is available.

I regret that this information is not available and could not be obtained at reasonable expense.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many people, over 65 years of age, live in council houses in each economic planning region.

:I regret that the information is not available.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what will be the estimated total number of council houses in each economic planning region in 1973.

Estimates for 1973 are not available. The position at the end of 1968 is estimated as:

DWELLINGS RENTED FROM LOCAL AUTHORITIES OR NEW TOWN CORPORATIONS, DECEMBER 1968
Economic Planning Region	Thousand Dwellings
Northern	420
Yorkshire and Humberside	515
North West	600
East Midlands	315
West Midlands	560
East Anglia	150
South East	1,400
South West	305
Wales	255
Scotland	870
Great Britain	5,390

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what steps he now proposes to take to ensure that full market value will be given to all houses compulsorily purchased or demolished by local authorities and full compensation for amelioration of such property.

Full market value compensation is paid when houses are compulsorily acquired except for those found to be unfit. The Housing Bill provides that owner-occupiers of unfit houses affected by clearance action started after 23rd April, 1968, will also receive the equivalent of full market value compensation. Well maintained tenanted houses may qualify for a special payment amounting to four times the rateable value.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what will be the estimated total number of houses completed in each New Town by 1973.

It is not possible to make firm estimates, particularly since private enterprise housebuilders are now expected to play a substantial part in the development of the new towns. The position at the end of 1968 was as follows:

Total number of dwellings completed in English new towns by the end of 1968 by development corporations and the Commission for the New Towns and on land made available by them for private development
Aycliffe	5,694
Basildon	16,725
Bracknell	7,709
Corby	6,966
Crawley	13,909
Harlow	20,382
Hatfield	4,385
Hemel Hempstead	13,281
Peterlee	6,066
Redditch	139
Runcorn	340
Skelmersdale	1,773
Stevenage	15,893
Telford	1,015
Washington	189
Welwyn	6,442
Total	120,908

asked the Minister of Overseas Development what plans he has to extend the scope of overseas aid; whether he will publish in the Offical Report the figures of overseas aid given by the United Kingdom in each of the last six years expressed in fixed prices; and whether he will make a statement.

Official overseas aid, like other public expenditure, is reviewed each year, and I have no statement to make at the present time. Gross disbursements under the British aid programme in each of the last six years at constant prices, taking 1963 as the base year, were:

	£ million
1963	160·1
1964	186·4
1965	183·9
1966	189·2
1967	181·6
1968	175·3

asked the Postmaster-General if he will estimate the cost of charging retirement pensioners who do not live in homes or homes provided by local authorities the same television licence fee as those who do; and if he will estimate the additional revenue to be obtained by charging the same licence fee for portable radios as is now charged for car radios.

Because the number of retirement pensioners who are members of households already licensed to receive television is not known no reliable estimate can be made. If all pensioners were given the suggested concession the cost would be over £20 million a year.There is no record of the number of portable radios in use and so I am unable to make an estimate.

asked the Postmaster-General what plans he has for substituting a single wavelength for distress signals from both ships and aircraft, in place of the present separate wavelengths.

None. Frequencies for distress messages are fixed by international agreement. The choice of the frequency to be used in a particular case depends largely on the type of radio equipment carried by the ship or aircraft in distress.

asked the Postmaster-General what plans he has to ensure the use of bilingual signs and descriptions outside Crown post offices and sub-post offices in Wales.

We now put up bilingual signs at Crown offices in Wales whenever there is a good opportunity from a building point of view and provided the local authority does not object.Sub-postmasters may do the same at sub-offices if they so wish.

asked the Postmaster-General how many Crown Post Offices in Wales display the words "Post Office" in Welsh as well as in English.

12 at present and we plan that 28 more should do so by the end of this year.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is satisfied with the operation of the 24-hour ferry service provided during the week by the Caledonian Steam Packet Company from Kyle of Lochalsh to Kyleakin; and if he will make a statement.

The Scottish Transport Group, as new owners of the Kyle—Kyleakin ferry, are taking steps which I am satisfied will lead to a much improved service. An additional 9-car ferry will come into service next week, and the introduction of a 25–30 car vessel is planned for next year.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many of the additional 45,000 jobs for men envisaged for 1970 in the 1966 White Paper, The Scottish Economy: A Plan for Expansion, were estimated to be in the service industries.

No estimate of net job gains for men in the service industries was made in the 1966 White Paper, The Scottish Economy.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the total expenditure by his Department on research into the causes and prevention of industrial accidents during each of the last five years.

Nil. Research promoted under the Industrial Injuries Act is concerned primarily with questions bearing upon the possible prescription under the Act of particular industrial diseases.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT the numbers of persons drawing supplementary benefit who are retirement pensioners, widows, widowed mothers, chronic sick, unemployed, and others not in the foregoing categories, respectively, giving the percentage which each group represents of the total of all beneficiaries, all figures to the nearest convenient date in 1969.

The figures available are given in the following Table:—

Persons drawing supplementary benefit. May 1969
	Number	Percentage of total
Retirement Pensioners	1,670,500	62
Widows (other than widowed mothers)	95,000	4
Widowed Mothers	25,400	1
Sick (all types)	327,400	12
Unemployed	223,300	8
Others	353,900	13
Total	2,695,500

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services of the products procured by his Department regularly for three years or more, what proportion has, within the last three years, been specifically reviewed to evaluate product design against present need and potential cost reduction.

Whilst some products have been the subject of specific review, this is generally regarded as a basic procurement function and not as a special exercise.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what discussions he proposes to have with representatives of professional social workers responsible for social work services in the county of Northumberland on the implementation by local authorities of the Seebohm Report arising from the recommendations of the Royal Commission on Local Government and other related matters; and if he will make a statement;(2) what further advice he has issued to local authorities in Northumberland on preparations to be made for the implementation of the Seebohm Report arising from the recommendations and Report of the Royal Commission on Local Government; and if he will make a statement.

The Government will reach and announce its decision on the Seebohm Report as soon as possible. We have already received a large volume of comment on the report from local authority, professional and other interested bodies and I hope that anyone who wishes to add to this in the light of the Royal Commission's Report will do so without delay.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what committee exists within his Department to coordinate procurement policies; what is its composition and terms of reference; and how often it meets.

Stores procurement policy is the responsibility of one branch and no standing committee is required.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether manuals of procurement instructions and regulations are provided for procurement officers in his Department; and what arrangements are made to ensure compliance.

Instructions giving procedures for the procurement of stores have been issued for use by all procurement officers. They are supplemented from time to time as required. A comprehensive manual of instructions is being prepared. Compliance is exercised through normal Departmental discipline.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what proportion of procurement staff in his Department are late entrants into the Civil Service with more than one year's previous commercial experience of procurement.

A few professional and technical staff fall within this category, otherwise none.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what are the salaries of the most senior officer with full-time responsibility for procurement, and of those reporting directly to him.

Most senior officers in my Department's Supply Division have responsibilities extending beyond procurement but those largely so occupied are on scales rising to £4,950 and £4,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the average length of service in the procurement function of staff currently allotted to it.

The average length of service is seven years for the lay staff and 10 years for the professional and technical staff.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services to what extent the same organisation and staff of his Department is required to handle negotiated procurement and competitive tendering; and what proportion of staff is allocated to each.

			Administrative Staff	Executive Staff	Clerical Staff	Professional and Technical Staff
Hospital Supply Branch	…	…	—	51	39	—
Disablement Services Branch	…	…	—	55	83	—
Policy and Prices Branch	…	…	1	5	5	—
Production Authority and Research Branch		…	1	6	6	—
Scientific and Technical Branch	…	…	—	—	—	190

Because of extensive re-organisation it is not possible to give comparable figures for previous years.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services to which professional institutes and institutions procurement staff belong; and how many of the staff belong to each of these professional bodies.

Five members of the lay staff belong to the Institution of Purchasing and Supply; the technical staff generally belong to the appropriate professional bodies, e.g. the Institution of Electrical Engineers or the Pharmaceutical Society.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what costing and accounting support is provided to the Contracts Directorate in his Department; and whether this is organised as an integral part of the Contracts Directorate or as a separate supporting activity.

A costing and accounting service is provided for my Department, as a separate supporting activity, by Departments employing professional accountants and technical costs officers.

There is no division but the senior and more experienced staff normally deal with negotiated procurement.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the establishment, by numbers of staff in each grade, of each directorate or section concerned with procurement; and what has been its average strength in each of the past three years.

Staff concerned with procurement for varying proportions of their time are in five branches of Supply Division, headed by the Under-Secretary and Controller of Supply. Their numbers, by grades, in these branches are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what staff, by number and grades, is allocated full-time to standardisation and variety reduction within his Department.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the number of forms agreeing to abortion where the subsequent operation has taken place at the nursing home, 415 New Cross Road, during the last six months, and the number of those signed by the applicant who sought approval of that home for the purpose of abortion.

I assume my hon. Friend is referring to notifications of which the number received of abortions carried out in this home in the first two quarters of 1969 is 284.The disclosure of the information asked for in the second part of the Question would be contrary to Regulation 5 of the Abortion Regulations, 1968.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will give an assurance that all of the staff employed by his Department and those in the hospital services have received increases of a cumulative minimum of 3½ per cent. per annum since the introduction of the Government's incomes policy.

Settlements are reached in the light of the incomes policy criteria and the circumstances of the groups of staff concerned; most groups will have had pay increases of this order.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a list of local authorities in England and Wales which have increased charges for welfare services, enumerating in each case the increases in the particular services affected.

This information is not available centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will take action to ensure that regional hospital boards increase staff in emergency outpatient casulty wards in order to expedite the treatment of these cases.

My predecessor advised hospital authorities last November on the general level of staffing of accident and emergency departments. I am not aware of delay at these departments in the treatment of injuries.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services, in view of the fact that the bacterium E coli 0.114 was discovered in the premature unit and children's ward at Freedom Fields Hospital, Plymouth, what action is proposed to prevent another outbreak; and whether other hospitals have been warned of the possible dangers of outbreaks of this type.

Bacteriological tests taken at the beginning of July showed the presence of E. coli 0.114, which is one of the organisms associated with infant gastro-enteritis, in three children at the Tavistock Maternity Hospital and in three at Freedom Fields Hospital, Plymouth. None of these babies has shown symptoms of gastro-enteritis.The premature baby unit and a ward at Freedom Fields Hospital were closed for disinfection and have now been reopened. The Tavistock Maternity Hospital, which was also closed to new admissions, is expected to reopen shortly.The hospital authority has informed other hospitals and the local health authorities. I am satisfied that hospital authorities, particularly following the wide distribution last month of the report of the Manchester Regional Hospital Board on gastro-enteritis in Manchester, are well aware of the possible dangers of the disease.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will hold an inquiry into the disciplinary procedures in the National Health Service for doctors and dentists who are accused of culpable negligence.

I will be considering in consultation with the professions and others concerned the procedures for dealing with complaints generally in the working out of new proposals for reorganising the administrative structure of the Health Service.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will identify the ethnic groups in which the twenty cases of leprosy in Great Britain were diagnosed during the first six months of 1969, and also the specific towns and areas in which they were notified.

Information about ethnic groups is not available, but in every case the infection was contracted abroad.The location of cases is kept confidential in order to prevent unnecessary local alarm or social difficulties for the patients and their families. It is not generally realised that leprosy, unlike some notifiable diseases, is not highly infectious.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what representations he has received from the Pharmaceutical Society in Northumberland about the need for them to be allowed a full opportunity to dispense medicines in rural areas; what replies he has given; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he will make an examination of the facilities available for rural dispensing in the county of Northumberland by members of the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain; and if he will make a statement.

1967–68
	Average net assets £m. (1)	Net income £m. (2)	Net income as percentage of assets Per cent. (3)	Fixed investment in U.K. £m. (4)	Exchequer loans £m. (5)	Exchequer loans as percentage of fixed investment Per cent. (6)	Employees at March. 1968 '000 (7)
N.C.B.*	765·51†,	35·3	4·6	80·5	81·9	101·7	446
Electricity Council and Boards in England and Wales	4,306·6║	262·3║	6·1	598·8	336·4	56·2	221
Gas Council and Area Boards	1,166	43·7	3·7	281·9	262·2	93·0	123
B.S.C.J‡	1,058·7	10·4	1·0	86·7	179·5§	207	254
* The N.C.B. financial year ran from 26th March, 1967 to 30th March, 1968.
† This reflects the major part of the capital reconstruction under the Coal Industry Act 1965.
‡ The figures in columns (1) and (7) relate to the end of the first financial year, which ran from 22nd March, 1967 to 30th September, 1968. The figure in column (2) relates to this period. The figures in columns (4) and (5) relate to the period from vesting date, 28th July, 1967, to 30th September 1968.
§ Includes sums to repay loans taken over at vesting date.
║ Including unbilled revenue (see Electricity Council Annual Report for 1967–68).

asked the Minister of Technology what progress has been made in the production of a British Standard Code of Practice for the construction of lattice transmission towers; and if he will make a statement.

The British Standards Institution has set up a Steering Committee to prepare a special Code of Practice or similar document regarding the design of tall lattice structures, including lattice transmission towers. Research is in progress to provide the necessary data about structures of this type and about the

Replies to such representations form pharmacists in Northumberland and elsewhere have explained the reasons for my decision not to amend the regulations governing the arrangements for dispensing in rural areas.

asked the Minister of Power whether he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a table showing the figures given in Table 2 of Command Paper No. 3437 for the year 1967–68 for the industries for which he is responsible.

The following is the information requested:effect on them of the wind conditions likely to be encountered. As soon as sufficient data is available, the document will be drafted appropriately.

asked the Minister of Technology what special knowledge has been made available to the United Kingdom Government on the provision of American launchers for telecommunications satellites which is not available to Governments of other European countries.

None. Representatives of the Member States of the European Space Conference, including the United Kingdom, have taken part jointly in discussions with representatives of the United States Government on the provision of launchers.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many jobs, for men and women, respectively, are now available in advance factories in Scotland authorised since October, 1964; and what proportion of these new jobs are in manufacturing industry.

31 of the Board of Trade advance factories authorised for Scotland since October, 1964, are occupied. They are providing employment for 860 men and 1,240 women but many are expected to recruit yet more labour. All but about 50 of the jobs are in manufacturing industry.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what quantities of currant and other fruit pulp or fruit products have been imported from East European countries in each of the last 24 months.

The information required is not readily available and could be extracted only at a disproportionate cost in time and money.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what steps he will take to enable independent airlines such as Loganair Limited to charge competitive fares between Scottish and European airports and to take advantage of their enterprise in pioneering direct routes for the benefit of Scottish trade and residents.

Where fares have not already been established for a new route through the machinery of I.A.T.A., the airline should put forward its own proposals. If the outcome was unsatisfactory we would consider consulting the other Government concerned.

asked the Minister of Transport what committee exists within his Department to co-ordinate procurement policies; what is its composition and terms of reference; and how often it meets.

Procurement policies are the responsibility of one division. There is, therefore, no need for a co-ordinating committee within the Department.

asked the Minister of Transport whether manuals of procurement instructions and regulations are provided to procurement officers in his Department; and what arrangements are made to ensure compliance.

Yes. Compliance is assured by the supervision exercised by senior officers in the normal day-to-day management of the work.

asked the Minister of Transport (1) what are the salaries of the most senior officer with full-time responsibility for procurement, and of those reporting directly to him;(2) what proportion of procurement staff in his Department are late entrants into the Civil Service with more than one year's previous commercial experience of procurement;(3) what is the establishment, by numbers of staff in each grade, of each directorate or section concerned with procurement; and what has been its average strength in each of the past three years;(4) to which professional institutes and institutions procurement staff belong; and how many of the staff belong to each of these professional bodies;(5) what is the average length of service in the procurement function of staff currently allotted to it.

Procurement in my Department is a small part of the function of the Contracts Division which is headed by a principal executive officer on the national salary scale £4,400 to £4,950. The staff who report direct to him are chief executive officers on the national salary scale £3,003 to £3,570. One of these has procurement work as part of his responsibility. Other staff engaged on this work is equivalent to one senior executive officer, three higher executive officers, four executive officers and two clerical officers; the situation has varied only slightly over the past three years. The average length of service on this work of staff currently allotted to it is about five years. None of them has commercial experience of procurement nor do they belong to any professional bodies.

asked the Minister of Transport of the products procured by his Department regularly for three years or more, what proportion has, within the last three years, been specifically reviewed to evaluate product design against present need and potential cost reduction.

The stores and equipment purchased by my Department consist mainly of standard items. Specialised equipment is kept under constant review to ensure that new design techniques offering better performance and cost reductions are incorporated whenever possible.

asked the Minister of Transport what staff, by number and grades, is allocated full-time to standardisation and variety reduction within his Department.

The volume and nature of the procurement needs of the Department do not justify the allocation of staff full-time to standardisation and variety reduction.

asked the Minister of Transport to what extent the same organisation and staff of his Department is required to handle negotiated procurement and competitive tendering; and what proportion of staff is allocated to each.

The organisation and staff concerned with procurement deal with both competitive and negotiated contracts and there is no separate allocation.

asked the Minister of Transport what costing and accounting support is provided to the Contracts Directorate in his Department; and whether this is organised as an integral part of the Contracts Directorate or as a separate supporting activity.

The services of a cost accountant are available to the Contracts Division as a separate supporting activity.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will increase, before next winter, the number of tracked vehicles in the Ministry pool of snow-clearing equipment.

No. There are no tracked vehicles in the Ministry's emergency reserve of snow-clearing vehicles and we have no plans to acquire any.

asked the Minister of Transport whether, before next winter, he will move several self-propelled snow-blowers from the national pool at Hendon, Middlesex, to be kept at a depot north of the River Trent.

No. Ten of the 26 rotary snow ploughs in the national emergency reserve are already kept at depots north of the Trent. Our experience has not indicated that this distribution should be modified.

asked the Minister of Transport in view of the fact that a vehicle driver who exceeds the permitted intake of alcoholic liquor and is arrested for driving whilst under the influence can avoid the loss of his licence by claiming that he was acting under his employer's orders and that to refuse to drive might jeopardise his job, whether he will seek to amend the law to make these types of offences also liable to suspension of driving licences.

No. The question is based on a false premise.

asked the Minister of Transport in view of the recent serious accidents on the A38, what action he is taking to improve well-known danger spots in 1969–70.

The M5 motorway is being progressively extended from Strensham in Worcestershire to Exeter. This will relieve a similar length of A38 of fast long-distance traffic. Schemes to complete the construction of dual carriageways on A38 from Exeter to Plymouth are in progress or being prepared.In 1969–70 a number of local improvement schemes on A38 are expected to start. Some are already in progress, and other measures to improve safety at particular points are being considered.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will make a statement about the amended figures showing the decrease in real terms at 1967–68 prices of the estimated expenditure on the maintenance of minor roads in 1969–70 compared with 1967–68 and 1968–69.

Under the terms of Cmnd. 3515 (Public Expenditure in 1968–69 and 1969–70) local authorities were asked to make a 15 per cent. cut in their road expenditure in 1968–69 and 1969–70. As the figures in the reply of 23rd May showed, they do not appear to have succeeded in making this reduction in the first year: but in the Rate Support Grant negotiations for 1969–70 and 1970–71, the need for continued restriction on the expenditure was stressed, and the determination of the grant reflected this view.—[Vol. 784 c. 174–5.]

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how many occasions in the past two years he has received official representation from the Automobile Association and the Royal Automobile Club, respectively, regarding the views of those organisations on matters relating to his Departmental responsibilities.

Two from the Standing Joint Committee of the Royal Automobile Club, Automobile Association, and Royal Scottish Automobile Club; four from the Automobile Association; and three from the Royal Automobile Club.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many days' grace is given to surtax-payers, from the date their surtax payment is agreed, to pay the surtax due before they are charged interest on the overdue tax; what was the number of surtax-payers who were called upon to pay such interest in each of the last three financial years; and what is the total sum of surtax agreed but not yet paid at the present time.

Interest is not chargeable on arrears of surtax if the tax is paid not later than two months after the date on which it becomes due. The number of assessments to surtax in respect of which interest was charged in the years to 30th June 1967, 1968 and 1969 were respectively 1,200, 2,053 and 2,967. The amount of surtax which had become due but had not been paid on 30th June last is not yet known.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the rate at which gold coins have been handed in as a result of Statutory Instrument 1966. No. 438, he will now fix a time limit for the handing in of coins under this Statutory Instrument.

No. I would refer the hon. Member to the Answers I gave on 7th July, 1969, to the right hon. Member for Wallasey (Mr. Marples) and on 19th June, 1969, to the hon. Member for Chelsea (Mr. Worsley).—[Vol. 786, c. 211–12; Vol. 785, c. 147.]

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the estimated net yield, exclusive of regional and selective employment premiums, from selective employment tax in the area covered by the Highlands and Islands Development Board.

I regret that it is not practicable to provide this information.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total car mileage allowance paid to civil servants in the Treasury during the last convenient 12-month period; to how many people was this allowance paid; and what was the average rate per mile.

I regret that detailed information is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate expense.The rules provide for the payment of the standard rate of mileage allowance of 9d. a mile to officers who use their own private cars for travel on official business. Where the use of a private car is not recognised by the Department as appropriate, reimbursement is limited o the public transport rate of 4d. a mile.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the present number of staff in the Treasury and the annual cost of their salaries; and what were the comparable figures for the year ended 31st December, 1964.

On 1st July, 1969, the number of staff in the (post-Fulton) Treasury was 902; on 1st January, 1965. the total of the (pre-Fulton) Treasury was 1,461.Aggregate figures for annual salaries for these precise numbers are not available. The Civil Estimate provision for Treasury salaries in the current financial year is £1,565,000 and the out-turn of such expenditure in 1964–65 was £2,200,000.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many senior executive officers and above in the Treasury do not have secretarial services.

Of the 169 officials of senior executive officer rank and above, 106 have no personal secretarial assistance. They have access to shorthand and typing services.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the estimated amount of imports bought on public account, excluding United States military aircraft, that at present appear in the visible balance.