asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will extend the quality grading regulations for apples, pears, cucumbers, tomatoes and cauliflowers to cover their sale in the wholesale and retail trade.

The grading regulations already apply to these commodities when sold through wholesale channels. To extend statutory grading to the retail level would require amending legislation which my right hon. Friend does not at present consider would be justified.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many cases of anthrax have been confirmed in the year to date; and what was the number for the corresponding period in 1968.

147 cases had been confirmed in Great Britain by the 18th July, compared with 134 for the corresponding period in 1968.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will now list those countries on whose meat exports to Great Britain no restrictions will be placed on the grounds that they are free from foot-and-mouth disease.

The countries with a long history of freedom from foot-and-mouth disease and from which imports of uncooked meat are permitted unconditionally under our animal health safeguards are:

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food why in- formation based on selective employment tax refunds is passed by his officials to servants of the Agricultural, Horticultural and Forestry Training Board; and if he will direct that this practice shall now cease.

In order to assist them in compiling a register of employers, my Department has provided the Agricultural, Horticultural and Forestry Industry Training Board with the names and addresses of establishments on our registers. No information about numbers of employees or payments made is involved. Such aid to the board will also help it to reduce its administrative costs.The answer to the second part of the Question is therefore "no".

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, if he will state, in respect of each sugar beet factory in England, the number of acres contracted for, the number of tons of beet sliced and the profit or loss made in each of the four years prior to and including 30th September, 1968.

This information is not immediately available to me, but I am asking the Chairman of the British Sugar Corporation Limited to write to the hon. Member.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what further proposals he is now making for the future marketing of eggs; and when he expects to make a statement on the future of the industry.

I have nothing to add to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member on 9th July.—[Vol. 786, c.265–6.]

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what was the total number of non-industrial civil servants at 1st July, 1969.

470,160, excluding casual or seasonal staff.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service how many non-established civil servants acquired established status in each of the past four years.

The figures are:

asked the Minister for the Civil Service how many posts formerly occupied by non-established civil servants were filled by established civil servants in each of the past four years.

I regret that this information is not readily available.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service, how many male members of the non-industrial Civil Service resigned during each of the past four years.

The figures are:

asked the Minister for the Civil Service if he will give the number of home civil servants who are stationed abroad for purposes unconnected with overseas representation, together with the total salary cost of these civil servants, and a breakdown by

The number of home civil servants referred to is 6,347 and the total cost of salary, including an estimated amount for F.S.A., is £21,057,300.The 10 highest cost countries are shown below:

asked the Minister for the Civil Service whether, in accordance with the recommendations of the Duncan Report, he will now advise staff of the home Departments that refusal to accept a particular Diplomatic Service offer of secondment abroad without exceptional reason may damage their career prospects.

I would refer the hon. Member to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs' statement of 16th July. This question will be considered together with the many offer issues raised by the report of the Duncan Committee.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what studies the Management Services Division of his Department and formerly of the treasury has made into the cost effectiveness of microfilming operations in Government Departments; and whether he will estimate the average cost per frame or roll of microfilming in both 16 millimetre and 35 millimetre sizes.

The cost per frame of microfilming depends upon a number of variable factors, and each suggested application in the Civil Service is the subject of careful study by Management Services staff of the Civil Service Department, or of other Departments involved.The direct cost including allowances for salaries, materials, depreciation and maintenance of equipment etc. of producing microcopies varies from about ⅓rd of a 1d. per document in the simplest cases, to 5d. a frame or more in special cases.

asked the Secretary of Stae for Defence what progress has been made in his consultations about removing distinctions between ranks in eligibility for decorations and honours.

This matter remains under consideration. The issues raised by my hon. Friend's question are far from simple and not exclusively my responsibility.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the number of different tyre sizes currently in use on vehicles run by his Department and the proportion of total tyres bought during the most recent convenient year, represented by the 10 most commonly used tyre sizes.

Approximately 400. In the year 1968–69 about 35 per cent. were for the 10 most commonly used sizes.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the present size of stocks of tyres held by his Department, expressed both in numbers of tyres and total money value of tyres.

The present stock of vehicle tyres of all types held centrally in this country amounts to some 135,000, valued at about £820,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to reduce the number of tyre sizes and tyres currently in use by his Department.

Since 1966 the number of standard types of car tyre used by the Ministry of Defence has been reduced from 109 to 13 and for commercial vehicles from 150 to 40. Work is in hand on tyres for industrial and earth moving vehicles and for tractors and implements; I am confident that further reductions in the number of standard types of tyre will result from this work.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what are the criteria employed in the replacement of tyres used by his Department, expressed in terms of mileage, time or wear.

The only criterion employed in the replacement of tyres is wear, and all three Services take as their guide in this respect the Motor Vehicles (Construction and Use) (Amendment) (No. 4) Regulations, 1967 issued by the Ministry of Transport.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what communications or agreements his Department has made with defence departments in other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation countries for the joint procurement of tyres.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of tyres delivered under Ministry of Defence contracts are inspected before or after delivery by the Department.

Road vehicle tyres are not normally inspected before delivery. Inspection after delivery is at the discretion of the inspecting officer at the receiving depot.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of the types of tyres which he is buying conform to common North Atlantic Treaty Organisation specifications.

Virtually all the road vehicle tyres bought for defence purposes carry N.A.T.O. code numbers identifying common types, treads, sizes and ply ratings.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence with how many contractors, and to what total value, does he have contracts for the supply of tyres for future periods exceeding three years from the beginning of the current financial year.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence for how many years ahead does his Department have contracts for the supply of tyres.

Contracts are placed annually for estimated requirements for the following year.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence from how many different manufacturers his Department is buying tyres; and if he will give the total value of foreign made tyres bought by his Department during the most recent convenient year.

The Ministry of Defence is currently buying tyres from eight different manufacturers. During the current financial year about £165,000 is being spent on foreign-made tyres.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the value of each Ministry of Defence running contract for the supply of tyres for the most recent year for which figures are available.

In the period October, 1967—September, 1968, the estimated value of each of the Ministry of Defence running contracts for tyres was £877,600, £323,000, £172,700, £122,600, £98,700, £31,900 and £2,300, respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give the total expenditure of his Department on tyres during the most convenient recent year, together with the total number of tyres bought during that year; and if he will indicate the breakdown between those bought directly by his own Department and those bought on his behalf by other Departments, showing a breakdown of those other Departments.

During the period 1st April, 1968, to 31st March, 1969, the total estimated value of purchases was £1,625,000; this represented approximately 200,000 tyres.During this period no tyres were bought for the Ministry of Defence by other Departments.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department buys retreaded or remoulded tyres; and what proportion of the total tyres procured in the most recent convenient year these represented.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what are the regulations of his Department for evaluating tenders to supply navigation instruments under production contracts.

The standard procurement regulations in use by all Government Departments are applied.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence for the latest year for which figures are available, what was the total departmental expenditure on navigation instruments; how this is divided between air and sea navigation equipment; and what proportion of each contract category was placed as a result of competitive tendering.

Air navigation equipment is bought for the Ministry of Defence by the Ministry of Technology. The total Ministry of Defence expenditure for 1968–69 on navigation equipment for sea and land use was £2·68 million. The proportion of this equipment purchased as a result of competitive tendering was as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Defence, following the recommendations in the report on the procurement methods in use at Marks and Spencer Limited, what products have been purchased by his Department on an experimental basis and what are the departures from the conventions of competition and formal contracting involved; and in the absence of a formal contract what form of agreement is being entered into with the selected suppliers.

No purchases have yet been made by the Ministry of Defence through the procurement methods in use at Marks and Spencer Limited. Plans are, however, well advanced to enter into appropriate arrangements of an experimental nature with selected suppliers of suitable items of food and clothing. Subject to the negotiation of reasonable prices, and to satisfactory delivery and performance, successive orders will be placed with the selected suppliers during the trial period.2. The arrangements aim at improving efficiency and economy and will be operated with the minimum of formality and paper work. Although the usual detailed type of contract will not be used, the essential features of the relationships will be covered by correspondence.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what was 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 of the total, and of each industry order, was placed as a result of competitive tendering in each year.

Contracts placed by the Ministry of Defence during the financial years 1964–65 to 1968–69 are as follows (classified under the Standard Industrial Classification):

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department requires drawings which form part of tenders for business submitted to his Department to be submitted on microfilm.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs whether he has now authorised an inquiry into the effects of regional employment premium on industry and employment; what are its terms of reference; and if he will make a statement.

As I told the House on 26th June, I am considering possible means of inquiring into the effect of R.E.P. on industry and employment.—[Vol. 785, c. 1688.]

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs what consideration was given to investment incentives by the National Economic Development Council at its meeting on 2nd July; and if he will make a statement.

Investment incentives were discussed in the course of a general review of the economic and industrial situation. The question of investment incentives is kept under continuous review by the N.E.D.C. and by the Government.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what provision is made in institutions of higher education for the study of futures; and what assistance is being given by his Department to promote such studies;

One of the purposes for which the Social Science Research Council's Committee on the Next 30 Years was set up in 1966 was to take stock of some of the problems likely to arise during the rest of this century, with a view to stimulating and, if necessary, supporting research. In the course of these studies the Council has established relationships with the United States Social Science Research Council, the Institute for the Future, in Washington, and other American centres.A comparable study to those in the United States, called Plan Europe 2000, is being undertaken by the European Cultural Foundation, which is supported by the British National Committee for Cultural Co-operation in Europe. In addition much of the research in various subjects that is currently in progress in different institutions of higher education in this country involves some aspects of this problem but it is not possible to distinguish the separate amounts of expenditure concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science why he refused to grant-aid the Ullesthorpe Playing Fields Association Scheme this year.

Applications for local capital grants under the Physical Training and Recreation Act, 1937, are subject to a priority scheme operated by Regional Sports Councils. This application did not receive sufficient priority in relation to the funds available.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will take steps to ensure that those teachers whose only qualification is the Licentiate of the Royal Institute of Chemistry will be able to continue to teach following the implementation of Circular 15/68 on 31st August, 1970.

No. All unqualified teachers will be treated in the same way. After 31st August, 1970, they may be employed only as instructors—or student teachers.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many teachers in maintained schools are qualified to teach solely by their possession of the Licentiate of the Royal Institute of Chemistry.

None. The Licentiate of the Royal Institute of Chemistry has never been recognised as giving entitlement to qualified teacher status. There may be holders of this qualification in service as unqualified teachers, but I do not know how many.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will have consultations with the British Broadcasting Corporation and the Welsh Arts Council with a view to arranging assistance from the Council to secure the future of the British Broad-casting Corporation's Welsh Orchestra.

I understand that discussions are already in progress between the Council and the B.B.C. in Wales on the future of this orchestra.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what was the number of unemployed in Clacton-on-Sea for each of the last 12 months; and how this compares with the numbers unemployed in each month of 1964.

Following is the information:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what was the average percentage of unemployed in Clacton-on-Sea for the last 12 months; and how this compares with the average for development areas for the same period.

Between July, 1968 and June, 1969 the average percentage rates of unemployment in the area covered by the Clacton-on-Sea employment exchange and in the development areas were 6·2 and 4·2, respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what was the percentage average rate of unemployment in Clacton-on-Sea in 1964; and how this compares with the unemployment figure for the last 12 months.

In the area covered by the Clacton-on-Sea employment exchange, the average percentage rates of unemployment in 1964 and during the period July, 1968 to June, 1969 were 3·4 and 6·2, respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity by what proportion the number of men at work in Wales and England, respectively, has risen or declined since 1964.

Between June, 1964 and June, 1968, male employees in employment in Wales and in England decreased by 6·5 per cent. and 2·8 per cent. respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity whether, using as the basis official figures which are available to her Department, she will give details of the average expenditure spent on food by a husband, wife and three children per week; and what estimate she has made of the increase or reduction of this amount on the basis that the food prices are charged at the retail market prices in Germany, Italy, France and Holland, respectively, details of which are available from international sources.

Estimates derived from the Family Expenditure Survey for 1967 indicate that in that year the average weekly expenditure on food of households consisting of one man, one woman and three or more children was about £8 5s. 0d. This figure is based on information provided by 591 households and is subject to sampling error.With regard to the second part of the Question, no such estimates have been made.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity if she will give a list of the existing industrial training centres in the Yorkshire and Humberside Region with the number of Persons retrained during each of the past four years, and including the names of such centres which are being built and the estimated date of completion.

There are now three Government training centres in the Yorkshire and Humberside Region—at Hull, Leeds and Sheffield. The number of persons retrained during each of the past four years was as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity why the seaman, Mr. Philip Ballard, has been refused payment of unemployment benefit.

I regret I am unable to answer my hon. Friend's Questions without further details. If he will write to me I will have the matter investigated.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity if she will give the number of persons registered at the Mexborough and Wombwell employment exchanges who have been retrained at an industrial training centre during each of the past four years.

The numbers who completed courses at Government training centres were as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity if she will state the current provision of days of annual leave and days of public holiday recognised either by agreement or practice in representative trades and professions in the United Kingdom; and if she will also state the holiday entitlement in these trades and professions five, 10 and 15 years previously, respectively.

The details relating to manual workers are published in Appendix III of the annual volume "Time Rates of Wages and Hours of Work". The information relates to 1st April of each year. Copies of this publication are available in the Library.The corresponding information for non-manual workers is not available in the form requested.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity if she will undertake to make an announcement on the future of the Agricultural, Horticultural and Forestry Training Board before 15th August 1969.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity when she will write to the hon. Member for West Ham, North, concerning the case of Mr. J. H. Mitchell, formerly employed by K. and M. Shipbrokers Limited; why he was advised by her Department to approach the Daily Express Action Line for information on the Redundancy Acts, in view of the fact that this was contrary to the practice of her Department; and whether she will publish the letter to be sent to the hon. Member for West Ham, North, in HANSARD.

I have written to my lion. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity if her Department will consider initiating, in consultation with the Trades Union Congress, a planned programme of exchanges between younger trade unionists in Great Britain and their counterparts in the member states of the European Free Trade Association.

I would refer the hon. Member to the replies given to my hon. Friends the Members for Leicester, North-East (Mr. Bradley) on 8th and 21st July and Bradford, West (Mr. Haseldine) on 10th July. The arrangements for exchanges described in those replies apply, in general, to exchanges between this country and the other Member States of the European Free Trade Association. I think they are adequate for the purpose.—[Vol. 786, c. 237–8; Vol. 787, c. 275–6; Vol. 786, c. 287–8.]

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity if she will state the number of boys and girls unemployed in Newport, Monmouthshire, at the latest available date; and how this compares with the figures at an equivalent date over the past four years.

The figures are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity if she will state the number of handicapped boys and girls unemployed in Newport. Monmouthshire, at the latest available date; and how this compares with the figures at an equivalent date over the past four years.

On 14th July 1969 there were two unemployed registered disabled girls and no boys. The figures for the previous four years are:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity if she will conduct an investigation on the effect of selective employment tax on the employment of handicapped boys and girls and on those of below average intelligence.

My Department has kept a close watch on the employment situation of adult registered disabled persons since the introduction of S.E.T. by means of regular surveys of the unemloyment figures of disabled persons last employed in the service and construction industries. There has been no evidence so far that disabled persons generally, as a group, have suffered disproportionately from the effects of the tax. We do not therefore propose to carry out at this stage a special investigation of the situation of handicapped young persons.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity how many prosecutions were made against employers for contravening the Offices, Shops and Railway Premises Act with respect to drawing offices and other technical engineering offices in 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, and 1968, respectively; and how many representations on this subject were received in her Department in the same years.

I regret that the information is not available. I am not aware of any special problems arising under the Offices, Shops and Railway Premises Act in relation to drawing offices and technical engineering offices.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what has been the average percentage of wholly unemployed for the last five convenient 12 monthly periods in each of the five development areas, in the development areas as a whole, in the non-development areas and in Great Britain as a whole.

I shall write to my hon. Friend as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity when the assistance towards the transfer of key workers now available in the development areas will be extended to the intermediate areas.

The Bill which the Government will be introducing next Session to extend to industry in the intermediate areas certain assistance provided in development areas under the Local Employment Acts will include a provision to extend to the intermediate areas the assistance my Department provides towards the costs of transfer of key workers who move with their employers to projects being established or extended in the development areas. The facilities of the Key Workers' Scheme will be available in the intermediate areas in respect of transfers of key workers which take place on or after the date of the coming into operation of the legislation. Interested firms should ask their local employment exchange for further details.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity when the industrial training assistance now provided by the Government in the development areas will be extended to the intermediate areas.

On 1st September, 1969. With effect from that date the assistance offered by my Department will include grants to new and expanding firms towards the cost of training workers for additional jobs created in the intermediate areas, assistance wiih the cost of premises temporarily required by new firms for training purposes, free courses for industrial supervisors and instructors, and facilities for the loan of training instructors where necessary.The industrial training boards are also being asked to co-operate in extending to the intermediate areas from 1st September, 1969 the training grant schemes which they already administer on behalf of my Department in the development areas. These grants are designed to encourage firms to increase the numbers of apprentices and technicians under training, and to provide facilities for off-the-job training of adult workers to the semi-skilled level.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many male textile workers in Hong Kong work seven days per week continuously throughout the year.

None. A large proportion of the 59,374 males employed in the textile industry work a twenty-eight day month, although some work on thirty days and others on twenty-six days. But under the Industrial Employment (Holidays with Pay and Sickness Allowance) Ordinance all are entitled to six days paid holiday a year and for young male persons one rest day a week is also prescribed by law.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many prosecutions were effected in Hong Kong in 1968 for violations of the labour ordinance in respect of employing women and young persons for seven days per week.

During 1968, 172 cases, involving 2,151 women and young persons who were found to be working on their prescribed rest days, were brought to court.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if, in view of the evidence, details of which have been sent by the hon. Member for Manchester, Wythenshawe, he will now make a statement on the action he proposes to take to prevent interference with Gibraltarian fishing rights by the Spanish authorities.

I am consulting the Governor and will write to my hon. Friend in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he now expects that the report of the European Commission of Human Rights on Greece will be published.

The first step is for the European Commission of Human Rights to transmit its report to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. In its resolution of 6th May, the Committee of Ministers expressed the hope that

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether Her Majesty's Government will now recognise de facto the frontiers of the German Democratic Republic with a view to making progress towards an interim settlement of the problems of European security.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make representations to the Greek régime about Ilias Iliou, Maria Karageorgi and Stavros Iliopoulos who are elderly and sick Greek Members of Parliament whose continued ill-treatment in detention is endangering their health.

The Greek Government are already well aware of our concern about the conditions of prisoners held without charge. But representations, even on humanitarian grounds, by foreign Governments to the Greek Government on behalf of particular Greek prisoners might well damage rather than improve the prospects of these prisoners.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the total cost of military aid to Commonwealth and foreign Governments, respectively, in each of the years from 1964 to date.

The figures (in millions of pounds) are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will now state the nature of his response to the Finnish Government's offer to act as host country to a conference on European security.

We welcome the spirit in which the Finnish Government's offer was made and have told them that we have noted it and will bear it in mind.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he is aware that the British Broadcasting Corporation are having to dismiss broadcasters on contract in their foreign service because of the cost of selective employment tax; and if he will increase the British Broadcasting Corporation's grant for this service.

The British Broad-casting Corporation states that no broad-casters on contract in its External Services have been dismissed solely because of the cost of selective employment tax. Increases in costs such as those arising from this tax are taken into account when the annual grant in aid is fixed.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he is aware that there has been no increase in the British Broad-casting Corporation's payments to broad-casters in their foreign service for 15 years and that an increase of more than 50 per cent. is necessary to restore the value of the fees paid to these broad-casters; and if he will increase the grant to the British Broadcasting Corporation so as to enable this increase to be paid.

The British Broadcasting Corporation states that there have been a number of increases in fees paid to broadcasting contributors to its External Services during the last 15 years. These have been reflected in the calculation of the grant in aid.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what reply he has sent to Miss Muriel Smith, of Holyport, Maidenhead, on her memorandum to him on voluntary repatriation of immigrants.

I regret that, owing to a misunderstanding, a reply has not yet been sent to Miss Smith. A letter will be sent to her as soon as possible, and I will send a copy to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will obtain from the Chief Constable a report as to the number of complaints made to the police in Leicester in the last 12 months for which figures are available of noise nuisances emanating from industrial premises; and in how many instances proceedings were taken.

No complaint has been recorded by the Leicester police: noise nuisance in Leicester is dealt with by the local authority.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether he will instruct the immigration officials to inquire of every Dutch visitor whether he has come to Great Britain to do his household shopping and whether this is because of the cheapness of British household goods compared with the prices in France and other Common Market countries; and whether he will publish the results of this questionnaire;(2) whether he will instruct the immigration officials to inquire of every French visitor whether he has come to Great Britain to do his household shopping and whether this is because of the cheapness of British household goods compared with the prices in France and other Common Market countries; and whether he will publish the results of this questionnaire.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his Department buys retreaded or remoulded tyres; and what proportion of the total tyres procured in the most recent convenient year these represented.

No such tyres are procured.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the present size of stocks of tyres held by his Department, expressed both in numbers of tyres and in total money value of tyres.

1,667, to the value of £9,200.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) with how many contractors and to what total value he has contracts for the supply of tyres for periods exceeding three years from the beginning of the current financial year;(2) for how many years ahead his Department has contracts for the supply of tyres;(3) from how many different manufacturers his Department is buying tyres; and if he will give the total value of foreign made tyres bought by his Department during the most recent convenient year;(4) if he will give the total expenditure of his Department on tyres during the most convenient recent year, together with the total number of tyres bought during that year; and if he will indicate the breakdown between those bought directly by his own Department and those bought on his behalf by other Departments, showing a breakdown of those other Departments.

No contracts for the supply of tyres are made by the Home Office; except for small purchases locally in cases of emergency, all requirements are obtained from the Ministry of Defence. The value of supplies from the Ministry in 1968–69 was approximately £11,000 for about 2,500 tyres covering a wide variety of sizes and types.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what

There are no specific plans to reduce the number of tyre sizes and types, but stocks are kept constantly under review in relation to the wide range of vehicles necessarily held by the Department.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the number of different tyre sizes currently in use on vehicles run by his Department, and the proportion of total tyres bought during the most recent convenient year, represented by the 10 most commonly used tyre sizes.

There are 41 tyre sizes in current use. 74 per cent. of tyres bought in 1968–69 were of the 10 most commonly used sizes.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the criteria employed in the replacement of tyres used by his Department, expressed in terms of mileage, time or wear.

No criteria as to mileage or time are laid down. Tyres are replaced when they reach the legal limit of wear and tear, or have been damaged and are beyond economical repair.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was 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 of the total, and of each industry order, was placed as a result of competitive tendering in each year.

The estimated values of contracts placed in recent years, excluding building contracts and small contracts placed by out-stations, together with the values of those let as a result of competition expressed as proportions of the total figures, are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are taken by the police and probation authorities to ensure that an innocent person is not stigmatised or otherwise harmed by a convicted person who gives, falsely, the name and address of the innocent person; and if he will call for a report on the case, particulars of which have been supplied to him by the hon. Member for Sheffield, Heeley.

I am calling for reports and shall write to my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what applications were sought by the Maxwell Stamp Committee for consultants other than Freeman Fox Wilbur Smith and Associates; and why the latter were chosen.

None. Messrs, Freeman, Fox Wilbur Smith and Associates were chosen because of their previous work in this field and because their proposals satisfied the committee's requirements within the budget available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what changes there have been in the last two years in the regulations concerning the public handcuffing of prisoners; and if he will now revise these regulations so that prisoners and accused persons who are known not to be violent and not to be likely to try to escape shall in no circumstances be taken to and from court wearing handcuffs.

The answer to the first part of the Question is none. These are matters in which governors must form their own judgment and they usually come to the right conclusion. But, like the rest of us, they are not infallible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what were the numbers of registered drug addicts in Great Britain or the United Kingdom in 1950, 1960 and at the latest available date, respectively.

There is no system of registration for drug addicts. The number of narcotic drug addicts in the United Kingdom coming to Home Office notice in 1950, 1960 and 1968 were 306,437 and 2,782 respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many licensed cab drivers and how many unlicensed drivers, respectively, have been convicted for touting at London Airport during the year ended 30th June, 1969.

I will write to my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he proposes to publish the supplementary report on. murder.

I expect the statistical study that will supplement the Home Office Research Unit report "Murder" (Her Majesty's Stationery Office 1961) to be published during the next few weeks. The new report will cover the period 1957–68 and will include an annex by the Scottish Home and Health Department on murders in Scotland in the same period. The report takes account of a few cases that have previously been incorrectly classified as murder. A detailed analysis of acquittals in England and Wales has also been undertaken, to exclude those cases in which it was clear that the court concluded that no murder had been committed. I propose to adopt these more accurate figures for general comparative purposes from the time the report is published.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will issue a deportation order in connection with Gurdas Ram Gogna, sentenced to three years' imprisonment at Birmingham Assizes on 22nd July for organising a marriage bureau enabling Indian male immigrants to avoid immigration controls, to take effect when that sentence has been completed.