asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will issue an instruction that the banks should give favourable borrowing terms to auctioneers and feeding stuff merchants who traditionally give credit to the farming community.

I am sure that the banks are well aware of the importance of these activities to the agricultural industry and I see no need to issue further guidance.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will withhold consent to exchange control for payments to ex-Nazi war criminals in Germany by British newspapers publishing their memoirs.

No. As the House has been told before, it would not be right for the Treasury to seek to operate a moral censorship through exchange control. Nor would it be practicable as it would involve the central scrutiny of thousands of applications and unacceptable delay to legitimate transactions.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will increase the present level of annual sales beyond which a small manufacturer or craftsman becomes liable for purchase tax on his production.

No. The limit is kept under review but I see no grounds for changing it at the present time.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the loss of revenue resulting from a cut of 1s. in the standard rate of income tax and of the consequential reduction in the weekly tax payments for a married man with one child earning £15, £25, £50 and £100, respectively, and receiving £100 per week unearned income.

The loss of revenue would be £365 million for a full year. Assuming the child was under 11, the reduction in tax payments in the quoted cases of earned income would be nil, and about 5s., £1 4s. 6d., and £3 6s. 0d. a week respectively. For the last case the reduction would be £222 10s. 0d. for the full year—about £4 5s. 6d. in weekly terms.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what action he proposes to take to overcome delays in the payment of income tax rebates, following the recent report of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration on this matter.

The Parliamentary Commissioner found no material weaknesses in the procedure but attributed the defects which he criticised to pressure of work. While I very much regret the shortcomings to which the Parliamentary Commissioner drew attention, the staff are carrying a very heavy burden and great credit is due to them for the way in which they have responded. I am grateful to them and have every confidence in them.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in the light of paragraphs 709 to 713 of the Donovan Report on Trade Unions and Employers he will ensure that trade union officials employed by Her Majesty's Stationery Office are granted leave to attend Trades Union Congress courses at recognised educational institutes.

Her Majesty's Stationery Office practice, which predates the Donovan Report by several years, follows the recommendation of the Report that shop stewards in this case, Fathers of the Chapel, should be given paid leave to attend T.U.C. Day Release Courses at recognised educational institutes.In addition, recent consultation with the T.U.C. has led Her Majesty's Stationery Office to extend the paid leave arrangements to include Deputy Fathers of the Chapel.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will now take steps to authorise payment on post-war credits and Post Office Savings Bank accounts of the same rates of interest as those proposed in his new Save As You Earn Scheme.

No.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the present total of the National Debt; and what proposals he has to pay it off.

The total National Debt at the year ending 31st March, 1969, was approximately £33,983 million: this was £211 million lower than the total outstanding at the end of the previous year. The Government will be a net repayer of debt on an even larger scale in the financial year 1969–70.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Commissioners of the National Debt last met officially.

12th October, 1860.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many estates in each of the last 10 years have included agricultural land for probate purposes; and what has been the total value of such agricultural land in each of the 10 years.

The figures which do not include estates below the estate duty exemption limit, are as follows:

	Number of Estates '000	value £m.
1959–60	Not available	26·0
1960–61	Not available	Not available
1961–62	Not available	22·2
1962–63	Not available	Not available
1963–64	Not available	32·1
1964–65	4·4	39·2
1965–66	4·0	44·6
1966–67	4·1	44·5
1967–68	3·8	50·7
1968–69	4·0	58·8

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer in general how many days residence in the United Kingdom are now being taken as the maximum before an individual is treated as being a United Kingdom resident for tax purposes; what changes there have been in recent years; and if he will make a statement.

A person is always regarded as resident in the United Kingdom for tax purposes if he spends at least 183 days here in the tax year. If he spends less than 183 days here he may still be regarded as a resident if he is ordinarily resident here, or is a regular visitor to this country, or, in certain cases, if he has a residence here available for his use. The residence rules were last changed in 1956.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to adjust the levels of income and other taxes when decimal currency is introduced.

This year's Finance Act has made several changes in preparation for decimalisation, and I made a statement about stamp duties on 16th June. Tax rates in a decimal system will depend on the Budgetary requirements of the time, and I have no further statement to make at present.—[Vol. 785, c. 63.]

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will now make a statement on the future of statutory control over the dividend distributions of public companies.

I have nothing to add to the reply I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Kingston-upon-Thames (Mr. Boyd-Carpenter).

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will now make a statement on the future of statutory control over expenditure by British tourists abroad.

I would refer the hon. Member to the Answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for St. Albans (Mr. Goodhew).

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer by how much per gallon would the duty on petrol require to be increased to offset the loss in revenue of the abolition of the motor vehicle licence duty, taking into account the consequential financial savings in the cost of collecting the duty.

At least 1s. 7d. a gallon.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he has studied the recommendations of the working party set up by the National Economic Development Office for tax changes designed to encourage the overseas earnings of civil engineering and process plant contractors: and if he will make a statement.

The recommendations are being studied in consultation with the National Economic Development Office, but I cannot say what will be the outcome.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he now expects to receive the Reddaway Report on selective employment tax.

I would refer my hon. and learned Friend to the Answer I gave earlier today to a similar question put by the hon. Member for Morpeth (Mr. Will Owen).

asked the Minister of Power if he will make a further statement on the progress of the Central Electricity Generating Board's discussions on the pollution of the River Thames at Battersea Power Station and the experimental suspension of gas washing in relation to the conditions imposed in the Power Station in 1927 and 1937, under the Electricity (Supply) Act 1919 and the Electricity (Supply) Act 1926.

I have nothing to add to the answer given on 22nd July. The Central Electricity Generating Board have not yet completed their discussions with interested parties.—[Vol. 787; col. 314.]

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what action he is proposing to take to prevent the spoiling of the cliff top at Grenaway between Polzeath and Daymer Bay in North Cornwall, in view of the proposals for development there.

Outline planning permission for this development was granted in 1962. The application which has been before the County Council was for an access road for which I understand the County Council has now decided to grant permission. I did not think that I would be justified in calling in the application for the road for my own decision.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what representations he has received from trade union and other organisations with regard to his Circular 57/69 about direct works; what replies he has made; and if he will make a statement.

The only such representation my right hon. Friend has received is one about which my hon. Friend wrote to him recently. My hon. Friend has a copy of his reply.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will introduce legislation to require local authorities to provide easy access to all new buildings for disabled people, including those using wheelchairs.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer on this subject to my hon. Friend the Member for Morpeth (Mr. Will Owen) on 20th October.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many local authorities have introduced schemes to facilitate movement in the streets for disabled people confined to wheelchairs.

I regret that this information is not available. However, as my hon. Friend knows, this Department and others—including the Ministry of Transport—have issued advice to local authorities on easing the problems of the disabled, although I am sure that most local authorities are doing this.We shall certainly take every opportunity of reminding them of their obligations to the disabled.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government of the 1,050 persons on the staff of the Land Commission on 1st October, 1969, how many are employed in Scotland.

Seventy-eight.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what is the maximum improvement grant in England and Wales; and what plans he has to increase the maximum.

The Housing Act 1969 has just raised the maximum improvement grants considerably. They are now £1,200 (previously £500) for each dwelling provided by the conversion of a property of three or more storeys, and £1,000 (previously £400) a dwelling for other conversions and improvements. My right hon. Friend can increase these limits either for a particular case or for a class of case if the local authority making the grant are satisfied there are good reasons for doing so.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government under what statutory authority he prevents local authorities using monies repaid on mortgages for the purpose of providing further mortgages.

I am glad to say that local authorities have in general cooperated with Central Government in measures to limit their capital expenditure and borrowing in the interests of the economy.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government on how many occasions during the past year applications for planning consent have been referred to his Department because of objections lodged by the Land Commission.

None.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government in how many cases in each of the past five years have unmarried civil servants, transferred from Scotland to England, received house tenancies allocated by local authorities.

I have been asked to reply. I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Local Government and Regional Planning whether he is now in a position to publish the Desk Study of the Wash Barrage Scheme; and whether he will make a statement.

The Water Resources Board, which is responsible for the desk study of the use of the Wash for water conservation, expects to receive a report by consulting engineers on the engineering aspects by the end of the year. Work on other aspects of the study should be completed by about the same time. The Board hopes to make its report on the study as a whole by next summer. Its report and that of the consulting engineers will then be published together.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will list the number of local authority houses completed by the City of Coventry in 1967, 1968 and his estimate for 1969, respectively.

The number of dwellings completed by the City of Coventry fell from 1,327 in 1967 to 1,012 in 1968. The latest report shows they had reached 543 at the end of September this year.At the Labour Party Conference I said that Coventry were not expected to complete more than 200 dwellings in 1969. I should have said they were not expected to approve tenders for more than 200 dwellings this year. I apologise to the Council for this error.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what help he is prepared to give to local authorities who have accepted the advice of past Governments to build tower blocks and who are now being urged by Her Majesty's Government to change from gas to electricity.

The Government's offer to meet 40 per cent. of the cost of post-Ronan Point measures would apply to approved expenditure of this kind as well as to actual costs of strengthening.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government when he expects to conclude his negotiations with the local authority associations on the question of financial reimbursements above the offered 40 per cent. for the costs incurred by councils involved in strengthening tower blocks resultant upon the Ronan Point disaster.

I hope these consultations will be completed soon.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a table showing the amounts advanced for house purchase by building societies in the United Kingdom in 1965, 1966, 1967 and 1968.

The required table is shown below. The figures are taken from Housing Statistics Number 14, Table 40.

ADVANCES BY BUILDING SOCIETIES ON DWELLINGS
United Kingdom
£ million
1965	948
1966	1,217
1967	1,446
1968	1,557

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will list the names of the local authorities that have reduced their house-building programmes in the last accounting year, together with a comparison of these figures with their housebuilding programmes for the last five years.

I expect to be making a statement very shortly.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will institute an inquiry into the dangers of new methods of disposal of domestic waste in areas of high density flats and other dwellings.

I have nothing to add to what my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales said today.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT a table showing the number of houses scheduled to be demolished under the slum clearance programmes by each local authority in England and Wales in each of the years 1968 and 1969.

Details of houses scheduled for demolition in clearance areas confirmed, authority by authority, are set out in the Government's publication "Local Housing Statistics". Figures for 1968 were included in this February's issue. Those for 1969 will be made available as soon as possible.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will state the number of houses started so far this year compared with the corresponding period in 1968 and 1967, and what measures he proposes to take to reverse the decline.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to a Question by him on 13th October.—[Vol. 788, c. 42.]

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will take steps to exclude pensions and allowances of war disabled pensioners from consideration as income for the purposes of the rate rebate scheme.

I have been asked to reply.This point will be considered in the review of local government finance which is being undertaken in the light of the report of the Royal Commission on Local Government in England.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what recent consideration he has given to the National Insurance status of Members of Parliament, particularly in regard to their eligibility for unemployment benefit in the event of their losing their job, and in regard to their entitlement to earnings-related benefits; and if he will make a statement.

Members of Parliament, not being employed under contracts of service, are self-employed for National Insurance purposes. Their position under the new earnings-related system is being considered.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service why the allowance of 53s. for candidates who come to London for interview for Civil Service situations and have to stay overnight has been increased to 61s. 6d. per night; and what is the normal rate for a higher-paid civil servant who stays overnight whilst on duty in London.

The candidate's overnight allowance was increased because it is derived from the 24-hours rates of subsistence for the Civil Service which were revised to take account of higher hotel charges. The normal rate for higher-paid civil servants visiting London is 88s.; for Assistant Secretaries and above it is 104s.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service why information is not available concerning the number of civil servants who are to receive increases in their salaries resultant upon the Plowden Committee's Report and have resigned from their appointments during any stated period of time; and whether he will take whatever steps may be necessary to secure this information.

I assume that my hon. Friend has in mind the answer given to his Question on 22nd July. The reasons civil servants give for resigning are not, at present, recorded centrally. But we intend to obtain such information in the future as part of a new system of records which is now being established.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what progress has been made in realising technological and trading advantages by way of agreements with member countries of COMECON particularly in the Eastern European zone; what proposals he has towards the normalisation of trading arrangements with these countries; and if he will make a statement.

We have trade arrangements with all East European countries with which we have diplomatic relations. These arrangements are normal for trade between centrally planned and market economy countries, and our trade has developed substantially under them.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, prior to making available loans of public money, and before offering special inducements to industries moving to, or active in development areas, consideration is given to the financial standing and previous trading history of each firm.

Applications for loans and grants under Section 4 of the Local Employment Act 1960 and most applications for building grants are referred to the Board of Trade Advisory Committee, which investigates the financial standing of the firms concerned. The financial standing of firms which seek to rent Board of Trade factories is investigated by the Industrial Estates Corporations. No such investigation is made in relation to investment grants.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether assessment is made of the labour relations record of companies seeking public funds and special facilities in development areas.

Only where it might be relevant to the investigation of the financial standing and prospects of firms seeking assistance under the Local Employment Acts. No such investigation is made in relation to investment grants.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what organisations were officially consulted and in what manner, about appointments to the British Tourist Authority and the tourist boards.

Members of the British Tourist Authority and of the English Tourist Board are not representatives or delegates of particular interests; official consultation with particular organisations about the appointments would not, therefore, have been appropriate. It was open to any individual or organisation to make suggestions for appointments to the Authority and the Board, and a number of suggestions were in fact received. The appointment of members of the Scottish and Wales Tourist Boards is the responsibility of the Secretaries of State for Scotland and Wales respectively.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what proposals he has to amend or abolish the present restrictions on hire purchase.

None. It would be premature to relax the hire-purchase restrictions at the present time.

asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications if he will reconsider the proposal that persons resident in areas which cannot receive B.B.C.2 should pay a reduced rate for their television licences, now that separate radio licences are to be abolished.

No, this would be impracticable. The average capital cost per household of providing B.B.C.2 in these areas where reception is now possible is approximately £0·67. For those areas remaining to be served, including Moray and Nairn, the average capital cost will be about £8 per household.

asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications what action he is taking to improve television reception in the Glenkens area.

This is primarily a matter for the B.B.C. and the I.T.A. They tell me that they have no plans to improve television reception in the Glenkens area.

asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications if he will make an interim statement on his plans to adjust the level of charges in the letter and telephone service when decimal currency is introduced.

This is one of the matters I am now discussing with the Post Office and I hope to make a statement shortly.

asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications if he will make a statement on the practice he proposes to follow in answering Parliamentary Questions about the Post Office.

I propose to follow the same rules and practices as now govern Parliamentary Questions about the affairs of other nationalised industries.

asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications what progress has been made to increase the supply of vandal-proof telephone kiosks; whether a larger number of vandals are now being caught; what further action he is taking to ensure that this public service is constantly available for personal and business use as well as for emergencies; and if he will make a statement.

asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications if he will consider extending public telephone facilities on private premises and undertaking a publicity campaign to advise the public of these facilities; and if he will make a statement.

asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications what plans he has to improve the efficiency of the telephone service.

asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications how many raids have taken place on sub-post offices during the second quarter of the 1969–70 financial year.

These are now matters for the Post Office.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity if she will publish figures showing the number of disputes in the months of July, 1968, August, 1968, and September, 1968, with the comparable figures for 1969 and similar figures in respect of the number of working days lost by disputes.

As the answer consists of a table of figures, I will, with permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT. A time series of these statistics is published regularly in the Employment and Productivity Gazette.Following is the information:

	Number of stoppages beginning in month	Number of working days lost in all stoppages in progress in month
July, 1968	211	179,000
July, 1969*	230	427,000
August, 1968	194	217,000
August, 1969*	232	542,000
September, 1968	221	403,000
September, 1969*	231	361,000
* Provisional.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity how many men in Wales were in full-time employment in April, 1964, and September, 1969, respectively.

At March, 1969, the latest date for which information is available, it is provisionally estimated that there were 609,000 male employees in employment in Wales. The statistics do not distinguish separately those in full-time and part-time employment. Comparable information is not available for April, 1964. At June, 1964, and June, 1968, the numbers were 673,000 and 629,000 respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity whether she will consider abandoning the present system of inducements to industry and give priority to the substitution of direct State investment on a planned basis.

I have been asked to reply.The present system of inducements to industry already represents a planned State investment from which the Government expects to see returns through the increased strength of the economy, and the employment thus created.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity whether, prior to accordance of public funds and special facilities to the British Sound Recorder factory in East Kilbride, assessment was made of previous trading history of this company, and the pattern of labour relations in its other works.

I have been asked to reply.Applications for assistance under the Local Employment Acts and for investment grants are confidential and I cannot comment on the position of an individual company.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity if she will make a statement on the current industrial dispute at British Sound Recorder's factory at East Kilbride, with special reference to the underlying causes of the present situation there.

Some 1,000 members of the Amalgamated Union of Engineering and Foundry Workers employed by B.S.R. Ltd., East Kilbride, are on official strike over the company's refusal to recognise the trade union. Approaches by my Department have been rejected by the company. I have now asked the Commission of Industrial Relations to examine the situation.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity whether she will take steps to ensure that operators of businesses in the United Kingdom relying on or benefiting from public funds do not engage in practices which have damaging effects on the interests of workers.

Proper safeguards for employees are an important aim of the Government's policies in general. If the hon. Member has any suggestions for furthering this aim I shall be glad to consider them.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity if she will investigate the imminent proposed closure of the Sheltered Workshop in Hamilton where disabled persons may find work who would have difficulty in acquiring it on the labour market; and what arrangements are available from her Department to assist the Burgh of Hamilton in its difficulties in carrying on this project.

The Town Council of the Burgh of Hamilton has decided to close down its sheltered workshop on 28th February, 1970. My officers are doing their best to find alternative employment for the five workers concerned; one has already been placed.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity whether assessments are made of the profitability of companies seeking public funds and special facilities in development areas; and to what extent such information is taken into account in her policy of making special inducements available.

I have been asked to reply.I would refer the hon. Member to my reply given earlier today.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what steps she is taking to secure suitable alternative employment for the 50 production personnel of the firm of Ferguson Brothers Limited, Carlisle, who will be made redundant in the near future.

All the workers affected by this redundancy are being given the opportunity of an interview with my officers. Advance interviewing facilities were provided at the works on the day following the notification of the redundancy, and some submissions to other jobs have already been made.It is not expected that in general the workers affected will experience difficulty in obtaining alternative employment, but my officers will be keeping in touch with them to ensure that those who need further help are given every assistance.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity whether she is aware that the hourly earnings of British workers is between 1 per cent. and 3·3 per cent. below those paid in the Common Market countries; and what action she proposes to take to increase the hourly earnings of British workers to assist British entry into the European Economic Community.

The figures quoted by the hon. Member relate to the rate of increase of earnings between 1960 and 1968, not to the level of earnings. I do not think any special action to raise earnings in the United Kingdom is called for in connection with our application to join the European Communities.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity how many men, women, boys and girls, respectively, are registered as unemployed in Andover and district at the latest date.

At 13th October, 1969, there were 211 men, 65 women, 3 boys and 8 girls registered as unemployed in the area covered by the Andover Employment Exchange. These figures are provisional.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity how many workers are required to be involved in an unconstitutional stoppage of work in order to bring into effect the undertaking given by the Trades Union Congress to Her Majesty's Government on 18th June 1969.

The undertakings given by the Trades Union Congress requires the General Council to take account of a number of considerations in deciding its course of action in relation to a dispute. There is no provision that a specified number of workers is required to be involved in an unconstitutional stoppage of work before the T.U.C. intervenes.

asked the Minister of Transport whether his attention has been drawn to the unsatisfactory and unhygienic conditions on the A.25 layby at Nutfield Cemetery, Surrey and whether he will arrange for a meeting to be convened of those concerned to seek an improvement.

There has been correspondence with Nutfield Parish Council about this layby. However, responsibility for the A.25 is that of the Surrey County Council as highway authority, and it would not be right for us to intervene.

asked the Minister of Transport what stage has been reached in the planning of the motorway from the A.1 at Ferrybridge to Kingston-upon-Hull.

The eastern extension of the M62 motorway is still in an early stage of preparation. We hope to publish proposals for the route between Ferrybridge and Balkholme in two sections in the Spring and Autumn of next year. Provision for a further extension of route to South Cave was made in the recent additions to the preparation pool, but the timing and standard of construction have not yet been decided.

asked the Minister of Transport when he will implement Section 23 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act, 1967.

Only subsection (2) of Section 23 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act, 1967, which empowers me to make regulations prohibiting pedestrians on the carriageway near crossings, has not been implemented. I have no plans for exercising these powers at present.

asked the Minister of Transport what steps he is taking to ensure that the operators of service stations on motorways do not abuse their monopoly positions by so under-manning the facilities that the service is deficient.

An adviser with special responsibility for operating standards on motorway service areas was appointed earlier this year. No evidence of deliberate under-manning has come to light.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will make a statement on the result of his inquiries into the outbreaks of fire in recent months on British Railways' trucks carrying ammunition and explosives; and what steps he has taken to prevent further cases.

A serious fire occurred near Carlisle in April of this year which resulted in the explosion of a rail wagon carrying ammunition. This was the first accident of its kind on British Railways since 1945. There have been a number of other incidents when the axle boxes of rail wagons carrying ammunition and explosives have overheated, but in all other cases the overheating has been detected and dealt with before the interior of the wagon was affected.A full examination of these recent incidents has been made by the interdepartmental committee which is responsible for oversight of the transport of military explosives. A review has been made of the existing regulations and the committee will shortly be reporting to all the Ministers concerned and to the Chairman of the Railways Board. The Home Office, which is responsible for the transport of commercial explosives, is also represented on the committee.Measures have already been taken by the Departments concerned, and by British Railways, to minimise the risk of accidents to ammunition and explosives moved by rail. The permitted load of explosives in certain types of wagon has been halved; improved information on the contents of explosives wagons and their position in the train is now carried by guards and drivers of trains; and a large label showing the appropriate Firefighting Class Symbol is being introduced. Various other measures aimed at reducing the risk of derailment of trains carrying explosives, and of fire spreading should a wagon develop a hot axle-box, are also being implemented or examined.

asked the Minister of Transport how many train derailments occurred in the first nine months of 1969; and what were the comparable figures in the first nine months of 1967, 1965 and 1963, respectively.

The provisional figures for reportable derailments of passenger and goods trains on all railways in Great Britain for the first nine months of 1969 are 18 and 292, respectively, making a total of 310. The comparable figures for the first nine months of 1967, 1965 and 1963 are as follows:

Year	Passenger Trains	Goods Trains	Total
1967	22	204	226
1965	18	157	175
1963	34	139	173

The figures for goods trains include the derailment of empty coaching stock, light locomotives and special vehicles such as self-propelled track maintenance machines, mobile cranes, etc.

asked the Minister of Transport when he intends to introduce legislation to nationalise the ports.

As soon as possible.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will now authorise the capital investment by the Railways Board for new signalling from Warrington to Glasgow that will facilitate a later decision for electric traction.

Approval has already been given to the Board's proposal to rationalise and resignal this route. I am aware that the manner in which the work is done may depend on a decision whether the route is also to be electrified, which is under consideration.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware of the growing practice of severe penalties being inflicted upon motorists for nominal parking offences whilst at the same time more serious offences, including multiplicity of serious road traffic offences, are frequently committed, including in some instances the death of victims involved in accidents, where the drivers are let off with nominal fines; and what action he proposes to take to re-adjust the penalties to fit the crimes.

The penalty in any particular case is a matter for the court, but we have no evidence that parking offences are being treated more seriously than others.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware that the Posts and Telecommunications Department have recently initiated a £100,000 campaign against the large number of television licence evaders; and, in view of the fact that there are a large number of road licence evaders with larger licence fees, whether he will initiate a similar campaign to obtain these arrears of road licence fees.

The collection of motor tax is a matter for the local taxation authorities who are already active in recovering arrears from offenders.

asked the Minister of Transport how many lorries involved in accidents have been found defective during the last 12 months soon after they have been given his Department's certificate of roadworthiness; and what action he proposes to take to remedy the position.

The information necessary to provide a complete answer is not readily available. It has not been possible to trace any incidents where the circumstances referred to in the question have been reported to the Ministry.From statistics obtained from police accident reports submitted to the Ministry since the beginning of this year a total of 110 heavy goods vehicles (over 30 cwt. unladen weight) have been involved in personal injury accidents in which a mechanical defect was considered by the police to have been a contributory factor. Without a considerable amount of detailed investigation it is not possible to say which, if any, of these vehicles had a test certificate at the time of the accident. If a test certificate had been recently issued to such a vehicle this would most certainly have been indicated in the police reports.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he has yet reached agreement with the Greater London Council on the transfer to the Council of responsibility for London Transport.

I have agreed with the Leader of the Greater London Council on a vesting date of 1st January, 1970, and I shall be making an appropriate commencement order under the Transport (London) Act very shortly.As part of the arrangements for the hand-over the Government have decided, following a further review of the financial

Agricultural Price Guarantees							Farming Grants and Subsidies
Financial Year		Original Estimates	Outturn	Variation	Percentage Col. (4) to Col. (2)	Annual Review Awards	Original Estimates	Outturn	Variation	Percentage Col. (4) to Col. (2)	Annual Review Awards
(1)		(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	(6)	(7)	(8)	(9)	(10)	(11)
		£m.	£m.	£m.		£m.	£m.	£m.	£m.		£m.
1968–69	…	145·7	127·3	-18·4	-12·6	+29·0	127·3	124·5	-2·8	-2·2	+2·0
1967–68	…	142·8	135·0	-7·8	-5·4	+10·5	116·5	113·8	-2·7	-2·3	+6·0
1966–67	…	142·8	108·8	-34·0	-23·8	+16·0	110·5	108·4	-2·1	-1·9	-1·0
1965–66	…	175·5	121·7	-53·8	-30·7	—	107·8	104·8	-3·0	-2·8	-1·5
1964–65	…	204·1	146·1	-58·0	-28·4	+6·0	105·9	108·5	+2·6	+2·5	+1·0
1963–64	…	243·4	178·9	-64·5	-26·5	-13·0	111·4	104·7	-6·7	-6·0	-1·0
1962–63	…	217·7	190·1	-27·6	-12·7	-8·0	107·1	110·0	+2·9	+2·7	—
1961–62	…	159·4	225·5	+66·1	+41·5	+9·5	106·8	108·1	+1·3	+1·2	-2·5
1960–61	…	150·5	151·2	+0·7	+0·5	-7·5	102·8	105·0	+2·2	+2·1	-1·5
1959–60	…	153·0	154·7	+1·7	+1·1	-3·5	93·0	95·6	+2·6	+2·8	+1·0
1958–59	…	211·5	154·7	-56·8	-26·9	-20·5	84·0	81·4	-2·6	-3·1	+1·0
1957–58	…	160·0	203·2	+43·2	+27·0	+8·0	73·5	75·5	+2·0	+2·7	+2·0
Notes:
1. Figures in Cols. (6) and (11) are the estimated conventional effects of the Awards on the Estimates for the same financial year.
2. Figures for the years prior to 1957–58 are not readily available in the form required.
3. Figures for Farming Grants and Subsidies have been used instead of relevant production grants because details of the latter are not readily available in suitable form for all the years back to 1957–58.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will publish in tabular form for each year since 1953–54 figures for the original estimated expenditure disregarding subsequent supplementary estimates, on agricultural price support payments for the United Kingdom and separately for relevant production grants; the effect of the Review determinations in each year, and the actual out-turn of expenditure under these heads showing the amount and proportion by which it exceeded or fell below the estimates.

The information is as follows:

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action he is taking consequent upon the escape of contents of a 1,000-gallon oil tank from a printing works at Worcester into the River Severn, causing an oil slick to drift upstream towards Upton-upon-Severn, threatening drinking water supplies, farming interests, angling interests, impregnation of water birds and pleasure craft and whether he will make a statement.

I have been asked to reply.Action in such an emergency falls on the River Authority. I am satisfied that the Severn River Authority quickly took appropriate action to contain and remove the pollution, to protect drinking water intakes downstream and other interests.I understand that, apart from some residual pollution of the banks of the river, the river itself was virtually cleared of oil by Monday morning.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking, and what investigations he is conducting, to frame the exact limits of the special protection promised for agriculture in the terms on which the United Kingdom application to the Common Market has been made.

I would not wish to disclose the precise ways in which our negotiating objectives for agriculture are being worked out.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will publish a table showing, for each of the years 1946 to 1968, inclusive, the proportion that the average price for that year of one pint of standard milk bore to the average price for that year of one pint of mild ale, best draught bitter, light bottled ale and whisky, respectively.

The information requested by the hon. Member is not available for all the years or in the detail requested, but the table below shows the proportion of the average price of one pint of ordinary milk to the price typically charged in the public bar for one pint of draught bitter beer and to the price of one bottle of proprietary Scotch whisky for each of the years 1956 to 1968 inclusive.

Year	Price of one pint of milk as a percentage of price of one pint of bitter beer	Price of one pint of milk as a percentage of price of one bottle of whisky
1956	42·6	1·7
1957	43·8	1·8
1958	43·1	1·7
1959	48·4	1·7
1960	48·4	1·7
1961	44·4	1·6
1962	45·1	1·6
1963	44·1	1·7
1964	42·3	1·7
1965	42·0	1·6
1966	41·3	1·5
1967	42·9	1·6
1968	42·7	1·8–1·6 (price range)

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he is aware that official figures show that in the Common Market countries prices of meat are as much as 3s. to 4s. per lb. above prices in Great Britain and that prices for almost all basic foodstuffs are now similarly higher; and whether he will now publish these figures in HANSARD.

I cannot usefully add to the information already given to the hon. Member on 2nd and 16th July.—[Vol. 786, c. 91–2 and Vol. 787, c. 120–1.]

asked the Prime Minister if the public speech of the Secretary of State for Social Services given at the Annual Conference in Sheffield of the National Association for Maternal and Child Welfare on 8th June on maternity care provisions represents Government policy.

Yes.

asked the Prime Minister whether the public statement on independent television on 7th October, 1969, by the Secretary of State for Social Services on the dustmen's strike represents Government policy.

Yes.

asked the Prime Minister, if, following the recent reorganisation of Government Departments, he will now consider the creation of a national trade practices commission that will embrace the Government's consumer protection functions.

As I told the House in my statement on 13th of October, the recent changes do not effect the consumer protection responsibilities of the Board of Trade.—[Vol. 788; c. 32.]

asked the Prime Minister what reply he has sent to the letter dated 2nd October, 1969, from P. L. Wood on behalf of over 60 persons with varying personal experience of life in Eastern Nigeria regarding the action directed to stopping the war there.

A reply is being sent today explaining that the Government are in close contact with the current efforts both to bring about negotiations on a settlement and to achieve a resumption of relief flights by the I.C.R.C.

asked the Prime Minister which Minister is now responsible for the control of aircraft noise.

Responsibility remains with my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade.

asked the Prime Minister if he is now satisfied with arrangements for co-ordination between Departments for the promotion of scientific, technological and trading agreements with countries in the Eastern European area; and what proposals he has made for the normalisation of relations and practices leading to an expansion of scientific, cultural and trading activities with the countries concerned.

My right hon. Friends already work closely together on these matters.

asked the Prime Minister how many of the 164 extra Press relations officers recruited to the Government information services since October, 1964, have been transferred from temporary to established civil servants.

There is no such grade as Press Relations Officer in the Civil Service. I assume that the hon. Member is referring to figures given to the House on 17th March by my right hon. Friend the then Minister without Portfolio relating to the Information Officer Class, whose members carry out a wide range of departmental duties. In this class, as in several professional classes, recruitment is often initially on a temporary basis and the officers concerned may later become established following open competitions conducted by the Civil Service Commissioners, who are appointed by Order in Council and are not responsible to Ministers. Over the past five years 141 members of the Information Officer class recruited as temporaries since October, 1964, have subsequently been established along with some 97 recruited as temporaries before that date.—[Vol. 780, c. 10–12.]

asked the Prime Minister what are the present duties of the Paymaster-General.

He will assist my right hon. Friend the Minister of Technology with the work of that Department. The Minister of Technology will shortly be making an announcement about the allocation of duties to Ministers in the Department.

asked the Prime Minister how many Members visited Scotland in an official capacity in each of the years since 1964; and if he will list the names and dates.

There have been so many Ministerial visits to Scotland since 1964 that the cost of providing such a list would not be justified.

asked the Attorney-General whether he will take steps to ensure that, in the case of a disputed will, medical reports on the mental state of the deceased are always made available to the relatives concerned.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) whether he will take steps to ensure that no persons named or indicated in Disturbances in Northern Ireland, N.I., Command Paper No. 532, a copy of which has been sent to him, as participating in or contributing to disturbances shall be eligible for membership of the new auxiliary security force unless a full investigation of their alleged activities justifies such enrolment;(2) whether the person or body responsible for recruitment of members to the new auxiliary security force will be instructed to pay account to other allegations made against members of the present Ulster Special Constabulary before such members are accepted into the new auxiliary security force.(3) whether current members of the Ulster Special Constabulary will automatically become members of the new auxiliary security force.

Current members of the Ulster Special Constabulary and other members of the community in Northern Ireland will have an opportunity to apply to join either a new police reserve or a new locally recruited military force. Certain requirements as to age and physical fitness will be laid down. In accordance with normal military practice no person known to be unsuitable will be enlisted into the new force. In particular, men with unsatisfactory references or a recent criminal record, and men awaiting trial on a criminal charge will not be enlisted.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the criteria for enrolment in the proposed new Northern Ireland auxiliary security force are to be established by the General Officer in Command of British Forces in the area.

The criteria governing enrolment in the new force will follow the normal pattern. They will be laid down in legislation and in regulations under it made by me; they will be supplemented as necessary by administrative instructions.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science which local education authorities have not complied with his request to submit plans for the reorganisation of secondary education within the terms of Circular 10 /65, stating in each case where known the reasons given for non-compliance.

Eight local education authorities which were not in agreement with Circular 10/65—Bolton, Bournemouth, Bury, Kingston-upon-Thames, Richmond-upon-Thames, Rutland, Westmorland, and Worcester—have declined to submit a plan. Eight authorities—Bexley, Bootle, Buckinghamshire, Leeds, Norfolk, Salford, Torbay and Warley—have not yet submitted plans but I expect one shortly from Leeds and the other authorities are, I understand, examining possible ways of making progress. Nine authorities—Birmingham, Gloucester, Hillingdon, Harrow, Nottingham, Reading, Southend-on-Sea, Sutton and Wolverhampton—have had plans referred back to them and have not vet submitted revised proposals.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how often in the past five years the Scottish Arts Council has requested an increase in the total funds available to it for spending on the arts in Scotland.

The Scottish Arts Council has asked for an increase each year in the annual estimates which it presents to the Arts Council of Great Britain.The grant to the Scottish Arts Council has increased in each of the past five years as follows:—

	£
1965–66	270,390
1966–67	467,836
1967–68	707,700
1968–69	795,000
1969–70	832,000 (plus capital grants)

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what proposals she has to introduce legislation to make day release for further education a legal right for all young workers.

I have been asked to reply.A number of suggestions on this subject have been put to me and I am studying them in the context of future educational legislation generally.

asked as Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will make a statement on the adequacy of building facilities at Portsmouth Polytechnic with special reference to the cancellation before its designation as a polytechnic of the Council for National Academic Awards' degree course in biology and other related subjects at the Portsmouth College of Technology.

Inadequacy of accommodation for the total student load of the Biological Sciences Department was one of the factors in last year's decision by the Council for National Academic Awards not to authorise an intake of first year students for the 1968–69 session to the C.N.A.A. degree courses in biology. My predecessor has since approved the provision of additional accommodation for biology and I understand that this contributed to the Council's decision of last May to reapprove the degree courses from September, 1969.