asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what precautions are taken at approved quarantine kennels to ensure that dogs are not exercised over the same ground thereby increasing the risk of them infecting one another.

Any scope there might be for cross-infection through the use of common exercise grounds at approved quarantine kennels will be reviewed in the light of the findings of the inquiry which my right hon. Friend announced in his statement on 29th October.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the proportion of defence expenditure to gross national product for the United Kingdom, Western Germany, France, Italy, Japan, the United States of America, Sweden, Belgium, Holland, Norway and Denmark, from information available to him from international sources.

For figures in respect of those countries which are members of N.A.T.O., I would refer to an answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Hampstead (Mr. Whitaker) on 27th February. For Japan and Sweden, figures on the same authentic basis are not available. However, I can say that for 1967 they were approximately of the order of 1 per cent. and 4½ per cent. respectively.—[Vol. 778, col. 350.]

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will issue an interim statement on the Report of the Advisory Committee on Pesticides and Other Toxic Chemicals into the hazards to health from the use of Vapona insect repellant.

The report of the Advisory Committee on Pesticides and Other Toxic Chemicals on its further review of certain persistent organochlorine pesticides, to which I presume my hon. Friend refers, has been received. It is being considered and will be published shortly. Some of these organochlorine pesticides are used in vaporisers, and I suggest that he awaits the publication of the report.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what was the number of persons employed on the repair and maintenance of motor vehicles during the three months, or other convenient period, following the introduction of selective employment tax and each of the two subsequent increases in this tax, respectively; and what number were employed for comparable periods before the introduction of selective employment tax.

The only reliable employment estimates for this industry relate to mid-year. Following is the information from mid-1964 to mid-1968, the latest date for which estimates are at present available:

ESTIMATED NUMBERS OF EMPLOYEES IN EMPLOYMENT IN GREAT BRITAIN IN MOTOR REPAIRING. DISTRIBUTING, GARAGES AND FILLING STATIONS (MINIMUM LIST HEADING 887 OF THE 1958 EDITION OF THE STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION)
				(Thousands)
		Males	Females	Total
June 1964	…	333·0	76·9	409·9
June 1965	…	346·6	85·5	432·1
June 1966 (a)	…	358·0	90·2	448·2
(b)	…	350·2	89·5	439·6
June 1967	…	333·7	87·0	420·7
June 1968	…	334·7	88·5	423·2

Between June 1966 and June 1967 the industrial classifications of many establishments were corrected. The estimates for June 1966 are shown on both bases, (at excluding and

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity whether she will publish the number of wholly unemployed registered at the employment exchange at Thorne, expressed as an actual figure, as a percentage of the local working population, and showing duration of unemployment.

At 13th October, 1969 1,051 persons (882 males and 169 females) were registered as wholly unemployed in the area covered by the Thorne Employment Exchange. Percentage rates of unemployment cannot be calculated for Thorne alone but in the Doncaster and Thorne travel-to-work area the numbers registered as wholly unemployed formed 4·8 per cent. of the estimated number of all employees, employed and unemployed.The following analysis by duration relates to the registered wholly unemployed in the area covered by the Thorne Employment Exchange together with a few young persons in the adjacent Goole area who are covered by the Thorne Youth Employment Service Careers Office.

DURATION ANALYSIS OF THE NUMBERS REGISTERED AS WHOLLY UNEMPLOYED AT THE THORNE EMPLOYMENT EXCHANGE AND THE THORNE YOUTH EMPLOYMENT SERVICE CAREERS OFFICE.
	Males	Females	Total
One week or less	44	13	57
Over
1 and up to 2 weeks	73	7	80
1 and up to 3 weeks	106	4	110
1 and up to 4 weeks	37	14	51
1 and up to 5 weeks	41	8	49
1 and up to 6 weeks	37	9	46
1 and up to 7 weeks	10	6	16
1 and up to 8 weeks	22	5	27
1 and up to 9 weeks	19	6	25
1 and up to 13 weeks	110	31	141
1 and up to 26 weeks	102	12	128
1 and up to 39 weeks	48	7	60
1 and up to 52 weeks	35	41	42
Over 52 weeks	227	26	268

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what steps are being taken to settle the dispute at the London Transport overhaul works at Acton and other depots which is reducing the rolling stock available to London Transport, and causing great inconvenience to users who live in Harrow and other passengers by the cancelling of trains and the reduction of carriages on existing trains.

My officers had discussions with representatives of the London Transport Board and the two unions concerned but were unable to resolve the problem. Following consultation with my officers the T.U.C. has had discussions with the unions, and I understand that it is meeting them again shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the applicants for a certificate for consent for general gaming made to the Gaming Board came within the 31 approved areas for gaming in England.

I am informed that the figure is 295.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the applications for certificates of consent for general gaming came from clubs whose premises are outside the approved areas for gaming in England, in Scotland and in Wales, respectively.

I am informed that the figures are:

England	…	…	…	330
Wales	…	…	…	12
Scotland	…	…	…	24

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total number of applications to the Gaming Board for certificates of consent under the Gaming Act, 1968 for general gaming.

I am informed that the figure is 702.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what answer he has sent to the letter from the Cabaret Clubs Federation, dated 26th September, 1969, requesting a meeting with him so as to discuss their proposals for limited gaming in cabaret clubs.

The Federation has been informed that I am consulting the Gaming Board about its proposals.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many certificates of consent for general gaming have so far been granted by the Gaming Board.

I am informed that the number is 935, in 265 of which the board is awaiting replies from applicants.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will state, for the latest convenient period of one year, in how many cases of fatalities in which motor vehicles were involved in the Metropolitan Police area was faulty vehicle maintenance suspected; and in how many cases were prosecutions for failure to maintain vehicles undertaken.

I regret that the information is not available.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how the official estimate of completions and starts in the public and private sectors for 1970 is arrived at.

In considering prospects for public sector housing starts in the near future the Department takes into account recent trends in tender approvals, together with estimates of the average length of time between approval and starts based on recent experience. Completions are estimated on the basis of starts and the average construction period.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what is his policy on the award of planning permissions for the extraction of sand and gravel in green belt areas.

Planning applications are normally dealt with by the local planning authority in the first instance. Applications to work minerals in green belt areas have to be considered on their merits, having regard to production needs, to the scale of extraction proposed and to amenity, agricultural and other considerations.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government (1) if he will issue a circular to local authorities giving advice on the restoration of worked-out sand and gravel pits to useful purposes; and if he will introduce legislation to make enforceable any conditions providing for restoration which are attached to the award of planning permissions;(2) if he will conduct a review of worked-out sand and gravel pits in the Home Counties area, and consult with the local authorities concerned on the means whereby, in future, any such facilities might be made available for recreational purposes for the public as a whole, without prejudice to existing rights of sports clubs.

My right hon. Friend has recently set in train the first three of a series of working parties under local authority chairmanship to study various aspects of sand and gravel production in South-East England. The industry and Government Departments will be associated with this work, which will include consideration of the restoration of worked-out gravel pits or the best way of using them for recreational and other purposes. Local authorities already have statutory powers to enforce planning conditions, and I am not aware that further legislation for that purpose is required.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will commission a study by the Natural Environmental Research Council on the future national requirements for sand and gravel, the sources from which it is to be obtained, including the Continental Shelf, and the effect on the environment of alternative policies.

Assessing the national need for sand and gravel and production from the Continental Shelf is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Minister of Public Buildings and Works. My right hon. Friend the Minister of Housing and Local Government has already commissioned from the Institute of Geological Sciences a survey of potential deposits in East Anglia. He has also set in train a review of reserves in South-East England, and this review will in due course be extended to other areas. Environmental considerations will be taken into account throughout.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development how many letters her Department has received in the past 12 months supporting an increase in overseas aid.

In the past 12 months my right hon. Friend and her predecessor have received 1,469 letters sent to them direct or passed on to them by other Ministers and Members of the House. Some of these were signed by several people.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what comparative studies his Department has made of the maintenance costs of roofs with roofing tiles and slated.

None—although studies of the maintenance costs of various elements of building are being undertaken currently.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what studies his Department has made of the comparative costs in house building of roofing with tiles and roofing with slate.

No special studies; however, my Ministry is fully conversant with the cost of alternative materials used on housing projects for which it is responsible.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will direct the Regional Hospital Board to conduct an investigation into the report by a member of the Hospital House Management Committee that rats and rat poison have been seen in one of the wards of the George Eliot Hospital, Nuneaton.

The report has been investigated by the Coventry Hospital Management Committee and the Public Health Department of the Nuneaton Borough Council. which have been under contract since 1958 to provide rodent control services at the hospital. Throughout this period no trace of rats has been found, but poisoned bait is used to control mice which occasionally appear in some wards.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many National Health Service hospitals, built in the past 10 years, were completed in accordance with the time stated in the original contract.

In the past ten years the building of 20 complete hospitals, as distinct from phases, was finished. Of these 8 were finished either by the date for completion originally stated in the contract or by an extended date granted under the terms of the contract. The remainder were not finished on time.

asked the Minister of Technology whether the British Steel Corporation has made proposals for price increases; and if he will make a statement.

The Government after very careful consideration have accepted proposals by the British Steel Corporation to increase the price of carbon steel products, except tinplate, by 1¾ per cent., thus restoring the ³13 million abatement of its proposed new prices announced by the Minister of Power on 21st May in the light of N.P.B.I. Report No. 111. An increase in the price of merchant pig iron and a reduction in quantity rebates for reinforcing steel have also been accepted.>The increased prices reflect higher costs and are in keeping with experience overseas, where prices have risen markedly. The Government support the importance which the N.B.P.I. and the B.S.C. itself attach to efficiency and cost-saving. and I am satisfied that measures are in hand to ensure that this work is pursued vigorously. The Iron and Steel Consumers Council has accepted that the new price should be implemented immediately, and the corporation aims to bring most of them into effect on 16th November.—[Vol. 784, cols. 433–42.]

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will give the total funds from public money spent to date on the Centre for Industrial Innovation at the University of Strathclyde, showing each Vote from which this money was spent;(2) if he will give, by financial year in which payments were made, the total expenditure to date from the Votes of his Department on the Centre for Industrial Innovation at the University of Strathclyde, showing separately expenditure of a capital nature.

I have been asked to reply to the first Question. Expenditure from my Department's Vote 19 on the Centre for Industrial Innovation at the University of Strathclyde has been as follows:

			including capital
		£	£
1968/1969	…	10,049	902
1969/1970	…	40,021	30,109

There has been no other expenditure from public funds at the centre.

asked the Minister of Technology why, in the first five months of 1969 compared with the first five months of 1968, while the value of men's leather footwear exported to the United States of America rose, that of women's leather footwear declined.

I know of no special reason. Some seasonal fluctuations must, however, be expected, especially in a fashion industry such as this. Figure for the first nine months of 1969 show a considerable improvement: exports of women's leather footwear to the U.S.A. were higher than in the corresponding period of 1968. The improvement in men's leather footwear exports has also been maintained.

asked the Minister of Technology if he will make a statement about the causes and industrial effects of the present nickel shortage and the action he is taking to deal with it.

The world-wide shortage of nickel, now affecting all industrialised countries is due to circumstances outside our control. Supplies from the world's leading producers of nickel in Canada have been drastically curtailed because of industrial disputes which started in July.These Canadian producers normally provide well over 90 per cent. of the United Kingdom's nickel supplies. The reduction in supplies from them is affecting a wide range of British industries. The largest part of our consumption is for alloy steels. These steels, and nonferrous alloys of nickel, are used in the vehicle, aircraft, electrical, electronics and other engineering industries. Nickel is also widely used for electroplating, and has important uses in the gas and chemical industries.Some non-Canadian nickel, which is mainly of Russian origin and commands a much higher price than Canadian nickel, can be purchased on the "free market" but supplies are very limited. The only real solution to the current shortage is therefore the early resumption of nickel supplies from Canada. Negotiations between management and labour are taking place there and there are now signs that agreement may be nearer but it is not possible to say when a settlement will be reached. Even after a settlement it will take time for supplies to return to the pre-strike level.In this situation our main endeavour must be to ensure that the best use is made of the limited available supplies. On 26th July we introduced controls on the export from Britain of nickel and certain nickel bearing materials in order to conserve supplies for British industry. Similar controls were introduced by the United States Government. I understand that such controls are now under consideration by the E.E.C. countries.We are in close touch with the major using sectors of industry about the need for conservation, and the C.B.I. is collaborating closely with us. We have emphasised the need for good housekeeping by industry, the utmost use of scrap and

AIRCRAFT OF ALL TYPES BROUGHT ON TO THE U.K. REGISTER FROM 1ST JANUARY, 1965 TO 30TH SEPTEMBER, 1969
Aircraft maximum total weight		1965	1966	1967	1968	Jan. to Sept. 1969	Totals
Up to 6,000 lb	…	241	290	409	434	299	1673
From 6,001 to 12,500 lb	…	19	35	28	38	50	170
Totals	…	260	325	437	472	349	1843

asked the President of the Board of Trade what proportion of United Kingdom exports so far this year has gone to Commonwealth countries.

22 per cent. (provisional) in the first ten months.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what was the total quantity of chipwood, as distinct from pulpwood for paper-making, imported substitutes for nickel and careful use of existing stocks.The major Canadian nickel company concerned, which is functioning on a much reduced basis, operates an allocation scheme for British nickel users: we maintain close co-operation with them in the operation of this scheme.The Government will continue to watch the situation very closely and give any help it can in the national interest.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many aircraft of all types up to 12,500 pound maximum all-up weight were brought on to the United Kingdom Register from 1965 to the latest convenient date in 1969; and if he will list them according to type and name.

1,843 aircraft from 1st January, 1965 to 30th September, 1969; the numbers of aircraft up to 6,000 lb. and from 6,001 to 12,500 lb. weight in each year are given below. To list the aircraft by type and name is not practicable in the time available; to do so would involve a considerable additional staff effort.during the first six months of this year and its value cost, insurance and freight.

Chipwood is not separately distinguished in the trade statistics.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will tabulate those faulty parts of motor vehicles which led to the 1l1 convictions under Section 1 of the Trade Descriptions Act, in view of the high proportion of convictions relating to the motor car in the year's total of convictions.

These convictions under Section 1 of the Trade Descriptions Act were based on a misdescription of the vehicles or parts, particularly as regards the mileage covered, age or previous ownership, or the fitting of new or reconditioned units.Such convictions do not in general imply that the goods are faulty.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that the United States of America are issuing regulations relating to the noise certification of aircraft; and what corresponding action he now proposes.

I understand that the Secretary of Transportation has announced the making of regulations applying to United States registered aircraft. It is my intention to introduce compulsory noise standards for new types of subsonic jet transport aircraft landing or taking off in this country. Such regulations, to be effective in the United Kingdom, will need to apply irrespective of the country of registry because, unlike the United States of America, so much aviation at our airports is international. I am therefore, seeking an international consensus on noise standards, based on the tripartite discussions which have taken place between ourselves and the American and French authorities. Discussions are to take place at I.C.A.O. next month, and I hope to lay the regulations early in the new year.

asked the Minister of Transport what he now estimates will be the full cost of the proposed 2·miles of new trunk road from Burpham to Ladymead to replace part of the existing A3.

Aboout £ million.

asked the Minister of Transport what alternative proposals to those now published in draft for the route of the A3 Burpham—Ladymead diversion he received and considered; what additional costs these involved; and whether he will specify the items giving rise to such additional costs.

Proposals for an outer by-pass have been considered. The additional cost would be approximately £6 million owing to increased mileage and engineering works and the need to provide longer links, and improvements to the existing road system.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware that the A433 road through Tetbury has been dug up three times in the last six months; what is the reason for these excavations; when they will cease; and what is his estimate of the financial damage caused to traders and the public by them.

We are advised by the highway authority, Gloucestershire County Council, that Tetbury Rural District Council has bin laying a new storm water drain arid that statutory undertakers have taken the opportunity to renew equipment at the same time. Work is expected to finish by the end of this month but final resurfacing will be done next spring.The county council is not aware of financial damage to traders or the public.

asked the Minister of Transport what proposals he has received from British Railways for his approval of the use of their manufacturing and repair powers under Section 48 of the Transport Act, 1968; and if he will make a statement.

My Department has been discussing with British Railways the submission of proposals under Section 48(4) of the Transport Act, 1968. I expect the board to submit formal proposals shortly.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will now state when work is likely to start on those parts of the London-Great Yarmouth Trunk Road Eastern Avenue extension, the M11, the London-Norwich Lea Valley Radial Route No. 6 and the Docks Relief Road, which touch on the London Borough of Waltham Forest.

Possibilities for Eastern Avenue Extension and M11 between Redbridge and Hackney Wick are under investigation. Planning is proceeding, subject to the appropriate statutory requirements, on the basis that construction would be over a number of years. A scheme for this section of M11The London/Norwich Lea Valley Radial Route No. 6 is a very long-term trunk road proposal which is unlikely to come forward before the 1980s.The Docks Relief Road is a possible long-term secondary road scheme for which the Greater London Council is responsible. We have received no proposal in connection with it.

asked the Minister of Transport what is the policy of the Government with regard to Resolution No. 423 in reply to the 15th annual report of the European Conference of Ministers of Transport, which was adopted by the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe on 2nd October, 1969; and whether they will give their representatives in the European Conference of Ministers of Transport instructions designed to abolish international green motoring insurance cards.

The resolution covers nine very varied matters and we shall be considering, with our partners in the European Conference of Ministers of Transport, what action to take on it. As regards the specific question of the green card, our present view is that it is a convenient form of evidence of possession of valid insurance cover to the extent required by the national laws of the countries visited. Even if such laws were uniform, there would still be a need for evidence in some form, and there is no obviously better alternative to the green card.

asked the Minister of Transport if, in view of traffic congestion, he will advance the date proposed for the construction of the new bypass at Blaby, Leicestershire.

A bypass of Blaby is among the schemes under consideration for inclusion in the list of inter-urban principal roads to be put into preparation. We hope to announce a decision early in the new year.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will seek to make special arrangements to make finance available to small builders unable to obtain overdrafts.

No; we must continue to give overriding priority to bank lending which contributes directly to the strength of the balance of payments.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state for each of the last 12 months the export value of those goods included in the monthly Overseas Trade Accounts for which the shipping documents had been lodged before shipment. within six days after the end of the month of exportation, and more than six days after the end of the month of exportation, respectively.

This information is not available.