asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many doctors are in general practice in Scotland; how many obtained their qualifications in England and in other countries, respectively; and how these figures compare with those of 1963, 1965, and 1967.

At 1st October, 1969, 2,680 doctors—excluding trainee practitioners—were providng general medical services under the National Health Service in Scotland. This compares with 2,811 in 1963, 2,728 in 1965 and 2,678 in 1967. Information about the countries in which these practitioners obtained their medical qualifications is not readily available.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the average waiting time for a patient seeking an appointment for orthopaedic treatment at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh.

Four and a half weeks.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has made of the annual additional cost to the agricultural and building industries in Scotland due to British Standard Time.

The agricultural and building industries are included in the survey to be carried out this winter to assess the effects of British Standard Time. The effects on cost will be among the factors under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to announce his decision about the future zoning of Alnwickhill Area, Edinburgh.

My right hon. Friend hopes to announce his decision soon.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will enter into discussions with the National Farmers' Union on suitable methods of providing farmers in Scotland with a break-crop subsidy relating to a crop which can be economically grown in Scotland.

The Scottish National Farmers' Union has requested a meeting with the Department about break crops. This is being arranged.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his policy regarding Scots beef.

The Government want more beef from both the beef and dairy herds and I am glad to note the continuing increase in beef cow numbers and the use of beef type sires on suitable dairy cows.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will forbid the use of sports facilities in Scotland under the control of his Department by the Springbok football team.

No application has been received for the use of any sports facilities under my control and the question of granting or withholding approval does not therefore arise.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland, in view of the need to raise the status of teachers, if he will take steps to give a date by which unqualified persons will no longer be employed as teachers.

The provisions in the Schools (Scotland) Code which permit the temporary employment of unqualified teachers in secondary and special schools subject to approval by the reference panel lapse on 31st July, 1973.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is aware that the long delays with the proposed Inverness County Council's pier works at Castlebay are setting back provision of a modern car ferry to serve Barra and South Uist; if he will give an assurance that there will be no avoidable delay by his Department in considering the plans sent to him by the county council; and if he will make a statement.

Inverness County Council has applied for grant aid on works, which it now estimates will cost £98,000, to improve fendering and landing facilities at Castlebay Pier and to construct an extension making the pier suitable for use by a side-loading vehicle ferry. After discussions between my Department and the County Council, the technical aspects of the plans, revised in certain respects, are now agreed, and I shall shortly write to the Council giving approval in principle to its proposals and offering grant of 75 per cent. of the estimated cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he will introduce legislation to amend the law in relation to milk and dairies.

Although the subject is receiving attention, I cannot forecast when it will be possible to introduce legislation.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what sum he estimates will be available for home loans in the next financial year in Scotland.

In March I asked local authorities to restrict their lending to the level of 1967–68, and that request still stands.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland in what respects different local circumstances were taken into account in the case of the arrangements for financing the Forth Road Bridge and the Severn Road Bridge.

The main differences were that the Forth Bridge was built by a joint board of local authorities and the Severn Bridge, like the Erskine Bridge, by the Government; and that substantial lengths of approach roads were an integral part of the Forth Bridge scheme. These differences resulted in the Government making an outright grant towards the cost of the Forth Bridge, including the approach roads, whereas for the Severn Bridge the whole cost is to be recovered through tolls.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received from the Scottish Board of the Royal College of Nursing and National Council of Nurses of the United Kingdom on salaries; and what reply he has sent.

Yesterday a message was received from the Scottish Board; the reply was to the effect that while the views of the Board had been noted, it would not be appropriate to comment further at this stage when a pay claim had only just been put forward in the Nurses and Midwives Whitley Council which is responsible for the negotiation of nurses pay.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps are being taken to summon a meeting of the Teachers' Panel of the Scottish Teachers' Salaries Committee to discuss the rationalisation of their salary scales and particularly to deal with their lower-paid members.

The Scottish Teachers Salaries Committee is meeting on 28th November.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many classes in practical subjects in Scottish schools exceed the code limit of 20, and by how many.

At 26th January, 1968, 637 classes exceeded 20. Detailed information is given in Table 11 of Scottish Educational Statistics 1968.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has received the representations made by the President of the Students' Representative Council of the University of Glasgow regarding the delay to students of their letters of award and of the grant cheque; and what reply he has sent.

A number of hon. Members have written to me about delays in notifying and paying grants to students at the University of Glasgow this session. I am writing to my hon. Friend and to other hon. Members today.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will call for a report from the chief constable about the disturbances outside the British Petroleum works at Grangemouth, and on the methods of picketing at the factory gates.

I have received a report from the chief constable about these disturbances. It contains nothing which suggests that action is called for on my part. I shall receive further reports as necessary.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he will make a progress on his White Paper, The Scottish Economy, in view of the fact that the six-year period which it related to ends in 1970.

Substantial evidence has been, and will continue to be, regularly made available on the progress being made towards the achievement of the objectives of the White Paper.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland by what date he expects to meet the employment targets detailed in the White Paper, The Scottish Economy 1965–1970, Command Paper No. 2864.

I have nothing to add to the reply I gave on 12th November to the hon. Member for Perth and East Perthshire (Mr. MacArthur).—[Vol. 791, c. 88.]

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with representatives of local authorities in Scotland regarding the Wheatley Report on the reform of local government; and if he will make a statement.

I have had no discussions so far.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what communications he has received from local authorities in the County of Midlothian on the Wheatley Report; and what submissions he has had from local authority national bodies in Scotland.

None of the four local authority associations has yet submitted observations, nor has any of the local authorities in Midlothian.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is yet in a position to bring into force section 15 of the Health Services and Public Health Act, 1968.

Not yet.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has had regarding the introduction of rent rebate schemes for tenants of privately-owned houses; and what reply he has sent.

Glasgow Corporation wrote on 6th November seeking my views on the possibility of such a scheme being introduced. I have told them that this is being examined as part of the Government's review of the whole question of housing finance, and have invited their views about how a scheme might be administered and financed.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the progress being made towards the strengthening of multistorey blocks of flats.

Work is completed or in hand on 57 blocks and proposals relating to 28 blocks are being considered by the local authorities concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what direction he has given to local authorities regarding future increases in the rent of local authority houses.

None, but I would refer the hon. Gentleman to yesterday's debate on the Rent (Control of Increases) Bill and to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Dunfermline Burghs (Mr. Adam Hunter) on 7th November.—[Vol. 790, c. 184–5.]

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is aware of the disagreement of Scottish teachers with his new proposals for the General Teaching Council; and if he will recast its constitution and functions to ensure that teacher-members will form the majority in the Council.

My proposals provide for a majority of teachers elected by the profession at large. I have asked teachers' associations and other interested parties to meet me on 5th December to discuss them.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give a detailed breakdown of the 29 per cent. increase in the wage and salary bill of the General Teaching Council in its second year of operation.

I am asking the General Teaching Council to send this information to the hon. Gentleman.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will now give details of the latest provisions for the safety of life at sea including those in the Holland-Martin Committee, and his plans for the safety of workers at sea and on land in the trawling industry.

I am proposing to take powers in the Merchant Shipping Bill to implement recommendations in the Holland-Martin Committee's report on hours of work at sea, certification of trawler officers and accident reporting. In the Trawler Safety Bill mentioned in the Queen's Speech I propose to take powers to implement other recommendations concerned mainly with the construction and equipment of trawlers. Details of how these powers would be used and of how effect will be given to other recommendations in the report must await the conclusion of consultations now in progress both with and within the industry.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what amount of compensation will be paid to British European Airways to allow the Corporation to operate BAC 111 series 500 and Trident 3B aircraft.

As the hon. Member will see by referring to the Air Corporations Act, 1969, £25 million of B.E.A's borrowings have been converted into a special account from which sums will be credited to the Corporation's revenue accounts over the four years to 1971–72. There is also provision, subject to the approval of the House, similarly to convert borrowings of up to £12½ million on 1st April, 1972, to support B.E.A's revenue accounts over the ensuing three years.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will seek legislative extension of the obligations imposed on company management under Section 18 of the Companies Act, 1967, so as to require separate disclosure, in directors' reports, of the average number of persons employed in Northern Ireland registered subsidiary companies, and the aggregate remuneration paid to such employees; and whether he will make a statement.

No. I think that it is sufficient to require a holding company to state the average number of persons employed by the group as a whole and the aggregate of their remuneration.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will seek legislative extension of the obligation imposed on company management by Section 19 of the Companies Act, 1967, so as to require disclosure in directors' reports of political donations made by Northern Ireland registered companies which are subsidiaries of companies registered in Great Britain.

Section 19, which requires a holding company to disclose the political contributions made by itself and its subsidiaries taken as a whole, already requires account to be taken of contributions made by a subsidiary which is registered in Northern Ireland.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if arrangements can be made for an exhibition in connection with the 75th anniversary of the Institute of Weights and Measures Administration to be displayed in the House.

Yes. Arrangements have been made for the exhibition to be held in the Upper Waiting Hall from Monday, 1st December until Friday, 5th December. We hope it will be seen by as many Members of both Houses as possible.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many representations he has received concerning advertisements about homes for pet animals; and to what extent the advertisers have been found to be providing animals for vivisection or medical experiment.

I have had no such representations, apart from the hon. Member's letter of 5th May which, as I explained in my reply, did not justify further inquiry by the Board.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will introduce legislation to end the existing system of fragmented negotiations on the wages of airport employees and replace it by a single body covering all British airports.

No. As my hon. Friend will know, the National Board for Prices and Incomes has in Report No. 128 recently recommended the establishment of common negotiating machinery to cover all airport ground staff employed in the public sector. Urgent discussions are taking place with all the interested parties, and any further action that may prove necessary will be considered in the light of those discussions.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how he proposes to protect British shipping on the Cape route after the withdrawal from East of Suez.

By using general purpose Forces available for deployment outside Europe as required.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence, in view of the fact that North Atlantic Treaty Organisation forces in West Germany have been prepared to launch chemical and bacteriological warfare in Europe, to what extent the operational staffs concerned have been withdrawn and replaced by other units specialising in this warfare.

I am aware of no such staff movements. N.A.T.O. has no plans of the kind which my hon. Friend suggests.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what will be the minimum period, according to his present plans, between successive tours of duty in Ulster for Army units.

Our plans for the next 12 months will not require any unit to return to Ulster for a second time on an unaccompanied basis. One unit will return on an accompanied basis in September 1970, as part of the permanent longterm garrison.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the planned strength for each of the Services and the Royal Marines, separately, in 1972–73, showing officers, adult male other ranks, young soldiers/airmen, boys and apprentices and the women's services, separately.

The planned strengths for each of the Services for the end of the financial year 1972–73 are:

R.N. and R.M.	…	…	about 78,000
Army	…	…	about 168,000
R.A.F.	…	…	about 107,000

Of these, the Women's Services will be

SERVICEMEN-APPLICATIONS FOR DISCHARGE ACCEPTED
				1965	1966	1967	1968
Royal Navy	…	…	…	1,286	1,066	1,452	1,970
Royal Marines	…	…	…	111	125	234	380
Army	…	…	…	6,704	7,122	6,794	8,518
Royal Air Force	…	…	…	2,298	2,009	3,578	2,364
Figures include applications to leave on redundancy.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish a table showing the number of officers, by rank, and in each Service, respectively, who have applied to retire in each year

OFFICERS-NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS FOR RETIREMENT ACCEPTED
		1965	1966	1967	1968
Royal Navy and Royal Marines
Above Commander	…	5	7	5	8
Commander	…	41	52	41	60
Lieutenant-Commander	…	91	140	97	125
Lieutenant	…	46	99	102	109
Sub-Lieutenant	…	20	28	43	38
Army
All Officers	…	521	474	852	1,043
R.A.F.
Group Captain and above	…			65	22
Wing Commander	…	Not Available		96	57
Squadron Leader	…			257	140
Below Squadron Leader	…			424	248
These figures include voluntary redundancies in 1967 and 1968.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will ask the authorities in Guernsey to defray the £27,000 in pay and allowances of the officers and men employed in the blasting of Beaucette Quarry.

The project provided an opportunity for worthwhile training

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish a table showing the number of Servicemen, excluding officers, in each of the three Services, and of the Royal Marines, who have applied for discharge from the service either by purchase or other means, in each year since 1st January, 1965; and how many applications have been accepted in each case.

The available information is as follows:since 1st January, 1965; and how many applications have been accepted in each case.

The available information is as follows:for the Royal Engineers and we are not seeking to recover these particular costs.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence why the estimate for the blasting of Beaucette Quarry on Guernsey made by his Department was £2,300, excluding pay arid allowances, when the actual cost of the work, excluding pay and allowances, was £5,910.

I have written to my hon. Friend in reply to a letter from him.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence on what date the bill for the blasting of Beaucette Quarry was presented to Vale Investments Limited; what was the bill; and what payments have been received.

Discussions with the firm, prior to the formal presentation of a bill for payment, are still proceeding.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will state the number of beds in Service hospitals in the United Kingdom, the percentage of such beds occupied and unoccupied during the last convenient 12-month period, and the number of such beds which are made available to civilians through the regional boards of the National Health Service.

The basis on which these statistics are calculated was changed at the beginning of this year and the following figures are therefore related to the period 1st January to 31st August, 1969:

Authorised beds in Service hospitals in the United Kingdom—3,108.

Average daily bed occupancy rate (including N.H.S. patients)—68.5 per cent.

At two R.A.F. hospitals a specific number of beds are made available to civilians through the Regional Hospital Boards. In other Service hospitals N.H.S. patients are accepted on a "fill-up" basis.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will make a statement concerning the supplies of thick sweaters and other winter clothing to the British Army of the Rhine and their diversion to Ulster.

There has been no diversion to Northern Ireland of supplies of heavy jerseys or other winter clothing destined for the maintenance of B.A.O.R.'s stocks of these items, nor have B.A.O.R.'s stocks had to be drawn on for this purpose. These stocks are up to the approved levels.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will take steps to ensure that wines sold in the United Kingdom shall be labelled with a true description of origin and with certification of the authenticity of such origin.

All wine sold in the United Kingdom is already required by law to be labelled with a true statement of its origin. We have no powers to require wine to be accompanied by a certificate of origin.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement about the proposal to discharge up to 3,000 gallons of radiation-contaminated milk into the Thames Estuary or the North Sea in the event of a serious accident at Bradwell power station; what effect this will have on fish in the areas affected; what danger will exist to swimmers in the vicinity; and if he is satisfied that there is no risk to the population in surrounding areas.

The arrangement described by the hon. Member is a long-standing contingency plan against the very remote possibility of a serious accident at Bradwell. It has been recently reviewed and is accepted by local authorities and the Sea Fisheries Committee. If the milk is pumped into the sea as proposed, the radioactivity could cause no harm to human beings, marine life or the environment generally. Indeed the problem of disposing of milk in this way is much less a problem of radioactivity than a problem of pollution arising from the close similarity between the effect of milk discharged into the sea and that of the organic content of sewage similarly discharged, and this has been taken fully into account in assessing what would be an acceptable rate of disposal for milk through the sewage and power station outfalls concerned.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the total compensation paid to farmers under the Farm Amalgamation Scheme in the United Kingdom, and in Cornwall, during 1968.

Under the Farm Structure (Payments to Outgoers) Scheme,

OUTGOERS' GRANTS—1968
		Approvals		Payments Made
		Number	Estimated Value	Number	Value
Lump Sums			(£s)		(£s)
United Kingdom	…	116.5*	161,019	62	84,403
Cornwall	…	6	8,491	5	7,355
Annuities
United Kingdom	…	114.5*	26,022†	52	4,133†
Cornwall	…	10	2,365†	1	20†
Total Outgoers' Grants
United Kingdom	…	231	187,041	114	88,536
Cornwall	…	16	10,856	6	7,375
* Where an outgoers' payment is to be shared between those opting for a lump sum and those for annuity, the figures above reflect this share.
†It is not possible to give the total sum payable to an outgoer who chooses an annuity, and the above figures show the annual value of the annuities approved and the actual payments made.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the estimated percentage net income after all expenses, but before proprietors' living costs and capital expenditure, on a typical West Country mixed farm of 100 acres taking the valuation of land, live and dead stock at approximate current values.

Information is not available in the form requested, but the report

" Farm Incomes in England and Wales 1967 "

gives data for a sample of 45 mixed farms, with an average of 182 acres in Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Dorset. For these farms, the average net income in 1967 was £2,214, or just over 20 per cent. of their average valuations of £10,734; net income being defined as the return for the labour of the farmer and wife and for interest on capital assuming, for this purpose, all farms to be wholly tenanted; and valuations defined as covering all such tenant-type assets as livestock, crops and machinery but excluding land and buildings.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the average size of an agricultural holding in the United Kingdom, and in Cornwall, in the years 1960 to 1968. 1967, which came into operation on 31st October, 1967, grants to outgoers may be paid as either lump sums or annuities. Figures for approvals and payments in the United Kingdom and in Cornwall in 1968 are as follows:

The figures, which relate to agricultural holdings exceeding one acre in extent in Great Britain and one acre or more in Northern Ireland, are as follows:

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the prevailing rate of interest on loans from the Agricultural Mortgage Corporation in September, 1960, 1964, and 1969.

The Corporation's lending rates were:

September, 1960	6½ per cent.
September, 1964	6¾ per cent.
September, 1969	10¼ per cent.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what financial assistance is available from public funds to enable technically qualified and experienced young farmers to purchase agricultural holdings of their own.

No assistance is available from public funds specifically for this purpose.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works whether the tiles used in the recent reconstruction of kitchens in the Palace of Westminster are British made.

Yes.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works whether he is aware that bankruptcies in the building industry are now running at the rate of 200 each month; and what was the number of bankruptcies and liquidations in the industry in each of the years 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968 and up to the latest available date in 1969.

The facts in my possession are at variance with the hon. Member's statement.The number of bankruptcies in England and Wales among businesses in the construction industry—building and civil engineering—for the years in question were as follows:

Year	Number
1964	599
1965	644
1966	740
1967	860
1968	833
1969 (to 30th September)	569

Information about company liquidations is not classified by industries.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works whether he is able to make an announcement about the future of the Broad Sanctuary site.

A scheme is under consideration with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the Institution of Civil Engineers, for the comprehensive redevelopment of the site between Broad Sanctuary and Great George Street. Mr. Denys Lasdun has been invited to undertake a feasibility study for the scheme, which will include a new Government conference centre.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works whether it is his intention to demolish Queen Square House, Bloomsbury, which is included in Grade 2 of the provisional list of buildings of special architectural or historic interest; and whether he will arrange that the procedures of consultation and advertisement in connection with planning proposals which apply to private owners shall also apply to Crown schemes.

I have been asked to reply.Yes. The site is required urgently for the first phase of the redevelopment of the National Hospital for Nervous Diseases.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will make a statement on the official publication, "A Scottish Budget"; and what representations he has received challenging the accuracy or relevance of the statistics used.

The report indicates that there was a substantial imbalance between the central Government expenditure and revenue which might be attributed to Scotland in 1967–68. I have seen no representations which lead me to change or modify that conclusion.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the policy of the Government with regard to Recommendation No. 571 on the introduction between member states of simplified Customs arrangements in respect of goods carried in travellers' luggage or contained in gift parcels, which was adopted by the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe on 2nd October, 1969; and whether they will comply with the proposals made in paragraph 4 of this recommendation.

So far as Customs concessions for articles carried in travellers' baggage are concerned, the United Kingdom has for some years operated measures of the kind recommended, although the reliefs given differ in amount from those advocated in the recommendation. The Government can accept this part of the recommendation in principle, on the understanding that its application

PARLIAMENTARY CONSTITUENCIES ORDERS 1969
				Number of copies printed	Cost of printing	Number of copies sold to date	Number of copies issued to Parliament and Government Departments
England	…	…	…	5,000	1,070	570	550
Scotland	…	…	…	2,500	130	680	650
Wales	…	…	…	2,000	30	460	550
Northern Ireland		…	…	1,500	48	510	550

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, of the £400 million of domestic credit expansion for the financial year 1969–70, what sum it is estimated will be apportioned for credit expansion in Scotland; and, of the £75 million contraction in domestic credit in the quarter ended 30th June, what sum is applicable to Scotland.

No apportionment of this kind is possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if, following the recommendations of the British Safety Council, details of which are in his possession, he will now seek to make it mandatory upon cigarette manufacturers to print a warning about health hazards from smoking on cigarette packets.

I shall certainly consider this along with other possible measures to discourage cigarette smoking. may vary from one country to another in the light of local circumstances.For gifts sent by post, the United Kingdom accords concessional treatment on a somewhat different basis, and I am not convinced that the recommendation could with advantage be adopted here.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the cost to public funds of printing the four Draft Parliamentary Constituencies Orders, 1969; how many copies of each were printed; and how many were sold.

Following is the information:

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what advice he gives in connection with new hospital building regarding methods of waste disposal from kitchens, laboratories, theatres and wards.

Comprehensive technical guidance on methods of waste disposal is in course of preparation but its completion awaits the review of the British Standard for large hospital incinerators. In the meantime advice is available to hospital authorities, who are in any case expected to make arrangements for waste disposal which are acceptable to local authorities.Some 5 years ago special guidance was issued on the disposal of radioactive waste.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many counties in England and Wales, respectively, had smaller populations in 1968 than in 1921.

In England, none, except as a result of change in boundary. In Wales, the Registrar General estimates that eight counties declined in population between 1921 and 1968. In only one of these was the decline significantly affected by a boundary change.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what proportion of water authorities add fluoride to their water where the natural fluoride content is insufficient; and if he will take steps to encourage the remainded to take similar action to prevent dental decay.

In England 10 water undertakings—or about 5 per cent.—are adding fluoride to the whole or part of their water supplies. About 2¼ million people are receiving fluoridated water. Other water undertakings will be introducing fluoridation schemes shortly or are preparing schemes.There is no evidence of a general unwillingness on the part of water undertakings to fluoridate when asked to do so by the local health authorities of the areas they supply. I have asked all authorities which have not yet decided in favour of fluoridation to reconsider the matter in the light of the findings in the recently published report on 11 years of fluoridation in the United Kingdom. To assist them in this I have sent, for each council member, a copy of a leaflet summarising the report; and the Health Education Council, which regards education about fluoridation as one of its main tasks, has also prepared material.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give the average life expectancy of dentists, slate quarry workers, blast furnacemen, glass blowers, and Members of Parliament respectively.

I regret that information in the form requested is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish a list of the members of the sub-committee of Coldstream/ Summerson sitting at the moment discussing the future of art education, the dates of their appointments and when they come up for renewal.

A Joint Committee of the National Advisory Council on Art Education (the Coldstream Council) and the National Council for Diplomas in Art and Design (the Summerson Council is reviewing the structure of art education in the further education field. The committee was established by the N.A.C.A.E. in July, 1968 and thereafter augmented from the N.C.D.A.D. The members serve by virtue of their membership of one or other of these Councils.The membership of the N.A.C.A.E. which was reconstituted in September, 1966, is to be reviewed during 1970. The current term of office of the N.C.D.A.D. commenced in September, 1968 and continues until August, 1971.The following is a list of those serving on the Joint Committee:

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will refuse to sanction increases in the charges for school meals in view of the financial hardship caused and the risk of fewer children taking school dinners.

No. As my right hon. Friend said to the House on Monday, this is a Government decision which they have taken after full consideration. Parents who cannot pay the new charge without financial hardship will be entitled to free school meals for their children. Experience suggests that any reduction in take-up of school meals will be slight and temporary.—[Vol. 791, c. 861–4.]

CAPITAL EXPENDITURE* ON PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL BUILDING IN THE COUNTY BOROUGH OF SHEFFIELD
					1961–62	1962–63	1963–64	1964–65	1965–66
					£	£	£	£	£
Primary	…	…	…	…	55,693	—	236	396,857	228,522
Secondary	…	…	…	…	318,874	682,900	845,597	300,867	76,268
			Total	…	374,567	682,900	845,833	697,724	304,790
					1966–67	1967–68	1968–69	1969–70†
					£	£	£	£
Primary	…	…	…	…	179,032	308,194	365,337	166,546
Secondary	…	…	…	…	144,526	210,383	477,386	460,213
			Total	…	323,558	518,577	842,723	626,759
NOTES:
*Including expenditure on voluntary schools, but excluding the purchase of sites, professional fees and the cost of furniture and equipment. Since construction periods vary from project to project, expenditure in a given year may relate to more than one annual building programme.
† This column includes estimated sums for the period 1.10.69 to 31.3.70.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what amount of money is owed to the Construction Industry Training Board by those building firms which have already gone into liquidation or been made bankrupt; and what percentage this is of annual income from the levy.

Exact information is not readily available. But it is understood that the board has written off in bad debts from all causes, and in all sectors of the industry, a total of about £80,000 during the four financial years up to 31st March, 1969. This represents about 0.17 per cent. of the total levy received during those years.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list in the OFFICIAL REPORT the capital expenditure by the County Borough of Sheffield on primary and secondary school building, respectively, in each financial year from April, 1961 to date, including an estimate for the current year.

The information required is given in the following table:was the estimated annual levy payable by farmers to the Agricultural Training Board in the United Kingdom, and in Cornwall, in 1968 and in 1969, and the estimate for the United Kingdom and Cornwall of the amounts overdue and still uncollected at the latest available date.

Following is the information for the United Kingdom as at 14th November, 1969. Separate figures for Cornwall are not available.

			Annual Levy Payable	Amount Outstanding
			£	£
1967–68	…	…	883,000	99,000
1968–69	…	…	1,140,000	666,000

asked the Minister of Technology of the total of £13·621 million spent on marine science and technology in 1967–68, the £13.010 million spent in 1968–69 and of the estimate of £15·030 million for 1969–70, how much has been spent in Scotland.

A detailed breakdown of Government expenditure on marine science and technology is not readily available and could not be obtained without a disproportionate amount of effort.

asked the Minister of Technology whether, in view of the latest set-back at the Magnox nuclear stations, he will now set up an independent inquiry into the costs of nuclear and coal-fired power stations.

No. I think the reasons against such an inquiry are unaffected.

asked the Minister of Technology to what extent he enters into binding commitments with individual companies to pay investment grant on assets prior to the purchase of those assets; and at what stage such commitments become binding on him.

The Government have advised industry generally in a guidance booklet, and particular firms on request, of the types of capital expenditure which may qualify for investment grants. Applications for grant however, unlike those

			Gross Fixed Capital Formation
Year ended		Private sector less dwellings	Public sector less dwellings	Financial Year	Investment Allowances	Investment Grants
					(total both sectors)
		£million	£million		£million*	£million†
30th June, 1960	…	1,840	1,371	1959–60	42
30th June, 1961	…	2,118	1,479	1960–61	114
30th June, 1962	…	2,281	1,505	1961–62	172
30th June, 1963	…	2,204	1,202	1962–63	222
30th June, 1964	…	2,362	1,473	1963–64	209
30th June, 1965	…	2,723	1,620	1964–65	275
30th June, 1966	…	2,863	2,322	1965–66	357
30th June, 1967	…	2,946	2,700	1966–67	255
30th June, 1968	…	2,910	3,009	1967–68	85	315
30th June, 1969	…	3,366	2,898	1968–69	14	475
						(provisional)
* Figures relate to tax relieved by the allowances on expenditure incurred in accounts ended in the previous financial year; the public sector did not benefit from these allowances.
†Included in the figures of grants in this column are £2 million and £27 million (Provisional) paid to the public sector in 1967–68 and 1968–69, respectively.

asked the Minister of Technology how much was spent by his Department in 1967–68 and 1968–69 in Scotland; and what proportion was this of the total expenditure for the United Kingdom.

In 1967–68, Supply expenditure in Scotland within the field for which the Department is now responsible amounted to about £106 million, which was 9.3 per cent. of the total for the United Kingdom.The outturn of expenditure for 1968–69 is still being analysed, but I hope to be able to provide the information requested early in the new year.

asked the Minister of Technology if he will give the figures for industrial investment in the private and public sector, respectively, for each of the last 10 years, respectively, up to the nearest convenient date, together with the value of investment allowances or grants.

The information requested is set out below:

asked the Minister of Technology if he will give the number of applications for industrial development certificates received for developments of between 5,000 sq. ft. and 10,000 sq. ft. in the latest convenient years.

Statistics analysed by size are available only for completed projects in manufacturing industry for which industrial development certificates were issued earlier. Of those known to have been completed in 1966 and 1967, 756 and 762 respectively were between 5,000 and 10,000 sq. ft.

SHIPS BUILT OUTSIDE THE UNITED KINGDOM
				Investment grants paid during each period	Estimated investment grants outstanding on ships ordered before end of each period
					£million
1st April, 1967–17th April, 1968
United Kingdom controlled companies	…	…	…	7.5	31.0
Companies controlled by non-resident interests		…	…	2.6	34.0
18th April, 1968–31st March, 1969
United Kingdom controlled companies	…	…	…	10.1	52.8
Companies controlled by non-resident interests		…	…	10.7	37.0
1st April, 1969–30th September, 1969
United Kingdom controlled companies	…	…	…	8.4	80.0
Companies controlled by non-resident interests		…	…	7.9	40.0
Totals at 30th September, 1969
United Kingdom controlled companies	…	…	…	26.0	80.0
Companies controlled by non-resident interests		…	…	21.2	40.0

asked the Minister of Technology if, in consultation with the Secretary of State for Scotland, he will undertake an investigation into the scale of employment likely to be created by the establishment of three new petrochemical plants in Scotland, the extent of public moneys likely to be involved, and the effect of such investment on existing petro-chemical manufacturing capacity in Scotland.

No. Any project which obtains the necessary planning permission would be eligible for appropriate assistance under the Industrial Development Act and, depending on the likely employment, could also be considered for assistance under the Local Employment Acts.

asked the Minister of Technology if he will set out for each year since 1966 the amount paid out in investment grants and committed for future years, in respect of ships ordered abroad, by United Kingdom and by foreign shipowners, respectively.

Investment grants are not made to foreign shipowners. I assume that in referring to them the hon. Member has in mind British shipping companies controlled by non-resident interests. Information in the precise form requested is not available, but the table below summarises the facts.

asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications if he will take steps to reduce the cost of television licences for the deaf and dumb, in view of the fact that there are no television programmes catering for the needs of such people.

I have great sympathy for the deaf and dumb but I do not think concessionary licence fees are the right way to help them. It is impracticable to introduce concessions for one group or another without creating serious anomalies.

asked the Minister of Transport how much per head of population and per licensed vehicle was spent on the roads in the United Kingdom, the United States of America, France and Germany in the latest year for which figures are available to him from international sources.

Figures for 1968 will shortly be available and I will write to the hon. Member at that time.