asked the Secretary of State for Wales what is the total amount of Government expenditure on industrial development in the five North Wales counties, including the cost of advance factories, from 1st January, 1965 to the latest convenient date.

I regret that this information is not readily available in respect of individual counties. A disproportionate amount of staff time and resources would be required to provide it.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what progress has been made with the feasibility study on the Dee Barrage; and if he will make a statement.

The second phase of the engineering study of a Dee crossing is in hand and the consulting engineers hope to submit a report early in 1971. Planning consultants are making a study of the planning implications of a crossing. Their report should be available early next year.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what progress has been made in his consultations with interested parties on the possibility of establishing a passenger transport authority for South Wales.

As indicated in the reply I gave to my hon. Friend on 24th July the Passenger Transport Co-ordinating Committee for Wales hope to complete its work by the end of December and to submit its report to me early in 1970.—[Vol. 787, c. 449–50.]

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will undertake a survey of building costs for building new hospitals and improving existing ones; whether he is satisfied with the present methods of costing hospital developments; how many members of the Welsh Hospital Board hold qualifications enabling them to undertake this work; whether he is satisfied that architectural work is sufficiently distributed among Welsh architects; and if he will make a statement.

The present method of controlling the standards and cost of hospital building was introduced in 1967 and appears to be working satisfactorily. Costs are continually being surveyed with a view to obtaining better value for money. I understand that the Welsh Hospital Board employs a staff of 23 full-time professionally qualified officers who advise it on the technical and financial aspects of hospital development. In addition, the board engages consultants in professional practice as necessary.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether land has now been purchased, and planning permission sought, for the building of a new care hospital in North-West Wales; when work will start on the building; and when the hospital will be ready for occupation.

It is assumed that the Question refers to the proposed new district general hospital to be located at Bangor. Land has not yet been purchased, but a site is allocated for hospital purposes in the town plan; planning permission will be sought as soon as appropriate. The hospital will take about four years to complete, but no firm starting date can yet be given.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will arrange for the Welsh Hospital Board to establish a sub-office in North Wales to improve liaison between hospital management committees, hospital staff and the board.

This is a matter for the board itself. I understand that one of the board's medical staff is stationed in North Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many visits have been made by Ministers of his Department to hospitals during the past year; and how many senior officials of the hospital board accompanied them on these visits.

There have been 57 visits. The number of officials has depended on the circumstances. The following hospitals in Wales have had a Ministerial visit since I assumed responsibility for the health service in Wales on 1st April, 1969:By the Secretary of State:

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list priorities for the building of care hospitals in North Wales; when work will start on each hospital; and what is the population living within a radius of 30 miles of each hospital.

It is assumed that the Question asks about new district general hospitals. Work is expected to start on the new hospital near Rhyl by 1972. The Bangor and Wrexham hospitals will start at later dates. The hospitals are planned to provide a service for 165,000, 193,000 and 216,000 people respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales on how many reservoirs owned by water undertakings in Wales boating is now allowed; and how many have rules or bye-laws.

According to the latest available information, sailing is allowed on six reservoirs in Wales. No bye-laws have been made to date.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales when the first factories built by the Newtown Development Corporation will be available for occupation; and what grants will be available to impending tenants.

Two factories have already been handed over to tenants and a third will be made available early next month. The tenants are eligible for the full range of development area assistance.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the growing burden of bus and rail fares upon commuters, and in particular upon wage earners requiring to travel long distances to work, he will introduce legislation to permit such costs to be offset against income tax.

No. I do not think it would be right to single out this particular form of personal expenditure for tax relief.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in his calculations as to the value of the foreign exchange saved by import-saving and export-promoting schemes for industrial development in the United Kingdom, such as aluminium smelting, what sterling value he places upon each £100 of foreign exchange saved.

Such schemes need to be considered individually, in the light usually of many factors. It is not practicable to evaluate foreign exchange considerations in a single standard figure.

asked the Chancellor of Exchequer whether the study by the Treasury on the value-added tax has yet been completed.

My right hon. Friend keeps the whole tax system, including the possibility of some form of value-added tax, under continuous review.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will now review the financial implications of the current system of investment grants with a view to establishing tighter Treasury control.

My right hon. Friend has both the economic and the financial implications of the present system of investment incentives fully in mind, but we do not control the investment decisions of private industry which affect the level of grant expenditure.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consideration was given to the shape proposed for the 50p coin by Professor L. S. Goddard, Professor of Mathematics in the University of Salford, details of which were made avail-to him; and what was the nature of his conclusions on it.

I understand that Professor Goddard sent his suggestions to the Decimal Currency Board, which was responsible for advising the Government on the specification of the 50p coin.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many applications have been made under the super criterion, normal criterion, and non-criterion for assessing and permitting private overseas direct investment in each year and the first three quarters of 1969, since the criteria have been applied; how many applications have been accepted, and rejected, under each; and how many of the successful and unsuccessful applicants under each had a capital employed of under £1 million, over £1 million and under £10 million, and over £10 million, respectively.

During 1968 and the first three quarters of 1969 there were approvals under the super criterion scheme of 500 applications involving £17·5 million and 464 applications involving £13 million respectively. The further information requested by the hon. Member could not be made available except at a disproportionate expense of time and effort. Capitalisation of applicant companies is not taken into consideration and is not recorded.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table for 1968–69 comparable to that given for earlier years relating to expenses wholly, necessarily and exclusively incurred by Members in the performance of their parliamentary duties.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT tables, in similar form to tables previously published, showing the expenditure, wholly, necessarily and exclusively incurred by Members in the performance of their Parliamentary duties during the years 1967–68 and 1968–69.

The table below, which is in similar form to those published on 28th January and 25th February [Vol. 776, c. 1096 and Vol. 778, c. 252–3] classifies the amounts of Members' expenses allowed for income tax purposes against their remuneration as Members of Parliament for the years 1967–68 and 1968–69. The table includes only those cases where final figures are available. Ministers have not been included.

Expenses Allowed			Number of Members
£ £			1967–8	1968–9
0- 99	…	…	—	—
100- 199	…	…	1	—
200- 299	…	…	2	2
300- 399	…	…	2	1
400- 499	…	…	6	4
500- 599	…	…	6	5
600- 699	…	…	8	8
700- 799	…	…	14	6
800- 899	…	…	7	5
900- 999	…	…	17	8
1,000–1,099	…	…	27	5
1,100–1,199	…	…	23	13
1,200–1,299	…	…	36	16
1,300–1,399	…	…	31	20
1,400–1,499	…	…	43	17
1,500–1,599	…	…	25	18
1,600–1,699	…	…	16	10
1,700–1,799	…	…	34	7
1,800–1,899	…	…	20	8
1,900–1,999	…	…	24	8
2,000–2,099	…	…	13	6
2,100–2,199	…	…	11	5
2,200–2,299	…	…	13	2
2,300–2,399	…	…	8	10
2,400–2,499	…	…	10	6
2,500–2,599	…	…	7	4
2,600–2,699	…	…	8	1
2,700–2,799	…	…	4	1
2,800–2,899	…	…	3	2
2,900–2,999	…	…	3	2
3,000–3,099	…	…	9	3
3,100–3,199	…	…	5	1
TOTALS	…	…	436	204

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the total value of all post-war credits due to people in those categories eligible for repayment which have not yet been claimed.

Information on which to base an estimate is, I regret, not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the total value of all post-war credits.

The total amount of post-war credits orginally created and the amounts still outstanding are estimated as £765 million and £162 million respectively.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the estimated annual increase in public expenditure arising from recent wage increases for employees in central government, local government and the nationalised industries, respectively; and what effect these increases are expected to have on the estimated surplus for the current year.

For central government, £50 million; for local authorities £120 million; increases in the pay of employees of nationalised industries are a charge on the industries' trading accounts and do not necessarily enter into public expenditure. The surplus shown in my right hon. Friend's 1969 Budget Report (HC 211) took account of estimated movements in pay and prices.

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

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Morpeth (Mr. Will Owen) on 21st October.—[Vol. 788, c. 936.]

asked the Minister of Transport if he has yet made a decision on the proposal by British Railways to electrify the main line from Crewe to Glasgow.

No.

asked the Minister of Transport what discussions he has had with the road haulage industry and transport users regarding the proposed introduction of special authorisations; and if he will make a statement.

None. But full consultations would be held with interested organisations before the system of special authorisations was brought into force.

asked the Minister of Transport what action he proposes to take to reduce the accident record at junctions on the A45 trunk road between Coventry and Birmingham pending the construction of fly-overs.

Safety at these junctions will be enhanced by the provision of lighting on this length of road, which we hope to have completed by mid-1971. Some minor measures at the junctions are under consideration, and we will write to the hon. Member when a decision on them has been reached.

asked the Minister of Transport when he expects to publish the proposed route of the A41 bypass from Kings Langley to Tring.

We hope to publish proposals for the whole route from Watford to Tring next spring.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will make a statement on the proposed new road bridge over the River Wear at North Hylton.

Construction is planned to commence early in the new year.

asked the Minister of Transport what subsidies are being paid by either the National Bus Company or British Railways in respect of replacement bus services arising out of rail closures that took place in each of the years 1960 to 1969, inclusive.

In 1968, the last full year for which figures are available, the subsidies paid by the Railways Board for these services amounted to about £1 million. I regret that information is not available separately in respect of the closures which took place in each year since 1960. As I told the hon. Member for Bury St. Edmunds (Mr. Eldon Griffiths) yesterday, financial responsibility for these services is in process of being transferred from British Railways to the National Bus Company and the Scottish Transport Group.—[Vol. 792, c. 38.]

asked the Minister of Transport what was the amount of rural bus grants paid from public funds to local authorities during 1968, and what are the estimated amounts for 1969 and 1970.

Section 34 of the Transport Act, 1968 came into force on 1st January, 1969. The contribution made from Government funds will depend on the extent of the expenditure by local authorities on rural bus grants. No contributions were made from Government funds during the financial year 1968–69. Provision of £95,000 has been made for such contributions to local authorities in England in the current financial year but is not likely to be required in full. The figure for 1970–71 has not yet been settled.

asked the Minister of Transport what is the total sum invested by British Railways as capital investment in the years 1964 to 1970; and how much of this sum was invested in Wales.

For fixed railway assets (i.e. excluding mobile equipment and expenditure on ancillary activities) the figures are:

		Total	In Wales and Monmouthshire
		£m	£m
1964	…	51	1·8
1965	…	58	2·2
1966	…	60	2·0
1967	…	52	1·9
1968	…	50	3·1
1969	…	40 (estimated)	1–2 (estimated)
		(estimated)	(estimated)
1970	…	50	1–2
		(estimated)	(estimated)

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will extend beyond March 1970 the period in which funds at present allocated to the City of Birmingham for mortgage loans may be used for this purpose.

No. The quotas of loans for house purchase are quotas for actual lending during the financial year.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government (1) how many families have been re-housed by the London Borough of Brent on the Chalkhill Estate who were not previously on the housing waiting list;(2) what is the number of units of accommodation now ready for occupation in the Chalkhill redevelopment scheme, the number actually occupied, and the number of families rehoused at Chalkhill as part of the Stonebridge and Church End redevelopment schemes.

None of the 1,281 flats is ready for occupation. Of the 341 dwellings, 12 are ready for letting although I understand none has been allocated. As I understand that the council is not extending its rent rebate scheme to the majority of tenants at Chalkhill, I do not see how this scheme can thus be used to house families—including those from slum clearance and redevelopment areas—to whom the council has a special statutory responsibility.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government why, following the Ronan Point disaster, matters connected with the costs of strengthening tower blocks, apportionment thereof and regulations concerning the type and methods of strengthening have not yet been resolved by his Department; and when he now expects to reach decisions on these matters.

My right hon. Friend gave local authorities clear advice on the appraisal and strengthening of high blocks last November. Since then these matters have rested with the authorities and their advisers. The Minister put forward proposals for grant aid in June, 1969, and for amendment of the Building Regulations in May, 1969, and he is considering representations on both these matters. He expects to give decisions soon.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what action he proposes to take on Hydro-geological Report No. 4 which shows that only 8 per cent. of the groundwater resources of the Yorkshire Ouse River Basin are developed, and that 775 million gallons per day remain to be deployed as and when required.

The groundwater resources of 775 m.g.d. are theoretical and can only rarely be developed to the full. Much of this water issues naturally and could be taken only at the expense of river flows, some of which are already used for public supplies. Another large proportion infiltrate other aquifers, such as the coal measures, and may suffer deterioration in quality and could only be made available with difficulty. In its survey of water resources under Section 14 of the Water Resources Act 1963 the Yorkshire Ouse and Hull River Authority has surveyed the most promising areas and has recommended new investigations and the extension of investigations now in progress. These are being examined by the Water Resources Board. The amounts likely to be available after investigation are not large in relation to the requirements of the area.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many local authorities have requested a derelict land grant for the purpose of filling-in dangerous lodges and water courses; what amount has been granted; and if he will publicise the use of the grant for this purpose in the older industrial areas.

Separate figures are not kept but at least six local authorities have asked for derelict land grant for schemes where there is a water hazard. One of these schemes has been given considerable publicity in the Ministry's Report for 1967 and 1968. I will see what further can be done.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what is the result of his discussion with the Association of Municipal Corporations about the desirability of extending the powers of local authorities to deal with dangerous places, such as abandoned lodges, on enclosed land not adjacent to a public street.

These discussions are continuing.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he has received an application for loan consent in respect of the Epsom Street Playleader Centre, Liverpool; and if, in view of the fact that the Liverpool City Council gave authority to the Housing Department to proceed with this development in 1964, he will give it his approval.

My right hon. Friend has been aware of this scheme since February this year. The authority has been promised loan consent for £191,000 this year for community schemes. Further consents will be given as soon as the economic situation permits.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will introduce regulations to permit local authorities to suspend the operation of smokeless zone orders in those areas where there is an inadequate supply of smokeless fuel; and if he will undertake to withhold confirmation from new orders until he is satisfied that an adequate supply of smokeless fuel will be available at a cost which those on small incomes and on retirement pensions can afford.

Section 11 of the Clean Air Act, 1956 empowers my right hon. Friend to suspend a smoke control order after consultation with the local authority. Before confirming an order, he requires the authority to ascertain that there will be sufficient local supplies of smokeless fuel. In cases of proved hardship due to cost, the Supplementary Benefits Commission is ready to help.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will now make a statement on his discussions with the Greater London Council on a movable barrier or permanent barrage to prevent flooding in the London area.

As my right hon. Friend the then Minister for Planning and Land said in answer to a Question from the hon. Member for Heston and Isleworth (Mr. Reader Harris) on 1st July last, the Greater London Council is conducting an investigation which will consider the whole length of the river, from the City of London downstream. It will be making recommendations, and I expect to receive its report by the end of this year.—[Vol. 876, c. 57–8.]

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will list in the OFFICIAL REPORT the grants made by his Department for sports and recreation provisions in the county of Northumberland; how this compares with other counties; and whether he will make a statement.

Grants to voluntary sports bodies over the whole of England and Wales during the year 1968–69 totalled £708,448 inclusive. Grants totalling £16,743 were made in that period for individual sports clubs in Northumberland as follows:

Name of Organisation		Amount of Grant
		£
Northumberland Gliding Club	…	2,986
Prudhoe Golf Club	…	4,681
Alnmouth Village Golf Club	…	1,265
Belsay and Whalton Cricket Club	…	2,097
Haltwhistle Golf Club	…	1,046
Hexham (Elvaston) Bowling Club	…	4,232
Tynemouth Rowing Club	…	436
		16,743

Moreover, Northumberland receives payments of needs element of rate support grant, which is a substantial contribution towards its expenditure in general including expenditure on sport and recreation, and, in addition, receives resources element of rate support grant at 32 per cent. on such expenditure.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what recent advice has been issued to local authorities in the county of Northumberland concerning the application of the Clean Air Act; and whether he will make a statement.

No advice has been issued particularly to the local authorities of Northumberland, but during the past year the Department has issued circulars about the Clean Air Act, 1968. I explained my right hon. Friend's policy on domestic smoke control on 18th November in answer to a Question by my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Warrington (Mr. W. T. Williams).—[Vol. 791, c. 243–4.]

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what estimate he has made of the costs of administration of the Land Commission during the current year.

£1·92 million during the financial year 1969–70, of which we estimate £ ·775 million to be in respect of the commission's lands function. Costs incurred by other Departments are not included.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what was the original programme of housing starts in 1969 for the London Borough of Brent; what has been the cut-back in the programme by the council; and what is now the estimated number of dwellings for which tenders will be approved this year.

There is likely to be a shortfall of 1,954 housing starts on Brent's original 1969 programme, which was for 1,978 dwellings to be put to tender this year. I understand that it will be 24 only. The council has also put to tender 387 dwellings deferred from previous years.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government when the Stonebridge redevelopment scheme was originally planned to reach completion; what is his estimate of the delay now to be expected; and if he will make a statement.

This scheme was divided into four stages. Stages 1 and 2 are completed. Stage 3 is expected to be completed substantially as planned in August, 1970. But the new council's deliberations on its housing policy have resulted in stage 4 being put back. The council's present estimate is that it will not now be completed before the end of 1972.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government (1) if he will publish a list of local authorities that have within the last 12 months sold land suitable for local authority house building purposes;(2) what is the total acreage of land suitable for council house building that has been sold during the last 12 months by local authorities; and what is the total capital value of such sales.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if

			Private landlords (including housing associations)	Owner occupiers	Local authorities	Total
1966–4th quarter	…	…	3,809	8,911	3,746	16,466
1967–1st quarter	…	…	3,733	8,636	2,663	15,032
2nd quarter	…	…	4,080	11,460	1,661	17,201
3rd quarter	…	…	4,168	10,431	1,247	15,846
4th quarter	…	…	5,143	10,443	2,871	18,457
1968–1st quarter	…	…	4,418	9,225	2,398	16,041
2nd quarter	…	…	4,043	11,771	4,200	20,014
3rd quarter	…	…	4,017	11,018	1,822	16,857
4th quarter	…	…	3,730	9,545	1,851	15,126
1969–1st quarter	…	…	3,774	8,577	1,012	13,363
2nd quarter	…	…	3,358	10,213	1,005	14,576
3rd quarter	…	…	3,705	9,354	1,590	14,649

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will state the number of discretionary improvement grants made for each half-year and/or quarter for the last three years up to the most recent date avail-

			Private landlords (including housing associations)	Owner occupiers	Local authorities	Total
1966–4th quarter	…	…	2,761	3,285	4,454	10,500
1967–1st quarter	…	…	2,905	3,290	5,864	12,059
2nd quarter	…	…	2,945	4,203	4,567	11,715
3rd quarter	…	…	2,999	3,911	4,040	10,950
4th quarter	…	…	2,575	3,412	5,895	11,882
1968–1st quarter	…	…	2,621	3,063	5,463	11,147
2nd quarter	…	…	2,842	3,998	5,342	12,182
3rd quarter	…	…	2,714	4,107	4,805	11,626
4th quarter	…	…	2,741	3,332	5,150	11,223
1969–1st quarter	…	…	3,041	3,146	5,621	11,808
2nd quarter	…	…	2,395	3,588	6,197	12,180
3rd quarter	…	…	2,739	3,530	5,989	12,258

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make a statement on Rhodesia.

I have nothing to add to what my right hon. Friend said in the debate on Rhodesia on 16th October.—[Vol. 788, c. 614–23.]

Details of standard grants approved in England and Wales are as follows:able, stating separately those for private landlords, owner-occupiers and local authorities.

Details of discretionary grants approved in England and Wales are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British subjects are still known to be missing in China or are imprisoned by the Chinese authorities; what are their names and ages; how long they have been missing or imprisoned; what has been done in each case to ascertain their whereabouts and the charges, if any, preferred against them; what is known about their state of health; and what action has been taken by Her Majesty's Government on their behalf.

Nine British subjects are known or believed to be detained in China at the present time. I will, with permission, circulate a list in the OFFICIAL REPORT. The Chinese authorities have provided no information about their present whereabouts; nor, except in the case of Mr. Watt who was sentenced to three years' imprisonment for alleged espionage, about charges, beyond the allegation that the persons detained have violated Chinese laws.Repeated representations have been made here and in Peking to the Chinese authorities for information and for consular access. The most recent occasion was on 11th November when my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State summoned the Chinese Chargé d'Affaires.Except in the case of Mr. Watt, who is allowed to correspond periodically with his family, there has been no contact with the detained British subjects, and we have therefore no information about their present state of health. Mr. Watt would seem to he reasonably fit.We shall continue to make strong representations to the Chinese authorities on these cases with a view to securing the release of those detained at the earliest possible moment.Following is the list:

asked the Minister of Technology what calculations have been made by his Department of the cost across the exchanges of the proposed multi-role combat aircraft.

The arrangements for sharing the work and costs of the M.R.C.A. programme have been designed to ensure that to the maximum practicable extent, each country will be allocated work in proportion to its production requirements and will pay for that work itself. As a result the payments of currency across the exchanges will be extremely limited.

asked the Minister of Technology how many British citizens have been killed while working on oil rigs in international waters in each of the last five years.

The information asked for is not available, but the numbers of British subjects killed on oil rigs operating in the United Kingdom Continental Shelf are:

1965	…	…	…	…	13
1966	…	…	…	…	nil
1967	…	…	…	…	1
1968	…	…	…	…	3
1969	…	…	…	…	1

asked the Minister of Technology if he will give a detailed description, with a breakdown of the cost, of the services to private industry listed under subheads A1, B1, C(1), C(2), D, A2, A4, A5, A6, A3(2), (2), (4), (5), E1 and E2, respectively, of Estimate Class Number IV 19 on page 41 of Command Paper No. 3971.

The information requested is given in the table below.

asked the Minister of Technology how much was spent by his Department during the past 12 months on carbon fibre composite technology in the Ministry of Technology establishments at the Atomic Energy Research Establish-

The present annual rate of expenditure based on work started at least twelve months ago is:

	£
Ministry of Technology Establishments	276,000
A.E.R.E. Harwell	140,000
Extramural Contracts	219,000

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will give the numbers of persons executed in Great Britain for offences other than murder during the period 1939 to 1969.

Seventeen, of whom two were executed for treason and fifteen for treachery. The offences were all committed during the last war.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in formulating his proposals for amendments to the law relating to drink and driving, he will give an assurance that capillary blood tests will remain the standard method of taking blood for examination rather than venous blood.

The relevant statutes do not specify whether a blood specimen is to be of capillary or venous blood. My present information does not suggest that they should, for in practice the doctor and the motorist settle which it is to be and no great difficulty appears to arise.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many breathalyser tests were made by the police in the period October, 1967 to June, 1969; and what proportion of the resulting tests disclosed alcohol blood content of 150 milligrams per 100 millilitres and over.

During that period the police in England and Wales required 91,190 breath tests under Section 2(1) and (2) of the Road Safety Act, 1967. It is not possible to relate the figures for breath tests directly to those of the analyses of blood or urine specimens subsequently given; but during the same period there were 41,110 cases in which persons required to undertake breath tests under the Act later provided specimens of blood or urine which were analysed, and in 17,775 of these cases the alcohol concentration indicated was over 150 mgs. per 100 mls.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many licensees in England and Wales have been convicted of selling alcoholic liquor to young persons under the permitted age; and in how many of such cases the licence has not been renewed within the past five years to the nearest convenient date.

For the past four years the figures asked for in the first part of the Question are:

			Males	Females	Total
1965	…	…	71	44	115
1966	…	…	113	52	165
1967	…	…	87	35	122
1968	…	…	111	36	147

Figures for earlier years, and the information asked for in the second part of the Question, could not be obtained without disproportionate expense.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the total number of shotgun certificates which have been issued to the latest available date.

By 31st October, 1968 chief officers of police in England and Wales had issued 601,988 shotgun certificates and 1,379 visitors' shotgun certificates. The number of shotgun certificates in force is not likely to have altered much since then.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will make a statement on the Government's policy in dealing with offenders committed to custody by the courts.

Yes. Tomorrow I shall present to Parliament a White Paper "People in Prison (England and Wales)" describing government policy in this field and how it is being implemented. The White Paper will deal with the whole range of the work of the prison service and with parole and after-care.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what were the figures for unem-

TOTAL NUMBERS REGISTERED AS UNEMPLOYED AT 10TH NOVEMBER, 1969 (provisional)
			Males	Females	Total	Temporarily Stopped included in total	Percentage rate*
North Shields	…	…	1,056	233	1,289	40	5·1
South Shields	…	…	2,879	360	3,239	14
Wallsend	…	…	1,002	181	1,183	4
Whitley Bay	…	…	719	173	892	4
Newcastle-upon-Tyne	…	…	3,473	863	4,336	8
Jarrow and Hebburn	…	…	1,099	126	1,225	—
Gateshead	…	…	1,772	146	1,918	3
* The percentage rate of unemployment is for the Tyneside travel-to-work area which in addition to the areas listed above also includes the Blaydon, East Boldon, Elswick, Felling, Newburn, Prudhoe, Walker and West Moor Employment Exchange areas. Percentage rates can be calculated for the travel-to-work area as a whole but not separately for its constituent parts.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what were the increases in the index of retail prices for nationalised industries, for food, for housing, for fuel and light, for durable household goods, for clothing

		13th October, 1964 to 21st October, 1969	19th July, 1966 to 21st October, 1969	14th November, 1967 to 21st October, 1969	15th October, 1968 to 21st October, 1969
Nationalised industries	…	28·6	16·6	9·1	2·8
Food	…	22·0	13·4	11·5	6·8
Housing	…	29·2	15·1	8·6	4·6
Fuel and light	…	28·8	18·0	8·7	2·7
Durable household goods	…	17·2	12·5	10·3	5·0
Clothing and footwear	…	13·0	8·2	6·4	4·2
Transport and vehicles	…	21·2	13·0	9·0	2·6
Miscellaneous goods	…	27·2	19·0	16·5	4·9
Services	…	34·1	20·2	13·2	5·8
All items	…	23·4	14·2	10·6	5·4

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity whether she will now make a statement on the action which has been taken to implement the report of the

The following is the information:and footwear, for transport and vehicles, for miscellaneous goods, for services and for all items in the index since October 1964, since July, 1966, since November, 1967, and over the last 12 months to the latest convenient date.

The percentage increases were as follows:Monopolies Commission on clutch mechanisms for road vehicles.

When this report was published my right hon. Friend the Member for Grimsby (Mr. Crosland) informed the House that he accepted the report in principle and that officials would discuss it with the Automotive Products group.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will list all the schemes which have been implemented with the sanction of his Department, showing their individual costs, to help alleviate flooding in East Devon since July, 1968.

Excluding the approval of sections of the major Exe and Alphin Brook schemes, which are costing about £3 million, the following river authority flood prevention schemes in the East Devon area have been approved for grant since July, 1968:

	£
River Axe	8,8001	All work has been completed
River Sid	1,630
River Otten	6,300
Withycombe Brook	1,800
Watton Brook	100
River Culm	9,350
Spratford Stream	4,250
River Yeo (Fordton)	56,300	Approved on 3.9.69 but not yet started

The following local authority schemes have also been approved:

Sidmouth U.D.C.
River Sid	£
Improvements	1,100	Approved 19.9.69 and now completed
St. Thomas R.D.C.
Woodbury Stream
Improvements	41,000	Approved 29.7.69 and started 8.10.69

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many people are now employed by the North Pennine Rural Development Board.

Fourteen.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will estimate the cost of running the North Pennine Rural Development Board in its first year.

About £45,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of the gross national product and of the annual budget, respectively, defence costs represent in each of the years from 1964 to 1970.

Calendar year figures are not readily available. Those for the financial years 1964–65 to 1969–70 are set out below. Between 1964–65 and 1969–70 the defence budget's share of total public expenditure has declined by 25 per cent. and its share of gross national product at factor cost by over 10 per cent. Regarding 1970–71, I would ask the hon. Member to await the publication of the forthcoming White Paper on Public Expenditure and of the Statement on the Defence Estimates 1970.

		Defence Budget Expenditure as a proportion of:
		Total Public Expenditure*	Gross National Product at Factor Cost†
		Per cent.	Per cent.
1964–65	…	14·9	6·5
1965–66	…	14·2	6·5
1966–67	…	13·4	6·4
1967–68	…	12·3	6·3
1968–69	…	11·8	6·1
1969–70	…	11·1	5·8
* For the years 1964–65 to 1968–69, the proportions are based on expenditure recorded in the Treasury analysis of public expenditure in the 1969 Blue Book on National Income and Expenditure. For the year 1969–70, the proportion is based on estimates provided in the Financial Statement and Budget Report 1969–70.
† Proportions are based on the latest valuation of Gross National Product. In the case of 1969–70 the Defence Budget estimate has been used as a basis for the calculation.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the estimated proportion of the defence costs which will be spent in 1969–70 in foreign currency.

About 12 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many cases of nerve gas poisoning among persons who have been employed at the Defence Establishment, Nancekuke, have been reported to his Department.

So far as can be traced there have been only two cases in the history of the Chemical Defence Establishment, Nancekuke, of persons employed there or previously employed there claiming that they have suffered from nerve gas poisoning.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will investigate the incidence of death and disability among persons who have been employed at the Defence Establishment, Nancekuke; and if he will make a statement.

My hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for the Army wrote yesterday to the hon. Member pointing out that it would be wrong to assume that service at the Chemical Defence Establishment, Nancekuke, had anything to do with the cases reported in the Press. He did, however, undertake to look into any particular case which the hon. Member felt required investigation.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what funds he proposes to release for secondary reorganisation purposes before the end of 1969; and if he will make a statement.

The school building programme for 1970–71 which was recently announced includes some £65 million worth of secondary projects. All these will contribute to comprehensive reorganisation as well as meet the essential needs for new school places. The programme for 1971–72, to be announcd next year, will be larger and will include a number of projects aimed at the improvement of secondary schools, especially those designed to enable particular re- organisation schemes to be carried out. In addition, my right hon. Friend has allocated £105 million to local authorities in the period 1970–73 to provide accommodation required for the raising of the school-leaving age, which will enable further progress to be made with reorganisation.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he expects to give approval to the proposed alterations to the St. James, Church of England, junior and infants schools, Gorton, Manchester.

I cannot say. My right hon. Friend is asking the managers to consider alternative proposals which will produce a more satisfactory scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many 11 to 18 comprehensive schools have been established in the last five years; and what proportion of them were purpose-built.

The precise information is not available but between April, 1966, and April, 1969, 339 comprehensive schools were established providing either for the 11–16 or the 11–18 age range. Of these, 46 were purpose built but others involved the extension and alteration of premises.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what progress has been made with, and what additional schemes have been made to, the list of schemes submitted to his Department in which local education authorities, other local authorities and voluntary bodies are co-operating for community purposes; and if he will make a statement.

I know of no such list. Perhaps my hon. Friend would care to let me know what he has in mind.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list in the OFFICIAL REPORT the grant aid to the County of Northumberland for primary and secondary school building in

	1964–65	1965–66	1966–67	1967–68	1968–69	1969–70	Totals
	£	£	£	£	£	£	£
Primary	411,668	220,000	404,687	464,384	59,099	423,084*	1,982,922
Secondary	606,310	420,852	635,700	—	523,430	—	2,186,292
Minor Works	110,000	995,587	240,000	246,000	240,000	290,000	2,121,587
Total	1,127,978	1,636,439	1,280,387	710,384	822,529	713,084	6,290,801
* Includes £186,088 for middle school.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will seek to amend the law governing school transport to bring it into line with modern traffic conditions.

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer on 21st November, 1968 to the hon. Member for Barry (Mr. Gower).—[Vol. 773, c. 310.]

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what progress is being made in research into the cure for leukaemia.

The advancement of knowledge on the causation and treatment of leukaemia is continuing but there are still many problems to be overcome before a known cure is likely to be available. The Medical Research Council, which has recently set up a research unit

STOCKPORT LOCAL EDUCATION AUTHORITY—AUTHORISED STARTS (PRIMARY SCHOOLS)
School	Project	Cost
		£
1968–69
Our Lady's Roman Catholic Primary School	Replacement of existing school (360 places)	84,996
Tithe Barn County Primary School	New school (280 places)	62,261
1969–70
Higher Brinksway County Primary School	New school (320 places)	79,650
		226,907