asked the Minister of Transport what plans he has for erecting safety barriers along the central reservations of motorways; and if he will make a statement.

We hope to complete a review of the criteria for the use of these barriers shortly.

asked the Minister of Transport what representations he has received about the effect on the industry of the proposed alterations in drivers' hours following the Transport Act, 1968; and if he will make a statement.

I have had a number of representations from both sides of industry and I am at present considering proposals for certain limited exemptions.

asked the Minister of Transport how many miles of railway track are electrified at present; and how many additional miles of track will be electrified in 1970.

1,986 route miles on British Railways. There are no electrification schemes at present approved or under construction which will come into operation in 1970.

asked the Minister of Transport how many miles of railway have been electrified in Wales and England, respectively, and at what cost; and what plans he has approved for railway electrification in the future.

There are 1,986 electrified route miles in the British Railways system as a whole, of which all but the Glasgow suburban lines are in England.Since nationalisation, about £240 million have been spent on electrification in England. There are at present no proposed electrification schemes which have received Ministerial approval.

asked the Minister of Transport what action he proposes to take to reduce the danger to children and elderly people attempting to cross the trunk roads in the built up area of Thirsk.

We share the right hon. Member's concern and my right hon. Friend has written to him about measures which are to be taken. The new bypass is programmed to start next autumn.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will give a general direction to the Railways Board to ensure that the computers and staff employed in payroll duties and processing of information in Scotland are retained in Scotland and that this work is not removed to Crewe or elsewhere south of the border; and if he will make a statement.

No. Such a general direction would not be appropriate. On the particular issue I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Glasgow, Pollok (Mr. Wright) on 24th November. The Railways Board has assured my right hon. Friend that it will continue to locate its offices as far as possible in accord with the objectives of the Government's regional policies.—[Vol. 792, c. 39.]

asked the Minister of Transport if he will take further steps to increase the number of learner motorcyclists who enter courses of instruction, now that local authorities have declined to undertake responsibility for this.

asked the Minister of Transport what plans he has to expand the grant-aided Royal Automobile Club/Auto Club Union training scheme for learner motor cyclists and scooter riders.

Past experience of the R.A.C./A.C.U. motor cycle training scheme makes it doubtful whether any expansion would attract a significantly larger number of volunteers. I am now investigating the practicability of making the issue of a full licence to ride a motor cycle conditional on attendance at an approved course of instruction.

asked the Minister of Transport how many of those ports which at present come under the authority of the British Transport Docks Boards will be eligible to revert to private ownership, having regard to the terms of the White Paper on the reorganisation of ports, Command Paper No. 3903, under which it is proposed to limit the nationalisation of ports to those in which more than five million tons of goods are handled in a year.

The hon. Member will by now have been able to study the terms of the Ports Bill; he will note that it provides for all the ports of the British Transport Docks Board to be placed under the charge of the National Ports Authority.

asked the Minister of Transport what representations he has received from local interests in the Bristol area regarding the Government's impending legislation on the reorganisation of the ports; and what reply he has sent.

Bristol City Council asked me to exclude the Port of Bristol, and Bristol Chamber of Commerce suggested that the powers of the National Ports Council should be strengthened. Their letters were acknowledged.

asked the Minister of Transport what recent survey he has taken out on the efficiency, reliability, handling costs, manning, and the volume and value of goods shipped by each harbour to be affected by forthcoming ports and harbours legislation; and if he will make a statement.

The hon. Member will find much relevant information in the publications of the National Ports Council, such as the Digest of Statistics and the Port Progress Report 1969, and in the reports of harbour authorities themselves. The Bill which I have just introduced is, of course, concerned as much with the efficiency of the nation's whole ports system as with that of individual harbours.

asked the Minister of Transport what representations he has received from local interests in the Manchester area regarding the Government's impending legislation on the reorganisation of the ports; and what reply he has sent.

Apart from the Manchester Ship Canal Company, certain other local interests have opposed the inclusion of the Port of Manchester in the reorganisation, and local trade union interests have suggested that the port should be put under a separate port board. We have explained the objective of establishing a structure of organisation within the industry to provide an essential degree of central direction of policy whilst encouraging local enterprise and initiative, and I am keeping in mind the suggestion about a separate port board.

asked the Minister of Transport what plans he has for providing road communication between Telford New Town and the M6 motorway; and if he will make a statement.

Proposals for the first five miles of a new 21-mile motorway to link the Telford/Wellington area with M6 were published in September. A route for the remaining 16 miles is being investigated.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will introduce regulations fixing minimum power-to-weight ratios for commercial vehicles.

I am considering the results of investigations commissioned to determine which power to weight ratio for commercial vehicles would be in the best interests both of road transport and other road users.

asked the Minister of Transport what action he is proposing to take to implement the proposals of the Consumer Council, details of which are in his possession, for improving the Transport Users' Consultative Committees.

The committees are now more representative of rail users generally, and include members representative of the aged, the disabled, working men and women, ramblers, and the tourist and road transport industries.We have recently adopted proposals made by the Central Transport Consultative Committee for improved publicity for the committees.

asked the Minister of Transport how many miles of motorway he estimates will have been completed in England by 1975.

In addition to the 573 miles now open to traffic, over 750 miles are under construction or at various stages of preparation. I hope that most of these will have been completed by about 1975, although this must depend on the progress of individual schemes and the availability of funds.

asked the Minister of Transport what proposals he has for the minimisation of the deleterious effects of exhaust fumes in the light of the evidence sent to him by the hon. Member for West Lothian.

My right hon. Friend has written to my hon. Friend to explain why he cannot accept the proposal that vehicles should be fitted with vertical exhaust pipes. This would not have the desired effect of reducing the quantities of exhaust breathed by other road users.

asked the Minister of Transport whether, in view of the fact that new roads give a 25 per cent. average increase in traffic flow, and computer-controlled lights at junctions yield a 600 per cent. average increase in traffic flow, he will bring the results of the work of the Road Research Laboratory, Crowthorne, on city centre traffic in Glasgow, to the attention of the local authorities; and if he will make a statement.

Whilst I cannot accept the hon. Member's figures, the published results from the two experimental area traffic control systems in Glasgow and West London have given encouraging reductions in traffic delays and show returns in the first year of several times the investment expenditure.These results will be drawn to the attention of local authorities.

asked the Minister of Transport when he will lay an order before the House prescribing details of the specifications of tachographs, as he is empowered to do under the Transport Act, 1968.

I have no plans at present to lay regulations before the House on this subject.

asked the Minister of Transport what are the regulations governing the entry of foreign-based lorries longer and heavier than current British construction and use and gross vehicle weight regulations.

The regulations apply the same weight and length limits to foreign-based and British-based lorries.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will reconsider his decision to change speed limits to kilometres per hour and instead adopt Système Internationale units and change to metres per second.

I think that kilometres per hour will be much more understandable to most drivers. It is a recognised variant of the Systéme Internationale and is the general practice in Europe.

asked the Minister of Transport if he is aware that the white lines which reserve parking spaces for disabled drivers in Bedford at Mill Street, Allhallows, and Lime Street are to go; and whether he will approve proposals to retain them.

The Bedford Borough Council is, at the Department's request, removing these unauthorised markings and instead is permitting disabled drivers holding the yellow car badge to leave their vehicles for an unlimited time in those places where waiting is now limited. This will enable such drivers to receive concessions over a much wider area than at present.

asked the Minister of Transport what plans he has under consideration for constructing a bypass on the A6 of Matlock Bath, Matlock Darley Dale and Bakewell.

No comprehensive bypass of these localities is under consideration, although a line for a bypass of Bakewell has been protected in the Peak Park Development Plan. The protection of the route of a length of disused railway line, for eventual use as a bypass of Darley Dale and Rowsley is also being considered.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will initiate studies into the social and other benefits of constructing further underground and road and rail systems in London.

No. But social costs and benefits are always taken into account in considering major transport investment proposals.

asked the Minister of Transport what proposals he has received from the Railways Board about capital expenditure and closure of stations affecting North-East Lancashire.

My right hon. Friend has received numerous proposals for capital expenditure. If my hon. Friend will indicate his special interest I will write to him. He is also considering a proposal to close Earby and Thornton-in-Craven stations.

asked the Minister of Transport what is the latest trading estimate for the calendar year 1970 for those bus operations being transferred from the London Transport Board to the National Bus Company on 1st January, 1970.

The London Transport Board estimates that these services will incur a trading loss of about £0·4 million in 1970. In addition, an extra contribution to depreciation of £0·2 million will be necessary to allow for bus fleet renewals.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will publish the details of the annual costs arising from the administration of road haulage operators licensing in 1969 and the estimated costs for 1970.

£2·2 million in the year ending 31st March, 1970, and £2·4 million in the year ending 31st March, 1971. Carriers' licensing has been running at a loss for some years and the deficit during the current financial year is expected to reach £1·3 million: but this loss has not been taken into account in settling the level of fees for operators' licensing.

asked the Minister of Transport (1) what plans his Department has for major improvements to the A30 between Exeter and Launceston during the next five years; and what is the estimated cost of each of these;(2) if he will estimate how many miles of the A30 between Exeter and Launceston will be dual carriageway by 1975;(3) what major improvements have been made to the A30 between Exeter and Launceston during the last five years; and how much each of these cost.

As the hon. Member knows, priority is being given to comprehensive improvement of A38, and consequently no major improvements have yet been made on this section of A30.

asked the Minister of Transport how many miles of the A30 from the 30 miles per hour limit west of Exeter to the 30 miles per hour limit east of Launceston are covered by a double white line.

Approximately 6½ miles are covered by double unbroken white lines.

asked the Minister of Transport if he is aware that increased traffic in Hythe is causing congestion; when he proposes to announce the realignment of Prospect Road; and, pending funds being made available, if he will complete the planning stage so that work can commence with the minimum of delay.

As explained in my recent letters, we do not consider the situation justifies high priority for the comprehensive scheme to realign Prospect Road. We are unable to forecast when it may be possible to authorise detailed preparation of the scheme, or parts of it.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will make a statement on the progress of the discussions between his Department, the Tyne Tunnel Authority and other bodies in regard to the charges for the Tyne Tunnel in the future.

I have told the Tunnel Joint Committee that its proposals for revision of the tolls structure do not, in my view, provide sufficiently for the financial viability of the tunnel, which I have to safeguard; and that I cannot accept them.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will take steps to ensure that the feasibility study and economic calculations concerning the Channel Tunnel include the capital cost of adequate road and rail communications between the Midlands and north of England, and the Great Britain terminal, with comparative costings of alternative routes and means of transport to Europe.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will take steps to ensure that the feasibility study and economic calculations concerning the Channel Tunnel include calculations as to the additional exports that will pass by liner train from various loading points in the United Kingdom to various destinations on the Continent of Europe via the Channel Tunnel but will not pass by any other mode of transport on account of higher transit charges.

The final studies preceding the decision whether to start construction will include forecasts for the traffic that the tunnel would generate. They will also include a comparison of the economic costs and benefits of building the Tunnel—together with any necessary road and rail feeders—and developing other links with the Continent by air and sea.

asked the Minister of Transport what progress has been made in arriving at the final definition of the link road to the D Ring Road in the Northolt/Hillingdon area; and if he will make a further statement.

I hope that the consulting engineers will complete their investigation of the section of this route between A40 and A4020 before next summer.

asked the Minister of Transport what consideration he has given to the Terrell Plan which has been sent to him for grading the penalties under the law relating to breathalyser offences according to the degree of the blood alcohol content disclosed; and if he will make a statement.

I have studied these proposals, but do not consider them to be an improvement on the existing law.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware of the delays and inconvenience to traffic caused by railway level-crossings over trunk roads in towns such as Goole; and whether he will initiate discussions with the Railways Board with a view to their elimination.

Separation of road and rail traffic in towns is generally desirable, but this is often so expensive that other road improvements would give better value for money in eliminating both delays and danger. The only public road level crossing in Goole is on a principal road. It would be for the local highway authority to negotiate with British Railways for its elimination.

asked the Minister of Transport why there is delay in completing the reconstruction of the Canal Bridge at Shireoaks, Worksop, by British Waterways; and when he expects the work to be finished.

The delay is mainly due to the large number of sub-standard canal bridges which require construction.I am advised that the board is currently putting proposals to the highway authority in connection with improvement works and that subject to these being accepted the reconstruction will be completed by mid-1970.

asked the Minister of Transport when construction will commence on the A590, Arnside Link Road.

Preparatory work has not yet reached the stage at which a firm starting date can be set.

asked the Minister of Transport whether a decision has been made as to the route of the junction of the M1 and the M5; and whether he will make a statement.

No. Preliminary route investigations are still in progress.

asked the Minister of Transport how many buses were running in London in 1968 as compared with 1963 and 1959.

The numbers of buses and coaches maintained by London Transport at the end of the years in question were:

asked the Minister of Transport what proposals he now has to provide bypasses for the A433 through Tetbury and Didmarton; what will be the routes of the bypasses; what the work will cost; and when it will start.

Gloucestershire County Council, the responsible highway authority, currently has proposals for a two-mile eastern bypass of Tetbury and Doughton estimated to cost about £1½ million and for a 1½ mile northern bypass of Didmarton estimated to cost over £1¼ million. The council has not accorded them high priority and we cannot forecast when they may be accepted for preparation.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will give a direction to London Transport that bus services shall not be discontinued without consultation with the London boroughs.

No. The policy responsibility for London Transport will pass on 1st January, 1970, to the Greater London Council, and it would be inappropriate for my right hon. Friend to consider giving such a direction at this stage. I am sure that the council and the new executive will have the question of consultation well in mind.

asked the Minister of Transport what sum he received from the Bournemouth and Dorset Police Authority for fixed penalty notices relating to parking offences during 1966, 1967 and 1968, respectively; and to how many cases they related.

The sums for 1966 and 1967, which relate to Bournemouth only, amounted to approximately £11,500 and £18,500 respectively. The sum for 1968 includes as well an amount from the County of Dorset, to which the fixed penalty system was extended in April of that year, and was approximately £23,500.

asked the Minister of Transport what plans he has for improving trunk roads in Dorset to motorway standard in 1970; and what the cost will be.

None.

asked the Minister of Transport how many representations he has received from local authorities regarding the operation of the powers conferred on them by the Transport Act to grant concessionary fares to the aged.

Seven.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will conduct a pilot survey of the number of local authorities using their powers to provide concessionary fares to retirement pensioners.

No, for the reasons given in the reply of 11th November to my hon. Friend the Member for Bassetlaw (Mr. Ashton).—[Vol. 791, c. 48.]

asked the Minister of Transport what is the estimated cost to the Exchequer of the Greater London Council's Ringway 2 in north and south London.

Ringway 2 in North London from the M4 in Chiswick to the Al3 in East Ham is my responsibility. For the most part it consists of the North Circular Road, which will be improved as circumstances allow. I estimate that the total cost of this and the proposed new section between South Woodford and the A13 will be about £100 million.I have made no estimates for Ringway 2 south of the M4 and A13, which is a Greater London Council project. I would contribute 75 per cent. of the cost if it were approved as a principal road scheme.

asked the Minister of Transport when he proposes to introduce the new regulations covering the issuing of driving licences to persons suffering from a mild form of epilepsy.

I hope to lay before the House early in the New Year regulations coming into force later in the year which, among other things, will prescribe the conditions which a person with epilepsy must satisfy before he can be considered for the grant of a driving licence.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will give the number of miles now completed on the Yorkshire and Lancashire motorway; and if he will make a statement on the estimated progress to be made by the end of 1971.

No section of the M62 has yet been completed. It is estimated that about 30 miles should be in use by the end of 1971.

asked the Minister of Transport if he is aware that two letters posted by his Department on 26th November failed to reach the House of Commons by the morning of 28th November; and if he will arrange for urgent letters to Members of Parliament to be delivered by hand.

Arrangements have long been established whereby exceptionally urgent letters sent from my Department to Members of Parliament are delivered by hand.The hon. Member reminded my office of the urgency of the letters to which he refers, and as they had already been posted, copies were immediately delivered by hand.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will arrange for quarterly car licences to be printed on different coloured paper from annual licences.

This would not help enforcement, since vehicle licences are not now issued for fixed annual or quarterly periods. No reason is seen for changing the present system of indicating by colour the calendar year in which the licence expires.

asked the Minister of Transport (1) when he expects work on the South-West Beverley bypass, which includes the new Hull-Beverley main road, to be started;(2) whether he is aware of the growing through-traffic passing through Beverley, which is endangering the historic Minster and the Church of St. Mary's, and that this traffic will grow with the construction of the Humber Bridge; and what action he proposes to take to remedy the situation.

Traffic congestion in Beverley will be relieved by the building of the Beverley bypass and Hull Road diversion scheme at present in preparation. Examination of the preliminary report on the scheme has indicated that additional information is needed before we can forecast when work will start.

asked the Minister of Transport what requests he has re- ceived from British Railways to finance their development plan for Southern Region by capital investment of £220 million in the 10 years 1970 to 1980; and what reply he has given.

None. But the Railways Board has outlined to me the planning basis and objectives of the proposals it has recently published for the Southern Region for the next 10 years. Discussions between my Department and board's officers are starting next week.

asked the Minister of Transport what is the total investment allocation which will be available to British Railways in 1970; and by what percentage this figure exceeds or is less than the comparable figure for 1963. on the basis of constant prices.

Up to £76 million. After allowance has been made for the likely investment in the railway activities transferred to the National Freight Corporation and the Scottish Transport Group under the Transport Act, 1968, and for price changes, this figure is about 23 per cent. below the figure of actual investment in 1963.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will initiate discussions with the British Railways Board regarding its future investment programme; and if he will make a statement.

Such discussions already take place regularly.

asked the Minister of Transport what representations he has received regarding the adequacy of the planned capital investment programme for British Railways; and if he will make a statement.

I receive a fairly steady flow of suggestions that more money might be spent on the railways but I am satisfied that, in the present circumstances, the Railways Board is getting its fair share of the resources available.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he has fixed a date for a public inquiry into the proposals for the northern terminals of the M23 motorway; and if he will make a statement.

In view of the large number of objections, some by local authorities, that have been made to the proposals as published and the representations I have received that they cannot satisfactorily be considered in isolation from the proposals for Ringway 2 in the Greater London Development Plan, I have decided to review the M23 terminal proposals before proceeding further.I do not propose to arrange for a public inquiry to be held meanwhile.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will give a general direction to passenger transport authorities that the Press must be admitted to their meetings.

The passenger transport authorities are covered by the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act, 1960, which applies to local authorities and similar bodies. I see no reason to make provision beyond this.

asked the Minister of Transport what toll charge will be made at the Severn Bridge following the introduction of decimal coins on 1st January, 1970.

No change is to be made in the amount of the toll charged for crossing the Severn Bridge on 1st January, 1970 when the half-crown will be demonetised. The position on full decimalisation in February, 1971 is under consideration.

asked the Minister of Transport what additional information has become available recently about the physical state of the existing entrance lock at Grangemouth Docks; and if he will make a statement.

The Forth Ports Authority has sent to me and to the National Ports Council copies of a report by the consulting engineers, who at the authority's request have recently carried out a detailed survey of the lock. The report describes the defects in the lock and suggests measures which might be taken to deal with them. The implications of this report are now being discussed by the authority with officials of my Department and of the National Ports Council.

asked the Minister of Transport (1) why, in view of the fact that the Elloughton bypass is on the east-west strategy route serving Hull, it is not being built as a special road and motorway to form part of an extension of the M62;(2) why, in view of the fact that the Elloughton bypass will have to accommodate trunk traffic from both the M62 and the A63, it is being built to a lower standard than the M62;(3) what effect the lower standard of the Elloughton bypass as compared with the M62 will have on the future expansion of the motorway to Hull as included in the Government's programme of 1946.

The design capacity of the eastern extension of the M62 from Ferrybridge has still to be decided. The Elloughton bypass, now under construction, will bring much-needed relief to the trunk road through Elloughton. Together with the existing dual two-lane road from the Hull boundary, it should cater adequately for traffic needs on this section of the A63 for some time to come.The precise standard of routes selected for the strategic network will be determined later but the essential improvements now being made to the existing A63 will not preclude the eastward extension of the motorway from Gilberdyke should this prove to be justified taking account of the longer-term effect to the Humber Bridge and Humberside developments.

asked the Minister of Transport whether it is still his intention to proceed with the system of special authorisations as set out in the Transport Act, 1968.

The Government's policy on special authorisations and on the timing of their introduction was set out in the White Paper on the Transport of Freight. I have nothing to add to this at present.

asked the Minister of Transport what percentage of express and other trains, respectively, arrived at their destinations on time

asked the Minister of Transport what was the number of road fund tax licences issued by the individual county and county borough licensing authorities in Lancashire, Cheshire and the High Peak in 1963–64 and for 1968; and if he will publish the details in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Following is the information:

Following is the information:

asked the Minister of Transport what current studies his Department is engaged in concerning the problem of heavy vehicle noise.

We are studying with research organisations concerned many aspects of vehicle and traffic noise, including the possibilities of quietening large diesel engines.

asked the Minister of Transport what sum he received from the police in England and Wales during 1968 for the 1,046,358 fixed penalty notices they issued; and how the money has been applied.

These sums are made over by clerks of courts to the Home Office, which in turn makes them over to the Ministry of Transport. The sum for 1968 is estimated at approximately £1·3 million and is appropriated-in-aid to the Roads Vote.

asked the Minister of Transport what sum was received during 1968 by local authorities from parking meters; and how much of this sum has gone to providing off-street parking facilities.

This information is not readily available. Local authorities are required under Section 44(1) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act, 1967 to keep accounts of their parking meter schemes but they are not required to send my right hon. Friend copies of these.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware that the bridges on the section of the A2 road between Dover and Canterbury are incapable of supporting the high loads of modern inter-continental lorries using the route; and if he will therefore impose load limitations in the interests of public safety.

Inter-continental lorries are subject to British vehicle weight regulations. None of the bridges on the trunk road section of the A2 between Dover and Canterbury requires a weight restriction.Within the county borough boundary of Canterbury a bridge owned by British Rail is marginally below strength and is programmed for reconstruction next year. The need for a weight restriction on this bridge is currently under consideration by British Rail.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if the decision of the London Borough of Brent to lower its present housing standards in all future housing works is in accord with Government regulations.

I understand that the savings which the council has decided to look for in future developments will not result in any scheme being below the mandatory standards. My right hon. Friend would not, of course, approve any scheme for subsidy which was not up to those standards.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many building sites which had previously been acquired by the London Borough of Brent for the housing programme have now been sold; what was the total number of homes which were planned on those sites; and if he will make a statement.

Brent Borough Council has sold three sites to private developers that could have provided about 120 local authority dwellings. These could have helped in rehousing some of the many families now living in very bad conditions in the borough, and it is regrettable that they will not now be available for this purpose, but assuming that the sale of these sites is at market value, my right hon. Friend's consent is not required.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he is aware of the shortage of smokeless fuel in South Yorkshire where the Clean Air Acts have been put into operation; and whether he will introduce regulations to enable him to grant a dispensation to local authorities in areas where it is not possible to enforce the Act.

I would refer my hon. Friend, first, to the answer given on 3rd November to the hon. Member for Colne Valley (Mr. Richard Wainwright) by my hon. Friend the Joint Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Technology; and, secondly, to the answer I gave on 25th November to the hon. Member for Skipton (Mr. Drayson).—[Vol. 790, c. 18; Vol. 792, c. 54.]

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what representations he has received from the Chigwell Urban District Council and other local bodies and individuals against the proposal to site a service area for the M11 at the former Royal Air Force Station near Chigwell; and whether he will make a statement.

Representations have been received from the Essex County Council and from a number of local residents as well as the Chigwell Urban District Council.The matter is in abeyance until the route for the M11 in this area is settled. If it is decided that the M11 will take the Chigwell route, a public local inquiry will be held into the proposal for a service area there.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government why, following the Ronan Point disaster, he was unable to put forward proposals for amendments to the Building Regulations and for grant aid until May and June 1969, respectively; why a decision has not yet been reached on the representations made to him; if he will give an assurance that final decisions on these and related matters will be made before the end of the year; and if he will make a further statement.

The technical problem of expressing the concept of "progressive collapse" used by the Ronan Point Tribunal in a way suitable for building regulations has proved very complex. Extensive discussions have been necessary, before the Ministry's proposals were circulated in May, and subsequently, in the light of comments. My right hon. Friend now has the advice of the Building Regulations Advisory Committee and hopes to make amending regulations early in the New Year. An offer of grant in principle was made to the local authority associations last February. Specific proposals could not be made until last June in the absence of information on the potential financial burden. My right hon. Friend expects to reach a final decision on grant shortly.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government on what date he first received a communication and telephone call from the hon. Member for West Ham, North, concerning Mr. V. A. White's invention; why it took until 19th November for this invention to be tested; and why it took until 28th November for the hon. Member to be informed of the results of the test.

1st July, 1969. My hon. Friend was fully informed about the position in letters sent to him on 31st July, 21st August and 17th September. Three professional officers attended a demonstration of the invention on 19th November, and within nine days a letter was sent to my hon. Friend explaining that since the invention was not based on any research into fundamental problems of explosion and venting, the Government could not take up a device of this kind.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what communication he had addressed to the Darlington Borough Council following its decision to cut its housing programme by half; and if he will make a statement.

None; but the Department's regional office is discussing with the council the maintenance of an adequate programme and the need to speed up slum clearance.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what is the annual cost of maintaining the present rent tribunal system; and how much of this cost is attributable to remuneration of members of the various tribunals, salaries for the provision of clerical and other assistance, rents and outgoings for office accommodation and tribunal venues, and any other items, respectively.

The annual cost of rent tribunals cannot be separated from that of the rent assessment panel service as the operation of both services is now integrated. The current annual cost of both services in England is approximately £752,000.This is broadly divided up as follows:

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will expedite proposals to declare the lower Wye Valley an area of outstanding natural beauty.

My right hon. Friend expects the Countryside Commission to submit an order for his confirmation within the next few months.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what were the estimated amounts paid to individual county boroughs, non-county boroughs, urban and rural district councils in the Lancashire and Cheshire area for rate support grants for 1963–64 and also for the current financial year; and if he will publish the details in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

The estimated amounts of the rate support grants payable to county borough and county district councils in Lancashire and Cheshire for 1969–70 and the equivalent grants payable for 1963–64 are listed below. The figures for 1969–70 take no account of possible increases that may result if the Rate Support Grant (Increase) Order 1969 is approved.