asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action is being taken to identify the cause of the disease which has been found in salmon in the River Tamar.

Specimens of affected fish have been examined on the spot and in the laboratory by Ministry scientists. Fish have also been sent to Exeter and Salford Universities, the Public Health Laboratory, Truro, and Plymouth Marine Biological Laboratories. So far it has not been possible to account for the condition, but there has been no report of its having proved fatal.

asked the Attorney-General if he will instruct the Director of Public Prosecutions to consider bringing criminal proceedings for conspiracy to commit malicious damage against the organisers of the recent defacement of cricket grounds.

I have asked the Director of Public Prosecutions to arrange for this matter to be investigated.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence which ports in Africa have been visited by Her Majesty's ships engaged in the Beira patrol, since its formation; and for what purposes.

The Beira patrol is undertaken by units of the Far East Fleet. They do not visit ports while engaged in the patrol, relying on afloat support.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the number of jobs likely to be lost in connection with the proposed closure of the Royal Navy Torpedo Factory at Alexandria.

A total of some 1,300 are currently employed at the Royal Naval Torpedo Factory, Alexandria. 400 are non-industrials of whom 260 are established, and 900 are industrials of whom 200 are established.Alternative employment will be offered to all established employees in accordance with the normal rules. Alternative employment in other defence establishments will also be offered to most of the unestablished craftsmen and to many of the unestablished non-craft workers who are willing to move to another area.Additionally, strenuous efforts are being made to secure another occupier for the factory or to provide alternative employment in the area.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence when the proposal to close the Royal Navy Torpedo Factory at Alexandria was first discussed by his department.

It became apparent during the summer of 1969 that due to the delay in the development of the Mark 24 Torpedo it might be necessary to close the Royal Naval Torpedo Factory at Alexandria. Since then, as I explained in an answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Dunbartonshire, West (Mr. Steele) on 17th December, 1969, strenuous efforts have been made to divert suitable work from other parts of the public sector, which have made it possible to keep the factory open until the end of this year.—[Vol. 793, c. 340–1.]

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a table showing the number of officers and other ranks, respectively, in each of the three Services, respectively, and in the women's Services, respectively, and indicate the number who are aliens and Commonwealth citizens, respectively.

The strengths of officers and other ranks in each of the three Services respectively, and in the women's services, as at 1st December, 1969, are as follows:

Service	Officers	Other Ranks
Royal Navy and Royal Marines	11,009	73,409
Army	18,143	153,417
Royal Air Force	19,147	88,035
WRNS and QARNNS	439	2,918
WRAC and QARANC	857	4,489
WRAF and PMRAFNS	809	4,532
Total	50,404	326,800

I regret that information on numbers of aliens and Commonwealth citizens could not be made available without an unjustifiable effort.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the outcome of the investigation into the death of Sapper Allen Wilson of the Corps of Royal Engineers at Lake Baringo, Kenya, on 27th December, 1969.

The outcome of the investigation into this tragic death is still awaited. I will write fully to the hon. Member at the earliest opportunity.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will state the number of employees, non-industrial and industrial, apprentices, male and female, who will be employed in Her Majesty's Dockyard, Devonport, in 1970; and how this compares with those employed in 1969.

The information requested is as follows:

1969	Male	Female	Total
Non-Industrials	1,807	104	1,911
Industrials	10,283	150	10,433
Apprentices	1,300	—	1,300
1970
Non-Industrials	Not possible to predict at this time.		1,920
Industrials			10,000
Apprentices			1,250

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the estimate of the cost to complete the modernisation of the Royal Naval Hospital, Stonehouse, Plymouth; and when this will be undertaken.

The estimated order of cost of modernisation of the Royal Naval Hospital, Stonehouse, Plymouth, is £1 million-£1·5 million. Further consideration is being given to the best way of providing modern hospital facilities for Service personnel in the South-West of England before a decision is reached as to whether this work will be undertaken. This will include studying the concept of a hospital campus, allowing sharing of expensive diagnostic and other facilities with N.H.S. hospitals.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence in view of the policy laid down in the White Paper 1969 that Great Britain's presence in the Mediterranean will include an aircraft carrier or commando or assault ship continuously from January, 1969, to what extent this will be carried out in 1970, 1971 and 1972.

The 1969 Defence White Paper said that we would maintain an aircraft carrier or commando or assault ship almost continuously in the Mediterranean. We did so in 1969 and we aim to achieve this in 1970. Thereafter we shall certainly be deploying major fleet units to the Mediterranean, but our plans are not yet final.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will give an assurance that it is his policy to continue to fulfil the specific obligations under the Simonstown defence agreement of 1964.

Her Majesty's Government will continue to meet their obligations under the Simonstown Agreement.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many applications have so far been received for membership of the Ulster Defence Regiment and how many have been accepted; how many have come from members of the Ulster Special Constabulary, giving their present county and status, and at what rank they have been accepted in the Ulster Defence Regiment; and how many recruits from the Special Constabulary had former service in the armed forces of

Present Status		County Antrim	County Armagh	Belfast	County Down	County Fermanagh	County Londonderry	County Tyrone	Totals
Officers	…	2	10	2	8	2	11	8	43
Others	…	41	135	17	70	32	97	125	517

The rank in the Ulster Defence Regiment of a successful applicant from the Ulster Special Constabulary will be decided at the appropriate time in the light of all the relevant factors, including his status in the Ulster Special Constabulary, 149 of the applicants from the Ulster Special Constabulary and 421 other applicants have former service in the Armed Forces of the Crown. All figures relate to 20th January.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of available manpower in the 15 to 19 age group was recruited to each of the Services, respectively, in each year from 1963 to the latest available date.

The information is as follows:

Year	RN & RM	Army	RAF
1963	0·54	1·29	0·22
1964	0·54	1·72	0·25
1965	0·51	1·47	0·34
1966	0·51	1·45	0·38
1967	0·53	1·32	0·41
1968	0·40	1·13	0·43
1969*	0·48	1·44	0·55
*Provisional figures.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will permit the use of Bishopscourt airfield as an alternative to Aldergrove during the closure of the latter for repairs.

No. The runways are unsuitable for commercial aircraft.

1,354 applications to join the Ulster Defence Regiment have been received. None has yet been accepted as the screening of applicants necessarily takes time. 560 applications have come from members of the Ulster Special Constabulary, as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Defence why the Royal Marine Commandos left for Operation Clockwork without the necessary equipment of food, ammunition, helicopters, assault craft and transport vehicles.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Harrow, East (Mr. Roebuck) on 22nd January.—[Vol. 794, c. 182.]

asked the Secretary of State for Defence why it was necessary to employ a Norwegian freighter to transport equipment for the Royal Marine Commandos; and why this freighter did not get the equipment to Norway at the time of landing of the Commandos for the Norwegian exercise.

On the first part of the Question, I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Harrow, East (Mr. Roebuck) on 22nd January. As it was not expected that the heavy equipment would be greatly delayed it was decided to go ahead with the trooping arrangements, and, as envisaged, useful ski and snow training has been possible. — [Vol. 794, c. 182.]

asked the Secretary of State for Defence why it is proposed to convert H.M.S. "Hermes" to a commando carrier for Royal Marine assault troops, in view of his policy of phasing out carriers by 1971.

I have nothing to add to the answer given by my hon. Friend to the hon. and gallant Member for Winchester (Rear-Admiral Morgan-Giles) on 3rd December, l969.—[Vol. 792, c. 1472–3.]

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how he proposes to dispose of H.M.S. "Ark Royal" when she is no longer required by the Royal Navy.

No decision has yet been taken.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give a list of the organisations which the Government have consulted about a change from the British nautical mile to the international nautical mile, showing which are in favour of the change and which are against.

25 organisations were asked whether they would agree to adopt the International Nautical Mile if the majority of organisations concerned favoured the change.The following on the marine side were entirely in favour of the adoption of the International Nautical Mile:

asked the Secretary of Education and Science if he will give details of the major school building programmes for primary and secondary schools in each of the years 1965–66 to 1971–72, showing the value of authorised projects for basic needs and improvements and replacements separately.

In addition to the provision specifically for improvements and replacements, many basic need projects contain an element of improvement and in some cases allow old schools to be taken out of use in areas of declining population. With this qualification the figures at current prices are:

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what has been the percentage increase in public expenditure in real terms on education in Great Britain in each of the years from 1958–59 to 1968–69;(2) what has been the percentage increase in public expenditure in real terms on primary education, secondary education, further education and university education in Great Britain in each of the years from 1964–65 to 1968–69.

This information is not available in the form requested, since the comparative analysis of educational expenditure for past years present technical problems which still need further study. However, I estimate that in real terms public expenditure on education in Great Britain rose on average by about 6 per cent. per annum during the years from 1958–59 to 1968–69.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what

NUMBERS REGISTERED AS WHOLLY UNEMPLOYED AT 12TH JANUARY, 1970 (PROVISIONAL)
			Aged 18 to 54	Men Aged 55 and over	Total	Aged 18 to 54	Women Aged 55 and over	Total
Bexhill	…	…	154	260	414	35	9	44
Hailsham	…	…	92	162	254	7	12	19
Rye	…	…	64	62	126	14	3	17

In addition, there were eight boys and five girls registered at the Bexhill Careers Office, which also covers the Rye, Hailsham and Battle areas. One of the boys was a school leaver registered for first employment.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what steps her Department has taken to find alternative employment for those who have lost their jobs at Rolls-Royce Works, Hamilton.

Discussions between the unions and management about the proposed redundancies are still taking place and, so far, no dismissal notices have been issued. Until details of the skills and experience of the employees involved become available, very little positive action can be taken to

About £13·5 million per annum for non-teaching costs. The number of teachers employed, and their cost, will not change because of the raising of the age.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity how many males and females were registered as unemployed at the Bexhill, Hailsham and Rye Employment Exchange on 16th January, 1970, and how many of these were over 55 years of age, under 18 years of age and school leavers, respectively.

The following table shows, by age group, the numbers registered as wholly unemployed:find them alternative jobs. My local officers are keeping in close touch with the company and every possible help will be given when the time comes.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what plans she has to encourage the setting up of Sheltered Workshops for disabled workers not otherwise readily able to obtain employment in areas large enough to render such a workshop viable.

Viability entails a minimum of 30 workers. My Department's surveys show that in every area where such a need remains the best way of meeting it is currently under discussion, whether with Remploy Ltd., local authorities, or voluntary bodies.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity if she will break down the number of persons in Scotland in employment in December, 1965, December, 1966, December, 1967, and December, 1968, into male and female employees.

Following is the information:

ESTIMATED NUMBERS OF EMPLOYEES IN EMPLOYMENT IN SCOTLAND
(Thousands)
	Males	Females	Total
December 1965	1,342	812	2,154
December 1966	1,318	806	2,124
December 1967	1,295	801	2,096
December 1968 (provisional)	1,288	799	2,087

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what was the total employable labour force in the constituency of Hamilton and Lanarkshire, respectively, at the latest available date in 1969; how many were male and female; and how many were teenage, broken down into male and female.

Employment estimates for local areas are made for June each year and the latest at present available relate to June, 1968. They are analysed by sex but not by age. Following is the information:

ESTIMATED NUMBERS OF EMPLOYEES, EMPLOYED AND UNEMPLOYED, IN THE AREA COVERED BY THE HAMILTON, LARKHALL AND BLANTYRE EMPLOYMENT EXCHANGES AND IN LANARKSHIRE, AT JUNE 1968
(Thousands)
	Males	Females	Total
Hamilton, Larkhall and Blantyre	18·0	13·7	31·7
Lanarkshire	128·6	69·0	197·6

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity in how many cases in Scotland has the Manpower and Productivity Service of her Department provided services, broken down into areas and types of cases and into the number of members of staff allotted and the period of time the services were offered.

During 1969 the service made 476 advisory visits to firms in Scotland to discuss with management current manpower and productivity problems and offer advice on what could be done. The principal subjects discussed were productivity improvement, industrial relations, labour turnover, wage structures and shop steward training. The service undertook fuller surveys at 22 firms to diagnose their problems and recommend changes. Eleven manpower advisers are at present in post. Figures for particular areas of Scotland are not available. The service also dealt with 62 conciliation and 288 incomes policy cases in 1969.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity if she will make a statement regarding the finding of alternative employment for the five workers in the Hamilton Sheltered Workshop.

A large number of employers have been approached by my officers on behalf of the five workers in the Hamilton sheltered workshop; one was placed on 8th December, and efforts to help the remaining four are continuing.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity how the average wages for industrial and non-industrial workers compare with those earned in the Common Market countries, from information available to her from international sources.

The following information has been extracted from the series published by the Statistical Office of the European Communities showing the hourly earnings of manual workers in manufacturing industries in the six member countries. The United Kingdom data have been adjusted as far as possible to align with E.E.C. definitions. However, owing to differences in concept, scope, methodology and presentation it cannot be assumed that the figures for different countries are comparable.

asked the the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list, as at 1st January, 1970, the companies in which the Government has a shareholding, stating the value and number of shares held in each case.

Following is the information:

	Nominal Value*
Description of Holding	£
British Petroleum Co. Ltd.
£1 Ordinary Stock	174,461,538
£1 8 per cent Cumulative First Preference Stock	1,000
Beagle Aircraft Ltd.
£1 Ordinary Shares	1,000,000
British Sugar Corporation Ltd.
£1 Ordinary Shares	1,125,000
Cable and Wireless Ltd.
£1 Shares	30,000,000
Cunard Steamship Co. Ltd.
£20 Ordinary Stock†	66
Compagnie Financiere de Suez	F.F.
F.F. 100 Capital Shares	64,559,100
International Computers Ltd.	£
£1 "C" Ordinary Shares	3,500,000
Itabira Iron Ore Co. Ltd. (in liquidation)
£1 First Preference Shares	61,220
£1 Second Preference Shares	380,000
£1 Ordinary Shares	493,982
S.B. (Realisations) Ltd.‡
581,302 5s. Ordinary Shares	145,326
250,000 5s. "A" Ordinary Shares	62,500
5 per cent Redeemable Cumulative £1 Preference Stock	42,050
Toplis and Harding (Middle East) Ltd. 998 10s. Shares	499
Upper Clyde Shipbuilders Ltd.
£1 Ordinary Shares	875,000
7 per cent Unsecured Loan Stock 1975§	940,000

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why net receipts of selective employment tax attributable to Scotland in 1967–68 amounted to only £30 million of 6·4 of the United Kingdom total, as compared with an estimated £57 million, or 9·4 per cent. of the United Kingdom total in the current financial year.

For both 1967–68 and a full year at the current rates the estimated net yield of S.E.T. from the private sector and public corporations in Scotland represents about 9·5 per cent. of the total net yield for Great Britain or about 6·4 per cent. of the current receipts for the United Kingdom as defined for the National Income Accounts.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much finance for capital investment in the nationalised industries has now been authorised by the Treasury to be raised from overseas since October, 1964; if he will give details of each funding operation, stating the nationalised industry involved, rate

Nationalised Industry			Date of Borrowing 1969		Amount Authorised and Borrowed	Interest Rate	Repayment Terms
					£ million	Per cent.
Gas Council	…	…	April	…	31	6¼	Equal tranches over 6–15 years.
Electricity Council	…	…	August	…	21	7½	Equal tranches over 6–15 years.
South of Scotland Electricity Council	…	…	August	…	6	8¼	At maturity—3 years 11 months.
North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Beard	…	…	December	…	3	8	Unequal tranches over 15 years.
B.E.A.	…	…	March	…	7	6½	At maturity—5 years.

In addition, since 1964 B.O.A.C. has been authorised to borrow a total of £102 million overseas for expenditure overseas, mainly in United States dollars from United States bankers. These loans are repayable by instalments extending to 1994. £48 million gross was outstanding on 30th September, 1969 (the last date for which figures are available); £39 million has not yet been taken up. Interest rates range between 6 per cent. arid 10 per cent.All this borrowing by the nationalised industries is covered by Treasury guarantee for payment of interest and principal except for a £2 million loan to B.O.A.C. No lender has any present or future rights to equity participation in the Corporations. The net effect of the borrowing by the air corporations to finance aircraft purchases is included in trade credit under the item "miscellaneous capital" in the monetary movements of the balance of payments. Other borrowing by nationalised industries is included as part of inward private investment in the longterm capital account.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what increase in savings has occurred as a result of the introduction of the Save-As-You-Earn scheme; and what have been the administrative and advertising expenses in connection therewith.

The information is as follows:

The total amount collected in the Government's scheme so far has been £2,313,000 (£1,643,000 by the Department for National Savings; £670,000 by the Trustee Savings Banks). Total advertising expenditure to end December, 1969 was about £290,00. It will not be possible for some considerable time to calculate the full administrative expenses involved in operating S.A.Y.E.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the proportion of private movable assets of the United Kingdom residents held by persons of Scottish domocile.

About 9 per cent. of all assets other than landed property.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will provide estimates of Scottish personal incomes as a proportion of the United Kingdom total, on the same basis as the 7·7 per cent. estimate for 1967–68 contained in the Scottish Budget, for 1951–52 and each succeeding year up to 1969–70.

The proportion for 196768 is now estimated to be 7·9 per cent. based upon later information. The figures for such earlier years as are available are:

	Per cent.
1954–55	7·6
1959–60	8·2
1964–65	7·9
1965–66	7·8
1966–67	7·7

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, in view of Recommendation 190 on the State of European space activities, Intelsat, adopted by the Assembly of Western European Union on 9th December, 1969, when the Intelsat negotiations will be reopened; if Her Majesty's Government will assist in the submission to the general assembly of common proposals on the legal status of Intelsat, the United States veto, regional systems and orders for European industries, respectively; and if he will make a statement.

The second Plenipotentiary Conference on Definitive Arrangements for Intelsat will begin in Washington on 16th February, 1970. Her Majesty's Government, together with 15 other Governments, including those of the European Conference on Satellite Communications, have submitted to the Preparatory Committee of the Intelsat Plenipotentiary Conference joint proposals on, inter alia, the legal status of Intelsat, voting arrangements, regional systems and the procurement of equipment. A meeting of the European Conference on Satellite Communications will be held on 29th January, 1970, in preparation for the Plenipotentiary Conference.Her Majesty's Government attach importance to the successful outcome of the Intelsat Plenipotentiary Conference and to reaching agreement on a new constitution for Intelsat which will fully reflect its international status.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will give for the longest convenient stated period of time the number of occasions when his Department has assisted private Members of Parliament when on unofficial overseas visits; and, in each instance, what assistance was given.

The statistics for which my hon. Friend has asked are not readily available, but the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Her Majesty's Missions abroad are anxious to give as much assistance as they can to hon. Members making visits overseas, whether official or unofficial. If my hon. Friend has a particular visit in mind, I should be glad if he would write to me about it.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government (1) whether he will review the procedures of the Advance Payments Code under the Highways Act, 1959, with a view to improving the efficiency of this protection to house buyers;(2) which appropriate authorities in the East Anglia Economic Planning Region have not applied to him and obtained an Order to operate the Advance Payments Code under the Highways Act, 1959;(3) whether, in view of the increasing role of landscaping and similar amenities in private housing schemes, and default by developers, he will take steps to extend the provisions of the Advance Payments Code under the Highways Act, 1959, from roads and verges.

Where the Advance Payments Code has been applied it should provide effective protection for house buyers. Applications have not been made to my right hon. Friend by the Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely County Council and the Huntingdon and Peterborough County Councils for Orders to apply the code to rural districts in their areas. Otherwise the code now operates throughout the East Anglia Economic Planning Region.It would be inappropriate to extend the provisions of the Advance Payments Code to landscaping and amenity works, since local authorities have no general powers to charge frontagers for such works. They can, however, be included in any agreement for the construction of streets made between developers and local authorities under Section 40 of the Highways Act, 1959.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many owner-occupied houses sold during 1969 incurred liability for betterment levy under the Land Commission Act.

This information is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how much public money has been spent on sport in each of the last five years; and if he will set out in the OFFICIAL REPORT details showing to which particular sports this money was allocated.

Expenditure on Government grants for sport and physical recreation in Great Britain in the years 1964–63 to 1968–69 was as follows:

	£
1964–65	890,785
1965–66	1,340,345
1966–67	1,527,488
1967–68	1,896,186
1968–69	2,342,127

An analysis of these figures by sports is not available but an analysis for the years 1965–66 to 1968–69 of the offers of grant made for international events and conferences and of the current grants paid, by governing bodies, and of the capital grants made, by sports, is given in Appendices B to D of the Sports Council's Review for 1966–69, a copy of which I am sending to the hon. Member.

asked the Prime Minister which Department is responsible for the operations of the Housing Corporation as they affect Scotland.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland has this responsibility.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works for how long the redevelopment of the Royal Naval Barracks, H.M.S. "Drake", Devonport, will be delayed because of lack of steel.

The contract for the first stage of the redevelopment of H.M.S. "Drake" was let in December, 1969. Owing to the current shortage of steel reinforcement, a start on site has been delayed by two months from January to March, 1970. The contractor is using his best endeavours to minimise the effects of this delay.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans have been prepared by the Scottish Transport Group for a vehicle ferry service on the Barra-Lochboisdale and Mallaig route; and when it is proposed to introduce this service.

The possibility if introducing this service on a regular basis is being considered by the Scottish Transport Group as part of its review of shipping operations. I am not in a position to say when a decision will be reached.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) when he will make a statement giving his decision on the Scottish Transport Group's proposals for a vehicle ferry service on the Stornaway-Ullapool run;(2) Whether a ship is available or under construction suitable for the proposed vehicle ferry service between Stornaway and Ullapool; and how long it will take to put such a vessel into regular operation.

Decisions on this service and the vessel which might operate it must await the preparation of firm proposals by the Scottish Transport Group and harbour authorities regarding the investment which would be involved and the implications for existing services.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the proposed major urban development at Stonehouse as to the extent of the new population, the development it will bring to the area, and the likely timetable for building to commence.

I would refer the hon. Member to my statement circulated in the OFFICIAL REPORT on 21st January. Building is unlikely to begin before 1972.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what further meetings he has had since November in connection with his consideration of a plan for a regional park submitted jointly by Lanarkshire County Council, Motherwell and Wishaw Town Council, and Hamilton Town Council.

None, but I am expecting specific proposals, arising out of earlier discussions, from the three authorities shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what progress his Department has made into finding more reliable methods of estimating shortages and surpluses of teachers of technical subjects in Scotland.

My Department has arranged to obtain from all secondary schools in Scotland detailed information on staffing, relating to the current week. One of the purposes of this survey is to enable a more reliable estimate to be made of shortages and surpluses of teachers of particular subjects.

asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications whether he will publish the breakdown of the capital expenditure programme of the telecommunications side of the Post Office for the next three years.

No. The Post Office's investment programmes require my approval in general terms under the Post Office Act, 1969, but I am not responsible for detailed make-up.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether his Department will make arrangements to commemorate the 350th anniversary of the sailing of the "Mayflower", in view of its importance to the tourist trade; and how many tourists he estimates will come to this country for this anniversary.

The Board of Trade makes a grant in aid to the British Tourist Authority, whose functions include encouraging people to visit Great Britain from overseas. The authority, in continuing work done by the British Travel Association, is making the Mayflower Anniversary a particular feature of its promotional effort in the United States. It is not possible to give an estimate of the number of visitors who will come to this country for this event but preliminary reports indicate that it has aroused considerable interest.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will make the payment necessary to enable the Tourist Board to give financial assistance to the Parish Council of Scrooby, Nottinghamshire, in order to commemorate the anniversary of the sailing of the Pilgrim Fathers, and to help the village to receive United States visitors.

I am not aware that the Parish Council of Scrooby has asked the English Tourist Board for financial assistance for the purpose mentioned but it would be for the Tourist Board to consider whether any assistance could be given from its grant-in-aid.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what was the amount of the grant-in-aid to the British Travel Association in each of the three financial years 1967–68 to 1969–70.

£2,824,192, £2,938,500 and (to 31st December, 1969, after which date responsibility for grant-aided work was transferred from the association to the British Tourist Authority) £1,720,000 respectively.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will now introduce legislation to make obligatory the use of advance warning triangles with motor vehicles.

No, but we are studying the merits of this sign in comparison with other hazard warning devices.

asked the Minister of Transport what saving there will be to his Department's social subsidy bill as a consequence of the closure of the direct Edinburgh-Perth rail service.

The total annual savings in real resources from the closure of the section of track between Cowdenbeath North Junction and Bridge of Earn, including Kinross Junction station, will substantially exceed £100,000 per annum. About £45,000 of this will be absorbed by the increased train mileage now being operated under the revised pattern of service. The remainder of the savings will accrue to a very large number of services, including at least ten grantaided services, spread over a very wide geographical area. Comparison of 1969 with later years is further complicated by changes in cost levels. I regret, therefore, that it is not possible, without a disproportionate amount of work, to provide the information in the form requested by the hon. Member.

asked the Minister of Transport what is his policy in regard to the opening of meetings of public trans- port authorities to the public; and whether he will take steps to ensure, if necessary, by an order under Section 5, Part III, paragraph 6, of the Transport Act 1968, that where the subjects of discussion are matters of a concern to the public, such as fares, the public and Press are permitted to be present during discussions held before decisions are reached.

I take it that the right hon. Member is referring to the Passenger Transport Authorities. I would refer the right hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Nuneaton (Mr. Leslie Huckfield) on 5th December last.—[Vol. 793, c. 63.]

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what was the amount lent by local authorities in mortgages in 1964 and 1969, respectively.

Figures are not available for calendar years. Lending in the relevant financial years was as follows:

	£
1963–64	8,414,761
1964–65	10,988,779
1968–69	6,837,012

Final figures for 1969–70 are not yet available. The allocation for 1970–71 is £7½ million.

asked the Secetary of State for Wales what was the cost of building an average three-bedroom house in 1964 in Wales; and what is the cost of building a comparable house today or at the latest date for which the figures are available.

I assume that the hon. Member is referring to local authority houses.The average cost of construction of a three-bedroom local authority house in Wales in 1964 was £2,342. The corresponding figure in the first quarter of 1969 for houses built to a higher standard was £3,097.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a further statement on the inquiries which he has been making into the availability and use of kidney machines in hospitals, and of the staffing position in kidney machine units.

My inquiries have established the following figures, for England and Wales, about treatment of chronic renal failure by intermittent haemodialysis as at 1st January, 1970:

Number of units	31
Number of places	248
Number of patients in hospital	434
Number of patients at home	374

There were vacancies for three doctors, 47 nursing staff, five technicians and eight other staff.Study of the pattern of usage continues. When it is complete I will write to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will show the present strength of nurses in the Huddersfield Hospital Management Committee area compared with the approved establishment figure.

The total establishment of nursing staff for the hospitals administered by the Huddersfield Hospital Management Committee is 855; on 16th January, 1970 there were 767·5 nurses (whole-time equivalent) in post.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services why there has been a reduction of £6,000 for nursing expenditure in 1969–70 to the Storthes Hall Hospital, Huddersfield; and if he will make a statement.

The Leeds Regional Hospital Board made an extra allocation of £20,000 to the Storthes Hall Hospital Management Committee for the financial year 1969–70 for the specific purpose of recruiting additional nursing staff. When the hospital management committee submitted its revised estimates to the regional hospital board in September, 1969 it asked that £6,000 of this amount should be used for other purposes in the Group because it had not been able to recruit as many additional nursing staff as it had hoped and it did not expect to be able to spend the full sum in the current financial year. The regional hospital board has agreed to this request.The total number of nursing staff in post at the two hospitals administered by this committee increased from 46875 (whole-time equivalent) at 31st March, 1969 to 475·75 (whole-time equivalent) at 30th September, 1969.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement on the findings of his inquiry in five regions on the working of the Abortion Act, 1967.

This inquiry is not yet complete. Officers of my Department have carried out visits to 17 hospitals in seven regions, and the information collected is being analysed and evaluated.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many of the 25 members of the East Anglian Regional Hospital Board represented Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft; and if any of its members were domiciled in those towns.

None of the present members lives in Great Yarmouth or Lowestoft. I appoint members of regional hospital boards for the personal contribution they can make. Nevertheless I seek to get a suitably wide range of geographical and other relevant background in the membership; this is varied from time to time in the annual process of retirements and appointments.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what representations he has received concerning the plight of elderly people with inadequate means to heat their homes; what action he is taking to enable local authorities to help elderly people, including those living alone, who are missed by the social services, through good neighbour schemes and direct financial aid; and when section 45 of the Health Services and Public Health Act, 1968 will be brought into force.

The attention of medical officer of health has regularly been drawn to the need of those concerned with the elderly to be alert to the dangers of hypothermia, the most recent advice being given on 21st November last.Many elderly people are entitled to supplementary benefits designed to ensure a level of income sufficient to cover all normal requirements, and these can be increased in exceptional cases where a claimant needs more heating, for example, because of ill health or damp accommodation. Supplementary benefit scale rates were again raised only last November. Local authorities have been advised on the way good neighbour schemes may supplement the home help service, and I am considering whether there is a need to repeat this.I am now discussing with the local authority associations how and when Section 45 should be brought into force.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what alternative centres are now available for the distribution of welfare foods in that area of Willesden, West, previously served by the Willesden Social Club in Rucklidge Avenue; and what distance mothers will now need to travel to secure their supplies.

I understand that distribution of welfare foods at the Willesden Social Club will cease in April, 1970 because of the small demand. Alternative distribution centres will then be at the Pound Lane Clinic, N.W.10, and the Stonebridge Clinic, Hillside, N.W.10, both about one mile from the Willesden Social Club (to the north-east and northwest respectively) and both on bus routes.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will review his arrangements for informing pharmacists of major decisions of the Committee on Safety of Drugs to ensure that matters such as the recent advice on oral contraception do not reach them via national newspapers.

The Committee on Safety of Drugs is reviewing its arrangements for conveying to the professions concerned its views about adverse reactions to drugs, and will no doubt take into account the views expressed to it by the Pharmaceutical Society in a recent letter.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what official study is being made of the link between taking too many analgesics, particularly phenacetin, phenazone, caffeine and phenylbutazone, and the incidence of tumours of the renal pelvis.

No official study is being carried out. The medical and pharmaceutical professions are fully aware of the dangers of kidney damage arising from the excessive and prolonged use of preparations containing phenacetin, and of the potential risks of self-medication with these preparations over long periods.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will introduce legislation to exempt retirement pensioners in Scotland from effects of proposed coal increase prices.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the total number of staff it is intended to maintain at the Department of Health and Social Security Office in Market Harborough after the proposed re-arrangements in the City and County of Leicester have been completed.

It is expected that one full-time officer, assisted as necessary at peak times, will be able to handle all inquiries from the public at Market Harborough.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what suitable alternative employment it is proposed to offer to those employees of the Department of Health and Social Security in Leicester City and County who become redundant as a result of the proposed local office rearrangement in the City and County of Leicester.

There will be no redundancy as a result of the reorganisation. If any officer affected by the transfer of work is unable to move to Leicester, every effort will be made to find suitable alternative employment nearer to his home.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what economy he estimates will be achieved in square footage of office space and in total number of employees as a result of the Department of Health and Social Security local office rearrangement in Leicester City and County on completion.

It is not possible at this stage to forecast accurately what economies will be achieved in space or manpower as a result of the proposed reorganisation, which is unlikely to be completed for at least three years. The three all-purpose offices which are planned for this area are intended to provide a better service to the public and better working conditions for the staff.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will review the procedure under which claimants at local offices of the Department of Health and Social Services may obtain funds by signing a statement; and whether, where the funds so claimed are owed to a third party, he will introduce new procedures to ensure that the third party gets them.

The procedure for claiming and payment of supplementary benefit at local offices is kept under constant review. If a statement made by a caller cannot be adequately checked, a provisional or part payment only of benefit would normally be made pending full verification; or, in the case of an itinerant claimant without lodgings, a voucher on a hostel or lodging house would be given or he would be referred to a reception centre. Payments may be made to third parties where it seems likely that the money will not be used by the claimant for the purpose intended.