asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the chief constable on the current successful crime detection rate in the area of the Hampshire Police Authority and the rate within the City of Portsmouth; and how these rates compare with previous years.

The following is the answer:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the chief constable on the manpower strength of the Portsmouth Police Force in 1964, the current manpower strength of the Hampshire Police Authority within the City of Portsmouth, the numbers of cars and radios available to the police in Portsmouth in 1964, and the numbers now available.

Following are the figures:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria he will take into account in his review of the British Standard Time experiment.

The review will take into account factual information about the effects of the change in the hours of darkness, including statistics of accidents, and changes in productivity and in the volume of communications with the Continent. It will also include consideration of the results of the social survey which is being conducted to obtain the views of the general public.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will now give a definite date on which he proposes to introduce new legislation on dangerous drugs.

The Misuse of Drugs Bill was introduced yesterday.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, as a result of his further consultations with cricketing authorities, he will now announce the manner in which the bill for additional police services during the South African cricket tour will be met.

The chief officers of police concerned will discuss the provision of special police services with the individual clubs.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what further talks have now taken place between his Department and the cricketing authorities in regard to illegal actions by spectators during the forthcoming tour of the South African cricket team; and if he will make a statement.

I am at present awaiting information from the Cricket Council about such matters as the precautions to be taken by the clubs and the arrangements they intend to make for admission.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will call for a report from the Chief Constable of Gloucestershire on the representations made to him by members of his force on pay and conditions of service in the police.

I am told that no representations on this subject were made to the chief constable.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received concerning the sale of obscene gramophone records in the West Midlands; if he has considered the information on this subject supplied to him by the hon. Member for Lichfield and Tamworth; and if he will make a statement.

The only representation which my right hon. Friend has received in respect of the West Midlands is from my hon. Friend. The local police are making inquiries, and it would not be right for me to comment at the present time.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Chief Constable on the current recruiting position for police forces in Dorset and Bournemouth.

On 31st January, the strength of the force was 896. I hope that the forthcoming improvements in pay and reduction in hours will encourage recruiting and discourage wastage.

asked the Secre-of State for the Home Department what is the purpose and the cost to public funds of the questionnaire on participation in local activities, Slough and District, issuing from the Home Office Research Unit in which questions are asked of private organisation about the number of their members who are immigrants from various countries, and about the membership policies of those organisations.

This questionnaire was issued in the course of a pilot study aimed at finding out to what extent members of minority groups participate in the life of the Slough community. It occupied a small part of the time of a research officer.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what reasons there were for expecting disorder in the vicinity of a private meeting held at the Library Hall, Barkingside, Ilford, on Tuesday, 13th January, which necessitated deploying 104 members of the Metropolitan Police Force and taking them from their normal duties.

There had been a large militant demonstration in the vicinity of a similar meeting on the previous evening.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to raise the limit of permitted strength of police forces to the level of authorised establishments.

There are no general restrictions on building up police strengths.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what were the figures for fireworks accidents in 1969; and what changes these show on the corresponding figures for 1962.

1,636 persons received hospital treatment in England and Wales for injuries caused by fireworks during the period 13th October to 9th November, 1969. 240 of these were severely injured. The corresponding figures for 1962 were 2,832 and 988.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when it is his intention to meet those organisations interested in the reduction of accidents occurring in the use of fireworks; and whether he will make a statement.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Bedfordshire, South (Mr. Gwilym Roberts), earlier today.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will make a statement on his policy with regard to the admission to Great Britain of United Kingdom citizens of Asian origin hitherto resident in East Africa.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply my right. hon. Friend gave today to a Question by the hon. Member for Chelmsford (Mr. St. John-Stevas).

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will give priority to holders of British pasports in entering this country, and if necessary restrict proportionately the number of immigrant vouchers for those who are not British subjects.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the Answer given earlier today to a Question by the hon. Member for Shrewsbury (Sir J. Langford-Holt).

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now relax existing regulations to permit the entry of Asians from Kenya who have been deprived of the right to work.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave earlier today to a Question by the hon. Member for Chelmsford (Mr. St. John-Stevas).

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if Her Majesty's Government will arrange for a public observance of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, Sharpeville Day, on 21st March.

While sympathising with the purposes of this occasion, the observance of international days of this kind is best left to non-governmental organisations.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will now agree to amend his proposal to include the North Riding of Yorkshire in the Northumberland Regional Planning Area under Section 35 of the Children and Young Persons Act, 1969.

Yes. My right hon. Friend has now made an order giving effect to the wish of the North Riding County Council that the administrative county should be included in the Yorkshire Planning Area.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether a Mr. Cutts was given permission to make a broadcast on the British Broadcasting Corporation's morning news over the radio while on parole from Parkhurst Prison recently; whether he is permitted to keep any fee paid to him; and what is his policy in this regard as applied to any other prisoners.

There was no question of my authorising a broadcast by this prisoner. He was not in breach of the conditions which apply to temporary release under Rule 6 of the Prison Rules, 1964, but I would much prefer that a prisoner should not be approached by newspapers and the broadcasting authorities to give interviews whilst he is on short-term release to assist his transition from prison life.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has now received a report from the Law Commission on its review of the penalties for murder.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the result of the consideration by the Criminal Law Revision Committee of the question of sentences for the crime of murder; and whether he will review the provisions relating to remission of the sentence available to persons condemned for the murder of a police or prison officer.

The review which, as I announced last week, I have asked the Criminal Law Revision Committee to undertake, covers the law on, and penalties for, offences against the person generally, as well as homicide. It is bound to take some time. Meanwhile, the penalty for murder is life imprisonment. In determining the period of detention full account is taken of the degree of gravity of the offence, as well as of the protection of the public, and this would especially be so in the case of the murder of a police or prison officer.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what check is made on the accuracy of parking meters before proceedings for parking offences are taken by the police in the Metropolitan Police area.

The law requires parking authorities to test and inspect parking meters at prescribed intervals.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what fresh steps he proposes to take to improve law and order in view of the recent crime figures reported for the London Metropolitan area.

The number of indictable offences known to the police in the Metropolis increased in 1969, but so have the proportion of crimes cleared up and the proportion of arrests made for indictable offences. The marked improvements in equipment, and the increase in manpower and expenditure on crime prevention and detection will continue.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will seek powers to require the publication in national Press and television of details of missing persons where appropriate.

My right hon. Friend is not persuaded that such powers are either necessary or desirable. The Press and television are approached by chief constables in cases where their help may be valuable.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the chief constable as to his estimate of the year, taking into account the present rate of recruitment, when the authorised establishment will be achieved in the West Yorkshire Constabulary.

I cannot usefully add to the answer I gave to a related Question from my hon. Friend on 5th March.—[Vol. 979, c. 149–150.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now introduce legislation to lay down standards and to ensure that adequate fire precautions operate in hotels, hospitals, mental hospitals, old people's homes, and similar buildings.

The legislation to strengthen and rationalise the law relating to fire precautions, which my right hon. Friend proposes to introduce when Parliamentary time permits, will cover these establishments.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has fixed a date for a meeting with the Association of River Authorities to discuss its proposal that road tankers, carrying dangerous chemicals, should be compelled to use roads which do not pass near major sources of water supply because of the danger of pollution through a road accident.

Three dates have been suggested to the Asociation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what liaison his Department continues to maintain with Leicester University in respect of research into the social effects of violence on television; and if he will make a statement.

The Home Office maintains contact at intervals with the Director of the Centre for Mass Communication Research at Leister University about the research being undertaking by the centre, in particular that which is directed to the relationship between mass media and violence.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many magistrates' courts have juvenile detention rooms with trained personnel in attendance.

Responsibility for accommodation at magistrates' courts rests with magistrates' courts committees and local authorities, and the information requested is not available centrally. Children who have to be kept on court premises are normally looked after by court matrons or by the police, often by women officers. Seperate waiting rooms for children in custody are recommended by the Home Office for new juvenile court buildings.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he proposes to take when, on 1st May, the Government of Uganda, in accordance with their official policy, deport to Great Britain many thousands of British citizens of Asian origin.

I am not aware that this is the official policy of the Government of Uganda.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the minimum height requirement of a woman volunteer for the Special Constabulary.

None is prescribed by law. Each chief officer of police sets the standard for his force.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what reports he has received of damage caused by the illegal use of firearms on farmland.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to ensure that those working in or visiting embassies in London are prevented from taking arms into or out of such embassies.

Such persons are already subject to the requirements of the law relating to firearms; or, if alternatively they have diplomatic privilege, are expected to comply with them.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will publish tables showing, for each Hertfordshire constituency, the number of electors at the time of the 1966 General Election, the number on the current electoral register, and the percentage difference between these figures, and giving the national average for English and Welsh constituencies of the numbers on the current electoral register and the percentage difference between this figure and that at the 1966 General Election.

The following table relates to constituencies wholly or partly in Hertfordshire. The constituency average for England and Wales in 1970 is not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his estimate of the extent to which the increase in the numbers of reported criminal acts is related to their being more efficiently recorded.

Increased police efficiency leads to an increase in the proportion of crime that is reported to the police, and improved methods of recording by the police have also contributed to the increase in the figures of indictable offences; but the effect in either case is not capable of being measured.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware of the large profits being made by private security firms; and, as a means of obtaining revenue to enable better salaries to be paid to the police and thus encourage recruitment and to ensure competition between private and state industry, if he will introduce legislation to enable the Metropolitan and general police forces to undertake these types of activities on a profit-making basis.

As my hon. Friend was informed some time ago, my right hon. Friend does not think it would be right, even if it were practicable, for police forces to go into business.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will request the Charity Commissioners in their next Report made to him under Section 1(5) of the Charities Act, 1960, to indicate what are their present rules with regard to the extent to which charities may, without disturbing their charitable status, make representations to Members of Parliament and incur expenditure in preparing or promoting Bills in Parliament under the provisions of subsection 7 of Section 19 of the said Act.

It is for the Charity Commissioners to decide what matters should be dealt with in their annual report. I am told that they are well aware of the present interest in this subject and are considering whether they can give any general guidance.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drivers in Richmond and Barnes Metropolitan Police District have been asked to take the breathalyser test; what percentage refused; what percentage was found positive; what percentage was found negative; and how these figures compare with those from other police districts in the Metropolitan area.

The figures for 9th October, 1967, to 31st December, 1969, for the Richmond and Barnes police station area were 852, 3·4 per cent., 55·87 per cent. and 40·73 per cent. For the Metropolitan Police District as a whole they were 26,878, 6·89 per cent., 64·24 per cent. and 28·87 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many motorists were prosecuted for driving offences during the year 1969 on each of the M1, M5 and M6 motorways; and how many of these alleged offences involved speeding.

I am making inquiries and will write to my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will advise all chief constables to make the maximum use of deterrents to crime such as concealed television cameras.

Chief constables are kept fully informed about new technical aids to the prevention and detection of crime. Trials with television cameras have so far been inconclusive.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will obtain from chief constables reports about instructions given to the police on the action taken against motorists involved in multiple crashes on motorways.

The first priority of the police in this context must be to save life and the second to secure that the normal flow of traffic can be resumed. I am informed that no special advice has been issued by chief constables about possible offences involved in multiple crashes.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what further representations, medical or otherwise, have been made to him concerning the dermatological effects of enzyme detergents on the consumer; what replies he has sent: and if he will make a statement:(2) if he will now set up an inquiry into the harmful effects of enzyme detergents on consumers and on employees engaged in their manufacture on lines similar to the Federal investigation now being conducted in the United States of America, details of which are in his possession.

The inquiries announced in the Answer given to a Question by my hon. Friend on 19th January are not yet complete and reference has been made to this in the replies which have been sent to the two representations—one from a member of the public and one from a Medical Officer of Health—which have been received since then. Possible hazards to employees are a matter for my right hon. Friend the First Secretary of State.—[Vol. 794, c. 41.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to receive the final report of the Himsworth Committee on CS Gas in Northern Ireland.

I understand from Sir Harold Himsworth that it is unlikely now that he will be able to make a further report before the end of this year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will take steps to authorise the payment of the travelling expenses of parents who visit children placed in remand homes at considerable distance from their homes.

While my right hon. Friend has no such power, the Supplementary Benefits Commission may be able to help when the parent is in receipt of supplementary benefit. When the relevant sections of the Children and Young Persons Act 1969 are brought into operation in October of this year, local authorities will also be able to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will make a statement on the arrangements which exist for psychiatric examination and treatment of young people suffering from severe behavioural disorders who are placed in approved schools.

If psychiatric examination at a classifying school shows severe behaviour disorders, the child is sent to a school which has a visiting psychiatrist. If in-patient treatment is needed, the child can be moved to a psychiatric hospital.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will make a further statement about the future of Hill Hall, Theydon Mount.

I regret that I am not yet in a position to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance has been given to electoral registration officers on the inclusion of students in the electoral registers.

As my hon. Friend the Joint Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State told the House on 24th July, 1969, copies of the memorandum of guidance issued to electoral registration officers last year were placed in the Library. Further guidance will be issued this year.—[Vol. 787, c. 2125.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will refer to the Director of Public Prosecutions, as a breach of the Race Relations Act, the advertising in the Glasgow Herald of holidays in South Africa which involve transport and hotels which practise racial discrimination and are thus not open to all citizens of the United Kingdom, a copy of which has been sent to him.

Complaints that advertisements are in breach of the Race Relations Act, 1968, are a matter for the Race Relations Board.

Lewis asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware that approximately £5 million of fines have not been paid and that some of these have been outstanding for years; and whether he will give full details showing to what extent these fines have accumulated over the years, and what steps he is taking to see that these penalties are enforced in accordance with the law.

The figures to which my hon. Friend refers include fines, the time for payment of which has not expired. In 1969 receipts from fines in England and Wales totalled over £15 million and in the financial year 1968–69 about £250,000 was written off as irrecoverable. It is for the courts to enforce the payment of fines.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity how many construction workers were unemployed in the Merseyside development area to the latest convenient date; and what was the equivalent figure in every year since 1964.

Industrial analyses of the registered unemployed in the present development areas are available from August, 1966, but not for earlier dates. The numbers registered as unemployed at February, 1967, February, 1968, February, 1969, and February, 1970, in the Merseyside Development Area who last worked in Construction (Minimum List Heading 500 of the Standard Industrial Classification) were 4,406, 5,004, 5,887 and 7,167, respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps Her Majesty's Government intend to take to ensure that university staff and students are given protection against intrusion into their privacy and rights.

The safe keeping of private and confidential information about staff and students is the responsibility of the university authorities and there are no steps I can take to assist them in this practical task. I agree with the views recently expressed by the Chairman of the Vice-Chancellors Committee that universities should not keep files about political or religious opinions or affiliations or political activities within the law, and that when reports are made in confidence on academic and personal matters, for example by headmasters, it is essential to the interests of staff and students to maintain their confidentiality.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will increase his grant to the University Grants Committee to enable the Committee to ensure adequate library facilities at universities.

I would refer the hon. Member to the Answer I gave to the hon. Member for Galloway (Mr. Brewis) on 5th March.—[Vol. 797, c. 144–5.]

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many maintained and non-maintained special schools, respectively, in the categories of blind, partially sighted, deaf, partially hearing, physically handicapped, delicate, maladjusted, educationally subnormal, epileptic, and speech defect have been in existence for periods of less than 10

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the total public expenditure on Scottish universities in each of the last five years, expressed in real terms.

I regret that it is not possible to answer the Question in the precise form in which it is asked but the following table shows the grants paid to universities in Scotland on the advice of the University Grants Committee and of the Computer Board:

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the estimated school building projects in the County Borough of Gateshead for 1971–72 together with the estimated cost.

Allocations already made to Gateshead for starts in 1971–72 total £64,900—£26,400 in the special pro- years, from 10 years to 20 years, and more than 20 years, respectively.

Following are the numbers of special schools in each category:gramme to provide extra accommodation for raising the school leaving age and £38,500 for minor works. These figures include the increases which I announced on 2nd March. We hope to announce soon after Easter the projects selected for inclusion in the 1971–72 improvement programme, for which the Gateshead authority has proposed the replacement of two old primary schools.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what action he proposes to take on the report of the Dainton Committee on the National Library Services.

I hope to make a statement on this subject shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the regulations and directives of the European Economic Community which are still in operation.

No. The information already available in the Library of the House, to which my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster referred in his answer to the hon. Member's Question on 21st January, shows which Regulations are obsolete. The texts of Directives indicate the extent to which they are still operative or may have been modified by subsequent Directives.—[Vol. 794, c. 152.]

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what changes are under consideration in the policy of arms sales to Spain and Greece.

None.

asked the Attorney-General what action has been recommended on A. Warhol's film, "Flesh", by the Director of Public Prosecutions.

The Director of Public Prosecutions has advised the Metropolitan Police that criminal proceedings in respect of this film are not justified, but the papers have been referred to the Greater London Council to consider whether proceedings should be taken under the cinema licensing provisions of the Cinematograph Act, 1909.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many D notices to the Press and television have been issued in the years 1965 to 1969, respectively.

Two D notices, which were revisions of earlier notices, were issued in 1967.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to prevent unauthorised vigilante patrols from operating under the control of the Falls Citizens Defence Committee in the Falls Road area of Belfast; and when this area will be covered by joint military and Royal Ulster Constabulary patrols.

My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence for the Army is writing to the hon. Member on the first part of this Question. The Falls Road area of Belfast has for some months been covered by joint military and Royal Ulster Constabulary patrols; and I understand, though this is a matter for the Government of Northern Ireland, that for almost two months the daytime patrolling task has been shared with unaccompanied Royal Ulster Constabulary patrols.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that a book was confiscated by Her Majesty's Customs from the hon. Member for Eastbourne on arrival at London Airport, in spite of the fact that this book was both printed and published in England and is now generally on sale; and whether any recent amendments have been made in the regulations governing the importation of books and other literature.

I understand that at the time the book was confiscated—in 1966—it was not generally on sale in this country. There have been no recent changes in the law prohibiting the importation of indecent or obscene articles.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what reserves have been accumulated by the British Overseas Airways Corporation since the passing of the Air Corporations Act, 1966.

From April, 1966, to March, 1969, B.O.A.C. has accumulated reserves of just over £47 million.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what total amount of indebtedness has been incurred by the British Overseas Airways Corporation, and subsequently written off by Act of Parliament, since the passing of the Civil Aviation Act, 1960.

Under the Air Corporations Act, 1966, B.O.A.C. was relieved of liability for £110 million of their capital borrowings.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will set out the imports of agricultural commodities of food from Romania for the last convenient period of 12 months and exports for a similar period, set out in convenient categories.

The following is the information for 1969:

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will set out for the last convenient period of 12 months the total exports of agricultural commodities and agricultural machinery.

Total exports of live animals, food and feeding stuffs (excluding fish) in 1969 amounted to £203 million; exports of agricultural machinery and parts totalled £193 million.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what payment is made from public funds to the British Agricultural Export Council; and what results it has achieved.

In general support of the Council £20,000 was paid in 1968–69 and £15,000 in 1969–70: it is intended that £10,000 as the final payment in this series of grants shall be made available in 1970–71. The Council have established many contacts abroad which have lead to valuable contracts for United Kingdom exporters and which should lead to others in the future.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the work of the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation.

Copies of the Sixth Annual Report of the Eurocontrol Organisation, summarising its activities during 1968, have been placed in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will now consider taking action under Section 18(1) of the Civil Aviation Act 1949, in view of the increase of smoke pollution from aircraft flying down the glide slope into London Airport, Heathrow, to prevent danger to public health from aircraft arriving at such aerodromes.

No. This Section stems from Section 143 of the Public Health Act, 1936, which empowers me to make regulations for preventing the spread of certain diseases. Smoke pollution from aircraft is a matter for my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade, who has this subject under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many speech therapists were employed in the National Health Service both full-time and part-time at the last convenient date and five years earlier.

At 30th September, 1969, 109 speech therapists were working full time and the whole-time equivalent of 57 were working part-time in hospitals in England and Wales. The comparable figures for 1964 were 70 and 44. A few speech therapists are employed by local health authorities but precise information on numbers is not available centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he is aware of the dissatisfaction amongst the nursing staff and patients at Groby Road Hospital, Leicester, over the quality of food provided by the catering services at the hospital; and what proposals he has for improving the situation.

I understand that the hospital management committee has received a number of complaints about the quality of food and is considering urgently the whole question of the catering arrangements at this hospital.

asked the Minister of Technology why, in the advertisements inserted in many national newspapers by his Department explaining the intermediate areas, the Waverley railway line from Edinburgh appears on the map depicting the transport facilities available to Leith.

The advertisement was immediately withdrawn for correction and we regret that this minor error on the map was made.

asked the Minister of Technology how many jobs have now been provided by the advance factory programme in Scotland; and what percentage this represents of jobs provided.

Of the 67 completed Ministry of Technology advance factories in Scotland, 58 have been allocated and 53 are in production. Employment at present provided in these factories totals about 8,400 (3,450 men: 4,950 women). Many of the factories still have to recruit all the labour they will require. As to the second part of the Question, I will attempt to provide the information if the hon. Member will let me know in more detail what he has in mind.

asked the Minister of Technology how many advance factories have been allocated in Scotland to the latest convenient date; how many are now in production; and what percentage this allocation represents of the whole advance factory programme.

From March, 1959 to February, 1970, 79 Ministry of Technology advance factories have been authorised in Scotland. 67 have been completed, of which 58 have been allocated and, of these, 53 are in production. In terms of factory space, authorisations in Scotland represent about 36 per cent. of the advance factory programmes as a whole.

asked the Minister of Technology whether he will invite representatives of the private house-building industry to discuss with him the problems arising from gas and electricity connection charges in the next few weeks.

Their views have been made known to the Department.

asked the Prime Minister what representations he has received from the Confederation of British Industry about the proposed Commission for Industry and Manpower.

I have received no such representations since my right hon. Friend the First Secretary of State issued the consultative document setting out her proposals for this Commission.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what percentage of staff in each Government Department is represented by registered disabled employees.

The percentages of registered disabled persons employed in Government Departments at 1st October, 1969 were as follows:

asked the Minister for the Civil Service when he proposes to implement the principle of equal pay in the case of industrial civil servants.

The implementation of equal pay in the industrial civil service, on the lines laid down in the Equal Pay (No. 2) Bill now before the House, will be a matter for negotiation with the trade unions concerned, to determine the timing and the detailed application to particular groups.

asked the Prime Minister if he will convene a special meeting under his chairmanship composed of representatives from the Confederation of British Industry and the Trades Union Congress to consider and take action upon the strike situation in British industry.

I do not think that a special meeting of this kind would be useful at present.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will recommend the appointment of a Royal Commission to examine the long-term capital requirements of agriculture and horticulture.

No. I do not consider that a Royal Commission would be a suitable body for such a purpose.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will appoint a Minister of Cabinet rank to co-ordinate the housing and building programme.

I would refer to what I said in reply to Questions by my hon. Friends the Members for Wolverhampton, North-East (Mrs. Renée Short) and Liverpool, Walton (Mr. Heffer) and the hon. Member for Banbury (Mr. Marten) on 19th February.—[Vol. 796, c. 591–6.]

asked the Prime Minister whether he will arrange for an early exchange of views with President Nixon on the environmental implications of the present methods of nuclear waste disposal now in use in North America and Western Europe.

There is already adequate machinery for discussion and consultation on this matter with the United States Government and other Governments concerned.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a list of the Royal Commissions which have reported since the Second World War; how many recommendations requiring statutory action they made; and how many of these have since been implemented by such statutory action.

As the list is lengthy, I shall be writing to my hon. Friend.

asked the Prime Minister what further progress has been made in the implementation of the Fulton Report on the Civil Service.

A further report by the Joint Committee of the Civil Service National Whitley Council will be issued tomorrow. The report records progress in the work directed to the introduction of a unified grading structure, and puts forward a framework within which steps towards this reform can progressively be taken. These steps include a merger of the Administrative Executive and Clerical Classes which is planned for next year. Copies are being widely distributed throughout the Civil Service, in particular to provide a basis for discussion at the annual conferences of the Staff Associations in the spring. I am arranging for copies to be made available in the Vote Office tonight. A further Report by the Civil Service Department covering its work as a whole will be published at about the end of April.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what has been the acreage of sites special scientific interest under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act, 1949, for which grants under the Agriculture (Ploughing Grants) Act, 1952, and grants under the farm improve- ment scheme and under the hill land improvement scheme, 1967, have been paid in the last two years; and what has been the total value of these grants.

Grants totalling £1,927 were paid for work on 138 acres, all the work being carried out with the prior agreement, and subject to the requirements of the Nature Conservancy.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will state for the latest convenient date the number of heavily in pig sows sent for slaughter and that for six and 12 months previously.

The provisional figure for slaughterings of sows and boars in the United Kingdom is 29,000 in February, 1970 compared with 27,000 in August, 1969 and 32,000 in February, 1969. There are no separate slaughter figures of sows alone nor of sows in various stages of pregnancy.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government for how many square feet of new office accommodation in Central London has planning permission been granted for each of the last three years; and how much new office building is being currently allowed.

According to information supplied by the London Boroughs to the Greater London Council the figures for planning permission granted for new offices in Central London were 705,000 sq. ft. in 1967 and 1,443,400 sq. ft. in 1968. The figures for 1969 are not yet available. The latest annual returns for new office building in the Central Area at 31st March, 1969 show that 1,994,922 sq. ft. was under construction and 1,352,975 sq. ft. was completed and vacant.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what representations he has received regarding the proposal to construct a car park under Bloomsbury Square; and what reply he has sent.

Within the last six months I have received 18 letters objecting to the proposal and one in favour. I hope to be able to reply to them shortly.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government, in view of Brighton's present housing need, whether he will consider advancing the inquiry on the Sloane Street site due to be held in May.

I regret that this is not possible. The date fixed is the earliest the council can manage.

asked the Secretary of State for Local Government and Regional Planning whether he now proposes to set up a public inquiry into the proposals for redeveloping the Richmond Terrace and New Scotland Yard site in Whitehall.

Yes.In agreement with my right hon. Friends the Minister of Housing and Local Government and the Minister of Public Building and Works, I am arranging to hold a public inquiry into the proposals for redeveloping this site. It will be a non-statutory inquiry and will be conducted by an independent inspector.His terms of reference will be as follows:

asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, how many radio hours weekly are broadcast by the British Broadcasting Corporation in Portuguese and Spanish, respectively; and how many in Welsh.

Portuguese 21 hours, Spanish 36 hours, in the External Services, including those to Latin America; Welsh 13 hours in the Home Services. As the hon. Gentleman knows from my reply of 27th February, 1969, to him, the purpose of the External Services is to represent the United Kingdom's point of view to listeners overseas.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the latest figures for the recruitment of part-time teachers and of married women returning to teaching; and how these figures compare with comparable ones for the previous six years.

The information available is given below. I regret that I do not have the other figures asked for.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many children are currently on waiting lists in Scotland for places at schools for the mentally handicapped; and how these figures compare with each of the last five years.

The information is not collected centrally. Only three education authorities are known to have waiting lists of any size: in two cases these should be eliminated this year when additional places become available: in the third area the main difficult is staffing rather than places. Children awaiting admission to special schools normally remain at their primary schools until places become available.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many of those leaving school in each year since 1964 he estimates have attended courses of day-release or block-release.

It is not possible to match statistics for school leavers in an academic year with those for students entering further education in the same or following year. Table 20 of Scottish Educational Statistics, 1968 gives details of new entrants aged 17 and under starting day and block release courses from October 1965.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate he has made of the average weekly increase in council house rents needed for existing dwellings, in shillings, on the basis that housing subsidies to the Aberdare Urban District Council were abolished, excepting old people's accommodation; and what is the estimated weekly increase needed to offset the subsidy on dwellings under construction on 1st January, 1970.

I estimate that the cost to Aberdare Urban District Council of abolishing housing subsidies for existing dwellings, excepting old people's accommodation, would in the current financial year be equivalent to an average increase of about 17s. a week in a 52-week rent year. If subsidies were withdrawn from dwellings under construction on 1st January, 1970, the cost might be equivalent to rent increases in the range of 45s. to 100s. a week if applied only to the rents of those dwellings, or in the range of 3s. to 4s. a week if pooled over the whole housing stock.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate he has made of the average weekly increase in council house rents needed for existing dwellings, in shillings, on the basis that housing subsidies to the Mountain Ash Urban District Council were abolished, excepting old people's accommodation; and what is the estimated weekly increase needed to offset the subsidy on dwellings under construction on 1st January, 1970.

I estimate that the cost to Mountain Ash Urban District Council of abolishing housing subsidies for existing dwellings, excepting old people's accommodation, would in the current financial year be equivalent to an average increase of about 18s. a week in a 52-week rent year. If subsidies were withdrawn from dwellings under construction on 1st January, 1970, the cost might be equivalent to rent increases in the range of 42s. to 76s. a week if applied only to the rents of those dwellings, or in the range of 3s. to 4s. a week if pooled over the whole housing stock.