asked the President of the Board of Trade what proposals he has for improving trade prospects with the German Democratic Republic following the visit of two of his officials to the Leipzig Fair.

I shall be removing quota restrictions on a further range of imports from East Germany from 1st May, 1970, and I will continue to take such other action to assist trade in both directions as may be appropriate.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT the names of all banks which have made contributions to political organisations since the Companies Act, 1967, became effective; and indicate the amounts subscribed in each case.

The following is the information in respect of banking companies, including discount companies, and holding companies with major banking subsidiaries:

POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS BY BANKING COMPANIES AS DISCLOSED IN RETURNS FILED WITH THE REGISTRAR OF COMPANIES
	1968	1969
	£	£
Alexanders Discount Company Ltd.	250	750
Arbuthnot Latham and Co.Ltd	1,200	N.A.
Barclays Bank Ltd.	4,750	N.A.
Baring Brothers & Co. Ltd.	15,288	N.A.
Brown Shipley Holdings Ltd.	10,000	N.A.
Cater Ryder & Co. Ltd.	100	1,121
Charterhouse Group Ltd.	1,000	N.A.
Gerrard & Reid Ltd.	1,100	N.A.
Gibbs (Antony) & Sons Ltd.	210	5,210
Guinness Mahon Holdings Ltd	Nil	7,650
Hambros Bank Ltd.	20,250	N.A.
Hill, Samuel Group Ltd.	25,000	N.A.
Jessel, Toynbee & Co. Ltd.	500	N.A.
Johnson, Matthey & Co. Ltd	3,000	N.A.
King & Shaxson Ltd.	Nil	1,000

	1968	1969
	£	£
Kleinwort, Benson, Lonsdale Ltd.	13,250	N.A.
Lazard Brothers & Co. Ltd.	12,600	N.A.
Leopold Joseph & Sons Ltd	1,000	N.A.
Lombard Banking Ltd.	5,262	N.A.
Montague Trust Ltd.	25,000	N.A.
Morgan Grenfell & Co.Ltd	12,620	N.A.
National Discount Co. Ltd.	75	N.A.
Schroders Ltd	400	N.A.
Singer & Friedlander Ltd.	5,515	N.A.
Union Discount Co. of London Ltd	Nil	2,650
	158,370	18,381

N.A.=Not available as no report has yet been filed with the Registrar of Companies for 1969.A contribution is assigned to 1968 if made in the financial year of a company which ended in the period 6th April, 1968 to 5th April, 1969.

asked the President of the Board of Trade when he now expects to introduce legislation to implement the recommendations of his White Paper on Civil Aviation Policy, Command Paper No. 4213.

As the hon. Member will be aware not all the proposals in the White Paper require legislation. A Bill will, however, be introduced as soon as possible.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what was the difference between the value of British exports in the 12 months to 30th November, 1965, to Rhodesia, and those in the 12 months to 30th November, 1969; what part of the diminution in such exports has reached Rhodesia via South Africa and Portuguese territories; and what steps he is taking in the matter.

£31 million. There is no way of knowing the extent of any resale to Rhodesia of our exports to other countries but, except under licence, it is an offence to export goods from Britain knowing or having reasonable cause to believe that they will be supplied to Rhodesia.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what estimate he has made of exports from Great Britain to the European Economic Community in 1970; and what increase this represents over the figures for 1969 and 1964, respectively.

I prefer not to venture a forecast but these exports in the first quarter of 1970 were 14 per cent, higher than a year earlier and 73 per cent, higher than the rate in 1964.

asked the President of the Board of Trade at what date after joining the European Economic Community the United Kingdom will, in accordance with the provisions of the Treaty of Rome, forfeit the right to enter into trade agreements with third countries.

How we shall implement our undertaking to carry out our obligations under the relevant provisions of the Treaty of Rome will be one of the matters we shall be discussing with the Community in the course of the forthcoming negotiations.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will introduce legislation to control the amount of exhaust smoke which may be emitted by civil aircraft flying over the United Kingdom.

I shall not hesitate to seek any necessary powers should the need for them be shown.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will introduce legislation to make incident reporting by airline pilots compulsory.

I see no present need for legislation but I am keeping the matter under review and will not hesitate to act if it becomes clear that legislation would contribute to improved safety.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is the total in £ sterling and Deutschemarks of Great Britain's exports for the calendar year 1969 to West Germany, including offset agreement exports.

United Kingdom exports were £416 million, about DM 3,900 million.

asked the President of the Board of Trade when he will answer the letter the hon. Member for Maidstone sent him on 24th March concerning the risk of horticultural produce being dumped in the United Kingdom from Eire.

My right hon. and noble Friend replied to the hon. Member on 13th April. I would also refer the hon. Member to the reply to his Question on the same subject given by my right hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on 15th April.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will take urgent action in regard to the further applications to deal with the dumping of agricultural products from abroad when there are adequate home-produced supplies available in this country.

The Board has no such applications before it at present. If, in any future application, an acceptable case for urgent action is made, provisional anti-dumping charges can be imposed.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what proposals he has for amending Section 209 of the Companies Act, 1947, with a view to protecting the interests of minority share holders who are called upon to accept offers for their shares under the Act, and to ensure that they receive no less favourable terms than shareholders who have freely accepted take-over.

When the time comes to prepare further companies legislation, I will consider whether to provide that a dissenting shareholder may make any election which an approving shareholder could have made, even though the election is expressed as one which must be made in a period which has expired.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the finish of the operations of the " Orsino " at the end of this month, he has made further arrangements for the provision of a fisheries support ship.

The Board of Trade has contracted to buy a ship suitable for conversion as a fishery support ship and expect to have her ready for service off Iceland next winter.

asked the President of the Board of Trade, if he will make a statement about the Report of the Committee set up to review the Marine Search and Rescue Organisation of the United Kingdom.

I apologise for the length of the reply.The Report of the Committee to review the Marine Search and Rescue Organisation of the United Kingdom has now been published and copies can be obtained from the Vote Office.The Committee came to the general conclusion that the arrangements for marine search and rescue in the United Kingdom work well, and they make no recommendations for major changes. However they make a number of valuable recommendations for the improvement of radio-communications, for increased publicity for the Coastguard Service, and for the continuation of experimental work being undertaken on the use of shore-based direction finding equipment and radar. We are examining these in detail.Following the withdrawal of the unit at Manston, the Committee were asked to look particularly at the need for helicopters. They recommend that the Government should examine the possibility of making civil funds available for the operation of helicopters for marine search and rescue in areas where there is inadequate coverage by military helicopters. We consider that this problem needs further study before a decision can be taken. We have therefore arranged for a comprehensive analysis to be undertaken by a firm of consultants to supplement the work of the Department.

asked the President of the Board of Trade, what progress has been made in setting up an airport consultative committee for Southampton (Eastleigh) Airport.

I understand that a Consultative Committee has been set up and is meeting regularly.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the refusals of travel agents' associations to make available their code of conduct to Members of Parliament, he will intro duce legislation to compel such disclosure.

I am informed by the Association of British Travel Agents that my hon. Friend was refused a copy of its code of conduct in error, and that it has now sent him a copy with their apology.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what was the value of imports of non-ferrous metals from South Africa in 1969 and the corresponding figure for 1964.

The figures are given on page 82 of the Overseas Trade Accounts for December, 1965, and 1969 and they show that United Kingdom imports were £3·6 million in 1964 and £19·6 million in 1969.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what consultations he had with local interests outside Luton before changing the aircraft routes from Luton Airport in April, 1970.

The recent establishment, for aviation safety reasons, of a special rules zone and a special rules area near Luton Airport made it necessary for the owner, Luton Corporation, to change the previous minimum noise routes. Consultation with local interests would therefore be a matter for Luton Corporation, but it is fair to add that the scope for other routes is very restricted

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the present state of negotiations between the United Kingdom and India on the new tariff for imports of cotton textiles from India; and if it is still proposed that these tariffs should come into effect on 1st January, 1972.

As regards the first part of the Question I have nothing to add to the Answer I gave on 25th February to my hon. Friend the Member for Yarmouth (Dr. Gray). No date has yet been fixed for farther inter-Governmental discussions. As regards the second part there has been no change in the position necessitating a review of the decision.— [Vol. 796, c. 334.]

asked the President of the Board of Trade what Government assistance is given to the National Marketing Council; what action is taken by the Council to assist marketing activities in the Northern Region; and if he will make a statement.

Since 1965 the National Marketing Council has received a grant-in-aid from the Government. Provision has been made in the estimates for the current financial year for a grant of £6,300. This includes a sum of £1,000 for the Northern Regional Marketing Committee which undertakes activities designed to increase awareness of the importance of the marketing concept.

asked the President of the Board of Trade why he has not prosecuted West Yorkshire Foundries for breach of the Companies Act in that this Company filed its annual return due on 12th January, 1968, on 14th December, 1968, and has not yet filed a return for 1969.

The company has undertaken to file a return for 1969 within the next few days.

asked the President of the Board of Trade why the British National Export Council, an official Government-sponsored organisation, permits the United Kingdom South Africa Trade Association, a private body, to share its office accommodation.

The Council has never shared accommodation with the U.K.S.A.T.A.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will now announce when his Department will hand over Turnhouse Airport to the British Airports Authority; and what has caused the delay in reaching terms that are agreeable to both parties.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what terms are being offered to the British Airports Authority for taking over Edinburgh Airport.

The provisional agreement reached with the Authority two years ago about a transfer cannot be taken further until a decision has been reached on the future development of the airport. I would hope to make a statement about a transfer as soon as possible thereafter.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what specific improvements will be made at Turnhouse Airport to be completed before the commencement of the Commonwealth Games; and what is the estimated cost.

Improvements expected to be completed at Turnhouse before the Commonwealth Games consist of an aerodrome surveillance radar, a distance from touchdown indicator; surface dressing of the main runway; and improvements to the public address system at a total estimated cost of £170,000.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what proposals he has received from Edinburgh Corporation and other interested local authorities in the last three years indicating a willingness to bear some of the cost of improving facilities at Turnhouse Airport.

We have had no such proposals from any local authorities. As I told the House on 28th November last in reply to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for West Lothian (Mr. Dalyell), the Edinburgh Corporation informed the Board of Trade in March, 1969, that there was no possibility of the Corporation making a contribution towards a new runway.—[Vol. 792, c. 170–1.]

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many passengers and how much freight have been handled at Turnhouse Airport in each of the last 10 years.

The answer contains a number of figures, most of which have been published.Following is the information:

TRAFFIC AT EDINBURGH AIRPORT (TURNHOUSE)
Year			Passengers*	Freight (Metric Tons)
1960	…	…	224,979	246·8
1961	…	…	269,796	516·2
1962	…	…	329,600	788·0
1963	…	…	399,211	868·8
1964	…	…	454,196	1,015·2
1965	…	…	499,779	1,302·2
1966	…	…	542,488	1,849·4
1967	…	…	613,657	2,362·2
1968	…	…	628,643	3,345·1
1969	…	…	616,467	3,141·9
* Including transit passengers.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will now give the details of expenditure to be incurred in the current financial year to improve facilities at Turnhouse Airport, Edinburgh.

I cannot give complete details so early in the financial year.The following is the information presently available:

	£
Temporary office building to release space in terminal	14,500
Additions to aerodrome lighting	18,000

	£
Main runway surface dressing	24,000
Apron extension	3,000
Car park extension	1,800
Improvements within terminal building	5,500
Improvements to public address system	600
Minor works	1,500
Aerodrome surveillance radar	24,000
Second instrument landing system(I.L.S.)	22,000
Distance from touchdown indicator	6,000
Estimated total	120,900

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many countries refuse to accept the export of British cars for retailing in that country.

No country bans British cars only, but a number have restrictions on imports of cars from all sources, which can result in almost complete prohibition.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether all reports of the Airmiss Committee will be made available to the public in an unexpurgated form after 30 years.

The reports of the Airmiss Working Group are public records and are dealt with accordingly. They will be retained for as long as they are considered to be of value but they are not presently regarded by the Board of Trade as of sufficient historical significance or importance to justify preservation permanently or for as long as 30 years.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many near air misses have been investigated by his Department in the past three years; in how many cases were these misses revealed only by ground radar control; and in how many cases have prosecutions been made subsequently in the light of the evidence disclosed by his inquiries.

Four hundred and sixty five reports of air misses involving civil aircraft have been investigated by the National Air Traffic Control Service on behalf of the Board of Trade in the three years 1967 to 1969. It is known that in one case investigation followed a report by ground radar control. No prosecutions in respect of air misses were made in the years concerned.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the near-miss which occurred over London on 21st April last between a Trans World Airline Boeing 707 and a British Overseas Airways Corporation VC 10, both carrying passengers; and what steps are contemplated to prevent such happenings in the future.

I presume that my hon. Friend means the incident which was reported to have occurred on 7th April in the vicinity of Stoke d'Abernon. I would refer my hon. Friend to the Answers which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Nuneaton (Mr. Leslie Huckfield) and to the hon. Member for Walthamstow, East (Mr. Michael McNair-Wilson) on 23rd April, 1970. Investigation of the report is proceeding and if any special remedial measures are called for they will be put in hand without delay.—[Vol. 800, c. 160.]

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will undertake a publicity campaign regarding the safeguards that are available to house wives as shoppers.

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for this interesting suggestion, which I will certainly consider.

asked the President of the Board of Trade by what date he will install two further automatic noise-monitoring sites to replace those at present manually operated at Heathrow Airport.

Sites for two additional automatic monitoring stations to the east of Heathrow have been negotiated and cables have been laid. Equipment is being refurbished and is expected to be in operational use soon.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will make a Definition Order under the Trade Description Act, 1968, limiting the permitted amount of moisture in solid fuel.

We have for some time been considering the problem of the moisture content of solid smokeless fuel in relation to our various powers under the 1968 Act. I am not yet in a position to announce our conclusions.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what action he has taken or intends taking in view of the attempts being made to prevent the firm of Leyland Limited from having fair trading relationships with Arab States and to ensure that all British firms are allowed to trade fairly and freely with all countries which Her Majesty's Government recognise and with whom full diplomatic relations exist.

We are in touch with British Leyland Motor Corporation on this matter. Her Majesty's Government are opposed to any measures which prejudice the freedom of British firms to engage in lawful foreign trade.

asked the President of the Board of Trade why he has appointed inspectors to inquire into affairs connected with the public company, Corton Beach Limited; who are the inspectors; how long they expect to take to complete their investigations; and whether the parent company Mesco Consolidated Limited, is also to be investigated by these inspectors.

The Board of Trade, under Section 165(b) of the Companies Act, 1948, has appointed Mr. M. Heald, Q.C., and Mr. R. H. Morcom, chartered accountant, to investigate the affairs of Corton Beach (Holdings) Ltd. It is too early to estimate how long the inquiry will take. The inspectors are not inquiring into the affairs of any other company.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what representations he has received from organizations of seafarers on the penal clauses in the Merchant Shipping Bill.

There was consultation with both sides of the shipping industry while the Merchant Shipping Bill was being drafted, also after its first publication in July last year and also while the present Bill has been under consideration by Parliament. Apart from representations from the National Union of Seamen against these clauses, representations from the interested parties in the merchant shipping industry, including other organisations of seafarers, have supported the inclusion of these clauses in the Bill.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what further representations he has had from British and Commonwealth Shipping Limited since his decision that negotiations for the sale of British United Airways to the British Overseas Airways Corporation would be deferred pending consideration of a possible deal with Caledonian Airways.

The Chairman of British and Commonwealth Shipping Company discussed the matter with me and informed me that in the circumstances the company was prepared to receive offers for the assets of British United Airways from Caledonian Airways or other bidders. Baring Brothers, who are acting on behalf of B.U.A., issued a prospectus on 23rd April and have asked for bids to be made within 28 days.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will now make a statement on the safety of aircraft which are in the air when lightning strikes close airports without warning, following the provision as requested of information by the hon. Member for Moray and Nairn on 9th April.

The hon. Member will by now have received a reply to his recent letter to me as a result of which I trust he is satisfied that the effect of the safety regulations has been to ensure that the safety of aircraft in flight was not adversely affected when recent lightning strikes closed aerodromes without warning.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what has been the change in direct investment by British companies outside this country, and overseas companies in the United Kingdom over the past five years, and how much in both instances has been financed by retained profits.

Outward investment rose from about £300 million to £500 million between 1965 and 1969, and inward investment from nearly £200 million to over £250 million. Over the period nearly two-thirds of outward investment has been financed from retained profits and nearly 60 per cent, of inward investment. Further information is given in the Board of Trade Journal of 8th April, 1970, in an article entitled " Overseas direct investment in 1968 ".

asked the President of the Board of Trade what were the totals of the sums paid to local authorities in respect of civil aerodrome development in England, Scotland and Wales, respectively, in each of the years from 1964 to 1970.

Following is the information:

GRANTS PAID TO LOCAL AUTHORITIES FOR CIVIL AERODROME DEVELOPMENT
Year		England	Scotland	Wales
		£	£	£
1964–65	…	463,454	627	Nil
1965–66	…	270,462	Nil	Nil
1966–67	…	306,842	138	6,244
1967–68	…	885,543	19,421	Nil
1968–69	…	338,246	711	Nil
1969–70	…	137,115	Nil	Nil

asked the President of the Board of Trade what present requirements he has placed on International Life Insurance (U.K.) to report its commitments, assets and reserves, in view of the concern of Dover Plan policy-holders on behalf of whom large funds are invested in shares of Investory Overseas Services Limited.

International Life Insurance (U.K.) Ltd. is required to submit annually to the Board of Trade accounts and returns as prescribed in the Insurance Companies (Accounts and Forms) Regulations, 1968. The next accounts and returns are due to be submitted by the end of June. I understand that the company does not hold shares in I.O.S. Ltd.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what was the value of exports, imports, and total overseas trade in the first quarter of 1970; what is now the annual percentage rate of increase in overseas trade; how this compares with the increase in world trade overseas; and what are the current national and world trends in overseas trade.

United Kingdom exports and imports were £1,949 million f.o.b. and £2,148 million c.i.f., respectively. Between 1968 and 1969, United Kingdom exports of manufactures grew by 16 per cent., compared with an increase in world exports of manufactures of 17 per cent. The rates of growth of both United Kingdom exports and world trade appear to have moderated in the latter part of last year.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what assessment he has made of the trade balance with New Zealand, for the latest convenient year, taking into account visibles and invisibles and the difference between imports cost, insurance and freight and exports free on board.

CAPITAL EXPENDITURE AT UNITED KINGDOM AERODROMES BOARD OF TRADE AERODROMES
					1962–63	1963–64	1964–65	1965–66	1966–67
Aberdeen	…	…	…	…	52,588	6,849	8,114	12,065	102,722
Belfast	…	…	…	…	—	1,048,685	540,907	386,402	278,584
Benbecula	…	…	…	…	10,951	13,489	6,676	8,973	4,715
Edinburgh	…	…	…	…	33,560	49,157	108,027	77,529	26,834
Glasgow (Renfrew)			…	…	26,655	27,325	5,763	32,788	1,280
Inverness	…	…	…	…	14,882	11,355	4,916	5,856	678
Islay	…	…	…	…	2,253	3,685	4,843	17,140	415,899
Kirkwall	…	…	…	…	7,576	1,967	3,261	4,099	455,985
Lands End and St. Marys				…	14	—	9,381	6,658	1,902
Machrihanish		…	…	…	4,037	5,892	Transferred to Ministry of Defence
Stornoway	…	…	…	…	7,318	10,975	23,832	15,959	24,528
Sumburgh	…	…	…	…	10,999	5,379	7,629	2,672	43,122
Tiree	…	…	…	…	4,347	1,572	4,241	10,820	6,194
Wick	…	…	…	…	18,630	5,416	8,039	2,614	598

Figures for the trade balance are not available for individual countries. Figures of imports c.i.f. and exports f.o.b. are published, but the difference between them is not a good measure of the visible trade balance because, inter alia, of the difference in the bases of valuation.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will publish the results of the study of the effect of airport development in the east of Scotland on industrial growth in the area.

No specific study has been commissioned but the White Paper on Civil Aviation Policy (Cmnd. 4213) states that it will be an important task for the Civil Aviation Authority to study what links there may be between the provision of air services and regional economic development.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what has been the capital expenditure at each airport in the United Kingdom in each of the last 10 years; and what are the estimates for the current financial year.

The following table shows the figures, where available, of the capital expenditure for each of the last eight financial years and the estimates for the current financial year at Board of Trade, British Airports Authority and local authority civil airports in the United Kingdom. I have no information regarding capital expenditure at private airports. It has not been possible, without disproportionate cost in the time available, to obtain figures for 1960 and 1961.Following is the information:

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will propose in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development that the terms of the Understanding on Export Credits for Ships be modified to provide soft credit terms for developing countries.

No. The Understanding limits only the terms for commercial credit. It does not prevent soft terms being provided to developing countries for genuine aid reasons.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what studies he has made into the siting of the National Exhibition Centre.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to him earlier today.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he proposes to take any special remedial measures following his investigation of the near collision by two aircraft over Merseyside on 5th February; and if he will make a statement.

The incident has now been fully investigated and considered by the Airmiss Working Group. No special remedial measures have been considered necessary but action has been taken to emphasise the necessity for full compliance with the appropriate existing instructions which are adequate.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many astrologers have been prosecuted under the Trade Descriptions Act; and if he will take steps to limit the sale of horoscopes purporting to be based on the movements of the heavenly bodies.

I am unaware of any such prosecutions, or of adequate reasons for regulating such sales.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will issue proceedings against Drake, Gorham, Scull whose subsidiary Ottermill has failed to make any annual return as required by law in respect of either 1968 or 1969.

If the missing returns of the subsidiary company are not received in the near future, I shall consider taking proceedings against it and its directors.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the progress of the Anglo-French helicopter programme and in particular the W.G.13.

I have nothing to add at present to the statement made in another place on 15th April by my right hon. Friend the Captain of the Gentlemen at Arms.—[Vol. 62, c. 519–20.]

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what facilities exist for Press and broadcasting journalists and their apparatus to enter the base at Caerwent; and who determines which shall be admitted and which excluded.

Facilities for representatives of the news media are available in the non-operational areas of the depot. Requests for such facilities are considered jointly by the R.A.F. and U.S. Commanders, or by the Ministry of Defence and the appropriate U.S. authority, and none has been refused. No facilities can be made available in the operational areas.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence when he intends to publish in the London Gazette the commissions granted to part-time officers of the Ulster Defence Regiment.

The first commissions were published in yesterday's London Gazette (Supplement) and further notifications will appear at regular intervals from now on.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence, why H.M.S. "Ship-ham " is unfit for sea immediately following her acceptance as seaworthy; and if he will pay compensation to the volunteer reservists who have obtained leave from their employments in order to put in unpaid service at sea in her this week.

H.M.S. " Shipham " was finally accepted as seaworthy of 28th April and is sailing today. Delays in her planned availability have occurred due to earlier trials defects and engine trouble which arose last week. A supplementary loss of earnings allowance will be paid under the normal regulations to the volunteer reservists from the time they first reported for duty.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when and where the Fisherman's Training College, proposed by him for Aberdeen will be set up; and if he will give details of the qualifications of students for entry to it, the courses, fees and examinations proposed and the degrees which will be open to the students there.

I have agreed that the main centre for courses of education and training for Scottish fishermen should be in Aberdeen, but the setting up of the centre is a matter for the Education Authority, who will be submitting proposals for building and for courses to me. Details of the courses, entry qualifications, fees and examinations are therefore not yet available, but it is intended that courses will be available for all fishermen from new entrants to skippers.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how much money has been spent by central Government on new hospital building in Scotland since the inception of the National Health Service; and how much has been spent since 1964 to the nearest available date.

From 1st April, 1951, to 31st March, 1970, £110 million was spent by regional hospital boards in Scotland from money advanced to them on capital account; of this £71 million was spent between 1st April, 1964, and 31st March, 1970. Comparable figures for the period before 1st April, 1951, are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what proportion of the implementation of price guarantees, relevant production grants, other grants and subsidies, respectively, payments in respect of agricultural training as set out in Command Paper No. 4321 will be applicable to Scotland, in each case.

Of the estimated cost of Exchequer Support to Agriculture for 1970–71 shown in Command Paper No. 4321, Appendix V, Table A, the following are the estimated amounts and proportions applicable to Scotland:

	Estimated Cost as shown in Table A	Estimated Cost applicable to Scotland	Percentage (2) of (1)
	(1)	(2)	(3)
	£m	£m
I Implementation of price guarantees	141·7	18·0	12½
II Relevant production grants	101·3	24·3	24
III Other grants and subsidies	39·1	5·9	15
IV Agricultural training	1·9	0·2	11

As indicated in Note V of Table A, the above figures do not take into account the effect of the commodity determinations set out in the White Paper. On the basis of the original assumptions as to output and market prices on which the 1970–71 Estimates were framed, the effects of the determinations for Scotland are broadly estimated as increases of £0·1 million on wheat, £0·9 million on barley, £2·1 million on cattle, £0·6 million on sheep and £0·3 million on pigs and a decrease of £0·7 million on eggs.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what proportion of the total cost of agricultural support as set out in the recent Price Review will be paid to farmers in Scotland.

Of the total estimated cost of Exchequer support to agriculture for 1970–71 as shown in Command Paper No. 4321, Appendix V, Table A, the proportion applicable to Scotland is approximately 17 per cent. This does not take account, however, of the latest determinations set out in the White Paper.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on his meeting with the Clyde Valley Planning Advisory Committee.

I am glad to say that the present Committee reached agreement on a basis of representation on a new Clyde Valley Planning Advisory Committee, which will form part of the organisation I proposed last year to prepare a regional advisory plan. This agreement has still to be ratified by some authorities, but I hope and believe that all will ratify it. The regional planning organisation can be brought into being as soon as the Clyde Valley Planning Advisory Committee has been formally reconstituted.