asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proposals he has to arrest the continued decline in the sheep population of the country.

My right hon. Friend is making an urgent study of the position of the sheep industry as part of his assessment of agricultural policies.

asked the Minister of State for Defence what instructions are given to the pilots of military aircraft engaged on training flights in Mid-Wales concerning the minimum altitude of such flights and to avoid flying over populated areas.

Training flights by military aircraft at heights below 2,000 feet above ground level have to be approved specifically on each occasion. Minimum heights are set no lower than is essential for each exercise. Pilots are briefed to avoid towns and built up areas as far as possible or to fly over them at heights greater than 2,000 feet above ground level.

asked the Minister of State for Defence what plans he has to use Cammell Lairds, Birkenhead, for the refitting of nuclear submarines.

We have no plans for refitting nuclear submarines outside the Royal Dockyards.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if it is her policy to implement the Public Libraries and Museums Act, 1964 in the near future.

In large part the Act has already been implemented. No initiative is however contemplated on Section 3 relating to Regional Councils for inter-library co-operation or on Section 6 relating to the powers of non-county boroughs and urban districts, pending the development of the Government's plans for local government organisation.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many non-county and urban district councils of less than 40,000 population which were library authorities before the commencement of the Public Libraries and Museums Act, 1964 have since relinquished their power for library purposes to county councils.

Twenty, of which five were non-county boroughs and fifteen urban district councils.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will arrange to have published a complete and authoritatitve text in English of all regulations adopted by the European Economic Community since the Treaty of Rome came into effect.

Translated texts of all the regulations and Directives are placed in the Library of the House. An index which which makes clear the purpose of each Regulation and Directive is issued at regular intervals and is also available in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what communication he has received from Amnesty International concerning the British recognition of the new régime in Lesotho; what reply he has sent; and whether he will make a statement.

Amnesty International have written to my right hon. Friend regarding recognition of the Lesotho Government and a reply has been sent regrding Her Majesty's Government's criteria for recognition.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many A and B voucher holders from the Commonwealth were admitted to the United Kingdom for the last 12-month period for which figures are available.

There were 4,135 in the 12 months ended 31st May, 1970.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to amend the Charities Act, 1960, in order to redefine the legal definition of charity; and whether he will make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many forms R.P. 7 and 8 were issued by the Home Office for use in the recent General Electiton.

In the six weeks preceding the General Election, Her Majesty's Stationery Office issued 364,000 forms R.P.F. 7 and 273,000 forms R.P.F. 8 at the request of electoral registration officers to supplement stocks they already held.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will institute an immediate review of the relevant law and initiate measures for such revision as may be necessary to make the unsolicited circularisation of pornographic literature an offence.

The Home Office will be submitting evidence to the Committee on

My right hon. Friend is not aware of any need to change the definition of charity in the Charities Act, 1960.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many aliens were permitted entry to the United Kingdom for the last 12-month period for which figures are available.

There were 4,582,731 in 1969.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons originlly admitted to the United Kingdom as liens were given permission to settle permanently in the United Kingdom during the last 12-month period for which figures are available.

For 1969 the particulars are as follows:Privacy about the many complaints on this issue received in the Department.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the extra assistance to be provided for areas of special social need, especially those in which large numbers of immigrants have settled, will include the London Borough of Newham.

Newham is among the authorities that have been invited to make further proposals. There is no reason to suppose that the authority will not continute to benefit from the programme as it develops.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he is aware of the concern in Mid-Sussex about the conurbations proposed in that area by the Strategic Plan for the South-East; and if he will make an early statement announcing his intention to hold discussions with those who are affected.

Letters have already been sent to local authorities and other interested bodies in the South East inviting them to comment by the end of the year on the general merits of the strategy proposed in the Report and on how it might affect their area. Those affected by the recommendations for the Mid-Sussex area will doubtless be letting me know their views in due course.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will institute an inquiry into the financial cost of the Greater London Council's housing development at Thamesmead.

My right hon. Friend is keeping closely in touch with the Greater London Council about housing costs at Thamesmead.

asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications if he will give a general direction to the Post Office Board to extend the facilities of post offices to give adequate services to areas of increasing population.

No. I have no evidence that the Post Office is failing in the duties laid upon it in Section 9(1) of the Post Office Act, 1969.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he intends to take to increase the number of home helps in Scotland.

The staffing of the home help service is the responsibility of the local authorities. I intend soon to ask them to formulate plans for the home help service and related social work services.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) whether it is the policy of Her Majesty's Government to proceed with the Tweedbank development at the earliest opportunity;(2) whether Her Majesty's Government accept the commitment to stimulate economic development in the Counties of Roxburgh, Selkirk and Peebles to the point where the population will increase by 25,000 over the 1965 figure.

We are concerned to stimulate economic growth in the Borders as a whole and I am reviewing current plans in order to decide how this can best be achieved.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will issue a general direction to the Scottish Bus Group to improve bus services in areas from which railway services have been withdrawn.

No. This would not be an appropriate subject for a general direction. The alternative bus services to be provided are pescribed, where appropriate, in the conditions attached by the Minister of Transport to his consents for individual rail closures.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the number and location of intensive care units in Scottish hospitals, the specialties involved in servicing these units, and the number of consultants concerned in the work of these units, detailed by specialty.

I regret that the information requested is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) whether he will make a statement on the Government's policy towards co-operation with, and financial support for, voluntary social service organisations;(2) whether he will make a statement on the Government's policy towards the application for financial assistance from public funds to the Samaritans organisation for helping potential suicide cases.

The Government attach great importance to co-operation with voluntary organisations. Applications for financial support are considered on their merits and a decision on the application from the Samaritans will be reached as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the number and location of intensive care units in hospitals, the specialties involved in servicing these units, and the number of consultants concerned in the work of these units, detailed by specialty.

I regret that the information is not available.

asked the Minister of Technology what is Her Majesty's Government's policy on the power producing industries; and if he will make a statement.

Policy is under consideration and a statement will be made in due course.

asked the Minister of Technology if he is aware that there is a 9 per cent. rate of unemployment in the southern end of North-East Derbyshire including the urban district of Clay Cross and the south end of Chesterfield Rural District Council; and what steps he intends to take to relieve the situation.

Clay Cross is in the Chesterfield Group of employment exchange areas where the rate of unemployment in June was 4·1 per cent. Because of the close travel-to-work links which Clay Cross has with Chesterfield, it is misleading to quote a separate rate for Clay Cross alone. The Ministry of Technology will continue to look sympathetically at applications for industrial development certificates in the Clay Cross area.

asked the Minister of Transport how many defunct railway bridges pass over all classes of roads; and how many road bridges there are over defunct railway lines.

Precise figures are not available but the British Railways Board tell me that the numbers could be in the order of 1,800 and 3,200 respectively.

asked the Minister of Transport what plans he has to eliminate tolls on estuarial crossings.

None.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will state in respect of the Metropolitan district, and for the last convenient 12-month period, the number of registrations of private cars, commercial vehicles and motor-cycles.

In the area of the Greater London Council the figures for 1969 were as follows:

asked the Minister of Transport if he will announce the date of the public inquiry into the proposal of the London Borough of Bexley to construct a flyover at Harrow Manor Way, S.E.2.

This inquiry is associated with an inquiry of my right hon. Friend the Minister of Housing and Local Government into a planning application. I am consulting him about the date of the inquiries and hope to make an announcement soon.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will refer the bus fare increases averaging 35 per cent., recently implemented by the East Midland Motor Services, to the National Board for Prices and Incomes.

No. Bus fares are subject to statutory control by the Traffic Commissioners as explained in my Answer on 8th July to the hon. Member for South Ayrshire. I am informed that the increase was designed to provide a 16·7 per cent. overall increase in the Company's gross revenue and that the Company gave as the main reason for that application the additional costs of the substantial wage settlements negotiated earlier this year.—[Vol. 803, c. 65.]

asked the Secretary of State for Wales when he will announce proposals for the development of mid-Wales in view of the decision not to proceed with the establishment of a rural development board in Wales.

As soon as I have completed my examination of the problems of the area.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what studies were made by his Department of the working of the Pennines Rural Development Board prior to his decision not to proceed with the establishment of a rural development board in Wales.

My right hon. and learned Friend was fully informed of the working of the Northern Pennines Rural Development Board through the close contacts built up between it and officials in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. In particular, it was known that this Board, unlike that proposed for Wales, enjoyed the support and good will of the local community.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish before the Public Inquiry the detailed cost figures and maps of the proposed route of the Welshpool bypass.

Plans showing the proposed line of the road and proposals for dealing with side roads have already been published under procedures laid down in the Highways Act.I shall supplement these with more information about cost and larger plans before any Public Inquiry. Precise plans of the land which would have to be acquired and detailed cost estimates cannot be prepared until the design of the road has been finalised and this will not be possible until after any Inquiry.