asked the Minister of State for Defence what instructions have been given to commanders of Royal Naval craft as to the course to be followed in the event of requests for asylum from seamen or passengers who have come aboard from foreign vessels.

Commanding officers of H.M. ships are normally required to seek the advice of the appropriate British authorities in such cases.

asked the Minister of State for Defence what steps he takes to ensure that arms supplied to Portugal by the United Kingdom in respect of her needs as a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ally on condition that they are not used in overseas Portuguese territories are not in fact so used.

The supply of arms to Portugal, as to other countries, is subject to Government approval of export licence applications. A licence would not be granted for equipment which we had reason to suppose was not going to be used to meet Portugal's N.A.T.O. requirements.

asked the Minister of State for Defence what further security precautions are now being taken in Northern Ireland in the light of the announcement by the Eire Government of the existence of a plot to kidnap prominent persons; whether he is satisfied with the extent of the information on matters of common security concern he is receiving from that Government; and whether he will make a statement.

My hon. and gallant Friend can be assured that adequate security precautions are being, and will continue to be, taken in Northern Ireland.

asked the Minister of State for Defence what has been the total cost of construction and maintaining a staging post on the island of Gan to date; and whether the proposed new island base in the Indian Ocean will serve a similar purpose.

The cost of construction of the R.A.F. staging post at Gan to the present date has been £6·95 million and the annual cost of maintaining it is £2·7 million. The naval communications facility to be constructed on Diego Garcia is intended to close a gap in United States worldwide communications system and to provide communications support to the United States and United Kingdom ships and aircraft in the Indian Ocean. It will not be a "base" as such and will have a quite different function from the staging post at Gan.

asked the Minister of State for Defence what progress has now been made in constructing the naval communications base at Diego Garcia.

Preliminary surveys are being undertaken prior to the commencement of construction next spring.

asked the Minister of State for Defence which ports and aerial facilities in Africa rare available for the free use of Her Majesty's Forces in case of war or grave emergency.

Our ability to make free use of such facilities would depend on the circumstances at the time.

asked the Minister of State for Defence what steps are being taken to reduce the hazards to shipping and pleasure craft created by the removal of the boom defence at Minster, Isle of Sheppey, particularly in view of the existence of sunken barges, submerged netting and other wreckage.

The wreckage is to be appropriately marked as agreed with the local authorities concerned.

asked the Minister of State for Defence whether account is taken of previous service when men and women rejoin the Territorial Army Volunteer Reserve in respect of the award of the Territorial Decoration.

Yes, subject to the regulations. Broadly these require that, on first leaving, the officer either transferred to the Regular Army Reserve of Officers or was appointed to a Regular Commission and rejoins on the day after his period of regular service ends.

asked the Minister of State for Defence if he will circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT a list of the ages of those presently detained in the Naval Detention Quarters, Portsmouth, together with the offences of which they have been found guilty, and the length of their sentences.

The details requested are as below for the 31st December, 1970:

Offence	Age
28 days
Improperly leaving ship, drunkenness	20, 19
Absence without leave, drunkenness	22
Absence without leave	20, 22
Drunkenness	17, 23
Taking a Motor Launch without permission—wilfully damaging the Motor Launch	18
Wilful disobedience, telling a lie, slack in turning out, possession of two identity cards	23
Smuggling	19
Abandoning his post, asleep on watch	20
Absence from place of duty (was the culminating offence in a series of minor offences)	17
Theft, absence from place of duty, absence without leave	17
42 days
Desertion	18, 19, 20, 21, 21
Absence without leave	24
Theft	25
Wilful disobedience, theft, contempt of superior officer	18

Offence	Age
60 days
Desertion	18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24
Absence without leave	21, 20
Assault, occasioning actual bodily harm	21
Wilful disobedience, carrying an offensive weapon	25
Indecent assault	25
Improperly leaving ship, taking and driving away a motor car, no driving licence	20
Possession of drugs	17, 19
Improperly leaving ship, theft	20
70 days
Desertion	22
Improper absence	20
84 days
Desertion	21
90 days
Using violence to his superior officer	20
Possession of drugs—supplying drugs	20
Assault (two charges), wilful disobedience (two charges), using threatening language to superior officer	21
Wilful damage (two charges), neglect of duty (two charges)	19
Assault, striking his superior officer	21
Creating a disturbance, using violence to resist arrest, threatening language	21
5 months
Striking his superior officer, smuggling	20
6 months
Theft of public property	23

Under normal circumstances the majority of men earn the maximum remission of one-third of their sentences.

asked the Minister of State for Defence whether he will make a statement on his official talks with members of the United States Administration on 23rd and 24th November last.

The talks which my right hon. and noble Friend the Secretary of State for Defence had with the United States Administration were confidential and covered a number of defence matters of common interest. They took place in a very friendly atmosphere and contributed to the successful outcome of the meeting of N.A.T.O. Defence Ministers in Brussels on 2nd December, 1970.

asked the Minister of State for Defence what cost has now been negotiated for the purchase and fitting of Exocet anti-ship guided weapon systems which the Supplementary Statement on Defence Policy 1970 stated would be introduced as soon as possible and widely fitted in surface ships during the 1970s.

Negotiations have not yet been completed.

asked the Minister of State for Defence what sport and recreational facilities are made available to Her Majesty's Forces serving abroad; what direct cost is involved in this; and how far the normal facilities of units are used to provide these leisure-time activities.

A wide variety of sport and recreational facilities is provided for members of the Forces serving abroad. The number and type available at any particular unit depends largely on its size and location.To promote and maintain a high standard of physical fitness within the Services, facilities and some equipment for the physically demanding activities such as soccer, cricket, rugby, hockey, squash and tennis are provided from public funds. Non-public funds, such as the Nuffield Trust and Service charities, bear the cost of providing facilities for other sporting activities such as sailing, horse riding, gliding and golf although officially approved clubs formed to pursue these activities during off-duty periods are allowed free use of available accommodation and facilities such as light and heat.The marginal cost of any facilities provided from public funds is not identifiable without disproportionate effort.

asked the Minister of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the measures he adopts to prevent drug-taking among boy soldiers.

A careful and continual watch is kept by officers and N.C.O.s for anything which might be detrimental to a boy soldier's health and well-being. The Army Board has issued guidance on the specific dangers of drug-taking.

asked the Minister of State for Defence what training is given in the diagnosis of drug-taking to medical officers in the Forces.

All Service doctors receive training in the diagnosis of drug taking as part of their student and house appointment training. In addition, lectures on the dangers of drug-abuse are included in the introductory courses given to newly entered medical officers.

asked the Minister of State for Defence if he will make a statement about the future of British troops in the Gulf area.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave this afternoon to my hon. Friend the Member for Haltemprice (Mr. Wall).

asked the Minister of State for Defence what saving in manpower, both military and civilian, he expects to make in 1971 by abolishing the home commands.

None. The reorganisation of the United Kingdom command structure will not begin to take effect until April, 1972.

asked the Minister of State for Defence to what extent the Royal Navy is collaborating with or observing the United States forces engaged in training porpoises for wartime duties.

The Royal Navy is not associated with any programme of this nature.

asked the Minister of State for Defence whether he will make a statement on the proposal to increase the contributions to the cost of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation; to what extent this will increase Great Britain's contributions; and to what extent Her Majesty's Government have agreed to increase their contributions on the basis of the West German scheme involving £175 million.

If the hon. Member is referring to the European Defence Improvement programme, the United Kingdom is providing those increases in our force contribution to N.A.T.O. which were announced in the Supplementary Statement on Defence Policy 1970 (Cmnd. 4521). They are valued at £44 million over the next five years and £100 million over the following five years.

asked the Minister of State for Defence whether he will give, for the second half of 1970, the estimated or actual savings on defence expenditure compared with the first half of 1970; and, on this basis, what will be the actual or estimated savings or increased expenditure compared with the 1971 estimates.

We have no reason at present to suppose that defence expenditure in 1970–71 will at constant prices be significantly out of line with the estimate, which was £2,387 million at 1970 survey prices. The 1971–72 forecast of £2,327 million at 1970 survey prices published in the supplementary statement on defence policy (Cmnd. 4521) thus represents a reduction of £60 million.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will increase payments of grant to be used for the promotion of home safety by the appointment of Regional Home Safety Officers.

No. This would not be appropriate to the purposes of the Home Office grant to the Royal Society for the Prevent ion of Accidents.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is satisfied with the existing arrangements for co-operation between the police drug squads and chemists to prevent dangerous drugs getting into the wrong hands; and if he will make a statement.

Yes. For many years regular contact has been maintained between retail pharmacists and the police, who have responsibility for inspecting the dangerous drugs registers maintained by the pharmacists and for giving advice on sercurity arrangements.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is now prepared to give facilities to representatives from national newspapers to visit the four prison security wings.

No. Visits to the security wings have been made on two occasions by parties nominated by representative Press, newsreel and television organisations. It would not be practicable to arrange visits for the numerous individual journalists who would wish to make them.

asked the Secretary State for the Home Department whether, in view of the details submitted to him by the hon. Member for West Ham, North showing that lorry owners are using their vehicles without road fund licences, insurance, and with defective tyres and mechanical parts, false number plates, and in such a way as to be dangerous to all road users, he will introduce legislation to set up a traffic law enforcement corps of retired policemen to tackle this problem.

I do not think the hon. Member's suggestion would be practicable.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why Miss Kantaben Malde Yadev, a British citizen with a British passport, has been refused an entry permit for Great Britain from the British High Commissioner in Dar-es-Salaam to enter this country to marry her fiancé and when such entry permit will be granted.

My right hon. Friend has asked for a report from the High Commission and I will write to the hon. Member when it is received.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, as Her Majesty's Government have given salary increases totalling 66·2 per cent. to the higher paid civil servants judges and chairmen of the nationalised boards between April, 1966, and January, 1971, and in view of the fact that since 18th December, 1970, no settlement of the wage dispute on the offer of 10 per cent. as made on the 11th December has been effected so far as police pay is concerned, he will now instruct his representative on the Police Council to propose to the next meeting to be held in January, 1971, of this Council a proposal that all police wages and salaries should be increased by 66·2 per cent.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information contained in the letter which he sent to the hon. Member for West Ham, North, under date of 6th January, 1971, concerning Mr. K. Patel was not available for sending prior to the Christmas Recess; and why it took so long to send this information.

None of the information was before me prior to the Recess. I

LONDON BOROUGHS AND COUNTY BOROUGHS WITH POPULATIONS OF 50,000 OR MORE WHERE THE NUMBER OF COMMONWEALTH IMMIGRANT CHILDREN† EXCEED 2 PER CENT. OF ALL PUPILS IN MAINTAINED PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS AT JANUARY OF EACH YEAR
			Primary schools			Secondary schools			Primary and Secondary schools
			1968*	1969	1970	1968*	1969	1970	1968*	1969	1970
Outer London Boroughs
Barnet	…	…	7·6	6·5	6·7	4·8	4·6	5·3	6·4	5·7	6·1
Brent	…	…	27·2	26·3	26·6	21·4	22·0	23·0	25·1	24·8	25·3
Bromley	…	…	2·0	2·2	2·2	2·0	1·9	2·1	2·0	2·1	2·1
Croydon	…	…	7·9	8·0	8·2	6·6	6·6	7·2	7·4	7·5	7·9
Ealing	…	…	17·3	18·5	19·6	14·6	17·2	19·5	16·3	18·0	19·5
Enfield	…	…	6·4	5·5	5·8	4·7	4·3	4·9	5·7	5·0	5·4
Haringey	…	…	30·8	29·6	29·5	21·1	22·0	21·7	27·1	26·7	26·6
Harrow	…	…	3·5	3·8	4·0	2·6	3·4	3·8	3·1	3·6	3·9
Hillingdon	…	…	2·5	2·4	2·4	2·2	2·3	2·5	2·3	2·4	2·4
Hounslow	…	…	8·0	8·5	9·1	7·7	8·6	9·6	7·9	8·5	9·3
Merton	…	…	6·9	5·9	7·5	3·6	4·5	4·3	5·5	5·3	6·0
Newham	…	…	13·1	14–5	15·8	10·0	11·5	12·8	11·9	13·3	14·6
Redbridge	…	…	4·3	4·6	5·1	3·7	4·1	4·8	4·1	4·4	5·0
Richmond upon Thames			3·3	2·8	2·4	2·6	2·1	2·2	3·0	2·5	2·4
Waltham Forest		…	9·8	10·8	11·1	7·2	8·7	9·5	8·7	10·0	10·5

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what plans she has for presenting a Pensions Bill for retired teachers.

None. The Government statement on 17th November about the introduction of a pensions increase Bill applied to teachers as well as other public servants.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will show, in table form, those boroughs and non-county boroughs with a population of 50,000 or more, where the number of Commonwealth immigrant children exceeds 2 per cent. of all pupils in maintained primary and secondary schools; and if she will differentiate between the two types of schools at the latest available date and show how these figures differ compared with those for the previous two years.

Figures for county boroughs and inner and outer London boroughs are as follows. Information for other boroughs is not readily available.Following is the information:

			Primary schools			Secondary schools			Primary and Secondary schools
			1968*	1969	1970	1968*	1969	1970	1968*	1969	1970
Inner London Boroughs
Camden	…	…	19·2	14·7	14·0	15·4	11·8	10·6	17·5	13·4	12·4
Greenwich	…	…	4·4	4·7	4·9	3·9	4·3	4·9	4·2	4·5	4·9
Hackney	…	…	26·2	27·7	28·3	19·6	19·8	20·0	23·6	24·6	25·1
Hammersmith		…	18·7	17·9	18·1	12·5	12·9	13·6	16·2	15·9	16·4
Islington	…	…	25·5	23·5	23·0	20·0	18·9	18·5	23·4	21·7	21·3
Kensington and Chelsea			18·7	13·4	13·9	16·8	11·6	11·1	17·9	12·6	12·7
Lambeth	…	…	22·0	20·4	21·1	16·4	15·5	15·9	19·9	18·6	19·3
Lewisham	…	…	14·8	15·6	16·0	8·5	8·4	8·9	12·3	12·8	13·3
Southwark	…	…	13·7	14·1	14·4	11·3	10·9	10·5	12·7	12·8	12·8
Tower Hamlets		…	10·7	10·2	10·6	7·1	7·3	7·5	9·3	9·1	9·4
Wandsworth		…	17·6	17·1	18·5	12·0	11·8	12·4	15·1	14·8	15·9
Westminster		…	20·6	17·2	16·5	12·4	10·3	10·4	17·0	14·2	13·8
County Boroughs
Bath	…	…	2·7	—	—	1·3	—	—	2·1	—	—
Birmingham		…	9·7	10·0	10·3	8·2	8·7	8·4	9·1	9·5	9·6
Blackburn	…	…	6·9	5·4	6·2	4·9	6·0	7·4	6·2	5·6	6·6
Bolton	…	…	4·7	5·6	6·4	5·2	7·1	8·5	4·9	6·1	7·2
Bradford	…	…	7·5	8·0	10·0	9·2	9·7	9·0	8·2	8·6	9·5
Bristol	…	…	3·9	4·0	4·4	2·8	2·8	2·9	3·5	3·5	3·8
Burton upon Trent			3·2	3·1	3·8	2·5	2·3	2·7	2·9	2·7	3·3
Coventry	…	…	6·3	6·6	6·9	6·8	6·9	6·4	6·5	6·7	6·7
Derby	…	…	11·4	6·5	7·2	8·2	5·3	5·1	10·0	6·1	6·5
Dewsbury	…	…	4·2	5·8	6·1	5·3	5·4	5·5	4·7	5·6	5·9
Dudley	…	…	2·8	3·6	3·5	2·6	2·7	2·9	2·7	3·3	3·3
Gloucester	…	…	4·8	4·9	5·4	3·3	3·0	3·3	4·2	4·1	4·6
Halifax	…	…	—	—	2·0	—	—	2·6	—	—	2·2
Huddersfield		…	11·4	12·3	14·0	7·6	8·7	9·9	9·8	10·8	12·2
Ipswich	…	…	4·0	3·4	4·0	2·7	2·3	2·6	3·5	3·0	3·4
Leeds	…	…	4·4	4·5	4·3	3·8	4·0	4·3	4·2	4·3	4·3
Leicester	…	…	10·1	11·4	12·9	9·7	11·1	12·2	9·9	11·3	12·6
Luton	…	…	7·3	7·2	7·8	6·0	6·3	6·9	6·9	6·9	7·5
Manchester		…	5·2	5·5	5·8	4·0	4·2	4·4	4·7	5·0	5·3
Northampton		…	3·8	3·2	3·5	2·2	1·9	2·1	3·2	2·7	3·0
Nottingham		…	8·5	7·3	6·3	5·7	5·3	5·4	7·4	6·6	6·0
Oldham	…	…	2·1	2·7	3·3	2·4	3·2	3·7	2·2	2·9	3·5
Oxford	…	…	6·8	5·5	6·2	4·8	4·5	4·6	6·1	5·1	5·6
Preston	…	…	7·7	8·2	8·7	6·7	7·9	8·6	7·3	8·1	8·7
Reading	…	…	6·8	7·1	7·5	5·2	5·5	5·8	6·2	6·5	6·8
Rochdale	…	…	4·4	3·9	5·3	4·2	4·2	3·9	4·3	4·0	4·8
Sheffield	…	…	2·6	2·8	3·0	1·9	2·0	2·1	2·3	2·5	2·6
Southampton		…	2·5	2·4	2·6	1·6	1·8	2·0	2·1	2·2	2·4
Walsall	…	…	6·2	7·4	8·1	6·7	7·1	7·5	6·4	7·3	7·9
Warley	…	…	9·7	10·7	10·8	9·3	9·3	9·8	9·6	10·2	10·5
West Bromwich		…	5·6	6·4	6·8	4·9	5·0	5·0	5·3	5·8	6·1
Wolverhampton		…	13·2	14·7	15·4	9·7	10·7	10·5	11·8	13·1	13·5
* Percentages for 1968 refer to all immigrant pupils as precise figures of Commonwealth pupils are not available.
† For this purpose immigrant pupils are defined as:—
(i) children born outside the British Isles who have come to this country with, or to join, parents or guardians whose countries of origin were abroad; and
(ii) children born in the United Kingdom to parents whose countries of origin were abroad and who came to the United Kingdom within the last ten years.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she will now publish for London boroughs and county boroughs of over 50,000 population, the customary statistics of new Commonwealth immigrant children on 1st January, 1970, where such children exceeded 2 per cent.

Figures for Commonwealth immigrants as a whole have today been given to the hon. Member for Huddersfield, West (Mr. Lomas). Figures for new Commonwealth immigrant children are as follows:

LONDON BOROUGHS AND COUNTY BOROUGHS WITH POPULATIONS OF 50,000 OR MORE WHERE THE NUMBER OF NEW COMMONWEALTH IMMIGRANT CHILDREN* EXCEED 2 PER CENT. OF ALL PUPILS IN MAINAINED PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS
	January, 1970
	Primary Schools	Secondary Schools	Primary and Secondary Schools
OUTER LONDON BOROUGHS
Barnet	6·5	5·0	5·8
Brent	26·5	22·8	25·2
Croydon	8·0	7·0	7·6
Ealing	19·4	19·5	19·4
Enfield	5·7	4·7	5·3
Haringey	29·4	21·6	26·5
Harrow	3·8	3·6	3·8
Hillingdon	2·4	2·5	2·4
Hounslow	9·1	9·5	9·2
Merton	7·3	4·2	5·9
Newham	15·8	12·8	14·6
Redbridge	5·0	4·8	4·9
Richmond upon Thames	2·2	2·1	2·1
Waltham Forest	11·1	9·5	10·5
INNER LONDON BOROUGHS
Camden	13·7	10·3	12·1
Greenwich	4·8	4·9	4·8
Hackney	28·2	20·0	25·0
Hammersmith	18·1	13·5	16·3
Islington	22·9	18·5	21·2
Kensington and Chelsea	13·6	10·8	12·4
Lambeth	21·0	15·9	19·1
Lewisham	16·0	8·8	13·3
Southwark	14·3	10·4	12·7
Tower Hamlets	10·6	7·4	9·3
Wandsworth	18·4	12·3	15·8
Westminster	16·2	10·1	13·5
COUNTY BOROUGHS
Birmingham	10·3	8·4	9·6
Blackburn	6·2	7·4	6·6
Bolton	6·4	8·4	7·2
Bradford	10·0	9·0	9·5
Bristol	4·4	2·9	3·8
Burton upon Trent	3·8	2·7	3·3
Coventry	6·9	6·4	6·7
Derby	7·2	5·1	6·5
Dewsbury	6·1	5·5	5·9
Dudley	3·5	2·9	3·3
Gloucester	5·4	3·3	4·6
Halifax	2·0	2·6	2·2
Huddersfield	14·0	9·9	12·2
Ipswich	4·0	2·6	3·4
Leeds	4·3	4·3	4·3
Leicester	12·9	12·2	12·6
Luton	7·8	6·8	7·4
Manchester	5·8	4·4	5·3

	January, 1970
	Primary Schools	Secondary Schools	Primary and Secondary Schools
Northampton	3·5	2·1	3·0
Nottingham	6·3	5·4	6·0
Oldham	3·3	3·7	3·4
Oxford	6·1	4·5	5·5
Preston	8·7	8·6	8·7
Reading	7·4	5·7	6·8
Rochdale	5·3	3·9	4·8
Sheffield	3·0	2·0	2·6
Southampton	2·6	2·0	2·3
Walsall	8·1	7·5	7·9
Warley	10·8	9·7	10·4
West Bromwich	6·8	5·0	6·1
Wolverhampton	15·4	10·4	13·5
* For this purpose immigrant pupils are defined as
(i) children born outside the British Isles who have come to this country with, or to join, parents or guardians whose countries of origin were abroad; and
(ii) children born in the United Kingdom to parents whose countries of origin were abroad and who came to the United Kingdom within the last ten years.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will carry out a study of the replacement costs of cutlery in schools arising out of the information given to her by the hon Member for Heywood and Royton.

No, but I should be grateful for any further information the hon. Gentleman can give which is more detailed.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether, in accordance with the recommendation of the Plowden Report, she will issue a booklet containing examples of good practices in parent-teacher relations.

I have sent the hon. Member a copy of "Education Survey 5: Parent/Teacher Relations in Primary Schools", which was published by my Department in 1968 as a direct result of this recommendation.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT details of the Government grant to the Council for Education in World Citizenship for the current financial year and for each of the past 10 years; and what it is planned the grant will be in 1971–72.

Education Departments' grants to the Council for Education in World Citizenship for the past ten and the current financial years:

	England and Wales	Scottish Education Department
Year	£	£
1960–61	500	69
1961–62	500	69
1962–63	500	69
1963–64	500	69
1964–65	950	130
1965–66	950	130
1966–67	950	130
1967–68	1,200	165
1968–69	1,200	165
1969–70	1,420	195
1970–71	1,640	225

My Department's and the Scottish Education Department's Estimates will provide for the payment in 1971–72, subject to Parliament's voting the necessary funds, of grants to the Council for Education in World Citizenship at the same level as in 1970–71.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many schemes for secondary reorganisation submitted by local education authorities do not contain provision for comprehensive schools; and how many of these are changes resulting from the issue of Circular 10/70.

All the schemes which my right hon. Friend has received contain provision for some comprehesive schools.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many comprehensive schools in England and Wales are housed in buildings which are more than half a mile apart.

Detailed records of the kind necessary to answer this Question are not kept by the Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she is satisfied with the clarity of the lighting regulations as laid down in the School Premises Regulations; and if she will make a statement.

The regulations are phrased in technical terms but are understood by the professions concerned. I am considering how recent educational trends affect lighting requirements and hope to issue further guidance later this year.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many schools built before 1910 are still being used for educational purposes in Birmingham.

It is not the Department's normal practice to collect information about the age of schools, which can be obtained from the local education authority. I understand, however, from the Birmingham authority that there are about 140 schools in the City all or most of whose buildings date from before 1910. Many are servicable because of more recent additions and improvements and some will be closed before long.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many primary school children, and secondary pupils, respectively, have been excluded from school and are waiting for places in special schools for the maladjusted.

In January, 1970, 1,749 children in England and Wales were waiting for places in special schools for the maladjusted. I do not know how many of these had been excluded from ordinary schools. Separate figures for primary and secondary age children are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she will consider the desirability of the compulsory provision in future school building programmes of at least one nursery class in every new primary school.

No. But over 5,000 additional places in nursery schools and classes have been included in the third phase of the urban programme just announced by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she is continuing the programme of inspection of independent unrecognised boarding schools started in 1968.

Yes. I have modified the basic principle on which the policy introduced under the previous Government was founded. I intend to ensure through my administration of Part III of the Education Act, 1944, that there is a steady rise in the standard required of all independent schools, both boarding and day, as a condition of registration. But I have concluded that it was inappropriate to equate standards required by the Act with those required for recognition as efficient. Recognition as efficient is defined in Rule 16 as "A special mark of the Secretary of State's approval". I hope that many unrecognised schools will voluntarily seek to achieve recognition as efficient but it is wrong in principle to impose this standard as the minimum required by law. My right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Wales is acting similarly in relation to the schools concerned in Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what action he will now take to improve invalid carriages and other vehicles for the disabled.

The first supplies of a much improved three-wheeler are expected to become available later this year. The cars provided by my Department are standard manufacturers' models with various modifications where these are necessary to meet particular medical requirements.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when he expects to publish a Green or White Paper on the National Health Service.

I hope to publish proposals for consultation early this year.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many applications have been approved by social security officers in Wales and Carmarthenshire, respectively, under the National Insurance (Old Persons) Act, 1970.

Up to and including 5th January, 1971, the totals are 6,139 and 317 respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will name those countries with which the United Kingdom has agreed reciprocal arrangements for the free provision of medical and hospital care for tourists.

Reciprocal agreements with Bulgaria, Denmark, Norway, Poland, Sweden and Yugoslavia provide for British tourists to receive medical and hospital treatment on the same basis as insured persons in the countries concerned. The Services available are not always entirely free. Similar facilities for tourists are also available in New Zealand, by virtue of that country's legislation.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many recruits to general practice there were in England and Wales in 1970; and what percentage of them obtained their first medical qualifications in the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland.

In the year ended 1st October, 1970, 922 doctors were admitted for the first time to the medical lists of executive councils in England and Wales to provide full general medical services. Of these, 77 per cent. had obtained their first medical qualifications in the United Kingdom or the Irish Republic.Provisional figures for the same period show that the net increase in the number of doctors providing full general medical services in England and Wales was about 225.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether, in view of public anxiety about the loss of profits to public corporations consequent on the transfer of certain routes to a private air corporation, he will move to appoint a Select Committee to investigate the destination of these profits under the new arrangements.

No. The new airline has already published the names of the main shareholders and will in due course report the complete list to the Registrar of Companies.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will introduce legislation to deal with restrictive practices and price-fixing in the legal profession.

My right hon. Friend has written to representative bodies in the profession inviting them to re-examine their practices in the light of the Monopolies Commission's report on the professions.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will make a statement about the future of Thomas Cook and Son Limited, Lunn-Poly, Pickfords Travel Service, and Skyways Coach Air.

I have been asked to reply.I hope to make a statement shortly about the future of the Transport Holding Company and its subsidiaries.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he is aware that many people in the South-West are deeply concerned by the way the South Western Gas Board has treated the representations of the Consultative Council; and whether he will take steps to strengthen the only voice of the consumer to make the consultative process a reality.

The Gas Act, 1948, already enables the Consultative Councils, if dissatisfied with the outcome of representations made to their area boards, to make representations to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on any matter coming within their functions.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether, in view of the strongly held opposition of the South Western Gas Consultative Council to the new gas tariffs, he will seek to establish an inquiry into the justification for so large a percentage increase falling on the domestic consumer rather than the burden being shared more equitably with the non domestic users.

I have not yet received any representations from the South Western Gas Consultative Council arising out of the South Western Gas Board's new gas tariffs. If I do I shall consider them.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will seek to institute an inquiry as to why the South Western Gas Consultative Council was not first informed of the timing of a Press conference to announce revised gas tariffs by the South Western Gas Board; and why they had to discover this fact from television reporters.

No. The arrangements for informing the Consultative Council are a matter for the Board. I am asking the Board Chairman to write to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to what extent the services of his Department are available for advising industries which are considering the necessity of increasing their prices as a result of increased costs and other relevant factors.

In the private sector the decision to alter prices is entirely one for companies to take in the light of market conditions. Except where competition appears to be lacking, the Government do not intend to intervene.In the case of the nationalised industries, all proposed major increases in prices and charges are already subject to close scrutiny.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement about the future of industrial liaison centres and of the Production Engineering Advisory Service.

The Industrial Liaison Centre scheme will be extended by a further year to 31st March, 1972. This will enable the Government to consider the future of the scheme in the light of the Report of the Bolton Committee on Small Firms.However, in the course of the review of advisory services to industry announced earlier, we have decided to terminate the Production Engineering Advisory Service when the present contract with the Production Engineering Research Association for its operation on behalf of the Department expires on 31st March, 1971. Advice and consultancy on production engineering problems are available on commercial terms from a number of alternative sources. Industrial liaison officers can provide firms with information on these if necessary.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will make a statement on research conducted by his Department into vertical take-off and landing and short take-off and landing aircraft operations.

No. Work is continuing in the departments concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will bring the procedure for licensing United States supplemental carriers into line with that exercised by the CAB for licensing British Charter carriers.

No. I do not think we would gain by bringing our own system of regulation into line with that of the United States, where very different conditions obtain.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) on what grounds he is proposing to impose a 90-flight limit on inclusive tours operated into the United Kingdom by American supplementals;(2) what discussions he has had with representatives of United States supplemental airlines about limiting the number of inclusive tour charter operations into the United Kingdom;(3) what representations he has received from American supplemental airlines about proposed limitations on inclusive tour charter operations into the United Kingdom; and whether he will make a statement.

My officials have had several discussions with representatives of various United States supplemental airlines about trans-Atlantic inclusive tour charters. The airlines concerned were informed of the proposed number next summer season on 16th December and offered alternative ways of administering it. Some have said this limitation is unwelcome to them—as are some restrictions in the United States on activities of United Kingdom independent airlines. Non-scheduled flights are subject to control by each country concerned, and in the United Kingdom foreign operators need a permit under Article 73 of the Air Navigation Order.In concert with other countries of the European Civil Aviation Conference, the United Kingdom is continuing to control these inclusive tour charter flights in the interests of orderly development as part of the international air services catering for trans-Atlantic traffic.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many applications for inclusive tour charter operations into and out of the United Kingdom by American supplemental airlines were refused in each of the years 1960 to 1970.

These airlines were scheduled to undertake trans-Atlantic inclusive tour charters under their own country's regulatory system only in the later years of the decade. Information is not readily available for the years before 1968. The position in 1968 and 1969 was complicated by applications withdrawn and sometimes represented by the airlines and by permissions given but not utilised. No applications conforming to the minimum price conditions were refused in 1968 and 1969. In 1970 one charter conforming to those conditions was refused. Three other applications were initially refused, but, at the airline's request, were subsequently permitted in place of other flights for which it already had permission.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what is the future rôle of the Mineral Development Division of the former Ministry of Technology;(2) if, in the light of current representations being made by the metalliferous mining industry, he will review any decision to terminate the activities of the Mineral Development Division of the former Ministry of Technology;(3) what department of the Department of Trade and Industry is to be given the responsibility of mineral development research and co-ordination.

There are no current plans to change the work formerly undertaken by the Mineral Development Division of the Ministry of Technology. This work is now the responsibility of the Mineral Development Branch in the Department of Trade and Industry.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps are being taken to implement the enactment of mineral rights legislation on the lines of that introduced by the last Administration.

As my hon. Friend said on 2nd November, we hope to make an announcement shortly.—[Vol. 805, c. 252.]

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he is aware of the mounting number of fatal injuries at Dobshill crossroads, East Flint, the junction of the Wrexham-Hawarden A550 road and the Broughton-Buckley road; what measures he proposes; and if he will make a statement.

These are principal roads and any scheme for an improvement of the crossroads is initially a matter for Flintshire County Council, which is the highway authority. At the County Council's request, my Road Safety Unit is already investigating the accident situation at this junction.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many houses there are currently in Wales without a piped water supply; what percentage this is of the total number of houses in Wales; and what is the comparable percentage for England.

(a) Approximately 22,000.

(b)Just over 2 per cent.

(c)Approximately 1 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he has yet ascertained what the amount of the added burden to housing authorities in Cardiganshire will be in consequence of the Government's changes in the system of paying subsidies for council houses.

While I do not accept the assumption in the hon. Member's Question, it is too early yet to make a detailed assessment, since the proposals are under discussion with the local authority associations.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will set up a working party to study the adequacy of specialist medical services in rural Wales.

No. The Welsh Hospital Board, which is my agent in administering hospital services in Wales, is aware of the particular problems in rural Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many houses were built in Wales in 1970.

This information will be available in a few days' time. I will write to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the cost of the removal of the boom defence piles, off Minster, Isle of Sheppey.

The cost of removing the boom defence piles is estimated at £46,000.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will make a statement about the renewal of unremunerative railway passenger service grants.

Because I am still considering the whole question of grant for non-paying rail passenger services, I have decided to limit any undertakings to renew grant to two years at most. I must also make it clear that any undertaking is without prejudice to the withdrawal of the relevant service, within the period of the undertaking, if the due closure processes have been completed.On this basis grants have been renewed on 76 services for two years, and on 21 services for one year as shown in the table.On the London commuter network I have renewed grant for one year, but it will be reduced in amount to take account of the Government's intention that by 1973 these services should no longer depend on Exchequer help. The services, both paying and non-paying, which make up the network are shown in the table.I have refused applications for grant for the six services, four of which were for renewals, the other two new applications. I do not consider that these cases satisfy all the statutory or administrative requirements for grant.There was no application for the Glasgow-Aberdeen service. It now pays.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what will be the amount of grant payable to the Nuneaton-Birmingham and Coventry- Birmingham railway service in 1971; and whether he will make a statement.

Separate figures are not available for the services specified, but grant-aid is payable in 1971 for the following services:

	£
Birmingham-Leicester (incorporating Nuneaton-Birmingham)	132,000
Euston-Northampton-Birmingham (incorporating Coventry-Birmingham.	214,000
Rugby-Coventry-Birmingham	248,000

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will make a statement about the future of grants to unremunerative railway services outside London.

I have made an announcement today about the renewal of grant undertakings which expired on 31st December, 1970. I am still engaged on a general review of grants for all unremunerative rail passenger services.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will increase the grant payable to local authorities for unremunerative bus services from 50 per cent. to 75 per cent.

No.