asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will now report on the position of the bulb scheme in North Uist.

This scheme is experimental. Some results have been favourable, others not, and the experimental work is continuing.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the reorganisation of the Health Service in Scotland.

Consultations are continuing with many interested parties on matters arising from the White Paper on "Reorganisation of the Scottish Health Services" which was published in July. Legislation on the lines foreshadowed in the White Paper will be introduced this Session.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has made of the number of new jobs created in Aberdeen in the last 12 months.

If the full potential of developments proposed for the Aberdeen area over the last 12 months is realised, I understand from information from all the Departments concerned that some 2,500 new jobs will accrue.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the waiting period for hospital beds in the constituency of Stirling and Falkirk for gynaecological surgery.

The facilities for gynaecological surgery in the district are provided almost wholly by Stirling Royal Infirmary and Falkirk and District Royal Infirmary. At 30th September, 1971, the numbers on the waiting list for these hospitals were 112 and 657 respectively. It would be difficult to give an average waiting period because of the uncertain effect of urgent admissions and the different categories of cases but on 30th September the numbers of patients who had waited for over six months were 33 and 312 respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what recommendation he received from the findings of the Rent Inquiry into the rents of Coatbridge town council houses as to who should be responsible for the payment of the costs, and what was the amount involved.

The Reporter made no definite recommendation as to expenses, but said that the Secretary of State was wholly justified in ordering the inquiry to take place when he did and that all other considerations relevant to the question of expenses were set out in his report. I do not yet know the amount involved.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many new health centres have been started in 1971; how many have been completed; and what were the comparable figures for each of the last six years.

In the ten months to 31st October, 1971, the building of eleven new health centres started and 15 were completed compared with eleven and five respectively in 1970.The figures for the five previous years are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will take steps to review the Education Authorities Bursaries (Scotland) Regulations, 1969.

Yes. My right hon. Friend has already taken steps to set up a Working Party to review the regulations.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the shortage of police officers in Scottish forces at the most recent date for which figures are available; and what were the comparable figures in each of the previous ten years.

At 30th September last the number of vacancies was 655, the lowest figure since 1963. The total strength was the highest on record. The following is a table of figures for previous years:

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will now have a centre set up in the West of Scotland to deal with autistic children; and if he will make a statement.

The education authorities in the West, who are primarily responsible, are considering whether children with autistic symptoms can best be catered for, as at present, in association with other handicapped children or, as the hon. Member suggests, apart from them.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he proposes to take, in order to reduce the unemployment figures in Lanarkshire.

I have myself authorised more than £11 million worth of new work in Lanarkshire over the next 16 months under the additional works programme. This is by far the biggest total for any county in Scotland and will have a significant effect in increasing employment in the short-term.I am also confident that the steel industry will benefit from the very large programme of naval orders, totalling £45 million, for the shipyards on the Clyde which has recently been announced. Further, the inclusion of the main industrial area of Lanarkshire in the large West of Scotland Special Development Area qualifies the county for a very wide range of incentives to new industrial investment.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people in Scotland have lost their lives through assault during the last 12 months, to the nearest convenient date.

In 49 cases in 1970 the cause of death was recorded as homicide or injury purposely inflicted by other persons.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what the total amount paid in merit awards to consultants and others in the hospital service, in the financial years 1969 and 1970, respectively, and also the amount of the largest award paid and the number of recipients in each of the two years.

Merit awards are payable only to consultants: £953,970 was paid in 1969 and £1,211,007 in 1970; the largest awards were £5,275 in 1969 and £6,330 in 1970 and the numbers of recipients were 14 and 15 respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the steps he is taking to ensure the co-ordination of planning procedures for the granting of sites to service the requirements of the firms drilling for oil off the Scottish coast.

There is already co-ordination through regional development agencies and the local planning authorities. My Departments and the Department of Trade and Industry are also in close touch with events and can advise and assist. I am ready to take any other steps that may be necessary.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he now proposes to hold a meeting with local authorities in Scotland in relation to school milk provision.

I met representatives of the Association of County Councils in Scotland and of the Scottish Counties of Cities Association on 22nd October to discuss these matters. I see no reason for a further meeting at this time, nor has such a meeting been sought by the local authority associations.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will include among the additional public works to provide employment in Scotland, a new bridge over the Lower Tweed at Kelso, in view of its bearing on the implementation of the working party's recommendations for the future planning of Kelso.

This is a major scheme requiring an amendment to the Kelso Development Plan, and thereafter considerable work in design and preparation. Thus it could not be undertaken within the current Special Works Programme.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what use is to be made of Killearn hospital after its closure by the Western Regional Hospital Board.

My right hon. Friend has not yet approved the closure of this hospital; if he does, the normal disposal procedure will be followed.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the amount of Government money involved in the Hunterston Development Company; and if he will make a statement.

There is no Government money in the Hunterston Development Company. The Company's feasibility study of the Hunterston area is being assisted by a Government grant.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he is taking to assist public bodies to raise capital to provide facilities to enable the North-East of Scotland to gain full benefit from the opportunities arising out of the discovery of oil in the North Sea.

I am not aware that in general public authorities are experiencing difficulty in raising capital for the purposes in question.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what further representations he has received with regard to the control of wood pigeons, particularly in the North-East of Scotland.

My right hon. Friend has had no recent representations; but the National Farmers' Union of Scotland is continuing its interest in the proposed trials to be undertaken this winter by my right hon. Friend's Department in the use of narcotised bait in hard-weather conditions.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is now in a position to make a statement on the future of the agricultural advisory service in Scotland.

The service is the responsibility of the Agricultural Colleges and the results of the review which they undertook at my right hon. Friend's request will be set out fully in a joint statement which they are issuing today.My right hon. Friend and I are grateful to the Governing Bodies for the thorough and careful study they have made of the best means of securing the Government's objectives of some reduction in expenditure coupled with more effective concentration of advisory resources and we have indicated our general agreement with their proposals.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the future of Glasgow Airport.

The future of Glasgow airport is primarily a matter for the present owners. Glasgow Corporation.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland to what extent the refusal to permit the continuation of sugar beet growing in Scotland is, or will be, affected by Great Britain's entry into the Common Market; and to what extent implementation of any or all of the Regulations of the European Common Market E2 to E2624 will affect the sugar beet industry in general, and that in Scotland in particular.

There has been no such refusal. Paragraph 112 of the White Paper Cmnd. 4715, indicated that beet sugar production in the United Kingdom will continue to be limited until the end of 1974 in the light of the Government's obligations under the Commonwealth Sugar Agreement. Thereafter new arrangements will have to be negotiated within the enlarged E.E.C.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the average cost per mile of building motorways and category A and B roads in Scotland, respectively.

The cost per mile of trunk road motorway contracts recently completed or in progress in Scotland ranges from about £0·6 million to nearly £2 millions, depending on conditions. Information about the average cost per mile of other roads is not available, but costs are subject to very wide variation.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the present annual cost of maintaining and operating the steamer services to Arran, Bute and Cumbrae.

I do not have this information, which is within the management responsibility of the Scottish Transport Group and its subsidiary, the Caledonian Steam Packet Company Limited.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will introduce legislation to ensure the payment of removal expenses to tenants of local authority houses compulsorily purchased for redevelopment.

Local authorities already have powers to pay allowances in such cases, and I am not aware of any general reluctance to use them in appropriate circumstances.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many local authorities are still supplying free school milk to the seven to 11 years old children; and what further action he contemplates.

I informed the House on 18th November of my decision on the interim report submitted by the auditor for Midlothian County Council in accordance with the Local Government (Scotland) Act, 1947. I have also received interim reports from the auditors in respect of payments by the counties of Ayr and Dunbarton and the cities of Glasgow and Dundee. I am considering these further reports.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many children from Scottish local education authorities are now attending the Corsbie Hall School, Thornton, Fife; when the school was last inspected; and if he is now satisfied with teaching standards there.

Thirty-seven at the time of the last inspection on 2nd November. The teaching standards have now improved, but, in view of the fact that the headmaster and other members of the staff have been in post for only a short time I shall have the school inspected again before deciding on final registration.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what provision is being made within his Department to co-ordinate work on the developments arising from the finding of oil in the North Sea.

My Departments are in close touch with the Department of Trade and Industry on all aspects of the North Sea discoveries and of the consequent developments.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what further approaches have been made to him recently concerning the designation of the roads approaching the Forth Road Bridge as trunk roads; and what reply he has sent.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what reply he has sent to the Forth Road Bridge Joint Board to their representations regarding the approach roads to the Forth road bridge.

I have received no representations on this subject from the Forth Road Bridge Joint Board since in August, 1970, it proposed to me that the approach roads to the Forth Bridge should be trunk roads, and that their cost should be excluded from the sum recoverable from tolls. I then replied that I saw no justification for reopening the questions of the classification of these roads, and of financial liability for their cost. I am still of that view.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether, as a contribution to the reduction of unemployment, he will sanction immediately the commencement of the building of a new general hospital in West Fife.

I shall consider this scheme in connection with an extension of the hospital building programme which I expect to announce early in 1972. But even if it were included in the programme, a considerable period would be required for planning before building could commence.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects the provision of orthodontic treatment to commence in the Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy.

I cannot yet add to the reply which was given to the hon. Member on 23rd June last.—[Vol. 819, c. 1420–21.]

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what advice and assistance he now gives to education authorities on the provision of nursery schools.

On 4th November, 1971, my Department issued the report of a working party on nursery education entitled "Before Five" and drew it to the attention of education authorities. Assistance is available under the urban programme for the provision of nursery facilities in areas of special social need.At January, 1971, there were 12,539 pupils receiving nursery education, compared with 10,489 in January, 1970.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the plans he proposes making in order to enable the raising of the school-leaving age to be effected smoothly.

I have already sent the hon. Member a copy of my Department's Circular No. 813 of 8th November on this subject. I believe that the preparations already made will enable education authorities to overcome problems without too much difficulty.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the number of new schools, and their expected location, required to accommodate the increased number of pupils created by raising the school leaving age to 16 years.

Much of the accommodation required is already available. Some of that which remains to be provided will be in new schools, but more will be in extensions to existing schools.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service in respect of the period of 17 months, July, 1970 to November, 1971, inclusive, what reduction he has achieved in the Civil Service's numerical strength and in consequential costs to public funds from such reduction; and what are his further plans to reduce it.

The size of the Civil Service depends upon the amount of work it is required to carry out. We have made reductions in staff, but these have been counterbalanced by increases required mainly to meet demographic growth, more widespread social benefit payments and higher requirements for prison personnel. Future manpower requirements of the Civil Service are under review.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what was the total cost to public funds of the salaries of non-industrial civil servants in the latest period of 12 months for which figures are available; and what was the percentage change between this total and the total for the immediately preceding 12-month period.

The latest estimates figures relate to the period 1st April, 1970, to 31st March, 1971, when the cost of salaries was £747 million. Taking account of changes in numbers of staff, this represents an increase of approximately 10½ per cent. over the previous year.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT, a table showing for each Government Department, the number of non-industrial civil servants in June, 1970 and September, 1971.

I am publishing tables showing non-industrials in post on the nearest convenient dates, viz. 1st July, 1970 and 1st October, 1971. These also provide total figures, including industrial staff, as the distinction between industrial and non-industrial staff is not always significant.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what has been the total cost to public funds to date of the Civil Service Pay Research Unit, and if he will now terminate its activities.

The total cost of salaries and general administrative expenses of the Civil Service Pay Research Unit from its establishment in 1956 up to the 31st March, 1971, was £944,250; estimated expenditure in 1971–72 is £115,500. I am satisfied that the contribution which the Unit has made to the good management of the Civil Service has fulfilled the intentions of the Priestley Commission of 1953–55 on whose recommendations it was established.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will take steps to reduce the sum of £3,500 spent on public accounts on cigars and cigarettes distributed gratuitously by Government hospitality organisations to foreigners visiting the United Kingdom; and whether he will make a statement.

In an average year the amount spent on cigars and cigarettes used at functions organised by the Government Hospitality Fund is approximately £2,500, including tax. As these functions are organised in honour of foreign guests it would be inappropriate to restrict hospitality in the manner suggested.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if, due to the fact that there are no Community regulations on the subject, he will obtain and publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a summary of the domestic legislation or regulations of each member State of the European Economic Community concerning quality of water in rivers and watercourses.

I am arranging for a report containing this information to be placed in the Library, since it is too long for insertion in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment to what extent he anticipates that the problems of container and extra heavy traffic using the roads in the County Borough of Ipswich will be affected by Great Britain's entry into the European Economic Community, and the implementation of the rules affecting transport in general and heavy vehicles in particular.

On the question of E.E.C. policy towards heavy vehicles, I have nothing to add to my answer of 24th November to the hon. Member. The prospective growth of goods traffic in the Ipswich area is being taken into account in the current Ipswich land use/transportation study.-[Vol. 826, c. 361.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he is aware that the Commission of the European Economic Community is drawing up proposals to improve road safety by tightening up the issue of driving licences, introducing the recognition of driving licences of the drivers of each country of the Six, enforcing stricter checks on drunken driving and a harmonisation of the rules for compulsory technical inspection of vehicles; and what action he proposes to take to adopt these measures in Great Britain.

All these matters are at different stages of development in the E.E.C. Initial proposals by the Commission may be substantially amended before they are accepted. Any necessary adaptation of our own procedures and regulations is the subject of consultation at the right time.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) whether he is aware that the Council of the European Economic Community have adopted harmonisation on car brakes, that all new vehicles sold to the Community after 1st October, 1974, must be equipped with dual brakes, and trucks and trailers will have to pass additional tests; and to what extent he has taken or intends taking similar action in Great Britain;(2) whether he is aware that the Commission of the European Economic Community has issued a draft directive to establish standard weights and dimensions for trucks of 11·5 metric tons maximum axle weight; and to what extent he has adopted or intends adopting such regulations in the United Kingdom.

All these matters are at different stages of development in the E.E.C. Initial proposals by the Commission may be substantially amended before they are accepted. Any necessary adaptation of our own procedures and regulations is the subject of consultation at the right time.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he is aware that the Commission of the European Economic Community have proposed a directive to counter water pollution by establishing a standard of biodegradability of laundry detergents; and whether he will initiate such a directive in this country.

Higher standards than those required by the proposed directive have been achieved in the United Kingdom over some years by a voluntary agreement between Government and industry.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment why he will not publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a statement giving the general effect of the implementation of the European Economic Community rules and regulations, European Coal and Steel Community rules and regulations E1-E1331 and any other that may fall within his ministerial responsibilities.

It would be impracticable to publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a summary of the effect of all these E.E.C. and E.C.S.C. rules and regulations. If the hon. Member would like information about any particular instrument, I will gladly supply it.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment why he will not publish details of the communication he has received from the Royal Automobile Club on matters connected with the motor industry on Great Britain's entry into the European Economic Community, together with his reply, in the OFFICIAL REPORT; and why he will not agree to invite representatives of the Royal Automobile Club to discuss these problems with himself.

I see no reason to occupy pages of the OFFICIAL REPORT with correspondence of this kind. The answer to the second part of the Question is that I met representatives of the Royal Automobile Club on 10th November.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will install improved fog warning lights on the section of the Ml motorway between Kegworth in Leicestershire and Nuthall in Nottinghamshire.

The installation of improved fog warning lights on this section of motorway is included in our forward programme.

asked the Secreretary of State for the Environment whether he will install more reflector studs in order to reduce the space between each stud on the section of the MI motorway between Kegworth in Leicestershire and Nuthall in Nottinghamshire.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has given approval to the plans of the London Borough of Waltham Forest to demolish over the next 20 years all houses built before 1890 as part of a long-term programme of municipalisation of housing within the borough.

No. I am glad to say that no proposals of this kind have been submitted by the borough council.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many persons are employed by his Department in taking pollution checks or counts in the atmosphere, rivers, streams and coastal waters, respectively.

Some 1,100 persons are involved, amongst other things, in the checking of emissions from vehicles or industrial processes. A further 36 staff make checks in rivers, streams and coastal waters.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will consider regulations restricting the passage on certain busy public highways of vehicles over a specified capacity and size, such as tank transporters, in order to avoid congestion at peak hours and during busy holiday periods.

Traffic authorities already have powers under the Road Traffic Regulation Act, 1967, to make orders for this purpose.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how much land has been released for development in South Hampshire following the publication of his Department's circular No. 10/70 by Hampshire, Portsmouth and Southampton.

I hope to make a general statement soon about the response to circular 10/70. I do not consider it appropriate to provide comprehensive details about how each local authority is carrying out its responsibilities and 1 suggest my hon. Friend should ask the authorities concerned for the details she wants.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he can now make a decision in principle upon the construction of the Crawshawbooth Bypass on the A56 and give the date when the line of construction will be finalised.

A decision depends upon the outcome of investigations of strategic routes between Manchester and North-East Lancashire. It is likely to be some months before these are completed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has studied the work of Dr. Keith E. Jolles in the current issue of Nursing Times, a copy of which has been sent to him, on the subject of motorway madness; and what action he proposes to take to implement Dr. Jolles' recommendations.

The answer to the first of my hon. Friend's Question is "Yes". As regards the second part, I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 30th November to my hon. Friend the Member for Leominster (Sir Clive Bossom).—[Vol. 827, c. 86.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, in view of the problem of unemployment in the south-west of England, if he will authorise the start of the spur road off the motorway to North Devon in order to improve the employment situation and help industry.

Further preparatory planning work is necessary before the construction of the North Devon link can be considered.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the individual addresses of buildings, individual rents paid and square footage of properties within five miles of Whitehall occupied by his Department or its predecessors on 1st

Following is the information as at 1st April, 1970, and 1st April, 1971. Rentals are not given since it is not the practice to disclose these details.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, in view of the problem of unemployment in the south-west of England, if he will bring forward the start of the improvements to the A30 road between Exeter and Launceston in order to improve the employment situation and help industry in the south-west.

A target of two years to start work on the most advanced of these schemes, the Launceston bypass, is the most realistic that can be set.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will issue a circular directing the attention of all local authorities to the need for concessionary bus fare schemes.

No. I am satisfied that local authorities are aware of their discretionary powers.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has received the communication dated 28th November from the hon. Member for West Ham, North, together with details of the resolution passed by the Standing Committee of the Convocation of the Essex University on 13th November, regarding objection to the proposed transfer of North-East Essex to Suffolk; what was the nature of his reply; and whether he will make a statement.

The letter and resolution have been received and I am replying today assuring the hon. Member that the resolution will be borne in mind. This boundary will no doubt be debated in Committee on the Local Government Bill, and my right hon. Friend does not intend to make a statement on it meanwhile.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the likely effect on the Scottish unemployment situation, in the coming year, of the various measures announced by him during 1971; and if he will make a statement.

No separate estimates are available for the effect of Government measures on unemployment in Scotland, but employment in the Scottish economy should benefit from the reflation of the national economy as a whole and, in particular, from the additional works programme in Scotland.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, as a measure of reflation of the economy, he will now authorise the re-payment of all post-war credits.

I have noted my hon. Friend's suggestion.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to ensure that a wife with an invalid or disabled husband can get tax relief in respect of domestic help necessary to care for her husband, on the same basis as a husband, on the same basis as a husband can get tax relief to care for a wife in similar circumstances.

There is no tax relief for the cost of domestic help employed to care for a disabled wife. I assume the hon. Member is referring to the additional personal allowance which is given to certain taxpayers, including a married man whose wife is completely incapacitated throughout the tax year, who have sole charge of a child living with them for whom they receive the income tax child allowance. I have noted the hon. Member's suggestion that the allowance should similarly be given where a husband is diabled.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he has now made a decision concerning the opening of a branch of Her Majesty's Stationery Office in Bridge Street, Westminster.

No.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff have been employed in the collection of selective employment tax in each year since 1966; and how many are employed today.

Collection of S.E.T. is integrated with collection of flat-rate national insurance contributions: no staff can therefore be identified as solely engaged in this task. The staff engaged on payment of S.E.T. refunds has numbered about 700 since the tax was introduced.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will make a statement in the review of the Pay As You Earn system.

Yes. The work that has been done so far on possible changes in the P.A.Y.E. system has shown that changes may be both desirable and feasible. But further and more far-reaching studies will have to be undertaken before my right hon. Friend is in a position to decide precisely what has to be done. These will include studies into the further simplification of the personal tax system itself. This review will be undertaken with the assistance of outside consultants and is likely to take a year or more.In the meantime, enough work has been done to enable my right hon. Friend to conclude that we shall be unlikely to wish to proceed with the concentration of P.A.Y.E. work into the nine large computer centres hitherto proposed, and accordingly plans for the Schedule E centres at Shipley, Manchester, Washington, Edinburgh and Portsmouth are unlikely to be implemented. We realise that in some of these cases local authorities' development plans will be seriously affected by this announcement and the Inland Revenue will be in touch immediately with them to discuss the position.When it was decided last December to suspend the automation programme, the work which had already started on Centre 2 at Bootle and Centre 3 at Cardiff, being already far advanced, was allowed to continue. My right hon. Friend now decided that while the building of the Schedule E Centre at Cardiff will continue, no further moves towards automating the work there should be made for the time being. The computer for Bootle is already installed and will be brought into use. There may, however, be some changes in the work taken on to the computer, which could mean a somewhat lower concentration of Inland Revenue staff at the centre than was previously expected. There will, however, be no question of any redundancy arising in the Merseyside area.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff have been employed in the collection of purchase tax in each year since 1966; and how many are currently employed.

In the aggregate the equivalent of about 2,000 full-time staff in the Customs and Excise Department are currently engaged on purchase tax work. There has been no material variation in this number since 1966.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will give details of factories in Scotland which have closed in the last 12 months, and of the consequent reduction in the number of jobs.

I regret that information in the form requested is not available as employers are not obliged to inform the Government of their intention to close particular factories or declare redundancies.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether, in his consideration of the future of Glasgow Airport, he will seek to ensure that domestic and European traffic will not be so diminished by any changes as to reduce its financial stability.

In exercising their powers the Government will continue to have regard to the well-established rôle of Glasgow Airport as an international airport catering primarily for short- and medium-haul air services.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many establishments manufacturing equipment for educational and hospital purposes, respectively, are situated in development areas; how many personnel are employed in each; and what are the corresponding figures for the rest of the country.

I regret that the information requested is not available. Products are not normally classified according to area or activity in which they are used.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will take steps to ensure that the contracts issued by Her Majesty's Government for exploitation of oil in the North Sea off Scottish coasts are written under Scottish law.

Licences issued by this Department under petroleum production legislation for blocks in the Scottish area of the United Kingdom Continental Shelf are drafted in accordance with Scots law.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will refer the action taken by breweries established in the Midlands, Yorkshire and the North of England regarding the free range of products to be sold in public houses that have been subject to takeover bids in recent years to the Monopolies Commission.

The Brewers' Society made recommendations in December, 1970, aimed at widening the choice of products in the tied houses of all its members. I am keeping a close watch on the position and should be glad to see any evidence the hon. Gentleman has, but I do not think that a further reference to the Monopolies Commission would be appropriate at present.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will seek to arrange to exclude footwear imports from duty free entry under the United Nations Commission on Trade and Development plan.

No, but if the result is that serious injury is caused or threatened to the industry, I shall restore the duty in whole or in part.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many good honours graduates were employed in local authority schools on 1st September, 1971; how many of these had degrees in English and mathematics; and how many vacancies for teachers of these subjects were available on that date.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will detail in the OFFICIAL REPORT the names of the present and former Directors of the Royal Greenwich Observatory and Astronomers Royal.

The present Astronomer Royal and Director of the Royal Greenwich Observatory is Sir Richard v.d.R. Woolley. His predecessors, in order of appointment, were:

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she is aware of the concern regarding the standards of career guidance and advice given in schools and other educational establishments, and especially with regard to girls; if she will send a circular to local authorities on the need to remedy this situation; and if she will make a statement.

I welcome the growing recognition of the importance of careers education and guidance. Her Majesty's Inspectors are at present conducting a survey of careers education in schools, which will give a clearer picture of the scope of existing provision. When this information is available I shall be in a better position to decide whether further guidance should be given to local education authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will take steps to ensure that facilities are provided in further educational establishments so that women with family responsibilities and especially the unmarried, separated, divorced and widowed may continue with their education and training.

I am sure that within the resources available local education authorities and their colleges do their best to meet the special needs to which the hon. Member has helpfully drawn attention.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science in view of the unintelligibility of, and delay in paying, the award following a claim submitted by the Association of Teachers in Technical Institutions, if she will instruct her representatives on the Burnham Committee to make proposals to improve the Committee's machinery and to speed up negotiations and settlements.

I was not responsible for the framing of the arbitrators' recommendations nor for the delay.As to improving the machinery of the Burnham Committees, I am ready at any time to consider constructive proposals which have broad support on both sides.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many times per annum since 1958 the Independent Schools Tribunal has been assembled; how many cases were heard in each year; and how many appeals were made against its decisions in each case.

The information is as follows:

asked the Attorney-General if he will institute proceedings against officials of the Devon and Somerset staghounds for cruelty in shooting a stag and then cutting its throat on the beach at Porlock last month after local fishermen had rescued it from the sea into which it had been hunted.

On the evidence at present before me, I do not consider that criminal proceedings would be justified. If any further evidence is sent to me I will certainly consider it.