asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he now proposes to introduce legislation into the House to provide for a new code of compensation for the compulsory acquisition of land.

I have nothing to add to the answer I gave my lion. Friend the Member for Rye (Mr. Bryant God-man Irvine) on 26th January.—[Vol. 829, c. 453.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to publicise the environmental benefits of liquid petroleum gas as compared to other forms of fuel for road vehicles.

None. Reductions in pollution from vehicles can best be achieved by setting standards which all new vehicles, however fuelled, must meet.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what analysis he has sponsored into the effects of liquid petroleum gas injection in diesel engines and the consequent reduction in smoke emission and air pollution.

None. New diesel-engined vehicles will be required to comply with the strict smoke emission levels of the British Standard on diesel engines after 1st October this year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will reconsider his decision to disband the British Waterways Board.

No, it is no longer appropriate that the canals should be administered as though they were primarily a transport industry.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will take steps to ensure that hous ing trusts are aware that under the terms of the Housing Finance Bill, they will not be required to impose fair rents.

The National Federation of Housing Societies and the National Association of Almshouses can be relied upon to take any necessary steps to notify their members of the implications of the Bill.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will take action to remove restrictions on the development of land by London Transport; and if he will make a statement.

The development of land by London Transport Executive is primarily a matter for the Greater London Council.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he intends to announce the Government's decisions on London's Ringways; and if he will make a statement.

As the inquiry into the Greater London Development Plan, which includes the ringway system as a whole, is still in progress it is too early to say when a decision will be possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total amount of financial aid given to the London Borough of Newham in the financial years 1969–70, 1970–71, and 1972, at constant prices, using the figure 100 for 1969–70, and including his estimate of the amount of financial aid which the Government will provide for the year 1972–73.

Government grants in 1969–70 totalled £8·3 million, including £6·6 million rate support grant; in 1970–71, £10·3 million with £7·6 million rate support grant.Rate support grant estimates for this year and next are £8·6 million and £9·3 million respectively. Estimates of other grants are not yet available.There is no accepted series of index numbers for the conversion of these figures to constant prices.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total amount of financial aid given to the London Borough of Newham in the financial years 1969–70, 1970–71, and 1971–72, together with his estimate of the financial aid which the Government will provide for the year 1972–73.

The total amount of Government grants for 1969–70 was £8,287,896 (including £6,617,987 rate support grant), for 1970–71 it was £10,269,176 (including £7,594,628 rate support grant). The latest estimates of rate support grant for 1971–72 and 1972–73 are £8,647,932 and £9,270,841 respectively. Estimates of other grants are not yet available. There is no accepted series of index numbers for the conversion of these figures to constant prices.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make known his findings on the Walkergate inquiry in Beverley.

The decision was issued on 14th February.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when the proposals for the further extension of the M5 motorway between Poltimore and Peasmore will be announced, and also the link roads between the Exeter city centre and the motorway.

In the light of objections, further study is being given to the proposals for the M5 which were published in September, 1970, and to the question of the link roads. My right hon. Friend hopes to announce his conclusions shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will now exercise his powers to provide public conveniences at the westward end of the M3 motorway.

Subject to planning considerations, my right hon. Friend proposes to provide toilet facilities on the A30 and A33 trunk roads adjacent to the western end of the M3 motorway.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how long his discussions with other Departments of State concerning the Dee barrage scheme are likely to continue, and when a decision will be made.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he proposes to make a statement on the construction of a Dee Barrage.

I cannot yet add to the information given by my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Wales in his reply on 31st January.—[Vol. 830, c. 2–3.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will seek to introduce legislation to amend the Town and Country Planning General Development Order 1963–69, Temporary Buildings and Uses, in the interests of safety and environmental hygiene on building sites.

My right hon. Friend is not aware of any need to introduce legislation along these lines.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many council houses were started in the Northern Region in the last half of 1971, and how this compares with the same period of 1970, 1969 and 1968.

3,620 in comparison with 4,887, 6,285 and 6,358.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will now make a statement on the prospects for house building in 1972.

I believe we shall see a further advance this year over the relatively favourable figures for 1971 published recently.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the number of council houses now under construction in each of the London boroughs.

Following are the figures for housing authorities including the Greater London Council

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will outline the nature of the help received by authorities dealing with chemical barrel pollution on the South Coast from the Chemical Defence Establishment, Nancekuke.

Scientists from Nancekuke worked with other teams on the beaches identifying the contents of drums and disposing of some of them at their establishment.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will seek to amend the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act, 1960, to ensure that the Press and public may be present throughout meetings of education committees of local education authorities at which the annual estimates are discussed.

No. That Act already obliges local authorities to open education committee meetings to the Press and public unless a special resolution is passed excluding them. No further statutory provision seems necessary.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many members will be appointed to the regional water authorities under his Bill, and of these how many he expects will be women.

This must await consultations on the constitution of the authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment to what extent the regional water authorities will be responsible for safeguarding Great Britain's coastline.

The future administration of sea defence, at present the responsibility of the river authorities, is under discussion. There is no proposal for regional water authorities to assume responsibility for coast protection, which is administered by local authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will now consider an extra allocation to the London Borough of Brent for works additional to those already scheduled and taking up the block grant available, in order to provide jobs for the unemployed in that area, and in particular the 500 men being made redundant by the proposed closure of the Lancelot Road factory.

No. The unemployment rate in London is less than half the national average, and the Government's policy is to concentrate the available resources in areas of greatest need.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give a general direction to British Rail to assess the needs of passengers in the outer areas of large cities before introducing changes in passenger train timetables.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what assistance he hopes to give to boroughs with a high number of homeless families, especially Inner London; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend has already held a series of conferences with the local authorities about the serious housing problem in Greater London and put a number of proposals to them. The Housing Finance Bill will provide for considerable help for the London Boroughs facing the severest housing problems, and a London Housing Action Group under my chairmanship is considering what further action can be taken to help with the problems of London housing.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will introduce legislation to standardise the height from the ground at which car bumpers should be placed.

This subject is under consideration internationally.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether his officials have carried out any recent inspection of the Jacobs Pit refuse tip at Docking, near King's Lynn.

My right hon. Friend has throughout been anxious that the Department should help the river authority and the local planning and refuse disposal authorities in ensuring that the use of this tip does not contaminate water supplies or do other harm. On 3rd February, a senior chemical engineer of the Department and geologists from the Institute of Geological Sciences accompanied local officials who were investigating the source and nature of wastes being tipped. They also observed progress on the programme of test bores being carried out by the Great Ouse River Authority.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussions he has had with Rugby Joint Water Board about opening Draycote Reservoir to the public.

My Department had discussions with the Rugby Joint Water Board on this subject before the byelaws to regulate the recreational use of the reservoir were made.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he remains satisfied with the rate of slum clearance in the conurbations; and if he will make a statement.

A situation in which any house unfit for human habitation remains in use a day longer than absolutely necessary can never be satisfactory. The object of our new slum clearance subsidy is to help speed up the rate of clearance. I have written personally about this to nearly 100 authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will be able to announce new measures to speed up the process of planning applications.

I have nothing to add to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Cambridge (Mr. Lane) on 26th January.—[Vol. 829, c. 449.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a further statement about the pollution aspects of lead in motor gasoline.

I would refer my hon. Friend to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Walthamstow, East (Mr. Michael McNair-Wilson) on 26th January.—[Vol. 829, c. 1389.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what further discussions he has had with the motor industry about car safety standards; and if he can now indicate the nature of regulations and legislation which he will be putting before Parliament.

I am in continuous contact with the motor industry on safety standards, but I have no immediate proposals for further legislation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, in the interests of protecting and preserving the environmental amenities of residential districts, whether he will consider introducing legislation to prevent the owners of large lorries and haulage vehicles from parking their vehicles in residential roads for long periods when their vehicles are not in use.

Although I share my hon. Friends concern, I have no reason to think that the existing powers available to local authorities are inadequate. What is needed is concerted and constructive action by authorities and by the haulage industry itself.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a further statement on his additional intentions in regard to the recent working party report on heavy lorries.

I have nothing to add at present to the answer I gave to the hon. Members for Kingston upon Hull, West (Mr. James Johnson) and Bolton, West (Mr. Redmond) on 15th December and for Harrow, East (Mr. Dykes) on 9th February.—[Vol. 828, c. 108–9; Vol. 830, c. 370.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will take steps to interdict the movement of heavy lorries over 25 tons through residential districts between the hours of 7 p.m. and 8 a.m. on weekdays and from 8 p.m. on Saturdays through to 8 a.m. on the following Monday.

Local authorities already have powers to restrict classes of vehicles from using certain roads and are best placed to judge how far to exercise these powers in the light of local conditions.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many representations he has received regarding the raising of the age of qualification for motor cycle licences.

About 750.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many driving licences have been issued which the actions of his own Department have subsequently made illegal.

2,283 provisional licences which would otherwise have come into effect on the holder's 16th birthday did not do so as the result of the regulations raising the minimum age limit for riding motor cycles to 17. 903 of these have however since been exchanged for moped licences.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will seek powers to regulate the emptying of tanks by sewage disposal contractors anywhere in the countryside, even with the permission of the land owner.

I am about to consult local authorities and other bodies concerned about this and other matters.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will seek powers to ensure that the level of bacteria in discharge from all sewage treatment plants currently under construction will be sufficiently low to avoid polluting inshore fishing and inhibiting the growth of the inshore fishing industry.

The question whether a restriction on bacterial levels is justified by the potential effects of a new discharge on inshore fisheries can only be decided in the light of local circumstances. River authorities already have power to attach conditions to their consents for new discharges to controlled waters. As regards discharges to the sea direct and to other uncontrolled waters, this will be brought under control and the Government are considering what should be done to improve protection of the sea.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will make a statement on the progress made in discussions with the European Economic Community over axle weights and gross vehicle weights for goods vehicles.

I have explained to the Community the Government's views on the proposals submitted by the Commission, which it is at present discussing. There will be further consultations before any decision is reached.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will expedite a decision on the Macclesfield North-South Trunk Road improvement, in view of the effect that uncertainty is having on other road developments in the area.

The investigations and consultations necessary before proposals can be published are being completed as rapidly as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects a decision to be taken on the future of the Bedford-Bletchley rail link.

Very soon.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to reply, and what his reply will be, to the local government electors in the electoral district of the City of Westminster who have complained to him of default by the council in the exercise of its statutory powers under the Housing Act, 1957.

My hon. Friend is awaiting the observations of the city council on the complaints.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many miles of motorways were first opened for public use in each of the years 1969, 1970 and 1971; and how many miles will be opened in each of the years 1972, 1973 and 1974.

The figures are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what reply he has sent to the Birmingham City Council about amendment to the Housing Finance Bill to include tenants of furnished private accommodation allowance in the rent allowance scheme.

The letter containing these representations was only received on 14th February, 1972, and is now being considered.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if, in view of local government reorganisation, the land/use transportation study for the Bristol area and his own Departmental investigation into city ring road schemes, he will revise the plans submitted to him by the Bristol City Council for an outer circuit road.

The discussions with the city and county of Bristol on the proposed land/use transportation study will cover the implications for the plans for the outer circuit road.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will provide information concerning research conducted by his Department to investigate whether it would be practicable to provide emergency warning signs on motorways which would automatically be operated when there is fog; and what is the estimated cost of providing such equipment.

The computer controlled signals now being installed on motorways could be automatically operated in fog if a suitable sensor were available. The development of such a device is being investigated. No reliable cost estimate can be given at this stage.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make detailed inquiries on the spot before considering the proposal to make a 40 miles per hour speed limit on the B3046 road in the village of Old Alresford, Hampshire.

No. This is a matter for the Hampshire County Council.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will provide statistics relating to the percentage of local government house building which has been allocated to elderly people covering the years from 1965 to 1971.

The statistics for which the hon. Member asks are not available. However, over the years in question one-bedroom accommodation accounted for between a quarter and a third of the new house building carried out by local authorities and new town corporations. Most of this accommodation is likely to have been for occupation by elderly people.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will give up-to-date figures of the percentage of municipal house building allocated to elderly people, county borough by county borough, as far as these figures are available.

While the figures for which the hon. Member asks are not available, the number of one-bedroom dwellings in the housing stock of each county borough is given in the Institute of Municipal Treasurers and Accountants' publication, Housing Statistics Part I. A copy of this document is held by the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what local authorities have undertaken a recent survey into the housing problems of the elderly, with specific regard to the lack of basic amenities, and how many elderly people are in need of sheltered housing.

This information is not available. All local authorities, however, have statutory obligations both to keep the overall housing conditions and needs of their district under regular consideration and, in selecting tenants—whether elderly or otherwise—for their houses, to give reasonable preference to people living in unsatisfactory housing conditions.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress has been made with the full feasibility study of the scheme for impounding the Wash for fresh water storage.

Aerial surveys will be completed shortly and data have been collected about tidal levels in the Wash and the River Great Ouse. Preliminary site investigations were made in the autumn. Construction of the physical and mathematical models has begun.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will make a further statement on pollution in the neighbourhood of Avonmouth in the light of reports from scientists at Bristol University.

The scientists concerned have been asked to prepare a statement of their findings which they will make available to Bristol Corporation and the working group on which my Department is represented. Any reliable new information that bears on pollution will be assessed in the light of the other data already available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the rise of points since June, 1970, in the index of average prices of new private houses prepared by his Department.

The index rose 30 points, or 19 per cent., from the second quarter of 1970 to the fourth quarter of 1971.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what complaints he has received from car owners in Scotland who are experiencing difficulty in having their cars tested when required.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a table showing how many holders of Ministry of Transport vehicle-testing certificates in Scotland who have had their certificates withdrawn have appealed against the decision to withdraw the certificate, have not appealed against the decision, have been successful in their appeal, have been unsuccessful in their appeal, and have had their certificate returned after a period of disqualification, respectively.

Yes, but I can only do so in respect of withdrawals since January, 1969. Information about withdrawals before then and about any subsequent appointments is not readily available.Following is the information: The table shows the number of compulsory withdrawals of authorisation in Scotland and appeals against such withdrawals from January, 1969 to January, 1972.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment why he approved those parts of a draft management scheme for a garden city which enabled the New Town Commission to retain the power, in respect of owner-occupied property, to approve the colour of the paint to be used, the power to compel owners to admit officials into their homes and other powers, which planning law does not concede in respect of houses elsewhere in the country.

The Leasehold Reform Act, 1967, requires management schemes to be approved by the High Court. The rôle of my right hon. Friend is limited to granting certificates where he finds a prima facie case for a scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will introduce legislation to enable any tenant of premises subject to the provisions of the Rent Act, 1968, to ascertain the identity of his landlord even where he is not contemplating civil or criminal proceedings under that Act.

My right hon. Friend is considering the Francis Committee's recommendations on rent books which would give many more tenants access to further information. Any tenant paying rent to an agent and wishing to find out the identity of his landlord could ask the agent for his authority to receive the rent.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether it is with his permission that the North Devon Water Board propose to start impounding water at Meldon before the dam is finished and more than a year before the new treatment works are completed; and if he is satisfied that this will not be a hazard to public health.

The North Devon Water Board requires no further permission from my right hon. Friend for the impounding of water at Meldon. I understand that the board hopes to start impounding water about mid-March so that some water will be available during the initial filling period to help sustain full output from its existing Prewley treatment works. Untreated water will not be put into supply.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many letters he has received from individuals and organisations on the future of the national parks; and what replies he has sent.

Since my right hon. Friend announced his proposals on national parks on 16th November last, 156 letters have been received. The replies have explained the considerable improvements which these proposals will bring in the administration of national parks.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will publish the size of each of the national parks;(2) if he will list the expenditure per square mile of national park by each of the national park authorities.

The details are:

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he is taking to encourage the use of vacant office space on Merseyside by Government Departments, nationalised industry, or private enterprise.

The Government are reviewing headquarters work at present done in London. When it has been decided what work can be moved out of London, the suitability of Merseyside and other locations in the assisted areas will be given the most careful consideration. Assistance is available under the Local Employment Acts for private employers in the service industries in certain circumstances.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will seek to introduce legislation to impose a code of good conduct on housing estate developers in order to ensure that sites are maintained in a clean and safe condition while development continues.

My right hon. Friend is not aware of any need to introduce legislation along these lines.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what approaches he has made to European countries to obtain a breakthrough in desalination techniques.

In the course of talks on environmental matters with the French Minister for the Environment in Paris on 25th January, he and I agreed to examine the possibility of an exchange of technical information in this field. The Atomic Energy Authority already has links on desalination with bodies in Germany, Italy and Holland, and in consultation with the Authority my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and I are considering how collaboration might be extended.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will take steps to permit drivers who are authorised to drive nine-ton buses not yet in road service also to drive all other road vehicles.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will ensure that detailed route plans of stage two of the proposed Portswood link road are published before any public inquiry involving stage two is held.

I understand that provisional detailed plans for Stage 2 are now on view at the offices of Southampton City Council, the highway authority.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussions have taken place between his Department and local authorities in the Greater London area regarding establishing caravan sites for tourists and holiday-makers; and if he will make a statement.

None. This is primarily a matter for local authorities who have powers to provide sites, and the tourist bodies, which are responsible for the provision of tourist facilities.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussions he has had with the motor industry and engineering equipment manufacturers about the units to be used for tyre pressures as an alternative to 1b. per square inch, and what consideration has been given to the relative merits of bars, pascals and newtons per square metre.

The total expenditure by the national park authorities in each of the national parks since the financial year 1962–63 is given below. The figures are not available for 1961–62.

My Department has been represented at discussions in the appropriate technical committee of the British Standards Institution. The matter is essentially one for standardisation within the industries concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he remains satisfied that there are adequate safeguards for the carriage of toxic materials by road; and if he will make a statement.

Existing controls do serve to keep risks to a minimum. My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary is considering additional safeguards for toxic materials not covered by current regulations.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will seek to amend the Housing Act, 1971 so that payment of maximum grant no longer depends on the completion of work on every house in major local authority improvement schemes by 23rd June, 1973.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations have been made to him concerning planning application (WIR 21251) to erect a block of offices at King's Worthy Court in Kingsworthy Village, near Winchester.

Many local residents and several local organisations, including the parish council, have written objecting to the application. The grounds of objection include damage to local amenities, traffic problems and lack of main drainage. My right hon. Friend is still considering whether there are issues which would justify calling in the application for his own decision.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total number of Royal Automobile Club autocycle union training schemes now operating; how many receive financial support from local authorities or the Exchequer; and what was the total of such assistance in England and Wales for 1970 and 1971, respectively.

There are 163 centres. All are supported by local authorities but no financial details are available. Central Government grants to the Royal Automobile Club for pupils enrolled in England and Wales totalled about £10,000 both in 1970 and in the first ten months of 1971.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he now expects to issue the new regulations about the unlit parking of motor vehicles at night, which he had hoped to do before the end of 1971.

Shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many prosecutions he has instituted as a result of the recent evidence of industrial pollution of various kinds in the Severnside area; and if he will make a statement.

Responsibility for prosecutions under the Alkali Acts rests with the Government, and for other prosecutions with the local authorities, including the river authorities. I am advised that there have been no infringements of the Alkali Acts in the Severnside area. I am not aware of an intention in the past of a local authority to bring a prosecution.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a further statement on his consideration of the problems facing local government officers arising from the reorganisation of local government.

The replies I gave to the hon. Members for Oldham, East (Mr. Lamond) and Portsmouth, West (Mr. Judd) on 26th January indicated a Staff Commission was to be set up to give detailed consideration to the problems facing staff and to advise on arrangements for staff transfer and protection. Because of the importance and complexity of these problems, the Secretary of State proposes to set up the Commission informally as an advisory Committee before the Local Government Bill becomes law. A Supplementary Estimate to cover the costs of the Committee will be presented to the House in due course and advances will be made from the Contingencies Fund pending the availability of Supply.—[Vol. 829, c. 442–3.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how far the powers which he already possesses to institute safety checks for caravans are exercised; with what results; and if he will make a statement.

Caravans can be stopped and inspected on the road under S. 67 of the Road Traffic Act, 1960. There is no evidence to suggest that stricter safety checks are necessary.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his estimate of the amount of land required for private house building during the next three years in the Northern Region; how much is currently available; and how much has been released by local authorities during the last six months.

The Northern Economic Planning Council sees a need for 15,000 new private dwellings each year during the 1970s. This is an increase of just over 50 per cent. on current annual output. If densities remain constant correspondingly more land would be needed for private houses. I have seen no evidence of an immediate or general shortage of building land in the region. There are some local difficulties and these are being investigated by the Department's Regional Office. Within the last six months local authorities have sold 355·75 acres of land for private housing; the acreage given planning permissions for housing is not readily available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will now take steps to introduce a ceiling on the price of land for housing purposes; and if he will make a statement.

No, it would be impracticable to devise a scheme which would be both equitable and enforceable.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what road works will be permitted in connection with the proposed A5111 trunk road through Allestree, pending the public inquiry into objections to this scheme.

None, but contracts will shortly be placed for the Mickleover bypass, the Littleover Link Road and the dualling of the A5111 as far as Ashbourne Road.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a list setting out the standard railway fares, 2nd class, per mile, from 1st February, 1965, to the present time.

From February, 1965, to September, 1968, the Railways Board charged a standard second class fare of 3·25 old pence per passenger mile. Special rates applied in the London area, and for journeys of over 200 miles. In September, 1968, the Board decided to adopt a flexible pricing policy, and there has been no standard rate per mile since then.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish a Green Paper on the subject of postal minibus services in rural areas.

No. I think it preferable for the Post Office to continue to look at specific proposals for further services on their merits.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he is satisfied that as from 1st April, 1972, when his Department takes over responsibility for vehicle and driving licences and the Greater London Council undertakes certain duties on an agency basis on his behalf the Greater London Council will have sufficient staff to enforce the law regarding evasion of licence payments; and if he will make a statement.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has received the communication from the hon. Member for West Ham, North, giving evidence of the mounting loss of children's life due to the neglect upon the part of officials of his Department and their appointed agents; and what action he proposes to take to safeguard children in particular and pedestrians in general.

These accidents are not mounting. They are falling, due to the action already taken by my right hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will introduce legislation to make the licensing of container skips by local authorities compulsory.

Section 31 of the Highways Act, 1971, makes such provision.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will state the names and origins of studies used by him that show that development of inland waterways for commercial purposes cannot be justified on either social or economic grounds.

The question has been the subject of more or less continuous study.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many references to the rent assessment panel have been made in respect of premises in Kensington and Chelsea during each of the last five years.

The figures, which have been obtained from the London Rent Assessment Panel, are:

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether, in view of the inconvenience and hard ship which would be caused to passengers by the withdrawal of the rail passenger service between Birmingham, Snow Hill, and Wolverhampton, Low Level, he will refuse his consent to this closure.

Consent was given to this proposal on 24th January.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT the statistical measurement of the effect on serious accidents when car drivers wear seat belts.

On average the risk of fatal or serious injury is approximately halved.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he anticipates that the River Churnet will cease to be grossly polluted.

The River Churnet is polluted by effluents from sewage treatment works, from paper-making, a copper works and dye works.There have been substantial improvements in the past 10 years in the quality of trade effluents and schemes to extend sewage treatment works are under construction or being designed. These should result in an improvement in the quality of the river water during 1973.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he intends to announce proposals to protect the purchaser of a car that has been written off by an insurance company as a total loss and subsequently repaired.

I cannot yet say when new proposals will be announced.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he can give a definite date for the commencement of building of the Department of Health and Social Security headquarters in Keighley.

Negotiations are proceeding for the lease of accommodation to be built in Low Street for a Department of Health and Social Security integrated local office. Building work is expected to start in March this year.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a table in the OFFICIAL REPORT showing the annual percentage increase in land prices in urban areas in Scotland for each of the last five years; and what steps he is taking to curb these increases.

This information is not available, as the particular statistics required have not been collected or kept during the last five years.Government action to curb price increases in general was outlined by me in the debate on the Scottish economy on 7th February.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many geriatric beds per 1,000 of the population over 65 years of age are provided in Fife, Edinburgh and the Border area, respectively, of the South Eastern Regional Hospital Board.

10·1 in Fife, 11·2 in Edinburgh and 13·4 in the Borders.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many geriatric beds per 1,000 of the population over 65 years of age are provided in each regional hospital board in Scotland.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what have been the increases in the number of chronically sick and disabled people receiving help from their local authorities in Scotland since Section 2 of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act, 1970, became operative on 29th August, 1970, and Section 1 on 1st October, 1971; how the latest figures compare with those for the end of the year 1969–70; and if he will make a statement.

Local authorities have been asked to provide information about the services given to the disabled in 1971. The main figures for the calendar year 1970 were published in the annual report "Social Work in Scotland in 1970". Sections 1 and 2 of this Act do not apply to Scotland.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many employees of local authorities have applied for family income supplement.

I regret the information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what is the total number of farmers and farm-workers who are known to suffer from the disease known as farmer's lung;(2) what is the current incidence of farmer's lung in England and Wales, respectively.

The available information relates to claims for benefit under the Industrial Injuries Act, which provides cover for employed persons only. Self-employed farmers are not insured under the Act. The following table shows the number of successful claims for injury and disablement benefits made since farmer's lung was prescribed as an industrial disease on 21st June, 1965:

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the total number of National Health Service hospital beds in England and Wales and the estimated total number of private hospital beds, at the latest convenient date.