asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in criminal cases in which a person is charged with a driving offence arising out of an incident in which a person is killed, he will consider issuing instructions to chief constables that they shall give notice to the next of kin of the deceased person of the place and date of trial of the driver so charged.

My right hon. Friend is arranging for the matter to be discussed with chief officers of police.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why no regulations are prescribed by his Department for mini fire extinguishers of less than 2 lb. contents.

Because my right hon. Friend has no power to make such regulations, and he is not convinced that it is necessary to seek powers for this purpose.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware of the anxiety expressed by the Lancashire Constabulary Joint Branch Board of the Police Federation about the effect on the police service of reorganising local government boundaries; and whether he can now make a statement on his examination of suggestions for reducing disturbance to police officers.

My right hon. Friend is aware of the concern felt in the police service about the effect of reorganisation on individual officers. He is in consultation with the representative organisations about ways in which hardship and inconvenience can be minimised.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the total value of contracts for the purchase of malleable iron filings currently placed with firms in foreign countries.

I regret that this information is not readily available.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the number of jobs at risk in the British ball bearing industry as a direct result of Japanese competition.

I am in no position to make such an estimate but the industry itself estimates that, if imports of bearings from Japan increase in 1972 at the same rate as in 1971, 880 jobs would be lost.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to what extent the Japanese Government subsidise the Japanese ball bearing industry.

No evidence has been produced to me that the Japanese ball bearing industry is subsidised by the Japanese Government.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether, in designating the new intermediate areas in Wales and in the North-West and Yorkshire and Humberside regions, the practice has been followed of defining the boundary in terms of employment exchange areas.

Yes. Where the regional boundary does not coincide with an employment exchange boundary the treatment of the particular area is defined in the Intermediate Areas and Derelict Land Clearance Area Order, 1972.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many paid part-time posts are filled by him; and what is the annual sum of money involved.

There are just over 400 paid part-time appointments for which I have responsibility or joint responsibility. Some receive salaries and others are fee paid: the total annual cost is about £320,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will take steps to arrange for provosts for Scottish burghs to be retained as suggested by the Minister for Local Government and Development for small and ancient English burghs.

This is a matter which is still under discussion with those concerned. Among the possibilities being considered is whether the chairmen of the new district councils, in appropriate cases, should have the title of provost.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what experiments in psychosurgery have taken place in hospitals or medical research establishments in the United Kingdom; and what safeguards are imposed upon them.

I am not aware of any psychosurgical experiments being carried out on human subjects in England. New and improved techniques have been developed through animal experimental work. These procedures, which hold out new promise, are being used to help selected patients.Precise guidance has been given to National Health Service hospitals with regard to research experiments involving human subjects. All hospital authorities were asked to set up groups of doctors, including some with experience of clinical investigation, to scrutinise clinical investigations in their hospitals. All human subjects must be volunteers in the sense that consent is freely given with a proper understanding of the nature and consequence of what is proposed.It is the case also that operations generally are only undertaken when medical and psychiatric measures have failed; and permission of the patient and his relatives is obtained.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the statutory provisions which relate to periodic surveys of their areas by local authorities.

The information asked for is as follows:Section 91 of the Housing Act, 1957, and Section 70 of the Housing Act, 1969—periodical review of housing conditions.Section 6 and Schedules 4 and 5 of the Town and Country Planning Act, 1971—survey for development plan purposes.Section 27 of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act, 1949—survey of public rights of way.Section 14 of the Water Resources Act, 1963—survey by river authorities of water resources.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what is his estimate of the number of local government staff who would be made redundant as a result of the Government's proposed reorganisation if the present Local Government Bill were enacted;(2) what is his estimate of the number of local government staff who would be reduced to a lower level of salary as a result of the Government's proposed reorganisation if the present Local Government Bill were enacted.

It is impossible to make estimates at this stage. However, the experience of London government reorganisation does not suggest that the incidence of redundancy or reduction of salary will be great. Provision will be made for fair compensation for any employee who might be affected in either of these ways as a result of reorganisation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will introduce legislation to make it a specific offence to cut, chop or otherwise deliberately destroy the roots of any tree subject to a preservation order.

The wilful destruction of a tree in contravention of a tree preservation order, whether by the cutting of roots or otherwise, is already an offence under Section 62(1)of the Town and Country Planning Act, 1962. I am obtaining details of the recent court case at Ipswich concerned with root cutting.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the county boroughs, with populations over 250,000, in rank order according to the percentage increase in population over the last convenient five-year period; and which of these towns is now in a development or intermediate area.

The following 14 county boroughs in England with populations over 250,000 in mid-1971 are listed in rank order according to the percentage increases and decreases in population over the five years mid-1966 to mid-1971 in the table below.

County Borough	Population Change 1966–71
	per cent.
Wolverhampton	+1·8
Tees side	+1·6
Coventry	+0·2
Leicester	-0·2
Bradford	-0·6
Bristol	-1·0
Leeds	-1·3
Nottingham	-3·3
Sheffield	-3·4
Stoke-on-Trent	-3·7
Kingston upon Hull	-4·8
Birmingham	-6·5
Manchester	-12·5
Liverpool	-14·6

Liverpool and Tees side county boroughs are in development areas; Bradford, Kingston upon Hull, Leeds, Manchester and Sheffield county boroughs are in intermediate