asked the Secretary of State for Wales what progress has been made with his inquiry into the Newtown Development Corporation.

A review of the results achieved by the corporation is still in progress.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will now commission a South Wales Planning Study.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he is satisfied with the control exercised by the Royal Automobile Club on motor car rallies in mid-Wales; and if he will make a statement.

I believe that devolution of responsibility to the Royal Automobile Club has worked well. The number of complaints received is very small.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he proposes to have with the Confederation of British Industry about the effect of European Economic Community entry on the Welsh economy, upon the return of the forthcoming Confederation of British Industry Welsh Committee's mission to Brussels.

The Welsh Secretary of the CBI will be in touch with my Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales, in considering the grant of planning permission to develop the proposed higher education precinct in the centre of Cardiff, what estimate he made of the volume of investment that would accrue to South Wales as a result of granting permission.

The city council statement to the public inquiry envisaged a capital investment of about £40 million over the next 20 years.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many houses constructed specially to meet the needs of old tenants were built by local authorities in Wales in 1971.

Eight hundred and one.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will now introduce legislation which will permit the compensation of householders who are caused hardship during the construction of new road systems.

I am aware of the problem. This matter is being considered as part of the compensation review coupled with the work of the Urban Motorways Committee.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what is his latest estimate of the number of passenger car units per 24 hours on the A470 within the Merthyr constituency; and what projections he has made of the increased amount of traffic on this road between now and the completion of the Cardiff-Merthyr trunk road.

A 16-hour count of traffic south of Pentrebach in August, 1969, recorded 14,032 passenger car units. Traffic at this point is currently increasing at about 0·4 per cent. per annum but traffic patterns may change when the new road between Tongwynlais and Abercynon is completed, and this is being investigated.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will define the rights and responsibilities of members of planning committees in relation to applications to the committee for planning consent where the member has a direct pecuniary interest.

The rights and responsibilities of members having a pecuniary interest in a matter under consideration by a council are defined by Statute and were recently set out in Appendix II to Welsh Office Circular 85/72 a copy of which was sent to every local authority in Wales in May of this year. I am sending the hon. Member a copy.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will request the Welsh Council to study the economic problems of West Wales on the lines of that Council's report on North West Wales; and if he will make a statement.

The problems of West Wales were considered in some detail by the Council in its report on "A Strategy for Rural Wales" published last year.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many members of the Welsh Council are able to speak Welsh; and what percentage this is of the total membership.

I have nothing to add to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member on 27th June.—[Vol. 839, c. 334.]

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many members of the Welsh Hospital Board are able to speak Welsh; and what percentage this is of the total membership.

I have nothing to add to my answer to the hon. Member on 27th June, 1972.—[Vol. 839, c. 334.]

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate he has made of the amount of empty office space in Wales, how long that office space has been vacant; and what proposals he has to ensure that such space does not continue to remain empty.

I have made no such estimate. I have no evidence that there is a serious problem of empty office space in Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales when his Department intends to give a reply to the inquiry by Mr. L. Price of 78 Penybryn Avenue, Cefn Fforest, Blackwood, concerning his attempt to obtain a home improvement grant.

The Bedwellty Urban District Council is statutorily responsible in this matter. I understand that it is still reviewing this particular case.A reply will be sent immediately after it has informed me of the outcome of its review.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what complaints he has received concerning the delay in publishing his conclusion as a result of the inquiry held into the proposed bypass in Welshpool.

I have received two letters asking when my decision will be announced, one in January and the other in April, 1972.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is his estimate of the amount to be spent annually over the next three years in the Yorkshire and Humberside region as a result of the new regional policy.

I regret that the information is not available. Forecasts of financial assistance are prepared for Great Britain as a whole and it is not the practice to forecast on a regional basis how much will be spent.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he has now found a tenant for the new advance factory which has been built at Denaby Main.

No, but since my reply to the hon. Member's Question of 8th May there have been two inquiries about the factory.—[Vol. 838, c.254–5.]

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received about the effect on exports and imports by heavy goods vehicle manufacturers of forthcoming European Economic Community Standards for gross vehicle weights and axle loadings.

None. But I am aware of the importance which the British vehicle industry attaches to this subject, and my Department is keeping in close touch with the negotiations on what standards will apply in the enlarged Community.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what amount of additional support to the machine tool industry has now been provided since the Budget statement.

The £9 million to £10 million made available for the special scheme of public sector purchasing of machine tools has been increased to £16 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he intends to introduce legislation to provide for the better protection of consumers' interests.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has to promote legislation to provide protection to consumers.

It is our intention as soon as possible to introduce legislation to strengthen the protection given to the consumer by the Sale of Goods Act.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will appoint an expert committee to examine and report on measures which would provide greater protection for consumers.

No. I am always ready to consider proposals for new measures to protect consumers' interests but I do not think an expert committee is needed at present.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he next intends to have a meeting with all the heads of the nationalised industries.

My right hon. Friend has no present plans for a further meeting with all the chairmen of the boards for which he is responsible.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he has yet received proposals from the Japanese Manufacturers Association for regulating future imports of its products into the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

Although we have not directly received any proposals from Japanese business organisations for regulating future imports from Japan into the United Kingdom, we are in close touch with the Confederation of British Industry about discussions which it is having about this problem with its Japanese counterpart, the Keidanren.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will issue a general direction to the British Steel Corporation that in future no steel works will be closed before private enterprise interests have been given an opportunity to purchase them.

No. There is no Government objection to the sale of assets by the BSC in these circumstances. The decisions are for the BSC to take, having full regard to its overall responsibilities.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will hold an inquiry into the flight of six aircraft from Luton over the town of Berkhamsted between the hours of 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. on 2nd July, 1972.

Inquiries are being made but it has not been possible in the short time available to make and complete an investigation. I will write to my hon. Friend as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list his statutory powers to control the soliciting in this country of funds for investment in unit trusts, whether resident in the United Kingdom or not.

It is an offence under Section 14 of the Prevention of Fraud (Investments) Act, 1958, to distribute circulars inviting or containing information calculated to lead to investment in a unit trust scheme, unless the Department has either authorised the scheme or given permission for the distribution. The statutory conditions for authorisation are given in Section 17 and the First Schedule of the Act, which amongst other things require the managers and trustee to be incorporated in the United Kingdom.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many jobs have been created in West Central Scotland to date as a direct result of granting the area special development status; and what has been the total cost so far of granting this status.

I regret that figures for jobs created and the cost of granting special development area status to West Central Scotland are not available. However, since February, 1971, 104 industrial development certificates have been approved there for schemes of 10,000 sq. ft. and over in manufacturing industry from which the applicants estimated that 9,600 jobs would arise when the projects were complete and fully manned. This figure takes no account of jobs that may arise in the service sector.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will detail the 89 staff in his Department who will under the Boyle proposals have their salaries increased by 18 per cent. retrospectively to last January; and what their present and future salaries will be.

There is one Permanent Secretary in my Department who will have his salary increased from £14,000 to £15,750; three Second Permanent Secretaries who will have their salaries increased from £13,000 to £14,750; 17 Deputy Secretaries who will have their salaries increased from £9,000 to £10,500; and 65 Under-Secretaries who will have their salaries increased from £6,750 to £8,250. In addition, there are three staff on intermediate salary rates which will be increased by comparable amounts.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he is aware that in the first week of the floating of the £ sterling its value fell by 6·3 per cent.; and to what extent this depreciation of the purchasing value of the £ sterling will increase the costs of imports in general.

I am aware of the relative depreciation of the £ sterling which has occurred since the exchange rate was allowed to float. As for the second part of the Question, I have nothing to add to the reply given to the hon. Member on 4th July by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Treasury.—[Vol. 840. c. 95.]

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the value of imports by European Economic Community member countries from developing countries in 1960 and 1970, respectively.

Following is the information:

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will seek powers to prevent travel firms from increasing their charges to people who have already booked and paid for their holidays.

The right of a travel firm to increase its charges will

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of British Embassy buildings are owned freehold or on long leases at fixed ground rents; what proportion are rented on a short-term basis; and if he will list the major premises involved in both categories.

We own or long lease on fixed ground rents about half of the British Embassy offices in capital cities and two-thirds of the residences of heads of mission in those capitals. The remainder are rented for shorter periods but almost half of them are held on leases for nine years or more.The following is a list of the major properties involved in foreign capitals:

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make representations to the Government of South Africa concerning the treatment of students of British nationality involved in protests against apartheid.

According to our information all British subjects arrested as a result of the recent disturbances in South Africa have been properly charged and released on bail. We have no grounds for representations.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the total value of defence equipment ordered by the South African Government from British firms since February, 1971.

As my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs told the House on 15th May, it has been the practice of successive Governments not to give details of sales of defence equipment.—[Vol. 837, c.7.]

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why it was that the inquiry to his Department from the Arab League Office in London on 23rd February, 1972, with regard to the setting up in London of an office of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, was not answered until 27th April.

The implications of this request had to be considered against the background of British law.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the contacts between the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Arab League Office in London, with regard to the setting up in London of an office of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, took place by letter, by telephone, or at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, or at the Arab League Office, or at some other office, or on some social occasion, such as at lunch; and who acted as host.

There is nothing that I can usefully add to the reply I gave to the hon. Member on 6th July.—[Vol. 840, c. 204–5.]

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will seek to clarify the legal status of the Continental Shelf around Spitsbergen.

Not at present. I should however be prepared to consider the matter further should need arise.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information the Rhodesian authorities gave to the Pearce Commission, and have given to Her Majesty's Government, on the circumstances in which they found it necessary to detain and impose restrictions on Mr. Garfield Todd and Miss Judith Todd, respectively.

The Pearce Commission said in its report that the only explanation given by the Rhodesian authorities for their decision to detain Mr. Garfield Todd and his daughter was that they were cases of preventive detention arising from the internal security situation which had developed in the Midlands area during the preceding fortnight. Her Majesty's Government have been given no additional information.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Governments have now signed the Convention on Bacteriological Weapons; and how many have ratified.

Ninety-one Governments have now signed the Convention on Biological (Bacteriological) Weapons; and two Governments have ratified.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in view of the recent decision of the Judicial Committee of the House of Lords, in the case of Knuller (Publishing, Printing and Promotions) Limited versus the Director of Public Prosecutions, he will introduce legislation to abolish the common law offence of conspiracy to corrupt public morals.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave to a Question by the hon. and learned Member for Walsall. North (Mr. William Wells) on 19th June.—[Vol. 838, c. 21.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been admitted to Great Britain for the purpose of setting up in Great Britain an office of the Palestine Liberation Organisation.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the police practice in regard to the fingerprinting of children in England and Wales, on the basis of information derived from chief constables.

I understand the general practice is to take the fingerprints of a child only with the consent of his parent or guardian, and to destroy the record unless the child is found guilty of an offence.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he can now state when he expects the Erroll Committee to submit a report.

The Committee hopes to report this year, but it is still too early to say when.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how much of the £34,000 supplementary benefit paid to those involved in industrial disputes after return to work, during the period 3rd April to 31st May, 1972, has been recovered to date under the terms of Section 2 of the Social Security Act. 1971.

The information is not available precisely in the form requested. At 30th June, 1972, £30,038 had been recovered from payments of supplementary benefit made since 3rd April, 1972, following return to work after trade disputes.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the total cost to the Supplementary Benefits Commission of payments arising from industrial disputes during the first six months of 1972, including payments to strikers and their dependants, after return to work, and administrative arrangements necessitated thereby.

Payments of supplementary benefit amounted to £6·8 million; the administrative cost of making the payments is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will arrange to take steps to provide adequate emergency treatment services at Market Harborough General Hospital.

I understand that patients who require treatment for minor emergency conditions are seen at the hospital by a general practitioner. Those with more serious emergency conditions are referred to accident and emergency departments at Kettering or Leicester, and I have seen no evidence to suggest that these arrangements are inadequate.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what materials were specified in the tenders for mattresses and other upholstery in the recently renovated bungalow in the Winfrith Villa wing of the Coldharbour Hospital;(2) what materials were used in the fillings contained in the mattresses and other upholstered furniture in the recently renovated bungalow in the Winfrith Villa wing of the Coldharbour Hospital.

Polyurethane foam or interior springs with various types of topping for the mattresses and polyether foam with a range of covers for the chairs were both specified and used.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will review the insurance cover for nurses who have to act as official escorts when transferring a patient from one hospital to another, in view of the disquiet caused to the nursing profession at the present level of cover; and if he will make a statement.

Proposals for improved allowances in respect of nurses and others who may be killed or permanently incapacitated in the course of their National Health Service employment are currently being considered by the Joint Superannuation Consultative Committee.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what discussions he has had with local authorities since last November about the services provided by them under the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act; and what has been the result of those discussions.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to encourage the use for all activities on inland waterways of silent electrically-powered boats in order to minimise pollution on these waterways.

Activities on inland waterways are the responsibility of river authorities and the British Waterways Board which controls them by means of byelaws. I am sure that these statutory bodies always strive to minimise pollution; but I am informed that the use of electric power for the propulsion of boats has not yet reached the stage of either technical or commercial reality.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what decisions have been taken by the Action Group on London Housing to deal with the housing situation in Lambeth.

The action group has been considering London's problems as a whole rather than specific local situations. But its report on land availability will be a valuable basis for further steps to improve the housing situation in Lambeth as elsewhere in London. A statement on the action group's work will be made as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will announce his decision on the South Orbital Motorway M25 from Reigate Hill to Chertsey.

I am considering the inspector's recommendations and will announce my decision as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the appointments on statutory bodies and local government organisations, and the executive and non-executive directorships held by the members of the Progress Review Committee on the Third London Airport; and whether he will list how often he anticipates they will meet and to whom they will report.

The following list gives the positions held in their respective organisations by members of the committee representing statutory bodies and local authorities. I do not have details of all the appointments and directorships of all the members; neither do I feel it necessary to ask for disclosure of these when members are providing unpaid service on an advisory body. If my hon. Friend has a particular point in mind perhaps he will let me know.The committee is expected to meet about every two months; it is chaired by the Under-Secretary of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Bury St. Edmunds (Mr. Eldon Griffiths), who reports to me on the Maplin project.PROGRESS REVIEW COMMITTEE ON THE THIRD LONDDON AIRPORT1. Right Hon. The Lord Aldington, KCMC, CBE, DSO, TD, Chairman, Port of London Authority.2. Right Hon. The Lord Boyd-Carpenter, Chairman, Civil Aviation Authority.3. Mr. E. P. Chappell, Chairman, National Ports Council.4. Alderman Brigadier T. F. J. Collins, CBE, DL, Ex-Chairman and Member, Essex County Council.5. Mr. N. Foulkes, Chairman, British Airport Authority.6. Alderman N. Harris, BSc, Leader, South-end County Borough Council.7. Mr. D. McKenna, CBE, Member, British Railways Board.8. Mr. R. Vigars, Chairman of Strategic Planning Committee, Greater London Council.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what inquiries he has made into the latest proposals to convey stone in 20-ton lorries from Didcot through rural areas to the M40; and with what result.

I shall be writing to my hon. Friend about this case and the issues it raises very shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has determined the six older industrial towns which he proposes to designate as suitable for urban renewal; and if he will make a statement.

I propose to carry out two types of study to develop a total approach to the urban environment. The first, to be carried out in three towns, is designed to formulate guidelines to help local authorities apply this approach to the town as a whole. The second will explore the environmental problems of three inner city areas. I am inviting Oldham, Rotherham and Sunderland to take part in the guidelines study. I will make a further announcement about the cities to be invited to participate in the inner areas study as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the annual cost, in the latest year for which figures are available, of the maintenance of the Weights and Measures Inspectorate to the central Government.

The cost of the Weights and Measures Inspectorate which was £4·3 million in 1970–71 is met entirely by local authorities but the Government contribute indirectly by way of rate support grant.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many freight consignments declared in metric weight have been received by British Rail since the Railways Board decided to accept such consignments.

British Railways have been accepting freight consignments declared in metric weight since 1st January, 1972. The number of such consignments is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what advice he has given about pre-pollution surveys to be carried out by local authorities and waste disposal contractors prior to the selection of dumping sites on land.

Whenever it is proposed to use land for the disposal of waste, my right hon. Friend has advised that there should be prior consultation with river authorities as to any possible danger to water supplies. This advice was contained in a letter sent by my Department to all local authorities in April, 1971, and re-emphasised in circular 26/71, issued to all local authorities. There is much useful advice on this subject in the report of my Department's Working Party on Refuse Disposal, which was also sent to all authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will visit Walsall in the near future to meet trade unionists and to receive a first-hand report on the worsening employment position in Walsall.

During my visit to Walsall on 23rd March I discussed the local employment situation with a number of people, including trade unionists. Since we also obtain a good deal of information about developments there, through our area managers' contacts with both sides of industry, my right hon. Friend does not consider that a further ministerial visit in the near future would be appropriate.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what measures he intends to take to offset the effect on employment in Walsall of redundancies announced in the Walsall Stainless Tubes plant of the Tube Investments Group.

:The local officers of my Department will do everything they can to help those directly affected by these redundancies by means of advance interviewing, special canvassing for vacancies and offers of training and retraining.Walsall, like other areas, should benefit from the unprecedented measures to encourage industrial expansion which were announced in the Budget. In particular, firms which wish to expand there should find it easier to do so now that the exemption limit in the West Midlands below which industrial development certificates are not required has been increased from 5,000 to 15,000 sq. ft.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether, in the light of the ending of the Chobham Farm dispute, he will now make a statement on all matters pertaining to the working of the Industrial Relations Act, with particular reference to the National Industrial Relations Court and its decisions.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will produce a White Paper describing the operation and evaluating the effectiveness of the Industrial Relations Act to date.

It is much too early to judge the long-term effects of the Act, but there is already plenty of evidence that individual workers value its provisions and that management and unions are reviewing their policies and practices to see how they can be improved in the light of the Act and the code of practice. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and I discussed the operation of the Act with the TUC on 26th April and again on 4th July.