asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is now in a position to publish in the

APPLICATIONS FOR LEGAL AID 1971
MAGISTRATES' COURTS AND JUVENILE COURTS IN INNER LONDON
Magistrates' Court			Summary proceedings	Granted Committal proceedings	For trial on indictment	Summary proceedings	Refused Committal proceedings	For trial on indictment	Summary proceedings	Total Committal proceedings	For trial on indictment
Bow Street		…	1,069	605	602	141	3	3	1,210	608	605
Great Marlborough Street	…	…	572	434	432	332	64	43	904	498	475
Marylebone		…	933	669	560	277	—	—	1,210	669	560
Wells Street		…	139	19	70	52	3	4	191	22	74
West London (Southcombe Street)	…	…	700	532	423	175	7	—	875	539	423
*West London (Walton Street)		…	2	—	—	7	—	—	9	—	—
Clerkenwell		…	521	348	357	88	4	6	609	352	363
†Hampstead		…	200	58	53	1	—	—	201	58	53
Old Street		…	194	353	347	136	41	3	330	394	350
North London		…	422	315	331	196	—	—	618	315	331
East Central		…	28	1	—	13	—	—	41	1	—
Thames (Aylward Street)	…	…	290	286	287	116	—	16	406	286	303
Thames (Hackney and Poplar)		…	1	—	—	4	—	—	5	—	—
South Western (Lavender Hill)		…	517	623	610	203	17	5	720	640	615
Camberwell Green			663	618	652	232	7	10	895	625	662
Tower Bridge		…	437	326	342	26	1	1	463	327	343
Lambeth	…	…	147	30	61	7	—	5	154	30	66
Greenwich		…	170	43	35	64	—	—	234	43	35
Woolwich		…	162	181	173	102	11	1	264	192	174
Juvenile Courts—combined		…	1,726	2	2	25	—	—	1,751	2	2
Total		…	8,893	5,443	5,337	2,197	158	97	11,090	5,601	5,434
* Formerly West London (Kensington High Street).
†Hampstead court was closed from July to December, 1971 and the caseload distributed between Clerkenwell. Wells Street and Marylebone courts.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is now in a position to publish in the Official Report statistics relating to the

The figures are given in the following table:application for grants and refusals of legal aid in magistrates' courts for all counties and county boroughs in England and Wales during 1971.

The figures are given in the following table:

APPLICATIONS FOR LEGAL AID 1971
MAGISTRATES' COURTS IN ENGLAND AND WALES EXCLUDING INNER LONDON AND JUVENILE COURTS
Area			Committal Proceedings			Summary Proceedings			For trial on indictment
			Number of applications	Granted	Refused	Number of applications	Granted	Refused	Number of applications	Granted	Refused
Counties
Bedfordshire		…	220	217	3	722	677	45	248	247	1
Berkshire	…	…	245	242	3	775	708	67	271	269	2
Buckinghamshire		…	329	329	—	751	668	83	337	337	—
Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely		…	229	228	1	597	551	46	222	222	—
Cheshire	…	…	373	360	13	1,430	1,279	151	408	404	4
Cornwall	…	…	145	145	—	847	767	80	145	145	—
Cumberland		…	72	71	1	382	359	23	96	95	1
Derbyshire	…	…	304	297	7	754	678	76	327	324	3
Devon	…	…	141	141	—	596	561	35	144	144	—
Dorset	…	…	191	186	5	709	609	100	245	244	1
Durham	…	…	515	509	6	1,128	937	191	520	518	2
Essex	…	…	419	410	9	1,538	1,340	198	592	588	4
Gloucester	…	…	200	195	5	725	636	89	217	217	—
Hampshire	…	…	613	588	25	1,521	1,310	211	624	619	5
Isle of Wight		…	41	35	6	146	114	32	54	54	—
Herefordshire		…	41	40	1	203	182	21	85	85	—
Hertfordshire		…	494	490	4	1,138	1,033	105	522	520	2
Huntingdonshire and Peterborough		…	85	85	—	550	518	32	130	130	—
Kent	…	…	631	620	11	1,646	1,430	216	622	610	12
Lancashire	…	…	1,084	1,053	31	2,817	2,173	644	1,373	1,359	14
Leicestershire		…	154	152	2	352	296	56	157	156	1
Lincolnshire—
Holland	…	…	68	68	—	82	78	4	44	44	—
Kesteven		…	77	77	—	179	157	22	63	63	—
Lindsey	…	…	217	217	—	667	624	43	250	250	—
North East London Area	…	…	924	878	46	1,364	935	429	1,007	998	9
South East London Area	…	…	403	403	—	1,168	1,038	130	535	534	1
South West London Area	…	…	400	392	8	942	872	70	434	431	3
Middlesex Area		…	1,311	1,166	145	2,836	1,741	1,095	1,186	1,145	41
Monmouthshire		…	184	181	3	572	493	79	202	201	1
Norfolk	…	…	160	155	5	548	478	70	182	182	—
Northamptonshire		…	257	256	1	578	499	79	282	282	—
Northumberland		…	157	156	1	609	592	17	204	204	—
Nottinghamshire		…	290	288	2	1,321	1,182	139	398	395	3
Oxfordshire		…	114	114	—	334	293	41	145	145	—
Rutland	…	…	2	2	—	18	18	—	5	5	—
Shropshire	…	…	163	159	4	405	361	44	170	170	—
Somerset	…	…	238	238	—	944	848	96	258	258	—
Staffordshire		…	334	327	7	1,059	918	141	384	383	1
Suffolk East		…	101	101	—	294	238	56	115	114	1
Suffolk West		…	84	84	—	224	209	15	103	103	—
Surrey	…	…	447	431	16	865	687	178	540	535	5
Sussex East		…	131	130	1	328	268	60	193	193	—
Sussex West		…	327	321	6	685	595	90	318	313	5
Warwickshire		…	347	337	10	703	601	102	423	420	3
Westmorland		…	17	16	1	57	48	9	18	16	2
Wiltshire	…	…	202	195	7	698	613	85	233	232	1
Worcestershire		…	186	185	1	569	529	40	207	206	1
Yorkshire—
East Riding		…	77	76	1	126	107	19	78	78	—
North Riding		…	130	129	1	432	375	57	141	141	—
West Riding		…	858	840	18	2,308	2,022	286	969	968	1
Anglesey	…	…	24	24	—	70	67	3	21	21	—
Breconshire	…	…	36	36	—	82	82	—	34	34	—
Caernarvonshire		…	60	60	—	226	218	8	60	60	—
Cardiganshire		…	24	24	—	92	87	5	23	23	—
Carmarthenshire		…	67	63	4	246	208	38	62	62	—
Denbighshire		…	68	68	—	350	240	10	74	74	—
Flintshire	…	…	31	31	—	289	284	5	53	53	—

				Committal Proceedings			Summary Proceedings			For trial on indictment
Area				Number of applications	Granted	Refused	Number of applications	Granted	Refused	Number of applications	Granted	Refused
Counties
Glamorgan			…	546	545	1	1,662	1,503	159	570	569	1
Merionethshire			…	7	7	—	55	55	—	—	—	—
Montgomeryshire			…	7	7	—	40	40	—	6	6	—
Pembrokeshire			…	59	59	—	195	186	9	59	59	—
Radnorshire			…	6	6	—	8	8	—	3	3	—
Boroughs
Luton		…	…	165	165	—	553	501	52	165	165	—
Reading		…	…	174	174	—	394	371	23	229	229	—
Birkenhead			…	58	47	11	268	192	76	27	26	1
Chester		…	…	65	61	4	260	224	36	63	63	—
Stockport		…	…	168	168	—	428	403	25	206	206	—
Wallasey		…	…	77	77	—	176	173	3	61	61	—
Carlisle		…	…	20	20	—	286	276	10	46	46	—
Derby		…	…	198	196	2	427	392	35	236	236	—
Exeter		…	…	59	59	—	302	273	29	68	68	—
Plymouth		…	…	331	329	2	598	388	210	340	340	—
Torbay		…	…	128	128	—	324	260	64	128	128	—
Darlington		…	…	100	100	—	200	187	13	97	97	—
Gateshead		…	…	90	90	—	234	209	25	106	106	—
Hartlepool		…	…	84	81	3	219	157	62	90	89	1
South Shields			…	70	70	—	433	419	14	75	75	—
Sunderland			…	301	297	4	509	385	124	321	318	3
Southend-on-sea			…	57	57	—	442	396	46	139	139	—
Bristol		…	…	410	410	—	900	793	107	402	402	—
Gloucester		…	…	69	64	5	209	165	44	90	88	2
Bournemouth			…	143	135	8	617	431	186	277	277	—
Portsmouth		…	…	323	317	6	520	448	72	242	242	—
Southampton			…	344	327	17	632	455	177	278	277	1
Canterbury			…	23	19	4	83	57	26	31	31	—
Barrow-in-Furness			…	24	24	—	81	67	14	26	26	—
Blackburn		…	…	228	227	1	240	200	40	181	181	—
Blackpool		…	…	117	111	6	336	230	106	115	114	1
Bolton		…	…	140	132	8	228	141	87	148	148	—
Bootle		…	…	92	91	1	147	122	25	94	94	—
Burnley		…	…	52	47	5	230	190	40	54	54	—
Bury	…	…	…	68	68	—	146	139	7	53	53	—
Liverpool		…	…	1,426	1,289	137	2,250	1,494	756	1,275	1,274	1
Manchester			…	827	821	6	2,790	2,483	307	905	905	—
Oldham		…	…	150	150	—	441	420	21	153	153	—
Preston		…	…	206	205	1	486	424	62	202	198	4
Rochdale		…	…	87	87	—	320	241	79	162	160	2
St. Helens		…	…	64	59	5	125	87	38	84	84	—
Salford		…	…	89	87	2	423	333	90	160	160	—
Southport		…	…	80	80	—	182	144	38	84	84	—
Warrington			…	70	56	14	142	89	53	71	70	1
Wigan		…	…	39	34	5	101	86	15	47	47	—
Leicester		…	…	448	448	—	809	738	71	443	443	—
Grimsby		…	…	17	17	—	80	76	4	19	19	—
Lincoln		…	…	84	83	1	179	153	26	87	87	—
City of London			…	79	78	1	267	255	12	127	126	1
Newport		…	…	145	145	—	391	353	38	140	140	—
Great Yarmouth			…	66	65	1	124	105	19	68	68	—
Norwich		…	…	136	134	2	227	194	33	132	132	—
Northampton			…	124	123	1	366	327	39	119	119	—
Newcastle upon Tyne				305	300	5	763	434	329	367	367	—
Tynemouth			…	53	51	2	182	157	25	52	51	1
Nottingham			…	505	500	5	1,385	1,220	165	516	516	—
Oxford		…	…	131	125	6	530	377	153	189	198	—
Bath		…	…	30	30	—	262	197	65	56	56	—
Burton on Trent			…	82	82	—	191	184	7	91	91	—
Stoke on Trent			…	200	192	8	976	962	14	278	275	3
Walsall		…	…	98	98	—	407	373	34	118	118	—
Warley		…	…	115	108	7	151	102	49	118	118	—
West Bromwich			…	92	92	—	268	227	41	137	137	—
Wolverhampton			…	452	440	12	634	494	140	484	483	1
Ipswich		…	…	94	94	—	343	302	41	98	98	—
Brighton		…	…	334	334	—	988	801	187	339	338	1
Eastbourne			…	42	42	—	134	133	1	53	53	—

			Committal Proceedings			Summary Proceedings			For trial on indictment
Area			Number of applications	Granted	Refused	Number of applications	Granted	Refused	Number of applications	Granted	Refused
Boroughs
Hastings	…	…	49	49	—	89	57	32	65	65	—
Birmingham		…	1,545	1,541	4	2,683	1,846	837	1,629	1,629	—
Coventry	…	…	500	500	—	718	663	55	435	435	—
Solihull	…	…	56	56	—	55	49	6	60	60	—
Dudley	…	…	66	65	1	178	139	39	62	53	9
Worcester	…	…	52	48	4	249	154	95	48	47	1
Kingston upon Hull			351	342	9	273	168	105	349	348	1
Teeside	…	…	497	477	20	1,296	1,054	242	499	489	10
York	…	…	50	50	—	234	230	4	50	50	—
Barnsley	…	…	132	132	—	326	323	3	161	161	—
Bradford	…	…	356	353	3	1,241	1,108	133	333	333	—
Dewsbury	…	…	44	44	—	194	185	9	32	32	—
Doncaster	…	…	49	37	12	147	123	24	72	72	—
Halifax	…	…	91	89	2	211	170	41	82	81	1
Huddersfield		…	137	134	3	150	108	42	121	120	1
Leeds	…	…	843	842	1	2,887	2,765	122	920	915	5
Rotherham		…	101	101	—	210	185	25	94	94	—
Sheffield	…	…	485	485	—	860	760	100	523	523	—
Wakefield	…	…	83	83	—	171	163	8	78	78	—
Cardiff	…	…	676	671	5	1,378	1,152	226	685	675	10
Merthyr Tydfil		…	29	29	—	212	212	—	26	26	—
Swansea	…	…	129	109	20	246	159	87	114	110	4
Total	…	…	52,836	32,022	814	84,904	71,705	13,199	35,400	35,203	197

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she will ask the National Gallery trustees to reconsider their decision to charge double on two days a week, while allowing a free day, as the Wallace Collection Trustees have decided to allow a weekly free day without any increase in charges on other days.

Discussions are continuing; no decisions have yet been reached.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will notify the London Museum trustees that their desire for free public access on one day weekly meets with no objection from her, bearing in mind that that institution will cease to remain a purely national museum after two years, and that the financial loss in each of those two years would not exceed £4,000.

Discussions about free days are continuing; no decisions have yet been reached.

asked the Minister of State for Defence how many vessels and aircraft are at present engaged on fishery protection duties around Iceland; and what plans he has prepared to supplement protection to the British fishing fleet after 1st September.

One frigate is currently employed on fishery protection duties in distant waters, including the waters around Iceland, for approximately six months in every year.As regards the period after 1st September, I have nothing to add to the statement made to the House by my right hon. Friend, the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on 13th July.—[Vol. 840, c. 1850–4.]

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what amount of coking coal in tons has been imported into South Wales from Poland, the United States of America and other countries, respectively, in each of the last three years.

United Kingdom imports of coking coal through South Wales ports were 4,488 tons in1970 and 299,625 tons in 1971. Details of these figures by country are not readily available. There was a general ban on coal imports in 1969.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many members of the Monopolies Commission have a degree in science or engineering, and have experience in administering research and development funds or managing a research project.

Four members have degrees in science or engineering and four have experience of senior management in science-based industries.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many local firms in Scotland are likely to benefit from the scheme of selective grants for private industry; and how many have applied.

How far local firms in Scotland will benefit from the selective assistance proposed in the Industry Bill will depend on the number of suitable projects coming forward. No formal applications for selective assistance can be accepted until the Industry Bill becomes law.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what offer of assistance he has received from the Trades Union Congress in the operation of the scheme of selective grants for private industry.

The General Secretary has expressed the TUC's interest in the appointment of trade unionists to the regional industrial development boards and has offered his assistance in the submission of the names of those who might be invited to serve.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what consideration has been given to Scottish Airways in the proposed merger of British European Airways and the British Overseas Airways Corporation; and if he will make a statement.

On 17th July I informed the House that I had given my consent to the organisational proposals set out in the British Airways Board's First Report on Organisation (Government Paper 386). Under the British Airways Board's proposals the Scottish Airways Division of BEA, along with the Channel Islands Airways Division, will henceforth come within the ambit of British Air Services Limited, itself a subsidiary of the British Airways Board.—[Vol. 841, c. 22.)

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the number of non-industrial civil servants employed in the Prices and General Policy Division, the Manpower and Productivity Services Division, the Incomes Division, both public and private sectors, Industrial Relations Division, Overseas Division, Research and Planning Division, Employment Policy and General Division, Employment Services Division, Estabishments Division, Finance Division, Safety, Health and Welfare Divisions, Selective Employments Payments Division, Solicitors Division, Training Department, Statistics Division and Government Wool-Disinfecting Station, respectively, of his Department on 18th June, 1970; and how many were so employed on 18th June, 1972.

The organisation of my Department has changed since the General Election and it is not possible to make direct comparisons of staff deployment between divisions of the kind requested. The table below shows the main areas of the Department's work which are performed centrally and the numbers of non-industrial civil servants employed in them at Under Secretary level and below on 1st July, 1970 and 1st April, 1972, the nearest dates to 18th June in those years for which statistics are available.

	Non-Industrial Civil Servants employed on
Main Area of Work	1st July, 1970	1st April 1972
Establishments	1,243	1,330
Finance	471	445
Incomes	71	59
Industrial Relations	163	119
Manpower and Employment	195	335
Occupational Safety and Health	327	344
Overseas	47	41
Race Relations, Commonwealth Immigrants', and Foreign Labour	109	112
Research and Planning	101	43
Selective Employment Payments	15	15
Solicitors	27	28
Statistics	351	302
Training	281	309

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many persons in Scotland were registered as unemployed; and how many vacancies remained unfilled in each month of 1972.

Following is the information:

Numbers of people registered as unemployed and of notified vacancies remaining unfilled in Scotland
	Registered unemployed
	Total, including temporarily stopped workers	Wholly unemployed	Unfilled vacancies
1972
January	154,302	150,211	6,572
February	217,742	148,829	7,662
March	152,743	148,249	8,030
April	151,913	148,215	8,495
May	135,797	132,539	9,558
June	129,481	126,603	10,523

The vacancy statistics relate only to notified vacancies remaining unfilled and do not purport to measure the total unsatisfied demand for labour.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will launch a campaign to support the efforts of the British Safety Council with regard to dangers of industrial accidents.

No. The activities of the Council are well known throughout industry, and my right hon. Friend thinks that the decision whether or not to make use of the services it provides is best left to individual companies.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the level of male adult unemployment in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

At 10th July the provisional number of men aged 18 years and over registered as unemployed at the Newcastle-under-Lyme Employment Exchange was 1,185, of whom 94 were temporarily stopped.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what have been the increases, including productivity increases, in pounds and pence to the weekly rates of each group of public employees severally during the past year.

The monetary increases in the rates of pay of the main groups of manual workers in the public sector are included in my Department's monthly publication "Changes in Rates of Wages and Hours of Work". Comparable information for non-manual workers is not readily available. Improvements in pay based on productivity are not necessarily linked to or included in increases in basic rates.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many houses in the private sector were completed in Scotland in the first five months of 1972; and by what percentage this is an increase or decrease on the same period in 1969, 1970, and 1971.

Private sector housing statistics are collected quarterly. In the first six months of 1972, 5,281 private houses were completed. This is an increase of 45 per cent., 21 per cent. and 5 per cent. over the numbers in the first six months of 1969, 1970 and 1971 respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what local authorities in Scotland have informed him of their intention to give 75 per cent. house improvement grants only to owner-occupiers; and if he will make a statement;(2) whether he has been informed by Aberdeen Council of its decision to give 75 per cent. house improvement grants only to owner-occupiers; and what reply he has sent.

A local authority reaching such a decision would not have to inform me, and none has done so. I hope that no local authority will restrict grants in this way.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will consider increasing the amount of the earnings disregard, which has remained unchanged for six years, in view of inflation.

I would refer my hon. Friend to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Truro (Mr. Dixon) on 13th June.—[Vol. 838, c. 1235–6.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if, in view of the housing clearances intended by the Manchester Corporation in Ladybarn Village, he will order a public inquiry to be held so that the residents of Ladybarn can present and formulate their views and present alternative schemes.

As I informed my hon. Friend on 17th July, a public local inquiry will be held into any order requiring the Secretary of State's confirmation to which there are statutory objections. It will be open to those affected by the order to put forward alternative proposals for dealing with housing conditions in the clearance areas.—[Vol. 841, c 52.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment in view of the increase in the provision of street furniture, especially in built-up areas where drivers' vision is limited by these objects, if he will ask highway authorities to keep these objects to the minimum.

"Roads in Urban Areas", issued by my Department, draws attention to the need to avoid interference with visibility in the siting of all street furniture. Subject to this, each locality has to be treated on its merits; but if my hon. Friend has a particular case in mind I will look into it.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether, in relation to his power to revoke planning permission, he will investigate the circumstances in which planning permission was given for building on land next to Hillcrest, Barnby Moor, Retford, with access granted through the property of Hillcrest; why requests for an inquiry into this and the demolition of a protected Tudor wall have not been answered; whether he will satisfy himself about road safety in that area due to such access; and if he will make a statement.

As I said in my letter of of 19th April to the hon. Member, this is not a matter in which my right hon. Friend would exercise any jurisdiction. Any further action would be well within the competence of the local authority.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the number of professionally trained engineers, architects, and non-industrial civil servants, respectively, employed on 18th June, 1970, by those Departments that went to form the Department of the Environment; and how many were so employed on 18th June, 1972, by his Department.

The number of professionally-trained engineers and architects employed on 1st July, 1970 in those Departments which were brought together to form the Department of the Environment was 1,646 and 589 respectively. The total number of non-industrial civil servants—whether professionally-trained or otherwise—in those Departments was 38,858. The numbers on 1st April, 1972—the latest available figure—were 1,645 professionally-trained engineers, 614 professionally-trained architects and a total of 38,619 non-industrial civil servants—whether professionally-trained or othewise. In addition to engineers and architects, the Departments employs other professionally-trained staff such as surveyors, planners, solicitors and accountants. On 1st July, 1970 there were some 1,872 such staff employed by the Departments which formed DOE, and on 1st April, 1972 there were some 1,777.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will introduce legislation to allow persons involved in road accidents on access roads to motorways to claim compensation either from the local or central government.

No. Further legislation is not required. Persons involved in road accidents may make specific claims against highway authorities where they think the condition of the highway is a contributory factor in an accident.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will seek to amend his contract with the Exclusive Office Cleaning Company, so that cleaners on night work at his Department receive a basic wage of more than £14·25 a week.

I have no means of increasing the wages paid under this contract. Cleaning contracts are based on price for the services and not on the number of cleaners or rates of pay: like all other contracts let by my Department they include in the conditions a requirement that the contractor observe the fair wages Resolution passed by the House of Commons on 14th October, 1946. The company denied earlier in the year an allegation that its wage rates do not comply with the Resolution, and my Department referred the matter to the Department of Employment.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the powers he possesses to control the siting of private and other airfields, respectively, and his powers concerning noise and pollution in these areas.

Application for planning permission has to be made where land is to be developed as an airfield unless the promoters obtain powers direct from Parliament. While the procedures are slightly modified in the case of certain public proposals, for example, those by Government Departments, the effects are similar. Applications are made to and determined by the local planning authority unless they are called in for my decision. Since any major airport is likely to be of more than local importance, I am in general ready to use my powers to call in such applications. I accept that noise and other forms of pollution should be taken fully into account before planning permission is given. It may sometimes be appropriate to impose conditions to regulate use of an airfield in the interests of amenity e.g. by restrictions on night flights but planning powers are not appropriate for detailed control over pollution cause by aircraft in flight.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he intends to announce his review of the land compensation code; and if he will make a statement.

When our final proposals in the light of the Urban Motorways Committee Report are ready.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received objecting to the use of the railway sidings at Wooton Bassett by British Railways as a limestone depot; and whether he will consider setting up an inquiry to consider any possible harmful effects on the environment.

I have received representations from the Wootton Bassett Parish Council and the Wootton Bassett Action Committee. They have been told that this is a matter for the local planning authority, Wiltshire County Council, to consider in the first instance.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment why he has not yet replied to letters dated 16th and 19th May from the hon. Member for Islington, South West, about planning procedures.

I have replied to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will now attempt to call together those nations which fish outside the Icelandic 12-mile territorial limits to discuss means of arriving at agreement upon the Icelandic dispute until a final decision is obtained from the law of the Sea Conference of the United Nations due to begin in New York, 1973.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will seek to convene a meeting of all nations which now fish within the Icelandic Government's proposed new fishing limits to discuss arrival at a common policy of preserving traditional fishing grounds until decisions are arrived at by the United Nations Law of the Sea Conference.

No. We have consistently kept in touch with other interested nations, both over our negotiations with Iceland and over the preparations for the Law of the Sea Conference.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the number of non-industrial civil servants employed in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in total, and in the Passport Office, including its branches of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and in the Information Administration Department, the Information Policy Department, and the Information Research Department of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, respectively, on 18th June, 1970; and how many were so employed on 18th June, 1972.

The nearest dates to those requested for which I can give figures are 1st July, 1970, and 1st April, 1972. As the information departments in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office were re-organised between these two dates I have combined the totals for the three departments.The numbers of non-industrial civil servants on those dates were as follows:

	1st July, 1970	1st April,1972
Foreign and Commonwealth Office	3,106	3,021
Passport Office	746	768
Information Administration Department	217	155
Information Policy Department
Information Research Department