asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications if he is satisfied with the operation of the Sound Broadcasting Act 1972.

Yes.

asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications how many people were on telephone waiting lists at the latest available date; and what is the average time they will have to wait before being connected.

200,000 at the end of March. The average time on the waiting list is five months.

asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications when he expects to appoint the chairman and members of the committee of inquiry into coverage problems; if he will announce the terms of reference of that committee; when he expects it to begin work; and when he expects its report to be published.

I would refer my hon. Friend to my reply earlier today to the hon. Member for Roxburgh, Selkirk and Peebles (Mr. David Steel). The study group will begin work as soon as possible and I hope that it will report early next year.

asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications what response he has made to the EEC Commission's proposals for reducing postal charges to EEC member States to inland rates.

The nature of the United Kingdom response is being considered by the Government in consultation with the Post Office.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many firms in West Cumberland have received assistance under the Industry Act; and how many new jobs have been created.

Four companies in the Cumberland special development area have been offered regional selective assistance under Section 7 of the Industry Act. The projects concerned include 147 new jobs. A further nine applications involving about 600 jobs are under consideration. Information on payments of regional development grants to companies in the Cumberland special development area is not readily available.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will provide estimates, based on current knowledge and on those flight paths projected for the purpose of noise contour forecasts, of the approximate minimum height of aircraft taking off from the proposed Maplin Airport, on reaching different points on the Kent coastline, with particular reference to the towns and villages in the new district of Swale.

Based on current knowledge we expect the heights to vary between 4,000 and 7,400 feet, depending upon the type of aircraft. We expect, however, that further improvements in noise effects will be possible before the airport comes into operation.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will give consideration to moving the test route of Concorde to the east coast of Great Britain.

No. As I explained when I wrote to the hon. Gentleman on 17th April, the present route was selected as the one best meeting all the requirements after a very thorough appraisal of all other possibilities.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received concerning permission to purchase certain components for Concorde aircraft numbers 17 to 22 pending permission to start full production.

The manufacturers have recently requested authority to start work on certain long-lead time components for aircraft beyond the 16 currently being built. This request is being considered.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many claims for investment grant from firms in the Northern Region made prior to 26th October 1970 are still the subject of discussion by his Department; and what is the total amount of money involved.

The nearest available information is in respect of Billing-ham grants office, which handles most applications relating to the Northern Region. This is as follows. At 26th October 1970 only those applications in respect of expenditure incurred in periods up until 31st March 1970 were being accepted by the Department. Few, if any, of these early applications figured in the total of 54 applications for these periods—grant value £½ million—and were still being processed at 31st March 1973 since such applications continued to be received in the Department right up until their terminal date of acceptance, 31st December 1972.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement about the proposals he has received from the National Coal Board about its plans to spend money made available to it under Section 9 of the Coal Industry Act 1973; and how much of the sum authorised will be spent in Scotland, Wales, the North Region of England and the rest of England, respectively.

Grants for 1973–74 under the Coal Industry Act 1973 are still under discussion. My hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State ex- plained to the House on 20th February that this grant will not be tied exclusively to specific coalfields.—[Vol. 851, c. 400.]

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proposals he has received from the National Coal Board to utilise money made available under Section 8 of the Coal Industry Act 1973 for the financial year 1974; which projects will be so aided; and if he will make a statement.

Grants for 1973–74 under the Coal Industry Act 1973 are still under discussion.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps the Government are taking to establish a separate shipping register in Hong Kong; whether they are considering allowing exemptions for vessels on this register from sections of the Merchant Shipping Acts; and if so, from which ones.

Consultations are taking place with the Hong Kong Government and with both sides of the shipping industry but no decisions have yet been taken.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the current value of foreign direct investment into the United Kingdom, and what percentage this is of total United Kingdom capital stock; what is the breakdown of ownership by foreign country according to size of investment; and what each of these blocks of foreign assets contribute, respectively, to total United Kingdom manufacturing output and to United Kingdom exports.

The book value of overseas investments in non-financial companies at the end of 1971 was £5,250 million, probably representing around 14 per cent. of the total United Kingdom net assets of such companies. Analyses by investing country were last published, for investment in the Board of Trade Journal for 23rd September 1970, for manufacturing output in Part 132 of the Report on the 1963 Census of Production, and for exports in Trade and Industry for 13th April 1972.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he is satisfied that the great majority of retailers have adjusted their prices fairly in respect of selective employment tax savings.

Yes. The overall response from major retailers to whom my right hon. and learned Friend the Minister for Trade and Consumer Affairs wrote on this point has been very satisfactory. Monitoring by weights and measures inspectors has shown that in the great majority of cases prices have been adjusted fairly.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in the light of the Fourth Report of the Metrication Board, if he will make a further statement on Government policy towards metrication.

We are still considering the report of the board and are also in continuing touch with industry and consumer interests on problems connected with the adoption of metric units. But at this stage I cannot add to what was stated in the White Paper on Metrication, published last year.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations have been made to him by the Newspaper Society regarding the financial situation in the newsprint supply industry; what reply he has sent; and if he will make a statement.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will have discussions with the manufacturers of college microscopes over increases in prices, to establish to what extent they are consistent with the freeze.

A large proportion of microscopes purchased by United Kingdom colleges are imported, and as such will have been affected by price increases resulting from fluctuations in exchange rates. My Department is not aware of any increases in United Kingdom-manufactured microscope prices inconsistent with the Counter-Inflation (Temporary Provisions) Act 1972; since firms will be operating under the phase 2 provisions as from 29th April 1973, discussions on past cases would in any case serve no useful purpose. Questions concerning price increases during phase 2 should now be addressed to the Price Commission.

asked the Lord President of the Council if he is aware that overcharging for meals is taking place in the Members' Cafeteria, such overcharging being admitted by management personnel; and what steps he is taking to rectify the position.

I have been asked to reply.It is not our practice to overcharge, and if any errors have been made I shall be glad to hear about them.

asked the Lord President of the Council whether he is satisfied with the protection in the European Community enjoyed by professional bodies formed in the United Kingdom under Royal charter and that they will be at no disadvantage compared with continental bodies of similar character formed under statute.

It would be difficult for me to make any general statement on this matter in view of the widely differing circumstances of individual chartered professional bodies and the early stage of the negotiations. However, I understand that good progress is being made by the responsible Departments and have no reason to believe that chartered bodies will be at a disadvantage.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations have been made by the EEC Directorate for the Environment and Consumer Affairs to the Commission in regard to the effect on consumers of the increase in food prices under the common agricultural policy of the EEC.

The Directorate for the Protection of the Environment and the Consumer is a new department of the Commission. The Commissioner responsible for the directorate is able to play a full part in all discussions by the Commission of Community policies, especially those affecting consumers.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what has been the total cost to date of chartering tugs by his Department to protect British trawlers off Iceland.

£195,874.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will now enact a system of subsidies for butter as permitted by Common Market regulations.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Widnes (Mr. Oakes) on 9th March 1973.—[Vol. 852, c. 215.]

asked the Minister of State for Defence if, in view of the fact that camps at Gaydon, Greenham Common, Hemswell, Faldingworth and West Mailing will soon be no longer required for the resettlement of Ugandan Asians, he will consider making the camps available for use by the public to provide cheap and organised holidays for children from deprived homes.

The accommodation allocated to the Ugandan Asians was intended for short-term occupation only, and was either in course of disposal by the Property Services Agency, under review by the Defence Lands Committee or held in reserve for defence use. Disposals were postponed to enable the Ugandan Asian emergency situation to be dealt with but will be resumed when the Asians leave.Details are as follows:

asked the Minister of State for Defence whether he will make a statement on the tests currently being undertaken in the United States on a new British riot control gas.

A research quantity of a new riot control agent code named CR has been supplied to the United States Department of Defence for evaluation under an agreement with the United States Army for the exchange of information and equipment. The results of their tests will, under the agreement, be made available in due course to the United Kingdom.

asked the Minister of State for Defence whether he will list all the defence camps in the United Kingdom which are at present unoccupied and are unlikely to be so in the foreseeable future and which could be made available to meet demand for building land in their area, showing the number of years that each has been unoccupied.

The following camps are at present unoccupied; they are surplus to defence requirements and are in course of disposal by the Property Services Agency. The use of these camps after disposal is a matter for the respective local planning authorities.

England
	Period since declared surplus
Bedford
Chicksands	3 years
Cambridgeshire
Duxford Airfield	4 years
Cheshire
Wilmslow	3½ years
Handforth	12½ years
Hack Green	5 years
Cumberland
Hadrians Camp	3½ years
Dorset
Piddlehinton Camp (part)	3½ years
Durham
Barnard Castle (Humbleton Camp)	4½ years
Essex
Beacon Hill Camp, Harwich	10 years
North Weald Airfield	3½ years
Laindon Camp, Basildon	1½ years
Hampshire
Beaumont Barracks, Aldershot	1 year
Kent
West Mailing Airfield	4 years
Milton Barracks, Gravesend	3 years
Shorncliffe Barracks (Part)	2½ years
London
Kidbrooke Camp, SE9	13 years
TA Centre, White City	1 year
Lancashire
Depot, Ulnes Walton	6 years
Seaforth Barracks, Liverpool	6 months
Lincolnshire
Faldingworth Airfield	1 year
Shropshire
Humber Camp, Donnington	7 years
Depot, Harlescott (Part)	9 months
Somerset
Burnshill Camp, Taunton	3 years
Staffordshire
Depot, Featherstone	8 years
Depot, Marchington (Part)	2 years
Suffolk
Stradishall Airfield	2½ years
Surrey
Wisley Airfield	6 months
Sussex
Broadbridge Heath Camp, Horsham	3 years
Tangmere Airfield	1 year
Maresfield Camp, Uckfield	3 years

	Period since declared surplus
Warwickshire
Bruntingthorpe Airfield	3 years
Wiltshire
Sub-Depot, Monkton Far-leigh, Corsham	6½ years
Chiseldon Camp, Swindon	5 years
Watchfield Airfield	1 year
Yorkshire
Low Moor Camp, York	3 years
Cavalry Barracks, York	1½ years
Carnaby Airfield	4 years

Wales
Merioneth
Tonfanau (Part)	…	…	2½ years

A small number of other camps which are unoccupied were included in the Defence Lands Committee's review, the report on which is expected soon.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what contribution has been made by Her Majesty's Government to the World Wildlife Fund.

There has been no direct financial contribution to this body, but a contribution has been made by the Natural Environment Research Council to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources which works in close association with the World Wildlife Fund.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if, in order to avoid the humiliation suffered by children whose parents cannot afford school uniforms and clothes and equipment needed for sport, she will introduce legislation to make it obligatory upon local education authorities to make grants towards the purchase of all these items.

I think that this is better left to the exercise of the discretionary powers which local education authorities have.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what steps he is taking to increase industrial training opportunities for school leavers and young persons in Lambeth.

As a result of the general improvement in the employment situation in the London area and with fewer school leavers entering the labour market this year, young people from the Lambeth area who are suitable for training should have little difficulty in finding appropriate opportunities.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what report has been tendered to him by Professor J. C. Wood on the dismissals procedure of the British Steel Corporation following his arbitration and settlement of the seven-and-a-half-week long strike at the Spencer Works, Llanwern, Newport, Monmouthshire.

Professor Wood's award on this dispute is confidential to the parties.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what discussions he has had with the British Steel Corporation concerning its policy on dismissals procedure following the seven-and-a-half-week long strike at the Spencer Works, Llanwern, Newport, Monmouthshire.

My Senior Manpower Adviser in Wales is making arrangements to meet the local management at its request in the near future to discuss the subject of dismissals procedure.

				April 1973 (provisional)
	Men (18 and over)	Boys (under 18)	Women (18 and over)	Girls (under 18)	Total
Unemployed	2,533	123	420	72	3,148
School leavers unemployed (included above)	—	17	—	8	25
Unfilled vacancies	178	72	83	46	379

Separate analyses for the unskilled and for young people aged under 21 are not available. The vacancy statistics relate only to notified vacancies remaining unfilled and do not purport to measure the total unsatisfied demand for labour. Unfilled vacancy statistics for school leavers—as distinct from other young people—are not compiled.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he is taking any steps to provide for earlier intervention by his conciliation officers in major industrial disputes in order to prevent their escalation and unnecessary hardship to innocent parties involved.

My conciliation officers are available to assist at the earliest stage at which their intervention is likely to be helpful. The timing must depend on the circumstances of the particular dispute.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many days have been lost in industrial disputes since the beginning of the freeze.

2,895,000 in the period 1st November 1972 to 31st March 1973.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the number of registered unemployed at Brixton employment exchange on the latest convenient date; what was the corresponding number of vacancies; and how the figures are broken down as between male adults, female adults, school leavers, unskilled workers, and those aged less than 21 years of age.

Following is the information available:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what research is at present being conducted into possible cancer hazards amongst workers in the tyre-making section of the rubber industry; and what financial assistance is given by his Department towards the cost of such research.

My Department's Employment Medical Advisory Service is continuing an epidemiological study started in February 1967 of all male workers aged 35 and over who had been employed at that time for one year or more in the rubber and cable-making industries, including those engaged in tyre-making. The British Rubber Manufacturers' Association is also carrying out, at its own expense, a complementary research project in association with the University of Birmingham in respect of workers engaged primarily in the tyre-making section of the industry. In addition, the Factory Inspectorate is cooperating with the industry to implement a method of evaluating certain airborne contaminants which might constitute a cancer hazard in particular processes.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is his policy towards the recommendation of the National Ports Council that non-scheme

	National Joint Council for the Port Transport Industry—Minimum Terms and Conditions of Employment	Terms and Conditions of Employment for Hull Registered Dock Workers (as from 1st April 1973)
Guaranteed daily payment	£4·60 a day.	£7·33 a day.
Hours of normal work	40.	40.
Overtime rates	Where meal hours not paid for— Time and a half per hour.	Normal overtime—Time and a half per hour.
	Where meal hours paid for—Time and a third per hour.
	Weekend overtime rates (Saturday 5 p.m. to Sunday midnight)— Double time per hour.	"Special" overtime—Double time per hour.
Annual leave	4 weeks for those in the third full calendar year of service.	4 weeks from 1st April 1973 for those in the third full year of calendar service.
Holiday pay	£23 per week.	£41·65 per week.
Sick pay	6–12 weeks paid, dependent on length of service. Payment is at the rate of £6 per week.	After 12 months service: 2 weeks at half pay (£18·33 per week) followed by 12 weeks at quarter pay (£9·16).
Basic weekly payment for normal week's work.	Not applicable.	£41·65.
Average earnings	Not applicable.	£51·47.*
* Figure relates to permanent and supplementary workers during the fourth quarter of 1972. Later figures are not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what steps his Department is taking to implement the recommendation of the National Ports Council in the final report on non-scheme ports and wharfs concerning the amenities and welfare and training on such wharves up to the standard of scheme ports.

In general these recommendations were directed to

The recommendation that an appropriate financial contribution should be made to the National Dock Labour Board was made in the context of possible use by non-scheme undertakings of NDLB training and welfare facilities. It is for the individual undertakings to make their own approaches to the NDLB about this.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the basic-weekly payment for a normal week, overtime, etc., holiday entitlement, sick pay and daily and weekly guarantee payments under the National Joint Council for the Port Transport Industry; and how this compares with the conditions and payments of dock workers in Hull under the National Dock Labour Scheme.

The information is as follows:management. My Factory Inspectorate will advise on standards of amenities which could equal those in scheme ports. The National Dock Labour Board could be ready to advise on questions of training and welfare.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what steps his Department intends to take to eliminate casual engagement on non-scheme wharfs, as recommended by the National Ports Council final report on non-scheme ports and wharfs.

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Transport Industries on 22nd March. —[Vol. 853, c. 173–4.] My Department has already held preliminary talks with both sides of the National Joint Council for the Port Transport Industry. It has been agreed that the Department will support action by the industry to follow up the recommendations at local level.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what the number was of job opportunities at the latest available date in the north-east of Scotland; and if he will specify the categories involved.

NUMBERS UNEMPLOYED IN THE NORTH EAST PLANNING REGION OF SCOTLAND AT 9TH APRIL 1973
		Men	Boys	Women	Girls	Total
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing	…	553	17	22	2	594
Mining and Quarrying	…	20	—	—	—	20
Food, Drink and Tobacco	…	266	17	110	15	408
Coal and Petroleum Products	…	4	—	—	—	4
Chemical and Allied Industries	…	18	—	4	—	22
Metal Manufacture	…	19	—	—	—	19
Mechanical Engineering	…	48	1	9	—	58
Instrument Engineering	…	6	—	1	—	7
Electrical Engineering	…	17	—	4	—	21
Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering	…	52	—	1	—	53
Vehicles	…	27	1	2	—	30
Metal Goods not elsewhere specified	…	24	1	5	—	30
Textiles	…	44	—	25	8	77
Leather, Leather Goods, and Fur	…	—	—	—	—	—
Clothing and Footwear	…	3	—	3	—	6
Bricks, Pottery, Glass, Cement, etc.	…	34	—	1	—	35
Timber, Furniture, etc.	…	47	7	1	—	55
Paper, Printing and Publishing	…	35	—	13	2	50
Other Manufacturing Industries	…	19	—	2	—	21
Construction	…	432	5	9	—	446
Gas, Electricity and Water	…	34	—	2	—	36
Transport and Communication	…	312	3	28	—	343
Distributive Trades	…	324	10	154	22	510
Insurance, Banking Finance and Business Services	…	114	—	17	1	132
Professional and Scientific Services	…	117	2	101	5	225
Miscellaneous Services	…	227	9	231	30	547
Public Administration and Defence	…	281	—	47	—	328
Not classified by Industry	…	1,134	10	395	17	1,556
Total, all Industries and Services (Unadjusted)*	…	4,261	83	1,187	102	5,633
Total, all Industries and Services (Adjusted)*	…	4,168	83	1,180	101	5,532
* The adjusted total is obtained by taking into account additions and deletions in respect of the statistical date but notified on the four days following that date. All other figures in the table are unadjusted. The figures are provisional.

At April 1973 there were 1,785 unfilled vacancies in the North-East Planning Region of Scotland. Of these, 716 were for men, 269 for boys, 637 for women and 163 for girls. The figures are provisional.The 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 what the most recent available figures are relating to unemployment in the north-east of Scotland; and if he will specify the categories and number of workers unemployed according to industrial analysis.

Following is the information:

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the cost to the Exchequer of subsidies of municipal housing expressed as an amount per council tenant.

There are 4·8 million council tenants in England and Wales and the total figure for housing subsidies in 1972–73 was £259 million. To divide one figure by the other to arrive at a figure of subsidy per council tenant would be misleading since subsidies are applied selectively.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he proposes to implement the National Ports Council's recommendation that the British Transport Dock Board conservancy jurisdiction should be extended to Selby.

The board is discussing with the National Ports Council how this recommendation should be implemented.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when the Transport and Road Research Laboratory expects to complete its research on the value of small central islands in roundabouts with a large traffic capacity.

By about the end of 1974.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment on what date consultants were instructed to produce a feasibility study for Ringway 3, southern half; which firm of consultants was so instructed; what the consultants' terms of reference were; by what date they were asked to report; and whether any consent has been given for that date to be varied, and if so for what reason.

Brian Colquhoun and Partners were appointed in August 1969 by the then Ministry of Transport to consider the potential traffic and possible location possibilities of a new major route to serve travel demand in Surrey, greater London and Kent from Sunbury/Feltham to Swanley. The study was to have been completed by September 1971, but because of the extreme complexity of the work and the need to consider the implications of the report of the Urban Motorways Committee, the Land Compensation Bill and the report of the panel of inquiry into the Greater London Development Plan, the completion date has been deferred.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will take action to prevent the acquisition under a compulsory purchase order of land by one local authority within the boundaries of another local authority, whether adjacent or not.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if compulsory vehicle testing under the Department of the Environment scheme differs in major respects from schemes in other Western countries.

There are wide variations between Western countries as to the vehicles subject to test and the items checked. Arrangements in this country for the inspection of heavy vehicles are as rigorous as any. Inspection of cars is not compulsory in some parts of Europe and the United States of America.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how the charge for compulsory vehicle testing in Great Britain compares with that in other Western countries.

Up-to-date information is not available, but an international survey made in 1971 indicated that charges in Great Britain were broadly comparable with those in other European countries where there is regular compulsory inspection.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list, giving the mileage in respect of each, those trunk motorways or lengths of motorway in preparation, firmly programmed, under construction, and those motorways or lengths of motorways in use, respectively, as at 30th April.

TRUNK MOTORWAYS—ENGLAND, AT 31ST MARCH 1973
	In Use	Miles	RCU Region
Ml	LONDON-YORKSHIRE MOTORWAY
	Fiveways Corner Flyover-Leeds	195·1	E., M. and N.E
M2	MEDWAY MOTORWAY	25·2	S.E
M3	LONDON-BASINGSTOKE MOTORWAY
	Lightwater-Popham	28·0	S.E.
M4	LONDON-SOUTH WALES MOTORWAY
	Chiswick-Severn Bridge	121·5	S.W. and S.E.
	Reading-Wokingham Link	2·7	S.E.
M5	BIRMINGHAM-BRISTOL-EXETER MOTORWAY
	Ray Hall-Avonmouth	92·5	M.&S.W
	Portbury-Edithmead	22·6	S.W.
M6	CATTHORPE-BIRMINGHAM-PRESTON-CARLISLE MOTORWAY
	Catthorpe-Carlisle	230·2	M. & N.W
	Skelmersdale Link	1·1	N.W.
M18	ROTHERHAM-GOOLE MOTORWAY
	Hatfield-Thorne	3·5	N.E
	Northern Doncaster Bypass (including part of Thurcroft Link)	9·5	N.E
M20	MID-KENT MOTORWAY
	Maidstone Bypass	6·8	S.E.
	Ditton Bypass	6·8	S.E.
M40	LONDON-OXFORD MOTORWAY
	Knaves Beech Interchange	0·8	E.
	Beaconsfield Bypass-Stokenchurch	14·1	E.
M50	Ross SPUR MOTORWAY	21·0	S.W.
M53	MID-WIRRAL MOTORWAY
	Bidston Moss Interchange-Hooton	11·4	N.W.
M56	NORTH CHESHIRE MOTORWAY
	Hapsford-Preston Brook	8·0	N.W.
	Bowdon-Wythenshawe	7·0	N.W.
M61	MANCHESTER-PRESTON MOTORWAY
	A580-Preston	22·3	N.W.
M62	LANCASHIRE-YORKSHIRE MOTORWAY
	Worsley-Outlane	26·9	N.W. and N.E.
	Outlane-Ainley Top	1·0	N.E.
	Chain Bar Interchange-Lofthouse	9·6	N.E.
A1(M)	Stevenage Bypass	7·1	E.
	Baldock Bypass	6·6	E.
	Doncaster Bypass	15·5	N.E.
	Darlington Bypass (including A66(M) Spur)	13·0	N.E.
A1(M)	DURHAM MOTORWAY
	Aycliffe-Birtley Bypass	24·8	N.E.
	TOTAL	934·6

	Under Construction			Miles	RCU Region
Ml	LONDON-YORKSHIRE MOTORWAY
	South of Fiveways Corner-North Circular Road	…	…	2·7	E.
	Staples Corner Interchange	…	…	1·1	E.
M3	LONDON-BASINGSTOKE MOTORWAY
	Lightwater-Sunbury	…	…	12·6	S.E.
	Thames Bridge	…	…	0·1	S.E.
M5	BIRMINGHAM-BRISTOL-EXETER MOTORWAY
	Avonmouth Bridge	…	…	1·0	S.W.
	Edithmead-Huntworth	…	…	10·1	S.W.
	Blackbrook-Chelston	…	…	6·9	S.W.
M11	LONDON-CAMBRIDGE MOTORWAY
	South Harlow-A120	…	…	9·7	E.
M23	LONDON-CRAWLEY MOTORWAY
	Hooley-Pease Pottage	…	…	18·9	S.E.
M25	SOUTH ORBITAL MOTORWAY
	Reigate-Godstone	…	…	7·4	S.E.
M27	SOUTH COAST MOTORWAY
	Windhover-Portsbridge	…	…	11·9	S.E.
	Ower-Chilworth (including Nursling Link)	…	…	10·1	S.E.
M40	LONDON-OXFORD MOTORWAY
	Gerrards Cross Bypass	…	…	7·2	E.
	Stokenchurch-Waterstock Cross Roads	…	…	9·5	F

Following is the information as at 31st March 1973:

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list, showing the mileage in respect of each, those local authority motorways or lengths of motorway in use, under construction, motorway schemes confirmed by the Secretary of State, and those made by the local authority and submitted to the Secretary of State for confirmation, respectively, as at 30th April.

Following is the information as at 31st March:

Local Authority Motorways in use	Miles
Stretford-Eccles Bypass M63	6·0
Stretford-Eccles Extension M62	0·8
Leeds Inner Ring Road Stage I A58(M)	0·7
Leeds Inner Ring Road Stage II A58(M)	0·8
Leeds Inner Ring Road Stage IIA A58(M)	0·4

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what estimates he has received from church organisations in the course of his discussions with them of the annual expenditure on the repair and maintenance of churches;(2) what progress has been made in his discussions with church organisations about grants for the repair and maintenance of historic churches.

The results of a preliminary study carried out by the working party of the General Synod of the Church of England included estimates of the cost of repairs to seven churches in the diocese of Lincoln; and these helped to determine the terms of reference for the subsequent studies the working party has undertaken on the estimated cost of repairs to most of the historic churches in the dioceses of Lincoln and Norfolk and the resources available locally to meet this expenditure.The results of these studies are expected shortly. They will be followed by another, though less detailed, study of church repairs and resources in certain urban areas. When these studies are available further discussions will be held in the light of them with the working party, which is in touch with other denominations through the Churches Main Committee.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether, in the light of the Fourth Report of the Metrication Board, he has any plans to introduce legislation regarding road signs and metrication.

I have at present nothing to add to paragraph 107 of the White Paper on Metrication (Cmnd. 4880).