asked the Minister of Labour low much of the fund of £250,000 made available by the Nuffield Foundation to promote industrial health schemes in consultation with his Department will be spent in the current fiscal year.

It is likely that the whole sum will be committed, but actual expenditure will be spread over some years as the schemes progress.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will make a further statement in regard to the closure of Government training centres.

I am considering closing the Government training centres at Long Eaton and Kidbrooke but I should make it clear that I do not propose to close the first year apprentice training class at Long Eaton. There is no apprentice training class at Kidbrooke.

asked the Minister of Labour (1) why he cancelled the November meeting of the Industrial Health Advisory Committee; and what communications he has received from the British Medical Association and the Trades Union Congress on the subject;(2) how frequently the Industrial Health Advisory Committee of his Department meets; what was the date of its last meeting; and what matters the Committee has currently under consideration.

The Committee normally meets twice a year; the last meeting was on 4th May, 1961. The Committee's recent discussions have been concerned mainly with measures to encourage the development of industrial medical and industrial hygiene services.The prospective business consisted of reports far the information of the Committee which I decided to circulate. The agenda my opinion did not warrant a meeting. I have received letters from the British Medical Association and the Trades Union Congress expressing regret at my decision, but not from the other seven organisations represented on this Committee.

asked the Minister of Labour why Her Majesty's Government refuse to ratify the International Labour Organisation convention on equal pay.

Practice in this country does not at present conform with its provisions.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will make a statement on his recent discussion with members of the Economic Committee of the Trades Union Congress on the subject of equal pay for men and women.

The deputation suggested that, as a first step, the Government should ratify the International Labour Convention No. 100 on equal pay. They recognised that this might later create need for legislation.I replied that we could not ratify the Convention as existing practice did not conform with it. To legislate would represent a radical change of policy, since equal pay had hitherto been accepted as a matter for collective bargaining. I was, therefore, unable to accept their proposals for immediate action, but I undertook to give careful consideration to the views expressed.

asked the Minister of Labour what notifications he has received since 25th November of increased wage awards.

One—a notification of a forthcoming increase in wages in the silk industry.

asked the Minister of Labour, in view of the danger of unemployment resulting from the closure of the de Havilland aircraft factory at Christchurch, what arrangements he has made to find alternative work for the skilled and unskilled labour involved.

My local officers have arranged to register the workers affected before they are discharged, and will do all they can to find them suitable employment. A number of firms have already expressed their interest in recruiting redundant workpeople.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will reconsider his decision not to introduce legislation this Session dealing with the health and safety of workers in shops and offices, in view of the widespread protests that have been evoked since this decision was announced.

No.

asked the Minister of Labour how many school leavers this year have been found employment in the south-west Durham area; how many are still waiting for employment; how many have been placed in apprenticeships; and what are the prospects for 1962.

1,128 boys and 1,055 girls have left school for employment in south-west Durham since Christmas, 1960. Of these, 15 boys and 4 girls were unemployed in Mid-November.Statistics of the numbers getting apprenticeships are not available in respect of particular areas before 1st July. Between 1st July and the end of October 275 boys—44 per cent. of those leaving school for employment during the period—and 13 girls—2·2 per cent.—have obtained apprenticeships.For girls there should be no shortage of employment next year, though the range of choice may be limited. For boys, while there may be local employment difficulties, a substantial proportion should, as at present, get apprenticeships.

asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty if the reduction in the number of Headquarters staff forecast by him on 14th February, 1961, will be reflected in the Estimates for 1962–63; and if he will make a statement.

On 14th February, 1961, I announced our intention to try to reduce Headquarters staff by 500 over the next five years. I confirm that this is my noble Friend's policy, and that it will be reflected in the 1962–63 Estimates when they appear.

asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty if the tours of duty of senior naval officers at Admiralty Headquarters have been extended in pursuance of Recommendation 7 of the First Report of the Select Committee on Estimates in Session 1959–60.

We are implementing this recommendation on the lines I described in the debate on the Report. Many of these appointments will now be held for three years or more, although, as I have explained before, this cannot apply to all posts at Headquarters. In the case of officers nearer the end of their careers it will sometimes be possible for them to serve substantially longer.

asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty what progress is being made in the development of nuclear propulsion for surface vessels of the Royal Navy.

The Admiralty has as yet no plans for introducing nuclear-fuelled surface ships into the Fleet. We have made various studies and have concluded that at present their operational advantages do not outweigh their increased capital, fuel and refitting costs. We are maintaining a systematic review of new developments in this field.

asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty whether in awarding the contract for the assault ship, he will bear in mind the need for the Clyde to receive extra orders for naval ships.

asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty when the contract for a new assault ship will be announced.

For some time now it has been our policy to arrange contracts for new naval construction as far as practicable on the basis of competitive tendering. During the past twelve months naval ships to a total value of £25 million have been ordered from Clyde shipbuilders.Tenders for the assault ship, which is of novel design, were invited from all British warship builders believed to be capable of delivering such a vessel in the time, required. Six tenders at fixed prices were received, including two from Clyde firms. That of Messrs. Harland & Wolff of Belfast, which was the lowest, has been accepted. I am sure this firm's success will be most welcome in Belfast.

asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty whether consideration is being given to building missile submarines for the Royal Navy.

The Admiralty is studying how missiles of the Polaris type might be mounted in future nuclear submarines of the Royal Navy.

asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty how much money has been spent on the modernisation and re-equipment of Chatham Dockyard in the last ten years.

Over the past ten years about £5¾ million has been spent on modernising and re-equipping buildings, machinery and plant at Chatham Dockyard. This investment is a measure of the confidence we put in the long-term future of this yard.

asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty what is the value of orders placed in Northern Ireland for naval ships for Commonwealth countries during the last ten years.

Since 1951 orders for naval ships have been placed in Northern Ireland on behalf of a number of Commonwealth countries. The ships have ranged from aircraft carriers to coastal minesweepers. The total value of the orders has been approximately £21 million.

asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty how many new ships for the Royal Navy have been ordered in Northern Ireland during the last ten years.

Eighteen ships for the Royal Navy have been ordered in Northern Ireland since 1951. Included among these have been one of the new Guided Missile destroyers and four frigates. The total value of the orders including the new Assault ship is some £27 million.

asked the Secretary of State for War approximately how many National Service men he intends to retain beyond their two years' period and to recall, respectively; in which categories they will be; and whether they will include married men with or without children.

I have nothing to add, at this stage, to the statement I made during the Second Reading of the Army Reserve Bill.

asked the Secretary of State for War if, following the announcement of the bounty for volunteers, he will now consider paying a bounty or gratuity to all those National Service men required to serve for an extra six months.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to receive the report of the Reid Committee on the present legal system of house buying in Scotland; and how many meetings the Committee has held since it was appointed two years and three months ago.

I cannot yet say when the Committee will submit its report. As regards the second part of the Question, the Committee has held six meetings occupying fourteen days.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what oral or written evidence was given to the Toothill Committee by the Scottish Home Department and the Department of Health for Scotland; and if he will make it available to Members of Parliament.

I understand from the Scottish Council (Development and Industry) that it does not intend to publish the evidence tendered to the Toothill Committee. As the Committee has acknowledged, my Departments gave it a great deal of information, but it would be neither practical nor appropriate to detail it.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, in view of the recommendations of the Toothill Committee's Report on the Scottish Economy, he will announce in greater detail his proposals for the development of the road reconstruction programme over five to ten years.

I have noted the Committee's recommendation and, although there are obvious difficulties if we attempt to be too precise in this field, I am considering whether some announcement which would be helpful can be made.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will appoint an economic and industrial adviser to the Scottish Office.

I propose to give detailed study to this as to other recommendations of the Toothill Committee.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when the Report of the Advisory Council on Education on the methods of transferring pupils from primary to secondary schools will be available.

The Report submitted to me by the Council on this subject has been published today as a Command Paper and copies are available at the Vote Office.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he has now considered the representations made to him by the Bristol Civic Society concerning the extension of the Filton by-pass substitute, M.5, to the Portway Road, Avonmouth, in order to avoid the increased traffic it will carry between the Midlands and Avonmouth Docks, or the southwest of England, passing through residential areas; and what reply he has sent.

Yes. I have sent the hon. Member a copy of my reply to the Bristol Civic Society. The extension of the M.5 to Avonmouth cannot be put in hand immediately. It depends upon the completion of the statutory processes and on the availability of funds. In the meantime, I am making grants towards some improvements of the local roads.

asked the Minister of Transport how soon it is proposed to widen Rumney Hill, Cardiff, in view of the dangerous conditions arising from an ever increasing flow of traffic, especially at peak hours.

I shall be happy to consider any proposals which the highway authority may make but I can hold out little hope of including them immediately in my road programme. I did, however, issue a grant last month for the provision of traffic signals at the New Road junction with Rumney Hill. These will provide safe crossing periods for pedestrians.

asked the Minister of Transport why there is a difference in the appearance of the hard shoulder on the Doncaster motorway by-pass in the West Riding of Yorkshire and in Nottinghamshire; and if he will take steps to avoid unnecessary changes in future road construction, in view of the need to preserve uniformity in factors likely to affect driver behaviour.

The parts of the bypass lying in the West Riding of Yorkshire and in Nottinghamshire were built under separate contracts, and the difference in the appearance of the hard shoulders is due to the use of different materials for the surface chippings. As the hard shoulders are clearly distinguishable from the main carriageway on both sections, I do not consider this difference of appearance is likely to confuse drivers in any way.

asked the Minister of Transport when it is expected that the Hendon Urban Motorway and its extension to join M.1 will be completed.

I regret that I cannot give a date for completion of this motorway until we have made further progress with the remaining statutory procedures, including the side roads Orders and land acquisition.

asked the Minister of Transport, in view of the traffic improvement provided by the Hammersmith flyover, what proposals he has for speeding up traffic between the centre of London and London Airport by means of improvements east of the flyover, particularly at the Warwick Road and Earls Court Road intersections.

I am considering, with the police, the prohibition of right turns at a number of junctions between Knightsbridge and the flyover. This will enable the traffic signals at those junctions to be re-phased to help traffic along Cromwell Road.In addition, the junctions with Warwick Road and Earls Court Road could be improved by one-way working in this area. I have put proposals for this to the Council of the Royal Borough of Kensington.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will consult local highway authorities with a view to ascertaining the number of highway and traffic engineers employed by them who have full and formal post-graduate training, in order to discover the extent to which substantial expansion of these numbers is required; and if he will publish the information so obtained in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

I doubt if an inquiry on these lines would be very helpful at present. The Institute of Civil Engineers has recently let me have information about the number of traffic engineers employed by the larger local authorities and their probable requirements for the future. I have also had discussions with the universities about their courses in traffic engineering. In the light of this information I propose shortly to pursue with the local authority associations the need for further training and use of traffic engineers.

asked the Minister of Transport what consideration he has given to the need for giving the police statutory control over the timing and routes of motor car and cycle rallies, particularly during the night, so as to avoid disturbance to local residents.

I have nothing at present to add to the Answer I gave on 24th October to my hon. Friend the Member for Winchester (Mr. Smithers), of which I am sending my hon. Friend a copy.

asked the Minister of Transport in how many cases in England and Wales, respectively, he has approved alterations of speed limits from 30 miles per hour to 40 miles per hour; and how many similar alterations are now under consideration.

Since 4th August, 1960, when the new provisions permitting a 30 m.p.h. limit to be raised to 40 m.p.h. came into operation, I have approved 34 cases in England and 2 in Wales. A further 118 cases in England and 4 in Wales are at present under consideration by my Department.

asked the Minister of Transport how many were killed or injured as a result of road accidents in the City of Birmingham during the first ten months of 1960 and 1961, respectively; and how many of these were old people.

During the first ten months of 1961, 4,259 people were killed or injured in road accidents in Birmingham. Of these, 444 were aged 60 or over. During the corresponding period in 1960, there were 3,706 casualties, of whom 433 were aged 60 or over.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware that his proposals with regard to the traffic diversion from Oxford Street have been rejected by the Traffic Committee of the Westminster City Council; and whether he will at this stage receive a deputation from the council as representing the interests of the residents in the neighbourhood.

The Westminster City Council informed me in October of certain criticisms which made it unable to agree with my outline proposals. I am taking these into account in working out detailed proposals. There would be no point at this stage in my meeting the council, which has not in fact asked for a meeting. But when details have been worked out, which I hope will be quite shortly, I shall of course put them to the council and have whatever further discussions with them are necessary.

asked the Minister of Transport whether, before proceeding further with his outline proposals for the diversion of east-bound traffic from Oxford Street to Upper Brook Street, Brook Street and Grosvenor Square, he will now receive early representations on the technical issues involved from those residents who, at their own expense, carried out an investigation on the flow of traffic in the area, and thus avoid a duplication of effort in his Department.

As I have informed the committee of residents who wrote to me, I shall be glad to receive the technical report which I understand the committee has had prepared.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will publish the Report of the Highland Transport Inquiry on Bus Services in the Highlands and Islands.

The Report will be published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office on Friday, 8th December. Copies will be available for hon. Members in the Vote Office on that day.

asked the Minister of Transport what conversations he has had with representatives of local authorities from the Humber area with a view to exploring the possibilities of hovercraft ferries across the river.

The only communication on this subject I have had from local authorities in the Humber area is a letter from the City Engineer, Kingston-upon-Hull, which mentioned the possible future use of hovercraft on ferry services and inquired about the facilities required by them. The City Engineer has been advised to consult Messrs. Hovercraft Development Ltd.

asked the Minister of Transport if, in view of the possibility of the United Kingdom entering the Common Market, he will set up a committee to examine the possibilities of erecting a dam across the Channel which would serve both as a means of transport and as a source of electrical power.

No. I have seen no evidence which would justify setting up such a committee.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he had approved the choice of propelling machinery for the replacement of the "Queen Mary" before the Cunard Company decided, last October, not to proceed with the replacement.

Cunard postponed its decision on the replacement of the "Queen Mary" before I was called upon to approve their choice of main machinery. But I understand that it had chosen turbines of PAMETRADA design.

asked the Minister of Transport what information he has received from the Central Transport Consultative Committee concerning the proposed closing of the Kentish Town-Barking railway line and the effect this would have on the travelling public.

None. The British Transport Commission tells me that it is not considering any proposals for closing this line.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in order to discourage hoarding of copper coins in anticipation of the decimalisation of the penny in relation to the shilling, he will announce that new coins will be struck for the penny and, if desirable, for the halfpenny, and that the old copper coins will be withdrawn after being exchanged at their appropriate value.

I must ask my hon. Friend to await the statement on decimalisation which my right hon. Friend hopes to make before the end of the year.

asked the Postmaster-General whether, in order to discourage excessive purchases of stamps, in denominations of the present penny and halfpenny, in anticipation of the decimalisation of the penny in relation to the shilling, he will announce that new stamps will be issued and that all such present stamps will be made invalid except for exchange at the appropriate value into those in the new issue.

My right hon. Friend cannot anticipate the statement which his right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer has said he hopes to make before the end of the year on the question of decimalising our currency.

asked the President of the Board of Trade why the Purchase Tax concession on certain types of racing cars has been withdrawn; what was the amount of revenue involved; and what steps he is taking to satisfy himself that the withdrawal of the concession will not have adverse long-term effects upon the development of the motor industry and its export trade.

My right hon. Friend considers that the loss of revenue resulting from this exceptional concession is no longer warranted having regard to the need for financial economy on the part of the Government and to the strength of the motor industry. The revenue involved varies from year to year. In the current financial year provision has been made in the Board of Trade Estimates for payments of £50,000. My right hon. Friend has no doubt that the motor industry will support British motor racing if it considers that it would be justified in doing so by the benefits which accrue to the industry from the prestige and technical developments derived from successful motor racing.