asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will give the best up-to-date estimate of the capital cost of the new towns planned so far.

The latest estimate is in the foreword to the Accounts of the New Towns for 1951–52 which, I understand, will be available in the Vote Office on Thursday.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government the average number per month of applications which were made to each of the rent tribunals, which have now been closed, over a period of 12 months prior to the closing of such tribunals, respectively; and the average number of applications made per month since they have been closed to the nearest tribunal now available from the areas which those tribunals covered, respectively.

The answer is as follows:

asked the Minister of Works to what extent the building of houses and other building operations are being retarded by shortage of cement; and what steps are being taken to overcome the shortage and to speed up deliveries.

Although cement deliveries throughout the country have been at a substantially higher level in the first quarter of this year than a year ago, a certain number of complaints have been received from Yorkshire that the progress of building work has been retarded.I have asked the cement producers to do what is possible to increase deliveries to that region still further.

asked the Minister of Works how many roads in Richmond Park are still closed to the public; and when it is proposed to restore the full peace-time facilities in the park.

Apart from a short stretch of road running through Kingston Gate Camp, all roads in the Park are open to the public. This road will be reopened to the public when the Kingston Gate Camp is finally vacated. For the reasons given in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Richmond, Surrey (Sir G. Harvie Watt) on 25th March, 1952, I am also keeping one road running through the centre of the Park from Ham Cross to Sheen Crossroads closed to motor traffic.

asked the Minister of Works how many buildings have been derequisitioned by his Department in Cardiff during the last 12 months.

During the 12 months ending 24th April, 1953, the Ministry of Works derequisitioned in Cardiff 14 buildings, with a total area of 37,665 square feet.

asked the Minister of Works when the work being undertaken by his Department for the Coronation will be concluded.

The preparations will be completed in the early hours of 2nd June.

asked the Minister of Works what arrangements are being made to enable disabled war pensioners to see the Coronation.

By arrangement with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Pensions a number of seats in stands have been offered to Ex-Service organisations for their disabled members. In addition, a number of free chairs on a pavement in front of Buckingham Palace have been reserved for walking disabled war pensioners. Some of the most seriously disabled men will be able to see the Procession from coaches specially placed in Hyde Park.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many prosecutions have taken place since 1945, under the Children and Young Persons (Scotland) Act, 1937, for selling tobacco to young persons under 16 years of age; and in how many cases convictions were obtained.

I regret that the information required is not available, but the number of prosecutions is small. The total number of prosecutions for minor offences under the Children and Young Persons (Scotland) Acts, 1908 to 1937, for each of the years from 1945 to 1951 was 86, 35, 14, 25, 25, 35 and 46 respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he proposes, in administering the ploughing-up grant in the coming year, to avoid the confusion arising from superfluous and changing requirements of form-filling, and to make sure that all farmers who wish to apply for the grant do, in fact, receive the appropriate application form in time.

The requirements of the first ploughing grants scheme were neither superfluous nor changing and the facts suggest that they were generally well understood by farmers. Of rather more than 25,800 applications received from farmers in Scotland, 174, or less than 1 per cent., were rejected because of receipt after the closing date, 31st August, 1952; and of those rejected only five farmers attributed their late application to confusion arising from the requirements of the scheme.As regards the second part of the Question, the closing date for the receipt of applications under the current (No. 2) scheme is 31st July, 1953. Farmers have been advised through the Press how to obtain application forms and these have been sent to all who have applied. Further publicity will be given before the closing date to remind those farmers, who have not already done so, how to obtain and return their application forms.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he proposes to start work on the Badlurach to Scorraig slipways and the approach road from the Badlurach post office to the slipway.

It is hoped that the county council, who are responsible for the execution of this work, will be in a position to make a start in the course of this year.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the total increase in local authorities' educational expenditure resulting directly from the increase in the rate of interest on loans, from June, 1952, until the latest date for which figures are available.

I do not feel justified in asking the education authorities to undertake the work necessary to provide the figures asked for.

asked the Lord Advocate if he will make a statement on the memorandum submitted to him by the Law Society of Scotland in relation to the appointment of the legal adviser to the British Transport Commission in Scotland.

Yes. I have seen the memorandum. The appointment in question is one for which I have no responsibility, and the matter is one in which I have no jurisdiction to intervene.

asked the Minister of Transport if he is aware that many learner-drivers, when undergoing their tests, fail on some minor point; and whether he will consider such cases having their following test free of charge.

No. Learner drivers are not failed in the driving test on a single minor point.

asked the Minister of Transport the proportion of successful applicants to the total number of driving tests made in the three testing areas of Southport, Warrington and Liverpool, respectively, over a recent convenient period, and corresponding percentages for the three areas for applicants submitting to their first test, together with comparable national figures.

I regret that the detailed information required is not available. During the 12 months which ended on 28th March last the percentage of failures in all driving tests throughout the country was 42.9.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he will abolish the option to mark imported eggs "Foreign" or "Empire," and make the marking of the name of the country concerned obligatory when this is required by the Merchandise Marks Act.

My right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade and I are at present consulting the organisations interested regarding the desirability of amending Section 10 (1) of the Merchandise Marks Act, 1926, so as to remove the option referred to by my hon. Friend, in the case of industrial and agricultural products generally.