asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he will now make a statement on the payment of compensation to officers and ratings on Coronation day duty whose uniform and equipment were damaged by rain; and if he will give an assurance that none of these men will be worse off financially for having taken part in this parade.

In view of the large number of persons involved and of the comparatively minor extent of the damage to the various types of uniform worn, it is impracticable to make individual assessments of the damage to clothing of all members of the naval contingent. It is therefore intended to award compensation in the form of a fixed sum to each officer and rating. The sums to be paid are being calculated to ensure that everybody will be reasonably compensated. It will not be necessary for individual claims to be submitted. The necessary instructions will be issued shortly.

That seems a very sensible and decent solution.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether it is possible for a National Service man, anxious to serve but reluctant to kill, to express preference for some non-offensive branch of the Service such as mine-sweeping or medical work; and what steps his Department take to meet such preference wherever possible.

The numbers of National Service men entered into the Royal Navy each year are strictly limited. Most of them are already members of a voluntary Reserve, and have been trained in one branch of the Naval Service. Such cases as are referred to in the Question are therefore unlikely, but if they did arise would be dealt with on their merits.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty (1) if he is aware that candidate No. 435 in the May, 1952, competition for entry into Dartmouth Royal Naval College was shown in the list of results of the written examination as having failed to reach the qualifying standard for interview because he did not secure the minimum pass mark of 45 out of 100 in two out of the four compulsory subjects, namely, elementary mathematics and elementary physics; and why this candidate was nevertheless called for interview and, as a result, subsequently appointed to the Royal Navy;

I must apologise for a rather long reply to the hon. Member's three long Questions, which I will, with permission, answer together.

"A candidate who fails by a narrow margin to reach the qualifying standard in elementary mathematics A or B and/or elementary physics may be regarded as qualified if, in the opinion of the Commissioners, he reaches a satisfactory standard in the corresponding mathematics and/or physics papers in Part II."

I hope that I shall be entitled to three long supplementaries to that long answer. The first question I should like to ask the Parliamentary Secretary is this: Why did he not call candidates 375, 240, 267 and 236 who qualified in these compulsory subjects but were not called for interview; who actually got the pass marks in elementary mathematics and elementary physics? Secondly, why was this decision taken to change the terms under which a boy could be successful in between the time in which this particular candidate was declared unsuccessful and the time when the interviews took place?

I cannot check in the House the numbers of the candidates to which the hon. Member referred, but I will certainly go into that if he will send me the particulars. I would say that these candidates, although they passed in these two subjects, did not obtain the overall pass marks in the whole examination.

Nor did the other fellow.

This candidate did obtain the overall pass mark, and I am really surprised that the hon. Member should raise that point which is the basis of the whole of his argument. With regard to the time, this was the first occasion this had been raised. One has to make a change sometimes and it has been incorporated since. It did not apply only to this boy; it applied to three others. It has been incorporated since in the regulations for this examination. I shall be only too pleased to study the letters to which the hon. Member has referred. I must say that I am really very surprised that the hon. Member, with his Ministerial experience, should have loaded his Questions with imputations, which have received wide publicity, without having taken the trouble to find out the facts.

As there appears to be considerable conflict between the hon. Member for Cardiff, South-East (Mr. Callaghan) and my hon. and gallant Friend, can my hon. and gallant Friend say whether the hon. Member for Cardiff, South-East made any inquiry of the Admiralty to check the facts before putting these allegations on the Order Paper?

No, Sir, but he warned me about his Questions over the weekend.

Might I ask a simple question? Does the hon. and gallant Gentleman deny any of the facts contained in my three Questions? If he does, I will gladly withdraw them. But I should like a specific answer to one question which is causing considerable concern and which has been put in allegations, namely, whether the one boy is the relative of an officer in the Navy. Is this so?

I do not really see what that has got to do with it. The boy's father was a naval officer and was killed in the war.

On a point of order. As there are the usual number of Questions on the Order Paper today which cannot be answered, as this subject has recently been debated in the House and as there was presented to Parliament not long ago the Report of the Select Committee which recommended that only two Questions should be allowed to any one hon. Member at a time, would you in future, Mr. Speaker, be good enough to examine Questions of this kind, which are clearly extremely lengthy and clearly designed to extract a very lengthy answer, with a view to their being disallowed?

I always examine Questions and I do my best to discourage any which involve a long reply. I had in mind all the considerations mentioned by the noble Lord when I called the next Question.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General what steps he is taking to meet the demand for new telephones in Merton and Morden.

Additional exchange equipment and new cables are being provided. The first of these extensions should be ready early next year, and from then on I hope there will be a steady improvement in the rate of providing telephone service in the district.

Can my hon. Friend give some indication about the extent to which new telephones will be supplied?

I hope that early next year cables to provide for about 1,300 applicants will be completed.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General if he is aware that only one of the baillies in the city of Aberdeen is not supplied with a telephone in his private house, details of whose case have been sent him; and how long it will be before he will be supplied with one.

I should very much like to provide the baillie with a telephone at once, but there are over 200 people in the area who applied before him and I could not, in fairness, advance his turn. Conditions are particularly difficult in the area because of heavy arrears of work resulting from the January storm.

Does not the Minister think it particularly invidious and ungenerous for the present party in power, temporarily, to deprive this baillie of a telephone, having regard to the public services and his position in Aberdeen? He is the only baillie without a telephone.

The hon. and learned Gentleman is raising the whole question of the principle at stake in his next Question. Perhaps he will wait until I answer that one.

Is my hon. Friend aware that, at the present rate of progress, he will soon have to set up a special department of the Post Office to deal with the shower of telephone, radio and television amenities descending upon the city of Aberdeen?

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General if he is aware that the principle on which he at present acts in granting new telephones to applicants for them is unsound, because he relies upon priority of application instead of upon service to the community; and if he will alter his procedure accordingly.

If, as the hon. Gentleman suggests, the principle is unsound, it is only fair to remind him that I inherited it. I am, however, satisfied that the general scheme of priority on which the Post Office works takes into consideration the general public interest, and to attempt to assess the claims of each individual applicant outside certain broad categories would be an impossible task.

Would it not be fairer and better to allot telephones upon a points system under which points would be allotted for (a) priority of application and (b) service to the community, instead of allotting them simply for priority of application?

To do that with a waiting list of 400,000 would mean an immense increase in the staff of my Department.

As the hon. Gentleman has enough trouble already with telephone applications, will he take care not to follow too far the advice in this respect of my hon. and learned Friend?

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General if he will now restore the full pre-war facilities on personal calls.

My noble Friend is looking into this.

Does my hon. Friend mean by that that he is prepared to consider trying to restore the full pre-war facilities under which, during the whole of the 24 hours, attempts were made to make personal contact with callers? Failing that, does he at least contemplate some improvement on the present most limited facilities where only two attempts to establish personal contacts are, in fact, made?

That is so. The whole idea of this investigation is to see whether we cannot restore the pre-war facilities, if not wholly, at any rate in part.

Will my hon. Friend, instead of restoring the pre-war facilities, consider imitating what private enterprise does in the United States with regard to personal contacts?

Will the Minister reply to his hon. Friend that telephonic and telegraphic facilities in this country are infinitely superior to those operating in the United States, because he is perfectly ignorant of the matter?

What my hon. Friend meant was whether or not it would be preferable to adopt the American system with regard to personal calls rather than the system we had before the war.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General the average annual profit or loss on a rural telephone kiosk.

There is a loss on rural telephone kiosks averaging approximately £40 per annum.

Can my hon. Friend say how this loss is made up?

My hon. Friend must consider the Post Office accounts as a whole; roughly it may be said that what we lose on the kiosks we make up on the trunks.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General the average cost of installing a telephone for a private subscriber in 1938; and the average cost of installing such a telephone today.

The figures are £40 and £100. These relate to an exclusive line and cover the apparatus at the subscriber's premises, the line to the exchange and the terminal equipment there.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General if, in order to assist the public and motorists in particular, he will have place names painted on all telephone kiosks.

I assume my hon. Friend is referring only to kiosks in rural areas of which there are approximately 19,000. The suggestion is very attractive and the only reason I cannot accept it is one of cost, which is estimated at an average of 50s. per name panel. The Post Office would however be pleased to co-operate with any local authority which was prepared to bear the cost of painting one or more panels on a kiosk.

Will my hon. Friend consider defraying the cost by advertisements in these kiosks, the income from which would offset the rise of wages and other costs in the Post Office?

I think the question of putting names on the kiosks, which is a very practical proposal, is really the responsibility of local authorities, and we should be only too glad to co-operate with local authorities in every possible way.

Is the Minister aware that the fact that these kiosks are lit up at night and would therefore show place names easily to passing motorists would be of enormous advantage to the motoring community? Whilst thanking him for saying he will co-operate with the local authorities and will give facilities for putting names up, may I ask whether he will undertake to get in touch with the Minister of Transport and ask him if he considers such a scheme would be of benefit to his Department?

I can answer that right away by saying that the Minister of Transport thinks it would be of advantage not only to his Department but also to the public. I am very grateful to my hon. Friend for bringing forward this idea.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General whether he is satisfied that the system of allocating telephones in the Woodseats area of Sheffield is fair and equitable; and whether he will institute an inquiry to see that those with the longest applications are dealt with in proper order.

Yes, Sir; the system which has been in force for some years has worked well to deal with the shortages, and I have no reason to suppose that it has broken down in the Woodseats area. If, however, my hon. Friend has any evidence to the contrary, I shall be pleased to make a general inquiry.

On a point of order. I should like to seek your advice, Mr. Speaker, as to whether it is proposed that the Assistant Postmaster-General shall answer Question No. 31 in view of its importance in regard to matters affecting Defence?

The hon. and gallant Member who put down the Question is not here. I have had no request to that effect.

Is my hon. Friend aware that there is a good deal of disquiet—I will give him letters bearing this out—and will he not agree that the main trouble is the lack of material for cables in this area, and can he give us some hope that after seven years of waiting he will be able to release the necessary material in order to make this service more satisfactory?

Yes, I can give my hon. Friend a reassuring reply on that last point. An underground relief scheme for cables has already been started and we hope it will be finished within the next 12 months.

Will the Minister be fair with this House and tell the hon. Member concerned that it is impossible to meet the requirements and the demands until the Chancellor of the Exchequer gives a higher allocation to the Post Office?

That applies to most Departments; almost any Department would say they could do with more money.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General to ensure that no medical consultant will have to share his telephone with another subscriber.

Medical consultants are always given exclusive service at their surgeries or consulting rooms, but all doctors are liable to share the telephone lines to their private houses if they do not practise there. This arrangement has applied since January, 1948, to all new and removing residential subscribers.

But is the Minister not aware from information which I have already given him that it may lead to serious difficulties if the other subscriber should be using the telephone at the time when the hospital wishes to get into touch with the consultant about some important case? Is he not also aware that it is of the greatest importance that a consultant's discussions with anyone in the hospital should be absolutely private?

If the hon. Lady is referring to the case about which she wrote to me, I must remind her that we take every care to see that when doctors are asked to share lines we try to find them a suitable person with whom to share, and in this particular case the doctor concerned is sharing a line with a lock-up shop which shuts down at half-past five in the evening and does not open until nine in the morning. Therefore the hours in which he is presumably not at the hospital he has virtually an exclusive service.

Would the hon. Gentleman note that this lock-up shop opens at nine o'clock to allow the proprietor to do the books, etc., and would the hon. Gentleman not consider giving a private line to a consultant who is in charge of three of the wards of a 2,000 bed hospital, and who must live within seven minutes of those wards?

What I should very much like to do would be to do away with compulsory sharing altogether, but the fact is that if I extend the categories of private lines it simply means that some people who want to go on the telephone will not do so. If, in the particular case the hon. Lady mentions, she cares to send me evidence about the use of the telephone at night by the lock-up shop, I shall be delighted to look into it.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that in Scotland the usual practice is for a practitioner to have no private life at all, that he places himself at the disposal of his patients night and day, and that it is quite inappropriate that people should have to talk to a doctor about their private affairs when somebody may be listening in?

Yes, but as I have explained to the House, if the doctor uses his house as a consulting room, he is given an exclusive service.

But is the hon. Gentleman aware that even though doctors have consulting rooms they still allow their house to be used in addition for the ordinary purposes of practice?

But as I have explained to the hon. Lady who asked the Question, we have given this doctor a subscriber to share with who is not normally in the shop after half-past five at night.

Since the replies given by the Minister are so unsatisfactory, I shall do my best to raise this matter on the Adjournment as soon as possible.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General to give figures to show how the number of new telephones installed in Scotland during the first six months of 1953 compares with the number installed during the first six months of 1952; and how the number of applications now outstanding compares with the number at this time last year.

12,658 telephones were installed in the first six months of this year compared with 12,764 in the first half of 1952. 39,450 applications are at present outstanding compared with 43,353 a year ago.

Is my hon. Friend satisfied that these figures really show that he is overtaking the problem with which he is faced?

There has been a welcome reduction in the waiting list and there would have been a still larger reduction but for the repair of storm damage at the beginning of the year. I hope the steps we are now taking will ensure an even quicker overtaking of the waiting list.

Arising out of my hon. Friend's reply to this Question and to a previous Question, may I ask whether it is the case that each of these telephones installed in Scotland costs £100?

That is the average taking the country as a whole. In the more isolated rural areas in England and in Scotland, of course, the average would be higher.

Can my hon. Friend say whether the English arrears are being caught up as quickly as the Scottish arrears and if the Scots are getting favoured treatment?

I think that is a question my hon. Friend had better put down.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General why priority in regard to television stations has been given to Aberdeen, Belfast, the Isle of Wight, Plymouth, Pontop Pike, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man, in preference to Norfolk and Suffolk and other parts of East Anglia which are out of effective range of any existing transmitter.

The five main stations named were included in a 10 station plan put before Parliament in 1949 and the first task of the British Broadcasting Corporation must be to complete this plan. Stations in the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man have been authorised because of the special constitutional position of these Islands.

Will my hon. Friend bear in mind that the people of East Anglia have shown commendable restraint in pressing their claim, and, because of that, we ought to have our reward in due season? In other words, will my hon. Friend give very satisfactory replies to the next two Questions?

My hon. and gallant Friend must wait until I answer the next two Questions.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that Norfolk and Suffolk have a population of well over 1 million and that there is a great deal of dissatisfaction about the present situation? Will he bear this in mind and ensure that we get very high priority for the next station?

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General (1) if he will give an assurance that when the situation of the next series of television stations is decided on, the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk will be adequately provided for;

It is too early to say when the next stage of the B.B.C.'s television development programme will be started, but my hon. and gallant Friend will be pleased to hear that when that happens, East Anglia will be given priority.

While I much appreciate that information, might I ask my hon. Friend if he can give us any indication at all when it will be possible to start the television station to serve East Anglia?

The B.B.C. must first get on with their present new programme, but if my hon. and gallant Friend cares to ask me a further Question about progress later in the year I may be able to give him some indication.

Can the hon. Gentleman give the House any reason why East Anglia should have priority over nine other areas for which there is apparently no television provision in sight? Is the Postmaster-General holding back two frequencies which are available and are intended to be used for commercial television?

I am afraid that the right hon. Gentleman has not understood the Television Advisory Committee's Report if he makes that suggestion. The reason why television priority is being given to East Anglia is that it happens to be the largest single concentration of population not already provided with television.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General whether he is aware that the Sports Television Advisory Committee has not met for more than 18 months; that hon. Members who are interested cannot obtain a reply either from his Department or from the Chairman of the Committee; and if he will, therefore, make a statement concerning the future of this committee.

The Committee's task was to ascertain the direct and indirect effects of televising sports events, but in an interim report they stated that these effects could not be accurately assessed for a long time. My noble Friend has accordingly decided with the agreement of the Chairman, Lord Beatty, to wind up the Committee; and he has asked me to express publicly on his behalf, and I am sure equally on behalf of his predecessor in office, his gratitude and appreciation of the valuable work this Committee has done. I should like to add that the British Broadcasting Corporation has been in close consultation with the sporting interests, and we feel this is the best way of dealing with the problem of showing more sport on television.

Is the Assistant Postmaster-General aware of the very grave discourtesy with which this Government have treated this Committee? Is he aware that, from 1st July of last year, I and my hon. Friends have tried without any success to get an answer from him or the Chairman of the Committee, and does he not think a Government Committee should have been informed within 12 months whether or not their services were required?

There was certainly no intention of discourtesy to the hon. Lady or to any other member of the Committee, but there was an interim report put in and we felt that, as in the meanwhile negotiations have been going on between the B.B.C. and the specific interests concerned, the cause in no way suffered.

May I associate myself with the gratitude expressed by the Assistant Postmaster-General to the members of this Committee for what they have done? It was due to them that the sports ban was broken, and I think they ought to have credit for it. May I also ask whether the Assistant Postmaster-General thinks that it is expressing gratitude to keep this Committee waiting for 12 months for a reply from his Department?

No discourtesy whatever was intended, and, as I have already indicated to the House, negotiations with the B.B.C. and the sporting interests have been going on satisfactorily in the meanwhile.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General if, in the selection of a site for television at Aberdeen, he will arrange for it to be so sited on high ground that favourable reception will be obtainable on the north coast of the Moray Firth.

I would refer my hon. Friend to my reply to the hon. and learned Member for Aberdeen, North (Mr. Hector Hughes) on 1st July. The B.B.C. has selected a site on high ground and in a location that will enable the television station to serve as many people as possible.

That answer does not indicate whether the north coast of the Moray Firth will be served. Can my hon. Friend assure the House that that will be the case and that the highest site has been chosen for television in this area?

On the information at present available from the B.B.C. they do not think that the north coast of the Moray Firth will be within the coverage area.

Does my hon. Friend realise that the main justification for a monopoly such as the B.B.C. is to give universal service and that there will be resentment in Scotland if the Highland area, which is regarded with great affection there, is cut out without every effort being made to overcome the difficulties?

I can understand hon. Members who represent constituencies which are outside the coverage area feeling resentment, but I must point out to the House today, as I did last week, that there are certain parts of the United Kingdom—incidentally very small parts—which can only be served at a cost quite disproportionate to what this country can conceivably afford.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that it is not the B.B.C. monopoly which prevents coverage but the limits placed by the Government on capital investment?

It is not so much that, but it is a question of whether this country would be justified, at a most disproportionate cost, in providing television for certain outlying parts of the country.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General when Her Majesty's Government propose to come to a decision on the allocation of broadcasting frequencies in Band III.

This matter will not be decided until Parliament has had an opportunity of considering the questions referred to in the Lord Privy Seal's statement on 2nd July.

Has any undertaking been given to the B.B.C. that they will have first priority in this band?

No understanding as such has been given.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General what licensees stand in the way of making a third channel available for television broadcasting in Band III.

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to the right hon. Member for Caerphilly (Mr. Ness Edwards) on 15th July.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General the main centres of population for which commercial television licences have been applied; and the number of applications for each main centre of population.

London 19 applications; Birmingham 14; South Lancashire 14; Central Scotland 11; the Bristol-Cardiff area 11; and applications for 26 stations outside these main centres.

Will my hon. Friend publish the names?

This matter has already been brought up, and until firm applications are asked for, the Government are not prepared to publish the names.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General what answers he is giving to applicants for commercial television licences now that the first Report of the Television Advisory Committee has been published.

The same answer as before, namely, that no information can yet be given about the date or the terms and conditions on which competitive television would be permitted to operate.

In fairness to these applicants for commercial television licences, in view of the technical difficulties revealed by this Committee, and in view of the mounting opposition to commercial television, will the hon. Gentleman not make it clear that commercial television in this country is as dead as the dodo and buried for all time?

I think the hon. Gentleman is most unwise to make any such assumption, and so are the people who have made applications. They, like the House of Commons, must await the publication of the Government White Paper in the autumn.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General if he will make available a complete schedule of frequency allocations in both the very high frequency and ultra high frequency spectrums.

The international allocations of frequencies in the very high frequency and ultra high frequency parts of the radio spectrum are published in the Atlantic City Radio Regulations (1947). I will send the hon. Member a copy of this document for reference.

Yes, but is the hon. Gentleman aware that that is not what the Question was asking for? The Question asked that a list of frequencies and their allocation should be made available to all hon. Members of the House of Commons because it is impossible to discuss the Report of the Television Advisory Committee unless the House of Commons has that information which, up to now, has not been given?

I am sorry if I have not understood the import of the Question, but if the hon. Gentleman cares to put it down again next week in a different form, I will try to give him the information for which he asks.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that the document to which he refers lists certain bands reserved exclusively for television broadcasting, and that in the case of Band III it states that in the United Kingdom this band is also allocated for fixed services? Is he further aware that his predecessor apparently completely disregarded the international agreement and licensed many mobile services in spite of the signature of the Chief Engineer of the Post Office on that international undertaking?

There is another Question on that point down on the Order Paper, and perhaps I had better deal with it when it is reached.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General when he expects the third transmitter of the British Broadcasting Corporation's station at Redruth to be in operation.

The B.B.C. expect to have the transmitter working by the winter.

Will the Assistant Postmaster-General request the B.B.C. to get this transmitter going by October, at least, because we have been suffering from bad Home reception at Redruth and in West Cornwall generally for a long time?

I am sure that the B.B.C. will take good note of what the hon. Member has said.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General what quality of reception viewers in different areas of Cornwall may expect to get if the proposal of the British Broadcasting Corporation for a television station on North Hessary Tor is approved; what are the boundaries of those areas; and what are their approximate populations.

Tests have shown that first-class reception should be available to about 570,000 people in an area of Devon and Cornwall including St. Austell, Launceston, Holsworthy, Plymouth, Totnes and Torquay. Generally satisfactory reception would be available to a further 730,000 people over the whole of the remainder of these counties, except for some parts of North-East Devon already served by the Wenvoe station and a very small area at Land's End.

Will the Assistant Postmaster-General bear in mind that according to the figures he has given, the greater part of the population of Cornwall will get either second-class reception or no reception? Will he ask the B.B.C. whether they were frightened off making tests at Hensbarrow Beacon, in the St. Austell district, because commercial television interests are reputed to have acquired interests there?

My experience is that when the B.B.C. use the term "generally satisfactory reception," it does not mean second-class.

Is it not a fact that west of a fine drawn approximately through St. Austell, the county gets very bad reception? Has consideration been given to an alternative site for North Hessary Tor, with beaming up the country instead of beaming down, as the reception might be a great deal better?

I think consideration is being given to alternatives to North Hessary Tor.

Notwithstanding the remarks of my hon. Friend, will the Minister as soon as possible get on with the completion of a broadcasting station at North Hessary Tor on the ground that we have been waiting for a very long time for any service at all?

The Post Office have not yet had any application from the B.B.C. for permission to buy a site at North Hessary Tor.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General to what extent the Isle of Man received a satisfactory television service of the Coronation on a one kilowatt transmitter; and whether this equipment is still being used.

I have no information about the quality or extent of any television reception in the Isle of Man during the Coronation period. No licence has been issued by the Post Office for a television station to serve the Isle of Man, and I am informed that no such transmitter is in operation at the present time.

Is it not a fact that satisfactory television reception during the Coronation period was received over a considerable area of the Isle of Man due to the enterprise of a private operator? Would such a booster service be suitable in other areas, particularly the North-East of Scotland, until the full service is available?

No. I am afraid that the analogy between conditions in the Isle of Man and at Aberdeen does not help my noble Friend.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General whether, in view of the fact that television has been received in Inverness and even in Shetland, he will strengthen the power of the existing and proposed stations to cover the whole Highland area.

I understand that strengthening the power of the existing and proposed stations would not solve this very difficult problem of serving the Highland area.

Is it not clear from the fact that television has been received in Inverness and Shetland and in many places in the Western Highlands that perhaps more could be achieved by strengthening the power than has originally been supposed? Will my hon. Friend also bear in mind that the providing of this facility may prove a very potent factor in retaining population in the Highlands?

My noble Friend must not take freak reception as normal reception. Programmes from Alexandra Palace have in fact been received in South Africa. The difficulty in the Highlands is that it is an exceedingly mountainous area and the mere strengthening of power of a station would not serve to give reception in the valleys.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General (1) whether he is now in a position to announce the result of his consideration of outstanding claims for recognition by Post Office associations;

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General whether he is now in a position to announce a decision with regard to the question of the recognition of the Engineering Officers (Telecommunications) Association.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General whether he will make a statement concerning the recognition of the Engineering Officers (Telecommunications) Association.

I would refer the hon. Gentlemen to my answer to a Question by the hon. Member for Rugby (Mr. J. Johnson) on 15th July.

Having regard to the proximity of the Recess, can the hon. Gentleman indicate when a statement will be made? Secondly, in the case of an association such as that mentioned in my Question, which would appear to have had a very strong claim for recognition for a number of years, and whose claim has been supported so outspokenly by Members of Her Majesty's Government, does it not seem hard that they should be kept in suspense so long? Should they not be told as quickly as possible whether or not justice is to be done?

In reply to the hon. Gentleman's first point, in my answer to the hon. Member for Rugby I said that my noble Friend hoped to make a statement very soon. For this purpose "very soon" means, I hope, next week. Perhaps the hon. Gentleman will wait until he gets the answer to this point before I comment on the second matter which he raised.

Is my hon. Friend aware that a year ago the Postmaster-General said that a decision would be announced within six months, and so it is now six months overdue and many of us are getting very impatient? Is he also aware that, after this long delay, the answer had better be favourable, because many hon. Members on these benches are pledged to ensure that these people receive recognition and the Government will have a very uncomfortable time if they do not?

With regard to the question of delay, as my hon. and learned Friend is aware, this is a matter concerning trade unions generally and what we have been trying to do is to get an amicable settlement rather than to call upon the head of the Department to impose a settlement, and I consider that ample justification for the delay.

Ought not the hon. Gentleman's hon. Friends to give him time, especially as a vote of censure was put down against me for taking exactly the same attitude that the hon. Gentleman is now taking?

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General the average number of days taken by the Post Office to return savings certificates for cash.

Four working days for ordinary cases and five days for the more complicated ones.

Does that mean that it would be normal to take 10 days between the application and the receipt of the cash?

That would be most abnormal, but if the hon. Lady has a particular case in mind and will be good enough to send it to me, I shall be delighted to have it investigated.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General the total number of letters and parcels passed over to the Northern Ireland Government censors in the Belfast Post Office for the half year ending June last; and how far his officials are present at the opening and closing of the letters in order to check the enclosures.

I would refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave to his Questions on 27th February and 2nd April, 1952, and 15th July, 1953, to which I have nothing to add.

Does the hon. Gentleman not realise that there is great public anxiety at the way he has been abrogating his functions to an unnamed individual in the Belfast Post Office, that money enclosures have been extracted from some of these letters, and that the Post Office officials have been prosecuted in the courts? Is the hon. Gentleman not prepared to ask the Northern Ireland Government to bring these iron curtain methods to an end now?

The hon. Member should read again the answers I have given him to these Questions, and I trust that they will give him satisfaction.

Are the four temporary officers on the payroll of the hon. Gentleman's Department? Is it the fact that these four temporary officers made no declaration of secrecy, and is the hon. Gentleman aware that information which has passed through the censorship of the four individuals concerned has obtained publicity in certain quarters?

The hon. Gentleman is now asking me something which has nothing whatever to do with the Question on the Order Paper.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General the number of employees of the Technical Officer grade employed by his Department at the latest date in 1953 for which this information is available.

Fourteen thousand, three hundred and sixty-six at 1st July, 1953.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General to what proportion of understamped letters for abroad bearing on the cover the name and address of the sender, the Post Office now affixes the necessary extra stamps; and to what extent the sender sends the cost of these on application.

Precise information is not available, but it is estimated that the Post Office is adding extra stamps to over one third of the underpaid letters for European and other destinations to which my hon. Friend refers. Over 90 per cent. of the senders refund the cost of the stamps affixed on their behalf.

Would my hon. Friend consider drawing the attention of chambers of commerce to the advantages of this system to business firms with careless office boys, and would he suggest to them that all firms should print their name and address on the cover—a practice which has other advantages?

It would be a great advantage from the Post Office point of view if everybody put their name on the cover of the envelope. There has been a considerable propaganda campaign, and I should be grateful for any help that chambers of commerce or other trading bodies can give us.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air what progress has been made in equipping the Royal Air Force with helicopters; how many of this type of aircraft are now in service; and what will be the major delivery for future machines.

We have started forming helicopter squadrons for search and rescue duties in Fighter and Coastal Commands. A squadron of Royal Air Force helicopters is already employed on casualty evacuation duties in the Far East. We also intend to begin forming a flight of search and rescue helicopters in the Middle East Air Force later this year. Other Royal Air Force helicopters are employed on air observation posts duties in co-operation with the Army. In all about 20 helicopters are at present in service with squadrons and they are coming forward in increasing numbers.

Can my hon. Friend say how many helicopters go to one squadron? Will he bear in mind that the Fleet Air Arm almost cornered the helicopter market and see that the Air Force get their fair share?

The answer to the first part of the supplementary question is eight. On the second part, I am well aware of the points made by my hon. and gallant Friend.

Can the hon. Gentleman say whether the Royal Air Force have yet decided to buy any of the bigger machines?

No, Sir. No decision has yet been taken on that and we must bear in mind that the amount of money available to the Air Force as a whole is limited. Any helicopters we buy must be bought at the expense of something else.

Before my hon. Friend starts depriving the Royal Navy of its helicopters, will he make sure that the Royal Navy get something decent in exchange?

Will the hon. Gentleman say how it is possible to corner a helicopter?

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air whether he will make a statement on the return, by the Royal Air Force, of B.29's, Washingtons, to the United States Air Force, and their replacement by Canberras.

Washington aircraft were supplied under the Mutual Defence Assistance programme at a time when the only British bomber available was the Lincoln. During the next 18 months all our Washington bomber squadrons will be re-equipped with Canberras and the Washingtons are being returned to the United States as they become available.

Does the reply indicate that the Canberra is to be reclassified as a medium bomber, or that the medium bomber squadrons of Bomber Command are to be restricted to Lincolns?

It certainly does not mean that the Canberra is to be reclassified as a medium bomber. All it means is that squadrons at present equipped with Washingtons will become light bomber squadrons.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air if he will make a statement on the recent transfer of the command of certain Royal Air Force units stationed on the Continent.

There has been no change in the command of Royal Air Force units on the Continent which remain, together with Belgian and Dutch Squadrons, as part of the Second Allied Tactical Air Force under the command of Air Chief Marshal Sir Robert Foster.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air what action has been taken to stop low and dangerous flying by Royal Air Force planes over the Dart-ford district, with particular reference to the incident on 25th June, details of which have been supplied by the hon. Member for Dartford.

Aircraft are normally forbidden to fly low over built-up areas. These particular flights took place during a special air defence exercise over South. Eastern England. Such exercises are a vital part of the training of our fighter defences against enemy attacks which might be made at any level at any time of the day. I greatly regret the disturbance to civilians, which we avoid wherever possible, but notice of this exercise was given in advance to the police and to the local Press.

Does not the hon. Gentleman appreciate that on this occasion it was 10 minutes to nine at night, that the aeroplanes came in at a high altitude over the country and then dived almost to roof level over a built-up area? Will he bear in mind that this district was known as "bomb alley," where the people had years of bombing during the war, and that it is useless going into another war with the nerves of the people wrecked? The local people think this was a very bad example, and the children are terrified.

In answer to the first part of the question, I can say that I have looked into that point. The Royal Observer Corps must be exercised and they cannot get away from their day's work until after working hours. Also we must train our pilots to practise interceptions in all positions of the sun. As regards the second part of the question, it is precisely because Dartford is a vulnerable port that we must give our pilots training in defending it.