asked the Assistant Postmaster-General whether he is aware that it is difficult and almost impossible to obtain an audible transmission of the Third Programme in the Oldham area; by what date it is anticipated that an adequate reception will be possible; and how far this will involve modification of existing receiving sets.

I know there are difficulties, but the B.B.C. advises me that the aerial at the Daventry station was modified in August, and that this should have brought some improvement. With medium wavelengths nothing more is possible, but the new V.H.F. station at Holme Moss should give good reception. This station is included in the Corporation's first list, and is expected to open towards the end of 1956. Adaptors will be needed for existing sets.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that this is the sort of answer that has been given for years, and until Lord Kemsley and Lord Rothermere take over Oldham's culture under the T.V. scheme the people of Oldham will pay the same amount for their annual licences as the people in London?

As I have explained to the House on more than one occasion, no improvement is possible on the medium wavelength, and that is one of the main reasons inducing the Government to sanction the V.H.F. programme which the B.B.C. is putting forward.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General whether he is aware that there are grounds for believing that when regular television broadcasts from the new Isle of Wight station are initiated, reception in the Brighton and Hove district will not be satisfactory unless the Truleigh Hill booster is maintained; and whether he will ensure that the booster is retained until satisfactory reception without it can be ensured.

This matter is primarily a question for the B.B.C., but my noble Friend is in communication with them on the subject.

Does my hon. Friend realise that there are many people in this district who will get no reception whatever under the new arrangement, that it is not solely a matter for the B.B.C. but that there is a great moral responsibility on the part of his Department and the B.B.C., inasmuch as that when this station was instituted there was an undertaking that it would remain in position until the Isle of Wight station was in full production; that on the strength of that undertaking large numbers of people have bought sets and paid licence fees, and that, therefore, the Post Office is under an obligation to maintain the service until the Isle of Wight station comes into production?

I fully appreciate the fact that there is considerable concern locally, but we had better await the discussions which we are having with the B.B.C. on this subject.

As some of us have pestered the Minister about this station for a long time, may I ask him if he is aware that Hampshire folk of all political parties are grateful for the new Isle of Wight station, which will bring good television to Hampshire for the first time?

Would it be possible for Sussex Members of Parliament, who are very much involved in this matter, to meet both the Assistant Postmaster-General and B.B.C. representatives at an early date and, until some final decision is reached, would it also be possible for the removal of the Truleigh Hill booster to be postponed?

I should be delighted to arrange a deputation if the hon. Gentleman and his friends would like it. As to the last point, I will at once pass that suggestion to the B.B.C.

Is the hon. Member aware that, if there is either ability or willingness on the part of the B.B.C., the Truleigh Hill booster could be retained to operate on a staggered frequency, on the same basis as on the Continent and in America, and will he pursue that aspect of the matter with his noble Friend?

We had better wait until we have had the deputation to my noble Friend and the B.B.C., when all those points can be put forward.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General how soon the new television station to serve the central part of Norfolk will be ready to operate.

February, 1955.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General what discussions he has had with the British Broadcasting Corporation regarding the allocation of wavelengths for a second British Broadcasting Corporation television programme.

My noble Friend is aware of the plans for a second B.B.C. television programme in their 10-year development plan of 1953, but in view of the technical and other considerations involved it is unlikely that a decision will be reached for some time.

But would the Minister agree that the B.B.C.'s standards of political impartiality are at least as high as those of the "Daily Mail" and the "Evening News," and that its standards of taste are no lower than those of the "Sunday Dispatch" and "Weekend Mail"? Will he give some encouragement to the B.B.C. in future, instead of merely to the Tory Press barons he has put in charge?

The hon. Gentleman has made a statement which has given him much pleasure. I have no further answer to give the House than the one I have already given.

As a second wavelength is not to be provided for some time, is the Postmaster-General trying to preserve a monopoly for the Rothermere Press for the next General Election?

The B.B.C. has been informed that its 10-year development programme is under consideration, and as soon as a decision has been reached about whether or not it will have a second programme the necessary decision about wavelengths will be given.

Can the hon. Gentleman say whether the decision to allow the I.T.A. to use the masts of the B.B.C. is likely to retard the opportunities of the B.B.C. for a second programme?

I gather not at all. It is purely a friendly arrangement between the B.B.C. and the I.T.A.

Has not the whole of the Government's case upon this matter rested on the argument that there should be alternative television programmes? Are we now to understand that the Government are forbidding the B.B.C. to have an alternate television programme for the time being? Are thay holding up the B.B.C. in order that they may give preference to their friends, the Kemsley Press and the "Daily Mail"?

If the right hon. Gentleman will read the 10-year development programme he will see that the B.B.C. does not expect to be in a position to start its second programme before 1957.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General whether he is aware that an important all-night garage in Oldham is still unable to obtain a full telephone service, owing to the economy cuts made in Post Office development expenditure; and whether he will now take the necessary steps towards maintaining adequate telephone development services.

The garage, which already has shared service, will be given an exclusive line when new cables can be laid, but this cannot be done for some time. I can assure the hon. Gentleman that whilst the Post Office, like other organisations, has not obtained all the capital it would wish, there has been no cut: on the contrary, the investment for telephone development has risen from £41 million in 1950–51 to over £79 million in 1955–56. Our first priority must be to give service where none at all exists at present.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that I am getting more complaints now from Oldham than any time since I have been a Member of the House? [Laughter.] I am much obliged; they are not about me but about the Government, and, in particular, complaints about the Post Office and the Assistant Postmaster-General. Is he aware that only this week I had from a main street of Oldham, Huddersfield Road, a complaint about the absence of telephone facilities? What is the hon. Gentleman doing about it, and will he bear in mind that the fate that awaits Ministers who do not stand up to the Chancellor of the Exchequer has been evidenced in the last week or so?

I think we have stood up to the Chancellor of the Exchequer—if that is the right word—with some success because we have got our allocation nearly doubled within the past five years. There has been an extraordinary rise in demand, and I think the House will be interested to know that the rise in demand in the past year has been no less than 70,000.

Is not the hon. Gentleman rather complacent, and is it not a fact that the telephone demand is going up and up, and that the allocation of capital is still not adequate to meet the demand? Will he press the Treasury to release the Post Office from these restrictions?

I can assure the right hon. Gentleman that I am not in the least complacent, and I should be delighted to spend more money, if more were available.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General what progress has been made in producing a coin box of a new design which will accept threepenny pieces.

Work is being done on the design of a new coin box having, among other features, a slot for threepenny pieces, but it will be a considerable time before a new box can be introduced into general use.

Will the hon. Gentleman appreciate that this would be a most welcome innovation, and will he do his utmost to get these boxes in full circulation at the earliest possible moment?

Yes, I am as keen as is the hon. Gentleman, because it would help the Post Office considerably in collecting money, but I must warn the House that it would cost approximately £350,000 to adapt the existing boxes.

Can my hon. Friend tell me whether among the new features there will be a time-limit switch, or must we continue to stand outside call boxes while marathon calls are going on?

There is no suggestion of time switches being in the new boxes.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General if he is aware of the need for telephone kiosks on the St. John's Housing Estate, Huyton, Lancashire, which has been before the Post Office authorities for over two years; and whether he will now take steps to make the necessary installations.

There are two kiosks on the borders of this estate and three more are planned. Negotiations for two sites are in hand and work will be started as soon as the necessary consents are received. The other kiosk will be installed in Tennyson Road when the houses in that area have been built.

Will the hon. Gentleman say why there has been all this delay, and whether the fault lies with the Post Office or with some earlier delays on the part of the local council? He said that consents have to be obtained, but from whom, and what has caused the delay?

Consents have to be obtained for wayleaves. So far as I am aware, there has been no undue delay on the part of the Post Office.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General what progress is being made in installing telephone kiosks in the new housing scheme in the Drumchapel area of Scotstoun.

Five kiosks are working on the new estate and four more will be provided within the next three months. A further five, making 14 in all, will be added as building progresses.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General if he is aware that the sums of money which have been allocated in the current year to the county of Ross and Cromarty to meet the cost of installing telephone kiosks are inadequate; and whether he will increase the present allocation.

Three kiosks are being provided this year, of which one alone will cost £1,200: we are also replacing 23 telephones inside post offices by outside kiosks, in order to give a 24-hour service. We are already spending more than the allocation for Ross and Cromarty, and I regret that it cannot be further increased this year.

Whilst thanking the Minister for that reply, may I ask if he realises that it is the cumulative effect of the lack of such amenities which is causing a very serious depopulation of the Highlands at present; and that if we encourage more people to go there it will not cost so much to put telephone kiosks there? Will he do all in his power to see that these provisions, which have been increased, are given to the people of the Highlands?

I fully appreciate the point made by my hon. Friend, but I have to remind him that we have to take costs into consideration and, whereas in this particular case a single kiosk costs £1,200, the average for rural kiosks in the country is only £210.

If the allocation is being exceeded in that part of the country, why cannot the allocation for Anglesey be exceeded?

It so happened that the amount of money spent in Ross and Cromarty slightly exceeded the allocation, but I was trying to impress on my hon. Friend that the district is not being badly treated.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General the number of applicants now waiting for telephones in Anglesey and, of these, how many have been waiting for over three years.

Three hundred and seventy-six applications are outstanding, excluding 102 in the course of being met or under inquiry. Seventy-seven have been waiting more than three years. Nearly 400 lines have been connected in Anglesey in the past 12 months.

Is the Minister aware that the position is very unsatisfactory, and that his officials are saying that telephones cannot be installed in many areas of Anglesey for a considerable time because of the lack of suitable cable? Can he say whether this is due to a general shortage of cable in the country or to a lack of capital investment?

It is probably due to the fact that Anglesey is a very scattered county and, therefore, that it costs far more in labour and in money to install a telephone in that part of Wales. I would remind the hon. Gentleman that the position is now 141 better than it was when he last asked me about it.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General if he is aware that a telephone is a tool of the trade for journalists on daily newspapers who represent outlying districts; and if he will arrange for them to be given a high priority for installation.

We are anxious that journalists should be provided with telephones, and we are giving them a measure of priority.

Does not the hon. Gentleman recall a case which I brought to his notice quite recently in which a journalist had been told that he would have to wait until August? Does the hon. Gentleman not know that buildings are being put up in which telephones are being installed before business people go in? Does he not know that a "bookie," or commission agent as no doubt he would politely call him, has sometimes a dozen telephones on his desk, and that a journalist, to whom a telephone is essential, has his job jeopardised by not having a telephone?

As a result of the representations made by the hon. Member in this case, I have gone into the whole matter of priorities. That is why I gave him the reply which I have just given.

Does the hon. Gentleman mean by that reply that the odds are 12 to one on the bookie?

Does the definition of a journalist include one who works on a weekly or a Sunday newspaper as well as one who works on a daily paper?

Yes, Sir. We are including those as well as free-lance journalists.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General when his Department will be able to accept applications for telephones at Mid-Calder, Midlothian.

We are of course accepting applications all the time, and there were 11 people connected during the past 12 months. The exchange will be enlarged in the New Year and more cable schemes have been planned. I anticipate this will enable us to connect more people next year.

Will the Minister examine this position very closely and try to get a high priority for this area?

Yes, Sir, I will certainly do the best for the hon. Gentleman that I can.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General if he is aware of the lack of adequate post office facilities, including telephone kiosks, in the new housing estate at Kirkby, near Liverpool; and what steps he is taking in the matter.

Building has started on a new Crown post office on the Southdene unit which it is hoped to open by the end of next year. Two more letter boxes and three more telephone kiosks will be provided very shortly and others will be added as building on the estate proceeds.

Whilst thanking the hon. Gentleman for that answer, may I ask whether he realises the great inconvenience under which urgent calls have to be made, particularly those involving medical services in emergencies?

I fully realise that, but we are in communication with the Liverpool Council with regard to the possibility of opening a temporary office even before the time mentioned in my answer.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General why there was a 20-minute delay between the outbreak of fire at Mount Pleasant and the call to the London Fire Brigade on 5th October.

Twenty minutes elapsed between the first discovery of the fire and the alarm being given to the fire station at Clerkenwell, but there was no delay in tackling the fire by the Post Office trained fire fighting squad. My noble Friend is still not entirely satisfied that there was no undue delay in summoning the fire brigade when the fire appeared to be beyond the control of the fire fighting squad, and investigations are still proceeding on this point.

Will the hon. Gentleman, whom I thank for that reply, ensure that instructions are immediately issued that when a serious fire like this occurs, which could cause considerable damage, the fire brigade is called at once?

I do not think there is anything wrong about the instructions, which were there already, but what we are not quite sure about is whether they were carried out.

Can the Minister say that any delay was not the fault of the fire brigade, and that it got there as soon as possible after receiving the call?

Yes, the fire brigade was on the spot within a minute or two.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General what progress has been made in tracing or tracking those concerned in the robbery of the registered mail van which occurred on 23rd May, 1952.

I am informed that police inquiries are continuing.

Will the hon. Gentleman state the amount of money that is involved, and whether a motor car containing a very large sum of money was found after being abandoned by bandits?

The hon. Lady is asking a question which is not on the Order Paper.

If I put a Question on the Order Paper, will the hon. Gentleman answer it?

I can give the answer now. Approximately £250,000 was involved and I believe that there was a case of some money found abandoned in another car.

In view of the many statements that have appeared quite recently on this robbery, does not the hon. Gentleman think that it is about time his noble Friend made a new, up-to-date statement?

I will put that point to my noble Friend, but I must point out that inquiries into this matter are almost entirely in the hands of the police, and, therefore, any further Questions about it, strictly speaking, should be addressed to the Home Secretary.

Is it not a perfectly futile thing for the hon. Gentleman to try to throw the blame on the police? Is it not the duty of his Department to take adequate care of Her Majesty's mail?

I am not trying to throw the blame on the police. The point is that it is primarily the duty of the police to catch people who have done this sort of thing.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General how many mail bag robberies have taken place in 1954; and the corresponding figure for 1953.

The number of robberies as such is not available but 413 bags were recorded as missing during the first nine months of 1954, as compared with 638 in the corresponding period last year.

Is the hon. Gentleman satisfied that reasonable progress is being made, because it is going to take a long time at this rate to cut down the number of missing mail bags?

During the period to which we are referring, the total number of mailbags in circulation was 270 million.

Will the hon. Gentleman indicate whether he has any power to intervene in the monopoly contract of mailbag robberies?

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General what action has been taken to test a device making it impossible to steal mail vans, details of which were sent to his Department on 12th February last, and acknowledged under reference number 47686/52.

The device was demonstrated on 16th February to security experts, who found it unsuitable for use by the Post Office; the inventor was so informed.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that, according to information I have received from the company which is marketing this device, all it has received is a card of acknowledgement and it has no knowledge of the test to which the hon. Gentleman refers?

If the hon. and gallant Member tells me that the demonstration has not taken place, as I am informed it has, I shall be most pleased to look into the matter.

When the device has been found suitable, what action will be taken to see that it is not stolen?

If a Post Office van fitted with this device were stolen, I am afraid that the device itself would also be stolen.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General why letters arriving in the Palace of Westminster from Brierley Hill, Staffordshire, carry the postmark of Dudley, which is in Worcestershire.

It would be uneconomic to keep open the local sorting office in Brierley Hill after 3.0 p.m., and letters posted in the district after that time are, therefore, taken into the Dudley office for postmarking and despatch.

Can the hon. Gentleman tell us whether any delay is caused by this practice? I have had many complaints, including one from a constituent of mine who sits on this side of the House. Has not a district which is approaching borough status a right to its own postmark?

If the hon. Member gives particulars of the delay, I shall be glad to look into them. My information is that this arrangement does not make the slightest difference in the delivery of letters.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General if he will arrange that all sub-post offices in country districts bear a notice stating the hours during which they are open to transact business, and also a letter box for posting letters within a reasonable distance of the office.

There should be a letter box at or near every country sub-post office and they should all have notices showing their hours of opening.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that some of these sub-post offices are in private houses, not shops, and people in the district have no idea when they can use these post offices and when they cannot?

There should be a notice outside, and I am very surprised to hear these comments from the hon. Member.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General whether he is aware that householders at the Stocking Farm Estate, Leicester, who are almost entirely people with young children or old-age pensioners, are handicapped by the lack of a sub-post office on this estate, and if he will establish a sub-post office without delay.

I am looking into this matter and will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

When the hon. Gentleman is looking into the matter, will he bear in mind that this is a new estate where there are bungalows for aged people, and that it is really unfair to ask them to go to a public post office in order to collect their pension?

All these considerations will be taken into account. It is because I felt that they required looking into more thoroughly that I gave the answer that I did.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General what progress has been made towards providing a larger Crown post office in Brixton.

Premises are now in view which we hope to lease and adapt for a larger office.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that his answer will be received with very great satisfaction by my constituents, who are very interested in buying as many postage stamps and postal orders as they possibly can?

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General if he is aware that Mr. Harry Dyas, a Healing bulb grower, has received mail bags from his Grimsby office for the packing of catalogues and parcels which contained about 50 letters bearing post-marks two months' old and about 10 Post Office savings books; what important letters were amongst this two-months' old undelivered mail; and what steps he is taking to prevent a repetition of such unsatisfactory work.

I am aware of these regrettable incidents, which would not have happened if standing Post Office instructions to turn all letter bags inside out had been observed, and all possible steps are being taken to prevent a recurrence.

Can my hon. Friend say what steps he is taking to see who is the one man in his Department who spoils the good work of, say, a dozen others?

We have a special committee of inquiry now working to try to find out exactly what happened and who was responsible.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General what rules have been agreed under Schedule II of the Television Act, 1954, with the Independent Television Authority as to the interval which must elapse between periods of advertisements in the Authority's programmes, and as to the classes of broadcasts in which advertisements may not be inserted.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General what discussions he has had with the Independent Television Authority regarding the classes and descriptions of goods and services which must not be advertised on commercial television.

None, Sir. Discussions will take place as soon as the Independent Television Authority is in a position to submit proposals.

How can the programme contractors offer even to provide programmes if they do not as yet know how many minutes they will be allowed in the way of advertisement time? How is the whole set-up being managed in the absence of these rules?

The question of contracts is a matter for the Independent Television Authority, and no doubt the programme contractors have assumed that normal advertising practice will prevail.

With regard to the classes of advertisements permitted, what will the Minister recommend about advertisements of newspapers, and particularly Conservative newspapers, which in this shameful way may control a large part of this system?

The hon. Gentleman asks me to prejudge the discussions which the I.T.A. will have with my noble Friend.

So far as Question No. 33 is concerned, will the Minister give us an assurance that Mr. Woolfson will not be able to get a monopoly control for the advertisement of his own furniture stores.

The question of the selection of programme contractors has nothing to do with my noble Friend.

That is not the point. Will the Government give us an undertaking that no one financial backer who has large industrial or retail interests will have a monopoly for the advertisement of his own wares?

That is already provided for in the Act.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General whether he will introduce legislation to amend the Television Act so as to secure that the Postmaster-General has power to secure that there is adequate competition between independent programme contractors under the Independent Television Authority.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General whether he will introduce legislation to enable the Postmaster-General to take the necessary steps to ensure that the provisions of the Television Act, 1954, Section 5, with regard to the selection and appointment of programme contractors, are fulfilled, with particular reference to the securing of adequate competition.

No, Sir. My noble Friend sees no reason to doubt the will and ability of the Independent Television Authority to carry out their obligations under Section 5 (2) of the Television Act.

Is it not the case that, quite contrary to Section 5 (2) of the Act, which insists on real competition between really independent programme contractors, the Independent Television Authority is giving monopoly positions, and not competition, to a group of enormous big-business interests, some of which may well be and probably are inter-linked? What is the hon. Gentleman doing to see that that Section of the Act is being carried out with regard to competition between the contractors and their real independence?

I think that the hon. Member is expressing a personal opinion. This is a duty which is laid upon the Authority and not upon my noble Friend.

Has the hon. Gentleman taken into consideration the Report of the Royal Commission on the Press and, if he has not, would he look up the appropriate sections and draw the attention of the I.T.A. to those sections where it is clearly laid down in an unequivocal way that the Royal Commission would deplore any extension of the activities of certain Press chains, particularly Associated Newspapers and Kemsleys?

I remind the House that this is an obligation which is not laid upon my noble Friend. It is laid entirely upon the Authority.

Is the hon. Gentleman not aware that two programme contractors have a financial link and that there is an obligation on the Postmaster-General to see that there are no tie-ups between programme contractors? How is the Postmaster-General going to see that the provisions of the Act are carried out by the Authority?

The Question I was asked was whether I am prepared to amend the Act, and the answer was "No."

Is it not a fact that with only three transmitters it is very difficult to carry out the provisions of the Act, and that the better way to ensure that there is sufficient and adequate competition is to encourage the Authority to set up more transmitters and for the Post Office to make frequencies available for these?

That is entirely a matter for the Authority.

Does the hon. Gentleman not agree that it is really against the spirit of the Act that there will be important newspapers which will have an interest in not criticising the commercial programme, thus tending to undermine that independence?

Answer.

Will my hon. Friend——

Answer.

Order. The House is not entitled to demand an answer, and interrupting another hon. Member is disorderly.

Will my hon. Friend take note of the great desire of the Opposition for political interference with so-called independent boards? [HON. MEMBERS: "Oh!"] Will he bring it to the notice of his right hon. Friend the Minister of Fuel and Power as an example of how the Opposition would like to treat the Coal Board?

Will the hon. Gentleman take note that his right hon. Friend the Member for Kelvingrove (Mr. Elliot) has always defended him and now wants him to acquiesce in a breach of an Act of Parliament?

Is there any point in asking questions of the Minister if he declines to answer them?

That is for the House to judge, but I think that we ought to get on.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General if he will take powers to control the Independent Television Authority in its choice of programme contractors to ensure that the persons providing programmes are not influenced by political or industrial interests which may result in programmes not conforming to a proper degree of impartiality.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General whether he will introduce legislation to amend the Television Act, 1954, so as to give the Postmaster-General powers to intervene if he is not satisfied that the control of programmes in this new service rests in the hands of persons who are politically impartial.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General if he will introduce legislation to enable the Postmaster-General to exercise supervision over the choice of programme contractors for the Independent Television Authority so as to obviate the possibility of political bias in the allocation of programme time.

No, Sir. Subsections 1 (f) and 2 of Section 3 of the Act recently approved by Parliament made full provision for this point.

Do I take it from that reply that the hon. Gentleman and his noble Friend take the view that no matter what the I.T.A. do, whether in breach of the Act or of undertakings given by responsible Ministers on the Floor of the House, he has no responsibility?

I have no responsibility whatever for the selection of programme contractors.

Does the Assistant Postmaster-General understand that that is why we are asking him to introduce legislation? Will he further say whether, in his opinion, certain of those who have been seeking and some who have obtained programme allocations are politically impartial, whatever their party may be, in particular the "Daily Mirror"?

It would be improper for me to give a personal opinion on a subject for which I have no responsibility to this House.

Does not my hon. Friend think that a great deal of this agitation is stemming from the "Daily Mirror," which made no application to become a programme contractor and is now endeavouring to smear the I.T.A. because it has not got a contract?

I have only seen what the "Daily Mirror" itself has stated.

Has not the hon. Gentleman read the article in the "Observer," by Randolph Churchill, who cannot be accused of political bias against the party opposite? Is he not aware that many people in his own party are disturbed by the fact that the Government set out by pretending to abolish a monopoly and in fact have brought about a situation in which monopolies are inevitably strengthened and now the situation has arrived in which the powerful business interests supporting the party opposite are being allowed unlimited use of the air?

Hon. Members of this House should be very careful about making a serious charge of political partiality against a statutory body set up by this House.

Owing to the manifest dissatisfaction of hon. Members opposite, does not my hon. Friend think he might reconsider the arrangements made whereby the Authority is in the hands of a Socialist Director-General?

A great deal of that is ironical.

Instead of trying to get an equal balance of political partisanship, would it not have been more sensible to put the provision of programmes into the hands of people with no ties in party politics at all?

That is exactly why we set up the Independent Television Authority.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General how many programme companies applied for licences to the Postmaster-General before the passing of the Television Act, 1954.

None, Sir. Selection of programme companies is a matter for the Independent Television Authority, and I assume the right hon. Member has in mind individuals or organisations who made preliminary inquiries of my noble Friend. These numbered 52.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General if he will introduce legislation to enable him to require the Independent Television Authority to give information on the capital resources of programme companies.

No, Sir.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that under the existing Act there is nothing to prevent a change of ownership of these programme contractors? Is it not desirable that we should know who are the owners and sponsors? Does the hon. Gentleman associate himself with the remarks of the Chairman of the I.T.A. that £2 million capital is required to start a programme contractor?

The question of capital is not for me. I think the Authority has all the power necessary under Section 5 (5) to call for all the information it requires from the contractors to ensure that all the requirements of the Act are carried out.

Surely these matters go beyond the powers of the Authority? Is the Assistant Postmaster-General not aware that high issues of public policy and national interest are involved in the nature of the contractors, the amount of capital resources they have got and where they come from; and if we are to get to the position in which great newspaper proprietors—some with chain monopolies—are to extend their public influence into television, is it not a matter of public interest? Is the Government to be entirely indifferent to these things?

My noble Friend is only called upon to exercise those powers given to him by this House.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General whether he will make alterations to the appropriate section of the Television Act regarding the formation of programme companies to ensure control by the Postmaster-General.

No, Sir.

Does not the Assistant Postmaster-General think that those people who have already been allocated programmes are not independent in any way, and that they are already powerful opinion-forming organisations? What step is he considering to rectify that, and to guarantee their independence?

The hon. Gentleman is, I think, by implication making a charge of political partiality against a statutory body set up by this House, and we are not prepared to alter the Act to effect what the hon. Gentleman wants.

Resign.

Of course we are making a charge of political partiality—[HON. MEMBERS: "Withdraw."] The charge is against the Government and it may be the case that it is against the Television Authority. Can the hon. Gentleman say why these first contracts should be let to the proprietors of Conservative newspapers? Is not that in line with the whole policy of the Government in public relations; that they are using public relations, and now commercial television, to further the political interests of their party?

I take it from what the right hon. Gentleman has said that he does make a charge of political partiality against the Independent Television Authority, and he has suggested by implication that undue pressure has been put upon it by Her Majesty's Government. I deny any suggestions of that sort.

Is it not characteristic of hon. Gentlemen opposite, and the right hon. Gentleman in particular, that when they are dissatisfied with the verdict they try to bawl out the referee?

To come back to the Question on the Order Paper, is not the hon. Gentleman aware that a financial tie-up has already occurred between two programme contractors? Is not that in contradiction of the undertaking given by the hon. Gentleman at that Dispatch Box, and is he going to do nothing about it?

Resign.

The hon. Member for Keighley (Mr. Hobson) is asking whether I will make alterations in the Television Act to ensure control by the Postmaster-General. This matter was debated at great length by this House during consideration of the Television Bill, both on Second Reading and in the Committee stage. The answer to the question is, "No."

You have betrayed this House.

Withdraw.

What did the right hon. Gentleman say? I did not hear; there was so much noise.

I am quite prepared to repeat what I said. The hon. Gentleman has betrayed his promise to this House.

Order. I do not think that the words were strictly un-Parliamentary, but I would ask the House to refrain from language of heat so far as possible.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General what transmission times have been laid down by him for commercial television.

None, Sir, as yet.

Do we take it that contracts are now being given for unspecified times? How can the I.T.A. do its job properly and get something which is not a "phoney" contract if it is not known for what period commercial television is to be allowed?

It is no concern of mine, but I assume that offers of contracts have been made on certain assumptions, and those assumptions are those drawn by programme contractors.

Can we be told what assumptions have been made by the I.T.A., and whether the I.T.A. made them only after consultation with the Minister?

As I have told the House, there have been no consultations as yet with my noble Friend.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General what discussions he has had with the Independent Television Authority regarding the payment of pensions to officers or persons employed by the Authority.

None, as no proposals for staff pensions have as yet been put forward by the Authority for my noble Friend's approval.

Supposing that, in spite of the efforts of the programme contractors, the Conservative Party loses the next General Election, what provision is being made for the programme contractors whose employment then may be rather suddenly terminated?

The hon. Gentleman is surely not asking for an answer based upon such an unlikely and improbable computation?

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General what sums he estimates will be paid to the Independent Television Authority under Sections 11 and 12 of the Television Act during the year beginning with the date of the passing of the Act.

It is too early yet to say.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that there is widespread shock and dismay throughout the country at the discovery that public money is to be used to subsidise facilities for big business undertakings and a small section of the millionaire Press? Is he aware that the money will be spent in such a way that it will not only prevent real competition in television but will gravely harm the health of the British Press by doing a lot of damage to those newspapers which are not in a position to round up their share of the £3 million capital which is to be the entrance fee for this mammoth closed shop organised by the Government?

The hon. Gentleman asked me what sums I estimated would be paid to the Authority during the year beginning with the date of the passing of the Act. I am afraid that I am not in a position to give that information yet. As soon as I have the information, I shall be delighted to give it.

Does not the hon. Gentleman think that perhaps the best thing that he can do now is to climb into a mailbag and get himself stolen?

Is not it a fact that this spate of Questions by hon. Gentlemen about political partiality springs from a deep sense of political inferiority?

rose——

I think that the House has had a fair run on these Questions.

On a point of order. In view of the extremely unsatisfactory nature of the answers, I beg to give notice that I shall raise the matter on the Adjournment.

That disposes of that.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air why he has refused to order the Folland Gnat for the use of the Royal Air Force, although a saving in two-thirds of the present cost in providing fighter aircraft could be made by doing so, without loss of efficiency.

We are studying the development of this aircraft closely; but, for reasons which I explained in the Air Estimates debate last March, to strike a balance between quantity and quality is not the simple matter which might be inferred from the hon. Member's Question. In any event, there can be no possibility of ordering an aircraft which has yet to be proved in substitution for the fighters which are at present being delivered to re-equip the Royal Air Force.

As this aircraft is lighter than the others, and is the only British fighter capable of flying at supersonic speeds in level flight, and as it is one-third of the cost of the ordinary type of fighter, would not it be wise at least to order some for research purposes, because the other countries of Western Europe cannot possibly afford to arm themselves with the types that we now employ?

The initial version of the Gnat is broadly comparable in performance to that of the Hunter and the Swift, but it is considerably behind them in the time when it would be available for delivery to the Royal Air Force. We cannot possibly afford to delay the re-equipment of the squadrons which are waiting for aircraft. However, we are studying it, and a later development may well prove of value.

Is not it the case that if given Government backing 50 aircraft a month of this type could be produced by 1956?

That is not so, because the engine is not developed yet and would not be by then.

Although the aircraft is a very impressive one, is not it a fact that it is only on a par with machines now in service? Would not it be a matter of greater importance to pursue the development of the rocket fighter for high altitude interception?

Of course we are studying that too.

Can the hon. Gentleman say whether N.A.T.O. headquarters is showing any interest in this fighter and, if so, can he say what they propose to do about it?

They are showing interest in it, but of course it is not the only competitor in that field. We have not heard yet what their decision will be.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air if he is aware of the loss of bird life on the coast of North-West Germany as a result of recent bombing practice in the neighbourhood of Cuxhaven; and if he will discontinue this practice.

The danger to birds on the bombing range near Cuxhaven is greatest during the moulting season in July and August. I am considering what alterations we can make to our practice bombing programme during these two months.

Is the Minister aware that there has been considerable damage to bird life in this bird sanctuary at different times of the year from those which he mentioned? Is he aware that on 19th October the German Press described the results of this bombing raid on the German coast and said that bird life was destroyed, and that this roused considerable indignation in Germany? Will the hon. Gentleman assure us that in future our German allies will be treated with more respect, and that the bombing of the German coast will be discontinued?