asked the Assistant Postmaster-General if he will issue instructions that application forms for renewal of car licences should be displayed in post offices so that motorists can obtain them without having to queue to ask for them from an assistant.

This arrangement already exists at some post offices, but my noble Friend is issuing instructions for it to be extended so far as possible to all offices where licences are renewable.

May I thank my hon. Friend for that reply, and will he consider doing the same thing in respect of driving licence application forms?

I will look into that matter.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General when he will provide better post office facilities in Brixton.

We hope to provide a larger Crown post office in Brixton before the end of next year.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that he seems to be taking a long time in finding more suitable premises than the present quite inadequate Crown Office at Brixton, and does his answer mean that we have to wait until the end of 1956 before we get any improvement?

I would remind the hon. and gallant Gentleman, who I know is very anxious about this matter, that I have had a special investigation made of conditions in Brixton, and the report I have received is that there is no delay whatever at the moment in people getting their letters. I am afraid that it does mean waiting until next year for a new post office because we have not yet got the premises which we hope to convert.

Does that answer mean that the ban on new buildings has now been lifted?

Yes, Sir.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General how many mailbags were stolen in transit during 1954 as compared with 1953.

Four hundred and eighty-three bags were recorded as missing in 1954 as compared with 720 in 1953.

Does this reduction of between 200 and 250 bags represent the total result of all the additional security measures on which the Post Office has spent a comparatively large sum in the past year?

I would point out to the hon. and gallant Gentleman that this very favourable figure is about one-third of what it was in the immediate post-war period and that we are dealing with about 350 million bags a year.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General how many Post Office vans suitable for use or adaptation as mobile post offices are available in and around the city of Aberdeen; why these vans are reserved for occasional outdoor events such as shows; and why at least one of them is not being used as a mobile post office for the hilly and populous districts of Northfield and Mastrick, of which he has been informed by letter, during the winter and while waiting for permanent post office accommodation there.

No post office vans suitable for use or adaptation as mobile post offices are available in and around Aberdeen. There are only three mobile post offices in the country as a whole, and the cost of using one of these for the purpose the hon. and learned Member has in mind would be prohibitive. I am, however, having immediate inquiries made to see whether some temporary means of providing counter services in the districts mentioned cannot be devised until permanent sub-offices are opened, and I shall write to the hon. and learned Member as soon as possible.

I thank the Minister for the last sentence of his reply. But is it not invidious and wrong to divert the three mobile post offices—the only three in the country—to shows and purposes of that kind at the expense of districts which need post office service, and will he not remove one of the three to these two particular districts?

These mobile post offices were constructed specifically for the purpose of shows, and the cost of using them for the purposes which the hon. and learned Gentleman has in mind would be extremely high. I hope that he will be satisfied with the assurance I have given him that I will look into this question and that as soon as I have a definite report on the matter I will write to him.

Are these mobile vans not motor vans, and cannot they be driven to Aberdeen and used there instead of lying unused in the South?

They can be driven anywhere, but, as I have told the hon. and learned Gentleman, the cost for the purpose he proposes is absolutely prohibitive.

asked the Assistant Postmaster General whether he is aware that rural shops which include a sub-post office are bought and sold at inflated prices; and what action is taken to ensure that local people have a fair opportunity of obtaining the post office agency when a vacancy occurs.

I have no information about the price at which such shops are bought and sold. When a sub-postmaster gives up for any reason, the appointment is normally advertised locally and the best qualified candidate with suitable premises to offer is appointed. There is no question of a man taking over the shop in which the post office was formerly housed being automatically appointed.

In thanking the hon. Gentleman for his reply, may I ask if he is aware that the information I have received from my constituents is that the shops which are also sub-post offices are put up for sale and, because the permanent living of sub-postmastership goes with the shop, command inflated prices and get preferential treatment when the vacant possession is applied for?

I can assure the hon. Member that there is no question whatever of preferential treatment. If a man buys a shop in which there is a sub-post office, he may well find that the sub-post office may not be kept there after all.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General what revenue the Post Office is now earning from the interleaved advertisements in books of postage stamps.

The gross revenue is at present of the order of £10,000 a year.

Will my hon. Friend commend those responsible for the success of this commercial enterprise of the Post Office as a good example to others?

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General to what extent the public are buying the books of 2½d. stamps recently introduced.

Sales have greatly increased during the last six months and about 140,000 books a week are now being bought.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General what damage was done to telephone and telegraph services in Scotland during the recent nation-wide blizzard; and when full services will be restored.

Twenty-one small exchanges serving 600 subscribers in the extreme North of Scotland and in Orkney and Shetland were isolated for periods of one to three days between 10th and 19th January. In addition, about 4,000 subscribers' telephones were put out of order, mainly in the Edinburgh area. All telephone services were back to normal by 19th January. No damage was caused to telegraph lines.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General what progress has been made during the last 12 months with experiments in colour television; when he expects that colour television will be available to British televiewers; and if he will indicate the extent of alterations which will, as a consequence, be necessary in existing television sets.

At the request of my noble Friend, this matter is being fully studied by the Television Advisory Committee, on which the radio industry, the B.B.C. and I.T.A. are all represented. The Committee is also co-ordinating research and information with the industry. During the past 12 months there have been demonstrations in this country of colour television by different processes under laboratory conditions, but much research on fundamental points is still required before definite recommendations can be made, and it is too early to say when colour television will be generally available in this country. Existing television sets cannot be adapted for colour television.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General what progress is being made towards improving the reception of the British Broadcasting Corporation's Home Service in Wales.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General whether he will consider allowing listeners in mid-Wales to pay a reduced licence fee for radio reception in view of the fact that they cannot hear their own Regional Service because of interference.

The problem of improving reception of the Welsh Home Service is really a matter for the British Broadcasting Corporation, who are doing their best to find a solution. As the hon. Members no doubt know, the trouble is caused by interference from a station in the Soviet Zone of Germany, which operates on the same wavelength as the Welsh Home Service. All our efforts to get the interference stopped at the source have so far failed.

Since the early autumn, the B.B.C. have opened four low-power transmitters in Wales and have also introduced a special technical process at their main Welsh transmitters; all this should have considerably reduced the number of listeners suffering from interference. In addition, the Corporation have examined virtually every other possibility of completely avoiding the interference. I am assured by the Corporation that they would be pleased to meet the hon. Member for Anglesey, and any of his colleagues from Wales in order to discuss the whole situation.

The interference is largely felt during the hours of darkness and should steadily diminish as the days lengthen. By the end of the year, even if no remedy has been found meantime on the present medium-wave service, the new very high frequency station at Wenvoe should be in operation and should give a good service to approximately four out of every five listeners in Wales.

My noble Friend cannot accept the suggestion of the hon. Member for Brecon and Radnor (Mr. Watkins) that the amount of the licence fee should depend upon the quantitative or qualitative use of the radio.

I appreciate the comprehensive reply the Minister has given and the suggestion about a deputation, but could he say whether there would be any objection to the deputation taking their own technical advisers with them to meet the representatives of the B.B.C.? Could he say whether the possibility of another wavelength—for example, the Third Programme wavelength—being used for transmissions to the Welsh Home Service has been explored?

I think the suggestion of the hon. Member for taking technical advisers along is an excellent one; there would be no objection at all. As regards the use of the Third Programme wavelength for Welsh transmissions, that is a matter which they could discuss with the B.B.C.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that the Third Programme reception in Wales is almost as bad as the reception of the Home Service? Does the hon. Gentleman realise that the whole of North Wales will be completely out of the V.H.F. region?

I do not think it will be completely outside, but that is a matter which can be discussed with the B.B.C.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that the Welsh Members came in a deputation to him a few weeks ago and that a number of undertakings were given to them, but that very little improvement, if any, has obtained in Wales from the point of view of reception? May I press him to make this a political issue? Is it not perfectly clear that the Government must press this with energy on the Governmental owners of the other stations concerned?

This is a very difficult question, as I think the hon. Member will discover when he discusses it with the B.B.C. I would point out that the guilty party in this affair is the station in the Soviet Zone of Germany. Those are the people who create the interference.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General, in view of his undertaking to clear Band III, to whom it is intended this band shall be allocated.

As my hon. Friend is no doubt aware, it is my noble Friend's intention eventually to make the whole of Band III available for television, to be used either by the I.T.A. or the B.B.C., or both. The two channels in this band which are immediately available have been allocated to the I.T.A. for its first three stations, but no decision has been reached as to the other channels, which have yet to be cleared.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General if he is aware that neon signs attached to business premises, over which there are flats, interfere considerably with wireless reception by the tenants; and what steps are being taken to remove the cause of this complaint.

Neon signs account for only 1 per cent. of the interference cases investigated by the Post Office. The trouble can usually be removed by cleaning and adjusting the neon signs, but it may require the fitting of suppressors. The question of making statutory regulations to cover this type of interference is being considered: cases are, however, taken up individually, and our experience is that the owners of the signs readily agree to put matters right. If the hon. Member has any particular case in mind and will let me know the details, I will be glad to make inquiry.

Would the Minister consider making it an offence for anyone to erect an electric sign on a building which would interfere with the wireless reception of anyone within the building?

That is one of the things we are considering, but we do not want to make more offences than we need, especially as in this case only 1 per cent. of the interference complaints arise from neon signs and we generally find that we can put them right by a little advice.

It is not offences but remedies that are wanted.

Will the hon. Gentleman consider asking his right hon. Friend who is responsible for town and country planning to make it a condition of consent for the erection of any sign that it be rendered innocuous as far as interference is concerned?

I will look into that point and will put it to my right hon. Friend.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General why there is so much delay in supplying coloured telephone instruments.

We are mainly concentrating on putting in new telephones and do not feel that we can yet divert labour to replacing black telephones by coloured ones. Larger numbers of coloured telephones are, however, coming along, and my noble Friend hopes it will not be long before they can be fitted on demand.

Is my hon. Friend aware that, in my opinion, there is no question of diverting labour on this matter because coloured telephones are already made for export by the companies concerned, some of which could be taken to supply the home market?

We are very reluctant to take any telephones which are being exported and use them for the home market. I hope that my assurance that it will not be long before anyone can get a coloured telephone on demand will satisfy my hon. Friend.

That, surely, is no answer where a new telephone is being installed. Will the hon. Gentleman not overrule the Department and say that there should be free choice of colour when new telephones are installed?

No, I cannot say that, because coloured telephones are not being made at the moment in sufficient numbers to meet all the demands.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General the number of telephone subscribers at the end of 1954; how that figure compares with the number at the end of 1949; and what was the approximate number of calls in each of the two years.

At the end of 1954 the number was 3,937,000, an increase of 27 per cent. on the number at the end of 1949. The number of calls in 1954 was 3,648 million compared with 3,046 million in 1949, an increase of 20 per cent.

Is it possible for my hon. Friend to split up that number of calls into private calls and business calls?

No, Sir, I am afraid it is not, but what I think is interesting is that the average number of calls by residential subscribers is only about 400 a year and we estimate that between five per cent. and 10 per cent. of residential subscribers do not use their telephones more than twice a week.

Could the hon. Gentleman say how great is the percentage of the wrong numbers in those calls?

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General what records are available of telephones required and telephones installed in the city of Edinburgh in the years 1953, 1954, and 1955, respectively.

Some 4,000 applications were received in 1953 and 4,600 telephones were fitted. In 1954, the figures were 5,500 and 6,100. Demand for this year is estimated at 5,700, and we plan to connect 6,500

Is my hon. Friend satisfied with that record? Does he propose to continue to exceed it?

I hope that my hon. Friend is satisfied with the record, as there was a reduction in the waiting list in Edinburgh in the past year of 1,023.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General what progress is being made in the latest available figures in installing new telephones in Scotland; and how this rate of installation compares with the record of his Department of a year ago.

Thirty-three thousand telephones were installed in Scotland last year, as compared with 28,000 in the previous year, an increase of 18 per cent. We plan to step up the supply this year to over 38,000.

Is my hon. Friend aware that he is making a reputation for himself as one of the most effective and businesslike of our Ministers?

Is my hon. Friend the Assistant Postmaster-General aware that one of my constituents has been told that he will have to wait four years for a telephone?

I am sorry that my hon. Friend has reduced this matter to such a sordid level after the compliment I received from below the Gangway. But it does not mean that merely because one individual applicant has to wait the general average is bad.

Will the Minister see that there is an adequate supply of telephones at Murrayfield next Saturday?

Is my hon. Friend satisfied that the rural areas are getting their fair percentage of telephones, as there is an increasing feeling that people in the remote areas should have a great deal more preference than people who get an extra telephone round the corner in the city?

I appreciate what my hon. Friend says. As I have pointed out to the House before, normally we can put in 16 urban subscribers for one rural subscriber. Although we try to give every facility that we can to the urban applicant, we must try to keep a balance between the two.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General what improvement there has been in the supply of telephones through the Hatch End Exchange; and if he will give the comparable figures for a year ago.

Eight hundred and twenty telephones have been connected in Hatch End during the past 12 months and the number of outstanding applications has fallen from 641 to 323. All but 51 of these are in course of being met or are under inquiry.

May I express the thanks of my constituents for this speedup, especially as there has been a considerable delay in the past?

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air to what extent he gives official approval to the service information published in the "Royal Air Force Flying Review."

The "Royal Air Force Flying Review" is a commercial publication produced with the co-operation of the Air Ministry. Provided security requirements are satisfied, there is no liability on the publisher to submit articles before publication.

Is the Under-Secretary aware that there has been a number of incidents recently when information has been published in this journal which, under the "D notice—Security Procedure" would not have been published and ought not to have been published, and, in fact, has not been published by the other technical journals and the Press generally? Does the hon. Gentleman not think that this is calculated to bring the whole security procedure into disrepute?

I should very much like to know from the hon. Member exactly what he has in mind. Although there is no liability, on the publisher to submit articles, in practice he does submit the material for security vetting and suitable clearance.

Is the Minister aware that an artist's impression of the P.1 fighter appeared in the September issue and that in the same issue there was a wing plan drawing of the P.1 fighter, which up to that time had not been issued for publication at all?

I will take advice on that.

Before my hon. Friend limits the publication of matter in these journals, will he bear in mind that American technical papers publish information which is not published in the British technical papers, and will he continue to publish all he can relating to the Royal Air Force?

Naturally, we want to give all the information we possibly can within the bounds of security.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air whether, in view of the unsatisfactory nature of the ground, due to shifting sand and water, he will consider abandoning Elvington as an aerodrome.

No, Sir. Recent tests have established that this airfield can be satisfactorily developed.

Is my hon. Friend aware that the local inhabitants, who are very hard-headed Yorkshiremen, regard the great expenditure on this aerodrome as a waste of public money, and that from my own personal observations I share their view? Will he look at the whole matter again in the light of the expenditure?

All I can say is that I am informed that very careful tests have been carried out. Experiments have been made on the control of the water level by subsoil drainage, and test panels of runway pavement have been laid and proved satisfactory.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air whether, in view of the successful experimental working of the helicopter in Kenya, he will increase the number available so that they may become a reliable component of the defence forces in that theatre.

As I said last week, we should be willing to consider any request for more helicopters that comes to us from the security forces. The height of the ground in Kenya, however, limits the value of helicopters for anything other than casualty evacuation, and I am glad to say that one seems quite enough for this purpose at the moment.

Is it not a fact that the reason the helicopter has been so seldom asked for is that there has been only one and it has not always been available? If more were available, they would be more often called for.

No, Sir. There is only one helicopter in Kenya at the moment and, so far, the demands on it have been very few indeed, certainly not enough to warrant a second one for casualty evacuation.

Is it not a fact that that one helicopter has been in Kenya only as a result of much agitation for the usage of helicopters in Kenya? Will the Air Ministry not recapture some of the enthusiasm of the Navy for helicopters?

As I explained to the hon. Member some time ago, we had serious doubts whether a helicopter would work at those heights. In fact, the Air Force made the machine work by lightening it as much as possible, for example, by taking off the winch. Even so, the helicopter cannot hover above a height of 5,000 ft., and it has to take off and land with some forward speed.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air if he will make a statement on the future of the Air Ministry Maintenance Unit (No. 31) at Llanberis and Llandwrog, Caernarvon-shire, particularly in respect of prospects of civilian employment.

As I think the hon. Member knows, the Maintenance Unit at Llanberis is being closed down. I am glad to say, however, that we shall be able to find work for most of these men at Llandwrog, which will remain open for another two years or so.

Is the Minister aware that, while I appreciate the concessions which he personally has made to the district, the fact remains that 420 men will in due course become redundant in a district where there is absolutely no other alternative source of employment? Will he press the Board of Trade to act to secure industrial tenants for these excellent and very expensive buildings which we have in Llanberis?

Yes, Sir. I have in the past expressed our regret that it was necessary to take these decisions, and I have also told the House the reasons which impelled us to take them. My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade said yesterday that he would do all he could to find an industrial use for these buildings.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air when he expects air-to-air guided missiles to be in service in the Royal Air Force.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air what air-to-air missiles are available to the Royal Air Force; and whether they are of British design and production.

Production orders have been placed for air-to-air guided missiles of British design, but I am afraid I cannot reveal details of our programme.

As the American Air Force has air-to-air guided missiles in use, is it not a grave reflection on the Government's efficiency that our development has been allowed to fall so far behind?

If it is a grave reflection on anyone, it is a grave reflection on the Socialist Government for not having started work earlier.

Is that the method the hon. Gentleman adopts when evading the issue and seeking to conceal the ineffectiveness of the Conservative Government in this respect? Is he not aware that for several years before the Tory Government came in there were research and development and, indeed, demonstrations in connection with guided missiles from ground to air, and that several of these missiles were mentioned by name? It must be well known to the hon. Gentleman. Why is it, in view of the research and development over a long period of time, that the Conservative Government have been unable to provide either ground-to-air missiles or air-to-air missiles at the present time?

The decision was taken by the Government of the day in 1946 to 1947 to delay the placing of development contracts.

Is the hon. Gentleman not aware that during the period when I happened to be Minister of Defence in the Labour Government, the Socialist Government—we are not ashamed to call ourselves a Socialist Government—research and development—the hon. Gentleman must know this—were speeded up? Nevertheless, in spite of all that was done, in three years and three months this Government have done practically nothing to provide these missiles.

That is not true. The development of these weapons has been proceeding as rapidly as possible under this Administration. It has been going very well.

In view of the hon. Gentleman's remarks, may I ask him whether he is aware that up to four years ago development was proceeding extremely well on all these guided missiles? The hon. Gentleman made some slighting remark about what we had done in the matter. Is he aware that, in the view of our Royal Air Force authorities at that time, we were, in the development of these missiles, at least up to and probably ahead of the United States?

Why did the hon. Gentleman say 1946 to 1947?

I only made the slighting remark because the hon. Gentleman opposite tried to pin all the blame on this Government, which was strictly unfair.

Quite apart from development, can my hon. Friend say if production contracts were placed prior to the Government taking office? If they were not, have they been placed since?

Answer.

I have every intention of answering, but I was trying to ask my hon. and gallant Friend if he would mind repeating his question, as I did not hear the last part of it.

What I said was, quite apart from the development work the right hon. Gentleman referred to, could my hon. Friend say whether production contracts were placed by the Labour Government, and, if they were not, whether they have been placed since.

No production contracts were placed by the Labour Government, and as I said in my answer just now, production contracts have been placed by this Government.

But is not the trouble that, since those development contracts have been placed, too much of our national effort has been put into the production of television sets and not enough of our skilled technicians in electronics devoted to this kind of national need?

In view of the statement made by the hon. Gentleman that the present Government were now engaged in production, would he be fair to hon. Members on both sides and tell us the actual date when production started, and when the Government expect to have these missiles?

I do not want to be unfair to anybody, but if I am attacked I have to reply. I cannot tell the right hon. Gentleman when we expect to get these things into service—

When were they put into production?

—because I would much sooner be shot at across the Floor of the House than be guilty of a breach of security.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware, with regard to breach of security, that the journal of the Air League has accused the Government of using security to hide their mistakes?

Its account is not true.

If the Government are going to hide behind security, how does the hon. Gentleman account for the fact that accounts have appeared in the American Press of the type of research going on? Everybody knows it is the greatest breach of security since the leak about the hydrogen bomb.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air when he expects the P1 English Electric and the Javelin to be ready for operational use.

The Javelin should be in Squadron service during the coming financial year. Development of the P.1 is proceeding satisfactorily, but this aircraft is still in its early stages, and I am not willing to make a statement now about when it is likely to come into service.

Can the Under-Secretary say whether the Javelin will be fit for operational service when it is with the squadrons, as it is known that the Hunter is not yet fit for operational service? Would he not agree that the Royal Air Force has no modern fighter fit for operational service at all?

I am dealing with the last point on a later Question. It is not quite true. As far as the Javelin is concerned, there is no evidence whatever that we have now that it will not be perfectly fit for operational service when it comes in.^*

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air what tests his Department made of the D.H.110 and on what date they were discontinued; and whether it is proposed to authorise the purchase of any of these aircraft for use by the Royal Air Force.

Royal Air Force pilots from the Ministry of Supply's Aircraft and Armament Experimental Establishment flew the D.H.110 at the firm's request in March, 1952, and again in July, 1954. We are not planning to buy this aircraft for the Royal Air Force.

Can the Minister explain why, if the R.A.F. do not want it, presumably because it is no good—[HON. MEMBERS: "No."]—the Royal Navy have now bought it?

The facts are that in 1952 the Air Council was faced with a choice between the Javelin and the D.H.110 for the same job, as an all-weather two-seater fighter. At that time we preferred the Javelin because it seemed capable of greater development, though that does not mean that there was anything wrong with the D.H.110. Indeed, reports by pilots who flew it in July were extremely favourable.

Is it the case that when the Air Council had to choose between the two aircraft they chose the Javelin because it does not exist?

Is it in order to say that pieces of equipment or aircraft are no good, bearing in mind that young men have to fly these aircraft and that it may cause great distress to parents outside this House?

That is no point of order for me. An hon. Member who asks a question makes himself responsible for the truth of any statement which it contains.

Is my hon. Friend aware that, although it may be true that the Navy have often had to take second place, it is also true, and a point which the hon. Member for Dudley (Mr. Wigg) does not know, that the type of aircraft the Navy needs for sea work and the type of aircraft the Royal Air Force needs may be quite different?

I understand that the Javelin would have been too heavy for the Navy in any case.

Would the Minister make the picture quite clear and give the position of the Javelin? Surely he does not want the House to go away with the impression that the Javelin had not then flown? Is it not the case that the two prototypes flew and a choice was made between the prototypes?

I feel pretty sure that the prototype had already flown, but I should like to check that.

Is there anything else in the Royal Air Force besides prototypes?

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air when he expects the defects in the Hunter fighter, which caused the engines to stall when the guns are fired, to be cured.

It will be necessary to make certain modifications, which are now being planned, to ensure that in all circumstances the Hunter's guns will not affect the performance of its engine. But I should make it clear that, as it is, the Hunter is a formidable aircraft and could go into action tomorrow.

How can the Minister say that it can go into action when if the guns are fired the engines stall.? Is it not the case that, as the Hunter cannot fight operationally, as the Swift will never fly operationally, and the Javelin and the P.1 are not yet available, and as there are no guided missiles to replace Anti-Aircraft Command, at present we have no air defence whatsoever of this country?

The Hunter is perfectly capable of going into action tomorrow. It is true that at certain heights and in certain conditions of flight a surge is caused in the engines by the firing of the guns, but that is a matter which can be got over.

Although there may be considerable anxiety on these matters, would it not be very much better if hon. Members were more discreet in the Questions they ask?

Is it not true that the reason the Hunter aircraft is equipped with guns is that, although originally it was intended that it should use air-to-air missiles, they are not available, nor is the equipment satisfactory for the purpose?

It is true to say that with its four guns the Hunter is the hardest-hitting aircraft anywhere in service.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air whether he will make a statement on his recent visit to El Firdan; how long he stayed there; and whether there has been any improvement in the conditions in the camp about which he has already received representations.

I visited El Firdan during the morning of Friday, 14th January. Conditions there have improved considerably in recent months. The airmen have made their tents remarkably comfortable by self-help, and we have installed better cooking equipment. Moreover, the restrictions on movement have been lifted. Ismailia is now in bounds, and there are organised day-trips to Cairo. I found everyone very cheerful.

Is it not true to say that on his visit to El Firdan the Under-Secretary remained there exactly 45 minutes and visited only one of the tents specially prepared for his inspection, and that since I made representations to him about the conditions of this camp a year ago practically nothing has been done and the camp still remains in an unsatisfactory condition?

No. The exact time that my visit lasted escapes my memory, but it was certainly long enough to walk all round the station. I inspected the whole station, and so my stay must have been for more than 45 minutes.

But the hon. Gentleman visited only one tent?

No. More than one tent. I have a picture of one of them. I had to visit a number of stations in a few days, and in the time I spent at El Firdan I made as good an inspection as I could. The conditions there are very much better than they were a year ago. I was most impressed by the ingenuity the airmen put into making themselves comfortable.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air what devices are now available to the Royal Air Force which can replace Anti-Aircraft Command.

If the right hon. Member has in mind ground-to-air guided missiles, I can only refer him to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Lincoln (Mr. de Freitas) last week.

But why has the hon. Gentleman assumed that I had in mind guided missiles? If it is intended to abolish Anti-Aircraft Command, what are the Government going to put in its place?

If the right hon. Gentleman studies the remarks that were made by the Minister of Defence during the debate on the Motion for the Address last December, he will see that the reductions in Anti-Aircraft Command were not made because guided weapons had already arrived, but because long-range aircraft can operate at high speeds and altitudes, thus reducing the effectiveness of anti-aircraft fire.

Are we to understand that the alternative to anti-aircraft guns, as regards both heavy and light, is the aircraft itself, and that the Government are not relying on guided missiles?

Certainly for the time being the answer is the very high flying manned fighter aircraft. When ground-to-air missiles come in, they should not be regarded as a replacement for antiaircraft guns but as an addition to the defensive power of our fighters.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation on what date work will commence in putting in order the existing plant and equipment connected with the Dartford-Purfleet Tunnel.

This work has now begun.

Does the right hon. Gentleman appreciate that the information he has just given will be received with much satisfaction over a very wide area of south-eastern England? Will he bear in mind also that a much more important date is the date of completion? Will he do what he can to see that is made available as soon as possible?

I am very anxious to get on with the scheme, and I fully share the hon. Member's view of its importance.

Can my right hon. Friend give any date for the commencing of work on the tunnel itself?

That must await the putting of the plant and machinery into order, but I hope that that process will be completed before the end of the present calendar year.

Whilst welcoming the Minister's statement, may I ask whether he is aware that traffic additional to the already excessive amount will have to go through Rochester and Chatham? Has he any encouraging words to say about the Rochester by-pass road?

Not at the moment.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he will set up an expert committee to prepare a long-term plan for the relief of traffic congestion in the London area.

No, Sir.

Can the right hon. Gentleman say whether any post-war plan of this kind exists, and does he not agree that, quite apart from the short-term improvements that could be made to traffic congestion in London, the only real way of tackling this problem is to have a radical long-term plan which is long overdue, and will he reconsider this matter?

As long ago as 1951 my London and Home Counties Traffic Advisory Committee produced a most helpful report on this subject. There is also the London County Council's Development Plan, and I hope in a few minutes to be saying something about certain schemes for London.

But those are not radical, long-term plans; they are all unco-ordinated ad hoc schemes. Would the Minister not consider that the time has now come to reorganise the traffic routes in inner London and the approaches to London, and will he give this matter further consideration?

I am inclined to think that plans are in adequate supply, and I propose to proceed from them to measures.

Is the Minister aware that many buildings are being rebuilt in the central London area on the same sites as those occupied by their predecessors 50 years ago, and does he not think it is high time that such plans were looked at and checked by his Ministry?

That is a matter for the planning authority.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he is aware of the traffic congestion in Great Portland Street throughout working hours; and whether he is prepared either to make it a one-way street or to introduce unilateral waiting.

The Commissioner of Police informs me that he hopes shortly to conduct the experiment of making this street a one-way street.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether, in view of the fact that the greater part of A9 between Perth and Pitlochry is below the required two-lane standard, he will now authorise improvement under the expanded road programme of those sections of the road which are still sub-standard.

Several improvement schemes on the length of the Edinburgh-Thurso trunk road between Perth and Pitlochry are under consideration in connection with the expanded road programme. I cannot go further than this at present.

May I ask my right hon. Friend to bear in mind, as I am sure he will, that this is an exceedingly dangerous road even for the most careful drivers, and therefore the earlier consideration that can be given to it, the better?

I agree with my hon. and gallant Friend that there are dangerous stretches on this road, and I am anxious to get ahead with the programme as soon as I can.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation, as over 60,000 dogs are killed or injured on the roads every year and since many accidents result from dogs straying on the highway at night, what consideration has been given to the proposal that his regulations should provide that dogs should wear collars provided with after-dark reflector studs.

I have no power to make such a regulation and anyway I am doubtful whether reflectors would help.

But if the Minister is not enthusiastic about this proposal—

The dogs are.

—and in view of the heavy loss of dogs from this cause, is the Minister trying to do anything about it, or is he satisfied with the situation, because many people are dissatisfied?

I have no power to put cats' eyes on dogs' necks.

Can my right hon. Friend say, if this ingenious suggestion were adopted, whether he would be prepared to make a dispensation in the case of shaggy dogs?

Or would the right hon. Gentleman put red lights on dogs' tails?

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what representations he has received respecting the maintenance base at Renfrew Airport.

I have had a number of representations on this subject, both from hon. Members and from local interests.

Is the Minister aware that the suggestion is being mooted that Renfrew Airport may be used by N.A.T.O. forces? Is he aware that that will not be a substitute satisfactory either to the engineers or to the people of Scotland? Is he aware that if it is taken over by N.A.T.O. the skilled men will hardly be required? Will he keep that in mind?

I note the hon. Member's views.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what restrictions were placed upon the use of Tudor aircraft when they were re-issued with a certificate of airworthiness.

The restrictions were that the number of passengers carried should not exceed 50, and that flights over water should be routed within 250 miles of the nearest land. The latter restriction still remains in force, but the authorised number of passengers was increased to 60 in August, 1953. In addition, the ban placed on the use of pressurisation and cabin heaters was continued.

Is the Minister quite satisfied that no Tudor aircraft are now being used for carrying passengers proceeding more than 250 miles over the water?

If the hon. Gentleman knows of any cases in which the restrictions are not being observed, I shall be happy to have them.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what information he now has as to the results of the inquiry held into the loss of the s.s. "Faidherbe," which was lost with all hands in the Indian Ocean last October.

The formal investigation ordered by the South African Government began in Cape Town on 25th January, and I have asked to be sent a copy of the court's report. As soon as this is available, I will let the hon. and learned Member know.

Is the Minister not in a position to say whether the question of compensation for dependants in this country is being considered?

I think that we had better await the Report.

As a son of a constituent of mine was lost in this tragedy, may I ask whether my right hon. Friend will see that all information from the inquiry is sent to the relatives at as early a date as possible?

I am making arrangements on receipt of the Report to see that all necessary information is made available to them.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation the total sum so far received from the transport levy.

£6,618,810 up to the end of January, 1955.

Is it not regrettable that nearly £7 million have been added to the cost-of-living problem? How much longer are we to persist in this farce? Can the Minister, for the benefit of the people, not go back to an integrated transport system?

We may hear more about the latter part of that supplementary question in another debate. On the first part of the question, this figure has nothing whatever to do with the cost of living.

How can the Minister make such a statement, when obviously any tax on road vehicles is added to their cost of operation and, therefore, reflects on the price of the goods they carry? How can the Minister any longer justify continuing to incur a loss on the sale of national vehicles which is serving no purpose whatsoever, which is bringing about a deterioration in the transport system and, at the same time, imposing a tax on the road vehicle users who gain nothing from it?

The hon. Gentleman knows well that these changes are improving the transport system and its efficiency, and so operating favourably on the cost of living.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he is aware that the footnote to page 6 of the Highway Code implies that going too fast contributes to only one in every 35 road accidents; and on what evidence this statement is based.