asked the Postmaster-General what directions he has given to the Independent Television Authority on the subject of the offering of prizes of significant value.

None.

asked the Postmaster-General how many applicants are waiting in the Feltham area to have telephones installed; and whether he will speed up this service and end the delay.

Eight hundred and ninety applications are outstanding. Additional exchange equipment is being installed and will be ready next spring. This will enable service to be given to a large number of those who are now waiting.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he has a further statement to make about the Tyne Tunnel.

No.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation when the £120 million expanded road programme will begin; and what rate of progress is envisaged.

It started some time ago. The rate of progress as indicated in my statements to the House on 2nd February and 27th July is being fully maintained.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he will publish a list of schemes referred to in the statement on the expanded road programme of 2nd February showing those on which work has started, where authorisation has been given but work not yet started, and those which have not yet been authorised.

Herewith is the list requested. It is to be noted that it is confined to schemes referred to in my statement of 2nd February, and does not therefore include schemes announced since, for instance, in my further statement of 27th July:

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation the estimated total cost of road schemes authorised to date under the expanded roads programme announced on 2nd February; how much of this it is anticipated will be spent during the current financial year; and the cost of additional authorisations expected to be made during the same period and the amount likely to be expended.

Schemes of major construction and improvement estimated to cost the Exchequer over £15 million have been authorised during the present financial year: the estimated Exchequer payments on them during the financial year will be some £1½ million. I hope during the remainder of the financial year to authorise further major schemes which will cost the Exchequer some £12 million: on these the Exchequer expenditure this financial year is expected to be about £¾ million. As the hon. Member will be aware, the total Exchequer payment this year on major improvement and new construction will in the ordinary way be on schemes previously authorised and is likely to be of the order of £8 million.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation in how many of the road improvement schemes announced by his Department on 8th December, 1953, no work has as yet started on the site.

Of the schemes announced by my predecessor to be authorised over a four-year period, physical work has started on nine (one of which has been completed), and has not yet started on twenty-one. All the schemes under this programme due to start within this financial year either have been started or will start within it. Two schemes announced to be started after this year have in fact now started.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what progress has been made to date in the construction of the Dartford—Purfleet Tunnel.

I would refer the hon. Member to the Answer I gave to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Wembley, North (Wing Commander Bullus) on 28th October.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation when he is likely to give his approval to plans for the reconstruction of roadways, including a dual-carriageway at Forest Rise, Leyton; what financial assistance is to be granted; and, in view of the present dangerous surface on this thoroughfare, if he will expedite his decision.

The highway authority has been invited to prepare an improvement scheme for Forest Rise, and discussions on the layout are proceeding. When the scheme is carried out it will rank for a 75 per cent. grant towards the cost.The question of the condition of the present road surface is one for the highway authority to consider.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation in view of the uncertainty and anxiety of many Leyton householders concerning their property likely to be affected by an extension of the Eastern Avenue through the borough, whether more definite information respecting compensation and the implementation of the project can now be given by him; and if he will consider the granting of adequate compensation to householders who wish to sell their property now but cannot do so because of uncertainty about the future of their property.

Until a survey has been completed and I have made an order under the Trunk Roads Act. 1946, defining the line of this new road, I am afraid it is impossible for me to say what property will have to be acquired. I do not expect to be able to carry out the scheme for some time, but when the time comes compensation will be dealt with on the basis laid down by Parliament.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he has now completed his further investigation into the problem of traffic congestion on the Bath Road in the vicinity of London Airport; and if he will now give an assurance that the road will be widened to provide dual carriageways.

I have nothing to add at present to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Feltham (Mr. Hunter) on 6th July.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether, in the case of road junctions at which traffic is normally controlled by automatic traffic signals, he will arrange for such traffic signals to be disconnected when traffic at such road junctions is being controlled by the police, in order that the confusion and uncertainty that is otherwise caused to drivers of vehicles may be avoided.

In case of need the police can turn out traffic light signals and take over control, but in some circumstances it is helpful both to motorists and pedestrians for the police to supplement or even override the lights by hand signals.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he will reconsider the request of the local authorities in Argyll to classify road A83, between Lochgilphead and Campbeltown as a trunk road, in view of its great importance to road communications in the county and the heavy traffic it carries.

I have considered this request but am not at present prepared to add this road to the trunk road system.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he will see that bunks are provided for passengers delayed for the night at Blackbushe Airport as there is no sleeping accommodation now available there for emergencies.

No. I do not think bunks are needed at Blackbushe, since passengers have long waits there at night only very rarely and airlines take their passengers to hotels when such waits are foreseen. I am, however, proposing to make the waiting-rooms there more comfortable.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what proposals he has received from the British Air Line Pilots Association regarding flight-time limitations of aircrew; and to what extent he proposes to embody these proposals in regulations.

The Association made detailed proposals for limiting pilots' hours of duty, flying hours and rest periods on a daily, weekly, quarterly and yearly basis, with variations related to the composition of the flight crew and the length of the flight in varying conditions.As regards the second part of the Question, I would ask the hon. Member to await the Regulations which I shall shortly be laying before Parliament.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he is satisfied that all long-range aircraft now in, or due to come into, operational service, have suitable sleeping accommodation for relief aircrew personnel; and if he will make a statement.

This is a very important matter which I have taken into full consideration in my discussions on limitations of the hours of duty of aircrew; I would ask the hon. Member to await the Regulations I am shortly to lay before Parliament.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what progress is being made with the £1,200 million programme of railway modernisation and re-equipment.

Work is proceeding in accordance with the two-yearly forecast published by the British Transport Commission on 5th May. The Commission hopes to be in a position to make another forecast at the beginning of next year.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation the present number of goods vehicles over and under three tons unladen weight respectively licensed for use in this country; and how

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether his attention has been drawn to the rapidly growing practice of motorists obscuring their vision by affixing to their windscreens pennants advertising the seaside resorts they have visited; whether he is satisfied that the existing law is adequate to deal with this dangerous practice; and whether he will make a statement.

Yes. This dangerous practice is sometimes contrary to Regulation 75 of the Motor Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations.

The answer can most conveniently and clearly be given in the form of the following table:Enforcement of the law is, of course, a matter for the police. I am considering whether amendment of the Regulations is necessary.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation to make a statement on the new inexpensive and compact radar apparatus for guiding small fishing vessels into harbour when visibility is bad, which has been developed by the Admiralty Signal and Radar Establishment at Portsdown.

This radio device has been developed by my Ministry's scientific group at the Admiralty Signal and Radar Establishment. Its purpose is to show that a cheap and simple radio equipment can be used to define a safe line of entry into a harbour in poor visibility.Following is a description of the device:

asked the Minister of Defence the total cost of military installations and buildings now being erected in Cyprus; and whether he will suspend this work until future prospects for Cyprus are more certain.

The Answer to the first part of the Question is about £.16½ million, and to the second, "No."

asked the Minister of Defence how many widows of Regular officers have been paid arrears of pensions before the general agreement to pay from December, 1952; how many have been rejected; and what steps are being taken to ensure that widows know that they can receive arrears under exceptional circumstances.

In my Answer to my hon. Friend's Question on this subject on 26th October, I explained that the Service Departments had reviewed claims under the widows' "ordinary" pension scheme in force before 1952, and that claims which satisfied the new conditions had then been accepted and arrears paid back to that date. The number of awards which have been thus made, on review, to widows of British Service officers is 1,058. I regret that it is not possible, without an unwarrantable expenditure of time and effort on the part of the Service Departments, to state the number which have been rejected.As regards the last part of the Question, I explained to my hon. Friend in my letter to her of 25th July last the wide publicity which has been given to the new scheme published in Command Paper 8741.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what recent action has been taken to deal with the problem of continued emigration from the West Indies.

No recent action has been taken by Her Majesty's Government to deal with the problem of migration from the West Indies. This matter is engaging the closest attention of my right hon. Friend and his colleagues in the Government, but I regret that it is still not possible to make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies in what respects the powers of Field Marshal Sir John Harding, Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Cyprus, differ from those held by Sir Robert Armitage, the former Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the island.

The powers attached to the office of Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Cyprus are unchanged. I should, however, add that there has been a change in their exercise in that the new Governor has taken over direct control of internal security operations, as director of operations, including control of the Armed Services made available for this purpose.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will make a statement in respect of the present political situation in the Federation of Malaya and in Singapore; and what further progress has been made both in regard to an amnesty and otherwise to secure the end of terrorist activities in Malaya.

I have nothing to add to the reply which my right hon. Friend gave on 26th October to my hon. Friend the Member for Ayr (Sir T. Moore) and to the hon. Member for Bristol, Central (Mr. Awbery).

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many of the 218 strikes which have taken place in Singapore have been for increases of wages; and if he will now set up, in conjunction with the trade unions, such conciliation machinery as exists in this country.

A wage demand was an important issue in 81 of 235 stoppages of work during the first nine months of this year. Conciliation machinery already exists, and officers of the Singapore Ministry of Labour have been very active in promoting settlements. I understand that the Singapore Government are already considering what improvements can be made.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the principal proposals for the revision of the Sarawak Constitution which have recently been generally agreed in that territory according to paragraph 109 of the Colonial Office Report for 1954–55; how far these proposals involve the repeal of Section 17; and to what extent in general these proposals will result in the Sarawak Parliament having less control over the affairs of the territory than it had before the cession of the State of Sarawak by the Rajah.

The proposals import the usual provision for the disallowance of legislation and for governors' reserved powers and therefore involve the repeal of Section 17 of the existing Constitution Ordinance. But their general effect is to increase the part which Unofficial Members of the Council will take in the affairs of the territory since unofficial representation on both Councils will be increased. All but four of the Unofficial Members of the Council Negri will be elected by divisional and municipal councils and will themselves elect the Unofficial Members of the Supreme Council. The proposals were debated in the Council Negri on a resolution moved by an Unofficial Member and were unanimously approved.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he is aware of an organisation of poachers operating in East Africa; and what steps he is taking to preserve the wild life of Uganda, Kenya and Tanganyika.

Poaching always presents a problem to the East African Governments and their game Departments and my right hon. Friend is at present in correspondence with the governors about it.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will make a statement upon conditions in the grazing areas of the Ogaden, particularly with reference to the arrest of British Somali Akils and elders of the Somali tribal organisation and their detention in custody by the Ethiopian authorities.

Yes. I am sorry to say that a number of difficulties have arisen in the working of the Anglo-Ethiopian Agreement of November, 1954, mainly in the region previously known as the Reserved Area. In particular the Ethiopians have in various ways impeded the work of the tribal authorities and the tribal police, and on nine occasions have arrested elders of British protected tribes. On eight of these occasions the elders have been released after representations from the British liaison officer. One Somali chief is still held by the Ethiopian authorities and repeated representations have so far failed to secure his release. The working of the Anglo-Ethiopian Agreement is shortly to be discussed between British representatives and the Ethiopian authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will publish as a White Paper the proceedings and judgment in the Supreme Court of Kenya in the case of the review of sentences on certain police officers following the death of Kamau Kichina.

No, but my right hon. Friend will consider whether it would be appropriate to make them more widely available in some other way.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will give particulars of proposed constitutional changes in Zanzibar.

I would refer the hon. Member to the statement issued by the British Resident in Zanzibar on 3rd October, and to the dispatches exchanged between myself and the British Resident which were published on 21st October. Copies of these documents have been placed in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the price of turtle meat in Mahé, Seychelles, before Aldabra Islands were leased by the Seychelles Government, and the current price; the duration of that lease to commercial interests; and, in order to ensure a cheaper price for turtle meat sold to the poorer classes in Seychelles, if he will consider resuming control of the Aldabra Islands, and take other steps to lower prices for this food.

The price of turtle meat has remained constant at 1s. 6d. per lb. for almost two years. The islands were leased in February, 1955, for a period of 30 years, with an option of renewal for a further 20 years. Since the price has not been affected by the lease, there is no reason on that account to resume control of the islands. I understand that little profit is made on the sale of turtle meat, which is sold by public auction, and the Seychelles Government does not consider it necessary to take any special steps to reduce its price.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food by what date the Runciman Committee is expected to complete its report; and when it is likely to be published.

The Committee's inquiry is one of wide scope and considerable complexity which must include a study of many commodities whose seasons extend round the whole year. I know that the Committee is pursuing its task with vigour, and I do not feel that it should be asked at this stage to forecast when it will be ready to report.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether, in making arrangements for visits to seaside resorts next season, he will include Morecambe in the list.

I regret that I am as yet unable to say whether one of Her Majesty's ships will be able to visit Morecambe since, operational calls apart, this will depend on the number of ships available and on the number of requests received. These factors cannot be fully assessed until early in the new year, when the 1956 cruise programmes are considered.Letters have been sent by the commanders-in-chief to local authorities within their commands explaining the general position and asking that applications for visits should be forwarded in December. The Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth, addressed such a letter to the Mayor of Morecambe on 15th October.

asked the Minister of Education whether he is aware that a large volume of public opinion in Birmingham is opposed to the proposed change of status of the Birmingham Blue Coat School to a fee-paying school; when he intends to invite public objections to the proposals in accordance with legal requirements; and why a public advertisement for a new headmaster for the proposed fee-paying school was inserted in "The Times Educational Supplement" of 14th October, 1955, before objections had been invited or considered.

The draft scheme, a copy of which I am sending to the hon. Member, was published in the prescribed manner on 22nd October, 1955. The public notice explains when and how those interested may comment on the scheme. The advertisement for a new headmaster is not my responsibility.

asked the Minister of Health (1) how many beds are available in Switzerland for British tubercular patients under the National Health Service; and how many of these have not been fully utilised during the past three years;(2) what alterations he proposes in the number of tubercular patients being sent to Swiss sanatoria under the National Health Service.

All but three of the patients sent from England and Wales for treatment in Switzerland under the National Health Service had returned to this country by the end of September and, since the need to supplement our own resources in this way no longer exists, I do not propose to send any more. Beds occupied by our patients were short of the total for which we had contracted by on average, the following numbers:

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is now able to announce the terms of reference to the Monopolies and Restrictive Practices Commission relating to the supply of chemical fertilisers.

Yes. The reference was sent to the Commission on 1st November. The full text is as follows:CHEMICAL FERTILISERS1. Whereas it appears to the Board of Trade that it is or may be the fact that conditions to which the Monopolies and Restrictive Practices

(Inquiry and Control) Act, 1948, applies prevail as respects—

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is now able to announce the terms of reference of the Monopolies and Restrictive Practices Commission's inquiry into common prices and collusive tendering.

Yes. The terms of reference which require a report under Section 15 of the Monopolies and Restrictive Practices (Inquiry and Control) Act, 1948, were sent to the Commission on 1st November. The full text is as follows:COMMON PRICES AND COLLUSIVE TENDERINGWhereas the Monopolies and Restrictive Practices Commission (hereinafter referred to as "the Commission") in their reports relating to goods of particular descriptions have dealt with practices such as are specified below (hereinafter referred to as "the specified practices"):2. And whereas the Board of Trade are satisfied that it is expedient that the views of the Commission in relation to the specified practices should be formulated in a general report;3. Now, therefore, the Board of Trade, in accordance with the powers conferred upon them by Section 15 of the Monopolies and Restrictive Practices (Inquiry and Control) Act, 1948, hereby require the Commission to submit to them a report on the general effect on the public interest of the specified practices.4. For the purpose of this requirement "the specified practices" are actions taken in the course of carrying out such agreements as are described below:—