asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance how many National Service men were awarded disability pensions during 1955 after less than six months' service.

The records of my Department are not kept in a form which would enable me to give complete information about this without an undue expenditure of manpower, but a sample test is being made and I will write to the hon. Member as soon as this has been completed.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance by how much the basic retirement pension has declined in purchasing power since the date of the last increase; and whether he will introduce legislation to restore the loss.

On the basis of the Interim Index of Retail Prices the loss in purchasing power of the 40s. retirement pension is 1s. 10d. These pensions have at present the same purchasing power as they had originally in 1946.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if he is aware that many war disabled men and war widows are reluctant to approach the National Assistance Board offices; and if arrangements can be made for as many as possible of the supplementary payments outside the Royal Warrant to be made not through the National Assistance Board, but by the War Pensions Welfare Service.

I understand this feeling, but I am afraid that it would be very wasteful to duplicate in the way suggested the machinery of the National Assistance Board. But my Welfare Officers can and do help war pensioners with their applications, and I would be glad to have details of any cases in which my hon. Friend feels that difficulty has arisen.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance when the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council will submit its Report about cadmium poisoning; and whether he will make a statement.

Yes. The Industrial Injuries Advisory Council submitted its Report on 20th December, 1955, and it is today published as a White Paper. The Council recommended that cadmium poisoning should be prescribed under the National Insurance (Industrial Injuries) Act in relation to persons whose occupations involve exposure to cadmium fumes. I accept this recommendation and propose to make the necessary regulations to come into operation on 8th February.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance whether he has yet received the Report on the problems of widows, referred to his National Advisory Committee.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance whether the Report on Widows' Pensions is yet ready.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance whether he can yet make a statement on widows' pensions.

I have received the Report of the National Insurance Advisory Committee on this subject, and will shortly be laying it before Parliament.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what progress the Industrial Injuries Advisory Committee have made with their review of the provisions for byssinosis.

The Industrial Injuries Advisory Council submitted its Report on 20th December, 1955, and it is today published as a White Paper. The Council recommended two important relaxations of the conditions for payment of Industrial Injuries benefit for byssinosis: firstly, that the qualifying period of employment in the presecribed processes should be ten years instead of twenty; and secondly, that it should no longer be a condition for benefit that the disablement is assessed at 50 per cent. or more. I have decided to accept these two recommendations, and I propose to make the necessary Regulations to come into operation on 8th February.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance when the Report of the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council on byssinosis will be received; and whether he will make a statement.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to a Question earlier today by my hon. Friend the Member for Oldham, East (Sir I. Horobin).

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what assistance is provided by his Department to Polish, other European, West Indian and other immigrants into this country respectively; what are the number of persons assisted; and what is the total cost of such assistance to the different racial groups respectively.

Subject to the usual conditions, immigrants can receive National Insurance benefits from my Department and National Assistance from the National Assistance Board; and, when they have satisfied certain residence conditions, they can qualify for Family Allowances. There are no statistics showing how many immigrants are receiving these payments or the total cost of making these payments to immigrants.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what monetary allowances are made to tuberculosis patients whilst they are patients in sanatoria.

Such patients are normally entitled to National Insurance sickness benefit under the Regulations which apply to hospital in-patients generally. By a special provision, however, the proportion of this benefit which the long-term tuberculosis patient may retain for his personal needs in the sanatorium is never reduced below 12s. 6d. a week, which is also the amount which the National Assistance Board would allow for this purpose to a tuberculosis patient without other resources.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power when he expects to make regulations to dispense with the use of pit ponies in coal mines in view of the relatively small proportion of the total output of coal they are called upon to transport.

The number of pit ponies is decreasing, but in many pits they still do much valuable work. The conditions of their employment are regulated by statute, but I have no power to prohibit their use.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what has been the increase in the price per ton delivered of London domestic coal since the nationalisation of the coal industry.

About 69s. per ton for a typical house coal.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power the cause of the accident at the electric power station near Newport last week in which two men were killed and several injured; and what report he has received under Regulations 21 (c) of the Electricity Supply Regulations, 1937.

Preliminary reports on the accident at Uskmouth Generating Station on 18th January show that part of the rotor in one of the generating sets broke through its casing, but why this happened is still being investigated.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power the difference in the cost of generating power by coal and oil; how many power stations are using coal and oil, respectively, for steam-raising purposes; and what research he has undertaken into methods of changing quickly from one system to another if the necessity arises.

At present 227 stations are burning coal and two oil. The latter, and the further fifteen stations which by 1960 will be equipped to burn oil, are geographically well placed to receive oil supplies in bulk; in these cases, under existing agreements between the Central Electricity Authority and their oil suppliers, the difference in cost of generation as compared with coal is marginal. Most of these stations will be able to revert to coal burning, in periods varying between a few days and about six weeks.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power when he expects the committee appointed under the chairmanship of Sir Edwin Herbert to investigate the organisation of the electricity supply industry to report.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he has yet received the Report of the Committee of Inquiry into the Electricity Supply Indus- try; whether it will be published; and if he will make a statement.

The Report will be presented to Parliament tomorrow. The Committee, it will be remembered, was appointed by my predecessor in July, 1954, under the chairmanship of Sir Edwin Herbert, with the following terms of reference:

"To inquire into the organisation and efficiency of the electricity supply industry in England and Wales in the light of its working under the Electricity Act, 1947, and to, make recommendations."

The other members of the Committee were Mr. F. C. Bagnall, Mr. J. W. G. Church, Professor R. S. Edwards, Mr. A. Healey, Mr. Lawrence W. Robson and Mr. Jack Tanner.Their Report, which is unanimous, is the first independent review of a whole nationalised industry by a body appointed by the Government. It recommends a number of changes in the organisation of the industry, some of which, if approved, would require legislation. In coming to decisions regarding the recommendations I shall naturally give careful consideration to the views of the industry and of air concerned. I would like to take this opportunity to convey the appreciation and thanks of the Government to Sir Edwin Herbert and his colleagues who have clearly done their work with the greatest thoroughness and public spirit.

asked the Minister of Supply (1) the number of surplus bren-gun carriers sold for scrap to private dealers during each of the past five years;(2) the number of tanks sold to private dealers as scrap during each of the past five years;(3) the total value of military material sold as scrap to private dealers in each of the last five years.

I would refer the hon. Member to the information given in the White Paper on the Export of Surplus War Material (Cmd. 9676).

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many countries were invited to send representatives to the Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations held in Rome last October; and on what basis dependent territories were represented.

The 71 member countries were invited to send representatives to the Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organisation. Dependent territories were represented in the delegations of member countries.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to take steps to ensure that the quality of Danish bacon distributed from his stocks in North-East England is equal to the quality of Danish bacon distributed elsewhere.

The quality of Danish bacon for each selection is uniform in the North of England and the rest of the country.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what different foodstuffs are at present held in store by his Department.

Commercial stocks held by my Department now consist only of raw sugar, condensed milk, shell eggs, frozen egg, bacon and very small quantities of canned meat, butter and milk powder.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what consideration is being given to the question of re-siting certain London wholesale markets, including Covent Garden.

I understand that the Runciman Committee on Horticultural Marketing has received evidence about Covent Garden and certain other wholesale markets in London, including suggestions for moving some of them. When the Committee reports, my colleagues and I will give careful consideration to any recommendations they may make.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to state the figures for the market price for peas in the months of June and July over the last five years.

Following are the figures:

ESTIMATED MONTHLY AVERAGE WHOLESALE PRICES OF PEAS (GREEN FOR MARKET)
JUNE AND JULY, 1951–55
(PRICES REPORTED FROM 8 MAIN MARKETS IN ENGLAND AND WALES)
Shillings and Pence per Cwt.
Month		1951		1952		1953		1954		1955
		s.	d.	s.	d.	s.	d.	s.	d.	s.	d.
June	…	83	3	68	0	64	2	84	8	93	1
July	…	48	10	47	10	29	7	49	5	38	2

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to give consideration to imposing age and value regulations for the import of horses into this country, similar to those which now exist for their export.

Even if I had the necessary power to make such a regulation, I am doubtful whether it would be in the interests of the horses. There are already comprehensive statutory requirements under the Diseases of Animals Act for the protection of horses in transit by land and sea. If my hon. Friend knows of any abuses and will send me particulars, I will gladly make enquiries.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what evidence he has that wild birds might be carriers of fowl pest.

Sea birds contributed to the spread of infection in a series of outbreaks in Scotland in 1949. Apart from this, I have no evidence that fowl pest has been carried by wild birds in this country. I am advised that any birds are capable of carrying infection. The slaughter policy, together with the disinfection of premises, very greatly minimises any chance of wild birds picking up infection.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what has been the cost, to date, of his Department's pest officers' system; how many rats were caught by these officers during 1955; and at what cost per rat.

The rat destruction service operated by county agricultural executive committees, under the supervision of pest officers, is available to farmers on a repayment basis and is self-supporting. It is not possible to say how many rats were killed.

asked the Minister of Health when the Northampton Executive Council may expect to receive a reply to their letter dated 25th October, 1955.

A reply was sent on 30th December. I am sorry that there was this delay.

asked the Minister of Health if he is now prepared to make a statement on the proposed extensions to the Crawley Hospital.

The first stage of a new hospital for Crawley is among the major schemes in the new hospital building programme announced on 1st July. The plans for this are now being revised by the regional hospital board in the light of comments offered by the Department.

asked the Minister of Health to state the reasons for the refusal of the Welsh Regional Hospital Board to allow at least one experimental Nursing Cadet Scheme in Wales, similar to those authorised in the English regions.

My right hon. Friend is informed that the Board decided in 1954 to defer consideration of the establishment of a Nursing Cadet scheme in Wales for two years until reports are available on schemes in other regions.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will give particulars of overcrowding in mental hospitals in the Newcastle Regional Hospital Board area and of the present deficiency of nursing and other staff at these hospitals.

My right hon. Friend has asked the Regional Hospital Board for particulars and will send them to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware of public uneasiness over the recent escape from Broadmoor of Antonie Czachur; whether he is satisfied that the siren installed three years ago is effective; and how it was possible for Czachur to escape.

There is naturally uneasiness, which we all share, about any escape from Broadmoor. The siren was effective in warning the neighbourhood and summoning the staff off duty. Extensive research and tests have been made into the possibility of improving the warning system. Antonie Czachur, who was not regarded as a dangerous person ran away from an outside working party in the charge of a male nurse. He was caught after two hours.

asked the Minister of Health to give a further tabular answer, to the latest convenient date, concerning progress made in all those contracts involved in the phase three rebuilding at Stoney Stanton Road Hospital, Coventry.

The following table shows the progress that has been made since a similar table was circulated on 25th April, 1955:

asked the Minister of Health what steps he has taken to secure a uniform policy amongst local health authorities with regard to the quarantine arrangements for poliomyelitis contacts.

My right hon. Friend is advised that quarantine measures, if they should be necessary, should depend on local and individual circumstances as assessed by the Medical Officer of Health. General advice was issued to all local authorities in July, 1954, and a form of notice suggested which might be addressed to contacts. I am sending the hon. Member a copy of this memorandum.

asked the Minister of Health to state the method of manufacture and contents of the new vaccine against poliomyelitis; what safety tests have been made to prove that it is not injurious to children; to what extent such tests have been made on children themselves; on how many and when; what evidence he has been able to otbain from his experiments on animals that a similar effect will be produced in children; what is the total annual cost of this vaccine; and what are the estimated costs for its administration.

The vaccine is manufactured from strains of the three types of poliomyelitis virus grown on tissue culture and inactivated by formalin; among the safety tests which will be imposed on each batch before release is the injection of the vaccine into cortisone-treated monkeys for the observation of effects. Monkeys so treated are highly sensitive to poliomyelitis virus. There is no question whatever of using the vaccine on children in order to test its safety and my right hon. Friend is assured that the tests should preclude any danger from the use of this vaccine in children. Experiments on animals and the widespread use of Salk vaccine in other countries give sufficient evidence of the value of Salk-type vaccines in affording considerable protection against paralytic poliomyelitis. The Estimates for the National Health Service will include provision for the cost of the vaccine next year and for grant in respect of arrangements for vaccination made by local health authorities; I must ask the hon. Member to await their publication.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware of the growing uneasiness in the medical profession about the free use of the medical and surgical facilities of the National Health Service by foreign visitors; and if he will make a statement.

As my hon. and gallant Friend will be aware, visitors from abroad who fall ill while they are here may use the Service; but aliens who come here specially for treatment must provide satisfactory evidence, on entering this country, that they will obtain it as private patients and will pay the full cost. As my hon. and gallant Friend is aware, this is a problem that presents difficulties, but I am not aware of any widespread abuse.

asked the Minister of Health (1) to make a statement on the steps that are being taken for the prevention and cure of chronic bronchitis;(2) what advice or recommendations he has received from the Medical Research Council on the subject of the prevention and cure of chronic bronchitis.

Certain long-term investigations which have a close bearing on this subject are being made by the Medical Research Council and several studies are already in progress; but I have so far received no specific advice from them. In addition some aspects of the matter are already being considered by my Standing Medical Advisory Committee. The full facilities of the National Health Service are available to patients suffering from this condition.

asked the Minister of Health to now consider providing a chiropody service for aged people.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Tynemouth (Dame Irene Ward) on 19th December.

asked the Minister of Health what precautions are taken by his Department to ensure that imported dried eggs are free from paratyphoid germs.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Newcastle-upon-Tyne, East (Mr. Blenkinsop) on 26th January.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware of the continuing difficulty the farriers, blacksmiths and agricultural engineers are experiencing in Durham and elsewhere in securing iron and steel small sections for maintenance, repairs and making of agricultural implements; and what further steps he will take to meet the complaint.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that blacksmiths, agricultural engineers and farriers in Norfolk and other parts of East Anglia and elsewhere, are continuing to experience difficulty in obtaining iron and steel in small sections for repair and maintenance work and for the making of agricultural implements; and if he will take further action to overcome this shortage.

I am aware that there has been a general shortage of iron and steel small sections. The Iron and Steel Board increased the maximum prices of certain iron and steel products as from 14th November with the intention of encouraging producers to increase their output of small sized material. It is too early yet to judge the effect of these increases.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware of the concern arising from the sale of British tanks as scrap to Belgian interests, which have since been sold to a Middle East country as potential weapons of war at a large profit; and why, when there is a shortage of steel in this country, they were not retained for our own use.

I would refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in the course of his reply in the debate on 24th January about the export of surplus war material.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many applications for licences to export armaments he has received from Effra Limited, Chesterton, Newcastle, Staffordshire; how many have been granted; for what quantities of arms; and for export to what countries.

It would not be proper to make public information furnished to my Department by particular firms about their business when they apply for export licences. This has been done exceptionally in the recent White Paper on the Export of Surplus War Material as regards four applications for licences, but this is not a precedent.

asked the President of the Board of Trade to make a statement on the recent negotiations regarding the supply of Danish bacon.

Discussions with the Danish Government about the conditions which should govern the import of bacon after the expiry of the present long-term contract in September are not finished, and I am not yet able to make a statement.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what progress is being made in the sale of quick-freeze vegetables in this country; and how this compares with canned vegetables.

Manufacturers' sales of canned vegetables were 303,000 tons in 1951, 314,000 tons in 1952, 312,000 tons in 1953 and 385,000 tons in 1954; of these about 7,000 tons a year were exported. I regret that statistics of sales of quick-freeze vegetables are not available, but I would draw the hon. Member's attention to the figures of production and retained imports of these and of canned vegetables which I gave in reply to a Question from my hon. Friend the Member for Maidstone (Sir A. Bossom) on 25th January.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware of the possibility of a shortage of cans suitable for the preserving of gooseberries of the 1956 crop; and what action he is taking in the matter.

No. Supplies of tinplate for the home trade are expected to be adequate this year. But if my hon. Friend has a particular case in mind I shall be happy to look into it.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why Her Majesty's Government require visas for Tunisian visitors to Britain when none are required for visitors from the United Kingdom going to Tunisia; and if he will grant these reciprocal facilities without delay.

The Anglo-French Visa Abolition Agreement applies to French citizens but not to French protected persons (including Tunisians). I am not prepared to waive the visa requirement for French protected persons travelling to the United Kingdom.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in view of the loss of life which may, and does, take place in their absence, he will circularise local authorities advising them to provide all fire brigade stations in their areas, including those operated by retained personnel only, with at least one breathing apparatus set per station.

It is for the fire authority to decide at which stations it is necessary to provide breathing apparatus, and I am advised that the need to do so at any particular station will usually depend upon the nature of the fire risk and on the class and size of the property in the district. I have no information to suggest that there has been a failure to make adequate provision of breathing apparatus in any particular area, and I am not aware of any case where loss of life can be attributed to the absence of the apparatus. There are, therefore, no grounds which would justify me in advising fire authorities that breathing apparatus should be provided at all stations without regard to local circumstances.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will explain the circumstances under which representatives of the Fishmongers' Company in London are appointed by him as inspectors of salmon fisheries off the Berwickshire coast; and how long this practice has been in operation.

Under the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries (Protection) (Scotland) Act, 1951, the Secretary of State may appoint persons to exercise powers similar to those of a water bailiff in relation to any waters to which the Act applies. The inspector in Scotland of the Fishmongers' Company, and the assistant inspector, were so appointed on 15th August, 1951, and 26th August, 1954, respectively.The Fishmongers' Company has for nearly a century concerned itself with the enforcement of the salmon fishery law in Scotland and the appointments were made to give its inspectors powers similar to those they had exercised before the Act of 1951 was passed. Inspectors in Scotland act in co-operation with the salmon fishery district boards, where these exist, and with the police.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the total subsidy so far advanced to Messrs. MacBrayne.

The aggregate payments made to Messrs. MacBrayne, including payments for the carriage of mails, during the period from 2nd November, 1928, when the company was reconstituted, to 31st December, 1955, is approximately £3¼ million. This does not include payments made in respect of the period from 1st December, 1941, to 1st March, 1946, during which the vessels were requisitioned by the Ministry of War Transport.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government, what progress has been made by the Pippard Committee on Thames River Pollution; and when he expects its Report to be published.

After initial investigations, the Committee expressed the view that the main cause of pollution was the discharge from the London main drainage outfalls. Approval was subsequently given to the London County Council for a major sewage works improvement scheme, which is now in progress. On other aspects of the problem, the Committee is awaiting completion of technical investigations by the Water Pollution Research Laboratory of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research before preparing its Report. This has taken longer than was expected, but the results should be available soon.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what progress has been made by the Committee on Synthetic Detergents; and when the final report is expected.

The Committee has completed its final Report and has submitted it to me.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what representations he has received to the effect that the Welsh Board of Health is failing to secure proper control over the supply of water from sources in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

I assume that my hon. Friend has in mind the Welsh Office of the Ministry of Housing and Local Government and not the Welsh Board of Health. No such representations have been received.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the values of the overseas investments of the United Kingdom in 1913, 1919, 1924, 1927, 1932, 1938, 1946, and at the latest convenient date, respectively; and what has happened to those securities taken over by the Government during the Second World War which were not actually sold.

I regret no figures are available which show the complete value of all United Kingdom investments abroad at market prices. Estimates have however been made from time to time of the nominal capital value of United Kingdom overseas investments known to the London Stock Exchange.

End of Year			£ million
1913	…	…	approximately 4,000
1920	…	…	between 3,200 and 3,700
1929	…	…	3,738
1932	…	…	3,641
1938	…	…	3,545
1946	…	…	2,329
1953	…	…	2,013

No estimates are available for 1919, 1924, or 1927; instead, estimates for 1920 and 1929, which are the nearest years available, are given.With regard to the second part of the Question, as was stated by my predecessor on 3rd February, 1955, these securities have been retained in the ownership of Her Majesty's Government except for various minor changes at various times. This is still the position.

asked the Minister of Education whether, in view of the hardship now being borne by teacher pensioners owing to the further decline in the real value of their pensions, he will now consider raising all teachers' pensions to a level similar to that of those retiring this year.

I have been asked to reply.I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer to the hon. and gallant Member for the New Forest (Colonel Crosthwaite-Eyre) on 24th January.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer by how much consumers' expenditure on food has increased between 1951 and the latest convenient date; how much is represented by an increase in the volume of consumption; and how much is due to the increase in prices.

Because of seasonal variations in consumers' expenditure of food, comparisons can properly be made only for comparable periods. Estimates are not yet available of consumers' expenditure on food in the fourth quarter of 1955, but between the first nine months of 1951 and the first nine months of 1955, expenditure is estimated to have risen from £2,190 million to £3,058 million or by 40 per cent. The increase in the volume of consumption was rather more than 7 per cent. while prices rose about 30 per cent.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will raise the interest paid on Post Office savings accounts from 2½ per cent., as an inducement to saving and to bring the rate more into line with present-day interest rates.

No. The present rate of 2½ per cent. is fixed by law and has been in force through periods of both cheap and dear money for the Post Office Savings Bank since 1861, and for the Trustee Savings Banks since 1888. Legislation would be required to change it. While I am anxious to encourage savings, I would hesitate to ask Parliament for powers to vary this rate. Two-and-a-half is a fair return, even at present market levels, on deposits repayable on demand or short notice. I must also have regard to the consensus of opinion in the National Savings Movement, which is that in the long term it is in the best interests of the savings banks and their depositors that the rate should remain fixed by law and not fluctuate with changes in market conditions.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the yield of the Entertainments Duty from theatres and music halls for the current financial year up to the latest date for which figures are available; the estimated yield for the current financial year as a whole; and whether he will give similar information in respect of the yield of the duty in relation to cinematograph theatres.

Receipts of Entertainments Duty from theatres and music halls and from cinemas during the period April to December, 1955, were approximately £1,500,000 and £25,240,000 respectively. Receipts for the current financial year as a whole are estimated at about £2,000,000 and £33,750,000 respectively.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation to ensure that the farming interests concerned are consulted before any action is taken in the proposal to widen the railways in certain parts of Kent or otherwise destroy good agricultural land.

This proposal is now included in a private Bill recently presented by the British Transport Commission and must therefore be considered in accordance with established procedure. Before the Bill is committed, I shall, as a matter of course, consider with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the effect of the proposal on agricultural interests.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation on which road schemes within the area of the county of Lanark work has been started or authorised in the past year; and on which schemes he expects work to start during 1956.

Work was started on the following schemes in 1955:

	Estimated Cost
	£
Trunk Roads
A.73. Improvement opposite Law Hospital	786
A.73. Improvement at Dun-eatonfoot	705
A.8. Service Road at Salsburgh	7,800
A.74. Widening Verges at Beattock Summit	7,665
Classified Roads
C1.III. Improvement at Cross-gates/Bellshill	4,957
B.716. Footpath West End of Whitburn Road, Cambuslang	565
B.756. Improvement at junction of Uddingston Mill Highway	400
East Kilbride New Town
Road No. 11 (Contract No. 4)	2,332
Road No. 2 (Contract No. 5)	4,433
Road No. 1 (Contract No. 7)	1,604
Road No. 12 (Contract No. 2)	32,355
Road No. 6 (Contract No. 3)	18,523
Road No. 1 (Contract No. 6)	78,563

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether, in revision of the regulations covering the movement on the roads of abnormal loads, he will take account of the special conditions affecting the movement, both within the country and to the ports, for shipment abroad of heavy engineering products, such as the large excavators manufactured by Ruston-Bucyrus, Lincoln, Ransomes and Rapier, Ipswich, and other similar firms.

Yes.