asked the Secretary of State for Air how many Grade III men are serving in the Royal Air Force at the present time.

About 3,000.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power to what extent he proposes to authorise the capital investment sum for the coal industry as set out in "Investing in Coal," a copy of which has been supplied to him.

I shall continue to authorise capital expenditure by the National Coal Board year by year after reviewing the progress of investment and other relevant circumstances on each occasion.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will bring up to date the table published on 19th November, 1954, showing how the internal purchasing value of the £ sterling has varied month by month, taking the value in October, 1951, as 20 shillings.

For the months from November, 1954, to November, 1955, I would refer the hon. Member to the replies given to him on 18th November, 1955, and 21st December, 1955. The corresponding figures for the months since November, 1955, based on the Ministry of Labour's Index of Retail Prices, are as follows:—

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works, as representing the Lord President of the Council, why the Building Research Station is now attempting to discourage the adoption of any module, and is intending to design the United Kingdom test buildings in the European Productivity Agency programme without a module, in spite of their agreement with the other European Productivity Agency countries of August last.

I am informed that the Building Research Station is not attempting to discourage the adoption of any module, but is reserving its own decision until the experimental work now in progress is complete.In designing the buildings to which the hon. Member refers, the Building Research Station is applying knowledge of the use of modules and co-ordinated dimensions, without confining itself to the use of any particular module. This is not precluded by the proposed agreement with other European Productivity Agency countries.