asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty what assistance has been recently given to the Sunderland shipbuilding firms who have had difficulty in obtaining steel supplies in proper sequence.

The Admiralty has received no requests for assistance from Sunderland shipbuilding firms during this year, and the direct answer to the Question, therefore, is "none". I should expect the general improvement in supplies to be already reducing this difficulty and, in due course, to eliminate it altogether.

While I am much obliged to the Civil Lord for that answer, may I ask, since complaints have been made, whether if representations are made to him, he will use his good offices to assist in this problem? The yards have made a very big effort in overcoming the backlog of the work lost earlier in the year.

I am, of course, always willing to help in any way that I can, but I think I ought to point out to the hon. Gentleman that Sunderland shipyards have received 15 per cent. more plates and heavy sections so far this year than last year, and therefore the difficulties to which he has referred ought progressively to be becoming less and less.

Is my hon. Friend aware that the people who are interested in this matter are grateful for the assistance which has been given by the Admiralty in the years gone by?

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty what signals have been exchanged between units of Her Majesty's fleet and of the Russian fleet in the Mediterranean during the last month.

None, Sir.

Is it not very mysterious that three Russian submarines, a cruiser and three destroyers should have entered the Mediterranean and should then be lost to sight? Would the hon. Gentleman say whether this fleet has been handed over to Egypt?

As I see it, that is nothing to do with the Question, which asks whether signals were exchanged. Had any British warships passed close to any of the Russian warships, they would undoubtedly have exchanged those courtesies which are well established and well understood by all seafaring men.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty what further cuts in naval expenditure have been made since the current estimates were approved.

Navy Estimates for this year are £33 million less than last year, and we do not expect to be able to save more than that during the year. We are now busy putting into effect the various economies which this figure demands.

May we be told more about the battle that is going on behind the scenes? For example, is it true that the First Sea Lord has threatened to resign if the Minister of Defence carries out the cuts that he has in mind? Whose side is the Parliamentary Secretary on?

I know of no battle behind the scenes.

While we all desire to economise to the fullest extent, would not the Parliamentary Secretary agree that it would be wrong to cut down our defence at any cost, and will he give an assurance that the views of the experts will always be carefully weighed?

I am very grateful to the right hon. Gentleman for that question. Of course, there is this long-term defence review in progress now, and it will be put into effect over a number of years. The right hon. Gentleman would not, of course, expect me to comment on that this afternoon.

asked the Secretary of State for War who will in future carry out the maintenance, servicing and repair of army vehicles at present catered for at No. 31 Base Workshops, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Ashford, Middlesex, when that establishment is closed

I would refer my hon. Friend to the Answer I gave on 10th July to the hon. Member for Hayes and Harlington (Mr. Skeffington). My right hon. Friend has given careful consideration to the views put to him by trade union representatives on 10th July. He has decided, regretfully, that the decision to close 31 Base Workshops must stand.

Does the Minister think that it is really worth while going ahead with the closing of these workshops, in view of the many thousands of pounds of plant and new equipment which have been put there, even within the last twelve months, and having regard to the fact that there is a large trained staff, many of whom are permanent civil servants and will have to be given compensation if and when this base is closed?

All these factors were taken into consideration before a decision was taken.

Will the hon. Gentleman do his best to safeguard the pension rights of the established employees, because there is a clause in the agreement whereby they may not get their pensions? These are abnormal times in which there is redundancy. Therefore, will the hon. Gentleman safeguard the pension rights of the employees and ensure that compensation is given to those who become redundant?

The hon. Member's supplementary raises a rather wider question, but I will certainly look into the points he has raised.

asked the Secretary of State for War what is the number of effective Army tank transporters available for immediate use.

For reasons of security, I cannot give the number. There are sufficient for our needs.

Can my right hon. Friend assure the House of one fact at least—that there are sufficient Army tank transporters to be able to lift the minimum of one regiment without recourse to Pick-fords or any other transport contractors?

I have said that there are sufficient for our needs.

asked the Secretary of State for War (1) if he is satisfied that units on mobilisation are able to deal adequately with the medical examination, sorting and equipment of reservists reporting direct to the units in addition to the task of re-equipment, training, and movement; and if he will make a statement;

(2) whether, in calculating the time taken to train units for active operations after mobilisation, account is taken of the dislocation of training caused by the influx of reservists and the drawing of stores and equipment.

Careful arrangements have been made, and are kept constantly under review, to ensure that if mobilisation should be necessary it could be carried through in the shortest possible time. Due account has been taken of the processes listed by my hon. Friend.

Does not this mean that there has been a very considerable improvement since the time of Suez? Does it mean that a unit in the United Kingdom on the strategic reserve could be mobilised and be fully and operationally fit within seven days or some lesser period?

Replying to the last part of the question, we can send certain forces into action very quickly. Replying to the question about Suez, of course this is a question of mobilisation, which was not involved in the Suez campaign; that was a question of calling back reservists to provide our reinforcements. We are, of course, taking full account of the experience we gained at that time.

Would my right hon. Friend bear in mind the importance of seeing that men who are on the Reserve and who will be needed in an emergency are medically inspected regularly? If that were done, it would save a lot of trouble when they are eventually called up and sometimes are found unfit.

This question has been raised before. It would involve far too much expense to carry out the procedure which my hon. and gallant Friend has in mind.

asked the Secretary of State for War what action he proposes to take about the case of T/22950644 Driver R. Gibbon, arising from the successful appeals of Lance-Corporal Lonergan and Lance-Corporal Mulley, and the comments of the Lord Chief Justice thereon.

Four soldiers were convicted. Two of them appealed on grounds which were relevant to their cases only. Driver Gibbon and the fourth soldier did not appeal. After careful inquiry, I have decided that I should not intervene.

Is the hon. Member aware that Lance-Corporal Lonergan and Lance-Corporal Mulley were non-commissioned officers, whereas the other two men were drivers? Is he aware that in upholding the appeal of the non-commissioned officers, the Lord Chief Justice said that he would quash the conviction out of hand and that he thought somebody had slipped up here? Is it not a fact, as the House was warned by my hon. Friend the Member for Hemsworth (Mr. Holmes) and myself earlier, that the Secretary of State on reflection appreciates that the whole of this business was a piece of victimisation, wrongfully conceived, which has now been contemptuously reviewed by the Lord Chief Justice? In simple justice, will not the right hon. Gentleman do for Driver Gibbon what the Lord Chief Justice did for Lance-Corporals Lonergan and Mulley?

I cannot accept what the hon. Member said. The grounds of appeal were personal to these first two men individually, and the court was not referring in any way to the conviction of Driver Gibbon. I must make that absolutely clear. It was Driver Gibbon's own decision not to appeal, as I think the hon. Member knows perfectly well.

Does not the Secretary of State agree that the Lord Chief Justice was obviously speaking of the court-martial as a whole and that Mr. Garth Moore, appearing for the Crown, used the words that there was a great deal in the summing up which he could not seriously defend? That was the summing up of all these cases. Surely the Army would do itself much more credit by putting Driver Gibbon in the same position as that in which the two Lance-Corporals have been placed, because surely at least there is now a very strong presumption that his conviction, too, was a mistaken conviction?

I do not accept what the right hon. Gentleman has said. These four men were advised by the same counsel. As I understand it, the two who appealed were advised by counsel to do so and the other two were not advised by counsel to do so.

Sir Hugh Linstead.

On a point of order. In view of the fact that this man is one of my constituents, may I ask a supplementary question?

I did not know that at the time.

Owing to the unsatisfactory nature of the reply, and bearing in mind that this is the first successful appeal arising from the provisions of the 1951 Act which the Secretary of State has not faced squarely, I give notice that I will raise this matter on the Adjournment at the earliest possible time.

No doubt the hon. Member for Hemsworth (Mr. Holmes) will have a chance to speak then.

asked the Secretary of State for War why the Black Watch bands which will play in a number of Canadian and United States cities in the autumn were permitted to sign a contract with the Hurok organisation which prevents them giving a concert for the Caledonian Hospital in New York or for any other charity during the tour.

A clause in the contract forbids the acceptance of engagements which are not arranged by the tour manager. I understand that this provision is a normal feature of a contract of this type. The commanding officer of the band is willing to give a charity concert for the Caledonian Hospital if suitable arrangements can be made between the tour manager and the hospital board.

That does not arise from my Question. What arises is the nature of this contract, which prevents the descendants of a very distinguished regiment from giving a charity concert. This regiment played a great part in building up North America. At Ticonderoga, in New York State, many of the men gave their lives in defence of the Colony. Will not my right hon. Friend take steps to cancel this contract? It must be most harmful to British soldiers to be at the beck and call of a showman who will not yield after two or three months of effort to arrange for these men to give a concert for the hospital.

I have every sympathy with my hon. Friend's desire to help this hospital, but the contract was signed and the tour was fully booked several months ago. I must make it clear that there was nothing in any way irregular or improper about the original contract.

When the right hon. Gentleman is breaking up the old regiments of the British Army, will he keep in mind the importance of preserving this very useful peace-time function of famous Scottish regiments?

I do not think the right hon. Gentleman's intervention was very helpful. Naturally, I will consider any reasonable argument.

asked the Secretary of State for War why he has refused the release on compassionate grounds of a National Service man whose widowed mother lives alone and who is so stricken with arthritis that she requires the assistance of a home help, details of whose case have been sent him.

I have received a very full report on this case, which I have considered with sympathy. I am afraid that this is not a case where release from National Service would be justified.

Is the Minister aware that this widow is a registered disabled person?

The lady in question lives alone. She has arthritis, but I am advised that she is not seriously ill. She does her own shopping and housework. The son is free to go home each week-end.

Surely the physical disability of this widow should have brought such a case within the confines of the statement which the hon. Member made on 1st July, when he said,

"The run-down of the Army has made it possible … to interpret hardship more generously than hitherto."—[OFFICIAL REPORT, 3rd July, 1957; Vol. 572, c. 1279.]

This is the case of a widowed lady living alone and suffering acutely from rheumatoid arthritis. Is not such a case one for compassion?

We have re-examined the case in the light of the more generous rules prevailing since the announcement of the run-down. Even so, it is not possible to do what the right hon. Gentleman wishes without causing unfairness to other parents of National Service men.

If this is a generous response, what is a non-generous response?

Can the hon. Member say what is the purpose of refusing these applications now? It has been agreed that we wish to reduce the number of men called up for National Service, not to increase it. Surely this type of borderline case could now be dealt with much more sympathetically.

As I explained in the debate on 3rd July, we have doubled the rate of compassionate release by comparison with last year.

From one to two?

asked the Secretary of State for War why release on compassionate grounds is being refused to National Service men in cases of exceptional hardship, contrary to Government undertakings, and even where the widowed mothers are suffering chronic illness.

Compassionate release is invariably granted when there is exceptional hardship. I explained the position in detail during the Adjournment debate on 3rd July.

Is the Minister aware that on 4th March the Government stated four circumstances in which exceptional hardship was likely to arise? I can show him letters from widowed mothers all over the country saying that the Government are breaking their undertaking. Was not one of those four circumstances that of a widow with a child or children to support? Now, four months later, I am told that this was a misprint in HANSARD and should have read "widower" and not "widow". Why not a widowed mother?

Perhaps the hon. Gentleman would do me the courtesy of referring to my speech again.

asked the Secretary of State for War how much military expenditure he has incurred in Cyprus, since its establishment as a military base, up to 31st June, 1957; how much of this represents capital expenditure; and what are his present proposals for reducing it.

Expenditure by the Army in Cyprus between 1st December, 1954, and 31st June, 1957—

The 31st of June?

I wanted to answer the Question put by the hon. Member for South Ayrshire (Mr. Emrys Hughes), but I accept the correction—30th June, 1957. The expenditure between 1st December, 1954, and 30th June, 1957, amounted to approximately £28 million. Of this, about £9 million was capital expenditure. As I have already told the hon. Gentleman, the future level of expenditure depends upon developments in Cyprus, and in particular upon the internal security situation.

Will the Minister not agree that this £9 million is an enormous sum of money to be spent on what may be used for temporary purposes only, and is he not getting the assistance of the Minister of Defence to reduce this commitment?

How much was for the extra day?

Of course, £9 million is a lot of money, but I think that it is pure conjecture to suppose that this money is necessarily going to be wasted.

asked the Secretary of State for War how many of the 35 men who fainted at the Trooping the Colour rehearsal were charged with disciplinary offences; and what was the nature of the charges.

After the rehearsal on 3rd June, 20 men were charged under Section 69 of the Army Act with falling out on parade. Thirteen men were admonished. Four were admonished and given extra practice drill. Three were admonished and forfeited privileges for two or three days. The award of punishments was contrary to standing orders, and I am taking steps to see that there is no recurrence.

Is the Minister aware that his last sentence will give a great deal of satisfaction to everyone concerned?

Is it not very extraordinary that this sort of incident should go on, clearly contrary to instructions from the War Office, and cannot the right hon. Gentleman take some steps to see that this rather silly mistake is not made again?

I think that the right hon. Gentleman heard my assurance. I have no intention that such incidents should recur.

Can the Minister illuminate the minds of hon. Members on this matter? Would he state what was the actual crime committed by these men? Can he specify it?

These men, as the hon. Member for South Ayrshire (Mr. Emrys Hughes) who put the Question said, fainted on parade. I understand that, technically, it was called falling out of parade.

asked the Secretary of State for War what steps are taken to salvage food containers and other tins and cans and also waste paper from camps, stations, and depots under his Department.

Tins and other such salvage are collected and disposed of by local contract or through the Ministry of Supply. The proceeds are credited to Army Votes. Waste paper is disposed of under arrangements made by the Stationery Office, which retains the proceeds.

Will my hon. Friend give an assurance that no valuable metal is buried? I know that many local authorities do that, but can he give an assurance that the Army does not?

I believe that to be the case.

asked the Secretary of State for War why the employees at the Command Ordnance Depot, Coypool, will not benefit from the improved scales of pay until 1962.

I believe my hon. Friend is referring to possible changes in the system of what is known as provincial differentiation. These changes are being considered by the National Whitley Council, because they would apply to all non-industrial civil servants, not only those at Coypool.

Will my hon. Friend look at this again? Does he realise that this depot is only forty yards outside Plymouth and that, if it were in Plymouth, the employees would get the extra pay. Is he aware that, originally, the depot at which they worked, at Gun Wharf, was bombed, and they went outside only for this reason, and is not the present situation very unfair?

As I said, this matter extends considerably beyond the responsibility of the War Office.

asked the Secretary of State for War when he intends to modernise the living quarters of the Citadel, Plymouth.

I regret that until final decisions have been made about the reorganisation of the Army I shall not be able to give my hon. Friend full information about this.

Does my lion. Friend realise that good peacetime conditions for the Services depend on Service men having good living accommodation, especially for their families? The R.A.F. is beginning to make certain concessions in this respect, as also is the Navy, and may I take it that the Army will make considerable strides in this respect in the future?

We are well aware of the point which my hon. Friend has made, and my right hon. Friend attaches high priority to it.

asked the Postmaster-General why he charges 16s. for sending a special messenger from the House of Commons to Hendon and back while he charges only 8s. for sending such a messenger from Hendon to the House of Commons and back.

We charge only for the distance the messenger travels in the direct service of the user; that is, from the post office from which he starts to the point of delivery.

Is it not rather absurd to charge twice as much if I ring up the post office at Hendon than is charged if I ring up the post office in the House of Commons?

If the user of the service requires the messenger to travel from the point at which the user wants to start to a distant point, and to return, then the user must pay according to the mileage travelled. If, however, the user wants the messenger to start from a distant point to where the user is, then the charge is based accordingly.

asked the Postmaster-General how many Post Office employees in the Windsor area have declined or expressed reluctance to do work in connection with Premium Bonds on conscientious or other grounds; and how many similar incidents have occurred among Post Office employees in other areas.

One at Windsor and 38 in other areas.

Does the hon. Gentleman not agree that it is a pity that the Government have a somewhat lower moral standard than their employees, and will he undertake to treat with proper indulgence all other cases where there is conscientious objection to being actively associated with Premium Bonds?

The hon. Gentleman might have acquainted himself with the fact that we already do that where cases of objection arise.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will make it possible for holders of Premium Bonds to have any prizes won paid in to their banking accounts direct in the same way as company dividends, since cheques sent direct to people who travel much may easily be lost.

The claim forms for prizes down to £50 already invite the holder to say whether he wants the money paid direct to his bank. The £25 winners will be given the same option, beginning with the third draw next month.

I thank my hon. Friend very much, but is he aware that the bank had not heard of that the other day, and neither had the Post Office?

I expect that the Question of my hon. Friend and my Answer will draw the attention of everyone to this.

asked the Postmaster-General what percentage of the cheques for the first months Premium Bond draw have been cashed; what percentage is still unpaid; and what efforts are being made to find the owners of those still unpaid.

Claims for payment are still coming in. At present, 120 are outstanding. This is well under 1 per cent. of the total. We are writing again to those concerned.

Is my hon. Friend aware that it would be much cheaper and better to pay the money direct into a bank, if people ask for that to be done, as dividends are?

I have answered Question No. 29, to which my hon. Friend's supplementary question does not appear to relate.

asked the Postmaster-General what he proposes to do with prize money on Premium Bonds which is not claimed within a reasonable period; and whether he will consider giving it to the Red Cross organisation.

My right hon. Friend is required by the Premium Savings Bonds Regulations, 1956, to transfer such moneys to the National Debt Commissioners for custody until claims are made. There is no time limit for claims. Any question of changing these provisions is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Could not this unclaimed money be better used by making it unnecessary to introduce a 3d. postal rate for letters?

I hate to speculate upon the better use to which the hon. Gentleman might put any money entrusted to him.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware of continuing delays in obtaining an operator on London phonograms and of the poor quality of the service as regards sound transmission and intelligibility; and what steps he is taking to improve the service.

Yes, Sir. I am sorry there have been delays in answering due to the staff being under strength. More telegraphists are now completing their training, and I hope that the service will improve as they become proficient. Phonogram circuits are tested daily for quality of transmission, but special checks are being made and I hope there will be no further difficulty.

On the question of delay, can the Assistant Postmaster-General say what is the average speed of answer normally on the phonogram, and, on the second matter, in view of the considerable number of operators employed on the phonogram service, does that not seem reasonable to suggest that the noble Lord the Member for Dorset. South (Viscount Hinchingbrooke) should try to be more in touch with English as it is spoken by ordinary men and women?

I do not think that I am called upon to comment on the second part of the hon. Gentleman's question. As regards the first part, we try to keep the length of waiting time as short as possible, but there are difficulties in the recruitment of staff.

asked the Postmaster-General the average loss per inland telegram in the years 1953–54, 1954–55, 1955–56, and 1956–57, respectively.

2s. 8d., 2s. 10d., 2s. 4d. and 3s. 7d.

Has my lion. Friend taken note of the fact that, since the charge for inland telegrams was doubled in 1954, the number of inland telegrams sent has more than halved and the loss per telegram has increased? In view of this, will he recommend to his right hon. Friend that he should try the experiment of reducing the charge somewhat in order to increase the flow of traffic, to the benefit of Post Office finances and the general public?

The truth is that the number of telegrams sent has been in continuous decline since long before the war, and we have endeavoured to adjust our charges and our services so that the total loss is as small as possible.

But is not the hon. Gentleman aware that, when the last increase was put on, it was said from this side of the House that the increase would kill this service, and is not what the Government have done really to render the service even more uneconomic?

The truth of the matter is that, although the loss per telegram is still very great, the total loss to the Post Office of the service as a whole is considerably reduced.

asked the Postmaster-General how many television licences there were in 1951 and in 1956, respectively, in the Lancaster and Morecambe Head Office area and in the Ulverston Head Office area combined.

At the end of 1951, the figure was 1,088 and at the end of 1956, 18,253.

Is that not very good progress?

It is very good progress, and it is in line with progress throughout the country.

asked Postmaster-General if he will make a further statement about the negotiations between the Independent Television Authority and the Institute of Directors concerning the Institute's advertisements on commercial television.

I would draw the hon. Member's attention to the Press statement issued by the I.T.A. on 7th June.

May we take it from that reply that in future no other body with political objects will be allowed to buy advertising time for propaganda purposes on this highly influential medium of commercial television?

All I am able to ask the House to assume from the Answer I have given and the statement to which I have referred is that the Independent Television Authority will apply the provisions of the Television Act.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that this is one occasion on which the Independent Television Authority can be congratulated on its better sense of responsibility than that of his right hon. Friend, who approved this proposal?

My right hon. Friend has acted perfectly in accordance with the Act at every stage.

Is my hon. Friend aware that the proposal is to exhibit films depicting the achievements of British industry? Is it not a pity that the Act operates in such a way as to prevent such a laudable object from being achieved? In the interests of British industry, is it not time that the working of the Act was looked at with a view to some Amendment?

Anything of that sort is a matter for the House.

asked the Postmaster-General when he expects to have television on the north-west coast mainland of Scotland, with particular reference to Ross and Cromarty.

Because of the technical difficulties and costs involved the British Broadcastng Corporation is unable to say when this will be possible.

Has no survey of the area been made at all then? Will my hon. Friend give an assurance that further preference will not be given to areas which already have an adequate service before these remote areas have a service, which would be very beneficial to them, since they have very little of such entertainment, if they have any at all?

The B.B.C. conducted an investigation into the requirements of Scotland and accepted a recommendation of the Broadcasting Council for Scotland, resulting in the proposal for the Orkneys station. That does not mean that anything else is precluded, but at the moment the answer must be as I have given it to the House.

May I ask the hon. Gentleman to keep in mind the valuable service he can thus render in persuading people to continue to inhabit these isolated areas, because it is extremely difficult to persuade them, women especially, to live in outlying areas when the amenities of the towns are so attractive? The provision of this service would be some inducement to people to stay in the isolated areas.

That is one of the important social factors which both the B.B.C. and my right hon. Friend must take into account.

asked the Postmaster-General what land line will become available to be used for the transmission of television from the Rosemarkie station to the mainland of Wester Ross

No land line exists suitable for the purpose my hon. Friend has in mind.

asked the Postmaster-General why an additional deposit of £5 is required before telephones are installed in the Borough of Shoreditch; what is the number of Metropolitan boroughs in which this additional deposit is required; and what are the reasons governing the decision to demand an additional deposit.

We do not, as a matter of course, require payment of a deposit before providing telephones in the Borough of Shoreditch, or elswhere; but in any individual case where it is considered necessary by way of security, a deposit may be required in accordance with Regulation 37 of the Telephone Regulations, 1954.

Is the Assistant Postmaster-General aware that the persons from whom this deposit was demanded were in the pensionable employment of Shoreditch Corporation and could have given unexceptionable references? Will he take steps to end this objectionable practice, which appears to be based on the erroneous belief that poor people are less honest than wealthy people?

Oh, no, that is an entire misinterpretation of the Regulations. The Post Office naturally must take appropriate steps to protect itself against loss. If it is found that the Post Office has been in error in making a judgment, it is always quite ready to have a look at it again.

Will my hon. Friend confirm that it is the policy of the Post Office to conduct its affairs on a commercial and efficient basis and that that must include the testing of the credit-worthiness of every subscriber or every person who wishes to use Post Office credit services?

As one would expect, my hon. Friend has put his finger on the nub of the whole matter.

Is the Assistant Postmaster-General aware that in these cases I have investigated the Post Office signally failed to test the credit-worthiness of these people and demanded this additional deposit irrespective of their credit standing?

I should like to assure the hon. Member that if we have been in any way either harsh or at fault in a matter, we are always ready to correct what we have done.

I wish the National Coal Board behaved like that.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether he is satisfied with the state of readiness of the airfields in Cyprus; and if he will make a statement.

Although certain work is still in hand, I am satisfied that the airfields in Cyprus can meet the military demands that might be made on them.

Does that answer mean that the airfields in Cyprus are capable of taking even the heaviest bombers of the British strategic air force?

Akrotiri airfield was constructed with this need in mind and can take our heaviest strategic bombers.

asked the Secretary of State for Air the ratio of other ranks to officers of the rank of air commodore and above on 1st July, 1939, 1945, 1951 and 1957.

The ratio of air officers to other ranks on the dates refer-ed to was as follows:

Will the hon. Gentleman consider this? When new air marshal posts are established to deal with guided weapons, why cannot there be a corresponding reduction in air marshal posts dealing with manned aircraft?

I think several considerations arise out of this Question and that supplementary. The first is that the number of officers cannot be directly related to the number of airmen because in recent years there have been needs for air officers with N.A.T.O. and the Ministry of Supply which used not to exist. I would also remind the hon. Gentleman that we are conducting a most careful survey of all air ranks, and we shall certainly consider the points he has made in his supplementary question.

Is not this inter-Services competition to avoid being de-ranked in various other departments becoming a bit expensive for the Exchequer?

That is a question for the Minister of Defence, not for myself.

asked the Secretary of State for Air if he will make a statement about the future of the Royal Air Force station at Kirton in Lindsey.

The future use of this station is still being examined.

Will the Under-Secretary assure us that the amenities of this station and the quite exceptional buildings will be taken into account in this consideration?

The hon. and learned Gentleman is quite right in saying that this station is of outstanding merit, and we certainly wish to retain it if it will fit into the new deployment plans.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether he will make a statement on the acceptance of the official invitation and visit of representatives of the Royal Air Force to the Soviet air display.

The Russian invitation was received and accepted on 28th May, and we subsequently informed the Russian Embassy that the party, which was to be made up of seven officers, would be headed by the Deputy Chief of Air Staff. They were to fly to Moscow in a Comet II of Transport Command. On 21st June, the Russian Embassy informed us that the display had been cancelled because of unfavourable weather forecasts, and that the invitation extended to the Royal Air Force must regretfully be withdrawn.

Has the Minister's attention been drawn to a statement alleged to have been made by the Soviet Government that the British Government accepted this invitation and then, at the last minute, failed to send these observers? Will he either confirm or deny that the British Government did not refuse to send them?

I am afraid I have not seen the statement to which the hon. Member refers, but the facts are exactly as set out in my original reply.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation the estimated total cost of the air terminal buildings now under construction at Cromwell Road; for how long it is estimated they will be adequate for the processing of British European Airways passengers; and what arrangements are now being made for the provision of a terminal capable of accommodating the passenger requirements of British European Airways, British Overseas Airways Corporation, the foreign airlines for whom they act as agents, and other independent operators in five years' time.

My right hon. Friend is informed by Air Terminals, Ltd., the private company which is developing the new terminal at the Cromwell Curve, that the buildings now under construction will cost £250,000 and will be adequate for the requirements of short-haul operators for ten years. The site is capable of extensive further development. I understand, however, that B.O.A.C. do not propose to use this terminal, but intend first to develop their present terminal in Buckingham Palace Road.

Does not the Joint Parliamentary Secretary agree that there is a certain amount of drift in this matter? Is he aware that this is the third air terminal since the war which B.E.A. have had to build, and that it will still be inadequate for future needs? In view of the necessity of co-ordinating the requirements of the different air transport companies, and also in view of the fact that the railway link with London Airport is bound up with this question, will he not ask his right hon. Friend to devote more of his time to this matter?

My right hon. Friend is certainly devoting a considerable amount of his time to this matter. I agree with the hon. Member that this is bound up with the railway link, with the future of the new Cromwell Curve Terminal, and also of the B.O.A.C. building at Buckingham Palace Road. The matter is still under consideration between the airline Corporations and the British Transport Commission

Will there be a stopping place for B.O.A.C. passengers who arrive at London Airport and who wish to get out in West London areas, rather than having to go into the centre of the most congested area?

Nothing has been arranged at the moment in respect of that, but I will certainly write to my hon. Friend when a decision is finally made about tit,: B.O.A.C. building.

Can the hon. Gentleman tell us whether Gloucester Road station will be extended in order to give an entrance to the new terminal, because the present Gloucester Road station will be very inconvenient, from the point of view of people travelling to the new terminal?

I will bear in mind what the right hon. Gentleman says and inform the British Transport Commission about it.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that there is a widespread belief amongst users of the air services that a station is being made under the terminal? Is that not correct? Are we to understand that we must go from the terminal to Gloucester Road?

No, I do not think that is quite correct. There is no station being made under the terminal. The construction of the terminal at the moment is on the approach to station itself.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation, in view of the successful building of a London terminal for British European Airways over the underground railway off Cromwell Road, if he will have a survey made to find out where else in the London area other main line or underground railways could be built over in this way.

Because of the high cost of construction and the limited number of suitable sites, this matter does not lend itself to general treatment. It is for the British Transport Commission to consider the possibilities of individual sites with would-be developers.

While appreciating the high cost of construction, may I ask my hon. Friend if he does not agree that there must be a large number of sites on the railways leading out of London, for instance, at Paddington, King's Cross, Euston and St. Pancras, of which some use could be made, bearing in mind what has been achieved at Cromwell Road? Could not such sites be used, if not for buildings, for car parks?

The British Transport Commission is well aware of what my hon. Friend says. It is certainly prepared to consider leasing sites of this kind on commercial terms for development as car parks, and the Commission is in touch with the organisations likely to be interested.

Surely it would not be a very difficult or expensive project to construct a subway from the new air terminal to Gloucester Road station?

I will bear that point in mind, but I should like further notice of it in the form of a Question.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if, in view of the Report of the Medical Research Council on smoking and lung cancer, he will give a general direction to British European Airways to prohibit cigarette smoking on its internal air routes.

No, Sir.

Is the Under-Secretary aware that this is a plea from a smoker? Is it not the case that the conditions in which this disease-provoking habit is exercised in an aircraft do not exist in any other form of transport? Since the conditions are unique, will he not give another thought to doing something other than appealing to local authorities to take action in this matter of bringing about an arrestment of lung cancer?

The best answer I can give to the hon. Member is to refer him to the answer which my right hon. Friend gave in respect of single-deck buses and underground trains on 3rd July, when he said:

"It would therefore be inappropriate to introduce general prohibitions of this kind at present, but the position will be kept under review."—[OFFICIAL REPORT, 3rd July, 1957; Vol. 572, c. 119–120.]

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation why he requested the Oxford County Council to withdraw the directional signs erected on the Oxford to London road.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he will request the Road Research Laboratory to investigate the legibility of traffic signs with the standard black lettering and numbering on a light background in comparison with the signs with white lettering and numbering on a dark background at present being used experimentally on A40 between Sandhills and the Islip Turn; and how the cost would compare for a beaded sign of each type.

These signs were originally erected as temporary signs during constructional work. Therefore they did not conform to those authorised under the Road Traffic Acts. I have now decided to approve them on an experimental basis as part of the investigation now being carried out in conjunction with the Road Research Laboratory into the merits of different types of direction signs. I cannot at this stage say anything about comparative costs.

While appreciating that these signs are now to remain, at least temporarily, is it not a fact that three requests were made to the Ministry to remove these signs, and that it was only after adverse public opinion had been expressed that it was agreed to permit them to remain? Is it not also a fact that these signs correspond far more closely to those recommended by the International Convention on Road Signs, and that being the case, why is it that we cannot erect signs which come closer to that Convention to assist both tourists and commercial motorists who come over here?

I think the facts are not as the hon. Gentleman has represented them. The facts are, as I have said, that these signs were erected firstly purely as temporary and diversionary signs. They do not conform to the Acts, and, therefore, my divisional road engineer was in duty bound to say that they had to come down. However, when this matter came to my notice, I thought that this could well be part of the general experiment being made to bring tour signs rather nearer to continental signs, and that is why I allowed them on an experimental basis.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that the fact that these signs do not conform to the Regulations he has issued does not necessarily mean that they are bad? Will he seriously consider trying to bring the road signs and the regulations which apply thereto more into conformity with either the continental or the international system on the American basis?

I quite agree with my hon. Friend. I do not claim any special merit for the regulations which my Ministry makes, but I must ask my divisional road engineers to implement the law as it stands. I quite agree with my hon. Friend that we must try to get our road signs nearer to the continental signs. The only thing is that if we tried to do that today it would cost over £4 million.

Will the Minister bear in mind, when considering the whole question of road signs, the fact that most motorists have uppermost in their minds when travelling on country roads the towns they are going to pass through rather than the number of the road? Up to now, the emphasis has been on the wrong thing.

I think most hon. Members of this House will have noticed that road names are getting bigger and road numbers smaller, and I think that is right.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation the number of road constructions or reconstructions for which his Department is responsible which are actually in progress in Yorkshire at the present time.

On trunk roads 23 major schemes costing about £ 1,400,000 are in hand and 15 more costing about £2,000,000 are in preparation. In addition, some 140 minor schemes, costing about £770,000, will be dealt with this year. On classified roads, I have made grants towards 45 major schemes costing about £ 1,270,000 and 65 minor schemes costing about £655,000.

Whilst thanking the Minister for that information, may I ask whether he is aware that a certain amount of procrastination in his Department is causing considerable delay in starting these schemes? Is he further aware that West Riding County Council has been waiting months for the invitation to start the Doncaster by-pass?

The hon. Member knows that the line of the Doncaster bypass has just been fixed and work can now go forward. If he has any details about any way in which my Department or anyone else is holding up the road programme and lets me know, I shall be only too glad to look into them.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he will make a statement on the proposed road building programme which is to follow the conclusion of the present programme due to end 1958–59.

I have nothing to add to previous statements.

When will the Minister announce the next four-year road programme? Does he not appreciate that there is a considerable time lag between the authorisation of schemes and their execution? Has he not informed the House several times that several years elapse from the time planning starts? Is he aware that until the programme is determined it will be impossible to go ahead with planning? Can the right hon. Gentleman give any indication of when he will announce his programme?

I have said a great many times what the main priorities are, and I am sure that the hon. Member knows that very well. Those priorities are certainly ones which will carry on far longer than the present road programme. How they are to be fitted in with more minor schemes is something which I am now considering.

Can the right hon. Gentleman say whether full planning is going ahead with the priorities to which he referred, where authorisation has not yet been given? Surely the point is that it is necessary to know what schemes will be authorised within the next four years so that preliminary planning can take place now.

I do not think that my Department has issued authorisation four years ahead in complete detail, and

I have given an indication of our priorities in motor road schemes and in dealing with bottle-necks and other things.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if his attention has been drawn to the way in which the Whitsun holiday has emphasised the inadequacy of the roads in Great Britain to carry the volume of traffic wishing to use such roads; and if he will make a radical and comprehensive new approach to this problem with a view to increasing and accelerating the whole of his plans for the improvement of our roads system.

As I said in reply to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Morecambe and Lonsdale (Sir I. Fraser) on 25th June, the road programme will be advanced as quickly as the country's economic and financial situation permits.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that it is not only the pleasure motorist who is affected, although he is important? Is he aware that the congested state of our roads causes delays in the distribution of industrial goods and services which must be a factor in the cost of distribution and, therefore, in the cost of living, and that expenditure on these roads would be really an economy in the long run?

I quite agree. That is why at the top of the priority list are an initial number of trunk roads of great benefit to commercial traffic.

And the Tyne Tunnel.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that, following the Whitsun holiday, the A.A. report showed that the most congested road was that passing through the Medway towns, where sometimes there were queues five miles long and delays of many hours? Does not that emphasise the need to speed up work on this road?

The Medway by-pass is among my priorities.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he is aware that British methods of road construction still lag behind those which obtain in the United States of America and other countries; and what steps are being taken by his Department to ensure that speedier methods of road construction already in use in other countries shall be adopted in Great Britain without further delay.

On road works of comparable scale and character British methods of construction do not lag behind those of other countries. Greater speed will be achieved when it is possible to undertake the construction of long continuous sections of new roads and motorways. With this in view, the Department's standard specification for trunk roads, which includes a wide range of alternative forms of construction, has recently been revised in consultation with the Road Research Laboratory and the Federation of Civil Engineering Contractors.

Is my right hon. Friend not aware that it seems to take in this country months to do stretches of road which in other countries are dealt with in weeks or even days? Can he not try to import some sense of urgency into this matter?

To be fair, my hon. Friend must compare like with like. He will find, where there are small delays in road construction, that under the roads here there is a vast network of pipes, sewers and electricity mains, whereas in the wide-open spaces of America there are none of these things.