asked the Secretary of State for War what decisions have been reached on the future of the Army building projects at Episkopi and Dhekelia in Cyprus.

We are proceeding with the current building contracts, all of which are nearing completion. No new major contracts will be entered into until final decisions are made concerning the size of the garrison.

Is it the intention of the Secretary of State, therefore, that the present schemes should be carried to completion without any modification at all?

Most of these present schemes are nearing completion and I think it would be foolish not to complete them.

Would the Secretary of State agree that the Episkopi site has nothing to do with the size of the garrison, because it is the headquarters site of Middle East Command? Is not the future of that site very much more in doubt than that of the other one?

As I say, most of the work has been finished and little would be saved by stopping building in the last few months. We have not entered into new contracts.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will now make a statement upon the amalgamation of county regiments.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is now in a position to announce details of Army, reorganisation.

The broad principles of the reorganisation were announced yesterday by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister. Details are set out in a White Paper which will be available in the Vote Office at four o'clock.

Would the right hon. Gentleman say why the publication of this White Paper on the amalgamation of regiments has been deliberately postponed until four o'clock, with the result that we cannot put any Questions to him at present and will not be able to put any Questions to him at all until about Christmas? Will the right hon. Gentleman also say whether if the Royal Prerogative is involved in these changes, the details will be placed at the disposal of Parliament so that we shall have an opportunity of discussing them, whenever that may be?

I suggest that the hon. Member looks at the White Paper. I do not think his allegation that I have delayed in producing it is very fair. I have endeavoured in every way to speed up the provision of the White Paper in order that it should be available to the House today so that if hon. Members on either side of the House felt that there was a need to discuss these proposals they would have plenty of time to consider their action and discussion could take place next week.

Will my right hon. Friend confirm that the regimental authorities have been brought into consultation in these changes?

The regimental authorities have been informed of what the changes are.

Would not the right hon. Gentleman agree that these are very important changes which involve the whole structure of the Army and that, in view of that, the Government should provide Parliamentary time to discuss them before we adjourn? After all, this is a very big matter and—I am sure through no fault of his—the timing has been such that we have not even an opportunity of putting Questions on these points. Therefore, some time must be provided before the end of next week in which the House can deal with the matter.

I suggest to the right hon. Member that that is a matter which could very properly be pursued through the normal channels.

May I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether, as this is an important Government decision, the Government themselves do not recognise the importance of providing their own time for discussion of these matters?

I suggest that that too should be discussed through the normal channels.

In view of the need for Parliamentary discussion, can my right hon. Friend say when the changes will become effective?

I should be grateful if hon. Members on both sides of the House would have a look at the White Paper. I think that, when they have seen it, it will be possible to decide whether or not discussion of the proposals is necessary.

Will not the right hon. Gentleman agree that, just because it is impossible to discuss these things before we have seen the White Paper, he should represent to the Prime Minister that the House needs an opportunity to debate it? Surely it is not difficult to have a discussion of this matter during next week?

I shall certainly see that the Leader of the House is informed of what has just transpired.

asked the Secretary of State for War what medical inquiry has been made during recent years into the stamina of soldiers and the causes of their collapse on parade; and what guidance is given them when likely to experience undue strain from heat or other causes.

The basic cause of fainting is well known and soldiers are trained in preventive measures. They are advised to take enough rest and sleep before parades and care is taken to see that their clothing fits properly. They are also trained in a way of standing on parade which reduces the risk of fainting.

Is not it a fact that, despite all this advice and information, a number of these men faint on parade and fall out? Unless they are asumed to be culpable of this unfortunate illness, surely something should be done to find out why they have fallen out in this way, and should not medical authorities give advice to the rather extraordinary officers who punish the men when they faint?

I have already made it clear that no disciplinary action should be taken against a soldier who faints. Of course, if he faints as a result of some negligence or excess of his own, he can be charged. That position was explained by the right hon. Member for Dundee, West (Mr. Strachey)and my right hon. Friend the Member for Carshalton (Mr. Head).

asked the Secretary of State for War with what aircraft the Army Air Corps will be equipped for its various functions.

For reconnaissance the Auster mark 6 and mark 9 are in use. A light helicopter, the Saunders Roe Skeeter mark 12, is expected to come into squadron service next year. We have not yet selected the aircraft to be used for liaison work.

asked the Secretary of State for War through what channels aircraft for the Army Air Corps will be supplied; and whose will be the responsibility for promoting the design and development of new aircraft for the Army Air Corps.

Aircraft will be supplied through the Air Ministry. The procedure and responsibility for design and development have still to be decided.

While congratulating my right hon. Friend and the Secretary of State for Air on the formation of the Army Air Corps, as a sensible and practical decision, may I ask him to pay constant regard to the importance of having a first-class light aircraft which is simple to operate and to maintain in the field and which, above all, can be manufactured in quantities quickly and easily in the event of an emergency?

I can assure my hon. Friend that I listened very carefully to what he says because I know of the very considerable practical experience which he himself had during the last war.

Is not the method of procurement of which the right hon. Gentleman has informed us rather alarming? The War Office will go to the Air Ministry, the Air Ministry in turn will go to the Ministry of Supply, and the Ministry of Supply in turn will go to the manufacturers. This seems to us an alarming prospect. Would the Secretary of State comment on that?

I think it would be wasteful to set up a separate ordering and storekeeping organisation. I think that the arguments prove that my contention is right.

asked the Postmaster-General whether his attention has been drawn to the poor reception given to the design of the new postal orders; and whether he will undertake to revise these with a view to making them more consistent with the high standards previously obtaining.

I am not aware of any poor reception of the new design, which I regard as an improvement.

Might it not be that people do not complain for a reason which a lady gave me this morning? She wondered whether it was a misprint or a new design. Does not my right hon. Friend appreciate that this new design is wishy-washy in print, that the typography is appalling and that the layout is a glorified mix-up? Will he make certain that nothing like this is done again and submit these designs to the Council of Industrial Design, which costs us £200,000 a year?

I am sorry that my hon. Friend can give only qualified approval. I will take note of his suggestion.

asked the Postmaster-General what arrangements he is making for a comprehensive review of the General Post Office administration, with a view to increasing efficiency and with the object of lessening the need for future increases in charges.

As I told the House last week, the need to increase charges has been almost entirely due to increased wages. It would be unrealistic to suppose that wage movements of the magnitude that have recently taken place could be wholly offset by greater efficiency. Nevertheless, the Post Office has a good record in this respect; and efficiency has helped to avoid passing on to the public 25 per cent. of the increased costs of the last few years. The Post Office is subject to constant inquiry and stimulation as the only great nationalised industry directly answerable to the House, and I am not convinced that some special review would improve matters.

Nevertheless, will my right hon. Friend agree that any service which enjoys a complete monopoly and the privileges of a monopoly has a particularly high duty to examine its organisation very carefully? To that extent, even if he feels that such a comprehensive review as has been suggested is inopportune at the moment, can he say whether something will be done to ensure that an impartial and outside opinion can be obtained on the present organisation?

I agree that if a monopoly is in existence it is its duty constantly to examine its methods. Last year we had the services of a firm of industrial consultants, who made a report. In the last two months I have brought in one of the largest firms of chartered accountants to go through the accounts. We always welcome advice from outside.

Will the Minister avoid having the kind of review which we had in 1955 as a result of which the Post Office has to pay £17½ million to the Treasury, which in part is responsible for the size of the increase in charges which the right hon. Gentleman had to make last week?

The right hon. Gentleman's knowledge of arithmetic is like that of the waiter on the Continent—faulty and seldom in favour of the Government. The Post Office does not pay £17½ million to the Treasury. It pays to the Treasury in lieu of taxation £5 million a year, which it never recovers. When the Labour Party was in power it paid £15 million a year.

The right hon. Gentleman should not allow slickness to cover up the truth. Is it not a fact that by the terms of the White Paper an additional £12½ million has to be provided, which is a cost on the Post Office? Is not that additional to the cost in the previous years, does not that make £17½ million, and does not that go to the Treasury?

The right hon. Gentleman has always been muddled on this point. There are two separate transactions which the Post Office has with the Treasury. The first is the payment of a lump sum of £5 million a year in lieu of taxation, compared with £15 million in cash which the right hon. Gentleman paid when he was Postmaster-General. The second relationship with the Treasury is that the Post Office uses the Treasury as its banker in the same way as a private company uses an ordinary joint stock bank. That money which is deposited with the Treasury can be withdrawn by the Post Office on demand and without Treasury consent, and a rate of interest is paid on it. It is not a once-for-all payment. It is not "for keeps". The right hon. Gentleman has never understood that point.

The right hon. Gentleman cannot get away with making round statements. The fact is that the £15 million paid in the previous method of accounting——

On a point of order. I thought I heard the right hon. Gentleman say "the fact is …" I thought he was giving information to the House instead of asking a question.

I think the right hon. Gentleman was asking the Minister if he was aware of something, but I think that we have got a long way from the Question before us, and I hope this will cease soon.

Is it not a fact that the form of accounts was changed last year, and are they not embodied in the accounts for which the right hon. Gentleman is now responsible? Do not they provide for an additional £12½ million which was never paid before, plus £5 million, which means that £17½ million goes to the Treasury?

The right hon. Gentleman has got it all wrong. If he would like to see the principal of the firm of chartered accountants which we have brought in, I should be glad to arrange an interview with him. Quite honestly, I think he has got this point wrong, and that he always has had it wrong. The system of accounts approved by the House in November, 1955, is now being adhered to.

Order. I hope this will not be prolonged too far, because we are very far away from the Question.

asked the Postmaster-General what estimated additional income will now be required to balance the expenditure of his Department.

I would refer the hon. Member to my statement of 18th July.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that I saw that statement? Is he sure of the figures in the statement? Did not he suggest that he wants another £42 million, and is not that overstating the situation, because he also admitted in the same statement that he will finish up in eighteen months' time with a surplus of £5 million? Why should the public be soaked to the extent of £5 million in eighteen months, incorporated in this increase which he announced last week?

I did not say that I wanted £42 million. I said that the Post Office needed £63 million for the three years to March, 1959, and that, in the eighteen months that remain available, that represented £42 million a year.

asked the Postmaster-General whether, in the interests of greater simplicity and efficiency, he will raise the new postal charges in such a way that, while continuing to raise the overall sum which he requires, he will abolish halfpenny charges.

I appreciate my hon. Friend's point, and can assure him that it is well in mind. But fortunately our charges are still so low that halfpennies remain significant, and I do not believe that the public would welcome the arbitrary adjustments which would follow from confining ourselves rigidly to whole pennies.

Would my right hon. Friend agree that the value of a halfpenny is very much less than it was, due mainly to six years of war and six years of Socialism? Will be reconsider this matter within a reasonable time?

It is difficult, because so many of the post office charges take into account halfpennies. For instance, the charge for inland literature for the blind, which has not been changed, is from a halfpenny to 2½d. by stages of a halfpenny. To increase it for revenue would be wrong, and to increase it for the sake of tidiness, I think would be out of the question.

asked the Postmaster-General what change has been made in his estimate of the commercial account surplus as a result of the proposed changes in Post Office charges.

The effect has been to convert a prospective deficit of £58 million for the three years ending 31st March, 1959, taken together, to a surplus of £5 million. I will add a summary table for the three-year period 1956–59 in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

What I really want is the answer to a very simple question—what is the commercial surplus for which the Postmaster-General has budgeted this year?

If the right hon. Gentleman will look at the table he will see the totals laid down, but the accumulated surplus for a three-year period is £5 million, which amounts to less than half of one per cent. of the turnover in the period.

The Postmaster-General says that he is circulating the information, but I have asked a very simple question. What is the commercial surplus for which he has budgeted this year?

I have taken the three years together—[HON. MEMBERS: "Oh."]—It is all that I can do——

Why?

I will tell the right hon. Gentleman why. It is all that I can do, because these wage awards have been made retrospectively and we have to make payments back to July, 1956. The figures for the three-year budget are as follows: £6·3 million loss in 1956–57; £1·1 million profit in 1957–58, and £10·2 million profit in 1958–59.

Why did not the right hon. Gentleman say that?

asked the Postmaster-General what sum has been provided for in fixing the proposed changes in Post Office charges, for depreciation over and above the normal historical basic depreciation for the current year.

The sum of £18 million.

I understand that the sum now is £80 million—or is it £18 million?

It is £18 million.

Do I understand that that is over and above the £29 million put down for historical depreciation?

The amount for historical depreciation is not £29 million, but £33·9 million, and the supplementary is £18 million, making £51·9 million altogether, which is to replace assets at current costs as agreed in the White Paper of 1955.

Is not it a fact, then, that if the pre-1955 method were being used, the commercial surplus this year would be £22½ million?

It is not sensible to allow depreciation on historical costs, because one cannot then replace assets when they have to be replaced. If the right hon. Gentleman is advocating that a nationalised industry should not budget for current costs, all I have to refer to is his own pamphlet on public enterprise in which he says that national industries, such as electricity and coal, should generate more of their own capital.

asked the Postmaster-General how much sick leave with pay was taken in his Department in the years 1936, 1946 and 1956; and what were the average weekly working hours.

The average number of days sick absence per person for non-disabled established staff in the years 1936, 1946, and 1956 was as follows: in 1936, 9·0 for men and 10·3 for women; in 1946, 12·3 for men and 15·9 for women; and in 1956, 12·3 for men and 14·8 for women. Almost all of this was paid sick leave.

Working hours, comprising normal attendances and overtime, vary widely for the many grades of Post Office staff. I regret that statistics are not available to provide the information requested.

May I ask my right hon. Friend why there should be this great increase in sickness under a free National Health Service? How much is it costing us, how far is it responsible for the increase in costs, and has any investigation been made to see whether or not it is being abused?

If my hon. Friend will put some of those detailed questions on the Order Paper, I will try to answer them. The disturbing rise in sick leave took place between 1949 and 1951, which coincided with the introduction of the National Health Service and the ending of the former system, whereby all sick leave for the rank and file had to be certified by Post Office doctors. For 1956, the figures quoted now are the lowest both for men and women since 1948, and since 1951, to which a previous Question referred, the figures for both men and women have shown a steady decline.

Is it not a fact that whenever an individual is absent through sickness, the illness is certified by a medical practitioner? Is it the suggestion of the hon. Member for Louth (Mr. Osborne)that certificates from practitioners are wrong?

Every case of sick leave is, of course, supported by a medical certificate.

asked the Postmaster-General if he is aware that the letter boxes now being fitted to some new doors at almost ground level cause postmen unnecessary fatigue; and whether he will take powers to give three months' notice of cessation of delivery unless provision is made for letter boxes with normal access.

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for raising this matter, in which I am very interested, but at this stage I would propose to proceed by persuasion. The British Standards Institution and the Council of Industrial Design are already co-operating with me on the question of positioning and design of letter boxes, and when I have their advice I intend to seek the co-operation of architects, local authorities, the building trades, and the public generally.

While appreciating my right hon. Friend's desire to do this by persuasion, may I ask if he will make sure that, if persuasion fails, this lack of consideration will not be a burden on the Post Office service by adding to the cost of running a delivery service of letters?

I agree that some letter boxes now in existence cause the postmen great difficulty. For that reason I thought it best for the Post Office to design its own type of letter box and then send the details and drawings to architects.

Will my right hon. Friend make certain that the new letter box looks nothing like the new postal order?

I will make sure to take my hon. Friend's advice on the design.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will consider altering the terms and conditions whereby a subscriber who is forced to share his telephone line with somebody else is liable for the other person's bill should the latter default.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will cease to impose conditions of joint and several liability for telephone charges payable by persons who share lines.

This system applies to only a small number of sharing subscribers who have to share a meter at the exchange for recording local dialled telephone calls. No one is held responsible for his partner's telephone rental or for long-distance calls. We are getting rid of this procedure as quickly as we can. Meanwhile telephone managers have authority to iron out any difficulties which arise. I will always be pleased to look into any special cases my hon. Friends bring to my notice.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that most people undertake shared lines with reluctance? Does his Answer mean that the terms and conditions which are at present put before everyone who agrees to a shared line will now be withdrawn? Is he aware that under the present terms and conditions a man has to state that he is willing to accept the charges of the other person on the shared line if that person defaults on his bill?

I will look into that. I share my hon. Friend's repugnance for shared lines and that is why the differential in respect of shared lines was increased from 30s. to £2 in the last changes in tariffs. I do not defend this system at all. I want to abolish it altogether.

As my right hon. Friend has given this promise that he will abolish the system altogether, cannot he go a little further and say that no person who is sharing a line will henceforth be called upon to pay anything which depends on the account of the other person who shares the line?

We cannot do that at the moment. Altogether. 30,000 subscribers out of 1,200,000 are affected; that is all that the problem represents. When they took over the telephones they knew their liability and they accepted this system in preference to none at all. What I want to do by the end of 1958 is to abolish the whole system.

Is not this the only way on certain exchanges whereby the telephone can be supplied, and until some of these exchanges are either remodelled or made automatic, will not this system have to remain?

That is so. Some subscribers prefer it to having no telephone at all. The majority of the 30,000 now under this obligation will be cleared by the end of 1958.

asked the Postmaster-General when the extension to the telephone exchange at Rugby will be completed; and how many additional subscribers will then be supplied.

New equipment is now being installed in the existing building. It will be ready by December, and will enable service to be given to 200 additional subscribers. Extension of the building is planned to begin next year, and new equipment, providing for an additional 1,400 subscribers, is expected to be ready for service early in 1961.

asked the Postmaster-General what proposals he has for increasing the use of the telephone service.

Subject to the service paying its way and to the availability of capital, our policy is to increase the use of the telephone service. I hope that more calls will be made when the range of the 3d. call is extended next January. The weather service is being extended, the cricket test score service is very popular, and new submarine cables will foster the use of the international service, as has the highly successful Transatlantic telephone cable.

Will the Minister tell us what steps he has taken to restore confidence in telephone users whose telephones are tapped? Could he tell us what he does to protect telephone users from tapping by people? Has he consulted anybody at all, and does not he think he could make some money for his Department if he had the initiative to put on the market an untappable telephone?

I am sure that the hon. Member would like the introduction of an untappable telephone. There is no charge for the service of tapping.

Can my right hon. Friend make any comparison between the charges imposed by the General Post Office on the one side and Hull on the other?

I cannot do that, because the two systems are not comparable. Hull is a very dense area and has no rural telephones, which we have to subsidise.

Reverting to the subject of tapped telephones, will the right hon. Gentleman, if he cannot accept my hon. Friend's very reasonable suggestion, at any rate mitigate the evil by making sure that in future people whose telephones are tapped are charged only as for a shared telephone?

asked the Postmaster-General if he is aware that a person who, a few years ago, deposited £5 with him for the installation of a telephone service now finds that when claiming this deposit back it has lost more than a quarter of its value; and whether he will arrange that, on repayment of this deposit, a person will be able to reclaim the £5 plus compensation for depreciation in value.

Deposits are now only asked for as financial security, and I am sure any depreciation in their value will be more than offset by the benefits of having a telephone.

Is not it unfair that the Government should be guilty of causing inflation and the depreciation in the value of the £ by making these people pay a £5 deposit? When they try to get it back, do not they find that—because the Government have increased the charges in order to give, quite rightly, the employees a decent standard and recompense them for the increased cost of living—they are 25 per cent. down? Surely, the Government ought to recompense them for having deposited this money for a number of years and for the loss in which they are involved?

I would remind the hon. Gentleman that if the bills are paid promptly, which I am sure all his constituents always do, the deposit is returned.

asked the Postmaster-General what action he proposes to take to improve television reception in west Cornwall.

The B.B.C. is developing a low-power television transmitter which it hopes will prove useful in areas such as west Cornwall; but it cannot yet say what the possibilities will be.

If this kind of transmitter seems to be the only solution for west Cornwall, will the Minister do what he can to get the B.B.C. to speed up its provision?

Yes, I will have a word with those responsible.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether he has now invited the air Corporations to tender for the transportation of troops to overseas stations.

I would refer the right hon. Member to the statement on air trooping policy in my speech on the Air Estimates.

Will the right hon. Gentleman take the House a little more into his confidence? Can he give an explicit answer whether or not he is to shut out the Corporations altogether and limit these tenders to the independent companies?

The Government's broad policy has always been that the Corporations should concern themselves primarily with the operation of scheduled services. The Corporations have undertaken not to maintain aircraft specifically for charter work, so we do not invite tenders from them for long-term trooping contracts.

But surely the right hon. Gentleman should demonstrate, and demonstrate publicly, that nothing but the best is good enough for the men in the Services. Why, therefore, should they be barred, by Government policy, from flying in nationalised Corporation aircraft if those Corporation aircraft compete on tenders and get the contract?

I quite agree with the hon. Gentleman that nothing but the best is good enough. I would draw his attention to the fact that we have just let a contract for trooping to the Mediterranean to one of the civil charter companies which will be operated with Viscounts.

Would not my right hon. Friend agree that one of the most important things here is to extend the period of contract?

asked the Secretary of State for Air (1)his intentions with regard to experiments on artificial rainmaking in the Durham and Northumberland area;

(2)when the last experiments on artificial rain-making took place; and if he will make a statement as to the result.

The series of experiments started on Salisbury Plain towards the end of 1955 is continuing, but it is as yet too early to assess results. I can say, however, that the effect, if any, has been small. We do not now plan to extend the experiments to hill country in the north of England, as further examination has indicated that the results could not be expected to differ significantly from those obtained on Salisbury Plain.

Is the Secretary of State aware that, despite the heavy rainfall we have had in certain parts of Durham recently, the reservoir levels are still in a pretty bad way, and that rationing is still very much to the fore? If experiments in rain making are to take place, surely the catchment area of Durham would be a most suitable place?

My information is that the results are unlikely to be any different from those on Salisbury Plain, because the area in which the hon. Gentleman is interested simply is not high enough to make any difference.

Would not my right hon. Friend agree that on the occasion of the Durham Miners' Gala on Saturday of last week there was rather too much rain for the convenience of most people?

This is rather too serious a matter for a point like that put by the hon. Member for Sunderland, South (Mr. P. Williams). May I ask the Minister what conclusive proof he has that experiments in this catchment area would not be more successful?

As the hon. Gentleman knows, when he raised this point earlier we looked into it very carefully. It is the result of studies made since he raised the matter that has brought us to this conclusion.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what plans he has for increasing the strength of the Women's Royal Air Force so that volunteer women can carry out many of the clerical and administrative tasks at present undertaken by National Service men.

We want at least to double the size of the Women's Royal Air Force, and we are urgently considering plans to this end.

Will the Secretary of State consider completely redesigning the women's uniforms—doing away with the military style, with tunics and buttons, and getting a well-known dress designer to design something really feminine?

Alterations in dress are among the ideas which we are considering now.

asked the Secretary of State for Air how many officers of the Women's Royal Air Force are employed in the Education Branch; and how many of these officers receive a salary of more than £1,000 a year.

Seventeen, none of whose basic pay is more than £1,000 a year.

As none of these officers gets £1,000 a year, is it not, to put it mildly, extremely misleading to put an advertisement in the Press appealing to ladies to join this branch of the Royal Air Force, which reads:

"When you gain your commission you earn a good salary, and this can rise to more than £1,000 a year?"

May I have an assurance from my right hon. Friend that it is not his intention to deceive the women joining this Service in the way that the men were deceived when the party opposite was in power?

When a member of the W.R.A.F. is promoted to the rank of wing officer, her basic pay does rise above £1,000 a year. At the moment, it happens that there are not any wing officers.

But will the Secretary of State look at this matter? It is really most important if he connects this allegation of his hon. Friend with his Answer about doubling the size of the W.R.A.F. It is these misleading things that do enormous harm in the long run.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what he is doing to remind schoolmasters, parents and young men that for many years to some aircrew will be needed in the Royal Air Force.

We have written to schools and to the universities; to the parents of all holders of R.A.F. scholarships; and to units of the Air Training Corps about the continuing need for aircrew. New advertisements also stress this need, as will the film we are now making, for exhibition in schools, about careers in the Royal Air Force. I am grateful to the hon. Member for this opportunity to emphasise the point once more.

While I am grateful for that reply, may I ask whether the right hon. Gentleman will do something about the Minister of Defence who constantly gives the impression that the day of manned aircraft is entirely over, forgetting that troops will not be transported by guided missiles or anything like that for a long time to come, if ever? Will the right hon. Gentleman get the Minister of Defence to work in with his Department in formulating the propaganda for this type of recruiting?

My right hon. Friend is very well aware of the problem and we work very closely together.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what decision he has reached concerning the future of the Royal Air Force Station, Llandaff; and whether he will make a statement.

With the exception of a few buildings for the Royal Observer Corps and the Air Training Corps, this station is no longer needed for the Royal Air Force. Its possible use by other Government Departments is being examined.

Since this station is in the middle of one of the city's most delightful housing estates, would the Minister consider offering to the corporation this great area of land, as it is quite out of harmony to have this military centre in the middle of a housing estate?

I am sure the hon. Gentleman will agree that it is necessary to make sure that a Government-owned asset on which a lot of public money has been spent is not disposed of before we can be quite sure that another Government Department does not need it. If eventually we conclude that no other Government Department does need it, it will, of course, be put up for sale.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that other airfields, including Pembrey as well as Llandaff, are being closed in South Wales? The right hon. Gentleman says that he consults other Departments. Will he say what other Departments he consults? How does he reckon to preserve many millions of public money which have Peen spent on airfields which are closed down?

This is not an airfield. It is a small unit, and I understand that the War Office is interested in it.

As this station covers a considerable area of ground and it is believed that the Minister intends to hand it over to the War Office, will he consider the representations of local people and let the corporation bid for it if it is a question of estimates?

Of course, if it is decided to sell the property the corporation will be able to bid for it.

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

Tins and cans are sold with heavier types of metal scrap. Waste paper is either sold locally or disposed of through the local authority.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what are the possibilities of providing scientific long-range forecasts of the weather.

It is improbable that anything like a day-to-day prediction of weather for long periods ahead can be achieved for a climate such as ours in the foreseeable future. The most that can be hoped for at present is a general prediction of the type of weather that may be expected for a month ahead. Recent research in the Meteorological Office has led to a new approach to the problem which has, on balance, given encouraging results, but it is too early to say how reliable the new method may prove.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he is aware of the extent to which perishable commodities, with particular reference to the Scottish fish trade, are delayed by the use of old and out-of-date rolling stock; that the use of old stock frequently results in overheating of axles and the removal in course of journeys of faulty wagons; that perishable goods thus affected become unsaleable; and if he will give a general direction to the British Transport Commission to accelerate the provision of modern rolling stock.

If deliveries of the necessary parts are maintained on schedule, the Commission hopes to have the 200 wagons to which I referred in my Answer of 3rd July in service by the end of the year.

Does not the Minister think that it is entirely wrong to tolerate these structural defects for so long, and will he act urgently in this matter? Does he realise that this is undermining the great fishing industry and disappointing producers and consumers? Will he act promptly?

I do not act. It is the Commission that acts. As the hon. and learned Gentleman knows, the Commission has very much expedited this service in an attempt to help that major industry to which he has referred.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that, even since he took personal trouble over this matter, several wagons have had to be taken off in transit? Is he satisfied that the promises which he was given that this matter would be investigated have really been carried out?

Yes, I think so. The trouble is not so much the supply of wagons but the difficulty which is experienced with hot boxes when the wagons are run at high speeds. Therefore, the bearings have to be replaced. I think the replacement is proceeding at a satisfactory rate and that should cure the difficulty.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he is aware that under nationalisation the old companies' method of charging railway fares and freight rates at so much per passenger mile and per ton mile gives rise to anomalies; and if he will give a general direction to the British Transport Commission to put in hand an immediate inquiry into the possibility of adopting an alternative method.

The relationship of railway charges to costs raises very complex issues which engage the attention of the British Transport Commission, and which have been examined at length in the court of the Transport Tribunal. My hon. Friend has written to me on this subject and I shall be replying to him as soon as possible.

In considering the alternative propositions before him, will the Minister reconsider the present arrangement with regard to tapering rates in order to ensure that the north-east of this island is treated as fairly as the rest of the island?

This is a most complicated matter, as I think my hon. Friend knows, and I will write to him as soon as I can.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he will give a general direction to the British Transport Commission to postpone application of the latest increase of 10 per cent. on freight rates until 1st October.

No, Sir. I should not be justified in interfering with the measure of discretion now granted to the Commission, to treat freight charges on a sound commercial basis in relation to costs.

In view of the very serious consequences to the nation as a whole and to British Railways because of the traffic which it will lose, does not my right hon. Friend think it would be a good plan to get a small investigating team of business men and accountants to look at the earnings and the losses?

I think my hon. Friend realises that any increases on British Railways now are related to the new charges scheme which allows them to negotiate, if necessary, a figure below the permitted increase, and therefore my advice is that interests who feel that more business could be secured by not increasing these charges should make their case to the Commission.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what conclusions he has now reached to improve the safety of Watling Street at Grendon in the County of Warwick; and what action will be taken on the basis of such conclusions.

I cannot yet say when a scheme for widening the whole length of this road can be included in our programme, but we are considering whether it may be practicable in advance to build a short length of dual carriageway at the Boot Inn junction at Grendon. Meanwhile we are arranging for the erection of special signs warning motorists of the danger of overtaking here and the local council can also help by pressing ahead with arrangements to improve street lighting.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that his reply will give great satisfaction to the local inhabitants of Grendon?

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation, what grant he has decided to make to the West Riding County Council towards the reconstruction of the Methley Bridge.

I regret that my right hon. Friend cannot make a grant towards this scheme at present.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that this bridge is one of the most dangerous bridges in the north of England and that, when heavy traffic is going over it, it is impossible for pedestrians to use it? Is the hon. Gentleman conversant with the structure of this bridge and the magnitude of traffic which it has to take during the working week?

Yes, I know all the details of this bridge, and I have had considerable correspondence with the hon. Member for Pontefract (Mr. Sylvester)about it. Apart from the necessity for it to take its place amongst the national priorities for road improvements, the West Riding County Council, which is the highway authority responsible, does not give it a high priority. It is necessary for the hon. Member to persuade not only myself, but also the county council, about its necessity.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that the county council is prepared to give high priority providing the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation will make a grant?

If the County Council will communicate with me on those lines, I shall be prepared to look at the matter again.

Is my lion. Friend aware that sometimes when county councils give top priority, the Ministry sits on the bridge, and that certainly happened in my constituency in connection with the Marden Bridge at Whitley Bay? I am delighted to know that if the county council gives priority we may look forward to a new bridge very shortly.

That is not quite the position. That is the first hurdle to cross. We then have to assess where it comes in the national priorities.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation how many accidents have occurred in the last two years on the stretch of A.412 between the top of Southlands Hill and the starting point of the 30 m.p.h. speed restriction at the village of Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire.

Eight accidents involving personal injury. Two persons were killed and thirteen injured.

Is not this rather a high proportion of accidents on this small stretch of road? Would my hon. Friend consider extending the restricted stretch of road?

Consideration has been given to that, but we do not feel that the situation merits that measure. I am glad to say that the accident record this year is a good deal better, and to date there have been no accidents involving personal injury there.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what action he is taking to widen the bridge over the River Yeo on the A.30 road.

I regret that my right hon. Friend has been unable to include a scheme for widening this bridge in our current programme.

Will my hon. Friend bear in mind the fact that this is a really dangerous bridge and has been the scene and the cause of recent accidents? It may have been adequate for the horse-drawn traffic for which it was originally built, but it is fantastically inadequate to bear the volume of traffic on what is still a major trunk road.

I agree that it is a narrow bridge and that it needs widening in due course, but I am afraid it will have to take its turn.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what advice he gives to highway authorities concerning the width of roads, pavement, and grass verges when a stretch of road is being widened.

General advice on road widths and layout, and on the provision to be made for future traffic increase, is contained in technical memoranda issued to highway authorities by my Department. The application of this general advice to particular cases is usually discussed between highway authorities and our divisional road engineers when schemes of widening are proposed.

Would my hon. Friend consider pointing out to the highway authorities that, often enough, when widening operations are undertaken, the result is extremely disappointing, quite excessive pavements and verges being allowed to be made, and that the sum total seems to amount again and again to spoiling the ship for a ha'p'orth of tar?

We try to see that these widening schemes meet all the necessities of the locality. If my hon. Friend will give me any instance of particular complaint, I shall be very glad to look at it.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether, in view of the number of accidents involving personal injury that have taken place in the vicinity in the past two years, he will again consult with the local authority with a view to the installation of traffic lights at the junction of Gower Street and Hampstead Road, London.

The police are conducting an up-to-date traffic census at this junction. When I know the outcome I will write to the hon. Member.

Does the Minister consider that the number of vehicles which park in the vicinity of the junction, and the danger that there is when traffic is travelling north, demand the particular and special attention of the police?

Yes, I shall certainly call that matter to the attention of the police.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what further improvements are to be made to roads A.41 from Newport to Whitchurch, Shropshire, and A.49 from Whitchurch to Tarporley.

We hope to start work next year on a new roundabout at the junction of A.41 and A.49 near Whit-church. We have plans also for improving both these lengths of road throughout, including the construction of several diversions, but these schemes cannot be included in our current programme.

I welcome the statement my hon. Friend has made, but will he bear in mind the importance of spending such money as is available for a road of that kind in straightening out the corners. as far as possible, rather than widening it by just a foot or two and putting up high kerbs which are only dangerous?

If there are any parts of the road which my hon. Friend would particularly like to bring to my attention, I shall be very glad to look at them.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what steps are being taken to widen road A.5 between Weedon and Atherstone.

Work is in progress on a diversion at High Cross and on an improvement south-east of Shawell Railway Bridge. My right hon. Friend has also authorised improvements at Buckby Wharf Canal Bridge and near Catthorpe.

While welcoming such improvements as have been made on that road, and accepting the wisdom of the priority laid down by my hon. Friend the other day, may I ask him to bear in mind that this is supposed to be the main road between London and Manchester, and many parts of it are really nothing but country lanes?

We are doing our best to improve it as fast as we can.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what investigations he proposes to make in the purchasing arrangements of the British Transport Commission in accordance with his recent undertaking.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what action he proposes to take to implement the undertaking given respecting purchases by the British Transport Commission.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he is satisfied that the structure of the British Transport Commission gives it adequate powers to purchase stores and equipment in accordance with the best traditions of private industry.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what has been the result of his consultations in the British Transport Commission in regard to the placing of contracts in connection with the modernisation programme of British Railways.

At my request, the Chairman of the British Transport Commission has sent me a full report. The report sets out the new purchasing policy which the Commission decided to adopt on 30th May, 1957, and also deals fully with allegations made in this House about specific contracts.

Because of the importance of this issue to the railway modernisation plan, which the Government are underwriting, I have felt it essential to ensure that the facts are established expertly and impartially. This is also the wish of the Chairman of the Commission.

I have accordingly asked Sir Harold Howitt, past President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, who, as the House knows, has a wide experience of financial and public affairs, to examine this matter and let me have his views upon it as soon as possible. It is my intention to publish his findings and the Commission's report.

I think that everyone will be very pleased that the Minister has come to that decision about having an impartial investigation. I wonder whether he has considered a point which I put to him during the recent debate on this matter, that it might be helpful on this occasion to get the advice of a senior officer in the Ministry of Supply, because that Department is accustomed to buying large quantities of products from British industry, sometimes when delivery is very urgent. Would not the advice of such an officer be useful?

Perhaps I may add that I have told Sir Harold Howitt that he has complete freedom of action as to how to conduct this investigation. I think that it is also fair to say that, the Commission has particularly asked me that it should be as widespread and detailed as possible.

I thank the Minister for his decision, which will give great satisfaction to many people who have been very anxious about the whole purchasing policy of the British Transport Commission. Has he any idea when we may expect this report?

I have asked Sir Harold Howitt to do it as quickly as possible, but I am anxious, as is the Commission too, that it should be a very detailed investigation, and, therefore, I do not think that I can answer my hon. Friend's question today.

Will the Minister, first of all, confirm that the report is in fact the report of a committee of more than one high-ranking officer of the British Transport Commission, not presided over by Mr. Gethin? Secondly, in view of the grave apprehensions felt by large numbers of people, not least by the three-quarters of a million people employed in the industry, will he make available in the Library of the House a copy of the report which Mr. Gethin sent to him?

I do not quite know what the hon. Gentleman means. The report I am referring to, which I have, of course, handed to Sir Harold Howitt, is a report to me by the Chairman of the Commission. Sir Harold Howitt will undoubtedly ask for any further documents he wants, either from the Commission or anybody else, and I am sure that he will obtain them.

Can my right hon. Friend say anything about the procedure which will be used in this inquiry? Will Mr. Gethin or his counsel have an opportunity of questioning other witnesses and, in view of the grave public concern about the allegations which have been made, would not it be desirable to have this inquiry in public?

I do not think that my hon. Friend is, perhaps, helping his constituent by trying to put limitations and conditions on this investigation. I am anxious to have it done as expeditiously and efficiently as I can, and I am satisfied that that is best met by allowing Sir Harold Howitt to do what he thinks best.