asked the Minister of Labour the total numbers of unemployed, showing male and female separately, signing the registers at Workington,

asked the Minister of Labour the present extent of unemployment in the Borough of Leyton according to information at the employment exchange covering that area; and to what extent men over the age of 60 and of 65 years, respectively, are registered as requiring employment but who have not been placed.

At 13th January there were 816 males and 244 females on the registers of the Leyton and Walthamstow Employment Exchange. The latest date for which an age analysis is available is 9th December, 1957, when 214 men aged 55–64 and 20 aged 65 and over were registered as wholly unemployed at this employment exchange. A sub-division at age 60 is not available.

asked the Minister of Labour (1) whether his attention has been called to the report of the Cardiff youth employment officer in which it is suggested that the school-leaving age should be raised to 16 years and apprenticeship schemes modified, in view of anticipated difficulties of young people finding suitable employment; and what are the proposals of Her Majesty's Government to deal with this problem;

Following is the Answer:(2) whether he has considered the report of the youth employment officer in Cardiff on the problems created by increasing numbers of school-leavers; and if he will make a statement.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Morpeth (Mr. Owen) in the House this afternoon. I cannot find that the Annual Report of the Cardiff Youth Employment Committee contains any suggestion that the school-leaving age should be raised to 16.

asked the Minister of Labour to state the numbers of men and women, respectively, up to the latest convenient date, unemployed in the City and County of Aberdeen, separately, indicating their respective trades; and how these figures compare with the corresponding figures for similar periods during each of the last five years.

In view of the large amount of work involved in extracting the figures I have given figures for January, 1954, and January, 1958, only.The following table gives the figures for the beginning and end of the period referred to.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he has considered the letter and enclosure sent to him by the hon. Member for Meriden, which refer to the action taken in Portsmouth to mitigate the problems arising from increasing numbers of school-leavers entering the labour market and which recommend that such action, involving modification of apprenticeship schemes, should be adopted more widely; and if he will make a statement.

I have considered the hon. Member's communication. While I welcome the interest shown in increasing the number of training opportunities, I feel that the question of the contribution to be made by the individual firm to the training of apprentices, like other problems in this field calls essentially for industrial leadership and for action by each industry individually.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether his attention has been called to the refusal by the Chinese Government to allow Lord and Lady Lindsay of Birker to enter China after having already granted them a visa; and what steps Her Majesty's Government is prepared to take to protest against Members of either House of Parliament being treated in this manner.

Yes. While we regret the inconvenience caused to Lord Lindsay and his family by the unexpected cancellation of their entry permit, my right hon. and learned Friend does not think that it would be appropriate for Her Majesty's Government to intervene.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what reply has been sent by the United Kingdom Government to the organisations affiliated to the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions who have made representations reiterating their opposition to the admission of Spain under its present regime into any international bodies.

Her Majesty's Government have taken note of their views.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether the recently announced replacement of the old ships of the Fishery Protection Squadron by modern frigates will entail any reduction in the number of ships allocated to the Squadron or to the Squadron's activities.

No. Six elderly ocean minesweepers will be replaced by four modern frigates and four coastal minesweepers: an increase of two ships. Equipped with these more modern ships the Squadron will increase its activities.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty the number of officers and men in uniform and the number of civilians employed by his Department in 1937 and in 1957.

The Vote A strength of the Navy on 31st December, 1937, was 109,500, and on 31st December, 1957, 112,700. The numbers of civilians directly employed by the Admiralty on the same dates were about 101,000 and 170,900 respectively.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty the cost of the refits to H.M. Minesweepers "Mutine", "Lennox", "Orestes", "Hound", and "Wave", which, after some 12 months service, are now being reduced to reserve; and what are his plans with respect to the disposal of these, and other vessels of their class, to a foreign Power.

The total cost of the last refits of these ships is about £750,000. They have performed, or will perform, at least fifteen months' to two years' service in the active Fleet before being reduced to Reserve. For the present those no longer in commission will be required in reserve. Accordingly no question of their disposal yet arises. With regard to the disposal of other ships of this Class, I refer my hon. Friend to the Answer I gave him on 6th February.

asked the Secretary of State for War what are the details of the important constructional works which are stated in Command Paper 363 to have been already started for the Army at Tidworth; and what is their total cost and their estimated date of completion.

A scheme for modernising a number of barracks at Tidworth has been in progress since 1949, and five barracks, providing up-to-date accommodation for over 3,000 men were completed in September, 1957, at a cost of about £2½ million. Planning for a further two barracks is well advanced, and work on them is expected to begin towards the end of this year for completion in 1960 at a cost of a further £1½ million.

asked the Postmaster-General if he has yet considered the letter sent to him by the hon. Member for Aberdeen, North enclosing a letter from a leading Aberdeen business firm giving details of loss of business and threatened unemployment due to the recent stoppage of the long-existing second postal delivery on Saturdays; if he realises the great loss of business and trade and the danger of unemployment which this stoppage is causing to Aberdeen; and if he will now, in view of this new evidence, reconsider his recent decision and restore to Aberdeen its second postal delivery on Saturdays.

I do not find in the letter which the hon. and learned Member has sent to my right hon. Friend any evidence that the withdrawal of the Saturday delivery is causing either loss of business and trade or a danger of unemployment in Aberdeen; and I should not be justified in restoring the delivery exceptionally to Aberdeen. My right hon. Friend will reply to the hon. and learned Member's letter as soon as he has completed his inquiries into that part of it which concerns the Post Office.

asked the Postmaster-General if he is aware that in the Northfield, Mastrick and Cairncry new housing estates in the city of Aberdeen there are not enough post office facilities, and that they are extensive, hilly and thickly populated districts where old-age pensioners and other citizens have to travel long distances for such facilities; and if he will take urgent steps to provide adequate facilities in each of these districts before this winter ends.

I am having inquiries made and will write to the hon. and learned Member when they are complete.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he will consider creating a single figure or single letter telephone alarm for use by callers who suspect the presence of housebreakers which will obviate a caller's need to speak to the Exchange before being put through to the police.

No. Three figures, "1", "9" and "0", are already reserved for special purposes and we could not use any of the others without changing all the subscribers' numbers which begin with the figure or letter selected.

asked the Postmaster-General how many hoax calls of 999 are received in any one year.

We do not know how many of the 999 calls which we connect to the emergency authorities turn out to be hoax calls, but something like 150,000 calls a year are stopped before connection. Almost all of these are made by children playing in kiosks or as a result of mistaken use of the apparatus.

asked the Postmaster-General the number of applicants waiting for telephone service on the Feltham and Hounslow telephone exchanges; and what is the average waiting period.

Four hundred and forty-six applicants at Feltham and 1,842 at Hounslow were waiting on 31st December, 1957. As regards the average waiting period, I cannot add to the reply given to the hon. Member on 20th November last, except to say that we now hope to bring the new Isleworth Exchange into use at the end of this year or early next year. This will improve the position considerably in the Hounslow area.

asked the Postmaster-General what were the total amounts received by the Post Office for sound radio licences, and combined television and sound licences for 1957; and what was the number of licences issued in each instance.

The amounts received were £6,841,988 for sound licences and £23,341,332, excluding Excise Duty, for combined sound and television licences. The numbers issued were 6,904,096 and 7,782,042 respectively.

asked the Postmaster-General what steps he is taking to improve television reception in North Woolwich.

Reception of both B.B.C. and I.T.A. television should be good in North Woolwich if suitable receiving aerials are used. There have been few complaints of electrical interference there, but if the hon. Member has any particular case in mind I will gladly have it investigated.

asked the Secretary of State for Air how many flights of Royal Air Force aeroplanes carrying nuclear weapons have taken place over the Irish Sea; and what is the number of occasions on which the weapons have been fused during the flight.

I cannot add to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Lord Privy Seal on 4th February.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation, in view of the increase in air travel, and of the fact that accident insurance policies which can be purchased by travellers from slot machines at airports are confined to persons over 14 and under 70 years of age, if he will introduce legislation to remove the legal barriers to persons of any age availing themselves of these facilities.

The age limits laid down in policies issued through slot machines at airports are not set as the result of any legal barriers of a general nature but are set by the insurers. I see no justification for disturbing this arrangement; persons outside these age limits should have no difficulty in obtaining insurances direct from insurers.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation how much of the capital required by British Overseas Airways Corporation, since it was nationalised, has been provided by British Overseas Airways Corporation itself; and how much has been provided out of public funds.

Between 1st April, 1946, and 31st March, 1957, British Overseas Airways Corporation's capital expenditure totalled £140,500,000. Of this sum, £56,000,000 was provided from internal sources. £63,750,000 was raised by issues of stock to the National Debt Commissioners with Treasury guarantee, £9,900,000 by advances from the Exchequer and £10,800,000 by bank loan.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation how much of the new capital required by British European Airways Corporation, since it was nationalised, has been provided by British European Airways Corporation itself; and how much has been provided out of public funds.

Between the date of its formation on 1st August, 1946, and 31st March, 1957, British European Airways' capital expenditure totalled £39,250,000. Of this sum, £16,250,000 was provided from internal sources, £16 million was raised by issues of stock to the National Debt Commissioners with Treasury guarantee and £7 million by advances from the Exchequer.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he can now say what provision of aircraft he has approved for use on the South American route to be reopened by the British Overseas Airways Corporation; and when the new service will start.

No aircraft have been approved specifically for the South American route, but the aircraft on order for the Corporation are intended to provide for these and other services. B.O.A.C. intend to resume services to Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina and Chile across the South Atlantic as soon as they can. The date of resumption is still under consideration, but I hope to be able to make a statement on this very soon.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation how much of the new capital required by the British Transport Commission, since it was nationalised, has been provided by the British Transport Commission itself; and how much has been provided out of public funds.

The capital expenditure of the British Transport Commission on fixed assets since its formation on 1st January, 1948, amounts to about £730 million. Towards this about £430 million has been provided by the Commission itself from depreciation provisions, changes in the levels of internal funds and cash and investment resources; issues of British Transport Stock to the public under Government guarantee provided £200 million, and the balance of £100 million was met by the taking of Exchequer advances under Section 42 of the Finance Act, 1956.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what statistics are regularly made available to him of the amount of goods carried by C licensed vehicles and of their mileage.

Regular statistics about the goods carried and the mileage performed by C licensed vehicles are not available. However, a Report on a sample survey of road goods transport conducted by my Department in 1952 is in the Library. I am arranging for another survey to be made in the week beginning 21st April next.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation to state the annual cost of administering the licensing system for goods vehicles under the provisions of the Road and Rail Traffic Act, 1933; and how much of this amount is applicable to C licences.

The total cost is in the region of £600,000. It is estimated that some £150,000 of this is attributable to the issue of C licences.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation how much he estimates would be saved in a full year if C licences were not required for good vehicles weighing less than two tons unladen which are now subject to them.

Nothing, since the revenue from these licences more than covers the expenditure falling on my Departmental Votes.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation when it is proposed to make the Order consolidating the Public Service Vehicles (Conditions of Fitness) Regulations.

I expect to make these Regulations early in March.

asked the Minister of Defence if, when officers and other ranks are called up for annual training, they will in all cases receive the same pay and allowances as the Regular Forces.

Volunteer members of the Reserve and Auxiliary Forces when called up for annual training receive the appropriate Regular rates of pay and allowances, except for certain categories of warrant officers and senior non-commissioned officers in the Territorial Army and Army Emergency Reserve. There is no exact equivalent of these men in the Regular Army, and special rates of pay have therefore been fixed for them.If National Service officers and men are called up for part-time training, they receive the rates of pay and allowances appropriate to National Service men during their first training period. During subsequent periods they receive Regular rates of pay.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what steps he has taken to satisfy himself that the proposal to extend the no waiting restriction by three hours in the morning is equally necessary throughout all the affected streets in the Metropolitan Police area; and, in particular, what inquiries he has made to satisfy himself that it is necessary to impose this restriction from 8.30 a.m. in Uxbridge High Street.

I have consulted the London and Home Counties Traffic Advisory Committee on the future hours of waiting restrictions. It has strongly advised me that these restrictions should now be extended to cover the early morning peak traffic flow uniformly throughout the Metropolitan Police District. Before reaching this conclusion the Committee considered the varying views expressed by the local authorities affected, including the Uxbridge Borough Council. As I have already announced. I have accepted that advice.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation why Her Majesty's Government have not signed the European Agreement on Road Markings completed on 13th December, 1957; and if they will sign it before the closing date on 28th February.

Her Majesty's Government have decided to sign this Agreement at once, subject to ratification.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what recommendation has been made by the United Kingdom delegate to the United Nations Trusteeship Council during the current session with regard to the fixing of target dates for the attainment of independence by Tanganyika.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many African children of primary school age there are in Tanganyika; and how many of these are attending school.

Out of an estimated total of 870,000 African children of primary school age, 355,632 were enrolled in primary schools on 31st December, 1957.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if broadcasts from Radio Athens to Cyprus are still being jammed; and at whose request.

The answer to the first part of the Question is "Yes". As I have previously explained, the jamming of these broadcasts began and continues as a matter of Her Majesty's Government's policy, although the occasions on which it is necessary have diminished since the operation began, and I hope will continue to diminish.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many administrative and technical vacancies in the oversea service have existed and how many have been filled from the United Kingdom and local recruitment in Colonial Territories in various regions, in the periods 1947–51 and 1952–56, respectively.

The information sought is not immediately available, and may be impossible to supply in full, but I am having inquiries made and will write to my hon. Friend as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the results of the analysis of specimens of radioactive ore sent to the United Kingdom by Government geologists from the Fort Hall area of the Northern Province of Nyasaland.

Of the ten specimens received two have shown a significant content of uranium oxide. The specimens came from loose surface material and further field work will be necessary before any conclusions can be drawn about the nature and extent of the deposits.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will give the number of gloves, including knitted gloves and mittens, other than those of fabric or leather, exported from Hong Kong other than to the United Kingdom for each month of 1957.

"Gloves, including knitted gloves and mittens, other than those of fabric or leather", are not separately distinguished in the Hong Kong trade returns and I am asking the Governor for any information he may have. I will write to my hon. and gallant Friend when I have the Governor's reply.Exports of all gloves, excepting rubber gloves, from Hong Kong to countries other than the United Kingdom were as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies for what purpose a barracks is being built at Tawao on the Indonesian-Borneo border; and to what extent the people of British Borneo are being consulted about any future plans for military or air facilities to be made available to United Kingdom Armed Forces.

The hon. Member is presumably referring to three blocks of married quarters to accommodate 44 police other ranks stationed at Tawao. These form part of the general programme of rehousing for the North Borneo Police.As regards the second part of the Question, the people of the area have been consulted by the Administration about a suggestion for the occasional use of an area in North Borneo for military training purposes and have welcomed it.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance whether he is aware that Boer War disability pensioners are being told in Brighton that they do not qualify for the recent increase in war pensions; whether he will take steps to bring them into line with other pensioners immediately; and what are the total number of such cases at present alive.

I assume that my hon. Friend refers to those pensioners, totalling about 600, whose disablement due to their South African war service is slight. These retain their original pensions, as they would not be better off by reassessment on the rates applicable to the World Wars by reference to their present degree of disablement. These pensioners do not qualify for increases when the standard disablement pension rates are increased since they are not receiving those rates, but their pensions, which took account of factors other than disablement, are subject to additions under the Pensions (Increase) Warrants. The most recent of such increases took effect from April, 1956.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what was the total number of persons of pensionable age at the latest convenient date; and how many of these were eligible for an old-age pension.

It is estimated that the total number of persons over pensionable age at 30th June, 1957, was about 7,220,000. Of these about 4,710,000 were drawing National Insurance retirement pensions; about a further million have prospective rights to such pensions when they retire, reach age 70 (or 65 for women), or qualify as late age entrants this July, as the case may be. In addition, 243,000 people were in receipt of non-contributory old-age pensions.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what it would now cost to give every person of pensionable age an old-age pension of £3 a week, and to give every person eligible for an old-age pension £3 a week.

The immediate extra cost of paying everyone of pensionable age a pension of £3 a week would be about £550 million a year. To increase the rate of retirement pensions, including pensions for wives, to £3 would cost about £180 million a year immediately. These figures assume that the rates of other benefits remain unchanged.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if he will state the total number of persons in England in receipt of retirement pensions at the latest convenient date, the comparable number in 1948, and the annual cost of Retirement Pensions paid to persons in England at the latest convenient date and in 1948, respectively; and what is his estimate of numbers and annual cost in 1968 at present rates.

The total number of retirement pensions being paid in England at 30th September, 1957, the latest date for which figures are available, was about 4,060,000—costing about £396 million a year. The comparable figures for 31st December, 1948, were 3,480,000 and £205 million respectively. It is estimated that by 1968 the number of retirement pensioners in England will have risen to 5,430,000, at an annual cost of £690 million. The figures I now give for England are on the same basis as those I gave my hon. Friend on 17th February for Wales.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether, in view of the decision to bring into force on the 1st day of June the remaining provisions of the Clean Air Act, 1956, including the provisions relating to the prohibition of dark smoke from chimneys, arrangements may be made to make widely available instructions to the public as to how to identify dark smoke by means of the Ringelmann chart.

This should not be necessary. Dark smoke as defined in the Act will seldom be emitted from domestic chimneys. Enforcement of the relevant provisions of the Act will normally be the responsibility of the local authorities; and my right hon. Friend will be issuing to them a memorandum in connection with the second appointed day which will include notes on the definition of dark smoke and the use of the Ringelmann Chart.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs how many petrol filling stations owned by petrol companies have been completed in the United Kingdom during the years 1954, 1955, 1956 and 1957, respectively; and what is the average cost of these stations.

I have been asked to reply.Information is not available in the form requested, but I would estimate that capital expenditure by the oil companies on filling stations under their own ownership amounted to about £2 million in 1956 and £3 million in 1957, the total number of stations concerned in the two years taken together being between five and six hundred. The total number of filling stations in the country is about 30,000 and changes little from year to year.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to state the number of markets which have been closed in the last three years as a result of outbreaks of foot and mouth disease attributed to infection brought from South America, and the greatest number of weeks for which any market has been so closed during the last three years.

I regret that the information for which my hon. and gallant Friend asks is not available. I am, however, sending him some particulars of infected area restrictions during the period he mentions.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, as representing the Lord President of the Council, how much money his Department spent during the last financial year on research on agricultural machinery; and what is the estimated expenditure for the present financial year.

During the last financial year expenditure on agricultural machinery research co-ordinated by the Agricultural Research Council was £356,000. It is estimated that £350,000 will be spent during the present financial year.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations if the date has now been fixed for the proposed Commonwealth Trade and Economic Conference; and how many Commonwealth members will be attending.

Yes; the Conference will open in Montreal on 15th September. All members of the Commonwealth will be represented.

asked the Minister of Education to state by what methods, whether direct or indirect, he makes grants to responsible bodies in accordance with Section 42 of the Education Act; 1944.

Responsible bodies for the liberal education of adults receive direct grants from my Department under Section 100 (1) (b) of the Education Act, 1944. They also receive financial assistance from local education authorities, who can recover from my Department 60 per cent. of the cost of contributions made to responsible bodies other than universities.

asked the Minister of Education to state the amount of grants paid to responsible bodies in accordance with Section 42 of the Education Act, 1944, showing the various categories and using the latest convenient period.

Direct grants offered by my Department for the 1957–58 session were as follows:

asked the Minister of Education what percentage grants have been paid to responsible bodies in accordance with Section 42 of the Education Act, 1944, whether directly or indirectly, using the latest convenient period.

None.

asked the Minister of Education what steps he takes to assist in the recruitment of teachers from the United Kingdom for posts in the Colonies and Trust Territories.

I am very anxious to stimulate interest in teaching overseas and an appreciation of its value, and for this reason have set up in my Department a unit to assist the Colonial Office and other bodies in recruiting teachers for key posts overseas. This unit advises inquirers, facilitates contacts between recruiting bodies and education authorities, and helps in placing teachers who return after service abroad.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is now the future liability in interest and principal on the United States and Canadian loans at the latest convenient date.

The principal outstanding at 31st December, 1957, on the loans to Her Majesty's Government from the United States and Canada was £2,069 million. It is estimated that future payments of interest on these loans will amount to about £1,150 million.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is now the future liability in interest and principal on all external debt of the Government, additional to the United States and Canadian loans.

The principal outstanding at 31st December, 1957, on loans to Her Majesty's Government involving repayment in currencies other than sterling, apart from the United States and Canadian loans, was £365 million. The amount of interest involved in future payments in respect of these debts is uncertain, depending upon the arrangements made for their discharge, but it is estimated that it will amount at least to £20 million.

asked the President of the Board of Trade to specify in detail the steps he is taking by way of encouraging light industries or otherwise to reduce the unemployment in the City and County of Aberdeen, respectively.

My Department bring the facilities available in the area to the notice of suitable firms looking for new quarters.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland to what extent he estimates that the economies achieved in England and Wales in response to Ministry of Education Circular No. 334, of 27th January, 1958, will affect expenditure on education in Scotland.

Such economies as are effected by local education authorities in England and Wales will be accompanied by a reduction in grant, and the grants-in-aid of the Education (Scotland) Fund will be abated by a sum equal to 11/80ths of that reduction. I am not in a position to estimate the actual sum.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how the number of live births registered in East Kilbride in each of the past five years compares with the population in the new town so far as this is known to the Development Corporation, in each of those years, respectively.

I have no official figures separating the new town of East Kilbride from the registration district of East Kilbride. The following table is based on estimates relating to the new town which have been made by the East Kilbride Development Corporation. The figures of births are based on the place of residence of the parents, and not on the place of registration, where that differs.