asked the Minister of Works if he is aware of the concern arising from the decision to increase the charge of 6d. a person during the mixed bathing season at the Serpentine Lido, Hyde Park, with no charge for children, to 9d. a person on ordinary weekdays and 1s. on Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holidays and the introduction of a charge for children at 3d. per child; and if he will make a statement giving the reasons for this change in policy, the income for 1957, and the estimated income for 1958.

The charges have been increased to reduce the cost to public funds of running the Lido. Receipts in 1957 were £3,900, expenditure was £12,800, so the net cost of the Lido was £8,900. In 1958 receipts are estimated at £6,300. In future, therefore, I hope that the average annual cost of the Lido to public funds will not exceed £6,500.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the Government's policy for the employment of

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will give general directions to the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board and the South of Scotland Electricity Board to publish complete commercial accounts of their finances during the past calendar local firms for Government work in Scotland.

Contracts for Government work are normally placed after competitive tendering. Local firms are given the opportunity to tender for work within their capacity.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will give details of the number of appeals by advertising interests dealt with during 1957 under the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) Scotland Regulations, 1948; how many of these appeals were dealt with at public hearings and by correspondence, respectively; how many in each group referred, respectively, to posters, including bulletin boards but not trade signs, public information panels, and to trade signs on the premises of the occupiers concerned; and how many of each separate category were rejected or allowed.

The total number of such appeals decided during 1957 was 57, in addition to nine that were withdrawn. Of the appeals decided, 55 were dealt with at hearings to which the public could have had access and two by correspondence at the request of the appellants. None related to public information panels. Details are as follows:year, showing full details of all moneys received and expended.

In accordance with general directions which I have given to the Boards, their Reports for the year 1957 which have already been presented to the House include comprehensive accounts of their expenditure conforming to the best commercial standards.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works, as representing the Lord President of the Council, what means the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research has for assessing the economic value of research undertaken at the public expense or for selecting research programmes likely to be of most benefit to the national economy.

The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research has recently set up an Economics Committee to advise it on the economic aspects of its scientific research policy and on the probable economic value of particular researches. The Chairman of the Committee is Professor E. A. G. Robinson, Professor of Economics at Cambridge.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that, taking the internal purchasing value of the £ sterling at 20s. in October, 1951, it had declined to 19s. 4d. in March, 1952, 18s. 3d. in March, 1954, 16s. 7d. in March, 1956; and what was the comparable figure for March, 1958.

Yes, 15s. 6d.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer in what way the Government's proposals to assist areas in which there is substantial unemployment will be applied to Caernarvonshire and similar areas, which are not Development Areas, but which have considerable unemployment.

The Government's intention is that, subject to the requirements as to commercial prospects and the other conditions set out in Section 4 of the Distribution of Industry Act, 1945, it shall be possible for the Treasury to give financial assistance to a trade or business not only in the Development Areas but also in any areas in which there is a relatively high rate of unemployment which would otherwise be likely to persist.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he will take steps to ensure that all local authorities provide adequate facilities to enable the Press to report the proceedings of committees, particularly those cases where the statutory council meeting is used only for the formal ratification of decisions already made and where committees have delegated powers to make decisions the reasons for which do not come to the knowledge of the public.

My Department is in touch with the local authority associations on this subject; and I hope that in the result all authorities will arrange—as most already do—to provide adequate facilities for Press reporting of their decisions and the reasons why they have been arrived at.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he is aware that arrangements have been made for the exchange of cultural delegations between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in the field of agriculture, the arts, literature, youth movements and women's movements, and that the exchange of delegations of members of Congress and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics is to be the subject of further negotiations; and if he will take steps to make similar exchanges with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics as a means of developing the contacts between the two peoples.

I am aware of the arrangements to which the hon. Member refers. Similar exchanges between this country and the Soviet Union are taking place on a steadily increasing scale under the auspices of the Soviet Relations Committee of the British Council and as a result of arrangements made by other bodies.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty to what extent and in what ways the facilities available at the Donibristle Royal Naval Aircraft Yard are being made known to industry; and what inquiries have been made to date.

The premises and their facilities have been advertised in the Press. My right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade has been bringing the facilities to the notice of suitable firms known to be seeking premises. And the Scottish Council for Development and Industry are taking steps likewise. We have had some preliminary inquiries.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether he will make a statement on the construction of a suitable airfield at Gan.

The renovation of the wartime natural surface runway on Gan Island was completed last August. Work on clearing the site for the permanent runway began in October. As my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations explained in answer to a Question from the hon. Member for Lincoln (Mr. de Freitas) on 16th April, certain work has been held up as a result of a request from the new Maldivian Government that the movement of the islanders not so far resettled should be suspended while the arrangements for resettlement and the detailed agreement relating to the air staging post were reviewed. With the agreement of the Maldivian Government, progress is being made on work which does not involve the movement of further islanders.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what was the number of schools and children in regular attendance at school in Nyasaland in 1953 and on the latest available date.

pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 27th February, 1958; Vol. 583, c. 66], supplied the following information:At 31st December, 1953, there were 711 Government and assisted schools and 2,958 unassisted schools for African children; 10 schools for Asian children; one school for Eurafrican children and five schools for European children. The numbers of children enrolled were African 220,119, Asian 791, Eurafrican 124 and European 468.At 31st December, 1957, there were 737 Government and assisted schools and 2,309 unassisted schools for African children with a total enrolment of 264,863. Non-African education is now a Federal responsibility.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what has been the total expenditure from colonial development and welfare grants for engineering work in the Aden Protectorate; and what schemes are now in progress.

pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 25th March, 1958; Vol. 585, c. 24], supplied the following information:Total expenditure in respect of completed colonial development and welfare schemes providing for engineering works

in the Aden Protectorate is £104,707. Under current approved schemes, which include provision for such works, grants have been made as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will state the last date on which there was a successful prosecution for perjury.

The latest conviction of an offence under the Perjury Act of which I am aware occurred on 10th March, 1958.

asked the Paymaster-General whether he will give general directions to the National Coal Board, the British Electricity Authority and the Gas Council to publish complete commercial reports of their finances during the past calendar year, showing full details of all moneys received and expended.

No. The annual statutory reports and, accounts of these corporations, for their respective financial years, will be presented to Parliament and published in due course. The statutes already require that the form of the statements of accounts shall conform with the best commercial standards.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will now request the British Broadcasting Corporation to include in their 6.25 a.m. bulletin a list of any markets closed owing to foot-and-mouth disease, in view of the severity of the present epidemic.

No. The position remains as described in the answer my right hon. Friend the then Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food gave my hon. Friend on this subject on 2nd August, 1957.

asked the Prime Minister if he will consider sending, along with invited foreign observers, an all-party team of parliamentarians to witness the nuclear test at Christmas Island.

The number of observers who can be accommodated at these tests is extremely limited. I am afraid that it would not be practicable at present to adopt the hon. Member's suggestion.

asked the President of the Board of Trade to what extent his Department keeps British industry informed of the various uses of radioisotopes; to what extent industry is using them and being encouraged to do so by his Department; to what extent there is liaison between the Atomic Energy Authority and his Department on the new discoveries in this field and how best they can be used; and whether he will consider conducting a survey of all their industrial uses with a view to issuing a report.

The industrial use of isotopes is widespread and rapidly increasing. My Department cannot usefully add to what the Atomic Energy Authority is already doing, through its Industrial Advisory Service, its Isotope School and its publications, to assist their use in British industry.