asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will give the number of applications which have been received in Wales for the farm improvement schemes to date, the number approved, with the amount of expenditure involved, the number rejected, and the number withdrawn.

To the 31st March, 1958, the latest date for which figures are available, the total number of applications received under the farm improvement scheme in Wales and Monmouthshire was 3,437. Of these, 796 had been approved at an estimated cost of £449,828. The number of proposals rejected was 579 and the number withdrawn was 185.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will indicate the total amount of grants paid to farmers in Wales for the last financial year, and the sums paid in respect of each service.

Final accounts for the financial year 1957–58 are not yet available, but it is estimated that the farming grants and subsidies paid to farmers in Wales and Monmouthshire will amount to some £6½ million as follows:—

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what has been the cost of the British Pavilion at the Brussels World Fair.

The cost of United Kingdom Government participation in the Brussels Exhibition is about £500,000, and it is estimated that the cost to British Industry will be about £2½ million. As my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade said on 6th March, no complete figures are available of the amount being spent by private exhibitors.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will represent to Sir John Balfour the desirability of the British Pavilion at the Brussels World Fair staying open after 7 p.m. in conformity with other principal nations.

No. The United Kingdom Commissioner-General considers that there has so far been no evidence to show that, if the United Kingdom Pavilions were kept open later, the resulting number of visitors would justify the additional expense which the extension of hours would involve. In this contension he is supported by the management of the Industry Pavilion and individual exhibitors.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will state the number of ophthalmic medical practitioners registered on the list of the Manchester Executive Council under the Supplementary Ophthalmic Service as at 31st January in 1955, 1956, 1957, and 1958.

The figures available relate to the beginning of each year. They are respectively 19, 20, 18 and 19.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will state the number of sight tests carried out under the Supplementary Ophthalmic Service by ophthalmic opticians and ophthalmic medical practitioners, respectively, in the city of Manchester in the period 1st January to 31st March in each of the years 1955, 1956, 1957, and 1958.

The figures for the first quarter of 1958 are not yet available. The figures for sight-tests by ophthalmic opticians in the first quarters of each of the preceding three years are, respectively, 17,338, 18,644 and 21,386. Corresponding figures for ophthalmic medical practitioners are 3,795, 3,761 and 4,156, but these include respectively 1,980, 2,115 and 2,435 sight-tests under the School Medical Service.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will state the number of ophthalmic opticians registered on the list of the Manchester Executive Council under the Supplementary Ophthalmic Service as at 31st January in 1955, 1956, 1957, and 1958.

The figures available relate to the beginning of each year. They are, respectively, 217, 211, 208 and 205.

asked the Paymaster-General whether he is aware that the National Coal Board are one of the largest users of excavators manufactured by Ruston Bucyrus, of Lincoln, that Ruston Bucyrus is at present working a reduced week of 35 hours, with a consequential reduction in earnings, and that next week a further 80 adult male workers will be dismissed because of shortage of orders; and whether he will make a statement on the future of opencast coal mining.

I explained the Government's views on the future of opencast coal production during the Second Reading debate on the Opencast Coal Bill on 22nd January. The purchase of excavators for opencast coal mining is a matter for commercial negotiation between the National Coal Board and the company.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that the delivery of mail in London and in the City of London, in particular, is seriously disrupted; what action is being taken to improve delivery; and if he will make a statement.

I regret that mail has been delayed in a few London offices during the last two weeks following the introduction of new duty schedules with which certain sections of the staff are apparently dissatisfied. The new arrangements were agreed between the Post Office and the union, both at national and local levels. Special arrangements have been made in co-operation with the union to meet the situation, and I am glad to say that there is good progress towards restoring normal services.

askedthe Postmaster-General how many public telephone kiosks have been erected in the area of the Basildon new town since 1946; and whether he is satisfied that existing demand for such kiosks is being met.

Fifty-one. There are now 69 telephone kiosks in the new town and, as it develops, more will be added. I am satisfied that adequate provision will continue to be made.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware that the River Tyne is the principal ship-repairing river in the United Kingdom; and whether, in making finance available for dry docks, he will give priority to expansion on the Tyne.

Yes, I am aware of the importance of the Tyne in the field of ship-repairing. All applications for assistance from Development Areas, including the Tyne, will be considerd on their merits.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many student places there will be in the universities and university colleges next session additional to those now existing.

There is no fixed number of university places.The number of students accepted by each university institution is a matter of individual university policy. It is expected, however, that the student population will rise fairly steadily from its present total of 94,600 to about 124,000 or more in the 1960s, as buildings now under construction come into use, and the building plans outlined in my right hon. Friend's statement of 20th February develop.