asked the Minister of Health to make a statement on the progress made concerning the proposed general hospital at Coventry.

Acquisition of the site is nearing completion, and the regional hospital board is working on details of the accommodation required with a view to preparing sketch plans.

As the Minister will be aware, this has been going on a very long time, though that is not his fault, but is he also aware that locally it is felt that it would be most helpful if the Ministry could act as a prod in this matter? Can the right hon. and learned Gentleman tell us what the next step for him will be?

The position at the moment is that the board was given authority to acquire the modified site in August last year. The matter has been held up simply by differences of view about the ownership of certain of the lands, which has resulted in conveyancing difficulties. As to the rest, the basic considerations' affecting the plans for the hospital are being studied by a special committee of the board. Therefore, there is nothing for me to do at this moment, but if and when the matter comes before me again, I will certainly bear in mind its urgency.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that parents and relatives of mentally defective persons, many of whom are low grade cases, have been waiting for as long as five years for bed accommodation for the defective, and that in one instance a child was taken to a Liverpool court as being outside the control of the parents; and what steps he will take to improve the position in regard to such cases.

I am aware of the difficulties due to shortage of accommodation, particularly in this area. The regional hospital board has already increased the number of mental deficiency beds by 400 since 1948 and expects to add a further 198 within the next year. Other substantial developments are in progress, or at an advanced stage of planning.

But is not the Minister aware that Liverpool is in a rather peculiar position because, prior to the National Health Service Act, we had no mental deficiency beds at all? They were part of the Lancashire Board, to which Liverpool paid a precept. In view of the case, particulars of which I have sent to him, and the very serious comments made by a Liverpool magistrate in ordering the mental defective into hospital accommodation, can he say what will happen if the parents of the 108 very low-grade mental defectives, who have been looking after them in circumstances of very great difficulty but with very great loyalty, are taken to court and the Liverpool magistrates order, as they can by law, every one of those mentally defective cases to be admitted to hospital? If that is the position, why cannot something be done for these very serious cases immediately?

I fully accept that there is a problem here, as the hon. Lady has indicated, owing to the shortage in the Liverpool region since the inception of the scheme in 1948. In the intervening years, however, there has been a good increase—from 465 beds in 1948 to 871 at present, with the promise of 198 more beds in this year. In addition to that, as the hon. Lady will, I think, know, there are these large schemes in various stages of progress, and we will press on with those as fast as possible.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware of the dissatisfaction of the parents and relatives of mentally defective persons at the further delay in the provision of additional beds at Newchurch Hospital, near Warrington; and, in view of the fact that these delays have been going on since 1950, what action he is going to take to stop the delay.

I fully recognise the need for this large development scheme. Detailed planning could not be authorised until the hospital capital programme was enlarged in 1955, and since then it has been necessary to review the proposals in the light of the recommendations of the Royal Commission on the Law relating to Mental Illness and Mental Deficiency. More recently, the estimated costs of engineering services have given rise to some difficulty, but with the help of the regional board I hope that this will shortly be resolved and that an early start will be possible.

Is the Minister aware that there is perfect agreement between both the local authority and the Liverpool Regional Hospital Board on this matter, and that both have been pressing very strongly for this accommodation? This has been under consideration since 1950, and it is only in a Circular of 13th March that we have been told that there is no possibility in the very near future of this Newchurch scheme proceeding. As we get only half, and sometimes less than half, of the beds available because of our dependence on the Manchester region, will the Minister say whether this Newchurch scheme can be hurried up so as to relieve the position in Liverpool?

I appreciate that there is pooling of accommodation between the two regions, and I have that in mind. I think that the hon. Lady has, if I may say so, formed rather too pessimistic a view about this matter. It is simply a question of getting right these engineering problems with regard to heating, and we shall certainly press on as soon as may be with that.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will require hospital management committees to consult the staffs of hospitals before they decide to pay staff wages and salaries by cheque; and if he will take steps to safeguard the rights of individual members of the staff if payment by cheque creates hardship.

It is the normal practice of hospital authorities to consult their staff individually before introducing new arrangements to pay wages and salaries by cheque, and I am not aware of any case of requirement to accept a cheque in payment resulting in hardship. However, if the hon. Member has any particular case in mind, I will gladly consider it if she will send particulars to me.

I will send the Minister particulars, but a matter of principle is involved. Is he aware that at the moment many hospital management committees are paying salaries and wages by cheque and that this puts great hardship on many of the staffs? Will he circulate hospital management committees telling them that, although they may pay by cheque, the position must be left open so that the staff may claim their wages in cash if they so desire?

I will certainly consider the step which the hon. Lady has suggested. I think that, generally speaking, hospital authorities are aware of the position and that if employees wish to be paid in cash they are entitled to be so paid. At the same time, there are many conveniences in paying by cheque, particularly in the avoidance of the movement of large sums of money in isolated areas where mental hospitals are normally situated.

asked the Minister of Health what plans he is now considering to reduce or change the number of London teaching hospitals.

None, Sir.

Has the right hon. and learned Gentleman seen the reports stating that he is considering closing three London hospitals—Charing Cross, St. George's and Westminster? Is there any truth at all in those reports?

I did see a report in a usually well-informed newspaper, but, in fact, I am not considering that course. There are certain proposals in mind with reference to Charing Cross and the Royal Free Hospital with which the hon. Gentleman is no doubt familiar, but there is no question of amalgamation.

asked the Minister of Health what conclusions he has reached in his examination of the matters involved in the holding by the City of Norwich Corporation of land behind Norfolk and Norwich Hospital on behalf of the regional hospital board.

I have carefully studied the implications and practicability of the four possible lines of approach discussed when the hon. Member and my hon. Friend the Member for Norwich, South (Mr. Rippon) brought representatives of the corporation to see me. I am making a suggestion to the corporation and am writing to the hon. Member and to my hon. Friend about it.

asked the Minister of Health if he will amend the charges for hospital private beds so that the patient is charged only the difference between the cost of a public and private bed.

No, Sir. This course would require legislation, and I doubt whether it would be the best way of using any additional money available for the Health Service.

Will my right hon. Friend agree that National Insurance contributors who, for medical reasons, may be caused to occupy private beds are normally entitled to the full benefits of National Health Insurance, and is there not an element of injustice in forcing such a person to pay the full charge for a public bed which normally he or she could occupy free of charge, plus a further cost of 5 to 15 per cent.? Will he not look at this matter again?

As I think my hon. Friend will know, this method of payment is prescribed by Section 5 of the National Health Service Act, 1946, and has been followed since then. If we were to vary it, it would require an amendment of that Section.

Does the Minister realise that this is a retrograde suggestion, which would, indeed, lead to the heavy subsidisation of private beds and, consequently, a great abuse of the Health Service?

I do not think I would associate myself with the harsh epithet the right hon. Lady applies to my right hon. Friend's suggestion, but there are difficulties in it which are not confined to the legislative difficulty which I indicated.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will indicate the steps now being taken to develop the work of the department of research and experiment to secure improvements in the design, performance and fitting of artificial limbs; and the extent of any co-operation Which exists to secure precise information about new artificial limbs and appliances available in other countries.

Since last year, the work of the research department at Roehampton has been under the regular supervision of a small executive committee of the Standing Advisory Committee on Artificial Limbs. On the recommendation of these committees, a special plastics laboratory is about to be established. The research staff keep in close touch with colleagues in other countries by correspondence, exchange of literature and samples, and by visits. Two members of the staff are at present visiting research establishments in the United States.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will introduce a series of leaflets for issue to limbless persons outlining the refinements and aids to all types of artificial limbs and appliances which are available through his Department's Artificial Limb and Appliances Services.

I am sending to the hon. Member a copy of a special leaflet which is given to arm amputees listing the appliances available for use with artificial arms. If the hon. Member has other suggestions in mind and will let my right hon. and learned Friend have particulars, he will be glad to consider them.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that my information is that the leaflet is of very flimsy paper and its contents comprise a jumble of things and that it is not at all specialised? I had more in mind the kind of leaflet issued by the Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance. Will the hon. Gentleman consider giving members of the Ministry of Pensions Advisory Committee copies of literature issued in respect of war disablement when matters affecting disabled ex-Service men are to be considered?

I will look at the leaflet and see whether it can be improved in any way. I will also bear in mind what the hon. Gentleman said in the second part of his supplementary question.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will state the numbers of motor tricycles issued to war disabled pensioners and the numbers issued to National Health Service patients; and whether, in view of the special circumstances in which war pensioners sustained their disabilities, he will now extend the regulations to ensure that all war pensioners who have had both legs amputated are entitled to receive a mechanically propelled vehicle at State expense.

At the end of March in England and Wales, 1,778 power propelled tricycles were on issue to war pensioners and 10,655 to National Health Service patients. Eligibility depends on the degree of loss of use of the legs and, in those less seriously disabled, on employment needs also, and a number of war pensioners with double amputations below the knee as well as double amputees with at least one amputation above the knee are eligible on these grounds. My right hon. and learned Friend is not satisfied that he would be justified in varying the present practice.

Has there been any variation in the qualification for the vehicles since the merger between the Ministry of Pensions and the hon. Gentleman's Ministry in respect of the scheme, and how many of the vehicles are the all-weather type of self-propelled tricycles?

In reply to the first part of the hon. Gentleman's supplementary question, there have been no variations. If the hon. Gentleman will give me notice of the point raised in the second part of his supplementary question, I shall be glad to give him the information.

asked the Minister of Health what target he has set for the production of anti-poliomyelitis vaccine by Messrs. Glaxo and Burroughs Wellcome, respectively.

asked the Minister of Health what invitations he has given to firms other than the present contractors to participate in the production of the British type of anti-poliomyelitis vaccine; and when these invitations were made.

It continues to be the Government's intention that, as soon as supplies are sufficient, only the British type of vaccine should be used in the vaccination scheme. The manufacturers are aware of this, and the issue of individual invitations to produce vaccine does not arise. Nor is there any question of the Government setting a production target for individual firms.

Is the Minister aware that, on an A.T.V. programme the other day, Dr. Wheeler of Burroughs Wellcome explained that his firm had had no kind of guidance from the Ministry as to how much vaccine it should produce, and that it had set its own target, which was merely four million doses per annum? In view of the fact that that is quite inadequate for current needs, is it not nonsense to talk about making a British vaccine the basis of our supplies, and is it not wrong to leave the production of British vaccine really to the initiative of British firms governed purely, as Dr. Wheeler made plain, by commercial considerations?

The hon. Lady has asked several questions. In regard to the first, I am not, of course, responsible for what is said on an A.T.V. or any other programme. As to whether a sufficient order was placed, the orders placed with the British manufacturers were for the quantities which the firms thought they could produce for a period of six months. In point of fact, as, I think, she and the House know, the quantities delivered did not come up to orders placed, so I do not think it can be said that the Government were remiss in not placing larger orders.

But as the Minister has described this vaccine as the safest and has said that it is his ultimate aim to provide all unvaccinated children with it, why does he tolerate a semi-monopoly in its production? Why not invite the whole pharmaceutical industry, irrespective of patent rights, to co-operate in order to produce the vaccine that he has described as being the safest and let it be available to every child?

It is not a matter of the Government issuing invitations to these commercial companies to produce this vaccine. Only large and well-equipped companies, as I think the hon. Gentleman will appreciate, can enter this field. I certainly would welcome supplies of British vaccine which is up to the standard from any source, and I am certainly ready to consider the purchase of British-type vaccine from whichever company chooses to put it forward.

Can the right hon. and learned Gentleman tell the House whether he has told companies other than Messrs. Glaxo and Burroughs Wellcome that he is prepared to receive the vaccine from them?

I think they are well aware of that position. Indeed, there is a third British firm which has, in fact, entered into production at the present time, so I think the right hon. Lady can take it that the position is well known in those circles.

Is the Minister aware that in many cases the British vaccine is being given for the first vaccination and a foreign vaccine for the second? Would he say whether that is approved by his Ministry's experts?

Oh, yes. I dealt with that in answer to a Question put to me by the hon. Member for Barking (Mr. Hastings) a week or two ago, and the Answer was that it is quite all right, on medical grounds, to vary the type of vaccine between the two injections.

I hope the Minister will forgive my pressing this, but both my hon. Friends are trying to extract this information. Can he say why, although he has declared in this House that he is quite prepared to have vaccine from other British firms who can produce it, he has specifically asked only two—Messrs. Glaxo and Burroughs Wellcome?

I have not specifically asked only two. Orders were placed with those two because they were the only two which were in a position to accept orders and to promise deliveries. As I have already indicated to the right hon. Lady, this third company is now in production, and, if its vaccine passes the M.R.C. tests, I am, of course, fully prepared to consider placing orders with it.

asked the Minister of Health what percentage of those eligible for immunisation against poliomyelitis were either unvaccinated or had received only one inoculation against poliomyelitis at the latest date for which these figures are available.

In Great Britain at the end of February, the latest date for which national figures are available, 52 per cent. of those in the eligible groups who had registered were awaiting vaccination and 11 per cent. had had only one injection. Figures for the end of April should become available in a day or two.

Does not the relatively low figure of registration and inoculation reflect the anxiety of parents at the Minister's grading of imported vaccine as second and third best? Would he not now positively recommend the Salk vaccine with the full confidence that, in the United States, where 17 million people have been safely inoculated, poliomyelitis is now well on the way to being a thing of the past?

I do not think that the registration figures necessarily reflect what the hon. Gentleman suggests. In any event, as I have already indicated to the House, those figures are only for the end of February, and registration is a continuing process; no doubt, when the figures for the end of April become available in a day or two, we shall see a material increase in the number of those registered.

Can the right hon. and learned Gentleman say whether the figures he has quoted are in respect of children who come within the direct responsibility of the Ministry of Education, and do they include children educated in the private sector of our educational system?

The hon. Gentleman is referring, of course, to the earlier British figures. They take in all children, wherever they are educated. They are national figures.

asked the Minister of Health how many children in London now await poliomyelitis vaccination; and how many doses are now available for them.

The number on 30th April was 146,322, and a further 20,472 were awaiting their second injection. On that date, the county council held 61,195 doses of vaccine; an additional 28,860 doses have since been sent to them; and further substantial supplies should reach them this week and next.

Does the Minister appreciate that the figure which he has given will go some way towards relieving some of the public uneasiness that exists? Will he give some kind of estimate of how many of the children now registered will still be unvaccinated by the commencement of the poliomyelitis season next month?

I am obliged to the hon. Gentleman for what he has said. My estimate is that the supplies already issued, together with those about to be distributed, should very soon wipe out the deficit existing at the end of April. But, as I remarked to the hon. Member for Coventry, North (Mr. Edelman), registration is a continuing process and we shall continue to vaccinate the late entrants.

Will the right hon. and learned Gentleman say whether his estimates are on the basis of two inoculations for each child? If not, the danger of poliomyelitis in London, which increased last year over the year before, I understand, will be very serious.

I am taking account in that estimate of the necessity to give two injections to each child.

asked the Minister of Health when the substantial new supplies of Salk vaccine will become available for use in this country.

Two million doses of Salk vaccine which have passed their tests and been licensed for issue in America are due to arrive tomorrow, and they will be distributed immediately to local health authorities. Another 1½ million doses of this vaccine are expected next week. In addition, a batch of half a million doses of British tested Salk vaccine is now being distributed, and further supplies are expected as tests are completed.

Would my right hon. and learned Friend tell us what is the estimated percentage of the registrations expected by the end of July which will remain unvaccinated when these and subsequent supplies have been distributed to the medical officers of health?

We shall be able with these supplies of vaccine to keep the vaccination programme going at full speed. The precise answer to my hon. Friend's question must, of course, depend upon the number of late registrations which are made.

Will the right hon. and learned Gentleman give an assurance to hesitating parents that this Salk vaccine can be used with full confidence?

A Circular has been issued to medical officers of health dealing with this matter, and detailed guidance, including the Medical Research Council's Report, has been sent to them. Therefore, I do not think I ought to put a gloss on the expert guidance which has been given to the doctors to whom parents should turn for individual advice.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware of the increase in the death rate due to coronary thrombosis in recent years; and what plans his Department have to inform public opinion and to secure the guidance of recognised research organisations for the benefit of the medical profession and lay public in such matters as diagnosis, treatment and prophylactic measures.

I am aware of this increase. Research is proceeding into various aspects of the disease and, in accordance with recognised practice, the results will be made known as they become available.

While I am grateful for that answer, is the right hon. and learned Gentleman aware that from statistics in my possession, a copy of which I took the liberty of sending to him, and in accordance with the last Report of the Registrar-General who drew attention to this matter, deaths due to this disease have increased during the past five years by 10,000 in the case of men and by about 6,000 in the case of women? Is the Minister satisfied that information to the lay public on the basis of knowledge already in the possession of the medical profession is being adequately disseminated? If not, could he take adequate steps in this matter?

As I think the hon. Gentleman is aware, active research into this matter is proceeding at present in hospitals, clinics and associated laboratories, and the Medical Research Council has investigations in progress on special aspects including the incidence, causes and treatment. In accordance with ordinary practice, the results of the research will be made known to medical authorities and, so far as is appropriate, to the lay public.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that certain rather wild statements have been made about the symptoms of this disease, and that in one paper they were set out in such detail as to indicate that they will obviously apply to every hon. Member of this House if he does his job properly? Will my right hon. Friend give an assurance that perhaps some guidance could be given about whether or not these statements are wild or temperate?

I have not seen the actual statements to which my hon. Friend refers. I am not quite sure about the vulnerability of hon. Members to coronary thrombosis. I believe that it does attack mainly those who have sedentary habits and a fatty diet.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will give details of the composition and terms of reference of the expert Committee set up by the United Nations on Public Information; and if he will state the name and qualifications of the United Kingdom representative on that body.

Yes, Sir. The decision to set up this Committee was taken at the last Session of the United Nations General Assembly. The Committee consists of six individuals. They were appointed by the Secretary-General of the United Nations after they had been nominated by the Governments of the United Arab Republic, India, the Soviet Union, the United States, the United Kingdom and Uruguay. Their instructions are to undertake a review and appraisal of the work, the methods used and the effectiveness of the results achieved by the Public Information Services of the United Nations with a view to recommending possible modifications designed to ensure maximum effectiveness at the lowest possible cost. The Committee is to report before the Thirteenth Session of the General Assembly opens on 16th September.

Is my hon. Friend aware that his reply will give satisfaction to those of us who have been anxious about the administration of these funds earmarked for public information?

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will call the attention of the Security Council to the fact that United States arms and aeroplanes are reaching the Indonesian rebels from the Philippines and Siam, and that this constitutes a situation which may cause international friction.

No, Sir. I have no evidence that United States arms and aeroplanes are reaching dissident forces in Indonesia.

In view of the disquiet displayed by various countries in the Far East, would not the Foreign Secretary inquire into this matter, because there is considerable evidence that such is taking place?

The President and the Secretary of State of the United States have categorically stated that United States policy is one of careful neutrality.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what percentage of real cream or milk has to form an ingredient of the foodstuff known as ice cream under his existing regulations.

The Food Standards (Ice Cream) Order, requires ice cream to contain not less than 7½ per cent. milk solids other than fat, and not less than 5 per cent. fat. The fat may be derived from milk or from other sources. As my hon. Friend knows, I am, however, accepting the recommendations of the Food Standards Committee, details of which I announced on 29th April in reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Mr. Gresham Cooke).

In view of the very considerable importance of the milk trade to the small farmers of this country, is my right hon. Friend aware that, as I am sure they will, they will be extremely grateful that it is proposed to extend these recommendations that the use of the term "dairy ice cream" should be restricted to ices made exclusively from dairy products? Can my right hon. Friend say what provisions are to be made for milk ices as to what they will contain? Thirdly, will the Milk Marketing Board be able to give its views?

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for what he said in the first part of his supplementary question. Milk ices must contain nothing but a dairy fat content. There must not be vegetable fat content in those. I have agreed that ice cream should continue to be called "ice cream". As the public have so called it for the last seventeen years, I think it would be very difficult for a Minister to impose anything different.

Will the right hon. Gentleman not go further and see that substances sold and called ice cream will contain a substantial amount of real cream?

As I have explained, and as I think the hon. Member knows from the Report of the Food Standards Committee, it advised that the commodity known as ice cream, and which has been sold as ice cream for the last seventeen years, whether or not there was dairy content in it, the public regard as ice cream, and it would be unrealistic to call it otherwise. I have, however, stressed the need for a dairy ice cream product, and I wish that product to be pushed as much as possible.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance the number of 10s. pension widows in the County Borough of Gateshead in receipt of National Assistance benefits; and what percentage that is of these widows.

I regret that the information asked for is not available for particular localities.

Is the hon. Lady aware that the position in Gateshead is pretty acute, and does she not think it is time that the whole problem of the 10s. widows should be looked at again in a more humane way than it is at present?

While I am unable to give the number at Gateshead, figures have been obtained by the National Assistance Board, as a result of a sample, which show—and I hope this will be some comfort to the hon. Member—that only about 7 per cent. of the 10s. widows have resort to National Assistance, which is less than the proportion of other widows and other pensioners.

asked the Paymaster-General, in view of the fact that in spite of almost total mechanisation the miner today is hewing 14 tons less annually than his predecessor two decades ago, what has been the cost of mechanisation since the nationalisation of the mines and the extra cost in wages since the same period; and if he will represent to the miners the importance of improving and extending our export trade and thus contributing to the well-being of those engaged in the industry both now and in the future.

An accurate figure of expenditure on mechanisation since 1947 is not available. Cash wages per ton of coal were 26s. in September, 1947, and 47s. 6d. in September, 1957 (or 29s. 8d. at 1947 prices). The coal industry is well aware of the importance of exports, and it is not lack of supplies that is holding back this trade.

After pouring all these hundreds of millions into the market to make conditions easier for the miners and to increase production, is not all the thanks the taxpayer has received for this—[HON. MEMBERS: "Reading."] Not at all.

On a point of order. I am quite sure, Mr. Speaker, that if you were to see the hon. and gallant Member as we can from here you would observe that the hon. and gallant Member is reading, despite his protest.

I did not think that at all. Hon. Members often look as though they are reading even when they are not. I thought that what the hon. and gallant Member was saying was the product of his extempore wit.

After pouring all these hundreds of millions into the market to make conditions easier for the miners and to increase production, is not all the thanks the taxpayer has received worse quality, less production and increased prices? I understand that it is the intention to pour another £1,000 million——

Order. The hon. and gallant Member should bring his supplementary question to a conclusion.

May I just finish this last part of my supplementary question, Mr. Speaker? This last part has got top spin on it. If it had not been for hon. Gentlemen opposite interrupting I should have finished by now. Is it not intended to spend a further £1,000 million on the mines, and does not my hon. Friend realise that the taxpayer considers this very much like pouring good money after bad?

I hope I shall not hit across the spin. The country has undoubtedly received some return for the very large sums of money invested in the mines since the war. Whether it has received as much return as it should have done is too big a question to answer in a reply to a supplementary question.

asked the Minister of Supply why men who have been accepted as fit to serve in the Army are being rejected on medical grounds at Radway Green Royal Ordnance factory.

Men seeking employment have to satisfy the factory medical authorities that they are fully fit to do the work which is available. My hon. Friend has already written to the hon. Member about a particular case which he submitted.

Is the Minister aware that that Answer is most unsatisfactory? Is he aware that I submitted to his hon. Friend the case of a young man, who is considered perfectly fit today, who, after two years' service in the Army, came out most anxious to work in the Ordnance Factory and produced an excellent record of his Army service but was turned down? Is he aware that this is regarded as grossly unfair?

I am aware of that case. The job in question was one on certain machine work. The man was found to have defective eyesight, and the defect could not be cured by glasses. He was therefore considered to be unsuitable for the job which was available.

asked the Minister of Supply, in respect of which Royal Air Force transport aircraft there are contracts for spare parts; and in what year each of these types entered squadron service.

There are current spare parts contracts for all transport aircraft in service in the Royal Air Force. These aircraft are the Beverley and the Comet which entered squadron service in 1956; the Hastings and the Valetta in 1948; the Viking in 1946; and the Dakota which came into service during the war. In addition, there are spare parts on order for the Britannia which is not yet in service with the Royal Air Force.

Is it not a fact that it becomes increasingly expensive to maintain these old transport aircraft, and is it not time that the Minister used his influence with the Air Ministry to see that the old, out-of-date aircraft are scrapped and replaced by more modern ones considerably cheaper to maintain?

As I have told the hon. Gentleman on more than one occasion, I have as yet no requirement for a new transport aircraft.

asked the Minister of Supply what are his plans for ensuring the progress of research and development into military aviation now that it has become so much more profitable for private firms to concentrate on civil aviation.

I must ask the hon. Gentleman to await the statement on the Government's policy on aeronautical research and development which I shall be making very shortly. I can, however, assure him that there will be no neglect of the research and development work necessary to meet military requirements.

Can the Minister say what he means by "very shortly"? We are told from week to week that a statement is coming; may we have more details about when it is likely to be made?

I believe that there is a Question on the Order Paper for tomorrow.