asked the Postmaster-General if he will make arrangements to refund the unexpired portion of television licence duties, including the Excise duty, when, for any reason, the licence is surrendered before the end of the period for which it is valid.

No.

asked the Postmaster-General if he is aware of the long distances which old-age pensioners in Mastrick, Cairncry, Northfield and Woodside, hilly districts containing new housing estates in the City of Aberdeen, have to travel to collect their pension; and if he will state his plans for providing points near their homes where they can collect them.

We hope to provide an additional post office to serve the south-west part of Mastrick when the nearby shopping centre is built. With this office, the facilities on these estates will be on the same scale as those in other similar areas. The local post offices will be glad to tell any old-age pensioner who finds it difficult to collect his pension how he can arrange for a relative or friend to collect it for him

asked the Postmaster-General if he will make a detailed statement on the extension of the Post Office Headquarters in the City of Aberdeen, indicating the manner in which the new accommodation will compare with the headquarters used hitherto and the modern amenities which will be added to the service there.

Plans of the extension of the Head Post Office, Aberdeen, have not been finally settled, but the size of the sorting office will be more than doubled and the space for offices and staff rooms will be very substantially increased. This will cater for all outstanding requirements and provide adequately for future growth. We are planning to introduce the latest mechanical devices, but I am not yet ready to give details of these.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation the reason for the delay in fixing the date of the public inquiry into the crash of a Viscount aircraft at Nutts Corner, Belfast, last October; and if he will now state when the inquiry will be held.

The investigation of this accident has involved lengthy research into a number of technical matters. This research has now been almost completed. The conduct of the Public Inquiry is in the hands of my right hon. and learned Friend the Attorney-General, who informs me that it will begin on 8th July.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what steps he proposes to take to accelerate decisions on applications made by the British Transport Commission for the closing of branch lines.

As the Joint Parliamentary Secretary informed the hon. Member for Dagenham (Mr. Parker) on 7th May, I propose to discuss with the Chairmen of the Transport Users' Consultative Committees how the procedure for considering these applications can be speeded up. I also intend to consider with the Chairman of the British Transport Commission acceleration of the rate at which applications come forward.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what progress has been made towards securing better street lighting on traffic routes in the Greater London area.

As I promised the House last December. I have convened a conference of representatives of the 103 street lighting authorities in the Greater London area. They unanimously agreed to set up a joint consultative committee to consider street lighting on traffic routes in this area. I am confident that this Committee will be helpful in improving conditions, especially on routes where there are many different lighting authorities.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he will make an appeal to all car drivers to give lifts to pedestrians standing at bus stops in areas affected by the strike.

I have no doubt motorists recognise that people waiting at bus stops at the present time would like lifts, and I do not think a further general appeal to them is necessary. I am sure we are all grateful for the help they are giving to get people to and from their work.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if, in view of the increased flow of traffic in central London since the omnibus strike began he will consider restricting omnibuses in central London.

I agree there is evidence that the traffic flow in central London is easier at the present time, and I shall certainly bear in mind the point made by my hon. Friend.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he will state the total amount of advances which he has sanctioned to meet deficits on revenue account, to date, to the British Transport Commission under Section 1, subsection (1) (b) of the Transport (Railway Finances) Act, 1957.

£127 million to meet the deficits up to 31st March. 1958, of which £117 million relates to deficits before 1st January, 1958.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation when he anticipates that it will be possible for him to make a definite statement with regard to the approval of plans for the construction of the Severn bridge.

I am not yet able to give a firm date for the authorisation of the Severn Bridge, but I have promised to meet hon. Members interested in the scheme before the Summer Recess to tell them of any developments that may have occurred by then.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he will make a statement upon the shortage of radio officers in the Merchant Navy.

There has been a shortage of radio officers for some time. On occasions delay to ships has been avoided only because officers have been willing to forgo some of their leave and because in proper cases my right hon. Friend has relaxed the sea-service requirements of the Radio Rules. We are anxious to help in any way open to us and my Department is in touch with the two sides of the industry about the problem.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he will use his default powers to institute proceedings against the oil tanker responsible for the massive escape of oil into Southampton Water from alongside Fawley jetty last week, in view of the extent of damage to persons, clothes, vessels and installations that has been so caused and of the time that has elapsed since the commission of this offence.

My right hon. Friend is in touch with the Southampton Harbour Board about the institution of proceedings in this case.

asked the Minister of Defence what information he has received about the construction of rocket-launching sites in East Germany, Poland, and Czechoslovakia; and if he will make a statement.

I have as yet no conclusive evidence of the construction of long range rocket sites in East Germany, Poland or Czechoslovakia. Mobile short-range tactical rockets are part of the normal equipment of military units in those countries.

asked the Minister of Defence if he will now state the measures on which agreement was reached at the recent meeting of the North Atlantic Council and which are designed to achieve closer co-operation in military research, development and production within the framework of the Western European Union.

At the Defence Ministers' meeting of the North Atlantic Council last month, it was agreed that the Western European Union or other groups of nations within N.A.T.O. should be encouraged to work out joint schemes for research development and production of weapons with the object of avoiding duplication of effort.A number of proposals have been formulated by Her Majesty's Government and certain Governments of the Western European Union. These will be examined at a joint meeting of experts later this month. This will be followed by a further meeting of the Defence Ministers of the Western European Union, at which it is hoped to make a start in selecting weapon projects to be carried out jointly, and in allocating responsibility between the countries concerned.

asked the Minister of Defence whether the views expressed by air officers in public during operation Prospect II were made with his authority.

asked the Minister of Defence whether the statements made at the recent Air Ministry conference were made with his authority; and to what extent they represent any change in the Government's policy as stated in the last two White Papers on defence.

As was said by the Prime Minister yesterday, the decision to hold this Conference was made with my full approval. There have been no changes whatsoever in the policy set out in the Defence White Papers of last year and this year; nor are any changes under consideration.

asked the Minister of Defence if he is aware that it is the custom in certain professions or large businesses to set aside a small percentage payment as an insurance in order to recoup any sums paid out by mistake in the salaries or wages of their personnel; and if he will give consideration to a similar arrangement in the pay departments of each of the three Services, so as to avoid the hardship now inflicted upon members of the Services who have to pay back such sums given to them by a mistake on the part of a Paymaster and for which the Service men themselves were in no way responsible.

Recovery of over issues of pay received in good faith may be waived in cases where hardship would result. In other cases repayment may be effected by instalments in accordance with the scale that takes into account the Service man's rate of pay. The setting up of a separate insurance fund for this purpose is contrary to Government accounting practice.

asked the Minister of Defence when sick or disabled Service men are flown home from overseas in civil aircraft which stop at civil airports in foreign countries, what steps are taken to ensure that they are met on arrival at these airports by representatives of the Royal Air Force or of one of the other Services.

Sick and disabled Service men who have to be flown home normally travel in special medical evacuation flights in Transport Command Aircraft and are accompanied by a medical team. They do not normally fly by civil airlines until they are fit to travel as ordinary airline passengers.

asked the Minister of Labour what was the percentage of unemployment and short-time working in the Burgh of Motherwell and Wishaw at the latest available date and at the comparable date in 1957.

It is not possible to compute a separate percentage rate of unemployment for the Burgh of Motherwell and Wishaw. The number of persons registered as unemployed at employment exchanges in that area at 14th April, 1958, was 2,055, compared with 1,241 at 15th April, 1957. Statistics relating to short-time working are not available for local areas.

asked the Minister of Labour how many workers normally engaged in the enamelled hollow-ware industry in Cardiff are now registered as unemployed.

At 14th April, 1958, there were 25 persons whose last employment was in the hollow-ware industry registered as unemployed at employment exchanges in the Cardiff area.

asked the Minister of Labour how many ship-repairers normally employed at Cardiff Docks are now registered as unemployed; and whether he will make a statement.

On 14th April, 1958, 625 workers whose last employment was in shipbuilding or ship-repairing were registered as unemployed at employment exchanges in Cardiff. The decline in activity which has affected Cardiff and other ship-repairing districts in recent months is due to the falling off in the world demand for shipping.

asked the Minister of Labour what was the number of men registered at Cardiff with the Dock Labour Board; and what percentage of these men were not employed at the most recent convenient date.

There were 687 dock workers on the Cardiff Register for the week ended 3rd May, 1958. An average of 36·8 per cent. of these men proved attendance daily because work was not available.

asked the Minister of Labour, in view of the late hours worked by the hostesses at a certain London night-club, which was recently struck off the register, to what extent such workers are covered by the provisions of regulations under the Catering Wages Act; and what steps are taken by his Department to ensure that they are paid the appropriate night-work rates.

I have had no complaints that these hostesses are improperly employed. Nor that they are not paid the appropriate rates for night work.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will state to the nearest convenient date how many women are now employed in industry; and, of this number, how many are married.

The estimated number of women and girls in civil employment in Great Britain at the end of March, 1958, was 7,748,000. Estimates of the number of married women are available for the end of May only in each year. At the end of May, 1956, the latest date for which I have figures the estimated number of married women employees was 3,723,000.

asked the Minister of Labour whether his attention has been drawn to the increased number of workers employed in the rubber industry, particularly the electricians in this industry, who have during recent years contracted pappiloma of the bladder; and whether he will make investigations into this matter with a view to ascertaining the causes of such industrial hazards.

I am looking into the position, but meanwhile the hon. Member may like to know that the use of certain substances with which was associated a risk of papilloma of the bladder was discontinued in the rubber industry in 1950. The Factory Inspectorate is in touch with medical research workers and with the rubber industry.

asked the Minister of Labour (1) how many men and women, respectively, were registered as unemployed in the Swaffham district of Norfolk during the week ended on 3rd May, 1958; what facilities were provided for them to receive their unemployment benefit or to inquire about possible employment; and whether he is satisfied that a caravan in the open market place provides the conditions for the proper functioning of an employment exchange;(2) how many persons registered as unemployed in the Swaffham district of Norfolk during the week ended on 10th May, 1958; whether he is satisfied that the facilities offered by his Department were adequate to meet the needs of both unemployed and employers seeking workers; and what provision he proposes to make in this district for the future.

Unemployment figures for May are not yet available. At 14th April, since when I have no information of any substantial change, there were 103 men and 66 women registered as unemployed at Swaffham Employment Exchange.The Swaffham area is served by a mobile employment exchange, which was put into service on 28th April, 1958. The mobile office has visited the area once a week, but in future visits will be made on Tuesday and Thursday of each week from 2.30 p.m. to 4.30 p.m.As stated in a reply to a Question by the hon. Member for Leicester, North-West (Mr. Janner) on 26th February, the mobile employment exchange service is an experiment which will be reviewed in a year's time. It is too early to pass judgment on the service provided.

asked the Minister of Labour how many men and women, respectively, were registered as unemployed at the Brandon, Suffolk, employment exchange during the month of April, 1958; and how many of them obtained employment.

At 14th April, the number of unemployed persons on the registers at Brandon Employment Exchange were 134 males and 54 females. It is not possible to say how many of these workers have since been placed in employment.

asked the Minister of Labour how many men and women, respectively, resident in the new town area of Basildon were unemployed at the last available date.

Persons living in the new town estates of Basildon register, when unemployed, at Pitsea Employment Exchange. At 14th April, there were 286 men and 82 women registered as unemployed at Pitsea, of whom about 110 men and 35 women lived in the new town estates.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will make a statement on the recommendation made by the Piercy Committee about placing services for the blind.

Yes. The Piercy Committee recognised the force of the suggestion that a specialist placing service is necessary for the blind, and paid a tribute—which I gladly endorse—to the efficient services now operated by some local authorities and by voluntary bodies acting as their agents. They felt, however, that the application of that principle under existing arrangements might well have had the effect over the country as a whole of providing a service inferior to that available for other classes of disabled. The Committee therefore recommended that my Department should assume full responsibility for ensuring that the placing of the blind is put on a satisfactory footing and should itself normally provide a placing service, thus relieving local authorities of their present responsibility. They suggested that local authorities and voluntary organisations now carrying out the work satisfactorily should continue to do so if they wish, at any rate for the time being.I have carefully considered this recommendation having regard to the views expressed by the National Advisory Council on the Employment of the Disabled, the Local Authority Associations and the Royal National Institute for the Blind. While I sympathise with the object of the recommendation, it is not possible to consider implementing it in financial circumstances such as those of the present. I propose to review the position in three years' time. I feel confident that those concerned will meanwhile devote their best efforts to maintaining the efficiency of the existing services, and I am considering what can be done, within the limits of existing resources, to promote closer co-operation, where necessary, between those services and my Department.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty what was the original cost of Her Majesty's Submarine "Turpin"; and what has been the cost, to date, of refitting, re-equipping, and converting this ship.

H.M.S. "Turpin", which was built during the war, cost £420,000. Since then the total cost of all refits, re-equipping, and the extensive conversion to fast battery drive, has been approximately £1,240,000. I would at the same time refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 1st April.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty how many months were spent in refitting Her Majesty's Submarine "Tactician" during the years 1954, 1955, 1956, and 1957; and what was the total cost of these refits.

In the financial years 1953–54 to 1957–58 inclusive,, the total period during which Her Majesty's Submarine "Tactician" was in hand for refit was about 20 months. The cost of these refits was approximately £465,000.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether, in view of the fact that the new submarine construction programme has been timed to enable new submarines to come into service as old submarines approach the end of their useful lives, he will define the useful life of a submarine; and if he will make a statement on his proposal that one nuclear submarine and eight Porpoise-class submarines should replace the present submarine fleet of 15 "A"-class submarines, 22 "T"-class submarines, and 15 "S"-class submarines, all of which are over 10 years old, and the majority of which were built during the war.

The useful life of a submarine varies as between one boat and another, depending on the severity of the demands made on her and on expenditure on her maintenance. I cannot usefully quote an average period. I have no knowledge of the proposal mentioned in the second part of the Question.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty to what extent ships and aircraft carriers from Her Majesty's Navy will be participating in the exercises of the South-East Asia Treaty Organisation during the next two weeks.

During the S.E.A.T.O. Exercise "Ocean Link", which took place between the 30th April and the 14th May, the following ships of the Royal Navy took part: one aircraft carrier, one cruiser, one destroyer, one submarine and three replenishment ships.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether a decision has yet been reached on the disposal to foreign Powers, or otherwise, of one C Class destroyer, three submarines, 17 ocean minesweepers, 11 Black Swan Class frigates, five Bay Class frigates, three Loch Class frigates, eight River Class frigates, the frigate H.M.S. "Stork", 13 Castle Class frigates, 15 Hunt Class frigates, 26 fast patrol boats, the radar training ship H.M.S. "Boxer", the submarine rescue ship H.M.S. "Kingfisher", 24 boom defence vessels and two anti-submarine trawlers, shown in last year's Explanatory Statement, but deleted from the Strength of the Fleet Table in this year's Explanatory Statement to the Navy Estimates.

With the exception of "Kingfisher", which is one of the two Submarine Support Ships shown in this year's Explanatory Statement, all these ships have been, or will be, either sold or scrapped.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty why, in the Guide to Navy Estimates, 1958–59, the total of cruisers in the Royal Navy is given as 16, of destroyers, 59, of frigates, 125, of minesweepers, 211, including 42 ocean type, and of fleet support ships, 88, whereas in the Explanatory Statement to the Estimates, the total of cruisers is given as 15, of destroyers, 56, of frigates, 105, of minesweepers, 208, including 39 ocean type, and of fleet support ships, 96; which of these statements is correct; and if he will make a statement.

I presume the Question refers to a roneoed sheet headed "Guide to Navy Estimates" which was given out to members of the Press attending a conference in the Admiralty on the day the Navy Estimates were published. This contained some errors in adding up the total of ships, which were pointed out to the Press at the time. The corrected figures tallied with those given in the Explanatory Statement. As the roneoed sheet was circulated to journalists only no further action was or is considered necessary.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty to what extent the Fairmile type minesweeping motor launches are to be retained in reserve, in view of their omission from the Explanatory Statement to this year's Navy Estimates.

Fast patrol boats not required to meet commitments are being sold. They include eight DARK class and nine GAY class.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty if he will state, for the most recent convenient date, how much British shipping is being repaired in foreign yards; and how much foreign shipping is being repaired in Britain.

From such information as is available, it is estimated that approximately 100,000 gross tons of British shipping were under repair in foreign yards at the end of April, 1958. At the same time, approximately 175,000 gross tons of foreign shipping were under repair in United Kingdom yards.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will make a statement regarding the report of the Commission of Inquiry into the dispute between the Colonial Sugar Refining Company Limited and the Fiji Sugar Industry Employees Association.

The Commission's Report was published on the 28th February, and I have arranged for a copy to be placed in the Library of the House. The Commission found that the inquiry held by the company after the October strike into the conduct of the two overseers was fairly and properly conducted and reached the correct conclusions. It also found that the action taken by the company on these findings was entirely reasonable in the circumstances and quite adequate. The Commission further considered that the conduct of the overseers was in fact not the cause of the October strike. I am glad to say that the association and the company agreed when the Commission was set up to abide by its decision.

asked the Minister of Education whether he is aware that the Cheshire Local Education Authority has decided temporarily to reduce the consumption of potatoes at school meals on account of their high price and to use substitutes such as dumplings or spaghetti; and whether it was with his authority that this decision was taken.

I am aware of this decision. I expect authorities to limit their use of potatoes while prices remain high and to supplement the meal with suitable substitutes, as they did two years ago in somewhat similar circumstances.

asked the Minister of Health what evidence he has of cases of dermatitis caused by penicillin in milk.

Two cases of allergic dermatitis due to penicillin in milk were reported in the Lancet on 15th February, 1958.

asked the Minister of Health what has been the cost to the National Health Service of the Purchase Tax imposed on the products Asthma 23-D and Chrysocreme, which are products prescribed solely under the National Health Service and which are not advertised to the general public.

Those two products have been introduced so recently that information about their National Health Service usage is not yet available. It is believed that the cost to date to the National Health Service of Purchase Tax has been minimal.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if, with a view to implementing as far as possible the recommendations of the Franks Committee with regard to openness, fairness and impartiality in all inquiries, he will make available to the parties concerned copies of the reports of his officers who attend accompanied visits to ascertain the views of appellants and authorities in appeals under the Control of Advertisements Regulations, in the same way that he allows the reports to be available in the case of formal hearings.

These visits are not inquiries, and they are not made by inspectors. The main object is to enable one of my officers to inspect the site of an appeal with representatives of the parties, and to report on it. Different considerations therefore arise from those which apply to inquiries. I believe that the procedure has been convenient to applicants and it is wholly impartial. I have under consideration however whether I can make the reports available, and I will inform my hon. Friend of my decision.