asked the Minister of Labour to what extent variations in household purchases of different kinds of food consequent on seasonal price changes such as affect potatoes and eggs are reflected month by month in the cost of living index; and how frequently the weighting of the food factors in the index is reviewed.

The official index of retail prices is designed to measure changes in prices only and not changes in quantities purchased. Prices of those items of which supplies vary seasonally, such as certain vegetables, are not used in compiling the index in any month unless such items are generally on sale.We now have a small scale continuing inquiry—the Family Expenditure Survey—to enable us to check the weighting position. Thus the basis of the index is kept under constant review.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he has any further information to give on the discussions which are now taking place about the setting up of the National Apprenticeship Council.

I have nothing to add at present to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member on 25th June.

asked the Minister of Labour what proportion of the total number of persons employed in Lancashire are employed in the cotton, other textiles, metal manufacturing, engineering, including shipbuilding and electrical, and coal-mining industries, respectively.

The extraction of details for Lancashire alone would involve a disproportionate amount of labour. In the North Western Region at the end of May, 1957, 7·2 per cent. of all employment was in cotton spinning and weaving, 4·4 per cent. in other textile industries. 1·4 per cent. in metal manufacture, 10·7 per cent. in shipbuilding, engineering and electrical goods and 1·9 per cent. in coal mining.

asked the Minister of Labour if he is aware that 120 women workers at the Royal Naval armaments depôt at Crombie, Fife, are to be declared redundant in a month's time; and what emergency steps are being taken to ensure that alternative employment is quickly available to those affected.

Yes. Arrangements are being made to register the workers affected in advance of their discharge so that they can be considered for other available employment for which they may be suitable.

asked the Minister of Labour what further steps he now proposes to take to place the increasing number of unemployed industrial workers in Scotland.

I share the hon. Member's concern that the number of unemployed industrial workers in Scotland has been higher this year. Apart from submitting unemployed persons to vacancies notified by employers, I am in constant touch with my colleagues in trying to bring new industries to Scotland.

asked the Minister of Labour how many young people leaving school in Dundee at the end of the school session he estimates will be seeking jobs in the city; and what special steps he is taking to assist them, in view of the present numbers of unemployed.

About 390 boys and 360 girls. The normal approaches to firms are being intensified this term.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will consider the effect on the employment of British artists and British process craftsmen arising from the free import of photographic positives of greeting card designs from the United States of America; and if he will make a statement.

I have no evidence that the import of these articles has had any effect on employment.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware of the short time being worked in the field of opera and drama; and what arrangements he has made for the provision of employment facilities to meet this situation.

I have no information on the extent of short-time working in this field. If there are workers on short time who wish to register at Ministry of Labour offices, my officers will do their best to help them find alternative employment.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty when he proposes to publish the report of the Nihill Committee; and what action the Government proposes to take as a result of the recommendations made in the second half of the report.

As my noble Friend has already explained in another place on 21st January, the Nihill Committee's report will not be made public. It is a confidential and purely departmental report. The recommendations in the second half of the report are under consideration.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty what consideration he has given to the suggestion that the Royal Naval Aircraft Repair Yard at Donibristle should be converted for use as a combined service helicopter base for Scotland.

There is no Service requirement for a combined helicopter base in Scotland.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty what decision has been made to postpone the closure of certain Royal Naval dockyards; and to what extent the decision will affect the position of the Royal Naval Aircraft Yard at Donibristle.

No such decision has been taken; the position of the Royal Naval Aircraft Yard at Donibristle remains the same as was stated on 18th February.

asked the Postmaster-General what priority is given to applicants for private telephones in country areas, who live more than a mile from the nearest public call-box.

Such applications are not given special priority over other applications for private telephones. But if my hon. Friend has any particular case in mind and will let me have details, I will gladly look into it.

asked the Postmaster-General what was the number of applicants waiting for telephone service in Feltham and Hounslow at the latest convenient date.

At the 30th June, 288 applicants were waiting for service on the Feltham exchange; in addition, 141 applications were in the course of being met or under inquiry. The figures for Hounslow were 1,700 and 68, respectively.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he will give an approximate date when automatic machines will be available at post offices for 3d. stamps.

The first batch of the new machines for selling 3d. stamps will be installed within the next few weeks; by the autumn, there should be 100 of them in use.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will state for the month of June the number of times the night mail train from London arrived in Dundee in time to ensure first delivery that morning.

Nineteen occasions out of twenty-five.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will state for each month of 1958, up to and including June, the proportion of Saturday mornings on which the previous night's mail train from London arrived in Dundee in time to ensure delivery in the city that morning.

The following is the reply:

• January—Three in four.
• February—None.
• March—One in five.
• April—One in four.
• May—Four in five.
• June—Three in four.

asked the Secretary of State for Air if his attention has been drawn to Reserve Pay Office Certificate of Indemnity, Form L/747A, which seeks to make a reservist whose postal draft has gone amiss in the post or otherwise, refund the amount if the draft is cashed by an unauthorised person; and if he will now withdraw this unfair form of demand.

We naturally have to safeguard against double payment in cases of this kind, but I agree that the certificate to which the hon. Member refers may give cause for complaint and I am considering what modification of the existing arrangements may be called for.

asked the Secretary of State for Air how many hours of military air trooping have been carried out by the British Overseas Airways Corporation and the British European Airways; and how many by independent air operators, during the last six months.

I regret that figures are not available in this form. I can say, however, that in the six months ending on 31st May, B.O.A.C. carried about 3,900 passengers on trooping flights, and the independent operators about 51,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether he is satisfied with the career prospects of junior officers in the Education Branch; and whether he will make a statement.

Up to squadron leader promotion is by time. We are now considering the measures necessary to preserve the satisfactory rate of promotion which has so far been maintained beyond this rank, but I am not at present in a position to make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what percentage of senior officers now serving in the Education Branch can expect to serve until they are 60 years of age.

Approximately 38 per cent. of squadron leaders and above.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what degree of priority on the roads is given to Royal Mail.

None.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what arrangements he is making to reduce the heavy back-log of persons in The Hartlepools awaiting driving tests.

We are recruiting about 70 new examiners, of whom some will be stationed in North-Eastern England.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he will give an assurance that the fences which his Department are to erect and maintain on the boundaries of special roads will be stock-proof.

Yes.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he is now in a position to make a statement as to the conditions under which he is prepared to permit the commencement of the Severn Bridge Scheme.

Not yet, but we intend to make a statement as soon as possible.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what advice he has given to local authorities not to build unnecessarily large and awkwardly-shaped traffic islands which reduce the flow of traffic unreasonably and make dangerous the work of heavy lorry drivers; and if he will make a statement.

All highway authorities have copies of publications on the layout and construction of roads, produced by our Department, which include advice on the design of traffic islands and roundabouts. In addition, our engineers are always ready to give advice on any case where difficulties are being experienced.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he is aware that ships are kept waiting at Hull while Immingham docks are idle, and that Immingham and Grimsby dockers have to travel to Hull for work; and if he will make a statement on what he proposes to do to divert more shipping to Immingham.

The choice of ports is a matter to be determined by shippers and shipowners on commercial grounds, and it is not for me to seek to influence the flow of traffic as between one port and another; nor have I any powers to do so.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he is aware that for every one ship laid up in July. 1957, there are now nine, representing over 1 million gross tons; and, in view of the rapid deterioration in this short period of an industry which is the country's lifeline, what steps are being taken to halt it and reverse this trend.

I am aware that at present about 1·2 million gross tons of ships on the United Kingdom register are laid up for lack of employment. This is the effect of the current recession in world trade, and the best thing the Government can do to help to reverse the trend is to encourage the expansion of trade, as they are doing.

asked the Minister of Health (1) what new measures have been approved, or are being considered, for the protection of radiographers in mobile mass radiography; and to what extent financial reasons have prevented such measures being put in hand hitherto;(2) whether he is aware that the protection for radiographers' screens in mass X-ray vans has not yet been supplemented by one millimetre of lead; and whether he will take steps to see that these measures are put in hand immediately.

Certain technical modifications of mass miniature radiography units have recently been decided on in the light of the latest information about protection requirements, and some of these have already been made. The rest, including the provision of mobile screens with a lead equivalent of at least 1mm., will be made shortly. None of the modifications has been delayed for financial reasons.

asked the Minister of Health how many of the recommendations in the Code of Practice for Persons Exposed to Ionising Radiations, 1957, have now been put into operation in every hospital region; and what are the causes of delay.

I rely on the responsible hospital authorities to take action on these recommendations as necessary, and I have no reason to think that there is undue delay in any region.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware that the cost-of-living index figure, all items, in the United Nations bulletin is higher for Great Britatin than it is for Denmark, West Germany, the United States of America, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, Ireland, or Belgium; and what new steps he proposes to take to effect an immediate reduction in the cost-of-living in Great Britain.

Internationl comparisons of retail price movements are affected by the base year from which they are measured. The comparative record of the United Kingdom has been more favourable recently. As regards the second part of the Question, I would refer to the answer given by my right hon. Friend to the hon. Member for West Ham, North (Mr. Lewis) yesterday.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the effect on the present retail price index figure of 109·2 taking the index for housing at 100 as at 1st May, 1956.

I have been asked to replyIf the index for housing were taken as 100, the retail prices index figure for 13th May, 1958, would be 107·3.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer from what date customs facilities will be available at Swansea Airport.

The question of providing Customs facilities at this airport is still under examination.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what action he proposes to take to improve road safety conditions where route A96 passes through the town of Huntly, Aberdeenshire.

The only satisfactory solution to the traffic problem at Huntly is the construction of a bypass, the line of which has already been fixed by a Trunk Road Order. My right hon. Friend is not yet able to say when this work can be authorised, but meanwhile he is prepared to consider any measures for the regulation or restriction of traffic which the local authorities may recommend.

asked the Minister of Defence when he intends to visit Christmas Island.

I am not planning a visit at present.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has yet received the report of the Poisons Board on the drugs containing carbromal and bromvaletone; and what action he proposes to take on their recommendations.

The Poisons Board, at its meeting on 18th June, decided that the evidence before it was insufficient to warrant any change in the recommendation made by the Board in 1955 that preparations containing carbromal, or carbromal and bromvaletone, should not be controlled under the Poisons Act. I feel bound to accept this recommendation. My right hon. and learned Friend the Minister of Health proposes, however, at the suggestion of the Board, to invite the Committee on drug addiction recently set up under the Chairmanship of Sir Russell Brain to examine further the risks attending the abuse of such preparations.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether a further progress report of the work of the Anglo-Egyptian Resettlement Board is yet available.

The Board has published a further brief report on its work to bring up to date the information given in its progress report that was published in July, 1957. I have placed copies in the Library and the Vote Office.

asked the Secretary of State for War what part of the present British garrison in Germany is regarded as part of the strategic reserve available without the agreement of other Governments, and with such agreement, respectively.

The present British garrison in Germany does not include any part of the strategic reserve.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will investigate the desirability and possibility of introducing a simplied system for coding personal files, thereby identifying those persons who may in future join the Army by less than eight digits.

There are two ways in which Army personal numbers could be shortened. We could begin again at number one; or we could introduce a combination of letters and figures.Personal numbers were introduced after the First World War and many holders of the early ones are still alive. Their documents are kept for pensions and other purposes long after their actual service is completed. Though the time will come when it will be possible, to start now at the beginning would mean duplicating numbers and would cause confusion.Letters are already used to prefix personal numbers in colonial and other forces raised abroad. More than 150 letter combinations have already been allotted. To extend this system or some modification of it to the United Kingdom without duplication would involve using a combination of letters and figures which would be more complicated than the present one.I have concluded, therefore, after looking carefully into my hon. and learned Friend's suggestion, that although the present system has disadvantages it provides a sure means of identification in a large Service, and there is at present no substitute on which we could rely.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will make a statement about the future of 26 Command Workshop, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Stirling.

We intend to keep 26 Command Workshop, R.E.M.E., as the main command workshop in Scotland. This is subject to the reservation that, although there is at present no reason to expect a change of deployment in Scotland, the need for a command workshop depends on the units which it serves and the position of all such workshops has to be reviewed from time to time.The run down of the Army has reduced the amount of work to be done at Stirling, and about 100 of the staff of 26 Command Workshop will become redundant. The redundancy will be met, as far as possible, by the normal wastage of staff. The future of the unit, and the forthcoming redundancy have been made known to the staff association and the trade unions concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is yet able to give the location of the remaining infantry brigade depots.

Yes. The remaining three depots are those of the Lowland Brigade, which will be at Glencorse Barracks, Edinburgh; the Yorkshire Brigade at Queen Elizabeth Barracks, Strensall; and the Airborne Forces at Aldershot.