asked the Secretary of State for Air whether he is yet in a position to state if the proposals by Washington Urban District Road Safety Committee to operate a Royal Automobile Club—Auto-Cycle Union training scheme for learner motor-cyclists at Usworth Aerodrome, County Durham, have been accepted by his Department.

We can agree to allow the airfield to be used for this purpose and are getting in touch with the Road Safety Committee to discuss details.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what has been the cost up to date of constructing and equipping the Royal Air Force Thor missile bases.

By the end of this financial year I expect the cost to be about £2½ million.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation how many railway level crossings there are in Kingston-upon-Hull; and what proposals are being considered for the improvement of the traffic position by building road bridges over the railway lines, in the case of roads for which he has a responsibility.

There are sixteen level crossings. There are no roads in Kingston-upon-Hull for which we are responsible, but we have told the City Corporation that we are prepared to consider an application for a grant towards a road bridge scheme at Hessle Road crossing, the Corporation's first choice.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what arrangements are being made on the newly-built motorways to prevent animals from straying thereon from adjacent land.

These roads are to be fenced throughout and where they pass through farmland the fencing will be stock-proof.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation to what extent weather conditions are affecting the road programme.

The road programme was planned to meet normally adverse weather conditions. By and large it is not showing signs of falling behind, but floods, frost, snow and exceptionally heavy rainfall are making conditions extremely difficult for local authorities and contractors. They know that they have my full support in pressing forward with all prudent speed but a dry spring will be necessary if the programme is to stay on schedule.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation when he expects to be able to send a reply to the Tamar Bridge Joint Committee to their request, made 11 weeks ago, for an interview about immediate approval to the borrowing of the necessary moneys to enable tenders to be advertised for and work to proceed without further delay.

I will reply as soon as I can, but I cannot say when this will be.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he will now make a statement on the grants to be made to the south-western counties for the financial year 1959–60 for major road improvements, in view of the concern expressed by representatives of these counties at a conference under the chairmanship of the Parliamentary Secretary on 17th December last.

My Department has invited the county councils to submit certain scheme for my consideration, but I cannot yet say what the number or value of the grants will be.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what progress has been made with the electrification of the Fenchurch Street-Southend line; and when it is likely to be completed.

The British Transport Commission informed me that the scheme is proceeding according to plan and is likely to be completed in 1961. Recent progress includes the extension of station platforms and improvement of their lighting. The installation of the overhead structures is also well advanced and overhead wiring has begun. The new marshalling yard at Ripple Lane has already been brought partly into use, and, as I informed the hon. Member last week, the main fly-over at Barking has been completed.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he will state the number of persons on the current waiting list for driving tests in Manchester; the average waiting period; and how this compares with the national average.

There are about 6,500 candidates waiting for tests at Manchester. The waiting period at the present time is about 10 weeks; the average period for the country as a whole is about the same.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he will state the number of test inspectors at present employed by his Department in Manchester; and how far the number is below the normal establishment.

There are on the average twenty examiners conducting driving tests in Manchester. It is hoped to increase the number to twenty-four when additional staff have been recruited.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether, in view of the fact that there are 250,000 people in the country waiting for their driving tests, he will give some indication as to when he anticipates he will have recruited the further 200 driving examiners as recently announced.

We hope that the first of these additional examiners will take up duty during May.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what progress is being made towards standardising road traffic signs with Continental countries.

Amendments to bring our system of carriageway markings into conformity in certain respects with the European Agreement on Road Markings are in advanced stage of preparation. Our experimental motorway signs are also close to Continental practice.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he has yet considered a letter from the Town Clerk of West Ham, concerning the tax on fuel oil; what was the gist of this communication; and what was the nature of his reply.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation on what date he received a letter from the Town Clerk of West Ham concerning the tax on fuel oil; and what was the nature of his reply.

My Department received on 22nd January a letter from the Town Clerk of West Ham advocating a reduction of taxation for the passenger road transport industry. A reply was sent on the same day saying that the contents of the letter had been noted.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation (1) what researches have been made by his Department into the effectiveness of safety-belts as a means of reducing personal injury to motor car users in the event of accident; and what conclusions he has reached;(2) if he is yet prepared to institute a public campaign to encourage motor car users to use safety-belts.

Research into the effectiveness of safety belts is being carried out by the Road Research Laboratory with the assistance of the police and the Medical Research Council. It is too early yet for definite conclusions to have been reached.The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders is also considering safety features in motor vehicle design, including safety belts, and the British Standards Institution is setting up a committee to investigate the usefulness of a British Standard for such apparatus. Until the results of all this research are known it would be premature to start a public campaign.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what consideration he has given to the several road safety measures submitted to him at the meeting of women's organisations on 20th November, 1958; and if he will make a statement.

All the suggestions made at the meeting to which my hon. Friend refers are being actively examined by my Department in collaboration with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents; many of them call for action by individuals and organisations rather than by my Ministry. I should like to take this opportunity of expressing my gratitude to the organisers of the meeting for their valuable initiative, the results of which will be of great help to us both in giving advice to road users and when considering the possibility of future road safety legislation.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation (1) whether he now proposes to ensure that Turnhouse be developed to cope efficiently with all the demands likely to be made upon it;(2) how many cases Turnhouse and Renfrew have been used as alternative ports for incoming aircraft; and whether he now proposes that Turnhouse should be developed with all the necessary aids and staff to handle the traffic.

Since 1st November, 1958, ten aircraft have been diverted from Turnhouse to Renfrew and 82 aircraft from Renfrew to Turnhouse. Most of these diversions have been because of bad weather. The aids and staff at Turnhouse are adequate for the traffic during normal hours of operation, but staffing difficulties limit the extensions of hours which can be granted and occasionally an aircraft arriving out of hours has to be diverted.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation in view of the frequency of Renfrew passengers landing at Turnhouse and vice versa, what steps he is taking to improve in speed and comfort the transit arrangements by road between them.

These arrangements are the responsibility of the airline operators who I am assured are giving the closest attention to these matters.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what steps he is taking to hasten a solution of the noise problem of the T.U.104 at London Airport, which is delaying the start of a direct London-Moscow air service.

In an attempt to break the deadlock, I have made new proposals to the Soviet authorities for the inauguration of a service between London and Moscow by Aeroflot and B.E.A. If Aeroflot used their T.U.104 aircraft, for a trial period this aircraft would have to operate at London Airport in accordance with certain conditions which have been specified; these include a limitation to one runway for take-off and the use of operating techniques calculated to make no more noise in the nearest residential areas than the Comet 4 or the Boeing 707, which also operate under restrictions. The conditions might be modified for future operations in the light of observations made during the trial period.I have also asked for an assurance that the T.U.104 conforms to internationally recognised standards of airworthiness.I am hopeful that this initiative will meet with a positive response.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he will state the total sum estimated to be spent on each of the projects forming part of the present development of Prestwick Airport; and whether it has yet been decided to build the proposed new and up-to-date hotel at Redbrae.

The Fire Station and Control Tower are estimated to cost £155,000; the runway and taxitrack extension £920,000; and the road diversion £320,000. At this stage it is only possible to estimate that the cost of development of the Terminal Area and Apron will be of the order of £1·5 million. The architect is provisionally including hotel accommodation in his plans for the terminal area, so that before making a decision I can see the cost and relate it to the return to be expected.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what tonnage was being constructed in foreign yards for British shipowners for the years 1955 to 1958; and what steps he is taking to improve the demand for dry cargo vessels since, without an early increase in this tonnage, some of the small yards will have to close down.

The total gross registered tonnage of ships being built in foreign yards for registration in the United Kingdom at the end of each of the years from 1955–58 was as follows:

1955, 96,000; 1956, 150,000; 1957, 273,000; 1958, 399,000.

The bulk of the tonnage in 1957 and 1958 was tanker tonnage.As to the second part of the Question, the demand for dry cargo ships depends largely on the level of world trade, and it is the policy of Her Majesty's Government to do everything in its power to promote the expansion of this trade.

asked the Minister of Defence if he will make a statement on the defence measures he pro- poses to take against micro-biological weapons.

There is nothing to add to the reply which my right hon. Friend the Minister of Supply gave on 26th January.

asked the Minister of Defence what progress has been made with the plans for an integrated air defence system for the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation; and if he will make a statement.

I have no statement to make at present on this subject.

asked the Minister of Defence what provision will be made under the revised pension code now under consideration for any increase payable to those who have already retired, or who have elected to retire before 1st April, 1959, under the recent White Paper provisions.

A White Paper will shortly be issued setting out the new pensions arrangements.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (1) what claims have been asserted by foreign powers to British territory in Antarctica;(2) what stations have been established by foreign powers in British territories in Antarctica; and whether he is satisfied that measures have been taken, in concert with other Commonwealth Governments, to uphold Her Majesty's sovereignty over these territories.

The United Kingdom sector of Antarctica lies between 20 and 80 degrees West. Argentina has laid claim to the area between 20 and 74 degrees West and Chile to that between 53 and 90 degrees West. There are eight Argentine stations in the United Kingdom sector, four Chilean and one belonging to the United States.My right hon. and learned Friend is satisfied about the measures taken to uphold Her Majesty's sovereignty in the area.

asked the Minister of Labour what were the unemployment figures and vacancies for the Edinburgh area for 1st January, 1951, 1957, 1958, and 1959, respectively.

The following is the reply:

UNEMPLOYMENT AND VACANCIES IN THE EDINBURGH AREA IN THE UNDERMENTIONED MONTHS
Date		Number of persons registered as unemployed	Number of notified vacancies remaining unfilled
January, 1951	…	4,800	2,340
January, 1957	…	4,598	2,275
January, 1958	…	5,132	1,981
January, 1959	…	6,646	1,442

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that the ratio of unemployed persons to vacancies in Scotland is now 12 to 1, in Wales 6½ to 1, in the North-West 5½ to 1, and in the northern region 5 to 1, as against 1½ to 1 in London and south-eastern and eastern and southern regions; and what remedial action he now proposes to take in the worst affected regions.

I am aware that notified vacancies are unevenly distributed about the country in relation to the numbers unemployed. My local officers are continuing to bring suitable vacancies, including those in other parts of the country, to the attention of unemployed workers. A number of measures have been taken by the Government to increase the level of employment particularly in areas most in need of additional jobs.

asked the Minister of Labour how many people in Aberdeen City and County, respectively, have at this period of each of the last 10 years been unemployed in each trade, indicating their ages and sexes.

NUMBERS OF UNEMPLOYED PERSONS ON THE REGISTERS OF EMPLOYMENT EXCHANGES IN ABERDEEN AND IN THE REST OF ABERDEENSHIRE AT THE UNDERMENTIONED DATES
10th January, 1949
—	Aberdeen					Aberdeen County excluding Aberdeen
	Men aged 18 and over	Boys under 18	Women aged 18 and over	Girls under 18	Total	Men aged 18 and over	Boys under 18	Women aged 18 and over	Girls under 18	Total
Agriculture and Horticulture	71	1	2	—	74	104	5	6	3	118
Fishing	634	10	—	—	644	1,089	28	—	—	1,117
Non-Metalliferous Mining Products	31	1	1	—	33	1	—	—	—	1
Shipbuilding and Ship Repairing	107	1	1	—	109	9	—	—	—	9
Food Industries	122	5	45	4	176	135	15	158	16	324
Timber	39	—	2	—	41	32	—	—	—	32
Building and Civil Engineering Contracting	231	2	—	—	233	103	3	—	—	106
Sea Transport	61	3	—	—	64	17	—	—	—	17
Distributive Trades	221	12	78	8	319	78	4	9	1	92
Local Government Service	95	—	4	—	99	13	—	—	—	13
Catering, Hotels, etc.	75	1	45	—	121	9	—	17	1	27
Other Industries and Services	951	40	156	23	1,170	230	4	36	1	271
All Industries and Services	2,638	76	334	35	3,083	1,820	59	226	22	2,127
12th January, 1959
Agriculture and Horticulture	207	12	9	—	228	292	27	17	1	337
Fishing	218	2	—	—	220	931	45	—	—	976
Non-Metalliferous Mining Products	105	3	2	—	110	4	—	—	—	4
Shipbuilding and Ship Repairing	111	2	2	—	115	25	—	1	—	26
Food Industries	151	6	131	5	293	120	10	191	16	337
Timber	114	9	6	—	129	77	3	—	—	80
Building and Civil Engineering Contracting	1,081	4	2	—	1,087	552	11	1	—	564
Sea Transport	125	11	—	—	136	20	1	—	—	21
Distributive Trades	342	22	245	15	624	58	16	79	13	166
Local Government Service	155	1	15	1	172	16	—	1	—	17
Catering, Hotels, etc.	113	1	126	1	241	16	—	38	11	65
Other Industries and Services	1,091	32	421	40	1,584	249	18	199	22	488
All Industries and Services	3,813	105	959	62	4,939	2,360	131	527	63	3,081

asked the Minister of Labour how many disabled men and women, respectively, are unemployed in the city and county of Aberdeen; what is the nature of the trades,

The figures are given below. In view of the amount of work involved in extracting the figures, I have given figures for January, 1949, and January, 1959, only. The table gives the figures for the beginning and end of the period referred to.and of their respective disabilities; how long each has been unemployed; and what steps he is taking to find employment for them.

685 men and 81 women registered as disabled were unemployed in the city and county of Aberdeen on 15th December, 1958. Detailed information about their trades and disabilities is not readily available, but the majority are unskilled workers. On 8th December, 1958, 273 registered disabled persons had been unemployed for three months or less; 261 between three months and one year, and 211 for more than a year. My Disablement Resettlement Officers are doing their best to find suitable work for them, but the local employment situation is difficult.

asked the Minister of Labour what proposals he has to make to replace the work previously carried out by the Industrial Disputes Tribunal in dealing with cases where employers fail to pay wages or to abide by conditions negotiated for their industry.

There is a large measure of agreement between the representatives of industry that some form of compulsory arbitration on "issues" should be continued, and I hope to move a Clause in the Committee stage of the Wages Councils (Amendment) Bill to cover this matter.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will make a statement on the setting up of new machinery, to replace the Industrial Disputes Tribunal, which would ensure that agreements reached between representatives of local authorities and local authority employees are carried into effect by all authorities.

In accordance with my statement in the House on 10th December, 1958 (HANSARD, Column 361), I hope to be able with some general agreement to introduce a Clause in the Wages Council (Amendment) Bill to provide for some form of compulsory arbitration on the question whether terms and conditions of employment which have been agreed between representative organisations of employers and workers should be observed by a particular employer. Discussions are proceeding with representatives of local authorities and local authority employees.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will arrange to take a count of unemployment in the Oldham employment area on a Thursday or a Friday so as to obtain more accurate figures of present unemployment than can be obtained by a Monday count.

I regret that it is not possible to adopt the hon. Member's suggestion. The unemployment figures are designed to show the numbers registered as unemployed on a specified day, and for this purpose it is necessary to make the count on the same day at all Employment Exchanges. A recent analysis showed that, for the country as a whole, a count on Monday produced a total which was closer to the average for the week than for any other day and it would therefore be wrong to depart from the long-standing practice of taking the count on a Monday.

asked the Minister of Labour how many school leavers entered the labour market at Christmas 1958: how many of these have been placed in employment; how many secured suitable apprenticeships; how many returned to school; and how many remain unemployed.

No statistics are kept of boys and girls who return to school, and I regret that the other figures asked for are not yet available. The placing of Christmas leavers in employment is proceeding satisfactorily though it is taking longer than in recent years.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he has now considered the proposal that apprenticeship training centres should be run by local authorities; and if he will make a statement.

I have received no general proposal of this nature. It was the view of the National Joint Advisory Council with which I agree, that the industrial training of apprentices should remain the responsibility of industry. The need is for the different industries to increase their own training facilities, and I think that the efforts of all concerned should be devoted to this end.

asked the Minister of Labour what progress has been made in expanding the intake of apprentices into industry; and what part is being played by the Industrial Apprenticeship Council.

The number of boys entering craft apprenticeships in the first nine months of 1958 was about 2,000 greater than in the corresponding period of 1957. On the second part of the Question I have nothing to add to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for Morpeth on 3rd December.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will make a statement on his efforts to get both sides of the shipbuilding industry together in order to end restrictive practices, and to secure the most efficient use of manpower in order to meet the growing competition from abroad that threatens the livelihood of the whole industry.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 16th December, 1958.

asked the Minister of Labour how many boys and girls who left school in the summer and autumn terms, respectively, are still without work in the six North Wales counties, and in Flintshire, respectively.

NUMBERS OF REGISTERED AS WHOLLY UNEMPLOYED PERSONS IN EAST FLINTSHIRE AT 8TH DECEMBER, 1958
Duration of Unemployment in weeks			Men aged 18 and over	Women aged 18 and over	Boys under 18	Girls under 18	Total
Up to 4	…	…	60	39	21	14	134
Over 4 and up to 13	…	…	82	98	19	15	214
Over 13 and up to 26	…	…	39	67	4	4	114
Over 26	…	…	141	114	3	5	263
Total	…	…	322	318	47	38	725

The following is the reply:

County	Summer Term Leavers		Autumn Term Leavers
	Boys	Girls	Boys	Girls
Anglesey	11	5	27	21
Caernarvonshire	11	13	13	2
Merioneth	8	15	18	27
Denbighshire	7	9	42	33
Montgomeryshire	—	—	—	1
Radnorshire	1	2	9	8
Flintshire	4	1	31	43
	42	45	140	135

asked the Minister of Labour how many men, women, boys, and girls were unemployed in the areas served by his offices in East Flintshire at the nearest convenient date; and, of these, how many had been out of work for longer than one month, three months, and six months, respectively.

At 12th January, 1959, there were 425 men, 350 women, 63 boys and 79 girls registered as unemployed at employment exchanges in East Flintshire. The figures relate to the Buckley, Flint, Holywell and Shotton Employment Exchanges and the Flint Youth Employment Office. The Overton Rural District is excluded as it is covered by the Wrexham Employment Exchange.Detailed analyses according to duration of unemployment are available only for quarterly dates. The following Table gives the information for 8th December, 1958:

asked the Minister of Labour, in view of the continued fall in world import prices, what factors have resulted in his cost of living index figure showing a continuing rise; and whether, taking October, 1951, as 100, he will publish in HANSARD a table of figures giving the monthly rise or fall in the cost of living generally and food in particular, as compared with October, 1951, up to the most recent convenient date.

RETAIL PRICES INDEX FIGURE FOR EACH MONTH* SINCE OCTOBER, 1951, RECALCULATED WITH PRICES AT 16TH OCTOBER, 1951, TAKEN AS 100
Year			Jan.	Feb.	Mar.	Apr.	May	June	July	Aug.	Sept.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.
1951	…	…	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	100	100	101
1952	…	…	103	103	103	105	105	107	107	106	106	107	107	108
1953	…	…	107	108	108	109	109	110	110	109	109	109	109	109
1954	…	…	109	109	110	110	110	110	112	111	111	112	112	113
1955	…	…	113	113	113	114	114	116	117	116	116	118	120	120
1956	…	…	119	119	121	122	122	122	122	122	122	122	123	123
1957	…	…	124	124	124	124	125	126	127	127	126	128	128	129
1958	…	…	129	128	129	131	130	131	129	129	129	130	131	131
*The figure normally relates to the Tuesday nearest to the 15th of the month.

INDEX FIGURE FOR THE FOOD GROUP OF THE RETAIL PRICES INDEX FOR EACH MONTH* SINCE OCTOBER, 1951
Year			Jan.	Feb.	Mar.	Apr.	May	June	July	Aug.	Sept.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.
Interim Index of Retail Prices (Recalculated with Prices at 16th October, 1951 = 100)
1951	…	…	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	100	100	101
1952	…	…	105	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Interim Index of Retail Prices (Prices at 15th January, 1952=100)
1952	…	…	100	100	101	104	104	109	108	107	106	108	108	109
1953	…	…	109	110	111	113	113	114	114	112	111	111	111	110
1954	…	…	110	109	112	113	112	114	118	116	115	116	117	118
1955	…	…	119	119	119	120	120	125	126	122	124	126	128	127
1956	…	…	125	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Index of Retail Prices (Prices at 17th January, 1956=100)
1956	…	…	100	100	103	106	104	103	101	102	101	102	103	102
1957	…	…	104	103	102	103	104	107	108	107	105	105	105	106
1958	…	…	105	104	106	109	109	111	106	105	106	108	108	109
NOTE: A continuous series of figures cannot be provided for the food group index because of material changes in the structure of the index during the period. Three series are therefore given.
* The figure normally relates to the Tuesday nearest to the 15th of the month.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware of the increasing difficulty of finding employ-

Only about one-fifth of consumers' expenditure is accounted for by imports, and reductions from this source have been more than offset by increases in domestic costs, including wages and other personal incomes. Nevertheless, the index of retail prices went up by under 2 per cent. in 1958, the lowest rise for 5 years.The further information required by the hon. Member is as follows:ment for disabled persons in Cardiff; and whether he will make a statement on his plans for dealing with this problem.

Yes. My Disablement Resettlement Officers will continue to do their best to find suitable work for the disabled.

asked the Minister of Labour what was the number of persons in Cardiff who have been unemployed for six weeks or longer at the nearest convenient date and the comparative figure for 1957 and 1951 respectively.

The monthly analyses do not show the numbers who have been unemployed for six weeks or more. At 12th January there were 2,318 wholly unemployed persons on the registers of employment exchanges in Cardiff who had been on the registers for more than eight weeks. The cor-

Employment Exchange (including Youth Employment Office)	Wholly unemployed persons on registers				Temporarily Stopped†			Number of vacancies remaining unfilled at 5th January, 1959
	M.	F.	Total		M.	F.	Total	M.	F.	Total
			Number	Per cent.*
Ilkeston	202	167	369	1·9	22	51	73	54	10	64
Heanor	200	57	257	2·1	69	74	143	46	17	63
Alfreton (including Ripley)	358	136	494	2·1	64	34	98	49	26	75
* Figures for the country as a whole for 12th January are not yet available. At 8th December, 1958 the percentage wholly unemployed in Great Britain was 2·2.
† The "temporarily stopped" are persons working short-time or otherwise temporarily stood off who were not at work on Monday, 12th January and were registered at the Employment Exchange. The figures do not include persons who were at work on the Monday but were stood off on other days of the week. Complete statistics of the numbers working short-time are not available.

asked the Minister of Labour what is the number of persons unemployed in Sunderland at the latest available date and the corresponding figure for the previous year.

5,120 at 12th January, 1959, compared with 2,558 at 13th January, 1958.

asked the Minister of Labour if he has any permanent work in prospect for men and women in the Wick area where unemployment has now reached 20 per cent.

I very much regret that the only permanent requirements at

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will give separately the number of persons recorded as wholly unemployed in Ilkeston, Heanor, Ripley and Alfreton at the latest convenient date; how the percentage of this number compares with the national average; what is the number of men and women working short time in these towns; and what is the number of unfilled vacancies.

The table below gives the information desired so far as it is available:present notified demand qualifications not possessed by those who are registered as unemployed at Wick. I hope that the temporarily stopped workers, who are nearly a quarter of the total, will resume work when weather conditions improve and that additional opportunities in outdoor work will arise in due course.

asked the Minister of Labour how many men and women were registered as unemployed at the East Ham Employment Exchange in mid-November 1958, mid-December 1958, and mid-January 1959, respectively; and how these figures compare with those for a year earlier.

The table below gives the information desired:

NUMBERS OF UNEMPLOYED PERSONS ON THE REGISTER OF EAST HAM EMPLOYMENT EXCHANGE
Date	Men aged 18 and over	Women aged 18 and over	Total
11th November, 1957.	271	119	390
9th December, 1957	270	113	383
13th January, 1958	372	131	503
17th November, 1958.	556	176	732
8th December, 1958	485	160	645
12th January, 1959	581	199	780

asked the Minister of Labour if he will state the total numbers registered as temporarily and wholly unemployed, respectively, in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, showing the main categories affected, as at the latest available date.

The following is the reply:

NUMBERS OF PERSONS REGISTERED AS UNEMPLOYED AT EMPLOYMENT EXCHANGES IN THE NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE AREA AT 12TH JANUARY, 1959.
—	Wholly Unemployed	Temporarily Stopped
Shipbuilding and Ship Repairing	278	5
Non-Electrical Engineering	287	—
Bread and Flour Confectionery	75	—
Furniture and Upholstery	42	63
Building and Civil Engineering Contracting	1,118	434
Railways	108	10
Sea Transport	176	—
Distributive Trades	700	19
National Government Service	108	—
LocalGovemmentService	158	—
Professional Services	102	1
Catering, Hotels, etc.	303	2
All other industries and Services	1,876	50
Total, all industries and services	5,331	584

asked the Minister of Labour what provision exists for deferment of National Service, on grounds of apprenticeship and study, for young men entering or engaged in the profession of live-stock auctioneer.

Men who are training as auctioneers and who are preparing for the necessary examinations of the Auctioneers and Estate Agents Institute of the United Kingdom, the Incorporated Society of Auctioneers and Landed Property Agents, or the Valuers' Institution may be granted deferment for the period required to complete a course of training and to sit for the final examination of the appropriate body.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether he will make a further statement on the proposed closure of the Donibristle Royal Naval Aircaft Repair Yard; and how many workers have now been transferred to Rosyth or other naval establishments with a consequent reduction of wages.

The reduction in numbers at Donibristle so far achieved is 722, of whom 340 have been transferred to other Admiralty work and 382 have left voluntarily to take up other employment. No one has been discharged redundant. This leaves the present strength at about 612. Of the 340 transferred to other Admiralty work, 84 transferred to jobs carrying a lower wage rate.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty what was the cost involved in diving operations and other activities in connection with investigations into the disappearance of scrap cable worth 5s. 4d. at the Torpedo Range, Arrochar.

These diving operations involved additional expenditure of about £15 10s. 0d. The importance of the scrap cable was not its cash value but the fact that it had been stolen from the establishment's Police Office, where it was being held as material evidence in a pending charge of theft.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty what is the tonnage of new merchant ship orders obtained by United Kingdom shipyards for the latest 12-month period and the similar tonnage for the previous corresponding period.

515,000 gross tons in 1958 as compared with 1,823,000 gross tons in 1957.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty if he will state the tonnage of orders which United Kingdom shipyards cancelled during the latest 12 month period and the similar tonnage for the previous corresponding period.

396,000 gross tons in 1958 as compared with 121,000 gross tons in 1957.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty what was the gross tonnage ordered from British shipbuilding yards for each of the years 1955 to 1958; and what steps he is taking to improve the demand for dry cargo vessels since, without an early increase in this tonnage, some of the small yards will have to close down.

The gross tonnage ordered from British shipbuilding yards for each of the years from 1955 to 1958 is as follows:

1955	…	…	2,428,000
1956	…	…	2,283,376
1957	…	…	1,822,898
1958	…	…	515,313

With regard to the second part of the Question, I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation earlier today.

asked the Secretary of State for War on what principles he subjects to censorship the talks of persons invited to broadcast over the British Forces Network in Germany.

The British Forces Network provides news, information and entertainment for members of the forces in Germany. A good deal of material is relayed from the normal services of the B.B.C. In broadcasts originating in B.F.N. care is taken to avoid matters of controversy and scripts are normally required to be seen by the staff of the station before broadcast. In case of difficulty the matter is referred to the Service authority concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for War why it was necessary to make publicity arrangements to record the enlistment of No. 23604106 Rifleman T. Williams; and what effect he estimates this will have on Army recruiting.

Enquiries from the Press about Mr. Williams' National Service began last August and continued on and off until he reported at Winchester on 22nd January. On 19th and 20th January about 100 telephone calls were received from the Press, mostly in the form of requests for facilities to record his arrival in the Army. To avoid interference with the work of the depot over a period of time, facilities were given for reporters and photographers to see Mr. Williams arrive and to allow them a fairly free hand during his first afternoon. That was the sole reason for the facilities given. There was no question of publicity being sought by the Army for recruiting purposes.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether nuclear warheads for the Corporal missile, with which No. 47 Rocket Regiment, Royal Artillery, is equipped, have been developed by the United Kingdom or whether they will be under the control of United States personnel.

I would refer the right hon. Member to the answer given on 22nd January by the Minister of Defence.

asked the Postmaster-General how many licences for television and sound radio sets, respectively, have been issued in the borough and rural district of Newcastle-under-Lyme; and what proportions of householders possess them.

No separate records are kept of licences for television and sound radio sets issued in Newcastle-under-Lyme, and I regret the information is therefore not available.

asked the Postmaster-General what is the number of occasions during the past 12 months when sound and television broadcasting have been used to describe persons required by the police in connection with crimes, and the number of these persons against whom the police held a warrant or subpoena.

The B.B.C. informs me that such descriptions were given on 12 occasions in television and 10 occasions in sound broadcasting. The I.T.A. informs me that records are not kept. I regret that without a disproportionate amount of research it is not possible to say how many such descriptions have been given in all or whether the police held warrants or subpoenas on each occasion.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware of the growth of demand for telephones in the Chester-le-Street area; and what steps he proposes to take in order to satisfy the demand.

Yes. One hundred and thirteen new telephones were provided last year and it is hoped that the number connected this year will be higher. Some new cables are needed, and these will be laid as new roads are constructed. The exchange is also being enlarged.

asked the Postmaster-General what is the estimated saving as a result of the change of the postal address of Portobello, Midlothian.

About £200 a year; but the main purpose of the change was to improve efficiency and to meet requests we have had over the years for the name of the City of Edinburgh to appear in the address of Portobello.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations if he will take steps to invite the independent realms in the Commonwealth to a conference to consider its present and future constitutional development, with special regard to possible new entrants and to territories like Guinea, in view of its recent agreement with Ghana.

I have been asked to reply.No. This would not be in accordance with long-established practice. The constitutional development of the Commonwealth is a continuing process which is kept under constant review through the existing channels of consultation between the member countries.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the estimated increases in savings for the years 1951 and 1958, respectively, of building societies, National Savings, provident societies, bank deposits and life assurance.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the Blue Book "National Income and Expenditure, 1958", which gives figures for National Savings, Building Societies, life assurance and bank deposits in each year from 1951 to 1957, the latest year for which figures are available. The figures for industrial and provident societies, which are not given in the Blue Book, are: a fall of £9 million in 1951 and a rise of £20 million in 1957.

asked the Minister of Health what steps he has taken, and with what success, during the last 10 years to prevent and cure tuberculosis and bronchial diseases, respectively.

Improved methods of control such as better case finding and the introduction of vaccination together with advances in treatment have strikingly reduced both incidence and mortality in tuberculosis. I am sending the hon. and learned Member copies of selected memoranda on the subject. With regard to bronchitis I would refer him to the reply in the Adjournment Debate on 9th July last.

asked the Minister of Health, what steps he has taken, and with what success, during the last 10 years to prevent and cure the disease of asthma by means of hypnosis and otherwise.

I am advised that not enough is known about the aetiology of asthma to provide the basis for organised preventive action. Treatment of this disease, as of others, has been facilitated by provision made under the National Health Service, but I have no means of measuring the success achieved.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will give the actual population figure in each relevant age group listed in the groups headed Durham and Northumberland in Table 2 of Command Paper No. 573 on Offences of Drunkenness, 1957.

I regret that information is not available about the number of people in each age group in particular counties in 1957.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs, whether his department now has a list of small houses or cottages of architectural or artistic rarity which should be preserved for the enjoyment of future generations; and whether such a list is available for inspection.

My right hon. Friend is required by Section 30 of the Town and Country Planning Act, 1947, to compile for the guidance of local planning authorities in England and Wales lists of buildings of special architectural or historic interest. Lists are prepared for each county borough and county district, and the completed list is deposited with the clerk of the council, who is asked to make it available for inspection. Copies are also sent to the national libraries, local antiquarian societies, the county archivist, the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings and other interested bodies. With each statutory list a supplementary list is issued which includes buildings of rather lesser interest.Statutory lists contain the address of each building, but they do not distinguish small houses and cottages from other listed buildings.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he will state the salaries of the chairman, vice-chairman and members of the Local Government Commission for England and Wales.

The annual salaries are as follows:

Local Government Commission for England
			£
Chairman (part-time)	…	…	1,800
Vice-Chairman	…	…	6,000
Members—
two at	…	…	4,750
two part-time at	…	…	1,000
Local Government Commission for Wales
Chairman (part-time)	…	…	3,500
Vice-Chairman (part-time)	…	…	2,000
Members—
one part-time at	…	…	1,500
two part-time at	…	…	1,000

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what progress is being made towards the provision of sewerage schemes for the parishes of Cringleford and Easton in the county of Norfolk.

I understand from the local authority that they are preparing a sewerage scheme for the parish of Cringleford. So far as I know, no scheme for Easton is under consideration.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs to what extent, in view of the fact that so many tall buildings are now being projected in Great Britain, his Department has drawn up appropriate regulations covering protection from fire, such as fire escapes, lifts, etc., which will apply in varying degrees to buildings over six storeys, 12 storeys, and 20 storeys high, respectively, as is the case in the United States of America.

Section 60 of the Public Health Act, 1936, is the principal statutory provision governing means of escape from fire in high buildings, which I think is the point my hon. Friend has mainly in mind. This section puts responsibility on local authorities; it does not give me power to make regulations. As far as flats are concerned, however, Appendix C of my Department's recent publication "Flats and Houses, 1958" gives guidance about means of escape in case of fire.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many tenants in Glenrothes have applied for a rent rebate; how many have been granted; and what is the average size of such rebates.

Of the 2,211 tenants occupying Corporation houses at Glenrothes on 14th January, 659 had applied for a rent rebate. 631 applications had been granted, and the average weekly amount of rebate was 4s. 9d.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many tenants living in Scottish Special Housing Association houses have applied for rent rebates under the terms of the recently introduced scheme; how many have been granted; and what is the average rebate.

Of the 29,000 tenants occupying Association houses for which the Association themselves administer the rebate scheme, 4,116 had applied for a rebate up to 19th January, 1959, 3,540 applications had been granted, and the average weekly amount of the rebate was 6s.With regard to the remaining 12,700 tenants occupying Association houses for which local authorities administer the scheme we have no information of the number of rebates applied for but 1,821 had been granted up to 28th November, 1958, the average weekly amount being 6s. 3d.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the authorised establishment, the present strength and by how much this falls below it, of the police forces of Scotland.

At 31st December, 1958, the authorised male establishment of the Scottish police forces was 8,594, the strength 8,106 and the deficiency 488. For policewomen the comparable figures were 275, 248 and 27.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what steps he is taking to ensure the fuller use of the Fforestfach Trading Estate, Swansea, where 40 sites, equipped with all services, are available for new industries which would absorb at least a proportion of the increasing number of the unemployed in the area.

The hon. Member will know that we have an empty factory for which we are seeking a tenant. Exten- sions have recently been authorised for two Government factories on this estate; when completed these are expected to provide 86 new jobs. In addition, there are several inquiries in hand for building leases on the estate.