asked the Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations what further progress has been made in relation to the provision of railway communications between Swaziland and the coast.

Railway communications already exist between points on or adjacent to the Swaziland border and the coast. A decision whether to build a railway within Swaziland itself can be taken only after the completion of present investigations in the utilisation of mineral deposits and other natural resources.

asked the Minister of Education whether he will make a statement on the recently published report upon the Public Library Service in England and Wales, with particular reference to the suggestion that local authorities responsible for less than 40,000 people should surrender their libraries to the county authorities.

I cannot yet add to the Answer given to the hon. Member for Fulham (Mr. M. Stewart) on 26th February.

asked the Minister of Education whether he will initiate discussions among the universities with a view to the establishment of a first degree in education.

No. It is for the universities themselves to determine what courses to provide and what degrees to award.

asked the Minister of Education what qualification will be given to teachers leaving training colleges at the end of the three-year course.

Area training organisations will award their own certificates. I shall give qualified teacher status to those who satisfactorily complete a three-year course.

asked the Minister of Education, in view of the fact that young teachers have to wait 17 years before reaching the maximum of the basic salary, what consideration he has given to revising the existing salary structure in order to attract and retain sufficient teachers to staff the schools.

It is the function of the Burnham Committee under Section 89 of the Education Act, 1944, to consider and make recommendations on salaries of teachers. The Committee has recently entered upon negotiations for new salary scales.

asked the Minister of Education what estimate he has made of the additional money which his Department would have to allot to local authorities to enable them to meet the recent salary claims of the teaching profession.

I am not in a position to give such an estimate on the information available to me.

asked the Minister of Education what was the cost of the new secondary school building near Otley Bridge; why he permitted a building of brick, plaster, and glass in proximity to the ancient stone bridge of Otley, when all the adjoining buildings and churches are built of stone; and if he has considered the ill effects that a tasteless building will have upon the scholars who work therein.

£33,134. I normally leave decisions on external appearance and use of materials to local judgment and did so in this case.

asked the Minister of Education why he has permitted an extension to be built to a secondary school in Otley which will not accommodate the large number of scholars needing adequate accommodation in this school.

This extension is only part of a larger plan by which a new secondary school will be provided on another site. I considered it a reason- able proposal on this basis, though I know that there will be some overcrowding for the time being.

asked the Minister of Education whether, in view of the fact that a number of our most skilful young painters and sculptors experience the greatest difficulty in completing their studies due to lack of income, he will use the resources of his Department to encourage the leading art schools of the country to hold annually an exhibition of the work of their last-year students which could be sold, and so enable students to complete their studies without undue privation.

Art students are eligible for awards from local education authorities. My right hon. Friend has no evidence that students receiving such awards are failing to complete their studies for lack of means. Many art schools regularly arrange exhibitions which serve to bring students' work to the notice of potential patrons and prospective employers. It is for authorities of art schools to decide whether to adopt the practice suggested by my hon. Friend.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will propose the convening of a Commonwealth and Colonies economic conference to discuss a planned production and consumption of both capital investment and consumer goods within the Commonwealth and Colonies with a view to the future avoidance of over-production in one sector and under-production in others.

No. A Commonwealth Economic Conference was held in September of last year, and there will be full opportunities during the current year for Commonwealth consultation on intra-Commonwealth trade and other problems of common interest.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what Commonwealth assistance loans have been made since the Commonwealth Trade and Economic Conference, held at Montreal in September, 1958, as announced in paragraph 64 of the report of that conference, Command Paper No. 539; on what terms; and for what purposes.

Two such loans have been agreed—to India for £28½ million and to Pakistan for £10 million. Interest will be at rates reflecting the United Kingdom Government's own borrowing costs, plus one quarter of one per cent. Both loans will pay for goods and services from the United Kingdom as agreed from time to time between Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom and each of the two Governments. Both of these Commonwealth countries have important development programmes which this assistance is intended to benefit.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking, in view of the increased university grants that have recently been announced, to ensure an increase in the number of permanent posts in departments of psychiatry, sufficient to enable these departments to undertake research, as well as teaching and therapy, on the scale expected from other departments of medicine.

The distribution of the supplementary recurrent grant among the various departments within the universities is a matter for the universities themselves to decide.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were, for the financial year 1957–58, the totals of money borrowed by local authorities for capital purposes, of money so borrowed, respectively, from the Public Works Loans Board, by issues in the market, and by mortgages and other forms of market borrowing, and of money found by local authorities for capital purposes from their own internal resources.

Local Government financial statistics for 1957–58 are not yet complete and the following figures are therefore estimated on the basis used for the National Income accounts. Net borrowing by local authorities in the United Kingdom for capital purposes in 1957–58 (less repayments and less lending by local authorities to persons) is estimated at £376 million, made up as follows:

	£ million
Public Works Loan Board	33
Government Loans Fund (Northern Ireland)	6
New stock issues	39
Borrowing from superannuation funds, etc.	25
Other borrowing (mortgages, bonds, etc.)	273

Other sources of funds for capital investment were Government grants (£24 million) and the current surplus on revenue account, before providing for depreciation and stock appreciation (£170 million).

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the estimated cost to his Department of the valuation to be carried out of all domestic, commercial and industrial hereditaments in England and Wales in order that new values for rating purposes may be available to come into force on a current market value basis as at the first day of April, 1961.

It is impossible to separate the cost of the revaluation work from the cost of the day to day work of amending the existing valuation lists; but the annual cost of all rating valuation work is about £6 million, including overheads. The Rating and Valuation Bill now before Parliament provides for the postponement of the next revaluation to April, 1963.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what industries for which he is responsible have been the subject of consideration by the Economic Planning Board during each of the past three years; for what purpose; and with what result.

The function of the Economic Planning Board is to advise Her Majesty's Government on general economic problems. Its proceedings are confidential.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state the approximate total spent on building and civil engineering work year by year in Great Britain for the last five years.

I have been asked to reply.Details of the value of the output of building and civil engineering work are published as Table 96 in the Monthly Digest of Statistics, which is available in the Library. The totals for the last five years in £ millions at current prices are 1,747, 1,864, 2,077, 2,144 and 2,167.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what proposals are being considered for staffing the farm school to be built in the Seychelles; and if he will ensure that as far as possible the teaching posts are given to Seychellois.

There is no proposal to build a farming school in Seychelles. The hon. Member is presumably referring to a field instruction course in smallholding cultivation which is about to be taken by a Seychelles agricultural officer.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what steps are being taken to enable more Seychellois to be trained as teachers.

Seychellois students at present in the United Kingdom include one training to be a domestic science teacher. Further places are likely to be allocated for the training of technical and graduate teachers. The new Seychelles teacher-training college has recently been completed and, when staff have been recruited for it, the first fifteen students will begin their course. Under the existing arrangements, twelve Seychellois completed training and became certificated teachers in December, 1958. This year 20 bursaries have been awarded to teachers and 60 uncertificated teachers have enrolled for a part-time course.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what proportions of the teaching posts in primary and secondary schools, respectively, in the Seychelles are held by Seychellois.

In Government and aided primary schools 224 teachers out of 232 are Seychellois. In Government and aided secondary schools 14 teachers out of 31 are Seychellois.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what action he took when he received a letter from Captain Ernest Law, dated 2nd June, 1958, which was smuggled out of Kamiti Prison, Nairobi, where Captain Law was detained without trial; and why orders were given for Captain Ernest Law to be repatriated to the United Kingdom by air on 16th June, 1958, only three days after Captain Law had received vaccination against smallpox and yellow fever, by official instructions, and in contravention of the rules of the International Certificates of Vaccination, which require 8 and 10 days, respectively, before validity.

pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 12th February, 1959; Vol. 599, c. 228], supplied the following additional information:On the 30th May, 1958, after efforts to secure a sea passage for Captain Law had failed because all vessels sailing for the United Kingdom were fully booked, an air passage was provisionally arranged for the 14th June or thereafter. A repatriation order was signed on 7th June. On being informed on 9th June that Captain Law's air passage was definitely booked for 16th June, the officer in charge of Kamiti Prison arranged for him to be revaccinated against smallpox and re-inoculated against yellow fever immediately. So far as I know, the air company concerned did not contest the validity of the relevant certificates.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will now replace the description "Secretary of State for War" by "Secretary of State for the Army"

My right hon. Friend the Member for Woodford (Sir W. Churchill) once replied to a similar proposal: "We must beware of needless innovation especially when guided by logic". In any case, the change would almost certainly involve legislation, and I doubt whether this could be added to the already heavy programme we have undertaken for this Session.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether he will make a further statement about the construction of H.M.S. "Dreadnought", including the date on which the keel will be laid down.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty when H.M.S. "Dreadnought" will be laid down.

asked the Parlialiamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether he will make a further statement on plans for the construction of the nuclear submarine, H.M.S. "Dreadnought".

I cannot at present add to the information given by my noble Friend in the Explanatory Statement on the Navy Estimates 1959–60.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give particulars, to the latest convenient date, of the response received to the assistance schemes for small farmers.

The response has been excellent. Between 15th January, when application forms were first made available, and 27th February, 9,154 completed applications for assistance were received in England and Wales. About 90 per cent. of these applications appeared on initial scrutiny to be from eligible small farmers. Seven thousand and ninety-eight applicants applied for assistance under the Small Farmer Scheme and 752 under the Supplementary Scheme. The remaining 1,304 applicants did not indicate their wishes and are being treated for the time being as having applied under the Small Farmer Scheme. We are thus within the first six weeks already about half way towards the total of 15,000 applications under the Small Farmer Scheme which we expected to be able to deal with in England and Wales in the first year.

asked the Secretary of State for Air if he will state the total strength of the Royal Air Force Station, Tengah, Singapore, the number of married and single officers, respectively, married and single other ranks, respectively, and officers' and other ranks' children, respectively.

The following are the figures:

—		Married	Single	Total	Total Strength
Officers	…	78	28	106	778
Airmen	…	216	456	672

Children
Officers	Airmen	Total
95	311	406

asked the Secretary of State for Air if he will state the purpose of the Royal Air Force Hill Station for the Tengah Royal Air Force Depot, the yearly cost, the number and grades of staff employed, and the conditions under which they are employed; and what course, or courses, are carried our, and for what reasons.

The station at Fraser's Hill is the Command General Service and Passive Defence Training School. The staff consists of one flight lieutenant, two sergeants, two corporals, three aircraft-men and seven local civilians. The yearly cost is about £20,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Air if he will state the number of married officers and other ranks, respectively, who have been sent to Tengah Hill Station with their families, the number of married other ranks without their families, and the number of single officers and other ranks, respectively, during the year 1958.

No arrangements are made by the Service for families to accompany officers or airmen attending the 14 day course at the General Service and Passive Defence Training School at Fraser's Hill. During 1958, 57 officers and 704 airmen attended the course. Of these 37 officers and 16 airmen are known to be married and to have had their families with them in the Far East. I will let the honourable and gallant Member have firm figures for this category within the next few days.The officers whom we know to have had their families in the Far East, but not the airmen, arranged privately for the families to stay at the nearby civil leave centre run by the Pahang Government.

asked the Minister of Health, as representing the Lord President of the Council, what progress is being made with research into the effect on health of diesel oil and petrol exhaust fumes; and to what extent consideration has been given to the benefits which might he obtained if exhaust fumes were emitted from the level of the roofs or vehicles instead of near to the ground.

As part of the Medical Research Council's programme of work on the effects of atmospheric pollution on health to which I referred in my answer to the hon. and learned Member for West Ham, South (Mr. Elwyn Jones) on 22nd January, research is continuing on the effects of both diesel and petrol engine fumes, but at present there is no definite evidence to suggest that such fumes create a specific health hazard. With regard to the second part of the Question, the possible advantages to be gained from the emission of vehicle exhaust fumes at a higher level have been considered, but on balance it is thought better for such fumes normally to be emitted near the ground.

asked the Minister of Health if he will set out in tabular form the maximum statistical information so that consideration can be given to the administration of the merit scheme applied in secret for the specialists and consultants engaged in the National Health Service, including the numbers providing service at the training hospitals and at other hospitals, respectively.

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to the Questions asked by the hon. Member for Birmingham, All Saints (Mr. D. Howell) on 16th February. The recipients working at teaching hospitals and other hospitals cannot be separated into two self-contained groups as many work at hospitals of both kinds. If further information is desired I shall be glad to consider whether it can be supplied on being told exactly what is wanted.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in view of the forthcoming publication of copies of the Casement diaries in Paris and New York, he will now permit inspection of the originals held by his Department.

I am considering the situation created by the publication of the book to which my hon. Friend refers, but I am not yet able to make any statement.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will state the action being taken by the Metropolitan Police to deal with unlicensed motor vehicles left on the public highways.

I am informed by the Commissioner of Police that when obstruction is caused or some other offence is committed the police take appropriate action against the owner if he can be traced. The police have power to remove from the highway any vehicle which appears to have been abandoned, and exercise that power as far as practicable.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what results have emerged from the study of the report made by the Joint Parliamentary Secretary on his visit to Brussels in the autumn of 1957 to inspect overhead roads.

I have given detailed consideration to my hon. Friend's report on his visit to Brussels, as to other reports which I receive of developments in foreign road building. There are always useful lessons to be learnt. Because traffic demands in this country are more exacting, we propose to design our overhead roads to carry four lanes of traffic rather than the three in the Brussels overhead road.Overhead lengths of roads are proposed for early construction at two sites in or near London: westwards from the Chiswick Flyover, where a 1½ mile viaduct is proposed to carry the South-West Radial over the Great West Road; and at Hammersmith, where the London County Council has put forward a scheme for a 1,814 ft. flyover. A scheme to put about 3 miles of the Preston-Birmingham Motorway over the railway in Smethwick and Oldbury is also being actively considered. I am very willing to consider the overhead arrangement wherever it seems the best answer to the difficulty of giving more road space in a town.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he will give an approximate date for the commencement of work on the Medway-Sittingbourne by-pass road.

I cannot say, until we have made more progress with proposals for dealing with side roads and with land acquisition.