asked the Postmaster-General if he will now state the quotas for telephone kiosks, with the allocation of quotas of expenditure, which are provided in rural areas in each of the counties in Wales for the 12 months beginning on 1st April, 1959.

The information is as follows:

—		Expenditure £s	Estimated number of kiosks
Anglesey	…	440	2
Brecknock	…	1,070	3
Cardigan	…	640	2
Caernarvon	…	580	3
Carmarthen	…	900	3
Denbigh	…	540	3
Flint	…	490	2
Glamorgan	…	530	3
Merioneth	…	1,630	5
Montgomery	…	1,435	3
Pembroke	…	600	3
Radnor	…	805	3

asked the Postmaster-General what progress has been made with the construction of the Commonwealth round-the-world coaxial telephone cable, in view of the report received last summer from the Commonwealth Telecommunications Board that such a cable had become technically possible and of the decision of the Commonwealth Trade and Economic Conference, held at Montreal last September.

In approving the construction of a Commonwealth round-the-world telephone cable system, the Montreal Conference recognised that Commonwealth Governments would need to make further detailed studies of the plan before entering into building commitments. The United Kingdom attaches great importance to the achievement of this imaginative project, and will be glad to play a full part in its development. The first stage will be the completion in 1961 of a new telephone cable between Canada and the United Kingdom; the contract for the first section of this cable was let by Cable and Wireless Ltd. last week.

asked the Postmaster-General when he hopes to improve the television reception in mid and west Tyrone, which is at present very unsatisfactory, especially in the afternoon and early evening.

Owing to high sunspot activity there has been some interference from foreign stations to television reception in mid and west Tyrone. This interference is now diminishing. The British Broadcasting Corporation have plans for improving television reception in various parts of the United Kingdom but they cannot yet say what it may be possible to do for particular areas. The Independent Television Authority hope to open their station at Belfast towards the end of this year. This is expected to serve mid Tyrone as far west as Omagh.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what was the percentage increase in the casualties caused by road accidents in 1958, as compared with the casualties in 1957.

Road accident casualties in 1958 exceeded those in 1957 by 9½ per cent.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he will state the relationship between the total number of road accidents during the last 12 months and the total number of vehicles on British roads; and how this compares with the relationship between accidents and vehicles in 1938 and 1948, respectively.

In 1958 there were 40 casualties in road accidents for every 1,000 motor vehicles licensed, compared with 76 in 1938 and 44 in 1948.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation when he expects work to commence on the reconstruction of the Angel Road Bridge on the North Circular Road in the Borough of Edmonton.

I hope that work on this scheme will start later this year.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what plans he has to ease the flow of traffic as it debouches from the northern terminal of the Preston Motorway, with special reference to the bottleneck in the village of Broughton.

The present layout at the northern end of the Preston Motorway is temporary, and I recognise that it is not entirely satisfactory in peak traffic conditions. Difficulties which may arise there and in Broughton will disappear when we build the motorway link between the Preston and Lancaster by-passes. I hope to publish a scheme for this link later this year.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation on what dates there has been a traffic census on the A.12 road at Brentwood; and with what result.

The last census was on 9th November, 1956, at a point in High Street adjacent to Ingrove Road A.128. The total number of vehicles recorded for the 16 hours 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. was 10,859.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he can now give an approximate date for the completion of the Cromwell Road Extension and flyover.

Next autumn, with the exception of the proposed flyover at Hammersmith.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he will consider introducing legislation to allow an experiment to be made in one United Kingdom town of the disc parking system as used in Paris.

I cannot hold out any hope of Government legislation on this subject, but I shall be happy to give what assistance I can to any local authority who wishes to seek the necessary powers to try out the disc system.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what facilities he intends to provide for privately operated commercial air services and for private flying at Gatwick.

Gatwick is already available to any aircraft, including privately operated aircraft, equipped with suitable radio frequencies. I am considering proposals from several aviation interests for additional facilities such as hanger accommodation in the maintenance area.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation on what date he decided to increase aircraft landing charges and the passenger handling surcharge; when these increases will become effective; and whether the passenger surcharge will be collected separately from each passenger.

For the reasons mentioned in the House on 11th February, I decided in January to increase aircraft landing fees and the passenger service charge. The bodies representative of the various interests were notified at that time that the increases would date from 1st April, 1959, or as soon as possible thereafter.The increases in landing fees will become effective from 1st April, 1959. In the case of the passenger service charge—which is levied on the airlines but passed on by them to the passengers—I am arranging for a month or so's grace beyond 1st April to be given in order that airlines can complete arrangements for their United Kingdom travel agents to precollect the charge at the new rate.Following an announcement in the House on 8th March, 1954, the airlines agreed a scheme under which the charge is collected when the passenger pays for his ticket in this country or, in the case of return journeys abroad, when the passenger makes the reservation for the return journey from the United Kingdom.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether the recommendations of the International Air Transport Association with regard to fare increases on jet aircraft have been considered by him; what is his policy in these matters; and if he will make a statement.

The only recommendation concerning fares on jet aircraft of the International Air Transport Association which affects United Kingdom airlines is that for a small surcharge on the North Atlantic route for a limited period. While I would prefer to avoid increases in air fares at the present time, I appreciate that this was a compromise agreement reached after months of hard negotiations. For these reasons, I do not propose to disapprove the I.A.T.A. recommendation.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he is aware that at about 8.35 a.m. on 6th March a Boeing 707 aircraft passed over Wembley emitting paraffin or other oil from its engines; and to what extent under his regulations aircraft are allowed to eject fuel or oil of any kind except in emergency.

The aircraft was a Boeing 707 which landed at London Airport after a flight from New York. No fuel was jettisoned, but an increase in power while the aircraft was manoeuvring to land may possibly have caused incompletely burnt fuel to appear momentarily in the form of smoke or fine spray. The Air Navigation Order provides that aircraft may not jettison fuel except in emergency.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he is aware that the British Overseas Airways Corporation is overstocked and overstaffed; and what general directions he has issued to the Corporation on these points.

B.O.A.C. made a thorough examination of its engineering costs some time ago and concluded that there was scope for substantial economies in stockholding and staffing. The Corporation has therefore rightly sought to make the necessary adjustments as quickly as possible and has been in consultation with the trade unions for some months. No solution has yet been reached. It would be inappropriate to issue general directions on these commercial matters, and in any case B.O.A.C. itself is most anxious to secure its commercial future by reducing its overhead costs.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation, in view of the report which has recently been issued on the Munich air disaster, if he will now make a further statement on the matter.

I have expressed my appreciation to the German authorities for the great deal of careful work entailed in the preparation of the Report, and I am studying it carefully. I will make a further statement as soon as practicable.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation, in the light of the report on the Munich air crash, what action he is taking to bring to the notice of airline companies the desirability of backward-facing seats.

The Report of the Munich air crash makes no reference to backward facing seats. I can, however, say that the working group set up (on 10th July, 1958) under my Chief Aeronautical Adviser to review the complex question of backward-facing seats is about to submit its report to me.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation on what date the International Convention for the prevention of sea pollution became operative; how many of the maritime nations have still failed to sign; and what further steps are being taken to persuade them to do so.

The Convention came into force on 26th July, 1958. Of the 32 countries which sent delegates to the international Conference held in London in 1954, 20 have not yet ratified it. Her Majesty's representatives abroad have approached the Governments of these countries with a view to securing further ratifications.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he is aware that with the closing of the old Midland and Great Northern lines many journeys from the Midlands to East Coast towns will cost considerably more in fares owing to the extra mileage now involved; and if he will give a general direction to the British Transport Commissinn that, in all cases where portions of main line are closed, new fares between affected localities shall be assessed on the old mileage where possible and not on the greater distances.

This matter would be unsuitable for a general direction. The Commission proposes to introduce reduced fare period tickets from Midland towns to certain East Coast resorts from May to October. The East Anglian and East Midland Transport Users' Consultative Committee were informed of this when they considered the closure of the lines.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation when he expects to receive advice from the London Travel Committee on the contribution that the proposed Victoria Line underground railway extension would make towards the relief of travel congestion in central London.

The Committee will report as soon as possible. It is, I understand, pressing ahead urgently, but the bearing of the Victoria Line on central London travel congestion has many aspects, and the Committee must be allowed sufficient time to complete its study.

asked the Minister of Defence how many officers of all Armed Services flew on official journeys between the United Kingdom and the United States of America on commercial airlines; how many flew first class and how many tourist class in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Between 1st March, 1958, and 28th February, 1959, 391, of whom 35 flew first-class.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, in view of the fact that peace may depend to a large extent upon the greater understanding of the Western point of view by the Russian people, and in view of the success of the Prime Minister's Moscow television broadcast in putting before the Russian people the facts about Great Britain, if he will negotiate with the Russian Government for a weekly article on current affairs in Izvestia or Pravda in exchange for publication of a similar length article from Russia in reputable newspapers in the United Kingdom.

I understand my hon. Friend's motives in making this suggestion. But he will appreciate that the only persons in this country who can make an arrangement of this kind are the newspaper proprietors themselves.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what countries, apart from Panama, have decided unilaterally to extend their territorial waters beyond the three mile limit; what representations he has made to these countries in respect of British interests affected; and with what result.

It is not possible without considerable research to give full details of all the claims for a territorial sea in excess of the three-mile limit as such claims date back to 1830 at least. I can assure the hon. Member, however, that it is the established practice of Her Majesty's Government to make representations in every case.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what steps he is taking to inform the Portuguese Government of the details of the inquest and the findings of the coroner's court in this country on the late Mr. and Mrs. Trist, of Brighton.

Copies of the following documents were sent on 16th March to the Portuguese Ambassador in London for the information the Portuguese Government:The reports upon autopsy and analysis by Dr. Keith Simpson, Head of Department of Forensic Medicine at Guy's Hospital;The notes of evidence of Mr. K. R. Garrett, Chief Chemist, Calor Gas Research and Development Division; andThe copies of the Coroner's inquisitions into the deaths of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Trist.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what steps he has taken to find out why the ambulance in Portugal, summoned for Mrs. Trist by Mr. Trist before he died, never turned up; and what explanation the Portuguese Government has given him on this matter.

Her Majesty's Ambassador in Lisbon has reported:

(i) that both the Muxito Motel and the Public Prosecutor's Delegate at Almada state categorically that no telephone call for an ambulance was made by Mr. Trist on the night he died; and

(ii) that the chalet occupied by the Trist family was equipped with a telephone and any call made would be recorded by the exchange, but there is no record of any call being made from the chalet that night.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what is his policy governing the making of statements to the Press by Foreign Office officials on controversial questions and matters affecting relations with allied and other countries.

Certain Foreign Office officials are designated under my right hon. and learned Friend's authority to answer questions from the Press on foreign affairs. I think that the need for Government Departments to provide for official answers to Press inquiries is generally recognised.

asked the Minister of Labour what is the total number of blind persons employed in blind workshops run by local authorities to whom his Department make grants on account of their reaching a minimum standard of work as laid down in his Department's Circular 1/D.P.677/1958, 26th March, 1958.

The Circular to which the hon. Member refers informed local authorities in England and Wales that in general the Minister would not be prepared to recognise as approved workers, for purposes of grant, new entrants to workshops for the blind unless their earnings reached minimum standards which had been recommended by the National Association of Workshops for the Blind, in agreement with the National League of the Blind and the Local Authorities Advisory Committee on the Conditions of Service of Blind Workers.The total number of approved workers employed in workshops for the blind (whether managed directly by local authorities or by voluntary bodies acting as their agents) was 3,760 on 31st December, 1958. Most of these would not be affected by the Circular in question, since it applied only to new entrants, but since the Circular was issued, 86 trainees have been admitted as approved workers after reaching the full qualifying rate of earnings.

asked the Minister of Labour what is his policy in regard to those blind persons who are capable of work but do not reach the minimum standard of speed laid down in Circular 1/D.P.677/1958.

Cases of men and women who failed after training to reach the qualifying standards of earnings laid down in the Circular are considered sympathetically by my Department and they are given every opportunity of attaining those standards. Such a person may be recognised for grant purposes

(1) if he has reached a standard equal to at least 75 per cent. of the recognised earning capacity and has been accepted by the workshop concerned as an "improver journeyman";

(2) if he has been permitted by the local authority to enter or remain in the workshop in the interests of his welfare and subsequently reaches the qualifying standard.

asked the Minister of Labour what were the numbers of wholly and temporarily unemployed persons registered at the Leicester Employment Exchange at the end of October, 1951, and at the end of February, 1959.

Statistics of unemployment relate to a date about the middle of each month. At 9th February, 1959, there were 2,562 persons registered as wholly unemployed and 420 registered as temporarily stopped at the Leicester Employment Exchange and Youth Employment Offices. The corresponding figures for 15th October, 1951, were 233 and 552, respectively.

asked the Minister of Labour what new proposals he has under consideration by which the existing facilities for training and resettlement, already provided by his Department, may be more widely known and applied so that increasing numbers in the cotton industry, and elsewhere, can make use of such services, thereby either equipping themselves with greater skill in their own calling or acquiring new skills for application in new industries.

Continuous publicity is given by means of talks by employment officers, the display of posters and the distribution of leaflets, to the facilities for training and resettlement that are available under the Government vocational training schemes. Within the past few months publicity has been intensified in areas which have been designated for the purposes of the resettlement transfer scheme.

asked the Minister of Labour in what categories of jobs replacement vacancies under the National Service Acts have to be notified to the local employment exchanges.

There is no statutory requirement under the National Service Acts to notify replacement vacancies. In the case of an agricultural worker, however, one of the conditions on which deferment is granted is that the employer must endeavour to release the man to do his National Service by rearrangement of the work or by finding a substitute, and it is expected, where necessary, that he should notify a vacancy for a replacement and thereby obtain the help of the employment exchange service.

asked the Minister of Labour what was the total number of vacancies notified at the employment exchanges throughout the United Kingdom at the most recent convenient date; and how many of these were replacement vacancies under the National Service Acts.

On 4th February, 1959, 155,176 vacancies notified to employment exchanges in the United Kingdom remained unfilled. Of these, 20,026 had been notified by employers to replace workers at present deferred from National Service.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will give the number of male and female workers in Coventry, unemployed for six months or more, for the quarters commencing 10th December, 1956, and terminating 8th December, 1958, excluding those registered at the youth employment office.

The figures are as given in my reply to the hon. Member's Question on 9th March. There were no young persons under 18 unemployed for more than six months at the dates in question.

asked the Minister of Labour how many persons were registered as being in employment in Wales at the latest convenient date; and what was the comparable number in 1950.

The estimated numbers of employees in Wales who were in employment at end May, 1958, was 920,500. Precisely comparable figures are not available for 1950 but the increase between that year and 1958 was about 14,000.

asked the Minister of Labour how many persons were registered as being in employment in the United Kingdom at the latest convenient date; and what was the comparable number in 1950.

The estimated number of employees in the United Kingdom who were in employment at end May, 1958, was 21,870,500 compared with 20,740.400 at end May, 1950.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a table showing the total number of males, females, boys and girls unemployed in the county of Fife in each of the last eight years, and the latest monthly figures for each category.

The figures for 9th March are just becoming available and I will send the table to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

asked the Minister of Labour if he is aware that the Motherwell Bridge and Engineering Company, which is building the £8 million nuclear power station at Hunterston, Ayrshire, and employing 500 men and paying an average £20 a week wage, has suffered 15 unofficial strikes in the last seven months which has lost 14 per cent. of the working time and put the job six months behind, and is now threatening to cease the work altogether; and what consultations he has had with the responsible trades union leaders with a view to preventing unemployment in the district.

Yes. I am aware of these disputes and of the difficulties they have caused. I am told that the management and representatives of the men have now set up a Joint Production Committee, and I hope that this will enable any further grievances to be settled without recourse to strikes. I am glad to say that it has not been necessary to have the consultations visualised by my hon. Friend, but my officers in Scotland will continue to keep in touch with the situation.

asked the Minister of Labour, in view of the fact that 75 per cent. of the salary of officers of the Youth Employment Service is provided by his Department, what consultations have taken place between his Department and the local authorities as to the qualifications required for this service; what qualifications are at present demanded; and whether he is satisfied that the salaries being paid are adequate to attract and retain the services of those with suitable qualifications.

Local education authorities have been guided by the recommendations of the Ince Committee in 1945 and of the Piercy Committee in 1951. There is, however, some variation in practice as to the specific qualifications required. There was a meeting in January between officers of the Central Youth Employment Executive and representatives of the local authority associations concerned in England and Wales. It was agreed that a statement of the qualifications thought desirable for a youth employment officer should be prepared and that, on the basis of this statement, appropriate salary scales should be negotiated through the machinery of the National Joint Council.

asked the Minister of Labour what was the number of unemployed registered in the radio and aircraft industry in February; and what were the comparative figures for 12 months previously.

The table below gives the information desired.

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN THE UNDERMENTIONED INDUSTRIES REGISTERED AS UNEMPLOYED IN GREAT BRITAIN AT 17TH FEBRUARY, 1958 AND 9TH FEBRUARY, 1959
—	Wireless apparatus and gramophones	Wireless valves and electric lamps	Manufacture and repair of aircraft
17th February 1958
Males	1,199	153	1,399
Females	1,947	270	396
Total	3,146	423	1,795
19th February 1959
Males	1,006	261	2,041
Females	1,317	339	421
Total	2,323	600	2,462

asked the Minister of Labour whether, where a village in a Development Area has been hit by closure of coal mines, he will consider any application for help in retraining the redundant personnel in light engineering and kindred work from any firm willing to undertake this as a possible preliminary to its establishment in the locality.

My Department is always ready to help resettle in suitable employment people: who lose their jobs, and where necessary appropriate facilities for re-training are available for this purpose. If I received a specific proposal of the kind suggested I would certainly consider it.

asked the Minister of Labour what was the number of unemployed registered at the Feltham and Hounslow employment exchanges in February; and what were the comparative figures for 12 months previously.

243 at Feltham and 427 at Hounslow on 9th February, 1959, compared with 169 and 362, respectively, at 17th February, 1958.

asked the Secretary of State for War how many soldiers have registered as Service voters in the current electoral roll.

The present electoral roll was closed on 15th September, 1958, in Northern Ireland, and 10th October, 1958, in Great Britain. At the end of October we were notified by the Registrar General that 124,656 men and women in the Army were registered as Service voters.

asked the Secretary of State for War how much his Department has spent in connection with building and civil engineering work during the last five years under competitive tenders; and how much was paid to specially selected contractors without competition.

The total expenditure is £166 million. Without detailed reports from abroad, I cannot give the exact sum spent on single-tender contracts, but it would not amount to more than about 1 per cent. of the total and might be very much less.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what Purchase Tax rules he is applying where a wholesaler grants a cash or trade discount to a retailer or consumer in the instance of goads bought which are subject to Purchase Tax; and whether the cash or trade discount is correctly applicable under his rules to the nominal amount of the Purchase Tax payable.

Purchase Tax is legally chargeable on the wholesale value of the goods. Where a price on which the wholesale value is based is subject to a discount available to all retail traders, the net price is used in valuation.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that organisations producing stationery for their own use can within limits please themselves whether they register or not, and thus pay less tax than firms purchasing their stationery through trade channels; and what steps he proposes to take to remedy this.

My hon. Friend's Question does not represent the position accurately. I have no evidence that organisations producing stationery for their own use pay less tax on balance than firms which purchase stationery through trade channels.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, before introducing his Budget, he will obtain and circulate an estimate of the cost of abolishing Purchase Tax on replacement cathode ray tubes.

The estimated revenue from the Purchase Tax on all cathode ray tubes taxed as such is £1½ million. It is probable that most of this is in respect of replacement tubes.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state the destinations by countries of the overseas investments in the years 1956, 1957 and the first half of 1958, as summarised in the Bulletin for Industry of November, 1958; and how the investments for each year were divided between Government and private investments.

I regret that estimates of the destination by countries of private overseas investments are not available. The only division that can be made is between private investment in the sterling area and private investment in the non-sterling area. Estimates of these amounts are given in Tables 2 and 3 of the White Paper on the United Kingdom Balance of Payments 1955 to 1958 (Cmnd. 540) published in October, 1958.Full information is available on Government loans; in respect of the years 1956 and 1957 this is set out in Tables 16 and 17 of the recently published volume on the United Kingdom Balance of Payments, 1946–1957.The following table shows loans to and by the United Kingdom Government in the first half of 1958.

INTER-GOVERNMENT LOANS IN 1958, FIRST HALF
(-=outflow from United Kingdom)
£ million
Loans by the United Kingdom
(New loans-, repayments+)
Rest of Sterling Area:
Australia	-1
Non-Sterling Countries
Denmark: E.P.U. funding of existing resources	+1
Greece: currency stabilisation	+2
Turkey: armaments credits, etc.	+2
Poland: war and post-war advances	+1
U.S.S.R.: war and post-war advances	+2
Yugoslavia: E.C.G.D. credit (from 1950)	+1
Loans to the United Kingdom
(Repayments-)
Rest of Sterling Area:
India: Pensions and railway annuities	-16
Non-Sterling Countries:
Canada: Interest-free loan	-6
Total	-14

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will amend the Control of Borrowing Order, 1958, so as to lessen the scope for operations designed merely to reduce tax liabilities.

An amending Order was made on 16th March which has the effect of making Treasury consent necessary for any issue of redeemable securities for capitalising profits or reserves, even though their nominal value is less than £50,000. The Order will come into operation on 19th March. Copies of it are now available in the Vote Office.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance (1) in how many cases the next of kin of Japanese prisoners-of-war who were killed or died in captivity have not been paid the sum of £76 Ws. due to them from Japanese sources;(2) what steps have been taken, by means of public advertisement and wireless announcement, to bring to the attention of the next of kin of Service men who died in Japanese capitivity that they are entitled to a payment of £76 10s. from Japanese sources.

In view of the personal nature of these payments, it was decided that where a prisoner-of-war had died only close relatives, i.e., his widow, children or parents, should be eligible for a share. The number of legal next-of-kin who are not close relatives and have consequently not received shares is not known, but about 1,200 unsuccessful applications have been made by ineligible relatives generally.Publicity about entitlement to these payments has been given in the Press and on the wireless, as well as in the House, on many occasions since October, 1952, when the scheme was started. The National Federation of Far Eastern Prisoners of War Clubs and Associations which is in touch with the great majority of ex-prisoners and their relatives has throughout given most valuable help.On 26th January last my right hon. Friend, in announcing the formation of a new trust to make use of the balance of the assets, gave the closing date for applications for

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what would be the cost in a full year of increasing the level of National Assistance Board payments by £1 a week for those aged 70 years or over; and what the further cost of additions of 10s. at 75, 85, and 95 years of age.

It is estimated, on the basis of the numbers of National Assistance grants current in December, 1958, that the cost in a full year of increases of the kinds specified would be approximately as follows:

	£
£1 a week for recipients of grants aged 70 years or over	42,250,000
10s. a week for recipients of grants aged 75 years or over	14,250,000
10s. a week for recipients of grants aged 85 years or over	2,500,000
10s. a week for recipients of grants aged 95 years or over	150,000

The estimates take no account of the additional cost of assisting people who though not now eligible might qualify if the rates were increased.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he proposes to introduce legislation to implement the recommendations of the Gowers Committee regarding the health, safety, and welfare of office workers.

I continue to have this matter in mind, but I have no statement to make at present.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make available to hon. Members or place in the Library of the House the details of the cautioning procedure which he is suggesting should be used by the police in dealing with persons loitering or soliciting for the purposes of prostitution.

My right hon. and learned Friend the Attorney-General described in Standing Committee F on 4th March the procedure which the Commissioner of Police proposes to adopt in the Metropolitan Police District (OFFICIAL REPORT, columns 131–32). The chief constables of a number of provincial forces have already indicated their willingness to adopt this procedure, and I propose to commend it to chief constables generally when the Bill becomes law.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions there have been during the latest convenient year for vehicles emitting offensive smoke or fumes and vehicles emitting excessive noise, respectively.

In 1957 there were 4,354 prosecutions in Magistrates' Courts in England and Wales in respect of noise offences. The offence of emitting smoke is not separately recorded and no figures for England and Wales are available, but in the Metropolitan Police District there were 43 prosecutions in 1957 and 68 in 1958.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the present position with regard to the signing and ratification of the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Convention.

I am glad to be able to state that all the fourteen Governments represented at the Conference which recently agreed upon this Convention have now signed it. These fourteen countries comprise all those which fish on any scale in the Convention area. The Convention will be open for ratification after the end of this month.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much the Government had spent on afforestation, on hard and soft woods, between the two wars and since the last war, in Great Britain.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give the approximate total expended by the Government through any agencies between the two wars; and how much has been spent or provided by the Government on afforestation in Great Britain since the last war.

The reply to this Question and also to a similar Question which my hon. Friend addressed to my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer, to which I have been asked to reply, is as follows:The net expenditure out of the Forestry Fund in the periods November, 1919, to March, 1939, and April, 1946, to January, 1959, is given below. It is not possible to distinguish between expenditure on hardwoods and softwoods.

—	1919–20 to 1938–39	1946–47 to 1958–59
	£ thousand	£ thousand
Expenditure Purchase of land, buildings and growing timber	1,930	4,220
Grants etc. to Private Woodland Owners	325	4,915
Other (e.g. administration, forestry operations, research)	9,725	104,490
Total	11,980	113,625
Receipts	2,570	26,565
Net	9,410	87,060

asked the Minister of Education whether he has yet received the report on certain aspects of education for commerce which the National Advisory Council on Education for Industry and Commerce have been preparing.

In July, 1957, the Council set up a special advisory committee to prepare a report on further education for commerce. Their report, which is unanimous, has now been submitted to me and will be published tomorrow.

asked the Minister of Health whether, in view of the controversy that has arisen regarding the resignation of Miss Rachel Marks as Matron of the Highfield Maternity Hospital, Wallasey, Cheshire, he will inquire into the circumstances leading to her resignation and issue a statement.

I am making inquiries and will write to my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many local authorities in Scotland, naming them, have now set up control areas under the Clean Air Act; and what improvements they have caused in the health of the people in those areas.

Two Orders for smoke control areas—one in Edinburgh, the other in Dundee—have been confirmed, but the Dundee one does not operate until 1st October this year. As the Edinburgh Order only came into force on 1st January, it is too early to assess its effect on health.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will make a further statement about marginal agricultural production assistance.

A scheme under Section 75 of the Agriculture (Scotland) Act, 1948, is in operation for the 1959 cropping season. As to the future, the Scottish National Farmers' Union wishes to make further representations about the position of those who have been receiving marginal agricultural production grants, and I hope to arrange a meeting for this purpose at an early date.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will state the amount of money earned by hard and soft woods exported from Great Britain during the last five years.

I have been asked to reply.I would refer my hon. Friend to the Answer given on 13th March by my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade. The value of total exports of wood from the United King- dom in the years 1954–58 was £3·1 million.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will state how much was paid for hard and soft wood imported into Great Britain during the last five years.

I have been asked to reply.The total value (c.i.f.) of hardwood and softwood imported into the United Kingdom between 1954 and 1958 was £139·6 million and £673·8 million respectively.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is the result of his Department's inspection of possible sites at Douglas, Lanarkshire, for establishment of industry.

I await the detailed report and will write to my hon. Friend as soon as this is received.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works, as representing the Lord President of the Council, if he will state the numbers in each of the grades of the three scientific classes employed in the Water Pollution Laboratory at Stevenage on 1st January, 1958, and on 1st January, 1959.

The numbers in the grades of these three classes on these dates were:

—	1st January, 1958	1st January, 1959
Deputy Chief Scientific Officer	1	1
Senior Principal Scientific Officer	1	1
Principal Scientific Officer	9	10
Senior Scientific Officer	3	5
Scientific Officer	2	3
Senior Experimental Officer	4	5
Experimental Officer	19	17
Assistant Experimental Officer	17	21
Assistant (Scientific)	16	16

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works, as representing the Lord President of the Council, how many scientific publications were received by Government scientific research establishments during 1958 from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; and how many of these have been translated in whole or in part from Russian into English.

No central records exist of the scientific publications received by all the Government research establishments, and the collection of this information would require an inordinate amount of time and expense.