asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will carry out investigations to determine whether the effectiveness of spray dipping is satisfactory now that the sheep scab is under control; and if he will make recommendations as to how this should be handled.

For the reason given in the reply which I gave to my hon. Friend on 5th December, 1958, I do not think it necessary to carry out further investigations into the effectiveness of spraying against sheep scab. Sheep scab was eliminated from this country in 1952, and I could not recommend spraying as a means of preventing its re-introduction.

asked the Minister of Defence if he will estimate the value of British Services' equipment and installations written off in Iraq since the Iraqi revolution

I have been asked to reply. Nil.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will state the number of new telephone subscribers in Scotland and Lanarkshire, respectively, since 1951.

Since 1951 the number of new telephones connected in Scotland has been 251,193, and in Lanarkshire 18,736. The total numbers connected are now 436,000 and 29,369, respectively.

asked the Postmaster-General how many telephone subscribers have been connected in East Kilbride; and how many are now on the waiting list.

Seven hundred and sixty-two subscribers were connected during the twelve months ended 31st March, 1959, making a total of 2,082 in the exchange area. There are 18 applications on the waiting list; in addition 68 applications are in course of provision.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many persons are now paying Income Tax; and what proportion this figure represents of the total working population.

About 21 million counting working wives separately. This figure includes pensioners and those with only investment incomes; after deducting these persons, the remaining taxpayers are about four-fifths of the working population.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation why payments are still being made in respect of restoration of damage to roads and for abnormal road works executed during the war.

These payments are for the restoration or diversion of highways which were closed temporarily under Defence Regulations. Many temporary road closure orders continued in force after the end of the war owing to the continuing needs of the Defence Departments for the use of wartime airfields etc., but steady progress is being made in bringing them to an end either by restoring and re-opening the old roads where closure is no longer required or by making permanent closure orders with or without the provision of substitute highways.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works, as representing the Lord President of the Council, if he will require the Building Research Station to inquire the actual time taken by each of the 25-odd trades that enter into the construction of an important building, in order to ascertain whether it would not be advantageous to work double shifts in certain of these trades to avoid the slowing down of the general building procedure frequently caused because certain trades do not step forward in full harmony with the others.

The Building Research Station of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research has made extensive studies of the principles of programming building work and has published papers describing suitable methods. These methods have been applied by contractors to the type of building project referred to in the question. If sufficient labour is available, it is usually possible to increase the number of operatives and keep to the programme on single shift working, which has organisational and cost advantages over double shift working.