asked the Minister of Education how many pupils of secondary school age are at present being taught in all-age schools; and how many of them are 15 plus.

In January, 1958, there were 139,297 pupils in senior classes of all-age schools, of whom 723 were 15 or over.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what steps are being taken to train officers and men of the fire services to have a full understanding of the risks involved in the uses of radioactive materials and the techniques required to deal with those risks following accidents and fire;(2) what are his plans for introducing legislation to control the use of radioactive materials by licence; and whether such legislation will make it incumbent upon all users to inform the local fire services of their quantity and place of storage.(3) to what extent he is introducing standard symbols of identification of radioactive material containers, so that a code of recognition may develop and thus make it safer for firemen to recognise the degree of danger and radiation in case of accident or fire;(4) to what extent he is providing the fire services with their own radiation monitoring equipment.(5) whether he is yet satisfied that all fire services are being fully supplied with protective clothing and other appliances necessary in the event of accident or fire from radioactive materials.

Advice on the fire fighting hazards of radioactive materials was issued to fire authorities in October last. Training in such hazards is given at the Fire Service College and its extension is being considered. The risks to which firemen may be exposed through radioactivity are continuously reviewed in consultation with the Departments concerned and the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority. The Central Fire Brigades Advisory Council is also setting up a committee on the subject; it will consider, among other things, whether the provision of further equipment is necessary.Under existing arrangements information is made available to fire authorities as to the places to which radioactive materials are delivered, either by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority or from overseas. The notification to fire authorities of the subsequent use of such materials would seem appropriate for consideration in the discussions which, as he announced in reply to a Question on 30th June (OFFICIAL REPORT, col. 25), my right hon. Friend the Minister of Housing and Local Government is about to have with the local authority associations.The possibility of standardising identification symbols is being examined.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will now make a statement regarding the Casement Diaries; whether he will permit inspection of the originals; to whom the copyright belongs; and what consultations have taken place with the Government of Eire and the executors and trustees of the late Sir Roger Casement's estate.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the Answer which I gave on 2nd July to a Question by the hon. Member for South Ayrshire (Mr. Emrys Hughes).

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.

Approximately 500,000 gross tons for the year ended 31st March, 1959, as compared with approximately 1 million gross tons for the preceding twelve months.

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

Approximately 360,000 gross tons of shipbuilding orders held by United Kingdom shipyards were cancelled during the year ended 31st March, 1959, as compared with approximately 230,000 gross tons for the preceding twelve months. Details of orders postponed are not available.

asked the Minister of Labour how many young people, boys and girls, separately, are registered at the employment exchanges; and how many have been waiting six months or more for employment.

The following table gives the information desired:

NUMBERS OF YOUNG PERSONS UNDER 18 YEARS OF AGE REGISTERED AS UNEMPLOYED IN GREAT BRITAIN AT 15TH JUNE, 1959
—	Boys	Girls	Total
Total numbers registered as unemployed	10,493	5,880	16,373
Numbers included above who, at 15th June had been continuously unemployed for more than six months	869	407	1,276

asked the Minister of Labour what are the latest figures of unemployment and short-time working in Lincoln and Lincolnshire, respectively; and how these figures compare with a year ago.

The table below gives the information desired:

NUMBERS OF UNEMPLOYED PERSONS ON THE REGISTERS OF EMPLOYMENT EXCHANGES AND YOUTH EMPLOYMENT OFFICES IN LINCOLN AND LINCOLNSHIRE RESPECTIVELY AT 16TH JUNE, 1958, AND 15TH JUNE, 1959
Date	Lincoln		Rest of Lincolnshire
	Wholly Unemployed	Temporarily Stopped	Wholly Unemployed	Temporarily Stopped
16th June, 1958	719	1,931	3,225	63
15th June, 1959	585	1	3,754	192

The "temporarily stopped" are persons working whort-time or otherwise temporarily suspended who were not at work on the Monday to which the figures relate and who were registered at Employment Exchanges and Youth Employment Offices. Precise figures of the number working short-time are not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that, taking the internal purchasing value of the £ sterling as 20 shillings in October, 1951, it declined to 18s. 4d. in May, 1953,17s. 7d. in May, 1955, 16s. 1d. in May, 1957; and what was the comparable figure for May, 1959.

Yes; 15s. 5d.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will now make a statement about the results of the bilateral negotiations for the settlement of the United Kingdom's outstanding debts and claims following the liquidation of the European Payments Union.

Yes. Command Papers containing the Agreements reached with the other Governments concerned have been presented to Parliament and copies are now available in the Vote Office.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will make a statement on the circumstances concerning the suicide at the atomic research establishment on Foulness Island of an employee of that establishment.

Mr. David Frederick Leigh, a Scientific Officer in the employment of the Atomic Energy Authority at Foulness, was found dead in the Establishment on 10th June, 1959. At the inquest the verdict of the coroner was that he died of haemorrhage from self-inflicted wounds. No evidence emerged at the inquest to indicate the reasons for his action.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what has been the annual value of orders placed by the two nationalised air corporations

£m.
Year			B.O.A.C.			B.E.A.
			Aircraft	Aero Engines	Aircraft Components	Aircraft	Aero Engines	Aircraft Components
1949	…	…	9·8	·9	2·2	1·7	·3	·3
1950	…	…	3·6	·5	2·6	·8	·1	·5
1951	…	…	2·9	·3	3·1	·6	·01	·9
1952	…	…	4·8	·8	3·6	3·0	·3	1·0
1953	…	…	5·1	—	3·9	3·8	·5	1·1
1954	…	…	9·8	·6	2·1	1·9	·3	·9
1955	…	…	11·7	·7	3·6	1·1	·1	1·2
1956	…	…	13·7	4·2	5·6	3·1	·2	1·3
1957	…	…	25·2	1·4	4·6	7·0	·4	1·6
1958	…	…	17·1	2·3	7·0	5·1	·5	1·5

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) if he will keep the import of Polish eggs under observation to ascertain how far dumping is taking place in this country;(2) what steps his Department takes to ensure that dumping does not take place in Great Britain to the detriment of British industry.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how far there is dumping of imported eggs going on at the present time.

Action under the antidumping legislation is initiated only when the industry which considers that it is being injured by dumping or subsidisation makes an application to the Board of Trade. No application has been made in respect of eggs from Poland or any other source.

asked the Minister of Supply what has been the annual expenditure out of public funds on research and development in the aircraft industry for each year from 1949 to 1958.

The annual value of orders placed, expressed in terms of expenditure by B.O.A.C. and B.E.A., has been as follows:

From April, 1949, to March, 1959, Ministry of Supply expenditure on aeronautical research and development in the aircraft industry amounted to some £550 million. It would not be in the public interest to disclose the annual expenditure on this work.

asked the Minister of Supply what has been the annual value of military orders placed by his Department for aircraft, aero-engines and aircraft components for each year from 1949 to 1958.

The expenditure on military orders placed by my Department for these stores has been approximately as follows:

—		Aircraft	Aero Engines	Aircraft Components	Total
		£m.	£m.	£m.	£m.
1948–49	…	45	18	10	73
1949–50	…	47	23	12	82
1950–51	…	47	22	14	83
1951–52	…	60	30	21	111
1952–53	…	93	47	43	183
1953–54	…	104	70	50	224
1954–55	…	139	87	46	272
1955–56	…	123	71	42	236
1956–57	…	118	73	48	239
1957–58	…	130	78	50	258