asked the Minister of Works what action he will take to implement the recommendation in the recent Annual Report of the Ancient Monuments Board that there should be excavation of the North Set ting in Avebury Stone Circle.

I have every expectation that a firm arrangement will be reached with the skilled archaeologists concerned, so that the work on the North Setting will be carried out next year.

In welcoming that reply, may I ask whether the Parliamentary Secretary now feels in a position to tell us who will be the archaeologist in charge of this important project?

Yes, Sir. There was some doubt whether we could keep the promise made by my right hon. Friend because of the archaeologist's commitments, but I can now confirm that the work will start next year.

I should like to express my regret and that of my right hon. and hon. Friends at the accident which the Minister of Works has sustained. Can the Parliamentary Secretary say what will be the cost of these proposals?

I should like notice of that supplementary question. I am pleased to acknowledge the kind comments made by the hon. Gentleman, which I will pass on to my right hon. Friend.

asked the Minister of Works when he will publish a com prehensive report on earlier work of excavation at Avebury, as recommended by the Ancient Monuments Board in its last Report.

The Ancient Monuments Board did not recommend that my Department should publish a report on earlier work at Avebury. The material found during the pre-war excavations belongs to the archaeologist's widow and I understand that it is being prepared for publication.

In expressing my astonishment that the Parliamentary Secretary and I evidently interpret the Report of the Ancient Monuments Board differently, may I ask whether the hon. Gentleman nevertheless appreciates the need for having a consolidated publication detailing all the work so far undertaken at Avebury, because this is indispensable to future excavations?

I have a lot of sympathy with the hon. Member. It is a matter of play on words. The Report did not recommend as the hon. Member states in his Question. The words were:

"For the future, we have suggested that when a comprehensive report on earlier work at Avebury is published, there may be advantage in continuing the work of re-erecting stones and in exposing further parts of the monument for presentation to the public."

It is not a recommendation. I understand, however, that Mrs. Keiller has commissioned Dr. Isabel Smith to commence the work of preparing the material for publication.

In the report, will the Minister include ancient monuments surrounding Avebury, which presumably have a good deal to do with the original structure?

Yes. The report will be based upon the finds made by Mr. Alexander Keiller in that area. Therefore, it may not include anything that was outside his ownership at the time.

asked the Minister of Works how many reports on excavations arranged by his Department are now in course of production; and what steps he is taking to ensure the speedier publication of reports after the work of excavation has been completed.

At 31st March, 1959, the reports of 198 completed excavations were still outstanding. Of these, 49 were in the Press or placed with journals for publication, 30 were nearly ready for publication, 39 were being written, and 80 were in various early stages of preparation.

On the second part of the Question, since a special fee was recently introduced for the production of reports, they are now being completed more speedily. In addition the improvements to the Ancient Monuments Laboratory mentioned by my right hon. Friend on 14th July will expedite the treatment of finds.

I am obliged for that Answer, but may I ask the hon. Member to bear in mind, in the interests of scholarship, that if there are 198 reports still outstanding it is really of paramount importance that steps should be taken to expedite them and to abbreviate as far as possible the time taken to make them available to the public?

We accept the hon. Gentleman's views on that.

asked the Minister of Works what arrangements he is making with the City Corporation to ensure the preservation of a length of the Roman Wall of London near Cripplegate, abutting on the proposed new Route 11.

I understand that the position remains as stated in my right hon. Friend's letter of 8th August, 1958, to the hon. Member. The City Corporation intends to open up the wall and its bastions between Cripplegate and Falcon Square and to preserve them as part of an open space.

Can the hon. Gentleman now tell us when this will be done?

It is really a matter for the City Corporation. We shall make quite certain that the archaeological part of it is taken fully into account, but the decision is for the City Corporation.

asked the Minister of Works what further progress has been made in dealing with deep shelters in London; and when this work will be completed.

The improvements have been completed at four more shelters in the last eight months, namely at Belsize Park, Camden Town, Clapham Common and Clapham North. This leaves only the Studley Road entrance to the Stockwell shelter, where my right hon. Friend is awaiting the completion of the L.C.C. housing development. It is hoped that this work will be completed by December, 1960.

Is the Minister aware that nobody is satisfied with the treatment which he has given to these shelters, that they are still ugly eyesores, that there happen to be four of them in my constituency, and that they are an annoyance to everybody who sees them? Is it not time that the promises were kept which were made when the legislation was passed by this House giving the control of the shelters to the Minister of Works—promises that something would be done to remove as many of them as possible and to hide the rest by some form of decoration?

That is being attempted. I agree with the hon. Gentleman, but as long as the policy remains that the shelters as a whole shall remain, all we can do is to minimise the look of them. I can assure the hon. Gentleman that all we can do is being done in this matter, and we intend to adhere to the statement made by the counsel when the legislation was going through.

asked the Minister of Works if he will make known to Members, by means of a nameplate, the identity of the person whose portrait now hangs in Room 15 of the Palace of Westminster.

Presuming the hon. Member is referring to Committee Room 15, he will note that the nameplate has now been attached. The subject is the seventh Earl of Shaftesbury.

Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that we are very grateful for that reply, because the absence of a nameplate for this picture of this venerable and honoured gentleman had been a continuous source of worry to Members of the Select Committee on Estimates, particularly the hon. Member for Farnham (Sir G. Nicholson) who, I understand, is a Member of the Arts Committee? Will the hon. Gentleman now see that this picture of the Earl of Shaftesbury is put in a more prominent part of the Palace of Westminster, in view of the history of the eminent gentleman?

Yes, I will certainly pass on the suggestion the hon. Member has just made. It is true that my hon. Friend is most assiduous in carrying out his duties as Chairman of the Art Committee.

The hon. Gentleman who asked this Question might have seen this nameplate for some months. I think he has not been assiduous in his attendance in Committees.

asked the Minister of Works if he will remove the portrait of Sir Charles Barry, R.A., in the Members Tea Room or have it reframed.

The portrait was hung in this position with the approval of the Advisory Committee on Works of Art. The existing frame is the original one and is, therefore, historically correct.

Is not the Parliamentary Secretary aware that this is a very ugly and heavy frame and not conducive to the friendship and bonhomie of the Tea Room, and could he see that it is now transferred to the Whips' Room—I do not care of which party?

This is a portrait of the architect of the Palace of Westminster after the Great Fire. I think it is to its credit that it has withstood having oranges, eggs and all sorts of things like that, in close proximity to it without any of them having been thrown at it as yet.

Is the hon. Gentleman taking no steps to deal with the problem of overcrowding of pictures in the Palace of Westminster? We can hardly move for pictures.

Is my hon. Friend aware of two things, firstly that the Advisory Committee is very glad to receive suggestions from the hon. Member for Keighley (Mr. C. R. Hobson), and secondly, that there is no intention in the mind of the Committee of restraining the licence which he normally enjoys in the Tea Room? This picture may need better lighting, but it is a beautiful picture and we thought, in view of the fact that the subject is the architect of the Palace of Westminster, that it should be in a place where Members frequently congregate.

Resign.

My hon. Friend may note the fact that the picture has been lit on the advice of the Advisory Committee and that has taken away, I think, from the heaviness of the frame.

asked the Minister of Works what is to be the duration of the Big Ben centenary exhibition.

My right hon. Friend's present intention is that the exhibition should remain open until the end of September.

It is a good exhibition. Has my hon. Friend considered sending it on tour, starting with Edinburgh? Thereafter, would he offer it to any Commonwealth country which would like to see it? When that has been done, will he see that it is not dispersed but finally housed in some suitable place?

I am glad my hon. Friend thinks it is a good exhibition. I hope that hon. Members will encourage their constituents and friends to take a look at it, for I think it is well worth looking at. The suggestion made by my hon. Friend will be borne in mind. At the minute we are considering the possibility of making it a permanent feature of the Clock Tower itself, when the present exhibition or any tour ends.

asked the Minister of Works what precautions were taken in Hyde Park during the London-Paris air race to ensure that the 20-mile-per-hour speed limit was observed by contestants and the safety of the public protected.

Competitors in this race—like all other drivers who use the roads in Hyde Park—are bound by the regulations regarding speed limits and this was especially drawn to the attention of the organisers prior to the starting date. Naturally the police responsible for enforcing the regulations have taken fully into account the existence of the competition.

While not wanting to detract from the sporting initiative of the contestants in this stunt enterprisingly organised by the Daily Mail, may I ask the Parliamentary Secretary to say why this control point was agreed to in view of the fact that there is the hub of a great deal of pedestrian traffic, and the parks are mainly for pedestrians? Can he state whether it is or is not the fact that prior to this Question being put on the Notice Paper no particular police precautions were taken and that it is only since it appeared that there has been an attempt to control the traffic? [HON. MEMBERS: "Oh."] Can he further state—[HON. MEMBERS: "Speech."]—what accidents have taken place?

To answer the last part of the supplementary question first, from the first the organisers of the event have warned each competitor before he sets off that a breach of the traffic regulations would entail disqualification. From the first, in many cases—not all, but in many cases—the police patrols have followed competitors until they have left the park. That is a fact. As to whether we should have allowed this starting point, we had a request for that, and the police had no objection. Personally, I should not have liked this City to have been any less forthcoming than Paris, or this point less important that the Arc de Triomphe.

It is not a fact that one competitor was disqualified for exceeding the speed limit in the course of the race, which has given a great deal of pleasure to a large number of people?

It is true there was one disqualification. I cannot confirm at this stage that it was due to exceeding the speed limit.

asked the Minister of Works what steps he proposes to take to save the lives of pedestrians crossing the carriageways in Hyde Park, having regard to the two deaths which have occurred there this month.

The only four such fatal accidents in Hyde Park over the last two and a half years have been on the East Carriage Road. This road will be absorbed into the Park Lane Improvement Scheme, preliminary work on which has already begun, and in which provision is made for pedestrian subways at a number of points.

Yes, but does my hon. Friend appreciate that the immense increase in the volume of traffic in the park during recent months has altered the whole character of the park as a place of recreation for those on foot? Does he realise that pedestrians are imperilled through the absence of enforcement of the speed limit, and that this is made much worse by the disregard of the park regulations? Will he please look into this matter again?

Yes, we will certainly keep that in mind, but I think I ought to tell my hon. Friend that the latest statistics available show that the accident rate in the East Carriage Road, which is the one he has in mind, is only half the rate for Central London generally. I do not say that in any sense of complacency, but in view of the attention which has been drawn to this park, I think it is well to bear it in mind.

To ensure that pedestrians, particularly children, use them, will the pedestrian subways have moving staircases, like those provided in some cities on the Continent?

The only information I have at the moment is that four subways will be provided, but if the right hon. Gentleman will put a Question to my right hon. Friend who is responsible for this work, he will perhaps give a detailed Answer.

asked the Minister of Works what advice he has received on a future site for the statue of Sir William Harcourt; and whether he will make a statement.

The Advisory Committee on Works of Art in the House has recommended that the statue of Sir William Harcourt should be moved to a position inside the doorway of the Lower Waiting Hall, opposite the statue of John Bright. My right hon. Friend proposes to implement this recommendation.

asked the Minister of Works whether he now proposes to continue the series of building plant exhibit- tions organised by his Department in various parts of the country.

These exhibitions have achieved their object of stimulating the use of mechanical plant, by showing the plant actually at work, and my right hon. Friend believes that industry itself should now be responsible for any further development of this idea. With this in mind, the Department does not contemplate organising any more of these exhibitions.

May I congratulate my right hon. Friend the Minister on the success of these exhibitions and at the same time express the hope that he is satisfied that the industry is in a position to take over where he has left off?

Yes, Sir. We have every reason to believe that those concerned in industry will continue these exhibitions if time shows that they are really wanted.

asked the Minister of Works what action he is taking to assist in the preservation of Abbey-dale Works, Sheffield, in view of their importance as an early industrial monument.

My right hon. Friend has offered Sheffield Corporation, the owners of the Abbeydale Works, a grant towards the cost of urgent repairs. provided the balance is found by the Corporation or from other sources.

Is not this welcome decision to save the Abbeydale Works, described by the Ancient Monuments Board as representing technological history of great national importance, a precedent for extending the ancient monuments Acts to cover relics of the early Industrial Revolution in the category of national ancient monuments?

Yes, Sir. It may well be a precedent, but at this stage I do not think that we want it taken as a precedent. The general policy relating to this has not been settled as yet, but in the meantime we are making interim decisions on matters such as this where we think they are warranted.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works as representing the Lord President of the Council, what reply he has given to the United Commercial Travellers' Association in regard to the resolution forwarded to him concerning the emission of fumes from motor vehicles powered with diesel engines.

As my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Health said in answer to a similar Question on 22nd June, a reply has been sent by the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation to the United Commercial Travellers' Association to the effect that the concentration of noxious exhaust gases in the atmosphere is unlikely to affect healt in any detrimental way. This reply went on to say that further research in this and other directions is still be carried out.

But does not the Parliamentary Secretary admit that the emission of these noxious fumes from vehicles is a considerable danger on the road, that it is nauseating and increasing, as evidenced by correspondence now appearing in The Times? If the law cannot be enforced, or if it is too complicated to be enforced at present, will the Parliamentary Secretary consult his colleagues with a view to amending the law?

That is not a question for me at this stage. I answer for my noble Friend on behalf of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, which has made it perfectly clear that if the engines are properly maintained, as they should be. these excess fumes which we find so objectionable need not be produced. I am afraid that enforcement is not within the authority of my noble Friend. As to the health aspect, the Medical Research Council has satisfied itself that the detrimental effects are not as extreme as is sometimes suggested.

Would the Parliamentary Secretary make recommendations about regulations that are required to ensure that vehicles are properly maintained? Does he not agree that present great abuse of diesel machines is becoming a menace to health and a great inconvenience?

The regulations are clear. If it can be shown that vehicles are emitting fumes which are dangerous there are powers to deal with them, but that is a matter for those who enforce the regulations and not for by noble Friend's Department.

Is my hon. Friend aware that last week, in response to my three Parliamentary Questions on this topic, he could give the House no information at all about the catalyst or muffler to be brought from the United States to be tested here? Has the catalyst or muffler arrived, and when is it to be tested?

I gave my hon. Friend the very clear answer that we are obtaining particulars of it. Before we incur any unnecessary expense in bringing the actual device here, we want to see that it is a thing that should be examined. Once we are satisfied on that, it will be brought here.

A very bad answer.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works, as representing the Lord President of the Council, whether the Road Research Laboratory will prepare a report for publication on the road transport industry from the results of the sample survey conducted by the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation in April, 1958, together with comparisons with a similar survey conducted in 1952.

No, Sir. A Report based on the survey has already been published by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation.

Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that the Report is completely biassed and prejudiced? Does he not agree that it is not the purpose of a White Paper to put forward a party-political case? Does he not agree that the figures which have been produced require to be objectively analysed so that it can be shown exactly what are the advantages of different forms of transport, particularly within the road transport industry? Does he not agree that it is not the purpose of a White Paper to draw attention to the fact that there is no waste or inefficiency in the issue of C licences, when the figures do not prove that?

The hon. Member has a Question on the Order Paper to my right hon. Friend the Minister of Trans-part for tomorrow, but if I may say so with great respect, he gives the appearance to me that he is the one who is biassed in this matter. It would seem that he expects any report to show that C licences are wasteful and inefficient. The Report shows that that is not true. Is the hon. Gentleman awfully disappointed and therefore shows bias?

Does my hon. Friend not agree that diesel fumes which are visible are much less dangerous than fumes from petrol-driven vehicles?

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works, as representing the Lord President of the Council, if he will arrange for the publication and distribution, in a simplified and readily understandable form, of the conclusion of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research resulting from the Department's investigation of overtaking by road vehicles.

Yes, Sir.

Whilst thanking my hon. Friend for that helpful Answer, may I ask whether I am to understand that he proposes to make public the report of the Road Research Laboratory? Does he not think that general guidance on this subject would save a great number of accidents—guidance to the drivers of overtaking and approaching cars and of cars that are being overtaken?

Thought is being given to the best way of presenting it, but it will be done and I will see that a copy is sent to my hon. Friend.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works, as representing the Lord President of the Council if he will make a statement as to the stage reached by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research in the investigation of anti-skid devices in respect of road surfaces and of vehicles; and what conclusions can now be drawn as to the reduction of accidents by the universal adoption of any particular devices of that nature.

Three lines of investigation show promising results:

(1) A device to control braking without the locking of wheels.

(2) The application of appropriate road surface dressings at accident "black spots".

(3) The possible use of high hysteresis rubber in tyres.

The application of any of these methods should help materially to reduce road accidents.

Would my hon. Friend consider combining all the results in some readable document? They are at present scattered over the reports of the Road Research Laboratory. Taken individually, do they not show that a great contribution to road safety would be made if these devices were adopted?

They certainly do, and I will pass on my hon. Friend's comments to my noble Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland why a London building company has been appointed main contractors for four schools in Sutherland for which tenders have not yet been invited; and why official advice that this should be done was given by the Department of Education.

As already explained to my hon. Friend, the Sutherland Education Authority on the advice of its officials decided to adopt for these schools a specialised form of construction which only the firm referred to can undertake. The Department did not recommend this form of construction in preference to others, but mentioned seven firms, including the London firm referred to, which in its experience were capable of providing the new schools by the dates required by the authority.

Is it not the case that builders in Sutherland have always been able to build schools for the children, even when the population was double what it is now? Why should four small schools, totalling about £500,000 in cost, warrant the bringing in of a London company as the main contractors?

I think that my hon. Friend should recognise that this is a matter for the local authority to decide in the light of its knowledge of local resources.

May we take it from what the Joint Under-Secretary has said that there is no bias in Scotland against English firms of contractors, any more than there is bias in England against Scottish contractors?

That is true. We try to do the best for education.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many domiciliary confinements were carried out in Lanarkshire in 1958 by mid wives alone; and in how many of these the mother had trilene, gas and air or other analgesic.

Mid-wives alone were present at 2,284 domiciliary births. Thirty-two of the mothers had trilene analgesia, 1,648 had gas and air and 1,541—including some who also had gas and air—pethidine.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that the figures for 1950, which in that year we considered deplorable, showed a total of 2,161 mothers having analgesia at the birth of their children? If we are to avoid overcrowding of hospital beds for confinements, should not the hon. Gentleman be trying to persuade his right hon. Friend to advocate more births at home, particularly where the homes are good, comfortable and safe, and so reserve the beds for the more urgent cases?

Yes, Sir, I think I can say that I agree entirely with the hon. Lady's point of view.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, in view of the numerous building projects within the area of the approaches to Loch Lomond, he will now declare the nature, scope, and location of Scotland's national parks.

There are no statutory provisions relating to national parks in Scotland, but special arrangements, designed to safeguard rural amenity, apply to the handling of applications for planning permission in certain areas of Scotland, including the vicinity of Loch Lomond.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that there is great anxiety about the area surrounding Loch Lomond, which provides an outlet for the 2½ million people concentrated in the Clyde Valley, that the fear is that the area will be subject to a great deal of building operations, both at Balloch and on the way between Milngavie and Drymen, and would he not take steps to end the fear?

My right hon. Friend realises, as we all do, that Loch Lomond is a priceless asset of Scotland, and I can assure the hon. Lady that nothing will be done, which we can prevent, to spoil the amenities of the area.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many births with a doctor in charge were actually con ducted in hospital in 1958; and what is the period of stay in such cases.

Seventy-two thousand nine hundred and sixty-five births took place in Scottish hospitals in 1958. There is always a doctor in charge of the patient, though he is not always present at the birth. The average duration of stay in hospital was ten days.

Is the hon. Gentleman satisfied that it was necessary for all those women to flee like a crowd of battery hens and hatch their eggs in an institution surrounded by other squawking hens, when they could, with some cooperation on the part of the doctor, have had their babies at home?

I would hardly agree with the hon. Lady in referring to Scottish mothers as squawking hens or battery hens. This is really a matter for the medical adviser.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he is taking to impress on local authorities the need for using fully the powers conferred on them by the Clean Air Act.

My right hon. Friend wrote at the end of June to the local authorities of the areas in which smoke pollution is worst to urge faster progress with the setting up of smoke control areas and to ask them to let him have by 31st December their proposals for the next five years.

This year?

Yes, Sir.

How does the Minister know that he will be able to make use of them? Is the hon. Gentleman aware that there is a widespread feeling that the Clean Air Council is not using sufficiently the powers conferred on it by the Clean Air Act; that his right hon. Friend might ginger up the Council a little more than he is doing in view of the great damage caused by fog, and that the Council should not be concentrating on particular areas but, for example, should regard the whole Clyde area as one district to be dealt with? One only needs to remember, as an example, that B.E.A. lost £350,000 last winter because of the ravages of fog.

It is up to the local authority to decide its smoke control area. I agree with the hon. Gentleman that we are not satisfied with the progress made, and for that reason my right hon. Friend has written to councils, as the hon. Gentleman suggested, gingering them up.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is aware of the concern felt by Scottish paper makers regarding the proposed Free Trade Area; what representations he has received from them; and what action he is taking to safeguard the employment of people in this industry.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland why he has refused to receive a deputation of representatives of the paper industry and certain local authorities, including Fife County Council, to discuss the effects on the Scottish paper industry of the implementation of the proposed Free Trade Area of the Outer Seven countries; and, in view of the particular severity of the effects of such a scheme on Scotland, whether he will reconsider his decision.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland why he refused to meet a deputation from Scottish local authorities concerning the proposed Outer Seven Free Trade Area and the paper-making trade in Scotland; and whether he will now change his decision.

My right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade has recently received a deputation from the British Paper and Board Manufacturers Association and has also received written representations from the Scottish local authorities. I too have received similar written representations from several local authorities including Fife County Council, and from the Scottish paper industry. The Government are, therefore, well aware of the factors both as regards the paper industry as a whole and the Scottish industry in particular, to which the local authorities drew attention.

I have assured the authorities that their representations have been brought to the attention of the Ministers immediately concerned and that they will be weighed very carefully together with all other relevant considerations.

Yes, Sir, but is not the right hon. Gentleman aware that the industry, which employs 17,000 men and women, many of them in rural parts of Scotland, is very important for these areas? Will he bear in mind that the industry also provides considerable employment for miners in Scotland, so that any threat to it would have the widest repercussions?

Yes, Sir, I am well aware of these factors and so are my colleagues more directly concerned.

Is the Minister entirely satisfied with the decision he has made to refuse to meet the Fife County Council and other authorities? Is he aware that they know that the Secretary of State has an obligation to put the Scottish point of view at Cabinet level, that this is all they are asking for, and that they are very angry at his attitude in refusing to meet them? Will he reconsider his decision, in view of the fact that, in Fife particularly, not only is there a paper industry which is threatened with extinction if this scheme goes through, but that it will also have adverse effects on the coal industry, as my hon. Friend has said?

In reply to the first part of the supplementary question, as I think the hon. Gentleman knows, I see a great many deputations and there is a time limit on the absolute number I can receive. In particular, I would point out that in this case the issue is one which concerns areas in Scotland other than those which ask me to receive them, as well as areas in England and Wales. The local authorities concerned can rest assured that their views have been fully brought to the attention of all my colleagues.

On behalf of the whole of Scotland and other constituencies, including my own, may I ask whether the right hon. Gentleman is aware that the Scottish paper trade feels that the Government have given it rather a brush-off in the discussions? Surely it is entitled to receive some information about whether this really will be a death blow to the industry, and the silence of the Government gives it that impression. Or will the Government give some assurance that in those negotiations there will not be a complete wiping-out of the industry, which might mean the wiping-out of villages throughout Scotland?

As the right hon. Gentleman is aware, my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade has received a deputation from the industry. In regard to the latter part of his supplementary question, I would refer the right hon. Gentleman to the reply given by my right hon. Friend last Thursday.

Will my right hon. Friend bear in mind that there are other Scottish Members well able to speak up for their own constituencies and that, although there is something in what the right hon. Gentleman has said, there will be a great deal of support for the line which the Government are taking.

On a point of order. In view of the extremely unsatisfactory nature of the Secretary of State's reply, I beg to give notice that I will seek to raise the matter on the Adjournment or on the Report stage of the Consolidated Fund Bill.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many farmers had applied for Government grants under the Small Farmers' Assistance Scheme, and how many had been refused, up to 10th July.

Up to 10th July, 1,588 farmers had applied for grant under the Small Farmers Scheme and 248 applications had been refused.

Can the Minister tell us how much money has been given in these cases?

That is another question.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the milk situation in Scotland, in view of the concern of the farming community about future milk production.

As forecast in the Government's White Paper on the 1959 Annual Review, milk production has resumed its upward trend following the temporary drop in supplies in 1958–59 due mainly to unfavourable weather. I am glad to say that sales of milk for liquid consumption in Scotland now show a reversal of the downward trend of recent years, but supplies are still substantially in excess of the needs of the liquid market.

Is the Minister aware of the dissatisfaction among milk producers about the agreement, by which they cannot sell milk across the Border to England, and can the hon. Gentleman give them any hope that he will take any action to reconsider that arrangement?

I think the hon. Gentleman knows that discussions with representatives of the milk producers are now taking place, and I would prefer not to go into any possibilities at the moment.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many farmers in Ayrshire had applied for Government grants in Ayrshire up to 10th July; and how many had been granted.

I regret that it is not possible to give this information. To do so would require the availability and examination of records covering all kinds of Government grants and all the years since these grants were first made.

Can the Minister give us information about the small farmers? How much is coming to Ayrshire under the Small Farmers Assistance Scheme?

If the hon. Gentleman puts down a Question about that I will do my best to answer it.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the effect of the recent trade agreement between Great Britain and Denmark on the Scottish agricultural industry and its ancillary industries.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has made of the effect of the projected outer seven Free Trade Area upon Scottish agricultural and industrial interests.

I would refer the hon. Member to the assurances with regard to agriculture given by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his statement of 9th July on the Anglo-Danish Agreement.

As regards industry generally, while [appreciate that some fears have been expressed in particular quarters, my belief is that the project would be of real benefit to Scotland as a whole.

Is the right hon. Gentleman not aware that the assurances to which he refers were quite unsatisfactory to North-East Scotland? Does he realise that this agreement is likely to accentuate the unemployment problem which is already acute in Aberdeen City and County? Will he tell me what steps he is taking to protect Aberdeen from that disaster?

The hon. and learned Gentleman is taking an entirely gloomy view of the situation. This agreement, should it be concluded, should be of the greatest value to Scotland as a whole, which is what we have all got to have in mind.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that those who are immediately concerned have expressed very gloomy predictions about what is to happen to the industries which they know best—those concerned with paper and paper making? Does he appreciate that the Chancellor of the Exchequer has told us already that they are very expensive to him in Scotland? Are we to take it now that Scotland is expendable?

No, Sir. The hon. Gentleman is putting a quite unreasonable interpretation on the Chancellor of the Exchequer's remarks.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has now considered the representations he has received as to the establishment of a nuclear power station at Crimond; and if he will make a statement.

The North of Scotland Hydro Electric Board has no immediate need for a nuclear power station and has not yet reached the stage of deciding whether it will require one in later years. It has been examining various possible sites, including one at Crimond, but has so far made no firm proposals to my right hon. Friend.

Will my hon. Friend say whether representations have been made that when it comes to choosing a site Crimond should be examined with great care, because it will without doubt bring a lot of employment to the area if the project is established there?

Yes, Sir; representations have been made. As I say, that is one of the sites which have already been examined.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has yet reached a decision with regard to the Dumbarton County Council's application for planning permission to a housing site at Arrochar.

I understand that the county council is seeking a housing site at Arrochar, but no specific proposal has yet been reported to my right hon. Friend's Department.

The hon. Gentleman surely recognises that it is the site between Tarbet and Arrochar to which I refer? This is a matter for which the county council has been asking for planning permission since 1951, and surely eight years is rather long even for the present Government? Can the hon. Gentleman give any idea when a decision will be made?

My right hon. Friend has not yet had the proposal, but I hope it will not be necessary for the Department to intervene.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has any further statement to make on the much-needed improvement of maternity hospital facilities on the West Fife area.

The regional board has worked out a co-ordinated admission policy with the consultants concerned: this will reduce bookings to a level consistent with the capacity of the hospital and so minimise the risk of cross-infection. Approval has been given to plans for improving the sanitary annexes and the work will be carried out as quickly as possible.

Can the Minister give an assurance that, as a result of the reorganisation proposals and the improvements in sanitary facilities, there will be no more of the sorry spectacle of women in labour in the corridors of this hospital?

It is not really for my right hon. Friend to give an assurance, but I sincerely hope that this local and difficult problem has now been solved.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland by how much has productivity increased in agriculture in the last eight years; and what is the corresponding increase in the average earnings of the general worker.

Productivity in Scottish agriculture, as measured by the value of net output per man, increased by 69 per cent. from 1950–51 to 1958–59. In the same period the earnings of general agricultural workers increased by 65 per cent. and of all adult male agricultural workers by 68 per cent.

In view of those figures, will the hon. Gentleman take urgent steps to ensure that wages keep pace with productivity, in line with the Government's policy?

They have just about done so in this case.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will make a statement regarding the Eye mouth Harbour improvement scheme.

The Harbour Commissioners put forward a scheme estimated to cost between £350,000 and £500,000 for a new harbour entrance. At my right hon. Friend's request they are considering whether a less costly scheme would meet the needs of the harbour. The consulting engineers are in touch with the Hydraulics Research Station about the cheaper of the two schemes investigated by that station.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will give figures to show the extent to which super-heavy traffic is now using the bridge across the Tweed at Coldstream.

During the last three months fifty-five abnormal indivisible loads which travelled via Coldstream Bridge were notified to my right hon. Friend's Department.

Is my hon. Friend aware that this heavy traffic is doing a great deal of damage to the Berwickshire roads and that the local authorities are not satisfied that they are being adequately compensated for this extra-heavy through traffic?

I think my hon. Friend knows the position. My right hon. Friend is prepared to meet the cost of any works specifically required to enable the route to be used by a particular load, but ordinary maintenance can receive only the normal 75 per cent. grant. The road itself, as a Class I road, should be fit to carry these loads.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if his attention has been drawn to the number of deaths by drowning which have taken place in Loch Lomond; and what action he proposes to take

I am aware that drowning accidents do occur in Loch Lomond all too often and I welcome this opportunity to stress the need for caution by people bathing and boating there. My right hon. Friend has no direct powers but will now discuss the question of adequate warning notices with the county councils concerned.

I thank the hon. Gentleman for that reply, but can he tell me who is actually responsible and what action can be taken? Is it not possible to have some system to warn canoeists, boaters and others about unfavourable weather conditions?

The county council has powers to put up notices and issue such warnings, but it has to get approval from the proprietors of the lochside.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he estimates the two projected Ayrshire technical colleges will be started and completed.

I understand that Ayrshire Education Authority plans to start these colleges in March, 1961, and to have them completed by March, 1964.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that it is four years since we first heard the cry of triumph from the Government benches that these colleges were to be started? Surely the Secretary of State will try to do something a little better than this? Does it take ten years to build a college?

The hon. Gentleman has followed the matter very carefully and he knows that there was considerable unavoidable delay in the early stages over the acquisition of land. I can assure him that the Government will do everything in their power to assist the education authority to improve upon its estimate.

Surely it should take less than three years to settle the question of the land? The original estimates were that the colleges would cost a quarter of a million pounds each. Is it true that as a result of the delays they will cost half a million pounds each?

No, Sir; that is not true. The Kilmarnock college is now estimated to cost £500,000.

That is half a million pounds.

It is true that the original estimate was £250,000, but at that time there was very much less experience to indicate the likely cost of building these technical colleges.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what action he is taking to ensure adequate midwifery staff for hospital and domiciliary work in Ayrshire.

My right hon. Friend hopes that the new salaries for midwives which are to take effect from 1st March this year will improve the staffing position in Ayrshire. A Memorandum went to hospital authorities in April, suggesting ways of making midwifery in hospitals more attractive. My right hon. Friend is asking hospital authorities to discuss with the local authorities in Ayrshire means of ensuring that available resources are used to the best advantage.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will now refer to the Scottish Law Reform Committee the problem of the expenses incurred by claimants who have no liability.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Scotland, will consider with his right hon. and learned Friend the Lord Advocate, the desirability of the question to which I think my hon. Friend refers being remitted to the Law Reform Committee.

I thank my hon. Friend for that reply. Will he bear in mind that under Scottish law there is now no possibility whatever of obtaining costs where a wrongful claim has been made against the claimant, and will he try his best to see that the decision is taken before long?

As my hon. Friend knows, at present the amount which an assisted person who loses his case must pay to the other side is the amount which the court decides it is reasonable for him to pay having regard to all the circumstances. It is not quite as my hon. Friend said, but my right hon. Friend will certainly consider the whole matter very carefully.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will indicate the number of firms who have removed from Glasgow to overspill receiving areas under the Town Development (Scotland) Act, 1957, since June, 1957, to date.

One medium size firm and we believe four small ones.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that we regard it as a most remarkable achievement by the Government that they have attracted or prevailed upon only five firms in more than two years to go to overspill areas? How long does he expect it will take to get the 200 or 300 firms which are needed to deal with the problem of Glasgow's overspill?

If the hon. Gentleman had phrased his Question a little differently, the answer would have been about twenty-three firms, because in addition to those which I have already mentioned, two substantial firms expect to occupy new premises in September, three have made firm arrangements to move, seven are in active consultation with local authorities, and six are known to be actively making plans.

Is it in order to phrase Questions to suit the Government Front Bench?

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if his attention has been directed to the large number of privately-rented houses which have been abandoned by their owners in Glasgow; what representations he has received from the Glasgow Corporation regarding the cost of repairs which it has to carry out to abate nuisance and also the cost of ultimate demolition; and what reply he has made.

My right hon. Friend knows that abandoned properties often create a serious problem, but he has received no representations from the Corporation on the subject.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that this problem is peculiar to the City of Glasgow and that this reprehensible practice of each year abandoning several hundred properties has cost the local authority a large sum of money, hundreds of thousands of pounds? If the local authority makes representations, can the hon. Gentleman indicate whether there is any hope of its getting financial assistance from the Government?

I am afraid that I cannot answer that supplementary question at this juncture.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is now in a position to announce the membership of the committee of inquiry to review the licensing laws in Scotland.

No, Sir, not yet.

The hon. Gentleman took a long time to rise and to say, "Not yet".

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will now make a further statement on the steamer services to the North Isles of Orkney.

I regret I am not in a position to add to the Answer I gave to the hon. Member on 9th June because the necessary discussions have taken longer than expected.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that many people in Orkney would like to join with the Government in expressing regret at the death of Mr. McGillivray who has been conducting these inquiries for a long time? Will the hon. Gentleman say something about the form which further inquiries will take in view of Mr. McGillivray's death?

I associate the Government with the expression of sympathy which the hon. Gentleman has made on the death of Mr. McGillivray who, as the hon. Gentleman knows, was a very great help in this matter. However, I assure the hon. Gentleman that discussions will go on just the same. In fact, we had already passed the stage where Mr. McGillivray was vital to our discussions.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many candidates for each of the past two years were presented for the Higher Leaving Certificate in a group of subjects qualifying for entry to a university; and what percentage of these was successful.

I regret that the information for which the hon. Member asks is not available. The general records of passes do not distinguish between passes in subjects qualifying for university entrance and those in subjects which do not.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has yet received a reply from the National Coal Board in response to his recent representations concerning the future development at Summerston.

I have asked the National Coal Board to submit a comprehensive and current assessment of the probable ultimate need for, or the timing of, this project.

That information was available to the House three weeks ago. The delay in this matter is quite indefensible. Cannot the Under-Secretary agree that this requires a major Government decision as between the interests of housing, coal and agriculture? Why does he fiddle about with the question and delay a decision?

My hon. Friend is not fiddling about with it. This is a very important matter affecting the lives of many people and we think it right to have a comprehensive and current assessment.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when the diversion of A.77 round the eastern end of Prestwick Airport will be completed.

About midsummer, 1961.

Has any attempt been made to estimate how this diversion will affect the traffic now carried across the level crossing of the extended runway at Prestwick?

Roughly speaking, it is thought that it will be likely to take about half the traffic when it is completed. I should point out that as the diversion is to be a double carriageway, it does not follow that it will not be able to take traffic until it is completed, although I cannot tell the hon. Gentleman how soon it will be able to take traffic.

Does my hon. Friend appreciate that if the completion of this diversion can be expedited, it will go a long way to meeting the feelings of disappointment created by the Government's failure to construct a tunnel under the runway?

Yes, Sir. We appreciate the urgent need for this diversion.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many persons in Scotland are known to be suffering from migraine.

I regret that this information is not available.

Why is it that we are authoritatively told that in England there are three million sufferers from this disease, while we cannot have the figures for Scotland? Is it the case that the Scottish Health Department is more inefficient than the English?

According to my information, there are no authoritative figures.