asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he is taking to provide a new teachers' training college with a view to relieving the existing overcrowding situation; and where he proposes to site it.

My right hon. Friend hopes shortly to make Regulations empowering the Scottish Council for the Training of Teachers to undertake the provision of a new college of education in the West of Scotland. The council recommended that the new college should be sited in the Hamilton area.

May I say to the Minister that I am very grateful to him for making that statement in view of the pressure on accommodation and that I am quite sure that everyone will be very happy about what he has said?

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when it is proposed to start the erection of a new general hospital in Lanarkshire; and what site has been selected for this purpose.

The Western Regional Hospital Board is, at my right hon. Friend's request, now considering the future pattern of hospital services in Lanarkshire, and when this review is completed, it will be submitting proposals for long-term redevelopment. Until then, no decisions about sites or dates for building can be taken.

Will the Minister take into consideration the fact that this project was mooted over twenty years ago but had to be abandoned owing to the outbreak of war, and will he have regard to the need for this type of hospital in the County of Lanark?

Certainly.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what provision he proposes making for the siting of petrol service stations on the A.80 Glasgow to Stirling Road.

My right hon. Friend has no power to make provision for sites for petrol filling stations on trunk roads such as A.80. Applications for planning permission to develop them on the adjoining land are dealt with by the local planning authorities on their merits.

The requirements of road safety, however, make it imperative to restrict the number of accesses to trunk roads. I am sending the hon. Member a copy of a circular dealing with the effect of this on petrol filling station applications.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that planning permission was given and a licence granted to build a public house on the A.82 Glasgow to Dumbarton road with access to the main motor road, and would he not agree that it is far better to give planning permission and access to a motor road for petrol filling stations to enable cars to be filled with petrol than for public houses to enable them to fill the drivers with booze?

Each case has to be, and is, treated on its merits. The hon. Gentleman is aware of the various considerations that arise in these matters.

There is no merit in drinking by a motor driver.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he is aware of the disparities between the encouragement given to the south of Scotland and the north-east of Scotland, respectively, directed to the expansion of existing industries and the foundation of new industries; and if he will state his present plans to redress these disparities in such a way as to stop the drift of workers from North-East Scotland;

(2) if he is aware of the unemployment caused in Aberdeen shipyards and engineering firms by the recent reduction in orders for shipbuilding, ship-repairing and engineering; and what steps he has taken this winter to find remedies for these financial and economic problems.

My right hon. Friend is aware of the problem of unemployment in Aberdeen. Both the Aberdeen—Stonehaven—Inverurie and the Buckie—Peterhead districts have been included in the first list of development districts under the Local Employment Bill, and all the forms of assistance which will be available under the Bill will apply to these districts exactly as they apply to development districts elsewhere.

Why does not the Secretary of State produce a co-ordinated plan for the whole of Scotland instead of this invidious jungle which further depopulates the North and drives people to the South, to Luton and places like that, where they can get decent housing accommodation?

The purpose of the Bill to which I have referred is precisely to try to bring industry to those places which need it most.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make an estimate of the cost to public funds, by way of provision of medical services, of the recent walking race from John o' Groats.

So far, about a hundred walkers have received minor out-patient treatment and two were admitted to hospital for one night. The estimated cost is about £100.

Is the Minister aware that, in addition to the medical cost, there must be a number of other items to be laid against public funds by way of National Assistance, police costs and so on in relation to this very irresponsibly organised publicity stunt? Is it not a bit thick that these poor local authorities which are anxious to attract people to the Highlands for holidays should be asked to subsidise an advertising scheme for a commercial holiday camp concern?

The hon. Gentleman asked about medical services and I have answered that Question. If he would like to put down another Question on the other point, I should be glad to answer it.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what consideration he has given to arrangements to be made in respect of the Burrell Collection at present in the possession of the City of Glasgow.

Such arrangements are a matter between the Glasgow Corporation and the Burrell Trustees as the parties concerned with the deed of gift.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that the Burrell Collection, a most magnificient art collection, is a very valuable Scottish national possession, and that it is now sixteen years since the original gift was made but so far there is no sign that there is any chance for the public to enjoy it?

I am aware of that, but the problem is one of housing the collection in suitable conditions for the preservation of the tapestries, paintings, etc., and at the same time housing them where they can be seen by the public. These matters are for Glasgow Corporation, and I am quite certain that it will continue to do its best to find an acceptable arrangement. Glasgow has not been backward in looking after its treasures in the past.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what amount of money has been allocated to the South East of Scotland Regional Hospital Board for new hospitals and extensions for the financial year 1960–61; and what amount of that sum has been allocated to the East Fife Hospitals Board of Management.

The allocation to the Regional Board for 1960–61 is £654,000. Ninety-nine thousand pounds is to be spent in East Fife of which £3,650 will be available to the Board of Management for minor works.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that the sum allocated to the East Fife Board is completely inadequate to meet the hospital requirements of the Kirkcaldy area? His reply confirms the suspicion that he does not intend to authorise the start of the geriatric unit at Buck haven this year. Will he reconsider that decision?

I do not think I could. In recent years, as the hon. Member probably knows, capital expenditure on hospitals in Fife has been above the Scottish average.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland who will represent his Department at the Conference on the Law of the Sea about to be held at Geneva.

The United Kingdom delegation led by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture. Fisheries and Food will include a senior official of the Scottish Home Department.

In view of the conditions at present obtaining in Scottish waters, and the intrusion of foreign fleets, would not the hon. Gentleman think that, on an occasion such as this, we should have had direct Ministerial representation from Scotland at Geneva?

My right hon. Friend will be representing the Government as a whole. He is aware of the Scottish fishery interests.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland in how many cases river purification boards have insisted on suitable plant being installed to treat industrial effluent before emission to rivers; how many prosecutions for pollution have been undertaken by these boards since their inception; and with what results.

In seventy-two cases so far consents given by river purification boards for new industrial outlets or discharges have included conditions calling for the installation of treatment plant. There have been seven prosecutions involving offenders in fines of up to £15, but I understand none has involved an industrial effluent.

Is the Joint Undersecretary of State aware—I am sure he is—that there is still a great deal of obnoxious and poisonous effluent being emitted into Scottish rivers? What further steps does he think should be taken in order to stop that particular nuisance? He says that industry has been notified by the river purification boards about the installation of plant to treat this effluent. Does he know whether that plant has been installed? It is no use calling upon industry to install plant unless someone sees that the work is done.

I have a great deal of sympathy for the hon. Member's point of view, as I think he knows, and I realise that a great deal has still to be done. I understand that in some 130 cases treatment plant has been installed on the advice of the board up to date.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the number of day nurseries and nursery schools provided by local authorities during 1949 and the comparative number for 1959.

In 1949 the number of local authority day nurseries and nursery schools was 83 and 64 respectively compared with 72 and 76 in 1959.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that in certain areas these day nurseries and nursery schools are used for the training of young girls who wish to become nurses? Many young girls are now finding it difficult to enter these nurseries to get this necessary training. Can he hold out any hope of an expansion so that these girls may follow their inclinations?

As the hon. Gentleman knows, we have to deal with the education building programme in accordance with strict priorities. I think he is well aware of the priorities that force themselves upon us at the present time.

Surely the figures the hon. Gentleman has given show that there has been a decrease over these ten years in day nurseries? These are places where these young women can be trained. That is what my hon. Friend is worried about.

Yes. Day nurseries are for children whose mothers have to go out to work or who, for some other reason, cannot be properly looked after at home. Where day nurseries have been withdrawn, I am informed that there has been no substantial complaint following upon the withdrawal.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what restrictions there are as to the numbers of houses for which the Direct Labour Department of the Scottish Special Housing Association Limited may tender in the current year.

The only restriction is the amount of work which the organisation, as at present constituted, can carry out.

Is it not a fact that there has been a restriction on the number of houses for which the organisation may tender? Is it not intolerable that there should be artificial restrictions put on this organisation, particularly when we consider that it has made a surplus of more than £1,250,000 over the years and this has been of benefit to the taxpayer, and that the number of houses it built in 1959 showed a reduction, with the likelihood of a further reduction in 1960?

No; there is no restriction on tendering.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will publish the recent official report by Dr. Bennet Rae on the effect of seals on Scottish salmon and marine fisheries.

Yes, Sir. The report will be sent for publication as soon as the final text has been received from the author.

While thanking my hon. Friend for that reply, may I ask if he will also make sure that he reads it and takes action to control the enormously increased number of grey seals?

I will certainly read this report. However, I should not like to commit myself further until I have done so.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland why he has refused his consent to a licence for an hotel, not run by the State, at Annan, Dumfriess-shire, despite the fact that the application was unanimously approved and confirmed by the County Licensing Appeal Court, and although representations were made to him by the town council.

On several occasions since 1948 my right hon. Friend has been approached by or on behalf of the proprietors of the Corner House Hotel, Annan, for the grant of his authority for the sale and supply of exciseable liquor. On each occasion the application was considered most carefully, but he could find no sufficient reason within the existing principles which govern such matters in State Management Districts to justify the grant of authority in this case.

Will my hon. Friend tell us whether he is satisfied with the situation in which three burghs have a different law from that which applies throughout the rest of Scotland, and if not, what he proposes to do about it in the future?

The system is one which has been in operation for a long time and it was reaffirmed in 1949, but my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has said that he has an open mind about the matter.

Is my hon. Friend aware that there is feeling among people of all political persuasions, certainly in my constituency, that this is quite wrong?

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that this system has worked in England, as well as in Scotland, since the First World War, that there have been very few complaints over that period, and that it would be a great pity to upset an arrangement which is so satisfactory and was made by all political parties at that time?

I am aware that it has been in operation for a long time, but I am also aware that there have been complaints, especially recently.

Is my hon. Friend aware that the purposes for which this action was taken have for a long time ceased to exist?

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has to have regard not only to the origin of this but to the fact that he is expected to judge of applications in the light of the principle of disinterested management.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if the Western Regional Hospital Board has yet reached a conclusion after its further consideration of the need for maternity provision to be made at Hairmyres Hospital, East Kilbride.

The Western Regional Hospital Board has decided in principle that a general practitioner maternity unit at Hairmyres Hospital is a desirable long-term development but they see no prospect of providing it until the general redevelopment of hospital services in Lanarkshire has gone much further.

While I welcome this statement by the Minister—I can assure him it will also be very warmly welcomed in East Kilbride—may I ask him to convey to the hospital board that there is a good deal more urgency than this Answer seems to indicate, in view of the fact that the number of babies now being born is quite enough to keep a new maternity unit very busy indeed?

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations have been made to him on the unsuitability for its purpose of his suggested course in modern studies for secondary schools; and what reply he has made.

None, Sir, since the syllabus and specimen question papers were published.

If the hon. Gentleman has not received representations, is he aware of the very strong views which have been expressed by professors and lecturers of Glasgow University who indicated as recently as yesterday in the Glasgow Herald that only the Encyclopædia Britannica could cover the range of knowledge demanded in the suggested curriculum? While we on this side of the House very warmly welcome the idea of this course, may I ask the hon. Gentleman whether he does not think it desirable that he should initiate discussions with the universities and the training colleges on the matter of the curriculum and on the question of training teachers who will be able to carry out the curriculum in the schools?

With regard to the first part of the supplementary question, the Working Party on the Curriculum of the Senior Secondary School recommended that there should be some course in which the emphasis would be placed on what would be useful for men and women to know as a background to present-day affairs. That suggestion was passed to the various educational bodies, and by and large they approved of the suggestion, and it was in the light of their comments that the syllabus and the specimen questions were sent out.

Surely when the Department agrees to a new course it is also its business to see that there is available staff qualified to deal with it?

It is the history and geography staff which will be dealing with the new course. I should perhaps explain that the course leads to the ordinary grade examination in modern studies.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many thefts from out-patients attending the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary have been reported to the police; and what steps have been taken by the hospital authorities to prevent such thefts.

Since January, 1959, eight thefts have been reported to the police. The South-Eastern Regional Hospital Board has appointed a security officer who is investigating this and other similar problems.

While I appreciate that this is not directly the responsibility of the Secretary of State, may I ask whether the Joint Under-Secretary is anxious, as we all are—I am sure he is—to maintain the great reputation of this hospital? Will he use his influence with the hospital board to ensure that more locker accommodation is provided, particularly in the physiotherapy department?

I will certainly look into the matter, though we do not want to get this out of perspective. One must remember that the Royal Infirmary deals with over 500,000 out-patients each year.

Can the hon. Gentleman tell us how this record compares with what is done at similar hospitals in other parts of the country?

I should require notice of that supplementary question.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received from the Association of County Councils in Scotland concerning traffic problems arising from recent industrial developments to the west of Edinburgh and the construction of the Forth road bridge; and what reply he has sent.

The Association has suggested that a conference of all interested authorities should be convened to discuss these problems.

In reply my right hon. Friend has expressed the view that much more information than is at present available about traffic movements in the area should be sought before such a discussion could serve a useful purpose.

Is my hon. Friend determined to be unaware of the considerable public interest which is felt in this matter and of the fact that it has been expressed by many reputable bodies, including the Association of County Councils, and will he give greater consideration to the views which have been expressed upon what these bodies regard as an urgent problem in the light of the coming of the Forth road bridge and industrial development at Bathgate?

It is because my right hon. Friend is aware that there may be problems here that he wants to get the basic information first before he goes on to discuss with the various authorities what steps should be taken in the matter.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will seek the advice of Mr. Butlin, as well as that of Mr. Hugh Fraser, in his endeavours to stimulate holiday traffic in the Highlands.

My right hon. Friend is always ready to receive advice which might further his endeavours to stimulate appropriate tourist traffic in the Highlands. Mr. Butlin has already given him quite a lot to think about.

In view of Mr. Butlin's discovery that walking in the Highlands is a very interesting and invigorating past-time in the winter, and also that he must have discovered the beauties of the Highlands in even the worst of weather, will the hon. Gentleman encourage him to set up one of his holiday camps there and also perhaps to co-operate with Mr. Fraser in developing the holiday industry in the Highlands?

May we hope that walking competitions will not be included in the proposed excitements for tourists?

Does my hon. Friend appreciate that the majority of the people in the Highlands do not want Butlin camps? There are much pleasanter recreations there than having a Butlin camp.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will appoint an independent committee to inquire into the structure and functions of local government in Scotland.

My right hon. Friend has no plans for an immediate inquiry into the present system which has worked well in the main; but it has now existed for a generation and he will certainly consider within the next year or two whether there should be a comprehensive review of it.

Will the Joint Undersecretary take account of the fact that some years ago all the local government associations in Scotland, in giving evidence to the Royal Commission on Scottish affairs, advised the setting up of an independent committee to inquire into the local government structure? Will he also bear in mind that in recent years when hon. Members on both sides of the House have been asking for powers to be given to district councils, the reply has always been that this should not be done piecemeal and that we should look at it objectively? Would it not be desirable, to have this inquiry at an early date?

There may be something to be said for having the inquiry, as I indicated in my Answer, but my right hon. Friend would rather wait until after revaluation takes place, and then he can see the financial set-up of the various areas.

While I thank my hon. Friend for his assurance of interest on the part of the Scottish Office in this respect with regard to district councils, may I ask him to consider publicising the powers which are already held by district councils so that they may be widely used?

I will certainly look into that.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he last laid before Parliament a copy of any report made to him by the Scottish River Purification Advisory Committee set up under the provisions of the Rivers (Prevention of Pollution) (Scotland) Act, 1951.

This Committee has not hitherto proceeded by way of formal report. Its recommendations so far have been mainly on minor procedural matters and have been informally brought to the attention of my right hon. Friend's Department by the Secretariat.

Is it not rather a disappointment that this Committee, for which statutory authority was given in 1951, seems not yet to have given advice to the Secretary of State which he considers to be of general public interest, as a result of which he would have the responsibility of making a report to Parliament? How on earth are we expected to know what has happened under the 1951 Act if no report is ever to be published?

The Committee has been looking into various matters, such as treatment standards, particularly for industrial effluents, and measures for improving the operation of sewage treatment plants, and also whether a refresher course for the operators of sewage plants should take place, but these scarcely seem matters which would be of general interest to the House, and it is for that reason that nothing has been brought be-fore the House.

As it was clearly indicated in the 1956 Act that we should have a report from the Advisory Committee and as the Secretary of State has not yet received one, what does the Secretary of State propose to do about it? Does he propose to leave things sleeping and get no report from the Advisory Committee which was set up so that we might get things moving?

I thought I had indicated that it is only if my right hon. Friend considers that the reports of this body are of such a character as to interest the House as a whole that he places them before the House. If they are minor technical matters to do with the treatment of sewage, which is what they have been, my right hon. Friend has not brought them before the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he is now able to announce his decision regarding the future of Moray House School.

No, Sir, my right hon. Friend's consultations are not yet complete.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that any further delay will be most unsatisfactory for the parents of the children at present attending the school? Cannot he expedite a decision?

Yes, Sir; my right hon. Friend will do his best to expedite it, but he is arranging for a deputation of parents to be seen on Thursday and is also asking for a report from the governors on the accommodation available, and he would like to consider both these matters before he reaches a decision.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what reply he has made to the proposals for a pension scheme, submitted to him by the Sheriff-Substitutes Association in April, 1959.

Consideration of the proposals is not yet completed.

Does not the hon. Gentleman think that this is a very long time to be considering the proposals? Does not he think it is about time that the Scottish sheriff-substitutes were put in a similar position with regard to a pensions scheme as their counterparts in England? Why should we lag behind England like this?

These proposals cover all aspects of the superannuation arrangements both for the whole-time sheriffs and for the salaried sheriff-substitutes. As the hon. Gentleman knows, they could not be implemented without legislation. I assure him that there will be no undue delay.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many beds are devoted to patients suffering from rheumatism in the hospitals covered by the Western Regional Hospital Board.

Patients suffering from rheumatism are treated mainly in the general medical wards of hospitals. There are, however, thirty beds at Killearn Hospital devoted specifically to the treatment of rheumatism.

Is it not clear from the Minister's reply that there are only thirty beds put aside for the specific treatment of rheumatism, and that there is a dearth of proper accommodation for such patients in the west of Scotland? Is the hon. Gentleman aware that many medical people in the west of Scotland deplore the position?

I think that the hon. Lady knows that the regional board is at present considering the establishment of a special rheumatism unit in Glasgow.

Surely the Minister is aware that it has been considering this since 1957, and that a decision ought to have been taken a considerable time ago.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the extent of the facilities for rheumatological research in the Western Infirmary, Glasgow.

A research unit established by the Medical Research Council undertakes research into certain aspects of this problem. It has its own staff of doctors and other research workers, fourteen beds for patients and laboratory and associated facilities.

Is the Minister aware that again this is not considered nearly sufficient for this area in Scotland? Since that is the case, will he do everything possible to expedite the provision of further facilities at Belvidere Hospital?

I would not like to be tied down to Belvidere Hospital, but in general my right hon. Friend is anxious to proceed in this matter.

Because of the Answers which I received last week, and the unsatisfactory nature of the replies that I have had to two Questions today, I beg to give notice that I shall raise this matter on the Adjournment at the earliest possible moment.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland to what extent he estimates farmers' rents have increased since the passing of the Agriculture Act, which made provisions for landlords to increase such grants.

I assume that the hon. Member has in mind Section 2 of the Agriculture Act, 1958, which came into effect on 1st August, 1958.

A sample inquiry covering 1,155 farms suggests that changes in rent occurred on only 8 per cent. of tenanted farms between the second half of 1958 and the second half of 1959, and that the average increase in rent on these farms was about 61 per cent.

As there was no change in the remaining 92 per cent. the overall effect was an average increase of about 5 per cent.

Is the Minister aware tht his figures confirm the protest of a well-known Conservative farmer in Ayrshire, who is vice-chairman of the Ayrshire County Council, who has said that farms are being let to new tenants at more than 50 per cent.? Is the hon. Gentleman aware that this same gentleman, who is a recognised agricultural authority, says that this represents an increase of a 1d. per gallon on the price of milk which will ultimately have to be paid by the consumer? Is it to be that the Scottish public will have to pay 1d. per gallon more for milk in order to give a subsidy to the landlords?

I should like to confirm the arithmetic put forward by the hon. Gentleman before committing myself.

It is correct.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent protests he has received from representative farmers in Scotland about the reduction in marginal aid production grants.

Representations recently received from the Caithness Area of the National Farmers' Union of Scotland were answered by a letter from my right hon. Friend's Department to which the hon. Member may have seen reference in the Press. I am sending him a copy.

Is the Minister aware that there is general dissatisfaction among the farmers of Scotland at the way the Government are whittling down the M.A.P. grant? This year £70,000 less is being paid. Much more was paid in previous years. Are the Government now whittling away the M.A.P. grant so that the money can be spent on obsolete armaments?

No, Sir. I think that my hon. Friend made it clear in a letter he sent to the president of the National Farmers' Union on 18th August that the needs of the farms that have been receiving M.A.P. assistance will be kept under review to see how far, in the light of other forms of assistance made available since the inception of the M.A.P. scheme, the number of farms that continue to receive such assistance can be progressively reduced.

In view of the very unsatisfactory nature of this reply, and the discontent among the farmers of Scotland, I beg to give notice that I shall raise this matter on the Adjournment.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland why the designation EIIR was used as a watermark in the last issue of the Scottish Leaving Certificates.

Special paper of this description is supplied for the use of several Government Departments and has been used for Scottish Leaving Certificates since 1953. Only one complaint has been received.

Was that complaint in addition to this one? Is the hon. Gentleman aware that four years ago when the history teachers in Scotland protested against the use of this mark on the examination papers they were assured by his Department that the matter would receive consideration? Is the consideration represented by the transfer of this designation to the obscurity of the Leaving Certificate, and is the Scottish Education Department now going to encourage the teaching of false history in Scottish schools?

As my Answer showed, this particular paper has been used for the certificates since before four years ago. It has only recently come to the attention of my right hon. Friend who has now, so to speak, seen through his own certificates for the first time.

May I assume that the Secretary of State for Scotland will do something about this matter and remove the issue of these certificates from the man in Whitehall?

It is intended that this year the certificates shall be printed without the watermark, and after that a new system is being devised which will in any case necessitate a further change.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the amount of foreign currency earned by British films during 1956, 1957, 1958 and 1959.

As the Answer is long, I will, with permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

I thank my hon. Friend for the Answer which I have not yet seen. Would he use all his influence to see that every possible aid is given by our embassies and consulates for the furtherance of the sale of British films abroad?

British commercial officers abroad give all assistance in the promotion of British film exports.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many new industrial enterprises his Department has attracted to the Highland counties since January, 1959; where they are located; and how many people are employed in them.

Industrial development certificates have been issued to three projects new to the Highland counties since January, 1959; two of these are in Fort William and one in Inverness. It is estimated that together they will provide employment for 500 people.

Is it not obvious that these somewhat pitiful figures are typical of all the figures since the war ended? Will my hon. Friend suggest to the President of the Board of Trade that there should be a change of machinery? Possibly the Northern Ireland model would be quite a good one.

This is something we will bear in mind, but I should point out to my hon. Friend that this February there were 1,500 fewer people unemployed than last February, and that six other projects are being considered now.

Is it not true that nearly all these 1,500 people are engaged only on once-and-for-all jobs? They are not engaged in light manufacturing industries and earning their living in that way, Which is what we want, but are engaged on building houses and schools.

There is no difference between my hon. Friend and myself about the desirability of further projects.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the net addition in value to United Kingdom imports from China in 1958 compared with the previous year; and what is the net addition in value allowed for this year if all the quotas and allocations set out in Notice to Importers, Number 921, are fully used.

The net addition in value of total imports from China in 1958 over the previous year was approximately £4·3 million. The new quota arrangements announced in Notice to Importers No. 921, cover only about 12 per cent. of United Kingdom imports. If fully used, they will 'provide for a net addition of about £2 million over the value of imports of similar goods in 1958.

Is it not the fact that it is in this range of goods that the substantial increase to which the hon. Gentleman referred is likely to take place? Bearing in mind past restrictions and future potentials, is not it really a meagre sum? Is the hon. Gentleman aware that many regard this as a derisory kind of increase which does not allow for any new enterprise in the trades concerned at all?

The quotas provide for a substantial increase. I would draw the attention of the hon. Gentleman to the reply to his Written Question which will be made available to him in a few hours.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what principle is adopted in refusing, or partly refusing, applications by business firms for licences to import from China goods affected by the recent restrictions; and what steps he is taking to ensure that new enterprise is not excluded because firms cannot quote figures of past performance.

I would refer the hon. Member to the Answer given to the hon. Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Mr. Swingler) on 23rd February.

If it be the wish of the Government to expand trade with China, why cut down on applications or tie firms to past levels? Is it not the fact that some of the most promising trade is along new lines for which, of course, there can be no earlier figures of trade?

It is the normal licensing policy to issue licences in the first instance to importers with a record of previous trade. Full consideration is given to new importers wishing to import. We shall have to take into account new items not covered by quotas.

Will the right hon. Gentleman say why he is choosing this moment, when there is an easing of imports from most other sources, to tighten up on imports from China in view of the considerable market for British goods which exists there, as he and I realise from our visit to that country?

I have explained before on a number of occasions, but I will do so again today for the benefit of the right hon. Gentleman, that we are not tightening up on trade with China. We are making reciprocal arrangements which will help our own exporters because exports to China cannot be freely negotiated.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that we have studied those past Answers and the fact remains that with respect to certain commodities he has tightened up? How will that help our exporters?

I do not think that the figures would confirm what the right hon. Gentleman has said.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if, when framing the forthcoming legislation on weights and measures, he will give consideration to the need to increase above £5 the maximum penalties for offences connected with the delivery of coal.

Yes, Sir. My right hon. Friend is giving careful consideration to the appropriate penalties for offences.

I thank the Minister for that helpful reply. Is he aware that, meanwhile, housewives are being cheated every day; that there is no increased penalty for a second offence and that these maximum penalties were fixed seventy years ago, since when the value of £5 has shrunk considerably?

The drafting of the new Weights and Measures Bill is well advanced. This point will be carefully borne in mind.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will arrange that the accounts of the amounts paid to firms and individuals for scrapping machinery under the terms of the Cotton Industry Act, 1959, will be subject to the scrutiny of the Comptroller and Auditor-General and laid before Parliament.

These accounts will be open to inspection by the Comptroller and Auditor-General, and annual accounts showing the total payments under each scheme will be laid before Parliament.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will make a statement on his visit to Sunderland.

While in Sunderland my right hon. Friend and I discussed employment problems with local authorities, employers and trade unionists, and visited the local Board of Trade estate as well as other industrial sites. As the hon. Member knows, Sunderland is to be a development district, and I hope it will benefit from the facilities available under the Local Employment Bill.

While we very much appreciate the visit of the President of the Board of Trade and the Parliamentary Secretary to Sunderland, may I ask whether the hon. Gentleman is aware that at present the only effective initiative seems to be taken by the town council, and that, in view of the high incidence of unemployment, we feel entitled to expect some stronger and more effective action by the Board of Trade?

We welcome the appointment of a development officer by the local authority. May I point out to the hon. Gentleman that 2,000 to 3,000 new jobs are expected to accrue in the Sunderland area as a result of the extensions and new developments?

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that this very fleeting visit to the North-East by himself and his right hon. Friend is not regarded as satisfactory by many organisations concerned with finding additional employment in this area?

Perhaps future events may falsify what the hon. Gentleman has said.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he has considered the document sent to him by the hon. Member for Consett relating to the employment of miners; whether he is aware that miners are fully capable of undertaking other forms of work; and what steps he is taking to encourage industrialists to establish factories in areas where the principal source of labour is likely to be from those whose previous employment was in the mining industry.

My right hon. Friend has seen the document to which the hon. Member refers, and agrees with him that contrary to what is said therein miners are fully capable of undertaking other forms of work. The Board of Trade is doing what it can to encourage industrialists to establish factories where there is a need for new jobs, whether for ex-miners or for others; and in those areas where the need is greatest special inducements will be available under the terms of the Local Employment Bill.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that in my constituency there is a very large steelworks and a ballbearings factory and that many ex- miners are employed there and have given complete satisfaction? Is he aware that any statement that miners can do only their own job is completely untrue? Is he further aware that there is grave concern in the Durham coalfield at the possibility of redundancy in the not-too-distant future, and that anything he can do to relieve the anxiety of the people in that coalfield by way of providing alternative employment will be greatly appreciated?

There are several instances known to us of ex-miners being employed on precision work in the light engineering industry. The Consett Iron Company has taken on a few hundred ex-miners and their work is extremely satisfactory.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will arrange that applications to the Development Areas Treasury Advisory Committee made before the appointed day of the Local Employment Bill are dealt with on their merits and without regard to whether the Development Areas Treasury Advisory Committee's area involved is excluded from the list of areas to benefit under the Bill.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Lady the Member for Blackburn (Mrs. Castle) last Thursday.

Is the Minister aware that, in connection with a recent application from Oldham, the Ministry's Manchester office said in effect that they were preoccupied with the schedule area on the Liverpool side? If I supply the Minister with details of this case, will he undertake that these cases will have proper attention?

The D.A.T.A.C. Committee has said that it will complete consideration of as many D.A.T.A.C. applications as possible before the new Bill comes into force.

Can the hon. Gentleman assure us that all these applications will be considered? If they came forward during a period when the area in question was included, would it not be quite unreasonable not to consider them?

I am afraid I cannot give that assurance. The Committee will do its best to complete as many as possible, but I cannot give an assurance that all will be considered.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that the Ministry of Supply factory at Keb Lane, Oldham, has been vacant for some months; and if he will make a statement as to its future use.

Yes, Sir. My right hon. Friend the Minister of Aviation is at present negotiating with a firm interested in taking over the factory.

May I ask the Minister if he will bear in mind the urgency of letting the factory, if at all possible, in view of difficulties arising out of the Cotton Industry Act which will be with us in a few weeks' time?

Certainly, we will bear all these things in mind. The Board of Trade is co-operating with the Ministry of Aviation in trying to find a suitable tenant.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what are the practical difficulties which deter him from negotiating an agreement with Poland to enable British coal to be imported into Scandinavia on reasonable terms.

The practical difficulties are that any agreement of the kind the hon. Member suggests would be ineffectual unless it covered oil as well as coal and unless all important suppliers, including the United States and the Soviet Union, as well as Poland and ourselves, became parties to it.

Surely, the President of the Board of Trade can start negotiations to try to get agreement amongst these countries? One of the problems is a shortage of foreign currency in Poland, and surely we can make a move in that direction?

As a matter of Government commercial policy, we do not favour inter-Governmental agreements of this kind, even if they were practicable.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that the unemployment figures for the local employment offices of Bishop Auckland, Crook, Spennymoor, Shildon, and Barnard Castle, at the last count on 15th February, were worse in almost every particular compared with 7th December, 1959, and that unemployment amongst boys has more than doubled; and how many industrial development certificates have been issued for factory expansion in these areas since 7th December.

I am aware that the situation in the Bishop Auckland district —Which includes Crook, Spennymoor and Shildon—has deteriorated, and the hon. Member will be aware that the district is included in the list of development districts announced last month. The position in Barnard Castle, I am glad to say, is not so serious. Two industrial development certificates have been issued in the Bishop Auckland district since 7th December.

Does the Minister think that this is good enough? Has he not taken any positive steps to approach firms with big offices in London to see whether under the new arrangements they might be induced to go to this area?

We are continually seeing firms in London in an attempt to steer them to development districts, and we have recently issued two I.D.C.s, one for Spennymoor and one for Crook, which will give employment for an additional 500 people.

Have any steps been taken in regard to offices of private businesses? Is the hon. Gentleman aware that the failure of the Government to move their own offices to Durham is yet another sore point in the North-East?

We spend a great deal of our time at the Board of Trade in interviewing private industrialists, but the matter of offices is a different question.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement about the prospects of new industries for Jarrow and Hebburn.

Industrial developments in hand or projected in South Tyneside East, including Jarrow and Hebburn, are expected to provide between 2,000 and 3,000 new jobs, and it is hoped that the possibility of assistance under the Local Employment Bill when this becomes law will encourage additional industrial development in the area.

Does the Parliamentary Secretary appreciate that that is the most helpful Answer he has made at the Dispatch Box for a long time? Can he say whether the 2,000 jobs is a limit, or whether there is further industrial development in the offing, and when the contribution which these jobs would provide is likely to start?

The 2,000 to 3,000 jobs I have mentioned are firm jobs already projected, but there are other prospects —one of which at least is considerable and will, I hope, be announced in the next few days or a week.

Can the hon. Gentleman say whether he has yet any statement to make about the extension of Pressed Steel and whether there is any hope of that being located in the North-East?

I think that any statement on that subject must await Pressed Steel. It is for the company to make the initial announcement.

asked the Prime Minister what subjects he intends to discuss with President de Gaulle during his forthcoming visit.

President de Gaulle invited me some weeks ago for a private visit. I accepted his invitation. We expect to discuss matters of common interest.

I thank the Prime Minister for that enlightening reply and I am confident that the right hon. Gentleman will give President de Gaulle the benefit of the cumulative wisdom of Britain in handling colonial problems, including those of America, Ireland, India, Egypt, Kenya and Cyprus. Will the Prime Minister recall that the last disarmament proposals from which some hope was gained were made as Anglo-French proposals in 1955? In view of all the disturbing rumours about conditions of disarmament among the Western Powers, will he endeavour to arrive at an agreement with President de Gaulle for a new Anglo-French intiative for disarmament in Europe?

I do not wish, and I think the House would not expect me, to go into all the subjects which we might usefully discuss. May I point out that disarmament proposals are now to be put forward by the five Powers?

asked the Prime Minister whether he will appoint a committee to inquire into the economic aspects of disarmament.

No, Sir. Any plan for comprehensive disarmament would have to come into effect by carefully phased stages spread over a number of years. The economy would thus have time to adjust itself.

If, as we all hope, the forthcoming disarmament conference ends in agreement on a plan for total disarmament within a comparatively short space of years, is not this bound to give rise to serious economic problems regarding the deployment of manpower and resources? If the Government are serious about this objective, will not they go for advice to the economists, industrialists and trade unionists regarding problems of redeployment?

I should not like to embarrass the hon. Gentleman, but I would point out that some weeks ago Mr. Khrushchev observed:

"Hence there is no truth in the assertion that disarmament would lead to crises or economic slumps in the industrially highly-developed countries of the capitalist world."

Will the right hon. Gentleman recall that at a recent unofficial conference people of status in their own countries, both East and West, said that the opinion of Mr. Khrushchev was certainly accepted as being true of both Socialist or collective economy institutions and those worked by private enterprise rules? Will he also bear in mind that, if this were to be achieved in a period of four years, it would require special planning and arrangement in both types of economy? Will not he, therefore, reconsider his answer to the suggestion made by my hon. Friend?

I will bear all those considerations in mind, but I still think that if we should be relieved of these heavy burdens there should be no difficulty in finding useful outlets for the constructive power of machinery and men which would be available.

While we warmly welcome the last words of the Prime Minister and while we on this side of the House have always preached exactly what Mr. Khrushchev said—[Interruption.]—while we have always preached that of course there could be large-scale disarmament without any undue economic dislocation, provided proper planning was carried out, is it not a fact that there are in this country, and in other countries, many people who fear the effects of disarmament? Would not a study on the lines proposed by my hon. Friend be of great value in preparing for the disarmament for which we all hope?

I do not think a study would prepare opinion, but a study might be valuable, and I will bear in mind what has been said.

asked the Prime Minister what response he has sent to the letter from the Blackburn Committee for World Refugee Year urging Her Majesty's Government to double its contribution to the fund.

The letter was acknowledged and the Committee informed that its views had been noted.

Is the Prime Minister aware that the target for voluntary subscriptions has now been doubled by the Central Committee of the World Refugee Year for this country? In view of the great public interest and generosity shown, ought not, therefore, the Government to match this public interest and generosity by doubling their own contribution?

I think we all realise the tremendous value of this movement, started by some young men in our own country. It has been a great success with the public. The Government made an initial contribution. The Year ends on 31st May. All relevant factors will be taken into account as to whether the taxpayers should be asked by the Government to add to the contribution.

In view of the fact that this is essentially an all-party matter, and we all rejoice at the quite remarkable success of the appeal that has been made, would the Prime Minister consider very seriously the proposal put forward, namely, that we should without further delay double our contribution?

I thought the Foreign Secretary put it very well yesterday, when he had the same questions. I think we should take all the facts into account and, before the end of the period, make our decision.

asked the Prime Minister if he will direct the appropriate Departments to open consultations with the trade unions over methods of fixing wages in the nationalised industries.

Machinery for fixing wages and other conditions of employment in the nationalised industries is, in accordance with the nationalising Statutes, settled by agreement between both sides in each industry.

Will not the Prime Minister agree that there are many industries which are not expanding—some are not even profitable—and, indeed, industries in the private sector as well as the public sector in which there is a problem of attracting and keeping adequate labour, especially skilled labour, in competing with industries which pay higher wages? Would not he agree that the general problem is not satisfactorily dealt with by Committees like the Guillebaud Committee, whose Reports almost invariably spark off a leap-frogging progress, which leads to trouble generally?

Of course, the hon. Gentleman has referred to what is a large problem in our economy, especially in our expanding economy, and I do not feel able to deal with it by Question and Answer.