asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that, while Birdcage Walk is being altered, marching troops using the carriage-way cause all traffic in one direction to proceed at marching pace; and whether he will arrange that during such alterations troops either proceed in single file or use the footway.

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for bringing this matter to my attention. Arrangements were made for marching troops to avoid Birdcage Walk during the remainder of the work there. I understand that the repairs have now been completed.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will publish the recommendations of the Goodbody Committee on Officer Recruitment.

No.

asked the Minister of Transport what plans he has for coordinating more groups of traffic signals so that the flow of traffic is increased.

My divisional road engineers regularly advise highway authorities on the advantages to be gained by co-ordinating traffic signals, and the London Traffic Management Unit will be studying the possibilities of further application of these techniques on a wider basis in the London area.

asked the Minister of Transport whether it is his policy that, on the roads which are to be built in Scotland to motorway standards, commercial vehicles will be freed of any speed limit as on motorways constructed under the Special Roads Act, thus ensuring the highest return from the investment of public funds in such roads in terms of reduced vehicle operating costs.

Roads constructed to motorway standards but not themselves motorways will be open in Scotland as elsewhere to all forms of traffic. The present policy is that in the case of such roads commercial vehicles should not be freed from speed limits.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he is aware of the long delays in settling a claim for an increase of pay by three police officers in the Public Safety Branch of the British Military Government, Berlin; and if he will give an assurance that a speedy answer will be given with facilities for an appeal to an independent body if they are still dissatisfied.

I am glad to say that an increase, which I hope will be satisfactory to those concerned, has now been authorised.

asked the Minister of Aviation if he is aware of the urgent need for the development of airports for all large cities; and if he will take steps to assist local authorities to develop the airports they possess and encourage those which have not yet acquired one to do so in order that they may keep abreast of modern transport development.

I have recently discussed this matter with representatives of the Aerodrome Owners Association and the Association of Municipal Corporations and they have undertaken to put detailed proposals to me.

asked the Minister of Aviation if he is aware of the delay in providing temporary passenger handling facilities at Prestwick Airport to deal with the increased numbers expected to use the airport in the near future as a result of the introduction of larger jet aircraft; if he is further aware of the absence of essential starter equipment for the servicing of these machines; and if he will inquire into these matters and state what action he proposes to take.

Approval has now been given to certain improvements to the present passenger accommodation. The ordering of starter equipment was put in hand as soon as it was definitely established that the operators wished the Ministry to provide it. The operators have been warned that delivery may be delayed.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will issue instructions that in future in all official Government ordnance survey maps Monmouthshire will be included in Wales.

No. In matters of this this kind the Ordnance Survey simply acts on the best information it can obtain. In this case it is only following generally accepted practice.

asked the Attorney-General, if, in view of the Report of the Royal Commission on Justices of the Peace, 1946 to 1948, that magistrates in occupational category W, namely, persons who are paid wages, had a better attendance record than several other categories of magistrates and that the proportion of justices drawn from the lower-income groups was then relatively low, he will state the number of magistrates, and give the percentage distribution, in the occupational classification of Table III of the Royal Commission's Report, at the time of the Report, and at a convenient date in 1959, respectively, for the counties of Hampshire, Leicestershire, Cheshire and the North Riding.

This information is not available. The records of the Lord Chancellor's Department are not compiled in accordance with the occupational classification used by the Royal Commission.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many building licences have been granted in the last twelve months by the Public Works Department in Malta to civil servants in respect of land initially acquired by the Malta Government.

There is no record of any building licences having been issued in such circumstances over the last twelve months.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies why the deputy chief engineer at the power station in Malta has recently been demoted; and if he will publish in full, the reasons for this.

Allegations of misconduct by this officer were fully investigated on two separate occasions by Committees of Inquiry set up in accordance with the provisions of Colonial Regulations. In each instance the allegation was found to have been proved and on the second occasion he was demoted to senior engineer. With regard to the second part of the Question, the proceedings of the two Committees are confidential and in accordance with normal practice it is not proposed to publish them.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies on what date the Malta Police were equipped with cine-cameras; and on how many occasions prior to 1958 were such cameras used to take cine-photographic records of political demonstrations in each of the preceding ten years.

The Malta Police were first equipped with a cine-camera on 5th September, 1938. During the period 1938 to 1958 a number of films were taken on occasions when it was thought there might be political demonstrations but no detailed records are available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what consultations the Governor of Malta had with the Archbishop before making public his views on the relations between Church and State at the recent Candlemas ceremony.

None; but in accordance with custom a copy of the speech was shown to the Archbishop for information shortly before it was delivered.

asked the Minister of Education what steps he is taking to encourage local education authorities to accept the proposal of the working party submitted to the teachers for the Commonwealth Conference held at Church House, Westminster, that they should guarantee to a senior teacher for two years on return from Commonwealth service the salary he would have been receiving if he had remained in his former post in Great Britain.

I have commended the Report of the Working Party, including this proposal, to the local education authorities and they and the teachers know that I would look favourably on a recommendation of the Burnham Committee to give effect to this proposal, which would require an amendment of the current report.

asked the Minister of Education if he will give details of the number of persons, and their official rank, employed on a full-time basis by his Department dealing with educational matters as they relate to the countries of the Commonwealth.

Matters relating to Commonwealth education are mainly dealt with in the branch of my Department which is concerned with overseas relations generally. No officers deal exclusively with Commonwealth education but a number spend an appreciable part of their time on this work.

asked the Minister of Education whether he will arrange with the television and broadcasting agencies for the supply of tape recordings of suitable lessons for use in closed circuits within schools; and what study is being made of the potentialities of this as an aid to teaching.

The schools are already making a great deal of use of direct sound and television broadcasts among other teaching aids. I am not aware of any demand to add to these the tape recordings mentioned by the right hop. Member, which I understand would—in the case of television at any rate— involve considerable technical difficulties.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that bath salts are charged with Purchase Tax at 50 per cent. and perfumed soap at 25 per cent., whereas household soap and detergents are free of such tax although frequently used for toilet purposes in view of their cost; whether he will now impose a lower rate upon toilet soap so as to enable all persons to maintain appropriate standards of cleanliness without undue discomfort; and whether he will also remove the tax of 12½ per cent. on soap holders not designed to be built into walls.

I find it difficult to believe that people who use household soap for toilet purposes do so to their own undue discomfort, but in any case I cannot anticipate my right hon. Friend's Budget statement.

asked the Chancellor of Exchequer when he last reviewed the case of bird-cage fittings which are chargeable to Purchase Tax at 12½ per cent. and bird-cage novelties chargeable at 25 per cent.; what general rule has been established as to how long a bird-cage novelty shall remain taxed at 25 per cent.; and when such novelties are regarded as established and normal birdcage fittings and so eligible for the lower rate of tax.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given him on 11th March, 1959.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that barrier creams, if containing only a small amount of perfume to render them agreeable in use, are subject to Purchase Tax at 50 per cent. whether or not they are sold for factory use against occupational dermatitis; and whether he will arrange to abolish Purchase Tax on such essential preparations at an early date.

I cannot anticipate my right hon. Friend's Budget statement.

asked the Minister of Health how many children of school age in the County of Staffordshire have been waiting for more than six months for the removal of their tonsils following a doctor's certificate to the effect that their health and school attendance have been adversely affected by the condition of their tonsils.

I regret this information is not obtainable without a disproportionate amount of work by the hospital authorities.

asked the Postmaster-General when he expects to convert the manual telephone exchange at Hinchley Wood to the automatic system.

No firm date has yet been fixed. But on present plans the Ember-brook exchange, which serves Hinchley Wood, will be converted to automatic working about 1966.

asked the Minister of Power if he will give a general direction to all electricity boards to issue warnings of impending interruptions of supply whenever possible so that the use of electric clocks and time-switches may not in future be discredited.

Electricity boards are required to give notice of interruptions in supply by the Electricity Supply Regulations, 1937. Whenever possible they do so. The general direction my hon. Friend proposes is therefore unnecessary.