asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will issue a list of schemes in the road programme cost-

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland approximately what proportion of local authorities in Scotland still dispose of their household and trade refuse by tipping or other means without first recovering any metal, glass, paper, or textiles from it.

This information is not available, but the financial returns of most local authorities show receipts from the sale of salvaged refuse.

The following is a list of the schemes referred to:

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the number of staff employed full time in his Department on road safety.

Duties relating to the promotion of road safety are undertaken by a branch of the Scottish Home Department which is concerned with road traffic generally; no officers therefore are employed full-time on this work.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is yet able to state when he proposes to introduce legislation to bring to an end State trading through public houses.

I have nothing to add to what my right hon. Friend said on this subject in reply to the Adjournment Debate on 24th March.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has yet reached a decision regarding the future of Moray House School, Edinburgh; and if he will make a statement.

No. I have now obtained all the information which will enable me to complete my consideration of this difficult matter. I shall make known my decision as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will make representations in support of the establishment of a new Scottish university.

I understand that the University Grants Committee has asked the four Scottish universities and the Royal College of Science and Technology, Glasgow, for their proposals for expansion to meet future needs. I am keeping in touch with the Committee to see how far examination of these proposals and needs suggests that the establishment of a new university should be considered.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he intends to take to improve the position with regard to diet in hospitals in Scotland.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given in the House today by my hon. Friend the Joint Undersecretary of State for Scotland, to the hon. Member for Lanarkshire, North (Miss Herbison).

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer his estimate of the aggregate amount of income earned outside regular employment and not returned for taxation purposes.

I am sorry that this information is not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will now make a statement on the salaries of university teachers.

I am satisfied that a revision of the salaries of academic staff at the universities is now necessary if regard is to be had both to salary increases in comparable professions and to the need to retain and recruit staff of adequate calibre during the forthcoming period of great expansion in the universities. The University Grants Committee, after receiving representations from the Association of University Teachers and after ascertaining the views of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals, has submitted recommendations to me concerning the salaries of non-medical and pre-clinical staff. In so doing, they have said that they are considering the position of clinical staff in relation to the conclusions of the Royal Commission on the Remuneration of Doctors and Dentists, and will, in due course, submit recommendations under this head.I have considered the Committee's recommendations regarding non-medical and pre-clinical staff, and I propose to ask Parliament to provide the additional funds required to enable the universities to bring into effect, as from 1st January, 1960, the revised rates and scales of salary for full-time academic staff which are given below.Some universities, however, are having particular difficulty in attracting or retaining academic staff of adequate calibre in a number of fields—in certain of the arts subjects, as well as in the pure and applied sciences—where competition is particularly intense. As regards non-medical professors, the universities are already free to pay

varying salaries within the range provided that these do not on average exceed the minimum of the range by more than a fixed amount. As a consequence of the extension of the range I have agreed that this amount may now be increased in the case of each university. The total cost of this will amount to£235,000 a year. As regards lecturers, I have authorised the University Grants Committee to offer to those universities additional funds to finance (

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he is aware of the growing tendency of local authorities to use the planning laws to obtain valuable considerations in the shape either of the acquisition of land below its true value or the compulsory user of premises or part of premises for specified and often unremunerative purposes as a condition precedent of granting planning permission; and whether he will take steps to restrain such practices.

I am not aware that local authorities are misusing their planning powers in the way suggested. If my hon. Friend will send me particulars of any cases he has in mind, I will investigate them.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether he is now able to announce the result of his consultations with the local authority associations regarding the Use Classes Order as applied to betting offices; and whether he proposes to submit an amending order on the subject.

Yes. My right hon. Friend proposes to amend the Use Classes Order so as to secure that where the establishment of a betting office involves development under the Town and Country Planning Act, 1947, as it normally will, it will require planning permission. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland will be taking corresponding action in Scotland.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether he will state the present policy of Her Majesty's Government regarding new building in the green belt in Essex.

As regards the approved green belt, my policy is in line with that stated in the county development plan and in a circular issued by my predecessor in August, 1955. The advice given in that circular, a copy of which I am sending to my hon. Friend, applies also to the additions to the green belt which the county council, as local planning authority, is now proposing.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what indication he gave before deciding to make an Order under Section 9 (2) of the Water Act, 1945, constituting a joint board to cover the Halifax County Borough and six other water undertakings, to the authorities concerned that the arrangements, including the setting-up of an inter-authority working party, which they had adopted in order to constitute such a board themselves were unsatisfactory; and what attempt he made, before communicating his decision to constitute the joint board himself, to discover from the authorities concerned what progress had in fact been made.

At the time when I told the authorities that I proposed to make an Order myself, the information I had from Halifax Corporation was that it felt unable to give any undertaking about the rate of progress of the working party and that it anticipated that action would have to be suspended from time to time. A letter has just been received from the Corporation, however, dated 27th April, indicating that some progress is now being made. I welcome this, and on the clear understanding that the local work will be pressed forward I am ready to suspend action on my own Order. I am writing to all the authorities concerned to tell them so.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he will introduce legislation to amend the Housing Act, 1957, in such a way as to allow local authorities to establish warden schemes to cover aged persons living in privately-owned dwellings within their local government area, on a similar basis to the powers already enjoyed by such authorities with regard to aged persons living in council-owned properties.

It seems hardly practicable to provide a warden service for aged people living in private houses at a distance from one another, and I do not think in any event that this is a matter that falls to be considered under the Housing Acts.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what action the territorial police of Nyasaland took following a request from the Government of the Union of South Africa for an extradition order against Mr. Ronald Segal and Mr. Oliver Tambo, refugees, from the Union.

On receipt of information from the South African authorities that warrants for the arrest of these two persons had been issued by a judge of the Supreme Court in Pretoria the Nyasaland police, in accordance with normal procedure, applied to the Court for a provisional warrant under Section 16 of the Fugitive Offenders Act, 1881. The application was refused.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if the contract for the new quays and grain silos in Malta have been completed; if the contract for the next part of the project, the construction of the sheds in the port of Valetta, has been invited; and if local contractors have been invited to submit tenders.

The contracts for the new quays and grain silo are not likely to be completed before early in 1961.Following advice from the engineering consultants the Malta Government do not now intend to make the construction of the transit sheds the subject of a separate tender. Subject to agreement on costs the main contractor will carry out this work.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what recent changes have taken place in the powers of magistrates in Malta; to what extent they are grouped with civil servants; and what protests have been made by the advocates of the island against this change.

To the first part of the Question the answer is "None".The appointment and tenure of office of magistrates is dealt with by that Part of the Malta (Constitution) Order in Council, 1959, dealing with the Public Service, whereas the appointment and tenure of office of judges of the superior courts is dealt with in a separate Part of the Order entitled "the Judicature". The magistrates have represented that they properly form part of the Judiciary and should therefore be dealt with by that Part of the Constitution dealing with the Judiciary. I am advised that the magistrates are justified in their contention, and accordingly propose to submit an amending Order to Her Majesty in Council at a convenient opportunity.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies (1) the cost for a place for a residential and a non-residential student, respectively, at the Royal Technical College of East Africa, the Kano Medical School, Nigeria, and the Fourah Bay College, Sierra Leone;(2) the cost for a place for a residential and a non-residential student, respectively, at the Polytechnic Institute, Port of Spain, Trinidad, the Institute of Technology, Kingston, Jamaica, the Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture, Trinidad, and the School of Agriculture, Jamaica;(3) the cost for a place for a residential and a non-residential student, respectively, at the Central Medical School, Fiji, the College of Agriculture, Mauritius, the Singapore Polytechnic, and the Hong Kong Technical School.

I cannot answer for the Singapore Polytechnic, for which the Government of the State of Singapore are exclusively responsible. As regards the Royal Technical College of East Africa I would refer the hon. Member to my pursuant reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 28th April, 1960; Vol. 622. c. 14]. I am asking the Governments and other authorities concerned with the other institutions if they can supply this information, and will inform the hon. Member when it is available

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies when it is proposed to introduce in Mauritius an insurance system providing benefit during unemployment and sickness.

The report of an inquiry into these questions, which has been carried out by Professor Richard Titmuss and a team from the London School of Economics, is expected within the next few months.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will now make a further statement on his recent visit to Mauritius.

During my visit to Mauritius between 9th and 12th April I was able to tour the island and to meet representatives of all the most important groups and organisations in the Colony.My first concern was naturally with the heavy damage caused by the two cyclones "Alix" and "Carol". My impression was that a first-class job of relief work had been done and that the urgent needs of the people for food, warmth, clothing, medical supplies and temporary housing had been swiftly and imaginatively met. The work had been done—and still is being done—not only by the Mauritius Government, local authorities and official bodies, but also by volunteers and voluntary organisations. While I was in Mauritius I was very glad to think that contributions had been made by private individuals and firms in the United Kingdom towards this essential work. At the same time I saw for myself that suffering and hardship still exist and that further help of this nature is still urgently needed.The assessment of the amount of damage caused by the two cyclones and the preparation of reconstruction plans is now well advanced. When the reports of those who are assessing the damage are complete, it is my intention to invite a Ministerial delegation from Mauritius to visit the United Kingdom to discuss with me the financing of its reconstruction plans. In the meantime it is obvious that a large-scale rehousing programme will be needed. I agreed therefore when I was in Mauritius that steps should be taken at once to set up the necessary building organisation and the administrative machinery required to deal with claims for housing. I also agreed in principle to the provision of funds to the Agricultural Bank to enable loans to be given for the repair of private buildings.So much for the short-term problems of reconstruction. Attention is, however, also being paid to the long-term economic future of this small island whose population continues to increase so rapidly. While I was in Mauritius I was able to meet the Chairman and Members of the Economic Survey Mission and to discuss some of the problems with them. Their report is now eagerly awaited, together with the report of the inquiry into social insurance recently carried out in Mauritius by Professor Richard Titmuss and a team from the London School of Economics. When these two reports are available they should together form a valuable guide for future economic and social policy for the Colony.As I said in Mauritius, although our first task in the Colony must be to concentrate on questions of reconstruction and economic development, Her Majesty's Government has no intention of neglecting the question of further constitutional advance in the Colony. I made it clear, therefore, that after the urgent economic decisions had been taken and after due preparation I would be prepared to meet a delegation from the Colony at a Constitutional Conference to plan the next stage of political development.I was particularly glad to have the opportunity of being the first Secretary of State for the Colonies to visit Mauritius, where I have a number of close personal ties. What I saw and heard during my visit encourages me to believe that the close and friendly links between Mauritius and the United Kingdom will remain no less strong in the future than they have been in the past.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies when the Report of the Burns Commission on Fiji, which is now sold out, will again be available to the public.

Copies of the Burns Commission Report on Fiji, which is being reprinted, will again be available to the public at the end of May.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what discussions he has had with the Government of Zanzibar regarding the future status of the 2,000 square mile protectorate coastal strip on the Kenya-Tanganyika border, to which the African delegation laid claim during the recent London Conference on the future of Kenya; and if he will make a statement on this territorial dispute and his plans for resolving it.

None. As regards a statement I have nothing to add to the reply made by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Commonwealth Relations on 5th April.

asked the Minister of Works whether he will ensure that the design for the British Embassy at Brasilia is in keeping with the style of modern architecture in the new Brazilian capital.

I fully appreciate the architectural significance of Brasilia and I hope that the new Embassy will be a notable contribution to it. My Permanent Secretary and Chief Architect are visiting Brasilia this week to consider our future plans.

asked the Minister of Works what progress has been made in the conversion of Marl-borough House for the Commonwealth Consultative Economic Council and other Commonwealth purposes; when the work will be finished; and what degree of urgency and priority it has been given.

Work to prepare Marlborough House as a place for Commonwealth meetings is in progress and is due to be completed before the end of 1961. I hope that the east wing will be ready for occupation by the Commonwealth Economic Committee before the end of this year. It is the Government's aim to have Marlborough House ready at the earliest possible date.

asked the Minister of State for Commonwealth Relations by what means he proposes to ascertain African opinion about the official proposal of the Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia that certain responsibilities for the protection of Africans should be transferred from the British Government to the Southern Rhodesian Government.

As stated by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister in this House on 18th February:

"…in the event of any change being made in the Constitution of Southern Rhodesia, the interest of Africans would of course be given full weight."—[OFFICIAL REPORT, 18th February, 1960; Vol. 617, c. 1417.]

asked the Secretary of State for War how many British Service men are now stationed in South Korea: what are their duties; and to what extent their assistance was sought by the authorities during the recent disturbances.

We have a military attache in Seoul with two soldiers on his staff. We also contribute two officers and eight other ranks to the Commonwealth Liaison Mission with the United Nations Command. None of these men were involved in the recent disturbances, nor was their help sought by the authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will make a statement on the future of recruitment of Gurkhas for the British Army.

I am glad to say that there is no shortage of Gurkha recruits for the British Army. With regard to the size of the Gurkha force, I would refer to the Answer I gave on 23rd March to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Norwood (Sir J. Smyth).

asked the Minister of Labour having regard to the severe losses sustained in industry by fire during 1959, what steps he proposes to take to improve safety regulations in factories.

My right hon. Friend hopes to bring the fire provisions of the Factories Act, 1959, into operation during the second half of this year. He also intends to use powers given him by that Act and by earlier legislation to make Regulations on fire prevention and other aspects of fire precautions. It is hoped to issue a preliminary draft of these Regulations by the end of the year. My Department has already issued a number of advisory leaflets to factory occupiers on this subject.

asked the Minister of Labour how many registered disabled persons and young persons under the age of 18 years are unemployed in Wales; and how many vacancies are available.

On 11th April, 5,304 registered disabled persons and 2,247 young persons were unemployed; on 6th April there were 7,302 unfilled vacancies for adults and 2,988 for young persons. Vacancies are not usually notified specifically for disabled persons, but such persons are submitted to any suitable vacancies.

asked the Minister of Labour the total number of persons unemployed in the Gower constituency area, listing men, women, disabled and young persons separately.

Figures are not available for the constituency. At the local offices in the parts of the Swansea, Llanelly and Pontardawe travel-to-work areas which serve the constituency, 2,194 men, 923 women, 80 boys and 103 girls were on the register on 11th April, 1960. Of the total, 484 were disabled persons.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what alternative arrangement he proposes for the payment of Hill Cow Subsidy on Bodmin Moors, in view of the difficulties recently encountered.

The payment of Hill Cow Subsidy on common land is restricted to a maximum stocking of 1 cow to 8 acres. Where stocking exceeds this rate, as has happened on the Bodmin East and West Moors, appropriate deductions have been made in subsidy payments, by a flat percentage cut. This has created anomalies and difficulties and in future, where a Bodmin common is declared to be overstocked for Hill Cow Subsidy purposes, we are proposing, in the interests of good husbandry, to relate the numbers on which subsidy will be paid to the carrying capacity of the enclosed land claiming grazing rights on the Moor. On the basis of our present information about stocking, the new arrangements would apply this year to the Bodmin East and West Moors, including Davidstowe.

asked the Minister of Education, as representing the Minister for Science, what steps the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research has now taken in the matter of research into production methods in shipbuilding.

Work has recently started at the National Physical Laboratory of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research on a study of the possible uses of digital computers in the construction of ships. As a first step the use of computers to eliminate manual operations in the mould loft is being examined.The Department is also continuing discussions with the industry on the whole subject of shipbuilding research including research on production methods.

asked the Minister of Education, as representing the Minister for Science, what will be the cost of the advanced gas cooled reactor, now being constructed by the Atomic Energy Authority; and whether he will make a statement as to its future use.

The estimated cost of constructing the advanced gas cooled reactor at Windscale is about£9 million. It will be capable of producing useful quantities of steam, and the project includes generating machinery.The advanced gas cooled reactor will be the prototype of larger scale reactors for use in the civil power programme. It offers prospects of considerable reduction in the cost of nuclear power. Its main functions will be to test fuel elements, and provide experience of the operating conditions and physics of this advanced system.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs when the first report of the verbatim proceedings of the Ten-Power Disarmament Committee will be published.

Ten-Power agreement has been reached at Geneva that at the end of each month the official final verbatim records of plenary meetings of the Ten-Power Committee on Disarmament for the previous month should be released for publication. The first release was made on 30th April and included all the verbatim records of plenary sessions from 15th to 31st March.

asked the Minister of Health if the additional cost of providing small two-seater cars for all those persons now qualified for the power-propelled invalid tricycle.

I would refer the right hon. Member to my reply given yesterday to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Norwood (Sir J. Smyth).

asked the Minister of Health the annual cost of the conversion whereby disabled war pensioners, previously entitled to power-propelled tricycles, are now to be supplied with two-seater cars; and the numbers involved.

I would refer the right hon. Member to my reply given yesterday to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Norwood (Sir J. Smyth).

asked the Minister of Health on what authority Mr. A. J. Healy is detained in Goodmayes Hospital, Ilford.

On the authority of a summary reception order made on 26th May, 1956, by a justice of the peace for the County Borough of West Ham under the provisions of Section 16 of the Lunacy Act, 1890. That order has been properly continued by the sending to the board of control of the prescribed special reports and certificates.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what steps have been taken under the Local Employment Act, 1960, to provide new employment in the upper end of the Rhymney Valley.

As a result of the publicity given to the provisions of the Local Employment Act, we have already received several inquiries from this area, and I hope that these will result in firm applications for assistance under the Act.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if agreement has now been reached between Her Majesty's Government and the sponsors of the proposed graving dock at Greenock; and if it is intended to publish the details of the agreement, in view of the wide public interest in the matter.

I am awaiting confirmation from the promoters of the project that they accept the terms we have offered to them.In accordance with normal practice particulars of the agreement will not be published.