asked the Postmaster-General whether, in view of the growing commercialisation of, and the erection of large new offices in, the S.W.I postal district, he is satisfied that the sorting staff in that district is sufficient to deal expeditiously with outgoing mail.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what has been the experience of Transport Command in the efficacy of backward-facing seats in maintaining safety; and whether it is the policy of the Command to continue using backward-facing seats for personnel.

Our experience suggests that in certain types of accident these seats give some extra protection; and we shall continue to use them.

asked the Secretary of State for Air how many reconnaissance aircraft of the United States U2 type have used Royal Air Force bases since the date of the Summit Meeting was publicly announced.

It has never been the practice to disclose either the nature or the scope of Intelligence activities. In my judgment, it would be contrary to the public interest for me to make any exception to this practice.

asked the Minister of Transport how many road accidents covered by his recent investigation were attributable to defective vision in those concerned; and if he will now introduce eyesight tests for applicants for driving licences, and periodic tests for licence holders.

The Road Research Laboratory's investigation into fatal accidents during the Christmas holiday period has not yet been completed, and I cannot therefore give the information for which the hon. Member asks. With regard to the second part of the Question, I have nothing at present to add to the Answer I gave to a Question by the hon. Member on 27th January.

asked the Minister of Transport what plans he has for using parts of the disused Hull and Barnsley railway line as a road to improve communications between the West Riding and the city and port of Hull.

Preliminary investigations have been made into the possibility of using parts of the disused railway for highway purposes and the results are now being studied.

asked the Minister of Transport if he is aware of the financial hardship to motorists of the present system of motor insurance; and, in order to encourage good driving in the interest of road safety, if he will introduce legislation to amend the law regarding motor insurance in favour of motorists with accident-free records.

No.

asked the Minister of Defence what is the total amount of expense incurred to date in respect of the cost of Blue Steel II; and for what reasons this project was cancelled.

The reason for stopping this part of the Blue Steel project was that it was concluded that the present version would be adequate for the period during which a weapon of this character is appropriate. In the final accounting for the project as a whole it is likely that a little over £lm. will be attributed to work on the Mark II.

asked the Minister of Labour how many advisory committees he has appointed under Section 26 of the Factories Act, 1959, in order to advise and report on the health, safety and welfare problems of specific trades; and whether the appointment of further committees is being considered.

Under the powers conferred by this Section, my right hon. Friend has appointed a committee to advise him on the health, safety and welfare of workers in the cutlery and silverware trades in Sheffield and district. There are thirteen other advisory committees, appointed before this Act was passed, which deal with the safety and health problems of particular industries. It is proposed shortly to consult the organisations concerned about their re-appointment under these new powers. Further committees will be appointed in due course.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will consider making the statistics of working time lost in industrial disputes more comprehensive by including all stoppages, whatever their size and duration, and also by including time lost by workers in other establishments as a result of these stoppages.

The policy for many years has been to exclude from the published statistics stoppages involving fewer than ten workers or lasting less than one day (unless in either case the aggregate number of working days lost exceeds 100). To include these stoppages would involve a great deal of extra work both for employers and for the Ministry of Labour staff. I doubt if this would be justified, especially since comparability with previous periods would not be possible.As regards time lost by workers affected by stoppages, it is important to avoid confusion between figures of those who are directly and indirectly involved in a stoppage of work due to an industrial dispute at the establishment concerned, and of those who are affected at other establishments as a result of the dispute. It is, in any case, not practicable to produce accurate figures of the latter. I propose, however, to include in annual surveys of industrial disputes for 1960 and subsequently, a rough estimate of time lost by those thrown out of work at other establishments in the motor manufacturing industry, and I am considering what further information can be provided about the effects of individual major stoppages in this industry.

asked the Minister of State for Commonwealth Relations how many interviews, of what duration, and over what period, were held by the Secretary of State with the Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia and representatives of the National Democratic Party, respectively; and with what purpose, and result.

My noble Friend had a number of meetings with the Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia over the period 25th April to 2nd May, inclusive. It would be contrary to the normal practice of Commonwealth consultation to give the details requested by the hon. Member. On 28th April, my noble Friend received a deputation from the National Democratic Party of Southern Rhodesia. For the purpose and result of these meetings, I would refer the hon. Member to the statement that I made on 9th May and to my answer to the right hon. Member for West Bromwich (Mr. Dugdale) on 5th May.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the purchasing power now left in the hands of a man with a wholly earned income of £1,500 a year and having a wife and two children under the age of 11 years; what purchasing power a man, similarly placed, would have had left in 1959 and in 1951; and what alteration should be made in the figures given in answer to the hon. Member for South Buckinghamshire, relating to incomes of £2,500, £5,000, and £7,500 a year, on 21st April,

asked the Secretary to the Treasury if he is in a position to publish the Exchequer financing figures for the last quarter of 1959; and if he will now arrange to furnish these figures at a less interval than hitherto after the end of the quarter concerned.

Yes. The Exchequer financing table in the April issue of the Monthly Digest of Statistics, to be published on 13th May, will include the figures for the quarter ended 31st December, 1959. The June issue of the Monthly Digest will give the figures for the quarter ended 31st March, 1960, and thereafter the series will continue quarter by quarter three months in arrear.

The following is the answer:instead of six months in arrear as hitherto.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of the gross national product was taken by central and local taxation, respectively, in the years 1951 to 1959, inclusive; and what proportion he expects to be taken by central taxation in 1960.

The following table shows central and local government revenue from taxation, expressed as percentages of the gross national product at factor cost. The figure for central government taxation in 1960 is not expected to differ appreciably from that for 1959.

asked the Minister of Aviation what is the amount of provisional expenditure incorporated in the Defence Estimates for the current year in respect of Blue Streak.

It is not possible to separate this expenditure with precision, since development facilities required for Blue Streak are required also for other projects. Depending upon how you make the calculation, the figure lies somewhere between £35 million and £42 million.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will give details covering the production of plastics, synthetic fibres and synthetic rubber in the United Kingdom during each of the last five years, and the value of trade in these items with West Germany, France and Italy.

The following is the information asked for:

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what is the present policy of Her Majesty's Government with regard to the establishment of customs and economic unions, or other forms of association, among the countries covered by the Congo Basin Treaties, and to the association of British territories, or parts thereof, in the Congo Basin with the European Free Trade Association, with consequent preferential treatment in the markets of the Little Seven and vice versa; and if he will specify the amendments which he will seek to have made to the treaties in order to achieve these respective aims.

Proposals for customs unions and other associations between territories covered by the Congo Basin Treaties are considered in the light of all the circumstances and the existence of the Treaties is one of the factors to be taken into account. No proposal is at present under consideration to associate with the European Free Trade Association the British territories to which the Treaties apply.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the cost in the last financial year of the various improvement schemes that lie outside the scope of the farm price guarantees.

The latest estimated cost in the financial year 1959–60, for the United Kingdom, of those production grants which are not relevant for the purpose of Section 3 of the Agriculture Act, 1957, and therefore are excluded from the total value of the guarantees is £10·7 million.