asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty the circumstances of the collision in Portsmouth harbour between one of his small craft and the motor vessel "Brading", owned by British Railways; what casualties and damage resulted; and which vessel had the right of way.

On Friday, 13th May at 5.45 p.m. a collision occurred in Portsmouth Harbour between a naval pinnace on a routine trip between H.M.S. "Dolphin" and H.M.S. "Vernon", and the British Railways ferry "Brading". Eight people in the pinnace were injured and two naval ratings and a dockyard civilian employee are missing; the boat was severely damaged. A naval Board of Inquiry is now in session and, as legal proceedings may ensue, I am unable to answer the last part of the Question.

asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty what price he has received for H.M.S. "Vanguard".

H.M.S. "Vanguard" has not yet been sold. Arrangements will be made to invite tenders as soon as the work of de-storing and removal of useful equipment, now in hand at Portsmouth, is sufficiently advanced.

asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty (1) on what date a United States nuclear submarine is due to berth in a United Kingdom port, under arrangements made with him, to commence trials as a guinea-pig for tests with radioactive markers in connection with the positioning of Polaris missile-carrying submarines in British territorial waters;(2) what steps he is taking to notify Trinity House of the exact positions of the radioactive marker-buys which are to be laid in United Kingdom territorial waters, under arrangements made by Her Majesty's Government, for use by United States Polaris-carrying nuclear submarines, in view of their potential danger to navigation.

No such arrangements have been made with the Admiralty or Her Majesty's Government.

asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty whether he will take the present opportunity of the lifting of the heavy moorings of the Sturbridge Shoal to withdraw these moorings until they are needed again, in view of the fact that their large unlit steel buoy is a hazard to navigation, notably for the fast passenger vessels between Portsmouth and Ryde.

This mooring is being modified to adapt it to accommodate Admiralty Floating Dock 59— the Dreadnought Dock—for its deep sinking trials in early September. Although we have received no previous complaints that the unlit buoy is a hazard to navigation, consideration will be given to the possibility of removing the mooring after the trials.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if, in view of the high increase in population in relation to the economic development of the Fiji Islands, he will introduce practical proposals for encouraging birth control amongst the peoples of these islands.

The Commission of Inquiry into the Natural Resources and Population Trends of the Colony of Fiji, 1959, recommended—the Chairman dissenting for religious reasons—that the Fiji Government should take certain practical steps for birth control. The Commission's Report is being considered by the Fiji Government which is responsible for taking any decisions on its recommendations and carrying this out.

asked the Minister of Education how many nursery schools are now functioning in Monmouthshire and Wales and Monmouthshire, respectively; and how many are now in process of construction.

Nine in Monmouthshire, 40 in Wales and Monmouthshire together. There are none under construction.

asked the Minister of Health if, with a view to publication, he will ask the Newcastle Regional Hospital Board to submit to him the names and addresses of all the persons serving on hospital management committees in its region.

I do not think this is necessary. There are already arrangements in the region for the publication of the names and addresses of members of hospital management committees as they are appointed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what psychiatric treatment can now be provided in Her Majesty's Prison, Cardiff.

Cardiff, in common with other prisons, can send to certain central psychiatric clinics inmates thought to be in need of prolonged treatment. It is not practicable to arrange for psychiatric treatment to be given at all prisons.Where prisoners serving only short sentences are thought to be in need of such treatment, arrangements may be made with regional psychiatrists of the National Health Service for prisoners to be seen by a visiting psychiatrist and arrangements made for them to undergo voluntary treatment at outside clinics on their discharge from prison.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the completion dates for the new prisons now being built; and how much extra accommodation they will provide.

Secure prisons for men are under construction or are planned for erection on the following sites:

Location	Estimated date of completion	Number of prisoners
Hindley, Lanes	End of 1961.	300
Grendon Underwood, Bucks. (psychiatric prison).	Early in 1962.	250 (plus 50 women and 50 borstal boys).
Blundeston, Suffolk	End of 1962.	300
Tern Hill, Salop	Autumn, 1963.	300

Premises at the following sites are being or will be adapted for use as open prisons for men:

Location	Estimated date of completion	Number of prisoners
Thorp Arch, Yorks.	Autumn, 1960.	250
Appleton Thorn, Lanes.	End of 1960.	300
Ford, Sussex (semi-secure prison).	Summer, 1961	450 to 600
Kirkham, Lanes.	Spring, 1962.	450

Parts of Thorp Arch and Ford Prisons are already occupied.In addition the Styal Cottage Homes, near Manchester, are to be adapted as a semi-secure prison for 200 women. The work is expected to be completed by the end of 1961.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is now able to make a statement about stage 2 of the British Broadcasting Corporation's plans for improving and extending its television and very high frequency sound coverage.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is now in a position to make a statement on the authorisation of expenditure by the British Broadcasting Corporation for the money necessary to provide television and very high frequency broadcasting service in the Western Isles.

Yes, I have now given my approval in principle to proposals made by the B.B.C.—

1. to build low power satellite television and V.H.F. sound stations in the following areas:

• Forfar
• Grantown-on-Spey
• Lewis
• Pitlochry/Aberfeldy
• Shetland
• Skye

2. to build other satellite television stations in the following areas:

• Caernarvon
• Hastings
• Scarborough
• Swindon

3. to build satellite V.H.F. sound stations in:

• East Lincolnshire
• Enniskillen
• Pembroke/Milford Haven
• Sheffield
• South-West Scotland

Enniskillen, Pembroke and Sheffield are due to have satellite television stations under stage 1 of the B.B.C's scheme. All the V.H.F. sound stations will put out the Home Service and the Light and Third Programmes.These ten television stations and eleven V.H.F. sound stations represent the second stage in the B.B.C.'s plans for improving and extending its coverage. They will bring B.B.C. television to more than 100,000 new viewers and will improve reception for 400,000 more. Three hundred and fifty thousand people will get the V.H.F. sound service for the first time. It is hoped to complete these twenty-one stations by March, 1964.The B.B.C. assures me that these further plans now announced do not mean any delay to the completion of the twenty-four satellite stations in stage 1 announced in the House on 24th June. 1959. These are due for completion by March, 1962. In addition, the B.B.C. informs me that, in planning stage 3, it has in mind the possibility of installing a new type of very low power "translator" station to bring its television and V.H.F. sound services to towns not at present served and to improve the service in towns where reception is now unsatisfactory. The television satellite station for Hastings is to be an experimental installation of this type.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations have been made to the South-East Scotland Regional Board for the building of a new hospital in West Fife, in view of the shortage of hospital accommodation in the area; and what reply has been made.

The West Fife Board of Management indicated some time ago to the regional board its view that a new general hospital should be provided, but was told that the regional board saw no possibility of this within the next few years. Since then the Board of Management has made proposals for extensive additions to three hospitals in the area, and the regional board will be considering these proposals along with other demands on the building programme.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if, in view of the heavy and persistent incidence of unemployment in Bo'ness and district, West Lothian, he will designate Bo'ness as a development district in terms of the Local Employment Act, 1960.

My right hon. Friend does not consider that the rate of unemployment which exists or is to be expected in Bo'ness is such that its designation as a development district would be appropriate. But he will continue to watch the position.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that, taking the internal purchasing value of the £ sterling as 20s. in October, 1951, it had declined to 18s. 2d. in April, 1954 to 16s. 1d. in April, 1957; and what was the comparable figure for April, 1960.

Yes, on the basis of the retail price index. The comparable figure for April, 1960, is 15s. 3d.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much United Kingdom capital has been invested in the United States of America during the last year; and in what form.

As I stated on 5th April in reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Stroud (Mr. Kershaw), United Kingdom net private long-term investment in the United States in 1959 is, according to information at present available, estimated at £10 million. Most of this was direct investment by United Kingdom companies.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the approximate total annual amount, before deduction of tax, payable under deeds of covenant not in form of charity, during the latest year for which figures are available; and his estimate of the annual loss in Income Tax and Surtax, respectively, by the use of such deeds.

The total annual amount, before deducting tax, payable under deeds of covenant other than to charities is of the order of £30 million; and the loss of tax thereon is £15 million to £20 million, of which rather more than a third is Income Tax and the rest Surtax.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the value of deeds of covenant in operation for Income Tax purposes during the latest year for which figures are available; how many of these deeds were in the form of charity; and the approximate total annual amount before deduction of tax payable under such deeds.

The total annual amount, before deducting tax, payable under deeds of covenant is of the order of £45 million; about 900,000 deeds are to charities representing about £15 million payments before deducting tax.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether figures similar to the figures for expenses, which appear in Table 55 of the 102pd Report of the Commission of Her Majesty's Inland Revenue, are available for any year prior to 1956–57; and if he will publish them in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Comparable estimates of the Schedule E expenses for 1954–55 and 1955–56 are £128 million and £134 million respectively; similar figures are not available for earlier years.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many dispensations granted under Section 164 of the Income Tax Act, 1952, are at present in operation; and what amount of money they involve.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why the allowances for business expenditure on wines, spirits, and cider, etc., has been raised from 5 to 10 per cent., as stated in National Income and Expenditure, 1959, page 68; and what allowance for business expenditure was used when arriving at the figure for consumers' expenditure, 1938, which appeared in the Blue Book for 1958.

This change was introduced in the National Income Blue Book for 1956 and the reference to it in the 1959 Blue Book is repeated merely for the convenience of the reader. It was stated in "National Income Statistics: Sources and Methods" (page 112) that the 5 per cent. allowance then in use "is probably too small", and it was in pursuance of this thought that the revision was made. It should be pointed out, however, that no information is available on actual business expenditure on this item and that the allowance does not purport to be an estimate of business expenditure as such but is merely a rough adjustment made in the process of estimating consumers' expenditure. The revised figure of 10 per cent. has been used in the estimates for all post-war years, but in view of the other uncer- tainties in the 1938 figures the original 5 per cent. has not been changed for that year.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give an estimate of the business travel component of travel expenditure incurred by United Kingdom residents inside foreign countries, similar to that which used to be given in the Notes at the end of the United Kingdom Balance of Payments White Paper.

Rough estimates of expenditure abroad on business travel, made in the same way as those formerly given in the Notes at the end of the United Kingdom Balance of Payments White Paper, are £27 million for 1958 and £28 million for 1959.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the amount, during the last year for which figures are available, of gifts inter vivos made within five years of the death of the donor which nevertheless failed to attract death duty because they were made in consideration of marriage; and what amount of duty was lost.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what amount of death duty was levied on gifts inter vivos which failed to escape death duty during the most recent year for which figures are available.

About £7½ million in 1958–59.