asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if he will state the number of cases that have made a first claim for suspected pneumoconiosis in England and Wales during the last accountable year; how many of these received a clinical examination as well as examination by X-ray; how many were judged to be suffering; how many were rejected; and, of the latter, how many appealed and were, after clinical examination, successful.

During 1959, 14,258 persons in England and Wales were X-rayed following a claim in respect of pneumoconiosis under the Industrial Injuries Acts, and of these 6,107 were referred for a clinical examination, but not all of these were

INDUSTRIAL DISABLEMENT BENEFIT
PERSONS SUFFERING FROM PNEUMOCONIOSIS
—	All assessments	Disablement Pension Awards
		10 per cent.	20 per cent.	30 per cent.	40 per cent.	50 per cent.	60 per cent.	70 per cent.	80 per cent.	90 per cent.	100 per cent.
1. Number with disablement pensions	43,040	16,570	10,860	6,155	3,185	2,080	1,095	685	480	50	1,880
2. Number with special hardship allowance (a) at all rates including the maximum	21,150	5,715	5,755	3,895	2,350	1,570	880	540	395	50	—
(b) at the 34s. (maximum) rate*	19,345	19,345						—	—	—	—
* No breakdown of the numbers in receipt of the maximum rate of 34s. special hardship allowance by reference to the disablement assessment, is available.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if he will state, as a percentage of average earnings, the unemployment benefit paid to a single adult male worker at April 1958, 1959 and 1960, respectively.

19·7 and 19·0 per cent. Information about earnings in April, 1960, is not yet available.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT the number of cases, at the latest convenient date, of persons suffering from pneumoconiosis, indicating how many draw 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, and 100 per cent. of disability allowance; and if he will also give the numbers in these categories who are receiving full hardship allowance.

Yes. The following is the Answer:

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if he will state the number of persons who are unemployable due to suffering from aphasia; and the number of these people who are receiving full constant attendance allowance.

I regret that the information asked for is not available.

asked the Minister of Health if he will introduce regulations to require that all new drugs be tested and evaluated by a responsible body before they are offered for sale to the public.

While there are no existing powers under which such regulations could be made, I am giving, and will continue to give, all the help and encouragement I can towards improvements in the present arrangements and facilities for clinical trials. The Central and Scottish Health Services Councils at the suggestion of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and myself, have agreed to extend the terms of reference and membership of the Standing Joint Committee on the Classification of Proprietary Preparations to enable this Committee to assist.

asked the Minister of Health if he now proposes to raise the grant for a trainee assistant in general practice from £775 to £1,150; and when an announcement about this matter may be expected.

Full acceptance of the Report of the Royal Commission on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration includes acceptance of this recommendation. Discussions with the medical profession on the Government's offer to implement the Report as a whole as it stands are in progress and I am not yet able to answer the last part of the Question.

asked the Minister of Health the present average salary paid to an assistant in general practice; what he estimates this will be if the recommendations of the Pilkington Report are operated; and what steps he proposes to take to persuade employing doctors to implement these recommendations.

I have no information about the present average salary of assistants in general practice. Their conditions of employment are arranged by private contract between the principal and the assistant and the Royal Commission recommended that this arrangement should continue. The last part of the Question does not, therefore, arise.

asked the Minister of Health which hospitals are testing the new automatic nitrous-oxide-oxygen machine for the relief of pain at childbirth; and whether he has received a report through the Medical Research Council regarding the effectiveness of this machine.

The new machine had been tried out at the Kingsbury Maternity Hospital and Oldchurch Hospital, Romford, before the Medical Research Council began consideration of the matter. I have not yet received a report from the Medical Research Council, but I understand that preliminary investigations are in progress.

asked the Minister of Health why transistor hearing-aids are not made available to all patients in the National Health Service, as they are to those who can afford to buy them privately.

Medresco transistor aids have been available for children for some time now and a good start has recently been made on issuing these aids to adults.

asked the Minister of Health how many cases of smallpox and deaths from that disease were recorded in England and Wales in the year 1959.

One case was notified; there were no deaths.

asked the Minister of Health how many deaths from vaccination, vaccinia, post-vaccinal encephalitis, or any other results of vaccination were registered in England and Wales in 1959; and what were the ages of the victims.

Two; one aged three months and one aged twenty years.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that the erection of a new out-patients' department at Oldchurch Hospital will involve the demolition of a staff tennis court there, that the recreational facilities for the staff at the hospital are very limited, and that the cost of a new tennis court elsewhere in the hospital grounds for the use of the nursing staff will be about £700; and whether he will include the cost of a new tennis court as part of the development scheme.

I understand that the provision of a new tennis court has been under discussion between the hospital management committee and the regional hospital board, which is at present considering the committee's request that the board should meet the cost. I cannot comment further until its decision is known.

asked the Minister of Health how many extra beds were provided in 1959, in Essex, for cases at mental-deficiency hospital permanent care.

Fifty beds were provided for the Royal Eastern Counties Hospital, and 170 were under construction for South Ockendon Hospital. The majority will be occupied by patients from Essex.

asked the Minister of Health what is the average waiting period for cataract cases requiring surgery, where priority is not accorded on social or general medical grounds, at the Manchester Royal Eye Hospital; and what was the average waiting period in June, 1956, 1957, 1958, and 1959, respectively.

The average waiting period for patients admitted in June, 1960, was three months. The corresponding periods for June, 1956, 1957, 1958 and 1959 were respectively 12 months, 12 months, 9 months and 3 months.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to what extent he is now satisfied that the signatories to the Charter of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation are providing, or are capable of providing, the full military quota which they agreed to contribute.

There are no agreed military quotas, only force goals for planning purposes. I cannot disclose the extent to which countries have fallen short of, reached or gone beyond these goals.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what recent consideration has been given within the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation to political control over United States bases on the territories of its member-States, and the use of military facilities by one member-State on another member-State's soil.

The proceedings of the North Atlantic Council are confidential.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will give details of the lecturing staff employed, and the courses provided, by the Foreign Service Research Centre dealing with the study of historical, economic and political developments in various regions of the world.

There is no direct connection between the Foreign Office Research Department and the various Foreign Service training courses which were described briefly in my Answer to the hon. Member's Question of 30th May, though members of Research Department may give lectures on such courses. The business of the Research Department is to provide historical background, assessments, and advice in connection with current problems.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will increase the number of foreign service officers appointed to spend a year at the Harvard Center for International Studies.

This is not a matter for my right hon. and learned Friend alone. The Center, which is of small size, has been good enough to offer one Fellowship a year to Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom, and an officer of suitable qualifications is selected to hold the Fellowship.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will appoint a small committee of senior foreign service officers and university professors to exercise means by which British universities can be associated more closely with the training of diplomats.

Questions regarding the training of members of the Foreign Service are frequently discussed between officials of the Department and members of the staffs of universities. In the current academic year, for example, members of the Personnel Department of the Foreign Office have visited every university in the United Kingdom with the exception of one, and have benefited from the views of a wide cross-section of university opinion in this country on the problems of the Service as a whole. My right hon. and learned Friend does not therefore consider that a committee of the sort suggested would offer additional benefits.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs why a married woman is obliged to give her husband's Christian names and the date and place of his birth on a passport renewal form, whereas a married man is not obliged to give these particulars about his wife.

These particulars are no longer required for the renewal of a passport and arrangements have been made for the renewal application forms to he amended accordingly when they are next printed.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that certain chemicals used in photocopying, such as trichloroethylene and tricresylphosphate have anaesthetic effects and prove to be drugs of addiction; and whether, in view of the fact that photocopying work is often carried out by young people in basement rooms, he will take steps to warn employers concerned.

I am not aware of any such problem.

asked the Minister of Labour what was the number of unemployed in the aircraft and radio industries at the employment exchanges in May; and if he will give the comparative figures for the same period last year.

pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 30th May, 1960; Vol. 624, c. 102–3], supplied the following:

NUMBERS OF PERSONS IN THE UNDERMENTIONED INDUSTRIES REGISTERED AS UNEMPLOYED IN GREAT BRITAIN ON 16TH MAY, 1960
—		Radio and other electronic apparatus	Aircraft manufacturing and repairing
Males	…	753	1,210
Females	…	1,075	315
TOTAL	…	1,828	1,525

Accurate comparisons of the numbers unemployed in the industry in months before and after June, 1959, are not possible.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food why a guaranteed increase was given to farmers, in view of the surplus of potatoes over requirements last year; and what protection he will afford the consumer by way of controlling the retail price.

The Government decided to increase the guaranteed price of potatoes by 5s. 6d. per ton at the last Annual Review because it was considered that the low returns from the 1959 crop might have an unduly discouraging effect on plantings in 1960.It is not the Government's policy to attempt to control retail prices of potatoes.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he is aware of the losses of valuable herds incurred in farm fires; and whether he will take steps to ensure that all farm buildings are equipped by already existing automatic mechanical devices for releasing trapped animals.

My right hon. Friend has no information about the automatic devices to which the right hon. Member refers. If he will let me have particulars, I will gladly have further inquiries made.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what grants have been made by his Department towards sewerage and drainage schemes to assist small farmers and smallholders in the rural district of Newcastle-under-Lyme in each of the last five years; and what schemes are under consideration at the moment.

I regret that this information is not available. My Department makes grants to farmers for schemes of field drainage and also, under the Farm Improvement Scheme, for sewage disposal from farms other than domestic sewage. But for neither purpose are figures available on a basis of district council areas nor are small farmers and smallholders distinguished from other farmers.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he has now completed his consideration of the discussions on the draft scheme in respect of the Leicestershire portion of the London-Yorkshire motor road; and if he will proceed with the construction without further delay.

I am still considering the objections to the draft scheme. Construction cannot begin until the remaining statutory processes have been completed and the necessary funds are available.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he has yet received a report from the sub-committee of the Advisory Committee of the Shipbuilding Industry which is considering the future of the industry; and if he will publish any such report.

The sub-committee will work as fast as possible, but it will inevitably be some time before it can report to the main Committee. It will do so in confidence in the first instance.

asked the Minister of Defence the current cost of recruitment publicity for the armed Services; and the cost per person recruited.

The total estimated cost of recruitment publicity for the armed Services in the financial year 1959–60 was £1,206,245 which works out at £21 per person recruited.

asked the Minister of Defence whether, in view of the orders recently given by Marshal Malinovsky to the rocket-force commander of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, he will now reconsider affording Western Germany rocket bases on South Uist and at Aberporth; and if it is still his policy to allow West German military aircraft to make training flights over the United Kingdom.

There has never been any question of offering West Germany rocket bases in the United Kingdom. The use of the Hebrides missile range for limited periods for training has been offered to N.A.T.O. and I see no reason to withdraw this offer. Moreover, I can see no connection between the use of rocket ranges for training and the reported statements of Marshal Malinovsky about the use of airfields by aircraft overflying the Soviet Union.

asked the Minister of Defence whether he has now decided to go forward with the development of a British nuclear submarine; what is the cost of this development; and what would be the cost of these submarines on completion.

No order for a British nuclear submarine has yet been placed but, as announced in paragraph 34 of Cmnd. 952, an order is expected to be placed this year. It is not customary to announce in advance the estimated cost of ships to be constructed or under construction.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT the names and whereabouts of political detainees held without trial in Uganda.

After consideration in each case of the results of a full judicial inquiry, the Governor of Uganda has rusticated the following persons to the areas named in exercise of his powers under the Uganda Deportation Ordinance:

• Mr. E. M. K. Mulira: Gulu.
• Mr. Y. Sekabanja: Moroto.
• Mr. E. R. K. S. Mawagi: Moroto.
• Mr. F. P. Muwanga: Soroti.
• Mr. M. Mulongoti: Kitgum.
• Mr. D. Iga: Soroti.
• Mr. G. Binaisa: Moroto.

These cases are kept under regular review and the Governor has recently revoked deportation orders in respect of three other persons who were previously rusticated.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will make a statement on the recent arrest of four persons in Hong Kong, described as Triad Society members, in connection with a gambling network in the western district of the Colony.

Following a lengthy investigation by the Hong Kong C.I.D. into a Triad organisation believed to be controlling gaming in the western area of Hong Kong Island a raid was carried out by the Hong Kong Police. Four Triad Society members are under arrest. Police on normal duty in the area had apparently not been aware of this organised gambling. The matter is under investigation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what information he has about the importation into Hong Kong from Taiwan of pirated British books as unmanifested cargo carried in by ships' crews; and what action is proposed to stop this.

The Governor of Hong Kong has given instructions to search parties to look out for pirated books imported in this way. If any are discovered, it will be open to interested parties to take such action as they see fit.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many civil servants are seconded to the staff of Western European Union by Her Majesty's Government; and if he will state the grades in which they are seconded;(2) what supplementary allowances are paid to civil servants seconded to the staffs of Western European Union, the Council of Europe, the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation; and if he will state the amount of these supplementary allowances in each grade.

pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 3rd June, 1960; Vol. 624, c. 176], supplied the following information:(1) There are no United Kingdom civil servants seconded to the staff of Western European Union.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to increase the maximum penalty for wilful and malicious damage to property to include imprisonment.

The courts already have power to impose sentences of imprisonment for malicious damage to property. The maxima for the commonest type of offence range from two months imprisonment for damage amounting to £5 or less to five years for an offence committed at night and tried on indictment.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now state when he proposes to introduce legislation to provide powers of control over registered clubs, including night clubs.

I am giving this matter careful attention, but I regret that I cannot anticipate the forward legislative programme.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give Exchequer expenditure for the financial year 1959–60 in respect of new construction and major improvement on trunk roads, classified roads, and loan expenditure on classified roads, respectively.

During the year ended 31st March, 1960, Exchequer expenditure in respect of new construction and major improvements on trunk roads in Scotland was £3,248,000 and on classified roads £4,830,000. During that period I authorised highway authorities to borrow £650,000 in respect of their own expenditure on classified roads.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will consider publishing the Scottish Roads Report separately from industry and employment in Scotland and for the period of the financial year, as is the case with roads in England and Wales, in order that detailed expenditure figures for Great Britain will be publicly available at approximately the same time.

As I stated in reply to a Question by my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Inverness (Mr. N. McLean) on the 9th May, I have decided that the Scottish Roads Report for 1959 should again be published together with the White Paper on Industry and Employment in Scotland, which I now expect to present next week.This year the Roads Report will cover the period from the 1st January, 1959, to the 31st March, 1960, and in future it will relate to financial years. Full statistical information for the preceding financial year will not, however, be available for publication in June and I therefore propose to issue supplementary figures towards the end of each calendar year when the comparable statistics for England and Wales are published.

asked the Lord Advocate whether he will introduce legislation to extinguish all estates of superiority in land in Scotland, with suitable provisions for compensation.

I have been asked to reply.I do not have in mind any legislation on this subject.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many boys and girls between the ages of 15 and 18 years there are in Scotland; how many it is estimated there will be in 1965 and 1975, respectively; and what percentage of these age groups is at present taking part in part-time day education.

Her Majesty's Registrar General for Scotland estimated that at 15th January, 1959, the number of boys and girls aged 15, 16 and 17 was 230,900; it is estimated that the corresponding figures for 1965 and 1975 will be 272,400 and 269,800 respectively. In session 1958–59, the latest for which complete statistics are available, the percentage receiving part-time day education was 7·5–6·2 per cent. being boys and 1·3 per cent. being girls.

EDUCATIONAL YEAR 1958–59
STUDENTS RELEASED FROM INDUSTRY, ENGLAND AND WALES
Students aged under 18 years, on 1st August, 1958, released by their employers to attend courses for part-time education, shown as a percentage of the estimated number aged under 18 years, in May, 1959, who are insured under the National Insurance Acts.
	Boys			Girls
	(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	(6)
Industry	Estimated numbers insured at end of May, 1959	Numbers released by their employers during the year 1958–59	Column (2) as a percentage of Column (1)	Estimated numbers insured at end of May, 1959	Numbers released by their employers during the year 1958–59	Column (5) as a percentage of Column (4)
Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing	41,020	1,816	4·4	7,420	126	1·7
Mining and Quarrying	29,400	18,309	62·3	1,290	173	13·4
Food, Drink and Tobacco	18,800	2,687	14·3	30,390	2,931	9·6
Chemicals and Allied Industries	8,410	5,088	60·5	12,960	2,869	22·1
Metal Manufacture	16,160	9,686	59·9	5,570	949	17·0
Engineering and Electrical Goods	61,340	37,573	61·3	38,650	3,701	9·6
Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering	9,900	4,093	41·3	890	66	7·4
Vehicles	23,630	12,812	54·2	9,180	1,125	12·3
Metal Goods not elsewhere specified	18,750	3,901	20·8	14,960	886	5·9
Textiles	15,400	2,254	14·6	37,510	1,063	2·8
Leather, Leather Goods and Fur	2,340	108	4·6	2,340	25	1·1
Clothing and Footwear	10,620	1,823	17·2	53,390	1,646	3·1
Bricks, Pottery, Glass, Cement, etc.	11,030	1,299	11·8	7,230	237	3·3
Timber, Furniture, etc.	17,680	2,683	15·2	5,320	88	1·7
Paper, Printing and Publishing	19,180	7,596	39·6	25,310	795	3·1
Other Manufacturing Industries	6,960	1,332	19·1	10,700	630	5·9
Construction	63,530	30,218	47·6	5,350	291	5·4
Gas, Electricity and Water	6,160	6,532	106·0	2,600	731	28·1
Transport and Communication	29,750	7,238	24·3	13,820	3,833	27·7
Distributive Trades	107,520	9,036	8·4	186,030	5,604	3·0
Insurance, Banking and Finance	10,290	147	1·4	26,980	234	0·9
Professional and Scientific Services	13,900	3,961	28·5	34,760	11,202	32·2
Miscellaneous Services	51,970	10,470	20·1	64,750	3,675	5·7
Public Administration and Defence	10,260	6,879	67·0	11,600	8,863	76·4
Total	604,000	187,541	31·0	609,000	51,743	8·5
NOTES:—
(1) Because of changes in the Standard Industrial Classification, on which this table is based, the figures for particular industries are not necessarily comparable with those for 1958.
(2) Minor discrepancies arise because Cols. (1) and (4) are derived from Ministry of Labour estimates whereas Cols. (2) and (5) are supplied by establishments of further education.

asked the Minister of Education if he will issue an up-to-date version of Table IV of the White Paper on Technical Education, Command Paper No. 9403, giving full details of part-time day release, industry by industry, for the year 1959.

The following table gives the information: