asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the inadequate supply of goatskins from Commonwealth sources for glace kid manufacturers, he will consider remitting duty on imports from other sources.

Following representations by the United Kingdom tanners, I am considering whether raw goatskins should be temporarily exempted from import duty.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons were serving sentences of imprisonment in Her Majesty's prisons at the most recent date for computation on the ground of failure to attend for medical examination or failure to report for military service due to a claim of conscientious objection.

There were 13 such persons in prisons in England and Wales on 1st June, 1960.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many of the 3,714 cases in 1959, where magistrates suspended a driver's licence for the offence of driving or being in charge of a vehicle while under the influence of drink or a drug, the disqualification has been removed before the expiry of the initial term of suspension.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in view of the disproportionate expenditure incurred by local police forces in the control of abnormally large loads conveyed along roadways, if he will arrange for such expenditure in all cases to be defrayed from Government funds.

No. My right hon. Friend can see no reason for departing in this instance from the long-established practice whereby half of police expenditure is met from the Exchequer and half from the rates.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to urge neighbours and other members of the general public who are aware of cruelty to children to take action by reporting such cases to the police or other bodies capable of taking action.

The public will, I hope, always be anxious to assist the responsible authorities, who depend a great deal upon an alert public opinion, to prevent cruelty to children. I am sure the hon. Member's Question and other recent publicity will have helped from that point of view.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will state what steps were taken by the Metropolitan police to disperse the pickets from outside the Pigalle Restaurant on 7th June.

I am informed by the Commissioner of Police that when, in the opinion of the senior police officer on duty, there was a danger of a breach of the peace, the demonstrators were warned that their activities could not be allowed to continue and they dispersed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the legislation he is proposing to introduce respecting registered clubs will include provisions for the control of night clubs for the purpose of presenting nude shows and other undesirable performances.

In so far as these are not genuine members' clubs they would under my proposals require a justices' licence for the supply of intoxicating liquor and would thus become subject to an effective measure of control.

asked the Prime Minister what reply was sent to the letter of 1st June, addressed to him by the Needy Old-Age Pensioners Society, of Manor Park, E.12, regarding the possibility of a 10s. rise in pensions.

The letter was acknowledged on 2nd June. A copy of it has been forwarded to my right hon. Friend the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance.

asked the Prime Minister whether he is now in a position to make a statement on the proposal to reimburse hon. Members who use their own vehicles in place of travel vouchers.

Representations were made to the Government some time ago by the Opposition advocating car allowances for hon. Members in lieu of travel warrants. My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer has been at pains to evolve a practical scheme. This has been discussed through the usual channels, but I am now informed that the Opposition feel that they can no longer support such a proposal.I do not think that such a scheme can be proceeded with in the absence of general agreement.

asked the Prime Minister what proposal Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom have received from the sponsors of Churchill College that they should join with other Commonwealth Governments in making a commemorative contribution to the College; and what reply has been sent.

I am sure that it would be in accordance with the wishes of this House that Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom, in common with all the other Commonwealth Governments, should be associated with Churchill College by an appropriate commemorative gift. It is therefore proposed to present the College with a bust of my right hon. Friend the Member for Woodford (Sir. W. Churchill) similar to that commissioned by Her Majesty the Queen for Windsor. Her Majesty has graciously given her consent to this proposal.

asked the Minister of State for Commonwealth Relations what decisions have been taken by Her Majesty's Government regarding aid for the Ghana Volta River Project.

I understand that discussions are still proceeding between the Ghana authorities and the aluminium companies about the smelter plant, and that discussions with the International Bank on the hydro-electric scheme have been taking place. Decisions by all concerned must await the outcome of these consultations.

asked the Minister of State for Commonwealth Relations how many refugees from South Africa are now in Swaziland; and under what circumstances they will be granted residence permits.

The exact number of persons who have recently come to Swaziland from the Union of South Africa for political reasons and are still there is not known.Such persons may apply for temporary or permanent residence permits under Proclamations No. 17 of 1956 and No. 56 of 1959, or for special permits under Proclamations Nos. 22 and 26 of 1960. The circumstances under which the various permits may be granted are prescribed in the Proclamations.

asked the Minister of State for Commonwealth Relations what is his estimate of the numbers of teachers now living in the Protectorates of Swaziland, Bechuanaland and Basutoland and not employed.

It is not possible to provide any accurate estimate of the number of unemployed teachers living in the High Commission Territories, but the number is believed to be small.

asked the Minister of Education when it is intended to select a new Chairman for the British Committee for the interchange of teachers between the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

The present Chairman and Director is retiring early in August and his successor Mr. G. C. Harper has already been appointed.

asked the Minister of Education if he will name the additional day training colleges for mature students, with the proposed dates of opening and the number of places at each.

In addition to those already in operation at Manchester and Leeds, day training colleges are to be opened at Brentwood, Essex, for 240 places; at Swinton, Yorkshire West Riding, for 200–250 places; and at Chorley, Lancashire, for 180–200 places. All these colleges are planned to open in January, 1961.It is hoped to open other day training colleges by the same date in London, the West Midlands and Tyneside.

asked the Minister of Education if he will name the new colleges and extensions, with the intake of men and women, respectively, and the proposed dates of opening, which are to provide the extra 16,000 teacher training places agreed upon by his predecessor.

The 16,000 place teacher training expansion programme now contains approved projects far five new colleges and extensions to 81 existing colleges. I am sending details to the hon. Member. The building of about four-fifths of these places should start this year and should be completed about two years later.

asked the Minister of Education if, in view of the shortage of physical training teachers and the possibility that 400 suitable women candidates for places in physical training colleges are unlikely to gain admission in September, 1960, he will consult with the Service Ministers to make arrangements for some of these candidates to be temporarily accommodated by the Service Departments and receive part of their initial training in conjunction with the Services physical training courses.

No. I do not think this form of improvisation is needed. The colleges of physical education and general colleges with specialist facilities in the subject have already accepted over 600 suitable students for the coming year and other general colleges with main courses in physical education are considering the remaining candidates.

asked the Minister of Education if he is now in a position to reply to a letter from the hon. Member for Wood Green, dated 6th April, with regard to a part-time nursery class at Bounds Green School.

I sent a reply to the hon. Member on 2nd June.

asked the Minister of Education, as representing the Minister for Science, how many experimental nuclear reactor projects are under observation and under construction, respectively, by the Atomic Energy Authority, specifying the types and their purpose.

The Atomic Energy Authority endeavour to keep under observation experimental reactor projects in all parts of the world. At

THE AUTHORITY'S RESEARCH AND EXPERIMENTAL REACTORS
Name				Purpose
(a) Existing
GLEEP	…	Harwell	…	Routine graphite and uranium quality testing, research with oscillator, biological irradiations.
BEPO	…	Harwell	…	Isotope production and general radiation source.
DIMPLE (zero energy)	…	Harwell	…	Thermal reactor and pile oscillator studies.
LIDO	…	Harwell	…	Thermal reactor studies, including shielding.
DIDO	…	Harwell	…	Nuclear reactor material studies, isotope production, neutron physics, radiation chemistry.
PLUTO	…	Harwell	…	Nuclear reactor material studies, isotope production' neutron physics, radiation chemistry.
DMTR (Pluto type)	…	Dounreay	…	Studies on nuclear reactor materials.
HORACE (zero energy)	…	Aldermaston	…	To obtain basic nuclear information on HERALD
FAST REACTOR (Dounreay)	…	Dounreay	…	Development of fast reactor technology (reactor physics, fuel elements and coolant handling).
ZENITH (zero energy)	…	Winfrith	…	Reactor physics investigations for high temperature gas-cooled systems (Maximum temperatures, 800°C. in core, 400°C. in reflector).
HERALD	…	Aldermaston	…	Neutron physics, radiochemical and nuclear reactor materials studies.
NERO (zero energy)	…	Winfrith	…	Investigations for advanced graphite-moderated reactors.
(b) Under construction (and expected to start up in 1961)
A.G.R.	…	Windscale	…	To study the advanced gas-cooled power reactor systems and to test fuel elements for the system.
HERO (zero energy)	…	Windscale	…	Reactor physics studies for the advanced gas-cooled reactor system.
(c) Construction approved
NESTOR	…	Winfrith	…	Source of neutrons for sub-critical assemblies.
HECTOR (zero energy)	…	Winfrith	…	Oscillator Reactor—reactivity measurements on materials and fuel elements.
NOTE: In addition the Authority are participating jointly with other members of the European Nuclear Energy Agency of the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation (O.E.E.C.) in the operation of the heavy water moderated boiling water reactor at Halden in Norway, and in the design, construction and operation of the high-temperature gas-cooled experimental reactor (DRAGON) at Winfrith in Dorset.

asked the Minister of Education, as representing the Minister for

The Department of Scientific and Industrial Research has made some preliminary inquiries into the scientific and technical resources of the shipbuilding industry in relation to its needs and is now discussing the results with the Shipbuilding Conference, with a view to making a further, more detailed, assessment. My noble friend considers that it would be premature to make any further statement until the discussions with the industry have been completed and any further studies which may be required carried out.

asked the Minister of Health if he will cause a census to be made of all aged people who are living alone, and introduce means to empower local authorities to appoint welfare officers exclusively for the purpose of making periodic visits to these people and giving them advice and help.

Statistics of persons living alone will be available from the 1961 Census and published in the Census Reports.Health visitors and other officers of local authorities are already available to visit and help aged persons living alone according to their varying needs and it would be undesirable to appoint officers exclusively for this purpose.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will now review the regulations governing the inclusion of antibiotics in calf foods.

A Joint Committee of the Agricultural and Medical Research Councils is re-examining the possible consequences of the feeding of antibiotics to farm animals and considering whether this constitutes a danger to human or animal health. The question of amending the present regulations, which do not permit the inclusion of antibiotics in calf food, will be considered in the light of their advice.

asked the Minister of Power if he is satisfied that the present nuclear power programme will be fully implemented by 1966; and to what extent, in the light of progress in nuclear reactor techniques, consideration is 'being given to the next phase of the nuclear power programme concentrating more on the advanced gas cooler reactor.

I would refer the hon. Member to the White Paper "The Nuclear Power Programme" which my right hon. Friend presented to Parliament on 20th June.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give the figures of the net decreases in agricultural area of England and Wales from 1939 up to the latest available date on account of building and other developments, including losses for the year 1958–59.

According to the agricultural returns, the total net decreases in the agricultural area of England and Wales in the twenty years from 1939–40 to 1958–59 were 524,000 acres on account of building, and 75,000 acres on account of other developments (i.e., sports grounds and, from 1953–54, mineral workings). The figures for the year 1958–59 were 27,700 acres and 8,900 acres respectively.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he is yet in a position to announce the name of the chairman of the committee of inquiry into the present policy for dealing with fowl pest.

I am very glad to be able to inform the House that Professor Sir Arnold Plant has agreed to become chairman of this committee.

asked the Minister of Aviation why photographs of the Spadeadam rocket engine testing site, prepared for release by de Havillands, have been held up on security grounds, in view of the cancellation of Blue Streak.

Apart from security considerations, I did not think it a particularly appropriate moment to publicise the work at Spadeadam.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what is the adult population of Lusaka, Northern Rhodesia, over the age of 21 years; what are the numbers of Africans, Asians and Europeans, respectively; and how many of each group are at present registered as voters for the purpose of electing the municipal council.

Information on the composition by age of the population of Lusaka is not available but the latest estimate of the total population, as at December, 1959, was

Africans	…	…	62,000
Eurafricans	…	…	300
Asians	…	…	1,450
Europeans	…	…	13,000

The total number of voters on the current municipal voters' roll is 3,117. The roll does not specify the race of the voter, and it is not possible to state how many of each race are on the roll. As, however, the municipal franchise depends on the occupation or ownership of assessable property and as property in African housing areas is at present exempt from assessment, special statutory provision has been made for the representation of Africans on the African Affairs Committee of the Municipal Council.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what educational, income and age qualifications will be required of African, European, Asian, and Arab voters, respectively, under the new constitution for Kenya.

The qualifications and disqualifications for electors under the new constitution will be the same for all races. All electors must be aged 21 or over. The educational and income qualifications (which are alternatives) will be ability to read and write in own language or Swahili or English, and income of not less than £75 per annum or property valued at not less than £350. Those who do not fulfil either of these qualifications will nevertheless be qualified to vote if they are over 40 years of age or hold one of certain specified posts.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies when the election of the Kenya Legislative Assembly under the new constitution will take place.

The date of the elections will depend on the completion of the necessary legal and administrative arrangements. These are going ahead as quickly as possible and, if all goes well, the elections to the new Legislative Council should take place early in 1961.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in view of the decision of the United Kingdom Government to exercise the option of eliminating the protective element in Revenue duties on or before January, 1965, but without making any reduction in import duty in the current financial year, whether it is his intention to reduce the relevant duties in one or more stages during the next four years.

As I explained in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Gloucestershire, South (Mr. Corfield) on 3rd June, it is not the Government's intention to maintain the protective elements in all the duties concerned in full until the end of 1964. On the contrary, in the case of most of these duties the Government hopes to make substan tial reductions in the effective protective elements, if not to eliminate them, before that date. The reductions may be by one or more instalments, as may be appropriate in each case, but I am not in a position at this stage to state details of the changes or the dates when they will be made.