asked the Minister of Labour how many men and women were registered as unemployed in June at the Bridgend, Maesteg, Ogmore Vale, and Pontycymmer employment exchanges at the latest convenient date.

The following is the reply:

NUMBERS OF UNEMPLOYED MEN AND WOMEN ON THE REGISTERS OF THE BRIDGEND, MAESTEG, OGMORE VALE AND PONTYCYMMER EMPLOYMENT EXCHANGES AT 13TH JUNE 1960
Exmployment Exchanges			Men	Women
Bridgend	…	…	156	77
Maesteg	…	…	126	83
Ogmore Vale	…	…	19	24
Pontycymmer	…	…	31	9

asked the Minister of Labour how many boys and girls under

—		1960	1961	1962	1963	1964
Cowdenbeath Y.E.O. area	…	1,010	1,100	1,190	1,160	1,190
Dunfermline Y.E.O. area	…	1,080	1,340	1,490	1,360	1,270
Fife (including Cowdenbeath and Dunfermline)	…	4,590	5,660	6,360	5,800	5,570

asked the Minister of Labour how many boys and girls, respectively, are unemployed in the Cowdenbeath employment exchange area; and how many unfilled vacancies existed on the latest date for which figures are available.

On 13th June, 27 boys and 22 girls were unemployed and on 8th June there were two unfilled vacancies for boys and eight for girls.

asked the Minister of Labour how many building trade workers are out of work in Scotland on

Thirty-one boys and 49 girls.

asked the Minister of Labour what is the anticipated number of school-leavers in Scotland, Fife, Cowdenbeath, and Dunfermline employment exchange areas, respectively, in each of the next five years.

In Scotland the numbers of school-leavers seeking employment at ages 15, 16 and 17 are estimated as follows:

1960	…	…	…	…	61,000
1961	…	…	…	…	75,000
1962	…	…	…	…	81,000
1963	…	…	…	…	74,000
1964	…	…	…	…	71,000

Estimates of the numbers of school-leavers in the next five years in Fife, Cowdenbeath and Dunfermline are not available; the following table gives an estimate of the number of 15-year-olds.the latest date for which figures are available; and how many have been unemployed for longer than eight weeks.

At 13th June, 9,560 males and 128 females whose last previous employment was in construction were registered as unemployed in Scotland. Figures for duration of unemployment are not available for individual industries.

asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty why he has given permission for the Papal flag to be flown by H.M.S. "Surprise" on 20th July when she is to convey a United States cardinal from Naples to Malta.

No such permission has been either sought or granted.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will ensure that, when the ex-Royal Ordinance factory houses at Kirkby, Lancashire, are disposed of, they will first be offered to the Kirkby Urban District Council.

I have confirmed that the estate is not required by other Government Departments. I hope, therefore, to open discussions with the council in the near future.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will specify the weaknesses existing in Post Office policy when he was appointed Postmaster-General and the steps he has taken, and

	Year			Income	Expenditure	Profit (+) Loss (-)	Estimated yield of rate increases in first 12 months of operation
				£m.	£m.	£m.	£m.
Inland Correspondence
1954–55	…	…	…	72·6	60·6	+12·0	—
1955–56	…	…	…	82·9	73·4	+9·5	1·1
1956–57	…	…	…	92·3	83·9	+8·4	9·1
1957–58	…	…	…	99·6	92·0	+7·6	8·2
1958–59	…	…	…	107·3	96·9	+10·4	6·8
Inland Parcels
1954–55	…	…	…	18·2	19·7	- 1·5	1·5
1955–56	…	…	…	17·8	21·3	- 3·5	0·6
1956–57	…	…	…	23·2	26·3	- 3·1	3·6
1957–58	…	…	…	24·8	28·1	- 3·3	1·9
1958–59	…	…	…	25·8	29·5	- 3·7	1·3
Inland Telegrams
1954–55	…	…	…	4·5	8·5	- 4·0	0·7
1955–56	…	…	…	4·4	7·4	- 3·0	0·1
1956–57	…	…	…	3·7	6·5	- 2·8	—
1957–58	…	…	…	3·3	6·4	- 3·1	—
1958–59	…	…	…	3·1	6·3	- 3·2	—

I would refer the hon. Member to the speech my right hon. Friend made when moving the Second Reading of the Post Office and Telegraph (Money) Bill on 13th November, 1959. I am sending him a copy.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will make a detailed statement indicating the effect on the Post Office turnover and profits caused by the increases to the present higher rates for some years of letters, parcels, and telegrams and indicate when, in what circumstances, and to what extent, he estimates that he will be in a position to reduce those rates.

As regards the second part of the Question, I would naturally be pleased to see each service viable. In present circumstances, however, I could not contemplate adding to the losses on Inland Parcels and Telegrams, nor can I overlook the considerable losses of other elements of the postal services.In reply to the first part of the Question, the following Table gives an analysis for five years:—

asked the Postmaster-General to what extent his Department has shown an interest in the potential uses of space satellites; to what extent they could assist in developing communications and an international television network; and if he will make a statement.

I would refer to the answer given today to my hon. Friend the Member for Honiton (Mr. Mathew).

asked the Postmaster-General on what date an alternative television service will be available to viewers in East Devon.

I am glad to say that the I.T.A. hope to extend their service to East Devon during the first half of 1961.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether he has yet reached a decision on modifying the Victor Mark II bomber to carry Skybolt.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what are the latest recruitment figures.

The figures for May were placed in the Vote Office this afternoon.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what agreement has been reached on the size of the Royal Air Force bases in Cyprus and the circumstances in which they be used operationally by the Royal Air Force and by the air forces of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation countries.

As my right hon. Friend the Colonial Secretary said on Monday, we hope to publish a White Paper setting out the Cyprus agreements later this week.

asked the Secretary of State for Air in what circumstances units of allied air forces at Royal Air Force stations can be put on an alert without his permission.

As has often been explained, the use in emergency of bases in this country by United States forces is subject to joint decision by the United Kingdom and United States Governments. Joint decisions are not required for exercises and similar training activities.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will arrange with the Postmaster-General for the provision of coin telephone boxes at authorised stopping points on the M.1 and other motorways.

Yes. Coin telephone boxes will be installed on M.1 at the two services areas which are nearing completion. Similar arrangements will be made on other major motorways.

asked the Minister of Transport if he is satisfied that he has adequate facilities available for the making of models when it is desired to show alterations to streets and adjacent buildings in development proposals, particularly where amenity considerations may arise; arid if he will make a statement.

Yes. There are a number of firms and individuals who specialise in model-making and their services can be called on by my Department, the consulting engineers or local highway authorities. If my hon. Friend is interested in any particular case, I shall be glad to have it examined.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will take action progressively to eliminate all traffic signals on the Great West Road by providing two or three flyovers at the busiest crossings, and only allowing infiltration to the left at other road intersections, in view of the constant hold up of the large volume of traffic using this road.

Because of the built-up nature of the area it would hardly be economic or practicable to provide flyovers at junctions on the Great West Road, which will probably be superseded by the proposed Chiswick-Langley motorway as the main route for through traffic to the West. I am, however, having the traffic signals on the Great West Road examined with a view to securing a better flow of traffic and to determine whether any turning movements could be justifiably and profitably eliminated.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will consider lighting the areas beneath the bridges on the M.1 and by doing so eliminate the shadows, which have been identified as the cause of a number of accidents.

I have no evidence that shadows under the bridges have been the cause of a number of accidents on M.1. This has been suggested in one recent instance, which my hon. Friend no doubt has in mind. I am awaiting full reports on this case and will then investigate the matter further.

asked the Minister of Transport what difference there is between the newly-proposed by-pass at Selby and the by-pass scheme which was dropped following a public inquiry before the war; when details of the line of route of the new by-pass will be made available; and whether it will be submitted to a local public inquiry.

Following a public inquiry in 1937, a route for a by-pass of Selby on the A.63 was established by an order, made in 1938, which is still effective. If I should at any time decide not to adopt this route for the by-pass, I should, of course, publish a revised draft order showing an alternative route. Whether or not a public inquiry was held would depend on the objections received.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will give an assurance that the recent Government announcement that capital investment in the public sector next year will not be allowed to exceed this year's will not delay in any way the commencing and completing of the Tyne Tunnel.

It is unlikely that schemes for which grant has already been authorised will be affected. The Tyne Tunnel is such a scheme.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will state an approximate date when the pedestrian subways, now under construction in the Bath Road. Cranford, will be completed.

October this year.

asked the Minister of Transport when it is proposed to commence work on the fly-over project at the Ewell Road, Tolworth, junction on the Kingston By-pass.

I am considering priorities for the improvement of the Kingston By-pass and cannot say yet how soon it will be possible to start work on a flyover at the Tolworth junction.

asked the Minister of Transport if he is now in a position to state when work on the Lancashire section of the Birmingham-Preston motorway will be started.

I expected that work would begin this summer and regret that there will now be some delay. The Lancashire County Council, as my Agent Authority, invited tenders for two contracts for the 26 miles between Preston and Warrington. Three firms submitted tenders for both contracts and a fourth firm for one contract only.The average cost per mile in the lowest tenders proved very much higher than for sections of motorway elsewhere. The Lancashire County Council is of the opinion that this may be mainly due to poor soil conditions, to the presence of mine workings (both of which would necessitate heavier excavation than usual and the import of large amounts of fill) and to the cost of drainage in an area which is largely built up.The additional cost would, however, be so substantial that I have asked for a review of the particulars of the contract documents which were issued to tenderers in order to see whether savings could be made without departing from the basic specification. The review will be carried out, as a matter of urgency, by officers of my Department, the Road Research Laboratory and the County Council. I hope that, following this review, I shall be able to authorise the Lancashire County Council to invite fresh tenders for the motorway later in the year.

asked the Minister of Transport what is the number of pedestrian subways now under construction in England and Wales, and the total number planned for this year.

Fifty-three pedestrian subways are now under construction and seventy-one further subways are included in schemes which are planned to start before the end of the financial year.

asked the Minister of Transport, now that the erection of the steel structure of the Firth of Forth bridge has commenced, if he will give a date for the commencement of the under-water works for the Severn bridge.

I have nothing at present to add to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Bristol, South on 1st June, 1960.

asked the Minister of Transport if he has now considered the report of the joint working party set up by him last January to consider and report on the pontoon dock facilities at Aberdeen; what consultations he has had on it with the Admiralty and the Scottish Office; and if he will now take steps, as indicated in paragraph XI, page 6, of the report, to arrange a meeting of those Ministers and the working party to consider the report in continuation of the discussions which took place in London on 5th November, 1959.

The report reached me only on 29th June and is now being studied. Consultation with the other Departments concerned will follow. I cannot at this early stage anticipate the further action which I shall take.

asked the Minister of Defence to what extent the recent official announcement that capital expenditure in the public sector would be restricted next year to this year's level will apply to defence expenditure.

As I informed the hon. Member for West Ham, North (Mr. A. Lewis) yesterday, the implementation of the policy announced by my right hon. Friend on 23rd June is under consideration.

asked the Minister of Defence what is the present position of the Blue Steel project.

Mark II V-bombers are being fitted to carry the Blue Steel Mark I bomb. The bomb itself is not yet in service, but its development is going well and launching trials are now taking place. I am not prepared to forecast the exact date when it will be deployed, but it will give us several years of useful service before Skybolt is available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what were the number of coloured children and the total number of children in the care of the London County Council, the Middlesex County Council, the Liverpool Borough Council, the Nottingham Borough Council and the Birmingham Borough Council, respectively, at the 31st December, 1959, as compared with the figures for the 31st December, 1958.

This information is not available in the returns furnished by local authorities to the Home Office, and I regret that I should not feel justified in calling for special returns of coloured children in care. In any event, I understand that not all the authorities concerned could furnish the information.

asked the Minister of Health, as representing the Minister for Science, if he will initiate research into the possible dangers to health of a concentration of diesel fumes in areas of high traffic congestion.

As I told the hon. Member for Leyton (Mr. Sorensen) on 7th December, 1959, research into the possible dangers to health from diesel fumes and pollution from other sources in areas of high traffic density is at present being undertaken by the Medical Research Council. A report on investigations in vehicular tunnels will shortly be published in one of the scientific journals.

asked the Minister of Power if he will provide a comprehensive list of Government-owned oil pipelines, showing the routes, mileage, and capacity of each; and to what extent they are in current use by commercial oil companies.

As Government-owned oil pipelines have been built for defence purposes, it is not in the public interest to give comprehensive information about their characteristics or the use to which they are put.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will state, for the most convenient recent period, the average prescription per patient for the cities of Dundee, Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Aberdeen, respectively; and the number of occasions, in each city, in which doctors have had action taken against them by the local medical committee for over-prescribing.

The average cost of prescriptions dispensed in October, 1959, the latest month for which figures are available, is for Dundee 2s. 3¼d per person, Glasgow 3s. 4d., Edinburgh 2s. 11½d. and Aberdeen 2s. 10½d. Since 1954, when prescribing statistics were first issued, the number of occasions in which the executive councils, on the recommendation of the local medical committees, have taken formal action against doctors for excessive prescribing is Dundee 15, Glasgow 12, Edinburgh 1 and Aberdeen nil.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether Her Majesty's Government will take part in the next meeting of the Council of Europe's committee of experts on wines and spirits, which is expected to discuss regulations relating to the production and commerce of spirits that may directly affect British exports of whisky and gin.

No. As I understand the Committee's terms of reference, its main task will be to arrange an agreement on methods of production, protection of trade names and the struc- ture and operation of the bodies which would administer the agreement. Our system of trade names—including their use as indications of origin—is based upon the Merchandise Marks Acts, 1887–1953, and is fundamentally different from that prevailing in some continental countries; I do not, therefore, consider that we can make any useful contribution to this aspect of the Committee's work.