asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty how many antisubmarine frigates, out of the total of 34 ships of the Blackwood and Type 15 groups, have been fitted in whole or part with anti-submarine homing torpedo tubes; and, in view of the provision for fitting tubes in all these ships, for what reason this anti-submarine weapon is not being fitted as and when each ship becomes due for refit.

It would not be in the public interest to divulge this information.

asked the Minister of Aviation on what date the final trial modifications to Blue Steel Mark I will be complete; and when he will place the first operational production order for the Royal Air Force.

It would not be in the public interest to forecast a date for completion of final trial modifications. The further order to which I referred in my reply to a similar Question by my hon. and gallant Friend last week is for operational rounds for delivery to the R.A.F.

asked the Minister of Aviation what plans he has to promote the sale in world markets of the VC10 and super VC10 aircraft.

The commercial sale of these aircraft is a function of the manufacturer. The Government will, however, render all the assistance it properly can, both at home and overseas.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, in view of new opportunities in the area, what steps he is taking to ensure that the West Indian sugar producers increase their exports to the United States of America.

The United States Government have made inquiries of all sugar exporting countries, including the West Indies, as to the amount of sugar which could be made available for export to the United States in case sufficient supplies cannot be obtained from existing suppliers to whom priority in the purchase of sugar is given under the new United States Sugar Act. Full information has been provided on behalf of the Commonwealth countries concerned including the West Indies.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what was the number of factory inspectors employed by the Hong Kong Government in 1956. 1957, 1958, 1959 and 1960.

Factory inspection is carried out by the Labour Inspectorate. The following table shows the number of labour inspectors employed in each financial year.

Year Ended			Number
31st March, 1956	…	…	14
31st March, 1957	…	…	18
31st March, 1958	…	…	24
31st March, 1959	…	…	31
31st March, 1960	…	…	46

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT an unexpurgated edition of the Mau Mau oaths and ceremonies.

No. Detailed information of this nature was included as a confidential appendix to the Report of the Parliamentary Delegation which visited Kenya in 1954 (Cmnd. 9081), but it was decided at the time that it should not be made available to the public at large. Copies of the Report and the confidential appendix were placed in the Library of the House, and distributed to public libraries where they would be available at the discretion of the Librarian on application. Some details were also subsequently included in the Confidential Report (Cmnd. 1030). I do not consider that any further publicity is necessary.

asked the Minister of Education if he will state the percentage of married women among the full-time teachers employed by the local education authorities on the last appropriate date.

It is estimated that full-time married women teachers at present comprise about 42 per cent. of full-time women teachers and about 26 per cent. of all full-time teachers in maintained schools.

asked the Minister of Health what major projects for improving hospital facilities in Hertfordshire are under consideration at the moment; what is the estimated cost of each project; and what is the estimated date of completion.

A new maternity unit at Watford has been accepted in principle for inclusion in the programme as part of the plan for that area. A new general hospital in North Hertfordshire, a new ward block at St. Albans City Hospital, and a major redevelopment at Barnet General Hospital are also under consideration. Firm estimates cannot yet be given of the cost of these projects and their dates of completion.

asked the Minister of Health what major projects for improving hospital facilities in Hertfordshire are to be initiated during the remaining months of 1960 and during 1961 and 1962; and what is the estimated cost of each project.

Work on developments at Leavesden Hospital, and on additional improvements at Napsbury Hospital, is expected to start next year. The cost of each project is approximately £100,000.These are additional to other large schemes on which work is already in progress, including the new hospital at Welwyn.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he now has for the appointment of traffic wardens in the Metropolitan Police District.

I have authorised the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis to proceed on the assumption that the Road Traffic and Roads Improvement Bill will receive the Royal Assent before the Summer Recess, and to arrange for the early recruitment of traffic wardens, with a view to their taking up their duties in the course of September.Discussions are proceeding with certain of the Metropolitan borough councils as to the possibility of the Commissioner taking over the supervision of their parking meters by traffic wardens. If this proposal were agreed, it would take effect from a later date.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether he is aware of the serious air pollution in Darlaston, which is causing great concern to local residents; and what action he proposes to take to deal with this nuisance.

Darlaston is in the provisional list of black areas drawn up by the Department. It is for the local authority to decide what use to make of its powers under the Clean Air Act to deal with air pollution, but my right hon. Friend would like to see these powers used vigorously in all black areas.

asked the Minister of Labour how many factory inspectors have been trained by his Department for the Government of Hong Kong for each of the years 1956 to 1959; how many applications from Hong Kong have been accepted for training and how many rejected, respectively, in each of the last three complete half-years; and what are the comparable figures for the three similar half-years of 1957 and 1958.

My Department provided training for the following numbers of factory inspectors from Hong Kong from 1956——x2013;1959.

1956	…	…	…	…	Nil
1957	…	…	…	…	2
1958	…	…	…	…	2
1959	…	…	…	…	1

In the current year two further inspectors have been trained.No application has been refused. Applications were accepted as follows in the half-years in question.

January-June 1960	…	…	1
July-December 1959	…	…	1
January-June 1959	…	…	1
January-June 1958	…	…	Nil
July-December 1957	…	…	1
January-June 1957	…	…	1

Two applications made in 1960 are still under consideration.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will give in column form the main subsidies and tariffs with the amount of protection for each industry, and the time the protection has been enjoyed.

I have written to my hon. Friend explaining the difficulty of answering the Question in the form he has requested.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will state the quantities and countries of origin of imports from Commonwealth countries, and from Eire, of blue-vein cheese, canned cream, and canned pork luncheon meat, respectively, in 1959 and the first six months of 1960.

Figures for May and June, 1960, are not yet available. Imports during the periods 1959 and January-April, 1960, of blue-vein cheese and ground or chopped pork preparations in airtight containers—which includes canned pork luncheon meat—were nil. Imports of cream-preserved—were as follows:

		1959	Jan.-April, 1960
From		Cwt.	Cwt.
Irish Republic	…	3,036	1,015
Australia	…	134	54

asked the President of the Board of Trade to what extent, under his regulations, the hiring of the coin-operated radio and television set is covered by the terms of the Control of Hiring Order, 1960; and whether he will make a statement.

In the view of the Board, the hiring of this type of set is subject to the Control of Hiring Order, 1960, and it has become apparent that the terms of the Order may prevent their hiring in some of the ways used before the Order came into operation. I have had the position considered and it is my intention to licence the hiring of these sets subject to three months' rental being paid in advance. This will accord with the intentions of the Order and avoid the technical difficulties which have arisen.

asked the Minister of Transport on what date he answered the letter from Sir Brian Robertson of December last on the subject of the railway superannuitants' claim to increased awards.

On 17th June, 1960.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of the gross national product was represented by ordinary Government expenditure in the financial years 1938–39, 1950–51, and 1959–60; and what are the corresponding percentages if defence expenditure is omitted.

Total ordinary expenditure, expressed as a percentage of the gross national product at factor cost, was approximately 18 per cent. in 1938–39, 27 per cent. in 1950–51 and 25 per cent. in 1959–60. The corresponding figures, excluding defence expenditure, were 13 per cent., 21 per cent. and 18 per cent. respectively. Direct estimates of the gross national product are not available for financial years, and the figures have therefore been based on interpolations from the Estimates for calendar years.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will make a statement about the rates of interest charged to local authorities borrowing from the Local Loans Fund.

A Treasury Minute made yesterday provides that loans advanced to local authorities from the Local Loans Fund on and after 16th July, 1960; until further notice shall carry the following rates of interest:

Loans for not more than 5 years	6¼ percent.
Loans for more than 5 years but not more than 15 years	6¼ per cent.
Loans for more than 15 years but not more than 30 years	6⅛ per cent.
Loans for more than 30 years	6 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will now make a statement on the report of the Hutchison Committee.

In 1954, following the Report of an inter-departmental committee set up by the Minister of Supply, a new plan for the Woolwich Arsenal area was put into operation.The Gun and Ammunition Factories were amalgamated into a single Royal Ordnance Factory; the Filling Factory was to be dismantled, and its site decontaminated and cleared; 100 acres on the south side of the Arsenal were sold to the London County Council for gradual development as an industrial estate for firms moving from other accommodation in the London area; and the remainder of the central part of the site was made available to the Service Departments and the Ministry of Supply for workshops, stores and similar facilities, for which there was at that time an unsatisfied demand.The low-lying marshland at the eastern end of the site was still needed for the storage and transit of explosives, but it was gradually to be raised above river level by means of controlled tipping, with a view to eventual more valuable uses.By 1959, it had become apparent that, although the reorganisation and concentration of the Royal Ordnance Factory was making good progress, more intensive use of the central area by the Service Departments was no longer likely. In addition the area of the old Filling Factory and the marshland area of the eastern end, which had by then been freed from the storage and transit of explosives, were becoming available for new uses. A further review of the site and its future uses was therefore necessary.Accordingly the Minister of Supply set up a new Inter-departmental Committee, under the chairmanship of Sir Lewis Hutchinson, to review the progress of the 1954 plan and to investigate further the problem of re-developing the Woolwich Arsenal area in the best public interest. The Royal Ordnance Factory, Woolwich, which occupies part of the western end of the area, was outside the Committee's field of review except for some detached elements else-where on the site.The Committee's Report is based on evidence from a very wide variety of

interests and makes the following main recommendations:

asked the Minister of Works if, in order to reduce the number of streams of traffic crossing each other, he will introduce a one-way working system in The Mall, Horse Guards Approach Road, Birdcage Walk, and Spur Road, St. James's Park.

No. Examination of this scheme persuades me that its disadvantages would outweigh its advantages.