asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer to extend the repayment of post-war credits to married women who, as a result of infirmity or illness, are disabled from undertaking any remunerative employment.

Repayment of post-war credits in these cases would raise serious practical difficulties to which a satisfactory solution has not been found.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will extend his scheme for the repayment of postwar credits to cover those who are receiving regular payments under the Workmen's Compensation Acts.

I will bear the hon. Lady's suggestion in mind, but my present view is that it would not provide a practicable or a fair test of hardship.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consultations he has held with the Federation of British Industries, the Association of British Chambers of Commerce and the National Union of Manufacturers about increasing British exports; and if he will make a statement on Government taxation policy as a means of influencing the balance between home consumption and exports.

Treasury and Board of Trade Ministers and senior officials are in constant touch with these organisations, and export promotion was discussed at last Friday's meeting of the National Production Advisory Council on Industry on which they are represented. On the second part of the Question, it has always been the policy of Her Majesty's Government to use the Budget, and other means as appropriate, to achieve a proper balance between demand at home and exports.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer his estimate of the effect, to date, upon British exports of his credit-squeeze measures.

There is no means of measuring separately the effects of one particular factor out of the complex factors which determine the volume and pattern of our export trade, but I should hardly have expected the measures taken at the end of April, still less those taken in June, to have had time to effect significantly the volume of goods exported since then.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer his estimate of the effect, to date, upon National Savings and other personal savings, of his budgetary measures of April, 1960.

The published figures show that the net inflow of National Savings in the first sixteen weeks of the present financial year has been rather lower than in the corresponding period last year, but it is much too early to forecast the result for the year as a whole. No figures are yet available which indicate the trend of personal savings generally since the Budget.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps are now being taken to settle with the Greek Government the repayment of the interest due by them to bondholders since 1941.

The Greek Government have been left in no doubt as to the importance which Her Majesty's Government attaches to a negotiated settlement of their obligations to sterling bondholders.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will refuse to give his consent to the sale of Richard Thomas and Baldwins' ordinary shares by the Iron and Steel Holding and Realisation Agency until the fixed interest capital of the denationalised steel companies which will have to be sold at a discount has been disposed of at satisfactory prices, with a view to ensuring that the Realisation Agency will not be left with a heavy capital loss on preference and debenture stocks whilst the private purchaser makes a profit on the ordinary shares; and if he will make a statement.

As my right hon. Friend the Minister of Power informed the House on 27th June, this is a matter of priorities which must be left for settlement from time to time in the light of all the circumstances.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer to state the estimated cost of interest on Treasury Bills for the year 1959 based upon Bank Rate at 4 per cent. and 6 per cent., respectively.

Bank Rate stood at 4 per cent. throughout 1959. The cost of interest on the £13,040 million of Treasury Bills issued through the tender during the year was £108 million, giving an average rate of interest of about 3⅜ per cent. per annum. It is impossible to say how many bills would have been issued or what the average rate of interest on them would have been if Bank Rate had stood at 6 per cent. throughout the year.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer to state the origin of the £50,000 revenue included in the Exchequer Returns for the nine days ended 9th July under the heading, other Inland Revenue Duties.

£26,000 Special Contribution, £18,000 Land Tax and £6,000 Mineral Rights Duty.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the importance to British scholarship and culture, in addition to the intrinsic value of the subject matter, he will make funds available to the British Museum and the British Academy to enable them to acquire, in conjunction with the Palestine Archaeological Museum in Jerusalem, a quantity of Dead Sea scrolls recently discovered in Jordan, and to provide means for the necessary work of research, editing and publication of these documents by the team of British and international scholars that has been working on similar documents.

No question arises of acquisition of these scrolls by the British Museum or the British Academy. The attitude of Her Majesty's Government towards any proposal that assistance should be given to enable the Palestine Archaeological Museum to acquire and work on the Scrolls will depend upon the willingness of other countries concerned to co-operate financially and otherwise.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will remove the Purchase Tax from the price of stair-guards.

No. I have already written to the hon. Member about these articles.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the cost to the Inland Revenue in tax repayments during the last financial year in respect of loss of earnings due to strike action.

I regret this information is not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer to take powers to enable district valuers to prepare and publish land-value maps for respective areas which they now cover.

No.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what further steps he has taken to meet the unemployment that will occur in South Pembrokeshire when the construction work on the Esso and British Petroleum schemes comes to an end.

Though unemployment in South Pembrokeshire is now relatively low, my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade and I are well aware that more jobs are going to be needed when the present construction work runs down, even though a number of those employed on this work are not local men and, therefore, are likely to move to fresh work elsewhere when it is completed; and we are constantly seeking to encourage new sources of employment to replace those that will be finished.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he is yet in a position to announce the findings of the Royal Commission on Local Government in the Greater London Area.

I cannot yet add to the answer I gave to a question by the hon. Member for Walthamstow, West (Mr. Redhead) on 1st July.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what plans for new office building in central London, on which construction work has not yet begun, have been approved, to the nearest convenient date.

In June, 1959, permissions were outstanding for the construction of 5·7 million sq. ft. of new office floor space in the central area, which compares with 12·3 million sq. ft. three years earlier.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he will intro- duce legislation to give him greater powers to deal with air pollution caused by ironworks and other such industrial undertakings.

The Alkali Inspectorate and the local authorities have adequate powers. Improvement depends principally on technical advances, study of which continues.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what allowance he receives for entertaining.

Any necessary expenditure on entertainment, whether by Ministers or by officers of my Department, is met from Vote V, 1 sub-head A.6 (c) expenditure incidental to departmental administration. In the last financial year the total cost of all such entertainment was £466 18s. 6d.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether he has considered the correspondence sent to him by the hon. Member for Stockton-on-Tees drawing attention to the fish or tom-cat smell and the accompanying grey noxious mist which has afflicted Stockton-on-Tees at various dates in June and July; and what action he is taking to put an end to this nuisance.

My right hon. Friend has considered the correspondence. The cat smell seems to have been eliminated. The fish smell comes from a plant which is not registrable under the Alkali Act, but the Alkali Inspectorate, with the support and agreement of the local authority, are co-operating with the firm concerned to reduce it to the minimum. The grey mist is thought to arise from the interaction of emissions from several different industrial processes. The precise cause is not yet known, but investigations continue.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what co-ordination there is between his Department and the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food regarding the use of crude retort-house gas liquor as a fertiliser.

My right hon. Friend and my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food keep in touch on this as on other matters of common interest. The use of gas liquor as a fertiliser has been growing in recent years, and my right hon. Friend welcomes the relief which this affords to sewage treatment works.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether he is now in a position to make a statement following the talks between his Department and the various interests concerned regarding control of afforestation in the National Parks.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether he now proposes to introduce a form of control over afforestation in National Parks, either by voluntary agreement or by legislation.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what action he proposes to take on the request sent to him by the Council for the Preservation of Rural England that early action be taken on the problem of large-scale afforestation of open moorland, especially in the National Parks.

My right hon. Friend has been discussing this matter with the National Parks Commission and the Forestry Commission and he expects to be able to open discussions shortly with representatives of the timber growers. He is hopeful that as a result an acceptable voluntary scheme will be worked out. He would prefer that the possibilities of such a scheme should be explored before he considers other measures.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs when a hearing will be arranged concerning objections to a proposed diversion of a public footpath at Market Bosworth, about which the hon. Member for Bosworth has written to him.

My right hon. Friend is awaiting a reply from an objector to a letter sent earlier this month asking whether, in view of certain considerations put forward by the rural district council, he wished to maintain his objection. If the objection is not withdrawn, a hearing will be arranged and dates in September have been provisionally reserved.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what loans and grants have been made in the past five years to the local authorities in the Leek constituency, namely, Leek Urban District Council, Leek Rural District Council, Cheadle Rural District Council, Kidsgrove Urban District Council, and Biddulph Urban District Council.

During the five years ending 31st March, 1960, I have issued loan consents totalling £3,120,039 and made grants totalling £951,101 to the five local authorities.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether he is yet in a position to announce his proposals for parliamentary control of special procedure orders.

I hope that a statement on this subject can he made early in the next Session.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he is aware that unemployment among ship-repair workers in Cardiff is much higher than in England: and if he will take special steps to remedy this position.

Unemployment among ship-repair workers in the Cardiff area is a matter for concern, though in South Wales as a whole the situation has recently improved The answer must lie in general economic improvement in the area, for which the prospects are good.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs why it took from 22nd February until 20th May to prepare and issue Circular 33/60 (Heating of Public Buildings), which consists of two extracts from HANSARD and references to the National Coal Board's technical sales service and urges local authorities to use coal whenever practicable.

My right hon. Friend thought it worth taking a little time to see if there was any further information or advice which could usefully be given to the local authorities.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs why he decided to dispense with a local inquiry in the case of the appeal against a decision of the Nottinghamshire County Council to refuse permission for the erection of a bungalow and garage on a site in Middlebrook Road, Selston, on the grounds that the site forms part of the Green Belt proposed in the county development plan.

Both the appellant and the respondent planning authority agreed that the appeal should be dealt with on the basis of written representations, and my right hon. Friend was not aware of any circumstances calling for a local inquiry.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs why clerks of rent tribunals are considered as temporary civil servants; and whether he will give them higher status and conditions.

Clerks of rent tribunals are not civil servants, though their conditions of service conform broadly with those of temporary civil servants. They are appointed by, and are solely responsible to, the tribunals they serve; and their appointments are dependent upon renewal of the jurisdiction of the tribunals year by year. In these circumstances I do not think there is justification for changing their status and conditions of employment.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what correspondence he has had with interested organisations with regard to his future proposals regarding the rating of scientific organisations.

None, but I have had a memorandum from the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee, and have arranged to meet hon. Members and others representing that body to hear their further views.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he will state the amount of compensation paid out by the Central Land Board and his Department to landowners for loss of development value as defined in the Town and Country Planning Act, 1947.

Just over £108 million to 30th June in England and Wales.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs when he expects to receive the report of Professor Pippard dealing with pollution of the tidal waters of the Thames; and why it has been so long delayed.

I cannot say how soon I shall receive this report. The Committee is working on a draft now and is anxious to complete its work as soon as possible. I understand that much careful research into the condition of the Thames was needed before the Committee could formulate any conclusions, and that this has taken an unavoidably long time.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether he is aware of the concern felt by the staffs of new town development corporations, especially at Hemel Hempstead, about the effect on their future employment of the operation of the New Towns Act, 1959; and what action he proposes to take in this matter.

Discussions are at present taking place between the two sides of the New Towns Whitley Council about redundancy; and I think it best to see what comes out of those discussions before reaching any conclusion.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs in how many, and which, cities and county boroughs, respectively, there is no one on a waiting list for houses.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 18th July to my hon. Friend the Member for Nottingham. South (Mr. W. Clark). I do not have details of waiting lists.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what was the average space in square feet of the houses built on behalf of local authorities for the years 1947, 1948, 1949, 1957, 1958 and 1959, respectively.

Comparative figures are available for three-bedroomed houses only. They are:—

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs how many county boroughs and how many other local authorities, respectively, are not now building council houses.

At 31st March, out of 1,469 housing authorities, one county borough and 298 other authorities had no houses either under construction or in approved tenders. In nearly all of these areas, however, private building was in progress.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what was the average cost of land per house built on behalf of local authorities, for the years 1947, 1948, 1949, 1957, 1958, and 1959, respectively.

This information is not available. As I informed the hon. Member for Bishop Auckland (Mr. Boyden) on 5th July, an average figure, even if it were available, would be misleading because sites vary so much.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what is the total number of staff employed on house administration by each new town development corporation; what is the number of houses owned by each corporation: and the average number of houses on the rent collectors' rolls.

The following is the Answer:

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what was the cost of administration on housing, including central establishment charges, of each new town development corporation during the last financial year; and what was the cost of such administration, per

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what reply he gave to the Association of Public Health Inspectors on their representation that local authorities should be given powers to enforce the modernisation of suitable houses where the owner would not do the work willingly.

I promised to consider the representations made by the Association of Public Health Inspectors in 1958, and I did so before introducing the House Purchase and Housing Bill later that year. But at the same time I drew attention to difficulties for both landlords and tenants of seeking to compel the carrying out of improvement works.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and

Comparable figures relating exclusively to the cost of administration are not available; the Table below shows the total outgoings on housing and the number of dwellings completed for each new town in the last three financial years.Minister for Welsh Affairs what help he now proposes to offer to those tenants who at his suggestion signed three-year agreements under the Rent Act, 1957, before the protection of the Courts was given them by the Landlord and Tenant (Temporary Provisions) Act, 1958.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he is aware that excessive rents are being demanded of tenants in the London area following the expiry of three-year agreements entered into as a result of the Rent Act, 1957; and what legislative action he is taking in the matter.

The properties in question will have been out of rent control for three years. The view of the Government is that their rents henceforward must be determined by the market, and not by the reimposition of rent control as these questions suggest. Even though it might help particular individuals, any action to restore rent control would tend to encourage owners to sell rather than re-let, and would discourage improvements and conversions of older and larger properties: this would not be in the general interest.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs, in view of the increasing complaints of excessive rent increases for domestic property, how many protests or resolutions he has received to which he has replied that it is not his responsibility and he can take no action in the matter; and if he is now prepared to seek powers that will enable him to take action to mitigate hardship caused by excessive rents.

From the whole of England and Wales 142 letters and two resolutions about the level of rents in controlled or decontrolled property have been received in my Department this year. Replies have been sent wherever possible drawing attention to legal rights or making helpful suggestions. There is no intent ion to amend the Rent Act.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs, in view of the recent increases in prices of land, what action he will take to assist local authorities to obtain land required in order to build houses for those in need of them in the vicinity of their working places.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs (1) whether he is aware that, as a result of high land prices in London, residential rents are likely to rise beyond the means of persons requiring to be rehoused or tenants who would otherwise consider exchanging premises; and whether he will investigate the extent to which slum clearance programmes are being slowed down in consequence;(2) whether he is aware that increasing land costs and the higher Bank Rate, with its higher interest costs, have resulted in increased housing rents or rate contributions; and whether, in order to lessen the burden of these charges, he will increase slum clearance subsidies and provide grants towards housing for general needs.

Local authorities already receive substantial housing subsidies from the Exchequer. These include, in appropriate cases, specific assistance towards the cost of acquiring and laying out expensive sites. If local authorities use these subsidies to subsidise only those tenants who genuinely need help with their rents, and only to the extent of that need, they should, in general, be able to meet the costs of all the houses they own or need to build without having to charge unreasonably high rents or to incur an unreasonably heavy rate burden. To meet any exceptional cases, provision exists for the payment of a special subsidy at my discretion. I have no evidence that the rate of slum clearance in London is being affected by increases in the price of land.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs how far ahead he is prepared to allow borough councils compulsorily to buy land for housing.

Many factors affect the timing of the purchase of housing land by local authorities. These vary so widely that it is not possible to give a specific answer to the hon. Member's question. There is a limitation in the Housing Act, 1957, that land acquired compulsorily for housing should be needed within ten years of confirmation of the relevant compulsory purchase order, and subject to this I consider every order submitted to me on its merits.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs, if he will state the number of houses in Lancashire which have no bathroom, hot water supply or inside toilet; and whether he will give the respective figures for Salford and Manchester.

I do not at present have the information asked for. The necessary data to provide up-to-date figures will however be collected in the 1961 census.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if, in view of the failure of most landlords to introduce a bath, hot-water supply and inside toilets into houses lacking them, he will make improvement grants, at present available on the landlord's application, equally available on the tenant's application, subject to approval by the local authority.

It is the owner of the house who must authorise the work of improvement and must contribute part of the cost. The hon. Member's suggestion does not therefore seem to me practical.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will make a statement on his discussions with Dr. Hastings Banda, and other delegates from Nyasaland, regarding constitutional changes in the Protectorate.

The conference opened yesterday afternoon, and the House will understand that I could not usefully make a statement at this stage.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he is aware that the employees of the shipyard at Malta are no longer covered by the Whitley Committee which formerly governed their wages and conditions when they were employees of the Government, and are consequently excluded from the recent award; and what steps have been taken to establish a Whitley Council to deal with the wages and conditions of the shipyard workers.

The Joint Industrial Council, to which I assume the hon. Member refers, is concerned with the industrial employees of the Malta Government and the Service Departments. The wages and conditions of the dockyard workers now employed by Bailey (Malta) Limited are a matter for negotiation between the trade unions concerned and the employers.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what were the reasons given by the Governor of Gibraltar for refusing a permit to Mr. Jose Parra to enter Gibraltar for the purpose of a holiday.

Under the law of Gibraltar any non-Gibraltarian may be refused admission without any reason being given. I have examined the details of this case and I endorse the Governor's decision to exclude Mr. Parra.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what discussions are going on between the Southern Cameroons and the Government of the Cameroun Republic regarding future arrangements between the two territories.

The President of the Cameroun Republic visited the Southern Cameroons on 15th July for discussions involving the terms on which the Trust Territory might be amalgamated with the Republic if that were the decision of the people. I await a detailed report on these discussions.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will state in respect of the Southern Cameroons how many magistrates, doctors and engineers it is estimated will remain in the public service of the Southern Cameroons in October, 1960; and what is the normal establishment of these groups of persons.

The establishment in the Southern Cameroons provides for four magistrates, 10 doctors and 11 engineers. I cannot yet say what officers will be available in October. The Governor-General will be issuing a statement of the conditions of future service there and it is necessary to await the response.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what steps are being taken by the Government of Hong Kong to introduce equal pay for women in the Government service.

Equal pay was introduced last year for certain women medical officers. It is not proposed to go further than this at present.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether a decision has been reached in respect of the petition against the erection of a cement factory at Lami, Fiji.

No such petition has reached me. I have consulted the Governor who informs me that he has received two petitions and both have been answered. He is sending me detailed information by air mail and I will write to the hon. Member as soon as I receive it.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what action is being, taken to implement the recommendations of the Burns Report.

I have nothing to add to the reply given to the hon. Member for Ilford, North (Mr. Iremonger), on 25th July.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether any approach has been made to the United States of America to purchase the surplus sugar in Fiji.

As I said in replying to my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth, West (Mr. Eden) on 12th July, full information was recently provided to the United States Authorities on behalf of all the Commonwealth countries concerned as to the amounts of sugar which could be made available if required. This included information about Fijian sugar.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will make a statement on the constitutional developments in the Seychelles; and when the executive council will be made responsible to a Legislative Council elected on a democratic franchise.

The number of elected members of the Legislative Council was increased this year and the number of nominated members reduced. All British subjects over the age of 21 have the vote, subject to very minor qualifications I am not in a position to forecast further constitutional developments.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will set up an inquiry into the position of Coetivy Island in the Seychelles in view of the uncertainty regarding the ownership of this island.

The Attorney-General of Seychelles, who has just arrived on leave in this country, has undertaken considerable research into this complicated case and I am arranging for my legal advisers to discuss it with him before I make any statement.

asked the Attorney-General what action he will take to improve rates of pay of court shorthand writers.

Proposals to increase the pay of court shorthand writers are under consideration.

asked the Attorney-General how many applications under the Rent Act, 1957, have been made, and how many granted, for the possession of dwelling houses, in Edmonton County Court; and how many of these refer to dwellings within the Borough of Enfield.

During the period beginning 1st January 1959, which is the first date for which complete statistics are available, and ending 30th June, 1960, 128 applications have been entered in Edmonton County Court for the possession of houses to which the Rent Act, 1957, applies. During the same period, 158 orders far possession were made, 92 of which were suspended under the powers conferred by the Landlord and Tenant (Temporary Provisions) Act, 1958. In 34 cases the defendant did not apply for a suspension and in 32 an application for a suspension was refused. Separate figures are not available in respect of applications relating to houses in the Borough of Enfield.

asked the Minister of Works to give an assurance that the cut in capital expenditure announced by the Government will not affect the work now in progress at Crowthorne for the erection of adequate laboratory accommodation to enable the Road Research Laboratory of the Department of Scientific Research to develop its work.

Construction work on the new Road Research Laboratory cannot start before late 1961, so that very little capital expenditure would be involved in the financial year 1961–62 to which the restrictions were announced to apply. Planning work will continue.

asked the Minister of Works to give an assurance that the work of redevelopment of Cornwall House to enable it to use the Government Chemist's laboratory of the Department of Scientific Research will in no way be affected by the proposed cuts in capital expenditure by the Government.

So far as my Department is concerned, the detailed effects of the general policy announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 23rd June cannot be determined until the Estimates are prepared for 1961–62. Within the funds available, the aim will be to give priority to schemes already in progress or in an advanced state of planning and it is hoped therefore to avoid deferring the work on Cornwall House.

asked the Minister of Works whether he will now make a further statement about the proposal for utilising the Whitehall banqueting hall as a centre for the arts.

I cannot yet add to my right hon. Friend's reply of 21st June, 1960.

asked the Minister of Works why he has reduced the sum allocated to the Council for the Preservation of Ancient Buildings; and whether he will reconsider his decision.

The provision in the Ministry's Estimates for expenditure on historic buildings must not be confused with recommendations of the Historic Buildings Council.The provision in the Estimates for expenditure in the current year is £550,000 as compared with £465,000 for the previous year.The recommendations of the Historic Buildings Council for England in recent years were increasing rapidly. As this carried the risk of future expenditure rising above an acceptable level, my right hon. Friend asked the Historic Buildings Council for England to restrict recommendations to £400,000 for 1959–60 and the current year.

asked the Minister of Works what steps he is taking to safeguard the Roman Wall in Northumberland against the present threat of converting part of it into a quarry.

The area affected by the present proposal for quarrying is protected under the Roman Wall Preservation Scheme, made under the Ancient Monuments Acts. Under this Scheme any extension of quarrying would require my right hon. Friend's consent, and he has very much in mind the importance of the Wall and its ancillary structures.

asked the Minister of Works whether he will take the necessary steps at the earliest possible moment to introduce pedestrian crossings and traffic lights on motor roads in the Royal Parks.

After consultation with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport, it has been decided that in Hyde Park (on roads not affected by the Park Lane Improvement Scheme), St. James's Park, Green Park, Richmond Park and Greenwich Park the introduction of pedestrian crossings would not be warranted. The position in Regent's Park and Bushey Park is being examined.There are already traffic lights, or control by police or park-keepers, at a number of points in the Royal Parks. No extension of these facilities is considered necessary.

asked the Minister of Works whether he will now make a further statement on progress with the arrangements for the memorial to the late David Lloyd George.

The committee which is advising me on this memorial have recommended, and I have agreed, that it will be necessary to find a new sculptor for this statue. Before deciding whom to recommend, the committee have asked for a decision on the material to be used. After giving full weight to all the views expressed to me, I have decided that bronze is the best material for this statue.I should like to express my gratitude to my right hon. Friend the Member for Carshalton (Mr. Head) and all the members of his committee, of whom the hon. Member is one, for their advice on this question.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many additional cars it is expected will be distributed to disabled war pensioners in Scotland as a result of the recent decision to extend the scheme.

About 150, which will be distributed over the next two years.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what evidence he has with regard to the advantages to be obtained from a one-day concentration of effort in the form of a dedicated road safety day in Scotland.

I have no evidence of this kind, but, as the hon. and learned Member will be aware from the replies given to him on 18th and 25th May by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport, this suggestion has been referred to the Departmental Road Safety Committee and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents for further examination.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what protest he has made to the Turkish authorities concerning their action in forcing a British Britannia airliner to land at Ankara on 18th July; and if he will make a statement.

A protest has not been made about this incident. I am informed that the aircraft which was carrying Service men and their families from the United Kingdom to Singapore had strayed from the authorised air route and had flown over a prohibited military area in Western Turkey. It was requested by the Turkish air traffic control authorities to land at Ankara airport for investigation. The pilot complied with this request. Contrary to Press reports, no Turkish fighter aircraft were involved. After brief questioning of the pilot, the aircraft was allowed to resume its flight. The reason for the aircraft's deviation from the authorised route is being investigated.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what steps he is taking to organise food supplies to the Congo Republic within the framework of the United Nations.

In answering a Written Question by the hon. Member for Reading on 19th July, my right hon. and learned Friend told the House that Her Majesty's Government were providing food to the value of £10,000 in response to the United Nations appeal. About half of this sum was spent on purchasing food in this country. This food has been delivered at United Nations collecting centres in Pisa and Accra. By agreement with the United Nations Food Relief headquarters in Leopoldville, the balance has been placed at their disposal for purchase of food supplies locally.

asked the Minister of Power whether he has received any representations from engineering companies engaged in the export trade on the shortage of steel; and if he will make a statement on the steel supply situation.

I have recently had a few complaints from engineering firms about shortages of steel but have no evidence that exports have been significantly affected. The Iron and Steel Board tell me that steel supplies are generally adequate but that delivery periods have lengthened for some products.If the hon. Member has any specific cases of difficulty in mind, I shall be very pleased to ask the Board to look into them.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what advice he has received from his Advisory Committee on Artificial Insemination on the controversy that has arisen between the National Cattle Breeders' Association and the Milk Marketing Board on the future development of the insemination service.

Discussions have already taken place between the National Cattle Breeders' Association and the Milk Marketing Board, and I understand that arrangements have been made for regular exchanges of views in the future. I welcome this development because I am sure it is best for the breed societies and other farmers' organisations themselves to work out their future rôle and the relationship which should exist between them. In the circumstances, the matter has not been considered by the Central Advisory Committee on Artificial Insemination.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he has reached any conclusions on the Report of the Royal Commission on Common Land.

Yes. This Report brings out clearly the difficulties caused to all concerned, including commoners and the general public, by uncertainty as to the nature, ownership and extent of common land and common rights. It makes valuable recommendations, for establishing the facts and interests by means of registration.Under the Commission's proposals registration would take some twelve years. The facts relating to each common must, of course, be established thoroughly; but it seems to me possible that the procedure might be considerably shortened. There might then be much to be said for introducing legislation to enable a start to be made with registration, and for dealing in a later measure with the other matters raised in the Commission's Report.These other matters include of course provision for the better management and improvement of common land, its preservation, the public right of access and the wholesale repeal of existing legislation. These are important matters, but it will be difficult to make worth while progress with them until more is known about the facts and interests, both generally and in relation to each common.My Department is putting suggestions on the lines indicated to the local authority associations and other interests for discussion in the autumn. I will make a further statement when those discussions have taken place. Until then I cannot, of course, commit the Government on the question of legislation.

asked the Minister of Aviation to make a further statement about appointments to the Air Transport Licensing Board.

I have appointed Lord Terrington to be Chairman of the Air Transport Licensing Board. In addition, I have appointed the following to be members of the Board:Professor R. G. D. Allen,—C. B. E. Professor of Statistics, London School of Economics.Mr. C. Bagnall, C.B.E.—Managing Director, British Nylon Spinners, LtdMr. E. Baldry, O. B. E.-Senior Partner in Messrs. Allen, Baldry, Holman & Best, Chartered Accountants.Sir Friston How, C.B.—Formerly Secretary of the Atomic Energy Office.Mr. W. P. James, O.B.E.—Chairman of the Traffic Commissioners, West Midland Traffic Area.Mr. A. H. Wilson, C.B., C.B.E.—Formerly Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation

asked the Minister of State for Commonwealth Relations when the report of the Economic Survey Mission to the High Commission Territories will be published.

I am glad to inform the House that this Report (which is addressed to the High Commissioner for Basutoland, the Bechuanaland Protectorate and Swaziland) was published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office today. Copies are being placed in the Library of the House.I should like to take this opportunity to express the gratitude of Her Majesty's Government to the Chairman of the Mission, Professor Chandler Morse, and to the other members for the thorough and imaginative report which they have produced. I should also like to take this opportunity of thanking the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and its President, Mr. Eugene Black, for nominating the Chairman of the Mission and assisting with their advice in the appointment of the other members.The Mission's main recommendations can be summarised as follows:

asked the Minister of Defence if he is aware that the Imperial Defence College reserved almost the whole of the first-class accommodation on the 7.20 p.m. train from Portsmouth Harbour on Monday, 18th July, and that the number of officers occupying the 12 compartments was 19 in all; and if he will instruct his Department not to reserve accommodation on a scale disproportionate to its requirements.

Accommodation on this train was reserved for 48 officers from the Imperial Defence College who attended exercise "Shop Window" at Portsmouth. The exercise finished an hour earlier than had been expected and a number of officers decided to return by other means rather than wait for the train. Unfortunately, the leader of the party did not notify the railway authorities, as he should have done, that the seats would not be taken up. I will see that this does not happen again.

asked the Minister of Defence what British armed force has been sent at any time to the Belgian Congo.

None, except armed guards on aircraft. The R.A.F. has been able to transport food to the Congo, to airlift Ghanaian troops serving there under United Nations auspices and to move refugees from the country. In all, over 1,000 Ghanaian troops and some 60 tons of food and freight have been moved into the independent Congo.

asked the Minister of Health, as representing the Minister for Science, when he expects the further Report of the Medical Research Council on the Hazards to Man of Nuclear and Allied Radiations to be published.

I understand that the Medical Research Council hopes to publish its further Report on the Hazards to Man of Nuclear and Allied Radiations in the autumn.

asked the Minister of Health how many dentists working within the National Health Act are receiving a gross income of between £15,000 and £20,000 a year.

In 1959 there were 17 single-handed dentists without qualified assistants whose gross earnings from the General Dental Services of the National Health Service were between £15,000 and £20,000; in the same period there were 109 single-handed dentists with varying numbers of qualified assistants whose gross earnings, before paying their assistants, were between those figures. I regret that individual figures for dentists in partnership are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what changes he has made in the arrangements concerning attendance of United States service personnel before coroners' in quests and other courts, where civil proceedings are involved, following representations made by the hon. Member for Ealing, North.

The United States authorities have always been most cooperative in trying to ensure that members of the United States Forces attend coroners' inquests or civil proceedings when their presence is required. As a result of a recent case which was the subject of correspondence between my hon. Friend and my right hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State, the United States authorities have taken further steps to ensure that notices of court proceedings or coroners' inquests, or subpoenas for such proceedings, will reach the persons to whom they are addressed without delay.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in view of the fact that the West Indian Governments have refused the request of Her Majesty's Government to limit immigration from their territories into the United Kingdom, if he will now, as Government policy, enforce a standstill on all immigration for two years, or until such social problems as housing, health and unemployment amongst immigrants have been solved; and if he will make a statement.

While not underestimating the difficulties, I do not accept all the implications of my hon. Friend's Question. At the moment I have nothing to add to what I said on 14th July in reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool, Kirkdale (Mr. N. Pannell).

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance the total amount of the payments made by the National Assistance Board during the last financial year to the families of men on strike.

£72,553 in the twelve months ending March, 1960.

asked the President of the Board of Trade where, when, and in what industries the 3,400 jobs promised for Wearside, central Durham and areas to the West of Durham will accrue.

The estimate of 3,400 new jobs in Wearside, central Durham and areas to the West of Durham which I gave the hon. Member on 30th June included 1,000 in the Employment Exchange areas of Pillion, Seaham, Southwick, Sunder/and (excluding Sunderland County Borough), Birtley, Chester-le-Street, Houghton-le-Spring and Washington Station; 400 in Durham, Haswell, Horden and Wingate; and 2,000 in Con-sett, Stanley, Bishop Auckland, Crook, Shildon and Spennymoor. The jobs cover a variety of industries and will arise at different times.

asked the Minister of Transport whether the enlargement of the roundabout at Apex Corner, Middlesex, will be capable of conversion to a grade separated junction at a later stage.

It is not my present intention to provide grade separation at Apex Corner. The cost would be so high that I am preparing plans for the proposed Hendon Urban Motorway which would take through traffic away from Apex Corner and adjoining lengths of Al and A41.

asked the Minister of Transport to state the position in regard to the authorisation of further road construction and improvement schemes for the North Orbital Road and North Circular Road.

Preparation has been authorised for the three major improvement schemes on the North Circular Road listed below, but I cannot yet say when construction is likely to start. I do not regard the construction of the North Orbital Road as having the same priority as the improvement of the North Circular Road and no major schemes on it are being prepared. A new route across the North of London will be provided by the "D" Ring Road from A.1 to A.10. A line for this road is now being surveyed.

asked the Minister of Transport what considerations have caused him to postpone a decision on the Report of the Chandos Committee.

A decision has not been postponed. This is an important matter, requiring careful consideration, and as I have already told the House, the Government's decision will be announced as soon as possible.