asked the Minister of Defence if he will make a statement about the effect of the activities of the Jehovah's Witnesses sect on discipline and morale in Her Majesty's Armed Forces.

There have been occasions on which the activities of this sect have caused difficulties, but I am satisfied that in general they have had no effect on discipline and morale in the Services.

asked the Minister of Defence if he will state the pay of a National Service man compared with that of a Regular Army private; and if he will consider increasing the former.

The range of pay for a National Service private is from 5s. 0d. to 13s. 0d. a day. The equivalent range for a Regular soldier is 12s. 6d. to 19s. 6d. a day. As regards increasing the pay of a National Service man I would refer the hon. Member to the Answer I gave him at Question Time this afternoon.

asked the Minister of Defence what British aircraft were offered to the West German Government to replace the Sea Hawk and Gannet aircraft.

The Federal German Government was given full information about the Sea Vixen, the Scimitar and the Buccaneer—the N.A.39. Full information was also provided on the characteristics and performance of all British helicopters.

asked the Minister of Defence if he will state the total number in the Armed Forces; how many of these are conscripts; what is the estimated total of Regulars on 1st January, 1962; and if he will cut the two-year call-up period.

On 1st October, 1960, the total strength of the Forces was 478,000 men—including 106,300 National Service men—15,000 women and 20,000 boys. A forecast of strengths at 1st April, 1962, will appear in the annual White Paper on Defence early next year. The answer to the last part of the question is "No".

asked the Minister of Defence what expenditure will be incurred by Her Majesty's Government by the establishment of the Polaris submarine base.

I would refer the right hon. Gentleman to my reply on 9th November to the hon. Member for South Ayrshire (Mr. Emrys Hughes).

asked the Lord Privy Seal what steps are being taken to obtain from the United States authorities concerned compensation for damage done to British property in the Philippines during the last war.

The United States War Damage Commission recommended in 1953 that the State Department should review this problem with a view to reaching lump sum settlements of these claims. Her Majesty's Government have been urging the United States Government to give effect to that recommendation. These efforts are continuing.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a statement on the progress of negotiations for ending the economic division of Europe between the European Economic Community and the European Free Trade Area.

I have nothing to add to what I told the House during the debate on the Address on 4th November.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what decision has been taken by the Council of Western European Union with regard to the application of the West German Government to construct naval vessels in excess of the tonnage laid down in the revised Brussels Treaty.

None.

asked the Lord Privy Seal when the exchange of ambassadors between Great Britain and the United Arab Republic is to take place.

No date has yet been fixed.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether he will make a statement regarding the conference organised by the United Kingdom Council of the European Free Trade Association in London on 7th, 8th and 9th November.

The Political and Economic Conference of the Seven was organised by the United Kingdom Council of the European Movement, to bring together people distinguished in various walks of life from all the countries of the European Free Trade Association. There was general agreement on the need to build up the European Free Trade Association and to seize the opportunities offered by it; and on the desirability of achieving a wider European unity.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what negotiations have taken place during the last six months with regard to relations between the United Kingdom and the Yemen and the settlement of outstanding disputes between them; and what recent incidents have taken place on the frontier.

No formal negotiations have been necessary during the past six months. Her Majesty's chargé d'affaires at Taiz continues to be in constant touch with the Yemeni authorities. In addition, the former Governor of Aden had informal talks with the Crown Prince and Yemeni officials on Anglo-Yemeni relations during a private visit to the Yemen in June.There have been only minor incidents on the frontier, arising from inter-tribal disputes. Local frontier meetings have been able to discuss these and have settled most of them.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether he will make a statement on the progress made in implementing the exchange of letters on 25th July, 1958, between Her Majesty's Government and the Sultan of Muscat and Oman.

Under the exchange of letters of 25th July, 1958, Her Majesty's Government agreed to provide assistance for a civil development programme including road construction, medical and educational facilities and agricultural research and also for the strengthening of the Sultan's armed forces. Good progress has been made in both the civil and military fields and the position was reviewed by Her Majesty's Government and the Sultan during the summer of this year. It was agreed that there was need to expand the civil and military programmes. It is proposed to expand development in the fields of health, education and agriculture and to encourage improvements in various sectors of the economy, including fisheries, in addition to strengthening the Sultan's forces. Her Majesty's Government have undertaken to provide further assistance for these purposes. This will necessitate an increase in the annual grant-in-aid towards the capital and recurrent costs of civil development and of the Sultan's armed forces. The capital programme and expansion will be spread over four to five years, and the phasing has yet to be worked out in detail. Parliamentary authority will in due course be sought by way of a Supplementary Estimate for such extra funds as may be needed in the current financial year, and in the interim period any necessary advance would be made from the Civil Contingencies Fund. The total required in 1960–61, including the £500,000 already voted, is not expected to exceed £940,000.

asked the Lord Privy Seal how the British delegates on the Credentials Committee of the General Assembly of the United Nations voted on the resolution to seat President Kasavubu's delegation as representing the Congo; and which delegations voted in favour, which against, and which abstained on each occasion.

The United Kingdom is not at present represented on the Credentials Committee at the General Assembly.Two votes were taken on this resolution:

asked the Lord Privy Seal what recent approaches have been made to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the subject of the jamming of British Broadcasting Corporation overseas broadcasts; and what was the response to such representations.

On 20th June Her Majesty's Ambassador in Moscow made representations to the Soviet authorities about the substantial increase in the jamming of British Broadcasting Corporation broadcasts to the Soviet Union which had taken place since 5th May.The Soviet authorities replied on 21st July complaining of certain British Broadcasting Corporation broadcasts. The Embassy has answered this complaint and is awaiting a response from the Soviet Government.Meanwhile, the amount of jamming appears to fluctuate.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will give the percentages of those unemployed in each of the six North Wales counties, in Wales, and in the United Kingdom, respectively.

At 10th October the figures were: Anglesey, 9·0 per cent.; Caernarvonshire, 5·3 per cent.; Denbighshire, 2·8 per cent.; Flintshire, 2·4 per cent.; Merionethshire, 3·1 per cent.; Montgomeryshire, 1·4 per cent.; Wales, 2·4 per cent., and the Unified Kingdom 1·6 per cent.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will give the figures of the insured working population, as a percentage of the total population, in each of the six North Wales counties, in Wales, and in the United Kingdom, respectively.

My information relates to insured employees, and does not include employers and self-employed. At mid-1959 the proportions of these in the total population were: Anglesey, 23 per cent.; Caernarvonshire, 30 per cent.; Denbighshire, 33 per cent.; Flintshire, 32 per cent.; Merionethshire, 24 per cent.; Montgomeryshire, 27 per cent.; Wales, 36 per cent. and the United Kingdom, 43 per cent.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that three conventions on fishermen's questions were adopted at the 1959 International Labour Conference; and when it is intended that these will be ratified by Her Majesty's Government.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will take steps to ratify the three conventions agreed at the International Labour Organisation at the 1959 Conference concerning fishermen.

The action to be taken by the Government on these conventions is still under consideration.

asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty what is the future of H.M.S. "Manxman" and if he will make a statement.

H.M.S. "Manxman" is to be converted to a headquarters and forward support ship for minesweepers. We plan to carry out this work in Chatham Dockyard, starting early in 1961.

asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty to what extent he proposes to replace the existing fleet aircraft carriers.

Four of our five operational carriers are comparatively new ships and the fifth, the "Victorious", was completely rebuilt a few years ago. They should all, therefore, be capable of playing a full part with the fleet until the 1970s. Nevertheless, we are considering the requirements of the ships which will succeed them.

asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty whether he is satisfied that the staff of instructors and training facilities provided for apprentices at Rosyth is being fully utilised; and whether, in view of the number of boys unemployed in the Cowdenbeath-Dunfermline area, he will increase the intake of apprentices.

The number of apprentices who can be entered at any dockyard must depend on the Admiralty's future requirements for trained craftsmen rather than the capacity of the training facilities. This latter is to some degree flexible. I appreciate that Rosyth has a higher proportion of candidates in relation to vacancies than other yards. To meet this situation the entry approved for 1960 is up by 35 per cent. on 1959. We have offered to Rosyth candidates a substantial number of vacancies elsewhere.

asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty what plans he has for improving the living accommodation of apprentices at Rosyth.

Design work for the first half of the new living accommodation will start next year and we hope to start building this portion in 1962.

asked the Secretary of State for War how many National Service men who signed on for a Regular engagement subsequently purchased their release.

The figures in respect of the 3-year Regular engagement, to which the great majority of National Service men transfer, are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will make a statement on the presentation to the Western German Army of a Panzer tank captured during the Second World War; whether the statement by an Army spokesman, that the object of the gift is to help in the foundation of a new Panzer tradition, was made with his authority; and if, in view of the concern caused by the fact that the Nazi swastika is being repainted on this tank, he will delay this presentation until Parliament has had an opportunty of expressing an opinion on it.

In May, 1959, the trustees of the Tank Museum at Bovington were asked through diplomatic channels to give back one of two German tanks as a museum piece for the German Army. The Committee of Management of the Museum, with the consent of the War Office, acceded to this request. The tank is to go to the equivalent of R.A.C. Bovington in Germany. It was felt that compliance with the German request could do nothing but good to relations between two allies.The remarks attributed to an Army spokesman were made by the Curator of the Museum. They were not authorised and as they appeared in print were an inaccurate gloss on the reasons for meeting the German request. The tank had been standing in the open for some years and had to be sprayed with paint to make it presentable. The Afrika Corps sign, a palm tree with the swastika incorporated, was therefore put back on.

asked the Secretary of State for War if it is his intention to appoint a special board of inquiry into the casualties and damage which occurred during the recent Rhine Army exercises; how many non-military persons were injured; what disturbance was caused to roads during the exercises; in how many cases claims for compensation for damage have been submitted by German citizens; what is the total compensation claimed and for what damage; and what was the total cost of the manoeuvres.

No. Boards of Inquiry have been held into all releveant matters, and as I told the House on 25th October, I shall myself look at the proceedings of each relating to the fatal training accidents. Thirty-five non-military persons were injured. About 1,800 claims for compensation to property have been received, most of them for agricultural damage; they total about £185,000, of which £100,000 is in respect of damage to roads. Claims in respect of personal injury cannot be quantified until settled by the German authorities, who also pay 25 per cent. of all claims arising from acts or omissions on official duties. The extra cost of these manoeuvres to Army Votes was about £75,000.

asked the Postmaster-General if he is aware of the shortage in the Cavincoy, Northfield, Mastrick and Woodside districts of Aberdeen of postage facilities, and of the long and hilly distances between letter boxes; and if he will take steps to improve these facilities before the coming winter.

There are some 30 street posting boxes, and 9 post offices each with its own posting box serving these districts. I am having an additional box put up in the busy Greenfern Road area of Mastrick. With this, I think the facilities for posting will in general be satisfactory; but if the hon. and learned Gentleman still feels that the posting facilities need augmenting in any other locality I should be glad to look further into the matter if he will let me have details.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will reconsider his decision to close the sub-post office, Kingsway, Cleethorpes, which has served the district for fifty-eight years, and is specially useful to the old-age pensioners in the area; and if he will make a statement.

I have looked into this matter very carefully. The area is reasonably well served by two other offices, and I am sorry, therefore, that I should not be justified in reversing the decision to close the Kingsway office.

asked the Postmaster-General what developments have taken place with regard to improvement of Post Office accommodation and facilities at Consett.

I am glad to be able to tell the hon. Member that a new post office at Consett will be opened next spring. The building will include a new sorting office as well as a better public office, and I hope that both the public and post office staff will benefit as a result of the improved conditions. We are also building a new motor transport workshop at Consett.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he will suspend postal deliveries on Christmas Day in order that postmen may spend the day, particularly the morning, with their families.

I considered this matter very carefully and decided that I should not be justified in withdrawing the Christmas morning deliveries. We shall do everything we can to see that the staff who have to work are released as early in the day as possible.

asked the Postmaster-General how many people in addition to himself have special direct lines linking their homes with the appropriate exchange.

About 1,300.

asked the Postmaster-General the number of applicants waiting for telephone installations at the Feltham and Hounslow Telephone Exchanges; what is the approximate waiting period; and the comparative figures in November of last year.

Excluding orders under inquiry and in the course of being met there are 392 waiting applicants at Feltham and 194 at Hounslow. The figures a year ago were 195 and 407 respectively.When plant is available, telephone service is usually provided with 2–3 months from the date of application.Nearly 1,300 telephones have been installed in Feltham and Hounslow during the past 12 months.

asked the Postmaster-General whether, in view of the latest profit figures from the Post Office, he will reduce the charges to telephone subscribers in districts remote from the main exchanges.

No, I regret that I do not feel able to reduce the present charges.

asked the Minister of Transport if, in order to reduce the number of road accidents, he will introduce legislation compelling all drivers over 70 years of age of road vehicles to undergo an annual eyesight test, and to make it conditional that no new driving licence will be issued unless a minimum eyesight standard is reached; and if he will make a statement.

At the beginning of every driving test a candidate is asked to read a number plate at a distance of 25 yards; if he cannot do so the test is cancelled. Drivers seeking renewal of their driving licences must declare whether they can read a motor car number plate 25 yards away. Licensing authorities refuse a licence application or revoke an existing licence if they become aware that a driver's eyesight does not reach that standard. I do not think that further legislation is necessary.

asked the Minister of Transport, in view of the fact that revenue from the issue of driving licences considerably exceeds the cost of issue, and that fees for driving licences were fixed by the Road Traffic Act, 1956, on the basis that there should be no loss to the Exchequer and not as a method of raising additional tax revenue, if he will reduce the fee to 10s.

No. When the period of validity of driving licences was extended by the Road Traffic Act, 1956, it was made clear that the transaction was not to involve any loss of receipts to the Exchequer.

asked the Minister of Transport when he expects to be able to make a statement with regard to the Report of the Jacks Committee.

Until I have studied the Committee's Report, which it hopes to let me have before the end of the year, I cannot say.

asked the Minister of Transport what consideration he has given to the request by manufacturers and operators of public service vehicles, a copy of which has been sent to him by the hon. Member for Hexham, that the maximum dimensions of these vehicles be brought up to the limits generally in force on the Continent.

After consulting the Departmental Committee on Road Safety I have decided to circulate to interested organisations for comment a proposal to raise the maximum permitted width of public service vehicles from 8 ft. to 8 ft. 2½ in., and their maximum length from 30 ft. to 36 ft. This measure, if adopted, would bring these limits into line with those generally prevailing on the Continent.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will introduce legislation to prohibit the emission of black exhaust fumes by diesel-powered vehicles not only in circumstances which endanger other road-users but when threatening the health of pedestrians, thereby extending the scope of present legislation from considerations of road safety to those of public health.

The law already prohibits the emission by vehicles of fumes likely to cause injury or danger to persons who may be on the road. Investigations sponsored by the Medical Research Council into air pollution, including the effects of diesel and petrol fumes, have not so far demonstrated that these fumes have any immediate or long-term deleterious effects on health.

asked the Minister of Transport when he expects to receive the reply of the British Transport Commission to the recommendations of the Select Committee on Nationalised Industries which recently inquired into the financial structure of British Railways.

Shortly.

asked the Minister of Transport if tolls will be charged on the new Severn Bridge.

Yes.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware that schemes for a roundabout at the junction of Rothwell Road and Northfield Avenue, Kettering, have repeatedly been submitted to his Department on behalf of the Borough Council, that in April, 1958, his predecessor recognised such a scheme to be desirable, and that a fatal accident occurred at this junction on 10th October; and whether he will now authorise work to proceed on a roundabout.

This scheme is to be discussed with the Borough Council next week. I will write to the hon. and learned Member as soon as possible thereafter.

asked the Minister of Transport how many schemes for new or improved roundabouts he has approved during the last two years; what was the total cost; and how this compares with approved expenditure for flyovers, which provide a more permanent solution for dealing with heavy traffic at major cross-roads.

I regret that this information is not readily available for all roads because in many cases roundabouts and flyovers have formed part of larger road improvement schemes and have not been separately coated. For a list of roundabouts under construction on trunk roads in England and Wales I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Bournemouth, West (Mr. Eden) of 22nd June, 1960.The design of any particular junction, and hence the cost, must depend on such factors as the alignment of the roads, the volume of traffic and the direction of the main turning movements. However, the following figures may be taken as indicative of the relative costs of a flyover and of a roundabout at a major junction on a trunk road in a rural area:

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has made for the evacuation of the population of Clydeside in the event of emergency.

Evacuation problems in Great Britain as a whole are being re-examined.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what he estimates would be the effects of the dropping of a 20-megaton bomb in the vicinity of the proposed Polaris submarine base in the Holy Loch.

The effects would depend upon various factors such as the height at which the bomb was burst, the weather conditions, and the extent to which people had been able to take cover. As a general indication, the radius of total destruction from a bomb of this size might be about five miles. If the bomb were ground burst, a considerable area down wind would be affected by fall-out.

asked the Lord Advocate whether he has now taken a decision on the question of instituting legal proceedings in respect of the sale in Scotland of the book, "Lady Chatterley's Lover."

I have considered this matter most carefully and I am not proposing to institute such proceedings.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he will give an assurance that local councils which have to build houses to replace those destroyed by floods will get specific aid for this purpose.

As I announced on behalf of the Government on 2nd November, some of the cost of the floods to public services will rank for grant aid from the Exchequer in the ordinary way; under the law, some new houses automatically attract subsidy. In the areas that have suffered from floods the Government will further be prepared to consider sympathetically requests from authorities for special financial assistance once it is clear that without such assistance an unreasonable burden would fall on the rates: this applies to housing as to other services.

asked the Secretary of State for Air to what extent South African parachutists are being trained in the United Kingdom; for how long such training has been going on; and for how long it is expected to continue.

As my predecessor stated in answer to the hon. Member for Huddersfield, West (Mr. Wade) on 26th October, 4 officers and 11 N.C.Os. of the South African Army and Air Force are being trained at the Royal Air Force Parachute School at Abingdon. This training began in October this year and will finish at the end of the year.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance why Mr. F. W. Hart, of 8, Oak Street, Shrewsbury has been refused an appeal against a decision made in 1920 improperly to deprive him of his disability pension, despite the fact that he holds a discharge certificate stating his disability was due to war service.

Mr. Hart had a disability pension from 1917 to 1922 when it was decided as a result of the findings of two medical boards that there was no remaining disablement due to his war service. He was notified of this decision in March, 1922, but he did not apply for reinstatement of pension until 1943, when his right of appeal to the Pensions Appeal Tribunal had long since expired. A special medical board held in 1952 confirmed the findings of the earlier boards, and my right hon. Friend is fully satisfied that there are no grounds for reopening the matter now.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will state for the first nine months of 1960 and 1959, respectively, the number of cars exported to North America, the sterling area and

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will state for the second and third quarters of 1960 and 1959, respectively, the figures of ex ports and re-exports to, and imports

asked the Minister of Power what were the stocks of distributed coal at the nearest convenient date in 1960; what were the supplies on the corresponding date in 1959; and whether he will make a statement.

Distributed stocks on 5th November, 1960, were 15·0 million tons, compared with 16·5 million tons on the corresponding date last year.

Following is the information:from, the United States of America, and the visible trade gap shown by these figures.

Following is the information:The reductions are mainly at power stations, gas works and house coal merchants. Summer stocking at power stations and gas works was adversely affected by the seamen's strike, but the stocks should be adequate to meet winter demand. Stocks at merchants' yards are lower by nearly ½ million tons owing to the abnormal rise of over 1 million tons in sales of house coal during the second half of the summer. The National Coal Board is taking steps to make sure that supplies of house coal will be sufficient this winter.

asked the Minister of Power, in view of the doubts which exist concerning the procedure under Section 13 of the Coal Mining (Subsidence) Act, 1957, in the case of disputes, if he will introduce amending legislation to clarify the law on the subject.

My right hon. Friend is not aware of any such doubts, but would be grateful if the hon. Gentleman would tell him of any difficulties he has experienced.

asked the Minister of Power what quantity of oil was sold in Great Britain for industrial purposes and for domestic purposes, respectively, at the nearest convenient date in September or October, 1959, and at the corresponding date in 1960.

The nearest available information is as follows: