asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware of the public demand for a sub-post office in the Barnmead and Halbutt Street area of Dagenham; and whether he will establish one.

I am glad to be able to tell the hon. Member that a sub-post office will be opened in this area as soon as a sub-postmaster can be appointed.

asked the Postmaster-General if he is aware of the British Broadcasting Corporation's claim that after 14 years of experiment they have been ready for more than a year to start a colour television service; and what action he proposes to take in the matter.

I would refer the hon. Member to the Answers I have today given to the hon. Member for Down, South (Captain Orr), and others.

asked the Secretary of State for Air if he will instruct his work study officers to report on the organisation and methods of the Royal Air Force Ceremonial Unit, with a view to reducing this unit's cost to public funds.

No. I am advised that this unit, which is now known as the Queen's Colour Squadron of the Royal Air Force, and is manned by the Royal Air Force Regiment, would not be a suitable subject for work study.

asked the Secretary of State for Air how many National Service men have been discharged before completing their two years' service in the months of August, September, and October, 1960; for what reasons; and if he will make a statement.

National Service men were prematurely discharged from the Royal Air Force in August, September and October, 1960, for the following reasons:

asked the Secretary of State for Air what is the current disposal valuation of Lasham Airfield.

It is not normal practice to disclose figures of valuation.

asked the Secretary of State for Air if he will state the analysis of active strength, as defined in Annex I, Table I, page 15, of the Defence White Paper, 1960, Command Paper No. 952, at the latest date for which figures are available; whether the estimated figure for 1st April, 1961, still stands; and whether he will make a statement.

The latest figures, which relate to 1st November, 1960, are (in thousands):

asked the Minister of Transport what plans he has for segregating different types of traffic, especially the fast and the very slow, and so avoiding accidents.

Some segregation is already being achieved by the exclusion of pedestrians and certain vehicles from motorways and by the provision of cycle tracks on all-purpose roads where there is sufficient demand to justify them. I am at present considering the views of representative organisations about whether mopeds should be allowed to use cycle tracks. I am also examining the possibility of separating pedestrians more effectively from wheeled traffic in towns. A start has been made by the provision of subways for pedestrians under a number of main traffic routes.

asked the Minister of Transport if he has given further consideration to the advantages of the expanded metal anti-dazzle fence on the M.1 motorway; and if he will extend it for the full length of the motorway, and have a similar fence erected on all motorways.

This experimental screen has been found to have disadvantages as well as advantages. It is not yet established that in present traffic conditions there is a good case for bringing such a screen into general use on motorways. Pending further experience, I do not propose to extend the screen on the M.1 or install it on other motorways.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he has yet received his Divisional Road Engineer's Report on the state of the Hopton, Yorkshire, to Battyeford road; and what action he proposes to take.

The report has now been received. The Kirkburton Urban District Council is the highway authority for this unclassified road and it has recently put in hand some works for the drainage of the road. I have no powers to make grants towards the maintenance of unclassified roads and I regret therefore that I am unable to help.

asked the Minister of Transport if he is aware that road signs in the Greater London area are virtually invisible after dark; and whether he will make arrangements for them to be suitably lighted.

I am aware that some signs are not satisfactorily lit, but the standard is improving. I encourage highway authorities to illuminate their signs, and pay grant on the cost for classified roads.

asked the Minister of Transport whether, in view of the fact that, as at present constructed, dual-carriageway roads are very nearly broad enough to take three lanes in each direction, he will give an estimate of the average increase in cost if dual-carriageway roads were designed to carry three lanes instead of two.

Experience has shown that for safe and convenient operation with vehicles up to 8 feet wide, each traffic lane needs to be 12 feet wide. To provide three lanes in each direction instead of two would therefore mean increasing the width of each carriageway from 24 feet to 36 feet. The additional cost would vary between about £50,000 and £100,000 per mile according to terrain and the number of bridges.

asked the Minister of Transport what immediate action he is proposing to take to alleviate the traffic congestion caused at Redbridge, Swanley, Kings Lynn and elsewhere, details of which are given in a pamphlet produced by the British Road Federation, a copy of which has been sent to him; and if he will make a statement.

I have read with interest the pamphlet referred to. Action will be taken to improve the roads at these places, and at many others, as funds become available, but in determining priorities I must have regard to equally important needs elsewhere.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is yet in a position to announce his decision as to which of the proposals submitted by the Hertfordshire County Council for improving the A.1 between the Clock, Welwyn, and Hatfield, he will authorise.

I received at the end of last week revised proposals from the Hertfordshire County Council for improving the A.1 between the southern arm of the North Orbital Road and north of the Bell at Stanborough. I am considering these urgently and hope to announce my decision in the next few weeks.

asked the Minister of Transport what conclusions he has drawn from the recent census of traffic crossing Boothferry Bridge; and what action he intends to take to relieve the present congestion on this part of the main route between Hull and the Midlands.

The results of the census are still being examined by the West Riding County Council. I cannot therefore yet say what is likely to be the best pattern of roads in this area for the future.

asked the Minister of Transport what has been the result of his consideration of the proposal to convert the old Hull and Barnsley railway into a roadway in order to relieve traffic congestion at Boothferry Bridge and through Goole.

Before a decision can be reached on this proposal, further information is needed about traffic movements in the area. I am awaiting the results of a traffic census which was taken at Boothferry Bridge in October.

asked the Minister of Transport why Bowes Road was not included in the major improvements to be made to the North Circular Road.

My plans for the North Circular Road include the improvement of Bowes Road but I do not regard this scheme as having quite such high priority as the improvement of some other sections of the road. That is why preparation has not yet been authorised.

asked the Minister of Transport why two international "No Entry" signs were placed, one on the shoulder and one on the cen- tral reservation, on the east-bound carriageway in advance of the diversion on to the west-bound carriageway at Queen Hill Bridge on the Ross Spur Motorway on the day it was opened to traffic; whether these signs have now been removed; and whether he will ensure that all temporary signs used in connection with motorways are of the correct type, are properly sited, and are removed immediately they have fulfilled their purpose.

Owing to a misunderstanding these "No Entry" signs were incorrectly sited on the first day. They have since been put in the right place. There are already standing instructions that should ensure the use of only the correct type of temporary signs on motorways, their proper siting and their early removal when they are no longer necessary.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will arrange for the provision of a pedestrian crossing on East Bank Road, Sheffield, opposite St. Paul's Church, in view of the heavy traffic and the need for many children to cross the road at this point.

This is a matter for the local authority in the first place. The Sheffield Corporation has not so far submitted any proposals for a pedestrian crossing here, but if it does so I will, of course, carefully consider them.

asked the Minister of Transport what progress has been made towards the construction of the Worcester Northern Link Road; and whether it will be opened to traffic at the same time as the motorway it serves now under construction between Lydiate Ash and Twyning.

I am at present considering the objections which have been made to the draft Order establishing the line of this road. Construction of the road cannot start until this and the other necessary statutory procedures have been completed. The road will not therefore be ready until some time after the opening of the motorway from Lydiate Ash to Twyning, which is at present under construction.

asked the Minister of Transport when he anticipates the work of constructing dual carriageways on the A.20 at Death Hill. Farningham, will commence.

I have nothing to add to the Answer I gave the hon. Member on 30th November.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will state the

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is now able to announce plans for one-way traffic working in the Tottenham Court Road-Gower Street area.

Yes. I propose to introduce an experimental scheme of one-way traffic working in this area starting on 1st May, 1961. Consultations have taken place between my Department and the Westminster City Council, the Metropolitan Borough Councils of Holborn, St. Marylebone and St. Pancras and the Metropolitan Police. I have now put the scheme to them formally. Discussions have also taken place with the London Transport Executive who expect to convert before 1st May their trolley bus services on the routes affected. I take this opportunity of thanking these bodies for their co-operation.I have placed in the Library copies of a plan showing the new routeing along the roads concerned. Briefly, there will be a one-way route northbound between Cambridge Circus and the junction of Hampstead Road and Gower Street via Charing Cross Road, Tottenham Court Road and Hampstead Road. Southbound traffic will use Gower Street, Bloomsbury

I regret that the information asked for is available only for the last three years. In the last 12 months there have been 53 accidents, in which four people were killed, 24 seriously injured and 47 slightly injured. The following are the figures for the two previous years:Street and Shaftesbury Avenue or Monmouth Street. There will be consequential adjustments of routeing in the neighbourhood of Princes Circus, Cambridge Circus and St. Giles' Circus. There will also be a new system of one-way streets between the two main north-south routes.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is yet able to give the results of the 50 miles-per-hour speed limit experiment conducted on lengths of trunk road during certain weekends last summer: and whether he has any proposals for the future use of the 50-miles-per-hour limit.

Yes. On those lengths of road which were subjected to the 50 m.p.h. speed limit there was a reduction of 15 per cent. in the number of accidents involving personal injury as compared with corresponding week-ends in 1959. On a group of comparable roads where no speed limit was in operation there was a rise of 3 per cent. over the 1959 figure. These figures are encouraging but in view of the limited nature of the experiment the results must be treated with reserve. However, I am satisfied that they justify repeating the experiment next year.

asked the Minister of Transport if he has now received the report from the Aberdeen Harbour Commissioners about the pontoon docks; and whether he has decided to provide the finance to carry out the necessary repairs or for a new pontoon dock.

I have received and considered this report in conjunction with the other interested Ministers. The Government are not prepared to support the proposal in the report that the replacement of Nos. 2 and 3 pontoon docks at Aberdeen should be entirely financed from national funds. The Working Party set up by the Harbour Commission are accordingly preparing a new financial plan.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will consider giving degree status to Merchant Navy Officers' Certificates, and making the title, "Captain, Merchant Navy", a legal instead of an honorary one.

Merchant Navy Officers' Certificates of Competency are professional, rather than academic, qualifications. I do not consider it either appropriate or practicable to seek to give them degree status. Nor do I see any grounds for altering the statutory title of "Master", which is honoured and respected everywhere.

asked the Minister of Transport if he is aware of the decline in the state of the shipping industry which is being brought about by flag discrimination, subsidies by foreign countries to their own shipping fleets, flags of convenience and the incidence of taxation; and what steps he now proposes to take to deal with these problems.

Although British shipping is at present facing formidable problems it is certainly not in a state of general decline. The matters to which the hon. Member draws attention are clearly important for the future of the industry. I expect shortly to receive recommendations from the General Council of British Shipping which will no doubt help me in my further consideration of them.

asked the Minister of Transport what was the nature of the protest made by Her Majesty's Government to the United States Federal Maritime Administration about the latter's request for information concerning trading operations by United Kingdom shipping.

Her Majesty's Government have expressed their serious concern to the United States Government about an Order of the Federal Maritime Board requiring shipping companies to file with them commercial information some of which would relate to business arrangements made outside the United States. Her Majesty's Government pointed out, among other things, that such demands would be likely to lead to conflicts of jurisdiction and to frustrate the free operation of international shipping.

asked the Minister of Transport when it is intended fully to implement the conventions signed at the International Conference on Safety of Life at Sea, held in London on the 17th June, 1960; what countries have implemented the conventions; which have indicated that they will; on what date it is expected that they will be in full operation by ships flying Her Majesty's flag; and on what dates it is expected they will be in full operation on ships of other countries.

The revised International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea will come into force twelve months after the date on which it has been accepted by the Governments of fifteen countries, including seven having each not less than one million gross tons of shipping.The revised International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea will come into force on a date to be fixed by the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organisation after substantial unanimity has been reached as to their acceptance by Governments.So far as the United Kingdom is concerned, legislation will be necessary to give effect to certain of the new provisions and to enable us formally to accept them. This is in preparation and will be brought before Parliament as soon as is practicable.No Government has as yet formally accepted either of the instruments, or has formally indicated its intention to do so.

asked the Minister of Transport what further action he intends to take to protect child pedestrians, after study of the September 1960 accident figures.

In conjunction with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Education and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, I am considering in what ways we can further encourage and extend the good work which is already being done in training children in Road Safety, particularly by the teaching profession and the police. I am also pressing ahead with general road safety measures which will benefit child pedestrians as well as other categories of road users.

asked the Minister of Transport what reply he will give to the hon. Member for Ross and Cromarty to his letter of 23rd November regarding the application for an A-licence by Black Isle (Transport) Limited.

In the letter which I sent to my hon. Friend on 12th December, I told him that the grant or refusal of carriers' licences was wholly within the statutory responsibility of licensing authorities and that I could not intervene.

asked the Minister of Transport when he proposes to carry out the Bowes Committee's unanimous recommendation to abolish the present system of charging tolls on inland waterways and replace it by the annual licensing of boats.

This recommendation applied only to a part of the nationalised waterways system. To carry it out would require legislation, and I cannot make any statement at present.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware of the likelihood of traffic being transferred from canals to roads as a result of tolls charged on canals; and whether he will give a general direction to the British Transport Commission not to increase such tolls, in view of the recommendations of the Bowes Committee on this matter.

No. The increases in canal tolls are in line with those recently made in charges for road haulage. As regards the second part of the Question, I do not think the issue of a general direction would be justified.

asked the Minister of Transport what steps he is taking to provide a satisfactory rail or monorail link between London Airport and Central London; and if he will make a statement.

I am unable to add to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Stockton-on-Tees (Mr. Chetwynd) on 23rd March, 1960.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will now make a statement on the future of the British Transport Commission's plan to electrify the Euston-Crewe main line.

The British Transport Commission's reassessment of the London Midland Electrification Scheme has been under urgent examination by my Ministry, in consultation with the Commission, who have recently provided a statement of the proposed phasing of expenditure for the period up to 1966. A further expenditure of some £130 million is involved. I am as anxious as anyone to reach an early decision in this matter, but I must relate a scheme of this magnitude to the other items in the 4-year programme of railway modernisation on which the Commission have been urgently engaged and which I expect to receive very shortly.

asked the Minister of Defence what consideration has been given to the replacement and reinforcement of United Kingdom units oversea by expanded colonial forces borne on the appropriate United Kingdom Service Vote.

This suggestion has been carefully examined on several occasions in the past. Troops raised in the Colonies are already making a contribution to our defence effort, and I doubt whether any significant increase is possible in the near future.

asked the Minister of Defence whether the Polaris missiles to be operated from the base in Scotland will be used as part of the strategic deterrent under the independent control of the United States Government or in a tactical rôle within the control of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation Council.

I assume that the hon. Member is referring to the Polaris missiles to be carried by the United States Navy submarines for which facilities are to be provided in Holy Loch. Although they are under the control of the United States Government, they will add greatly to the strength of the strategic deterrent force of the West.

asked the Minister of Defence (1) what requests have been made by the Federal Government of Germany during their discussions with Her Majesty's Government on the granting of training bases in Great Britain for West German troops, that the conditions for the granting of such bases should be on the same basis as the Bonn Contractual Agreement signed on 26th May. 1952;

I have nothing to add to the answer which I gave the hon. Member for Salford, East on 12th December. The Federal Republic of Germany has expressed general interest in our offer but has not so far put forward any specific requests. Her Majesty's Government regard it as most important that proposals for the use of training or logistic facilities in U.K. by other N.A.T.O. countries should be endorsed by the N.A.T.O. Military Authorities.

asked the Minister of Defence what arrangements are made by British Service units and United States units stationed in this country to ensure that waste food which may contain scraps of South American meat is effectively sterilised at concentrator plants for use for pig feeding.

British Service Units dispose of their waste foods in accordance with The Diseases of Animals (Waste Foods) Order, 1957. Waste food is disposed of by United States Service Units under special rules laid down by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which incorporate certain additional safeguards.

asked the Lord Privy Seal, in view of the further deterioration of the situation in Laos, if he will approach the Governments which were represented at the Geneva Conference on South-East Asia concerning the advisability of recalling the conference.

During the last three months, Her Majesty's Government's efforts have been devoted to trying to secure agreement between the various Laotian factions which would put an end to the fighting and produce a neutral and independent Laos. Before taking any international action as Co-Chairman of the Geneva Conference, I should wish to be certain that there was no hope of the Laotians settling the problems on their own

asked the Lord Privy Seal, in view of the reciprocal arrangements for the abolition of visas between the United Kingdom and several countries, if he will propose to the United States Government similar reciprocity, since American citizens enjoy visa-free entry to the United Kingdom.

No.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether he will make a statement on the agreement achieved at the adjourned Geneva Conference on nuclear tests; and whether he will state the main points on which agreement has not been reached.

Up to the present time the Conference has reached agreement on a preamble, seventeen draft Articles of a Treaty and two Annexes.The important problems remaining to be solved include: the duration of the voluntary moratorium on small underground tests; the arrangements for the programme of seismic research envisaged in the Camp David statement; the annual number of "on site" inspections to determine whether or not a nuclear explosion has taken place; and the composition of the Control Commission which will supervise the work of the Control Organisation.

asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty whether the Admiralty have been kept in touch with the development of Polaris; and whether, in view of recent successful firings, it is now proposed to develop a British missile submarine.

As I told the House on 7th March, we are obtaining very full information from the U.S. Navy. My right hon. Friend the Minister of Defence informed the House on 16th November that we do not yet need to decide whether we shall require a Polaris type submarine.

asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty what studies are being made regarding the replacement of exist-L.C.T. and L.S.T. by an assault ship capable of operating with a commando carrier; and when such a ship will be laid down.

Design studies for successors to the existing Amphibious Warfare Squadron are in hand. On the question of timing, as I told my hon. Friend in reply to a Question on 24th February last, a replacement programme will be started before the existing L.S.T.'s and L.C.T's come to the end of their hull life.

asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty why employees of the Royal Naval Spare Parts Depot at Eaglescliffe, resident in Stockton-on-Tees, are not to benefit from the proposed provincial differentiation rates on 1st January, 1961.

asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty why employees at the Royal Naval Supply Depot at Eaglescliffe are not to receive provincial differential pay until 1962.

The system of provincial differentiation is being replaced throughout the Civil Service by payment of a uniform national rate of pay. Establishments are being brought onto the national rate over the four-year period from 1958 to 1962, according to the official figure of population of the Local Government Areas within whose boundaries they are sited. The deciding factor in determining eligibility for national rate is, as it has always been, the location of the establishment.

asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty how many boys applied for scholarships and reserved cadetships from independent schools, direct grant schools, maintained grammar schools and multiple training and other schools, respectively.

For the last completed scholarship competition there were 306 applicants from independent schools, 107 from direct grant schools, 246 from maintained grammar schools and 53 from nautical and other schools. Applications are not made separately for reserved cadetships which are awarded on the results of the scholarship competition.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will state the comparable figure of the Retail Food Price Index as at 31st March, 1960, taking the figure as 100 on 31st March, 1955.

Taking the index for the food group of the retail prices index as 100 on 15th March, 1955, the index for 15th March, 1960, was 113.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will now set out in tabular form the national average wages received in each trade or industry engaged in manufacturing, railways, coal mining, and engineering in 1945, 1958, and 1960, respectively.

Information about average wages received in these industries was set out in my right hon. Friend's Written Reply to the hon. Member on 29th November, 1960.It is not possible to calculate national average wage rates from information available to my Department, but minimum or standard weekly rates of wages in the great majority of manufacturing industries as at 1st August, 1946, 1st April, 1958, and 1st April, 1960, were published in

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many African inspectors of police have been appointed in Northern Rhodesia.

38 Africans are serving as assistant inspectors Grades 1-III, and 65 as sub-inspectors.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will state the amount of Government subsidy, the

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many proposals to carry out coast protection work under the Coast Protection Act, 1949, have been refused grants; and what was the total estimated cost of the proposals.

Fourteen proposals, estimated to cost £163,528, have been refused grant.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will state the principles on which he decides whether, and to what extent, a grant is payable to a local authority submitting a scheme under the Coast Protection Act, 1949.

Grant is not payable where the cost of essential new work would not bring the authority's rate

Information for all local authorities in the form requested by the hon. Member is not readily available. The following figures, for which I am indebted to the Scottish Branch of the institute of Municipal Treasurers and Accountants, however relate to all counties and large burghs and to small burghs with a population of 9,000 or over, and thus cover about 90 per cent. of local authority houses in Scotland:burden for coast protection to more than 2d. in the £. The rate of grant in any particular case is determined, within a maximum of 80 per cent., by reference to the authority's total rate burden for coast protection, its current rate poundage and its current rate of Exchequer equalisation grant; except that work for the protection of a trunk or classified road earns grant at the rate appropriate to works on the road.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were the quantities of malt whisky and grain whisky distilled in Scotland for the year ended 30th September, 1960, and the quantities of each distilled in the whole of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The quantities of malt spirit and of grain spirit distilled in Scotland and in the United Kingdom as a whole in the year ended 30th September, 1960, were as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for War how many Fijians have enlisted into the British Army in the last 12 months; and where they enlisted.

One Fijian enlisted during the last 12 months; at Kentish Town, London.

asked the Secretary of State for War what steps he is taking to increase enlistment of Fijians into the British Army.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for War how many recruiting offices for the British Army there are in Fiji.

There are no recruiting offices in Fiji. As in all Colonial Territories, the local administration is the proper channel for inquiries, but enlistment must be carried out in the United Kingdom.

asked the Secretary of State for War what training areas for tank crews in Great Britain are not being fully used at present.

None. All are fully used.