asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he is aware that an anti-Labour demonstration was held in Malta on Sunday, 5th March; and if he will grant similar facilties for the Labour Party to hold similar demonstrations on the island.

On 5th March the Church in Malta held a rally to protest against Communism, and contacts with Communist-front organisations, and the discharge of Government employees. On the second part of the Question I would refer the hon. Member to my reply of 7th March to him.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is aware that the terms and conditions of service offered to veterinary surgeons in Tanganyika are such as to attract into employment continentally-trained veterinarians with qualifications not accept able for registration by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons; and whether he will examine these terms and conditions with a view to their revision to deal with this problem.

The Tanganyika Veterinary Board is empowered by local legislation to licence veterinary officers in Government Service as veterinary practitioners even though their qualifications are not recognised by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. By this means five veterinary surgeons with Continental qualifications have recently been recruited. I hope, however, that the new Tanganyika salaries will prove a stimulus to recruitment from here despite the high level of employment in this country.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is aware that the terms and conditions of service offered to veterinary surgeons in Tanganyika are not such as to encourage experienced British-trained expatriates to remain in Tanganyika; and whether he will examine those terms and conditions with a view to their revision to deal with this problem.

The terms of service of the Tanganyika Public Service, including veterinary surgeons in that Service, are being substantially improved following the recommendations of the East African Salaries Commission which reported in January. I hope that these improved terms of service will encourage British trained veterinary surgeons to remain.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the Hong Kong Government have yet made a decision on the main recommendation of the Hong Kong Electricity Supply Companies Commission to take into public ownership the two electric supply companies in the Colony; and whether some alternative arrangement has been concluded.

No. Negotiations are still proceeding on the basis of the Hong Kong Government's proposals of 18th February.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether his Department has now completed arrangements for the construction of the radiotherapy unit at the Western Infirmary, Glasgow; and what are the reasons for the delay.

The contracts for the main building works of the new radiotherapy unit have recently been let by the Western Regional Hospital Board. The contractors have started and the steel frame of the main building has already been erected.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland, in view of the fact that the Forth Road bridge works are being held up for lack of steel, what steps he proposes to take to ensure continuous progress in the construction.

I am glad to say that the temporary difficulties which held up the delivery of the steel sections of the south main tower were resolved last month; and last Friday I saw for myself that work was again proceeding satisfactorily.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to reply to the letter sent him by the hon. Member for Kirkcaldy Burghs, in respect of the road improvements at Hendry Road and Oswald Road, Kirkcaldy.

The hon. Member will by now have received the reply sent to him on 27th March by my hon. Friend the Joint Under-Secretary of State for Scotland. As he said, I will consider this scheme for 1961–62 in the light of the priority accorded to it by the town council and of other calls on the funds available for grants toward the cost of classified road works.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the total cost to date of road construction in the Lochportain Estate in North Uist; and when it is intended to complete the linking of this road with the main island highway.

The local road system of some 5¼ miles on the estate has been virtually completed at a cost of £65,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will state the amount of major improvement grant money authorised by his Department on classified roads, including Crofter Coun-

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the special qualifications possessed by Mr. Bruce which qualified him for membership of the Crofters Commission.

Mr. Bruce is a man of wide experience with considerable knowledge of Highland conditions and, in particular, of conditions in Zetland.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will state the major improvement grant money on trunk roads authorised by his Department for the years 1959–60, 1960–61 and 1961–62, in each of the four counties of Sutherland, Ross and Cromarty, Inverness, and Argyll.

The amount of expenditure which was authorised for new construction and major improvement schemes on trunk roads, including those schemes under the County Crofter Programme, during the years 1959–60 and 1960–61 in the counties of Sutherland, Ross and Cromarty, Inverness and Argyll is set out in the table below.No schemes have yet been authorised in 1961–62.ties Schemes on classified roads, for the years 1959–60, 1960–61, and 1961–62, in each of the four counties of Sutherland, Ross and Cromarty, Inverness, and Argyll.

The amount of grant authorised towards the cost of major improvements on classified roads, including crofter counties schemes, in the counties of Sutherland, Ross and Cromarty, Inverness, and Argyll during

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will introduce legislation to enable the payments of grant, other than under the Rural Water Supplies and Sewage Act, 1944, or the Housing and Town Development (Scotland) Act, 1957, to local authorities constructing or improving sewage disposal works to the standards required by the river purification boards, such payments to be in respect of that proportion of the expenditure which is necessary to meet these standards instead of existing standards; and whether he will provide in such legislation that local authorities which now proceed with such construction or improvement will benefit.

Compliance with standards set by river purification authorities must be regarded as part of the normal responsibility of sewerage

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will give an estimate of the average number of hours per week allocated to mathematics and science subjects in the secondary departments of direct grant schools;(2) if he will give an estimate of the average number of hours per week allocated to mathematics and science subjects, respectively, in junior secondary and senior secondary courses of local authority schools.

The following table shows the time normally allocated in education authority schools:and science is similar to that in corresponding courses in education authority schools.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will give an estimate of the number of pupils at direct grant schools at present receiving tuition in science subjects; and what percentage this is of the total;(2) if he will give an estimate of the numbers of pupils in the junior second-

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what action he proposes to take in order to carry out the recommendations of the Hill Watson Committee on Drainage of Trade Premises.

Detailed proposals for legislation based on the Committee's recommendations are at present being discussed with the local authority, trade and other associations concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will specify those grants or subsidies for which he is responsible other than assistance for building croft houses or agricultural buildings, available to crofters, and for which, or for subventions broadly corresponding to which, farmers are not eligible.

Apart from the grants available under the Crofters, etc., Buildings Grants (Scotland) Regulations, 1956, the only other grant or subsidy scheme exclusively for the benefit of crofters is the Crofters Agricultural Grants (Scotland) Scheme, 1956.

The information for session 1959–60, the latest for which figures are available, is as follows:This scheme is administered by the Crofters Commission on behalf of the Secretary of State and offers to crofters, assistance for cropping and land improvement, roads and water supplies, fencing and miscellaneous works at rates of grant which are generally more favourable than those available to farmers under broadly corresponding schemes.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what authorities he has consulted in accordance with paragraph 16 of Command Paper No. 1032, Commonwealth Educational Co-operation, about additional places for Commonwealth students in technical colleges and expanded training facilities for Commonwealth students in United Kingdom industry.

In April, 1960, I invited the governing bodies of the central institutions to allocate a sufficient share of extra places, as they became available as a result of expansion plans, in order to maintain and, if possible, to improve upon the current ratio of Commonwealth to United Kingdom students. In the current session the number of Commonwealth students is 477, an increase of 25 over the number in session 1959–60. As far as training in industry is concerned the Board of Trade has set up a committee with the major industrial organisations to help with any cases which cannot be fitted into the many existing schemes under which such training is given. Very few requests for help have in fact been received from other Commonwealth Governments and these have been dealt with under existing arrangments.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many Government-owned factories in the Northern Region are vacant.

Eight Board of Trade factories are vacant in the

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that continental garments and piece goods containing defective metallic yarns are now being sold in this country, that the

asked the President of the Board of Trade for what period the Government-owned factory in Sunderland has been vacant; and what steps have been taken to secure a tenant.

We are at present negotiating with a prospective tenant for this factory, which has been vacant since May, 1960, and there is a good prospect that it will soon be re-let.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many cinemas have closed in Scotland in each year since 1955; and in which counties these closures have taken place.

The information is as follows:viscose coating of the yarn loses strength when subjected to dampness and that dry cleaning breaks down the structure and thus destroys the colour effect and weakens the yarn itself; and if he will introduce legislation to ensure that in future imported articles of this kind bear labels indicating their limitations, particularly with regard to after-care.

My right hon. Friend has seen reports of the difficulty which the hon. Member mentions, but the Committee on Consumer Protection is considering informative labelling, and my right hon. Friend could not contemplate legislation on a particular case in advance of the Committee's general advice.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which police forces have applied to open quarantine kennels since 14th July, 1960; and which of these applications have been approved.

None.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many imported Alsatians have been detained at the quarantine kennels approved for use by the Metropolitan Police in each of the twenty-four calendar months up to the last convenient date; how many Alsatian or other puppies have been born in quarantine at these kennels; and on what dates they were born.

Ten Alsatians were placed in approved Metropolitan Police quarantine kennels in June, 1960. There were no others during the two years ending 31st March, 1961. No puppies were born.

asked the Minister of Aviation what was the total cost up to 31st December, 1960, of the development of Gatwick Airport.

Expenditure on development of London (Gatwick) Airport to 31st December, 1960, was £8 million. This figure includes expenditure on land acquisition, and also on certain works required to meet increasing traffic demands since the airport was reopened in June, 1958.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will state separately the number of magistrates whose private residences are situated within each of the wards in the City of Manchester.

I am informed that the number of magistrates living in each ward of the City of Manchester is as follows:

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many new magistrates have recently been appointed in the City of Manchester; and how many of those appointed have their private residences situated within the city boundaries.

Twenty-four new magistrates have recently been appointed in the City of Manchester; fifteen of these, I am informed, have their private residences within the city boundaries.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will consider introducing legislation to deport, upon a verdict of guilty of treason, following spying activities against this country, all who are not natural British subjects, following their sentence of imprisonment, and to deprive British subjects so sentenced of all civil rights following their release;(2) what consideration he has given to the need to amend the law to enforce deportation of all people found guilty of spying activities against the United Kingdom, following their sentence of imprisonment.

I am already empowered by the Aliens Order, 1953, to make a deportation order against any alien if I deem that course to be conducive to the public good; but in practice the exercise of this power is subject to some country being willing to admit the alien in question. As regards the deportation of British subjects, I would refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my hon. and learned Friend the Joint Under-Secretary of State in reply to the debate on 17th February. As at present advised I do not contemplate legislation of the nature proposed by the hon. Member.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether he has now received information from all areas regarding their intentions to beautify colliery spoil heaps; whether he will now publish a complete report about all that has been done in this matter; by what means, and to what extent, each area has indicated its intentions for the future; and what further assistance he is giving to local authorities in coal mining areas to enable them to tackle this problem.

I have received reports from local planning authorities about action taken in response to circular No. 26/59. These show that works for improving the appearance of colliery spoil heaps, such as grass seeding, tree planting and grading, have been or will be carried out in Cumberland, Durham, Lancashire, Northumberland and the West Riding. Discussions in the light of the circular have also been held with the National Coal Board by the following planning authorities: Kent, Leicestershire, Monmouthshire, Salop, Somerset, Warwickshire, Burnley and Stoke-on-Trent. It seems likely that in a number of these areas works of improvement will follow. In the course of their replies local planning authorities have also informed me of other schemes of improvement which are being carried out by the National Coal Board under arrangements outside the scope of the circular, and of schemes for tree planting and reclamation which have been or are being undertaken in a number of areas by the authorities themselves. As regards further assistance to local authorities, my Department is always ready with advice on how the problem might be tackled in particular cases.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what cooperation he is receiving from the National Coal Board to help him rid colliery districts of unsightly derelict spoil heaps; and whether the National Coal Board have made fresh proposals to help local authorities in their respective National Coal Board areas.

The National Coal Board are co-operating with local planning authorities under the arrangements described in circular No. 26/59 and in other ways, I am sure that the Board will continue to consider proposals for further schemes along these lines.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what is the waiting list for old people's houses and flats in Welwyn Garden City and in Hatfield new towns, respectively.

The number on the waiting list for old people's dwellings in Welwyn Garden City is 263, and in Hatfield 149.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs how many old people's houses and flats were built in Welwyn Garden City and in Hatfield new towns during the year ended 31st March, 1961; and how many such houses and flats are under construction at the latest available date.

The numbers are as follows:

asked the Minister of Transport what consideration he has given to the proposal that British Transport Docks should come under the control of local dock and harbour authorities operating along the lines of public trusts.

I am considering representations made to me on this point. The Government's present intentions are to set up a statutory Docks Board on the lines indicated in Cmnd. 1248.

asked the Minister of Transport how many accidents involving personal injury were caused by inadequate lighting on heavy goods vehicles in 1958, 1959 and 1960, respectively.

In 1958 the police reported that inadequacy or lack of rear or front lighting on heavy goods vehicles was a contributory factor in 102 acci- dents involving these vehicles. Similar information is not available for 1959 and 1960 as the accident reporting system was revised in 1959 and the police are no longer asked to report their opinion as to the contributory factors for each accident.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many additional places for Commonwealth students, in total, have been made available, and will be made available next session, in the universities, in terms of paragraph 55 of Command Paper No. 841, Report of the Commonwealth Education Conference; how many have been or will be made available by each institution, respectively; and in what faculties or departments of study.

I have been asked to reply.At the time of the Commonwealth Education Conference in July, 1959, 3,457 students from the Commonwealth overseas were studying at United Kingdom universities the technical subjects, i.e., the applied sciences to which paragraph 55 of Cmnd. 841 relates. In the immediately following academic year, 1959–60, the total number of such students rose to 3,538. Statistics relating to such students studying at our universities in the current academic year, 1960–61, are not yet available but as soon as the figures are obtained I will send them to the hon. Member.2. As the total number of places at United Kingdom universities increases as a result of the current expansion programme, more places are expected to become available for students from the Commonwealth overseas. At this stage, however, it is not possible to forecast the exact number of additional places which will be taken up in the academic year 1961–62 since this will depend on the number of applications received from prospective students from the Commonwealth overseas and their qualifications for entry to a university here.3. The available information concerning the technical subjects studied by Commonwealth students from overseas at universities in this country is given in the table below. Existing statistics do not show the distribution of such students by universities, or by faculties or depart-

asked the Minister of Works if he will itemise the proposed expenditure of £22,105 on fuel, gas, electricity, water and household articles at Buckingham Palace.

Details are as follows:

asked the Minister of Works if he will itemise the proposed expenditure of £91,300 on maintenance and repairs at Buckingham Palace.

Details are as follows:

asked the Minister of Works if he will itemise the proposed expenditure of £23,239 on fuel, gas, electricity, water, and household articles at Windsor Castle.

Details are as follows:

asked the Minister of Works if he will itemise the proposed expenditure of £89,485 on repairs and maintenance at Windsor Castle.

Details are as follows:

asked the Minister of Works if he will itemise the proposed expenditure of £22,700 on maintenance and repairs of furniture and equipment at Windsor Castle in 1961–62.

The proposed expenditure of £22,700 is the estimated cost of wages, National Insurance contributions and overtime for industrial staff employed in the Royal Household at Windsor Castle on the repair and maintenance of furniture and furnishings.

asked the Minister of Works if he will itemise the proposed expenditure of £115,873 on maintenance and repairs at Hampton Court Palace.

Details are as follows:

asked the Minister of Works if he will state the purpose of the proposed expenditure of £2,300 on new works and alterations to the Hampton Court Stud House.

The amount is required to complete the restoration of the historic 17th century stables which suffered serious war damage.

asked the Minister of Works if he will itemise the proposed expenditure of £6,270 on fuel, gas, electricity, water and household articles at the residential apartments of St. James's Palace.

Details are as follows:

asked the Minister of Works if he will itemise the proposed expenditure of £35,320 on maintenance and repairs to the Palace of Holyrood House in 1961–62.

Details are as follows: