asked the Minister of Transport if he can now confirm the line through Berkshire and Wiltshire proposed for the South Wales Motorway; and if the maps showing this motorway which have been available to the public at local authority offices for some time past are accurate and up to date.

Consulting engineers have now been appointed to complete the survey of possible routes between Maidenhead and the Chippenham area. Until their survey is completed, and this will take some time, I cannot say whether or not the route finally recommended will be that shown in the Berkshire and Wiltshire development plans.

asked the Minister of Transport what representations he has received from the Ilford Borough Council concerning amendments to the Pedestrian Crossings (General) Regulations, 1951; and what reply he has sent.

The council has asked that the distance from an uncontrolled pedestrian crossing within which the stopping of vehicles is prohibited should be extended and also that the ban on waiting should apply to the leaving side of the crossing as well as to the approach side. I am examining this proposal.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware that the A6, the only trunk route to Scotland on the west coast, is extremely narrow and liable to cause traffic blockages where it crosses over Shap; and if he will now state when the proposed motorway to take the place of the present trunk road over Shap will be constructed.

I am aware of the need to provide an alternative to the A.6 route over Shap. Consulting engineers are surveying possible routes for a motorway from the Lancaster bypass to Penrith and will report to me in the autumn. It is too early to forecast when construction will be possible. I will press on with the appropriate measures when I have considered the report.

asked the Minister of Transport whether the equipment for building motorways is fully employed; and what additional expenditure would be required to keep it fully employed during the coming financial year.

Equipment used for motorways can be used not only for other road works but also for other kinds of civil engineering construction. Its employment cannot therefore be directly related to Government or local authority investment in road building.

asked the Minister of Transport whether having regard to the fact that the expenditure on the proposed Survey of London Road Traffic cannot be more than a fraction of the expenditure on the road works concerned and that an inadequate survey would result in two years of inquiry being largely wasted, he will give an assurance that the proposed survey will be comprehensive in character.

The precise proposals are still under discussion between the London County Council, the consultants, and my Department, but it is my intention that the survey should be comprehensive.

asked the Minister of Defence for what storage purposes it is intended to use the proposed North Atlantic Treaty Organisation base at Glen Douglas.

As stated by my hon. Friend the Civil Lord of the Admiralty on 16th March last, a N.A.T.O. ammunition storage depôt is to be constructed at Glen Douglas.

asked the Minister of Defence on how many previous occasions he has authorised interviews such as that granted to the Evening Standard on 20th March by his chief scientific adviser; and to what extent he proposes to adopt this practice in order that his scientific advisers may explain publicly problems confronting his department in the scientific field.

I do not intend to depart from existing practice of which the interview given by my scientific adviser was an example. This practice is to take all suitable opportunities of explaining, by whatever method is most appropriate, the nature of the various problems, scientific and otherwise, which confront us in the field of defence policy.

asked the Minister of Defence to what extent he is tightening security within all the Departments for which he is responsible, and particularly at research establishments such as the chemical defence research establishment and the microbiological research department at Porton.

I am reviewing the security arrangements in my own Department, and I have asked the Minister of Aviation and the Service Ministers to do the same. Responsibility for the establishments mentioned by the hon. Member rests with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for War.

asked the Minister of Transport to what extent the risk of tyres bursting has decreased in recent years owing to improvements in manufacture; and what official study has been made of the probable results of a front or rear tyre bursting, respectively, when travelling at 25, 50 and 75 miles an hour on a dry road.

Improvements in recent years in methods of tyre construction and the introduction of new materials such as rayon, nylon and steel cords have both increased tyre casing strengths and reduced heat build-up in the tyre and thus the risk of failure. Tyre performance is primarily a matter for the manufacturers and I am not aware of any study of tyre bursts under the conditions specified by my hon. Friend. The results of tyre bursts, which are now relatively few in number, depend on many factors, including the vehicle and its loading, the maintenance and inflation of the tyre, the layout and condition of the road and the skill of the driver.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he has yet completed his consideration of draft regulations regarding additional side lights to be carried by abnormally long goods vehicles and by vehicles carrying projecting loads; and what are his proposals.

Comments received from representative bodies on the draft regulations for additional side lights on longer vehicles expressed a variety of views and suggestions. The comments are still being studied, but I hope to reach a decision shortly. The proposals for controls on projecting loads, including the fitting of lighted marker boards on the ends and sides of the projections, have recently been discussed with interested bodies concerned. I am considering ways of reducing the burden they would impose on industry without reducing their effectiveness.

asked the Postmaster-General what progress has been made with the Freefone Service; and what steps are being taken to encourage its use.

I am glad to say that this service is growing steadily: more than 130 firms are now using it. These include wholesalers, departmental stores, self-drive car hire firms and insurance brokers. Our sales staff are using an attractive leaflet to publicise the service and to bring it to the notice of potential customers.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will accept the final recommendations of the Council of British Shipping, that the main purpose of his Department as regards shipping should be to foster the prosperity of British shipping.

I agree with the General Council of British Shipping that with the development overseas of practices such as subsidies, flag discrimination and flags of convenience, my Department has a greatly increased rôle to play in promoting the economic interests of the British shipping industry. The statutory responsibilities of the Department, however, for marine safety and other matters remain unchanged.

asked the Postmaster-General if he has yet received a report from the firm of experts dealing with the future of Post Office sites and buildings; what it has revealed; and if he will make a statement.

I have not yet received a complete report, but hope to do so in a week or two. I am not yet ready to make a statement.

asked the Postmaster-General if, in view of the fact that the town of Stamford is celebrating its quincentenary this year and having regard to the association of Stamford with the postal system going back as far as 1326, he will consider holding a small exhibition or making some other contribution to the quincentenary celebrations of the town.

Yes. I am glad to say that the Post Office will have a stand at the Industrial Exhibition to be held from 29th May to 10th June and will also provide postal and telephone facilities for visitors to that exhibition.

asked the Postmaster-General what is the general policy which governs his grant of permission to civil servants on retirement from his Department to take up employment with firms that supply goods to the Post Office.

Post Office policy is governed by the White Paper (Cmd. 5517) issued in 1937 under which civil servants of the rank of under-secretary and above, and more junior officers occupying posts of a special or technical character, are required to seek the approval of the Government before they accept, within a period of two years after their retirement, appointments with firms having, for example, contractual relations with the Government. I consider each case on its merits in the light of the general principles set out in the White Paper.

asked the Postmaster-General how many former Post Office servants, who have at one time been employed on duties in the Contracts Department of the General Post Office, are now employed by members of the Telecommunication Engineering and Manufacturing Association.

No one who was employed in the Post Office Contracts Department and who is covered by the White Paper (Cmd. 5517) is employed by an member of the Telecommunications Engineering and Manufacturing Association. No records are maintained of appointments of other staff of the Contracts Department.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a statement on the progress being made in the conference at Geneva on nuclear testing.

There is little that I can add to my hon. Friend's reply on 27th March to the right hon. and learned Member for Rowley Regis and Tipton (Mr. A. Henderson) and the hon. Member for Leeds, East (Mr. Healey). The Western delegations are still awaiting the Soviet reply to the new Western proposals which were put forward on 21st March. We very much hope this will not be long delayed and will be constructive.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what aid in men, money and materials Her Majesty's Government have made to the Mekong Valley Development Scheme.

Her Majesty's Government have given or pledged the sum of £130,000, under the Technical Co-operation scheme of the Colombo Plan, to the Mekong Valley Development Project. Material already supplied or about to be supplied consists of a fifty-foot survey launch and a quantity of meteorological equipment, the cost of which amounts to £33,000. The remainder (£97,000) will be spent over the next three years on material and equipment to mark and improve the channels from Luang Prabang to Savannakhet and from Kratie to the sea (including supplies necessary for embankment), equipment for marking the channel from the Cambodian/Vietnamese border to the sea, equipment for one radio station, and twelve shore lights and office equipment for hydro-graphic services in Bangkok, Phnom Penh and Vientiane, including punting equipment and supplies. In addition, a contribution will be made to the United Nations Bureau of Technical Assistance Operations Hydrographic Survey for the Navigation Improvement Project. No United Kingdom personnel have yet been called upon to participate in the Scheme but it is possible that United Kingdom experts will be asked to assist with the work on the embankment.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what steps Her Majesty's Government are taking to prevent British subjects joining the Katanga or other Congo armies in contravention of the Security Council resolution of 21st February.

Her Majesty's Government have decided that the passport of any United Kingdom national who takes up a military engagement in the Congo other than under United Nations Command will be invalidated or withdrawn. Passport authorities are being instructed to refuse a passport to any United Kingdom national who applies for one in order to take up such an engagement; and in cases where they suspect that the applicant has this intention they are being instructed to ask for a signed declaration that he has no such intention. In the absence of this declaration a passport will be refused.

asked the Minister of Labour what is the latest percentage unemployment figure in the city of Dundee; how it compares with the same period a year ago; and what steps he is taking to restore full employment in the city.

The figure for Dundee and Broughty Ferry was 5·2 per cent. on 13th March, 1961, compared with 3·9 per cent. on 14th March, 1960. Every effort is being made to encourage the establishment of more industry in this area, which is a development district. Factory extensions nearly completed or under construction are likely to provide over 1,000 new jobs.

asked the Minister of Labour under what conditions students from Commonwealth territories are eligible to attend courses at Government training centres; and how many such students are at present attending courses.

The conditions for Commonwealth citizens resident in this country are the same as for United Kingdom subjects. The numbers attending courses are not known. In addition students from Commonwealth countries intending to return home to work in a skilled trade may be trained at the centres under financial arrangements made through various Technical Assistance Schemes. One such student is now in training.

asked the Secretary of State for War why his Department refuses to disclose the names and addresses of purchasers of surplus War Department properties; and whether he will take steps to end this practice.

It is not the practice of Government Departments, any more than of private interests, to disclose without permission the names and addresses of purchasers of their property. I see no reason to change this principle so far as the War Department is concerned. But I will, of course, always forward a letter to the purchaser's legal representatives.

asked the Secretary of State for Air how many men were discharged from the Royal Air Force during the Second World War for neuro-psychiatric causes.

18,691 men were discharged because of mental illness of all types and degrees of severity.

asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty whether he will make arrangements that all coastal cargoes going to the British Government dockyards should be carried in British ships

Coastal cargoes are usually conveyed between the Royal Dockyards in Admiralty-owned Royal Fleet Auxiliaries. It is exceptional for the Admiralty to use commercial vessels for coastwise shipments to or from H.M. Dockyards, but should this be necessary they would usually be carried in British vessels.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will place in the Library a copy of the proceedings in the case in which Mr. Hyden Banda was found guilty of sedition at Ndola, Northern Rhodesia.

No. It is not the normal practice to make the transcript of the records of trials available in this way, and I am not aware of any special circumstances which would justify my doing so in this case.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what regulations govern the granting of permission to civil servants to join private firms on retirement.

Under the arrangements laid down in the White Paper (Cmd. 5517) issued in 1937, civil servants of the rank of under-secretary and above, and more junior officers occupying posts of a special character, are required to seek the approval of the Government before they accept, within a period of two years after their retirement, appointments with firms having, for example, contractual relations with the Government.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what quarantine kennels are being used by the Metropolitan Police for the reception of imported police dogs; whether these kennels are hired, purchased or specially constructed, and at what cost this is done; how many adult dogs can be accommodated at any one time; and how many were there at the last convenient date.

The Metropolitan Police have ten kennels which can be used for quarantine purposes. The kennels, which also serve other purposes, cost a little over £3,200 to adapt. There are no dogs in quarantine at present.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are his reasons, other than the fact that over 40 years have passed since the late Lieut.-Colonel Wills handed his firearms for safe keeping into the custody of the United Kingdom Government, for refusing to honour the receipt given for such arms when presented by the widow of the late Lieut.-Colonel Wills.

I have nothing to add to the Answer that I gave to my hon. Friend's Question on 14th March.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will make a further statement about vaccination against poliomyelitis.

The Joint Committee on Poliomyelitis Vaccine have advised my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and myself that the vaccination programme should continue to employ vaccine administered by injection, and that fourth doses should now be offered to children of primary school age. Arrangements are being made for this to be done during the coming school term.The Committee are studying the information available about oral vaccine and have made an interim recommendation that a stock should be available for emergency use in a community or area where poliomyelitis becomes, or shows signs of becoming, prevalent. This recommendation is being implemented.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will state the number of public authority houses completed per thousand of the population of the cities of Dundee and Edinburgh, respectively, during 1960.

The numbers of public authority houses completed in 1960 in Dundee and Edinburgh per thousand of their estimated population as at 30th June, 1960, were 6·8 and 2·3, respectively.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will now make a further statement about the granting of improved export credit facilities, including the shipment abroad of capital goods and equipment.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the statement which I made at the end of Questions today.