asked the Minister of Labour what was the number and percentage of unemployed at the most recent count in the Stornoway area; and what were the numbers for each of the islands of Barra, South Uist, North Uist, and Benbecula.

On 10th April, 1,427 or 25·5 per cent., and 70, 107, 78 and 32 respectively.

asked the Minister of Labour what steps are being taken to expand the Youth Employment Service in Fife to cope with the extra number of school leavers this year.

Since 1956 the number of Youth Employment Officers has been increased from 6 to 8. The future needs of the Service in the area are being kept under review.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will state the latest available figures of unemployment in the Blyth constituency in respect of adult males, adult females, and persons under 18, male and female, respectively.

On 10th April there were 472 men, 54 boys, 160 women and 36 girls registered as unemployed at the Bedlington Station, Blyth and Seaton Delaval Employment Exchange.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he proposes to take the steps necessary to establish a market support fund for potatoes.

The establishment of this fund depends upon the Potato Marketing Board securing amendment of the Potato Marketing Scheme to enable it to make its contribution to the fund. I cannot say when the necessary steps under the Agricultural Marketing Act are likely to be completed.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he proposes to take to protect the rights of the British fishing fleet, in view of renewed Icelandic claims to exercise jurisdiction up to the Continental Shelf.

The Icelandic claim is not new. Under the recent fisheries Agreement the Icelandic Government are bound to give Her Majesty's Government six months' notice of any proposed extension of Iceland's fishery jurisdiction and any dispute in relation to such an extension is to be referred at the request of either party to the International Court of Justice.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his policy with regard to setting up of a Dutch auction system for horticultural produce as suggested in the recent Departmental Report on Horticultural Co-operative Marketing.

I agree with the conclusion of the Departmental Committee, to which the hon. Member refers, that there is not enough evidence to justify the very large capital expenditure which would be involved in any general introduction of the Dutch auction system into this country, but I hope that the horticultural industry itself, and in particular the Horticultural Marketing Council, will carefully consider what is said on this subject in the Committee's Report.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is aware of the recent diminution in the supply of fish to British consumers resulting from the recent agreement between Great Britain and Iceland about fishing limits and territorial waters; and if he will state his plans for maintaining fish supplies for British consumers.

The effect of the Agreement on supplies will depend on the extent to which our trawlers can find catches in other waters and on imports and foreign landings. I am discussing with the industry the extent to which the Government can assist in experimental work to help the industry to find other supplies of fish.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many persons, and of what grades and emoluments, were dismissed, transferred or re-employed, respectively,

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance whether he is aware that hardship is caused in Leicester and elsewhere by no increase being made in the ultimate retirement pension of a wife who was under the age of 60 years when her husband was earning his increments by con-

The Department has terminated the employment of 12 people and transferred 32 to other Government posts. Of the 12 who have left Government employment, 11 are known to have obtained jobs. In addition 49 industrial staff were employed by MacFisheries Ltd. under a Service Agency Agreement, which terminated on 31st March and of these 40 have been retained by Unilever Ltd. at Greyhope Road. Of the nine who were not kept on, three were married women and four were men over the age of 65.Further details are given in the following table:tinuing to work after the age of 65 years; whether he has yet received a report from the National Insurance Advisory Committee on the matter; and what steps he proposes to take to deal with the position.

The Answer to the first two parts of the Question is "No". As regards the last part, I must wait the Report of the National Insurance Advisory Committee on this complex matter.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if he will review the arrangement under the National Insurance (Industrial Injuries) Acts whereby the insurance officers in the employ of his Department can appeal against a decision of a local appeal tribunal in a case in which the local tribunal has conceded a claim for industrial death benefit on the ground that death was due to pneumoconiosis.

No.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what would be the cost of increasing the 10s. widow's pension by an amount sufficient to restore that pension to its purchasing value as at July, 1948.

About £2½ million a year.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance how many temporary clerks in his Department have been made redundant in North Staffordshire recently; why this action is being taken; what compensation those involved will receive; and how their work will be undertaken in the future.

Since November, 1960, thirteen temporary clerks have become redundant in four National Insurance Offices—Hanley, Tunstall, Newcastle-under-Lyme and Longton—in the North Staffordshire area in consequence of the recruitment of established staff through Civil Service Commission Competitions.There is statutory provision for the award of gratuities to temporary clerks who have been continuously employed for not less than five years. The amount of a gratuity depends upon the length of service and is subject to a maximum of one year's pay. Of the thirteen temporary officers involved, nine have qualified for a gratuity, but four have insufficient qualifying service.

asked the Minister of Aviation if he will consult the appropriate authorities with a view to making part of the aerodrome at Lindholme, near Doncaster, available for civilian use.

The R.A.F. airfield at Lindholme is available for use by occasional civil flights, subject to the prior permission of the officer commanding.

asked the Minister of Aviation what has been the outcome of his consultations with Glasgow Corporation as to the use which could be made of the vacant premises at 164 Netherauldhouse Road, Glasgow, S.3.

The Glasgow Corporation have told us that it would not object to the use of these premises as a garage and filling station.

asked the Minister of Health if he can now state when the Chepstow Plastic Surgery Unit will be transferred to Cardiff; and what steps he has taken to expedite this transfer.

The transfer will take place as soon as building of the University Hospital has released accommodation for this unit in the Royal Infirmary.

asked the Minister of Health to what extent he accepts the recommendations of the Platt Report on Hospital Medical Staffing; and if he will make a statement.

I cannot yet add to my reply to my noble Friend the Member for Hertford (Lord Balniel) on 22nd March, 1961.

asked the Minister of Health, if time-expired senior registrars will automatically be re-graded as medical assistants; and when this will take place.

No decision can be reached until I have received the comments of the professional bodies, on the Platt Report.

asked the Minister of Health what was the original estimated cost of the extension to the burns unit at St. Lawrence Hospital, Chepstow; what has been the cost incurred to date; what was the original date of completion of the scheme; what is the reason for the delay; and, in view of the recent collapse of a large section of the theatre ceiling, what action is intended to be taken against the contractors.

This unit has been extended on three separate occasions between January, 1955, and December, 1959. The estimated cost of the three schemes was £37,127 and the actual cost £44,475. Completion periods were put at 6, 12 and 4 months, and completion was achieved in 7, 15 and 4 months respectively. The reasons for the collapse of three square yards of the theatre ceiling are still under investigation.

asked the Minister of Health why he gave his approval to the appointment of Mr. J. D. Haskins as secretary to the Board of Governors of Hammersmith and St. Marks Hospitals, in view of the need for a policy of creating a proper career structure for administrative hospital staff.

The appointment does not require my approval.

asked the Minister of Health what were the arrangements made in connection with the selection of Mr. J. D. Haskins as secretary of Hammersmith Hospital which were not in accordance with the recommendations of Ministry of Health circular 60/31, but which satisfied the purpose of those recommendations.

The purpose of these recommendations is that appointments committees for senior staff should include an outside assessor. Boards are invited to choose an assessor from a national list compiled by me. On this occasion the Board asked, and I agreed, that one of my officers should serve as national assessor.

asked the Minister of Health how many hospitals and how many wards are closed, and how many beds are out of use through lack of nursing staffs, in each regional hospital board area at the latest convenient date; and what steps he proposes to take to obtain the necessary nursing staffs for the new hospitals he intends to build in the future.

Figures are available only in terms of "beds unused for lack of staff", i.e., staff of all kinds. The details given below are the regional figures producing the total of 10,417 such beds at the end of 1959 given in my Annual Report which is the latest I have. The new hospitals will largely be in replacement of old; but the numbers of nursing staff continue to increase steadily.

asked the Minister of Health what are the numbers of vacancies for ward sisters, nurses, and nursing auxiliaries, respectively, in each regional hospital board area at the latest convenient date; and if, in view of the situation, he will set up a committee to take evidence, both in private and in public, to ascertain the reasons why the nursing profession is not attracting sufficient recruits, and why so many nurses leave the profession.

I understand that a total of some 21,000 vacancies for hospital nurses of all grades was current at offices of the Ministry of Labour at 31st December, 1960. A breakdown of this figure by regional hospital areas is not available. The number of staff in post at 30th September, 1960, was the highest ever recorded, and I see no reason for a special inquiry into recruitment and wastage.

asked the Minister of Health when the hon. Member for Belfast, North, can expect an answer to his letter dated 27th March concerning a hospital patient whose name has been communicated to him.

I have sent my hon. Friend a reply today.

asked the Minister of Health how many deaths have been caused, or possibly caused, during the past two years, from any convenient date, by the combination of barbiturate drugs and alcohol, both consumed within a short period of time.

Two hundred and thirty-two deaths in 1959 were assigned to accidental poisoning by barbiturates and 19 of these were stated to be associated with consumption of alcohol. Provisional figures for 1960 are 293 and 48 respec-

asked the Minister of Health whether his Department has considered the possibility of using an oral polio vaccine in this country; and if he will make a statement.

I would refer the hon. and learned Member to the reply which I gave on 12th April to my noble Friend the Member for Hertford (Lord Balniel).

asked the Minister of Health if he will collect centrally the figures available to each local executive council to show how many principals in general practice have made retrospective payments to their assistants for the years 1957 to 1960, and the average amount of retrospective payment per assistant.

No. I do not think the work involved would be justified.

asked the Minister of Health what were the numbers of diphtheria cases and deaths recorded in immunised and unimmunised persons, respectively, in the different age groups in the years 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, and 1960; and what was the percentage in each age group which had been immunised at the time.

I regret that this information is not available by age groups. The totals were as follows:

asked the Minister of Health what evidence he has that inoculation for diphtheria is avoided at a time when poliomyelitis is prevalent; and what is the reason for this.

When poliomyelitis is prevalent in a locality it is the normal practice to suspend routine immunisation against other diseases, including diphtheria, in order to avoid any risk of provoking paralysis in a person already infected with poliomyelitis virus.

asked the Minister of Health, in view of the prospective changes in the law with regard to driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol, what information has been made publicly available by his Department as to what drugs in what quantities can impair the human ability to drive motor vehicles; what drugs can be obtained without prescription which in certain quantities and in certain conditions can be dangerous in this connection; and what steps are taken in connection with National Health prescriptions to warn patients about this aspect of the drugs prescribed for them.

None. Most such drugs are restricted to supply on a doctor's prescription, and it is his responsibility to warn his patient of the risks of driving after taking them. Doctors are reminded of this in their Comprehensive Prescribing Handbook.

asked the Minister of Health if he will now publish the reasons for his modification of the recommendation of the Essex Executive Council in the recent case of the doctor who failed to comply with his terms of service.

My letter of 20th December last to the Essex Executive Council, conveying my decision and the reasons for it, was published on 24th March. I am sending the hon. Member a copy.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what proposals he intends to make to the three-Power Nuclear Conference to meet the Soviet objection that a Test-ban Control Commission which was so constituted as to contain a majority of Western countries would place the Soviet Union in a subordinate, unequal position.

When putting forward joint proposals on behalf of the two Western delegations on 21st March the United States delegate declared that, provided there is satisfactory agreement on all the other Treaty provisions, including an assurance of an effective, reliable and fast-acting control system, the United States would put forward a proposal calling for the establishing of East-West parity in the Control Commission. In our view this concession fully meets the Soviet objection to which the hon. Gentleman refers.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what proposals he intends to submit to the three-Power Nuclear Conference in order to reconcile the United States of America and Soviet views on the length of time for phasing the installation of a control system and the number of control posts to be established during this phase.

On 21st March the United States delegate put forward on behalf of the two Western delegations a joint proposal aimed at reconciling the views of the Soviet Union and the Western Powers on the number of control posts to be established in the Soviet Union. We are still awaiting the considered reply of the Soviet Government to this proposal. As regards the phasing of the installation of the control system, there is agreement between the Western Powers and the Soviet Union that the control system should be completed within six years of the entry into force of the Treaty. The Soviet Union has, however, made demands which imply that there should be no on-site inspection for the first four years. This is unacceptable to the West.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what proposals regarding the inspection of bases he intends to make to the three-Power Nuclear Conference to give practical effect to the compromise proposed by Her Majesty's Government in February, 1959, and still acceptable to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics although not subsequently pursued, that controversial technical propositions which had impeded agreement should be eliminated from the discussions and that the number of inspections be determined, without regard to controversial technical facts, in the form of a fixed annual quota of events to be inspected.

The purpose of my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, in putting forward the idea of a quota of veto-free on-site inspections, was to induce the Soviet Union to abandon its previous demand for a right of veto over any proposed on-site inspection in its territory. The purpose of on-site inspection is to distinguish between unidentified events due to natural causes and those due to clandestine underground nuclear explosions. In the view of the Western Powers, if there is to be a reasonable chance of deterring a potential violator of the Treaty, the number of on-site inspections must bear some relationship to the total annual number of unidentified events that could be suspected of resulting from nuclear explosions. The Soviet view is that there need be no such relationship: the Soviet proposal that there should be a maximum of three inspections in the territories of each of the three original parties in any year is in our view quite inadequate to ensure effective control.Under the system proposed by my right hon. Friend, military bases will not be inspected as such: inspection will take place in strictly defined areas where signals recorded by the control system indicate that an unidentified event has taken place.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will state details of the identity of views between Her Majesty's Government and the United States Government arrived at in Washington last Monday on the subject of those two Governments negotiating with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Government on agreement designed to ban nuclear tests; whether agreement has yet been achieved with the United States of America regarding proposals to be placed before the Geneva Conference which resumed on 21st March; and what has resulted.

The result of our talks with the United States Government in Washington was that a set of agreed joint proposals was put forward in the Nuclear Tests Conference on 21st March by the United States delegation on behalf of both the United States and the United Kingdom. With regard to developments in the Conference since then, I have nothing to add to my reply to the hon. Gentleman the Member for Dundee, East (Mr. G. M. Thomson) on 12th April.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he is aware of the dissatisfaction in the British fishing industry with the agreement recently concluded between Great Britain and Iceland about fishing limits, territorial waters and landings in Great Britain of fish caught by foreign fishing vessels; and what steps he has taken or plans to take to procure a revision of that agreement on terms favourable to the British fishing industry.

The recent settlement with Iceland relates solely to fishery limits. Her Majesty's Government are aware that it has been received with disappointment by the British fishing industry. All sections of the industry were, however, informed of the settlement before it was concluded and stated they were prepared to support it. There is no question of our seeking to revise the settlement.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury in which Commonwealth or Colonial Territories Her Majesty's Stationery Office has no overseas agent; and what steps are being taken to make available official British publications in those places.

All Commonwealth countries, except the Federation of Malaya, the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, and the Republic of Cyprus have officially appointed agents for Her Majesty's Stationery Office publications. In the Colonial Territories agents have been appointed in Kenya, Sierra Leone and Trinidad.Government publications are exported to Commonwealth and Colonial countries not only through appointed agents but directly to overseas customers, overseas booksellers and through United Kingdom book exporters.As part of a drive to increase its export of official publications the Stationery Office is exploring the possibilities of appointing additional agents in these countries.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will state his intentions for the future servicing of the Ottoman Guaranteed Loan, 1855.

Arrangements for servicing and ultimately redeeming the loan were announced by the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Woodford (Sir W. Churchill), in his statement on the Anglo-Egyptian Financial Agreement on 21st March, 1929 (HANSARD, 21st March, 1929, Cols. 1863–4). My right hon. Friend explained that the surpluses of the so-called Cyprus Tribute, over and above what had been necessary for the interest payments on the loan, had been accumulated for sinking fund purposes and announced that the bonds which had been purchased with these accumulated surpluses were to be cancelled forthwith. The Egyptian payment, in final settlement of their liability for the loan and subsequent surpluses of the Cyprus payments were either to be applied to the purchase of the bonds in the market for cancellation or to be accumulated until the whole of the outstanding loan could be redeemed, after notice, at par.Thus, since the Cyprus payments were matched by an equivalent grant-in-aid, interest was in effect paid and a sinking fund built up from Colonial Office Votes. These arrangements continued until the granting of independence to Cyprus in 1960. The interest payment on 1st February, 1961 was made from the Consolidated Fund under the terms of the original guarantee but, in the absence of statutory authority, no contribution was made to the sinking fund. Notwithstanding the changed status of Cyprus, it is, however, the intention of Her Majesty's Government to service the loan at the rate envisaged in my right hon. Friend's statement of 1929 and thus fulfil the undertaking given on that occasion. We accordingly propose that six months' notice to redeem the loan should be given on the first interest date when the sinking fund would have been full if the annual payments of £92,800 from Colonial Office Votes via Cyprus had continued. The exact date of the notice will depend on the future price of the investments held in the sinking fund, but on the basis of present prices it could be expected to be 1st August, 1962.Until final redemption interest payments will continue to be made from the Consolidated Fund under the guarantee. A once-for-all payment will be made from the Consolidated Fund at the time of redemption to meet the deficiency in the sinking fund. Provision for authorising the latter will be included in this year's Finance Bill and the necessary Special Procedure and Financial Resolutions will be tabled today.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science what was the total amount spent in 1960 on medical research into the causes of arthritis and rheumatism; and what plans he has for enlarging this research work.

As was stated to the hon. Member by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary for Health on 25th July, 1960, figures are not readily available for the total amount spent on medical research into the causes of arthritis and rheumatism. The Medical Research Council's expenditure in the financial year 1960–61 amounted to approximately £56,000. It will continue to support new investigations whenever the opportunity occurs.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies, in view of the instances in recent years of the difficulties between Spain and Gibraltar, what has been done by Her Majesty's Government to improve the situation for the Gibraltarians; and what are the future prospects in this respect.

Gibraltar has already benefited to some extent from the recent improvement in Anglo-Spanish relations. I hope that this improvement will continue.

asked the Minister of Education if he will give, to the most recent convenient date, the information covered by tables 50 and 52 of the Report on Education in 1959, in so far as it refers to educationally sub-normal children.

The following details relate to special schools for educationally sub-normal pupils in January, 1960:

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many persons have recently been found employment by the Overseas Services Resettlement Bureau.

In the first three months of this year employment was found for 170 persons who had registered with the Bureau. This compares with 141 and 67 for the corresponding periods of 1960 and 1959. The total number of officers who have registered with the Bureau since its inception in 1957 is 2,041 of whom 1,291 have found employment.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what progress has recently been made with the scheme to assist the development of library systems in Colonial Territories announced in June, 1959.

In addition to the grants I announced on 7th November, 1960, in reply to the hon. Member for Edinburgh, South (Mr. Clark Hutchison) grants of £35,000 and £22,820 were made by the British Council to Sierra Leone and Tanganyika respectively during 1960–61.The grant of £35,000 to Sierra Leone was towards the capital cost of a Central Library and Headquarters in Freetown. The total capital cost is estimated at £45,000, towards which the Sierra Leone Government is contributing £10,000 as well as meeting all recurrent costs. This project is part of an overall plan by the Sierra Leone Library Board which also envisages the operation of a mobile book van in the Provinces and the opening of branch libraries in the larger towns.The grant of £22,820 to Tanganyika is towards the first year's costs of a three-year short-term library development scheme, which incorporates an extension of the existing services of the East African Literature Bureau Library in Tanganyika, including a substantial increase in book stock and the operation of a mobile book service in the Dares Salaam area.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland where he proposes to site the new general hospital for Coat-bridge and Airdrie; what is the approximate number of beds it is intended to provide; and when he expects the new building to be started.

The Western Regional Hospital Board is examining two possible sites at present. The precise number of beds to be provided cannot be determined until further progress has been made with the long-term planning of hospital services in Lanarkshire but is likely to be 300 to 400. It is too early yet to forecast when building can begin.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether, in view of the abnormally high incidence of lung cancer in Scotland, he will consult with local health authorities with a view to recommending a ban on smoking in places of local entertainment.

I have drawn the attention of local authorities to the risks associated with smoking. Some authorities have made byelaws, which have received the confirmation of the Secretary of State, to ban smoking in place of public entertainment and powers to make such byelaws are available to other authorities.

asked the Postmaster-General if he is aware that the reception of the British Broadcasting Corporation sound broadcasts in Horncastle is unsatisfactory; and what steps are being taken to improve reception in this area.

The B.B.C. tells me that the Light and Third programmes on long and medium waves are satisfactorily received in Horncastle, but interference from an East German station continues to spoil medium wave reception of the North Home Service after dark.All three programmes are available on V.H.F. from the B.B.C. Holme Moss station provided suitable outdoor aerials are used. The B.B.C. expects that an alternative and stronger V.H.F. sound signal will be receivable in Horncastle when the East Lines station, which is to be built in Stage 2 of the B.B.C.'s satellite scheme, is completed.