asked the Minister of Works what progress has been made in the discussions about the preservation of the Old Manor House, Deal, and con version for modern use.

On the advice of the Historic Buildings Council for England, I offered the Deal Corporation a grant of £2,500 towards the cost of structural repairs to the Old Manor House; but even with this help the Corporation did not feel able to undertake its preservation. I understand that the building has now been demolished.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs how many public inquiries were held by his Department in 1960; and in how many of these he decided in favour of the reports submitted to him by his inspectors.

About 6,500 public inquiries were held in 1960 and my right hon. Friend accepted his inspectors' recommendation in about 93 per cent. of the cases decided. The remaining 7 per cent. includes cases where he differed from the inspector only in matters of detail.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what steps Her Majesty's Government is taking to limit new office building in Greater London; and whether he will state the total of new office space in square feet built in the London and south-eastern region in 1958, 1959, and 1960.

This is mainly a central area rather than a Greater London problem. It is the policy of the local planning authorities and of the Government to check expansion in the central area by restricting the areas zoned for offices and the size to which offices can be built. Firms are also encouraged to move to new or expanding towns.The London County Council estimates that, new office space built in the central area of the County of London in 1958, 1959 and 1960 was approximately 4,800,000 sq. feet, 5,500,000 sq. feet, and 5,400,000 sq. feet, respectively. I regret that no figures are available for other areas.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs to what extent under his regulations Crown Land within a Green Belt is subject to different planning considerations from other such land.

Crown land is not subject to planning control, but the same planning considerations are taken into account in the case of Crown development in a green belt as in the case of comparable private development.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs under what circumstances his Department arranges public meetings, as distinct from local public inquiries, into proposals to build on land within a green belt.

It is not my practice to arrange public meetings as distinct from public local inquiries.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether he will publish the text of the Press statement made by his Department on 5th January, 1961, regarding the proposal for a new prison at Hill Hall, Essex.

The statement was as follows:The Government has rejected a proposal by the Prison Commissioners to use Thornwood War Department Camp, near Harlow, Essex, as a semi-secure prison for women. They have decided that the prison should be built on a site at Hill Hall, Essex.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether he will give urgent consideration to the requests of the Theydon Mount Parish Council, the Epping and Ongar Rural District Council and the Essex County Council for a local public inquiry to be held into the proposal to build a new prison at Hill Hall, Theydon Mount; and whether he will make a statement.

I have discussed this matter with my Eight hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Home Affairs who agrees that in the particular circumstances of this case it will be better to arrange for the objections into the proposal to build a new prison at Hill Hall, Theydon Mount, Essex, to be heard at a public local inquiry rather than at the public meeting which had been proposed. I will make arrangements accordingly.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether it was with his authority that a statement was made by his Department to the Essex Press in March, 1961, to the effect that a new prison was to be built at Hill Hall, Theydon Mount, and that any objections should have been made at the local public inquiry into an earlier proposal to build the new prison at Thornwood.

As far as I can discover, the only statement made to the Press by my Department on this matter was that dated 5th January, 1961, and referred to by my hon. Friend in another Question.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he is aware that claims made by the civil servants of Malta in 1956 have not yet been considered, and that this delay is causing resentment among this section of Government employees; and if he will take steps to have these long standing claims settled by joint negotiations or through arbitration.

The claims referred to by the hon. Member were submitted to a Commission whose recommendations were not accepted by the Malta Government of the day.All civil servants in Malta have since then received an interim pay increase of 6 per cent. in 1957 and, following an Agreement negotiated with the Staff Associations in November, 1959, revised salaries, retrospective to 1st April, 1959, were introduced for all Malta Government civil servants, subject to negotiation in detail. These negotiations are now in progress.

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) whether he will state the tonnage of Virginian coals from the United States of America for which the Steel Company of Wales has recently applied for an import licence; what length of time such tonnage is intended to last the company; whether it is the total coal requirement of the company for that period or a part of it only; and what the annual tonnage rate of such coal imports would be assessed at on the basis of the application made by the company;(2) for balance of payments purposes, what evaluation in dollars he has made on the application of the Steel Company of Wales to be permitted to import Virginian coals from the United States of America to South Wales ports, both inclusive and exclusive of freights; and

asked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science what applications the firms, numbering approximately 110, who are sub-contractors to the machine tool industry, have made to him for technical assistance in order to achieve a greater degree of standardisation and technical proficiency.

None, Sir; but I understand that the Machine Tool Industry Research Association, when it is fully established, proposes to provide technical assistance both to the industry and to its sub-contractors.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science if he will request the Medical Research Council, in its research into the causes and treatment

It is not the practice to disclose particulars of applications for import licences by individual firms.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is the value of United Kingdom exports to China of machine tools, tractors, iron and steel and non-ferrous metals, respectively, since the embargo on the shipment of these goods to that destination was lifted in May, 1957.

Following is the information:of bronchitis and other lung diseases, to investigate the claims of nature cure.

No.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science if he will arrange for all suggestions from the Warren Spring Laboratory for dealing with oil contamination of beaches to be sent automatically to Edinburgh Corporation and other coastal local authorities in Scotland.

The Warren Spring Laboratory of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research has made arrangements to ensure that the Corporation of Edinburgh and other coastal local authorities and river purification authorities in Scotland are kept informed of the results of the Laboratory's work on the problem of oil contamination of beaches.

asked the Minister of Transport if he is yet in a position to state what steps he proposes to take on the results of the recent inquiry by the special sub-committee of the Shipbuilding Advisory Committee into the problems of the shipbuilding and ship-repairing industry, with special reference to Aberdeen and the north-east of Scotland generally.

Three of the recommendations of the sub-committee of the Shipbuilding Advisory Committee were addressed to the Government. One of these was about credit facilities. The measures announced last month by the President of the Board of Trade are relevant to this. I am considering the other two, which related to possible scrapping schemes and orders for Government-owned ships. None of the recommendations had special reference to the northeast of Scotland.

asked the Secretary of State for Air why the Lincoln shire Kart Racing Club is charged £50 a day for the use of a disused Royal Air Force runway at Fulbeck, Lincolnshire; whether he is aware that such a charge puts in jeopardy the continued existence of this club; and whether, in future, he will charge merely a nominal sum.

£50 a day is the standard minimum charge for all events of this kind which are open to the public; for events restricted to club members and their friends the charge is only £5 a day. We are at present reviewing these charges.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether, in any disposal of surplus War Office land in Lincoln, he will ensure that no playing fields, parade grounds or gardens are sold for building.

I regret that I cannot give an undertaking of this kind. I can however assure the hon. Gentleman that we shall follow the recognised procedure for the disposal of Government land, and the Lincoln City Council will be consulted.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations (1) if the decision to demarcate 19,000 square mile reserves for the bushmen of the Bechuanaland Protectorate has his approval; and what legislation is being brought forward to make this land secure for them;(2) if bushmen of the Bechuanaland Protectorate at present living outside the proposed reserves will have their customary rights preserved in areas where they have lived;(3) what financial provisions are to be made for sinking wells and bore holes in the proposed reserves for the bushmen of the Bechuanaland Protectorate; and what provision is proposed to give the bushmen help in establishing themselves as agriculturalists and stock owners When they want to make this change in their way of life.

The answer to the first part of the first Question is "Yes", and to the second part that legislation is at present not considered necessary as a demarcated area (of approximately 19,000 square miles) in the eastern part of Ghanzi Crown Lands, Bechuanaland Protectorate, has been declared a Reserve, to be known as "The Central Kalahari Game Reserve" under subsection (1) of section five of the Game Proclamation (Chapter 114 of the Laws of the Bechuanaland Protectorate, 1948). Detailed regulations are being prepared which will control the entry into this area of persons other than bushmen.Bushmen living outside the new Reserve will continue to exercise customary rights in those areas where they have not adopted the Bechuana way of life. In areas where they follow closely the Bechuana way of life bushmen are subject to the same laws as govern other inhabitants of Tribal areas.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what facilities he is making available on the occasion of the television transmission of the Trooping the Colour, to enable Russian television viewers to see other aspects of conditions of life in Great Britain, such as an ordinary home, a popular chain store and similar everyday features.

In its overseas broadcasting, as in its home broadcasting, the B.B.C. enjoys independence of programme content. I understand from the B.B.C. that in addition to the Trooping the Colour ceremony the Russian viewers will also see a television programme showing something of London and its people.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether it was with his authority that a Home Office spokesman said in March, 1961, that the proposal to build a new prison at Hill Hall, Theydon Mount, had been finally decided and that any objections should have been made at the local public inquiry into an earlier proposal to build the new prison at Thornwood.

I am not aware that any officer of my Department made such a statement. My right hon. Friend the Minister of Housing and Local Government and I have had under consideration representations about the siting of a prison at Hill Hall. I had proposed to the county council that the matter should be further examined at a public meeting; but in the particular circumstances I have agreed that the better course will be for the objections to be heard at a public local inquiry for which my right hon. Friend is making arrangements.

asked the Secretory of State for the Home Department whether, having regard to the unsatisfactory housing conditions to which West Indian immigrants are being subjected, both with regard to overcrowding and rent exploitation, he will now restrict the intake of immigrants to those with a labour permit proving that they have a guarantee of employment and also reasonable housing accommodation; and whether he will apply such restrictions until he has had an opportunity of a full investigation into the whole problem, in the interests of intending immigrants.

These matters are all being considered, but I am not at present in a position to make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT in tabular form a statement showing the number of deaths and injuries of people in their homes in Scotland last year, specifying the causes of death and injuries.

Accidents in the home caused 1,050 deaths in Scotland during 1960, made up as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what was the percentage of mothers entitled to vitamin supplements in Scotland in 1960; and what were the percentages of uptake of vitamin tablets, cod liver oil and orange juice, respectively, in 1960;(2) what was the percentage of mothers entitled to vitamin supplements in the Burgh of Greenock in 1960; and what are the percentages of uptake of vitamin tablets, cod liver oil and orange juice, respectively in 1960.

All expectant and nursing mothers are entitled to vitamins A and D tablets. The uptake of these in 1960 was in Scotland about 20 per cent. of the possible total, and in Greenock about 16 per cent. Cod liver oil is available as an alternative to vitamin tablets for expectant mothers, and such mothers can also have concentrated orange juice; these items are taken also by young children, and separate figures of consumption by mothers are not kept by the local authorities. The uptake of orange juice and cod liver oil as a percentage of potential demand for all beneficiaries in 1960 was: