asked the Minister of Transport when he intends to authorise the introduction of 40 miles-per-hour speed limits on certain roads in the Cardiff area; and whether he will make a statement.

The Cardiff City Council has proposed 40 m.p.h. limits on four roads. We have agreed on Penarth Road and, subject to consideration of any objections, on Llantrisant Road also. We will shortly be giving public notice of our intention to impose a 40 m.p.h. limit on Western Avenue which is a trunk road. The proposal for Newport Road is still being examined by our divisional road engineer.

asked the Minister of Transport what proposals he has to make Gosforth High Street between the junction of Elmfield Road and the High Street and the police controlled zebra crossing near the post office safer for pedestrians.

As my hon. Friend knows, we are not satisfied that the provision of additional crossings in this vicinity or the installation of traffic signals at the Elmfield Road Junction would be justified. We are, however, consulting the Newcastle County Borough Council as to whether the stretch of A.1 immediately to the south of Gosforth should be subject to a 40 m.p.h. limit. If this were done, a 30 m.p.h. sign could be placed at the entry to Gosforth High Street.

asked the Minister of Transport what reply he has given to the request of the Middlesbrough County Borough Council for authority, during the period 1962–66, to undertake improvement of South Bank Road and the construction of a bridge over the railway in Ormesby Road, and to commence operations on the projected northern route through the town.

It has not been possible to include these three schemes in the 3-year programme we have announced. They will be borne in mind when the programmes for subsequent years are being prepared.

asked the Minister of Transport what has been the number and value of major contracts for road-works let in the current calendar year.

Since 1st January, 1961, twelve contracts have been let by me or my agent authorities for schemes of over £250,000 in value on trunk roads and motorways. The total estimated value of these contracts is £47 million.

asked the Minister of Transport what stage has been reached in considering proposals for the construction of a fresh bridge over the Cam at Cambridge.

The approved development plan provides for a new road from A.10 to A.45 and a new bridge over the river at Walnut Tree Avenue.In view of the increasing traffic in Cambridge we have decided that the necessary Orders under Sections 7 and 20 of the Highways Act should be prepared as soon as possible.The city council is being invited to prepare the Orders relating to the road. We propose, with the council's agreement, to invite consulting engineers and a consulting architect to prepare those for the bridge.

asked the Minister of Transport when he hopes to start work on the construction of the Boroughbridge by-pass.

I hope that the construction of the bridge over the river Ure will start this summer and that the road works will begin in the autumn.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is yet able to announce the extension of the rural clearway system, now in operation around London, to other parts of the country.

I intend to designate a further 490 miles of clearways this summer. My proposals have just been advertised, and I hope to bring the clearways into operation on 1st August.

asked the Minister of Transport what mileage of clearways has been introduced in the London traffic area.

Sixty-four miles so far. I intend to add a further thirty-one miles in August.

asked the Minister of Transport when he will publish his proposals for the improvement of the A.2 in the Dartford area.

Preliminary consultations show that there is a sharp division of opinion between the various local authorities concerned on the proper line to be adopted for the proposed Dartford diversion.My right hon. Friend has, therefore, decided to publish a draft Order under Section 7 of the Highways Act, 1959, covering the line prepared by the Kent County Council as his agent authority, in order that public opinion may be fully tested. This draft Order will appear in the local Press and in the

asked the Minister of Transport how many applications for parking meter orders he has received in the past year.

Four new applications have been received in the past year. Three of these, and seven earlier applications, were approved during this period. The one outstanding scheme has recently been advertised. Details of fifteen other schemes have been discussed between my officers and local authorities, and I expect applications soon.

asked the Minister of Transport how many road accidents have taken place in the last twelve months due to traffic running into the back of stationary lorries; and how this compares with similar previous periods.

I regret that the information is not available for the period specified. During 1958 there were 1,394 accidents involving fatal or serious injuries in which parked goods vehicles were concerned, but no separate figures are available for accidents caused by motor vehicles running into the back of stationary lorries.

asked the Minister of Transport what progress has now been made with the projected Brentwood bypass; and whether he will make a statement.

The Order fixing the line of the by-pass was made in February this year. A number of objections were made to the draft Order relating to the side roads. These can I hope be met by certain modifications which I am now discussing with the property owners affected. I expect to authorise a start on the acquisition of land shortly. The date of construction will depend on the progress of the preparation of engineering details and on the acquisition of land.

asked the Minister of Transport what requests he received for Government assistance to be given to the Peninsular and Orient Line to assist it in the construction of the passenger liner "Canberra", similar to the assistance Her Majesty's Government propose to give for the construction of a Cunard liner.

None.

asked the Minister of Transport on what dates he had discussions with the General Council of British Shipping on the recommendations made in its survey Report.

I met the General Council of British Shipping on 8th February for an initial discussion of its Report and recommendations. Since then I have had various talks with its representatives on particular subjects and there have also been many discussions at official level. These discussions continue.

asked the Minister of Transport whether, in view of the increase in the numbers of people using small boats on rivers and around the coast, he will arrange for the issue of a waterway code similar to the Highway Code.

I am glad to have this opportunity to draw attention to a booklet "Safety Afloat" which has recently been published by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents. This was produced with the co-operation of my Department and other interested organisations, and should receive the same careful study by amateur sailors as the Highway Code by road users.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will give the latest estimate of the capital cost of constructing the proposed Victoria line.

Fifty-five million pounds. If, however, the interest on this sum was capitalised for the period of construction, the full capital cost at current rates of interest would be about £64 million.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will issue a general direction to the British Transport Commission to ensure that compensation is payable to passengers who are inconvenienced by the cancellation of train services without warning.

No.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will give a general direction to the British Transport Commission that when the Commission is proposing a closure of a branch line it shall refer to the appropriate consultative committee all curtailment of services envisaged by the Commission within the next three years which could affect the rail services offered in the area, so that the consultative committees can consider the closure of a particular line in the context of the rail facilities likely to be available in the area in subsequent years.

No. It is for the committees to decide what information they require in considering closure proposals.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will introduce amending legislation to ensure more effective Parliamentary control over railway and omnibus fares.

No.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will expedite the announcement of his decision on the appeal of the South Wales local authorities, heard in April, 1961, against the November, 1960, decision of the South Wales Traffic Commissioner concerning increases in bus fares in South Wales.

asked the Minister of Transport when he expects to announce his decision in the matter of the appeal by local authorities in South Wales, heard by his inspector on the 12th to 14th April, 1961, against the decision of the Traffic Commissioners for the South Wales area given after their hearing on the 4th to 9th November, 1960.

I expect to announce my decision on this appeal within the next few weeks.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will give a general direction to the British Transport Commission not to permit racial discrimination in connection with employment of staff.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will give a general direction to the British Transport Commission to ensure that no racial discrimination is practised in the engagement of its employees.

No. I am assured by the Chairman of the British Transport Commission that it is already the policy of the Commission that no colour-bar should apply in the engagement of its employees.

asked the Minister of Transport when he proposes to introduce a regulation to prohibit the excess fuel device on diesel engines from being used while vehicles are in motion, causing dense smoke to be emitted.

I shall be making within a few days a new Regulation, which will make it illegal from the beginning of 1962 for a driver to use the excess fuel device while the vehicle is in motion, or for the control for the excess fuel device to be placed in the cab of new vehicles. Controls on existing vehicles will have to be removed from the cab by July, 1962.

asked the Minister of Transport when he will implement the proposed increase from 30 miles-per-hour to 40 miles-per-hour in the speed limit for omnibuses and coaches.

We are about to lay before the House Regulations amending the First Schedule to the Road Traffic Act, 1960, by increasing the speed limit for large passenger vehicles to 40 m.p.h. outside built-up areas. The Regulations will come into effect once they have been approved by both Houses of Parliament.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will now permit the use of omnibuses of standard continental dimensions in this country.

Yes. The maximum permitted dimensions of public service vehicles will be increased from 30 feet long and 8 feet wide to 36 feet by 8 feet 2½ inches with effect from 1st August.

asked the Minister of Transport what reports he has received about the Derby Day traffic hold-ups and in particular the part played in them by the system of roundabouts; and whether his Department will take these reports into consideration when considering future road improvements.

No complaints about traffic hold-ups on Derby Day have been received by my Department or by the Surrey County Council.The Surrey County Police advise me that they had no complaints of serious hold-ups in their area. The Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis tells me that some delays occurred at some points on the main dispersal routes, but these were not as severe as might be expected on such an abnormal occasion.Special observation was kept by the county council and the Road Research Laboratory at the Toby Jug roundabout on the Kingston by-pass and no serious difficulty was experienced even at the peak periods.

asked the Minister of Transport if he is aware that it is possible to overcome the intensity of illumination of flashing direction indicators by installing a resistor in the circuit which reduces their brilliance when the sidelights are on; and if he will consider making regulations to deal with this matter in the interests of road safety.

I am aware that circuits have been developed to reduce the intensity of rear direction indicators when vehicle sidelights are switched on. International discussions are in progress to determine a suitable and practicable range of intensities for such signals for day and night use. When these are completed, we will consider what action is required to implement any agreed international standard.

asked the Postmaster-General how many applicants are waiting for telephones in the town of Reading; and how this number compares with the two previous years.

There are 385 applicants waiting for telephones. The figures for 1959 and 1960 were 205 and 186 respectively. During the past twelve months, 1,571 telephones were installed.

asked the Postmaster-General what percentage of the telephone equipment used by his Department is manufactured in Northern Ireland.

About 1½ per cent. in 1960.

asked the Postmaster-General what recorded information services are provided by his Department, and what steps he has taken to publicise them.

The following services are provided in London and in some provincial centres:

• The Speaking Clock.
• Weather Forecasts.
• Road Weather Conditions (from 1st October-30th April).
• The Teletourist Service (diary of events for tourists).
• Test Match Scores.

These services have been advertised in Post Offices, on Post Office vans, and in London underground trains. Details are also given in the Post Office Guide, the London Telephone Directory, and some provincial directories. They were mentioned in advertisements about local telephone service, which appeared in provincial papers in the winter of 1960–61, and the teletourist service is now being advertised in periodicals and guide books produced for visitors to London. I have now arranged for a card giving details of the information services in London to be distributed to all London telephone subscribers with their accounts.

asked the Postmaster-General when the hon. Member for Bosworth may expect a reply to the letter sent him, dated 28th March, concerning the broadcasting of adult and higher education television programmes at the expense of the British Broadcasting Corporation and the programme contractors outside the permitted hours.

I have received no letter addressed to me dated 28th March from the hon. Member on this subject.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will amend the Television Act, 1954, so that the provisions of Section 3 (1) requiring impartiality on controversial political and industrial issues in the broadcasts of programme companies also applies to publications owned and controlled by them.

No. This question of publications, which would affect both the B.B.C. and the I.T.A. as well as the programme companies, will no doubt need examination in the light of any recommendations the Pilkington Committee may make.

asked the Postmaster-General what steps he is taking to prevent excessive noise being made by the vehicles in his Department.

Post Office vehicles are standard commercial types, and my right hon. Friend has had no recent complaint of excessive noise. If my hon. Friend has any particular class of vehicle or place in mind and will let my right hon. Friend know he will be glad to make inquiries.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will provide a sub-post office at Harlescott Grange, Shrewsbury.

A sub-postmaster has already been appointed for this estate. A sub-post office will be opened as soon as the shop in which it is to go has been built.

asked the Postmaster-General (1) what are the average lengths of time from receipt on the Continent to delivery to addresses in Kingston upon Hull of telegrams from Rotterdam, The Hague and Rynsburg, respectively; and what were the average lengths of time in 1946;(2) what action he has taken to speed up delivery to Kingston upon Hull of telegrams from the Continent of Europe.

My right hon. Friend is unable to give the delivery times for the towns named, but for traffic from all Netherland towns delivered in Hull the average length of time from acceptance to delivery has exceeded twelve hours in recent weeks. My right hon. Friend much regrets the delay, which has been due to certain labour difficulties in London. During the last week it has, however, been possible to re-arrange the circulation of overseas telegrams to Kingston upon Hull and the average time is now about two hours.No records are available of the delivery times in 1946.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he will consider making a contribution towards the cost of installation of approved burglar alarm systems by sub-postmasters, who are also shopkeepers, in rural areas where the post office is combined with the village shop.

In general, sub-postmasters are responsible for safeguarding their official cash and stock, and their emoluments are held to cover the expense involved. My right hon. Friend could not, therefore, justify general financial assistance on the lines envisaged by my hon. and gallant Friend. But we do provide some protective devices free for certain sub-post offices particularly in crime-prone areas. My right hon. Friend would be glad to look into any specific case which my hon. and gallant Friend may have in mind if he will send us the details.

asked the Postmaster-General what progress has been made in the identification of National Insurance stamps as a precaution against their theft from post offices.

Following investigations into the possibilities of marking stamps by perforations and invisible inks, I am pleased to inform the House that, in collaboration with my right hon. Friend, the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance, I have now devised a practical scheme which will enable us to mark National Insurance Stamps in such a way as to help us identify them if they are stolen, even if they have been stuck on National Insurance Cards. This scheme is about to come into operation.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he is aware of the long delay in settling commercial claims arising from the Suez operations of 1956; and whether he will take steps to expedite these negotiations.

I am not aware that in general the Egyptian Government are delaying the settlement of commercial debts.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether he will make a further statement on the Geneva Conference on Laos.

There have been no notable developments at the Conference since it reconvened on 12th June.Much will depend on the outcome of the conversations now taking place in Zurich between Prince Boun Oum, Prince Souvanna Phouma and Prince Souphanouvong. There has been no progress in the parallel talks among the three parties in Laos. These have been almost entirely concerned during the past few days with the procedural question of whether representatives of the International Commission should be present at the talks.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will give the number of unemployed registered in the film industry at the latest convenient date, and the comparative figures for the same period in 1960.

Separate figures for the film industry are not available, but there were 3,726 persons unemployed in cinemas, theatres, radio, etc., on 15th May, 1961, compared with 4,535 on 16th May, 1960.

asked the Secretary of State for War how many recruits joined the Regular Army in March, April and May; and from what cities and counties they were recruited.

1,923 recruits joined the Regular Army in March and 1,840 in April. Figures for May are not yet available. It is not practicable to say from what cities and counties they were recruited. The following table gives a regional breakdown:

Command	March	April
	Per cent.	Per cent.
Scottish	10·8	10·8
Northern	25·3	24·4
Eastern	7·5	7·3
Western	29·4	30·4
Southern	9·0	9·9
London District	12·3	11·5
Northern Ireland	5·7	5·7
Totals	100·0	100·0

asked the Secretary of State for Air how many passengers were carried on air trooping flights by the British Overseas Airways Corporation and British European Airways in 1960; and how many were carried by independent operators during the same period.

2,382 and 127,959 respectively.

asked the Minister of Defence if, in order to be prepared for changes in defence needs arising from future agreements on disarmament, he will appoint a study group to prepare a defence plan based upon the assumption of an area of disengagement in Central Europe.

No.

asked the Minister of Defence if he is yet able to announce what reductions of their bases in the United Kingdom are proposed by the United States authorities.

Yes. Following full consultation reductions will be made at four R.A.F. stations at present used by the U.S.A.F. Activities at Alconbury, Chelveston and Sculthorpe will gradually be reduced to small detachments performing weather, communications and support services; reduction, at Chelveston and Sculthorpe will begin in 1962, and at Alconbury are planned to begin in 1964. The Americans will have withdrawn completely by the middle of 1962 from the R.A.F. station at Bruntingthorpe and it will be returned to the R.A.F. who will then on present plans have no further use for it.About 600 United Kingdom civilians employed by the Air Ministry will become redundant as a result of these changes.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why he does not exercise his powers to deport Commonwealth emigrants found guilty of crimes; and if he will make a statement.

I have no such powers.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if he will request the British Transport Commission to supply a statement by its medical officer on the incapacity for duties as a railway guard of Mr. Alec Waugh, 93 Bute Crescent, Dunfermline; and if he will forward such evidence to the Medical Appeal Tribunal for its consideration, in the light of information submitted to him by the hon. Member for Dunfermline Burghs.

I am writing to the hon. Member in reply to his letter of 14th June about this case, but my right hon. Friend cannot interfere with the decision of the Medical Appeal Tribunal which has decided that Mr. Waugh no longer suffers from a loss of faculty as a result of his industrial accident on 20th August, 1955.

asked the Minister of Agriculture. Fisheries and Food in how many cases relating to the labelling and advertising of foodstuffs proceedings have been taken under Section 6 of the Food and Drugs Act, 1955; and what were the main offences so dealt with.

Since the Food and Drugs Act, 1955, came into operation, proceedings relating to foodstuffs under Section 6 of the Act have been begun in 246 cases. Of these, 48 were withdrawn for various reasons. The prosecutions concerned a variety of foodstuffs and were related to misleading labels or advertisements.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations if he will instruct the United Kingdom representative on the Commonwealth Education Laison Unit to propose that a report be published by Dr. V. S. Jha, director of the unit, on his recently completed educational tour of the Commonwealth; and if he will consider publishing such a report in the form of a White Paper.

The question of the publication of a report by Dr. Jha is a matter for joint decision by the Commonwealth Governments represented on the Commonwealth Education Liaison Committee, under whose instructions the unit and its director operate. I understand however that it is not the Committee's present intention to publish a report on Dr. Jha's tour.The purpose of his tour was to make personal contact with Ministers of Education and leaders of education in the countries visited, and to discuss with them the development of schemes of educational co-operation. It was considered important that these discussions should be full and frank, and for that reason all concerned understood that no report for subsequent publication was intended.

asked the Minister of Power what was the rise in total energy consumption in the United Kingdom in 1960 as compared with 1959; and what was the percentage increase in each of the main energy constituents, namely, coal, oil, gas and electricty.

Total inland energy consumption in the United Kingdom was 264 million tons of coal equivalent in 1960, compared with 245 million tons of coal equivalent in 1959. The respective increases in the use of coal, oil, gas and electricity were 4 per cent., 17 per cent., 4 per cent. and 13 per cent.

asked the Minister of Power what was the rise in total energy consumption in Scotland in 1960 as compared with 1959; and what was the percentage increase in each of the main energy constituents, namely, coal, oil, gas and electricity.

Total inland energy consumption in Scotland was 25 million tons of coal equivalent in 1960 compared with 23 million tons of coal equivalent in 1959. The respective increases in the use of coal, oil, gas and electricity were 6 per cent., 14 per cent., 2 per cent. and 11 per cent.

asked the President of the Board of Trade in how many cases of misleading or false descriptions of goods proceedings have been taken by him, and by organisations authorised by him, such as the Retail Trading Standards Association, under the relevant Sections of the Merchandise Marks Acts.

Since it is open to anybody to take proceedings in respect of the matters referred to by the hon. Member, there is no need for the Board of Trade to authorise other organisations to take such proceedings and the Board of Trade has no record of their number. Particulars of prosecutions by the Board of Trade in each quinquennium since 1888 are as follows:

Period.	Number of Prosecutions.
1888–1892	6
1893–1897	12
1898–1902	4
1903–1907	5
1908–1912	17
1913–1917	37
1918–1922	6
1923–1927	5
1928–1932	10
1933–1937	17
1938–1942	14
1943–1947	1
1948–1952	2
1953–1957	72
1958-to date	44

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will state the volume and value of imports of pulped raspberries from Roumania in 1960, and in the first five months of 1961, respectively; and what percentage these imports form of the United Kingdom's total imports from Roumania.

There have been no imports of pulped raspberries from Roumania during the periods concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will indicate the total number of licensed betting offices in the City of Glasgow.

Four hundred and thirty-three betting office licences have been granted in Glasgow. The number of betting offices actually in operation is slightly less.