asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will give consideration to the establishment of mobile patrol cars with dogs to patrol the Metropolitan Police area at unscheduled times in order to curb the activities of gangs in the streets.

Vans with police dogs are already used for patrolling in the Metropolitan Police District. The Commissioner considers that they have made a substantial contribution to the prevention of crime and the checking of hooliganism.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration is being given to the use of tape recorders, or other similar machines, for the purpose of taking depositions before magistrates.

Experiments have been made with the use of recording equipment in magistrates' courts, but there are difficulties which have not yet been overcome.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what suggestions he has made to the Press to reduce coverage in the repoting of crimes of violence and sexual offences, especially in view of the considerable increase of these in recent months.

In a speech on the occasion of the annual festival dinner of the Newspaper Press Fund recently I asked for the co-operation of the Press in presenting a fair picture of the extent of crime in the country, in particular by refraining from giving exaggerated prominence to individual incidents.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when his Department issued a circular to chief officers of police about the practice of the police with regard to supplying witnesses in the case of road accidents with copies of statements made by them to the police; and what was the purpose of the circular.

On 14th August, 1958. While the disclosure of information from police records is a matter for the discretion of the chief officer of police concerned, the purpose of the circular was to make certain recommendations in the interests of a reasonable uniformity.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prison officers, including all prison staff, and prisoners, respectively, have been physically assaulted in or about the precincts of Her Majesty's Prisons in England and Wales during the past 12 months.

I regret that the information requested is not readily available in respect of the last 12 months, but in 1960 in men's prisons there were 197 assaults on staff (compared with 213 in 1959); and 556 assaults by prisoners on other prisoners (compared with 558 in 1959). The figures include attempted assaults and technical assaults as well as cases of serious violence.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children, being persons under the age of 17 years, have been remanded to prison, instead of to remand homes or centres, during the period 1st January to 31st May, 1961.

391 boys and 16 girls.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has now given further consideration to the compulsory registration of all estate agents; what conclusion he has reached; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend received proposals for legislation for this purpose from certain professional bodies a fortnight ago. He is examining these proposals. I understand that these professional bodies are themselves in consultation with a number of other such bodies.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions in the past five years he has consulted the Foreign Office about the grant of visas to applicants wishing to visit this country; and if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a list of such cases in the instances where visas were refused.

No statistics are kept or normal consultations between colleagues of this kind.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will issue new instructions to Her Majesty's Consul in Sao Paulo in order that a visa may be granted to Captain Galvao to enable him to visit Great Britain.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, in order to expedite the building of more remand homes, he will now change the financial arrangements so that less is borne by the local authority; and if he will consult with other Departments concerned in order to prevent undue delay in planning permission being granted to local authorities.

So far as my right hon. Friend is aware, the fact that the cost of remand homes is shared equally between the Exchequer and local authorities is not a source of difficulty; but he is in consultation with the local authority associations about the possibility of ensuring that the share of the local authorities is divided more equitably between the authority providing a home and the other authorities who use it. My right hon. Friend the Minister of Housing and Local Government will be glad to look into any cases of alleged delay in dealing with planning applications.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will restrict the granting of licences for firearms, and prohibit their possession by certain categories of people.

The Firearms Act, 1937, already prohibits the granting of firearm certificates to certain categories of persons, and in other cases, the chief officer of police has to satisfy himself, before granting a certificate, that the applicant has a good reason for possessing a firearm and can be permitted to possess it without danger to public safety or to the peace. My right hon. Friend has no reason to think that further restrictions or prohibitions are required at the present time.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will consider making it a condition of enrolment as traffic wardens that they should become special constables, in view of the fact that they have now no legal right to take offenders' names and addresses and are liable to a charge of assault unless they have powers of arrest.

No. Section 2 (5) of the Road Traffic and Roads Improvement Act, 1960, provides that a police authority shall not employ as traffic warden any person who is a constable.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, in view of the general desire on the part of motorists to co-operate with traffic wardens in the course of their duties, he will instruct the wardens to exercise their powers with discretion, since excessive strictness in some cases was the cause of intense unpopularity at first, and of a number of consequential resignations.

Traffic wardens act under the direction of chief officers of police, and it would not be appropriate for my right hon. Friend to issue instructions in the sense suggested. If my hon. Friend has in mind any particular cases in which he considers that a traffic warden has failed to exercise proper discretion, I shall be glad to bring them to the attention of the chief officers concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether it is intended to hold another publicity and recruiting campaign for Civil Defence this autumn.

Arrangements are being made for a Civil Defence publicity and recruiting campaign to take place in the four weeks beginning 18th September, and my right hon. Friend and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland have already asked local authorities to co-operate in this.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advice he has given to local authorities on the use of air-raid warning sirens for the summoning of firemen to their stations.

Fire authorities have been advised that when a device is required during the day to summon part-time firemen who may be absent from their homes the air-raid warning type of siren is satisfactory.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is yet in a position to make a statement about financial loss payments to justices of the peace.

The whole question of payments to justices of the peace has been under review but my right hon. Friend is not yet in a position to make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in view of the fact that 88 girls out of a total of 133 sentenced by magistrates' courts went to prison for less than six months for offences of prostitution, what action he is taking to find suitable accommodation and training for this type of offender.

Except that they are kept apart from first offenders, prostitutes take their place among other prisoners with sentences of a similar length. It has not hitherto been the practice to segregate women offenders according to the nature of their offence, and there are serious objections to this course, but my right hon. Friend recognises that prostitutes offer a peculiarly difficult problem and he is closely observing sentencing trends so that if a clear need arises he can consider making special provision for them.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many requests were made by the borstal authorities to the Dorset Constabulary in 1960 for assistance in tracing escaped borstal boys; and how many policemen were asked for to help in these searches.

Thirty-two abscondences involving 49 boys were reported to the Dorset police by Portland borstal. The borstal authorities do not request the employment of police, which is a matter for the police authority.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when his advisory council is expected to commence the inquiry into the organisation of statutory and voluntary after-care for discharged prisoners announced last November; and what progress has been made in the matter.

The Advisory Council on the Treatment of Offenders has already given preliminary consideration to this inquiry and has appointed a sub-committee to make a detailed examination of the problem and to hear evidence. It will no doubt be necessary for the sub-Committee to hold a series of meetings, the first of which has been arranged for early next month.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations whether he will initiate talks with Commonwealth Governments for the purpose of establishing a Commonwealth Institute for Advanced Business Studies.

The general question of training in management is of great importance, particularly to developing countries, and I should be glad to consider the hon. Member's suggestion if he would let me know in more detail what he has in mind.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations what recent discussions have taken place between the members of the European Free Trade Association and the British Commonwealth with a view to associating the Commonwealth with the European Free Trade Association.

I am not aware of any such discussions.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations if he will make a statement on his constitutional discussions with the Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia; if he will give details of the alternative safeguards which will replace the United Kingdom reserve powers; and whether these proposals have the agreement of the National Democratic Party which represents most of the Africans in Southern Rhodesia.

I would refer the hon. Member to my statement in reply to Questions in the House on 8th June and to Command Papers 1399 and 1400.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations whether he will arrange for United Kingdom scholarships to be offered to the sixteen Southern Rhodesian students who are unable to go to the United States of America to take up scholarships there because of lack of money to pay their passage.

I understand that travel arrangements have now been made for all sixteen students to take up the awards offered.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations (1) whether any discussions are taking place with the Government of the Republic of Cyprus with regard to extradition proceedings affecting British subjects and citizens of the Republic of Cyprus;(2) for what reason the extradition proceedings brought in Cyprus against Andreas Afamis, whose return to this country was required in connection with inquiries into the capital murder of Arthur Lee, failed.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations what representations he has made to the Government of Cyprus concerning the extradition of Andreas Aphames from Cyprus.

The application for extradition was rejected on the grounds that the new Constitution does not permit a Cypriot citizen to be extradited. We are consulting with the Government of Cyprus about the situation which these proceedings have brought to light.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations what request he has received from the United Nations Committee on South-West Africa for the Committee to visit Bechuanaland; and what reply he gave.

We received a request on 15th June to afford facilities to the Committee to visit Bechuanaland. Since it was not altogether clear from the letter what facilities were required, we have asked for further information.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations if he will make a statement on the election of the first Legislative Council in Bechuanaland and on arrangements for its inauguration.

A new Constitution, providing, inter alia for a Legislative Council having an elected unofficial majority with equal numbers of European and African unofficial members, was promulgated in the Bechuanaland Protectorate (Constitution) Order in Council of 21st December, 1960, which followed the proposals in Cmnd. 1159. Voting for the one Asian and the ten European elected members of the Legislative Council took place on 19th May, and the results were announced on 23rd May. The ten African elected members were elected by the African Council sitting as an Electoral College on 19th May. The first Legislative Council of the Bechuanaland Protectorate was opened in Lobatsi on Tuesday, 20th June, by the High Commissioner, who conveyed messages of good wishes from Her Majesty the Queen and from myself.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations whether he has any plans to give financial assistance to Indian students in this country who may be compelled to terminate their studies owing to the exchange difficulties at present affecting the Indian Government.

It would be for the Indian Government to request assistance from H.M. Government in this connection if such a difficulty in fact arose. So far, however, no request of this kind has been received.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations if he will make an urgent protest to the South African Government against the arrest and deportation, without any charge, of a United Kingdom subject, Mr. Jeffrey John Holden, on 9th June.

The Act under which Mr. Holden was deported empowers the South African Government to deport anyone who is not a citizen of South Africa and whose presence in the Republic is not deemed to be in the public interest. They are not required to give specific reasons for any deportation. There are, therefore, no legal grounds on which a protest could be made.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations if he will give details of the administrative action which has so far been taken in connection with the departure of South Africa from the Commonwealth.

As the House knows, all aspects of our future relations with South Africa are at present being reviewed, and the conclusions reached will be announced in due course. Meanwhile, we have agreed with the Government of South Africa that the status of our respective High Commissioners should be changed to that of Ambassador.

asked the Minister of Education if he is aware that since the school-leaving age was raised to 15 years, season tickets for school children at half rates are not available for the last year at school; and if he will consult the British Transport Commission with a view to securing rectification of this anomaly.

No. Local education authorities make such arrangements as are necessary to transport children to school if they live beyond walking distance. Apart from this, many transport undertakings make various fare concessions for journeys to and from school.

asked the Minister of Education what offers of assistance were made by the representatives of Her Majesty's Government at the recent United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation conference at Addis Ababa on African education.

The purpose of the Addis Ababa conference was to draw up a schedule of educational needs in tropical Africa and a plan to meet them. During the conference the United Kingdom delegation proposed the formation of a mobile development group which would bring to bear on the problems of educational building in Africa the techniques which have been so successful in this country since 1949. An announcement was made of the Government's offer to provide a leader for this development group and to finance the appointment for a period to be agreed with U.N.E.S.C.O.

asked the Minister of Education what factors have prevented the achievement of the Government's aim regarding the increase in the number of students released by their employers during the day and expressed in Technical Education, Command Paper No. 9703, of 1956.

Not enough employers have been prepared to allow students to attend part-time day as opposed to evening classes. Other factors have been lack of interest on the part of some young people and in some cases an inadequate range of courses. There is now a growing appreciation of the value of part-time day classes, and the proposals announced in the White Paper "Better Opportunities in Technical Education" should lead to a greatly improved pattern of courses.

asked the Minister of Education if he is aware that certain boys at secondary modern schools in Newcastle-under-Lyme were recently offered places for General Certificate of Education courses at the North Staffordshire College of Technology, and that these offers were subsequently withdrawn and replaced by offers of places at the Leek College of Further Education; and, in view of the disappointment, inconvenience, and extra travel involved, if he will make inquiries with a view to devising a satisfactory plan with the authorities and parents concerned.

Yes. I understand that arrangements have now been made for these boys to be admitted to the North Staffordshire College of Technology.

asked the Minister of Education how many women's training colleges are without full-time lecturers in mathematics.

Of the 62 general colleges for women only, 45 have full time lecturers in mathematics. Fourteen of the remainder have part-time mathematics lecturers and in the case of the other three other arrangements are made.

asked the Minister of Education how many women's training colleges are without full-time lecturers in physics, and chemistry, respectively.

My policy is to concentrate expensive resources and valuable teaching staff at certain colleges providing high level specialist courses mainly for intending secondary school teachers. The majority of women's colleges provide more general science courses, largely for intending primary school teachers. The following facilities are available to women students:

asked the Minister of Education (1) how many women students were admitted to training colleges in 1960 without an O level General Certificate of Education qualification in mathematics; and what proportion this number formed of the total admission;(2) how many men students were admitted to training colleges in 1960 without an O level General Certificate of Education qualification in mathematics; and what proportion this number formed of the total admission;(3) what percentage of training college students admitted to colleges in 1960 had passed A level General Certificate of Education in mathematics.

Of about 4,060 men admitted to three year courses 330 (8 per cent.) had a pass in at least one mathematics subject at A level and 2,870 (71 per cent.) a pass at O level. Of about 10,250 women 335 (3·25 per cent.) had a corresponding pass at A level and 5,300 (51·5 per cent.) a pass at O level.

asked the Minister of Education on what date his Department approached the universities through the Vice-Chancellor's Committee, about the shortage of mathematics graduates; and what was the nature of the approach.

On 26th May, the Chairman of the Mathematics Working Party of the National Advisory Council on the Training and Supply of Teachers wrote to the Chairman of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals. This was preceded by some months of informal discussions between officers of the Ministry, members of the Teachers Advisory Council, and university and school teachers.

asked the Minister of Education whether he will make a statement on the development of the colleges of advanced technology.

I am proposing to the local education authorities that the control of the colleges of advanced technology maintained by them should be transferred to independent governing bodies who would receive direct grant form my Department.In the five years since they were designated these colleges have made remarkable progress, and the Government are considering what further plans for expansion the colleges should be authorised to make beyond the present approved total of 14,000 places. Their success in developing as national institutions of higher education has raised many new problems of planning and staffing. The colleges are outgrowing the local government framework which has served them well and the time has come to consider a change.So after informal consultations with representatives of the local education authorities concerned and with the knowledge of the Robbins Committee, I am writing to the authorities and to the associations of local authorities and teachers to suggest that C.A.T.s should be given a new status. This change would open the way to the further development of the colleges and would, in particular, help them with their staffing problems, without prejudicing the consideration which the Robbins Committee will be giving to their long term future. The Government do not contemplate any other change in the status of the C.A.T.s before receiving the report of that Committee.The colleges, if they receive this new status, would wish to retain close links with the local authorities who have done so much to help them, and I am proposing that the authorities should continue to be represented on the new governing bodies.

asked the Minister of Education how many posts for teachers of mathematics, physics and chemistry, respectively, have been vacant for over two months in technical colleges.

The following figures relate to 31st March, 1960; the precise period for which the vacancies had existed is not known, but they include casual vacancies from normal staff turnover.

asked the Minister of Education (1) how many girls' grammar schools are without a full time graduate mathematics teacher;(2) how many mixed grammar schools are without a full time graduate mathematics teacher.

There are about 1,500 full-time women teachers employed in maintained grammar schools who have degrees which include mathematics. I do not know however how many are employed at any given time in a particular school.

asked the Minister of Education how many grammar schools require additional teachers of mathematics.

Surveys made last year by the Incorporated Association of Headmasters and the Association of Headmistresses showed that about 100 grammar, including maintained, independent and direct grant schools, had unfilled vacancies for teachers of mathematics. In addition, about 370 schools had posts which were not filled with teachers having the satisfactory qualifications.

asked the Minister of Education how many graduates with at least a pass level degree standard in mathematics are at present taking the teacher's diploma in university departments of education.

About 225 out of a total of nearly 3,100 students.

asked the Minister of Education how many teachers in England and Wales are six-year trained honours graduates on the maximum of the Burnham scale of salary; and how many of these are heads of Group 27 schools.

In March, 1960, the latest date for which information is available, 70 teachers in England and Wales were six-year trained honours graduates on the maximum of the Burnham scale of salary. None of these was head of a Group 27 school.

asked the Minister of Education how many applications were made in 1960 for places in teachers' training colleges and in university training departments; how many were rejected as unsuitable for admission; and what was the number of unfilled places for men and for women, respectively.

About 23,200 candidates applied to the training colleges and about 5,500 to University Departments of Education. Of these about 2,600 were rejected because they were unsuitable or lacked the minimum academic qualifications for entry. While some of the University Departments of Education may not have been filled to capacity I do not know of any unfilled places in training colleges and most colleges are overfilled.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will now make an announcement on the new constitution for Northern Rhodesia.

I have nothing to add to what my right hon. Friend said in reply to the hon. Member for Cardiff, South-East (Mr. Callaghan) on 19th June.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many medical students from Tanganyika are at present studying medicine in Great Britain, in British Colonial Territories, in Commonwealth countries or in foreign countries.

There are at present 65 medical students from Tanganyika studying in Great Britain. I have no information on the other parts of the Question.

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 Commission's Report, dated January, 1960, to take into public ownership the two electric supply companies in the Colony; and whether some alternative arrangement has been concluded.

I have nothing to add to the reply given to the hon. Member on 11th April.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what was the expense incurred by the Saint Helena Government in the imprisonment for about two years of three Bahraini prisoners convicted in the courts of the ruler of Bahrain.

None. The Bahraini Government have borne the cost of their imprisonment in St. Helena.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will con- sider a scheme to provide Government guarantee of private capital invested in Commonwealth overseas territory similar to that operated by the United States Government.

No. Our balance of payments position rules out the adoption at present of any such scheme designed to increase the total invested abroad.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will state the number of major proposals for flood alleviation works on the River Hull and within the Hull city boundary, considered by the Hull and East Yorkshire River Board, in 1954–55, which were not undertaken, and the reasons for this; what is the number of wharves affected; and when all of these wharves will be raised above flood level.

In 1954 the River Board considered outline proposals for comprehensive flood alleviation works estimated at that time to cost £150,000. Emergency works were carried out at thirty sites at a cost of about £5,000. I understand that the River Board is awaiting the completion of the survey now being made by the Hull Corporation before considering further flood alleviation proposals.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will state the amount of money allocated by the Hull and East Yorkshire River Board and the amount of grant, respectively, for flood alleviation works on the River Hull wharves within the Hull city boundary, for the first six months of 1961; what is the number of wharves to be raised above flood level; and when the work on these wharves will be completed.

No applications have been submitted to my Ministry for grant aid in respect of improvement works on the River Hull during the first six months of 1961.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish up to date figures comparable to those produced at Table V in the Report by the Natural Resources (Technical) Committee entitled, "Scale of Enterprise in Farming."

asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty if he will make a statement on the responsibilities of Captain C. E. Pollock, formerly of the Underwater Detection Establishment at Portland, in so far as they concern the recent loss of a naval document from the Plessey Company.

The document is missing from the Ilford branch of the firm whilst Captain Pollock is employed at a branch in a different part of the country. There is no evidence to connect him with the loss.

The figures in the Report referred to were "derived from the two-year identical samples" of the Farm Management Survey and projected forward. The actual figures for the Farm Management Survey for the years 1956–57 to 1959–60 are as follows:

asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty why Her Majesty's Government have sold two frigates to the Portuguese Government; and if he will make a statement.

Two frigates have been sold to the Portuguese Government in accordance with Her Majesty's Government's policy of assisting friendly navies by selling ships to them which the Royal Navy may have for disposal. In the years immediately after the war 12 such vessels were similarly sold. Portugal, a N.A.T.O. ally, requires the two ships as replacements for two declared for scrapping.

asked the Minister of Health how many prescriptions were dispensed under the National Health Service during each of the months February, March and April, 1961; and what was the average cost per item in each case.

The information is as follows.

asked the Minister of Health when he expects to conclude his discussions with the medical profession on the recommendations of the Platt Working Party on Hospital Medical Staffing.

I would hope to be in a position to make a statement shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether, as a contribution to the implementation of the recommendations of the Wolfenden Committee on Sport, he will consider making suitable former military premises available to local authorities free of charge for use as regional or local sports centres.

Whilst I sympathise with the suggestion which my hon. and gallant Friend has in mind, I regret that I cannot make an exception to the rule that surplus War Department land which is no longer required for Government purposes is sold at the market value.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is aware of the hardship that will be inflicted on east coast fishermen if the Forth and Clyde Canal is closed; and if he will reconsider his decision.

I recognise that closure of the Canal to navigation may cause some fishermen same difficulty, but I share the view of the Bowes Committee that this disadvantage is outweighed by the considerable savings on the Canal and in expenditure by various highway authorities responsible for the bridges along its length and by the improved road communications which would result.