asked the Secretary of State for War why Mr. G. J. Seignot, 35, Madoc Road, Tremorfa, Cardiff, formerly 23585611 Private G. J. Seignot, stationed at Central Ammunition Depot, Kineton, Leamington Spa, has not received back his personal effects for which he asked on 2nd March, 1961, and about which four subsequent letters have been written by him.

The personal effects of Mr. Seignot were sent to his home address on 14th July. I much regret the delay in sending them. I understand, however, that unknown to his unit, Seignot had made a private arrangement with another soldier to look after his kit while he was away.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what was the nature of the discussions which he had with General Luis da Camara Pina, the Portuguese army chief of staff, during his recent visit to this country.

General Pina's visit was in the nature of a courtesy call.

asked the Minister of Transport (1) what was the total mileage of motorways proposed to him for construction by the Lancashire County Council; what was the direction of each scheme; and whether he has approved them in principle;(2) what representations have been made to him by Lancashire County Council about the unsatisfactoriness of the East Lancashire Road, and for the need for a new motorway linking Liverpool and Manchester; and if he has accepted their plan in principle.

I understand that the Lancashire County Council have put forward suggestions for some 63 miles of new motorways on the routes Liverpool to Manchester, Preston to Manchester, and Preston to Liverpool. These are being discussed informally with my divisional road engineer. Any firm proposals which may result will be carefully considered. The county council have made no formal representations to me about the East Lancashire Road. In addition there are in Lancashire 66 miles of motorway already completed, under construction, or for which a line has been approved. A further 21 miles are now being surveyed.

asked the Minister of Transport what proportion of Government expenditure on new road construction and major road improvements has been spent on roads in Lancashire in the years 1957, 1958, 1959 and 1960.

In comparison with the total for England and Wales, the proportions for the administrative county of Lancashire were as follows:

Payments in year to 31st March					Percentage
1957–58	…	…	…	…	14
1958–59	…	…	…	…	12
1959–60	…	…	…	…	7
1960–61	…	…	…	…	7

asked the Minister of Transport why no classified road scheme of over£300,000 has so far been authorised for the county borough of Bath for the years 1960–61, 1961–62, and 1962–63; and whether he anticipates it will be possible to authorise any such grants in the near future.

The county borough council did not submit any scheme of over£300,000 for this period. In selecting the classified road programme for 1964–65 and later years, I shall, of course, consider any such schemes they put forward.

asked the Minister of Transport what arrangements he is making for the opening of the new Doncaster by-pass.

I expect to declare the by-pass open at Warmsworth at 12 noon on 31st July. During the morning, I hope to make a tour of inspection of the by-pass and adjacent works on the Great North Road.

asked the Minister of Transport when work is to start on the Chequers Lane roundabout in Dagenham; and what are the reasons for the long delay.

The improvement of this intersection was planned as part of a larger scheme for the improvement of A.13 in Dagenham. Amendments to the main scheme are proving necessary and in order to avoid delay the reconstruction of the Chequers Lane junction will now be carried out as a separate contract. Tenders will be invited as soon as the necessary documents are ready, and I hope work will start towards the end of this year.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware that Dagenham Council prepared at his request a list of nine narrow streets suitable for unilateral parking, and that the Commissioner of Police has rejected every proposal; and what action he proposes to take in the matter.

I have received from the council a proposal for unilateral waiting restrictions in nine roads in Dagenham. I have asked the council for some further information and I shall consider the proposal carefully when this has been supplied.

asked the Minister of Transport what are the criteria and priorities which guide his decisions that one road project shall have priority over another.

There are inevitably a large number of considerations which enter into the decisions on the priority of particular schemes. At present I am concentrating on the construction of routes linking industrial centres and the relief of urban congestion. Within that policy, weight is given to such factors as the adequacy of roads for their present and future traffic; the economic importance of the traffic concerned; the traffic benefit to be obtained in relation to the cost involved; the requirements of local development and road safety.

asked the Minister of Transport if he is aware that since 1952 the British Transport Commission, unlike other nationalised industries, has not included in its annual reports figures of the totals of wages and salaries paid by the Commission as a whole or British Railways in particular; and if he will give a direction to the Commission to include the figures in its future reports and to publish the totals for each year since 1952.

The Commission regularly publish detailed information about the numbers and earnings of staff employed on British Railways. I will consider in consultation with them whether the further information requested might be published in future.

asked the Minister of Transport if he is aware that applications further to increase bus fares in South Wales have been made before he has announced his decision on the appeal against the last fare increases; and what steps he is taking, in view of the fact that in 1960 his decision to allow similar appeals was nullified by the granting of further fare increases before the appeals could become effective, to ensure that his decisions are put into effect before the commencement of consideration of subsequent applications.

Yes. I will announce my decision on the appeal in the next few days. I feel sure that the Traffic Commissioners are well aware of the point which the hon. Member has in mind.

asked the Minister of Transport if he is aware of the recent failure of Messrs. Readhead's, of South Shields, under the chairmanship of Mr. Towers, to obtain a shipbuilding order, despite the fact that their tender was the lowest in the country, details of which have been sent to him by the hon. Member for Tynemouth; and if he will request the firm of Peat, Marwick, Mitchell and Company to investigate the loss of this contract.

I am aware of this case. It will be among those to be investigated by Peat, Marwick, Mitchell and Company.

asked the Minister of Labour, in view of the loss caused to the nation's exports by the recent unofficial strike at S. Smith and Son, England, Limited, whether he will cause an inquiry to be made into the origins and cause of the strike.

I share the hon. Member's concern about the interruption of our exports caused by this strike. Discussions are now taking place in accordance with the agreed procedure in the engineering industry and an inquiry would not therefore be helpful.

asked the Minister of Labour why he refused a request for a second class for engineering apprentices to be organised at the Government Training Centre in Leeds; whether he has refused any similar requests elsewhere; and whether there is a limit of 300 places for those courses.

The apprentice training classes set up by the Ministry of Labour at 15 centres throughout the country are intended to demonstrate to employers the advantages of full-time systematic instruction for their apprentices in their first year.

asked the Minister of Labour what conclusions he has reached as a result of his study of the present system of trade union elections.

I have written to the General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress, which I know is giving serious consideration to this problem. My own view is that if the unions can take effective action to prevent breaches of their election rules, this would be the most satisfactory solution. If, however, there are difficulties which make this impracticable, I would propose to consider with the T.U.C. ways and means by which the Government could help.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether it is proposed to make orders applying the whole of the Visiting Forces Act, 1952, to the forces of the German Federal Republic, or only to make orders under Section 8.

Yes. It is proposed that an Order under Section 1 (2) of the Visiting Forces Act, 1952, designating the Federal Republic of Germany for the purposes of all the provisions of the Act, shall be submitted to the Privy Council at the same time as the Application of Law Order under Section 8 of the Act which Parliament is now being asked to approve.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the net in-flow of immigrants from the Commonwealth for the six months ended 30th June, 1961; from which countries they principally came; and how the figures for the respective countries compare with those for the corresponding period of 1960.

The following table gives such figures as are available:

ESTIMATED NET INWARD MOVEMENT DURING THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF
—		1960	1961
West Indies	…	19,500	29,800
East Africa	…	-60	850
West Africa	…	-500	1,200
Cyprus	…	1,050	2,300
Gibraltar	…	-100	-250
Malta	…	-350	200
Aden	…	50	120
Hong Kong	…	400	850
Malaya	…	-250	10
Singapore	…	-40	350
India	…	2,400	8,850
Pakistan	…	100	7,850
Ceylon	…	-300	150

NOTES:1. A minus sign denotes a net

asked the Minister of Defence what evidence he has that men who have been living and working in air-conditioned accommodation in hot climates are particularly susceptible to heat exhaustion under operational conditions.

I have no evidence of this. Men who sleep and work in air-conditioned accommodation still spend enough of the day out of it to become acclimatised to the heat. In operational conditions, the great majority of the men involved are those who are normally used to working in the open.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science to what extent there has been an increase in the volume of design work on reactor systems and other plant, respectively, which has been placed with industrial firms in the last year by the Atomic Energy Authority.

I am advised by the Atomic Energy Authority that the volume of design work on reactor systems and other plant associated with the civil nuclear power programme carried out by industry on behalf of the Authority is at the same level in 1961–62 as it was in 1960–61.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science how much was received by the Atomic Energy Authority from the sale of fuel elements in 1960–61; how much they expect to receive from such sales in 1961–62; whether he is satisfied that the supply of fuel elements for civil nuclear power stations is up to schedule; and if he will make a statement.

I am informed by the Atomic Energy Authority that they received£2 million from the sale of fuel elements in 1960–61 in addition to£61 million advance payments received in 1959–60. They expect to receive about£13 million from fuel element sales in 1961–62. Deliveries of fuel elements for the civil nuclear power stations are being made in accordance with the delivery schedules agreed between the Authority and the Electricity Generating Boards.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science to what extent the fuel canning lines at the Atomic Energy Authority factory at Springfields are now employed; when he expects them to be working to full capacity; what plans the Authority have for the construction of further fuel element fabrication plants; and what discussions have taken place with the industrial consortia and the Central Electricity Generating Board regarding the possibility of manufacture of civil elements outside the Authority.

I am informed by the Atomic Energy Authority that the three completed fuel canning lines at Springfields are fully employed; and that all five lines are expected to be in production by May, 1962. The factory will then be capable of meeting all demands now foreseen for magnox canned natural uranium fuel elements. It will be necessary in due course to plan new facilities for the fabrication of uranium oxide fuel elements, if it is decided to include power stations using such elements in the nuclear power programme. The planning of these facilities will not however be necessary before 1965 or 1966. Only preliminary discussions have therefore as yet been held with the Central Electricity Generating Board and the consortia about the possibility of manufacture of these elements outside the Authority.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science how many people are employed by the Atomic Energy Authority on design studies and research in relation to the design of a prototype commercial fast reactor; how many were similarly employed a year ago; and when he expects full design and construction, respectively, of the prototype commercial reactor to begin.

I am advised by the Atomic Energy Authority that the number of professional staff employed by them on design studies and research and development for the prototype fast reactor is 350 now, compared with 200 a year ago. The time at which full design and construction of a prototype commercial reactor could begin depends on the progress made on developing a suitable fuel.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science if he will set out in tabular form the proportion of effort currently devoted by the Atomic Energy Authority to research and development in aid of the Magnox reactor, the advanced gas-cooled reactor, the high-temperature gas-cooled reactor, the steam generated heavy water reactor, the fast reactor, marine reactors, and other reactor systems, respectively; and if he will give comparable figures for the proportion of effort employed a year ago.

I am advised by the Atomic Energy Authority that of their total professional staff engaged on civil research and development, the proportions working on the main reactor systems in 1960 and 1961 are as follows:

—	1960	1961
Magnox reactors	20	15
Advanced gas-cooled reactors	20	20
Fast reactors	9	14
High temperature gas-cooled reactor	8	8

Exploratory work and design studies are being undertaken on the steam generating heavy water reactor and on marine reactors. In their general work on reactor technology, the Authority are devoting some effort, including work on experimental physics, to keeping abreast of developments abroad on other reactor systems.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science what work is at present being undertaken by the Atomic Energy Authority on the development of plutonium fuel elements for the fast reactor; to what extent work on plutonium technology has increased in the last year; to what extent development in this field has been held up by shortage of plutonium; and when he expects the Dounreay fast reactor to start operation with plutonium fuel elements.

I am advised by the Atomic Energy Authority that they have in hand an intensive programme on the development of plutonium fuel elements for the prototype fast reactor. The fuels include mixed plutonium and uranium dioxides in a steel matrix and mixed plutonium and uranium carbides. This fuel development involves the preparation, irradiation testing and examination of specimen fuel materials, the investigation of methods of making complete fuel elements and their irradiation testing, and the investigation of the behaviour of the fuel elements under conditions simulating those expected to be experienced in a power reactor. The number of professional staff employed on fast reactor fuel development has approximately doubled since last year. The development of plutonium fuel elements in the fast reactor is not held up by shortage of plutonium. It is not currently planned to run the Dounreay fast reactor completely on plutonium fuel.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science how many engineers from the industrial consortia are attached, at the invitation of the Atomic Energy Authority, to experimental reactor projects; how many were so attached at the same time a year ago; and what other steps have been taken by the Authority to make the consortia aware of progress on such projects.

I am advised by the Atomic Energy Authority that 10 engineers from the industrial consortia are attached to experimental reactor projects compared with 26 a year ago. The reduction is due to the completion of certain work carried out by attached staff on the advanced gas cooled reactor.The Authority maintain a close association with the industrial consortia through a Nuclear Power Collaboration Committee and its supporting technical committees, including a joint committee which advises on the design and development of the Authority's experimental reactor projects and on advanced reactor systems.All the information derived by the Authority on reactors is available to the industrial consortia by means of the Authority's reports and the technology and progress are discussed jointly under arrangements made by the Nuclear Power Collaboration Committee.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give details of the number of local authorities covered by the work of the Dundee, Inverness and North Western Welfare Association for the Deaf and Dumb; how many deaf and dumb persons there are in this area; and what grants are made towards the work of this association.

The Association covers the area of nine local authorities, from six of whom grants totalling about£640 were received in respect of services provided in 1960 for 498 persons on the roll.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many appeals under the Town and Country Planning Acts have been made to him during the past 10 years; and in how many of these he has given the decision in favour of the appellant, giving separate figures for each planning authority in Scotland.

The following table shows how appeals lodged in the ten year period 1951–60 were disposed of:

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what proposals he has to make legal aid available in the Lands Valuation Appeal Court.

An Order will be made shortly which will make legal aid available for appeals to the Lands Valuation Appeal Court.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in connection with the development of East-West trade, he is aware of the difficulties which confront British industry in obtaining complete and accurate information from Eastern European countries to satisfy the requirements of existing anti-dumping legislation; and whether he will take steps to authorise the commercial side of the British embassies in those countries to give more assistance in this field and to augment their staffs for that purpose.

The Board of Trade are always ready to help industries with inquiries into the facts of suspected dumping or subsidisation where industries have difficulty in obtaining these facts themselves and can show some evidence of material injury or the threat of it. I am satisfied that these inquiries can, where necessary, be made quickly under the existing arrangements.