asked the Minister of Labour if he is aware that his action in refusing to sanction the award of the Wages Council for workers in industrial and staff canteens is causing widespread concern to 3½ million workers governed by other wages councils; and if he will now reconsider his decision in order to allay anxiety in the industries governed by such wages councils.

The hon. Member is misinformed. I have, in fact, approved the proposals from the Industrial and Staff Canteen Wages Council and I made an Order on 9th October giving effect to the wage increases proposed from 1st January, 1962. I felt it right to impose a period of delay before the increases became effective in view of the need for a pause in increases in incomes.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will give consideration to improving the present situation in respect of the employment, or the potentialities of employment of gypsies and other travellers, on the lines which his Department developed during the Second World War to harness as far as possible the services of these people to the war effort, in view of the fact that those who do achieve the necessary skill and experience soon cease to be nomads and camp dwellers.

The services of the employment exchanges are available to gypsies and other travellers who seek assistance in finding suitable employment, My officers co-operate closely with the National Assistance Board to ensure that these facilities are brought to the notice of persons without a settled way of living who use the reception centres provided by the Board under Section 17 of the National Assistance Act, 1948.

asked the Minister of Labour what are the latest figures for unemployment in the motor cycle industry; and what steps are being taken to find employment for these people.

Separate figures are not available for the motor cycle industry. In the group of industries concerned, which also includes three-wheeled vehicle and pedal cycle manufacture, the number of persons registered as unemployed on 16th October was 1,563, of whom 1,238 were temporarily stopped. My local officers are doing all they can to place those seeking work.

asked the Minister of Labour (1) if, in view of the concern arising from the decision to close the Kidbrooke rehabilitation training centre, he will state the date on which the centre is to close; how many disabled persons needing sheltered employment will cease working there; what action is being taken to find them suitable alternative employment; and what success has been met with in this respect;(2) why it was decided to close the Kidbrooke rehabilitation centre; what is the saving involved; and to what use the buildings will be put in future.

I am not proposing to close any Industrial Rehabilitation Units. There is no Industrial Rehabilitation Unit at Kidbrooke, but I am considering closing the Government Training Centre there because it has for some time been running well below strength and because there are five other training centres in or near London which have vacant training places available. If it is decided to close the Centre, this would be done by 31st March, 1962. Most of those now in training at the Centre should have completed their courses before that date; the others would be given the opportunity of transferring to other centres. There are no persons at the Centre needing sheltered employment and, consequently, the question of finding them suitable alternative employment does not arise.The saving would be about £33,000 a year in administrative costs apart from the saving on overheads such as machinery, materials, heating, etc., borne on the Votes of other Departments. The Centre premises stand on Crown land and their future use in the first instance is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Minister of Works.

asked the Minister of Labour what action he is taking to get greater co-operation between the trade unions involved in the shipbuilding industry.

I have been discussing the problems of the ship-building industry with representatives of the trade unions and of the employers. With the agreement of both sides I am now arranging joint discussions under my chairmanship. I hope that these talks will lead to better understanding between the unions and within the industry as a whole.

asked the Minister of Labour what consideration he has given to a letter sent to him by the Blyth and District Employment Committee on 6th November regarding the need for new industries in south-east Northumberland; and what action he proposes to take.

No doubt The hon. Member has in mind the Resolution passed by the Committee in October, which I have brought to the attention of the Board of Trade. My right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade has already stated that he would be pleased to see suitable new industry going to the Blyth district.

asked the Minister of Labour how many persons were enrolled on his Technical and Scientific Register at the last convenient date; and how many vacancies have been frilled from the register in each of the last five years.

On 13th November, 1961, the number of persons enrolled on the Register was 4,830. Vacancies filled in the last five years have been as follows:

—	In Government Departments	Others
1957	294	1,007
1958	304	763
1959	444	713
1960	477	685
1961 (to 13th November)	428	570

asked the Minister of Labour if he is aware that there are more than 1,800 registered disabled unemployed people in Glasgow; and what assistance he proposes to give Remploy to expand their facilities in that area.

Yes. Of that number 120 are severely disabled persons eligible for employment by Remploy. Remploy hopes to increase the numbers employed in its Glasgow factories during next year.

asked the Minister of Labour how many men and women were registered as unemployed at his Gainsborough and Market Rasen offices, respectively, at the end of October 1961.

On 13th November, there were 59 men and 22 women registered as unemployed at Gainsborough and 20 men and 8 women at Market Rasen.

asked the Minister of Labour what percentage of the insured population was unemployed in each of the six North Wales counties at the latest convenient date.

At 13th November the figures were: Anglesey, 9·4 per cent.; Caernarvonshire, 5·4 per cent.; Denbighshire 3·1 per cent; Flintshire, 2·8 per cent.; Merionethshire, 2·7 per cent. and Montgomeryshire, 1·9 per cent.

asked the Minister of Labour what steps he is taking to find employment for those who will lose their jobs in the railway marshalling yards at Thornton, Fife, as a result of the pit closures in Scotland.

It is too early to say if any redundancy will occur in Thornton marshalling yard from these pit closures; but my Ministry will keep in close touch with the British Transport Commission.

asked the Minister of Labour how many immigrants from Eire, the British West Indies, West Africa, India, Pakistan, Malta and Cyprus registered for employment at employment exchanges during the past 12 months in the London area; what is the number of such immigrants now registered as unemployed; and for what average period they have been so registered.

The detailed figures for which The hon. Member asks are not available but on 7th November, 9,619 persons known to be immigrants from the Commonwealth were registered as unemployed in the London and South Eastern Region.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he has now reached a decision upon which Government training centres he intends to close; and if he will make a statement.

I have not yet reached a final decision. I am considering closing the Training Centres at Long Eaton and Kidbrooke because they have not been fully occupied for some time and training places are available at other Centres. Closing of the Industrial Rehabilitation Unit at Long Eaton is not under consideration.

asked the Minister of Labour what is the present estimated average industrial wage in Scotland.

I regret that separate information for Scotland is not available.

asked the Minister of Labour in which sections of his Department economies are to be made; what will be the effect on services to the public; and what is the estimated amount of financial saving.

At the moment, I have nothing further to add to the Answers I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Rutland and Stamford (Mr. K. Lewis) on 1st November. and to The hon. Member for East Ham, North (Mr. Prentice) on 8th November.

asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty whether he will continue the training programme for Royal Navy and Royal Marine helicopter pilots at Redhill Aerodrome after June, 1962.

A contract to train helicopter pilots at Redhill Aerodrome was placed in order to fulfil the needs of H.M.S. "Albion," the second Commando Carries. This requirement could not be met from service resources in the time available. All the training at Redhill for this task is due to be completed by 30th June, 1962.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he is aware that Maltese soldiers, sent for training to Libya and Cyprus, have hitherto been permitted to obtain from Malta the newspapers they require by a system of bulk purchases made in Malta, and that instructions have now been given that orders are not to be taken from certain ranks for certain papers supporting the Labour Party's policy; and if he will take steps to withdraw these instructions.

No instructions of this kind have been given by the military authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that during the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation military manœuvres in West Germany commencing 23rd October, 1961, 14 Spanish generals, accompanied by a United States colonel stationed in Spain, officially participated; and whether Spanish participation was sanctioned by the British representatives at the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.

These were not N.A.T.O. manœuvres, and Her Majesty's Government have no cognisance of them. The second part of the Question therefore does not arise.

asked the Secretary of State for War what changes are proposed for Command Ordnance Depots in the Aldershot district and Southern Command; what number of civilian employees are affected; and if he will make a statement.

Owing to the run-down of the Army, the Command Ordnance Depots in Southern Command will ultimately be as follows:—

• Command Ordnance Depot at Thatcham.
• Command Ordnance Sub Depot at Aldershot.
• Command Ordnance Sub Depot at Warminster.
• Command Ordnance Sub Depot at Taunton.

The Command Ordnance Depot at Aldershot will be reduced in size and will become a sub depot of Thatcham by 1st April, 1964.The other existing Command Ordnance Depots and Sub Depots in Southern Command will eventually be closed, but in most cases this will not occur until 1st April, 1964. The staffs of the depots concerned are being kept fully informed of my Department's plans.The ultimate size of the staffs of the depots which are to remain has not yet been assessed in detail and therefore at this stage I cannot say how much redundancy will result from this reorganisation.Established staff will of course be offered transfer to other War Department establishments in the normal way, and wastage over the next two years should mitigate the impact of redundancy on temporary staff.

asked the Secretary of State for War when he expects trials of the Vigilant anti-tank weapon to be concluded; and whether he will make a statement.

Progress with trials of Vigilant and assessments of other light anti-tank missiles should enable me to reach a decision soon about their adoption by the Army.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will take steps to reduce the weight of the ration tins and the spades carried by Gurkha troops for jungle warfare.

No. These articles are already as light as is consistent with robustness.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what further plans he has for St. Eval Air Station and the married quarters there.

The future of St. Eval airfield is being reviewed, but it will be some time yet before a final decision can be taken. As far as can be foreseen the married quarters will continue to be needed for families of men serving at Royal Air Force St. Mawgan.

asked the Secretary of State for Air if he is aware that Royal Air Force personnel bathe regularly in the lagoon at Gan, which is normally the habitat of large numbers of sharks; and if he will arrange for shark-proof nets to be provided.

Within the reef there is little danger from sharks, but the water is shallow and coral makes bathing unsatisfactory. Outside the reef it would be impracticable to fit shark-proof nets because of the depth. A number of suggestions has been made for providing satisfactory bathing facilities and these are being examined.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what consideration he has given to replacing some noncommissioned officers and airmen at El Adem by non-commissioned officers and airwomen of the Women's Royal Air Force when suitable accommodation is available.

Because of the present encouraging rate of recruitment we hope to open sections of the Women's Royal Air Force at a number of stations which have not yet got one. If this trend continues, E1 Adem will, in due course, be among the stations to be considered.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what is the size of the waiting lists for married quarters in the Royal Air Force stations at Tengah and Seletar in Singapore Island.

At Tengah there are 465 officers and airmen on the waiting list for married quarters. Of these 301 are living in official hirings and the remainder 164, have their families with them in private accommodation. The comparable figures for Seletar are 1,054, 541 and 513, respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Air if he will make a statement about the proposed North Atlantic Treaty Organisation base at Stornoway, stating the extent of his consultation with local interests and the nature, extent and estimated cost of each of the constructional and other works involved in the project.

The development of Stornoway airfield consists mainly of strengthening the runway, improving the airfield lighting, increasing the storage space and adding technical and domestic accommodation. The total cost is expected to be about £1·25 million. No formal consultation with the Local Planning Authority is required but the Air Ministry is nevertheless in touch with the Ross and Cromarty County Council through the Department of Health for Scotland.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what is the maximum number of pupils who have been taught this year so far in any one class in the primary school and the secondary school, respectively, at Khormaksar, Aden.

45 and 40, respectively. The 45 were mostly children who had taken their selection tests and were awaiting transfer to the secondary school. The class remained at this size for about two months. The class of 40 existed for only a week at the beginning of the autumn term. It was composed of new entrants who were waiting to be allocated to appropriate classes. These numbers were exceptional. During 1961, classes have, so far, averaged 27 in the primary school and 18 in the secondary school.

asked the Secretary of State for Air why Women's Royal Air Force personal assistants to air officers in overseas commands are being replaced by Royal Air Force non-commissioned officers.

Certain personal assistant posts previously open to officers of either sex, including some in overseas commands, are now being filled by non-commissioned officers or civilians as an economy measure. Airwomen may be considered for the non-commissioned officer posts.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if lie is aware of the anxiety concerning the future of the new town of Glenrothes consequent on the recently announced pit closures; and whether he will give an assurance that the future development of the town will not be retarded.

I am not aware of any general anxiety on this score, and certainly none is felt by the development corporation. For fully two years, since it became clear that the number of miners coming to work in the area would be smaller than originally expected, the basis for the development of Glenrothes has been general industrial growth, linked with overspill from Glasgow. There is thus no reason for expecting the pit closures to retard the development of the town.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, under Section 7 of the Local Employment Act, 1960, he will give financial assistance to the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board to provide electricity to the Island of Yell.

No application has been received for assistance under Section 7 of the Local Employment Act, 1960, towards the cost of the provision of a supply of electricity to the Island of Yell. Any such application would be considered in the light of the criteria to which I referred in my Reply to the right hon. Gentleman on 9th May, 1961.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish details concerning the new teacher training college at Hamilton, giving the number of student places which will be available, the date when building work will commence, when he expects the college to be completed, what the cost is likely to be, and what qualifications will be necessary for admittance.

I have approved recommendations by the Scottish Council for the Training of Teachers, the body responsible for the detailed planning of the proposed college, that it should have a maximum roll of 900, and should provide three or four year diploma courses for women students. This approval is subject to the council's securing a site in the Hamilton area. They have considered several sites and I understand that one of these may prove suitable. The accommodation required, including hostel provision has still to be worked out in detail by the Scottish Council. The building will then have to be planned to suit its site. I cannot at this stage say when it will start but the aim is to complete it by 1965–66. The cost is unlikely to be less than £1 million.The qualifications for admission will be the same as for corresponding courses in other colleges, the present qualifications for which are contained in Articles 15 and 47 of the Training Regulations.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish figures showing the number of local authorities which had no houses under construction at the latest convenient date and the number of applicants for houses on the waiting list of each authority, respectively.

At 30th September last, 84 housing authorities in Scotland had no houses under construction. I understand that, of these, 16 had tenders approved for further building and 29 were expected to resume building fairly soon. I have no information about waiting lists, which, in any event, are not a reliable measure of housing needs.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will now state the average gross annual value of a municipal house in Dumbarton Burgh, based on the current assessments.

The average gross annual value of a municipal house in Dumbarton Burgh, according to information received since my Written Reply to The hon. Member's Question of the 15th November, is £46.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland why he has not included in the membership of the Wheatley Committee, reviewing matters concerning the teaching profession in Scotland, representatives of the area embrasing the counties of Ross and Cromarty, Inverness, Caithness and Sutherland, Orkney and Zetland; and if he will now add such representatives to the Committee and its working parties, including persons with experience of the conditions in island areas.

The persons appointed to the Wheatley Committee and to the four working parties were nominated for that purpose by the associations of local authorities and of teachers and by the other bodies concerned. In addition I appointed three independent members who were chosen for their personal qualities and experience. The matters which are to be considered by the Committee and the working parties are not of a kind that involve specific regional considerations, and I do not consider that it would be appropriate to add members chosen by reason of their experience of particular areas.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects the by-pass to Abington and Crawford on A.74 to be opened to traffic.

I expect the whole five and three quarter miles to be opened by the middle of next month, about three months before the date when the contract was due to finish.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will state the reason for his delay in approving Aberdeen Corporation's road safety scheme for which application has been made to him; and when he will give his approval and provide the necessary facilities.

No application has been made to me by Aberdeen Corporation for approval of a road safety scheme.

asked the Minister of Transport how many motor vehicle testing centres have been set up by local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales, respectively.

In England 69, in Scotland 5, in Wales 2.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will introduce legislation to make it obligatory for drivers who cannot drive safely without glasses to use them.

While there are considerable practical difficulties about any proposal of this kind, I am having the whole matter re-examined.

asked the Minister of Transport whether, in the interests of road safety, he will take steps to see that manufacturers of heavy duty vehicles and tankers fit them with engines developing sufficient power to enable them to travel at reasonable speeds up average main road gradients when they are fully loaded.

The cost and complexity of any mandatory scheme of this kind would outweigh any possible advantages.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will amend his regulations to permit, in exceptional circumstances, the carriage of children in power-propelled tricycles supplied to disabled persons under the National Health Service.

No. Those which are legally invalid carriages and thus not allowed to carry passengers are not constructed to do so; even a small child might easily distract the driver or interfere with his control of the vehicle.

asked the Minister of Transport when he anticipates that work will be started on the road widening scheme at Wadebridge.

Early in the new year, I hope.

asked the Minister of Transport what representations he has received from the residents and occupiers of premises in Upper Brook Street, Brook Street and Grosvenor Square with regard to the proposal to divert east-bound traffic from Oxford Street to those highways; and what reply he has sent.

I have received some representations objecting to my proposals for one-way traffic working in Oxford Street which would result in more traffic using Upper Brook Street, Brook Street and Grosvenor Square. I have explained in reply that these proposals are in outline only and that much detailed preparatory work remains to be done. I shall, of course, consider all representations made to me before deciding whether or not to introduce any experimental one-way scheme in this area.

asked the Minister of Transport what progress he has made with the Chequers roundabout improvements on the A.13.

These works form part of a large scheme for the improvement of this section of A.13. In an endeavour to avoid delay it was proposed that the Chequers Corner improvement should be undertaken as a separate contract. My agent authority have, however, so much work in hand on the preparation of road schemes that to prepare separate contract documents would not in fact save time. These works will therefore remain part of the larger scheme. I hope the documents will be ready in time for tenders to be invited in the spring.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will place "No Right Turn" signs at the intersection of North End Road and Cromwell Road, in view of the traffic congestion caused at this point since the opening of the Hammersmith flyover.

I am aware of the difficulties caused by right-hand turns on the urban part of A.4 and I am reviewing the whole route between Brompton Road and the Chiswick flyover. My hon. Friend's suggestion is one which I already have very much in mind.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is still negotiating with the owners for the purchase of Selby Toll Bridge and toll rights.

No. Negotiations with the toll owners showed that the probable cost of acquiring the tolls would be too great to justify proceeding with a scheme to reconstruct the bridge. There was no purpose therefore in continuing the negotiations.

asked the Minister of Transport when a start will be made on the Selby by-pass.

It is still too soon to forecast when work on a by-pass of Selby will begin.

asked the Minister of Transport if he is aware of the recent fatal accident on the Aberdeen trawler "Ben Lui" off Ireland, as a result of which the skipper, Mr. John B. Henderson, was killed by a rocket; if he will state the result of the official inquiry into the incident, indicating the nature of the accident and the kind of rocket used; and what steps have been taken since to avoid such accidents in future.

The result of the inquiries is to show that this unfortunate accident resulted from the rocket striking the ship's bridge-plating and recoiling. It formed part of a line-throwing appliance of an approved type which, if operated in accordance with the instructions supplied with it, is most unlikely to give rise to accident. Indeed, no similar accident has been known to occur.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations why the Commonwealth Governments were not given the full text of his speech in Paris on 10th October in which he explained Great Britain's position in applying to join the Common Market.

I would refer to the statement made to the House on Monday by my right hon. Friend the Lord Privy Seal.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is satisfied that works recently carried out on the River Welland are likely to prevent a recurrence of the flooding of Market Harborough; and what further works in that connection are proposed.

I am advised that the works already carried out at Market Harborough by the Welland River Board with grant-aid from the Ministry will reduce the flooding in times of heavy rainfall. I understand that proposals are under consideration by the Board for additional works which should reduce still further the possibility of flooding in the built-up areas of the town. These have not yet been submitted to the Ministry.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will state the number of farms in North Staffordshire of 20 acres and under in the following years, namely, 1945, 1955, and 1960.

The information for the years 1955 and 1960 is as follows. Corresponding figures for 1945 are not readily available.

NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE: HOLDINGS OVER 1 ACRE
—	1955	1960
Crops and grass acreages
Holdings under 20 acres	1,774	1,555
Holdings of 20 acres or more	2,027	1,993
Holdings consisting of rough grazings only	87	80
	3,888	3,628

asked the Minister of Health if he will enumerate the special units in each hospital region for the care and treatment of psychotic and severely maladjusted children, other than subnormal and severely subnormal children; and what is the number of staffed beds in each.

The information is as follows:

SPECIAL HOSPITAL UNITS FOR PSYCHOTIC AND MALADJUSTED CHILDREN
Hospital Region	Unit	Staffed Beds
Newcastle	St. Luke's Hospital, Middlesbrough	12
Sheffield	Mapperley Hospital, Nottingham	22
North West Metropolitan	High Wick, Tyttenhanger	18
North East Metropolitan	Whipps Cross Hospital	12
South East Metropolitan	Maudsley Hospital	24
South West Metropolitan	Belmont Hospital	12
Oxford	Park Hospital for Children	30
	*West Stowell House, Oare	36
	*Smith Hospital, Henley	46
South Western	Merrifield, Tone Vale Hospital	36
Wales	Gwynfa	3
Birmingham	South Warwickshire Hospital	6
Manchester	Booth Hall Hospital	9
Wessex	St. James' Hospital	30

asked the Minister of Health when he expects the review of the data and calculations underlying the Willink Committee Report to be completed.

This review has now been carried out. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and I are satisfied that the prospective demand for medical services would justify a rise in the University intake of pre-clinical students to 10 per cent. above the level recommended by the Willink Committee. My right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury has asked the University Grants Committee to consider with the Universities the implications of this conclusion. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and I will continue to watch the position.

asked the Minister of Defence if, in the course of his consideration of the best ways to fulfil British defence requirements, he will make a study of the New Zealand scheme of selective national service.

I have done so, but the New Zealand scheme does not appear to be one that would help us to solve our current problems.

asked the Minister of Defence if he will make a statement on the preparations of Great Britain for defence against biological warfare.

A programme of research continues on problems of defence against microbiological warfare. The programme is directed towards assessing the threat and providing defences against it.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs, in view of the difficulties of many gypsy families in this country the failure, so far, to solve the problems involved, what steps have been taken to obtain information from other countries who have done much for their gypsy communities, with a view to obtaining ideas that could be usefully applied in the United Kingdom.

No formal steps have been taken, but information in the Press and elsewhere about gypsies in other countries has been noted from time to time.