asked the Postmaster-General if he will make a statement with regard to the present hold-up of the delivery of letters, parcels and telegrams due to the work-to-rule methods adopted by Post Office employees.

I regret that working to rule by some sections of staff is causing delay to the mails, particularly in London. But the situation is a good deal better than it was and most of the mail is now getting through in good time. Sampling indicates that 75 per cent. of letters are being delivered the day after collection. Where there are delays we are doing all we can to minimise them by re-routing mails.I regret also that, because of the reduced output of the London staff I had to suspend the parcel post to and from the London Postal Area and the acceptance at London offices of large postings of circulars and advertising matter. I shall restore these services as soon as possible.Telegraph delays have been very occasional, and have had little effect on the service.I am grateful to the general public and to business firms for their forbearance in the present difficult situation.

asked the Postmaster-General if he is aware that, although normal General Post Office delivery of letters is by the day following posting, on 20th January only three out of 123 letters addressed to the New Daily were delivered normally, and that the bulk of the post was four or more days late; and what steps he is taking to end the strike in his Department.

Delivery of letters to the New Daily is made from the London West Central District Office where there is a shortage of staff and the service has been affected by the response of the local staff to the work-to-rule campaign. I am doing everything possible to improve matters.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he will authorise a special issue of stamps as part of the Food and Agriculture Organisation's plan for the issue of Freedom from Hunger Campaign postage stamps by different countries on a world-wide basis early in 1963.

My right hon. Friend is considering the matter and will write to the hon. Member.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will consult the Independent Television Authority under paragraph 3 of the Second Schedule to the Television Act, 1954, with a view to making a rule that advertising shall not be inserted in any performance produced solely for charitable purposes.

No.

asked the Secretary for Technical Co-operation what progress he is making in recruiting United Kingdom graduates to undertake teacher training at Makerere College as a preliminary to teaching in East Africa.

I have been asked to reply.Recruitment has already started through University Appointments Boards; the scheme covers both teachers who are to undergo further training at Makerere and those who have been fully trained before they go to East Africa. It follows an Anglo-American scheme undertaken last year, for which the Americans provided the great majority of the teachers—assistance which we very much appreciated. We hope for further substantial American participation this year and are also planning for a considerably larger British part in the scheme.

asked the Secretary for Technical Co-operation what Departments are concerned in producing television films for English teaching overseas; and how many such films were produced in 1959, 1960 and 1961, respectively.

I have been asked to reply.At the instance of the Overseas Departments, the British Council and the B.B.C. have been examining how their skills in this field might be pooled. The Central Office of Information completed three such films for the British Council in 1959, two in 1960, and two in 1961.

asked the Secretary for Technical Co-operation what are his proposals for increasing the number of students coming to this country from Commonwealth countries for legal and scientific training; and if he will make a statement.

I have been asked to reply.In 1960–61 there were in Britain 2,725 students from Commonwealth countries reading for the bar and about 5,000 students following courses in pure and applied science in universities, colleges of advanced technology and technical colleges.Any large increase in the demand for legal training is not now expected in view of the progress towards setting up law schools in some of the Commonwealth Universities. But there is likely to be an appreciable increase in the demand for scientific training over the next few years and there should be no special difficulty in meeting the needs of Commonwealth countries.My right hon. Friend is anxious that the facilities in this country should be put to the best possible use in helping overseas countries but the actual numbers coming here are a matter for the Governments of other Commonwealth countries to determine. On the legal side the main demand is for help in setting up law faculties and law schools overseas; and my right hon. Friend is in close touch with those concerned with such projects. In the field of scientific education there is also a great deal to be done overseas as well as by way of providing places in British institutions, and Her Majesty's Government are playing an important part in helping to build up educational institutions in various Commonwealth countries and to train and supply teachers in scientific subjects.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what quota he is now prepared to place on Soviet oil imports to the United Kingdom.

For the reasons given by my right hon. Friend's predecessor, in reply to a Question by the hon. Member for Devon, North (Mr. Thorpe) on 8th June, the Government are not at present prepared to license additional imports of Soviet oil.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will give the figures showing, for each of the past five years, what proportion of United Kingdom world imports and exports is accounted for by Anglo-Soviet trade.

No. This information is available from the Trade and Navigation Accounts.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will make a statement on the outcome of his conversations with the Chairmen of Imperial Chemical Industries and Courtaulds on the proposed merger of the two firms.

I would refer the hon. Member to the statement which my right hon. Friend made at the end of Questions today.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if, during his consideration of the issues involved in the proposed merger between I.C.I. and Courtaulds, he will give due consideration to the need to ensure continued production of Courtelle fibre and progress in its technical development.

My right hon. Friend has no doubt that whatever the outcome of the merger proposal, production of this successful fibre and its technical development will continue.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what reduction of tariffs has recently been agreed by the signatories to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade; and if he will make a statement.

These negotiations are still in progress and much work remains to be done, though the recently announced agreement in principle between the U.S.A. and the E.E.C., which we welcome, should help matters forward.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what was the total amount of revenue received from protective duties charged on imports into the United Kingdom from the six Common Market countries for the years 1959, 1960, and 1961; and what percentage these figures represent of the total revenue received from protective duties in those years.

The figures are not available.

asked the President of the Board of Trade when he expects to receive the Report of his inquiry into resale price maintenance.

The fact-finding inquiry by Board of Trade officials was completed in October of last year. My right hon. Friend is studying the results of this inquiry.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is his policy with regard to the granting or withhold- ing of export licences in respect of the shipment of capital equipment and other goods of a non-military nature to Indonesia.

The restrictions referred to by my right hon. Friend the Lord Privy Seal in his statement to the House on Tuesday, the 23rd January, apply only to exports of arms and military equipment to Indonesia. Otherwise our policy towards exports to Indonesia is unchanged.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what representations he has received from Scottish industrialists concerning the adverse effects on their competitive position consequent on the recent increase in the price of their coal; and what reply he has made.

My right hon. Friend has received no such representations.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science which Departments have co-operated in the construction of the first permanent radiation processing plant under private ownership, stationed on the Slough trading estate; what is the purpose of the plant; and which Department will be responsible for the presence of effective safety precautions.

The plant will be used to sterilise packaged surgical and pharmaceutical materials to an exceptionally high standard and will incorporate, under licence, patents and experience derived from the Atomic Energy Authority's pioneer work in their package irradiation plant at Wantage. The Factory and Radiochemical Inspectorates have been consulted about the safety requirements of the plant, which, when in operation will be governed by the Ionising Radiations (Sealed Sources) Regulations made recently by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Labour. My noble Friend is satisfied that conformity with the Regulations and precautions will fully safeguard the public.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science (1) what is the total number of qualified medical doctors and supporting staff with their categories, respectively, currently employed full time on medical research in Great Britain by the National Health Service, by other public authorities, by universities and by private bodies, respectively;(2) how many qualified medical doctors are employed full time by the National Health Service, by other public authorities, by universities, and by private bodies, respectively, on research into cancer, heart diseases and tuberculosis, respectively.

These questions relate to full time medical research workers. But much of this research, for instance in teaching hospitals, is carried out by workers who spend part of their time teaching. This is in accordance with my noble Friend's general view that scientific research of all kinds should not be wholly divorced from teaching.Even with the limitation of the Questions to full time workers, it is not, however, possible to give comprehensive replies. A survey of scientific manpower is now in progress, which for the first time includes an inquiry relating to the manpower engaged in medical research, including the National Health Service.With regard to the staff for which my noble Friend is responsible, the Medical Research Council on 1st January, 1962, employed 189 qualified medical doctors on full-time medical research (of whom nineteen were carrying out research on cancer, eleven were employed on research on heart disease and eight were employed on research on tuberculosis) and 2,221 other staff (500 were scientifically qualified, 235 were technical officers, 771 were technicians, 462 were administrative staff, and 253 on maintenance duties).The staff figures of M.R.C. by no means indicate the Council's total effort in medical research, since research is also undertaken in institutions receiving block grants from the Council (e.g. the Institute of Cancer Research), in the Council's Research Groups (whose staff are employed by the host institution on a reimbursement basis) and by indepen dent scientific workers who are in receipt of temporary research grants. In addition, research on cancer, heart diseases and tuberculosis is carried out by scientific staff who are not medically qualified; and some of the basic research supported by the Council, although it cannot be included in the three categories, may ultimately provide information which may be of great value in the study of these diseases.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, following his recent visit, he will make a statement on the future of the Federation of the West Indies.

I hope to make a statement on this matter shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what steps are being taken to recruit labour for Dominica and Montserrat, where it is scarce, from other West Indian islands, where there is unemployment.

I am seeking this information from the West Indian Governments concerned, who are responsible for labour matters, and I will write to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what political parties and organisations have been asked to send representatives to the conference on Zanzibar and the coastal strip of Kenya.

All parties in the Zanzibar Legislature will be represented at the Zanzibar Constitutional Conference.I am still in consultation with those concerned about representation at the Kenya Coastal Strip Conference.

asked the Minister of Works what investigation he has made into the effect on ancient buildings of the underground storage of gas in their vicinity.

I am informed that experience of such underground storage of gas as exists overseas, has shown that there is no adverse effect on buildings ancient or modern in the vicinity.

asked the Minister of Works how much the new carpeting of Parliament has cost; and what was the response of the women Members of Parliament to his proposal to recurtain their Terrace sitting room.

The new carpet on the floor of the House of Commons Chamber cost £780 and replaces the carpet laid in 1950. Other new carpeting provided within the Palace of Westminster during the Christmas Recess has cost £393. All these were necessary replacements of worn carpeting. Some 350,000 visitors each year go through the Chamber in addition to the normal wear and tear by Members and officials of the House.I am grateful to the women Members for their offer to postpone the recurtaining of their Terrace sitting room which I had proposed.

asked the Minister of Works whether he is satisfied with the accommodation and sanitary arrangements for the staff and the facilities and access for the general public at the offices of the Huddersfield 1st and 2nd District Her Majesty's Inspector of Taxes, Telephone Exchange, Southgate, Huddersfield; and if he will make a statement.

The accommodation and sanitary arrangements in this recently completed Crown building are to current standards. The facilities and access for the general public are reported to be fully adequate and clearly indicated.

asked the Minister of Transport what evidence there is of traffic accidents being caused by drivers' vision being restricted owing to the thickness of the pillars on either side of car windscreens.

There are no statistics available on the number of traffic accidents in which the thickness of windscreen pillars may have been a factor.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will hold an inquiry to hear the objections made to the intended construction of the spur road leading off the Darlington by-pass.

No. The spur is an essential part of the scheme for the urgently needed Darlington by-pass. The objectors had every opportunity to present their case fully and I have given it very careful consideration. As no new points emerged and as the objections could not be met without detracting seriously from the value of the whole scheme, I did not consider that I would be justified in delaying the construction of the by-pass by holding a public inquiry. I decided, therefore, to dispense with an inquiry and the Scheme was made on 22nd December, 1961. The objectors have been informed of the reasons for my decision.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will give the cost of the schemes completed or contemplated up to 1962–63, the contribution of his Department, and the number of schemes, with mileage for both unclassified and unadopted roads, in respect of each of the counties in Wales including Monmouthshire under the Agriculture (Improvement of Roads) Act, 1955.

The closing date for the approval of schemes under the Agriculture (Improvement of Roads) Act, 1955, is 20th December, 1962. I cannot give the information asked for up to that date, but the position at 31st December, 1961, is set out in the following table:

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will indicate the number of schemes, with mileage of both unclassified and unadopted roads, submitted by each of the counties in Wales, including Monmouthshire, which have been rejected to

County				Unclassified Roads		Unadopted Roads
				Number of Schemes Rejected	Mileage of Schemes Rejected	Number of Schemes Rejected	Mileage of Schemes Rejected
Caernarvon		…	…	2	1·84	—	—
Cardigan	…	…	…	1	1·68	—	—
Denbigh	…	…	…	—	—	1	0·60
Flint	…	…	…	—	—	1	0·75
TOTALS		…	…	3	3·52	2	1·35

NOTE: The above table relates to rejections of formal applications only. Unacceptable proposals are normally eliminated in the course of preliminary local discussions.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will indicate the number of schemes, with mileage, the Forestry Commission have submitted in Wales under the Agriculture (Improvement of Roads) Act, 1955; and how many have been rejected, together with the estimated cost.

No schemes have been submitted by the Forestry Commission. The initiative for submitting schemes under the Act lies with the highway authorities.

asked the Minister of Aviation, in view of the fact that, in the six British Viscount airliners ordered by China, radio and navigation equipment made in the United Kingdom by a subsidiary of a United States firm is to be included, what investigations were made into the United States objections to this equipment being included.

I would refer the hon. Member to the Answer given to Questions on this subject yesterday.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that the average stay of patients treated in hospitals in

Particulars of the schemes rejected in Wales and Monmouthshire up to 31st December, 1961, are given in the following table:Wales in 1960 was higher than in any other region; what was the turnover in 1960 per available bed in Wales in ear, nose and throat, plastic surgery, general surgery, gyna5cology and ophthalmology departments; what was the national average turnover in each of these departments; and whether he will conduct an inquiry into the administration of these departments in hospitals in Wales.

The Answer to the first and last parts of the Question is "No". The other information asked for is as follows:

DISCHARGES AND DEATHS IN 1960 DIVIDED BY AVERAGE AVAILABLE BEDS (INCLUDING TEACHING HOSPITALS)
—	England and Wales	Wales
Ear, nose and throat	44·74	30·11
Plastic surgery	19·44	11·72
General surgery	25·71	22·46
Gynaecology	33·44	31·49
Ophthalmology	22·60	19·35

asked the Minister of Health what is the present waiting list for general surgery beds in the Newport and East Monmouthshire area; how many beds should be available on the basis of the national rate; how many will be available on the completion of phase II of the Royal Gwent Hospital; and, in the view of the waiting list and the industrial character of the area, if he will advance the date of the final phase of the Royal Gwent Hospital reconstruction.

1,966; comparison of ratios of beds to population is not valid except in relation to larger areas; approximately 220; as regards the last part of the Question I would refer the hon. Member to paragraphs 49 and 52 of Command Paper 1604.

asked the Minister of Health how many meetings of the Birmingham Regional Hospital Board were held in the last three years; how many were attended by Sir Edward Thompson; and why he has been reappointed to serve upon the Board.

22; 15; because I considered him a fit person.

asked the Minister of Health what staff is employed at Oakwell Hospital, Birstall, Yorkshire, where smallpox cases are being treated; whether all the staff are volunteers for this work; and whether any additional salary is being paid to compensate for their being strictly confined to hospital.

31 medical, nursing and ancillary staff are employed at present; all are volunteers; the nursing and ancillary staff receive additional pay during their period of isolation.

asked the Minister of Health what information he has, through the World Health Organisation, of countries with health regulations that require all persons entering them to have a certificate of vaccination; and if he will consider introducing a similar regulation for this country.

I would refer the hon. Member to my replies on this subject on 23rd January. I am sending him a copy of the World Health Organisation's latest Report on Vaccination Certificate Requirements for International Travel.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what was the total number of houses built for the reception of overspill from the West Midlands and Merseyside conurbations, respectively, in each of the last five years.

The figures are as follows.

Year	Merseyside	West Midlands
1957	—	761
1958	—	669
1959	116	677
1960	149	829
1961 (January to September)	53	269

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs (1) how many additional architects have been appointed by local authorities since he expressed his concern about the standard of design in local authority building on 22nd November, 1960;(2) if he will list the additions of technical staff to each of the local authorities whose slum clearance figures indicated a substantial long-term programme and whose resources he considered otherwise adequate on 22nd November, 1960.

I do not have this information, since responsibility for recruitment of staff rests entirely with the local authorities. I know, however, that the local authority associations are concerned about the problem of staff shortages and are taking steps to try and find a solution to it.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he will list the local authorities who completed their slum clearance programme between 22nd November, 1960, and 31st December, 1961.

No local authorities have informed me of the completion of their slum clearance programmes during that period.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in view of Great Britain's application for entry into the Common Market, what information he has on the rates of duty and tax on hydrocarbon oils in the several member countries; and how they compare with rates prevailing in the United Kingdom.

Differences in the structure of the various duties and taxes levied on hydrocarbon oils in the Common Market countries make precise comparison with United Kingdom rates of duty impossible. Bearing in mind these differences, the relative burden on two typical hydrocarbon oils is estimated very approximately as follows:

Country	Approximate total duty and tax burden per gallon
	Motor Spirit		Heavy Fuel Oil
	s.	d.	d.
United Kingdom	2	9*	2·2*
Belgium	3	6	2·2
France	4	11	0·9
Federal Republic of Germany	2	8	2·6
Italy	3	9	1·7
Luxembourg	2	7	0·8
Netherlands	2	5	1·1
* Inclusive of the 10 per cent. revenue surcharge.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what proposals he has to relieve the holders of 31 per cent. war stock and save them from the present depreciation and possibility of total loss; and, in particular, what consideration he has given to an early redemption of the issue at par;(2) if he will state the total amount of 31 per cent. War Loan now held, and the number of investors concerned.

The total nominal amount outstanding is £1,909 million. The total number of accounts held on all registers is approximately 1¼ million.

asked the Lord Privy Seal on what date, where, and by what method Her Majesty's Government first informed the Portuguese Government of Great Britain's intention to regard herself as not bound by her treaty obligations to defend Portuguese overseas territories against military attack by the Republic of India, on the ground that India is a member of the British Commonwealth.

The Portuguese Government were never informed by Her Majesty's Government that they did not regard themselves as bound by their treaty obligations. During the Goa crisis of 1954, however, the then Portuguese Ambassador had a number of discussions with Ministers at the Foreign Office. On 8th July, 1954, my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer, then Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, informed the Ambassador that any public invocation of the Alliance might compel Her Majesty's Government to state what they considered to be the limits of their obligation. He added that he doubted very much whether the United Kingdom would go to war to defend Portuguese possessions in India from attack by India. On 6th August, 1954, my right hon. and learned Friend told the Ambassador that we would certainly give Portugal any support we could and undertook to make representations to the Indian Government, but, he told the Ambassador, the prospect of military operations by the United Kingdom was out of the question.

asked the Lord Privy Seal why Parliament was not informed of the decision of Her Majesty's Government to regard itself as not bound by British treaty obligations to Portugal in the event of an Indian attack on Goa.

No such decision was taken and no question of informing Parliament ever arose.