asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which counties have now dispensed with sheep dipping regulations for the 1962 season in accordance with the recommendation of his Department's Animal Health Division.

Of the 43 counties operating sheep dipping regulations in August, 1961, the following 21 counties have revoked or are revoking their regulations:—

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the number of registered producers of milk on 31st March, 1961, and 31st December, 1961, respectively.

The Ministry registers dairy farmers and dairy farms in England and Wales, under the Milk and Dairies (General) Regulations, 1959. On 31st March, 1961, the number of registrations was 124,194 and on 31st December, 1961, it was 120,689. But a dairy farmer is separately registered for every dairy farm on which he is producing milk for human consumption, and his name may therefore appear in the register more than once.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance (1) how many full-time students over the age of 18 were voluntarily paying Class 3 contributions at the most recent convenient date; how many hold students' contribution cards but opt to make no contribution; and if he will give separate figures in respect of Scottish offices of his Department;(2) if he will give an estimate of the number of former full-time students and approved trainees, at the most convenient recent date, which have completed their training for six years or more and who have failed to repay national insurance contributions in respect of their period of study;(3) if he will give an estimate of the percentage of full-time students and approved trainees, who elect to repay contributions during the statutory six years following the end of the period of full-time education or training.

I regret that no such statistics are available and, as the contribution records of insured persons who are or were students are not held separately from those of their 24 million fellows, could not be obtained without disproportionate expenditure.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what was the total amount of interest charges paid by local authorities in each of the six yearns 1945–46 to 1950–51.

The total amount of interest charges paid by local authorities in England and Wales for the years in question was:

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether he has yet appointed the town clerks who are to hold the conferences on his behalf on the pattern of the new London boroughs.

The town clerks of Cheltenham, Oxford, Plymouth and South Shields have agreed to conduct these conferences and my right hon. Friend has every hope that their councils will release them. He is most grateful to them for their willingness to undertake this important task. They will make recommendations to him about the way boroughs should be grouped within a boundary for Greater London which my right hon. Friend will settle after conducting separate discussions with authorities for peripheral areas.

asked the Secretary of State for War how many National Service men at present serving with the British Army of the Rhine, will be required to serve a further six months; and how many of these have already been informed of their extended liability.

I expect to have to retain about 6,000 National Service men in B.A.O.R. from those who would be due for release by the end of September: I cannot yet announce plans for later release groups. Of these, 3,628 have so far been warned, and the rest will be notified by the end of March.

asked the Secretary of State for War what is the average period of notice given to National Service men of the decision to keep them in the forces for a further six months.

No one should receive less than eight weeks' notice of retention, and the longest possible notice will always be given. This will in some cases be up to five months. I regret that I cannot estimate an average figure.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland Whether a decision has yet been reached on the payment of hill sheep subsidy for the current year.

I shall lay before the House shortly a Statutory Instrument authorising the payment of hill sheep subsidy at the rate of 6s. per breeding ewe which will be calculated on the number of eligible sheep in the flock at 4th December, 1961. My right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food is taking parallel action for England and Wales and for Northern Ireland in which countries 6s. will be the standard rate.

asked the Minister of Transport how many accidents there have been in each of the past three years involving pedestrians at the junction of Coventry Street with Haymarket; and how many there have been since the erection of protective barriers on an experimental basis.

The protective barriers were erected on 26th November, 1961. The figures for the junction, including the area covered by the barriers and the two new signalled crossing places in Coventry Street and Haymarket, which are part of the same scheme, are as follows:—

asked the Minister of Education which training colleges for teachers normally admit only those applicants who give the college as their first choice.

So far as I am aware no college follows this practice as a matter of policy and I understand from the Central Register and Clearing House that on 20th January 42 colleges had filled their places for 1962–63 with students who had named them as one of the three choices which candidates are asked to give in their first application.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies (1) how many Colonies have not yet instituted compulsory education; and if he will list them;(2) if he will list the Colonies with compulsory education, giving length of the period of compulsory education in each territory.

pursuant to the replies by Mr. Fraser on the 7th December, 1961, to Mr. Boyden [Vol. 650, c. 1510–11 and c. 186] supplied the following information:Bermuda and the Virgin Islands should be deleted from the list of Colonies which have not yet instituted compulsory education and added to the list of territories having compulsory education. Education is compulsory in Bermuda for children between the ages of 7 and 13 and in the Virgin Islands in compulsory school attendance areas for children between the ages of 5 and 15.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what action he is taking to enable British Guiana to achieve independence; and if he is now able to announce the decision of Her Majesty's Government.

My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary visited British Guiana in mid-March and reached agreement with the Governor and the leaders of the three political parties, on the need for preliminary discussions in British Guiana of constitutional problems and safeguards. I am awaiting the outcome of these discussions.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he has now received the report of the conference of the eight West Indian island Governments on a possible federation of their territories; and if he will make a statement.

I received a report of the proceedings of this conference on March 16th, and it is now being studied. I am unable for the present to make any further statement.