asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what estimate he has made of the financial loss arising from the non-payment of National Insurance contributions by men who, although under the age of 65 and retired, register as unemployed in order to avoid such payments.

Men who have retired from work are not able to register as unemployed, since availability for work and willingness to take suitable work when offered are conditions precedent to such registration. I am not, therefore, in a position to give my hon. Friend any figures since these would depend upon a speculation as to the motives for which individual men in this age group register as unemployed.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if he will itemise the additional administrative costs to his Department of collecting the National Health Service contributions.

It is not possible to isolate the additional administrative costs of collecting the National Health Service contributions, but they are very small.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what estimate he has made of the extra expenditure to be incurred in 1962–63 by the National Assistance Board as a result of the increased cost of welfare foods.

The National Assistance Board does not, of course, make payments in respect of welfare foods; it issues, in appropriate cases, tokens enabling the recipient to get a free supply. There is therefore no cost to the Board apart from the administrative costs of operating these arrangements, which as I told the hon. Member on 19th February last were estimated at £74,000 a year. These costs are expected in 1962–63 to be at the same level.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance, to what extent his estimate for the expenditure of the National Assistance Board for 1962–63 has taken account of projected increases in rents and rates.

Fully.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what was the average weekly supplement paid by the National Assistance Board to single retirement pensioners over the latest convenient period; and how long it would take a contributor, male and female, respectively, with £15 a week to aggregate that sum under the graduated pensions scheme.

The answer to the first part of the Question is 18s. 11d. at the end of 1961. For rates of pension under the graduated scheme I would refer the hon. Member to the White Paper (Cmnd. 538) which I presented to Parliament in October. 1958.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what would need to be added to the present National Assistance scale rate in respect of a husband and wife to regain the value that the sum had on the date of the announcement of the last increase.

On the basis of the Retail Prices Index. 4s. 7d

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance how many pensioners in Edinburgh at the latest available date were in receipt of a weekly supplement from the National Assistance Board; and how this figure compares with pensioners in receipt of supplement in the week after the last increase in pensions.

In the area covered by the National Assistance Board's offices which serve the City of Edinburgh, and also some places outside it, the number of National Assistance supplements to retirement pension at the end of March, 1962, was 8,160. A figure is not available for the week after the increase in pension rates in April, 1961, but at the end of June. 1961, it was 7,993.

asked the Minister of Power what estimate he has made of the effect which increased steel prices will have upon the national economy, and in particular on the export trade; and whether he will now take steps to control the price of steel.

The Iron and Steel Board estimates that the recent permitted increases in maximum steel prices add less than one-sixth of 1 per cent. to the cost of goods containing steel supplied to the home market. The export prices of such goods are affected by other factors besides the price of British steel, and it is impossible to estimate the effect of this slight increase in their costs upon the export trade. The prices of the principal steel products are already controlled by the Iron and Steel Board.

asked the Minister of Power whether he will make a statement about the power cut in London on Monday 26th March, 1962.

At 9.22 a.m. on Monday the 26th March there was a flashover to earth on a 132 kilovolt switch at Brunswick Wharf power station. Supplies to 84,600 consumers in the London area were interrupted. Most supplies were restored by 10.05 a.m.; 400 consumers in St. Marylebone were cut off until 10.15 a.m.

asked the Minister of Power what proportion of the global sum of compensation for colliery assets is represented by the capital value of units which have ceased production since 1st May, 1947.

For the reason my right hon. Friend gave in answering the hon. Member's Question on 12th March, the capital value of pits which have been closed is not known. Compensation units generally consisted of more than one pit together with associated assets. No record is available of entire units which have ceased production.

asked the Minister of Power how many men to be displaced by the closure of Westoun pit, Coalburn, are to be offered alternative employment within the industry.

The Board will do all it can to help the men affected by the closure, but it cannot offer many of them work in the Coalburn district. The Board hopes those who can will transfer to collieries in the Midlands and Yorkshire where men are urgently needed.

asked the Minister of Health how many beds in hospitals in England and Wales are at present not occupied owing to shortage of staff.

Beds returned as "unused for lack of staff" totalled 9,849 at 30th September, 1961; but this total includes wards closed for other reasons and not intended to be brought into use again. I am considering how the returns can be improved.

asked the Minister of Health (1) what was the total number of qualified full-time female nurses in mental hospitals at the latest available date; and what was the total number in 1955.(2) what was the total number of qualified full-time male nurses in mental hospitals at the latest available date; and what was the total number in 1955.

9,195 male and 5,755 female on 30th September, 1961, against 9,371 and 4,954, respectively in December, 1955. The figures are for all psychiatric hospitals in England and Wales.

asked the Minister of Health if, after the ending of the pay pause on 1st April, he will give fresh guidance to the management side of the Whitley Council to enable it to reconsider on a new basis the wage claims of the nursing profession.

The management side has been asked to have regard to the terms of Command Paper 1626.

asked the Minister of Health if he will state the number of qualified nurses in the hospitals of this country for the years 1955 to 1961 inclusive.

Following are the figures:

asked the Minister of Health what are the shortages of nursing staff at each of the Nottingham hospitals.

asked the Minister of Health (1) if he will give the waiting lists of the Pontefract General Infirmary and the Normanton and Castleford

Following are the additional numbers (whole-time equivalent) of nursing and midwifery staff, trained and untrained, which the hospital authorities wish to recruit.

asked the Minister of Health what is the establishment of physiotherapists in each grade at each of the Nottingham hospitals, at the Orthopaedic Clinic, Park Row, Nottingham, and at the Harlow Wood Orthopaedic Hospital; and what are the present shortages in each grade at these hospitals and clinics.

Following are the numbers (whole-time equivalent) at which the hospital authorities are aiming (I) and which are in post (II).Hospital specifying the number for each type of operation and the average waiting time;(2) what steps he is taking to assist the Pontefract and Castleford Hospital Management Committee to overcome the problem of staff shortages in its area, particularly for geriatric treatment.

I am writing to the hon. Member.

asked the Minister of Health what are the shortages of trained midwives and pupils in the Nottingham hospitals; how long vacancies have been outstanding; and how many maternity beds were closed during 1961 because of the shortage of midwives.

The hospital authorities aim to recruit a further 42 trained midwives and 8 pupils. It is not possible to state how long vacancies have been outstanding. Available staffed beds were reduced by 25 in 1961.

asked the Minister of Health if he will now institute a statistical survey of the emigration of British doctors overseas in recent years, and an inquiry into the main causes of such emigration should the numbers warrant it.

No, but methods of estimating the scale of net emigration are under consideration.

asked the Minister of Health how many general practitioners are in practice in this country; and what is the highest, lowest and average number of patients allocated to each.

In the National Health Service 22,259, including assistants. The maximum permitted list for a single-handed principal is 3,500: there is no minimum: the average per principal is 2,292. I have no information about doctors wholly in private practice.

asked the Minister of Health what statistics are available or can be made available showing the incidence of lung cancer in patients suffering from violent bronchitis of various types; and what effect heavy smoking has on this latter complaint.

I regret that no statistics are available relating to the first part of the Question. On the relation of smoking to bronchitis generally I would refer my hon. Friend to the recent Report of the Royal College of Physicians on Smoking and Health.

asked the Minister of Health how soon he expects to publish further details of the population census of 1961.

In about three months.

asked the Minister of Labour, in view of the decision of Scottish Oils Limited to close the shale mines in the Lothians, what steps he proposes to take to ensure that alternative employment will be made available for the workers at present employed in that industry.

Our local officers will do all they can to find alternative employment for those who seek it. There are over 6,000 jobs in prospect in the area.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the cost of producing and destroying the 2,000,000 pints of milk; and if he will take steps to process any surplus and distribute it among under-nourished people of other countries.

No skim milk has been wasted this year. The cost of producing skim milk cannot be easily assessed, because it is a by-product of butter and cream manufacture. As regards the second part of the Question, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 5th April.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish the figures for 1960–61 comparable to those produced at Table V in the Report by the National Resources (Technical) Committee entitled "Scale of Enterprise in Farming."

The figures in this table of the Report were derived from the "two-year identical samples" of the Farm Management Survey. The figures from the Farm Management Survey for the two-year identical sample for 1959–60 and 1960–61 are as follows:

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to promote British potato production in the future to a standard necessary to meet the needs of the home market.

The weather, among other factors, can bear upon both the acreage planted and the yield of potatoes. While the 1960 crop produced a surplus, last year planting conditions in some areas were difficult, and the acreage fell. It is the Government's objective to secure, through the influence of the guarantee, an acreage sufficient to meet the needs of the home market at reasonable prices. I hope that a Market Support Fund will be established to supplement the guarantee arrangements in years of heavy surplus and give even greater confidence to producers.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will state the approximate number of tons of potatoes he will allow to be imported into this country in order to overcome the potato shortage.

Since 15th March imports of main crop potatoes have been allowed in freely from countries that can satisfy our plant health requirements. These arrangements will continue so long as there is a shortage.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he has made of what would be the price of milk for manufacturing purposes, if the proportion of the total manufacturing market for British farmers remained the same as in 1950.

Any estimate must be largely conjectural. If today we produced no more milk for manufacture than in 1950 the average price might work out at about 1s. 9d. per gallon as against the present figure of 1s. 5d.The increasing amount of milk entering the manufacturing market and used for butter making has tended to depress the average price.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what reports he considered on the mental history of James Hanratty, hanged on 4th April for murder, before deciding not to recommend the exercise of the royal prerogative of mercy in this case;and if he will publish in HANSARD a summary of these reports.

I had before me full particulars of Hanratty's previous medical history, and I also received a report from three experienced doctors whom I appointed to inquire into his mental condition after his conviction and to whom all the relevant material in my possession was made available. I am not prepared to publish a summary and this follows the usual practice. But I can say that, after full consideration, I was satisfied that I should not be justified in recommending the exercise of the royal prerogative on any grounds arising from Hanratty's mental condition.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many experiments were carried out on animals during the last twelve months; how many of these were without anaesthetic; how many of those animals that were anaesthetised were destroyed before regaining consciousness; and whether in every instance a licence was held by the experimenter.

The latest figures available are those for 1960, which were given in the Annual Return to Parliament of Experiments under the Cruelty to Animals Act, 1876 made on 4th August, 1961. I am sending my hon. Friend a copy.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state the total actual yield from tobacco taxes in the last financial year, and the amount by which it would be necessary to increase the standard rate of Income Tax to produce a similar amount of revenue.

About £870 million. The required increase in the standard rate of Income Tax would be 2s. 5d., with consequential pro rata increases in the reduced rates.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will show, separately, the percentage increase in income which has been granted in the public and private sectors of employment, respectively, in the United Kingdom since 1st January, 1961, to the nearest convenient date.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will make a further statement about the rates of interest charged to local authorities borrowing from the Public Works Loan Board.

A Treasury Minute made on 5th April, 1962, provides that loans advanced to local authorities by the Public Works Loan Board on and after 7th April, 1962, until further notice, shall carry the following rates of interest:

asked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science if he will cause an inquiry to be held into the incidence of cancer among men using diesel oil.

The Medical Research Council carries out a wide programme of research into cancer in which various employment risks are taken into account. A separate inquiry into the subject as suggested by the hon.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will state the number of non-proven verdicts given by Scottish criminal courts in each of the last five years.

I am having this information extracted, and when it is available I shall circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

asked the Lord Advocate if he is aware of the hardship caused to many purchasers of goods on hire purchase by the demands made by hire-purchase companies of sums greatly in excess of the original price of the goods concerned; and if he will introduce legislation limiting the amounts that may be so demanded.

No. Any complaints which I have received in this field have been, almost without exception, in regard to credit-sales and not to hire-purchase. Additional protection was given to purchasers and guarantors under credit-sale agreements by the Credit-Sale Agreements (Scotland) Act, 1961.In any event it would, I am sure, be unwise to consider legislation on a matter such as this before the Molony Committee has reported and there has been an opportunity to study its recommendations.

asked the Minister of Aviation what steps he is taking to increase the freight shed capacity of London Airport.

The first 60,000 square feet of a new freight building in the central area at Heathrow as recommended by the Millbourn Committee has been completed and will be brought into use shortly. The contract for the next stage providing a further 30,000 square feet of warehouse space and 35,000 square feet of offices will be placed later this year. It is now clear that substantially more space will be needed than can be provided in the central area. In conjunction with the airlines and freight agents, the Ministry of Aviation is examining the practicability of an alternative site on the airport that could handle the bulk of freight traffic, and provide adjacent stands for freighter aircraft.

asked the Minister of Aviation what arrangements he now intends to make for the operational licensing of hovercraft.

Hovercraft operations, which are still in the development stage, are being authorised by permits to fly under the Air Navigation Order. My right hon. Friend proposes to exempt them from the requirement for an air service licence under the Civil Aviation (Licensing) Act, 1960.

asked the Minister of Aviation what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government with regard to negotiating traffic routes from the United Kingdom to East Germany.

We are not prepared to enter into negotiations that would involve the East German authorities, Whom Her Majesty's Government do not recognise.

asked the Minister of Defence if he will give details of the acreage of all land in the United Kingdom occupied by Service Departments, other than airfields, barracks, and harbours, in which the units are over 50 acres in size; and if he will state their locality and primary use.

As the Answer would be lengthy and contain much detail, I will write to the hon. Member when the material is ready.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will state the number of drivers and passengers of motor vehicles killed and injured per million vehicle miles on M.1, M.10 and M.45, and the

The following are the figures: