asked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science what commercial benefit he expects British industry to derive from Britain's participation in space research.

:British industry will continue to benefit from work carried out under contracts for the development and construction of experimental equipment for use in scientific space research and also for the development and construction of satellite launchers. The technological benefits to be derived from this work will strengthen the competitive power of British industry, particularly in electronics and the technology of new materials.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science whether the signing of the European Space Research Organisation Treaty has now taken place; and if he will make a statement.

:It is proposed to hold an intergovernmental conference in the middle of June, at which the Convention and its associated Protocols will be open for signature.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science what steps he is taking to overcome the shortage of research workers, teachers and field workers in the social sciences.

The training of workers in these categories is a matter for the institutions of higher education. Any question regarding the range of courses or number of places provided in such institutions is, of course, not for my noble Friend.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science to what extent the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research is being strengthened on a regional basis by the recruitment of officers to improve communications between science and management.

Both branch offices of the Department in Edinburgh and Cardiff have been strengthened recently and six regional technical information centres are now in operation in Newcastle, Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol and Portsmouth. A seventh centre in Leeds is in the process of being set up.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science what has been the total amount of public money spent each year since 1950 on research into the causes of leukaemia and its cure.

:Studies on leukaemia are being carried out by the Medical Research Council as part of its programme of cancer research but it is not possible to estimate expenditure on leukaemia research separately.Annual expenditure from public funds by the Medical Research Council on cancer research has increased since 1950 from about £157,000 to about £783,000.The approximate annual figures are as follows:

asked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science if he is yet in a position to make a statement on the creation of a Social Sciences Research Council.

:I cannot at present add to my reply to the hon. Member for Edmonton (Mr. Albu) on 21st May.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if, in view of increased supplies of home-produced meat, he has estimated the price benefits which will be passed on to the consumer.

:No. No such estimate is possible.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will take steps, by price control or otherwise, to control the retail price of meat.

No. There is no justification for such action at the present time. The butchers recognise that the public expect to see variations in the wholesale price reflected at the retail level and their Federation has stated that retail prices will be adjusted realistically and fairly in relation to butchers' costs.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action he proposes to take on the recommendations for the improvements to the Grimsby Fish Dock made to him by the Port Health Inspector and unanimously endorsed by the Port Health Committee; and if he will make a statement.

The recommendations made by the Port Health Inspector in a Memorandum presented to the team of investigation when it visited Grimsby are now being studied by the team, together with other memoranda and with the results of the discussions held on the spot. I cannot therefore make a statement at the moment.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the extent to which international obligations will affect the future policy of the Herring Industry Board and the White Fish Authority in making grants and loans available for fishing vessels to be built in foreign ports.

Grants are given by the White Fish Authority and the Herring Industry Board in accordance with statutory schemes, and loans in accordance with administrative arrangements approved by the Fisheries Ministers and the Treasury. These take full account of our international obligations and as my hon. Friend knows that is one of the reasons why grants and loans are now to be made available for foreign built fishing vessels and engines.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what consultations he had with organisations representing fishing interests before arriving at his decision that fishing vessels built abroad will rank for grant and loans.

From the point of view of the fishing industry, these new arrangements will extend the number of yards from which vessels can be ordered, aided by grant and loan. This can only be of benefit to the industry, and consultations were not necessary.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will now make a statement on the future of the hill cow and hill sheep subsidies after 1963.

The present powers expire in November, 1963, but it is the Government's intention to seek powers for a further four years from that date to continue to pay subsidy on hill sheep and hill cows. I hope to make a further statement in the autumn.The Government are giving wider consideration to future assistance to hill and upland areas, taking into account suggestions already made by the farmers' and landowners' organisations.

asked the Minister of Aviation what proportion, in terms of value, of the work on the supersonic airliner which is to be manufactured jointly by France and the United Kingdom, will he carried out in this country.

Discussions with the French Government about possible collaboration on this project have been on the basis of a fifty-fifty sharing in the work, measured in terms of the expenditure incurred in each country.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance whether he is aware that during the past twelve months purchasing value of the £ sterling has depreciated to the extent of 1s. 1d.; and whether he will therefore take the necessary action to increase old-age and war disability pensions by a minimum of 5 per cent.

The present rates of retirement and war disability pensions continue to be worth substantially more in real terms than those which they replaced last year.

asked the Minister of Power what action he has taken during the last two years in the North Staffordshire area, and what action he will take in the future, to secure a decrease in the number of persons contracting pneumoconiosis.

The manager of every mine is required by law to ensure that the production of dust is reduced to a minimum, and Her Majesty's Inspectors of Mines take steps to ensure that everything possible is done to achieve this. Research into the causes of pneumoconiosis continues.

asked the Minister of Power what information he has received from the National Coal Board about the estimated reduction in the number of jobs available in the coal mining industry in the next five years; and what formal machinery of consultation exists between his Department, the Board of Trade, and the Scottish Office, to ensure that alternative means of employment are provided in proportion as the mining industry is contracted.

The National Coal Board's prospects for the next five years, including its manpower requirements, are now being examined in the context of the White Paper on the Financial and Economic Obligations of the Nationalised Industries The responsible Departments are kept fully informed about plans for colliery closures and my Department will be consulting them as soon as the present review is completed.

asked the Minister of Health why the proposed new arrangements for the Rural Practices Fund will not be operated until 1st April, 1963.

asked the Minister of Health, in view of the time and money involved by rural practitioners in travelling to insured patients over and above that incurred by urban practitioners, when he proposes to introduce the Rural Practitioners Payments Scheme as recommended by the Mileage Report; on what basis it will be operated; whether a long period must elapse between introduction and enforcement in view of the complicated issues involved; and whether he will introduce it immediately so as to reduce the delay.

The new scheme has not been finally agreed with the profession and others concerned.

asked the Minister of Health what reply he has sent to the communication from the hon. Member for West Ham, North, about the provision of medical facilities in rural areas.

I have thanked him for sending me an extract from the East Anglian Daily Times of 17th April.

asked the Minister of Health if he is satisfied that adequate medical facilities exist in all rural areas to enable patients to take full advantage, to the extent necessary, of medical treatment under the National Health Service; and if he will make a statement.

Yes.

asked the Minister of Health why it is taking over two years for the British census results to be published; and if he will speed up the work.

:No. Publication is to be completed much earlier than last time.

asked the Minister of Health if he will extend the rules to allow wives of patients at the Lyme Green Settlement for Paraplegics to drive Ministry of Health motor cars.

:The rules already allow this if the wife is an approved driver and the journey is for the patient's own benefit.

asked the Minister of Health when the review of the salary structure of the nursing and midwifery profession will commence; if it is his intention to set up a special committee for this purpose and how the review will be conducted.

The management side of the Whitley Council proposed a review undertaken jointly by the two sides. This can begin as soon as the staff side agrees.

asked the Minister of Health what progress has been made by the Whitley Council in their review of the pay structure of nurses, male and female.

The staff side has not yet accepted the management side's invitation to join in discussions.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that nursing staff outside the National Health Service have been granted a 7½ per cent. increase in pay; and whether he will recommend a similar increase for all nursing staffs.

:I have nothing to add to what I said in the debate on 14th May.

asked the Minister of Labour by what percentage the total number of unemployed, giving separate figures for those over and under 18, changed between April, 1961, and April, 1962.

The percentage rate of unemployment rose from 1·5 to 2 and the total number unemployed increased by 29 per cent. The increase was 30·6 per cent. among persons over 18 and 4·4 per cent. among those under that age.

asked the Minister of Labour how many persons were registered as unemployed in Lanarkshire, Coatbridge and Aidrie, respectively, in April, 1961 and 1962.

7,468 and 10,863, respectively in Lanarkshire, excluding the City of Glasgow; 1,070 and 1,758 at Coat-bridge and 738 and 1,139 at Airdrie.

asked the Minister of Labour what estimate he has made of the effect on the future pattern of employment in Fife of Her Majesty's Government's proposals to give financial assistance for certain forms of shipbuilding carried out in foreign yards.

I expect these proposals to have little effect on employment in Fife.

asked the Minister of Labour how many jobs were lost in Scotland in the first quarter of 1962; what is the estimated loss for the last three quarters of 1962; and how many extra jobs are currently expected to be provided.

I estimate that nearly 5,000 workers were discharged as redundant in Scotland in the first quarter of 1962; these figures are subject to the same reservations as those which I gave the hon. Member on 21st May. I cannot make any forecast for the remainder of the year. There are currently about 37,000 jobs in prospect for Scotland.

asked the Minister of Education what plans he has to establish a council for educational research.

I do not think that at present the establishment of a council for educational research would be justified.

asked the Minister of Education what were the numbers of entrants to maintained and direct grant grammar schools for the years 1958, 1959, 1960, and 1961; and what is the estimated figure for 1962.

I estimate that the numbers of entrants to maintained and direct-grant grammar schools were about 147,000 in 1958. 142,000 in 1959, and 139,000 in 1960. These figures represent an increasing proportion of a declining age-group. The figures are not yet available from which an estimate for 1961 could be made, and any projection would be unreliable because it would have to depend on assumptions about the policies to be adopted by local education authorities as to admissions to grammar schools at a time when the relevant age-groups continued to decline.

asked the Minister of Education what were the numbers of entrants to comprehensive schools for the years 1958, 1959, 1960, and 1961; and what is the estimated figure for 1962.

I estimate that the numbers of entrants to comprehensive schools were about 42,000 in 1958, 39,000 in 1959, and 36,000 in 1960. These include large numbers of pupils continuing to attend schools which became classified as comprehensive schools in each of these years or transferring to new comprehensive schools from other secondary schools. Excluding these pupils, I estimate that the numbers were about 30,000, 31,000 and 31,000 respectively. A corresponding estimate for 1961 is not yet available. I cannot make a reliable forward estimate for 1962.

asked the Minister of Education if he will state his reasons for reducing the values of the school building projects submitted for the school building programmes for 1963–64, by the education authorities of the counties of Durham, Cumberland and Northumberland.

I approved the most urgently needed projects put forward by these authorities giving in each case a fair share of the total available for new starts in 1963–64 having regard to present priorities. The Durham Authority has submitted further information about some of its proposals as a result of which I shall be increasing its programme.

asked the Minister of Education how many students in each year since their establishment have taken courses of a university standard in each of the colleges of advanced technology.

The following table shows the number of students who have been enrolled in advanced courses in the colleges of advanced technology in each year since their designation. A proportion of the "other advanced" courses are not of university honours degree standard but all have an entry level corresponding to G.C.E. A level or the equivalent.

asked the Minister of Education (1) what is the normal salary scale for a school clerk in a secondary modern school; and what relationship the proposed technician or auxiliary grades' scale of pay will have to that of the clerk;(2) what is the normal scale of pay for full-time laboratory assistants in secondary schools.

I understand that there is no standard salary scale for school clerks or laboratory assistants whose pay is settled by individual employing authorities having regard to the scales agreed in the National Joint Council for Local Authorities. Scales of pay for auxiliaries would be a matter for settlement between the parties in the normal way.

asked the Minister of Education (1) how many secondary modern schools are without full-time school clerks; how many have part-time clerks; and how many are without any clerical assistance;(2) how many grammar schools, secondary technical, secondary modern and comprehensive schools, respectively, employ full-time laboratory assistants how many of these schools employ part-time assistants not attending the schools as pupils; and how many of these schools have no laboratory assistants.

My Department has not felt justified in the past in asking the schools and local education authorities to supply detailed statistical returns on these matters.

asked the Minister of Education how many candidates, graded as acceptable and borderline, respectively, have applied for training college places for September, 1962; and how many places are available.

In the middle of May there were 2,400 candidates graded as acceptable and 1,800 as borderline. These figures apply to candidates who have not yet been offered places in training colleges and exclude those already accepted without the need for grading, those who have already with- drawn their applications, those who have been graded in categories lower than borderline, and those who have not yet been graded. My latest information is that the total of training college places available next autumn is likely to be about 15,850, and I hope that more places will be offered as a result of my recent appeal to colleges.

asked the Minister of Education (1) how many training college applicants, graded by the Clearing House as acceptable, were unable to gain admission to a college by the autumn of 1961; and how many, other than students accepted by a university, withdrew their applications before 31st August, 1961;(2) how many training college applicants graded by the Clearing House as borderline were unable to gain admission to a college by the autumn of 1961; and how many withdrew their applications before 31st August, 1961.

:517 acceptable and 1,397 borderline candidates did not obtain places in 1961–62. A further 1,569 acceptable candidates (other than a number admitted to universities) and 951 borderline candidates withdrew their applications at some stage before the start of the session.

asked the Minister of Education how many men and women training college candidates graded by the Clearing House as borderline in 1960 gained admission to a training college in the autumn of 1961; and what percentage these candidates form of 1960 borderline applicants who received their applications in 1961.

182 men and 97 women who were graded as borderline for 1960–61 applied again for 1961–62. 133 (73 per cent.) of the men and 69 (71 per cent.) of the women obtained places.

asked the Minister of Education (1) how many students applied for day places in training colleges for the years 1957–58, 1958–59, 1959–60, and 1960–61; and how many were accepted;(2) how many students have applied for day places in training colleges for the autumn of 1962; and how many so far have been accepted.

:It is not possible to answer the first part of either Question since candidates for the mainly residential colleges do not necessarily say on their application forms that they wish to be considered for day places. About 3,000 day students were admitted to courses of all types in the general, housecraft and physical education colleges in 1960–61, 1,950 in 1959–60, 1,450 in 1958–59 and 1,350 in 1957–58. I cannot say how many have been accepted so far for 1962–63.

asked the Minister of Education if he will list the training colleges that are overcrowded, showing the complement of students for which the college was designed, the present numbers attending and the number of students in residence, in lodgings or travelling from home.

I am sending the hon. Member the best information I can.

asked the Minister of Education how many applications from educational charities and trusts for consideration and action by his legal department remain without a decision.

There is a wide variety of correspondence with educational charities and trusts which is dealt with as quickly as possible. Since 1st January this year 53 applications have been made for schemes under the Charities Act, and 31 schemes have been made. About 550 applications for orders have been received and about 500 have been made.

asked the Minister of Education (1) what rates of pay and conditions of service he proposes for the new auxiliary infants staff;(2) what main subjects he proposes to include in the short courses for the new auxiliary infants staff;(3) where he proposes to hold the short courses for the new auxiliary infants staff; and what arrangements he envisages for providing the tuition.

I expect to receive before long the views of the National Advisory Council on the Training and Supply of Teachers on the general question of the use of auxiliary staff in schools and on how and where they might be trained. It is too early to say what auxiliaries might be paid.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is satisfied that the supply of technicians for university research work is adequate; and to what extent the supply is limited by financial considerations.

The employment, terms of service, and establishment of university employees is a matter for the universities themselves, and is not a matter in which the Government, which confines itself to making grants available, intervenes. We hope, however, with the assistance and advice of the U.G.C., to obtain more information on this kind of subject in connection with the review of university finances which has been promised in two years' time.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will ensure that the request of the Institution of Professional Civil Servants, that it be recognised as the representative body for Research Fellows in the Civil Service, be accepted.

No. Research Fellows are employed on 3-year contracts, and their conditions and terms of service are so unique, that they cannot be regarded as civil servants for the purposes of the normal Whitley negotiating machinery.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total of Government expenditure on advertising in the national Press for the year 1961.

Expenditure by Her Majesty's Stationery Office and Central Office of Information on behalf of Departments on advertising in national daily and Sunday newspapers in 1961 was about £1,320,000.

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) if he will indicate the industries, new and prevailing, which are expected to provide the 22,000 new jobs in prospect in the North-East region;(2) whether he will state the number of females, males, and juveniles, respectively. expected to be employed as a result of the 22,000 new jobs in prospect in the North-East region.

On the basis of the information supplied by the undertakings concerned, we estimate that there are at present about 12,000 new industrial jobs in prospect in the North-East for males and about 9,000 for females. I cannot say how many of these will be for juveniles.The industries include engineering, radio and electrical, chemicals, clothing and footwear, metal manufacture, paper and printing, and glass.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs when he expects to receive the Report of the Local Government Boundary Commission for Wales.

I cannot make any forecast at present.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs when he expects to receive the Report of the Council for Wales and Monmouth on the Welsh language.

It is of course for the Council to decide when it will submit its reports. I understand that it hopes to present this one later this year.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what facilities for civil flying now exist at R.A.F. Valley and R.A.F. Mona.

Civil aircraft may use Royal Air Force Valley by prior arrangement with the station commander or in an emergency. Royal Air Force Mona is available to civil aircraft in emergency only.