asked the Secretary of State for War whether he has had a report from the court of inquiry into an explosion of a shell in the occupied area of the parish of Market Lavington on Wednesday, 16th May, 1962; and what steps he is taking to prevent a further incident of this nature.

A Board of Inquiry has been held and its findings will shortly reach me. Until I have had the opportunity to examine them I cannot make a statement. I should, however, like to express my regret for the mishap and to confirm that compensation will be paid for any damage done.

asked the Secretary of State for War how many Territorials, both male and female, have been refused permission to attend training courses this year to date; what representations he has made to their employers; and if he will give a list of the firms concerned.

I am not aware of any cases where members of the Territorial Army have been refused permission to fulfil their annual training this year. It does happen from time to time that a date fixed for a man to go to camp does not suit his employer, but with goodwill on both sides it is usually possible to make alternative arrangements.

asked the Secretary of State for War what are the reasons for the temporary underemployment of fitters at the Royal Ordnance Factory, Woolwich; and what steps he is taking to procure increased repair and recovery work for the Royal Ordnance Factory during the next six months.

There has recently been insufficient suitable work at this factory to keep all the fitters fully employed. No increase in the present level of repair and recovery work is expected in the near future, and I regret that a redundancy of 11 men must now be declared.

asked the Secretary of State for War what provision he is now making for married accommodation in Aden.

There are 318 quarters and 373 hirings in Aden which are occupied by Army families. Our present plans are to begin another 413 quarters this year for completion by the autumn of 1964, and to acquire during the same period about 300 new hirings. This will be sufficient to meet our needs.

asked the Secretary of State for War why highly skilled men such as patternmakers are retained in the Army; why they have not been transferred from the infantry to technical units; why they are employed in officers' messes; and if he will make arrangements to discharge from the Army all skilled men retained in the infantry.

National Service men are only being retained in the Army for purely military duties. It is not always possible to employ a National Service man in his civilian trade, and they must then be placed where they can best fill the needs of the Army. For this reason I cannot agree to discharge from the Army all men retained in the infantry who also possess other skills.

asked the Secretary of State for War by what date it is now expected that the British Army of the Rhine forces will reach the amended treaty figure of 55,000.

As I explained in my reply to the hon. and learned Gentleman the Member for Northampton (Mr. Paget) on 23rd May, this depends on our recruiting campaign, and I am not prepared to give a target date. However, the Regular strength of B.A.O.R. is rising steadily.

asked the Secretary of State for War what progress has been made with recruitment for the "Ever-readies."

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will make a statement about the progress made in the scheme for the enrolment of Territorial Army "Ever-readies".

Recruiting started for the Territorial Army Emergency Reserve at the beginning of April. The build-up of this reserve is being carried out steadily and with care. Applications have to be carefully sifted by commanding officers and subsequently by Record Offices, in order to ensure that the right men are selected. It is as yet too early to make a considered assessment of the recruiting which has so far taken place.I appreciate that the existence of this reserve does present certain difficulties for employers, but I very much hope that where possible they will encourage those who wish to join. In this connection, I would like to draw attention to the fact that all Government employees who join the reserve will receive the balance of their pay, if they are called out for service.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has drawn to the attention of local and education authorities the work of the United Nations Children's Fund and the fact that Wednesday 6th June is World Children's Day; how many of these bodies are participating in that event; and if he will make a statement.

Arrangements for schools to take part are made by a voluntary committee, who have given education authorities and teachers' organisations full information. I understand they provided some thousands of copies of their circular for Scottish schools. Information is not available as to the number taking part in Scotland; but I was glad to join with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Education in a message commending the day which the committee will send to all interested schools in Great Britain and I hope that Scottish schools will play a full part.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is aware that the Scottish Special Housing Association have recently proposed increasing rents by more than £10 per year in Coatbridge and Airdrie; and if he will cancel this increase in view of the restrictions imposed by the Government on incomes.

I am aware of the Association's decision about Airdrie rents. Where rents have been unduly low, reasonable increases are not inconsistent with the Government's incomes policy. Furthermore the Association operate a rent rebates scheme which will meet genuine cases of hardship for individual tenants.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland in how many cases grants have been approved for the amalgamation of agricultural holdings in Scotland; and what was the total acreage covered by them.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received from hospital employees consequent on the publication of hospital redundancy plans; and what steps he intends to take to relieve the anxieties of such employees.

N.A.L.G.O. have represented that the provision in view for hospital staff becoming redundant is inadequate. I do not however foresee any redundancy on the scale they appear to have in mind and I have asked hospital authorities to bring their staffs into consultation at the earliest stage whenever there is any prospect of redundancy arising.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will consult local health and education authorities about the steps to be taken to discourage people from smoking, particularly young people and those attending secondary schools, in view of the danger to health associated with smoking.

Careful notice is being taken of views expressed by local authorities on this subject, and I will consult further if occasion arises. For my part, initial guidance has been given to authorities, including a first batch of publicity material and further issues are in preparation.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland why he rejected the recommendation, sent to him by the Electricity Consultative Council for the North of Scotland, that electricity charges in the Highlands should not go up.

I would refer the hon. Member to the replies I gave to the hon. Members for Glasgow, Craigton (Mr. Millan) and Kilmarnock (Mr. Ross) today.

asked the Minister of Transport in view of the anxiety felt for the preservation of bird life and the maintenance of clean beaches if he will make a statement on the policy of Her Majesty's Government at the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organisation Conference for the total prohibition of the discharge of waste oil into the sea.

Her Majesty's Government's policy at the conference was to support and pursue the objective of total avoidance of the discharge of persistent oils into the sea, and to seek amendments to the existing 1954 Oil Pollution Convention so as to make it more effective and encourage its acceptance by more maritime countries. The conference made good progress towards these objectives.

asked the Minister of Transport what proposals he has received from the United States authorities to overcome the deadlock between the American Maritime Commission and the eight British shipping lines.

None, but I understand that a representative of the lines concerned had a useful discussion on Monday with the Chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission and that there are prospects of a solution satisfactory to everyone concerned.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will now take steps, consistent with Her Majesty's Government's declared aim to encourage local industry, to alleviate the difficulties in obtaining orders for new vessels at present being experienced in the smaller shipbuilding yards in Scotland.

It is up to the yards themselves to find work, but my right hon. Friend would be glad to discuss with them at any time ways in which he could help them to become more competitive.

asked the Minister of Transport what steps he intends to take to safeguard employment in the Fife shipyards, in view of the decision to allow the building of fishing vessels in foreign shipyards with the aid of Government subsidies.

It is too early to conclude that shipyards in Fife will be unable to secure orders if this protection is removed.

asked the Minister of Transport, in view of his decision to allow grants and loans for fishing vessels to be paid to trawler owners building abroad, if he is satisfied that all vessels built abroad for British owners have met the same classification requirements as ships built in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement on this aspect of the matter.

There is no legal requirement under the Merchant Shipping Acts for British fishing vessels to be classed by a classification society. Nevertheless, the White Fish Authority have required applicants for grant and loan to have vessels built according to class. I understand that they propose to retain this condition in future whether the vessels are built at home or abroad. I also understand that the Herring Industry Board satisfy themselves that vessels whose construction they assist are built to an acceptable standard and that they will continue to do this.

asked the Minister of Transport whether, in view of the hardship in the kind of case of which details have been sent to him, he will amend the regulations under the Road Traffic Acts to allow an invalid to carry a child passenger in cases where he is satisfied that the vehicle is large enough for no distraction of the driver to occur and that the driver can satisfy any tests he considers necessary.

There is no restriction on the carriage of passengers in vehicles driven by invalids which comply with the law as to motor cars or motor cycles. Vehicles which are defined as invalid carriages under the Road Traffic Act, 1960, are unsuitable for passengers, and my right hon. Friend has no discretion under the Act to allow passengers to be carried in them.

asked the Minister of Transport if he is aware that bus companies in Scotland do not allow schoolchildren aged fourteen to travel at half-fare rates; and if he will take the necessary steps to ensure that they do so.

We are aware of the arrangements. But the decision is one for the individual operator, subject to the sanction of the Traffic Commissioners, and we should not feel justified in proposing to Parliament the legislation which would be necessary to alter the existing arrangements.

asked the Minister of Transport when he intends to adopt a 40 miles per hour speed limit on the Great North Road between Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Gosforth.

My right hon. Friend has given notice to the Newcastle-upon-Tyne City Council that he intends to make an order raising from 30 to 40 m.p.h. the speed limit on A.1 where it crosses the Town Moor. The road is not a trunk road within the city and the council has exercised its right to require him to hold a public inquiry. Arrangements are being made for the inquiry to be held as soon as possible.

asked the Minister of Transport when signals to guide pedestrians will be installed at road junctions in streets in which one-way working has been introduced in recent months.

The traffic signals in the Marquis of Granby scheme are already equipped with "Wait" and "Cross Now" signs for pedestrians. In the Tottenham Court Road-Gower Street scheme, some junctions are already equipped, and equipment for others has been ordered.The other one-way schemes introduced in recent months are still experimental. Some include a number of "Wait" and "Cross Now" signs. If after review these schemes are retained, we shall have more provided.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that the Lancashire County Council is employing less than the 3 per cent. quota of registered disabled persons as required by law; and whether he has drawn their attention to their responsibilities in this regard.

Like many other county councils, the Lancashire County Council employs large numbers of professional staff among whom there are relatively few registered disabled persons. This makes for difficulty in satisfying the quota requirements but every effort is being made to improve the position. Our disablement resettlement officers submit disabled persons for engagement whenever possible and during the last six months the council has engaged over 70 registered disabled persons.

asked the Minister of Labour if he is aware that the scalers engaged in cleaning the exhaust stystems of vessels using diesel and heavy oils suffer from skin burns and discolouration of the teeth; if he is satisfied that the protective clothing and masks provided are sufficiently effective; and if he will have an inquiry made into the incidence of cancer through men inhaling fumes from unburnt gases and exhaust carbons.

As regards the first two parts of the Question, my information is that the existing precautions are proving adequate. If the hon. Member can supply details to the contrary I will have inquiries made. As regards the third part, I am advised, on the basis of investigations recently made by the Medical Inspectorate of Factories into the health of scalers on both oil and coal burning vessels, that there is no evidence that this occupation carries the risk suggested.

asked the Minister Labour what estimate he made, before the decision was taken to pay subsidies to trawler owners ordering ships from abroad, of the effect the new scheme would have upon the pattern of employment in Scotland.

This factor was fully considered along with others. The conclusion was that the effects were likely to be small.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will express in the OFFICIAL REPORT the annual increases in wage rates and earnings in various sectors, particularly the docks, the electricity supply industry and the nursing profession, in the form of graphs so as to make it possible to see at a glance the trend of wage rates and earnings in relation to the 2½ per cent. annual increase stipulated in the White Paper, Command No. 1626.

I am arranging for a graph to be sent to my hon. Friend and for it to be published in the Ministry of Labour Gazette.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he proposes to take to implement the resolution of the House of 25th May, 1962, concerning Service pensions.

In considering the position of the pensioners referred to in the debate on 25th May the Government will take full account of the views expressed by hon. Members. I have nothing to add at present to the statement of the Government's attitude which my hon. Friend the Financial Secretary made in the debate.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if it is now his intention to bring forward an Agricultural Holdings (Disturbance Compensation) Bill in the next Session of Parliament.

As I said in reply to my hon. Friend on 19th March last, it remains the Government's intention to introduce legislation as soon as possible.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in how many cases grants have been approved for the amalgamation of agricultural holdings in England and Wales; and what was the total acreage covered by them.

At the end of March, 1962, 16 schemes had been formally approved in England and Wales for grant towards certain costs involved in the amalgamation of agricultural holdings. The total acreage covered by these amalgamations is 997. In addition, approval in principle has been given for a further 76 schemes of amalgamation covering 10,529 acres.

asked the Secretary of State for Air if he will invite interested educational bodies to observe the experiments in programmed learning with the Auto Tutor teaching machine at present being conducted by the Royal Air Force Technical Training Command.

We made one limited experiment which has ended. If we decide to make further experiments, I will certainly bear the hon. Gentleman's suggestion in mind.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will state in tabular form, so far as they are not included in Tables 25 and 26 of the Board of Trade Report on Overseas Trade, the main manufactured goods, including in particular pottery, engineering, synthetic materials and cotton goods, in weight and value at current

Recorded imports from Japan into the principal territories concerned, which between them account for over 95 per cent. of all colonial imports from Japan, are set out below.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what volume of production of cotton yarn, cotton cloth and synthetic materials, respectively, expressed as a percentage, was exported from Hong Kong to the United Kingdom, the Colonies, the United States of America, France, and Germany for the years 1950, 1954, 1956, 1958, 1959, 1960, and 1961.

I am obtaining the statistics requested and hope to publish them shortly in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science, whether his Department is making a study of the effects of various stages of a disarmament programme on the utilisation of scientific manpower and other resources at present engaged on defence and military research.

Discussions at the Geneva Disarmament Conference have not at present reached a stage where studies of this nature could usefully be undertaken.

asked the Minister of Health when he expects to make a statement about contract catering and contract cleaning in hospitals, and to issue guidance on these matters to hospital authorities.

I have nothing to add to my reply to the hon. Member on 1st May.

asked the Minister of Health when he expects to receive the report of the Rubery Hospital inquiry.

In the course of the next few weeks.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he proposes to acknowledge and reply to the letters addressed to him on 11th December, 1961, 24th January, 1962, 12th March, 1962, and 18th April, 1962, by the Assistant Secretary to the National Federation of Sub-Postmasters regarding the law relating to football pool agents.

I regret the delay in dealing with these letters. A reply has now been sent to the Assistant Secretary suggesting that a meeting might be arranged between representatives of the National Federation and officers of my Department.

asked the Secretary for Technical Co-operation what arrangements he is making to finance special training courses for overseas students at British universities.

Finance is being made available for attendance at British universities for courses designed to meet special requirements, and for courses which use existing facilities afforded by universities but which meet overseas requirements notified to my Department. The number of persons attending such courses is at present about 1,250 in a year at an approximate yearly cost of £1,215,000.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what changes have taken place in the tariffs or quotas levied by Australia, India, New Zealand and Canada since 1950 on the export of British carpets.

The information asked for is as follows:TARIFFS

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he intends to waive or alter the existing quota restrictions on the import of Japanese pottery,

asked the President of the Board of Trade what was the value of carpets to Australia, New Zealand, Canada and West Germany for the years 1950, 1959, 1960, and 1961; and what is the percentage change in the value of sales to each of these markets between 1950 and 1961.

The following is the information:cutlery, cast iron and woodware to this country.

There are at present quota restrictions on imports from Japan of pottery and cutlery but not on cast iron and woodware. I cannot say what changes may be desirable in future.