asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the cost of overtime and other expenses incurred by the police in keeping order at public meetings on Sundays in Trafalgar Square.

The cost varies according to the size and nature of the meeting and the likelihood of public disorder. There are occasions when no extra cost is incurred. The greatest additional cost incurred in policing Trafalgar Square on a Sunday since the beginning of 1961 was £3,750, on the occasion of the demonstration held by the Committee of 100 on 17th September, 1961.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what consideration he has recently given to the recommendation in the Report from the Select Committee on Estimates of Session 1957–58 that police authorities should be prohibited from prematurely retiring active, able and efficient superintendents or other officers for the sole purpose of improving the rate of promotion in their forces;

(2) what steps he has taken or proposes to take following the recommendation of the Royal Commission on Police that he should instruct police authorities not to cause the arbitrary and automatic retirement of fit and able policemen by the misuse of powers contained in Regulation 52 of the Police Pensions Regulations, 1955.

My right hon. Friend is considering this matter, with the other recommendations of the Royal Commission on the Police, in consultation with the representative police and local authority associations.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the age limit for young collectors on flag days and other charitable fundraising occasions in the London area.

Eighteen.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the women at Holloway Prison are to be transferred to other accommodation.

Early next year the new prison at Styal, Cheshire, will take all women prisoners sentenced to preventive detention, corrective training, Or more than three years' imprisonment. The transfer of women with shorter sentences, and of girls in the borstal recall centre, depends on the completion of two new institutions which are now in the design stage, following local public inquiries earlier this year. The aim is to let the contracts in the coming financial year, for completion in about 1966. When Holloway itself is reconstructed, it may include wings for women and girls awaiting trial or sentence, for whom accommodation must be provided as near central London as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will make a statement on the future of Dartmoor Prison.

My right hon. Friend hopes to be able to make a statement shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the number of persons charged with offences relating to fireworks on 4th and 5th November in the Metropolitan Police District.

315 persons were charged with offences relating to fireworks in the Metropolitan Police District on 4th November and 5th November. Some of the charges were for obstructing police, assaults on police, obstructing the footway, and insulting words and behaviour at places where fireworks were being discharged. In addition 65 persons were reported with a view to considering possible summonses.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department What was the number of persons charged with offences relating to fireworks between 1st October and 3rd November in the Metropolitan Police District.

Six persons were charged with offences relating to fireworks in the Metropolitan Police District between 1st October and 3rd November. In addition 47 persons were reported with a view to considering possible summonses.

asked the Minister of Education whether, in view of his responsibilities for co-ordinating the work of matriculation boards, he will recommend that they should expedite the publication of General Certificate of Education results in special circumstances.

The examining bodies publish their results as soon as possible but they cannot, for valid technical reasons, mark and grade individual scripts in advance of those of all other candidates.

asked the Minister of Education what plans have been made to provide a new primary school for Alvechurch, Worcestershire, to replace the present inadequate and overcrowded Church of England school.

The Worcestershire local education authority is anxious to build a new school for Alvechurch but my right lion. Friend has not yet been able to include the project in the school building programme.

asked the Minister of Education what advice he has given to local education authorities about allowing teachers in technical colleges, who wish to do so, to teach in secondary schools in their spare time.

None. This is a matter my right hon. Friend is ready to leave to the individuals concerned and their employing authorities.

asked the Minister of Education what is his current estimate of the number of new schools required in England and Wales to replace all unfit premises and provide for the needs of new housing estates and towns; and if he will now review the size of the school building programme in relation to these requirements.

The survey of school buildings announced last April will produce a full record of the outstanding deficiences in school buildings and of the likely cost of remedying them. This information will be available next year. The size of school building programme required to meet the needs of new housing developments depends on the size and disposition of the housing programme at any given time. The current school building programmes cover the needs of present housing programmes.

asked the Minister of Education if he will now give a date for the commencement of construction of the proposed College of Further Education in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

Officers of the Ministry are discussing today with the local education authority and its architects the sketch plans of the proposed College, its estimated cost which exceeds the normal limits and the likely starting date.

asked the Minister of Education if he will consider raising the grant given to pupils who remain at school between 15 and 18 years of age.

No. This is a matter for the discretion of local education authorities.

asked the Minister of Education how many independent schools catering for handicapped children have applied to him for recognition as efficient since the issue of Circular 4/61; how many have been so recognised; how many rejected; and how many have still to be inspected.

Of 30 applications, six have been granted and three rejected. Five inspection reports are under consideration; 16 inspections have yet to be made. A further 15 independent schools known to cater wholly or mainly for handicapped pupils have still to apply for recognition.

asked the Minister of Education if he will state the number of classes in the secondary schools in the Dearne Valley constitu- ency area where there are 30 or more children per class.

Thirty-two in January, 1962.

asked the Minister of Education if he will state the number of classes in the junior and infants schools in the Dearne Valley constituency area where there are 40 or more children per class.

Seven in January, 1962.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what progress is being made towards implementing the decision made on 23rd July to provide an advance factory in Northumberland.

Negotiations for a site at Cramlington are proceeding satisfactorily and the construction of the factory will be put in hand as soon as possible.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will make a statement about the building of further advance factories in North-East England.

I have decided to build one further advance factory in each of the following places: Aycliffe. The Chester-le-Street area. The Hartlepools. The Blaydon area. Sunderland.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will make a statement about the building of further advance factories in Scotland.

I have decided to build one further advance factory in each of the following places: West Lothian. Newhouse. Dumbarton. Glasgow.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he has yet decided to place one of the new industrial estates on the site between Newmains and Waterloo.

No.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what measures he proposes to attract industry to the Caldercruix-Plains area of Lanarkshire.

Projects already secured for North Lanarkshire and Shotts are estimated to be providing about 7,500 jobs, and I shall continue to encourage new industry in this area. Workers can conveniently travel from one part of the area to another and it would be neither practicable nor desirable to try to steer industry to individual villages within it.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the increase in unemployment in the North-East, he is proposing to make any change in the list of development districts.

Yes. I am adding to the list of development districts Chester-le-Street and the Cleveland area of the North Riding, comprising the employment exchange areas of Loftus, Saltburn and Guisborough. I have also decided to resume acceptance of applications for assistance under the Local Employment Act for projects in the Sunderland group of employment exchange areas and in Houghton-le-Spring where unemployment is persisting at a higher rate than was expected when these places were removed from the active list of development districts.

On the other hand, I am satisfied that there is no longer high unemployment in the Haltwhistle district, and I am accordingly removing it from the list.

asked the Prime Minister whether the public speech of the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance, on the subject of areas of high unemployment, in Newcastle-upon-Tyne on 2nd November, represents the policy of Her Majesty's Government.

Yes. I have not seen any detailed report of my right hon. Friend the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance's speech, but I did see that one Newcastle newspaper reported it under the headline "Minister Urges Jobless not to go South".

asked the Prime Minister if he will add a consultant conversant with the medical matters arising out of the Vassall case to the Committee of Inquiry in order that expert knowledge may be available.

No. If the Committee of Inquiry requires expert advice on medical or other matters in relation to its task, it will be able to call for it.

asked the Attorney-General what steps Her Majesty's Government propose to take to mitigate the hardship which is caused to unassisted defendants who win in actions against legally assisted plaintiffs but are awarded little or no costs.

It has since the inception of the Legal Aid Scheme been recognised that hardship does arise in some cases. The difficulty has been to find a satisfactory solution of the problem. My noble and learned Friend the Lord Chancellor has been giving close attention to it and hopes in due course to introduce legislation to afford some alleviation to such defendants.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies when the Report of the Committee of Inquiry into the affairs of Bailey's (Malta) is to be published.

I have nothing to add to the reply given on 6th November to my hon. Friend the Member for Brighton, Pavilion (Sir W. Teeling).

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations what help was offered by Great Britain to the Government of Pakistan to relieve distress caused by the recent floods in East Pakistan.

Her Majesty's Government were grieved to learn of the widespread devastation and suffering caused by extensive flooding in East Pakistan in August and September. I am sure that the House will wish to be associated with me in expressing our sincere sympathy to the people of Pakistan.

As a practical sign of sympathy, and after consulting the Pakistan Government, Her Majesty's Government provided £15,000 to the British Red Cross Society for the purchase of urgently needed drugs and medical supplies. A small consignment was flown to Pakistan by the Royal Air Force, and the bulk has been conveyed free of charge by Pakistan International Airways.

Parliament will be asked, in due course, to approve a Supplementary Estimate. In the meantime an advance has been made from the Civil Contingencies Fund.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what action Her Majesty's Government propose to take to comply with the request made to them by the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe in regard to the implementation of projects concerning vocational training for national refugees and overpopulation.

I assume the hon. Gentleman is referring to Resolution 235 of the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe. Her Majesty's Government believe the problem of vocational training for national refugees in Europe can best be handled by those international organisations, like the International Labour Organisation, which have dealt with the problem in the past.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether, in view of the large number of refugees who cannot become permanently settled without international assistance, as disclosed by the 10th Progress Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Her Majesty's Government will increase their financial contribution for this work.

In the past Her Majesty's Government have made successive and substantial contributions to the work of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. They are aware of the difficulties confronting him in Europe and that his Tenth Progress Report contains proposals for a major aid programme to end the residual refugee problem there in 1963.

Her Majesty's Government fully sympathise with this aim and are, of course, anxious that the High Commissioner should bring his operations to a successful conclusion. They will have these considerations very much in mind when examining the question of future assistance to the High Commissioner in his task.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what contribution Her Majesty's Government propose to make to the World Food Programme of the Food and Agriculture Organisation.

At the Pledging Conference for the World Food Programme, which was held in New York on 5th September, the United Kingdom delegate announced a pledge of 5 million dollars on behalf of Her Majesty's Government. Half of this contribution will be in the form of food and half in the form of cash for shipping services, and it will be spread over the three years of the programme.

asked the Minister of Labour how many workers, formerly employed in Her Majesty's Dockyard, Sheerness, and now employed in Her Majesty's Dockyard, Chatham, have registered at Sheerness Employment Exchange as desirous to accept suitable employment on the Isle of Sheppey.

33 at 6th November.

asked the Minister of Labour how many insured workers were unemployed on the Isle of Sheppey at the latest convenient date; and how this compares with the corresponding periods in 1958–59 and 1960–61.

The following table gives the information required: Persons Registered as Unemployed at Sheerness Employment Exchange and Youth Employment Office Date Number 15th October, 1962 529 16th October, 1961 491 10th October, 1960 491 12th October, 1959 490 13th October, 1958 345

asked the Minister of Labour how many unemployed male workers registered at Sheerness Employment Exchange are 60 years of age or more.

103 at 15th October.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what would be the gross cost in 1963–64 of increasing the basic old-age pension to 65s. for single persons and 105s. for married couples and what reduction in National Assistance payments would ensue from these increases.

About £105 million and £24 million respectively if the rates of other National Insurance benefits—for widows, sickness and unemployment, etc.—and of war pensions, industrial injuries benefits and National Assistance remained unchanged.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he proposes to alter the duration of the period for the training of teachers before the report of the Robbins Committee is published.

With the aim of getting teachers into the schools more quickly, I have asked the Scottish training authorities for their views on a more intensive use of the colleges which would result in courses being completed within a shorter period but without reduction in content. I cannot say whether this idea will be pursued until I have received and considered the views of the training authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many maternity beds have been provided during the past three years; and what is the percentage of births in hospital, giving the figures for each regional hospital board.

In the three years up to September, 1962, 170 additional maternity beds were brought into use in hospitals in Scotland. The percentage of births in hospitals and nursing homes during 1961—the latest period for which complete returns are available—was: Regional Hospital Board Percentage Northern 79 North-Eastern 90 Eastern 83 South-Eastern 79 Western 71

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many uncertificated teachers are employed in Scotland; and how many of these are considered to be below standard, giving the figures for each education authority in Scotland.

The annual returns made by education authorities are at present in process of collection. I will send the hon. Member the figures as soon as they are available.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works if he will state the date by which the occupiers of those properties which are to be demolished to make room for Government offices in the area of Westminster bounded by Bridge Street, Parliament Street, Richmond Terrace and the Embankment, will have to vacate their premises.

The redevelopment of this site will provide accommodation for the House of Commons, Government offices, accommodation for the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, and shops, restaurants and public houses.

Present plans are based on vacant possession of the whole site being obtained by the end of 1963, and provide for the clearance of the site during 1964. However, when more detailed plans have been prepared, I may be able to defer requiring possession of certain properties until 1964 where this would be more convenient for their present occupiers.