asked the Minister of Labour what is the number of employees, at the latest available date, engaged in the manufacture of telegraph and telephone aparatus; and what proportion of those employees located in Scotland.

In mid-1961 the number employed in Great Britain was 65,600 whom 0·3 per cent. were employed in Scotland.

asked the Minister of Labour what is the number of employees, at the latest available date, engaged in the manufacture of electrical machinery; and what proportion of those employees is located in Scotland.

In mid-1961 the number employed in Great Britain was 222,900 of whom 4·3 per cent. were employed in Scotland.

asked the Minister of Labour what is the number of employees, at the latest available date, engaged in the manufacture of wireless apparatus, excluding valves and gramophones; and what proportion of those employees is located in Scotland.

The current classification relates to radio and other electronic apparatus and includes valves and gramophones. In mid-1961 the number employed in Great Britain was 235,000 of whom 4·7 per cent. were employed in Scotland.

asked the Minister of Labour whether, with a view to removing the fear of hardship associated with redundancy in industry, he will prepare a draft scheme on this subject.

Last year I published a booklet giving details of existing redundancy schemes suited to the requirements of various industries. I doubt whether the publication of a single draft scheme would meet the varying needs of industry. I shall however be discussing at the next meeting of the National Joint Advisory Council in January what further action we can take to promote improved arrangements for dealing with redundancy.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will set up a committee of inquiry into the effect of trades disputes on labour relations at Fords.

Discussions are at present in progress between the management of the Ford Company and the trade unions with a view to disposing of the issues outstanding from the recent strike. In addition, I understand that discussions will continue between the management and the unions on the proposals for the improvement of labour relations generally which were agreed at the meeting of the Ford National Joint Negotiating Committee on 12th October. Therefore I do not consider that the hon. Gentleman's suggestion would be helpful.

asked the Minister of Labour what estimate he has made of the extent to which the entry of immigrants into this country has caused the current problem of unemployment.

I understand that my hon. and gallant Friend has in mind immigrants from the Commonwealth. The vast majority of these immigrants take employment in the more prosperous areas of the country and there is no evidence to support my hon. and gallant Friend's suggestion.

asked the Minister of Labour how many unemployed immigrants there are in the United Kingdom today.

On 6th November, the date of the last count, there were 29,725 Commonwealth immigrants unemployed in this country, compared with 30,545 at the October count and 37,372 in July.

asked the Minister of Labour why he has not exercised his powers to halt immigration to the United Kingdom in view of the large-scale unemployment that it has caused.

There is no evidence that current unemployment has been caused by immigration to this country. The Government is exercising its powers under the Commonwealth Immigrants Act to control the flow of immigrants into this country so that they do not come here faster than we can absorb them into our national life.

asked the Minister of Labour, in view of his responsibilities in the North-East of Scotland Development Area, what measures he now proposes to alleviate the decline in local employment shown in the latest available figures.

The latest figures at mid-1961 showed no appreciable decline in local employment. I am aware that the rate of unemployment remains high, and the Government will continue to use vigorously its powers under the Local Employment Act to encourage industrial expansion.

asked the Minister of Labour what official consultations he has had with a view to reversing the serious unemployment trend in Scotland.

I have myself discussed Scottish unemployment problems with the Scottish Council (Development and Industry) with representatives of the Scottish T.U.C., in the last two or three months, and I am keeping in close touch with the development of the situation through my officers in Scotland. I am of course in constant touch with my colleagues on the subject.

asked the Minister of Labour if he is aware that the unemployment problem in Coatbridge and Airdrie will be worsened by the proposed plans of the British Iron and Steel Board; and what proposals he has for reversing the unemployment trend there.

I have no such information, but the area is part of a development district where the Government will continue to do everything possible to encourage industrial development.

asked the Minister of Labour why nursing vacancies are no longer shown separately in the biannual tables in the Ministry of Labour Gazette.

I informed the House on 8th December last year that the work of the Nursing Appointments Offices was to be merged with the normal placing machinery of my Ministry. Nursing figures are therefore included in the monthly table showing the placing work of the Employment Exchange Service instead of being given quarterly in a separate table. A footnote to the monthly table however gives a separate figure for unfilled vacancies for all nursing grades.

asked the Minister of Labour what was the increase or decrease in the number of males in employment in Wales and in Great Britain, respectively, from 1951 to the latest available date.

Between mid-1951 and mid-1961 the number of male employees in employment increased by 17,000 in Wales and by 838,700 in Great Britain.

asked the Minister of Labour why disabled trainees, in training centres under his Department, have been refused an increased allowance, which has been granted to trainees in other Government training centres; and whether he will make a statement.

The increase in allowances to men in Government Training Centres was designed to encourage men becoming redundant in the coalmining and railway industries to take up a course of training instead of unskilled work. My right hon. Friend is, however, considering whether there are other grounds for increasing the allowances at the residential centres.

asked the Minister of Labour what is the total insured working population in Northumberland and Durham; and what percentage this is of the national figure.

The total number of insured employees in Northumberland and Durham in mid-1961 was 932,190, representing 4·1 per cent. of the figure for Great Britain. Figures for the total insured working population, which includes employers, the self-employed and H.M. Forces, are available only for Great Britain as a whole.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action was taken by his Department following the discovery in Flint of a bottle of beer being offered for sale containing 2·4 per cent. caustic soda; and if he will make a statement.

The Flint Borough Council has authorised the taking of proceedings under the Food and Drugs Act, 1955 in this case. The matter is therefore sub judice and it would be inappropriate for me to comment.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) how many cases of swine fever have been reported in the North Riding of Yorkshire and Durham since 1st January 1962; and haw many pigs have been slaughtered;(2) how many cases of swine fever have been reported in England and Wales since 1st January, 1962; and how many pigs have been slaughtered.

Between 1st January and 30th November, 1962, 1,521 cases of swine fever were confirmed in England and Wales, of which 52 were in the North Riding of Yorkshire and 10 in Co. Durham. The number of pigs slaughtered by the Ministry for diagnostic purposes in England and Wales between the same dates was 280, 4 of these being in the North Riding and 1 in Co. Durham.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress has been made in the development of fish farms in this country; and what are his plans for the future development of such farms.

None. Presumably the hon. Member has my Laboratory's experiments in rearing plaice from the egg stage in mind. It has been proved that it is possible to hatch plaice artificially. We have yet to prove that small fish so reared can survive in the sea in sufficient numbers to make any difference to commercial catches.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if he will introduce legislation to make himself responsible for the operations of the British Egg Marketing Board, so as to ensure parliamentary accountability, with particular reference to the conduct of elections;(2) if he will introduce legislation to require candidates for elections to the British Egg Marketing Board to publish the names of their agents in such elections as is the practice in local government or parliamentary contests.

My right hon. Friends the Secretary of State for the Home Department, the Secretary of State for Scotland and my right hon. Friend see no need for such legislation since the present arrangements, under which the Boards themselves are responsible for the conduct of their elections, are in line with accepted practice for commercial and professional bodies, and trades unions. My hon. Friend's suggestion that all the operations of a Board should become the responsibility of Ministers would be wholly incompatible with the principle of producer-control, which is of thirty years' standing. In the case of the recent election of a special member of the British Egg Marketing Board, irregularities have been admitted, but they are not of such consequence as to call for amending legislation. The Board have taken steps, including reprimanding employees who apparently had committed a breach of standing instructions, to avoid a repetition.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how the list of colouring matters and food additives which may be added to food for human consumption in the United Kingdom compares with the list recently agreed upon by the Council of the European Economic Community.

The only European Economic Community directive concerned with food additives which has been issued deals with colours. The following are the particulars:

I. The following coal tar colours are permitted in the United Kingdom† and by the European Economic Community directive:

• Red—
• Carmoisine
• Amaranth
• Ponceau 4R
• *Erythrosine BS
• Yellow—Tartrazine
• Orange—Sunset Yellow FCF
• Blue—Indigo Carmine
• Green—*Green S
• Black—Black PN

II. The following coal tar colours are permitted by the E.E.C. directive but not in the United Kingdom:†

• Red—
• Ponceau 6R
• Scarlet GN
• Yellow—
• Chrysoine S
• Fast Yellow
• Quinoline Yellow
• Orange—Orange GGN
• Blue—
• Indanthrene Blue
• Patent Blue
• Black—Black 7984

III. The following coal tar colours are permited in the United Kingdom† but not by the E.E.C. directive:

• Red—
• Ponceau MX
• Red 10B
• Red 2G
• Red 6B
• Red FB
• Ponceau SX
• Ponceau 3R
• Fast Red E
• Yellow—
• Oil Yellow GG
• Naphthol Yellow S
• Yellow 2G
• Yellow RFS
• Yellow RY
• Oil Yellow XP
• Orange—
• Orange G
• Orange RN
• Blue—Blue VRS
• Violet—Violet BNP
• Brown—
• Brown FK
• Chocolate Brown FB
• Chocolate Brown HT

IV. As far as natural colours are concerned the regulations in the U.K. and the E.E.C. directive are closely similar. The main differences in this category are that Copper Chlorophyllin Compound is permitted by the E.E.C. directive but not in the United Kingdom, and Titanium Dioxide is permitted for all uses in the United Kingdom, but only for colouring the surface of food by the E.E.C. directive.

* Permitted for 3 years only by the European Economic Community directive.† By the Colouring Matter in Food Regulations, 1957 (S.I. 1957, No. 1066) which applies to England and Wales;The Colouring Matter in Food (Scotland) Regulations. 1957 (S.I. 1957, No. 1123), andThe Colouring Matter in Food Regulations, 1961 (S.R & O. Northern Ireland 1961, No. 99).

asked the Secretary of State for War what progress has been made with the disposal of the site of the former Royal Ordnance factory at Swynnerton; and what area still remains unused in his Department's hands.

No further disposals of land at Swynnerton have been put in hand, and some 720 acres remain unused in the hands of my Department. I have recently written more fully to the hon. Gentleman about the future of the site at Swynnerton.

asked the Secretary of State for War how he will dispose of the former Ministry of Supply depot at Madeley, near Crewe; and when this will be done.

The depot at Madeley will be disposed of in accordance with usual practice, so far as I can foresee, before the summer of 1964.

asked the Secretary of State for War why Rodney Bell, whose application to join the Duke of Lancaster's Yeomanry was approved by his unit commander in November, 1961, has had to wait a year before being informed that he must attend a Territorial Officers Selection Board.

The delay in submitting Mr. Bell's application for a commission in the Territorial Army was due to a series of misunderstandings on the part of Mr. Bell and the Duke of Lancaster's Yeomanry about the completion of certain forms and about Mr. Bell's status as a reservist.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will make a statement on Exercise Vortex, conducted jointly by the Medical Research Council and the Army Personnel Research Committee, into the problems of heat acclimatisation.

Exercise Vortex was an experiment conducted by the Army Personnel Research Committee of the Medical Research Council during 1960. Its main aim was to establish the worth-whileness of a system of acclimatising troops to heat artificially. In the event the results were inconclusive, and further research is in progress.

asked the Secretary of State for War when the Near East Land Forces Command Headquarters in Cyprus was closed; when the building was begun; when it was finished; and how much was spent on it.

Near East Land Forces Command Headquarters was closed on 8th December, 1962. Construction of the Command Headquarters was begun in 1954 and completed early in 1957. The cost was about £350,000. The buildings will continue to be used.

asked the Secretary of State for War how many vehicles for repair are currently allocated to Wheeled Vehicles Central Repair Shops with managing contractors in England and Wales and in Scotland, respectively.

The numbers for the current financial year will be approximately 3,350 and 575.

asked the Secretary of State for War how many Wheeled Vehicles Central Repair Shops with managing contractors are operating in England and Wales and in Scotland, respectively.

Five in England and one in Scotland.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he will be in a position to make a detailed statement on the various practical steps involved following on the publication of the Annan Report.

The recommendations of the Annan Report have important and far-reaching implications, and it would be premature to say when consideration of them will be sufficiently advanced to enable a statement to be made.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland which authorities employ road safety officers.

Road safety officers and accident prevention officers are employed by the County Councils of Aberdeen, Caithness, Dunbartonshire, Fife and Lanarkshire; by the Corporations of Edinburgh and Glasgow; and jointly by the Town Councils of Bearsden and Milngavie.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the number of staff employed full time in his Department on road safety.

The number of staff employed full time on road traffic work in my department is five. The work of all these officers includes road safety but none can be described as being engaged on it full time.The Government's main instrument in this field is, of course, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents. The Society employs six full time officers in Scotland.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the explanation of the exceptionally good fishing season at present in progress off the west coast; where the shoals have come from; and what was the latest comparable year in respect of numbers of cran which have been caught in the same season.

The exceptionally good herring fishing off the west coast in October and November is believed to be due partly to the entry into the fishery of recruits from the abundant 1960 year class and partly to environmental factors which have caused an unusual concentration of fish in coastal areas. The Minch herring consist partly of a native stock and partly of migrants from other areas off the west coast and possibly the northern North Sea. The total catch of 106,000 crans for the two months, is the best since the War, the nearest comparable year being 1954 when the catch in the same period was 81,000 crans.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what efforts he is making to maintain the credibility of the deterrent value of the Royal Air Force V-bomber force; to what extent he visualises a change in the deterrent rôle; to what extent the Air Estimate Vote will be increased as a result; and if he will make a statement.

The credibility of the deterrent will be increased by the Blue Steel missile now entering service, and every effort will be made to maintain the deterrent value of the V-bomber force in the future. These improvements will not raise the approximate 10 per cent. share of the Defence Budget now devoted to the deterrent.

asked the Secretary of State for Air, in view of the recent successive Skybolt missile failures, and the pressure within the United States of America to down-grade its development in the priority list, whether he will consult his counterpart in the United States of America to ascertain when Skybolt will be fully developed and ready for operational uses.

asked the Secretary of State for Air, if, in view of the recent lack of success of the Skybolt missile, he will make a further statement on its future.

This project is under discussion between my right hon. Friend the Minister of Defence and the United States Secretary of Defence and I have no statement to make at this stage.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what is the cost of the continuous air alert; and whether it is to be borne by increased Defence Estimates or at the expense of economies elsewhere in defence.

Should it be necessary in the future to order a continuous air alert, the cost would not raise the percentage of the Defence Budget spent on the deterrent above the current figure of about 10 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what progress is being made in long-range weather forecasting; if he will have a study made of the working of the electronic computer installed by the United States Weather Bureau at Washington to simulate weather changes at 10,000 points around the globe, about which information is regularly published; and if he will make a statement.

Research on long-range weather forecasting is continuing in the Meteorological Office but progress in this complicated subject is inevitably slow. We are in close touch with the United States Weather Bureau and information is constantly being exchanged on the applications of electronic computers to weather forecasting in both countries.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will make an early decision about introducing the system of driving on the right-hand side of the road, which now prevails in most other countries.

My consultations with interested organisations are still in progress. I cannot promise an early statement on this complex question.

asked the Minister of Transport whether, following the practice in most cities in Europe, he will forbid the use of motor horns in London except in the case of an emergency.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the Answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Chigwell (Mr. Biggs-Davison) on 7th November.

asked the Minister of Transport, in view of the dangerous effects of fumes and obnoxious smoke ejected from motor vehicles, if he will take steps to examine this problem with a view to introducing protection for those affected.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Bristol, North-East (Mr. Hopkins) on 28th November, and also to the Annual Report of the Chief Medical Officer of the Ministry of Health for 1961, which states that natural ventilation and dispersion in the streets appear sufficient to prevent any of the compounds found in exhaust fumes from reaching harmful concentrations in the air.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will take into account, in connection with the inquiry which he is now undertaking into the provision of a more efficient cross-channel link, the extent to which aircaft have been materially delayed at London Airport since 1st October by fog.

All relevant factors will be taken into account.

asked the Minister of Transport when he proposes to set up an inter-departmental committee to study the question of farm level crossings.

My Department is already in touch with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and expects shortly to discuss this question with them, the British Transport Commission and the National Farmers Union. I will consider in the light of these discussions whether more formal machinery is required.

asked the Minister of Transport what proposals he has for regulating traffic on three-lane highways by means of painted lines for traffic lanes.

The advice I gave to local authorities in 1960 about the use of double white lines, warning lines and lane lines, applied to three-lane roads as well as two-lane roads. I am, however, now trying out alternative markings on long hills and level winding roads to give priority to two lanes of traffic in one direction.

asked the Minister of Transport what alterations have been made to the A.5 between Ensdon House and Rodderfern Lane, Shropshire, within the last year; and at what cost.

This length of A.5 is being widened to provide a 3-lane carriageway. The cost of the scheme is about £80,000.

asked the Minister of Transport how many acres of land are required to provide one mile of a six-lane motorway.

On average about 24 acres, inclusive of junctions. The figure is greater where long or high embankments or cuttings are needed.

asked the Minister of Transport what action he has taken to ensure in the interests of road safety that white lines on main roads are kept as complete and clean as possible.

This is a matter of maintenance which rests with the local authority either as highway authority or as my agent for trunk roads. I am not aware of any general failure to keep white lines complete and clean, but if my hon. Friend has any particular instance of neglect in mind, perhaps he would let me know.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware of the anxiety experienced by mothers from Percy Main and Howdon resulting from the placing of the traffic lights control box at the junction of Station Road and Wallsend Road; and if he will have the position re-examined, in the light of present traffic conditions at this junction, with a view to greater safety.

I have received no complaints about this. It is a difficult site for traffic signals and the control box has been placed in the best position available. I have asked my Divisional Road Engineer to see what can be done to make things easier for pedestrians.

asked the Minister of Transport how much money has been spent in the last 12 months on new road construction in Northumberland and Durham; and what percentage this is of the national total.

The amount of money spent on new road construction, including major improvements in the geographical counties of Northumberland and Durham during the financial year which ended 31st March, 1962 (the last 12-month period for which figures are available) was £2·03 million. This was about 2·7 per cent. of the total figure for England and Wales for the same period.

asked the Minister of Transport if he is aware that at several points on the Kingston bypass road and on Putney Heath the flow of traffic is now interrupted by a combination of roundabouts and traffic signals at the same intersections; and if he will remove one or other type of obstruction.

Traffic signals have been added to roundabouts at only two junctions on this route, at Tibbetts Corner and at the intersection with the Surbiton—Leatherhead road ("The Toby Jug"), to increase traffic capacity at peak hours. They have been successful and I cannot agree to dispense with either signals or roundabouts. The "Toby Jug" signals are to be improved shortly by conversion from fixed time operation to vehicle actuation, like those at Tibbetts Corner.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will promote discussions with the Sunderland Borough Council and the Durham County Council about the construction of a new road bridge over the River Wear just west of Sunderland.

It would be for the Sunderland Borough Council or the Durham County Council as highway authorities to put forward those road improvement schemes which they regarded as the most urgent in their areas for inclusion in my classified roads programme. Should they make proposals for a new road bridge as suggested, 1 will consider them.

asked the Minister of Transport what proposals he has received from the London Transport Executive for extending the Piccadilly Underground line from Hounslow West to London Airport; and what is the estimated cost of the scheme.

In 1961 the London Transport Executive estimated that the cost of extending the line from Hounslow West to London (Heathrow) Airport, including the provision of additional rolling stock, would be about £12 million. I am informed that the possibilities of a less costly scheme are at present being studied by the Executive.

asked the President of the Board of Trade when the advance factory for Crook, County Durham, promised in the debate on North-East unemployment on 23rd July, 1962, is likely to be completed.

By the middle of next year.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many applications he has received since 1st October, 1959, for industrial development certificates from firms in the county borough of Huddersfield and in the urban districts of Denby Dale, Saddleworth and Holm-firth, respectively; and how many of these were refused, deferred, or withdrawn.

Industrial building information is available for employment exchange areas. The figures for the Huddersfield employment exchange area (which includes most of the County Borough of Huddersfield as well as the Urban Districts of Denby Dale and Holmfirth) and for the Saddleworth employment exchange area (which coincides with the Urban District of Saddleworth) are as follows:

	Employment Exchange Area
	Huddersfield	Saddle-worth
Firm applications received	38	3
Withdrawn before decided	4	1
Refused	Nil	Nil
Approved	34	2
Deferred after issue of I.D.C.	1	Nil

asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty how much money has been spent in the last 12 months on new naval work in Northumberland and Durham; and what percentage this is of the national total.

During the period from 1st December, 1961, to 30th November, 1962, the amount of money spent on naval new construction in the counties of Northumberland and Durham was approximately £10 million out of £52 million in the whole country, or just under 20 per cent.

asked the Minister of Education what grants have been made pursuant to the Special Schools and Establishments (Grants) Regulations 1959.

In 1961–62 capital grants totalling £213,121 were made to 32 special schools; one maintenance grant of £12,000 was made to an establishment for the further education and training of disabled persons; and grants totalling £35,687 8s. 4d. were made to 128 special schools and 13 establishments for further education and training and to cover one half of the employers' contributions in respect of teachers in contributory pension service.

asked the Minister of Education whether, in view of the present burden of local rates and the prospect of substantial rises therein in consequence of the forthcoming reassessment of properties and the fact that the Exchequer already bears a substantial proportion of the cost of education, he will transfer all education charges from the local rates to general taxation in order to achieve simplification and economy, and to spread the cost of education more fairly over the whole population.

No. As is shown by a recent report of the Association of Municipal Corporations, local rates are less of a burden in real terms than they were before the war. Transferring the cost of education to the Exchequer would inevitably involve a transfer of control which would not accord with the wishes of the local education authorities or of the Government.

asked the Minister of Health what steps he proposes to take to implement the Tyler Report on Hospital Engineers.

I would refer the right hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Glasgow, Goven (Mr. Rankin) an 10th December, 1962.

asked the Minister of Health if he will specify the regulations under which he has powers to require pharmaceutical manufacturers to disclose all information which he considers relevant to the negotiation of drug prices under the Voluntary Price Regulation Scheme; and if he is satisfied that these powers are sufficient.

Regulation 55AA of the Defences (General) Regulations, 1939, as amended and continued in force by the Emergency Laws (Repeal) Act, 1959; yes.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if he will seek powers to provide that every person who has been continuously unemployed for the four weeks preceding the Christmas holidays shall receive double pay for the pay-week prior to Christmas Day.

No. Extra payments to a particular group of beneficiaries for a particular week would be out of place in a National Insurance Scheme.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science why he is giving financial assistance to Belgium for research in marine reactors instead of to British firms.

I presume the Question refers to the Vulcain project on which the Atomic Energy Authority is carrying out a joint programme of research under an agreement with a consortium of Belgian firms known as Belgonucleaire. The Vulcain system, on which Belgonucleaire has done much preliminary work, shows promise as a possible system for marine propulsion. Research work will be done in both countries. The cost of the joint programme will be shared equally between the two partners, and the results made available to both parties.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science (1) how he decides which firms will receive financial assistance for their research in marine reactors;(2) how many firms have received assistance for research into marine reactors.

No firms are receiving financial assistance from the Government for private research work on marine reactors. The Atomic Energy Authority have placed contracts with ten firms to carry out research in support of the Government's marine reactor research programme.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science if he is aware of the expertise for the development of nuclear marine propulsion that exists in Her Majesty's Dockyards; and if he will utliise this facility to the fullest extent.

I assume that the hon. Member has in mind expertise relating to nuclear submarines. These are, however, not under construction in H.M. Dockyards. The Atomic Energy Authority have placed research contracts with commercial shipyards in support of the nuclear marine reactor programme, drawn up in the interests of merchant shipping.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will state the most recent available figures for the total number of television licences issued in the borough of Uxbridge and in the Hounslow and West Drayton Urban District Council area; and what were the comparable figures for the year 1955.

Records of the television licences issued are kept only in respect of Post Office regions. I regret, therefore, the figures for individual local government areas are not available.The numbers of television licences in force in the postal districts concerned were:

	30th September, 1962	30th September, 1955
Hounslow	37,941	23,513
Uxbridge (including West Drayton)	23,417	11,529

asked the Postmaster-General whether it is now proposed that the North-East of England should have a separate British Broadcasting Corporation wavelength of its own.

I am glad to say that the B.B.C. hope to make this change early in January.

asked the Postmaster-General when he estimates that he will introduce Subscriber Trunk Dialling in the Portsmouth area.

I expect to introduce Subscriber Trunk Dialling at the Portsmouth, Gosport and Cosham exchanges on 9th January, 1963.