asked the Minister of Public Building and Works if he will consult the authorities of the House with a view to providing equipment for simultaneous translation in a Committee Room.

Consultations took place early this year, and it was agreed that these facilities should be provided by hiring equipment as and when the need arose.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works how long it is proposed to retain certain Nash Terraces in Regent's Park for occupation by Government Departments.

Of the 196 houses in the Nash Terraces which were repaired and used as offices after the war, we now hold only 57 and all but one of these are due to be released by the end of 1965.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what is the present estimated cost of the rebuilding of Downing Street and the old Treasury building.

The reconstruction of Nos. 10, 11 and 12 Downing Street is now expected to cost at least £900,000 and the Treasury at least £1,325,000.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what repairs are planned for the Foreign Office; and what is the estimated cost.

The main items of repair work and modernisation planned for the Foreign Office block are:—Renewal of heating equipment, installation of new radiators, and connection of the whole system to the Whitehall District Heating Scheme.Renewal of electric wiring.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what was the cost of repaving Speaker's Court.

Approximately £8,000.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works how he assesses the public interest when questions of surrendering portions of the Royal Parks to other uses arise.

I consider the arguments on each side of the case, having especial regard to my responsibilities for the Royal Parks and bearing in mind that these are one of the principal glories of London.Legislation would be required for any major permanent change in the use of the Royal Parks, such as for traffic highways. Minor changes such as the admission of additional classes of vehicles would involve an amendment to the Parks Regulations. The House would thus have an opportunity to assess the public interest in regard to any proposals I might agree to be necessary.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that some of the new postal districts in Ilford have the same names as some of the wards of the borough and have boundaries that are different from ward boundaries; and what action he proposes to take to avoid the resulting confusion.

Yes, but we were not aware that this has given rise to confusion. If my hon. Friend will let me have details of any difficulties he has come across, I will gladly look into the matter.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will estimate the value and percentage of his Department's contracts that have been placed with firms within a 100-mile radius of Dollis Hill, in each of the years 1956 to 1961.

Nearly £200 million, or just under half.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will make a statement about his Department's efforts to find firms in areas of heavy unemployment with whom to place orders for Post Office equipment.

All inquiries from firms who wish to tender for Post Office business are carefully examined: if they are suitable the firms are added to the list of those from whom tenders are invited. We have no reason to suppose that suitable firms fail to make such inquiry.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will now give permission for the provision of a sub-post office in the Yaxham Road area, at East Dereham, Norfolk.

My right hon. Friend has reviewed this case and decided to authorise the provision of a sub-post office.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he will make arrangements for a team of technical experts to visit the Bell Telephone Laboratories in the United States of America before final agreement is reached for transferring work from the Dollis Hill Laboratories.

Our experts visit the Bell Telephone Laboratories in the U.S.A. as the need arises. I see no reason for a special visit at present, but we will certainly keep the hon. Member's suggestion in mind.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will make an estimate of the cost of moving the Engineering Research Laboratory at Dollis Hill to the Clyde Valley.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will make an estimate of the cost of moving the Engineering Research Laboratory at Dollis Hill to Harlow.

I am unable to quote an estimate of overall costs until I have decided where the Research Station should go.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will institute an immediate independent inquiry into the question of staff relationships within the Overseas Telegraph Service, in view of the existing discrimination against the union which represents the majority of employees in the industry.

The question of staff representation in the Overseas Telegraph Operator grades was the subject of an independent inquiry which reported to me in December, 1960, and I do not think that a further inquiry now would be helpful.

asked the Postmaster-General, in view of the unemployment situation, what plans he has made to utilise more manpower for necessary telephone installations and other works.

My right hon. Friend plans to increase Post Office capital expenditure from over £130 million this year to over £150 million in 1963–64. This expansion and the growth of other work will lead to an increase of about 3,700 in the number of engineering staff employed by the Post Office during the year.

asked the Postmaster-General why senior positions in every department of the Post Office headquarters in Northern Ireland are filled by officers brought from Great Britain; whether local men were considered for these posts; and why they were not selected.

Senior positions in every department of the Post Office throughout the United Kingdom are filled by the best qualified candidates selected on a United Kingdom basis. I repeat the assurance I gave my hon. Friend in reply to his Question of 5th April last that the qualifications and experience of Northern Ireland men are always fully considered in making higher appointments, in Great Britain as well as in Northern Ireland.

asked the Postmaster-General what posts with salary of £1,600 or more in the Post Office in Northern Ireland have been filled in the past 12 months; and how many Northern Ireland men were promoted to these posts.

The following posts in the Post Office in Northern Ireland with a salary of £1,600 or more have been filled in the past 12 months. These posts were all filled on a United Kingdom basis and none of them fell to Northern Ireland men:Director; Senior Assistant Telecommunications Controller; Telephone Manager, Belfast; Assistant Head Postmaster, Belfast; Chief Clerk, Belfast Telephone Area; Head Postmaster, Ballymena.

asked the Postmaster-General what special stamps he proposes to issue in 1963.

There will be five special stamp issues in 1963.As has already been announced, I propose to issue on 21st March special stamps to mark the Freedom from Hunger campaign. The denominations will be 2½d. and 1s. 3d.On 7th May I propose to issue a 6d. stamp to mark the Centenary of the first International Conference of Postal administrations. This Centenary is being commemorated by a Conference in Paris on 8th and 9th May.On 16th May I propose to issue 3d. and 4½d. stamps to mark National Nature Week.On 31st May, to mark the International Lifeboat Conference to be held in Edinburgh, I propose to issue 2½d., 4d., and 1s. 6d. stamps.Finally, on 15th August, I propose to issue special 3d., 1s. 3d. and 1s. 6d. stamps to mark the Congress being held in Geneva in connection with the Centenary of the International Red Cross.

asked the Postmaster-General what arrangements were made by Her Majesty's Government regarding consultation between those concerned with telephone communications and road repairs before work was begun on the A.5 road between Ensdon House and Roddfern Lane, Shropshire.

There was full consultation between the Post Office and the county council before the work started, and there was close co-operation to keep the cost and disturbance to a minimum. The Post Office work involved raising 18 manhole covers. To have carried this out before the final road surface was laid would have obstructed the surfacing machines.

asked the Postmaster-General how many applications have been received in the last two years for telephones in the Grange Housing Estate district of Kilmarnock; how many have been met; and how many are awaiting connection.

Eighty-six applications have been received in the last two years. Forty-nine have been met, 3 have been withdrawn, and 34 are awaiting connection.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will ask the British Broadcasting Corporation to conduct practical experiments in local broadcasting to establish the scope and demand for such a service.

No, not at present. Perhaps the hon. Gentleman will refer to the White Paper which is being published this afternoon.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will exercise his powers Under Section 15 (4) of the Licence and Agreement of the British Broadcasting Corporation to require the Corporation to refrain from sending programmes which are satirical in content.

No.

asked the Secretary for Technical Co-operation if he will take steps for any necessary increase in British Broadcasting Corporation broadcast services to Europe so that the British point of view on the present European Economic Community negotiations and on the Berlin problem is more fully presented to the European peoples.

The B.B.C.'s European Services already form more than one-third of their total External Broadcasting. The balance between areas has to be struck most carefully, and I do not think further changes would at present be justified.

asked the Minister for Technical Co-operation whether he will consider taking steps to make some form of payment to firms which are prepared to taket overseas engineering graduates for industrial training.

My Department and others are at present examining the scope and arrangements for industrial training in Britain of people from overseas. The type of training to which the hon. Member refers forms part of this complex problem, which does not lie wholly within my field of responsibility. I would prefer not to make any statement at this stage.This training is a valuable form of technical assistance to developing countries and Her Majesty's Government much appreciates the public spirit of the companies which provide such facilities.

asked the Secretary for Technical Co-operation whether, in view of the fruitful research and experiment being done into educational television programmes for pupils whose first language is not English on mathematics and English language at the Thompson Institute at Mearnskirk, he will prepare plans, in relation to under-utilised resources in Britain, to present television sets to schools in the Commonwealth and Colonies, where programmse are transmitted.

I agree about the importance of television in education in developing countries. In the Government's view, the best contribution we can make at the present stage to the development of educational television in the developing countries of the Commonwealth is by making good programmes available. My Department is making substantial financial contributions to the Centre for Educational Television Overseas in London which has been set up precisely for this purpose. I believe this kind of help will be more effective at this stage than that which the hon. Member suggests. I am interested in the Thompson Institute at Mearnskirk, but this is a training establishment whose operations have scarcely commenced.

asked the Secretary for Technical Co-operation why he is stopping publication of the official magazine, Overseas Education.

Overseas Education has been a professional journal mainly designed for and largely contributed to by people engaged on long-term assignments on education overseas. Now that we are relying principally on short-term recruitment, the need for this particular journal has decreased, and the editor has found it increasingly difficult to obtain contributions. After very careful thought I came to the conclusion that I should not be justified in continuing the subvention for this journal: I wish to pay warm tribute to the work that it has done.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he will take steps to enable loan arrangements made for approved housing associations to build houses for letting to be extended to apply to trade unions.

No action by me is necessary. It is already open to trade unions to form their own housing associations and to take advantage of all the benefits under existing legislation. The National Federation of Housing Societies, 12, Suffolk Street, London, S.W.1, will gladly send all necessary details to any unions or others interested.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what progress has been made in the last month in the provision of housing by the application of more modern methods of planning and housing construction, and by the use of new materials; and what further assistance he will give to local authorities so that houses shall be provided in the same manner as modern offices have been erected in all cities.

My Department are collaborating with local authorities and contractors on the use of industrialised building systems, including standardised components, for flats and houses. A number of authorities are already using industrialised methods and more are planning to do so. In order to ensure continuity of work on an adequate scale, discussions are currently taking place to encourage local authorities to work in groups and to pool their programmes. It must of course be some time before these developments can effect out-put but in time they should contribute to a rising rate.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he will take steps to ensure that household property which has been empty for a period of three months should be liable to payment of half rates.

The House has rejected similar proposals on a number of occasions. Apart from any question of merits, it is doubtful whether a scheme could be devised which would be equitable in its operation and yet produce sufficient in rates to justify the cost of administering it.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he will take steps to ensure fuller protection and compensation for traders dispossessed by the implementation of schemes for the rebuilding of shopping areas; and if he will make a statement.

Existing legislation already provides both for compensation to displaced traders, and, in comprehensive development area schemes, that so far as is practicable they should be offered reasonable alternative accommodation.I am anxious that traders displaced by redevelopment who want to reestablish themselves in a trading position, not necessarily in the redevelopment area itself, should be given every help and encouragement to do so and I hope to issue further advice to local authorities on this aspect of redevelopment.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he will take steps to see that land for which planning permission has been granted should, after an adequate lapse of time, be subject to payment of rates if the land is not developed.

No. I sympathise with my hon. Friend's aim, but I do not believe that it would be possible to devise a fair and workable scheme on this basis.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether he will introduce legislation to enable grants to be paid to firms which are faced with excessive expenditure to comply with present requirements for smoke control.

No. I have seen no evidence to suggest that such legislation is necessary.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether he will make a statement about the smoke-control programmes submitted to him by local authorities in England and Wales in response to his Department's Circular No. 4/62.

The local authorities concerned are those in the black areas, England and Wales. The programmes have been published today as a Command Paper (Cmnd. 1890).Many black area authorities plan to move fast, and they can rely on my support and encouragement. There are still nearly 40 black area authorities whose programmes are expected to take another 15 years or more to complete, and I am asking these authorities whether their programmes cannot be carried through more quickly, I regret that a considerable number of black area authorities have not yet prepared programmes of smoke control, and these authorities are being asked to consider most carefully whether their failure to prepare programmes is consistent with the health and wellbeing of their communities.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proposals he has for utilising vacant industrial capacity in this country for the purpose of assisting underdeveloped territories throughout the Commonwealth.

May I refer the hon. Member to my statement on this subject during yesterday's debate. As I said then, I should be glad to see us go a little further towards satisfying some of the many claims under consideration, if that could be done by matching them with unused capacity. This statement was certainly meant to embrace the Commonwealth, who receive the larger part of our aid.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will reduce Purchase Tax on three-wheeled vehicles.

I will bear in mind the position of three-wheeled cars, but I cannot undertake to restore a tax differential between them and other cars.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what further consideration has been given by his Department to the building of a new national administrative centre in a new town outside the congested area of South-East England.

Nothing has happened to lead the Government to alter its view, as expressed by my right hon. Friend the former Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Housing and Local Government on 6th March. It is still the policy of Her Majesty's Government that Government staffs should, wherever possible, be moved out of Central London.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the salaries of the chairman and members of the National Incomes Commission.

The Chairman's salary is £12,500 a year. That of the Deputy Chairman is to be £7,000 a year when he takes up full-time duties next summer. Meanwhile it is £3,500. The salary for full-time members is £6,000 a year; part-time members receive salaries in proportion.

asked the Prime Minister if, bearing in mind his assurance of 31st October, 1961, that nuclear tests would if possible be made underground where there is no danger of pollution, he will, before authorising any further British tests in Nevada, consult the United States authorities on the possibility that leakage from underground testing in Nevada has been a contributory cause of relatively high concentrations of iodine-131 in milk in the United States, as disclosed by Dr. E. A. Martell of the Cambridge Air Force Research Centre before the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy on 5th June, 1962.

I have been asked to reply.It is true that in a very few cases underground tests have resulted in the venting of small quantities of radioactive material into the atmosphere; but the United States Atomic Energy Commission investigated Dr. Martell's hypothesis and were able to satisfy themselves that the high level of short lived radioactivity in parts of the United States at certain times since September 1961, was due, not to underground tests in Nevada, but to atmospheric tests much further away.

asked the Minister of Aviation if he will publish a list of the administrative, executive and technical officers of his Department with salaries of more than £1,500 per annum who on resigning or retiring during 1946–51 took up posts with industrial firms, signifying which of these did so within two years of leaving the Civil Service in cases requiring the approval of his Department, and also naming the firms they joined; and if he will indicate how many of those so affected were specially kept on until the end of the war period.

The following table shows the numbers of officers by grades for whom applications to take up posts with industrial firms within two years of leaving the Department were approved during the years 1946–51. The list is not wholly comparable with those given in reply to the hon. Member's previous Questions about later years because, following an examination of the working of the procedure which was carried out within my Department in 1955, the field of review was extended to a wide range of junior posts.

Year	Grade of Officer
1946	1 Deputy Director-General (Engineer).
	1 Deputy Director (Engineer).
1947	1 Under-Secretary.
	1 Assistant Director (Engineer).
1948	1 Director (Engineer).
1949	1 Principal Executive Officer.
	1 Chief Scientific Officer.
	1 Deputy Director (Research and Development).
1950	—
1951	1 Under-Secretary.
	1 Principal Assistant Secretary.
	1 Principal Executive Officer.
	2 Controllers.
	1 Chief Scientific Officer.
	1 Deputy Chief Scientific Officer.

This includes four officers in former Ministry of Supply posts no longer part of the Ministry of Aviation. No records are now available in respect of the former Ministry of Civil Aviation.The names of the firms concerned at the time of application are as follows:

asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty whether the contract recently placed with Vickers Armstrong for the third British nuclear submarine was open to competitive tender or has been made subject to a fixed price.

Competitive tenders were not called for but the order is the subject of a fixed price.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the British Government have agreed to finance the Kenya Government's one-million-acre scheme for the settlement of Africans on European farming land.

Yes. Subject to the necessary Parliamentary authority, the British Government have agreed to provide additional grants and loans up to £12·8 million.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what are the retail prices of sugar, butter, flour, cheese, milk, tea, beef, mutton, lamb and pork in St. Helena.

They are as follows:

	s.	d.
Sugar per lb.		8
Butter per lb.	4	4
Flour per lb.		5
Cheese per lb.	1	6
Milk
Fresh per 26 oz. bottle		8
Tinned unsweetened per 16 oz.	1	5
Sweetened skimmed per 14 oz.		11½
Full cream per 14 oz.	1	6½
Tea per lb.	6	8
Beef fresh per lb.	2	0
Corned beef (tinned) per lb.	2	6
Mutton, Lamb and Pork per lb.	2	6

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies to what extent the Sultan of Brunei is contributing to the expenditure incurred by Her Majesty's Government in response to his appeal for assistance against the rebels.

This has not been discussed with the Sultan.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what action he is taking to improve the efficiency of the police in Aden.

Proposals for immediate strengthening of the Police have been agreed and Her Majesty's Government will give financial assistance towards this. An advance of up to £9,800 will be made from the Civil Contingencies Fund and provision will be made in the Spring Supplementary Estimates to repay the Fund.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations how many civil servants in his Department during the past 10 years have waived any part of their pension rights when accepting posts in industrial firms within two years of their retirement from the Civil Service.

None.

asked the Minister of Defence how many Servicemen during the past 12 months have sought to contest parliamentary by-elections; how many were discharged and did not contest the seat for which permission was sought; and if, whilst considering fresh legislation, he will give an assurance that legal discharge will only be granted after nominations have been entered and the deposit made.

During the past 12 months, 124 Servicemen have sought to leave the Services to contest Parliamentary by-elections, of whom 13 have so far been discharged or allowed to resign, to enable them to do so. Three of those who have been discharged did not contest a seat. As regards the last part of the Question, I would refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Home Affairs, today.

asked the Minister of Defence to what extent he discussed with Mr. McNamara the possibility that the United States Government would provide Hounddog for the British independent nuclear deterrent; and what would be the cost involved.

I do not think it would be in the public interest for me to add to what I said yesterday about the current discussions on this subject.

asked the Minister of Education if he will now make a statement in regard to the advancement of the date of the summer examination for the General Certificate of Education in order to ease the staggering of holidays.

I cannot add to the statement made by my predecessor on 17th May.

asked the Minister of Education whether he will announce a decision on the proposals to establish certificate of secondary education examinations contained in the Fifth Report of the Secondary Schools Examinations Council.

I have received the comments of the associations of teachers and local authorities and they are generally in favour of the arrangements suggested in the Report. I am, therefore, informing the Chairman of the Secondary School Examinations Council that I approve the proposals and that I look forward to receiving, during the first half of 1963, the Council's recommendations on the establishment of regional examining bodies, so that the first examinations can be conducted in the summer of 1965.I am now consulting the associations about a number of other practical steps that need to be taken to implement the Council's proposals. When these consultations are complete, I intend to issue a circular and to lay amending Regulations before Parliament.

asked the Minister of Education what amounts have been offered by Her Majesty's Government to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation towards the fund for saving the temples at Abu Simnel; what sum the United Kingdom was invited to pay as its share; and what instructions in this matter have been sent to the British delegate at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.

The United Kingdom's contribution to the international campaign to save the monuments of Nubia has consisted of the exploration work being conducted with great success by the Egypt Exploration Society. This work has been assisted by grants paid by the Treasury to the British Academy amounting up to the present to £20,000: and further grants of up to £25,000 between now and 1964 have been promised.No contribution has been made or offered by Her Majesty's Government for the specific purpose of saving the temples of Abu Simbel. The 12th session of the General Conference of U.N.E.S.C.O. recently rejected a proposal put forward by the Director-General that the Organisation should guarantee the cost to the United Arab Republic of implementing the first stage of a project for raising the temples. This would have been done by negotiating a loan, the repayment of principal and interest to have been made over a period of 20 years as a charge on the Organisation's regular budget, which is financed from the assessed contributions of member states. The total estimated cost to the Organisation of this proposal would have been some $42 million, of which the United Kingdom's share would have amounted to over $3 million. The British delegation voted against this proposal which was inconsistent with the voluntary nature of the campaign as a whole.

asked the Minister of Health if he will state the number and grades of posts within each of the regional hospital board areas filled by contract arrangements with outside employers

Posts are not filled in this way.

asked the Minister of Labour how many males and females were registered as unemployed at the Bexhill, Hailsham and Rye employment exchanges on 15th December; and how many of them were over 55 years of age, under 18 years of age, and school leavers, respectively.

231 men and 41 women at Bexhill, 97 men and 11 women at Hailsham, and 53 men and 8 women at Rye. There were also 14 boys and 15 girls under 18 years of age registered as unemployed at the Bexhill Youth Employment Office, which also covers the Rye, Hailsham and Battle areas; of these, two boys and one girl had been unemployed since leaving school in the summer. I have no information about the numbers of unemployed over 55 years of age later than that I gave in my reply to the hon. Member on 25th July, 1962. The next analysis will be available in January, 1963.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance whether he will make a statement about the possibility of relaxing, the earnings rules for retirement and widow pensioners and for widowed mothers.

Yes. In accordance with Section 77 of the National Insurance Act, 1946, I have submitted to the National Insurance Advisory Committee for consideration and report draft regulations which would increase the amounts which a pensioner can earn in any week without reduction of pension. The regulations would raise these amounts from £3 10s. to £4 5s. in the case of widow pensioners and of those retirement pensioners to whom the rule applies, and from £5 to £6 in the case of widowed mothers. The draft regulations will be available tomorrow. If the Advisory Committee approves them they cannot however operate until they have been approved by resolution of each House of Parliament.

asked the Minister of Power what research is being conducted under the auspices of his Department into the preparation of smokeless fuels from the types of coal that are mined in Yorkshire.

None: but the Coal Research Establishment of the National Coal Board is carrying out research into a number of new processes for the production of smokeless fuel for both open fires and closed domestic appliances; the programme includes a study of the application of the most promising of these processes to types of coal mined in Yorkshire.The Board and the Gas Council are also continually seeking means of extending the range of acceptable coals for established processes, for which Yorkshire coals are already widely used.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will set out in tabular form the percentage increase in employment resulting from the granting of industrial development certificates since the present Act came into operation, for each region, for Northern Ireland, for the six cities which have derived the greatest assistance, and for Stoke-on-Trent, North Staffordshire, respectively.

The industrial development certificate system does not extend to Northern Ireland. Industrial building information is based on Employment Exchange areas. Comparable information for all these areas in Great Britain is not readily available. The figures for standard regions and the Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire Employment Exchange areas are as follows:

Industrial development certificates issued 1st April, 1960 to 30th September, 1962
Potential employment as percentage increases of the estimated numbers of insured employees in manufacturing industry at mid-1960
Standard region:	%
Northern	5·2
East and West Ridings	1·4
North Midland	2·8
Eastern	6·4
London and South Eastern	1·6
Southern	5·6
South Western	5·0
Wales	6·4
Midland	1·2
North Western	2·1
Scotland	3·9
Stoke-on-Trent	0·9
North Staffordshire*	2·3
* The Employment Exchange areas of Stoke-on-Trent (including Burslem, Hanley and Longton), Newcastle-under-Lyme, Kidsgrove, Biddulph, Stone, Leek and Cheadle.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what percentages of total factory space, in square feet, approved by industrial development certificates in the United Kingdom as a whole, were within development districts and the London and South-East region, respectively, in 1960, 1961, and the period of 1962 for which figures are available.

The figures are as follows:

INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT CERTIFICATES ISSUED: SQUARE FOOTAGE
PERCENTAGE OF GREAT BRITAIN TOTALS
—	1st April, 1960–31st December, 1960	1961	1st January, 1962–30th September, 1962
Development districts	13·5	14·7	14·1
London and South Eastern Region	14·2	17·9	15·8

Many of the industrial development certificates granted in the London and South Eastern Region were for extensions to existing capacity which could not be moved elsewhere, or for projects serving the local population.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science if he will state the amount of research that is taking place in the United Kingdom on the feasibility of micro-organisms producing concentrated proteins and vitamins from petroleum oils.

No research into these questions is taking place in Government laboratories.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science if, in consultation with the Council of the Royal Society, he will set up a secretariat of four or five full-time eminent scientists of stature, over the age at which they normally participate in original research work, to determine relative priorities in Britain's scientific effort.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will appoint a committee, including representatives of his Department, the local authorities concerned with overcrowding problems in conurbations on a river, and shipowners, to explore the possibilities of subsidising temporary accommodation in obsolete liners for those waiting for a house of their own, with a view to introducing legislation.

It would be premature to consider the question of subsidy before the practical aspects of the hon. Member's suggestion have been studied. That is not, I think, an appropriate task for a committee, but I shall be ready to examine any proposals that housing authorities may submit to me.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will now lift the ban on drift-netting for salmon, before the Hunter Committee has reported.

No. The ban was imposed, pending the investigation by the Hunter Committee, in case the rapid and widespread development of driftnet fishing should endanger the stocks of salmon. The matter will be reviewed when the Committee's report is received.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether he has studied the proposals of the Herring Industry Board to secure the better distribution and more profitable utilisation of West Coast herring during the autumn and winter seasons; and if he will make a statement.

I am aware that the Herring Industry Board has made certain proposals to the buyers and the fishermen on the subjects to which my hon. Friend refers. This is a matter for settlement within the industry.