asked the Minister of Health if he will state the maintenance allocation to the group management committees in respect of hospitals in the West Gloucestershire constituency for the current year, the amount requested when estimates were prepared, and the percentage increases in monetary and real terms over the allocation for the previous financial year.

asked the Minister of Health if he will state the maintenance allocation to the Group Management Committee for Salford hospitals for the current year, and the amount requested when estimates were prepared, and the percentage increases in monetary and real terms over the allocation for the previous year.

Following are the figures:

Hospital Mangement Committee	Initial allocation for 1962–63	Percentage increase in money terms over initial allocation for 1961–62
Salford	£1,764,000	6·7
West Gloucestershire:
Gloucester, Stroud and Forest	£1,122,000	9·5

NOTES:1. Increases at constant pay and prices are not separately calculated for each hospital authority.2. Allocations to Hospital Management Committees are the responsibility of Regional Hospital Boards. My right hon. Friend does not propose to ask Boards to disclose the draft estimates of individual hospital authorities.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will make a statement on the proposal of the Cardiff United Hospitals Committee to institute pay beds for private patients, despite the fact that there is a queue of people awaiting admission for cases of general need.

No such proposal is before my right hon. Friend.

asked the Minister of Health what steps he is taking to implement the recommendation of the Porritt Working Party on Medical Aid to the Developing Countries, that doctors from overseas taking up posts in the National Health Service undergo a two months' clinical assessment in selected hospitals and that subsequently they are provided with much improved post-graduate training if they receive posts in non-teaching regional hospitals.

It is the responsibility of employing authorities to assess the suitability of applicants for particular appointments. Schemes for postgraduate medical education are being developed in regional hospitals with the help of the Nuffield Provincial Hospitals Trust.

asked the Minister of Health what expenditure has taken place in recent years on major improvements and major renovations at Westminster Hospital; how this compares with expenditure on other teaching hospitals; and what major works are planned for the coming two years at this hospital.

I would refer the hon. Member to the Progress Reports on Hospital Building in England and Wales. New operating theatres, laboratories and other departments estimated to cost over £1·8 million should be started this year.

asked the Minister of Health in respect of which hospitals he has received reports that the effect of his recent circular, enforcing economy and condemning overspending, has been to cause wards or beds to be put out of use through lack of funds.

The Royal Sussex and Bevendean.

ask the Minister of Health what funds he has provided in each of the last three years for clinical research carried out in hospitals, apart from sums provided out of hospital authorities' free money.

Major research is not financed from my Department's Votes and information about the cost of clinical research done in the course of treatment is not available. Sums specifically allocated for locally organised hospital clinical research were £91,000 in 1960–61, £119,000 in 1961–62, and £187,000 in 1962–63.

asked the Minister of Health how many electrical generators in National Health Service hospitals have been installed since mid-December, 1962, as a safeguard against mains power-cuts; by whom these generators were installed; and at what cost.

149 from Government sources. I have no figures for those from private sources. Normally by hospital staff. The cost of installation is not readily identifiable but is small.

asked the Minister of Health what inquiry he has made into the circumstances of the death of a baby at Wanstead Hospital on Thursday, 2nd January, coincident with an electric power cut; how many hospitals in England and Wales are equipped with emergency generators; and how many are not.

After full inquiries by the Board, I have no reason to think that this stillbirth was attributable to the electricity cut. The other information requested is not available.

asked the Minister of Health if he will now apply for compulsory licences to allow hospitals to purchase drugs under Section 41 of the Patents Act 1949.

No.

asked the Minister of Health what action he proposes to take regarding the importation of drugs for use in the National Health Service, in view of the recent decision in the case of Pfizer Corporation v. Ministry of Health; and if he will make a statement.

I am lodging an appeal.

asked the Minister of Health if he will make arrangements for the Palmer Injection Gun to be supplied to diabetic persons when such an instrument is recommended by a family doctor.

No.

asked the Minister of Health if he will now make available, on prescription, a diabetic injection gun for those diabetic patients whose doctor is satisfied that such patients are unusually nervous about the use of a hypodermic needle.

No.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware of the misleading nature of many advertisements for toothpastes regarding their effect on dental health; and if he will introduce legislation to enable him to control the content of such advertisements so far as they relate to health matters.

No.

asked the Minister of Health what would be the cost if all paraplegia patients were supplied with a four-wheeled car containing a four cylinder engine.

I regret this information is not available.

asked the Minister of Health if he will consider the establishment within the National Health Service of permanent research posts with comparable status to that of consultant enabling holders to spend the whole of their time on research.

No. Such posts would be a matter for the Medical Research Council.

asked the Minister of Health to what extent he estimates that deaths from cancer of the cervix could be reduced by early diagnosis and treatment; and what steps he will take to encourage cervical smear testing of women over 30 years of age and to provide the necessary cytological facilities.

This procedure is being increasingly used but I am advised that it is premature to aim at general application.

asked the Minister of Labour what was the number of persons unemployed in Sunderland on the latest available date; and what was the corresponding figure for the previous year.

8,500 persons were unemployed in the Sunderland area on 14th January, 1963, compared with 4,388 on 15th January, 1962.

asked the Minister of Labour how many men in the building trades are at present unemployed in Sunderland.

At 14th January, 1963, 2,331 men whose last employment was in the construction industry were registered as unemployed in the Sunderland area.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will discuss with the Central Electricity Generating Board and the trades union leaders concerned ways to avoid in future the public inconvenience caused by the trade dispute resulting in an unofficial go-slow in many power stations with a view to ensuring that, without interfering with the normal processes of collective bargaining, vital public services are maintained in future; and if he has made proposals with this object in mind.

I am considering whether action on the lines suggested by my hon. and gallant Friend would serve a useful purpose. I have already received a request from the trade union side of the National Joint Industrial Council for the electricity supply industry asking me to convene a joint meeting of representatives of both sides of industry. I have replied saying that I would like some further information and have therefore invited representatives of the unions to meet my officials. I think it is desirable for this meeting to take place before deciding what further action would be useful.

asked the Minister of Labour what action he took during the recent work-to-rule, arising from a trade dispute; and what action he now proposes to take towards the avoidance of such disputes in the future.

The negotiations were conducted throughout within the framework of the National Joint Industrial Council for the electricity supply industry and there were no grounds for intervention on my part. The "work-to-rule" was an unofficial movement. It is for the union concerned to discourage such action which is contrary to the whole spirit of voluntary collective bargaining and in this instance in particular inflicted severe hardship upon the public.

asked the Minister of Labour what was the number of boys and girls unemployed at the most recent convenient date in the Port Talbot and Glyncorrwg area.

110 boys and 136 girls on 14th January, 1963.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will state the latest figure of unemployed in the Glasgow area; and how many of these are young people.

36,359 at 14th January, 1963, of whom 2,616 were under 18 years of age.

asked the Minister of Labour to what extent the number of unemployed in the Cumnock district of Ayrshire has increased in the last month.

By 172.

asked the Minister of Labour how many building trades apprentices started training in the northern region in 1962 as compared with 1961.

2,573 as compared with 2,099 in 1961. This is an increase of 23 per cent.

asked the Minister of Labour what steps he has taken to increase apprentice training on Tees-side in accordance with the expressed wishes of the local authorities, trade unions, and employers; and why the offers made by Dorman Long and Imperial Chemical Industries in September, 1962, to make additional apprentice training facilities available in their apprentice training schools have not yet been taken up.

I am prepared to make a grant of up to £3,000, and a loan of similar amount, through the Industrial Training Council to assist the North-East Training Council in the initial work of organising group training on Tees-side. In working out its proposals the council has been in touch with the two firms mentioned and several others. The arrangements are to be discussed at a meeting of the Industrial Training Council next Wednesday when I hope the matter will be settled.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that since 1951 unemployment has increased by 83 per cent; and what action he proposes to take to restore the employment figures to their pre-1951 level.

Between mid-1951 and mid-1962 the numbers in employment increased by nearly 2 million, or about 9 per cent. The Government's policy is to safeguard employment by promoting expansion on a sound basis. We have already taken several measures to this end.

asked the Minister of Labour how many of those currently unemployed in Scotland are building trade workers temporarily stopped; and what was the figure of such unemployed.

Provisional figures indicate that of a total of 128,025 workers registered as unemployed in Scotland at 14th January, 7,879 were temporarily stopped from construction.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what proposals he has made or will make during his negotiations with the European Economic Community in order to ensure that, before Great Britain joins the Community, full democratic control will be established over the executive and legislative organs of the Community.

There are already provisions in the Treaty of Rome covering these matters.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether he has conducted any negotiations on the procedure to be adopted under Article 102 of the Treaty of Rome under which no legislation or administrative provision causing a disparity with conditions in the Common Market can be proceeded with in the Member State until the Commission has been consulted.

No. Article 102 is acceptable to us. If Britain joins the Community we shall wish to see that competitive conditions are not distorted and that British exporters are able to take full advantage of the opportunities afforded by the Treaty. There is, of course, no question under this Article of the European Commission having the power to prevent a national parliament from passing legislation.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he is aware that a document entitled "Memorandum of the Commission on the Action Programme for the Second Stage", published by the European Economic Commission on 24th October, 1962, proposes as an objective for the third stage that the Council of Ministers would decide the volume of each member country's national budget and the general conditions for financing it; what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government regarding this proposal in relation to Great Britain's application to join the Common Market; and what discussions he has had with the Six about it.

The proposal in the Commission's Action Programme for integrated budgetary policies is put forward merely as a possible objective for the final stage in the establishment of the Common Market. The proposal implies not that the Community Finance Ministers will decide on the size of individual national budgets, but that they will review generally public expenditure over the whole Community to make sure that no one member State is proposing in its budget a course of action involving difficulties for any of the others.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what steps he will take to overcome the obstacles to establishing international inspection of atomic weapons establishments in Western Europe.

This is a matter for the Council of the Western European Union as a whole, not the United Kingdom alone. The Council is fully conscious of its responsibility to carry out all provisions of the revised Brussels Treaty relating to the control of armaments.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a statement on recent United Nations operations in Katanga.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what protests have been made at the United Nations at the threat to British lives and damage to British property in Katanga; and whether he will make a statement about the third United Nations offensive there.

On the 28th December the United Kingdom representative to the United Nations inquired what steps were being taken to ensure the safety of the civilian population in Elisabethville, and was given appropriate assurances.Hostilities broke out on 24th December when Katangan gendarmerie brought down a United Nations helicopter sent to investigate an outbreak of firing in Elisabethville. An Indian Lieutenant died of wounds. On the evening of 27th December firing started again in Elisabethville, directed from Katangese road blocks against United Nations positions. The United Nations said that firing against them continued for several hours before the United Nations forces took measures for their self-defence. Talks between M. Tshombe and United Nations commanders about a halt to the firing and the removal of road blocks broke down when M. Tshombe declined to confirm his oral agreement in writing, and United Nations troops thereupon advanced on the road blocks.The British and United States Consuls in Elisabethville did their utmost to assist the efforts to stop the fighting, and the Secretary General expressed his appreciation of the helpful rôle played by Mr. Dodson, the British Consul. Meanwhile resistance by the Katanga gendarmerie was slight and by 30th December the United Nations were in complete control of the Elisabethville area.The United Nations troops were under orders not to advance to other major centres in Katanga without express instructions from the Secretary General, but in the absence of any serious opposition, Irish troops occupied Kipushi on 30th December. On 3rd January Jadotville was occupied by elements of the Indian Brigade with negligible resistance and little serious damage. The United Nations explained that this advance was contrary to instructions and that there had been a failure of communications in transmitting the Secretary General's orders.On 9th January M. Tshombe, following a visit to Kolwezi, personally arranged the opening of communications to Sakania on the Federation border and United Nations troops reached Mokambo nearby without opposition.On 17th January, after a further visit to Kolwezi, M. Tshombe once more returned to Elisabethville and at a meeting with United Nations civilian and military representatives agreed to take the necessary measures to ensure the United Nations peaceful entry into Kolwezi, in accordance with their right to freedom of movement throughout Katanga, which M. Tshombe had earlier acknowledged. The United Nations forces have since entered Kolwezi without any untoward incident. Meanwhile President Kasavubu and M. Adoula have confirmed in writing to the United Nations the validity of their earlier declarations of an amnesty for all political offences.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what steps have been taken since early 1962 to obtain the compensation demanded for British subjects whose persons and property were damaged by United Nations Organisation forces in 1961 in Katanga; what have been the results; and whether any British or Commonwealth subjects suffered harm in the recent fighting with United Nations Organisation forces in Katanga.

Registration of losses by Persons who claim to have suffered injury or damage has continued, and reports of all the incidents concerned have been under examination in London. I have received no reports that any British or Commonwealth subject suffered harm in the recent fighting with United Nations forces in Katanga.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what representations have been received by Her Majesty's Government from African nationalist parties against the United Nations operations in Katanga; and what replies have been made.

None.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what has been the result of the United States good offices in Yemen.

The United States Government are continuing their good offices in the Yemen and their efforts to bring about conditions in which all parties would disengage.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether he will increase the British contribution towards the relief and rehabilitation of the Algerian people to a sum of not less than £100,000.

As my right hon. Friend stated in the House on 29th November Her Majesty's Government have made a number of contributions for the relief of refugees from Algeria. The United Nations High Commissioner stated last November that he had sufficient funds for his Algerian programme.

asked the Lord Privy Seal, in view of the recent sacking of the British Embassy in Leopoldville by Congolese rioters, what steps he is taking to provide arms, as well as British subjects trained in their use, for all British diplomatic and consular posts in former French and Belgian colonies which have recently gained independence.

None. It is the custom that the protection of diplomatic and consular posts is the responsibility of the host Government.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what response Her Majesty's Government have made to the request of the Government of the Republic of the Sudan for assistance with the training of pilots and parachute troops.

Her Majesty's Government will pay part of the cost of the United Kingdom training programme of the Sudanese Air Force over the period July, 1962, to June, 1963. This is estimated at £52,500. In addition, Her Majesty's Government have agreed to meet the cost of the pay and basic allowances (amounting to £12,500) of six Royal Air Force parachute instructors who have been lent to the Sudan for one year. Parliament will in due course be asked to vote the amounts necessary in the current financial year by means of a Supplementary Estimate.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he is yet in a position to give details of the ultimate settlement, including the amount and date of the compensation paid by the Danish Government or other persons found responsible, for the damage done by the firing on the Scottish trawler "Red Crusader" and the steps he has taken to prevent a recurrence of such incidents, to prevent delay in the settlements of claims for damage done and to maintain friendly relations between the Governments and fishing fleets involved.

There is nothing I can add to the statement made by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary in answer to the hon. and learned Member's Question on 23rd January.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will make a statement on the proposed Welsh Agricultural College.

I am aware of the concern that a decision should be reached speedily, but my right hon. Friend is not yet able to make a statement.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, with regard to the Freedom from Hunger Campaign, what reassessment has been made of United Nations and other figures showing the proportion of the world's population hungry or under-nourished; and whether he will make a statement.

The most recent estimate made by the Food and Agriculture Organisation suggests that there is a calory deficiency in the diet of between

1957–58	Per cent increase 1957–58 over 1956–57	1958–59	Per cent increase 1958–59 over 1957–58	1959–60	Per cent increase 1959–60 over 1958–59	1960–61	Per cent increase 1960–61 over 1959–60	1961–62	Per cent increase 1961–62 over 1960–61
£'000		£'000		£'000		£'000		£'000
4,720	13·4	5,032	6·6	5,301	5·3	5,847	10·3	6,589	12·7

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the actual amounts paid to farmers during the last complete financial year under the respective headings of amalgamation of uneconomic holdings, bracken eradication, calves, coypu destruction, drainage, fertilizers, forestry, hill cows, hill sheep, horticulture im-

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the total amount paid to landowners in 1962 as forestry grants.

The total amount paid in the forest year ended 30th September, 1962, was £1,244,748.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the total amount of the precepts levied by river boards in England and Wales, including the Lee Conservancy and Thames Conservancy Catchment Boards, in each of the years 1957–58 to 1961–62; and what increase or decrease per cent. these figures represented on the figures of the immediately preceding year.

The following table shows the total of the precepts levied by river and catchment boards upon local authorities in England and Wales, year by year from 1957–58 to 1961–62, together with the percentage increases:provement, liming, new houses and cottages, ploughing, rabbit clearance, rabbit scrub clearance, silos, small farmers, water supply, wood pigeon destruction, improvements to existing houses and cottages, improvements to fixed equipment and land, improvements to livestock, improvements to livestock rearing land and cattle tuberculosis.

Subject to final audit, the amounts paid to farmers and others through the Votes of my Ministry during the financial year ended on 31st

CERTAIN EXPENDITURE MET OUT OF CLASS VIII, VOTES 2 AND 3, 1961–62
Vote	Subhead	Title		Amount
				£
2	A.1	General Fertilisers Subsidy (United Kingdom)		32,969,881
	A.2	Line Subsidy (United Kingdom)		8,796,883
	A.3	Grants for Ploughing Up Grassland (England and Wales and Northern Ireland)		9,000,622
	A.4	Field Drainage and Water Supply Grants (England and Wales):
			£
		(a) Field Drainage Grants	2,492,188
		(b) Water Supply Grants	660,915
				3,153,103
	A.5	Grants for Improvements of Livestock Rearing Land (England and Wales and Northern Ireland)		1,026,125
	A.7	Bonus Payments under the Tuberculosis (Attested Herds) Scheme 1958 (England and Wales)		6,598,743
	A.8	Livestock: Grants for Improvement of Breeding (England and Wales)		6,901
	A.9	Calf Subsidy (England and Wales and Northern Ireland)		14,470,593
	A.10	Subsidy Payments in respect of Hill Sheep and Hill Cattle and Wales and Northern Ireland):
			£
		(a) Hill Sheep	400,384
		(b) Hill Cattle	2,475,067
				2,875,451
	A.11	Silo Subsidies (England and Wales and Northern Ireland)		742,112
	A.12	Grants for Farm Improvements and Amalgamations (England and Wales and Northern Ireland)		7,935,018
	A.13	Grants to Rabbit Clearance Societies (England and Wales) (Grants relate to expenditure incurred in destroying rabbits, wood pigeons, coypu and harmful members of the crow family. A detailed breakdown is not available)		235,391
	A.14	Grants to Small Farmers (England and Wales and Northern Ireland)		6,852,088
3	D.1	Slaughter of Diseased Animals: compensation etc. (England and Wales):
		(a) Compensation to owners of animals slaughtered—
		(ii) and (iii) Tuberculosis in cattle		913,390
		(Receipts from the sale of carcases are credited to Appropriations-in-Aid of this Vote).
	G.3	Other Grants (England and Wales):
		(a) Grants in respect of expenditure for clearing rabbit- infested scrubland, etc.		110,308
	K.1	Grants for Horticultural Improvements (England and Wales and Northern Ireland)		451,330
	P.6	Miscellaneous Grants and Contributions (England and Wales):
		(e) Bracken Eradication Grants		2,450
Notes
1. Grants for the amalgamation of uneconomic holdings are included in Subhead A.12. They amounted to approximately £300 in 1961–62.
2. Specific grants to landowners for afforestation are made by the Forestry Commission. Grants are also made under the Schemes for the Improvement of Livestock Rearing Land and Farm Improvements (Subheads A.5 and A.12) for planting shelter belts. The cost of the latter in 1961–62 is estimated at £6,469.
3. Grants for the provision of new farmhouses and cottages and for the improvement of existing ones are made under Schemes for the Improvement of Livestock Rearing Land (subhead A.5). The cost in 1961–62 is estimated at £272,193. A breakdown of grants between new and existing farmhouses and cottages is not available.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give the total amounts paid to farm-

Subject to final audit, the total amounts paid to producers in the United Kingdom in respect of the price guarantees for various commodities during the financial year 1961–62 were as follows:

			£ million
Fatstock	…	…	113·3
Cereals	…	…	73·3
Eggs	…	…	16·2
Milk	…	…	11·8
Potatoes	…	…	8·0
Wool	…	…	2·9
			£225·5

asked the Minister of Aviation 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 London in each of the years 1956 to 1962.

I am not in a position to give a reliable estimate of the value and percentage of contracts placed in any particular area.

asked the Minister of Aviation what steps he proposes to take, in view of the short time working of 6,300 Scottish employees of Rolls Royce Ltd., to assist the further development of the aircraft industry in Scotland.

Rolls Royce Ltd. expects the short-time working at its Scottish factories to be temporary. Government expenditure in the aircraft industry is expected to remain at a high level and the Scottish factories should benefit from this.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance whether he will investigate the regulations governing the payment of unemployment benefit to seasonal workers, as operated in respect of disabled men and women, with a view to improving them.

The rules affecting seasonal workers are kept under constant review in my Department. A change introduced last May enabled dis- abled persons who are seasonal workers to get unemployment credits on the same terms as other unemployed people and thereby to safeguard their entitlement to retirement pensions and other National Insurance benefits. But so far as unemployment benefit is concerned I agree with the view expressed by the National Insurance Advisory Committee that it would not be appropriate to introduce special provisions to enable seasonal workers who are disabled to get unemployment benefit on more favourable terms than other seasonal workers during those parts of the year when they are not normally in employment.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what proposals he has received from the National Assistance Board for increasing allowances for coal or heating for persons receiving National Assistance.

None. National Assistance allowances, which include provision for normal fuel requirements all the year round, were increased last autumn, and additional fuel allowances are provided to meet special needs in more than 400,000 cases. I understand that the Board has recently asked its local offices to be especially alert to recognise cases of hardship arising from the present severe weather.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what steps he is taking to ensure that old age pensioners are able to purchase an adequate supply of coal this winter.

I presume that the Question refers to old people eligible for National Assistance. National Assistance allowances, which include provision for normal fuel requirements all the year round, were increased last autumn, and additional fuel allowances are provided to meet special needs in more than 400,000 cases. I understand that the Board has recently asked its local offices to be especially alert to recognise cases of hardship arising from the present severe weather.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance how many persons are at present in receipt of supplementary grants from the Dartford Area office of the National Assistance Board; and how this number compares with the numbers issued in each of the last three years.

The number of weekly National Assistance allowances payable in this area as supplements to non-contributory old age pensions, retirement pensions and other benefits under the National Insurance Acts was 3,202 at 18th December last, and 2,957, 2,999 and 2,713 respectively at the comparable time in 1961, 1960 and 1959. In some instances a supplement to noncontributory old age pension or retirement pension provides for the needs of a husband and wife who are both pensioners.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if he will take steps to ensure that every boy and girl, who after leaving school have been unable to obtain suitable employment, shall be able to receive unemployment benefits.

No. Unemployment benefit is an insurance benefit paid in return for contributions as an employed person. It is not therefore available to those who have never been in employment and contributed for it. Once a minimum number of contributions have been paid, however, special rules already exist for helping young people to qualify for benefit.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if he will state the number of justices of the peace who have successfully over the past 12 months claimed unemployment benefits for the days when they have been present in court carrying out their duties as magistrates.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science what research is being undertaken on the possible relation between diesel fumes and lung cancer.

The Medical Research Council is continuing its wide programme of research on the relation of air pollution, including that from diesel fumes, to diseases such as lung cancer. This programme includes chemical, physical, and epidemiological studies; the various projects are listed in the Annual Report of the Council. The results of these studies are published, as they become available, in the scientific Press.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science what progress has been made in the investigations by the Medical Research Council into the possible danger to health of workers in hairdressing establishments from the use of lacquer hair sprays; and if he will make a statement.

Two investigations sponsored by the Medical Research Council are currently in progress: one into the physical properties and chemical composition of the aerosols used, and the other consisting of examinations, including X-rays, of groups of workers using different types of spray. These investigations are not yet completed but the results will be published in the scientific Press in due course.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science when he expects to receive the report of the Medical Research Council concerning the causes and treatment of bronchitis.

The Medical Research Council supports a very considerable amount of research relevant to lung diseases, some of which is specifically directed to bronchitis. This is a continuing activity of the Council and it is not envisaged that a special report on the subject will be prepared and published. The results of the various researches in hand will be published, as they become available, in the scientific journals in the normal way. The research programmes of the various units concerned are listed in the Council's Annual Reports.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science whether grants made by or on the recommendation of the Clinical Research Board are met from the annual Exchequer grant to the Medical Research Council; and what is the source of any other special allocation which is provided for this purpose.

The Medical Research Council is the sole source.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science what were the annual sums disbursed by or on the recommendation of the Clinical Research Board for each year since it was established.

The approximate amounts spent by the Medical Research Council on clinical research since the Clinical Research Board was established are as follows:

			£
1954–55	…	…	650,000
1955–56	…	…	760,000
1956–57	…	…	835,000
1957–58	…	…	1,045,000
1958–59	…	…	1,160,000
1959–60	…	…	1,450,000
1960–61	…	…	1,525,000
1961–62	…	…	1,835,000

asked the Secretary for Technical Co-operation what steps his Department is taking to encourage the secondment of sister tutors to posts in the newly independent Commonwealth countries.

Meetings are now being held with senior members of the nursing profession in many parts of the country to discuss schemes of secondment and to obtain co-operation in implementing them. These meetings are being followed by approaches to individual hospitals with specific requests for secondment.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that since 1951 the radio and television licence duty has risen by 178 per cent.; and whether he will take some action to restore this duty to its 1951 level.

No. The increase of 178 per cent. referred to is the increase in the total amount of broadcast receiving licence revenue collected by the Post Office and paid into the Exchequer in the years stated. Since 1951 there has been no change in the sound broadcasting licence fee. The combined sound and television licence fee has been increased by 50 per cent. from £2 to £3; the total cost to the public, which includes the £1 Excise duty introduced in 1957, has risen from £2 to £4, an increase of 100 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Air how many Royal Air Force personnel have been employed in installing generators in National Health Service hospitals since mid-December, 1962; how many of these airmen worked in uniform and how many in civilian clothing; and what was the daily allowance in the case of those men providing their own civilian clothing.

A number of Royal Air Force generators have been supplied to National Health Service hospitals for use in emergency. They were delivered and installed by 30 airmen and 10 civilian employees. Eight of the airmen wore civilian clothes. The daily allowance for the wearing of civilian clothing on duty is 9d.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, in view of the official undertaking to the Nandi tribe that their lands in the Kenya Nandi Salient are to be purchased by the Government and returned to them in January-March, 1963, he will now increase the promised grant-in-aid so as to enable all European farms in the Salient to be purchased at a total sum of approximately £400,000; and if he is aware that this is a matter of urgency, both from a security angle and in justice both to the European farmers concerned and to the Nandi tribe.

It remains the intention of the Kenya Government to buy these farms, which are understood to be valued at around £200,000. Her Majesty's Government have undertaken to lend to the Kenya Government the amount estimated to be needed this year for purchases.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations if he will instruct Her Majesty's High Commissioner in Ghana to seek an early interview with Dr. Nkrumah with a view to asking the Government of Ghana to honour their previous agreement with the terms of the 1960 Directive, which established the pension and compensation rights of Her Majesty's Overseas Civil Service officers serving on inter-territorial research organisations in West Africa.

NUMBER OF PUPILS AGED 15 (AND 16) IN MODERN AND ALL-AGE SCHOOLS EXPRESSED AS A PERCENTAGE OF THE NUMBER OF PUPILS AGED 13 IN SUCH SCHOOLS TWO (AND THREE) YEARS EARLIER
—	January, 1958	January, 1959	January, 1960	January, 1961	January, 1962
15 year-olds (as percentage of 13 year-olds two years earlier)	8·5	10·4	12·5	13·6	17·5
16 year-olds (as percentage of 13 year-olds three years earlier)	1·2	1·6	2·0	2·6	3·3

These figures show a welcome continuation of the trend of recent years and reflect the successful establishment of extended courses in a steadily increasing number of schools.

asked the Minister of Education what grants have been made from the fund established to stimulate and sponsor research.

The grants made for the financial year 1962–63 were set out in the Answer given to the hon. Member for Sunderland, North (Mr. Willey) on 11th December, 1962. No further projects have yet been announced.

No, sir. The position is that, at the request of my right honourable Friend the Secretary for Technical Co-operation, the British High Commissioner recently asked the Ghana Government for their views about the Directive, and that he was told in reply that it had never been formally accepted and that they were not prepared to accept it now.The whole question of retirement terms for officers serving with the research organisations in West Africa is under active consideration, and the possibility of a further approach to the Ghana Government cannot be excluded.

asked the Minister of Education whether he will make a statement on the development of extended courses at secondary modern schools.

The following are the latest available figures showing the extent of voluntary staying-on beyond the minimum school-leaving age:

asked the Minister of Education if he is aware that no figures have been published of teachers in part-time service in grant-aided major establishments for further education later than 1st February, 1961; and what steps he is taking to increase the availability of statistical information in his Department.

Yes. I do not at present obtain annual statistical returns from establishments of further education about part-time teachers. The hon. Member is aware that there has been a considerable extension and improvement of my Department's statistical services.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what details he has received from the University Grants Committee about the manner in which the increased amount of money available for university salaries is to be applied with respect to the various categories and grades of staffs involved.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak (Mr. Gurden) on 24th January.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what was the total amount paid to owners of historic houses or similar buildings in 1962 as grants under the Historic Buildings and Ancient Monuments Act.

During 1962 just over £460,000 was paid in grants under the Historic Buildings and Ancient Monuments Act, 1953.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works, in view of the assimilation of the works services of the three Service Departments into his Department, what system he is adopting for selection of the senior professional appointments in the enlarged organisation; and what professional advice he is taking to ensure that the best man, irrespective of Departmental origin, is selected for each appointment.

For the limited number of posts at the top of the professional range I propose to rely upon my own judgment in the light of the advice available to me. Professional officers generally will be assimilated into the new organisation in their existing grades. Thereafter the various usual procedures will be followed as the process of reorganisation continues.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs from which firms sodium fluoride was obtained for addition to the water supply in the study areas in the recent experiments in this country; and which firms supplied the necessary machinery.

Sodium fluoride was obtained from Messrs. Albright and Wilson and the machinery from Messrs. Wallace and Tiernan.

asked the Minister of Power what action he took during the recent work-to-rule to ensure that public supplies of power were not cut off.

This was best left to the Electricity Council and Boards, which did all they could to maintain supplies.

asked the Minister of Transport how many road bridges have been built of concrete and of steel, respectively, since the war; and by which road authorities or agents they were built.

This information is not readily available. Since some thousands of road bridges have been built since the war, it would be a lengthy and complicated task to obtain it from the highway or agent authorities concerned. Most concrete bridges do, of course, incorporate large quantities of steel as reinforcement.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has yet received the report of the recent inquiry about Dundee Corporation rents.

Yes. The Report is being published this afternoon and for the convenience of hon. Members I have arranged to make copies available in the Vote Office. The Reporter's conclusion is that the Corporation did not at its meeting on 5th July, 1962, carry out a proper review of rents within the meaning of the relevant statutory provision and accordingly has failed to do what was thereby required of it. I have sent the Report to the Corporation telling it that I accept this conclusion and giving it an opportunity to reconsider its position within the next month before I take formal action under the statutory provisions relating to default. I am also sending copies of the Report to all Scottish local authorities.