asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list by years the total value of the capital improvements carried out on Glanllyn Estate since his Department was responsible for it; and at what valuation the estate was taken over by the Government.

The following table gives the information required:

Glanllyn Estate, Merioneth
Valuation
Valuation of Estate against Death Duties due to Treasury and written off against part payment thereof (1948)	£149,306
Opening valuation (1948) of that part of the Estate now under the management of the Welsh Agricultural Land Sub-Commission	£132,000
Capital Expenditure in that part of Estate under management of W.A.L.S.C.

(

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how the quantity of unmilled French wheat imported into Great Britain in 1962 compares with the quantity imported in 1961; and how the average price of the unmilled French wheat imported into Great Britain in 1962 compares with the French target price for wheat.

During the calendar year 1962 United Kingdom imports of French wheat amounted to 162,000 tons: but of this only 14,000 tons have been imported since September last when our large domestic crap began to be marketed in volume. The total figure for 1961 was 96,000 tons. The average c.i.f. price of the French wheat imported in 1962 was £24 4s. a ton. The French basic target price was about £35 5s. a ton at the start of the current season and had risen to about £36 9s. in December.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much British-produced wheat was exported from Great Britain in 1962; and how the average price at which this wheat was exported compared with the average price paid for wheat imported into Great Britain in 1962.

In 1962 some 91 thousand tons of wheat which included a considerable quantity of seed were exported from the United Kingdom at an average f.o.b. price of £28 12s. a ton. The average c.i.f. price of all United Kingdom imports in 1962 was £26 10s. a ton.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will now initiate discussions on a European fishing limits agreement, in view of the collapse of the Common Market negotiations.

The fishery limits problem is under constant review, but I doubt whether such an initiative on our part would be opportune at the moment.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give details of the latest estimates he has made of the agricultural subsidies for the United Kingdom for 1962–63, together with comparable figures for the previous years.

Following are particulars of the latest estimates of the cost of agricultural support in the financial year 1962–63 for which provisions have been made in the Civil Estimates, Class V, Votes 3, 4, 5 and 6, as amended by the Supplementary Estimates, available

I.—FARMING GRANTS AND SUBSIDIES
£ million
—			1962–63	1961–62
1.	General Fertilisers Subsidy	…	35·0	33·0
2.	Lime Subsidy	…	9·8	8·8
3.	Grants for Ploughing up Grassland	…	11·7	11·5
4.	Field Drainage and Water Supply Grants	…	3·8	3·5
5.	Grants for Improvement of Livestock Rearing Land	…	1·6	1·6
6.	Marginal Production Assistance Grants	…	0·8	0·8
7.	Bonus Payments under the Tuberculosis (Attested Herds) Scheme	…	5·2	7·2
8.	Calf Subsidy	…	18·3	17·8
9.	Hill Sheep and Hill Cattle	…	6·8	5·8
10.	Silo Subsidies	…	0·6	0·8
11.	Grants for Farm Improvements	…	10·8	9·2
12.	Grants to Rabbit Clearance Societies	…	0·3	0·3
13.	Grants to Small Farmers	…	7·7	7·1
14.	Other Grants	…	0·1	01
TOTAL I		…	112·5	107·5

II.—IMPLEMENTATION OF AGRICULTURAL PRICE GUARANTEES
£ million
—			1962–63		1961–62
(1)	Cereals:—
	Wheat and Rye	…	16·3	—	22·0	—
	Barley	…	36·3	—	33·2	—
	Oats and mixed corn	…	112	—	18·1	—
				63·8		73·3
(2)	Eggs	…	—	24·3	—	16·2
(3)	Fatstock:
	Cattle	…	30·0	—	46·4	—
	Sheep	…	19·7	—	30·7	—
	Pigs	…	57·3	—	36·2	—
				107·0		113·3
(4)	Milk (excluding school and welfare milk)	…	—	—*	—	11·8
(5)	Wool	…	—	3·3	—	2·9
(6)	Potatoes	…	—	0·4	—	8·0
	TOTAL II	…	—	198·8	—	225·5

III.—OTHER SERVICES
£ million
—				1962–63	1961–62
Payment to the Exchequer of Northern Ireland	…	…	…	1·1	0·9
TOTALS I, II and III	…	…	…	312·4	333·9

IV.—ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES
£ million
—				1962–63	1961–62
Applicable to I and II only	…	…	…	8·9	8·7
TOTAL ESTIMATED COST OF AGRICULTURAL SUPPORT	…	…	…	321·3	342·6

Details of the original estimates of the cost of agricultural support were included in Table V of the Memorandum by the Financial Secretary to the Treasury on the Estimates 1962–63 (H.C. 142).

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will review the offer of subsidies for trawlers built abroad, in view of the growing unemployment position in British shipyards.

No. To restore the former restriction on grants to boats built in the United Kingdom would be inconsistent with our international obligations. In any case no one has yet applied to have a vessel built abroad.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what advice he has tendered to farmers concerning the protection of livestock during the severe winter weather.

Farmers do not need general advice on how to farm in bad weather. But the Ministry's local officers, including the advisory services, have, of course, been in constant touch with county branches of the N.F.U. and with individual farmers, to advise and help them on any specific problems concerning livestock.

asked the Minister of Aviation if he will uphold the appeal made to him against the recent decision of the licensing authority not to allow an air passenger service between the Leeds-Bradford Airport and Amsterdam.

This case is sub judice.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what steps he proposes to take to make old-age pensions available to those who were excluded from the National Insurance scheme on the grounds of age.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if he will take steps to make old-age pensions available to those who were excluded from the present State scheme at its inception because they were too old; how many people would be affected; and what the cost would be.

As has been explained to the House on previous occasions, I have no means of telling how many of the people over pensionable age without title to retirement pension had no opportunity of becoming insured either as voluntary contributors under the old scheme or as late-age entrants under the present National Insurance Scheme. There are in all some 700,000 people who for a variety of reasons have not satisfied the contribution conditions for retirement pensions, which are, of course, an essential part of the insurance basis of the scheme. It is estimated that the immediate cost of paying pensions to this group at the standard rates in the National Insurance Bill now before Parliament would be of the order of £115 million a year. I have no proposals to make on this matter.

asked the Minister of Health what information he has, from the 1951 and 1961 census returns, of the number of workers in the Nantyglo, Blaina, Abertillery and Newbridge districts, respectively, who travel outside these districts to their place of employment; and if he will make a statement.

Following are the figures:

1951 Census
	Resident in the urban district but working outside it
Abertillery Urban District	3150
Nantyglo and Blaina Urban District	2645

Separate figures are not available for the parish of Newbridge. The information from the 1961 census is not yet available.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware of the dissatisfaction caused to Health Service patients by the provision of types of hearing aid now obsolete; and what would be the additional cost of providing all deaf persons with the lighter and less obtrusive models now available.

Replacement of all valve aids by transistor aids is in progress and proceeding as fast as production and fitting allow.

asked the Minister of Health if he will seek to amend the Health Acts in such a way as to give himself the power to recruit public health inspectors, in view of the difficulties now being experienced by local health authorities in obtaining suitably qualified men.

No.

asked the Minister of Health if he will take steps to enforce more strongly the requirement for the production of an international certificate of vaccination by all immigrants from areas where vaccination is not compulsory.

I am proposing, in accordance with a recommendation of the Public Health Committee of the Council of Europe, to make these certificates compulsory for all travellers from endemic and local infected smallpox areas.

asked the Minister of Health if he will state the proportion

Population: (June, 1950) 43,830,000 (June, 1961) 46,166,000
—	1950–51		1961–62
	£ million	Per cent.	£ million	Per cent.
Total cost of National Health Service	412	100	831	100
Transferred from National Insurance Fund	36	8·8	—	—
Receipts from National Health Service Contributions	—	—	130	15·7
Payments by patients	4	1·1	47	5·7

asked the Minister of Health whether additional resources are being made available to regional hospital boards for the undertaking of small building schemes in areas where there is relatively high unemployment in the building and contracting industry.

I regret this information is not available.

asked the Minister of Health what reduction of pay is imposed on a State registered nurse who agrees to undergo midwifery training.

In accordance with Whitley Council agreements, the training allowance for a pupil midwife who is a State registered nurse is £474 per annum, compared with £328–£361 per annum for one who is not and with the rate of pay of £564–£705 per annum for a State registered staff nurse.

asked the Minister of Health what was the total cost of the National Health Service in 1950 and in the latest convenient year; what proportion of this cost was paid by the consumer in insurance contributions and by charges, respectively; and how many patients were looked after by the National Health Service in each of the two years.

The figures for England and Wales are:

Additional work worth just over £480,000 has been authorised in the North-East and on Merseyside.

asked the Minister of Health when the construction of the new hospital at Lindley, Huddersfield, will be completed; and when it will be available for use in whole or in part.

I cannot yet say.

asked the Minister of Health whether it is still his policy to eliminate large mental hospitals; and to what extent the payment of matrons, chief male nurses, hospital secretaries and other hospital officers according to number of beds will affect his project.

Yes, in course of time; not at all.

asked the Minister of Health, in view of the heavy unemployment in Gateshead, if he will consider advancing the date for the commencement of the first phase of the diagnostic centre at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Gateshead.

No. At least two years preparatory work is still required before this scheme can start.

asked the Minister of Labour what is the latest figure of unemployment in Newcastle-under-Lyme; what proportion of the working population this represents; and how it compares

UNEMPLOYMENT AT 14TH JANUARY, 1963
—		Men	Women	School Leavers	Registered Disabled
Pontyclun	…	174	20	—	24
Tonyrefail	…	396	53	—	49
Pontypridd Youth Employment Office	…	—	—	83	—

asked the Minister of Labour what further administrative steps he will take to make available in Liverpool the skilled labour required in the future for incoming industries.

The employment exchanges will make every effort to meet future demands for skilled labour in Liverpool arising from incoming industries. The Government Training Centre at Aintree, Liverpool, provides training in a number of skilled trades including engineering which should be useful for the new industries.

1,444, or 5·1 per cent. of the insured employees on 14th January, 1963, compared with 751 on 15th January. 1962.

asked the Minister of Labour what progress has been made in his efforts to avoid a strike at Ford's, Dagenham.

I have invited representatives of the company and of the trade unions to meet officials of my Department again separately tomorrow or Wednesday, whichever is convenient, to see whether, in the existing situation, there is anything I can do which would help to avoid a strike.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will give an analysis of the unemployment figures for the Pontyclun and Tonyrefail employment exchanges, extracting separately those for men, women, school leavers and registered disabled, respectively.

Figures of unemployed school leavers are available only for the Pontypridd Youth Employment Office area, in which Pontyclun and Tonyrefail are situated. Following is the information available:

asked the Minister of Labour what percentage of boy school leavers in Liverpool in 1961 and 1962 obtained employment leading to skilled occupations; and how this figure compared with the national average.

25·6 per cent. in 1961 and 21·9 per cent. in 1962. The figures for Great Britain were 37·9 per cent. in 1961 and 36·2 per cent. in 1962.

asked the Minister of Labour what is the estimated number of school leavers in Gateshead at the next leaving date; and, in view of the 291 boys and 97 girls unemployed at 14th January, 1963, what he estimates the prospects are for these young people to obtain employment.

About 220 boys and 190 girls are expected to leave school at Easter. Opportunities are better for girls than for boys, but I am hopeful that the measures the Government have taken to expand the economy will increase opportunities for workers generally in the South-West Tyne area.

asked the Minister of Labour what retraining grants or allowances are available to assist skilled industrial workers bearing family or domestic responsibilities during the period of their retraining course.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the Answer I gave to the hon. Member for Swindon (Mr. F. Noel-Baker) on 7th February.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science what steps he is taking to secure improvement in the arrangements for the international exchange of scientists, in view of the value of such arrangements as recommended by the Advisory Council on Scientific Policy in Command Paper No. 1920.

My noble Friend has noted the view expressed by the Advisory Council in paragraph 16 of its Report for 1961–62, and has arranged for this subject to be further considered in consultation with the various authorities concerned.

asked the Minister of Defence whether he will give an undertaking that the financing of Polaris submarines will not result in the cancellation of the next aircraft carrier programme, in view of the fact that no aircraft carrier in the fleet has a post-war hull.

Whatever decision is taken on the carrier programme will be taken upon its merits and not related to what any one Service is spending in some other rôle.

asked the Minister of Defence what form this year's Defence White Paper will take; and when it will be published.

This year's Defence White Paper will incorporate the Memoranda which normally accompany the Service Estimates. It is not yet possible to give a precise date for publication.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs, what were the results of tests for radioactivity in the water supply which were carried out in Leeds, Sheffield and Manchester, respectively.

The Government's monitoring programme includes tests of water in reservoirs supplying Leeds and Manchester but not Sheffield. Results are published annually and those for 1962 will appear in a few months.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether he has now consulted the Central Advisory Water Committee on the desirability of further investigation of the problem of access to gathering grounds; and what advice he has received.

Yes; the Committee thought that the problem merited further investigation and it is likely to embark on this later in the year.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what restrictions, financial and otherwise, are placed on local authorities wishing to adopt private roads in their area.

Local authorities are free to proceed without reference to my right hon. Friend. If they wish to borrow money for this purpose, there is normally no question at present of his refusing consent.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what was the highest percentage grant given during the last three years for the removal or piping of a canal; and what local authority was involved.

I assume the hon. Member is referring to proposals relating to derelict land put to my right hon. Friend under the Local Employment Act 1960. No such proposal has involved the piping or removal of a canal.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, in regard to the accession of Aden to the Federation of South Arabia, a secession clause is to be written into the Federal Constitution; or whether the enlarged Federation is to be regarded as viable and inviolate against unilateral secession.

This matter is dealt with in Article X of the Treaty of Accession signed on 16th January, the text of which was presented in draft to Parliament in Command Paper 1814.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the cost to the Exchequer if the total burden of education were transferred from local education authorities to the Exchequer; and what increase would be necessary in the standard rate of Income Tax to cover this cost.

Total local authority expenditure on education is about £950 million—equal to about half-a-crown on the standard rate of Income Tax (assuming proportionate increases in the reduced rates). But over 60 per cent. of general grant expenditure is already financed by the Exchequer.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the cost to the Exchequer if the total cost of teachers' salaries were transferred from local education authorities to the Exchequer; and what increase would be necessary in the standard rate of Income Tax to cover this cost.

Total local authority expenditure on teachers' salaries is about £480 million—equal to over 1s. 3d. on the standard rate of Income Tax (assuming proportionate increases in the reduced rates). But of course roughly 60 per cent. of general grant expenditure is already financed by the Exchequer.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will reduce the taxes on fuel oil and petrol for use in passenger and freight transport vehicles so as to assist in making industry more competitive.

I cannot anticipate my right hon. Friend's Budget statement.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will reduce the Purchase Tax on musical instruments.

I cannot anticipate my right hon. Friend's Budget decisions.

asked the Postmaster-General what is the number of old-age pensioners drawing their pensions at the sub-post offices at Newmarket Green, London, S.E.9, and Mottingham Village, London, S.E.9, respectively.

About 320 and 450 respectively.

asked the Postmaster-General what is the average weekly total of postage stamps sold at the sub-post offices at Newmarket Green, London, S.E.9, arid Mottingharn Village, London, S.E.9, respectively.

£45 and £140 a week respectively.

asked the Minister of Education if he will set out in a comparative table the examination results for the General Certificate of Education at ordinary level of the pupils from each of the comprehensive schools and grammar schools in Coventry, stating the number of students taking the examination from each school, the total number of subject taken and the number of satisfactory papers.

My Department's survey each year of the General Certificate of Education achievements of pupils leaving school in that year is based on a 10 per cent. national sample. The information obtained cannot properly be used to analyse or compare the achievements of individual schools.

asked the Minister of Education how many children between five and 15 years of age were being educated in State schools, and how many privately, in 1950 and in the latest convenient year, respectively; and what was

		1950–51		1961–62
—		Meals (Maintained Schools)	Milk (Maintained and non-maintained Schools)	Meals (Maintained Schools)	Milk (Maintained and non-maintained Schools)
1.	Number of children taking school meals and school milk on a day in October, 1950 and 1961	2,696,228	4,638,052	3,560,115	5,927,430
2.	Net expenditure of Local Education Authorities:
	Running cost	£20,981,997	*£6,860,650	£42,533,219	£11,805,148
	Capital expenditure	£1,765,128	—	£7,310,223	—
3.	Number of children paying for meals†	2,399,700	—	3,321,646	—
4.	Normal charge per dinner	6d.	—	1s.	—
5.	Charge as proportion of running cost per dinner	42 per cent.	—	49 per cent.	—
* The cost of milk in this year was met by Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
† School milk is provided free of charge to children.

The information is as follows:

—	1949–50	1961–62
Pupils aged 5–15 (in (thousands):
Maintained schools	5,339·3	6,381·5
Direct grant schools	69·6	82·6
Independent schools	422·8(a)	382·8
	5,831·7	6,846·9
Public Educational Expenditure (b)	£296·7m.	£928·0m.

NOTES:(

asked the Minister of Education how many children were taking school meals and school milk, respectively, in 1950 and in the latest convenient year; what was the cost of each service in each year; how many children in each year were paying for those meals; and what proportion of the cost they were paying.

The information required is given in the following table:

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the total value of local government fully rate-borne expenditure approved during the last complete financial year; and what was the nature of the services involved.

Relevant local expenditure for Exchequer equalisation grant purposes in 1961–62 is estimated at £108 million, and the total of Exchequer equalisation and Exchequer transitional grants for that year at £19 million. Fully rateborne expenditure is therefore estimated at £89 million. This covers all services for which local authorities are entitled to rate.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the numbers of maternity beds deficient in the Western Regional Hospital Board's area at present, on the basis of the Montgomery Report.

On the latest available information (as at 30th September, 1962) the deficiency is calculated at 252 beds; 160 additional beds will become available during this year.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will give details and dates of the initiation of all road schemes costing over £100,000 in the County of Hertfordshire in the five-year trunk road programme.

As the Answer is lengthy and involves considerable detail I will write to my noble Friend.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will state the number of road improvement schemes involving the construction of flyovers and junctions on roads in England and Wales, other than in connection with motorway construction, for each of the years 1959, 1960, 1961, and 1962, which have been either started or completed.

The numbers of trunk roads and classified road schemes started or completed in the years stated and involving the construction of a flyover or underpass were:

SCHEMES COMPLETED DURING PERIOD (some of them started before 1959)
1959	1960	1961	1962
3	5	7	6

SCHEMES STARTED BUT NOT COMPLETED DURING PERIOD
1959	1960	1961	1962
—	—	3	14

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will state the strength of the following units and sub-units of the services on 1st January, 1963, in relation to their peace establishment expressed in the same manner as was done in answer to a similar Written Question on 31st January, 1963, namely, Royal Army Medical Corps, Corps of Military Police, Royal Army Pay Corps, Military Provost Staff Corps, Royal Army Dental Corps, Royal Army Service Corps, Royal Army Ordnance Corps, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Royal Pioneer Corps, Royal Army Veterinary Corps and Army Catering Corps.

I regret that a comparison for the services on the same basis as I gave for the "teeth" arms in my Answer on 31st January, 1963, is not practicable, since generally speaking the services are organised in very small units and sub-units. The following statement shows the position of the services in relation to their current other rank manpower ceilings.