asked the Minister of Education what has been the total expenditure on education in Hertfordshire during each year since 1951; and how much has been borne by the taxpayer and ratepayer, respectively.

The following statement gives details of the total net expenditure on education incurred by the Hertfordshire Local Education Authority for the financial years 1951–52 onwards, and showing for the financial years up to and including 1958–59 the proportions met by Exchequer grants and by local rates.Since the financial year 1959–60 the education service has been one of the services covered by general grant; it is not, therefore, possible to say how much of the total expenditure on education has been borne by the taxpayer and ratepayer, respectively.

asked the Minister of Education what has been the total expenditure, under the minor capital works programme and the mini-minor programme, by the Mid-Herts Divisional Executive during each year since 1955.

My Department does not collect information about minor works expenditure in the areas of divisional executives. The following information has been supplied by the local education authority:

asked the Minister of Education what has been the total expenditure by the Mid-Herts Divisional Education Executive on education in each year since 1951.

I regret that the information is not available.

asked the Minister of Education whether he is aware of the unsatisfactory sanitary facilities at the Holwell School, Welwyn Garden City; and what steps are to be taken during the coming year to improve the situation.

Yes, and I understand that the local education authority hopes to make a start on the provision of indoor lavatories during the coming year.

asked the Minister of Education whether he has placed any restriction on the Hertfordshire County Council prohibiting it from using money allocated under the minor capital works programme for the improvement of lavatory accommodation in its schools.

No, but the Hertfordshire Local Education Authority, in common with others, has to meet many demands upon its minor works allocation and it is not possible for it to do all it would like towards the improvement of lavatory accommodation in schools.

asked the Minister of Education whether he will make a statement about the minor capital works programme of Hertfordshire, in particular indicating how the sums of money allocated compare with other counties.

The value of the minor works programme for Hertfordshire far 1963-64 is £335,000. Only two other county education authorities were allocated programmes of greater value.

asked the Minister of Health to what extent the drug thalidomide is still available in chemists' shops; whether it can be obtained on a medical prescription only; and what restrictions are placed upon prescribing this drug.

Not at all. The remainder of the Question therefore does not arise.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why farm land has been taken for the use of a new stretch of the A.26 road at Aldergrove instead of improving the existing route, which has been in use since the 1939–45 war.

The existing temporary route is considered to be unsatisfactory in many respects. My right hon. Friend has advertised his intention of making an Order specifying a new route. He has not yet authorised the taking of any land for this purpose. Objections to the present proposals have been received and, if not withdrawn, will be referred to the War Works Commission for a recommendation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will state the number of acres of farm land which will be required for the proposed new stretch of the A.26 road at Aldergrove.

While negotiations are still in progress it is not possible to say how many acres of farm land will have to be acquired.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to announce his decisions on the proposals made by representatives of Glasgow Corporation to the Minister of State on 13th February with a view to accelerating public works as a means of alleviating the unemployment situation.

Glasgow Corporation's proposals include a number of projects which are at various stages of preparation. My noble Friend, the Minister of State, is supervising discussions between representatives of the Corporation and my Department. Decisions will be intimated to the Corporation as soon as they are reached.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what are the grant arrangements in respect of schemes carried out by local authorities in response to the appeal made by Her Majesty's Government to initiate schemes of capital or maintenance expenditure up to £.15,000 each;(2) whether, when local authorities have responded to the appeal made by Her Majesty's Government to initiate schemes involving expenditure of up to £15,000 each and such expenditure falls under headings in respect of which specific grants are payable, he will in the special circumstances increase the level of grants;(3) what steps he is taking to increase the General Grant payable to local authorities as a contribution towards the cost of schemes up to £15,000 each to be carried out by local authorities in response to the appeal made by Her Majesty's Government.

As my hon. Friend, the Joint Under-Secretary, told the hon. Members for Glasgow, Scotstoun (Mr. Small) and Glasgow, Maryhill (Mr. Hannan) on 6th February, grants will be payable in accordance with established arrangements for particular services.

asked the Minister of Labour how many people are registered as unemployed at the exchanges in

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he is yet in a position to make a statement on housing for London.

Yes. A White Paper which deals with this will be presented to Parliament on Monday, 25th February and will be published in the afternoon.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs how many local housing authorities are now charging economic rentals to those of their tenants who can afford to pay them; how many are still subsidising all council

The following is the available information:house tenants irrespective of their means; and what powers he intends to take to increase the number of the former.

There is no information about the number of authorities which charge fully economic rents to tenants who can afford to pay them; but well over 400 authorities are operating rent rebate or differential rent schemes. Returns made to the Institute of Municipal Treasurers and Accountants by 1,106 authorities for the year ended 31st March, 1962, showed that 416 of them were then operating such schemes, and the number has been steadily increasing.The subsidy provisions of the Housing Act, 1961, were designed to encourage local authorities to charge higher rents, even if not fully economic ones, to tenants who can afford them, in order to increase the funds available to them to help those in greatest need.

asked the Secretary of State for War what are his intentions for Bordon and Longmoor camps in the Petersfield constituency.

I expect to retain the camps at both Longmoor and Bordon as part of the long-term deployment of the Army in the United Kingdom.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance (1) what was the number of cases, in the last 12 months for which figures are available, where National Assistance was refused or the allowance reduced on the grounds that the weekly total calculated according to the National Assistance scales then in force would be larger than the normal weekly earnings of the person concerned; what was the number of such cases which were taken to appeal; and what was the number of appeals which succeeded;(2) in cases where National Assistance payments are reduced from the full amount according to the scales in force because this would bring such payments above the normal weekly earnings of the person concerned, what is the average level of weekly earnings used in this calculation;

The principle on which National Assistance allowances are adjusted in the circumstances referred to by my hon. Friend is that the amount paid to a person by way of insurance benefit and National Assistance on account of unemployment shall not be greater than the amount of the net earnings which in the opinion of the Board and in the light of local knowledge that individual would be likely to receive if he were currently employed in his normal occupation in the locality in which he lives. Both amounts are considered apart from family allowances, which are thus not affected.In December last, about 25,000 assistance allowances were restricted in this way. The number of appeals in such cases is not recorded but is believed to be small; nor is the average of the net earnings by reference to which payments are restricted known.The proportion of families affected with up to four children under the age of 11 is not available, but an analysis made in 1959 showed that among the recipients of assistance allowances then restricted according to the individual's earning capacity about 43 per cent. had five or more children under 16.