asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the cost to industry and commerce of their part in the collection of Pay as You Earn, in 1955, 1958, 1960, and the last current year, respectively.

I am afraid that there is insufficient information for such estimates to be made.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the estimated yield this year of the stamp duty on cheques.

£7 million.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be

Per cent. per annum
Date of change			Bank Rate	P.W.L.B.
Year	Bank Rate	P.W.L.B.		Up to 5 years	5–15 years	15–30 years	Over 30 years
1959	In force on 1st October		4	5	5¾	5¾	5¾
1960	January 21st		5
		January 30th		5½	6	6	5⅞
	June 23rd		6
		July 16th		6¼	6¼	6⅛	6
		August 20th		6¼	6¼	6¼	6⅛
	October 27th		5½
	December 8th		5
1961		June 3rd		6⅜	6⅜	6½	6¼
	July 26th		7
		August 5th		7½	7½	7	7
	October 5th		6½
		October 14th		7¼	7¼	7	7
	November 2nd		6
		November 11th		6⅞	6⅞	6¾	6¾
1962	March 8th		5½
	March 22nd		5
		April 7th		6¾	6¾	6¾	6¾
	April 26th		4½
		August 18th		6⅝	6⅝	6⅝	6⅝
		September 15th		6½	6½	6½	6½
		October 6th		6¼	6¼	6⅜	6⅜
		October 20th		5⅞	5⅞	6⅛	6⅛
		December 8th		5⅞	5⅞	5⅞	5⅞
1963	January 3rd		4
		February 16th		5¾	5¾	5¾	5¾

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Ilford, South (Mr. Cooper) on 25th March.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in the Official Report the Bank Rate and the Public Works Loan Board rates of interest which obtained in October, 1959, together with successive new rates of interest and the dates on which the changes became effective, in respect of both the above, up to February, 1963.

The information requested is:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will give consideration to increasing the £140 personal allowance in view of the increase in such national payments as rates, National Insurance, electricity, transport, &c.

The hon. Member's suggestion has been noted.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects his review of local authority borrowing to be complete; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend is still studying this matter but I hope that it will soon be possible to enter into discussions with the local authority associations.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will now remove purchase tax from footwear.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the cost of extending age relief for Income Tax from £800 to £1,000 a year.

About £2½ million in a full year.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs, whether all local authorities have now removed turnstiles to lavatory accommodation; and if he will make a statement.

Sixty-nine authorities have refused to remove some or all of their turnstiles and have declined to reconsider their decision; 18 authorities are still undecided. I would draw attention to the notice in today's Order Paper of the introduction by my hon. Friend the Member for Belfast, West (Mrs. McLaughlin) of a Bill to require the removal of these turnstiles.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether, in view of the nuisance being caused to residents in Barnett Lane, Kingswinford, by noise and smell from a nearby factory which is being put to a non-conforming use in a residential district, he will request the appropriate local atuhority to inspect this situation and take steps to remedy it.

I understand that the Brierley Hill Urban District Council is well aware of this situation but is not satisfied that a statutory nuisance could be proved.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs, what is the national average amount paid by the domestic householder in rates per week; and how this compares with the average figure for Bournemouth alone.

10s. 7d. and 12s. 2d. respectively. I regret that in reply to a question by the hon. Member for Leek (Mr. Harold Davies) on 7th March I said that the average for the present year was rather less than 10s. a week. The figure I had in mind was in fact the weekly average for 1961–62.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what is the net average percentage by which local expenditure is met by the General Grant; and how this compares with the figure for Bournemouth alone.

In 1961–62 general grants met about 54 per cent, of local expenditure in England and Wales on the services in respect of which they are paid. The corresponding figure for Bournemouth was 41 per cent.The main reason why Bournemouth's share of the general grant is low is that the proportion of school children is well below the national average.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what was the total interest paid to Her Majesty's Government by the Peterlee Corporation in the three years 1960, 1961, and 1962, and the total revenue of the Corporation in rents and subsidies in the same period.

The figures for the last three financial years are as follows:

	Interest paid on Exchequer Advances	Rents received	Housing subsidies received
	£	£	£
1959–60	347,664	275,038	112,611
1960–61	411,663	311,561	121,338
1961–62	447,266	369,407	131,496

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs how council houses built in 1962 compared in size and floor space with those built in 1951.

The average superficial area of a 2-storey, 2-bedroom home in 1951 was 858 sq. ft. and in 1962, 781 sq. ft. The average superficial area of a 2-storey, 3-bedroom house in 1951 was 1,031 sq. ft. and in 1962, 907 sq. ft. Figures relating to other types of dwelling approved in 1951 are not available.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs how many slum houses were demolished in the years 1960, 1961 and 1962, respectively; and how many are estimated to be demolished in the years 1963, 1964 and 1965.

The number of houses demolished or closed through slum clearance action in England and Wales was:

for 1960	59,161
for 1961	64,330
for 1962	64,841

I cannot give estimates for future years but I am encouraging local authorities to increase the rate of slum clearance as far as possible.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he will publish in HANSARD details of the average three-bedroom council-built house in January, 1951, giving its size, its cost on the basis of borrowing at the then Public Works Loan Board rate of interest charges spread over 60 years for repayment, and the number of such council houses built during the months of January, 1951, and similar complete comparative details for January, 1962.

My right hon. Friend's statistical records are not kept in a form which would enable me to give this information.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what was the latest date on which he had consultations with the Government of the United States of America on the subject of strategic controls on East-West trade; and what proposals he put forward on that occasion.

The strategic embargo was reviewed last year by the countries concerned, including the United States. Various proposals were accepted, including some put forward by the United Kingdom.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether the terms of reference of the newly appointed Consumer Council debar it from considering the question of resale price maintenance, at least until such time as he has concluded his own investigations into that subject.

There is nothing in the terms of reference which my right hon. Friend has given to the Consumer Council which would debar it from considering the question of resale price maintenance at any time if it so wished.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what was the average cost per dozen pairs of women's nylon stockings, seamless and fully fashioned, respectively, imported during each of the five years 1958–62.

I regret that figures for imports of women's nylon stockings are not separately distinguished in the trade statistics. The following information, which relates to all stockings, socks and the like, containing more than 50 per cent. by weight of man-made fibres is, however, available:

UNITED KINGDOM IMPORTS (C.I.F.)
Year	Quantity	Value	Unit value of dozen pair
	Dozen pair	£'000	£
1958	863,246	1,331	1·54
1959	1,016,043	1,333	1·31
1960	1,472,355	1,756	1·19
1961	2,663,987	3,105	1·16
1962	5,035,470	5,031	1·00

UNITED KINGDOM IMPORTS (C.I.F.)
	1958	1959	1960	1961	1962
	£	£	£	£	£
Total:	1,330,901	1,333,354	1,756,496	3,105,065	5,031,446
Of which:
Italy	257,492	357,377	673,633	2,046,562	3,898,463
Austria	7,882	3,025	2,995	3,241	87,715
France	17,485	28,985	25,005	22,990	37,500
West Germany	26,684	52,573	150,138	175,509	211,155
Irish Republic	617,116	434,303	251,472	171,393	137,144
Sweden	1,505	10,900	2,766	2,393	1,246

In the case of exports, figures are available of women's nylon stockings, socks

UNITED KINGDOM EXPORTS (F.O.B.)
	1958	1959	1960	1961	1962
	£	£	£	£	£
Total:	1,275,517	1,272,555	1,368,160	658,025	429,203
Of which:
Italy	2,384	318	1,240	675	72
Austria	—	73	3,024	—	18
France	1,563	869	344	2,350	6,001
West Germany	35,010	18,866	20,531	12,883	19,121
Irish Republic	4,771	8,013	11,855	25,249	45,753
Sweden	323,183	363,118	382,075	181,035	82,382

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what decisions have been reached on the proposals made as a result of the consultations in Swaziland regarding its future constitution.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what was the total value of the imports and exports, respectively, of women's nylon stockings during each of the five years 1958–62; and what were the separate figures for trade with Italy, Austria, France, West Germany, Eire and Sweden, respectively.

I regret that figures for imports of women's nylon stockings are not separately distinguished in the trade statistics. The following information, which relates to all stockings, socks and the like, containing more than 50 per cent. by weight of man-made fibres is, however, available:and the like. The following are the details:

I have nothing to add to my reply to the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, East (Mr. Battomley) on 26th March.Meanwhile my noble Friend the Minister of State will be leaving on Thursday on a short visit to Swaziland.

asked the Postmaster-General by how much telegraphic traffic and receipts were reduced after each of the last two rate increases; whether he is aware that in country villages residents not on the phone and to whom urgent telegrams are sent on Saturday afternoons often receive them by the Monday morning post; and what action he will take to warn the senders of this possibility.

Inland telegraph charges were increased in July, 1951, and August, 1954. Comparing full financial years before and after the increases took effect telegraph traffic fell by 5·2 millions and 13·5 millions respectively. Income increased by about £0·4 millions in each case.Telegrams to addresses in rural areas which are handed in on Saturday afternoons, up to about 5 p.m., are normally delivered the same clay. If they are too late for delivery on Saturday they should be delivered on Sunday morning. If my hon. Friend has found this not to be the case and will let me have details I will gladly look into the matter.

asked the Postmaster-General how many applications for telephones were outstanding in the Wycombe constituency, and in the Oxford and Reading telephone areas, respectively, at 31st December, 1961, and at 31st December, 1962.

At the 31st December, 1961, the telephone waiting list in the Wycombe constituency was 604, in the Oxford telephone area 1,945, and in the Reading telephone area 3,583. The corresponding figures at the 31st December, 1962, were 446, 2,131, and 3,546. These figures exclude applications under inquiry or in course of being met.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what in- formation he has on the recent further flooding at Penybont, Radnorshire; whether any scheme has been proposed under the Land Drainage Act, 1961, by the appropriate authorities; and whether he will initiate an inquiry with a view to alleviating the effects of further flooding.

No specific representations have been made to this Ministry about recent further flooding at Penybont, although I understand that floods have occurred in this area. The local authorities concerned have not submitted a scheme, but I understand that they have one under consideration. In view of this I do not see that an inquiry would serve any useful purpose.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the cost of accommodating the White Fish Authority in its offices in the centre of London in the last available year.

The Annual Report and Accounts of the White Fish Authority for 1961–62 show expenditure of £16,962 on rents, rates, insurance, lighting and heating, and £9,849 for office expenses, including repairs. This includes all the offices occupied by the Authority and the accounts do not show separate figures for the London offices.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many letters from prisoners to Members of Parliament were stopped under Standing Order 5 (c) or for any other reason, during the last year for which figures are available.

I have no figure for the total number of such letters which were stopped.

asked the Minister of Education how many schools are at present under construction in Kingston-upon-Hull; how many school places they will provide; and how these figures compare with the rest of the country.

Three new schools were under construction in Kingston-upon-Hull at 31st December, 1962, which will together provide 2,160 new school places. At the same date the total number of places under construction in all major school building projects in England and Wales was 364,000.

asked the Minister of Education what estimates for school building were presented by the Kingston-upon-Hull Education Authority for the years 1960–61, 1961–62, 1962–63, 1963–64 and 1964–65; and what amounts he authorised for those years.

The figures are as follows:

—	Estimated cost of projects proposed	Estimated cost of projects approved
	£000	£000
1960–61	906	738
1961–62	1,018	864
1962–63	1,157	753
1963–64	922*	370
1964–65	1,320†	927
* Subsequently increased to £1 144,000.
† Subsequently increased to £1,528,000.

asked the Minister of Labour to what extent changes in food prices contributed to the 2½ per cent. rise in the average level of retail prices in 1962.

Changes in food prices contributed just under half of the rise of 2·7 per cent. in the average level of retail prices in 1962. Further details are given in the Ministry of Labour Gazette for March, 1963.

asked the Minister of Lbour whether he has now come to a decision on the International Labour Organisation's recommendation that he should arrange for an inquiry into the complaint made by the National Union of Bank Employees to the International Labour Organisation.

I have decided to appoint the Honourable Lord Cameron, D.S.C., to conduct an Inquiry with the following terms of reference:

"to inquire into the complaint made by the National Union of Bank Employees on 12th March, 1962, to the Freedom of Association Committee of the International Labour Organisation and to report,"

To assist Lord Cameron, I intend to appoint three assessors, one to be nominated by the Central Council of Bank Staff Associations, one by the Committee of London Clearing Bankers, and one by the National Union of Bank Employees.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science the average length of time for which depleted uranium has to be stored by the Atomic Energy Authority before the radiation properties are so removed as to allow it to be used for industrial purposes.

Orders for depleted uranium from the Atomic Energy Authority are met from unirradiated material which needs no storage before use. Depleted uranium recovered from irradiated fuel would be used only after processing and, if necessary, storage for up to three years, in order to allow the decay of activity from residual fission products.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science what financial help and encouragement he is giving to the Atomic Energy Authority to promote the sales of depleted uranium on the home and the export markets.

The Atomic Energy Vote includes provisions for expenditure on sales promotion. The manner of disbursement is within the day-to-day responsibility of the Authority. As I informed the hon. Member in reply to his Question of 11th December, the Authority advertises depleted uranium for sale in this country and abroad and is pursuing a policy of active salesmanship to increase sales.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many applications he has received for grants under Section 5 of the Local Employment Act. 1960, since its inception, for Coatbridge, Airdrie, and Lanark County local authorities, respectively; what has been the estimated value of the work involved; and what was the amount of grant given to each local authority.

Coatbridge Town Council has submitted five applications, of which four involving work estimated to cost £133,000 have been approved. Grant is payable at the rate of 50 per cent. in each case. The fifth scheme, estimated to cost £15,000, is under consideration.Neither Airdrie Town Council nor Lanark County Council have made any formal applications for grant, although an inquiry as been made by Airdrie Town Council about which more information is awaited.

asked the Minister of Transport what is the total estimated road expenditure by local authorities for 1962–63; and what proportion of this he estimates will be met out of rates and out of direct expenditure, respectively.

When the local authorities submit their returns in a few months' time we shall know how much they have spent on roads in 1962–63 and how much of it has been met from Central Government funds. But for the rest it will not be possible to distinguish between rates and the local authorities' other sources of income. Their expenditure from all sources is expected to be of the order of £155 million.