asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations what proportion of the cost of the recent Royal Tour is being borne by Her Majesty's Government.

The cost borne by Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom is about £100,000. I have no information about expenditure incurred by the other Governments concerned. I am sure the House would wish me to take this opportunity to emphasise the immense value of the Commonwealth tours which Her Majesty and Prince Philip have carried out with such supreme success. These personal visits by The Sovereign help in a unique way to strengthen the bonds of mutual affection and fellowship between the peoples of the Commonwealth.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations what is the machinery for ensuring a reciprocity in privileges for British High Commissioners and their staffs working in Commonwealth countries and Commonwealth High Commissioners and their staffs working in Great Britain; and whether he will now arrange for reciprocity to be extended in the matter of allowing such persons to obtain domestically produced spirits free of Excise duty, having regard to the fact that five Commonwealth countries already grant such privilege.

Privileges are granted on a basis of general reciprocity in accordance with international law or practice and not of strict reciprocity item by item for each privilege. The question of exempting persons from Excise duty in this country is one for my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to him on the 12th February.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations what further developments have taken place in respect of giving economic and other assistance to the Indian Government.

An agreement for a loan of £3·5 million for the purchase of steel plate and other steel products was signed at Delhi on 9th April. India's needs for further aid will be discussed with the International Bank and other doner Governments at a meeting in Washington at the end of this month.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations how much has been paid to the Government of India by way of gifts, grants, or loans in the past five years; and whether any provision was made to prevent such British funds being employed by that Government for the purchase of equipment, military or otherwise, from the Communist countries.

Out of British Government loans to India since 1958 totalling £175·5 million, £119·5 million has so far been disbursed. An agreement for a further loan of £3·5 million for steel products was signed in Delhi on 9th April. All these loans are tied to the purchase of British goods and services under the provisions of Section 3 of the Export Guarantees Act, 1949.There have been no gifts or grants of funds to the Government of India in this period, apart from the recent gift of military equipment.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs when he will give his decision on the proposal by Birmingham Corporation to purchase compulsorily Nos. 349–355, Adams Hill, Bartley Green, Birmingham, 32; and whether he will expedite his decision in view of the need to move the families from these cottages which are in severe disrepair.

I regret the delay on this case. The Inspector's report is now under consideration and my right hon. Friend will announce his decision as soon as possible.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs, in view of the nuisance being caused to the tenant of No. 9 Dyke Road, Brighton, by fumes coming from beneath the premises due to scooters being built in the annexe to the engineering works at No. 7 Dyke Road, if he will request the local authority to inspect this situation and to remedy it; and to what extent planning permission is granted for scooters to be tested and sprayed underneath a private dwelling.

I understand that the Brighton County Borough Council is well aware of this situation. There have been workshops at No. 7 Dyke Road since 1933 and my information is that the council does not consider that they are causing any statutory nuisance or that they contravene planning control.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what was the amount paid in rates by the occupiers of domestic property in 1951 and 1961.

No analysis of the valuation lists was made before 1955, and I cannot therefore say how much occupiers of domestic property in England and Wales paid in rates in 1951–52. On the latest information I estimate the figure for 1961–62 at about £353,000,000.

asked the President of the Board of Trade why Merseyside is scheduled in its entirety as a development area and Tyneside is not; and if he will take steps to schedule all Tyneside.

Merseyside as such is not listed as a development district. Certain areas within it are listed, for the reason that high unemployment exists and is likely to persist. My right hon. Friend is not satisfied that high unemployment is likely to persist in those districts on Tyneside which are not listed. He will however continue to keep a careful watch on the position.

asked the President of the Board of Trade when the departmental inquiry into resale price maintenance was instigated; and when it is likely to report.

The fact-finding inquiry by officials of the Board of Trade, to which the hon. Member refers, was instituted in March, 1960, and my right hon. Friend received their report in October, 1961.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is the total value of orders for British machine tools placed by the Bulgarian trading organisation since 1st January, 1962; what he estimates to be the further requirements of Bulgaria for machine tools which could be supplied by British manufacturers; and what steps he is taking to increase quotas for the import of Bulgarian goods to provide the sterling for progress payments under existing contracts and to facilitate additional business.

According to information from the Bulgarian Legation in London, orders for machine tools worth about £1·4 million were placed with U.K. firms in 1962. I have no information on which to base an answer to the second part of the Question. With regard to the last part, facilities for the import of Bulgarian goods into the U.K. to an estimated value of £8·6 million for the twelve months to 31st March, 1964, have been provided in negotiations recently concluded. I believe that these facilities should be adequate for the purpose indicated by the hon. Member.

asked the President of the Board of Trade when the next report from the Registrar of Restricted Trading Agreements is to be published; and whether subsequent reports will be issued on a regular basis.

My right hon. Friend has invited the Registrar of Restrictive Trading Agreements to prepare a report covering the period from 1st July, 1961, to 30th June, 1963. This will be published in due course. In answer to the second part of the Question, my right hon. Friend has it in mind to follow present practice of asking the Registrar to prepare reports from time to time.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will give details of the cases which have been referred to the Restrictive Practices Court since 30th June, 1961, but have not been defended.

No. This is a matter for the Registrar and not one in which my right hon. Friend has any responsibility.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what additional factory space or extension to factories is contemplated, and how many jobs will thereby be provided, in the Whitehaven and Cleator Moor area this year.

I cannot foretell what additional factory space will be approved in this area this year.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that the import duty applicable to British glucose entering Holland is higher than that applicable to Dutch glucose entering Great Britain; and whether he will take early steps to eliminate this discrimination against British manufacturers.

Yes, mainly as a result of the obligations of the Netherlands under the E.E.C. Common Agricultural Policy. The answer to the second part of the Question is No.

asked the President of the Board of Trade when there will be further negotiations between this country and Poland with regard to trade between the two countries; and what steps he proposes to take before such negotiations to consult trade interests in general, and glucose manufacturers in particular, with regard to the damaging effect of certain Polish imports into this country.

Trade negotiations with Poland are expected to take place at the end of May. Before these negotiations open, the United Kingdom export industries concerned and the industries affected by Polish imports will be consulted, where appropriate, about the proposed level of the quotas to be established. Imports of glucose from Poland are not under quota and will therefore not be a subject of the negotiations. It will thus not be necessary to consult the glucose industry formally, but if the industry wish to make any representations on this matter I am, of course, ready to consider them.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in connection with the forthcoming trade negotiations between Poland and the United Kingdom, he will take special steps to ensure that no dumping is involved in the case of Polish imports into this country.

Special steps are not required. It is always open to an industry to submit an application under the Customs Duties (Dumping and Subsidies) Act, 1957, if they can provide evidence that imparts from Poland, or any other source, are being dumped and that this is causing or threatening the industry with material injury.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations what sums of money have been paid in the last five years by way of gifts, loans, grants-in-aid or subsidies by Her Majesty's Government to the three South African High Commission Territories, Tanganyika, Nyasaland, Uganda and Kenya respectively.

The gifts, loans, grants-in-aid and subsidies paid by the British Government to the three South African High Commission Territories, Tanganyika, Nyasaland, Uganda and Kenya in the United Kingdom financial years 1958–59 to 1962–63 inclusive are set out in the table below. Some moneys for the joint benefit of Kenya, Tanganyika and Uganda were paid to the East Africa High Commission and its successor, the East African Common Services Organisation, and are shown under the latter heading in the table.It is not possible to distinguish between grants-in-aid and subsidies, and the two are therefore grouped together.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consideration he has given to the formulation of a national plan to meet the needs of external university students.

Under present arrangements, this is essentially a matter fox the universities concerned. It falls, however, within the terms of reference of the Robbins Committee; and any change in the present arrangements would have to be considered in the light of its report.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps the Inland Revenue take to assess or detect immoral earnings, whether by call-girls or any other kind; and how many such detections and assessments have been made during the last twelve months.

No special steps are taken. I regret that the information for which my hon. Friend asks in the second part of his Question is not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, in view of the fact that it takes a month to six weeks to get a reply to correspondence with the Inland Revenue, even on simple matters, he will give instructions for more prompt attention to be given to day-to-day correspondence by this Department.

The Inland Revenue is working under great pressure but it does its best to answer taxpayers' letters as quickly as possible.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will issue instructions to the staff of Inland Revenue to apologise, when as the result of errors on their part they make amendments to their figures or statements.

Where the staff of the Inland Revenue are wrong, I would expect them to apologise for any errors.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what professional accountancy qualifications are required for an appointment as inspector of taxes.

None; but all inspectors engaged in accounts work have received appropriate training in accountancy.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what postal courses of instruction are regarded by him as a satisfactory qualification for appointment as an inspector of taxes.

None.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer by what authority an inspector of taxes is able to assess a taxpayer who has fully discharged his liabilities under Pay As You Earn.

Regulation 51 of the Income Tax (Employments) Regulations, 1962, which consolidated previous Regulations giving the same power. Under Section 158, Income Tax Act, 1952, formal assessments are dispensed with in certain circumstances.

asked the Minister of Power if he will give a general direction, in the national interest, to the National Coal Board to allocate to Scottish coal fields a share of the export of coal to the Belgian electricity industry.

No; but the Board makes every effort to dispose of Scottish coals in the markets where they can compete.

asked the Minister of Power what part of the capital advanced to the National Coal Board since nationalisation has been repaid; and what is the total amount of interest received from that source by Her Majesty's Government during the same period.

asked the Minister of Power what has been the total amount paid by way of interest by the National Coal Board since nationalisation; and what portion of this has been paid to Her Majesty's Government.

Between 1st January, 1947, and 31st March, 1963, the National Coal Board repaid £45 million out of £388 million vesting liabilities, and £184 million out of £786 million advanced under Section 26 of the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act, 1946. In the same period the Board paid £149 million interest on vesting liabilities and £169 million interest on advances. All these repayments of capital and payments of interest were made to the Exchequer. The Board also reimbursed the Exchequer £63 million in respect of interim income paid to former colliery owners.

asked the Minister of Power what consideration he has given to representations by sailing clubs on the Medway regarding the building of a jetty at Kingsnorth Power Station; and what reply he has sent.

As a result of these representations, the Central Electricity Generating Board modified its proposals and undertook to consult the sailing clubs again before applying to the Medway Conservancy Board for a licence for the jetty project.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will amend the law under which it is possible for a witness, at the risk of a comparatively small monetary penalty, to disappear during the period between the committal of prisoner from a magistrates' court and his trial at assizes and thus to obstruct the machinery of justice.

I am not satisfied on present information that there is a case for amending the law relating to the enforcement of the attendance of witnesses at trials on indictment.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why he deported Mr. Lenny Bruce on 8th April last.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why he has refused permission for Mr. Lenny Bruce to enter the United Kingdom to fulfil an engagement at the Establishment Club.

Mr. Bruce was refused leave to land on 8th April because I had decided that it would not be conducive to the public good to admit him.

asked the Secretary of State for the Horne Department how many immigrants, from the Commonwealth and from other countries, who indicated their intention of studying in this country, full-time and part-time, respectively, have been refused permission to come here during the past 12 months.

There is no record of any Commonwealth citizen whose intention in coming to this country was full-time study having been refused admission under the Commonwealth Immigrants Act, but six who indicated an intention to study part-time were refused admission in the period 1st July, 1962, to 28th February, 1963. As regards aliens, figures for the last twelve months are not readily available; but in the seventeen months ending 28th February last, 84 aliens whose stated reason for coming here was study but whose arrangements for that purpose were considered to be unsatisfactory, were refused leave to land under the Aliens Order. Aliens are not admitted for part-time study.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware that the Governor of Lincoln Prison has stopped five letters addressed to the hon. Member for Ashfield by a constituent who is in that prison; and what steps he is proposing to take to amend the Standing Orders so that the circumstances in which letters can be stopped, or in which special letters are refused, are more precisely defined.

I do not consider that there is any need to amend the existing Standing Orders governing correspondence with Members of Parliament. As I explained in reply to a Question by the hon. Member on 4th April, governors seek instructions when they are in doubt whether a particular letter should be stopped.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will seek to arrange for an exhibition on home safety to be held in the Palace of Westminster.

I am glad to be able to say that arrangements have been made for an exhibition on home safety to be held in the Upper Waiting Hall on 1st and 2nd May.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will now state the composition of the Departmental Committee to inquire into the working of the Cruelty to Animals Act, 1876.

I hope to be able to announce the composition of the Committee after the Easter Recess.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether any new air raid shelters are under construction or planned; and what is the estimated expenditure in the year 1963–64 on such shelters.

No new purpose-built public shelters are under construction or planned.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements are being made by the Com- missioner of Police for the Metropolis to ensure that Members of Parliament, and others, shall have unimpeded access to the Palace of Westminster on Wednesday 24th April.

I understand that the Royal Wedding ceremony is expected to finish at about 1 p.m. although some streets will need to be closed until about 2 p.m. I am informed by the Commissioner of Police that the police will be instructed to give all possible assistance to right hon. and hon. Members and to other persons proceeding to or from the Palace of Westminster. Windscreen labels to be displayed on cars, and giving advice on the method of approach to the Palace, will be available for the use of Members on application to the Deputy Serjeant at Arms. For persons proceeding on foot the subway from Westminster Underground Railway Station will be open at all times.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why the Governor of Wandsworth Prison prevented a letter written by a prisoner from reaching the hon. Member for Orpington to whom it was addressed.

Because the Governor was under the impression that the hon. Member was being invited to give a political talk in the prison. I am writing to the hon. Member, in case there has been any misunderstanding, for of course there would be no objection whatever to his giving a talk to the prisoners on a subject not of a political character.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why the prison officer, through whom the hon, Member for Orpington was informed about a letter from a prisoner, has been transferred away from the rehabilitation block of Wandsworth Prison.

Staffing needs have made it necessary as a temporary measure to detail the officer to whom I believe the hon. Member refers for duties in the main prison; he has not been permanently transferred from H and K wings.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department who are the members of the Parliamentary Boundary Commission; and what changes will be made in its composition before the next review of Parliamentary boundaries, following local government reorganisation.

I would refer the hon. Member to the list of members of the Commission which I gave in reply to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Bridgwater (Sir G. Wills) on 21st March. The appointments have effect until 31st December, 1965, and no changes are contemplated.

asked the Minister of Health if he will refrain from taking action to implement the majority Report of the Cohen Sub-Committee on the Safety of Drugs until he has ascertained the views of the House of Commons.

No.

asked the Minister of Health if, in the public interest, he will publish the proposals now before him from the West Sussex County Council regarding the mass-medication of public water supplies in West Sussex through the addition of fluoride.

The proposal, to which I understand the county council has given wide publicity, is for the addition of fluoride to water supplies which are deficient in it naturally.

asked the Minister of Health when the hon. Member for Solihull can expect an answer to his letter of 5th March concerning Mrs. Lawrence.

Replies were sent on 9th and 10th April.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will initiate an inquiry into the agricultural industry, in view of the heavy 'cost of the industry to the taxpayer.

No. Proposals are already under consideration to bring the cost of agricultural support under more effective control, while still ensuring proper opportunities and a fair standard of living for the agricultural community.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the expenditure by the agricultural industry in Cornwall on labour, rent and interest, machinery, foodstuffs, fertilisers and other costs of production, respectively, for each of the years 1959–60 to 1962–63.

I regret that these figures are not available because no estimates are made for individual counties.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give the percentage of agricultural holdings in Cornwall with no workers, with no regular whole-time workers, with no whole-time male workers but one or more other regular workers, with one regular whole-time male worker, and with two or more regular whole-time male workers, respectively; and what proportion each of these groups represents of all regular whole-time male workers, and of all workers in the industry.

I regret that it has not been possible to provide the information in the time available. I will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

asked the Minister of Defence whether he will publish the names of those Members of Parliament, including Members of the House of Lords, who visited the Royal Navy, the Army, and the Royal Air Force at home and overseas, during the financial year ended 31st March, 1963, under arrangements made through the respective Service Departments.

Yes. The following is the Answer.

asked the Minister of Health on what statistics and information he decided to change the function of the Thomas Knight Memorial Hospital to a geriatric unit under the Hospital Plan for England and Wales.

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to him on 26th November, 1962.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that Zachery Merton Maternity Hospital in Rustington, Sussex, upon which some £30,000 has recently been spent for modernisation and re-equipment, is threatened with closure in order to increase the maternity bed provision at Worthing Hospital; if he will resist these proposals and the loss of public money which would result; and if he will make a statement.

£18,500 has been sent on improving the service at this hospital, which will be required at least until developments proposed at Worthing Hospital are complete in about ten years' time; its future will be considered then.

asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty what was the retired pay of a lieutenant-commander when he retired after maximum service in 1935 and what is the comparative purchasing power of the retired pay he now receives assuming that he is aged 73 years and has received the 1962 increase.

£407 10s. 0d. and £261 respectively.

asked the Minister of Education if he will appoint a committee of inquiry into English-language schools in this country.

No. On the information at present available to him, my right hon. Friend does not think that an inquiry would be justified but if the hon. Member will send me particulars of the cases which have prompted his Question I will be glad to consider them.

asked the Minister of Education what reply he has sent to the petition signed by 252 parents of children at St. Margaret's Church of England School, Plumstead, protesting against the inadequate sanitary amenities at the school.

My right hon. Friend has replied that he expects shortly to be able to approve the managers' plans to provide indoor sanitation at the school. This should enable the managers to put the work in hand in the summer holidays.

asked the Minister of Education what are the names of the newspapers whose correspondents he selected for interviews separately and privately immediately prior to his full Press conference, at which he announced his rejection of the Burnham negotiated salary agreement; and whether he will make a statement on his policy with regard to the Press.

No Press conference was held at that time, but I held such a conference on 20th February, when I explained my views on the provisional agreement reached by the Burnham Committee. On that day, I gave separate interviews to the representatives of The Times, the Daily Telegraph and the Guardian. I also saw a representative of the Economist. I had hoped to see individually the representatives of other newspapers that day, but this did not prove possible.With regard to the second part of the Question it is my policy at all times to assist the Press in briefing themselves in relation to educational matters.

asked the Minister of Education whether he will make a statement on the recognition of regional examining bodies for the Certificate of Secondary Education.

I understand that the Secondary School Examinations Council will soon recommend for my recognition a first list of regional examining bodies. It hopes to suggest a further list of examining bodies, covering all or most of England and Wales, in the early summer.

asked the Minister of Education how many schools exist in this country for teaching English to foreign students; how many are recognised by his Department; and what inspection is carried out of the remainder for the purpose of ascertaining if their standard is satisfactory.

Information is not available about the total number of independent establishments which teach English to foreign students. 33 are recognised as efficient establishments of further education by the Ministry. There is no power to inspect these establishments except at the proprietor's request.

asked the First Secretary of State what Government loans have been made to the Rhodesian Federation; and what guarantees have been given by Her Majesty's Government in relation to them.

The only loan made by Her Majesty's Government to the Federal Government was a £5 million Commonwealth Assistance loan under Section 3 of the Export Guarantees Act to help meet the cost of the development programmes of the Federal and Southern Rhodesia Governments. This loan was available from 1st April, 1962, and its availability expires in March, 1964. The terms and conditions are those normally applicable to Section 3 loans.

asked the Minister of Labour what were the percentages of unemployed persons in each of the South-Western counties in each monthly count since February, 1963.

Following is the information required:

asked the Minister of Labour how many persons have been registered as unemployed at each of the employment exchanges in the St. Ives constituency of Cornwall, respectively,

asked the Minister of Labour how many persons have been registered as unemployed at employment exchanges in Falmouth and Camborne-Redruth, respectively, at each monthly count since February, 1963; and what percentages these were of the numbers of insured persons.

Following is the information required:at each monthly count since August, 1962; and what percentages these were of the number of insured persons.

Following is the information required:

asked the Minister of Labour how many persons have been registered as unemployed at the Bideford Employment Exchange of North Devon at each monthly count since August, 1962; and what percentages these were of the number of insured persons.

Following is the information required:

asked the Minister of Labour how many persons, male and female, and persons under 18 years of age, male and female, respectively, were registered as unemployed at the April, 1963, count in the Gateshead employ, menu area; what was the percentage rate for male and female, respectively; what was the comparable figure for 12 months earlier; and what was the number of unfilled vacancies at the same date.

The unemployment figures for April will not be available until next week when I will send them to the hon. Member.Following are the figures at 9th April, 1962:

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what is the maximum graded pension that can be earned by a man who pays the maximum graduated contribution to the National Insurance scheme from the age of 18 until he retires at 65 assuming he has contributed from the start of the graduated pension scheme in April, 1961.

£3 1s. 6d. a week.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will list the firms who received contracts from the General Post Office during the last financial year to produce cable, loading coils, telephone exchange equipment and telephone apparatus; what was the size of each firm's contract; and whether the firms belonged to the General Post Office bulk supply contractors.

Information in this detail will take some time to assemble. I will write to the hon. Member as soon as it is ready.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that on Monday 8th April between the hours of 4.47 and 5.32 o'clock, the hon. Member for Stroud attempted to telephone Strasbourg 353400 from the Houses of Parliament and that during this time, despite repeated requests, it was impossible to elicit any information about the progress of the call or to speak to the number asked for; and what steps he will take to improve the system.

I am sorry that my hon. Friend had this difficulty. The unfortunate delay to this call is exceptional. I have not yet been able to establish the full facts, and am in touch with the French Administration. I will write to my hon. Friend as soon as I can.

asked the Postmaster-General if it is proposed to hold open days for telephone exchanges this year.

Yes. The Post Office will be "at home" to its customers during a series of Telephone Weeks beginning on 22nd April when members of the public will be able to visit telephone exchanges and certain other installations. At the same time discussions and displays are being arranged to illustrate the Post Office contribution to national productivity in this National Productivity Year.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what new military air raid shelters are under construction or planned; and what is the estimated expenditure in 1963–64 on such shelters.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give figures showing the results of fishing, giving herrings separately, by North-East Scotland fishing fleets during the last six months; and how these figures compare with the corresponding figures for last year.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many of those in the development unit of his office have experience in trade or industry.

There is no such unit. If the right hon. Gentleman is referring to the Scottish Development Group, this is composed of officials from all the Departments concerned with economic and physical development in Scotland; it has access to trade and industrial experience through the established contacts of these Departments with organisations in trade and industry.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many of those employed in the Scottish Office have been trained in sociology; and in what branches of this subject they received their training.

Twenty-nine officers of my Departments have taken formal qualifications in social science or have obtained practical training in this field in the course of their employment in connection with child care, approved and special schools, probation, after care of offenders or the welfare of the aged and handicapped.

asked the Minister of Transport what arrangements he has

pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 10th April, 1963; Vol. 675, c. 166], circulated the following detailed information:approved for the delegation of functions by the British Railways Board to regional Railway Boards.

Under the terms of Section 2 of the Transport Act, 1962, the British Railways Board is required, in determining the functions to be delegated to Regional Railway Boards established under that Section as respects the parts of the national railway system for which the Regional Boards are to be responsible, to act on lines settled from time to time with my approval. It accordingly submitted to me proposals covering these matters which I approved in accordance with Section 2(4) of the Act. The proposals, which provide also for the assumption by the Regional Boards of responsibility for certain associated matters, are as follows:

asked the Minister of Transport whether the conclusions contained in Sir Robert Hall's report, The Transport Needs of Great Britain in the Next Twenty-five Years, were made available before publication to Dr. Beeching.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for War what plans he has for the military barracks at Pontefract, now no longer used as such; and for what other purposes connected with his Department they could be used.

We are still using part of Pontefract Barracks. I am at present considering our future need for the Barracks and I shall come to a decision as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for War what were the code names given to the eight Army exercises carried out in 1962 in which the use of nuclear weapons was simulated; how many nuclear strikes were made in each exercise; what was the assumed power of the simulated weapons; and what general conclusions were drawn from the exercises.

The exercises were called:

• New Harpoon V.
• Ground Zero 28.
• Ground Zero 29.
• Desert Rat.
• Hornets' Nest.
• Swan Song.
• Panther's Leap.
• Cross Belt.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will take steps to adjust the red phase on the traffic signals at the junction between Albert Gate and Knightsbridge, so that pedestrians may cross the road in order to enter the park.

The present phasing of these signals is experimental, like other traffic measures in the area. Different phasings are being tried out, to determine which is best for both pedestrians and road traffic.