asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking to deal with surplus milk production this year; how much will be converted into dried milk and made available for consumption in under-developed countries; and if he will make a statement.

It is too early to make a firm forecast, but I am told by the Milk Marketing Board that at present they expect that little or no surplus skim milk will result from this yeas's peak period of milk production.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what regulation he has made requiring manufacturers of pesticides to state on containers of farm chemicals the toxic properties of the contents, including the danger to animals and birds.

The Poisons Rules, made by the Home Secretary under the Pharmacy and Poisons Act, provide for appropriate labelling of the more toxic chemicals, including those used in agriculture. In addition, as a condition for the clearance of any new agricultural chemical under the Notification of Pesticides Scheme, the manufacturer must undertake to include on the label of the product recommendations for its safe use, which include any necessary precautions for the protection of birds and animals.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action is being taken to compensate farmers in Northern Ireland for the proportionately greater loss of income which they have sustained in the last five years by comparison with their counterparts in Great Britain.

Agricultural net income has risen since 1958–59 in both Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom. The Government already makes a special grant for agricultural producers in Northern Ireland of Ell million a year to compensate them for remoteness from markets.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what arrangements are made for spot checks of pesticide residues on fruit and vegetables offered or sold for human consumption.

As the hon. Member will be aware from the reply I gave her on 1st April, officers of Food and Drugs authorities, as part of their normal enforcement work, sample and analyse fruit and vegetables as well as other foods offered or sold for human consumption to determine among other things whether pesticides residues are present.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to what extent, in his negotiations with Denmark, he is trying to modify the right that the Danes now have of free entry of pig exports to Great Britain up to any quantity.

During the recent bilateral talks in the context of the E.F.T.A., I have taken the opportunity of discussing with Danish Ministers the situation of the bacon market in this country for which Denmark is the largest supplier.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the number of sheep exported from this country during the 12 months ended 31st March, 1963, or the latest convenient date, to countries in North Africa; what Government control was exercised to ensure that no cruelty or unnecessary suffering was inflicted; how many sheep died in transit; what facilities for water and food were available on the transporting ships; and if he will make a statement generally with regard to this trade.

So far as I am aware, there has been only one consignment, of 879 sheep to Tunisia in February of this year. A veterinary officer inspected the ship, and ensured that there was no overcrowding and that a sufficient supply of fodder and water was carried. The return of casualties in respect of this shipment has not yet been received.There is no general trade to North Africa in animals for slaughter.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will introduce legislation on seeds and plant breeders' rights in the next Session of Parliament.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the Answer I gave today to my hon. Friend the Member for Armagh (Mr. Maginnis).

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he has taken to date to make bilateral trade agreements in agricultural products with major supplying countries so as to ensure that the home market is not overwhelmed at the times of greatest home production of these products.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given at Question Time today to the hon. and learned Member for Montgomery (Mr. Hooson).

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what publicity measures are at present being promoted to help the Freedom from Hunger Campaign in this country.

An exhibition of photographs demonstrating the plight of people in less developed countries who are hungry or ill-nourished is on view today in the Upper Waiting Hall of the House.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science, as representing the Lord President of the Council, what progress has been made with long-term plans for industrial development in so far as they affect the unemployment problem in the North-East.

My noble Friend is making good progress in his examination of the problems of the North-East and expects to report to his colleagues shortly.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science, as representing the Lord President of the Council, what assistance has been given by his Department to local authorities in the North-East to enable them to proceed with increased housing and the provision of needed amenities.

Assistance to local authorities for most such purposes is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Minister of Housing and Local Government.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science, as representing the Lord President of the Council, when the Lord President will reply to the letter he received on 13th March from the hon. Member for Stockton-on-Tees regarding the Stockton ring road; and if he will announce his decision on the construction of a dual carriageway road between Durham Road and Norton Avenue as an agreed measure to improve communications locally in the interests of long-term industrial development.

My noble Friend is sorry for the delay. He has now replied to the hon. Member informing him that the Minister of Transport has not felt able to agree to the construction of more than a single carriageway at the present time.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science how much has been spent on the development and maintenance of the Magnox type of reactors by the Atomic Energy Authority; what moneys have since been recovered by royalties, levies and other charges; and if he will make a statement.

Publication of the Atomic Energy Authority's expenditure on the development of any particular type of reactor and of the revenue received from its exploitation would handicap them in their negotiations for the payment of royalties for the use of patents and information of commercial value relating to that particular system.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science when the Atomic Energy Authority will be ready to demonstrate to the electricity boards the feasibility, safety and economics of the advanced gas-cooled reactor system.

About one years' full power operation of the Windscale A.G.R. will be needed to confirm the behaviour of the reactor. So far, just over two months of full power operation has been achieved.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science what is the total cost to date of the development of the advanced gas-cooled reactor.

Publication of the Atomic Energy Authority's expenditure on the development of any particular type of reactor and of the revenue received from its exploitation would handicap them in their negotiations for the payment of royalties for the use of patents and information of commercial value relating to that particular system.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science what loss was incurred by the Atomic Energy Authority on the development and production of beryllium for canning the advanced gas-cooler reactor fuel elements, including all research, development of production units and compensation paid to firms outside the Atomic Energy Authority who were contracted to assist in development and production.

The Atomic Energy Authority have spent about £10 million on the development of beryllium as a fuel element canning material. Of this sum, about £8·5 million was spent on A.G.R. cans, including the development of techniques and provision of facilities for the manufacture of material and cans and the production of cans for a part charge for the zero energy facility.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science what progress is being made in the development of stainless steel fuel element containers for the advanced gas-cooled reactor; and what is the estimated cost of research and development on this matter.

Good progress has been made in the development of stainless steel clad fuel elements for the A.G.R. A full charge of these elements consisting of over 30,000 individual cans has been made and is now being irradiated. So far there has been no defect in any. The cost to date of developing the design and manufacturing techniques is estimated to be nearly £2 million.

asked the Minister of Aviation if he will introduce legislation to prohibit commercial practices that lead to losses being sustained by air Corporations as the result of actions by ticket-selling agencies.

No. These are matters for commercial arrangement between the Corporations and their authorised agents and I have no reason to believe that the law is inadequate.

asked the Minister of Health how many general practitioners practise in the London Executive Council area; how many have sought approval for deputising arrangements; how many have obtained approval; and how many London general practitioners are operating group practices.

2,391; 1,211; none yet; this is not known.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that approval for a general anaesthetic is frequently withheld by the Dental Estimates Board; why the Board is not content to rely upon the clinical judgment of the dentist in such instances; what course is open to a dentist who cannot obtain the Board's approval; on whom the cost of such anaesthetic, if given, falls; what guidance he has given to the Board on this matter; and if he will make a statement.

No; because they must discharge their responsibility under the regulations; to appeal to me; that would depend on the circumstances; none.

asked the Minister of Health what has been the percentage increase in the salaries of doctors within the National Health Service in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years; what has been the global sum involved in each of those years; and what has been the percentage increase, on average, of the general practitioner's salary in the same period.

I would refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State's reply to him on 1st May. The size of the pool for each of the years was:

	£m.
1954–55	70·5
1955–56	72·7
1956–57	73·4
1957–58	78·0
1958–59	80·7
1959–60	83·8
1960–61	82·4
1961–62	85·4
1962–63	Not yet available
1963–64	Not yet available
Note: The make-up of the pool was changed from 1960–61 onwards.

asked the Minister Health to whom copies of his Department's booklet on fluoridation, published in April, 1963, have been issued; how members of the general public may obtain copies; and whether any charge is made.

To hon. Members and local authorities; yes. on request to my Department; no.

asked the Minister of Health what steps are being taken to trace the source of the typhoid infection reported in Acton on 1st May, 1963; and what precautions are being taken at the works of Messrs Evershed and Vignoles Limited, to minimise the risk of further cases.

The case reported is now known not to be typhoid.

asked the Minister of Health when his Department had evidence that pasteurising eggs was effective against paratyphoid; and by what date satisfactory methods of using this technique were known.

This has long been common knowledge; March last year.

asked the Minister of Health what proportion of imported egg consignments were tested each year since 1956; on how many occasions samples were found harmful; and for what reasons they were harmful.

All consignments; the remaining information is not centrally collected.

asked the Minister of Health what information he has, from the 1951 and 1961 Census returns, of the number of workers in Batley and Morley, respectively, who travel outside those boroughs to their places of employment.

In 1951 the number of people resident in Batley and Morley who worked outside the borough were, respectively, 7,407 and 6,008. I regret that the information from the 1961 census is not yet available.

asked the Minister of Health (1) what percentage of total expenditure on the National Health Service has been financed by the central Government; and what percentage of this figure has been met out of general taxation, National Insurance contributions, and other miscellaneous sources, respectively, during each full year since 1945;(2) what percentage of total expenditure on the National Health Service has been financed by the central Government, by local authorities, by prescription charges, and by miscellaneous sources, respectively, during each full year since 1945.

Following is the information (England and Wales):

asked the Minister of Health if he will make a statement on the recently announced pay award for nurses, indicating in particular how many will be worse off after taking into account the proposed increased charges for board and lodgings.

asked the Minister of Health (I) what are the prospects for increased recruitment of student nurses as a result of the recent pay increases:(2) if he is aware of the adverse effects on recruitment of staff to mental hospitals by the equalisation of pay in the recent award; and what action he is taking to remedy this situation.

asked the Minister of Health (1) what each grade of the nursing profession will receive under the new pay award; and how many of these will be worse off;(2) to what extent the recent pay increases to nurses will bring about the desired recruitment of student nurses.

asked the Minister of Health (1) how much better off financially per month the various grades of the nursing profession will be after his recent pay awards;(2) what increase in the recruitment of nurses has resulted from his recent pay awards.

I am not in a position to comment on the recent award of the Industrial Court, which has not yet been considered by the Whitley Council.

asked the Minister of Health whether he has considered the statement by the Birmingham Medical Office of Health, a copy of which has been sent to him, expressing concern about the inadequacy of present and future maternity hospital facilities in the city; what plans he has for improving these facilities; and whether he will allocate part of the extra £100 million, recently announced, for further improvements in Birmingham.

Yes; measures already taken or planned to start this financial year will add 67 beds in the City, and schemes going forward under the Hospital Plan will provide 298 more.

asked the the Minister of Health what are the ratios between the maximum salaries of a ward sister, a staff nurse and a State-enrolled nurse following the recent award, and as at 1st February, 1949, in general and psychiatric hospitals, respectively; and what are the equivalent figures allowing for the change in the value of the £ sterling.

I am not in a position to comment on the recent award of the Industrial Court, which has not yet been considered by the Whitley Council.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will consider the introduction of legislation to compel employers to insure against liability for damages arising out of accidents suffered by their employees; and whether his attention has been drawn to the recent comments of Mr. Justice Sachs on this matter in the recent case of Coutts v. G. T. Gidley, Limited.

My right hon. Friend has noted the comments of Mr. Justice Sachs but considers that legislation to require compulsory insurance would not be justified. The evidence available to our Department suggests that very few employees injured at work are unable to obtain proper damages because the employer was not insured. The necessary legislation would be complex and difficult to enforce, particularly in the case of small firms with little financial backing.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a table showing, for the first nine months' operation of the Commonwealth Immigrants Act, the number of permits applied for and issued by categories under the Act and by territory of origin, the comparative figures of entrants in the previous three years, comparable figures for exit of immigrants returning home, and the number of applications outstanding at the end of the nine months.

I am arranging for a table relating to applications for vouchers to be published in the OFFICIAL REPORT. The number of applications for vouchers outstanding at the end of March, 1963, was about 41,000. Ques-

NUMBERS OF VOUCHERS APPLIED FOR AND ISSUED UNDER THE COMMONWEALTH IMMIGRANTS ACT UP TO END OF MARCH, 1963, BY CATEGORY AND TERRITORY OF ORIGIN
Country of Origin	Category A		Category B		Category C		Category A, B, C
	Applications Received	Vouchers Issued	Applications Received	Vouchers Issues	Applications Received	Vouchers Jssued	Applications Received	Vouchers Issued
Aden	16	11	1	1	20	11	37	23
Antigua	8	5	4	4	31	24	43	33
Australia	275	259	725	707	491	328	1,491	1,294
Bahamas	3	3	3	3	3	—	9	6
Barbados	530	515	11	10	367	251	908	776
Basutoland	2	2	—	—	—	—	2	2
Bermuda	5	4	4	3	21	14	30	21
British Guiana	63	51	54	43	243	107	360	201
British Honduras	—	—	—	—	1	1	1	1
British Solomon Islands	—	—	—	—	3	2	3	2
Brunei	1	1	—	—	—	—	1	1
Canada	150	119	606	576	674	446	1,430	1,141
Ceylon	48	39	193	175	785	431	1,026	645
Cyprus	650	486	8	8	229	152	887	646
Dominica	13	13	—	—	20	15	33	28
Falkland Islands	—	—	1	1	7	5	8	6
Fiji	11	9	10	9	126	79	147	97
Gambia	1	—	—	—	—	—	1	—
Ghana	36	22	3	3	52	30	91	55
Gibraltar	9	6	6	5	43	36	58	47
Grenada	22	14	2	—	199	152	223	166
Hong Kong	904	638	12	12	18	12	934	662
India	908	696	2,826	2,383	21,930	12,222	25,664	15,301
Jamaica	220	155	51	45	3,402	2,439	3,673	2,639
Kenya	45	31	28	25	52	27	125	83
Malaya	80	70	27	28	38	26	145	124
Malta	186	163	53	41	551	402	790	606
Mauritius	24	16	63	59	294	155	381	230
Montserrat	—	—	—	—	12	12	12	12
New Guinea	1	1	—	—	13	—	14	1
New Zealand	97	87	203	196	136	94	436	377
Nigeria	118	97	499	458	3,179	1,776	3,796	2,331
Pakistan	2,224	1,263	1,627	1,033	31,428	4,267	35,299	6,563
Papua	1	1	2	2	1	—	4	3
Persian Gulf States	2	1	—	—	5	1	7	2
Rhodesian Federation	52	45	82	75	154	101	288	221
St. Helena	60	55	—	—	—	—	60	55
St. Kitts	4	1	—	—	53	40	57	41
St. Lucia	13	6	—	—	138	98	151	104
St. Vincent	19	14	2	2	147	110	168	126
Sarawak	3	1	1	1	4	1	8	3
Seychelles	12	10	—	—	5	1	17	11
Sierra Leone	5	4	6	6	40	19	51	29
Singapore	25	19	4	3	12	7	41	29
Swaziland	—	—	7	5	2	1	9	6
Tanganyika	11	10	3	2	10	9	24	21
Trinidad and Tobago	73	44	28	28	178	112	279	184
Uganda	10	6	2	2	14	11	26	19
Zanzibar	2	2	4	3	11	6	17	11
Others	7	2	11	7	11	6	29	15
TOTAL	6,969	4,997	7,172	5,964	65,153	24,039	79,294	35,000

asked the Minister of Labour how many men and women, respectively, were employed at the end of

ESTIMATED NUMBERS OF EMPLOYEES IN EMPLOYMENT IN FALMOUTH AND CAMBORNE-REDRUTH
—			1961			1962
			Males	Females	Total	Males	Females	Total
Falmouth	…	…	7,100	2,700	9,800	6,500	2,700	9,200
Camborne-Redruth	…	…	10,100	4,300	14,400	10,100	4,300	14,300
These figures relate to the mid-year.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will state the average percentage of unemployment in the Gateshead and district employment exchange area since 12th November, 1962, to the latest date: and what was the comparable figure in the same period 12 months earlier.

5·4 and 2·9 respectively.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will state the current numbers at Gateshead employment exchange of persons who have been unemployed over 52 weeks, over 39 weeks and up to 52 weeks, over 26 weeks and up to 39 weeks, over 13 weeks and up to 26 weeks, over one week and up to 13 weeks, and one week or less, respectively.

The following table gives the information required:

ANALYSIS OF PERSONS REGISTERED AS WHOLLY UNEMPLOYED AT GATESHEAD EMPLOYMENT EXCHANGE AND YOUTH EMPLOYMENT OFFICE ON 8TH APRIL, 1963
Duration of Unemployment	Males	Females	Total
Up to an including 1 week	285	156	441
Over 1 week and up to 13 weeks	680	137	817
Over 13 and up to 26 weeks	448	48	496
Over 26 aid up to 39 weeks	232	18	250
Over 39 and up to 52 weeks	124	19	143
Over 52 weeks.	358	18	376
Total	2,127	396	2,523

The following table gives the information required:

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will give the names of the countries which are now more than two years in arrears with their contribution to the United Nations Regular Budget and Special Budget, respectively, and the period and amount of arrears in each case.

The following table shows which countries were on 31st March this year liable to lose their vote under Article 19 of the Charter of the United Nations because their arrears totalled more than two years' contributions:

Country	Total regular budget arrears in $	Total ONUC account arrears in $	Total UNEF account arrears in $
Argentina	1,254,177	268,797	856,376
Bolivia	48,684	33,664	38,057
Cuba	199,464	205,598	191,001
Haiti	69,634	23,977	14,470
Honduras	71,014	23,977	8,408
Hungary	625,560	734,270	402,928
Paraguay	55,058	23,977	30,346
U.A.R.	310,515	258,155	284,742

Argentina, Cuba, Hungary and the United Arab Republic are in arrears with their contributions to the Regular Budget as from 1961, and Haiti and Honduras from 1957. In respect of the Congo account all are in arrears from 1960 and in respect of the United Nations Emergency Force account all are in arrears from 1957.Full details of the state of each member's contribution to these three accounts

can be found in the United Nations Secretariat document

asked the Lord Privy Seal what market advantages for agricultural foodstuffs he proposes to offer the Danish Government in return for a further tariff reduction in the European Free Trade Association.

As my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture said on 27th February, European Free Trade Association Ministers at their Geneva meeting on 18th and 19th February instructed the Permanent Representatives to prepare a detailed programme for speedier elimination of the remaining tariffs on industrial goods; trade in agricultural goods was also to be discussed. Bilateral talks have been held with Denmark in this context, and there will be further talks in Lisbon this week. I cannot anticipate the results of these discussions.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if, at the conclusion of the forthcoming European Free Trade Association discussions on agriculture and trade, he will produce a White Paper on the decisions reached.

I shall be glad to inform the House of the decisions reached in whatever form appears appropriate.

asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty whether, in view of the number of boys unemployed in the Cowdenbeath-Dunfermline area, he will increase the intake of apprentices at Rosyth.

The intake of apprentices at Rosyth has increased progressively over recent years as set out below:

1959–60	…	…	…	71
1960–61	…	…	…	96
1961–62	…	…	…	146
1962–63	…	…	…	167
1963–64	…	…	…	190
				(Target figure)

asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty whether he will make a statement on the progress of his plans for improvements in the living accommodation of apprentices at Rosyth.

A review of training requirements has confirmed the need for this accommodation and the project is now being progressed as speedily as possible. Because of the review, we could not start construction work as soon as we had originally hoped, but the Ministry of Public Building and Works now expect that they will be able to start construction work at the end of the present financial year.

asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty whether he will appoint a small committee to inquire into the working conditions and remuneration of unskilled labourers in Admiralty dockyards.

Rates of pay for labourers and other industrial employees in the dockyards are already under active negotiation with the trade unions concerned.

asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty whether he will make a detailed statement on the division of work on Polaris submarines between Coulport and Rosyth.

The Polaris missiles and components will be maintained at Coulport, which will also be the place of embarkation and disembarkation for them. The submarines will have their periodical refits at Rosyth. The routine maintenance of the submarines will take place at Faslane.

asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty whether he will give an assurance that work transferred from his Department to the Ministry of Public Building and Works will not result in a reduction of employment to Admiralty employees at Rosyth Dockyard.

The transfer of work and staff to the Ministry of Public Building and Works must obviously result in a corresponding transfer of employees from the Admiralty to that Ministry, but there is no reason to suppose that any further reduction of Admiralty employees will result as a direct consequence of this transfer.

asked the Minister of Education which local education authorities are providing maintenance allowances for schoolchildren over the age of 15 years at a level below that recommended by the Weaver Working Party.

An inquiry in 1961 showed that the following 50 authorities were then paying maintenance allowance at rates below those recommended by the Working Party.

Counties	County Boroughs
Cheshire*.	Barrow-in-Furness*.
Cornwall.	Blackpool.
Herefordshire*.	Bournemouth.
Huntingdonshire.	Bristol.
Isle of Ely.	Chester.
Leicestershire.	Coventry.
Lincs. Holland.	Great Yarmouth.
Lincs. Lindsey.	Ipswich*.
Shropshire *.	Lincoln.
Staffordshire*.	Norwich.
Suffolk East.	Preston.
Suffolk West.	Reading.
Warwickshire.	Rotherham*.
Westmorland.	St. Helens*.
Wiltshire*.	Sheffield.
Yorkshire East	Southport.
Riding.	Stockport.
	Stoke-on-Trent.
Anglesey.	Sunderland.
Brecon.	Wakefield.
Caernarvonshire.	Walsall.
Cardiganshire.
Carmarthenshire.	Merthyr Tydfil.
Denbighshire.	Swansea.
Glamorgan*.
Monmouthshire.
Montgomeryshire*.
Pembrokeshire.
Radnorshire*.
* Authorities which were at the time considering revision of their arrangements.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has now received the report on the future economic needs of the Leeward and Windward Islands, prepared by Dr. Carleen O'Loughlin; and whether he will publish it or make it available in the Library of the House of Commons.

Dr. O'Loughlin has sent to the Governments concerned the draft of her interim Report so that it may be available for the discussions with the Regional Council of Ministers in Barbados in May which will precede the Conference in London in June, The question of publication will be decided when the Report is available in final form.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations (1) what is the total liability outstanding owed to the Pacific Phosphate Company by the British Government under the 1920 agreement;(2) if he will publish figures for each year of the agreement with the Pacific Phosphate Company showing the net financial result as far as British firms are concerned.

There is no amount owing to the Pacific Phosphate Company whose rights to the phosphates on Nauru and Ocean Island were acquired by the British, Australian and New Zealand Governments on payment of compensation in 1920. The subsequent arrangements for management of the phosphates are described in Command Paper 1985 of April 1963, a copy of which I am sending to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what increases in penalties under the Public Order Act he is proposing to introduce for offences associated with arousing racial or religious hatred.

The Government intend to take steps to increase the penalties for offences against the Public Meeting Act 1908 and Section 5 of the Public Order Act 1936 as soon as a suitable opportunity occurs. The hon. Member will not expect me to anticipate the details of future legislation.

asked the Minister of Power what information he has on the number and nature of the companies employed in conducting geophysical surveys in the North Sea for oil and natural gas; and what steps Her Majesty's Government propose to take to ratify the International Convention to enable the companies to apply for concessions in selected areas.

I understand that about fifteen companies are exploring the North Sea for oil and natural gas, or have plans to do so, either separately or in groups. They are all substantial companies experienced in oil exploration elsewhere.The International Convention will be ratified by Her Majesty's Government after the necessary legislation has been passed.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what was the value of construction work lost in the North-East because of the weather in January and February, 1963; and what special action has been taken to ensure a smoother flow of building output in future winters.

We estimate that in the first quarter of this year about 10 per cent. of the annual value of construction work was lost over the country as a whole; but we cannot estimate as precisely the effect in the North-East.It is for builders and their clients to decide whether the cost of special action to protect particular building sites is justified, but we are considering what further research is needed, and what can be done to make present knowledge more widely available.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT the numbers and age-group proportions of boys and girls, respectively, who left school at 15 years of age during each of the years 1957–58.

The information asked for by the hon. Member is given in the following table:

SCHOOL LEAVERS
Year	Estimated number of children in age-group	Number of pupils leaving on attaining school leaving age	Number of pupils leaving on attaining school leaving age as a percentage of the number in the age-group
			per cent.
BOYS
1957–58	38,700	25,941	67·0
1958–59	40,300	25,635	63·6
1959–60	40,500	25,839	63·8
1960–61	37,100	23,557	63·4
1961–62	45,200	30,223	66·9
GIRLS
1957–58	37,600	25,178	67·0
1958–59	39,000	25,230	64·7
1959–60	39,000	25,642	65·7
1960–61	35,600	22,812	64·1
1961–62	43,500	30,099	69·2

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT, arranged according to industry, the number of girls, aged 15, 16, 17 and 18 years of age, respectively, released by their employers to attend courses for part-time education during each of the years 1957–58.

The number of girls released from employment to attend courses of part-time further education is shown in the following table; separate figures for each industry are not available.

Year			Girls aged
			15	16	17	18
1957–58	…	…	754	1,083	978	311
1958–59	…	…	852	1,056	1,003	405
1959–60	…	…	765	1,138	1,037	455
1960–61	…	…	713	1,172	1,168	529
1961–62	…	…	849	1,166	1,211	602

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT the number of boys and girls, respectively, under 18 years of age, attending for further education at evening classes, during each of the years from 1957–58; and if he will arrange those figures according to the subject being studied.

The numbers of boys and girls under 18 years of age who attended evening courses of further education (excluding those released by their employers in working hours) were as follows:

Year		Number of students under 18 years of age
		Boys	Girls
1957–58	…	27,058	23,073
1958–59	…	29,433	27,281
1959–60	…	29,688	28,382
1960–61	…	29,093	28,131
1961–62	…	28,936	28,401

The total number of students attending evening courses in each subject is given in Table 14 of "Education in Scotland in 1962" (Cmnd. 1975), but information is not available about the age and sex of the students in each subject.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland why the three-and-a-half mile area between Dornoch and Cuthill farm is still without a piped water supply and sewerage, thus depriving three farms and several farmworkers' homes where 43 people live of an essential supply.

A scheme to supply this area with water is in preparation and should be ready to start later this summer. Sutherland County Council have no proposals at present for providing a public sewage disposal system.

asked the Secretary for Technical Co-operation what was the total value of technical aid authorised and allocated by the United Kingdom Government to overseas Commonwealth territories during the past year; and what are the estimates for the ensuing two years.

Approximately £20·3 million was spent by my Department on bilateral technical aid to the Commonwealth in 1962–63. The corresponding amount included in my Department's estimates for 1963–64 is £25·18 million. In addition, assistance amounting to £ ·65 million in 1962–63 and estimated at £ ·81 million in 1963–64 is given by my Department in the support of home-based technical assistance organisations and institutions concerned with overseas development; most of this assistance is directed to the Commonwealth. Commonwealth countries also receive technical aid from the United Nations Special Fund, the Expanded Programme of Technical Assistance and U.N.1.C.E.F., which are financed by member countries. The United Kingdom's contributions to these funds was £3·2 million in 1962 and £3·9 million in 1963.Estimates of expenditure for 1964-65 are not yet available.

asked the Secretary for Technical Co-operation how many United Kingdom doctors, dentists and teachers are at present employed in Commonwealth territories abroad under arrangements made by him; and how many are in Nigeria.

The number of serving officers recruited by the British Government for service with Commonwealth and Colonial Governments is approximately as follows:

			Total	In Nigeria
Doctors	…	…	648	71
Dentists	…	…	31	5
Teachers	…	…	2,236	192

The following are employed by the British Government under Technical Assistance schemes for service in Commonwealth countries:

			Total	In Nigeria
Doctors	…	…	8	3
Dentists	…	…	—	—
Teachers	…	…	29	8

Teachers are also employed by various overseas authorities under a number of special arrangements to which the British Government contributes. There are 230 of these teachers in Commonwealth countries, of whom 30 are in Nigeria.

asked the Secretary for Technical Co-operation what was the percentage of total technical and general aid devoted to the development of agriculture, including research, in Commonwealth territories during the past three years.

Precise figures are not available, but I estimate that the percentage of technical aid given by my Department to the Commonwealth in the agricultural sphere, including fisheries and forestry and including research, was 10 per cent. in 1961–62 and 13·7 per cent. in 1962–63. Figures for 1960–61 are not available.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will introduce legislation to amend the Transport Act 1962 in such a way as to provide for the publication by all Transport Users Consultative Committees of details of their working, including in particular how often they met, where they met, the duration of each meeting and the results of each meeting.

No. Under Section 56 of the Act the Committees are free to determine their own procedure but they must hold at least two meetings a year and any oral representations about closure proposals which they decide to hear must be heard in public. Information about the work of the Committees is published in the Annual Reports of the Central Transport Consultative Committee and the Transport Users Consultative Committees for Scotland and for Wales and Monmouthshire. The handbook published by the Central Committee also gives much useful information. The Committees make suitable arrangements to keep the Press informed including as a general rule the issue of a Press notice at the time when they make a report to the Minister under Section 56(9) of the Act.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will take steps to increase the representation of the county of West Sussex upon the Transport Users Consultative Committee for the south-eastern area, from the three out of 18 members, as at present, to at least four, to include a representative from the HenfieldSteyning-Bramber area.

No. The members of Area Transport Users Consultative Committees are appointed in accordance with the provisions of section 56(2) of the Transport Act, 1962, which does not specify the direct representation of particular localities. But I always try to ensure that the membership of a Committee is drawn as widely as possible from different parts of the Area concerned.

asked the Minister of Transport what were the chief types of unserviceable stores, with their approximate values, sold off by the General Lighthouse Authorities for the year ended 31st March, 1962.

The chief types of unserviceable stores sold by the General Lighthouse Authorities in the year ended 31st March, 1962, were scrap metal and chains. The sum realised was £4,434.In addition, the Commissioners of Northern Lighthouses sold a launch and dinghies for £360.