asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what additional housing subsidies he proposes to meet the financial hardship on both tenants and local authorities where a heavy back-log of slum clearance is involved.

I have undertaken to keep subsidies under review but I do not accept that the present arrangements are causing hardship. If local authorities pool their housing costs and charge realistic rents to those who can afford them, they should be able to continue slum clearance and rebuilding without putting an undue burden either on the poorer tenants or on the ratepayers at large.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what would be the capital housing debt at existing costs to clear the 15,000 slum houses in Oldham; and, separately, what would be the interest charge per house per annum for each new house at current 5 per cent., 4 per cent. and 3 per cent. borrowing rates, respectively.

I have no information that would enable me to answer the first part of the Question.As to the second part, assuming a three-bedroom council house costing £2,062, the total annual loan charges for amortisation, as well as the payment of interest, repayable by equal annuities over sixty years, would be £122 12s. 1d. at the current Public Works Loan Board rate of 5¾ per cent.; £107 15s. 8d. at 5 per cent.; £90 18s. 0d. at 4 per cent. and £74 6s. 4d. at 3 per cent.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs how many houses were built during the latest period of 12 months by the local authorities of Accrington, Oswaldtwistle, Church, Rishton and Clayton-le-Moors, respectively.

No houses have been completed by any of these authorities in the past twelve months. Accrington Borough Council and Clayton-le-Moors Urban District Council each have under construction a housing scheme for old people; these schemes involve 66 dwellings in all.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs why, apart from weather conditions, the number of completed houses and flats fell from 26,340 in 1962 to 18,948 in March, 1963.

The fall in the number of houses completed during the first quarter of this year has been entirely due to weather conditions.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what effect the new pre-measured washing powder tablet is expected to have on the problem of foam at sewage works.

I understand that these tablets are intended to discourage the use of excessive quantities of detergent in washing machines. This should help a little to reduce foaming. But the only complete answer to that problem is a detergent that breaks down properly at the sewage disposal works. The hon. Lady will be aware of the progress that is being made in this direction from the Report I sent her recently.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he will introduce legislation to compel manufacturers to indicate on packets of detergent the fact that it contains a soft foaming agent.

The hon. Lady is aware of the work that is being done on the development of a really satisfactory soft material. I think that we should await the results before considering legislation on detergents.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what reply he has sent to the council of the Ramblers' Association concerning the routeing of the Pennine Way in the County of Northumberland; and whether the route agreed by the Highways Committee of the county council is considered to be an adequate preservation of the national heritage.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Central (Mr. Short) on 2nd May.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether he will circularise local authorities recommending them to sell freeholds to leasehold-owner occupiers upon reqeust.

No. This is a matter which each local authority must decide for themselves, having regard to the circumstances of the estate and their duties as ground landlords, in the interests of the ratepayers.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether he will now make a statement on the result of his talks with the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food about the treatment for rating purposes of buildings used for intensive livestock and poultry production.

As yet I have nothing to add to my answer to the Question by the hon. Member for Norfolk, South-West (Mr. Hilton) on 26th March.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs how much water per day over and above the amount required by the Leeds Corporation Consolidated Act, 1905, was allowed to run from Lindley reservoir between 26th April and 29th April without passing through a gauge; and if he will repeal the Leeds Corporation (Drought) Order, 1963, as the reservoir would have been full on 30th April if a quantity of water had not been permitted to run to waste.

I am informed that between 26th and 29th April the Corporation were testing an emergency outlet valve which carries no gauge, but that the water run off was approximately the statutory amount. I see no ground for repealing the order.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs how many requests he has had for extending the date of the submission of objections to the Final Proposals of the Local Government Commission for Wales beyond 30th June, 1963; and whether he will make a statement.

One only, from Breconshire County Council. I have "replied" that every opportunity to elaborate representations will be given at the public inquiry which will follow in due course and asked that every endeavour be made to submit by 30th June, 1963, the main grounds of the council's representations.

asked the President of the Board of Trade to what extent he is assisting British firms to participate in the United States World Fair in 1964.

The New York World's Fair, 1964–65, has not been registered by the Bureau which administers the International Exhibitions Convention as satisfying the conditions of the Convention. This does not debar British firms from taking part, but the use of Government funds to assist them would be clearly inconsistent with our obligations under the Convention.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what assistance he is giving to British manufacturers of large diameter steel pipes to enable them to secure orders from the Soviet Union.

The normal services of the Board of Trade and of the Commercial Department of the British Embassy in Moscow are available to British manufacturers interested in selling large diameter steel pipe to the Soviet Union.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many citizens of all ages died from the effect of burning clothing in 1962; and what steps are being taken to enlist the support of industry and the public to remedy this.

Figures for 1962 are not yet available. In 1961 deaths attributable to burning clothing in England and Wales were 44 males and 190 females. Comparable figures are not available for Scotland and Northern Ireland. The Government welcome the publicity given to this subject by the Press, local bodies and manufacturers.

asked the President of the Board of Trade, in considering whether Accrington should be scheduled as a development district, to what extent he took into account the number of unemployed married women who do not

DEVELOPMENT DISTRICTS IN NORTH-EAST ENGLAND:
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE 12 MONTHS ENDED 31ST MARCH, 1963
Applications received		Applications rejected	Assistance offered				Estimated extra jobs
Total number of projects	Number including request for grant		Number of projects		Amount
			Total	Including Grants	Total	Grants
					£'000	£'000
67	22	4	9	6	1,800	400	2,300

Offers were also made during this period in respect of applications received earlier. In total, excluding offers declined, financial assistance of £2·9

My right hon. Friend can take into account only those unemployed workers who are actively seeking new employment. As has been previously explained to the hon. Member, it is the unemployment rate for workers wholly unemployed which we taken into account when considering whether an area should be listed as a development district.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will state, for the year ended 31st March, 1963, the number of approvals for the building of factories and extensions in development districts in the North-East, the area involved and the estimated employment expected to accrue.

Industrial development certificates issued totalled 42 with an area of 1·3 million square feet and an estimated employment of 3,200.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will state for the year ended 31st March, 1963, in respect of development districts in the North-East, how many applications for loans and grants, respectively, were received, the number accepted and the number rejected, the amount offered and the estimated employment.

The following table sets out the information:million, including £0·9 million by way of grant, was offered to projects in the North East during this period, estimated to create 4,300 jobs.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will state, for the year ended 31st March, 1963, the number of building grants offered in the development districts in the North-East, stating the amount, the average grant in relation to estimated cost, and the estimated employment expected to accrue.

Eleven building grants, totalling £815,626, were offered for projects in development districts in the northeast of England during the year ended 31st March, 1963. These projects are estimated to provide employment for 3,146 people. The average grant in relation to the estimated cost of the proposed buildings was 11·4 per cent.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware of the intentions of Imperial Chemical Industries with regard to the future of their plant at Billingham, and of the effect their current development plans will have on the industrial structure of Tees-side; and what action he is taking in this matter.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what longterm provision he intends to make for new, permanent jobs on the north bank of the Tees, designed specifically to replace the anticipated reduction of employment in the chemical industry there.

I.C.I. have kept my right hon. Friend informed of the expected reduction in their labour force at Billing-ham. It is not yet possible to say whether the reduction will be wholly met by normal wastage. While he cannot provide new jobs specifically to offset a rundown in a particular firm, my right hon. Friend will continue to use his powers under the Local Employment Act to encourage industrial development on Tees-side.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will give an assurance that the present Commonwealth preference on butter entering the United Kingdom from New Zealand and Australia will remain unaltered as a result of the forthcoming negotiations with Denmark and other foreign countries.

Under our trade agreements with New Zealand and Australia we are precluded from altering the butter preference without their agreement.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware of the damage and loss suffered by the horological industry in the United Kingdom by the resale by Her Majesty's Commissioners of Customs and Excise of impounded contraband horological products; and if he will instruct Her Majesty's Commissioners to destroy all such products or arrange for their sale in the country of origin.

I am aware of certain trade views that seized watches, for which any trade buyer may tender, should not be sold on the home market. Sale in the country of origin is impracticable, and there is no sufficient reason for the Exchequer to forgo the proceeds of these sales.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware that the original estimated costs of most of the buildings for universities listed in Class VII, Vote 1, Appendix II, Table B of the Civil Estimates 1963–64, are greatly exceeded by the current estimates; and what unforeseen circumstances other than changes in the character of schemes have caused these increases.

I am informed by the University Grants Committee that the original estimates often had to be prepared in advance of any opportunity for detailed evaluation of the academic requirements, or of the local circumstances, such as site conditions, etc., in which they would have to be met. The current estimates therefore reflect not only the results of such further study but also in many cases higher costs since the original estimates were prepared.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will give the latest available figures by grades of the total staff in British universities for the present academic year 1962–63;(2) if he will give by grades the number of staff in British universities for the academic year 1961–62.

The latest available figures by grades of the number of fulltime staff employed in teaching departments of British universities for the academic year 1961–62 and the autumn term of 1962–63, are as follows:

		Autumn
—	1961–62	1962–63
Professors	1,708	1,737
Readers and Independent Lecturers	964	1,026
Senior Lecturers	1,602	1,744
Lecturers	6,021	6,332
Assistant Lecturers and Demonstrators	1,548	1,608
Others	1,261	1,377
TOTAL	13,104	13,824

These figures exclude staff below the rank of Reader and Independent Lecturer at Oxford and Cambridge.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has yet completed his consideration of the poisons whose use will be prohibited under the Animals (Cruel Poisons) Act; how soon he expects to make the necessary regulations; and whether the list of poisons to be prohibited will include red squill, phosphorus, arsenic, barium carbonate, strychnine, except for moles, brucine, fluorine compounds, thallium sulphate, sulphur dioxide and ANTU.

My right hon. Friend has decided, in consultation with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland, to prohibit the use of red squill and phosphorus against animals and to restrict the use of strychnine to the destruction of moles and, in Scotland only, of seals. He hopes to make the necessary regulations shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what grounds his Department issued a statement on 29th April that Queen Frederika of Greece had not been touched by demonstrators in view of the fact that an apology had been made on behalf of Her Majesty's Government for personal molestation of the Queen.

I have nothing to add to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 2nd May.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to increase the provision of training courses for child-care officers.

The Central Training Council in Child Care has been active in increasing facilities for the training of child-care officers and it is expected that 170 students will complete their training this year as compared with 130 in 1962 and 68 in 1961.

asked the Prime Minister what representations he has received that he should hold Press conferences similar to those of the President of the United States of America.

I have been asked to reply.My right hon. Friend has noticed with interest the Press discussion of the desirability of providing opportunities for the British Press to have on-the-record conferences with the Prime Minister.

asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty whether he has considered the representations of Dunfermline Labour Party, submitted to him by the hon. Member for Dunfermline Burghs, that Admiralty contracts with private shipbuilding and repair yards will not be granted at the expense of Admiralty dockyards; what reply he has sent; and whether he will make a statement.

I have replied to the letter from the hon. Member to the effect that it is Admiralty policy that all refit and repair work on H.M. ships and ancillary craft shall be carried out in the Royal Dockyards whenever practicable and that such work is only placed to contract when it is not practicable or suitable for acceptance in the dockyards. It is also our policy to build a small proportion of the new construction for the Navy in the Royal Dockyards.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, whether, in formulating long-term proposals for agriculture, he will take into account the special difficulties of those, particularly small farmers, in remote areas.

We shall be looking at United Kingdom agriculture as a whole, but I can assure my hon. and gallant Friend that we shall have in mind the considerations to which he refers. I would remind him that special grants are already available to help farmers in Northern Ireland and those in livestock rearing areas and to assist small farmers with businesses that are capable of being put on a sound footing.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he will put proposals for the long-term future of agriculture before the farmers' unions.

I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the reply given at Question Time on 6th May to the hon. and learned Member for Montgomery (Mr. Hooson).

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is aware that the Doncaster Cattle Market has not been used for the sale of store pigs for eight months, due to swine fever restrictions, and that this is causing inconvenience and expense to pig breeders and feeders in the area; when the restriction will be removed; and if he will make a statement.

The lengthy restrictions in force in the West Riding of Yorkshire and in a number of other counties were imposed because of the high incidence of swine fever during 1962 and because of the need to reduce this in order that,the slaughter policy, which began two months ago, should have the best prospects of eradicating the disease. Continued outbreaks in the West Riding indicate that infection is still present. It would, therefore, be dangerous to reopen the store markets to pigs which might be incubating the disease, and thus risk its wide dissemination. But all restrictions are kept under constant review and those in the West Riding will be lifted as soon as it is safe to do so.Restrictions are currently in force in 30 counties. I recognise the hardships which they cause, particularly when they are of long standing, but I am sure that it would be wrong at this crucial stage to take any risks which might jeopardise the success of the eradication policy.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what the new rates of fertiliser subsidy will be for the forthcoming season.

Subject to Parliamentary approval the following rates of subsidy will apply in the case of fertilisers delivered an or after 1st June next:

Nitrogen-7s. 2d per unit.

Water-soluble phosphoric acid—5s. 8. per unit.

Insoluble phosphoric acid—2s. 10d. per unit.

Basic Slag and Potassic Basic Slag (Great Britain):

• 6 per cent. phosphoric acid or over £1 14s. 0d. per ton.
• 7 per cent. phosphoric acid or over £1 19s. 0d. per ton.
• 8 per cent. phosphoric acid or over £2 2s. 0d. per ton.
• 9 per cent. phosphoric acid or over £2 4s. 0d. per ton.
• 10 per cent. phosphoric acid or over £2 6s. 0d, per ton.
• 11 per cent. phosphoric acid or over £2 8s. 0d. per ton.
• 12 per cent. phosphoric acid or over £2 10s. 0d. per ton
• 13 per cent. phosphoric acid or over £2 12s. 0d. per ton.
• 14 per cent, phosphoric acid and over 3s. 11d. per unit.
• Basic Slag and Potassic Basic Slag (N. Ireland)—5s. 1d. per unit.

These rates are designed to give effect to the decision taken after this year's Annual Review to reduce the total amount of the subsidy by £2 million. The draft Scheme necessary to give them stautory effect will be laid before Parliament as soon as possible after the passing of the Agriculture (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill.

asked the Minister of Defence how many Poles there are in this country who served in the allied cause during the war.

It is estimated that the number is of the order of 80,000, of whom some 30,000 are naturalised British subjects.

asked the Minister of Defence what estimate he has made of the cost of paying pensions to Polish ex-Service men.

I do not have the records to enable an estimate to be made.

asked the First Secretary of State to what dates he is working in regard to the repeal of the Constitution of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland; what date he has in mind for the final enactment of the Act and Order-in-Council relating to the secession of Nyasaland from the Rhodesias; if the severance of the two Rhodesias will be effected by the same or subsequent legislation; and, if by subsequent legislation, after what interval of time.

I am not yet in a position to provide a timetable of constitutional change in Central Africa.

asked the First Secretary of State, having regard to the Nyasaland Government's policy of providing a crash programme of Africanisation of the courts of justice and the police force in Nyasaland, whether he will insist on the setting up in Nyasaland, as a condition of the grant of independence, of extra-territorial British Courts to which Federal citizens may resort.

I regret that I cannot accept this suggestion.

asked the Minister of Labour what was the number of persons engaged in civil employment and the numbers registered as unemployed in Wales in the month of January in the years 1955 to 1959 and 1963, respectively.

Following is the information:

ESTIMATED NUMBERS OF EMPLOYEES IN EMPLOYMENT AND NUMBERS OF PERSONS REGISTERED AS UNEMPLOYED WALES
Employees in employment			Unemployment
Year		Total	Date	Total
1955	…	932,100	10th January, 1955.	24,155
1956	…	939,100	16th January, 1956.	18,758
1957	…	936,100	14th January, 1957.	27,322
1958	…	922,800	13th January, 1958.	33,800
1959	…	922,100	12th January, 1959.	43,856
1962	…	953,600	14th January, 1963.	54,864
Notes:
1. Estimates of the numbers in civil employment (which include employers and persons working on their own account) are available only for Great Britain as a whole.
2. The estimated numbers of employees in employment are only available at mid-year.

asked the Minister of Labour what was the registered insured population at the employment exchanges at Llanelly, Ammanford, Garnant, and Tumble in the month of January, 1955, 1959, and 1963, respectively.

Following is the information:

ESTIMATED NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES
—	1955	1959	1962
Llanelly	22,525	21,422	23,677
Ammanford	6,176	6,252	5,629
Garnant	3,529	2,965	2,152
Tumble	4,333	4,535	2,940
NOTE: The figures are available for the midyear only.

asked the Minister of Health when the Whitley Council will complete its consideration of the recent Industrial Court award to nurses.

I cannot yet say.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what restrictions are placed upon Embassy officials abroad by the Governments of the countries concerned, specifying the countries; and to what extent relaxations have taken place in the last ten years.

I presume the Question refers to travel restrictions. Such restrictions on British Embassy officials are imposed by the Governments of the following countries:

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether any restrictions are placed upon the movements of foreign Embassy officials in this country, specifying their nations; and to what extent they are restricted.

Yes. We require members of the Soviet and Chinese diplomatic missions in London to notify us of their journeys outside the London area because they restrict the movements of our diplomatic representatives in their countries. We ask them to submit written notifications of travel at least two days in advance of their intended departure for all journeys of more than thirty-five miles from Hyde Park Corner. We have frequently proposed the abolition of these restrictions on a reciprocal basis to the Soviet Government, so far without success.

asked the Lord Privy Seal how many Embassy officials of other nations resident in the United Kingdom have been granted diplomatic immunity, specifying the numbers in each Embassy.

1,952 officials in foreign Missions, resident in the United Kingdom, are accorded full diplomatic immunity. An additional 209 officials are granted, on a basis of reciprocity, immunity restricted to their official acts only.The numbers in each Mission are as follows:

	Full Immunity	Restricted Immunity
Afghanistan	4	—
Argentina	13	11
Austria	20	—
Belgium	43	—
Bolivia	3	—
Brazil	13	17
Bulgaria	16	—
Burma	34	—
Cambodia	7	—
Cameroon	3	—
Chile	9	—
China	34	—
Colombia	4	—
Congo (Leopoldville)	4	—
Costa Rica	3	—
Cuba	14	—
Czechoslovakia	63	—
Denmark	41	—
Dominican Republic	6	—
Ecuador	5	—
El Salvador	3	—
Ethiopia	6	—
Finland	11	7
France	40	117
Gabon	3	—
Germany	130	—
Greece	23	—
Guatemala	6	—
Haiti	1	—
Honduras	2	—
Hungary	39	—
Iceland	4	—
Indonesia	46	—
Iran	25	—

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will state, giving the mileage in respect of each, those motorways or lengths of motorway for which no line had yet been proposed, a draft scheme had been published, a scheme had been made, and tenders had been invited, respectively, as at 30th April.

Road	Scheme	Mileage	Position
A.74—Glasgow—Gretna	Hamilton Bypass	13·16	Amended scheme made.
A.74/A.80—New link	Maryville to Mollinsburn	6·3	Investigations proceeding.
A.9—Edinburgh—Stirling	Polmont and Falkirk Bypass	5·8	Observations of interested parties are being considered. Draft scheme to be published in 1963.
A.8—Edinburgh—Glasgow	Harthill Bypass	5·15	Scheme made. Tenders to be invited in May, 1963.
A.8—Edinburgh—Glasgow	West of Newhouse to West of Harthill.	6·2	Draft scheme being prepared.
A.8—Edinburgh—Glasgow	East of Harthill to Dechmont	7·8	Alternative line being investigated. Consultations being completed so that a decision on motorway construction can be taken soon.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many National Health Service patients in Caithness and Sutherland have been sent to Golspie or Inverness for operations or treatment in each of the three years to 31st March last; and in haw many instances the fares and other expenses were met from Exchequer funds.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will state, giving the mileage in respect of each, those motorways or lengths of motorway for which no line had yet been proposed, a draft scheme had been published, a scheme had been made, tenders had been invited, a contract had been placed, which were under construction, and which were in use, respectively, as at 30th April.

Following is the information requested:

Motorways in Use	Miles
London-Birmingham	73
Preston By-pass	8½
Lancaster By-pass	11½
Ross Spur	20½
Maidstone By-pass	7½

The position at 30th April on the motorway proposals included in the Scottish trunk road plans from mid-1962 to mid-1967 is as follows:

Motorways in Use	Miles
Doncaster By-pass	15
Bristol-Birmingham Lydiate Ash Twying	27½
Stevenage By-pass	7½
Stafford By-pass	5
Stretford-Eccles By-pass (classified motorway built by Lancashire County Council)	6
Stafford-Hanchurch	11
London-South Wales Slough By-pass	5½
Maidenhead By-pass	6
	204½

Motorways under construction
Birmingham-Preston (excluding Stafford section now open)	62½
Medway Motor Road	25
London-South Wales:
Chiswick-Langley (Viaduct and roadworks)	13
Severn Bridge (Foundation and Superstructure)	1
Newport By-pass (Bridge and Tunnels)	½
Darlington By-pass (Bridges)	—
Port Talbot By-pass (preparatory work)	—
London—Yorkshire:
Part II Crick—Whetstone—Marktield	26½
Preston—Lancaster	13
Darlington—Barton By-pass (including Darlington Spur)	13
	154½

Contracts placed
Port Talbot By-pass (Main Contract)	4½
London—Yorkshire:
River Trent Structures	—
	4½

asked the Minister of Transport (1) if he will conduct an inquiry into the frequency of traffic hold-ups at the Worsbrough Bridge railway crossing, near Barnsley, with a view to reducing the persistent delays of road vehicles at this point;(2) how many accidents, fatal and otherwise, have occurred at the Red Lion Corner, Worsbrough, near Barnsley, in the past nine years; to what extent accidents have been reduced since alterations were made four years ago; and whether he will make another survey to see if more accident prevention methods can be introduced;(3) what estimate he has made of the effects of the projected motorway from Sheffield to Leeds on the accidents occurring at Red Lion Corner in Worsbrough and the hold-up of traffic at the Worsbrough railway crossing; and if he will make a statement.

Between 1st August, 1954, and 30th April, 1963, three persons were killed and 30 injured in accidents at Red Lion Corner, Worsbrough. There has been no significant change in the number of accidents since the road was improved in 1959, but traffic has increased by 76 per cent. over the whole period. I have asked my divisional road to engineer to consider whether anything further can be done to improve road safety at this point.The extension of the M.1 motorway to Sheffield and Leeds will provide a safer, alternative route, enabling traffic to avoid both Red Lion Corner and the Worsbrough Bridge level crossing. I do not consider that any special inquiry is called for.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will make a statement on the work of the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organisation; and which other countries contribute towards its cost.

The Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organisation (I.M.C.O.) is a specialised agency of the United Nations. Since it started work in 1959, it has concentrated on its responsibility for providing for cooperation among Governments in technical matters affecting shipping engaged in international trade, and promoting the highest practicable standards of maritime safety and efficiency of navigation. Matters with which it has been concerned include International Conventions for the Safety of Life at Sea, International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, International Conventions for the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea by Oil, the reduction of formalities in ports, tonnage measurement, coordination of safety at sea and in the air, and revision of the International Code of Signals.I.M.C.O. publishes an annual report and a Bulletin three times a year describing its activities. I understand that a copy of the most recent issues of both is in the Library.The cost is met by contributions from all members, which now comprises the following 55 countries: