asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs how many appeals under Section 16 of the Town and Country Planning Act are currently waiting to be heard.

2,215 at the end of last month as compared with 3,048 a year ago.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs the average time taken from the rejection of a planning application by a local authority to the hearing of the appeal under Section 16 of the Town and Country Planning Ac:

I have no figures to show the average time taken between the planning authority's decision on an application and the submission of an appeal. The average time taken from the receipt of an appeal to the local inquiry is at present about four and a half months.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs how far implementation of the smoke control programmes published in Smoke Control (England and Wales) 1962–66 depends on increased production of gas coke suitable for open fires.

Hitherto in establishing smoke control areas it has been possible to rely on open-fire gas coke being available as the basic domestic replacement for the raw coal previously used. But owing to the rapid technological changes now taking place in the gas industry it is clear that a major increase in the production of gas coke can no longer be expected. This means that at a stage in the programmes varying from place to place additional supplies of open-fire coke may cease to be available to meet the requirements of further smoke control areas. Changes may therefore he needed in current arrangements in order to ensure that progress with smoke control is not impeded. In conjunction with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Power I am instituting an immediate review of these arrangements. The practicability of encouraging greater use of closed and openable stoves, will be among the matters covered by the review. Local authorities will be kept informed of the progress of the work. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland has agreed that in general it would be useful for this review to cover Scotland as well.

asked the Minister of Education haw many new school places were provided in the City of Worcester between 1st January, 1952, and 1st January, 1963.

Between 1st January, 1952, and 31st December, 1962, 2,260 new primary school places and 2.190 new secondary school places were taken into use.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the total acreage of land owned by his Department in the seven crafting counties; how this land is distributed according to sections of his Department; and what is the number of gamekeepers employed on these lands.

In the crafting counties the area of land vested in the Secretary of State for agricultural and forestry purposes is 1,191,244 acres of which 398,350 acres are held for agricultural purposes and 792,894 acres are held under forestry powers. Seven gamekeepers are employed. In addition 92 trappers are employed by the Forestry Commission to kill vermin.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has accepted the decision of the Industrial Court on increases of salary for probation officers and if he will make a statement.

I understand that the two parties to the dispute are meeting next Friday, 31st May, to consider the Industrial Court's decision. Thereafter there will be no avoidable delay on the Government's part in dealing with it.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury if he will circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT a statement showing the rise or fall in total public expenditure, incuding expenditure below the line, for each year since 1952–53.

The table below shows combined public authorities' expenditure for calendar years from 1952.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the amount of drawback on re-exports of products containing light hydrocarbon oils which has been claimed at the rate of 5½per cent. in the most recent 12 months for which figures are available.

I regret that since separate totals are not recorded in respect of this type of exportation on drawback, the figures asked for are not available, and could be obtained only by a special exercise which would involve a disproportionate amount of labour and expense.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many doctors were produced in the United Kingdom in the last 12 months(2) how many overseas students qualified as doctors in the United Kingdom during the last 12 months;(3) how many doctors were produced in the North-East of England during the last 12 months.

The latest available information from University Grants Committee records shows the number of students obtaining first registrable medical degrees or diplomas at university institutions in Great Britain in the year ending 31st July, 1962. Of the total number of 1,776, 145 were students from overseas: the number graduating in the North-East of England was 67.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will set up an immediate inquiry to establish the total value of the computers and data-processing equipment imported into Britain in 19567–57, 1957–58, 1958–59, 1959–60, 1960–61 and 1961–62.

No: an inquiry of this kind would present considerable problems, about which I am writing to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for War how many staff were engaged on building and maintenance work each year since 1952; what was their annual cost; and what was the value of work completed in each year.

I regret that the information asked for cannot be provided without a disproportionate expenditure of time and effort.

asked the Secretary of State for War how many building contractors were removed from the War Office contract list each year since 1952.

The numbers of building contractors, including painters and decorators, removed each year since 1952 from the War Office contract list for all reasons including closures, mergers, and so on, are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will list the barracks, hospitals and other buildings costing over £30,000 on which planning began in each year since 1952; on what date each building was completed; what was the original estimate of cost: what was the final cost: and whether the building is still used by Her Majesty's Government.

I regret that the information asked for cannot be provided without a disproportionate expenditure of time and effort.

asked the Minister of Power whether, on the basis of recent investigations, he is prepared to authorise the building of a third Lurgi plant in the United Kingdom; and when he expects to receive the Report of the Joint Study undertaken by the Gas Council and the National Coal Board on the feasibility of building further plants for the complete gasification of low-grade small coals.

I will certainly consider any proposals which the Gas Council may make. I understand the Report of the Joint Study will be ready within a few weeks.

asked the Minister of Power if he will state the cost per therm of town gas actually produced by existing Lurgi plants in the United Kingdom; and what he estimates will be the trend of costs in the event of the installation of each of the several variants of the Lurgi process in the United Kingdom being authorised by him.

The works cost of gas produced at the Westfield Works of the Scottish Gas Board in January, 1963, was given in a recent publication as 1059 pence a therm. According to estimates given in 1961 to the Select Committee, the Lurgi plant which the West Midlands Gas Board is installing at Coleshill would provide gas at a cost of 11.25 pence a therm. As regards the last part of the Question I prefer to await the report of the Joint Study referred to in my hon. Friend's previous Question.

asked the Minister of Power if he will state on the basis of the most recent information available the comparative cost of producing town gas from the gasification of small coals and from the cracking or otherwise processing petroleum fractions.

Information given to the Select Committee in 1961 about the net cost of gas made from petroleum by three different processes then in use showed that it varied from just under 9d. to about 10d. a therm. The costs of processes now available appear to be lower. As regards the cost of producing gas from small coals, I should prefer to await the Report of the Joint Study referred to in my hon. Friend's first Question.

asked the Minister of Health when he expects hospital authorities to complete the review of medical staffing recommended by the Platt Working Party.

I cannot yet say.

asked the Minister of Health how many no-ceiling pay beds there are in teaching and non-teaching hospitals, respectively; and whether these are normally included in statistics for Section 5 beds.

The actual numbers very and are not centrally collected, but may nowhere exceed 15 per cent. of the section 5 beds (or 3 out of 19 or fewer); yes.

asked the Minister of Health whether, in view of the increased incidence of burn injuries throughout the country, through accidents in the home, factories, road traffic accidents, etc., he will give the figures of blood and plasma available currently in the South West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board area.

There has been no such increase. Figures of total stocks in blood banks and hospitals are not collected centrally.

asked the Minister of Health what was the value of contracts placed by his Department overseas in the last financial year; and what proportion of the total this represents.

£224,183 or 1·2 per cent. In addition contracts were placed with British agents or importers for supplies produced wholly overseas to a value of £1,327,030 or 7·2 per cent. of the total.

asked the Minister of Health how many doctors from overseas are employed in the National Health Service in the North-East of England.

In September, 1961, the latest date for which I have figures, 235 junior medical staff (excluding locums) born overseas were employed in hospitals in the Newcastle Region. Figures for senior medical staff or doctors in other parts of the Health Service are not available.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science the total acreage of land, within the seven crofting counties, owned by the Nature Conservancy; and what is the number of gamekeepers employed on these lands.

The total acreage of land owned by the Nature Conservancy within the seven crofting counties of Argyll, Caithness, Inverness, Orkney, Ross and Cromarty, Shetland and Sutherland, is 45,284 acres. In addition the Conservancy have entered into Nature Reserve Agreements, under Section 16 of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act, 1949, with various owners in respect of a further 75,732 acres, and hold a further 12t) acres under lease. The Conservancy does not employ gamekeepers, but six wardens and five estate workers are employed on these lands.