asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty whether, in view of the additional need for publicity resulting from the expansion of the Royal Navy, he will bring the Admiralty into line with the War Office and Air Ministry by appointing a senior officer as bead of an expanded public relations department in place of the present Chief of Naval Information.

The arrangements for handling public relations in the Admiralty and in the naval service generally are now under review, and my hon. and gallant Friend's suggestion has been noted.

asked the Secretary of of State for Air what plans he has for introducing new aircraft into the Queen's Flight.

Subject to the satisfactory conclusion of contract negotiations several Hawker Sidddeley 748 Series II aircraft are to be ordered for passenger carrying duties with the Royal Air Force. The performance of the Hawker Siddeley 748 makes it an economical and efficient type for service with the Queen's Flight and two of the aircraft to be ordered will be allotted to the Flight. They will replace two of the Herons which will be transferred to other tasks in the Service. Her Majesty the Queen has been graciously pleased to approve this re-equipment of the Queen's Flight.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will make a statement about the future status of the Royal College of Science and Technology, Glasgow.

My predecessor announced on the 29th May, 1962, that the University Grants Committee accepted the case for the College being granted full university status, including the power to award its own degrees. In view, however, of the current study of the future pattern of higher education being carried out by the Robbins Committee, they thought it wise to defer their final advice to the Government on this point.In view of the importance of an early decision in relation to this College's plans for academic development, particularly in the field of industrial and social studies, and the desirability of more university places in Scotland, the University Grants Committee have now formally advised me that the College should be granted full university status. The Robbins Committee—whose report, as I recently stated, is expected towards the end of the summer —have been consulted and seen no objection. I have accordingly accepted this advice and I have authorised the Committee to inform the College that the way is clear for it to prepare a draft Charter for submission to Her Majesty in Council.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether expenses incurred during business travel on normal accommodation, food and drink are allowable for Income Tax purposes in the case of those taxed under Schedule D as well as for those taxed under Schedule E; and what instructions have been given to Her Majesty's inspectors of taxes on this point.

Expenses incurred wholly and exclusively for business purposes on business travel are deductible in computing profits under Cases I and II of Schedule D: they would include expenditure on normal accommodation, food and drink. No special instructions have been issued to H.M. Inspectors of Taxes on this point in relation to Schedule D.

asked the Minister of Health why the information on the total of merit awards paid to consultants in each of the hospital regions for each of the past three years is unavailable.

Hospital boards do not inform me of the separate elements making up remuneration.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will announce the dates of Summer Time next year.

I propose to continue in 1964 the limited extension of the statutory period of Summer Time introduced experimentally in 1961. However, in order to avoid the period starting on Easter Day the spring extension will be one week longer than usual. Thus the total extension of the statutory period next year will be of seven weeks, four in the spring and three in the autumn. Parliament will in due course be invited to approve a draft of an Order in Council providing for Summer Time in 1964 to run from 22nd March to 25th October.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether he is now in a position to make a statement on the West Hartlepool shopping centre plans.

I am sending my hon. and gallant Friend a copy of the decision letter which issued yesterday.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what are the reasons for his continued delay in confirming compulsory purchase orders on dilapidated houses at Adams Hill, Bartley Green, Birmingham; and whether he is aware that this delay is causing hardship to the tenants of these dwellings, since the Birmingham Corporation cannot rehouse them until it owns the houses.

My right hon. Friend's decision to confirm this compulsory purchase order subject to slight modification was issued on Wednesday.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs why he decided that the sending of letters to the committee on rating would be an embarrassment; and what arrangements he is making to deal with letters on the impact of rates sent to him by hon. Members and by the public.

Letters from the public provide valuable evidence of the strength of feeling about rates and of the problems which face the writers. These are matters of deep concern to me, and I shall continue to pay close attention to such letters, even though I cannot always send individual replies. But letters do not tell the whole story; people with no grievance seldom write, and there is no means of telling how representative those who do write are.If we are to take sensible decisions we must have a balanced assessment of the impact of rates on different sections of the community up and down the country—an assessment that will embrace not merely those who are hard hit by the changes, but also those who benefit by them and those whose position is little changed. It is to provide this perspective view of the situation that the Secretary of State and I have set up the Committee under the Chairmanship of Professor Allen; and I feel sure that my hon. Friend will agree that they must be allowed to choose the statistical methods which will enable them to set out the whole position, and thus enable us to take the right decisions.

I asked the Minister of Labour how many juveniles are being trained, and how many adults are being retrained, at the Tursdale Training Centre, County Durham, outside the National Coal Board training scheme at Tursdale.

Twenty-four young persons are being trained at the Tursdale Government Training Centre. Training for adults is expected to start in September next.

asked the Minister of Labour how many of the registered unemployed on the Isle of Sheppey were formerly employed in Her Majesty's Dockyard, Sheerness.

Nine men whose last employment was in the dockyard were registered as unemployed on 29th May.

asked the Minister of Labour if he can now state the number of men who have been given notice at the Ford Motor Company, Doncaster, works; how many of these have been offered jobs at other Ford factories; and how many his officers are now able to place in other jobs.

My right hon. Friend understands that the firm is giving notice of discharge today to 612 men. The firm is willing to offer re-employment at other factories to all men who are willing to move. Arrangements have been made with the firm for our local officers to register these workpeople and we shall do everything possible to find alternative employment for those who then seek our help.

asked the Minister of Labour what facilities he will make available to workmen who become redundant at the Doncaster factory of the Ford Motor Company at the end of June to assist them in the cost of removing their homes because they have been offered work at the Ford factory at Halewood.

My right hon. Friend is arranging for sympathtic consideration to be given to any applications from these workers for admission to the resettlement transfer scheme. The benefits of the scheme include the payment of household removal costs in full and free fares for workers and their dependants to move to the new area of employment.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will state the type of research at present being conducted at the Dollis Hill Research Station on communications-satellite systems; and if he will give details of actual inter- nation or domestic projects which have so far been brought to the development stage, to which the station has made a substantial contribution.

This work concerns developments in ground station aerial systems, the steering of them to follow satellites, and associated radio transmitters and receivers. In addition, assessments are being made of the development problems to be solved in the telecommunications elements of the satellite itself and their impact on overall system design. The Dollis Hill Research Station contributed substantially to the provisions of the experimental equipment in the Post Office Earth Station at Goonhilly Down, Cornwall. As a result, many experiments have been carried out with the American Telstar and Relay satellites in association with ground stations of the American, French. Italian and Brazilian authorities.

asked the Postmaster General what progress is being made at the satellite station in the Weardale area, County Durham, to remove the shadow area.

The B.B.C. tell me that they are continuing a series of tests to determine the best site at which to build the station. It is particularly important to find the right site in this case because the Weardale countryside is so hilly.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science whether he is satisfied that the proposed inclusion of working machinery within the pressure vessels of the integral boiling water and Vulcain types of nuclear reactor is a reasonable technical proposition for marine purposes; and if he will make a statement.

I am satisfied that what is proposed is technically reasonable, but a categorical statement must await the successful outcome of the development now in progress.

asked the President of the Board of Trade when he expects the advance factory in Crook, County Durham, to be completed; and what information he has of possible tenants.

In August. Six manufacturers have been shown the factory during construction, but so far no firm application for tenancy has been received.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what was the total value, excludiig Purchase Tax, of watches of foreign and British manufacture, respectively, sold in the United Kingdom last year.

Manufacturers' sales of watches, including movements sold separately, for home trade amounted to £3,755,000 exclusive of Purchase Tax, and imports of complete watches and movements were valued at £4,430,469, exclusive of import duty and Purchase Tax.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will publish in HANSARD a table of figures giving for each month since 1958 the exports to and the imports from East Germany which have been shipped from and into the port of Goole.

This information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for War what conclusions have been reached following his consultations with other Government Departments as to the future use of Brancepeth Camp, County Durham.

I am in touch with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Public Building and Works about the future of this camp.

asked the Minister of Transport what is the estimated expenditure incurred on trunk roads, over and above the original Estimate provision, as a result of the severe winter, including that for maintenance and repairs.

It is estimated that the expenditure incurred in the financial year 1962–63 on trunk road maintenance and minor improvement will be about £900,000 more than the original Estimates provision. Further expenditure on repairs to damage caused by the severe winter will be incurred in the current financial year, but it is not possible to say at this stage whether that will necessitate any increase over the provision for normal repairs and maintenance made in the 1963£64 estimates.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will introduce a 40 miles per hour speed limit on the A.20 trunk road in the parish of Harrietsham, or take other steps to protect pedestrians on this road.

A 40 miles per hour speed limit would not be appropriate to conditions on this road. I am writing to my hon. Friend about pedestrian crossing facilities.

asked the Minister of Transport whether it is his policy to intervene in any cases where the Railways Board is required to obtain planning permission before redeveloping its property.

It is not my practice to intervene between the Railways Board and the local planning authorities in such cases. Where, however, an application by the Board for permission to develop operational land for the purposes of their business comes before my right hon. Friend the Minister of Housing and Local Government, on appeal or otherwise, he and I have a statutory duty to deal with the matter jointly.In dealing with other planning appeals or applications relating to railway property, my right hon. Friend may or may not consult me, as he thinks fit.

asked the Minister of Transport whether the study group of the Padmore Committee on Marine Nuclear Propulsion has authority to consult the appropriate sections of British industry where this is considered desirable.

Yes.