asked the Minister of Health what study he has made of the Report of the Joint Committee on Mobility for the Disabled entitled, The Case for Supplying Suitably Adapted Small Cars to the Disabled, a copy of which has been sent to him; and whether he will make a statement

asked the Minister of Health what study he has made of the pamphlet from the Joint Committee on Mobility for the Disabled, a copy of which has been sent to him; and if he will make a statement.

I have read it. My right hon. Friend has no proposals for legislation.

asked the Minister of Health what steps he is taking to ensure that assistants in general practice get an increase of 14 per cent. in accordance with the recent pay award.

None; an assistant's remuneration is a matter of private arrangement between him and the doctor.

asked the Minister of Labour how many persons in each of the last three years have emigrated abroad from the new town of East Kilbride.

Comprehensive information is not available, but it appears from housing records kept by the East Kilbride Development Corporation that the numbers emigrating abroad in each of the last three years were 13, 31 and 37, respectively.

asked the Minister of Labour how many schoolleavers were unemployed in Dunbartonshire at the latest convenient date; and how many pupils are expected to leave school at the next school leaving date.

Twenty-one school leavers were unemployed on 10th June. About 1,180 boys and girls are expected to leave school this summer.

asked the Minister of Labour how many school leavers were unemployed in Ayrshire at the latest convenient date; and how many pupils are expected to leave school at the next school leaving date.

80 school leavers were unemployed on 10th June. About 1,750 boys and girls are expected to leave school this summer.

asked the Minister of Labour how many school leavers were unemployed in Midlothian at the latest convenient date; and how many pupils are expected to leave school at the next school leaving date.

In Midlothian, including Edinburgh, 33 school leavers were unemployed on 10th June. About 3,000 boys and girls are expected to leave school this summer.

asked the Minister of Labour how many school leavers were unemployed in Angus at the latest convenient date; and how many pupils are expected to leave school at the next school leaving date.

In Angus, including Dundee, 16 school leavers were unemployed on 10th June. About 1,800 boys and girls are expected to leave school this summer.

asked the Minister of Labour how the British delegation at the International Labour Office Conference at Geneva voted on the issue of the exclusion of the Republic of South Africa.

At the present Session of the Conference there has been no vote on this issue. The issue arose at the Session in 1961. Paragraph 46 of the Report of the Delegates of the United Kingdom (Cmd. 1514) states how the United Kingdom Delegation voted.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will state by trade, age

Following is the Answer:

asked the Minister of Labour if he will make a full statement on the results of the survey of the pottery industry within the City of Stoke-on-Trent, and on the action taken since publication of the report in 1959; and what further action is to be taken.

The problems disclosed by the survey in 1959 were mainly those of dust control in potters' shops and control of temperature and ventilation generally. These problems have been closely examined by the Joint Standing Committee on the Pottery Industry, whose First Report, which contains a number of recommendations and fully-illustrated descriptions of the latest types of appliances and protective clothing, will be published later this year. Action to improve standards, on the lines indicated by the Committee, has begun, and will continue.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many men and women ceased to be employed on agricultural work in England and Wales in the year ended 31st December, 1962.

I regret to say I cannot say how many ceased to be employed, but on 4th December, 1962, there were about 11,500 fewer regular whole-time workers on agricultural holdings in England and Wales than of 4th December, 1961.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if, in view of the rapid increase in the production of poultry meat, he will include this in the proposed system of control of imports or import prices.

I cannot at this stage add to what I said to the House on 22nd May about our general approach to this question. However, imports of poultry meat, including canned poultry meat, account for only 3 per cent. of our supplies.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what information has been given to poultry farmers about the difference between fowl pest and fowl plague; what compensation for the latter disease has been given in each year in the last 37 years; and how much is under review at present;

The term fowl pest includes two diseases caused by different viruses, Newcastle disease and fowl plague. The sub-acute form of Newcastle disease is that which has been present in this country in recent years and which we are now controlling by vaccination. The per-acute form of Newcastle disease has not been recorded in this country for the past 9 or 10 years. Fowl plague affects all domestic poultry, chickens and turkeys being most susceptible. Its effects are similar to those of per-acute Newcastle disease and is extremely virulent and nearly always fatal. Farmers are required to report to the Ministry any suspected case of fowl pest in any of its forms; they have been given no special instructions regarding fowl plague, but should be in no doubt about the symptoms as they are similar to those of per-acute Newcastle disease.Compensation is not payable by the Ministry for disease, but only for slaughter of animals and birds on account of disease. The recent outbreak of fowl plague on a holding in Norfolk was the first recorded in this country for over 30 years, and the first since a slaughter policy for fowl pest was adopted in 1936. This general slaughter policy came to an end on 31st March this year except for fowl pest in its per-acute forms. The amount of compensation payable for the slaughter of the birds as a result of the recent outbreak has not yet been determined.

asked the Minister of Aviation what support he has given to the project of a low-cast laminar flow control development aircraft.

The Ministry of Aviation has since 1953 supported a number of flight experiments on laminar flow. Early experiments were based on the Vampire aircraft. More recently, the flight testing of a laminarised swept wing, mounted on a Lancaster, is being undertaken by the College of Aeronautics. In the absence of a military or civil operational requirement, no full-scale development of an aircraft has been authorised. Proposals for a research aircraft have hitherto been rejected either on technical grounds or because of other demands of greater priority on available funds. My right hon. Friend is, however, now considering a proposal for a project study for a research aircraft based on the conversion of a DH125 aircraft to laminar flow.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance how

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what is the average amount of benefits from the Industrial Diseases Benefit Fund now being paid to mineworkers suffering from pneumoconiosis.

I presume that the hon. Member is referring to the allowances provided under the Industrial Diseases (Benefit) Acts to persons suffering from pneumoconiosis. These allowances are payable at the flat rate of 42s. 6d. a week for the partially disabled man and 40s. a week for the totally disabled man, who also receives a further 65s. a week under the Workmen's Compensation and Benefit (Supplementation) Act 1956.Subject to the conditions of the Industrial Injuries Acts, additional pay-

The following is the Answer:ments are made in the form of constant attendance allowance, unemployability supplement and dependency increases. Separate figures are not available for mineworkers, but the weekly average of such additions to totally disabled men entitled to them is estimated at approximately £4.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance whether he is aware of recent medical findings suggesting that farmer's lung is an occupational disease among agricultural workers; and if he will include it in the list of recognised industrial diseases.

I am aware of the findings to which my hon. Friend refers. The Industrial Injuries Advisory Council has been studying these findings and has recently approached me on the subject. I have decided to refer the following question to it for its consideration and advice:

"Whether, having regard to Section 55(2) of the National Insurance (Industrial Injuries) Act 1946, the respiratory complaint known as "farmer's lung" due to exposure to the dust of mouldy hay, mouldy straw, or similarly contaminated agricultural produce, should be prescribed under the Act and, if so, for what occupations."

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has studied the report of Justice on Criminal Appeals, a copy of which has been sent to him; and if he will take steps to implement the recommendations contained in the report.

I would refer the hon. and learned Member to my right hon. Friend's reply to the hon. and learned Member for Was all, North (Mr. W. Wells) on 28th May.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the reasons for the delay in the publication of the booklet recommended by the Streatfeild Committee to be made available to sentencers; and when the book will now be published.

It would have been premature to publish this booklet before the main provisions of the Criminal Justice Act, 1961, had been brought into effect. These provisions will come into operation on 1st August, and I hope to publish the booklet later this year.

asked the Minister of Education how many applications were received for grants for youth service projects during the three years 1960 to 1962; how many were approved; how many were rejected; and how many still await a decision.

The information is as follows:

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what is the present position regarding the problem of foaming of the rivers caused by the use of detergents; and whether there will shortly be a further report by the Standing Committee on Synthetic Detergents.

The latest information on methods of preventing foam caused in rivers by synthetic detergents will be given in the Sixth Progress Report of the Standing Technical Committee on Synthetic Detergents, which is to be published shortly. I will send a copy to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary for Technical Co-operation whether he will make a statement showing the gross remuneration of expatriate officers in selected, representative posts serving in each of the overseas territories with which Her Majesty's Government has concluded Overseas Service Aid Scheme agreements, before and after 1st April, 1961.

For ease of comparison the table below shows the lower and upper points of the main salary scale in all territories within the Overseas Service Aid Scheme, since this scale applies to the majority of the professional and administrative officers within the Scheme.

asked the Minister of Transport what is the policy of Her

Many of the proposals in the recommendation are consistent with current practice and policy in the United Kingdom. The recommendation is being considered further by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe and some of the proposals in it by the European Conference of Ministers of Transport. Her Majesty's Government are taking an active part in these discussions.

asked the Minister of Power if he will give the figures for the last tenyears of people found to be suffering from pneumoconiosis in the Yorkshire coal field; and what percentage these figures represent of the total men employed.

The number of men in the Yorkshire Division in whom pneumoconiosis was diagnosed for the first time between 1953 and 1962, and the percentage that this represented of the total number employed in the division, are as follows.

asked the Minister of Power what has been the percentage rate of persons employed certified to be suffering from pneumoconiosis in the South Wales coalfields for the last 10 years.

The number of men in the South Western Division in whom pneumoconiosis was diagnosed for the first time between 1953 and 1962, and the percentage that this represented of the total number employed in the division, are as follows:

asked the Minister of Power, in view of the increase in the number of mineworkers found to be suffering from pneumoconiosis, what steps his Department are taking to arrest this upward tendency.

The published figures show that there are fewer, not more, men in whom the disease has been discovered for the first time, but the disease is still a most serious threat to health, and the National Coal Board and my Department continue to take steps to determine and eliminate its cause.