asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development what further measures he is taking to secure the establishment of new industries in the areas of the Ammanford and Garnant employment exchanges, which are scheduled under the provisions of the Local Employment Act.

I am glad to say that the Board of Trade's continuing efforts to attract industry to the Ammanford and Garnant areas have met with a recent success. An application by John White Footwear Ltd. of Higham Ferrers, Northamptonshire, to lease the Board's factory of 25,000 sq. ft. at Ammanford has just been approved. A Government aided research association is providing machinist training, which is a key requirement in the firm's move to the area.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development what steps he proposes to take to strengthen the Monopolies Commission.

:I have nothing to add to the Answer I gave to the right hon. Member for Battersea, North (Mr. Jay) on 28th November.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development when construction of the advance factory at Blaydon is to begin: and if he will make a statement on the delay in this case.

I hope that a start on this factory will be made in February. Delay has been caused by difficulty in finding and buying a suitable site.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development what insurance trade there is between British insurance companies and the Arab countries; and what are the individual Arab countries with which such trade has been conducted.

:British insurers conduct business with all Arab countries except the United Arab Republic. Statistics of the trade are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development how many new industrial projects he estimates will be built in the Birtley and Chester-le-Street areas during 1964.

We know of two projects in the Birtley and Chester-le-Street area which are likely to be completed during 1964.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development by what date he expects work to be completed on the advance factory at Chester-le-Street; and what are the numbers expected to be employed when this factory begins operating.

Building will start as soon as the purchase of the land has been completed. The factory should be finished in 1964 and may be expected to provide about 200 jobs.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development if he is aware of the vacant factory space in Maybole; and, in view of the continuing unemployment in the area, if he will schedule it as a development district, so as to induce firms to utilise this space.

I am aware that private factory space is available for letting in Maybole. The Board of Trade will continue to bring it to the attention of suitable firms prepared to consider the area.The rate of unemployment in the Ayr/Troon Group does not justify my adding it to the list of development districts.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development if he will make a statement on the representations Her Majesty's Government have made in Washington regarding the proposed amendment to the River Basins Bill, now before Congress, which would require the United States Government to buy United States made equipment even if it was up to 50 per cent. more expensive than the competing foreign product, in view of the discrimination this would introduce against British goods.

Immediate representations were made to the United States Administration. The amendment has now been dropped.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development what has been the total number of new jobs provided in Scotland under the provisions of the Local Employment Act in the first nine months of this year; and how many jobs have been lost through industrial closures in the same period.

:About 9,500 jobs have been lost in Scotland in the first nine months of 1963 through industrial closures. About 40,000 new jobs are estimated to have been provided in the development districts in Scotland under the provisions of the Local Employment Acts but I cannot say how many of those arose in the period.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development what proportion of industrial building in Great Britain under construction at the end of June in each of the past three years, respectively, was being constructed in Scotland.

:Of the total area of industrial building under construction in Great Britain at the end of June, 1961, 1962 and 1963, for which industrial development certificates were issued, Scotland accounted for8.8 per cent., 8.3 per cent. and 7.5 per cent. respectively. Of the total employment expected to arise from the projects, the comparable proportions for Scotland were 13.6 per cent., 13.7 per cent. and 13.3 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development if he is satisfied with the rate of industrial development on the Donibristle Industrial Estate; and whether he will make a statement on future prospects there.

Yes. The first year's development of this new industrial estate has been very encouraging. Four tenants have already been found. I hope that employment on the Donibristle estate will grow rapidly.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development if he will make a statement on the discussions which took place on 9th December last between his Department and the President of the Norwich Union Insurance Societies.

The president of the Norwich Union Insurance Society called at his own request to recount the developments which led to the resignation of Lord Mancroft.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development whether he will introduce legislation to ensure that private firms which benefit from grants and subsidies of public money do not contribute to party political funds.

No, Sir.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development to what extent, in making his regional plan for the North-East, he gave consideration to the Local Government Commission's proposal for a continuous county on Tyneside and to the loss of status and rateable value to Durham County Council.

The Group which prepared the plan for the North-East was aware of the Local Government Commission's proposals for the reorganisation of Tyneside. A decision on the proposals is for my right hon. Friend the Minister of Housing and Local Government, who will take into account any representations made to him by the local authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development whether he is aware that there is interference from foreign countries designed to coerce British firms into suspending their dealings with a friendly power; and what steps he will take to obviate this interference.

Yes. Her Majesty's Government are strongly opposed to interference of this sort and have made known their views repeatedly on this subject.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development how many guarantees have been granted under the Export Guarantees Acts, 1949 to 1961, in the past full year for which figures are available, giving the names of the countries involved and the total amounts guaranteed.

In the 12 months to 31st October, 1963, 5,599 guarantees were granted. Of these 5,341 were comprehensive guarantees which usually give cover for all the exports made by the policy-holder during a period of 1 to 3 years. The number of transactions covered under such guarantees is very large but is not recorded.The total amount guaranteed during the same period was £1,142 million.It would be against the commercial interests of the Department to disclose the volume of its business on any individual market.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development if he will report on the progress of the advance factory erected at Crook, County Durham; and whether a tenant has yet been found for this factory.

:This factory has now been substantially completed and we are in touch with a prospective tenant.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development how many companies to which Her Majesty's Government have given financial support, whether on the recommendation of the Development Areas Treasury Advisory Committee or otherwise, have subsequently proved insolvent or been put into liquidation.

:Receivers or liquidators have been appointed to 23 of the 329 companies in receipt of loans made on the recommendation of the Development Areas Treasury Advisory Committee and outstanding on 1st April, 1960, or made since that date on the recommendation of the Board of Trade Advisory Committee.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development how much Government support was given directly or indirectly in 1962–63 to the Council of Industrial Design; and what was the percentage increase over the 1961–62 figure.

:The grant-in-aid given to the Council of Industrial Design in 1962–63 was £250,000. This was an increase of some 4 per cent. over the 1961–62 figure.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development if he will refer the matter of trading stamps to the Consumer Council.

The Consumer Council has recently published certain views on this subject. As I told hon. Members for Wood Green (Mrs. Butler) and East Ham, South (Mr. Oram) on 5th December, I am now studying these views.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development whether he will take steps to ensure that trading stamps shall be encashable.

:As I told the hon. Members for Wood Green (Mrs. Butler) and East Ham, South (Mr. Oram) on 5th December, I am studying the views published by the Consumer Council on this point.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development on what basis the North-East Development Group will be expected to ensure co-operative effort in establishing a working relationship with the planning authorities in the North-East.

The Chairman of the North-East Development Group, accompanied by the Regional Controller, Ministry of Housing and Local Government, who is one of its members, is due to attend the meeting which is being held tomorrow between the eleven planning authorities in the region, designed further to encourage co-ordination between them. The North-East Development Group will do all it can to help in this objective, and will continue to maintain close contact with the authorities concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development what steps he has taken to find an industry to occupy the vacant Salts Saltaire factory at Carlisle Road, Airdrie; and if he will make a statement.

This factory has been included in our register of available private premises since the company decided to close it at the beginning of 1963. We take every opportunity of drawing it to the attention of suitable enquirers and to date it has been referred to five firms.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development when it is proposed to start building the new industrial estate for north Lanarkshire; what is the estimated date when the first factories will be ready; and what is the estimated number of people to be employed in each of the first five years.

:The negotiations to acquire the land for the new Board of Trade industrial estate at Bellshill are nearing completion. The site has been surveyed and the next step will be to lay estate roads and carry out other civil engineering work. Factories will then follow but it is too early to say how many persons they will employ.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development whether he will take steps to control the importation and sale of herring caught by foreign fishing boats and brought by them into this country.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development whether he will make a statement on the effects on British commerce of the boycott of Israel by certain Arab States.

While the boycott has interfered with the trade of individual firms, it seems to have had little effect on our total trade with any of the countries in the area.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development if he will make a statement on the outcome of his recent meeting with representatives of the film industry.

:In my preliminary meetings with deputations from the Federation of Film Unions and from the Federation of British Film Makers. I told them that I shall shortly receive the advice of the Cinematograph Films Council which is presently considering the difficulties of the film industry and that I shall then decide what action it may be justifiable for me to take.

asked the Minister of Education how many candidates classified by the Clearing House as acceptable and borderline, respectively, have been unable to gain admission to training colleges this autumn.

290 candidates classified as acceptable and 2,328 classified as borderline.

asked the Minister of Education whether he will make a statement on the results of the work of the teacher training colleges clearing house on candidates for 1963–64.

The Central Register and Clearing House has prepared a detailed report on its work for the year and I wilt send the hon. Member a copy. I should like to take this opportunity of expressing my appreciation of all that it has done to ensure that as many candidates as possible were suitably placed.

asked the Minister of Education whether he will now send a reply to the hon. Member for Cardiff, West, concerning the danger caused to pupils attending the Mostyn Roman Catholic School, Ely, Cardiff, due to the lack of lighting in the approach road to the school.

:A letter has now been sent to the hon. Member for Cardiff, West, confirming that Cardiff City Council has agreed to light the approach road to the Mostyn Roman Catholic School, Cardiff, and that the Cardiff Rural District Council has given consent for this work to be done.

asked the Minister of Education when he expects to pay maintenance allowances to pupils over 15 years old in special schools.

:The law as it stands does not permit the payment of these allowances.

asked the Minister of Education if he will now rescind his decision to disallow the rebuilding of Victoria Junior Mixed and Infant School, Islington.

My light hon. Friend has told the London County Council that he approves the rebuilding of this school and planning of the new building can start immediately.

asked the Minister of Education whether he will increase the number of special responsibility allowances available to primary school teachters.

My right hon. Friend would like to see the question of all above-scale payments considered by whatever new machinery may be established to deal with teachers' salaries. In the meantime he does not think that, under the Remuneration of Teachers Act, 1963, he should do more than he was able to do in the Order introduced last July.On that occasion he increased the allowances for primary head teachers in 15,000 primary schools—out of about 25,000—by 10 per cent.—compared with increases of about 7 per cent. for the heads of the largest secondary schools: increased the allowance for deputy head teachers by approximately £10–£20 per annum and allowances for holders of graded posts by the same amounts; and introduced a discretionary power for the local education authorities to create one or more heads of departments in the larger primary schools and to pay them an allowance of £180. The Burnham Committee had itself proposed this latter measure.

asked the Minister of Education what was the number of pupils in maintained and assisted schools in oversize classes at the latest available date.

:2,293,643, in January, 1963.

asked the Minister of Education whether he has considered the letter on higher technological education for the North-East, sent by the hon. Member for Tyne-mouth; and what action he proposes to take thereupon.

My right hon. Friend shares my hon. Friend's desire that technological education in the North-East should continue to be developed. The need for any further institutions of university status is a question on which the University Grants Committee will be advising the Government in due course.

asked the Minister of of Education what is the total number of pupils now at the Bournemouth Grammar School for boys; how many qualified boys are refused admission due to lack of space; for what number the buildings were originally designed; and whether he will now authorise their extensionas a matter of urgency.

:There are 936 boys in the school, which was designed for 600 and subsequently extended. My right hon. Friend will consider carefully for the building programme 1965–68 the local education authority's proposal to bring the school up to standard. No boy selected for a grammar school education has been refused admission to the school.

asked the Minister of Education if, as part of a long-term policy for dealing with the problem of gypsies and othertravellers, he will ask all local education authorities where gypsies and other travellers are to be found to ascertain in advance the date on which each child of these caravan families reaches the statutory age of 5 years, so that arrangements can be made for school places without delay.

I am satisfied that local education authorities already have adequate arrangements for ensuring that these children attend school upon reaching school age and I do not therefore think that there is any need for me to give general advice on this subject.

asked the Minister of Education what is the number of children of school age in Hampshire residing in caravans not allocated to any school; what was the number not attending school at the latest convenient date; and what action has been taken or is contemplated to ensure that all children benefit from the educational facilities available.

I am informed by the local education authority that there are 10 such children who are not at present registered pupils at any school, all of whom moved into the county very recently; that 171 such children were absent from school for one or more days in the week ended 29th November, probably mostly on account of illness; and that special action is not usually necessary to ensure that the children benefit from the educational facilities available, but school welfare officers visit the caravan sites regularly to give advice and help.

asked the Minister of Education what is the estimated annual cost of each Board for the Certificate of Secondary Education.

:The annual cost of the Certificate of Secondary Education examining boards will vary according to the size and policies of each board. The information so far available suggests that in 1965–66 the average cost per board may be of the order of £40,000.

asked the Minister of Education when legislative effect will be given to the recommendations of the Roberts Committee on library powers; and what other proposals he has for improving the public library service in England and Wales.

As my right hon. Friend told the House on 11th July,he intends to introduce legislation as soon as the necessary time can be found; but he cannot give an assurance that it will be proceeded with in this Session. I hope, however, that all public library authorities will continue to make use of the guidance given in the Report on standards of public library service which my Department published a year ago.

asked the Minister of Education when the working party on the proposed council for the curriculum and examinations will report.

I understand that the working party hopes to complete its report in the early months of next year.

asked the Minister of Education how much Government support was given directly or indirectly in 1962–63 to the following organisations, namely, Educational Foundation for Visual Aids, National Society for Art

asked the Secretary of State for Air why photographs of the TSR2 aircraft and other information about it, hitherto secret, were released to the Press.

It was considered that the stage had been reached, in the aircraft's development, when limited information could properly and usefully be made available to the public.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what experience in flying vertical take-off and landing aircraft is being gained by pilots of the Royal Air Force.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the Answer which I gave to the hon. Member for Loughborough (Mr. Cronin) on 24th July.

The table gives figures for direct grants:

asked the Secretary of State for Air what was the cost of removing the wreckage of a Royal Air Force aircraft which crashed on a hill side near Birse, Aberdeenshire, sometime ago.

It is not usual to make a special costing of tasks of this kind and I regret that the information requested is not therefore available.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what danger to the public water supply could result from the presence or removal of the wreckage of a Royal Air Force aircraft which crashed on a hillside near Birse, in Aberdeen shire, some time ago, and which is now being removed by the Royal Air Force.

I can give an assurance that no danger to the public water supply could result from the presence or removal of the wreckage of this aircraft.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he now expects to receive the report on certain aspects of police behaviour in connection with the visit of Queen Frederika last July.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now make a statement on the inquiry into the circumstances in which various persons were charged with carrying offensive weapons during a demonstration at the time of the Greek royal visit.

The inquiries necessary have proved very extensive, and I am informed by the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that it is not now likely that it will be possible to complete them before Christmas. I will therefore make a statement when the House resumes in January.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he intends to give to the Metropolitan Police concerning the questioning and treatment of suspected persons and of persons taken into custody at the time when the revised Judges' Rules are promulgated.

Whether any supplementary guidance should be given to the Metropolitan Police is a question which I cannot decide until I have received the revised Rules in their final form.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will request the Commissioner of Metropolitan Police to conduct experiments in making sealed tape recordings of interviews with persons in custody.

The possible use of such equipment is kept under review, but the Commissioner of Police is not satisfied that serious practical objections to it have been overcome.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Metropolitan Police into the incident involving a breach of the peace which occurred following the declaration of the poll at the Marylebone by-election on Thursday, 5th December, 1963.

The Commissioner of Police has informed me that minor incidents which occurred after the declaration of the poll at Marylebone did not warrant police action for a breach of the peace.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many of the 814 cases of alleged fraud reported to and investigated by the Metropolitan and City Company Fraud Branch from 1st January, 1959, to 25th November, 1963, his Department officially informed the Press of the names of the persons or organisations which were the subject of these allegations and investigations, either prior to the case being referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions for consideration or prior to the institution of a prosecution; and how many of these cases were among the 280 where convictions were obtained.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he has taken under Section 11 of the Merchant Shipping (Liability of Shipowners and Others) Act, 1958; and if he will make a statement with regard to the application of the Act in the Isle of Man and in each of the Channel Islands, respectively.

The Act has been extended to the Isle of Man by the Merchant Shipping (Liability of Shipowners and Others) Act, 1958 (Isle of Man) Order, 1960. The preparation of draft Orders extending the Act to Jersey and the Bailiwick of Guernsey is receiving attention.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has yet arranged to consult the parties concerned about the possible establishment of a single negotiating body for the probation service in Great Britain.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given yesterday by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland to a question by my hon. Friend the Member for Aberdeenshire, East (Mr. Wolrige-Gordon).

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Sunday Observance Committee will produce a report within the next six months.

I would refer my hon. Friend to a reply which I gave on 5th December to a Question by the hon. Member for Dagenham (Mr. Parker).

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is aware that modern psychiatric methods exist for instructing and reforming the minds of persons who commit crimes; and what methods he has adopted or proposes to adopt to convert such persons into good citizens

:As I indicated in reply to a Question by the hon. Member for Cardiff, West (Mr. G. Thomas) on 21st November, psychiatric treatment is available for prisoners who are considered likely to benefit from it.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is aware of the number of faulty babies' carry-cots on the market, involving serious and fatal accidents; and what steps he proposes to take to remedy the position.

:My right hon. Friend has received reports of recent fatal accidents in which carry-cots placed on open-ended carry-cot stands have over- balanced, resulting in the suffocation of the infants in them. He is bringing these accidents to the notice of manufacturers and asking them to take whatever steps are necessary to eliminate this danger. The possible need for a British Standard for carry-cots and for carry-cotstands is, I understand, at present under consideration by Committees of the British Standards Institution concerned with personal safety.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what matters he has referred to the Criminal Law Revision Committee since that committee completed its Third and Fourth Reports.

Recently I asked the Committee to consider whether any revision of the criminal law was desirable to facilitate the continuance of a trial where a member of the jury dies or is for any reason discharged.I am also asking the Committee to consider two further matters:

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations what arrangements have been made for the future of the Central Africa Federal Air Force on the dissolution of the Federation; who will be responsible for its control and expenditure; and whether the Northern Rhodesian Government has expressed agreement with the arrangements.

:Certain aircraft will be scrapped or sold. The remainder will be allocated to Southern and Northern Rhodesia in accordance with arrangements agreed between the Governments of the three territories. The cost will be borne by the territorial government concerned. In the case of Northern Rhodesia, control will be exercised by the British Government. In Southern Rhodesia, the control of internal operations will rest with the Territorial Government, while responsibility for authorising any operations outside Southern Rhodesia will remain with the British Government.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations, if he is aware that the Government of Ghana have deducted 7s. in the £ sterling from the pensions of former British Over seas Service pensioners and that the decision is to operate retrospectively from 1st November, thus causing considerable hardship; and what steps Her Majesty's Government is taking to safeguard the position of these pensioners.

As I stated in reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Haltemprice (Mr. Wall) on 11th December, my right hon. Friend is aware of the increased tax imposed by the Government of Ghana on the pensions of former British Overseas Service pensioners with effect from 1st November, 1963. Representations have been made to the Government of Ghana and we still await their reply. Pensions payable under the Ghana Pensions (Widows and Orphans) Ordinance remain exempt from Ghana tax.

asked the Postmaster General if, under Section 15(4) of the Licence and Agreement, he will require the British Broadcasting Corporation to abstain from transmitting talks in which the speaker, not being a Member of Parliament, purports to speak on behalf of the British people.

No.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware of the deterioration of the postal service between Pembrokeshire and London and other large centres; and what steps he is taking to redress the position.

I know there has been some delay in the arrival of mails at places in Pembrokeshire and I am investigating this with British Railways. I will write to the hon. Member as soon as my investigations are complete.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs when he expects to receive the report now being prepared on Regional Development in Wales.

This work has just begun and will be pressed forward as quickly as possible. But I cannot at this stage forecast when the work will be completed.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether he will arrange for grants to be paid to occupiers of houses for the installation of closed stoves so that hard coke or furnace coke may be used in them in smokeless zones.

This subject will be covered in a circular to local authorities which my right hon. Friend hopes to issue very soon. I will send the hon. Member a copy.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether, in view of the lack of suitable employment for school leavers and for clerical and administrative workers in South Yorkshire, he will consult commercial and industrial undertakings with head offices in London on the possibility of their removal to Doncaster.

The Location of Offices Bureau, which has been set up to encourage the movement of offices out of London, has asked local authorities in all parts of the country about the scope for office development in their areas. I understand that Doncaster County Borough Council has supplied the bureau with information and the bureau will bring this to the attention of firms whose requirements can be met there.

asked the Minister of Labour whether, in view of the termination of employment of British citizens of the Jewish faith upon the demand of Arab States, he will introduce legislation rendering it unlawful to end contracts of service in this country by reason of objections by an employer to the religious belief held by an employee.

I do not think it would be appropriate or practicable to seek to deal with the problem in this way.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the fact that the advance factory to be built with funds to be provided by the Development Corporation at Aberystwyth has attracted an immediate and suitable tenant, he will now authorise the Development Commissioners to build at least one advance factory in each Welsh administrative county affected by rural depopulation.

:The Development Commissioners will continue to consider on their merits applications for assistance for firms wishing to move into the mid-Wales area. They will also, I am sure, make appropriate recommendations to the Treasury if they think that it would be desirable to promote other advance factory projects in specific places, from within the resources available in the Development Fund.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much Government support was given directly or indirectly in 1962–63 1o the Arts Council of Great Britain; and what was the percentage increase over the 1961–62 figure.

In 1962–63 the Government grant-in-aid to the Arts Council was £2,190,000 (including £690,000 for the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden). This is an increase of 25 per cent. over the 1961–62 figure.In addition the Council's accounts are audited without charge by the Exchequer and Audit Department. The value of this service was about £1,500 in both years.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much Government support was given directly or indirectly in 1962–63 to the National Buildings Record; and what was the percentage increase over the 1961–62 figure.

£23,000 by way of a grant-in-aid; and about 4½ per cent.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer to what extent he has considered setting up a duty-free industrial estate at Prestwick.

As I said in the Answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Ayr (Sir T. Moore) on 27th November, there has been the fullest possible consultation between all the departments concerned and the local authority who are considering the various practical alternative means of achieving what they have in mind.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many acres of derelict land in Scotland have been cleared under the provisions of Section 5 of the Local Employment Act, 1960, in each of the last three years, respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what proportion of the applications for grants towards the cost of clearing derelict land under the provisions of Section 5 of the Local Employment Act, 1960, in Scotland has been granted in each of the past three years, respectively.

:The following is the information:

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what expenditure has been incurred under Section 5 of the Local Employment Act, 1960, for the clearing of derelict land in Scotland in each of the last three years, respectively.

The following is the information:

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to bring into full operation the Building (Scotland) Act, 1959, and the Building Standards Regulations to be made under Section 3 of the Act.

:I have made an Order under Section 32 of the Act appointing the 15th day of June, 1964, as the day when the Act will come into full operation. The Building Standards Regulations which were laid before Parliament yesterday will also come into operation on 15th June. I should like to thank the Building Standards Advisory Committee for its valuable help in the final preparation of these comprehensive Regulations and likewise the members of the public and professional and other bodies whose comments on the draft Regulations published in 1961 have also been of the greatest assistance.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) whether he will take steps to grant subsidy forthwith on all the herring caught for fish-meal, to remain in operation until the present difficult situation of the fishing industry on the West Coast has come to an end;

:No. The present arrangements, under which the fishermen may, in addition to the operational subsidy, obtain a subsidy of 25s. per cran on herring sold for reduction to oil and meal within a limit of 20 per cent. of the total landings of herring in any month at particular ports, were arrived at after discussion with the herring catchers' representatives and were subsequently prescribed in the Herring Subsidy (United Kingdom) Scheme, 1963, approved by Parliament last July. I do not think that the situation at present calls for an amendment of that scheme but the arrangements will, of course, be reviewed in the ordinary course before the end of the current subsidy year.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what proportion of the fishmeal made in the United Kingdom is produced from herring landed by the Scottish herring drifter fleet.

:I can give no precise answer because much of the raw material converted into fishmeal is in the form of fish offals—among which those resulting from the landings of the Scottish herring drifter fleet are not of course distinguishable; but it is estimated that the 4,166 crans of drifter-caught whole herring reported as sold in the United Kingdom in 1962 for conversion to meal and oil would have produced about 130 tons of fishmeal or about 0·2 per cent. of the total output of some 72,000 tons of fishmeal in the United Kingdom in that year. This year to 30th November, 24,600 crans of whole herring landed by drifter in the United Kingdom have been sold for fishmeal production so that the percentage figure may be of the order of 1·0 per cent.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the total production of fishmeal in Great Britain in 1963; and how it compared with the total production of fishmeal in each of the preceding five years.

:The estimated annual production of fishmeal in the United Kingdom for the five years 1958 to 1962, and comparable figures for the first nine months of each of the years 1958 to 1963 inclusive, are as follows:

asked the Minister of Aviation if he will state the cost of operating escalators in the No. 1 Passenger Building in London Airport; and what would be the additional cost of operating a series of trav-o-lators on the horizontal corridor along which passengers have to walk to go to and from the building and to aircraft.

:The annual cost, including charges on capital, of operating the existing escalators is about £1,200 a unit. The use of trav-o-lators in the airside gallery has been considered but rejected as not practicable.

asked the Minister of Aviation if he will seek to amend the Civil Aviation (Licensing) Act, 1960, so as to prohibit the Air Transport Licensing Board from granting licences for parallel services on international routes.

No.

asked the Minister of Aviation if he will seek to amend the Civil Aviation (Licensing) Act 1960 in order to require the Air Transport Licensing Board to act in accordance with policy directives issued by him.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies, what action he has taken under Section 11 of the Merchant Shipping (Liability of Shipowners and Others) Act, 1958; and if he will make a statement with regard to the application of the Act in each of the colonies and in each country or place outside Her Majesty's Dominions in which for the time being Her Majesty has jurisdiction and in each territory consisting partly of one or more Colonies and partly of one or more such countries or places, respectively.

The Merchant Shipping (Liability of Shipowners and Others) Act, 1958, which puts into effect the provisions of the International Convention relating to the Liability of Owners of Sea-Going Ships, has been extended, with modifications, to the Bahamas. Bermuda, the British Antarctic Territories, British Honduras, the British Solomon Islands Protectorate, the Falkland Islands and Dependencies, Fiji, the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony, Hong Kong, Kenya (Colony and Protectorate), Mauritius, the Seychelles, and the Virgin Islands, at the request of the Governments of those territories by Statutory Instrument 1963 No. 1632.The principal modification is the omission of the provisions relating to wrecks and harbour works, basins or navigable waterways under Section 2 of the Act, for the reason that all the Governments concerned wish to make a permanent reservation under item 2 (a) of the Protocol of Signature to the International Convention. The other modifications are merely consequential to the application of the Act to overseas territories.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how much Government support was given directly or indirectly in 1962–63 to the British Council; and what was the percentage increase over the 1961–62 figure.

:Government financial support to the British Council in 1962–63 amounted to £6,664,393. The percentage increase over the 1961–62 figure of £6,432,259 is 3·6.Details of the 1961–62 British Council Government grants, receipts and expenditure are shown in the British Council Annual Report for 1961–62 which was published in December, 1962. The Annual Report for 1962–63 has just been published.Indirect Government aid to the British Council in the form of office accommodation and services provided free of charge by the Ministry of Public Building and Works, was estimated in 1961–62 at £2.277 and in 1962–63 at £2.351.

asked the Minister of Transport how many long-term agreements have been negotiated in the past 18 months between oil companies in the United Kingdom and the British Railways Board for the conveyance of petroleum products and/or feedstocks; what is the average duration of the contracts; and what is the total quantity of products scheduled to be moved by the railways annually thereunder.

:I am informed by the British Railways Board that six different oil companies have entered into long-term contracts with them for the bulk transport of oil by rail. Most of the contracts are for at least 10 years. The precise terms of the agreements are confidential to the parties concerned. I do not therefore feel justified in asking the Board to provide fuller information, or details of the expected volumes of traffic.

asked the Minister of Transport what consideration he is giving to the development of Falmouth as a commercial port.

:The commercial development of a port is a matter in the first instance for the port authority. So far as I am aware, the facilities at Falmouth are adequate for the traffic it handles.