asked the Secretary for Technical Co-operation what further progress he has made with the technical assistance programme for Latin America; and how many ex-members of Her Majesty's Overseas Services have been selected by his Department for service in Latin America;(2) what Her Majesty's Government are doing to help further the aims of the Alliance for Progress; and if he will make a statement.

We are progressing on the lines which I described to my hon. Friend in answer to his Question on 30th July. We shall shortly have 35 experts working in Latin America, seven of whom were members of H.M.O.C.S. Visits to Latin America have also been made by six of my Department's professional advisers, and we are making three substantial gifts of scientific and educational equipment.My Department and the British Council will together be awarding 85 scholarships this year for Latin American students to come to this country. In addition, the British Council will be sponsoring about 130 visitors to this country and about 50 specialist tours to Latin America. We see our programmes as a definite contribution to the aims of the Alliance for Progress.

asked the Lord President of the Council and Minister for Science for what reasons the Department of Industrial and Scientific Research has refused the request of the Centre Européen pour Récherche Nucléaire for United Kingdom finance for the construction of storage rings.

No such request has been made.The Council of CERN is this afternoon considering a proposal for a programme of design studies covering both storage rings and a new large accelerator. Subject to certain conditions, which are expected to prove acceptable, the British delegates will support this proposal.

asked the Lord President of the Council and Minister for Science what research has been under taken under official auspices into the number of calories required by male and female members of families where the male parent is in receipt of unemployment benefit, so as to provide a satisfactory standard of health.

The Medical Research Council has supported a great deal of research into general problems of nutrition, including the minimum requirements for an adequate diet. Research on the lines suggested by the right hon. Gentleman in unnecessary because the relevant knowledge already exists.

asked the Lord President of the Council and Minister for Science, whether he will advise the University Grants; Committee to give special consideration to the desirability of siting one of the proposed new universities in Cornwall.

The University Grants Committee will give separate consideration to any proposal placed before them.

asked the Lord President of the Council and Minister for Science how many earmarked grants have been placed; and with which re search associations they have been placed.

One, to the British Welding Research Association.

asked the Lord President of the Council and Minister for Science whether he will take steps to ensure that grants are available in 1964–65 to finance the training of the additional graduate teachers needed to implement the recommendations of the Robbins Report.

Yes. For the coming academic year the Government will make available both in the sciences and in the arts and social studies substantially more postgraduate awards than were made this year.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what planning and social principles his Department is following in suggesting populations of 100,000 for certain new towns.

There is no set figure. The size of a town depends on the purpose it is to serve and the land and services available.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he will make a further statement on proposals and measures to deal with road and land drainage and sewerage in Onneley in the rural district of Newcastle-under-Lyme.

I am informed by the Newcastle-under-Lyme Rural District Council that it has now accepted a tender for the carrying out of a scheme to deal with the drainage and sewerage problem at Station Road, Onneley, and that the contractors will be starting work immediately.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs how many appeals have been lodged at Porthcawl against rating assessments; how many alterations have been agreed; and what steps are being taken to determine the remaining appeals.

About 1,100 proposals for alterations of the new values have been made by ratepayers. Of these about one-third have been settled by agreement and about one in three of those settled has led to a reduction in assessment. Of the proposals not yet settled, about half are still under consideration by the valuation officer. The other half are awaiting hearings as appeals to the local valuation courts, although many of these may also be settled by agreement before they are heard. I understand that the first court to hear appeals relating to the new list in Porthcawl will sit on 23rd January.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs how many appeals have been lodged at Hull against rating assessments; how many alterations have been agreed; and what steps are being taken to determine any remaining appeals.

About 2,200 proposals for alterations of the new values have been made by ratepayers of Hull. Of these about two-fifths have been settled by agreement and about one in four of those settled has led to a reduction in assessment. Of the proposals not yet settled, rather less than a quarter are still under consideration by the valuation officer. The rest are awaiting hearings as appeals to the local valuation courts, although many of these may also be settled by agreement before they are heard. The first court at Hull was held on 12th December and I understand that in the new year courts are likely to be held weekly for the time being.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he is aware of the conditions at the Liverpool Temporary Accommodation centre at Lower Breck Road where 22 children have recently fallen victims to illness requiring hospital treatment; and, in view of the help he is giving to the London County Council to house homeless families, whether he will give similar help to Liverpool Corporation.

I understand from my right hon. Friend the Minister of Health that there was recently an outbreak of a mild form of dysentry at the Lower Breck Road centre. As a precautionary measure, 24 children were sent to hospital; 15 were found to be infected; four are still in hospital.My Department is in close touch with the Liverpool City Council's drive to increase housing provision, which alone can provide a satisfactory answer to the problems, of homelessness. I am glad to say that the council now has over 6,500 dwellings under construction or in tenders approved; and there is every reason to hope that its annual output of dwellings will increase steadily.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if, in view of town planning anomalies and the need to encourage development of a new town, he will classify the county of Yorkshire as a region for the purposes of his Department.

No.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether he is aware that the recent purchasers of the Bedford Hotel at Brighton, where Dickens wrote Dombey and Son, have announced that they intend to demolish this hotel; and, in view of the facts that they propose to erect on the site a building out of keeping with its surroundings and that the hotel is scheduled as a listed building, what action he is taking to protect it until it has been proved that there is a local demand for such a change and that the facade cannot be preserved even if the interior is reconstructed.

My right hon. Friend has been notified of this proposal and he is in touch with the local authority about it. It is for them to consider in the first instance whether the proposal should be permitted. They have power to submit a preservation order to him.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether he is aware that an increase in the rate of slum clearance in Manchester is dependent upon the early designation of a site for a new town; and whether he will now announce his decision on its location.

The Government have already accepted that Manchester's housing programme will need further development on the scale of a new town. I hope that it may be possible to propose a site soon now, but this is a difficult area in which to find sites.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs how many prefabricated houses have been erected in this country up to date.

From the end of the war until March 1955, when separate figures ceased to be collected, over a quarter of a million permanent dwellings were built by non-traditional methods. During the last twelve months many thousands of dwellings have been built by methods making use of a substantial amount of industrialisation.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what are his plans for maintaining the use of traditional building materials compared with the growing development of prefabricated housing.

The bulk of the rising housing programme will continue to be met by traditional methods. Moreover manyindustrialisedorsemi-industrialised methods of building make considerable use of traditional materials—for which there will therefore be more scope during the next few years than there is at present.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what reply he has sent to the resolution concerning housing adopted by Accrington Town Council on 7th November and handed to his Parliamentary Secretary by the chairman of the council's housing committee.

My right hon. Friend replied to the resolution on 13th December and I have sent the hon. Member a copy of the letter.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what policy he has recommended that local authorities should follow in respect of purchasing houses listed for slum clearance within the next 10 years where the owner-occupiers prefer such properties to be acquired.

If local authorities want to buy such houses in advance to avoid hardships to the owner-occupiers, I will give loan sanction to cover the cost.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs in which local authority areas houses have been built to rent by private people or firms, excluding those built by local authorities or housing associations, since the passing of the Rent Act, 1957; and what was the total in each such area.

I am sorry my right hon. Friend does not have this information.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why the Inland Revenue send individuals a nil demand for tax, enclosing also an economy label for the reply.

The Inland Revenue are required by law to send a notice of assessment under Schedule D even if no tax is payable. The notice to pay is part of the same form. Tax offices are instructed not to enclose economy labels for reply in these cases, and the Department regrets that in some cases they have been enclosed by mistake.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what communications he has received from members of the General Council of the National Economic Development Council concerning consultation with the general council regarding, or disclosure to the general council of, Government White Papers before they are presented to Parliament; and if he will make a statement.

The National Economic Development Council discussed on 4th December a letter which my right hon. Friend had received from the General Secretary of the T.U.C. My right hon. Friend made it clear that the Government are ready to consider even closer co-operation in the council's work; but he stressed that that work could only be effective if the Government's other partners in the Council followed the same principle in their actions.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware of the loss of trade suffered by shop keepers caused by the creation of one way streets; and whether he will direct local valuation officers to take this factor into account when considering assessments.

To the extent that loss of trade affects the rental value of shops, valuation officers are bound by law to take it into account when considering assessments.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer to which cities the 26,000 civil servants dispersed under Sir Gilbert Flemming's proposals have been sent.

The numbers involved in Sir Gilbert Flemming's proposals were 18,000, as made clear in my statement of 18th July, and not as stated by the right hon. Gentleman. The first moves under these proposals will take place in the New Year. Meanwhile, under moves planned earlier, about 5,000 staff are being dispersed. They are moving to Durham, Chesterfield, Southend, Tichfield and Basildon.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many entrants for the open examination for clerical assistants in the Civil Service in Glasgow, Newcastle and London passed; and what was the lowest mark attained by successful candidates in each of these cities who were offered vacancies in their own area.

In the April competition the numbers passing in London were 297, in Newcastle 810 and in Glasgow 273. The lowest mark obtained by a candidate offered a local vacancy was London 50 per cent.; Newcastle 52 per cent.; Glasgow 59·4 per cent.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what conditions are required to be satisfied before foreign exchange is supplied to traders for dealings in commodities.

The main condition is production of evidence that the money is due to a seller abroad and an assurance, if the goods are on-sold to a non-Scheduled Territory, that appropriate reimbursement will be received within six months.There are special arrangements for cocoa, coffee, copra, cotton, grain, certain non-ferrous metals, rubber and sugar. Approved participants in these markets are permitted to deal in futures and to hold unsold stocks for their own account, for which other traders would require special permission. There are also arrangements to facilitate futures dealings in wool.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of his proposals to help the horticultural industry, he will remove the 15 per cent. Purchase Tax on blackcurrant syrups containing more than 40 per cent. black currant juice imposed under the Finance Act, 1962.

My right hon. Friend considered this very carefully some months ago and decided against it. He will, however, review the position, with other Purchase Tax representations before his next Budget.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in view of the fact that relief in hardship cases is not to be retrospective and is only to apply to the rating period after 1964, if he will take steps to ensure that higher valuations, above the general increase level in 1963, arising from mistakes made by the valuers, may not be made retrospective to the beginning of the 1963 rating period.

I am not clear what cases my hon. Friend has in mind. All amendments to rating valuation lists, other than amendments made in consequence of a change in the property or of the use to which it is put, are legally effective from the beginning of the rate period in which the relevant proposal was served

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a list of those classes whose claims are equal to those of disabled ex-Servicemen in respect of payment of post-war credits.

The list is published in an explanatory leaflet which may be obtained from Inspectors of Taxes' offices, and also on the claim form which is obtainable at Post Offices. I am sending my hon Friend a copy of the leaflet.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what arrangements he is making to extend Purchase Tax exemption to all school uniforms.

I am aware of the fact that the Consumer Council recently criticised the present arrangements, and my officials will shortly be discussing the matter with the Council's Director, but I cannot undertake that any change in the arrangements will result.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether it is the practice of the Inland Revenue to subject to Income Tax and Profits Tax relief gifts of money from commercial firms to political parties.

No. No deduction is admissible in computing profits for Income Tax or Profits Tax purposes for payments by traders to political party funds.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what decision he has reached about the publication of a White Paper on the estimated costs of the Government's programme, including the cost of defence.

My right hon. Friend hopes to make a statement on this subject tomorrow.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will make a statement about special Exchequer assistance towards purchases by the British Museum.

Yes. The British Museum had the opportunity recently to make four purchases of exceptional importance; a medieval gittern, a set of Romanesque whalebone panels, probably of 12th century British workmanship, and two drawings by Pieter Bruegel the Elder and by Raphael, respectively. I have agreed, subject to the approval of Parliament, to make a special grant of £48,000 towards the total cost of these purchases. A Supplementary Estimate will be laid before Parliament as soon as possible. The balance of funds required will be provided by the British Museum from their own resources, with the help of generous contributions from the National Art-Collections Fund and the Pilgrim Trust.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what further contribution Her Majesty's Government proposes to make to the International Development Association.

Yes. Resolutions are now before the Board of Governors of the International Development Association providing for the replenishment of the Association's funds after 30th June, 1965, when the initial period of contribution ends. I am today presenting a White Paper (copies of which are available in the Vote Office) setting out the details of the proposals, which provide' for the industrialised member countries to contribute $250 million a year for the ensuing period of three years. Our contribution would be $32·2 million a year for this period.The member nations have until 31st December to vote on the Resolutions. The United Kingdom Governor proposes to cast his vote in favour.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies, if he will make a statement on the return of the inhabitants to Tristan da Cunha; if the rehabilitation has been carried out successfully; and what further assistance is to be given to the island in the future.

I am glad to say that the return of the islanders to Tristan da Cunha has been carried out successfully. The 198 islanders who left this country on 24th October were landed at Tristan da Cunha on 10th November and the landing of some 200 tons of furniture and stores was completed by 21st November.The costs of resettling the island are being met in part by a loan from the Crown Agents for Oversea Governments and Administrations, until revenue from a stamp issue becomes available early in 1964. Her Majesty's Government, who had already guaranteed a loan of up to £12,000, proposes to increase the guarantee to a maximum of £22,000 and token provision will be inserted in a Colonial Office Estimate at the earliest opportunity.The extent of assistance from colonial development and welfare funds will be decided when the development needs of Tristan have been assessed. Plans for improving the landing facilities and restocking the island with sheep are now being worked out.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what further steps will be taken by the Government in support of the United Nations Development Decade as a result of the meeting of the Economic and Social Council in Geneva this summer.

The Council's Resolution No. 984 dealt with this subject, which was also the less direct concern of other resolutions adopted at Geneva this summer. The texts of the resolutions adopted are in the Library of the House. The United Kingdom delegation took a leading part in the debates which led to the adoption of Resolution No. 984. We are maintaining, and in some cases increasing, our contributions to the development aid efforts which form the foundation of the United Nations Development Decade.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he has yet received the recommendations of the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations arising from the meeting of the Council in Geneva last July; and what action he intends to take in the matter.

Yes. The Economic and Social Council, at its thirty-sixth session in July, adopted forty-nine resolutions on a wide range of subjects in the fields of international economic and social co-operation and human rights. The resolutions are contained in United Nations document E/3816, a copy of which is in the Library of the House. Action is being taken on these resolutions where appropriate, in consultation with other Governments.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he is aware of the decision of the United Nations General Assembly on 11th December, 1963, to appoint a committee of five to investigate the situation in Oman; and whether Her Majesty's Government will use its good offices to expedite this inquiry, with a view to bringing to an end the six years of military conflict in Oman and Muscat.

UNITED KINGDOM IMPORTS (C.I.F.) FROM FRANCE
—	January-October, 1962			January-October, 1963
	Cwt.	£	Average value per cwt.	Cwt.	£	Average value per cwt.
Meat and meat preparations	12,646	280,081	22·1	6,261	228,010	36·4
Of which:
Fresh, chilled or frozen beef and veal	166	1,635	9·8	137	3,821	27·9

I am aware of the General Assembly's resolution, against which we voted. It does not refer to any military conflict, for no such conflict is in progress. The Committee has not yet been set up, much less made any approach to Her Majesty's Government.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development what preparations Her Majesty's Government are making for the forthcoming negotiations within the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and for the United Nations Conference on World Trade.

Her Majesty's Government are taking an active part in the preparatory discussions both for the forthcoming negotiations under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and for the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. We are in touch with industry about their interests in these matters.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development what is the volume of imports from France of meat and meat preparations, and within that category imports of fresh, chilled or frozen veal and beef, for the corresponding periods January-October 1962 and 1963; and at what c.i.f. value per hundredweight those imports were recorded.

The following are the details:

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what representations have been made to the Governments of Jordan and Syria following their official blacklisting of 49 British companies.

Her Majesty's Ambassadors at capitals concerned are authorised to express Her Majesty's Government's views on the boycott, and in particular our disapproval of restrictions on British firms' freedom to trade; but I do not think it would be helpful to enter into detail of the action taken in specific cases.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he has considered Recommendation 376 on the tasks of the Assembly of the Council of Europe in the present European situation, which was adopted by the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe on 24th September 1963; and what action Her Majesty's Government has taken, or intends taking, with regard to it.

Her Majesty's Government are in sympathy with the general aim of this Recommendation, which is to promote the effectiveness of the Council of Europe's work. The Recommendation was taken into account by the Committee of Ministers' Deputies in Strasbourg in their preparation of the agenda for the meeting of the Committee of Ministers held in Paris on 13th and 14th December. As a result of the Ministers' discussions, proposals similar in purpose to the main proposals embodied in the Recommendation are to be considered by Ministers' Deputies before the next meeting of the Committee of Ministers.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government in regard to Opinion No. 38 on the Budget of the Council of Europe for 1964, which was adopted by the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe on 10th May, 1963, and in particular on the need to establish a pensions scheme for the staff of the Secretary-General.

Part 1 of this Opinion, together with the proposal in sub-paragraph l(a) of Part 2, was taken into account by the Committee of Ministers' Deputies when they approved the Council of Europe Budget for 1964 in November. The Committee has not yet reached a decision on the other points raised in the Opinion. Her Majesty's Government have agreed in principle to the setting up of a pensions scheme for the staff of the Secretariat-General. The Secretary-General has circulated a memorandum describing possible schemes. Her Majesty's Government are examining these and have asked the Secretariat for further information.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government with regard to Recommendation 373 on The Hague Convention on the Conflict of Laws relating to the Form of Testamentary Dispositions which was adopted by the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe on 20th September, 1963; and what action Her Majesty's Government has taken or contemplates taking in regard to it.

Her Majesty's Government support this Recommendation of the Consultative Assembly. They ratified the Convention in question on 6th November, 1963.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government with regard to Opinion No. 40 on teaching and research on human rights which was adopted by the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe on 20th September, 1963; and what action Her Majesty's Government has taken or contemplates taking in regard to that Opinion.

Opinion No. 40 is still under consideration by the Committee of Ministers' Deputies of the Council of Europe. Her Majesty's Government support the programme for teaching and research proposed by the Committee of Experts on Human Rights and endorsed in Opinion No. 40. They share the view of the Committee that the proposed programme should be carried out initially by the existing Directorate of Human Rights in the Council's Secretariat, and that possible organisational changes should be considered later when preliminary studies have been completed.

asked the Minister of Power what steps the Government is taking to establish the ownership of fuel resources discovered in the North Sea; and whether he will make a statement.

A Bill dealing with this subject has been introduced in another place.

asked the Minister for Power what information he has on the number of companies engaged in the exploration for oil and gas in the North Sea; what is the product of this work to date; and whether he will make a statement.

About twenty oil companies are engaged, either individually or jointly, in carrying out seismic surveys of the North Sea, with a view to establishing the areas where oil and gas may exist. Surveying work has not yet been completed and until it is the companies concerned will not be able to evaluate their findings.

asked the Minister of Power whether he is satisfied that enough hard coke will be available in the Northern Region for local authorities there to be justified in encouraging the use of appliances burning hard coke in future smoke control areas; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend has today presented a White Paper on smokeless fuels. He has been assured by the National Coal Board that ample supplies of hard coke are available in the Northern Region for domestic purposes at present and will continue to be so available for the foreseeable future.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what reply he has sent to a letter addressed to the Prime Minister by the Union of Portuguese Democrats protesting against the refusal of an entry permit to General Delgado.

The British visa officer in Brazil is being asked to inform the writers that their representations have been noted.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he has decided to take on the application of the London taxicab trade for increased fares.

I hope to be in a position to make a statement later this week.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many girls are in this country to learn English in the au pair scheme; from which countries they come; and what is the youngest age at which they are permitted to enter.

It is estimated that about 25,000 foreign girls are in this country under au pairarrangements. The majority come from Germany, France and Switzerland, but nearly all Western European countries are represented. A foreign girl admitted here au pair must be not less than 15 years old.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to prohibit the employment of girls and boys under the age of 17 years in night clubs, strip tease clubs and similar establishments.

I am considering various proposals for the prohibition of the employment of young persons in certain establishments. But I find real difficulties in the way of devising controls which would effectively protect young people, without undue interference with the reasonable arrangements of the genuine entertainment industry, or indeed with personal liberty.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what date he intends to bring into operation the remaining provisions of Parts I and III of the Children and Young Persons Act, 1963.

On 1st February next.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will instruct all Government Departments to review their policy concerning the employment of ex-prisoners, so as to permit their employment whenever security considerations allow.

The selection of permanent civil servants is the responsibility of the Civil Service Commission who are independent of any outside control. Under the Civil Service Order in Council, they must satisfy themselves that the character of every candidate is such as to qualify him for the situation which he seeks, but I am informed that they do not consider a prison sentence in itself a bar. Temporary employment is the responsibility of individual departments who are authorised to employ those who have been convicted even of serious offences provided it seems reasonable to do so.

asked the Prime Minister whom he appointed to represent Great Britain at the Economic Commission on Asia and Far East, now sitting in Delhi, and with what instructions; since Asia's population is expected to increase from 1,700 million to 2,600 million in the next 20 years, and thereafter double every 40 years, what new steps he is taking to control future immigration from Pakistan and India; and if he will make a statement.

I assume my hon. Friend is referring to the Asian Population Conference now being held in Delhi under the auspices of the Economic Commission on Asia and Far East. The Conference is a regional one and only those member countries situated in the area covered by the Economic Commission on Asia and Far East have been invited to send delegations. As a non-regional member of the Economic Commission on Asia and Far East we, in common with the other non-regional members, were invited to send only an observer and this we have done. He is Mr. T. E. Smith of the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, a demographer and one time fellow of Nuffield College. As he is only an observer, the question of instructions does not arise.As regards the latter part of the Question, the Commonwealth Immigrants Act already gives powers to limit the number of immigrants from India and Pakistan.

asked the Prime Minister to what extent Ministers are allowed to use official cars for attending party political functions.

The main purpose of official cars is to save Ministers' time. They are not, however, used by Ministers when they are promoting party political activities such as attending party meetings to make party political speeches or fulfilling purely constituency engagements.

asked the Prime Minister who will accompany him on his forthcoming official visit to the United States of America for talks with President Johnson.

It has already been announced that my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary will accompany me on my visit to Washington in February. The names of other members of the party will be announced nearer the time.

asked the Prime Minister what discussions have taken place or are planned between Her Majesty's Government and the Governments of the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics with the object of having the emergency telecommunication line linking the White House and the Kremlin extended to Downing Street.

The direct link between Washington and Moscow provides a reliable line of communication between East and West in an emergency. I already have effective direct communications with President Johnson. I will keep the possibility of a further extension of these arrangements under review.

asked the Prime Minister what representations have been made to him to expedite the issue of the report of the committee investigating the economics of Great Britain's nuclear power programme; what has been the nature of his reply; and if he will make a statement.

None, other than those made by hon. Members during the Second Reading of the Electricity and Gas Bill on 29th November. I have nothing to add to what I said in reply to Questions from the hon. Member for Edmonton (Mr. Albu) on 19th November.

asked the Prime Minister when action will be taken to implement the promised increases in pensions for pre-Grigg Regular Service widows.

The recalculation of pensions on the new basis will take two or three months. Increases will, however, be effective from the date of my statement last week.

asked the Prime Minister which Minister is responsible for answering Questions relating to Crown Estates in Scotland.

The Secretary of State for Scotland.

asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty how many students are now attending the Royal Naval Engineering College, Manadon.

Three hundred and seventy-five.

asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty what new academic courses have been started at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich, since the summer of 1963.

A course leading to graduate membership of the British Institution of Radio Engineers.

asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty how many civilians are now taking courses at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich; and which courses they are taking.

Fifty-four; fifteen on the Royal Corps of Naval Constructors' Course, seventeen on nuclear courses, and twenty-two on electrical and mechanical engineering degree courses.

asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty how many students were taking part in courses at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich, in the summer terms of 1951, 1955, and 1960.

Four hundred and twenty-seven, four hundred and thirty-five and four hundred and one, respectively.

asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty whether the new Government-controlled value of the Royal Naval College, Greenwich, has yet been fixed; what is this value; and how it compares with the value for the year 1962–63.

The assessment of the contribution in lieu of rates in respect of the Royal Naval College, Greenwich, is a matter for which my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer is responsible. I am informed, however, that the rateable value of the Royal Naval College buildings has recently been agreed by the Treasury Valuer with the Local Authority at £22.500. The previous rateable value of the Royal Naval College was £13,414.

asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty whether, in view of the fact that before April, 1963 the labourers employed by the Admiralty at the torpedo establishment at Antrim were paid at the same rate as their counterparts in England, he will reverse the decision to pay such Admiralty employees less wages than those paid to similar Admiralty employees in England engaged on similar work; and if he will make a statement.

As from September, 1963, labourers in Admiralty Dockyards and Establishments, including Antrim, have been aligned with the general Government "M" rate, by agreement with the trade unions. This process of alignment is being carried out by stages which will be completed in April, 1964. This change is of considerable benefit to Admiralty labourers in general, but the "M" wages structure does include a number of regional rates, some of which are above and some below the general rate. The Antrim rate is based on the average of rates paid in thirteen representative industries in Northern Ireland, and is somewhat below the general rate applicable in England. In the long term it will nevertheless probably be of advantage to these men to be transferred to the new structure, and the regional difference is an essential element in it.

asked the Minister of Aviation whether the stairs leading to the passenger exit on the first floor of the terminal building at the civil airport of Aldergrove comply with the byelaws in force in County Antrim for commercial buildings; and what is the vertical height and horizontal depth of step in such stairs.

Yes. Dimensions of the stairs for use by passengers are:

asked the Minister of Aviation whether he will consider reserving a part of the terminal building at the civil airport at Aldergrove, in County Antrim, for the use of passengers who wish to be free from other members of the public who are not travelling by air.

No. One of the attractions of Aldergrove is that friends and relations can see departing travellers off at the entrance to the pier and I would not want to stop this. Some of the present crowding of the building is due to the Ulster public's natural interest in their new airport. Experience suggests that the number of spectators will in due course decline, and this will reduce pressure.

asked the Minister of Education what national regulations or recommendations he has issued regarding the use of corporal punishment in schools in England and Wales.

I require all maintained schools to keep a record of all cases of corporal punishment. Apart from this, teachers have discretion, subject to any regulations of the local education authority.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a statement about the order of Questions during the period between Christmas and Easter.

Yes. At the start of the Session we began an experiment with the object of ensuring that Ministers are reached for Questions more frequently; this was done by limiting each Department to only one place in the schedule each week. It is thought that this has been sufficiently successful to justify continuing the experiment until the Easter Recess.

asked the Minister of Health what inquiry he has made into the circumstances under which Miss Elsie Waring, aged 35 years, a patient in the Willesden General Hospital after having been certified dead was discovered alive in the hospital mortuary; and whether he will hold an inquiry into the system of certification of deaths that makes such accidents possible.

The regional hospital board has received a full report on this case and is considering it. An inquest is being held. The accident was not due to the system of certification of deaths.

asked the Minister of Labour how many men and women, respectively, who were formerly employed in the linoleum industry in Kirkcaldy, were registered as unemployed in August 1963, and at the latest available date.

On 9th December there were 140 men and 94 women registered as unemployed at Kirkcaldy Employment Exchange who were last employed in the linoleum industry, compared with 199 and 103, respectively, on 12th August, 1963.

asked the Minister of Labour how many people were employed

RATES OF UNEMPLOYMENT
Employment Exchange Area		12th December, 1960	11th December, 1961	10th December, 1962	9th December, 1963
		Per cent.	Per cent.	Per cent.	Per cent.
Kirkcaldy	…	3·2	3·7	6·3	5·9
Leven and Methil (including Buckhaven)	…
Burntisland	…	3·4	3·2	5·6	5·0
GREAT BRITAIN	…	1·6	1·7	2·5	—
Notes
1. The percentage given for Kirkcaldy and Leven and Methil are those for the Kirkcaldy group which also includes Glenrothes.
2. The percentages given for Burntisland are those for the Dunfermline group which also includes Dunfermline, Cowdenbeath and Inverkeithing.
3. The December, 1963 rate for Great Britain will not be available until 19th December.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if he will make a statement on the case of

The following is the information:

EMPLOYEES IN EMPLOYMENT IN THE EMPLOYMENT EXCHANGE AREAS OF KIRKCALDY/GLENROTHES, BURNTISLAND, AND LEVEN AND METHIL (WHICH INCLUDES BUCKHAVEN)
Mid-year		Coalmining	Linoleum	Shipbuilding	Textiles
1959	…	11,500	4,300	1,100	1,600
1960	…	10,400	4,400	1,000	1,800
1961	…		4,000	1,400	1,900
1962	…	8,700	3,800	1,300	1,900

asked the Minister of Labour if he will state the unemployment figure, as a percentage of the insured population, for the Buckhaven, Kirkcaldy and Burntisland employment exchange areas, respectively, at the last count; and what were the current national average, and the figures for the same areas, for the corresponding month in 1960, 1961, and 1962.

The following is the information:John Morrey, 71, Glebedale Road, Fenton, Stoke-on Trent, giving the dates on which he was injured or found to be suffering from pneumoconiosis, the present extent and condition of his disability compared with that time, the medical opinion of Dr. Martin. Baker Street, Fenton, and the specialist report, dated 20th February, 1960. by Mr. A. Kennard Mitting, consulting orthopaedic surgeon, North Staffordshire Royal Infirmary, submitted for purposes of the official consideration of this man's application; on what dates John Morrey appealed; what were the results of the appeals; and what were the reasons for the decisions reached.

I do not think it would be appropriate to give all these personal details in a Parliamentary Answer and I am writing to the hon. Member.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what information he has received, from international bodies to which Her Majesty's Government belong, of the relative proportion of the national product spent on housing in Great Britain compared with other countries in Europe.

The Annual Bulletin of Housing and Building Statistics for Europe, published by the Office of the United Nations in Geneva, gives the following figures for the proportion of the gross national product spent on housing in the United Kingdom and in other European countries. (No figures are available for Great Britain only.)

			Percentages 1961
Denmark	…	…	3·3
Finland	…	…	6·4
France	…	…	4·0
Greece	…	…	5·3
Iceland	…	…	1·7
Italy	…	…	5·6
Netherlands	…	…	4·2
Norway	…	…	4·1
Portugal	…	…	3·4
Sweden	…	…	5·1
Switzerland	…	…	7·6
United Kingdom	…	…	3·1
Western Germany	…	…	5·5

These figures of expenditure expressed as a percentage of the gross national product do not give a comparison of the amount of housing provided.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works when he intends to provide new buildings for the services provided by the Ministry of National Insurance and the National Assistance Board at North Shields.

If the local authority agrees to sell the site for which we have been negotiating with it for some time, I hope to start building in 1965.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what was the final cost of the rebuilding of 10 Downing Street, including the cost of furnishings; and how the cost compares with the original estimate.

Final accounts will not be settled for some time, but the present estimate for Nos. 10, 11 and 12 Downing Street is £1 million for building work and £33,000 for furnishings. The original estimate was £500,000 for building work and £29,000 for furnishings.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works (1) what progress has been made in ensuring that Government building contracts use a system of preferred dimensions;(2) what progress has been made in ensuring that building contracts made by local authorities, regional hospital boards and other agencies where Her Majesty's Government meets a substantial part of the cost, make full use of system of preferred dimensions.

Good progress is being made on dimensional co-ordination. The first task is to work out a system of preferred dimensions for houses, educational buildings, hospitals and offices, with particular reference to industrialised methods of building. This is being done by my Ministry, together with other building Departments and the Building Research Station.In February my Ministry issued Statement D.C.1., setting out the framework of preferred increments on which subsequent work is being based. In September my Ministry published Statement D.C.2. and the Ministry of Housing and Local Government published its Design Bulletin No. 8; which recommend preferred dimensions for the principal components in housing. These statements have been commended to local authorities and hospital Boards. Work on preferred dimensions for the other three types of building is well in hand.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many salmon were taken in the Scottish rivers annually in the last five years; and to what extent the stocks of salmon are being depleted by either netting by inshore fishermen or grey seals.

The numbers of salmon and grilse caught in Scottish rivers and in coastal nets in the years 1958 to 1962 are as follows:

Year				Total Salmon and Grilse
1958	…	…	…	427,523
1959	…	…	…	386,266
1960	…	…	…	386,484
1961	…	…	…	336,144
1962	…	…	…	473,345

In addition it is estimated that 28,000 salmon and grilse were caught by drift net off Scotland and the Tweed in 1961 and 115,000 in 1962.Salmon stocks which cannot usually be directly measured are known to be subject to wide annual fluctuations on account of a number of variable factors such as the physical conditions of the environment and the food available at different stages of the salmon's life cycle in fresh water and in the sea and also to the toll taken by man and other animals. In the present state of knowledge it is not possible to assess the effects of the different factors.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps are taken to limit the slaughter of grey seal pups to the number approved; and what evidence he has regarding the main food of the Orkney Seals.

Permit holders in Orkney were required to report each week to the Department's officer in Kirkwall the number of seals shot, but owing to the time taken to get returns from the remoter islands it was usually late on Tuesday before information about the number shot up to the preceding Saturday was available to the Department. All Orkney permits were withdrawn by telegram on Wednesday, 20th November, when the number reported killed up to the preceding Saturday was known to be some 65 below the target of 750 seals, by then the number actually killed had exceeded the target by 224. Consideration is being given to the possibility of exercising tighter control in any future operation.The report of the Consultative Committee on Grey Seals and Fisheries concluded that seals eat a wide variety of fish of potential commercial value including a considerable quantity of salmon.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many grey seal pups have been slaughtered in Orkney this autumn.

During the close season in 1963, 943 pups were killed in Orkney.

asked the Minister of Transport what action is taken to warn motorists immediately of dangerous and slippery conditions caused by ice, frost and fog on all motorways.

The use of special signs warning motorists of ice and fog on motorways is provided for in the Traffic Safety Code for Road Works and Emergencies on Motorways, which I issued last year in association with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland

asked the Minister of Transport when he now proposes to make the Narborough Road South, Braunstone, a dual carriageway; and if he will make a statement on his negotiations with adjoining landowners.

I hope that work on the scheme for dualling Narborough Road South can start next summer but it depends upon the completion of the necessary statutory processes. The Order under Section 9 of the Highways Act became operative in mid-October last and a compulsory purchase order for the acquisition of the land required for the scheme was published in draft at the end of that month. Objections to the compulsory purchase order have been received and I am arranging for an independent inspector to hold a public inquiry on 12th February next. Meantime, the district valuer of the Inland Revenue Department has been asked on my behalf to open negotiations with all those persons having interests in land required for the scheme. The work is expected to take two years to complete.

asked the Minister of Transport when Her Majesty's Government intend to sign or ratify the following agreements and conventions on road safety which have been concluded within the framework of the Economic Commission for Europe, namely, the protocol on road signs and signals of 19th September, 1949, the agreement supplementing the 1949 convention on road traffic and the 1949 protocol on road signs and signals of 16th September, 1950, and the agreement on road markings of 13th December, 1957.

I am in consultation with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs about accession to or ratification of these Agreements before the making of new traffic signs Regulations next year.

asked the Minister of Transport (1) by what date he now expects the M.1 to be in use between Crick and Whetstone;(2) by what date he now expects the section of M.1 between Whetstone and Kirby Muxloe to be completed.

The Crick to Whetstone section is expected to be completed and its southern portion up to the Lutter worth junction with A.4114 brought into use in Autumn 1964. The remainder will come into use on completion of the Whetstone to Kirby Muxloe section which is expected to be in spring 1965.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will state the cost per year for maintenance of the M.I motorway for each year since the motorway was opened.

The costs of normal maintenance and of special repairs to the carriageways, which include strengthening to current standards, are:

—		Normal Maintenance	Special Repairs
		£	£
1960–61	…	150,000	—
1961–62	…	130,000	59,000
1962–63	…	130,000	203,000
1963–64	…	130,000	90,000
TOTALS	…	540,000	352,000

In addition a number of improvements are being made, such as widening and strengthening the hard shoulders and extending the drainage, to bring the motorway up to present day standard.