asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty whether he has considered the further evidence sent to him by the hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood, in support of the application for the release from service of No. 073479 Junior Naval Airman Anthony Lawler, serving on H.M.S. "Heron", Royal Naval Air Service, Yeovilton, Somerset; and what action he intends to take.

Yes. As the hon. Member will know from my letter of 19th December, I decided after reviewing the case to approve the compassionate discharge by purchase on payment of the normal fee of £50. Lawler was released on 8th January on return from leave.

asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty if he will make a statement on the circumstances under which H.M.S. "Barbain" was intercepted in Indonesian waters by units of the Indonesian navy, boarded by armed Indonesian sailors and compelled to withdraw on 25th December, 1963.

H.M.S. "Barbain" was sent on 24th December to the assistance of the Indian steamer s.s. "Mohammedi" which had been stranded on the Nipa Reef, in Indonesian waters to the east of Singapore. The Singapore agents of the firm owning the vessel had asked for assistance, and the Indonesian authorities had been approached for permission to undertake a salvage operation in Indonesia's territorial sea. Permission was not granted, and H.M.S. "Barbain" complied with a request from an Indonesian naval unit to leave Indonesian waters. H.M.S. "Barbain" was not at any time boarded by the Indonesians: a British officer went on board the Indonesian ship for discussion.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he proposes to introduce legislation dealing with the Reid Report on Title to Lands and Conveyancing.

I am consulting the legal and other interests concerned about the alternative schemes outlined in the Committee's Report. I cannot at this stage give a date for the introduction of legislation.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has considered the Brunton Report on Secondary Education; and what action he proposes to take.

:In a circular, of which I am sending the hon. Member a copy, I commended the Report to the attention of all the authorities concerned with secondary and further education. Its recommendations are directed mainly towards practice in school and college and therefore primarily for consideration by those directly engaged in these fields. I shall consider what further action I can myself take in the light of the comments on the Report for which I asked.

asked the Minister of Aviation why he transferred the production of rocket motors from the Royal Ordnance Factory, Patricroft, wholly to Bristol Aerojet Limited; and what effect this will have on employment at Patricroft.

:Two sources of production of welded rocket motor tubes are no longer justified by the foreseeable demand. Production is to be concentrated at Bristol Aerojet Limited, because they undertake research and development work which cannot be dissociated from the manufacture of these tubes and for which the Royal Ordnance Factory at Patricroft is not equipped and organised. As the run-down of the orders on the Royal Ordnance Factory will be gradual, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for War hopes to be able to avoid redundancy resulting from this decision.

asked the Minister of Aviation what was the cost of installing a single direction escalator from the ground floor to the first floor passenger exit in that part of the terminal building at London Airport reserved for United Kingdom passenger services; whether the operating cost of £1,200 for such a unit includes any sum for repayment of capital; and whether the cost of £1,200 is an annual cost.

:I regret it is not possible to segregate from the total cost of the building, the cost of installing one escalator. It was installed when the building was originally erected. The annual operating cost of about £1,200, given in reply to the hon. Member for Wembley, South (Sir R. Russell) on 12th December, 1963,included interest and depreciation on the capital cost of the equipment.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will introduce legislation to require foreign vessels, when carrying passengers and/or freight from a United Kingdom port, to possess British safety certificates, or the recognised Commonwealth or foreign equivalent, and to be seen to possess such certificates on all relevant marine documents, including passenger tickets.

:This is already the law, for practical purposes. No ship, British or foreign, can leave a British port on an international voyage without a certificate that it complies with internationally approved standards.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will arrange that all ships' lifeboats are painted in luminous orange or other distinctive colour to facilitate sighting by ships and aircraft engaged in rescue work.

This has been considered internationally, but the experts' conclusion was that in a lifeboat carrying passengers the paint would not show. Lifeboats must carry:—

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will make arrangements for all ships' lifeboats to carry supplies of the colouring material currently carried by aircraft so that aircraft searching for survivors of an abandoned ship can readily identify the area of search.

No. This particular method of identification has proved ineffective in practice and was not adoptee, by the 1960 Conference on Safety of Life at Sea. Other methods, already required, seem to offer more help to rescue ships and aircraft.

asked the Minister of Transport what steps he took to ensure the seaworthiness of the "Lakonia"; and if he will take steps to ensure that foreign ships, such as the "Lakonia", carrying Britons as passengers, comply with the precautionary regulations imposed on British passenger-carrying ships.

:The seaworthiness of a ship is governed by the requirements of the International Load Line Convention, 1930, and the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1948. Greece and the United Kingdom are parties to both these Conventions, and therefore British and Greek ships of similar age and type are governed by broadly the same safety standards. The "Lakonia" carried certificates certifying compliance with both these Conventions.The Conventions provide that it is the responsibility of the Government concerned to ensure that its ships conform with the Convention standards.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware of the road conditions over a bridge situated at Coalbournbrook in the urban district of Amblecote both in relation to traffic dangers and the intrinsic condition of the bridge itself; and what action he is taking to remedy these conditions.

The Staffordshire County Council is the highway authority for this road and my right hon. Friend is prepared to issue grant to enable it to be improved. We are looking into the possibilities of starting this work but it depends to some extent on the future of the canal which cannot yet be determined.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will exclude lengths of dual carriageways from any future 50 mile-an-hour speed restriction, such as that imposed at Christmas.

It would be necessary to amend Section 13 of the Road Traffic Act, 1962, to enable this to be done.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will ensure that separate catering facilities are provided for transport workers in service areas on motorways.

Separate cafés catering primarily for commercial drivers are provided at all but two of the service areas now open and similar facilities will be provided at all future ones. Those without separate facilities cater for commercial drivers in the ordinary cafeterias.

asked the Minister of Transport what advice his Department has given to manufacturers to prevent the spontaneous shattering of windscreens; and if he will now introduce regulations designed to prevent this dangerous occurrence.

The Motor Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations, 1963, require all motor vehicles to be fitted with safety glass. Toughened glass, while liable to shatter, is nevertheless unlikely to produce sharp splinters. We prefer to leave the public to choose which type of safety glass they prefer. The latest type of toughened glass does not completely obscure the driver's view of the road ahead when shattered.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will now recommend the appointment of a Royal Commission on Road Safety.

No. While I am greatly concerned about the number of deaths and injuries on the roads, I do not consider that a Royal Commission would at the present be a suitable means of dealing with the problem.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will give general directions, in the public interest, to the British Railways Board and the London Transport Board to carry out an inquiry into the dangers to public safety, health and convenience resulting from an inadequate wage structure in the transport services.

No. Wages are a matter for negotiation between the Boards and their staff. The British Railways Board and the London Transport Board are required by statute to have due regard to efficiency and safety of operation.

asked the Minister of Transport to what extent the study being made by his Department of the large number of fatal road accidents during the Christmas period will take into account the closure of the railways on Christmas Day.

Not at all. The purpose of the inquiry I have asked the Road Research Laboratory to carry out is to examine what actually happened, not what might have happened in different circumstances.

asked the Minister of Transport what was the total of road accidents caused by motor vehicles and the total deaths resulting there from in the United Kingdom in each of the five years 1959–63 inclusive; and what percentage these accidents and deaths, respectively, represent of the total of vehicles registered in each of these years.

asked the Minister of Transport what reply he sent to the letter from Aberdeen Trades Council on the need for steps to be taken to grant concessionary fares on public transport to old age pensioners.

The Government have every sympathy with old age pensioners, but as the hon. Member is aware, we do not consider that benefits in kind, such as cheap fares, are the best way to help. A reply has been sent to the letter from the Trades Council in these terms. The hon. Member has been sent a copy.

asked the Minister of Transport what study he has made of the safety value of the use of studded tyres on cars on icy road surfaces.

:No special study has been made but studded tyres are known to have advantages when snow-bound and icy roads are encountered for long periods

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware that, unlike the chairmen of other nationalised

It is not possible to say how many accidents were caused by motor vehicles; the following table gives the total number of road accidents and deaths there from in each year and also the total number of motor vehicles involved in accidents.Following is the table:boards, the Chairman of British Railways does not reply personally to letters sent to him by Members of Parliament; and whether he will, in the public interest, issue a general direction to the Railways Hoard that they shall follow the practice of the other nationalised industries in this regard.

:This is a matter for the British Railways Board, and not one on which a direction would be appropriate.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will give an assurance that it is the policy of Her Majesty's Government not to permit the closure of railway lines or stations which would result in road traffic congestion or dangerous traffic conditions in any area.

The Government's policy in dealing with railway passenger closures is to take full account of all relevant factors, including the cost of any roadworks that may be needed and the extent to which roads may be made more congested or dangerous. In the major urban areas, where congestion is likely to be most serious, I shall if necessary defer my decision if I have not enough information to make a final judgment. And I shall certainly refuse my consent to such a closure where it is clear that it would conflict with the right overall solution for transport in the area.

asked the Postmaster-General what is the total sum estimated to have been lost by robbery from trains, vans and post offices in the last 15 years.

The earliest year for which the information requested is available is 1954–55. From 1st April, 1954, to 30th November, 1963, the total gross sum lost in robberies, that is, thefts in which violence was used or threatened, against trains, vans and post offices was £3,079,918, of which £2,595,998 was stolen in the train robbery of 8th August, 1963. In addition £39,074 was lost in the same period in robberies from Post Office staff in the street. The figures quoted include cash and both negotiable and non-negotiable stock and take no account of amounts subsequently recovered.

asked the Postmaster-General what further information he has obtained concerning the mail robbery that took place in South Wales in October last; and whether he will make a statement.

:Inquiries into this theft continue: but so far the identity of the thief or thieves has not been established.

asked the Postmaster-General how many mail bag robberies took place between 20th December, 1963, and 13th January, 1964; and whether he will make a statement.

There were no robberies, that is, theft in which violence was used or threatened. But the number of reported offences involving letter and parcel mails over the period in question was twenty-nine. Many of these concern bags which had been tampered with in transit. The total value of items lost is expected to be comparatively small. Over the same period the total number of mail bags in circulation would be about thirty million.

asked the Postmaster-General whether a local post office which is open on a Saturday afternoon is authorised to issue road tax licences and similar documents.

:Post Offices which issue motor vehicle renewal licences do not do so on Saturdays after 1.0 p.m. It was found that handling this particular type of business worsened the service for the generality of our customers especially at those many offices which are very busy on that day. There is no similar suspension of other kinds of licensing business.

asked the Lord President of the Council and Minister for Science what additional staff will be needed by the Road Research Laboratory to undertake their increased work in the field of road safety.

Authority has been given for the non-industrial staff to be increased by 30 in 1964–65.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether the report by his Department on the use and chemical properties of fluoroacetamide has been completed; and what action he now proposes as to its future use in view of the apparent dangers of this chemical.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is aware of the danger involved in indiscriminate use of drugs of the fluoroacetamide group such as tritox; and whether he will take powers to ensure that all new pesticides are tested to his satisfaction before being put on the market.

The chemical fluoroacetamide is not used as a drug but as an insecticide and rodenticide. Our inquiries into the regrettable poisoning of animals at Smarden and Merthyr Tydfil strongly suggest, although it cannot be established with absolute certainty, that the substance involved in both cases was fluoroacetamide. These inquiries do not indicate that the use of this chemical as an insecticide could have contributed to the deaths of the animals. Although it has been known for some time that dogs are highly sensitive to poisoning by organic fluorine compounds, these incidents have provided for the first time evidence of their extreme susceptibility to secondary poisoning by this means, and the principal suppliers of the chemical in this country have voluntarily withdrawn it from sale as an insecticide.At the instance of my Department, supported by the Advisory Committee on Poisonous Substances Used in Agriculture and Food Storage, the Poisons Board have recommended my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary to amend the Poisons Rules so as to place further restrictions on the sale of this chemical. I understand that my right hon. Friend hopes to lay the necessary Statutory Instrument before Parliament shortly. The practical effect of this amendment will be that fluoroacetamide will no longer be available for use as an insecticide, and will only be obtainable as a rodenticide on production of a certificate from a Medical Officer of Health or an authorised officer of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food or the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland. The certificate would specify the quantity to be supplied and the place (sewers, ships holds, etc.) where it was to be used.We are also issuing a fresh circular to local authorities on the use of fluoroacetamide for the destruction of rats in sewers, for which it is a very valuable agent, re-emphasising that the greatest care must be exercised in its custody and use. I am advised that, provided the recommended precautions are observed, there should be no risk to other animals or to human beings.Under the voluntary Notification of Pesticides Scheme, no new chemical is put on the market for use in agriculture or food storage until the Advisory Committee on Poisonous Substances and the Government Departments concerned are satisfied that adequate tests and trials have been made enabling the Committee to issue recommendations for safe use. Occasionally, the widespread use of a chemical reveals additional hazards and the Scheme provides for a review of safe use recommendations in the event of new scientific evidence coming to light. While my right hon. Friend does not consider that statutory restrictions would necessarily provide more effective control, he will continue to keep a close watch on the position.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will state the date of the next general election in Aden.

The life of the Aden Legislature is due to end on the 25th January, 1964, and a general election is due to be held within three months of the Council's dissolution. But Aden Ministers have represented to me that it would not be possible before the 25th January to give adequate consideration to the important recommendations of the Franchise Commission, and to prepare and enact the necessary legislation. They have also pointed out that the work of compiling an entirely new register of voters, and the process of holding a general election, cannot be completed within the time provided.They have accordingly felt obliged to recommend some extension of the life of the Legislative Council. Her Majesty's Government recognise the validity of these considerations and have therefore reluctantly decided to empower the High Commissioner to postpone the dissolution of the present Legislative Council for the time necessary to complete these processes up to a maximum period of six months.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations what arrangements have been made to pay to the Singapore Government the defence aid referred to in paragraph 3(b)(iii) of his reply to the Question by the hon. Member for Tonbridge (Mr. Hornby) on 18th July.

In my statement on 18th July on financial assistance to Malaysia, I mentioned that the British Government had offered to pay the cost of raising, equipping and accommodating the Second Battalion of the Singapore Infantry Regiment up to Malaysia Day, at a maximum cost of $10 million (£1·17 million).This sum was intended as a reasonable retrospective reimbursement to the Singapore Government for expenditure incurred on defence. It subsequently became apparent that the full sum offered could not be expended by the Singapore Government purely on the Second Battalion of the Singapore Infantry Regiment before Malaysia Day (16th September). In these circumstances the British Government decided that the balance should be treated as reimbursement for other military expenditure in-

asked the Minister of Defence if he will introduce a National Service element into the Army to enable it adequately to meet the tasks it has to carry out.

No. The Regular Army is adequate for its tasks.

asked the Minister of Defence whether he will make a statement on the Government's proposals made to the North Atlantic Treaty curred by the Singapore Government before Malaysia Day. The full sum was paid to the Singapore Government on 15th September.

asked the Minister of Education if he will give for each of the years since 1951 the respective number of male and female students starting and completing training courses in teachers training colleges, together with the corresponding percentages of wastage for each group.

The general picture is given in the following table:Organisation Council for a mixed-manned force based on the TSR 2.

:In my speech to the North Atlantic Council on 17th December, I drew attention to the very large numbers of strategic nuclear weapons already existing or planned, and suggested that in considering plans such as the mixed-manned proposal or cooperation in the targeting, planning and other aspects of control of nuclear weapons, there was good reason to examine the possibility of schemes which made full use of existing or projected tactical weapons rather than contemplating the very heavy cost of constructing more strategic ones of the same type as those already in existence. It would, for example, probably be possible to devise a mixed-manned force of land-based missiles and aircraft just as easily or perhaps more easily than a sea-borne nuclear force.

asked the Minister of Defence whether he is satisfied that four Polaris missile submarines is an adequate number to maintain the deterrent; and whether he will authorise the construction of a fifth.

:I have this matter under consideration and will make a statement in due course.

asked the Minister of Defence if he is satisfied that four aircraft carriers in the 1970's will be sufficient to fulfil the rôle of the Royal Navy.

I am satisfied, as I said in my statement to the House on 30th July last, that the carrier force likely to be required during that period is three carriers.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what has been the cost to public funds so far of the collapse of the officers' mess building and the enforced demolition of similar buildings at Aldershot; and what is likely to be the total cost to public funds of these building mistakes.

As my right hon. Friend said in answer to the hon. Member for Aldershot (Sir E. Errington) on 19th December, 1963, the contractor has accepted responsibility for the failure and has undertaken to reconstruct the buildings without cost to public funds.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what measures he has taken to deal with the consultant architect, the consulting engineer and the contractor responsible for the collapses and enforced demoli- tions of the Aldershot buildings, the first of which collapsed on 21st July, 1963.

As the contractor has accepted responsibility for the failure of these buildings and has undertaken to reconstruct them without added cost to public funds we are taking no further measures.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what grade of officer was responsible for supervising the work at Aldershot which collapsed; and on how many occasions the original plans were checked and the actual building inspected.

Supervision of this work was included in the commission given by the Ministry to a firm of consultant architects, with whom rested the responsibility for checking plans and inspecting the work in progress.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works how many buildings are being erected for his Department on the prefabricated systems similar to the Aldershot system which collapsed; and what steps he has taken to prevent similar failures.

The four officers' messes at Aldershot were the only buildings to be erected for the Ministry in this version of this prefabricated system; other versions which are being used differ in essential respects.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works, what new instructions he has issued to his architectural and supervising staff following the failure of the prefabricated buildings at Aldershot.

The Ministry's staff concerned are fully aware of the contents of the Building Research Station's technical statement, which my right hon. Friend included in a Return to the House on 19th December, 1963. I do not consider it necessary to issue new instructions.

asked the Secretary for Technical Co-operation what reply he has received to the representations made to the Government of Ghana about the taxation of pensions of former civil servants.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for Haltemprice (Mr. Wall) on 14th January.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what communication was sent to President Macapagal of the Philippines prior to his discussions with President Sukarno of Indonesia; and what reply has been received.

Her Majesty's Ambassador at Manila was asked to emphasise to President Macapagal of the Philippines our hope that he would take advantage of his meeting with President Sukarno of Indonesia to exercise a moderating influence on Indonesian policies. This led to a confidential discussion between President Macapagal and Her Majesty's Ambassador, but no substantive reply has been received from the Philippine President.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware of the claim of Hans Leichsenring, an ex-German prisoner of war, to have buried £28,000 at a military supply depot in Britain 18 years ago; and what action he is proposing to take.

Mr. Lane, formerly Hans Leichsenring, has indicated three sites on War Department property at Ashchurch at which he alleged prisoners of war buried money. The sites have been dug up, but nothing was found.

asked the Secretary of State for War what steps have been taken to improve the maintenance of the British Commonwealth war graves on Mount Scopus and in Gaza.

:The staff of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission do not have regular access to the War Cemetery on Mount Scopus, and have not been able to make any improvement to its condition.The Government, supported by the other Commonwealth Governments which participate in the work of the Commission, have made repeated efforts since 1948 to reach an agreement acceptable to all parties including the United Nations which would allow the Commission to improve and to restore the state of the cemetery. We are continuing to seek a solution of this problem.The War Cemeteries at Gaza and Deirel Belah are satisfactorily maintained and the staff of the Commission inspect the graves from time to time.

asked the Secretary of State for War what estimate has been made of the number of troops required to enable Her Majesty's Government to meet existing and possible needs in fulfilment of obligations outside the European zone.

The planned strength of the Army is based on the Government's estimate of the number of troops needed to meet our commitments worldwide. The figure is 180,000 British all ranks.