asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs when he expects to make recommendations for the guidance of planning authorities in the light of the conclusion of the Buchanan Report that official policy towards the provision of garages in new office building requires reconsideration to take account of the additional traffic in towns that such garages may induce.

Preliminary advice to local authorities was given in the Joint Circular issued by the Minister of Transport and my right hon. Friend on 7th January. More detailed guidance will be given in a Planning Bulletin on parking in town centres, which will be published in the spring.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what examination he has made of the results of the pilot survey on site value rating carried out by the Rating and Valuation Association, a copy of which has been sent to him; and whether he will make a statement.

I have received and read a copy of the abridged report and I would like to congratulate the Association on their initiative. The results will be considered as part of the Government's general review of central and local government finance and of the rating system.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what was the average price of building land per acre in the Saddleworth urban district for the years 1955, 1959 and 1963, respectively.

Prices in these years varied from about £250 an acre to £1,700 an acre, depending on location, demand, and type of development. But an average figure for an area like this has very little meaning.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if, in view of the disturbing number of cases recently reported of outbreaks of fire in multi-occupied premises involving loss of life, he is satisfied that the local byelaws regarding fire-escapes and other precautions are adequate and are being observed.

Local authorities' powers to require the provision of means of escape from multi-occupied dwellings are contained in Section 16 of the Housing Act, 1961. My right hon. Friend has thought it desirable to propose to Parliament some improvement in these powers. The current Housing Bill will make it an offence to fail wilfully to comply with a notice served under that Section; and will make the cost of works carried out by a local authority in default of compliance with the notice a charge on all interests in the house.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what action has been taken to implement the recommendation made by the Edwards Committee in 1953 that authorities with a rapidly expanding population should receive special consideration in the form of an additional weighting factor.

None. As was explained in the White Paper on Local Government Finance (England and Wales) (Cmnd. 209) in 1957, in view of the factors proposed in the general grant it was not considered necessary to proceed with the recommendation for an extra factor in the rate-deficiency grants.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he will make a statement, further to his statement of 19th February, 1963, on the location of a site for a new town to meet the housing needs of the city of Manchester.

I regret that I cannot do so yet.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what grants will be available to rating authorities in Lichfield City, Lichfield Rural District Council, the borough of Tamworth and the urban district of Rugeley, respectively, in respect of old people under Clause 1 of the Rating (Interim Relief) Bill.

Preliminary estimates of the amounts which will be payable under Clause 1 of the Bill are £1,130 to Lichfield Rural District Council and £1,810 to Tamworth Borough Council. These estimates are based on data for 1961, when the other two authorities had fewer than 10 per cent. of their population over the age of 65. The estimates are subject to correction on later information.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what action he is taking to prevent a public nuisance being caused to residents of Chiswick by the faulty operation of the sewerage works at Richmond, Surrey, on the opposite side of the River Thames.

The Richmond Main Sewerage Board, who are responsible for the operation of the works, are carrying out improvements which should remove all cause of complaint. Some of the work should be completed in July, and the remainder by the end of the year. One of the Department's Chemical Inspectors visited the works on 21st February and has suggested interim measures which I understand are being adopted.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what the percentage increase in charges to the private user of water has been over the past four years.

I regret that this information is not available. The returns which my right hon. Friend receives relate to the income of water undertakers from all sources, not to the charges they make to private consumers. I will gladly obtain information about any particular area in which my hon. Friend may be interested.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether he proposes to make a scheme or scheme; under Section 66 of the London Government Act, 1963, for reducing any disparities in 1965–66 and subsequent years in the rates levied in different rating areas of Greater London.

Section 66 requires me, before making any scheme, to consult the Common Council of the City of London, the Greater London Council and any association or committee representative of the London borough councils. I cannot therefore make much progress in this field until the new authorities have been elected and I hope that they will then be able to come forward with broadly agreed proposals. But my preliminary views are that a scheme will be needed for the inner London boroughs and the City of London and that in that area it should have effects of much the same order upon rates as the present scheme.Although I do not wish to prejudge the issue I do not at present see the need for a scheme for other parts of Greater London.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he is aware of the financial difficulties of local government, resulting from the block grant system of financing local authority services and their uneconomic geographical structure; and if he will advise the appointment of a Royal Commission to investigate and report upon the pattern and purpose of local government required in modern circumstances.

The answer to both parts of the question is "no". The Government are already undertaking a general review of local and central government finance. The special problems of London Government were recently investigated by a Royal Commission on whose report the Government have acted. For the rest of England, the review of local government organisation is best left to the Local Government Commission whose work is well advanced. For Wales, I would refer the hon. Member to my statement last week.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what proportion of the population in England and Wales was rehoused in new dwellings during each of the past five years.

Assuming an occupancy rate of 3·2 persons per dwelling the percentage of the population rehoused in new dwellings for each of the five years in question was 1·75, 1·87, 1·85, 1·90, 1·83.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he will set up an inquiry into house building costs.

I do not think this would be useful. The answer to rising costs lies in increased productivity from the building industry which the Government are tackling in a number of ways.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what reports he has received of complaints of discomfort and of discolouration of walls due to damp in modern council flats built without traditional fire-places and flues; and, in view of the expense involved in devising remedies, what advice has been given to local housing authorities to arrange that this shall be avoided or minimised by the initial installation of fans or by other means.

From time to time there are reports of troubles caused by condensation in local authority flats. In most cases the trouble is not serious, and it can arise from a number of dif- ferent causes. The remedy often lies in the tenants' own hands. My right hon. Friend has not thought it necessary to issue general advice.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs how many local authorities encourage private house ownership by granting mortgages of 100 per cent. of valuation; and what steps he intends to take to encourage other local authorities to initiate similar policies.

Information about the number and aggregate amount of loans for house purchase made by local authorities in England and Wales is given in the quarterly Housing Return. I regret that I cannot say how many authorities are covered by the figures for loans of 100 per cent. of valuation. The lending powers are permissive and it is a matter for each local authority to decide in the light of local conditions whether 100 per cent. advances are appropriate.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what reply he has sent to the Manchester District Council of the National Union of Railwaymen regarding the resolution they have sent him deploring the number of office blocks and other non-essential buildings under construction in the North-West and requesting that no further planning permission be granted for these until the people living in slums in the area have been rehoused.

My right hon. Friend has told the council that he will do all he reasonably can to promote slum clearance in the North-West, but that prevention of office or other building is not the answer to the problem. I am sending the hon. Member a copy of the reply.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether he will institute an inquiry into hardship caused by blight purchase notice procedure in the Town and Country Planning Act, 1962, in particular relation to those houses which are affected in Kate Street, Dendy Street and Chestnut Grove, Clapham, details of which cases he already has.

No.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs how many members of the Survey and Development Division of the Welsh office are respectively engaged upon the preparation of the development plans for Mid-Wales and South Wales.

The staff of the Survey and Development Division are not organised on a territorial basis but will work together on different aspects of the problems of the various parts of Wales.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs how many of the eight people making up the Survey and Development Division of the Welsh office are fully qualified planning and research officers; and what are the qualifications in each case.

Four of the officers have planning or research qualifications: two are graduates in Geography, and one of these also holds the Diploma of Town Planning and is an Associate Member of the Town Planning Institute; another is a graduate in Economics; and the fourth is a graduate in Geography with Political Economy, who is also qualified in Civic Design and an Associate Member of the Town Planning Institute. All have detailed practical experience of work in central and local government on planning problems, and the Senior Research Officer was until recently working on the North West Regional Survey.

asked the Lord President of the Council and Minister for Science when the Committee on Scientific Manpower expects to report on the survey of technicians.

The Committee on Scientific Manpower is at present conducting pilot surveys in certain selected industries with a view to deciding how a full survey of the supply and demand for technicians can best be organised.

asked the Lord President of the Council and Minister for Science what element of the increased recurrent grants to universities he has made available for increased fees to post-graduate students acting as demonstrators and tutors, in view of recommendations 114 and 173 of the Robbins Report.

The recurrent grant is not allocated to specific purposes but extended employment of post-graduates for help in informal teaching, etc., is one of the purposes to which universities are free to devote part of the additional sums recently announced.

asked the Lord President of the Council and Minister for Science what proportion of students who graduated in scientific subjects from Scottish universities in 1961, 1962, and 1963 took jobs in Scotland; and whether he will set up an inquiry to study how science graduates can be encouraged to stay in Scotland.

I regret the information asked for in the first part of the Question is not available. In answer to the second part of the Question, Her Majesty's Government have constantly in mind the need to ensure better employment opportunities for graduates in Scotland, and I would refer the hon. Member to the recently published White Paper on Central Scotland.

asked the Lord President of the Council and Minister for Science what information has been supplied to his Department regarding the expenditure by the universities on extra-mural work in 1962–63 and 1963–64; and what estimates he has made of their expenditure for these purposes in 1964–65.

In the academic year 1961–62 the net expenditure by universities from their general income on extramural classes and similar work was £468,000. This is the latest figure available. The grants made to extra-mural departments of universities by the Ministry of Education amounted to £558,000 in the financial year 1962–63 and are expected to amount to £635,000 in the current financial year. No estimate is yet available for 1964–65.

asked the Lord President of the Council and Minister for Science if he will instruct the Committee on Audio-Visual Aids in teaching and research to visit the United States of America, and to include in their itinerary a visit to an American institution representing each college category, namely, a university, a college of education, and a technological college.

I understand that members of the Committee will be visiting the United States of America in April and that their itinerary includes visits to each category of institution mentioned.

asked the Lord President of the Council and Minister for Science whether Her Majesty's Government will extend the terms of reference of the Committee on Audio-Visual Aids in teaching, and research in the pure and applied sciences to include non-scientific subjects within the sphere of higher education.

I understand that the University Grants Committee and the Education Departments drew up the Committee's terms of reference to cover the fields in which they thought there may be the greatest immediate potential scope for the use of audio-visual aids and in order to achieve a reasonably early report. There was no intention to prejudge the possible use of audiovisual aids in other fields of higher education.

asked the Lord President of the Council and Minister for Science whether the Committee on Audio-Visual Aids in teaching and research is proposing to consult the United States Educational Commission for the United Kingdom, with a view to studying their reports in this field.

I understand that four of the American professors concerned who are in this country have already given evidence to the Committee.

asked the Lord President of the Council and Minister for Science what information has been given to the Committee on Audio-Visual Aids in institutions of higher education as to which British universities have adopted plans for closed-circuit educational television.

I understand that replies received to a questionnaire issued in April, 1963, have already been analysed and discussed by the Committee. Members have visited several institutions making use of these media.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state the amount made by way of sales of the dollar securities owned by the Treasury from 1959 to the latest available date in 1964, stating each year separately.

Sales and purchases were made in the course of normal management of the portfolio, but I cannot give details of such transactions.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury in what way the rights of a civil servant to write to his Member of Parliament differ from the privileges allowed to members of the Fighting Services; and what action he will take to see that civil servants are not at a disadvantage by reason of their employment.

As the Financial Secretary told my hon. Friend on 11th February, a civil servant is barred from writing to his Member of Parliament to support or advance his individual claims as a civil servant; members of the Fighting Services are not so presented, but they have, of course, their statutory right of complaint. I do not accept the implication that civil servants are at a disadvantage by reason of their employment. If a civil servant is dissatisfied on a personal matter there are recognised official and staff association channels through which he may press his case.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state the amount of wages a man with a wife and one child at school required to earn before he was liable to pay income tax for each of the financial years to date since 1951.

For a married man with one child under the age of 11 the highest amounts that could be earned in the year without involving Income Tax liability were as follows

	£
1951–52	334
1952–53 to 1954–55	389
1955–56	449
1956–57 and 1957–58	450
1958–59 to 1960–61	451
1961–62 and 1962–63	461
1963–4	588

These figures take account of the relief for National Insurance contributions, as well as earned income relief and personal allowances. For 1957/58 and later years the amounts were £32 higher if the child was over 11 and not over 16, and £64 higher if he was over 16.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what estimate he has made of the number of first-aid boxes which would need to be made available in the Palace of Westminster to reach the standards laid down under Section 24 of the Offices, Shops and Railway Premises Act; how many qualified persons in charge would be needed; and what steps he has taken to secure these provisions.

My responsibility for the provision of first-aid facilities in the Palace of Westminster extends only to the Ministry's staff employed there. I am advised that to reach the standards laid down under section 24 of the Offices, Shops and Railway Premises Act, 1963, four first-aid boxes would be needed each in charge of a responsible person one of whom must be trained in first-aid. In fact, six first-aid boxes and five persons trained in first-aid are available. Arrangements other than for my Ministry's staff are a matter for the authorities of both Houses. I understand that the authorities of both Houses are in consultation with Her Majesty's Factory Inspectorate of the Ministry of Labour as regards their sphere of responsibility in this matter.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works whether he is aware of the inadequacy of the signposting to the approaches to Hampton Court; and whether he will take steps to improve it.

I will look into this matter to see if any improvement can be made.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works when the rooms under repair at Hampton Court will be reopened to the public.

Renewal of the ceilings in the King's Audience Chamber, the Queen's Gallery and the Prince of Wales Bedroom should be completed and the rooms reopened to the public in time for Easter. Restoration work to the Cumberland Suite should be completed by the end of October, 1964, and these rooms will then be opened to the public.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works whether he will arrange to furnish Chiswick House.

Our aim has been to furnish Chiswick House as nearly as possible in its original style. It was erected by Lord Burlington not as a residence but as a place in which he could display his art treasures and entertain his friends from the world of the arts. This aim has been largely achieved, particularly as regards pictures. Furniture of the right scale for the architectural proportions of the building is hard to obtain but I hope to add further items as opportunity offers.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works whether he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT the table of figures which he has supplied to the Building Societies Association giving the index number of the average price of new houses for private owners from1956 to 1963 and similar details for the years 1951 until 1955.

INDEX NUMBERS OF THE AVERAGE PRICE OF NEW HOUSES FOR PRIVATE OWNERS
1958 | 100
Year			1st Quarter	2nd Quarter	3rd Quarter	4th Quarter	Annual Average
1956	…	…	94	95	96	95	95
1957	…	…	96	96	98	99	97
1958	…	…	99	101	101	100	100
1959	…	…	100	101	101	101	101
1960	…	…	102	104	107	110	106
1961	…	…	112	115	117	119	116
1962	…	…	121	123	124	126	124
1963	…	…	129	131	133	135	132

NOTE: The figures on which this index is based include the cost of land and cover only houses on which building societies have advanced mortgages during the period.(Ministry of Public Building and Works, 3rd March, 1964)

asked the Secretary of State for Technical Co-operation what consultations have taken place with Commonwealth Governments in Africa with regard to the extension of the Low Priced Books Scheme; what machinery has been used by his Department for assessing the needs of the territories concerned in co-operation with their Government Departments; and from which Commonwealth Governments, respectively, replies have been received.

The Low-Priced University text-book Scheme was extended last May to West Africa, which includes the four Commonwealth countries Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and the Gambia. The Government of Ghana had previously asked for the university text-books. The Governments of Nigeria and Sierra Leone and Gambia were consulted appropriately. The needs of the three former

My Ministry collects from the Building Societies figures of the prices of houses on which they have given mortgages and calculates an index number.The index numbers for the years 1956 to 1963 are published in the January issue of the

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development if, in view of the current economic difficulties in the North-East, he will give an assurance that the grants towards the cost of industrial building and plant in development districts will continue into 1964–65.

My right hon. Friend cannot add anything to the assurance which the Government have given in the White Paper on the North East (Cmd. 2206, paragraph 41), that development districts in the growth zone will not be removed from the list until there is a general and sustained improvement in employment in the region as a whole. Assistance under the Local Employment Acts will continue to be available to other development districts in the region so long as the local level of unemployment justifies it.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional

EXPORTS F.O.B. OF PIPES, TUBES AND FITTINGS (INCLUDING BLANKS) OF IRON OR STEEL
Exporting country	1953	1954	1955	1956	1957	1958	1959	1960	1961	1962	1963
United Kingdom*
Tonnage (Th. tons)	590	582	683	773	817	744	746	735	634	529	505
Volume Index	100	99	116	131	138	126	126	125	107	90	86
Unit f.o.b. value index	100	93	91	97	109	114	112	117	122	125	120
West Germany
Tonnage (Th. tons)	436	529	534	707	961	839	961	1,207	1,161	1,306	…
Volume Index	100	121	122	162	220	192	220	277	266	299	…
Unit f.o.b. value index	100	81	86	91	99	101	95	99	103	96	…
France
Tonnage (Th. tons)	453	490	650	535	576	573	686	631	618	518	…
Volume Index	100	108	143	118	127	126	151	139	136	114	…
Unit f.o.b. value index	100	83	83	90	99	104	103	116	112	115	…
Italy
Tonnage (Th. tons)	82	97	152	155	167	178	183	187	210	341	…
Volume Index	100	119	186	190	204	217	223	228	257	416	…
Unit f.o.b. value index	100	73	71	94	93	90	88	102	100	86	…
Belgium— Luxembourg
Tonnage (Th. tons)	78	81	84	111	108	109	154	171	172	195	…
Volume Index	100	104	107	142	138	140	197	218	219	249	…
Unit f.o.b. value index	100	84	88	90	96	88	79	80	79	80	…
Sweden
Tonnage (Th. tons)	42	42	44	56	53	60	80	85	85	111	…
Volume Index	100	98	105	133	124	141	189	201	201	263	…
Unit f.o.b. value index	100	92	105	110	125	122	115	144	146	118	…
* Excluding blanks.
† Excluding blanks for pipes and tubes, if any.
‡ Excluding high pressure hydro-electric conduits, steel
… Not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development if, for the convenience of hon. Members, he will give

The following is the information; the heading to the table defines the coverage.details of the balance of trade for the year 1963 with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, East Germany, and China in the form adopted by him on 24th February, 1964.

The following is the information:

U.K. Trade, 1963					(£ thousand)
Statistical Classification	U.S.S.R.		Poland		Hungary
	Imports (c.i.f.)	U.K. Exports (f.o.b.)	Imports (c.i.f.)	U.K. Exports (f.o.b.)	Imports (c.i.f.)	U.K. Exports (f.o.b.)
Food and live animals	11,157	317	25,568	146	2,357	10
Of which:—
Meat and meat preparations	—	—	16,634	—	—	—
Dairy products and eggs	—	—	5,369	—	—	—
Fish and fish preparations	1,672	—	—	—	—	—
Cereals and cereal preparations	7,184	—	—	—	—	—
Fruit and vegetables	—	—	1,083	—	950	—
Sugar, sugar preparations and honey	1,874	—	2,274	—	—	—
Beverages and Tobacco	24	5	38	43	31	9
Crude materials, inedible, except fuels	54,563	3,106	8,909	2,939	105	1,071
Of which:—
Hides, skins and furskins, undressed	10,359	—	1,226	—	—	—
Wood lumber and cork	35,774	—	7,076	—	—	—
Pulp and waste paper	2,586	—	—	—	—	—
Textile fibres and their waste	3,507	2,947	—	2,529	—	830
Metalliferous ores and metal scrap	1,651	—	—	—.	—	—
Crude animal and vegetable materials, not elsewhere specified	—	—	—	—	—	—
Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials	1,332	54	5	91	—	10
Of which:—
Petroleum and petroleum products	1,332	—	—	—	—	—
Animal and vegetable oils and fats	564	3	4	125	—	8
Chemicals	1,805	9,220	1,388	3,457	98	1,444
Of which:—
Chemical elements and compounds	876	4,473	—	1,411	—	—
Dyeing, tanning and colouring materials	—	1,152	—	—	—	—
Fertilisers, manufactured	—	—	—	—	—	—
Plastic materials, regenerated cellulose and artificial resins	—	1,726	—	856	—	—
Other chemicals	—	1,613	803	—	—	—
Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material	20,427	19,233	2,092	4,838	1,189	1,811
Of which:—
Leather, leather manufactures, etc.	2,121	—	—	—	—	—
Wood and cork manufactures	4,500	—	—	—	—	—
Textile yarn, fabrics, made-up articles etc.	—	3,052	—	—	—	—
Iron and steel	8,467	13,230	—	2,055	—	812
Non-ferrous metals	4,735	1,955	—	—	—	—
Machinery and transport equipment	407	21,734	711	13,105	281	2,273
Of which:—
Machinery other than electric	—	19,581	—	9,827	—	1,267
Electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances	—	2,091	—	2,309	—	—
Transport equipment	—	—	—	969	—	—
Miscellaneous manufactured articles	669	1,208	1,436	1,179	1,715	424
Of which:—
Scientific etc. instruments; photographic and optical goods, watches and clocks	—	—	—	968	—	—
Commodities and transactions not classified according to kind	14	518	41	1,672	8	258
Total	90,961	55,398	40,191	27,594	5,783	7,319
RE-EXPORTS	—	8,474	—	473	—	165
Balance of Trade	-27,089		-12,124		+ 1,701

(£ thousand)
Statistical Classification	Bulgaria		East Germany		China
	Imports (c.i.f.)	U.K. Exports (f.o.b.)	Imports (c.i.f.)	U.K. Exports (f.o.b.)	Imports (c.i.f.)	U.K. Exports (f.o.b.)
Food and live animals	1,727	3	1,345	36	2,026	4
Of which:—
Meat and meat preparations	—	—	—	—	—	—
Dairy products and eggs	—	—	—	—	—	—
Fish and fish preparations	—	—	—	—	—	—
Cereals and cereal preparations	—	—	—	—	—	—
Fruit and vegetables	1,517	—	—	—	—	—
Sugar, sugar preparations and honey	—	—	1,264	—	—	—
Beverages and Tobacco	1	4	1	18	—	12
Crude materials, inedible, except fuels	420	68	339	124	9,849	2,352
Of which:—
Hides, skins and furskins, undressed	—	—	—.	—	987	—
Wood lumber and cork	—	—	—	—	—	—
Pulp and waste paper	—	—	—	—	—	—
Textile fibres and their waste	—	—	—	—	4,851	2,280
Metalliferous ores and metal scrap	—	—	—	—	—	—
Crude animal and vegetable materials, not elsewhere specified	—	—	—	—	3,630	—
Mineral fuels, lubricants and related material	—	—	251	124	—	8
Of which:—
Petroleum and petroleum products	—	3	—.	—	368	—
Animal and vegetable oils and fats	120	445	2,898	852	993	1,352
Chemicals	—	—	—.	—	—	—
Of which:—
Chemical elements and compounds	—	—	—	—	—	—
Dyeing, tanning and colouring materials	—	—	—	—	—	—
Fertilisers, manufactured	—	—	2,315	—	—	—
Plastic materials, regenerated cellulose and artificial resins
Other chemicals	—	—	—	—	—	—
Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material	1,187	428	862	2,308	4,530	4,091
Of which:—
Leather, leather manufactures, etc.	—	—	—	—	—	—
Wood and cork manufactures	—	—	—	—	—	—
Textile yarn, fabrics, made-up articles etc.	—	—	—	—	2,690	858
Iron and steel	—	—	—	1,478	—	2,899
Non-ferrous metals	806	—	—	—	1,225	—
Machinery and transport equipment	12	1,073	776	3,097	16	4,908
Of which:—
Machinery other than electric	—	993	—	2,873	—	1,120
Electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances
Transport equipment	—	—	—	—	—	3,085
Miscellaneous manufactured articles	188	50	1,038	84	746	380
Of which:—
Scientific etc. instruments; photographic and optical goods, watches and clocks	—	—	—	—	—	—
Commodities and transactions not classified according to kind	—	24	20	227	2	75
Total	3,654	2,099	,532	6,869	18,529	13,182
RE-EXPORTS	—	45	—	1,129	—	174
Balance of Trade	-1,510		+466		-5,173

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development if he is aware that the boycott of South African goods decided on by the Aderdeen Town Council is jeopardising the contract for nine trawlers placed by a South African firm with Messrs. Hall, Russell and Co.. Aberdeen; and, in view of the fact that this boycott is not supported by Aberdeen traders and manufacturers, if he will direct Her Majesty's Government's trade commissioner in South Africa to emphasise to the firm concerned that the contract can still be carried out in Aberdeen.

I understand that Messrs. Hall, Russell and Co. are anxious to fulfil

IMPORTS OF MACHINERY—DIVISIONS 71 AND 72 OF TRADE ACCOUNTS (Main increases in January, 1964 compared with January, 1963)
£ thousands
Description	U.S.A.	Sweden	Western Germany
Power generating machinery—other than electric	624	—	602
Agricultural and horticultural machinery	695	118	162
Office machinery	632	—	163
Paper making machinery	—	58	—
Metal working machinery	232	48	193
Powered tools, n.e.s.	—	41	16
Lifting, handling and loading machinery, etc.	—	—	101
Textile machinery	148	—	—
Telecommunications apparatus	—	18	190
Leather working and sewing machinery	195	—	—
Heating and cooling equipment	—	—	80
Contractors' and mining machinery	615	—	74
Pumps and centrifuges	116	—	—
Bearings	113	47	—
Parts and accessories	390	29	—
Electric power machinery	214	—	—
Electrical measuring and checking instruments, etc.	164	—	—

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development what was the nature of the £6·2 millions worth of transport equipment imported from Sweden in January, 1964; and by whom it was imported.

The main items were a new ship valued at £5,900,000 and new cars valued at £260,000. It would be contrary to normal practice to disclose the trade of individual importers.

asked the Secretary for Technical Co-operation to what extent

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development what was the nature of the increased imports of machinery from the United States of America, Sweden, and Western Germany in January, 1964, compared with January, 1963.

The following is the information:his Department has collated statistical data relating to the facilities at present available for education and training in higher business studies in Commonwealth countries; and if an invitation to provide such information has been extended to recognised professional bodies in the United Kingdom who are endeavouring to assist those countries in the planning and execution of such studies.

My Department's main activities on this subject are carried on through the Management Group of the Council for Technical Education and Training for Overseas Countries. The Council has already collected a good deal of information and is in the process of collecting more. It is in touch with the appropriate professional bodies both here and overseas.

asked the Minister of Power if, in view of the facts that while Colvilles Ltd. have incurred interest liability for 1962 and 1963 to the amount of £4,549,264 in respect of money loaned from the Consolidated Fund, they have not paid this sum and that they have paid dividends on ordinary shares of 16 per cent., 13 per cent. and 12 per cent. in 1961, 1962 and 1963, respectively, totalling £4,697,886, he will review the loan agreement with that company with a view to assigning the properties of the company to Her Majesty's Government by way of security.

The agreement provides for taking security. With the completion of the loan, the Government are doing so.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will place a copy of the public speech he delivered in Glasgow on 24th February in the Library of this House, together with a transcript of his official Press conference following this public meeting.

It would be unusual to place in the Library a copy of a speech made on a party political occasion. I did not hold an official Press conference on 24th February.

asked the Prime Minister what agreement he has reached with President Johnson on the forms of support to be given by the British Government to American policy in South Vietnam.

No such detailed agreement is necessary. My reaffirmation of support for United States policy in Vietnam did not imply any change in our existing policy.

asked the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on his official meeting with the Lord Provost of Glasgow on Monday, 24th February.

While I was in Glasgow I paid a courtesy call on the Lord Provost.

asked the Prime Minister what conversations he has had with British shipping lines about the carriage of British exports to Cuba.

None.

asked the Prime Minister if he will take steps to transfer responsibility for national health executive councils to the Minister of Public Building and Works.

No.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will seek to discuss with his Commonwealth colleagues, at a Prime Ministers' conference or otherwise, the establishment of a Commonwealth, or of a Commonwealth and European, system of satellite communications before Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom decides whether or not to commit itself to a predominantly United States system.

The general policy of the United Kingdom Government in regard to satellite communications was stated by my right hon. Friend the Postmaster-General in reply to the hon. Member for Barnsley on the 26th February. I have no reason to believe that Commonwealth or European Governments would disagree with it. As regards Commonwealth consultation, we can confidently rely on the existing machinery.

asked the Prime Minister whether Her Majesty's Government have studied the resolution passed at Lagos at the African Foreign Ministers' Conference, and which has been sent to him in his official capacity, asking Britain not to grant independence to Southern Rhodesia under the present regime; and what reply has been sent.

I have not received any resolution from this conference. The information I have is that certain resolutions—which did not include any in the terms described by the hon. and learned Member—were approved at the Lagos Conference for submission to a meeting of heads of state of the countries represented.

asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty whether he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT particulars of contracts which his Department have concluded with Messrs. Ferranti Limited since 1958, giving the dates negotiations started, the dates the contracts were signed, the dates on which delivery of the items began, and, in cases where the contracts have terminated, the dates on which delivery ended, and particulars of the items covered by the contracts, the amounts involved, including the cost of each item and the total amount of each contract, and the contract number.

No. It would be contrary to longstanding Admiralty practice to publish detailed information of this nature, but I can say that since 1958 contracts to the value of about £7 million have been placed with this firm.

asked the Minister of Aviation whether he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT particulars of contracts which his Department have concluded with Messrs. Ferranti Limited since 1958, giving the dates negotiations started, the dates the contracts were signed, the dates on which delivery of the items began, and, in cases where the contracts have terminated, the dates on which delivery ended, and particulars of the items covered by the contracts, the amounts involved, including the cost of each item and the total amount of each contract, and the contract number.

No. Many hundreds of contracts are involved and it is not customary to publish such information.

asked the Minister of Aviation what progress has been made with the facilities for parking the motor cars of passengers and visitors at the civil airport at Aldergrove in County Antrim; and if he will make a statement about his plans for developing and extending the parking area.

Surfacing of the main parking areas has now been finished; the surfacing of more space for visitors is being carried out and should be completed shortly.There is plenty of room at the airport for more car parks and they will be provided as required.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what decisions were reached at the official discussions with the leaders of the political parties in Malta.

The discussions have been temporarily suspended until after my right hon. Friend's return from Africa.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what documentation is required for the issue of British passports to persons born in Hong Kong and resident there; and whether he is satisfied that every resident person entitled to such a passport is given every facility to obtain it.

Evidence of birth in Hong Kong and of intention to travel are required. Students must produce proof of acceptance by an overseas institution. Persons travelling to Britain for employment must produce an employment voucher from the British Ministry of Labour.I am satisfied that every facility to obtain a British passport is given to persons who require and may be entitled to one.

asked the Minister of Education if he is aware that teachers in provincial centres such as Carlisle and other places in the North are being refused assistance on economic grounds with their travelling expenses to attend educational courses organised by national bodies; and whether he will make a grant for such purposes, in view of the fact that such bodies as the Froebel National Foundation hold their courses only in London.

I think it preferable to abide by the established arrangement whereby help with travelling expenses for teachers attending courses is the employers' responsibility.

asked the Minister of Education whether he will name the two aided primary schools included in the Carlisle Local Education Authority's proposals for the school building programme for 1965–68; if he will give their respective original dates of opening; and whether, after due regard has been paid to the authority's own order of replacement priorities and to the size of the catchment area of the new schools to be constructed, he will sanction replacement of the older of the two named schools with a minimum of delay.

The two schools are the St. Cuthbert's Roman Catholic School and The Bishop Goodwin Memorial Church of England School, built in 1875 and 1896, respectively. As to the date of replacement, I have nothing to add to my Reply of 18th February.

asked the Minister of Education if he will give the expenditure on other further education, such as day and evening classes run by local education authorities and on youth work, for the years 1962–63 and 1963–64; and what is the proposed expenditure for this work in 1964–65.

Separate figures for other further education are not available. The figures for all further education and the youth services are as follows:

LOCAL EDUCATION AUTHORITY EXPENDITURE ON FURTHER EDUCATION AND YOUTH SERVICE
£ million
—	1962–63 Provisional	1963–64 Estimated	1964–65 Estimated
All further education	80·7	93·8	101·9
Youth service	4·7	5·7	6·3

asked the Minister of Education, in view of the impending transfer to his Department of responsibility for the agricultural colleges, what proposals he has for obtaining suitable advice on the particular educational problems involved.

At my request and that of my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the National Advisory Council on Education for Industry and Commerce has set up a new advisory committee on further education for agriculture with the following terms of reference:

"To advise on questions which may from time to time be referred to it relating to the provision of further education for agriculture at institutions other than universities."

The Committee has been asked as its first task to report on:

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on the outcome of the European Fisheries Conference at Lancaster House.

—	1958	1959	1960	1961	1962
Colne Valley Urban District	15·1	14·0	17·4	15·2	15·1
Denby Dale Urban District	13·0	13·1	13·7	16·3	16·1
Holmfirth Urban District	13·7	13·7	15·2	14·5	15·4
Meltham Urban District	14·4	13·3	14·4	16·0	19·8
Saddleworth Urban District	13·5	13·9	14·9	14·4	15·1
Colne Valley parliamentary constituency	14·0	13·7	15·5	15·0	15·7
England and Wales	16·4	16·5	17·2	17·6	18·0

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he proposes to take to prohibit the sale of flammable nightwear for children.

Consultations with organisations concerned with consumer safety and with the trade associations concerned with the manufacture and distribution of nightwear have shown general support for the Government's proposal to deal with this problem by means of regulations under the Consumer Protection Act, 1961, I have decided to make regulations prohibiting the sale of children's nightdresses which do not comply with the low flammability requirements of British Standard 3121.

I would refer my hon. Friend to my reply this afternoon to my hon. Friend the Member for Haltemprice (Mr. Wall).

asked the Minister of Health what was the live birth rate, per 1,000 estimated population, for the area covered by the Colne Valley constituency, according to local authority district, for the years 1958 to 1963, compared with the national average.

Figures for 1963 are not yet available. For the years 1958 to 1962 the live birth rates per 1,000 estimated population for the five urban districts which form the Colne Valley constituency, and the corresponding figures for the whole constituency and for England and Wales as a whole are listed below:Draft regulations will be prepared and circulated to the interested organisations for comment, and the regulations will then be laid before Parliament.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if he is aware that the disabled parent of a young person who has attained the age of 18 years during the 12 months preceding the operative date of the Family Allowances and National Insurance Act, and who is continuing in education but whose maintenance and tuition fees granted by the local education authority are inadequate to provide reasonable amenities for the young person loses the £1 per week sickness benefit dependants' allowance and if he will take steps to rectify this situation.

From 30th March, when the changes made by the Family Allowances and National Insurance Act, 1964, will come into operation, dependency benefit will be payable for children over 18 but under 19 who are continuing their education. If a child has by then passed the present age limit of 18, but it still under 19, the benefit will be brought back into payment but not, retrospectively. It is not practicable to give effect to this change from an earlier date for the reasons my right hon. Friend gave to the House on 30th January.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will ask the Chairman of the Independent Television Authority to publish a report on his discussions with the Independent Television Authority's Advertising Advisory Council concerning cigarette advertising on television.

I think that the nature and timing of any statement on the Authority's consideration of such a matter must be left to them to determine.

asked the Postmaster-General (1) what radio and television facilities are now supplied in Leeds by the British Broadcasting Corporation and the Independent Television Authority to provide programmes designed to meet the needs of the East and West Ridings of Yorkshire;(2) what plans are projected by the British Broadcasting Corporation and the Independent Television Authority to provide additional radio and television facilities in Leeds for programmes designed to meet the needs of the East and West Ridings of Yorkshire.

I take it that the hon. Member has studio facilities in mind. There are not a matter for me but for the two broadcasting organisations. They will, I am sure, be glad to give the hon. Member the information he seeks.

asked the Postmaster-General what percentage of private dwellings in the Edinburgh area has telephones; and how many applications are outstanding.

In the area served by the Edinburgh automatic system, 32 per cent. of private dwellings have telephones. There are 652 outstanding applications, of which 359 are for residential telephones. Of these, 575 and 285, respectively, are under inquiry or in course of being met.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will state the total local authority expenditure, and the total amount of Government grants, to the local authorities for each financial year to date from 1951; and if he will express the total grants for each year as a percentage of the expenditure.

The following is the Answer:

Year	Total Revenue Expenditure of Local Authorities (1)	Total Government Grants (2)	Col. 2 as percentage of Col. 1 (3)
	£ million	£ million	per cent.
1950–51	108·4	39·9	36·8
1951–52	122·8	44·9	36·6
1952–53	133·5	48·8	36·6
1953–54	142·0	54·6	38·5
1954–55	156·5	60·6	38·7
1955–56	170·8	66·8	39·1
1956–57	195·0	74·3	38·1
1957–58	202·3	84·1	41·6
1958–59	213·1	91·8	43·1
1959–60	221·2	96·5	43·6
1960–61	241·6	103·6	43·0
1961–62(provisional)	262·0	113·4	43·3
1962–63(provisional)	282·0	119·0	42·2

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the average size in square feet, the average building cost, the average annual loan charges, and the total cost of four-apartment local authority houses completed for each calendar year to date since 1951.

Year							(1) Number of Houses Approved	(2) Average Area	(3) Average Tender Price	(4) Average Annual Loan Charges for Col. (3)
								sq. ft.	£	£	s.	d.
1951	…	…	…	…	…	…	5,205	not available	1,644	69	5	2
1952	…	…	…	…	…	…	5,132	not available	1,766	81	15	9
1953	…	…	…	…	…	…	6,256	not available	1,679	74	4	3
1954	…	…	…	…	…	…	5,101	not available	1,493	62	17	11
1955	…	…	…	…	…	…	4,207	not available	1,489	78	13	3
1956	…	…	…	…	…	…	3,265	not available	1,597	95	3	0
1957	…	…	…	…	…	…	2,143	not available	1,673	115	4	4
1958	…	…	…	…	…	…	3,393	866	1,650	98	6	2
1959	…	…	…	…	…	…	3,546	859	1,625	96	16	5
1960	…	…	…	…	…	…	2,896	875	1,761	110	19	11
1961	…	…	…	…	…	…	3,206	867	1,913	131	14	11
1962	…	…	…	…	…	…	4,390	874	2,346	142	9	3
1963	…	…	…	…	…	…	3,801*	873*	2,508*	149	8	7
* 1963—Provisional Figures.

The interest rates on which the figures in Column (4) are based are the Public Works Loan Board's long-term borrowing rates. Not all authorities borrow from this source or at these rates.

asked the Minister of Transport what were the number of traffic accidents and road casualties,

			Accidents				Casualties
			Fatal	Serious	Slight	Non-Injury	Fatal	Serious Injury	Slight Injury
A.62—	…	…
1959	…	…	—	30	19	35	—	34	31
1960	…	…	2	12	24	58	2	18	29
1961	…	…	2	6	16	39	2	10	20
1962	…	…	5	6	11	38	6	13	22
1963	…	…	1	7	14	43	1	8	19
A.670—	…	…
1959	…	…	1	1	8	27	1	1	8
1960	…	…	—	4	10	24	—	8	13
1961	…	…	1	3	5	32	1	3	6
1962	…	…	—	6	9	20	—	7	12
1963	…	…	1	2	8	19	1	2	9

This information is not available for houses completed in each year, but the following table gives such information as is available for local authority normal type four-apartment houses for which tenders were approved in each calendar year since 1951. Figures for total cost, as distinct from tender price, are not available in this form.respectively, on the A.62 and A.670 in the Saddleworth urban district, during each of the last five years for which figures are available.

The information is given in the following tables:

asked the Minister of Transport how many accidents involving motor vehicles occurred in the years 1961, 1962 and 1963, respectively, on the A.489 trunk road in Montgomeryshire between Abergwydol and Cemmaes Road; and how many of the accidents involved a vehicle crashing over the side of the road into the fields between the road and the railway.

There have been eight accidents involving motor vehicles on this length of road in the past three years: 2 in 1961 and 3 in 1962 and 1963, respectively. Four involved vehicles going over the side of the road into the fields between the road and the railway (one in 1961, one in 1962 and two in 1963).

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will investigate the danger to merchant ships caused by vulnerable wooden hatch covers which can result in the flooding of the forward compartments and the shifting of cargo during heavy gales; and whether he will take steps to ensure that such ships are equipped with all-steel hatch covers of a strength approximately that of the unpierced deck.

Safety requirements for hatch covers are laid down in the Load Line Rules, 1959, made under the Merchant Shipping (Safety and Load Line Convention) Act, 1932. Wooden and steel hatch covers each have advantages as well as disadvantages. I do not think it would be practical to require hatch covers to be as strong as the unpierced deck, which is an essential factor in the longitudinal strength of the ship. The requirements for hatch covers will be reviewed internationally at the proposed Load Line Conference in the spring of 1966.

asked the Minister of Transport why he has declined to approve the proposal of the British Railways Board to tender for the manufacture of privately-owned railway equipment to be used on British Railways or on the railways of any other Board.

This proposal would not have been in accordance with the Government's policy, which was made clear on several occasions when the Transport Act, 1962, was before Parliament. The primary task of the British Railways Board is to provide railway services, and the Government consider that, as hitherto, there is at present no justification for the nationalised, transport undertakings entering the field of manufacture for outside customers.

asked the Minister of Transport what percentage of private motorists paid the road tax by instalments during the fiscal year 1962–63; what is the true annual rate of interest charged when the tax is paid by three instalments; and why this charge is made.

Approximately 40 per cent.; the extra charge for taking out three licences instead of one amounts to 10 per cent. of the annual tax; partly because additional work is entailed and partly as an inducement to motorists to choose the longer term licence.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT particulars of contracts which his Department have concluded with Messrs. Ferranti Limited since 1958, giving the dates negotiations started, the dates the contracts were signed, the dates on which delivery of the items began, and, in cases where the contracts have terminated, the dates on which delivery ended, and particulars of the items covered by the contracts, the amounts involved, including the cost of each item and the total amount of each contract and the contract number.

It is not the practice to publish such information but I can say that contracts totalling just over £3 million have been placed with this firm since 1958.