asked the Minister of Transport whether he will introduce legislation to amend Section 25(2,c) of the Road Traffic Act, 1962, so that an individual who has paid £1 for a driving test does not have to forfeit this sum when unable to give the three days' clear notice of cancellation due to illness, etc.

No. This Section was fully debated. To amend it as my hon. and gallant Friend suggests would defeat its object, which is to enable us to make better use of examiners' time and so give a more efficient service to the public.

asked the Minister of Transport how many successful prosecutions there have been against road hauliers for breaches of the law in such matters as overloading, running defective vehicles, schedules involving excessive speed and other risks to the safety of other road users.

Figures in the form requested are not available.

asked the Minister of Transport how many road accidents involving goods vehicles, during the last 12 months for which figures are available, resulted in the death of pedestrians and other road users; and how many resulted in serious injury.

In 1963, 2,481 goods vehicles were involved in fatal accidents and 20,408 in accidents causing serious injury.

asked the Minister of Transport how long he expects the practical experiments in rural transport to last; and if he will include an area of the South West in these practical experiments.

The time these investigations take will de- pend on the ways in which we can experiment in each area. This will be settled through local consultations.We have invited the associations which represent local authorities to suggest additional areas for investigation if they wish. We will certainly consider any suggestion for an area in the South-West.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will introduce the appropriate amending legislation to the Transport Act, 1962, to enable him to give a subsidy to the London Transport Board to prevent fares in London rising again.

No.

asked the Minister of Transport if he is aware that in Scotland in 1963, 1,658 out of 4,069 goods vehicles examined at 326 road checks were prohibited from use until defects had been made good; whether he has considered introducing an annual compulsory examination of such vehicles with a view to reducing the risk of serious accidents; and if he will make a statement.

Yes, and we are considering what arrangements can be made for the regular inspection of those heavy vehicles not already included in the existing compulsory testing scheme.

asked the Minister of Transport whether in view of the Buchanan Report and of Government development plans, he will set up a working party to study new methods of transport.

No. First priority must be to improve existing forms of transport. My Department is alert for all new promising ideas, but I do not think a working party on new methods of transport would really help us just now.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will now expedite his plans for the control of diesel fumes.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply to his Question on 26th February. There was a nationwide smoke check on 8th April. Investigations into exhaust measuring techniques are continuing, but it is not possible to say when they will be complete.

asked the Minister of Transport what new steps he is taking to bring credit terms to the shipping industry in line with terms enjoyed by European, United States of America and Japanese shipping companies.

I do not propose that further Government loans should be offered to shipowners. The Shipbuilding Credit Scheme has served its purpose. I would add that credit terms in the countries listed by the hon. Member vary considerably.

asked the Minister of Transport what percentage of new merchant shipping registered in the United Kingdom in 1963 was built in United Kingdom yards.

Sixty eight per cent. of the tonnage of new merchant shipping of 500 gross tons and above registered in the United Kingdom in 1963 was built in the United Kingdom. About three-quarters of the remainder was for shipowners resident outside the United Kingdom or for United Kingdom subsidiaries of foreign companies.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will make a statement on the decision of the United States Maritime Commission which concerns the freight charge contracts between British shipping firms and British shippers.

asked the Minister of Transport (1) whether he will seek to arrange a meeting of representatives from this country and the United States of America concerned with the encouragement of trade between Great Britain and the United States of America to discuss the adverse effects on such trade which may be caused by the demand by the Federal Maritime Commission that dual freight rates negotiated by British shippers should be abolished;(2) what representations Her Majesty's Government have made, or propose to make, to the Government of the United States of America on the subject of the adverse effects on British shipping and British export trade which may be caused by the demand by the Federal Maritime Commission that dual freight rates negotiated by British shippers should be abolished.

asked the Minister of Transport what steps he is taking following the recent demands by the United States Federal Maritime Commission that British shipowners should cancel existing freight contracts.

On 20th March, the Federal Maritime Commission issued orders that shipowners and traders should break their existing dual rate contracts and sign new ones in terms later to be pronounced by the Commission. These orders purport to apply wherever in the world a contract was negotiated, whether or not either party to it is American, and whether or not American goods or ships are involved. Organisations representing traders and shipowners in this country, after consulting the Government, have advised their members flat contracts executed in this country should be left in force. This assumption of a unique right on the part of America to control commercial practices throughout the world is so clearly objectionable that I cannot believe the Commission realises what it is trying to do, especially as in this particular matter the practical issues may not be of the first importance. A note will be sent to the American Government.

asked the Prime Minister what action he has taken with the Government of the United States of America resulting from the representations made to him by British shipping interests protesting against the action of the Federal Maritime Commission.

I have been asked to reply.I would refer my hon. Friend to the Answer I gave today to the right hon. Member for Easington (Mr. Shinwell) and the hon. Members for Huddersfield, West (Mr. Wade) and Weston-super-Mare (Mr. Webster).

asked the Minister of Transport if he will give a general direction, in the public interest, to the British Railways Board to make a re-appraisal of the need for continued and improved rail facilities to serve new towns.

No. The Railways Board is, however, kept in touch with plans for establishing and developing new towns, and it continually reviews its services in the light of both present and future demand.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will make a statement on the report of the Transport Users' Consultative Committee on the proposed railway service withdrawals in the north and north-west Highlands.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he has yet received the report of the Transport Users' Consultative Committee on the proposed railway closures north and west of Inverness; and if he will make a statement

asked the Minister of Transport if he will make a statement on the report of the Transport Users' Consultative Committee on the proposed passenger service withdrawals north and west of Inverness.

As I said in reply to the hon. Member for the Western Isles (Mr. Malcolm MacMillan) on 23rd March, I received these reports on 23rd March. I should like to thank the Committee for the speed with which it has dealt with these important and complex cases. I am now considering the proposals in the light of the reports and all other relevant factors, in consultation with my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State. He received the views of the Highland Transport Board only last Friday. I therefore cannot at present say when I shall be able to reach my decisions.

asked the Minister of Transport what reassessment has taken place concerning decisions to close railway lines, or to withdraw passenger trains, in the area now designed in the plan for central Scotland.

My decisions on proposals to close rail passenger services have all been taken in consultation with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and have taken account of plans for the development of Central Scotland. There is no need to reassess these decisions.

asked the Minister of Transport in respect of decisions on railway closures which he has already taken, what has been the average period between the date of the submission to him of reports on the closures by transport users' consultative committees, and the date of his decision.

For those proposals first published in the Railways Board's Reshaping Report, about 12 weeks.

asked the Minister of Transport in how many cases to date, having received reports from the transport users' consultative committees regarding railway closures, he has decided to defer his decision on the proposed closures for up to one year, up to two years, up to three years, and more than three years, respectively.

None. But in two cases where I have refused my consent I have told the Railways Board that I would be prepared to consider further proposals after one and three years respectively. I have given my consent to one closure on condition that the service remains for 14 months to allow certain road works to be completed.

asked the Minister of Transport (1) if, in view of the factual conflict respecting the proposed closure of the Quakers' Yard Tunnel and the line therefrom to the Ocean and Taff Merthyr collieries, he will institute an inquiry before giving his consent to the closure;(2) to what extent, in considering the proposed closure of the railway from Quakers' Yard to the Ocean and Taff Merthyr collieries, he will take into consideration the difficulties of distribution of house coal from the Abercynon the Cilfynydd collieries to Treharris, general goods from Brecon and Merthyr and coal from the Merthyr Vale colliery to the Midlands and North of England, which at present is normally worked via the railway yards at Quakers' Yard.

On 14th January last I announced my consent under Section 56 of the Transport Act, 1962 to the withdrawal of all railway passenger services on the Vale of Neath line and the associated services between Nelson and Dowlais. The closure of railway lines to freight does not need my consent. This is a matter entirely for the British Railways Board. The question of an inquiry or consideration by me of the circumstances of the case the hon. Member mentions does not therefore arise.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will make a statement on his plans for the by-pass on the Al at Eaton Socon.

A report by consultants on the traffic needs of the area is expected shortly. When their recommendations have been considered, a draft Order under Section 7 of the Highways Act, 1959, will be published with a view to fixing the line of the by-pass and enabling the land to be acquired.Construction will begin as soon as the necessary preliminary work can be completed.

asked the Minister of Transport when he will announce plans for a by-pass to Maldon; and when work will commence.

The initiative for such a proposal lies with the Essex County Council, as the highway authority.

asked the Minister of Transport if, in order to minimise road accidents, he will arrange that at all road crossings controlled by traffic lights a few seconds elapse while the lights in both directions remain at red before a change in traffic flow is permitted.

No. Each case must be considered on its merits and a decision made in relation to the amounts of traffic both pedestrian and vehicular.

asked the Minister of Transport what action he is taking in order to ease the steadily increasing traffic congestion caused by the installation of continuous sets of traffic lights in Cromwell Road between Gloucester Road and the Earls Court Road intersection; whether he is aware that these lights have increased sharply the time taken for a vehicle to travel from Richmond or Barnes into or out of central London; and if he will make a statement.

Such increased delays as there have been recently on this route are mainly attributable to the heavy increase in traffic and to congestion in the narrow section of Cromwell Road between Warwick Road and Earls Court Road. My right hon. Friend has put to the local authority proposals to ease conditions in that section. But generally the linked traffic lights and other measures have increased the capacity of the route considerably and have also benefited pedestrians trying to cross the road.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will announce the details of the Thorne by-pass scheme; and whether this will include a high-level bridge over the canal.

The Order under Section 7 of the Highways Act, 1959, which established the route of the by-pass provides for a fixed bridge over the canal with 15 feet headroom and a minimum clear span of 83 feet. Further statutory processes need to be completed before full details of the scheme can be announced.

asked the Minister of Transport when work will begin on the construction of the Sheffield-Leeds section of the M.1.

Tenders have already been invited for the Don Viaduct and work is expected to start this summer. It is hoped to invite tenders for substantial lengths of the roadworks later in the year.

asked the Minister of Transport what discussions he and his traffic engineers have now had with the police and the Islington Borough Council in order to remove the hazards to pedestrians and to children in particular, caused by the one-way experimental traffic scheme at Newington Green, Islington.

Our traffic engineers have been in constant touch with the police and the two councils concerned since the experimental traffic scheme was introduced in February. Recommendations have been made to the Islington Borough Council for improving the school crossing patrol arrangements, the siting of pedestrian crossings, guard rails and school warning signs, and the layout of island refuges; and to the Stoke Newington Borough Council for changes in the traffic signals to help pedestrians. Some of these improvements have been made. We will write more fully to the hon. Member when we know the views of the councils.

asked the Minister of Transport when he will publish a list of the schemes that will constitute the next stage of his trunk road programme.

Shortly.

asked the Minister of Transport when the computer-controlled traffic signals will be in operation in the traffic control experiment in the West London area.

By 1966, we hope.

asked the Minister of Transport what progress has been made in carrying out improvements to junctions on the London-Great Yarmouth trunk road A.12 between Ipswich and Martlesham; and when he expects such improvements to be completed.

The improvement of the Dobbs Lane junction should be finished this month. Negotiations for land required at the Edmonton Road junction are in progress and, all going well, the improvement should be finished this summer. The start of work at the Beech Road junction depends on progress made with land acquisition.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will state the number of accidents and casualties during each of the last five years on the London-Great Yarmouth trunk road between Ipswich and Martlesham.

Following the information:

ACCIDENTS ON A.12 TRUNK ROAD BETWEEN IPSWICH COUNTY BOROUGH BOUNDARY AND MARTLESHAM RAILWAY BRIDGE
—	1959	1960	1961	1962 (first nine months)
Non Injury	59	45	63	30
Slight Injury	16	24	26	17
Serious Injury	13	10	18	9
Fatal	1	3	—	1
Total	89	82	107	57

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will expand his new rural transport experiment to include an area in Dorset

I have invited the associations which represent local authorities to suggest additional areas for the rural transport experiments if they wish. I will certainly consider any suggestion I may receive for an area in Dorset.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware that on Friday 20th March the main London-Dorchester road, A.354, had no surface at all in two places and single line traffic and no lights in one and that in view of heavy rain vehicles could have been stuck; and whether he will ensure that main roads are left passable or completely closed at week-ends.

Hampshire County Council is responsible for the road improvement work in question. Although heavy rain made conditions there very difficult on the 20th March, the highway

HighwayAuthority		Scheme		Estimated Grant Value £
London (including the London County Council, City of London and Metropolitan Boroughs)
L.C.C.	…	A.4 Knightsbridge-Sloane Street intersection	…	2,420,000
L.C.C.	…	Bricklayers Arms intersection	…	257,0,000
L.C.C.	…	East Smithfield	…	425,000
L.C.C.	…	A.205 Streatham Place	…	185,000
L.C.C.	…	B.511 College Crescent extension	…	90,000
L.C.C.	…	A.23 Westminster Bridge Road	…	147,000
City of London	…	A.4 and A.201: Holborn Circus, Stage III	…	262,000
City of London	…	B.132 City Southern By-pass, Bush Lane to Arthur Street	…	450,000
West Midlands Conurbation
Staffordshire	…	A.4036 Dudley-Lye	…	225,000
Birmingham	…	Inner Ring Road: Paradise Circus-Easy Row	…	2,460,000
Dudley	…	A.4036 from A.461 to Borough boundary	…	188,000
West Bromwich	…	A.4041 Newton Road to A.34 Hamstead Road	…	248,000
Wolverhampton	…	Inner Ring Road: Waterloo Road-Stafford Street	…	379,000
Merseyside Conurbation
Lancashire	…	Potential Class I: Prescot By-pass (A.58)	…	281,000
Lancashire	…	Class III: Coopers Lane, Kirkby	…	50,000
Birkenhead	…	Rock Ferry By-pass	…	507,000
Liverpool	…	Potential Class I: Tunnel relief flyovers	…	1,500,000
South-East Lancashire and North-East Cheshire
Cheshire	…	A.506: Altrincham Level Crossing By-pass	…	300,000
Cheshire	…	Cheadle and Gatley: Station Road and Ravensoak Road improvement	…	150,000
Lancashire	…	New route M.62 (Lostock Circle) to A.5081 Trafford Park	…	656,000
Bury	…	Town Centre new route: Rochdale Road to Knowsley Street	…	150,000
Manchester	…	A.5103 Princess Parkway, grade separation at Wythenshaw Road, Barlow Moor Road	…	550,000
Rochdale	…	New Road: Internal Relief Road to Bolton Road (A.58) with connections at Queensway (A.664)	…	1,200,000
Tyneside Conurbation
Newcastle	…	A.1 Grandstand Road	…	263,000
		(Further schemes will be invited but have not yet been settled)
West Riding of Yorkshire Conurbation
West Riding	…	A.638 Spenborough (Leeds-Whitehall Road)	…	188,000
West Riding	…	A.642 Horbury By-pass	…	113,000
Halifax	…	A.629 Corporation Street	…	600,000
Leeds	…	Ring Road and Stanningley By-pass extension	…	905,000
Leeds	…	South-East Motorway	…	3,000,000
Leeds	…	Motorway distribution (Nineveh Road-Jack Lane)	…	90,000

asked the Minister of Transport, if he will list the classified road schemes, together with the grant for each, which he hopes to authorise in the financial year 1964–65 in London and the other conurbations, respectively.

The new classified road schemes costing over £100,000 each which are at present included in the 1964–65 programme for London and the other conurbations are listed below.

asked the Minister of Transport what action he is taking to implement the recommendation of the Royal Commission on the Police that the law relating to day-time parking should be reviewed, simplified and modernised.

A working party including representatives of my Department, the Home Office and the Police is studying this problem.

asked the Minister of Transport what action he is taking to implement the recommendation of the Royal Commission on the Police that the law relating to the parking of vehicles after dark without lights should be reviewed and made uniform and intelligible to the motoring public.

The Road Research Laboratory has been asked to study the relevant accident figures for a number of towns in order to obtain more information about the effect which the parking of vehicles after dark without lights has on road safety. When we have examined the study which we hope to receive shortly, we shall be able to consider the question of amending the present Regulations.

asked the Minister of Aviation what proposals for alternative flights through Prestwick he has considered, in the course of discussions about the curtailment of Scandinavian Airline System and K.L.M. flights.

The only recent discussions about Prestwick air services concerned the frequency of trans-Atlantic flights by S.A.S. We have always had under consideration possible alternative flights through Prestwick; and British Overseas Airways Corporation has now announced that it is starting daily services between New York and Prestwick from 1st May.

asked the Minister of Aviation what has been the annual percentage increase in internal passen- ger transport over the last three years; and how the Belfast to London route compares with the national average.

Eighteen per cent. in both cases.

asked the Minister of Aviation, in view of the fact that the firm of Ferranti have declared themselves willing to allow him to have all information available relating to the Bloodhound contract, including their books and accounts, whether he will now request to examine them.

Messrs. Ferranti have already been requested to give my Department access to records of the actual cost of Bloodhound I production for the period up to 31st March, 1961. They are unwilling to do this and have made no offer in the terms set out in the question. They have, however, offered access to their books for the purpose of verifying the cost information on which fixed prices were agreed for these contracts in October, 1960. Such access would not reveal the total actual production costs up to 31st March, 1961, and as the figures on which prices were agreed are not in dispute, the firm's offer has not been taken up.

asked the Minister of Aviation how many aircraft production orders have been placed by the Government in the past 10 years; in how many of these cases the original quotation for the price of production has been revised by the manufacturer; and in how many cases this revised quotation has been refused by the Government in favour of a higher earlier quotation.

Owing to the high cost of aircraft development it is exceptional for there to be more than one type of aircraft available to meet a particular requirement and it is rarely practicable therefore to have competitive tenders for production aircraft. When more than ore type is available the purchase is normally to a selected design, and the order is placed after consideration of many factors, of which cost is only one.In the 10 years ended on 31st March, 1964, 152 contracts were placed by my Department for the supply of new aircraft. Only two of these were preceded by competitive tenders. In both cases a tenderer revised his quotation before a contract was placed, but in neither case was the revised quotation accepted.

asked the Minister of Aviation by what percentage the price which the Government have agreed to pay for the Bell Agusta helicopters being produced by Westland's exceeds the amount quoted in the revised estimate by Short Brothers and Harland for the production of Hiller helicopters.

The revised estimate by Short Brothers and Harland was submitted after she closing date for tenders for the Army Unit light helicopter requirement. For the reasons I gave the House during the debate on the Consolidated Fund on 19th March this re-tender was not allowed. In the circumstances it would be misleading to compare it with the contract price for the Bell Agusta helicopters to be produced by Westland's.

asked the Minister of Aviation if he will state the number of passengers to and from Belfast Civil Airport during each of the past five years, and the precentage increase or decrease for each year in respect of the preceding one.

—	Total terminal passengers to and from Belfast Airport	Precentage increase on previous year
1963	649,676	13·2
1962	573,826	13·7
1961	504,814	18·6
1960	425,748	32·7
1959	320,840

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the practice of his Department regarding the notice of dismissal given to instructor officers; and if he will arrange that longer notice is given, in order to assure improved conditions of employment.

Every officer in the Royal Navy is given warning if the value of his service is in question before any decision to terminate his Service career is taken, therefore, the officer himself is fully aware of this possibility. Once the decision has been taken he is given a period of terminal leave on full pay, depending upon his length of service.We are looking to see if these arrangements can be modified to help men who leave after only a short time in the Service.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence to what station the Gliding Instruction Unit at present at Kirton Lindsey is to be moved.

The future location of this unit is still under examination but I hope to be able to make an early announcement to the staff concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether, having regard both to the constitutional position of Her Majesty's Forces and the sovereignty of members of the United Nations proclaimed in its Charter, he will require the Union Flag to be flown side by side with whatever United Nations flags may be flown by British headquarters and units in Cyprus.

No. The United Nations have a difficult job and if we start to lay down conditions about the use of the British contingent others will do so about their contingents and the task may become harder.

asked the Secretary of state for Scotland what steps he is taking to reduce the infant mortality rates in Scotland.

The rate is being steadily reduced and last year it was the lowest ever in Scotland according to the Registrar General's preliminary figures. It is highest in the industrial areas of the west of Scotland, and Glasgow Corporation are conducting, with the assistance of my officers, a special analysis of the circumstances attending every birth in Glasgow. I hope to have the first year's results from this analysis soon. Much is also being done to reduce infant mortality by health education and improvement of environmental conditions in the urban areas.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will initiate negotiations with the appropriate bodies in the architectural profession with a view to establishing a new basis for the calculation of their fees on public authority contracts.

The Health Departments have been discussing fee scales for architects and others with the appropriate professional bodies for some time past and these discussions are continuing.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on his decision following the public inquiry into the proposed Craigton Smoke Control Order.

The report of the inquiry was received on 25th March and is being considered. A decision will be reached as soon as possible and I will let the hon. Member know.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many Scottish local authorities have applied under the Local Employment Act, 1960, for grant in respect of schemes proposed to be carried out by them; how many applications were approved; and what was the amount of grant paid in each case and the percentage of each grant to the total expenditure.

Applications under Section 5 of the Local Employment Act have been received from 30 local authorities in respect of 92 schemes. Of these 55 have been formally approved and a further 14 have been approved in principle. On the basis of estimated cost where actual cost is not yet available, grant payments will range from £63 to £30,370 in cases where grant is at the rate of 50 per cent., and from £460 to £81,200 in cases where grant is at the rate of 85 per cent. If the hon. Member wishes further details about any particular schemes perhaps he will let me know.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many council and Scottish Special Housing Association-owned houses have been damaged by fire in the last 10 years; what was the cost of the damage; and how many persons were killed and injured.

I regret that no figures are available for council houses. The Scottish Special Housing Association has informed me that in the 10 years ending 31st March, 1964, 800 of its houses were damaged by fire, the estimated cost of the damage was £77,600, and 16 persons were killed and 8 seriously injured.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many clean home-bred cattle, Irish cattle, and sheep, respectively, have been exported to Europe since 1st January, 1964, to the latest available date; and what were the figures for the corresponding period in 1963.

Between 1st January and 29th February, 1964, 737 clean cattle were exported to the European mainland from Scottish ports. No clean cattle were exported during the comparable period of 1963 and no sheep were exported in either period. No distinction is made in the export statistics between home-bred and Irish cattle.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many houses in Scotland were subject to rent control at the latest convenient date.

The exact figure is not known, but is estimated at about 350,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT the number of clean home-bred cattle, Irish cattle, and sheep, respectively, for which subsidy was paid; and what was the amount of subsidy in respect of each category, for each month from January, 1963, to the latest available date.

FATSTOCK GUARANTEE SCHEME—SCOTLAND
Certifications and Guarantee Payments
Period	Home bred Cattle		Imported Cattle		Sheep
	Number	Guarantee Payment	Number	Guarantee Payment	Number	Guarantee Payment
		£		£		£
31st December, 1962–3rd February, 1963	31,204	375,910	6,942	96,057	242,683	406,363
4th February, 1963–3rd March, 1963	29,302	515,368	7,040	142,550	171,161	263,719
30th December, 1963–2nd February, 1964	34,663	421,943	9,411	132,706	267,005	390,576
3rd February, 1964–1st March, 1964	33,779	473,684	8,518	137,866	189,146	254,480

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the average loan charge, the average interest charge, and the average rent, all stated

—	Buckhaven and Methil				Burntisland				Kirkcaldy
	1951		1963		1951		1963		1951		1963
	s.	d.	s.	d.	s.	d.	s.	d.	s.	d.	s.	d.
1. Total loan charges per house per week	10	6	16	3*	11	1	25	5	8	11	25	10
2. Total interest charges per house per week	7	3	11	8*	8	1	20	10	5	8	20	4
3. Average weekly rent of Council houses	9	3	12	0	8	3	12	3	9	3	16	9
* These figures are for 1962 as 1963 figures for Buckhaven are not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is aware of the need for further accommodation in the area of Aberdeen for deaf children; if he will take urgent steps to provide such accommodation; and if he will make a statement.

The provision of residential accommodation for children attending Aberdeen School for the Deaf is a

The figures cannot be given in exact calendar months but the following table shows as nearly as nearly as possible, for Scotland only, the numbers of animals certified and the amounts paid during January and February, 1963 and 1964.in weekly terms, for a council house in 1951 and 1963, respectively, for the Burghs of Buckhaven and Methil, Burntisland and Kirkcaldy.

The following is the information:matter for the education authorities concerned. Aberdeen City Education Authority, on their behalf, is considering urgently the best method of supplementing the existing hostel accommodation.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will estimate the average number of houses decontrolled annually under the Rent Act, 1957.

It is estimated that about 40,000 houses a year have been passing out of control in Scotland.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the cost per annum per motorway mile of the experimental road and air patrol on the M.6 motorway from Dunston to Preston.

£2,457.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the numbers of police and pilots, and the types and numbers of cars, motorcycles and helicopters, respectively, employed on the experimental policing of the M6 from Dunston to Preston; and what is, in respect of each factor, the average annual cost, including depreciation where necessary.

My right hon. Friend is informed by the three police authorities concerned that a total of 80 police officers, 17 cars—Ford, Jaguar and Land Rover—and 12 motorcycles—B.S.A. and Triumph—are employed on the experiment, at an estimated average annual cost of £118,747, £24,638 and £8,840 respectively. One helicopter, with pilot, has been chartered for the experiment at an estimated average annual cost of approximately £34,000. In addition, certain extra staff costs and miscellaneous expenditure will be incurred for the purpose of the experiment at an estimated average annual cost of approximately £20,000.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware of the difficulty facing small approved schools undertaking work amongst disturbed and maladjusted children in recruiting teachers and instructors; and whether he is satisfied with the existing scale of allowances for teachers in such specialised schools.

I am not aware of any general difficulty in recruiting teachers and instructors for approved schools. The conditions of service of teachers in approved schools are prescribed by an independent negotiating body.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many housemaster grade posts there are in local authority approved schools; and how many such posts are at present, unfilled.

On 1st April there were 66 such posts, 12 of which were unfilled.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will state the composition of the Departmental Committee on Licensing Planning.

I am glad to say that Mr. J. Ramsay Willis, Q.C., has accepted my right hon. Friend's invitation to be Chairman of the Departmental Committee and that the following have intimated their willingness to be members:

• Mrs. A. Blair.
• Mr. N. J. Campbell.
• Sir Philip Dingle, C.B.E.
• Mr. G. T. Heckels.
• Mr. A. M. Skeffington, M.P.
• Mr. A. A. Jackson Stops.
• Mr. Russell J. Storey, J.P.
• Sir Gerald Wills, M.B.E., M.P.

The Secretary will be Mr. J. F. D. Buttery, to whom communications should be addressed at the Home Office.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will ensure that, when the after-cafe functions of discharged prisoners' aid societies are transferred to the probation and after-care service as recommended by the Advisory Council on the Treatment of Offenders, the officers employed by the societies will be appointed to that service.

Each prisoners' aid society will remain responsible for voluntary after-care in its area until the local probation and after-care service is able to take over the work. When that happens in any area, I am sure that the local probation and after-care committee will be glad to consider the society's officers for appointment to its service, as was recommended by the Advisory Council. The Home Office training facilities will be available for these officers, as they are for other entrants to the probation service.

asked the Postmaster-General how many of the staff of the Post Office Savings Bank are men and women, respectively, aged under 20, between 20 and 29, 30 and 39, 40 and 49, 50 and 59, and 60 years or over; or whether he will give an equivalent age distribution.

Following are the numbers:

Age	Men	Women
Under 20	308	644
20–29	428	955
30–39	466	822
40–49	1,132	1,316
50–59	918	1,212
60 and over	338	303

asked the Minister of Education if he will state his building programme for schools in the London, Surrey, Middlesex, and Kent areas for 1965–67; and how his proposals compare with the estimates submitted by the appropriate county councils.

My right hon. Friend the Minister of State has written to the hon. Member with fuller details of the school building programmes which have now been approved for these authorities. The information asked for is set out in the following table.

MAJOR SCHOOL BUILDING PROGRAMMES FOR TWO AND A HALF YEARS 1965–66 TO 1967–68
—	Value of Authority's proposals and programmes approved in £000
	Proposals	Approved Programmes
	£	£
L.C.C
1965–66	4,848	3,048
1966–67	4,726	3,161
1967–68	3,895	1,080*
Middlesex
1965–66	4,013	1,507
1966–67	4,618	1,475
1967–68	3,941	252*
Kent
1965–66	4,783	3,348
1966–67	4,445	3,000
1967–68	2,570	157*
Surrey
1965–66	11,195 (Not divided between the three years)	2,131
1966–67		1,431
1967–68		928*
* Instalment only of the programme for this year.

asked the Minister of Education how many training college students successfully completed their courses with main qualifications or with subsidiary qualifications, respectively, in mathematics in 1960, 1961, 1962 and 1963; what proportion these students formed of the successful students; and what proportion took posts in maintained schools in the September following the completion of their courses.

The information is not available in the form requested, but returns from colleges indicate that the following numbers of final year students in the general training colleges took mathematics as a main subject of study:

STUDENTS TAKING MATHEMATICS AS A MAIN SUBJECT OF STUDY IN THEIR FINAL YEAR
Academic year	Number	As a percentage of all final year students
1959–60	1,220	9·8
1960–61	1,410	10·8
1961–62*	226	12·3
1962–63	1,154	9·0
1963–64	1,279	9·2
* Owing to the changeover to a 3-year course, only students taking shortened courses left college in 1962.

It is not known what proportion of these students took posts in maintained schools immediately following the completion of their courses, but it is estimated that about 90 per cent, of final year students normally enter the maintained schools.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works whether, in view of the approaching summer months, he will investigate the conditions under which the attendants work when manning lifts in the House of Commons area of the Palace of Westminster, and in particular those serving the Committee floor, in order that the conditions of temperature and ventilation in such lifts may be improved; and if he will make a statement.

I have arranged for conditions to be kept under review so as to establish whether improvements are called for.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development what proposals he has for the provision of Government funds for research into the development of computers in British industry.

Through the National Research Development Corporation the Government have contributed substantial sums to the development of computers. I understand that the Corporation has no new projects of this kind in mind at present, but the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, as part of a co-operative scheme with the computer industry, has recently placed five cost-sharing development contracts to a value of approximately £160,000 for work on fundamental elements of a computer system. The Government are always willing to examine any further proposals that may be put to them.