asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what instructions have been issued to National Agricultural Advisory Service officers concerning participation in discussions regarding the recent Price Review award;(2) what instructions were given to Mr. Derek Barber, National Agricultural Advisory Service County Officer for Gloucestershire, concerning his proposed participation in a broadcast on British Broadcasting Corporation television on Sunday, 5th April.

No special instructions have been issued to the N.A.A.S. All officers of my Department are aware of the general rule that civil servants should not in their official capacity take part in public discussions on policy matters without express permission. Following an approach from the B.B.C., Mr. Barber applied for permission to take part in his official capacity in a broadcast discussion on some farm management issues in the light of the recent Annual Review. It has been established practice that officials should not, immediately following an Annual Review, take part in public discussion on its implications. It was decided to follow this rule in this case, and permission was therefore not given.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations and the Colonies whether he is in a position to make a statement about the appointment of observers to attend the referendum in Malta.

I have appointed as observers, Sir Stafford Foster-Sutton, K.B.E., C.M.G., Q.C. (Chairman), Sir Richard Ramage, C.M.G., Mr. Hubert Childs, C.M.G., O.B.E., and Mr. R. E. Wraith, C.B.E. They will proceed as soon as possible to Malta to witness the progress of the Referendum Campaign. They will be joined at a later stage by my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Chertsey (Sir L. Heald) and the hon. and learned Member for West Ham, South (Mr. Elwyn Jones).

asked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) whether he will ensure that all naval personnel retained on duty over Easter week-end to deal with anti-nuclear demonstrations will receive extra leave;(2) whether he will ensure that all Royal Air Force personnel retained on duty over Easter week-end to deal with anti-nuclear demonstrations will receive extra leave.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what discussions of the problem of Cyprus he intends to have with the United Nations mediator; and what proposals for a political solution he will put forward.

The formulation of proposals for a solution of the Cyprus problem is a matter for the United Nations mediator and Her Majesty's Government have taken up no position with regard to what these might be. But our policy has always been to work for conditions which will allow the parties principally concerned to agree on a mutually acceptable solution and we are of course ready to co-operate fully with the mediator to this end if requested to do so.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state the proportion of the gross national product provided by the public and private sectors of the economy, respectively, the total amount paid by each sector in direct taxation over the last five years, and the losses incurred by each sector and borne by the Exchequer over the same period, excluding agricultural support.

The public sector provides approximately one-quarter of the gross national product at factor cost and the private sector three-quarters. These proportions are calculated from the detailed sector analysis of the different types of factor income given in Table 12 of the National Income Blue Book. In the five years 1959–63 the public sector paid £49 million in direct taxation and the private sector paid £14,278 million. The latter figure includes tax paid by employees of the public sector and tax on interest paid by the public sector to the private sector.In the years 1959–63 the total subsidies paid by the Central Government, excluding those for agriculture and food, amounted to £1,000 million. The whole of this was paid to other parts of the public sector, the main items being the payments to meet the deficits of the British Transport Commission and the subsidies for local authority housing.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in

The estimates of average original income published in Economic Trends, February, 1964, include several items which are not included in gross household income as defined in Appendix IV of Family Expenditure Survey Report for 1962, e.g., the value of goods supplied by farmers and shopkeepers to their own households, and employers' contributions to National Health and Insurance. On the other hand, they exclude family allowances and the various National Insurance and other benefits listed in paragraph 9(c) of Appendix IV, which form part of "direct benefits" in the Economic Trends article. I regret it is not possible, without reference back to the original schedules, to quantify all these differences, but the table below shows the result of adding the State benefits and allowances to the figures for original income.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how often he has consulted the Poisons Board since January, 1960; and in connection with which substances they were consulted.

The Poisons Board meets as necessary to consider suggestions, which come from various sources, for changes in the control of substances under the poisons law. During the period in question the Board had eight meetings and considered more than one hundred different substances. I am sending my hon. Friend a list of these substances.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what were the amounts spent in interest charges by the county of Cornwall for each of the years 1950 to 1964.

The figures^* are as follows:

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he will advise local authorities to show on all rate demands in future a detailed breakdown for buildings, teachers' salaries, etc., under the general heading of education, in view of the fact that this accounts for the greatest single increase in rates.

The rate demand already includes much detail. My right hon. Friend doubts if there would be advantage in advising local authorities to supplement it by breaking down the education rate which is, in any event, a gross figure before allowance is made for general grant towards the cost of this and other services.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he will make a statement on the proposed redevelopment of the site of the Lancing Carriage Works, with a view to the early organisation of alternative employment for its employees.

The West Sussex County Council has arranged to buy the site. I understand that they are now negotiating with firms in a position to provide the right kind of employment and to make use of the existing buildings as and when they are released by British Railways.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development what effect the recent rise of Bank Rate has had on the rate of interest on loans under the Local Employment Act; and if he will exempt Scottish loans from any increase in the interest on these loans through rises in Bank Rate.

There has been no increase in the interest rates recommended by B.O.T.A.C. since the recent rise in Bank Rate. I should not be justified in discriminating in favour of Scottish development districts in the way suggested by the hon. Member.

asked the Minister of Labour what alternative employment has been organised and is envisaged for the employees of the Lancing Carriage Works, at present being run down.

A special site office has been set up at these workshops and 319 workers have been found alternative employment by our Local Office. Although the labour force has fallen by over 700 since September, 1962, only one man remains unemployed. Our Local Officers will continue to do everything possible to assist any of those still in employment at the carriage works who seek their help.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will state the approximate mileage of one-way streets in the Metropolitan Police area compared with the mileage five years ago; and what information he has concerning reductions in accidents and the speeding-up of traffic circulation since the various schemes of one-way working have been introduced.

No record is maintained of the total mileage of one-way streets in the Metropolitan Police District, but approximately 85 miles have been added in the last five years. The major one-way schemes have led to significant reductions in average journey times, ranging from 9 per cent. to 30 per cent., despite increases in traffic volume and the lengthening of some journeys. At the same time, accidents involving personal injury have gone down by 19 per cent. Accidents involving pedestrians show an even greater reduction of 36 per cent. More detailed figures for some individual schemes are quoted in the Roads Report 1962–63.

asked the Minister of Transport when he expects that the work on the diversion of the A.2 at Dartford will commence.

In the autumn of 1965.

asked the Minister of Transport what progress is being made with the provision of a South Orbital Road for the traffic from the Dartford—Purfleet Tunnel; and when he expects work to commence.

For that part of the South Orbital Road between the A.2 and the Dartford Diversion I hope to complete the necessary procedures under Sections 7 and 9 of the Highways Act, 1959, this year. Work should start in the autumn of 1965. I am planning to start the adjoining section from the Dartford Diversion to the A.20 in 1968–69.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many primary schools in the area covered by the Colne Valley constituency have had to surrender the assembly hall for use as a classroom.

Two.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many new schools of all types were built in the Shrewsbury borough area and the Atcham rural district council area between July 1945 and October 1951; and how many have been built since October 1951.

Two new primary schools were completed in the first period and 15 new primary schools and 5 secondary schools in the second.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many new schools, both primary and secondary, have been completed in Sunderland since 1st January 1960; and how many places this represents in each category.

Five new primary and four new secondary schools, providing 1,960 and 2,730 places, respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science on what date work will commence on the construction of the college of further education in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

It is hoped that work can be started this month, but the exact date is not yet settled.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he expects the Interim Report from the Plowden Committee to be published; and if this will deal with the age of transition from one type of school to another.

No decision has been taken to produce an interim report.