asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what was the total value of loan sanctions for private street works in the financial year 1963–64; what additional mileage of streets and roads will be made up by this expenditure; and what is his estimate of the mileage remaining to be made up and publicly adopted.

Loan sanctions issued during the financial year 1963–64 totalled £2·3 million. It is estimated that this is the cost of making up about 100 miles of private streets. In addition, as much again may be financed without recourse to loan. The mileage of private streets remaining to be made up is probably of the order of 4,800 miles.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs how many schemes, under Section 5(3) of the Local Employment Act, 1960, for the reclamation of derelict land have been approved; how much grant was paid while the grant was 50 per cent.; how many schemes were approved during that period; and how much grant has been paid since it was increased to 85 per cent.

So far 76 schemes have been approved. Of these 17 were approved at the 50 per cent. level of grant and grant of £20,402 has been paid. Since grant was increased £22,891 has been paid. Much more remains of course to be paid on the schemes approved but not completed.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs how many schemes for the treatment of neglected or unsightly land have been started under Section 6 of the Local Authorities (Land) Act, 1963; and what grant has been approved.

Local authorities are not required to notify my right hon. Friend of schemes for treating derelict, neglected or unsightly land which may be carried out under Section 6 of the Local Authorities (Land) Act, 1963. Grant of £140,143 will be payable under the provisions of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act, 1949, and the Local Employment Act, 1960, for schemes for which local authorities propose to use the powers of this Section.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations and the Colonies if he will make a statement on his official visit to Aden and the South Arabian Federation.

I have nothing to add to the statement I made to the House immediately after my return from Aden three weeks ago.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations and the Colonies if he will make a statement on the visit of the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies to the South Arabian Federation for the purpose of consulting political parties on future constitutional changes.

My hon. Friend recently visited Aden, in order to give an opportunity to all political groups to supplement the views which they had expressed to me during my visit last month. As a result of the series of meetings held during our two visits, we are fully informed of the opinions of all sections of the community in Aden and these will be taken into account in the conference which opens in London today.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations and the Colonies how many persons arrested under the state of emergency declared last December are still detained without trial in the South Arabian Federation; and whether he will now seek to arrange for the present emergency regulations to be lifted.

I understand that one person is still detained under Emergency Regulations in Aden and 18 in Dhala.The State of Emergency will be ended as soon as the security situation permits.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations and the Colonies what steps he has taken during the last month to reach a settlement of the present dispute in Cyprus; and what has been the result.

As the House knows, the Secretary-General of the United Nations has appointed a mediator to formulate proposals which might form the basis of an agreed settlement.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations and the Colonies if he will make a further statement about his talks with the Prime Minister of Malta.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations and the Colonies in view of the fact that the inconclusive result of the referendum in Malta and the postponement of the day of independence have created uncertainty, if he will now make a statement on his immediate policy; and if he will now place the report of the observers at the referendum in the Library of the House.

I am not yet ready to make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations and the Colonies what steps are being taken by the Swaziland Government to improve farming techniques and to settle new families on the land.

The Swaziland Government propose to make about £½ million of the Colonial Development and Welfare money in their Development Plan available for agricultural development. Over £¼ million of their current expenditure is also being devoted to agriculture. The Swaziland Government are co-operating with the Commonwealth Development Corporation in a scheme for settling Swazis on irrigation farms in the northern Lowveld. A new Settlement Scheme based on pineapple production is also under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations and the Colonies what steps have been taken to recover the payments of 3,363,000 West Indian dollars to the contractor on the Parika-Bartica road in British Guiana, although the value of the work done was only 756,000 West Indian dollars.

This is the constitutional responsibility of the British Guiana Government which is still engaged in negotiations with the contractors.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations and the Colonies whether the supervision of expenditure of large sums of money con tributed for development projects in British Guiana has now been improved, in view of the information contained in the Fourth Report from the Committee of Public Accounts.

Yes. The British Guiana Government have enacted a new Financial Administration and Audit Ordinance; have appointed Permanent Secretaries as Accounting Officers, and have established a Financial Inspection Division. I have also made it clear that my prior approval is necessary before expenditure is incurred on projects not included in the approved development estimates.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations and the Colonies what progress has been made by Dr. Eric Williams in his efforts to solve the problems of British Guiana; and what support he is giving to Dr. Williams in this matter.

The strike in the sugar industry in British Guiana is now in its 17th week.From the start, it was accompanied by arson and violence which assumed an increasingly racial character.31 people have lost their lives, over 400 have been injured, and extensive damage has been done to houses and other property.On 27th May, the Governor, on the advice of the Premier, declared a State of Emergency; and an additional battalion of British troops was flown out. Although violence has not ceased it has noticeably diminished.In the last few days there have been certain political moves to reduce tension.On 4th June, the Opposition Leader, Mr. Burnham, proposed that, in view of the grave situation, a national Government of all parties should be formed, to carry on the administration until after the elections in the autumn.He stipulated that all arms should be called in and that the new Government should invite religious and social organisations to participate in promoting inter-racial harmony.On 6th June the Premier, Dr. Jagan, put forward a counter proposal for a long-term coalition confined to the two largest parties, coupled with a revision of the Constitution and a change in the electoral system.During the past two years we have been trying by every means to bring about political co-operation between the races: and I have told Dr. Williams that I warmly welcome any help he can give us in this task.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations and the Colonies if he will seek to discuss with other Commonwealth Governments the desirability of agreeing on a single Commonwealth Day when the significance of the Commonwealth could be emphasised or celebrated in every Commonwealth country.

I am at present exploring ways in which the celebration of Commonwealth Day might be given greater significance.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations and the Colonies whether a decision has yet been reached on the request of the Sierra Leone Government for a loan towards the cost of extending and improving the Lungi Airport.

The British Government have offered to the Sierra Leone Government a loan of £1 million for the development of Lungi Airport to first-class international standards with a runway of 10,500 feet in length. The House will be asked, in due course, to Vote the necessary funds and in the meantime any advances required will be sought from the Civil Contingencies Fund.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations and the Colonies what steps he is taking to improve the economic viability of Basutoland during the interim period before independence; and, in particular, whether he will arrange for Basutoland political leaders to be associated in a new effort to dispose of the Colony's water resources to the Republic of South Africa.

Britain is contributing £1·7 million towards Basutoland's development programme for the period 1963–66, in addition to a contribution of about £1·7 million towards the estimated budgetary deficit for 1964–65. Basutoland political leaders will be associated in any future negotiations with the Republic of South Africa regarding the development of the territory's water resources.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has studied the evidence, a copy of which has been sent to him, concerning a large Birmingham firm, where out of 118 Asian and other immigrant employees only two pay any Income Tax; and whether, since this makes charges of tax evasion, he will order an investigation to establish the truth of the matter and will also circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT the methods used and the proof needed by the Inland Revenue for all claims for child and similar allowances against Income Tax.

The letter of which the hon. Member sent me a copy did not identify the firm for which the employees were said to work. I shall be glad to have an investigation made if I am given information from which the cases can be traced. As to the second part, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Cirencester and Tewkesbury (Mr. Ridley) on 4th February last.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing for each year since 1954 the gross foreign exchange cost to the balance of payments of maintaining British forces in Germany, and how much has been offset by German purchases of arms and other contributions; what is his estimate of the cost for 1964; and in what circumstances a request can be made to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation for assistance in meeting the drain on the balance of payments.

I am circulating below a table showing the total Deutschemark cost borne by this country in maintaining British forces in Germany from 1954 to 1960, and also showing the direct financial contributions towards these costs received by Her Majesty's Government up to 1960, after which these contributions ceased. Thereafter the total Deutschemark cost was £60 million in 1961, £65 million in 1962 and £76 million in 1963.The position in the two financial years 1962–63 and 1963–64 was governed by the Agreed Minute of 6th June, 1962 (Cmnd. 1766), under which transactions equivalent to £107 million in the two-year period in respect of defence and other contracts were brought to account.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the current estimate of the expenditure involved in the next five years in the carrying out of the plans which have been announced by Ministers.

I would refer the hon. Member to the White Paper, Public Expenditure in 1963–64 and 1967–68.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that, taking the internal purchasing value of the £ sterling as 20s. in October, 1951, it had declined to 13s. 8d. in January, 1964; and what was the comparable figure at the last available date.

Yes, based on the movements in the Index of Retail Prices. The comparable figure for April, 1964, the latest date available, was 13s. 6d.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he makes, having regard to the target of a 4 per cent. growth in the home economy, of the necessary balance of payments surplus for 1964 as a whole and for each quarter; and how the actual performance so far this year compares with this estimate.

There is no balance of payments outcome which is necessarily associated in particular quarters or years with achievement of our growth target. Provisional figures of the outcome in the first quarter of this year will be published about the end of this month.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has for increasing interchange between the administrative class of the Civil Service and other employment.

I have approved arrangements whereby the Civil Service Commission will seek to recruit, by open competition, up to six Principals a year for the Home Civil Service between the ages of 30 and 35 Candidates will be required to have held a responsible post in industry or commerce, or at a university, or in some professional field. A knowledge of economic, industrial, commercial or financial matters, or a scientific or technological education, will be an advantage. The standard for acceptance will be high. The Commissioners will also seek to recruit up to three Assistant Secretaries each year, between the ages of 40 and 45. They will look for men or women who can bring specialised experience into the Service.A change is also to be made in the arrangements for leaving the Civil Service. Civil Servants aged 50 or more already have a statutory right to resign without loss of accrued pension rights. Henceforth, this will also be possible for members of the Higher Civil Service under 50 who leave, with their Departments' consent, to go into private industry or commerce. For this purpose the Higher Civil Service means Assistant Secretaries and higher grades, with their equivalents in all classes of the Service. In deciding whether consent can be given, Departments will have regard to the needs of the service and to the rules laid down in the White Paper (Cmd. 5517) of 1937, and the statement made by my right hon. Friend, the then Prime Minister on 5th February, 1963, relating to the acceptance of business appointments by officers of the Crown Services.These arrangements have been agreed with the Staff Side of the Civil Service National Whitley Council.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will recommend local authorities to give more generous consideration to the provision of grants for post-graduate courses in planning to applicants already qualified in another discipline, such as engineering.

I have recently issued to local education authorities a circular asking them to consider sympathetically applications from students pursuing any courses after graduation, which are necessary or clearly relevant to the careers which they propose to follow; and I have urged the authorities to exercise their discretion liberally to meet the general need for a considerable increase in the number of postgraduate awards.

asked the Postmaster-General for what frequencies in the medium wave band licences have been issued by his Department; for what purposes they have been allotted; and how near these frequencies are to those now operated by the unlicensed operators.

Frequencies from 525 to 1605 kc/s are allocated for use by broadcasting stations, and the B.B.C. is licensed to use a number of frequencies within this band. Unlicensed operators are using the frequencies 1495, 1519 and 1542 kc/s, which are 11, 27 and 4 kc/s respectively from the nearest B.B.C. frequencies. The next higher section of the radio frequency spectrum, 1605 to 1800 kc/s, is used by a variety of other kinds of radio services, mainly radiotelephone services between ships and the shore.

asked the Postmaster-General what steps he will now take to remove cigarette advertisements from commercial television, in view of the new statistics of mortality from lung cancer which have recently been published.

I do not propose to ban cigarette advertisements on television.

asked the Postmaster-General if he is aware that an illegal sound radio broadcasting transmitter is operating from a disused fort in the Thames estuary which is Crown property and is within Her Majesty's Government's jurisdiction; and if he will take the necessary steps to have these illegal broadcasts stopped.

I am aware that an unauthorised sound radio broadcasting transmitter is operating from a disused fort in the Thames estuary. My right hon. Friend is considering the matter.

asked the Postmaster-General whether, in view of the fact that the Bedford and Oxford telephone areas have the longest waiting lists for subscribers, and that there are many complaints of delays in these areas, he will make a statement showing what improvements are in hand and planned.

I am sorry that there are big waiting lists in both of these areas due to the very high rates of growth in recent years. My objective is to abolish these waiting lists by March, 1966, in accordance with the plans announced in my White Paper, The Inland Telephone Service in an Expanding Economy (Cmnd. 2211). To this end, arrangements are in hand for the provision of additional cables and exchange equipment in some 200 exchange areas so as to overcome the backlog and meet new growth in the next two years. The additional cables will provide for 28,000 more subscribers and the additional exchange equipment for 35,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations have been received by the Secretary of the Working Party of the Schools' Council for Curricula and Examinations regarding representation on the Welsh Committee thereof from the National Association of Teachers of Wales; and what replies have been sent to them.

The Secretary of the Working Party on the Schools' Curricula and Examinations received a letter, dated 11th May, 1964, from the General Secretary of the National Association of Teachers of Wales expressing disappointment that no offer of representation on the Welsh Committee of the proposed Schools Council had been made to the Association, and asking whether the Working Party would be willing to reconsider the matter. These representations were received after the publication of the Report of the Working Party, and the Association were informed that the Report had already been submitted to me and that it would shortly be considered at a reconvened meeting of the parties responsible for the establishment of the Working Party.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many special classes exist for boys and girls who are maladjusted, physically handicapped, mentally handicapped and educationally subnormal, respectively; and how many residential hostels are available for them.

Statistics are available only in respect of special classes or units (not forming part of special schools) for physically handicapped and maladjusted children, though a number of local education authorities also make arrangements for educationally subnormal children to receive special educational treatment in special classes. Mentally handicapped children who are not suitable for education at school are the responsibility of my right hon. Friend, the Minister of Health.The figures below were supplied by local education authorities in January 1964:

	Number of Classes	Number of Pupils
Maladjusted	89	1,032
Physically handicapped	17	207

The following numbers of residential and boarding homes were being used by local education authorities in January 1964:

For maladjusted children	76
For maladjusted and physically handicapped	1
For maladjusted and delicate	3
For delicate and physically handicapped	4
For delicate, physically handicapped and educationally subnormal	1
For educationally subnormal	3

Of these, 44 were maintained by authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) how many establishments of further education are available to accommodate maladjusted, physically and mentally-handicapped and educationally sub-normal school leavers, both boys and girls, respectively;

Many handicapped school leavers are able to attend ordinary establishments of further education. My Department recognises five special centres of further education for physically handicapped school leavers. These are:

St. Loyes College, Exeter.	50 places (boys and girls).
Queen Elizabeth College for the Disabled, Leatherhead.	Some 30 places for boys and girls out of a total of 150 which includes older students on training courses.
School of Stitchery and Lace, for Cripple Girls, Great Book ham.	Local education authorities maintain a small number of girls among the total of 33 places also available for older trainees.
Derwen Cripples Training College, Oswestry.	Local education authorities maintain about 30 boys. The remaining places are filled by adult trainees.
The Lord Mayor Treloar College, Alton.	60 places for boys.

My Department does not recognise any special further education establishments for maladjusted or educationally subnormal school leavers.In addition to these recognised centres of further education, there are others run by voluntary bodies which are used by local education authorities but which are not recognised by my Department. I should explain that recognition is a technical term involving the acceptance of certain conditions. Lack of recognition in this case is not any indication of a lack of efficiency.Under the provisions of the Employment and Trade Act, 1948, the Youth Employment Service is available for the vocational guidance of school leavers up to the age of 18 and beyond that age if they are still at school. In addition to this, one of the tasks of the centres of further education mentioned above is the assessment of their students for vocational training and employment.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many blind, partially-sighted and deaf and dumb children, respectively, are now in the charge of his Department; and

—	Blind	Partially Sighted	Deaf	Partially Hearing	Speech Defects
In special schools	1,293	1,901	3,047	1,808	111
In independent schools under arrangements made by Local Education Authorities	5	12	187	83	8
In boarding homes	1	—	18	—	—
Being educated otherwise than at school (arrangements under Section 56 of the Education Act 1944)	21	17	8	34	5
In special classes or units	—	99	—	916	—
TOTALS	1,320	2,029	3,260	2,841	124

No statistics for the number of leavers from special schools are kept, but it is estimated to be about 700.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development why bar-ends of steel may not be exported from the United Kingdom.

Bar-ends of steel may be exported freely except in the following circumstances: when they are of certain special steels, or less than £25 per ton in value, or scrap. The first of these restrictions is strategic, the others are to conserve essential raw materials for the steel industry.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government on the export of beef from the United Kingdom.

The Government's policy is not to interfere with the pattern of trade resulting from a free market in beef in this country.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, in view of the considerable increase in the world

The following information is based on returns made by local education authorities in January, 1964.price of raw sugar since the Anglo-Irish sugar agreement was signed, what consideration he is giving to revising its terms; and whether he will make a statement.

In the light of the changes in the sugar market situation since the Anglo-Irish Sugar Agreement was negotiated in 1962, a review has been held of its operation under Article 12 of the Agreement.The Government of the Irish Republic represented that the balance of advantage of the Agreement as originally calculated had been seriously disturbed by the substantial increase in the level of the world price of sugar since the terms were negotiated. It is therefore proposed in the current and subsequent years to increase the price paid for the 10,000 tons of refined beet sugar produced in the Irish Republic bought each year to the equivalent of the price paid under the Commonwealth Sugar Agreement.The Anglo-Irish Sugar Agreement includes a formula fixing the price at which this sugar is resold in the Irish Republic. In present conditions, this formula has proved to be too rigid. It is proposed to leave the Sugar Board to resell to the Irish Sugar Company at the best price reasonably obtainable, that is, in the way the Board sells other sugar.The provisions of the Agreement governing the importation of sugar into the Irish Republic have been slightly modified to take account of the fact that the Minister for Agriculture for the Republic is the licensing authority for the importation of sugar and to cover some exceptional arrangements for imports of sugar into the Irish Republic in 1964.Copies of the draft Revisional Agreement are being placed in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what steps he has taken during the last month to reach a settlement of the present dispute in the Yemen; and what has been the result.

None.The present conflict in the Yemen is a matter for the Yemenis themselves to settle, and the good offices of the United Nations Secretary-General's Special Representative are available to help.

asked the Minister of Power what arrangements Her Majesty's Government are making to compensate those people disadvantaged by the passing of the Continental Shelf Act.

The Continental Shelf Act contains provisions for normal legal remedies and I am not aware of any circumstances which would call for compensation to be paid by Her Majesty's Government or justify special arrangements.

asked the Minister of Health when he received an application from the Cheltenham Hospitals Group Committee for a grant to meet the cost of acquiring a cobalt machine for the alleviation of cancer; and what reply he sent.

My right hon. Friend has received no application for a grant but he has undertaken to supply a cobalt source for the machine.

asked the Secretary for Technical Co-operation if he will propose the setting up of a Commonwealth Voluntary Service supported by Governments to enable young Commonwealth citizens of all races to volunteer for constructive personal service in their own countries and abroad, and to provide that the work of the service is organised and co-ordinated through a Commonwealth council, representative of all participating countries in the Commonwealth, and through which existing national volunteer bodies could also work.

I would refer the hon. and learned Member to the Answer I save to my hon. Friend the Member for Hertford (Lord Balniel) on 24th March.

asked the Prime Minister if he has now investigated the anomalies in the working of schemes for concessionary fares for old people which were recently brought to his attention; and if he will make a statement.

The Government are examining whether there are anomalies which call for action. The House will be informed when we have reached a conclusion.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will make a statement about the dispute in the London fruit and vegetable markets.

My right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and I have decided to appoint jointly a Committee to inquire into this dispute. The Committee's terms of reference are as follows:

"To inquire into the causes and circumstances of the dispute between the Transport and General Workers' Union and the Market Tenants' Associations at the Spitalfields, Borough, Stratford, Brentford and King's Cross markets over the Union's claim for the introduction of a 40-hour working week from Monday to Friday and to consider the effect of such a change on all those likely to be affected by it, and to report."

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance whether he will amend his regulations to enable death benefits to be paid on production of other evidence of death, where the issue of a death certificate is delayed by the adjournment of an inquest; and whether he will make a statement on the recent refusal to pay benefit on the death of a baby in Middlesbrough, in time to pay the deposit required for funeral expenses.

Alternative evidence of death is accepted in these cases and no amendment of the regulations is necessary. I should be grateful if the hon. Member will send me the full details of the case he has in mind.