asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects a brucellosis eradication scheme to be introduced in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

The Government intend to consider this question further in the light of the report now in preparation on the survey into the incidence of brucellosis.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when the Scottish Certificate of Education Examination Board will conduct their first examinations.

In May, 1965. The Board is expected to assume responsibility for the conduct of the examination from 1st January next.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the percentage increase in the value of cereal production in Scotland since 1951.

The value of cereal production in Scotland for the last complete year, 1962, was some 13 per cent. higher than it was in 1951.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will now take steps to create new areas of fertility in the wastes of North Scotland to help meet the needs of an increasing population in Great Britain and assist in overcoming the balance of payments problems.

Government assistance under a variety of schemes is already available for the improvement of land for agricultural purposes. These and other forms of assistance resulted in the north of Scotland achieving a notable increase of 82 per cent. in the beef breeding herd and of 10 per cent. in breeding sheep during the last ten years.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland at what rates of interest advances are presently being made to the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board and South of Scotland Electricity Board, respectively.

Both Boards pay the appropriate rate for long-term Exchequer advances to nationalised industries. For the North Board, which borrows for 30 years, the current rate is 6 per cent.; for the South Board, which borrows for 25 years, it is 5⅝ per cent. Different rates for loans raised for 25 years and for 30 years were introduced only last month, and discussions about the North Board's position are now taking place.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will request all local authorities to provide free handwashing facilities in all public lavatories.

My right hon. Friend is considering urgently what advice he can suitably give to local authorities on this point.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what measures he has in mind, other than a special salary allowance, to increase the number of teachers in Glasgow.

The staffing of the schools in Glasgow is the responsibility of the Education Authority. My right hon. Friend is doing everything he can to increase the total number of teachers available by such measures as the expansion of the colleges of education, the special recruitment scheme and the encouraging of married women teachers to return to service. Since 1960 the better staffed areas have, with my right hon. Friend's encouragement, exercised restraint in recruitment in order to assist those areas, like Glasgow, where staffing difficulties are most serious. Finally, as my right hon. Friend told the hon. Member in answer to a Question on 5th June, my right hon. Friend accepted the recommendation of the Scottish Joint Council for Teachers' Salaries that he should appoint a Committee to consider possible measures other than a special allowance to increase the number of teachers in areas of shortage.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what report he has received from the Medical Officer of Health for Paisley regarding total births to residents in Paisley and the proportion of such births taking place in hospital.

In a statistical return for the year 1963 the Medical Officer of Health recorded that, of a total of 2,042 births to mothers resident in Paisley, 1,524 (or 75 per cent.) took place in hospitals or private maternity homes. These figures are provisional, but I have no reason to think that they are not accurate.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he received a communication from Paisley Corporation regarding maternity services; what was the nature of the communication; and what reply he has given.

The Town Clerk wrote to my right hon. Friend on 19th May expressing his Council's concern at the shortage of maternity hospital beds for Paisley residents and asking him to meet a deputation from the Council, accompanied by the hon. Member for Paisley, to discuss the matter. A letter was sent to the Town Clerk on 11th June inviting the deputation to meet me and a date is being arranged.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the annual average subsidy paid for houses built in the financial year 1951–52 under the Housing (Scotland) Act 1946; and what proportion the subsidy represents of the average annual loan charge based on Public Works Loan Board rate of interest for that year.

The rates of subsidy in the Housing (Financial Provisions) (Scotland) Act, 1946, were subsequently reproduced in the Housing (Scotland) Act, 1950, and most of the houses completed in 1951–52 were subsidised under the latter Act.The annual subsidy varied from £21 10s. to £25 10s. according to the size of the house, and averaged £22 11s. 7d., equal to 39 per cent. of the average annual loan charge calculated as suggested.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what proportion the average annual subsidy of £30 11s. paid under the Housing (Scotland) Act 1962, represents of the average annual loan charge of a house built under the Act in the financial year 1963–64.

The average subsidy of £30 11s. (which is a partial figure relating to claims so far settled for houses completed in 1962–63) is equal to 20·5 per cent. of the average annual loan charge calculated as suggested in the previous Question. The annual subsidy for each individual authority depends on the state of the authority's housing revenue account as a whole, and varies from £12 to £56.The average exchequer subsidy for all local authority houses in 1962–63 was £23 10s. which would meet 35 per cent. of all loan charges.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the average weight of schoolchildren in Scotland, by ages, at the latest available date; and what it was at the corresponding date in 1951.

The following is the information:

AVERAGE WEIGHT IN LB. OF SCHOOLCHILDREN IN SCOTLAND
Age Group		At 31st July, 1951		At 31st July, 1963
		Boys	Girls	Boys	Girls
5 years	…	44·08	42·56	43·34	41·90
9 years	…	64·84	62·71	65·55	64·14
13 years	…	93·98	98·70	99·38	104·02
16 years	…	134·38	125·92	135·60	124·43

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish, in the form of a table, the total value of school building for which each Scottish education authority sought approval in the current year and the amount for which approval has been given.

The information requested is as follows:

Education Authority	Value of 1964–65 School Building Programme as submitted by the Authority (see Note 1)	Value of Authorised School Building Programme (see Note 2)
	£000	£000
Counties
Aberdeen	458	401
Angus	69	69
Argyll	527	425
Ayr	1,478	1,000
Banff	220	180
Berwick	60	30
Bute	70	83
Caithness	446	178
Clackmannan	442	238
Dumfries	460	250
Dunbarton	1,212	1,272
East Lothian	778	17
Fife	1,835	1,000
Inverness	549	432
Kincardine	84	51
Kirkcudbright	366	187
Lanark	3,135	2,105
Midlothian	1,352	912
Moray and Nairn	1,642	171
Orkney	200	100
Peebles	19	—
Perth and Kinross	857	450
Renfrew	2,925	1,500
Ross and Cromarty	690	400
Roxburgh	22	26
Selkirk	45	45
Stirling	475	238
Sutherland	221	100
West Lothian	1,471	790
Wigtown	45	—
Zetland	245	138
Burghs
Aberdeen	1,015	51
Dundee	678	374
Edinburgh	820	755
Glasgow	8,656	2,834

NOTES:1. Some authorities submitted proposals in scale with provisional allocations made in October, 1963; others did not. The figures quoted are not therefore all on the same footing.2. This column gives the values of authorised programmes, in terms of named projects approved for starting, as drawn up at the beginning of the financial year 1964–65. The figures do not include any subsequent changes made in the projects, at the instance of the authorities, or in their values.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish the names of the local education authorities who have expressed dissatisfaction with their capital allocation in respect of school-building during the current year.

No. A number of authorities expressed varying degrees of dissatisfaction over the provisional allocations for the current financial year, but the points of difficulty were in many cases resolved by the time final building programmes were settled. It would be misleading to publish any list.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will now make a statement on the problem of uncertificated teachers in Scotland.

An education authority may employ an uncertificated teacher only so long as no certificated teacher is available. It is for each authority to decide whether it is better to appoint an uncertificated teacher to a vacant post or to leave it unfilled. In general education authorities consider it better, in the interests of the pupils, to fill such posts with reasonably qualified uncertificated teachers. I think they are right. These teachers are making a most useful contribution to the work of the schools.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what expenditure is planned for hospital improvements in Scotland during the next five-year period; and how this compares with the previous five-year period.

In the period 1st April, 1964–31st March, 1969 the assumed expenditure on hospital capital building work included in the revised Hospital Plan for Scotland is over £45 million; this compares with just over £22 million in the period 1st April, 1959–31st March, 1964.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what are his plans for after-care of prisoners; what organisation will be responsible to him; and to what extent local authorities will be asked to co-operate.

I have not yet completed my consultations on this question, but hope to make an announcement shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what action he has taken, following the Brunton Report, to ensure that educational courses given to pupils who do not embark on full five-year courses of secondary education are relevant to the needs and interests of those pupils.

On the publication of the Report, I wrote to the educational bodies concerned commending its main theme, and asking for comments on matters of detail. After receiving these, I issued a second circular in April outlining specific action to be taken by education authorities and the Department whose Inspectors are following up its recommendations. I am sending copies of both circulars to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish in tabular form in respect of each year 1948 to 1951, inclusive, and 1960 to 1963, inclusive, the number of local authority houses built, the aggregate in respect of each of these four year periods of the local authority houses built, and the aggregate of apartments provided.

The numbers of houses completed by local authorities were as follows:

1948	…	…	…	16,615
1949	…	…	…	20,004
1950	…	…	…	20,989
1951	…	…	…	17,971
				75,579

1960	…	…	…	17,913
1961	…	…	…	16,823
1962	…	…	…	16,245
1963	…	…	…	17,699
				68,680

The available annual statistics of numbers of apartments relate only to houses covered by tenders approved in 1951 and subsequent years for local authorities and other public agencies together. These were set out in my reply to the hon. Member for West Fife (Mr. W. Hamilton) on 19th February last.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what information he has about the progress of the construction of the Cockenzie Power Station, and about its likely date of operation.

I would refer the hon. Member to my hon. Friend the Joint Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State's Answer today to my hon. Friend the Member for East Fife (Sir J. Gilmour).

asked the Secretary of Stare for Scotland why he has accepted an invitation in his official capacity to attend a bull fight in Spain.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will state his reasons for accepting an invitation to attend a bull fight in Spain in his official capacity.

I have not accepted any such invitation. My noble Friend the Minister of State will attend the Fiesta de la Vendimia at Jerez in September. Acceptance of the invitation does not imply that he will attend every function and event connected with the Festival which is dedicated to Scotland this year.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many deaf children between the ages of two and five years attend special nursery or infant classes with specialist teachers for the deaf.

At 15th January, 1964, there were 74 deaf children aged five or less attending special schools or classes for the deaf.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many blind pupils were attending schools for the blind in the latest convenient year.

There were 171 such pupils at 15th January, 1964.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will introduce legislation or extend the scope of the Civil Contingencies Fund in such a way as to provide for the payment of compensation to the owners of, and workers in, hotels, boarding houses, shops and other businesses who have sustained loss or damage by reason of epidemics;(2) whether he will now seek special powers to enable him to provide compensation for the business concerns in Aberdeen, including the hotel and tourist industry which has suffered material loss as a result of the typhoid epidemic.

No. I sympathise with those who have suffered financial loss as a result of the typhoid epidemic in Aberdeen, but I do not think that on the information at present available a case for payment of compensation from the Exchequer has been established.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will now make a further statement on the typhoid epidemic in Aberdeen.

Yesterday afternoon there were 438 patients in hospital in Aberdeen: 414 of these were confirmed cases of typhoid fever and 24 were suspected cases under investigation. In the last ten days the number of cases has declined from 450 to 438. Because of the length of the incubation period it is not yet possible to say with certainty that there will be no more cases, but there are good grounds for hoping that the epidemic has now been checked. In view of this outcome I do not think it possible to praise too highly the work of the public health and hospital authorities and the people of Aberdeen. The Committee of Inquiry has started its investigations into the cause of the outbreak.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement about the opening of the new colleges of education at Ayr and Falkirk.

The colleges will open in October as planned. A certain amount of work will remain to be done but it should be completed by the end of the year and will not affect the opening. Each college, in the first instance, will admit up to 200 women students taking the three-year course for primary teachers and will build up to 600 by October, 1966.I would like to take this opportunity of congratulating the Scottish Council for the Training of Teachers and all those others concerned on the vigour and skill with which they have carried out this project.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects that the building to house the new unit in medical neurology at the Southern General Hospital, in the division of the hon. Member for Glasgow, Govan, will be completed.

The Western Regional Hospital Board has accepted in principle a proposal by the University of Glasgow that accommodation should be provided at this hospital for a new department of medical neurology and geriatric medicine. The Board is now considering how this scheme can be fitted into its building programme.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many of the actions for judicial separation in the sheriff courts in Scotland, for the last year for which figures are available, were raised by wives and husbands, respectively.

This information is not shown in the statistics provided to my Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many actions were raised in sheriff courts in Scotland for the last year for which figures are available for judicial separation, aliment, and adherence and aliment, respectively.

The following is the information for the year 1963.

Actions Relating to Marriage
(i) Actions of separation and aliment	259
(ii) Actions of adherence and aliment	180
(iii) Other actions for aliment	228
(iv) Other actions relating to marriage	43
Actions of Filiation and Aliment	225

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what preparations he is making to meet the additional demands on the education service which will be created by the raising of the leaving age in 1970.

I am issuing a Circular to education authorities and other interested bodies today outlining the nature and scale of the problems in the planning of courses, supply of teachers and provision of buildings; and asking all concerned to put their preparations in hand.

asked the Minister of Transport how many miles of railway line outlined for closure in the Beeching Plan have been closed; and how many have been reprieved; what proportion of closure proposals outlined in the Report have been submitted to the transport users' consultative committees; and how many cases are at present under consideration by his Department.

The Railways Board have published some 60 per cent. of the passenger service closure and modification proposals in the Reshaping Report. All but one have been opposed and are therefore the subject of reports on hardship by the Committees. I have consented to 64 proposals (including 10 individual stations) and refused 9, and I have 97 proposals under consideration. Passenger services have been withdrawn from 305 miles of line and consent has been refused to the withdrawal of services from 242 miles.

asked the Minister of Transport what action he will take following the declaration of Mr. Justice Ungoed-Thomas in the High Court about the Railways Board's legal right to manufacture railway tank wagons for sale to oil companies to be used on British Railways.

None. I have already explained to the House that my decision not to approve the Board's proposal to make equipment for sale to private owners was based on policy considerations. The legal issue of the Board's powers has never affected my decision

asked the Minister of Transport what progress has been made by the British Railways Board towards providing more adequate pensions scheme for railway men.

I understand that the review of pension arrangements, which the Board have begun, is proceeding as quickly as possible.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will give a general direction in the public interest to the British Railways Board and the London Passenger Transport Board to provide free handwashing facilities in all public lavatories.

No. Provision of such facilities is a matter for the Boards.

asked the Minister of Transport whether the inquiries by British Railways into the fire which destroyed some mail in a train at Macclesfield on 8th June have yet been completed.

The Railways' Fire Officer's Report concludes that the cause of the fire was a lighted cigarette or match dropped when the mail was loaded at Stockport. British Railways have taken the matter up with the G.P.O. at Stockport.

asked the Minister of Transport whether, in view of the inconvenience to passengers resulting from the fact that railway porters have no official duties towards them, he will give a general direction, in the public interest, to the Railways Board that passenger station porters should have a duty to give assistance to passengers with their luggage.

No.

asked the Minister of Transport what were the gross revenue, operating results, central charges, and net deficit of British Railways for the year 1963, on a basis comparable to the figures he recently gave.

Because of the changes brought about by the Transport Act, 1962, and the adoption by the British Railways Board of different accounting arrangements figures cannot be given which are precisely comparable with those for earlier years.The British Railways Board's revenue results for 1963 are as follows:

	£ million
Railways gross receipts	463·1
Railways working results (after including net receipts from letting of property, advertising and rail catering totalling £5·6m.)	81·6	(deficit)
Other activities working results	8·1	(surplus)
Other expenditure less other income	2·3
Interest (excluding £1·8m. charged to capital account)	58·1
Board's deficit on revenue account for 1963	133·9

asked the Minister of Transport if he will state the results of his meeting with the National Farmers' Union of Scotland; and, in view of the fact that the union is dissatisfied with those results and desire a further meeting with him, if he will meet them again to discuss rail transport problems in Scotland.

As I have held no such meeting, I cannot state the results.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will carry out, in conjunction with the Lowestoft police force, a thorough investigation into the demands of responsible bodies and individuals for pedestrian crossings at Middle Drive and on the High Street at the north end of the town.

I have received requests for pedestrian crossings in the High Street and in Middle Drive but, on the evidence provided, the crossings could not be justified. But I am willing to consider any further proposals which may be put forward by the local authority.

asked the Minister of Transport what information is now available regarding the comparative cost of maintaining the different sections of the M.1 motorway which have different surfaces; and how this knowledge will be utilised in the future construction of motorways.

The maintenance costs of different types of motorway construction can be usefully compared only after many years of use. The strengthening of the M.1 carriageways to bring them up to current standards is not normal maintenance.As a result of lessons learned on the M.1 the specification for motorway carriageways has been strengthened. With the current specification the cost of maintenance of either flexible or concrete forms of construction should be small, with little difference between them.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he intends to extend the D Ring Road through Essex to the Purfleet—Dartford tunnel and to make alterations in the proposed route of the North Orbital road; and what are his plans for the building of A.113 from Woodford to Ongar.

I have no firm plans at present for extending the D Ring Road to the Purfleet—Dartford Tunnel, nor for altering the route of the North Orbital Road. Whether such alterations will be desirable must await the result of the Bishop's Stortford Motorway survey and clarification of future road requirements. The improvement of A.113 is a matter for the Essex County Council as highway authority.

asked the Minister of Transport when the Brentwood bypass and the second Blackwall Tunnel are expected to be open for traffic; and what interim measures are being taken to relieve increased traffic congestion on A.128 since the completion of the Dartford—Purfleet tunnel.

I hope that the Brentwood By-pass and the second Blackwall Tunnel will be completed by the spring of 1966. To ease the traffic flow on the A.128 meanwhile, some bends and junctions have been improved and further improvements are contemplated.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will define the exact meaning of the sign, "No Overtaking", when it is used on a stretch of a threelane motorway of which two lanes are being used by traffic and one is under repair; and if he will ensure that a "Road Clear" sign is erected at the end of a stretch of road undergoing repairs.

The sign has its natural meaning. When two lanes are open the sign is normally not used. The only exception to this is when one carriageway is closed and there is two-way working on the other, with two lanes in one direction and one in the other separated by cones. In these circumstances overtaking on the two lanes is prohibited owing to the greater risks from oncoming traffic in so far as it is separated only by cones.As to the second part of the Question, the Traffic Safety Code already provides that the "Road Clear" sign should be used after road works.

asked the Minister of Transport if, following his recent experiment, he will now take steps, in the interests of road safety, to prescribe priorities at all roundabouts, instead of the first arrival rule which now applies.

No. The experiment is not yet completed. Until it is I cannot tell whether a general priority rule at all roundabouts would be safer than the present practice.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will amend the Parking Meter Regulations by making it legally permissible for motorists to park at parking-meter bays during hours when payment is not required so as to avoid the risk of vehicles being removed by the police.

Neither the London Parking Zones Regulations nor the Parking Places Orders prohibit vehicles from parking in meter bays at times when payment is not required. I understand that the Metropolitan Police remove vehicles from them only when very exceptional traffic conditions make it necessary. If I amended the Orders to authorise parking positively at such times, it would be necessary to leave the police power to remove vehicles when conditions require. The change, therefore, would have no practical effect and I do not propose to make it.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware of the danger caused to drivers of motor vehicles by pedal cyclists on derestricted roads; and whether he will introduce regulations to oblige cyclists to use cycle tracks where these are provided.

The Highways Code says that if there is an adequate cycle track cyclists should use it. I have no power to make regulations requiring cyclists to use cycle tracks generally. But I am able to make orders for specific roads for which I am the authority, and I am also prepared to consider confirming orders submitted to me by other highway authorities.

asked the Minister of Transport, in view of the fact that the access roads to the new town area of Dawley are inadequate and in a poor condition, why he has decided to reduce the county grant for minor improvements and maintenance.

The need for improving the access roads to Dawley will be taken into account in the preparation of future roadworks programmes when the proposals for the new town are further advanced and the pattern of roads required can be seen. Annual allocations within the ten year maintenance and minor improvements programme are adjusted according to the relative current needs of agent authorities.

asked the Minister of Transport on approximately what date roadworks and widening in Lea Bridge Road, Leyton, will be finished; and what was the increase in heavy traffic and motor cars using the thoroughfare in 1962 compared with 1961 and 1952.

This work should be completed by October. Traffic figures for the years in question are not available, but between 1954 and 1963 the increase for all traffic was 58 per cent.

asked the Minister of Transport whether, in view of the growing congestion in High Street, Newmarket, he will make a further statement about his intention to construct a by-pass around the town.

Investigation of a suitable route for a by-pass is now in progress. Because of other more urgent needs this scheme must be regarded as long-term.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will introduce legislation to require that safety belts be included in all motor cars as standard fitments.

This is not my intention at present. I hope that a British Standard specification will soon be agreed for anchorage points; following this, I intend to make anchorage points compulsory for new cars.Meanwhile I strongly recommend the use of properly-fitted seat belts. Figures obtained in the course of an official study show that when seat belts are worn, the risk of serious injury to the driver and front seat passenger of a car which has an accident is reduced by nearly 80 per cent.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will make a statement on the reasons for his selection of a design for the Calder Bridge, near Wakefield, despite the objections of the West Riding County Council.

I held the Calder Bridge Competition to stimulate interest in bridge design. After considering the two designs placed equal first in the Competition and also, at their request, the one produced independently by the West Riding County Council, I decided to adopt one of the prize-winning designs. The choice was made on an overall assessment of design, technical details and cost.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will take steps to make films available for use at classes organised to provide driving instruction for those who already hold a licence to drive a motor vehicle and to the British Broadcasting Corporation and the Independent Television Companies.

Films for this purpose are available from the Film Library of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, some on hire and some on free loan. My Department has 122 short films on all aspects of road safety, including good driving techniques, deposited with the Independent Television and the British Broadcasting Corporation. These are frequently screened in public service time.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware that he is losing a considerable sum of revenue through persons evading the duty payable for having a vehicle on the roads, and that there are thousands of vehicles on the roads without road fund licences; and what action he proposes to take to ensure that this duty is received by the Treasury.

Enforcement of the Vehicle Excise Law is a matter to which the most careful attention is given. The Police report to the taxation authorities all cases where they observe that licences are out of date or are not displayed. The number of cases so reported throughout Great Britain is markedly increasing. We shall continue to keep the position under close review.

asked the Minister of Transport what were the road casualties in Great Britain for each quarter in 1963; whether the figures represent an increase or decrease with the corresponding four quarters for 1962; and what action he is now taking to deal with the causes.

The 1963 figures show an increase of 4 per cent. over 1962. Road accidents have many causes and,

ROAD ACCIDENT CASUALTIES IN GREAT BRITAIN
							Increase or Decrease
—					1963	1962	Number	Percentage
1st quarter	…	…	…	…	66,127	69,493	−3,366	−4·8
2nd quarter	…	…	…	…	90,789	85,547	+ 5,242	+ 6·1
3rd quarter	…	…	…	…	100,040	96,287	+ 3,753	+ 3·9
4th quarter	…	…	…	…	99,223	90,369	+ 8,854	+ 9·8
Year	…	…	…	…	356,179	341,696	+14,483	+ 4·2

asked the Minister of Transport what steps he proposes to take to deal with the increasing number of road accidents, especially having regard to the large increase in fatal accidents over the Whitsuntide period.

I would refer the hon. Member to the Answer I have given today to the hon. Member for St. Helens (Mr. Spriggs). It is not possible to draw any firm conclusions from the provisional Whitsuntide figures so far available.

asked the Minister of Transport what further devices for the prevention of offensive exhaust from vehicles using heavy oil have been tested and proved effective; to what extent these are now being used; and what new regulations he is considering to enforce effective devices for preventing offensive exhaust on all new vehicles.

Tests have been made of various devices but none has been found sufficiently effective to justify making its use compulsory. A diesel engine need only make an occasional puff of light smoke if it is correctly adjusted and properly maintained. The law is clear in making it an offence for a vehicle to emit unnecessary smoke and we are continuing our roadside smoke checks which are aimed to bring home the importance of the matter to vehicle operators by the issue of prohibition notices for vehicles making excessive smoke.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will make a statement on the appointment and work of Mr. Baxter, the British scientist who was sent by his Department to examine the barrels containing rat poison caught in fishermen's nets off Brittany which were found in the shallow waters of the Continental Shelf.

I would refer the hon. and learned Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Arundel and Shoreham, on Monday, 22nd June.Mr. W. L. Baxter, a Senior Mechanical Engineer of my Ministry, supervised the packing of the fluoroacetamide-contaminated soil and residues at Smarden. In France he inspected five drums recently trawled up by French fishermen and established that they did not originate from Smarden. Samples from the drums are being analysed by the Government Chemist; the analysis is not complete but it has been established that neither fluoroacetamide nor fluoroacetic acid is present.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will introduce legislation to provide for the payment of compensation to holidaymakers who are involved in steamship accidents.

The Government has been giving consideration to the question of shipowners' liability towards passengers. If it should be decided to introduce legislation on this subject, holidaymakers who are passengers in steamships would be covered by that legislation.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will now build a nuclear-powered merchant ship in order that Great Britain may acquire her own operating experience.

I cannot yet add to the answer my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Science gave the hon. Member for Sunderland, North (Mr. Willey) last week.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will now make a further statement on the abduction of Major Macey and Driver Platt.

I am sorry to say that there is no further news of these men in spite of continued inquiries by the United Nations and British authorities in Cyprus.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence why three British soldiers, serving in the York and Lancaster Regiment in Swaziland, were not sent to the United Kingdom immediately after they received prison sentences in order that their term of imprisonment could be served in a British prison.

The three British soldiers were convicted on civil offences by a civil court in Swaziland on 27th February, and were each sentenced to six months imprisonment with hard labour. In the absence of special provision to the contrary, a person who is sentenced to imprisonment by a civil court in a Territory must serve his sentence in that Territory. Under the Colonial Prisoners Removal Act 1884, however, members of Her Majesty's Regular Military Forces who are undergoing imprisonment in a British Possession may be removed to the United Kingdom to continue their sentences. This provision is not usually invoked in the case of short sentences unless special circumstances exist. It did not appear that special circumstances existed in this case until the beginning of June, when it was learned that after damage to a cell during an escape bid by two of the soldiers in May, conditions in the prison had resulted in the soldiers being subject to overcrowding for a few days.The three soldiers, together with another soldier who was sentenced on 27th May by a civil court to a nine-month term of imprisonment, were after these few days returned to their original cell which then contained altogether eight prisoners. This was slightly more than the authorised number.In view of all the circumstances, it was then thought right to bring all four soldiers to this country last week to serve the last part of their sentences.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give an assurance that, when British troops are involved in civil offences in African States for which Her Majesty's Government are responsible, he will have them brought to the United Kingdom to serve their sentences and cause a despatch to be sent to the next of kin informing them of the nature of the offence and the type of sentence imposed, in order to avoid distress to relatives who may first read about it in the newspapers.

No. I do not propose to make any changes in the present arrangements under which the four soldiers mentioned in the preceding Question were dealt with.As regards the second part of the Question, our practice is that when a Service man gets himself into trouble, we should leave it to him to decide whether he should tell his family. Over the years we have found that this is the best course, since many Service men do not wish their families to know of their offences. We do, however, generally arrange for any Service man convicted of an offence to be interviewed and told of the desirability of writing immediately to his next of kin. Although I realise the shock and distress which might result from relatives reading about the matter in the newspapers, I think that our practice is a fair one and, as there is no doubt that Service men prefer it, that we should not change it.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will ascertain the conditions under which British soldiers were serving a prison sentence in Manzini prison in Swaziland; to what extent they were overcrowded; what sanitary conditions existed; what food was available: what type of work they were ordered to do; if he will publish the report of the regimental medical officer on this prison; and if he will make a statement.

Although the main part of the Manzini prison is overcrowded, the three soldiers who were imprisoned there from 27th February until last week were treated as special class prisoners, and were in a cell in a separate part of the prison. They shared the cell with two white South African prisoners and with two coloured prisoners. This cell had its own toilet and shower. On 25th May two of the soldiers and one of the other white prisoners escaped, and the four remaining prisoners were put with African prisoners for four days after the escape while their own cell was being repaired and strengthened. The escaping prisoners were recaptured and spent a short time in cells containing Africans. The seven, together with the sergeant who was sentenced to imprisonment on 27th May, were then returned to the special cell which then held slightly more than the authorised number.The four soldiers received a special diet which took account of their background and usual diet. This special daily diet, which may be approved for issue to any prisoner regardless of race, included 4 oz. fresh boneless meat, 16 oz. bread, 1 oz. butter or fortified margarine, 1½ oz. cooking oil, fat or lard, ⅓ oz. tea, 2 oz. jam, 6 oz. green leafy vegetables, 8 oz. potatoes, one onion, sugar and salt. It did not include milk, and the main complaint of the soldiers was about the shortage of tea, milk and sugar.The soldiers were sentenced to imprisonment with hard labour, and their duties included street sweeping.I do not propose to publish the reports of the regimental medical officer, who was not in any case in medical charge of the soldiers while they were prisoners. By his visits to the soldiers in prison, and these were far in excess of those allowed by normal prison routine, the regimental medical officer was, however, able to satisfy himself by their appearance and by his inquiries of them, that the soldiers remained in good health.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether, taking October 1951 as equalling 100, he will give the percentage annual rise or fall in defence costs to the latest convenient stated date.

Taking the fiscal year 1951–52 as being 100, the annual outturn of defence expenditure has been:

Year		At current prices	At constant prices
1951–52	…	100	100
1952–53	…	124	114
1953–54	…	121	108
1954–55	…	129	112
1955–56	…	125	105
1956–57	…	135	103
1957–58	…	128	92
1958–59	…	129	88
1959–60	…	132	87
1960–61	…	143	91
1961–62	…	150	93
1962–63	…	156	95
1963–64	…	161	95
		(approximate)

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what consideration he has given to the setting up of an advisory committee for matters relevant to the agricultural lime industry.

The Agricultural Lime Producers Council have proposed such a committee in connection with the administration of the new Agricultural Lime Scheme which I shall be laying before the House tomorrow. Whilst I do not consider it necessary to establish a formal committee, the Council have been informed that if all the parties concerned with the administration of the Scheme—producers, merchants and farmers—would like to supplement the present arrangements for consultation with joint meetings with the Agricultural Departments from time to time to discuss problems arising from the administration of the scheme, I should be glad to arrange such meetings under the chairmanship of a senior official.

asked the Minister of Aviation when the hand rail is to be fitted down the centre of the ramp in order to assist elderly passengers at the civil airport at Aldergrove, County Antrim.

Installation will be completed before the end of July.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in view of the fact that the nationalised industries have, over the years, paid £2,462·8 million in interest charges, what proposals he has for taking steps to reduce these interest charges in the future.

I see no reason to change the present arrangements whereby the nationalised industries get the benefit of the Government borrowing rates.

asked the Minister of Health what study he has made of the papers sent to him by the hon. Member for Arundel and Shoreham concerning the researches of Dr. I. Rapaport, of the University of Wisconsin Institute of Psychiatry; if he is aware that these researches show that the higher the concentration of fluorine in the public water supply, the higher will be the proportion of mongol births; and if he will make a statement.

I know of Dr. Rapaport's work. I am advised that there are fundamental defects in his statistical data which invalidate his findings. A carefully planned investigation carried out in this country has shown that there is no connection between the concen- tration of fluoride in the water supply and the incidence of mongolism. I am sending my hon. and gallant Friend a copy of a circular letter on the subject sent by my Chief Medical Officer to medical officers of health.

asked the Minister of Health what is the total number of patients, in round figures, treated in hospitals in Bristol under the National Health Service since 1957; and what, in round figures, was the cost of providing these services.

Hospital authorities serving the Bristol area treated in the 6 years 400,000 in-patients, 600,000 new out-patients and 500,000 new accident and emergency cases at a total cost of about £40 million, excluding capital expenditure.

asked the Minister of Health what is the total authorised expenditure on improvement; and additions to the Bristol Royal Hospital since 1957.

Just over £1¼ million, including approved forecast expenditure for 1964–65.

asked the Minister of Health what guidance he has give to regional hospital boards on the provision of adequate standards of design and construction for new hospital buildings and to ensure that those standards are achieved at reasonable cost; and with what results.

My Department have issued over 30 Building Notes and 20 Equipment Notes, mainly on the design and equipment of individual hospital departments, with standards of provision and cost to which hospital boards work in their planning, as well as 11 Technical Memoranda on engineering design and documents on industrialised building, traffic surveys, development planning, fire protection and protection from noise. This material has been welcomed and widely used by hospital authorities. It has provided a firm basis for the control of cost, has simplified the scrutiny of those plans which require my right hon. Friend's approval and has reduced the time of planning. There is frequent and close consultation between officers of the Department and those of hospital boards on these matters.

asked the Minister of Health what steps he is taking to utilise industrialised building techniques in the achievement of the hospital building programme.

A Design Note has been published on dimensional co-crdination and industrialised building; 23 Study Groups are working on the application of these principles through standardised components and techniques for hospital building; six experiments in the use of existing building systems for hospital construction have started, to a total value of over £5,000,000.

asked the Minister of Health when the reports of his Study Groups on Industrialised Building Components, mentioned in his Annual Report, are likely to be available; and what steps he will take to utilise them to achieve greater speed of construction and economy in hospital building.

The Report of the Architects' and Quantity Surveyors' Groups will be published later this year, and those of the Engineering Groups from time to time as appropriate sectors of the work are covered. The recommendations will be used to simplify design, reduce drawing time, extend the use of coordinated dimensions as an aid to industrialised building, and provide a basis for bulk manufacture and ordering of doors, windows, partitions and other structural components.

asked the Minister of Health what is the full complement of physiotherapists for Hull hospitals; what is the present number; and what steps he is taking to provide the full staff required to cope with the present backlog of long-waiting patients.

The Hospital Management Committee aim to have a total of 18, of which they have at present 9; I would refer the hon. Member to the Answer given to the hon. Member for Kingston-upon-Hull, North (Mr. Coulson) on 22nd June.

asked the Minister of Health for how many days patients requiring an orthopaedic out-patient consultation have to wait for an appointment at the Hull group of hospitals; what are the numbers of orthopaedic patients awaiting surgery; and, of these, how many have been waiting more than four months and more than 12 months, respectively.

This varies between consultants from 35 to 126 days but urgent cases are seen at once; 612; 423 and 227.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will send Hull orthopaedic out-patients, who have been waiting for long periods for treatment, to hospitals outside Hull for treatment; or, alternatively, whether he will arrange for orthopaedic doctors and physiotherapists from hospitals outside Hull to be sent into the city in order to reduce the long periods of suffering of orthopaedic patients.

No; I do not think this would give any net advantage as hospitals and consultants in neighbouring areas are already fully engaged.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will give an assurance that employees of the Discharged Prisoners' Aid Society with satisfactory records of efficiency are guaranteed continued employment on similar duties with maintenance of pension rights when the functions of the Society are taken over by the proposed Probation and After-Care Service.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave on 8th April to a Question by my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Huntingdonshire (Mr. Renton). My right hon. Friend cannot guarantee that all employees of Discharged Prisoners' Aid Societies will be appointed to the proposed Probation and After-Care Service, since the decision must rest with the Probation and After-Care Committees which will be the employing authorities; but he is considering the position of any employees who may not be so appointed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what date the handbook for the courts on the treatment of offenders, entitled, "The Sentence of the Court", was published; by what method copies have been made available to lay magistrates, and upon what terms; and how many copies have been distributed to them.

"The Sentence of the Court" was published on 22nd April, 1964. It was sent to all Magistrates' Courts Committees with a circular expressing my hope that Committees would think it right to provide copies for magistrates and stating that the expenditure would rank for repayment under Section 27 of the Justices of the Peace Act 1949. Information about the total number of copies distributed to magistrates is not readily available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will make a further statement about the scheme for compensating victims of crimes of violence.

Yes. The Secretary of State for Scotland and I have considered very carefully all the points raised in the debates in this House and in another place on the White Paper (Cmnd. 2323) on Compensation for Victims of Crimes of Violence. We have decided to make a number of amendments to the compensation scheme outlined in the White Paper. The amended scheme is set out below. The principal changes to which I should call attention are:(1) The Board will be know as the "Criminal Injuries Compensation Board" (paragraph 1).(2) Provision is made for the Board to publish such information about the scheme and their decisions in individual cases as may assist intending applicants for compensation (paragraph 4).(3) The scope of the scheme is more precisely defined; the circumstances in which applications not arising directly from criminal offences may be entertained are somewhat extended (paragraph 5(

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development if he will state the present position as regards the preliminary work on the assembly and collation of the basic factual material for the future development of Hull and its adjacent areas; when the full-scale study is likely to start; and when the first decisions will be announced.

I have nothing to add to the reply which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Keighley (Mr. Worsley) on 4th June.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development why he allowed a person, of whom details have been supplied to him, to import 27,000 bees from Texas; whether dollars were allowed for this importation; and how this affected the United Kingdom balance of payments problems.

No import licence is needed for bees and payment may be made under the normal arrangements.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development how many potential jobs have been created in the north-east of Scotland over the last five years; and what is his target of employment for the area.

Over the five years ending 31st May, 1964, industrial development certificates issued for the north-east of Scotland have been estimated to provide 1,120 jobs. The future requirement of new jobs in north-east Scotland cannot be quantified precisely.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether he will publish in HANSARD a list of the legislative proposals which Her Majesty's Government intend to introduce during the remaining weeks of the present Session.

No. Any legislation will be introduced in the customary manner.

asked the Minister of Labour how many wool textile firms in the West Riding of Yorkshire make special transport arrangements to bring women daily from the south Yorkshire coalfield; how many women are involved; and what is the furthest distance covered.

The latest available information relates to last December when 52 firms were known to have such arrangements. They involved 2,850 women and the furthest distance was 37 miles.

asked the Minister of Labour how many vacancies for youth employment officers exist where the service is administered by his Department and in cases where his Department acts as an agent for local authorities.

Of the 205 youth employment officer posts in my Department, one is vacant. In areas where the service is administered by local education authorities there are just over 1,260 posts, of which 80 are vacant. Every effort is being made to fill these vacancies, for which a number of candidates will become available next month on completing the 1963–64 vouth employment training courses leading to appointments with local education authorities.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if he will state the additional cost of National Insurance widows' benefits for widowed mothers which has resulted from the increases made in their benefits since 1951.

The estimated cost of these benefits for widowed mothers and their children is £40 million in this financial year. If the 1951 benefit rates and conditions still applied, the cost would be about £13 million. The increase is therefore £27 million, or more than 200 per cent.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance how many applications were made to the National Assistance Board, Summer Street, Bridgeton, for assistance in the years 1962–63; how many were granted; how many were refused; and how many were upheld on appeal.

The information is as follows:

		1962	1963
Applications made	…	8,448	8,317
Grants made	…	7,949	7,644
No grants made	…	499	673

There were no successful appeals against the refusal of assistance. The decision of the Board's officer was revised on appeal in favour of the appellant in two cases in 1962 and two cases in 1963. The Board's decision was confirmed in ten and fourteen cases, respectively.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance how many applications were made for assistance to the National Assistance Board, Green Street, Bridgeton, Glasgow, in the years 1962–63; how many were granted; how many were refused; and how many were upheld on appeal.

The information is as follows:

		1962	1963
Applications made	…	12,377	11,000
Grants made	…	11,113	9,632
No grants made	…	1,264	1,368

There were no successful appeals against the refusal of assistance. The decision of the Board's officer was revised on appeal in favour of the appellant in one case in 1962 and four cases in 1963. The Board's decision was confirmed in 23 and 22 cases, respectively.