asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what study he has made of the representations made to him to change the National Insurance regulations so that mothers discharged from hospital within a very short time of their confinement can claim the maternity grant; and if he will make a statement.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Mr. Swingler) on 22nd June.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what would be the cost of paying pensions to all those of retirement age who do not at present receive a pension because they have made an inadequate number of contributions; and how much National Assistance would be thereby saved.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance how many retirement pensioners are in receipt of an allowance from the National Assistance Board; and if, in view of the increase in the cost of living for such people, he will now increase the retirement pension.

About 1,109,000. Some of the grants provided for the requirements of a household with more than one pensioner. The Index of Retail Prices has risen by only 3 per cent. since retirement pensions were increased substantially a year ago.

It would cost about £115 million a year immediately to pay retirement pensions at the standard rates to those who have paid no contributions or too few to qualify. The saving in payments by the National Assistance Board would be something like £40 million a year.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance on how many occasions retirement pensions have been increased since 1951; what were the rates and the date of each change; and what has been the improvement, in cash and in purchasing power, over the whole period.

Retirement pension rates have been increased on five occasions since 1951. The present rates of pension are worth more than twice as much in money terms and, on the basis of the Retail Prices Index, about half as much again in real terms as the 1951 rates of £1 10s. for a single person and £2 10s. for a married couple. The rates of pension payable at the relevant dates are contained in the following table.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance why valid sickness benefit claims are declined in circumstances where the stamp record card has been mislaid within the Department.

They should not be disallowed unless there are difficulties in obtaining evidence corroborating that contributions were in fact paid. There were no such difficulties in the case which I believe the hon. Member has in mind and I am sorry that the lady concerned had to wait for her benefit.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if he will give details about the changes made since 1951 in the earnings-rule limits for retirement pensions, widows' pensions and widowed mothers' allowances; what

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance how many commissioners there are to hear pensions appeals; in how many cases in 1963 the appellant asked for permission to appear before them in person; and in what percentage of cases this request was acceded to.

One Commissioner and seven deputy Commissioners. An

The following are the figures:examination of the 155 decisions given in 1963 on retirement pension appeals shows that there were 21 requests by appellants for oral hearings; two of the requests were withdrawn and 14 of the remaining 19 were granted.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance to what extent the maximum amount payable through National Assistance is related to the rising standard of living of the nation as a whole; and how this is reflected in the numbers currently receiving such assistance.

The basic National Assistance scale rate for a single householder, to which additions are made for rent and for any special needs, has increased by 165 per cent. since 1948 as compared with an increase over approximately the same period of 150 cent. in average male earnings and 125 per cent. in consumers' expenditure. More people have qualified as assistance standards have improved.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if he will make a statement on the closing of his Cleethorpes branch office; why the Cleethorpes Corporation was not consulted; and if he will now accept the Corporation's offer to find alternative accommodation in order to prevent the aged, sick and infirm from having to travel four miles for help and information.

The Cleethorpes office has recently been open on two days a week and is to be closed on 30th June. The number of callers has been falling and I am satisfied that the needs of the public can be met by my office at Grimsby. Arrangements are always made for a visit at home where an interview is necessary and because of age or infirmity travel is difficult.The decision to close was taken on the unanimous recommendation of my local advisory committee, which serves the interests of the area as a whole, including Cleethorpes.The Cleethorpes Corporation has made a helpful offer, but the question of accommodation is only one factor in the closure, which is being made primarily in order to achieve an efficient and economic organisation.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if he will now institute a pilot survey of the extent to which the income of large families, where the main earner is em- ployed or unemployed, is below the National Assistance Board scales.

The records of the National Assistance Board already provide reliable information about the number of unemployed men with families receiving assistance below the scale rates on account of their normal earnings. I doubt whether a survey would provide accurate information about the circumstances of employed men and their families.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if he will make provision for widows and dependants compulsory on any pension scheme a condition of allowing such a scheme to remain contracted out from the graduated part of the National Insurance Scheme.

No. It was clear during the discussions on the National Insurance Bill, 1959, that any attempt to have included these benefits in the equivalency test for contracting out would have made the test extremely complicated, and very few schemes would have been able to satisfy it. That is still the situation.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what was the expenditure on unemployment benefit for each of the two years 1961–62 and 1962–63; and what proportion of the increase was paid to unemployed persons in Scotland.

Expenditure on unemployment benefit in Great Britain in 1961–62 was about £36¼ million, and in 1962–63 nearly £64½ million. The increase in expenditure in Scotland was rather under 14 per cent. of the increase in the country as a whole.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will introduce legislation to alter the legal definition of venereal disease to include all other diseases which are sexually transmitted.

No.

asked the Minister of Health whether there is any known connection between cigarette smoking and diseases other than lung cancer.

Yes. Studies have shown that as well as the causal relationship with cancer of the lung, there is a definite connection between cigarette smoking and bronchitis, emphysema and cancer of the larynx, of the oral cavity and of the oesophagus, and a probable but less clear connection with stomach and duodenal ulcers and coronary artery disease.

asked the Minister of Health if he will review the present regulations governing the purchase of necessary expendable items, such as syringes and thermometers, on medical stock prescriptions, and permit their inclusion.

Medical stock prescriptions have never been used in England and Wales.

asked the Minister of Health if he will introduce legislation for the purposes of protecting deaf persons from commercial exploitation, to require the statutory registration of suppliers and sellers of hearing aids, and to prohibit the sale of aids to persons who have not been examined by an ear, nose, and throat specialist and recommended in consequence to wear an aid.

asked the Minister of Health what steps have been taken or are under consideration to protect deaf people from being exploited by door-to-door salesmen making false claims for their products; and if he has studied the report and recommendations sent to him by the Consumer Council on this subject.

I have studied the report and recommendations of the Consumer Council. It is not my responsibility to protect people from commercial activities which, I am advised, do not cause damage to health.

asked the Minister of Health if he will introduce legislation to make it illegal for hearing aids to be sold and fitted by other than qualified audiologists.

No.

asked the Minister of Health what steps he is taking to develop improved and more compact types of hearing aid for issue to National Health Service patienls.

The Medresco transistor aid is a compact aid which satisfactorily meets the great majority of needs. I am investigating what can be done to help the small minority who cannot use the Medresco aid.

asked the Minister of Health what steps he is taking to assist employing authorities to recruit more midwives.

My right hon. Friend has asked non-practising midwives to consider returning to practice if this is possible for them. His appeal has been supported by a short television film and by publicity in the national and regional Press.

asked the Minister of Health to what extent the most recent medical evidence in his possession confirms that heavy cigarette smoking is associated with and a causative factor in lung cancer.

The most recent evidence strongly reinforces the conclusion.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that oil pollution and tar in the sea are creating danger to the health of bathers and other persons using British seaside resorts; and what steps he is taking and what assistance he is giving to the relevant county and municipal authorities to eliminate this danger.

I am advised that this pollution, while unpleasant, presents no danger to health. My right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport is responsible for the enforcement of the Oil in Navigable Waters Act, 1955.

asked the Minister of Health if he will state the dates, causes, and duration of, and the number of people affected by the typhoid outbreaks in Croydon in 1937 and in Harlow, South Shields, and Bedford in

asked the Minister of Health whether he is satisfied that the ambulance services between the outlying villages within the Atherstone rural district and the George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton are adequate in view of the inconvenience of the local bus services; and if he will make a statement.

This is a matter for the Warwickshire County Council which, I understand, is prepared to provide ambulance transport on medical advice if, because public transport is not available, this is needed to enable a patient to attend the hospital in Nuneaton.

asked the Minister of Health to what extent his recent offer to the Central National Health Service Chemist Contractors Committee will mean that the loss to chemists of backpayment, estimated at £1,000,000 in respect of the two years 1962 and 1963, will be compensated for by a future increase next year.

Following are the details:

I am satisfied that the proposals for back payments take account of all relevant considerations and are fair and reasonable. The question of compensation for loss does not therefore arise.

asked the Minister of Health if he will make a statement on the memorandum which he sent to all medical officers of health on 19th June, 1964, warning them to take proctective measures against the danger of human infection from tins of beef imported for human consumption into Great Britain; and if he will state the names of the brands he mentioned in the memorandum.

Following the receipt of information from the Argentina authorities on 22nd June, my Chief Medical Officer confirmed to all medical officers of health, by letter sent on the same day, provisional advice given to some of them that all cans of any brand bearing the identity Establacimiento No. 1819 Argentina should for the time being be withdrawn from sale as a precautionary measure.

asked the Minister of Health, if he is aware that imported tins of beef and foodstuffs from South America and elsewhere have been found in Leith, Edinburgh, Wapping and elsewhere to contain food-poisoning organisms; and, in order to prevent the spread of disease in Britain, if he will appoint a Government inquiry into this problem.

Yes. As I informed the hon. and learned Gentleman in answer to a Question on the 15th June the Government are already reviewing these matters.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will make a further statement on the policy of Her Majesty's Government towards the proposal to establish a World Health Research Centre under the auspices of the World Health Organisation; and what steps he is taking to ensure that it is established in Scotland.

asked the Minister of Health if he will make a further statement on the possibility of establishing a World Health Research Centre in the United Kingdom.

I would refer the hon. Members to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 25th June to the hon. Members for Dunfermline Burghs (Dr. A. Thompson) and Orkney and Shetland (Mr. Grimond). If such a centre were to be established, the claims for locating it in Great Britain would of course be advanced.

asked the Minister of Health what steps he is now taking to encourage hospital authorities to provide accommodation for mothers of sick children in hospitial.

A Building Note on children's wards was published last month. It will be used by all hospital authorities in their planning and it states that provision should always be made for the accommodation of mothers of sick children.

asked the Minister of Health what proportion of district hospitals are equipped to use radio-telephone communication between their accident unit and the scene of serious accidents.

I regret that detailed information is not available centrally; but increasing use is being made of radio-communication in serious accidents.

asked the Minister of Health what progress has been made by his Department in standardising building supplies throughout the hospital service.

I would refer the hon. Member to my hon. Friend's replies of 24th June to my hon. Friend the Member for Bradford, West (Mr. Tiley).

asked the Minister of Health if he will state the reasons why the Eastern Regional Hospital Board over-ruled the unanimous recommendations of the Ipswich Hospital Management Committee regarding the site for the new Ipswich and East Suffolk Hospital.

I understand that, subject to further consultation with Ipswich Borough Council, the Board preferred the advantages of a clear site.

asked the Minister of Health to what extent it is his policy that all district hospitals should have a central sterile supply department.

This is the general policy but local factors have to be taken into account.

asked the Minister of Health on what date the plans and estimates for the new maternity wing in North Staffordshire, originally due to be begun in early 1964, were first completed; at what stage it was decided that a more comprehensive geological survey of the site was necessary; what changes in plans and estimates have resulted from this survey; what is now the ealiest date on which work can begin; and if he will ensure maximum speed in construction in view of the urgent need.

Working drawings were first completed last December and bills of quantities last March; the Board commissioned a geological survey in March, 1961; the working drawings had to be adapted before completion to give stronger foundations and structure and to incorporate engineering precautions against subsidence which increased the original estimate; work should start in the autumn, and my right hon. Friend will see that it proceeds without delay.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will make a statement about the progress being made towards the bringing into use of the Welwyn Garden City Cottage Hospital for the care of elderly persons.

I approved the change to geriatric use in April. The premises will have to be adapted, but the necessary work will be carried out as soon as possible.

asked the Minister of Health what steps he proposes to take to speed up the building of the new hospital at Coventry; and whether he will give permission for an earlier start of Phase II than is at present planned.

Phase I of the new Walsgrave Hospital, costing over £1½ million should be completed next year and Phase II, which will cost some £6 million can start as soon as the necessary planning and the letting of the contract have been completed. That is expected to be early next year.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that the governors of the Cotton Districts Convalescent Fund are dissatisfied with the alternative facilities offered to them in respect of convalescent patients with whom they are concerned; and whether he will now take steps to imple- ment fully the obligation imposed upon him under subsection 4 of Section 6 of the National Health Service Act, 1946, to secure that the objects for which any voluntary hospital property was used immediately before the appointed day are in no way prejudiced by their transfer to him under that section.

Yes, but I do not accept that my right hon. Friend's obligations under the Act have not been fulfilled.

asked the Minister of Health if he will set out in table form the number of patients on the admission waiting list of the Gateshead and District Hospital Management Committee as at 29th February, 1964, for the general surgical, general medical, paediatrics, ear, nose, and throat, gynaecological, orthopaedic, geriatrics, dermatological, and physical medicine departments, together with numbers showing for each department how many have been waiting up to one month, one month to two months, two to four months, four to 12 months, and 12 months and over; to what extent the figures show an increase from the previous three months and the previous 12 months; and what are the reasons for the increases.

I am sending the information to the hon. Member.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that the outside nurses' changing accommodation at the Cumberland Infirmary, Carlisle, is deficient in amount and lacking in adequate convenience; and when it is intended to find the alternative space needed for this section of the hospital staff.

Yes; the Board has yet to decide.

asked the Minister of Health whether it is mandatory for hospital management committees to observe the three days' waiting period without any form of penalisation in cases of employees absent without leave on account of temporary ill-health.

During the first three days of illness hospital staff receive full pay, or the equivalent in pay and national insurance benefit, subject to the sick leave conditions agreed by the Whitley Councils.

asked the Minister of Health what was the maximum salary paid to a senior ophthalmic optician working in the Hospital Eye Service in 1948; and what is its value in terms of 1964 prices and the internal purchasing power of the £ sterling.

The maximum salary paid to a senior ophthalmic optician working in the hospital eye service in 1948 was £1,200. Its value in 1964 assessed on the basis of the Consumer Price Index is £1,902.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give a direction in the public interest to the Egg Marketing Board, under Section 20 of the Agricultural Marketing Act, 1958, to reverse its rejection of the application of the Western Egg Pasteurising Company Limited of Helston, Cornwall, to be one of the firms selected by the Board to buy and process second quality eggs, in view of the fact that the Board rejected the company's application before inspecting the company's plant.

No. The company's complaint has been considered by the Committee of Investigation and it has advised that there are no grounds for the complaint that the Board acted unreasonably in refusing to supply it with second quality eggs.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many appeals have been received regarding the category into which farms have been placed; how many have been successful in claiming grants under the Winter Keep Scheme 1964–66; how many have been refused or withdrawn; and how many are still under consideration in Wales and Monmouthshire and the counties of Brecon and Radnor.

I assume the hon. Member is referring to those farms where some or all of the land has been reclassified for purposes of the payment of hill cow subsidy. As indicated in the Answer I gave him on 27th January, 1964, no land in Radnorshire has been reclassified in this way.170 appeals against reclassification have been received in Wales and Monmouthshire (3 of them from Breconshire). Of these 34 (one in Breconshire) have been refused and 100 (none in Breconshire) are still under consideration. The remaining 36 appeals, including two from Breconshire, were successful wholly or in part. So far 34 of the farms, including one in Breconshire, which were the subject of these appeals have been accepted as eligible units for purposes of the Winter Keep Scheme.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he has taken during the last six months, and plans to take, to protect British fishing grounds and coastal areas from pollution and disease caused by the dumping of barrels of rat poison and other poisonous and deleterious substances in the shallow waters round Great Britain.

I am not aware of any dumping of barrels of rat poison and other deleterious substances in the shallow waters around Great Britain. The rest of the question, therefore, does not arise.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make an examination of the recent agricultural returns, with a view to establishing as soon as possible the present position about blackcurrant acreages; and what advance information he has received from the National Agricultural Advisory Service about the expected trends in grubbing-up in the coming season.

The census results do not normally become available before the end of August, but it may be possible to produce a provisional estimate in a month's time. I have no advance information on growers' intentions to grub up, since few growers will reach a decision before the crop has been picked.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a further statement about his appointment of a technical committee to inquire into conditions in intensive systems of livestock husbandry and its terms of reference.

Yes. I am glad to say that Professor F. W. Rogers Brambell, F.R.S., M.R.I.A., D.Sc, Head of the Department of Zoology at the University College of North Wales, Bangor, has agreed to be Chairman of this Committee. The following have accepted invitations from the Secretary of State for Scotland and myself to serve as members of the Committee:D. S. Barbour, Esq., C.B.E., M.R.C.V.S.— Former Deputy Director, Veterinary Field Services, stationed in Scotland.Lady Barnett, M.B., Ch.B., J.P.Professor T. K. Ewer, H.D.A., B.V.Sc, Ph.D., M.R.C.V.S.—Professor of Animal Husbandry, Bristol University.Alec Hobson, Esq., C.B.E., M.V.O.—Former Secretary, Royal Agricultural Society of England.H. Pitchforth, Esq.—Under Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

The following table brings up to date the corresponding table published in the OFFICIAL REPORT on 3rd July, 1963:Walter R. Smith, Esq.—Regional Director, National Agricultural Advisory Service.Dr. W. H. Thorpe, M.A., Sc.D., F.R.S.— Reader in Animal Behaviour, Cambridge University.F. J. W. Winship, Esq., A.R.I.C.S.—Land Commissioner, Agricultural Land Service.The Committee's terms of reference will be "To examine the conditions in which livestock are kept under systems of intensive husbandry and to advise whether standards ought to be set in the interests of their welfare, and if so what they should be".

asked the Minister of Labour whether he and the Minister of Transport have now completed their consideration of the reports on the accident which took place on the morning of Saturday, 20th June on the North Circular Road near Brent Cross; and whether he will direct a formal investigation under his powers.

Yes. My right hon. Friends have received and studied the preliminary reports for which they called. They have decided that it is desirable for an independent inquiry to be held into all the causes and circumstances of this tragic accident. My right hon. Friend is accordingly arranging for a formal investigation to be held on the causes and circumstances of the accident, under his powers contained in Section 84 of the Factories Act, 1961. These powers are wide enough to allow a full inquiry into all aspects which are matters of public concern, and the court will be asked so to report. I am happy to say that Mr. E. S. Fay, Q.C., has accepted my right hon. Friend's invitation to conduct the inquiry. The inquiry will be held in public and its report will be published.

asked the Minister of Labour what action he is taking as a result of the publication of the Henniker-Heaton Report on Day Release.Mr. Whitelaw: My right hon. Friend is in close touch with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Science about the implementation of the recommendations in the Report.

asked the Minister of Labour if he is aware that the number of industrial accidents is increasing, especially in the building trade, and that many are not recorded; and what steps are being taken to impress upon workmen the importance of reporting every accident arising out of their employment so that proper steps can be taken to ensure greater safety.

The numbers of reported accidents for the last half of 1963 and the first three months of 1964 were considerably higher than in the corresponding periods in 1962. There is, however, reason to believe that these increases may be largely due to the efforts which have been made to improve the standard of accident reporting. In consultation with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance, my right hon. Friend has been conducting a special survey of reporting standards which, we hope, will help us to estimate the extent of any such improvement.

asked the Minister of Labour what was the number of vacancies for boys from engineering firms in Gateshead for the period 1st March to 31st May, 1964; and what was the figure for the same period 12 months earlier.

Between 1st March and 31st May, 1964, 38 vacancies for boys were notified to the Youth Employment Service by engineering firms in Gateshead, compared with 28 during the corresponding period 12 months earlier.

asked the Minister of Labour what percentage of the cost of living index rates, rent, coal, gas, and electricity represent.

Nearly 15 per cent.

asked the Minister of Labour what is the number of boys entering apprenticeships in Gateshead area for the years 1961, 1962, 1963, and 1964; and what percentage these figures represent of the total number of boys registered in that area.

The figures for the Gateshead Youth Employment Office area are as follows:

asked the Minister of Labour if he will state the figures of unemployment in each region at June, 1964, compared with 1951; and what

asked the Minister of Labour how many payments of unemployment benefit and National Assistance grants, respectively, were made for the three-month period ended 31st May, 1964, at the Gateshead Youth Employment Bureau; and what was the amount in each case.

Figures for young persons under age 18 registered as unemployed at the Gateshead Youth Employment Office are as follows:

asked the Minister of Labour what progress he has made in setting up the Iron and Steel Industry Training Board.

My right hon. Friend made the Order setting up the Board

The following table gives the information for the area covered by the existing regions.on 24th June. It will be laid on 2nd July, and become effective on 3rd July. The Board will hold its first meeting on Thursday, 23rd July.The following have accepted my right hon. Friend's invitation to become members of the Board:

asked the Minister of Labour if he will give, for each year from 1951 to 1963 inclusive, the number of men employed in the construction and civil engineering industry in Scotland.

The following table gives the information:

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will make a statement about the safety of British missionaries and other British subjects in disturbed provinces of the Congo.

We are, of course, concerned about the safety of British missionaries and other British subjects in the Congo. The area principally affected is in the vicinity of Albertville in North Katanga, where the Congolese National Army are opposing the activities of Jeunesse rebels. So far we have no indication that any British subject has been harmed. With the exception of two missionaries, who are reported to have moved from Albertville into Tanganyika, the missionaries in this area appear to have remained at their stations. In central Kivu, one British missionary with the Swedish mission at Lemera has been evacuated to Bukavu and is reported safe.Her Majesty's Consul at Elisabethville recently visited Albertville to investigate the situation personally. He was, however, unable to reach the town from the airport. Her Majesty's Ambassador at Leopoldville has also visited Elisabethville to investigate. Our representatives are watching the situation closely and are doing all they can.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, in view of the threat to peace, he will make a statement on the present situation on the borders of Indonesia and Malaysia, following recent Indonesian aggression on Malaysian territory.

As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence told the House on 22nd June, Indonesian guerrilla operations against Malaysia have continued and even increased, in spite of Malaysian and Philippine attempts to reach a political settlement.We shall continue to give every assistance to the Malaysian Government necessary to enable their security forces, supported by our troops, to repulse these Indonesian incursions.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will ask for an assurance through the United Nations that the activities of General Grivas in Cyprus are directed solely to conciliation and will not promote a situation in which the position of British troops serving in the United Nations contingent is likely to be prejudiced.

As my right hon. Friend the Commonwealth Secretary said in the House on 25th June, we have made it clear that we expect the Cypriot authorities and the Secretary General of the United Nations to take all possible steps to ensure that our troops are treated with proper respect and courtesy. I have no comment to make at present on General Grivas's movements.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works whether he will schedule the tithe barn at Grange Farm, Coggeshall, as an ancient monument.

This barn is listed by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Housing and Local Government as a building of special architectural or historic interest. I am not clear what additional protection scheduling would afford, but I am causing inquiries to be made.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works if he will make a further statement on the use of shipyards for the purpose of manufacturing building components.

As my right hon. Friend told the hon. Member for Glasgow, Craigton (Mr. Millan) on 18th February, a number of shipyards have entered the building field to a modest extent; one subsidiary company is exhibiting a prefabricated house at the current Industrialised Building Systems and Components Exhibition. The Shipyard Enquiry Offices are still ready to give advice on diversification, but the initiative must rest with the yards themselves.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works if, following his recent statement, he will list the industrial monuments which he has scheduled for preservation.

The list below is not complete as it would not be possible, without an undue amount of research, to identify all the industrial monuments in question, but the following are among those of the period of the Industrial Revolution and later which are protected under the Ancient Monuments Acts:—Iron furnace S. W. of Clydach House, Llanelly, Brecknockshire.Hirwaun Iron Works (site of), Penderyn, Brecknockshire.Marple Aqueduct, Cheshire.Old Know's Lime Kiln, Marple, Cheshire.Duddon Furnace, Millom Without, Cumberland.Pont-Cysyllte Aqueduct, Llangollen, Denbighshire.Glaze Meet blowinghouse (Tinner's Foundry), Ugborough, Devon.Haytor Granite Railway, Ilsington, Devon.Causey Arch, Tanfield, Durham.Remains of iron furnace at Cwmaman, Aberdare, Glamorgan.Remains of iron furnace near Angelton, Coity Higher, Glamorgan.Mortimer's Cross water mill, Lucton, Herefordshire.Old Malt Houses and Kiln, High Street, Stevenage, Hertfordshire.The Malting (Kiln), St. Neot's, Huntingdonshire.Berney Arms Drainage Mill, Reedham, Norfolk.Canal Aqueduct, Longdon upon Tern and Rodington, Shropshire.Ironbridge Bridge, Madeley, Shropshire.Site of 18th-century pottery at Longton Hall, Stoke-on-Trent.Green Mill, Saxtead, Suffolk.Chatley Semaphore Tower, Cobham, Surrey.Earthworks of Surrey Iron Railway, Mers-tham and Coulsdon, Surrey.Dundas Aqueduct, Winsley, Wiltshire.The Forge Mill, Redditch, Worcestershire.Top Forge, Wortley Ironworks, Hunshelf, Yorkshire.The Glassworks Cone, Catcliffe, Yorkshire.In addition, a number of buildings of this kind are among those of special architectural or historic interest listed by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Housing and Local Government.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works whether he has now reached agreement with the Croydon Borough Council on a joint scheme for the provision of a combined courts building in Croydon; and if he will make a statement.

Yes, we have now reached agreement on terms. We shall be paying for the county court portion of the building and an agreed share of common space plus an appropriate contribution covering the value of the site.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what was the percentage increase in the average cost of building materials between 1945 and 1951 compared with the period since 1951.

Between December, 1945 and October, 1951 the increase was over 65 per cent. Between October, 1951 and May, 1964 the increase was 25 per cent.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works whether he will investigate the possibility of re-negotiating the rental paid to a Lichfield constituent, details of which he has been sent, and in the matter of a lease first negotiated in 1940 and now alleged by the district surveyor not to be capable of re-negotiation, owing to an oversight on the part of the constituent, before June, 1971.

The lease in question is for 21 years from June, 1950, with provision for a break at the fourteenth year on condition that six months' previous notice is given. No such notice was given and there can therefore be no legal grounds for varying the terms of the rent which was in fact freely negotiated in 1950. I will make inquiries to see whether there are any crcumstances which would justify me in making an exception in this case, although on the facts so far reported this seems unlikely.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs how many grants towards the cost of carrying out works of improvement on derelict land under the provisions of the Local Employment Act, 1960, have been made to Welsh local authorities; and what is the amount involved.

Three. Total grant allocated was £8,800.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he is aware that some local authorities are refusing rating relief to those who are eligible for National Assistance but are not receiving it, and are directing such people to seek relief from the National Assistance Board; and if he will issue a new circular on the subject.

The relief which a local authority can grant is limited to the excess of the current year's rates over the rates payable in 1962–63. Where a local authority think it likely that an applicant for relief could get more help from the Board than they are able to give, the sensible course seems to be for them to let him know this. My right hon. Friend has however already told local authorities that if they decide that they, rather than the Board, should relieve hardship he for his part would have no objection. He does not think that a further circular is needed.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what advice his Department gave to the Kent County Council about the cost of camp sites for gipsies; and whether he has approved loan sanction for £9,000 for the camp site at Stilebridge.

My right hon. Friend has given no advice to the Kent County Council on this matter. He has told the Maidstone Rural District Council that he will give loan sanction for site works needed to establish a site for itinerants at Stilebridge Lane, Marden.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether, in accord with the recommendation of paragraph 13 of Circular 21/61 issued by his Department, he will arrange for a plan with details and measurements of the Welwyn Garden City Development Corporation proposal for an underground car park in the Campus, Welwyn Garden City, to be made available to the public.

I believe that this proposal has already had a great deal of publicity, and a model is available for inspection at the Development Corporation offices.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs by what percentage increase, based on an index of 100, the costs of rent and rates, respectively, have risen since January 1959 to June 1964.

Taking the average rate payment per house in England and Wales in the year 1958–59 as 100, the corresponding figure for the year 1963–64 was 139·4. My right hon. Friend has no comparable figures for rents, but the retail prices index contains figures for housing costs (that is rents, rates and other housing charges in the United Kingdom). Taking the 1959 monthly average as 100, the corresponding figure for May, 1964, was 125·5.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs how many houses have been modernised with the aid of grants in the Boroughs of Batley and Morley, respectively, in the last five years.

501 houses in Batley and 396 houses in Morley have been modernised with the aid of grant in the 5 years ending 31st May, 1964.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will explain the distinction in the categories, hospital patients suffering from tuberculosis, and patients with tuberculosis admitted to hospital, as used by his Department for statistical purposes.

In reply to a recent Question asking how many hospital patients in Scotland were suffering from tuberculosis during certain years my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State stated the numbers of hospital beds occupied by such patients during those years. This appeared to be an appropriate measure of the incidence of the disease over the whole year. The figures were smaller than those of patients with tuberculosis admitted to hospital each year, which I had given in an earlier reply, because the average stay is less than a year.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will given an assurance that, in the event of weaknesses in the measures for the prevention and control of other epidemics, particularly those affecting the countryside such as foot-and-mouth disease, becoming apparent during the course of the Aberdeen typhoid inquiry, immediate action will be taken to correct them.

The arrangements necessary for the prevention and control of epidemic diseases are well understood, but if the Aberdeen typhoid inquiry should reveal any deficiencies the Government and the local authorities concerned would certainly wish to take immediate steps to review these arrangements.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the total capital expenditure in each category of educational buildings in each year from 1951 to the latest available date; if he will state these totals in terms of 1951 prices; and, in relation to primary and secondary school buildings, respectively, if he will state the number of school places provided and the average cost of each school place.

The information requested in the first part of the Question is given in the table below. The total numbers of primary and secondary places (i.e. the approved capacities of the instructional rooms) provided in the period were 277,727 and 218,195 respectively. Information as to the average cost of these places is not readily available. The cost per pupil provided for in a sample of schools completed in 1963 was

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will state the actual increase and the percentage increase of full-time students and part-time students in all and in each technical college in Scotland since 1959.

Between 1959 and 1963 the number of full-time students in further education establishments increased by 4,197 or 34·8 per cent. and the number of part-time students by 38,599 or 15.6 per cent. I shall send the detailed particulars to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many houses have been completed so far this year; how many of these are built by or for public authorities; and how many are for private owners.

At the end of May about 13,800 houses had been completed this year by all agencies, of which about 11,100 were built for public authorities and 2,700 for private owners.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will reconsider his decision in regard to a grant for the Church of Scotland Youth Leadership Training and Conference Centre at Carberry Tower.

I would refer the right hon. Member to the Answer given to the hon. Member for Lanarkshire, North (Miss Herbison) on 24th June.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the total number of divorce cases heard in the Court of Session in each of the last 10 years; and how many were undefended.

The information is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many teachers have been recruited under the Special Recruitment Scheme in each year since its inception; and how many of these have been ordinary, and honours graduates, respectively; and what plans he has for intensifying publicity in respect of this scheme.

The following table gives details of recruitment under the Special Recruitment Scheme. I consider that the present publicity arrangements for the scheme are adequate.