asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations and the Colonies what is to be the future policy of Her Majesty's Government with regard to United Nations' inquiries into the internal affairs of Southern Rhodesia.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Wednesbury (Mr. Stonehouse) on 14th July.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations and the Colonies what discussions he has had with President Nyerere on the position of British officials and businessmen still resident in Zanzibar.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations and the Colonies how much money has so far been paid to the former Sultan of Zanzibar by interest or out of the original £100,000 grant agreed by Her Majesty's Government for the assistance of the Sultan.

£10,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations and the Colonies what plans are now being considered to promote closer common Commonwealth assistance in respect of educational, health and other services.

As the hon. Member is aware, the Commonwealth Prime Ministers, at their recent meeting, endorsed a number of proposals for closer assistance in respect of educational, health and other services, and directed officials of their Governments to examine these proposals further.The progress made by officials will be reviewed at the Commonwealth Education Conference in August and the Commonwealth Economic Consultative Council in September.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations and the Colonies what facilities are provided by the United Kingdom Government in Australia, New Zealand and Canada for advice and assistance to British migrants in respect of securing adequate accommodation for them and when urgently desired for them to return to this country.

Since accommodation for British migrants in the receiving countries is entirely a matter for the Governments of those countries, the British High Commissions will, if their advice is sought, normally refer migrants to the appropriate authority in the receiving country. Should it prove necessary for a British migrant to return urgently to this country and should he be unable to obtain assistance from the Commonwealth Government concerned, or from any other source, the High Commission may, in exceptional circumstances, pay for his repatriation. Normally a person so assisted would be expected to repay the cost of the passage to the British Government.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations and the Colonies what are the names and status of the two representatives from the Gibraltar Legislative Council who attended meetings of the United Nations Commission on Colonialism in order to resist a motion tabled by the Spanish Government aimed at removing British control over Gibraltar; and who bore the expenses for attendance at this Commission.

Sir Joshua Hassan, the Chief Member of the Legislative Council, and Mr. P. J. Isola appeared before the United Nations Special Committee on Colonialism last September in order to express the views of the people of Gibraltar.The expenses of the visit were borne by the Gibraltar Government.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations and the Colonies what was the total population, at the time of their independence of British Colonies in Africa to which independence has been granted since 1945.

65·1 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations and the Colonies what progress is being made with the extension to Pearls Airport in Grenada.

A Colonial Development and Welfare grant of £58,333 was approved in June to extend the paved runway at Pearls Airport by about 1,200 feet. It is hoped that work will start shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations and the Colonies what were the results of the recent general election in Swaziland.

Of the 12 national roll seats, 10 were won by the Imbokodo Party and 2 by the United Swaziland Association, who also won the 4 European roll seats. In addition 8 members have been elected in accordance with Swazi traditional methods.

asked the Attorney-General what study has now been made by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the report on bribery in professional football; what action he intends to take; and if he will make a statement.

Consideration of the police report has now been completed and the Director of Public Prosecutions has decided to institute proceedings against 10 persons on charges of conspiracy to defraud.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what degree of discretion will be given to customs officers in connection with the new legislation to permit them to allow foreign tourists to bring in with them small quantities of amphetamine drugs which may have been prescribed for them by qualified doctors in their own countries.

No directions can be given to Customs officers until the Bill becomes law, but at the appropriate time they will be given adequate discretion to meet the legitimate needs of travellers.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government as regards the implementation of freely negotiated trade union agreements and arbitration awards as concerns Government servants.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave on 5th May, 1964, to the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, West (Dr. Bray).

asked the Secretary to the Treasury when the general index of the bound volumes of HANSARD for Session 1962–63 will be available.

The General Index for the Session 1962–63 was published on 16th July, 1964.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will ask the National Economic Development Council to consider the implications of 5 per cent. and 6 per cent. rates of economic growth in addition to its work on a 4 per cent. rate, so that Parliament can assess the policies and priorities needed on each of these assumptions.

No. The Council decided that 4 per cent. should be the basis of the preliminary inquiry, the Director General being free to explore variations without being committed to specific figures.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in light of his policy encouraging National Savings, he will raise the tax-free ceiling of interest from such savings to a considerably higher figure than the present £15.

No.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total cost to the Exchequer in the last financial year of granting tax reliefs to people buying their own homes on mortgages; and how many people were granted such reliefs.

Between £80 million and £100 million and about 4 million people.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he will make inquiries into the need of providing telephone kiosks for travellers on the new Heads of the Valley road, between Gilwern and Brynmawr, Breconshire. for use in an emergency or for other purposes.

I am making inquiries into this case and will write to the hon. Member as soon as I can.

asked the Postmaster-General what planning and what consultations have begun to ensure that telephone facilities will be expanded to keep pace with domestic and commercial expansion in the new town of Redditch.

The provision of more cables and exchange equipment in the Redditch area is being planned to take account of the expansion expected during the next 15 years. There have been frequent consultations with the urban district council and there will be further consultations with the new town corporation.

asked the Postmaster-General when discussions will start between his Department and the new town corporation to ensure that the new town of Redditch is adequately served with post offices, sub-post offices, post-boxes and postal deliveries.

There have already been informal local contacts. We shall have further and more extensive discussions with the development corporation just as soon as its representatives are ready.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware of the importance of promoting the sale of British books abroad; by how much he has increased the overseas postal rates on books; and what were the reasons for this change.

Yes. The postage on books sent overseas was last increased on 1st July, 1963, from l½d. for the first 2 oz. and 1d. for each additional 2 oz., to 2d. for the first 2 oz. and l½d. for each additional 2 oz. This increase was made in order to reduce the loss on the particular service concerned which even now is still incurring a deficit of £600,000 per annum.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will give in column form the average weekly earnings, including overtime, of three representative grades of Post Office workers for each year since and including 1951; what effect his recent offer of wage increase would have upon the latest earnings; and if he will make a statement.

Below is a table of estimated average weekly earnings, including overtime, of three of the largest grades: postmen, telephonists and technicians IIA. These are monetary earnings: they do not include fringe benefits.My recent offer affects only postmen and the smaller grade of postmen higher grade. It would have the effect of increasing the average earnings of those grades in 1964 by 4 per cent. immediately, to which would be added any further increase shown to be justified by the special pay research survey I have proposed.

ESTIMATED AVERAGE WEEKLY EARNINGS INCLUDING OVERTIME
—	Postman			Telephonist			Technician IIA
	£	s.	d.	£	s.	d.	£	s.	d.
1951	6	15	2	5	6	9	6	17	8
1952	7	15	6	5	19	6	8	4	2
1953	8	1	8	6	6	9	8	13	3
1954	8	7	3	6	13	6	8	15	0
1955	9	6	5	7	5	2	9	14	10
1956	10	14	8	8	0	5	11	3	7
1957	11	14	6	8	2	1	11	5	7
1958	11	12	8	9	0	5	11	18	4
1959	12	0	10	9	7	10	12	9	6
1960	12	1	8	9	8	5	12	14	1
1961	12	15	5	10	2	6	13	16	10
1962	13	19	6	10	12	1	14	2	5
1963	14	13	7	11	11	4	15	7	2
1964 (to date)	14	14	10	11	12	11	15	18	7

asked the Postmaster-General what steps he is taking, by expediting the postal packages concerned, to ensure that those who receive their pensions by post do not suffer as a consequence of postal delay.

I am very sorry for anyone who is suffering as a result of industrial action by certain sections of our staff. We are doing all we can to keep delays in the post to a minimum, but I cannot make special arrangements for pension documents.

asked the Postmaster-General what is the number of Telex instruments installed in Belfast in each of the last five years; and how many applications are still outstanding.

The figures for the years ending 31st March are as follows:

1960	…	…	…	14
1961	…	…	…	25
1962	…	…	…	26
1963	…	…	…	18
1964	…	…	…	22

At 30th June, 1964, there were three applications in hand. These were all made during June, and are in course of provision.

asked the Postmaster-General how many contracts for equipment required by his Department were placed in Wales in 1963; how many people were employed on these contracts; and what were, in £ sterling, the value of these contracts and the total expenditure on equipment in 1963 by his Department.

In the year 1963–64 109 Post Office contracts for equipment were placed with firms in Wales. I am sorry that I cannot say how many people were employed on them. Their total value was £1,649,000 and the value of all the Post Office orders for equipment placed in the same period was £102·6 million. Over and above the 109 contracts mentioned the manufacture of Post Office equipment to the value of more than £700,000 was entrusted to factories in Wales as a result of orders placed with firms elsewhere.

asked the Postmaster-General if he is aware of the poor television reception in West Dorset, particularly during the summer when the weather is good; and if he has approved the building of a relay station in this area.

I understand that, in recent weeks, reception of B.B.C. television in West Dorset has suffered from interference of varying intensity in different parts of the area. The answer to the second part of the Question is: No. Summertime interference with B.B.C. television is severe in many parts of the country and the B.B.C. has to give priority, in planning relay stations, to the areas most affected.

asked the Postmaster-General what decisions he has now reached with regard to enabling the broadcasting authorities to give radio and television facilities to smaller political parties, including Plaid Cymru and the Scottish Nationalist Party; and if he will make a statement.

The arrangements governing party political broadcasting are a matter for agreement between the leading political parties and the broadcasting authorities.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he has now issued all the licences for the pay-television experiments; whether final agreements have been concluded regarding the use of relatively new films; when he expects the experiments to start, specifying the estimated starting dates of the companies and their respective areas; and if he will make a statement.

There are many arrangements to be made in starting the pay-television experiments, including the production of equipment and, in some cases, the provision of a wire network, and the degree of readiness varies from company to company. I am not yet in a position to give a final list of the areas. Licences will be issued area by area as soon as possible.Pay-television could start in one area at the beginning of 1965, but it seems unlikely that service in other areas will start much before September of next year.The detailed text of the conditions for the showing of cinema films is not yet in its final form.

asked the Postmaster-General if he is aware of the use being made of Radio Caroline by the police for advertising purposes; and what steps he is taking to discourage the use of such broadcasts by the police and other public organisations.

We understand that the broadcasts referred to were privately commissioned by the Southend Police Recreation and Social Club to advertise a sports meeting of the Police Athletic Association. As regards the second part of the hon. Member's Question, my right hon. Friend is sure that police and public organisations generally are well aware of the objections to making use, for official advertising purposes, of unauthorised broadcasting stations.

asked the Postmaster-General what action he will now take against the transmitting station at present operating from Crown property in the Thames estuary.

I have nothing to add to the Answer which I gave to a similar Question on 14th July.

asked the Postmaster-General when the Band III station in East Lincolnshire will be completed; and to what degree its completion is expected to improve television reception in the Hull area.

The B.B.C. and the I.T.A. hope to have their Band III television stations at Belmont, Lincolnshire, ready for service by about the end of next year. There is a reasonable expectation that the new stations will give markedly improved reception in the Hull area.

asked the Minister of of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if, in view of the failure of objectors to appear at the public inquiry into the Leopold Street Compulsory Purchase Order in the County Borough of Gateshead, he will give an immediate decision to enable the local authority to proceed with the rehousing of the residents in this area.

My decision on this Order and on the council's application for costs will be issued as soon as possible after I receive the inspector's report on the inquiry and on the condition of the houses affected.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what is the estimated cost to the local authority and his Department of the public inquiry into the Leopold Street Compulsory Purchase Order in the County Borough of Gateshead, held on 9th July, 1964.

So far as my Department is concerned, the only part of the cost separately assessed is that represented by the inspector's time and expenses and this will not be known until after her report has been completed. I have no information about the local authority's costs.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what action he proposes to take on representations made by the County Borough of Gateshead for costs incurred by them due to the non-appearance of objectors at the public inquiry held at Gateshead Town Hall on Wednesday, 9th July, concerning the Leopold Street Compulsory Purchase Order.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given by me today.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what consideration he is giving to introducing legislation to safeguard local authorities against costs incurred arising from objections to compulsory purchase orders which are not pursued by the objectors at the inquiry.

None. Existing legislation enables costs to be awarded if the circumstances warrant it.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he will publish a list setting out the financial contribution to be made this year to each of the county councils and county borough councils in Wales; what were the comparable figures for 1951; and what are the percentage charges in each case.

Information about the total of Government grants for the current year is not yet available and I cannot therefore make the desired comparisons.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what is the total financial contribution to be made this year to local authorities in England and Wales, respectively; what were the comparable figures in 1951; and what is the estimated percentage increase.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given by me earlier today.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what action he proposes to take in order to ensure the preservation of the historic centres of older towns.

This is a matter which I have very much in mind.Satisfactory procedures for ensuring the preservation of buildings of merit whether singly or in groups are already well established. If however our older towns are to continue to be good places for their citizens to live in, change to meet modern needs is as essential as the conservation of the best of the past.The problem is to ensure that the necessary changes are made in harmony with the scale and character of the fine streets and areas which have come down to us from the past. It is essential that the individuality and urbanity of these towns be preserved.I and my colleague, the Minister of Transport, have already called attention to this in planning bulletins. But I believe that further and more detailed advice would be helpful to all concerned with this important and difficult question of preserving the quality of our environment. I have therefore had work started on the preparation of a publication which will deal specifically with our ancient towns and the historic areas which survive in other towns. I intend that there should be detailed studies of about a dozen selected towns and areas ranging from places where the heart of the town still substantially consists of historic buildings to towns where there are still one or two streets of character. These will illustrate by example the qualities and types of areas which need preservation and will also, I hope, suggest how modern needs can best be reconciled with the retention of these qualities.Among the objects of the studies will be the extent to which special standards should be applied in historic areas and the means by which the effect of proposed new development on the existing character can be adequately assessed.My Advisory Committee on Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, under the Chairmanship of Sir William Holford, will be closely associated with this work.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what study he has made of the request made in July, 1963, to him by the Metropolitan Boroughs' Standing Joint Committee to deal with the problems which will arise when tenants, whose dwellings have been released, will on 1st April, 1965, lose the protection afforded to them under Section 4 of the Requisitioned Houses and Housing (Amendment) Act, 1955; and whether, in view of the need for such tenants to be informed as quickly as possible of the position they may find themselves in when the properties are decontrolled, he will make a statement.

I hope to be able to make my views known on this complicated issue shortly.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs how many older houses in West Suffolk were reconditioned or improved with the aid of Government grants in each year since the war; and how much his Department spent in doing this.

The table below shows the number of houses in West Suffolk approved under the schemes of discretionary and standard grants.

Year			Number of Dwellings
Up to December, 1957*	…	…	975
1958	…	…	189
1959	…	…	515
1960	…	…	1,192
1961	…	…	824
1962	…	…	862
1963	…	…	892
* Separate figures not available for years prior to 1958.

From July, 1956—figures are not available for earlier periods—to the end of 1963 grants to private owners amounted to £638,202. The Exchequer contributes annually for 20 years, a sum equal to three-quarters of the annual charges incurred by local authorities in raising loans to meet the cost of making grants. Payments from the Exchequer to local authorities in respect of improvements to their own houses totalled £27,795.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he is aware of the dissatisfaction of the urban district councils of South Wales with the negative form of tests for the determination of housing that is unfit for human habitation; and if he will take steps to improve the situation.

I am not aware of any general dissatisfaction among these local authorities, nor have I any reason to suppose that the present arrangements impede slum clearance.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether he is aware that, due to the lack of building land in West Ham, many residents are compelled to move out to areas such as Ilford, Hornchurch, Wanstead and Woodford, and Chigwell to obtain housing; why these councils have only built 122, 14, 62, and 52 council houses, respectively, during the year 1963 compared with 248, 344, 135, and 112 respectively, in the year 1951; and whether he will take action to enable these councils to build more council dwellings.

My right hon. Friend is aware of the present lack of building land in West Ham. Apart from voluntary movement outwards, for which no detailed figures are available, 1,445 families have moved to new towns and other families to the 561 dwellings provided by the council at Dagenham and Stanford-le-Hope.The building record of the four authorities named reflects their success in dealing with slum clearance and the other priority categories on which local authorities' housing efforts have been concentrated. It is misleading simply to compare figures of dwellings built by local authorities for two arbitrarily selected years and to ignore private enterprise building. Up to the end of 1963 the total number of new dwellings provided since the war in Ilford, Horn-church, Wanstead and Woodford and Chigwell amounts to 6,515, 15,118, 3,723, and 4,692 respectively.My right hon. Friend has already made it clear that he will give as much encouragement as he can to the building of more accommodation for Londoners.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs (1) how many professional and scientific workers, respectively, are employed full time in the departments administered by him as Minister for Welsh Affairs; and how these totals compare in percentages with similar departments dealing with England;(2) how many economists are employed as full-time staff in the various departments administered by him as Minister for Welsh Affairs.

In the Welsh Office there are 37 professional staff, including two with qualifications in economics. No members of the Scientific Class are employed in the Office.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will state the policy of Her Majesty's Government on the supply of missiles, naval vessels, and plans for naval vessels to Commonwealth countries.

Applications from Commonwealth countries for these and other arms are dealt with in accordance with the principles governing arms exports—that is, they are considered in the light of the political, strategic and economic implications of each individual case. Naturally, requests from Commonwealth countries receive especially sympathetic consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many workmen are now employed in operating the floating dock in Malta; what is the average number of men engaged in repairs on vessels using this dock; and what steps are being taken to absorb them in the dockyard without displacing other workmen.

The crew employed by the Navy Department, which operates the floating dock, consists of five civilian officers and four chargemen who are United Kingdom based, and 76 Maltese chargemen and workmen.The average number of Malta Dry Dock employees engaged in repairing ships using the dock is about 200, whom I understand the firm will continue to employ when their new graving dock replaces the floating dock.As the whole Naval Base at Malta is being reduced, the disposal of the floating dock will inevitably mean a corresponding reduction in the number employed, but those discharged as redundant will not necessarily be the men employed on the dock owing to the operation of the redundancy rules and the prior rights of established men.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many defence contracts were placed in Wales in 1963; what were the amounts of this and of national defence expenditure, respectively, in terms of £ sterling; what was the number of people employed in these contracts; and what percentage this figure represents of the total number of people employed nationally on defence contracts.

A total of 1,708 defence contracts were placed in Wales in the year 1963–64 to the value of about

DATES ON WHICH FIRING NOTICES WERE NOT IN OPERATION
Range		April	May	June	July
Willsworthy	…	21	1–7, 10, 14–18, 21,22	6,7,11, 12,14–18, 21, 28, 29	1,2,9, 12, 18–21
Oakhampton	…	3–6, 8, 10–12,18,22,23,25–29	1–10, 14–18,20–25,27,29–31	1–7, 13–15, 17–21,23–28	1–5, 10–12, 18–21
Merrivale	…	1–5, 10–12, 14, 15,16,18,19,25,26	1–10, 14–18, 23, 24, 30, 31	6, 7, 12, 13–18, 20–22, 27, 28	1–5, 10–12, 18–20
Rippon Tor	…	1–4, 11–30	1,2,7, 11, 13, 14–22, 26–29	1,3,4,6, 14, 20, 21,27–30	10, 11, 13–17, 18–21

In accordance with usual practice, firing notices for the period from now until the end of September will be notified in the local Press in the uesual way.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many persons are employed in the Public Relations Office serving defence establishments in the Dartmoor National Park; what are their ranks; what is the annual cost of entertainment items; what has been the annual cost of the office in each of the last three years, including salaries and wages; and what is the estimated total cost for 1964–65.

Defence establishments on Dartmoor are among those administered by Headquarters 43 (Wessex) Division/District at Taunton. This head £11 million out of a total for defence contracts of about £900 million. I regret that figures showing the number of people employed on these contracts is not available but in May, 1964, 357,000 employees in manufacturing industry were engaged on defence contract work of which 11,500 were employed in Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the dates when firing notices have not been in operation since 1st April, 1964, in the Dartmoor National Park, and the dates when such firing notices will not be in operation between now and 30th September next.

The following is the information:quarters includes a public relations office staffed by one civilian information officer and one civilian typist, and was opened on 1st April, 1964. The annual entertainment allowance of the office is £16.As the office is part of Headquarters 43 (Wessex) Division/District, it is not possible without undue time and effort to produce a full costing of the office, but for salaries, wages and entertainment only, the cost in 1963–64 was £1,810, and on the same basis the estimated cost for 1964–65 is £1,955.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will take steps to remove the broadcasters who are at present operating from a military fort in the Thames estuary.

No; not at present.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what recent discussions have taken place with the Spanish Government about the adhesion of Spain to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government regarding the claim by Spain to Gibraltar.

Her Majesty's Government have at no time admitted the Spanish claim to Gibraltar. This remains our policy.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what arms Her Majesty's Government are currently supplying to Egypt.

It is not Her Majesty's Government's practice to disclose details of defence equipment supplied to other countries.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development what estimate he has made of the number of British tourists who go to Egypt each year.

None. Information of this kind is not available for Egypt.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development, in view of the facts that a private industrial consultant in London purchased 105 acres of land at Low Willington, Co. Durham, which were designated for industrial use, that negotiations have been proceeding between the county council and the local authority for part industrial development, and that this land has stood vacant for two years and no progress has been made in layout or otherwise, whether he will inquire into this matter; and what applications for an industrial development certificate have now been received for this site.

My right hon. Friend is aware of the facts of this case. It is a matter for the local authorities concerned. There has been no application for an industrial development certificate to erect a factory on the site.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will introduce legislation to make it obligatory for drivers of road vehicles to be in possession of an insurance policy covering passenger liability.

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Leeds, West (Mr. C. Pannell) on 20th July.

asked the Minister of Transport what progress has been made with the drafting of amendments to Statutory Instrument No. 2126 dealing with the conditions under which mechanical vehicles may be used for the maintenance of footpaths; and when it is expected that amending regulations will be ready.

Amendments to this Statutory Instrument have been drafted and will be circulated to interested organisations for comment shortly.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will invite the City of Leeds to become a guinea pig area in terms of the Buchanan Report and outside the normal grant structure, as a practical example of urban renewal to meet the needs of the motor age.

No. This proposal does not take sufficient account of the necessary time-scale of urban renewal, or of the need for private as well as public investment in redevelopment. Practical examples of planning on Buchanan lines will begin to appear sooner than could be achieved by trying to force through a programme of redevelopment in one or more selected places.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a table showing expenditure and mileages, where appropriate, in each year in the last 10 years on trunk roads and other roads in England and Wales, Kent and the Maidstone constituency, embracing the Borough of Maidstone and the rural districts of Maidstone and Hollingbourne.

The following table shows the total expenditure from central and local government funds on new construction, major improvement, maintenance and minor improvement of motorways and trunk roads and of classified roads, respectively, in England and Wales during the 10 year period ending on 31st March, 1963, and the total mileages of each of the two categories in those years. Complete figures for 1963–64 are not yet available.

ENGLAND AND WALES
Year		Motorways and Trunk Roads		Classified Roads
		Expenditure	Total Mileage	Expenditure	Total Mileage
		£m.		£m.
1953–54	…	8·4	6,321	36·3	82,624
1954–55	…	9·8	6,321	40·2	83,483
1955–56	…	11·3	6,321	44·4	84,181
1956–57	…	15·7	6,322	47·9	84,975
1957–58	…	19·4	6,360	53·2	85,823
1958–59	…	38·2	6,380	58·7	86,787
1959–60	…	46·1	6,387	64·0	87,592
1960–61	…	41·9	6,492	68·6	88,401
1961–62	…	50·0	6,522	78·2	89,257
1962–63	…	72·4	6,538	80·3	90,011

asked the Minister of Transport if he will call for a report from his regional officers on the narrow approach at Witton-le-Wear, County Durham, on the A.68; and what action he proposes to take to improve this part of the road.

I am aware of the conditions at Witton-le-Wear. A by-pass of the village is planned. The scheme is not in the road programme but it will be considered for inclusion as soon as funds permit.

asked the Minister of Transport if he is aware of the recent fatal accident to children in a school bus in Weardale and the increase in heavy road traffic on country lanes in this area; and what action he will take to divert this traffic from these roads.

I understand that this regrettable accident is the subject of legal proceedings. I am sure that the hon. Member's suggestion about diversion of traffic will be carefully considered by the Durham County Council, which is responsible for regulation of traffic on roads in Weardale.

asked the Minister of Transport what was the total amount provided by way of loan or grant to provide for the losses of British Railways since nationalisation took place.

Advances made to the British Transport Commission by the Government towards its revenue deficits for the years 1948 to 1962 inclusive comprised £302 million loans and £392 million grants. Since 1st January, 1963, £194 million grants have been made to the British Railways Board on account of deficits for the years 1963 and 1964 to date.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works if he will invite a team of architects from a local authority experienced in reconversion of old property to survey the public and private accommodation in the Palace of Westminster, with a view to bringing more rooms into use so as to provide more individual offices for Members of the House of Commons.

No.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what increase there has been since 1st April, 1963, in the construction work for which his Department is responsible; and what increase there has been in the non-industrial staff requirements of his Department to take account of this additional work.

The construction work for which my Department is responsible increased by over £17 million between 1963–64 and 1964–65 without any increase in the non-industrial staff requirements for this work. This excludes a further £1 million of construction work for the Royal Ordnance factories transferred to my Department on 1st April, 1964, together with the associated staff.The estimated non-industrial staff requirements for my Department on 1st April, 1964, as shown in the Appendix to the 1964–65 Estimate for Class IX Vote 1, represented an increase of 201 posts over the comparable figure given in the Estimate for 1963–64. This increase is, however, more than accounted for by the expansion of the Directorate General of Research and Development to cope with the Ministry's new activities in this field, and by the transfer to the Ministry on 1st April, 1964, of the staff engaged on the work for the Royal Ordnance Factories, which together accounted for 309 extra posts.These 309 extra posts were partially offset by savings of 108 posts elsewhere in the Ministry. Furthermore, I did not take advantage of an increase in complement of 218 posts allowed for in the 1963–64 Estimates and, as shown in the current year's Estimate, I intend to achieve a further reduction of 50 posts by March, 1965.Total planned staff economies since 1st April, 1963, therefore, amount to 376 posts despite an increase in the load of work of over £17 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what current proposals there are for new medical schools attached to universities; how many of these have been accepted; and what proposal has been made for a medical school at the University of Hull.

The Government have accepted that there is a requirement for a new medical school and the establishment of such a school has been proposed by nine universities, including the University of Hull, which wrote to the University Grants Committee last year. The Government hope to make a statement very shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science why no special funds are allocated to research into the disease of transmissible gastroenteritis in pigs; and whether he will reconsider this position in view of the high incidence of this disease in certain areas of England.

In addition to the research on this condition at the Central Veterinary Laboratory, Weybridge, which is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, and which has recently been intensified, studies of enteritis of pigs generally are being undertaken at the Agricultural Research Council's Institute for Research on Animal Diseases, Compton, and are being continued, with the Council's support, at the Cambridge Veterinary School.It is not the practice to earmark funds for the study of particular problems in the Government or Research Council Laboratories concerned, but the programmes of work are scrutinised having regard to research priorities. Grants are made for specific research at Universities or other similar institutions.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he is aware that the recruitment of students to the dental profession is falling; and whether he will estimate the reduction of scholarship applications for the year 1964–65.

The hon. Member is misinformed. In October, 1963, there were 739 new entrants to dental colleges in universities in Great Britain compared with 701 in October, 1962, and 663 in October, 1961.No information is available about the total number of applications to local education authorities for awards to follow university courses in dental surgery.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the cost of providing a primary and secondary school place, respectively, in Swansea in 1951 and 1963.

Tenders were received for two primary schools in 1951 at an average cost of £153 per place, and for one primary school in 1963, at £171 per place. No tenders were received for new secondary schools in either year.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what has been the total capital expenditure on primary and secondary school buildings in Wales in each year since 1951 to 1963.

The figures for capital expenditure on major projects at primary and secondary schools in Wales are as follows:

				Value (£000)
1951	…	…	…	2,049
1952	…	…	…	2,130
1953	…	…	…	2,077
1954	…	…	…	1,546
1955	…	…	…	1,601
1956	…	…	…	2,403
1957	…	…	…	2,527
1958	…	…	…	2,665
1959	…	…	…	2,740
1960	…	…	…	2,044
1961	…	…	…	2,313
1962	…	…	…	3,480
1963	…	…	…	3,635
Total				31,210

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why P. J. Kelly has been kept in continuous solitary confinement at Shrewsbury Prison since 21st April last, although the Prison Rules 1964 limit such punishment to a period not exceeding 56 days; and how much longer he will be kept in solitary confinement.

This man is serving a sentence of life imprisonment for murder. He was found guilty of an offence of gross personal violence against a prison officer, committed on 21st April. The visiting committee subsequently made an award of corporal punishment. I decided not to confirm this award, and accordingly the alternative award made by the visiting committee, which included 56 days' cellular confinement, became effective from 4th June. This punishment will be completed on 29th July. Between 21st April and 4th June the prisoner was kept apart from other prisoners under Rule 48(2) of the Prison Rules.

asked the Prime Minister if he will propose to the Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia that an independence conference should be convened which the leaders of all parties in Southern Rhodesia should be free to attend, in accordance with the view expressed at the Commonwealth Prime Ministers' conference.

As the House knows I am most anxious to have confidential talks with Mr. Smith about the whole question of independence for Southern Rhodesia and I have invited him to come to London for this purpose. Meanwhile I think it better to say nothing which would make it more difficult for Mr. Smith to accept my invitation or which would increase the pressure upon him to take unconstitutional action.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what acreage of farmland is still being used in the newly-defined Greater London area; and if he will take steps to see that it is preserved for agricultural use.

Some 50,000–55,000 acres of agricultural land remains in use in the Greater London area. Under the Government's established policy of conserving good agricultural land, the responsible planning authorities consult my Ministry on major planning proposals affecting agricultural land.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will publish in HANSARD a detailed list giving the particulars of items of foods which have decreased in price since 1951 and were in May, 1964, lower than those pertaining in October, 1951.

Since over the last 13 years prices and incomes in general have increased considerably, instances of actual declines in food prices must be exceptional. Nevertheless, eggs this May were some 35–40 per cent. cheaper than in October, 1951, and according to trade lists there have been decreases in certain canned fruits and vegetables and other manufactured foods.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) to what extent he estimates that the 10s. 4d. in the £ sterling rise in food prices since October, 1951, has been due to the abolition of food subsidies and to the rise in world market prices, respectively;(2) if he will publish a table of figures showing to what extent the rises in food prices which took place from 1945 to October, 1951, and from October, 1951, to June, 1964, respectively, were caused by rising world food prices; and whether he will give figures to show the average rise in world food prices compared with home prices during these periods;(3) whether he will give the rise in food prices in £ sterling since 1951 to date in relationship to the rise or fall in the costs of food imports and world prices, giving similar and separate details for the years 1945–51 and 1951–64.

There is no generally accepted measure of world food prices; in any event they are much less important than wages as a factor in determining food prices at retail. Also the extent to which our imports were bought at world prices and the proportion of our food that was imported were not uniform over the period. The rise in retail food prices since 1945, or since 1951, cannot be apportioned between the two factors referred to by the hon. Member, which are only two out of many and omit wages. The following table shows the changes in food prices over the periods in question, with wage rates for comparison:

		Changes in £ sterling
—		1945–51 (calendar years)		October, 1951–May, 1964
		s.	d.	s'	d.
Retail food prices	…	9	5	10	4
Wage rates	…	6	8	15	7

asked the Minister of Health how many hospital beds in Salford are out of use because of the shortage of nurses and staff.

Twenty-nine but 10 are to be re-opened shortly.

asked the Minister of Health what is the average waiting time for non-urgent hospital treatment in Salford.

Waiting time varies according to the specialty and the individual case, ranging from under a week in general medicine to six months or more in orthopaedic surgery.

asked the Minister of Health if he is satisfied that there are adequate facilities in Salford for dealing with mental illness; and if he will make a statement.

I am not aware of any deficiency of hospital beds to serve this area but the Manchester Regional Hospital Board intends to improve and reorganise the psychiatric services as opportunity occurs.

asked the Minister of Health how many beds are available for old people in Salford hospitals; and what estimate he has made of the number of such beds required.

There are 272 geriatric beds available in Salford but, together with a proportion of the further 160 beds available at Bridgewater Hospital, they serve a wider area than Salford alone. The current calculation of the future need for geriatric beds for the same catchment area is 350.

asked the Minister of Health if he will give the financial content of the hospital building programme for each of the hospital regions and for the teaching hospitals as approved in the revision published in April, 1963.

The £600 mililon of the revision published in April, 1963, adjusted to an income and expenditure basis and including the value of centrally purchased equipment, was apportionable as follows:

Regional Hospital Boards		£million
Newcastle	…	32
Leeds	…	36
Sheffield	…	55
East Anglian	…	17
North West Metropolitan	…	40
North East Metropolitan	…	38
South East Metrpolitan	…	26
South West Metropolitan	…	29
Oxford	…	28
South Western	…	37
Birmingham	…	58
Manchester	…	47
Liverpool	…	33
Wessex	…	23
Welsh	…	33
Teaching Hospitals	…	142

Not all the deferments necessary within this £600 million programme had been defined by April, 1963.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance how many Salford pensioners and others seek or obtain aid from the National Assistance Board.

I am informed by the National Assistance Board that figures are not available for the County Borough of Salford, since it is part of a much larger area served by two of the Board's offices. In that larger area, 7,594 retirement pensioners, 291 non-contributory old age pensioners and 4,411 other persons were receiving weekly National Assistance grants on 30th June, 1964.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance, in view of the increase in national prosperity, what change there has been in the number of persons receiving National Assistance.

More old, sick and dependent people have been receiving assistance over the last few years, largely because the Government has been carrying out its pledge to give those people a better deal. More people have qualified because assistance standards have risen, and this has meant that their actual incomes, like those of people already receiving National Assistance, have gone up both in real and in cash terms. Also the number of old people in the population has increased by over a million in the last 14 years.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what helicopters are available in emergency for use as ambulances for the outer islands of Orkney and Shetland.

Services helicopters, normally of the Whirlwind or Wessex types, may be called on in emergency to remove patients.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when the question of the rebuilding of the pier at Cullivoe, Yell, first reached the Scottish Office.

The original proposals by the Zetland County Council to construct a new deep-water pier at Cullivoe, Yell, were submitted to the Department of Agriculture for Scotland on 11th April, 1956. They were approved in 1959. The County Council is now considering whether the pier for North Yell should be sited at Cullivoe after all or at Gutcher.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when the question of a pier at Uyeasound, Unst, first reached the Scottish Office.

The first official intimation of the Zetland County Council's intention to provide a pier at Uyeasound, Unst, was received by the Department of Agriculture for Scotland in February, 1946. Uncertainty continues to exist about the best site for a transport pier for the island.

asked the Secretary for Technical Co-operation what plans he has for establishing a Commonwealth Centre for the training of planners and administrators at a British university; and whether he will give consideration to establishing such a centre at a university in Scotland.

The hon. Member will have noted that the Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference agreed that it might be valuable to supplement existing arrangements for promoting the study of the techniques of administration and development planning throughout the Commonwealth and directed that further consideration should be given to the question. In addition, as the hon. Member will be aware, the Bridges Committee on Training in Public Administration for Overseas Countries recommended that an investigation should be made into the factors which would have to be taken into account in establishing a special institution for top-level training in administration—including development training—combined with research. This investigation is being actively carried out but no decisions have yet been taken either to set up such an institution or on its possible location.