asked the Secretary for Technical Co-operation what arrangements exist for liaison between his Department and the Commonwealth Development Corporation; and what financial assistance he provides to the Corporation to enable them to provide training places in their enterprises overseas on a scale larger than they could justify on the basis of their own financial terms of reference.

Liaison is ensured by personal contact and correspondence between my officials and those of the Corporation. My Department does not provide financial assistance to the Corporation, but is ready to consider, in appropriate cases, the use of its training facilities overseas.

Is my right hon. Friend satisfied that the existing arrangements enable him and his Department to ensure that the C.D.C. organisation on the ground can in turn make the best use of its facilities?

I am certainly ready to consider requests from C.D.C. for this help, provided, of course, it is also satisfactory to the Governments of the territories in which it is operating. I am proposing to start discussions with the general manager of C.D.C. to make sure that we are doing all that we can in this field.

asked the Secretary for Technical Co-operation whether the extra posts added to the establishments of the National Agricultural Advisory Service and the Scottish Agricultural Inspectorate to cater for overseas needs have now been filled.

One of the six extra posts for the Scottish Advisory Services has been filled and it is expected that 15 out of the 24 extra posts for the National Agricultural Advisory Service will be filled shortly.

Does not my right hon. Friend consider this slow rate of recruitment somewhat unsatisfactory? May I ask whether he can give any special reason for this and what steps he intends to take to improve the position?

I have certainly been disappointed at the rate of recruitment. We must bear in mind that this was a new idea and, therefore, may have been a little slow in attracting attention, and also that last year there was pretty severe competition for agricultural graduates, for example, from industry. The fact that we now have 15 out of 24 of the N.A.A.S. posts on the point of being filled will show that recruitment is now going faster.

asked the Secretary for Technical Co-operation what proposals he has for expanding Her Majesty's Government's contribution to the work of the Commonwealth Educational Co-operation Scheme.

It would not be right for me to announce, in advance of the conference, the proposals we shall be making at the Third Commonwealth Education Conference which is to be held at Ottawa in August. I can, however, assure my hon. Friend that these proposals will be directed to the expansion and improvement of this most valuable scheme.

Has my right hon. Friend seen the memorandum sent in by the hon. Member for Dundee, East (Mr. G. M. Thomson) and myself on behalf of the Council for Education in the Commonwealth? If so, were the suggestions welcome and will he see that some of them are carried out?

I have seen that memorandum and I can assure my hon. Friend the hon. Member for Dundee, East (Mr. G. M. Thomson) and their colleagues that I have studied it personally. I know that it is very much valued and I can assure them that the matters raised will be properly discussed.

Will my right hon. Friend bear in mind that some school and university authorities in this country differ in their enthusiasm for this type of work? Will he urge upon them the extreme importance of seconding their people, sometimes their best people, for this kind of active service, and will he ensure, if he wants really good people to go away, that their security of tenure, their salary rights and their rights of increment are maintained and that they do not lose their place in the line over here by doing this very important work?

I shall bear in mind all the points. I think that the enthusiasm and response of educational establishments on the whole has been very good, although, of course, it varies. I have personally visited eight or nine universities in the last six or nine months, and officials of my Department are constantly making such visits with this object in mind, because we think that personal contact is the best way to achieve it.

asked the Secretary for Technical Co-operation how many young volunteers from this country are working in Sabah and Sarawak; and how many will be going there under the programme for 1964–65 and 1965–66.

23. Under the 1964–65 programme, 34 volunteers have been recruited for Sabah and Sarawak. The numbers for 1965–66 have not yet been settled.

Does not my right hon. Friend feel that this is an extremely disappointing total, bearing in mind the vital importance of these two territories in South-East Asia at the present time? Has he any other ideas for encouraging recruitment?

My main ideas are to increase the numbers of volunteers who are leaving this country. That we are doing. The numbers have risen from about 300 to 800 this year, going up to about 1,300 in a year's time. I hope that these important countries will share in that increased total in the future.

Would my right hon. Friend consider the idea that persons serving with Voluntary Service Overseas could serve for a period shorter than the calendar 12 months?

A few of the cadet volunteers do serve for a shorter period, but I am afraid that service of less than a year is really not very satisfactory, as these people take a few months to get acclimatised. On the contrary, what we are hoping is to increase the number of people who are prepared to serve in the future for two years rather than one. As I say, a few can serve for nine months, but I think that to shorten it beyond that would result in a lack of useful work?

Will my right hon. Friend say exactly what is done by career officers, and other people like that, to create interest in the scheme in schools all over the country?

This is a job for the voluntary societies, because we do not send out these young volunteers under any Government agency. The Government provide the voluntary societies with valuable financial and' other support and encouragement, but it is for the voluntary societies to undertake this work, and I know that they are doing a lot about it. In addition, we are preparing a recruiting film which will, I think, assist them in that way.

asked the Secretary for Technical Co-operation how many British personnel are currently serving in Sabah and Sarawak under the Overseas Service Aid scheme; and whether this number is likely to increase or decrease over the next year.

There are about 295 and 375 such officers in Sabah and Sarawak, respectively. It is impossible to forecast how many of these officers will exercise their right to give notice of retirement in the coming year, but the Governments concerned wish to retain the services of British officers and we shall do our best to keep up the numbers by fresh recruitment where necessary.

Does my right hon. Friend agree that in view of the threat to these territories and of the fact that vast parts of these territories are being infiltrated for the first time by agitators from Indonesia, it is absolutely vital that the number of officers available in these territories should be greatly increased over the numbers available in the past, in order to counter this influence? Can he give an assurance that we are making every effort, with other Commonwealth countries, to recruit further personnel?

While I agree with almost everything that my hon. Friend says, I am sure he will be the first to realise that the first step is for the Governments of the territories concerned to decide how many people they want. I can only say that the more they decide on the better, and we shall certainly do our best to fill the vacancies.

asked the Secretary for Technical Co-operation whether he has yet received a report from the Medical Advisory Committee on recruitment of doctors for service overseas.

asked the Secretary for Technical Co-operation what recent improvement there has been in the recruitment of doctors for overseas service; if he has yet received the report of the special panel of the Porritt Committee studying this problem; and if he will make a statement.

I have received, and am studying urgently, the valuable recommendations of my Medical Advisory Committee on this subject. A recent and continuing drive by my Department has led to some increase in the number of doctors recruited for service overseas, but the demand from the developing countries has grown even faster.

Will the Secretary for Technical Co-operation indicate how many requests are outstanding, and for how long they have been outstanding? Can he also tell us whether he has been in touch with the requesting Governments to indicate the nature of and reason for the delay? And has he been in touch with any Western European countries to see what they might do to assist in this programme?

Unfilled vacancies stood at the record figure of 233 in the middle of this year and were considerably higher than they were a year earlier. I am afraid that at the moment I do not have the exact figure for a year earlier to hand. This is a very serious matter. I think that we have made clear to the countries requesting these doctors what our difficulties are, and in regard to our remaining dependent territories we are certainly making use of recruiting facilities outside the country—in Holland, for example, and Scandinavia. Of course, once a territory becomes independent we cannot recruit foreign doctors to go to that territory; that is a matter for the independent country concerned.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware, while we do not hold him personally responsible for the shortage of doctors in the United Kingdom, that we think that this is a disgraceful situation? Is he aware that very probably more help is being given by doctors from the under-developed world serving for further experience in United Kingdom hospitals than we are able to give in the medical field at the moment?

I am aware of that, and we are all grateful, as we must be, for the doctors from overseas serving here. I hope it is true that they are getting training which will be of benefit to them when they go back to their countries. I hope, too, that we do not underestimate the value of the fact that here is technical co-operation flowing in the opposite direction. But that does not alter the fact that I would like to see this country doing more.

Can my right hon. Friend say how many outstanding requests for doctors there are from the under-developed countries? Are we near to meeting them?

As I said a moment ago, there are now 233 unfilled vacancies. The numbers we have been able to recruit in the first six months of this year have been 69 compared with 112 for the whole of last year. There is therefore some increase, but nothing like the number needed.

asked the Secretary for Technical Co-operation whether he is sponsoring economic studies of the development needs of overseas countries; and whether he is able to recruit sufficient economists for overseas service to meet the requests received from developing countries.

My Department has now arranged to finance the appointment of three economists each at Oxford and Cambridge, who will be available for overseas assignments and, while at home, will engage in research on the economic problems of developing countries. My Department also provides research grants for overseas institutes engaged in such studies. Economists are in great demand, and very difficult to recruit for service overseas.

I welcome the new appointments at Oxford and Cambridge, but would not my right hon. Friend agree that these still are insufficient to meet the very considerable demand, and would he consider expanding the scheme not only at Oxbridge but at the other universities as well?

I am grateful for what my hon. Friend says. This is a new scheme and, I think, a hopeful one. We must get it going, and when we have had a little experience of it I will certainly consider whether we can extend it to the other universities.

Can the Secretary of State for Technical Co-operation say whether, in sponsoring economic studies, he also intends to enlarge this to some kind of training job for people from the various ministries of economic development in the developing countries?

Rather germane to the hon. Member's question was one of the proposals discussed at the recent Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference, which has been submitted by the Prime Ministers, for further study by officials. There was talk of a special institute; certainly, if such an institute were set up, training in this economic development and planning would feature very largely in its curriculum.

asked the Secretary of State for Technical Co-operation, in view of the fact that Ibadan University and other universities in the Federation of Nigeria are having difficulty in recruiting and retaining British staff, if Her Majesty's Government will consider taking steps to offer additional remuneration to individuals either in post or wanting to take posts in these universities.

I am very conscious of this problem, about which representations have been made to my Department by two of the universities in Nigeria. The British delegation at the Commonwealth Education Conference at Ottawa will have something to say about the general question of assistance of this kind and I hope that my hon. Friend will not press me beyond this at present.

Does not my right hon. Friend agree that it is a great advantage for the individuals to have their undergraduate courses in their own country at the beginning and before coming overseas? With this in mind, will he see that this matter is thoroughly discussed at the Ottawa Conference so that we do not have similar difficulties with other universities in obtaining staff?

I certainly agree with what my hon. Friend says about the importance of training in the countries concerned at undergraduate level. The fact that I cannot give much more information at the moment does not, I assure the House, mean that we are unaware of the importance of this question.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that at one Nigerian university a very senior member of the staff and chairman of an important public commission who was trying to get back to this country was offered an assistant lectureship? Is he aware that this is one of the problems facing people who go out to service in universities abroad? Will the right hon. Gentleman urge on British universities that experience abroad can be valuable and that they should not discriminate against people who have spent some of the good years of their lives at these universities?

I am certain that expressions of opinion such as that of the hon. Member are a valuable means of persuading people and I appreciate them. I am sure that hon. Members with contacts outside the House can be missioners for this cause and hope very much that they will be.

asked the Secretary for Technical Co-operation what information he has as to how Great Britain's efforts in the field of technical assistance compare with other leading donor countries.

Expressed in terms of money the United Kingdom is the third largest donor of bilateral technical assistance after the United States and France, and is the second largest contributor to the United Nations Voluntary Programmes.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that whilst we all recognise that there is still ample scope for giving help in these matters, it is encouraging to know that this country is doing so well? Could he indicate how we stand in terms of sending experts overseas and students coming into this country?

Genuine international comparisons are difficult, but in sending experts overseas we are probably second only to France. In the matter of receiving students in this country, certainly in relation to our size, we are second to no one.

Can my right hon. Friend say how de Gaulle's France does it?

That is better a question for my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary, but I doubt whether even he can see into the General's mind.

asked the Secretary for Technical Co-operation, what action he takes to co-ordinate the technical assistance provided by his Department with the financial aid provided by Great Britain and with the aid programmes of other Commonwealth countries.

A continuous exchange of information takes place between my Department and the overseas departments regarding proposals for financial and technical assistance so that where appropriate they can be offered in conjunction. Co-ordination with the aid programmes of other Commonwealth countries is principally carried out by exchange of information between Commonwealth ambassadors and High Commissioners in overseas capitals.

While thanking my right hon. Friend for that reply, reverting to the interesting proposals at the Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference for development projects in individual Commonwealth countries, may I ask whether he is satisfied that his Department alone is responsible for the immense amount of co-ordination which will be necessary to carry this proposal to a successful conclusion?

The machinery required for the development of these Commonwealth projects is also under discussion on a Commonwealth basis, and I am sure that what my hon. Friend has said will be taken into account.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that when a group of Canadian teachers were in London a week or so ago on their way to various countries in Africa under a vacation course scheme similar to the one which we run, the hon. Lady the Member for Plymouth, Devonport (Miss Vickers) and I could find no official arrangements for them here and no arrangements to coordinate the Canadian scheme with our own scheme? Will the right hon. Gentleman look into that matter?

Yes, I certainly will.

asked the Secretary for Technical Co-operation how much assistance, in terms of money and number of teaching staff, has been provided to the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi.

Up to 30th June, 1964, the cost had amounted to £440,000 of which £363,000 came from British public funds and £77,000 from the Trust Fund established by British industry to provide British equipment. Eight British teaching staff are now serving, and five other British staff have been appointed to advise the Institute and to supervise workshops.

Whilst thanking the right hon. Gentleman for that reply, may I ask whether he can say that it is his intention to continue to provide assistance to this Institute?

I can assure the House that it is very much our intention to go on providing assistance. To take the example of equipment, the Indian Government and authorities know that when we started on this project with them we allocated £650,000 for equipment. Only £363,000 has yet been supplied. I should like to pay tribute to the great part played by British industry, because I believe that it is going to find at least half that sum.

asked the Secretary for Technical Co-operation what scale of technical assistance he expects to make available to India in the current year; and how this compares with the previous two years.

My Department's expenditure on technical assistance to India in 1962–63 was of the order of £525,000. My best estimate is that the out-turn for 1963–64 will be about 25 per cent. higher and that there should be a further increase of about 33 per cent. in 1964–65.

In thanking my right hon. Friend for these figures, may I ask whether he would say that this aid is adequate for British industry to participate effectively in India's economic development?

The first criterion is and must be what India wants, but within that criterion it has provided valuable opportunities which I know have been very much appreciated by the India Government for British industry to participate. The two best examples are the steelworks at Durgapur and the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi of which we have just been speaking.

asked the Secretary for Technical Co-operation whether persons in Government service such as teachers and administrators who choose to serve part of their careers overseas suffer any loss of seniority or pension rights by so doing.

Under the existing standing arrangements for seconding civil servants, and the separate special arrangements for teachers, pensions rights and seniority can be preserved.

I am grateful for that Answer, but will my right hon. Friend recall that some weeks ago in another place a noble Lord stated categorically that teachers going overseas had difficulty in getting back, had no pension rights, and lost seniority? Is he aware that this misinformation was not corrected by his noble Friend who wound up the debate? Would my right hon. Friend give what he has said today the widest possible publicity in the proper quarters?

I will certainly see that that is done.

The right hon. Gentleman said "can be preserved". Does he mean that in fact they are preserved?

We shall get into a lot of discussion of the meaning of words, but I think that I mean "are preserved". There are slight differences of circumstances in every appointment, but the provision exists and I assure the House that my Department does everything it can to make the provision known and applied. Where it is applied they are preserved.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that there is a great deal of anxiety and doubt about this? How many teachers went overseas last year whose rights were preserved in terms of pension and superannuation?

I cannot give the figures off the cuff because so many teachers who went overseas were recruited from channels not served by my Department, but here again I value the matter being aired in the House in this way. It is the best way of making it known.

Is every local authority allowed freedom to do this, or has the right hon. Gentleman's right hon. Friend in the Ministry of Education sent out instructions that pension rights must be preserved? This is an important factor, plus status and appointment when they come back.

There is a scheme and it is known to all education authorities. I am sure that I am right in saying that they do not need any special instructions from my right hon. Friend to operate the scheme, but I will certainly look into the point to make sure that I am right in what I am saying.

asked the Secretary for Technical Co-operation what action is to be taken by his Department to further the Commonwealth Prime Ministers' declaration that development projects should be launched in individual Commonwealth countries.

Consultations in which my Department is playing a full part, have already begun between officials of Commonwealth Governments on implementing this proposal.

Can my right hon. Friend say what method of consultation is used and give some idea of the number of projects likely to be discussed by the end of the year?

The form of consultation at the moment is that there is the Commonwealth Liaison Committee here in London. As my hon. Friend will appreciate, certain outline suggestions were put to the Commonwealth Prime Ministers by our Prime Minister, and the Commonwealth Governments are now considering these and they may wish to put forward suggestions of their own. We will get on with this as quickly as we can, and nothing would give me greater pleasure than to be able to make an announcement at the end of the year.

Are these development projects envisaged on a bilateral basis, or is the concept one of trying to develop Commonwealth action and Commonwealth teams to meet the specific needs of each country?

The difficult answer is that it is a mixture of both. We believe that one country could take the lead in management, but we also hope that personnel and financial contributions will be on a multi-country basis; in other words, a genuine Commonwealth basis.

asked the Secretary for Technical Co-operation if he will arrange for persons recruited by his Department for service overseas to attend a brief course prior to departure to assist in preparing them for their new duties and environment.

asked the Secretary for Technical Co-operation what steps the Government is taking to ensure that British experts, teachers and other persons recruited by the Department of Technical Co-operation to serve in the developing countries are given guidance to help them to fit in as effectively as possible with the social, cultural and political environments in those countries.

Within the last 12 months my Department has conducted three courses each lasting two to three days for a total of some 200 persons, mainly teachers, going to East Africa. Arrangements have now been made for a substantial proportion of persons recruited by the D.T.C. to attend courses organised by "Oversea Service". During an initial experimental period of 18 months beginning in October, I hope 600 persons, including some wives, will attend

Is any encouragement given to these people to learn some of the language of the country to which they are sent?

That will certainly arise, but I will take a special note of what my hon. Friend has said.

asked the Secretary for Technical Co-operation what action is taken by his Department to make known in universities, training establishments and schools the openings for service overseas.

My Department is closely in touch with appointments boards of universities and advanced training establishments and also supplies them with literature on opportunities overseas. It does not maintain such close contacts with schools but helps, for example, the Commonwealth Institute in providing speakers for their talks for schools on the needs of developing countries.

Would not my right hon. Friend agree that it is important to get far better recruitment in this expanding field than we are doing at present? Would not he consider some further measure of promoting interest in overseas work among children still at school so as to get it into their minds at an early age?

There is a limit to the number of contacts which my Department can make. In the schools this is primarily the rôle of voluntary societies which are concerned with obtaining recruits among young volunteers to go overseas. As I said in reply to an earlier Question, we hope that shortly they will be provided with a good recruiting film.

asked the Secretary for Technical Co-operation what steps his Department will be taking in preparation for next year's projected Commonwealth Medical Conference.

The Commonwealth Liaison Committee is already considering, in accordance with the communiqué issued by the Prime Ministers, the holding of a medical conference during 1965. If Commonwealth Governments agree to this, detailed preparations will need to be made as to the part which the British Government are to play, and the Departments concerned, including my Department, will undertake these.

While, generally speaking, I think it is recognised that notwithstanding the heavy pressures on our educational resources we have responded fairly generously to the needs of the developing countries, may I have an assurance from my right hon. Friend, with reference to the medical services which will be discussed at this Conference, that we shall use our best endeavours to match our performance in the educational field with our performance in the medical field?

I can assure my hon. Friend that what he has said will be seriously noted both by myself and by my right hon. Friends concerned.

asked the Secretary for Technical Co-operation what steps are being taken to make available sufficient accommodation in this country for the increasing number of trainees coming here from the developing countries under the sponsorship of his Department.

I am responsible directly for only about 1,600 of the 50,000 trainees from developing countries in Britain. The British Council is responsible for assisting them to find suitable accommodation and each receives a maintenance allowance adequate to cover reasonable accommodation charges. The Government have initiated a programme, administered by the British Council, for increasing the accommodation available to overseas students and I do not think it is necessary for me to take separate measures for those students sponsored by my Department.

While recognising that my right hon. Friend's Department is not exclusively concerned with this matter, may I ask him how much extra accommodation he expects to be provided under the scheme which he has mentioned?

The current position is that 65 schemes of hostel development have been approved which will provide over 3,000 extra places. Others are under consideration, and by next autumn about 1,000 extra places are expected to be available.

asked the Secretary for Technical Co-operation, how many meetings have been held by the Council for Volunteers Overseas; when the Council will start offering advice to the voluntary societies and to his Department on the further expansion of this scheme; and whether the Council will be issuing regular reports on their work.

The Council for Volunteers Overseas has met once on 27th May. I understand that it will meet again in November. It is, of course, for the Council itself to determine how and when it will proffer advice and what reports it will make on its work.

Whilst recognising that the responsibility rests in the hands of the Council, may I ask my right hon. Friend whether he is aware that there is the very widest interest in this matter, especially among universities? Will he do his utmost to encourage them to give the widest publicity to their schemes? In connection with the further expansion of voluntary service overseas, is it within the powers of the Council to consider extending this so as to make it a Commonwealth scheme?

Taking the last point first, so far as I know, it is certainly within the powers of the Council—the terms of reference are very wide—to consider and to make suggestions about any point, including the one made by my hon. Friend. I attended the first meeting of the Council and I sensed the great enthusiasm among its members, and I am sure it will take appropriate action in relation to the general public interest in this subject

Does the right hon. Gentleman realise that this Council was launched by the Prime Minister himself in this House, with a tremendous fanfare of trumpets, about the sense of urgency which the Government felt about the kind of work which it could do? Are two meetings in 12 months a sign of the sense of urgency which they feel?

In the first place, this is not the Government's Council. It is an independent Council. There is a great sense of urgency among its members, and the House would be wrong—I am sure that the hon. Gentleman realises this—to imagine that its members are promoting its purpose only when they actually sit in Council meetings. The executive work is done by the Lockwood Committee. There is much activity now being undertaken by this new Council, apart from actually attending meetings.

asked the Secretary for Technical Co-operation if he will make a statement on the assistance provided by his Department for developing countries in the field of research.

I am publishing today a White Paper giving an account of the work of my Department in this field.

Could my right hon. Friend say what fields of research he is especially encouraging, and will he give particular attention to the possibility of encouraging research in economic matters because, although this is not the most dramatic form of research, it is probably the most useful to the underdeveloped countries?

At present, the allocation of resources in research has a somewhat historical ring about it. About two-thirds goes on natural resources and about 20 per cent. goes on health research. This is very important, of course, but I should like to see increasing attention given in future to economic and social matters. Perhaps the announcement I made about extra economists at two universities may be a first step in this direction.

The right hon. Gentleman mentioned medical research and he gave the figure of 20 per cent. Is he aware that, unless we staff our own medical research centres better than we are doing, it will very often not be possible to find staff who can be spared and allowed to go overseas for two or three years? Will he bear this in mind and realise that it is quite crucial if we are to play our part properly?

I shall certainly take note of such part of that question as is within my responsibility. What we can do and what we are beginning to do is, while admitting that resources are scarce, to make the maximum use of those which exist.

asked the Secretary for Technical Co-operation if he will reconsider the non-designation of Messrs. Lawrence, Kenny and Kiggel, administrative officers of the Ministry of Labour and Mines in Northern Rhodesia.

I have sought further information from the Governor of Northern Rhodesia regarding all three cases. As a result, I am now able to designate Mr. Kenny under the Overseas Service Aid Scheme. My reconsideration of the cases of Mr. Lawrence and Mr. Kiggell is not yet quite complete, but I think that I ought to say that it appears likely that I shall have to decide that they remain ineligible for designation.

I thank my right hon. Friend for the first part of his Answer, but is it not a fact that all three of these officers are in a salary scale which allows them to be designated and the reason given for their non-designation is the failure of the Northern Rhodesian Government to apply to the Secretary of State on their promotion? This was a failure of a Government, and it ought not to result in hardship to the officers concerned.

I understand that that applies to Mr. Kenny, and that is why I have now been able to designate him. As I am at present informed, it does not seem as though it applies to the other two cases, but I should like to complete my study of the facts before being categorical.

asked the Secretary for Technical Co-operation how many young volunteers from this country are working in Malaya; and how many will be going there under the programme for 1964–65 and 1965–66.

17. Under the 1964–65 programme, 19 volunteers have been recruited for Malaya. The numbers for 1965–66 have not yet been settled.

May I, first, congratulate my right hon. Friend on his personal approach to his important post and the great importance which he plainly attaches to engendering all-party support for and interest in the work of his Department? But is not the answer which he has given me as disappointing to him as it is to the House? What can be done to improve on these figures?

I should greatly like to see more volunteers going to Malaya. The situation depends, first, on requests for suitable vacancies from Malaya, and we should remember also that the graduate programme is only now getting into its stride. I hope that there will be an expansion in about a year.

Does the right hon. Gentleman ensure that there is the closest co-ordination between the work of the students and young people who go out and the work of the British Council in Malaya?

The hon. Lady can be reassured on that point because the British Council plays a very large part in keeping in touch with the volunteers in their jobs and thus is well aware of what we are doing in relation to what its own representatives are doing.

asked the Secretary for Technical Co-operation what would be the additional cost of sending by air all newspapers, magazines and periodicals to British Council reading rooms overseas.

The additional cost of sending by airmail all the newspapers, magazines and periodicals which are already being sent to British Council reading rooms overseas would be approximately £110,000 a year.

Nevertheless, does my right hon. Friend recognise the importance of having these reading rooms as up-to-date as possible and not stocked with antique magazines and newspapers? Would my right hon. Friend, in conjunction with the British Council, be prepared to revise the list of those newspapers and periodicals that are sent by airmail?

I will certainly look into that suggestion. My hon. Friend should realise that the extra figure I gave for sending by air represents something like a doubling of the present cost and could not be undertaken lightly.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that while he is doing his best to spread British publications of all kinds all over the world, the Postmaster-General is doing his best to raise the postage rates on these periodicals and books? Will he get in touch with his right hon. Friend and raise this matter with him?

Interesting though that suggestion is, I think it is another question. I have been very concerned in this matter, and I think it is fair to say that the postage rates of this country do not compare badly with the postage rates applying in other countries which also try to spread their information.

Would my right hon. Friend bear in mind that newspapers which are a week or more old are not very attractive reading for the public?

I will certainly do so. The British Council is more concerned with magazines and journals of information than newspapers, where speed is not quite so important. At the same time, I realise that it matters.

Is not Government postage a transfer from one pocket to another?

That is another question.

asked the Secretary for Technical Co-operation what provisions have been made this year for increased activities by the Overseas Information Services.

asked the Secretary for Technical Co-operation how far the proposals for developing the Overseas Information Services recently outlined have now been implemented.

Our overseas information expenditure on recurrent activities, excluding non-recurrent capital expenditure, is £25 million in this financial year; the comparable figure for the year 1963–64 was £23·4 million. Further developments are being undertaken this year particularly in the work of the British Council, with special reference to English language teaching; in the production of television and other films; in the programme for bringing visitors to this country; and in the British Information Services. With permission, I am arranging for a table analysing the increased expenditure to be included in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Does my right hon. Friend not agree that the expansion of these services is very helpful to us in making friends for Britain, but could he consider more co-operation with organisations such as the British Travel and Holidays Association which has branches throughout the world and could co-operate with his Department effectively in this field?

Certainly increasing the number of visitors coming here is one of our main objectives. It is going ahead pretty quickly. I have no doubt that there are new things that we can learn about it.

While the expansion is welcome, may I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether he is aware that there is some danger of the services becoming a bit stereotyped and official? Is he also aware that overseas publicity and visits to and from this country are sometimes less effective when they are formal and official than when carried out by private organisations and individuals who sometimes deserve his support?

I also have been reading a certain newspaper in the last few days. I have inquired into this matter and I find that visits by undergraduate groups and so forth are nearly always included in these tours whenever this can be managed. I will look into the problem.

While I am grateful for the increase in this expenditure, may I ask my right hon. Friend whether he agrees that this is an immensely valuable arm of the defence service? Can he persuade the Government to go still further in the near future?

My colleagues and I managed to obtain a considerable increase in expenditure last year. I do not think that on this occasion I had better look forward.

asked the Prime Minister what arrangements have been made for the television and sound political broadcasts during the three weeks prior to the next General Election; and what steps will be taken to ensure as far as is possible that a balance is held between all sections of the community.

I have placed in the Library a copy of the statement issued on 25th February, which shows the broadcasting opportunities for those qualifying.

Has the Prime Minister seen the excellent articles dealing with this matter which appeared in The Guardian, and, if so, did he note the observations made by the late President Kennedy and by Mr. Edward Murrow with regard to the points raised in my Question? If he has studied those matters, will he give an undertaking that he will apply the lessons so that all sections of the community have a share in what takes place on television, ensuring that everything is not dealt with by certain sections only?

These arrangements have been agreed between the parties. As Prime Minister, I am not responsible. However, I can give the hon. Gentleman information. As regards minor parties, the major parties have said that they would support such broadcasts under certain conditions. Perhaps the hon. Gentleman will look at the statement which I have made.

What steps are being taken to ensure that a balance is held between the different factions in the Labour Party? [Laughter.]

Amid the joy, I must be able to make myself heard. Mr. Lipton.

Will the Prime Minister take steps to ensure that the more popular radio and television broadcasts are not unduly interfered with by political broadcasts?

I have some sympathy with the hon. Gentleman.

Does my right hon. Friend agree that, apart from the special party arrangements just prior to the General Election, it is supremely important that the B.B.C. and Independent Television both on television and in news programmes should now keep complete impartiality between the parties, not by innuendo or implication trying to doctor the news in any way? Should not this be a supreme duty between now and the General Election?

This must be the objective. I hope that it will be achieved.

asked the Prime Minister if he will make arrangements for a closed-circuit television to take the place of the annunciators within the rooms of the House and for a television set in a large room so that people unable to be accommodated in the Visitors' Gallery may see and hear the proceedings.

A technical study has been made of the possibility of replacing the annunciators by closed circuit television fulfilling exactly the same function, but to introduce television in any form raises issues which will require further consideration. The second part of the Question refers to the relaying by television of the proceedings of this House. This is quite a different matter on which I have nothing to add to the replies I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Stockport, North (Sir N. Hulbert) on 19th November, 1963, and to the hon. Member for Pembroke (Mr. Donnelly) on 12th December, 1963.

Does the Prime Minister agree that there is a growing interest in the proceedings of this House, especially when big issues are being debated, and does he think that it is satisfactory, in the second half of the 20th century, that hundreds of people who desire to see the House at work should not have an opportunity? Will he reconsider his reply in order that the hundreds of people visiting the House may have an opportunity, in a room set apart for the purpose, of seeing and hearing it at work?

Perhaps the hon. Gentleman will put that Question down to me again in November

Will my right hon. Friend give an undertaking that if and when television is introduced into this Chamber it will be kept going for all-night sittings so that those who are going to work in factories and elsewhere may see Conservative Members in their places, with not a single Opposition Member present?

On the more practical side of this matter, in the studies being made, will the right hon. Gentleman have the experiments being carried out in some of the Commonwealth Parliaments looked at? There the proceedings are reported on tape and are seen on closed circuit television within the House precincts for the use of the reporters and for greater accuracy.

When we come to give closer consideration to this matter, we will certainly do that.

asked the Prime Minister if, in view of the problems disclosed by the Report of the Town and Country Planning Association on Housing in Britain, a copy of which has already been sent to the Department concerned, he will divide the functions of the Minister of Housing and Local Government and appoint a Minister of Housing in charge of a separate department.

No, Sir. The Report provides no grounds for such action. Housing, planning and public health are all inter-related; and as these services are among the most important responsibilities of local authorities it is advantageous for the Minister of Housing to be responsible for local government as well.

Is the Prime Minister aware that this comprehensive survey confirms the failure of Conservative Administrations to cope with the housing problem? Apart from overcrowding and high rents, the Report refers to the fact that there are over I million unfit houses in the United Kingdom. Is the right hon. Gentleman further aware that over the last ten years this country has almost the lowest performance of housebuilding in proportion to its population of any country in Europe? Does the right hon. Gentleman realise that the housing problem in this country will not be dealt with adequately until a Minister is appointed who puts people's needs before profiteering?

If I were to go into comparisons with the performance of hon. Members opposite, I do not think that they would come out very well. It seems to me common sense that the Minister of Housing should deal with local authorities on all planning matters and therefore that this should be within his portfolio.

In view of the lamentably ill-informed supplementary question of the hon. Member for Wednes-bury (Mr. Stonehouse), may I ask my right hon. Friend whether he has seen the recent indications that the Government's housing programme of 400,000 houses a year will be reached next year? Can my right hon. Friend say whether this will be the case or not?

Yes, Sir, I think that it will. In 1965 we hope to reach the 400,000 mark.

asked the Prime Minister whether he has now received a reply from Mr. Ian Smith following his invitation to Mr. Smith to come to London for discussions on the constitutional problems affecting Southern Rhodesia.

asked the Prime Minister what reply he has now received from the Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia to his invitation to him to visit London for discussions on constitutional advance in Southern Rhodesia.

asked the Prime Minister what conclusions have been reached in the official exchange of letters between him and the Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia.

As I told the House on 16th July, I hope that Mr. Smith will soon be able to announce his reply to my invitation.

Is the Prime Minister satisfied that the Commonwealth will not be faced with a unilateral declaration of independence by the Southern Rhodesian Government during the Parliamentary Recess?

I hope that we are all trying, both here and in Southern Rhodesia, to prevent anything unconstitutional happening.

Is the Prime Minister aware that the other Commonwealth Prime Ministers signed the conference communiqué on Southern Rhodesia only because they believed that the Prime Minister would call a constitutional conference? Is he further aware that two days after the conference President Nyerere told the Cairo conference on African unity:

"We left London confident that action would be taken "?

I do not know by what authority the hon. Lady thinks she can talk for, or indeed interpret the minds of, Commonwealth Prime Ministers. I made it clear to all my colleagues that I was hoping to see Mr. Smith and, as a result of a conversation, that we should then be in a better position to know how to deal with this very delicate and difficult situation which was recognised as such by every Prime Minister at the conference.

In view of the extraordinary remarks of the hon. Lady the Member for Blackburn (Mrs. Castle), is it not much better that nothing should be said in this House which would exacerbate a highly delicate situation and the very delicate discussions which are to take place?

Yes, Sir. I hope that the House may have noted the speech made yesterday by Mr. Smith in his Parliament.

Would the Prime Minister confirm that, in accordance with the communiqué which he himself signed, it is the view of Her Majesty's Government that a conference should be summoned which not only Mr. Smith but the leaders of other political parties in Southern Rhodesia should attend? Can the right hon. Gentleman tell us what response has been made to the appeal in that communiqué signed by Her Majesty's Government for the release from detention of African leaders?

What I want to do before we deal with these matters or try to reach a settlement is to see Mr. Smith, because a conversation is so much more satisfactory than correspondence.

Has the Prime Minister seen the statement by Mr. Ian Smith yesterday that he wrote to the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations three weeks ago and has not received any reply to that communication? Is that the case?

The correspondence between Prime Ministers of the Commonwealth is always confidential. Very often a number of very complicated questions are raised in letters and it takes some time to give a considered reply. I have invited Mr. Smith to come here, and I hope that he will be able to accept my invitation.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that if Mr. Smith comes to London his electorate will expect him to return with some positive proposals leading to independence which have some chance of acceptance by the Rhodesian electorate? Will he be in a position to make some proposals?

I would rather see Mr. Smith first.

asked the Prime Minister how many requests for the supply of military arms and equipment by Commonwealth countries have been refused in the last three years; what was the nature of such requests; and why they were refused.

It is not the practice to disclose details of negotiations with other countries for the supply of military equipment. While applications from Commonwealth countries receive especially sympathetic consideration, they are dealt with in the light of the political, strategic and economic implications of each individual case.

Cannot the Prime Minister supply the House with information indicating the delays between the initial request for arms and the supply of them by this country? Is it not the case that several complaints have been made by Commonwealth countries that there has been delay in meeting their demands and that the Government seem to have been more expeditious in seeking to supply arms to Spain and to South Africa than to members of the Commonwealth?

No, Sir. In these matters of armaments we try if we can to meet the Commonwealth countries' needs, and we do it in negotiation and by agreement with them.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that a very full answer to this question would be most welcome by hostile rations?

It would be no service to the Commonwealth countries concerned, and they would not like it at all, if I gave facts and figures in answer to the hon. Member for Fife, West (Mr. W. Hamilton).

Further to that reply by the Prime Minister, is he aware that the Prime Minister of Malaysia complained publicly in the United States only last week that Her Majesty's Government had taken three years to supply Malaysia with eight small naval craft? Can the right hon. Gentleman explain why Her Majesty's Government are so dilatory in meeting the demands for arms of Commonwealth countries whose soldiers are fighting side by side with our own when simultaneously they are pressing warships into the hands of a dictator who is actively pressing claims for British territory?

As usual, the hon. Gentleman is completely wrong. Any ships that we are building for Malaysia or any ships we are helping Malaysia to acquire are within the time scale which we worked out with the Malaysian Government. I am afraid to say that the Prime Minister of Malaysia was misinterpreted in what he said.

asked the Prime Minister if he will define the class of Parliamentary Question which he proposes as a matter of general practice to answer himself.

As I said on 16th July, I intend to continue the practice I have hitherto followed, which is the same as that of my predecessors.

But does not the right hon. Gentleman realise that he has occasionally varied the practice and that there have been fewer opportunities of getting replies from the right hon. Gentleman than was the case when his predecessors were in office? Statistics are of no value in this matter. It is a question of behaviour, and that is what we are concerned with. Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that my sole concern in pressing this matter is to protect the rights of back benchers, and indeed of the whole House? There is nothing personal in this matter at all. Because there is nothing personal in the matter, as we are about to go on vacation, I wish the right hon. Gentleman a very long holiday.

I am very much obliged to the right hon. Gentleman for his kind thought. I do not think that there has been any variation in my practice. The quarter of an hour has always been filled. Practically always I could have answered more Questions if hon. Members opposite had not been so long-winded.

Does my right hon. Friend remember that the right hon. Member for Easington (Mr. Shinwell) complained that he had not transferred the Question on ships for Russia a few weeks ago, whereas today he has complained that he has not transferred enough? Would not my right hon. Friend think that he has got it about right?

Is the Prime Minister aware that the reason why I suggested that the Question to which the hon. Member refers might have been transferred was to save the time of the House, because, as the right hon. Gentleman will recall, there was a great deal of trouble because he had not transferred the Question?

All I am saying is that I am following exactly the same practice as has been followed before. I have no wish to shirk answering Questions. What I want to do is to get the Questions to the right Ministers. If they are right for me, I will take them.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that the right hon. Member for Easington (Mr. Shinwell) is trying to turn him into a one-man band, that we understand his wish not to become a one-man band or to hog the Dispatch Box and we greatly look forward to the continued enjoyment of the Answers to Questions within his responsibility?

Is the Prime Minister aware that his immediate predecessor had the courteous practice, if he had transferred a Question and if the hon. Member responsible for the Question asked for it to be answered by the Prime Minister, of re-transferring it to himself at the request of the hon. Member concerned? Although it is now a rather academic question, is the Prime Minister following the same practice?

I have been following that practice, but perhaps the hon. Member has not noticed it.