asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has made of the amount which farmers in Scotland paid on hire purchase for their plant and machinery in 1961, 1962 and 1963, respectively.

The available information is limited and only broad estimates can be made for Scotland. These suggest that, for the twelve month periods commencing at 1st June in each of the years referred to, total hire purchase payments by Scottish farmers for plant, tractors and machinery (excluding farm cars and other vehicles) ranged between £1 million and £1¼million.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to receive the report on the economic future of the Borders.

Work on the Borders Study is now well advanced. But naturally any proposals for the economic future of the area must be framed in relation to the corresponding needs of the other regions of Scotland and to the national plan.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many hospitals use the steam method of sterilising surgical instruments; and whether he is satisfied that this method is completely safe.

Detailed information on this is not readily available but the great majority of hospitals which are involved in surgical operations use the steam autoclaving method of sterilising instruments rather than the boiling water method. I am advised that this method is both safe and efficient.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what the outcome was of the meeting between the Scottish Local Authorities' Special Housing Group and the Joint Under-Secretary of State for Scotland in the City Chambers in Glasgow on 26th February last.

At the chairman's invitation, the Joint Under-Secretary of State attended this meeting of the Steering Committee of the Group. He did so in order to indicate the importance attached by the Government to the Group's work, and he was glad to join in the Committee's consideration of joint building programmes using industrialised building methods, which point the way to co-operative progress by other Scottish local authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is aware of dissatisfaction with the standard of surgery accommodation provided by general medical practitioners; and what steps he intends to take to ensure improvements.

Standards of surgery accommodation vary in different areas and different practices. As my right hon. Friend the Minister of Health said last week, the provision of practice premises will be one of the subjects examined in the current discussions with the medical profession.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will set up a committee to investigate the reasons for the shortage of architects in the employ of Scottish local authorities.

No. There is unfortunately a general shortage of architects, but I hope that by the expansion of the schools of architecture this will be alleviated in the next few years.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the annual expenditure from Government funds on tourism.

I assume that the hon. Member is asking about expenditure for the benefit of Scotland. Much Government expenditure, for example on roads, benefits Scottish tourism indirectly. In addition, during 1964–65, the Scottish Tourist Board received a grant of £15,000 for work in the Highlands; and the British Travel Association, which received a grant of £1,750,000, estimates that it spent over £400,000 on overseas publicity to attract tourists to Scotland.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many new contracts for growing sugar beet in the Cupar factory area have been signed since the announcement of the 1965 Price Review; and what is now the contracted acreage for the Cupar factory.

Up to 5th April, 20 new contracts have been made with the Cupar factory since the Price Review announcement on 17th March. The total acreage for the 1965 crop contracted with the factory at 5th April was 9,010 acres.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is aware of the inconvenience and expense caused to witnesses and solicitors travelling to Edinburgh to pursue appeals at the court of session; and if he will consult the appropriate authorities with a view to establishing similar appeal courts in other cities.

The number of cases appealed or remitted to the court of session last year was 111. This volume of work would not justify establishing appeal courts in other cities.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what are the smallest hospitals in Scotland at the moment; of what type they are; and how many beds each has;(2) what is the smallest general practitioner hospital in use in Scotland at the moment; and of what its equipment and accommodation consist.

The following table shows Scottish hospitals containing less than 10 beds.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has yet considered the Hondelink Report released by the Transport Conference of Scotland, a copy of which has been sent to him; and what steps he plans to take on it to improve transport in Scotland.

I would refer my hon. and learned Friend to the Reply which my right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport gave him on 31st March.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he will announce new plans for accelerating the pace of slum clearance; and how many slums he expects to be demolished in the years 1965 and 1966.

I asked the local authorities on 8th December for their proposals and some have yet to reply. As soon as I have enough information I intend meeting the local authority associations to determine how best to accelerate slum clearance.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how much has been spent in each of the past five years on shelter-belt research; and which organisations and research stations are carrying on this work.

Shelter-belt research in Scotland has been carried out principally by the Forestry Commission, by the Hill Farming Research Organisation and by the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources in the University of Edinburgh. Related fundamental studies on the effect of adverse climatic conditions on plants and animals are carried out at a number of other research institutes in Scotland. This work forms an integral part of the research programmes undertaken by these institutions and I regret that it is not possible to state with any precision the total amount spent on shelter belt research in Scotland during this period.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give a list of local authorities using computers, showing the dates of installation, types and functions for which they are used.

Aberdeen County Council installed an I.C.T. 1300 computer in October, 1964; and a few other local authorities hire time on computers installed in their areas. These facilities are used for pay-roll and other financial work. A further five machines are on order by Scottish local authorities as fallows.

Authority	Make and type of Computer
Aberdeen County Council	International Computers and Tabulators Ltd., I.C.T. 1300 (additional to that already installed).
Aberdeen Corporation.	I.C.T. 1300.
Fife County Council.	I.C.T. 1300.
Lanarkshire County Council.	l.B.M. United Kingdom Ltd., l.B.M. 1401.
Midlothian County Council.	l.B.M. United Kingdom Ltd., l.B.M. 1440.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will authorise a special grant to Fife County Council for the double glazing of windows of the new Leuchars Primary School, in view of its proximity to the Royal Air Force aerodrome.

I have not received any request from Fife Education Authority for the approval of additional expenditure on double glazing at Leuchars Primary School. No special grant would be payable in respect of such expenditure.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what information he has about the number of pre-school playgroups formed in Scotland; and what advice he has given to local authorities about the policy they should adopt towards them.

Pre-school playgroups are as a rule privately organised, but I understand that there are in Scotland 12 groups in membership of the National Association of Pre-School Playgroups. I think that this subject is one which should be left to the discretion of local authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many children between the ages of five and 15 years are receiving only part-time education on account of a shortage of teachers; and how many of these are in Glasgow.

On 10th March the number was 4,862, of whom 4,760 were in Glasgow.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he proposes to seek to continue or repeal the Universities (Scotland) Act, 1889.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the Answer I gave him on 25th March. I cannot say what form the legislation will take until I have completed my study of the various proposals.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received from salmon fisheries in Scotland and fish traders in Glasgow about discrimination in transport charges which affects adversely the Scottish fish industry; and what was the nature of his reply.

None.

asked the Minister of Transport when he will announce his decision about the application of British Rail to withdraw passenger train services between Lincoln Central and Barnetby; if he is aware that the Transport Users' Consultative Committee for the East Midlands Area expressed the view that hardship would result; and if he is aware that a decision is needed to clear up local anxiety.

In accordance with the new arrangements I announced on 31st March, I shall be referring the proposal to the economic planning councils and boards concerned for their comments on its planning implications. I fully understand the local concern and I will certainly give my decision at the earliest time possible.

asked the Minister of Transport what proportion of the thirty highest-paid executive officers in the organisation of British Railways are at the present time career-railwaymen; and what was the proportion ten years ago.

The Railways Board informs me that, of its 30 highest-paid officers, 23 have been in the railway service for the greater part of their working lives. The comparable figure for 1955 was 27.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he has studied the evidence of the Automobile Association, a copy of which has been sent to him, which shows that only about 62 per cent. of the traffic on the roads after dark is properly lit; and what steps he will take to improve this situation.

I have seen the recent Press notice in which the Automobile Association gave this figure, which I find most disturbing. I have asked for a copy of the survey on which it is based and shall consider whether any further action on my part is called for. Meanwhile I would stress that it is the responsibility of all drivers to ensure that their lights are properly maintained.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware that statements contained in recent reports by the Road Research Laboratory, to the effect that a proportion of persons involved in road accidents had been drinking before the accident occurred, have been interpreted as meaning that the accidents in question were due to such drinking: and to what extent it is still the policy of his Department that it is impossible to give a precise figure as to the percentage of road accidents in this country which are a direct result of excessive consumption of alcohol.

The reports of the Road Research Laboratory have been careful to point out that the mere fact that a driver involved in an accident had been drinking does not mean that the accident was caused by drink (i.e.: that it would not have happened if he had been sober). In order to establish the proportion of road accidents due to drink, it is necessary to know the concentrations of alcohol in the blood of drivers involved in accidents and to compare these figures with those for a control sample of drivers not involved in accidents. So far it has not been possible to do this in this country. Calculations based on studies of this kind abroad suggest that at least 6 per cent. of all road accidents are due to the consumption of alcohol by a driver or rider and that the proportion is considerably higher in the case of fatal and serious accidents alone.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will issue a White Paper dealing with the recommendations in the Hondelink Report on Transport in Scotland and on his plans in this respect.

No. I have nothing to add to the Answer I gave to my hon. and learned Friend on 31st March.

asked the Minister of Transport to what extent the recommendations he has received from the National Ports Council on iron ore terminals to be used or constructed in South Wales also deal with the methods of transmitting iron ore from the terminals by coastwise shipping to Merseyside.

The Council's recommendations were concerned only with the import of iron ore into South Wales.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will include motorway interchange names on direction signs for the benefit of drivers, as shown on maps issued by his Department for the guidance of the Press.

I am considering this matter and will write to my hon. Friend.

asked the Minister of Transport, in view of the obstructions and the stopping of contractors' lorries on the A.2 during roadworks, if he is satisfied that this section of the road should still be designated as a clearway; and if he will make a statement.

Contractors' vehicles are exempted from the clearway waiting restrictions on A.2. By preventing other vehicles from waiting on the carriageway the clearway will serve a useful purpose, particularly during the busy summer months, in reducing congestion whilst the road works proceed.

asked the Minister of Transport what schemes or proposals have been submitted to Northfleet Council on the landscaping of the A.2 at Northfleet.

None. My horticultural adviser will be ready to discuss his proposals with the council when these are further advanced.

asked the Minister of Transport, in view of the dangers created by the accumulation of soil and debris during the roadworks on the A.2 at North-fleet and Gravesend, if he will take steps to have all such soil and debris removed.

The contractor is employing a gang full-time to keep the carriageway clear. But some difficulties are bound to arise where a road has to be built to near-motorway standards along an existing major route.

asked the Minister of Transport (1) if he will arrange to give a more adequate indication, particularly during the hours of darkness, of junctions, during roadwork on the A.2 at Northfleet and Gravesend;(2) if he will ensure better illumination of obstructions during the hours of darkness at the road works on the A.2 at Northfleet and Gravesend.

I understand that the illumination of these obstructions is being carried out in agreement with the police authority The Traffic Safety Code for Road Works, issued by my Department, deals with the signing of road works and any necessary lighting of obstructions.I do not consider that it is necessary to illuminate the junction direction signs at this stage of the works, but the contractor has been asked to improve the signing of the junctions.

asked the Minister of Transport (1) if he will ensure that the underpass beneath the A.2 between Hog Lane and Downs Road, Northfleet, Kent, is made available for all traffic;(2) what is the estimated cost of the underpass being constructed beneath the A.2 between Hog Lane and Downs Road, Northfleet, Kent.

No. The decision to build a subway only for pedestrians, cyclists and farm traffic was made after a public inquiry The estimated cost is £26,000.

asked the Minister of Transport whether a scheme for the provision of street lighting on the A.2 at Northfleet and Gravesend has been drawn up.

The responsibility for street lighting on this length of road rests with the local lighting authorities, who have not submitted any proposals to me.

asked the Minister of Aviation how many industrial staff were employed in his Department in 1963–64 and 1964–65; and what is his estimate for 1965–66.

The average number of industrial staff employed in 1963–64 was 14,946. In 1964–65 the figure was 14,602. I expect the average numbers to increase slightly during 1965–66.

asked the Minister of Aviation when he will complete his discussions with the French authorities on the Concord development programme and related time scale; and if he will make a statement.

These discussions are a continuing process, and will not be complete until the project is complete. Decisions about the pre-production stage are likely to be taken later this year. I am not in a position to make any fresh statement at the present time.

asked the Minister of Aviation to what extent British-made electronic equipment will be used on the Phantom aircraft; and if he will make a statement.

I cannot at present add to the answer that I gave to the hon. Member for Cheltenham (Mr. Dodds-Parker) on 10th March in reply to a similar Question.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when the new vaccines, which have lately been developed to combat salmonellosis, will be available to farmers.

I understand that the cattle vaccine will be available from 1st May. I am sorry I have no information at the present time as to when the pig vaccine will be ready.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will now make salmonellosis a notifiable disease, in view of the danger it presents to human health, and in view of the shortage of beef calves and pigs which would result from further serious outbreaks.

No. This would not be practicable or advantageous at the present time since the disease is sometimes difficult to recognise, and there are no measures which my Department could usefully take on receiving a notification.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what arrangements he is making to ensure that consumers have freedom to choose milk which has not been sterilised at ultrahigh temperatures when the sale of ultrahigh temperature-treated milk is permitted.

The present regulations require the special designation under which heat-treated milk is sold by retail to be identifiable by conspicuous and legible labelling or marking of the container. In the event of fresh regulations to provide for a new designation we would expect to follow this precedent.We have no power to require a dairyman to supply any particular kind of milk.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that the Shell Petroleum Company's order for four 165,000-ton tankers recently went to Japan and Germany; to what extent this was due to the high prices and unsatisfactory delivery dates of British products; what are the reasons for this situation; what action he is taking with employers and trade unions to make British prices more competitive; arid if he will make a statement.

The placing abroad by Shell International Marine Ltd. of orders for four 165,000 ton tankers was a matter for the commercial judgment of the firm. I understand that price was a factor of major importance in this decision, but the situation varies from case to case and the shipbuilding industry's home and export orders have recently reached a very high level. As to the longer term, the Shipbuilding Inquiry Committee is considering what steps should be taken to make our industry fully competitive in world markets.

asked the Attorney-General how many proceedings for the recovery of possession of council houses were brought by local authorities in county courts by local authorities in England and Wales during each of the last five years.

I regret that separate figures are not available in respect of such proceedings brought by local authorities.

asked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs what is the average age of the members he has appointed to serve on the East Midlands Regional Economic Planning Council.

52.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what assistance is being given to the Malta Government in assuming responsibility for the Malta Territorial Force.

At the request of the Malta Government the General Officer Commanding, Malta and Libya is assume- ing the function of commander Malta Land Forces and he will be responsible to the Government of Malta for the military unit under their national control.

asked the Minister of Health how many hospital maternity beds are available within each Welsh county and county borough; and what is the relationship between the number of beds and the number of women of child-bearing age in each Welsh county and county borough.

The following are the figures:

Welsh counties (including associated County Boroughs	Female population 15–49(1961)	No. of maternity beds at 31.12.64	No. of female population per bed
Anglesey	10,930	17	643
Breconshire	11,916	18	662
Caernarvonshire	25,883	84	308
Cardiganshire	11,349	26	436
Carmarthenshire	38,497	46	837
Denbighshire	38,640	106	365
Flintshire	33,550	96	349
Glamorgan	285,897	745	384
Merionethshire	7,851	10	785
Monmouthshire	102,031	194	526
Montgomeryshire	9,415	21	448
Pembrokeshire	21,002	43	489
Radnorshire	3,845	9	427
Total Wales	600,806	1,415	425

asked the Minister of Health whether he will hold an inquiry into the case of the infant daughter of Mr. Mark Stephens of 55 Cippenham Lane, Slough, Buckinghamshire, who died at Old Windsor Hospital on 15th April, 1959.

While Mr. Stephens has my sympathy in his bereavement, I know of no grounds for instituting any further enquiries.

asked the Minister of Health whether he has considered the case, details of which have been sent to him by the honourable Member for Heywood and Royton, of a merchant seaman who was refused emergency treatment under the National Health Service, although offered treatment privately; and whether he will have discussions with the dental profession with a view to persuading them to accept collective responsibility for the whole of the population and, in particular, to provide emergency treatment in all cases.

Yes; failure to obtain emergency dental treatment under the National Health Service is very rare and my right hon. Friend is not convinced that the change proposed by the hon. Member is practicable.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that in the rapidly developing parish of Wombourn, in the Seisdon Rural District Council, there is a serious shortage of midwives; and whether he will take steps to see that at least two more are appointed to deal with the additional demand for their services.

I am informed that to meet the needs of this area the local health authority have increased the establishment of midwives from two to three from 1st April. Two vacancies have been repeatedly advertised, and midwives from neighbouring areas are available to meet the temporary shortage. I am assured that the local health authority are fully aware of the needs of the area.

asked the Minister of Health when he received a report from his Standing Medical Advisory Committee on the medical conference proceedings on bronchitis held in October, 1963, at Stoke-on-Trent and Eccles; what action he proposes to take; and to what extent priority will be given to the industrial areas where the incidence of bronchitis is the highest in the world.

The Standing Medical Advisory Committee was not asked to report specially on these proceedings. The Committee has prepared a memorandum dealing with the preventive aspects of care of the patient with chronic bronchitis, which was issued to all family doctors in January. My right hon. Friend the Minister of Housing and Local Government gives priority to the industrial areas in matters of air pollution.

asked the Minister of Health if he will take steps to secure the elimination of bronchitis to the same extent as tuberculosis has been treated.

The control and prevention of bronchitis is a matter to which considerable effort is being devoted notably through the clean air campaign, the action taken to impress upon the public the danger of cigarette smoking, and the improvement of health and environmental services.

asked the Minister of Health if he will introduce preventive treatment for bronchitis to be applied by all doctors and hospitals.

The importance both of environmental factors and of appropriate therapy for relieving chronic bronchitis is already well understood; I am advised there is no specific single preventive treatment.

asked the Minister of Health if he will set out in tabular form the names of hospitals that have allocated special wards for bronchitis in Stoke-on-Trent, Salford, Manchester and Eccles, respectively; and at what number of wards throughout the country special attention is given to people who suffer from bronchitis.

There are two wards at Monsall Hospital, Manchester, one at Ladywell Hospital, Salford, and nine in the country as a whole specially allocated for bronchitis. Chronic bronchitis patients normally are treated in general or chest hospitals, which respectively include 67 and 117 special wards for non-tuberculous chest diseases.

asked the Minister of Health if he will provide in tabular form the percentage of those who have suffered from bronchitis during the years 1932, 1942, 1952, 1962 and 1964, in England, Wales, Scotland, Stoke-on-Trent, Salford, Eccles, Manchester, Stockport, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Kirkcaldy and York, respectively; and what information he has through the World Health Organisation of the comparable figures for the United States of America, France, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, Switzerland and Russia.

The numbers of those who have suffered from bronchitis are not known. Crude death rates from bronchitis (taking no account of age differences in the population) per 100,000 people living have been:—

	1932	1942	1952	1962	1964†
England	50	70	62	71	60
Wales	59	79	61	76	70
Scotland	70	51	40	48	51
Stoke-on-Trent	56	85	83	79	77
Salford	78	156	133	168	117
Eccles	*	*	143	111	82
Manchester	73	137	105	144	98
Stockport	62	102	116	96	61
Edinburgh	71	59	39	45	58
Aberdeen	63	37	31	37	51
Kirkcaldy	52	56	30	28	50
York	54	59	61	65	55

The following figures, derived mainly from the United Nations Demographic year Book, are not strictly comparable because of international differences in diagnostic nomenclature and in practices regarding certification of cause of death:—

	1932	1942	1952	1962	1964
United States of America	4	3	2	2	*
France	23	11	5	5	*
Norway	*	*	5	5	*
Denmark	19	11	3	16	*
Belgium	*	*	18	17	*
Switzerland	19	12	6	*	*
Russia	*	*	*	*	*
* Not available.
† Provisional.

asked the Minister of Health if he will state the number of marriages solemnised at the Central Registry Office, All Saints, Manchester, on 3rd April, 1965, the number of registrars of marriage officiating, and the average time taken for each ceremony.

Fifty-six; seven; just under a quarter of an hour.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many proceedings were brought by local authorities in England and Wales for the recovery of possession of council houses under the Small Tenements Recovery Acts during each of the last five years; and how many of these proceedings were dismissed by magistrates' courts in each of these years.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if, in view of the concern of ratepayers and local authorities, he will take steps to expedite the completion of the review by Her Majesty's Government of the finances of local government, including the incidence of rates.

The review is already being pressed forward with all possible speed.

asked the Minister of Labour if he is aware of the growing shortage of skilled labour in The Hartlepools, and, in view of the area's industrial growth, of the need for a review of training facilities to provide more opportunities for young people to acquire the needed skills and retraining schemes for those at present out of work; and if he will take steps to remedy this situation.

I am aware of the increase in the demand for skilled labour. The Hartlepools should benefit from the increase in training facilities which it is one purpose of the Industrial Training Act to encourage. In addition, a Government training centre has recently been set up at Billingham, which is within daily travelling distance of The Hartlepools. When this is in full operation it will be able to train up to 480 persons each year, mainly in building and engineering trades.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development what were the reasons for refusing designation to Mr. L. A. Sutton, of the Zambian Civil Service.

Mr. L. A. Sutton has not been accepted for designation under the Overseas Service Aid Scheme because he was initially selected by the Government of Northern Rhodesia in 1951, while in Northern Rhodesia, for appointment to a post for which neither the Secretary of State for the Colonies nor the Crown Agents normally undertook recruitment.

asked the Lord President of the Council whether he will refer to the Select Committee on Procedure Standing Order No. 82, relating to the expenditure of public money, for consideration as to whether the Order should be interpreted so as to cover funds such as the National Insurance Fund.

No. The Committee's terms of reference are wide enough to allow them to consider this if they so desire.

asked the Paymaster-General whether he is satisfied with the co-ordination of home information services on the subject of Government statements on incomes; and whether he will make a statement.

Yes.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if she will set out in tabular form in the OFFICIAL REPORT the number of deaths in the city of Stoke-on-Trent in the years 1950, 1955 and 1960 to 1964, respectively, from pneumoconiosis or from other causes with pneumoconiosis; and what was the number in each year whose relatives were denied insurance benefit.

I am informed by the Registrar General that the numbers of deaths in Stoke-on-Trent classified as due to "pneumoconiosis and chronic interstitial pneumonia" in the years 1960–64 were as follows:

1960	45
1961	73
1962	50
1963	55

Pneumoconiosis may have been present in some cases of deaths classified to other causes. Deaths assigned to pneumoconiosis were not tabulated for local areas before 1958. Figures for 1964 are not yet available.As regards the second part of the Question, I regret that information about the number of rejected claims for death benefit is not available.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if full benefit will be paid in the case of Walter Thomas Newbon, of I, Brogan Street, Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent, who for 40 years worked in the pottery industry and died from pneumoconiosis.

I understand that this claim has still to be determined by the Pneumoconiosis and Byssinosis Benefit Board. I will write to the hon. Member as soon as a decision on the claim has been given.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance how many working days were lost through bronchitis in each of the years 1930, 1950, 1960, 1963 and 1964, respectively; and what were the same figures for Stoke-on-Trent, Salford, Manchester, Leeds, St. Helens, Accrington, Aberdeen, Kirkcaldy, Edinburgh, Harrogate and York, respectively.

I regret the information requested is not available for particular areas; nor, in the case of Great Britain as a whole, are figures available for 1930 or 1950. The table below shows the periods for which estimates can be made:

TOTAL DAYS OF CERTIFIED SICKNESS INCAPACITY DUE TO BRONCHITIS*
Great Britain		Millions
Period	Males	Females
1951	20·43	6·18
1st June,1959 to 4th June, 1960	24·80	4·57
6th June,1960 to 3rd June, 1961	26·11	4·69
5th June, 1961 to 2nd June, 1962	29†	5†
4th June, 1962 to 1st June, 1963	33·85	5·40
*Estimated from samples. Excludes incapacity among persons not insured for sickness benefit.
† Precisely comparable figures are not available for this period but the figure shown is likely to be correct to the nearest million.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what plans she has to ensure that those who die from pneumoconiosis or other causes shall be given the benefit of any doubt so that their relatives shall receive insurance benefit.

I assume that my hon. Friend refers to industrial death benefit. It is a fundamental condition for the award of death benefit under the Industrial Injuries Act that death resulted from the relevant injury or disease. Decisions on claims are made by independent statutory authorities who determine them on the balance of probabilities, in accordance with the guidance given by the Commissioner, who is the final appellate authority on these questions. My right hon. Friend has no plans for any changes in the provisions of the Act, but if my hon. Friend has any individual case in mind I shall be glad to look into it.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what has caused the delay in publishing the Digest of Statistics Analysing Certificates of Incapacity for Work, covering the years 1958–59 to 1960–61.

I regret that pressure of other statistical work, and particularly the work resulting from the special inquiry into the incidence of incapacity in different areas and occupations in 1961–62, has caused delay in the final preparation of this Digest. Meanwhile requests for figures and information on particular subjects from research workers (for distribution to whom the Digest is prepared) have been met.

asked the Postmaster-General if, in view of the fact that ½d. and ld. stamps are rarely useful nowadays, he will consider withdrawing stamp machines and introducing automatic franking machines in their stead.

We have nearly 28,000 stamp selling machines currently in use and the cost of replacing them by automatic franking machines would be high. But I am reviewing the range of stamps sold through machines, and the facilities provided, to see whether any changes need be made.