asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what evidence he has as to the extent to which hormones used in the intensive rearing of chickens for human consumption cause cancer among chickens.

I am not aware of any use of hormones in the production of broilers or of any evidence that cancer in chickens is caused by the use of hormones.

asked the Minister of Aviation what is the average rateable value per square foot placed on accommodation at Heathrow and Prestwick, respectively, which is rented by airlines and other concessionaries.

This information is not available within my Department. The rateable value of rented accommodation is a matter for assessment by the valuation officer and the tenants pay the rates direct to the local rating authority.

asked the Minister of Aviation what is the average rental per square foot paid by airlines and other concessionaries at Heathrow and Prestwick, respectively, for accommodation used for transit of air freight goods.

The rent paid for accommodation used in the transit of air freight goods varies, according to the construction of buildings, their location, and the date on which accommodation was let. In these circumstances an average rental per square foot would have little meaning. At Heathrow, the rents range from 5s. 6d. up to 11s. 3d. per sq. ft. in old buildings, soon to be demolished, and are 16s. 9d. per sq. ft. in new buildings. For the new freight shed at Prestwick the standard rent is 16s. per sq. ft.

asked the Minister of Aviation what is the average rental per square foot paid by airlines and other concessionaries at Heathrow and Prestwick, respectively, for accommodation used for purposes other than transit of air freight goods.

Rents differ widely with the construction of premises, the use to which they are put, their location and the date of letting. The rent for modern office accommodation at Prestwick, ranges from 25s. to 30s. per sq. ft. and at Heathrow from 25s. to 36s. 6d. per sq. ft. An average figure for a wide variety of accommodation would have little meaning and might be misleading.

asked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs when the vacant post of Joint Deputy Chairman of the National Board for Prices and Incomes will be filled.

I am authorised by the Prime Minister to inform the House that Her Majesty the Queen has been pleased to indicate her approval of the appointment of Mr. D. A. C. Dewdney as a member of the National Board for Prices and Incomes. Mr. Dewdney will serve as a Joint Deputy Chairman.

asked the Minister of Health what steps Her Majesty's Government propose to take to control natural population growth in the light of the Registrar-General's forecast that on present trends the population of England and Wales will grow by 18·5 million in the next 36 years.

None.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he is satisfied that the powers available to water undertakings to vary charges based on gross rateable value to take into account the number of people living in the property are sufficient; and if he will make a statement.

There are no powers to vary water rates in this way. The possibility of a charge based on the number of occupants was considered by the Sub-Committee on Water Charges of the Central Advisory Water Committee, among a number of alternatives to charges based on rateable value. The SubCommittee—whose report is under consideration—thought that the administrative difficulties would seriously outweigh any benefit that might result.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the total expenditure involved in renovating the East Anglian School for the Deaf at Gorleston, Norfolk, in recent years; and how many children from Essex attend the school.

The East Anglian School at Gorleston has sections both for deaf and partially sighted children. Part of the cost of its reconstruction was in respect of accommodation in common use by both sections and figures apportioning the cost are not available. The total cost was £183,000. 21 deaf children from the administrative County of Essex attend the school.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what consideration has been given to schemes for educating deaf children in Essex and Hertfordshire, respectively, alongside children with normal hearing; and what provision for this exists in either county at the present time;(2) why the proposals submitted to him by the Essex Region of the National Deaf Children's Society for the establishment of a special department for 80 to 100 deaf and partially hearing children at Burnt Mill Comprehensive School, Harlow, were not accepted.

No scheme for educating deaf children in Essex and Hertfordshire alongside children with normal hearing has been under consideration other than that submitted by the Essex Region of the National Deaf Children's Society. No such provision exists in either county. The proposals referred to were made during the life of the previous Administration and were for consideration by the Essex local education authority in the first instance. I understand that they were not accepted primarily because there are sufficient places in existing schools which are more conveniently located for the majority of their pupils than a school situated in Harlow.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement about his policy towards proposals for educating deaf and partially deaf children in special units attached to normal primary and secondary schools; and which local authorities provide such units.

I support the development of special facilities enabling children with defective hearing to be educated in ordinary schools where this is in their best interests. For the majority of children properly classified as deaf pupils, the régime of an ordinary school is unlikely to be suitable. At the most recent return the following local education authorities were providing special classes for partially hearing pupils at ordinary schools:

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the nature and what is the estimated cost of the provision to be made for the education of partially hearing children in Harlow, Essex; how many places are to be provided; what will be the catchment area; how partially hearing children will be defined; and what facilities are to be provided for other children without normal hearing within the area.

The local education authority intends to provide two special classes for up to 20 partially hearing pupils at Burnt Mill Comprehensive School to serve Harlow and other areas within reasonable daily travelling distance. The cost has not yet been estimated but is likely to be of the order of £7,000, including equipment. Pupils admitted will be those statutorily defined as partially hearing who are considered likely to benefit from education in an ordinary secondary school. Consideration is being given to provision of a special class for children of primary school age. The authority will continue to make use of existing special and independent schools for children with defective hearing who need special educational treatment and are not admitted to a special class.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what facilities for the education of deaf and partially hearing children, respectively, exist or are planned in Essex; and when he expects that there will be sufficient places for all such children within the county.

The Essex local education authority participates in regional arrangements for the education of the deaf and also maintains pupils in an independent primary school for the deaf at Woodford. It does not maintain or propose to maintain a school of its own for deaf pupils. Special classes for partially hearing children have been established at an ordinary school at Rayleigh and the authority's present plans include the provision of special classes at Harlow and Chelmsford and an additional class at Rayleigh for the partially hearing. The authority employs three peripatetic teachers of the deaf to help children with defective hearing educated in normal classes of ordinary schools and maintains some partially hearing pupils at a boarding special school run by the Hertfordshire local education authority. The authority does not plan to become self-sufficient, in my view rightly.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he is satisfied with present provisions for the detection of deaf and partially hearing children throughout the coun- try; whether he considers that adequate facilities exist for the education of all those who are known; and what proposals he has for improving the position.

Arrangements for detection are continually being improved and in some areas are excellent. Universally adequate facilities for education depend upon an increase in the number of teachers of the deaf. A second training course begins in the autumn and I am reviewing the need for further places.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many deaf children and how many partially hearing children of school age there are in England and Wales; and how many places exist for the education of such children.

Provisional figures show that in January, 1965, there were 3,280 children of school age receiving special educational treatment as deaf pupils and 89 awaiting admission to suitable schools. The corresponding figures for partially hearing pupils were 3,139 and 165. These figures exclude children with minor hearing defects educated in normal classes of ordinary schools of whom there are estimated to be 3,000 to 4,000 on the basis of known issues of hearing aids. Approximate numbers of places available in special schools and classes and independent schools for pupils with defective hearing are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the estimated expenditure required to convert the present all-age school for deaf children at Tunmarsh Lane, West Ham, into a secondary school; for how many children it will provide places; what will be its catchment area; what boarding facilities are planned; and what provisions are being made to enable children attending to be integrated with children of normal hearing.

I have not yet received the local education authority's detailed proposals. The school will serve Newham, Waltham Forest and South Essex and will cater for day pupils only. The existing school fosters contacts with children with normal hearing through its youth club, to which school leavers and older pupils bring hearing friends, and by competing with ordinary schools in team games and sporting events. I have no doubts that these contacts will be continued and increased so far as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the estimated expenditure required to convert the present all-age William Morris School for the Deaf at Waltham-stow into a primary school; for how many children it will provide places; what will be its catchment area; what boarding facilities are planned and what provisions are being made to enable children attending to be integrated with children of normal hearing.

The cost depends upon the accommodation to be provided and the number of pupils for whom places are needed. My Department hopes to discuss these matters in the near future with the local education authority, whose proposals submitted recently include the provision of a small hostel. The school will serve Waltham Forest, Newham and South Essex. Its proposed site adjoins that of an ordinary primary school, but detailed consideration has not yet been given to ways in which the two schools might be associated.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will publish in HANSARD a table showing the charge for sending a one-ounce letter by inland post in each year since official statistics of the cost of living have been published, relating these charges to variations in the cost of living.

The tariff for a 1 oz. letter has changed six times since 1914 when cost of living indices were first published. The following table compares the cost of a 1 oz. letter with the cost of living index for those years when tariff changes occurred.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will state for the year ended 31st March, 1965, the number of loans and grants under Section 4 of the Local Employment Act, 1960 made to firms in development districts of the North-East, the number of applications rejected, the number still under consideration and the average payment by grant and loan for each job provided.

During the year ended 31st March, 1965, 19 loans and 4 grants were offered under Section 4 of the Local Employment Act, 1960, in respect of projects in the North-East development districts. Some 13 applications were rejected, and at the end of the period 48 applications were under consideration. The average cost per job, based on the additional employment estimated to arise from projects in these districts assisted under Section 4 during this period is £967.

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) whether he will state for the year ended 31st March, 1965, the number of applications for building grants from firms in North-East development districts, the number approved, the estimated cost and employment to be provided, the number of applications rejected and the number still under consideration;(2) whether he will state for the year ended 31st March, 1965, the number of applications for plant and machinery grants from firms in the North-East development districts, the number approved, the estimated cost and employment provided, the number of applications rejected, and the number under consideration.

Information relating to applications for building and plant and machinery grants under the Local Employment Acts, 1960 and 1963 in respect of projects in the North-East development districts for the year ended 31st March, 1965, is as follows:

asked the Minister of Transport if he will publish in HANSARD a table showing the number of deaths in railway accidents in each year since nationalisation, and relating these figures to the total number of passengers carried.

The following table covers the period up to and including 1963, the last year for which full figures are available.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware that the number of people killed on the roads of Great Britain rose from 6,922 in 1963 to 7,820 in 1964, and the number of seriously injured from 87,776 in 1963 to 95,460 in 1964; and what were the corresponding figures for Northampton-shire, excluding the County Borough of Northampton.

I am aware of the casualty figures for 1963 and 1964. The information requested is as follows:

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware that the volume of motor traffic is estimated to have increased by 11 per cent. between 1963 and 1964 and road casualties are estimated to have increased by 8 per cent. in the same period; and what were the corresponding figures for Northamptonshire, excluding the County Borough of Northampton.

I am aware of the facts quoted by my hon. Friend. Road casualties in Northamptonshire, excluding the County Borough of Northampton, increased by 7 per cent. between 1963 and 1964.Information is not available to show the increase in motor traffic for individual counties.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will publish in HANSARD a table showing the number of deaths in road accidents in each year since official statistics of road accidents have been compiled, relating these figures to the total number of motor vehicles in use, and the amount of public money spent on road improvements, in each of those years.

The following is the information: