asked the Minister of Public Building and Works if he will seek powers to provide protection against the use of sub-standard materials by builders, and the provision of a builder's guarantee to his customers which will give the owner the right to compensation where such building or part thereof fails to provide a reasonable length of service.

Building byelaws already contain requirements about the suitability, quality, preparation, and application of materials used in new building construction and in structural alterations and extensions. Similar requirements will be included in building regulations to be made under the Public Health Act, 1961. The proposals in the second part of the Question will be considered in the light of the consultations to which my right hon. Friend the Minister of Housing and Local Government referred on 9th March in reply to questions from the hon. Members for Birmingham, Yardley (Mr. Ioan L. Evans) and Willesden, East (Mr. Freeson).

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works if he will make a statement about the shortage of plasterboard for the building industry.

The manufacturers are expanding capacity by 50 per cent. in the next two years. New plant began production in February and further expansion is expected in July. The present difficulties should ease progressively.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works how long he anticipates the St. Stephen's Club building will remain available as accommodation for the Fees Office.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what was the cost to his Department of removing the Fees Office to the St. Stephen's Club building; and how many square feet in that building are now occupied by the Fees Office.

The cost of removing the Fees Office to St. Stephen's Club was about £3,400. The net area is 2,450 square feet. The accommodation will house the Fees Office for about another seven months.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what has been the total expenditure on office machinery, furniture, and equipment at No. 10, Downing Street since 15th October, 1964; and whether he will publish in the Official Report a breakdown of this expenditure.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what has been the total sum spent on alterations, furnishings and decorations at Nos. 10, 11 and 12, Downing Street since 15th October, 1964.

About £5,000 at Nos. 10, 11 and 12, Downing Street, mainly on the offices. Following are the details of expenditure at No. 10:Details are as follows:

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works whether he is satisfied with the supply of seasoned oak available for the building industry; and what steps he proposes to take to increase the supply.

I know of no such supply difficulties.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what has been the total cost to date of the building and equipment of the Welsh Office; and to what use the building was previously allocated.

The Welsh Office in London is housed in Crown freehold premises at 47, Parliament Street, previously used for conference purposes. The cost of preparing and furnishing this accommodation for its new use was about £9,000.

asked the Minister of Public. Building and Works what progress has been made with the new embassy in Rome; and whether he will make a statement.

Preparatory drawings are well in hand.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works how many square feet of floor space will result from the proposed building in Star Court.

9,000 square feet of usable office space.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what additional rooms at Hampton Court will be open to the public during 1965.

The Cumberland Suite, consisting of an entrance lobby, an anteroom and four rooms, constructed by William Kent in 1732, has been completely restored and redecorated, and was opened to the public for the first time last month.Two late Tudor rooms near the Wolsey Suite are at present being restored. Work is due to be completed later in the year when these rooms also will be opened to the public.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what has been the total expenditure on repairs and restoration at Hampton Court since January 1952; and how many additional rooms have been opened to the public since that date.

Separate figures for expenditure in this category are not available before 1953–54. Expenditure over the twelve years since then has amounted to just over £1 million.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what has been the total cost to the Exchequer of the demolition, renovation and garden works at and around No. 7 Old Palace Yard; and to what extent Westminster City Council or the Greater London Council are contributing to the cost.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what is the estimated final cost of the demolition and reconstruction works at the Abingdon Street site and the Jewel House Moat.

The estimated total cost is £57,000. This includes £8,000 for the demolition of No. 5, and the renovations to Nos. 6 and 7 Old Palace Yard; £4,000 for the Jewel Tower and £45,000 for the layout of Abingdon Street Garden and the Westminster Jewel Tower site, and for the extension of the open space to the King George V Memorial.Neither the Westminster City Council nor the Greater London Council contributed to the cost of this work. The Westminster City Council were responsible for a small area of the paving.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what is the estimated cost of the repairs and reconstruction of Admiralty House.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works whether he will provide public access to the historic parts of Admiralty House when its renovation is completed.

The estimated cost is £105,000. The question of allowing the public access will be considered in connection with future plans for Admiralty House.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what alterations in the Government long-term plan for the development of Whitehall have been made in the light of creation of the number of new Ministries since October, 1964.

None.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what arrangements he has made for the provision of kitchen facilities at the Banqueting House in Whitehall.

None.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what steps he will take to remedy the shortage of hand-made bricks and tiles; and whether he will make a survey of brickyards recently closed which could economically be reopened.

Hand-made bricks and tiles are expensive and have a limited market. I have no evidence of particular difficulties over hand-made bricks or tiles.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works whether he will publish future plans for improvements for hon. Members in the Palace of Westminster in addition to the Star Court scheme.

Yes, as and when future plans are worked out.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works whether he will make arrangements for digital clocks, reading in seconds, minutes and hours, to be installed in the Chamber of the House of Commons, in addition to the conventional clocks already installed.

This is a matter for the authorities of the House, but I will discuss it with them.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what progress has been made in the sale of season tickets, guide books and postcards at the historic monuments in his care.

Over 20,000 of the new season tickets were sold during 1964. Sales of publications, postcards and colour slides amounted to a record figure of just under £172,000—an increase of almost £22,000 over the previous record in 1963.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works when he expects to compete the restoration on the Link House and garden architecture at Chiswick House.

The Link Building was restored last year and was opened to the public last month. Work on the Summer Parlour is almost finished.

asked the Minister of Public building and Works what additional public buildings he proposes to floodlight in 1965.

Fifteen of the buildings in my charge are regularly floodlit. I have no definite plans for adding to this number.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what action his Department is taking to help in the training of administration officers in the Diplomatic Service in accordance with the recommendation in paragraph 543 of the Report of the Plowden Committee.

My Department arranges instruction for staff taking up duty as administration officers as a part of the training course organised by the Diplomatic Service Administration Office. This instruction covers the Ministry's organisation and procedures relating to building and supply services as well as estate matters; it includes some advice on leasing and the assistance needed from administration officers prior to the purchase of accommodation by the Ministry, the invitation of tenders from local contractors for minor repairs and the maintenance of inventories and financial procedures.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what additional desk places are now available to hon. Members in 54, Parliament Street.

47, of which 11 are as yet unallocated.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works why the provisional estimate of £50,000 to be spent on Apartment 1A at Kensington Palace has increased to £72,600; and if he will give an assurance that this will be the final cost.

£50,000 was a preliminary estimate made in 1960. When the contract was let in January, 1962, the estimate was £65,000. Since then the estimate has risen to £72,600 partly because of increases in wages and in cost of materials, and partly to meet outstanding claims.Until the claims are settled, I can give no assurance on the final cost.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will seek to alter the method of dealing with land and property belonging to hospitals, whereby the proceeds of sales of these assets may not be devoted to hospital improvements but must be returned to the Treasury.

I do not think that a change would be appropriate.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that many hospital developments could be paid for by the sale of relatively unwanted land and buildings which hospitals are holding; and whether he will take steps to permit this in the case of Whipps Cross and Langthome Hospitals, Leyton.

No. I am not in any case aware that there is land surplus to hospital requirements at the hospitals mentioned.

asked the Minister of Health, what were the factors which were taken into consideration by him when he gave approval to the plan to heat the new teaching hospital at Sheffield with oil, rather than coal.

All relevant factors, in particular the limitations of this restricted site.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that 52·8 per cent. of all male patients at venereal disease clinics are immigrants; how many people are under National Health Service treatment for these diseases; from what countries they come; how long approximately they have been in Great Britain; and if he will make a statement.

The hon. Member is under a misapprehension. The figure he quotes relates not to the number of all male patients under treatment at clinics, but to a sample of male cases of gonorrhea only treated in 1961. A similar study in 1964 gave a figure of 49·6 per cent.National statistics do not show the number of persons under treatment at any one time nor the country of origin nor length of stay in this country.

asked the Minister of Health if he will make a statement on the incidence of respiratory diseases in the Northern Region; and to what extent the increased cost per prescription in the region can be attributed to the growth of these complaints.

In the past few years a number of studies have been carried out by the College of General Practitioners, University Departments and the Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance. These surveys suggest that the incidence of respiratory disease is relatively high in the northern industrial region. The drugs used for these diseases may be one factor in the high cost per prescription, but costs are high in the Northern Region in the majority of therapeutic groups of drugs.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware of the bad conditions at St. Martin's Hospital, Bath; and what action he will take to remedy them.

A number of wards at St. Martin's Hospital are in need of modernisation. Some accommodation has already been improved and more will be dealt with as soon as the many claims upon the Hospital Board's resources permit.

asked the Minister of Health what financial contribution his department makes to the Institute of Ophthalmology, which is appealing for £1 million to defray the cost of research.

asked the Minister of Health if he will state, for each regional hospital board area, how many district general hospitals are conducting continuing post-graduate medical education courses, meetings, demonstrations and ward rounds; how many have appointed clinical tutors as envisaged in circular HM(64)69; how many have established a medical library with textbooks and a full range of journals, together with a lecture room, medical centre, as envisaged in circular HM(64)69; and in each regional hospital board area what additional facilities in each group are expected to be opened during the next 12 months.

Like other postgraduate medical institutes of the University of London the Institute of Ophthalmology is closely associated with a teaching hospital, in this case Moorfields Eye Hospital, which provides facilities for clinical teaching and research. There is however no direct financial contribution by my Department to this or any other post-graduate Institute.

asked the Minister of Health how many members of borough or urban district councils in the Heywood and Royton constituency have been chosen to serve on the Rochdale, Bury and Oldham hospital management committees, respectively, in each of the years since the formation of those committees.

The figures (including reappointments) are as follows:

I regret that detailed information on the progress of postgraduate medical education is not yet available in this form. The improvement of facilities continues and I shall be considering plans for more comprehensive development as they are submitted by boards in response to the circular.

asked the Minister of Health what action he proposes to take to ensure that hospital authorities implement the decision of the Nurses and Midwives Council to introduce an 84-hour fortnight by 1st January, 1966, for all whole-time nursing and midwifery staff employed in hospitals and institutions.

Hospital authorities have been asked to implement the decision by that date and earlier where possible. Additional money has been provided to assist them in meeting the cost of doing so.

asked the Minister of Health to what extent hospital authorities have implemented the 84-hour fortnight as the 42-hour week for nursing staff.

The latest available information for September, 1964, shows that at that time the 84-hour fortnight had been implemented for about one-third of the number of whole-time hospital nursing and midwifery staff. Further progress reports will shortly be received.

asked the Minister of Health whether he has completed his review of the hospital services in Central London; and if he will make a statement.

I have completed a preliminary review and have decided that further designations of non-teaching hospitals as parts of teaching hospital groups are right in principle, where they will improve hospital services in the area and conform with the responsibilities of boards of governors for clinical teaching. Where designations involve the taking over of a district responsibility I shall require an undertaking from the board of governors that it will provide a full range of services for the district, in agreement with the regional hospital board.If further designations are made, a time will come when the hospital services of Central London are provided, to a very great extent, by teaching hospitals. This would make it difficult if not impossible, under existing arrangements, for the Metropolitan regional hospital boards to carry out their statutory function of planning the hospital and specialist services over the whole of Central London.I consider that formal consultative machinery should be set up to assist these boards to carry out their planning functions and I am opening discussions with the bodies concerned to consider what form this should take.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will state the current weekly wage rate for a light labourer in the Glasgow area; approximately how many men are working for this rate regularly without overtime; and how this wage has changed over the past five years.

Collective agreements do not in general specify rates for light labourers. The nationally agreed minimum weekly time-rate for an adult male labourer in engineering in the Glasgow area is 179s. 8½d. but the minimum earnings level is 184s. 4d. Five years ago the comparable minimum weekly rate was 157s. 8½d. Information is not available about the numbers of men receiving only the minimum, without overtime, but in January, 1965, the average earnings of unskilled time-workers (including lieu workers) in the engineering industry in Scotland as a whole were 232s. for a normal week of 41 hours.

asked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs into which category of exceptions to Her Majesty's Government's incomes policy, as outlined in paragraph 15 in the White Paper on Prices and Incomes Policy, the increase in salary of 6 per cent. for 200,000 road haulage workers, to take effect from 9th June, 1965, comes.

I have been asked to reply.The Road Haulage Wages Regulation Order fixing new statutory minimum rates from 9th June gives effect to unanimous proposals from the Road Haulage Wages Council. It is for those concerned to explain these proposals in relation to the policy set out in the White Paper which was agreed with representatives of management and unions.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will reveal the identity of the member of the Soviet diplomatic mission mentioned in the Bossard case, his diplomatic status and his date of departure if he has now left the country.

It would not be in the public interest to reveal these details but there is reason to believe that the Russians mentioned in the Bossard case left this country over a year ago.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will use the good offices of the United States Government, representing Her Majesty's Government in Somalia, to advise the Somali Government that Her Majesty's Government is prepared to resume relations without preconditions.

I do not think it necessary. The Somali Government are already aware of our viewpoint.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will draw the attention of intending British visitors to the Soviet Union, and in particular the heads of organised parties, to the danger of taking into the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics apparently innocuous correspondence and literature from former Soviet and other foreign nationals now resident in the United Kingdom.

When intending visitors to the Soviet Union consult the Foreign Office, it is already the practice to advise them against taking literature, correspondence and parcels on behalf of third parties. But I am grateful to the hon. and gallant Member for giving me an opportunity to make this advice more widely known.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will press for the creation of a re- formed United Nations along the lines set out in the encyclical of Pope John XXIII entitled Pacem in Terris.

As has been made clear in previous statements in the House, it is the policy of Her Majesty's Government to work to strengthen the United Nations. My hon. Friend said on 7th December, 1964, that in the belief of the Government, the United Nations was the hope of the human race and a powerful instrument for constructive change. He also said that we should be ready at any time to look at proposals which are practicable, in agreement with our friends and allies, to improve the Charter and organisation of the United Nations. The encyclical Pacem in Terris lays special stress on the need for world peace and security and the safeguarding of human rights. My right hon. Friend informed the House in a statement on 23rd February of Her Majesty's Government's determination that the United Nations should be enabled to fulfil its task of keeping the peace and improving conditions of human life.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what machinery exists in his Department for the receipt and study of papal encyclicals.

The texts of papel encyclicals are sent by Her Majesty's Minister at the Holy See to the Foreign Office where they are studied in the light of his comments.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government concerning recognition of the new Government of the Dominican Republic.

As my right hon. Friend informed the House on 12th May, the Government of the Dominican Republic, which was previously recognised by Her Majesty's Government, disintegrated when the rebellion broke out on 24th April. Neither of the two claimants who have solicited recognition at present meets our usual criteria.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what resolution was passed by the United Nations Security Council on 4th May on the subject of the Dominican Republic; and how the British representative voted.

No resolution on the Dominican Republic was passed by the Security Council on 4th May. The only vote taken on this subject in the Council so far was a unanimous one on 14th May which called for a strict cease-fire and invited the Secretary General to send a representative to the Dominican Republic to report back on the situation there.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, in view of the increasing demand for the teaching of English in most developing countries, and in view of the outstanding contribution of the British Council to meeting this demand, if he will ensure that the Council has funds to expand this service.

Her Majesty's Government recognises the increasing demand for English language teaching and are willing to offer all practicable help using the resources of the British Council and other agencies active in this field. The British Council's resources have been considerably expanded in the last few years to enable them to recruit the specialist staff needed to meet this demand. In deciding the scale of the British Council's grant-in-aid, however, it is necessary to take into account the various competing pressures on the overseas balance of payments.

asked the Minister of Land and Natural Resources if he is aware that the beauties of Great Britain's coastline are being marred by quantities of oil discharged by tankers and other ships, and that although some of such oil was recently cleared away by Her Majesty's ships, much still remains as a menace to bathers and holidaymakers; and if he will introduce legislation to purify British beaches.

The main objective must be to press on with measures for preventing the discharge of oil, on which considerable progress has been made in recent years. Local authorities already possess powers under which they can clean beaches that have become polluted.

asked the Minister of Land and Natural Resources what steps the Forestry Commission is taking to establish a costings branch.

As my hon. Friend will see from Observation 20 in the Eighth Special Report of the Estimates Committee, the Forestry Ministers have agreed to establish a costings branch. This is now being done.

asked the Minister of Land and Natural Resources what steps he is taking to promote the sale of timber by the Forestry Commission.

The Forestry Commission will continue to sell in the best available markets all the timber they produce. The arrangements outlined in the Forestry Ministers' observations on the Seventh Report from the Estimates Committee are designed to assist this process. In particular, part-time Commissioners with commercial experience and experience of the timber trade, will be appointed; and a full-time Commissioner will be appointed as Head of Harvesting and Marketing.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the nature of the work now being carried out at Carlton House Terrace; how much it will cost; and when it will be finished.

Carlton House Terrace is part of the Crown Estate under the charge of the Crown Estate Commissioners. The current work there consists of the renovation (within the existing framework) of a number of the houses by selected tenants for club and institutional use and provision by the Commissioners themselves of a garage for the use of the tenants in the lower part of the Terrace along The Mall west of the Duke of York Steps. The garage should be completed in July. The cost to the Commissioners of about £100,000 will be met out of Crown Estate funds, on which it is expected to recover a reasonable return from the garage lettings to tenants.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what arrangements the Government has made for training courses for civil servants employed in the information services; and if he will make a statement.

In June the Treasury will run an experimental course for recent entrants to the Information Officer Class in Departments other than the Central Office of Information. The C.O.I. already runs short courses for its new staff.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the current annual cost of co-ordinating home information services; and whether he is proposing any increase.

This is part of the normal machinery of Government. No separate identifiable figure of cost is available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what improvements are intended in the coordination of home information services on the recruitment of personnel for Government service.

None.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what increase in expenditure on communications services has taken place in the Department of the Paymaster-General in the six months since October, 1964, as compared with the same period a year previously.

I assume that the hon. Member has in mind the expenditure of the Office of the Paymaster-General on telephones and postage. The Post Office accounts for these services cannot be related precisely to the periods quoted by the hon. Member but actual payments made during the period October, 1964, to March, 1965, were some £700 less than during the same period a year previously.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what practice is observed in advertising vacancies in the senior ranks of the information services.

Permanent officers are recruited by the Civil Service Commission: the vacancies are always advertised. Temporary officers are recruited by Departments and advertising is a matter for their discretion.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what amounts members of Her Majesty's Government are taxed under Section 47 of the Finance Act, 1963, in respect of their official residences.

I cannot disclose information about the Income Tax treatment of individual taxpayers, but for a great many years the occupation of these residences has been treated as "representative" in character.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will initiate a study by economists in order to assess the short and long-term direct and indirect effects of British private investment in the developing countries on Great Britain's balance of payments.

I am considering various suggestions which have been made for inquiries into the subject of overseas investment and will take the hon. Member's proposal into account.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make sure that as far as is practicable all Her Majesty's Stationery Office publications have indexes.

Her Majesty's Stationery Office do, whenever practicable, include indexes in the more substantial and important Government publications. But there are many hundreds of publications each year in pamphlet or booklet form where it would be unnecessary and wasteful.If the hon. Member will let me know of any publications which he considers should have been provided with an index I shall be glad to look into the matter.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what part the information services are playing in advertising for recruits to Civil Defence.

They assist in arranging a recruiting campaign each year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assistance is given by the Central Office of Information to recruiting advertisements by police forces outside the Metropolitan area.

The Central Office of Information assist in arranging a national advertising campaign to stimulate recruitment into police forces in England and Wales. At the request of the Home Office the Central Office of Information have also given general advice to a few individual forces conducting local campaigns.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will reduce the naturalisation fee for aliens who served in the Allied Forces during the 1939–45 War.

My right hon. and learned Friend does not consider that it would be practicable to give preferential treatment to any particular category of applicants for naturalisation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Chief Constable of Surrey about the circumstances in which the Surrey Police removed a wreath laid by the Association c f Czechoslovakian Legionaires at a memorial service at Brookwood Military Cemetery on Sunday, 9th May; and whether he will make a statement.

The Chief Constable of Surrey informs my right hon. and learned Friend that a uniformed police inspector removed this wreath with the acquiescence of members of the Association and later replaced it.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has reached a decision on the future of the Advisory Committee on Juvenile Delinquency.

The Committee was set up by my predecessor to enable him to inform himself of the views of a wide variety of persons who are in close touch with different aspects of the problem of delinquency. I have studied the proceedings of the Committee and considered the replies of members to a letter in which I invited them to give their views on the Committee's future. After careful consideration I have reached the conclusion that the immediate purpose for which the Committee was established has been served and that I should not be justified in making further demands on the time of the members, to all of whom I am extremely grateful. I have accordingly decided to dissolve the Committee.I have concluded that the two subcommittees appointed by the Committee should not continue after the dissolution of the Committee. I should like to thank particularly those members who engaged in the work of the sub-committees one of which continued to meet until recently to study the problem of the transition from school to work, and collected valuable evidence. This evidence will be forwarded to the existing advisory bodies concerned with youth employment, careers guidance and other services for the age group as a whole.

asked the Minister of Aviation what steps he is proposing to take to limit the noise of aircraft using Gatwick Airport between the hours of 23.30 hours and 00.60 hours.

At Gatwick all aircraft are already required, when both landing and taking off, to follow routes which avoid, as far as possible, flying over built-up areas and flying unnecessarily low. In addition, jet aircraft taking off from Gatwick are required to use a climb out procedure designed to keep disturbance to a minimum. For the present I do not consider that these measures need to be supplemented.

asked the Minister of Aviation what study he has made of the steps taken by the French airport authorities at Orly, Le Bourget and Nice to limit night take-offs by jet aircraft; and whether he will make similar arrangements at Gatwick Airport.

I am aware of the restrictions on night jet take-offs at these airports but at Orly and Le Bourget exceptions are frequently made. For example, last summer there were 2,308 jet movements between 23.00 and 07.00 hours at Orly (867 of them take-offs) and this is a much greater number of night jet movements than we expect at Gatwick this summer. Night jet movements at Gatwick will, in due course, have to be controlled, as they are at Heathrow, but I do not think any such action is called for at present.

asked the Minister of Aviation what research is going on, or is contemplated, to ensure that when supersonic air liners are regularly operational the noise from them is kept within tolerable limits.

Fundamental work on the subjective effects of sonic bang type noise is in progress at the National Physical Laboratory and at the Medical Research Council's Applied Psychology Research Unit. Field work on a rather larger scale is contemplated, if a method of simulating sonic bangs using explosives can be perfected by the Explosives Research and Development Establishment. Further live tests with supersonic aircraft are under consideration. At the same time theoretical work is continuing at the Royal Aircraft Establishment to increase our knowledge of the effects of atmospheric variations and ground reflection effects on the type of sonic bangs produced under different conditions and by different aircraft.As regards engine noise, the Concord engine development programme includes work both in industry and at the National Gas Turbine Establishment designed to ensure that noise is kept within tolerable limits. Various forms of noise suppressors for incorporation in the engine are being investigated.Other programmes of work on these subjects are in hand in France and the United States and information is exchanged freely in most areas.

asked the Minister of Aviation what arrangements have been made to keep Parliament informed of the activities of the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation, Eurocontrol.

Copies of the first Annual Report of the Eurocontrol Organisation have been placed in the Library of the House. This Report, which has recently been issued, summarises the activities of Eurocontrol during 1963.

asked the Minister of Transport, in view of the rise in the rate of accidents in the last two months, whether he will now make it compulsory for all motor cars to be fitted with safety belts.

I cannot add to the Answer given on 10th March to my hon. Friends the Members for Dover (Mr. Ennals) and Liverpool, Walton (Mr. Heffer).

asked the Minister of Transport if he will take steps to make the 14 days of grace period statutory, so that no action can be taken against a motorist who uses his car during this period without a current road fund licence, provided he renews it within14 days of the expiry of the last licence.

No. I know of no case where proceedings have been taken against a motorist who has renewed within 14 days of the expiry of a previous licence, and I therefore see no reason for legislation for the purpose suggested.

asked the Minister of Transport how many railway closure proposals were awaiting Ministerial decision and how many were with the Transport Users' Consultative Committee on 15th October, 1964; how many proposals are at present with the Transport Users' Consultative Committee; how many have been passed for ministerial decision since 15th October; and of these, how many have been refused, how many consented to, and how many still await decision.

On 15th October, there were 95 proposals under consideration by transport users' consultative committees and 34 proposals with the Minister for decision. Since that date committees have reported on 73 proposals, and I have given consent to a total of 18 proposals and refused consent to 5 others. Of 84 proposals on which committees have reported but which remain undecided, I am awaiting further information from the committees concerned or the Railways Board in about 30 cases.

asked the Minister of Transport how many extensions to the British Road Services subject to his control over investment or borrowing, are proposed during the next few months; and how many firms at the moment are in negotiation for take-over by British Road Services.

It is the Government's wish that the Transport Holding Company should pursue an active policy of expansion and they will acquire other businesses where they consider it advantageous to do so in the normal course of business and where this can be freely negotiated. But they do not have to obtain my consent in every case and it is not possible to forecast how many such acquisitions will take place. It would be contrary to the interests of the company to say how many negotiations were at present in progress.

asked the Minister of Transport, in view of the concern felt by residents of Heywood at the possible use of the main street as a feeder road for the Lancashire-Yorkshire motorway, if he will make an early decision on this matter; and if he will make a statement.

I am proposing a junction of the Lancashire-Yorkshire Motorway and the A.6046 south of Heywood. This will be included in a draft Order to be published shortly under Section 13 of the Highways Act, 1959, which will be open to objection for the statutory period of three months after publication. I will make my decision on this matter after the close of this period, in the light of any representations I receive.

asked the Minister of Transport what special measures are to be taken to increase safety on the roads during the period of summer traffic.

There will be a general speed limit of 50 m.p.h. during the Whitsun weekend. It will be imposed from noon on Friday, 4th June to midnight on Monday, 7th June on all roads, other than on dual carriageways and motorways and roads already subject to a permanent speed limit. My right hon. Friends the Secretary of State for Scotland and the Secretary of State for Wales have agreed that the same measures will be adopted in Scotland and Wales. This general speed limit will not be indicated by traffic signs, but will be given full publicity through Press advertising at Whitsuntide.A further measure is that, based on our experience of the experimental 50 m.p.h. summer weekend speed limits over the last five years, a 50 m.p.h. speed limit will be imposed from July onwards on stretches of single carriageway road in England and Wales amounting in total to about 500 miles, which have the worst accident records throughout the year. This is intended to remain permanently in force. It will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and will be indicated by road signs.

asked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs if it is the Government's policy to continue publication by the information services of the leaflets entitled "Broadsheets on Britain".

Yes, a new series of "Broadsheets on Britain" will be published shortly by the Department of Economic Affairs.

asked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs whether the National Board for Prices and Incomes will be empowered to consider and comment upon the share of responsibility of Her Majesty's Government for the price increases which have been referred to it or may be referred to it in future.

The Board's powers would permit this if it were relevant to its inquiries.

asked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs which of the wage and salary increases negotiated during the past six months he intends to refer to the National Prices and Incomes Commission.

My right hon. Friend is considering what further references should be made to the Board.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether the circular dealing with the general provisions of the Water Resources Act, 1963, concerning licensing of abstractions and the leaflet directed to the farming community have been published; and what form of circulation they have had.

Circular 34/65 about licensing under the Water Resources Act was published on 30th April. A short leaflet about the main points of the system will be published this week and used to supplement publicity already given by the Department, the farming organisations and the Press.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government when he proposes to lay an Order dealing with alterations of county boundaries at Long Newnton and Westonbirt, Gloucestershire.

I intend to lay an Order dealing with these and other county boundary alterations in the South-West in time to enable the changes to be brought into operation on 1st April, 1966.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what representations he has received and what consultations he has had with persons and bodies having an interest in the terms and conditions upon which certain leaseholds are to be enfranchised; what conclusions he has reached as a result of his negotiations; and whether, in view of the mounting uncertainty, he will make a statement or issue a White Paper giving fuller details of his proposals.

I have received representations from several sources following my statement in the House on 8th December, 1964, and these are being considered. I recently asked a number of landowners for their comments on leasehold enfranchisement in order to assist me in formulating proposals for legislation. Several of them have not yet replied, and I have not so far embarked on any negotiations.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what steps Her Majesty's Government is taking to coordinate information services to Government Departments on the availability of manpower for recruiting.

I assume the hon. Member's question relates to recruiting for the Armed Forces. In the Ministry of Defence, we consider tri-Service problems in the recruiting field on a co-ordinated basis.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what accommodation which is occupied by Gurkha troops as barracks in Malaysia is hired at British expense; and when these leases will expire.

Eight properties in Malaysia, three in Sabah and five in Sarawak, are hired at British expense to accommodate Gurkha troops. The tenancies on which they are held are all terminable at a quarter's notice.

asked the Attorney-General which cases involving homosexual offences have been referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions by chief constables since 28th July, 1964, when a statement was made by the then Attorney-General; and with what result.

Between 1st August, 1964 and 30th April, 1965, chief constables have reported 76 cases to the Director of Public Prosecutions in which prosecutions for homosexual offences have been under consideration. These offences were either alleged to have been committed between consenting adults in private or to have been committed more than twelve months previously or to have been disclosed in a complaint against a blackmailer. Of the 76 cases reported, prosecutions were brought in 27, involving a total of 52 persons, of whom 46 were convicted; it was decided not to institute proceedings in 22 cases. The remaining 27 cases are still being dealt with.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the value and volume of eggs, whether in liquid or other form, imported into this country in the last six months; and how he estimates this will compare with the next six months.

During the six months from October, 1964—March, 1965, the imports of eggs in shell and egg products into the United Kingdom have been as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations how many people whose origins are in the Indian sub-continent and who hold United Kingdom passports are at present in East and Central Africa.

Holders of British passports with origins in the Indian subcontinent are not distinguished from other holders of British passports in the statistical reports. The best information available from census reports and other statistics is that there are approximately 300,000 citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies of Indian or Pakistani origin in East and Central Africa. There are, in addition, small numbers of British subjects without citizenship of the same origin who are eligible to hold British passports.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he is yet able to announce an additional grant for the National Youth Orchestra.

I have received no application for grant for the National Youth Orchestra. Proposals were put to the Department recently in respect of the National Junior Music School and are under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many teachers who are still alive retired and received a pension in each year since 1930; what is the total sum being paid to such retired teachers in each of such years; and how many of these pensioners are not also entitled to a National Insurance pension.

This information is not immediately available. I will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement about the membership and scope of the Natural Environment Research Council.

I have appointed the following to be members of the Natural Environment Research Council under the chairmanship of Sir Graham Sutton:Mr. F. C. Bawden, F.R.S., Director of the Rothamsted Experimental Station (Lawes Agricultural Trust).Sir Edward Bullard, Ph.D., Sc.D., F.R.S., Professor of Geodesy and Geophysics, Cambridge University.Professor A. R. Clapham, Ph.D., F.R.S., Department of Botany, Sheffield University.Professor F. K. Hare, Ph.D., L

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what is his estimate of the proportion of schoolchildren in Droylsden who obtain grammar school places;(2) what is the proportion of school-children in Ashton-under-Lyne who obtain grammar school places;(3) what is the proportion of school-children in Mossley who obtain grammar school places.

I understand from the local authority that the proportions this year are as follows:

asked the Postmaster-General the number of Telex instruments installed in Belfast in each of the past two years; and how many applications are still outstanding.

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

asked the Postmaster-General how wide an area could be covered by a television relay station on Kilvey Hill in Swansea.

My hon. Friend has in mind, I understand, that the broadcasting authorities are considering Kilvey Hill as a possible site for a relay station. The extent of the coverage that any such station might attain would be a matter for them in the first place.

asked the Postmaster-General what investigations have been made of sites in Swansea for a British Broadcasting Corporation television relay station.

I understand that the B.B.C. has been carrying out studies of reception conditions in the area. The Corporation will, I am sure, be glad to let my hon. Friend have the information he seeks.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what is the approximate number of old-age pensioners in the city of Carlisle.

I regret that statistics relating to the numbers of retirement pensioners are not available for particular areas.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether, in view of the proximity of the tourist season, he will now make a statement on his plans to deal with the problems created by the termination of the special Highland Area Fund grant to tourist associations.

I am not yet in a position to add to the Answer I gave to the right hon. Member for Orkney and Shetland (Mr. Grimond) on 7th April.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development if she has made sufficient progress in her task of rationalising the control of aid to recommend an increase in the volume of Government aid to the developing countries.

My review of the aid programme will be completed shortly and I will publish a White Paper in due course. I have no statement about policy to make at present but the hon. Member will be glad to know that our gross disbursements of aid increased from £159 million in 1963 to £190 million in 1964.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development, in view of the difficulties that many developing countries have in servicing and repaying external loans, if she will confine future direct British loans to such countries to projects that can be expected quickly to yield direct earnings sufficient to service the loans and repay capital; if, apart from such loans, she will provide aid mainly in the form of grants; and if she will give increasing priority to technical assistance.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I have just given to his earlier Question. I cannot, for the reason given, make any statement at present about the future proportions of loans and grants. I can confirm that I attach the greatest importance to technical assistance.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development in view of the shortage of economists with experience relevant to conditions in developing countries, what arrangements she is making to co-ordinate on-the-spot British aid effort in the main receiving countries; and to what extent she is able to use the experience of officers of Her Majesty's Overseas Civil Service who had carried out development programmes in the field and had been responsible for co-ordinating them.

One of the main objects of my pokey is to achieve effective co-ordination of our aid effort both here and on the spot. In independent countries this is done by our Ambassadors and High Commissioners. A considerable number of officers serving on their staffs have a background of Her Majesty's Overseas Civil Service experience among their qualifications.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development, in view of the need of experienced men and women in the field of technical assistance, what steps she is taking to keep in touch with the people that her Department now helps to recruit for work in developing countries.

Under existing arrangements all those we recruit are asked to contact my Ministry on their return to Britain and let us know whether they are interested in further overseas employment, but I feel that more could and should be done to keep in touch with them during their period of service overseas and I am examining ways in which this can be achieved.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development, in view of the shortage of teachers in the United Kingdom and the need for teachers in the developing countries, what further steps she will take to encourage recruitment for overseas service, to keep in touch with teachers while they are overseas to ensure that, when they return, their new experience is put to use within the home educational system.

The need of the developing countries for teachers is so urgent, and yet the overall number required is so small in relation to the total teaching strength in this country, that, by agreement with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Science, I am seeking by all media of publicity to increase recruitment for teaching overseas despite our own shortages. My Ministry has recently assumed responsibility for the National Council for the Supply of Teachers Overseas on which the local education authorities as well as the recruiting agencies are represented. The Council's new film about the life of a teacher overseas "And gladly would he learn" is now being widely shown throughout the country. The first edition of the Council's new bulletin "Overseas Challenge" has just been circulated through local education authorities to schools throughout the United Kingdom. I shall continue to confer with the Council on other methods of bringing to the notice of British teachers the challenge of serving for brief periods on contract with the Governments of developing countries.Local education authorities have agreed to second their teachers for service overseas whenever possible, thus maintaining contact with them and guaranteeing them posts or, their return to this country. Links between local education authorities in Britain and education authorities overseas, such as the links which the Inner London Education Authority have recently established with Northern Nigeria and the Sudan, are particularly valuable and my Ministry gives them support. Teachers going overseas under the auspices of my Ministry are asked to let us know, shortly before their contracts come to an end, whether they desire a further period of service overseas or whether they are returning to teach in Britain. Any teacher who has been short-listed for a promotion post in Britain can attend for interview by availing himself of an Interview Fund which pays for all travel costs, less £20.I like to think that teaching in this country is being enriched by the return of several teachers annually from short spells of service in various developing countries overseas.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what was the total cost of timber and processed timber im- ported during 1964; and what proportion of the United Kingdom's total import bill this represents.

£265·9 million and 4·7 per cent.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what was the cost of timber and processed timber imported in 1964 from the Commonwealth, European Free Trade Association, Soviet bloc countries and other countries, respectively.

The information is as follows:

asked the President of the Board of Trade what proportion of the total value of timber and processed timber consumed in the United Kingdom in 1964 was produced in the United Kingdom.

I regret that the information requested is not available, but I am writing to the hon. Member to explain what statistics can be provided.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what has been the annual rate of increase in the value of timber and processed timber consumed in the United Kingdom in each of the past 10 years; and whether he expects this trend to continue indefinitely.

I regret that the information requested is not available, but I am writing to the hon. Member to explain what statistics can be provided.