asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether Her Majesty's Government have now completed their study of the views expressed by hon. Members on the care of the elderly; and what conclusions they have come to.

The views expressed by hon. Members in the debate last February, and by others since then, on the care of the elderly have been most helpful and are being considered by the Departments concerned. Studies have been set in hand into the various services affecting the well-being of elderly people. Good progress is being made and I hope for some results before long.

asked the Minister of Public Buildings and Works (1) whether he has now considered the representations submitted to him by the town clerk of Bristol expressing concern at the continuing trespass upon Crown land at Colliters Brook, Ashton, Bristol, by itinerant caravan dwellers; and what action he now proposes to take;(2) what consideration he has given to the hazards to public health through lack of sanitation, water supply, etc., caused by the continued occupation of Crown land, known as Colliters Brook, Ashton, Bristol, by itinerant caravan dwellers; and why he has halted the legal processes for trespass.

My right hon. Friend is well aware of the problems created by the itinerant caravan dwellers at present occupying land owned by the Ministry at Colliters Brook. I am shortly to meet a deputation from the Bristol Council to discuss this matter.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works when the awning to protect the queues at the Jewel House in the Tower of London is to be replaced.

The awning has now been replaced.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works how many official visits he has made to Scotland since taking office; what was the duration of each visit; and which areas he has visited.

My right hon. Friend's first visit after taking office was to Scotland: it was to Edinburgh, and lasted one day. I myself spent three days in Scotland last month during which I visited amongst other places, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Benmore, Inveraray, Lanark and Tulliallan.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works if he is aware of the continuing shortage of building materials, particularly cement in Scotland; what is the cause of this shortage; what will be the effect on building and construction work; and what action he is now taking to improve supplies.

My right hon. Friend is aware that there has been a lengthening of delivery periods for some materials, particularly cement, in Scotland as in England. Demand for these materials has risen rapidly since 1963, and production has not always kept fully in step with demand because of the time needed to build new works.The Department is in touch with the manufacturers concerned. The cement manufacturers are increasing supplies both from United Kingdom sources and by importing and this should ease the position in Scotland. The suppliers are doing all they can to maintain deliveries to sustain progress on sites and will be assisted in this if consumers avoid over-ordering.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance, in view of the decision of the National Assistance Board on the case of Mrs. Owens, what steps she proposes to take to ensure that those earning below the National Assistance Board scale, such as married apprentices with families, are entitled to obtain assistance to enable their families to receive the minimum standard of existence laid down by the Board.

The case of Mrs. Owens is not comparable with that of the married apprentice in that she is not required to register for work and her National Assistance allowance is supplementing part-time earnings. The payment of National Assistance to people in full-time employment would raise a far-reaching issue of principle.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance how many persons were in receipt of National Assistance at Gateshead at the latest con? venient date and at the corresponding dates for 1962, 1963, and 1964, respectively.

The County Borough of Gateshead is served by two offices of the National Assistance Board, which between them also serve a considerable area outside the County Borough including the Urban Districts of Felling and Washington. The number of weekly National Assistance grants current in these two offices at the end of May, 1965, was 9,906. The corresponding figures for the earlier years were as follows:

May, 1962	…	…	…	9,328
May, 1963	…	…	…	10,085
May, 1964	…	…	…	10,181

Some of the allowances included the needs of more than one person.

asked the Minister of Health (1) if he is aware of the hardship caused to pharmacists by the fact that payments made by the National Health Service represent only about 80 per cent. of the value of prescriptions prepared and supplied by them; and if he will take steps to remedy this anomaly;(2) if he will take steps to expedite the work of the Pricing Bureau to enable pharmacists in Glamorgan, and in other parts of Wales, to receive payments due to them from the National Health Service more promptly; and if he will make a statement.

Pharmacists are paid in full for the National Health Service prescriptions they dispense. Advances on account have been necessary in one area in Wales, Glamorgan, because the Welsh Joint Pricing Committee, who are responsible for pricing prescriptions submitted by chemists for payment, are experiencing staffing and other difficulties but steps are being taken to overcome them.

asked the Minister of Health to what extent the British Safety Council has official recognition.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware of the recent report of the British Safety Council concerning the health and safety facilities of a number of coastal resorts; whether the Council has been officially recognised by Her Majesty's Government; and what complaints have been received about British seaside resorts by his Department since the last holiday season.

This body is not officially recognised. I am aware of the Press reports, but not of any complaints to my right hon. Friend.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will investigate the methods used by the British Safety Council in promoting activities in the field of health and safety.

I am not aware of any grounds for my right hon. Friend doing so, nor does he have any powers for this purpose.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will make a statement about his future intentions relating to the purchase of drugs from overseas under Section 41 of the Patents Laws.

The purchases in question are made under Section 46(1) of the Patents Act, 1949. I recently invited the patentees and licensees to quote for the supply to hospitals and to the Armed Services of four drugs currently being purchased from overseas sources and three other widely used patented drugs. Acceptable offers of prices were received in respect of three drugs; the manufacturers of two others have agreed to negotiate prices concurrently with negotiations for the prices of these drugs used in the pharmaceutical service; and I have now publicly invited tenders for the supply of the other two. If the successful tenderers are not the patentees or licensees, contracts will be placed under the authority of Section 46(1) of the Patents Act, 1949, and I shall continue to use my powers under this Section as and when it seems to me right to do so.

asked the Minister of Health if, in view of the confusion which arises when changes in remuneration are made, he will in future publish general medical practitioners' remuneration in gross terms instead of net.

The terms in which remuneration is expressed in future will largely depend upon the outcome of the discussions now in progress, but I have noted the hon. Member's suggestion.

asked the Minister of Health what is the average gross income of a general medical practitioner working under the National Health Service; how many patients such a doctor has on his list; and what is the highest gross income range of doctors under the National Health Service and the number of patients on their lists.

For doctors in Great Britain remunerated from the central pool, about £4,600 from official sources. If he earned the average amount from other official sources, a practitioner with this average income would have the average sized list, which was about 2,300 at 1st October, 1964. For a list of 3,500, which is the maximum save in exceptional circumstances, a doctor's gross income from official sources would be about £4,900 plus his earnings in addition to his capitation and loading fees. Information about private earnings is not available.

asked the Minister of Health how many people, male and female, respectively, living on the Isle of Sheppey, travel to the Medway towns and other places on the mainland to work as a result of losing their jobs on the closure of the naval dockyard at Sheerness; and how many of those are skilled and how many unskilled workers.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Minister of Health what is the total number of people, male and female, respectively, who travel to the mainland from the Isle of Sheppey to work each day; and how many of those are skilled and how many are unskilled workers.

The 1961 census showed that 2,280 men and 270 women travelled from the Isle of Sheppey to work in other areas.I regret that the information requested in the second part of the Question is not available.

asked the Minister of Health how many sight tests were carried out under the Supplementary Ophthalmic Service in the Manchester Executive Council area in April and May of this year; and what were the figures for the same months of 1962, 1963 and 1964.

The information is as follows:

			April	May
1962	…	…	6,286	8,873
1963	…	…	7,512	8,229
1964	…	…	8,387	6,416
1965	…	…	7,319	8,497

asked the Minister of Health how many firms are offering to supply hospitals with modular operating theatres; and if he is satisfied that there is no monopoly in this field.

One main supplier at present, but others are interested and hospital authorities have the choice of the orthodox alternative.

asked the Minister of Health how far the increase in surgical staff in Swansea hospitals has been matched by an increase in fully qualified and experienced anaesthetists.

I assume that my hon. Friend is referring to the recent appointments of a consultant neurosurgeon and consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist. No addition to the anaesthetic staff was made because it was considered that the additional work could be undertaken by the existing anaesthetic staff.

asked the Minister of Health if he will state the estimated catchment population figures for each regional hospital board area according to the latest available information.

I regret that this information is not available. Estimates of the population living in each Hospital Region at mid-1964 were published in the Registrar General's Quarterly Return for England and Wales for the fourth quarter of 1964 but these are not necessarily the same as the populations served by the hospitals within the region. Very rough projections of the population living in each Region at mid-1965 have been made and are given in the following table; these figures should, however, be treated with reserve.

Hospital Region		Population (millions)
Newcastle	…	3·1
Leeds	…	3·2
Sheffield	…	4·5
East Anglian	…	1·6
North West Metropolitan	…	4·3
North East Metropolitan	…	3·3
South East Metropolitan	…	3·5
South West Metropolitan	…	3·3
Oxford	…	1·8
South Western	…	3·0
Welsh	…	2·7
Birmingham	…	5·0
Manchester	…	4·5
Liverpool	…	2·2
Wessex	…	1·9

asked the Minister of Labour if he will seek powers to impose disciplinary punishment on unofficial strikers who act against responsible trade union advice and disrupt production; and if he will make a statement.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will introduce legislation to make illegal unofficial strikes declared without warning which cause serious inconvenience to the public.

No. As the hon. Member knows, the terms of reference of the Royal Commission on Trade Unions and Employers' Associations are very wide and unofficial strikes is no doubt one of many problems they will consider.

asked the Minister of Labour what progress has been made in his discussions with his Industrial Health Advisory Committee about the further steps to ensure that all possible cancer risks in industry are brought under review and that all workers at risk have regular medical checks.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Halifax (Dr. Summerskill) on 14th June. The Sub-Committee will be meeting next month.

REGISTERED DISABLED PERSONS (WOMEN AND GIRLS) REGISTERED AS UNEMPLOYED ON 10TH MAY, 1965
—			Number of women and girls registered as disabled also registered as unemployed			Expressed as a percentage of Disabled Persons Unemployed Register
			Section I*	Section II*	Total
Swansea	…	…	16	1	17	5·7
Wales	…	…	451	68	519	11·8
England	…	…	4,046	569	4,615	13·1
*Notes:—Section I covers those considered suitable for ordinary employment.
Section II covers those considered suitable for employment under sheltered conditions only.

asked the Minister of Labour when wage inspectors last visited Foyles bookshop in Charing Cross Road; and with what results.

The last visit to Foyles by a Wages Inspector was on 17th February, 1965. Information about individual firms and their employees obtained for the purposes of the Wages Councils Act, 1959, is regarded as confidential.

asked the Minister of Labour how many skilled shipbuilding workers are now employed on shipbuilding for the Navy.

Eight thousand six hundred in Great Britain in February, 1965, the latest date for which information is available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the rôle of the information services in the arrangement of programmes in this country for official visitors from abroad.

asked the Minister of Labour what proportion of registered disabled unemployed in Swansea, Wales and England, respectively, are women.

The following table contains the information requested:

The Overseas Departments select and sponsor visitors to this country. Their programmes in the United Kingdom are organised by the Central Office of Information in close co-operation with the sponsoring Departments.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the time taken for important or urgent information to be transmitted to all the main Government information services in the United Kingdom.

Very short.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many proposals for reduction in the rateable assessment of properties in Heywood still await a hearing; and if he will give the same information for Royton, Crompton, Milnrow, Wardle, Littleborough and Whitworth, respectively.

Fifty-two; and 109, 72, 22, 5, 26 and 8, respectively.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the value of orders placed by the West German Government under the current Anglo-German Agreement for offsetting the cost under the exchanges of the British Army of the Rhine, to the latest convenient date.

The total value of payments under the Agreement in the nine months ending 31st December, 1964, was £17·8 million. Details of payments in the next quarter should be available soon.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is satisfied that a 27 feet tandem axle trailer for use with an independent tractor unit comes within the ambit of Category 14, Schedule 1, to the Hire Purchase and Credit Sale Agreements (Control) Order, S.I. (1964) 142, under the headings of Caravans and Trailers, in view of the fact that if the vehicle was not split but made as a single unit it would not be subject to any control as its carrying capacity would be in excess of the 30 cwt. limit; and if he will make a statement.

Trailers are in Item 16 in Part I of Schedule 1 to the Hire-Purchase and Credit Sale Agreements (Control) Order, 1964 (S.I. 1964 No. 942). If the hon. Member has a case of practical difficulty in mind, I would be glad if he would send me the details.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what steps he is taking to investigate the unauthorised disclosure of advance information regarding the May trade returns.

I am making inquiries to see whether any unauthorised disclosure took place.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what was the percentage change in the value of United Kingdom imports of semi-manufactures, finished manufactures, and chemicals, respectively, for the latest five-month period compared with the corresponding period of 1964 and with the immediately preceding five-month period.

The information is given in the following table. Comparisons between these periods are considerably affected by seasonal factors, and the figures given have therefore been adjusted to eliminate seasonal variations.

UNITED KINGDOM IMPORTS
Seasonally adjusted
	Percentage change in value
	January-May, 1965* compared with
	January-May, 1964	August-December 1964
Semi-manufactures Chemicals (Section 5)	+ 5·7	- 1·8
Other industrial materials mainly for further processing (Section 6)	+ 3·4	- 4·7
Finished manufactures (Sections 7 and 8)	- 0·3	- 3·3
* The figures for May, 1965 are provisional.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the need to improve Britain's balance of trade, and of the imprecise effect of the import surcharge, he will introduce selective quantitative control of imports.

No. The trade deficit this year is on average half that for the corresponding period last year: and I am not convinced that further measures are necessary.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what changes he proposes in the rules relating to duty remission on machinery and on instruments and apparatus.

Yes. The cost of operating the duty remission schemes for machinery and for instruments and apparatus has been increasing fast because of the growing volume of applications. In the case of machinery, I therefore propose, with the agreement of the Consultative Committee on the Duty-free Entry of Machinery, to increase to £3,000 the minimum value limit of £2,000, which was recommended by the Wilson Smith Committee in 1954 as a means of reducing the administrative burden of duty remission. This increase will go some way towards restoring the original effect of the limit, which has been weakened by changes in duty rates and the fall in the value of money. I propose similarly to increase from £20 to £30 the limit of duty liability below which applications for duty remission on instruments and apparatus are not eligible. The changes will affect applications relating to all users' orders placed after today.

asked the President of the Board of Trade to what extent the shortage of skilled labour in the shipbuilding industry is causing a delay in the delivery of British ships.

Shortages of skilled tradesmen in shipbuilding areas are con-

POSTAGE STAMPS PRINTED DURING 1964 AND JANUARY TO MAY, 1965 (expressed in millions)
Year/Month		Denominations
		½d.	1d.	1½d.	2d.	2½d.	3d.	4d.
1964
January	…	4·5	1·1	3·1	13·4	31·1	117·4	1·7
February	…	5·6	1·9	6·8	21·8	53·1	267·5	1·6
March	…	3·9	1·5	4·8	14·6	55·4	178·3	1·3
April	…	5·6	3·5	7·5	25·4	91·2	336·8	2·9
May	…	5·8	3·9	8·4	28·6	125·3	194·4	3·2
June	…	4·5	3·2	6·8	22·5	155·7	194·5	8·9
July	…	7·2	4·7	5·1	22·6	67·0	287·7	2·5
August	…	5·4	3·2	5·6	23·5	98·2	208·0	2·4
September	…	5·0	4·0	6·8	24·2	95·6	136·2	2·7
October	…	13·0	10·6	14·9	43·4	275·8	404·3	6·3
November	…	17·0	14·0	17·0	44·6	505·0	430·2	8·8
December	…	2·1	0·7	1·9	7·2	131·5	57·7	0·9
1965
January	…	4·9	1·7	4·1	16·2	32·3	152·9	2·2
February	…	4·1	2·2	5·0	17·8	44·1	210·0	1·3
March	…	3·3	2·3	5·1	16·1	51·0	172·9	4·0
April	…	5·9	7·4	5·6	19·7	53·0	188·3	138·0
May	…	8·0	83·7	15·7	36·2	16·7	134·8	464·0

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that letters posted by racehorse trainers in France have taken over four days to be delivered in this country; and what steps he is taking to improve the delivery in this country of letters posted in France.

Yes. I am sorry that in recent weeks delivery of some of the mail from France has been delayed owing

asked the Postmaster-General how many ½d. 1d., 1½d., 2d., 2½d., 3d. and 4d. stamps, respectively, were printed in each month of 1964 and in January to June, 1965, respectively.

The figures are as follows: those for June, 1965, are not yet available.to shortage of staff in central London sorting offices. We are making every effort to get more staff, and to keep delays to a minimum.

asked the Postmaster-General on what dates it is now planned to make the special issues of stamps in connection with Sir Winston Churchill, the International Telecom? munications Union and the 700th anniversary of Simon de Montfort's Parliament; and whether any changes are to be made in the dates previously

		Original Date			New Date
International Telecommunication Union Centenary	…	17th May			15th November
Commemoration of Sir Winston Churchill's Life	…	24th May			8th July
700th Anniversary of Simon de Montfort's Parliament	…	10th June			19th July
Salvation Army Centenary	…	1st July			9th August
Joseph Lister Centenary	…	12th August			1st September
Dates for the following special issues are unchanged:
Commonwealth Arts Festival	…	…	…	…	1st September
25th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain	…	…	…	…	13th September
20th Anniversary of United Nations	…	…	…	…	25th October

Special stamps to mark the opening of the Post Office Tower will be issued on 8th October.

asked the Postmaster-General what representations he has had from the Radio Astronomy Observatory in respect of the possible use of Channel 6 by unauthorised television stations.

None. But, from recent discussions between the Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory and my Department, I am fully aware of the importance of Channel 6 to the Observatory and of the problems to which any unauthorised use of the channel would give rise. The observations which are being made on frequencies in this channel include a sky survey, of fundamental importance to radio astronomers, of radio stars in the Northern Hemisphere. This was started in 1958 and will not be completed until 1966.This does not prevent the use of the channel for legitimate television broadcasting. Indeed, several B.B.C. and I.T.A. stations will be using it by the end of this year and the discussions to which I have referred were concerned with the arrangements to enable the Observatory to fit its work into the times of the day when those stations will not be operating.

asked the Postmaster-General what was the total revenue collected by his Department in respect of all mobile radio licences in the last five financial years.

New dates for this year's special issues of stamps are as follows:

The revenue from licences in the land mobile and maritime mobile radio services was as follows:

Year			Total revenue
			£
1960–61	…	…	53,369
1961–62	…	…	62,042
1962–63	…	…	72,539
1963–64	…	…	82,237
1964–65	…	…	94,217
Total	…	…	364,404

asked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs what representations concerning his Department he has received from the Mayor of Kettering; and what reply he has given.

The Northamptonshire Evening Telegraph (16th June) carried a report quoting my hon. Friend as saying that Kettering was one of those towns that had died. The Mayor of Kettering sent me a telegram of protest. My hon. Friend immediately assured the Mayor that he had not used the words attributed to him, and that the report was a deplorable example of irresponsible journalism. The Northamptonshire Evening Telegraph have published on their front page my hon. Friend's reply and a letter from him to the editor.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many police officers in the course of duty have been injured by an offensive weapon in the last six months.

I regret that this information could be obtained only by a special inquiry of every police force in Scotland.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give financial assistance to help inaugurate and maintain a campaign on cervical cancer in Dundee.

I understand that the possibility is being considered of supplementing the facilities for screening for cervical cancer already provided by the regional hospital board in Dundee. My Department will be glad to help the board and the corporation in any way it can, but I have no reason to suppose that special financial arrangements will be required.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage of the 1964 sugar beet crop was delivered by rail to the Cupar sugar factory; and what figures are available from the 1965 sugar beet contracts to show the proportion likely to be delivered by rail from this year's crop.

28 per cent. of the 1964 sugar bet crop contracted for by the Cupar factory was delivered by rail. Sufficient information is not yet available for an estimate to be made of the proportion likely to be delivered by rail in 1965.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will ensure that, when adequate accommodation is available, the treasure discovered in Shetland by Professor O'Dell is returned to Lerwick.

The Government have decided that the treasure, which belongs to the Crown, should become part of the national collection in the National Museum of Antiquities. I understand that the trustees of the museum have signified their willingness to consider sympathetically any application on a suitable occasion for the loan of the treasure for exhibition by the Shetland Museum, subject to agreement on satisfactory conditions of transport and safe custody. This is in accordance with the general policy of the trustees to make available items from the national collection for local exhibition from time to time.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps are taken when mental patients are given temporary release to their homes to ensure that any conditions laid down to ensure their proper supervision are observed.

In the case of an ordinary patient detained under the Mental Health (Scotland) Act, 1960 it is the duty of the doctor in charge of the patient's treatment in hospital to see that appropriate arrangements are made for his supervision while absent on leave. The arrangements for supervision to ensure that conditions are observed vary from case to case; but it is common practice for the doctor to make the arrangements with responsible relatives.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps are being taken to encourage the growth of small museums in Scotland.

A council for museums and galleries in Scotland which receives financial support from the Government has been established with the object of extending the influence and improving the facilities of local museums and galleries. The council has appointed a Development Officer to survey the needs of museums and galleries. The purchase grants available to local museums through the Royal Scottish Museum have been increased from £4,000 in 1964–65 to £8,000 in 1965–66.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers have been injured in the course of duty by an offensive weapon in the last six months.

I regret that this information could be obtained only by a special inquiry of every police force in England and Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give the number of university graduates who were recruited into each of the police forces of England and Wales in 1950 and in each of the last five years.

Five men with university degrees were recruited in 1964; two joined the Metropolitan Police and one each the Blackpool, Bristol and Staffordshire forces. In 1963 one graduate was recruited to the Metropolitan Police Force. Reliable figures are not available for previous years.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the total wool production in Wales in 1962, 1963, and 1964; and what is the estimated figure for 1965.

This information is not available for calendar years. Figures from the British Wool Marketing Board for the wool years ending each 30th April show wool production in Wales

• in 1962–63 at 10·3m. lb.,
• in 1963–64 at 9·7m. lb., and
• in 1964–65 at 10·3m. lb.

I have no separate estimate of wool production in Wales in the year ending 30th April, 1966.

asked the Minister of Aviation if he will make a statement on the estimated long-term and short-term employment situation in the aircraft industry at Bristol, taking into account the cancellation of the TSR2 project, the Anglo-French memorandum of understanding for the joint development of new military aircraft, and other future projects.

Reliable estimates of employment in the aircraft industry in Bristol cannot be given until the companies concerned have completed their plans for redeployment in the light of the recent cancellations and the new collaborative projects. Present indications are that in the short-term there may well be a reduction of up to 10 per cent., but the long-term prospects depend not only on the division of work between the factories of the major airframe and aero-engine companies but also on the success that the companies have in gaining orders for their products. As soon as I am able to give more information I will do so.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he is aware of the statements by Mr. Eduardo Mondlane in the United Nations Committee on colonialism on 3rd June on the subject of the granting of asylum in the South African Protectorates; if he will give an assurance that Her Majesty's Government's policy concerning the granting of asylum to political refugees in the Protectorates of Swaziland, Basutoland and Bechuanaland has not changed; and if he will make a statement.

I have seen reports of Mr. Mondlane's accusations. There is no truth in his suggestion that the British Government and the Governments of the three Southern African Territories have collaborated with the authorities in Mozambique against the interests of political refugees. With constitutional advance refugee matters in the Territories are, of course, increasingly the concern of the territorial Governments. There has, however, been no change in the policy which has hitherto been followed, under which genuine political refugees have been granted asylum and are in no circumstances obliged to return to the country from which they have fled.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the inquiries concerning the alleged kidnapping of two Mozambique refugees in Swaziland have been completed; and whether he will make a statement concerning the circumstances of this case.

An interim report has been received from Swaziland and is now being studied. Consideration is being given to what further steps should be taken in the matter, and I will let my hon. Friend know what is decided.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence why the cost of the Fine Weather Telegram Service has doubled this year.

The charge for this Meteorological Service has been increased by about 40 per cent. this year as compared with last year. This is because income in recent years has fallen below the cost of the service, as a result of increases in the cost of telegrams and in the number of telegrams despatched.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the full value, including any vacation allowances payable, of a State scholarship tenable at Oxford and Cambridge, London, and provincial universities in 1950; and what will be the full value, including any vacation allowances payable, of a maintenance grant at Oxford and Cambridge, London and provincial universities in the year starting October 1965.

In 1950, the maximum value of a state scholarship, excluding tuition fees which were paid direct to the university, was as follows:

			£
Oxford and Cambridge:
College, hostel or lodgings	…	…	265
Home	…	…	195
London:
College, hostel or lodgings	…	…	241
Home	…	…	180
Provincial:
College, hostel or lodgings	…	…	215
Home	…	…	165

These allowances included an element towards the student's maintenance during vacation. An additional allowance of £2 5s. 0d. a week was payable if he undertook a course of vacation study related to his degree course which involved living away from home. Students at Oxford and Cambridge were required to meet half the college dues (about £11) out of their grant.In 1965–66, the maintenance grants will be as follows:

			£
Oxford, Cambridge and London:
College, hostel, lodgings	…	…	370
Home	…	…	275
Provincial:
College, hostel, lodgings	…	…	340
Home	…	…	275

These amounts exclude fees and college dues, which are paid separately, and include £35 towards vacation maintenance. An additional payment of up to £5 a week may be made at the discretion of authorities to any student who can show that he is in need of further financial help during vacations. If he attends a recommended course of vacation study, under guidance, a grant of 17s. 6d. or 10s. a day, is payable, depending on whether the student is living way from home or not.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the level of parental income at which the full value of State scholarships began to be reduced in 1950; and at what level of parental income the full value of maintenance grants will begin to be reduced in the year starting October 1965.

£509 and £699, net of deductions under rules which differ as between the two years in question.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what increase in the average price of land for the building of schools has taken place in the area of the Greater London Council in the last 15 years.

This information is not available.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what was the total Government subsidy on council house building last year; and how much in the £ of all revenue from Government taxation this represented.

Exchequer subsidies in respect of permanent dwellings provided by local authorities in Great Britain totalled £87·6 million in 1964–65. This represented nearly 3d. in the £ of all revenue from Government taxation.

asked the Minister of Power if, in view of the development of the advanced gas-cooled reactor, which will reduce the need for overhead transmission lines, he will give a general direction to the Central Electricity Generating Board to reconsider their present plans for extending the 400 kilovolt grid system.

No. Present plans for extending the 400 kilovolt grid are required to meet power demands up to 1970. Thereafter lines will be needed mainly to connect new power stations to the grid and to increase bulk supplies to the lower voltage networks. The development of the advanced gas-cooled reactor, whose cooling water requirements are similar to those of coal or oil-fired stations, will not lessen these needs.

asked the Minister of Transport if he has received any proposals on the future of the passenger services on the Richmond to Broad Street line; and if he will make a statement.

I understand that the London Midland Region of British Railways is announcing today that it no longer intends to withdraw the passenger train service between Richmond and Broad Street.

asked the Minister of Transport whether, in the public interest, he will withhold his consent from further adjustments on closures in the Cardiff area until the circle scheme, now before the Commercial Department of British Railways has been considered.

I cannot say what my attitude would be to proposals which have not been put before me.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware of the increasing accident rate on the A.35 through through the village of Ashurst, Hampshire; and whether he will authorise a 40 miles per hour speed limit through Ashurst.

The accident rate on this length of road remained substantially the same over the period from 1st January, 1962, to 31st December, 1964.The Hampshire County Council has applied for my consent to the imposition of a 40 m.p.h. speed limit and I have asked for further details about conditions on the road before reaching a decision.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will impose limitations on the use of roads by learner drivers and by towed caravans during bank holiday periods.

As regards learner drivers I have nothing to add to my Answer to the hon. Member for Brighton, Pavilion (Sir W. Teeling) on 28th April. I have no evidence to suggest that towed caravans constitute a particular danger during bank holiday periods and see no justification for limiting their use at such times.

asked the Minister of Transport what increase has taken place in the price of land for road construction in the area of the Greater London Council in the last 15 years.

No figures are readily available from the many local authorities concerned to provide a reliable comparison. The cost of land for the small amounts of trunk road work in this area has increased by about 600 per cent.