asked the Minister of Public Building and Works if he will hold consultations with the building trade unions regarding the introduction of industrialised systems of house-building.

My right hon. Friend attaches great importance to the part trade unions can play in furthering the use of industrialised building. I myself recently presided at a valuable and cordial discussion between members of the Ministry's staff and representatives of the trade unions. We hope to arrange further meetings.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works whether it is still his policy to promote the construction of houses and other buildings in this country from imported timber; whether this policy has been reviewed in the light of the continuing balance of payments difficulties; and with what result.

It is still my right hon. Friend's policy to encourage industrialised building as a means to increase productivity. Where the use of timber can assist this at an economic price we should like to see it increase.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what degree of supervision is exercised by his Department over contractors employed by his Department on work on Government offices in the provinces.

The degree of supervision needed on site construction varies according to the complexity of the work being done.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works whether he has now completed his consideration of the reports prepared by Sir Leslie Martin and Professor Buchanan on the future redevelopment of the Whitehall area; and if he will make a statement.

I hope to publish the reports and make a statement later this month.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what steps his Department takes to protect trees of particular beauty in the grounds of Government offices in provincial towns.

We follow a policy of protecting and preserving sound trees of all types wherever possible.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works if he will consider making available suitable Government accommodation for the wives of Members of Parliament who, in visiting London to attend various functions, have no opportunity of meeting each other socially.

This is not a matter for me, but I understand that, under Mr. Speaker's authority, the Harcourt Room is available to Members' wives to meet each other.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance whether she will provide a breakdown of figures to show the former employment of persons subject to the wage-stop in the King's Lynn area.

I regret that the information is not available.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what is the average period of retraining at the National Assistance non-residential re-establishment centres at London and Manchester, respectively; how many staff are employed at each of these centres; and what is the annual cost of their operation.

The average period spent at the London centre is eight weeks, and at the Manchester centre eight-and-a-half weeks. Six staff are employed at each centre. The total annual cost of the two centres is estimated at £22,000.

asked the Minister of Pensions anti National Insurance how many recipients of National Assistance have voluntarily applied for and are awaiting admission to the non-residential re-establishment centre at Manchester.

On 30th June, 1965, 62 recipients of National Assistance were awaiting vacancies in the Manchester Centre.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance how many non-resicential re-establishment centres she intends to provide in large towns in England and Wales during the next 12 months.

The National Assistance Board has plans to provide day re-establishment facilities over the next few years in or near 11 provincial towns, and to provide a second day re-establishment centre in London. It is not possible to say how many of these centres will be ready for use in the next 12 months.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what has been the difference between total benefits and total contributions in the graduated pension scheme since its inauguration; and what steps she intends to take to abolish the scheme.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the Answer which was given today by my hon. Friend to my hon. Friend the Member for Faversham (Mr. Boston). Replacement of the present graduated pension arrangements is among the principal matters to which the Government's current review of social security schemes is directed.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance, in view of the facts that war-disabled pensioners of the 1914–18 and earlier wars have no right of appeal to the Pensions Appeal Tribunal and that this right is restricted to the disability pensioners of the 1939–45 war, if she will seek powers to remedy this situation.

The rights which 1914–18 War pensioners had to appeal to the Tribunal expired many years ago and it has long been accepted that it would not be practicable at this late stage to introduce a new system of formal appeals for them. As the hon. and gallant Member knows, however, there are well recognised procedures for dealing with new or revised claims they may make, or claims for the reopening of existing awards, and it is open to them, if they wish, to discuss their cases with their local War Pensions Committee.

asked the Minister of Health if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a list of the 20 drugs which are most in use in the hospitals under the National Health Service, and his estimate of the amount spent on each in the last year to a convenient date.

Following is the information about the estimated usage in 1964 of the 10 most widely used drugs purchased under contracts placed centrally or by hospital authorities. Because of variations in the scope of hospital contracts for drugs it might be misleading to extend the list further.

		£
Halothane	…	650,000
Chlorpromazine	…	270,000
Ampicillin	…	240,000
Cloxacillin	…	200,000
Tetracycline	…	130,000
Methicillin	…	120,000
Phenethicillin	…	110,000
Sodium diatrizoate	…	110,000
Fusidic Acid	…	80,000
Hydrocortisone Sodium Succinate Inj.	…	80,000

asked the Minister of Health which drugs he still proposes to purchase from abroad for the service of the Crown.

Tenders have been invited for the supply of chlorothiazide and hydrochlorothiazide; but these patented drugs will not be purchased from abroad if the patentees or licensees in this country submit acceptable tenders.

asked the Minister of Health how many doctors and nurses were engaged in the National Health Service at the latest available date; and how many were so engaged a year previously.

In 1964, a total of 41,491 doctors and 214,052 nursing staff. Comparable figures for 1963 are 41,376 doctors and 209,429 nursing staff. Part-time staff are included as whole-time equivalents. The figures are for September (except those included for local authority staff, which are for December).

asked the Minister of Health (1) if he will give consideration to the provision of physiotherapy for patients in their own homes in those cases where patients are not fit enough to be transported to and from hospital;(2) if he will arrange for physiotherapy in their own homes to be available under the National Health Service for patients when such treatment is recommended by local general practitioners and consultants.

Physiotherapy is regarded as a hospital service which should be prescribed by a consultant. The consultant may prescribe domiciliary physiotherapy if he thinks it necessary.

asked the Minister of Health if he will state the percentage increase in private medical practice over the last five years.

I regret that the information is not available.

asked the Minister of Health if he will state the estimated value of private practice for the last available year, and the allowance made for this private practice when calculating doctors' remuneration.

No recent figure is available. It is for the Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration to decide whether and if so how to take account of earnings from private prac- tice in recommending remuneration for work in the National Health Service.

asked the Minister of Health how much money per head of mentally-handicapped population is spent by the local authority in each county borough in Wales on welfare provision for the mentally handicapped.

Expenditure per head on the mentally disordered by County Borough Councils in Wales as local health authorities in 1964–65 is estimated at:

Authority			Per capita expenditure
			£	s.	d.
Cardiff	…	…	48	14	0
Merthyr Tydfil	…	…	122	4	3
Newport	…	…	31	15	3
Swansea	…	…	26	4	0

asked the Minister of Health how much money per head of mentally-handicapped population is spent by the local authority in each Welsh county on welfare provision for the mentally handicapped.

Expenditure per head on the mentally disordered by County Councils in Wales as local health authorities in 1964–65 is estimated at:

Authority		Per capita expenditure
		£	s.	d.
Anglesey	…	55	1	7
Breconshire	…	31	11	6
Cardiganshire	…	261	3	9
Carmarthenshire	…	88	13	11
Caernarvonshire	…	76	13	9
Denbighshire	…	51	1	2
Flintshire	…	94	11	6
Glamorgan	…	57	19	7
Merioneth	…	66	7	0
Monmouthshire	…	74	5	7
Montgomeryshire	…	40	0	11
Pembrokeshire	…	77	0	10
Radnorshire	…	27	13	8

asked the Minister of Health if he will publish a table in the OFFICIAL REPORT giving details, by categories, of the numbers of all those employed in the hospital service, the general medical services and the local authority health services, at the latest available date, and in each of the five years previous to that date.

The information is as follows:

asked the Minister of Health what was the total number of prescriptions in the three months prior to the abolition of prescription charges compared with the three months following.

The number of prescriptions dispensed by chemists in England and Wales during each of the three months in question was as follows:

November 1964	17,656,154
December 1964	17,634,277
January 1965	18,579,479
Total for three months prior to 1st February 1965	53,869,910
February 1965	20,775,870
March 1965	23,735,830
April 1965	20,213,539
Total for three months following 1st February 1965	64,725,239

asked the Minister of Health what was the total cost of drugs and dispensing fees in the three months prior to the abolition of prescription charges, compared with the three months following.

The total cost of drugs and fees for prescriptions dispensed by chemists in England and Wales during each of the months in question was as follows:

	£
November 1964	9,148,489
December 1964	9,239,457
January 1965	9,599,936
Total for three months prior to 1st February 1965	27,987,882
February 1965	10,344,473
March 1965	11,778,871
April 1965	10,296,893
Total for three months following 1st February 1965	32,420,237

asked the Minister of Health what arrangements have been made by the Nottingham Executive Council in respect of those 1,200 patients whom two Nottingham general practitioners removed from their lists earlier this year; how many accepted the same two doctors' invitation to become private patients; and if he will make a statement.

I am informed by the Nottingham Executive Council that approximately 1,000 are again registered as National Health Service patients, most of them with other doctors in the locality. Of the remaining 200 it is likely that many have not yet had occasion to seek medical advice, but I am assured that they would find no difficulty in securing National Health Service treatment. I have no knowledge of how many chose to become private patients, but it seems clear that the number must be small.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is satisfied with the recruiting arrangements for hospital pharmacists, and with the speed of operating the present negotiating machinery on pay and conditions; and if he will make a statement.

Recruiting arrangements, which are primarily the responsibility of the hospital authorities, are generally satisfactory but my right hon. Friend has improvements constantly in mind. He has no plans for changing the negotiating machinery but he is keeping under general review the working of the Whitley Councils.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will seek to set up a central pool of pharmacists in each hospital management region, with members of the pool receiving an expense allowance and being on call for any hospital in the area.

The recently agreed substantial increases in the pay of hospital pharmacists will I hope improve recruitment and my right hon. Friend does not at present think that such a scheme is needed.

asked the Minister of Health when he will announce his decision regarding the starting date for construction of a new hospital at Frimley Park, Camberley.

I cannot add to the reply I gave the hon. Member on 15th April.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will announce the results of his review of the hospital building programme before the Summer Recess.

No. I would refer the right hon. Member to my reply of 31st May to my hon. Friend the Member for Norwich, North (Mr. Wallace).

asked the Minister of Health (1) by what machinery conditions of service and pay are negotiated for audiologists;(2) how many audiologists were employed in the National Health Service at 31st March, 1965;(3) how many audiologists have left the National Health Service during the past two years;(4) if he will now take steps to improve the pay of audiologists in the National Health Service.

Conditions of service and pay are matters in the first instance for the Professional and Technical "B" Whitley Council which is currently considering the grading structure. The latest available returns show 224 employed in the hospital service at 30th September, 1964. Numbers leaving the National Health Service are not known centrally but the number employed in the hospital service at 30th September, 1962, was 228.

asked the Minister of Health (1) what is to be his practice in making appointments to regional hospital boards; and to what extent he will take into account the political affiliations of those to be appointed;(2) what consideration he has given to the letter from the hon. Member for West Ham, North, forwarding to him the communication from the secretary of the Essex Federation of Labour Parties, complaining of the political bias in past appointments to hospital boards; and what action he proposes to take to rectify this situation.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the Answers I gave on 31st May to my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Yardley (Mr. Ioan L. Evans) and to the supplementary of the right hon. Member for Bridlington (Mr. Wood).I have noted the views expressed in the letter referred to; members are appointed for the contribution they can make to the efficient running of the hospital service.

asked the Minister of Health what is the estimated annual cost to the Exchequer during each of the next three years of his recent instruction to hospital authorities that all new boiler installations and heating conversion schemes in hospitals must be for solid fuel, upon the assumption that the extra cost involved in using solid fuel for all such schemes falls just short of the 5 per cent. which entitles hospital authorities to disregard his instruction.

In the instruction which I have recently issued, I have asked Hospital Boards, subject to health and amenity factors, to give a preference to the use of coal when the cost does not exceed the cost of using oil by more than 5 per cent. It is not yet possible to say what will be the effect in the next three years since schemes which will be affected by the instruction have not all reached the costing stage.

asked the Minister of Health, in respect of each of the last three years for which figures are available, how many hospitals have installed oil-burning boiler installations; how many have converted solid fuel to oil-burning heating installations; in the case of how many such new installations or conversions the extra cost of using or continuing to use solid fuel appliances would have exceeded 5 per cent.; and what would have been the extra cost to the Exchequer if no such conversions had taken place and if all such new installations had been for the use of solid fuel.

Eight hospitals have installed new oil-fired installations in the last three years; 71 hospitals converted solid fuel to oil-burning installations in 1962–63; 60 in 1963–64; and 63 in 1964–65. I regret that the information sought in the third and fourth parts of the Question is not available.

asked the Minister of Labour what steps are being taken to reduce accidents in the building trade.

Regulations made under the Factories Act, 1961, for the safety of construction workers are already in operation and are enforced by the Factory Inspectors. I expect to make, later in the year, two new codes of regulations dealing with the safety of working places and the health and welfare of workpeople in the construction industries. Apart from the legal requirement a great deal is already being done, particularly by way of advice and publicity, both by the industry and by my Department acting in co-operation with the industry and others with a contribution to make. The Joint Advisory Committee on Safety and Health in the Construction Industries, which represents both sides of the construction industries and meets under the chairmanship of my Joint Parliamentary Secretary, is meeting on 14th July and will be considering what further steps can be taken to reduce the incidence of construction accidents.

asked the Minister of Labour when he will publish the second Report of the Devlin Committee on the Docks.

Lord Devlin and his colleagues are now engaged on the final stages of the preparation of their Report, and I shall arrange for its publication at the earliest possible date after I receive it.

asked the Minister of Labour what action he is taking to establish registration of men employed in the building and civil engineering industry with a view to eventual decasualisation in this important industry.

This is primarily a matter for the industry itself but I hope that the Redundancy Payments Bill, which is designed to encourage the negotiation of agreed schemes in industries where there is casual employment will lead to arrangements which will provide more regular employment. I intend to seek discussions with both sides of this industry before the Bill comes into force.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will state the estimated number of school leavers in September in Gateshead, and the number and percentage of boys and girls, respectively, who left school at Easter and are still unemployed.

About 920 young people are expected to leave school in the Gates-head Youth Employment Office area this summer. Of the Easter leavers, 11 or 5·3 per cent. of the boys were still registered for first employment on 14th June, 1965; none of the girls was registered.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will now announce the names of the presidents of the industrial tribunals.

My right hon. Friend the Lord Chancellor has appointed Sir Diarmaid Conroy, C.M.G., O.B.E., T.D., Q.C., to be President of the Industrial Tribunals (England and Wales). The Lord President of the Court of Session has appointed Mr. Robert Reid, Q.C., to be President of the Industrial Tribunals (Scotland).

asked the Minister of Labour when the hon. Member for Clapham may expect to receive a reply to correspondence and personal representations made early in the year on the subject of the establishment of a women's department at the Ministry of Labour.

The hon. Lady will by now have received my letter of 2nd July explaining why I do not think that the interests of women workers would be served by the setting up of a department concerned only with women.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will place in the Library a map of South-East Asia designed to show the distances between areas of fighting in Vietnam and Malaysia, in view of United Kingdom treaty commitments in the area.

A map has been prepared and has been placed in the Library today.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what reply has been received from the North Vietnam Government with regard to the proposed visit of the Commonwealth Peace Mission.

No formal comment on the substance of our approach about the Commonwealth Peace Mission has been received from the North Vietnamese. However, radio commentary from Hanoi has stated that the Mission will not be received by the North Vietnamese, though there has been no official pronouncement to this effect.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what were the duties allocated to the police advisers in the British Advisory Mission in South Vietnam during June.

Throughout June the Police Advisers who form the British Advisory Mission have carried out their usual duties, in collaboration with the United States Operations Mission, of advising the South Vietnamese Government on many aspects of police work.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what expenditure he incurred on the British Advisory Mission of policemen in South Vietnam in the month of June.

The costs incurred by Her Majesty's Government for the British Advisory Mission in Vietnam for the month of June amounted to about £2,165.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will give details of the official representations he has received from the Government of Iran on the subject of letters of protest sent to the Iranian authorities by Members of Parliament.

It is not customary to reveal the contents of confidential communications between Her Majesty's Government and other Governments. Her Majesty's Government have naturally expressed to the Iranian Government their profound relief at the Shah's recent escape from assassination. The action taken by the Iranian Government following the assassination attempt is a matter of internal Iranian affairs in which Her Majesty's Government have no intention of interfering.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will give details of the official communications he has sent to the Iranian authorities in connection with the recent letter signed by 50 Members of Parliament expressing concern about rumours circulating about Iranian graduates of British universities arrested on a charge of organising an attempt on the life of the Shah.

It is not customary to reveal the contents of confidential communications between Her Majesty's Government and other Governments. Her Majesty's Government have naturally expressed to the Iranian Government their profound relief at the Shah's recent escape from assassination. The action taken by the Iranian Government following the assassination attempt is a matter of internal Iranian affairs in which Her Her Majesty's Government have no intention of interfering.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, in view of the repeated ignoring of diplomatic protests against the Spanish Government's treatment of Gibraltar and its citizens, he will take action to reduce the status of the British Embassy in Madrid, and that of Spain in London, to consulates.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will make an inter-regional adjustment of the Middle East information services Vote, to allow for the small allocation required for an early morning news transmission in Persian to Iran and Afghanistan.

This possibility has been considered recently. Although I agree that an early morning news broadcast in Persian would be advantageous, I regret that for financial and technical reasons it is not practicable to introduce one at present.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what representations he has made to the French Government concerning the detention without trial for nine months of Mr. W. A. H. Brampton, a British subject; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Brampton was arrested on 27th September, 1964, on suspicion of theft. A number of charges were made later for offences alleged to have been committed in various parts of France. He has been detained at Coutances.Police inquiries into the alleged offences were made in France and in this country, and at the request of the French authorities statements were taken from witnesses in this country which took some months. Her Majesty's Consular officers have expressed their concern at the delay in bringing Mr. Brampton to trial to the examining judge. This has now been fixed for 6th July.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Soviet authorities about the continued detention of Mr. Gerald Brooke; and whether he will use measures similar to those successfully used by the United States Government on behalf of Professor Barghoorn.

Since the reply given to the hon. Member for Finchley (Mrs. Thatcher) on 30th June, Her Majesty's Embassy in Moscow have made two representations to the Soviet authorities requesting a further visit to Mr. Brooke by Her Majesty's Consul, and seeking confirmation of reports in the British press which stated that the investigation of Mr. Brooke's case had been completed, and gave certain alleged details about a possible trial. The Soviet authorities have not so far given such confirmation.I have considered the suggestion in the second part of the honourable Member's Question, but I do not think that similar measures can be applied.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs who organised the visit to the United States of America in which the Minister of State took part for the Anglo-American Parliamentary Conference on Africa; and who formed the delegation.

The Anglo-American Parliamentary Conference on Africa which I attended was organised by the Institute of Advanced Political Studies at the Johns Hopkins University, Washington.The delegation was composed of Members invited by the Institute.

asked the Minister of Land and Natural Resources whether he will make a statement on the provision of camping sites by the Forestry Commission; and what steps the Commission is taking to extend the use of their sites.

The Forestry Commission have already provided 11 camping sites at a capital cost of £130,000 and consideration is being given to the possibility of further sites.

asked the Minister of Land and Natural Resources what progress he has made with his investigations into the comparative evaluation of land use.

As I told my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Northfield (Mr. Chapman) on 10th May, Sir Dudley Stamp's Committee have agreed at my request to study the evaluation of amenity and other social considerations. The question is a complex one and it may be some time before the Committee's findings are available.

asked the Minister of Land and Natural Resources by what average amount prices for plots of land for houses have risen in the London area since 1959.

The differences between individual plots and the wide variations in prices asked for them in different parts of the London area make it very difficult to produce averages which have any meaning, but over the region as a whole prices of plots for medium size houses have probably increased between 50 and 100 per cent.

asked the Minister of Land and Natural Resources whether he will make a statement on the national forest parks.

The Forestry Commission will continue to maintain their forest parks in the interests of public recreation and amenity. The Forestry Commission at present have seven forest parks; they are considering the establishment of another in the Glencoe district, and they will no doubt consider other areas for designation wherever it is appropriate.

asked the Minister of Land and Natural Resources to what extent the increased costs of the acquisition of land have affected the Forestry Commission.

The average cost of plantable land rose appreciably in 1964 but the increased cost of acquiring suitable land has not been a major factor in restricting the acquisition of land by the Forestry Commission.

asked the Minister of Land and Natural Resources what steps he is taking to ensure that amenity considerations in the Dartmoor National Park are not impaired by military training.

My right hon. Friends and I are still considering the memorandum on national land use and the Dartmoor National Park submitted by the Council for the Preservation of Rural England and the Council for the Preservation of Rural Wales.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made with the negotiation of a new double taxation agreement with the New Zealand Government.

The two countries are in touch with each other on this matter but I am afraid I cannot make any further statement at this stage.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many chairmen of companies have now told him it was their intention to go ahead with overseas investment and that it was their shareholders who would suffer; and approximately what proportion of the nation's direct overseas investment is represented by the overseas assets of those companies.

A number of company chairmen have told me of their intention to proceed with selective overseas investment, and for this reason they urged more favourable treatment of shareholders who would otherwise suffer. As to the second part of the Question I have not made an estimate.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people are employed in Inland Revenue offices in Londonderry and Coleraine; and what plans he has to increase this number.

In Londonderry there are 57 Inland Revenue staff and in Coleraine 44. There may be a small increase in the course of the next year.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in view of the move of Inland Revenue offices to the provinces, if he will set up such an office in Heywood to employ some of those civil servants being made redundant by the closure of the Royal Air Force Maintenance Unit there.

I will bear my hon. Friend's suggestion in mind but the Inland Revenue have at present no plans for an office in that area.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will announce the results of the review of public service pensions.

I have nothing to add to the reply which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Brighton, Kemptown (Mr. Hobden) on 14th June.

asked the Minister of Transport whether, in addition to the discussions which he has announced he will have with London Transport about their financial responsibilities, he will hold similar discussions with British Rail- ways in connection with the services they provide in the London area.

The considerations affecting British Railways' services in the London area are different from those affecting London Transport's. But I shall certainly bring the Railways Board into consultation if my discussions with the London Transport Board show this to be desirable.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he proposes to give to British Railways, in regard to the services provided by them in the London area, the same relief from their statutory obligation to pay their way, taking one year with another, as he has recently given to London Transport and thereby make it unnecessary for British Railways to withdraw unremunerative services.

I have no power to relieve either the British Railways Board or the London Transport Board of their statutory obligations. However, I have given an assurance that if, during the interim period for which the London Board have agreed not to make any fares increases, the Railways Board also decide to forgo an application to the Transport Tribunal for fares increases in the London Passenger Transport Area, any consequential increase in the Board's revenue deficit for 1965 will rank for grant under Section 22 of the Transport Act, 1962.

asked the Minister of Transport how many persons in Coventry were waiting to take their driving test on 1st June, 1964; what was the average length of time they had had to wait for the driving test after giving notice of their desire to take the test; how many persons in Coventry were waiting to take their driving test on 1st June, 1965; and what is the average length of time they now have to wait before taking the test after giving notice.

On 1st June, 1964, nearly 1,200 people were awaiting their driving test and the waiting period was six weeks. On the same date this year the number was 2,700 and the waiting period was just over twelve weeks. The recruitment of driving examiners now in progress should progressively reduce the waiting period.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is satisfied that members of the motoring public are sufficiently aware of the speed restrictions currently in force on main roads at weekends; and if he will make a statement.

The general 50 m.p.h. speed limit is not currently in force at weekends. It was imposed this year only during the Whitsun holiday and was then advertised extensively in national newspapers. A permanent 50 m.p.h. speed limit is being imposed from mid-July on some 300 miles of rural trunk roads with high accident rates. All these stretches of road will be marked with 50 m.p.h. signs, of 32 inches in diameter, at the beginning and the end of the limit; and they will have 24-inch repeater signs throughout their length.

asked the Minister of Transport when he expects to make a decision on the Romford—Upminster line closure, in view of the fact that the Report of the Transport Users' Consultative Committee opposed the closure.

The Committee have reported to me on the extent to which they consider the closure would cause hardship. I cannot say how soon I shall be able to complete my study of their report and of all the other aspects of the closure proposal.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he has reached a decision regarding the possible use of the old railway bridge piles across the River Ouse, for the construction of a new road bridge in connection with the completion of the King's Lynn by-pass.

A completely new bridge will be provided as part of the by-pass scheme. There would be no advantage in using the existing bridge piers.

asked the Minister of Transport (1) what recommendations he has received regarding the priority to be accorded to the construction of the remaining half of the King's Lynn bypass; and what action he proposes to take;(2) what representations he has received from trade associations regarding congestion on the Sutton Bridge-King's Lynn road, and the consequent need for completion of the King's Lynn by-pass; and what action he proposes to take.

I have received recommendations, or representations from the Norfolk County Council, the Eastern Regional Board for Industry, the King's Lynn Chamber of Trade and the National Chamber of Trade urging that priority should be given to the King's Lynn bypass. These will be taken into account when I consider the next extension of my trunk road programme.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations whether he will give an assurance that, in their consideration of British policy and commitments in the Far East, Her Majesty's Government will have regard to the interests of Australia and New Zealand in these commitments.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT figures, as far as they are available, showing for each of the last five years his estimates for, respectively, coloured and white net immigration from the Commonwealth, net immigration of citizens of the Irish Republic, and net immigration of aliens, respectively.

Statistics are not kept on a basis of race or colour. Estimates of the net balance of immigration from Commonwealth territories in the Caribbean, Asia, East and West Africa and the Mediterranean, which are the only figures available for the period before the 1st July, 1962, are as follows:

1960	…	…	57,700
1961	…	…	136,400
1962	…	…	94,900
(to 30th June)

The net balance of Immigration of Commonwealth citizens subject to Part I of the Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1962 was as follows:

		Canada, Australia and New Zealand	Other Commonwealth territories
1962 (from 1st July)	…	-6,182	8,685
1963	…	8,951	57,049
1964	…	13,382	62,117

The minus sign denotes a net

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department which Embassies in London have policemen permanently on duty outside; and how many policemen are so employed.

A total of six police officers are on duty at any one time outside the Embassies of South Africa, the United States and the Soviet Union.

asked the Prime Minister whether a network analysis of his proposed legislative programme up to the end of the current session has been made; and if he will publish details of the critical path revealed by the analysis.

I have been asked to reply. All action necessary to ensure the passage of the legislative programme is in hand. On the second part of the Question, business for the following week is announced in the normal way each Thursday in the Business Statement; no other publication is proposed.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will state, for each of the years 1960–61 to 1964–65, inclusive, the figure representing the total Exchequer contribution to agriculture, and the figure representing the total of guaranteed prices within the industry.

The total cost of Exchequer support to agriculture and the part of that cost which is related to implementing the price guarantees are as follows:

	Total cost of Exchequer support to agriculture	Cost to Exchequer of implementing guaranteed prices
	£m.	£m.
1960–61	262·9	151·2
1961–62	342·6	225·5
1962–63	309·6	190·1
1963–64	293·9	178·9
1964–65 (Provisional)	264·8	146·2

asked the Minister of Aviation whether he will give approval to the request by British Overseas Airways Corporation for their taking an option on United States Boeing 707–820 super-super jets.

No such request has been received.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will take steps to explore the extent to which the buildings formerly used by the Royal Air Force Maintenance Unit at Heywood can be used by other Government or industrial concerns, in order to provide employment for a similar number of people as are at present engaged at the maintenance depot.

The uses to which the site and buildings at Heywood can be put after the Royal Air Force Maintenance Unit closes in 1967 are already being examined. If there is no further Ministry of Defence need for the site, it will be offered to other Government Departments. If it is found that there is no further Government requirement for it, the site will be disposed of, in which case the Board of Trade and other interested Departments and regional bodies will be consulted about the best use to which the site and buildings can be put.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence, in view of the special difficulties with regard to house purchase of those being made redundant at the Royal Air Force Maintenance Unit at Heywood, if he will provide special assistance to those being offered alternative jobs in the South.

In accordance with normal practice, every effort will be made to help those who may be offered employment in other areas, but the situation is not so exceptional as to justify the authorisation of special compensation payments over and above those which are made to other civil servants in similar situations. In this connection I would refer my hon. Friend to the statement of my hon. Friend the Financial Secretary to the Treasury during the adjournment debate on a similar case on the 4th June, 1965.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give an assurance that special consideration will be given to those being made redundant at the Royal Air Force Maintenance Unit in Heywood, when vacancies arise in other Departments in the area.

In accordance with normal practice and subject to the requirements of the service, every effort will be made to enable those who will become redundant at Heywood to move to other Government Departments in the area which have suitable vacancies.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will state the names of the assessors who recommend to the Arts Council the size of the amount to be paid out of public funds to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.

The assessor for the Arts Council on the Board of the Royal Shakespeare Company is the Director of the Council's Drama Department. He attends meetings of the Board of the company as an observer without power to vote and reports back to the Arts Council as necessary. The Council as a whole, after due investigation, decide on the amount of grant to be offered.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will make a statement regarding his decision on the possibility of using the facilities of the Bircham Newton airfield as a teacher-training college.

I hope to reach a decision on this proposal, very shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps he is taking to improve statistical data on education, and in particular, to obtain figures to enable comparison of academic achievements between segregated systems of secondary education such as that of Norfolk and comparable areas having comprehensive systems.

The improvement of statistics of education is a continuous business which has been proceeding for some years. The Statistics Branch of my Department is being further strengthened by the appointment of additional qualified staff so that this process can be continued. There is, however, a limit to the extent of the information we can reasonably ask headmasters, local education authorities and other bodies to provide.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the future location of the Chelsea College of Science and Technology.

Yes. The College Governors and the Hertfordshire County Council made a joint proposal that the College should form the nucleus of a major technological university in Hertfordshire. A great deal of careful thought was devoted to the preparation of this scheme, and therefore it is with regret that I have concluded that the College should remain in Chelsea.I reached this decision after considering the advice of the University Grants Committee, and in the light of their appreciation of the pattern of university development, and the need to employ as fruitfully as possible the resources available for expanding technological education and research.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many county councils and other local authorities provide a department for the preservation of local historical records in their areas and make provision for the public to have access to these records for the purpose of historical research.

All local authorities preserve and maintain the records of their own administration and jurisdiction. In addition, 44 counties in England, 40 county boroughs, 18 London boroughs and 21 county districts have or share repositories included in the list prepared by the Historical Manuscripts Commission and the British Records Association. At these places record material is or has been systematically accumulated or collected, and regular provision is made for its use by students. Many other local authorities possess small collections of local interest often attached to the public library, but information about the number of authorities involved is not available.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what steps he is taking to encourage the London boroughs to make better provision for public recreation and leisure-time activities in their respective areas.

The London Borough Councils are, I believe, all aware that any schemes for these purposes which they may have occasion to put forward to my right hon. Friend will be sympathetically considered. In circulars which the Ministry has issued jointly with the Department of Education and Science local authorities have recently been encouraged to provide facilities for sport and the arts. I am arranging to send copies of the circulars to my hon. Friend.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what consideration he has given to the expansion of Weymouth under the expanded New Towns Development Act.

None.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will take steps to commission the design of a series of signs suitable for display in areas of special control under the advertisement regulations, indicating services available to travellers, such as Bed and Breakfast, and Teas.

My right hon. Friend is anxious to encourage better design in this field, though the siting of such signs is usually the most important consideration. Perhaps the hon. Member would let me know whether he has in mind individual signs, or composite direction signs for use on roads outside towns and villages.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government when he will introduce a scheme of reduced mortgage interest rates for owner-occupiers; and what he estimates the cost will be.

I would refer the hon. Member to the Answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Warrington (Mr. W. T. Williams) and other hon. Members on 29th June. The cost will depend on the nature of the proposals.

asked the Postmaster-General whether particular age groups predominated in those persons prosecuted in the last five years for offences of vandalism at telephone kiosks; and whether the vandalism is spread evenly over the country or concentrated in particular districts.

The following figures are available:

Year			Juveniles (under 17)	Adults
1960	…	…	61	162
1961	…	…	95	196
1962	…	…	133	257
1963	…	…	136	252
1964	…	…	161	303

Vandalism has recently been concentrated in the London, Midlands and North-West districts.

asked the Postmaster-General when the B.B.C.-2 channel will be extended to Northern Ireland.

The extension of B.B.C.-2 coverage is a matter, in the first place, for the B.B.C. It tells me, however, that its UHF station at Divis, designed to bring B.B.C.-2 to over half the population of Northern Ireland, should open next summer. Additonal stations to extend this coverage are being planned.

asked the Postmaster-General what research is taking place with a view to a reduction in the size of television aerials, in view of the need for three different aerials in order to obtain all three television channels.

The design of television aerials is not my responsibility; but, to the best of my information, there is no present prospect that the size of aerials will be materially reduced. However, combined aerials, capable of receiving the three present services, are manufactured.

asked the Postmaster-General what has been the effect on the Special Messenger Service of the recent increase in charges.

Firm information for the country generally is not yet available. But special inquiries I have had made at a number of post offices indicate that use of the various special messenger services has fallen, at any rate temporarily.

asked the Postmaster-General whether, in view of the burden on the book trade involved in the present postal rates, he will increase the limit for the inland printed paper rate to 3 pounds.

No. Such a change would involve a loss of revenue which the Post Office cannot afford.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he will give an assurance that the postal address of Wood-church, a part of the county borough of Birkenhead, will remain Woodchurch, Birkenhead; and whether he will give consideration, in reorganising sorting offices in the Wirral, to the adoption of a system of numbered postal districts for Birkenhead and for other parts of the Wirral.

I am looking into the points raised by the hon. Member and will write to him as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland which three ports in Scotland have the heaviest landings of fish per year; and if he will give figures to show the difference between them.

		Aberdeen		Fraserburgh		Ullapool		Granton
		cwt.	£	cwt.	£	cwt.	£	cwt.	£
1964	…	2,217,487	7,436,295	431,108	1,111,816	344,567	400,791	251,993	806,392
1963	…	2,014,677	6,691,276	514,197	1,234,288	258,065	325,074	322,291	826,906