asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what changes have recently been made in the fees for post-mortem examinations of poultry in his Department's laboratories.

From 1st December, 1960, the fees charged for post-mortem examinations of poultry at the Department's Veterinary Laboratories were raised from 3s. to 12s. 6d. for adult birds and growers over four weeks' old, and from 5s. to 17s. 6d. for batches of chicks.The fees have remained unchanged since the service was introduced in 1925, despite greatly increased costs. Even at the new rates, this service will not be self-supporting and, as already announced, my right hon. Friend intends to introduce full economic fees on 1st December, 1961.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he is aware that the 1,000 pigs which died or were slaughtered at Risby, Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, after an outbreak of swine fever, had all been vaccinated with crystal violet; and whether he will make a statement on the use of this method of vaccination.

Swine fever was confirmed on two farms in the same ownership at Low Risby, near Scunthorpe, on 24th January. With the exception of most of the breeding stock, which are at present still apparently healthy, all the pigs on the two farms were sent to slaughterhouses and bacon factories or died or were destroyed on the premises Crystal violet vaccine had been used regularly on both farms as soon as the pigs were considered old enough to be vaccinated.Crystal violet vaccine normally confers a reasonable degree of protection against natural infection from swine fever for about twelve months but, as with vaccines generally, there are limitations.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will list the penalties imposed by the court in Hong Kong, following convictions during the first and last quarters of 1960, for breaches of the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance and Regulations in respect of employing women and young persons for seven days per week.

Following is a list of cases showing penalties imposed:

asked the Minister of Education, in view of his Department's policy on the subject of university scholarships, if he will ascertain and publish details of the academic results achieved by open scholars at Oxford and Cambridge Universities in the last ten years.

No. I have already given the hon. Member these facts in respect of supplemental State Scholars who form the great majority of open scholarship holders. I do not feel justified in asking for this additional information.

asked the Minister of Health what was the total annual cost of supplying Medresco hearing aids for the years 1958 and 1959, including the cost of hospital testing and fitting services; and what was the quantity and cost of the aids only, as separate figures.

The number of hearing aids supplied in England and Wales during the financial years 1958–59 and 1959–60 was 183,835 and 166,697 respectively. The cost of the aids, including repairs to those which were re-issued, was £629,000 for 1958–59 and £535,000 for 1959–60. I regret that the cost of hospital testing and fitting services is not separately available.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is satisfied that the conditions of employment of young people under 18 years of age working in hospitals conforms generally with those imposed by Statute for other forms of employment.

The prescribed conditions of employment of young persons in hospitals conform generally with those imposed by statute for other forms of employment. I have recently reminded hospital authorities that these conditions must be observed.

asked the Minister of Health whether all hospital authorities grant day release for part-time education to young employees who are taking courses related to their employment.

Most hospital authorities arrange for young persons to attend courses for further education for the equivalent of one full day per week. All have recently been reminded that they should do so.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is satisfied that all hospital authorities enforce the rules, requiring that young employees under 18 years of age should not have the care of drugs, be employed in the actual treatment of sick persons, work in operating theatres or mortuaries, or be employed on night work.

I have recently asked all hospital authorities to ensure that the conditions under which young persons are employed comply with these requirements.

asked the Minister of Transport why the final order authorising the opening of the new railway gates at South Farm road level crossing has been delayed; and whether he will authorise it immediately.

There have been difficulties about siting certain flashing light signals but the Order has now been made.

asked the Minister of Labour how many persons in Thurrock were signing the unemployment register, including those who are employed by the National Dock Labour Board, at the last convenient date; and how many were so signing at the similar date last year.

The available statistics relate to employment exchange areas. At 16th January, 1961, there were 547 unemployed persons on the registers of the Grays, Tilbury, and Stanford-le-Hope Employment Exchanges and the Grays Youth Employment Office; the comparable figure for 11th January, 1960, was 726. I am informed by the National Dock Labour Board that during the week ending 21st January, 1961, the average number of dock workers in Tilbury and Northfleet for whom no work was available was 172. The corresponding figure during the week ending 23rd January, 1960, was 24. These dock workers do not sign the unemployment register.

asked the Postmaster-General, in view of the important work currently being undertaken at the Post Office Research Station, Dollis Hill, Willesden and the shortage of space available for the enlargement and extension of buildings, if he will make a statement about the station's future plans including redeployment of facilities on the site, and other buildings, acquisition of property or relocation.

There is little scope for further development of the site at Dollis Hill to provide for the future expansion of this station, and because of this, and the present congestion, we are examining the possibility of moving the station to another area.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much Income Tax, including Surtax, was forgone in 1959–60 by reason of the exemption of interest on National Savings Certificates from tax.

There is not enough information on which to base an estimate.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will state the amount of tax forgone, including Surtax, in the last three years for which the information is available in respect of lump sum superannuation benefits paid to all civil servants in receipt of a salary before retirement of £2,000 and over, and below £2,000, respectively, indicating the number of civil servants included in each group.

These payments have never been chargeable to tax and no tax has been forgone.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state the amounts of Income Tax, including Surtax, forgone in each case in the years 1938–39, 1949–50, 1954–55, and 1959–60 in respect of all persons with incomes of £2,000 and over and below £2,000, respectively, on account of age allowance, age exemption allowance, 1959–60 only, wife's earned income allowance, including reduced rates for 1949–50, 1954–55

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much Income Tax was foregone in 1959–60 by reasons of the exemption of the first £15 per head of savings bank interest from tax; and how much additional Surtax was charged by reason of the grossing-up of such interest for Surtax purposes.

The Income Tax cost in 1959–60 of the exemption of the first £15 of savings bank interest was about £12 million. The amount of Surtax attributable to the grossing-up of such interest is not known.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the total expected liability of the Government for payments exempted from Income Tax by Section 457 of the Income Tax Act, 1952, to members and ex-members of the Armed Forces during the next twenty and 1959–60, child allowance, housekeeper allowance, dependent relative allowance, life assurance relief, maintenance relief for repairs to property, mortgage, interest, other interest payments, covenants in favour of individuals, National Insurance contributions, other superannuation and pension contributions, and compensation for loss of office.

In general the available estimates are limited to the years 1954–55 and 1959–60 and to the items in the following table:years; and what was the total amount of such payments in the year 1959–60 and the total amount of Income Tax forgone by reasons of this exemption.

It is impossible to forecast the expenditure over the next twenty years. The total amount of payments in 1959–60 exempted from Income Tax under Section 457 of Income Tax Act, 1952, was about £30 million. There is not enough information on which to base an estimate of the tax foregone because of the exemption.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state the values of the lump sums in superannuation benefits for a permanent secretary, an assistant secretary, a principal, and a clerical officer at salary maxima, and the values if they had been taxed within the last tax year of work, assuming they had no other source of income and on the other assumptions set out in the answer to a Written Question on 30th January, 1956, at the 1939, 1951 and 1961 salary scales, respectively.

The calculations set out in the following table show the lump sums before and after tax in respect of service for forty years and for twenty years. The hypothetical tax has been calculated on the assumption that the

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total amount of Income Tax including Surtax, forgone in 1959–60 by reason of the exemption of scholarships from Income Tax by Section 458 of the Income Tax Act, 1952; and how much of the tax thus forgone related to scholarships awarded for the purpose of study at colleges and other institutions for the training of prospective officers of the Armed Forces.

I am afraid that there is not sufficient information to make the required estimate.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether, in future Bulletins for Industry dealing with wages, hours of work, and earnings, he will ensure that the origin of earnings is given, and that account is taken of enhanced earnings obtained by personal effort, if he will indicate the part that contemporary retiring officer is a married man without dependent children, that retirement takes place on 5th April so that the lump sum is payable in addition to a full year's salary, that there is no other income, and as if the lump sum were taxable as earned income. The rates of tax used are those applicable in 1938–39, 1950–51 and 1960–61 respectively—assuming for 1960–61 that the rates of Surtax will be the same as those for 1959–60.methods of achieving higher earnings play in bringing about reductions in costs; and why the current Bulletin contains the statement that, as a measure of the pressure on costs, changes in hourly earnings are probably more significant than changes in standard weekly wage rates.

I have taken note of the hon. Member's suggestions and will see that they are given consideration if and when further articles on the relevant subjects are being prepared for the Bulletin.The statement that as a measure of the pressure of costs, changes in hourly earnings are probably more significant than changes in weekly wage rates, was based on the consideration that, particularly in a period when standard hours are changing, the effective cost of a given amount of labour time is likely to move more nearly with hourly earnings than with standard weekly wages.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT in tabular form statistics regarding development in each industry and results obtained since 1946, based on the figures given on the last page of the Bulletin for Industry, No. 136, for December, 1960; and if he will add the total increase in wages received per employee for the same period

The figures are as follows:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the average net value to judges of the High Court of the £3,000 additional salary payable to them in the year ended 5th April, 1960, by virtue of the Judges' Remuneration Act, 1954, after taking Income Tax, including Surtax, into account.

I cannot give a figure in the form requested: but on the assumption that a judge is married, without other dependants, and that he and his wife have no other income, the net extra income after tax would be about £1,050.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury if he will provide in tabular form statistics parallel to those shown for productive industry on the last page of Bulletin for Industry, No. 136, for December, 1960, for nonproductive industry, including government and municipal service, finance, salesmen, and others.

I regret that such figures are not available.

asked the Minister of Works if he will consider the possibility of further stained glass windows similar to those in St. Stephen's Hall being placed within the Palace of Westminster to commemorate the granting of charters for new boroughs.

These stained glass windows were put in St. Stephen's Hall as part of Barry's scheme just over a century ago. None have been added since, and the choice of further boroughs would be difficult.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if his attention has been drawn to the refusal, following a public inquiry, of permission to develop Green-head Quarry, near Haltwhistle, by the Northumberland Whinstone Company; whether he is aware that this will adversely affect employment in an area which has suffered greatly in the past from unemployment and which is now threatened with further unemployment through the closure of many coal mines and other quarries in the vicinity; and whether he will now take steps to encourage suitable alternative industry to become established in the Haltwhistle area as a matter of urgency

I am aware that my right hon. Friend has refused permission for the extension of the workings at the quarry, and that this may deprive the area of opportunities of additional employment. As I told my hon. Friend in answer to a Question on 7th February, there are about seventy jobs for men in prospect in the Haltwhistle area, and I shall continue to try to encourage suitable firms to go there.