asked the Minister of Food how many catering licences have been granted to sport, youth and other clubs of the kind solely for tea, sugar, milk and fats; and why such clubs receive regularly numerous notices from his Department having no connection with the foodstuffs they are licensed to obtain.

About 18,000. My Department has to deal with many types of catering establishment, and hitherto it has been less expensive to send the same notices to all than to undertake the extra office work involved in selective distribution. Now that the work has been concentrated in a limited number of food offices, I am considering means of changing to a selection basis.

asked the Minister of Food how many civic restaurants were in existence in 1946, 1947, 1948 and 1949; whether he is aware that some are now closing through trading losses, and whether, in view of their value to the community,

The number of civic restaurants operating was: At 5th January, 1946, 1,373; 1st February, 1947, 1,176; 3rd January, 1948, 773; 31st January, 1949 678; 15th January, 1950, 535. I know that some are closing down for financial reasons; but while I am in full agreement with my hon. Friend about their value to the community I think these are matters in which we must leave the public a free choice.

asked the Minister of Food what profits his Department and trading Departments under his control made in the bulk purchase of foodstuffs during the years 1946, 1947, 1948 and 1949.

pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, Monday, 26th June, 1950; Vol. 476, col. 185] supplied the following information:

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether any recent inquiry has been made into the cost and efficiency of the Cape of Good Hope observatory; and whether any part of the costs are shared by the Government of the Union of South Africa.

The answer to both parts of the Question is "No." The Admiralty are kept fully in touch with the activities and expenditure of the observatory, which is one of the most important in the Southern Hemisphere. The Astronomer Royal visited the observatory in 1949.

asked the Minister of Town and Country Planning what are the acreages in Great Britain where ironstone and or other metalliferous mining is taking place and which have been rendered derelict by spoil banks.

Some 17,500 acres have been worked opencast for ironstone during the past 50 years, of which 2,500 are now derelict. I have no details about spoil banks resulting from underground mining, but the acreage is very small.

asked the Minister of Transport who is responsible for designing the ornamental verges of the Western Avenue trunk road from Uxbridge roundabout to Denham cross roads; who is undertaking the work involved; and what is the contract price.

The scheme was designed in my Department and the work was carried out by contract. When the widening was carried out the side verges and central reservation were used for disposal of spoil from excavations and the cost of the scheme including the cost of clearing and regrading this surplus material has amounted to £1,035. Some treatment of this kind of the verges and central reservation was necessary if they-were not to become an eyesore.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies when the Report of the Nigerian Livestock Commission is to be published.

I hope that the Report will be sent to the printers very shortly; the Report will be published as soon as it has been printed.