asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he now intends to proceed with the proposal to issue a complete uniform at a cost of nearly £9 per head to every Civil Defence volunteer on completion of 10 hours' instruction, in view of the many conflicting claims for priority in National Defence.

This matter is being reconsidered. I hope to be able to make a statement in a few weeks.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the age limit for enrolment in Civil Defence.

There is no specified upper age limit in the Civil Defence Corps or Auxiliary Fire Service, but acceptance of any volunteer is at the discretion of the recruiting authority and in the case of the Auxiliary Fire Service may be subject to medical examination.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he has considered the Report of the Working Party on precautionary measures against toxic chemicals used in agriculture; and whether he will make a statement.

I have not yet had time to consider the Working Party's Report fully, but I think that its recommendations are on the right lines. I am glad to say that the organisations concerned are also in general accord with the Report and have already agreed on safety measures to be recommended for the 1951 spraying season.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he is aware that many acres of agricultural land have gone out of use owing to coalmining subsidence damage in the cases of farms where the tenancy agreements exclude claims against the National Coal Board for crop damages; and what steps he proposes to take to enable farmers to bring such land back into production.

The matter is under consideration but I cannot yet say what steps will be taken.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if his attention has been drawn to the risk of pig pest being introduced into this country; and what steps are being taken by his Department to reduce the possibility of this disease being introduced by imports of pork from the Continent and by other means.

I presume that this Question relates to Teschen disease of pigs. My Department is fully alive to the danger of introducing this disease into the country. Local investigations are made by veterinary officers of my Department before pig products are imported from any new source, and the position in countries already supplying the market is closely watched. Neither pork nor bacon is being imported from any country where the disease is endemic.

asked the Minister of Agriculture the number of outbreaks of fowl pest and the numbers of poultry destroyed in Norfolk in each of the four weeks ended 17th February.

Following is the table:

Week ended	Number of outbreaks	Birds slaughtered
27th January	4	477
3rd February	6	5,606
10th February	8	3,546
17th February	6	2,328

asked the Minister of Agriculture what was the number of horses employed in the agricultural industry in 1939, and the latest convenient date; and what was the total number of internal combustion engines estimated to be in use by that industry on those dates.

The total number of horses used for agricultural purposes in the United Kingdom was 724,000 in June, 1939, and 397,000 in June 1950. Internal combustion engines on farms in January, 1939, and January, 1950, are estimated to have numbered approximately 300,000 and 800,000 respectively.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he will give the approximate global figures of the agricultural output of the country for each of the years 1940–41 to 1950–51.

Following is the answer:

ESTIMATED VALUE OF THE OUTPUT FROM AGRICULTURAL HOLDINGS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM
£ million
	Gross Output	Net Output
1940–41	454	358
1941–42	504	434
1942–43	567	503
1943–44	602	536
1944–45	584	516
1945–46	623	543
1946–47	611	539
1947–48	720	638
1948–49	829	727
1949–50	905	758
1950–51 (forecast)	958	776

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he has yet reached a decision on the proposal to amalgamate the Nene and Welland Catchment Boards.

My right hon. Friend the Minister of Local Government and Planning and I expect to make known a decision soon on the draft order defining a Nene and Welland River Board area.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether all the agricultural labour camps in Norfolk are now closed; whether the workers previously accommodated in them are still engaged in agriculture; and whether the farmers previously dependent upon them for part of their labour force have found alternative workers.

The last of the Norfolk Agricultural Executive Committee's pool labour hostels will shortly close. Of the 331 workers employed by the Committee in November last, 283 are still in agriculture, either in Norfolk or elsewhere. On the disbandment of the labour pool, farmers in Norfolk have had the opportunity of engaging the men and have presumably done this where they have been in need of labour.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he will draw the attention of the Government of Eire to the fact that out of 71 horses loaded in the s.s. "Clarina" on Saturday, 3rd February, at Limerick, 18 died and were thrown overboard, en route, three were found dead on arrival at Birkenhead, seven had to be killed on board in Birkenhead docks and one collapsed on landing and was subsequently humanely destroyed; and whether he will request that steps should be taken to prevent aged and infirm horses being shipped under such conditions from Eire to England for the meat trade.

My Department has already been in touch with the Department of Agriculture in Dublin about the question of making regulations to govern the transit of horses by sea from Ireland to Great Britain. I understand from the Irish authorities that none of the horses shipped on the s.s. "Clarina" was aged or infirm.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is aware that on the cargo ship "Clarina," trading between Limerick and Birkenhead, 29 horses being brought across from Ireland were killed or died during the passage; and what action he proposes to take to prevent a recurrence of such incidents in future.

I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the reply I gave to the hon. and gallant Member for East Grinstead (Colonel Clarke) on 19th February.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether, in view of the forthcoming price review, he will now announce any changes which he proposes in the direct subsidies at present paid to farmers; and whether all such changes will be taken into account at the review.

Yes. In view of impending annual price review, I am taking this opportunity to announce certain decisions which have had to be taken by the Government. The effect which they will have on the costs of farmers will be taken into account in the course of the review.A year ago, following the annual review, three new

asked the Minister of Agriculture what was the number of growers of sugar beet, the acreage under sugar beet, and the tonnage of clean beet delivered to factories in England and Wales in each of the campaign seasons since the war as compared with 1938–39.

Following are the figures:

Year	Number of Growers	Acreage	Yield of Beet (Tons)
1938–39	38,039	322,034	2,134,070
1945–46	44,300	389,175	3,777,621
1946–47	44,240	402,891	4,441,947
1947–48	41,113	361,677	2,892,009
1948–49	40,747	389,586	4,245,376
1949–50	39,811	391,422	3,861,911
1950–51	39,499	397,748	5,107,660

These figures do not include a small acreage of beet grown in the north of England under contract with the factory at Cupar (Scotland). The acreage figures differ from those in the 4th June returns because of this, and also because the latter include the area under sugar beet seed.

asked the Minister of Agriculture to state county by county the amount of the grants provided under the marginal land scheme in 1950, with an indication of the kind of improvements effected.

Following is a statement of grants approved under the scheme during 1950.Assistance is designed to increase production on poor farms by carrying out programmes of improvement chiefly associated with the re-seeding of rough or worn-out grassland and the reclamation of derelict parts of holdings for conversion to grassland or tillage.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether, in view of the urgency of increasing the home production of beef, he will restore the subsidy on heifer calves of beef type.

No. I see no reason to reverse the decision to discontinue the subsidy on heifer calves born after 30th September, 1950.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the present rate of exchange for the transfer of funds from Indonesia to this country.

The official rate is 10.64 rupiahs to the pound. To this must be added the cost of the exchange certificate which must be obtained by anyone who wishes to buy foreign exchange. These exchange certificates are at present sold at about 200 per cent. of their face value; a certificate for 10.64 rupiahs accordingly costs about 21.28 rupiahs. The effective rate of exchange with sterling is therefore about 32 rupiahs to the pound.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why a resident in East Grinstead, whose name he has been given, only received, on 16th February, a receipt for a cheque sent in payment of tax on 9th February; and why such cheques are not acknowledged by return of post.

This remittance was apparently sent by post on Friday, 9th February, to the Inland Revenue Office at Worthing. As the official receipt was issued on Tuesday, 13th February, there was no appreciable delay.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will cause a voluntary contribution in aid of rates to be made in respect of heriditaments occupied by Territorial Army and Auxiliary Forces Associations and in particular of hereditaments occupied by officers of such associations as private residences.

No.

asked the Minister of Health what is the present number of patients on the waiting list of the Borough General Hospital, Southampton, for issue of hearing aids who applied in the years 1949 and 1950; and when Mrs. Chadwick, Graftons, Sherbourne Causeway, Shaftesbury, Dorset, may expect to receive the hearing aid for which she applied in August, 1950.

The answer to the first part of the Question is 2,380. I understand that Mrs. Chadwick has no special claim to priority and I regret, therefore, that her turn is not likely to come for some time.

asked the Minister of Health, in view of complaints by old age pensioners that they experience undue delay in being supplied with deaf aids after examination, why preference is given in the supply of deaf aids to those who are not old age pensioners; and what is now the average time in delay before these appliances are available to any applicants.

While I have great sympathy with the needs of old people, I think that the needs of those who positively require an aid for their work should, generally, come first. The waiting time varies so greatly between different distribution centres and according to the degree of priority given to patients that an average would be without significance.

asked the Minister of Health how far the delay in the supply of hearing aids is due to any cessation of production.

Not at all.

asked the Minister of Health, in view of the memorandum issued by his Department on 7th December, 1950, which permits patients in mental hospitals to vote as absent voters, what steps will be taken to enable the presiding officer to determine whether such a patient is capable of voting without assistance.

The absent voter arrangements provide for a witnessing signature on a form of declaration of identity. This signature will be given by a senior officer of the hospital, who will also ensure that the vote is recorded without any person seeing it. If the ballot paper and accompanying declaration of identity are in order, they will be accepted by the returning officer.

asked the Minister of Health if he has given consideration to the findings of the Cope Committee; and if he is now prepared to make a statement on them.

I would refer my hon. Friend to my reply on 1st February to my hon. Friend the Member for Reading, South (Mr. Mikardo). I am studying the reports of all the eight Cope Committees, but I shall not be ready to make a statement for some weeks yet.

asked the Minister of Health the number of nurses who have commenced their training at the Royal Homoeopathic Hospital, and the number who have abandoned their training before its completion, since July, 1948.

The numbers are respectively 105 and 47.

asked the Minister of Health how many chest clinics are in operation under the National Health service; and how many of such clinics have effective X-ray apparatus for the diagnosis of tuberculosis.

The number of clinics, including subsidiaries to main clinics, is 470. Two hundred and sixty-four of them have their own X-ray facilities: others use facilities available near by. There were 73 new X-ray installations in 1950, and there will probably be about 50 more this year.

asked the Minister of Health how many chest clinics are functioning under the National Health Service; how many possess X-ray apparatus for the diagnosis of tuberculosis; what was the number of installations in 1950; and what is the estimate for 1951.

I would refer to the reply given to the hon. and gallant Member for Norfolk, Central (Brigadier Medlicott).

asked the Minister of Health what steps he is taking to obtain supplies of aureomycin for hospitals; and when he expects that the manufacture of aureomycin will begin in the United Kingdom.

Aureomycin is purchased centrally by my Department and may be freely obtained by hospitals from regional distribution centres. It is now being manufactured from imported crude material at a factory in South Wales.

asked the Minister of Health if he will give the recent figures for tuberculosis in Lambeth for pulmonary tubercular notifications, non-pulmon

Year			Notifications		Deaths
			Pulmonary	Non-pulmonary	Pulmonary	Non-pulmonary
1948	…	…	344	25	128	7
1949	…	…	433	29	120	13
1950	…	…	400	31	101	13

asked the Minister of Health what was the condition as regards immunisation of the cases rediagnosed and taken out of the diphtheria classification in 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948 and 1949.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware of the growing difficulty in North-West Kent of finding places in hospitals for old people which is causing much hardship and distress; and what is being done to deal with this problem.

Yes. The regional hospital Board have asked that at least 10 per cent. of the beds in each general hospital should be set aside for the aged chronic sick and additional beds have been and will be provided so far as the nursing staff available permits. Arrangements have also been made for private institutions to take a considerable number of the patients.

asked the Minister of Labour when the social survey into the employment position of elderly workers, which is being undertaken by the Central Office of Information at the request of his Department and which the Parliamentary Secretary said on 19th July, 1950, would be ready in the autumn, is now likely to be published.

The Central Office of Information have completed the survey and are drawing up their report, copies of which will be made available in the Library. I will see that a copy is sent to the hon. Member.

asked the Minister of Labour what steps he is taking to implement the recommendations in the recent Report of the Service Committee on re-employment of Regulars.

The Report of the Advisory Council on the Relationship between Employment in the Services and Civilian Life gives a full account of the progress which has been made and the lines on which future development is to be secured. I am sending the hon. Member a copy of the Report.

asked the Minister of Labour what arrangements he will make to compensate G and Z Reservists for the loss of wages and travelling expenses incurred in attending for their medical examination prior to being called up for training.

The arrangements will be the same as those for National Service men summoned for medical examination. These include compensation for loss of wages and reasonable travelling expenses.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he has any further information to give with regard to the case of Mr. K. J. Allchin, 103, Kenton Lane, Kenton, Middlesex.

I have satisfied myself that the medical board took all possible care in this case and obtained a specialist's opinion before they placed this man in Grade I. The fact that the Royal Air Force subsequently found him unfit for service is simply an example of differences of medical opinion which are bound to occur.

asked the Minister of Education if he is yet able to make a statement on the future of higher technological education.

I am not yet able to add anything to the reply which I gave the hon. Member for Southampton, Itchen (Mr. Morley), last week.

asked the Minister of Education if he will give instructions to enable the canteen equipment in schools to be used by persons or organisations who hire the school for other purposes than education either gratis or for a small fee.

No. The hiring out of school canteen equipment is open to evident objections and would make it impossible for the local education authority to hold their own staff responsible for the condition of the canteen. In some cases it may be practicable to hire out the dining room and furniture, but the extent of any such hiring must, in my view, be left to the discretion of the authority responsible for this service and, in the interests of public funds, an appropriate charge must be made.

asked the Minister of Education whether he will consult with the Minister of Fuel and Power so as to ensure that the pupils of elementary schools where there is no coal supply are not compelled to attend classes until some coal is made available to the schools, in view of the danger to their health and the concern of their parents.

Local education and other school authorities can be relied upon to exercise their discretion to close a school temporarily in the event of a shortage of fuel supplies. Temporary closures for this reason have so far been few in number and of short duration.

asked the Minister of Education how many educationally sub-normal children are known to his Department; what provision exists to meet their needs; how many have been before juvenile courts in each of the post-war years; how were they subsequently dealt with; and what special accommodation exists or is proposed for the educationally sub-normal delinquent child.

At the beginning of last year there were approximately 28,000 children in England and Wales known to require education in special schools for educationally sub-normal pupils, and there was provision for rather more than 15,000. I intend to do all I can within the limits of available building resources to increase this provision. In this way I hope that it will be possible for more of those educationally subnormal children, who drift towards delinquency, to be dealt with preventively by special educational treatment. For the measures taken in regard to educationally sub-normal children committed to approved schools, I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given him by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary on 15th February. No statistical information is available as to the number of children ascertained by local education authorities as educationally sub-normal who have been before the juvenile courts in recent years nor as to the manner in which they were dealt with.

asked the Minister of Education what steps he is taking to ensure that in medical inspections in schools sufficient attention is given to children's feet, in view of the importance of healthy feet in adult life.

The importance of giving attention to the condition of children's feet is being increasingly recognised, and in recent years a number of local education authorities have established special chiropody clinics. My Chief Medical Officer has drawn attention to the importance of this service in both his post-war reports.

asked the Minister of Supply why sole distribution rights for, the distribution of magnesium metal imported by his Department are to be given solely to the Magnesium Elektron Limited; and what steps he will now take to secure distribution fairly amongst all users of the metal as is done in the case of imported aluminium.

No rights are being given to Magnesium Elektron Limited. Distribution will be controlled by the Ministry of Supply, and the firm may be employed as agents for storage and delivery.

asked the Minister of Supply what is the allocation during 1950 of private motor vehicles on the home market under the following categories: private individuals or firms without priority; private individuals or firms with priority; nationalised industries Government Departments; local authorities; and Police Service and other Service Departments.

Vehicles are distributed through the normal trade channels, but the motor industry has undertaken to give what preference it can to urgent orders for cars from doctors and midwives. There are no other priorities. In 1950 approximately 113,000 cars and 96,000 commercial vehicles were manufactured for the home market. Of these 2,500 cars and 4,800 commercial vehicles were supplied to Government Departments including the Service Departments. Details of the distribution of the remainder are not available.

asked the Minister of National Insurance whether she will arrange for allowances granted through national assistance to be increased approximately in proportion to any substantial increase in the cost of living.

Any amendment of the Regulations governing the amounts paid by way of assistance is a matter in the first instance for the National Assistance Board who have the matter under constant review.

asked the Minister of National Insurance what would be the additional cost of increasing children's allowances paid on behalf of children over five years of age to 7s. 6d. a week.

The additional cost of increasing family allowances paid in respect of children over five years of age to 7s. 6d. a week is estimated to be about £17 millions in the financial year 1951–52.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what arrangements exist between the East African Territories and South Africa for avoidance of double taxation or for double taxation relief.

No formal arrangements have been made for the avoidance or relief of double taxation, between the Governments of Kenya, Uganda, Tanganyika or Zanzibar and the Government of the Union of South Africa. It is understood that the latter Government does not charge to South African tax, income arising outside of, but received in, South Africa, which has already been subjected to colonial tax. My right hon. Friend is inquiring of the Governments of the East African Territories whether

I regret that it is not possible to give some of the figures for a date later than 1st October, 1950. The following table gives the information available:any relief is granted in respect of South African tax on income received in those territories from South Africa, and will communicate with the hon. Member when he receives this information.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many technical posts in the Colonial Empire, normally filled from Great Britain, are still vacant owing to lack of applicants.

I am not sure how the hon. Member would defined "technical." If the question relates to technicians who are recruited by the Crown Agents for the Colonies, the figure at the 31st January was 489. If the hon. Member wishes to be informed about vacancies in the professional and scientific services, perhaps he will give me notice of the particular branches in which he is interested.