asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what rates of duty or tax are at present charged on betting, bookmakers, horse and dog racing, totalisators, sporting and other entertainments open to the public.

The duties are Pool Betting duty, Bookmakers' Licence Duty and Entertainments Duty. I am sending the hon. and gallant Member a statement setting out the statutory rates.

Will not the right hon. Gentleman take an early opportunity of considering bringing these varying imposts to some kind of order and uniformity, so as to make them more just and equitable between the various forms of entertainment?

The hon. and gallant Gentleman will not expect me to anticipate my Budget statement.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if his attention has been called to paragraph 132 of the First Report of the Gas Council; what steps have been taken to clear the obscurity about the liability of the council to Income Tax and Profits Tax; and if he will make a statement.

I have read the paragraph to which the hon. Member refers, but as I have already told him, I cannot make statements about the liability to tax of particular taxpayers.

Can the Chancellor of the Exchequer give an assurance that the Gas Council is treated for the purposes of tax in exactly the same way as a private company?

In exactly the same way as a private company in the same position would be.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what duty-free concession vouchers are given to troops in Korea to enable them to send home presents to their wives and families.

Troops serving abroad are allowed to send home presents, other than tobacco, scent and liquor, to a value of 10s. free of Customs charges. In addition, gift parcels of food weighing not more than 22 lb. gross are admitted free.

Will the right hon. Gentleman say how often they can send a 10s. voucher, and does he appreciate that a 10s. voucher does not help the people at home when they have to pay a duty which is much greater than the value of the present?

There is no restriction on the number of parcels that may be sent.

May I urge on my right hon. Friend that he should consider the system which operated very well in wartime of allowing troops on active operations to send home so many duty-free parcels, the value of which came to more than 10s. per parcel?

I should be more ready to consider that, if I felt satisfied that there was any real dissatisfaction with the present arrangements.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that a parcel recently sent from Korea, by a soldier to his mother, the value of which was 20s., attracted no less than 17s. 4d. in Customs Duty and Purchase Tax? Would it not be fair to extend to serving men overseas the generous concession which obtained during the war?

I do not think there is anything I can add. Obviously, if a parcel is worth more than 10s., it will become liable to Customs duty, but I think it is very unusual for that kind of difficulty to arise.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will now ease the currency restrictions imposed on emigrants to Canada.

I am afraid that this is, still not possible.

Does not the right hon. Gentleman think it very advisable to do everything possible to stimulate emigration to Canada? In view of the improved dollar position, will not he look into the matter again?

That is one of the considerations kept under continuous review.

Has the right hon. Gentleman discussed it recently with his opposite number in Canada and with the Government of Canada?

I am not aware of any recent official or Ministerial discussions.

Will the Chancellor have discussions as soon as possible?

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer under what authority £20 Customs Duty was demanded on 55 crates of snow presented by Norwegian sporting organisations for use in a sporting event in this country; and whether he intends to insist on this payment.

The Import Duties Act, 1932, imposed a Customs duty of 10 per cent. ad valorem on all goods imported into this country, with certain exceptions. This snow was described for Customs purposes by the importers as having a value of £200 and was technically liable to duty of £20. No difficulty would have arisen if the importers had applied for duty-free admission, as was done in similar circumstances last year. On advice from the Customs Department, they have now done so and duty relief has been allowed.

Can the Chancellor say whether this import has since been liquidated?

I think it is self-liquidating.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the proposal to levy a duty on this snow was originally made in the "Manchester Guardian" by way of a joke? Is the explanation of the attempted charge that this was read by a civil servant who did not know it was a joke?

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give an estimate of the effect on the cost of living index if subsidies on meat, eggs, sugar and tea were abolished.

On the basis of present procurement prices, the Interim Index of Retail Prices would be raised by 2.56 points.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many claims for compensation out of the global figure of £300 million under Sections 58 and 60 of the Town and Country Planning Act have been agreed; and what sum of money they amount to.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Financial Secretary on 7th March to the hon. Member for Angus, North and Mearns (Mr. Thornton-Kemsley).

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the sum claimed for compensation out of the global figure of £300 million under Sections 58 and 60 of the Town and Country Planning Act by the 807,153 applicants in England and Wales, and the 137,354 applicants in Scotland, respectively.

As claimants were not required to state the amount claimed and the majority have not done so, this information is not available.

When do the Government expect to agree on these claims?

Some time between now and 1953.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the total of unrequited exports since 1945; and to what countries principally have they gone.

I am not sure what definition the hon. Member has in mind for "unrequited exports." If it is the excess of current exports over current imports, the answer is certainly negative. If he has some other definition in mind, I suggest that he draws his own conclusion from the Balance of Payments White Paper, which will be published on Thursday.

Without having had a preview of the White Paper, may I ask the Chancellor how much of the war-time accumulated sterling debts we have still to pay off by way of unrequited exports?

I must have notice of that question.