asked the Lord Privy Seal what steps have been taken to ensure that the Skylon is not a danger to Exhibition visitors during thunderstorms.

The best possible advice has been taken and all necessary measures provided.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what is the total seating accommodation for people requiring meals within the South Bank Exhibition area; and if he is satisfied that these and the speed of service will be sufficient to avoid lengthy queues.

Twelve catering establishments, including that in the Royal Festival Hall, which is controlled by the London County Council, will be available to visitors to South Bank. These establishments will accommodate about 4,200 persons seated at tables at one time. The catering facilities include restaurants which offer table service, and cafes, cafeterias, buffets and bars where service will be on the self-help system.The concessionnaires fully appreciate the need for a speedy service. Although it may not be possible to provide a luncheon or dinner with full table service to all visitors who may prefer this, at a particular time, or to avoid the formation of queues when pressure on the catering services is very heavy, it is expected that the total catering capacity will enable all visitors in need of refreshment to obtain food and drink of one kind or another with reasonable promptitude.

asked the Lord Privy Seal why the work at the Festival of Britain site in Battersea Park was not begun earlier, in view of the postponement of the opening date, which has now had to be accepted.

I would ask the hon. Member to await the Second Reading of the Festival of Britain (Additional Loans) Bill.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the present value of an M.P.'s salary, taking into account the fall in the value of the £ sterling since salaries were raised to £1,000 a year subject to tax.

On the basis of expenditure over the whole field of expenditure on consumer goods and services the purchasing power of the £ has decreased by about 21 per cent. since 1946. A salary of £1,000 is, therefore, worth about £790 compared with 1946.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the value of Hungarian assets held in this country; what other amounts there are available, which His Majesty's Government could use in negotiations for the repatriation of Mr. Edgar Sanders and the payment of the claims of British holders of Hungarian bonds and loans; and if he will now consider implementing Article 29 of the Peace Treaty between this country and Hungary.

Hungarian assets at present held by the Custodian of Enemy Property and the Administrator of Hungarian Property and not subject to litigation are worth about £850,000. The Government intend to give effect to paragraph 1 of Article 29 of the Peace Treaty as soon as the necessary administrative arrangements can be made, but the sum which will be available for distribution cannot be reliably estimated at this stage. I know of no other Hungarian assets in the United Kingdom which could be brought into any negotiations regarding the release of Mr. Sanders or the payment of bondholders' claims.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much food subsidies have cost for each separate year since 1945; and what has been the internal purchasing value of the pound for each year, taking 1945 as the base at 20s.

The answer is as follows:

FOOD SUBSIDIES
			£m.
1944–45	…	…	195.7
1945–46	…	…	265.5
1946–47	…	…	323.7
1947–48	…	…	391.6
1948–49	…	…	484.4
1949–50	…	…	424.8
1950–51	…	…	410.0* (Estimate)
* Final figure not yet available.

PURCHASING POWER OF THE £
(in terms of expenditure over the whole field of consumer goods and services)
					s.	d.
1945	…	…	…	…	20	0
1946	…	…	…	…	19	6
1947	…	…	…	…	18	3
1948	…	…	…	…	16	11
1949	…	…	…	…	16	7
1950	…	…	…	…	16	1

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the relation, for purposes of taxation, between the rating and Schedule A assessments.

In England and Wales there is, in law, no relation, though in the case of owner-occupied property most bodies of General Commissioners of Income Tax take account of the rating assessment in determining the amount of the Schedule A assessment. In Scotland the rating value is almost always adopted for Schedule A, and in Northern Ireland it is adopted by statute in all cases.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, in view of the fact that our visible adverse trade balance for the first quarter of 1951 was £238 million, he will make the pound sterling freely convertible.

No.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much over time was paid for the fiscal year ending April, 1951, to drivers of ministerial cars when these cars were used for private purposes.

I regret that this information could not be obtained without a disproportionate amount of time and labour.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was received by the Treasury for the use of ministerial cars for private purposes for the fiscal year just terminated.

Figures for the financial year are not yet available, but about £772 was received in the calendar year 1950.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the additional cost would be to allow the tobacco duty relief to retired persons not in receipt of a State retirement pension, because of their former exempted employment.

I regret that the information is not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware of the hardship which has arisen as a result of the provisions of the Finance Act, 1947, under which Tobacco Duty Relief is not granted to men and women between 65 years of age and 70 years of age and 60 years of age and 65 years of age, respectively, not in receipt of a State retirement pension; and as many retired civil servants, local government officers, etc., were exempt from contribution to, and benefits from, the Insurance Acts, and now have to manage on a small pension, without the benefit of the State retirement pension, he will arrange for this concession to be made applicable to all retired persons over 65 years of age in the case of men and 60 years of age for married women.

The objections to extending the scope of the concessions have been stated on many previous occasions and are still decisive.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the total number of rating valuation officers operating at 1st April, 1951.

The total staff of the Valuation Office employed on rating at 1st April 1951, was 6,201. If, however, the hon. Member has in mind the number of these officers who had power to inspect premises the answer is 3,462.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why motor cycle speedway racing is not classified as a live entertainment.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why speedway racing is classified as a non-live sport, and thus is subject to the tax rating of approximately 48 per cent., while football and boxing enjoy the lower rate of 15 per cent.

It is not correct to suppose that the higher rate of Entertainments Duty is intended to apply only to those forms of entertainment in which human beings play no direct part. The higher rate applies to horse racing and motor racing, as well as to cinemas and greyhound racing. I reviewed the position before the Budget in the light of the representations which had been made to me and, like my predecessors, came to the conclusion that speedway racing was properly classed with the other forms of racing that I have mentioned rather than with the entertainments which qualify for the reduced scale of duty.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total yield of entertainment tax upon speedway racing in 1950; and what would have been the yield under a tax rating similar to that of football and boxing.

Separate figures of receipts of Entertainments Duty from admissions to speedway meetings are not available, but receipts of duty in 1950 from admissions to speedway and other motor-cycle and motor racing amounted to approximately £550,000. The corresponding revenue on the basis of the reduced rates of duty would depend on a number of factors which cannot be predicted with certainty, but it is estimated that it would be in the region of £150,000.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the estimated loss to Exchequer funds if the entertainment duty paid by the speedway industry were paid on the basis of being classified and charged under the heading of a live sport.

If it was justifiable to apply the reduced rates of Entertainments Duty to speedway racing while withholding the concession from other forms of racing at present charged under the same scale, the loss of revenue would be in the region of £400,000 a year.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give the reasons why, for the purpose of charging entertainment duty, he has classified the speedway entertainment industry as a non-live sport.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave today to my hon. Friend the Member for Rugby (Mr. J. Johnson), and to the hon. and gallant Member for Chelsea (Commander Noble).

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware that speedway racing is acknowledged to be a skilled sport, dependent entirely upon the efforts of the live drivers; and whether he will classify this sport as such for entertainment duty.

I am aware of the skill required in speedway racing, but this is not a factor determining liability to Entertainments Duty.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has any further statement to make on the work of the Standing Commodity Committees.

I have at present nothing to add to the reply given to the hon. Member for Hendon, North (Mr. C. I. Orr-Ewing), on 23rd April.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the amount of sterling liabilities owed to this country by the Argentine at the time of devaluation, including overdue commercial and financial remittances.

Commercial and financial remittances outstanding at the time of devaluation were roughly estimated at £11–12 million.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total of sterling held by the Argentine at the time of devaluation which the Argentine claimed to be covered by exchange guarantees; and the proportion of such sterling to the total of sterling held by the Argentine.

I regret that it is impossible to disclose the sterling balances of individual countries.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to be in a position to present the White Paper giving the full text of the recent Anglo-Argentine agreement.

I hope it will be possible to publish it in the course of next week.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether agreement has yet been reached upon the equitable distribution of the burden of re-armament among the nations signatory to the Atlantic Pact.

No. The discussions now taking place in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation are not likely to be concluded for some time.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether any system of incentives, through the European Payments Union or otherwise, has yet been devised, in order to encourage each country to carry out punctually and in full its allotted share of the combined Allied re-armament programme and to prevent the penalisation of countries which manage to perform more than their allotted share.

No.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury if he will give the consumption and cost of paper used by the Stationery Office during the first six months of last year; and the estimated consumption and cost during the corresponding period this year.

Following is the answer:

	Tons	Cost
April-September, 1950 (actual consumption)	22,769	£1,747,505
April-September, 1951 (estimated consumption)	22,750	£3,445,000

Accurate figures for the period January to June are not available as the Stationery Office records are based on the financial year. For the financial year as a whole, estimated consumption will show a larger proportionate drop compared with the previous year.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury why the age limit for ex-Regulars has been raised to 50 years of age by the Civil Service Commissioners for admission to the executive grades without waiving the rule that the necessary examination must be taken within two years of leaving the Service.

The purpose of the competitions among ex-Regulars is to provide each year opportunities of resettlement in the Civil Service for those who are about to leave or have just left the Armed Forces. To admit those who left the Armed Forces in earlier years would be inconsistent with this purpose.

asked the President of the Board of Trade why, despite the need to employ more elderly men and women, the age limit of 60 has been imposed on the employment of temporary staff at Osterley for work connected with the Census of Distribution.

In the present manpower situation, there is no upper age limit for appointment to the Board of Trade in a temporary clerical or analogous capacity. Of 173 appointments made to the Board since November last for Census of Distribution work at Osterley, 13 were of persons over the age of 60. If the hon. Member has any special case in mind and will let me have particulars, I will look into it.

asked the the President of the Board of Trade what was the retail value of goods sold under related schedules 1K, 3J, 4L, 6L, and 17A between 29th March and 19th April, 1951.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is the total retail value of the utility goods sold under the authority of the Utility Apparel (Maximum Prices and Charges) Order, 1951, as amended, between 29th March, 1951, when the Utility Apparel (Maxi mum Prices and Charges) (Amendment No. 2) Order, 1951, came into operation on 19th April, 1951.

I regret that the information requested is not available. Statistics of retail sales are not collected in such detail nor could figures of daily sales be obtained.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what stocks of hardwood were stockpiled by the Government in 1950; and how much has been stockpiled so far in 1951.

It would not be in the national interest to divulge the quantity of hardwood that is being stockpiled.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will give some account of the result of the Rubber Conference at Rome; and what steps were taken to prevent the export of rubber to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and her associated States.

The Conference reached the conclusion that, while at the present time the demand for rubber is undoubtedly in excess of the supply, the situation is not so unbalanced as to necessitate the initiation of international action. The Conference has accordingly been adjourned on the understanding that it may be reconvened at any time at the request of a participating Government. To the second part of the Question the answer is "None."

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement concerning the exports of pressed felt from this country to Germany, in view of the recent decision of the Western German Government to suspend the import quota.

There is no quota for imports of pressed felt into Germany from this country; and, in view of the serious payments difficulties with which the German Government is currently confronted, I do not think that such imports are likely to be allowed for some little time.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the world shortage of sulphur, steps are being taken to encourage economy in the use of sulphuric acid in the manufacture of agricultural fertilisers by the use of nitric acid instead.

The Department of Scientific and Industrial Research have carried out experiments in the use of nitric acid in the production of phosphatic fertilisers and the industry have been informed of the results. The industry themselves have also been experimenting on similar lines.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what proportion of the clothing output for 1950 was utility and non-utility; what utility goods were exported; and what is his estimate of the supplies for the home market for the coming year.

Statistics of the production of utility clothing generally are not available, but it is estimated that of the total production of made-up garments in 1950 the percentage of utility was approximately 85 per cent. in the case of wool and animal fibre cloths, 62 per cent. in the case of rayon cloths and 55 per cent. in the case of cotton cloths. About 85 per cent. of production of hosiery and knitwear for the home market was utility. Separate statistics of exports of utility garments are not available. As regards the last part of the Question, I do not expect supplies of clothing in 1951 to be markedly different from the level of consumption in 1950.

asked the Minister of Local Government and Planning whether he has considered the Report of the Departmental Committee on fuel economy, recommending the insulation of newly-constructed houses to conserve heat; and what steps he is taking to implement it.

Yes, and I shall soon circulate advice to local authorities on this subject.

asked the Minister of Local Government and Planning if he will make a statement with regard to the building of houses to meet the needs of the agricultural population, showing the procedure to be followed where new houses are essential for the proper working of a farm or smallholding; what grants are available; and what priority is given in urgent cases.

Agricultural housing needs are mainly met by local authorities as part of their programmes. I am sending my hon. Friend a circular explaining the conditions for the payment of grant to private persons who build houses to let to agricultural workers; priority as between individual applications is a matter for the local authority.

asked the Minister of Local Government and Planning if, in view of the fact that more bricks will be required this year to satisfy the needs of the re-armament and the building programmes, he will take steps to see that the cottages formerly occupied by brick workers but now requisitioned by the Government for other purposes, are returned for the use of the brick workers.

If the hon. Member will let me have details of the requisitioned cottages to which he refers. I will look into the matter.

asked the Minister of Local Government and Planning if he will take urgent steps to implement the longstanding undertaking to rehouse all evacuees from the Stamford battle area.

Many of these families have already been rehoused and houses are now being built for most of the rest. I have asked the local authorities concerned to finish this job quickly

asked the Minister of Local Government and Planning what representations he has received to revise the procedure whereby the occupiers of property ascertain their new assessments; and if he will consider individual notification in all cases.

Only from one local authority and two chambers of commerce. I am not prepared to incur the expense in money, hours and manpower which individual notification would involve

asked the Minister of Local Government and Planning if, in view of the country-wide increase in rate poundages, he will reconsider the financial relationships between His Majesty's Government and local authorities.

No.

asked the Minister of Works what quantity of bricks he proposes to request the brick industry to produce this year; and how this quantity compares with that produced last year.

I have already asked the industry to raise its annual production to a rate of 7.4 thousand million as soon as possible. The production last year was approximately 6.0 thousand million.

asked the Minister of Works what type of doors is being provided to the main entrance of the new offices of the Air Ministery and the Board of Trade now being built in Whitehall Gardens; and what they are to cost.

I would refer the hon. Member to my predecessor's reply on the same subject on 24th April.

asked the Minister of Works whether he will consider relaxing the speed limit for vehicles in London's parks from 20 miles per hour to 30 miles per hour.

No. The preservation of the amenities of the Parks and the protection of pedestrians, especially the elderly and children, are, in my view, overriding justifications for keeping the 20 miles per hour speed limit.

asked the Minister of Works why the Union Jack was not flown from the Ministry of Transport's offices in Berkeley Square on Saturday, 21st April, on the occasion of the birthday of the heir presumptive.

The lanyard of the flagstaff on the Ministry of Transport offices in Berkeley Square unfortunately broke on the morning of 21st April, and the lessors of the building could not get the services of a steeplejack to replace it during the day.

asked the Minister of Labour now that the ban on overtime has been withdrawn by the engineers and ship repairers on the Merseyside, if he will take immediate steps to bring about a wage settlement.

The ban on overtime was removed to allow discussions to proceed through the recognised joint machinery and I understand that the parties are now in touch locally for that purpose.

asked the Minister of Labour what were the figures for unemployment among agricultural workers during the February periods in 1949, 1950 and 1951.

The monthly figures of unemployment show for each industry the number of unemployed persons whose last employment was in that industry, and the figures for agriculture include a considerable number of persons who take temporary employment in the industry and are not classified as "agricultural workers." Statistics showing the numbers of unemployed persons registered for employment as agricultural workers are obtained only at quarterly dates, and the following table gives the figures for March, 1949, 1950 and 1951:

NUMBERS OF WHOLLY UNEMPLOYED PERSONS, AGED 18 AND OVER, REGISTERED AT EMPLOY-MENT EXCHANGES IN GREAT BRITAIN FOR EMPLOYMENT AS AGRICULTURAL WORKERS
			Men	Women
14th March, 1949	…	…	2,513	7,315
13th March, 1950	…	…	2,523	7,599
12th March, 1951	…	…	1,759	3,975

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps are being taken to provide suitable equipment for those with defective hearing and for whom the existing Medresco apparatus is not suitable.

The Medical Research Council, in co-operation with the Post Office, are carrying out laboratory investigations into the production of a bone conduction hearing aid.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what schemes costing more than £10,000 each are being begun or continued by regional hospital boards during 1951–52 for the provision of additional accommodation for patients at new or existing hospitals; and what is the estimated total expenditure on each scheme both during the current financial year and in all; and whether he will

IN-PATIENTS
Hospital		No. of additional beds to be provided	Estimated Total Cost	Estimated Expenditure in 1951–52	Starting Date
			£	£
Sick Children's Hospital, Aberdeen	…	36	52,803	12,803	14.50
Woodlands Home, Cults, Aberdeen	…	50	50,000	17,000	1951
Baldovan Institution, Dundee	…	100	72,000	15,000	1951
Ashludie Sanatorium, Dundee	…	24	12,957	10,000	1951
Vert Memorial Hospital, Haddington	…	23	51,150	16,000	April, 1949*
Thornhill Maternity Hospital, Johnstone	…	40	26,150	7,000	1951
Ravenscraig Mental Hospital, Greenock	…	100–150	10,500	10,500	1951
Hawkhead House, Crookston, Glasgow	…	100	20,000	8,000	1951
Gortanvogie House, Bowmore, Islay	…	12	21,770	8,000	1951
Vale of Leven Hospital, Dunbartonshire	…	156	400,000	50,000	1951
Killearn Hospital, Stirlingshire	…	200	200,000	15,000	1951
Larkfield Hospital Greenock	…	64	140,000	40,000	1951
			1,057,330	209,303

OUT-PATIENTS
Hospital			Estimated Total Cost	Estimated Expenditure in 1951–52	Starting Date
			£	£
Perth Royal Infirmary	…	…	17,500	12,000	1951
Bridge of Earn Hospital, Perthshire	…	…	10,017	4,517	9.1.50
Edinburgh Dental Hospital	…	…	135,000	25,850	1.10.48
Dunfermline Maternity Hospital	…	…	22,000	12,000	1.8.50
Edinburgh Royal Infirmary	…	…	28,000	2,800	1951
Glasgow Western Infirmary	…	…	13,792	3,792	1.4.50
Glasgow Royal Maternity and Women's Hospital	…	…	58,685	30,000	1.2.51
Southern General Hospital, Glasgow	…	…	16,000	2,500	1951
Stobhill Hospital, Glasgow	…	…	12,000	7,000	1951
West Highland Hospital, Oban	…	…	21,000	6,000	1951
Seafield House, Ayr	…	…	40,000	20,000	21.8.50
Alexander Hospital, Coatbridge	…	…	20,050	10,000	1951
"Bagatelle", Greenock	…	…	19,000	11,000	1.11.50
			413,044	147,459
Where "1951" is shown under "Starting date", work is due to start this year, but has not already started.
* Work originally started in November, 1947, but was interrupted and the plans were modified by the regional board.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, in the light of the recommendations made by the Cope Committee, he can now make a statement regarding the qualifications required by physiotherapists desiring employment in the National Health Service.

Following is the information:

As announced on 19th April by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Health in reply to the hon. Member for Reading, South (Mr. Mikardo) we propose, pending the establishment of official registration machinery, to adopt the recommendations of the Cope Committee as to the qualifications to be required for new appointments in the National Health Service.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he can now announce the amount of the Hill Cattle Subsidy for the year 1951–52.

The rate of subsidy for breeding cows and heifers kept on hill land from 4th December, 1950, to 3rd December, 1951, will continue at the rate of £7 per head, as in the last four years. The rate for future years has not yet been determined.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he can now say when the report of the Catto Committee will be completed.

I am unable to add to the reply given to the hon. Member for Fife, East (Mr. Stewart), on 17th April.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreigners he has prevented from coming to this country to receive free treatment under the National Health Service.

Refusals of leave to land on the ground that the alien's sole purpose in coming to the United Kingdom was to get free medical treatment are not specially noted and my right hon. Friend does not think the labour involved in obtaining the information asked for would be justified. The experience of the responsible officers at our ports does not suggest that any considerable number of aliens come here solely in order to get free treatment.

asked the Postmaster-General what is the present annual scale-payment to the existing sub-post office at Friern Barnet: and what is the estimate of the capital cost and of the annual administrative cost of the new office which is shortly to be opened.

The annual scale-payment to the present sub-office is £942. At the new office, which is being provided to improve Post Office facilities in the neighbourhood, the estimated capital cost of adaptation and fittings is £5,200, and the annual administrative and maintenance costs £3,500.

asked the Postmaster-General what, in the years 1924, 1938 and 1950, were the comparative costs of outdoor telephone kiosks and the coin boxes and instruments fitted therein.

£33, £46 and £120.

asked the Minister of Pensions what is the estimated cost of increasing the pensions of all widow pensioners by 5s. per week.

The cost of increasing by 5s. a week the standard rate of all war widows' pensions would be approximately £2,150,000 a year.

asked the Minister of Pensions what supplemental allowances widows over 50 years of age without dependant children are entitled to under his regulations in addition to the ordinary dependants pension.

The pension Instruments which I administer make no provision for supplementary allowances for such widows.

asked the Minister of Pensions why a Member of Parliament is not included amongst the list of persons qualified to sign and witness a war pensioner's life certificate; and whether he will make arrangements for Members of Parliament to be added to this list.

The list of persons qualified to sign and witness a war pensioner's life certificate is laid down by a Warrant of the Treasury issued from time to time under a provision of the Annual Appropriation Acts. Members of Parliament are not included in that list. While some hon. Members may wish to be included, I think the majority would agree that they should be called upon to sign such documents as little as possible and, I presume, would not wish to be added to the list

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty the

ENTRIES TO DARTMOUTH UNDER NEW SCHEME OF ENTRY AT AGE 16
Entry		Number of Applicants	Number who sat written examination	Number interviewed	Number entered	Number of vacancies
September, 1948	…	514	500	63	25	29
January, 1949	…	335	319	72	27	30
May, 1949	…	205	201	53	26	31
September, 1949	…	250	242	63	21	29
January, 1950	…	192	189	54	23	26
May, 1950	…	229	225	56	26	26
September, 1950	…	238	233	66	24	27
January, 1951	…	190	183	57	25	27
May, 1951	…	183	178	61	24	31
September, 1951	…	354	319	98*	—	—
* These candidates have been called for interview during May, 1951

asked the Minister of National Insurance the annual cost of increasing the guardian's allowance, fixed by the Second Schedule of the National Insurance Act, 1946, at 12s. a week, to 16s., 18s. and 20s. a week, respectively.

The annual additional cost of increasing to 16s., 18s. and 20s. a week the guardian's allowance of 12s. a week payable under the National Insurance Act, 1946, would be about £75,000, £110,000 and £150,000, respectively.

asked the Minister of Health whether his attention has been drawn to the statement by the Chairman of the Thames Conservancy that no instance has ever been reported, so far as the Thames is concerned, by any medical authority to the effect that the spread of poliomyelitis has been due to bathing in that river; and if he will consider the advisability of recommending the Medical Research Council, in conjunction with number of initial entrants, the number sitting for the examination, the number interviewed, the number passing and the number of vacancies on each occasion that the entrance examination to Dartmouth has been held since the introduction of the new scheme.

Details of the new Dartmouth Entry Scheme since its introduction in 1948 are as follow:the Catchment and River Board Association, to go into the whole question of bacteriological pollution of rivers and lakes in the United Kingdom and the supposed effect bathing has in promoting this disease.

My medical advisers are in agreement with the statement mentioned. The Medical Research Council are already engaged in an extensive investigation of poliomyelitis, in which I am assured that no field of inquiry as to possible causes will escape attention.

asked the Minister of Health if he has accepted the recommendations contained in the reports of the Committees on Medical Auxiliaries; and whether it is with his approval that hospitals in the National Health Service and local authorities are now refusing recognition to all organisations of medical auxiliaries except those recommended by this report.

I would refer to my reply on 19th April to my hon. Friend the Member for Reading, South (Mr. Mikardo).