asked the Minister of Local Government and Planning how much expenditure by local authorities on activities in connection with the Festical of Britain has so far been authorised by the Government.

I would refer the hon. Member to my predecessor's replies to the hon. Member for Rushcliffe (Mr. Redmayne) on 14th December last.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what firm or company made the machine tool to be shown at the Festival of Britain.

I assume that the Question refers to the South Bank Exhibition. Craven Brothers (Manchester) provided the machine tool exhibits in the Industry Pavilion. Other firms are represented by photographs in Design Review Section.

asked the Lord Privy Seal how many overseas visitors will be visiting the Festival of Britain with their expenses wholly or partly paid directly or indirectly from public funds.

The Festival Office agreed that a prize in a radio competition in the U.S.A. should be a visit for two persons to the Festival and similar arrangements were made in connection with a television programme in the U.S.A. The Festival Office is paying about £1,000 towards the costs of the visits of these four visitors. No arrangements have been made for the Festival Office to contribute towards the expenses of any other overseas visitors. I am not aware of any other charge on public funds for visits from abroad.

asked the Minister of Works whether he will consider causing the carving on the wall-plate of Westminster Hall to be painted in the original colouring or as near thereto as possible.

I assume that the hon. Member is referring to the string course at the level of the window sills carved with heraldic badges and a leaf design. So much of the stonework was renewed in the 18th and 19th centuries that it is unlikely that the original colouring of this work could be traced at this stage. In any case, I doubt whether colouring would be an improvement in the absence of the tapestries or other wall treatment which probably went with it.

asked the Minister of Works why flags were not flown on Government buildings in England on St. George's Day.

The list of flag flying days in England does not include any national saints days.

asked the Minister of Works which Department is to use the accommodation vacated by the Paymaster-General in Gwydyr House, Whitehall; and what was the total cost of the consequential changes involved.

The accommodation in Gwydyr House is now occupied by staff working under the Lord President of the Council. The total cost of the consequential changes was £55.

asked the Minister of Works how long the work has taken so far, and what further time it is expected to take, for the rebuilding of the six stone gate posts at the Prince of Wales gate entrance to Hyde Park; whether the work is being done by contractors on an open or a fixed price contract; what is the sum involved; and if he will give an assurance that the work is being carried through without waste of public money.

The work began on 3rd January and will be completed on 12th May. The work is on a fixed price contract in the sum of £1,750, and there is no waste of public money.

asked the Minister of Works the amount of cement which will be wanted for the extra works to be carried out for the £4,700,000,000 defence programme.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given him on 20th March, to which I have nothing to add.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reason he refused permission for the expenditure of hard currency during 1950 for the purchase of iron ore from New foundland; and what was the total sum of currency required for such purchases of iron ore.

In the autumn of 1949, in view of our serious dollar difficulties and the reasonable prospect of adequate and cheaper supplies of ore for 1950 from non-dollar sources, it was decided that we could not at that time afford dollars for the import of Newfoundland ore. This policy was maintained until June, 1950, when it became clear that non-dollar supplies would be inadequate, and authority was given for the import of 300,000 tons of Newfoundland ore.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the total amount released from sterling balances since 1st August, 1945, to the latest convenient date.

During the years 1946 (when formal arrangements for restricting sterling balances came into force) to 1950, releases made by His Majesty's Government by arrangements with holders amounted to £772 million. This figure takes no account of the payments by India and Pakistan for the purchase of annuities from His Majesty's Government and for defence stores under the financial agreements of July, 1948, but includes the sums paid in connection with the purchase of the British-owned railways in Argentina. The net change over the period in United Kingdom sterling liabilities to all countries, however, was an increase of £69 million, as shown in Cmd. 8201.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer to what extent the sterling assets held by the Argentine Government or by private Argentine residents at the time of devaluation and for which the Argentine claimed to be covered by exchange guarantees included Treasury bills and other Government securities.

Presumably the hon. and gallant Member is referring to the sterling balances of the Argentine Central Bank which were covered by the exchange guarantee, and the answer to this part of the Question is that none of these were invested in Treasury bills or other British Government securities. The balances of private Argentine residents were not covered by the guarantee.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he can now make the promised statement on the system by which foreign visitors can make purchases in this country.

Yes. The scheme adopted last season will—subject to minor modification—be continued. Under this scheme visitors holding United States or Canadian passports are able, when they exchange their dollars for sterling, to obtain a limited number of coupons entitling them to buy goods across the counter free of Purchase Tax.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the Government's intentions regarding the rebuilding of the Queen's Hall; what discussions have taken place with the Arts Council and the Henry Wood National Memorial Trust regarding this; what decisions have been reached; what will be the total cost of this project; and what proportion of the cost will be borne by the taxpayers, as such.

I have not yet completed my examination of this question, but I hope to make a statement soon.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he has any statement to make on the price of HANSARD.

Yes. The price of the daily HANSARD has remained at 6d. since 1923. With rising costs of paper and printing the loss in the financial year 1949–50 on all editions rose to £45,000. We have, therefore, reluctantly decided that in order to reduce this loss the price of the daily edition must now be raised from 6d. to 9d., that of the weekly edition from 1s. 6d. to 2s., and corresponding changes made in the subscription rates. The new prices will take effect immediately after the Whitsun Recess.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give an estimate of the additional running costs of ministerial cars for the year 1951–52 resulting from the increased price of petrol and tyres.

About a halfpenny and a tenth of a penny a mile respectively.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury if he will give an estimate of the cost of exempting from Income Tax the fire-call attendance fees and turn-out fees of the part-time retained voluntary firemen.

The cost is estimated at about £100,000.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is in a position to make any announcement about currency facilities for students going to Canadian universities under a scheme sponsored by the Canadian-British Education Committee.

Yes. The Canadian-British Education Committee, in agreement with Canadian universtities, are sponsoring a scheme for sending up to 100 U.K. students a year to Canadian universities. Students will become trained and acclimatised in the Canadian way of life to fit them for a career in Canada should they decide to remain there after graduation, when the Committee will help them to find jobs. I think the scheme is a valuable one and I have agreed to a special arrangement under which these students will be able to transfer up to 1,500 dollars in the first year and 1,250 dollars in each subsequent year, to cover the cost of their university courses.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury under which of his regulations hotel proprietors are required to give a list of their residents for Income Tax purposes; and what is the object of this return which is much disliked by the hotel proprietors.

Hotel proprietors may be required to provide lists of residents under Section 104 of the Income Tax Act, 1918. The object of the lists is to enable Inspectors of Taxes to obtain returns of income from hotel residents who might otherwise escape their notice.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury how many motor cars are allocated for the personal use of individual civil servants; and what grades or ranks are entitled to such allocation.

Under the rules laid down in 1946, only one civil servant is entitled to have a car allocated for his personal use and he has not exercised this privilege. Where their work makes this essential, other civil servants may make use of official cars. These are provided from a pool, save in the few cases where this is impracticable.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why it is necessary for the officers of rating authorities entering private premises to assess their size, to make scale plans of the interior.

I assume that the hon. and gallant Member has in mind the inspections carried out by officers of the Inland Revenue in connection with valuation for rating. Their instructions are, where necessary, to make sketch plans—not scale plans—as a record of the accommodation and amenity, inasmuch as these are factors affecting the value for rating purposes.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that the Italian material X208 passed by his Department has been found most unsuitable for use in this country; and if he will take steps to see that further supplies are not imported.

I have seen a Press report alleging that some Italian cloth has proved unsatisfactory when made into utility clothing. No representations have been made to the Board of Trade about this cloth, and in the absence of evidence we cannot take any action about it.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what savings in non-ferrous metals have been effected by the prohibited end users in those cases in which he is responsible.

It is not possible to estimate with any accuracy the savings which have been effected.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what priorities have been established for the allocation of non-ferrous metals; and what exceptions have been made to the list of prohibited end users, in those cases in which he is responsible.

As my right hon. Friend the Minister of Supply told the hon. and gallant Member yesterday, no overriding priorities have been established. The only general exception is the exemption of 9 and 14 carat gold. Exemption licences are granted in particular cases for export orders and in certain other special cases.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what main categories and quantities of goods and raw materials have been imported by the United Kingdom from China in the first quarter of 1951.

Imports into the United Kingdom from China in the first quarter of 1951 amounted in total to £2.7 million. The principal items imported, accounting for £2.0 million of the total, were as follows:

			£
Eggs, mainly frozen	…	88,201 cwt.	955,000
Maize	…	320,174 cwt.	408,000
Natural menthol	…	54,160 lb.	228,000
Bristles	…	2,272 cwt.	227,000
Raw goat hair	…	1,303 cwt.	168,000

asked the President of the Board of Trade what load-carrying vehicles have been exported to China since 1st April, 1951, between 1st January and 31st March, 1951, and between 1st October and 31st December, 1950, respectively.

Details of exports since 1st April, 1951, are not yet available but there were no exports of load-carrying vehicles of any type to China during the whole of 1950 apart from two motor cars, nor any during the first quarter of 1951.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has been able to make any concession to the hosiery trade following representations by them to import machines to replace pre-war plant without paying the 50 per cent. import duty.

Following discussions with the trade, my right hon. and learned Friend has now agreed to recommend to my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer the issue of licences under Section 10 of the Finance Act, 1932, for the admission free of Customs duty of certain 60-gauge full fashioned hose machines.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what quantity of spent pyrites has been exported to Ger many and other countries, respectively, during the last 12 months.

Exports of spent pyrites are not separately recorded in the official trade statistics of the United Kingdom. The only export of pyrites cinders was 21,400 tons in 1950 to Germany.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware of the shortage of ordinary white bank and other types of paper used for commercial printing; and what steps he has taken to remedy this shortage.

I am aware of some shortage. Facilities have already been provided for the import of all the paper-making raw materials which can be obtained, and the paper industry are cooperating in a voluntary priority scheme which should safeguard essential needs and provide fair treatment for the small printer.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what pro portion of the total available supplies of ordinary white bank and other types of paper used for commercial printing has been purchased by Government Departments during the last three months.

It is estimated that in the four months ending 4th March, 1951, Government purchases amounted to about 6 per cent. of all the printing and writing paper (other than newsprint) produced in this country.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is now in a position to say whether the 19,000 extra tons of sulphur will be received in the second quarter of this year; and what are the prospects of receiving the same amount by which the first quarter's supply fell short of our minimum requirements.

The allocations of sulphur for the first half of this year have now been made by the United States Government and total 195,465 tons. This tonnage is made up of 81,465 for the first quarter, the supplementary allotment of 19,000, and 95,000 for the second quarter.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he intends to allow the introduction of a Bill to stop the sale of tenant-occupied flats in Scot land, in order to stamp out this evil which is causing discontent in Scotland and has been raised with him during the past three or four years by Scottish Labour Members of Parliament.

I have nothing to add to the answer which I gave to my hon. Friend on this subject on 24th April.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland to what extent he is now permitting local authorities to build two-roomed houses.

Local authorities are encouraged, within their normal allocations, to build houses for old people consisting of a living-room and bed-alcove or bedroom. Tenders for 706 houses of this kind have been approved since the war.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland his decision on the suitability of the Tarran low cost bungalow for local authority housing.

Yes. The Building Research Station have now completed their investigation into the proposed method of construction and have reported that as at present designed the house falls below the recommended standards of structural efficiency in the following respects. The party wall is not strong enough and would have to be given additional lateral support: as designed it does not provide sufficient sound insulation to conform even with normal standards, which I do not consider to be high: and there would be, I am afraid, a risk that fire would spread across the top of the wall at ceiling level. The edges of the granolithic floor finish, which are exposed to rain-water shed from the external walls, are likely to allow water penetration into the floor with resulting dampness. There is also a serious risk of condensation in the walls and roof.The report adds that under normal conditions of usage and maintenance the bungalow is not considered to be sufficiently durable for a life of 60 years. In these circumstances, while I am at all times anxious to encourage more economical building I regret that I cannot, under existing legislation, approve the bungalow for subsidy purposes. I want to make two points clear. The Building Research Station's report relates not to the original bungalow, estimated to cost £500, but to that bungalow as materially improved to meet the initial criticisms of the experts as regards standards and equipment. It should be appreciated that, while I have no precise figures, this improved type will cost, I am assured, around £1,000. The second point is that the criticisms do not apply to the Dorran concrete bungalow, designed by the same firm, which is structually sound and has already been approved by the British Research Station and my Department for erection by local authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he has so far taken to induce local authorities to retain employees, women over 60 years of age and men over 65 years of age, who feel fit and willing to remain at work; and what replies he has received.

I have communicated with the Scottish local authority associations on this matter and I regret that I am not at present in a position to make any statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he can now announce the name of the chairman of the proposed inquiry into crofting.

I would rather defer this announcement until I am ready, as I hope I shall be very soon, to complete the arrangements for the inquiry.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether he will give consideration to the need for amending the Royal Warrant, so as to provide for an increase in the pension payable to the widows of men who lost their lives in the 1914–18 war.

The question of increasing the basic rates of war pensions generally has recently been considered by the Government, and I would refer the hon. Member to the statement on the subject made by the Chancellor in his Budget speech.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will make a statement on the formation of a Common wealth Brigade for Korea.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations to the right hon. Member for Saffron Walden (Mr. R. A. Butler) on 1st May.

asked the Secretary of State for War what instructions have been sent to Territorial Army associations and Territorial Army units regarding the use of all club facilities including bars at Territorial Army centres, commonly known as drill halls, by members of the Women's Royal Army Corps.

No specific instructions have been issued by the War Office on this matter. Where units or sub-units of the Territorial Army, whether male, female or mixed, are accommodated in the same Territorial Army Centre, it is War Office policy that training and social accommodation should be shared. In calculating entitlement to social accommodation at the Centre, provision is made for members of the Women's Royal Army Corps, Territorial Army, to enjoy the full social facilities provided. In the case of mixed units, a rest room is provided, in addition, for the sole use of the female members.

asked the Secretary of State for War what arrangements he has made, in the event of active operations by the British Army of the Rhine, for the employment of the Ger mans now employed with that Army on transport or other auxiliary duties; and if he proposes to regard these Germans in all respects as British soldiers, or is it his intention to replace them.

It would not be in the public interest to give this information.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he can give the number of Class Z reservists over the age of 40 who are being called up for training in 1951; and if he can state what percentage of the total number of men called up this figure represents.

This information is not readily available. I would, however, refer the hon. and gallant Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Bristol, Central (Mr. Awbery), on 3rd April, 1951.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether, having regard to the evidence given in a recent court-martial case, he is satisfied with the law relating to sentries; and, if not, whether he will consult with the Law Officers with a view to its amendment.

This matter is under careful consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for War what progress has been made in establishing communication with Service men formerly reported missing in Korea and later unofficially reported to have been taken prisoner; how many of these are now officially regarded as prisoners-of-war; whether their relatives have all been notified; how soon he hopes to be able to start negotiations for an exchange of prisoners; and if he will make a statement.

The position regarding the establishment of communication with and the possibility of exchanging British prisoners-of-war in North Korea remains as stated in my reply of 3rd April. It has not yet been possible to set up official channels of communication. Only one prisoner who was reported by four returned prisoners is officially regarded as a prisoner-of-war. As I said in my reply to the hon. Member for Colchester (Mr. Alport) on 19th April, next-of-kin are informed immediately the names of personnel believed to be prisoners are obtained either from unofficial sources or from the questioning of returned prisoners-of-war.The International Red Cross Committee, which I should like to emphasise is an entirely neutral and independent organisation, has made repeated attempts to enter North Korea, but permission to do so has been refused. The Soviet and Chinese Governments have previously informed the International Red Cross Committee that they do not feel able to interfere with the sovereign decision of the North Korean Government in this respect. However, the President of the International Red Cross Committee has announced that he was recently permitted to visit Peking, where he saw the Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, and had lengthy discussions with the President of the Chinese Red Cross Society. In these discussions the Chinese Red Cross Society were asked whether, as an interim measure, while the International Red Cross Committee are unable to carry out their traditional duties in North Korea, they would act on the Committee's behalf. They were particularly requested to distribute medical supplies to United Nations prisoners-of-war and others, to provide assistance in the transmission of correspondence and to assist in the transport of food parcels to United Nations prisoners-of-war. The President of the International Red Cross Committee has emphasised that his talks with the Chinese Red Cross were most satisfactory. No further details are yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for War what report he has received from Korea regarding the value of the Vickers.303 machine gun; and whether he is satisfied that infantry battalions have sufficient of these weapons on their war establishment.

No specific report on the value of this gun has been received from Korea, but it is known that its performance has been satisfactory. A proposal to increase the number of machine guns on the establishment of Infantry battalions is being examined.

asked the Secretary of State for War by what authority officers of his Department are marking boundaries and preparing for military training on agricultural land out side the boundaries of Trawsfynydd Camp, Merioneth.

This is being done on the authority of Defence (General) Regulation No. 52, the further use of which was announced by the Lord President of the Council on 21st February, 1951. The extension of the Trawsfynydd training area was the subject of a Press announcement by the Minister of Town and Country Planning on 26th July, 1950. The area is urgently needed for training this year.

asked the Minister of Education whether he will introduce legislation making it illegal on the part of local authorities to ban any political newspapers and periodicals from libraries under their control.

No. It is for local authorities to decide what newspapers and periodicals shall or shall not be made available in those public libraries which they administer.

asked the Minister of Education how many sets of drawings have been prepared of new schools which, for reasons of economy, are not to be erected for the present.

I could not say without asking all local education authorities for a special return. The procedure for compiling educational building programmes, however, is now so well understood by all concerned that I have no reason to believe that abortive expenditure of this kind is being incurred.

asked the Minister of Food if he will give the tonnage of canned meat which the Argentine has shipped or agreed to ship, corresponding to the tinplate exports already allocated during the last two quarters of 1950 and the first two quarters of 1951.

9,636 tons of canned meat were imported from Argentina in the third quarter of 1950, 836 tons in the fourth quarter of 1950, and 355 tons in the first quarter of 1951. Figures for the second quarter of 1951 will not be available until late July.

asked the Minister of Food how much meat and poultry, both canned and uncanned, respectively, have been exported from Britain since 1st January, 1950; and to which countries.

pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, Monday, 16th April, 1951, Vol. 486, c. 1443], supplied the following information:

In reply to your Question on 16th April I promised to provide figures showing exports of carcase and canned meats from this country since 1st January, 1950. As I said, there are no official figures in the precise form for which you asked and the extraction and collection of those set out in the attached table has necessarily taken some time. It is still impossible, I am afraid, to obtain details of the exports of canned poultry but, in any event, these are believed to have been very small.

I should explain that during the period in question quantities of horseflesh were exported by private traders to certain countries. There are no separate records of these and they are included with the rest of the carcase meat exports For the same reason the figures include some quantities of offal imported by private traders during the period, but which they were obliged to re-export because the offals were found to be unsuitable. Even including such exports and re-exports as these, the total tonnage of carcase meat which went overseas represented only ⅓d. on the domestic ration for one week.

Canned meats and meat products are not all separately recorded in the "meat classifications" of the official trade returns, mainly because of the difficulties of definition where, for instance a product contains meat and other ingredients. Where the records of my Department show that relatively substantial quantities of these products have been exported, but not included under the "meat classifications," I have supplemented the information contained in the official trade returns so as to provide a picture which does, I think, represent the approximate volume of total exports and re-exports of these products Even if all these exports had consisted of meat alone, the quantity involved would have been the equivalent of about 0.10 lb. per consumer, mainly in the form of manufacturing quality meat, over the entire period of 14 months.

As I have previously explained in the House, a substantial part of the export trade in canned

ESTIMATED TOTAL EXPORTS (UNITED KINGDOM EXPORTS AND RE-EXPORTS) FOR PERIOD 1ST JANUARY 1950–28TH FEBRUARY, 1951, EXCLUDING SUPPLIES TO THE CHANNEL ISLANDS
Countries to which sent	Meat of all kinds (except bacon and ham and poultry and game) other than canned, etc.	Meat Products, including canned meats, sausages, pastes, meat pies, etc.	Poultry and Game (other than canned)
	tons	tons	tons
British Colonies	80·40	512·15	12·95
Canada	·05	660·18	·20
Southern Rhodesia	—	10·10	·05
Union of South Africa	—	·15	—
New Zealand	—	—	·55
Australia	·20	5·80	·20
Ceylon and Dependencies	—	1·75	1·60
Pakistan	—	10·05	—
India	—	·90	—
Republic of Ireland	—	·15	—
Total, British Commonwealth and Republic of Ireland	80·65	1,201·23	15·55
Sweden	23·55	20·40	·10
Norway	10·45	—	—
Denmark	1–30	27·20	—
Germany	30·45	82·80	427·60
Netherlands	10·70	6·20	113·10
Belgium	91·05 (a)	4·75	82·50
France	284·40 (a)	11·35	·25
Switzerland	2·25	9·50	·35
Greece	—	1·10	—
Bulgaria	—	·95	—
Greenland	6·75	—	—
Luxembourg	—	—	5·70
Netherlands Antilles	—	1·85	—
Belgian Congo	—	3·25	—
French West and Equatorial Africa	4·90	11·70	—
Portuguese West Africa (including Angola)	—	2·30	—
Portuguese East Africa	—	3·00	—
Portuguese Possessions in India	—	2·50	—
Canary Islands	—	1·50	—
Libya	—	11·85	—
Syria	—	3·15	—
Lebanon	—	48·90	—
Jordan	—	20·80	—
Egypt	·05	297·85	·15
Morocco	—	2·05	—
Liberia	—	·65	—
Iraq	—	6·70	—
Iran	—	5·45	—
Burma	—	2·30	—
Thailand	—	4·80	—
Japan	—	1·35	—
U.S.A.	30	258·95	19·25
Guatemala	—	1·15	—
Venezuela	—	5·10	—
Ecuador	—	2·10	—
Peru	—	21·75	—
Other Foreign Countries	—	2·85	·15
Total, Foreign Countries	446·15	888·10	649·15
TOTAL	546·80	2,089·33	664·70

(

asked the Minister of Food what is the estimated tonnage and varieties of fruit pulp to be imported this year.

Fruit pulp is imported by the private trade, and I cannot therefore estimate the tonnage and varieties likely to be imported this year.

asked the Minister of Food whether he will give an additional sugar bonus to housewives during the soft fruit season this year.

As I have already announced, the sugar supplies available will enable six one-pound sugar bonuses to be issued for jam making this year. One pound has already been issued and the-remainder will be issued during each of the five four-week periods beginning on 20th May.

asked the Minister of Labour what number of disabled persons are employed at the Remploy factory at Pallion, Sunderland; and what steps are being taken to bring further employment to persons on the disabled register.

Forty-eight severely disabled persons are employed at present. Remploy Ltd. hopes to increase this number to over 60 within the next year and finally to provide employment for 70 in this factory. The factory is engaged in cardboard box making and the expansion of the labour force depends on securing adequate supplies of straw-board, of which there is a shortage. The company is making every effort to ensure a sufficient and continuing supply.

asked the Minister of Supply when he will be introducing his scheme for the allocation of finished and semi-finished steel products.

I have nothing to add to the statement I made on 13th April in reply to a Question by the hon. Member for Rugby (Mr. J. Johnson).

asked the Minister of Supply what proposals he has for relieving the United Kingdom economy by placing armament orders in Europe; and what form of organisation he proposes to set up for this purpose.

We have decided to set up a European Purchasing Commission to augment the procurement in Europe of stores and equipment required for the defence programme of the United Kingdom. The placing of orders in Europe to supplement production in this country will confer mutual benefits. It will help European countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation to develop their capacity to fulfil their own defence programmes and will benefit their balance of payments and general economy. It will, at the same time, enable British manufacturing capacity to be used for essential home production and exports to a greater extent than the substantial rearmament programme would otherwise permit.The Commission will operate for all Government Departments concerned in the defence programme, under my direction. The Chairman of the Commission will be Sir Donald Perrott, K.B.E., and the Deputy-Chairman, Captain K. J. G. Bartlett. They will be assisted by the following advisory panel of industrialists: Sir Francis Brake; Mr. A. G. E. Briggs; Mr. W. C. Puckey; Mr. S. W. Rawson; Sir Alan Saunders; Mr. E. W. Senior.The Commission will have offices in a number of the main European countries.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty the names and employment of all maintenance, depot and repair ships in the Royal Navy; if he will say which of these are for disposal; what ships of these categories have been disposed of since the end of the war; and whether they have been scrapped, sold, given or lent; and which were the recipient countries.

DEPOT, REPAIR AND MAINTENANCE SHIPS IN THE ROYAL NAVY
			Active Fleet	Reserve
Depot Ships	…	…	"MAIDSTONE"	"ADAMANT"
			"MONTCLARE"	"WOOLWICH"
			"FORTH"
			"TYNE"
Repair Ships	…	…	—	"ARTIFEX"
			—	"ALAUNIA"
			—	"RANPURA"
			—	"AUSONIA"
			—	"RESOURCE"
Maintenance Ships)	…	…	"UNICORN"	"PIONEER"
			"PERSEUS "(being used for trials)	"BERRY HEAD"
			—	"DUNSCANBY HEAD"
			—	"RAME HEAD"
			—	"BUCHANNESS"
			—	"GIRDLENESS"
			—	"HARTLAND POINT"
			—	"DODMAN POINT"
			—	"MULL OF GALLOWAY"
			—	"MULL OF KINTYRE"

None of these ships is for disposal at present but the Depot Ship "WOLFE" has been transferred to the Ministry of Transport for disposal. Some of the ships in Reserve are employed as Headquarters Ships of the Reserve Fleet Divisions, as-accommodation ships and as training ships.Ships disposed of since the end of the war are as follow:

Scrapped	5 Depot Ships
	1 Repair Ship
Sold Commercially	3 Depot Ships
	3 Repair Ships
	3 Maintenance Ships
Returned to U.S.A. (Lease Lend)	2 Repair Ships
Returned to Canada (Mutual Aid)	2 Maintenance Ships
Lent to Greece	1 Depot Ship
Transferred to Iran in 1949 in part settlement of a claim against the United Kingdom	1 Maintenance Ship

asked the hon. Member for Bristol, North-East, as Chairman of the Kitchen Committee, whether he will make a statement about the finances of the Refreshment Department.

It has been proposed by the Treasury and accepted by the Kitchen Committee that a review of the financial position of the Department should be made by independent experts. A group of experts from the Caterers' Association, the Hotels and Restaurants' Association, the Hotels Executive and Messrs. Thomson McLintock and Company have been invited, and have agreed, to conduct the review, and submit their report and recommendations to the Chairman of the Kitchen Committee. I am sure that the House will wish me to express its thanks to the members of the group for undertaking this service.

The information is as follows:

asked the Minister of Agriculture what proportion of wheat grown he will permit growers to retain this year.

Growers may retain 25 per cent. of the crop harvested this year, or two tons, whichever is the greater, for feeding to their own livestock. In addition growers may retain wheat of their own growing for use as seed.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he will now allow linseed growers to have returned to them a proportion of the cake resulting from crushing.

No. I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Food to the hon. Member for Newbury (Mr. Hurd), on this subject on 25th April.

asked the Postmaster-General how many applications for telephone installations in Northern Ireland were received during the year from 31st March, 1950, to 31st March, 1951; how many of these were granted; and, in view of the hardship and inconvenience caused to many applicants, including clergymen, by reason of the want of such installations, whether he will take immediate steps to have telephones installed.

6,253. About 3,300 of these were met, the total number of new connections in the year being 4,614. Requests for telephone service are being met as quickly as possible within the limits of our available resources.