asked the Minister of Health for full details of salary increases to doctors and nurses in the hospital services since 1946 to the latest stated date.

As the figures involve many grades of staff and salary scales, I am sending the particulars to the hon. Member.

asked the Minister of Health whether, in agreeing to the imposition of vaccination regulations on travellers from Great Britain to other countries, he has considered that there are large numbers of conscientious objectors to vaccination in this country, and that vaccination frequently causes illness and occasionally death; and whether, in view of these facts, he will make representations to the World Health Organisation with a view to inserting in the International Sanitary Convention provision for the exemption from any vaccination requirement of persons who produce proof of conscientious or religious objection to vaccination and those who produce medical certificates that vaccination is likely to injure their health.

Her Majesty's Government opposed the inclusion in the International Sanitary Regulations of the provision enabling a country to require travellers to be vaccinated. The provision is, however, permissive only and a country exercising this power can allow such exemptions as it considers desirable. I am satisfied that a proposal to make exemption compulsory in particular cases would not find general acceptance.

asked the Minister of Health if, in view of his refusal to lift the import restrictions on Rotor tablets, he will recommend a similar preparation as effective as Rotor.

No. This is a matter on which medical advice would no doubt be sought by those who need it in the ordinary way.

asked the Minister of Health the number of beds occupied by tuberculosis patients in the area covered by the West Cumberland Hospital Management Committee for 1949, 1950 and 1951; and the number of patients suffering from tuberculosis who were waiting for beds in the same area in 1949, 1950 and 1951.

No separate figures of beds occupied by patients from this area are available, since the hospitals managed by this Committee have no beds allocated for tuberculosis and patients are treated in other hospitals administered by the Newcastle Regional Hospital Board. I am informed that the Board proposes to provide a new unit of 80 beds in Cumberland shortly. Returns from the clinics managed by the Committee show a waiting list of 48 at the end of 1949 and 44 at the end of 1950. The figures for 1951 are not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many beds are now available for the treatment of tuberculosis in sanatoria and other hospitals, respectively.

At the end of 1951 there were 5,967 beds set aside in Scotland for the treatment of respiratory tuberculosis; 3,176 of these are in sanatoria and 2,791 in infectious diseases and general hospitals. One hundred and eighty beds in Swiss sanatoria are also being used.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what steps he proposes to take in Hong Kong and the New Territories to counteract hostile propaganda broadcast from Peking and at Lowu frontier post in particular.

The true facts about current affairs are made known in Hong Kong by the Hong Kong Public Relations Office, through B.B.C. broadcasts and through the services supplied to various Hong Kong newspapers by reputable news agencies. I do not consider that special action is required to counter propaganda from the loudspeakers at Lowu, as this is a sparsely populated area and the propaganda is directed mainly at travellers to and from Canton by rail.

asked the Minister of Works what action he is taking to alleviate the shortage of cement in Sunderland.

The cement companies have arranged to send substantial additional supplies of cement to North-East England.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury if he will give full particulars of salary increases in the Civil Service since 1946 to the latest date.

This information could not be collected without a disproportionate amount of time and work, for there are some thousands of grades in the Civil Service as a whole. If the hon. Member will put down a question about any grades in which he is particularly interested. I shall be glad to give him particulars.

asked the Minister of National Insurance for particulars of the total wage and salary increases granted to staffs employed in his Department from 1946 to the latest convenient stated date.

Wage and salary rates in my Department are those fixed centrally for the Treasury classes of the Civil Service. I would therefore refer the hon. Member to the reply given above to his Question by my hon. Friend the Financial Secretary to the Treasury.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is satisfied that the present supply of halfpenny coins is sufficient to meet the increased demand that will result from his new financial measures.

There are about 870 million halfpennies in circulation, and the Royal Mint is ready to meet any increased demand that may arise.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the number of taxpayers in the income group £135-£500.

On the level of incomes now ruling the number of persons with incomes between £135-£500 (whether actually liable to tax or not) is about 14¼ million.

asked the Minister of Food for a list of food price increase, on average, both rationed and non-rationed goods, since 1946 to the latest stated date.

The following list shows the approximate percentage increases in the retail prices of the main rationed and unrationed foods between January, 1946, and January, 1952:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) by what companies or persons other than burial authorities are crematoria maintained in England and Wales outside the Metropolitan area; under what private or local Acts; and in what places; (2) how many crematoria are maintained within the administrative county of London and how many elsewhere in England and Wales; how many are maintained, respectively, by the councils of counties, borough councils, non-borough councils and urban districts;

The following table gives the desired information. No statutory authority is required for the establishment of a crematorium by a private company or person.