asked the President of the Board of Trade how many pairs of home manufactured ladies' nylon stockings were released to the home market in 1948 and the first four months of 1949; and how many it is proposed to release throughout the whole of 1949.

In 1948, 7,700,000 pairs of home manufactured ladies' nylon stockings were supplied to the home market, and in the first four months of 1949, 2,100,000 pairs. Increased production of nylon yarn should allow a substantially higher rate of supply to the home market for the remainder of 1949 notwithstanding the need to continue to press forward with the export drive. But I cannot give a firm figure at this stage.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that the action of the British Waterworks Association in withdrawing, from 31st December, 1949, their "Swan" trade mark from the Ministry of Health pattern water tap is stopping the export of British taps since without the "Swan" mark, which is widely recognised as a guarantee of quality, the Ministry of Health tap is unsaleable overseas and the heavier British standard tap is not acceptable to foreign buyers; and if he will approach the association with a view to re-establishing the use of this trade mark.

I am already in touch with the British Waterworks Association on this matter, and I hope that it will be possible to secure their co-operation in maintaining goodwill on overseas markets for "Swan" marked taps.

asked the President of the Board of Trade why Import Licence No. 661308/1, in respect of 100 tons of German natural rock asphalt, was granted on 11th June, 1948, and a prior application made by Mr. E. Collison, of 16, Middle Road, Brighton, No. 548232, of 18th April, 1948, for 50 tons of the same material, was refused on 2nd July, 1948.

The hon. Member's information is incorrect. The import licence in question, which related to 50 tons of natural rock asphalt, was granted against an application submitted on 6th October, 1947. The subsequent application from Mr. Collinson, dated 19th April, 1948, was in respect of German natural rock asphalt powder. It was not supported by the production departments concerned and a licence was refused. The British Standards Institution specification for rock asphalt requires a minimum bitumen content, with which German deposits of asphalt do not comply. To obviate the possible importation of synthetic asphalt—the powdered rock mixed with bitumen to the required proportion—which is a very inferior product, no import licence has been granted for natural rock asphalt powder from Germany.

asked the President of the Board of Trade to what extent the activities of his official purchasing agencies will be affected in their buying activities from the dollar area by the recent Standstill arrangement.

I expect that it will be possible to avoid any substantial commitments for commodities on Government account during the standstill period.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is satisfied that the supply of films for X-ray purposes in the Shrewsbury area is sufficient to meet all demands.

No. There is a general shortage of X-ray films and I have had to ask hospitals to economise in their use.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that opticians have to provide and pay for a frame for each order for spectacles, but cannot obtain repayment until the patient has received his glasses; that this involves the optician being out of pocket, in some cases up to nine months; and what steps he proposes to take to remedy this hardship.

I have the situation in mind, but I do not think there is much hardship yet and it will right itself as arrears are overtaken.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that the Birmingham Regional Hospital Board are recommending to local hospital committees that all milk supplied to hospitals, institutions and clinics should be pasteurised; and if he will instruct them that it is not necessary to pasteurise T.T. milk.

I am not prepared to intervene in this matter, which is within the discretion of hospital management committees.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will give an estimate of the present demand for spectacles and the rate of supply at present and in recent months; and what is the nature of the steps which he is taking to increase the supply or to supplement it by imports.

The total demand for the United Kingdom in the first six months of 1949 is estimated at five million pairs. Production during the same period was about 3.7 million pairs, representing an increase of 75 per cent. on the annual rate of production during 1947. Production in this country continues to be rapidly expanded and suitable lenses are being imported from abroad.

asked the Minister of Health when the spectacles approved by Mr. N. Russell of 599, James Reckitt Avenue, Hull, by the National Health Service executive council on 19th November, 1948, will be delivered, observing that this gentleman is suffering from severe head pains in consequence of the delay.

I cannot give any promise in an individual case, but on the general position I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for East Islington on 19th May.

asked the Minister of Health how many free pairs of spectacles and how many free dentures have been supplied to foreign visitors since the introduction of the National Health Service.

As the National Health Service makes no distinction between foreign visitors and other patients separate figures are not available.

asked the Minister of Health whether his regulations provide that doctors who certify deaths as due to diphtheria are under any obligation to state whether the victims had been immunised or not; and what facilities are given the certifying doctor to obtain information on this point.

No. Diphtheria being a notifiable disease, medical officers of health know of fatal cases and can usually tell from the local authority's immunisation records whether a child who dies from diphtheria was immunised or not.

asked the Minister of Health how many patients have applied at the North Wales Centre at Wrexham for a hearing aid apparatus, since the Act; and how many of those who have been sent there have been supplied with a hearing aid.

Those who have applied for testing for suitability for an aid are 1,457. Those so far supplied with an aid are 399.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will remit all charges in respect of applications from former British subjects who now have to make application to be classified as such owing to having been born in, or residents in, Eire, India or Pakistan.

I am considering whether any changes in the fees payable for registration as a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies would be justified and I hope to be able to announce a decision shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many districts old street fire alarms are being scrapped, in view of their redundancy where fire brigades can be called by telephone.

I regret that I am not in a position to give detailed information on the situation in individual localities, but the whole matter is receiving my consideration and is at present under discussion by the Central Fire Brigades Advisory Council.

asked the Minister of Health what was the number of deaths in England and Wales from cancer and tuberculosis, respectively, in each of the following years 1920, 1925, 1930, 1935, 1940, 1945 and 1948.

Following is the answer:

Year			Deaths from:
			Cancer	Tuberculosis
1920	…	…	42,420	41,439
1925	…	…	50,433	39,342
1930	…	…	56,204	34,821
1935	…	…	62,602	28,489
1940	…	…	68,922	28,144
1945	…	…	74,291	23,955
1948*	…	…	79,537	21,984
* Provisional

The figures for the years 1920–35 have been adjusted to allow for changes in classification which were introduced in 1940, and are comparable with the subsequent figures.

asked the Minister of Health by what agency, or agencies, the public opinion polls conducted on behalf of the Royal Commission on Population were carried out; how many such inquiries were made; and what was the subject matter and the cost of each.

No public opinion polls were conducted on behalf of the Royal Commission on Population.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, in view of the contemplated standstill arrangement on fresh purchases from the dollar area, what fresh means he proposes to increase agricultural production in this country.

The programme initiated in August, 1947, was designed to secure the maximum saving in dollar expenditure on food and feedingstuffs and is not materially affected by the standstill in fresh purchases from the dollar area.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what was the total of home-produced meat in 1938 and in 1948.

Meat production in the United Kingdom was estimated at about 1,300,000 tons in 1938 and 860,000 tons in 1948. These figures include carcase meat, edible offals, and pigmeat used for bacon production, but they exclude poultry meat, rabbit meat and game.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he will ensure that referees under the Improvement of Livestock Act, 1931, who review the condemnation of pedigree cattle for breeding purposes are themselves expert in the breed being judged.

Yes, I already do so.

asked the Minister of Education how many university graduates, diplomates from the two-year training colleges, and emergency trainees, are at the present time teaching in the national schools.

On 31st March, 1948, there were in maintained and assisted primary and secondary schools and all special schools 31,133 graduate teachers and 122,099 non-graduate trained teachers, including about 9,000 emergency-trained teachers. There were, in addition, 2,513 teachers in maintained and assisted schools and establishments about whom particulars were not available at the time of this return.

asked Woe Minister of Education what is the present proportion of dental surgeons to children in the school dental service; how many dental surgeons have resigned from the service since he took office; whether he is aware that, in many places, the school dental service has ceased to exist, and dental departments in the schools have been closed for lack of officers; and what steps he is taking to remedy this position.

The available statistics relate to the number of school dentists on 31st December each year. At the end of 1948 the ratio of dentists to school children was one to 6,170, reckoning part-time services at their full-time equivalent. On the following dates the equivalent numbers of full-time dental officers were:

31st December, 1946	…	753
31st December, 1947	…	921
31st December, 1948	…	868

I am greatly concerned about the difficulties now affecting this service. My right hon. Friend the Minister of Health and I are awaiting the decision of the local authorities on their participation in the Whitley Council machinery for the settlement of salary scales for dental officers.

asked the Minister of Labour what social benefits, which are received by the public and paid for by the State out of taxation, are taken into account in calculating the cost-of-living index.

The index of retail prices measures changes in the prices of commodities which enter into the expenditure of working-class households. It does not, therefore, take account of social benefits paid for out of taxation.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of unemployed registered disabled persons who are suitable only for employment under sheltered conditions on 11th April and on 9th May, 1949, in the usual categories.

The following are the figures for the nearest available dates:

		Number of registered disabled persons regarded as available only for employment under sheltered conditions.
		Ex-Service	Non-Ex-Service	Total
18th April, 1949
Males	…	5,096	5,735	10,831
Females	…	11	611	622
Total	…	5,107	6,346	11,453
16th May, 1949
Males	…	4,915	5,676	10,591
Females	…	9	603	612
Total	…	4,924	6,279	11,203

asked the Minister of Defence what has been the cost of the United Kingdom's Armed Forces per head of the population in the period since V.J. Day; and what is the figure for the comparable period after the First World War.

The following table gives the approximate Defence expenditure per head of the population for the years in question:

Year		Cost			Year		Cost
		£	s.	d.			£	s.	d.
1918–19	…	23	15	0	1945–46	…	80	5	0
1919–20	…	13	10	0	1946–47	…	34	0	0
1920–21	…	6	0	0	1947–48	…	16	15	0
1921–22	…	3	15	0	1948–49	…	15	10	0

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will press for compensation for British property in Palestine taken over by the Israeli Government, and in respect of Britons killed in Palestine.

Negotiations are in progress at Tel Aviv during which His Majesty's Government have proposed, and the Government of Israel have agreed, that the settlement of claims against the Government of Israel should be discussed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what amounts of beer, spirits, or other intoxicating beverage were imported into each of the West African Colonies, Nigeria, the Gold Coast, Sierra Leone and Gambia for the years 1938 and 1948.

The information asked for is as follows:

IMPORTS OF BEER, SPIRITS, ETC., INTO WEST AFRICA
	1938		1948
	Thous.Galls.	£	Thous.Galls.	£
NIGERIA
Beer, Ale, Stout and Porter	471	72,097	1,109	381,425
Cider and Perry	1	250	n.s.e.
Spirits	106	80,111	76	121,706
Wine	34	16,568	22	33,746
GOLD COAST
Beer, Ale, Stout and Porter	613	88,095	722	269,041
Cider and Perry	2	499	*	252
Spirits	108	91,669	132	200,141
Wine	36	13,931	88	73,535
SIERRA LEONE
Beer, Ale, Stout and Porter	153	28,124	183	69,853
Cider and Perry	1	170	n.s.e.
Spirits	11	11,194	23	37,201
Wine	49	11,472	92	45,672
GAMBIA			Year 1947
Beer, Ale, Stout and Porter	16	2,733	24	9,739
Cider and Perry	n.s.e.		n.s.e.
Spirits	3	2,538	4	5,394
Wine	21	2,492	9	7,830
NOTE.—* Less than 500 gallons.
n.s.e.—Not separately enumerated.
1948—Information in respect of—
Nigeria is estimated from returns for Jan./Nov.
Gold Coast is estimated from returns for Jan./Aug.
Sierra Leone is estimated from returns for Jan./Oct.

asked the Minister of Health what has been the result of the survey of housing waiting-lists carried out by local authorities at the request of his Department under Circular 171/48.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answers I gave to the hon. Member for Newark on 5th May and to the hon. Member for Mile End on 23rd June of which I am sending him copies.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were the monthly sums received in respect of Pool Betting Duty on greyhound racing totalisators from January to June, 1948, and for the corresponding six months of 1949.

The monthly figures of receipts of Pool Betting Duty from greyhound totalisators are as follows:

				1948	1949
				£	£
January	…	…	…	611,407	643,774
February	…	…	…	700,133	582,727
March	…	…	…	729,975	705,999
April	…	…	…	987,940	720,500
May	…	…	…	822,815	671,200
June	…	…	…	739,853	—

I regret that the figure for June, 1949, is not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he has now received from the Governor a copy of the resolution passed at a meeting in Queen's Park Pavilion, St. George's, Grenada, which expressed dissatisfaction with the Grenada Co-operative Nutmeg Association; and what action does he propose to take.

I have now received a copy of the resolution. I do not propose to take any action on it.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he has considered details which have been sent to him concerning the sugar estates in Barbados; and if, in view of the serious situation in which the West Indian sugar industry finds itself, he will reconsider his policy and make a statement.

Yes, Sir. A delegation from the British West Indies Sugar Association is now in this country and discussions are proceeding with them.