asked the Minister of Food how far the prevalence of foot and mouth disease in France is responsible for the low level of meat imports from that country; and what measures are being taken to make this meat harmless.

The low level of meat imports from France up to the present has been due to a general shortage of meat in that country and not to the prevalence of foot-and-mouth disease. The French Government believe that beginning next October appreciable quantities of meat will be available for export to us—and we shall of course be very ready to buy them. In co-operation with the French authorities we have arranged that the livestock concerned shall be drawn only from areas which are believed to be free from foot-and-mouth disease and kept segregated from other animals so as to minimise any risk of importing infected meat.

asked the Minister of Food if he will make a further statement on the results of the first year's work of the Overseas Food Corporation in Queensland.

The final result of the harvest is not yet known but the Queensland British Food Corporation now inform me that owing to a series of exceptionally early and continuing frosts the crop will be substantially less than the estimate made by the management in Australia with which I supplied the House on 1st June. The total crop cannot now be more than the amount originally predicted for this year—400,000 bushels.

asked the Minister of Food what precise changes have taken place as regards subsidies to sugar refiners since 13th November, 1945.

None.

asked the Minister of Food what steps he is taking to dispose of the stocks of Algerian wine now in bond at London Docks; and what negotiations for the sale of this wine to foreign buyers he has had.

It would not be in the public interest to disclose any details of negotiations for the disposal of the wine.

asked the Minister of Transport whether, in the light of the proposals of the British Transport Commission London Plan Working Party for improving railway communications in the London area, he will provide an up-to-date statement of the new major highways in the London area which are now under consideration.

No estimate of new road requirements on the lines of that relating to railways in the report of the London Plan Working Party can usefully be made until development plans for the area have been prepared by the planning authorities concerned.

asked the Minister of Transport whether, in view of recent accidents, he will send official recommendations to the Railway Executive to review the railway fencing in all densely-populated areas in South-East London.

The adequacy of railway fencing, not only in South-East London but elsewhere where there are live rails, is under constant review by the Railway Executive. I do not feel it necessary to remind the Commission of their responsibilities in this matter, of which they are fully aware.

asked the Minister of Works how many hospital and other beds have been sold by his Department for scrap; how many have been sold to firms for resale as beds; and what types of firms are notified of the forthcoming sales of such beds.

As regards the first part of the Question, metal bedsteads which have been condemned as beyond repair are reported by my Department to the Ministry of Supply for disposal as scrap. Figures of the numbers so reported are not available. Including small lots sold with other material at public auctions, my Department has sold about 150,000 metal bedsteads and 50,000 wooden folding camp-beds. Public auctions are advertised in the Press. In other instances competitive tenders are invited from firms likely to be interested, notably members of the appropriate trade associations.

asked the Minister of Works when it is proposed to instal a passenger lift for the Sasine Office, His Majesty's Register House, Edinburgh.

It is expected that a contract for this work will be let towards the end of the year, and that the installation of the lift will be completed in the autumn of 1950.

asked the Minister of Works if he is aware that on Whit Monday the public offices of his Department in Edinburgh were closed; and, in view of the inconvenience caused by the adoption of English holidays in Scotland, whether he will reconsider this practice.

I am not aware that any serious inconvenience to the public was caused by closing the offices of my Department in Edinburgh on Whit Monday. Duty officers were in attendance at the Edinburgh Headquarters Office on that day and comparatively few visitors called. The public holidays observed in all my Scottish offices are selected after consultation with the staffs concerned and do not necessarily conform to English practice in every case.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he is aware of the curtailment of the Scottish Agricultural Advisory Service due to the present petrol restrictions; and what steps he proposes to take to ensure that this service is fully maintained in the interests of food production.

I have been asked to reply. This matter is under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the death rate in Scotland from rheumatoid arthritis for the years 1939, 1945 and 1949 to the nearest convenient date; and what proportion to the total death rate for the same periods these figures represent.

No separate death rates for rheumatoid arthritis are recorded, but I am advised that the death rate is insignificant. Rheumatoid arthritis is a form of articular rheumatism, which in 1939, was recorded as causing a total of 97 deaths in Scotland, or about one-seventh of 1 per cent. of all deaths. Since 1940 deaths from articular rheumatism have not been separately recorded.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the incidence in Scotland of rheumatoid arthritis; and how many sufferers are undergoing treatment for this disease.

I regret that the figures for which the hon. Member asks are not available. Probably the most useful statistical information is summarised in the Report of the Medical Advisory Committee (Scotland) on Chronic Rheumatic Diseases published in 1945. I am sending the hon. Member a copy.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power the present price of a shilling's worth of coal before nationalisation.

Based on average inland selling prices at the pithead, coal worth 1s. 0d. before nationalisation now realises 1s. 2d.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he is aware that many people in country districts are finding it impossible to obtain supplies of anthracite fuel; and whether he will arrange for priority of allocation to those who have no alternative means of cooking and heating.

As I have previously explained, there is a general shortage of anthracite on the home market because of the need to increase exports, particularly to Canada. Coke, however, is plentiful in most districts and is a suitable alternative for nearly all cooking and heating stoves and boilers. Priority for supplies of anthracite is given where the appliances cannot operate on any other fuel, but heat-storage cookers do not come within this category.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power why no terms of compensation for displaced officers of electricity undertakings, as a result of the Electricity Act, 1947, have yet been announced; and when payment will be made.

The terms of compensation for officers of electricity undertakings, displaced as a result of the Electricity Act, 1947, are to be found in the Electricity (Staff Compensation) Regulations, 1949 (S.I. 1949 No. 460), which were made on 17th March, 1949, after being approved in draft by both Houses of Parliament. Payment of compensation is a matter for the electricity boards. I am informed that, so far, only three claims have been brought under the regulations, of which one has been rejected and two are still under consideration. Payment of compensation will be made by the electricity boards under the regulations as and when claims have been established.

asked the Minister of Health what arrangements are made for Merchant Navy personnel to receive priority dental treatment during their leave in British ports.

Special inquiries made as to dental facilities in ports have not revealed any general difficulty. Individual seamen who find difficulty in obtaining dental treatment at short notice should get in touch with the clerk to the local Executive Council whose address can be obtained at the Post Office.

asked the Minister of Health whether, in view of his responsibilities in the training of nurses, he will take urgent steps to add at least 50 of the many useful existent medical teaching films to the inadequate number in the Central Film Library as the present heavy demand by sister tutors reveals that nurses are greatly helped by this valuable teaching aid.

In addition to the further production of medical films through the Central Office of Information I have already arranged for the acquisition of suitable films as they become available, with the object of building up a special medical and nursing section of the Central Film Library.

asked the Minister of Health what is the total strength of the ambulance services coming within the scope of the National Health Service in terms of personnel, full time and part-time, and vehicles; and what were the corresponding figures for public ambulance services on 30th June, 1946.

The figures for the National Health Service (England and Wales) are whole-time drivers and attendants 7,000 (approx.), ambulances 3,321, sitting case cars 824. The corresponding figures for public ambulance services before July, 1948, were obtained somewhat later than the date mentioned in the Question. They are 4,275, 3,925 (including a large number of works and colliery ambulances still operating outside the National Health Service) and 366. I regret that figures for part-time personnel are not available.

asked the Minister of Health what is the present strength of the ambulance staffs at Whitstable, Maldon and Melton Mowbray; the annual cost of maintaining these services; and the retrospective strength and cost at 30th June, 1946, or the nearest convenient date.

The respective county councils are the local health authorities responsible for the ambulance services in the places mentioned. Whitstable shares the services of 10 whole-time staff with two other stations; no information is available as to the staff at Maldon; Melton Mowbray employs four persons whole time. Before July, 1948, Whitstable had two whole-time and five part-time staff in addition to some volunteers; Maldon had one part-time driver and reliefs provided by the British Red Cross Society; Melton Mowbray had volunteer staff only—the numbers are not available. I regret that I am unable to give the cost of these services.

asked the Minister of Health what proposals have been approved by him this year for providing additional accommodation for juvenile mental defectives in the Leeds Regional Hospital Board area; and where and when these will be provided.

No such proposal has been submitted this year; but the Board have the need before them and are about to submit a number of schemes, including provision for juveniles.

asked the Minister of Health how many juvenile mental defectives have been admitted to Oulton Hall Hospital, near Leeds, since 1st March, 1949; and to what extent the waiting list of 80 has been reduced.

Two juvenile mental defectives have been admitted to Oulton Hall since 1st March, 1949. The waiting list for the region remains substantially the same. There is no waiting list exclusively for Oulton Hall.

asked the Minister of Health whether, in view of the failure of medical science to discover a cure for poliomyelitis, he will give an assurance that steps have been taken to provide the Kenny treatment to sufferers from this disease.

This method of treatment is well known to specialists in the disease in this and other countries. The use of it in individual cases is a matter of medical discretion, and it has not been shown, as I am advised, that it would be justifiable to adopt it to the exclusion of other methods used in current medical practice which are no less valuable.

asked the Minister of Health to what extent the figures his Department is getting permit of closer analysis of immunisation statistics than has been the case hitherto.

I would refer my hon. Friend to what is said about diphtheria in the Annual Reports of the Ministry, in which I think adequate information is to be found regarding immunisation.

asked the Minister of Health if in view of the fact that by reason of the down grading of venereologists the total of accredited specialists will be reduced to a number wholly insufficient to deal with the increasingly anxious problem of venereal disease, he will review the position.

Boards are at present reviewing their medical establishments in the light of the needs of the service. It would not be proper for the grading of existing individuals to be influenced by considerations of staffing requirements.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that there is increasing dissatisfaction, as in an example submitted to him, amongst whole-time venereologists in the Liverpool area who now find themselves relegated without any consultation to the category of senior hospital medical officers, accompanied by a serious reduction of the income assigned to specialists in the Spens Report; and what action he proposes to take to give them their correct status and remuneration.

I am making inquiries and will write to the hon. Member.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury how many films have been produced by the Central Office of Information for the past three years; what proportion have been recorded on American sound systems; and why British sound recordings have not been used.

Four hundred and thirty-three sound films, of which 180 were recorded on British and 253 on American sound systems. The Crown Film Unit uses an American system with which it was already equipped when transferred to the Ministry of Information nine years ago, and there would be no advantage in discarding this and acquiring a new one. The Colonial Film Unit, also a part of the Central Office, uses a British system. When films are made under contract, the Central Office accepts whatever recording systems the contractors normally use.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether the licensing of employees of animal welfare societies under section 7 of the Veterinary Surgeons Act, 1948, is or is not intended as a transitional provision until sufficient veterinary surgeons are available to carry out the work involved; and whether he can give any indication of the period for which he anticipates that such licensing will be necessary.

As was made clear when the Veterinary Surgeons Bill was before this House, the licensing of employees of animal welfare societies is intended as a temporary expedient. As the supply of veterinary surgeons increases the number of new licences granted will be reduced until the time when no further licences need be issued. The answer to the second part of the Question is "No."

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations what instructions have been given to the British delegation at the United Nations organisation in regard to the action of the South African Government in submitting no further reports on the administration of South-West Africa.

The Union Government's recent communication on this subject to the Secretary-General of the United Nations was brought to the attention of the Trusteeship Council last week. The United Kingdom representative pointed out that the Trusteeship Council had no competence to discuss the substance of this communication, which has been referred by the Council to the United Nations General Assembly.

asked the Minister of Education why the graduate teacher, details of whose case have been submitted to him, is now only receiving the increments for a three-year college trained teacher, instead of increments for a four-years college, trained teacher, which he has been receiving for the past 20 years; and if he will take steps to rectify this.

The approved salary scales provide that a period of full-time study before the age of admission to college for courses under the Ministry's regulations should not be taken into account in determining the addition for training for which a teacher may be eligible. This teacher entered upon his course at the age of 16½ years and, under the above rule, the first academic year of his course of studies appears not to be allowable as part of the period to be reckoned for training increments.

asked the Minister of Education whether he is aware that Government posts are being offered for a graduate with honours degree in chemistry at £380 per annum, and for a plasterer and bricklayer at £395 per annum, respectively; and if he will take steps to raise the salaries of graduate teachers in order that they may be properly remunerated, having regard to their training and qualifications.

I have no information about the posts to which the hon. Member refers. In any case it is for the Burnham Committee to consider in the first instance any modification of the present salary scales for teachers including the allowances for graduates.

asked the Minister of Education whether he will make inquiry into the condition of the buildings at the Canton and Howard Gardens Grammar Schools in Cardiff.

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Cardiff, Central (Mr. G. Thomas) on 23rd June, 1949. Repairs and reinstatement works at the Canton High School are now almost complete. The Howard Gardens High School was inspected in May of this year and the main findings have been communicated to the Cardiff local education authority. In these circumstances, I do not think any useful purpose would be served at present by a further inquiry.

asked the Minister of Supply what is the rent of a factory in Lancashire leased by his Department, particulars of which have been supplied to him; what part of this factory has been sub-let; at what rental and to whom; and whether such sub-letting received his permission.

I regret that it is contrary to established practice to disclose rents paid for Government surplus factories. The property has been leased on the standard terms for such factories and the rent has been assessed at a level which takes into account the age and state of repair of the buildings. No part of the factory has been sub-let, but a part is being used by the lessees, with my permission, for a warehousing contract which includes the services of the lessees in handling and storing goods.

asked the Minister of Supply when he expects to be able to announce the name of the person who will occupy the post of chief scientist in his Department.

Shortly.

asked the Minister of Transport what steps he is taking to arrange for more "Cross Now" signs for pedestrians to be put at frequented road crossings.

Highway authorities are aware of the need to pay special attention to pedestrian facilities at light-controlled junctions. The Committee on Road Safety recently emphasised the importance of such facilities, and I will consider whether further advice on the subject can usefully be given to the authorities concerned.

asked the Minister of Transport if he is aware that many of the roads in all parts of the country are still badly signposted; and what further steps he is taking to remedy this.

I am aware that there is room for improvement in signposting, but steady progress is being made on both trunk and other roads. Local highway authorities are well aware of the importance which I attach to good signposting. New signs of all kinds are being put up at the rate of about 50,000 a year.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty the number of promotions to Chief Engine Room Artificer and Chief Mechanician, respectively, in the years 1946, 1947, 1948 and the latest convenient date in 1949; the numbers qualified by service and examination for such advancement but not yet promoted; and the numbers at present on the depot rosters for these ratings.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will make a brief statement on the progress of the extensions to the harbour of Mombassu Tanga and Dar-es-Salem.

No extensions are in progress at either Mombasa or Tanga. At Dar-es-Salaam the immediate improvements mentioned in my reply to the hon. Member for West Leicester (Mr. Janner) on 26th January are well in hand and the report presented by the Technical Committee in East Africa on the possibility of developing Dar-es-Salaam into a major port is now under consideration by the East Africa High Commission.