asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware of the strong feeling in the textile, footwear, and clothing retail trades, regarding the manner in which cuts in utility prices were increased by him without consultation with the trades concerned; and if he will give an undertaking that in future no cuts will be made before discussions are held between his Department and the interested parties.

I would refer the hon. Member to the full statement which I made on 3rd December in replying to the motion for the annulment of the orders reducing distributors' margins on utility footwear and clothing.

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) if he will make a statement regarding the quantities of carbon black which were imported into this country during the first six months of 1949, specifying the grades and the total cost; and if he will estimate the requirements and the cost in 1950;(2) if he will make a statement on the steps which have been taken to produce carbon black in this country, indicating the quality of this carbon black as compared with the American product; its suitability for tyre production; the quantities which it is estimated will be produced in 1950 in relation to the demand; and the net saving of dollars which should result.

In the first six months of 1949, 14,279 tons of carbon blacks made from natural gas and 2,498 tons of other blacks were imported. The total value of these imports was just over £1 million. Production of furnace black has already begun in one of the three factories which are being built in this country, but it is too early to say to what extent its production may replace imported blacks. It is expected that the other two, which will make furnace blacks similar to brands now being imported from America and suitable for use in the tyre industry, will be working about the middle of next year. As the need for imported blacks will depend on the progress of these developments, I cannot give a useful estimate of the 1950 imports of carbon black. I can, however, inform my hon. Friend that the total output of the three new factories will, it is hoped, supply about half the country's requirements.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will state the intentions of His Majesty's Government in regard to the relaxation on import restrictions as a result of the failure on the part of other Organisation for European Economic Co-operation countries to reciprocate our measures for the liberalisation of intra-European trade; and if he will report on discussions which have recently taken place.

At its recent meeting the Council of O.E.E.C. agreed that member countries should adopt the objective of removing quantitative restrictions before 15th December, 1949, at latest, on at least 50 per cent. of their total imports on private account from the other member countries as a group, in the respective fields of food and feeding-stuffs, raw materials and manufactured goods counted separately. If any member country feels unable, in the light of its economic and financial position, to implement this decision fully, it is required to report its reasons to the Organisation before 15th December, 1949. We must clearly await the response of other countries to this latest decision.

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) if he will make a statement on the progress of his discussions with trade organisations following the Lloyd Jacob Report on the method of ensuring that price maintenance by individual producers should not injure the interest of consumers;(2) if he will make a statement on the extent to which his Department is aware of steps, taken by industry following the publication of the Lloyd Jacob Report on resale price maintenance to reduce the extent of collective resale price maintenance.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer which I gave to the hon. Member for North Dorset (Mr. Byers) on 1st November.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether it is proposed to implement the recommendations concerning Yorkshire potash contained in paras. 212 and 213 of the report of the Mineral Development Committee and in its eighth main recommendation.

I am satisfied with the progress of the exploratory work now going on in North Yorkshire, and I do not consider that any Government intervention on the lines suggested in the Report of the Mineral Development Committee is necessary at present. My right hon. Friend the Minister of Fuel and Power informed my hon. Friend on 25th July last, in reply to his Question, that the Government had decided to accept the recommendation of the Committee that certain minerals, including potash, should be brought into public ownership, and no special steps as regards potash seem to be required in advance of this general legislation.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is satisfied that the conditions of licences issued for the import of cheap American fiction have been observed; when these licences expire; and how far the dollar standstill arrangement will result in no expenditure of dollars taking place on imports of such volumes.

I am satisfied that in general importers have been observing the conditions on which licences were granted for the import of fiction. As I explained in answer to Questions by the hon. Member for Altrincham and Sale (Mr. Erroll) on 20th and 27th October, licences are no longer being issued for fiction from the United States. The latest date of expiry of import licences prior to the standstill for fiction from the United States is 10th December, 1949. Imports are still coming forward against these licences and will be paid for in the normal manner.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in order to discourage theft, he will now give permission for the crockery used in the catering departments of holiday resorts to be marked with the initials of the owning local authority.

I am anxious to allow caterers and other large users of domestic pottery to have their ware rubber stamped with initials or some other mark of identification as soon as possible. My Department have very recently discussed with the pottery manufacturers the possibility of making such a relaxation in control; but I am advised that at the present time this could not be done without sensibly affecting total production and exports owing to the continuing shortage of suitable labour in the potteries. I am, however, keeping the matter constantly under review.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will give details of new factories and extensions in the North-East Development Area which are in course of construction, giving the stage reached where possible.

Ninety-five new factories and extensions of 5,000 square feet and over with a floor space of some 5¾ million square feet, are under construction in the North-Eastern Development Area. Of the 17 Government-financed factories eight are virtually finished, two others are more than 60 per cent. completed and the remainder are in varying stages of construction. Similar information in respect of the privately financed factories is not available.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the number of factories approved but not yet under construction in the North-East Development Area.

Seventy-five new factories and extensions of 5,000 square feet or over in the North-Eastern Development Area have been approved but are not yet under construction.

asked the President of the Board of Trade why the comparative figures for 1938 have been dropped oust of the Trade and Navigation Returns.

It is the normal practice to show in the Trade and Navigation Accounts the figures for the current year with those of the two previous years for the purpose of comparison. The wartime years were of course completely abnormal and therefore useless for this purpose. Consequently in the period immediately following the cessation of hostilities, figures for the year 1938 were quoted until, with the lapse of time, more up-to-date figures of reasonably normal trade became available. The 1938 value figures were not altogether satisfactory for comparative purposes owing to the much higher prices prevailing since the war.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his policy regarding the use of air-raid shelters; to what use they are now being put; and what proportion of them is unsuitable for any purpose in time of peace.

This is not a matter in which it is possible to lay down general conditions and I do not think I can usefully offer any advice beyond saying that there is no objection to the use of shelters in peace for any legitimate purpose which does not impair their usefulness for their original purpose. I regret that I have not sufficient information to enable me to answer the last two parts of the Question.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police were used in the Metropolitan area during the months of May. June and July for the purpose of trapping motorists exceeding the speed limit.

Enforcement of speed limits devolves primarily on the mobile traffic patrols, who carry it out as one of their many duties; the proportion of their time that it takes up cannot be exactly computed. The number of men engaged on fixed speed controls fluctuates according to the number of controls being operated; during the months referred to in the Question the number of men employed was 13 and the total number of hours worked by them was 184.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what were the names and addresses of those penal establishments which on 1st October. 1949, contained persons undergoing sentences of corrective training or preventive detention, with the numbers of such persons held in such places.

The following are the numbers of prisoners who on 4th October, 1949, were serving sentences of corrective training or preventive detention in accommodation in His Majesty's Prisons set aside for the purpose:Chelmsford: corrective training—233.Holloway:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons have been sentenced to corrective training or preventive detention this year up to 1st October; how many of these persons at that date were detained in ordinary prisons and treated as persons undergoing sentences of imprisonment; and in what respects the treatment of a person sentenced to corrective training or preventive detention now differs from a person undergoing a sentence of imprisonment.

On 4th October, 732 men and 36 women prisoners were serving sentences of corrective training and 165 men and nine women were serving sentences of preventive detention passed under the Criminal Justice Act, 1948. All the persons sentenced to preventive detention were serving the first stage of their sentences in local prisons. 389 men and eight women sentenced to corrective training were in local prisons. I am sending the hon. and learned Member a note about the treatment accorded to prisoners sentenced to corrective training or preventive detention.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women were prosecuted and how many convicted in the Metropolitan Police area in the years 1938, 1948 and during the first nine months of 1949 of offences involving an allegation of prostitution; and how many of such women received sentences of imprisonment or were fined.

In 1938, 3,062 women were charged in the Metropolitan Police district with offences involving an allegation of prostitution and 2,966 were found guilty. In 1948, of 5,363 women charged, 5,291 were found guilty. In the first nine months of 1949, of 4,096 women charged, 4,058 were found guilty. Figures with regard to the imposition of fines and imprisonment in these cases are not separately kept for the Metropolitan Police district. In 1938, 2,897 women over 17 were fined and 53 imprisoned in England and Wales as a whole. In 1948 the corresponding figures were 5,311 and 123 respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is aware that the Nottinghamshire County Council in their Polling District Order, 1949, have not met the reasonable requirements of the electors of the Newark Division, since 24 parishes are not provided with separate polling places; and since representations have been made to him in accordance with the Representation of the People Act, if he is now in a position to issue an instruction to the Nottinghamshire County Council to amend their order.

I have these representations under consideration, but before reaching a final decision I am awaiting the observations of the county council, which I am assured will not be long delayed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is aware that the register of electors due on 15th October has not yet been published by some authorities; and if he will take steps to ensure that similar delay does not take place when the register due in March, 1950, is published.

I am aware that in a few areas there was some delay because of the printing difficulties which some electoral registration officers experienced, but my information is that the electoral registration officer for each constituency in England and Wales has now published the register. I have no doubt that every effort will be made to prevent similar delays in the spring.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what action he is taking to encourage farmers to feed sugar beet tops to livestock instead of ploughing them in as was the practice formerly.

The National Agricultural Advisory Service are constantly encouraging farmers to make greater use of fresh or ensiled sugar beet tops for the winter feeding of livestock. My Department is also watching closely the investigations now being undertaken into various problems connected with the conservation of sugar beet tops by drying.

asked the Minister of Agriculture in how many cases since 1945 he has sold individual fields or small pieces of agricultural land to the owners of the adjoining holdings where it was clear that such fields could be best farmed as part of such holdings; and what is the total acreage of such sales.

There have so far been no sales of land in the circumstances contemplated in the Question.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what are the miscellaneous savings he proposes to effect at the county agricultural executive committees and in headquarter's services.

The main savings will come from a reduction in the staff of county agricultural executive committees, with a consequent reduction in general office expenses, travelling, etc., made possible by the reduction in the committees' labour and machinery services and by general administrative economies. The balance will be made up of minor administrative changes.

asked the Minister of Agriculture the amount of assistance to farmers provided under the Goods and Services Scheme in each of the past three years; and the cost of administering the scheme.

Goods and services invoiced to farmers in England and Wales under the scheme totalled approximately £20¼ million in 1946–47, £19½ million in 1947–48 and £12 million in 1948–49. These sums are virtually all recovered from the recipients of the goods and services concerned. Certain losses have, however, been incurred on committee trading services—in general, because services were not invoiced at full cost. It is not possible to estimate the separate cost of administration of the scheme but the total cost of administration of the above trading services by the county agricultural executive committees amounted in 1948–49 to approximately £1.7 million. No corresponding estimate for earlier years is available.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what facilities, including financial assistance, will be granted to Germans, working in this country as farm workers, to enable them to visit their homes in Germany at Christmas.

Germans working in this country as farm workers are free to make their own arrangements for travel to Germany at Christmas, but they are not being offered special facilities.

asked the Minister of Agriculture when his proposed scheme for the eradication of tuberculosis in cattle on an area basis will be introduced.

1st October, 1950.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many dollars have been allocated each year since November, 1946, to the purchase of industrial machinery, tractors, spare parts and other equipment for the Overseas Food Corporation and the managing agency in connection with the East African groundnuts scheme.

The dollar expenditure of the managing agents up to 1st March, 1948, was 4,700,000 dollars, divided as follows:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer to state, to the nearest £1 million, the amount of debt held by Government Departments on 31st March. 1949, under the headings of floating debt, and other internal debt, excluding bonds intended for Death Duties, respectively.

£406 million and £3,347 million.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware that Purchase Tax of £12 5s. 9d. on a dress costing £64 5s. 9d. is insufficient to discourage inflationary tendencies; and if he will take steps to increase steeply the Purchase Tax on all luxury spending.

In this and other similar cases the Purchase Tax helps to avoid inflation by discouraging excessive spending and by producing a substantial amount of revenue; I will, however, note my hon. Friend's suggestion.

asked the Economic Secretary to the Treasury, whether he will remove the Purchase Tax on the skins of home-killed grey squirrels in order to encourage their destruction because of the damage they cause to woodlands, nut plantations and orchards, and in view of the fact that their flesh makes excellent eating.

No. So long as Purchase Tax remains chargeable on fur skins as a class, I cannot make concessions for particular skins, even for the purpose mentioned by the hon. Member. Moreover, an exemption for home-produced skins would involve discrimination against imported skins, contrary to various trade agreements.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware that the purchase price of houses for sale with vacant possession is still increasing, and that cessation of building houses for sale is encouraging still further increases; and if he will now take steps to recover for the national Exchequer some of the profit derived therefrom.

I am not prepared to anticipate my right hon. and learned Friend's next Budget statement.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware that old age pensioners have been deprived of tobacco tokens by his Department owing to Post Office branches not having the forms in stock when applied for, supplies of blue application forms arriving, and afterwards being ruled out of order, and new buff forms appearing after long delays; and if he will take steps to prevent the pensioner having 10 coupons cut out of the new book because of official ineptitude and the decision to change the form.

There was unfortunately some delay in printing the renewal application forms, but I am not aware that any pensioner has suffered loss of tokens in consequence. I shall be glad to look into any case my hon. Friend has in mind if she will send me the particulars.

asked the Economic Secretary to the Treasury what were the circumstances that necessitated transferring to Italy, during October, a quantity of gold bullion from this country.

The gold was Italian-owned gold being repatriated to Italy.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury if he has now received the interim report of the Local Government Manpower Committee; and if he will arrange for it to be published.

I understand that a draft report will be considered by the Committee at its next meeting, which is to take place shortly. The question of publication will be considered when the Government have received the report.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that in order to keep pace with rising building costs and in an effort to provide flats at rentals working-class families can afford, local authorities are having to replan many of their housing schemes, thus involving further loss of time and a considerable reduction in standards; and what action it is proposed to take to help solve this problem.

. Building costs are not rising but I am aware of cases in which local authorities have found their original proposals unduly expensive: it is my policy to give them every assistance so as to combine economy in building costs with the maintenance of proper standards of construction and accommodation.

asked the Minister of Health what instructions have been issued to rent tribunals to assist or guide them in the assessment of reasonable rents in respect of tenancies referred to them under Section 1 of the Landlord and Tenant (Rent Control) Act, 1949.

No instructions or guidance have been given to rent tribunals on this aspect of their duties.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that the Huntingdon Rural District Council have, since 30th November, 1948, been in correspondence and negotiation with the Eastern Regional Office of his Department about the provision of essential sanitary arrangements and urgent and necessary repairs at sites 11 and 12. Glatton Airfield, Huntingdonshire, which are occupied by a farming community at 52 Polish ex-Service men and the families of 30 of them; and whether he will expedite his Department's decision in this matter.

I am communicating on the matter with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Works, who administers this camp.

asked the Minister of Health as there are approaching a million more people on the waiting lists of housing authorities today than when the present Government took office, if he will reconsider his decision to stop all private house-building.

I know of no statistics which justify the hon. Member's preamble, but the suspension of private house-building licensing is designed to enable the maximum number of houses to be built by local authorities for letting to those most in need.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will extend to disabled ex-Service men the exemption from the 1s. prescription charge.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Pensions to the hon. Member for Brighton (Mr. Marlowe) and others on 8th November.

asked the Minister of Health when he intends to issue details of the proposed tax on prescriptions.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave to my hon. Friends the Members for East Willesden (Mr. Orbach) and North Salford (Mr. McAdam) on 3rd November.

asked the Minister of Health in view of the pressure on hospitals and the shortage of housing, whether he will consider the provision of homes for incurables.

Homes for those needing medical and nursing care are already provided by hospital boards, and those needing other care but unable to get it from friends or relatives, by welfare authorities. Further homes will be provided as soon as building and other difficulties permit.

asked the Minister of Health how many dentists have withdrawn from the National Health Service during the present year; how many are still withholding their service; and which townships in England and Wales have no dental treatment facilities for National Health Service patents.

asked the Minister of Health how many dentists have withdrawn from the National Health Service since its inception.

There were 9,468 dentists on the dental lists of Executive Councils on 1st October, 1949, compared with 8,914 on 1st January—a net increase of 554; it is believed that about 500 general dental practitioners have not joined the Service: the names and addresses of dentists taking part are shown in lists available at post offices, but to get out the information in the form suggested would involve considerable time and labour, which I do not think would be justified.

asked the Minister of Health in what proportions and amounts the cost of the Medresco hearing aid, recently officially announced to be a little over £4, includes any costs of research, development, administration, distribution, fitting and servicing.

This figure represents approximately the manufacturing cost of the original aid but does not include all the costs referred to by the hon. Member.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that Sybil Lewis, aged 13, of 17, Lowesmoor Place. Worcester, has been waiting for spectacles since 22nd February, 1949, and that her education is being adversely affected; and what steps he has taken to speed up the delivery of spectacles, especially to children.

While I obviously cannot undertake to know the facts of every individual case, I have made special inquiry in this instance and I understand that her glasses should be ready within the next few days. Opticians have now made arrangements whereby urgent cases, including those among schoolchildren, are given priority.

asked the Minister of Pensions how many wigs have been supplied by the National Health Service since its inception to British citizens and to foreign visitors, respectively; and what tenders were asked for before entering upon a contract with a commercial company for the supply to the National Health Service of wigs at £18 each.

About 7,700 wigs have been provided under the National Health Service. There is no information as to whether any of these were supplied to foreign visitors. 335 firms have been invited to tender for the supply of wigs. The average price is considerably less than £18.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that when a child is sent away for convalescence by a hospital the cost is borne by the Regional Hospital Board and there is no charge to the parents, but if it is sent away by the local health authority for a recuperative holiday a standard charge is levied on the parents; and if he will take steps to enable local health authorities to send children away for convalescence and so end this anomaly.

There is no anomaly. Convalescence proper is part of the hospital service and is free. Facilities for holidays are one of the "extras" which local authorities can provide as a form of after-care, and for which they may make reasonable charges. I see no reason to alter this.

asked the Minister of Health what progress has been made since 1943 in abating the pollution of the Rivers Axe and Brue by the two traders concerned; what was the date of the last report to him; and if he is satisfied with the efficacy of the steps that have been taken.

I am advised that an improvement in the state of the River Axe has already been effected, following intensive research, carried out with the assistance of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, into methods of treating the effluent from the paper mill concerned. In the case of the River Brue,

asked the Minister of Labour how many qualified teachers signed at the employment exchanges during the month of August last.

The industrial analysis of the numbers unemployed shows only the total of all persons engaged in education and does not distinguish between the various categories of such persons. An analysis is made quarterly for a limited number of occupations, but this also does not include separate figures for teachers.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will give the figures of personnel employed in the ship-repairing industry showing each of his Department's regions separately, for the years, 1938, 1945, 1948 and 1949.

Separate statistics of the numbers employed on ship-repairing work are not available for 1938. As regards 1945, 1948 and 1949, the following table shows the numbers of operatives employed on ship repair and conversion work by firms which rendered returns in September of those years. The figures exclude all Admiralty dockyards, and they also exclude administrative, technical and clerical staffs.

asked the Minister of Labour what is the number of unemployed in the Borough of Woolwich at the latest ascertainable date; and how many of these persons are over 40 years of age.

The number of unemployed persons on the registers of the Woolwich employment exchange at 10th October was 695. At 13th June, 1949, the latest date for which an age-analysis is available, out of a total of 620 wholly unemployed 337 were aged 41 and over.

asked the Minister of Labour the change in the numbers of persons employed in first preference industries and in the distributive trades during the most recent available twelve-monthly period, and the percentages that those changes represent of the total rise in civil employment during the same period.

The most recent twelve-monthly period for which figures are available runs from mid-1948 to mid-1949. During this period the numbers employed in the first preference industries increased by 44,000. This figure excludes those branches of industries and important individual projects accorded first preference which cannot be separately distinguished in the employment statistics. In the distributive trades the increase was 77,000. These increases represented 20 per cent. and 34 per cent. respectively of the total rise of 225,000 in civil employment during the same period.

asked the Minister of Labour how many people were being paid wages and salaries from public funds at the latest date for which figures are available while in the service of the central Government, local authorities and nationalised undertakings and establishments, respectively.

The total number of persons (including members of His Majesty's Forces and Women's Services, non-industrial civil servants and industrial staffs of Government Departments) who at mid-1949 were directly paid from public funds was 1,900,000. This figure does not include an estimated total of 1,300,000 persons employed by local authorities (whether in local government non-trading services or in trading establishments) and an estimated 2,500,000 employed in nationalised undertakings or by other public authorities and services.

asked the Minister of Labour how many registered unemployed men and women there are at present in North Staffordshire; and what percentage are disabled persons.

The numbers registered as unemployed at employment exchanges in North Staffordshire at 10th October, 1949, were 1,574 males and 214 females. These figures include 745 disabled males and 21 females classified as suitable for ordinary employment, but exclude 298 disabled males and three females requiring employment under sheltered conditions.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is satisfied that adequate facilities exist in North Staffordshire for the training and employment of unemployed disabled persons.

I am satisfied that there are adequate facilities for the training of disabled persons unemployed in North Staffordshire. Employment for the more severely disabled is available at three Remploy factories in the area with ultimate capacity for 340 workers. By means of the quota and otherwise all possible steps are being taken to secure employment for disabled persons available for work in ordinary conditions, and I am glad to say that at 17th October, 1949, there were 223 fewer disabled persons unemployed than at the comparative date in 1948, when 989 were unemployed.

asked the Minister of Education if he will introduce legislation to enable schoolchildren to accompany their parents for hop picking without being prosecuted for non-attendance at school when so occupied.

It is already open to parents to apply to the school authorities for leave of absence for their children to accompany them on their annual holiday for a period of not more than two weeks. But I could not see my way to extend this period, or to introduce legislation to enable children to be absent from school for hop picking.

asked the Minister of Education how the cuts in expenditure to be made in his Department will be effected; and if he will make a statement.

Reductions in expenditure will be effected by the measures as indicated in Circulars 209 and 210, copies of which I am sending the hon. and gallant Member.

asked the Minister of Education whether he is aware that in many rural schools milk is provided for the children which has not been tuberculin tested; and whether he will ensure that this practice is stopped.

My aim is to provide under the milk in schools scheme pasteurised or tuberculin tested milk for all schools. In co-operation with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Food I have succeeded in providing these types of milk except for about 2½ per cent. of the total supplies in England and Wales. All milk supplies under the scheme have to be approved by the local medical officer of health.

asked the Minister of Education whether he has considered, or will consider, an investigation into the high cost of providing school meals, stated to average 1s. 2d. per meal, so that the price of school meals to children might be reconsidered.

The latest estimates of local education authorities who are responsible for the provision of school meals show a gross running cost for the current year of 1s. 2d. per dinner, including administration. As the grant regulations require me to be satisfied that the costs per dinner met by the Exchequer are reasonable, the costs have been continuously investigated during the past three years in close co-operation with the Authorities. The new charge of 6d. will still be less than the average cost of the food supplied.

asked the Minister of Education in how many cases school meals were ordered for health reasons during any convenient period of one year.

Statistics of medical recommendations are no longer asked for as the former practice under which free dinners could not be granted to necessitous children unless recommended on medical grounds ended in 1941.

asked the Minister of Education what is the estimated economy that will be effected by the proposed increase in the price of school meals by a penny.

Between £1¾ million and £2 million.

asked the Minister of Education what is the average cost of the mid-day school-meal irrespective of overhead expenses; and what was the total annual charge on public funds before the recent change in policy.

I estimate the average expenditure on food for school dinners in 1949–50 at approximately 6½d. per meal. Before the decision to increase the charge for school dinners, it was estimated that after deducting the income of about £10 million the net running cost of the whole service for this year would be £26 million.

asked the Minister of Education whether he is aware that there is no secondary modern school to serve the Ilkley, Burley and Ben Rhydding area of Yorkshire, and that a proposal by the West Riding County Council to convert the Ben Rhydding School into a secondary modern school has not been adopted; and if he will state what recommendations his inspector made and what action is to be taken to remedy the present deficiency.

I am aware that there is at present no secondary modern school in this area. The proposal referred to by the hon. and gallant Member has been submitted to me, but it needs careful consideration, particularly as there have been objections from some of the parents. I shall give my decision as soon as possible.

asked the Minister of Education whether he is aware that 44 acres of good dairy farm land at Preston, East Yorkshire, are to be acquired for the purpose of providing playing-fields for the new Hedon Preston Secondary School; whether he will give consideration to the acquisition of an alternative site on Hedon Racecourse which would interfere less with food production and avoid depriving one of the two farmers concerned of his livelihood; and whether he will consult with the Minister of Agriculture before reaching a final decision.

I have approved the purchase of this site which is required not only for playing fields but also for a proposed secondary school, the erection of which is expected to begin this year. Only some two-thirds of the land is immediately required for educational purposes and the provincial land commissioner, who was consulted in accordance with usual practice, has agreed to its use. The alternative site suggested was considered and found unsuitable.

asked the Minister of Education if he will make a a statement about the school canteen at Embleton, Northumberland; and when the building of the canteen will begin.

The erection of this canteen has unfortunately been long delayed by changes in the planning of the project. I regret that the economy measures now decided upon mean that the building cannot be erected for the time being. In the circumstances I shall be prepared to consider exceptionally any arrangement which the authority can make to provide meals without building work.

asked the Minister of Education when the canteen at Fewston School, near Otley, was completed; why it has not been possible to use it; how far the difficulties were not realised before permission to build was obtained; and when this building will be available for use.

The building was completed last January, but opening has been delayed because an increased water supply has been refused. As the school had an adequate supply and the canteen was built on adjoining land leased for this purpose from the Leeds Corporation Water Undertaking, the local education authority saw no reason to expect any difficulty. Negotiations are continuing and meanwhile the canteen will open this month with a temporary water supply brought by transport.

asked the Minister of Education what was the number of private fee-paying schools in the years 1938–39, 1944–45 and 1948–49; and what was the number of children attending these schools at the respective periods.

The statistics for which the hon. Member asks are not available but I shall have more information about independent schools when the inspections I recently instituted are completed.

asked the Minister of Education what is the total annual cost of maintenance allowances to children in secondary schools.

The information for which the hon. Member asks is not available and its extraction from the education accounts of local authorities for the latest available year (1946–47) would entail a disproportionate expenditure of time and labour which in present circumstances I do not feel justified in undertaking. The hon. Member will see the general trend of the total expenditure of authorities on aid to pupils by reference to the table on page 6 of the Memorandum on the Estimates of my Department for 1949–50.

asked the Minister of Education how many graduates have left the teaching profession during the past two years.

I regret that precise information on this point is not readily available.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations to what extent has there been consultation with the Government of Australia on the question of recognition of the Communist Government in China.

We have maintained close and continuous touch with all Commonwealth Governments, including the Government of Australia, on this question and our consultations will continue.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations whether he has any statement to make on the resignation of the Regent Tshekedi and on the administration of the Bamangwato in the light of this development.

Yes. Regent Tshekedi has not resigned office, but has announced his intention of doing so at a later date when the Judicial Inquiry has completed its work.

asked the Minister of National Insurance to what extent maternity benefit under the National Insurance Scheme is paid to wives whose confinement takes place outside the British Isles.

Regulations provide that maternity grant and attendance allowance may be awarded to a woman whose confinement takes place abroad if, at the time of the confinement, she is ordinarily resident in Great Britain or is (or is married to), a serving member of His Majesty's Forces.

asked the Minister of Food what will be the prices of pig and poultry foods when feedingstuff subsidies are extinguished.

It is too early to say what the prices of pig and poultry foods will be after the feedingstuffs subsidies are withdrawn. They will depend on factors as yet unknown, such as stocks at the end of the financial year and prices of imported feedingstuffs then current.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the decline in the number of houses completed in the third quarter of 1949 in Scotland as compared with the previous quarter and the decline in the number of workers employed on house construction on 30th September and 30th June.

As output falls seasonally in the holiday months of July and August, fewer houses are normally completed in the third than in the second quarter. The appropriate comparison is between the third quarter of 1949 and that of 1948, when 5,432 and 5,084 permanent houses were completed respectively, i.e. an increase of 448 over last year's figures. The latest revised figures show only a negligible quarterly fluctuation in labour employed on new construction and site preparation including labour directly employed by local authorities, namely, 32,410 men at the end of September against 32,550 at the end of June.

asked the Lord President of the Council when the Wales White Paper is to be presented to Parliament; and if he can give an assurance that it will contain a report of the activities of the National Council for Wales and Monmouthshire.

Copies of the White Paper on Wales and Monmouthshire will be available in the Vote Office on the afternoon of Tuesday next, 15th November. It refers to the year ended 30th June, 1949, and will not, therefore, contain a full account of the activities of the Council for Wales and Monmouthshire up to date.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will make a statement as to the present position in British Somaliland and to what extent projects that equally concern French Somaliland are carried out as joint undertakings; what has been the total of British expenditure in the whole of Somaliland since 1939 to the present time; and how far any portion of this is repayable by the French authorities.

Civil administration was resumed in the Somaliland Protectorate on 15th November, 1948. It is His Majesty's Government's policy to collaborate with the French Government on matters of common interest to their respective colonial territories in Africa, but no specific joint projects have been carried out affecting the Somaliland Protectorate. There is therefore no question of any portion of British expenditure in Somaliland Protectorate being repayable by the French authorities. So far as can be ascertained the total expenditure by His Majesty's Government on civil administration in the Somaliland Protectorate from 1939 to the present date has been £1,378,374. Of this amount £230,156 has been issued under the Colonial Development Act, 1929, and the Colonial Development and Welfare Acts, 1940 and 1945; £596,533 has been issued from the Colonial and Middle Eastern Services Vote as grants-in-aid of expenses of administration; and the net cost to His Majesty's Government of the government under British Military Administration from 1941 to 1948 was £551,685. The last figure includes the recorded value of stores and services, etc., provided by the Army after 30th June, 1943; it is regretted that there are no records of the cost of such provision before that date.

asked the Secretary of. State for the Colonies what stage has been reached in the consideration of Sir John Maude's report on Barbados; and what prospect is there of a speedy implementation of the important recommendations with regard to local government.

The report has been accepted in principle by the Governor in Executive Committee and legislation to give effect to its recommendations is now being prepared.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will give particulars of the charge of sedition. on which the editor-proprietor of the Luganda newspaper "Nugobansonga" was sentenced to three years' hard labour.

The editor was convicted of publishing a seditious article on 23rd August in which he incited the public to violence. I am sending my hon. Friend a copy of the article in question.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what are the prospective markets for any coal that may be produced from the development fields in Tanganyika and Nyasaland; how much railway track will have to be laid to connect them; and what port facilities exist, or are under review for construction, for the export of any surplus coal.

The quality and extent of coal deposits in Tanganyika and Nyasaland are still under investigation, and the points referred to by the hon. Member while in mind have not yet been the subject of special examination.

asked the Postmaster-General what improved methods and organisation have been adopted, and what economies have been achieved, as a result of the organisation and methods full-scale inquiry, started in 1947, into the Post Office Savings Bank; what work still remains to be done; and by what date he expects to receive a final report and recommendations.

This organisation and methods investigation is one of the most complicated yet undertaken and I understand that it is unlikely to be completed before the autumn of 1950. Various recommendations on sorting methods employed for envelopes and documents have been accepted and will be put into full operation when details have been worked out and apparatus installed. Staff savings will result but no reliable estimate can yet be made. In general, I understand that the investigations to date indicate that, within the present mechanised system, really substantial economies are not to be expected. The main task remaining to this inquiry is to establish whether or not some alternative system, either of procedure or of mechanisation, is practicable and economical.

asked the Minister of Transport, in view of the large number of accidents at Medway Junction, Western Avenue, in recent years, why have no safety measures been taken by him on this trunk road; and what is the reason for the delay in the installation of a safety crossing.

There is great difficulty in resolving the conflicting needs of heavy trunk-road traffic and pedestrian safety at this place. A foot-bridge was provided nearby several years ago, so that people are not bound to cross over the carriageway, but a thorough investigation of traffic conditions over a period of several months showed that a permanent solution could best be achieved by the lay-out eventually planned for this stretch of road. Detailed plans for dual carriageways with central islands, guard rails and a subway were therefore prepared and I had intended to put this work in hand as a matter of urgency. I was, however, compelled to review this proposal by the paramount need to reduce expenditure to meet present economic difficulties. I have now decided to install pedestrian-operated traffic lights as an immediate short-term measure. The signal installation has already been designed, delivery of the equipment is expected next week, and I hope that the signals will be working before the end of November. Meanwhile the Police are controlling traffic at this point during the busy hours.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will publish the detailed arrangements made or planned with regard to cultural relations between Great Britain and Brazil since the Anglo-Brazilian Cultural Convention was signed in December, 1948.

The Cultural Convention between the United Kingdom and Brazil was ratified on 21st December, 1948. Two executive bodies were nominated to implement it, the British Council representing the United Kingdom, and a special Commission nominated by the Ministry of Education and Health, in agreement with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, representing Brazil. The British Council, which was, of course, already working in Brazil before the Convention was signed, still maintains an extensive programme of activities in the cultural field.As soon as was practicable after the ratification of the Convention, namely, in July of this year, the Chairman of the British Council visited Brazil as provided for under Article 13 of the Convention. He held meetings with the Commission designated by the Brazilian Ministries. The various Articles of the Convention were studied and plans were made for their implementation wherever possible. These included offers of scholarships, prizes for the best book to be written by nationals of the one country on the education, science or culture of the other, and certain difficulties over the sale and distribution of books in Brazil, which have now been alleviated by Brazilian legislation. Public announcements will be made shortly. It was agreed that the second meeting of the British Council and the Brazilian Commission should be held in Great Britain within two years.