asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty what facilities were accorded by his Department to Mr. James J. Murphy, deputy chairman of the Merchant Marine Committee of the House of Representatives, when on his arrival in this country from the United States of America he announced that his purpose was to visit British shipyard facilities which the United States might want to use in case of war.

The Admiralty have received no information other than that appearing in the Press about the visit of Mr. James J. Murphy to this country, and no facilities for him to visit British shipyards have so far been requested by him or accorded by the Admiralty.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty how far his regulations entitle a Royal Air Force airman, who served in one of His Majesty's ships as a member of a combined operations crew from 1942 to 1944, to share in naval prize money.

A member of the Royal Air Force who served in one of His Majesty's ships, whether as a member of a combined operations crew or otherwise, did not render service at sea within the meaning of Regulation 2 of the Royal Proclamation of 4th March, 1949, on prize money. The regulations were so drafted because His Majesty's Government considered that it would be inequitable for persons to be eligible for the benefits of both the Royal Naval and the Royal Air Force Prize Funds by reason of the same service. There was also the consideration that to extend the naval benefits only to members of the Royal Air Force who served in His Majesty's ships would necessarily have excluded other members of that force who might have rendered service of equal value towards the capture of prize. This principle of avoiding dual qualification has also been followed as between the different navies of the Commonwealth. As the hon. and gallant Member is no doubt aware, the Royal Air Force Fund, unlike the Royal Naval Prize Fund, is not being individually distributed but is being disposed of for the benefit of past and present members and their dependants.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what is the shortage of accommodation for Royal Air Force personnel on the Royal Air Force stations in Southern Rhodesia; and what efforts are now being made to provide more quarters.

There is no shortage of accommodation for single personnel at R.A.F. Stations in Southern Rhodesia but there is a deficiency of about 400 married quarters. Against this deficiency some 80 hirings have been taken and negotiations are now in progress with the Government of Southern Rhodesia under which it is expected that a building programme for 300 married quarters will be started in the next few weeks.

asked the Secretary of State for Air if he will give an assurance that the Royal Air Force Group will not withdraw from Southern Rhodesia.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is now prepared to give a decision as to the compensation to be awarded to Mrs. Lippiatt in respect of her loss of earning capacity consequent on the contraction of an unknown disease whilst employed on official duties, and concerning whom the hon. Member for North Portsmouth wrote to his Department on 30th September last, and whose health and financial position are both being seriously undermined by the delay in settling the matter.

The long investigations which have been necessary in this case, and which were referred to in the letter sent to my hon. and gallant Friend on 7th October, are now complete, I am glad to say that an award is being made to Mrs. Lippiatt under the injury warrants and that a payment is being made to her at once. I am writing to my hon. and gallant Friend.

asked the Postmaster-General how many telephones have been installed by his Department since the war; and how many applications are still outstanding.

2,455,698 up to 30th September, 1949. At that date 552,415 applications were outstanding.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on the shooting of Colonel W. F. Stirling in Beirut.

Colonel Stirling was shot in his home at Damascus and seriously wounded by three unknown assailants on the evening of 6th November. Following an operation, his condition is stated to be satisfactory. Full police investigations were called for by the Syrian Government immediately after the assault took place and are continuing. So far as is known, Colonel Stirling's assailants have not yet been discovered.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what measures have been taken to protect British and Empire shipping proceeding to Shanghai against Chinese Nationalist molestation; and whether adequate forces have been provided to aid such shipping on request.

Two frigates are at present maintained off the mouth of the Yangtse to afford assistance to British merchant ships on the high seas and the rest of the naval force on the station is available if required.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies on what date was the air base at Atkinson Field, British Guiana, evacuated by United States Air Force personnel; and if he will give an assurance that this airfield will be used only by British personnel.

United States Air Force personnel were withdrawn from Atkinson Field on 1st August, 1949, when the British Guiana Government assumed responsibility for the maintenance and control of the airfield for civil use. In accordance with the provisions of the International Civil Aviation Convention, the airfield must be equally open to use by the aircraft of all contracting States on a non-discriminatory basis.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the salaries of American scientists and technicians assisting in Colonial development schemes will be paid in sterling or dollars; and to what funds will they be charged.

Salaries will be paid in dollars from Economic Co-operation Administration funds. Where local 'allowances are payable in addition to salary these will be paid in sterling from Colonial Government or Colonial Development and Welfare Funds.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will amend the Colonial regulations and general orders of Colonial territories which permit officials to buy land in order that no British expatriate member of the Colonial Service may purchase land in any Colony until he has terminated his membership of the Service.

Under the existing Colonial regulations and the general orders of Colonial territories, an officer may be given permission to acquire land only if his private affairs would not thereby be brought into real or apparent conflict with his public duties. I am satisfied that this procedure has not been abused.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, in the development of Makerere College as a university institution, it is intended to provide facilities for students of all racial origins in East and Central Africa including Europeans; and if equal opportunities will be afforded for Makerere graduates to proceed to further education in the United Kingdom.

The answer to the first part of the Question is: Yes, as an object of policy. The answer to the second part of the Question is: Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what progress is being made with the provision of official housing for locally recruited Government servants in the Colonies having regard to complaints being received from such territories as British Guiana and Hong Kong that rentals now exceed 30 per cent. of salary in many cases.

Conditions vary from territory to territory, but generally speaking official housing is not provided by Colonial Governments for locally recruited staff, whose position as regards housing is no different from that of other members of the general public.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many coloured seamen have been accommodated nightly on the average at the hostel in Leman Street, Stepney; what are the alternative places to which seamen who would normally use the hostel at Stepney are to be sent; what amount of accommodation is available in those places; and how much of that is already taken up.

The Leman Street hostel had sleeping accommodation for 13 persons. Colonial seamen are accommodated by the British Sailors Society, the Missions to Seamen and at the Queen Victoria Seamen's Rest. I have no information about the total accommodation of these institutions but I am satisfied that they can meet the needs of Colonial seamen in London.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what has been the progress in the development of the manila hemp industry in North Borneo; and when it can be expected to pay its way.

The Colonial Development Corporation has had under consideration entering into partnership with other interests to take over the major hemp estates in North Borneo. I am unable to answer the second part of the Question.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he is now in a position to make a statement with regard to the provision of a municipal council or for elected representatives to the Legislative Council of the Colony of Hong Kong.

No. I have received the Governor's recommendations and am at present studying them.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what further steps are being taken to deal with leprosy in Nigeria and other West African colonies; what is the total amount of money available from all sources to deal with this disease; and whether any reliable estimates exist to show if the incidence of leprosy is increasing or decreasing.

The answer to the first part of the Question is given in the statement below.As regards the second and third parts of the Question, it is not possible to estimate how much of the total expenditure on Medical Services is devoted to the treatment of any particular disease. No statistics exist at present which would show reliably whether the incidence of leprosy is increasing or decreasing in West Africa.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether his attention has been drawn to an ordinance promulgated in the Gold Coast laying down that all public collections of money must be registered with the Commissioner of Police; and if he will take steps to regulate such collections through other administrative agencies.

A Bill for this purpose will be introduced at the next Session of the Legislative Council. I must withhold comment until I know what the form of the Bill is going to be.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if consideration has been given to the question of allowing birth control advice to be given at appropriate hospitals and clinics in Nigeria similar to the circumstances where this advice is given through public medical authorities in this country.

So far as I am aware, no.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what is the present position of the labour dispute among clerical and other workers in Nigeria; and what was the nature of the charges brought against three trade union leaders on 26th September.

The Clerical Staff Unions have been dissatisfied with the differentiation between salaries of clerical and technical employees and recently declared a trade dispute. This dispute is about to be referred to arbitration. With regard to the second part of the Question, three members of the Executive of the Post and Telegraph Clerical Workers' Union were charged with conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace and with compelling action by intimidation. All three were found guilty on the first charge.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies when the Commission to investigate the Malayan Police is expected to reach Malaya; when their report may be anticipated; and what procedure should be followed by retired Malayan Police officers living in this country who want to give evidence.

The Mission is expected to reach Malaya next week but I regret that I am unable to say when their report is likely to be completed. The Mission will not hear any evidence in this country until after their return from Malaya. In the meantime any retired officer who wishes to give evidence may give notice of his desire to the Colonial Office.

asked the Minister of Defence if he is aware that while some units of the Defence Forces which took part in the Lord Mayor's procession wore overcoats, others did not wear them despite the fact that heavy rain was falling; and if he will take steps to call the attention of the officers commanding the units in question to the fact that it is their duty to see that their men are properly protected against the weather.

I have drawn the attention of the Service Ministers to the noble Lord's Question and have asked them to communicate with him.

asked the Minister of Defence to what extent Professor Bernal does research work for any of the Defence Departments.

None.

asked the Minister of Defence the number of officers and men and women separately, in the three Fighting Services in 1912, 1938 and 1948, respectively, and the amounts spent on each for each of those years.

My hon. Friend will find the information he requires in documents which are available in the Library of the House.

asked the Minister of Food whether he is aware of the large stocks of all varieties of sweets in the shops; and whether he will arrange for an extrat ration before Christmas.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given by my right hon. Friend to my hon. Friend the Member for Stretford (Mr. Austin) on Monday, 14th November.

asked the Minister of Food when he expects to be able to arrange for tinned food to be packed in smaller containers in order to help households in which there are only one or two ration books.

I regret that we cannot make food available in the smaller tins until tinplate supplies improve.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury what restrictions have been placed on the size and form of the reports and accounts of the various nationalised undertakings; and what representations have been received from the boards proposing a different method of presentation.

The National Coal Board and the British Transport Commission originally proposed that their reports and accounts should be published in a form different from the normal form of House of Commons papers. When they were made aware of the restrictions normally imposed on Parliamentary papers they agreed to conform and no further representations have been received. The restrictions concerned were that the size of the page should be Royal octavo, that the title page should be in the customary formal style, and that the covers, if any, should be either in the normal wedgwood blue or cream cartridge paper.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the average annual amount of legacies transferred to Canada, the United States of America, American account countries, Belgium and Switzerland respectively, over the past four years.

The average transfers over the past four years have been as follows: Canada £4,917,000; U.S.A. £4,546,000; American Account countries £86,000; Belgium £138,000; and Switzerland £155,000.

asked the Secretary of State for War what were the circumstances under which the 1st Seaforth Highlanders were recently in action in Malaya; and what were the casualties.

On Saturday last a company of the 1st Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders, were taking part in operations in North Johore with the object of locating a bandit camp known to be in that area. After operating all day the company took up a defensive position for the night. The company commander, together with two of his platoon commanders and a covering party, then went out to make a reconnaissance of the

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is the quantity of sand, silica and mouldings, and

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he can give any figures showing how the incidence of crime, and, in particular, of juvenile delinquency, in 1949 compares with the incidence in 1948.

The number of crimes and offences committed and persons dealt with in Scotland during the first six months of the years 1948 and 1949 was as follows:tiles that has been imported during the last two years; what are the countries of origin; and what is the quantity that has been produced in this country.

I am sending the hon. Member a statement giving the information that is available. I regret that the trade returns do not distinguish moulding sands separately.

asked the Minister of Health what is the proportion of cases of tuberculosis which may be written off as cured after treatment in, and discharge from, public sanatoria.

I regret that reliable figures are not at present available. I am, however, arranging for the collection of information.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he is aware that farmers and landowners in the Cambridgeshire Fen areas have to pay from £10 to £12 per acre improvement charges for the maintenance of the roads adjoining their farms; and, in view of the fact that the public who use these roads pay nothing towards them, if he will instruct the Internal Drainage Boards to cease levying this charge as at present and hand the roads over to county councils, with a view to their maintenance at public expense.

I am not aware that sums of this order have to be paid for road maintenance and I think my hon. Friend refers in the first part of the Question to the claims made by the Ministry for betterment due to the construction of fen roads under my authority in the exercise of powers conferred by Defence Regulations.As regards the second part of the Question, the Cambridgeshire County Council have taken over several miles of these roads which they consider to have a general traffic value. I have no power to require them to take over the remaining roads, the responsibility for the maintenance of which must, therefore, remain with the Internal Drainage Boards under the provisions of Section 2 of the Agriculture (Miscellaneous War Provisions) (No. 2) Act, 1940.