asked the Minister of Agriculture if he can give any reason, as a result of recent investigation, as to the causes of the scattered outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease in Wiltshire and Berkshire in recent weeks; and if there is any proof that the infection is carried by bird migrants from Central Europe.

There have been four outbreaks in Berkshire this year, and although there have been none in Wiltshire there have been eight others in South-East England and the Midlands. In two of the Berkshire outbreaks and at least five of the others the most likely cause is that the animals had contact with infected imported meat or with swill which had been contaminated by such meat. In this series of outbreaks there is no reason to suspect that infection has been carried by migratory birds. There is no doubt that contact with contaminated swill is the most common origin of outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease in this country, and I should like to remind farmers and all those who handle swill which has not been rendered safe by sterilisation or concentration of the great importance of preventing animals from having any direct or indirect contact with it.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is aware of the difficulty in some counties in implementing his policy of abolishing part-time holdings and converting them into fully equipped full-time holdings; and if he will consult with representatives of the counties affected on this question.

The objective of the Government's smallholdings policy is to help agricultural workers to become farmers on their own account by creating more properly equipped full-time smallholdings. I recognise that problems may arise in applying this policy to existing estates, which include many part-time and bare-land holdings. Smallholdings authorities are aware of my opinion that time will be needed to make the necessary changes. When the authorities concerned have prepared the review reports on which they are now engaged, I shall be pleased to arrange for future action to be discussed with their representatives.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, in view of the fact that the rabbit menace to agriculture is rapidly increasing since many rabbit trappers, through receiving an uneconomic price for their catches, are unable to continue their work, what steps he is taking to deal with this problem.

I have asked county agricultural executive committees to intensify the campaign against rabbits and to exercise their powers under the Agriculture Act, 1947, to require the destruction of these pests where a farmer or landowner fails to take adequate measures of control.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he will add apples and pears to the list of fruit the importation of which is regulated.

No. The list of fruit and vegetables, imports of which are to be regulated, was drawn up only after careful consideration, and nothing has occurred since this was done that would justify the change suggested.

asked the Minister of Agriculture from what date the proposed extension of the marginal production scheme for the purpose of assisting producers in the purchase of feedingstuffs will operate; what is the maximum amount of assistance that will be granted to any one applicant; and what conditions it will be necessary for the applicant to satisfy before he can qualify for this grant.

The proposals for extending the scheme will involve the making of a new Statutory Instrument which will be laid before Parliament and come into operation as soon as possible. I am not at present able to add anything further to the statement I made on 23rd March.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he will forthwith increase the value under which no horse shall be allowed to be exported from this country, in accordance with the recommendations of the Departmental Committee on Export and Slaughter of Horses, seeing that he has such power under the Exportation of Horses Act, 1937.

Yes. I am making an Order to increase the minimum values of exported horses as recommended by the Committee with a view to preventing the export of live horses for slaughter.If I may be allowed, I should like to take this opportunity of stating that having considered the Committee's report as a whole, the Government accept the recommendations of the Committee that the breeding of horses for slaughter should not be encouraged, but that the slaughter of horses in this country for sale for human consumption should be allowed to continue.I am circulating below a statement showing the position reached on all the principal recommendations of the Committee. On some of them decisions must be deferred until the necessary consultations with different bodies have taken place and various wider questions of policy have been settled.Finally, I wish to repeat in public the expression of thanks which I have already conveyed personally to Lord Rosebery and the members of his Committee for their valuable report.Following is the statement:

asked the Minister of Agriculture what was the total head of poultry in the United Kingdom, excluding Northern Ireland, in 1938; what was the comparable figure for 1949; and what is the estimated figure for the end of 1950.

The numbers of poultry on agricultural holdings exceeding one acre in Great Britain were approximately 68 million in June, 1938. including an allowance for poultry not officially recorded at that time, and were 71¼ million in June, 1949. Corresponding figures for June, 1950, will not be available until towards the end of August, nor for December, 1950, until February, 1951, but the prevailing trend in the poultry population is upwards.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether, following the recent agricultural price review, the county agricultural committees will be authorised to pay part of the cost of feedingstuffs in connection with the relief to be afforded to small or moderate sized farmers producing milk, pigs or eggs; and what will be the scales of payment.

County agricultural executive committees will be authorised to pay part of the cost of purchased feedingstuffs in appropriate cases. The scale of payment will be decided in each individual case by the Committee in accordance with the provisions of the scheme, details of which I hope to announce shortly.

asked the Minister of Agriculture how many cases have occurred during the past 12 months of British fishing vessels suffering damage to their equipment by mines or other relics of wartime activity; and what machinery exists to compensate for such loss and to provide equipment.

Fishermen are under no obligation to report such incidents to my Department. As a general rule I only hear of them when an appeal is made for compensation, and I am unable, therefore, to say how many have occurred. I am aware of 11 such cases. There is no fund from which I can pay compensation or replace gear lost. I understand, however, that payments have been made in some cases by the Departments concerned where they have accepted responsibility for the presence of the obstructions that caused the damage.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer in view of the arbitrary action of the Indonesian Gov- ernment, exemplified in their new currency regulations, what action he proposes to take to protect property and assets of British interests in that area.

On the information at present available, I do not consider that we should be justified in raising any general objection to these currency reforms.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of the retail price of the majority of proprietary medicines is taken by his Department in Purchase Tax, tax from the manufacturer, wholesaler and retailer.

The average incidence of Purchase Tax on chargeable proprietary medicines is approximately 20 per cent. of the retail selling price.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware that the present high cost of living is causing great hardship to pensioners and others with fixed incomes; and if he will bear this in mind when he is framing his Budget.

The importance of the cost of living to these sections of the community is a matter which my right hon. and learned Friend will certainly bear in mind.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will take steps to exempt Easter offerings to ministers and clergy from taxation, in view of the religious nature of those gifts.

I cannot anticipate my right hon. and learned Friend's Budget Statement.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will consider making an offer to pay for Canadian food products with sterling.

I presume the hon. Member means that we should ask Canada to accumulate sterling in excess of her current sterling requirements. We have no such proposal under consideration.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether with a view to promoting the competitive power of British shipping he will consider absolving from taxation such earnings of shipping companies as are set aside and used for capital replacement.

I cannot anticipate my right hon. and learned Friend's Budget Statement.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much United States capital is being invested in the proposed oil refinery on the Thames Estuary.

It would not be proper for me to disclose details of individual transactions of this kind, but I would refer the hon. Member to the statement issued on 25th March by the companies concerned.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will institute an inquiry into the cause of the rise in the index number of food prices from 104 in January, 1948, to 120 in January, 1950, having regard to the glut in world food supplies now existing.

No.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury (1) what commission has been paid to firms of advertising agents through whom orders for Government press advertising have been placed;(2) through how many firms of advertising agents are orders placed for Government press advertising; by whom these firms are selected; and to what extent other firms are eligible for consideration.

Orders for display press advertising by the Ministry of Food, the National Savings Committee and the Central Office of Information are at present placed through 24 firms. The agents are selected by an independent committee known as the Advisory Committee for the Appointment of Advertising Agents, composed of representatives of the Press and of commercial advertisers. Any advertising agency recognised by the Newspaper Proprietors' Association is eligible. No commission is paid by these Government Departments in respect of the arrangements described. The trade practice is that newspapers and periodicals allow a discount to the agent. A special arrangement of long standing exists between the Scottish Savings Committee and a particular firm in Scotland.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he will so amend his Department's pay roll procedure as to enable temporary clerks in the Civil Service to draw in advance their leave pay for the full period of paid leave.

No. It is doubtful whether the time and manpower involved would be justified.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department the number of offences by prisoners in prisons in England and Wales during the years ended 31st December, 1948 and 1949. in respect whereof punishment of flogging was awarded and administered.

There were 14 such cases in 1948 and 9 in 1949.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many letters he has received from organisations and individuals, respectively, requesting him to re-introduce flogging.

For what the information is worth, a rough check shows that since January, 1949, there have been 262 such letters from individuals and 19 from organisations or associations.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department the numbers of men who were, respectively sentenced to flogging and terms of imprisonment for offences against the person during the three years prior to the abolition of flogging; and also the respective numbers in the two categories who have subsequently been sentenced for offences against the person.

The offences for which corporal punishment was most frequently awarded by the courts up to 13th September, 1948 (when corporal punishment was abolished) were offences under Section 23 (1) of the Larceny Act, 1916, that is, in the main, armed robbery and robbery with violence. During the three years ended 31st December, 1948, 838 males were sentenced to penal servitude, imprisonment or Borstal detention on conviction of offences under all the subsections of Section 23 of this Act, and 103 of those convicted under Subsection (1) were ordered to be whipped. As regards the second part of the Question, I have already put in hand arrangements to obtain more recent information than that given in the Report of the Departmental Committee on Corporal Punishment as to the subsequent careers of those convicted under Section 23 (1) of the Act of 1916 but it will take some time before this inquiry can be completed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, as many people did not realise that the register of electors had to be examined and checked almost immediately after the election in 14 days only, he will allow a second period of two weeks for its examination, as in every division there are inaccuracies that should be rectified.

The hon. Member is misinformed. The dates between which the register was open to inspection for the purpose of making claims and objections were 10th January and 24th January. For the issue raised by the Question I would refer the hon. Member to the answers which I gave on 16th and 23rd March to questions by the hon. and learned Member for Hove (Mr. Marlowe).

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the objections which decided him against reopening the spring electoral register for a limited period to enable those who now discover that they have been omitted to apply for registration on the ground that they are qualified for inclusion.

The question I had to consider was whether there are sufficient grounds to justify a proposal that the arrangements prescribed by Parliament should be altered on this occasion, mainly to give a second chance to people who failed to take the opportunity provided by law to inspect the lists and put in claims in January. My conclusion was that there are not sufficient grounds to justify this proposal.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what improvement there has been in recruitment to the Police Force as a result of the implementation of the Oaksey Report.

The improvements in police conditions recommended by the Oaksey Committee in Part I of their Report and accepted by the Government came into force on 1st July, 1949, and began to exercise an appreciable effect on police recruitment in August. Between 1st August, 1949, and 1st March, 1950, the number of men in police forces in England and Wales increased from 57,756 to 59,428. The average monthly increase in strength in the first seven months of last year was 20.4: the average monthly increase in the subsequent seven months was 238, and the average monthly number of recruits accepted increased from 384 to 602. This improvement was not, unfortunately, evenly distributed, and in certain large forces, including the Metropolitan, the rate of increase is still not satisfactory.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is satisfied that at the present time there are enough special constables enrolled in the London area.

No. More recruits are required for the Metropolitan Special Constabulary and I hope that more men and women will come forward to assist the regular police by joining this force.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to prevent or limit the possession of firearms by ordinary citizens.

Under the Firearms Act. 1937, it is an offence punishable by severe penalties, to be in possession of a firearm, except in accordance with the terms of a Firearm Certificate issued by the appropriate chief officer of police. Before issuing such a certificate the chief officer of police is required to satisfy himself that the applicant has a good reason for being in possession of a firearm and can be permitted to have the firearm in his possession without danger to the public safety or to the peace.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes of violence for which persons were convicted in Great Britain during each of the years ending 31st December, 1940, to 31st December, 1949, respectively, were proved to have been committed by absentees or deserters from His Majesty's Forces who were untraced until they were arrested for the crimes of which they were so convicted.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware of the need for revision of the Wild Bird Protection Acts of 1890 and 1933; and what steps he proposes to this end.

I understand that the Committee which advises me on the administration of these Acts is preparing proposals for new legislation. I will give these proposals sympathetic attention when they are ready.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has considered further requests from the county councils association and other sources asking him to empower local authorities to make by-laws prohibiting the sale of contraceptives from automatic machines in dance halls and other public places; and what action he proposes to take.

Yes, but I have received no evidence to support a request for further powers, or that the form of by-law which has been widely adopted by local authorities has not met the mischief at which it was aimed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is aware of the dangers to agricultural workers involved in the use of some of the new insecticides, particularly D.N.O.C., dinitro-orthocresol, and parathian, diethylparanitro-phenylthio-phosphate, both used as sprays for crop protection and deadly in their effect upon man: and if he will ban their use.

The Poisons Rules, which control the sale of these valuable insecticides, provide for a warning notice on the containers in which they are sold and I am advised that if reasonable care is taken, there is little or no risk "i their use.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many local authority areas, and what percentage of the population are now covered by orders made under Section 1 of the Sunday Entertainments Act, 1932, and how many are not yet covered by the orders already approved.

Cinemas may open on Sunday in five counties, 76 county boroughs, 18 boroughs, 174 urban districts, 48 rural districts and also in 28 petty sessional divisions. The population of these areas represents approximately 65 per cent. of the total estimated population of England and Wales. Except in so far as the areas of the 28 petty sessional divisions comprise the whole or part of local authority areas, the local authority areas in which cinemas cannot open on Sundays are seven county boroughs, 108 boroughs, 383 urban districts and 384 rural districts

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that the building of houses at one of the sites in Bristol may be retarded because of the delay in the supply of gas pipes; and what action he proposes to take to ensure an early delivery of these goods.

Yes, my officers are in touch with the South Western Gas Board.

asked the Minister of Health as the town of Maidstone has 2,478 names on its waiting list for houses and he has given permission for only 200 houses to be built there this year, what further steps he proposes to take to remedy the situation.

At the beginning of the year the town council had 191 houses under construction and also 48 houses in approved tenders but not yet started. The new allocation will enable them to put a further 224 houses into contract.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that the charging of premiums in the letting of flats and houses is still prevalent and is causing public disquiet; and what steps he proposes to take to introduce further legislation to remedy this situation.

The legislation making illegal the charging of premiums for rent-controlled houses and flats is comprehensive and I hope that no addition is required. If my hon. Friend will send me particulars of any cases he had in mind I will be glad to look into them.

asked the Minister of Health if he will now announce the house-building programme permitted to be undertaken by the City of Liverpool during the remainder of this year.

The Corporation have been authorised to invite tenders during the coming months for up to 900 houses. The question of further authorisations will be considered later in the year.

asked the Minister of Health if he will introduce legislation to make it obligatory for all housing authorities to adopt a points system of allocating houses under their control.

I consider this is a matter best left to the local authorities to determine in the light of local circumstances. General advice on the selection of tenants was given, however, in a Report by my Central Housing Advisory Committee which was sent to all housing authorities in April, 1949.

asked the Minister of Health how many private property owners have taken advantage of Section 20 of the Housing Act, 1949.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Durham (Mr. Grey) on 16th March.

asked the Minister of Health what proportion of the allocation of houses made by his Department to the Lichfield Rural Council for the years 1948 and 1949 have, in fact, been put out to contract in each year, respectively.

I am making inquiries and will write to my hon. Friend.

asked the Minister of Health how many houses have been built, or have been put out to contract, by the Lichfield Rural District Council in the parish of Elford, near Tamworth, since 1945.

I am unable to add to the information included in the Housing Return.

asked the Minister of Health by what number the house-building licences granted for the current period have fallen short of the number applied for in the boroughs of Dover and Deal and the rural districts of Dover and Eastry; and whether he can increase the allocations in order to help solve the problem of unemployment in the building industry which is developing in the area.

I regret that the information asked for in the first part of the Question is not available. As regards the latter part, I would refer the hon. Member to the statements made during the Debate on the Address on the 13th March.

asked the Minister of Health what are the proposed new housing allocations for the Borough of Darwen, the Turton Urban District Council, the Withnell Urban District Council and the Blackburn Rural District Council, respectively, for the years 1950 and 1951; and, in each case, how many are permanent dwellings and how many are prefabricated.

Further allocations will be considered when appropriate in the light of the progress with those already made.

asked the Minister of Health to what extent it is his present policy that the repair of war damage to dwelling houses should have priority in the granting of licences over new building.

Monetary limits for the total value of all licensed work except new housing have been fixed for each district and I am sending the hon. Member a copy of Circular 5/50 which was issued by my Department on this matter. Within these limits it is within the discretion of local authorities to issue licences for war damage repair. Separate allocations of new houses are given and local authorities may issue licences up to one-tenth of these allocations.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that matrons in small hospitals get, in certain cases, less salaries than those of ward sisters; and what steps he is taking to remedy this anomaly.

Yes. The matter is, I understand, at present before the Whitley Council.

asked the Minister of Health how many catering officers are employed in the hospital service; and at what rates of pay are they employed.

About 300; in the absence of national scales salaries have been fixed by the hospitals for each post individually.

asked the Minister of Health how many visiting foreigners have received medical treatment or dentures or spectacles since the start of the health scheme.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Minister of Health the number of hearing aids that have been issued and the number of applications pending at each of the centres for this purpose in Wales.

The following are the figures:

Name of Centre	Number of hearing aids issued	Number of applications pending
Cardiff	1,384	3,190
Swansea	1,310	1,508
Newport	507	1,370
Wrexham	854	852
Bangor	450	427

asked the Minister of Health the weekly output of Medresco hearing aids.

Last month the average weekly output was 1,500.

asked the Minister of Health what is the total cost of drugs and medicines supplied under the National Health Service up to the most recent convenient date; what proportion of this total cost was in respect of proprietary medicines; and how much of the cost is due to Purchase Tax.

The total amount paid to chemists and doctors up to 28th February, 1950, for supplying drugs under the general medical and pharmaceutical services was about £43¼ million. It is estimated that at the rate at which proprietary medicines are now being prescribed they account for rather more than 30 per cent. of the current cost. It is estimated that Purchase Tax accounts for about 1 per cent. of the total cost.

asked the Minister of Health what was the amount spent on surgical and medical requirements by regional hospital boards and teaching hospitals in England and Wales during the last convenient period of 12 months; and what proportion of that expenditure was attributable to Purchase Tax.

The revised estimates of regional hospital boards and teaching hospitals in England and Wales show that for the year ending 31st March, 1950, the amount spent on surgical and medical requirements will be about £13,280,000. The proportion of this expenditure attributable to Purchase Tax is not known but is thought to be quite small.

asked the Minister of Health if it is his intention to publish accounts of individual hospitals, or of hospital groups.

No, but as required by Section 55 (4) of the National Health Service Act, summarised accounts of the hospital service will be presented to Parliament annually.

asked the Minister of Health the value of the glassware for hospitals which has been obtained from Germany.

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for St. Albans (Mr. J. Grimston) on 23rd March.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that Mr. Taylor, Station Hotel, Pocklington, who is suffering from duodenal ulcers and has been told he must undergo an operation in York County Hospital, has been waiting for admission for four months and, as a result, has been forced into continued unemployment; and whether he will have this matter looked into immediately, with a view to terminating this delay.

I am informed that Mr. Taylor was admitted on Monday last.

asked the Minister of Health what new proposals he has to prevent the exploitation of the public by vendors of patent medicines.

The general question of prescribing proprietary preparations is under consideration by a special subcommittee of the Central and Scottish Health Services Council.

asked the Minister of Health the names and qualifications of the members of the South-West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board.

I give the full list of names below. There is no special qualification involved, other than the ability to contribute usefully to the board's work.SOUTH WEST METROPOLITAN REGIONAL HOSPITAL BOARDMEMBERSHIP OF THE BOARD APRIL, 1950

asked the Minister of Health when he expects to make known the findings of the Cope Committee.

I understand that these reports are not likely to be presented to me before midsummer.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that some diabetic patients are unable, by reason of physical infirmity, to make use of sugar tests by means of Benedict solution; and whether, for that reason, he will take steps to ensure that clinitest sets and tablets are equally made easily available under the National Health Scheme.

Yes, and I intend to do this.

asked the Minister of Health what is the total financial loss incurred by the hospitals of England and Wales through the theft or loss of cutlery for the past 12 months.

I regret that the information is not available.

asked the Minister of Health how many persons were treated in the Liverpool hospitals on Sunday, 19th

Year ended 31st March			Estimated yield of 1d. rate*				Rates collected per head of estimated population
			England	Wales	Scotland	Great Britain	England			Wales			Scotland†			Great Britain
			£'000	£'000	£'000	£'000	£	s.	d.	£	s.	d.	£	s.	d.	£	s.	d.
1900	…	…	624	28	104	756	1	5	4	1	0	2	1	0	9	1	4	7
1910	…	…	775	35	121	931	1	15	7	1	8	5	1	10	6	1	14	7
1920	…	…	831	47	133	1,011	2	16	9	2	11	2	2	17	1	2	16	5
1930	…	…	1,078	54	152	1,284	3	18	10	3	10	6	4	5	11	3	19	1
1940	…	…	1,202	45	168	1,415	4	18	3	4	19	5	4	13	3	4	16	8
1950	…	…	1,247	49	188	1,484	6	9	11	4	8	3	5	16	11	6	6	4
*For years prior to 1925 this expression refers to the yield of 1d. poor rate, and for subsequent years, to 1d. general rate.
†Rate income in Scotland includes water rates.

I understand the number was 10, three being detained.

asked the Minister of Health whether, in conjunction with the Secretary of State for Scotland, he will appoint a committee to review the recommendations of the Spens Committee on Dental Remuneration in the light of experience gained since the inception of the Health Scheme.

No. Discussions on dental remuneration are already taking place between representatives of the dental profession and officers of the Health Departments.

asked the Minister of Health the estimated yield of a 1d. rate for local government purposes for the years 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940 and 1950 for England, Scotland and Wales respectively, with the rate per head of the population of each county separately and for the combined population of Great Britain.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and I have collaborated in the preparation of the following table of figures:

asked the Minister of Health the total expenditure of local assessment committees in England and Wales for the financial year 1948–49.

For the 343 assessment committees outside London, the total expenditure in 1948–49 was £305,394. Exact figures are not known for the 29 committees in London.

asked the Minister of Health how much of the £5,709,000 and the £4,130,000 allocated towards the costs of providing piped water supplies in rural areas and for sewerage and sewage disposal has actually been paid to local authorities.

£1,233,772 has been paid to local authorities.

asked the Minister of Health which local authorities in Huntingdonshire have submitted to his Department, since 1945, proposals for piped water supply schemes and which of those authorities have had their schemes finally sanctioned.

The information is as follows:

Local Authorities in Huntingdonshire who have submitted schemes of piped water supply since 1945 to the Department	Number of schemes	Number of schemes finally authorised
St. Neots U.D.C.	1	1
Huntingdon B.C.	1	—
Old Fletton U.D.C.	1	1
Norman Cross R.D.C.	2	2
St. Neots R.D.C.	6	6
Huntingdon R.D.C.	3	(a) 1
St. Ives R.D.C.	8	5
Ramsy, and St. Ives J. We B.	2	2
(a) The remainder are likely to be authorised in the near future.

asked the Minister of Health if he will explain more fully the purpose of S.I. No. 316 of 1950, The National Assistance (Exchequer Contributions) Regulations, 1950.

The Regulations settle two elements of the Exchequer subsidy payable to local authorities providing homes for old people, etc., under the National Assistance Act which the Act left to be prescribed. For a newly built home the Act provides that the annual subsidy shall be £7 10s. per single bedroom and a sum not exceeding £6 10s. to be prescribed by regulations per intended occupant of larger bedrooms. For a home in an existing building acquired and adapted for the purpose, it lays down the method of calculating the annual subsidy and requires account to be taken of a sum to be prescribed as representing the authority's receipts from each resident by way of rent.

asked the Minister of Food what number of industrial canteens are now provided in Stoke-on-Trent; and how many meals and snacks are provided per day.

There are 426 industrial canteens in Stoke-on-Trent which serve approximately 4,400 breakfasts, 37,000 main meals and 77,000 light meals daily.

asked the Minister of Food what number of industrial canteens are now provided in England and Wales; and how many meals and snacks are supplied per day.

According to the November figures, which are the latest we have, there are 26,388 industrial canteens, serving, on average, 425,800 breakfasts, 2,701,700 main meals and 7,923,700 light meals a day.

asked the Minister of Food whether he will now give details of the grade and seasonal variation in the price of fat cattle, fat sheep and fat pigs that will operate from 1st April, 1950.

The detailed price schedules are being printed urgently and will be issued as soon as possible. Meanwhile, lists of prices during the next three months have been issued to our local officers and to all collecting centres and any farmer who needs this information can obtain it from his local district chairman of auctioneers or, from the area pig allocation officer as well in the case of pigs. With permission I will place in the Library a copy of a joint announcement by my Department and the Agricultural Departments issued yesterday which gives a broad picture of the effect of the new prices, and a copy of the interim price list to which I have referred.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how much of the £500,000 rice loan to Burma has already been lent.

None.

asked the Postmaster-General why letters are not received for franking in certain post offices after 3 p.m.; whether this is a general practice; and what is the authority therefor.

The special treatment afforded to postal packets on which postage is pre-paid in money makes it necessary to restrict the period during which such packets may be posted. The latest time for posting, generally from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m., varies for different parts of the country. The authority for the arrangements generally is The Inland Post Warrant 1947 (S.R. & 0. 1947 No. 2663).

asked the Postmaster-General what is the total number of telephone instruments in Blackpool and what is the number of lines; and, in each case, how many are allotted, to Government Departments and their local offices.

The number of telephone instruments in Blackpool is 14,760 and the number of lines 9,507. Of these 1,771 and 120 respectively are allotted to Government Departments and their local offices.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware of the shortage of utility shirts in Stockton-on-Tees; and if he will arrange for additional supplies to be made available.

I am aware that some shops in Stockton-on-Tees are having certain difficulties over supplies of utility shirts, but there are stocks of utility shirts in the town to meet general consumers' needs, and the supply position as a whole is improving.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will give the number of new factory projects in the North-East development area which have been abortive or have not developed beyond the inquiry stage; and if he will state the reasons for this.

Since 1945 well over 1,000 firms have been invited to consider the advantage of occupying factories in the North-East development area, and about 250 of them are now established there. It is not possible to give any detailed analysis of the reasons why the remaining projects failed to materialise.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the number of industrial concerns in the North-East development area which are receiving priority treatment in the supply of raw materials and in the disposal of the finished product.

I regret that this information is not available but it has, of course, been the practice for many years for the Departments responsible for allocating controlled materials to give a measure of preference to development area firms. Similarly on the matter of the disposal of the finished product, my hon. Friend is no doubt aware that for many years purchasing Departments have, all things being equal, given preference to the development areas in awarding Government contracts.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will give the number of new factories and extensions completed, under construction and approved in the North-East development area for Government and privately financed projects.

FACTORIES IN THE NORTH EASTERN DEVELOPMENT AREA (SINCE JUNE, 1945)
—	Approved	Under construction	Completed
Government finance.	152	15	132
Private finance.	284	69	153
TOTAL	436	84	285

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is the number of men and women employed in new factories in the North-East development area; what additional employment has been provided; and what is the target when all factories under construction and approved are completed.

Ten thousand four hundred men and 11,600 women were employed on the 31st December, 1949, in the new factories and extensions completed since the war in the North-Eastern development area. It is estimated that jobs for 30,000 men and 25,000 women will have been provided when all the new factories and extensions approved for this development area are in full production. In addition, 13,200 jobs for men and 13,000 for women had been provided at the 31st December, 1949, in other postwar developments, including surplus war factories leased to industry or converted to industrial estates.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many of the Grenfell factories in South Wales are now in production; how many persons are employed in them; and how many of these are ex-miners disabled through pneumoconiosis.

Five Grenfell factories are now in production; 247 persons were employed at 25th February, the date of latest return; an analysis of the present labour force is being prepared and when it is ready I will communicate with my hon. Friend.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many new factory buildings were started in South Wales in 1949; and how many it is proposed to start this year.

During 1949 work started on the construction of 36 new factories and extensions in the South Wales development area. It is expected that work will commence during 1950 on a further 19 schemes which have been licensed, but I cannot forecast how many more schemes will come forward and qualify for building licences this year.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many Government standard factories in the South Wales development area have not yet been allocated to industrialists; and what are the prospects of securing tenants for these buildings.

Four standard factories, including two Grenfell factories, are unallocated, but there are good prospects of two of these, including one of the Grenfells, being allocated shortly. In addition, various buildings containing in all about 200,000 square feet of factory space are available for allocation; these are all the subject of provisional inquiries.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how much timber was used in the construction of the ski jump on Hampstead Heath; and why he authorised its use for this purpose.

About 10 standards of softwood were used in the construction of the Hampstead Heath ski jump. No authorisation was necessary for the use of this wood, which was the property of a scaffolding contractor who has used it before and will no doubt use it again in the normal course of his business. The hardwood used for the fencing and gates is free from control.

asked the Minister of Labour how many men registered for National Service to the Blackpool office of his Department in the financial years 1948–49 and 1949–50; how many it is estimated will register in 1950–51; of these how many were called up during each year, how many were deferred and how many exempted; how many who had previously been deferred were called up or are expected to be called up during this year; and, of those called up, how many were called up into the Royal Navy, the Army and the Royal Air Force, respectively.

Seven hundred and ninety seven men registered under the National Service Acts at Blackpool during the financial year 1948–49, and 817 during the financial year 1949–50. It is estimated that a similar number will register in 1950–51. As the registration documents are not maintained according to the place where a man happened to be at the date of registration, the rest of the information asked for is not available and could not be obtained without a search of the whole of every National Service register in the country.

asked the Minister of Labour what are the present arrangements for research on the subject of dust in iron foundries; what have been the findings of such research so far; and to what extent these findings have been put into practice in the foundries.

Arrangements for seeking further knowledge as to the various problems connected with dust in iron foudries fall broadly into two groups, namely, research in research institutions, especially into such questions as the possibility of using less dangerous materials for various processes, and secondly experimental work in the foundries themselves in trying out methods of suppressing dust and other changes in working methods. Also, the Factory Department have carried out a special inquiry into the incidence of silicosis among various classes of foundry workers, the results of which are about to be published, and are making further tests of atmospheres in foundries.The findings of research so far indicate that certain dusts should be regarded as dangerous to health and that others may be generated in such substantial quantities that they should, so far as possible, be suppressed or removed near the points of origin. Various measures have, in view of this, been taken to reduce dust in foundries, and further experimental work as to improving methods of doing so is being tried in some of the foundries. In the meantime, special attention has been paid to precautions in connection with the process known as blasting, which has recently been made the subject of more stringent regulations. In addition, regulations have recently been proposed to impose restrictions on the use of dangerous parting powders.

asked the Minister of Labour how many disabled persons are at present employed at the Remploy factory on the Pallin Trading Estate, Sunderland; how many disabled persons the factory will employ when in full production; and what steps are being taken to secure the employment of more disabled persons at the factory.

Twenty severely disabled persons are employed at present. A further number will be taken on as soon as those now employed have been trained. In full production the factory will be able to employ 70.

asked the Minister of Labour how many disabled persons are unemployed in the South Wales Development Area; and how many of these are ex-miners disabled through pneumoconiosis.

At 20th February, 1950, there were 10,130 registered disabled persons unemployed in the South Wales and Monmouth Development Area, of whom 3,998 were ex-miners disabled through pneumoconiosis.

asked the Minister of Labour how many disabled persons are unemployed in each of the development areas.

Development Area	Capable of ordinary employment			Classified as unlikely to obtain employment other than under sheltered conditions			Total
	Males	Females	Total	Males	Females	Total	Males	Females	Total
North Eastern	5,967	259	6,226	1,177	47	1,224	7,144	306	7,450
West Cumberland.	248	11	259	138	1	139	386	12	398
South West Scotland.	4,683	351	5,034	498	41	539	5,181	392	5,573
South Wales and Monmouth.	8,675	217	8,892	1,213	25	1,238	9,888	242	10,130
South Lancashire.	873	44	917	106	5	111	979	49	1,028
Wrexham	328	11	339	16	3	19	344	14	358
Scottish Highlands.	73	3	76	8	1	9	81	4	85
North Merseyside.	2,236	275	2,511	239	40	279	2,475	315	2,790
South Merseyside.	379	54	433	80	6	86	459	60	519
TOTALS	23,462	1,225	24,687	3,475	169	3,644	26,937	1,394	28,331

asked the Minister of Labour how many people are unemployed in each of the development areas; and what are the percentages of unemployed in each area.

The following table gives the information desired:

NUMBERS REGISTERED AS UNEMPLOYED AND PERCENTAGE RATES OF UNEMPLOYMENT AT 13TH FEBRUARY, 1950, IN EACH DEVELOPMENT AREA
Development Area	Number of persons registered as unemployed	Approximate percentage rate of unemployment
North-Eastern	34,192	3·5
West Cumberland	1,118	2·2
Scottish	46,134	4·0
South Wales and Monmouthshire.	30,392	4·6
Wrexham	1,309	3·9
South Lancashire	3,255	2·4
Merseyside	28,043	4·9

asked the Minister of Transport when he will have altered the dangerous bus stop in Tower Street, Rye,

The following are the figures for 20th February, 1950:to which his attention has been drawn by the headmasters of several local schools.

This matter is within the jurisdiction of the licensing authority for public service vehicles for the South-Eastern Traffic Area, to whom the headmasters concerned wrote. In June last the licensing authority authorised a diversion of route into Rope Walk, and this new arrangement started on 27th March.

asked the Minister of Education how many voluntary schools have selected controlled and aided status; and how many in each category are Church of England and Roman Catholic.

There are now 670 aided schools, of which 385 are Church of England and 227 Roman Catholic; 1,671 schools are controlled, of which 1,480 are Church of England; 583 applications for aided status are still under consideration—including 152 from Roman Catholic schools and 399 from Church of England schools.

asked the Minister of Education whether he is aware of the grave shortage of school dentists in Wiltshire; and in what way he is proposing to remedy this deficiency.

I am aware that there is a shortage of school dentists in Wiltshire, as in other parts of the country. On the second part of the Question, I would refer the hon. Member to the answer which I gave on 16th March to my hon. Friend the Member for North-West Leicester (Mr. Janner).

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power how much will have been paid to the former coalowners in compensation and interest on compensation by the time all such payments have been completed.

The aggregate compensation for the transferred interests having coal industry value was determined by arbitration in accordance with Section 10 (3) of the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act, 1946, and was fixed at £164,660,000. The compensation for subsidiary interests, which are quite substantial, is to be determined by the district valuation boards and its amount cannot be estimated. The amount of interest will depend upon the date of satisfaction in each case and upon the rates of interest prescribed by the Treasury from time to time, and cannot be estimated.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what machinery exists for a review of the amount of compensation payable to the former coalowners.

The relevant machinery is specified in the Coal Industry Nationalisation (Valuation of Compensation Units) Regulations, 1947 (S.R. & O. 1947 No. 1345). The machinery is in existence and working. The amount of compensation to be paid to the former owners is determined by the value of their transferred interests as certified to the Minister by the district valuation boards. The transferred interests are constituted into compensation units by the Minister and it is these units which are valued. The valuation boards first issue their valuation in draft to each party to the proceedings; each party may then request to be heard by the board. Having heard the parties (or at the end of a specified period if no hearing is asked for), the board issues a "determination" of value. Either party may then request this to be reviewed by one of a panel of independent referees; the referee may instruct the board to increase, decrease or leave unaltered its valuation and the referee's decision is final.Referees are appointed by the Minister, but a request for a review is made direct by the party concerned to the chairman of the panel and he selects the referee. The district valuation boards and the referees are quite independent of the Ministry and of one another.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power if he will name the number of opencast sites and their acreage in North Staffordshire; and the tonnage so far produced.

There are six sites now producing opencast coal in North Staffordshire, of which four are in the Hall Hill zone and two in the Grubbers Hill zone. The total area under requisition in the Hall Hill zone is 203 acres and in the Grubbers Hill zone, 151 acres. Grubbers Hill zone was started in July, 1946, and from then to 18th March, 1950, has produced 232,000 tons of coal. Hall Hill zone was started in January, 1948, and has produced 92,000 tons.

asked the Minister of National Insurance how many miners in South Wales applied for disablement certificates to the Silicosis Board in 1949; how many were certified; and what were the corresponding figures for 1948.

In 1948, 3,792 applicants were examined by the Silicosis Medical Board under the Workmen's Compensation Acts of whom 1,509 were certified. The corresponding figures for 1949 were 1,531 and 520. In addition, in 1948 there were 3,992 applications for benefit for pneumoconiosis under the Industrial Injuries Act, of whom 1,687 were found to have the disease. For 1949 the figures were 12,764 and 3,612.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what action is to be taken on the recommendation of the recent British Guiana sugar report, that the Imperial Government should pay a special subsidy of £1 a ton to producers, in view of their specially high costs of production.

As was stated at the time of the publication of this report, my predecessor did not consider it appropriate to single out the sugar industry in one particular territory for special assistance of this kind, and I agree with his view.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he is aware that casualties among those managers responsible for production of rubber and tin in Malaya are practically irreplaceable; that new recruitment for these positions is increasingly difficult; and whether he will ensure that better protection from banditry for such managers will be forthcoming.

I am aware of these difficulties. The authorities in Malaya recognize the need to provide the greatest possible degree of protection, but I will certainly forward the hon. Member's representations to the High Commissioner.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what bodies are represented on the consultative committee which has been set up to represent to the British Council the views of Colonial students resident in the United Kingdom; what students' unions are not represented on the committee; and whether the members of the committee are elected or appointed, and by whom.

The following student bodies are represented on the British Council's Consultative Committee in London:

• East African Students' Union.
• Gold Coast Students' Union.
• Hong Kong Students' Association.
• Malay Society of Great Britain.
• Malayan Students' Union.
• Nigerian Students' Union.
• Sierra Leone Study Group.
• South Eastern and Central African Students' Union.
• West African Students' Union.
• West Indian Students' Union.

I am not aware that any Colonial student unions have been omitted. The members of the Committee have been appointed by their own organisations.