asked the Minister of National Insurance the number of old age pensioners in Cardiff who have sought financial help from the National Assistance Board to buy clothes during the past year; and whether she will now agree to review the rates of benefit.

I regret that the specific information asked for is not available, but I understand that during the past year 1,183 pensioners and other applicants received from the Board's offices in Cardiff special grants to meet an exceptional need, which usually included clothing. As regards the last part of the Question, I would refer my hon. Friend to the statement I made in the House on 4th April.

asked the Minister of National Insurance whether, in view of the rise in the cost-of-living index which will result from the increased price of bacon and butter, she will review urgently the scale of old age pensions.

I would refer the hon. Member to the statements made by myself and my right hon. Friend the Minister of Food on 4th and 5th April respectively.

asked the Minister of Labour whether, in view of the fact that the present 3 per cent. quota affords security for only about half the numbers of persons registered as disabled, he will take steps to raise the standard quota immediately, with special higher quotas for industries shown to be specially suitable for the employment of disabled persons.

I am in full sympathy with the hon. Member's objective, but, after consultation with the National Advisory Council on the Employment of the Disabled I am convinced that this is not a practicable method of achieving it.

asked the Minister of Labour (1) what are the number of registered unemployed, at the latest convenient date, in Tenby, Pembroke borough, Haverfordwest, Fishguard, Neyland and Milford Haven; and what the comparable figures were for 1938 and 1948;(2) what are the unemployed figures for the whole county of Pembrokeshire, at the latest convenient date, and also the comparable figures for 1938 and 1948.

The following table gives the information desired:

NUMBERS OF UNEMPLOYED PERSONS ON THE REGISTERS OF CERTAIN EMPLOYMENT Ex-CHANGES IN PEMBROKESHIRE AND IN PEMBROKESHIRE AS A WHOLE AT 14TH MARCH, 1938, 15TH MARCH, 1948 AND 13TH MARCH, 1950.
—		14th March, 1938	15th March, 1948	13th March, 1950
Pembrokeshire	…	3,688	753	783
Fishguard	…	499	87	84
Haverfordwest	…	586	134	131
Milford Haven	…	797	203	255
Pembroke Dock	…	1,318	192	187
Tenby	…	348	93	89

There is no employment exchange at Neyland, which is in the area of the Milford Haven Employment Exchange. There is no separate exchange in Pembroke borough, which is included in the area of the Pembroke Dock Exchange.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the Government's intentions regarding the widespread desire that the present financial relations between Scotland and the United Kingdom Treasury should be examined and made public.

I regret I am unable to add to the replies given to the hon. Member on 28th March and 4th April.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what development has taken place in the Highlands of Scotland since they were designated as a development area; and when he will be able to make a full statement on this subject.

In the part of the Highlands which has been made a development area, sites have been selected for industrial development, a few industrial firms have expanded or are planning to expand their activities, and progress has been made with the improvement of basic services including water and drainage schemes to a value of £600,000, and with the Affric and Fannich Hydro-Electric Schemes. Fuller details about developments in the Highlands as a whole will be given in the White Paper on Industry and Employment in Scotland in 1949, which I hope to present to Parliament shortly.

asked the Minister of Supply what is the anticipated value of textile machinery exports envisaged for the year 1950 in the recent Economic Survey.

£38,000,000.

asked the Minister of Supply if he will give details of the plant and machinery, costing £240,000, in the Non-Ferrous Metal Agency Schemes Estimate, 1950–51, Class IX 2, II, E; also details of the new works, additions and alterations, in the same Schemes, costing £110,000, in the same Estimate, sub-head D.

Both these items relate to expansion of capacity at the Government-owned factory at Hartlepool, which is engaged in the extraction of magnesia from seawater, for use by the refractory brick industry. The major items of plant included in the £240,000 are a new rotary kiln and ancillary plant, seawater pumps and pipelines, electric motors and other plant, and equipment required for the treatment o the seawater in the various tanks and filters. The sum of £110,000 covers the construction cost of new pre-stressed concrete seawater storage tanks and settling tanks and foundations for the new kiln and other plant

asked the Minister of Health what sum belonging to the Hospital Endowments Fund was invested in undated Government stock and when; and what was the value of the said stock on 24th March, 1950.

No sums belonging to the Hospital Endowments Fund have been invested in undated Government stock since the Fund was constituted; the second part of the Question, therefore, does not arise.

asked the Minister of Health what unquoted securities, or securities unmarketable in the United Kingdom, vested in him as assets of the Hospital Endowments Fund, when, and to whom, and at what prices were they sold; and what was the net total sum realised.

The nominal value of unquoted securities which originally vested in the Fund amounted to £111,560, exclusive of eight items held in foreign currencies. Stocks of a normal value of £14,213 and $1,200 fell due for a redemption or were sold during March, 1950, and realised a net sum of £14,808. Sales were made by the Government broker. In addition, some 30 foreign securities that may prove to be quite unmarketable await disposal.

asked the Minister of Health what is the total cost of drugs, medicines and approved appliances prescribed on Form E.C.10 under the National Health Service up to the most convenient date; and how the total cost is divided as between appliances listed under Part IV of the Drug Tariff, insulin and anti-biotic preparations, drugs and preparations included under Part III of the Drug Tariff and the National Formulary, and other preparations, respectively.

The total amount paid to chemists in England and Wales in respect of these articles to the 28th February, 1950, was just over £41 million (£41,040,021). I cannot say precisely how this figure was divided but a running 1 per cent. sample suggests the following approximate percentage cost for 1949:

Appliances	Proprietaries	Other Preparations
per cent.	per cent.	per cent.
10	28–29	61–62

Particulars are not available about the cost of insulin and anti-biotic preparations.

asked the Minister of Health what arrangements exist to enable chemists in financial difficulties to obtain payment of arrears owing to them by his Department.

Chemists in financial difficulties may state their case to the Ministry through the National Pharmaceutical Union, and then the merits of making a supplementary payment will be considered.

asked the Minister of Health if arrangements can be made for appeals to an independent body of experts, from decisions of local hospital committees, refusing applications for a trial release from hospitals or homes of mental defectives.

I am not satisfied that there is a sufficient case for modifying the present arrangements.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether, in view of the fact that Defence Regulation 62B will lapse in December next, it is the intention of the Government to renew this regulation, thereby safeguarding the rights of the backyard poultry keepers.

This matter is under consideration, and my right hon. Friend hopes to make an announcement at an early date.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will allow any unused number of a quota of building licences in an urban area to be re-allocated to a rural area, so that aged couples might retire to the latter districts.

If a local authority, out of its allocation, wishes to make such an arrangement with another I am ready to agree.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he will take steps to prevent the illegal practice, in the upper reaches of Portsmouth Harbour, of a form of net fishing, known as pen fishing, which is lethal to young and immature fish.

No. This is a matter for the Southern Sea Fisheries District Committee, who may, if they think it necessary, prohibit or restrict the use of such nets.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why it is considered impracticable to provide separate figures for the capital investment programme in Wales although such figures are provided for Scotland.

The figures for capital investment in Scotland given in the Economic Survey for 1950 are not complete, being only for the parts of those services under the direction of the Secretary of State for Scotland which can be separately identified. Similar information cannot be provided for Wales since there is no separate administration for the Principality as there is for Scotland.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, despite his decision not to introduce amending legislation in connection with town and country planning during the present Session, he will, nevertheless, take steps, by regulation, to authorise the Central Land Board further to extend to cases where planning permission has been refused and particularly to cases where such permission has been refused on the ground that plots are too close to some trunk road, the arrangements for a single house plot owner to set off the development charge which would be payable on a house built on another site against his claim on the £300,000,000 fund for loss of development values.

My right hon. Friend the Minister of Town and Country Planning has asked the Central Land Board to review generally the working of Parts VI and VII of the Town and Country Planning Act, 1947. I regret that I cannot consider the hon. and gallant Member's suggestion until the Board's recommendations have been received.

asked the Secretary of State for War what are the total casualties of all kinds suffered by troops serving in Malaya since January, 1948; and what does the figure of those evacuated through sickness represent as a percentage of the total Force employed.

Battle casualties suffered by troops serving in Malaya between 1st May, 1948, and 28th February, 1950, consisted of 20 officers and 111 other ranks killed and 17 officers and 170 other ranks wounded. In the same period 2 officers and 10 other ranks were accidentally killed, and 1 officer and 23 other ranks were accidentally wounded.During the period 1st January, 1948, to 31st December, 1949, some 30,000 officers and other ranks (excluding personnel of the Malay Regiment) were admitted to hospital. Figures in respect of deaths (excluding those given above) and evacuations from sickness are available only in respect of the Far East Land Forces as a whole, where, during this period, there were 124 deaths and the annual rate of British Army troops evacuated through sickness was some 1.1 per cent. of the average British Army strength.

asked the Secretary of State for War what is the average monthly strength of other ranks serving in the Brigade of Guards, infantry, artillery and air arms during 1938 and 1948.

The average monthly strength of other ranks serving in the Foot Guards, Infantry and Royal Artillery, during 1938 was approximately 7,700, 94,000 and 30,000, respectively. The Army Air Corps was not then in existence. It would be contrary to practice to disclose the corresponding figures for 1948.

asked the Secretary of State for War (1) how many families with one child under one year of age, are living in one room only in the families village, Fayid; and how many with children more than one year of age are living in two rooms only;(2) how many single officers at General Headquarters in the Canal Zone are living in tents; and how many officers are sharing tent accommodation.Mr. STRACHEY,

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power when work on pumping and fencing commenced, in accordance with the assurance given in his Department's letter of 22nd March, on the dangerous water pool at Brantwood Avenue, Monkseaton, which accumulated through opencast coal working.

Work on strengthening the site boundary fence at Brantwood Avenue, Monkseaton, started in mid-March. Work on pumping water began on 3rd April. A fence 5 feet high around the pool was begun on 7th April and completed on 13th April. The remaining water will be reserved for use in site operations.

asked the Minister of Education how many dental officers were employed by local education authorities in Great Britain on 1st July, 1939, 1st July, 1946–47–48–49, respectively.

The available figures relate to January each year and are as follows:

ENGLAND AND WALES SCHOOL DENTAL OFFICERS
Year			Equivalent number of whole-time officers
January, 1939	…	…	783
January, 1946	…	…	634
January, 1947	…	…	753
January, 1948	…	…	921
January, 1949	…	…	866
January, 1950	…	…	738

asked the Postmaster-General how many telephones have been installed in the borough of Reigate in the last 12 months; how many of these are shared and how many exclusive; and how many applicants there are on the waiting list.

438; of these, 145 were provided by sharing lines. 573 applications are outstanding.

asked the Postmaster-General how many telephones have been installed in the rural district of Godstone in the last 12 months; how many of these are shared and how many exclusive; and how many applicants there are on the waiting list.

300; of which 37 were provided by sharing lines. 195 applications are outstanding.

asked the Attorney-General on what date the Legal Aid Act will come into force; and whether he will issue full instructions as to the procedure to be followed by persons wishing to sue the Crown under the Act.

It is hoped to bring into force on 1st October that part of the Legal Aid and Advice Act which has not been deferred and, before that date, to provide the public with full information as to how to apply for legal assistance in the classes of litigation, which the provisions of the Act will then cover. A person wishing to sue the Crown will apply for legal assistance in exactly the same way as a person wishing to take or defend or be a party to any other proceedings.

asked the Minister of Transport the monthly figures of the traffic crossing the ferry at Kyle of Lochalsh during the past year from January, 1948, up to the latest convenient date, showing loaded commercial vehicles, unloaded commercial vehicles, sheep and cattle not in vehicles, private motor cars and passengers, respectively, under separate headings; and what the statutory charges are for each of the above categories.

This ferry is operated by the British Transport Commission, and I have forwarded the hon. Member's request on to the Chairman of the Commission asking him to reply.

asked the Minister of Transport why Kitling Greaves Lane, Horninglow, Burton-on-Trent, is not kept in a proper state of repair.

I understand from the Staffordshire County Council, who are the highway authority responsible, that the road cannot be properly repaired until an adjacent stream, which periodically floods the road, has been culverted; and that negotiations are now proceeding between the county council and the county borough council of Burton-on-Trent, through whose area a section of the stream runs, in regard to the execution of this work.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what help he receives from the Headmasters' Conference in obtaining entrants for the Royal Air Force Cadet College, Cranwell; and whether he has sought or received, or intends to seek, similar help from headmasters of schools not represented in the Headmasters' Conference.

The Headmasters' Conference and the schools represented on it have afforded great assistance in obtaining entrants for the R.A.F. College, Cranwell. Regular machinery has been established for the distribution of careers literature; headmasters and careers masters visit R.A.F. selection and training establishments; and facilities have been provided for schools liaison officers, who are serving R.A.F. officers, to make regular visits to schools with the object of fostering interest in the R.A.F. as a career. Equally valuable help is given by headmasters of schools not represented on the Headmasters' Conference who are approached through the Juvenile Employment Service of the Ministry of Labour and National Service and local education authorities.

asked the Minister of Food what was the cost of distributing in this country the 88,000 tons of apples imported by his Department in 1949.

The cost borne by my Department, including Ministry overheads, was about £640,000. I have no information about the cost of distribution beyond delivery to wholesalers.