asked the Minister of National Insurance whether she will consider remitting contributions from war pensioners of 50 per cent. war disability.

This matter has been looked into very fully by the National Insurance Advisory Committee. They have advised that disablement pensioners, unless in receipt of unemployability supplements, should pay contributions in the ordinary way.

Would not the right hon. Lady agree, in view of the fact that there was statutory provision for medical attention before the National Health Act was passed, and in view of the rising cost of living, to give some special consideration to these people now?

If the noble Lord makes further inquiry, I think he will find that there is no general demand among Classes 1 and 2 of these pensioners to be excluded. If that were done, they would lose their insurance benefits.

asked the Minister of National Insurance why her regulations do not allow a man, who cannot, because of sickness, qualify with 156 contributions for sickness benefit and other benefits, to pay Class I or Class II contributions during incapacity in order to qualify for such benefits; and what steps she proposes to take to remove this handicap.

I do not think it would be consistent with the principles of the insurance scheme to allow people to pay qualifying contributions after the contingency assured against had arisen.

Do I gather from the right hon. Lady's reply that she sees no end to this vicious circle, either in the present or in the future, by which a man cannot pay contributions and therefore cannot get back to work?

I think that the hon. Gentleman is under a misapprehension. A man who has paid 26 contributions qualifies for sickness benefit, and that covers him for the year.

asked the Minister of National Insurance (1) with which countries reciprocal arrangements for National Insurance benefits have been made;

(2) with what countries negotiations are now taking place with a view to establishing reciprocal arrangements under the National Insurance Scheme.

Reciprocal arrangements have been made with five Governments, and negotiations for further agreements are taking place with three of them and with five others. With permission, I will circulate the details in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Is the Minister aware that many English women whose husbands lived, for example, in New Zealand and who have returned to spend their widowhood in this country, are not able to draw the benefit to which they are entitled? Will she expedite negotiations. particularly with these Dominions?

We are very sympathetic, of course, with the needs of these women. We have already made reciprocal arrangements with New Zealand as far as family allowances are concerned. We are quite prepared to go further, if we can come to some arrangement which is mutually acceptable.

What steps will be needed to bring the Channel Islands into these reciprocal arrangements?

We are quite prepared to discuss the matter with the Channel Islands.

Following are the details:

Reciprocal arrangements are in operation with Northern Ireland and the Isle -of Man for National Insurance, Industrial Injuries Insurance, and family allowances; with the Irish Republic for sickness, maternity and unemployment benefits and for the insurance of seamen; with New Zealand for family allowances; and with France for National Insurance and Industrial Injuries Insurance. It is hoped that a multilateral agreement on social security, signed by the five Brussels Treaty Powers, will be ratified by this country next month. Negotiations are taking place for further agreements with Australia, New Zealand, the Irish Republic, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Denmark.

asked the Minister of National Insurance the reasons for including in the yearly means of applicants for non-contributory old age pensions a figure of 5 per cent. of the capital value of any capital owned by such applicants.

The rules governing the treatment of capital held by applicants for non-contributory pensions are laid down by the Statute. They enable a full pension to be paid to a single person with £865, or to a married couple with £1,730, where there are no other incomes. These sums do not seem to me to be inadequate in relation to pensions for which the applicants have paid no contributions.

Does the right hon. Lady agree that it is not right to assume that the money which these people have saved yields an income of 5 per cent. when, if it is invested in an industry that has been nationalised, it will yield only 3 per cent., and it is subject to a double means test, which is most unfair?

I think the hon. Gentleman has in mind the 1908 Act. He will recall the provisions of that Act, and the subsequent Acts of 1919 and 1924, which were finally consolidated in the 1936 Act, which is the Act expressing the law today.

What rate of interest is it assumed that this capital brings in?

That is another question, Sir.

I beg to give notice that, in view of the unsatisfactory nature of the reply, I propose to raise the matter on the Adjournment at an early date.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of persons now registered as disabled under parts 1 and 2, respectively, on the disabled persons' register for the county borough of Oldham and the Urban District of Chadderton, respectively.

The number of registered disabled persons recorded as unemployed at Oldham employment exchange on 20th March was 200, of whom 45 were classified as unlikely to obtain employment other than under sheltered conditions. The corresponding figures for Chadderton were 40 and 11 respectively.

While congratulating the hon. Gentleman on the very great improvement in the figures, may I ask whether he will consider extending the Salford facilities to Oldham?

I will look into the matter and let my hon. Friend know.

asked the Minister of Labour what decision has been taken with regard to the future of the Belgrave Cotton Treading Mill at Oldham.

This centre, having served its purpose, will be closed when the lease expires on 29th September next.

Will my right hon. Friend say whether any consultations have taken place between his Department, the Members for Oldham and the Town Council of Oldham since the decision was made, and also whether it is not a fact that this centre has paid its way over this period and is greatly valued? Will he consider representations which have been made to extend its period of life?

It should be borne in mind what was the purpose of this centre. It was established to demonstrate to the cotton industry the value of this modern system of training full-time operators.

Over 1,000 trainees passed through the centre, and it is felt that the Government ought not to carry on the responsibility for training any more incoming people. However, I will look into the matter, as the hon. Gentleman suggests.

asked the Minister of Labour how many able-bodied British and European voluntary worker personnel are employed in his Department's hostels in Scotland as compared with the number of disabled British ex-Service men.

There are 180 able-bodied workers and 16 registered disabled persons on the staff, including 10 ex-Service men, of whom nine are British and one a Pole. The remaining six are civilians.

asked the Minister of Labour how many vacancies exist in his Department for factory inspectors; and at what rate these vacancies are being filled.

There are at present 51 vacancies on the establishment of the Factory Inspectorate and two open competitions are being held this year with a view to filling them. In the last three years some 90 recruits have been obtained.

In view of the importance and value of the work of this branch and the difficulty they are having because the staff is so far below establishment, is my right hon. Friend satisfied that the wages and conditions offered are adequate to attract the right type of people?

There can be no question at all about the importance and value of this work, but we have to work in these matters in line with the established conditions laid down for the Civil Service generally.

What percentage is 51 of the total establishment, because it is a very high figure? Does not the Minister agree that a starting salary of £350 a year for a graduate of 21 or 22 is not going to attract the right type of men?

Do ex-Service men over 40 years of age get any preference for these appointments?

I could not say without notice.

asked the Minister of Labour the total number of unemployed persons in Portsmouth at the last convenient date in March, 1950, and in March, 1948.

Four thousand, one hundred and thirty-six at 13th March, 1950; 2,393 at 15th March, 1948.

In view of the great increase of unemployment in Portsmouth, will the Minister look into it to see what can be done to help?

Yes, Sir, I can assure the hon. Gentleman that, in conjunction with the President of the Board of Trade, very great attention is being given to the area,. and some industries have already been, induced to establish themselves there

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the total number of sheep in Wigtownshire on 4th June, 1939, and 4th June, 1949, respectively.

The total number of sheep returned in the county of Wigtownshire as at 4th June, 1939, and 4th June, 1949, were 156,598 and 128,835 respectively.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that this drop in the sheep' population in this and the neighbouring county is causing great concern, and will he bear in mind the necessity for keeping a proper balance between sheep farming and afforestation, because the increasing acreage for afforestation is responsible for the decline?

I think the hon. Gentleman has missed the point that the sheep population has risen since the severe winter of 1947 by about 18,000.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that in this constituency between 1945 and 1950 there has. been a decline of 1,825 political sheep?'

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will now grant leases to the tenants of the farms owned by the Department of Agriculture for Scotland at Dunragit, Wigtownshire.

I regret that I cannot grant new leases to these tenants without prejudicing the carrying out of land settlement operations as opportunity offers. The lands were, of course, acquired for the specific purpose of land settlement.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the answer he has given will cause great dissatisfaction to those who are concerned, because they might have expected the same kind of security of tenure under a Socialist Government as that Socialist Government has imposed upon the tenants of private land?

I do not think that meets the point. This land was acquired for certain specific purposes, the primary one being land settlement.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has any further statement to make on the steps proposed to deal with the crisis in the inshore fishing and herring industry.

The eventual effects of decontrol on fish prices are not yet known; but in the meantime the Government are actively examining the position of all sections of the white fishing industry.

Has the right hon. Gentleman quite grasped the gravity of this crisis? At this moment it does not sound so. Does he realise that unless there is a substantial cut in costs or an increase in prices, boats simply will not fish? What is he going to do about it?

I am a little delighted by the hon. Gentleman's dissatisfaction with private enterprise, but even private enterprise should be allowed to run a little longer than it has done before we make changes in prices.

Is the right hon Gentleman aware that it is not private enterprise but Government controls which are adding to the cost?

Unless I have badly misunderstood the hon. Gentleman, I thought he inferred that he wanted more Government control. If he does not, perhaps he will let me know what he does want.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the principal problem for fishermen is the high cost of transport on British Railways, which is not private enterprise at all?

I think I should admit right away that railway costs, so far as Scottish fishermen are concerned, are quite a considerable factor, but they are not the only factor determining the stability or efficiency of this industry.

Will the Minister bear in mind the heavy charge of all freight costs, and try to see if some new scheme to enable a flat rate for fish freight cannot be devised?

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what conclusion he has reached as a result of his consideration of the report of the Inter-Departmental Committee on the Fishing Industry in Aberdeen.

The Report of the Committee has been considered by the Government. Aberdeen is at an admitted disadvantage compared with other ports because of the high cost of transporting coal to the port and fish to the English market; on the other hand, Aberdeen is nearer the northern fishing grounds and also lands a high proportion of high quality fish. It is difficult to assess the extent to which fish from Aberdeen is in effective competition with fish from other ports. The economic balance is therefore difficult to strike. In any event the cost of fuel and the cost of sending fish to England are only two aspects of the economy of the fishing industry at Aberdeen. Moreover representations have been made to the Government by all sections of the white fishing industry that the industry as a whole is facing serious difficulties and its position is being actively examined. The Government have therefore concluded that the difficulties at Aberdeen should be considered as part of that wider examination.

At Aberdeen as at other ports there are, of course, problems which arise from the layout of the facilities a' the port and the organisation of the various sections of the industry. Steps have already been taken to improve the facilities for the handling of coal; and I am glad to say that, with the concurence of the industry, the Scottish Council (Development and Industry) at my request have agreed to set up a Working Party to consider whether further improvements are practicable.

While thanking the Minister for that reply, may I ask him whether, as he is so keenly aware of the disadvantage which the North of Scotland fishermen suffer as the result of the removal of the flat rate, he will see that the procedure adopted by the Scottish Council is expedited before any further damage is done?

During the Debate on fishing on Thursday, will the right hon. Gentleman be able to put forward constructive suggestions ac to the Government's proposals to help the fishing industry?

I think we had better await the Debate.

I think we have already had quite enough. We had better pass to the next question.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is aware that vaccinations are being carried out on a wide scale throughout Scotland, but that medical practitioners have not yet received any payment for this work, nor any indication of what payment may be offered; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

I am indebted to all medical practitioners who co-operated so zealously in vaccinating over the last few weeks. I am bound to point out, however, that vaccination is considered to be a normal part of good general practice, and so for general practitioners inside the National Health Service no special payment for these services is due. Negotiations, however, are in progress between the British Medical Association and the local authority associations to secure agreement on a fee to be payable by the authorities for reports from practitioners giving particulars of vaccinations and immunisations carried out

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, in view of the recent outbreak of smallpox in Glasgow originating in a fever hospital, he is satisfied with the present arrangements for protecting nursing staffs from the risk of contracting smallpox, and that the hospital boards are taking the necessary steps.

It is, of course, the general rule that the staffs of smallpox hospital units should be drawn entirely from persons protected by vaccination. While emphasising the desirability of vaccinations for staffs employed at fever hospitals or otherwise liable to come into contact with smallpox, my right hon. Friend the Minister of Health and I do not feel justified under present circumstances in making vaccination an obligatory condition of service.

Why not?

We are, however, reminding hospital and other authorities of the need to ensure that vaccination is offered to all persons on recruitment to such staffs, and re-vaccination offered periodically to all persons so employed.

Would the right hon. Gentleman consider the advisability of introducing regulations which will ensure that no nurse who has not been vaccinated will be permitted to treat a patient suffering from smallpox?

I have already pointed out that the superintendent and staff of hospitals have duties which are normally discharged in that fashion. While I will look at the subject again, I doubt if have the power so to order.

As there is not much business for the Session, why not get the power?

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he proposes to make any investigation into the circumstances in which members of the nursing staff of the Glasgow Isolation Hospital contracted smallpox; and when each of them was last vaccinated.

The patient who was the primary source of infection was admitted to hospital suffering from pneumonia and the eight nurses who contracted smallpox were direct contacts of this patient. From investigations which I have already put in hand, I understand that of the three nurses who died none had been successfully vaccinated. The other five, all of whom are recovering, had been vaccinated more than once, the last occasion being some years ago.

When almost every country in the world insists upon vaccination before people are allowed to land, is it not quite fantastic that young women should be allowed to work in an isolation hospital with all the risks of nursing smallpox patients without our insisting that they should be vaccinated, too?

Of course, there are two points to be made. First of all, these nurses did not know—the diagnosis had been thoroughly made—that the patient they were nursing in the first stage was a smallpox contact.

Have we to wait until three women die before we bring in a regulation which every other country in the world insists on?

If I am to follow the logic of the hon. Gentleman—I understand his concern and I do not want to be thought hostile—I am being asked to insist that every nurse nursing any patient must be vaccinated. We are having difficulty in recruiting nurses, and it would seem to me at any rate not obvious that we should impose on nurses a condition which we do not impose on the rest of the community.

Can the right hon. Gentleman say how many of the people who died or caught smallpox on this occasion were vaccinated?

I do not think I can add to the answer which I have given.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps are taken in the fever hospitals under his control to see if vaccinations for smallpox are successful or not.

The normal procedure is that the doctor who has performed the vaccination inspects the result and if the vaccination has not been successful he repeats it. Records are kept of all vaccinations and re-vaccinations and their results so that the medical superintendents of the hospitals may have current information of the state of protection of their staffs. I am, however, reminding hospitals and local authorities of their appropriate responsibilities.

In view of the fact that not one of the nurses who died had been successfully vaccinated, surely they should at least have been warned and steps taken to see that they were properly vaccinated?

I have no reason to believe that well-trained professional nurses have any doubts on this subject.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether all hospitals in Glasgow and the West of Scotland were notified of the presence of smallpox contacts in their areas during the recent outbreak; and why the late Dr. Janet Fleming, while suffering from a virulent form of smallpox, was admitted in the ordinary way as a patient to Hairmyres Hospital, Lanarkshire, and remained there for three days under observation, during which period responsible medical authorities had in their possession official notification that she was a smallpox contact.

As the answer is necessarily lengthy I will, with permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

I wonder if my right hon. Friend could answer two points now? First, could he say how many contacts originated from Dr. Fleming's case; and secondly, is he completely satisfied that the handling of this outbreak in its initial stages does not merit further and closer inquiry?

I could not answer the first point without notice. As to the second point, I am as keenly as I can examining the outbreak in all its aspects. I do not want anyone to think I am satisfied with the arrangements but, on the other hand, I want to make it quite clear that such gaps as there were should not occasion public alarm. There were no great gaps, but naturally I would welcome any assistance of hon. Gentlemen in perfecting this scheme.

The following is the reply:

It is the function of the medical officers of health to keep all known smallpox contacts in their areas under observation. and they would at once notify any hospital to which such a person was removed. As an additional precaution every hospital throughout the West of Scotland was informed by the Western Regional Hospital Board immediately smallpox had been diagnosed in Knightswood Hospital, and they were asked to be on the lookout for possible secondary cases among new patients. Dr. Fleming was admitted to Hairmyres Hospital, suffering from a condition diagnosed as an acute abdominal one, on the morning of 27th March before anyone in Hamilton knew that she was a smallpox contact. As soon as it was known that she was a smallpox contact, the hospital authorities made special clinical and laboratory examinations. This evidence, I am assured, was thought to exclude a diagnosis of smallpox. At a later stage, however, the development of her illness indicated that she was suffering from an unusual form of smallpox and she was at once removed to the smallpox hospital, where unfortunately she died.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the recent outbreak of smallpox in Scotland; and if he will examine the possibility of having all infectious disease hospitals managed by the local authorities so that one authority will be responsible for the entire administrative duties necessary to combat and eliminate infectious diseases.

There is nothing to add to the statement made by my hon. Friend in reply to the hon. Member for Darwen (Mr. Prescott) last Thursday.

In the light of experience during the recent outbreak, I am reviewing the arrangements for co-operation between hospitals and public health departments with particular reference to the control of infectious disease. I have, however, no reason to think that it is necessary to rearrange hospital services in the fashion suggested.

May I ask my right hon. Friend not to close his mind to the possibility of that, because he has already admitted that he will examine the problem. If he does that, I hope he will realise that one of the problems here was that two organisations were attempting to deal with this serious problem—the regional board and the local authority —and that means bad organisation.

I quite gladly repeat the admission I have made, but the most obvious flaw was not a lack of liaison between these two services.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what reply he proposes to make to the request of Ayr County Council for an additional allocation for houses for fishermen.

I am prepared to consider the special circumstances of particular fishing areas where it can be shown that the lack of houses is hampering necessary recruitment from other areas and I am ascertaining from the county council what specific proposals they desire to submit.

In view of the very great shortage of houses for fishermen in Ayrshire, may we assume that there is no discrimination against fishermen, as such, compared with other sections of the community?

Certainly there is not.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how the new proposals on housing will affect the progress of housing in Scotland.

Housing progress depends on several things, including the supply of labour and materials available from time to time. But subject to this, the restoration of the recent cut in housing expenditure will enable local authorities in Scotland to plan for an increase in the housing programme to the level of about 27,500 houses for 1952.

Can we take it that the suggestion that there should be a greater number of three-apartment houses is now to be withdrawn?

I should be glad to consider any submissions on the subject, but I have not come to that conclusion.

Have local authorities been advised that they can proceed now to plan for an additional number of houses and of the number for which they may plan?

No, Sir. The hon. and gallant Gentleman will remember that it is only a few weeks since I made the last allocation. The number here, while quite substantial and very welcome, is not very great, but I shall be discussing the subject further with the local authorities.

Does my right hon. Friend agree that the demand for a greater number of three-apartment houses came from the local authorities themselves?

In many areas, particularly industrial areas, that was the case.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the number of houses in Edinburgh under construction at 31st March, 1950; the number of houses in the 1950 programme not yet begun; and the number of houses allocated for 1951.

At 31st March the Corporation had 860 houses under construction: the number of houses in their 1950 programme of 1,200 houses on which work had not begun was 953 but it is proper to add that originally part of the Edinburgh allocation of 1,200 houses was phased to begin in the second and third quarters of this year. It was only at the beginning of the year that the Corporation were told that they could bring forward the starting of these houses if they wished. The allocation recently made to the Corporation for 1951 was 1,600.

With reference to the last part of the reply, may we have an assurance that the Corporation will have a labour force sufficient not only to complete the houses not yet begun, but the new allocation which they have received?

Obviously I cannot give assurances of that kind. I will give every assistance I can to any local authority, but the job lies between the local authority and the contractors.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the total number of crans of herring, and their value, landed in Stornoway between 1st January and 31st March, 1950; and the total number and value landed at Ullapool between the same dates.

Two thousand and seventy-eight crans of herring, valued at £5,819, were landed at Stornoway between 1st January and 31st March, 1950. Between the same dates 24,496 crans of herring, valued at £78,579, were landed at Ullapool.

Will the Minister see that every encouragement is given to the Herring Industry Board to develop the port of Ullapool? Does he appreciate that there is great concern about the withdrawal of the flat rate for transport from Ullapool and that that is likely to interfere greatly with the herring fishing industry in that port?

I am always glad to assist the excellent and efficient Herring Industry Board in discharging its job when it invites my help.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what proposals he is considering for the dispersal of the population of the towns in Scotland in the event of an atomic bomb attack.

The Government's proposals for dispersal of population in Scotland in the event of war are contained in a memorandum issued last week and entitled "Short-Term Plan for Evacuation." I am sending the hon. Member a copy.

Does the right hon. Gentleman think that even an H-bomb would disperse a swarm of Covenanters?

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is aware that during April 84 building trade operatives left housing scheme work in the city of Edinburgh; and if he will give an assurance that adequate labour is available to carry out the city's housing programme.

I understand that the facts are as stated by my hon. Friend, although it should be stated that of the 84 men 54 were labourers. The responsibility for ensuring that satisfactory progress is maintained on housing contracts rests primarily with the contractors. I have no doubt, however, that the Corporation are taking steps to see that their schemes are adequately manned

Will my right hon. Friend make a special point of seeing that these hitches do not occur in view of the deplorable overcrowding in Edinburgh?

My hon. Friend must understand—I know he does so—that the primary responsibility must rest with the local authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has considered the evidence submitted to him by the hon. Member for Caithness and Sutherland which revealed that some of his constituents are living in condemned houses without water or sanitation and in shacks which are unfit for human habitation; and if he will take immediate steps to increase the number of houses allocated to local authorities in the two counties.

I have recently received letters from the hon. Member about two unsatisfactory dwellings in Sutherland. I have naturally taken the appropriate action. The local authorities in the Counties of Caithness and Sutherland (including the burgh authorities) have at present a total of 178 houses under construction, and three weeks ago I allocated a total of 118 additional houses to them. The completion of these houses will keep the local industry fully occupied for some time.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the current issue of the "John-O'-Groats Journal" states that the waiting lists are "monstrous "? Is he also aware that we have the stones, the lime, the bricks, and even the timber and idle labour, and will he set these resources and this labour to work to cure the situation about which I have given him evidence?

I should be delighted to have any evidence from the hon. Gentleman about skilled labour which could be more fully employed on this task there or elsewhere.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland why the two sons of Mr. and Mrs. J. MacRae of Castle Dhu, Erribol, by Tongue, Sutherland, have been deprived of education since May, 1949; and why the letter which the parents then addressed to the director of education requesting education for the children has not been acknowledged or replied to.

I am informed that Mr. and Mrs. MacRae refused the transport offered to enable their sons to attend the nearest school some 12 miles away and have declined to allow a teacher to instruct the boys in their own home. I am also informed that the education offices have not left unattended any letter received from the parents.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what progress he is making with the returning officers in Scotland for a more efficient and expeditious organisation being evolved for conducting the ballot arrangements for future Parliamentary elections; and if he will, before making any decision, arrange to meet Scottish Members of Parliament, representative of all parties, and consider any suggestions which may be presented at such a meeting.

Arrangements have been made for matters relating to the conduct of elections to be discussed further with the returning officers on 22nd May. If Scottish Members wish that I should meet them in this connection, I shall, of course, be at their disposal.

Will my right hon. Friend take responsibility for convening the meeting through the usual channels?

Certainly.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland, having regard to the fact that Part III of the Agriculture (Scotland) Act, 1948, has now been 'brought into force, what traps he has approved for the purposes of Section 51) (I) (b) of that Act.

Pending the approval of a suitable type and make of trap and its production in sufficient quantities, I have by the Agriculture (Spring Traps) (Scotland) Order, 1950, authorised the use throughout Scotland of spring traps of any make for the purpose of killing hares and rabbits, provided that they are used only in rabbit holes.

May I take- it that the principle on which the right hon. Gentleman is working is to see that the traps used are calculated to give the least suffering?

I cannot add anything to the answer I have given.

Can the right hon. Gentleman give an assurance that there will be no change except by regulation under the Act, and that until there are sufficient quantities of new traps available no such regulation will he presented?

Until there are such quantities of spring traps, there will be no change.

It will have to be done by regulation?

Does that answer mean that the Minister has now brought the law applicable to Scotland into line with the law in England?

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has considered the letter of 11th April addressed to the Department of Health by the Fife County Council regarding the salaries of nurses; and what answer he has made.

Fife County Council were informed on 17th April that a claim for increases in the salaries of public health nurses, including domiciliary nurses and midwives and health visitors, had been referred for arbitration to the Industrial Court. The Court heard the case yesterday.

Is the right hon. Gentleman fully aware of the effects of the poor salaries offered to domiciliary nurses upon the increased demand for hospital beds on account of the lack of home nursing?

I am quite aware of the relationship, but I am sure that the hon. Gentleman is not asking me to set aside the appropriate machinery for discussing claims of this kind.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will, in view of the restoration of the cuts in the housing programme, increase the number of building licences for Orkney and Shetland.

I am keeping the position with regard to privat,- building under review, but I have at present nothing to add to the statement which I made on 29th March in reply to the hon. Member for Springburn (Mr. Forman).

Will the Secretary of State bear in mind that both county councils are anxious to get an increased allocation and that tenants are finding difficulty in paying rents?

That is a matter of general concern.

Is the Secretary of State aware that Orkney County Council refused an offer of Swedish timber houses, and will he assure us that he will not try to make up for this by issuing a disproportionate number of private licences under political pressure, but will allocate according to need in all areas?

Since the Liberal Whip showed by his vote that he was perfectly satisfied will the housing programme of the Government for Orkney and Shetland before the restoration of the cuts, is it not ungrateful of him to chase the Government now?

That has nothing to do with the Question.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland why housing improvement grants under the Agricultural (Scotland) Act, 1948, are restricted to a maximum of £250 whereas similar improvements made under the Housing (Scotland) Act, 1949, qualify for a grant up to £300.

Grants for improvements to housing under Section 77 of the Agriculture (Scotland) Act, 1948, are made on the cost of materials and skilled labour. Grants under the Housing (Scotland) Act, 1949, are made on the full cost.

Why should there be this difference between the improvements to houses of citizens? Is the agricultural worker and crofter and farmer not entitled to exactly the same kind of grant as any other citizen? Does the right hon. Gentleman realise that his own Department, because of the injustice of this lesser allowance, is trying to get round the Act and to give crofters and others a chance of getting £300?

I am not aware of that. The difference is due to a fact which I have previously explained to the hon. Gentleman, which is that in the crofting communities, with which I am glad he is now making some acquaintance, the normal procedure has been for the crofter to make the major part of the construction himself.

asked the Secretary of State for War (1) whether he will refrain from evicting further families from No. 8 Families Camp, Maghull, unless alternative accommodation other than institutional accommodation is provided for them;

(2) whether he is willing to release accommodation in the Military Camp, Poverty Lane, Maghull, for the accommodation of the eight adults and 11 children whom he evicted from No. 8 Families Camp, Maghull, on 30th March, and who have subsequently all been housed in a single room at the British Legion Club, Maghull.

I have every sympathy with ex-Service families in No. 8 Families Camp, Maghull, who are required to vacate the camp, but the accommodation is very urgently wanted for the families of serving soldiers whose needs are equally pressing. For the present, however, no further evictions will be made. I am considering whether some, or all, of the accommodation mentioned by the right hon. Member can be released by my Department, but I should make it clear that the provision of alternative accommodation is a matter for consideration by the local authority.

Is the right hon. Gentleman not aware that he has had this matter before his Department for eight weeks and that, owing to his inability to come to a decision more rapidly, these unfortunate people have for the last four weeks had to share a single room and to sleep on a stone floor? Can he not in these circumstances expedite his decision?

The only decision we can expedite is whether this alternative camp can be released; but of course we are not a housing authority, and we cannot then decide that it should he used for housing.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that in the main these families came from overseas and thus were cut off from ordinary opportunities of getting housing, and will he impress upon the Minister of Health the need to give some special consideration to ex-Service men in such a plight?

We always want the interests of ex-Service men to be served, but I think that they must be considered with those of other members of the population also; and this accommodation is needed for men coming back from overseas.

asked the Secretary of State for War why King Farouk has been made a General of the British Army.

The honorary rank of General was conferred on King Farouk by His Majesty the King. The conferment of honorary rank in His Majesty's Forces on the heads of foreign States and other distinguished foreign persons is a matter which lies within the Royal Prerogative.

rose—

No supplementary questions can be allowed on this Question.

I desire to raise a point of Order, Mr. Speaker, and to ask you whether, in future, in view of the constitutional position, any Questions relating to the conferment of rank or honours upon a foreign Sovereign will not be admitted at the Table, and that any reference will be forbidden in debate?

The noble Lord is perfectly right. I have no doubt he noticed the way in which, my attention having been drawn to the answer, no supplementary questions were allowed. I can assure the noble Lord that now we know the facts nothing more of that kind will appear on the Order Paper.

asked the Lord President of the Council where H.M.S. "Campania," carrying the seaborne exhibition organised by the Festival of Britain Council, will begin and end her voyage; by what route she will travel; what will be the total cost of the whole voyage and the visits which this exhibition will pay to towns and cities; how much of that total cost will be incurred by visiting Greenock; and how much by travelling to and visiting Dundee.

The Festival ship "Campania" will begin her tour at Southampton. She will then go direct to Dundee and will visit a number of ports in England and Wales, ending at Greenock at the end of the Festival season. The total cost of the whole voyage, including conversion and fitting-out and re-conversion, will not exceed £500,000. It is not practicable to estimate what proportion of this total will be expended on visits to Greenock and Dundee.

Why should this ship double backwards and forwards in this way when, in a shorter time and with less expense, it could go from Greenock to Dundee via the Pentland Firth?

My hon. and learned Friend is engaging in subjective reasoning. He has a motive that he wants to get Aberdeen included. I have no doubt that those in charge of the ship would know much more about navigation than I do or, probably, than my hon. and learned Friend does, and have very good reasons for what they are doing.

Will this ship fly the White Ensign, and what is the nature of the exhibition? Is it to be an exhibition of navigational science, or a frolic?

It is an exhibition within the limits of the capacity of the ship, aimed at reproducing the outstanding features of the Festival exhibition. As to what flag it will bear, I really do not know.

Can the right hon. Gentleman state what are to be the charges for people visiting the exhibition aboard this ship?

If the hon. Member wants that answer, he had better put down the Question.

asked the Lord President of the Council if he will take steps to arrange that during the voyage along the coasts of Scotland of H.M.S. "Campania," carrying the seaborne exhibition organised by the Festival of Britain Council, she will call at convenient ports to enable the people in, and visitors to, Oban, Stornoway, Inverness, Elgin, Nairn, Fraserburgh, Peterhead and Aberdeen and surrounding districts to see the exhibition.

No, Sir. I regret that it is not possible to arrange for the ports mentioned by my hon. and learned Friend to be visited by the "Campania" as the programme of visits already arranged for the seaborne exhibition of the Festival of Britain covers the whole of the Festival season.

As people in English ports, particularly in the south of England, will have easier access to the London part of the Exhibition, can the Lord President say why this ship is going round by the south coast of England, instead of by the north of Scotland, from Greenock to Dundee, so as to enable people in the north of Scotland to see it?

I admire my hon. and learned Friend's pursuit of his constituency interests, but there will be a number of features of the Festival in Scotland besides the journey of the "Campania."

Does the Lord President realise that, as regards the exhibition for the Festival of Britain, Aberdeen does not feel that it is getting its fair share?

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the number of shillings coined during 1949 as compared with previous years.

Forty million five hundred thousand shillings were struck in 1949 compared with 91 million in 1948 and an average of 30 million in the three previous years.

Is the Chancellor aware that there is a shortage of shillings and that a great many people depend upon shillings for heating purposes and for getting baths, and for the convenience of the public could he see that more are coined in future?

There is, in fact, a surplus of shillings in the banks, and the question is whether employers will draw them out and put them in wage packets. If employers will take out more shillings and fewer two-shilling pieces and half-crowns, more shillings will be put into circulation. We are trying to encourage this to happen.

Will the Chancellor give orders to the nationalised industries?

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why the weekly figures of National Savings are being presented in a new form which will include interest on past savings; and if he will take steps to ensure that the weekly statement is published in both forms in future.

The new form does not include any information which was not available in the old form. It merely rearranges the figures, and publication in both forms is therefore unnecessary.

Is not the inclusion of accrued interest in the returns a device to make the savings returns better than they are, and is it not further evidence that the Government are beginning to realise that under their control the credit of this country is falling?

No, Sir.

Of course it has fallen.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what inquiries he has made of the National Savings Movement as to the causes of the net deficit in National Savings; and what is the result of such inquiries.

Special inquiries are unnecessary as I am kept informed of the trend of savings and the views of the National Savings Movement by the National Savings Committee. I have already stated that I do not regard last year's excess of withdrawals over new savings as unnatural in present circumstances; but I would emphasise again the need for the maximum new saving in the current year.

Is the right hon. and learned Gentleman prepared to inform the House of the views on this matter which he says the Savings Committee have given to him?

Those views have been expressed by Lord Mackintosh on behalf of the Savings Committee and I do not think I need repeat them here.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in the case of motor cars ten years old or over, some reduction in taxation can be granted, in view of the hardship to many of the less well-to-do people who are faced with a high rate of taxation at the present time.

No, Sir.

Does the Chancellor realise how very inequitable it is to make those people who are less well off and cannot obtain new motor cars, in many cases pay double what has to be paid by others? Where is the justice?

No, Sir. I think it was explained at the time that the difference was very much affected by the fact that the person who buys the new motor car pays 33⅓ per cent. tax on the car and that that equalises the burden between the two.

Was not the explanation utterly inadequate?

Has the Chancellor borne in mind that to keep these old cars on the road is in effect lessening the demand upon the motor industry for new cars, and will he look at the question from that viewpoint?

Certainly, and that is one of the reasons which enable them to export more.