asked the Minister of Health when Mr. J. V. Whelan, 481, Foxdenton Lane, Chadderton, Oldham, may expect to receive his hearing aid.

I understand that it is hoped to fit an aid in about four months.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will arrange for bone conduction hearing aids to be supplied under the National Health scheme for those cases which can only be helped by this type of apparatus.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Southampton, Test (Dr. King), on 23rd March last.

asked the Minister of Health if he will give an assurance that no drugs essential to the recovery of a patient under treatment in any hospital or sanatorium under his control are withheld on the grounds of expense.

Yes. If this is done it is without my knowledge or approval.

asked the Minister of Health if he has considered the letter, forwarded to him, in which Messrs. Denis Keen, opticians, inform a resident of Bocking, Essex, that his Department left it to the optical workshops and wholesalers to arrange a scheme of priority for the supply of spectacles and that this scheme has not worked; and if he will endeavour to secure the more efficient operation of the scheme.

Yes. My information is that the present scheme which is arranged by the opticians and others concerned is working as satisfactorily as can be expected.

asked the Minister of Health the number of people in the Stroud urban and rural districts who have been compulsorily transferred from one doctor to another during the last six months.

I understand that 757 persons have been transferred from a doctor, who had more than a maximum list, to his partner. They all, of course, are perfectly free to choose any other doctor if they want to.

asked the Minister of Health what control he exercises over the use of scarce materials by dentists, opticians and makers of surgical appliances under the National Health Service.

Materials used by dentists and opticians are controlled by Regulations. Makers of surgical appliances work to departmental specifications.

asked the Minister of Health what is the number of medicine bottles used for prescriptions for the last 12 months for which figures are available; and what has been the cost of them.

I regret the information is not available.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will give full details of the award made by the Industrial Court for increased salaries for public health and domiciliary nurses and mid-wives.

I will send my hon. Friend a copy.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that the supply of water to the inhabitants of Tollesbury, Essex, is endangered by old and defective pumping machinery; and to what extent he will be able to assist the Maldon Rural District Council to instal new machinery.

This matter was recently discussed with representatives of the district council. The trouble is not only the age of the pumping plant, but also the falling yield of the borehole. Suggestions were made for remedying the defects and the council's proposals will be considered when they are received.

asked the Minister of Health when the Registrar-General's Statistical Review for 1949 will be published.

No date can be given at present. Parts I and II of the Statistical Review for 1948 are now with the printer. Various key figures for 1949 have, however, already been published in the Registrar-General's Weekly and Quarterly Returns.

asked the Minister of Health if he has now given authority to the Hungerford Rural District Council to proceed with the Lambourn Valley Sewerage Scheme which has been under consideration for four years; and if he will state the total cost of the scheme and the amount of Government grant that will be paid.

This scheme has been approved in principle, but I have not yet been able to authorise a start with the work. Authority to proceed will, however, be given as soon as it is practicable in conformity with the capital investment programme. The estimated cost is £140,446 and a grant of £55,000 has been provisionally allocated.

asked the Minister of Health what limits he has set to the length of time for which local councils can hold house property under requisition; and if he is aware particularly of the hardship caused in many cases where leasehold property has been requisitioned for an indefinite period.

Under existing legislation the power to retain property under requisition will expire in December, 1952, but the period can be extended by Order in Council. I am always ready to consider cases of exceptional hardship which may be brought to my notice, but I must have proper regard for the interests of the occupants of the requisitioned premises.

asked the Minister of Health how many housing authorities in Wales took up their housing allocation during the last allocation period; and how many did not.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the general reply on the subject of allocations which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Salford, East (Mr. Hardy), on 28th, April, and of which I am sending him a copy.

asked the Minister of Health if, in allowing individual enterprise building licences in excess of the normal one-fifth of a housing authority's total allocation, he will have regard to the need for farmworkers' houses which, in some districts, cannot be met economically by council building.

Yes.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether there is yet available a satisfactory humane rabbit trap; and, if so, what steps are being taken to encourage its use.

So far as I am aware the Sawyer trap is the only trap designed on humane principles which is available in any quantity. The results of trials recently carried out with it by officers of my Department were not very satisfactory, and further trials with the trap and with a re-designed version of it are to be undertaken next month.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what profit was made on the sale of wool of the 1949 clip over the price paid to farmers; and what will be the estimated profit on the 1950 clip if prices remain at the figure now prevailing.

Disposal of the 1949 wool clip will not be completed until the end of July. A profit is expected but its extent cannot yet be measured. If prices paid to farmers and those realised on sale of the 1950 clip remain at current levels the surplus would be about £2 million.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he proposes to take any action on the recommendation of the Committee on the Organisation of Domestic Food Producers that a National Council for Domestic Food Production should be set up to give encouragement and help to the back-garden farmer.

Yes. I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply I have given today to the hon. Member for Morecambe and Lonsdale (Sir I. Fraser).

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will, for the purpose of Income Tax, make an allowance for the expenses attached to buying law books and lecture fees, for law students, in accordance with particulars which have been sent him.

I understand that the hon. Member has in mind the type of case in which a student is also in employment and is charged to Income Tax on the remuneration of that employment. Under the Income Tax law the only expenses admissible against the remuneration of an employment are expenses necessarily incurred in the performance of the duties of that employment and I could not recommend an alteration of the law.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer in view of the fact that the sum of £20 million spent on day-to-day repair and maintenance of the permanent way of railways in this country has been excluded for the first time from the figures of capital investment in the railways in the Economic Survey for 1950, what was the approximate comparable amount relating to the day-to-day repair and maintenance of roads which is still included in the Economic Survey for 1950 as part of the capital investment in roads.

None. In the case of both the railways and the roads the figures of capital investment given in the Economic Survey for 1950 exclude repair and maintenance work which is of a day-today and minor character, but include all major repair and maintenance work. Broadly, this distinction is one between work which is done as part of periodical inspections and work which is of sufficient size to require a special operation. In the case of roads, an amount of approximately £10 million was excluded from the total shown for capital investment in the Surveys of both 1949 and 1950. In the case of railways, an amount of approximately £20 million in respect of day-today maintenance and repair of the permanent way was included in the Survey for 1949 but excluded in 1950.

asked the Minister of Labour how many registered dock workers in the Port of London on 21st April last were not members of a trade union affiliated to the Trades Union Congress.

I have no information on this point.

asked the Minister of Labour to what extent agreements now in force relating to the employment of dock labourers provide for trade union recognition and for the employment exclusively of trade union labour.

There is a National Joint Council for the Port Transport Industry constituted by agreement between the National Association of Port Employers on the one hand, and the Transport and General Workers Union, the National Union of General and Municipal Workers, the National Amalgamated Stevedores and Dockers, and the Scottish Transport and General Workers Union on the other. It is clear, therefore, that the port employers recognise these unions as representing dock labourers. I am unaware of any agreements between these parties which provide for the employment exclusively of trade union labour.

asked the Minister of Labour whether the three men recently expelled from the Transport and General Workers' Union are now members of any other trade union; and whether they are still employed in the docks.

I have no information on the matter.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will make a statement with regard to the recent strikes of employees of the National Coal Board at Richborough.

I am aware of this dispute. I understand that the men who have been on strike returned to work last Monday and that discussions between the National Coal Board and the trade unions concerned have commenced.

asked the Minister of Labour how many working days were lost through stoppages of work due to industrial disputes in 1920. 1921, 1922, 1947, 1948 and 1949.

The number of working days lost through stoppages of work due to industrial disputes in the years in question were as follows: 1920, 26,568,000; 1921, 85,872,000; 1922, 19,850,000; 1947, 2,433,000; 1948, 1,944,000; 1949, 1,807,000.

asked the Minister of Labour, in view of the shortage of wheelwrights and the amount of work they execute for agriculturists, if he will consider exempting them from National Service.

No. There are, however, special arrangements under which deferment of call-up may be granted in the case of wheelwrights or other rural craftsmen living in remote country districts, if there is evidence that withdrawal of their services would seriously interfere with food production.

asked the Minister of Education what is the purpose of his Regulations preventing a boy from taking the General School Examination, on the basis of an age limit.

The main purpose of the age limit is to ensure so far as possible that approved examinations are taken at the relevant time, that is to say as near as may be to the time of entry to further education or to a career for which the examinations are designed to provide appropriate credentials.

asked the Minister of Education when he expects to be able to publish the revised report of the National Advisory Council on Education for Industry and Commerce on technological training.

I understand that the National Advisory Council have now received comments from most of the main bodies consulted, and a draft of the final report is being prepared for consideration by the Council. When the report is presented to me, I will consider amongst other matters the question of publication, but at present I am unable to give any date.

asked the Minister of Education whether, in relation to estimated population trends, he will state the years when pressure of school population will be eased; and relative to this fact and estimated availability of teachers, when the size of classes will approximate to the desirable standard.

So far as can be foreseen, the peak total of children in primary and secondary schools is likely to be reached in 1958. Infant numbers may reach their peak in 1954, junior numbers in 1957 and senior numbers in 1960. To the second part of the Question I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer which I gave to the hon. and gallant Member for Norwood (Brigadier Smyth) on 6th April last, and to what I said in the House on 4th May in the Estimates Debate.

asked the Minister of Education whether he will give for the county of Glamorgan and the city of Cardiff, for the last date on which statistics are available, the total number of classes in primary schools and in secondary schools, respectively; and the number in each case of classes with not more than 30

asked the Minister of Education if he will give details of the proposed scheme to test the effectiveness of a new treatment designed to protect children's teeth against decay.

Last August I set up a working party to organise an investigation on the prophylactic effect of the local application of a solution of fluorides to school-children's teeth. As part of this investigation, the teeth of about 3,000 children in different parts of the country are now being treated in this way with the consent of their parents. This is a piece of long term research and it may be some years before the results are known.

asked the Minister of Education if he will take steps to see that the National Association of School Masters and the National Union of Women Teachers are represented on the Burnham Committee.

No.

asked the Minister of Education the number of schoolchildren receiving free dinners, dinners on payment and no dinners, respectively, and the number of schools providing and not children on the roll, the number with between 30 and 40, between 40 and 50 and over 50, respectively.

The figures for classes in maintained primary and secondary schools in January, 1949, the latest date for which the information is available, were as follows:providing dinners at the last available date.

On a day in February, the latest date for which I have returns, 299,000 children had their dinner free, 2,300,000 paid for it and 2,516,000 did not have dinner at school. 26,950 schools or departments either had their own canteen or had access to one, and 1,750 did not.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations what representations he has now received from the Prime Minister of South Africa as to the government of the three Protectorates, Bechuanaland, Basutoland and Swaziland.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations whether he is aware that pensions payable by the Government of Pakistan to retired officers of the Indian Police are now, in many cases, much overdue; that such officers on retirement are entitled to receive the amount of the railway fares of their wives and families from their last stations to the port of embarkation, and that these amounts, known as passage gratuities, have also not been paid; and whether he will take immediate steps to secure payment to these officers of all sums due to them.

The delay has been mainly in the divided Provinces. The United Kingdom High Commissioner in Pakistan is in close touch with the authorities concerned, and progress is being made in settling outstanding cases. To avoid hardship, the Pakistan authorities have granted anticipatory pensions where possible. I would be grateful if the hon. and gallant Member would let me have particulars of any cases that have been brought to his notice. Passage gratuities are not payable in every case of retirement. We have had very few complaints about non-payment, but I will give urgent consideration to any outstanding case that is brought to my notice.

asked the President of the Board of Trade when the balance sheet of the Raw Cotton Commission for the period ended July, 1949, will be available.

The balance sheet, together with the Annual Report for the year ending 31st July, 1949, is now in proof, and I understand should be ready for publication in about three weeks' time.

asked the President of the Board of Trade why the Association of Health and Pleasure Resorts has not been allowed to nominate a member to the governing Board of the British Travel and Holidays Association; and whether, in view of the fact that British holidays resorts are unrepresented on this body, he will reverse his previous decision and allow such a nomination.

It does not rest with the Board of Trade to sanction or refuse the nomination of a member by the Association of Health and Pleasure Resorts to the governing body of the British Travel and Holidays Association. There is no provision in the articles of association of the British Travel and Holidays Association for the nomination of members to the Board by other organisations, except in the case of the Tourist Boards of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what quantity of pencils has been imported from Hong Kong recently; and whether the pencils were manufactured in the Colony of were re-exports.

Imports of pencils in the first three months of this year from Hong Kong were 54,453 gross. According to our information these pencils were manufactured in the Colony.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement as to the further steps he now proposes to take concerning the utility cotton goods scheme.

Yes. Following consultations with the cotton industry I have decided to appoint a Committee under the chairmanship of the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade to inquire into the supply position of utility cotton goods and the changes in the utility cotton scheme which may be required in the future.The terms of reference of the Committee are to consider and advise on:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has considered evidence of Communist propaganda issued since 24th April by the Press department of the Soviet Embassy in London in "Soviet News," a copy of which has been sent to him; and, in view of the continuation of this propaganda, if he will take steps to stop the publication of "Soviet News" in future.

I have no power to take such action.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the respective sections of the Justices of the Peace Act will be brought into operation.

Under an Order in Council made on 31st March—Statutory Instrument No. 517—Part I of the Justices of the Peace Act, 1949, except Section 8, Part V except two subsections of Section 29, and the whole or part of 10 other Sections, are to come into force on 1st June next, and Section 13 is to come into force on 1st January next. I cannot say when the remaining Sections of the Act are likely to be brought into force.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware that in the instructions issued to returning officers before the last General Election in regard to the use of motor cars on polling day, under Section 88 of the Representation of the People Act, 1949, no provision was made for the registration of reserve motor cars to take the place of registered motor cars which may break down or be put out of action in the course of the day; and whether he will rectify this omission.

No. This would involve legislation to amend Section 88 of the Act of 1949.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average maintenance cost per head in approved schools and remand homes.

The average weekly cost per head of maintaining children in approved schools is estimated to be £5 12s. in 1950–51. I regret that I cannot give a comparable estimate for remand homes, as figures on which to base an estimate of the average population are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons other than stowaways are known to have arrived in Britain from the Colonies since 1946 without means or prearranged occupation; and what the cost of their maintenance has been to the Government or public authorities.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has yet any statement to make regarding the proposed revision of London taxicab fares.

I have recently received Sir Alan Rae Smith's report on the costs of running taxis in London and it is under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in order to prevent difficulties arising between the passengers and taxicab drivers over the temporary increase of 3d. in charges, he will arrange that a notice, in larger print, be placed in all taxicabs on the window which divides the passengers' and the drivers' seats.

As I indicated in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Dart-ford (Mr. Dodds) on 4th May, I am not aware of any pactical difficulties arising over this simple notice. In any case, most people who use London taxis must by this time know about the increase.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, on occasions when Communist demonstrations are expected in Whitehall, he will arrange for a sufficiently strong guard to be posted near the Cenotaph to prevent the desecration of the National War Memorial.

Police dispositions are a matter for the Commissioner of Police who informs me that in future every possible step will be taken to prevent disorder at the Cenotaph.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what circumstances and on what conditions permission is being granted to representatives of the American Federal Bureau of Investigation to interview Dr. Fuchs.

It is provided by the Prison Rules, 1949, that an officer of police may visit any prisoner who is willing to see him on production of an order issued by or on behalf of the appropriate chief officer of police, such visit being additional to the prisoner's normal entitlement of visits. This provision is intended to relate to visits by officers of British police forces and I am not aware of any precedent for such a visit by police of other countries. The Government of the United States has, however, recently made a request that a representative of the Federal Bureau of Investigation should be allowed to visit the prisoner Klaus Fuchs, and in the exceptional circumstances of this case the request has been granted. In accordance with the usual practice the visit will take place in the presence of a prison officer and will be subject to the usual conditions governing the interviewing of prisoners.

asked the Minister of Town and Country Planning why, while he has sent permission to seven municipalities to continue their rebuilding programmes of bombed sites, he has sent no communication to Liverpool; and when he will be able to announce what grant he intends to give to that city.

asked the Minister of Town and Country Planning if he will make a statement consequent upon his consideration of the rebuilding of the central area of Liverpool.

The level of investment for the reconstruction of blitzed cities is now under consideration, and my right hon. Friend hopes soon to be able to make a statement.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what assistance in supplementary petrol allowances he is prepared to give to members of the Victoria League, not only in offering hospitality to Dominion visitors, but also in raising contributions for the Lord Mayor's Thanksgiving Fund.

If the hon. and gallant Member will let me have more precise information about the petrol requirements of members of the Victoria League for the purposes mentioned, I will be glad to consider what assistance can be given.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he is aware that the amount of petrol allocated for cars registered under section 88 of the Representation of the People Act, 1949, in rural constituencies was inadequate; and whether he will ensure that full use of permitted vehicles will not in future be denied by shortage of petrol.

The allowance of petrol for these vehicles at the last General Election was fixed in consultation with the headquarters organisations of the main political parties and no complaint has been received that the allowance was inadequate.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power if he can provide an estimate of the percentage of dwellings liable to be affected by subsidence within each of the mining districts of Britain, and which fall into the respective categories of protected or non-protected leases or freeholds, in relation to damage likely to be caused.

I regret that I am not able to provide any estimate of the kind which my hon. Friend desires. If the National Coal Board attempted to make an estimate, it would involve a burden of detailed investigation which I should not feel justified in asking them to undertake; and the result might not be sufficiently reliable to serve any useful purpose.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will refrain from evicting ex-Sergeant P. W. Jacobs and his family from the married quarters at Victoria Barracks, Beverley, until arrangements can be made for the provision of a council house by the local authority.

The court order for possession of the quarter now occupied by Mr. Jacobs expires on 14th May, but there is no question of his immediate eviction. My right hon. Friend will consider his case on its merits when more information is available as to what assurance of re-housing the local authorities can give. Consideration must, however, also be given to the interests of serving soldiers who are deprived of the quarters to which they are entitled.

asked the Minister of Transport in what circumstances is it now permissible for private cars to be parked in public thoroughfares at night without lights.

A chief officer of police may give consent for vehicles to stand without lights on any part of a road specially set aside for parking or as a stand for hackney carriages if he is satisfied that the parking place or stand is adequately lighted.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies when the report on the disturbances at Enugu will be published.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Stoke-on-Trent, North (Mr. Edward Davies) on 10th May.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how far the Ngoli system of cultivation, as practised in Tanganyika, has been studied with a view to its trial in the West Indies on small holdings subject to erosion; and with what results.

I am making inquiries of the Governors concerned and will write to the hon. Member when I receive their replies.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what is the policy of the Government of Malaya in regard to the deporting of undesirable Chinese aliens to China.

This matter is con stantly under review, but I am not at present in a position to make any statement.

asked the Minister of Works whether he is aware of the difficulty of obtaining cement in the Winchester district during recent weeks: and whether he will endeavour to improve the position.

I am not aware of any case where urgent work has been held up in this area as a result of a shortage of cement. If the hon. Member has particulars of such cases I shall be glad to have them

asked the Minister of Transport how many motor lorries were sold on the home market in 1949; and how many of these were brought, respectively, by Government Departments.

I have been asked to reply. About 110,000 goods vehicles were supplied to the home market in 1949. Five thousand two hundred and seventy-three were supplied to Government Departments as follows: Admiralty, 78; War Office, 1,472; Air Ministry, 9; General Post Office, 2,799; Ministry of Civil Aviation, 7; Ministry of Works, 54; Ministry of Supply (including vehicles for other Government Departments), 854.

asked the Minister of Food what are the details of subsidies given to the farming industry in respect of home-produced food; and what are the comparable details of subsidies for imported food.

For details of the subsidies paid direct to farmers, I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Economic Secretary to the Treasury on 20th April. For details of subsidies on home-produced foods and on imported foods, I would refer my hon. Friend to my reply to the hon. Member for Ashford (Mr. Deedes) on 8th May.

asked the Minister of Works what is the annual intake of apprentices into the building industry in 1946, 1947, 1948 and 1949; and the present total of apprentices undergoing training.

The intake of apprentices into the building industry in the 12 months ending 1st August, 1949, was about 23,000 and the total of apprentices undergoing training was then about 83,000. These are the latest available figures. There is no precise information of the intake of apprentices in the earlier years, but the following approximate numbers of boys under the age of 18 entered the industry with the intention of learning crafts:

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will now make a further statement as to the position of British ships using the port of Beira.

Yes. My hon. Friend will recall that in my statement of 3rd April I said that negotiations had just been completed in Lisbon between the Governments of the United Kingdom, Southern Rhodesia and Portugal for an agreement for the development of the Port of Beira. I regret to have to state today that our expectation was not fulfilled by subsequent events. The facts are that, in the confident belief that the Portuguese Government had accepted the draft of the Convention as it stood on 31st March, our delegations left Lisbon between 1st April and 3rd April. On the afternoon of 4th April, however, the Portuguese Government raised certain fresh points about the Convention including one of substance which Sir Godfrey Huggins, who returned to Lisbon on 5th April to sign the Convention on behalf of his Government, and His Majesty's Ambassador in Lisbon, who was to have signed the Convention on behalf of His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom, found themselves unable to accept for incorporation in the Convention without giving their Governments an opportunity to examine the issues involved. Sir Godfrey Huggins was therefore obliged to continue his journey to Southern Rhodesia without having signed the Convention. Meanwhile, the Portuguese Government have informed His Majesty's Government in greater detail of the points which they wish to cover and this communication is under consideration in consultation with the Governments of the British Central African territories. The Portuguese Government have also informed His Majesty's Government that they are not prepared to sign the Convention until these outstanding points have been cleared up.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what has been done to implement the recommendation contained in the 1943 White Paper on the Reform of the Foreign Service, that not more than two persons each year who are above the normal age limits should be accepted for the Foreign Service in consideration of their record since completing their education.

The first of an annual series of competitions based upon the White Paper's recommendation will be held this year. As an exceptional measure, four vacancies will be offered in Grade 7 of the Senior Branch of the Foreign Service, although in future not more than two vacancies will be filled from this competition each year.The White Paper recommendation of an upper age limit of 30 years for candidates entering the Foreign Service by this method seems unduly restrictive and it is proposed to abandon this limitation. To qualify for the 1950 competition candidates must be at least 32 years and under 42 years of age on 1st August, 1950. There will be no written examination but candidates will be required to appear before a Selection Board appointed by the Civil Service Commissioners.As regards general qualifications, candidates must have a sound knowledge of international problems and experience of administrative or other work of a responsible nature. In addition, they must be fully conversant with at least one foreign language; candidates with a good knowledge of Chinese, Burmese, Siamese or Arabic are particularly needed.No precise educational standards will be prescribed for this competition, but candidates must satisfy the Commissioners that they are fully capable of performing the duties normally carried out by Grade 7 officers who are usually recruited from University graduates of at least second class honours degree standard.Applications to take the 1950 competition must reach the Civil Service Commissioners before 6th June.