asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether it is the policy of His Majesty's Government to implement any of the recommendations in the Massey Report.

Yes. Parliament is now asked to vote an annual purchase grant for the Tate Gallery, but, as my predecessor said in welcoming the recommendations in this Report, complete effect could only be given to them by legislation, which it has not yet been found possible to introduce.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury what was the cost of printing Sir Ernest Gowers book, "Plain Words"; what was the cost of distribution and advertising and the profit; what was the author's remuneration; how many copies were printed; and how many sold.

The number of copies printed was 232,000 and 201,000 have been sold. The cost of printing and publishing, including advertising, was £6,500. The cost of distribution, including trade discounts was £7,000. I do not think it would be appropriate to disclose the author's remuneration. The book was priced in accordance with the average pricing scale for official publications generally, which aims at equalising profits and losses. On "Plain Words" the profit was approximately £6,000.

asked the Minister of Health whether the discussions taking place between his Department and the Liverpool Regional Hospital Board in connection with extending accommodation at Greaves Hall for mental defectives have yet been concluded; and whether a decision can be made known immediately in view of the urgency of the situation in Lancashire.

I have agreed in principle to the extension of Greaves Hall to provide ultimately 1,000 beds: and I understand that plans are being prepared.

asked the Minister of Health whether, having regard to the views of the Cohen Committee on Prescribing that preparations advertised direct to the public should not be prescribed under the National Health Service, he will assist doctors by providing them with a list of equivalent preparations; and if he will forbid the use of such advertised proprietary medicines under the Service.

A list of official counterparts of proprietary preparations is given in the National Formulary. Doctors have already been asked not to order proprietary preparations where the alternative standard drug could be ordered without detriment to the patient's condition.

asked the Minister of Supply to what extent the 200 houses to be built for his Department at Newbury for the staff of Aldermaston Atomic Energy Research Establishment will be occupied on service tenancies.

The houses which it is hoped to build in Newbury for the staff at Aldermaston will be allocated to them on the usual service tenancies.

asked the Minister of Supply whether he is aware that Government and Service Departments are instructed that flax rug should be used as a packing material to the exclusion of wood wool; that this instruction is creating hardship in an industry which was of considerable service during war time; and whether he will now permit free competition as between these two packing materials.

There is no instruction issued by my Department which precludes the use of wood wool for packing Service stores. Its resilience and bulk density are lower than those of flax rug and it is not, therefore, effective when used for certain stores.

asked the Minister of Transport what measures are in force to ensure that the Fawley oil refinery, and the tankers discharging there, do not empty their waste material into the Solent or Southampton Water; and what measure of supervision exists to ensure that such emptying does not take place.

As I informed the hon. and gallant Member on 15th May, the discharge of oil into British territorial waters is prohibited by the Oil in Navigable Waters Act, 1922. In addition the local statutes and by-laws of the Southampton Harbour Board prohibit the discharge of oil, or tank or bilge washings, into the waters of the harbour. I am informed by the Board that the waters of the harbour are patrolled daily and that any cases of oil pollution are investigated at once.I am also informed by the Anglo-American Oil Co. that at present ships bound for Fawley in ballast are required to clean tanks at sea not less than 50 miles from the nearest coast and to arrive with clean ballast. In the new refinery special equipment is being installed to receive waste oil or oily ballast ashore, and the new jetties will be provided with collecting pans to receive any possible minor leakage which might occur from the hoses or shore lines. The most modern facilities are also being installed to avoid pollution from any of the refinery effluents and a special organisation is. being provided to inspect all effluent streams and to ensure that pollution is avoided.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is aware that at the port of Beira on 1st July, 1950, 16 ships were at anchor in the port and ten at the buoys waiting to be discharged, that in particular the s.s., "Settler" had been in the port for 55 days; and whether he will explain the delay in discharging ships with inward cargo.

I have been asked to reply. I am aware that congestion still continues in the Port of Beira but, as I indicated in the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for Kirkdale (Mr. Keenan) on 24th April, special efforts are being made to bring the amount of traffic which the port is required to handle within its capacity.

asked the Minister of Transport to what extent the employment of Canadian registered ships in the United Kingdom coasting trade is allowed by his regulations.

Canadian registered ships are free to trade on the U.K. coast, without discrimination, on equal terms with those registered in the United Kingdom or elsewhere.

asked the Minister of Transport if he can now clarify the regulations about the use of pedestrian crossings at road junctions by pedestrians.

I hope to make a statement on this and other matters affecting pedestrian crossings on re-assembly of Parliament.

asked the Minister of Transport whether it is possible for his Department to come to a final decision as to the width of the carriageways and footways of such highways as pass through cities that are under the jurisdiction of his Department, in view of the fact that failure to come to definite conclusions on these matters is holding up building operations owing to the difficulty of deciding on the building line of new buildings.

The only roads under my jurisdiction are trunk roads, and their future widths, which vary according to the circumstances expected to obtain in the areas through which the roads pass, have in many cases already been agreed with the local authorities for inclusion in development plans. Information as to the proposed width of a trunk road should be readily obtainable by those responsible for building operations either from the local authority or the divisional road engineer and I am not aware of any case where building development is held up for lack of this information.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that large quantities of nylon stockings exported to Gibraltar are re-dispatched for use on the home market in response to orders by post; and what steps he is taking to stop this practice.

I am aware of the existence of this traffic, and I am glad to say that steps have been taken to endeavour to put a stop to it. In addition to the action taken by His Majesty's Customs in the normal course of their duties, and the charging of Purchase Tax as explained by my hon. Friend the Financial Secretary to the Treasury in reply to a Question by the hon. and learned Member for Uford, North (Mr. G. Hutchinson), on 6th April, the Board of Trade have asked all United Kingdom manufacturers not to export nylon stockings to Gibraltar unless there is good reason to be sure that the stockings are required for the genuine domestic requirements of the people there. United Kingdom manufacturers have been warned that their performance in this respect will be taken into account when yarn allocations are being worked out and they are, in fact, co-operating. The Colonial Office have brought the matter to the notice of the Governor of Gibraltar and have also asked his assistance in bringing the practice to an end.

asked the President of the Board of Trade why the claim of Mrs. Eileen George of Newcastle-upon-Tyne for war damage compensation for the destruction in April, 1942, of her home in Meiktila, Burma, has not yet been settled; and if he is aware that Mrs. George submitted full details on Form 10 DLIA to the Burma War Damage Claims Commission on 14th February, 1947, and that the hon. Member for Newcastle, Central, submitted full details of this case to his Department on 22nd May, 1950.

A payment under the extended Far Eastern Private Chattels Scheme was made to Mrs. George on 26th July. My hon. Friend will be aware that the extended scheme was only announced on 27th June, 1949. I am unable to answer for any applications made to the Burma War Damage Commission, which is an agency set up by the Burma Government.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what goods Czechoslovakia is taking in return for the artificial flowers exported to this country.

There is no direct relationship between exports of particular goods from the United Kingdom to Czechoslovakia and imports of artificial flowers from Czechoslovakia. We agreed to issue licences for the import of certain miscellaneous goods from Czechoslovakia, including artificial flowers, as part of the general arrangements recently negotiated for the second year of the Anglo-Czechoslovak Trade and Financial Agreement.

asked the President of the Board of Trade why contracts of over £1 million have been made by His Majesty's Government with Czechoslovakia for the importation into this country of wood oil and bristles originating in China; and whether established British interests in the Far East with facilities for bulk transport and saving of cost were given equal opportunity to participate in this.

Wood oil and bristles are imported on private account. His Majesty's Government have made no contracts for the importation of these commodities from Czechoslovakia though they have agreed, in the course of the negotiation of arrangements for the second year of the Anglo-Czechoslovak Trade and Financial Agreement, to issue licences to private importers up to certain amounts. The second part of the Question does not, therefore, arise.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that the present high price of handkerchiefs is causing inconvenience to many people, especially those with young children; and what steps he is taking to reduce the cost of these articles.

The increases in the prices of handkerchiefs and other cotton goods which have occurred this year are due to increases in the price of raw cotton. I regret that, in view of recent further advances in world prices of raw cotton, we cannot expect to see a reduction in the price of handkerchiefs in the near future.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what research work is being undertaken by the Furniture Development Council.

I understand that the Furniture Development Council hope to devise a system of performance tests. Their object would be to protect the public from inferior furniture and the reputable manufacturer from undesirable competition, while at the same time enabling the enterprising manufacturer to try out new methods of construction and design. The initiation of a new and difficult form of research takes time, but the Council hope that they will be able to report useful progress, which will, of course, involve considerable additional expenditure on research, during the current year.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what salaries are paid to members of the Furniture Development Council.

None, except for the Chairman, whose salary was fixed by the Board of Trade at £2,000 per annum. The other members are only reimbursed for actual out-of-pocket expenses incurred. I am glad to have this opportunity to correct the impression which may have been given by a supplementary Question by the hon. Member for Altrincham and Sale (Mr. Erroll) on 4th July last, that the Council were, in fact, voting themselves large salaries.