asked the Minister of Education whether school teachers employed in schools coming within the jurisdiction of his Department must, as a condition of their employment, be members of the National Union of Teachers.

I impose no such requirement. I have, moreover, informed the Durham local education authority, who are contemplating such a requirement, that, while I favour teachers joining a union or professional organisation, I do not consider that they should be coerced into doing so by the action of their employing authority. If the authority were to persist in the line of action proposed they might find themselves, as a result, unable to discharge their statutory obligations. I could not remain indifferent to this threat to the educational service and, if need be, I should use the powers which the Act gives me to prevent it.

asked the Minister of Education how many new deaf schools are to be provided in the immediate future; how many school places there are in these and other extensions of existing premises; and what are the locations of new schools for the deaf.

In addition to some 120 new places already taken into use in 1950, more than 200 are now in course of provision. Work on providing a further 180 new places for the deaf and 300 for the partially deaf is expected to begin before the end of 1951. This work is mainly in the form of extensions to existing schools but includes three new schools for the deaf in mid-Wales, Surrey and Hampshire respectively, as well as one for the partially deaf in Staffordshire and another in Hertfordshire.

asked the Minister of Education in view of the shortage of accommodation in schools for deaf children, the long waiting lists for admission and the serious consequences of the deprivations of suitable education for deaf children, he will give an assurance that all possible steps are being taken to provide adequate accommodation.

Yes.

asked the Minister of Education whether he will circularise all local education authorities to the effect that preferential consideration will be given to applications for the installation of telephones in schools.

No. The extent to which applications for the installation of telephones in schools can be given priority has been made clear in answers given in this House.

asked the Minister of Education how many spastic children there are in England and Wales, respectively; and, approximately, what proportion of these children attend special schools in each county.

There is no reliable information for England and Wales about the incidence of cerebral palsy which is a handicap varying greatly in degree and type. Not all spastic children need education in special schools and those attending special schools for the physically handicapped are not, in general, separately classified. I regret, therefore, that I am unable to give the statistical information asked for.

asked the Minister of Education whether he is satisfied with the way that local education authorities are interpreting Section 76 of the Education Act, 1944, and that they are taking proper notice of the wishes of parents particularly those based on religious grounds.

Generally speaking, yes.

asked the Minister of Agriculture on what grounds the Kent Agricultural Executive Committee are requisitioning the Abobtswood Estate near Herne Bay; and at what rates compensation is to be paid to plot owners.

I am not aware that the Kent Agricultural Executive Committee are requisitioning the Abbotswood Estate. An area including this estate, together with some 1,500 acres of land requisitioned during the war, has been referred to the Agricultural Land Commission under Section 84 of the Agriculture Act, and I shall await their report.

asked the Minister of Agriculture how many outbreaks of fowl pest have occurred in the West Riding of Yorkshire during 1949 and 1950, respectively.

There were 17 outbreaks of fowl pest in the West Riding of Yorkshire during 1949 and there has been one outbreak so far this year.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what research is being carried out at present in the use of selective weed killers for the eradication of bracken; and when results will be made known to farmers.

Research has been in progress for several years at the Department of Agriculture at Oxford University, but, so far, it has not brought to light any selective herbicide showing promise for bracken control. The investigations are, however, continuing.

asked the Minister of Agriculture how many applications for calf subsidy in respect of calves in England and Wales were received in 1949 and 1950, respectively; how many were successful; and how many applications were refused on the grounds of quality.

The number of calves for which application for subsidy was made in England and Wales in 1949 was 2,100,469, of which 70,355 were rejected. The corresponding figures for 1950 up to the end of October are 1,205,922 and 52,336 respectively. The rejections were mainly on the grounds of poor quality, but some calves were over age.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the fact that the proposals of the Chorley Committee on Higher Civil Service Remuneration are now being carried into effect, he will take steps to implement the principle of equal pay in the Civil Service.

As my right hon. Friend is shortly to receive a deputation from the Staff Side of the Civil Service National Whitley Council, I should prefer, at this stage, merely to say that there is, in my view, no necessary connection between the recent revision of the salaries of the higher Civil Service and the introduction of equal pay.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, in view of the long delay in repaying post-war credits, he will consider paying interest on the amounts, as is done with the voluntary savings by way of Savings Certificates.

No.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what action he is prepared to take to prevent manufacturers and wholesalers from holding up the supply of blankets to retailers.

I have no evidence that blankets are being withheld.

asked the President of the Board of Trade why the price of certain goods such as fertilisers, flax yarn, and kraft liner board, are controlled under Defence Regulations while the price of other goods such as soap, industrial cotton yarn and wrapping paper are controlled under the Goods and Services (Price Control) Acts, 1939 and 1941.

Most raw materials and their partly manufactured derivatives were first brought under price control when the responsible Minister was the then Minister of Supply. He was at all times a competent authority with power to control prices under Defence Regulations, and made his maximum price orders on that basis because he had no parallel powers under the Goods and Services (Price Control) Acts. The Board of Trade, on the other hand, have always been vested with both sets of powers. The Board have used the Defence Regulation method for controlling the manufacturers' prices for most utility goods as part of the utility schemes; but for many goods it was convenient, in the first instance, to use the technique of "price-regulation" under the Prices of Goods Act, 1939, and most price controls first imposed by the Board were imposed under either that Act or the Goods and Services (Price Control) Act of 1941. In general, it is still convenient to control each description of goods on whichever basis was used for it in the first place.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will give an assurance that no agreements entered into at Torquay will be confirmed until they have been discussed in Parliament.

I propose, in accordance with the procedure followed after the Geneva and Annecy Conferences, to lay before the House a report in the form of a White Paper on the outcome of the Torquay tariff negotiations as soon as possible after their conclusion, and also a further White Paper, as may be appropriate, setting out any document of importance or agreement deriving from the 5th Session of the Contracting Parties to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. Any changes in the United Kingdom tariff can, of course, only be made by legislation or by orders which are subject to Parliamentary discussion.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many ready-made doors have been imported from Sweden in 1948, 1949 and 1950 to date, respectively; how many applications for import licences were made; and how many, and to whom, were they granted.

The number of doors of wood imported from Sweden during the years 1948, 1949 and the first nine months of 1950 were 21,000, 58,000 and 59,000 respectively. I regret that I cannot give the number of applications for import licences which were received, but 180 licences were issued during 1948, 90 during 1949 and 82 this year. The licences were issued to 143, 34 and 48 traders respectively.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that 373,533 pairs of British nylons imported from Gibraltar have been intercepted for payment of Purchase Tax since March; and what progress he has made in his endeavour to bring to an end the practice of exporting nylon stockings to Gibraltar for the purpose of re-importing them into this country.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Secretary for Overseas Trade during the Debate on the Motion for the Adjournment on 21st November.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what allocation of paper was made to the Press Department of the Soviet Embassy to enable it to produce three editions of the 64-page pamphlet entitled, "American Armed Intervention in Korea."

There is no control on the consumption of paper for books and pamphlets. Consequently, no question of allocation of paper in cases such as this arises.

asked the President of the Board of Trade why knitting wool from stocks held now bears increases of from 6d. to 1s. per ounce; to what extent knitting wool prices are controlled; and at what figure.

I understand that the recent increases in knitting wool prices—which are in most cases about 6d. an ounce for botany wools and 3d. an ounce for cross-bred types—were related to rises in raw wool prices which occurred before the August wool auctions, and do not reflect the latest raw wool prices. Knitting wool prices are not at present controlled. I have invited the Central Price Regulation Committee to review the position and to let me know whether, in their opinion, it is advisable to reimpose control.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will consider lifting the import duty off Swedish timber houses for as long as the present housing shortage continues.

I am prepared to consider on its merits any application which may be made for the abolition, on a temporary basis, of the import duty on timber houses. It would, of course, be necessary in considering such an application to have regard to the interests of the United Kingdom joinery industry and also to assess the effects of such action on our timber supplies.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what was the cost, expressed in sterling, of tobacco imported into this country during 1949, including any imported under Marshall Aid; and what proportion of this cost represented hard currency.

Imports of tobacco into the United Kingdom in the year 1949 from dollar and other sources including imports under Marshall Aid were as follow:

asked the President of the Board of Trade what new categories of utility wool cloth have been introduced since 1st January, 1950; and the retail selling price of garments manufactured therefrom.

The new categories of utility wool cloth which have been introduced into the utility scheme since the beginning of the year will be found in Statutory Instruments 1950 Nos. 608 and 1002. The retailers' overriding maximum prices so far provided for the men's and women's utility outerwear for which these new cloths are specified, are set out in various related schedules to the Utility Apparel (Maximum Prices and Charges) Order, 1949, as amended, of which I am sending the hon. and gallant Member a copy.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many courses in Civil Defence training have been held this year at the establishment under his control; and how many persons have attended such courses.

Twenty-four courses have been held at each of the two technical training schools, attended in all by 1,444 students; 11 courses have been held at the Staff College, attended by 318 students.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what special equipment is required for dealing with atomic attack; and what quantities of such equipment are available.

A description with ilustrations of the special instruments for detecting delayed radio-activity if it should be present, after an atomic explosion has been published in Chapter III of the Home Office Civil Defence Pamphlet No. 6. I am sending the hon. Member a copy. Arrangements are being made for the production of these instruments, but my right hon. Friend is not prepared to disclose details of the programme.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements are made to ensure that the instructional staff at the Home Office Civil Defence Schools are kept informed of progress in scientific research.

Periodical conferences for this purpose are held by the Chief Scientific Adviser to the Home Office. A three days' conference (at which there were also present representatives of the Royal Naval Damage Control School and the Joint School of Chemical Warfare) has just been concluded at the Civil Defence Staff College. A wide range of subjects was dealt with. The object of these conferences is not only to inform the instructors but to give the Chief Scientific Adviser and his staff the opportunity of obtaining practical advice from the Civil Defence Training Schools. As the hon. and gallant Member is no doubt aware, there are at present two of these schools (at Falfield and Easingwold), and a third is about to be opened at Taymouth in Scotland.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has seen a four-page leaflet, which he has been sent, which is being distributed to householders entitled "Civil Defence—What You should do Now," and published by the Peace Pledge Union; and if he has any comments to make on it.

I have seen this pamphlet. Although it contains gross distortions of fact, I am advised that I have no power to prevent it being circulated. As I have explained on numerous occasions, the defeatist attitude of the pamphlet is quite unwarranted by the facts.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the response to his appeal for volunteers for Civil Defence in the Wycombe area.

Up to 20th November, 72 volunteers had enrolled in the Borough of High Wycombe and 27 in the Wycombe rural district.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the inclusive weekly cost of keeping a prisoner in Winchester Gaol.

Figures for individual prisons are not available, but for the 12 months ended 31st March, 1949, the total net expenditure on prisons in England and Wales, excluding the cost of new building but including all administrative expenses, was at the rate of about £3 10s. a week for each prisoner.

asked the Minister of Health if he will give the necessary directions for all hospitals under his control to publish weekly in the Press the bed situation at the latest available date, and the number of patients admitted or discharged each week.

I do not think a special weekly figure of this kind would be useful. Hospitals have already been urged to give the Press all the help they can, and I prefer to leave the exact ways and means to their discretion.

asked the Minister of Health when a lady, of whose address he has been informed, will receive the deaf aid for which she applied on 1st February, 1949, and which was promised by his Department for delivery by the end of July, 1950, and again by the end of October, 1950.

I am sorry that this patient has been twice disappointed, but no firm promise was or could have been made. I am now informed that it is hoped to fit her before the end of this month.

asked the Minister of Health when Mrs. Waller, of Mayfield, Glentrammon Road, Green Street Green, Farnborough, Kent, may expect to get her hearing aid, particulars of which have been sent to him.

By now the hon. Member will have received a letter about this.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that some manufacturers of drugs which are widely advertised and expensive and for which there are satisfactory alternatives are urging medical practitioners to persist in prescribing their expensive advertised remedies; and what steps has he taken to end this undesirable practice.

I think that the doctors themselves are well able to deal with this. As I explained in reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Goole (Mr. G. Jeger), on 9th November any doctor who refuses importunate demands has my full support.

asked the Minister of Health what proportion prescriptions of nationally advertised medicines bear to the total number of prescriptions given under the National Health Service to the latest convenient date.

Statistics are not available in the form the hon. and learned Member requires.

asked the Minister of Health why extensions to the orthopaedic theatres at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital are being carried out by the regional boards without the Management Committee or the Medical Advisory Committee being consulted on the plans.

My hon. Friend is misinformed. There has been full consultation.

asked the Minister of Health what is the number of tuberculosis persons in the London chest clinics at the latest convenient date; and what were the comparative figures in 1949 and 1948.

The latest returns available, at 31st December, 1949, show that the number was 30,396. At 30th June, 1948, it was 28,806.

asked the Minister of Health if he will give the number of men and women who have been examined through mass radiography; and how far it has been possible to give early treatment to those who were found to be in the early stage of tuberculosis.

Up to 30th June last the number was 4,948,000. On the second point I would refer my hon. Friend to my reply to the hon. Member for Hornsey (Mr. Gammans) on 16th November.

asked the Minister of Health if, in view of the fact that there is insufficient accommodation for the treatment of early tuberculosis cases in this country, he will consider the possibilities of taking advantage of vacant beds available in Switzerland.

This question is under review.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is satisfied that a sufficient number of qualified psychiatric social workers to fulfil the needs of the National Health Service is being recruited.

The matter is still the subject of inquiry.

asked the Minister of Health whether Mrs. M. V. Smith, 1, North Drive, Swanland, East Yorkshire, who applied for spectacles in June, 1949, was supplied with a pair in December, 1949, with the lenses fitted the wrong way round, and with a further pair in June, 1950, which were intended for someone else, can now be supplied with a pair of spectacles that are suitable for her requirements.

I am making inquiries and will let the hon. Member know the result.

asked the Minister of Health if he has yet considered the Report issued by his Department on the Dental Mission on New Zealand School Dental Nurses; and whether he is giving consideration to the adoption, with any necessary modifications of the same system in this country.

I am about to consult the dental profession and others interested on the questions raised by this Report.

asked the Minister of Health how many awards the Medical Merit Awards Committee has so far made; and if a list of those who have been awarded will be published.

The Committee has so far recommended 1,504 consultants for awards. It is not intended to publish a list.

asked the Minister of Health if the Medical Merit Awards Committee is a permanent committee; how far the chairmanship is intended to be permanent; and what sum it is proposed in future to pay the chairman.

I am not sure what the hon. Member means by "permanent." So far as I am aware this is a continuing body and the remuneration of the chairman is to be reviewed at the end of the third year, for which he receives 2,000 guineas.

asked the Minister of Health if the two circulars, No. 13 and No. 20, issued by the Whitley Councils, have received his approval, especially paragraph 3 (b) of Circular No. 20, which provides that members of a hospital consultative committee shall also be members of a trade union.

Yes. The proviso refers to members of a nationally recognised negotiating body. The application of the proviso is suspended for the present.

asked the Minister of Health what action his Department are taking to ensure that radio-active effluent discharged from the Atomic Research Establishment into the River Thames shall not adversely affect London's water supply.

The Establishment conforms with conditions in regard to the amount of radio-activity in the effluent that are determined on the advice of the Medical Research Council. I am advised that these conditions provide a very wide margin of safety. My Department keeps in close touch with the Ministry of Supply, the Thames Conservancy and the Metropolitan Water Board to ensure that there is no risk of the prescribed limit being exceeded.

asked the Minister of Health if his attention has been drawn to the nuisance caused by the emission of grit and smoke from the London Transport Power Station, Old Woolwich Road, S.E.10; and whether he will consider taking action to remedy this nuisance.

Yes. I understand from the British Transport Commission that this power station is now being supplied with a better quality of coal and that this, together with alterations soon to be made to the boilers, should bring about an improvement.

asked the Minister of Health if he will authorise local housing authorities to spend a maximum sum upon their 1951 housing programmes instead of his present system of authorising them to build a maximum number of houses so that, if local needs justify their doing so, such authorities may be encouraged to build a larger number of smaller houses.

No. I am satisfied that the present system is better designed to achieve the desired results.

asked the Minister of Health whether in order to encourage local authorities to build small dwellings for old and single people, he will count houses or flats below a certain size as absorbing only half one of the council licences.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Gravesend (Sir R. Acland) on 16th November, of which I am sending him a copy.

asked the Minister of Health if he will take steps to improve facilities for keeping homeless families together in institutions whilst they are awaiting accommodation as some families are at present being kept separated for long periods.

Local authorities are taking such steps as are practicable to improve facilities for families at large former public assistance institutions.

asked the Minister of Health if he will issue circulars of advice to local authorities to ensure that necessitous cases receive the first consideration when granting building licences for private residential purposes.

asked the Minister of Health if he will issue circulars of advice in regard to the allocation to individuals of licences for building dwelling houses with a view to securing that such licences should be offered in the first place to people on the housing lists of the various local authorities.

The guidance already given to local authorities should be sufficient to ensure that licences go to those whose need is greatest. I am sending my hon. Friend copies of the relevant circulars.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will give sympathetic consideration to the applications of local councils who apply for an extra quota of building licences on the understanding that, in selecting tenants for any of their houses, they will consider applications from ex-Regular Service men equally with those of other applicants on a basis of housing need.

The adoption of a practice properly and commonly followed by local authorities in the selection of tenants for their own houses does not constitute a reason for exceptional treatment in the proportion of licences which they are authorised to issue.

asked the Minister of Health why the provisions of Form H.B.C. 22 issued under Section 76 (2) of the Local Government Act, 1948, allow two modern houses of identical size to be given 1938 construction costs of £606 and £1,213, respectively.

The figures relate to houses of widely differing standards of construction, finish and equipment. Details of the two specifications are given in the statement referred to.

asked the Minister of Health to what housing authority Mr. V. M. Hitchcock, 14, Granville Road, Tunbridge Wells, should apply in order that he may be placed on their waiting list for a council house, in view of the fact that his work lies in the Three Bridges district and is mainly connected with Crawley new town.

This is a matter for Mr. Hitchcock to decide, but I understand that he is registered as an applicant for a council house with Cuckfield Rural District Council.

asked the Minister of Health if he will take powers to publish the figure of the number of names on the local authority housing waiting lists for England and Wales.

No. As I have explained previously, the publication of such lists in advance of a country-wide survey conducted on a uniform basis would give an erroneous picture of the effective housing demand.

asked the Minister of Food whether he is prepared to sponsor the import of Mannitol for the manufacture of sweet base for diabetics, in view of the lack of other suitable alternatives for sugar.

I am advised that mannitol is not a medical necessity; it is obtained almost entirely from dollar sources; and many other suitable sweetening agents are already on sale. In these circumstances, I do not think that we would be justified in sponsoring its import.

asked the Minister of Town and Country Planning what progress in building houses has taken place at Harlow and Basildon; what is the estimated progress during the next two years; if he is aware of considerable perplexity on the part of Leyton and other borough councils in respect of the allocation of houses for those persons now on their housing lists in view of modifications of an original arrangement; and if he will clarify the present position so that Leyton and other boroughs concerned can know when and how many of those on their housing lists will have offers of accommodation made to them at Harlow and Basildon.

At Harlow, 102 houses had been completed by 31st October of this year and 469 were under construction. The number to be completed by the end of 1952 is expected to exceed 1,500. At Basildon contracts have been let for the first 250 houses, and it is estimated that 630 will be completed by the end of 1952. No block allocation of houses will be made to persons on the waiting lists of Leyton or the other boroughs concerned, but arrangements are being made for the allocation of houses to persons from those areas who are willing and able to find employment in these new towns.

asked the Minister of Supply why, in planning the rearmament programme, he has not obtained sufficient supplies of nickel; and when he plans to restore the 25 per cent. cut made to radio valve manufacturers.

Although supplies of nickel are limited, sufficient quantities will be made available for the rearmament programme. Nickel metal is not allocated by the Ministry of Supply, but is distributed by the producers, who, I understand, are meeting demands to the best of their ability. I have been unable to confirm that there has been a 25 per cent. cut in supplies to radio valve manufacturers, but if the hon. Member will let me have particulars, I will make further inquiries.

asked the Postmaster-General the classes of applicants for telephones in the Cheltenham area who are given priority by his Department.

In Cheltenham, as elsewhere, priority is given to the essential requirements of public utilities, health and life saving services, Government Departments, and businesses engaged on production and distribution for export or for saving imports. Subject to these broad classes of priority, business applicants are in general given preference over residential applicants.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will make arrangements for the installation of a telephone to Mr. Farley, Eyke, Suffolk, in view of the urgency of his business with local agriculturists.

I hope that service will be provided in this case in about six weeks.

asked the Postmaster-General if he is aware of the growing practice for people to advertise houses for sale with telephone; and, in view of the acute demand for telephones by a long waiting list he will state the practice of his Department in transferring telephones when a house changes ownership.

The Post Office deprecates reference to the telephone in advertisements of houses for sale, and has approached the editors of the professional journals concerned with a view to stopping this practice. The normal procedure is to transfer an existing telephone in a house to the new occupier. If there is a waiting applicant for whom the telephone line could be used, the new occupier has to share the line with that applicant. If there are two or more such applicants, with higher claims to service than the new occupier, the line is used to give shared service to the two senior applicants.

asked the Postmaster-General how many people on 31st October, 1949, and on 31st October, 1950, or on some convenient dates near thereto were waiting for telephones to be installed in Great Britain, and in the Oxford telephone area, respectively.

The particulars desired are as follow:

asked the Secretary of State for Air what steps have been taken to prepare Coastal Command airfields for Shackleton aircraft.

Runways, hard-standings and servicing aprons at a number of Coastal Command airfields are being improved.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he will consider removing the present restrictions on the use of oil fuel.

I have decided, after consulting the Petroleum Industry Advisory Committee, that the present arrangements under which new consumers wishing to use gas oil or fuel oil are required to obtain the permission of my Department, are no longer necessary. In future, therefore, the provision of a supply of these fuels will be a matter for arrangement between the consumer and his oil supplier, and my prior permission will not be required.

asked the Minister of National Insurance how many persons in the Wycombe area have in the last year received old age pensions, children's allowances and industrial injuries benefit, and the cash amount involved in each case.

Statistics of these payments are not kept on a basis which would enable them to be broken down by localities to give the information asked for.

asked the Minister of National Insurance how many supplementary pensions have been granted in the Wycombe area in the last year, and the cash value.

I regret that the information asked for is not available, but at the end of September last, 944 noncontributory pensioners or retirement pensioners living in the area administered from the Board's office at High Wycombe were receiving regular weekly grants of National Assistance.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will give any estimate as to when the new university buildings at Ibadan, Nigeria, will be completed; what progress has been made to date; how far this is within the time estimated; what has been the cost to date of architects' fees and other preliminary expenses; and if Africans have been consulted as to whether, as a temporary measure at any rate, buildings of local construction and design could be utilised, in order that the university may be able to function even in a modified form at the earliest possible date.

I understand that the Ibadan University College authorities hope that all the buildings already planned will be completed in about three years. Permanent accommodation for 160 students should be available by October, 1951. The college has been functioning since January, 1948, in temporary buildings and over 300 students are in residence. The construction of permanent accommodation for the college staff is well advanced and a number of laboratory buildings of local design have been completed. Work on the preparation of the permanent site is going according to plan. Capital expenditure is being met mostly from the Colonial Development and Welfare Vote and grants totalling £450,971 for permanent construction have already been approved, including £13,500 for the architects' fees for the first stage of their work. Decisions on the type of buildings to be erected are primarily for the autonomous college council, which includes a number of Africans.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies to which other industries in Malaya it is proposed to apply additional taxation on the same lines as the recent rubber tax.

The hon. Member will appreciate that it would be improper for me to anticipate any action which may be contemplated by the Federation Government.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he is aware of the poor accommodation for trans-Pacific passenger at Nadi air transit camp in Fiji; and what improvements are proposed.

The international airport at Nadi, Fiji, is administered by New Zealand on behalf of the partner Governments of the South Pacific Air Transport Council, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Fiji. Passenger accommodation at the airport has hitherto been provided by the New Zealand authorities in war-time buildings not ideal for the purpose. As the provision of such accommodation is normally the responsibility of the airline operators the council have recommended that the present buildings should cease to be available to operators as soon as the latter can make satisfactory alternative arrangements. These are now under discussion.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will recommend the Governor of Tanganyika to consider the repeal of the section of the Tanganyika Land Ordinance of 1926 which refers to the compulsory acquisition of non-African land in view of the general atmosphere of insecurity among the farming population which this creates.

The power of compulsory acquisition is vested in the Governor by the Land Acquisition Ordinance, which empowers him to recover any alienated land for any "public purpose" which, by definition include "for the use of the native inhabitants of the territory." It is this part of the definition of public purposes which has given rise to protests in certain quarters in Tanganyika, not the principle of acquisition per se. I consider that this provision should be retained in the Ordinance, but the hon. Member may be assured that it will not be lightly used. Under the terms of the Ordinance compensation is, of course, payable by the Government for any land thus acquired, and the amount of compensation to be paid, in the event of a disagreement between the Government and the owner or lessee, is determined by the High Court.