asked the President of the Board of Trade why his Department is selling British newsprint to Australia, in view of the present shortage in this country.

The Board of Trade is not selling British newsprint to Australia. Newsprint is being exported from this country to Australia by privately owned mills, subject only to limits laid down by His Majesty's Government. The total amount which we are licensing for export is less than the export contracts which the mills wished to make.

asked the President of the Board of Trade when he expects that the Monopolies Commission will present its Report on the subject of cast iron, rainwater and soil goods, which he referred to them in March, 1949.

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Stirling and Falkirk (Mr. Malcolm MacPherson) on 23rd November.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement about the agreement on the importation of educational, scientific and cultural materials which was approved at the Fifth Session of the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.

The report of the United Kingdom Delegation to the Fifth Session of U.N.E.S.C.O., in which mention of the agreement is made, has already been made available to the House. This is contained in Cmd. No. 8066.The aim of the agreement, which was signed on behalf of the United Kingdom at Lake Success on 22nd November, is the removal of restrictions on the international exchange of the materials necessary for advance in the educational, scientific and cultural fields.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when it is expected that the Report on British Wild Animals will be issued.

I am informed that the Committee hope to submit their Report early next year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if his attention has been called to an illegal police "No Entry" notice in Howick Place, Westminister; and if he will take steps to have it removed.

This sign was introduced experimentally by the police after consultation with the Ministry of Transport and the Westminister City Council, to determine whether one-way working in this street would improve traffic conditions there. As a result of the experiment, traffic conditions in Howick Place are much improved and I understand that the Minister of Transport has under consideration the question whether one-way working should be made permanent.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Annual Report of the Chief Inspector under the Cruelty to Animals Act, 1876, will be available.

The Report was published by the Stationery Office this morning.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his plans for Civil Defence include provision for the appointment of regional commissioners as in 1939–45.

Yes. The regional commissioners themselves gave up their appointments at the end of the war and the staffs of the regional offices were reduced to what was necessary for dealing with Civil Defence work remaining from the war-time organisation. A nucleus staff was retained in all regions except London. This staff was slightly expanded after the passing of the Civil Defence Act, 1948, and a skeleton regional organisation for London has recently been established. These regional offices will be further expanded so far as may be necessary for the development of Civil Defence in peace and are so organised as to be capable of further expansion in war.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what facilities are given to members of the Diplomatic and Colonial Services to vote in this country, either by proxy or postal vote.

Section 10 of the Representation of the People Act, 1949, and regulation 54 of the Representation of the People Regulations, 1950, give a service qualification, which carries with it the right to vote by proxy, to Crown servants abroad who are paid wholly out of moneys provided by Parliament. This includes members of the Foreign Service but not Colonial Crown servants.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that the house belonging to Mr. Percy Stock at the Mount, Golden Cross Road, Ashington, near Rochford, Essex, is at present requisitioned by Rochford Urban District Council for housing their district nurses; and, in view of the fact that Mr. Stock has been ordered by his doctor to leave his public house for health reasons, what steps he is prepared to take to ensure that Mr. Stock's house is made available to him for his retirement.

I understand that the housing committee of the rural district council is to consider Mr. Stock's case at its next meeting.

asked the Minister of Health what representations he has received from medical officers of health that, in order to combat atmospheric pollution, the use of smokeless fuels should be made a condition of tenancy in council houses where this was considered reasonable; and what is the estimated extra cost to a tenant per week of using such fuel.

I have received no such representations. I cannot impose conditions of tenancy on local authority houses—that is reserved for the local authority itself. In general there should not be any extra cost for the same amount of useful heat. The price of solid smokeless fuel is higher than that of coal but so is its thermal efficiency.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that the Walsingham Rural District Council, Norfolk, placed a provisional order for facing bricks on 24th March, 1950, and a firm order on 16th June, 1950, and that by 25th November, 1950, no bricks had been delivered on the site at Hindringham; and if he will take steps to secure their early delivery.

These facts have now been reported to my Department and arrangements have been made for supplies of bricks to be delivered to the site.

asked the Minister of Health how many houses were built by the local authority in Lowestoft, Beccles, Bungay and Southwold respectively, in the period 1918–31; how many by the same authorities in the period 1945–50; and how many other units of accommodation other than permanent houses have been provided.

The information referred to in the first part of the Question is not available. As regards the rest, I would refer my hon. Friend to Appendix B to the Housing Return, September, 1950.

asked the Minister of Health, in view of the figures of housing given in Appendix B of the Housing Returns of 30th September, 1950, for Cardiff Rural District Council, what steps he is taking to see that the ratio of local authority houses to private licence houses as laid down by him is applied by that authority.

Many of these licences were issued before a ratio was laid down. Since then, the ratios have been observed.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will prepare and publish a return showing the rents of houses owned by local authorities in England and Wales similar to that issued for Scotand.

I do not think that the rents in England and Wales are sufficiently stabilised to justify the cost and labour of preparing such a return, which would be out of date before the figures could be collated and published.

asked the Minister of Health whether, in order to ensure adequate training and fair opportunities for doctors seeking to become specialists, he will arrange for a transfer system whereby registrars of non-teaching hospitals spend a portion of their training period at teaching hospitals, and whereby registrars at teaching hospitals spend a proportion of their time at non-teaching hospitals.

I have already made this suggestion to hospital boards.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that, whereas he has proposed that the number of hospital registrars and senior registrars in England and Wales should be cut from 2,800 to 1,700, it is proposed that the cut in the North-East Metropolitan Region should be from approximately 300 to 134; and what is the reason for this greater proportionate cut in this region.

The reduced number represents the share of the total which I think is appropriate to this region, taking into account its population, the number of consultants, the available training facilities and the number of beds in that region as compared with the country as a whole.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware of the concern felt by the smaller non-teaching hospitals at the proposed cut in the numbers of registrars employed; and what steps he proposes to take to ensure an adequate service to patients without these registrars.

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to questions on this subject on 30th November.

asked the Minister of Health what is the present establishment of hospital registrars and senior registrars for the South-West Metropolitan region; and to what figure these will be reduced when the proposed cuts are implemented.

About 320 in each case (including the teaching hospitals in the area). The new figures are respectively 151 and 83.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will make a statement on the progress achieved in setting up a central purchasing organisation for hospital requirements.

Central contracts are placed for X-ray equipment and films, laboratory and blood transfusion apparatus, spectacles, rubber goods and certain scarce and costly drugs. Hearing aids are purchased under contract by the Post Office, surgical and orthopaedic appliances by the Ministry of Pensions, and occupational therapy equipment and invalid tricycles by the Ministry of Works. I intend, as soon as practicable, to extend these arrangements to cleaning materials and hardware., bedding, cotton and woollen textiles, drugs and dressings and other common-user goods. Net savings cannot be precisely calculated but are not less than £2½ to £3 million.

asked the Minister of Health if he makes it compulsory for hospital management committees to accept the Ministry of Pensions offer to supply and fit artificial eyes; and what is the estimated cost of the Ministry of Pensions offer as compared with the cost entailed if hospitals carried out their own arrangements.

Use of the Ministry of Pensions service is not compulsory, but the cost is substantially lower than the price charged by most other suppliers.

asked the Minister of Health if, where the benefit of a gratuitous covenant in favour of a named hospital has been transferred to him under the National Health Service Act, 1946, to be credited to the Hospital Endowments Fund, he will direct that the product of the endowment be applied for the benefit of the named hospital to secure that the object of the endowment is not prejudiced.

The distribution of these moneys is regulated by and under the Statute and I have no power to vary it by a direction. But the general object which the hon. Member has in mind is safeguarded in the Statute, and I have asked hospital management committees to have regard to it in the use made of their shares.

asked the Minister of Health the circumstances under which his confidential circulars giving details of possible sites for war emergency hospitals and first-aid services became known to the "Daily Worker" newspaper.

I am making detailed inquiries and will write to the hon. Member; but I should like to make it clear that these circulars were not issued by my Department and do not disclose particular sites.

asked the Minister of Health why he does not expand the consultant services to the extent proposed in the pamphlet, "The Development of Consultant Services," published by His Majesty's Stationery Office.

It is no use trying to increase the number of consultants faster than we can increase the beds and other facilities available to them.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will revise his regulations so that general practitioners in the National Health Service are paid at a higher capitation rate in respect of the first 1,000 or 1,500 patients on their list, and at a lower rate as their lists become larger.

I have myself always preferred the idea of a graduated system which would discourage the accumulation of over-large patient lists and encourage the better balanced practices. It is not always easy to translate it into fact, but I want to go into it very thoroughly with the profession in my discussions with them.

asked the Minister of Health how many cases of diphtheria were re-diagnosed as some other disease in 1947, 1948 and 1949, respectively.

For the years 1947, 1948 and 1949 respectively the number of original notifications of diphtheria were 10,465, 8,035, 4,982 and the numbers of notifications of diphtheria as corrected were 5,592, 3,560, 1,881.

asked the Minister of Health how many cases of diphtheria and deaths from that disease were notified in each of the years 1948 and 1949; what were the ages of the cases and deaths; and how many of them occurred amongst the immunised.

The information required in the first two parts of the Question is as follows:

asked the Minister of Health why no payments in respect of arrears of salary increases recommended by the Whitley Council have yet been received by nurses and midwives in Lancaster.

I understand that the Lancashire County Council is about to pay these arrears.

asked the Minister of Health how far cases recorded by the Registrar-General as smallpox notifications which afterwards are shown not to be that disease still appear in the returns as smallpox notifications.

Figures in the Registrar-General's Weekly Returns relate to original notifications. Figures in the Registrar-General's other publications relate to corrected notifications except in so far as the numbers of original notifications are also given in them for purposes of comparison.

asked the Minister of Health how many water supply schemes have been sanctioned in the Hawarden and Overton rural districts, respectively, since 1945; what have been the cost and the grant offered; also the number and cost of such schemes in these districts in the period 1934–39.

Hawarden Rural District. Six water supply schemes have been sanctioned since 1945 to cost £35,045. No grant has been offered. During the period 1934–39 two schemes were sanctioned at a cost of £3,756.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is now the attitude of His Majesty's Government to the claims of the British creditors of the Buenos Aires Tramways Corporation.

The attitude of His Majesty's Government is that this long outstanding claim should be settled as soon as possible. His Majesty's Embassy at Buenos Aires have therefore made energetic representations to the Argentine authorities and will continue to do so.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that there are 2,200,000 gallons of Australian wine in bond, representing three years' supply at the present rate of consumption; and what steps he is taking to encourage the consumption of Australian and other Empire wines in this country.

I am aware of the situation in regard to stocks of Australian wine in bonded warehouse to which the hon. Member refers. As regards the second part of the Question if the hon. Member is referring to the possibility of a reduction of duty for these wines, he will not expect me to anticipate my Budget statement.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what conclusion was reached in his recent discussions with the Ceylon Minister of Finance about the provision of a gold reserve for the new Central Bank of Ceylon.

In the course of these discussions the Ceylon Minister of Finance proposed that in order to provide an adequate reserve of gold and dollars Ceylon should retain for the present a percentage of her net dollar earnings until a limit was reached of one-half of the international reserve of the Central Bank which has recently been established in Ceylon. The United Kingdom Government for their part put forward the alternative proposal that a sum in gold or dollars should be set aside immediately out of the central gold and dollar reserves in order to provide the Central Bank with a gold reserve relatively as favourable as the corresponding reserves of the Central Banks of the other independent members of the sterling area dollar pool. The sum to be so set aside would be the equivalent of £4 million. The Government of Ceylon have accepted this proposal on the understanding that, after experience has been gained of the arrangements which have recently been made between the Bank of England and the Central Bank of Ceylon regarding dollar cover, there would, if necessary, be further consultation about the disposition of Ceylon's net surplus of dollars on current account.

asked the Minister of Labour if he has received the report from the Electricity Sub-Committee of the National Joint Advisory Council respecting the problem of load shedding at peak hours and the possibility of Saturday morning's work to help solve this problem; and if he will now make a statement.

This matter is being fully examined in consultation with the British Electricity Authority and I hope to receive a report next week.

asked the Minister of Labour if, in view of the appeal made last week to miners to continue their work six days a week, he will make an appeal on behalf of His Majesty's Government to both sides of all industry to return to a five and half day week.

I am arranging shortly to have a discussion with the National Joint Advisory Council, representing both sides of industry and the socialised industries, on what could be done in industry to secure the increased production which will be necessary if the country's rearmament programme is to be fulfilled without serious interference with output for export and civilian consumption. No doubt in considering this question the Council will have regard to the possibilites of increasing production by re-introducing Saturday morning working in suitable cases, or by increasing hours in some other way.

asked the Minister of Labour how many Poles leaving the United Kingdom during the last 12 months received Government help under Section 7 of the Polish Resettlement Act, 1947; and what was the average cost to the Exchequer.

During the 12 months ended 30th November, 1950, 1,138 Poles (639 men, 324 women, and 175 children) received assistance in their emigration under Section 7 of the Polish Resettlement Act, 1947. Four hundred and fifty-five of these emigrants went to the U.S.A., 374 to Canada, and 162 to Australia. The average cost per head was about £65.

asked the Minister of Education (1) if he is aware of the concern in the Erith district at the low percentage of grammar and technical school places available for local children when compared with the rest of Kent and for England and Wales; and what action is being taken to improve the positon;(2) what action is proposed to increase the number of grammar and technical school places in the area covered by the North-West Divisional Executive.

I am aware of the desire of the people in Erith for more and better grammar school provision. An extension of the existing grammar school is now being built which will provide six classrooms and two rooms for practical work. On the reserve list to the building programme for 1951–52 there is a proposal for a new grammar school which would indirectly provide more accommodation for the secondary technical school.

asked the Minister of Education what is the total number of fee-paying independent schools; and how many of these have been inspected to date.

My information is that there are rather more than 5,000 independent schools in England and Wales, and of these nearly 4,000 have so far been inspected.

asked the Minister of Education whether he will take specific action to invite comment from trade associations and other organisations interested in the report recently published by him on the development of higher technological education.

In issuing the report I particularly invited interested parties to send me any comments they desired to make. I very much hope that they will do so, but I do not consider that any more specific invitation is necessary.

asked the Minister of Education whether his attention has been drawn to the fact that Colne Education Committee has taken exception to a lecture being given on the Communist manifesto; and whether he will circularise education authorities to ensure that however much they may detest Communism in practice, no attempt should be made to ban examination of the theory of Marxist philosophy and economics.

I have made inquiries and understand that the divisional executive have yet to consider representations made to them by the Workers' Educational Association, under whose auspices the lecture was given. I do not consider that there is any need for me to give guidance to local education authorities on this matter.

asked the Minister of Food what was the allocation of tinplate for canning home-grown fruit and vegetables in 1949 and 1950; and how the allocation for 1951 compares with the previous years.

About 64,000 tons of tinplate were used for canning homegrown fruit and vegetables in 1949 and 57,000 tons will probably be used in 1950. No allocation has yet been made for the 1951 season.

asked the Minister of Food whether he will invite representatives of the Animal Health Division of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries to take part in the discussions now proceeding about conditions in some Government-controlled slaughterhouses.

Complaints about the conditions in some of the slaughterhouses which my Department is using are generally due to unsuitability of siting or design. We work in close co-operation with the Agricultural Departments on all these matters.

asked the Minister of Food what is the content of national butter; to what extent it consists of the pure imported product as shipped; and what is mixed with it and why.

All butter purchased by my Department is designated national butter. It is pure creamery butter to which only salt has been added, and which has been graded for quality in the country of origin. All butter is sold by the Ministry to the trade in its original packages. But, for the convenience of the retail trade, about half of the total amount issued on the ration is pre-packed (i.e. made up in a wrapper in quantities of 1 lb. or less) by wholesalers and others engaged in this type of business; during the process of pre-packing the only addition is salt, the amount depending on the salt content of the original butter and the taste of consumers in the area in which it is sold. The content of national butter is approximately: Butterfat 82 per cent., water 15.3 per cent., curd 0.7 per cent., salt 2 per cent. Supplies at present consist of 96 per cent. imported (New Zealand, Denmark, Australia, Holland) and 4 per cent. of home produced.

asked the Minister of Supply whether he will make a statement about metals which are now, or which are becoming, scarce; and what steps he is taking to ensure that available supplies are distributed to the best advantage among the industries concerned.

A world shortage of some metals has been developing during recent months. This is due, basically, to the effects of the international situation and in particular to the increased demands in many countries for rearmament and stockpiling. Measures of alleviation are under discussion internationally and my Department is making every effort to increase supplies; but some shortages are inevitable with world conditions as they are today. Restrictions of consumption, in some cases substantial both in amount and in their effect on industry, are already in force. Supplies of zinc to consumers were cut early in October to a rate equal to 75 per cent. of consumption during the first nine months of 1950. Supplies of aluminium to consumers are limited to an amount well below current demand and nickel has been rationed by the suppliers among their customers to nine-tenths of what they had in 1949 and early 1950. Supplies of steel sheet and tinplate have been much below requirements and subject to strict allocation since the end of the war.The Government have now decided to take further steps to ensure the proper distribution in the national interest of those metals where a severe shortage persists. The measures under consideration in consultation with industry include restrictions on the export of semi-manufactures, the probihition of the end uses of these metals for inessential articles, and the institution of allocation systems.Meanwhile, the supply prospects for the metals which are at present causing most concern are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what was the total expenditure in Kenya on African education in 1949 and 1950; how much of the total was contributed by the Government; how much by the local native authorities; and how much by the missions.

I have asked the Governor of Kenya to supply the information and will write to my hon. Friend when it is received.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the number of colonial postage stamps sold by the Crown Agents to dealers in the United Kingdom during 1948 and 1949; and the total amount received from such sales during each of these years.

The following are the statistics required:

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the number of colonial postage stamps sold by the Crown Agents, through their bureau in Washington, to dealers in the United States of America during the last six months; and the total amount received from such sales.

The number of British colonial postage stamps sold by the Crown Agents for the Colonies through their bureau in Washington during the six months ended 31st October, 1950, the latest period for which precise figures are available, was 393,500. The total amount received from the sale of those stamps was £14,595.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what action has been taken on the recommendations of the Venn Committee on the British Guiana sugar industry.

I am sending my hon. Friend a full statement.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies when the Reports on Sierra Leone and the Gold Coast of the Co-operative Mission which visited those Colonies last year at his invitation will be published.

The Reports were made to the Governors, and publication is in their discretion.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will alter the regulations governing the payment of the £100 bounty for re-engagement to complete 22 years' service so as to cover all re-engagements since 1st September, 1948.

No. The object of this bounty, as explained in the White Paper (Command 8027), is to provide over the period 1st September, 1950, to 31st December, 1951, an inducement to men who have not re-engaged to do so and it would be outside the purpose of the scheme to make it retrospective.

asked the Postmaster-General if he is aware that Service mail from Korea is taking up to 18 days to reach Bradford; and whether he will take steps to speed up delivery.

I have been asked to reply. Correspondence from British forces in Korea is normally due to be delivered in this country within about 10–14 days of posting into British Army post offices in Korea. In active operations there will be occasions when these times will be exceeded, but all practicable steps are being taken to keep delays to a minimum. If the hon. Member will let me have details of any case of delay which he thinks calls for inquiry, I shall be pleased to look into the matter.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he has yet received a reply from the Soviet Government to his representations about the case of Eugen Stefanowicz, who escaped to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics last July with the help of the Soviet authorities after a warrant for his arrest on a charge of murder had been issued in this country.

As there had been no reply to previous oral inquiries, a note was sent to the Soviet Government on 7th August inquiring their intentions in this case. It was pointed out that Stefanowicz could have been returaed to this country from Sweden under normal extradition procedure had they not caused him to be removed from the vessel on which he was travelling and they were asked whether, in these unusual circumstances, they were now prepared to return him to the United Kingdom. The Soviet reply received on 20th September expressed the view that, being a Soviet citizen, Stefanowicz could not be released for trial outside the Soviet Union.The Soviet Government no doubt have their reasons for stating that Stefanowicz is now a Soviet citizen. But whatever his present nationality, it is clear that he previously regarded himself as a Pole and was, in fact, one at the material time. In any case, his nationality makes no difference to the fact that he was accused in this country of a serious crime and should, according to the commonly accepted principles of justice, have stood his trial in the United Kingdom. Our complaint against the Soviet Government, which they have made no attempt to answer, is that it was only thanks to their direct intervention that he was able to escape.It is not clear what prompted the Soviet Government to procure the escape of a man charged with a sordid crime or what advantage they expected to reap by so doing. Nevertheless, their action was clearly contrary to accepted standards of international behaviour and demonstrates once more their disregard for the practice of civilised nations, even in matters devoid of political significance. His Majesty's Government consider it useless to pursue the matter further and can only regret that the Soviet Government should have gone to such lengths to defeat the ends of justice.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what is the number and annual value of long-service pensions in the Royal Air Force that are subject to regular revision by reference to the interim index of retail prices.

No long-service pensions in the Royal Air Force are subject to regular revision by reference to the interim index of retail prices.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what is the total number of cadets in the air section of the Combined Cadet Force in schools in the county of the West Riding and the City of York on the date of the last strength return.

One hundred and eleven in the county of the West Riding and 35 in the City of York.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what is the total number of cadets in the air section of the Combined Cadet Force in schools on the date of the last strength return.

Four thousand three hundred and fifteen.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Aviation what is the estimated cost to his Department so far of the strike of British Overseas Airways Corporation electricians at London Airport.

The direct loss to my Department consists only of loss of landing fees and amounts to about £600, British Overseas Airways Corporation have estimated that the net loss to the Corporation, which may ultimately fall to the Exchequer in one way or another, is of the order of £250,000 up to 7th December.