asked the Minister of Town and Country Planning on what principles he exercises his power to award costs to successful appellants in appeals under the Town and Country Planning Act, 1947.

Costs are only awarded in exceptional cases, when it appears to me that the local planning authority have acted unreasonably.

asked the Minister of Town and Country Planning what is the estimated ultimate population in each of the new towns; the number of sites reserved in each for the erection of places of worship; and the method of allocating the sites among the various religious communities.

The population proposed for Stevenage, Harlow and Hemel Hempstead is in each case 60,000; for Crawley and Basildon, 50,000; for Corby, 40,000; for Welwyn Garden City, 36,500; for Cwmbran, 35,000; for Peterlee, 30,000; for Hatfield and Bracknell, 25,000 each, and for Aycliffe, 10,000. Some of these figures, however, may be increased. The information asked for in the second part of the Question is not available. In reply to the third part, the practice of development corporations is to keep in touch with the local churches joint committees and to allocate sites for churches and church buildings after consultation with them.

asked the Minister of Works what licences have been granted to the National Coal Board for the erection of new offices in Doncaster; and the reasons for the granting of such licences.

A licence for£40,000 has been granted to the National Coal Board for the erection of new offices in Doncaster as a result of sponsorship by the Ministry of Fuel and Power.

asked the Minister of Works what are the estimated amounts of timber, cement and steel which will be required for the erection of the new National Coal Board offices in Doncaster.

The estimated amounts are 12 standards of softwood, 190 tons of cement and 90 tons of steel.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will insruct the National Savings Committee to discontinue the placing of its advertisements in the "Daily Worker" and other organs of the Communist Party.

The National Savings Committee is a non-political body and it would not be proper for me to give them instructions in this matter. They are, presumably, guided solely by whether the advertisement is likely to bring in increased savings. I understand, how-ever, that no such advertisements are at present appearing in the papers mentioned.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will allocate a final global sum of£2,000,000 to the War Damage Commission for the settlement of cases of hardship in which owners mistook notification to the local authority for notification to the War Damage Commission, and had their claims rejected for late notification accordingly.

No.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what grounds the men's rate is paid to the Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Town and Country Planning and withheld from the Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Pensions; and if he will take steps to remedy this anomaly.

No. It was decided some time ago that it would be appropriate to grant equal pay exceptionally to the two most senior grades of the Civil Service. The first of these officers is in one of these grades; the second, though holding a similar title, is not. She is graded as an Under-Secretary, a rank to which equal pay has not yet been applied.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury what has been the cost of publication by the Economic Information Unit of Report to Women; and what further issues are contemplated.

The average cost per issue, from June, 1950, to January, 1951, has been about£35, including duplication, distribution and postage. It is proposed to continue to issue this Report each month.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury if he is aware of the fact that Purchase Tax, amounting to 18s. 1d., is charged on certain types of men's knee-length rubber agricultural boots which could otherwise be retailed at£3 15s.; that additional Purchase Tax is charged on the hobnails and digging plates for these boots; and whether he will consider exempting rubber industrial and agricultural boots from Purchase Tax altogether.

I am aware that rubber agricultural boots and digging plates are liable to Purchase Tax at the rate of 33⅓ per cent. of the wholesale value, but hobnails as such are exempt from the tax. The question of exempting these articles from the tax has been considered in the past, particularly during the debate on the 1948 Finance Bill, but it was not found possible to grant the desired relief. I will, naturally, consider the right hon. Gentleman's suggestion, but he cannot expect me to anticipate my right hon. Friend's Budget statement.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the progressive increase in the cost of living, he will make an addition, by way of cost-of-living bonus or otherwise, to persons in receipt of Civil Service pensions.

It is a fundamental principle of Civil Service pensions that they are related to the salary earned at the time of retirement. Only in the most exceptional circumstances is it justifiable to depart from this principle and I am not prepared, in existing circumstances, to introduce the legislation which would be required to increase the scale of Civil Service pensions beyond the provisions of the Pensions (Increase) Acts of 1944 and 1947.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give, in sterling, to the nearest pound, figures for direct and indirect taxation per head of the population in Great Britain, for the year ended 31st March, 1950, and an estimate of the figure for the year ending 31st March, 1951.

In the year ended 31st March, 1950, the figures were£43 per head direct taxation and£30 indirect. The estimates for the current year are£42 per head direct and£31 indirect.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury why Purchase Tax on illustrated Christmas cards sold by H.M. Stationery Office is 66⅔ per cent. while on similar Christmas cards sold by private retailers it is 100 per cent.

The rate of Purchase Tax charged on illustrated Christmas cards sold by H.M. Stationery Office is 100 per cent.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury what number of employees of each Ministry took advantage of the scheme for volunteers for harvesting in 1950; and what has been the total of man-hours lost to each Ministry for the benefit of this scheme.

3,600 civil servants volunteered under the Civil Service Harvesting Scheme last year. No record was kept centrally of the Departments in which they were serving or of the amount of special leave granted for this purpose. A limited amount of such leave was allowed for those attending after mid-September, but those who did so before mid-September did so in their own time.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury how many officials are employed by the Board of Inland Revenue on the central valuation of properties; and how many will be needed if the valuation lists are to be ready in 1953.

On 1st January, 1951, there were 5,453 officers employed on the rating side of the valuation office. It is expected that this number will rise to about 8,600 when the peak of the revaluation work is reached. A high proportion of the total staff will be engaged temporarily.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is the percentage rise in the import costs of raw materials and manufactured goods since June, 1950.

The Board of Trade index numbers of import prices for December, 1950, show increases, compared with June, 1950, of 32 per cent. for raw materials and 10 per cent. for manufactured goods.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many letters have been sent out by his Department to traders for the purposes of the Census of Production; and what was the cost.

No record is kept of the total number of letters sent out for any specific census, as such a record would serve no useful purpose.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many electrical generators, exceeding 10,000 kilowatt capacity, were exported from this country in 1950; and to what countries they were consigned.

Separate figures are not available from the Trade Returns of the export of electrical generators exceeding 10,000 kilowatts, but, with the hon. Member's permission, I will circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT information received from manufacturers regarding sets produced for export in the period January to November, 1950.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will ban the export of electricity generating sets, particularly to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, at a time when these are needed at home to offset the power cuts imposed by the British Electricity Authority.

No. I assume that the hon. Member has in mind the smaller type of generating set which could be used in factories. Exports of these generating sets have not in any way interfered with the satisfaction of demand at home. We shall, of course, keep the situation under review.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been drawn to the competition that Lancashire textiles are suffering in Tanganyika territory from the imports of Japanese textiles; and, in view of this, whether he will take steps to seek a modification of the Congo-Basin Treaties.

Yes. I am aware that there has been a marked recovery in the imports of Japanese cotton textiles into Tanganyika since the war. In reply to the second part of the Question, I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs on 18th May, 1950, of which I am sending him a copy.

asked the President of the Board of Trade why, on 18th January, a parcel, of which particulars have been sent to him, and which on the same day was returned to the sender by His Majesty's Customs and Excise Parcel Post Depot, was accepted by his Department's Export Licensing Branch for dispatch to Canada.

I regret that, through a misunderstanding, the parcel was stopped by His Majesty's Customs and Excise.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will consider re-imposing allocations control of board to essential users in view of the concern felt with regard to future supplies.

As my right hon. Friend stated in the debate on paper supplies on 24th November last, he has arranged with the paper and board trade for the operation of a voluntary system of priorities. He is waiting to see the results of this before deciding whether or not the re-imposition of statutory control is necessary.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that output of export industries at Langholm, Dumfriesshire, is being adversely affected through the curtailment of overtime due to the cancellation of late trains by which the workers normally travelled home; and whether he will consult with the Transport Commission, with a view to ensuring that some means of transport is provided at the time normally required.

I understand that only one mill at Langholm is at present working overtime, and 10 workers normally travel by the 9.41 p.m. train now cancelled. I am, however, having the matter investigated.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if his attention has been called to the injustice arising from the inadequate protection provided by the Hire Purchase Act, 1938, which, in maintaining the limit of protection to£100, takes no account of the prevailing higher costs of household requisites; and if he will introduce amending legislation as soon as possible.

I will bear in mind my hon. Friend's suggestion, but before reaching any final decision as to what change or changes in the Act were desirable I should wish to ascertain the views of the trade bodies likely to be interested.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will give details of goods sent to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in 1950 and since 1st January, 1951, especially of materials which could be used for strategic war purposes.

I am sending the hon. Member a statement giving all the details which are available of exports to the U.S.S.R. in 1950; no figures are yet available for January, 1951. It is not possible to say exactly what constitutes "materials which could be used for strategic war purposes," but the hon. Member is aware that goods of significant strategic importance are subject to control.

asked the President of the Board of Trade which countries are members of the Interim Commission of the International Trade Organisation; how many meetings were held of the Commission in 1950 and in what places; and what decisions were reached.

With the hon. Member's permission, I will circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT a list of the countries represented on the Interim Commission of the International Trade Organisation. The Interim Commission did not meet in 1950, but its Executive Committee held a single meeting in Torquay on 24th November to consider the position of certain loans which have been made to the Commission by the United Nations on behalf of the proposed International Trade Organisation. The Executive Committee decided, in view of the continued uncertainty with regard to the establishment of the International Trade Organisation, to send to the Secretary-General of the United Nations an appreciation of the present financial situation of the Interim Commission.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what quantity of tinplate suitable for use in canning factories in the United Kingdom was exported during 1950; and how much is to be exported in 1951.

Tinplate suitable for use in canning factories is not separately distinguished in the Trade Accounts, but United Kingdom exports of tinplate of all kinds during 1950 amounted to 247,000 tons. It is impossible to say how much tinplate will be exported this year.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what controls, both of price and distribution, he contemplates restoring to stop the maldistribution and excessive pricing of many commodities in general use.

As far as price control is concerned, I would remind my hon. Friend that some raw materials and many consumer goods (including all goods produced under Utility schemes) are subject to price control already. I would also refer my hon. Friend to the answers given on 7th November to my hon. Friend the Member for Stockton-on-Tees (Mr. Chetwynd) and on 12th December to my hon. Friend, the Member for Battersea, South (Mrs. Ganley). Measures of control to ensure a proper distribution of essential commodities within the Board of Trade field will be introduced where they appear to be necessary and practicable.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the amount of sulphuric acid exported from this country during 1948, 1949 and 1950; and to what countries it was exported.

United Kingdom exports of sulphuric acid during the past three years were as follow: 1948, 4,446 tons; 1949, 4,321 tons; 1950, 4,659 tons. I will send my hon. Friend a statement showing the countries to which this acid was exported, but the Federation of Malaya and the Irish Republic were the countries taking the largest quantities.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that the reduction of 15 per cent. in the supplies of sulphuric acid to the rayon factories will have a serious effect on production; and what steps he is taking to overcome the short supply.

I am aware that the reduction in our supplies of sulphur from the United States, both for industrial use and for the manufacture of sulphuric acid, is having serious effects on production, not only in the rayon but in other important industries, and the strongest representations are being made to the Americans to increase their allocations of sulphur to us. In order to reduce our dependence on sulphur, plans are being made, in consultation with industry, to convert existing plants and to build new plants to burn other sulphur-bearing materials, but this will take time. A number of other projects to substitute sulphur by other materials and to effect the maximum recovery of this material from other sources are being pursued.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will state the total amount of solid salt taken out of the ground in Cheshire in the last two years; and what percentage was obtained from wild brine pumping.

Some 2½ million tons of solid salt were taken out of Cheshire in the form of brine during each of the years 1949 and 1950; of this about a quarter is believed to have been derived from the pumping of wild brine.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that materials necessary in the production of war potential are being acquired by countries behind the Iron Curtain through trade arrangements emanating from this country; how far these transactions are traceable; and if he will take action to prohibit them.

The export from the United Kingdom to Iron Curtain countries of goods of strategic value is closely controlled and all possible administrative steps are taken to ensure that strategic materials are not diverted to the Soviet bloc in transit. If the hon. Member has specific transactions in mind, I should be glad to receive details.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is the average number of middlemen between the manufacturers and the user in the case of pottery; what is the permitted percentage added to the primary cost of the products in the retail price; and how is this distributed among the several middlemen.

Most pottery passes direct from manufacturer to retailer: some passes in the first instance through a wholesaler, but the proportion passing through two wholesalers is negligible. Distributors' maximum margins under the Domestic Pottery (Maximum Prices) Order, are fixed at 31¼ per cent. for wholesalers and 55 per cent. for retailers. The retailer who buys direct from a manufacturer can take only the latter; and, in the exceptional case where there were two wholesalers, the 31¼ per cent. would have to be shared between them. Moreover, in the case of scheduled items, which include most items made in white earthenware, these margins are subject to over-riding cash maximum prices which limit the over-all addition to the manufacturer's maximum price to at most 75 per cent.

asked the President of the Board of Trade why the National Film Finance Corporation has now departed from the pursuit of the object for which it was set up, namely, to assist the independent film producer.

My hon. Friend is mistaken. No such change has taken place.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what types of industrial raw materials are to be purchased by Yugoslavia with the recent British credit of£2,000,000.

The programme of raw material supplies is under discussion with the Yugoslav authorities and final decisions have not yet been taken.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will now control the import, re-export and domestic allocation of natural rubber.

I see no reason at present to introduce the controls to which my hon. Friend refers.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is the average price of exports and imports separately as compared with 1938 and taking that year's figures at 100; and if he can estimate the extent to which the figures for the first quarter of 1951 are likely to show a further rise.

Only a very rough estimate can be made of the level of United Kingdom import and export prices compared with 1938. Taking 1938 as 100, prices of our exports in 1950 were, on the average, between 260 and 270 and prices of our imports were between 340 and 350. By December, export prices, as measured by the Board of Trade index, were about 5½ per cent. above the average for 1950 as a whole and import prices were 11½ per cent. above the year's average. We are not in a position to forecast what further increases the index numbers will show in the first three months of this year.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement about the Torquay Conference; and what agreements have so far been come to which affect existing Imperial Preferences.

As my right hon. Friend informed the Member for Croydon, East (Sir H. Williams) on 23rd November, he proposes 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. In the meantime, we are not in a position to make a statement on the course of the tariff negotiations. With regard to the Fifth Session of the contracting parties to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Wembley, South (Mr. Russell).

asked the Minister of Labour whether the terms of reference of his advisory Committee on the Cost-of-Living Index include the consideration of the form of the index and of methods of collecting the family budgets on which it is based.

Yes.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will state, at the latest available date, the number of civil servants in national and local government; and the number of the industrial staffs, respectively.

At 1st October, 1950, there were 696,000 non-industrial employees and 395,000 industrial employees in national government service. It is estimated that the number employed by local authorities at mid-1950 was 1,420,000, but it is not possible to divide this figure between non-industrial and industrial employees. All employees of local authorities, including teachers and police, are included.

asked the Minister of Labour how many regular agricultural workers, of both sexes, were registered as unemployed at employment exchanges in Kent at the last convenient date.

At 11th December, the latest date for which information is available, there were 171 men and 1,258 women wholly unemployed, registering at employment exchanges in Kent for employment as agricultural workers. It is not known how many of these were regular agricultural workers.

asked the Minister of Labour what provision he proposes to make for Class Z Reservists who have conscientious objections to further service in the Armed Forces.

Arrangements will be made under which any who claim to have developed conscientious objections will have an opportunity of putting their case to a civil tribunal.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when the report of the committee appointed to inquire into the qualifications required by physiotherapists employed in the National Health Service will be published.

I expect that this report will be published before Easter.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is now in a position to announce a decision regarding the use of beds in Swiss sanatoria for Scottish tuberculosis patients.

I am sorry I cannot yet add to the reply given to the hon. Member by my hon. Friend on 23rd January.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will consider restoring the calf subsidy to heifer calves in beef herds in view of the excessive slaughtering of heifer calves in such herds.

No. I am not aware of any good reason for reversing the Government's recent policy decision in this matter.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received during the past fortnight from fishermen employed in the salmon net fishing industry regarding the length of the weekly close time for net fishing.

One representation has been received during the past fortnight from a group of fishermen. This was against the proposed extension from 36 to 48 hours; but the fishermen were prepared to agree to an extension to 42 hours from 12 noon on Saturdays to 6 a.m. Mondays.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what advice he has received during the past fortnight from the Association of Scottish District Salmon Fishery Boards regarding the length of the weekly close time for net fishing.

A deputation from the Association which was received on 19th January represented that the weekly close time should be 42 hours, running from 12 noon on Saturday to 6 a.m. on Monday.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what advice he has received during the past fortnight from the Salmon Net Fishing Association of Scotland regarding the length of the weekly close time for net fishing.

A deputation from the Association represented that an increase in the weekly close time was unnecessary, but that in any event it should not exceed six hours. Any extended period should, they thought, be limited to not more than five or seven years, and the position then reviewed.

asked the Minister of Pensions why, when there is a shortage of civilian doctors, retired Service medical officers employed in his Department's centres are being stood off and replaced by civilian doctors.

I am not aware that any retired Service medical officers are being stood off and replaced by civilian doctors but if the hon. Member will give me particulars of any case he has in mind, I will make inquiries.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what action he is taking on the recommendation of Sir Patrick Dollan that mid-week sporting fixtures should be banned in Scotland during the period of acute fuel shortage.

I would refer the hon. and gallant Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Durham, North-West (Mr. Murray), on 23rd January.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if his attention has been drawn to the action of policemen sent by the Hong Kong authorities to compel the Chinese residents in Takuling to destroy their homes on 6th November last, when more than 400 houses were destroyed and about 3,000 persons rendered homeless in wintry weather; and whether this action was taken with the approval of His Majesty's Government.

My hon. Friend has been misinformed. No destruction of homes took place on 6th November in Takuling, nor at any date have 3,000 persons been forced by the police to destroy their homes or "rendered homeless in wintry weather."

asked the Minister of Health what reports he has received of serious consequences of vaccination at Brighton during the recent scare; whether this included any fatal results of the operation;

asked the Minister of Health what steps he is taking to grant increased housing priority for mining areas.

I have been asked to reply. I am looking into this question in consultation with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Fuel and Power.

asked the Minister of Food whether in view of the necessity of canned foods being available to the housewife, he will take this fact into consideration in making the allocation of tinplate to the food trades in 1951.

I have received no reports of serious consequences of vaccination at Brighton during the present outbreak, and no fatalities due to vaccination have been reported. Adverse effects of vaccination are always reported to medical officers of health of local health authorities and thence to my Department.

asked the Minister of Health how many of the cases of diphtheria notified in children under 15 were recorded as immunised or not immunised in 1944, 1945, 1946, and 1947, and if he will give similar information about the deaths from diphtheria recorded in those years.

The information required is indicated on the statement below. No return was made for 1944.

Allocations of tinplate for the second half of this year have not yet been made, but I can assure my hon. Friend that when they are the needs of housewives will be taken fully into account.

asked the Minister of Transport what progress is being made in the steps taken to nationalise road passenger transport in North-East England; and when he thinks it likely that action will be completed in bringing such transport under public ownership.

The British Transport Commission have submitted to me a scheme relating to the northern area of England and, in accordance with the procedure prescribed in the Eighth Schedule to the Transport Act, 1947, I have returned it to them with my observations, and it is still under discussion with them. Until these discussions are completed I cannot say when the scheme is likely to become operative.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he can ensure that, following his appeal to local authorities to economise on street lighting by blacking out after 11 p.m., there will be no resultant patchiness which has in the past proved dangerous to traffic.

The appeal referred to by my hon. Friend stressed that, when traffic routes are lighted, lighting should be maintained at full standard.

asked the Minister of Agriculture why, in the Third Report of the Welsh Agricultural Land Sub-Commission, it is recorded that the Glanllyn Advisory Committee was asked for an expression of opinion as to the effects on the amenities of the Glannllyn estate of the proposed extension of the Trawsfynydd Range, but not stated what that opinion was; and whether he will state what the advice of the committee was.

The opinion of the advisory committee was invited so that it could be taken into account by the Welsh Agricultural Land Sub-Commission and my Department when they were consulted by the Ministry of Town and Country Planning. It would be inappropriate to publish advice given in such circumstances.

asked the Postmaster-General what is the annual loss of revenue to his Department owing to its inability to connect up outstanding orders for telephones.

The gross annual revenue from rentals would be increased by about£3 million if all outstanding applicants were connected. It is not possible to make any reliable estimate of the increased revenue which would result from local and trunk calls from those applicants.

asked the Postmaster-General what is the estimated cost of building the television station at St. Lythams; and by what date it is planned to complete it.

I understand from the B.B.C. that the station is expected to cost from£330,000 to£350,000, and that they are planning to complete it by mid-1952.

asked the Minister of National Insurance why a claim for family allowance, made by Mr. A. W. A. Mitchell, 26, Sharsted Camp, Doddington, Sittingbourne, Kent, in August, 1950, in respect of his family of six children was not dealt with until December; why he was then granted an allowance for one child only and informed that he owed her Department£53 5s. 0d.; and how soon can a settlement of this claim be expected.

As the case is complicated I am writing to my hon. Friend about it.

asked the Prime Minister what Minister has been, or will be, appointed to be chairman of the committee to study the whole field of leasehold reform.

The arrangements made by the Cabinet for the discharge of its collective responsibility are matters for the Cabinet itself, and it is not customary to disclose the membership of Cabinet committees. I see no reason to make an exception from this practice in the case of the Committee on Leasehold Reform.