asked the Minister of Health what progress has been made in, respect of the inquiries into the possibility of sending tuberculosis cases to Switzerland for treatment under the National Health Service.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave to the hon. and gallant Member for Norfolk, Central (Brigadier Medlicott) on 12th April.

asked the Minister of Health when he estimates that a sufficient number of bone conduction hearing aids will be in production to meet the needs.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to the hon. Member for Morecambe and Lonsdale (Sir I. Fraser) on 12th April.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that Miss A. M. Stephens, 47, Portman Street, Taunton, has been registered for an ear aid since August, 1949; and when she may expect to receive it.

Yes; but I regret that her turn is not likely to come for some time.

asked the Minister of Health whether in view of the shortage of beds for the chronic sick in the country, he will consider making it a statutory obligation on the regional hospital boards to accept cases recommended by medical officers of health as in need of care and attention.

No.

asked the Minister of Health how many beds were available in the northern region for the chronic sick when the National Health Service Act came into operation; and how many are available today.

I regret that the information asked for in the first part of the Question is not available. The number on 31st December, 1950, is estimated at about 2,650.

asked the Minister of Health if he will now make a statement upon the reports of the committees which, under the chairmanship of Mr. Zachary Cope, considered the supply, demand, training and qualification of almoners, chiropodists, dieticians, medical laboratory technicians, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, radiographers and speech therapists in the National Health Service.

Yes, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and I have now been able to study the reports, which were published on 13th April, and we should like to pay tribute to the thoroughness and value of the investigation made by Mr. Cope and the members of the committees.The recommendations on registration made in the majority reports, which would require legislation, will now be taken by us as the basis of discussions with the appropriate organisations. Meanwhile, pending the establishment of official registration machinery, we propose to apply the recommended qualifications to new applicants for posts in the National Health Service.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that there is a shortage of certain hospital supplies, especially gauze and methylated spirits in hospitals in the north-west region; and what steps he is proposing to take to remedy these shortages.

I understand that the normal needs of hospitals for methylated spirits are now being met. I am in touch with the hospital authority concerned about shortage of gauze and I shall give them all the help I can as soon as I know the details.

asked the Minister of Health whether he has considered the petition, sent to him on 3rd April and signed by 5,634 residents of the Borough of Harwich, which points out that all expectant mothers are now taken from Harwich to Colchester, nearly 20 miles away, and asking that maternity accommodation may forthwith be provided either in the borough or in the vicinity.

Yes. The need is fully accepted, and for some time the regional hospital board have been looking for suitable accommodation, so far unsuccessfully.

asked the Minister of Health if, in view of the shortage of medicine bottles, he will make a small charge to patients for such bottles in order to ensure their return for further use.

No, but I would again appeal to the public to return medicine bottles in a clean condition to their chemists.

asked the Minister of Health what steps he proposes to take to permit free maternity outfits to be provided for women who are confined in private nursing homes.

None. Free maternity outfits or dressings are available for women confined either at home or in hospital under the National Health Service. I am not responsible for private nursing home arrangements.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware of the dissatisfaction felt by hospital home sisters at the delay of the Whitley Council in announcing recommendations for a revised salary grading; and if he will endeavour to expedite a decision upon this matter.

I understand that the Nurses and Midwives Whitley Council has not yet reached agreement with regard to revised remuneration for home sisters. I am sure that both sides of the Council will endeavour to reach a decision as soon as possible.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will consider laying down a scale of car mileage allowance to be paid to all district nurses.

If the hon. Member will let me know in more detail of any cases in which the present arrangements are proving unsatisfactory, I will gladly look into the matter.

asked the Minister of Health when the Report of the Committee set up to investigate Medical Laboratory Technicians will be published.

I presume that the hon. Member is referring to the Committee on the Supply and Demand, Training and Qualifications of Medical Laboratory Technicians in the National Health Service. It was published on 13th April.

asked the Minister of Health whether, in order to eliminate misunderstandings, he will take steps to see that dentists operating under the National Health Service ask patients at the commencement of treatment whether they wish to be treated privately or under the service.

Patients should make clear to the dentist when applying for treatment whether they wish to be treated under the Service or privately.

asked the Minister of Health how much money is being spent on the preparation of plans for new hospitals that are not likely to be built for some years.

I regret that information in this form is not available centrally, but the amount must be relatively small.

asked the Minister of Health if, in view of the increasing number of cases of pulmonary tuberculosis amongst foreign workers in Bradford, he will invite all such workers to submit themselves for X-ray examination at not less than yearly intervals.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to his Questions today.

asked the Minister of Health (1) if he will indicate the steps taken to make Census Forms in the Welsh language available to all those desiring them in Wales, during the recent Census;(2) if he is aware that during the recent Census, forms in the Welsh language were not available in Caernarvonshire, particularly in the town of Caernarvon and the Nantlle Valley where the population is almost wholly Welsh speaking; and if he will make a statement.

Census officers in Wales were supplied with such numbers-of Census forms in Welsh as they considered necessary and with a good reserve as well: a further reserve, available on-demand, was kept at a strategic point. I have no evidence that the supply of these forms was inadequate.

asked the Minister of Local Government and Planning upon what date was a petition received by him for the provision of an adequate supply of water for the residents of Bwlch, Breconshire; what have been the developments since; whether a decision has been given as to the amount of grant which may be offered; and to what extent the lack of water supply is holding up the programme for housing.

The petition was received on 27th June, 1950. A water supply scheme to serve that part of Bwlch which is in Crickhowell Rural District as well as Tretower Cwnddu and Felindre was received from Crickhowell Rural District Council on 12th December, 1950. The Welsh Board of Health then investigated the possibility of extending Crickhowell Scheme to serve also that part of Bwlch which is in Brecknock Rural District. The consulting engineer is drawing up plans for this extension and a conference between the Crickhowell and Brecknock Rural District Councils will be held very shortly to discuss this matter. When the scope of the scheme has been settled, I will consider it for grant under the Rural Water Supplies and Sewerage Act, 1944. No housing development in Bwlch is held up for lack of water supply.

asked the Minister of Agriculture the estimated total output of concentrated kitchen waste salvaged, per annum for animal feeding purposes.

The total output of concentrated kitchen waste in Great Britain during 1950 was 230,000 tons.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what figures he possesses of Cuban cigars brought into this country either as presents or as travellers' allowance, or purchased in Eire and other sterling areas; and how much duty is in this way avoided which would be paid if duty-paid Cuban cigars were allowed to enter this country.

No statistics are kept as to the extent to which travellers avail themselves of the concession under which they may import, for their personal use, a limited quantity of tobacco goods without payment of duty. Cigars imported as presents are not admitted free under this concession.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if British citizens who receive large sums of money from foreign sources for efforts made or work done here, are liable, under his regulations, to the same tax on such sums as if they had received the money in Great Britain for efforts made or work done here.

Under the Income Tax Acts liability attaches to profits or gains arising from a trade, profession or vocation carried on in the United Kingdom or from an employment exercised here, irrespective of the place of residence of the person or persons to whom services are rendered in the course of those activities. If the hon. Member wishes fuller information about the basis of liability in respect of any specific class of payments, perhaps he will communicate with me.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware of the hardship endured by old age pensioners, widowers, elderly bachelors and other single men, existing on small static pensions, who have to employ a housekeeper to attend to their daily wants, who only receive an Income Tax allowance of £110 per annum against a married man's wife allowance of £180, and, in view of the increased cost of living and the additional expenditure necessary to employ a housekeeper, whether he will consider increasing the housekeepers' allowance for Income Tax purposes to £180 per annum; and what would be the estimated cost of this change.

I am not clear what is the exact proposal in my hon. Friend's mind, and perhaps he would write to me.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the treatment for Income Tax of marginal cases of age relief on income other than earnings, what the estimated cost would be of reducing the rate of recovery from five-eighths of the amount by which the income exceeds £500 to seven-twelfths and to one-half, respectively.

The cost of a reduction of the, five-eighths fraction to seven-twelfths—which would extend the limit of marginal relief, where the income is wholly investment income, from £816 for a single person and £763 for a married person without children to £938 and £864 respectively—would be £500,000. A reduction to one-half—which would extend the marginal limits to £2,400 for single persons and £2,080 for married persons—would cost £3 million.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, as he has been able to help old age and war pensioners, if he will also help Civil Service pensioners, who are equally hard hit by the rise in the cost of living.

I have nothing to add to my right hon. Friend's reply of 30th January to the hon. Member for Ilford, North (Mr. Hutchinson).

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware of the growing practice adopted by ticket touts at football cup finals, boxing tournaments, etc., in selling price-marked tickets at 300 per cent. and 400 per cent. above their normal value; and, as these people are not paying the Entertainments Duty due on these tickets, thus evading the law, whether he will consider prosecutions in each case.

I am aware of the price referred to in the first part of the Question. As regards the second part, the question of proceedings depends on the circumstances of the particular transaction and there are obvious difficulties in obtaining suitable evidence.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much of the sum authorised out of the Consolidated Fund, the sum of £535 million, for the permanent annual charge for the National Debt, will be used for the reduction of the debt.

£20 million.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in view of the uncertainty caused by his intention to impose Purchase Tax on portrait photographs, if he will define exactly what types of photograph are included in the term "portrait photographs" so that portrait and commercial photographers may adjust their forward purchases of tax-free photographic materials accordingly.

Discussions are in progress with the main trade associations concerned, with a view to finding a suitable definition for this purpose; I cannot at the moment therefore give more definite information on the matter.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury what, on the figure for the first quarter of 1951, would be the estimated loss of revenue if all motor cars paid the £10 tax.

The figures for the first quarter do not give us the basis for an estimate of the loss of revenue which would result: on the latest figures we have, the estimate is about £6 million a year.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will consider the setting up of a judicial inquiry into the assessed value of the real credit of this country in the form of productive capacity and production, in order to see how this information could be used to lower prices, costs, rates, taxes, Death and Estate Duties.

No.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury what number of eligible Crown servants and their wives living overseas are included in the 1951 Register; and what percentage this figure forms of the total number of Crown servants overseas entitled to be registered.

This information is not available centrally and I do not consider that the time and labour required to obtain it would be justifiable, particularly in present stringent circumstances.

asked the Minister of Education whether he has received the assurances for which he asked from the Durham County Council with regard to their policy concerning the union membership of teachers.

Not yet. The authority have asked me to see their representatives, and I give below a copy of my reply:"18th April, 1951Sir,I am directed by the Minister of Education to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 17th April and to state that he has noted the terms of the resolution passed by the County Council's Emergency Committee.In the resolution regret is expressed that the Minister issued the direction contained in his letter without further consultation. The Minister cannot agree that he would have been justified in delaying the issue of directions in order to avert the threat to the education service which had been precipitated by the Authority's action, despite the warnings they had previously been given of the probable consequences of their action. The Minister had specifically warned the Authority in his letter of 22nd November, 1950, and again on 13th December, 1950, when, with the Minister of Health he saw their representatives, that if they persisted in their policy of enforcing union membership a situation might arise in which he would be obliged to take action against them under Section 68.Since the Authority have not given the Minister the assurance for which he asked in his letter of 3rd April, I am to remind them that the effect of the direction which the Minister has given them is that it is now their statutory duty to refrain from taking any steps to ascertain whether applicants for teaching posts at their disposal are, or intend to become, members of a trade union or professional organisation.Provided it is the Authority's intention to comply with the direction he has given them, the Minister will be prepared to see their representatives.I am, Sir,Your obedient Servant,(Signed) R. N. Heaton."

asked the Minister of Education how many local education authorities in England and Wales, respectively, now employ one or more full-time youth organisers and one or more full-time youth employment officers; and how many do not.

The employment of youth organisers is a matter for the discretion of individual local education authorities and I have no complete information about the numbers that employ them. That part of the Question which refers to youth employment officers should be addressed to my right hon. Friend, the Minister of Labour and National Service.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will give the numbers of persons employed at the latest available date in national and local government services.

The estimated numbers employed in national government service and local government service as defined in the standard industrial classification were 632,000 and 751,000, respectively, at the end of February, 1951.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will endeavour to settle the dispute between the Transport and General Workers' Union and the Electrical Trades Union, which has resulted in nearly 2,000 electricians being on strike, and is thereby holding up the completion and adding to the cost of building work in the London and Home Counties.

I would refer the hon. Member to the answers given by my hon. Friend to the hon. Member for Hackney, South (Mr. H. Butler), on 20th March and to the hon. Member for Hertfordshire, South-West (Mr. G. Longden) on 10th April.Unfortunately, at the further meetings no mutually acceptable procedure for settling the dispute could be agreed. As the stoppage of work was having a serious effect on the progress of certain vital Government contracts and also holding up the completion of housing schemes and other important work, I decided to appoint a Court of Inquiry forthwith to inquire into the causes and circumstances of the dispute. At the same time, I asked the Electrical Trades Union to recommend to the other men a general resumption of work and I am glad to say that, as the result, work was generally resumed on 17th April, apart from the 19 men directly involved at the Bethnal Green Depot.

asked the Minister of Labour how many persons were employed in manufacturing artificial teeth and spectacles on 31st March.

The statistics required are not available.

asked the Minister of Labour by how much it is estimated that the cost-of-living index will rise by 1st October, 1951, and by 1st January, 1952, respectively.

Future price movements are not sufficiently known to enable me to make a reliable estimate of the level which the retail prices index is likely to reach by October. 1951, and January, 1952.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations, in view of the impending famine in Madras, Bihar and Bombay, whether he will consider rendering immediate help to our Commonwealth friends even at the expense of our own food supplies.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Hornsey (Mr. Gammans) on 5th April. I should add that shipping is no less necessary than supplies of food. Although the tonnage at our disposal was already seriously strained, we have been able to charter for India about 40 ships over the period January-June, most or all of which would otherwise have been available for our own import programme. The value of this assistance was acknowledged by the Indian Minister of Food in a speech in Parliament on 7th April, when he said that the ships thus provided had been mainly responsible for the fact that the Indian Government was today able to feed the country.

asked the Minister of Supply if he can give any information on the new protein fibre called Ardil; whether the material made from it has been tested so far as clothes are concerned; and whether garments made from it are likely to appear in the shops in the near future.

I have been asked to reply. I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given today to my hon. Friend the Member for Dartford (Mr. Dodds) on this subject.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he is aware of the danger that British fishermen will lose thousands of square miles of good quality fishing grounds in view of the proposal of Iceland to enforce the four-mile limit off her northern coast as from 3rd October, 1951; what action he proposes to take to safeguard the interests of British fishermen; and if he will make a statement on the correspondence received from the Grimsby Trawler Officers' Guild on this matter.

Yes. The Icelandic Government was notified on 6th July, 1950, that His Majesty's Government could not accept the new fishery regulations which were published in Iceland on the 22nd April, 1950. It was pointed out to the Icelandic Government that the position is likely to be affected by the decision in the case between His Majesty's Government and the Norwegian Government on fishing limits, now before the Hague Court. I now understand that this judgment is not likely to be given before the end of the year. It was also suggested to the Icelandic Government that it would be desirable to await the Court's judgment before starting discussions between the two Governments about fishery limits off Iceland. I now propose again to approach the Icelandic Government and to ask them to postpone the application of their new fishery regulations to British vessels until a reasonable interval after the Court's judgment.As regards the letter which the hon. Member has received from the Grimsby Trawler Officers' Guild, I do not think there is anything I can usefully add at present. I can assure the House that His Majesty's Government are fully aware of the serious loss to our fishing industry, if the Icelandic regulations in their present form were enforced against United Kingdom vessels.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he is satisfied that his financial arrangements will enable the farmers to provide enough milk in the autumn and winter of this year to meet the nation's needs.

Yes—given reasonable weather conditions.

asked the Minister of Food how the farm workers' normal meat ration compares with that of boys at approved schools.

Agricultural workers living at home receive the domestic ration. Boys under 18 years of age resident in any school are entitled to the domestic ration and the further allowance made to all schools providing school meals.

asked the Minister of Food if he is aware that there is much cruelty in slaughterhouses throughout the country, including overcrowding of animals awaiting slaughter, the beating of the said animals by the drovers and that the use of the humane killer is not general; and if he will make a statement on what action he proposes to improve these conditions.

My right hon. Friend cannot accept the implication in the hon. Member's Question. The vast majority of drovers and slaughtermen employed in connection with the slaughter of animals for the meat ration are ordinary decent folk used to handling animals and as keen as we all are to avoid unnecessary cruelty. Every precaution is taken to see that the animals are properly transported and looked after whilst awaiting slaughter and not only are the provisions of the Slaughter of Animals Acts fully observed, but our instructions require that sheep shall be stunned before slaughter even though the Act of 1933 does not require this to be done in all areas. If the hon. Member has any specific case of alleged cruelty in mind, I hope he will let me have details so that it can be investigated.

asked the Minister of Food what are the total stocks of edible oils and fats held in this country in 1945 and at the present time.

No. It is not in the public interest to disclose our stocks of important commodities.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether, in view of the present difficulties being experienced by farmers due to the bad weather and the consequent delay to all farming operations, he will, in consultation with other Departments concerned, consider either the postponement or cancellation of orders that have been issued to Z reservists to report for training at various places throughout the United Kingdom during the months of April and May, provided their applications have the support of the agricultural committees concerned.

Any farmer who is being called up can appeal, like any other reservist, against his call-up if he considers that he should be exempted. His case will be considered individually and sympathetically. In view of this facility, and of the fact that the farmers called up will normally be filling some of the more important posts in their units, I am unable to agree to a general exemption such as is proposed by the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for War what steps are being taken to ensure that news of British prisoners of war taken by the Communist forces in Korea are immediately notified to British forces in the Far East and to their families at home.

Names of British prisoners of war in North Korean or Chinese hands have so far been received only from unofficial sources or from the questioning in the Far East of returned prisoners of war. In all cases the next of kin are immediately informed and notification is made to the appropriate authorities in the Far East.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what use is to be made of the Eleuthera Estate recently acquired in the Bahamas; and how much was paid for it.

On the use to be made of the estate, which was purchased by the Colonial Development Corporation I would refer the hon. Member to the written reply which I gave to a similar question by the hon. Member for Leyton (Mr. Sorensen) on 22nd June last. As regards the second part of the Question, I would invite the hon. Member to refer to the Corporation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what progress has been made by the Colonial Development Corporation in starting seed production schemes in Africa or elsewhere.

The Corporation have no schemes for seed production in operation at the moment. With regard to any such schemes that may be in prospect for the future, I invite the hon. Member to inquire of the Corporation direct.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he is aware that an official announcement has been made in the Gold Coast that the cutting out of swollen shoot disease on cocoa trees is to be suspended for one month; and whether this action has the approval of His Majesty's Government.

I would refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend's reply on 18th April to Questions by the hon. Members for Twickenham (Mr. Keeling) and Hornsey (Mr. Gammans). This is a matter fully within the competence of the Gold Coast Government.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies when he proposes to publish the report on the activities of the Colonial Development Corporation.

I would refer the hon. Member to the oral reply given by my right hon. Friend to the hon. Member for Colchester (Mr. Alport) on 18th April.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty if officers and ratings from Naval Reserves have volunteered in sufficient numbers to meet the special defence requirements.

Many officers have volunteered and I hope that in the main our needs will be met from this source. Although it was always intended that the ratings needed should be obtained by calling up members of the Royal Fleet Reserve, I am glad to say that a considerable number of these reservists have also volunteered.

asked the Minister of National Insurance what administrative difficulties prevent the payment of increased old age pensions on 1st June, 1951; what would be the annual cost of extending the proposed increases to women at 65 years of age and men at 70 years of age, to women at 60 years of age and men at 65 years of age, respectively; by how much individual contributions would have to be increased to meet the added cost of such increases, if no contribution was made from the Exchequer: and by how much the purchasing power of 26s. has fallen since the basic pension of 26s. took effect.

I regret that I cannot within the limits of a Parliamentary reply give details of the complicated administrative problems involved in the adjustment as from a definite date of the benefits of over three million people. I would, moreover, point out that the Bill to give effect to the proposals outlined in the Budget has not yet received its Second Reading.The annual cost to the National Insurance Fund of extending to men below 70 years of age and women below 65 years the increases in retirement pensions which are proposed for men and women who have reached those ages would be just under £10 million immediately, rising to £15 million in 15 years' time and to £16–£17 million in 25 years: but if, as is probable, the effect were to encourage earlier retirement than at present, the cost would be greater. If the cost were spread uniformly over all contributors without any additional contribution by the Exchequer, it would mean an immediate addition of between 2d. and 2½d. to contributions and more in later years as the emerging cost of pensions increased.As regards the last part of the Question, I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Financial Secretary to the Treasury to the hon. Member for Leigh (Mr. Boardman) on 26th February last.