asked the Minister of Health how much money he estimates is spent annually on the making up of prescriptions under the National Health Scheme which are not claimed.

I have no data on which such an estimate could be based, but my inquiries suggest that very little medicine is not claimed.

asked the Minister of Health the estimated cost of the reductions in the doctors' lists announced in his circular dated 11th January, 1951; and how much he estimates will be saved as a result of these reductions.

It is too early to say.

asked the Minister of Health what was the average lapse of time in 1945 and 1950 between donations by individuals in the blood donation scheme.

At the beginning of 1945 it was about three months, but by the end of that year it was approaching six months. In 1950 it was six months.

asked the Minister of Health whether a decision has yet been reached on the proposal submitted to him by letter on 17th April by the hon. Member for Cardiff, North, that a blood transfusion unit should be made available for members of the House who are blood donors; and whether he will arrange for a unit to operate at regular intervals within easy access of the House.

Yes. I will announce detailed arrangements as soon as they have been made.

asked the Minister of Health why no arrangements have been made to replace the surgeon who performed tonsillectomy operations at Purley and District War Memorial Hospital and who left the hospital some months ago.

I understand that this surgeon was engaged temporarily while one of the general surgeons was ill.

asked the Minister of Health what is the cost of a bed in a single room private ward in the Victoria Hospital, Lewes; how this compares with the cost of a similar bed in 1938; what are the main reasons for the increase in cost; and what was the profit or loss on the administration of all beds in private wards excluding services rendered by medical practitioners during the last financial year.

£18 11s. 0d. per week, excluding medical fees, compared with from 4½ to 8 guineas in 1938. The increase is due to increased hospital costs. Exact information is not available on the last part of the Question, but pay bed charges are, under Section 5 of the National Health Service Act, 1946, designed to cover the cost of the accommodation and services provided.

asked the Minister of Health how many applications for hearing aids have been outstanding for two years or longer.

I regret that the information is not readily available.

asked the Minister of Labour if, in view of the fact that London dockers are earning an average weekly wage of £11 8s. for a 38 hour week and can earn up to £17 for a full week's work as compared with £5 for agricultural workers, he will have an investigation made into the workings of the National Dock Labour Board.

The national minimum wage of a dock worker is 21s. per day with a minimum of £5 15s. 6d. per week. Most London dockers are piece workers, and any high rates of pay reflect their greater productivity. I would under no circumstances accept the implication contained in the Question that ability to earn high payments is a cause for investigation.

asked the Minister of Labour how many persons in the Sevenoaks urban, the Sevenoaks rural and the Mailing rural district councils, respectively, were registered as unemployed at the last convenient date; and how many were over 60 years of age or registered as disabled.

Statistics of unemployment are not available in respect of local authority areas. The Sevenoaks Urban and Rural Districts and the Mailing Rural District are mainly served by the Sevenoaks, Westerham, Borough Green and Snodland Employment Exchanges, and the figures for these offices are as follows:

Employment Exchange	Total number registered as unemployed at 16th April, 1951	Number of registered disabled persons included in preceding column
Sevenoaks	72	4
Westerham	44	7
Borough Green	38	1
Snodland	31	3

An age-analysis of the number of unemployed persons is not available for any date later than 11th December, 1950, when the numbers over 55 years of age registered as unemployed were 16 at Sevenoaks, 20 at Westerham, six at Borough Green and six at Snodland. The numbers over 60 years of age are not separately distinguished in the returns.

asked the Minister of Labour to what extent workers on short time are shown on his Department's unemployment returns; and how far these returns differ in this respect from those compiled before 1939.

The total numbers registered as temporarily stopped in Great Britain at 12th March were 4,781 males and 2,328 females. The average numbers in that category in 1938 were 236,000 males and 136,000 females. There is no difference in the method of compilation as between 1938 and today.

asked the Minister of Labour when the Committee on Night Baking will make its report.

I understand that the Committee has not quite completed the taking of evidence. So far as can at present be foreseen, the report is not likely to be in my hands until about the beginning of August.

asked the Minister of Labour whether, in view of the increased accident rate in the building industry, he is satisfied with the operations of the Building (Safety, Health and Welfare) Regulations, 1949.

Yes. But, as pointed out in the Annual Report of the Chief Inspector of Factories for 1949, an indirect effect of the new Building Regulations, which came into force in October, 1948, appears to have been more widespread compliance with the statutory obligations to notify non-fatal accidents, and the larger figure for notified accidents does not therefore mean that more accidents occurred. Fatal accidents were as much as 11 per cent. fewer in 1949 than in 1948.

asked the Minister of Labour how many prosecutions were made against employers by the factory inspectorate in 1949 for contraventions of safety requirements; and in what percentage of such cases prosecutions followed upon the death or injury of employees.

There were 716 charges against employers for contraventions of safety requirements. 379 or about 53 per cent. of the charges were in respect of death or injury.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he proposes to take any action to remedy the shortage of factory inspectors as referred to in the Report of the Chief Inspector of Factories for 1949.

As a result of the autumn, 1950, competition, the vacancies in the authorised strength of the factory inspectorate should be reduced by 16, when all the successful candidates take up duty. It is hoped to reduce considerably the remaining vacancies by two further competitions which are being held this year. One competition is already in progress.

asked the Minister of Education whether he will send a circular to local authorities recommending that where practicable a children's garden plot should be instituted in parks near their schools and the children given gardening tuition and instruction in order to increase the knowledge of children in the growing of trees and plants, give them pride in their parks and influence them away from vandalism.

I am anxious to do all I can to encourage an interest among children in gardening and nature study. Owing to the great demand on the public parks for games and recreational facilities, and the varying circumstances of different localities, I do not think that the issue of a general circular to local authorities would be appropriate. I am sure, however, that I can rely on local education and school authorities to make the best arrangements they can locally for encouraging this activity.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he can now give details of the new prices for eggs, month by month, for the coming 12 months.

Full details of the seasonal scale of prices to be paid by licensed packing stations for hen eggs during the year ending on 31st March, 1952, have not yet been finally settled, and in any event I am not prepared to disclose in advance the exact dates on which price increases will take place, as this might lead to a hold up of supplies.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations what consultations have taken place with His Majesty's Government in the Dominion of Canada on the consequences to the sugar industry in the British West Indies of the proposed sugar agreement with Cuba, and its effects on the attitude of the Dominion of Canada to a similar agreement between Canada and Cuba.

None. The position of the West Indian sugar industry under the Commonwealth Sugar Agreement will be taken fully into account in the negotiation of any agreement which we may conclude with Cuba. I am satisfied that any discussions which Canada may have had with Cuba have been in no way influenced by the United Kingdom's negotiations with Cuba.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what has been established by the researches made by his Department as to the relative suitability of protein fibre made from monkey nuts and fibre made from wood as material to blend with wool for clothing.

The researches to which the hon. Member refers are being conducted, not by the Board of Trade, but by the industries concerned. The use of materials made from ground-nut fibre is still at an early stage, and I should not care to express any view about the relative suitability of this and other fibres for particular purposes.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what steps are being made to use sugar-cane waste for newsprint manufacture.

I understand that experiments in the manufacture of newsprint from sugar-cane waste have taken place in the United States but not, so far as I am aware, in this country. While I would welcome any prospect of alleviating the present shortage of newsprint, I doubt whether any development on these lines, which may prove practicable, would bring any alleviation of our newsprint difficulties in the next year or two.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what steps he proposes to take to prevent any substantial rise in the price of fertilisers in the near future.

The removal of the fertiliser subsidy on 1st July next, together with a considerable increase in the cost of imports and freights and some increase in costs within the United Kingdom, will inevitably mean a substantial rise in the price of fertilisers. Since the prices of most fertilisers are controlled, it is hoped to keep these within justifiable limits.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what schemes have been submitted to his Department during the past four years for the production of sulphur from indigenous calcium sulphate deposits and imported iron pyrites, respectively; which of these schemes were approved and which disapproved; and why.

The possibility of extracting crude sulphur from pyrites was examined by the Board of Trade in 1948, but it was found that the economic use of both pyrites and calcium sulphate is not for the purpose of extracting sulphur but as a substitute for sulphur in the manufacture of sulphuric acid. Plants have been in operation for this purpose for some time, and during the past two years every effort has been made to increase their capacity. No schemes have been submitted to the Board of Trade for the production of pure sulphur from either calcium sulphate or pyrites.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, when the allocation of available supplies of sulphur is made, he will take into full consideration the needs of agriculture from the point of view of sulphuric acid, the manufacture of superphosphates, the use of sulphur as a basis for almost all horticultural sprays and insecticides and its use in the proper drying of hops.

When the allocations of sulphur and sulphuric acid are being considered, my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries is consulted about any uses of these materials in which he may be interested, including those to which the hon. Member refers. The advice which he gives is, of course, taken into account.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what agreements have been reached with the Commonwealth and the United States of America over the allocation of rubber.

The allocation of rubber is not the subject of any agreement with the Commonwealth countries or the United States of America.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he can now say when he will be able to make a statement on the Report of the Working Party on the Hackney Carriage Laws, with particular reference to the report on limitation of taxi-cabs and drivers.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has considered the Hackney Carriage Working Party's Report; and what action he intends to take in connection with limitation of entry of drivers.

The Government have given careful consideration to the Report of the Working Party and have come to the conclusion that they would not be justified, in present circumstances and on the information before them, in introducing legislation for the purpose of imposing a limit on the numbers of taxi-cabs and drivers which may be licensed by the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis. I have informed representatives of the Transport and General Workers' Union of this decision and have undertaken to consider any further representations which they may wish to make.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many special car parks within half a mile of either the South Bank Exhibition or the Festival Gardens are being prepared; what is the capacity of such car parks; and what is the capacity of existing car parks within the same distance from the two Exhibition grounds.

Within half a mile of the South Bank Exhibition and Festival Gardens, respectively, there are nine and two special car parks accommodating about 3,100 and 750 cars. Existing authorised parking places on the highway within the same radius of the Exhibition will accommodate 171 cars, but there are no such parking places within half a mile of the Gardens.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many volunteers for Civil Defence have completed their training courses and have received their badges.

58,500 volunteers have qualified for the badges which are issued by the local authorities. The local authorities have received enough badges to meet their requirements, and I have no reason to believe there is any delay in issuing them.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the publication of the annual statistics giving the proceedings and convictions for drunkenneses during the year, which were discontinued in the war, will now be resumed.

Yes. I hope to resume publication of this part of the licensing statistics this year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will issue a direction and circular forbidding or advising against the holding of general investigations by police officers into the character and antecedents of accused persons before trial.

The courts expect the police to be in a position to give information about these matters after they have decided to convict so that they may be able to assess the appropriate method of dealing with the offender. Inconvenience and expense would be caused to all concerned, and the interests of the defence itself might be prejudiced, if inquiries were not instituted until after the trial, with the result that every convicted person would have to be remanded for inquiriies to be made as to his character and antecedents.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department the period of time during which, and conditions under which, employers of foreign workers entering this country may be required to defray the cost of the return passage.

Before an employer can secure a permit from the Ministry of Labour and National Service to bring in a foreigner from abroad for a post, he is required to give an unqualified undertaking to meet the cost of the foreigner's repatriation if called on to do so. There is no time limit to this undertaking, but it is the practice to release the employer from it if the foreigner after arrival receives permission to enter other employment, or to remain here for some other purpose.

asked the Secretary of State for War what procedure is adopted to decide whether a man can or cannot be exempted from call-up under the Z Reserve scheme.

When reservists apply for exemption from call-up on the grounds that by reason of age, medical condition or status they are not liable for recall, decisions are made, in the case of officers, by the branch of the War Office administering the arm or corps concerned, and in the case of other ranks, by the parent record office. Where appeals are made on the grounds of hardship, decisions are made centrally, in order to achieve parity in treatment, by officers in one Department of the War Office.

asked the Postmaster-General the average time needed for letters to be sent by air mail and by surface mail between London and each of the capital cities of Europe in 1939 and in 1951.

The information is as follows:

Air Mail ("All up" unless otherwise stated)
——		1939		1951
		Frequency of despatch	Approximate transmission time*	Frequency of despatch	Approximate transmission time*
Amsterdam	…	4 daily	5–10 hours	4 daily	4–5 hours
	(Mails for the Hague are forwarded from Amsterdam)
Ankara	…	2 daily	2–2½ days	5 weekly	1½ days
Athens	…	1 daily	1 day	11 weekly	14–15 hours
Belgrade	…	2 daily	1 day	5 weekly	14–15 hours†
Berlin	…	2 daily	8–10 hours	3 daily	8–1 hours
Berne	…	3 daily	8–12 hours	3 daily	12 hours
Brussels	…	4 daily	5–10 hours	3 daily	4½–5 hours
Budapest	…	2 daily	1 day	1 daily	12–20 hours†
Bucharest	…	2 daily	1½–2 days	1 daily	1½–2 days†
Copenhagen	…	2 daily	12 hours	2 daily	7–9 hours
Gibraltar	…	3 weekly	1½–2 days‡	1 daily	12 hours
Helsinki	…	2 daily	14–18 hours	2 daily	14–17 hours†
Lisbon	…	1 daily	1day‡	5 weekly	7½–9 hours
Madrid	…	1 daily	1 day‡	1 daily	10 hours
Malta	…	1 daily	1½ days‡	1 daily	14 hours
Moscow	…	1 daily	1–2 days	1 daily	1–1½ days†
Oslo	…	2 daily	8–12 hours	13 weekly	8–15 hours
Paris	…	3 daily	4–6 hours	5 daily	4–5 hours
Prague	…	1 daily	16–18 hours	1 daily	8 hours
Reykjavik	…	No service by air		4 weekly	10–40 hours†‡
Rome	…	3 daily	12–36 hours	12 weekly	9–12 hours
Sofia	…	1 daily	1–2 days	1 daily	1½–2½ days†
Tirana	…	1 daily	2½ days	1 daily	2½ days†
Vienna	…	3 daily	10–18 hours	2 daily	9 hours
Warsaw	…	2 daily	½–1 day	1 daily	½–1½days†‡
* Between latest time of posting advertised at London Chief Office to connect with relative service and the approximate time of arrival of the mail at the distant transport terminal.
† Mails to these cities are forwarded on some or all occasions via other countries.
‡ Surcharged air mail services.

SURFACE MAIL
——		1939		1951
		Frequency of despatch	Approximate transmission time	Frequency of despatch	Approximate transmission time
Gibraltar	…	1 daily	3–4 days*	Letters forwarded by air without surcharge
Lisbon	…	2 daily	2–3days*	Letters forwarded by air without surcharge
Madrid	…	2 daily	2–3 days*	Letters forwarded by air without surcharge
Malta	…	2 daily	3–4 days*	Letters forwarded by air without surcharge
Reykjavik	…	Irregular	5–7 days	Irregular	3–7 days*
Warsaw	…	Letters forwarded by air without surcharge		Daily	4 days*
* Surcharged air mail service also available.

asked the Postmaster-General how the average remuneration of sub-postmasters for 1950 compares with their remuneration in 1938 and 1948.

The figures are £366, £134 and £366.

asked the Postmaster-General what was the number of applicants waiting for telephones in the borough of Wallington on 1st January, 1950, and 1951; how many installations were made during 1950; and what is the longest period for which anyone has been waiting.

1,135 on 1st January, 1950, and 796 on 1st January, 1951. Seven hundred and fifty new subscribers were connected during 1950. The earliest outstanding application was made in 1944.

asked the Postmaster-General what was the number of applicants waiting for telephones in the borough of Mitcham on 1st January, 1950, and 1951; how many installations were made during 1950; and what is the longest period for which anyone has been waiting.

1,986 on 1st January, 1950, and 1,959 on 1st January, 1951. Three hundred and fifty-nine new subscribers were connected during 1950. The earliest outstanding application was made in 1943.

asked the Postmaster-General when it will be possible to install equipment in the extension to the Mitcham Telephone Exchange, which was completed in February, 1951.

The additional equipment is on order, but because of other more urgent commitments it is not at present possible to forecast when it is likely to be completed.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will circulate in HANSARD the names of all hon. Members who have been engaged by the British Broadcasting Corporation to broadcast since the last General Election, together with the number of times that each has broadcast.

This is primarily a matter for the B.B.C., and I would not feel justified in asking them to compile the information in view of the fact that there were 662 occasions when hon. Members of this House have broadcast.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware that the recent purchase by the Arts Council of "Autumn Landscape" and three other paintings is causing dissatisfaction; that these paintings are not representative of British art; and who was consulted before the paintings were purchased.

I am aware that one of the five pictures recently purchased by the Arts Council has been criticised in some newspapers which could, of course, print only a small black and white photograph of it. I am assured that, taken together, these pictures are widely representative in style and cover various aspects of contemporary British painting. They were purchased on the recommendation of three persons with wide knowledge of modern art and diversity of tastes nominated by the Arts Council—Mr. W. Sandberg, Director of the Municipal Museum, Amsterdam, Mr. Alan Clutton-Brock, Art Critic of "The Times," and Mr. A. J. L. McDonnell, adviser to the Felton Bequest of the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the cost of increasing the old age Income Tax allowance of one-fifth up to £500 to one-fourth in the case of incomes under £450.

I presume the hon. Member has in mind that the increase in this allowance would apply to earned as well as unearned income. If so, the cost would be £5 million in a full year. If the increase were limited to unearned income the cost would be £1½ million.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the respective cost of collection of Income Tax per cent. of receipts of Schedules A, B, C, D and E, respectively.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury if he will give the names of private companies with whom contracts are placed by the services and Government Departments for the making of films to be used for training purposes.

The following commercial film producers have made training films for the Central Office of Information during the period 1st April, 1949, to 31st March, 1951.Basic Films Ltd., Campbell Harper Productions Ltd., D.A.T.A. Films Ltd., Films of Great Britain Ltd., and Realist Film Unit Ltd.Commercial film producers who have made training films for the Service Departments during the same period are:Ace Distributors Ltd., Animated Technical Films, Bernerd Mainwaring Productions Ltd., British Documentary Films, British Films Ltd., Carlton Hill Film Studios, C.A.S. Productions, Concord Productions Ltd., Gee Films, Halas & Batchelor Cartoon Films Ltd., MacKane Productions, Marcus Cooper, Mercia Film Productions, National Interest Pictures, Polytechnic Films Ltd., Public Relationship Films, Rayant Pictures Ltd., Realist Film Unit Ltd., Science Films Ltd., Thames & Clyde Film Co., Topical Press Agency Ltd., Topical Films, Verity Films Ltd., W. M. Larkins & Co., and World Wide Pictures Ltd.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury what special rates for the rail travel of civil servants have been negotiated with the Railway Executive; and if alterations to such rates have to be sanctioned by him in all cases, or to what extent it is left to individual Departments.

If the hon. Member is referring to the bulk travel arrangements, the following are the particulars of the reduced fares, which are subject to authorised increases:

(i) On standard ordinary fares—a reduction of 32.5 per cent. in respect of first-class tickets and 25 per cent. in respect of third-class tickets for journeys in Great Britain. (For journeys between ports and stations in Great Britain and ports and stations in Ireland, or between stations in Ireland, reductions are 23.2 per cent. first-class and 20 per cent. third-class.)

(ii) On monthly return tickets—a rebate of 5 per cent. (first- and third-classes) is allowed from the public monthly return fares.

These arrangements are in line with the normal bulk travel scheme which the railways operate for traders and any alteration in these reductions would be a matter for the Railway Executive.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury what was the reason given by the Inter-Departmental Scientific Panel when they advised the Treasury to state a minimum age limit of 21 years for entry to the competition for scientific advisory posts in the Civil Service.

I assume that the hon. Member intended the question to refer to the competition for recruitment to the grade of scientific officer. This grade is recruited from graduates and, therefore, a minimum age of 21 seemed reasonable.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what services are covered by the sum of £4,265,000 included in the Post Office Estimates for 1951–52 in respect of telephone services for his Department.

This sum is a broad estimate of the value of telephone and teleprinter services to be made available, not only to the Air Ministry itself, but to all Royal Air Force units in the United Kingdom. It also includes the estimated value of facilities provided for the meteorological service and for the air traffic control system which is operated in conjunction with the Ministry of Civil Aviation. Roughly 80 per cent., amounting to £3,400,000, of the provision represents the estimated rental values of the extensive system of private lines and exchanges which must be maintained to meet the operational and administrative needs of the Royal Air Force. The rest is mainly for telephone calls made through normal Post Office channels.