asked the Minister of Works what sums were expended on Audley End House and Ham House, respectively, including repairs, equipment and staff, before they were opened to the public; and what have been the revenue and the expenditure since they were opened.

The expenditure on Audley End and Ham House before they were open to the public was £3,483 at Audley End and £41,595 at Ham House. Of the latter figure, £16,129 falls on the Vote of the Ministry of Education. Since the buildings were opened, a further £18,919 has been spent at Audley End and £20,669 at Ham House, of which last figure £8,401 is borne by the Ministry of Education. The revenue since opening up to 31st March last has amounted to £1,714 at Audley End and £3,510 at Ham House.

asked the Minister of Works whether he will, during the Festival of Britain, arrange for the floodlighting of the Tower of London.

As requested by the Festival of Britain authorities the Tower of London has been floodlit each Wednesday and Saturday since 5th May from dusk until 11.30 p.m.

asked the Minister of Works by what method is the contractor engaged on the rebuilding and renovation of the Palace of Westminster being paid.

Several main contractors have been employed on work during the last few years. Whenever possible they have received lump sum contracts based on bills of quantities. In all other substantial cases the contracts provide for schedules of prices to be applied to the work after measurement.

asked the Minister of Works what is the estimated final cost of rebuilding and renovating of the Palace of Westminster; and what is the total expenditure to date.

The cost of works begun since 1st January, 1945, or now contemplated, is estimated at about £3¾ million, of which nearly £2½ million has been spent. Approximately half the total expenditure is on account of the rebuilding of the Commons Chamber and the ancillary accommodation.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the amounts outstanding and not yet paid in respect of completed prescriptions to the chemists of Scotland.

The aggregate amount now outstanding for prescriptions dispensed by nearly 2,000 chemists before the end of 1950 is not thought to exceed £50,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is aware that there is a shortage of plasterboard for housing purposes in Scotland; and what action he proposes to take in the matter.

I have been aware of this shortage and there have been satisfactory discussions with the manufacturers. The production of plasterboard is increasing and the manufacturers estimate that the output will shortly be sufficient to satisfy all essential demands. In the meantime they have agreed to take special action to meet urgent Scottish housing needs on being supplied with particulars of the sites involved and the amounts required.

asked the Minister of Pensions if he will increase the allowance to disabled ex-Service men who have his Department's motor cars and motor tricycles to compensate them for the rise in Petrol Duty.

I regret that I am unable to increase the allowance of £50 a year paid to pensioners who have been supplied with cars by my Department. This allowance is, I think, a reasonable contribution towards maintenance and running costs as a whole, and an increase would not be justified at the present time. The arrangements as regards motor tricycles provide for free maintenance, but no cash allowance is paid. I do not consider that any change in this position is required.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he can now inform the House when the Middlesex Regiment will be relieved from Korea, considering that they have borne the brunt of the fighting there since August, 1950.

The first battalion of the Middlesex Regiment has now been relieved and has arrived in Hong Kong.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that nationals of West European nations who served in land contingents, including 21 Army Group, under British command in the 1939–45 war, are not, under existing rules, entitled to British campaign stars and commemorative medals; and whether he will consider amending the rules in order that such persons may receive the same treatment as the British nationals with whom they fought side by side and the same formations.

This matter is being looked into, but I should say that there are considerable difficulties.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the present value of the pound sterling as compared with May, 1945, and May, 1939.

On the basis of the price index for all consumers' goods and services given in the National Income White Paper brought up to date by using the interim index of retail prices since 1950, the purchasing power of the pound fell from 20s. in 1939 to about 13s. 5d. in 1945 and 10s. 2d. in April, 1951.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury what rules are imposed by His Majesty's Customs on the sale of cigarettes in aircraft when the aircraft is outside British territory; under what authority are these instructions issued and enforced; whether all air routes receive the same allocation per head; and on what principles His Majesty's Customs decided that no British subject or foreign visitor can buy more than 20 cigarettes on some of the British European Airways Corporation planes when they are outside the three mile limit.

The quantity of duty-free cigarettes which may be shipped as stores in an aircraft going abroad must by law be strictly limited according to the number of persons on board and the probable length of the particular flight. Issues are made in bulk to each aircraft and the distribution of supplies among passengers is the responsibility of the aircraft operator. The replies to the hon. Member's specific queries therefore are: there are no such rules; hence no question of authority arises; the allocation per head varies according to the length of the particular flight; and that no such decision has been made.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, to meet the convenience of the public to pay for their newspaper and bus fares and other purchases, he would consider having minted 1½d. pieces in 1951.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Financial Secretary to the Treasury on 9th May to the hon. Member for Southampton, Itchen (Mr. Morley).

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give an estimate of the value of total commodity stocks held by trading concerns at the end of 1950.

The total value, at cost, of stocks of commodities in the United Kingdom at the end of 1950 is very roughly estimated at £5,200 million. This estimate covers stocks in the hands of producers, traders and Government trading Departments; it includes stocks of food, tobacco, fuel, raw materials, work in progress and finished goods in course of distribution. This estimate is given with considerable reserve; very little information is available in particular, about the value of stocks in course of distribution, although more will be known as a result of the Census of Distribution.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer which price indices were used in the computation of the figure for stock appreciation given in Table 3 of Command Paper No. 8203.

The figures of stock appreciation in Cmd. 8203 were estimated by applying index numbers of changes in the relevant import prices to estimated stocks of imported commodities at various stages in the productive process.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has yet completed his consideration of the arrangements for reducing the minimum duty-free quantity of cigarettes and tobacco which could be despatched to British Forces in Korea.

In view of the fact that postal orders may now be sent to the troops in Korea, that tobacco and cigarettes can be bought in the N.A.A.F.I. canteens there at duty-free prices, and that any arrangement to send small parcels of duty-free tobacco and cigarettes from this country would create administrative difficulties, my right hon. Friend has decided not to alter the regulations.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what conditions he permits visitors to this country to obtain goods free of Purchase Tax if they pay for them in United States dollars.

Relief from tax on goods bought in this country by overseas visitors is not conditional upon payment in foreign currency at the time of purchase. The following are the facilities available:(1) Under the Personal Export Scheme, personal or household goods (of £5 or more in value) bought by any overseas visitor are free of tax if de- livered by the trader to the port or airport from which the visitor leaves this country and exported as passengers' baggage.(2) Alternatively, any visitor may have goods sent by a registered Purchase Tax trader direct to an address abroad, free of tax.(3) A visitor holding a United States or Canadian passport when changing his American or Canadian dollars at a bank may obtain Purchase Tax coupons at the rate of five coupons for each £15 worth of dollars exchanged. Each coupon permits him to buy for immediate delivery up to £1 worth of taxable goods (with certain exceptions) at a tax exclusive price, provided the goods are for his own or his family's personal use, and are to be taken abroad within three months of purchase. The visitor is asked to sign a brief declaration to this effect.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how he calculated 1s. 2d. a mile as being an adequate sum for Ministries to pay for ministerial cars, used for private purposes; and if this sum includes waiting time.

1s. 2d. is the estimated average additional cost per mile arising out of the occasional use of Ministers' cars for unofficial purposes. It is based on an analysis of costs made early in 1950 and adjusted for subsequent increases in the cost of fuel and tyres. The charge covers waiting time.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury what action he is taking to postpone retirement of workpeople in Government factories, in view of the Government's plan to keep workers longer in industry.

This question concerns employees in several Departments. No particular age has been prescribed at which workpeople in Government factories must retire, and those who are fully fit and efficient are already encouraged to stay at work where there is need for them.The Government propose to re-state this principle in a form which will make it clear that, although employees cannot normally continue on the permanent and pensionable establishment after the age of 65, they will not necessarily be required to retire from work at that age.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that a paper known as quarto flimsy is un obtainable; and if he will take steps to make supplies available for the benefit of business offices and authors.

No. Production has been well maintained, but I am aware of some shortage arising from increased demand. Under the priority arrangements which the trade have agreed to operate for all types of paper, suppliers are expected to safeguard essential needs and also to accord fair treatment to the small user.

asked the President of the Board of Trade when he proposes to introduce an indemnity Bill in connection with the failure properly to lay Statutory Instrument No. 413.

It is hoped that an indemnity Bill will be introduced into Parliament next month.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the numbers of visitors to the British Industries Fair; and the amount of contracts placed during the period of this fair by overseas buyers.

The total numbers of visitors to both sections of the Fair, London and Birmingham this year are as follows: overseas, 19,266; home buyers, 99,455; public, 68,699.It is not possible to state the amount of contracts placed during the Fair as there is no obligation on the part of the exhibitors to give this information. The general impression is that most exhibitors booked more actual business than they had expected prior to the Fair.

asked the Minister of National Insurance what approaches have been made to the United States of America to establish reciprocal agreements under which payment of pensions can be made to old age pensioners living in that country.

The United States of America has not been approached in the matter, but if it were found that a substantial number of people would benefit from such an agreement, my right hon. Friend would be glad to make proposals to the United States authorities. Priority must be given, however, to the negotiations already in progress with a number of other countries.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if, in consultation with the Chairman of the Colonial Development Corporation, he has considered whether the public interest demands that a charge of criminal negligence should be brought against those responsible for the loss of £820,000 on the Gambia poultry project.

I understand that no such offence exists and that no question of any criminal proceedings arises.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what reports he has had from the Governments of the West Indies and Mauritius as to opinion in those territories on the Cuban trade agreement.

The hon. Member presumably refers to trade discussions between the United Kingdom and Cuba. No new trade agreement with Cuba has yet been made. I have received representations from the Governments of the British West Indies and British Guiana recording the views of those Governments and opinion in those territories on the possible effects of such an agreement. The London representative of the Mauritius Chamber of Agriculture has brought fully to my notice the views of Mauritian interests.The Governments of these Colonies have been informed that in any trade agreement which the United Kingdom may make with Cuba nothing will be done to invalidate the Commonwealth Sugar Agreements negotiated in 1950, and that His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom are fully aware of and have much in mind the interests of the Colonial territories concerned. My hon. Friend the Secretary for Overseas Trade left London on 14th May on a short visit to the British West Indies to discuss with representatives of the Colonies the negotiations between the United Kingdom Government and Cuba about imports of Cuban cigars and sugar.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he can make a statement about the discovery of an insecticide which has been proved fatal to the mealy bug which is the source of infection to the cocoa trees suffering from swollen shoot disease in the Gold Coast.

As was announced in November, 1949, a small research unit from Pest Control Limited has been carrying out experiments at the West African Cocoa Research Institute in the Gold Coast in the use of systemic insecticides. The first phase of these experiments has now been concluded. A method of applying the systemic insecticides has been devised and its success in killing mealy bugs has been demonstrated. It will now be necessary to carry out further experiments in order to judge more closely the effect of the insecticides. These may well take a considerable time.The object of this experimental work is to discover a practicable and effective means of controlling the mealy bugs which carry swollen shoot from one tree to another. It is the mealy bug, and not the virus itself, which the insecticide aims to kill. The insecticide cannot cure a tree once it has become infected by the virus of swollen shoot, and cutting out of diseased trees will, therefore, remain as necessary as ever. The employment of insecticides, if their use on the scale necessary is found to be practicable, may make it easier to prevent the spread of the disease to uninfected trees and this would reduce the total number of trees which have to be cut out before obtaining complete control over the disease. The insecticides can, however, only be used as a supplement to the cutting out campaign and not as an alternative to it.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether, in view of the number of intending visitors to Kew Gardens who are turned away because accompanied by dogs, and of the absence of any apparent reason why dogs on a lead should not be admitted, he will consider amending the rules in this respect.

No. The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew are a scientific institution, not a public park, and the regulations are designed to permit the fullest enjoyment of the Gardens by the public that is consistent with the adequate safeguard of the scientific specimens they contain.If dogs on leads were allowed into the Gardens, there would be no assurance that the owners would continue to keep them under control, and the risk of possible resultant damage to the valuable plants is not one that could justifiably be taken. I am advised that the number of visitors who are refused admission because they are accompanied by dogs is very small indeed.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty what arrangements exist to ensure the franchise of naval officers and men, when appointed to foreign stations, when attached to ships of Dominions navies, when lent to Dominions navies, and when lent to foreign navies, respectively; and of their wives when these accompany them abroad.

All officers and men drafted abroad and wives who leave the United Kingdom to join their husbands are given the opportunity of completing a declaration card, which provides for electoral registration and the appointment of a proxy.