asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies when the export taxes proposed by the Kenya Government on sisal, hides and skins, witch bark and extract and cotton will come into effect; on what basis they are to be calculated; and what purpose they are intended to serve.

These taxes are still under discussion in the Kenya Legislative Council, but the proposal before that Council is that they should come into effect on 1st January, 1952. They would be calculated for the most part on an ad valorem basis; the detailed rates are given below. These taxes are designed to raise funds to help meet the capital cost of the Colony's development plan:DETAILS OF THE EXPORT TAXES UNDER DISCUSSION IN THE KENYA LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what proportion of the revenue of Kenya is provided by income tax; and what proportion of this income tax is contributed by Europeans and what proportion by Indians.

Approximately one-fifth of the 1951 revenue of Kenya will be provided by income tax. The information asked for in the second half of the Question is not available in the Colonial Office. I have asked the Governor of Kenya to provide it, if it is readily available, and I will write to the hon. Member when his reply is received.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how far the secondary technical school which has been started in Nairobi is open to all races who are able to benefit from the instruction given.

The Royal Technical College, Nairobi, to which I assume the hon. Member refers, will be open equally to members of all races in East Africa.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what are the short-term prospects for increasing colonial sugar production; how much additional colonial sugar for the United Kingdom domestic market can be anticipated during 1952; and from which Colonies.

Exports of colonial sugar have increased substantially over the last few years, and it is expected that the rate of increase will be maintained. It is too early yet to give firm estimates for 1952, but the United Kingdom may in that year obtain from the British West Indies, Fiji and Mauritius about 1,390,000 tons, an increase of about 70,000 tons over imports in 1951.

asked the Minister of Defence whether he will set up a committee representing appropriate voluntary organisations with an independent chairman to co-ordinate and extend the recreational and welfare facilities available for American and other allied forces stationed in Great Britain.

This whole matter is being considered by the Foreign Office and the Service Departments, and I will keep my hon. Friend informed of developments.

asked the Minister of Defence the numbers of serving men and women now in Egypt, Malaya, Germany, Korea and Korean waters who are under 21 years of age.

I have been asked to reply. The information is not readily available, nor could it be obtained without a disproportionate expenditure of time and energy. I do not consider that I should be justified in imposing this burden on the overseas Commands concerned, especially at the present time.

asked the Minister of Defence if he is aware of the high cost of sending newspapers by air mail to our forces in the Middle East; and if he will make special arrangements with the Post Office to enable news from home to be sent to our troops within a reasonable time at a reasonable cost.

The air-mail postage rate for newspapers sent to our forces anywhere outside Europe is 3d, per half-ounce. As I informed the hon. Member for Reading, South (Mr. Mikardo) on 13th November, several thousand copies of British newspapers are being flown in daily to the Suez Canal Zone. The number has since been increased to over 10,000 copies a day. I do not think that further special arrangements are necessary.

asked the Minister of Defence whether he will consider the introduction of a special railway concession for all ranks of the three Armed Services stationed in this country, whereby, in addition to the normal free railway warrants when proceeding on privilege leave, they may, twice per year, when granted 48 hours' leave, travel to their homes within the United Kingdom at a cost not exceeding £1 for the return railway journey.

Apart from the normal free travel warrants issued for each period of long leave, all members of the Services in this country, and their families, enjoy the benefit of travelling on the railways at concession rates.

asked the Minister of Defence if he is aware that many Service men were unable to vote at the last Election because their names did not appear on the register; and if he will arrange for more adequate publicity to be given to the opportunity available for registration.

It may be that a certain number of Service men did not take the steps necessary to get their names included in the current register. Special efforts were made last year by the late Government and these have been repeated this year to ensure that members of the forces are aware of the procedure for service registration.

asked the Minister of Defence whether, before coming to a decision as to the future of the.280 rifle, he will satisfy himself that there is a better rifle available or in process of design which could be issued to British troops before the.280 rifle could be manufactured in large quantities.

I do not wish today to add to the answer which I gave the hon. Member on 21st November.

asked the Minister of Defence the nature of his objections to our full participation in a European army.

I shall refer to this topic tomorrow.

asked the Prime Minister if he will publish a list of all paid members of public boards of a commercial character and of consultative councils connected with them whose period of appointment is due to expire within each of the next three calendar years.

I would ask my hon. Friend to await the publication of a White Paper which will contain the information which he requires.

asked the Secretary of State for War to what extent the troops in Malaya are issued with flame throwers; and whether this equipment is up to date and satisfactory.

Two types of flame thrower are in use in Malaya. One is carried by the man operating it and the other is used from a vehicle. Stocks of these equipments are adequate. Both types are up to date, and I think that their performance is unsurpassed by similar equipments used by other armies.

asked the Minister of Food if he will investigate the possibility of packing food, at present contained in tins, in some alternative form of packing, in view of the shortage of tin and the high price of this metal.

My Department and the food trades are continuously inquiring into every possibility, and wherever supplies and the necessary adaptation of machinery permit, alternative forms of packing are being adopted.

asked the Minister of Food what increases in the cost of butter, bacon and cheese he anticipates as a result of the Government's price review of agricultural products.

I cannot at present add anything to the reply given to the hon. Member for Hammersmith, South (Mr. W. T. Williams), on 28th November.

asked the Minister of Food if he will take immediate steps to reduce the price of sugar-beet pulp for farmers.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given on 22nd November on this subject to the hon. Member for Lowestoft (Mr. Edward Evans).

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he will grant pensions to dockyard workers when they reach pensionable age and continue in employment in the dockyards in the public interest.

Under Section 20 of the Superannuation Act,1834, the pension of a Civil Service pensioner is suspended in whole or in part whilst he remains employed by a Government Department. This provision applies, of course, to workers in H.M. Dockyards. The Superannuation Act, 1949, however, provides that the service of a civil pensioner reemployed after normal retiring age may, within certain limits, entitle him to a higher pension when he finally retires.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether those Royal Fleet Reservists called up for 18 months' service will be released at the end of that period if they so desire; and what arrangements he has made for granting a further period of service to any who apply for it.

Royal Fleet Reservists recalled for 18 months' service will be released at the end of that period if they wish. It has been decided, however, to offer such men the opportunity to volunteer for a short engagement of 5 or 7 years, inclusive of the recalled service, which it is hoped many will accept. A detailed scheme will be promulgated shortly.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he will give an assurance that those, men retained in the Service for 18 months beyond their scheduled date of retirement will, in fact, be released at the end of this extra period if they so wish.

Yes.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what decision he has reached about the future of officers holding extended service commissions since the late war who are now being compulsorily retained in the Service an extra 18 months; whether he proposes to retain them for any further period; and, in particular, whether he will now allow them to apply for permanent commissions.

I expect this matter to be decided very shortly both as regards possible further voluntary retention of these officers in Active List appointments, and on the prospect of permanent commissions.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if an agreement has now been reached with the employees of the Singapore naval base with regard to overtime rates, pension rights and medical facilities; how long it is since these claims were first submitted; and if he will take steps to accelerate a final settlement.

I am not aware of any outstanding claim relating to overtime rates in the Naval Base. As regards pension rights, various claims have been made since 1948, but so far the Admiralty has not felt able to concede them. The matter is being re-examined; this will take time, however, and it will be necessary to consider carefully the heavy financial liability which would be involved.A comprehensive medical and hospital service exists at present for employees resident in the Base and medical facilities are available on the site for all other employees who require it in the course of their employment.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General the average time taken in the month of October, 1951, in establishing a connection requested on the Clissold Exchange; what steps are being taken to minimise the delay; and what progress is being made in transforming it from a manual to an automatic exchange.

39 seconds from lifting the telephone to beginning conversation; this is slightly better than the October average for London. Every effort is being made to ensure adequate staffing and so to improve the service. Equipment for an automatic exchange is on order and a new exchange building was begun last July, but a date for the transfer to automatic working cannot yet be given.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General how soon may the people in the district of Wythenshawe, Manchester, expect increased telephone provision.

An extension of the exchange equipment should be completed about next June and this will make it possible to connect up additional subscribers.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General whether he is aware that telephone subscribers are sometimes left in ignorance for a considerable period of time, when they are not themselves initiating calls, that their telephones are out of order; and whether he will take steps to remedy this deficiency in the telephone service.

This could only be avoided by regular tests of every subscriber's line, which would not be justified. I am not aware of any general difficulty of this kind, but if my hon. Friend has a particular case in mind, I shall be glad to make inquiry.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General the number of applicants for telephones on the waiting list in the county borough of Stockport at the last convenient date.

1,541 on 30th September, 1951.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General whether he will arrange for one or more public telephone kiosks to be installed in the Ringwood Estate, Newport, where no such facilities exist at present, in view of the fact that the nearest kiosk is over a mile distant.

I understand that no part of the estate is more than half a mile from an existing kiosk. In view of our limited resources I regret that a new kiosk cannot be provided at present.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General the number of new telephone installations in the Thetford area during the past 12 months; and the number of would-be subscribers now on the waiting list.

Twenty-six were installed during the 12 months ended 30th September, 1951; five applications are outstanding.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General how many applications for new telephones are outstanding in Berwickshire and East Lothian, respectively; and what is the average waiting time at the present rate of installation.

One hundred and thirty-eight in Berwickshire, and 282 in East Lothian. Service is provided in about two months in priority cases where exchange equipment and lines in the underground cable are available. No estimate can be made of the average time when new plant is required.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General why the village of Heck, near Goole, has had its postal address changed to Great Heck.

The postal address of this village has not been changed.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General how many Post Office personnel have been transferred from the telephone service to work on television installations.

Of a total Post Office engineering force of 52,000, 27 only are employed on maintenance of Post Office radio links for television and 10 on construction work for new links.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General if he will consider reducing postal telephone and telegraph charges in the near future.

No. In present circumstances it is not practicable to reduce charges.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General why game licences are not available at all Post Offices.

Game licences are issued at 18,400 post offices. At others the demand is very small.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General if, when the present series of United Nations broadcasts on the 464 metre waveband comes to an end, arrangements can be made for that waveband to be used for a resumption of the airmet weather broadcasting service.

No. When the temporary use of the wavelength 464 metres for the United Nations broadcasts comes to an end, it will revert to its normal daytime use for the B.B.C. European Service.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General whether he will institute a more thorough arrangement to collect licences from the large number of people who operate television receivers and car radios without a licence.

At the present time, special efforts are being made to deal with evasion in the case of television licences. My noble Friend is much concerned about wireless licence evasion particularly in the case of receivers fitted in motor cars and he has under consideration what other steps can be taken to deal with the problem.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General whether he will set up immediately a committee to consider the development of very high frequency broadcasting in this country in view of the unsatisfactory service in many areas now dependent upon medium and long wave reception.

My noble Friend recognises the desirability of improving the coverage of sound broadcasting in the United Kingdom by very high frequency broadcasting, but extensive developments cannot be carried out without regard to the effect on capital investment. Until the Government have reviewed the recommendations of the Broadcasting Committee, it would be premature to adopt my hon. Friend's proposal.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General how many television transmitters there are at Holme Moss; and whether, in view of the fact that the north-eastern region has the second largest number of holders of broadcast receiving licences of any region in the country, urgent consideration will be given to transferring a transmitter from Holme Moss to Pontop Pike so that residents in the north-east may receive fair treatment.

There are two main transmitters at Holme Moss, one for vision and one for sound. Two low-powered transmitters have also been installed, as a reserve against breakdowns.The Holme Moss station serves a population of about eleven million and the Pontop Pike station will serve about two and a half million. Provision of the five low-powered stations was postponed owing to defence and economic reasons and for the present I regret that we are unable to alter the decision.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General whether, during the six months interim charter, he will instruct the British Broadcasting Corporation to implement the Beveridge recommendations that the television service should have much greater autonomy.

No. Any direction which the Government may wish to give in this matter will be related to the Charter and Licence to be granted after the interim period.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air how many night-fighter squadrons in the Royal Air Force have been fully equipped with Venom aircraft.

It would not be in the public interest to give this information.

asked the Minister of Works what specific suggestions have been received from the National Federation of Clay Industries for the removal of controls over the building industry in response to his request that they should submit such proposals immediately to the Government.

I asked the representatives of the Federation to let me know of any measures that would assist the production of bricks, and I am awaiting their considered views.

asked the Minister of Education whether she will now announce her decision on the future of the Hornsey County School.

My decision was conveyed to the local Education authority and to the other bodies and individuals concerned on 30th November.

asked the Minister of Supply if he will initiate proposals to give statutory effect to the policy that a new car shall not be supplied to someone who has had already a post-1945 car at list price.

No, I do not consider that this problem warrants the introduction of special legislation or the administrative expense which would be required to make it effective.

asked the Minister of Supply if he will give details of the stocks of iron and steel scrap, expressed in terms of the number of weeks' consumption at the rate prevailing in the quarter June-September, 1951, held at iron foundries and steel foundries, respectively in December, 1949, March, 1951, and September, 1951, or latest available date.

Stocks of iron and steel scrap held at the end of December, 1949, March, 1951, and September, 1951, by the iron foundries and steel foundries, expressed in terms of their average weekly consumption in the June to September quarter, 1951, are as follows:—

• Iron foundries: 3.8, 3.8 and 4.3 weeks' stock.
• Steel foundries: 3.7, 4.4 and 4.9 weeks' stock.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations whether he will state the output, in tons, from the Wankie coalfield during a period of 12 months ended on the latest convenient date; the countries to which the coal was distributed; how much was received as imports by the United Kingdom; and whether he can state any impediments to further expansion of coal production and exports from Wankie.

It would not be proper for me to answer questions about present and future output at Wankie or about the distribution of the coal mined there. Southern Rhodesia is a self-governing Colony and such matters are the concern of a Minister responsible to the Southern Rhodesian Legislature. No coal from Wankie was imported by the United Kingdom in 1951.

asked the Minister of Health whether he has considered the resolution passed by the Aberdovey Infant Welfare Committee on 20th November, 1951, a copy of which has been sent to him, on the services provided by Roman Catholic doctors and midwives in maternity homes; and what reply he has sent to the committee.

Yes, I will send the hon. Member a copy of the reply which is sent to the Committee.

asked the Minister of Health how many copies of the Central Office of Information poster, Coughs and Sneezes (CS.51 /MS/2) have been printed and through what channels they are distributed.

I have consulted my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland. One hundred thousand copies were printed for England and Wales and 2,000 for Scotland. Distribution is to factories and large-scale catering establishments.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what action it is proposed to take on what is recommended in pages 39, 40, 41 and 42 of the Working Party's Report on Pottery.

I do not think that it would be in accordance with the spirit underlying the recommendations in the Report of the Working Party to attempt to set up a Pottery Development Council given the absence of any substantial measure of agreement between the employers and employees in the industry about this proposal. I will, however, consider, in consultation with the industry, any alternative suggestions which may be put to me on this matter.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what action has been taken on each of the principal recommendations contained in the Working Party's Report on Pottery; what further action is required; and what are the principal difficulties now facing the industry.

As the hon. Member is aware, the majority of the recommendations were matters for action by the British Pottery Manufacturers' Federation or by individual pottery manufacturers, but the Board of Trade will continue to give its support so far as is possible to proposals for the development of the industry.The following is a summary of the position in respect of those recommendations

of the Working Party on pottery which are the concern of the Board of Trade:

asked the Minister of Agriculture when he proposes to announce new measures for the protection of the horticultural industry.

I have been asked to reply. I assume that my hon. Friend is referring to applications which have been received from the producers' associations for increased protective duties on the main classes of horticultural produce. These applications, together with representations submitted by other interested organisations, are now under examination.