asked the Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations if he is yet in a position to say when the reports of the three investigators who were sent by his predecessor to Bechuanaland will be available for Members of this House.

Yes. These reports have today been laid on the Table of the House. Copies will be available to hon. Members in the Vote Office immediately after Questions.

Department	Number of Staff	Total Salaries	Functions of Representatives
Commonwealth Relations Office.	65	£43,871	United Kingdom High Commissioner in India and headquarters staff (including information staff). Representation and information work.
Board of Trade	21	£14,751	In addition to trade promotion and commercial intelligence the Senior Trade Commissioner acts as adviser to the High Commissioner on all matters coming within his field and is responsible to him for economic affairs.
Ministry of Civil Aviation.	3	£2,217	Civil Aviation Adviser to United Kingdom High Commissioners in India and Pakistan and staff.
Ministry of Labour	3	£2,155	Labour Adviser to United Kingdom High Commissioners in India and Pakistan and staff.
Ministry of Works	12	£8,908	Hiring, adaptation, maintenance, and furnishing of Office and residential accommodation for all United Kingdom civil staffs in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Burma, Ceylon and Nepal.
Treasury	3	£2,765	Financial Adviser in South Asia and staff.
Totals	107	£74,667
There are also a number of locally recruited staff filling subordinate positions.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if his attention has been called to the embarrassment of many British people who are holders of German Non-Reich Loans and who are refused any payment by his Department in cases where they bought the scrip after 3rd September, 1939; and what action he proposes to take.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on Tuesday last to my hon. Friend the Member for the Pavilion Division of Brighton (Mr. Teeling), to the effect that the ques-

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations what are the separate numbers and total salaries of British civil servants at present in Delhi working for British Government Departments; and what functions they carry out.

The numbers, total salaries (i.e., excluding overseas and other allowances) and functions of United Kingdom-based civil servants at present in Delhi working for United Kingdom Government Departments are as shown in the following table:tion was being considered but that no announcement could yet be made.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what figures of employment, male and female, was stipulated in the case of each Grenfell factory situated in Rhondda at the time they were, respectively, let to the present occupiers.

Although an applicant's estimated employment is one of the factors taken into account when allocating a Board of Trade factory, it is not the practice to stipulate any figure of total employment as a condition of the lease.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what was the amount of public money expended upon the construction of each of the Grenfell factories situated in Rhondda, including any preparatory operations thereto.

Including an apportionment of the cost of site acquisition, roads and other external works forming part of more general contracts, the amount of public money spent on the two Grenfell factories at Llwynypia totalled almost exactly £100,000 and on the two Grenfell factories at Ferndale approximately £115,500. Of the later amount some £4,000 for tenants' extras is recoverable.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will state the employment figure, separately, for each of the Grenfell factories situate in Rhondda; and for the last available date.

Figures of employment in individual factories are supplied in confidence, and I should not be justified in disclosing particulars relating to the business of individual firms.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what special considerations are involved in the United Kingdom attempts to increase trade with Hungary.

As my hon. Friend the Secretary for Overseas Trade stated in reply to the hon. Gentleman on 20th November, Hungary is the only country to which the policy he outlined does not apply. This results from the Hungarian Government's treatment of Mr. Edgar Sanders. His Majesty's Minister at Budapest has informed the Hungarian authorities on many occasions of our willingness to resume trade and financial negotiations as soon as Mr. Sanders is released. So far the Hungarian authorities have not accepted this offer.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many trade agreements the United Kingdom has with the countries of Eastern Europe; and what is the total value of goods concerned in each case.

As regards the Soviet countries of Eastern Europe there are five-year trade and financial agreements concluded in 1949 with Poland and Czechoslovakia. The texts have been published as Cmd. 7628 and 7799 respectively and the hon. Member will find in these publications the schedules of goods in question, together with the figures of volume or value as foreseen at the time of signature. The figures of trade which has actually taken place between these countries and the United Kingdom, as distinct from the rest of the sterling area, are as follow:

	Imports	Exports (including re-exports)
	£m.	£m.
Poland
1949	14·8	10·8
1950	19·2	8·0
1951 (January—September)	16·5	6·1

Czechoslovakia
1949–50 (July—June)	…	5·3	5·7
1950–51 (July—June)	…	10·2	4·8

Outside the Soviet countries there is a five-year trade agreement with Yugoslavia also concluded in 1949. The text of this agreement, with the schedules of goods, has been published as Cmd. 7880. The figures of trade are as follows:

	Imports	Exports (including re-exports)
	£m.	£m.
1949	11·9	4·3
1950	11·4	6·9
1951 (January—September)	7·1	8·7

asked the Secretary for Overseas Trade, as representing the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, what percentage of our total softwood imports were supplied by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in each of the five years prior to 1939 and in the five years after 1945; and what were the respective figures in standards of timber.

The following are the figures. To facilitate comparison, imports for the years 1934 to 1938 include supplies from Estonia. Latvia and Lithuania.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware that eight youth clubs in the Hackney area have reported disturbances and assaults over the past two months; and what police measures he intends to have taken to maintain order in such cases.

According to police records only one youth club in the Hackney area has made such a report to the police during the period in question. As I said in reply to the hon. Member on 22nd November, the police are giving their close attention to the problem of hooliganism. The detailed measures to be taken are a matter for the Commissioner.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he proposes to introduce legislation to implement the recommendations of the Gowers Committee on the Health, Safety and Welfare of Office Workers; and if he will make a statement.

I am not yet in a position to make any statement on this subject.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has examined the rôle of the Women's Voluntary Services in connection with preparations for Civil Defence; and if he will make a statement.

Yes On 8th June, 1951, a circular was issued to local authorities together with a copy of a memorandum on this subject. It is proposed to continue to make the fullest use of the knowledge and experience of W.V.S. as the women's auxiliary service to the Civil Defence Corps. Briefly, the policy which has been agreed by the Home Office with the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Housing and Local Government, and the Ministry of Food is that W.V.S. will undertake:

1. To encourage as many of their members as possible to join the Civil Defence corps, particularly in the welfare section.

2. To give every assistance to local authorities with the organisation and training for this section.

3. To build up their own membership so that the organisation in an emergency can help as auxiliaries to the main services of Civil Defence.

I understand from my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland, that similar arrangements will apply in Scotland.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is now the strength of the Civil Defence force; whether he is satisfied that the response has been satisfactory in all districts; and, if not, what action he proposes to take to increase the strength of this force.

The strength of the Civil Defence corps at 31st October was 159,903. In the urban areas of the country the results generally have so far been disappointing, but I hope that recruitment will improve during the winter in response to the special efforts being made by Civil Defence corps authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he can now state how many postal votes were cast at the General Elections of 1950 and 1951.

The number of postal votes included in the count in England, Wales and Northern Ireland was

POSTAL VOTES, 1951 AND 1952
(The figures for 1951 are approximate)
—	(1) Number of postal ballot papers issued		(2) Number of postal votes returned before close of poll		(3) Number of postal votes rejected*		(4) Number of postal votes included in the count
	1950	1951	1950	1951	1950	1951	1950	1951
England (excluding Monmouthshire)	410,126	688,400	386,878	627,500	7,879	10,650	379,005	616,850
Wales and Monmouthshire	23,916	38,800	22,499	35,000	815	900	21,685	34,100
Northern Ireland	24,231	25,300	22,504	23,200	913	900	21,591	22,300
TOTAL	458,273	752,500	431,881	685,700	9,607	12,450	422,281	673,250
* i.e., number rejected because the declaration of identity was not returned or on one of the other prescribed grounds.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about the inquiry into the cause of the fire at Avonmouth Docks; and what recommendations are to be made to prevent a recurrence.

I have just received the Report of His Majesty's Chief Inspector of Explosives and have given directions that it should be published as soon as possible. I am considering what action should be taken on the recommendations contained in the Report.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what alterations are being made in the Police Regulations, 1949, to remove anomalies arising from the present basis on which pensionable pay is calculated.

I assume that the hon. and gallant Member is referring to the effect of the recent increase of police pay in Regulation 87 (1) (a) of the Police Pensions Regulations, 1949. That Regu-

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made in the recruitment of men to the police force since the recent increases of pay.

A table of figures is given below. The main features are as follows. During the four months April-July, 1951, wastage exceeded recruitment in the county and borough forces by 441, and in the Metropolitan police force by 178. During the four months August-November, however, recruitment exceeded wastage by 1,027 and 50 respectively. The deficiences of strength in the county and borough forces have been reduced from 7,058 on 31st July to 6,061 on 30th November, and in the Metropolitan police force from 4,218 to 4,155. This is on the whole satisfactory progress although there is still a long way to go, particularly in the Metropolitan police force.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will introduce legislation to amend the licensing laws in accordance with the alterations recently proposed by the British Travel and Holidays Association, a copy of which has been sent to him.

I am considering the Association's proposals but I am not yet able to announce any decisions on them.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why meetings of his licensing advisory com- mittees for certain new towns arranged to take place soon were cancelled an 21st November; and to what extent changes in policy with regard to the State management of public houses in the new towns are envisaged.

The meetings in question were not cancelled by me or at my request. As regards the second part of the Question, I would refer the hon. Lady to the oral answer which I have given today to a question by the hon. Member for Epping (Mr. Finlay).

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, since many juvenile courts in dealing with children aged eight to 14 years do not require proof that the accused child knew that his alleged offence was wrong, he will, by circular, remind juvenile court magistrates of this provision of the law.

No, I am not aware that juvenile courts fail to satisfy themselves on this point or that their practice has been criticised by the higher courts.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what general advice he and his predecessors have given to the police on the subject of the prosecution of promoters of whist drives and bridge clubs; and on what dates this advice was given.

On 26th July, 1937, the Secretary of State caused a circular letter to be sent to chief constables in the following terms:"

asked the Prime Minister whether the agreement under which United States atom-bomb Forces are permitted to use bases in this country contains the usual provision for their withdrawal in the case that the United States become involved in any war in which the United Kingdom did not wish to be involved.

The use of these bases in an emergency would be a matter for joint decision by His Majesty's Government and the United States Government in the light of the circumstances prevailing at the time.

asked the Minister of Defence the number of those entitled to be registered on the Services electoral register; and the number actually listed during the last Election.

pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 30th November, 1951; Vol. 494, c. 180] circulated the following:The number of Service men and women who were eligible for inclusion in the current, i.e. spring, 1951, register was about 412,000. The number of Service men and women actually included is estimated at about 311,000.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what steps he is proposing to take to ensure that the many acres of unproductive land in Great Britain are reclaimed for agricultural use, particularly in moorland and hill districts; and if he will give consideration to the use of every possible scientific aid to assist in this matter.

Since the Question relates to Great Britain my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland has asked me to associate him with the reply. Various schemes are already in operation for developing the efficient use of marginal agricultural land. We should need to be reasonably sure that better results would be achieved before altering any arrangements that are working well or can be made to do so. I am glad to say that a considerable amount of help from scientists of all kinds is available and we intend to make full use of it.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he has considered the report of the chairman of the public local inquiry into the Upper Towy afforestation scheme; and whether he will make a statement about the future policy of the scheme.

The report was received on 20th November and is being studied. I will make a statement at the earliest possible moment.

asked the Minister of Agriculture how many acres of woodlands there are in Dorset; how many acres are being managed by the Forestry Commission; how many acres have been planted during the years 1948, 1949 and 1950; and what programme is contemplated for this present planting season.

There are 48,500 acres of woodland in Dorset, of which 10,500 acres are managed by the Forestry Commission. The Forestry Commission planted 248 acres in the 1948–49 planting season, 580 acres in 1949–50, and 904 acres in 1950–51. Their programme for the present season is 840 acres.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what progress has been made with trials to test the efficacy in this country of the spray treatment of sheep rather than dipping as a method of destroying animal parasites.

Trials have been made this year by a commercial firm with the "deluge" type of sprayer, under field conditions, and some success in fly control has been achieved. We are anxious to do some work on the use of sprays for external parasites of livestock but the resources of my Department's veterinary laboratory at Weybridge are limited, and it has not yet been possible to find time for this work.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he has any announcement to make regarding the fall in milk production this year.

Sales of milk off farms in England and Wales during the first ten months of this year were nearly 6 per cent. lower, on the average, than in the corresponding period last year. The reduction has been much smaller in the later months of this period. I have no further announcement to make on the subject at the present time.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he will obtain the acreage of agricultural land in Durham County either partially or wholly lost to agricultural production due to coalmining subsidence damage; and what steps he proposes to take to restore this land to agricultural production.

As I have already informed the hon. Member, the information asked for in the first part of his Question is not available. As regards the second part, the whole question of damage to land arising from mining subsidence was fully considered by the Turner Committee and any question on this should be addressed to my right hon. Friend the Minister of Fuel and Power.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what was the total amount of increase in costs, which was taken into account in the special price review of farm products; and how this compares with the total increase in prices and subsidies.

The total increase in costs on review commodities that was taken into account at the recent special review, was £16 million for higher wages for agricultural workers and additional holidays with pay, and the price increases I announced in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Newbury (Mr. Hurd) last week should amount in a full year to about the same figure. I also announced a subsidy on phosphatic fertilisers of between £9 to £10 million in 1951–52 which should offset the excess increases in fertiliser costs since the last annual review. This subsidy will apply to phosphates used for the production of all agricultural commodities and not just to those whose prices were reviewed. No recoupment has been given for an aggregation of minor cost increases of about £12 million.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he has yet received a report from the Agricultural Land Commission on the adjustment of farm boundaries in the Yetminster district of Dorset, and if he can make a statement thereon.

Yes. I have carefully studied the Report of the Agricultural Land Commission on readjustment of farm boundaries in the Yetminster area, which was submitted to my predecessor towards the end of July. This report, which I propose to publish, shows what a painstaking inquiry the Commission made into this problem, and I am glad to have this opportunity of expressing to them the thanks of His Majesty's Government.The Commission have recommended a provisional scheme for readjustment of farm boundaries in this area. In doing so, however, they refer to the strong representations which they have received from many occupiers and owners, and express the view that to be successful a scheme must command a substantial degree of support among interests affected. They also draw attention to certain defects in the statutory powers embodied in Section 87 of the Agriculture Act, 1947. In all the circumstances I have decided not to direct the Commission to prepare a final scheme on the lines proposed.

asked the Minister of Agriculture to what extent the draft orders which he proposes to place on deposit providing for separate river board areas for the Wye and the Usk will include the Ebbw river; and whether a separate board will be provided for this catchment area.

The draft Order for the proposed Usk River Board area will provide for the inclusion of the River Ebbw. The Ebbw is a tributary of the Usk and the two rivers must be contained within the area of a single river board.

asked the Minister of Agriculture the acreage for each county in England and Wales of land farmed by his Department or by organisations controlled by his Department for each of the last three years to the latest convenient date; and the financial results for each year for each county of these operations.

I shall be getting in touch with my hon. Friend shortly about this information.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what discussions he has held with the National Farmers' Union on the protection of sheep from killer dogs; and what conclusions have been reached.

A preliminary discussion between officers of my Department and the National Farmers' Union took place a short time ago. I am still considering the proposals put forward by the Union

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many works of art, including rare books, have been prohibited from being exported since 1940; and whether a list of them can be made available to the public.

Works of art and articles more than 75 years old may not be sent out of the country without a Board of Trade export licence. Since this control was imposed in 1940, licences have been refused for 30 items on the expert advice of the national museums and galleries. In addition, certain refusals were given in the early days of control to prevent the flight of capital, but full details of these are not now available. It would be contrary to established practice to publish details of individual applications where export licences have been refused.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many meetings have been held by the committee appointed to consider the export of works of art; how many witnesses have given evidence before it; and when he expects that the report of its findings and recommendations will be published.

The Committee has held 16 meetings and has received written and oral evidence from 146 persons, bodies and institutions. It is not yet possible to say when it will report.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will now remove the Purchase Tax on painted metal bread bins which have perforated holes in them to enable them to be used as food containers as has been done on painted metal bread bins which have no holes in them.

My hon. Friend has been good enough to furnish particulars of the articles in question, and I will bear in mind his suggestion when the Purchase Tax is reviewed, in connection with the financial provisions for next year.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why Mrs. Billings, of 5 Wildcroft Road, Coventry, whose son is serving in Malaya, had to pay 6s. 6d. on one pair of nylons, value 9s. 4d. sent to her by him as a Christmas present.

I am having inquiries made, and when they are completed I will write to the hon. Member.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set up a committee of six leading financiers and economists to review the economic and financial position of the country and to report and make recommendations to His Majesty's Government.

No.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will consider cashing post-war credit certificates immediately at half their face value.

No.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he is now in a position to give the information promised about the cost of extending the field of repayment of post-war credits.

Yes. Tables are already included each year in the annual report of the Commissioners of Inland Revenue showing the amount of post-war credits originally created and the amounts which have already been paid.Under existing arrangements post-war credit is being repaid at the rate of rather less than £17 million a year. The following statement shows the

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will undertake to defer any further action in regard to the bank rate until after 29th January, 1952.

It would be contrary to precedent and to the public interest for any advance indication to be given of action in the monetary field, in whatever direction.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the results of his discussions with Mr. Snyder in Rome.

My right hon. Friend's conversations with Mr. Snyder were not designed to secure immediate results, but he has asked me to say that they had a very useful exchange of views on a wide range of financial and economic problems affecting the two countries.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer which food subsidies will be discontinued or reduced as a result of the £26,000,000 increase in farming costs and the Government's decision not to increase the level of food subsidies.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him on 4th December by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the effect on the school building programme of the Government's decision to reduce new building and of the shortages of places which this will cause for children, particularly at the beginning and the end of school life, he will cause a general review to be made of the effects of building economies on the social services.

I do not accept the implication in this Question that any decision of the Government will have the effect alleged. The needs of the social services for new buildings are examined each year as pan of the general review of the building programme as a whole, and such a review is now in progress.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what instructions he has issued to Customs officers on the use of discretion in charging duty and Purchase Tax on gift parcels, particularly in the Christmas season, which contain a variety of small items which are obviously intended for family distribution.

As my hon. Friend is no doubt aware, private gift parcels not exceeding 22 lb. in weight are admitted free of duty if they contain only food, discarded clothing, medical supplies or soap. There is also a special concession covering parcels for members of the Forces serving abroad which do not exceed 10s. in value and which do not include tobacco, scent or liquor.To add to these concessions a genera] discretion to officers of the Customs to exempt from duty other sorts of parcels would not only involve unfairness between one citizen and another, but would involve intolerable delays in the detailed examination of parcels. These delays would be particularly prolonged during the Christmas rush.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give effect to the promise made by his predecessor to make an inquiry into the incidence of entertainments tax.

As my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer stated in reply to a Question on 20th November, this inquiry is now taking place.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will give consideration to spreading equitably the whole burden of entertainments tax so that it will not fall almost wholly on the cinema trade.

Any specific suggestions on this subject which the hon. Member cares to make will be considered in the course of the review of this tax referred to in my previous answer.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set out in tabular form details of the United Kingdom's assistance to foreign countries and international agencies by way of gifts and loans since the war.

Gifts and loans made by the United Kingdom to these countries and agencies from the end of the war to the end of June, 1951, are shown below. The figures at Table II (i) exclude regular contributions or subscriptions to international organisations, such as U.N.O. and its specialised agencies.

1. LOANS AND RECOVERABLE AID
(Amounts originally made available, unless otherwise stated)
	£ million
1. Austria:
Repayable part of post-U.N.R.R.A assistance	1·00
2. Burma:
Loan and credits, 1945–1949 (less amounts forgiven)	27·81
Stores supplied against later repayment	8·70
[United Kingdom share of Commonwealth loan	(a)3·751
3. Cyrenaica:
Loan of working capital	·35
4. Czechoslovakia:
Initial credit	5·00
Surplus goods credit	2·50

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury what progress has been made in his discussions with the staff side of the Civil Service on the retiring age for civil servants; and whether he will make a statement.

The discussions have been resumed but are not yet completed. Meanwhile, as the right hon. Gentleman will well appreciate, it is not possible for me to make any statement.

asked the Minister of Health how long it is proposed to continue to require citizens of this country to carry identity cards.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will make a further statement on the continuance of identity cards.

asked the Minister of Health whether he has yet decided to discontinue the use of identity cards.

I would refer to the reply given to the hon. Member for Colchester (Mr. Alport) on 15th November.

asked the Minister of Health what progress is being made with the Heanor Maternity Home; and when it is likely to be open.

The premises require some adaptation and redecoration and arrangements for this are in hand. The regional hospital board hope to open the home for patients next April.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that hearing aids now being issued from the Bradford distribution centre relate to applications made in February, 1949; to what extent this state of arrears is common to the country as a whole; and what steps he is taking to shorten the long wait of deaf people for this appliance.

While there are some centres like this where, because of the very heavy demand, patients who applied in 1949 are still waiting, many are in a much better position than this. Supplies have recently been increased to centres with the longest waiting lists.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that hearing aids now being issued from the Leeds distribution centre relate to applications made in 1948; and how long he expects it to be before the 2,000 persons now waiting for hearing aids from this centre are supplied.

Yes. It is not possible to estimate when the present waiting list will be cleared, but the recent reallocation of supplies should help to reduce it.

asked the Minister of Health how many Medresco hearing aids are now being produced each month.

The average monthly delivery by manufacturers in 1951–52 to date is 10,200 compared with 7,750 in 1950–51.

asked the Minister of Health when he proposes to allow private patients of medical practitioners in the National Health Service to get medicines and drugs without charge.

The National Health Service Acts limit this provision to those who are receiving general medical services under the Acts, and it is not intended to introduce legislation to remove this limitation.

asked the Minister of Health to what extent sheets are provided for patients in hospitals.

I understand that this provision is general, the scale varying according to the type of hospital or patient.

asked the Minister of Health if he will make a statement on the progress of negotiations with the British Medical Association on the subject of general practitioner remuneration.

asked the Minister of Health whether an adjudicator has been chosen to determine the total sum which should be provided for the remuneration of general practitioners in the National Health Service; and whether he will ensure that the evidence placed before the adjudicator by all who appear before him is made public so that Parliament may be fully informed of the reasons for any subsequent recommendation he may wish to make.

I am glad to say that Mr. Justice Danckwerts has accepted an invitation from my noble Friend the Lord Chancellor to act as adjudicator. It will be for him to determine, with the parties to the adjudication, whether the evidence should be made public.

asked the Minister of Health how many new recruits have been enrolled in the National Hospital Service Reserve in each region since the start of the national recruitment campaign.

No returns have been received since the new campaign began. I shall be glad to send the hon. Member the figures for 30th November when available.

asked the Minister of Health how many building projects intended to provide for the needs of those requiring treatment and care for mental ill-health or mental deficiency have been affected by the ban on the granting of starting dates; and what is the total estimated expenditure involved.

I regret that this information is not available centrally.

asked the Minister of Health how many registered medical practitioners are known to have failed to apply for compensation in accordance with Regulations made under Section 36 of the National Health Service Act, 1946; how many have made late claims; and what action he proposes to take.

I do not know whether any doctors who might have been entitled to a share of the compensation have failed to apply. Ten applied too late. I do not think there is any further action that I should be justified in taking.

asked the Minister of Health in view of their inadequacy, whether he will review the present Regulations concerning the provision of chiropody for old people with a view to encouraging the initiation of fresh proposals by local authorities and other interested bodies.

While appreciating the value of this service, I regret that I should not feel justified in encouraging its expansion at the cost of public funds in present financial circumstances.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will introduce legislation to give local authorities power to assist homes for old people which are run privately where they think it is desirable.

No. I am not satisfied that there is a demand for legislation on these lines or that it would be desirable.

asked the Minister of Health if he will have inquiries made as to what extent tobacco smoking is one of the causes of cancer of the lungs.

The Medical Research Council are actively pursuing inquiries on a large scale.

asked the Minister of Health how much his Department proposes to spend on the work of cancer research during the year 1952.

Expenditure on cancer research borne by my Department is mainly included within the total expenditure on treatment of cancer, for which separate figures are not available.

asked the Minister of Health how far his advisers have recently discovered new remedies for the cure of cancer either in whole or for one particular organ of the body.

I am informed that recent developments have increased the range of curative treatment both in surgery and radiotherapy but other remedies recently discovered have only a limited value in controlling the spread of certain forms of cancer.

asked the Minister of Health if he will amend his Regulations so as to allow payments from the National Health Service funds towards the cost of conveying oxygen from a pharmacy to a patient's home when required by a general practitioner in an emergency.

No. I should not feel justified in present circumstances in accepting this additional charge on public funds.

asked the Minister of Labour what decisions he has now taken about the manning-up of essential industries.

I have nothing to add at present to the information I gave the hon. Member on 15th November.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will state the number of registered unemployed, both male and female, in the county borough of Stockport at the last convenient date.

At 12th November the numbers on the registers of the Stockport employment exchange and youth employment office were 266 males and 388 females.

asked the Minister of Labour what was the largest number of women in the working population at any time between 1st September, 1939, and 8th May, 1945; what is the largest number ever known to have been employed in peace-time; and how these figures compare with the numbers of women employed and of unfilled vacancies for women at the present time.

The largest number of women in the total working population during the war was approximately 7¼ million at September, 1943. This figure related to those aged 14 and under 60 and excluded private domestic servants; part-time workers were counted as half-units. The present series of man-power statistics includes all those gainfully occupied aged 15 years and over and part-time workers are counted as full units. At the end of September this year the number of women in the total working population was approximately 7,450,000, which is the highest known figure in peace-time. The number of vacancies for women notified to employment exchanges and remaining unfilled at 24th October was 126,500.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will ascertain the number of disabled men qualified by their disablement to enter, but still awaiting entry to,

NUMBERS REGISTERED AS UNEMPLOYED IN THE DEVELOPMENT AREAS AT 15TH OCTOBER, 1951
Development Area			Number unemployed at 15th October, 1951		Approximate percentage unemployed at 15th October, 1951
			Males	Females	Males	Females
North-Eastern	…	…	14,106	9,791	2	3½
South Wales and Monmouthshire	…	…	11,531	6,576	2½	4
West Cumberland	…	…	681	377	l½	3
South Lancashire	…	…	1,047	995	1	2
Merseyside	…	…	10,301	6,428	2½	3
Wrexham	…	…	353	474	1½	6
Scottish	…	…	21,298	12,564	2½	3

asked the Minister of Labour what steps His Majesty's Government are contemplating to supplement the total of industrial man-power for the defence programme.

asked the Minister of Labour what steps His Majesty's Government proposes to take to increase the supply of industrial man-power for the defence programme.

There are 34 unemployed disabled persons eligible for consideration in the area normally served by this factory, which is fully manned. An extension is planned and authority to build is being sought.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will establish a Remploy factory in Accrington.

No. There are at the most 10 unemployed severely disabled persons in the Accrington district eligible for Remploy work and there are already factories at Burnley and Blackburn.

asked the Minister of Labour how many men and women are unemployed in each of the development areas; and what are the percentages of unemployed in each area.

The table below gives the information desired:

I would refer the hon. Members to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Mr. Swingler) on 15th November, to which I have nothing to add at present.

asked the Minister of Labour what instructions have been given to his representative now engaged in drafting the convention on equal pay at the International Labour Office.

The Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951, was adopted by the International Labour Conference at its 34th Session last June. The Government's proposals as to the action to be taken on the Convention will be made known in due course.

asked the Minister of Labour the total number of deaths and injuries in factories in each of the last three years; and what plans he has for more effective safety precautions in factories in the near future.

The numbers of accidents in factories notified to the Department under the Factories Acts for 1948, 1949 and 1950 were 182,838, 172,026 and 170,371 respectively. Of these, 552, 475 and 506 were fatal. The progressive increase in precautions against accidents is a matter of steady spade work in industry, through safety education and in other ways, assisted by the work of the factory inspectorate and of various organisations including the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, rather than a matter of specific plans at any particular time.

asked the Minister of Labour if he has given consideration to the report of the Committee on Night Baking; and to what extent he intends to implement the recommendations contained in the report.

I have asked all the organisations concerned to let me have their views on the Committee's recommendations. I am awaiting their their replies.

asked the Minister of Labour how many agricultural workers have been taken into His Majesty's Forces since 1st October, 1951, up to the most convenient date; and to what extent the evidence in his possession shows that such loss of manpower has seriously aggravated the manpower problems in the agricultural industry.

Between 1st November (when the calling-up of men affected by the termination of the general suspension of the calling-up of agricultural workers began) and 30th November, 1951, 2,978 agricultural workers were posted to the Forces. I have no evidence that the calling-up of these men out of the 900,000 male workers (including working farmers) regularly employed in agriculture, has had any appreciable effect on the manpower problems of the industry.