asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many textile mills there are in Nigeria; how many operatives are employed; and what is the annual output.

There are two textile weaving mills in Nigeria. Each employs 70 persons and has 60 power looms, with provision for an additional 30. Production at both mills began last year, and when there are enough trained operatives to work a two-shift system the total annual production from these mills is likely to be 1,400,000 yards of baft and drill, and 200 tons of cotton yarn.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many students there are in teacher training colleges of Nigeria at this time; and how many will be going into the schools at the beginning of the new session this year.

My right hon. Friend has asked the Governor of Nigeria for information on these points and will write to the hon. Member when the reply has been received.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General what steps are being taken to televise the Coronation and the Coronation procession and how far it will be possible to relay the television to the United States and the Commonwealth.

The responsibility for televising the Coronation rests, of course, with the B.B.C., and I am informed that in due course plans will be referred to the proper quarter for submission to Her Majesty.No means at present exist of relaying television to the United States and the Commonwealth.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General the amounts spent by the British Broadcasting Corporation on the European services in the past five years; and the amount it is proposed to spend in the current year.

I am informed by the B.B.C. that the amounts spent by the Corporation on the European services in the past five years were:

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General the amounts spent by the British Broadcasting Corporation on the General Overseas programme in the past five years; and the amount it is proposed to spend in the current year.

I am informed by the B.B.C. that the amounts spent by the Corporation on the General Overseas Service cannot be separated from the cost of the overseas English services as a whole. The latter comprise the general overseas service, the supplementary North America service, other special regional programmes complementary to the General Overseas Service and the colonial services.The amounts spent on all the overseas services in English during the past five years were:

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air if he is aware that there is severe unemployment in the rayon industry; that for some articles it is possible to substitute rayon or rayon mixture for cotton, thus effecting a considerable saving in dollars; that the substitution of rayon staple for cotton would not have an adverse effect on the spinning and weaving sections of the textile industry; and if, in the light of these considerations, he will take immediate steps to see that specifications for textile goods ordered by his Department are reviewed with the intention of substituting rayon wherever possible.

My right hon. Friend the Minister of Supply explained in his answer to the hon. Member on 19th May the action his Department was taking to help increase the amount of rayon used by the Services. The Air Ministry is co-operating fully with the Ministry of Supply. Some clothing made from material embodying rayon is already issued to the Women's Royal Air Force, and other clothing and equipment of this kind is being tried out.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air how much money remains to be distributed from the Royal Air Force Prize Money Fund; and whether he will now arrange for a final payment to all concerned to be made.

£22,690 remains to be distributed from that part of the Prize Fund set aside for the benefit of past members of the Royal Air Force. The distribution will be made as soon as it is reasonably clear that no eligible organisation has been overlooked.

asked the Minister of Civil Aviation the net revenue which the charge on passengers leaving State airports on international air services is expected to yield; and what is the estimated cost to the British Overseas Airways Corporation and the British European Airways Corporation. respectively.

The estimated annual yield of the passenger service charge is about £200,000. Of this total it is estimated that about £25,000 falls to be paid by the British Overseas Airways Corporation and £60,000 by the British European Airways, most of the rest falling on the overseas airlines. The airlines have decided to pass on the charge to their passengers.

asked the Minister of Civil Aviation the name of the contracting firm which is to take over management of the London Airport Workmen's Camp; and whether the arrangements concluded have been discussed with, and are agreed to by. the workmen concerned.

As a result of competitive tenders, Messrs. Industrial Catering Ltd. have been appointed to take over the management of the camp. Representatives of the workmen were informed on 13th May.

asked the Minister of Civil Aviation how many persons are now accommodated at the Green Man Lane Camp at London Airport; to what company the management of the camp has been transferred; what are the conditions of this contract; and whether a committee representative of the workers occupying the camp will be set up to participate in the control.

315 persons are at present accommodated in the camp: Messrs. Industrial Catering Ltd. will take over the management on 1st June.The facilities to be provided under the contract include the provision of living accommodation, welfare and feeding facilities, a snack bar and canteen, a sick bay, etc., in conformity with the general principles of the Ministry of Labour and National Service Factory Form 1892.My right hon. Friend has no objection to the formation of a committee to discuss with the management day-to-day matters affecting the running of the camp. Responsibility for the control of the camp must, however, remain with my Department.

asked the Minister of Civil Aviation if he is aware of the concern created among employees of the air corporation by his predecessor's statement, in the Annual Report of the Air Transport Advisory Council, that a new policy with regard to private participation in this industry is impending; and if he will give details of the proposals to which his predecessor referred.

My right hon. Friend has arranged for consultation with the trade union side of the National Joint Council this week and will have the opportunity of hearing their views at first hand. On the second part of the Question, I must ask the hon. Member to await the statement of Government policy, which will not be unnecessarily delayed.

asked the Minister of Civil Aviation why the private company which was given permission to operate an air service between Belfast, Prestwick, Edinburgh, Errol, for Dundee and Perth, and Aberdeen, has failed to commence this service, although it was understood that they would do so in June, 1951.

The company did not accept the conditions on which this service was first approved in February, 1951, and discussions on their modifications were not completed until the summer. Whether the service can now be introduced is a matter solely for the commercial judgment of the company.

asked the Minister of Civil Aviation on whose initiative he is shortly to meet the trades unions represented on the National Joint Council for Civil Aviation.

This meeting has been arranged on the initiative of my right hon. Friend. This intention was announced in another place on 5th December last, and in my answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Stroud and Thornbury (Mr. Perkins) as recently as 30th April.

asked the Minister of Food what reduction in rationed foods was made to the catering authority responsible consequent on the closing of the passengers' restaurant at London Road Station, Manchester.

Caterers are allowed rationed foods on the basis of the meals they serve. Issues in respect of this restaurant therefore ceased when it closed.

asked the Minister of Food what reductions have been made in imports of food since 1st November, 1951.

For reasons which have been explained by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Government have considered it necessary to curtail our expenditure on food imports by about £200 million a year.

asked the Minister of Food whether he will consider re-instituting the regulations that ensure the cleanliness of food sold to the public, and, in particular, to ensure that bread is wrapped and protected from contamination when distributed in bakers' vans, as was agreed to be essential before the war.

No regulations for ensuring the cleanliness of food have lapsed; on the contrary, the law has been strengthened by byelaws made by most local authorities which require that food in course of delivery shall be protected from contamination.

asked the Minister of Food whether he will consult the Medical Research Council and ascertain to what extent illness may be caused by the insanitary conditions under which some foodstuffs are retailed to the public; and whether he will take steps to restore the conditions that were statutory before the war.

The ætiology of food poisoning is fairly well known and research is continuing. My Department consults both the Health Departments and the Public Health Laboratory Service, which is administered by the Medical Research Council, whenever occasion arises. The statutory requirements relating to the conditions in which foodstuffs are retailed have been strengthened since before the war.

asked the Minister of Food why the price of cheese, which in October, 1951, was ld. a lb. more than it was in July, 1945, is now 10d. a lb. more than it was in October, 1951.

The increase of 10d. per lb. in the retail price of cheese introduced from 30th December, 1951, was required in order to keep the total cost of food subsidies during 1951–52 within the ceiling of £410 million laid down by the former Chancellor of the Exchequer. This increase had the effect of reducing the continuing rate of subsidy on cheese to approximately the same rate as that ruling in 1945–46.

asked the Minister of Food how much he expects to recover towards the reduction of the food subsidy during the year 1952–53 by the proposed increase in the price of meat.

About £48 million.

asked the Minister of Food how much he expects to recover toward the reduction of the food subsidy during the year 1952–53 by the removal of the subsidy on tea.

About £13 million.

asked the Minister of Food if he is aware that shipping delays are curtailing the supplies of meat for Britain and that attention has been drawn to this fact by the chairman of the New Zealand Meat Producers' Board; and if he will make a statement on the position.

Production of meat in New Zealand is seasonal and cannot all be loaded as it is produced, but over the year as a whole we get all that is available for export.We have recently discussed with the New Zealand Government ways and means of getting maximum loadings during the early months of the year when home production of meat is at a low level.I am confident that the New Zealand authorities are fully aware of our needs and are doing their utmost to meet them.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will make representations to the United States Government that the British people, whilst being grateful for the economic aid granted to them since the war, would much rather earn dollars by normal trading, for which modifications in the Buy American Act and tariff regulations would be of assistance.

In view of the declared position of the United States Government, I do not think that representations such as my hon. Friend has in mind are necessary.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what was the value in dollars of exports of woollen textiles to hard currency markets in each of the years 1945 to 1951, inclusive.

The countries regarded as hard currency markets have not been the same throughout the period 1945–51, but the dollar area has been consistently a hard currency area. United Kingdom exports to the present dollar area of woollen and worsted yarns and manufactures have been as follows:

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will make a statement on the outcome of his recent trade negotiations with Denmark.

Trade talks with Denmark took place in London between 29th January and 9th February last. Our major imports from Denmark of bacon. butter and eggs are, of course, provided for by the long-term contracts, and the talks were, therefore, mainly concerned with the supply of coal, coke and steel to Denmark in 1952 and with the facilities to be given by the Danes for our exports of consumer goods. In general, it is the Danish intention to give opportunities to our exporters at least as good as those they enjoyed in 1951.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he will have the iron road in Her Majesty's dockyard, Sheerness, taken up and used as scrap.

This course is already under consideration, but a decision has been delayed on account of the difficulty of using metal with such an unusually high content of phosphorus and sulphur.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty to what extent British naval officers studying problems of future naval strategy in Western Europe are given facilities to co-operate with American naval officers studying the same subject.

The curriculum at the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation Defence College gives opportunities for students from all N.A.T.O. countries to study together problems of defence, including naval strategy. Furthermore, there are several examples in which senior officers with N.A.T.O. responsibilities have officers belonging to the Services of the other country on their staffs.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware of the dissatisfaction which exists because, irrespective of re-enlistment, one civilian suit only is issued on the initial demobilisation; and if he will consider altering the regulation to ensure that a man re-enlisting will be issued with a civilian suit on demobilisation.

A Regular soldier serving on a normal engagement is entitled to a civilian suit on discharge. If he re-enlists and serves for a further period of at least three years, he receives another civilian suit on completion of his further engagement. In certain circumstances, for example, on discharge on medical or compassionate grounds, a civilian suit may be provided although the man has not completed the three-year period of service. I think that these arrangements are reasonable, but if the hon. Lady has a particular difficulty in mind I will gladly look into it.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will cause the rubbish dumped on Bramshott Common by military personnel to be removed and give instructions that further rubbish be not dumped.

Instructions that no rubbish should be dumped on Bramshott Common were issued in September, 1950.