asked the First Lord of the Admiralty the minimum and maximum gross emoluments for both civilian teachers and Royal Navy instructor officers teaching at Admiralty schools in Malta; and what part of these sums is free of United Kingdom tax.

The answer is as follows:

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what progress is being made in reviewing the salary scales of locally-entered English women teachers in service schools in Malta in order to bring them more into line with civilian teachers generally.

The review of these salaries is well advanced, and will be completed as soon as possible.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty when the claim of Mrs. Hilder, 191, Coronation Road, Hull, against the owners of ss. "St. Rognvald" is likely to be met; and whether he is aware that it is more than 10 years since Mrs. Hilder's husband lost his life in a collision between the" Boy Andrew" and ss. "St. Rognvald"; and that the delay in settling this claim is causing great in- convenience to Mrs. Hilder as well as to other claimants.

It is hoped that this case will appear in the Court Roll next week when an order will be made for the payment out of the fund in court due to the claimants in this case. A settlement should therefore be effected very shortly, but this depends entirely on the procedure in the Scottish Courts.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General whether Government Department demands for extra telephones are automatically met or are subject to investigation as to need by the Post Office.

The responsibility for deciding whether an additional telephone is required rests ultimately on the Department asking for it. The function of the Post Office is to advise on the most economical way of meeting the Department's needs.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General what steps are being taken to increase the capacity of the Wickford and Hadleigh telephone exchanges.

A new automatic exchange at Wickford with a capacity of 300 lines larger than that of the present manual exchange is expected to be ready by September. The exchange capacity of Hadleigh is to be extended by 400 lines. The installation of the new equipment is expected to begin in November and it should be ready for service in May, 1953.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General why hon. Members making toll or trunk calls in the House are asked whether their calls are private or official.

The normal rule is that trunk and toll calls made by hon. Members are charged for. An exception is made when Members holding Government office have to make such calls on official business. The procedure described by the hon. Member is necessary to enable this distinction to be made.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General the number of applicants waiting for telephones in the borough of Mitcham on 1st January, 1951 and 1952; how many installations were made during 1951; and the longest period for which anyone has been waiting.

One thousand nine hundred and fifty-nine on 1st January, 1951 and 2,169 on 1st January, 1952. Two hundred and forty-three new subscribers were connected during 1951. The earliest outstanding application was made in 1943.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General if he is now in a position to announce the decisions of the Government on the Terrington Committee Report, and outstanding claims for recognition on the part of Post Office associations.

I would refer my hon. Friend to my reply to a question on 21st May by my hon. and gallant Friend, the Member for South Angus (Captain Duncan).

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General to what countries are letters now sent by air without extra payment; what arrangements are made in view of bad weather for alternative transmission; and how long letters are held up by bad flying conditions before being transferred to an alternative form of transport.

Letters are now sent by air without payment of an air surcharge to all countries in Europe except Iceland and Poland. When bad flying conditions occur, mails may be sent by some alternative methods, or held over until flying conditions improve. There is no hard and fast rule. Each case is decided according to the distance of the destination, the time which would be required by alternative methods and the likely duration of the air delay.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General if, in view of recent raids on mail vans, he will investigate the possibility of using an anti-bandit pistol, discharging coloured vaporised spray, photographs and details of which have been previously supplied to the Home Office and the police by the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South, and details of which are being supplied to him.

I am very grateful to my hon. and gallant Friend for this suggestion which will be considered, along with others, in consultation with the police.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air why ex-officers re-employed by his Department as established and certificated civil servants have been specially excluded from the benefit of the increased retiring age of 65 years, recently brought in force for all Treasury grade civil servants: and what is the reason for treating these retired and ex-officers less generously than the majority of civil servants.

I take it that my hon. Friend is referring to the substitution officers employed by the Air Ministry. The great majority of these officers are employed in place of junior Royal Air Force officers and it has therefore been the rule for a number of years that they should retire at 60. All officers are, however, given the chance of further pensionable employment after 60 in a lower grade, in most cases without loss of income.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air if he has received the findings of the inquiry instituted by the United States Air Force into the crash of the American fighter at St. Peter's in Thanet on 27th April; and if he will make a statement.

A report about the accident at St. Peter's on 27th April has now been received from the Board of Inquiry and Assistance assembled by the Inspector General of the United States Air Force. This report is largely an amplification of the information in the letter from General McConnell, which I gave to the House in answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Thanet (Mr. Carson) on 1st May. I understand that, pending further technical investigation, the United States Air Force Aircraft Accident Investigation Board has not yet reached any final conclusions.The United States Air Force authorities have emphasised that all possible operational and technical precautions are being taken to avoid conditions which might cause accidents. They are making a special daily examination of all F.84 aircraft in this country.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air what changes are proposed in the leave schemes for airmen serving in the Canal Zone of Egypt.

Until recently it has been impracticable to grant normal leave to airmen serving in Egypt because of the unsettled conditions there. Arrangements have now been made, however, for leave travel to Cyprus this summer at public expense. Those who wish to spend their normal leave elsewhere outside Egypt at their own expense will be allowed to do so.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air whether he will make a statement on jet aircraft accidents in the Royal Air Force.

During the first four months of this year, there were eight more fatal jet accidents than in the first four months of 1951. I should like to emphasise, however, that the amount of flying by jet aircraft is now almost twice as great as during the corresponding period of last year, and that the fatal jet accident rate during the last four months has been substantially lower than that for the comparable period last year. In fact, the rate has been steadily falling ever since 1947, and there is no doubt that the jet aircraft at present in service with the Royal Air Force are safer to fly than comparable piston-engined types. It is, however, the constant aim of my noble Friend and his Service advisers to improve still further the safety of jet aircraft, in common with all other types.

asked the Minister of Food the reasons for the continued high price of fish in view of the glut at the present time; how much fish has been dumped for fertiliser at Britain's big ports in the last month because housewives will not buy fish at its present price; and what action he proposes to take in the matter.

Fish in heavy supply during the last few weeks has been mainly distant water cod. Much of it has been sold at around the old controlled price. I have no information about the specific quantities of fish used for conversion into fertiliser. Some 10,000 tons of unsold and condemned white fish were processed into animal feedingstuffs in the period January to 17th May this year out of total landings of approximately 290,000 tons; also some 8,000 tons of surplus herring were converted into oil and meal in the same period.

asked the Minister of Food in what quantities and in which countries he estimates supplies of sugar, oils and fats, cheese, meat, bacon, dried fruit and canned salmon are available in the world for purchase by the United Kingdom.

These commodities can be purchased in many different countries, the quantities available for purchase by the United Kingdom depending upon what we are prepared to pay for them and the currency we should have to use.

asked the Minister of Food the average weekly killings of pigs during December, 1951, and during the last convenient four weeks, respectively.

The weekly average of killings during December, 1951, was 82,300 and during March, 1952, was 111,300.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Defence whether officers and men who are retained after having completed their time for pension will be eligible, under the relevant service regulations, for an appropriate increase of pension dependent on the additional years served.

All ratings, other ranks and airmen are so eligible, as are such officers who have not already qualified for the standard rate of retired pay for their rank.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Defence what financial payment from Her Majesty's Government is received by Field Marshal Montgomery during his appointment as Deputy Supreme Commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.

Field Marshal Montgomery receives from Her Majesty's Government Pay and Allowances amounting to £5,170 a year, which is on the same scale as the emoluments he would have received had he been Chief of the Imperial General Staff today, plus an entertainment allowance of £1,000 a year. In addition, while actually abroad he receives local overseas allowance or travelling allowances.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, what information he has received about the bombing raid on a major industrial area south of Pyongyang on Thursday, 22nd May.

I am advised that on 22nd May over 600 United Nations fighter bombers attacked with high explosive bombs, napalm and rockets a large enemy troop encampment and a supply area some miles to the south-west of Pyongyang.