asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he is aware that Councillor Mrs. J. Gannon, of British Guiana, who was prevented from landing in Trinidad by order of the Governor, was given a public reception by the Prime Minister of Barbados on her landing on that island; and if, in view of this difference of treatment of visitors to the British West Indies, he will convene a conference of Governors with a view to evolving a single policy.

The admission of visitors to the various West Indian Colonies is a matter within the discretion of the individual Governments. It is also for them to determine how far they should consult between themselves, and my right hon. Friend sees no reason for convening a conference of Governors on the subject.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what is the general position in Jamaica concerning the reconstruction of buildings destroyed or damaged in the hurricane of last year; how much of the United Kingdom grant has been spent; how much was covered by insurance or from local resources; and whether in particular the barracks of the Jamaica Battalion have been rebuilt under War Office arrangements.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how much British, Canadian and United States capital, respectively, has been, and is being, involved in various projects for the economic development of British territories in the Western Caribbean; and to what extent restrictions imposed by the Treasury are preventing the share of British investors in these projects.

The information sought in the first part of the Question is not available. There are no restrictions on the transfer of capital from the United Kingdom for investment in these territories.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies (1) the number of postage stamps sold by the Crown Agents to dealers in England during 1950 and 1951, respectively; and the total amount received from such sales;(2) the number of postage stamps sold by the Crown Agents through their bureau in Washington to dealers in the United States of America during the years 1950 and 1951; and the total amount received from such sales.

The total numbers of postage stamps sold by the Crown Agents to dealers in this country and through their bureau in Washington in 1950 and 1951 were 9,315,849 and 15,253,672, respectively. Separate figures are not available to indicate how many of these were sold in the United Kingdom or through the bureau in Washington, but the total amounts realised from sales to dealers in (a) the United Kingdom, and (b) through the bureau in Washington, were:1950

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he has considered the official request of the Prime Minister of the Gold Coast, on 25th May, to European civilian public servants there to remain till the Gold Coast has an all-African service; and what is his policy concerning the future employment of civilian Britons in the Gold Coast.

I have not yet received a copy of the Gold Coast Prime Minister's statement to which the hon. Member refers. As regards the second part of the Question, my right hon. Friend and the Gold Coast Government are agreed that overseas civil servants will be needed in the Gold Coast for some time to come, and that fair and reasonable conditions of service must be ensured for them.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will make a statement about the progress made in the official conversations now being held on the Volta river project.

Further exploratory talks on the Volta River hydro-electric and aluminium scheme have taken place in London between 26th and 30th May. Gold Coast Ministers and representatives of United Kingdom Government Departments, of Aluminium Limited and the British Aluminium Company took part. These talks are now to be followed up next week by a visit to the Gold Coast by United Kingdom Government officials and representatives of the aluminium companies for further exploratory discussions on local conditions.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies when he expects coal to be produced from the newly proved coalfields in Tanganyika.

There has already been a small sample output of coal from these fields, but their commercial development depends on rail transport. The coal alone, however, might not make a railway economic and, therefore, no decision about building a railway can be made until the economic and engineering surveys of Southern Tanganyika, which are expected in about two months' time, have been considered. In any event, it will hardly be possible to complete a railway before 1955. Meanwhile exploratory work continues on the coalfields.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what steps are being taken to make greater use of the timber resources of the Colonies.

The development of Colonial timber resources is being assisted by the granting of concessions by Colonial Governments on terms designed to encourage efficient exploitation and to permit natural regeneration of the original forests and fiscal measures favouring the local conversion of logs to lumber; and also by the improvement of communications. Large scale plantations of exotic trees have been made especially in East Africa. Expansion of the research into the pulping properties of Colonial hardwoods is also planned. In some of these developments the Colonial Development Corporation is playing a part.Some indication of the success of these measures is given by the expansion of Colonial timber exports from approximately 15 million cubic feet in 1947 to about 40 million cubic feet in 1951. This expansion has, however, also been greatly encouraged by the restrictions on supplies of softwoods on account of currency difficulties and the consequent high prices paid for tropical hardwoods.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will publish a statement showing the value of the imports and exports of each Colony, Protectorate and Trustee Territory during 1951, so far as they are available; and the proportion of each which consisted of trade with the United Kingdom and other Empire and Commonwealth countries.

As to the first part of the Question, 1 would refer the hon. Member to Tables 1 and 2 in the "Digest of Colonial Statistics," published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office on 14th of May.As to the second part of the Question, I regret that the information will take some little time to compile, and I will send it to him as soon as it is available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what steps are being taken to eradicate disease from sheep in British Somaliland.

I am making inquiries and will write to my hon. Friend as soon as I receive a reply from the Acting Governor.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the Board of Customs and Excise have yet completed their review of the claim made on behalf of the grade of land preventive men, submitted by the Civil Service Union on 15th October, 1951.

Yes. A reply was sent to the Civil Service Union on 26th May.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury how many properties, of what area and value, accepted by the Inland Revenue in lieu of death duties since the establishment of the National Land Fund, have been disposed of otherwise than in accordance with Section 48 of the Finance Act, 1946, which established the Fund.

I am not sure what my hon. Friend has in mind. The provision governing the disposal of properties accepted in satisfaction of death duties is contained not in Section 48 of the Finance Act, 1946, but in Section 50 (3) of that Act. No properties have been disposed of otherwise than in accordance with that subsection.

asked the Minister of Food if he will consider allowing extra rations such as butter, cheese and eggs to sufferers from Parkinson's disease, since, at present, such sufferers are only entitled to the normal ration and are unable to eat or digest most unrationed food.

I am advised that diet does not affect the progress of Parkinson's disease. I therefore regret that in the present circumstances I cannot consider allowing such extra rations as butter, cheese and eggs to these unfortunate sufferers as a class. Where there is organic difficulty in swallowing, however, my advisers have made recommendations which allow for a fluid diet of adequate calorie level. In addition, my advisers are always willing to give sympathetic consideration to applications from doctors for special treatment of unusual conditions.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs why the building, now occupied by the British Marines, at Shinda, in the Province of Hamasien, Eritrea, and valued at, approximately, £25,000 is to be demolished; and if he will consult with the Governments of Eritrea and Ethiopia before any action is taken on this matter.

I understand that there are no British Marines in Eritrea at present. I know of no such place as Shinda in Eritrea. At Ghinda, in the Hamasien Province, there are two camps, the Upper Dongollo camp and the Royal Naval Ammunition Depot, but there is no intention of undertaking demolitions at either. The second part of the Question does not therefore arise.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what action is being taken to ascertain why Group-Captain Turner, who recently returned from imprisonment in Poland, made serious allegations of espionage against British diplomats in Warsaw during his trial in that city.

Since his return from Poland Group Captain Turner has been interviewed on several occasions by officials in London and this matter is still being investigated.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power when, and in what form, he proposes to issue a report of the activities of the Fuel Efficiency Division of his Department for the period of 12 months ended 30th April, 1952.

I have at present nothing to add to the reply which I gave my hon. Friend on 12th May.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what is the staff and cost of the Fuel Efficiency Division of his Department, including all overheads, for 12 months ended 30th April, 1952.

The total staff employed at 30th April, 1952, was 244, of which 154 were professional and technical staff. The net charge to the Ministry of Fuel and Power Vote for the 12 months ended 30th April, 1952, for salaries, travelling, instruments and equipment, testing and demonstrations was approximately £209,000. The contingent liability for superannuation (payable when due from the Vote for Superannuation and Retired Allowances) for this staff is estimated at approximately £31,000 per annum.Accommodation, postage, telephones, stationery, printing, etc., are provided by the appropriate Government Departments. The estimated total cost of these services for my Ministry in 1951–52, is shown in the Civil Estimates for that year (Class VI, Vote 6, Page 50) but estimates of the amounts appropriate to the Fuel Efficiency Division are not available.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what new ideas he is bringing forward to encourage greater industrial fuel efficiency; and to what extent fuel efficiency in both domestic and industrial spheres is being propagated by broadcasting and television facilities.

The experimental loan scheme, details of which have now been announced, has been designed to encourage greater fuel efficiency and I have asked my Fuel Efficiency Advisory Committee to report on proposals for the certification of stokers. In addition urgent research and development work concerned with new uses for conventional fuels and investigations into the possibility of finding new fuels and sources of energy is proceeding. The programme includes work on gasification, on burning coal, peat and firedamp in gas turbines, and on heat pumps. Many of the B.B.C. programmes have included broadcasts dealing with various aspects of fuel efficiency.

asked the Minister of Transport if he is aware of the damage to the amenities of the Pembrokeshire coast resulting from oil pollution; and what action his Department is taking which will affect this area.

Although I am aware that the pollution of beaches by oil is causing concern in the Bristol Channel area, I have not received any specific complaint of pollution of the beaches of Pembrokeshire since the beginning of the year. Every case of pollution which is reported to us is investigated in an endeavour to trace the source, and it would be of assistance if members of the public would give the local Coastguard details of any new pollution as soon as it is observed.On the general question of oil pollution, I would refer the hon. Member to the statement which I made in the debate on the Adjournment on 16th May.

asked the Minister of Supply in what way United States stockpiling has affected supplies and materials to the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board.

It is impossible to say to what extent, if any, United States stockpiling may have affected supplies to any particular consumer.

asked the Minister of Supply the estimated total value of the orders in 1952 for woollen cloth for the uniforms of the Civil Defence Forces.

£2 million.

asked the Minister of Supply what gross amount of sterling he expects to obtain in the current fiscal year from the sale of production machinery and equipment and machine tools to overseas markets.

We are continuing to urge manufacturers to increase exports, but I am afraid that it is not possible to give any reliable forecast of their value.

asked the Minister of Supply if he will make a statement about the estimated supply of steel available for allocation to industry in the third quarter of 1952.

It is expected that the rate of import of steel will increase somewhat during the third quarter of this year. At the same time there should be some increase in the weekly rate of steel production at home. However, since the third quarter includes the summer holiday period, the total steel supplies for the quarter will be slightly less than they were in the second quarter.

asked the Minister of Works what proportion of the building programme at the present time is being carried out by or for his Department.

The new building and maintenance charged to the Votes for which I am responsible represents about 1¼.per cent of total building investment. Work representing about a further 2 per cent. of total building investment is carried out by my Department as a charge to the Votes of other Government Departments.In addition, investment on offices which are being erected by private developers for lease to my Department amounts at present to less than 0.1 per cent. of total building investment.

asked the Minister of Health if he will give a list of all the charges affected by S.0., No. 991, 1952, showing what they now are and what they will be after the Order comes into operation.