asked the Minister of Transport if he will now state when the new draft of the proposed Highway Code will be available.

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

asked the Minister of Transport by how much he estimates that the revenue from revised railway passenger fares will fall short of the cost of providing and operating railway passenger services; and to what extent the deficiency will be a burden upon freight charges.

Outside the London area receipts from passenger traffic will meet the working expenses incurred specifically for such traffic, and leave a margin of about £7½ million a year towards the expenses which are joint to both passenger and goods traffic. These joint expenses amount to about £70 million a year. The British Transport Commission, while unable to allocate these, are satisfied that the sum of £7½ million a year is substantially less than would be an appropriate contribution. Nor do passenger receipts provide for any contribution towards central charges, reserves, and liquidation of past deficiencies, for all of which a further £40-£50 million is required.Inside London passenger receipts by road and rail will meet the necessary working expenses and make some contribution towards central charges, reserves and liquidation of past deficiencies, but this falls short by £6 million a year of what the Commission judge to be reasonable.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will consider the appointment of a separate public services vehicles licensing authority to serve the six North Wales counties.

I am already considering, in conjunction with the Minister for Welsh Affairs, whether any alteration is desirable in the present arrangements for licensing passenger and goods vehicles in Wales.

asked the Minister of Transport how it is proposed to collect the levy on C licence holders, whether by increased duty on the licence or otherwise.

I am afraid that I must ask my hon. Friend to await the Transport Bill, but I can say that an arrangement is being provisionally considered whereby the levy, while of course being kept quite separate from the national revenue, could be collected through the same agencies as the vehicle excise duty.

asked the Minister of Transport how many coastguard stations have been closed down around the shores of Great Britain in the past six months to the end of May, 1952; the reasons for the closure; and the number of full-time and part-time men, whose services have been dispensed with, showing part-time and full-time personnel separately.

Two-Teignmouth and Hayling Island, which were closed because they were considered unnecessary under modern conditions and having regard to the watch maintained by adjacent stations. As a result of these closures, one coastguard resigned, two voluntarily retired, and two were transferred to other stations. No part-time staff was involved.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he has considered the report made to him of the heavy financial loss involved in operating public and private service passenger-freight vehicles in the Metropolitan Police area due to the congestion in the streets during certain hours of the day; and, since speed is one of the important factors in costs per vehicle mile, what urgent action he proposes to take to ensure the flow of traffic in central London at the present time.

There is no easy solution to this problem. Regulations to ease the flow of traffic are under constant review and my right hon. Friend is considering an extension of "no waiting" schemes and the introduction of unilateral waiting in certain streets. He hopes also to receive shortly a report from the Working Party on Car Parking in Inner London. Major street improvements are out of the question in present economic circumstances.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he can now state what further action he is taking to reduce the existing congestion of traffic in the streets of London due to the parking of unattended cars on both sides of the street, thus reducing the flow of traffic in thoroughfares not scheduled with the yellow signs.

Except in streets scheduled for "not waiting," the Police can take action in regard to unattended vehicles only when obstruction arises, and such cases are dealt with by proceedings or caution according to the circumstances.

asked the Minister of Transport if he is aware that regulations in force in many provincial towns which only permit parking on one side of the streets on alternate days have proved effective; and if he will now make similar regulations for the Metropolitan Police area.

Unilateral waiting regulations have been approved in the provinces in appropriate circumstances and my right hon. Friend hopes very soon to reach a decision on the experimental introduction of such regulations in certain London streets.

asked the Minister of Supply what conditions have to be fulfilled by car hire firms before his Department allocate new cars to them.

The Ministry of Supply does not allocate motor cars. However, it does from time to time support requests to the manufacturers from the British Travel and Holiday Association for early deliveries of a limited number of cars to firms catering for foreign tourists. The firms have to show that, among other things, their business is bringing in foreign currency.

asked the Minister of Supply whether he is aware that the date of return of three tenders recently made available to the cotton industry, namely Nos. 3357, 3423 and 3479 were extended by three, five, and seven days, respectively, and tenderers were invited to revise their quotations if so desired; whether he can give the reasons for such postponement in each case; and whether, in view of the uneasiness which has been caused by this practice, he will arrange that in the case of future extensions, specific reasons will be given as to why the extension has proved necessary.

I have examined the three cases referred to and am satisfied that it was in the public interest to extend the times for the return of these tenders. It is not the practice to disclose the reasons for such extensions.

asked the Minister of Supply what steps will be taken to ensure that allocations of steel to engineering firms serving the agricultural industry can be implemented.

I am aware that difficulties are being experienced, mainly in connection with the supply of small sections and bars. Action has already been taken to increase deliveries to stockholding merchants, who are the principal suppliers of the firms concerned.

asked the Minister of Supply (1) if he will increase the allocation of alloy and non-alloy steels to manufacturers of hacksaw and bandsaw blades for Periods III and IV to the level of allocation of Period II;(2) why the import of hacksaw and bandsaw blades is permitted when, owing to steel allocations, Sheffield manufacturers are unable to fulfil their export and home orders.

I regret that the state of steel supplies makes it impossible for me to increase the allocations made to the manufacturers of hacksaw and bandsaw blades for the third quarter of the year. Allocations for the fourth quarter have not yet been fixed. The import of blades by industry is on a very small scale.

asked the Minister of Supply if a decision has yet been reached on the representations he has received from the motor industry about the allocation of vehicles between the home and export markets.

In order to give motor manufacturers a greater incentive to export vehicles, I have agreed with the industry that the home quota should no longer be a fixed figure, but should be calculated as a proportion of output. The industry have undertaken to endeavour to export not less than 80 per cent. of their output of passenger cars, 70 per cent. of light commercial vehicles and 50 per cent. of heavy commercial vehicles. Allocations of steel to the industry will in future be more closely related to export performance.Assuming the present rate of production continues, the application of these percentages would provide deliveries to the home market at annual rates of some 90,000 passenger cars and 77,000 commercial vehicles. This represents an appreciable increase over the home quotas fixed previously. On the other hand, it involves a substantial reduction in the actual rate of deliveries to the home market, which, in the case of passenger cars, have for the last two years been running at the rate of over 110,000 a year.

asked the Minister of National Insurance how many applications for assistance with charges for spectacles and dentures were received in connection with the 1951 Act from persons whose income was above the National Assistance scale; how many were accepted; and what was the total sum involved.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Minister of National Insurance how many men and women, respectively, working in his Department neither pay Income Tax nor receive family allowances and consequently have received no compensation against the cut in food subsidies.

This information is not available but in any event, I cannot undertake to furnish details of this kind about the private concerns of members of my staff.

asked the Minister of National Insurance the total number of persons insured under the National Insurance Acts in October, 1951, and April, 1952; and the numbers in receipt of family allowances for the same dates.

It is estimated that, during October, 1951, there were nearly 23½ million persons in respect of whom contributions were being paid under the National Insurance Acts. There is no reason to suppose that the numbers have changed substantially by April, 1952. 3.1 million families were in receipt of family allowances during April, 1952. This represented a net increase of 50,000 families since October, 1951.

asked the Minister of National Insurance what steps his Department is taking to rectify the circumstances whereby a man receiving Industrial Injury Benefit is having to sacrifice on an average about 23s. per week in loss of wages and expenses to attend a hospital, whereas his Industrial Benefit only amounts to 11s. per week, details of this case having been sent to him.

I am looking into the case to which the hon. Member refers and will write to him. I do not think there is any ground for amending the Law to provide additional benefits in circumstances of this kind.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power if he will free firms which use only solid fuel and receive biennial allocations fixed by his Ministry from the necessity of rendering fuel returns weekly to the Ministry of Supply, and substitute biennial returns.

Supplies of coal and coke are not yet sufficient to justify the aboliton of the weekly fuel returns.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power if he is aware that several small mineowners in North Staffordshire are so overstocked with coal that they are forced to reduce production; and if he will take urgent action to enable them to find markets so as to maintain full production from small mines.

I have discussed this matter wtih the Chairman of the National Coal Board who has assured me that the Board will take action to assist the small mines so as to secure that these difficulties are speedily overcome.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power how many applications he has received, to date, for industrial fuel-saving equipment loans from brick and tile manufacturers; and what is the rate of interest charged on these loans.

Eight such firms have asked for application forms, but they have not yet returned them.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power the profit figures of the petroleum companies which he accepted and considered when making his recent decision to permit the most recent increase in the price of petrol.

The profits or losses of the oil companies are not taken into account in assessing the authorised maximum selling price of motor spirit, which is built up from the current f.o.b. market price, the ocean freight, the actual costs of distribution in this country and standard allowances for depreciation and remuneration of capital.

asked the Attorney-General why the recent advertisement of a vacancy for a legal assistant in the Land Registry section of the Lord Chancellor's Department, stated that applications for this position were restricted to male barristers, although women barristers are employed on comparable work in this Department.

The advertisement should have stated that women barristers are also eligible for appointment, and the omission was a mistake. A revised form of advertisement has now been issued. I am obliged to the hon. Member for calling attention to this matter.

asked the Attorney-General if he is aware of the existing difficulty in enforcing maintenance orders made in the High Court; and what action he is prepared to take to remedy the present injustices arising from this state of affairs.

I assume that the hon. Member is referring to the difficulties experienced in enforcing maintenance orders in the High Court by means of judgment summons. My noble Friend the Lord Chancellor is considering what steps can be taken to improve and reduce the cost of the existing procedure.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, in view of the importance to this country of our resources and relationships in the Middle East, he will establish a consultative or advisory body on which representatives of British oil companies in those countries might sit with representatives of his Department, in order that the fullest possible use may be made of their knowledge and advice on local problems and affairs.

While he is grateful for the hon. Gentleman's suggestion, my right hon. Friend considers that the arrangements which already exist ensure that the local knowledge and experience of the individual British oil companies operating in the Middle East is at the disposal of his Department.

asked the Minister of Food for a detailed analysis of the figure of 1s. 6d. per head per week which he estimates results from the changes in the food subsidies on rationed and unrationed foods.

This cannot be done until I have announced all the price increases taken into account in the estimate of 1s. 6d.

asked the Minister of Food if he is aware of the large number of sweet coupons now unused; and if he will now take steps to bring about a gradual de-rationing of sweets.

I would like to de-ration sweets as soon as circumstances permit. But the latest returns show that 95 per cent. of coupons are being used and I must watch the effect of restrictions on imported materials used by the manufacturers, which has not yet been felt in full.

asked the Minister of Food if he is aware of the concern felt by persons over 70 years of age who have been informed that when the tea ration is increased by 2 oz. next month they will not maintain their additional 2 oz.; and whether he will take steps to rectify this anomaly.

No. The tea ration for persons over 70 years of age is being maintained at 3 oz. per week, which means that these persons will get an additional allowance of 2 oz. per four weeks when the ordinary ration is increased to 2½ oz. per week.

asked the Minister of Food how much sugar has been exported to Germany this year to the latest available date; and how much sugar was exported during the corresponding period in 1951.

28,236 tons of refined sugar in the first four months of 1952 and 2,479 tons in the first four months of 1951.

asked the Minister of Food what steps he is taking to ensure that the expected glut of plums, particularly in Cambridgeshire and the Isle of Ely, is disposed of at prices fair to consumers and producers, and that an adequate supply of sugar and tinplate is made available to canners and jam manufacturers to enable them to take the surplus that will be available after the fresh fruit market has been supplied with table and cooking plums.

It is not in my power to ensure a sale for more plums than the market can absorb at prices consumers will pay, but sugar and tinplate allocations to jam manufacturers and fruit canners should not unduly restrict their purchases.

asked the Minister of Food what increase there has been in the past year in the number of bobby calves marketed for immediate slaughter; and if he will state the weekly average.

None. The weekly average marketings of bobby calves in Great Britain in the year to end of May, 1952, was 12,449 compared with 12,664 for the preceding 12 months.

asked the Minister of Food the current unit subsidies, given separately, on the various subsidised foodstuffs.

I shall be prepared to give estimates on an annual basis after the publication of the Revised Estimate of my Department.

asked the Minister of Food at what annual rate the food subsidies are now running.

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to the right hon. Gentleman the Member for Battersea, North (Mr. Jay) on 16th June.

asked the Minister of Food what responsibility rests with his Department for the conduct of slaughterers employed on farms to butcher animals which may be thought to have had contacts with other animals which have contracted foot-and-mouth disease; how many animals of various kinds have been thus destroyed; and what was the value of the meat thus provided of various kinds since December, 1951.

My Department arranges for a slaughtering contractor to send fully equipped slaughter gangs to the infected place and to render all possible assistance to the veterinary officer in charge of the outbreak. The contractor and the slaughtermen he employs are subject to the instructions of the veterinary officer.Information as to the number of carcases salvaged and the value of the meat saved is not at present available beyond the end of the March quarter. In that quarter meat and offal were saved for human consumption to the value of £24,523 from 1,022 cattle, £868 from 170 calves, £4,489 from 1,178 sheep and £7,115 from 873 pigs.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what percentage, by value, of Government contracts placed since 1st November, 1951, have been placed in the South Wales Development Area.

This information is not readily available and could not be obtained without an expenditure of time and labour which would not be justified.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the value of industrial factory building completed in Scotland during 1951, and the value of industrial factory building under construction in Scotland at the end of 1951; and what were the corresponding figures for England and Wales.

The information required is as follows:

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) what were the datum period figures, in sterling, of previous imports for each sub-heading of food and drinks scheduled in his notices to importers, Nos. 488 and 490, as subject to restriction;(2) what percentage of previous datum figure imports is represented by the sterling allocations made for each item of food and drinks on which licences are now being granted for the next six-monthly or yearly period.

Precise figures of imports during the datum period, July, 1950, to June, 1951, inclusive, are not available for many of the food and drink items listed under Notices to Importers Nos. 488 and 490. If the hon. Member has any particular quotas in mind, I will see what detailed information I can give her.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has yet come to any decision on the suggestions made to him on 8th April, 1952, by a deputation from the General Council of the Lancashire and Merseyside Development Association that North-East Lancashire should be scheduled as a development area.

While the deputation from the General Council of the Lancashire and Merseyside Industrial Development Association which I met on 8th April pressed for more diversification in North-East Lancashire, it did not specifically recommend that North-East Lancashire should be scheduled as a Development Area. As I informed the right hon. Member for Battersea, North (Mr. Jay) on 1st May, I am currently considering whether it would be appropriate to schedule any of the districts, including North-East Lancashire, which are affected by the present recession in the textile industries.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what applications for new industries in North-East Lancashire have been made to him since 8th April, 1952.

Since the 8th April, 1952, one application for an industrial development certificate has been made, and approved, for a new industrial project in North-East Lancashire. In addition, five applications were made to build small extensions to existing units; four of these have been approved, and the other is under consideration.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government (1) the number of new places in industry in each new town area since January, 1948; and if he will give an estimate of the number of those thus employed who live in the area, and outside of the area, respectively;(2) the number of houses and flats completed in each New Town area to a recent date; and if he will give an esti- mate of the proportion of adult occupants in each case who are employed in the area, and outside of the area, respectively.

At the end of last month, 5,178 dwellings and factories employing some 1,900 workers had been completed in new towns in England and Wales. There is strong evidence that the great majority of these workers live or will live within the designated areas. To give more detailed information would require the expenditure of a disproportionate amount of time and labour.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT a list of the persons registered as the owners of licensed on-premises under Section 51, subsection (1), of the Licensing (Consolidation) Act, 1910, in respect of each of the new towns of Basildon, Bracknell, Crawley, Corby, Cwmbran, Harlow, Hatfield, Hemel Hempstead, Peterloo, Stevenage and Welwyn Garden City, specifying in each case the number of licensed on-premises registered in the name of each particular owner.

No. As my right hon. and learned Friend indicated in his reply to the hon. and learned Member's Question on 12th June, he has not got this information.

asked the Minister of Health what consultation his Department had with the Cardiff Executive Council of the National Health Service before deciding that five permanent and five temporary members of the staff must be dismissed.

None. The reductions in staff have been suggested as a target. It is open to the Cardiff Executive Council, if they so wish, to discuss methods of achieving this target with the Welsh Board of Health.

asked the Minister of Health what economies in administrative and clerical staff employed under the Health Act have so far been achieved by the review of establishments by local examination by expert teams.

Precise figures are not available, but it is estimated that a saving of 5 per cent. of establishments so far reviewed will result from the reports of teams investigating hospital staffs.

asked the Minister of Health how the waiting period for hearing aids in the Cheltenham area compares with the rest of the country.

The waiting period varies in different areas, but patients from the Cheltenham area now being supplied with their aids are among those whose wait is longer than normal. I am at present considering what can best be done to shorten the period here and in other similar areas.

asked the Minister of Health for which of the posters about diphtheria recently exhibited on hoardings in and near London his Department is responsible.

My department has been responsible for a new 16 sheet poster exhibited for a period of six weeks since the early part of May, the text of which is: "If you had seen a baby with diphtheria you would have yours immunised now."

asked the Minister of Health to what extent in research under his control human tissue is being used as a culture medium for the investigation of disease.

I have no information of any research unit within the hospital service in which human tissue is at present being used as a culture medium.