asked the Minister of Food how his inspectors identify horse meat when sold in shops.

As the enforcement of the law regarding the sale of horse meat rests with local authorities, my inspectors have no occasion to identify it.

asked the Minister of Food if he will issue instructions that a bona fide producer of pigs, with a herd of 50 or more, may be permitted to kill one pig per ration book per year upon making application to do so without being called upon to give four months' notice.

I will consider this and other suggestions when the arrangements come up for review next spring.

asked the Minister of Food whether, in view of the fact that our trade in fondant with the principal European Payments Union countries has been so adverse, he will discontinue these imports and, with the currency saved, will buy sugar for use in the home market.

To abolish imports of fondant from European Payments Union countries would damage our commercial relations with them. Imports have been severely reduced since November, 1951; but the saving of foreign currency is needed in present circumstances for the benefit of our balance of payments generally and cannot be used to increase imports of a particular item.

asked the Minister Food the cost of administering the potato division of his Department and the staff employed.

About £600,000 in 1952–53. This includes about £290,000 for salaries and wages of the 571 non-industrial staff in post on 1st November.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Defence what steps he has taken to prevent the excessive rents charged overseas to soldiers, sailors and airmen not accommodated in official quarters.

No direct action by Her Majesty's Government is possible to control rents charged to Service men for private accommodation at overseas stations, since rent restriction and control is a matter for the local administration. Service men and their families not accommodated in official quarters when serving overseas are compensated by local overseas allowance which contains an element reflecting any extra expense they incur in renting suitable accommodation.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Defence on what date there were 827,000 men and women in the three Services; what was the total at the latest convenient stated date; and what was the number of fighting formations in each instance.

There were some 827,000 men and women in the Armed Forces at 1st July, 1951: at 1st October, 1952, the total was some 873,000. It would not be in the public interest to reveal the number of fighting formations in existence at either of these dates. The number of such formations has, however, increased between the two dates in question.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what credit facilities are now available for the marketing and processing co-operative unions of Uganda.

Credit facilities are available to these unions through the medium of Joint Stock Banks and through the Uganda Credit and Savings Bank.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many assistant registrars of co-operative societies are now engaged in Uganda; and how far this number is adequate for the development of co-operation in this Colony.

Sixteen assistant registrars of co-operative societies are now employed and there are four vacancies. The establishment of 20 is considered adequate for the development of co-operation in Uganda at the present stage.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many miles of road exist in that part of British Somaliland which lies to the west of the meridian passing immediately to the east of Burao; and how many to the east of that line.

Approximately 1,200 miles and 1,700 miles.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many Government schools there are in that part of British Somaliland which lies to the west of the meridian passing immediately to the east of Burao; how many to the east of that line; and what proportion of the population lives on either side of that line.

Fifteen west and two east; many boys from the east attend three central schools, situated in the west, where boarding facilities are available. About one-third of the population live east of the Burao meridian.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many students from Tanganyika, Uganda and Kenya respectively, are now attending the East African School of Co-operation at Kabete.

I have asked the Governor of Kenya for the most recent figures and will circulate the information in the OFFICIAL REPORT on the receipt of his reply.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will propose to colonial Governments into whose territories there is a regular immigration of ignorant labourers unable to protect themselves financially and otherwise, whose family life is broken up by immigration of males only, that a system of immigration control similar to those established many decades ago for Indian immigrants into Malaya and Ceylon, be established.

To the best of my knowledge measures to safeguard the interests of migrants are already in force in territories where these problems occur. If the hon. Member has any suggestions affecting a particular territory, I should be glad to look into them in consultation with the Government concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will publish a White Paper showing more fully the details of the expenditure of £2,352,196 of the operating expenses of the Overseas Food Corporation.

My hon. Friend will find these details in the Civil Estimates 1952–53 in the Appendix to the vote for the Overseas Food Corporation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he is aware that colonial Commissioners of Labour have, on retirement, taken important positions with employers' federations or associations; that this gives the impression to the Asian mind that there is a link between the two; that this destroys their good faith in our colonial policy; and what action he proposes to take to prevent this taking place in the future.

I am aware that this has occurred in the Federation of Malaya, but I do not believe that the conclusion which the hon. Member seeks to draw is justified.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if, in view of the reduction in the supply of coarse grains from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, he will propose to colonial Governments in tropical countries that they utilise Crown waste lands and reserved forests not being exploited for want of staff and finance, to meet the emergency by allowing cultivation of Indian corn on annual permits, on condition that the occupiers plant the land with seeds of valuable trees.

There is, I fear, not much scope in the Colonies for adopting the expedient suggested by the hon. Member. Colonial Governments are already encouraging by all means in their power the production of maize where conditions are suitable, but I can hold out no hope that the Colonies will have significant surpluses for export to this country.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he is aware that the length of time allowed on appeal from the Supreme Court of Seychelles to the Court of Appeal in Mauritius is only five days; and whether he will extend the time for appeal to two weeks at least.

Five days are allowed for filing appeals on civil matters; on criminal matters the limit is 10 days for appeals from the assize court, and three days for appeals from the Supreme Court when not sitting as an assize court.No difficulty has been experienced so far but I am having the position watched.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies why the Governor of Malta has refused to grant a licence to prospect for oil in Malta to a Maltese company because its capital was not Maltese.

Under the present Constitution consideration of requests for the grant of a licence to prospect for oil in Malta is the responsibility of Maltese Ministers. No licence has been refused by the Governor.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many non-Europeans sat on the recent arbitration board dealing with the rubber workers in Malaya; what was the daily rate of the plantation labourers' wages before the award; what it is now; and what were the amounts paid at the peak periods.

As both employers and workers chose to nominate Europeans to the Board it did not include any non-European. The complicated wage structure of the industry makes it difficult to summarise the wage rates at various times, but I am placing in the Library of the House copies of the arbitration awards of May, 1951, and October, 1952, and a copy of the wages agreement reached by the two parties in July this year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he is aware that the recent arbitration award on rubber workers' wages in Malaya recommended that an inquiry should be held into the economics and present conditions of the rubber industry; and if he will implement this recommendation.

The Board of Arbitration felt unable, under its terms of reference, to study fully certain problems of the rubber industry raised during its proceedings and suggested that the Federa- tion Government should consider the advisability of calling a conference of experts in the rubber industry to study these problems. I have no doubt that the Federation Government will give the Board's suggestion due consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the grounds for the continued detention since January, 1951, in a concentration camp, of Mr. John Eber, the Malayan Eurasian lawyer; what are the charges laid against him; and by what legal process he was found guilty and condemned to a concentration camp.

Mr. John Eber has been detained—not in a concentration camp—since January, 1951, under Singapore Government Emergency Regulation No. 20 (1, b), because of his activities in support of the Malayan Communist Party through the Singapore Anti-British League. The Advisory Committee appointed to hear objections to detention orders advised as recently as June this year that he should remain in custody.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies by what law was the young Malayan woman, Lee Ten Tai, put on trial for her life a second time after she had previously been found not guilty on the same charges by a properly constituted court of law.

The question is based on a misapprehension. Lee Ten Tai, or Lee Meng, has not been found not guilty. The first court, consisting of a judge and two assessors, failed to agree upon a verdict the judge disagreeing with the two assessors. In such a case Section 198 (ii) of the Federation of Malaya Criminal Procedure Code directs a new trial to be held with the aid of fresh assessors.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will set up in Kenya an advisory committee with a legal chairman to whom the detainees can make an appeal on the same lines as the committees provided for in the Emergency Act. 1939, in Kenya and Great Britain.

An advisory committee on these lines will be set up as soon as practicable. I am not yet in a position to give details.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the reasons for the refusal of the Government Chief Secretary in Kenya to give an interview to Mr. Peter Wright.

Mr. Wright had been granted an interview with the Director of Education, and the Chief Secretary considered that a further interview would serve no useful purpose.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what information he has as to what took place at the meeting in June attended by leaders of subversive activities in Kenya at which Mr. Peter Wright was present; and as to what was said or done by Mr. Wright at the meeting.

I am making further inquiries in the light of Mr. Wright's statement.As I said in my reply to a Question on 12th November, the attendance at this meeting was only one instance of his engaging in political activities. I will make a fuller statement as soon as I can.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies in what respect the provisions of the Penal Code (Amendment) Ordinance, 1952 (Kenya Ordinance No. 40 of 1952) are relevant to the suppression of acts of violence; and if he will cause this Ordinance to be repealed.

This Ordinance provides an additional sanction for enforcement of the law against receivers of stolen property and persons committing allied offences. The fact that it does not relate to the suppression of acts of violence is no reason for repealing it, and I have no intention of suggesting that this should be done.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what action he proposes to take to fulfil the pledge given to Mr. N. I. Mindel, O.B.E., and other British expatriate officers that, on their retirement from the Colonial Administration Service in Palestine, the pensions awarded to them by the British Government would be guaranteed by that Government, seeing that instead of receiving payment from the British Government in Palestine pounds at parity with sterling, as heretofore, they are now being offered payment by the Government of Israel in a depreciated currency.

This matter is being considered, and I will communicate with my hon. Friend as soon as I am in a position to make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how far the work of the conciliator appointed by the Government of Northern Rhodesia in the copper mines dispute is confined to the claim for an increased wage per shift; and how far he is empowered to deal with the African claim to participate in more highly-skilled work.

Both parties agreed to meet under the chairmanship of the conciliator with the sole object of settling a dispute notified by the African Union on 19th September as a dispute "over a demand for a general wage increase." The conciliator's sole responsibility was to promote, if possible, settlement of the dispute on this issue and he had no power to deal with any other matters.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what arrangements are being made for a review of the Fleet on the occasion of Her Majesty's Coronation.

I am glad to announce that Her Majesty the Queen has been pleased to approve that a Review of the Fleet be held at Spithead on the occasion of Her Majesty's Coronation. The necessary arrangements are being put in hand and they will be announced as soon as possible.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty (1) whether he is aware that men of the Royal Navy, when travelling home for release by air, are given no receipts for such of their equipment as is sent by sea; and whether he will ensure that receipts are given for any kit, for deficiencies of which the men will be held responsible, before the men leave their foreign stations;(2) when the hon. Member for Wallsend may expect a reply to his letter, sent on 25th September, which referred to the claim of Seaman W. Brown who, on his arrival from foreign service by air, was charged £25 10s. for deficiencies in his equipment when the equipment concerned had been handed over to the authorities for carriage and thereafter had been delayed while beyond the control of Seaman Brown.

Instructions have already been given on the lines proposed by the hon. Member. A cheque for £21 12s. 7d. has been sent to Acting Engineroom Artificer Brown in final settlement of his account after a deduction of £3 18s. 9d. in respect of missing items of his tool kit. The Parliamentary Secretary has written to the hon. Member accordingly.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty the reason for the increase from £11,695,000 in 1951–52 to £14,003,000 in 1952–53 on scientific research and experiment; and to what extent his Department co-operates with the Ministry of Supply which is simultaneously spending £100,500,000 on research and development.

The increase in expenditure is due principally to the enhanced effort required, and to a lesser extent to increased costs. The enhanced effort required is in accordance with Government policy to accord priority to anti-mine and anti-U-boat defence, and the principal fields of activity are underwater weapons, ship propulsion, ship construction, electronics, and communications. The Admiralty are also responsible for certain fields of research and development for the Defence Services as a whole, the chief of these being valve development.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty the number of children at the dockyard and children's school of his Department at which a staff of 231 is employed.

There are 7 dockyard technical colleges and 5 Royal naval children's schools at home and abroad.Six thousand two hundred and eighty-seven students, comprising 3,805 dockyard apprentices and technical students, and 2,482 children, are being taught at these colleges and schools.At present these establishments employ a total staff of 210, including 155 teachers. Some additional teaching staff is required, but total numbers employed will not exceed the estimated number of 231 for 1952–53.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty how many students are trained at the Royal Naval Engineering College, Devonport.

The number of students trained during the current financial year will be 269.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty the total number of crew of H.M.S. "President"; and how many of these are officers.

Her Majesty's Ship "President" serves as an accounting authority for officers and ratings serving at the Admiralty and for others serving in a variety of miscellaneous appointments.The total numbers borne on her books are just over 2,000, of whom some 1,200 are officers. In addition, "President" carries the pay accounts of officers who, at a given time, are not borne on the books of any other ship.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty why it costs £11,535,000 in administrative and inspection costs to ser- vice guns, torpedoes, mines, ammunition and miscellaneous stores of a value of £31,318,000.

Of the sum of £11,530,000, approximately £3 million relates to labour and other services connected with direct production of Admiralty factories, and inspection, proof and transport of stores. The balance of £8,530,000 represents the cost of storing, handling, distribution, maintenance and inspection of the entire holdings of naval armament stores at naval armament torpedo and mine depots, at home and abroad.£31,318,000 represents the amount estimated to be required in 1952–53 to pay for new finished stores produced by the trade and the Ministry of Supply together with raw materials for the Royal naval torpedo and propellant factories.This sum represents the value of only a fraction of the total stock of stores of this type which have been acquired over a period.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether further steel supplies can be made available without delay to the shipbuilding industry in the North-East to enable fuller use to be made of the facilities available.

I would refer the hon. Member to the replies the Civil Lord gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Tynemouth (Miss Ward) on 20th October and to the hon. Member for Sunderland, South (Mr. Ewart) on 17th November.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he is aware that it is now estimated that the 1952 output of the Wear shipyards will be 168,101 gross tons; that this will be the lowest output for 13 years; and what factors have caused this fall in output.

Figures at my disposal do not support the estimate of the 1952 output of the Wear shipyards quoted by the hon. Member, nor the contention that this output is the lowest for 13 years.The last part of the Question does not therefore arise.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General how many telephones are waiting to be installed in Northern Ireland; and how many of these are in the county borough of Belfast.

10,378 applications were outstanding on 30th September, 1952. Of these 4,851 were in Belfast.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General by what authority his Department makes charges for providing the details of the telephone calls for which the subscribers are charged.

Details which enable subscribers to identify most of their trunk calls are supplied with the telephone accounts. Additional details of individual trunk calls are supplied free on request but if they are required regularly or in quantity, a small charge is made, to cover the additional clerical work involved. If a charge is to be made the subscriber is asked, before the information is furnished, to agree to pay it and his agreement is the authority to make the charge.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General how many applications for telephones in the borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme have been dealt with in the last 12 months; how many applications are at present outstanding; and how soon he expects he will be able to provide the service for these applicants.

215 telephones were provided during the 12 months ended 30th September, 1952, and 708 applications were outstanding on that date. The installation of additional equipment has just been completed, and this will enable a substantial number of applicants to be given telephones within the next few months, but I cannot say when it will be possible to meet all the outstanding applications.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General how many persons are awaiting telephones on the Gillingham, Kent, exchange; and what action be is taking in the matter.

Three hundred and sixty-nine applications were outstanding on 30th September, 1952. Additional exchange equipment sufficient to supply all these applications will be ready for service about the middle of next year. New cables are also needed, and although some are nearly ready for service, it will unfortunately be some time, because of our limited resources, before sufficient new cables can be provided to enable all existing applications to be met.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General why he has appointed to the Television Advisory Committee members who have a financial interest, either as persons or through their firms, in operating the trading system known as rental agreements.

I am not sure what the hon. Gentleman means by a trading system known as rental agreements. I shall be glad to give him further information if he will let me know what exactly he has in mind.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General to give the qualifications of each member of the Television Advisory Committee; and, in particular, the extent to which they have expert knowledge or experience on the provision of entertainment, apart from the technical problem of transmitting entertainment by television.

I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the statement made by my noble Friend in another place on 29th October. So far as I am aware none of the members of the Committee is an expert in providing entertainment, but as I stated in my answer of 30th October, it will be open to the Committee to take the views of representatives of the entertainment industry if their interests are affected.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General on what principle he gives the priorities in which new television stations shall be brought into operation; and in what way he applies this principle to his decision to postpone a television station for the North-East of Scotland.

The broad principle followed by the B.B.C. with the approval of my noble Friend is to give television service in each of the four national sections of the United Kingdom and within those sections to give priority according to the size of the population to be served. The new station at Belfast is being provided on the first ground and that at Pontop Pike on the second. It is too early to say in what order other stations will be set up and, in any case, an otherwise desirable order of priority may be subject to modification because of the work involved in connecting new stations to the existing television network.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General how many Post Office Savings Bank accounts were closed from 1st June, 1951, to the most recent convenient date; and how this number compares with past experience.

During the 16 months 1st June, 1951, to 30th September, 1952, 1,251,393 Post Office Savings Bank accounts were closed. This number was 27,070 less than the number closed during the preceding 16 months (from 1st February, 1950, to 31st May, 1951).

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air what steps he proposes to take to reduce the staff of his works department, which increased from 3,518 in 1951–52 to 4,020 in 1952–53.

The figures quoted by my hon. Friend are the forecasts in Air Estimates of the non-industrial works staff likely to be employed outside the Air Ministry, both at home and abroad, on 1st April, 1951, and 1st April, 1952. The actual strengths on these dates were 3,450 and 3,878 respectively.The rate of expenditure on the tasks for which these men are employed has risen about 50 per cent. since April, 1951, and no reduction in works staff can be expected until the task can be reduced.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air what steps he is taking to check a further increase in his miscellaneous non-industrial staff, which increased from 18,206 in 1951–52 to at least 19,364 in 1952–53.

Fewer miscellaneous non-industrial staff are working for the Air Ministry today than in April, 1951.The figures quoted by my hon. Friend are forecasts prepared for estimate purposes. They are, moreover, not directly comparable, since the first excludes, and the second includes, staff engaged on behalf of the United States Air Force and the Royal Canadian Air Force. Such staff apart, the numbers actually employed were 17,698 on 1st April, 1951, 17,715 on 1st April, 1952, and 17,390 on 1st November, 1952.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air what steps he is taking to check the increase in the staff of his Department which increased from 2,283 in 1951–52 to 2,413 in 1952–53.

The figures quoted by my hon. Friend are forecasts prepared for Estimates purposes. The numbers actually employed were 2,269 on 1st April, 1951, and 2,324 on 1st April, 1952.Searching economies during the past year had enabled us to reduce the staff in this category to 2,277 by 1st November, 1952.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air the ratio of the fighting personnel of the Royal Air Force to the total civilians employed in his Department.

The ratio of the number of civilian staff of Air Ministry Headquarters to the number of officers and men in the Royal Air Force is about 1:40.

asked the Minister of Civil Aviation why his Department expects to spend £445,900 on telephone services during the present year.

Approximately £330,000 represents the cost of the land- lines provided for the exclusive use of the Ministry and required mainly for operation of the control, navigational and safety services for aircraft in the United Kingdom. Trunk and local calls for both operational and administrative purposes are expected to cost £70,000 and the remaining £45,000 is to cover the cost of telephone exchange and teleprinter equipment provided by the General Post Office.

asked the Minister of Civil Aviation why the administrative cost of his Department for salaries at £3,982,000 is much larger than the administrative costs of the Mercantile Marine Services which come under his control as Minister of Transport.

The cost of the staff of the Ministry of Civil Aviation at £3,982,000 is larger because the greater part of the staff of the Ministry is engaged in operating aerodromes, air traffic control and telecommunications services.

asked the Minister of Civil Aviation whether, before making a decision for a large-scale development of Gatwick Airport, full consideration was given to the reasons which made his Department decide in 1948 against any such development.

Yes.

asked the Minister of Civil Aviation whether, in view of the great and unexpected drainage difficulties experienced in making Gatwick Airport, he can give an assurance that similar difficulties are not likely to be experienced in the proposed Gatwick project.

The drainage problems which may arise in connection with the proposed development of Gatwick Airport have been carefully studied and I am advised that they are not expected to cause undue difficulty.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will provide winter overcoats for the Home Guard.

Yes. Every man enrolled is now to get a greatcoat.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will make a statement on the conference held in Quebec on 6th November concerning the standardisation of military equipment.

This conference, which took place from 7th to 10th November, dealt with infantry matters and was attended by military representatives of Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. The United Kingdom delegation was headed by Major-General F. R. G. Mathews, the Director of Infantry at the War Office.The object of the conference was to review the current development of equipment, to arrange standardisation trials where developments are sufficiently advanced, and to interchange information regarding weapons and equipment. Discussion covered the majority of infantry equipments but not the rifle and its ammunition which are being separately handled. Good progress was made in deciding on the lines of future developments and on the allocation of responsibilities to the participating countries.

asked the Secretary of State for War what arrangements have been made by his Department for Christmas rations for the Army.

The customary arrangements are being made, in conjunction with the Ministry of Food, to provide Christmas rations for the Army on Christmas Day, or New Year's Day in the case of Scottish units. In Korea, the normal rations will be supplemented by poultry, pork and other seasonal fare, of which the cost will be borne by public funds and Army Welfare funds. Elsewhere, the meat ration will be pork.At home, units will be able to buy the usual seasonal extras such as poultry, Christmas puddings, mincepies, etc., including an egg for each man for breakfast, from N.A.A.F.I. out of the cash allowance and regimental funds. Overseas, a cash grant of 1s. a head will go towards providing these extras which N.A.A.F.I. will be making available to units.

asked the Minister of Health why Mr. Alfred Cobb, 284, Tokyngton Avenue, Wembley, was refused admission to the Central Middlesex Hospital on 7th November when he was suffering from high blood pressure and a duodenal ulcer and was in great pain.

I am writing to my hon. Friend about this.

asked the Minister of Health what type of patients are allowed treatment by the chiropodist employed by the Glantawe Hospital Management Committee; and why this service cannot be extended to old-age pensioners certified to be requiring treatment.

Chiropody is provided for any hospital patients who need it as an ancillary to other forms of treatment. In present financial circumstances I should not feel justified in extending the scope of this service at the cost of public funds.

asked the Minister of Health what estimate he has made of the average time taken by the Dental Estimates Board to sanction applications for orthodontic treatment; and whether he is satisfied that delays in sanctioning do not prejudice treatment in the first or subsequent stages.

I am informed by the Dental Estimates Board that the average time taken is five weeks. I have no evidence that treatment is prejudiced.

asked the Minister of National Insurance the number of widows now receiving a pension of 10s. per week, awarded under the contributory pensions scheme prior to July, 1948, and who are not entitled to any increase in pension.

About 210,000 women are drawing widow's pensions at the 10s. rate under the old contributory pensions scheme. Some of these have been awarded since July, 1948.