asked the Minister of Food in what main respects the agreements for the purchase of meat by the United Kingdom from Australia and New Zealand differ; when they were negotiated; and what difficulty has arisen, or is likely to arise, from the discrepancy in price paid to the two countries.

Price changes under the Australian Agreement negotiated in 1951 are related directly to costs movements, prices paid elsewhere being taken into account only every third year. Under the New Zealand Agreement there can be a 10 per cent. price variation in any year based on prices paid elsewhere and only changes of more than that amount need be justified by cost movements. This Agreement was negotiated in 1948, and, the price provisions were re-negotiated this year. Such discrepancies in prices as occur are inevitable under the system of Government bulk purchase and re-sale where there is no free market in which values can be measured.

asked the Minister of Food what steps he has taken during 1952, and what steps he will be taking in 1953, in order to reduce substantially the administrative costs of his Department.

So far as this year a saving of 2,500 in staff has been made largely as a result of the abolition of National Registration and reorganisation of work. The ending of tea rationing will make possible a further saving of about 375 staff by the end of the year. I keep the administrative costs of my Department under constant scrutiny, but further significant economies must depend largely upon policy decisions which I cannot anticipate.

asked the Minister of Food to what extent the total number of pigs sent for slaughter to collecting centres and bacon factories has increased this year compared with last year.

One million six hundred and seventy-five thousand more pigs were marketed up to the end of October; 1952, than in the corresponding period last year.

asked the Minister of Food the tonnage of all meat imported from the Queensland-British Food Corporation for the last six months with the corresponding figures for 1951.

Meat produced by the Queensland-British Food Corporation is sold locally and contributes to Australia's exportable surplus which my Department has contracted to buy, but it is not possible to distinguish the Corporation's meat from other meat imported from Australia.

asked the Minister of Food whether he has investigated the complaints made by Sunderland grocers' about the fishy taste of the bacon being supplied to them; and if he will make a statement.

I understand, that at a recent meeting one retailer complained that he had received bacon with fish taint. He has not been able on inquiry to give the information necessary to trace the source of the trouble, which is due to faulty pig feeding. If the trader has cause for further complaint he has agreed to report the facts to my local officer immediately.

asked the Minister of Transport the policy of his Department with regard to accelerating major road improvements at points where accidents have occurred.

Three million pounds are to be spent during this and the next financial year on improvements at accident black spots. The local highway authorities and the Department are pressing on with these improvements as quickly as possible.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will sanction the usual grant for the widening of the road at Running Horse Bridge, Swindon, as the Railway Executive is prepared to reconstruct this dangerous bridge, and to do this without at the same time widening the narrow 12-feet road under the bridge would be a waste of money.

The Railway Executive propose to reconstruct the deck of this bridge. This will not prejudice the ultimate widening of the carriageway, for which funds cannot be made available at present.

asked the Minister of Transport in what town the system of unilateral waiting has been in operation for the longest period; how long this period is; and why it is necessary to carry out experiments in London before applying the system in London.

The first Order for unilateral waiting under the Road Traffic Act, 1930, was made in 1932 for High Street, Bedford. Unilateral waiting has been in force there ever since. The proposed Regulations for London contain restrictions on the unloading and loading of vehicles between 11.30 a.m. and 6.30 p.m. Monday to Friday in the central area and Monday to Saturday in the outer area of the Metropolitan Police District. My right hon. Friend will await the result of this experiment before deciding whether these Regulations should be made permanent.

asked the Minister of Transport, in view of the growing congestion of traffic at the crossing of the Usk at Newport, he will expedite the approval of an additional bridge in this vicinity to link up with the proposed Newport by-pass road.

A scheme has been made under the Special Roads Act, 1949, for a by-pass to Newport, including a new bridge over the -River Usk. The scheme would cost about £2 million, and I regret that it cannot be undertaken in present circumstances.

asked the Minister of Transport if he is aware that, as a result of his Department's Circular 668, Appendix 3, many local authorities have removed pedestrian crossings which were sited for the special advantages of schools and hospitals, thus increasing the road dangers at points frequently used by children and hospital patients; and what steps he is taking to mitigate the resulting dangers.

The removal of these crossings was recommended to increase road safety. The safeguard of a zebra crossing is not enough to protect young children or invalids. Police or adult patrols help young children to cross busy roads to and from school, and I hope that the recent circulars of the Home Office and the Scottish Home Department will result in an increase in this service. The only way of seeing that invalids cross the road safely is to have them escorted.

asked the Minister of Transport if, in view of the fact that safety on the railways has recently been impaired, in ways particulars of which have been sent to him, he will recommend the establishment of a Royal Commission to inquire and report on the betterment of safety precautions.

I am in close touch personally and through the Railway Inspectorate with the British Transport Commission and the Railway Executive on the important question of safety precautions on the railways. I do not consider a Royal Commission would be the best way to advance our knowledge or secure further progress in this vital field.

asked the Minister of Transport if he has considered the telegram forwarded to him by the hon. Member for West Ham, North, from the Joint Works Committee of the Stratford and Temple Mills Works of the British Railway Works dissociating themselves from the Government's policy regarding decentralisation and inviting him to attend the works and meet the representatives of the 3,000 workers there employed; and what was the nature of his reply.

Yes. The telegram was addressed to the hon. Member and suggested that I should visit the works to hear the views of these men. Although I or my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary would normally be ready to meet any deputation introduced by the hon. Member, I do not think that it would be appropriate to do so at the present time when I am hoping to discuss the Bill with representatives of the Trades Union Congress.

asked the Minister of Transport what steps he has taken during 1952, and what steps he will be taking in 1953, in order to reduce substantially the administrative costs of his Department.

The functions of the Ministry of Transport are mainly statutory, and to reduce them would necessitate legislation. They have been carefully examined over the last two years and will continue to receive the closest scrutiny. Economies in staff have been effected by stringent reviews of staffing arrangements and by the introduction and extension of improved organisation and methods of work. These jointly have yielded a reduction of some 270 non-industrial staff so far this year; it is expected that some further staffing reductions will be possible next year.

asked the Minister of Supply if he has studied the remarks of the Estimates Committee on Woolwich Arsenal as being wasteful and obsolescent; what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government regarding this establishment; and if he will make a statement.

Yes, the remarks and recommendations of the Estimates Committee are being most carefully considered. This is a complex problem of long standing to which there is no simple solution.

asked the Minister of Supply the total estimated cost of the development schemes to which the iron and steel industry is committed; and what is the estimated cost of such schemes approved by the Iron and Steel Corporation.

Since the war the industry has entered into commitments in respect of schemes costing just under £400 million, of which about £320 million has already been spent. This includes schemes approved by the Iron and Steel Corporation of Great Britain amounting to about £65 million. In addition, there are certain other schemes to which approval has been given so recently that no commitment has yet been entered into.

asked the Minister of Supply why bank charges incurred by Government contractors, as a result of delay in payment of progress payments, are not admitted as a cost in Departmental cost investigations.

Progress payments due under contracts are made within a few days of receiving contractors' claims and the problem does not therefore arise.

asked the Minister of National Insurance why seasonal workers are debarred from receiving unemployment benefits and are thereby forced to go to the National Assistance Board.

This question has been examined at length by the National Insurance Advisory Committee and I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to their latest report (Cmd. 8558) on it, of which I am sending him a copy.

asked the Minister of National Insurance how many prosecutions have taken place of men and women drawing National Assistance who could be employed if they would accept employment; and what percentage of the 7,000 such persons has been prosecuted.

89 people have been prosecuted for persistently refusing or neglecting to maintain themselves. It is not known how many of these were included in the 7,000 mentioned by the hon. Member.

asked the Minister of National Insurance whether he is aware that the marriage certificate of a woman in Newport was demanded when completing Form C.F. 9, Item 7; that the certificate has been lost and cannot now be traced; and if, in view of the value placed on such a document by married women, this form can be amended so that only the details be given on the form and the original document be seen on demand.

There is no trace of the receipt of the certificate but, in the circumstances, it will be replaced. I doubt whether it would be advantageous to change the procedure for dealing with these cases.

asked the Minister of National Insurance the basic retirement pension for single and married couples on 1st January, 1951, and on the latest date; and how far the present amount is less in purchasing power than on 1st January, 1951, due to the depreciation in the purchasing value of the pound sterling.

On 1st January, 1951, the standard rates were 26s. for a single person and 42s. for a married couple, and they are now 32s. 6d. and 54s., respectively. On the basis of the Official Index of Retail Prices the equivalent in October, 1952, of 26s. and 42s. in January, 1951, would be 30s. 8d. and 49s. 7d.

asked the Secretary for Overseas Trade, as representing the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, whether his attention has been drawn to an advertisement for the sale of American scantlings in the trade journal, a copy of which has been sent him; and if he will prevent dollars being spent to import American oak wagon scantlings when the home-grown timber merchants are unable to dispose of their own stocks.

American oak was imported by private traders in 1951, when sufficient hardwood for wagon repairing was not available from sterling sources. I am not in a position to say whether the American scantlings referred to in the advertisement sent me by the hon. Member are a residue of those imports, some of which were found unsuitable for their original purpose.So far as the future is concerned, the Railway Executive aim at meeting their requirements from Australian Jarrah, together with home-grown oak. The possibility of using Colonial hardwoods is also being investigated. Imports of oak scantlings which cost dollars have been, and will continue to be, strictly controlled.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the total amount that the Export Credits Guarantee Department are liable for in regard to insurance on Brazilian trade.

The total estimated commitments of the Export Credits Guarantee Department in respect of exports to Brazil amount to about £32 million.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how much the Export Credits Guarantee Department has paid out in respect of Brazilian trade during this year; and how much remains to be paid.

The total sum paid by Exports Credits Guarantee Department in respect of its liabilities on exports to Brazil amounts during the current financial year to about £4.8 million. It is estimated that at the present rate of payment, and provided that no unforeseen circumstances intervene, claims paid up to the end of March next will amount to about £15 million. On this basis the Department will still have to meet its liabilities in the next financial year on a further sum now estimated at approximately £15 million.

asked the Minister of Agriculture (1) what action the Government anticipates taking to deal with the restrictive practices of the Hull and Grimsby trawler owners in connection with the Icelandic trawler fish landings, which is depriving the British house wife of a supply of fish in winter months at reasonable prices;(2) the result of his consultations with the Icelandic experts and the British fishing interests held on 17th November, 1952, in view of the importance of supply and price of fish to the British housewife;(3) why his Department gave instructions for the Icelandic ship, "Halvieg Frodadottier," to be diverted from Grimsby to Germany on Friday last, when all arrangements had been made to unload at Grimsby.

I would refer the hon. Lady to the statement which I made to the House on Thursday last, and the further statement which I made after Questions today.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he has now considered the proposals of the National Farmers' Union, a copy of which has been supplied to him, about the marketing of fat stock; and if he will make a statement.

No. I understand that these proposals have been put forward by a working party set up by the National Farmers' Unions; they have not yet been adopted by the unions, nor have they been officially submitted to me. It would clearly be inappropriate for me to comment at present.

asked the Minister of Agriculture (1) if he is aware that about 5,000 acres of good agricultural land are being lost in Kent annually to other than agricultural purposes; and if he will do his utmost to stop the continuation of this drain upon land capable of producing needed food;

The Land Utilisation Survey of Britain, 1931–43, directed by Dr. Dudley Stamp, provides a broad classification of agricultural land in Kent and throughout the country generally. I am aware of the annual loss of agricultural land for building and other development.My Department is consulted on all proposals to take or use agricultural land for development which number several thousands each year. It would be impossible for me to deal, personally with every one of them, but my officers are under instructions to bring to my notice all cases raising important issues. Acquiescence in any proposals for development is not given unless my officers or I are satisfied that the proposed development is fully justified and there is no practicable alternative. I can assure my hon. Friend that everything possible is done to avoid the unnecessary loss of any farm land.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government (1) if he will instruct all local authorities in Kent not to allow good agricultural land to be used for other than food production purposes except with his consent;(2) if he will instruct urban district councils that good agricultural land within their own boundaries anywhere in England should not be used for any other purpose than farming, except with his consent;(3) what survey of the county of Kent exists, illustrating where there is land that would be appropriate for industrial housing or playing-field purposes, which is no good agricultural land; and if he wil consider requiring local authorities to prepare such information.

I would refer my hon. Friend to Ministry of Town and Country Planning Circular 99, of which I am sending him a copy. As regards the County of Kent, the County Council a local planning authority have already made a survey of the whole county covering, inter alia, the suitability of land for development and other purposes. The report of this survey accompanies Part A of the Development Plan for Kent which is now before me, and I think that the County Council could let my hon. Friend see a copy. In reaching my decision on the plan, I shall give due weight to the importance of preserving good agricultural land.

asked the Minister of Labour to what extent he has been able to meet the needs in manpower of the Scottish coalfields; and if he will give the figures for different areas.

The manpower needs in the Scottish coalfields have been substantially met and there are at present no vacancies for inexperienced adult workers. I am sending my hon. and gallant Friend the particulars about the different areas for which he asks.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer who are the two Government-appointed directors upon the Board of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company; when they were appointed; what is their term of office; and what direction was given to them on their appointment.

The two Government-appointed directors upon the Board of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company are Field-Marshal the Viscount Alanbrooke and Sir Thomas Gardiner.Lord Alanbrooke was appointed on 1st August, 1946, and Sir Thomas Gardiner on 16th February, 1950, both for five years in the first instance. Lord Alanbrooke's appointment was extended for one year on 1st August, 1951, and again on 1st August, 1952. The only directions given to these directors on their appointment were with regard to the channel through which any reports that they wished to make should be submitted to Her Majesty's Government.

asked the Chancellor if the Exchequer the amount of rent, inclusive of municipal rates, paid out each year by the Tithe Redemption Commission; and what is the comparative figure for 1938.

The present rent is £12,967, and the contribution in lieu of rates is £8,450. In 1938, the rent was £15,414 and the contribution in lieu of rates was £6,120.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the number of persons employed by the Tithe Redemption Commission on full-time service and the number on part-time service; and what are the comparative figures of persons employed in each category in 1938.

The number of persons employed by the Tithe Redemption Commission on 1st October, 1952, was 596 full-time and 21 part-time. On 1st October, 1938, the number employed was 828 full-time and 12 part-time and, in addition, 122 collectors, with their staffs, who were employed locally. No local collectors are employed now.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the total amount of financial grants, allowed to the Government of Northern Ireland for educational services, or teachers' salaries, in each of the financial years ending 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951 and 1952, respectively.

None. The cost of educational services and teachers' salaries in Northern Ireland is met from moneys voted by the Parliament of Northern Ireland and is not supplemented by grants from the Imperial Exchequer.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether, in the interests of increasing food production in the country, he will consider taking steps to afford Scottish banks the same facilities as English banks for making loans secured against livestock, farm machinery or any other movables.

I am not aware that the difference to which my noble Friend refers, which arises out of differences between the Scottish and the English law of property, is in practice any hindrance to the increased production of food. The English banks do not normally make loans secured by legal charge upon such assets as the noble Lord mentions.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the revenue from pool betting duty on greyhound racing totalisators for the individual months of May, June, July, August, September and October, 1951, and 1952, respectively.

Receipts of pool betting duty on greyhound racing totalisators for the months in question were as follows:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the net income received by the Treasury since October, 1951, resultant upon the reduction in the amount of payment received by Her Majesty's Ministers; and how far this amount takes into account normal Income Tax reliefs claimed by the respective Ministers.

As I stated in reply to a similar Question last year, it would be contrary to established practice to give information based on the liability to tax of individual taxpayers. If the Ministers entitled to salaries of £5,000 a year, who now receive £4,000 a year, had no other sources of income, the net saving would

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury how many civil servants have been discharged on the grounds of redundancy during the nine months up to 31st October; and what proportion this number is to the total reductions in staff effected during the same period.

Central records are not kept of the number of civil servants discharged on redundancy, and I regret that I cannot give the hon. Member the figures for which he asks.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury how many promotions from tax officer to tax officer, higher grade, excluding entrants from the limited competitions, and from tax officer, higher grade to non-technical inspector, and from non-technical inspector to non-technical inspector, higher grade, respectively, have been made in the chief inspector's office of the Inland Revenue during each of the years 1948 to 1952, inclusive; and what ratio the number of promotions made bears to the numbers in the several grades.

The information is contained in the following table:

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what arrangements have been made by his Department for Christmas rations for the Royal Navy.

Arrangements have been made to ensure that adequate supplies of Christmas puddings, mince pies (or their ingredients) and poultry will be obtainable. Pork will also be available to provide up to 8 ounces a head for Christmas dinner although the weekly maximum allowance of meat will not be exceeded. These arrangements are similar to those made each Christmas in recent years.

asked the Minister of Health on what date the new ward block for pneumoconiosis patients at Llandough Hospital will be in operation.

I regret that, at this stage, I am unable to say. It is planned o start building early next year.

asked the Minister of Health what additional provision of beds or obstetrical patients is planned in Cardiff prior to the end of 1953.

Sixty-six.

asked the Minister of Works make a statement on the cause and effects of the fire that took place at Hampton Court Palace on 18th November.

The fire occurred in the west wing of Clock Court where restoration of the structure and replanning of the apartments have been in progress for some time. The cause is not yet known. Five rooms were gutted and 12 more damaged in varying degrees by fire or water, none of them State Rooms at present open to the public. One valuable plaster ceiling was damaged, but I expect to be able to restore it. Otherwise, no artistic or historic treasures were damaged. The total loss is very roughly estimated at £12,000. Public access to the Palace is not affected.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will introduce legislation to amend the law of succession in Scotland.

I regret that I can hold out no prospect of legislation on this subject during the present Session.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will introduce legislation to amend the law relating to limitation of actions in Scotland.

I regret that there is no prospect of legislation on this subject during the present Session.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether, and when, he will introduce legislation to amend the law relating to leasehold in Scotland.

As indicated in the Gracious Speech, it is proposed during the current session to introduce legislation to extend the existing temporary Acts on leasehold property in England and Wales and in Scotland; and also to make known the Government's long-term policy. There is, however, no prospect of long-term legislation during the present Session.