asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will take steps to secure that a roundtable conference be held in Kenya, composed of representatives of the four races in the Legislative Council, to remove the economic, social and psychological frustrations of the African people, including land hunger, the uneconomic basis of farming, low wages, high prices, inadequate education, undemocratic local administration and the colour bar.

I do not think a roundtable conference of the nature suggested is necessarily the best method of dealing with these problems. Some of them will certainly be covered by the Royal Commission. However, both the Governor of Kenya and I are fully aware of the problems that face Kenya and will adopt whatever methods seem best suited to achieve their solution.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the proposed Royal Commission to consider the problems of Kenya will include any member with knowledge and experience of co-operative organisation of farming and land tenure.

I cannot yet make any statement about the membership of the Royal Commission, but I will certainly bear in mind the hon. Member's suggestion.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many persons in Kenya have been evicted from their land and homes; how many head of cattle, bicycles and other personal means of transport have been forfeited; over what area these evictions have taken place; and where the evicted persons are being accommodated and under what conditions.

I am asking the Governor for this information and will circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether any specific proposals have yet emerged from the local discussions in Uganda concerning the various aspects of the new Coffee Industry Board, namely, the composition of the Board and the method of selection, the utilisation of the £6,000,000 fund available for development, and the new taxation proposals.

No. The committee of the Legislative Council which is considering these matters is not expected to report until early next year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies who submits the nominations to the Resident of Buganda and to the Provincial Commissioners from which the Governor appoints representatives of growers to the Uganda Lint Marketing Board; and whether these representatives of growers are in all cases Africans.

Full details of the procedure are not available in London. I am consulting the Governor and will circulate the answer in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how much the Japanese Government has contributed towards the settlement of Malayan war damage claims.

The Japanese Government does not contribute directly to the Malayan War Damage Scheme. Of the proceeds of the disposal of Japanese Assets in Malaya, $60 million (£.7 million) have, however, been set aside for the War Damage Fund.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the maximum limit placed on the amount to be provided by Her Majesty's Government in any one year for the payment of war damage claims incurred by persons residing in Malaya at the outbreak of the war with Japan.

Ten million pounds.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he is aware that the negotiations over the major claims of the employees of the naval base at Singapore have broken down; that the men have decided to strike on 9th December; and what action he is taking to negotiate with the trade union concerned in order to submit the whole of their outstanding grievances to arbitration.

I learned with regret that the Naval Base Labour Union had given formal notice to strike on 9th December unless their claims were met, but in view of subsequent events I trust that they will reconsider this intention.The most important point of difference between the Union and the Admiralty is the claim to rates of cost of living allowance at the same rates as are currently paid by the Colony Government to their employees. The Union have been informed on several occasions, including my recent visit to Singapore that the pay given by the Admiralty and the other Service Departments to their locally entered employees at Singapore and other bases overseas is based on the wages accorded by the generality of local good employers (including the Colony Government) and not on those accorded by any one employer alone.The information necessary to apply this policy is collected and examined by a committee of local representatives of the three Service Departments, who keep the matter continuously under review. In accordance with their recommendation, increases were awarded to various sections of the locally entered employees on three occasions in 1951, and an increase in the pay of labourers was made as recently as September, 1952. The Union have been supplied with a list of the employers on which the Service Departments base their review and with a list of the wages paid without identifying particular rates with particular concerns.Payment of cost-of-living allowance at the rates paid by the Colony Government would not be justified, under the policy I have described, by the facts known to the Service Departments, and communicated to the Union. This was explained to the Union, who then substituted a claim for an increase of 20 per cent. in the existing cost of living allowance. This claim also has been examined by the Inter-Services Committee, who found that it could not be justified, and the Union were informed accordingly on 27th November.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty why the new laboratory of the research station at Rosyth is being held up; and what steps he is taking to expedite the building of this project which is so vital to United Kingdom defences.

It was, unfortunately, impossible to make provision for this project in the Navy Estimates for the current year, owing to the need to devote the limited funds available to other more essential services.I regret that I cannot yet say when funds will be available to start this building.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty how many time-expired men in the Royal Navy, who were retained beyond their release date on account of the emergency, are still retained; and if he will make a statement on their prospects, in relation to the decision not to call up any more Royal Fleet Reservists.

Eight thousand five hundred. The number will be reduced by 1,700 by April next, and in the following 12 months the period of additional service will be progressively reduced, as announced in September last. After March, 1954, no men will be retained at the end of their normal engagements. Although the call-up of Royal Fleet reservists is now completed, recalled reservists will be serving throughout this period.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether free travel warrants granted to naval personnel proceeding on leave include free travel by omnibus where no railway service exists.

No. The money spent on travelling by bus in these circumstances is refunded later. Those travelling to some of the remoter parts of Scotland may, if there is a local registrar of the Royal Naval Reserve nearby, apply to him for payment of the additional expense of travelling beyond the rail-head by bus or steamer.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty why the civil staff of his Department has continued to increase at a time when those of almost all other Departments have been reduced.

As the re-armament programme proceeds the work of the Admiralty necessarily expands: This involves increases in staff and administrative expenditure.When the Government took office, the size of the Admiralty non-industrial staff required to deal with the defence programme was contemplated as rising to 36,000 during the course of the present financial year. It has, in fact, proved possible to restrict the size to 33,500 and, while some further increases will be essential, these will be kept within the smallest possible limits.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General if he is aware that an extensive use of the telephone is necessary between Avonmouth Dock and its office at Bristol and that the exchange at Avonmouth is manually operated and does not meet the needs of the port and industrial community; and whether he will take steps to convert the Avonmouth exchange to automatic working at an early date.

We plan to begin building a new automatic exchange next year, and this will, I hope, be ready for service towards the end of 1956. The present exchange is giving good service, and I do not think we should be justified in converting it to automatic working out of turn and before additional exchange equipment is required.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General if he is aware that delays to business correspondence are caused on Fridays in small post offices with limited staff because preference is being given to football pool mail; that this results in the delivery of letters being delayed until Monday; and what steps he will take to remove this cause of complaint.

Post Office arrangements for the handling of pool correspondence are neither designed nor intended to give preference to football pool letters. If the hon. Member will let me have details of any instance in which he thinks ordinary letters have been delayed because such preference has been given, I shall be pleased to look into the matter.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General if he will give instructions that the postal district known as Brompton, Chatham, being administered by the local authority of Gillingham, shall henceforth be known, for postal purposes, as Brompton, Gillingham.

I am looking into the matter and will write to my hon. Friend as soon as possible.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General if he is aware of the need for a new sub-post office in the new housing area at Kelty, Fife; and how soon the establishment of such an office can be expected.

I regret that the circumstances at Kelty, Fife, where there are already two post offices, do not warrant the provision of a further office.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General the estimated cost to the Post Office of the transport levy proposed in the Transport Bill in a full year.

£70,000.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General if he will extend the existing teleprinter service between London and the Continent to cover the major provincial towns and cities.

I assume that the hon. Member has the International Telex Service in mind. Extension of this service to the provinces presents some technical difficulties, but it is hoped to provide a limited number of connections by the middle of 1953.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General whether any decision has yet been reached about television transmission for the Brighton area.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General whether he is aware that Brighton and district can immediately be given efficient television reception by the installation by private enterprise, without cost to the Government, of an amplifier on available land at The Dyke, Brighton; and whether the necessary licence will forthwith be granted so that the installation may be completed in time for the Coronation.

I am informed by the B.B.C. that they hope to be able to improve reception in Brighton and the near vicinity in time for the Coronation.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General if he is now in a position to say what television relay arrangements he will be able to make for the people of the South and South-West of England by 2nd June next.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General what consideration he has given to the representations made from Dover that facilities should be provided for television in the borough in time for the Coronation; and what has been the outcome of his deliberations.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General whether he has now completed his investigations into the possibility of an early start in the proposed Isle of Wight television sub-station.

I hope that a statement on television will be made shortly.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air what steps he is taking to prevent unnecessary low flying over built-up areas.

I can assure my hon. Friend that low flying over built-up areas is strictly forbidden except where it is necessary to enable pilots to carry out essential operational training or to use airfields near such areas. Unauthorised low flying is regarded as a very serious offence indeed, which may result in dismissal from the Service.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air whether he is aware that the Air Force List gives no indication that an officer who has won a bar to a decoration has, in fact, done so; and whether he will correct this omission of relevant information by the addition of a small numeral or asterisk.

I am most grateful to my hon. and gallant Friend for his suggestion, which will be incorporated in the next published edition of the Air Force List.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air what proportion of the 86,177 Regulars, who joined the Royal Air Force between November, 1950, and October, 1952, consists of Regulars on a three-years' engagement.

Fifty-four per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what further reductions in expenditure have been made by the British Middle East Office since July of this year; and what further economies are contemplated.

Since July the expenditure on the British Middle East Office has been reduced by about £6,400 a year. No further substantial economies are contemplated.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs at what price per gallon petrol is sold in Germany to members of the Allied Forces.

At an equivalent of 2s. 0½d. per gallon.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what arrangements he has made with the Japanese Government to give effect to Article 15 (a) of the Japanese Peace Treaty, providing for the restoration of British property in Japan and for compensation for loss of property or damage to it.

Japanese Law No. 264 of 1951, known as the Allied Powers Property Compensation Law, provides for compensation for loss of British property in Japan or for damage to it. This law lays down that the first step in claiming compensation is to apply for restoration of the property. Allied claimants must file applications for the return of their property not later than 28th January, 1953. As was announced in the Press on 10th July, 1952. Her Majesty's Government have made arrangements for applications for return of property to be presented to the Japanese Government.Once application has been made for the return of property, claimants can proceed to claim compensation. If property which was within Japan on 7th December. 1941, has been returned and has suffered damage as a result of the war, or if the property cannot be returned because it has been lost or damaged, the owner can lodge a claim for compensation with the Japanese Government within 18 months of the coming into force of the Peace Treaty, i.e., not later than 28th October. 1953.Detailed information of the procedure for making applications for return and claims for compensation can be obtained from the Administration of Enemy Property Department, Lacon House. Theobalds Road, London, W.C.1.

asked the Minister of Food whether the expected decrease in the staff of local food offices from 18,849 in 1951–52 to 18,774 in 1952–53 is likely to be realised or exceeded.

The expected decrease has been exceeded. The staff in regional and local food offices on 1st October, 1952, numbered 17,063.

asked the Minister of Food the average percentage take-up of the sweets ration at the latest available date.

About 91 per cent. for the eight weeks ended 4th October.

asked the Minister of Food the value of the present meat ration at the prices obtaining at 3rd December, 1951, and 3rd December, 1950, respectively.

The value of the present meat ration at prices obtaining on 3rd December, 1951, and 3rd December, 1950, is 1s. 4¼d. and 1s. 2¼d. respectively.

asked the Minister of Food to ensure adequate supplies of suet per ration book in East Anglia, for Christmas.

The quantity of suet available depends largely upon the numbers of home-killed cattle coming forward. Butchers in East Anglia will have their fair share.

asked the Minister of Food whether he will make a statement with regard to the Government's policy for the import of fruit pulp during the period of the next 12 months.

As was announced by the Board of Trade on 3rd July last, a quota of £1,250,000 has been fixed for imports of fruit pulp (including bulk frozen fruit) in the year ending 30th June, 1953, from Western Europe and certain other non-sterling countries. Imports of most types of fruit pulp from the sterling area can be made freely under open general licence. It is possible that some very small additional quantities may be imported from other countries under trade agreements. I can make no forecast at present about the level of imports in the second half of 1953.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will arrange to have special appeals made through the British Broadcasting Corporation to encourage recruits into the Home Guard, in the same way as those made on behalf of the Services and Civil Defence.

My right hon. Friend well knows the value of broadcasts in recruiting. The broadcast of the late Chief of the Imperial General Staff on the formation of the Home Guard carried great weight. He is contemplating further broadcasts of a similar nature. In addition, announcements on the Home Guard are now being included from time to time in the official announcements period.

asked the Secretary of State for War why the estimated requirements of the Permanent Under-Secretary of State rose from a staff of 2,583 in 1951–52 to 2,751 in 1952–53.

This increase of 168 in Army Estimates 1952–53 was related to increased work arising out of the rearmament programme.

asked the Minister of Supply what orders have been placed for transport aircraft in the last year; and what deliveries are outstanding.

An order was recently placed for Blackburn Universal Freighters. None has yet been delivered. No deliveries are outstanding on earlier orders for transport aircraft.

asked the Minister of Agriculture the purpose of his recent discussions with the farmers' unions about animal feedingstuffs.

As part of the Government's general policy of reviewing controls, the Departments concerned are exploring the practicability of decontrolling feedingstuffs and cereals next autumn. Certain ideas are being discussed with representatives of the farmers' unions and of the traders concerned. A final decision will be taken only after all the issues involved have been taken fully into account.

ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer the estimated cost to the public of an all-night Sitting of the House of Commons.

Recent experience indicates that the extra cost of an all-night Sitting is between £350 and £400.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government the acreage of areas of comprehensive development eligible for Exchequer grant under the Town and Country Planning Act, 1947, which have been shown on development plans so far submitted to his Department.

I regret that the information is not available. Areas defined in development plans for comprehensive development may include land for purposes in addition to those for which Exchequer grant under the Town and Country Planning Act, 1947, may be paid, and a decision as to what part of the land should be approved for payment of grant is made later when detailed proposals for the development have been prepared and the development can be undertaken.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will circularise local authorities as to the undesirability of building temporary or permanent barriers which artificially separate new tenants of council houses from their new neighbours, to the detriment of both.

I do not think that a circular on this matter is needed. I am sure the local authorities generally recognise that any such segregation as is implied in the Question is altogether undesirable.