asked the Minister of Labour the cost of publishing the periodical "Houseworker; and how many copies are printed and sold, respectively, each month.

The periodical "Houseworker" is the official organ of the National Institute of Houseworkers and is the main source of publicity on the aims of the Institute and the progress made towards their achievement. The periodical is published every two months.I am informed that in the year ended 31st March, 1952, the cost to the Institute after allowing for receipts from sales and advertisements was approximately £600. Four thousand copies of each issue are printed and rather more than half are sold. From the remainder a free distribution is made to representative bodies interested in women's employment.

asked the Minister of Labour the numbers and percentages of men and women and juveniles registered as unemployed at Stornoway at the latest convenient date.

At 10th November the numbers of unemployed persons on the registers of the Stornoway Employment Exchange were 1,160 men, 76 boys under 18, 206 women and 67 girls under 18. The total of 1,236 men and boys represented about 32 per cent. of the estimated number of male employees in the area, and the corresponding figure for women and girls was 22 per cent. It is not possible to compute a percentage rate of unemployment for young persons under 18.

asked the Minister of Labour (1) how many of the women and girls who have been trained at Uplands, Bridge of Allan, are employed as home workers with families; and if he will state the average number of children in these families;

According to the latest information available, 115 of a total of 174 former trainees from the Bridge of Allan Training Centre are employed in private households, of whom 65 are employed in households with young children, the average number of children between two and three. Many of the other households have a special need for domestic help, e.g. doctors' and farmers' households, or those containing old or sick persons. Seven former trainees are known to be engaged in other kinds of domestic work, including one employed in the catering industry; three are being trained as nurses; 16 are engaged in domestic duties in their own homes; one is in Her Majesty's Forces; four are sick; there is no recent information about 18; and the number known to be in other occupations is 10.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will state the capital costs involved in acquiring and equipping Uplands, Bridge of Allan; the operating costs since the institute was opened for training houseworkers; the cost of supervision by his Department; and the number of women and girls who have been fully trained and have left the institute for service.

The capital cost of acquiring and equipping the Bridge of Allan Training Centre was about £9,400, while the operating costs since the Centre was opened up to 30th September, 1952, amount to about £34,500, including £7,000 paid in allowances to trainees. The cost of supervision by my Department cannot be exactly estimated, but is certainly very small. One hundred and seventy-four women and girls have been trained at the Centre, and all but one entered domestic work on completion of their training.

asked the Minister of Labour how many Italians are now working in British coalmines.

About 1,080.

asked the Prime Minister whether in private and informal discussions, which he anticipates he may be having with the new American administration before 20th January, he will include a discussion of the Korean problem, in view of the announcement by the President-Elect on his return from Korea that a satisfactory solution of the Korean situation could be speeded.

I would refer the right hon. and learned Gentleman to the reply which I gave on 11th December to the hon. Member for West Ham, North (Mr. Lewis).

asked the Minister of Health whether he will discuss with the Minister of National Insurance the possibility of introducing, in conjunction with him, a single identity number for health and other insurance schemes for the convenience of the public.

This is under discussion. It is however a somewhat complex problem.

asked the Minister of Health to give an estimate of the total amount expended on health services in the years 1939 and 1951, respectively, at 1939 prices and 1951 prices.

I regret that there are not figures of health service expenditure for the year 1939 comparable with those now available. For the year 1950–51, the expenditure covered by the National Health ServiceVote was approximately £398,279,000 gross (including £15,621,000 representing 50 per cent. of the expenditure of local health authorities) and £336,560,000 net. At 1939 prices these figures would perhaps be about halved.

asked the Minister of Health how many tuberculous persons have received treatment abroad under the National Health Service Act, 1951, up to the latest convenient date; and how many of these were children.

Three hundred and fifty-eight, including those in Switzerland now. No children have been sent.

asked the Minister of Health in which countries abroad treatment has been made available to tuberculous persons under the National Health Service Act, 1951.

Only in Switzerland.

asked the Minister of Health whether he can give a report on the working of arrangements for the treatment outside Great Britain under Section 3 of the National Health Service Act, 1951, of persons suffering from tuberculosis.

A report is given on pages 19 and 20 of my Department's Annual Report for 1950 and 1951. I would only add that the arrangements continue to work satisfactorily and that the British Red Cross Society continue to render invaluable assistance.

asked the Minister of Health the population served by the £200,000 health centre at Woodbury Down; to what extent other urban areas are to be covered by similar health centres; and if he will state his policy with regard to health centres.

The present population is estimated at about 17,000 but is expected to rise to about 23,000. Health centres are still in an experimental stage and future policy will depend on what we learn as we go along.

has asked the Minister of Health what steps he has taken to ensure that proper medical advice under the control of his Department is sought and followed in connection with the disabled employed by Remploy or undergoing rehabilitation at one of the Ministry of Labour's centres.

Part-time medical officers employed by my right hon. and learned Friend the Minister of Labour or Remploy Limited are responsible for the general medical supervision of the disabled at these establishments, and for ensuring that they receive any necessary medical treatment by referring them to the general practitioner or hospital services.

asked the Minister of Health what progress has been made in the provision through the National Health Service of the bone-conductor type of hearing aids for deaf people.

They are on order and I hope distribution will begin next month.

asked the Minister of Health how many persons are on the waiting lists for hearing aids at the Dry-burn and Durham County Hospitals; how many are priority cases; how long they have been waiting; how many are non-priority cases; and what is the length of the waiting period.

Two hundred and nine patients who applied for hearing aids at these hospitals are still waiting. All are non-priority patients. Those now being fitted at the distribution centre at Sunderland were referred there just under two years ago.

asked the Minister of Health to what extent the waiting period for the fitting of a deaf aid is declining; and what is the present normal wait after a patient is certified to be in need of a deaf aid.

The waiting period and the rate at which waiting lists are being reduced vary considerably from centre to centre, but during the six months ended 30th August lists were reduced over the country as a whole by about a quarter.

asked the Minister of Health what provision is made for old-age pensioners who have been treated for chiropody in a hospital and who are now informed that such treatment is no longer available under the National Health Service Act.

I regret that it has not yet been possible to extend the resources of the National Health Service to providing chiropody except where this is required as part of hospital treatment or where, in a few areas, there exist foot-clinics established by local authorities in the past.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is satisfied that in Wales and Monmouthshire there is in operation on chemists' closing half-days an agreed duty rota for dealing with doctors' prescriptions.

Yes.

asked the Minister of Health if he has considered a resolution sent to him by the Staffordshire Executive Council urging him to proceed with the establishment of local joint health consultative committees; and what action he will take.

asked the Minister of Health what steps he is taking to set up local joint health consultative committees to promote co-operation between hospital local auhority and general practitioner service, as recommended to him by the Staffordshire Executive Council.

I have received the communication mentioned. The recommendations of the Central Health Services Council about co-operation between hospital, local authority and general practitioner services have been made known to all the bodies concerned, upon whom I have urged the importance of doing all they can to give effect to them. But it was the view of the Central Council, as it is my view also, that this is necessarily a matter for local consideration and action according to local circumstances.

asked the Minister of Health how many wigs, abdominal belts, pairs of surgical boots, and pairs of elastic stockings, respectively, have been supplied through the National Health Service in the last six months; and what are the corresponding figures for each year since the inception of the service.

The combined figures for England and Wales are:

—	June-November, 1952	July-December, 1948	1949	1950	1951
Wigs	3,113	368	9,545	12,571	9,491
Abdominal Belts	31,416	26,787	159,216	137,155	105,647
Surgical Boots	20,020	4,116	34,475	45,658	46,280
Elastic Hosiery	16,055	4,788	23,331	31,155	35,732
The figures for elastic hosiery represent orders supplied, whether single articles or pairs.

asked the Minister of Health to state, for the latest convenient three months, the number of prescriptions dispensed by chemists under the National Health Service Act, 1946; the ratio of prescriptions per form; and the proportion of forms in the S bundle, Expensive Prescriptions.

The table below sets out for England and Wales the information required in the first two parts of the Question. The information asked for in the last part will not be known until the prescriptions have been priced:

—	Number of Prescriptions dispensed (declared by Chemists)	Ratio of Prescriptions per Form
August, 1952	14,075,000	1·71
September, 1952	16,347,000	1·72
October, 1952	18,662,000	1·73

asked the Minister of Health how many doctors had their prescribing investigated by his Department's special investigation unit during the latest convenient period of 12 months; and with what results.

During the 12 months ended 31st March, 1952, the prescribing of 222 doctors (some of whom are in partnership) was examined for the first time. Medical officers in my Department have visited most of them to discuss possible economies in their prescribing. In the same period the prescribing of 85 doctors was examined a second time and a marked improvement was found to have taken place in the great majority of cases.

asked the Minister of Health if he has yet considered the report from the Kent County Council on the day nursery service referred to in his letter to the hon. Member for Dartford on 27th October; and what action he proposes to take to ensure that the day nursery service is not completely abolished in Kent from 31st March, 1953.

I have not yet received a report from the County Council, but expect to receive one early in the New Year. Subsequent action will depend on the nature of the report.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that the Leeds Regional Hospital Board have failed to find a use for more than one-third of the accommodation at the Queen's Hotel, Harrogate; and, if his Department are unable to use the 68 empty rooms in this luxury hotel, he will advise the board to find more suitable, more central and less expensive accommodation.

The answer to the first part of the Question is "Yes." The Regional Hospital Board are considering what is the best use to be made of all the accommodation available, and I am in close touch with them on their plans.

asked the Minister of Health whether he has now received a deputation from the Northern Regional Hospital Board; and what response he was able to make to their representations.

I regret that I was not able personally to receive the deputation, but they have been seen by officers on my behalf. I am glad to have been able to agree to the Board's proceeding this year with a limited number of specially urgent small schemes which it was feared might have to be postponed until next year or later.

asked the Minister of Health what action he proposes to take concerning the allegations officially made by the Home Office Pathologist, Dr. J. M. Webster, of bad doctoring and bad nursing at the Selly Oak Hospital, Birmingham.

I have asked the Birmingham Regional Hospital Board for a full report after such inquiries as they consider necessary. The Board decided yesterday to set up a small Committee of Inquiry. When their report is available I shall consider whether further action is needed.

asked the Minister of Health what proposals he has made to Hospital Regional Boards and Boards of Governors of Teaching Hospitals regarding the limitation of hospital staffs.

My proposals for securing proper economy in staffing the hospitals are contained in the memorandum of which the hon. Member has already received a copy.

asked the Minister of Health what steps he is taking to ensure the exhibition of medical films made by his Department to hospital staffs and other professional groups, in view of the recent closing of the Central Office of Information travelling film unit.

Hospitals already have a number of projectors, and these are being augmented by an allocation from those formerly owned by the Central Office of Information. Boards and Committees can also hire or purchase others if required; and they have been encouraged to make them available as widely as possible in the service. Full information about the films which can be hired from the Central Film Library has been sent to them, to local authorities, to local medical bodies and to others concerned.

asked the Minister of Health if he has considered the pronouncement of the Doncaster district coroner, a copy of which has been sent to him, regarding the moving of old folks from hospital to hospital; and if he will advise regional boards to give old folk in need of treatment the consideration and comfort necessary.

I am aware of the facts of this case. One of the moves was made at the patient's own request and I am satisfied that the others were necessary on medical grounds. I have no evidence that regional hospital boards are in need of the advice suggested by the hon. Member.

asked the Minister of Health if the supply of Cobalt 60 from the atomic energy research establishment at Harwell is proving sufficient to meet all the requests for this substitute for radium in the treatment of certain types of cancer in hospitals in Great Britain.

Yes.

asked the Minister of Health why the lady, about whom he has been given particulars by the hon. Member for Brighton, Pavilion, is not allowed to see or visit her husband in Foredown Isolation Hospital.

Visiting of patients suspected of suffering from infectious diseases is not normally permitted, and infection has not yet been excluded in this case.

asked the Minister of Health how the deaths and admissions to hospitals in the London area during the past week compare to those in the corresponding week last year; how far the recent dense and prolonged fog in and near London has affected the admissions; and whether the Emergency Bed Service in the London area was able, during the past week, to meet all urgent demands for admission to hospitals.

asked the Minister of Health if he can furnish an estimate of the number of additional deaths in the greater Metropolitan area due to the recent fog; and the number of additional admissions to hospitals as a result of the same cause.

The number of deaths from all causes in Greater London during the week ending 13th December was 4,703 compared with 1,852 in the corresponding week of 1951. The number of hospital admissions arranged by the Emergency Bed Service for the week ending 12th December was 2,007 compared with 917. The cold weather had already caused some increase, but a large part of these increases must be attributed to the fog. Special steps were taken to secure the admission of all clearly urgent cases, and the great majority of applications to the Emergency Bed Service were met. I should like to take the opportunity of paying a tribute to the hospitals and the Emergency Bed Service for their success in meeting this emergency.

asked the Minister of Health to give an estimate of the reasons for the tuberculosis death rate in Walsall being much in excess of the country average.

I do not think the difference reflects problems peculiar to Walsall. From 1949 to 1951, the annual tuberculosis death rates for Walsall declined more than for England and Wales as a whole, and were not significantly different from those for a number of other comparable county boroughs.

asked the Minister of Health what restriction his Department has placed on the use of B.C.G. vaccination against tuberculosis; and when he proposes to authorise its extended use.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the replies I gave to the hon. Members for Stoke-on-Trent, Central (Dr. Stross) and Cornwall, North (Sir H. Roper) on 21st and 23rd October, respectively.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will issue as a White Paper a précis of the census volumes for Wales, setting out the main Welsh figures which indicate the state of the Welsh language in the counties, county boroughs, urban and rural districts; and whether he will take into account that such a précis was published, at a cost of 6d. a copy, after the 1911 census.

I will consider my hon. Friend's suggestion in relation to costs of production and other relevant factors, including what was done after the 1911 census.

asked the Minister of Education why a further grant of £10,000 is being made to the Basic English Foundation.

The current subvention is granted under an arrangement made with the Foundation in 1948 whereby Exchequer assistance would be made available for a period of about live years.

asked the Minister of Education whether, with a view to stimulating interest in the Atlantic community, she will publish a pamphlet outlining an approach to the teaching of the recent history of Canada and the United States of America and including a bibliography of accessible literature suitable for teachers and pupils in our schools.

I hope shortly to publish a pamphlet on the teaching of history in schools. This pamphlet will include references to the history of Canada and the United States of America which will, I hope, stimulate the interest of teachers, but I do not regard it as part of my functions to publish a bibliography or to offer detailed suggestions as to the way in which the teaching of this or any other historical subject should be handled.

asked the Minister of Education on what basis this country's contributions to the cost of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, amounting to £367,967, are calculated, and what specific services such expenditure by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation renders to this country.

The United Kingdom's contributions to the cost of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation for 1952 is 11.59 per cent. of the total budget of the Organisation. The scale of contributions is re-assessed from time to time in the light of the scale adopted by the United Nations.U.N.E.S.C.O. contributes to the general welfare of all nations by promoting collaboration in education, science and culture, and the contribution of any one country cannot be related to specific services rendered to that country by the Organisation.

asked the Minister of Education whether, arising out of the overcrowded conditions of schools in Ripley, Derbyshire and of the necessity, through lack of school accommodation, for classes to be housed in various chapel buildings in the town, she will consider exercising her powers to have constructed temporary classrooms under the Minor Works Programme, having regard to the increasing school population and of her refusal to authorise the erection of a modern school in Ripley.

It is for the local education authority to decide in the first place how they propose to use the capital sum allotted to them by my Department for minor works; that is, for jobs costing less than £6,500. I expect shortly to be able to inform the local education authority for Derbyshire to what extent I can supplement their basic allocation for 1953–54.

asked the Minister of Education whether she is aware that housing estates are now being built in Blackburn for families for whom no proper school provision is being made; and whether she will reconsider her refusal to allow the necessary schools to be built.

One school on the largest estate has been included in the local education authority's building programme for next year, and another in the Reserve List. If the best use is made of the schools available, it should be possible to find places in school for all children of school age on the estates.

asked the Minister of Education to give an assurance that, in view of the extended processional route for the purpose of enabling children to see the Queen on her way to her Coronation, schoolchildren from all over the country will be included on a fair basis of distribution of the seats available.

A distribution of seats for schoolchildren is not contemplated, but standing room will be available for them on the Embankment. For practical reasons it has been found necessary to limit the standing room to schoolchildren living within about 15 miles of Charing Cross.

asked the Minister of Education to how many primary schools under the jurisdiction of the Cornwall Education Committee embargoes on the admission of children from outside specified local areas apply: and in how many cases she was consulted beforehand.

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on Tuesday last.

asked the Minister of Education to make a statement on the selection of pupils for grammar school education, in view of the report of the Bristol Institute of Education.

The arrangements for the selection of pupils for secondary schools are primarily a matter for the local education authorities. They will, I am sure, consider carefully the suggestions made in this report, as well as the results of other research on the subject, as I myself am doing.

asked the Minister of Education the cost of education in Catholic schools in the city of Leeds which falls upon the Exchequer.

Direct grants at the rate of 50 per cent. are payable by my Department on expenditure incurred by the managers or governors of Roman Catholic voluntary aided schools on alterations required to bring the school premises up to the prescribed standards and on external repairs. All other expenses of maintenance of these schools, including teachers' salaries, are met by the local education authority whose expenditure thereon is admitted for grant by my Department at the usual rate. The returns made to me by authorities are not in a form which enables me to state the amount of expenditure incurred by the authority on the maintenance of particular schools.

asked the Minister of Education, in view of the considerable disparity between education authorities in respect of grants to assist students in training colleges, whether she will recommend to all education authorities the desirability of approximating to a general standard for grants to these students; and whether she will call a conference of authorities to discuss this matter.

I presume that the hon. Member refers to grants made by local education authorities towards incidental expenses, over and above the tuition and boarding costs for which grants are available from my Department.Grants paid by authorities naturally vary according to the needs of individual students. I propose, however, to seek more information about the present practice in order to judge whether any steps should be taken in the direction which the hon. Member has indicated.

asked the Minister of Education her estimates of the value of the schoolbuilding programme for the first and second quarters of 1953; and how these figure compare with the amounts spent in the first and second quarters of 1952.

I cannot make an estimate at this stage of the value of work which will be done on schoolbuilding projects during each of the first two quarters of 1953 since this will depend upon several variable factors, including the weather. Assuming average conditions, however, 1 do not expect the total to be less than the figure for the first six months of 1952, which was about £17.75 million.

asked the Minister of Education her latest estimate of the total number of school places provided by new building since the end of the war; and if she is satisfied that her original estimate of 1,150,000 will be reached by the end of 1953.

The number of school places provided by new building since the end of the war up to 1st October last was 823,000. I see no reason to doubt that by the end of 1953 a total of 1,150,000 will have been reached.

asked the Minister of Education what provision was made in the estimates of capital expenditure for the county of Radnor for the current year for the erection of the county primary school at Rhosgoch; upon what date authority was given to spend this money; and what is the estimated cost, to date and separately, for the site, services, building, playingfield and for the transport of children to the school.

The project was programmed by my Department at an estimated cost of £13,090, exclusive of site costs, the estimate being based on the cost limit for a school of the proposed type and size. The project has not yet been finally approved, as I consider that the authority's estimate of £17,220, which includes the cost of a teacher's house, should be capable of reduction. I have no information about the probable cost of school transport in this case.

asked the Minister of Education what type of building will be used for the new primary school at Rhosgoch; what is the estimated cost of of the traditional type as compared with the aluminium type; whether she is satisfied that a supply of pure water will be available for the school; and what will be the method of lighting the school for further education work.

According to my present information the authority propose to build this school partly in traditional materials and partly with prefabricated aluminium components. The type of construction is within the authority's discretion, provided that the cost limit set for the project is not exceeded. So far as I am aware, a piped supply of water will be available. I understand that the authority propose artificial lighting by paraffin vapour lamps.

asked the Minister of Education (1) whether the Radnorshire Education Committee have yet been able to secure a site for the proposed new primary school at Rhosgoch; or what steps will be taken to secure such a site;(2) whether, in view of the delay in securing a site for the proposed new primary school at Rhosgoch, she will now investigate alternative available sites at Paincastle in case the Rhosgoch site cannot eventually be secured.

I have now approved the site for the proposed new primary school at Rhosgoch. The question about possible alternative sites at Painscastle does not, therefore, arise.

asked the Minister of Education the cost of repairs on the New-church Primary School, Radnorshire, during the last five years; what capital expenditure has been incurred; and the estimated cost to bring the school up to her Department's building standards.

I do not keep records of expenditure on the maintenance of individual school buildings. So far as I am aware, no capital expenditure has been incurred on the Newchurch Primary School in the last five years. The school was proposed for closure in the authority's development plan, and no estimate was submitted to me of the cost of bringing the school up to the standards of the School Premises Regulations.

asked the Minister of Education how many separate buildings are attached to the county secondary school, Llandrindod Wells, away from the school itself; what is the number of pupils at present on the books and the number who entered this last term; whether she is satisfied that there is sufficient accommodation; what steps have been taken to safeguard classrooms at Kingsland, now overcrowded, against fires; and what is the delay in the erection of a new secondary school.

Apart from the main block, there are at this school, classrooms in hutments in the playground, in a former private hotel, and, so far as I am aware, in one room in a private residence. In January last, the latest date for which figures are available, there were 446 pupils on the books. I have no more recent information but I rely on the local education authority to have due regard to the nature of the accommodation in deciding the number of pupils to be admitted. Any question about fire precautions should be addressed to the authority.No proposal for erecting a new school here was included by the authority in their building programme for the current year, but under the policy governing school building I should not in any case have been able to approve such a project at the present time.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations to make a statement as to the arrangements with the Government of India, enabling the enlistment of recruits to the Brigade of Gurkhas on Indian territory.

As the Secretary of State for War indicated to my hon. Friend on 21st October, certain of the arrangements for the enlistment of Gurkhas are under review. We are still in communication with the Governments of India and Nepal, and I am not in a position to make a statement.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations what decision was reached on the subject of the chieftainship by the kgotla of the Bamangwato tribe held at Serowe on 10th November.

No decision was taken by the kgotla held on the 10th November and the meeting was adjourned until after the planting season.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations if he will make a statement regarding the kgotla of the Bamangwato tribe in Bechuanaland which was called on 10th November to appoint a new chief.

This kgotla was convened at the request of a number of Bamangwato elders. At a preliminary conference held at Serowe on the 6th, 7th and 8th October, which was also attended by the chiefs of all the other tribes in the Protectorate, about 80 headmen and other influential men from all parts of the Bamangwato Reserve, decided almost unanimously that the time had come for the tribe to designate a new chief and that a kgotla for that purpose should be held during the first half of November.A kgotla was accordingly convened by the District Commissioner as Native Authority on 10th November. It lasted for two days. The speeches showed that opinion was undecided and that the tribe had not yet made up its mind. The District Commissioner, therefore, adjourned the meeting until after the planting season without a decision of any kind being reached. The decision to adjourn was well received and the majority of the tribesmen at once departed for their lands.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations if he will recommend an amnesty for the prisoners sentenced in connection with disturbances at the kgotla of the Bamangwato tribe when the permanent exclusion of Seretse Khama from the chieftainship was announced.

No. These prisoners has been found guilty of most serious charges, namely assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm and public violence, arising out of grave disorders in which three policemen unfortunately lost their lives. The disturbances did not take place, as the hon. Member suggests, when the Government's decision on Seretse's future was first announced, but two months later in a deliberate attempt to defy authority.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations whether he will make a statement on the Government's policy towards the chieftainship of the Bamangwato following the kgotla held in Serowe on 10th November.

Her Majesty's Government's policy, which was announced in my statement in the House on 27th March and subsequently embodied in the Bechuanaland Protectorate (Bamangwato Succession) Order-in-Council No. 1031 of 1952, remains unchanged.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations to give an assurance that Her Majesty's Government will at all times keep adequate British forces available in Serowe to enable the District Commissioner to deal with any emergency that may arise without calling on outside police help from the Union of South Africa or Southern Rhodesia.

Measures have been taken to strengthen the police force in the Bechuanaland Protectorate to enable it to deal, without recourse to outside assistance, with any situation that may ordinarily arise in the Reserve. The permanent stationing of larger forces would not be justified. In an emergency the Administration must be free to seek such additional assistance as it deems necessary. On more than one occasion in the last three years Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom have been greatly indebted to the Government of Southern Rhodesia for their response to requests for police reinforcements.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations what steps it is proposed to take to enable the social and economic development of Bechuanaland to continue during the vacancy in the chieftainship of the Bamangwato.

The Bamangwato Reserve, although the largest, is only one of eight tribal areas in the Bechuanaland Protectorate. In the other seven tribal areas social and economic development has been maintained. Colonial Development and Welfare funds available for social services, economic betterment, etc., up to 1956 total approximately £1 million and expenditure from this source is currently at the rate of about £160,000 per annum. The Colonial Development Corporation has initiated two major projects, a ranching scheme in the north and an abattoir and cold storage capable of handling the present cattle exports of the whole Protectorate. A mission, which includes as members Chief Bathoen of the Banwaketse tribe and Tshekedi Khama, has been examining further development possibilities in the Kalahari and will shortly report.In the Bamangwato Reserve similar development has been hampered by the prolonged controversy about the chieftainship, but the Administration now hopes to make progress which will undoubtedly be expedited with the appointment of a new chief.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations, what plans Her Majesty's Government have to replace the present direct rule of the Bamangwato tribe by a more democratic form of self-government within the tribe.

Her Majesty's Government are anxious that a more representative form of local government should eventually be established in the Bamangwato Reserve, but the initiation of such reforms is more likely to be acceptable if it follows rather than precedes, the appointment of a new chief. As my noble Friend's predecessor stated in another place on 31st March, "the Bamangwato and their allied tribes are so wedded to chieftainship as an institution that the first essential is to fill the office of chief."

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations whether the District Commissioner was authorised by Her Majesty's Government to make the statement he did at the kgotla in Serowe on 10th November in which he told the Bamangwato that reforms would be delayed until the tribe had selected a new chief.

I assume that the hon. Member is referring to remarks in which the District Commissioner explained that the alternatives before the kgotla lay between the designation of a new chief and the continuation of the present system of direct rule. He required no specific authority for calling the tribe's attention to factors of which they must obviously take account.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many people, men and women, were employed in the factories administered by the North-Eastern Trading Estates Limited on the latest available date.

The latest available official figures are those given in my reply to the hon. Member on 16th October. The figures for the end of November will soon be available and I will send them to the hon. Member.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many people, men and women, were employed in the factories in Sunderland administered by the North-Eastern Trading Estates Limited on the latest available date.

The latest available official figures are those which I gave in reply to the hon. Member on 21st October. Figures for 30th November, 1952, will soon be available and I will send them to the hon. Member.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will permit the description, "Made in Wales," to be employed in relation to goods manufactured in Wales and Monmouth-shire.

Traders are themselves responsible for the descriptions they apply to their goods. No permission from the Board of Trade is needed.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will set up a committee to examine the question of permitting companies to issue shares of no par value.

Yes. My right hon. Friend has decided to appoint a committee with the following terms of reference:—

"To consider whether it is desirable to amend the Companies Act, 1948, so as to permit the issue of shares of no par value; and, if so, to consider and report what amendments in the Act should be made for this purpose, having due regard to the need for safeguards for investors and for the public interest.

I am glad to say that Mr. Montagu L. Gedge, Q.C., has consented to act as Chairman. The other members of the committee will be:

• Mr. John Adamson, C.A.
• Mr. H. C. Arnold-Forster, C.M.G.
• Mr. W. B. Beard, O.B.E.
• Sir Sam H. Brown.
• Viscount Harcourt, O.B.E.
• Mr. E. H. S. Marker, C.B.
• Mr. Arthur Whittaker, C.B.E.
• Secretary: Mr. I. de Keyser, Board of Trade.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the present age of the medical officer to the Board of Inland Revenue; and what age for retirement has been fixed for the holder of this appointment.

The answers are 75 and "None."

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will arrange for the payment of post-war credits to widows of ex-Service men who were in receipt of disability pensions at the time of their death.

The question of paying post-war credits to either general or particular classes of taxpayers is one of the matters which my right hon. Friend will consider when framing his Budget proposals.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the social and economic needs of the Highlands of Scotland and the opportunities which even limited development could bring to this area and to Britain as a whole, he will reconsider the use of International Bank facilities for such development.

No.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer to what extent the Highlands of Scotland are to be included as eligible for the new Commonwealth and Empire development fund.

My hon. Friend will now have seen the communiqué issued at the close of the Commonwealth Economic Conference. The undertaking given by Her Majesty's Government to the Commonwealth Economic Conference refers to the financing of development projects in the overseas Commonwealth which are designed to improve the sterling area's balance of payments. My hon. Friend may rest assured, however, that Her Majesty's Government are fully aware of the need to facilitate the financing of similar projects within the United Kingdom.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury how many cinemas with a seating capacity of 400 or less and excluded from the rural district tax relief scheme have closed down in the last five years; and what percentage this represents of the total in this class.

I regret that information covering the period prior to 1950 is not available, but 14 of these cinemas are known to have closed down since September, 1950, while four new ones have opened. The net reduction of 10 cinemas in this category represents rather less than 3 per cent.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in view of the recent public appeals for private householders to offer accommodation in their homes or, where practicable, to let their flats or suites of rooms for use by visitors during the Coronation period in London, whether Income Tax is payable under his regulations on any rent charged for such accommodation where the householder does not normally let accommodation.

I am advised that profits derived from the letting of furnished houses or flats or furnished lodgings during the Coronation period will be liable to assessment to Income Tax under the ordinary operation of the Income Tax law, whether or not the householder normally lets such accommodation.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the average period which elapses between the deposit in Brazilian banks of cruzeiros by importers of British goods and the payment of sterling by the Bank of England to exporters in this country; whether he is aware that in some cases the delay has been as long as eight months; and if he will take steps to shorten the period and so encourage British merchants to develop trade with Brazil.

The delay in payment, in which the Bank of England are not, of course, concerned, arises from Brazil's present shortage of sterling. I know that the delay is considerable, though I am not able to give any average. As regards the last part of the Question, I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Secretary for Overseas Trade on 25th November.

asked the Minister of Agriculture to consider making a regulation under the Agricultural Holdings Act, 1948. Clause 26, Section 1 (e) to safeguard the interests of sub-tenant farmers by giving them at least the same tenure of security as tenant farmers, and by securing that where the interest of the tenant is terminated by notice to quit, the sub-tenant will hold from the landlord on terms no worse than the terms he held from the tenant.

As I told the hon. Member in answer to his Question of 23rd October, I am keeping under review the position of sub-tenants under the Act. I am not aware that any serious difficulty is being caused at present and I see no reason for making any regulation of the kind suggested.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what steps he will take to arrest the decline in the number of agricultural workers in England and Wales.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave to a similar Question by the hon. Member for Workington (Mr. Peart) on 4th December.

asked the Minister of Agriculture how many workers have left the land during 1949, 1950 and 1951, and up to the latest date in 1952; if he is aware that this drift from the land can have serious consequences to this country; and what scheme or proposals he has to deal with this situation.

According to the September returns, the number of regular agricultural workers in England and Wales fell by 7,500 between 1949 and 1950, by 14,700 between 1950 and 1951 and by 20,300 between 1951 and 1952. As regards the second and third parts of the Question, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to a similar Question by the hon. Member for Workington (Mr. Peart) on 4th December.

asked the Minister of Agriculture to publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT the acreage under sugar-beet in Sussex, Surrey, Kent and Hampshire in 1950, 1951, 1952 and the estimated acreage for 1953; and if he will give the main reasons for the fluctuations.

With regard to the second part of the Question, conditions in the sowing season cause minor fluctuations from year to year. I think that a main reason for the reduction in the sugar-beet acreage in 1952 was the increasing popularity of fodder beet.

SUGAR BEET ACREAGES
—	1950*	1951*	1952*	1953†
East Sussex	924	1,072	940	1,000
West Sussex	4,434	4,479	4,073	4,300
Surrey	457	509	433	550
Kent	1,583	1,700	1,347	1,600
Hants	2,579	2,748	2,599	2,750
* Estimated acreages extracted from annual Agricultural Returns.
† County Quota Allocation.

asked the Minister of Agriculture to make a statement on the causes of the recent outbreak of fowl pest.

The main reason for the large increase in the number of cases of fowl pest reported in recent weeks is that an outbreak occurred in a large hatchery and rearing plant near Halifax from which a considerable number of movements of stock had taken place before the presence of disease was recognised. These movements account for 129 of the 183 outbreaks that have occurred since 28th November. Of the other 54 outbreaks during this period, 33 appear to have spread from known outbreaks. Origins of the remaining 21 and of the outbreak at Halifax remain obscure, though inquiries are continuing.

asked the Minister of Agriculture to make a statement about fowl pest in Wales, with particular reference to the number of counties involved.

Wales was free from fowl pest from July, 1951 until 26th November this year. Since that date there have been 15 outbreaks as shown in the following table:

Brecon	3
Caernarvon	1
Cardigan	1
Carmarthen	1
Glamorgan	4
Monmouth	2
Pembroke	1
Radnor	2

Of these outbreaks, 14 are believed to be connected with the recent large outbreak near Halifax, and one with an outbreak in Sussex. Approximately 880 birds have been slaughtered and the compensation involved amounts to about £1,000.The usual steps have been taken to slaughter affected birds and their contacts, and to disinfect premises. I hope that this will prove effective in again freeing Wales from the disease.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what steps he is taking to assist the fishermen of Tollesbury, Essex, most of whom are now unemployed owing to their inability to find an adequate market for their catches of sprats.

As a result of an approach by the White Fish Authority, the Herring Industry Board are offering a price of £9 10s. per ton for surplus sprats delivered to their reduction factories from ports on the north shore of the Thames Estuary. The Tollesbury fishermen have been notified of this offer.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what alterations he proposes to make in the feedingstuffs ration scheme in respect of poultry, to accompany the free market in eggs next spring.

Ration scales have been announced for the months January to April. Any arrangements for the following period will be considered in the light of all relevant factors and published as long as possible before the period begins.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if increased rations of chick mash will be issued next spring to allow more pullets to be reared for winter egg production.

I cannot now alter ration scales announced on 20th November for January to April next. But the Secretary of State for Scotland and I have arranged with the Minister of Food that supplies of national baby chick food will not be restricted as hitherto to these special chick food coupons, but will also be available from 1st January next on presentation of ordinary protein and cereal coupons. For example, poultry farmers who have delivered eggs to packing stations will be able to use their bonus coupons to draw extra supplies of chick mash if they wish.

asked the Minister of Agriculture to give an assurance that the discussions now proceeding on the future organisation of potato marketing will not affect in any way the guarantees of price and market already announced to cover the 1953 potato crop.

I readily give this assurance. The guarantee of price and market following the last Annual Review are binding commitments and any changes in the arrangements could only be made by agreement with the producers' representatives.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if the review now being undertaken of the agricultural education facilities provided by the National Agricultural Advisory Service and local authorities will include consideration of fusion of all agricultural education under the auspices of the agricultural colleges and farm institutes.

No. The Working Party, of which my noble friend Lord Carrington is Chairman, will be concerned with ways and means of improving the co-operation between local education authorities and the advisory services of my Department within the framework of the present system. I do not think that this is the time to consider wide changes in that system.

asked the Minister of Agriculture to direct the attention of the labour department of the Berkshire Agricultural Executive Committee to the shortage of English labour on the Harwell farm, owned by Grove Farms, Limited, with a view to replacing the foreign workers by Englishmen.

No. It is not the function of county agricultural executive committees to submit workers for employment with individual employers.

asked the Minister of Agriculture the total number of cottages at the Harwell farm, Berkshire, owned by Grove Farms, Limited; and how many are occupied by foreign workers.

Apart from reports in the Press, I have no information on this subject.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, if he will give an assurance that when the subsidies on imported feedingstuffs end the increased cost of stock rearers will be fully taken account of in the next following annual Price Review in accordance with the provisions of Part I of the Agriculture Act, 1947.

If these subsidies should be terminated, I can assure my hon. and gallant Friend that in accordance with established procedure the consequential increases in cost of production would be taken into account along with all the other relevant factors.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what persons or body of persons, apart from those nominated or appointed by him, take part in the actual inquiry before he decides to make an order for acquisition in accordance with Schedule 1 (4) (2) of the Acquisition of Land (Authorisation Procedure) Act. 1946.

I appoint the person to hold the inquiry. Any owner, lessee, or occupier who has duly made an objection which is not withdrawn and any person appearing to the Inspector to have relevant matters to bring before him may be heard.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been recruited for Civil Defence in Kent.

Up to the end of November, 8,258 people had been recruited to the Civil Defence Corps in the geographical county of Kent.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what superannuation scheme exists for non-established civil servants employed at Civil Defence schools.

Unestablished civil servants at Civil Defence schools are in the same position as other unestablished civil servants. They receive no pension, but Section 39 of the Superannuation Act, 1949, permits the award of a gratuity on retirement or resignation after not less than seven years continuous service.

asked the Seceretary of State for the Home Department to make a statement with regard to the status of industrial Civil Defence.

Problems affecting industrial and commercial Civil Defence units (including those formed by the nationalised industries) have been discussed with those concerned through the medium of the Industrial Panel of the Civil Defence Joint Planning Staff, and agreement has been reached on the principles to govern the status of those units in relation to the Civil Defence Corps and allied services.No statutory authority is needed to provide for the organisation and training of units to carry out Civil Defence duties at their places of work in the event of war; and the larger employers of labour in the major built-up areas are cooperating to organise such units on a voluntary basis following suggestions made in Civil Defence Industrial Bulletin No. 1, which was published in June, 1951. The progress so far made is encouraging.Civil defence units which are formed in compliance with the principles set out in that Bulletin will constitute the Industrial Civil Defence Service. These units will not be part of the Civil Defence Corps, but will be trained on similar lines to the Corps and will operate in close association with it. I am arranging for a badge to be designed incorporating the letters "I.C.D.S.," and on application by any undertaking complying with the conditions set out in the Bulletin a certificate will be issued in my name or that of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland authorising the undertaking to issue these badges to the members of its civil defence unit.If those responsible for the organisation of such Civil Defence units propose to provide uniform for their members, my right hon. Friend and I would suggest that it should take the form of the standard battledress tunic, trousers (or skirt) and beret, with the Service badge and the name of the undertaking.It will be part of these arrangements that units authorised to wear the I.C.D.S. badge will follow advice on training and organisation given from time to time by the Home Departments, and will be prepared to give all reasonable and practical co-operation to the Home Departments and to the Civil Defence Corps Authority in whose area the undertaking is situated.Detailed arrangements to implement these principles will appear after further consultation as a Civil Defence Industrial Bulletin. It is clear that the Industrial Civil Defence Service will need to absorb only a fraction of the persons working in industry and commerce, and my right hon. Friend and I hope that those not needed for industrial units will be encouraged by their employers to join the Civil Defence Corps or one of the allied services.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department to give sympathetic consideration to the appeal by the National Association of Retired Police Officers for an amendment of the Police Pension Regulations in favour of widows of police officers who died before 6th April, 1949.

I am glad to say that many police widows whose husbands died before 6th April, 1949, will have their pensions increased under the Police Pensions Regulations, 1952, which are now in operation. For the reasons which were explained when these Regulations were debated on 9th December, however, I have not felt justified in granting all the increases urged by the Association.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements are made throughout the country for the special training of male and female police constables who may be required to examine children involved in possible criminal proceedings.

Detailed instruction on the examination of children who may be involved in criminal proceedings is included in the 13 weeks' course which all newly appointed constables, men and women, receive at the District Police Training Centres.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations have been made to him by local authorities for the introduction of legislation banning the sale of rubber coshes and other potential weapons now being sold as toys; and what reply he has made.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he proposes to arrange for an analysis of cases of persons convicted of crimes of violence against the person for the post-war years 1946 to 1951.

I assume that my hon. and gallant Friend has in mind an analysis on the same lines as the analyses of cases of persons convicted of robbery with violence and kindred offences during the periods 1921–1930 and 1931–1940, which were given in the Report of the Departmental Committee on Corporal Punishment and in the Return to an Address in another place in July, 1951. The main object of those enquiries was to compare the subsequent records of those offenders who were sentenced to corporal punishment and those who were not. It is too soon to examine the subsequent records of those convicted in the years 1946–1948, and there would be no object in making such an examination in the case of those convicted in the years 1949–1951, when corporal punishment could no longer be ordered by the courts. If my hon. and gallant Friend has in mind a wider inquiry into crimes of violence generally, I would refer him to the reply given on 20th November to a question by my hon. Friend the Member for Croydon, East (Sir H. Williams).

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many attendance centres have been provided under Section 48 (2) of the Criminal Justice Act, 1948.

Eight. Four more will open next month and a number of others are in various stages of preparation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department to consult with his colleagues with a view to ensuring that all public Government inquiries held in districts where the Welsh language is spoken are conducted by officers who have an adequate knowledge of Welsh.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department to consult with his colleagues with a view to ensuring that all public government inquiries held in districts where the Welsh language is spoken will be invariably conducted by officers who are chosen for their qualifications to hold such inquiries, whether they speak Welsh or not; and whether he will bear in mind that so long as justice is done to Wales, most Welsh people do not mind if it is done in English or in Welsh.

I will certainly consult with my colleagues on this question, but I am bound to say that I foresee some difficulty in making an arrangement of the kind suggested by the hon. Member for Caernarvon (Mr. G. Roberts) where the subject-matter of the inquiry is one which requires expert technical qualifications on the part of the person who conducts it. My colleagues and I fully appreciate the importance of making arrangements for the services of interpreters when it is known that evidence will be given in Welsh, and do so.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Yugoslav subjects are now resident in this country who came here during the war; how many who came here since the war; how many have refused to go back; and how many of all these categories have become British subjects or have applied for citizenship.

It is estimated that over 8,000 of the 8,743 aliens who, as at 30th June, 1952, were registered with the police as of Yugoslav nationality came to the United Kingdom since 1947 as European volunteer workers from displaced persons camps in Europe. Two hundred and sixty-three Yugoslays have been granted certificates of naturalisation since 1945. I regret that the other information requested is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what extra restrictions will be imposed upon Yugoslav subjects resident in this country since they had to escape from Yugoslavia after the German invasion in the last war and joined us in the war effort, because of security measures being undertaken in connection with the forthcoming visit to this country of Marshal Tito.

Certain security measures will, of course, be taken as a precaution, but it does not follow that these measures will necessarily involve the placing of special restrictions on Yugo-slays or other aliens either as a class or individually. The security authorities will no doubt bring to my notice any case where they think special precautions are necessary.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why extra precautions have been taken by the police at Westminster Abbey.

I am informed that the Commissioner of Police took this step in case an attempt was made to remove or damage the Coronation Stone.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will lift the ban on the naturalisation of ex-enemy prisoners of war.

I will deal with applications for naturalisation from former prisoners of war when those Poles who actively served the Allied cause during the war have had a reasonable opportunity of applying, and when I am satisfied that the applications can be dealt with without prejudice to those of others who might be regarded as having a prior claim. I am watching the position closely, but I regret that I am not at present in a position to make any further statement.

asked the Minister of of National Insurance how many of the fishermen of Tollesbury, Essex, are now in receipt of National Assistance.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Minister of National Insurance to give an estimate of what it would cost to give retirement pensions at 58 years of age to spinsters who feel they must retire at that age.

The hon. Member's suggestion involves so many unknown factors that it is not really possible to give an estimate of what the cost would be if it were adopted.