asked the Minister of Works whether he will consider a return to the use of the 3½ inch brick in Scotland.

This is primarily a matter for the brickmakers and the building industry in Scotland. My information is that the adoption of the standard 2⅞ inch brick in Scotland has been fully justified by results.

asked the Minister of Works if he will place a plaque in some suitable position in Westminster Hall to mark the occasion when, on the night of the l0th-llth May, 1941, the right hon. Gentleman the Member for Kelvingrove, together with Mr. Victor M. R. Goodman and Chief Superintendent C. P. McDuell took a leading and decisive part in the fire fighting which saved Westminster Hall from destruction.

Many great events have taken place in Westminster Hall. It is generally agreed that the beauty and nobility of the Hall are in part due to the absence of monuments and decoration. If it is thought fitting to commemorate the valuable services rendered to the Palace of Westminster on the night of 10th May, 1941, a suitable site for a plaque might be found outside the Hall. I should like time to take the opinion of hon. Members on my hon. and gallant Friend's interesting suggestion.

asked the Minister of Works whether, in view of the acute housing shortage in mid-Glamorgan, he will reconsider his decision to use the Pencoed Hostel for storage purposes; and whether he will give orders that the present destruction of good living accommodation for up to 1,000 persons shall cease immediately.

No. The decision to use Pencoed Hostel for storage was made over two years ago, and the accommodation has been converted for the purpose as the hostel numbers have declined. Most of the property is now converted and only 106 occupants remain. Reconversion would be an expensive and uneconomic proposition and new building for storage would be required in addition.

asked the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the changes now agreed in the form of the Coronation Oath.

I am circulating below copies of the first part of the Coronation Oath as taken by King George VI in 1937 and as to be taken by The Queen on 2nd June next. The remainder of the Oath is unchanged.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works, as representing the Lord President of the Council, what research is being made into the problem of fluorine gas contamination of the atmosphere, resulting from the firing of sanitary and other ware in continuous kilns; and whether he will make a statement on the effects of the inhalation of this gas by human beings.

In 1947 the British Pottery Research Association, which is now part of the British Ceramic Research Association, completed a thorough investigation of this problem. Their recommendations for the avoidance of the nuisance were agreed to and published by the Chief Inspector of Alkali Works in his report for that year. As regards the second part of the Question, fluorine gas does not occur free in nature and when given off in an industrial process quickly combines with the moisture in the air to form hydrogen fluoride. If hydrogen fluoride is present in sufficient concentration it causes irritation of the eyes and respiratory system. I am advised that no record can be found of cases of hydrogen fluoride poisoning in this country.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works, as representing the Lord President of the Council, what progress has been made in the setting up of committees to advise on the study of human factors in industry.

My noble Friend has now approved the appointment of the two joint committees recommended by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research and the Medical Research Council. The Committee on Individual Efficiency will be under the Chairmanship of Sir Frederic Bartlett, lately Professor of Experimental Psychology at the University of Cambridge. Mr. A. B. Waring, Chairman and Managing Director of Joseph Lucas Industries Limited, will be Chairman of the Committee on Human Relations.I am circulating below particulars of the membership of the joint committees; the terms of reference have recently been published in the Annual Report of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research for 1951–52.Any action on recommendations by the committees will be taken by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research and the Medical Research Council severally or jointly according to the field or fields to which they relate.On matters relating to industrial health the Medical Research Council will continue to be advised by their own special committees; but in order to secure cooperation on technological aspects, the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research will appoint assessors to these committees where appropriate.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works, as representing the Lord President of the Council, if he is now able to make a statement on the new lines of research into the incidence of lung cancer among gas workers to be undertaken by the Medical Research Council.

The Medical Research Council have been in consultation with the medical officers of those gas boards which have a full-time medical officer with a view to an investigation into the occupational and medical histories of gas workers. An investigation of the type contemplated would necessarily take several years to complete and early results cannot be expected.

asked the Minister of Labour if he is aware that the number of those unemployed for more than eight weeks in Scotland represents a higher percentage of the wholly unemployed than in any other region in the United Kingdom; and what steps the Government are prepared to take in the immediate future to solve this problem.

Yes. Employment exchanges will continue their efforts to assist unemployed persons to get work. I would refer the hon. Member to what my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade said during the debate on Development Areas and distribution of industry on 25th February last about the Government's employment policy and the steps being taken to increase employment in Scotland.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will now state when he proposes to implement the recommendations of the Rees Committee Report for the baking industry

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. and learned Friend on 26th February to the hon. Member for Newton (Mr. Lee).

asked the Minister of Labour (1) what consideration he has given to the appointment of an officer to find suitable employment for blind persons in Scotland; and what decision he has reached;(2) what meetings he has had with interested organisations regarding the employment of blind persons in Scotland: and with what results.

The Department of Health for Scotland and my Department have arranged for a conference of local authorities and others concerned with the welfare of the blind in Scotland to be held on 14th April to consider the application in Scotland of the recommendations contained in Chapter VII of the Report of the Working Party on the Employment of Blind Persons. The question of the appointment of a specialist placing officer for blind persons in Scotland will be discussed by the conference.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware of growing unemployment among fishermen in the Girvan area; and what steps he is taking to provide employment for them.

The present unemployment among fishermen in Girvan is seasonal and is about the level of recent years. It is very difficult to find alternative work for a group of fishermen during the off season but the employment exchange will do its best to assist them.

asked the Minister of Labour why recruitment for training for the coal mines has been stopped.

The recruitment of inexperienced men has been stopped or restricted in certain areas where the demands for this type of worker have been substantially met. This suspension does not apply to boys wishing to enter the mining industry, who are particularly welcome.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is satisfied that sufficient supplies of heavy equipment, such as creeper tractors fitted with winches, are available to enable Scottish woodlands to be cleared of blown timber before deterioration sets in.

So far as can be foreseen at present, sufficient heavy equipment can be made available. Arrangements are being made to place suitable equipment where required. The position will be kept under review.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will investigate the possibility of using a proportion of blown Scottish timber for the manufacture of pulp and synthetic fibres.

It is expected that all the blown timber will be absorbed through normal trade channels. Special measures in respect of the manufacture of pulp and synthetic fibres do not appear to be necessary.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is aware that, six weeks after the gale, the bulk of the blown timber in the North-East of Scotland has not been sold; that no agreement has yet been reached for a flat railway rate for timber transportation, or for the amount of timber that will be taken by the National Coal Board; that licences are still being refused for the purchase of blown timber of narrow width; and what steps he is taking to deal with this urgent problem.

I have kept in close touch with the position. As my right hon. and learned Friend the Home Secretary stated in the House yesterday, the Government have decided to help financially with arrangements designed to ensure that the timber is cleared before it deteriorates. Details of these arrangements are now being worked out and I will make a statement as soon as possible. With regard to licensing of sawn softwoods, any timber user who holds a consumer licence may use it for any type of softwood, including wind blown timber.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland his present plans for making the timber blown down in Scotland during the recent great storm available to British factories for productive purposes.

Steps are being taken to ensure the speedy conversion and marketing of this timber. As my right hon. Friend the Minister of Materials informed the hon. and learned Member yesterday, special arrangements are being made about the issue of consumption licences.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland to make a statement on the future of Newhills Sanatorium, Newhills, Aberdeenshire.

I have approved a proposal, on which the North-Eastern Regional Hospital Board and Aberdeen Corporation are both agreed in principle, that Newhills Sanatorium should be conveyed to the Corporation for welfare purposes. The Board are satisfied that they can replace the 24 beds at Newhills in other hospitals. The Corporation will use Newhills for accommodating certain of the residents at present in the Glenburn Wing of Woodend Hospital and this will release more beds for chronic and aged sick there. The object of this rearrangement of accommodation is to make more effective use of existing premises for hospital and for welfare purposes.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what experiments have been carried out in the drying of grass by electricity; how far this has proved successful and economic; and what steps are being taken to make facilities available to small farmers and crofters.

For several years the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board have conducted experiments in the drying of hay and grass, of which details are given on page 22 of their Report for 1952. I understand that additional plants are being provided in 1953, and that it is proposed to experiment with a plant at Plockton which can be used by small farmers and crofters on a community basis. The process is, however, still in the development stage.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on his discussions about land drainage with farmers' and landowners' associations and local authorities, and about new proposals to deal with the problems which have emerged from a review of his discussions.

Possible lines of approach to this problem have been discussed with the associations to which my hon. Friend refers, and I am at present considering the position in the light of observations by the local authorities' associations. I propose to have further discussions with all the interests concerned. I cannot at this stage make a statement on the matters to be discussed.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what evidence he has of large herring shoals this winter north of Shetland.

Traces of large shoals, believed to be herring, were obtained in the latter half of January, 10 to 15 miles north-east of the Muckle Flugga during experimental asdic trials arranged by my Department. More recently fair quantities of large herring have been landed by white fish trawlers in Aberdeen from grounds to the north-west of Flugga.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is aware that a number of crofter-fishermen in Caithness and Sutherland lost their small fishing craft in the storm and flooding of 30th-31st January and that in other cases they suffered serious damage; and, as it never has been the practice to insure such craft, if he will state from what fund Her Majesty's Government have arranged for the cost of rebuilding or repairing of craft and engines to be met.

Crofter fishermen whose uninsured boats were damaged by the storm may apply to the local committee of the Lord Mayor's Fund whose addresses I gave on 12th March in reply to a Question asked by my hon. Friend. I understand that some such claims have already been made.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how soon he will be in a position to state when any re-organisation in West Coast of Scotland steamer or cargo services is to be made.

Proposals for the reorganisation of the West Highland cargo services maintained by Messrs. David MacBrayne, Ltd., are at present being considered by the Advisory Panel on the Highlands and Islands, and I am not yet in a position to say when any re-organisation of the services will take place.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland, for each year since the Act became operative, how many applications have been made by local authorities and by private owners, respectively, to carry out works of modernisation or improvement under the provisions of the Housing (Scotland) Act, 1949; in how many cases these works have been proceeded with; and what has been the total amount paid out by the Treasury in respect of them.

I have received proposals from local authorities for improvements which would provide about 550 houses, but supporting information has

TABLE
PART 1: LOCAL AUTHORITY IMPROVEMENTS
—	Applications approved Number of resultant houses	Total amount of annual contributions promised	Total amount of annual contributions paid
	£	£	£
1949	—	—	—
1950	40	1,076	33
1951	53	1,619	220
1952	78	3,230	760
1953 (to 19th March)	47	2,412	—

PART II: PRIVATE IMPROVEMENTS
—			Applications approved Number of resultant houses	Total amount of grants promises	Total amount of annual Exchequer contributions paid
			£	£	£
1949	…	…	—	—	—
1950	…	…	340	81,272	—
1951	…	…	681	155,175	181
1952	…	…	830	194,784	1,236
1953	…	…		(Not available)

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many appeals he received in 1952 from parents against decisions of local education authorities' promotion boards, based on the results of promotion examinations, as to the course of study to be followed by a child at a secondary school; how many he allowed; how many he disallowed; and how many he referred back to the local education authority or promotion board with or without a recommendation.

Thirteen appeals were received. In seven cases the decision of the education authority was confirmed and in five the authority were informed that I was unable to confirm their opinion that the pupil showed no reasonable promise of profiting from the course desired by the parent and were asked to

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what arrangements he has made to facilitate the exchange of teachers and students between Scotland and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation countries.

Arrangements for the exchange of teachers with Canada and the U.S.A. and for the exchange of teachers and students with France have been in operation for many years. Arrangements for exchanges with Norway were brought to the attention of Scottish teachers in 1952; but so far no Scottish teachers have been exchanged under these arrangements.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the total value of school kitchen equipment now standing idle; what is the sum, expressed as a percentage, of the total cost of all such equipment; and what is the estimated annual cost of its maintenance.

£50,000, or approximately 5 per cent. of the total cost of equipment. Maintenance is normally undertaken by the school meals staff as part of their ordinary duties and any additional expenditure is negligible.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) the national weekly decrease in the number of school meals consumed since the recent price increase was imposed; and what these figures represent as percentages of the total number of meals consumed in each of the last two weeks in February, 1953;(2) the total number of school meals consumed in each week of February, 1953, in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Dundee and the counties of Fife, Lanark, Ayrshire and Midlothian, respectively; and what were the corresponding figures for each of the first two weeks in March, 1953.

I have already asked education authorities for a special return of the number of children taking meals in April in addition to the census which will be taken in October. They are at present engaged in bringing the new arrangements for remission of charges into operation, and I should not feel justified in asking them to undertake the additional work which would be necessary to enable me to answer these questions.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the present position in regard to the shortage of certificated teachers in Scottish schools; and whether any improvement has taken place during the past year.

In paragraph 13 of the report on the supply of teachers in Scotland (Cmd. 8721) it is estimated that at 1st October, 1951, there was a shortage of 2,329 certificated teachers. Between that date and 1st October, 1952, though the number of certificated teachers employed rose by 583, the estimated shortage increased by 158. The following is a table indicating how the estimates were made.

CERTIFICATED TEACHERS IN SCOTTISH SCHOOLS AND ESTABLISHMENTS
—	1951	1952	Increase to Decrease
Number of pupils	793,996	812,669	+	18,673
Number of certificated teachers employed	32,414	32,997	+	583
ADDITIONAL STAFF REQUIRED
To fill vacancies	681	812	+	131
To replace uncertifi-cated teachers	771	769	—	2
To replace retired teachers re-engaged	195	267	+	72
To replace certificated married women teachers wishing replacement	382	339	-	43
To constitute a reserve of teachers for relief purposes	300	300	-
TOTAL	2,329	2,487	+	158

asked the Minister of Pensions whether he will convene another meeting of the Central Advisory Committee before the publication of the White Paper on the amalgamation of his Department with that of National Insurance.

Yes. My hon. Friend has arranged an early meeting of the Committee.

asked the Secretary of State for War how the proportion of Territorials representing their units in London on Coronation Day compares with the proportion of Regulars other than the Guards.

Excluding troops of the Household Brigade who will be escorting Her Majesty to Westminster Abbey, the Territorial Army and the Army Emergency Reserve will provide about 44 per cent. of the officers and men of the British Army on ceremonial duty on Coronation Day.

asked the Secretary of State for War the nature Of the security reasons which his Department has invoked to support its demand that certain recreation lands at Eastern Kings and Western Kings, Stonehouse, Plymouth, should be taken over by the War Office; and whether he will consider withdrawing this demand.

The land at Eastern Kings is permanently occupied and controlled by the Admiralty. I understand that the local commanding officer has discretion to allow members of the Old Plymouth Society and other interested persons or organised parties to have access during hours of daylight and at their own risk to the old tower and other historic remains there; access for the public generally cannot be extended beyond that now allowed.The land at Western Kings is owned by the Admiralty who before the war under an agreement of 1905 with the local council made it available as a recreation ground for the public. During and since the war, however, the War Office has installed there a good deal of valuable equipment. Consequently this land has recently been transferred permanently to the War Office and, to ensure the security of the equipment, steps have been taken to recognise the changed situation by terminating the prewar agreement. It is unfortunately impracticable under present conditions to make other arrangements.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will appoint an independent inquiry to review the land within the boundary of the city of Plymouth now held by the War Office; and whether he will empower such an inquiry to make recommendations about how much of this land could be restored to the people of Plymouth without interfering with the legitimate needs of the War Office.

No. As my center hon. Friend stated in reply to a similar Question on 30th July last year, he sees no reason for such a special survey. I have since that date dealt fully in correspondence with the use of a particular area which the hon. Member brought to my notice, and I am ready to look into the use of any other special area that the hon. Member may have in mind.

asked the Secretary of State for War the estimated capital expenditure in his Department on Scotland in 1953–54; and what are the main projects.

The estimated capital expenditure by the War Department in Scotland in 1953–54 is some £1,658,000. Of this, about £958,000 has been allocated to the Regular Army and £700,000 to the Territorial Army. These figures include married quarters built under the Armed Forces (Housing) Loan but exclude maintenance. The main projects are anti-aircraft gun sites, the reconstruction and extension of an Ordnance Depot begun in 1952, the provision of new accommodation begun in 1951 to replace hutting for a headquarters, married quarters for officers and other ranks, and Territorial Army centres.

asked the Secretary of State for War how far the introduction of the Centurion Tank will call for changes in the type of load-carrying capacity of existing bridging equipment and the war establishments of bridging units; and what is the estimated additional cost in men, money and materials.

The introduction of the Centurion tank necessitated various modifications to the normal Bailey Bridge equipment which was used so successfully in the last war. These modifications involved widening the roadway of the bridge and increasing its load-carrying capacity by widening and strengthening existing transoms and decking and the provision of a few ancillary parts. The cost of conversion of the Army's bridging equipment, including war reserves, will be about £1,650,000. No increase in engineer manpower or in vehicles is called for by this change.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what steps he takes to ensure that there is no undue delay in the publication of any report from the Monopolies Commission.

It is my center hon. Friend's policy to lay these reports before Parliament in accordance with the provisions of Section 9 of the Monopolies and Restrictive Practices (Inquiry and Control) Act, 1948, as quickly as possible.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what number of persons, men and women separately, were employed in North-Eastern Trading Estate Company factories in Sunderland on the latest available date.

On 28th February, 1953, 1,533 men and boys and 3,570 women and girls, making a total of 5,103, were employed in these factories.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what number of persons, men and women separately, are employed in North-Eastern Trading Estate Company factories.

I cannot yet give the hon. Member later figures than those which I gave him on 23rd January.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what steps he proposes to encourage independent firms to erect factories for new industries in Lanarkshire provided the companies concerned put up their own capital.

We shall be happy to consider with the companies concerned any proposals for building factories in places which need additional employment, whether in Lanarkshire or elsewhere, and to give all the help we can.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the fact that the system of export licences for spare parts is having an adverse effect on our export trade, since it retards prompt service of machinery to buyers overseas, he will consider instead issuing blanket export licences up to a given limit to cover immediate supplies of essential spare parts for servicing abroad the various kinds of British manufactured machines.

In general, spare parts for servicing machinery may be exported without licence, but for security reasons it is not possible to allow uncontrolled exports in all cases. My center hon. Friend is prepared to consider on its merits any application for a blanket licence to cover urgent demands.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set up a committee, on the lines of the May Committee, to inquire and report to him and to this House ways in which Government and local government expenditure should, and can, be reduced.

No.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the purpose of an increased grant in aid to the Arts Council of £110,000 in the Civil Estimates, 1953–54.

To enable the Arts Council to maintain their activities.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the United Kingdom's average annual income from investments overseas in the years 1909–13, 1919–38 and 1946–52.

For those of the years concerned for which official estimates are available, the figures of net United Kingdom income from overseas investments are:

		£ million
1910	…	187
1913	…	210
1920	…	200
1922–38 average	…	206
1946-mid 1952 average	…	88

Net United Kingdom income means United Kingdom income from overseas investments less overseas income from investments in the United Kingdom. The estimates for 1910–38 differ in method and scope from those for 1946–52, as will be seen from the Board of Trade Journal, where the earlier, and from Cmd. 8201, 8505 and 8666, where the later, estimates were published. A major difference is that income from the overseas operations of the United Kingdom oil companies is excluded for 1946–52.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why antiseptic fluids based on D.C.M.X. are subject to Purchase Tax when supplied to hospitals.

Because they have not been recommended by my center hon. Friend the Minister of Health for inclusion in the list of exempt substances, nor have succeeded in securing inclusion in any of the standard publications specified in Part II of the Eighth Schedule to the Finance Act, 1948.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury what untaxable allowances are paid to what categories of persons out of the Consolidated Fund or out of moneys provided by Parliament.

The following payments are specifically exempted from Income Tax under the Sections of the Income Tax Act, 1952, mentioned:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the net income received by a Member of Parliament after payment of normal taxation at the time on his gross salary of £400 per annum, in 1911, £600 in 1937 and £1,000 in 1946, and at the latest stated date, using as the basis, normal tax reliefs allowed to a married man with one child.

Assuming that the Member has no other income, the figures are as follows:

—			Gross income	Net income after tax
			£	£
1911–12	…	…	400	391
1937–38	…	…	600	582
1946–47	…	…	1,000	775
1952–53	…	…	1,000	885

Except in 1911–12 the tax has been calculated on the assumption that a deduction of £100 from the gross salary would be claimed for expenses. To the extent that the expenses claimed exceeded that amount the tax would be reduced and the net income after tax increased.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury how many officials are now authorised by the various Departments of the Government to enter the homes of the people without a warrant; and how this figure compares with the year 1949.

I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Lancaster (Mr. F. Maclean) on 11th December last, of which I am sending him a copy. This compared the figures for December, 1952, with those for June, 1951. There has been no significant change since December last, and I regret that a comparable figure for 1949 is not available.

asked the Minister of Materials whether he will take steps to augment the supply of bird-scaring ropes to farmers in Kent whose winter-sown crops are being raided by rooks and gulls.

The seasonal rush of orders for these ropes has coincided this year with very heavy demands, including important export orders for fireworks for Coronation celebrations, and also with the recent flooding in Kent of one of the principal manufacturers of bird-scaring ropes. I am, however, informed that this firm expects to resume limited production shortly, and assurances have been given that they and the other manufacturers concerned will do everything possible to expedite the delivery of bird-scaring ropes. If in the meantime the hon. Member will let me have particulars of any cases of special difficulty I will certainly see what can be done to help.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will give an undertaking not to initiate or approve any proposal to destroy the trees in any of the London squares in order to form car parks or for any other purpose.

I assume that my hon. and learned Friend is referring to the report of the Working Party on Car Parking in Inner London. This report requires the most careful consideration and if accepted would entail legislation. All relevant factors including the traditional appearance of the squares will be taken fully into account before the Government's policy is decided.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air the numbers of the three fighter squadrons in the Royal Air Force which achieved the highest totals of enemy aircraft destroyed in all theatres during World War II; and if he will state the individual total of No. 249 Squadron.

It is sometimes possible to assess with some accuracy, after an examination of enemy records, the number of aircraft destroyed in a particular campaign. I regret, however, that it is not possible to give official figures, as distinct from "claims," for the total number of aircraft destroyed during the war by any particular squadron or by any particular pilot. No. 249 Squadron claim to have destroyed 244 enemy aircraft during the war. This is one of the highest claims.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the existing amount of the Colonial Development and Welfare Fund; and what is the amount of the fund that has been allocated to approved schemes of development in Colonial Territories since 1st January, 1953.

£140 million and £3,162,539.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what liaison is maintained by his Department with the colonial departments of other countries which have overseas possessions or associated territories.

Increasingly close relations are maintained between officials of my Department and those of other Governments concerned with the administration of overseas territories both by correspondence and by meetings. The Commission for Technical Co-operation in Africa South of the Sahara (C.C.T.A.), in particular, provides opportunities for co-operation and liaison between governments responsible for the administration of territories in Africa South of the Sahara. The Overseas Territories Committee of the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation (O.E.E.C.), on which the colonial departments of all member countries having responsibilities for overseas territories are directly represented, provides a useful link on economic questions of particular interest to these overseas territories. In addition, special arrangements exist for liaison between the Colonial Office and the Ministry of Overseas France.