asked the Minister of Works at what temperature and humidity he keeps the atmosphere of the Chamber and the remainder of the new building.

The air conditioning plant enables us to maintain the air in the Chamber, the immediately adjoining Lobbies and in the two floors below at a fairly steady temperature. Normally we maintain a temperature of 66 degrees and a relative humidity of 55 per cent. In the course of late sittings the temperature is gradually raised so that it probably reaches 70 degrees by about 6 a.m.

The air in the Chamber is completely changed six times each hour. As soon as a Division is called, the influx of air is directed into the Aye and No Lobbies. It is difficult to avoid a substantial increase in temperature if several Divisions follow immediately as 10 human bodies have the same heating effect as a 1 kilowatt electric fire.

asked the Minister of Works what complaints he has received that the Chamber and adjacent rooms are usually too hot.

From time to time I receive complaints that the Chamber is either too hot or too cold, but since the investigation made at my request last Whitsuntide by Dr. Bedford of the Council of Medical Research they have been fewer. I hope that we have now arrived by trial and error at a temperature, humidity and circulation of the air in the Chamber which is agreeable to the majority of Members.

Is my hon. Friend aware that the present conditions of heating and ventilation give almost universal satisfaction, and would he convey this message to his staff?

I am very much obliged to my hon. and gallant Friend and, as the engineers have given a great deal of time and thought to this matter, I am sure they will be much gratified when I convey his message to them.

asked the Minister of Works in what proportions the building labour force and building materials are distributed in the construction of housing accommodation, factories, schools and hospitals; and what the comparative proportions were in October, 1951.

On the distribution of building labour, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the right hon. Member for Leeds, South (Mr. Gaitskell) on 3rd March, 1953. Building labour for hospitals would account for less than I per cent. of the total. No figures of the distribution of building materials are available, but the proportions may be assumed to follow broadly the figures for labour.

Is it possible to increase the amount of building materials and labour particularly for schools and hospital development, as there has been in the past 12 months a very substantial reduction in the amount of building?

It follows the investment programme, and to the best of my information this is slightly bigger this year than last year.

Can the right hon. Gentleman explain how, in the transfer of labour to housing, there has been such a large decrease in the amount of labour devoted to the repair and maintenance of existing buildings, which is almost sensational according to his returns?

The explanation is quite simple. It is that the war damage has gradually come to an end, as the right hon. Gentleman can see from the figures issued by the War Damage Commission.

On a point of order. May I respectfully ask you, Mr. Speaker, to call for candles?

I will see that there is more illumination.

asked the Minister of Works what steps he is taking to ensure an adequate supply of bricks and cement in East Glamorgan; and if he will make a statement.

East Glamorgan has brick and cement works which should be able to produce adequate supplies for local requirements. No complaints of brick shortages have been received, and the only complaint about a cement shortage is being investigated.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that shortages have occurred from time to time? Is he further aware that one of the largest brick works in this area is in a difficult position and has applied to the Board of Trade? Will he bring to the attention of the President of the Board of Trade the need, if possible, to keep this particular brick works in production?

If my hon. Friend will bring to my attention any shortages of bricks, I will look into them. If he will also bring to my attention the difficulties of a particular brick works, I will look into them too.

asked the Minister of Works why he will not raise the speed limit for vehicles in the Royal Parks from 20 miles per hour to 30 miles per hour.

The Royal Parks are intended primarily for rest and recreation, and I am anxious not to spoil the amenities by increasing still further the noise and disturbance from motor vehicles.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that most vehicles using the parks now disregard the 20 miles an hour limit but keep within 30 miles an hour, and would he not only be legalising what is the prevalent practice?

In the last 12 months there have been 1,300 prosecutions for speeding in the parks. It may be that my hon. Friend has been lucky so far.

Would the right hon. Gentleman have a word with the London County Council about this matter so that we may have a uniform speed limit in all the parks in the London area? In Battersea Park, for example, and other London County Council parks the speed limit is 12 miles per hour, and that makes it a little bit confusing for Londoners, and visitors, too.

My responsibility is for the Royal Parks only. I could hardly do more than ask the London County Council, but I think they must remain responsible for their parks.

asked the Minister of Works what steps he is taking to publicise the need for keeping London free during the Coronation celebrations from the blight of cigarette, ice cream and sweet cartons and other litter.

It is proposed to call special attention to this matter by broadcasting and by an announcement to which, I hope, the Press will give publicity. I hope everyone will help to keep the streets and parks clean on this great occasion.

Is the right hon. Gentleman satisfied that there will be an adequate supply of bins and baskets for receiving litter?

We have ordered special cleaners and bins for the Coronation. I cannot say that there will be enough, but I hope so.

Can the right hon. Gentleman tell us why the ice cream vendors are not entitled to exploit the Coronation just as much as the hotel proprietors? Will not the American visitors expect liberal supplies of ice cream and Coca Cola on the route?

I think we had better wait until 2nd June and see what happens.

asked the Minister of Works what special arrangements in connection with Coronation celebrations his Department have made within the Principality of Wales; and if he will make a statement.

I am arranging to decorate a few prominent Government buildings which are on the route which Her Majesty will follow during her State visit to Wales. My Department will also make the necessary arrangements for the visit to Caernarvon Castle.

While thanking my right hon. Friend for what he has said about the Royal visit to Wales, may I ask him if he will also do something to assist the celebration of the Coronation in the Principality on the actual day of the Coronation, and particularly at the greater centres of population such as Cardiff and Caernarvon?

No, Sir, I am afraid we have not enough money to spend on decorations otherwise than on the route along which Her Majesty will go.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works, as representing the Lord President of the Council, what progress has been made with the surveys of the technical resources of industrial firms carried out by the Manchester Research Council, the Department of Engineering Production at Birmingham University and the Social Survey of the Central Office of Information; and whether he will publish the results.

The Manchester Joint Research Council's survey is complete and the Council is preparing a report with a view to possible publication. The Department of Engineering Production at Birmingham University is continuing its survey under a research contract with the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. Bodies working on such contracts usually publish their results in an appropriate scientific journal. A pilot survey of the technical resources of industrial firms in two small selected areas has been carried out by the Social Survey. It is not proposed to publish a report of this survey, but the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research are considering the preparation of a general paper covering all three surveys.

In view of the very great importance of these inquiries, will the Parliamentary Secretary ask his noble Friend to see that the fullest publicity is given to the results, in whatever form it may be, but in a way that could be fully understood by industry? Will he also ask his noble Friend to ensure that the funds which are devoted to this research are not reduced, and that, in fact, further inquiries are carried out?

The Department do try to ensure that all valuable results from such surveys are available in public form, and will continue to do so. As regards the matter of finance, the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research are trying to maintain and extend the surveys they are carrying out, but the hon. Gentleman will be aware of the financial stringency which affects the D.S.I.R. as well as all other Departments.

Will the report of the Manchester Research Council be available to Members, and, if not, will the hon. Gentleman arrange to have copies placed in the Library so that the report is made available to us in that way?

I will arrange for the report, when it is published, to be made available in the Library.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he has noted that about half the number of men employed in chipping, riveting, stamping, plating and heading become deafened to speech at more than three feet after 20 years' exposure to the noise created at their work; and what steps are being taken to protect them from this type of deafness.

My Department is aware of the recent report of a committee of the Medical Research Council on the medical and surgical problems of deafness and that exposure over many years to noise above certain intensities may cause deterioration in hearing. Much research is being carried out into this question and, as announced by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works on 24th March, a committee has been set up jointly by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research and the Medical Research Council which will consider, among other things, the effect of noise in relation to human efficiency.

The harmful effects of noise on the individual can be reduced to some extent by the wearing of protective ear coverings and by eliminating injurious noise at its source by improved designs of machines and their mountings and the sound insulation of walls and ceilings; but the subject has been found to bristle with practical difficulties.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that protective ear coverings appear to be very much in their infancy and that there is not a satisfactory type available? Could he tell me if specific research is to be conducted into finding the right type of protective ear covering for these men?

Yes, that is so.

asked the Minister of Labour whether the inspectorate of his Department have noted the production of fluoride compounds as a by-product of certain industrial processes in Stoke-on-Trent and other areas; and, in this connection, what advice is given to protect the health of the workers engaged in these factories.

The Department are well aware that some processes in some industries, including some processes in earthenware trades, give rise to fumes of fluorine or its compounds. The recognised forms of protection are enclosure and ventilation arrangements to prevent the fumes from entering or accumulating in the workplaces to an extent likely to be injurious to health. The Department will continue to be on the watch for any signs that such arrangements are inadequate at particular factories.

Would the Parliamentary Secretary agree that there is need for specific research in an area like Stoke-on-Trent, where there appears to be a considerable amount of fluoride contamination, not only of the area, but of the soil by particles which are deposited on it, which we know kills cattle; and would he see that research on the human population in the vicinity takes place as soon as possible?

I know the great interest the hon. Gentleman takes in this question, but our inquiries so far seem to show that the only risk of injury is to animals and not to humans. However, we will continue to keep the matter very carefully under review.

Will the hon. Gentleman undertake to consult the various Government Departments affected? Already the Ministry of Agriculture and several other Ministries are keenly interested in this, and has not the time arrived when they should be brought together in order to take co-ordinated action?

I will look into that.

asked the Minister of Labour the figures of registered unemployed in each of the employment exchanges in the North-East of Scotland immediately before the announcement of the new policy for the area on 29th October last; and the latest available figures of registered unemployed for the same exchange areas.

I will, with permission, circulate the information in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

asked the Minister of Labour the figures of persons employed in Scotland in 1952 on work connected with re-armament.

It is estimated that at the end of 1952 some 70,000 persons were employed directly and indirectly on defence work, including research and development, in the manufacturing industries in Scotland.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is satisfied that the facilities are adequate for giving trade or occupational training to the large numbers of time-expired Regulars of all three Services, who will be discharged this year after having been retained beyond their normal engagement, if they desire such training.

Has there been any appreciable change in the unemployment figure since the implementation of this new policy; if there has been, in what direction has it been; and if there has not been, what further steps do the Government intend to take to solve this very difficult problem?

If I tried to answer that I should only show how misleading statistics so often are because, due to differing levels of unemployment at different seasons, the fact is that if the last bad peak period, which was January, 1951, is compared with the present March figure, the totals are about the same. Perhaps the hon. Gentleman had better look at the figures. They are rather detailed.

Yes, Sir, within the limits imposed by the capacity of industry to absorb adult trainees.

Will the hon. Gentleman look into this matter again? May I draw his attention to the case of one of my constituents, an ex-paratrooper with seven years seven months Regular service, who recently applied to the employment exchange at Cradley Heath with a view to being trained in the use of bulldozers and heavy vehicles of that nature, and who was told that no such facilities for training were available?

It may have been that a course of that nature was not at the moment available. If the right hon. and learned Gentleman would be kind enough to write to me, I promise him that we will look into the case most carefully.

asked the Minister of Labour the figures of National Service men called up in Scotland in 1952.

Nineteen thousand three hundred and twenty-six.

Could the hon. Gentleman say how many of them were farmers?

Not without notice.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland to acquire Ben Nevis for afforestation with a view to its ultimate use as a forest park.

The Forestry Commission have already planted parts of the lower slopes of Ben Nevis. If and when other parts suitable for afforestation become available, they will be considered for acquisition.

Would my hon. Friend not agree that Ben Nevis, our highest mountain, is a great asset to the British Isles; is he not aware that there used to be a track going up Ben Nevis, with several bridges which crossed burns, and that these bridges have fallen into very great disrepair, giving a bad impression to tourists; and does he not think that acquisition by the Forestry Commission would be one way of putting this right?

As I have said, we will consider any lands that become available, but, of course, sheep interests are involved, and I should imagine that my hon. Friend would have that in mind too.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) the most recent estimate of the total damage done to Scottish forests and woodlands by the gale of 1st February, 1953, and subsequently; and whether he is satisfied that the arrangements made will ensure orderly marketing, a fair price for the grower and the sawmiller, and an efficient and reasonably quick clearance of the ground;

(2) what additional labour force will operate in the devastated areas of Scotland to deal with timber clearance; and how many additional sawmills it is proposed to set up.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland to make a statement on the arrangements so far made for handling the fallen timber in Scotland, with particular reference to the negotiations for reduced charges on the railways and to the prices for the timber.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) whether the negotiations with the Transport Executive regarding reduced freight charges for blown timber have now reached a satisfactory conclusion;

(2) whether the National Coal Board and the Transport Commission have now agreed to purchase blown timber from the North of Scotland; and in what quantities, and at what price.

My right hon. Friend had intended to make a short comprehensive statement about the Scottish windblown timber this afternoon, but he very much regrets that some details of the arrangements which he had hoped to announce have not yet been fully worked out. He intends to make a statement before the House rises for Easter.

Could my hon. Friend give a more definite assurance on the timing of this statement? Can we have a definite assurance that a statement will be made after Question time tomorrow, and that the statement will deal with the question of freight charges?

I cannot add to what I have said. My right hon. Friend will make the statement immediately he has the information to which I have referred. Whether that will be tomorrow or Thursday, I am unable to say, but I can say that the statement he will make will cover the questions referred to by my hon. Friend.

Will my hon. Friend bear in mind that, while we on this side of the House all agree that the statement should be comprehensive, there is no unanimity about it being short, and we hope that we shall have an absolutely full statement dealing with this problem? As the time of the House is not at stake and there is no reason why the statement should be short, why does my hon. Friend say that it will be short?

I think my hon. Friend can leave that to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State.

In dealing with the question of the fallen timber and the freight charges, will my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State be able to deal with the fact that there are, to my knowledge, important timber projects in the South which cannot be carried out for lack of timber, whereas in the North there is a surplus of timber which has not yet been brought into productive use?

I think we should await the statement of my right hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland why the 12-year-old Sutherland boy, details of whose case have been sent him, has been deprived of any education while awaiting a vacancy in the Rudolf Steiner School. Aberdeen, or other similar school.

This unfortunate child could not be educated at an ordinary school. He requires a particular form of special educational treatment, and the number of special schools providing this treatment is very limited. The education authority are trying to get a place for him in the only type of establishment which might be able to do something for him.

Does my hon. Friend realise that this boy's father was killed during the crossing of the Rhine eight years ago, and that there is on the State a special responsibility to see that he gets a chance; and will he take immediate steps to see that this boy is taken out of the very small house in which he has been cooped up for all these years while his mental state has deteriorated? Is there not some building in the Highlands which could be used for this purpose?

This is a very difficult and pathetic case, into which I have made very careful inquiries. I can assure my hon. Friend that everything possible is being done. It is hoped that the Rudolf Steiner School in Aberdeen might be able to do something for him, but the specialist's report is that the boy is virtually ineducable, which makes it exceedingly difficult.

Is my hon. Friend aware that I have recently seen this boy at his home with his mother, and that I am perfectly satisfied that if he had had some education in the last seven or eight years he would be in a much better state than he is today? Is it not quite wrong that any child like this should be left for seven years without any attention at all?

The difficulty is that he is in such a state that there is no ordinary school in the country which could cope with this poor, unfortunate boy. There are only one or two special schools which are possibilities, and I assure my hon. Friend that we are doing our very best to pursue them.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is aware that school teachers regard his proposal to amend the Teachers' Superannuation Scheme as a cut in salary; and, in view of the likely detrimental effect of this step on increased recruitment to the profession, what steps he is considering to offset such results.

My right hon. Friend is postponing further action on his proposals for the present, as he understands that the teachers and their employers have agreed to set up a working party to review the Teachers' Superannuation Scheme as a whole, in the light of the proposals made last July and of proposals for a scheme of pensions for widows and dependants which the teachers favour. He has arranged to give the working party such help as he can, and if they can let him have their recommendations quickly, he will await them before anything further is done.

While thanking the hon. Gentleman for that reply, may I ask him if he could indicate why the teachers were not asked to enter into the negotiations in the first place, and why were the teachers, of all the professional bodies with superannuation schemes, singled out for this particular amendment?

It is a reasonable argument to say that they might have been consulted a little earlier. They are now getting ample opportunity to be consulted. We are awaiting with interest their advice, and I very much hope that we can agree about something.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that the teachers regard this as a cut in their salary, and that no scheme is likely to be successful which implies that at this time, when other people are receiving increases, the teachers are to receive a decrease; and is he further aware that he would be more successful in his negotiations with the teachers if the scheme submitted to them appeared somewhat more reasonable?

It is to get a scheme which appears more reasonable that the working party has been set up. As I have said, I look forward to the recommendations of the working party.

Will this working party be concerned only with the position in Scotland, or will it be a United Kingdom working party?

A similar working party is being set up in England, and I understand that close liaison will be kept between the two bodies.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the annual cost for each pupil attending the Dalblair School at Cumnock, Ayrshire.

The annual cost per pupil is £101.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is aware that widows of police officers who died before the Police Pensions (Scotland) Regulations, 1948, came into force are not entitled to apply for a discretionary supplementation of pension, whereas widows of police officers dying thereafter are so entitled; and whether he will remove this anomaly.

All police widows not entitled to National Insurance pensions other than the widows of officers above the rank of inspector who died before 5th July, 1948, may have their pensions supplemented; but the maximum amount of the supplement is greater in the case of those widows whose husbands died after 5th July, 1948, and accordingly had contributed under the National Insurance Scheme. The position was discussed in the debate on the draft Police Pensions Regulations on 9th December last, and no amendment of the Regulations is contemplated.

Does the reply mean that supplementary pensions can be given on a discretionary basis, both in respect of those who died before that date and of those who died after it?

This is a complicated matter. If my hon. Friend would care to do so, I will do my best after Questions to discuss it and explain it to him. I confess that it is very difficult, as the House will recollect from the course of the recent debate.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has yet completed his study of the Cairncross Report; and what action he proposes to take to implement its recommendations.

I would refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade during the course of the debate on development areas and the distribution of industry on 25th February.

Is the Minister aware that it is now almost a year since this Report was issued and the Government's intentions must be suspect if, in the meantime, they are not doing anything about it? Can the Minister indicate what, if anything, the Government intend to do with these proposals, or are they going to be pigeon-holed in his office?

I think that if the hon. Member would contemplate this matter for a moment he would see that it is not easy to come to a decision on this matter. The Scottish Board of Industry are considering the Report. They have not yet offered us their recommendations, and the Government's view, as at present advised, is that they do not think it right to alter the present scheme of development areas; but the matter is still being examined.

Arising from this Report, should there not be a full review of the whole position of the distribution of industry policy in Scotland?

Will the Minister say, apart from the position indicated by the President of the Board of Trade, what consultations have taken place between the Scottish Office and the Scottish Council for Development and Industry and the Board for Industry? Surely something has been done during the past 12 months on this matter?

As the hon. Member can imagine, we are in very close and constant contact with these two bodies and— indeed, it may be that because of these contacts—we are not able quickly to decide upon this matter.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what information he has concerning the land reclamation work undertaken at Inverasdale; and what steps he is taking to collate existing information of similar experiments in view of the importance of land reclamation to the Highlands.

My right hon. Friend has received a report from the Highlands Voluntary Development Association on their work at Inverasdale last year. This work consisted of the cultivation, maintenance and improvement of existing crofts rather than of reclamation. The Department of Agriculture have experience of land reclamation work being done elsewhere and I do not think that special steps of the kind that my noble Friend has in mind are necessary.

Is it not the case that over the last 13 years Mr. Rollo has been working in Inverasdale and no member of the Department has been near his work or examined it during that time? Is it not also the case that this type of work, whether it is on old crofts or reclaiming new land, is valuable as serving as a pattern for future development in the Highlands?

We appreciate very much the work of these students which is carried out on a voluntary basis, but the work that has been done on these crofts is not land reclamation. It consists of ploughing, carting and spreading of farm manure, and so on. In the Question reclamation is referred to: the Departments have already had experience of reclamation in the working of the Marginal Agricultural Production Scheme, and the Hill Farming and Livestock and Rearing Acts, and we do not think that anything further is required.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when work on the road to the 13 crofts in Earlish, Isle of Skye, is to be started; and when it is expected that it will be completed.

My right hon. Friend has been in communication with the County Council of Inverness about this road and he is at present awaiting their proposals. I cannot say at this stage when the work is likely to begin or when it will be finished.

Is not this a very unsatisfactory state of affairs? This road has been waiting for years, and is not this the type of thing which is holding up the expansion of agriculture in the Highlands?

The position is that the Secretary of State for Scotland has asked the county council to consider a scheme for this road with the aid of a grant. We have been informed that they are preparing a scheme, and when that scheme is received, it will receive consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what action he proposes to take on the First Report of the Scottish Local Government Law Consolidation Committee and the Draft of the Local Government (Public Order) (Scotland) Bill, which has been prepared by the Committee.

The Committee's Report and their draft of a Local Government (Public Order) (Scotland) Bill were referred as soon as they were published, to the Scottish Local Authority Associations and their comments are awaited.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what action he proposes to take on the Second Report of the Scottish Local Government Law Consolidation Committee and the Draft of a Burial and Cremation (Scotland) Bill, which has been prepared by the Committee.

The Report and draft Bill have been published so that they may be considered by interested parties. The Scottish Local Authority Associations and other bodies have been asked for their observations, which my right hon. Friend will consider when received.

With regard to the draft Bills, does my right hon. and gallant Friend intend to introduce consolidation legislation, and, if so. as it will be new, what will the procedure be?

That is rather a different question from the one on the Order Paper.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether the negotiations for a further purchase of cured herring by the Soviet Government have now reached a successful conclusion.

Negotiations are still in progress between the Herring Industry Board and the Russian agents.

If canned salmon and canned crab enter into this business, will my hon. Friend point out to the Ministry of Food that the British people are very keen on both canned salmon and canned crab?

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that fishermen in the West of Scotland are being refused insurance benefit on the grounds that they are seasonal workers, and that, if this goes on, there will be no fishermen to catch the herring for the Soviet?

Will the hon. Gentleman impress upon his right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade that it is very necessary to find a bigger outlet for cured herring before the summer season starts?

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has noted that increased labour costs in agriculture were taken into account at the Annual Review and fixing of farm prices as set out in Command Paper No. 8798; that producers in Scotland have been awarded increased prices to meet these costs; that farm workers in Scotland have not been awarded an increase in wages and that therefore the increased costs have not been incurred; and what action he is taking to ensure that farm workers in Scotland will receive minimum wages comparable with those received in England and Wales.

My right hon. Friend has noted the situation to which the hon. Lady draws attention. But he has no power to intervene in decisions of the Scottish Agricultural Wages Board.

Since the Scottish farmers have been given an increase in prices under the annual review, and since the increase took into account a rise in the wages of agricultural workers, surely the Secretary of State ought not to give a gift of the taxpayers' money to Scottish farmers? Surely the Secretary of State has the right to say to the Scottish farmers, "Wages have not been increased and, therefore, the prices which you are to be paid will be smaller"?

It is true that the aggregate increase in labour costs taken into account at the Annual Price Review reflected mainly the rise in wage rates in England and Wales, but so long as we have a United Kingdom price structure and two separate wages boards such a position is inevitable. Of course, the reverse could have happened; wages might have risen in Scotland.

Will my hon. Friend at the same time bear in mind the delicate position of Clyde Valley horticulturists who have been dealt a body blow by the rise in the price of coal?

Can the hon. Gentleman assure the House that the farmers in Scotland will not put this money in their own pockets? If they have been given money to compensate for a rise in wages, surely common decency demands that they should pay the wages? Is he suggesting that the agricultural wages board would prevent the farmers giving the increase for which they have received the money?

I would remind the right hon. Gentleman that the intricate problem arising out of the fact that there are two separate wages boards was presented to his own Administration but nothing was done about it. However, we have received representations from the farm servants' union recently about this and I am able to say that we are now re-examining the position.

Surely the point is not that there is a separate agricultural wages structure; the point is that there is nothing to prevent the farmers paying this money whether the agricultural wages board suggests that it should be paid or not.

Is it not a fact that the vast majority of agricultural workers are paid higher wages than the minimum rates?

It is true that the wages in England are struck on a different basis from those in Scotland and that in Scotland 80 per cent. of our agricultural workers are in the specialist classes and are receiving wages certainly not less than those in England and Wales.

Surely it would not be impossible for the Secretary of State for Scotland to decide what proportion of the increase ought to go on wages and, having made that decision, could he not say to the Scottish farmers, "We are withdrawing that proportion from the money which you will receive"? Is it not also the case that when considering wages one has to have regard to 100 per cent. of the agricultural workers and not merely a proportion of them?

Any interference which would change the wage-fixing methods of today would require legislation. However, I have said that the representations recently made by the farm servants' union about this are now being re-examined by the Government.

Has my hon. Friend received any representations from farm workers to the effect that they have not received an increase in wages? It is certainly within the knowledge of some of us that voluntary increases have been made in response to the rise in the price level.

Will the Joint Undersecretary assure us that the Secretary of State will seriously consider introducing amending legislation to provide for one Wages Board for Great Britain? Is he aware that this difficult situation did not arise during the period of the Labour Government? Does he appreciate that, generally speaking, horticultural workers receive the minimum wage? Does he also appreciate that forestry workers employed by the Forestry Commission receive the minimum wages, which means that Forestry Commission workers in Scotland receive 5s. a week less than do their colleagues in England and Wales who are working for the same employers?

I have already said that we will re-examine the position in the light of representations recently made to us. It is a fact that similar representations were made to the previous Administration.

In view of the unsatisfactory nature of the replies which we have received, I beg to give notice that I shall raise this matter on the Adjournment.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is aware of the overspill problem within the Clyde Valley; and what measures of assistance to local authorities he proposes to help in a solution.

The problem of overspill in the Clyde Valley area is receiving the urgent consideration of the Clyde Valley Regional Planning Advisory Committee. Their report, which is expected shortly, will deal with the extent of the problem and of the measures which might be taken to deal with it.

If the Clyde Valley Planning Committee decides in the affirmative, will the right hon. and gallant Gentleman be able to say that Scotland will get the benefit of the Town Development Act just as England does?

We do not know that benefits will accrue. We would rather wait and see what the Committee reports before we make up our minds about this.

Will my right hon. and gallant Friend direct the attention of housing authorities to the importance of providing housing where there are sites attractive to industry and where surplus labour is available?

Surely the right hon. and gallant Gentleman is showing an amazing ignorance when he states that he is not sure if there is an overspill problem in the Clyde Valley? It is well known that Glasgow has already intimated that it has an overspill problem requiring 60,000 houses.

The hon. Lady has taken me up wrongly. I never made any such remark. I said that we were not quite sure of the benefits which would accrue to that area as a result of the application of the Town Development Act, 1952.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will appoint a commission to inquire and report on the distribution of population and industry over Scotland as a whole, in order to achieve a more balanced economy.

Comprehensive information about the distribution of population and industry in Scotland is already available to the Government and numerous aspects of the problem have been separately reported upon by Government committees, the Scottish Board for Industry, committees of the Scottish Council (Development and Industry) and other bodies. In these circumstances my right hon. Friend does not think that a general commission of inquiry is necessary at the present time.

Would the right hon. and gallant Gentleman ask his right hon. Friend if he would consider a commission or planning committee to view Scotland as a unit because up to now Scotland has been incorporated in corn-Departmental planning? In other words, the Clyde Valley Committee, the Eastern Committee, the Highland Development Committee have been set up to deal with separate areas, whereas the problems of one are probably created by the problems of the other. Would he not consider a planning committee for the lot?

I will not add to the reply which I have given to the hon. Lady. She knows perfectly well that there are different problems in the different areas.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the rate of pulmonary tuberculosis for Scotland, during 1950, 1951 and 1952, with the West of Scotland's percentage of that rate; and what steps he is taking to remedy the higher incidence in this part of Scotland.

As the reply contains a number of figures, I will, with permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

The Question does not completely ask for figures. The latter part of the Question asks for steps— would the right hon. and gallant Gentle-may say "what steps he is taking to remedy the higher incidence in this part of Scotland? "Could we have a reply to that?

All known measures are being used in that particular part of the country.

As the known measures have not proved very effective, will he try to study some unknown measures?

I would find insuperable difficulty in that.

Could the Minister say to what he attributes the high tubercular mortality rate among young girls as compared with England?

I do not think the reasons are really known. As the right hon. Lady knows, it is being studied but so far we have had no definite reply.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has considered plans for the proposed housing development at Eastfield Farm, Cambuslang; and what are the reasons for the delay in commencing work on this project.

No plans have been submitted for this development, as his right hon. Friend's approval is not required. The delay in starting work has been caused mainly by difficulties about the selection of a suitable site for a school, but these difficulties have now been resolved and the preliminary work of laying sewers will start shortly.

Is my right hon. and gallant Friend aware that the local authority had access to this site for many months, and as the housing in Lanarkshire is as bad as any in Scotland, and Cambuslang is one of the worst places in Lanarkshire, will he use his influence to impress on the local authority the importance of carrying out the preliminary paper work at a tempo more in accordance with the urgency of the need?

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland to take steps to ensure greater compactness of layout in local authority housing to minimise the loss of agricultural land.

A circular giving guidance to local authorities on this subject was issued by my right hon. Friend's Department in 1951. Since then he has consistently urged local authorities to include in their schemes as large a proportion as possible of flats and terraced houses in order to make the most economical use of building land.

While thanking my right hon. and gallant Friend for that reply, may I ask him if he is not aware that there is still a great and unnecessary encroachment upon good agricultural land through failure to build on sites already available, which can be built on more compactly, and will he particularly draw the attention of the Minister of Housing and Local Government to a volume called, "Design in Town and Village," published this year by the Stationery Office?

Would the Minister not rather call the attention of the Secretary of State to the Scottish manual "Planning Our New Homes," where it was stated that more than 70 per cent. of the population desire houses and not flats?

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received in favour of including a block or blocks of flats in local authority housing schemes in urban areas.

No such representations have been received, nor are any necessary. Blocks of flats are already included in local authority housing schemes in many areas.

Would my hon. Friend bear in mind that in many cases local authorities in their housing schemes go in for buildings of two storeys, and that the addition of an extra storey would cut the encroachment on building land by some 50 per cent.?

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he has taken to reduce or remove the condensation and consequent dampness in many aluminium houses.

My right hon. Friend recently obtained a report on the results of the remedial experiments already carried out and is considering, in the light of this report, what further steps may be taken in any area where serious condensation persists. In the case of Ayr Burgh, he has already agreed exceptionally to the provisions of thermal insulation at the cost of the Exchequer.

Is it not a fact that, initially, many of these houses were of such poor design and construction that really nothing can be done to them now except to pull them down?

I cannot agree with that.

Is the right hon. and gallant Gentleman aware that the remedy for this is perfectly well known to the companies in Scotland and England who manufacture the houses and that this was the result of a well-meant, but unfortunately false, economy?

The remedies are being put into practice.

Is my right hon. and gallant Friend aware that experiments carried out with houses which are still occupied have considerably improved conditions for the tenants, and will he extend these arrangements as soon as possible?

That is what we are doing.

Can the right hon. and gallant Gentleman tell us how many of all the houses built have been reported to the Scottish Office as being affected by dampness? Is he aware that this has been going on for a considerable time and that I had a report from the Scottish Office more than 18 months ago saying that something was going to be done about it? Will he ensure that the Scottish Office moves more rapidly?

A very great deal has been done about this already, as the hon. Gentleman knows. I regret I cannot give the detailed figures for which he asks, but the number of houses affected to a greater or lesser degree is some 6,000 out of a total of about 30,000.

asked the Minister of Pensions the date on which the North of Scotland War Pensions Committee last met.

The main Committee last met on 4th June, 1952, and there have been five meetings of sub-committees since that date.

Does the Pensions Committee justify its existence when it only meets at such rare intervals, and is there not some responsibility on my hon. and gallant Friend's Department to see it really does the work for which it was appointed?

The main Committee is very widely spread about, as my hon. Friend knows, and it meets whenever there is anything important to discuss. Very often it is better to rely on the subcommittees which are easier to assemble and can deal with local matters.

asked the Minister of Pensions how many counties are included in the North of Scotland war pensions area; and what is its extent in square miles.

Eight counties are included in the North of Scotland War Pensions Committee area which covers 11,581 square miles.

Is it not obvious that this area, which represents at least a quarter of Scotland, is much too large an area, and does ray hon. and gallant Friend's answer to the previous Question not indicate that that is so? Will he take steps at least to divide it into two?

It is, of course, a big area, but there are comparatively few pensioners living in it and only 218 badly disabled. The War Pensions Committee is, of course, helped out with voluntary workers and voluntary organisations like the British Legion and the British Red Cross. Generally speaking, we do not have any complaints about the service.

Will the hon and gallant Gentleman name the counties concerned?

I have them here. The counties are Caithness, Inverness, Moray, Nairn, Orkney, Ross and Cromarty, Sutherland and Shetland.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether widows of officers who served in the Boer War receive pensions; and how far provision is made for widows of non-commissioned officers and other ranks who served in that war.

Where death is due to a disability connected with active service in the Boer War, the widow can be considered for a pension on that ground; this applies both to officers and to other ranks. Apart from this, the fact that the husband served in the Boer War would not of itself entitle the widow to any award.

Can the Minister say whether there is a general arrangement providing that the widows of officers who served in those pre-1914 wars get pensions while the widows of other ranks do not get them? Is there a distinction there?

Any such regulations as exist apply equally to officers and other ranks.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he is aware that Mrs. Carter, 4, Frederick Street, South Meadowfield, County Durham, has been asked to pay 9s. to send a half-pound tin of Coronation sweets by air to her son, 22507667 Private R. Carter, 4th Platoon B Company, 1st Durham Light Infantry, British Army Post Office, 3, Korea, and that, owing to this price, this man, along with many others, will be denied such small luxuries; and whether he will make it possible for parents to send such small gifts at reasonable rates.

This sum of 9s. represents a considerable concession, since a similar packet sent by air at the normal rates would cost 30s. If the delay in sending the packet by sea were accepted, the cost would be only ll½d. The Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes under the Forces Parcel Service provide facilities for a whole variety of gift parcels to be sent to men serving in Korea.

Is the Minister aware that that will give no consolation to the people in the country? I have a letter in my hand in which a woman states that she was actually asked for 25s. for sending an Easter egg to her husband. Could the hon. Gentleman's Department not show some more humanity in cases like this?

As the hon. Gentleman knows, the cost of sending parcels and mail to Korea is already very highly subsidised, and it was for that purpose that the Forces Parcels Scheme was introduced whereby an individual in this country could pay at this end and a man at the other end would get the present.

This boy has never been out of his house in his life before, and yet he cannot have half a pound of Coronation sweets to celebrate the Coronation while we are spending millions of money in this country on the same kind of thing. It is absolutely ridiculous.

asked the Secretary of State for War what arrangements are being made for the accommodation of the wives and families of men serving in the Essex Regiment, at present living in married quarters in Germany but due to return to the United Kingdom when these soldiers are posted to Korea.

Arrangements are being made for those families who cannot find accommodation for themselves to use the families hostels in this country.

Can the hon. Gentleman say if it is correct, as these families believe, that if they had been in married quarters in this country they would have been allowed to stay on in them until they had found proper accommodation for themselves, and can he say whether it is also the case that there are 30 or 40 families who will be required to find their own accommodation—which it is very difficult for them to do?

It is true that when soldiers are sent to Korea from this country we do what we can to leave the families in the accommodation in which they are, but sometimes they also have to be accommodated in the families hostel camps. I am aware that we are asking some of the families to try to find their own accommodation when they get here, but none of them will be left stranded.

Why should there be this discrimination against Service men and their families serving in Germany as compared with this country? If it is because of the shortage of married quarters there, is there not also a great pressure on accommodation here?