asked the Minister of Health to what extent he proposes to extend the use of B.C.G. vaccine; and under what conditions.

My right hon. "Friend is about to consult representatives of local health authorities before he issues advice on this subject.

asked the Minister of Health how many physiotherapists are employed in the National Health Service; and how many of these are members of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy or the Faculty of Physiotherapists.

There were 4,178 physiotherapists employed in hospitals in the National Health Service in England and Wales on 31st December, 1952; 3,250 full-time and 928 part-time. I regret that the information required in the second part of the Question is not available.

asked the Minister of Health how many patients suffering from tuberculosis in the West Riding of Yorkshire are awaiting admission to sanatoria; and what is the average length of time that a patient has to wait before a bed is available.

The latest available information shows that 331 patients from the geographical county are waiting, the period varying from immediate admission to four months according to the urgency.

asked the Minister of Health why the identity cards of persons deceased are demanded by Registrars of Births and Deaths.

Registrars are instructed not to ask for these cards but to accept them if offered.

asked the Minister of Education the number of children taking school meals since the last increase in prices; the number for a similar period before the increase, in the county borough of Gateshead; and what is the saving to the education authority.

The number of meals taken in the county borough of Gateshead on a day in June, 1952, was 6,427. I have no more recent information, but this will be available in a few weeks time as I have asked all local education authorities for a return relating to a day in the present month. The reasonable net cost to local education authorities of the provision of school dinners is covered by Exchequer grant. The last part of the Question does not therefore arise.

asked the Minister of Education the number of classes of over 40, 50 and 60 on the latest available date.

I shall not have until October next later figures than those which I gave in reply to the hon. Member's Questions of 12th February last.

asked the Minister of Education the approximate difference in the time which it takes to build a bricks-and-mortar school and a prefabricated or non-traditional school, respectively.

Most bricks-and-mortar schools have taken about twice as long to build as prefabricated or non-traditional schools and have generally required more site labour. Output of finished building per man-month in bricks-and-mortar schools ranges between 20 and 55 square feet, and in prefabricated or non-traditional schools between 45 and 90 square feet.

asked the Minister of Education how many of the schools at present being constructed are traditional-type buildings; and how many are of new types of structure.

Of the new schools included in the 1952–53 building programme, about 26 per cent. of primary schools and about 15 per cent. of secondary schools are being built in prefabricated systems of construction.

asked the Minister of Education what grants she is making to local education authorities in the current year for posts of special responsibility; and what are her regulations governing the allocation of these grants to schools and to teachers.

Expenditure by local education authorities on allowances for posts of special responsibility ranks for grant in the same way and at the same rate as other expenditure on the salaries of teachers. I cannot say how much will be spent by authorities on allowances during the current financial year. Provision for such allowances is made in the Burnham Primary and Secondary Schools Report, the recommendations of which were approved by my predecessor in January, 1951. The Report prescribes that, subject to certain conditions, the number and the amount of allowances shall be determined by the local education authority.

asked the Minister of Materials the extent of orders for pit props placed in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics by undertakings in this country.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to the hon. Member for Leek (Mr. Harold Davies) on 16th June, which gives full information as to imports for the years 1945–52. Imports of pit props are made by the National Coal Board and a number of small buyers and I am not now able to say what will be the purchases in the current year, but the actual imports will be published.

asked the Minister of Materials what policy he proposes to pursue regarding the liquidation of stockpiles of strategic raw materials which will no longer be required when the Korean war ends; to what extent stockpiling will continue; and what discussions he has had with the United States Government on these problems.

The stockpile of strategic raw materials would not be liquidated as a result of a termination of the Korean war. It is an essential part of our defence structure and must continue. As regards stability of raw material prices, as I informed my hon. Friend on 11th March, we are in constant touch with the United States Administration. I have no reason to expect the kind of action by the United States Government he seems to fear, against which both the relevant United States law and United States policy afford safeguards.

asked the Minister of Materials to give figures to show to what extent timber imports are being modified to allow storm-blown home-grown timber to be disposed of.

Since softwood is imported by private traders under open individual licences, I cannot give figures of the kind my hon. and gallant Friend asks for. But timber traders are aware that consumption licences for softwood issued in Scotland and parts of Northern England are being claused as available only for home-grown timber wherever this is practicable; and they will doubtless have adjusted their purchases of imported softwood in the light of this limitation on their ability to sell it.

asked the Minister of National Insurance how many certificates of suspension for silicosis have been issued for granite masons under the Workmen's Compensation Acts and the Industrial Injuries Acts, respectively, in the years 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951 and 1952.

I regret that separate figures for granite masons are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will make a statement on the proposed future financial relations between Her Majesty's Government in this country and that in Malta.

I have nothing at present to add to the statement I made to the House on 1st August last, and to my reply of 22nd October last to the hon. Member for Swindon (Mr. T. Reid).

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies in what circumstances temporary residents in Kenya are liable to be called up under the present Emergency Regulations; and how far the practice in Britain during the war of postponing enrolment until appeals have been heard is applied in the Colony.

The only temporary residents in Kenya liable to call-up are European male British subjects between the ages of 18 and 45 on temporary employment passes, which are valid for a maximum of four years, and Asian male British subjects between the ages of 18 and 23, on similar passes, who have resided in the territory for six months. Any appeal against call-up must be made within seven clear days and, in the case of Nairobi, whence the majority of persons called up have been drawn, this allows time for the Director of Manpower to consider appeals before enrolment. In the case of persons from other areas, this is not always possible. Appeals to the Central Exemption Tribunal against decisions of the Director of Manpower are usually heard after enrolment: but where hardship is likely to result, enrolment is postponed pending the Tribunal's decision.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to what extent the achievement by the United Nations of a truce in Korea will alter the policy of the British Government relating to the present embargo on trade with China; and in what way.

The policy of Her Majesty's Government will have to be concerted with that of other members of the United Nations and will depend on the way in which events develop in the Far East after the conclusion of a truce.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what action Her Majesty's Government propose to take in connection with the Productivity Agency to be established by the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation.

In accordance with the undertaking given under the arrangements for the expenditure of counterpart funds derived from United States economic aid (Command 8776, paragraph 3 (f)), Her Majesty's Government propose to join this Agency, which has now been constituted, and to contribute to it the sterling equivalent of 720,000 dollars, of which one-third may be convertible into the currency of any member country of the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation. Provision for this expenditure will be included in a Supplementary Estimate to be presented shortly, and meanwhile an advance will be made from the Civil Contingencies Fund.

asked the Minister of Food to what extent present imports of crab and crab-products from Norway show an increase over previous years.

There have been no imports of tinned crab from Norway during the last three years. Imports of tinned dressed crab (described in official statistics as crab paste) were 9 tons in 1950, 254 tons in 1951 and 206 tons in 1952.

asked the Minister of Food if he is aware of the shortages of sweets for sale by retailers in Leek and the surrounding villages; and whether he will endeavour to remedy this by improving the allocations to this area.

I have made inquiries and have ascertained that there is no general shortage in Leek and the surrounding villages, nor have any complaints been received from the public.

asked the Minister of Agriculture how much it has cost to date to run his Department's experimental horticultural station at Luddington.

The capital expenditure (including cost of acquisition) incurred at this Station between Michaelmas, 1949, when the Station was established, and 31st March, 1953, was approximately £71,000. The net cost of running the Station during the same period was approximately £55,000, excluding the cost of technical and administrative staff.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what trials have been or are proposed to be carried out in this country into the control of wood pigeons with narcotics; and whether he will consider holding such trials.

I am advised that under existing law any use of narcotics for the control of wood pigeons or any other wild birds would be illegal in this country.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General how many experimental booster radio transmitters are now in use in North Wales; and to what extent they have effected an appreciable improvement in reception.

The B.B.C. informs me that there are three low power stations in the northern half of Wales carrying the Welsh Home Service, but none of them can be described as experimental. One, at Penmon, serves Anglesey and the north coast, and one at Wrexham serves the immediate neighbourhood of that town. The third, at Towyn, is a temporary station which is shortly to be replaced by a permanent station of somewhat higher power. This is expected to give improved reception over the coastal area from Pwllheli in the north to Cardigan in the south.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of unemployed persons signing the register at Chester-le-Street, Birtley and Washington employment exchanges, respectively, showing the numbers of men and women, separately, in age groups for each area and the average period that such persons have been unemployed.

The latest date for which figures of the total numbers unemployed are available is 11th May, and the following table shows the numbers of unemployed persons on the registers of the employment exchanges in question at that date:

—	Males	Females	Total
Chester-le-Street (including Youth Employment Office)	194	68	262
Birtley	54	86	140
Washington Station	28	111	139

Analyses according to age and duration of unemployment are obtained only once every six months and the latest available figures relate to December, 1952. A count was made on Monday, 15th June, and I will send the figures for that date to the hon. Member early in July.

asked the Minister of Labour the numbers of persons registered as unemployed in the county of Lanark each month since January, 1952, to the last convenient date; and the volume of surplus labour within easy reach of East Kilbride each month since January, 1952.

In view of the work involved in compiling the statistics asked for, I hope my hon. Friend will accept the figures for alternate months. Following are the numbers registered as unem-

Situation of Houses				Date of Tender	Construction	Cost per House	Type of House
						£
Orkney County:
Stromness	…	…	…	November, 1951	Brick (Hall Cottage)	1,991	4-apartment cottages
				March, 1953	Brick (Dunedin space-saving)	1,862	3-apartment cottages
Kirkwall	…	…	…	February, 1952	Stone	1,980–1,982	3-apartment cottages, flat and terraced houses.
Zetland County:
Landward area (various sites)				February, 1952	Concrete blocks	2,367–2,709	4-apartment cottages

NOTES:

(i) The table relates to prices approved in 1952 and 1953.

(ii) The prices are initial tender prices and do not allow for the cost of abnormal under-building or any special site conditions.

(iii) No prices were approved during the period for timber houses.

(iv) In view of the small number of tenders, the difference in design and other circumstances, no comparison of the prices can usefully be made.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the comparative costs of stone, brick and timber houses, respectively, are at the present day in Orkney and Shetland.

The following table gives the available information:

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many new permanent schools in Scotland, primary and secondary, were affected by the Government's decision in October, 1951, to suspend starting dates; and how many permanent schools were actually started in 1952.

The answer to the first part of the Question is four primary and two secondary schools, and to the second part, 28 schools.