asked the Minister of Transport what steps he has taken to impress upon local authorities the need for maintaining pedestrian crossings in an easily visible condition.

We have not considered it necessary to issue any advice to local authorities on this point. I am sure that in general they are well aware of their responsibility in this matter.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will make arrangements for parking by those who wish to visit bank holiday fairs on Hampstead Heath.

The improvement of car parking facilities at Hampstead Heath has for some time past been under consideration between my Department and the London County Council. I hope that proposals now under examination will lead to satisfactory arrangements. I will inform the hon. Member of the result.

asked the Minister of Transport whether, in the interest of road safety, he will assist the Lancashire County Council in their efforts to have the Broadgreen Road, and extensions to it in the Broadgreen-Huyton areas, scheduled as a dual carriageway for the whole of those sections where double tracks are in existence.

I understand that both the Liverpool Corporation and the Lancashire County Council are now preparing plans for sign-posting this road as a dual carriageway.

asked the Minister of Transport what progress has been made with relaying the Victoria Embankment.

The relaying of the Embankment has not yet begun, but my right hon. Friend is about to approve schemes submitted by the Westminster City Council and the Corporation of London for this purpose.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will reconsider the case for the completion of the roadworks over the Ickenham-South Ruislip railway bridge; and if, in view of the fact that traffic over this bridge continues to increase, and as much money has already been spent on the bridge itself which will be wasted until the approaches on either side are widened, he will now sanction the work required.

I recognise the desirability of completing this work as soon as financial conditions permit, but I regret that we are unable to approve the expenditure at the present time.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will supplement his recent announcement of a list of capital development schemes for the railways costing £42 million which are either in progress or are so far authorised for 1954–55, by providing a similar list setting out the total of major capital development schemes for roads over the same period.

With permission, I will circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT in a few days time a list of major road improvements costing over £100,000 already authorised and still proceeding.I am unable to anticipate what provision can be made for 1954–55.

asked the Minister of Transport why the Neath Bridge Scheme will not be completed until 1955, in view of the fact that the greater part of the work has already been carried out, and that when the scheme was launched in 1949 it was stated that it was expected that it would be completed in about 2½ years.

Progress has been delayed by various unforeseen circumstances. Bad subsoil was encountered and navigation difficulties delayed a start on some of the piers until 1951. There was subsequently a shortage of steel, particularly the special high tensile steel for the river bridge span.

asked the Minister of Transport the total capital railway works programme he has approved for Scotland for 1954 and 1955; what proportion the amount is of the total United Kingdom programme; and what progress is to be made with the Inglis proposals for the reorganisation of rail and other transport in the Clyde area.

The British Transport Commission's total capital expenditure on railway works is limited by the allocation of capital investment which the Government makes to the Commission in common with all other sectors of the economy. No such allocation for 1955 has yet been made.It is not possible for the Commission to apportion in advance their allocation of capital for 1954, or for any year, between the Scottish Region and other Regions of British Railways, because the authorisation of the various programmes and works projects, including as they do permanent way renewals, rolling stock construction, signalling alterations and additions, new plant and machinery, new building and civil engineering works, is a continuing process and is not yet complete for many of the headings under which expenditure will be incurred in 1954. It is not therefore possible to give the right hon. Member the information for which he has asked, but for the major works in Scotland for which the Commission have already approved expenditure in 1954, I would refer him to the answer which I gave to the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, South (Mr. Ellis Smith) on 18th May.With regard to the Inglis Report, a Committee under the chairmanship of Sir Ian Bolton has been set up to investigate as a matter of urgency the possibility of closer working arrangements between the railways, the Scottish omnibuses and Glasgow Corporation transport.The Commission have asked the Railway Executive to consider and report on the possibility of making progress in the near future with the main recommendations of the Inglis Report, i.e., the railway electrification and reconstruction schemes. The Commission have also asked the Railway Executive to prepare a scheme for the introduction of a service of multiple-unit diesel train sets to operate between Edinburgh and Glasgow.Other recommendations of the Inglis Report are still under consideration.

asked the Minister of Transport how many prosecutions have been brought during the past two years under the First Schedule of the Road Traffic Act, 1930, for infringements of the speed limits of 30, 20, 16, eight, five and three miles per hour imposed therein; and what recommendations have been made by his Department as to the technical means by which such maximum speeds should be checked.

I am informed by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for the Home Department, that there were in 1951 3,074 prosecutions with respect to passenger vehicles and 30,981 with respect to goods vehicles for exceeding limits of speed. The comparative figures for 1952 are 3,697 and 30,027. No figures are available for locomotives and motor tractors. Records are not so kept as to enable prosecutions to be related to particular speed limits.As regards the latter part of the question the enforcement of speed limits is a matter for the police, on which my Department does not give technical advice.

asked the Minister of Transport if his attention has been called to the fact that three more railway servants were killed last month whilst working on the permanent way at Uxbridge; and if, in view of the evidence of this continued loss of life and the fact that about 60 men were killed during 1952, he is still satisfied that nothing more can be done to prevent this loss of life.

I have received a report of this regrettable accident. I have ordered an inquiry by one of the railway employment inspectors, and it will be understood that I cannot make any further statement until I receive his report.On the second part of the Question, there were 61 fatalities in 1952 to men working on the permanent way, compared with the average of 59 for the five years 1946-50, although there was an improvement to 46 in 1951. As I informed the hon. Member on 23rd February, inquiries are held by the railway employment inspectors into all such fatalities and injuries reported. Their recommendations invariably receive the close attention of the Railway Executive, whose continual educative measures include the wide circulation of the reports among the staff. As the majority of these accidents arise from want of individual care and disregard of simple safety rules it is difficult to see what more can be done.

asked the Minister of Transport how many branch railway lines and railway stations in England and Wales have been closed to passenger traffic since the passing of the Transport Act, 1947; in how many cases the proposals for closure were considered by Transport Users Consultative Committees; and, of such cases, how many were approved by those committees.

From 1st January, 1948, to 31st March, 1953, the British Transport Commission have approved proposals to withdraw passenger services on 97 branch lines, and to close to passenger traffic 216 railway stations on lines otherwise remaining open to traffic.Since 1951 a general procedure has been in force under which the Railway Executive advise the appropriate transport consultative committee of any proposal to withdraw a branch line service and no passenger service has been withdrawn without the prior approval of the committee concerned. When it is proposed to close a single station the local authorities are consulted and the consultative committees are only approached when either the local authorities or the Railway Executive consider this is desirable.

asked the Minister of Supply under what circumstances he insists on consuming firms and industries keeping statistics of steel deliveries; and whether, in view of the necessity for economy, he will relax his instructions.

Twice a year the Ministry of Supply asks the larger steel consumers to provide a return of steel stocks, receipts and consumption. This information is obtained through the voluntary co-operation of the firms concerned.

asked the Minister of Supply how many fatal accidents have occurred since 1945 in consequence of war gas or other trials at the Chemical Defence Experimental Establishment, Porton, and other chemical and bacterial warfare establishments; how many men have been disabled for considerable periods of time; what percentage of those taking part in these trials are Service men; how far participation in them by Service men is compulsory; and whether it is proposed to resume the trials suspended after the fatal accident on 6th May.

Apart from the case on 6th May there have been no accidents of the kinds referred to in the first and second parts of the Question. Almost all those taking part have been Service men and all have been volunteers. The question of the resumption of the trials must await the completion of the technical study of the cause of the recent accident.

asked the Minister of Supply (1) whether he will make a statement on the progress being made by the inter-Departmental committee on the allocation of steel plates;

The inter-Departmental Committee is making satisfactory progress and improved deliveries of steel plate have been arranged for a number of consumers. It is expected that, during the second half of this year, there will be some increase in supplies to the shipbuilding and ship repairing industries, but I am not yet in a position to give any precise figures.

asked the Minister of National Insurance if, where a pensioner has to work to maintain either a disabled husband or wife, he will take steps to see that £3 instead of £2 is made the sum which may be disregarded before operating the wages deduction clause.

No. The earnings limit for retirement pensions which only affects people below the age of 70 (65 in the case of a woman) is intended as a measure of what can be earned consistently with retirement, and it would not be appropriate to vary it according to the circumstances of individuals.

asked the Minister of National Insurance by what amounts the present weekly rates of contribution to the National Insurance Fund would need to be increased to meet the cost of increasing retirement pensions for single persons to 40s. and 50s. with proportionate increases for married couples at the present time and in five, 10, 15, 20, and 25 years, respectively.

The estimated additional annual cost of raising the rate of retirement pension to 40s. or 50s. a week, with proportionate increases for married couples, would be:

asked the Minister of National Insurance whether he will consider amending the existing National Insurance Regulations so that the casual seasonal earnings of an old-age pensioner will be computed on a monthly and not on a weekly basis.

No. Any such change would require legislation and I am not satisfied that it would be practicable to depart from the weekly basis of earnings adjustment provided by the 1946 Act.

asked the Minister of National Insurance the number of men examined by the medical board operating from 63, Bridge Street, Manchester, since July, 1952, up to and including December, 1952; the number examined, from 1st January, 1953, up to and including

asked the Minister of National Insurance (1) how many persons are now receiving extended unemployment benefit under the provisions of Section 62 of the National Insurance Act, 1946; and what action he proposes, to avoid hardship when

Examinations by the Pneumoconiosis Medical Panel operating from 64, Bridge Street, Manchester, in connection with claims under the Industrial Injuries Scheme, the Workmen's Compensation Schemes and the Pneumoconiosis and Byssinosis Benefit Scheme, 1952, were as follows:these provisions run out on 5th July, 1953;(2) what representations he has received from the General Council of the Trades Union Congress concerning the expiry of the Provisions of Section 62 of the National Insurance Act, 1946, on 5th July, 1953; and what reply he has given;

About 48,000 people are in receipt of extended benefit. I explained the action being taken on the expiry of the existing statutory provisions in replies given on 9th February and 22nd May to Questions by the hon. Member for Pontypool (Mr. West) and the hon. Member for Hemel Hempstead (Viscountess Davidson), to which I would refer the hon. Member. I do not think I can add anything to what I said then.

asked the Minister of National Insurance what changes are contemplated in the rates of unemployment benefit or in the conditions qualifying for benefit.

No changes in rates are in contemplation. I have recently made Regulations increasing the maximum periods of insurance benefit as from 5th July.

asked the Minister of National Insurance how many people were receiving National Assistance in Accrington on the latest available date, showing old-age pensioners separately.

The National Assistance Board inform me that there are no separate figures available for Accrington.

asked the Minister of National Insurance (1) if he is aware that a widow, 40 years old at the time of the fatal accident to her husband, only receives, under the Industrial Injuries Act, 20s. per week pension if there are no children, but that under the Army pensions scheme a widow of the same age, under similar circumstances, receives 42s. per week pension; why the industrial injuries scale is so much below the Army scale; and if he will take steps to bring it up to the higher level;(2) if he is aware that a widow, under the Industrial Injuries Act, only receives 37s. a week even at the age of 50, whilst an Army widow gets 42s. a week pension in addition to special rent allowances; and if he will consider taking steps to bring widows' pensions under the Industrial Injuries Act up to the higher level in this instance.

There have always been a number of differences between the industrial injuries and war pensions schemes. Under the Act passed last year, the relative position of widows under the two schemes was maintained and I see no reason to disturb it.

asked the Minister of National Insurance what action he intends to take to ensure that benefits paid under the National Insurance Scheme retain their purchasing power.

The National Insurance Act, 1952, increased benefit rates in order to restore their purchasing power to the level of July, 1948. I do not think that anything that has occurred since those increases were made calls for further action on my part at the present time.

asked the Minister of National Insurance what would be the extra annual charge now falling on the Treasury if old age pensions, sick benefit and unemployment pay had been increased to keep pace with the rise in the cost-of-living index since November, 1951, and without any further increases in contributions than those already made; and similarly what would be the further charge on the Treasury if these pensions and benefits had been increased to keep pace with the increased cost of living since 1947.

The increases in the standard rates of retirement pensions and unemployment and sickness benefits, made by the Act of 1952, have in fact more than covered any rise in the cost of living since November, 1951. As regards the second part of the Question, if the rates established by the National Insurance Act, 1946, were increased to compensate for the rise in the cost of living since 1947, without further increase in contributions, the extra annual cost would at present be rather more than £30 million, rising to about £55 million in 25 years' time.

asked the Minister of National Insurance whether he will make a statement about the inclusion of invalid children between 15 and 16 years of age in the family allowances scheme.

asked the Minister of National Insurance whether he is aware that handicapped children undergoing home tuition, unlike children attending school, are not eligible for family allowances after the age of 15; and whether he will take steps to grant allowances for them.

I hope very shortly to make regulations enabling allowances to be paid in respect of certain invalid or handicapped children, including handicapped children undergoing home tuition arranged by local education authorities.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power why he has refused to give his consent to the building of a new power station by the British Electricity Authority at Machen, Monmouthshire.

After full consideration of all relevant facts, and in particular the evidence given at the public inquiry, I considered the disadvantages would outweigh the advantages.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he will now make a statement upon the action he proposes to take in connection with the recommendations of the Pilkington Committee for providing an enlarged industrial fuel advisory service; and what contribution, financial or otherwise, is to be made respectively by the National Coal Board, the Gas Council and the British Electricity Authority.

Yes. The Committee, set up under the Chairmanship of Sir Harry Pilkington to work out a scheme for increased fuel efficiency advisory services in industry, recently made their Report and I have arranged for copies to be placed in the Library.Broadly, the Committee recommend that an independent non-profit-making company should be formed to develop industrial fuel efficiency advisory services. This would be a company limited by guarantee, not having share capital, and should be set up by the British Productivity Council who would appoint the governing body. The Committee consider that the company would need an annual income of about £500,000; it should be staffed at the outset by suitable technical staff from the Ministry, willing to be transferred to it, together with such qualified persons as can be obtained elsewhere; the advisory services of the new company should, both in quality and quantity, start on the same scale as those now provided by the Ministry and should thereafter expand as rapidly as possible; the company should collaborate with, and where desirable work through, bodies engaged in fuel efficiency work; the Government should maintain close relations with the company and the Ministry should be kept fully aware of its progress and should transfer to it, free of charge, such testing instruments and equipment as are surplus to its own requirements.I have now completed my discussions with the appropriate representatives of industry and am glad to be able to announce that the Government accept in principle all these recommendations.The Report stressed the need to provide financial incentives to encourage industrialists to install fuel-saving equipment. My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer has already informed the House how the Government propose to modify the existing loan scheme for fuel-saving installations. These modifications are in line with those recommended by the Pilkington Committee. I should like to assure the House that everything compatible with the safeguarding of public money will be done to ensure that loans are issued with the minimum of formalities, to genuine applicants. Full details of these arrangements will be made known as soon as possible and will be obtainable on request from the Ministry's Headquarters or regional offices.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he is aware of the inadequacy of the building serving as a fuel office in Cardiff; and what steps he proposes to take.

Accommodation for local fuel offices is provided by the local authority concerned. No complaints about the accommodation in the Cardiff fuel office have so far been received by my Department, but if the hon. Member will let me have details of the complaint I will make inquiries.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he will state the arrangements in hand for conducting a survey of the potentialities for back-pressure generation; the number of firms in the United Kingdom to be approached for details of their respective power and process and heating steam consumption and the minimum coal consumption of such firms to qualify for inclusion in the survey; how long it is estimated the survey will take to complete; and what form the publication of the results of the survey will take.

Because very valuable fuel savings can be made by passing steam through engines or turbines before using it for heating purposes, I have decided to make a survey of the potentialities for generating power in this way. Approximately 3,000 industrial undertakings each consuming over 2,000 tons of coal per annum, and also certain other large establishments, will later this week be asked for the necessary information. I hope that everybody concerned will co-operate to make provisional figures available as soon as possible, and that the final results will be published in the Ministry's Statistical Digest for 1953.

asked the Minister of Materials whether, in view of the increased availability of the supply of newsprint and the administrative costs involved in its control he will deration this commodity altogether.

asked the Minister of Materials whether he will now make a statement about newsprint supplies for the second half of 1953; and if he can give an estimate of the additional supplies needed to abolish newsprint rationing.

The availability of newsprint is governed by our need to limit imports for balance of payments reasons. Derationing would involve an increase in imports on a scale which cannot be estimated with any precision but which would be beyond what we can at present afford. The administrative cost of our control system is very little compared with the foreign exchange involved. Supplies of newsprint for the second half of 1953 should be sufficient to maintain the present consumption by newspapers, which has been increased by 150,000 tons, or about a quarter, over the last year. I have also decided on a further relaxation which will not cost much tonnage. Licences will be granted under Article 2 of the Control of Paper (Newspapers) (Economy) Order, 1953, to enable the following categories of weekly newspapers to print as many pages as they wish:

asked the Minister of Materials how many weekly provincial newspapers are not taking up the newsprint ration allocated to them.

During the latest period for which figures are available, the 12 weeks ending on 3rd May, 1953, 894 provincial weekly newspapers out of a total of 968 did not print their full permitted paging.

asked the Minister of Materials what estimate he has made of the extra amount of newsprint which would be required to end newsprint rationing; and when he anticipates that he will be in a position to decontrol newsprint.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply I have given today to the Questions by my hon. Friends the Members for Harrow, East (Mr. Ian Harvey) and Newbury (Mr. Hurd).

asked the Minister of Materials the present national stock of plywood: and how long he anticipates it will take to dispose of it.

The national stock of plywood, excluding strategic reserves, amounted to approximately 220 million square feet at the end of May. As far as can be foreseen at present, disposal should be completed in the course of next year.

asked the Minister of Materials if he is now able to announce further easing of controls on the use of softwood for particular purposes where economy in building and construction costs will result.

I hope within a few weeks to have the results of the assessment mentioned in my reply to my hon. Friend on the 20th April; and the possibility of any easing of controls over softwood for building and construction will then be at once examined. I cannot now give an assurance of immediate or substantial relaxations of the present licensing arrangements for softwood for building purposes since it is possible that that assessment may show that this is a field in which a very large increase in softwood consumption might take place with a correspondingly serious effect on our balance of payments.

asked the Minister of Materials what staff of his Department is employed in the newsprint division; and what is the total cost of the organisation on an annual basis.

Nine persons, and the total cost is mainly represented by their salaries, which amount to £5,800 per annum.

asked the Minister of Materials whether, in view of the Government's decision to allow the reversion of copper to private trade, he will give an indication of the prospects of a similar reversion in the case of aluminium.

The Government have decided to restore private trading in aluminium from 1st July; the Control of Aluminium Order will be revoked; and the licensing arrangements for the private import of aluminium will be announced shortly by the Board of Trade. There has been close consultation with the consumers through the Aluminium Industry Council.Our main source of aluminium is the Aluminum Company of Canada, which has been supplying some four-fifths of our needs in recent years. Agreements between the Company and the U.K. Government in 1950 and 1951 secured us substantial supplies for the next 20 years, by firm contract until the end of 1955 and by yearly options to the U.K. Government thereafter. The substantial benefit to this country of these arrangements will be retained under private trading.The metal will be offered to the industry instead of to the Ministry of Materials, the Ministry retaining the obligation until the contracts expire at the end of 1955, to take up such part, if any, of the contract quantities as is not bought by industry. We have, however, been able without undue risk to agree with the company to reduce these contract quantities somewhat and thereby to assist the company to meet the needs of other customers. At the same time we have obtained from 1st July a reduction in the contract price of ¾ cents a lb., or approximately £6 a ton, the benefit of which will be enjoyed by industry here as the company have undertaken not to charge more than the Ministry would have charged. In order that, under private trading, the options after 1955 may be effectively operated, the Ministry have accepted an obligation for the following five years to buy up to 20,000 tons a year of unsold metal within the option quantities.In order to assist the company to take over from the Ministry the financing of the trade in this country in Canadian aluminium during the period covered by the above-mentioned contracts, the Ministry will transfer to the company the trading stocks necessary under current conditions, amounting in value to about £5 million, on terms which permit them, subject to the payment of interest, to defer payment until the end of 1955.I should like to take this opportunity of acknowledging all the help which we have had from the Aluminum Company of Canada in making these arrangements and during the past 13 years of public trading, and the spirit of co-operation which has always characterised their relations with us.

asked the Attorney-General if his attention has been drawn to the disclosure in the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General that litigants who have received legal aid under the Legal Aid and Advice Act, 1949, were £61,000 in arrear with their contributions to the Legal Aid Fund at the end of March, 1952; if he is also aware that an increasing number of assisted persons appear to be falling into arrear with their payments; and what steps will be taken to improve upon this situation.

Yes. Most of the arrears are due to the temporary financial embarrassment of assisted persons or to the fact that the costs payable to the Fund are being, or are about to be, met by opposite parties. The Legal Aid Fund incurs no loss in these cases. In about 16 per cent. of the cases the arrears are due to assisted persons failing to fulfil their obligations for other reasons; there were just over 1,000 of these cases on the 12th June and in some of them the Law Society have taken proceedings. The Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General will presumably be considered by the Public Accounts Committee and it is not proposed to take any special steps.

asked the Attorney-General if he will take steps to ensure that the courts call the attention of needy litigants to the facilities provided under the Legal Aid Scheme in cases where the litigant appears to be unaware of the facilities.

I think the scheme is so well known that no further action to bring it to the attention of litigants is required, but if the hon. Member has any specific point in mind I will be glad to consider it.

asked the Attorney-General when he expects to be able to make a statement on the proposal to close the district probate registry, Bodmin, and to transfer Cornish cases to a registry outside the county.

It has been decided not to proceed with the proposal for closing certain district probate registries.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs the present position regarding compensation from the Albanian Government for the murder of British seamen in the mining incident; and what special compensation the Government intends to make to the dependants of the deceased British seamen.

As regards the first part of the Question, I have nothing to add to my right hon. and learned Friend's reply to the hon. Member for Enfield, East (Mr. Ernest Davies) on 10th of June. As regards the second part of the Question, I understand that compensation in respect of the Corfu Channel incident has been paid under normal pensions arrangements.

asked the Minister of Food in relation only to those foods where there has been a drop in consumption in the last 18 months, if he will give an estimate of the annual cost to the Exchequer of reintroducing food subsidies where they have been discontinued and increasing them where they have been reduced, so as to bring the retail prices of such foods back to the prices they were in November, 1951.

The only basic foods whose consumption has fallen slightly since November, 1951, are milk, bread and flour. If the prices of these foods were restored to the levels ruling in November, 1951, the annual cost to the Exchequer would be about £80 million.

asked the Minister of Food how the food subsidy, during the financial year 1952–53, was split between the various commodities.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Esher (Mr. Robson Brown) on 9th March, 1953.

asked the Minister of Food which of the price-controlled foodstuffs have increased in price since 1st November, 1951; by how much per appropriate unit; and which foodstuffs which were price controlled on 1st November, 1951, have subsequently been decontrolled.

The following price-controlled foodstuffs have increased in price since 1st November, 1951, by the amounts stated:

asked the Minister of Food why certain shipments of concentrated orange juice from Sicily, purchased by his Department in 1951 which were found contrary to specification, were accepted; if he will state the date on which the shipments arrived; the percentage of each shipment which was accepted; and the dates on which payment was made.

Standard tests were applied to these shipments but following the practice of many years these did not include tests for the presence of preservatives which were later found to have been added: 18 shipments were made in 1951, 36 in 1952. 80 per cent. of the purchase price was drawn by the shippers at the time of shipment. 18 shipments have not been accepted and the balance of 20 per cent. has not been paid.

asked the Minister of Food what quantities of bacon will be supplied in 1953 by Denmark, Poland and the Netherlands, respectively.

We estimate that about 220,000 tons may be received from Denmark, some 50,000 tons from Poland and something under 40,000 tons from Holland.

asked the Minister of Food what quantity of English new potatoes he estimates were marketed weekly during the six weeks commencing 4th May; and what was the average retail price of new potatoes for each of these weeks.

New potatoes are not controlled and I do not receive returns of the weekly quantity marketed. Market returns show that prices quoted during the period have ranged between 6d. and 1s. a lb.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Defence what is the method of training motor drivers for the Defence Forces; what is the average cost per driver and the average period for passing a driving test; and how many drivers are being trained per annum.

Potential drivers undergo comprehensive courses conducted by trained instructors. To meet Service needs these courses cover many hours of training at the wheel, mechanical training, servicing, map-reading and the highway code. The average cost is difficult to assess as the length of the course depends on the aptitude and knowledge of the pupils but a very rough estimate is £100 as the average cost per driver, and the average period for passing a test is about a month. The number of Service men and women who qualify as drivers is about 25,000 a year.

asked the Minister of Works, in view of the fact that British cement is still in short supply and Belgian cement is available, cheaper and of equal quality, to what extent Government contracts specify that this cement should be used in place of that of British origin.

Belgian cement is dearer than British cement. Nevertheless supplies of cement from Belgium have been obtained by the British cement industry and sold in this country at the same prices as are charged for British cement.In some Government contracts British cement is specified. The Ministry of Works contracts do not specify the country of origin but the cement must comply with B.S.12. Belgian cement which attains this standard is, therefore, acceptable to my Department.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the total quantities of new potatoes imported weekly for the six weeks commencing 4th May, showing Channel Island supplies separately.

These figures are available for complete calendar months only. Imports of new potatoes during May amounted to 914,000 cwt. of which 176,000 cwt. were sent from the Channel Islands.

asked the Minister of Civil Aviation if he will appoint a Departmental committee to inquire into the changes which have taken place since the passing of the Air Navigation Act, 1936, by reason of increased vibration resulting from the greater speeds of modern aircraft and the extent to which such vibration is causing or may tend to cause damage to property, especially property situated in close proximity to aerodromes.

No. In 1951 the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research investigated, at the request of my Ministry, allegations of damage to property near London Airport by low-flying aircraft. Their conclusion was that the vibrations caused by passing aircraft or by aircraft being serviced cannot be considered to have caused any of the defects nor can they be considered to have contributed to their magnitude.

asked the Minister of Health the waiting lists for admission to sanatoria for tuberculosis patients from the Wolverhampton and Wednesbury districts, month by month, from July, 1951, to June, 1953, inclusive.

The available figures are as follows:

asked the Minister of Health the number of new hospitals and sanatoria commenced and built since 1945 in Abingdon and the county of Berkshire, respectively.

None, but changes of use have taken place at Abingdon Isolation Hospital, Abingdon Cottage Hospital, Wallingford Isolation Hospital and the Isolation Hospital, Prospect Park, Reading.

asked the Minister of Health the number of hearing aids supplied since the inception of the National Health Scheme to residents of Abingdon and the county of Berkshire, respectively.

I regret that exact figures are not available on this basis; but 221 patients from the Abingdon area have received hearing aids at the Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford, and it is estimated that in all rather more than 2,000 residents of the county of Berkshire have been fitted there and at Reading.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland to state, for the year 1952, for Scotland, the number of murders known to the police; the number of murders in which the suspected murderer committed suicide; the number of murders in which the supposed murderer was found unfit to plead or, on pleading, was found guilty but insane; the number of persons charged with murder and acquitted; the number of persons found guilty of murder and sentenced to death; the number of those sentenced to death who were subsequently found to be insane; the number of those sentenced to death who were reprieved; and the number of those sentenced to death who were actually executed.

Thirteen cases of murder were made known to the police in Scotland in 1952. In three cases the suspected murderer committed suicide. Five persons were proceeded against for murder; of these two were found to be insane and unfit for trial and three were found guilty, sentenced to death and executed.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he will make a statement on the incidence of the Excess Profits Levy on the accrued interest which will be included in the proposed settlement on 1st October, 1953, of outstanding claims under the Business Scheme of Part II of the War Damage Act, 1943.

I am advised that for tax purposes the accrued interest will rank as income arising on the date when it becomes payable. My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer agrees that the Government's decision to settle outstanding claims during the present financial year should not have the effect of making this accumulated interest liable to the Excess Profits Levy. Accordingly, in agreement with my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade, any corporate body that is a claimant under the scheme will be given an option and it may now elect by letter addressed to the Board of Trade Insurance and Companies Department, Lacon House, Theobalds Road, W.C.I, not later than 31st August next to have its compensation made payable with accrued interest on 1st January, 1954, instead of 1st October, 1953. Where that election is made, no part of the accrued interest will be included in computing profits for Excess Profits Levy purposes whether the corporate body makes up its annual accounts to 31st December or to another date.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state the reason why his Department refused the request of the Scottish Old Age Pensioners Association to meet a delegation from that body to discuss the question of an increase in the retirement pension.

No request to meet a deputation from the Scottish Old Age Pensioners Association has been received by my Department. As the question of an increase in the 'retirement pension is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Minister of National Insurance any such request should be referred to him.