asked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been drawn to the unsatisfied demand for crash helmets by motor cyclists; and whether he will now cause crash helmets to be reclassified as motor cycle accessories in order to facilitate their import from France.

Yes. I have seen the Press report on this subject. I have no evidence of any shortage and I could not agree to allow imports without restriction in present circumstances. But in view of the increasing demand for crash helmets and the importance which Her Majesty's Government attach to road safety, I shall certainly give sympathetic consideration to applications for additional imports from Western Europe.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will make a statement regarding further references to the Monopolies Commission.

Not yet. But I hope to announce soon the reference of at least one new subject to the Commission.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what progress has been made on the references to the Monopolies Commission on non-ferrous metal semi-manufactures, imported timber and the printing of woven fabrics, respectively.

I received the Commission's Report on non-ferrous semi-manufactures on 21st April. I have been studying the Report, which deals with the facts only, and propose to make a statement very soon.I understand that the Commission expect to report to me on the supply of imported timber during the summer and that they hope to be able to complete their report on the printing of woven fabrics before the end of the year.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the number of reports now made by the Monopolies Commission and the number of industries now under examination.

Seven and five respectively. In addition, a requirement for a report under Section 15 of the Monopolies and Restrictive Practices Act was sent to the Commission on 15th December last.

asked the President of the Board of Trade to give details of the action taken within the past 18 months to implement recommendations made in the various reports of the Monopolies Commission.

The responsibility for action following a report of the Commission rests on the Minister who is the competent authority in respect of the goods which are the subject of that report. Perhaps the hon. Member will put down a Question to the Ministers concerned with the particular reports in which he is interested. On matches, the only goods within my responsibility on which the Commission have so far reported, I would refer the hon. Member to my reply of 17th June to the hon. Member for Blackburn, East (Mrs. Castle).

asked the President of the Board of Trade what portion of the counterpart funds derived from United States economic aid under Section 9 (c) of the Mutual Security Act of 1952, as set out in Command Paper No. 8776, will be alloted for the promotion of studies in technological subjects at technical colleges.

A final decision has not yet been taken on the allocation of the counterpart funds referred to in Command Paper No. 8776, but I expect to be able to make an announcement soon.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware of the increase in imports of high-priced hardened cod liver oil; and what steps he proposes to take.

Yes. My attention has been drawn to the very large increase in expenditure on imports of cod liver oil in recent months. I am advised that this increase is due to a large extent to the expanding use of cod liver oil in hardened form as a substitute for cooking fats. I have accordingly amended the open general licence with effect from 23rd June to exclude hydrogenated cod liver oil; and I am issuing import licences to cover contracts only where irrevocable credits have been opened.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the improvement in steel supplies, he will consider excluding electric washing machines from the Hire-Purchase and Credit Sale Agreements (Control) Order, 1952.

No. These restrictions on hire-purchase are still necessary in present economic conditions.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware of the cases where the use of penicillin is producing undesirable after-effects on patients; and if he will cause the position to be examined with a view to ascertaining whether penicillin should not be used more sparingly and where its use is either essential or extremely desirable and not where its main value is to effect a quick cure.

My right hon. Friend is not aware of the cases referred to. If my hon. and gallant Friend will give me particulars I will have them looked into.

asked the Minister of Agriculture how long the test of the Imbra trap under practical conditions is to last; on what scale it is being tried out; and when the results will be known.

The test is expected to show how the trap stands up to everyday use and whether it will catch and kill rabbits in all types of location. It will continue until reliable results on these points have been obtained. About 15,000 traps will be used for this purpose by county agricultural executive committees throughout England and Wales. I hope to have useful results by the beginning of next year.

asked the Minister of Agriculture when the last farm survey of smallholdings in Durham county took place; and what was the position in regard to equipment, use of equipment and the standard of production from the smallholdings.

The farm survey is a continuing process, and many of the smallholdings in Durham, in common with larger farms, have been surveyed during the past three years. Much of the equipment on these smallholdings belongs to the tenants, such as poultry houses and dutch lights, and standards vary from tenant to tenant. Being designed mainly for pig and poultry production, many of the smallholdings were adversely affected by the rationing of animal feedingstuffs. Some of the equipment on them was not fully utilised and the standard of production was not in all cases satisfactory.

asked the Minister of Agriculture the number of tenants of county council smallholdings in Durham county for each year since 1945, showing the number of full-time and part-time holdings separately.

The answer is as follows:

DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL SMALLHOLDINGS NUMBER OF TENANTS
Year		On full-time holdings	On part-time holdings	Total
1945	…	300	163	463
1946	…	299	165	464
1947	…	297	150	447
1948	…	297	155	452
1949	…	306	140	446
1950	…	297	137	434
1951	…	284	134	418
1952	…	234	143	377
1953	…	223	129	352

asked the Minister of Agriculture the normal buildings and equipment provided by the county councils on each type of smallholding in county Durham; and whether he is satisfied that each holding has been so provided when let to a tenant.

The fixed equipment provided necessarily varies with the type of holding. I have no detailed information about the equipment provided when individual holdings were let.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what proportion of farms in the county of Norfolk are supplied with electricity; and how many applications from farmers for a supply are at present outstanding.

I am informed by the Eastern Electricity Board that about 55 per cent. of farm holdings in Norfolk are connected to the public mains and that about 850 applications are outstanding.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he will give careful consideration before approving the construction of new buildings for food marketing boards, in view of the possibility that these will not be indefinitely required and the fact that their construction takes labour and material needed for permanent requirements.

I assume that my hon. Friend is referring to agricultural marketing boards. No proposal for the provision of new buildings for any such board has reached me. All proposals for new buildings whether on farms or for industries ancillary to agriculture and horticulture are carefully examined before sponsorship of a building licence is given or refused.

asked the Minister of Agriculture the goat population of England and Wales in 1952; and the comparable figure in 1922.

The number of goats at the last census in December, 1951, was 26,600. This is the number of goats on agricultural holdings in England and Wales. The comparable figure for 1940 was 32,200. No information was collected before that year.

asked the Minister of Agriculture why Mr. Weston, Chattisham, near Ipswich, has been sent Form No. C412/CSS, which contains 113 questions on all forms of fanning and, in view of the fact that Mr. Weston only owns a garden, if he will end this practice; how many of these forms are sent out annually; at what cost; and if he will make a statement.

The form is the 4th June agricultural return sent to occupiers of land used for agriculture. Mr. Weston's name was put on the list in 1951 because his holding comprised three acres of land on which 70 head of poultry were being kept and where there was an orchard. Recent information shows that less than one acre is now being used for agriculture and steps are being taken to delete the holding from the list.The June agricultural returns are sent to some 386,000 occupiers. The cost of printing, addressing and postage is about £3,800. As for the last part of the Question, I have nothing to add to the statement I made in reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Newbury (Mr. Hurd) on 20th November, 1952, about agricultural returns generally.

asked the Prime Minister whether, in view of Mr. Rhee's defiance of the authority of the United Nations by permitting the release of prisoners, Her Majesty's Government will consider, in consultation with other member States of the United Nations, withdrawing recognition of the South Korean Government.

I have been asked to reply. No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is satisfied that Wales is being given adequate representation on all committees appointed by the Government to investigate United Kingdom problems.

The manner in which members of a committee are selected depends largely on the subject matter of the inquiry, but I have no reason to think that on those committees which include representatives of different parts of the United Kingdom Wales is inadequately represented.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is aware of the desire of certain fire authorities to obtain an improvement in the rates of compensation payable to Auxiliary Fire Service and Civil Defence volunteers; and whether he is yet prepared to make provision for something more than that payable under the National Insurance (Industrial Injuries) Act, 1946, as amended.

A scheme has now been prepared for a measure of "sick pay" in cases where members of the Auxiliary Fire Service or the Civil Defence Corps suffer loss of earnings as a result of injuries sustained in the course of their duties. The local authority associations concerned have been asked for their comments on the scheme, and I will make a further statement as soon as these comments have been received and considered.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to receive the report of the Committee which is investigating the problem of redundancy in the tin-plate industry in West Wales.

This Committee was appointed to advise the Government on specific measures which are necessary for the modernisation of the communications of the area and on the attraction of new industry and it will submit recommendations to the Government on the various matters with which they are concerned as they reach conclusions on them. I understand that the Committee hopes to submit recommendations covering part of the field of their inquiry during the summer.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now give a date for the publication of the report of the Council for Wales.

The Report will be published as soon as possible, and I hope to do so before Parliament rises for the Summer Recess.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is aware that, as the result of appeals made by various Ministers, large amounts of clothing were given to charitable and other organisations dealing with the floods; that much of this clothing is now being destroyed through not being properly stored; and whether he will have an investigation made into this matter.

I am informed that the Women's Voluntary Services have no evidence whatever that any of the clothing contributed for flood relief is being destroyed through not being properly stored. There is regular inspection of premises where unpacked parcels are stored and any signs of damage would be dealt with immediately. Unpacking is proceeding as quickly as possible, having regard to the limited number of volunteer helpers now available. Members of the Women's Voluntary Services are still working hard in the places where parcels remain to be opened, and teams come in daily from places further afield.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when it will be possible for him to assent to the building of a new fire station at Swansea.

I entirely share the fire authority's view that a new fire station is badly needed at Swansea, and 1 have already assured them that they may count on work starting during the course of next year. I am now advised that there is no reason why a start should not be made in January, 1954, provided that they can settle the plans with my Department within the next month or so, and on that point I do not expect any difficulty.

asked the Minister of Health what action he proposes to take to protect nurses from developing a sensitivity to penicillin; and if he will state the number of nurses throughout the country who have developed this sensitivity.

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given to similar Questions by the hon. Members for Bristol Central (Mr. Awbery) and Carlisle (Mr. Hargreaves) on 18th June.

asked the Minister of Health if he will state the number of whole-time and part-time specialists engaged through the Northern Regional Hospital Board; and how these figures compare with this time last year.

110 whole-time and 248 part-time consultants were employed at 31st December, 1952 compared with 139 and 183 respectively a year earlier.

asked the Minister of Health if, in view of the fact that arrangements are being made in various hospital regional areas to extend by building additional accommodation for mental and mental defective patients, he will make available to these hospital boards knowledge of the type of accommodation provided at Woodilee Mental Hospital at Kirkintilloch, Dumbartonshire, Scotland, the report on the experimental nature of this accommodation, and its success.

My right hon. Friend is aware of the accommodation referred to, but is advised that it is not of such a character as would justify his adopting the hon. Lady's suggestion.

asked the Minister of Health what advice he has received from his technical advisers as to which detergents are harmful in their effects on the skin particularly in producing eczema, and should therefore be avoided.

None.

asked the Minister of Health how many courses of dental treatment were given to children in the last quarter of 1950, of 1951 and of 1952, and in the first quarter of 1953.

The estimated numbers were 170,000, 240,000, 350,000 and (on provisional figures) 360,000 respectively.

asked the Minister of Health the estimated comparative cost of dental treatment provided under the school dental service and that provided under the National Service in private dental surgeries.

Under the general dental services the average cost of a course of treatment for a school-child was in 1952 about 35s. My right hon. Friend the Minister of Education is communicating with the hon. Member about the cost of the school dental service.

asked the Minister of Health the estimated number of dentists qualifying in 1953, 1954 and 1955; and if he is satisfied that the numbers will be sufficient to replace those retiring from practice in each of these years.

The estimated numbers are 440, 400 and 410 in England and Wales, which should be about sufficient to replace those retiring.

asked the Minister of Health if he has yet been able to trace the source of contamination of salmonella in the recent outbreaks of food poisoning in Lancashire.

The source of contamination has not yet been traced, but investigations are still continuing.

asked the Minister of Health why contributors to the National Health Service who are taken ill when away from home and are treated by a doctor under the scheme who prescribes medicine are unable to get the prescription renewed without visiting their own doctor or another doctor and getting another prescription for a repeat dose of the same medicine.

Any doctor can give more than one prescription dated so as to allow for repeat dispensing at suitable intervals.

asked the Minister of Health what action he is taking to provide new hospital buildings and more staff; and whether he will provide long-stay annexes and half-way houses for hospital patients who do not require constant medical attention.

The hospital boards, which are responsible for planning hospital capital development, are undertaking it up to the maximum of the resources available for the purpose. The need for accommodation of the kind referred to in the last part of the Question, along with other needs, is taken fully into account by the boards in framing their programmes. The steps taken to obtain more staff depend on the particular circumstances of each case and the kind of staff required. As an example I am sending the hon. Member a copy of a circular I have recently issued to hospital authorities on the recruitment of nursing staff for mental and mental deficiency hospitals where there is a special need.

asked the Minister of Health if he will appoint a committee to investigate the possibility of the State manufacturing essential requirements for the Health Service, including artificial limbs.

No.

asked the Minister of Health if he will take the necessary action to ensure that local authorities shall play a larger part in the administration of the Health Service.

Local health authorities already play an important part in the Health Service. If the hon. Member will give further details of what he has in mind my right hon. Friend will be pleased to consider them.

asked the Minister of Health how many institutions there are in Derbyshire which provide accommodation for mentally deficient children; how many children are at present accommodated in those institutions; and how many names are on the waiting list.

There is one institution, which serves the city of Nottingham as well as Derbyshire. Forty-four children are at present accommodated there, and 103 are on the waiting list.

asked the Minister of Education if her attention has been drawn to the need to repair a newly built secondary school at the cost of £5,655; and if she will institute a full inquiry into the facts relating to the building of the Stanley Secondary Modern School, South-port, Lancashire.

I understand that certain faults have developed in this building and that the local education authority propose to carry out the necessary repairs. I see no need for me to make any special inquiry.

asked the Minister of Education what action she is taking to remedy the growing shortage of graduate teachers.

There is no shortage of graduate teachers holding arts degrees. The number of graduates holding mathematics and science degrees employed in the maintained grammar schools has increased slightly during the last three years, but some schools are having difficulty in filling their vacancies. The National Advisory Council for the Training and Supply of Teachers has been asked to investigate the extent of the shortage and to recommend what steps should be taken to increase the supply of these graduates.

asked the Minister of Education to state her reasons for revoking the compulsory purchase order in regard to the Alderman Smith County School Site, Nuneaton, which was confirmed by her on 29th May last.

My Order confirming the compulsory purchase order was revoked because it had been made in the mistaken belief that the owner's objection to the purchase of his land could be treated as withdrawn. The effect of revoking my Order is that the compulsory purchase order is again before me for consideration exactly as before.

asked the Minister of Education (1) if her attention has been drawn to the recommendation of the Select Committee on Estimates that closer consultation between her Department and the local education authorities is required to secure a more accurate estimate of the number of school places needed; and what steps she is taking to bring this about;(2) if her attention has been drawn to the Report of the Select Committee on Estimates that the figure of 1,150,000 new post-war school places required by the end of 1953 is based on a miscalculation and needs to be revised; and if she will make a statement.

asked the Minister of Education (1) when she proposes to undertake a national survey of the older schools in the country as recommended in the Eighth Report from the Select Committee on Estimates;(2) if her attention has been drawn to the recommendation in the Eighth Report from the Select Committee on Estimates that the school-building programme in England and Wales should be organised on a three-year basis; and if she will make a statement.

asked the Minister of Education, in view of the recent Report from the Select Committee on Estimates, what proposals she has for revising the school-building programme.

asked the Minister of Education whether her attention has been drawn to the Report of the Estimates Committee concerning the overcrowded classes in Cardiff schools; and what emergency action she proposes to take.

A reply will very shortly be sent to the Select Committee's Report. Until the Committee has received that reply it would not be appropriate for me to answer Questions dealing with specific issues raised in the Report.

asked the Minister of Education when she proposes to advise local education authorities to set up consultative committees composed of teachers and local officials who will make recommendations on the planning and design of new schools.

Many local education authorities make arrangements to obtain the advice of teachers and others on the design of new schools. In general I think such consultation serves a useful purpose, but that it is for each authority to consider its own arrangements.

asked the Minister of Education if she will support the application of Wolverhampton council for loan sanction for the further development of the municipal sports centre at Aldersbury, Wolverhampton.

My Department was asked by the local authority to recommend this project as a desirable one and such a recommendation has already been made. The larger question whether the limited resources available for capital works should allow it to go forward at present is one for my right hon. Friend the Minister of Housing and Local Government.

asked the Minister of Education whether, in view of the state of many Pembrokeshire schools, she will reconsider her decision to limit the minor works programme in schools in that county to £9,000.

No. The Pembrokeshire local education authority's allocation for minor capital projects is £9,816, which I am satisfied, on the information given me by the authority, will enable them to carry out all the projects they wish to undertake this year.

asked the Minister of Education if she will circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT a list of local education authorities in Wales which have been limited by her Department in their minor works programmes; and if she will state the ceiling figures in each case.

Allocations for minor building works have been made to all Welsh local education authorities. The allocations for this year are as follows:

Authority.		Allocation.
		£
Anglesey	…	11,500
Brecon	…	6,345
Caernarvon	…	16,390
Cardigan	…	12,715
Carmarthen	…	25,315
Denbigh	…	30,007
Flint	…	13,105
Glamorgan	…	69,500
Merioneth	…	13,994
Monmouth	…	51,336
Montgomery	…	11,527
Pembroke	…	9,816
Radnor	…	2,570
Cardiff	…	20,046
Merthyr Tydfil	…	5,549
Newport	…	12,508
Swansea	…	23,745

asked the Minister of Education the number of schools whose starting date for building fell within the period of the three months' moratorium of 1952; and how many of these have now been put back on the building list.

Of the 330 new schools which were taken out of the 1951–52 building programme as a result of the ban on starting new projects at the end of 1951, 240 were included in the 1952–53 programme and 24 are in the 1953–54 programme. Minor projects, meeting the most urgent needs, were substituted for many of the balance of 66.

asked the Minister of Education how many new schools were started building in 1952; and how many are contemplated for 1953.

During the calendar year 1952, 346 new schools were started in England and Wales. As the basis of the educational building programme is the financial year, I cannot give an estimate for the calendar year 1953, but there are 440 schools in the 1953–54 programme, i.e., due to start in the year ending 31st March, 1954.

asked the Minister of Education the value of the work done on school building projects in each of the last six years; and the estimated value for the present year.

The value of the work done on major primary and secondary school building projects and on all educational building at end-1951 prices has been as follows:

——		Primary and Secondary Schools	All educational building (including technical colleges, etc.)
		£ million	£ million
1947	…	7·8	12·4
1948	…	16·0	24·5
1949	…	21·3	38·0
1950	…	35·8	49·7
1951	…	35·5	48·3
1952	…	36·4	50·1

The corresponding estimates for the current year are £403 million and £543 million respectively.

asked the Minister of Education how many new school places have been completed in each of the last six years.

The following are the figures:

Year ending 1st February, 1948	…	80,000
Year ending 1st February, 1949	…	180,000*
Year ending 1st February, 1950	…	90,190*
Year ending 1st February, 1951	…	130,605
Year ending 1st February, 1952	…	159,190
Year ending 1st February, 1953	…	218,395
		858,380

The figures for the first three years are approximate, as statistics were not then kept on an annual basis.The figures for the years asterisked include most of the 168,000 places provided in huts under the HORSA programme.

asked the Minister of Education which university colleges and other centres offer approved courses in youth leadership; how many students are currently enrolled for each course; and if she will give comparable information for 1944–45, 1950–51 and 1951–52.

Following is a list of courses recognised by the Ministry as giving a qualification in youth leadership. These are all one-year courses.

Organising body	Numbers of students approved for grant
	1950–51	1951–52	1952–53
University College of Swansea	19	14	15
Nottingham University	13	11	7
Bristol University	6	2	4

I regret that I have no comparable figures for 1944–45.

YOUTH SERVICE GRANTS
ENGLAND AND WALES
Financial Year		Direct grants paid by the Ministry			Estimated expenditure by L.E.A,s	Rate of grant on L.E.A. expenditure
		National Voluntary Organistions	Training Courses	In aid of capital expenditure by local Voluntary Youth organisations
					£	per cent.
1944–45	…	149,205	7,900	146,438	874,060	50
1950–51	…	170,478	5,284	90,532	1,600,000 (approximate)	60
1951–52	…	180,160	4,814	79,193	Not available	60
1953–54	…	165,000*	3,000*	52,000*	Not available	60
* Estimated.			Separate figures for Wales are not available.

asked the Minister of Education if she will publish as a Departmental paper an account of the achievements, in England and in Wales, respectively, of the youth service, describing its present extent and character and indicating the broad lines of policy for the future

I will bear the hon. Member's suggestion in mind, as I know that the youth service is doing excellent work both in England and Wales.

asked the Minister of Education when the full London salary is to be paid to Dagenham teachers.

I am at present considering a recommendation of the Burn-ham Committees that as from 1st September next there shall be an extension (which would include Dagenham) of the area within which teachers shall receive the London addition.

asked the Minister of Education the total amount of grant for youth service purposes to voluntary organisations and to local education authorities in England and Wales, respectively, in 1944–45, 1950–51 and 1951–52; and what are the estimated grants for the current year.

The following is the answer:

asked the Minister of Education if she will make a statement giving details of the effect of the recent increase in the price of school meals, showing to what extent there has been a national and regional fall-off in the take-up of school meals since 1st March.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave on the 21st May to the hon. Member for Leicester. North-West (Mr. Janner).

asked the Minister of Education if she will take the necessary action to ensure that private schools and correspondence colleges are inspected and licensed by her Department.

I have exercised my power to inspect independent schools under Section 77 (2) of the Education Act, 1944. I cannot say when circumstances will make it possible to operate the system of registering independent schools contained in Part III of the Act. I have no power to inspect private correspondence colleges.

asked the Minister of Food whether he will make a statement about the importation of cattle and meat from Eire.

I would refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. and gallant Friend on 17th June, in reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Heeley (Mr. P. Roberts) about the new Annex to the Trade Agreement of 1948 with the Republic of Ireland.

asked the Minister of Food if he will give an estimate of the sum in dollars which would be required to import enough cooking fats to allow this section of the food rationing system to be closed down at the same time as sugar is derationed in the autumn.

To deration margarine and cooking fats we estimate that we should require additional imports costing about £22 million a year, of which £10 million would be in dollars.

asked the Minister of Food if he will permit those farmers who do not sell liquid milk and who are receiving help under the marginal land or other Government schemes, to continue the sale of cream after 31st July.

My right hon. and gallant Friend is now considering the matter and hopes to make an announcement shortly.

asked the Undersecretary of State for Air whether he will state the reasons for requiring Royal Air Force personnel who are not taking part in, but who wish to attend, Her Majesty's Review at Odiham, on 15th July, to set this one day's absence against their annual leave entitlement; and whether he will make an exception and allow all personnel who can be released and who wish to attend to do so without prejudice to their normal entitlement to leave.

Commanding officers have discretion to allow airmen to be absent, subject to the exigencies of the Service, for periods of less than forty-eight hours without this counting against their leave entitlement. Instructions are being issued to remind Commanding officers that these normal powers to allow absence will be available to them for the day of the Review.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General whether the site of the proposed low-power transmitter in the Plymouth area has yet been finally approved in connection with the completion of the low-power television expansion programme.

No. The B.B.G favours a site at North Hessary Tor but it is consulting a number of interested organisations about this proposal before seeking final approval from the Post Office.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies when the decision was taken not to prosecute the two officers, formerly in the Trinidad Service, involved in the failure of the Caura Dam Scheme.

The question of prosecution has not arisen. The conclusion that no useful purpose would be served by taking disciplinary proceedings in these cases was conveyed to the Governor in November, 1951.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies to give the figures for imports of intoxicating liquors for 1952 for Nigeria, Gold Coast. Sierra Leone and Gambia, respectively.

The information required is as follows:

IMPORTATION OF BEER, SPIRITS, ETC., INTO WEST AFRICA, 1952
	'000 galls.	£
Nigeria:
Beer, ale, stout and porter	3,662	1,747,370
Cider and perry	4	2,467
Spirits	(a) 157	288,956
Wine	36	63,503
Gold Coast:
Beer, ale, stout and porter	3,368	1,538,509
Cider and perry	4	2,702
Spirits	(a) 233	403,517
Wine	167	128,814
Sierra Leone:
Beer, ale, stout and porter	735	374,145
Cider and perry	(b)	(b)
Spirits	(a) 44	80,084
Wine	299	140,602
Gambia:	(b)	(b)
(a) Liquid gallons.
(b) Full details not yet available in London.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what progress

Year		Employment Exchanges in the Abingdon Parliamentary Division				All Employment Exchanges in Berkshire (including Reading)
		February	May	August	November	May
1945	…	*24	†l3	16	38	†227
1946	…	58	56	70	70	664
1947	…	*67	87	39	73	738
1948	…	110	158	100	94	1,228
1949	…	115	96	101	147	1,210
1950	…	139	132	120	143	1,351
1951	…	126	110	83	125	845
1952	…	140	125	121	159	1,209
1953	…	174	162	—	—	1,230
*January.				†April.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power how many pit-head

A provisional offer of a grant of 60 per cent. towards the cost of carrying out the proposed works has been made to the county council, whose reply is awaited.

asked the Minister of Labour to publish in HANSARD a table of figures showing the number of unemployed for each month in the years 1945 to May, 1953, for the constituency of Abingdon and the county of Berkshire, respectively.

It is not possible to undertake the very large amount of work that would be involved in extracting the monthly figures for every year since 1945, and I hope, therefore, that the following table giving quarterly figures for employment exchanges in the Abingdon Parliamentary Division and the figures for May of each year for all employent exchanges in Berkshire will suffice.Numbers of unemployed persons on the registers of (a) employment exchanges in the Abingdon Parliamentary Division and (

Four hundred and ninety-four baths with accommodation for 558,600 men are in operation; 83 baths and 15 extensions to existing baths for a further 86,700 men are under construction.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what progress is being made in the suppression of dust in mines by the installation of water devices; and how far this is being retarded by lack of steel water pipes.

The National Coal Board have made and are continuing to make substantial progress in the introduction of water and other devices for suppressing dust and I am advised that progress is not being hampered by shortage of steel water pipes. The position is kept under review by the National Joint Pneumoconiosis Committee, on which all the interests concerned are represented, under the Chairmanship of my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury if he will arrange that there will be no Purchase Tax on the new form of humane trap for rabbits, now being tested by the county agricultural executive committees.

I have no particulars of this trap, but I do not know of any rabbit trap which is chargeable with Purchase Tax.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the hon. Member for Keighley can expect a reply to his letter of 19th May regarding Mr. G. H. Best, Exley Head, Keighley, about Entertainments Duty.

A reply was sent yesterday by my hon. Friend the Financial Secretary to the Treasury. I regret any inconvenience to the hon. Member occasioned by the delay in replying.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer to publish a further table showing how the purchasing value of the £ has fallen month by month since October, 1951.

Taking October, 1951, as 20s. the figures, based on the Interim Index of Retail Prices of the Ministry of Labour, are as follows:

				s.	d.
1951—	October	…	…	20	0
	November	…	…	19	11
	December	…	…	19	9
1952—	January	…	…	19	5
	February	…	…	19	5
	March	…	…	19	4
	April	…	…	19	0
	May	…	…	19	0
	June	…	…	18	8
	July	…	…	18	9
	August	…	…	18	10
	September	…	…	18	10
	October	…	…	18	8
	November	…	…	18	9
	December	…	…	18	7
1953—	January	…	…	18	7
	February	…	…	18	7
	March	…	…	18	5
	April	…	…	18	3
	May	…	…	18	4