asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, in view of representations made to him concerning the ill-effects of the United Kingdom tax practice, whereby companies registered in this country but operating in the West Indies are denied the benefit of tax concessions specifically designed by West Indian Governments to encourage economic development, he will state what action he is proposing to take.

This matter was fully discussed during the Committee stage debates on the Finance Bill. As I then explained, my right hon. Friend could not include in this year's Finance Bill the complicated legislation which would be necessary to carry out the recommendation which the Royal Commission on the Taxation of Profits and Income made on this point in their interim Report. He has not, however, closed his mind on this subject, and will consider it again as soon as the Royal Commission have made their final report.

While thanking my hon. Friend for that reply, as far as it goes, may I ask whether he will not agree that this practice does militate against economic expansion in the Colonies, and, to overcome these difficulties, would he consider whether the Treasury could not regard remissions of colonial tax as capital profits, which, indeed, they are?

I think there would be considerable difficulty in the way of adopting that suggestion, but my right hon. Friend's mind is not closed on the matter, and he would be very glad to consider any suggestions which hon. Members like to put forward.

Could my hon. Friend say whether it would be necessary to include a provision of this sort in a Finance Bill before starting negotiations with the Governments of the territories concerned for this facility to be given?

I should like notice of that question, but my impression is that it would be necessary.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer his estimate of the withdrawals of small depositors during the period of the Coronation; and what his explanation is of these reductions in small savings.

I would refer the hon. Member to the weekly figures published by the National Savings Committee. Small savings always fall off at the beginning of the holiday season; the Coronation will have accentuated this seasonal trend.

Cannot the Minister give us some figures without referring us to these statistics? In view of the anxiety and the sleepless nights which the then Opposition used to have in the time of the Labour Government about the decline in small investments, what is he doing to prevent this decline?

The last part of that question raises much wider issues. As to the first part, the National Savings Committee goes out of its way to publish these figures weekly, and they are very easily accessible.

In view of the desirability of encouraging my hon. Friend to take further interest in small savings, could not the hon. Gentleman give the figures for last year, showing how much small savings declined?

I have not the figures for last year, which are not immediately available, but the right hon. Gentleman will be reassured to know that the figures for the first 10 weeks of the present financial year are better than those for the corresponding period of the previous year.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the sum spent on intoxicating liquor in Coronation week; and his estimate of the increased revenue likely to result from increased consumption of liquor during this period.

I have no information from which to estimate expenditure on alcoholic liquor, or consequent changes in revenue, for so short a period as one week.

Is not the Minister optimistic about getting increased revenue as a result of the celebrations? Is he aware that the brewers and distillers are so enthusiastic about their revenue that they are pressing for an annual Coronation?

Celebrations are always a cause for optimism.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many sets of Coronation coins have been issued by the Mint; and whether he is satisfied that the numbers are adequate, in view of the heavy demands of collectors for this unique coinage.

So far, 1,110,000 sets and 3,940,000 crowns have been issued against orders of 1,271,000 and 5,874,000 respectively. Although orders for the crown exceed the limit of five million, which my right hon. Friend mentioned in his reply to the hon. Member for Sheffield, Park (Mr. Mulley) on 30th June, all outstanding orders, both of crowns and sets, will be met as soon as possible. This large issue should be adequate to meet public demand for coins of ordinary finish.

Is my hon. Friend aware that there is still a considerable demand for these coins, particularly in Northern Ireland, and that any further action which he can take to satisfy this demand will be greatly appreciated by all concerned?

I am glad to say that these coins have proved extremely popular, but in view of the many other heavy commitments on the Royal Mint I am afraid that my right hon. Friend cannot go beyond the extension which he announced the other day.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reasons he will not propose to amend the law so as to permit post-war credits to be repaid in those cases, such as widows, where administrative difficulties do not exist because the classes of persons are readily identifiable.

One reason is the cost. Thus, to take the hon. Gentleman's example, it would cost about £38 million in the first year to pay to widows their late husbands' post-war credits. The other reason is that to select a special class of person for preferential payment would be unfair to those excluded, particularly if their hardship were greater.

Is it, then, the view of the Financial Secretary that when there is money available for distribution, the Income Tax Payer on the standard rate or the large taxpayer has a higher social priority than classes of persons in straightened circumstances who can be easily identified?

I would not wish to repeat part of the main debate on the Finance Bill in reply to a Parliamentary Question, but I must recall to the hon. Gentleman that this step was not taken by the Administration of which he was a Member, which also disposed of substantial sums of public money.

Is it not the case that the reasons hitherto advanced have been administrative difficulties, and is not the hon. Gentleman now going further and saying that, although those difficulties can be removed, nevertheless, he proposes to repay companies' taxation rather than give it to these people?

I am not going enter into a debate, but I will agree with the hon. Gentleman to this extent, that this Government are more capable of overcoming administrative difficulties than were the last Government.

Do I understand from what the hon. Gentleman has said that because there is administrative difficulty, or some other difficulty, in selecting one particular class for this purpose, nothing is to be done for anybody?

We are at present continuing the repayments under the system originated by the late Administration. The right hon. Gentleman will not expect me to anticipate such further steps as may be possible.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that the grant to Covent Garden made by the Arts Council has steadily risen from £25,000 in 1945–46 to about £150,000 and now represents half the total grants made in support of opera, ballet and music throughout the whole country; and whether he will in future make it a condition of his grant that it should be more fairly distributed.

My right, hon. Friend is aware of the heavy cost of maintaining an opera house of international standard and that the Arts Council's grant to Covent Garden represents more than half of its total expenditure on opera, ballet and music. But it would not be appropriate, or in accordance with the Arts Council's charter, for him to make conditions as to the apportionment of the Council's grant-in-aid.

Will my hon. Friend look into this again? Surely he cannot support the trend that more and more of this grant should be spent in London and less and less in the provinces. Does he really think it right that if the mass choirs at a county musical festival want to sing the "Messiah" they are turned down by the Arts Council on that score alone—although what the Arts Council has against the "Messiah," I do not know—whereas if Covent Garden want to perform "Gloriana" the financial support they receive seems almost unlimited?

To my mind, both the examples to which my hon. Friend has referred reinforce the desirability of leaving these matters to the Arts Council and of not expecting Ministers to indulge in aesthetic judgments.

Will the hon. Gentleman resist any pressure to reduce the grant to Covent Garden, which is now barely adequate and considerably smaller than the subsidies granted to the major opera houses on the Continent?

Speaking from memory, I think the hon. Gentleman is quite right in the latter part of his question in as much as Continental operas are very heavily subsidised. As regards the first part of his Question, I do not think that my hon. Friend was suggesting any such reduction.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer to state, to the nearest £1,000,000, the amount of debt held by Government Departments on 31st March, 1953, under the headings of Floating Debt and Other Internal Debt (excluding Bonds tendered for Death Duties), respectively.

I am afraid that this information is not yet available, but it will, as usual, be published in the National Debt Return later in the year.

When it is available, will my hon. Friend send me a copy?

As I understand, my hon. Friend would be entitled to such a paper, but, if it will come with greater force from me, I shall be very glad to send it.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the amount of dollars saved by cuts in food imports in 1952.

Food imports from the dollar area were reduced by £50 million in 1952 compared with 1951.

Will the Treasury look particularly at those restrictions on dollar food imports that are prolonging food rationing, as in the case of cooking fats?

We are anxious to remove restrictions on food imports as soon as it is possible to do so. In the case of sugar, of course, that is soon to take place.

asked the Minister of Agriculture how many county committees have relinquished the grading of farmers as part of the farm survey procedure.

Thirty-four, Sir.

In June of last year the Minister sent out a letter which was preceded by an important circular dealing with the farm survey. Does he not agree that these committees are acting wrongly, and will he take some action in the matter?

No, Sir. The circular which I sent out altered the procedure so that the counties could themselves select the particular method they wished to adopt. As a result of that circular, 34 counties do not now grade their farms A, B and C.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what response he has had from county committees concerning his circular C.A.E.C. 52/58, 1st September, 1952, which deals with arrangements to facilitate the entry of younger men into farming.

At the end of 1952, one building licence had been issued on the advice of a county committee, and three other cases were under consideration. Since that date the need for the scheme has disappeared, as local authorities have been authorised to issue licences freely for the building of small dwelling-houses of not more than 1,000 square feet in area.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he is aware that present credit facilities for farmers are inadequate to meet the needs of the food production drive; and what action he is taking.

I have no reason to believe that, broadly speaking, the attainment of the objectives of the food production drive is being prevented by shortage of credit. I shall, however, continue to keep a very close watch on the situation.

Is the Minister aware that before the General Election his party, time and time again, promised to give credit facilities to small farmers, and that the Chancellor, in a speech which he made before introducing his Budget, promised to consider this matter sympathetically, and gave a firm declaration that he would do something about it? When can we have some action?

I have answered the Question on the Order Paper. I think it is true that at present the increased production programme is not being held up by want of further credit, but I am watching the position all the time.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that credit-worthy farmers can get all the credit they want from the banks and from the traders, and that what farmers really want is to be able to keep a bit more of their hard won profits so that they can repay the debts they already owe?

Is the Minister aware that owing to the raising of the Bank rate, the interest rate of the Agricultural Mortgage Corporation was increased?

It has now gone down again.

But not enough.

asked the Minister of Agriculture the present number of people employed in agriculture in Wales and Monmouthshire; and how it compares with last year.

According to the agricultural returns for March of this year, the total number of regular and casual agricultural workers in Wales and Monmouth was 46,552 as compared with 45,726 in March, 1952. The figures for March last were based on returns from a one-third sample of occupiers only and may be liable to a small margin of error.

asked the Minister of Agriculture how many farmers are under supervision in the Principality of Wales and in the county of Glamorgan, at the latest available date.

At the end of May, 43 farmers were under supervision for bad husbandry in Glamorgan and 272 in Wales and Monmouth.

Will my right hon. Friend explain why it was necessary for the Minister to exercise these dictatorial methods and why, if farmers are supervised and controlled, butchers, bakers and candlestick makers are not?

That is entirely another question, but I would not accept the implication conveyed by my hon. Friend.

Is my right hon. Friend satisfied that in any case when this is done, due attention is paid to the peculiar difficulties of farming in some parts of Wales?

Yes, Sir.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is aware that the expansion of the milk-recording movement has ceased; and what steps he intends to take to remedy this.

I am aware that the rapid expansion of the milk-recording movement during the last 10 years has ceased, at least for the time being. My Department is considering, with the Milk Marketing Board, possible means of encouraging a further expansion in milk recording. These include proposals for the introduction of a simplified and cheaper form of recording to suit the needs of the commercial milk producer.

Since it is the aim of the breeders to produce breeds that give more milk and fewer calves, and since these records are good evidence for the breeders to work on, cannot the right hon. Gentleman do something more to expand this recording of milk?

As a matter of fact, recording it is going very well at the moment. Although only about 25,000 herds are officially recorded they include about a quarter of our dairy cows. They include, to a very great extent, the special cows of the breeding society. The new scheme which I am now trying to introduce is to help the small man who is producing milk commercially in a small way.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what progress has been made this summer in dealing with warble fly in cattle; and what action has been taken under the Warble Fly Order.

My Department has again conducted a publicity campaign to remind farmers of their obligation to dress warble-infested cattle, but it is too early yet to assess the effectiveness of this campaign since the dressing season has only just ended. Preliminary reports indicate that the response from farmers may have been somewhat better this year than in the past. The administration of the Warble Fly Order is the responsibility of the police and local authorities, and I regret I have no information about any proceedings that have been taken under the Order.

Will my right hon. Friend keep a much closer watch on this problem than has been kept for many years past and, in view of the success of the Ministry's methods in dealing with sheep scab, see whether the same kind of method cannot be applied to warble fly?

I think my hon. Friend will agree that this is a more difficult problem to spot. My Department is carrying out an experiment in the Isle of Wight to assess how it might be possible to exercise a very tight control, and how much it will cost.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he will now make a statement concerning the inquiry which his Department is conducting in Yorkshire into the incidence of fowl typhoid.

This inquiry is being conducted by members of my veterinary staff. The main objects are to obtain more information about the behaviour and control of this disease in the field and to investigate further the use of vaccination as a preventive measure. The inquiry is still going on. A new vaccine is being used experimentally on selected flocks, but it will be some time before results can be assessed.

asked the Minister of Agriculture the relationship between the National Agricultural Advisory Service and the county agricultural executive committees; and if he will take steps to ensure that no one shall be a member of both these committees.

Members of the National Agricultural Advisory Service, who are civil servants, act as executive and advisory officers of county agricultural executive committees, and the chief officers of these committees and their district committees are normally drawn from the Service. Civil servants, whether members of the N.A.A.S. or not, are never appointed as members of county agricultural executive committees.

Is it not contrary to British justice that anyone who gives advice should be judge in a case where that advice is not followed?

The members of the Advisory Service are in no way judges.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he is aware that the full value of the National Agricultural Advisory Service is not being secured because farmers most in need of help and advice are afraid to call in officers of the Service because they fear that it will set in motion the dispossession functions of the county agricultural executive; and what action he will take to put an end to this.

My hon. Friend's suggestion is entirely erroneous. So far from being afraid to call on the National Agricultural Advisory Service, farmers of all kinds are steadily increasing their requests for help from the Service.

Will the Minister not stop these totalitarian methods of supervising and dispossessing farmers, especially when those farmers have no right of appeal to a traditional court of law?

That has nothing whatever to do with the Question. The National Agricultural Advisory Service is there for the sole purpose of giving advice to farmers on the best means of cultivation and good husbandry.

asked the Minister of Agriculture to what extent fowl pest has now abated; and when he will be able to lift the ban against fewer than 25 head of live poultry being sent to a public market.

I am sorry to say that fowl pest has not abated. There have been 457 outbreaks since 1st January, 1953, compared with 498 in the whole of 1952. I cannot say when it will be possible to lift the ban on fewer than 25 head of store poultry being sent to market.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that this ban operates partially on smallholders and will he consider, in individual areas where the position improves, relaxing it progressively?

I am always ready to consider relaxing restrictions of this kind—I know they are irksome—but the whole point is to try to help the industry.

asked the Minister of Agriculture in view of the fact that rats and mice destroy approximately 2,000,000 tons of food a year, while insect pests destroy a large additional quantity, and that the total loss to the nation is of the order of £30 million per annum, what steps he is taking to strengthen the Infestation Control Division.

There are many people and organisations engaged in the control and destruction of rats, mice and insect pests. Their joint efforts are securing a continual and substantial reduction in these pests. The Infestation Control Division of my Department is playing its full part in this work, and although changes and improvements in organisation are being made from time to time I am satisfied that no major alterations are required.

May I ask the Minister for the assurance which he felt unable to give a fortnight ago, that he will resist proposals for the reduction of this service?

There is no suggestion of reducing the organisation of the division on economy grounds, for that would be a false economy. On the other hand, it may be necessary from time to time to make changes within the division which may reduce personnel or in other cases increase it. I can give the right hon. Gentleman a complete assurance that no reduction of the organisation on grounds of economy will be contemplated.

Who adds up what mice eat?

I think that the hon. and learned Gentleman's right hon. Friend on the Front Bench made the best calculation he could.

It was based on calculations over many years.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what steps he is taking to ensure that the new rat destroyer, "Warfarin," is made sufficiently well known to the public.

The advantages of "Warfarin" as a rat poison have been brought to the attention of the public through the Press and are a feature of the Ministry's civic and agricultural show exhibits about the destruction of rats during the present year.

Is it non-poisonous to other animals, and very costly in use?

It is very successful. I prefer to write to my hon. Friend in reply to the first part of his supplementary question.

asked the Minister of Agriculture the number of tails of grey squirrels that have been paid for by his officials up to date.

Up to 13th June, the number of tails paid for by the cash bonus and the free issue of cartridges is 112,400.

Can my right hon. Friend tell me whether it is an economic proposition to breed grey squirrels so as to get 1s. a head for their tails, and, if so, will he reduce the rewards? Secondly, has he had any report of boys capturing grey squirrels, cutting off their tails and releasing them to breed more grey squirrels and obtain more tails?

The answer to the first part of that supplementary question is "No." I would not think it an economic proposition to breed grey squirrels. As to the second, I have, personally, no complaint at all, although I have heard a suggestion that this practice may be in operation.

What does the Minister do with the tail of a grey squirrel when he gets it?

That is not my responsibility.

To meet the danger suggested by my hon. Friend the Member for Tonbridge (Mr. G. Williams), would it not be a better plan to give 1s. a tail per head?

asked the Minister of Agriculture what steps he has taken to satisfy himself that pig producers will be able to take advantage of the consumer demand for bacon and pork pigs when the new weight ranges are introduced.

The schedule of prices for pigs introduced last April was designed to encourage farmers to market pigs of the type required for the pork and bacon trades today. I am sure that farmers can and will produce pigs of the right type and quality to meet consumer demands. My Department and the Ministry of Food are co-operating with the National Farmers' Union to help farmers to do so.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he will expedite the decontrol of animal feedingstuffs since the system of collecting coupons for such feedingstuffs is breaking down.

No, Sir. The system must be maintained until the 31st July so that merchants who wish to replace stocks during this month may be able to exchange their coupons for permits to buy feedingstuffs.

Is my right hon. and gallant Friend aware that the system is already not working at all in some places, and would it not be better to abandon it forthwith?

To bring in a new system, which my hon. Friend's suggestion would mean, would not be practicable for a matter of a few weeks. In point of fact, the Ministry of Food have given a guarantee to the trade that having fixed a date for derationing they will stick to it.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department the number of part-time and volunteer firemen in the fire services of Great Britain in 1936; and what was the comparable figure in March, 1953, or to the latest available prior date.

Complete figures for 1936 are not available, but from returns obtained for the Riverdale Committee on Fire Brigade Services which reported in that year it is estimated that there were between 15,000 and 16,000 part-time firemen in the brigades in Great Britain which had motor pumping appliances. These figures do not include policemen employed part-time on fire brigade duties.

Is the hon. and learned Gentleman aware that very misleading figures are frequently published in the Press about these matters, particularly in connection with the cost of the fire service, which cause very considerable concern to some local authorities and to the personnel? Will he do his best to counteract these misleading statements, which are based very often on very misleading pre-war figures.

I was not aware that misleading figures have been published, but it is true that changes have taken place since 1936 and I do not think tha any conclusion can be arrived at from a comparison of these two years.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has now been paid out in compensation and relief to those who suffered in last winter's tempest and flood in Great Britain as a whole and in the county of Essex; approximately what sum is still to be disbursed on claims outstanding; and to what extent claims are now being considered in respect of property, such as holiday chalets or beach huts, whose owners' qualification for compensation has been regarded as marginal.

My right hon. and learned Friend is informed by the Lord Mayor that up to 26th June, £2,636,000 had been paid out in Great Britain, including £950,700 in the county of Essex. It is not possible to say what sum remains unpaid on outstanding applications.

Can the hon. Gentleman say whether the figures he has quoted about the Lord Mayor's Fund cover all the money that has now been paid out, and whether the Lord Mayor's Fund is now being used exclusively for what was thought to be its proper original purpose—that is, to relieve individual cases of hardship rather than to pay large sums in compensation to firms?

I think that the answer to that question is "Yes." The Fund is now being used for the purpose which I have indicated in my answer.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is aware of the concern at the substantial number of mailbags and sacks containing gifts intended for flood victims which still remain unopened; and, in view of the generosity of the public, if he will make a statement on the present position.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the matter of the deterioration of clothing sent by the public for flood victims, in view of the information sent to him by the hon. Member for West Ham, North.

I would refer the hon. Members to the answer which my right hon. and learned Friend gave on 25th June to the hon. Member for West Ham, North (Mr. Lewis).

Does the hon. Gentleman not appreciate that many statements have been made since then about the mountains of parcels that have not yet been opened? Does not the Government think that in view of the kindness of the public they have an obligation to see that volunteers are available to get these parcels opened?

The evidence which has been given of these mountains of parcels has not always been correct. In one case a photograph was published in the Press of a mountain of parcels which consisted, in fact, of sorted and clean clothing awaiting despatch. The hon. Member should be sure of his facts before making allegations of this kind.

Is the Minister not aware of the statement which was made 10 days ago by the Cambridgeshire regional organiser of the W.V.S. that she had only two women at one depot, who were working 12 hours a day, and that if she had 20 women the work would be completed by the end of July? Has the hon. Gentleman not made inquiries about the position from the London headquarters of the W.V.S., which is only a few hundred yards from this Chamber? I have done so.

The hon. Member will see from the answer given on 25th June that the W.V.S. state that they have no evidence whatsoever to the effect which he suggests.

Does the Minister say definitely, then, that all the parcels have been opened?

I do not say that they have all been opened, but I say that there is no evidence that the clothes are being destroyed, as has been suggested.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why he will not transfer from Swansea prison to Cardiff prison a prisoner whose name he knows, whose home is in Cardiff, in view of the fact that he has given no reasons for keeping him in Swansea.

While the prisons are so overcrowded and the pressure of escort duty is so heavy it is not practicable, as a general rule, to grant prisoners' applications for transfer, and my right hon. and learned Friend would not feel justified in singling out for special treatment the case which the hon. Member has brought to his notice. There are, however, certain prisoners who, having been in Cardiff prison awaiting trial, are committed to Swansea prison on conviction, and vice versa, according to the location of the court of trial; and it is proposed to authorise the two prisons to effect exchanges of such prisoners when convenient. The prisoner in question should eventually benefit under this arrangement.

I am much obliged.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he will make where national committees contain no Welsh representatives.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which my right hon. and learned Friend gave to a Question by the hon. Member for Anglesey (Mr. C. Hughes) on 25th June.

Is my hon. Friend that the opinion is widely held in Wales that there should have been a Welsh representative on the committee dealing with the problem of flooded areas, because Wales is particularly subject to floods and soil erosion?

I am not aware that any suggestion of that kind has been made, but if my hon. Friend will take up the matter with my right hon. and learned Friend I am sure that he will look into it.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to publish the Report of the Royal Commission on Capital Punishment.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he can now state when the Report of the Royal Commission on Capital Punishment will be published.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has yet received the Report of the Royal Commission on Capital Punishment.

My right hon. and learned Friend is informed that he may expect to receive the Report of the Royal Commission before the end of the month. It will be presented to Parliament and published as soon as possible thereafter.

Can the hon. and learned Gentleman give an assurance that in considering this Report his right hon. and learned Friend will not exclude from his mind the question of the abolition of the death penalty, even though the Royal Commission have been specifically precluded from making this recommendation?

I think that that question goes far beyond the Question on the Order Paper.

Is the hon. and learned Gentleman aware that I have been asking Questions on this subject for months and getting the same kind of answer? Is he aware that this is a life and death matter, a very urgent matter which should be attended to urgently? Will he bring some pressure to bear on the Royal Commission to see that they report immediately?

As the end of the month means the end of the Session will my hon. and learned Friend see whether the Report can be presented to Parliament and published during the Recess?

I think that the answer is in the affirmative, but I will see that my right hon. and learned Friend is aware of my noble Friend's question.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will order a public inquiry into the case of Timothy John Evans, executed on a charge of having murdered his infant daughter, to see whether any miscarriage of justice occurred.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what additional charges were made against Timothy John Evans, who was executed after having been convicted of the murder of his child; and, in view of the fact that recent events have given grounds for the belief that a miscarriage of justice has occurred, if he will order an inquiry.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will order an inquiry into the events for which Timothy John Evans was found guilty of murder.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in view of the widespread public anxiety about the conviction and execution of Timothy John Evans, he will arrange for the circumstances of that case to be reviewed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, having regard to the revelations made in a recent trial, he will cause an inquiry to be made into all the circumstances leading to the death sentence on Timothy John Evans.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is aware of the public disquiet at the possibility of a miscarriage of justice in the conviction and execution for murder of Timothy John Evans in 1950; and if he will set up an authoritative commission to hold a public inquiry into the circumstances of this case.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in view of the additional information which is now available and which was not available at the trial, he will order an immediate inquiry about the conviction and execution of Timothy John Evans.

My right hon. and learned Friend is, of course, giving urgent consideration to this matter, but he is not in a position at present to make any statement. In any event, he would not think it right to make any statement or to comment on the issues involved while it is still open to the prisoner Christie to appeal.

Would the hon. Gentleman convey to his right hon. and learned Friend that nobody expects him to make any statement or any comment upon any issue raised in any of these cases? All that the Question asks is whether he will order a public inquiry. Will he bear in mind that public confidence in the administration of justice has been gravely shaken—[HON. MEMBERS: "No."] It has—that it is most important that it should be restored, and that it can only be restored by the fullest possible open inquiry into all the matters involved?

It cannot be known on what grounds an appeal by Christie would be based, if it were made, and a decision either way might appear to prejudge some issue raised by an appeal. I can assure the House that as soon as possible after the time in which it is open to Christie to appeal has expired, or, if he should appeal, after such an appeal has been determined, my right hon. and learned Friend will make a statement.

May I ask the Under-Secretary two questions? First, as the time for an appeal expires on Sunday, is it possible that we might have a statement from the hon. Gentleman or his right hon. and learned Friend on Monday? Secondly, would he inform his right hon. and learned Friend that a great many people who are interested in this matter believe that it is desirable that the inquiry, if held, should not be in camera but should be an open inquiry, with the parties interested properly represented and available for cross-examination?

I note what the hon. Member says, and I will see that my right hon. and learned Friend is advised of it.

May I have an answer to the first part of my supplementary, if the hon. Gentleman knows it? Are we likely to have a statement on Monday, which is the day after the expiry of the time for an appeal?

I cannot give an answer now, but my right hon. and learned Friend will certainly make a statement as soon as he possibly can.

Would the Minister not agree that while it is dangerous to prejudge the implications of what has happened since the trial, there is grave anxiety in every corner of the land about those implications, and can he not help justice itself by speeding the inquiry and seeing that it is held at the earliest possible moment?

May we deduce from the hon. Gentleman's answer that if any such inquiry is held it will be held before still another mouth is closed by the imposition of this barbarous punishment? As the hon. Gentleman bases his reply upon the fate of Christie, may I ask whether he is aware that yesterday the psychiatrist who appeared on Christie's behalf at the trial was refused permission to visit him in Pentonville Gaol? Will the hon. Gentleman look into the matter?

I do not think that the last part of the question arises. If there should be an inquiry, and it should be considered desirable for Christie to appear before it, all necessary steps will be taken to secure that he is available for that purpose. If necessary, the date of execution can be postponed.

rose—

Order. As we are to have a statement shortly on this subject I think it would be better to defer further discussion.

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. Is it not the usual practice that those who put Questions down are allowed to ask a supplementary?

That is the practice when the answer has been given, but the answer in this case is to the effect that a further answer is to be made. I shall remember those hon. Members who have put down these Questions when the further statement is issued.

Further to that, Mr. Speaker. I appear to be the only Member—perhaps there is one other—excluded from asking supplementaries. Surely that is a little unfair?

As the Member to whom my hon. Friend has just referred, may I put it to you, Sir, that this is a matter about which there is a great deal of public concern? May I put this point to the Under-Secretary, that in view of the public interest in this matter and the necessity for Members to be correctly informed about it, would it be possible for the transcript of the evidence in this case to be put in the Library?

I think that when we get the answer of the Home Secretary which we are promised as soon as possible, these questions will be relevant. As the Under-Secretary has indicated that the Home Secretary fears that further discussion of this matter might possibly prejudice an appeal, I think that the less we say about it now the better. I hope that the House will agree with me in that view.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what technical means are now in use by the Metropolitan Police for checking the speed of vehicles limited, respectively, to speeds of 30, 20, 16, 8, 5 and 3 miles per hour; and what particular instructions are given to the mobile police with regard to the enforcement or non-enforcement of the 20 miles per hour limit in particular.

The normal methods adopted by the Metropolitan Police for enforcing speed limits are either for motor patrols to follow vehicles for a reasonable, and at an even, distance noting both maximum and minimum speedometer readings on speedometers whose accuracy is regularly checked, or for foot patrols to operate fixed speed controls over a measured distance, vehicles passing through a control being timed by means of stop watches, the accuracy of which is regularly checked. Occasionally, but more rarely, cases have been taken where motor patrol vehicles travelling at the legal limit have been overtaken by other vehicles. The 20 m.p.h. speed limit is enforced by mobile patrols in the same way as other speed limits.

Can my hon. Friend explain why the police are so unsuccessful in detecting heavy vehicles proceeding at speeds in excess of 20 miles an hour?

I have no reason to suppose that the police are unsuccessful in the way that my hon. Friend suggests.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is aware that the new athletic ground in Belfast has been named after Roger Casement; and what action he proposes to take on the demand of a recent public meeting in Belfast, attended by 20,000 people, asking for the return to Ireland of the remains of this Irish patriot who was interned in Pentonville Prison.

My right hon. and learned Friend has seen a newspaper report of the matters to which the hon. Member draws attention. He does not propose to take any action in the matter.

Can the hon. Gentleman not at least be as generous as the United States Government, who handed over the bodies of the Rosenbergs to their relatives? If he has not already recognised the Irish Republic for which Casement died, does his present attitude not indicate that he has sympathy with the Home Office of that period, which proceeded to issue to the Press slanders on Casement after they had murdered him?

I cannot accept the hon. Member's statement, and I cannot imagine that any action of the kind suggested would help to improve relations between this country and Ireland. Indeed, by re-awakening the memory of old differences it might do the reverse.

In the interests of accuracy is my hon. Friend aware that at the public meeting in question there was no public demand voiced for the return of Roger Casement's remains, but that merely a pious hope was expressed by one of the speakers at that meeting? Is my hon. Friend further aware that every loyal citizen in Belfast and, indeed, throughout Northern Ireland regards Roger Casement not as a patriot but as a traitor who paid the just penalty for his high treason to this country?

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that this was one of the largest meetings in Belfast for a very considerable time, and that 75 per cent. of the Irish people regard him as a patriot and want Casement's remains brought back to the place of his birth?

In view of the fact that the cause for which Sir Roger Casement gave his life has been so largely successful, and as this view is also shared by a large number of Irishmen in America, will not the Home Office do the generous thing and accede to this request?

Successive Governments have taken the view that the removal of the remains would not tend to improve relations between the two countries. That is still the view of this Government.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give an estimate of the annual cost of paying the same basic pension to the widows of all police officers as is authorised under the Police Regulations, 1949, for the widows of police officers who died on or after 6th April, 1949.

The additional annual cost of paying to police widows whose husbands died before 6th April, 1949, flat-rate pensions as provided by the Police Pensions Regulations, 1949, together with discretionary increases of 32s. 6d. a week where the prescribed conditions are fulfilled, is estimated to be £203,500.

While thanking my hon. Friend for the information, may I ask whether it is not a fact that the widow of a police officer who died before 4th July, 1948, receives appreciably less than the widow of an officer who died a day later? In view of the sum involved, which, by the nature of things, must be a diminishing amount, would my hon. Friend look at the matter again to see whether all the widows' pensions could be placed on the same basis?

This is a difficult and technical matter. It was discussed fairly recently in the House, and I think that the House agreed with the Government's conclusions without a Division.

Is the Home Office determined to show the same miserable pusillanimity in this respect as they are showing in the case of Roger Casement?

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will extend the periods during which the call-up of agricultural workers will be suspended to assist in the gathering of this year's harvest.

Yes, Sir. After consultation with his right hon. Friends the Secretary of State for Scotland and the Minister of Agriculture my right hon. and learned Friend has arranged for the periods to be extended by three weeks. The periods will now run from 10th August to 14th November in England and Wales and from 17th August to 21st November in Scotland.

Will my hon. Friend convey our thanks to the Minister for his timely action?

Yes, but this is not a precedent for other years.

asked the Minister of Labour why Terence Morris, Conway Road, Sparkbrook, Birmingham, was passed Grade 2 by a Ministry medical board and posted to a Royal Army Ordnance Corps department, near Alder-shot, on 28th May last, when he had, as a child, attended the school for blind in Birmingham.

I very much regret that the National Service Medical Board at Birmingham was at fault in placing Mr. Morris in Grade 2, in view of the report of the ophthalmic specialist to whom they had referred him. My right hon. and learned Friend is taking special steps to see that this kind of mistake does not occur again, and wishes me to express his regret to Mr. Morris for what has happened.

Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that this is not the first case so far as eyesight is concerned? I was able to prevent a boy going into the Army after he had his call-up papers and his warrant. This is not the first case of a boy being passed for the Army when he is unfit. What about the boy who died a few weeks ago? These boys are embarrassed by leaving their jobs and then being pulled up in the Army for not being able to do their work.

I quite sympathise with the hon. Member's interest and anxiety about this case. I think that this anxiety is shared by the whole House. We certainly want to be quite sure that the medical arrangements for the call-up work efficiently and well. In this respect, I should say that my right hon. and learned Friend would have been here himself to deal with this matter had he not had to be in attendance on Her Majesty in Northern Ireland today. He attaches the greatest possible importance to the principle I have just enunciated. Though it may not be much satisfaction to Mr. Morris, as a result of this case we are drawing the attention of all medical boards to the need for making quite certain that nothing in a consultant's report is overlooked. As to the other case mentioned by the hon. Member, if the House wishes I can give the full details. The hon. Member's facts are not quite correct; this man was correctly called up.

Will the Parliamentary Secretary bear in mind that it seems that these medical boards generally are not working quite as efficiently as in the past? This is only one of a number of recent cases. It is important that parents, in particular, should feel confident that when these boys go before medical boards they should be properly examined and put into the right grades.

It is most important, but the hon. Member's implication is quite incorrect. Medical boards all over the country are working as well and as efficiently as always. There have been three recent cases in Birmingham which have received a great deal of publicity. The one to which I have just referred was a genuine mistake—the first mistake in the 12 years' operation of the chairman of that particular panel. With regard to the second one, mentioned by the hon. Member, his facts are not quite correct; the man was correctly called up. The case of the other man which he has mentioned should be the subject of another Question altogether; but there again inquiries are proceeding, and it is a quite exceptional case. I think that it would be most improper for this House to assume, incorrectly, that medical boards as a whole are not being as fair and as accurate as they always have been.