asked the Minister of Agriculture if he has considered using common land, in suitable circumstances, for agricultural purposes.

As the law stands at present the agricultural use of common land is severely restricted. Certain commons, requisitioned under emergency powers, will be retained under cultivation for as long as those powers continue. Apart from this there is little initiative which the law allows me to take. It is, however, open to persons with an interest in a common to co-operate over the improvement of the grazing, and I hope that this will be done in many places.

asked the Minister of Agriculture the estimated average milk yield from cows in gallons per year for 1952–53 and the yield pre-war; and what future improvement he expects.

The estimated average annual milk yield per cow in the United Kingdom in 1952–53 is 609 gallons. The comparable pre-war figure was 542 gallons. Over the past two or three years the average annual increase has been between 1 and 2 per cent., and I should expect this average rate of improvement at least to be maintained in the future.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what steps he will take, and what arrangements he will make, with other Departments to deal with problems which may arise from any possible glut of plums and damsons this year to ensure that there may be no undue waste of this fruit.

Preliminary reports indicate that the plum and damson crop will probably be less than half of last year's and there is unlikely to be any undue waste of good quality fruit. There should be sufficient sugar and tin plate available to allow jam manufacturers and other processors to make use of all the fruit they require. For the housewife there will be better supplies of sugar as announced by my right hon. and gallant Friend the Minister of Food on 6th July.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he will give an assurance that the 100 Swedish Landrace pigs being imported for breeding purposes are made available for purchase by legitimate pig producers.

I understand that the National Pig Breeders' Association, who are importing these pigs from Sweden, intend to make it a condition of sale that no purchaser shall buy more than one lot of pigs nor dispose of any of them for at least 18 months. This should ensure that the pigs are bought only by genuine pig breeders.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what steps he has taken to make farmers aware of the fall in price of lime due to the increase in the subsidy from May to August, from 50 per cent. to 70 per cent., so that they can take the fullest advantage from this; and if he will make a statement.

Farmers were reminded last May about the increase in the subsidy, through the issue to the Press of a notice and a specially written note on summer liming which were widely reported and through the B.B.C. All approved producers and distributors of agricultural lime were given full particulars. The result has been that, instead of the normally slack season, suppliers generally are fully extended to meet the unusual demand and many are fully booked up until 15th August.

asked the Minister of Labour whether his attention has been drawn to the shortage of factory inspectors; and what steps he is taking to remedy this lack.

I am glad to say that recruitment has improved greatly in the last year and there are now very few vacancies.

asked the Minister of Labour how many foreigners are working in the Accrington area; and how many are unemployed.

The first figure asked for is not available. The second is not precisely known but cannot be large.

asked the Minister of Labour what steps he is taking, in view of the fact that the Government's desire to improve the economic use of goods vehicles in this country and to aid their sale overseas by increasing the existing speed limit of 20 miles per hour cannot be achieved until certain agreements within the industry have been reached, to ensure that such agreements are arrived at within the shortest possible time.

My hon. Friend will be aware from the reply given by the Minister of Transport on 22nd June that the Government are fully alive to all the considerations involved in this matter, on which my right hon. Friend has kept me closely informed. The House may be assured that as soon as the time and circumstances are propitious for going ahead, my right hon. Friend and I will be prepared, if necessary, to assist by all appropriate means in the reaching of agreements by the parties concerned.

asked the Minister of Labour by what procedure and in what form medical reports from specialists who have examined men being called up for National Service are considered by medical boards.

A specialist enters his report on the medical examination record of the man examined, and the chairman of the medical board takes the report into consideration before he determines the grading. If there is still an element of doubt about the man's medical condition, the chairman discusses the specialist's report with other members of the board before reaching a decision.

asked the Minister of Labour when he proposes to introduce legislation for the purpose of renewing the National Service Act.

The time for doing this has not yet been decided.

asked the Minister of Health what plans are available for the segregation of mentally-backward children from adults; what provisions are being made for children who are at present housed with adults at Bensham Hospital, Gateshead; and at what date it is anticipated that this accommodation will be available.

Wherever possible, children in mental deficiency hospitals are classified in separate villas or wards, but shortage of accommodation sometimes makes it necessary to place urgent cases with adults. As opportunity offers children at High Teams, Bensham, are moved to other more suitable accommodation. In reply to the third part of the Question, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 2nd July to the hon. Member for Newcastle-upon-Tyne. West (Mr. Popplewell).

asked the Minister of Health what steps he is taking to meet the needs of mentally-deficient children in Derbyshire for whom no institutional accommodation is at present available.

The regional hospital board is making a start this year on completing Balderton Colony at Newark, and proposals are at present being considered for extensions next year at Aston Hall Mental Deficiency Hospital.

asked the Minister of Health how far his request to the hospital authorities to take steps to ensure a better distribution of nurses amongst hospitals generally has met with success; and what are the results achieved in view of the continued shortage in certain provincial districts, particularly the city of Nottingham.

It is still too early to assess the results of this request. The achievement of a better distribution of nurses will take time, but I am doing everything I can to further it in this and other ways.

asked the Minister of Health the estimated number of unused beds and shortage of nursing staff in hospitals serving outer north-east Greater London; and how many of that aggregate staff are part-time.

Between 800 and 850 beds in these hospitals are unoccupied through lack of staff. The hospital authorities estimate that to staff these hospitals to a fully satisfactory standard they would like the equivalent of 950 additional full-time nurses and midwives; individual vacancies are filled by either full-time or part-time staff at their discretion.

asked the Minister of Health whether midwives are permitted to administer analgesia other than pehtidene and gas and air during confinements.

A midwife is only permitted to administer an analgesic in the use of which she has been thoroughly instructed in accordance with the rules of the Central Midwives Board. In practice that means at present pethidene or gas and air.

asked the Minister of Health how many gas and air machines were in use for mothers in child-birth throughout England and Wales, in 1948. 1949, 1950, 1951 and 1952.

The machines available to domiciliary midwives during the years in question were 4,098, 5,430. 6,051, 6,156 and 6,264, respectively.

asked the Minister of Health how many births took place in England and Wales without analgesia during 1950, 1951 and 1952.

I regret that the information is not available.

asked the Minister of Health what limits to hospital expenditure have been imposed on groups serving the needs of residents in Leyton and extra-metropolitan Essex.

I understand that the North East Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board has allocated £2,095,264 for the current financial year to the three groups administering general hospitals which serve the needs of residents in the areas mentioned. Expenditure for the year may not exceed this amount unless a supplementary allocation should later be made by the Board to any of the groups in question.

asked the Minister of Health what is delaying the review of the remuneration of hospital medical staffs; and when he expects that a decision will be reached.

This matter is before the Medical Whitley Council. It raises some difficult issues, but I am sure that a decision will not be unnecessarily delayed.

asked the Minister of Health the waiting period for hearing aids in Exeter; and how this compares with October, 1951.

Priority patients at Exeter are now being provided with their aids immediately and non-priority patients within a few weeks of application. In October, 1951, the waiting period was about two years.

asked the Minister of Health to what extent the drugs A.C.T.H. and cortisone are readily available for those suffering from rheumatic cases; and what improvements he envisages in their supply.

A.C.T.H. and cortisone are already supplied to a considerable number of selected hospitals for use at their discretion. The total quantities supplied will shortly be substantially increased.

asked the Minister of Health how many day nurseries have been closed down between 1st January, 1953 and 30th June, 1953; and in how many more cases decisions have been taken to close them down in the near future.

Eighteen nurseries were closed between 1st January and 31st March, the latest date for which comprehensive information is available. Local health authorities are not in all cases under obligation to notify my right hon. Friend of their intention to close nurseries, and I am unable to answer the second part of the Question.

asked the Minister of Education how many classes there are in the primary schools of Leicester consisting of 45 or more pupils per class; and how many classes are held in the corridors of primary schools in Leicester, and how many in assembly halls.

I am informed that last April 99 out of 856 primary school classes in Leicester had 45 or more pupils on roll; and that, while no classes were being held in corridors, there were 20 in assembly halls.

asked the Minister of Education what steps she proposes to take to associate practising and experienced teachers more closely with the planning of new schools.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for Itchen (Mr. Morley) on 25th June.

asked the Minister of Education why she has allowed the inclusion of only one new school in the 1954–55 programme for Scunthorpe when six were asked for and are urgently needed.

Of the six projects proposed by the education authority, one was brought forward last May into the 1953–54 programme, one was included in the 1954–55 programme, and one is on the reserve list of that programme. I am not yet satisfied that the three remaining projects can be justified at present to meet the minimum needs described in Circular 245, but I understand that the authority are about to send me further particulars in support of their proposals, which I shall consider carefully.

asked the Minister of Education if she will now give a firm estimate of the total number of schools on which building work will start in 1953. as compared with 1952 and 1951.

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to him on 19th March. The programme of work to be started in the financial year 1953–54 now includes 440 new primary and secondary schools.

asked the Minister of Education when a reply can be expected to representations made to her by local authorities concerned, regarding the provision of a new school to replace the County Grammar School for Girls, Sittingbourne.

I have received no such representations since I replied to the hon. Member's Question on 12th March.

asked the Minister of Education the number of children who partook of school meals in Cardiff on a day in June, 1952, and the comparable number for a day in June, 1953.

On a day in June, 1952, 8,372 children in maintained and assisted schools in Cardiff were having dinners. On a day in June, 1953, the figure was 7,290.

asked the Minister of Education how many children were having school meals on a selected day in June, 1953, as compared with a comparable day in June, 1952; and whether she will state the number of children for whom school meal facilities are not available.

asked the Minister of Education (1) if she is now in a position to publish the returns from education authorities about the number of children taking school meals on a day in June; how this compares with the date in March when the price was increased; and on what date she received these returns;(2) on what date she expects to receive the national and regional review of the take-up of school meals since the increases in prices made in March last; and whether she will arrange to have these details published in HANSARD.

I have not yet received all the returns from local education authorities. I hope to be able to give the House the figures shortly. I have no information as to the number of children for whom facilities are not available, but out of a total of 28,322 schools or departments, 901 had no school meal facilities when the last return was made in October, 1952.

asked the Minister of Education how many coloured British subjects are at present teaching in schools of England and Wales.

This information is not available.

asked the Minister of Education if, in view of the facts that the school population will be 1,353,000 greater in 1954 compared with 1946 and that 110,000 proposed school places were written off in 1949, she will give an estimate of the likely deficiency in numbers of school places in 1954 required to meet the needs of the rising school population.

I consider that local education authorities will, in general, have sufficient school places at their disposal in 1954 to meet the minimum needs described in Circular 245. My view is based on my Department's information about the places already available and the school building programmes of individual authorities in relation to the needs which will have to be met.

asked the Minister of Education (1) which schools in Cornwall are not connected to a public electricity supply;(2) which schools in Cornwall are without a piped water supply.

This information is not available in my Department, but the Cornwall local education authority would no doubt be able to let the hon. Member have it direct.

asked the Minister of Education which primary schools in Cornwall still cater for children of secondary school age.

I am sending the hon. Member a list of the schools concerned.

asked the Minister of Education how many places are being offered this year at each of the county grammar schools in Lancashire to pupils who have failed to reach the qualifying standard in selection examinations.

I understand that 82 places at a total of seven schools have been offered this year to pupils who have reached a standard slightly below the general qualifying standard used for the authority's area as a whole. This arrangement is restricted to schools which, owing to their location, would not otherwise be filled.