asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the numbers of staff in the Meteorological Service of Kenya; and how many of these are doing field work.

Meteorology is a service under the East Africa High Commission which covers Kenya, Uganda, Tanganyika, Zanzibar and the Seychelles. Its headquarters are at Nairobi. Of the permanent staff stationed in Kenya, 122 are at Nairobi, and 29 are at outstations. There is also a part-time staff of 12 in addition to 878 voluntary observers distributed throughout the territory.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what steps he has taken, and is taking, to provide educational opportunities for African children in Kenya in place of the schools there recently proscribed; how many of such children in fact go to any school; and what approximate proportion they represent of the total African child population of Kenya.

The schools which were closed are at liberty to reopen unless they were redundant, provided they do so under Mission or District Educational Board management. So far, 39 of them have reopened and the pupils from the 57 redundant schools have been absorbed elsewhere. Six thousand of the former Independent School pupils are now attending school. This figure represents about a half of 1 per cent. of the total African child population.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many African prisoners have been taken by British forces in Kenya during the last six months; how many of these, having been screened, have not been released; where they are now; what are the conditions of their detention; and what educational and other efforts are available to help them away from the doctrines of Mau Mau and towards good citizenship.

Figures are not readily available for the last six months, but between the beginning of the emergency and 30th June, 112,529 persons were taken into custody in connection with the disturbances. Of these, 15,834 were released immediately on proving their identity, 53,308 were released after screening, 42,356 have been tried and 1,031 are on remand.Those not considered to be badly indoctrinated are restricted to their location in the Reserve, where contact with the growing resistance to Mau Mau is having the desired effect. Those Mau Mau adherents who are deeply committed will pass through special rehabilitation centres before their release.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will publish a statement showing, in relation to all Colonial Territories over 25,000 square miles in area, the full establishment of technical officers laid down for their agricultural departments; and to what extent the establishment was, or was not, fully manned up at the latest date for which information is available.

Following is the answer:

Territory			Technical Officers in Colonial Agricultural Departments— Establishments and Vacancies in Territories of over 25,000 square miles in area
			Authorised Establishment	Total vacancies known to the Secretary of State	Vacancies which have been filled but the selected candidates for which are still in training	Vacancies unfilled
Gold Coast	…	…	266	16	10	6
Nigeria	…	…	195	27	13	14
Sierra Leone	…	…	34	6	4	2
Kenya	…	…	118	9	7	2
Uganda	…	…	63	9	9	—
Tanganyika	…	…	184	12	9	3
Northern Rhodesia		…	101	5	4	1
Nyasaland	…	…	103	8	6	2
Somaliland	…	…	11	4	—	4
Federation of Malaya		…	63	23	14	9
North Borneo	…	…	8	—	—	—
Sarawak	…	…	8	2	—	2
British Guiana	…	…	22	1	1	—
Aden	…	…	4	—	—	—

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the publication of colonial and Departmental annual reports can be expedited; and if he is aware, for example, that the Coffee Research and Experimental Station in Tanganyika has only just published its 1950 report.

The annual or bienniel reports on Colonial Territories are usually published between six and 15 months after the end of the period reviewed. I recognise how desirable it is that these reports should be published as early as possible, and every effort is and will be made to that end; but there are many practical difficulties. Departmental annual reports are published by colonial Governments.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether his attention has been called to the statement in the Report on Development and Welfare in West Indies, 1952, that because of high freight rates Jamaica-made cement cannot be sold competitively in British Honduras; and what steps are being taken to remedy this.

I understand that since the beginning of this year the Jamaica cement company has sold cement in British Honduras at a competitive price.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what are the surplus British Government properties in Bermuda which have been offered for sale to the Government of Bermuda; at what price they have been offered; and what conditions have been imposed in the offer for sale.

They are lands and buildings no longer required by the Service Departments and include a dockyard, military barracks, a hospital and a considerable number of houses. An offer by the Bermuda Government of £750,000 is now under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the reason for the deterioration in the maintenance of roads in the West Indies; and what steps are being taken to ensure that adequate maintenance funds will be provided for roads built from Colonial Development and Welfare Funds, so that the capital spent on them is not wasted.

The West Indian Governments have had to concentrate their limited resources on the roads of greatest importance which has sometimes involved allowing other roads to deteriorate. The roads built with Colonial Development and Welfare funds were chosen because of their great economic value to the territories and I have no reason to suppose that they will not be properly maintained.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General what steps he takes to secure that enclosures in letters passing through the Northern Ireland offices, and being censored, actually contain these enclosures when handed back into his custody.

There is no postal censorship in Northern Ireland. If the hon. Member is referring to action which may be taken under a warrant issued by the Governor of Northern Ireland I can assure him that all proper steps are taken to ensure that letters dealt with under such a warrant are sent on by post with their enclosures.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General if he is now in a position to make a statement about breakaway unions in his Department.

My noble Friend hopes to make a statement very soon.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General the number of applications made for the installation of telephones in Wales during 1952; the number installed during 1952; and the number of applications still outstanding at the most recent convenient date.

Figures for Wales itself could only be obtained by special inquiry, but in Wales and the Border counties 13,993 applications were received and 12,269 telephones were supplied during 1952; 24,933 applications for telephones were outstanding at 30th June, 1953.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General how many private and business applications for telephones are outstanding in Accrington, Rishton, Oswaldtwistle, Clayton-le-Moors and Church, respectively.

Six residential and 15 business applications are outstanding in Rishton. Separate figures for the other areas named are not available. They are all served from Accrington where 285 residential and 220 business applications are outstanding.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General how many applications for telephones in the City of Aberdeen are now on his waiting list; and the rate of progress towards providing telephones for all the applicants awaiting installation.

One thousand five hundred and sixty applications were on the waiting list at 30th June, 1953, and 160 were under survey or being met. Despite the help given from other parts of the country, the resources of the area had to be largely devoted to repairing the devastation of the January storm, and this materially slowed down the rate of connecting new subscribers. I hope that there will now be a steady improvement.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General if he is aware that radio reception along the East Coast, and especially in the county of Norfolk, is still subject to interference from overseas transmitters; and what plans he has in hand to overcome this long-standing grievance.

The Home Service from the London station suffers interference from a station at Dresden which. in spite of repeated protests, is still operating on an adjacent wavelength, contrary to the Copenhagen plan. This interference is particularly noticeable in Norfolk.I understand that the B.B.C. have begun work on a lower power station at Cromer, which should lead to substantial local improvement.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General what use is now being made of Band III; who are the users; and what channels are allocated to them.

Band III, which stretches from 174 to 216 megacycles per second, now contains business radio, Post Office radio links in more remote areas, some of the outside broadcast links, and certain aeronautical aids, as well as a number of experimental services. The channel width varies with the service occupying the band.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General which are the two channels in Band III referred to in the Television Advisory Committee's Report, that are available for broad casting.

Space for the two television channels—5 megacycles each—can readily be made available between 184 and 195 megacycles per second.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General what fixed services operate in the 184–195 mega cycles section of Band III; who hold the licences; and on what terms.

The principal services operating between 184 and 195 megacycles per second are some of the B.B.C. television outside broadcast links. In addition, a number of radio manufacturers are licensed to carry out experimental transmissions in this range. The B.B.C.'s services are covered by their general Licence and Agreement dated 12th June, 1952, and the experimental licences are on a short-term basis. All these services can be quickly moved.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General whether any widening of Band III can be contemplated without another international conference.

It would be desirable to have an international agreement from any countries which might be affected or which might affect us, but an international conference on such a matter alone is not essential.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General when the British Broadcasting Corporation first informed him of their television development plan which envisaged the use of all eight channels of frequencies from 174–216 megacycles in Band III.

The B.B.C. first informed the Post Office in 1949 that in their view the whole of Band III should be reserved for broadcasting.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General whether, in view of the licensing in Band III of mobile radio services, he has notified the Inter national Telecommunications Union of this country's desire to safeguard its interests by extending Band III upwards in accordance with the recommendations of the Television Advisory Committee.

No. My noble Friend is not satisfied that the transfer of these services would necessarily require an upward extension of television Band III.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General if, before coming to a decision on the question of sponsored commercial television, he will give careful consideration to the opinions recently published on this subject by the Church and Nation Committee of the Church of Scotland, details of which have been sent to him.

Yes. The Government will give careful consideration to these and other opinions on the subject.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General the number of television receiving licences held in Scotland and England, respectively; and by how many they have increased during the last two months.

On 31st May the number of current television licences was about 75,854 in Scotland and 2,174,279 in England. The increase during the previous two months was 13,410 and 148,684.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General what decision has been reached with regard to the siting of the proposed television transmitting station in the Plymouth area.

I cannot yet add to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Truro (Mr. G. Wilson) on 25th June.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General why those extensive parts of northern Scotland hitherto denied a television service, are excluded from the new scheme for television service.

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Caithness and Sutherland (Sir D. Robertson) on 24th June.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what arrangements have been made at Washington for an early meeting between representatives of the Western Powers and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics to discuss the future of Germany.

I would refer the hon. Member to the communiqué issued by the three Foreign Ministers in Washington.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will make representations to the Soviet Government for the release of the 10,000 or more East German industrial workers who have been imprisoned in Eastern Germany since 16th June.

On 11th July the three Western commandants, after representations from the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, forwarded to the Soviet military commandant an appeal for the release of those workers in East Berlin and Eastern Germany who are still imprisoned as a result of the disturbances. The Soviet Commandant has now replied that investigations are being carried out in respect of all persons detained with the object of instituting severe court proceedings against the guilty.

asked the Minister of Food if he is aware that representatives of the butchers are expressing concern over his latest order that from 6th July they must take 5 per cent. of ewe mutton with their supplies; and whether he will arrange to meet representatives of the meat trade to discuss this difficulty.

I would refer to the full statement I made on these matters in the course of the debate in the House on Wednesday, 8th July.

asked the Minister of Food how many carcases were wholly condemned as unfit for human consumption; and how many in part during 1952 of cattle, sheep and pigs, separately.

Figures for the year ended 31st December, 1952, of the numbers of animals wholly condemned after slaughter, were as follow:

—	Number of Carcases wholly condemned	Percentage of total number of animals slaughtered
Cattle	30,075	1·24
Sheep and Lambs	24,560	0·34
Pigs	24,610	0·43

Records are not available of the number of carcases of which parts only were condemned, but we have records of the total weight of meat condemned, including parts of carcases, and the percentage this represents of the total weight of meat produced during the period was as follows:

Cattle	1·44 per cent.
Sheep and Lambs	0·33 percent.
Pigs (a)	0·50 per cent.

(

asked the Minister of Food whether, as the old age pensioners and the lower-paid sections of the population cannot now afford to take up their full rations of meat and bacon due to the high price of these commodities, he will consult the Chancellor of the Exchequer in order to restore the food subsidies on these basic foods.

No. As rations grow larger, and as an ever-increasing range of unrationed food is offered, the average take-up naturally tends to fall. If it were not so, rationing could go on indefinitely, which may be what the hon. Member has in mind.

asked the Minister of Food if he will appoint an independent committee to inquire into the operation of food rationing and to ascertain whether meat and bacon is being fairly and evenly distributed to all sections of the population or whether the non take-up of these commodities is due to the fact that the prices are so high that the lower paid sections of the population cannot afford them.

No.

asked the Minister of Food whether he will make a statement on his future policy regarding the procurement and distribution of dried fruit.

My right hon. and gallant Friend is not yet in a position to make a statement, but hopes to be able to do so by the end of the month.

asked the Minister of Food to what extent the nutritional value of vegetables is affected by dehydration and deep-freezing, respectively.

The evidence on this subject is not complete. There is known to be some loss of nutritional value during the blanching which precedes both the dehydration and deepfreezing processes. But since dehydrated and deep-frozen vegetables usually require less cooking, their nutritional value after cooking is very similar to that of cooked fresh vegetables.

asked the Minister of Food the total weight and value of food imported as feedingstuffs for animals in 1952; and what proportion this bears to the total quantity consumed.

The total weight and value of food imported as feeding-stuffs for animals in 1952 was:

—	'000 tons	£ million c.i.f.
Feed grain	2,729	101·8
Oilcakes and meals	324	10·8
Molasses	81	1·0
Other	311	9·7
	3,445	123·3

The above figures include feed grain used for human food and industrial purposes, but exclude wheat used for animal feeding; they also exclude residues for animal feeding derived from processing imported wheat, oilseeds and other foodstuffs for human and industrial consumption.As regards the second part of the Question, it is not possible to make a reliable estimate of the total quantity of feedingstuffs consumed. The total quantity of rationed animal feedingstuffs distributed in the United Kingdom in 1952 was 5,360,000 tons, of which 3,093,000 tons, representing 57·7 per cent., was imported as feedingstuffs. These figures exclude, however, home-grown grains retained on farms by growers, sugar beet pulp returned to growers of sugar beet, and supplies of grass, hay, straw, roots, chat potatoes, kale and similar crops which have not been controlled in distribution.

asked the Minister of Agriculture to what extent the Forestry Commission in Wales uses the Welsh language in its official and technical publications.

The Forestry Commissioners do not make a general practice of producing separate versions of their official and technical publications in the Welsh language. Nevertheless, where there appears to be special advantages in producing particular publications in Welsh this has been, and will continue to be done.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what percentage of the intake of trainees into employment of the Forestry Commission are Welsh speaking.

Approximately 100 men, on completion of a two-year course at the Forestry Commission's Forester Training Schools, obtain employment with the Commission each year. About 5 per cent. of these are Welsh speaking.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government in what cases, and under what statutory provisions, he has imposed limits on the amounts recoverable by persons performing public duties in respect of financial loss or of travelling or subsistence expenses incurred by them; and what are the limits in each case.

Section 112 of the Local Government Act, 1948, provides that payments of financial loss allowance to members of local authorities and other bodies covered by Part VI of the Act shall not for each 24-hour period exceed 10s. where the period over which earnings are lost is up to four hours, or 20s. where it is over four hours. Maximum rates of travelling and subsistence allowances payable to such members are prescribed by

—	Villages		Cost of Scheme	Date Scheme Submitted	Date Scheme Approved in Principle
			£
Brixworth R.D.C	Boughton (part)	…	14,250	19.4.51	28.3.52
	Chapel Brampton and part of Boughton	…	18,200	19.4.51	8.5.52
	Harleston and Church Brampton	…	36,000	19.4.51	8.5.52
	Maidwell and Draughton		16,350	19.4.51	8.5.52
	Moulton	…	37,250	19.4.51	8.5.52
Kettering R.D.C.	Loddington	…	8,600	11.8.50	12.11.52
	Grafton Underwood	…	12,700	16.7.52	13.5.53

The Kettering Council were authorised to seek tenders for the Grafton Underwood scheme on 16th June, 1953. Authority to proceed has not yet been given for the remaining schemes so none have been completed.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government when the hon. Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme may expect a reply to his letter of 13th April about water-pipe bursts in Gordon Street, Knutton.

My right hon. Friend has only recently received the necessary the Local Government (Members' Allowances) Regulations, 1948 (S.I. 1948 No. 1784), as amended by the Local Government (Members' Allowances) Amendment Regulations, 1949 (S.I. 1949 No. 457), and the Local Government (Members' Allowances) Amendment Regulations, 1952 (S.I. 1952 No. 535). I am sending the hon. Member copies of all these.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government in respect of which villages in the rural districts of Kettering and Brixworth sewerage schemes have been submitted within the last three years, and approval and leave to proceed given or withheld; which of such schemes have been completed; the estimated or actual cost of each such scheme; and the dates of submission, approval, leave to proceed and completion.

The information is as follows:information from the local water undertakers. He will reply to the hon. Member as soon as this has been studied.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what action is to be taken on the petition from the inhabitants of huts at Doddington Road, Lincoln, dealing with their housing conditions.

This site is under the control of my noble Friend the Secretary of State for Air. I am in consultation with him and with the local authorities concerned, and will let the hon. Member know the outcome as soon as I can.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will

NEW DWELLINGS FOR LOCAL AUTHORITIES AND NEW TOWNS ON TENDERS APPROVED
—		1 bedroom		2 bedrooms		3 bedrooms		More than 3 bedrooms
		No.	Percent. of Total	No.	Percent. of Total	No.	Percent. of Total	No.	Percent. of Total
Houses and Flats:
First quarter of 1952	…	2,961	7·7	14,706	38·0	20,244	52·4	743	1·9
First quarter of 1953	…	4,087	8·4	17,766	36·5	25,979	53·4	795	1·7
Houses:
First quarter of 1952	…	770	2·7	8,706	30·2	18,792	65·1	587	2·0
First quarter of 1953	…	1,352	3·6	11,308	30·1	24,347	64·7	591	1·6