asked the Minister of Food the yearly average prices paid by his Department for imported eggs and bacon for the years 1951 and 1952; and what was the yearly average guaranteed price to home producers during the same period.

The yearly average prices paid by my Department during the financial years 1951–52 and 1952–53 for imported eggs were approximately 3s. 4d. per dozen and 3s. 8¾d. per dozen, respectively, and for imported bacon £252 2s. 7d. per ton and £263 6s. 7d. per ton. The yearly average guaranteed prices to U.K. producers of eggs were 4s. 3¾d. per dozen for 1951–52 and 4s. 7d. per dozen for 1952–53, and to U.K. producers of bacon pigs were 53s. 4d. per score and 55s. 10d. per score, respectively.

asked the Minister of Food the total price he paid for imported eggs and bacon for the years 1951 and 1952, respectively; and what was the total price he received for the sale of these products.

The total cost of the eggs and bacon imported into the U.K. during the financial years 1951–52 and 1952–53 was: Eggs £19·3 million and £23 million, respectively, and bacon £54 million and £74·3 million. The total sales proceeds in the two years were: Eggs £18 million and £20·9 respectively, and bacon £42·7 million and £76·3 million.

asked the Minister of Food the consumer subsidy paid on eggs and bacon, respectively, for the years 1951 and 1952; and what subsidies were paid to the producers of these products in each of these two years.

The subsidies on shell eggs and bacon for the financial year 1951–52 were £27 million and £446 million, respectively, and for 1952–53 are estimated at £25·4 million and £22·3 million, respectively. It is not practicable to apportion the benefit of these subsidies between consumers and producers.

asked the Minister of Food if his attention has been drawn to the notice given by the Transport and General Workers' Union, 1/264 Branch, that their members who are porters in Billingsgate will no longer handle fish sent by coastal merchants who are also supplying direct to retailers and fryers within a radius of 15 miles of Billingsgate market; and what steps he will take to ensure that the quality and price of fish reaching the consumer are not affected by this action.

Yes; but the porters' action has not so far appreciably affected the quality or price of fish to the consumer.

asked the Minister of Transport how far his records of road accidents show the number of children killed when playing in the roads outside their homes.

I regret that the records in my Department do not show the number of children killed while playing in the road outside their homes. I am sorry to say, however, that 1,429 accidents to children occurred in 1952 while they were "playing in the road" and I earnestly hope that parents and others having charge of children will do their utmost wherever possible to see that they play in safer places.

asked the Minister of Transport what would be the cost today of carrying out the recommendations made in the Report of the London and Home Counties Traffic Advisory Committee in 1951 for relieving traffic congestion in central London.

About £27 million, including roadworks outside the inner London area which would benefit that area.

asked the Minister of Transport which four major road improvements have priority for attention when funds are available.

The nature and magnitude of road improvement schemes to be selected must depend upon the amount of money which is made available for this purpose from year to year and on the conditions prevailing at the time, and I cannot commit myself in advance as to the priority of any particular schemes.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware that the Great North Road, A1, between Alconbury Hill and Stilton, Huntingdonshire, carries an immense density of traffic, but is a dangerous and unsatisfactory stretch of road, and that, prior to 1939, most of the work necessary to convert the road into a dual carriageway had been done; and when it is intended to complete that work.

I know how desirable it is to complete the scheme for the improvement of this length of road, but it would cost over £500,000, and even an alternative interim scheme for one new carriageway would cost nearly half that sum. I cannot say when sufficient funds will be available for this work.

asked the Minister of Transport why the Ayr County Council has been informed by his divisional engineer that there are no funds available at the present time for such works as the strengthening of main roads over railway bridges which are a public danger.

There appears to be some misunderstanding. The county council were informed that in present circumstances strengthening of these bridges must take precedence over widening.

asked the Minister of Transport if he is aware that it is four months since a request was made to him by the Bristol Corporation for permission to start the section of the inner circuit road from Horsefair to York Street; that a further delay will retard the erection of the city's shopping centre; and when sanction will be given to proceed with the work.

This scheme has required careful consideration since funds are only available for essential work. I have reached the conclusion that only that part of the scheme which extends from Horsefair to the service court east of Barrs Street could be regarded as essential to the re-building so far approved. On receipt of revised plans I will give urgent consideration to that portion of the scheme.

asked the Minister of Transport what details remain to be settled before work can begin on the erection of a screen along Western Avenue frontage of Northolt Airport.

None. Contractors are being invited to tender for the work.

asked the Minister of Transport the total grant allocation for 1953–54 to those county councils with a population of 800,000 or over and with a county road mileage of 1,500 or over; which councils qualify for this grant; and what is the amount allocated to each individual county council so eligible.

The total amount so far allocated for 1953–54 to the county councils in question for maintenance and minor improvement of classified roasd is £5,252,000. A list of the councils showing the amount allocated to each is appended.

County Council.		Amount.
		£
Cheshire	…	529,500
Durham	…	465,000
Essex	…	540,550
Kent	…	481,450
Lancashire	…	876,500
Middlesex	…	576,000
Staffordshire	…	390,000
Surrey	…	534,000
Yorkshire, West Riding	…	859,000

Grants for major improvements on classified roads are not allocated at the beginning of the year, but are made as schemes are approved. Such grants have so far been issued to Essex (£517) and Durham (£1,081).

asked the Minister of Supply the number of persons recently declared redundant at the Risley Royal Ordnance factory; and what action is being taken to provide other work for the shops where redundancy has taken place.

Seventy-four workers have been declared redundant since February. I regret that the specialised nature of the plant in this factory makes it unsuitable to undertake production of any other kind.

asked the Minister of Supply if he is satisfied with the plans already made to deal with a possible slump in the engineering trade, following a Korean peace; and how long it will take to convert industry from armament to civilian goods production.

At present some 87 per cent. of the capacity of the engineering industry is engaged in civilian production. I do not anticipate that a cessation of hostilities in Korea would have any appreciable effect on the level of defence production.

asked the Minister of Supply what contracts his Department has with the Medical Supply Association Limited; whether he is aware that this firm is no longer complying with the fair wages clause; and what action he proposes to take.

This firm holds some minor contracts from the Ministry of Supply. It would be contrary to established practice to disclose details. The question whether the firm is complying with the fair wages clause is being investigated.

asked the Minister of Supply what tonnage of steel and steel plate was produced during the first six months of 1953; and how these tonnages compare with 1952.

Complete statistics of plate production up to the end of June are not yet available, but will be published in due course. In the first five months of 1953, crude steel output was 7·35 million tons and steel plate output 1·02 million tons. The corresponding tonnages for the first five months of 1952 were 6·77 million tons of crude steel and 920,000 tons of steel plate.

asked the Minister of National Insurance if he will take steps to have the National Assistance Board regulations amended so as to provide that any increase of retirement pension earned under Section 4, subsection (3) of the National Insurance Act, 1951, shall be disregarded for the purpose of the Board determining an application for Assistance.

No.

asked the Minister of National Insurance the total numbers in receipt of benefit from the National Assistance Board at the latest convenient date; and what were the respective numbers at the corresponding dates each year since the inception of the Board.

The figures asked for are as follows:

Number of persons receiving regular weekly grants of National Assistance
At 30th June, 1953	…	…	1,693,636
Corresponding figures for earlier years—
June, 1952	…	…	1,535,591
June, 1951	…	…	1,390,291
June, 1950	…	…	1,225,511
June, 1949	…	…	1,094,514
*July, 1948	…	…	842,304
The foregoing grants made provision in many cases for the needs of wives, children or other dependants as well as the needs of the persons receiving the grants.
* Following completion of the transfer of cases under the National Assistance Act, 1948, from local Public Assistance Authorities.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power if he will take steps to arrange that the coal to be imported from Western Europe shall be shipped into ports, such as the Bristol Channel ports of Barry, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea, which have suffered severely from the post-war decline in coal exports.

The contracts for the import of this coal will be made by the National Coal Board who will also decide through which ports the coal shall enter the country.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power the present figures of household coal stocks in the Eastern Region, compared with each of the preceding four years.

On 4th July merchants' stocks of house coal in the Eastern Region were 37,000 tons compared with 66,000 tons last year, 49,000 tons two years ago, 59,000 tons three years ago, and 80,000 tons four years ago.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power to give figures to show the present position of household coal stocks in Wales compared with each of the preceding three years.

On 4th July merchants' stocks of house coal in Wales were 15,000 tons compared with 21,000 tons last year, 18,000 tons two years ago, and 16,000 tons three years ago.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power the capital value of mining machinery which has been imported from America since, and including, 1947; what proportion of that machinery is actually in use in British coal mines now; and what has happened to the remainder of such machinery.

I am informed that mining machinery to the value of £409,100 has been imported by the National Coal Board from the U.S.A. Of these imports, I understand that machines worth £105,000 are awaiting installation, and the rest are in use.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General how many private and business applications for telephones are outstanding in Hayes and Harlington.

Separate figures are not available for Hayes and Harlington, but at the Hayes Exchange, which serves the greater part of these districts, 1,143 residential and 138 business applications were outstanding on the 30th June, 1953.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General whether he is yet able to install any of the three new telephone kiosks promised for the new London County Council Estate, at Merstham, Surrey.

I expect that an additional kiosk on the estate will be available early next month.