asked the Assistant Postmaster-General what progress he has made in reducing the waiting list of people desiring a private telephone service in Cardiff.

Since the new Cardiff automatic exchange was opened in February, 1952, 3,258 telephones have been supplied, and the waiting list has been reduced from 3,875 to 2,080.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General why the Explanatory Note to Statutory Instrument No. 1458, which amends the rate of charge for special entries in certain telephone directories, does not indicate whether the rates are increased or decreased.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the fourth line of the Explanatory Note which, I hope, makes it clear that the present rates generally remain unchanged. The only difference is that people living in the five outer-London areas will, in future, pay the lower provincial rate, instead of the London rate as at present. This point is amplified in the last sentence of the Explanatory Note.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if, when lay-bys are constructed on the London-Bath road and other trunk roads, he will ensure that an adequate fence is erected to protect the adjoining land which otherwise may become littered with bottles and other refuse.

I am sorry that I cannot undertake to do this, much as I deplore the nuisance to which my hon. Friend refers. I would, however, appeal to all users of lay-bys to show consideration for those who live nearby, and to observe the same standards of good behaviour as they would in their own neighbourhood.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he is aware that the entrance to London Airport for departing passengers arriving by car is badly signposted, the only signs being for the public enclosure, with the result that many motorists pass the entrance before they have seen it; and if he will arrange for proper signposting to be made both before the entrance and over the gate.

Standard type approach direction signs carrying the wording "LONDON AIRPORT" are already in position on both sides of the road, 25 yards from the main entrance. I am considering whether these can be made more conspicuous. A sign which normally marks the main entrance was taken down recently for repainting but has now been re-erected.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he is aware that the roads leading to London Airport are very badly signposted; and if he will arrange that there should be periodic signs for several miles on all the main roads leading to the airport.

There are over 40 signs which include directions to London Airport on main roads within about five miles from the airport, but I am having a further review made to see if extra signs are necessary.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what representations he has received from Ayr County Council regarding the reconstruction of the railway bridge in Parkhouse Road, Ardrossan; and what reply he has made.

The county council have repeated their request for this bridge to be widened on replacement, but as I told the hon. Member in my answer of 27th July, I regret that I am not prepared to authorise this. I have so informed the Council and am sending the hon. Member a copy of my letter.

ROAD ACCIDENTS ON ROAD A5 BETWEEN REDBOURN AND ST. ALBANS
Year	Accidents			Total number of casualties	Number of fatal accidents	Fatal casualties
	Damage only	Involving personal injury	Total number of accidents
1951	112	37	149	44	2	3
1952	108	44	152	46	6	8
1953 (to 30th September)	70	37	107	47	3	3

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation the total number of accidents on the A6 road between South Mimms and St. Albans in any recent convenient period; and how

ROAD ACCIDENTS ON ROAD A6 BETWEEN SOUTH MIMMS AND ST. ALBANS
Year	Accidents			Total number of casualties	Number of fatal accidents	Fatal casualties
	Damage only	Involving personal injury	Total number of accidents
1951	74	45	119	55	5	6
1952	63	36	99	47	2	2
1953 (to 30th September)	64	27	91	31	2	2

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if, in view of the representations made to him by Huntington Parish Council, he will re-impose the 30 miles per hour speed limit through Huntington.

I reconsidered this question last June and decided that a speed limit through Huntington was not justified. I know of no change in circumstances since then.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation the total number of accidents on the A5 road between St. Albans and Redbourn in any recent convenient period; and how many people were killed in these accidents.

I hope that the following information will meet my hon. Friend's requirements:many people were killed in these accidents.

I hope that the following information will meet my hon. Friend's requirements:

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he will consider recommending to local authorities the use of senior children to act as road wardens as recommended by the Danish observers who recently visited this country.

I am considering this question in consultation with those of my colleagues who are concerned.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what directions he proposes to give to the British Transport Commission under the powers conferred upon him by Section 18 (6) of the Transport Act, 1953.

As I indicated during the debates on the Transport Act I intend, before coming to a decision, to consider this matter in the light of the report which I am expecting from the Thesiger Committee on the licensing of road passenger services.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation how it is proposed to maintain an uninterrupted flow of traffic during the sale of the first 10,000 road vehicles of the British Transport Commission; and what conditions will be imposed on the new owners to ensure that such traffic will continue to be conveyed.

I confidently rely on the British Transport Commission to make the best arrangements they can to carry on the existing undertaking without avoidable disturbance of the country's transport system in accordance with their duty under the Act. The question of any conditions to be attached to the sale of transport units in particular cases is a matter for the Commission and the Disposal Board.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation when the chairman of the British Transport Commission will take up his duties.

The Chairman of the British Transport Commission is at present engaged in negotiations with Egypt on behalf of Her Majesty's Government, and it is not yet possible to say when he will take up his duties with the Commission.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation how the responsibility for running British Railways is now divided as between the British Transport Commission and the chief regional managers, following his abolition of the Railway Executive.

As the British Transport Commission have announced, their interim railway re-organisation provides that the chief regional managers will be responsible for all railway activities (commercial, operating and technical) in their respective regions and will report directly to the Commission. The Commission, assisted by an expert headquarters staff, will control major policy, ensure a common line of policy in important matters, and will conduct certain common and central services.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if, in his review of road safety measures, he will include necessary measures to ensure that, where provided, all pedal cyclists must use their cycle tracks and that all mechanically-propelled four-wheel vehicles must have automatic traffic indicators.

As regards cycle tracks, I should prefer to avoid compulsion in the hope that cyclists will, in their own interests, make full use of them in accordance with the Highway Code. It is intended eventually to make direction indicators compulsory, but there are technical problems in the fitting of these devices to heavier vehicles which have still to be solved.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs the nature of the agreement reached between Her Majesty's Government and the United States Government under which it has been agreed that the admission of Communist China to the United Nations will be opposed by the United States and Great Britain for the remainder of this year.

I have nothing to add to the replies which I gave to the hon. Members for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Mr. Swingler) and Fife, West (Mr. Hamilton) on 21st and 26th October.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what instructions were given to the British representative at the recent discussions in the United Nations Organisation on the total size of the United Nations Extended Technical Assistance Programme budget for 1954; and whether any decision has as yet been reached about the size of the total budget and of Britain's contribution thereto.

No decision has yet been reached on the budget of the Expanded Programme of Technical Assistance for 1954. The United Kingdom contribution is at present under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what further preparations have been made for rehabilitation in Korea.

The United Nations Korean Reconstruction Agency is putting into effect its 1953–54 programme of 130 million dollars. There is also large-scale bilateral aid from the United States to the Republic of Korea.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs the number of prisoners of war in Korea who have so far had explanatory interviews; the number who has chosen to return to North Korea or China; how far proceedings are still disturbed; and approximately when the task will be finished.

One thousand Chinese have attended explanatory interviews. Of these, 20 opted for repatriation. The whole process has been held up since 17th October by the refusal of the Korean prisoners to attend explanations, and I cannot say when it will be completed.

asked the Minister of Food whether he is now able to make a statement concerning the recommendations of the Committee of Inquiry into the Slaughter of Horses.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Ayr (Sir T. Moore) on 20th October.

asked the Minister of Food the number of fat cattle and calves, sheep and pigs, which his Department have purchased from home producers during the last three years ending 31st August; and what has been the sum paid for these during each year for each class of stock.

This information is not yet available. I will, with permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT as soon as possible.

asked the Minister of Food how many gallons of home-produced milk have been purchased by his Department during the last three years ended 31st August; how much was paid for it during each year; how much milk has been imported from Ulster during the same period; and at what cost.

Following is the information:All milk sold off the farms in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is subject to guarantee under the Agriculture Act, 1947, but various methods are used to implement the guarantee and the milk is not all necessarily purchased by the Ministry.Estimated purchases by the Ministry in the years in question were:

Year ended	Million gallons	£ million
31.8.51	1,461·64	208·18
31.8.52	1,472·98	222·63
31.8.53	1,554·17	241·23

NOTES1. Purchase price includes quality premiums where appropriate and the transport award in the case of England and Wales.2. These figures include all the milk sold off the farms in England and Wales and Northern Ireland with the exception of retail sales by producer-retailers but they do not include milk purchased and sold in Scotland through the agency of the three Scottish Milk Marketing Boards.3. Transfers of milk from Northern Ireland to Great Britain have been made as follows:

Year ended	Million gallons
31.8.51	2·25
31.8.52	6·34
31.8.53	3·45

The cost of transfer is part of the general cost of implementing the guarantee.

asked the Minister of Food what percentage of English wheat has been used in the loaf during the last 12 months.

The percentage of home-grown wheat used in the production of flour for all purposes was 274. The percentage used in flour for bread-making is not known precisely but was probably only slightly less than the overall figure.

asked the Minister of Food what proposals he expects to be able to make for the decontrol of oils and fats in the reasonably near future.

The Government have decided to decontrol milk products and fats during the course of next year. The rationing and price control of these foods will cease, procurement will be returned to the trade and most of the controls now in force in respect of these commodities will be brought to an end.The decontrol of this range of foodstuffs will be a complex operation and the precise date of each step in the process will be determined in relation to the circumstances of each commodity. The intention in general terms, however, is to decontrol condensed and dried milks in the early spring; to deration butter, margarine, cheese and cooking fats in the early summer and to complete the process of decontrol by the autumn.The detailed arrangements for the decontrol of these commodities will be discussed with the interests concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies why no invitation to attend the constitutional conference was sent to the United National Party of Eastern Nigeria.

To ensure that the conference, while representative of the majority and leading minority parties in Nigeria, was small enough for effective discussion, the Governor of Nigeria, with my agreement, limited invitations to those parties which either commanded a substantial number of votes in their regional Legislatures or had contested the elections in their own name.The United National Party was not formed until after the elections, nor was it the principal opposition party in the Eastern House of Assembly, where it had only three out of 80 elective seats.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies which Members of the House of Assembly and the House of Representatives in Nigeria

(a) NORTHERN REGION HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY
Name		Offence	Result of Trial
Mallam Abubakar (Ciroma of Bauchi)		Extortion and embezzlement of cattle tax.	One year's imprisonment.
(b) EASTERN REGION HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY
Name		Offence	Result of Trial
M. W. Ubani	…	Obtaining money by false pretences	Trial pending.
*M. E. Ogon	…	Creating a disturbance and intimidating the police.	Three months' imprisonment. Appeal pending.
*D. C. Ugwu	…	Stealing	Nine months' imprisonment.
*E. U. Eronini	…	Stealing and embezzlement	Nine months' imprisonment. Appeal pending.
*Dr Nwafor Crizu	…	Stealing and embezzlement	Seven years' imprisonment.
S. J. Una	…	Dangerous driving	Fined £50 and disqualified from holding licence.
*N. Nwaeze	…	Running a lorry without insurance, and conveying unbooked loads on railway.	Fined £15 on first charge and £2 on the second.
*J. A. Wachuku	…	Holding public meeting without permit. Further information regarding the charge, which is of very recent date, is not yet available.	—
(c) WESTERN REGION HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY
Name		Offence	Result of Trial
*A. Adedoyin	…	Holding procession without permit	Fined £50 or six months' imprisonment, and bound over in sum of £150 to keep the peace for two years.
* These members were also elected to the House of Representatives.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will give details of the Jema'a agriculture scheme of the Northern Region Production Development Board of Nigeria; why the Birom chiefs have opposed it; and what steps are being taken to overcome this opposition.

In 1949, the Emir of Jema'a agreed to let farmers from the Birom people use land in the Jema'a division. A resettlement scheme was then begun for the benefit of Birom volunteers with assistance from Government supervisory staff and money. The Northern Regional Production Development Board later took over the supervision and financing. Early success in clearing, building and planting was not followed by the expected flow of new settlers.

Following is the information:This has been due, in part, to opposition from the Birom chiefs and elders who seem to prefer their people to live in poverty under their control rather than in better conditions in a Moslem Emirate. Persuasion and propaganda have been used in an effort to overcome this opposition, and it has been made clear that if the Birom people were not forthcoming in sufficient numbers the land will be offered to others.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he is aware of the increasing number of Nigerians who are being smuggled to Fernando Po; if he can give an estimate of their numbers; and what action he is taking to prevent this happening.

I am sorry if I misled the hon. Member on this point in my reply to his supplementary question on 8th July. Later information has shown that the numbers have dwindled to negligible proportions during the last two years. Only two illegal entrants were repatriated and prosecuted during the quarter ending 30th September last.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what members were appointed to the committee in Northern Nigeria to consider elections; and what were the terms of their appointment.

The members were:Mr. C. R. Niven, M.C. (Senior Resident, Plateau Province),

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how widespread has been the distribution of copies of the eight Communist publications sent to the Government of Northern Rhodesia by Mr. Musamba, Secretary of the Northern Rhodesian African Education Organisation; and what evidence he has to show who are responsible for the distribution of these publications.

So far as I am aware, there has been no distribution in Northern Rhodesia of these publications.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is aware that in Northern Rhodesia tax evasion by Africans is treated as a criminal offence, whereas non-payment of Income Tax by Europeans is treated as a civil offence; and whether he will advise the Government of Northern Rhodesia to change this practice of racial discrimination.

I am in correspondence with the Governor and will write to the hon. Member when my inquiries are complete.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will make the necessary facilities available to Dr. Jagan and representatives of the People's Progressive Party to visit this country and invite them to address Members of Parliament on the present position in British Guiana.

Dr. Jagan and Mr. Burnham have already had discussions with many Members of this House, and any others who wish to meet them can no doubt make their own arrangements for that purpose.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the total electorate in British Guiana; what percentage voted at the election in April, 1953; and how the votes were cast for the contending parties.

The total electorate at the last election was 208,939, of which 73 per cent. voted. The votes were cast as follow:

77,695 for the People's Progressive Party.

20,032 for the National Democratic Party.

3,000 for the People's National Party.

1,523 for the United Farmers' and Workers'

Party.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what capital investment has been made in British Guiana in each of the post-war years.

For the years from 1948 to 1951 inclusive the figures for net capital investment in British Guiana, which were calculated for the report of the International Bank Mission, are 19·7, 17·0, 18·4 and 26·5 million dollars respectively. Figures for other years are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies why Mr. Arthur Clegg, the "Daily Worker" correspondent, was prevented from visiting British Guiana.

I refer the hon. Member to the written reply I gave to my friend the hon. Member for Harrow, Central (Mr. Bishop) today.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies why Mr. Arthur Clegg, the correspondent of the "Daily Worker" and a journalist of repute, was refused permission to land in British Guiana; and to what extent he intends that the democratic principles of the liberty of the Press will still be protected by Her Majesty's Government in that country.

The answer to the first part of this Question I have already given to the hon. Member for Bristol, South-East (Mr. Benn).As regards the second part, I shall do all I can to preserve the liberty of the Press in British Guiana. Mr. Clegg was excluded because he is a Communist, not because he was a journalist.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies why Mr. Arthur Clegg, a journalist employed by the "Daily Worker," was excluded from British Guiana and denied the facilities granted to representatives of other London newspapers in connection with recent events there.

Mr. Clegg was excluded from British Guiana because the Governor was satisfied that he was undesirable as a visitor to the Colony.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will publish a list of all Colonies and Protectorates under British jurisdiction, showing those which enjoy full adult suffrage in local and national elections without any distinction of sex, race, creed or colour; those which have no such form of election; and those which have some limited form of adult suffrage, indicating the limitation at present in force, together with any reasons for such limitation.

Following is a statement on the law concerning voting qualifications in elections to territorial Legislatures. In the case of local government elections similar information is not readily available, but I am sending to the hon. Member copies of the latest surveys made of local government in the Colonies.1. In the following territories there is full adult suffrage in elections to territorial Legislatures:

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how far there is discrimination between Europeans and Africans in the award of Government scholarships for the professions of teaching, medicine, agriculture, engineering and law.

Government scholarships in the African territories are awarded by the Governments concerned. I am not aware of any racial discrimination, but if the hon. Member has any particular case in mind and will let me have the details, I will look into it.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what further progress has been made in getting the Colonial Governments to write into their laws a provision that in every case a banishment or deportation order shall be preceded by a judicial inquiry.

I have nothing to add to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Flint, East (Mrs. White) on 3rd December last.

asked the Minister of Education whether she will amend the procedure of her Department to enable local education authorities to acquire sites for new schools before such schools have been included by the Minister in a year's building programme.

Local education authorities are aware that in order to preserve the momentum of the building programme I am prepared to approve the acquisition of land for educational purposes where there is a reasonable assurance that they can start work on the land within five years. I have also told authorities that where they have special reasons for wishing to acquire land more than five years in advance of requirements, they should consult my Department before negotiations are begun.

asked the Minister of Education how many qualified teachers who left college in June, 1953, have failed to secure permanent appointments.

Out of 12,779 newly trained teachers who left training colleges and university departments this summer, 875 were reported, on 10th September, to be still seeking posts in maintained and assisted schools. The comparable figures at the same time last year were 11,935 and 1,297 respectively.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on British participation in the Consultative Group Co-operation Committee, stating, in particular, the number of meetings attended by British representatives in the last 12 months; the subjects considered; and the extent to which he is influenced by the Committee in granting, or refusing to grant, export licences for trade with Eastern countries.

The United Kingdom plays a full part in the work of the international Committee to which the hon. Member refers. It is an informal organisation which meets on frequent occasions to co-ordinate and unify such controls on exports of strategic goods as may be necessary to safeguard the security of the countries represented. Decisions on the issue of export licences in particular cases are taken by Her Majesty's Government in the light of the policies which are discussed in the Committee.

asked the President of the Board of Trade on what revised terms he will renew the Anglo-United States film agreement.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave yesterday to the hon. Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Mr. Swingler).

asked the President of the Board of Trade the number, floor area and cost of factories and factory extensions built since January, 1949, and under construction at the present time in the Merseyside Development Area, distinguishing Government-financed from privately-financed factories; and, if possible, giving an estimate of the numbers currently employed in these factories.

The following table gives the latest information available to the Board of Trade.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the compensation provisions for

Much progress has been made with the consideration of a scheme for compensating those of the Commission's staff who have become redundant as a result of the increased use of the option to buy raw cotton otherwise than through the Raw Cotton Commission, but I cannot yet make a detailed statement.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, now that the Sanders incident has been settled with Hungary, he will make the necessary approach to that country for the resumption of trade talks which were broken off by Her Majesty's Government.

The special restrictions which were imposed on imports from Hungary in 1949 were relaxed immediately upon the release of Mr. Sanders. We did not wait for any approach from the Hungarian Government and there is no need for talks on this subject. As a result of these relaxations there is now an unlimited market for such exports from Hungary as cereals which, together with poultry, used to constitute one of Hungary's major exports. Unfortunately, for animal health reasons, we cannot at present import poultry from Hungary.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that exports of cotton yarns and manufactured piece goods are down 40 per cent. compared with 1951: and what steps Her Majesty's Government are taking to prevent the loss of our overseas markets.

The total value of United Kingdom exports of cotton yarns and manufactures in the first nine months of 1953 was 38 per cent. less than the corresponding figure for the first nine months of 1951. The quantity of cotton piece goods exported between those periods, however, fell by 22 per cent. and that of yarns by over 40 per cent. This reduction in our exports was primarily, though not exclusively, due to the imposition or intensification of import restrictions by countries who were compelled by balance of payment difficulties to cut down their imports. The Government will continue to take all effective steps towards securing greater opportunities of access for our goods to the particular markets abroad in which they are restricted.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what advantages are derived by the United Kingdom from continued participation in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.

The advantages to the United Kingdom of continued participation in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade lie in the code of conduct which the Agreement prescribes for the regulation of Governmental practices in international trade, in the opportunity it provides for discussion of trade problems, and, in particular, in the concessions on the tariffs of foreign countries which are embodied in its Schedules.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he has considered the resolution sent to him from the General Council of the Cinema Exhibitors Association of 7th October, 1953, to the effect that, while the Cinema Exhibitors Association reaffirmed their view that British film production could only be maintained with the support of a British Film Production Fund levy on the exhibitors, preferably on a voluntary basis, the association could not, because of the deteriorating financial position of the exhibitors' side of the industry, pledge themselves to further voluntary levies for production until a reduction in entertainments tax had been assured or secured; and what answer he proposes to return to this resolution.

I have received no such resolution.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will now announce the amount of the currency allowance for tourists for the forthcoming year.

No, but an announcement will shortly be made.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer to what extent the internal purchasing power of the £ sterling has fallen since October, 1951.

The internal purchasing power of the £ is estimated to have been about 18s. 10d. in September, 1953, as compared with 20s. in October, 1951. This calculation is based on the National Income White Paper price index for all consumer goods and services for the years 1951 and 1952, and the Interim Index of Retail Prices thereafter.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the amount of Pool Betting Duty collected from greyhound racecourse managements in England, Wales and Scotland in 1951 and 1952; and what he has estimated will be the return for 1953.

The receipts of Pool Betting Duty in respect of greyhound totalisators in England, Wales and Scotland in 1951 and 1952 were:

				£
1951	…	…	…	6,665,348
1952	…	…	…	6,472,132

It is estimated that the corresponding total for 1953 will be £6.1 million.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the number of civil servants pensioned under the Superannuation Acts in each of the financial years from 1945–46 to 1952–53; and the estimated number for the current financial year.

The numbers of awards of pensions to civil servants under the Superannuation Acts in the years 1945–46 to 1952–53 were approximately

1945–46	…	…	…	7,800
1946–47	…	…	…	9,400
1947–48	…	…	…	9,000
1948–49	…	…	…	8,000
1949–50	…	…	…	10,000
1950–51	…	…	…	10,600
1951–52	…	…	…	10,600
1952–53	…	…	…	10,600

The estimated number for 1953–54 is approximately 11,100.

asked the Minister of Labour the numbers unemployed and employed, respectively, in the Merseyside Development Area in, or about, the month of October, 1946, 1948, 1950, 1951 and 1952, with comparable figures for the latest available date in 1953.

The table below gives the numbers of unemployed persons on the registers of employment exchanges in the Merseyside Development Area in October of each of the years 1946 to 1952 and in September, 1953. The computation of estimates of the total numbers employed has not yet been completed; I will write to the right hon. Member as soon as the figures become available.

Date	Number of unemployed persons on the registers of employment exchanges in the Merseyside Development Area
	Males	Females
14th October, 1946.	23,820	5,463
11th October, 1948.	21,813	5,831
16th October, 1950.	15,977	7,070
15th October, 1951.	10,301	6,428
13th October, 1952.	16,024	9,736
14th September, 1953.	15,224	7,295

asked the Minister of Labour the numbers registered as unemployed in the Prescot and Huyton areas, respectively, for each month of

NUMBERS OF UNEMPLOYED PERSONS ON THE REGISTERS OF THE PRESCOT* EMPLOYMENT EXCHANGE AND YOUTH EMPLOYMENT OFFICE AT THE UNDERMENTIONED DATES
Date					Total number of unemployed persons on the registers		Numbers, included in Cols. (2) and (3), whose last employment was in the electrical wires and cables industry
(1)					Males (2)	Females (3)	Males (4)	Females (5)
12th January, 1953	…	…	…	…	584	443	41	33
16th February, 1953	…	…	…	…	522	440	52	28
16th March, 1953	…	…	…	…	525	477	56	36
13th April, 1953	…	…	…	…	550	465	50	43
11th May, 1953	…	…	…	…	420	440	35	40
15th June, 1953	…	…	…	…	384	389	36	52
13th July, 1953	…	…	…	…	360	367	26	55
10th August, 1953	…	…	…	…	447	405	25	48
14th September, 1953	…	…	…	…	424	391	24	41
12th October, 1953	…	…	…	…	578	521	26	46
* There is no employment exchange at Huyton, which is in the area of the Prescot employment exchange.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of registered disabled persons at Cardiff unemployed at the most convenient recent date and the comparable numbers for 1951 and 1952, respectively.

The number of unemployed registered disabled persons in Cardiff was 461 at 31st September, 1953; it was 437 at 15th September, 1952, and 390 at 17th September, 1951.

asked the Minister of Health the present position of the Home for Incurables, Leamington Spa; and if he will make a statement.

The question of the transferability of the home under the National Health Service Act is now awaiting hearing by the High Court upon a case stated by the arbitrator.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that there are a number of assistant storekeepers in the hospital service and that, as there is no designated grade for them within the Whitley Council wages machinery, they have had no increase in salary since 1948; and what action he will take to ensure they receive adequate salaries.

I understand that the Whitley Council is now considering whether a separate grade would be justified for assistant storekeepers.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the total area of factory space for which outside firms have inquired at East Kilbride since the development corporation was set up.

3,100,000 square feet.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the current capital cost per square foot of providing factory space at East Kilbride; the minimum rent per square foot at which such space can be let economically; and the rents at which factory space is currently being let.

The capital costs and rents of factory buildings at East Kilbride depend upon the type of accommodation and services provided and other relevant circumstances. No factories for letting have, in fact, been so far completed in East Kilbride.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the total area of factory space contracted for at East Kilbride to date; and the total number of persons for whom employment will be provided when the factory space so contracted for has been provided.

830,000 square feet; and about 4,250 workers.

asked the Secretary or State for Scotland what water supply schemes have been completed in Scotland since 1945 by local authorities or joint water boards; and what percentage of the cost of each scheme was paid by Government grant.

Since 1945, 2,307 water supply schemes, costing approximately £9,600,000, have been completed by local water authorities in Scotland. Of these, 230 schemes costing £2,596,000, qualified for percentage grant under the Rural Water Supplies and Sewerage Act, 1944, or the Distribution of Industry Act, 1945 as follow:

Number of Schemes	Total Cost	Percentage Grant
	£
3	8,000	25
4	57,000	29
36	238,000	31
14	48,000	32
15	539,000	33⅓
19	123,000	40
1	4,000	43
6	84,000	45
3	44,000	47
1	38,000	47½
2	58,000	50
2	22,000	55
1	16,000	60
2	42,000	65
2	4,000	66⅔
1	62,000	70
4	240,000	72
5	68,000	74
85	575,000	75
24	326,000	85
230	£2,596,000	—

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many farms in Lanarkshire have been connected with a mains electricity supply in the past six months; and how this year's achievements in this respect compare with the same period in former years.

One hundred and forty-four farms in the Lanarkshire sub-area were connected with a mains electricity supply during the six months ended 30th September, 1953. The corresponding figures for the previous four years are: 1949, 14; 1950, 41; 1951, 43: 1952. 85.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what progress has been made by the Building Development Team of the Scottish Education Department in encouraging Scottish manufacturers to produce standard components for prefabricated methods of school building.

The Building Development Team recently decided to write to a number of Scottish manufacturers asking them whether they would be interested in the production of standard components for schools; and they intend to follow up this action by discussing the possibilities of their products with any of the firms who are interested.