asked the Minister of Health (1) how far limitations are placed upon prescriptions under the National Health Service in cases of tuberculosis;(2) what restrictions are placed upon the prescription of cod liver oil and malt by doctors under the National Health Service.

A general practitioner may prescribe any generally available drug or medicine which he considers necessary for the treatment of tuberculosis. Cod liver oil and malt may be prescribed when it can properly be regarded as a drug for the treatment of a patient.

asked the Minister of Health the number of cases of food poisoning reported to his Department during each of the years 1948 to 1952.

The number of cases of food poisoning reported to my Department for the last four years is as follows: 1949–11,563 persons, 1950–12,479, 1951–8,926, and 1952–8,786. No figures are available for 1948.

asked the Minister of Health how many additional beds have been made available in mental and mental deficiency hospitals in 1951, 1952 and 1953; and what further increase is anticipated for 1954.

Schemes for additional beds have been authorised as follows:

—	Mental Hospitals	Mental Deficiency Hospitals
1951–52	813	715
1952–53	409	629
1953–54	697	1,314
	1,919	2,658

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that fewer beds are reserved for mental deficiency cases in the area of the North East Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board but that the waiting list for these beds is greater in that region than in any of the other three metropolitan boards; and what action he proposes to take.

Yes. The Regional Hospital Board are pressing on as fast as they can with the provision of more beds of this kind and have opened 103 this year.

asked the Minister of Health how many beds are allocated for mental deficiency cases; and what are the waiting lists for them in the areas of administration of each of the extra metropolitan regional hospital boards.

The numbers on 31st December, 1952, were as follows:

Region	Beds allocated	Waiting lists
Newcastle	2,814	856
Leeds	3,306	763
Sheffield	3,826	1,093
East Anglian	1,292	337
Oxford	1,686	262
South Western	7,214	167
Wales	1,822	1,127
Birmingham	5,307	609
Manchester	6,949	853*
Liverpool	505	360
* The waiting list for the Manchester Region includes some patients who are also included in the waiting list for the Liverpool Region.

asked the Minister of Health if he will circularise doctors employed in the National Health Service discouraging them from engaging assistants upon condition that they will not practise in competition within a certain area after they have ceased to be under contract as assistants, in view of the fact that this impedes the freedom of patients to be treated by the doctor of their choice.

:No. Assistants enter into private professional agreements, in this respect, with the doctors who employ them and my right hon. Friend certainly does not wish to intervene.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that residents of the Liverpool Corporation housing estate at Southdene, Kirkby, have to travel to Rain ford for purposes connected with registration of births and deaths; and whether he will take steps to establish a local registration office on or near the estate.

Yes. I understand that the Lancashire County Council, who are responsible for providing the local facilities, are reviewing the arrangements in the light of the development of the estate and its demands on the service. I am making further inquiries and will communicate with the right hon. Member.

asked the Minister of Education the total cost in England and Wales, in the last convenient year, of teachers' salaries; and what proportion was paid by the local education authorities.

asked the Minister of Education to state for the latest year for which the statistics are available the total paid to teachers by way of salary by the whole of the local education authorities in England and Wales; and what percentage of this total was rate-borne.

:On the basis of the revised estimates of local education authorities for the financial year 1953–54, the total estimated cost of teachers' salaries in schools and other institutions maintained by those authorities is about £155 million. This expenditure ranks for grant under the main grant formula under the operation of which about 40 per cent. falls as a charge upon the rates.

asked the Minister of Education the number of secondary schoolchildren in the excepted district of Newcastle-under-Lyme in January, 1953;the number and proportion following a grammar school course; and the numbers and proportions of those following agrammar school course who were resident in Newcastle-under-Lyme and in adjoining areas, respectively.

I understand that in January, 1953, there were 4,732 senior children on the registers of maintained schools in Newcastle-under-Lyme, of whom 2,057 were in grammar schools. I can best answer the last part of the Question by saying that there were last January 972 children aged 13 residing in Newcastle-under-Lyme of whom 287 or 29·5 per cent. were attending grammar schools either in Newcastle-under-Lyme or elsewhere.

asked the Minister of Education whether her attention has been drawn to the action of the Council of Ministers in France which, on 18th November, decided to set up a consultative committee for bilingualism, consisting of the interested Ministers, of the teaching profession, of trade unions and of the Press; and whether she will put forward a similar proposal in this country.

I have seen reports of the proposal to set up this committee in France. I welcome the increase which is taking place in the teaching of modern languages but I do not consider that the establishment of a similar committee in this country would be justified.

asked the Minister of Education if, in view of the greater availability of building resources, she will now expand the school-building programme.

As I have already announced, the value of the major primary and secondary school building projects in the programme to be started in 1954–55 is about the same as that for the current year and I cannot at present increase it.The allocation for minor educational building projects for 1954–55 is about 20 per cent. more than that for the current year.

asked the Minister of Education whether she is aware that the Workers' Educational Association is distributing on a large scale a pamphlet entitled "Britain Unites Against Commercial T.V.," which has been issued by an organisation called the National Television Council, the main object of which is opposition to the Government's proposals for ending the British Broadcasting Corporation's monopoly; what is the amount of the annual subsidy given to the Workers' Educational Association to support its work; and how far the granting of this subsidy is conditional on the non-political character of the Workers' Educational Association.

I have no evidence that this document is being widely distributed by the Workers' Educational Association. The grants from my Department to the various districts of the Workers' Educational Association for the year 1951–52 were £63,877. They are paid on the teaching costs of an approved programme of classes. The Association's activities, other than its organised class work in respect of which my grants are given, are paid for out of its own funds and are not my concern.

asked the Minister of Education the estimated shortage of science teachers in schools; what information she has of the percentage of students leaving college who take up the teaching of science and go into industry, respectively; and what steps are being taken to man fully our schools with science teachers.

:My best information on the first two parts of the Question is contained in Tables I and III of a report of the National Advisory Council on the Training and Supply of Teachers, of which I am sending the hon. Member a copy. The report contains a number of suggestions for stimulating recruitment, most of which require consultation with other interests. I am starting these consultations at once.

asked the Minister of Education whether she has considered the interim report of the National Advisory Council in the training and supply of teachers; and what action she proposes in this matter.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I have just given to the hon. Member for Bristol, Central (Mr. Awbery).

asked the Minister of Education what requirements must be satisfied before a grant towards a student's maintenance in vacation, apart from the scale of parental income from £500to £2,200, is made to a State scholar; and how far similar conditions apply for students with grants from local education authorities.

In the case of a State scholar, a vacation allowance is automatically included in the grant if the parental income, after deduction of the recognised charges and allowances, does not exceed £1,000 a year. Where the income is above this figure, I make further inquiries to satisfy myself that the parents have not got substantial capital resources at their disposal. Eighty-five authorities have so far adopted the same, or a similar, arrangement.

asked the Minister of Education how many local education authorities have adopted her recommendations for grants set out in A.M. 425 and Circular 252, including vacation time allowances.

134 of the 146 local education authorities have adopted, either wholly or substantially, the financial recommendations made in Administrative Memorandum No. 425. Of these authorities, 85 have adopted the recommended rates for vacation allowances for all their major awards. Other authorities give vacation allowances only in cases of hardship.

asked the Minister of Education if it is now possible to give further details as to how it is proposed to expend the sum of £130,000 allocated for technical education in the recently published programme of expenditure of counterpart funds.

Yes. I am glad to say that the governing body of the College of Aeronautics, Cranfield, and the Loughborough College of Technology have each accepted £50,000 to endow a senior teaching post in industrial engineering. £15,000 will be spent in scholarships for persons engaged in industry to enable them to attend courses in work study at the above or other suitable educational establishments.I shall be responsible for the disposal of these sums, amounting to £115,000. A further sum of £15,000 has been allocated for scholarships in personnel management. The responsibility for its disposal lies with my right hon. and learned Friend the Minister of Labour and National Service.

asked the Minister of Education if, from a convenient date in November, 1951, 1952 and 1953, respectively, she will state the number of children taking schools meals in Bradford.

I have no figures for November. The number of children in maintained and assisted schools in Bradford having a school meal was 12,427 on a day in October, 1951, 13,809 in October, 1952, and 12,986 in October, 1953.

asked the Minister of Education if she will state the number of full-time students, part-time day students and evening students in further education establishments in the session 1952–53 with comparable figures for the beginning of the 1953–54 session.

The statistics for the 1952–53 session will not be available until February of next year. My Department does not ask local education authorities for information on the number of students entering establishments at the beginning of a session.

asked the Minister of Education if she has received the reports called for from the medical officer of health and the county authority concerning the outbreak of food poisoning at the five Halesowen schools; and if she will make a statement.

Yes. The reports show that on 26th November 723 children and adults took a school dinner supplied from a central kitchen to five Halesowen schools and that 213 children and 39 adults subsequently suffered from food poisoning. I am glad to say that nearly all had recovered by the following morning. The cause of the outbreak cannot be definitely established but is thought to have been due to gravy made from stock which was prepared on 25th November and re-heated for the meal on the following day.

asked the Minister of Education if she will reject the Burnham award which widens the differentiation between the salaries of men and women teachers, in view of the decision of the Government to take steps towards introducing equal pay immediately the finances of the country permit.

The Burnham Committee's recommendations have not yet been submitted to me and I am, therefore, not in a position to make any statement on them.

asked the Minister of Education whether she has considered the graduate teachers' petition concerning the proposals of the Burnham Committee; and what reply she has made.

I have received a number of petitions from graduate teachers, to which I replied that I had not yet received the recommendations of the Burnham Committees, and that I could not properly express any opinion on them until I had received them.

asked the Minister of Education whether she will now consider the building of a school in Ripley, Derbyshire, to accommodate juniors and infants; and how far she is satisfied that when the building of two additional classrooms and the new school at Belper are completed, all the children of Ripley will be able to receive their education in a properly equipped school and proper environment instead of in odd rooms about the town with inadequate facilities.

I am ready to consider any proposal that the authority may decide to put before me. I have, however, already approved the provision of four additional classrooms at Ripley as well as a new secondary school at Belper, and I am satisfied on present evidence that this will enable the authority to meet the needs of the area within the policy set out in Circular 245.

asked the Minister of Education if she will reconsider her decision in the case of Mr. Brian Niblett, raised in correspondence by the hon. Member for Oldbury and Halesowen, and intervene in the matter, with a view to providing a grant, having regard to his acceptance by the University College, North Staffordshire, and to the financial difficulties of his parents.

I am satisfied that the authority gave careful consideration to Mr. Niblett's claims and acted quite reasonably in decidiug he had not reached the standard for an award. I should not be justified in pressing them to reconsider their decision.

asked the Minister of Education if she is aware of the difficulty in which some parents of children in Cowley are now placed by the necessity to take infants to Yiewsley for primary education, especially those mothers who already have an infant at the Cowley school; and if she will authorise the education authority to take special steps to provide adequate primary accommodation in Cowley.

The general situation in this area is as I described it to the hon. Member in reply to his Questions on 10th December. I have no doubt that if any difficulty arises the education authority will do their best to keep brothers and sisters together. Pending the provision of a new school I am ready to consider any proposal put to me for hiring additional accommodation.

asked the Minister of Education why she is proposing to close the training college for technical teachers at Bolton.

I am considering the possibility of closing this college because the number of teachers needed in posts for which students of the existing three technical teacher training colleges are suitable, could in my view be trained in two colleges. I will, however, again review the probable demand for these teachers before I reach a decision.

asked the Minister of Education (1) how many educationally sub-normal children of school age in the Swinton area are receiving no education by the State;(2) how many educationally sub-normal children of school age in the Eccles area are receiving no education by the State.

I understand from the local education authority for Lancashire that 27 children from Swinton and 43 from Eccles have so far been ascertained as in need of places in special schools for the educationallysub-normal. All these children are at present attending ordinary schools.

asked the Minister of Education whether she will make a statement about secondary modern and primary schools in the Stroud area about which she has already had representations.

:The Gloucestershire local education authority has pressed me to include in its 1954–55 school building programme a new primary school to serve the Cashes Green housing estate. I have been unable to do so because I am satisfied that, by the use of transport and by the adjustment of the catchment areas of existing schools, the children from the new houses can for the time being be accommodated in schools in and near Stroud, in accordance with the policy for school building laid down in Circular 245.I do not consider that the need for a new secondary school at Stroud, for which the authority has also asked, can be regarded as urgent. I am writing to my hon. Friend to explain more fully the reasons for my decisions.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations if arrangements have now been completed for the party from Bechuanaland to study forms of government in other parts of Africa; and if he will give details.

On making inquiry of the High Commissioner, I find that a party of Bechuana visited Uganda and Tanganyika in October and November. They spent approximately a month studying local government, native courts, soil conservation and improved methods of agriculture in those territories. I am sending details to the hon. Lady by letter.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations what decisions have been taken by Her Majesty's Government concerning the recommendations of the Gaitskell mission to Bechuanaland.

My noble Friend has decided that the potentialities for beef production of the western Kalahari area of the Bechuanaland Protectorate should be put to practical test. Certain essential preliminary measures are already in hand. Of these the most important is a survey to ascertain the volume and distribution of water supplies, upon the outcome of which plans for development must depend.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what principles he is adopting in dealing with claims for grants under Section 3 (1) of the Distribution of Industry Act, 1950, having regard to the fact that this Section is designed to encourage manufacturers to transfer industrial undertakings to the Development Areas.

The Section authorises payments only if there are exceptional circumstances. The Board of Trade necessarily consider each application on its own merits and take fully into account all the circumstances of the individual case.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what effect the recent amendment to the Customs Act, which will give the Canadian textile industry increased protection from imports will have upon imports from Britain; and what negotiations he has had with the Canadian Government on this matter.

:I assume that my hon. Friend is referring to the amendment to Section 35 of the Canadian Customs Act. I understand that this amendment is designed to give Canadian manufacturers increased protection against textiles imported at abnormally low end-of-season prices. I have no reason to believe that the amendment is likely to have adverse effects on our trade. I have not received any representations from exporters on this subject and heavy seasonal reductions in price are not a feature of our textile exports to Canada. We have had no negotiations with Canada on this matter.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what quantities of apples from the United States of America have been imported into this country through the Western Zone of Germany; and whether he will give details of such shipments.

No imports of apples from Western Germany were recorded during January to October this year, and I have no information to suggest that any have been imported since.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement about the services now being offered by Her Majesty's Government to those engaged in the export trade.

:Hon. Members will already have received a letter from my right hon. Friend the Minister of State describing the steps which the Board of Trade are taking to make Government services to exporters more widely known. These services cover a wide range of practical assistance to individual firms seeking to sell in overseas markets.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will encourage manufacturers of nylon stockings to make different leg lengths to each foot size, as such variation is essential in the interest of the export trade.

While this is essentially a matter for the commercial judgment of the manufacturers themselves, I understand that some of them are at present making nylon stockings in several lengths for each foot size for both home and export trade. I am advised that our industry can meet the export demand and I know of no particular difficulty which would call for special action.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what consultations he had with the trade unions representing workers in the cotton industry about his decision to abolish the Raw Cotton Commission; the dates on which these consultations took place; and the date on which he informed them of the decision referred to above.

The Board of Trade and the Ministry of Materials had confidential discussions with representatives of the United Textile Factory Workers' Association and other interested trade unions on 12th August and 29th September. The object of these talks was to give the trade unions full information about the technical discussions which were being held, following the report of the Cotton Import (Review) Committee, with representatives of other sections of the trade; to inform them of the alternative proposals which were under consideration; and to give them an opportunity of expressing their views. The decision to wind up the Commission was not communicated to anyone in the trade before it was announced in the Gracious Speech.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will seek the assistance of advertisers, mercantile houses, sales agencies, commercial travellers and other organisations to initiate special and concentrated campaigns in the British Dominions overseas, in North and South American countries and elsewhere to stimulate the advertisement and sale abroad of United Kingdom goods, and to promote the expansion of our shipping, banking and insurance business overseas, including the setting up of new agencies abroad to supplement existing agencies; if he will consult with the Chancellor of the Exchequer to this end; and if he will make a statement.

While I fully recognise the important work done by the interests to which my hon. Friend refers and entirely endorse his desire to increase our overseas trade, the advertising and sale abroad of United Kingdom goods and services are the job of individual businesses. The Government give every practicable assistance to all such businesses both at home and through our officers overseas, and I do not think that there is any need for new Government agencies at present.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consultations he had with the Bank of England before the advice was given to the insurance companies not to make loans for speculative purposes concerning large scale property deals.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my right hon. Friend on 15th December to the right hon. Gentleman the Member for Leeds, South (Mr. Gaitskell). The Governor of the Bank of England kept my right hon. Friend fully informed of the action which he was taking with the banks and other financial institutions.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what revenue he expects to receive during 1954 by virtue of the Additional Import Duties (No. 3) Order, 1953.

I cannot make any precise estimate, because in the case of many of the goods concerned, the quantities imported will depend largely on the yield of the crops, both in this country and abroad; but I do not think the additional revenue will be very large.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer upon what grounds the show, "Braziliana," is granted exemption from entertainments tax.

:Because it falls within the list of items in Section 8 (1) of the Finance Act, 1946, and because it is provided by a society not conducted or established for profit and which has partly educational aims, objectives, and activities.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is now in a position to make a further statement on credit facilities for the building of new ships in the United Kingdom.

Yes. The credit facilities for shipbuilding are not confined to the banks, but recent inquiries have confirmed that there is a case for some adjustment in the repayment stipulations that have been attached to bank advances for this and other purposes. I have decided to revise the general arrangements that have operated since December, 1951, for the scrutiny of bank advances referred to the Capital Issues Committee. In future, the Committee will continue to consider the purpose of bank advances referred to them, but as a general rule the period and repayment of such borrowing will be settled between the bankers and their customers. I am confident that the banks will continue to observe the principles of sound finance on which the stipulations of the Capital Issues Committee have been based.So far as shipbuilding in particular is concerned, I believe it would be consistent with those principles for the banks to use their discretion in granting credit facilities on terms which have regard to the special needs of that industry. In accordance with past practice, I propose to embody the revised arrangements in a letter of guidance to Lord Kennet, which I shall, with permission, circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in the interests of industrial peace, he will give an under-taking to frame his next Budget on lines calculated not to raise the cost of living still further.

In this, as in many other matters, I cannot anticipate my right hon. Friend's Budget statement.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make arrangements whereby old age pensioners shall receive fuel on terms similar to those on which they receive tobacco.

No. As I said in reply to the hon. Member for Coventry, South (Miss Burton) on 27th November, 1951, the tobacco token scheme is a provision for abatement of tax. There is no tax on coal.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury why, in the Annual Abstract of Statistics, there is not included the table of receipts and expenditure of the nationalised railways similar to the statistics for the companies that used to appear in the Statistical Abstract of the United Kingdom.

Because of the difficulties of obtaining comparable figures for periods before the establishment of the Railway Executive of the British Transport Commission, no continuous series of figures was available until recently. Monthly details of traffic receipts since 1948 are given in the Monthly Digest of Statistics.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how far the revised arrangements for the insurance of Government-owned commodities detailed in Annex 17 of the Thirteenth Report of the Select Committee on Estimates, Session 1948–49, are still operative; and if he will state the total of premiums paid and claims received and outstanding from 1st July, 1948, to the latest convenient date.

These general arrangements, including the arrangement concerning profits on marine insurance which is described in the Note to Table 1 of that Annex, are still in operation at the present time. The relevant total figures for marine insurance, for the period from 1st January, 1948, to 31st August, 1953, are as follows:

	£
Gross premium payments	9,996,193
Deduct—
Refund of premium payments	2,138,778
Net premium payments after refund	7,857,415
Claims paid and outstanding	5,767,473

I regret that it has been necessary to relate these figures to a period beginning six months earlier than that suggested by the hon. Member. As regards fire insurance, in the period from 1st July, 1948, to 30th September, 1953, premium payments totalled £2,505,565, and claims paid or outstanding totalled £2,005,526.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware of the protests and representations being received by hon. Members about the heavy tax on fuel used in public service vehicles; and if he will give sympathetic consideration to substantially reducing these taxes affecting the passenger-carrying industry.

My right hon. Friend is aware of these representations. On the second part of the Question, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Portsmouth, West (Brigadier Clarke) on 15th December.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he has any statement to make about allowing local authorities to borrow from the Public Works Loan Board for less than the full period of the Departmental sanction.

Yes. After further consideration and consultation with the Departments mainly affected, communications have been sent to the Standing Committees of local authority associations, both in England and Wales and Scotland, proposing that these shorter loans should be made for all but certain defined purposes and suggesting a further meeting to discuss details of the proposals.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury how many State employees there are in England, Wales and Scotland, respectively.

I assume that my hon. Friend has in mind the numbers of non-industrial civil servants. The numbers of permanent non-industrial civil servants employed on 1st July, 1953, were as follows:

—	Post Office	All other Departments
In England	174,164	247,345
In Wales	7,844	11,996
In Scotland	18,729	23,456
Totals	200,737	282,797

These figures relate of course to the geographical location of the Civil Servant, and not to his function. I regret that similar figures for temporary non-industrial Civil Servants are not available.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is satisfied that the Fertilisers and Feeding Stuffs Act, 1926, affords sufficient safeguards against the sale to farmers and the public generally of low-grade fertilisers.

The safeguards which the Fertilisers and Feeding Stuffs Act, 1926, affords are based on supplying sufficient information to purchasers of fertilisers to enable them to judge the value of what they buy. I am satisfied that these safeguards are adequate for this purpose. The Act was not designed to prescribe standards for fertilisers or to regulate sales of any material as a fertiliser.

asked the Minister of Agriculture how many cattle were examined in the county of Kent under the Tuberculosis Order, 1938, for the 12 months ended 31st August, 1953; and with what result.

Veterinary inspections of about 50,000 cattle indairy herds in Kent were made during the twelve months ended 31st August, 1953. Seven animals were found to be affected with tuberculosis within the meaning of the Tuberculosis Order, 1938, and were slaughtered.

asked the Minister of Agriculture when he proposes to implement the recommendations of the Land Drainage Legislative Sub-Committee of the Central Advisory Water Committee.

Consultations with the interests affected have not yet been completed, and I cannot yet say when decisions on policy can be taken.

asked the Minister of Agriculture how many farmers in North Staffordshire have been dispossessed each year since 1947.

Since the Agriculture Act, 1947, came into force on 1st March, 1948, 12 dispossession orders for bad husbandry relating to farms in Staffordshire have been made. One Order was made in 1951, five in 1952 and six in 1953. Separate figures for North and South Staffordshire are not available.

asked the Minister of Agriculture why the county executive committee have told Mr. Lane, of Grange Farm, North Denchworth, that his management of his farm is unsatisfactory.

When Mr. Lane's farm was surveyed in March last, the Berkshire County Agricultural Executive Committee took the view that the grassland management could be improved. They surveyed the farm again in August, after which Mr. Lane was told how pleased they were with the results which he had achieved since taking over the farm, although they still felt that improvements could usefully be made. He has been offered the assistance of the Committee and the N.A.A.S.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if, now that he has presented a Bill to deal with dispossessed farmers, he will suspend all cases of dispossession now pending until such time as the Bill becomes law.

:I should not be justified in suspending the exercise of the functions which Parliament has entrusted to me under Part II of the Agriculture Act, 1947, merely because a Bill has been presented to deal with matters relating to the constitution and procedure of the agricultural land tribunals.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he will consider the utilisation of seaweed deposits on the beaches of the country for sale to various agricultural interests, dried and milled or composted, having regard to the menace existing if they are left untouched and to the valuable iodine properties and its fertiliser uses in pulverised form.

It would be uneconomic to collect seaweed on any large scale and process it for agricultural purposes. My Department has issued an advisory leaflet dealing with the use of seaweed as a manure, and I am sending a copy to the hon. Member.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he has now received proposals for a producers' egg marketing scheme from the National Farmers' Union;and when he expects to be able to make a statement on them.

:I have received an outline of proposals from the Farmers' unions and have it under urgent consideration. I cannot say at this stage when I shall be in a position to make any statement.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is satisfied that adequate precautions will be taken to ensure that there is no risk of foot-and-mouth disease infection being introduced by the Danish pork pigs which are to be imported.

The proposal is to import from Denmark a limited quantity of frozen pork. I am satisfied that the safeguards imposed will reduce the risk of the introduction of infection to negligible proportions.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether, in view of the easing of the capital investment restrictions, he will now proceed with the erection of a sugar-beet factory in and for the South of England.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Newbury (Mr. Hurd) on 19th November, 1953.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware that a Cardiff school- boy was recently detained for one month at the Llanrhynney Remand Home, Cardiff, on the order of the magistrate's court on the grounds of his poor attendance at school; and, as this boy has only recently been released from hospital, what action he proposes to take.

I understand that the boy had made only 76 out of the 352 possible attendances at school. The case was adjourned several times. On one such occasion he was sent to the remand home for observation and a report, and at the next hearing was allowed to go home. The question whether or not a remand is necessary or desirable is a matter within the discretion of the court. I have no responsibility, nor would it be proper for me to comment on the justices' action.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assistance the Civil Defence services gave to residents in Lincoln Street, Bristol, after an explosion there which caused in jury to several people and damage to many houses.

I am informed that the normal police, fire and welfare services of the local authority dealt comprehensively with the effects of the explosion and that it was therefore unnecessary to call upon the Civil Defence Corps on this occasion.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department the maximum penalties which can be inflicted upon a person who prints, exhibits or sells obscene or indecent books, pictures or picture postcards; whether he is aware that such penalties are not sufficient to deter offenders; and if he will introduce amending legislation to increase them.

Publishing, exhibiting or selling any indecent or obscene book, writing, picture, or model, or any other indecent or obscene article or thing, constitutes an indictable misdemeanour at common law, which is punishable on summary conviction by a fine of £100 or six months' imprisonment or both, and on indictment by such fine or imprisonment or both as the court in its discretion thinks fit. I have no reason to think that the existing penalties are inadequate or that amending legislation is necessary.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has considered the letter from the hon. Member for West Ham, North, concerning an incident in Leicester Square on the evening of Monday, 30th November, in which force was used by members of the police; and whether he will make a statement.

I have been in communication with the hon. Member, and will write to him again when inquiries into this incident have been completed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department who are the members of the advisory committee to the Commissioner of Police on flag days relating to animal welfare; and what organisations or activities they each represent.

The following is a list of the members of the Committee which advises the Commissioner on street collections and the organisations which they represent:Sir William Acland, Bt.; County Councils Association.B. E. Astbury, Esq., C.B.E.; Family Welfare Association.Sir Roland Davison; London Council of Social Service.Councillor Mrs. Catherine Gates; Metropolitan Labour Mayors' and Ex-Mayors' Association.E. A. Godson, Esq.; London Mendicity Society.Vivian Joyce, Esq.; Urban District Councils' Association.Alderman A. A. Naar, M.B.E.; Middlesex Borough and District Councils' Association.Alderman W. C. Northcott, D.L., J.P.; Metropolitan Boroughs Standing Joint Committee.A. J. Patrick, Esq.; Metropolitan Mayors' Association.Councillor A. Withall;Association of Municipal Corporations.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to deal with the increase in sexual crime due to the presence of United States Air Force camps in this country.

I have no evidence to support the suggestion that members of the United States forces have been responsible for an increase in sexual crime in the accepted sense of the term. It may be that the hon. Member has in mind the wider problems of sexual immorality which arise in the neighbourhood of service camps, especially when men are serving abroad. The presence of large numbers of men in camps inevitably tends to attract women and girls of a certain type, but the police, who are responsible for the maintenance of public order, are alive to the problem and, with the fullest co-operation of the American authorities, take all possible steps to deal with it.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the Waverley Committee to issue their report.

I am informed that the Committee hopes to be able to report before Easter.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department to what extent it is the practice for prisoners with homosexual tendencies to share a cell with other prisoners.

Care is taken not to allow any prisoners with known or suspected homosexual tendencies to share a cell with other prisoners.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action the Metropolitan Police take to oppose the applications of those hotels and restaurants applying for licences to sell intoxicant liquors where it is the declared policy of such hotels and restaurants to operate the colour bar against the sale and service of food and drink to coloured peoples.

The Metropolitan Police do not know of any hotel or restaurant where it is the declared policy to operate a colour bar, but they are aware that in a few cases a colour bar is operated in practice. Much as I deplore this, it is not within the province of the police to oppose the grant or renewal of licences on that ground.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power to give figures to show the state of stocks of household coal in Scotland today as compared with the figure a year ago.

On 5th December, 1953, merchants' stocks of house coal in Scotland were 247,000 tons compared with 168,000 tons a year ago.

asked the Minister of Food if he has considered the fresh information sent to him to the effect that electric pumps are being used for bleeding horses to death in several slaughterhouses in England, with the object of making horse flesh resemble veal as closely as possible; and if he will cause immediate investigation to be made.

I presume my hon. Friend is referring to a recent report in the "Daily Telegraph" of a statement by the Horses and Ponies Protection Association. This statement, which the Association has been given an opportunity to amplify, adds nothing to the information which was available to the Duke of Northumberland's Committee on the Slaughter of Horses. All this information was carefully investigated and found to be without supporting evidence.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what steps he is taking to extend to other Dominions the reciprocal social insurance arrangements recently agreed with Australia; and whether he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend is always ready to enter into discussions with members of the Commonwealth with a view to making reciprocal arrangements regarding social security benefits where-ever the nature of the social security schemes in the country concerned permit. He hopes shortly to resume discussions with New Zealand for the extension of the existing arrangements regarding family allowances to other benefits.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is aware of the disquiet prevailing in Scotland as a result of evidence given in the recent trial at Edinburgh when certain persons were charged with conspiracy to over throw Her Majesty's Government in Scotland; and if he will institute a public inquiry into the use of agents provocateur.

I have nothing to add to the reply which I gave to Questions by the hon. Members for Orkney and Shetland (Mr. Grimond) and Tradeston (Mr. Rankin) on 15th December, of which I am sending the hon. Member a copy.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will consider incorporating the mental hospital at Newsaughtonhall, Polton, Midlothian, into the National Health Service, in view of the acknowledged shortage of accommodation and experienced staff in the service.

This private mental hospital has been out of commission for almost a year. It could not be re-opened at the expense of the National Health Service without sacrificing other developments of greater value to the hospital service.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether his attention has been called to the condemnation of the policy at present approved of converting summer grass into hay, silage or dried grass by the lecturer in animal and dairy husbandry in Aberdeen University, details of which have been sent him; and whether his scientific advisory committee are considering what advice is to be given farmers in the light of Dr. Fraser's suggestions to ensure that the best use is made of Scotland's acres and crops to produce the maximum quantity of first-class beef.

The views held on this subject by the lecturer to whom the right hon. Member refers are well known and of interest, but are by no means generally accepted. In any case his suggestions would be difficult to put into effect because cold storage facilities are not available on the necessary scale and because it is very doubtful whether the existing abattoirs could deal with the large number of fat beasts coming to market during a short spell each autumn. Moreover it would still remain desirable to make hay and grass silage for wintering the breeding cows, calves and store cattle. I therefore do not propose to ask the Scottish Agricultural Improvement Council to reconsider the expediency, under present circumstances, of producing and conserving the maximum amount of summer grass for winter feeding.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland, in view of the damage caused, if he will have an inquiry made into the sudden rise in the waters of the Clyde and its tributaries during the night of 4th–5th December, 1953, and into the desirability of deepening the channel at Threepwood to avert or lessen flooding on future occasions.

My information is that flooding took place on 3rd–4th December in certain low lying areas of the Clyde Valley upstream from Motherwell as a result of weather conditions such as have frequently given rise to flooding in the area—several days of moderate rainfall, culminating in a heavy and sustained downpour. I am advised that in order to minimise the danger of flooding, it would be necessary to carry out a comprehensive overhaul of floodbanks and protective works over the whole of the affected area and that deepening of the channel at Threepwood, undertaken as a separate operation, would not contribute materially towards the desired solution.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the total area of horticultural holdings in the Clyde Valley flooded on 5th December, 1953; the area of each crop which was directly affected by flooding; and the area of glasshouses flooded.

:A report made by officials of the Department of Agriculture after an inspection of the affected area on 5th and 6th December indicates that about 165 acres of land on horticultural holdings were flooded, including about 100 acres, in rotation grass or used as orchard ground, which were not appreciably affected by the flood. The remaining 65 acres were planted or awaiting planting or sowing. It is estimated that about 7 acres of strawberries, 5 acres of raspberries and 3 acres of glasshouses containing 1acre of lettuce plants and several thousands of bulbs were directly affected.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will make a statement about the damage done to horticultural crops by the Clyde Valley floods of 5th December, 1953; and what measures of relief will be taken to assist those whose livelihood has been affected.

I am advised that the growers concerned hold widely differing views on what effect immersion in flood water will have on their plants and bulbs and that it will not be possible for some time to make a proper estimate of the damage done. I have no funds at my disposal from which damage of this kind can be made good.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) whether he will consider the establishment of river gauges to record hydrographic data at several points in the Clyde, seeing that the data recorded by that in the River Nethan, being only a tributary, does not record sufficient data for ascertaining the causes of and possible remedies for flooding of the Clyde;(2) whether he has given further consideration to the establishment of a Clyde Valley Catchment Board.

Consideration is being given to the establishment of river gauges at one or two points on the Clyde but, as my hon. Friend will appreciate, I have to keep in mind the need for similar information on other Scottish rivers and the limited funds available for this purpose. I think it would be premature to consider setting up a Catchment Board, for the reasons given in reply to a similar question by my hon. Friend on 27th October.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what restrictions have been introduced to the conditions under which the Department of Agriculture will give a 50 per cent. grant towards voluntary drainage schemes.

:Although maintenance work on ditches and tile drainage schemes no longer qualifies for grant, grant of 50 per cent. of the approved cost of capital works is still available both for field drainage and for arterial drainage schemes voluntarily undertaken by interested proprietors.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the estimated cost of hospital building started in the first nine months of 1953; and what is the total estimated cost of work done in the same period.

The estimated cost of all hospital building schemes started during the first nine months of 1953 is approximately £930,000, while the cost of all building work done during that period is just over £1 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will inquire into the circumstances whereby seven injured miners from Glencraig Colliery, Fife, on the night of Sunday 6th December, were taken 20 miles by ambulance to the Bridge of Earn Hospital instead of to the Dunfermline and West Fife Hospital nine miles away.

:The general practitioner who was called to attend the men at the colliery decided that the wider range of facilities available at Bridge of Earn for the treatment of injuries more than compensated for the extra 15 minutes journey.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is aware that in England and Wales there is one local authority for every 3,417 citizens and in Scotland one local authority for every 11,962; and what plans are under consideration for increasing the representation of the people in local government in Scotland.

The comparison made in the question takes no account of differences between the local government structure in the two countries, of the nature of the authorities concerned, of the extent to which more than one authority covers the same area, or of the numbers of councillors. In any event, I do not think arithmetical comparisons of this kind are in themselves an argument for any change in the local government system.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the total amount of Exchequer grant to the Scottish Special Housing Association for the year ended October, 1953.

:The Exchequer contributions paid to the Scottish Special Housing Association in the year ended October, 1953, amounted to £951,998.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs why the appointment of Lieut.-Colonel Alexander Curie as Her Majesty's Consul for several provinces in Ethiopia, with effect from 6th January, 1952, was not published in the "London Gazette" until 1st December, 1953; and how far this was dependent on the Royal Assent to the Royal Titles Act, which was given on 26th March, 1953.

Promulgation of a consular appointment in the "London Gazette" can only take place after the issue of the Queen's Commission but a consular officer can perform his duties, with the consent of the Government concerned, before his Commission issues.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, in view of the fact that Member Governments by the United Nations have been asked by the General Assembly to comment on the proposal of the former Secretary-General that a United Nations Volunteer Reserve should be formed, he will give an assurance that this proposal will be considered by Her Majesty's Government.

:Member Governments have not, in fact, been asked by the General Assembly to comment on this proposal, and the present Secretary-General has indicated that he does not wish to pursue the proposal for the time being. But Her Majesty's Government would of course be ready to consider the matter if it should be raised in the United Nations Collective Measures Committee.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will now withdraw the condition attached to the further contribution of £50,000 offered by Her Majesty's Government to the United Nations Expanded Technical Assistance Programme for the coming year.

Yes. Her Majesty's Government have decided to make this further pledge of £50,000 immediately as, if made before 31st December, it will attract large matching contributions which will not be payable after the end of the year. It remains the hope of Her Majesty's Government that the target of $25,000,000 mentioned in the reply to the hon. Member for Blackburn, East (Mrs. Castle) on 11th November will be reached later.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will state the contribution of Her Majesty's Government to the United Nations Technical Assistance Programme for 1954, as compared with the contribution made for 1953.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Mr. Swingler) on 18th November. My right hon. Friend has now withdrawn the condition attached to the further contribution of £50,000 referred to in my reply to the hon. Member for Blackburn, East (Mrs. Castle) on 11th November. Her Majesty's Government's proposed contribution of £650,000 for the coming year thus represents an increase of 30 per cent. over last year.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, in view of the Government's decision to adhere to the long establishment international recognition of the three-mile limit for territorial waters, he will arrange for the protection of British trawlers and crews while legally fishing outside the three-mile limit off any part of the coast of Iceland.

Her Majesty's Government's policy is to seek to arrive at a mutually satisfactory settlement of the Icelandic dispute. I do not think that the action proposed by my hon. Friend would contribute to such a solution.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will make a further statement on the relationship of the United Kingdom with the proposed European Defence Community.

I have nothing to add to my right hon. Friend's reply to Questions on this subject on 30th November.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General when particulars of late postings at London railway stations will be made known to the

LATE POSTING AT LONDON RAILWAY TERMINI—PROVINCIAL MAILS
The following table shows the arrangements for posting unregistered letters for places served by each Travelling Post Office departing from the London Railway Termini. Such letters should bear a Late Fee of ½d. in addition to the ordinary postage.
						Time and place of Posting
Railway station		Localities served			Frequency of Service	Station Late Fee Box	Box on Mail Train
(1)		(2)			(3)	(4)	(5)
Euston	…	Scotland (except Berwickshire and East Lothian).			Daily	5.30 p.m.–8.0 p.m. (box in Station Booking Hall)	Up to 8.30 p.m.
Euston	…	England (Midland and North West Counties), North and Central Wales, and Northern Ireland.			Daily (except Saturdays)	8.0 p.m.–10.20 p.m. (box in Station Booking Hall)	10.50 p.m.
Kings Cross	…	Scotland (Berwickshire and East Lothian only).			Daily	5.30 p.m.–7.50 p.m. (box on platform 10)	8.20 p.m.
Kings Cross	…	England (places on East Coast route).			Daily (except Saturdays)	7.50 p.m.–10.5 p.m. (box on platform 10)	10.35 p.m.
Liverpool St.	…	East Anglia and Cambridgeshire.			Daily (except Saturdays and Sundays)	7.30 p.m.–10.0 p.m.	} 10.30 p.m.
					Sundays	5.30 p.m.–10.0 p.m. (box in Station Booking Hall)
London Bridge (Central).		Kent and Sussex	…	…	Daily (except Saturday and Sundays and Good Friday)	7.30 p.m.–11.20 p.m.	11.50 p.m.
					Sundays and Good Friday	5.30 p.m.–8.35 p.m. (box on concourse of Central side at Station).	9.5 p.m.
Paddington	…	West of England and South Wales.			Daily (except Sundays)	7.30 p.m. –9.40 p.m.	} 10.10 p.m.
					Sundays	5.30 p.m. –9.40 p.m. (box at Station Post Office)
Waterloo	…	Dorset, Hants and Isle of Wight.			Daily (except Sundays	7.30 p.m. –10.0 p.m.	} 10.30 p.m.
					Sundays	5.30 p.m. –10.0 p.m. (box at Station Post Office)
NOTE: Registered letters are accepted in the Travelling Post Offices at the Railways stations up to five minutes before the train departure times (see column 5) on payment, in addition to the registration fee and postage, of a late Fee of 1s. 6d. which must be affixed in stamps before a letter is presented.

A publication containing this information is being prepared as quickly as possible; meantime the information is circulated below in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs the number of voters in the recent elections in the Sudan; how many were deemed to be literate;for how many voters special arrangements were required such as pictorial guides or illustrations; and if he will make a statement.

I regret that the information for which my hon. Friend asks is not available here in London, but I will write to him as soon as it can be obtained.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will make a statement giving the circumstances in which 22796755 Driver Marshall Roy Fowler, Royal Signals, died following a gunshot wound in the head at the British Military Hospital at Fayid on 4th December, 1953.

Yes. The court of inquiry proceedings have not yet been received, but I can give some further information. This soldier is reported to have been accidentally shot in the head by a revolver bullet fired by another soldier and, I much regret to say, he died in hospital some four hours later. A summary of evidence is now being taken and disciplinary action may follow.

asked the Secretary of State for War (1) why letters are still being addressed by the Assistant Director of Medical Services, London District, to the Assistant Director of Medical Services, Mid-West District, at Avonstoke, Belle Vue Gardens, Shrewsbury, which was derequisitioned seven years ago; and what action has been taken on the letters written to both the Director of Medical Services and the Assistant Director of Medical Services by Mr. A. B. Baker residing at the above address, pointing out that he has been there resident since 1947;

Mistakes do happen. This one will not happen again. I think that the best course would be for my hon. Friend to let me have the two letters.

asked the Secretary of State for War (1) whether he is satisfied that National Service men being sent to the Suez Canal Zone are sufficiently trained in the handling of small arms; that regimental orders concerning armed sentry duty are sufficiently strict; whether he is satisfied with the general standard of discipline of all Tanks in the Suez Canal Zone; and what steps he is taking to maintain and improve the morale of National Service men in this zone;(2) how many British troops in the Suez Canal Zone have during the past 12 months been killed or seriously wounded by the negligent discharge of small arms.

I have called for a special report from the Commander-in-Chief, Middle East Land Forces, which is to cover both the casualty figures and the other matters raised, and as soon as I have it I will write to my hon. Friend.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether, in view of the fact that Sabena Airways have started their first international helicopter services in Europe, he can give any approximate date in the future when the British European Airways Corporation may set up such a service in this country.

Unlike Sabena's services, international helicopter services from this country involve flight over open sea for which single-engined helicopters are operationally unsuitable. Development of helicopters with more than one engine has not reached a stage when it is possible to give an approximate date for their introduction on our international services.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation where the new Cavendish bridge on the River Trent is to be placed; and if he will have due regard in this respect for the heavy traffic which the approaches to the bridge have to sustain.

The new bridge will be placed 160 yards below the present bridge and will have new approaches suitable for heavy traffic.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he will include the construction of a dual carriageway on the Great Cambridge Road among the projects for the roads improvement programme.

I hope to be able to authorise at any rate a substantial part of this project next year.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he will make a statement indicating when work is to recommence on completing the Dartford-Purfleet tunnel; when it is estimated it will be completed; and when the construction work will be sufficiently far advanced to enable the shields to be removed and transferred to Glasgow for use in constructing the Whiteinch-Linthouse tunnel.

As indicated in my statement to the House on the 8th December, it is proposed to re-start work on the Dartford-Purfleet Tunnel in 1955–56. If all four shields are used on this tunnel, the work should be completed in about 5 or 6 years, and the shields will remain in use for about 3½ years after re-starting work. The question whether the shields will be used for the Whiteinch-Linthouse Tunnel, or whether new shields will be required will be considered in relation to the plans for that tunnel.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation the amount spent, per head of the population, on road and bridge maintenance and new works in Scotland and the Metropolitan area, respectively.

On the basis of the population figures at the last census in 1951, the figures for the financial year 1952–53 were:

	£	s.	d.
Scotland	1	15	5
County of London	1	10	7

asked the Minister of Supply what decision he has now reached as to the location of the Fighting Vehicle Design and Proving Establishments, Chobham.

Her Majesty's Government have not yet reached a final decision about the permanent location of the Fighting Vehicles Research and Development Establishment of the Ministry of Supply. However, in view of the present need for national economy and of the very heavy expenditure which transfer to another area would involve, it must be recognised that it will be impracticable to remove the establishment from Chobham in the foreseeable future.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will now name the thirtieth official or citizen of Bermuda in the order of precedence, and the first coloured official or citizen in the list, together with their status or office.

The thirtieth person in the table of precedence is Mr. P. C. Outerbridge, Member of the House of Assembly. The first coloured person in the table is Mr. G. A. Williams, Unofficial Member of the Legislative Council, who occupies the twenty-second position.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies why three American officials occupy seventh, fifteenth and sixteenth positions, respectively, in the order of precedence in Bermuda; and why no representative of the majority coloured population is included.

:The courtesy precedence granted to the American Consul General is in accordance with established practice throughout oversea territories. That granted to the commanders of the United States Military and Naval Forces stationed in Bermuda follows the decision taken at the time of the establishment of United States bases during the last war. Members of the coloured population in Bermuda are, in fact, included in the table.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he is aware of the feeling of dissatisfaction in several of our Colonies owing to the remoteness of control in Whitehall and the difficulties of direct access to the Colonial Office, and that these have been a contributing factor to many of ourdifficulties;and if he will set up a committee to consider what changes are necessary in our methods of colonial government which will give to the Colonies the feeling that they are a real and integral part of the British Commonwealth.

Of the complaints coming to my notice, more have been directed against the extent and closeness of alleged Whitehall control than against its remoteness. Also opportunities for responsible people in the Colonial Territories to have direct contact with the Colonial Office are far greater now than ever before. I therefore cannot accept either reason for the suggested appointment of a committee.