asked the Minister of Labour what industrial rehabilitation units are at present established in Wales; what is their total capacity and intake of cases weekly; and how far he allows industrial firms to secure the admission of their disabled workpeople.

One industrial rehabilitation unit is established in Wales, at Cardiff. Its total capacity is 100 and its weekly intake varies from 10 to 15. Industrial firms are encouraged to refer their disabled workpeople to the unit.

—		8th December, 1952		7th December, 1953
		Males	Females	Males	Females
1.Total numbers registered in Gloucestershire as unemployed (including persons temporarily stopped as well as those wholly unemployed)	…	4,127	1,672	2,963	1,460
2. Numbers wholly unemployed (included in line 1 above)	…	4,038	1,636	2,920	1,429
3.Numbers of wholly unemployed who were aged 50 and over*	…	1,813	418	1,515	376
* An age analysis is available only for the wholly unemployed.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of unemployed, male and female, respectively registered at the Stroud Employment Exchange at November, 1952, and 1953, respectively.

63 males and 74 females at 10th November, 1952, and 49 males and 70 females at 16th November. 1953.

asked the Minister of Labour how many registered disabled persons are at present unemployed in the borough and rural district of Newcastle-under-Lyme; and how many of them have been unemployed for longer than six months and 12 months, respectively.

At 21st December, 1953, the number in the borough and rural district of Newcastle-under-Lyme was 133, of whom 32 had been unemployed for between six and 12 months and 57 for more than 12 months.

asked the Minister of Labour how many persons were registered as unemployed in Gloucestershire on the last date for which figures are available; how many of these were women; how many were over the age of 50 years; and the comparable figures at the same date last year.

The table below gives the information desired:

asked the Secretary of State for War the conditions of training and service which a National Service soldier must satisfy before he is posted for service overseas; and if he is satisfied that these conditions and regulations are being adhered to.

All National Service men complete their basic training which varies according to the arm of the Service, before they are sent abroad. For those going to Middle East Land Forces, East Africa or Far East Land Forces, it is an additional requirement that they must have completed at least 12 weeks' service, including 10 weeks' training.On arrival in East Africa or Malaya respectively, men must also undergo a further 4 or 6 weeks' special training. Before serving in Korea, the conditions are that they must have completed at least 6 months' service, be 19 years old and must have had 16 weeks' training, of which 10 weeks are carried out in this country.I should be very ready to look into any case in which there appears to have been failure to follow these rules.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will make avail able to the hon. Member for The Hartlepools a copy of the report of the proceedings of the military court of inquiry, held at Fayid, Canal Zone, on 1st April, 1953, into the incident which resulted in the subsequent death of 22624079 Sapper Crangle, Royal Engineers.

No. I have given the hon. Member the fullest possible information, but I regret that I cannot make a copy of this confidential document available to him.

asked the Secretary of State for War why the circumstances in which 22624079 Sapper Crangle, Royal Engineers, met with the injuries which resulted in his death, which were revealed at a military court of inquiry which sat on 1st April, 1953, were not made available to the parents before 26th November,1953, and then only after the parents had expressed dissatisfaction with the explanation which had previously been given.

As I have written fully and explained to the hon. Member the first medical reports of this soldier's illness and death contained the diagnosis of acute nephritis. As a result his death was accepted within the War Office as being due to natural causes. Some weeks later a post mortem report was received which connected his illness with a stab wound which he received earlier. This should, of course, immediately have been reported to his mother. Most unfortunately, due to an oversight, the circumstances of which I have explained to the hon. Member, this was not done at that time. I would express my deepest sympathy with this soldier's parents both on the death of their son and on the distress which this unfortunate mistake has caused them.

asked the Secretary of State for War what steps have been taken to investigate the disappearance of 22655996 Gunner M. J. Gibbons in Hong Kong; and what further information has come to light.

When Gunner Gibbons with another soldier disappeared on 22nd September, a thorough investigation was made and military search parties covered the area over the following three days. The search was aided by Royal Air Force dogs and aircraft and a launch working along the coast. The help of the civil police was also sought and their inquiries are continuing. I much regret, however, that no new information has come to light since I last wrote to the hon. Member on 13th January.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will institute an inquiry into the administration of Eaton Hall, Chester, Officer Cadet School and the circumstances surrounding the suicide of Officer Cadet Peter Francis Basset and Officer Cadet George Henry Ellis within a month; and if he will publish the report and findings of the inquiry.

These two tragic deaths have been carefully investigated by both the civil and military authorities. Nothing came to light in these inquiries to suggest that the two deaths were related or arose from any shortcomings in the administration of the school.On our present information, there seems no need for a wider inquiry, but my right hon. Friend intends on his return personally to look closely into the circumstances of both cases and I am sure that he will arrange for any further inquiry, if this seems to him advisable.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he has considered the report of the court of inquiry into military conduct in Kenya; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend has received this report and hopes to make a statement shortly after his return from Kenya.

asked the Secretary of State for War what arrangements he is making for rehousing married families at present in Sabaron Barracks, Lincoln, who are being moved out of the barracks during reconditioning.

The quarters in this barracks are being reconditioned by stages. The families who are temporarily displaced will be accommodated in other and new quarters at Newark or in furnished accommodation hired in Lincoln.

asked the Secretary of State for War if his attention has been drawn to the unsatisfactory position which arises when serving officers hold unscripted Press conferences on radio or television; and if he will consider banning such interviews in future.

My right hon. Friend understands the difficulties that may arise in this type of broadcast, but he is confident that they will be avoided by the officers selected for such a task. He has no intention of banning broadcasts of this kind, which he believes to be of great value to the Army.

asked the Secretary of State for War how many courts-martial have been held in Kenya since the start of military operations against the Mau Mau; and how many of these were in connection with charges of cowardice, of refusal to obey orders, or of offences against the civilian population.

I regret that this detailed information is not readily available. It is, however, being obtained from East Africa Command and I will write to the hon. Member as soon as I have it.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that whereas gin and other alcoholic beverages are now being exported at 200–300 per cent. above pre-war export price in sterling, Scotch whisky has only gone up by 90 per cent. approximately; and what steps he proposes to take to get the export price of whisky more in line with the export price of gin.

According to the Trade and Navigation Accounts, the export prices of whisky are rather more than double, and of other spirits nearly three times, those of 1938. But I am informed that in the case of exports to the United States the price of Scotch whisky has increased considerably more than that of gin. The price at which Scotch whisky should be sold in overseas markets is a matter for the exporters themselves and I think it best to leave it to them.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the cost of sending some 50,000 letters on the export drive to manufacturers; and how many replies he has received.

44,771 letters were sent out at a cost of £2,023. By 18th January nearly 19,000 replies had been received; of these 6,522 expressed a desire to know more about the services the Board of Trade can provide for exporters.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is yet in a position to make an announcement on the relaxation of the security ban on the export of rubber to Communist dominated countries.

There is no absolute ban on the export of rubber to the Communist countries of Eastern Europe. Exports to these countries are limited to their estimated normal civilian requirements. In the case of Communist China, there is an embargo in accordance with the United Nations Resolution of May, 1951. It remains the Government's view that the question of reconsidering the embargo must depend on how events develop in the Far East.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the total of Excess Profits Tax refunds outstanding in April, 1945; and how much has since been repaid to industry.

The figure asked for in the first part of the Question is not available. Up to 31st December, 1953, the net repayments total £269 million.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in view of his answer to a Question on 6th February that, using the price index for all consumer goods and services, calculated annually for national income purposes, the purchasing power of the £ sterling, taking the year 1945 as 100, had dropped to 68 in 1952, if he will give an estimate of the figure by which the retail prices have risen from 1945 to February, 1952.

Forty-one per cent.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, seeing that prices have been rising since 1952, and the national price index for all consumer goods and services indicates that the value of the £ sterling has now dropped to 63 per cent. of the 1945 value, what estimate he has formed of the rise in retail prices from 1945 until now.

Between 1945 and November, 1953, retail prices for all consumer goods and services rose by about 49 per cent. This estimate is based on the consumer price index calculated for national income purposes between 1945 and 1952 and the Interim Index of Retail Prices thereafter. The corresponding figure of the purchasing power of the £in November, 1953, taking 1945 as 100, would be 67, not 63 as suggested in the Question.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if, in order to clarify doubts among traders, he will state whether the recent Purchase Tax concessions were made in substitution for the conventional annual review of Purchase Tax in the Budget statement.

I am sending the hon. Member a copy of the statement issued by my right hon. Friend in connection with these tax changes, to which I have at present nothing to add.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department received from Scotland in pool betting duty from football pools, greyhound racing totalisators and horse racing totalisators, respectively, during 1951 and 1952.

Pool betting duty does not apply to betting on horse racecourse totalisators. Receipts in Scotland from football pools were £344,104 in 1951 and £209,301 in 1952, and from greyhound racing totalisators £400,369 in 1951 and £382,726 in 1952.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware that in a recent court case concerning the valuation of unquoted shares for Estate Duty purposes, it was made known that the Estate Duty office had originally valued the shares at £4 4s. 2d. each, had then revised the estimate to £1 14s. and then to £1 5s. each, before court proceedings commenced, while, as a result of the proceedings, the judge valued them at only 19s. each; and the principles which guide the Estate Duty office when making such valuations.

£3, not £4 4s. 2d., was the highest figure put forward by the Estate Duty office. The taxpayer's lowest figure was 11s. 3d. Independent experts consulted by the Revenue quoted £1 14s. and £1 5s. Other experts suggested values from 12s. 2d. upwards at the hearing. These wide differences in expert valuations reflect the difficulty of valuing shares for which no open market exists.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury how many pictures are listed in the inventory and catalogue of the National Gallery; how many of these pictures, excluding loans to the National Gallery, are exhibited in the National Gallery; how many are exhibited in provincial galleries and museums; how many are in store or in buildings other than galleries or museums; and how many rooms in the National Gallery suitable for exhibiting pictures are at present not being used for this purpose.

At 1st January, 1954, the number of pictures in the National Gallery inventory (which includes the Tate Gallery pictures) was 6,203. After allowing for works in the keeping of the Tate Gallery, the number of National Gallery pictures was 1,882 and their location as follows:

At the National Gallery
On view	717
In the Reference Section (available on request)	866
Receiving treatment, etc. (temporarily inaccessible)	32
Elsewhere
On loan, through the Arts Council, to Provincial Galleries	168
On loan to National Museums and Galleries	61
In buildings other than Museums and Galleries	38

Ten rooms at the National Gallery which suffered war damage are not at present used for exhibiting pictures. One was totally destroyed; five are in process of restoration, and three, already restored, are closed while rebuilding work is in progress.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury for what amount the paintings in the National Gallery are insured.

The paintings are not insured, except when they are lent.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what steps are taken to ensure that casualties in level crossing accidents which are recorded in the Annual Report on Railway Accidents are not also included in the totals of casualties in road accidents.

None, in view of the small numbers involved and the separate purposes for which road and rail statistics are compiled.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he will make a statement on the Comet aircraft which crashed in the Mediterranean.

My right hon. Friend will be making a report to the House on his return from Italy.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs the policy of Her Majesty's Government with regard to Gibraltar in view of Spanish claims thereto.

Her Majesty's Government have no intention of agreeing to any change in the status of Gibraltar. They do not consider that this is a subject for discussion with any foreign Power.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the estimated number of children of school age in Zanzibar and Pemba; what proportion attended Government or grant-aided schools; what amount was spent on education in the two islands in 1952;and the intentions of the Protectorate Government regarding the provision of increased educational facilities for the children of Zanzibar and Pemba.

pursuant to his right hon. Friend's reply of 11th November,1953 [Hansard, Vol. 520; c. 47], supplied the following information:The estimated number of children of primary-school age in Zanzibar and Pemba is 42,800; the proportion attending Government or grant-aided schools is 35 per cent. for boys and 14½ per cent. for girls.Expenditure on education in 1952 was £223,300, nearly 12 per cent. of total Government expenditure.The aim of the education plan over the next five years is a large increase in the number and size of primary schools, the extension of the primary school course by two years and the expansion of technical education and teacher training.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many accidents have taken place in the Nangary tin-box factory, Singapore, during the past three years; how many times the factory was inspected: if he is aware that a girl, 16 years of age, had four fingers cut off recently; what action was taken against the owner; and what compensation was paid to the girl.

pursuant to his right hon. Friend's reply [Official Report, 2nd December, 1953; Vol. 521, c. 133], supplied the following information:There is no Nangary tin box factory in Singapore and it is assumed that the question relates to the Nanyang Tin Factory. This has been inspected 58 times during the past three years.During this period four accidents have taken place. Two of these involved minor injuries to one finger; one was an accident to an eye caused by the operator's own handling of tin strip and not attributable to the machine; and the fourth occurred when a 16 year old girl had four fingers of her left hand cut off in October, 1953. The machine on which this accident occurred was guarded and the operator had been instructed to use a hook for extracting the pressed tin. On this occasion however, the operator was using her fingers instead of the hook provided for extracting the tin. Since this accident a guard of a different type has been fitted. No court action was taken against the owner.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he has now considered the results obtained during the trials which have been conducted with the Imbra humane rabbit trap; and whether he is yet in a position to make a statement.

The trials which are being carried out by county agricultural executive committees with improved Imbra traps are still in progress and I am not yet in a position to make a statement.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what action he proposes to take with regard to the recommendations contained in the report of the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council on the method of prescribing pneumoconiosis under the National Insurance (Industrial Injuries) Act, 1946 (Command Paper No. 8866).

My right hon. Friend has considered the Report of the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council on this subject and decided to accept their recommendations. The necessary Regulations, which came into operation on11th January, are the National Insurance (Industrial Injuries) (Prescribed Diseases) Amendment Regulations, 1954 (S.I. No. 5).

asked the Minister of Education what grants she is making to local education authorities during the current financial year for the purchase or hire of educational films.

Expenditure by local education authorities on the purchase or hire of educational films forms part of their ordinary expenditure which ranks for main grant under the Education (Local Education Authorities) Grant Regulations.