asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance in what year he estimates that the National Insurance Fund will receive the same percentage contribution from the Exchequer as that paid in 1950.

:There is no statutory provision for increasing the Exchequer contribution to the National Insurance Fund, but it is estimated that the position that the hon. Member appears to have in mind would be reached in 1956–57 if the additional sum of £86 million which the

£ million
Financial Year			Exchequer Supplement under Section 2 (3) (a)	Additional Sum under Section 2 (3) (b)	Total
5th July, 1948 to 31st March, 1949		…	65·7	26·6	92·3
Ended 31st March, 1950	…	…	95·7	40·0	135·7
Ended 31st March, 1951	…	…	95·8	44·0	139·8
Ended 31st March, 1952	…	…	80·5	24·0	104·5
Ended 31st March, 1953	…	…	65·3	—	65·3

The Exchequer contributions to the National Insurance Fund which would have been payable had the basis of Section 2 (3) of the National Insurance

£ million
Financial Year ended				Contributions payable under Section 2 (3)
				Exchequer Supplement* under Section 2 (3) (a)	Additional Sum under Section 2 (3) (b)	Total
31st March, 1951	…	…	…	96	44	140
31st March, 1952	…	…	…	96	48	144
31st March, 1953	…	…	…	96	52	148
* Estimated—See Table III of the Government Actuary's Report on the Financial Provision of the National Insurance Bill, 1951 (Cmd. 8212 of 1951).

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance by what amount he estimates that the National Insurance Fund would have been increased this year if the Exchequer contribution had increased at the same percentage rates as the employed person's contribution. Fund will require to meet its expenditure in that year were provided by the Exchequer.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance to publish in the Official Report a list showing the Exchequer contribution to the National Insurance Fund for 1948 and each succeeding year and the equivalent amounts that would have been paid for 1951, 1952 and 1953, respectively, on the financial basis of the 1948 agreement.

e: The Exchequer contributions to the National Insurance Fund during the period 5th July, 1948, to 31st March, 1953, were as follows:Act, 1946, not been altered by the National insurance Acts, 1951 and 1952, where as follows:

Under the 1952 Act the employed person's contribution was increased by about 16 per cent. and the Exchequer supplement by about 13 percent. Had the latter been increased by 16 per cent. the Fund would have received about £1¾ million more; provided, of course, no consequential adjustments in the other contributions were made.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance whether he will now invite the New Zealand Government to resume negotiations for an agreement on reciprocity of benefits under social security schemes between that country and ours.

I recently came to an agreement with the New Zealand Authorities for the resumption of negotiations for a reciprocal agreement on social security.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance the number of unemployed persons signing the registers at Chester-le-Street, Birtley and Washington local offices who have been transferred to the National Assistance Board up to date under the National Insurance (Additional Days of Unemployment Benefit) Regulations, 1953.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if he will state, in respect of Gateshead and Chester-le-Street areas of the National Assistance Board, the numbers of retired pensioners whose pension includes an increment earned under Section 4 (3) of the National Insurance Act, 1951, and who are in receipt of an allowance from the Board.

I am informed by the Board that this information is not available.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if he will consult with the National Assistance Board with a view to the amendment of the regulations so as to provide that any increase of retirement pension earned under Section 4 (3) of the National Insurance Act, 1951, shall be disregarded for the purpose of the Board determining an application for assistance.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Members for Ince (Mr. T. Brown) and Bedwellty (Mr. Finch) on 14th December, 1953.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what representations he has had against the payment of contributions at the non-employed rate by school meal attendants who are classed as casual workers.

I have had one or two letters from hon. Members about individual cases to which I have sent a full reply explaining why contributions had to be paid.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what arrangements are proposed by the Government to enable nationalised industries, such as the gas industry, to create benevolent funds from which pensions maybe paid to employees who have been in the gas industry for long periods of time, who are now retiring and to whom existing pension schemes are not applicable.

I am in consultation with the Gas Council about the setting up of benevolent funds by area gas boards.

asked the Attorney-General if he is aware that the present rates of stamp duty and professional charges for legal services in connection with house purchase are a deterrent to intending owner-occupiers; and what steps he proposes to take to reduce them.

Stamp duty and legal charges constitute a comparatively small proportion of the cost of house purchase, and I have no evidence that they are in themselves a deterrent to intending owner-occupiers. The rates of stamp duty on property costing up to £3,450 were reduced in 1952.Solicitors'charges are regulated by an independent statutory committee, which reviewed the charges as recently as last year, but in the case of all unregistered land costing less than £10,000 no increase has been made in solicitors'charges since 1944 in spite of the increases in overhead expenses since that date.

NUMBER OF FAT CATTLE, SHEEP AND PIGS PURCHASED IN CORNWALLL DURING 1945 TO 1950 INCLUSIVE
—			1945	1946	1947	1948	1949	1950
Cattle	…	…	43,202	40,310	38,462	35,608	37,168	49,643
Sheep/Lambs		…	82,432	113,513	88,117	85,371	94,208	107,825
Pigs	…	…	41,183	52,451	29,958	29,750	66,084	98,344

asked the Minister of Food how many gallons of milk were purchased on behalf of his Department by the Milk Marketing Board in Cornwall during each of the years 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949 and 1950.

About 27·6, 28·3, 28·3, 33·5, 36·5 and 39·9 million gallons, respectively.

asked the Minister of Food the present average total cost of prime beef meat per ton delivered to the butchers in this country from Australia, the Argentine and New Zealand, respectively, excluding any element of subsidy.

It would not be in the public interest to disclose these figures.

asked the Minister of Food, in view of the wide powers which he is seeking under the Food and Drugs (Amendment) Bill to introduce regulations covering all aspects of food hygiene and that these new powers will to a large extent overlap the provisions in existing local statutes relating to similar matters, what procedure he is proposing to adopt to eliminate redundancy in order to ensure that the trade interests concerned shall not be subjected to conflicting and dual control in such matters.

I appreciate the need to eliminate overlapping between central and local legislation and am considering how this can best be achieved

asked the Minister of Food the numbers of fat cattle, sheep and pigs, respectively, purchased by his Department in Cornwall during each of the years 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949 and 1950.

The following is the information:while preserving the valuable contribution which local legislation has to make.

asked the Minister of Food the estimated expenses and the estimated net profits, respectively, of the Meat Importers' National (Defence) Association Limited for the financial years 1952–53 and 1953–54, respectively.

:The amounts paid to the Meat Importers' National (Defence) Association in respect of expenses and net profit for the year 1952–53 were, respectively, £195,687 and £336,966. I am not prepared at this stage to estimate the payments that will be made for the year ending 31st March next. There has been no change in the method of remunerating this body for many years.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will publish as a White Paper, or place in the Library for the convenience of hon. Members, the full Report of the United Nations Neutral Repatriation Commission submitted on or about 28th December, 1953.

Yes. I have arranged for copies of the Interim Report of the Neutral Nations Repatriation Commission to be placed in the Library together with copies of the minority report signed by the Swiss and Swedish members of the Commission.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation when he expects work to be restarted on the Cromwell Road extension; and when he anticipates this project will be completed.

:As announced in my statement in the House on 8th December, I propose to authorise this scheme during the financial year 1954–55. There is considerable preliminary work, particularly on property acquisition, but I hope that construction will start this October and it should be completed within about four years.

—				Involving personal injury	Not involving injury
1st September, 1950–31st January, 1951	…	…	…	1 (Ellesmere)	1 (Cedars)
1st September, 1951–31st January, 1952	…	…	…	1 (Ellesmere)	1 (Ellesmere)
				1 (Cedars)	2 (Cedars)
1st September, 1952–31st January, 1953	…	…	…	1 (Cedars)	1 (Ellesmere)
1st September, 1953–31st January, 1954	…	…	…	Nil	1 (Ellesmere)
The Cromwell Road Extension scheme makes provision for a roundabout at this junction.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation from what sources of information road casualty figures are compiled; what steps are taken to check the accuracy of the information received; and how duplication of information is avoided which might otherwise lead to an inflation of the published totals.

Road casualty figures are compiled from forms completed by the police in respect of each individual accident. The police and my Department do all they can to avoid inaccuracy and duplication, and I do not think that the published totals are inflated.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation the number of fatalities resulting from road accidents on the Great Cambridge Road within the borough of Edmonton and the urban district of Enfield, respectively; and the number of seriously and slightly injured for each of the years from 1948 to 1953.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation how many accidents have occurred at the junction of Sutton Court Road and Ellesmere Road, Chiswick, W.4, since refuges were placed at this point five months ago; how this figure compares with those during comparable periods in the previous three years; and whether, in view of the increased traffic which will follow the completion of the Cromwell Road extension, he will consider replacing the refuges with traffic lights or a roundabout.

The numbers of accidents at the junction of Sutton Court Road, Ellesmere Road and Cedars Road, Chiswick in the past five months, with corresponding figures for the previous three years, were as follows:

The numbers of fatalities, seriously and slightly injured in the past six years on the Edmonton and Enfield sections respectively of the Great Cambridge Road were as follows:

EDMONTON
Year	Fatal	Serious	Slight	Total
1948	1	8	46	55
1949	1	4	36	41
1950	3	20	67	90
1951	1	12	54	67
1952	4	38	55	97
1953	3	12	60	75

ENFIELD
Year	Fatal	Serious	Slight	Total
1948	5	7	38	50
1949	2	13	45	60
1950	3	14	55	72
1951	4	24	71	99
1952	4	16	61	81
1953	1	8	64	73

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he will state in greater detail the nature of the alterations that are to be made to the north and south side piers at Queensferry, as a result of his discussions with the British Transport Commission; and if he will place a sketch plan of the proposed alterations in the Library of the House of Commons.

:I am unable to add to the reply which I gave on 27th January to the hon. and gallant Member for Berwick and East Lothian (Major Anstruther-Gray) until further detailed planning has been completed by the British Transport Commission. I will then gladly arrange with them for a sketch plan to be placed in the Library.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation the total amount of money spent on the maintenance of roads in the United Kingdom in the years 1951–52 and 1952–53, by local government authorities and by central government, respectively, and what is the estimated expenditure under the same headings for the current year, 1953–54; and within these figures what was the amount specifically allocated for the removal of black spots.

:The amounts spent on the maintenance and minor improvement of roads in Great Britain in 1951–52 and 1952–53 were approximately as follows:

—	By Local Authorities	From Road Fund	Total
	(£'000)	(£'000)	(£'000)
1951–52	33,300	23,700	57,000
1952–53	34,700	25,800	60,500

The estimated figures for the current year are:

By Local Authorities	From Road Fund	Total
(£'000)	(£'000)	(£'000)
33,800*	27,900	61,400
* Very approximate since complete figures are not available till well after the end of the financial year.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he will give an assurance that the level of expenditure on the maintenance of roads, whether by local or central government, will be maintained at not less than the present rate whilst the extra £50 million is being spent on road improvement and construction.

I certainly expect that this will be the case, though I cannot answer for local authorities.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what, for the last available year, were the profits of industry and farming, respectively, before and after tax; and what was the total distributed in dividends, and the estimated tax to be deducted therefrom.

:I refer the right hon. Member to the statistics given in the Central Statistical Office publication "National Income and Expenditure 1946–52,"particularly in Tables 2 and 20. I regret that it is impossible to distinguish tax paid in respect either of farm incomes, or of dividend incomes, from tax paid in respect of other sources of income accruing to the same recipient.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish a statement showing details of all the items of £500,000 and over which go to make up the £120 million total of loans and grants made by the United Kingdom to outside countries in 1953.

:The following are the principal items making up the total of approximately £120 million of loans and grants authorised by the United Kingdom Government (but not necessarily drawn)

asked the Minister of Health how many children have become ill following inoculation for diphtheria; in how many such cases the illness is chronic and requires extensive treatment; and whether, in view of the anxiety and often resentment felt by parents, he will allow private treatment from a specialist rather than general attendance for treatment at a hospital or clinic.

I regret that exact figures are not available, but it is known that, apart from trifling local reactions, illness attributable to the inoculation is extremely rare. As regards the last part, proper facilities for treatment are available within the National Health Service at hospitals and clinics, but private treatment by specialists is a matter for private arrangement.

asked the Minister of Health how many assistant nurses are now State enrolled; how many are in training;and how these figures compare with those for last year and the year before.

:The following is the information:

—	Number of Enrolled Assistant Nurses	Number of Pupil Assistant Nurses in training
At 31st December, 1953	39,737	4,111
At 31st December, 1952	38,016	3,588
At 31st December,1951	36,371	2,948

asked the Minister of Education the number of children taking school meals at the latest convenient date; and what was the number prior to increase in charges.

I canot add to the answer which I gave the hon. Member for Stockton-on-Tees (Mr. Chetwynd) on 3rd December. The return for October, 1952, was the last one made before the increase in the charge to 9d.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is aware that, despite the continued ban on the import of Landrace pigs into this country, 32 such pigs have recently been bought from Sweden by Jersey breeders at £100 each and that breeders in the Isle of Man are also now free to buy such pigs; whether it is proposed to place a ban on the import of the progeny of such pigs from Jersey and the Isle of Man; and for how much longer it is intended to continue the ban on the import direct of Landrace pigs into this country.

I understand that, following the experimental import of Landrace pigs into Great Britain, the authorities in Jersey and the Isle of Man have permitted, or may permit, similar importations for their breeders. Under the Animals (Landing from Ireland, Channel Islands and Isle of Man) Order, 1933, the progeny of such pigs could enter Great Britain from Jersey and the Isle of Man provided that certain veterinary safeguards were observed. I do not propose to amend that Order. As regards the direct importation of Landrace pigs, I have nothing to add at present to the reply I gave on 4th February to my hon. Friend the Member for Newbury (Mr. Hurd).