asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what progress is being made in producing gas from residual fuel oil; and how the cost of producing a therm compares with that produced by orthodox methods.

Two experimental plants are in operation and two more will be ready in a few months. I understand the results so far are promising, but comparative costs cannot yet be determined.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power how much coal was allocated to electricity generating stations and gasworks within the London postal area during the last year for which records are available; and how these figures compare with those of pre-war years.

The precise figures asked for are not available, but generating stations and gasworks in the London Civil Defence Region consumed about 8.1 and 7.7 million tons of coal, respectively, in 1953 and about 4.5 and 6.2 million tons, respectively, in 1938.

asked the Minister of State, Board of Trade, as representing the Minister of Materials, if he will make a statement as to the Government's intentions about the creation of a strategic stockpile in raw cotton.

The right hon. Gentleman will appreciate that it is not the practice to announce the Government's intentions regarding particular stockpiles.

asked the Minister of State, Board of Trade, as representing the Minister of Materials, to make a statement about the Government's future intentions about the strategic stock of softwood.

I would refer the right hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Leominster (Mr. Baldwin) on 15th February.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will define the type of controls exercised by his Department in the matter of exports of locomotives to the Union of Soviet Socilaist Republics; what action has been concerted with other nations to impose similar controls on locomotives for the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; and with which nations.

Exports to the U.S.S.R. of all locomotives are subject to licensing control. Applications for export licences will be considered on their merits. Orders are notified to the Consultative Group on East-West trade. This is in accordance with the policy agreed by all members of the Group.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will make a further statement about the evacuation of Chinese Nationalist troops from the teritory of Burma, in accordance with the resolution of the United Nations Assembly adopted 10 months ago.

As a result of the negotiations mentioned by my right hon. and learned Friend in a supplementary answer on 25th January, it has been agreed that a further 3,000 Chinese Nationalist troops shall be evacuated starting on 14th February. By 19th February, 415 of these had reached Formosa.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether Her Majesty's Chargé d'Affaires in Peking has yet been instructed to make representations to the Chinese Government about the movement of the inhabitants of North Korea to Chinese territory.

No. I have had no reports of any such movement.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what countries in addition to the United Kingdom are parties to the agreement not to recognise de jure the taking over by Russia of the Baltic States; what arrangements have been agreed between them concerning Baltic balances held in their respective countries; what agreements they have come to about compensation for their own nationals; and what recent steps Her Majesty's Government has taken to renew discussion of these matters with the countries in question.

The answer to the first part of my hon. Friend's Question is that Her Majesty's Government have no agreement with any other country not to recognise de jure the Soviet annexation of the Baltic States. The other parts of the Question do not therefore arise.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance the cost to the National Assistance Board in 1953 of meeting claims for reimbursement of National Health Service charges, showing the figure for reimbursement of the shilling prescription charge and the dental charges separately.

It is estimated that Assistance granted in respect of National Health Service charges during the calendar year 1953 amounted to about £1,060,000, of which prescription charges accounted for about £445,000 and dental charges about £235,000.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance the number of persons in Cardiff who are in receipt of retirement pensions; and the number who are granted supplementation of their pension by the National Assistance Board.

Information about the number of retirement pensioners in particular localities is not available. On 15th December last the two National Assistance Board offices in Cardiff, which extend beyond the county borough boundary, were paying 7,948 regular weekly grants of National Assistance in supplementation of retirement pensions. In some cases the Assistance grant also covered the needs of a pensioner wife.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance the number of appeals concerning Industrial Injury Benefit heard by the tribunal at Queen Street, Cardiff, during 1951, 1952 and 1953, respectively; and the comparative numbers of appeals granted.

The Medical Appeal Tribunal for Wales, to which the Question presumably relates, sits in several places. No separate figures are available for sittings held in Cardiff, but the following table gives the details asked for in relation to all appeals heard by the tribunal in Wales.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the names of the steel companies to which sales have so far been made by the Steel Holding and Realisation Agency; and how much steel producing capacity these sales together represent, first, in actual quantity, and, second, as a percentage of the total national steel output.

In addition to the two companies in respect of which public issues have been made, five companies have been sold by private negotiation; I am circulating a list of them and of their purchasers in the OFFICIAL REPORT. I understand that my right hon. Friend the Minister of Supply is not prepared to reveal figures relating to production of individual companies, but I can tell the hon. Member that these seven companies were responsible in 1952–53 for between 17 and 18 per cent, of U.K. steel production.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what further negotiations are proceeding for the purchase of further American farm surplus products; and what steps he is taking, or has taken, to ascertain that these goods cannot be obtained from home or Commonwealth sources.

I regret I am not yet in a position to disclose details of further negotiations. It is a conditional: these purchases that normal marketings from home or Commonwealth sources should not be displaced and care is being taken to see that this condition is satisfied.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give an assurance that the American surplus products bought for 61,250,000 were not in any way obtainable from home or Commonwealth sources.

The products in question are not obtainable from home or Commonwealth sources in sufficient quantities for our needs and the purchases of American surplus products will not displace supplies from these sources.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation how the £17 million to be spent on road improvements in Wales will be allocated between the different counties and county boroughs.

£17 million is an estimate of the cost of the programme of improvements to road communications within West South Wales and between that area and the Midlands and London outlined by my right hon. and learned Friend the Home Secretary and Minister for Welsh Affairs on 8th December last. These schemes all relate to trunk roads, for which the Minister is the highway authority, except for one scheme in Swansea county borough. One very large scheme, the Ross Spur Road, is in England.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Defence if he can now give an estimate of the approximate size of the Soviet Navy in ships similar to the estimate provided by the Minister of Defence in justification of the rearmament programme started in 1951; and an approximate estimate of the number of Soviet tanks and aircraft.

The Soviet Navy has between 20 and 25 modern cruisers, over 100 -modern destroyers, about 350 submarines, approximately half of which are small coastal types, and 2,000 minor vessels. There are about 20,000 aircraft in the Soviet Air Force and, in addition, 3,000 naval aircraft. The Soviet Army has over 30,000 tanks with the Armed Forces and about 25,000 in reserve.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he has now received the report of the Parliamentary delegation to Kenya; and if he will publish it as a White Paper.

Yes. The Report will be published as a Command Paper and I hope copies will be available in the Vote Office tomorrow.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many suspected Mau Mau terrorists have been killed, wounded or captured in action to the last available date; and what were the respective figures dialing the month previous to that date.

Up to 1st February, 3,399 were killed and 1,380 captured, of whom 363 were wounded. Comparable figures for the last month in that period were 250, 207 and 70.

asked the Minister of Education in which local authority areas were located the 25 secondary modern school classes and 10 grammar school classes which, in January, 1953, had over 50 pupils apiece.

The classes to which the hon. Member refers were in the areas of the following education authorities in England and Wales.

asked the Minister of Education the number of voluntary schools and their allocation between aided, controlled and special agreement status, giving the figures for each denominational group separately.

The number of voluntary schools in England and Wales whose status had been determined by 31st December, 1953, is shown in the table below. The figures are classified according to status and denomination. In addition, there were on the same date 845 voluntary schools of all denominations, and 31 transitionally-assisted grammar schools which had not had their status determined.

asked the Minister of Education the present distribution of children aged 11 years and over in grammar, technical, and modern secondary schools, respectively.

In January, 1953, the numbers of pupils aged 11 years and over in maintained and assisted secondary grammar, technical and modern schools, respectively, were 511,008, 79,194 and 1,133,488.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how far the definition of overshot jaws in connection with the licensing of bulls is the same in Scotland as in England and Wales.

The Scottish definition provides that the four central incisors must bite on the pad. I understand that in England and Wales a licence may be granted if the teeth are only slightly off the dental pad.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many bulls licensed in England or Wales have been refused licences in Scotland in the years 1951–52, 1952–53 and 1953–54, respectively.

The numbers of bulls licensed in England or Wales and refused licences in Scotland in the years 1951, 1952 and 1953 are 24 and 19. A number of other bulls exposed at auction marts in Scotland have been returned to England or Wales on the advice of the Department of Agriculture inspectors that applications for licences would be refused.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland to what extent his Department of Agriculture inspectors act on precise definitions of forward calf teeth as opposed to overshot jaws when examining bulls for licensing to ensure that a bull is not condemned for a defect that may improve as time goes on

The definition takes into account the position of the four central incisors, which at the usual age of licensing are calf teeth, and the relation between the cutting edges of these teeth and the dental pad. Investigations have shown that if the calf teeth are forward the permanent teeth generally will come up in the same position.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will allow Department of Agriculture officials inspecting bulls for overshot jaws to exercise some discretion in determining whether a forward setting of calf teeth should be classified as an overshot jaw.

I have undertaken to consult with the Licensing of Bulls Advisory Committee on the whole question of overshot jaws and I do not propose to make any change in existing instructions meantime.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General if he will inquire into the causes of bad reception in Orkney and Shetland; and protest to foreign governments whose stations cause interference on British wavelengths.

I understand from the B.B.C. that reception of the Scottish Home Service, and of the Light programme on the long wave, should be reasonably satisfactory in the daytime provided efficient receivers and outdoor aerials are used. The hon. Member has probably in mind the liability of the Home Service to fading and interference after dark. We are discussing the problem of interference with the foreign authorities concerned.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General the number of applicants for telephones on the Harlow Exchange, Essex, whose applications have been outstanding for five, four and three years, respectively.

No applicant has been waiting for five years; three have been waiting for four years and five for three years. The opening of a new exchange next month should facilitate a good deal of progress in Harlow during the year.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he has considered the effects of the present unilaterial waiting restrictions in London; and if he is satisfied that they are beneficial and should be continued in force.

Yes. After considering advice from the London and Home Counties Traffic Advisory Committee, and after consultation with the Commissioner of Police and the Councils concerned, I made regulations under the London Traffic Act, 1924, to impose these restrictions from 27th January, 1953, in 31 lengths of street in London. I have now received reports from my Divisional Road Engineer and the Commissioner of Police, and taking into account comments and representations that I have received from local authorities and other bodies, I am satisfied that, although the restrictions have caused some inconvenience to traders who have to do business in those streets, they have nevertheless been of benefit to road users generally and have made a useful contribution towards easing the traffic congestion in London. I now propose to discuss with the police whether, in the light of experience and of the representations that I have received, any amendments need be made in the regulations and how far their scope should be extended.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will make a statement concerning the search for tins of cream suspected of being infected with typhoid, some of which were sold in Cardiff.

From information supplied by the manufacturers and importers of this brand of cream, medical officers of health were informed of the location of wholesalers and retailers as soon as their names could be ascertained. My officers have advised them to seek the cooperation of the local trade organisations in seeing that tins do not pass into consumption, pending the results of further investigations of samples of the cream. The Press and radio announcements during the weekend also assisted in locating the cream. Although at this stage I can obviously make no prediction, I can say that up to now no case of typhoid attributable to this cream has been notified.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will circularise local authorities advising that time spent on waiting lists of other councils should be taken into account when an applicant for council accommodation is forced to transfer his registration owing to a change of occupation or any other unavoidable cause.

I will bear this suggestion in mind when next sending a circular to local authorities on housing management.

asked the Minister of Agriculture on how many occasions land farmed by him or his representatives has been the subject of inspection or dispossession.

Land farmed by or on behalf of my Department has been inspected on many occasions. Part II of the Agriculture Act, 1947, does not apply to the Crown.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he will now grant licences for the building and export of dredgers to China.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Mr. Swingler) on 25th November, 1953.