asked the President of the Board of Trade what action he is taking to eliminate the delay in the shipment of stores and merchandise to East Africa.

The capacity of the port of Mombasa is being enlarged. Operating conditions should show an appreciable improvement during the next six months and the delays should be eliminated next year.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the talks which recently ended in London with a Spanish delegation to review the working of the arrangements governing Anglo-Spanish trade and payments.

Yes. The talks confirmed that the current arrangements governing Anglo-Spanish trade and payments are working satisfactorily, in particular as regards the issue of licences for the import into Spain of so-called "less-essential" goods from the United Kingdom.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what licences have recently been issued for the importation of potatoes from the Argentine.

No such licences have been issued and no applications for such a licence have been received.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that certain businesses are handicapped by a shortage of Dutch strawboard; and if he will now ease the restrictions on this import.

Yes. Import licences for the second half of the year have been increased. I understand that the licences should be sufficient to allow the import of all the strawboard which Dutch suppliers say is available for export to this country.

asked the President of the Board of Trade why the import of eggs from Bulgaria is prohibited and the import of eggs from China permitted.

Imports of shell eggs from Bulgaria are not prohibited; individual applications for import licences would be considered, but none has so far been received since the Ministry of Food ceased to be the sole importer.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will take advantage of the visit of the Chinese Trade Mission to the United Kingdom to arrange for discussions between the Mission and his Department, with a view to expanding Anglo-Chinese trade.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what steps his Department are taking to see to it that the official Chinese trade delegation now is Britain have an opportunity of meeting those manufacturers and others whose products are likely to be needed in China.

The visit of the Chinese trade delegation has been arranged by the Sino-British Trade Committee with the approval of Her Majesty's Government, and senior officials of the Board of Trade and of the Ministry of Supply have already met them informally. The delegation have been visiting a number of factories and will meet numerous trade associations and manufacturers and merchants interested in trade with China. I hope that these arrangements will lead to an expansion of Anglo-Chinese trade in non-strategic goods.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the number of new factories and extensions which have been built in Scotland since 1945, with the total floor space in each case.

For the period 1st January, 1945 to 31st May, 1954, the figures are as follow:

—			Number	Area of floor space
				million
				sq. ft.
New factories	…	…	329	9·8
Extensions	…	…	576	11·4
Total	…	…	905	21·2

NOTE:(1) The figures of new factories refer to detached buildings on new sites. Cases of replacement on the same site of factory buildings which had been demolished or destroyed are excluded from the figures.(2) The figures of both new factories and extensions refer to schemes with an area of 5,000 sq. ft. and over.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many new factories and extensions have been built in the Greater London area since 1945; and what increase in floor space is involved.

For the period 1st January, 1945 to 31st May, 1954, the figures are as follow:

—			Number	Area of floor space
				million
				sq. ft.
New factories	…	…	219	3·99
Extensions	…	…	854	14·87
Total	…	…	1,073	18·86

NOTE:(1) The figures for new factories refer to detached buildings on new sites. Cases of replacement on the same site of factory buildings which had been demolished or destroyed are excluded from the figures.(2) "Greater London" has been taken as approximately the area of the Greater London Plan. It includes the New Towns of Basildon, Harlow, Hatfield, Hemel Hempstead, Welwyn and Stevenage, but not Bracknell or Crawley.(3) The figures of both new factories and extensions refer to schemes with an area of 5,000 sq. ft. and over.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will make a statement upon the trade discussions now taking place between Her Majesty's Government and the Government of Poland.

The negotiations are still in progress. In accordance with the normal practice it would be better to await their conclusion before a statement is issued.

asked the President of the Board of Trade which countries in Western Europe are members of the Consultative Group Co-ordinating Committee.

Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Italy, Denmark, Portugal, Western Germany, Norway, Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many houses have been built for key-workers under the provisions of Section 1 of the Distribution of Industry Act, 1945.

Three hundred and seventy-three.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what date or dates he has received deputations requesting him to make financial provisions for an increase in old-age pensions; and what was the nature of his reply.

Deputations on this subject are normally received by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance, whose responsibility this is. I have therefore received no deputations.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will make a statement on the proposed changes changes in the European Payments Union.

The European Payments Union has been renewed for a further year from 1st July, 1954. This was made possible by a series of bilateral agreements between the creditor and debtor countries for the discharge of a substantial part of existing debts by immediate down-payment and further instalments over a period of usually seven years. The creditor countries will receive repayment of a further part of their credits from the convertible assets of the Union.

—	Oils chargeable with Customs duty
	Quantity	Receipts of duty
	Gallons	£
Light Oils:	1,924,400,976	240,725,150
Of which motor (including aviation) spirit	(1,875,425,179)	(234,591,587)
Heavy oils for use as road fuel	321,863,039	40,224,318
Other heavy oils	4,713,775,845	620,518
of which fully rebateable	(4,564,851,837)
	Oils chargeable with Excise duty*
	Quantity	Receipts of duty
	Gallons	£
Light oils:	115,277,282	8,794,439
Of which motor (including aviation) spirit	(77,154,649)	(5,926,604)
Heavy oils for use as road fuel	24,022,254	1,831,775
Total		292,196,200
Allowances under Section 206 of the Customs and Excise Act, 1952		2,311,872
Net total		289,884,328
* In comparing these particulars with those relating to previous years which I have given to him on earlier occasions, my hon. Friend will no doubt recall that the Excise duty was reduced by 6d. a gallon with effect from 14th October, 1953.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the amount of each class of hydrocarbon oils retained for home consumption during the year ended 31st March, 1954, and the net amount received in respect of duty thereon, showing, in particular, the amounts received in respect of motor spirit and heavy oils used as fuel in road vehicles.

The particulars are provisionally as follows:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will consult with Commonwealth countries before he agrees to any extension of purchases by the United Kingdom under the Mutual Security Act.

Proposals for foreign aid in 1954–55 are still before the U.S. Congress. It is, therefore, premature to consider what action on the part of H.M. Government might be necessary if further aid in the form of surplus agricultural commodities were offered to the United Kingdom.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he has completed his discussions with the local authorities' associations on the recommendations of the committee appointed to investigate the operation of Exchequer equalisation grants; and how soon he will be able to publish a White Paper on this subject.

There are still some observations from local authorities outstanding; and I am not yet able to give a date for the publication of a White Paper.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government to what extent the new model building byelaws have been adopted by local authorities.

Of 1,336 local authorities whose building byelaws expired this year, 1,328 have adopted new byelaws based on the model. The new byelaws are either already in force or will shortly be in force.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government when the model building byelaws were last revised; and what were the principal changes made.

An authoritative and fully representative committee was appointed in June, 1951, to advise on the preparation of new model building bye-laws, in view of the great advances which had taken place in building methods and technical knowledge since 1939, and which had made the existing byelaws out-of-date. As a result, a new series was published in November, 1952; and a further edition appeared in July, 1953.The main object of the new series has been to allow the utmost possible freedom in building methods and the use of new materials. This has been achieved by expressing the constructional parts of the byelaws in terms of the functional requirements of the building without requiring any particular material to be used. Materials and methods of using them which conform to British standards or codes of practice are sufficient compliance with the requirements of the byelaws.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will draw the attention of local authorities to the Report of the Royal Fine Art Commission, Command Paper 9177, with special reference to the Commission's protest against the continued mutilation by many local authorities of both roadside trees and those in public open spaces.

I think it probable that many local authorities will already have observed this passage in the Commission's Report, and I expect that my hon. Friend's Question will draw the attention of others. But I am considering whether there is anything I can do to promote better understanding of the right treatment of trees.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what further progress has been made in respect of local government revision.

I do not expect to be in a position to make a statement during this Session.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what individual proposals affecting the rebuilding of the City of London have been the subject of consultation with him under the arrangements instituted earlier this year; and with what effect.

No individual proposals have been the subject of consultation with me. The arrangements referred to are for consultation between the City Corporation and the London County Council, and for collaboration as necessary with the Royal Fine Art Commission. Normally I should not expect to become involved unless there are difficulties leading to an appeal by the developer.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the letter, dated 15th June, from the town clerk of Newcastle-under-Lyme to his Department, setting forth the reasons why site shortage prevents the borough council from planning an adequate slum clearance programme in accordance with his Circular 30/54; and if he will give further assistance to the council in the search for, and acquisition of, suitable land for housing.

Yes. There is a a very difficult conflict here between the need of land for housing and the agricultural interests; but I am in consultation with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, and I hope to write to the borough council very shortly.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what priority he gives to applications for accommodation in new towns from ex-Service men evicted from married quarters.

In the London new towns, applications for houses from Reguand ex-Regular Service men who have secured employment in the town are considered if the Service man lived in Greater London before entering the Services or if his family live in London when the application is made. The provincial new towns have a similar scheme, and all the corporations are sympathetic to the needs of the Service men.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will circularise local authorities advising that they should give special attention to rehousing families who have been in temporary accommodation in half-way houses for two years or more.

The Housing Management Sub-Committee is considering the whole question of residential qualification. I will ask them to look at the problem of families in half-way houses who do not satisfy the residential qualification of any local authority.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many tenants he estimates will be affected by the revocation of Defence Regulation No. 68CB.

Figures are not available. The number of tenants covered by registrations made under this Regulation has never been large and it is known that many of the registrations have been allowed to lapse.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what steps he is taking to ensure that both tenants and landlords shall have facilities available to them to obtain accurate advice on the provisions and safeguards of the Housing Repairs and Rents Bill.

I shall do all I can to encourage and help local authorities and voluntary bodies such as the citizens' advice bureaux to give accurate information on this Bill.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government in what circumstances, and at what price, he regards land in residential zones of Central London as too expensive for local authority housing when deciding whether to approve compulsory purchase orders and other transactions; and whether he is aware that much of this land remains derelict and undeveloped.

In reply to the first part of the Question, the price which I think it reasonable for a housing authority to pay for land must depend on the circumstances; and I can only decide this on each case.In reply to the second part, I am of course aware that there is derelict land in Central London in areas which it is proposed should be primarily residential; but I expect to see a great deal of this developed in the next few years in accordance with the proposals in the County of London Development Plan.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government (1) if he will arrange for exhibitions of old-type houses and modern conversions, like those off Oxford Street, London, in a number of large industrial areas or cities;(2) If he will arrange as soon as possible for an exhibition of several old-type houses to be converted and furnished in the city of Stoke-on-Trent, so that people can see the application of modern ideas in converted houses;

I hope it will be possible for examples of conversions and improvements to be shown in different parts of the country. There are difficulties about staging special exhibits like that at Oxford Street. What I have in mind are actual schemes which can be shown to the public for a time before being occupied.I hope that local authorities will take the lead in promoting pilot schemes of this sort and my regional officers are in touch with a number who are considering the matter. If it is desired to furnish the houses for inspection no doubt the local authorities can make suitable arrangements with local firms.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if an estimate has been made of the amount by which the rent of a council house costing £1,500 will have to be increased, if the proposed reduction in State and local subsidy is made, as outlined by him recently.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government the effect of the cut in housing subsidies on the rent of houses built after 1st April. 1955.

I cannot estimate what rents local authorities will fix. That depends on the arrangements they make.

asked the Minister of Works whether he will show, in some place convenient to Members, a model of the alterations to the Mall that will be made as a result of the proposed siting of the George VI statue.

Yes. By courtesy of the King George VI National Memorial Fund, a model of the memorial scheme will be on view on the Interview Rooms floor tomorrow.

asked the Minister of Works to what extent increased supplies of cement are now being made available for export; and whether he will take steps to prevent the export of cement until the present shortage of home supplies has been overcome.

Cement exports since January are 75,000 tons less than in the corresponding period last year. The increase in supply is all going into the home market, and I am in close touch with the industry about the needs of all parts of the United Kingdom.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works, as representing the Lord President of the Council, the lengths of the unexpired portions of the two leases for the Nature Conservancy's new premises in Belgrave Square; and the relative ground rents and the rates at present payable.

The lengths of the unexpired portions of the two leases are approximately 20 years and 32 years respectively; the present ground rents total £458 and the rateable value £980.

asked the Minister of Labour what steps are being taken to provide special lists of vacancies suitable to West Indians and other workmen entering this country, to employment exchanges at the main ports of entry and in London, in order to facilitate the placing of these men in suitable employment.

There are standing arrangements for employment exchanges to be kept informed of available vacancies in other areas and no need has arisen for the circulation of special lists as the hon. Member suggests.

asked the Minister of Labour (1) what he proposes to do to remedy the shortage of 2,000 men for work at Surrey, Millwall, Royal and Tilbury docks;(2) if he is satisfied with the recruitment of labour for dock work; and what reports he has had of dock work being held up owing to labour shortages.

Though there has been some shortage of labour in London recently the daily shortage has on average been considerably smaller than my hon. Friend suggests. It is for the National Dock Labour Board, in consultation with the local dock labour board, to determine whether the number of workers should be increased. In general there is not much difficulty in recruiting the numbers required, but, owing to the fluctuating volume of traffic passing through the ports, dock work is always liable to be held up on occasion by short-term labour shortages.

asked the Minister of Labour how many unemployed there were at the latest convenient date in the Orpington urban district area and in the county of Kent.

The number of unemployed persons on the registers of the Orpington employment exchange and youth employment office at 14th June was 124, and the corresponding figure for all employment exchanges and youth employment offices in the county of Kent was 6,581.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland is he is having talks with the local authority associations in Scotland about housing subsidies, similar to those now being held in England; and when he will be able to make a statement.

I would refer the hon. Member to the statement which I made on this subject on 29th June, 1954, in reply to a Question by the hon. and gallant Member for Edinburgh, West (Sir I. Clark Hutchison).

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will take steps to collate information concerning children suffering from haemophilia, with particular reference to their hospital treatment and to their education.

I am not clear what purpose would be served by the course the hon. Member suggests. The last published Report of the Medical Research Council (Cmd. 8876) contains a full account of the progress of research into problems of diagnosis and treatment, and the Council maintains a special standing advisory committee on research in this field. As regards education, each case calls for individual consideration by the education authority concerned, and I know of no failure to make appropriate Arrangements.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is aware that, of 209,534 enrolments for part-time courses in further education centres in Scotland, only 1,108 are for mathematics and science; and what steps he is taking to increase this proportion.

The hon. Member is under a misapprehension. In Table 13 of my Report on Education in Scotland in 1953, enrolments are classified under headings which relate to the type of course followed taken as a whole. In addition to the 1,108 students who enrolled in courses comprising only mathematics or science, 4,532 students enrolled in courses of general education and 91,875 students in courses related to commerce and industry. Mathematics and science form a very important part of many of these courses.

asked the Secretary of State for War why the number of civil servants in his Department increased from 39,032 to 39,179 between 1st January and 1st April, 1954.

I would refer my hon. and learned Friend to the replies to his similar Questions on 15th December last year and 30th March this year.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will take immediate steps to derequisition that part of the Daisy Works, Stockport Road, Manchester, 13, which is at present used by the Army Pay Office, and which has been requisitioned since 1940.

It will not be possible to derequisition the Daisy Works until alternative premises are available. Every effort is being made to relinquish the property and, in the meantime, arrangements are being made to release certain floor space in the works to the company concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for War what lands derequisitioned by his Department since the end of World War II have been returned, by release and resale, respectively, in whole and in part to their previous owners: and in how many cases, and for what acreages, previous owners who wished to repurchase or relet properties have been refused the opportunity; and whether he will give the figures for England and Wales separately.

All land de-requisitioned by the War Office since the end of the war has been returned to the owners. Separate figures for England and Wales are not available, but the total for the two countries together is about 260,000 acres. As Departments have no power to sell land held on requisition, the question of resale, etc., does not arise.

asked the Secretary of State for War what allowances are now available for children of National Service men on call-up.

Allowances under the Family Allowances Act, 1945, continue to be paid and where financial hardship has resulted from call-up a National Service grant may be paid.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will make a statement on the circumstances attending the death in Germany of Sapper Mortimer O'Leary of Bristol; why there was a delay in informing his mother; and what financial aid will be given to the family who had to borrow money to attend the funeral.

This soldier was drowned while swimming in the River Weser on 20th June. I have been into the case most carefully and there was no delay in informing his mother. My Department has given every help to his mother and sister over their attendance at the funeral, but I cannot meet the cost of travel from public funds.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation how many vessels have been laid up in Surrey, Millwall, Royal and Tilbury Docks for more than four days.

The Port of London Authority inform me that from the beginning of June until 3rd July, only three small ships had been held up for more than four days.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he is aware of complaints from importers of undue delay in clearing ships in London docks and if arrangements can be made to divert some shipping to other ports in the United Kingdom.

The Port of London Authority inform me that there have been very few such complaints. It is for shippers to decide which port they wish to use.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what applications he has received for export licences in respect of ships ordered by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; and what decision he has reached in respect of them.

An application has been received and a licence has been granted for the construction of 20 trawlers for the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; and a recent application in respect of a merchant ship is being considered.My right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport and civil Aviation has received applications to transfer six secondhand ships, three of which have been allowed and three are under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies on what grounds Mr. Pinto, a Goan by birth, has been arrested in Kenya; when it is proposed to place him on trial; where he is interned; if he has access to his lawyer; what papers or property have been seized; for what period his correspondence has been supervised; and his present nationality.

Mr. Pinto, was detained on 19th June under the provision in the Kenya Emergency Regulations which authorises such action for the purpose of maintaining public order. No decision has yet been taken about bringing him to trial. He is detained in Nairobi prison. He has access to his lawyers, and has exercised his right to appeal against detention to the Advisory Committee on Detainees. No papers or property of his have been seized.Persons in detention are permitted to send out one, or by special permission two, letters a month. Mr. Pinto was born in Kenya in 1927, and I have no information to suggest that his present nationality is other than British.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies when the appeals committee for detained persons in Kenya was set up; of whom it is composed: how many appeals have been heard; how many have been successful; how many appeals are pending; and how many persons are at present detained.

There are two advisory committees. One was appointed in March, 1953, and the other only recently. Each consists of a chairman who holds or has held judicial office or is qualified to be appointed a judge of the Kenya Supreme Court, and a retired Administrative Officer.The first committee has heard 550 petitions, and has 104 pending. It has recommended suspension of detention orders in nine cases immediately, and in 40 more as soon as the situation improves. The Governor has approved every recommendation of the Committee.At 19th June, detention orders numbered 7,111, most of which had been made in recent months.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many Africans have been executed in Kenya since the declaration of the emergency; and on what grounds.

Up to 27th June, 469. The offences were:

Murder (including 200 Mau Mau cases)	221
Unlawful possession of arms or ammunition	160
Consorting with terrorists	68
Administering unlawful oaths	12
Acting with intent to further terrorism	6
Procuring supplies for terrorists	2

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power the tonnages of coal and oil, respectively, consumed by the steel industries, apart from smelting, in the years 1948 to 1953, inclusive.

Excluding iron foundries, coke ovens and blast furnaces, the figures are as follow:

Year				Thousand Tons
				Coal	Oil
1948	…	…	…	7,818	839
1949	…	…	…	7,822	926
1950	…	…	…	7,618	1,003
1951	…	…	…	7,341	1,017
1952	…	…	…	7,100	1,124
1953	…	…	…	6,594	1,328

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what licences, and in respect of which areas, have been granted to the Gas Council or their agents for drilling for natural gas in Lincolnshire; and what applications for licences are under consideration.

Five such prospecting licences covering an area of 942 square miles in North-East Lincolnshire have been granted to the D'Arcy Exploration Company. Applications for six more licences are under consideration.