asked the Minister of Labour on what date he received an application from a Polish national, Mr. Antoni Klimowicz, for a labour permit to work in this country; and the nature of his reply.

I have not received such an application.

asked the Minister of Labour what number of men and women, respectively, were registered on the disabled persons register as unemployed in the area of Oldham and Failsworth for the most recent convenient date.

On 20th September, 1954, there were 132 men and 15 women registered as disabled and unemployed in the area of Oldham and Failsworth.

asked the Minister of Labour the composition and qualifications of the members of the Licensed Residential Establishments Wages Board; and whether he will give details of the changes in the composition of the independent members since 1946.

The Licensed Residential Establishment and Licensed Restaurant Wages Board consists of 24 persons who represent employers engaged in the trade and 24 who represent workers, together with three independent members of whom one is chairman and another deputy chairman; all three are persons of wide experience who also hold a number of appointments as independent members of wages councils.Since 1946 there have been two changes in the chairmanship and two in the deputy chairmanship.

asked the Minister of Labour (1) why disabled men employed in Remploy factories do not share the advantages enjoyed by blind people similarly employed in the same factories, (2) why disabled people employed in Remploy factories are unable to get the sickness benefits available to blind people.

There is at Portsmouth a special arrangement under which a number of Remploy workers are employed in the same workshop alongside blind workers for whom the local authority is responsible. This arrangement which has persisted for some eight years, has enabled some sighted disabled men to be employed who would otherwise have been without work. I am, however, looking into the difficulty to which my hon. and gallant Friend has called attention and will write to him as soon as I can.

asked the Minister of Labour if he is aware that disabled and blind people employed in Remploy factories do a considerable amount of work to meet the cost of their wages; and if he will consider giving them a rise of pay to meet the rise in the cost of living that took place before October, 1951.

Yes. I agree that the work of disabled people in Remploy factories meets some of the cost of their wages. The fixing of rates of wages for these workers is not the responsibility of the Government but of Remploy Limited, and present wages are those arrived at as a result of negotiations between Remploy Limited and the trade unions concerned.

asked the Minister of Works whether he will make it a condition in granting building licences involving major excavations that discoveries of antiquarian or other national interest may be preserved, at his discretion.

I have no power to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for War on what grounds National Service men in Korea are being transferred to the New Zealand Forces; and what extended service abroad this requires from them.

No men have been transferred to the New Zealand Forces, but a few men, including some National Service men already in Korea, have been temporarily serving in New Zealand units within the Commonwealth Division. Nearly all these men have now returned to British units. The terms of service and length of tour abroad of these men have not been affected.

asked the Secretary of State for War how many accidents have taken place in the last three years in connection with the movement of troops by private charter companies; and the age and type of aeroplane used in each case.

Six, but only one accident led to loss of life. The aircraft involved were a Hermes three years old, two Yorks five years old, two Yorks seven years old and one York eight years old.

asked the Secretary of State for War what steps he takes to satisfy himself that the aircraft used by the private charter companies for troop movements are suitable and safe for the work allocated to them.

Civil aircraft used on troop movements have Certificates of Airworthiness and operate in accordance with the Air Navigation Order and Regulations. The War Office, naturally, acts in close association with the Admiralty and Air Ministry to ensure that the aircraft are suitable for each particular task, and the operating arrangements are examined and agreed by the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation.

asked the Secretary of State for War, in view of the risks involved, what steps he is taking to accelerate the date by which it will be possible to avoid the use of obsolete aeroplanes for the transport of troops.

The total of some 400,000 passengers who have travelled safely in this way over the past three years does not bear out my hon. and gallant Friend's suggestion that the planes used for air trooping involve special risks. Consideration is, however, always given to the use of more modern types of aircraft for this work as they become available. I cannot accept the description of the existing aircraft as obsolete and would much regret any needless anxiety being caused to those who travel in them.

asked the Secretary of State for War the number of women in this country whose husbands are still missing after being wounded in the Korean war, and in respect of whom he still refuses to issue certificates of death.

Twenty-four.

asked the Secretary of State for War what rules or regulations exist in the Army for ensuring that Army drivers do not have to drive Army vehicles on public highways after long periods of duty and without adequate rest.

There are no specific rules or regulations but all officers and non-commissioned officers have been specially reminded of the importance of drivers getting enough rest.

asked the Secretary of State for War what progress has been made in the experiments to produce a web equipment cleaner that will give greater satisfaction than blanco.

A new type of cleaner for green and buff web equipment has been developed and will shortly be brought into use. It has a number of advantages over blanco and has been well reported on during trials.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he is aware that in August an advertisement was placed in the Hamburg newspaper "Die Welt" asking former members of the Nazi 12th Ranger Division to get in touch with Gerhard Witte at Blomkamp, Hamburg-Osdorf, telephone number 44–11–91, extension 417; that this is the telephone number of the British Army Headquarters in Hamburg; who gave permission for this office and telephone number to be used for this purpose; and what position is held by Colonel Anthony, who answered the queries put to him by a journalist who telephoned this number.

No permission was given for the use of this telephone number for this purpose. It has not been possible to identify the officer mentioned in the last part of the hon. Member's Question.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what approach Her Majesty's Government has made to the Japanese Government with a view to ensuring that the designs of British textile goods are not misused by Japanese manufacturers.

As my right hon. Friend promised the hon. Member for Oldham, West (Mr. Hale) on 20th May, the evidence collected on this subject by the Manchester Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with the Cotton Board and the British Man-Made Fibres Federation has been brought formally to the notice of the Japanese Government in Tokyo. My right hon. Friend also discussed the matter with Mr. Mukai, the Japanese Prime Minister's personal representative, when he visited this country at the end of June. I have no doubt that the Japanese Government are taking this problem very seriously, and I am glad to say that, with their co-operation, a delegation of Japanese textile industrialists is now in Manchester to discuss practical ways of preventing copying.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the value of exports in 1953 of prefabricated houses, prefabricated industrial, educational and farm buildings, and components for prefabricated buildings.

Exports recorded as prefabricated buildings amounted, in 1953, to £3,823,000. This figure excludes garages, huts, greenhouses and the like.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what steps he is taking to encourage the export of prefabricated houses, industrial and other buildings, and prefabricated components for buildings.

All the services of advice and information and the credit insurance facilities of the Export Credits Guarantee Department provided generally for exporters by the Government are available for the manufacturers of prefabricated buildings. I welcome the efforts they are making over exports.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what steps are being taken to maintain full employment in Durham County by ensuring that proper planning is in progress to see that industry finds its way to those parts of the county where there might be a danger of unemployment in the future.

The Board of Trade, with the other Departments concerned, is carefully watching the trend of employment in Durham. While it has no power to direct an industry to a particular place, it brings particularly to the notice of industrialists seeking new quarters those parts of Development Areas where the need for employment is greatest.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will arrange for the representation of this country at the proposed future discussions with regard to the drawing up of a new international convention relating to the protection of musical copyright, gramophone manufacturers and radio and television diffusion; and if he will make arrangements to ensure that the views of music users are given due weight in this matter in addition to those of composers, executants and manufacturers.

I assume that my hon. Friend has in mind the "Preliminary Draft Convention regarding the Protection of Performers, Manufacturers of Phonographic Records and Broadcasting Organisations" drawn up in 1951. The United Kingdom was represented on the Committee that drew up this draft, which is only a preliminary draft, and it is represented on the Permanent Committee of the Berne Copyright Union which has recommended that the Berne Bureau should revise and clarify it. Music users among others will be asked to comment on any revised text that may be submitted to Governments.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the fact that the report of the committee on copyright was made to the Government in October, 1952, he will give an assurance that legislation dealing with outstanding problems in this field will be brought before Parliament at an early date.

No. My right hon. Friend cannot, at present, say when it will be possible to introduce such legislation.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the number of factories, their floor area, approximate cost, present and expected future employment, completed and in course of construction, respectively, on the Huyton estate of North Western Industrial Estates Ltd.

The Huyton industrial estate at present contains three completed factories of approximately 54,000, 43,000 and 25,000 square feet. An extension of 11,000 sq. ft. to the smallest of these and a new factory of 167,000 sq. ft. are under construction, and the building of an extension of 51,000 sq. ft. to the largest of the three existing factories will be begun shortly. Owing to the small number of firms involved I am unable to disclose employment figures, but employment on the estate has increased steadily in the past and a further rise can obviously be expected when the new buildings are completed.It would not be in the public interest to disclose the prices paid under building contracts for Government-financed factories.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he has yet received a reply from the Government of India following his representations about the Indian import regulations governing grey cloth

Yes. The Government of India informed the United Kingdom High Commissioner in Delhi early last month that imports of cotton textiles from the United Kingdom would be freely licensed, and an announcement to this effect was made in India on 11th September. The Government of India stated, however, that they could not agree to reduce the duties on these textiles at the present time.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why he refused to allow the sale of Israeli Government bonds in the United Kingdom.

I was not convinced that a case had been made out, having regard to our limited capital resources and the many claims on them, particularly from the sterling Commonwealth.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take the necessary steps to ensure that the books of any organisation receiving a Government grant shall be open to inspection by the Comptroller and Auditor General.

Except in certain cases where special reasons exist, the books and accounts of organisations which receive the greater part of their income from public funds are either audited by or open to inspection by the Comptroller and Auditor General.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the purchasing power of the £, taking 1948 as 20s., at the latest available date.

The corresponding figure for September, 1954, is estimated to be 15s. 8d. This calculation is based on the price index for all consumer goods and services for the years 1948 to 1953 and the Interim Index of Retail Prices thereafter.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how many occasions in the last five years Government grants and expenditure have been made before the necessary authorisation has been obtained through laying before Parliament drafts of the Orders in Council for Parliamentary assent.

I do not understand my hon. Friend's reference to Government grants and expenditure which are to be authorised by Orders in Council. If he is referring to the occasions on which relief from Income Tax has been given to officials of international organisations before the related Orders in Council under the International Organisation (Privileges and Immunities) Act, 1950. have been laid before Parliament, the answer is that the number of such occasions is four.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will give figures after tax for wages, salaries and rent, dividends and interest, respectively, expressed as a percentage of the national income, for the years 1950, 1951, 1952 and 1953, in a form comparable to those on page 15 of Command Paper No. 7933.

The available information, taken from Table 9 of "National Income and Expenditure 1946 to 1953" is given below, in a form comparable with that on page 15 of Cmd. 7933. I regret that it is not possible to give separate figures of wages and of salaries after tax. No distinction is now made between these two forms of income in the proceses of tax assessment and collection.

—	Percentages
	1950	1951	1952	1953
Wages and salaries	73	74	75	74
Income of the Forces	3	3	3	3
Personal income from self-employment, and from rent, dividends and interest	24	23	22	23
Total personal income from work and property	100	100	100	100

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the result of the recent conversations with the staff side on the question of the introduction of equal pay in the Civil Service.

These talks are in progress, but I am not yet in a position to make a statement about them.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury how many of the Customs staff at Stockton, Middlesbrough and West Hartlepool have been displaced in consequence of the withdrawal of on-call Customs from the Greatham Aerodrome.

The withdrawal of the on-call facilities from Greatham Aerodrome has not led to the displacement of any Customs staff at the places named, but has eliminated the disturbance of normal Customs work at these ports which the temporary and experimental provision of the facilities at Greatham entailed.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury if he will publish a table showing the reductions in staff employed in Government service, by years and by convenient salary groups.

The figures asked for are not available by salary groups, but the following table shows the reductions in non-industrial Civil Service staff

NON-INDUSTRIAL CIVIL SERVANTS
Staff Group		1st January, 1952	1st January, 1953	1st January, 1954	1st July, 1954
1. Administrative (Home)	…	3,070	2,885	2,808	2,788
2. Administrative (Foreign)	…	874	779	724	706
3. General Executive	…	41,768	39,745	39,063	38,524
4. Departmental Executive	…	30,863	31,052	30,286	30,651
5. General Clerical	…	111,687	106,784	101,162	98,504
6. Departmental Clerical	…	34,238	32,918	32,613	32,441
7. Clerical Assistants and Temporary Clerks III	…	72,456	66,314	63,160	61,616
8. Typing	…	31,043	29,346	29,003	28,483
9. Inspectorate	…	3,531	3,281	3,151	2,966
10. Messengers, Porters, etc	…	41,713	39,737	38,628	38,405
11. Post Office Manipulative	…	204,308	201,819	201,265	199,818
12. Professional, Scientific and Technical I	…	25,278	23,900	23,777	23,626
13. Scientific and Technical II	…	49,164	52,925	51,726	52,396
14. Ancillary Technical	…	38,442	37,051	40,019	39,818
TOTAL	…	688,435	668,536	657,385	650,742

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the Government's intentions regarding the rebuilding of the Queen's Hall.

I have decided to appoint a small committee to advise me on the need for, and the economic prospects of, a new hall on the Queen's Hall site. Professor Lionel Robbins has consented to act as chairman of this committee, and the other members will be Sir Adrian Boult, Sir Russell Kettle, Mr. N. Tucker and Mr. W. E. Williams.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether his attention has been drawn to the means test imposed on applicants for council houses by certain local authorities and if he will circularise all local authorities with a view to preventing injustice in the allocation of houses by this device.

I am aware that this practice has been adopted by a few local authorities. General guidance on the

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will introduce legislation to make it possible for tenants who find, arising from the operation of the Housing Repairs and Rents Act, 1954, that they have been paying above the legal rent, to claim reimbursement for all such rent paid in excess of the amount laid down by Statute.

Tenants are entitled to claim reimbursement of all rent paid in excess of the legally authorised rent provided that they make their claim within two years. There is no evidence that the operation of the Housing Repairs and Rents Act has shown that this particular provision needs to be changed.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether the Housing Management Sub-Committee of the Central Housing Advisory Committee has yet reported on the subject of the problems of former members of the Regular Forces who apply for housing accommodation and have no residential qualifications.

Not yet. The Sub-Committee hopes to submit its report before the end of the year.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many local authorities still require former Regular members of Her Majesty's Forces to produce residential qualifications when applying for housing in their area.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether the working party which is considering the future of water supplies for the Metropolitan Water Board is to include a survey of water needs for the London basin as a whole.

This inquiry was instituted to consider the particular problems of the Metropolitan Water Board. However, the water needs of the London basin as a whole are, of course, being borne in mind.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will make a statement on his discussions with the representatives of local authority associations on the problems arising from mining subsidence; and what action he will now take to help those authorities affected.

Following my predecessor's meeting with representatives of the associations of local authorities, he arranged with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Fuel and Power for these problems to be examined jointly by the two Departments concerned and the National Coal Board as quickly as possible. This examination is now going on.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he is aware that the bridge over the Jetty Brook on the public footpath in Weldon, Northamptonshire, is too low, so that the brook frequently overflows and leaves a smelly and slippery deposit on the bridge; and what steps it is proposed to take to obviate this public nuisance.

I understand from the local authority that the brook has now been cleaned out and that the bridge will shortly be attended to.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many parishes in the Louth rural district now have piped water supplies: and how many are still without.

Forty parishes have piped water; 39 have not. Schemes for 26 of the 39 are either under construction or under consideration.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what reply he has given to the request from the chairman of the Surrey County Council that the conflicting views expressed by experts regarding the meteorological conditions at Gatwick Airport be submitted to an independent meteorological assessor appointed by the Royal Meteorological Society; and whether he will make a statement on this subject.

I would ask my hon. Friend to await the statement which will be made by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation tomorrow.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he is aware that, out of approximately 500 rural parishes in the Lincolnshire River Board area, only 23 are provided with proper sewerage arrangements; when he anticipates being able to improve this situation; and if he will make a statement.

Yes. Sewerage schemes for 18 parishes in this area are now in course of construction. Schemes for a further 65 parishes are under consideration. For about 400 parishes in the area of the Lincolnshire River Board no sewerage schemes have been submitted.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how

SEWERAGE SCHEMES SUBMITTED BY LOUTH RURAL DISTRICT COUNCIL SINCE JULY, 1945
Schemes Completed
Parish					Cost	Date submitted	Date completed
					£
Ludford	…	…	…	…	13,080	30th January, 1951	March, 1953
Binbrook	…	…	…	…	22,600	13th May, 1949	May, 1952

Schemes under Construction
Parish		Estimated Total Cost	Date submitted	Cost of first Instalment of Scheme	Date of first Instalment started
		£		£
North Thoresby	…	24,955	5th September, 1950	10,914	September, 1953
Tetney	…	27,495	5th September, 1950	14,598	September, 1953
Holton-le-Clay	…	24,000	5th September, 1950	12,379	September, 1953

Schemes not yet started
Parish			Cost	Date submitted	Present Position
			£
North Somercotes	…	…	42,190	13th February, 1950	Shortly to be investigated locally.
Kelstern	…	…	5,550	21st July, 1952	Further information awaited before local investigation can be arranged.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether, in view of the circumstances surrounding the death of the late Mr. Edward Pilgrim. Romford, he will take the necessary action to enable local authorities, in cases of hardship, to pay a larger amount by way of compensation to owners of land the subject of a compulsory purchase order than they are entitled to pay under existing legislation.

Yes. The Government have decided to move an Amendment to the Town and Country Planning Bill to enable additional payment to he made, many sewerage schemes have been submitted to him by the Louth Rural District Council; on what dates they were submitted; how much each would cost; and the starting date for each scheme.

The information asked for is as follows:in certain circumstances, where public authorities buy land which had development value in 1948, but in respect of which no claim was made on the £300 million fund.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he will make a statement regarding the spread of the disease of myxomatosis among rabbits both north and south of the Border.

There have been outbreaks of the disease in 27 counties in Scotland and in every county in England and Wales except the Isle of Ely.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he will consult the Minister of Food in order to prepare for consideration a new plan for the more satisfactory production and marketing in quantity, of home-grown pigs for pork and bacon.

My right hon. Friend is keeping a close watch on pig markets and I am glad to say that there are signs of definite improvement in the quality of pigs produced. In the main, the present system is working satisfactorily, and any necessary modifications will be made to it in the light of experience.

asked the Minister of Agriculture when the initial decision was taken to acquire by compulsory purchase several thousand plots in the Peacehaven-Saltdean area; how matters have progressed since then; what are the Government's general intentions; and, in particular, whether he has yet been able to reconcile the wish to many people to retain their freehold rights with plans for the efficient farming of the whole area.

The decision to proceed with the compulsory purchase of some 860 acres of requisitioned agricultural land at Peacehaven and Saltdean was taken in 1950. It was reviewed in 1952 by my predecessor, who decided that the purchase should go on. Up to the present, notices to treat have been served on some 740 owners of about 660 acres and price has been agreed with some 250 owners of about 125 acres.With regard to the third and fourth parts of my hon. and gallant Friend's Question, I hope to be in a position to make a statement very shortly.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Defence whether, in view of the new military situation in the Middle East, he is now able to announce a reduction in the period of National Service.

No. I can make no such announcement.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Defence if Her Majesty's Government will consider reducing the period of National Service in the light of the nine-Power agreement and the withdrawal of British Forces from Trieste and Egypt; and whether he will seek agreement for a uniform period of compulsory military service among the nine Powers.

I propose to study all these and other relevant matters during my period of office.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Defence if, in view of the changed commitments of the Army, he will set on foot an inquiry into the length of National Service with a view to reducing the present term of two years.

No special inquiry of the kind suggested seems necessary. Ministers study continually all these problems.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Defence at what rate annual defence expenditure is now running; and what changes in the nature and cost of defence policy will result from the recent agreement to assume additional commitments in Europe.

The Statement on Defence 1954 stated that

"the Government will continue to regard it as a defence measure of the first importance to maintain the strength and efficiency of the British Forces on the Continent assigned to the Supreme Allied Commander, Europe."

Our recent agreement to maintain our present commitments in Europe will not affect the defence budget for the current year.Under the arrangements agreed at the nine-Power Conference, as under the Bonn Conventions which those arrangements superseded, the local expenditure of British Forces in Germany which is now met by the Federal Republic will, in due course, have to be met from Service Votes. As a result of understandings reached at the Conference, it is not expected that this will happen for some time to come.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Defence how many of the Germans who were invited to witness "Battle Royal" in Germany, during September, were former German military officers, and how many of these were Nazis; whether he will give a list of those that were invited together with the history of their military and political careers; and details of any war crimes and sentences where applicable.

Seven former military officers from Herr Blank's office were invited as well as a party of 27 officers of the Bundesgrenzschutz. I am unable to say how many of the latter are former military officers; it is probable that the greater number were. I have no knowledge whether any of these officers were members of the Nazi Party. As far as I am aware none has been convicted for war crimes.I am sending to the hon. Member such details of their careers as I have been able to obtain.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is now in a position to state what action Her Majesty's Government have decided to take on the recommendations contained in the Report of the Royal Commission on Capital Punishment.

The Government are not yet in a position to make any statement with regard to the recommendations made by the Royal Commission.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what byelaws govern the use of Wolstanton Marsh in the borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme; and on what dates he approved these byelaws.

Byelaws for the regulation of Wolstanton Marsh made by the Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council were confirmed on 25th May, 1950 and 24th August, 1953, respectively. I will send the hon. Member a copy of the byelaws.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies, in view of the need for education of the African women in the Colonial Empire to be pressed forward, what recent steps he has taken towards this end.

I agree with the hon. Lady that the education of African women must be pressed forward and can assure her that the Governments of the African territories, with whom the responsibility primarily rests, are devoting increasing attention and resources to this work. As their efforts cover a wide field and the selection of examples for special mention would be invidious, I am sending her a memorandum on the subject.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will make a staetment on the policy of Her Majesty's Government in regard to Cyprus.

I cannot yet add to the full statement made by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Colonial Affairs on 28th July, when he undertook that the House would in due course be given details of the proposed new constitutional arrangements. That is one of the matters which I am discussing with the Governor during his present visit to London, but we have not reached the stage at which I could usefully make a further statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs when ex-Far Eastern prisoners of war may expect to receive compensation from the Japanese Government through the International Committee of the Red Cross; and what action the British Government are taking to ensure that payments are received in the reasonably near future.

Repeated representations have been made by Her Majesty's Government to the Japanese Government on this matter urging them to agree to an early settlement. The Japanese Government have now agreed to receive a special representative of the Executive Committee, acting on behalf of the Powers concerned, to hold discussions on this problem. This representative is now in Tokyo and discussions are proceeding.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what time limit was imposed at the recent nine-Power Conference in London during which the British offer to keep Forces permanently on the Continent would remain open.

No time limit was placed on our offer, but in my statement at the Conference I said:

"If we succeed here, then this undertaking stands; if we do not, Her Majesty's Government could not regard itself as committed to what I have said this afternoon."

Our undertaking is part of the general settlement agreed at the London Conference, but it will lapse if that settlement does not come into force.

asked the Minister of Health how many dental surgeons are at present employed by hospital boards; to what extent their rates of remuneration have been increased since the introduction of the National Health Service; and why they were excluded from the regulation granting increased rates of remuneration to members of hospital medical staffs as from 1st April, 1954.

Approximately 600 dental consultants, senior hospital dental officers and dental registrars and house officers are employed either whole time or part time by hospital boards in England and Wales. The changes recently made in the 1948 salary rates of hospital medical staff followed an agreement reached on the Medical Whitley Council and did not apply to dental officers. However, after consideration on merits of a claim submitted later by the British Dental Association I have approved of the same changes being made from 1st April, 1954, in the 1948 salary rates of the analogous dental grades. Their amount is shown in the statement which I made on the medical agreement on 8th April in reply to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Govan (Mr. J. N. Browne).

asked the Minister of Health what progress has been made in arranging for the Kent County Council to distribute welfare foods; the extra cost involved; and what proportion will be borne by his Department.

The Council's arrangements have been completed satisfactorily; the cost is not readily distinguishable from the cost of the Maternity and Child Welfare Service of which these arrangements now form an integral part, but the Council estimate that it will be about £18,000 a year. Half the cost is met by Exchequer grant.