asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what are the coal reserves for the coming winter.

On 30th October distributed stocks were 17·4 million tons.

How does that compare with last year's figure?

It is 800,000 tons lower than last year. We have to remember that there will be a much higher rate of import during the forthcoming winter.

Will it be necessary, with these supplies, to stagger industry in Scotland and elsewhere during the coming winter?

I sincerely hope not.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power how much coal has been imported this year to the latest convenient date; how much has been contracted for, to arrive before the end of this calendar year; how much of the imports are house coal, and how much otherwise; and how much forms the subject of dollar expenditure, and how much otherwise.

Up to the end of October about 2 million tons, including some 1¼ million tons of large coal which directly or indirectly assisted the house coal market and some ¼ million tons of coal costing dollars. About 1 million tons are expected to arrive before the end of the calendar year, of which about one half will be large coal and some ¼ million tons will cost dollars.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what steps have been taken, or are being taken, to buy surplus United States coal for sterling; and whether all purchases of United States coal, to date, have been made for dollars or otherwise.

The answer to the first part of the Question is "None" and to the second part "For dollars."

Will my right hon. Friend bear in mind that we have been recently engaged in buying surplus American canned fruit for sterling? If we can do that, is it not possible to buy surplus American coal for sterling, for there is a large surplus of coal in America, and one that is likely to continue for a considerable time?

Should there be an opportunity for that, I shall certainly not miss it.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power (1) what general direction he has issued in relation to the disbandment of sub-area organisations in the electricity supply system.

(2) what general directions he has issued that large-scale reorganisations within the electricity supply system shall not take effect without prior joint consultation.

None, Sir.

Is it not a fact that the procedure of disbanding the sub-area organisation of the London area is likely to have a considerable effect upon working conditions and will result in redundancy? Is that a matter to be dealt with by a general direction? As regards the second Question, is the Minister aware that there are workers in the industry, whose political affiliations are not suspect and who are entitled to be heard, who are of the opinion that the joint consultation that has taken place has consisted of the handing out of prior information, which is not, in the true sense, joint consultation at all?

I understand this body is experimenting with certain reorganisation with a view to reducing its administrative costs. I am sure we are all in favour of joint consultation, but carrying it out in detail and questions of administrative economy are surely matters for the boards themselves.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what estimate he has made of the additional oil supplies that may be made available for the United Kingdom market in the next three years as a result of Shell, Royal Dutch and B.P. participation in the Iranian Oil Consortium, following resumption of the working of the Abadan refinery; whether such supplies for the United Kingdom will be available for purchase entirely in sterling and free from dollar elements; whether such purchases will be at British coal-parity prices; and whether he will make a statement.

Some 35 million tons of Persian oil are likely to become available to these companies in the course of the next three years, but, since their operations are on a world-wide scale, no specific proportion of that total quantity can be properly described as being available either to the United Kingdom or to any other particular market. The companies will purchase this oil for sterling, but operations in Persia will, of course, involve the United Kingdom in some dollar expenditure. No question arises of parity with British coal prices until a sale is being negotiated by the oil companies with a consumer.

While congratulating my right hon. Friend and my other right hon. Friends upon the success that has attended the negotiations for the re-opening of this refinery, may I ask him whether there is any relationship between this substantial additional volume of oil that will eventually accrue to the United Kingdom market and the policy he has recently announced for continuing with dual firing in so many of our major electric power generating stations?

Yes, certainly, because this increased quantity of oil coming from Persia will greatly assist the general supply situation and, therefore, will make a direct contribution to the solution of the fuel problems of the United Kingdom.

Will the right hon. Gentleman explain what he means by the phrase about some dollar expenditure being involved in Persia? Is this the result of the financial agreement with Persia? Will he please explain?

What I had principally in mind was that in all oil production there is an amount of specialised machinery which comes from the United States, because of their experience of it. There has been also in all the negotiations with Persia a provision for a certain amount of convertibility to dollars.

On fuel policy generally, may I ask my right hon. Friend whether all these operations involve carrying coals to Newcastle or not? May I have an answer?

The Minister does not know.

Will the Minister explain whether he anticipates that, as a result of the reopening of the Abadan oil refinery, it will now be necessary to pay Persia additional dollars?

No. As I understand the position, the oil companies will require to buy from time to time a certain amount of special plant from the United States. That is one side of the problem. On the other side is the provision, as in past arrangements with Persia, that some of the sterling that Persia receives can be converted in certain circumstances into dollars.

asked the Minister of Food when agene as an improver will be banned in flour for human or animal consumption.

I am not yet able to make a statement.

Does the right hon. Gentleman appreciate that 11 months ago a statement was made in another place that there was about to be a decision shortly? In view of the fact that experiments on animals have shown terrible results, does he not think it is time we now sought to protect human beings?

The last time the Committee reported on this matter there was no evidence that agene was toxic to human beings. I cannot take any further step in the matter until I have had further technical advice.

Does the right hon. Gentleman deny that by experiments on animals it has been proved to be a terrible thing? In view of the fact that other things have been banned as the result of experiments on animals, why not agene, as it has been in 13 other countries?

That is one of the questions upon which I am awaiting technical advice. Up to date, the evidence is that it is not toxic to human beings.

asked the Minister of Food if he is aware that Britannia Mills, Kirton Lindsey, Lincolnshire, and at least a dozen other mills in rural areas have been obliged to close down as a result of the ending of Government control; and what he proposes to do in the national interest to arrest this trend.

I understand that several small flour mills have ceased production. This is no doubt part of a process of normal economic readjustment following the long period of control and does not call for intervention by Her Majesty's Government.

But would not the right hon. Gentleman agree that these smaller mills, largely situated, as they are, in rural areas, have been a great benefit to the farming community in the past? Would he not further agree that they are closing down as a result of Government policy—no doubt excellent policy —during the war and subsequently? As that is a fact—if he agrees that it is a fact—does he not think that something should be done by way of compensation?

I do not think so. I agree with the hon. and learned Member that it is always sad when small businesses close down, but the point here is that it is doubtful whether these small mills are economic in normal circumstances. During the period of Government control the conditions were abnormal.

Does this mean that in the Government's view there is no room now for the little man?

On the contrary, I said I was sorry about this. The hon. and learned Member for Brigg (Mr. E. L. Mallalieu) will agree that it is no part of the Government's duty to keep uneconomic units in production.

asked the Minister of Food what efforts were made to find covered storage space for the sugar imported by his Department in the later months of 1953; and why the accommodation in Liverpool and Manchester was not used.

Every effort was made by my local representatives and with the assistance of the Liverpool Docks and Harbour Board, the Liverpool Warehouse Keepers' Conference and other warehousing authorities covered storage for an additional 60,000 tons was found at Liverpool between August, 1953, and March, 1954. Some 15,000 tons of refined sugar were put into store in Manchester during the autumn of 1953.

Will my right hon. Friend take note of the fact that there is a very strong feeling among warehouse proprietors in Liverpool that not sufficiently keen efforts were made to find vacant warehouse space? Is he aware that I am assured that vacant warehouse space existed at the time this sugar was being stored out of doors?

I am informed that great efforts were made, but time was rather short and it is conceivable that all the offers of space which were made were not made in time before the arrangements had to be completed.

asked the Minister of Food what saving resulted from the storage of sugar in barges in continental ports, compared with the cost of storage in warehouses in this country.

The saving is estimated to have been between 10s. and 20s. per ton.

If my right hon. Friend is satisfied that this figure represents a net saving, would it not be a good thing to send all our sugar to the Continent to be stored there?

Quite a bit of it is going that way at present.

asked the Minister of Food whether he will increase the flour subsidy to enable bakers to supply the national loaf at present prices.

As indicated in the replies to the hon. Members for Newport (Mr. Peter Freeman) and Reading, South (Mr. Mikardo) on 1st November, a claim for an increase in the profit margin on subsidised bread has been submitted by the bakery trade and is now being considered.

Will the Minister make it quite clear that it is not the Government's policy to knock the small baker entirely out of existence? As it is impossible for them to carry on in present circumstances, will the Minister expedite his decision before many of these small bakeries are put out of business altogether?

We are very anxious that the small baker should have a perfectly fair deal.

Will the Minister bear in mind the great trouble which arises because of this problem in the rural districts? Is he aware that many outlying country districts are threatened with the cessation of bread deliveries altogether?

That point is very much in my mind.

During these discussions, will the Minister make sure that, whatever is done, the price of bread is not increased?

That is a separate question.

Will my right hon. Friend remind the policy-forming body of the Labour Party of this Question when the Labour Party are following their policy of nationalisation of the flour milling industry?

asked the Minister of Food how many applications he has under consideration for licences to expand the capacity of the bacon curing factories; and what new factories are planned or in the course of construction.

Since the decontrol of bacon, it has not been necessary to make application to my Department for this purpose. I cannot therefore say what new factories, if any, are at present planned. I know of none under construction.

In view of the fact that no licences are now required, will the Minister see that firms, farmers' cooperatives and groups of farmers who are interested in building new bacon factories are given the fullest possible information about the extent to which it is decided to expand the home bacon industry? In view of the large sums of money involved in building factories, will he see that they receive information in good time so that they may know whether their outlay is worth-while and may get on with the job, which will necessarily take quite a time?

All these are matters for the trade to consider.

Is it not a fact that the bacon curing factories as now constituted have a virtual monopoly? Will not my right hon. Friend try to break it?

There is no monopoly. My hon. and gallant Friend is at liberty to start a factory tomorrow if he wishes.

How will the trade find out what is happening? Is it not the case that until recently there was a serious shortage of curing capacity? Has the Minister anything to tell us about relieving that shortage?

I still think that the source of the information as to requirements must be the consumer and the trade can keep more closely in touch with the consumer than can a Government Department. There may have been more pigs than the factories could handle a short time ago, but the position might be quite different in a month or two.

Does the Minister mean to tell the farming community that, despite the horrible position in which they have been placed by the present Government over the production of pigs, he can offer them no hope whatever that there will be a planned expansion of bacon curing factories?

I have no doubt that if the market requires more pigs we can leave it with confidence to the trade to make the appropriate arrangements.

asked the Minister of Food the proportion of pigs which is now being refused by bacon factories as surplus to curing capacity; and what improvement there has been in this respect in the last two months.

My information on this point, which concerns the commercial relations of bacon curers and their suppliers, is not complete; I understand, however, that the number of pigs now being offered for bacon curing is much nearer to curers' requirements than it was a few weeks ago.

Is the Minister aware that this decline of which he speaks is due to the fact that farmers have had such a bad deal and have been heavily fined for every pig which was a few lbs. overweight? I have here a return made last week for one litter of pigs, all sent in at the same time. All except one made nearly £20. The exception was 6 lbs. over-weight, and it made £13. In other words, the farmer was fined 22s. for each lb. of pig over-weight. Will the Minister alter that situation?

I cannot agree that the reasons which the hon. Member puts forward are responsible for this decline.

asked the Minister of Food the average amount of space in bacon factories which was newly licensed in the years 1945 to 1951 and the years 1951 to 1954, respectively.

Under a war-time concentration scheme which was in operation until 1949, no increases in the licensed space in bacon factories were permitted and as a result of building restrictions none was possible for two years thereafter. In 1951 an extension of the capacity of existing factories began and by the time of decontrol curing capacity in Great Britain had been increased by about 10,000 pigs a week.

Is it not a fact that had the expansion started earlier, when the number of pigs was increasing—it was increasing from 1951 by about a million a year—we would not have had the position which has existed in the factories during the last few weeks?

A substantial part of the recent problem is that too many pigs unsuitable for bacon have been put forward for the curing factories.

Is the Minister aware that the main reason that so many have been unsuitable is that farmers have not been permitted to send them in to the factories, so that inevitably the pigs have become over-weight?

Is not the effective answer to this question a rising percentage of grade A pigs sent to the bacon factories? Has not the difficulty already largely resolved itself, in view of the increasing percentage of grade A pigs which is being sent to the Fatstock Marketing Corporation?

I am very glad to see that the percentage of grade A pigs has been steadily rising. I emphasise once again that we also want a very large number of good quality pigs offered to the pork market as well as to the bacon market.

asked the Minister of Supply if he will give an assurance to the families living in the married quarters adjoining Brinsford Lodge Hostel, Wolverhampton, that the lease of the hostel to the Malayan Government will not lead to the eviction of the families now living in the married quarters.

We have been fortunate to find a tenant for this hostel. The Malayan Government propose to use it as a teacher training college and the married quarters will be required for the teaching staff. Ten tenants are involved, one of whom has already arranged to leave. No question of obtaining eviction orders against the remaining nine has yet arisen because we hope to find them suitable alternative accommodation.

Will the Minister say whether his reply means that these families can be assured, in order to relieve their present state of anxiety, that if alternative accommodation is not found they may continue to live in their present quarters?

The assurance that I can give the hon. Lady is that these cases will be dealt with sympathetically, and we hope very much that we shall be able to find suitable alternative accommodation. It has to be remembered that the bringing in of 300 students and an administrative and teaching staff of some 40 people is of very great benefit to the people of the locality.

No one is more sympathetic than myself to having colonial students in this country surrounded by a friendly atmosphere, but is the right hon. and learned Gentleman aware that this hostel already takes away accommodation in a hard-pressed industrial and mining area, and does he not think that if he could leave these few families in their present quarters that would be a very good contribution towards making a more welcome atmosphere for these students, and at the same time relieve pressure on the local authority?

I am fully aware of the facts, but several people are concerned— the Malayan Government, the local authority and the Ministry of Supply. I can assure the hon. Lady that we shall try to sort this matter out on a sympathetic basis.

asked the Minister of Supply if the investigations are complete concerning the leakage of security information in a recent publication by Lieut.-Commander Lithgow; and whether he will make a statement.

Yes, Sir. Lieut.-Commander Lithgow's book "Mach 1" contained several items of information about classified military aircraft which would not have been given security clearance had the book been submitted to the security authorities before publication. The breaches of security in this particular case do not appear to be serious, but it should be remembered that the intelligence picture of a potential enemy may be built up from a large number of apparently small items of new information. Therefore security rules are necessary. They were not observed in this case.

I am satisfied, however, that everyone concerned acted in good faith. Lieut.-Commander Lithgow believed that his employers, Messrs. Vickers-Armstrong, were getting security clearance. They and the publishers of the book each thought that the other was submitting the book to the security authorities. I believe that there was a genuine misunderstanding. Messrs. Vickers-Armstrong have expressed their regret and have undertaken to take steps which will preclude a similar event happening again.

I thank my right hon. and learned Friend for that reply, but will he say what are the standing orders to manufacturers of aircraft and other security weapons about the clearance of books of this character?

The position is that those concerned with the manufacture of aircraft on the secret list are under a contractual obligation not to disclose information without the approval of the Ministry.

Would the Minister say who, in fact, is responsible for obtaining security clearance in cases of this kind, in order to avoid a repetition of similar incidents?

The firms concerned are under a contractual obligation to get security clearance from the Ministry, and they are also responsible for all their employees.

asked the Minister of Health when the Medical Research Council reported on the tests carried out on various flour improvers; when the report was considered by the appropriate subcommittee of the International Standing Committee on Medical and Nutritional Problems; and what are their recommendations.

The report on the tests, a purely factual one, was received on 12th March, 1954. The appropriate subcommittee of the Inter-Departmental Standing Committee on Medical and Nutritional Problems discussed it on 27th April, 1954, and agreed that before they could pursue their discussions the Medical Research Council should be asked to examine it further. The sub-committee will meet again to discuss the report when the results of this further examination are available.

Will the hon. Lady say when it is expected that this long business will come to an end and the public will know something about this very important matter?

There is no desire to delay it. The report of the subcommittee was referred back to the Medical Research Council as this is a matter for very careful medical investigation. We can only await their report, but we hope that it will be reconsidered by the sub-committee in November.

asked the Minister of Health what evidence has has suggesting that poliomyelitis is spread by flies carrying a virus; and what proposals he has for reducing the number of flies.

I am advised that spread of poliomyelitis is usually by human contacts and that spread by flies has not been proved although they are sometimes contaminated with the virus. It is part of the normal work of local authorities to improve fly control by sanitary measures.

While thanking my hon. Friend for that reply, may I ask her whether she is aware of the intense anxiety about the danger of this disease being spread by flies carrying a virus? Is she aware that there are many sources where flies can breed that are neglected both by local and public authorities, notoriously the main railway tracks, which are disgustingly covered with refuse thrown out by passengers, and will she draw the attention of the appropriate authorities to this matter and get something done about it?

The public health aspects of my hon. Friend's supplementary question are matters for the Minister of Housing and Local Government, and I will bring his request to the notice of my right hon. Friend.

asked the Minister of Health the number of hospital beds which have been newly designated in the South West Regional Hospital Board's area during the last 12 months to the nearest convenient date; and the number of beds which have been removed from designation during the same period.

I assume the hon. Member has in mind beds designated for mental patients. During 1953, 185 such additional beds were provided and seven were withdrawn.

Is the hon. Lady aware that among that number were 10 beds designated in a hospital which had just closed a surgical ward through lack of staff, and in the region there were 6,000 on the waiting list and 200 pay beds less than 50 per cent. occupied? Will she examine the position, so that where pay beds are unoccupied the number can be reduced for the benefit of those on the waiting list?

Included in the figures I gave the hon. Gentleman were those of 108 in mental hospitals, 40 in long-stay annexes and 37 in a mental deficiency hospital which had previously been used for Civil Defence units.

asked the Minister of Health when the additional beds for mental defectives in County Durham will be ready; and where they will be.

Forty-three beds will be ready about the end of this year, and the remaining 100 about next July. All will be at Aycliffe Hospital.

asked the Minister of Health how many people are on the waiting list of the Tees-side Hospital Group; and what is the percentage of beds in use as compared with the national average.

Two thousand nine hundred at 30th September. The average bed occupancy for staffed beds in the group for the quarter ended 30th June was 85 per cent.; the national average for staffed beds of the same types was 83 per cent. for the year 1953.

asked the Minister of Health how many hospital beds are available for the chronic and aged sick in Wales and Monmouthshire and in the Pontypool constituency, respectively; how many chronic and aged sick persons in these areas are receiving treatment in hospital; and how many are awaiting admission.

The respective figures are:

• Beds available, 2,293 and nil;
• Patients receiving attention, 2,055 and nil;
• Awaiting admission, 437 and 20.

asked the Minister of Health what accommodation is available for the aged who need care and attention rather than medical treatment in Wales and Monmouthshire and in the Pontypool constituency, respectively; and how many aged persons are receiving care and attention in such accommodation and how many are awaiting admission.

The respective figures are:

• Beds available, 3,693 and 24;
• Aged persons receiving care and attention, 2,981 and 24;
• Awaiting admission, 221 and 3.

The total of beds for Wales and Monmouthshire includes a certain number not precisely known for persons other than aged in need of care.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will introduce a better system in maternity hospitals to ensure that newly-born infants are not assigned to the wrong mothers.

asked the Minister of Health what steps he is taking to restore the confidence of mothers that when they leave the maternity wards of his hospitals they will take with them their own babies, in view of recent incidents.

It is a matter of great concern that any such mistake should occur, but everything shows that those which have recently been publicised appear in each case to have been due to the human factor and not to defective systems of identification. My right hon. Friend has carefully considered the various suggestions made but does not consider that central or uniform regulations would assist in preventing error.

Will the Parliamentary Secretary agree that the method of slapping on a little bit of adhesive tape and using that as a means of identification is not very satisfactory? Is it not possible to devise a rather more foolproof method for avoiding what is in many cases a very distressing state of affairs?

I quite agree with the hon. and gallant Member about the distressing nature of these cases, but they are very rare.

How does the Parliamentary Secretary know that they are rare?

Out of 350,000 cases per annum, the methods for identification are generally satisfactory. Investigations now proceeding into the specified cases prove that, whatever the method of registration, these were errors of the human element and not ones that could have been anticipated.

While admitting the dangers of the human element, does the Parliamentary Secretary not think it necessary that there should be a double check in each case? For instance, could there not be two indications signed and affixed to every child to indicate its parents, so that if one label should come off or be lost, or fail to be looked at or get damaged, there would be the other to which to turn?