asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if compensation has yet been received for the loss of life and property in the British airliner brought down off Hainan by the Chinese on 23rd July, 1954.

I have nothing to add to the reply which I gave on 3rd November in answer to a question by the hon. Member for Windsor (Mr. Mott-Radclyffe).

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how many British merchant ships have been intercepted, plundered, shelled, or strafed in the China Seas since September, 1949, to date by the warships of Chiang Kai-shek.

I regret that information for the period from September, 1949, to August, 1951, is not immediately available. I will write to the hon. Member when I have the full details for this period. In reply to Questions on 16th February last year, I said that during the preceding 18 months Chinese Nationalist interference with British ships had taken place on 18 occasions.Since the beginning of last year British ships have been interfered with by the Chinese Nationalists, including Nationalist irregulars, on 44 occasions. There have also been a number of other instances of interference with British ships when it has not been possible to identify who was responsible. In the majority of the incidents since February, 1953, the ships have been ordered to stop and subsequently allowed to proceed. Her Majesty's Government consider that these attempts to molest British ships are unlawful and Her Majesty's Consul at Tamsui has made appropriate protests to the provincial authorities in Formosa whenever it was evident that the Chinese Nationalists were responsible.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs the latest position regarding the Icelandic fishing dispute; and what steps the Government propose taking with a view of resolving this unsatisfactory matter in the interests of the public.

No formal discussions have taken place. The Icelandic Government have made no response to Her Majesty's Government's offer, to which my right hon. Friend the Minister of Supply referred in his statement on 20th May, 1953, to consider at any time any constructive proposals which might be put forward by the Icelandic Government. However, Her Majesty's Government will continue in their efforts to reach a settlement of the dispute, which would take account of the interests of both countries.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is aware of the continued activity in East-West trade of the British Council for the Promotion of International Trade; and whether he will give an assurance that Her Majesty's Government's attitude to this body is unaltered.

Yes. The British Council for the Promotion of International Trade is a Communist Front organisation. I welcome this opportunity to reiterate the advice which Her Majesty's Government have given and are giving to British firms not to associate themselves directly or indirectly with activities of this body.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power (1) the percentage increase in cost of imports of coal, coke and briquettes for 1954, compared with the imports for the same period in 1953;

A percentage comparison would be misleading because there were practically no imports in the first half of 1953. Landed values for the first six months and nine months of 1954 were £2·6 million and £8·8 million respectively, compared with £38,000 and £1·8 million in 1953.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power to state for each area he has selected, the basic retail price for the average quality of house coal; and how much of the price is represented by the pithead price, transport costs, delivery costs and the retailers margin of profit.

Since there are some 90 main areas with different prices, two examples only have been selected.

MAXIMUM PRICES OF GROUP 4 HOUSE COAL
Per ton
—	London		Part of Durham including Chester-le-Street U.D. and R.D. and Washington U.D.
	s.	d.	s.	d.
Pithead price	70	0	71	2
Transport	33	9	1	1
Retail delivery costs	25	4	18	8
Retail profit margin	2	3	2	3
Maximum price to consumer	131	4	93	2

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether the review of the selling price of coal to industrial consumers has been completed; and whether the National Coal Board is now receiving an economic price for such coal.

Yes. The National Coal Board fully reviewed its policy in this matter before making the coal price changes which came into effect on 3rd May last.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what increases per ton, have been made in the price of domestic coal to the consumer since the mines were nationalised; and the increases for the comparable period immediately prior to nationalisation.

Records of average prices to consumers are not kept but it is estimated that between 1st January, 1947 and 31st October, 1954 average increases totalled about 44s. per ton and between 1st March, 1939 and 31st December, 1946 about 26s. per ton.

asked the Minister of Food the quantity of dried milk and orange juice distributed to the public as welfare foods in the latest month for which figures are available; and comparable figures for the same month in 1953.

2,299,950 tins of National dried milk and 2,917,500 bottles of orange juice in the four weeks ended the 26th June last and 2,230,800 tins and 2,925,900 bottles in the comparable period in 1953.

asked the Minister of Food what action he is proposing to take to see that all food unloaded from the ships which have been waiting in ports during the recent dock strikes is fit for public consumption.

This is primarily a matter for port health authorities, and I am satisfied that it can safely be left in their hands.

asked the Minister of Supply why, in the classification into categories under Command Paper No. 8783, he has found it necessary for 5,398 of his staff in the intermediate group to require to seek permission individually to engage in any of the political activities for which members of the group are eligible and has given standing permission to 13,550, whereas in one Government Department only 1,800 out of 34,000 are so required and in another only 12 out of 21,000.

The reason is that staff concerned are in the classes employed on inspection, costing or other duties which bring them into contact with the public. The classification is provisional, however, and the matter is due to be discussed this week with representatives of the staff.

asked the Minister of Supply the reason for the continuing shortage of coppered mild steel wire, especially in the gauges from 18 to 9, in view of the hardship it is causing to several industries, notably lamp-shade makers.

I am not aware that there is any shortage of this type of steel wire in any gauge. Such inquiries as I have been able to make outside my Department since the Question appeared on the Order Paper last Friday have not revealed any such shortage, but if the hon. Member will let me have further information, I will have inquiries made.

asked the Minister of Health which bodies in Wales are consulted before Departmental circulars are issued to executive councils in the Principality.

The Association of Welsh Executive Councils and, in certain cases, the Association of Clerks to Welsh Executive Councils.

asked the Minister of Health whether, although figures are not available to show precisely the number of transfers in the relevant category, he will give an estimate of the extent to which the National Health Service (General Medical and Pharmaceutical Services) Amendment (No. 2) Regulations have reduced the number of persons who, whilst not changing their own addresses, change their doctors under the National Health Service.

My right hon. Friend regrets that sufficient information on this point is not available to make any useful estimate possible.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will give details of the arrangements that have been made to obtain samples of urine of representative persons of all age groups in the communities selected for foundation tests; what groups of individuals have been approached; and how complete the information obtained on this point will be.

These matters are still under consideration by the Secretary of State for Scotland and myself.

asked the Minister of Health what total sum will be available from central funds for new capital development in addition to schemes started in the current financial year, under the "mental million" scheme for 1955–56, already announced.

Total capital allocation (apart from centrally supplied equipment) for 1955–56 is £10 million, as for 1954–55, subject to approval of the Department's estimates by the Government and by Parliament.It is estimated that about £2½ million will be required in 1955–56 for centrally financed schemes authorised in 1954–55 and previously. This includes £1–3 million for "mental million" schemes and £400,000 for other mental schemes centrally financed.

asked the Minister of Health the total value of capital works authorised under the scheme, known as the "mental million," for the year 1954–55, showing each regional hospital board separately; and how much of these amounts, he estimates, will be actually spent by each board during the current financial year.

The answer is contained in the following table:

Regional boards	Value of works authorised (excluding fees and unfixed equipment)	Estimated expenditure to 31st March, 1955
	£	£
Newcastle	200,684	162,000
Leeds	56,706	25,000
Sheffield	165,179	51,000
East Anglia	141,429	91,919
North West Metropolitan	30,864	20,000
North East Metropolitan	34,112	14,000
South East Metropolitan	—	—
South West Metropolitan	42,930	33,552
Oxford	191,464	139,024
South Western	163,282	79,350
Wales	126,369	76,000
Birmingham	34,121	24,000
Manchester	74,068	50,950
Liverpool	27,377	27,377
	1,288,585	794,172
NOTE: It is expected that schemes authorised between now and the end of the financial year will account for an expenditure of some £150,000 in 1954–55 in addition to the sum shown above.

asked the Minister of Health how many of the 500,000 people waiting for hospital beds are children; and the usual average period of waiting for a bed.

I regret that the information asked for in the first part of the Question is not available. The time patients have to wait for admission varies so widely according to the specialty concerned and as between acute emergencies and the least urgent cases that an average would be without significance.

——	31st December, 1951	31st December, 1952	31st December 1953
(1) Number of beds designated under Section 5 of the National Health Service Act, 1946	6,286	6,229	6,153
(2) Percentage of total bed complement (excluding beds shut owing to lack of staff)	1·31	1·29	1·25
No later figures are available.

asked the Minister of Health if he will make a statement on the case sent to him of a Cheshire mother, Mrs. Cooper, who was told after a cæsarian operation at West Park Hospital, Macclesfield, that she had given birth to a boy, the baby being registered as such, but when she arrived home discovered that the child was a girl; and whether he will at once set up a committee to inquire into the methods used at all hospitals for ensuring that each mother is given her own child after birth.

A full inquiry by a special joint committee of the hospital management committee and the Manchester Regional Hospital Board was held on 4th November and my right hon. Friend is waiting a full report. In the meantime he has been informed that this inquiry has established beyond any possible doubt that the baby which Mrs. Cooper was given was her own child. My right hon. Friend understands that the initial mistake about the child's sex arose from a clerical error made by one of the staff who was off duty from sickness for 10 days immediately following the birth of the child. We greatly regret the distress of mind caused to Mrs. Cooper by this unfortunate occurrence.As regards the second part of the Question I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the reply I have just given to other hon. Members.

asked the Minister of Health the total number of hospital beds set aside as Section 5 pay beds at the latest available date; what proportion this is of the total number of hospital beds; and how these figures compare with those for 1951, 1952 and 1953.

The figures are as follows:

asked the Minister of Health how many clinical assistantships or other hospital appointments are held by general practitioners; what increase there has been in such appointments; and what encouragement is being given to regional hospital boards and management committees to make such appointments in suitable cases.

At 31st December, 1953, the latest date for which figures are available, the figure was 5,876 (excluding honorary appointments but including practitioners remunerated from bed funds) an increase of some 50 per cent. over 31st December, 1949. I have no reason to suppose that hospital authorities are in any doubt as to my views on the advantages to be derived from such appointments in suitable cases.

asked the Minister of Health how many mental hospitals have fully trained hospital almoners, and what percentage of the whole this represents.

According to the most recent information, hospital almoners are employed in two of the 128 mental hospitals in England and Wales. The majority of these hospitals employ psychiatric social workers, whose work is of a similar nature to that of hospital almoner, and who are specially trained for work on behalf of patients with mental illness and mental defect.

asked the Minister of Health to name the mental hospitals under the Newcastle Regional Hospital Board, and state which hospitals have fully trained hospital almoners.

The following are the board's hospitals:

Cherry Knowle Hospital, Ryhope, near Sunderland; Garlands Hospital, Carlisle; Winterton Hospital, Sedgefield, Stockton-on-Tees; St. Mary's Hospital, Stannington, near Morpeth; St. Nicholas Hospital, Gosforth; St. George's Hospital, Morpeth; St. Luke's Hospital, Middlesbrough.

Psychiatric social workers were employed at all the hospitals at the end of 1953. It is not the usual practice to have almoners at mental hospitals.

asked the Minister of Health to give an estimate of the additional hospital beds which would be available in the Tees-side Hospital Group if suitable staff were available, giving separate figures for each hospital.

Ninety-eight beds at Hemlington Hospital.

asked the Minister of Health how many paid appointments to posts outside the Civil Service he is responsible for making; the nature of each appointment; and what salary is payable in each case.

The appointments are as follows:

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance how many paid appointments to posts outside the Civil Service he is responsible for making; the nature of each appointment; and what salary is payable in each case.

Two, viz., the Chairman of the National Insurance Advisory Committee (salary £1,500 a year) and the Chairman of the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council (salary £300 a yeas).

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation which Government Departments and statutory or other bodies operate motor vehicles on the public roads without the payment of the usual licences; and what is the approximate number of such privileged vehicles.

All Government Departments are entitled to exemption from vehicle Excise licence duty. This exemption applies only to vehicles belonging to those Departments and used solely for official purposes by Crown employees or by employees of regional hospital boards, boards of governors of teaching hospitals and hospital management committees. Excluding vehicles belonging to the Service Departments, the number of such exemptions in 1953 was approximately 58,600.The Departments principally concerned are listed below and the number of vehicles shown in brackets. Details of the types of vehicle are given in Tables 11 and 12 of the annual Census of Mechanically Propelled Road Vehicles (Return No. 164A) issued by the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation. Statutory or other bodies—e.g. National Coal Board, electricity boards, etc.—are not as such entitled to exemption from licence duty.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance the basic date of comparison between benefits and cost of living which he intends to use when considering raising old-age pensions and other benefits in accordance with the rise in the cost of living.

I would ask the hon. Member to await the review which I am required to make under Section 40 of the National Insurance Act, 1946.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance, in view of the discussions which have taken place on raising the age of retirement, if he will give an assurance that when retirement pensions are increased they will be payable to men who retire at the age of 65 years and women who retire at 60 years of age.

I think we shall all be wise to see what the Phillips Committee has to say on this subject before coming to any conclusions about it.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance whether he will take steps to revise the earnings rule for retirement pensioners so that the amount allowed to be earned can be reckoned annually instead of weekly.

No. Averaging earnings in this way has always been regarded as impracticable.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if he will take steps so that widows and pensioners, in need of public assistance, should be paid this benefit by his Department.

Widows and retirement pensioners already draw their supplementary assistance at the post office at the same time as they draw their pensions, and I do not think these arrangements can be improved on.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance the percentages of rejected applications for supplementary allowances among retirement pensioners and non-contributory old-age pensioners in Scotland, as compared with England and Wales, for 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953 and for the latest available date in 1954.

The National Assistance Board regret that this information is not available.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if he will report on the number of persons in the county borough of Gateshead that have been refused National Assistance benefit under Section 10 of the National Assistance Act.

I am informed by the National Assistance Board that since the National Assistance Act, 1948, came into force there have been four men in Gateshead, all with poor work records, who, in consequence of directions made by the local appeal tribunal under Section 10 of the Act, were informed that for the time being they would be granted assistance

Total Number of Regular Weekly Grants				Number of Weekly Grants which included a Discretionary Addition
]9th December, 1950	…	…	1,350,000	26th September, 1950	…	420,000
18th December, 1951	…	…	1,462,000	14th November, 1951	…	490,000
16th December, 1952	…	…	1,667,000	5th November, 1952	…	530,000
15th December, 1953	…	…	1,761,000	4th November, 1953	…	574,000
NOTES:
(1) Apart from discretionary additions to weekly grants, a special payment may be made to meet an exceptional need of clothing, bedding, etc.: for example, about 147,000 such payments, totalling £534,000, were made during 1953.
(2) Grants to blind and certain tuberculous persons (totalling, for example, 89,000 on 15th December, 1953) are assessed on a scale which is higher than that for other persons.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance when it is his intention to announce the result of the examinations that were carried out by his Department recently into the cases of 4,500 totally disabled ex-Service men from the 1914–18 war; and, in view of the urgency of this matter, if he will make some adequate temporary alleviation of their circumstances.

I assume the hon. Member is referring to the representative sample of men selected for examination to provide further clinical data for the Rock Carling Committee in connection with the inquiry they are making. Pending their report I see no grounds for supposing that the circumstances of these men call for any special action on my part.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance how many persons were in receipt of National Assistance during each of the years 1950, 1951, 1952 and 1953; and how many were also in receipt of supplements to the normal scale in each of these years.

The number of regular weekly assistance grants in payment at a date in December of each year, and the estimated number of grants which (at the time of a sample enquiry made rather earlier in the year) included a discretionary addition to meet special circumstances were as follows:

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance how many persons, whose normal employment was underground work in coalmines, received initial assessments of disablement from pneumoconiosis at the rate of 20 per cent., or less, during each quarter from January, 1953, to September, 1954; and how many of these have continued to work underground since the issue of a certificate.

I regret we have no separate figures for underground workers in the coalmining industry.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance how many claimants from the coalmining industry were examined by pneumoconiosis medical panels in all areas, and in each area separately, during 1951, 1952 and 1953 and the first six months of 1954.

The information is as follows:

NATIONAL INSURANCE (INDUSTRIAL INJURIES) ACTS PNEUMOCONIOSIS MEDICAL PANELS: FIRST EXAMINATIONS OF CLAIMANTS FROM THE COAL-MINING INDUSTRY
Panels				1951	1952	1953	January to June, 1954
Cardiff	…	…	…	1,832	1,324	1,346	620
Swansea	…	…	…	328	302	244	121
Stoke-on-Trent	…	…	…	480	496	778	371
Sheffield	…	…	…	539	777	1,035	496
Edinburgh	…	…	…	673	577	1,058	620
Manchester	…	…	…	904	320	602	373
Newcastle (separated from Manchester in October, 1951)	…	…	…	123	609	803	468
London	…	…	…	170	275	117	25
Bristol (separated from London in October, 1953)	…	…	…	—	—	49	51
				5,049	4,680	6,032	3,145
The figures do not include examinations following a second or subsequent claim. These numbered 515 in 1951; 612 in 1952; 742 in 1953; and 553 in 1954 (January to June).

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he will make a further statement about the date on which work can be resumed on the Tyne Tunnel.

I cannot add anything to the reply given to my hon. Friend on 5th May.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he will make a statement as to the possibilities of completing the ring road, which was in part constructed before the last war, round the city of Chester.

Since the line of the Chester southern ring road, between the Chester-Whitchurch Road A.41 and the Chester-Bangor Road A.55, was established in 1941 under the Trunk Roads Act, 1936, it has become necessary to modify the line because of development which has taken place and in order to avoid the severance of valuable agricultural land. This modification will require an amending order, which I hope to publish in the near future. Thereafter, objections must be considered, if necessary at a public inquiry, and it would be some time before the order could be made. The preparation of engineering details and the acquisition of land cannot be put in hand until the order is made and I am unable at present to forecast when it will be possible to authorise construction.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he is aware that, in both County Durham and in Northumberland, there is land available for the completion of a dual carriageway for the Great North Road; and when he expects this work to be begun.

Dual carriageways are proposed on only two lengths of the existing Great North Road in Northumberland and County Durham. On both these lengths land is available or is being acquired. We hope it may be possible to fit the work into an early year of the programme, but I cannot at present be more precise.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation the number of road accidents known by the police to have occurred on the All London to Newmarket trunk road on a length of road extending from the Bull and Horseshoes public house, North Weald, Bassett, to the junction of First Avenue, New Harlow, during the last year, specifying separately the annual number in which fatal and other personal injuries have been sustained together with the annual number in which children under 15 years of age have received fatal or personal injuries.

Sixty-nine. None were fatal but 25 involved personal injury including two children under 15 years seriously injured and one slightly injured.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government when he expects to receive the final report of the Committee on Atmospheric Pollution.

Very shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will make a statement upon the position arising out of decision of the court in the case of the Kabaka of Buganda.

I have no statement to make as yet. The Chief Justice has refused the declaration sought by the plaintiffs; but his judgment is long and complex and it will be necessary for Her Majesty's Government to give it very careful study. I am placing a copy of the judgment in the Library.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he is now able to announce the date of the public inquiry into the Fatstock Marketing Scheme.

The promoters of the Fatstock Marketing Scheme have decided not to proceed with it, and no public inquiry will now be held. All the objectors have been so informed.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he will make a statement on the Government policy with regard to foreign fishing vessels detected in British ports with nets not in accordance with the international convention as to size of nets.

I have nothing to add to the replies given to my hon. Friend on 1st July and to the hon. Member for Lowestoft (Mr. Edward Evans) on 4th November.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer which Ministries and Departments are now subject to the security check in the Civil Service.

The security procedures introduced under the policy announced on 15th March, 1948, apply to all civil servants employed in connection with work the nature of which is vital to the security of the State.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the daily dollar allowance for senior civil servants visiting New York and Washington.

Senior civil servants visiting New York and Washington for short periods on official business are entitled to a subsistence allowance payable in dollars and in addition may draw up to half of their net salary in dollars. The daily subsistence rates are as follows:

—	First 28 nights in one place	Thereafter
	$	$
Under-Secretary and above	17·50	14·00
Other officers down to senior executive officer	14·00	11·00

Under these arrangements an Assistant Secretary would be entitled to draw the equivalent of about £6 a day; a Permanent Secretary about £10.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of retired civil servants whose pensions do not exceed £550 per annum is receiving increases, subject to a means test, under the hardship clauses of the Pensions Increase Acts.

About 75 per cent.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the policy of Her Majesty's Government with regard to the extension of the principle of tariff protection, which at present applies to British horticulture, to the British seed-growing industry.

Seeds are already liable to the general ad valorem duty of 10 per cent. under the Import Duties Act, 1932. An application for alteration of the duty has been received. Seeds are, however, the subject of one of our tariff commitments under which the existing duties are bound against increase. These commitments were entered into in exchange for valuable tariff concessions accorded to the United Kingdom by other countries and we could not free our hands to increase the duty on one of the bound products without conceding compensation at the expense of United Kingdom producers of other goods. The question whether we could expect that on balance that price would be worth paying would need careful consideration if a case were to be made out for increased protection on seeds.

asked the President of the Board of Trade to make a statement about the visit of a trade mission to Egypt.

My right hon. Friend has decided to send a trade mission of prominent businessmen to visit Egypt, the Sudan and Ethiopia early next year. The Governments of all three countries have said that they will welcome the mission. Its task will be to study the requirements of these countries, the ways in which British industry and commerce can assist in their development, and the opportunities open to us to expand our trade with them. The mission will be in a position to convey to them our desire and our ability to help them with their industrial problems.I am glad to say that Sir Edward Benthall, who led a similar mission to other Middle East countries in 1953 with such distinction and success, has accepted my right hon. Friend's invitation to lead the mission in Egypt and the Sudan and that Mr. G. C. R. Eley has agreed to lead it in Ethiopia. The composition of the remainder of the mission is nearing completion and I hope to be able to announce further details within a few days.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department the estimated number of Maltese subjects at present resident in the United Kingdom; to what extent the numbers have increased or decreased by comparison with recent years; what steps are being taken to ascertain whether any of the arrivals are convicted criminals or of undesirable character; and what are the results of such steps as are being taken.

Figures published by the Department of Emigration of the Government of Malta suggest that some 18,000 persons born in Malta are now resident in the United Kingdom, and that some 10,000 such persons have left Malta for the United Kingdom since 1945, including some 2,000 during the 12 months ended May, 1954. Any British subject is free to enter the United Kingdom without permission and it would not be practicable to check the antecedents of those who do enter.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department the estimated number of Jamaican subjects at present resident in the United Kingdom; to what extent the numbers have increased or decreased by comparison with recent years; what steps are being taken to ascertain whether any of the arrivals are convicted criminals or of undesirable character; and what are the results of such steps as are being taken.

It is not possible to give the estimate asked for in the first part of the Question. Information given by the Colonial Governments to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Colonies suggests that some 7,500 migrants left the West Indies for the United Kingdom during the first ten months of this year, as compared with some 2,000 a year during the years 1951 to 1953, and that most of these people came from Jamaica. Comparable information for earlier years is not available. Under the existing law any British subject is free to enter the United Kingdom without permission and it would not be practicable to check the antecedents of those who do enter.