asked the Minister of Health what instructions govern the employment of elderly male nurses on the staff of mental hospitals on duties which may be expected to bring them into contact with violent behaviour.

There are no centrally prescribed instructions. These nurses generally act as the hospital authority or the senior medical and nursing staff may direct, and in accordance with the principles inculcated in the course of their training.

asked the Minister of Health whether regional hospital boards which have submitted schemes for the building of hospitals in new towns will be required to meet the capital cost out of their budget or whether capital funds will be made available for the purpose.

On present capital allocations a new acute general hospital for a new town would be too costly a project to be included in a regional board's capital programme and would need to be financed from such funds as can be reserved centrally for major projects.

asked the Minister of Health if, in view of the increase in efficiency as well as economy in the siting of chest clinics on hospital premises, he will give sympathetic consideration to the allocation of capital for this purpose.

I do not in general make special allocations of capital.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that one of the difficulties in the recruitment of nurses is the lack of residential accommodation and in some cases the unsuitable accommodation which does exist; and if he will consider giving priority to the improvement in nurses' conditions with special regard to the need for new nurses' homes or hostels.

It is for hospital boards to consider what priority to give to the provision of new accommodation for nurses in the light of the other demands on their capital allocations and of my Standing Nursing Advisory Committee's advice on how far nurses need to be resident. I have no evidence that accommodation difficulties are adversely affecting the recruitment of nurses generally.

asked the Minister of Health to publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT the reply given by him to the hon. Member for Brierley Hill (Mr. Simmons) containing the figures of capital and maintenance expenditure of regional hospital boards for the year, 1951–54, inclusive.

I will have the table brought up to date by the addition of the expenditure figures for 1953–54, and then arrange for its publication in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

asked the Minister of Health (1) if he is aware that, within the South-West Metropolitan Hospital Board's region, proposals to renew boiler house plant in seven hospitals have been deferred due to shortage of capital funds; and whether he will take action to ensure that these necessary works are carried out;(2) what action he is taking to enable hospitals in the South-West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board's area to carry out necessary general developments, especially in respect of war-damaged and out-of-date buildings, which work has had to be deferred due to shortages of moneys;(3) what action he is taking to ensure that the South-West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board does not have to spend moneys from non-Exchequer funds on schemes such as out-patient departments, X-ray departments, and occupational therapy facilities at mental hospitals, which ought properly to be met from Exchequer funds.

I am aware of these needs, especially for schemes for renewing boiler house plant, which the Board is doing everything possible to meet within the capital sum available to it. I am not in a position to increase the Board's allocation for 1955–56, but I see no reason why it should not spend non-Exchequer funds, if it wishes, on developments and renewals of this kind.

asked the Minister of Health how many patients are now awaiting admission to the Hillingdon County Hospital.

Two thousand, one hundred and twenty-eight at 30th November last. Three-quarters of these are tonsils and adenoids cases.

asked the Minister of Health, in view of his desire that the waiting time of patients be cut down, if he will issue an instruction to divisional medical officers of his Department asking them not to keep patients waiting for an hour or more after the stated time of an appointment.

These officers endeavour to arrange their appointments so as to avoid any undue waiting by patients. If the hon. Member will give me particulars of any case he has in mind I shall be glad to inquire into it.

asked the Minister of Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the finance allocation to the Southampton Group Hospital Management Committee has made it impossible to carry out many desirable improvements; and if he will make a statement.

I am aware that many hospital authorities are finding it difficult to carry out improvements as they would wish but I am not in a position to increase their allocation.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that pensioners now in receipt of National Assistance benefit are thereby exempt from the 1s. prescription charge, but that many will no longer be eligible for such exemption when the proposed new scales come into operation; and whether he will make provision for all old-age pensioners to receive medical treatment without payment.

There are no exemptions from the payment of the charge. The National Assistance Board will refund the charge to any person receiving assistance, or who satisfies the Board that, on the Board's standards, payment of the charge would cause hardship. To give such assistance to all old-age pensioners, without regard to their resources, would not be fair to other persons in comparable financial circumstances.

asked the Attorney-General whether he is satisfied that Section 2 (2) (e) of the Legal Aid and advice Act, 1949, whereby a legally-aided litigant may be ordered to pay the costs of his successful opponent, has given adequate protection against hardship to a successful unaided litigant; and what consideration he has given to the promotion of amending legislation.

As I said to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Norfolk, Central (Brigadier Medlicott) on 22nd November, the question of the payment of costs of a successful opponent of an assisted person was fully considered by the Rushcliffe Committee in 1945 and by this House in 1949, and the provisions of Section 2 (2) (e) of the Legal Aid and Advice Act, 1949, were then agreed to provide the most satisfactory solution to this difficult problem. Since then various suggestions for dealing with it differently have been made, but there are serious disadvantages to all of them. With regard to the latter part of my hon. Friend's Question, I would again refer him to my answer of 22nd November, when I said that the matter will no doubt be reconsidered when a general review of the Act takes place.

asked the Attorney-General what steps he is taking to enable intending litigants to determine whether they should initiate proceedings in the High Court or in the county courts under the jurisdiction which the Government has expressed its intention to extend.

The terms of the proposed legislation should assist intending litigants to determine in which court they should sue.

asked the Attorney-General the present position with regard to the Report of the Royal Commission on the Marriage Laws.

It is hoped that the drafting of the Report will be completed early next year. I cannot yet say when it will be published.

asked the Attorney- General the average time in the High Court between lodging a bill of costs for taxation and the taxation of that bill 12 months ago; and the average time now for the same process.

I understand that my hon. Friend's inquiry relates to the taxation of bills in the Supreme Court Taxing Office. A year ago the average delay was four months in the Masters' cases and 2½ months in the Principal Clerks' cases; the corresponding figures are now three months and one month, respectively. The delays are still excessive, and my noble Friend the Lord Chancellor expects to see a further reduction in these periods, as a result of measures which he has taken.

asked the Attorney-General what steps, in view of the need for safeguarding the rights and liberties of the subject, Her Majesty's Government proposes to take to reform the procedure and practice of tribunals set up by Government Departments, and to ensure that the decisions of such tribunals are pronounced in public with the reasons therefor and that parties affected by such decisions have a right of appeal to a court of law.

The tribunals to which the hon. Member refers were constituted under a number of Acts of Parliament which define their duties, powers, and functions. The discharge of those functions often no doubt affects individual rights, and if the hon. Member has in his mind any particular point in relation to the procedure and practice of a particular kind of tribunal I will gladly consider it. I do not however think there is any need for a general reform of procedure and practice for the purpose indicated.

asked the Attorney-General the legal proceedings on which it is hoped to test the validity of the decision of the Court of Appeal in the case of Morelle Limited versus Waterworth; when such proceedings are to be heard; and who are the parties thereto.

It is expected that legal proceedings will be instituted shortly; all possible steps will be taken to ensure a speedy trial; I expect that I shall be the defendant. The hon. and gallant Member will, however, be aware that the hearing of another case now before the courts has been adjourned in order that the Crown may appear as amicus curiae; I am considering intervening in this case.

asked the Attorney- General if he is aware of the recommendation made by the Lambeth, London, county court judge respecting the case of Miss Matilda McLaren, Mayall Road, Herne Hill, S.E., who has been a tenant of the same house since 1914, who lives alone and who has been compelled to seek protection of the court from abuse from her new Jamaican landlord, who only arrived in this country in 1948, and purchased the property in 1953; and what steps he proposes to take on the judge's recommendation, that any one found guilty of such practices should be turned back to Jamaica.

I have seen newspaper reports of the remarks made by the county court Judge in this case. As my hon. Friend will no doubt have observed, Miss McLaren obtained the injunction she sought, and I have no reason to suppose that the law is inadequate to give protection to other persons in the same position. I do not, therefore, propose to take any steps to implement the Judge's recommendations. It would be deplorable if it were supposed that the application of the law in this country depends on the colour of a person's skin.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance how many widows are in receipt of the 10s. pension under the National Insurance Acts.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance (1) if he will state the value of the 10s. widows' pensions in terms of today's cost of living, compared with its value in 1925, 1938 and 1945; and(2) how many widows are in receipt of a 10s. pension; and if he will estimate the cost of restoring the original purchasing power of the pension to the level prevailing when it was first introduced.

About 165,000 widows are receiving the 10s. widow's pension. The equivalents today of 10s. in 1925, 1938, and 1945 are 6s. 0d., 5s. 4d. and 6s. 11d. respectively. The cost of restoring the original purchasing power of these pensions to the level prevailing in 1925 is estimated at about £2¾ million. These calculations are based OR the cost-of-living index up to 1947 and the Interim Index of Retail Prices thereafter.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what steps he has taken to notify war widows, who have attained the age of 70 years, of their possible entitlement to additional pensions; how many applications have resulted from such notification; and in how many cases back payment of pension has not been permitted beyond the period of six months.

Earlier this year letters were sent to war widows over the age of 70 who had not previously claimed an insurance pension, advising them of their possible title to such a pension on their late husbands' insurance. About 12,100 claims have been made. The statutory Regulations which preclude retrospective payment of pension for more than six months before the date of the claim have to apply in all cases.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance the amounts by which the National Assistance scales have been raised in the postwar period with the dates upon which they were raised; and on what dates the scales have had a higher purchasing power than they will have when the new scales are introduced, taking into account increases in the cost of living since 1945.

According to the Interim Index of Retail Prices the new Assistance rates proposed have a higher purchasing power than any past rates. Below are the figures asked for in the first part of the Question.

INCREASES IN THE PRINCIPAL SCALE RATES OF NATIONAL ASSISTANCE FOR REQUIREMENTS OTHER THAN RENT, WHICH IS ALLOWED FOR IN ADDITION
—	Increase made in
	July, 1948		June, 1950		Sept., 1951		June, 1952
	s.	d.	s.	d.	s.	d.	s.	d.
Ordinary scale
Husband and wife	5	0	3	6	6	6	9	0
Single householder	4	0	2	0	4	0	5	0

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance how many recipients of National Assistance are drawing a lower basic scale of assistance than between 1945 and 1951 in Cardiff, Glamorgan, and Wales, respectively.

The present National Assistance scale rates, which are the same for all parts of the country, are higher than those operating at any time between 1945 and 1951, whether under the National Assistance Act or under earlier legislation.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what regulations govern the action to be taken by officers of the National Assistance Board when applications are received for additional payments to meet rent increases under the Housing Repairs and Rents Act, which appear to them to be excessive and unjustified.

There are no special regulations on this point. Such cases are dealt with by the Board's officers as part of their normal administrative functions.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what special winter allowance for those persons who are in receipt of allowances from the National Assistance Board it is proposed to provide.

The Board has no power to make winter allowances as such, but the normal weekly allowances will be increased on 7th February, if the Regulations now before Parliament are approved.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance the cost of giving to all in receipt of National Assistance an increase not less than that which pensioners in general will receive if the Bill, now going through the House, becomes law.

This would cost about £26 million a year more than the proposed increases in Assistance scales now before the House. This estimate makes no allowance for any increase in numbers which might result from the higher rate.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance the number of old-age pensioners in Cardiff who are in receipt of National Assistance and whose increase in pension will consequently be limited to 4s. for a married couple and 2s. 6d. for a single person.

Under the Bill now before the House, every retirement pension at the standard rates will be increased by the full amount of 11s. married or 7s. 6d. single. Where Assistance is being paid these increases will be taken into account. At the latest available date regular grants of Assistance in supplementation of retirement pensions were being paid by the Board's Cardiff offices, which cover an area larger than the city, in about 8,400 cases. Some of these included the needs of more than one pensioner.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance whether he has considered the view of the Royal Commission on Population that hardship is still concentrated on the family; and what proposals he has to deal with this matter.

The Report of the Royal Commission on Population, which was issued in June, 1949, covered a very wide field, but I would remind my hon. Friend that since it was published allowances and benefits for children have been improved on several occasions.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance the number of persons in Jarrow and Hebburn who are in receipt of a retirement pension; and how many of them are receiving supplementation from the National Assistance Board.

I regret that the numbers of retirement pensioners are not available for localities. I am informed by the National Assistance Board that the number being supplemented is also not available because the towns of Jarrow and Hebburn are part of a much larger area covered by an office at South Shields.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance how many parents' pensions are in payment; and the increase to be granted, arising from his statement made on 16th November, on the general uplift of pensions and allowances.

Parents' pensions under the Royal Warrant are granted on the basis of need, the governing factor being what the deceased might have been expected to contribute to his parents' support had he survived. I think the present arrangements enable justice to be done in individual cases. There are about 52,000 such pensions.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if, in view of the fact that it is estimated that contributions to the National Insurance Fund now show a reduction in the proportion of contributions to the wage packet, he will produce comparable figures in the case of self-employed persons to earnings.

I regret that the statistics about earnings do not include self-employed persons.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance to what extent the proposed increased contributions from employees, self-employed, and non-employed could be reduced if £34 million being tax relief in respect of contributions was transferred from the Treasury to the National Insurance Fund and applied in reduction of contributions equally over all groups.

If an extra £34 million a year were made available by the Exchequer for the Fund it would be possible to reduce the total contribution payable for each class of insured person by about 8d.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance the number of old-age pensioners in Cardiff whom he estimates will have their income increased by 2s. 6d. a week as a result of the Government's proposals.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what progress has been made towards the establishment of a European television network since the passing of a resolution on this subject by the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe in 1953; and what action is being taken by the British authorities concerned in this matter.

An interchange of television programmes over an international European network took place in June this year. Similar exchanges on a less concentrated scale began in October and will end on 31st December. These experimental exchanges have made use of temporary equipment paid for by the British Broadcasting Corporation and Continental broadcasting systems, and have been sufficiently satisfactory to justify giving further consideration to the project of establishing a permanent network, as envisaged in the Consultative Assembly's resolution. There are however, many difficulties yet to be overcome, not the least of which is the high cost involved.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what arrangements he is making with the West German Government for the enforcement of maintenance order granted by British courts against Germans who have returned to Germany.

The position under German law regarding the enforceability of maintenance orders granted by British Courts is not entirely clear, but I am having inquiries made and will communicate with my hon. and gallant Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on the arrest by the British authorities in January, 1953 of Dr. Naumann and other Nazis; the details of the agreement entered into with the West German Government on 26th March, 1953, when handing these Nazis over to the German Government for trial; and the result of the investigations and prosecution which were promised by the German Chancellor.

As my right hon. Friend said in the House in January, 1953, seven former leading Nazis, including Dr. Naumann were arrested in the British Zone of Germany, with his authority, on the instructions of the United Kingdom High Commissioner. They were detained with a view to ascertaining to what extent their activities and their contacts within and without the Federal Republic constituted a threat to the security of the Allied forces.The investigations continued until March, 1953, when, at the request of the Federal Chancellor, Dr. Naumann and his associates, together with the documents and evidence collected during the investigation, were handed over to the German authorities for whatever action might be considered appropriate by them in the German courts.No agreement was entered into between Her Majesty's Government and the German Federal Government at the time of the handover or at any other time. Dr. Bornemann, another leading associate of Naumann's, was subsequently taken into custody by the German authorities themselves.In answer to the last part of the Question, the case against six of the arrested men was dropped by the Federal authorities at the end of June, 1954. On 3rd December, the German Federal Supreme Court decided to drop the case against Naumann and Bornemann. The ground is reported to have been lack of evidence that Naumann had succeeded in founding an effective association hostile to the constitutional order, as must be shown to the satisfaction of the court in a case of this kind under German law.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what clauses in the Paris Agreements on German rearmament are intended to ensure that the section of the Potsdam Agreement which lays down that German militarism and Nazism would be extirpated and the Allies would take in agreement together, then and in the future, the other measures necessary to assure that Germany never again would threaten her neighbours or the peace of the world, is observed.

The Paris Agreements are not intended to reproduce the terms of the Potsdam Agreement. As my right hon. Friend explained to the House on 17th November, the action of the Soviet Government has prevented the functioning of the Potsdam system. Under the terms of the Paris Agreements the rearmament of the German Federal Republic will take place within the framework of Western European Defence arrangements and under a system of international controls designed to prevent any member nation from having independent recourse to the threat or use of force.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will offer to the United States Government and the Chinese Government the good offices of Her Majesty's Government in an attempt to mediate the issue of the arrest of the United States airmen, now held by the Chinese Government, as an expression of our earnest desire of improving relations between the three Governments concerned.

The matter has been referred by the General Assembly to the Secretary General of the United Nations and I think it would be best to await the results of his negotiations.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will instruct the United Kingdom delegate to the United Nations to press for an invitation to be issued to the Peking Government to submit their evidence on the case of the 13 imprisoned American airmen before a vote is taken on this issue.

The matter has already been debated in the General Assembly, and the resolution submitted by the 15 nations who fought under the United Nations Command in Korea was passed on 10th December.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what evidence he has of any more United Kingdom or Commonwealth personnel, taken prisoner during the Korean conflict, still being held, contrary to the armistice terms, by China.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for War on 2nd November to the hon. Member for Aston (Mr. Wyatt), to which at the moment I have nothing to add.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will give details of the compensation agreement arrived at with the Chinese Government for the shooting down of a British-owned Cathay Pacific commercial airliner off the Hainan Island on 23rd July, 1954.

On 15th September, Her Majesty's Chargé ďAffaires at Peking presented a claim for £367,000 to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This claim covered:

(a) the loss of the aircraft and the consequential expenses incurred by the Cathay Pacific Airways Company,

(b) the loss of freight and baggage,

(c) compensation in respect of loss of life and

(d) compensation to the survivors for injury and distress.

The total figure covers compensation on behalf of all those involved including foreign nationals.As I said in reply to the hon. Member for Windsor (Mr. Mott-Radclyffe) on 3rd November, the Chinese Government informed us that they considered this claim acceptable as covering the entire benefits and compensation for all losses involved. The cheque for £367,000 has been handed to Her Majesty's Chargé ďAffaires at Peking, but has not yet been received in London.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what further additional financial assistance has been granted by Her Majesty's Government subsequent to the £2,750,000 granted for services rendered at the time of the Ethiopian liberation in 1942.

No financial assistance has at any time been granted by Her Majesty's Government for services rendered at the time of Ethiopian Liberation in 1942. Under Article IV of the Anglo-Ethiopian Agreement of 31st January, 1942, Her Majesty's Government agreed to contribute certain sums as financial assistance to the Emperor in re-establishing his Administration. Over £3 million were paid by December, 1944, when contributions ceased, in accordance with the provisions of Article IV of the Agreement.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will make a statement on the present position of Kuomintang forces still in Burma; and what further steps are being taken to remove them.

A joint military committee consisting of representatives of the United States, Siam and the Chinese Nationalist authorities was set up under United Nations auspices in Bangkok in May, 1953. This Committee reported to the General Assembly at its present session that nearly 7,000 Kuomintang troops and dependants had been evacuated from Burma. The committee concluded its work on 1st September, and the remaining troops are being dealt with by the Burma Government. The General Assembly of the United Nations has invited the Burma Government to report on the situation as appropriate.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on the supervision of the Korean armistice terms and the manner in which they are being observed by the parties to them.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given by my right hon. Friend, the former Minister of State, on 3rd May. The Communist members of the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission in Korea have recently made efforts to appear more co-operative. But the Swedish delegate to the United Nations during the recent Korean debate made it clear that there are still serious shortcomings in the work of supervision, due to the attitude adopted by the Communist members of the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission. The United Nations Command continues to co-operate wholeheartedly.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what action he is now taking to implement the recommendations of the Drogheda Report.

After meeting rising costs Her Majesty's Government provided about £100,000 in this financial year for the expansion of the overseas information services. Next year they propose to make similar provision. With this additional money, combined with some reallocation of existing resources, Her Majesty's Government propose to carry out the following programme:

1. Some strengthening of the information services in South-East Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and in Canada. The three information offices established in the current financial year at Lagos, Accra and Port of Spain will be brought into full operation.

2. Improvement of the Central Office of Information Press service, and in the supply of films for use overseas, particularly for television.

3. Strengthening of British Council offices in South-East Asia and Japan, establishment of new offices in Kuwait on the Persian Gulf and in British Honduras and the reopening of an office in Persia.

4. Full participation by Her Majesty's Government in the growing cultural activities of the Brussels Treaty Organisation and of the Council of Europe.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power if he will give a general direction to the British Electricity Authority and the gas supply boards when they have land for sale to advertise the sale of this publicly so that the best price may be obtained.

The Authority and the boards seek whenever they sell land to obtain the best price possible, and in all suitable cases proceed by public advertisement.

asked the Minister of Food how many pig graders are employed by his Department; if they are moved from one bacon factory to another; and what steps are taken to ensure a uniform standard of grading throughout the country.

One hundred and fifty-one full-time and forty part-time graders are employed at bacon factories and are moved from one factory to another as occasion requires. Grading standards are supervised by a staff of inspectors.

asked the Minister of Food if he will now make a statement on profit margins on subsidised bread.

My right hon. Friend hopes to be able to reply to the industry's application for an increase in its profit margin at an early date.

asked the Minister of Food whether he will now make a statement regarding his policy on the marketing and distribution of eggs.

Discussions with the National Farmers' Unions are continuing, and my right hon. Friend is not yet in a position to make a statement.

asked the Minister of Food if he is aware that a butcher in the Newcastle district was recently fined £50 for selling meat that was consigned for a glue factory as being unfit for human consumption; and if he will circularise local authorities recommending them to pay special attention to their systems of inspection and control.

Yes. Local authorities are being advised to arrange where practicable that meat which has been inspected and is agreed to be unfit for human consumption shall be stained before it leaves the slaughterhouse. It is proposed to deal with this subject by regulation under the Food and Drugs Amendment Act when the Act is brought into force.

asked the Minister of Food what is the extent to which bacon due to be imported from Denmark in recent weeks has been left in cold store in Denmark in order to avoid overloading the market in this country.

It would be contrary to sound commercial practice to disclose such information.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what specific schemes for slum clearance have been submitted by Newcastle-upon-Tyne Corporation since 1948.

None. My right hon. Friend understands that the council is now preparing a programme for dealing with the slums in the city.

asked the Minister of Supply what advice he has received from the Iron and Steel Board on the suspension of duty on imported rolled steel sections, as home deliveries are in arrears.

My right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade and I are now studying the Iron and Steel Board's advice, which we received during the last week. I regret that I cannot say anything further at present.

asked the Minister of Supply if he is yet in a position to state what progress is being made in the development of the two-engined helicopter; and when he estimates it will be ready for service.

In reply to a Question by the hon. Member for Dartford (Mr. Dodds) on 6th December, I informed the House with regard to the twin-engined Rotodyne.Two prototypes of the twin-engined Bristol 173 helicopter with piston engines are undergoing development flying. Further prototypes are in course of construction and a production order for about 100 of the military version of this aircraft has been placed. I am not yet in a position to say when they will be ready for service. Further development of this type of helicopter by the installation of twin turbine engines is planned; this should produce a machine capable of carrying up to 27 passengers in the civil version. The development of a suitable engine has already begun, but it is too early to forecast when such a machine might be ready for service.

asked the Minister of Labour how many workers' hostels have been or will shortly be closed; and how many will remain open, in England and Wales, respectively.

As a result of the decision announced by my right hon. and learned Friend in the House on 4th November, I expect that there will shortly be closed about 24 hostels in England and one in Wales. This will leave open 22 hostels in England and one in Wales, pending further review.

asked the Minister of Labour how many residents at Wood lands Hostel. Chorley, have obtained lodgings in the area since the notice to close the hostel was given by his Department; and, in view of the difficulty of finding accommodation in this area, if he will consider allowing those unable to find accommodation to remain in the hostel for a further period.

Of the 203 residents in the Woodlands Hostel on 16th November, when notice to close was given, 70 had moved to other accommodation by 9th December. I understand that some others have found lodgings but may be staying at the hostel till after Christmas while others are not making serious efforts until after the holiday. Some of the employers concerned and my local officers are making special efforts to help residents to find accommodation and I have reason to hope that the great majority will be rehoused by the time the hostel closes on 22nd January. My right hon. and learned Friend cannot agree to postpone the date of closing.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he will make a statement regarding a commencing date for the Barton Bridge, Lancashire, scheme, in view of the increased allocation of moneys for road works.

I am afraid I am not able to make a statement at present.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what grants were made for road construction in Scotland between 1st April, 1953, and 1st April, 1954.

In the year beginning 1st April, 1953, grants from the Road Fund totalling £759,532 were made for 75 schemes of major improvement and new construction in Scotland, including £150,020 for the following 11 schemes of road construction. This does not of course include grants in respect of road maintenance.

Amount of Grant
	£
EAST KILBRIDE NEW TOWN, LANARKSHIRE
Road No. 1 (Class I)
Construction of 1,383 yards of carriageway with one temporary footpath	22,538
Road No. 6 (Class II)
Construction of 1,814 yards of carriageway, including a subway for pedestrians	17,017
Road No. 8 (Class II)
(i) Construction of 728 yards of carriageway with one temporary footpath	8,760
(ii) Earthworks for (i)	4,110
Road No. 10 (Class III)
Construction of 1,556 yards of carriageway with two footpaths	29,000
Road No. 12 (Class III)
Construction of 440 yards of carriageway with one footpath	7,190
GLENROTHES NEW TOWN, FIFESHIRE
Road No. 3 (Class II)
Construction of 794 yards of carriageway with one footpath	11,026
Road No. 5 (Class III)
Construction of 450 yards of carriageway with two footpaths, including bridge over railway	8,569
NEWBATTLE NEW TOWN (NEWTON-GRANGE) MIDLOTHIAN
Class II
Construction of 657 yards of carriageway with two footpaths	16,638
Class III
Construction of 440 yards of carriageway with two footpaths	6,410
PEEBLES COUNTY COUNCIL
Construction of new bridge over the Lyne Water and diversion and reconstruction of 500 yards of carriageway of Edinburgh—Moffat Road (A. 701) with single carriageway and two footpaths	16,387

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation the estimated tonnages of goods moved annually by road and rail, respectively, in the United Kingdom.

The tonnage figures, together with figures of ton mileages which are included in view of the different average lengths of haul, are as follows:

	Road	Rail
Tons carried (Millions)	About 900	300
Ton-mileage (Thousands of millions).	About 19	22

The figures for road traffic are estimates based on a sample inquiry made in September, 1952; the figures for rail are those of tonnage originating, including free hauled traffic. All figures relate to 1952 and exclude traffic in Northern Ireland, for which figures of road traffic are not. available.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he will further consult with the British Transport Commission in order to relieve the pensions grievance of the members of the British Railways (Western Region) Retired Salaried Staff Association.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Altrincham and Sale (Mr. Erroll) on 8th December.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what arrangements he has made with the British Overseas Airways Corporation for the official Royal flight to the Caribbean; and the estimated cost.

At the request of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Colonies, I am negotiating with B.O.A.C. for the charter of an aircraft for the journeys to and from the Caribbean. The cost of the charter will be borne by the Colonial Office.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he has yet received a report from the Forestry Commission's Pitwood Working Party; and if a copy will be laid in the Library of this House.

I understand that the Forestry Commissioners do not propose to publish the Report. Copies have been made available to all the organisations represented on the Working Party. The Working Party was unable to devise an agreed basis for fixing prices for round mining timber to substitute for present methods, but made certain recommendations, and I am asking the Commissioners to arrange for a copy of these recommendations to be placed in the Library.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the import price index for food in each year since 1947, taking that year as 100; and what was the average retail price index for food in each of those years.

There is no series which measures the changes in price of the same collection of imports of food over the period from 1947 to 1953. The index of average values of food, beverages and tobacco, shown below, gives a rough measure of changes in price from year to year, but is affected by changes in the relative quantities of different foods, etc., being imported.

1947	…	…	…	…	100
1948	…	…	…	…	109
1949	…	…	…	…	110
1950	…	…	…	…	122
1951	…	…	…	…	140
1952	…	…	…	…	146
1953	…	…	…	…	140

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer to detail the arrangements which now exist, wholly or partly dependent on public funds, by which post-graduate students from this country may study in the United States of America, distinguishing separately those for administrative or management studies, scientific and technological studies, and other studies, respectively.

I understand that some Government Departments and certain other agencies make awards for study abroad, but tenure is not usually limited to a particular country. Details are given in the U.N.E.S.C.O. publication "Study Abroad: International Handbook of Fellowships, Scholarships and Educational Exchange."

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will provide a list of those organisations which have made use, during the past 12 months, of their exemption from the payment of Entertainments Duty by the Customs and Excise authorities under those sections of the Finance Acts which lay down that where the entertainment is not conducted foe profit and is provided by an organisation whose aims are partly educational, no tax shall be charged; and whether he will also give an estimate of the amount which would have been paid by way of Entertainments Duty by these organisations during such a period if they had been liable to the same duty as for living entertainments.

I am afraid that the preparation and publication of the list asked for in the first part of the Question would involve disproportionate work and cost. In regard to the second part, I cannot at present give an estimate, but I will see what can be done and will write to my hon. and gallant Friend.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, before permitting subscription by the Treasury to the Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India, he will arrange for representations to be made to the Indian Government for removal of the barriers to the import of United Kingdom cotton goods into India.

My hon. Friend is mistaken; there is no question of the Treasury subscribing to I.C.I.C. Only private subscriptions are being invited from the U.K.