asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance how many persons in the county borough of Newcastle-upon-Tyne were in receipt of National Assistance on 1st November, 1951, 1952, 1953 and 1954.

At the dates nearest to 1st November for which information is available, the following numbers of regular weekly assistance grants were being paid in the area served by the offices of the National Assistance Board in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

	Number of grants
30th October, 1951	…	16,521
28th October, 1952	…	18,142
27th October, 1953	…	18,532
26th October, 1954	…	18,700

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance the reasons for referring to a divisional medical office a patient, whose name has been supplied to his Department, who, having been seen by her general practitioner, is at present attending hospital and is under treatment.

The reference was made in order to obtain a second medical opinion on the question of the claimant's incapacity for work, because the illness described on her medical certificates had lasted longer than is usual in such cases. There was no indication on the certificates that she was attending hospital or that there were any special features in her case.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance when Dr. L. Henisch, 6. Mansfield Road, Reading, may expect to receive a reply to his letter of 14th November relating to pensions matters.

A reply was sent on 15th December.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what is the maximum pension obtainable under the Government's proposals by an ex-Service man with 100 per cent. disability; and what is the percentage increase over the amount obtainable in October, 1951.

The maximum pension and allowances payable to a married ex-private with two children will be E11 10s. 4d. a week. The corresponding figure in October, 1951, was £8 6s. 7d., a percentage increase of 38 per cent.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance whether, in view of the case of Mrs. Clarke, of Little Hulton, details of whose case are in his possession, he will extend the period during which a death grant draft may be cashed; and whether, in view of the circumstances of this case, he will make an ex gratia payment to Mrs. Clarke.

The limit of six months for cashing these orders was approved by the National Insurance Advisory Committee in 1952. I have already informed the House that I am asking the Committee to review the conditions for the payment of these grants. Until I get their report, I think we must abide by the terms of the current regulations.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance, in assessing the rate of pension for stomach disorder, what account is taken of the cost of special diet required to alleviate the complaint; how far compensatory payment is included in pension paid; and if he will arrange for a dietary allowance to be paid on the same principle of the existing comforts allowance.

I have written to the hon. Member to explain how account is taken of such matters in the assessment of disability.

asked the Attorney-General what consideration he has given to the desirability of enabling successful defendants to recover costs in cases where they are involved in protracted litigation against legally-aided plaintiffs.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 13th December to my hon. Friend the Member for Crosby (Mr. Page).

asked the Attorney-General the number of applications made for legal aid during the first six months of 1954; in how many cases legal aid was granted; and what was the total cost.

Twenty-three thousand two hundred and fifty-five applications for legal aid were received in the six months ended 30th June, 1954, and in the same period 13,555 persons received civil aid certificates. I regret that the total cost during that period, which falls partly within the last and partly within the present financial year, cannot be given without a special calculation involving expense and work which I do not think would be justified.

asked the Attorney-General whether he has considered a report of the recent case in the High Court before Mr. Justice Sachs in which claims of privilege in respect of documents and of oral evidence were made by the Crown; and whether he has any statement to make on the general issues involved.

I have seen newspaper reports of the remarks made by Mr. Justice Sachs in this case and I am obtaining a full transcript of his judgment. When I receive it I will give close consideration to the matters referred to in my hon. Friend's Question.

asked the hon. Member for Woolwich, West, as Chairman of the Kitchen Committee, why, when it has been previously announced that a three-line Whip is to be issued and all Members have to be present, the Kitchen refuses to provide the food needed after 9.30 p.m., when it is known that there is insufficient accommodation particularly in the Strangers Room to permit Members and their guests to have their food before this time; and what action he proposes to take to remedy this situation.

I will submit the points raised by the hon. Member to my Committee at their next meeting.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will now change the policy of Her Majesty's Government towards the Inter-Governmental Committee for European Migration, in view of the fact that its constitution has been ratified by 17 nations and has entered into force.

No. My right hon. Friend regrets that financial considerations still make it impossible for the United Kingdom to become a member.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, in making further United Kingdom contributions for the economic development of underdeveloped territories, in pursuance of Article III of the Manila Pact, Her Majesty's Government will seek to ensure that this work is carried on through the United Nations specialised agencies and under the direction of the United Nations Technical Assistance Board.

My right hon. Friend in his speech on the Manila Treaty on 8th November stressed the importance of carefully co-ordinating the various economic efforts which are now being made. He had in mind in saying this the work of the United Nations specialised agencies and the United Nations Technical Assistance Programme, as well as the Colombo Plan and the Point 4 Programme.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether Her Majesty's Government will propose to the General Assembly of the United Nations that the question of the legality of the use of nuclear weapons should be referred to the International Court of Justice for an advisory opinion under Article 96 (1) of the Charter of the United Nations.

No. The use of nuclear weapons is not prohibited or limited by any international convention.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs the policy of Her Majesty's Government with regard to the admission of the Peking Government to China's seat in the United Nations.

This matter was dealt with fully by the Prime Minister in his speech on 12th July. Her Majesty's Government's policy has in no way changed since then, and there is nothing further that I can usefully add to his statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how the United Kingdom delegate voted at the Sixth Committee of the Ninth General Assembly of the United Nations on the Venezuelan motion that the time was not ripe to consider the question of the establishment of an international court of justice; and if he will place a copy of the speeches in the Library.

I presume the hon. Member is referring to the project for an international criminal court, and not to the International Court of Justice at The Hague which has been established for many years. The Venezuelan draft resolution to which the hon. Member refers proposed postponing consideration of the question of any international criminal court "until the General Assembly has taken up the report of the new special committee on the question of defining aggression and has taken up again the Draft Code of Offences against the Peace and Security of Mankind." This resolution was adopted in the Sixth Committee by 37 votes in favour, none against and seven abstentions. The United Kingdom delegate voted in favour. Summary records of the debates, as of the other United Nations debates, are already in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the General Assembly of the United Nations has approved the recommendation of the Political Committee that the Cyprus question should not be considered further; and whether he will make a statement.

Yes. The General Assembly has approved the Committee's recommendation by 50 votes to 0 with 8 abstentions. Her Majesty's Government consider that the Assembly has acted wisely in disposing of the Cyprus item in this way. If there had been a substantive debate on the subject it is likely that bitter words would have been spoken which might seriously have impaired good relations between three Allies. A discussion on Cyprus in the United Nations could thus only have benefited those who seek to disrupt western unity. Her Majesty's Government hope that the Assembley's decision will be accepted and that our relations with Greece, which have been disturbed by this untimely move, may now be allowed to resume their traditional closeness and cordiality.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he has considered the complaint of Mr. Chou En-lai, Prime Minister of the Chinese People's Republic, that the United States of America has been building military bases on Formosa and other Chinese islands off the mainland; and whether, in view of the need for maintaining peaceful relations between Britain, China and the United States of America, he will instruct the British delegate to the United Nations, since the question of Formosa is on the agenda, to move for an independent fact-finding commission to visit these islands and that the Governments of the United States of America and China have observers present during such inspections.

As the hon. Member will be aware, the General Assembly of the United Nations is no longer in session. There would not, therefore, be an appropriate opportunity for the United Kingdom delegate to act in the manner proposed by the hon. Member. In any event, while my right hon. Friend is in entire agreement about the need for the maintenance of peaceful relations, he doubts if a fact-finding committee would help towards this end.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to make a statement on the incidents on Falkland Islands territory which made it necessary to address the recent Note to the Argentine Government; and if a satisfactory reply has now been received.

There have been no incidents in this area. Last August the Argentine Government promulgated a law which implied that the Falkland Islands and Falkland Islands Dependencies are under Argentine jurisdiction. On the 24th November Her Majesty's Government protested to the Argentine Government about this law, and on 15th December the Argentine Government replied with a Note in which they repeated their pretensions to our territory.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what assurances he has sought from the United States Government that they will restrain the Chinese Nationalist forces on Formosa from provocative acts against the Peking Government.

I have nothing to add to what my right hon. Friend said in the House on 6th and 8th December.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what assurances he has given to General Chiang Kai-shek's administration in the event of an attack upon Formosa.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what representations have been made by Her Majesty's Government to Peru in connection with that Government's purported claim to seize ships within a 200-mile limit of its territory.

The hon. Member presumably refers to the Peruvian claim to territorial waters of 200 miles and to a consequential claim to seize foreign vessels found fishing within that limit. Her Majesty's Government do not admit the claim of the Peruvian Government to 200 miles of territorial waters or indeed to anything outside the normal 3-mile limit. The Peruvian Government were so informed in Notes delivered on 6th February, 1948; 15th October, 1952; 21st August, 1953, and 31st August, 1954. In these Notes it was stated that H.M. Government cannot recognise that British nationals and British vessels are subject to any form of control or restriction imposed by the Peruvian Government outside a 3-mile limit.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how many cases have been brought to his notice of countries making abnormal claims over the waters around their coasts.

Chile, Peru, Ecuador and El Salvador have claimed territorial waters of 200 miles in breadth. Argentina, Costa Rica, Honduras, South Korea, Nicaragua and Panama have made unspecified claims to waters lying above the Continental Shelf.Twenty-two other countries in Latin America, the Middle East and Europe have made claims to territorial waters of a breadth between three and twelve miles.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what contribution Her Majesty's Government are proposing to make towards the costs of the International Supervisory Commissions in Indo-China.

As an initial contribution Her Majesty's Government propose to advance £26,786 from the Civil Contingencies Fund. At the final meeting of the Geneva Conference on Indo-China, it was agreed (page 8 of Command 9239) that Mr. Molotov and I as the two chairmen should submit to the conference proposals for meeting the costs of the three International Supervisory Commissions in Indo-China. After consultations among the interested Powers, Her Majesty's Government and the Soviet Government have agreed to recommend to the members of the Geneva Conference a scheme elaborated by the Government of India on behalf of the three Powers providing the members of the Supervisory Commissions: India, Canada and Poland. This scheme provides that a proportion of the costs should be financed by the supervisory Powers themselves and the remainder from a "common pool" to be established by the members of the Conference. This scheme is now being considered by the members of the Conference, who will also have to agree on their respective contributions to the common pool.Meanwhile, the Supervisory Commissions have already begun their important work in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. This has very generously been financed by the supervisory powers themselves, each of which has advanced the equivalent of $100,000 for this purpose. Pending final agreement among the members of the Geneva Conference it is now proposed that this advance should be repaid by initial contributions, each equivalent to $75,000, from the Governments of China, France, the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom. The Soviet Government have already done so and it is now proposed that Her Majesty's Government should follow suit by advancing £26,786 from the Civil Contingencies Fund.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will publish the details of the agreement reached with the European Coal and Steel Community.

Yes. The Agreement will be signed tomorrow and the text will be published as a White Paper.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the 416 persons employed on the staff of the Commissioner General for South-East Asia include all staff working for other Departments as well as the Foreign Office; and whether he will give the total figure of numbers employed other than military.

Of the 416, 46 are Foreign Service staff, 11 Colonial Service, 45 other U.K. based staff and 314 are locally employed staff.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what estimate he has made of the cost of implementing the administrative needs of the South-East Asia Treaty Organisation.

I have nothing to add to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs to the hon. Member for Broxtowe (Mr. Warbey) on 1st November.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will approach the Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics with a view to establishing reciprocal arrangements for the enjoyment of approximately similar facilities for the visit of British visitors to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and of Soviet visitors to Britain; and if he will also arrange that all Soviet visitors are presented with an illustrated book describing British social services and the British form of democratic processes.

I fully share the hon. Member's desire to hasten the day when the Soviet Government will allow Soviet citizens to come freely to this country. As was stated in reply to the hon. Member for Goole (Mr. G. Jeger) on 24th November, my right hon. Friend would also welcome any developments which made it less difficult for unescorted British subjects to visit Russia. I am glad to say that there has lately been some improvement in the facilities extended by the Soviet authorities to British and other visitors. However, British visitors to the Soviet Union are still hampered by many difficulties, not the least of which is the artificial exchange rate of the rouble. With regard to the last part of the Question, I am not aware of the existence of such an illustrated book.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what action he proposes to take to safeguard British shipping against further incidents by the Chinese Nationalist forces off the coast of China.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply which my right hon. Friend gave to the right hon. and learned Gentleman the Member for Rowley Regis and Tipton (Mr. A. Henderson) on 24th November.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will make a further statement in respect of developments towards an Austrian Peace Treaty.

There has been no change in the position since the Berlin Conference held early this year when, in spite of the Western offer to accept the Soviet texts of the previously unagreed articles of the draft State Treaty, the Soviet Government remained unwilling to conclude the Treaty. At that Conference the Soviet Government made new stipulations, the effect of which would have been to leave occupation troops on Austrian soil for an indefinite period. These conditions were unacceptable not only to the Western Powers but also to the Austrian Government.Her Majesty's Government, together with the French and United States Governments, have on more than one occasion renewed the offer they made at Berlin to accept the previously unagreed articles of the draft Treaty, and as lately as 29th November in their Note to the Soviet Government they again expressed the view that there should therefore be no further obstacle in the way of the signature of the Treaty and the consequent withdrawal of occupation forces. This remains the view of Her Majesty's Government despite the absence of any favourable response so far on the part of the Soviet Government, who have declined to move from the position they adopted at the Berlin Conference.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs why the British Occupation Forces in Germany interned from 1945–47 Herr Waldemar Kraft: and what were the charges levelled against this individual.

Herr Kraft was arrested on 16th July, 1945, by virtue of his honorary rank of Hauptsturmfuhrer (equivalent to a captain) in the Allgemeine S.S., a body which was about to be prosecuted before the international military tribunal at Nuremberg as a criminal organisation. He was held in internment pending the outcome of the Nuremberg proceedings and was then tried by a German court, which discontinued the proceedings against him on 28th October, 1947.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he will now discontinue the use of pool grades classification by his Department in view of the fact that they now cover less than one half of the lubricating oil grades at present marketed in this country and that they were introduced as a wartime measure.

My right hon. Friend is in consultation with the trade on this matter and will let my hon. Friend know the result.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power if he will make a statement giving the latest details concerning the coal situation, and the prospects for the early part of 1955.

Output during the last two months has been below expectations, but distributed stocks on 4th December were 17·1 million tons. The National Coal Board and the miners' leaders are doing all they can to secure the earliest possible recovery of output but, as my right hon. Friend has already informed the House, the Government have arranged for a substantial quantity of imports to maintain supplies during the winter.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what stocks of domestic coal are now available in the City of Bristol; and if he is satisfied that they are sufficient to meet the requirements for the remainder of the winter, allowing for severe cold weather.

I am making inquiries and will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what increase in output per man year in the coalmines is to be expected by increased capital expenditure in the year ended April, 1954.

It is impossible to isolate the effects of capital investment from the results of other factors that influence productivity; but while large investment is always required in an extractive industry such as coalmining to maintain output, particular reconstruction schemes certainly result in increased productivity.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power in view of the importance of adequate supplies of smokeless fuel being available to minimise the dangers associated with foggy weather, if he will make a statement giving details of the present position and future prospects.

Ample supplies of coke are available in most areas, including those specially liable to fog. Supplies of other solid smokeless fuels, though not fully adequate to meet demand, are not less plentiful than in recent years. Future prospects for solid smokeless fuel supplies were considered by the Air Pollution Committee and, at present, I have nothing to add to what they said in their Report.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power if he will give a general direction to the British Electricity Authority requiring that, when high-tension cables are carried on pylons over agricultural land, at the same time they should always include a lower-tension line, as is frequently the custom in the United States of America, so that any farmer or resident in the immediate neighbourhood of the pylons can obtain an electricity supply by means of a small and inexpensive transformer without the great cost now entailed in bringing back a separate line from the nearest transformer station specially equipped to reduce the very high voltage down to that needed for domestic purposes.

For reasons both of economy and amenity, the general practice is to take high voltage lines the shortest distance between two points. This is not always compatible with combined construction of high and low voltage lines, but such construction is always adopted when it is both practicable and economic.

asked the Minister of Food if he is aware that leaflet, CDP/L2, issued by his Department, states that farmers using wheat of their own growing only qualify for deficiency payment if a seed permit has been issued, and that they must sell the grain to an authorised merchant and buy the grain back from him; and if he will amend the terms of his leaflet, so as to conform with the statement of Government policy made on this subject on 15th November, 1954.

No. A clear distinction is drawn in the leaflet between grain redelivered to a grower for grinding or similar purposes and seed grain redelivered for sowing.

asked the Minister of Food (1) what amount has been paid this financial year by way of Home-Grown Cereals Deficiency Payments; and how much it is now estimated will be paid this financial year; and(2) what amount has been paid this financial year by way of deficiency payments for fatstock; and how much it is now estimated will be paid this financial year.

Wheat deficiency payments and advances on account of barley acreage payments amount to £1·6 million up to 17th December. Payments on fatstock to 10th December amount to £28·1 million. As regards the second part of these Questions, I cannot add to the reply given to the hon. Member on 17th November.

asked the Minister of Food what improvements he has made in the auction system of fatstock; and what plans he has made to prevent, or limit, the operation of buying rings, as suggested in the White Paper on the Marketing of Agricultural Produce, Command Paper No. 8989.

asked the Minister of Food what evidence he has received of the existence of buyers' rings in the fatstock markets.

Advance entries of fatstock for certification and sale have been made compulsory: this enables potential buyers to be notified of the numbers of stock at forthcoming sales. A basis of a price per hundredweight for cattle and per score pounds for pigs (instead of per head) has been standardised. As my right hon. Friend said in reply to the hon. Member for Deptford (Sir L. Plummer) on 4th November, the market for cattle has been highly competitive since decontrol, the marts are closely watched and I have no evidence that rings are operating.

asked the Minister of Food if he is aware that some cattle and sheep which have been already sold at auction have been sold a second time so as to attract two deficiency payments on the same animals; and what action he is taking in the matter.

Two alleged cases of this kind are at present before the courts and certain other suspected cases are under investigation. My local officers maintain a constant watch for attempts to present animals which have already been certified under the scheme.

asked the Minister of Food if he will introduce a measure to control the price of tea.

No.

asked the Minister of Food if he is aware that the price of tea has increased six times in the last 12 months, and doubled since decontrol; and if he will investigate the present methods of purchase and distribution, with a view to reimposing control.

asked the Minister of Food in view of continuing increase in the retail price of tea, whether he will institute an inquiry into the levels of profit margins in order to provide guidance on the desirability of the imposition of price controls.

I would refer the hon. Members to the reply given on 14th December to the hon. Member for West Ham, North (Mr. Lewis).

asked the Minister of Food if he is aware of the many increases in the price of tea during the past 18 months; and whether, as a means of reducing the price of tea, he will investigate the possibility of assisting tea importers to import tea from China, and thus assist in reducing tea prices generally.

Tea may be imported freely from China and the trade can be relied upon to import any suitable tea which is available for export.

asked the Minister of Food what are the main foodstuffs imported from France; and how the prices compare with similar prices of British foodstuffs.

Wines and spirits, wheat, fruit and vegetables and canned meats. Only in the case of wheat is a price comparison possible. Prices of English wheat delivered to port mills are closely in line with c.i.f. prices for comparable French wheat.

asked the Minister of Food if he has completed his examination of the claim by the bakery trade for an increase in the net profit margin; and if he will make a statement.

I regret that I am not yet able to add to the reply given to the hon. Member for Sunderland, North (Mr. Willey) on 13th December.

asked the Minister of Food if he will make a statement, following his consideration of the claim made for an increase in the net profit margin presented by the bakery trade, in view of the urgency of the matter.

I regret that I am not yet able to add to the reply given to the hon. Member for Sunderland, North (Mr. Willey) on 13th December.

asked the Minister of Food if he can yet state when the Report of the Inter-Departmental Committee on Slaughterhouses will be published.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 25th October in which I told him that the Committee for England and Wales had called for further evidence from the various interests concerned but that I hoped that a report would be made by the early part of next year. I now understand that the Committee have not yet received all the additional evidence for which they have asked and in view of this and of the great changes which are taking place in the trade, further delay in the completion of the Committee's report may be unavoidable.

asked the Minister of Supply when he gave his permission for the Bristol Aeroplane Company to take a holding in the previously Government-owned aircraft company of Short Brothers of Belfast; what was the reason for giving this permission; and what is the nature of the holding.

With the consent of my predecessor, the approval of the Capital Issues Committee was sought in June last to an increase in the issued share capital of Short Brothers and Harland Limited from £2 million to £2,360,000, and shortly afterwards 360,000 new £1 shares were sold to the Bristol Aeroplane Company. The Government retain a majority holding in Short Brothers and Harland Limited, which has never been entirely Government owned. I welcome this development as an extension of the collaboration between the two companies.

asked the Minister of Supply the precise circumstances in which a hydraulic press, purchased by private contract for £4,800 in 1951, was subsequently repurchased by his Department for £14,000 in the same year.

This press was bought by the Ministry of Supply for £14,000 in September, 1951. It was immediately available, whereas a new one would have cost £34,000, with a delivery period of from 12 months to two years. The press had been sold by the Ministry of Supply in 1949 at a scrap price at a time when no further need for it was foreseen and there was no other demand for it.

asked the Minister of Supply the system of co-operation between his Department, the Royal Air Force and the aircraft manufacturers in regard to the delivery of tested aircraft for service in the Royal Air Force; and what consultations took place in the case of the swept-wing fighter the Super-marine Swift.

I would ask my hon. Friend to await the answer to be give by the Prime Minister tomorrow with regard to the general system for the development of new aircraft. In the case of the Swift, there has been continuous consultation between the manufacturers and the Ministries concerned.

asked the Minister of Supply what stage of evaluation has been reached in regard to the swept-wing fighter aircraft, the Super-marine Swift.

The Mark 1 and Mark 2 Swift have been cleared for introduction into service subject to certain limitations. Development of the later Marks of Swift is continuing, but the position generally is under review.

asked the Minister of Supply why his Department has objected to the building of a bungalow in Lea Road, Whittle-le-Woods, Chorley; and if he will now withdraw the opposition so that the bungalow can be built.

My advice to the local planning authority to refuse this application was based on the ground of danger to the bungalow and its occupants in the event of an explosion at the Royal Ordnance Factory. The strictest safety precautions are taken at the factory and I regard the likelihood of an explosion as extremely remote. Nevertheless, I feel bound to take account of the possibility in the advice which I offer in particular cases.

asked the Minister of Health (1) to what extent clinical experiments are being carried out in hospitals under the Regional Hospital Boards; and what regulations govern the conditions of such experiments; and(2) on whose authority, and under what circumstances, clinical experiments on infants in hospital, such as that to which his attention has been drawn, are permitted to be carried out.

Hospital authorities are given power to conduct research by Section 16 of the National Health Service Act, 1946. Individual clinical investigations are undertaken on the authority of the clinician in charge of the case, and my right hon. Friend had not complete knowledge of the extent of all the work in progress at hospitals. Such investigations involve medical and ethical problems which are not susceptible of control by regulations.

asked the Minister of Health what representations he has received from the South-West Metropolitan Regional Board on the inadequacy of the 1955 financial allocation to this region.

In submitting its revised estimates of maintenance expenditure for the current financial year, this board has drawn attention to certain difficulties which have been experienced. My right hon. Friend has taken account of these representations and has informed the board of the extent to which he is able to approve its revised estimates.

asked the Minister of Health what reply he has given to the representations made to him by the Newcastle Regional Hospital Board and the Board of Governors of the Teaching Hospital for increased resources to enable them to meet the urgent hospital needs of the North-East and North-West of England.

My right hon. Friend is not in a position to increase the boards' capital allocations for next year. Allocations for subsequent years have not yet been determined and he will give these Boards as favourable treatment as he can, bearing in mind not only their own representations but the known needs of other areas. Maintenance allocations must depend on the amount of money provided by Parliament for the Service as a whole and must be directly related to the hospital accommodation and services available in each area at any given time.

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.

, pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, Monday, 13th December, 1954; Vol. 535, c. 84], supplied the following:

asked the Minister of Health what percentage of student nurses in their first year developed pulmonary tuberculosis in 1953; and what difference there was in this percentage in the case of those coming from Eire.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Minister of Health in how many general and special hospitals one or more dental sessions are provided regularly every week; and how many of such hospitals have beds reserved for dental treatment.

I regret that the information cannot be supplied in the form asked for without a disproportionate amount of work. But the work being done by all grades of hospital dental staff other than house officers at 31st December, 1953, was the equivalent of 3,803 sessions weekly. The total number of beds allocated to consultant dentistry at that date was 249.

asked the Minister of Health what is the unit cost per nurse which governs capital expenditure on the provision of hostel accommodation.

There are too many variables in the cost of such accommodation for any useful unit cost to be prescribed.

asked the Minister of Health what is the number of vacant beds in each of the Welsh sanatoria; and whether he will make a statement.

There are altogether 268 vacant beds in six tuberculosis hospitals, due either to renovations or to shortage of staff. Every effort is being made to obtain the necessary additional nurses.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that deaf persons in Barnsley have to travel to Sheffield for deaf aid service; that many persons have to send their deaf aids which results in loss of work until service is completed; and at what time in the future Barnsley can expect its own deaf-aid repair service centre.

Yes, but my right hon. Friend is unable to say when the boards concerned will find it possible to make local repair facilities available.

asked the Minister of Health how many deaf persons are still awaiting the fitting of deaf aids in Barnsley; and how many have so far been supplied.

21 are waiting to be fitted and 115 to be tested. Since April, 1951, when diagnostic work started locally at the Beckett Hospital, 842 patients referred by the hospital have been supplied. Earlier information is not available.

asked the Minister of Health what progress has been made towards providing a monopack hearing aid through the National Health Service.

Large-scale clinical trials of a new Medresco model capable of being used in either monopack or duapack form are to be held in the New Year with the co-operation of schools for the deaf and partially deaf. If these prove successful, it ought to be possible to begin mass-production about the end of 1955. It is proposed to supply miniature batteries for use with the aid in its monopaok form free of charge for children, but adults who wish to use the aid in this form will need to buy batteries for themselves. They will, of course, still be able to obtain the larger batteries without charge, as at present, if they so choose.

asked the Minister of Health what would be the cost of abolishing the charge of 1s. per prescription.

The estimated cost to the Exchequer is about £6½ million a year so far as England and Wales are concerned, after taking into account the refunds made in certain cases by the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance and by the National Assistance Board, but without making any allowance for any increase in the number of prescriptions which might result.

asked the Minister of Health what steps are being taken to encourage the practice of mass-radiography; how many local authorities are operating this system; how many cases have been X-rayed and what percentage of them have been found to be suffering from abnormalities of the chest requiring treatment.

Regional hospital boards, who administer the service, discuss with the local health authorities

—			Ophthalmic Opticians		Ophthalmic Medical Practitioners (Supplementary Ophthalmic Services only)
			Number of sight tests given	Number of cases in which no glasses were prescribed	Number of sight tests given	Number of cases in which no glasses were prescribed
1953
January	…	…	5,224	590	605	152
February	…	…	5,130	581	531	109
March	…	…	6,140	722	656	148
April	…	…	5,006	617	718	148
May	…	…	4,461	616	474	86
June	…	…	5,167	602	620	141
July	…	…	5,510	595	528	111
August	…	…	4,865	536	669	97
September	…	…	6,483	709	842	126
October	…	…	7,216	801	958	113
November	…	…	6,173	699	818	152
December	…	…	3,939	416	461	91
1954
January	…	…	5,166	570	563	117
February	…	…	5,544	576	558	102
March	…	…	6,970	780	662	124
April	…	…	5,315	637	520	120
May	…	…	6,065	665	552	102
June	…	…	5,138	498	425	97
July	…	…	5,914	674	541	107
August	…	…	5,752	602	655	105
September	…	…	6,386	651	669	91
October	…	…	7,271	757	740	109
November	…	…	6,241	654	691	100
December	…	…	—	—	—	—

asked the Minister of Health the number of sight tests carried out by ophthalmic opticians and ophthalmic medical practitioners respectively in the City of Manchester in each month of 1953 and 1954, showing in each case the numbers where no glasses were prescribed.

The following figures relate to the work of ophthalmic opticians and ophthalmic medical practitioners under the supplementary ophthalmic services, excluding sight-tests given by the latter at school eye clinics:

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will make a statement of progress, at the latest convenient date, in respect of each of the 14 new towns in Great Britain under the heads of: number of houses completed, number of houses under construction, floor area of

—	Houses		New Factories (including Extensions)
	Completed	Under Construction	Completed		Under Construction
			Area Sq. Ft.	Employees	Area Sq. Ft.	Expected Employees
LONDON NEW TOWNS
Basildon	1,627	1,050	423,180	2,464	96,335	798
Bracknell	752	743	263,579	945	48,826	347
Crawley	4,080	1,185	778,900	3,629	752,926	2,318
Harlow	4,982	1,442	454,689	2,634	727,184	3,119
Hatfield	1,009	221	—	—	51,560	233
Hemel Hempstead	3,882	1,202	708,447	4,470	96,300	401
Stevenage	2,796	2,203	280,700	1,146	418,370*	2,321*
Welwyn	1,400	1,020	25,528	118	174,300	561
TOTAL—LONDON NEW TOWNS	20,528	9,066	2,935,023	15,406	2,365,801	10,098
PROVINCIAL NEW TOWNS (England and Wales)
Aycliffe	1,753	452	—	—	—	—
Corby	761	463	21,310	274	10,480	35
Cwmbran	1,014	829	—	—	18,760	73
Peterlee	1,573	423	70,000	335	50,000	700
TOTAL—PROVINCES (England and Wales)	5,101	2,167	91,310	609	79,240	808
SCOTTISH NEW TOWNS
East Kilbride	2,478	1,438	758,000*	3,970*	255,000*	690*
Glenrothes	938	595	24,000	130	—	—
TOTAL—SCOTLAND	3,416	2,033	782,000	4,100	255,000	690
GRAND TOTAL	29,045	13,266	3,808,333	20,115	2,700,041	11,596
* Includes one project in each town for D.S.I.R.

Aycliffe: Adequate factory space and employment exists on the Trading Estate.Corby: Employment for men is mainly provided in the existing steel industry. Employment for women and some men is being provided.Cwmbran: Adequate factory space and employment exists on the Trading Estate.Hatfield: Male employment is available in existing industry. Provision for female employment is being made.Peterlee: Male employment is mainly provided in the coal-mining industry. Provision in manufacturing industry is being made for the employment of women and men not engaged in mining.Glenrothes: Industry already exists in the new town and the immediate vicinity.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will introduce provi-

The available information is shown in the following table. Information on the new towns in Scotland has been provided by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.sions for enabling parties to proceedings before rent tribunals to require such tribunals to state a case on points of law for the consideration of the High Court.

If a tribunal exceeds its jurisdiction, or misdirects itself in law, action can be taken in the High Court to quash the decision and my right hon. Friend is not therefore satisfied that there is sufficient case for the introduction of special legislation on this matter.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will give consideration to either reducing or exempting agricultural land from liability to road charges on a frontage basis.

I do not consider that an amendment of the law in this respect would be justified.

asked the Secretary of State for War what progress is being made with the rebuilding and improvement of Combermere Barracks, Windsor; and how soon he proposes to carry out similar works at Victoria Barracks.

Work is going ahead at Combermere Barracks and I hope that the four new barrack blocks to hold 432 men will be ready early in 1956. Victoria Barracks are scheduled for reconstruction.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations whether, in view of the fact that only about 50 per cent. of the emigrants to Australia since 1948 were of British origin, he will consult the Prime Minister of Australia with the view to increasing the flow of migrants from the United Kingdom to Australia.

The policy of immigration into Australia is a matter for Her Majesty's Government in Australia. Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom are always willing to consult the Australian Government about means of encouraging migration from the United Kingdom to Australia and are already co-operating with them, financially and in other ways.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations whether he is aware that only about 25 per cent. of the people who emigrated to Canada in the years 1946 to 1953 were from the British Isles, that only about 2 per cent. were from France, and that at the 1951 census, only 6,700,000 out of a total population of 14 million were of British origin; and whether he will consult the Prime Minister of Canada with a view to increasing the flow of British migration to Canada.

My hon. Friend's figures are, I believe, broadly accurate. The policy of immigration into Canada is, of course, a matter for Her Majesty's Government in Canada. Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom are always willing to consult at any time with the Canadian Government about means of encouraging migration from the United Kingdom to Canada.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now exercise his powers under the Capital Punishment (Amendment) Act, 1868, to provide that sentence of death shall be carried out before 6 a.m. on the day fixed.

I know of no grounds for recommending to sheriffs that there should be a change in the existing practice in this matter.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) why he refused to see a deputation of hon. Members who were concerned about the prerogative of mercy;(2) if he will publish all the medical evidence which he considered when deciding not to advise a reprieve for Mrs. Christofi;(3) whether he will publish the advice given to him by the trial judge in the case of Mrs. Christofi.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why he declined to hear representations from a group of hon. Members before Mrs. Styllou Pantopiou Christofi was executed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) for what reasons he decided not to advise Her Majesty the Queen to exercise Her royal prerogative of mercy in the case of Mrs. Styllou Pantopiou Christofi;(2) what opportunities Dr. T. Christie, Principal Medical Officer at Holloway Prison, had of forming an opinion as to the mental condition of Mrs. Christofi; what opinion he, in fact, formed; and in what circumstances other medical evidence was sought, obtained, or provided.

Parliament has on many occasions recognised the undesirability of pressing the Home Secretary to disclose the reasons why he did or did not tender advice to the Crown with regard to the exercise of the Prerogative of Mercy in a capital case. So far as concerns the particular case of Mrs. Christofi, the principal medical officer at Holloway prison stated in a report dated 5th October, 1954, that after observation of the prisoner since 30th July, 1954, he had formed the conclusion that she was insane, but was medically fit to plead and to stand trial. A copy of that report was furnished to the defence.At the trial, which began on 25th October, the defence did not raise the issue of insanity. After the dismissal of the prisoner's appeal to the Court of Criminal Appeal, it fell to me to consider the case. If it appears to the Home Secretary in the case of a prisoner under sentence of death that there is reason to believe the prisoner to be insane, he must under the terms of Section 2 (4) of the Criminal Lunatics Act,1884, appoint two or more legally qualified medical practitioners to examine the prisoner and to inquire as to his insanity.In view of the terms of Dr. Christie's report, I appointed three distinguished and experienced doctors to conduct an inquiry in accordance with this statutory provision. The three doctors reported to me that the prisoner was not in their view insane; and they added that in their view she did not suffer from any minor mental abnormality which would justify them in making any recommendation on medical grounds relevant to the question of a reprieve. When I had received this report it was then necessary for me to consider, in the light of all the available information, whether there were any grounds to justify my recommending any interference with the due process of law; and, after very full consideration, I regretfully came to the conclusion that there were no sufficient grounds for such a course.It would be contrary to long-established practice, and, as I think, open to considerable objection, to disclose any advice tendered to the Home Secretary in a case of this kind by the trial Judge, or to disclose the terms of the medical report submitted by the statutory inquiry, and I am not prepared to make these documents available. When I was considering this case, I agreed, as an exceptional step, to see the hon. and learned Member for Stoke Newington and Hackney North (Mr. Weitzman) who had acted as counsel for the defence at the trial. As regards, the request made to me to receive a deputation of other hon. Members, I am sure that, while it is of course open to Members of Parliament to submit representations to the Secretary of State, the House will agree that a Home Secretary should not be expected to receive oral representations, even from hon. Members, and to discuss the case with them, when he is engaged in the discharge of this onerous and anxious duty.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what results were obtained from electro-encephalograph examination of Mrs. Styllou Pantopiou Christofi while she was in custody.

There was no such examination in this case as the prisoner would not agree to the examination being made.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why he did not refer to the Court of Criminal Appeal, under Section 19 of the Criminal Appeal Act, the question whether Mrs. Christofi was insane within the meaning of the criminal law at the time she committed the offence of which she was convicted, seeing that there was substantial evidence to establish such a defence, and that neither a jury nor the Court of Criminal Appeal had considered or determined that question.

In section 2 (4) of the Criminal Lunatics Act, 1884, Parliament made provision for the course to be followed by the Home Secretary when he had reason for believing that a prisoner lying under sentence of death might be insane. In the case of Mrs. Christofi, I followed the course provided for in that subsection and appointed three medical practitioners to examine the prisoner and inquire as to her insanity. In view of this statutory provision, it would have been quite inappropriate to have referred the case to the Court of Criminal Appeal under Section 19 of the Criminal Appeal Act, 1907; and I am reinforced in this view by the opinion of the Lord Chief Justice that if the case had been so referred there was nothing that the Court of Criminal Appeal could have done.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give instructions that when a person in custody awaiting trial for murder has refused to allow evidence of insanity to be produced at the trial, this fact shall be brought to the notice of those bringing religious ministrations to the prisoner, so that the theological implications of such a refusal shall be fully understood.

There would be no point in my issuing such instructions, since the authorities have no means of knowing whether an accused person had declined to allow a certain defence to be put at his trial.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what religious advice from an authority of the Greek Orthodox Church was made available to Mrs. Christon while in custody awaiting trial.

Mrs. Ghristofi was visited assiduously by a priest of the Orthodox Greek Church throughout her time in prison, but I do not know what religious advice was given to her; nor would it be proper for me to ask.

asked the Minister of Education if he is aware that Exchequer funds have been used to subsidise a week-end school and course of lectures at the Pendley residential centre of adult education at Tring on the romance, history and science of fox-hunting; and, in view of the fact that this is an improper use of public money, if he will refuse future grants to this centre.

My right hon. Friend does not pay grant to this college. None of the students who attended this course received assistance from public funds.

asked the Minister of Labour what advice has been tendered to him as to the industrial use of polonium by the advisory committee set up by Section 6 of the Radioactive Substances Act, 1948; and what safety regulations he has made under Section 5 of the Act in relation thereto.