asked the First Lord of the Admiralty on what date in 1955 the Navy Week will take place in Portsmouth.

There will be no Navy Weeks at the home ports in 1955; there will, as last year, be Navy Days in the spring and summer but the precise dates have not yet been decided.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty the normal full complement of H.M.S. "Mauritius"; how many officers and ratings are at present accommodated on board; and whether he is satisfied that accommodation is adequate and feeding facilities are satisfactory.

H.M.S. "Mauritius" has normal accommodation for 690 officers and men. 551 are fully accommodated on board and they are not overcrowded. There are a further 267 men attached to the ship who take their midday and occasionally other meals on board. Because of repairs there has recently been a certain amount of congestion at midday meal-time but this should improve shortly.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he is aware of the impending closure of the garrison church attached to the Royal Naval Air Station, Gosport, by reason of the withdrawal of the naval chaplain; if he is aware that this church, established some 80 years, is possessed of civilian endowments and serves a civil as well as a naval population; that the Service population in this area will not be diminishing on the closing of the aerodrome; and if he will make provision for the continued functioning of this church in the New Year, notably in respect of its widely-attended Sunday school, either by the appointment of a naval chaplain or by arrangement with the Church of England authorities.

I am aware of this problem, and the Chaplain of the Fleet is at present in correspondence with the diocesan authorities about the best way of solving it.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty how many houses and flats were built in Portsmouth for officers and ratings each year between 1946 and 1954.

No married quarters were built in the Portsmouth area between 1946 and 1954 except 16 for officers and 62 for ratings at H.M.S. "Dryad." Under the home ports programme authorised last year 1,550 houses and flats for officers and ratings are to be built in the Portsmouth area, and completions will begin towards the end of 1955.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty on what date in 1955 he intends to hold the Lee-on-Solent Air Display.

The date has not yet been decided.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty the weekly rates of pay of industrial grades of workpeople employed in Her Majesty's dockyards.

My hon. and gallant Friend will appreciate that the Admiralty employs a great many industrial grades of workpeople at dockyards in the United Kingdom. For the main grouping, ranges of weekly pay rates are as follows:

Craftsmen	147s. 10d. to 179s. 10d.
Titular grades	147s. 10d. to 156s. 10d.
Skilled labourers	131s. 10d. to 146s. 10d.
Unskilled labourers	127s. 10d.

Various assumptions have had to be made about allowances, and there may be grades whose pay falls outside the ranges given.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General what provisions are being made as part of a long-term policy to provide shared telephone service in which the conversations of one subscriber are inaudible to the other on a party-line.

None. Such an arrangement would mean considerable extra cost and, therefore, increased charges. Our aim is to give subscribers the choice between shared and exclusive service as soon as we can.

asked the Assistant-Postmaster-General the number of outstanding applications for telephones in Brentford and Chiswick to the latest conventient date; the duration of the longest application; and how these figures compare with the corresponding details at 1st October, 1951.

The total outstanding at 1st October, 1951, was 628 and is now 433, excluding 208 applications in course of being met. Five hundred and fifty-one telephones have been connected in the past 12 months. I am glad to say that we hope to join up soon the earliest application outstanding, which is dated June, 1949.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General how many applications for telephone service at West Calder, Midlothian, are at present before his Department.

Fifteen applications are outstanding, compared with 23 a year ago. Twenty-nine telephones were connected in the past 12 months.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General if he will consider changing the colour of the Royal Mail vans to a less conspicuous colour in order to prevent them from being such good targets for gangsters.

No.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General what arrangements have been made to provide postal counter facilities in the shops to be opened shortly on the Douglas and Angus housing scheme, Dundee.

Applications for the post of sub-postmaster will be invited as soon as there are any shops on the estate.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General whether he will now undertake to answer questions on the programmes of the British Broadcasting Corporation.

No.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he is aware that road accidents in Glamorgan have increased by 8·6 per cent. during the first 10 months of this year, compared with the same period in 1953, and casualties have gone up by 10 per cent.; and whether he will, therefore, asist further in hastening road improvements in Glamorgan.

I am aware of this unfortunate increase in accidents, and will bear it in mind in assessing Glamorgan's need for such road improvement schemes as have value from a safety angle.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he is aware of the difficulties caused to owners of cars regarding the limited time for parking in Great Queen Street, Holborn, especially when attending dinners and lunches at the Connaught Rooms, and the similar difficulties confronting motorists when attending functions at the Holborn Restaurant; and whether he will, therefore, reopen the Kingsway subway as a public parking ground for private motor vehicles.

The Technical Committee which reported to my predecessor on the Kingsway Tunnel came to the conclusion that the alterations needed to convert the tunnel to a car park were too expensive to be worth while; to accommodate a maximum of 95 cars under most inconvenient conditions would involve an expenditure of £175,000. I am, however, having another look at the matter.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation how many persons have been killed and how many injured on the roads during the quarter ended 30th September, 1954, compared with the corresponding quarter of 1953; and how many children under 15 years of age were killed and how many injured in this quarter compared with the corresponding quarter in the previous year.

In the quarter ended 30th September, 1954, 1,259 persons were killed and 68,567 injured, of whom 194 and 13,827 respectively were children under 15. In the corresponding quarter of 1953 the comparable figures were 1,319 killed and 63,943 injured, including 229 children killed and 12,985 injured.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation how many pedestrians were killed and how many injured in the Metropolitan Police area during 1953; and of that number how many were killed and how many injured on police-controlled crossings.

314 pedestrians were killed and 11,207 injured in the Metropolitan Police area during 1953. Of these, one person was killed and 73 injured on police-controlled crossings.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation how much it is costing to put kerb stones along a portion of the country road A.33 some 10 miles north-east of Winchester; and how much it will cost to remove them again when the road is widened.

The estimated cost of providing a kerb on this section of the trunk road A.33 is £1,060. The kerb will not have to be removed when the road is widened, as the existing carriageway will be retained in its present position as one of the dual carriageways ultimately intended. The plans for this scheme were settled before I undertook a review of road kerbing in rural areas.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation which six Cornish roads carry most traffic during July, August and September, and in the other months of the year, respectively; and the traffic densities for each road.

Information month by month is not available, and I must ask the hon. Member to await the results of the comprehensive traffic census taken last August.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he will arrange for a temporary bridge at Whitby during the month that the main bridge connecting the two parts of the town will be closed for repair, so as to avoid the activities of the town being largely paralysed during this period.

The provision of alternative facilities while the bridge is under repair is a matter in the first instance for the Whitby Urban District Council and the North Riding County Council, but I would consider sympathetically for grant any proposals which they may make to me.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if the realignment of the trunk road and the construction of a fly-over junction at Barloan, Dumbarton, will be carried out in the 1955 programme; or when this work will be done.

I have no statement to make on this subject at present.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what steps he is taking to provide a pathway in Roehampton Lane, S.W.15, wide enough to enable children from the Eastwood Estate to reach Huntingfield Road School without danger.

My divisional road engineer is discussing with the London County Council an improvement scheme which will include such a footpath and to which I hope to give early approval.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation when the scheme to link Wandsworth Bridge with East Hill and Trinity Road will be proceeded with.

I cannot say when I shall be able to make a grant towards this link road.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he will amplify the reference to parking in the Royal Parks, contained in his Department's letter of 19th November to the Westminster Chamber of Commerce.

This part of the letter referred to does not accurately represent my views, and I am informing the Westminster Chamber of Commerce that they must regard this letter as withdrawn. The policy of H.M. Government in regard to parking in the Royal Parks was stated by my hon. Friend the Minister of Works in reply to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Billericay (Mr. Braine) on 14th December.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation to make a statement on the progress towards building a new bridge at Slapton, Buckinghamshire; whether agreement has yet been reached between the Buckingham County Council and the British Transport Commission as to the apportionment of cost; and when the new bridge is likely to be opened for traffic.

I am glad to be able to tell my hon. Friend that the Buckinghamshire County Council, as highway authority, has prepared a scheme and obtained tenders, and has reached agreement with the British Transport Commission on the apportionment of cost. The new bridge should be open in the summer of 1955.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation the establishment in the catering services at London Airport; and by how many, at the latest convenient date, the personnel employed fell short of establishment.

I have no catering staff at London Airport. Catering for passengers and the general public is carried out under contract let to B.O.A.C., and the numbers employed are determined by it.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he is aware that arrivals and departures of aircraft at London Airport are being delayed by overcrowding in the air; and what consultations he has had on the matter.

Some aircraft recently have been delayed at London Airport on arrival and take-off. This is inevitable when bad weather disrupts the flow of traffic. Severe storms have also occasionally affected the efficiency of the radar on the runway, and once recently the radiotelephone in an aircraft in flight failed and other traffic had to be held off until it had safely left the area.My Department is continually in consultation with the Ministry of Supply on equipment questions and with the Service Departments and the operators on operational procedure, so as to make the most efficient use of the available airspace and minimise delays. These delays will also be much reduced when Gatwick Airport is in operation, and I am, therefore, pressing on as rapidly as I can with that airport.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation how many firms have been invited to tender for the catering contract in the new passenger building at London Airport; and whether applications will be considered from catering firms not so invited.

Invitations to tender have been sent to 57 firms. The tenders are returnable on 31st December. The list includes all caterers thought likely to be interested and capable of undertaking the job satisfactorily, but there is nothing to prevent any who may have been overlooked from applying to my Department for the tender documents.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what alterations in existing airfields he proposes to make in order to accommodate the successor to the Pionair and the Rapide in the service to the Highlands and Islands.

The answer depends on what aircraft will replace Pionairs and Rapides on these services, but I think it unlikely that any alterations to existing aerodromes will be required.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation (1) the number of enforcement staff employed by the East Midlands Licensing Authority;(2) the number of successful prosecutions undertaken by the East Midlands Licensing Authority since 1950;(3) when the Licensing Authority of the East Midlands Area last revoked a licence.

The Licensing Authority for the East Midland Traffic Area has 25 traffic and vehicle examiners engaged on enforcement work. In addition driving examiners undertake enforcement work when they are not needed for driving tests. The number of successful prosecutions undertaken by the authority since 1950 is 3,277. The last occasion when a licence was revoked by the authority was on the 10th of this month.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation when he expects to receive the report of the Committee of Inquiry into London Transport, under the chairmanship of Mr. Chambers.

I hope to receive the Committee's report by the end of January.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he will make it compulsory to all riders of motor cycles to wear crash helmets when riding on the public highways.

No, but I shall continue to do all I can to encourage the wearing of helmets by motor cyclists.

asked the Minister of Defence the number of Service personnel who have become unfit for duty through excessive weight.

In recent years, an average of about four a year have been invalided for obesity.

asked the Minister of Defence what would be the total cost for the year 1955 of raising the Service retired pay of all officers who retired before September, 1950, to the rates applicable to those who retired after that date; and what the estimated cost would be in 1957, and in 1960, respectively.

About £1,850,000, £1,570,000 and £1,200,000, respectively.

asked the Minister of Defence how many retired officers and other ranks pensioners of the three Services are at present drawing retired pay or pensions at rates fixed before 1919; in how many cases the rates were fixed in 1877, 1881, or 1887, respectively; and by what percentages the original purchasing values of these rates have declined since they were fixed.

About 50 officers and 520 other ranks of the Royal Navy, the Army, and the former Indian Armed Forces, are at present drawing retired pay or pensions at rates fixed before 1919, without increase under the various pensions increase schemes. The years 1877, 1881 and 1887 though they represent the dates of successive Army warrants, have no application to naval awards. As regards the last part of the Question, I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 8th July, 1953, by the Economic Secretary to the Treasury. I am sending him a copy.

asked the Minister of Defence what instructions are to be issued to members of Her Majesty's forces in the new Manuals of Military Law and Air Force Law, respectively, regarding the legality of the use of nuclear weapons and the circumstances in which such weapons may lawfully be used.

I am unable to anticipate the publication of these manuals.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what steps he is taking to encourage the creation of a project, such as exists in Norway and Sweden, whereby contributions by private citizens or organisations to the Technical Assistance Programme or other relief programmes of the United Nations Agencies are doubled out of Government funds.

None. I am informed that no project such as the hon. Member describes exists in Norway or Sweden.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs the estimated net gain to United Kingdom balances of payments from the Technical Assistance Programme of the United Nations.

None. From the inception of this Programme in 1950 up to 30th June, 1954, £1,889,082 were spent in the United Kingdom, compared with United Kingdom contributions totalling £2,035,000 for the same period.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on the arrest of Werner Naumann and seven other neo-Nazis by the British authorities and their subsequent release by the West German Government.

I have nothing to add to the answer I gave on 13th December to the hon. Member for West Ham, North (Mr. Lewis).

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has now looked into the matter to ascertain whether it is practicable to make available to hon. Members the text of the statement made by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in the course of a television interview on 12th December.

Yes. I am arranging for a copy of the transcript of the interview to be placed in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has now examined the practicability of making available in the OFFICIAL REPORT the verbatim account of the Minister of State's remarks on United Kingdom policy on Formosa, as made in his recent television interview in the United States of America.

Yes. I am arranging for a copy of the transcript of the interview to be placed in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what communications he has received from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics regarding the Russo-British Treaty of Alliance concluded in 1942.

On 23rd October, 13th November, and 9th December, the Soviet Government delivered Notes in the course of which they stated their view that the London and Paris Agreements were incompatible with the Anglo-Soviet Treaty of 1942. On 20th December, the Soviet Government delivered a further Note in which they accused Her Majesty's Government of crudely violating their obligations as an Ally under the Anglo-Soviet Treaty by becoming a participant in the Paris Agreements. The Note went on to state that the act of ratifying the Paris Agreements would cancel out and annul the Treaty and added that, after ratification of the Agreements, the Soviet Government would have no other alternative but to put forward for examination by the Praesidium of the Supreme Soviet of the U.S.S.R. a proposal for annulling the Anglo-Soviet Treaty.Her Majesty's Government do not accept the Soviet contention that the Paris Agreements are inconsistent with the obligations assumed by Her Majesty's Government under the Treaty. They do not propose to be deflected by threats of this nature from pursuing their chosen policy of reinforcing the security and stability of Western Europe.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what action was taken by the British High Commissioner for Austria to support the request by the Austrian Government to the Allied Council for authority to buy helicopters and light aircraft for rescue work; and the result.

The British High Commissioner, together with his French and American colleagues, recommended that the Austrian Government should be allowed, on humanitarian grounds, to acquire these aircraft to enable them to deal with any repetition of the disasters which had ocurred in Alpine regions in previous winters. The Austrian request was, I regret to say, vetoed by the Soviet High Commissioner.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will make a statement on the recent discussions with the financial delegation from Jordan.

The British and Jordanian Delegations examined in detail the revised Five-Year Plan for Jordan's economic development as agreed between the two Governments in 1953. In the light of these discussions Her Majesty's Government reaffirm their intention of co-operating with the Jordan Government in their efforts to improve the Jordan economy.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will make available to the House the text of the agreement between the Persian Government and the consortium of oil companies.

Yes. I am arranging for copies to be placed in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he is aware that a colour bar is still imposed at some restaurants in Nairobi; and what steps are being taken to remove such discrimination.

Yes, but the situation has greatly improved in recent years. The Kenya Government deprecates the existence of a social colour bar but believes, rightly in my view, that its progressive removal can best be achieved by the continuing development of public opinion.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what request for financial aid from the United States Foreign Operations Administration has been forwarded to him by the Royal Technical College of Nairobi.

The East Africa High Commission has applied on behalf of the Royal Technical College for a grant from the Foreign Operations Administration of £140,500 for buildings and equipment, and $19,180 for advisory services. The object is to develop the engineering training facilities of the College. The application has been transmitted to the American authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies (1) what the Kenya Government have decided in regard to implementation of the Carpenter Report and particularly in regard to the proposed family wage;(2) whether copies of the White Paper giving the decisions of the Government of Kenya on the recommendations of the Carpenter Report will be made available to hon. Members.

The decisions of the Kenya Government on the Carpenter Report cannot be stated briefly. They are contained in Kenya Sessional Paper No. 21 of 1954, two copies of which have now been placed in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will make a statement on the position of Colonel Arthur Young, who was seconded to the service of the Government of Kenya.

Hon. Members will have seen from Press reports that Colonel Young, whose temporary appointment as Commissioner of Police in Kenya was not due to terminate till next March, has resigned. I was aware that certain differences of opinion had arisen between Colonel Young and the Kenya Government on the status of the police, but had hoped that these would be resolved by discussion in Kenya. I am awaiting a full report from the Governor.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what steps are being taken to find more markets for the products of Kenya's pineapple-canning industry.

I am obtaining the information required by the hon. Member and will write to him as soon as it is available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he is aware of the smuggling of cocoa between Togoland, under United Kingdom trusteeship, and Togoland, under French trusteeship; and what steps he is taking in the matter.

The smuggling of cocoa from the Gold Coast and Togo-land under United Kingdom trusteeship is an offence under Gold Coast law. The Government of the Gold Coast have strengthened their control of the border and over the carriage of cocoa within the Territory and I am informed that these measures have been effective.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the conditions of the four-year agreement entered upon by the Government of Mauritius with the Government of Burma for the supply of rice to Mauritius.

This agreement provides or the supply to Mauritius of Milchar No. 1 parboiled rice amounting to 40,000 tons in 1954, and 30,000 to 50,000 tons in each of the years 1955 to 1957 inclusive, at a commencing price of £54 8s. 11d. f.o.b. in 1954 reducing by £2 a ton in each subsequent year. It also provides that in the event of Burma contracting to sell rice to any other Government at a lower price such price will also apply to sales to Mauritius.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many teachers in primary, secondary, and other schools, respectively, in Cyprus are appointed, paid, and pensioned, by the Greek Government.

No teachers in Cyprus are directly appointed by the Greek Government but about a quarter of those in secondary schools, though actually appointed by the governing bodies of the schools, are Greek nationals, some of whom have been recruited by those bodies through the Greek Ministry of Education. The Cyprus Government have no official knowledge that any teachers receive either pay or pension from the Greek Government, but they have reason to believe that, by arrangements made directly with individuals, some retired teachers do receive pensions, or supplements to pensions, from that Government.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies by what authority the Governor of Northern Rhodesia declared the publications listed in General Notice No. 237 of 1954; and if he will arrange for copies of these publications to be placed in the Library.

The import and circulation of these publications were prohibited by the Governor in Council under Section 53 of the Penal Code as containing matter contrary to the public interest. I regret that I do not think it practicable to obtain and to place in the Library the publications involved; several are published abroad, including some which emanate from the headquarters of Communist organisations on the Continent; and many are periodicals.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies for what reasons Paramount Chief Mpezeni and Senior Chief Nsefu of Northern Rhodesia have been threatened with deposition; and what conditions have been proposed subject to which they might retain office.

The administrative record and general conduct of Paramount Chief Mpezeni has recently made it necessary for the Provincial Commissioner to warn him that unless he improves it will become necessary to recommend his deposition to the Governor. Senior Chief Nsefu has not been threatened with deposition.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies (1) if the power to transfer prisoners to a country outside the Federation has yet been transferred from the territorial Government to the Federal Government of Central Africa;(2) if the prisons of Northern Rhodesia have yet been transferred to the control of the Government of the Federation of Central Africa from the Government of Northern Rhodesia.

Responsibility for prisons and for the transfer of prisoners was assumed by the Federal Government on 1st December.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if the technical education of Africans in Central Africa has yet been transferred to the Federal Administration from the territorial Administration.

The Federal Government have assumed responsibility for higher education, which would include any institutions offering more advanced technological courses to any races. Technical education for Africans at lower levels is and will remain a territorial responsibility.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies why Mr. M. Y. Chibambo, after serving his sentence in prison, has been rusticated to Port Herald in Nyasaland; in particular, why he is not allowed to live with his family; why he is barred from any post other than that of a low-paid government clerk; and when the Government of Nyasaland intends to allow him to return home to the Lomba district.

Mr. Chibambo was sentenced to 15 months' imprisonment last year on charges of doing an act with seditious intent, with uttering seditious words and with attempting to undermine the lawful power and authority of a native authority. The court recommended that a Restriction Order be made in his case, and this came into operation on his release from prison on 12th July, 1954.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many and which Colonies allow unrestricted immigration of British nationals from Great Britain and Northern Ireland irrespective of health and financial circumstances, and of the necessity of being of good character.

No Colonial Territories allow the unrestricted immigration of British subjects not belonging to the Territory. The restrictions vary in accordance with the laws of the individual Territories and in most Territories include those mentioned by my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many children of Colonial Service officers were able this year to take advantage of facilities for free transport from this country to their parents in the Colonies; whether the scheme was also available to such children who are not living or being educated in this country; and if he will consider an extension of this arrangement.

There is no scheme of general application to all Colonial Territories, and the number of free passages given by colonial Governments during the year is not available in the Colonial Office. The provision of free or assisted passages for children is a matter for colonial Governments and there is considerable variation in practice. Any extension of existing arrangements is a matter for the colonial Governments concerned. If, however, the hon. Member has any particular Territory or particular type of case in mind and will let me know, I may be able to give him some more information.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many monetary awards have been given to surrendered terrorists in Malaya for having killed their colleagues before surrendering; and the average amount paid in those cases.

Forty-one rewards of this kind were paid between the 1st January, 1952, and the 31st October, 1954. No figures are available before the earlier of those dates. Since the records of such awards paid to surrendered terrorists are not kept separately from those paid to ordinary loyal citizens, or from awards paid for capture or information, it would be difficult to establish accurately the figure asked for in the second part of the Question.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what currency we have to pay for West Indian bauxite when we buy for home purposes.

Sterling.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has any information to give the House about the official tour which Her Royal Highness the Princess Margaret is to make in the Caribbean next year.

The visit of Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh to Bermuda and Jamaica last year evoked not only tremendous enthusiasm in those Colonies, but also a keen desire throughout the British Caribbean that a member of the Royal Family should be invited to make a really extensive official tour there as soon as possible.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will make a statement about the progress of sewerage schemes in rural areas.

Rural sewerage schemes to the value of nearly £33 million have been authorised since the war. Similar schemes continue to be authorised at a rate of about £6½ million a year.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government which local authorities now have six or more families per 1,000 of the population in requisitioned premises; the number of families per 1,000 population in each case; and the total number of families in requisitioned premises in each case.

Up-to-date information is not readily available, and I will write to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how soon he expects to be able to announce action to implement the recommendations of the Departmental Committee on the Adoption of Children; and if, in this connection, be will bear in mind the special problem of children of divorced parents who may at present be ineligible for adoption through their parents' negligence.

I have nothing to add at present to the reply given on 11th November to the hon. Member for Accrington (Mr. H. Hynd). I am not clear what point the hon. Member has in mind in the second half of the Question.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish a statement showing the number of Parliamentary electors for 1953 and 1954 in each of the county boroughs and county districts in the geographical counties in which the Boundary Commissioners for England recommend, in the appendices to the Report, an alteration to the constituencies; and if he will supply similar figures for each of the Metropolitan boroughs.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is aware that a boy of 18 years of age, residing in the county borough of Gateshead, was sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment for refusing to undergo a medical examination for National Service; and whether he will recommend clemency in this case in view of the excellent character of this boy.

I have made inquiries into this case. The young man concerned was sentenced on 9th November, 1954, by a magistrates' court to 12 months' imprisonment for failing to obey a court order to submit himself to medical examination under the National Service Act, 1948. He did not appeal to quarter sessions. His application for registration as a conscientious objector had been rejected by the local and appellate tribunals. It is for the court to decide what is the appropriate penalty in a particular case, within the limits prescribed by law, and after carefully considering the representations brought to my notice by the hon. Member I can find no grounds on which I should be justified in recommending any special remission of the sentence which the court considered appropriate in this case, and against which the prisoner did not appeal.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department the reasons for debarring suitably qualified veterinary surgeons from appointment to inspectorships under the Cruelty to Animals Act, 1876; and whether he will now consent to remove the ban on such appointments.

I would refer the right hon. Gentleman to paragraph 40 of the Report of the Committee on the Pay and Organisation of Civil Service Medical Staffs issued in 1951.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made with the road construction schemes announced by his predecessor on 8th December, 1953; and if he will make a statement giving the present position of each.

The present position of the road schemes which were announced by my predecessor is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the latest figures of overcrowding in primary and secondary schools in Dunbartonshire, respectively; and the corresponding figures for the rest of Scotland.

The position at 15th January, 1954, the latest date for which information is available, was as follows:

—	Total number of classes	Number of oversize classes
Dunbartonshire
Primary departments	483	122
Secondary departments	210	7
Scotland (excluding Dunbartonshire)
Primary departments	17,060	1,321
Secondary departments	6,509	237

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the comparable amounts spent per head of the population on technical education, in the counties and cities of Scotland, respectively.

On the basis of the estimated population in mid-1953, the amounts spent per head of the population on further education in the counties and cities of Scotland in 1953–54 were £·28 and £·51 respectively. Precise figures for expenditure on technical education are not available, but it is estimated that in 1953–54 it amounted to about 56 per cent. of the expenditure on further education incurred by county education authorities and to about 68 per cent. of that incurred by city education authorities. This expenditure does not include the provision for advanced technical education made in central institutions, the total expenditure on which for 1952–53 (the latest year available) was about £1·3 million, excluding capital expenditure.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will make a statement about the future of the Highlands Panel.

The Panel's present term of office expires on 20th January, 1955, and, as I am satisfied that it continues to serve a valuable purpose in relation to Highland affairs, I propose to re-appoint it for a further period of four years. The hon. Member for the Western Isles (Mr. M. MacMillan), whose services as Chairman have placed Her Majesty's Government heavily in his debt, has resigned that office, and I propose to appoint in his place the present Deputy-Chairman, Sir John Cameron, Q.C., Dean of the Faculty of Advocates. I am grateful to him for agreeing to add this to his many other responsibilities.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the number of tuberculosis cases reported and the number undergoing hospital treatment, at the latest convenient date.

At 30th September, 1954, the number of in-patients undergoing treatment for respiratory tuberculosis was 5,836. Provisional notifications of respiratory tuberculosis during the preceding 12 months were 7,288.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if Duke Street Prison, Glasgow, has now ceased to be used for prison purposes; and what proposals have been formulated for the demolition of the buildings and the future of the site.

Duke Street Prison will be closed next spring when the adaptations at Greenock Prison to provide alternative accommodation for the women prisoners are complete. As stated in reply to the hon. Member's Question on 11th May, I asked Glasgow Corporation, as the planning authority, to submit revised proposals for the area which includes the prison site. I understand that the corporation has the matter under consideration, but no firm proposals have yet been submitted to me.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is yet in a position to make a statement about the replacement of the aircraft at present used in the Scottish Air Ambulance Service.

My right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation has advised that the D.H. Rapides at present in use in the Air Ambulance Service ought to be replaced as soon as possible. I have, therefore, agreed that British European Airways should purchase and operate on my behalf two D.H. Herons. I have reserved the right to ask for their replacement by the twin-engined Prestwick Pioneer, now being developed by Scottish Aviation Ltd., when the latter aircraft is in production, if it proves the more suitable for ambulance use.

asked the Minister of Health if he will consider the general use in maternity hospitals of the plastic identification band, a sample of which has been sent to him by the hon. Member of Shoreditch and Finsbury, in which a printed and numbered band for the mother has a numbered counterpart for the baby, which cannot be removed, and which obviates the possibility of mistakes in identity of babies born in hospitals.

I will, of course, consider this, but it appears simply to be a variant of the method commonly used in this country.

asked the Minister of Health how many mentally-defective children are awaiting admission to mental hospitals and institutions from the Liverpool and Manchester Regional Hospital Board areas; the figures for each area and each year since the boards were established; and the figures for the county borough of Birkenhead.

The most recently available figures are:

Liverpool Regional Hospital Board	Manchester Regional Hospital Board	Birkenhead Country Borough
4th December, 1954	4th December, 1954	30th November, 1954
267	386	21

For previous years reliable figures are available only since 1951 and for the Manchester Regional Hospital Board area and the area of the Birkenhead County Borough. They are:

	Manchester Regional Hospital Board	Birkenhead Country Borough
31st December, 1951	342	38
31st December, 1952	361	37
31st December, 1953	358	26

Lists of mentally-defective children awaiting admission to mental hospitals or institutions from the Liverpool Regional Hospital Board area before 1954 were kept both by the Liverpool Regional Hospital Board and the Manchester Regional Hospital Board. These figures contain some duplication and are misleading for purposes of comparison.

asked the Minister of Health if his attention has been drawn to paragraph 143 of the Report of the Central Health Services Council's Committee on the Internal Administration of Hospitals; if he is aware that the medical superintendent of a mental hospital receives no additional remuneration in respect of the responsibilities imposed on him by Statute; and what steps he will take to ensure that the best qualified and most experienced psychiatric consultants are encouraged to apply for these positions.

I am aware of the recommendation but I am not yet in a position to make any statement. Any proposed changes in remuneration would be the concern in the first place of the Medical Whitley Council.

asked the Prime Minister if he will inform the House on the details of a recent letter he has received from the Ex-Army Schoolmasters' Association.

Yes. The text of the letter which I received from the President of the Ex-Army Schoolmasters' Association reads as follows:"2, Hillcrest Avenue, Edgware.15th December, 1954.SIR,I was very perturbed when I read that, in the House last week, you described Colonel George Wigg as an Army Schoolmaster.Colonel Wigg never was a member of the old Corps of Army Schoolmasters. My Corps was dissolved in 1919 and the Army Educational Corps was formed. The main difference between the two groups was that the members of the old one had four years' training in one of the Army Training Colleges for schoolmasters and were all 'trained certificated teachers,' whereas when the A.E.C. was formed its members did not have to have any college training as teachers. In other words, we were all professionals while the A.E.C., to which Colonel Wigg at one time belonged, consisted mainly of laymen. Consequently, we resent the untrained men being classed as Army schoolmasters.I should deem it a great compliment to the members of my Association if you could take the earliest opportunity of making the position clear.On behalf of my Association, may I wish you the compliments of the seasonI am, Sir,Yours respectfully,S. L. MECKIFF,President,Ex-Army Schoolmasters' Association."

asked the Minister of Health whether he will seek the co-operation of the British Dental Association in order to find a solution to the problem of providing an emergency dental service in industrial areas outside normal surgery hours.

Yes. I am most anxious to find a solution to the practical difficulties of this problem. I am constantly in touch with the British Dental Association, on whose help I know I can rely.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what action he proposes to take, in view of recent court decisions, about his method of dispossessing farmers.

I am considering the question of an appeal against the judgment in the two cases before the Divisional Court last week. In the meanwhile I have suspended action on proposals for dispossession orders which are pending.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations what representations he has received advocating changes in the structure of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland; and if he will make a statement.

New School Places
Period		Started			Taken into use
		Primary	Secondary	Total	Primary	Secondary	Total
Year ending:—
1st October, 1946	…	16,420	45,280	61,700	13,560	8,670	22,230
1st October, 1947	…	52,450	93,305	145,755	20,440	47,900	68,340
1st October, 1948	…	88,290	80,775	169,065	26,285	90,625	116,910
1st October, 1949	…	106,460	55,635	162,095	75,198	63,903	139,101
1st October, 1950	…	162,400	70,780	233,180	86,684	41,945	128,629
1st October, 1951	…	154,110	75,835	229,945	115,163	38,972	154,135
1st October, 1952	…	92,660	43,750	136,410	144,905	42,710	187,615
1st October, 1953	…	125,580	97,000	222,580	176,550	80,930	257,480
1st October, 1954	…	115,930	125,620	241,550	137,010	75,310	212,320

asked the Minister of Education whether he will recommend the setting up of a Royal Commission to investigate the welfare and educational

None. But I am aware that suggestions have been made that the Federation should be dissolved and Northern Rhodesia be partitioned, part being amalgamated with Southern Rhodesia, and the remaining parts, together with Nyasaland, reverting to the position of separate Protectorates. Any such suggestion is wholly unacceptable to Her Majesty's Government.They adhere to the maintenance of the Federal Constitution, the principle of which is that all the three constituent Territories are embraced within the Federation. They are satisfied that the right course for all concerned with the affairs of Central Africa is to lend all their efforts to make a success of the great Federal undertaking which was inaugurated last year and which is developing so well.

asked the Minister of Education the number of primary and secondary school places started and brought into use during the last 12 months, with comparisons for previous years since 1945.

The following is the information required:services provided for handicapped children and to make recommendations for necessary improvements.

No. My right hon. Friend has no doubt that local education authorities are alive to their responsibili- ties for meeting the needs of handicapped children. The facilities available are being increased and improved as rapidly as resources allow.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer under what statutory authority the Commissioners of Customs and Excise hand over without charge tobacco and cigarettes seized under the Customs Acts to the bodies mentioned in the Revenue Department's Appropriation Accounts, 1953–54.

The authority is Section 275 of the Customs and Excise Act, 1952, which provides inter alia that goods forfeited under the provisions of that Act shall be disposed of in such manner as the Commissioners of Customs and Excise may direct.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many intended investigations into under-assessment of Income Tax, both on profits and untaxed interest, are now awaiting attention.

About 30,000 in all.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how the results of investigations into under-assessment of taxes on income and profits so far completed in the current year compare with the results for the previous year to 31st March, 1954.

The number of larger cases settled in the first six months of the current financial year exceeds half of the total number of such cases settled in the previous financial year.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the total number of cases, and the total of tax and penalties received, where back duty has been recovered following investigations into under-assessment of taxes on income and profits for the 10 years to 31st March, 1954; and what progress has been made in overtaking arrears of suspected cases of fraud and evasion.

During the 10 years to 31st March, 1954, 44,917 cases of under-assessment have been settled for a total sum of £70,874,284. These figures exclude the smaller cases of the class dealt with in paragraph 77 of the 96th Report of the Commissioners of Inland Revenue. Steady progress is being made in disposing of outstanding cases.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the total tax revenue and the total national income, respectively, in each year since 1945; and the former figure, expressed as a percentage of the latter, in each of those years.

The figures requested are as follows, and are derived from "National Income and Expenditure 1946 to 1953":

£ million
		(1)	(2)	(3)
—		Gross national product (a)	Central Government receipts from taxation (b)	(2) as percentage of (1)
1946	…	8,646	3,141	36·3
1947	…	9,210	3,137	34·1
1948	…	10,250	3,513	34·3
1949	…	10,970	3,689	33·6
1950	…	11,545	3,707	32·1
1951	…	12,715	4,008	31·5
1952	…	13,738	4,206	30·6
1953	…	14,796	4,196	28·4

(

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the total deductions made from stakes on the horse-racing totalisator and the greyhound-racing totalisator, and what proportion of the deductions is remitted to the Exchequer by way of tax or duty by the Racecourse Betting Control Board and the greyhound racing companies, respectively.

The deductions from stakes on horse-racing totalisators represent something between 10 and 11 per cent. of the total stakes. The deductions from stakes on greyhound-racing totalisators amount to approximately 16 per cent. of the total stakes, including the deduction of 10 per cent. of the total stakes which greyhound racing companies are required to make for payment of Pool Betting Duty under Section 6 of the Finance (No. 2) Act, 1947. This duty does not extend to horse-race totalisator betting.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury if he will give consideration to the abolition of Purchase Tax upon crash helmets in the Budget of 1955.

As my right hon. Friend has more than once pointed out to the House, there are great difficulties in the way of singling out these articles for a special tax exemption.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power the quantities of sulphur found in coal, coke, and Coalite, respectively.

The average sulphur content of British coal is about 1·6 per cent. In relation to the amount of heat provided, rather less sulphur gas is produced from coke or Coalite than from coal.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he has any further statement to make about the amalgamation of local fuel offices.

As I explained to the House on 25th October, my right hon. Friend has been arranging for the work of local fuel overseers to be concentrated in fewer offices where this could be done without undue inconvenience to the public. Experience has shown that an efficient service can be provided at a considerably reduced cost for larger areas than many of those still left. My right hon. Friend has therefore now instructed his regional officers to invite the local authorities concerned to co-operate in arranging such further substantial concentrations of the local fuel overseers' work as may be practicable. He is sure that his officers can rely, as in the past, on the co-operation of the local authorities.

asked the Minister of Food what quantities of Cheshire cheeses were disposed of during the past 10 months by his Department as being unfit for human consumption; and what price per lb. was received for the cheeses.

900 tons, at an average price of about 1d. per 1b.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what he estimates the net cost would be if family allowances were paid not till the fixed age of 16 years, but until the child ceased whole-time schooling, making allowance for the fact that there would be a reduction in cost for those children who started work at 15 years of age.

At present, family allowances continue for a child under full-time instruction up to 1st August following the 16th birthday. To substitute the 18th birthday would add about £1¼ million to the cost. There would be no such saving as the hon. Member suggests, as the allowance already ceases if the child leaves school on attaining the upper limit of the compulsory school age.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what would be the total cost in allowing the British retirement pensions payable in Eire to those eligible to be at the same rate as those about to become payable in the United Kingdom.

I regret that this information is not readily available.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance the number of persons assisted by each of the area offices of the National Assistance Board during 1953; and the percentage of that number in each case to the population in the area for which the area office is responsible.

As the boundaries of a large number of the Board's areas do not coincide with those of local authority or other areas for which population figures are available it is regretted that the information asked for in the last part of the Question cannot be given. I am writing to my hon. Friend as regards the other information for which he asks.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance the number of certified pneumoconiosis cases for the last 12 months in the mining industry in Scotland and the county of Lanark, respectively; and how such certifications compare with the last three years.

The following table gives the latest available figures:

PNEUMOCONIOSIS: COALMINING CASES DIAGNOSED UNDER THE NATIONAL INSURANCE (INDUSTRIAL INJURIES) ACTS
—	1951	1952	1953	January to June, 1954
Scotland	468	454	799	556
County of Lanark	201	199	412	*
* No figures for 1954 are yet available.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of persons registered as unemployed in North Buckinghamshire at the last recorded date; and how many vacancies were unfilled at the employment exchanges at the same period.

For the Buckingham, Winslow, Newport Pagnall, Wolverton and Bletchley Employment Exchanges combined the figures were as follows:

—	Men aged 18 and over	Women aged 18 and over	Total
Numbers registered as unemployed at 6th December, 1954	50	40	90
Numbers of notified vacancies remaining unfilled at 17th November, 1954	425	130	555

The figures exclude young persons under 18, who are covered by returns rendered by the Aylesbury Youth Employment Office.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what plans the North-West Industrial Estates have for building new factories on land made available for the purpose in the county borough of Birkenhead; and by what means he now proposes to bring new industries to the town.

We are continuing to bring factory sites which are available at Birkenhead and other parts of the Merseyside Development Area to the attention of industrialists, and are prepared in suitable cases to provide Government financed factories there.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how soon he expects to make a review of the location of industry policy of Her Majesty's Government; and whether, when such a review is undertaken he will bear in mind the importance of encouraging the development of new light industries in areas where more miners must be attracted to the basic industry of coal mining.

There is no present intention to conduct a review of location of industry policy.