asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance (1) if he will state in tabular form the number of claims made, the number of claims allowed, and the number of claims disallowed for disablement benefits; the number of claims made for death benefits, the number allowed, the number disallowed, and the amount of money paid out to each class of case, during the period from 10th March, 1952, up to and including 31st December, 1954, under the Pneumoconiosis and Byssinosis Scheme, which came into operation on 10th March, 1952; and the total amount of benefits paid out;(2) if he will state the number of claims made, the number of claims allowed and the number of claims disallowed under the Pneumoconiosis and Byssinosis Scheme, 1954, which became operative on 8th November, 1954, up to and including Saturday, 29th January, 1955.

I am sending the hon. Member all the available information.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance whether he will now schedule cadmium poisoning as an industrial disease.

My right hon. Friend is referring to the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council the question whether, in the light of the report by a member of the staff of the Medical Research Council, cadmium poisoning should be prescribed and, if so, for what occupations.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if the statement issued after the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation meeting of December last, with regard to the responsibility for putting plans into action involving the use of atomic and thermonuclear weapons, covered the United States Strategic Air Command as well as other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation forces.

My right hon. Friend explained the communiqué to which the hon. Member refers in his statement of 22nd December last. It was clear that the Military Committee's Report applied only to Forces under the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation command. The United States Strategic Air Command is not included among those Forces.As the communiqué issued in January, 1952, made clear, that part of the U.S. Air Force which is based in the U.K. will only operate with the consent of Her Majesty's Government.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will refer to the Security Council of the United Nations the recent United States intervention in Formosa as being a threat to peace, in view of the violation of Article 2, paragraph 7, of the United Nations Charter.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what action is being taken to obtain redress for the British shareholders of the Egyptian Delta Light Railway Limited, an old-established British company, the assets of which have been seized by the Egyptian Government and are now being operated by the Egyptian State Railways without rental.

The matter has been informally raised by Her Majesty's Embassy with the Egyptian Government. At present, however, two lawsuits, brought by the representatives in Egypt of the company's debenture holders, are pending, and the matter is therefore sub judice. The Egyptian Government have appointed a Commission to inquire into the situation of the company and to make recommendations. The report of this Commission has not yet been received but the situation will be carefully watched.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power to give figures to show how stocks of household coal in Scotland compare with those held at this time last year.

164,000 tons on 15th January, compared with 173,000 tons a year ago.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what plans his Department has made to ensure that Glamorgan and Monmouthshire enjoy parity of opportunity with industrial areas of Eng land when atomic power becomes available for industrial use.

Glamorgan and Monmouthshire will get their full share of electricity generated by atomic power since this will be fed into the national grid.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what further action he is taking to encourage the demand for smokeless fuel; and to what extent both the demand and the supply of such stocks have increased.

Domestic consumption of solid smokeless fuel has increased by nearly 10 per cent, in the past 12 months. As to the encouragement of demand in future, I cannot at present add to the statement made to the House by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Housing and Local Government on 25th January about the Government's attitude to the clean air policy recommended by the Beaver Committee.

asked the Minister of Food how the United Kingdom voted in the United Nations Second Committee on the proposal to establish a world food re serve; and if he will make a statement.

The United Kingdom voted in favour of the resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 14th December. This requested the Secretary-General to invite the Food and Agriculture Organisation to prepare for submission to the Economic and Social Council a factual and comprehensive report on what has been and is being done on the question of a world food reserve.

asked the Minister of Food what steps he is taking to control the colouring materials put into foodstuffs so as to ensure that no substances deleterious to human health will be added.

The use of certain colouring matters including certain coal-tar colours is already prohibited.A report of the Food Standards Committee on the addition to foods of colouring matters, including coal-tar colours, has recently been published. As is customary, it is proposed to await representations from interested parties before reaching a decision on the Committee's recommendations.

asked the Minister of Food what type of dye is used for the purpose of colouring some types of sugar, details of which have been sent to him, purple, yellow, and green; and whether he will make a statement on the possible dangers to health that are involved.

The Public Health (Preservatives in Food) Regulations forbid the use of five named coal-tar colours, but I have no reason to suppose that any one of these is being used in the coloured sugars in question. If the hon. Member has any information to the contrary, I should be glad if he would let me have it.

asked the Minister of Food whether he is now in a position to announce what action he is taking in regard to the profit margin in the baking industry, in view of the fact that many thousands of small bakers have had to close already.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Sunderland, North (Mr. Willey) on 27th January.

asked the Minister of Food what steps he proposes to take to assure an equitable distribution of home-killed fresh meat in the spring.

Supplies will be distributed through the free market, which will ensure that the meat goes where it is most in demand.

asked the Minister of Food what amount has been paid this financial year by way of home-grown cereal deficiency payments; how much it is now estimated will be paid this financial year; 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 amounted to £6·1 million up to 26th January. Deficiency payments for fatstock to 21st January amounted to £36·7 million. As regards the Estimates for the financial year, if the hon. Member will repeat his Question in a fortnight's time, I shall then be in a position to answer it.

asked the Minister of Food the cost to the taxpayer for 1954 in making up guaranteed prices to farmers for cattle, sheep, and pigs, respectively.

The deficiency payments system for livestock was not introduced until 3rd July, 1954. From that date to 31st December, 1954, the guarantee payments for cattle, sheep and pigs amounted to £2·9 million, £5·6 million, and £23·0 million respectively.

asked the Minister of Food if he is aware that the fried fish trade is complaining about the high price of fish; and whether he will consider taking steps to reintroduce price control.

My right hon. Friend is aware of these complaints. That fish is quite unsuited to price control is what led to its decontrol by the late Government.

asked the Minister of Food whether, in view of the recent increase in the prices of meat, he will consider the reimposition of price control.

No. That would not be effective without a return to allocations and the ration book in place of the freedom of choice which the public so evidently enjoy.

asked the Minister of Food if he is aware of the concern at the high prices of beef and that this could have been avoided if a reasonable amount had been released from his Department's stock of imported meat; and, in view of the public interest, if he will make a statement on the matter.

The recent increase in the price of home-killed fresh beef is due to the normal seasonal decline in fat cattle production which was at record levels in the last quarter of 1954. The preference for fresh beef is strong and many customers are prepared to pay higher prices for the seasonally lower supplies now available. Consequently, the demand for imported beef has been much reduced. Ample releases of imported beef have been made by my Department and at no time during the past three months have the importers had on hand less than a month's supply of frozen beef at the prevailing rate of issue. As a result of this policy, the wholesale prices of frozen beef are little different from the reasonable levels which have ruled for it throughout the autumn.

asked the Minister of Food to give an assurance that the management Company to administer the Government-owned cold stores will have articles of association available for inspection; if he will state the names and principal interests of the directors; and when the Company will begin to operate.

The articles of association will be available for inspection.The directors of the Company have not yet been appointed, nor has the date been decided when the Company will begin to operate.

asked the Minister of Food what the loss of £20,876,010 incurred by his Department iii 1953–54 owing to decontrol and the sale of stocks was expressed as a percentage of the purchase price of such stocks.

The provisions made in the accounts of my Department as at 31st March, 1954, for losses on stocks of certain foods represented about 8 per cent. of the cost of trading stocks held at that date.

asked the Minister of Health on what basis he allots priorities for the building of new hospitals, for which there is a growing demand; and what factors continue to prevent the building of a hospital for Swindon and district at a cost of about £4 million, the plans for which have long been approved and which has been postponed year after year owing to lack of funds.

These priorities are decided according to the urgency of the need and the local circumstances of each area. It has not yet been possible to start building a new hospital for Swindon because other demands on the limited resources available have been judged too urgent to allow the commitment of so large a sum for this purpose.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will make a further statement regarding capital allocations to regional hospital boards and boards of governors of teaching hospitals for the financial year 1955–56.

I have nothing to add to what my right hon. Friend said about this in the reply which he gave to the hon. Member on 6th December.

asked the Minister of Health if he is now prepared to make a statement on the observations of the Central Health Services Council with regard to medical superintendents of mental hospitals.

My right hon. Friend does not consider it would be appropriate at the present time to introduce model standing orders for the general government of mental and mental deficiency hospitals defining the functions of the medical superintendent. With regard to the remuneration of medical superintendents of mental and mental deficiency hospitals, I would refer the hon. Member to the second part of my right hon. Friend's reply of 22nd December, 1954.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware of the domestic confusion and distress resulting from the shortage of mental hospital accommodation in the East Midlands; whether the additional buildings now being erected at Aston Hall Hospital will suffice for all the cases now on the waiting list; and when it is hoped to complete these buildings.

My right hon. Friend is fully aware of the position, and he has great sympathy for the families concerned. The additional 120 beds now being provided at Aston Hall Hospital, which are due to be completed at the end of this year, will certainly not meet the full demand for mental deficiency accommodation in this area. But schemes are in progress to extend this hospital to provide a total of 833 beds and at Balderton Hospital, which will also help to relieve the position, to provide a total of 822 beds.

asked the Minister of Health why, when there is a procedure in the general hospitals in the Dartford area authorising a diet allowance of up to 26s. per head weekly, there is no such procedure for mental hospitals in the area; and whether he will state by what method the hon. Member for Dartford can obtain the information as to the weekly diet allowance in the mental hospitals.

It is a matter for the hospital management committees to determine how best to control the expenditure of the sums allocated to them by the regional hospital board. As my right hon. Friend indicated in his reply of 25th January, there is no fixed diet allowance in the mental hospitals in this area; nor does the procedure adopted in the other hospitals in fact constitute a fixed allowance which cannot be varied.

asked the Minister of Health the number of beds vacant at the Rookwood Hospital, Cardiff; the average number of vacant beds at this hospital during the past 12 months; and what steps he is taking to use these beds to relieve the long waiting lists for admission to Cardiff hospitals.

At present there are 118 vacant beds, and the average during the past 12 months has been 108. Subject to the prior admission of war pensioners, my right hon. Friend is arranging for facilities to be used to relieve local waiting lists, and there are already 38 National Health Service patients in the hospital. A further 32 orthopaedic beds are to be brought into use very shortly.

asked the Minister of Health how many additional beds have recently been provided in the maternity wing at All Saints Hospital, Bromsgrove.

Seven.

asked the Minister of Health whether he has considered the Report of the Committee of the Central Health Services Council on the Internal Administration of Hospitals; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend has studied the report with great interest. It contains much useful material and many valuable suggestions, most of which are addressed primarily to the hospital authorities themselves and are for them to consider in the light of their own particular circumstances. In view of the wide sale of the Report, he has no doubt that it is being so studied throughout the country.Some of the recommendations would, if accepted, require direct action by my right hon. Friend and these he is considering and will, where necessary, discuss with the professional organisations con- cerned. On the question of model standing orders defining the functions of medical superintendents of mental and mental deficiency hospitals, I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer given today to the hon. Member for St. Pancras, North (Mr. K. Robinson).

asked the Minister of Health how many cases of tuberculosis were on the registers of chest clinics at the latest convenient date; how many new cases were notified during each of the last two years for which figures are available; and the cost of the tuberculosis services and of Government expenditure on research into tuberculosis in each of these years.

On 31st December, 1953, 283,601 respiratory and 39,569 non-respiratory cases were on the registers of chest clinics in England and Wales; 41,904 respiratory and 6,189 non-respiratory cases were notified in 1952, and 40,917 respiratory and 5,629 non-respiratory in 1953. My right hon. Friend regrets that separate figures for the cost of the services and expenditure on research are not available.

asked the Minister of Health what progress has been made in reducing the cost of certain proprietary medicines.

Discussions have been proceeding with the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, and my right hon. Friend is considering the position now reached. Meanwhile there has been some downward trend in the prices of preparations in those classes which are under investigation, and in addition special provisional reductions have recently been arranged with certain manufacturers in the prices of 19 of these preparations.

asked the Minister of Health the average number of patients on doctors' lists in England and Wales at October, 1951, April, 1953, and at the latest available date.

My right hon. Friend regrets that information is not available for these months. The figures for months near to these are as follows: at 1st January, 1952, the average number on the lists of doctors who were principals was 2,409; the corresponding figure for 1st January, 1953, was 2,325; for 1st July, 1953, it was 2,239; and for 1st July, 1954, it was 2,210.

asked the Attorney-General if he has now considered the Fourth Report of the Law Society on the operation of the Legal Aid Scheme and the recommendation of the Advisory Committee that legal advice centres are now urgently required; and if he will make a statement.

My noble Friend has considered the Report. With regard to the recommendation made by the Advisory Committee, I have nothing to add to the answer I gave my hon. and gallant Friend on 6th December last.

asked the Attorney-General if he will now make a statement on the policy of Her Majesty's Government with regard to extending the facilities of the Legal Aid and Advice Act, 1949, to the local courts in which legal aid may be given in accordance with Part I of the First Schedule to that Act.

It is the intention of my noble Friend the Lord Chancellor to make an Order extending the provisions of the Act to these courts at the same time as he makes his order to extend the Act to the county courts.

asked the Attorney-General when the report of the Royal Commission on Marriage and Divorce will be completed and published.

I have nothing to add to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Dartford (Mr. Dodds) on 25th January.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will take steps to ensure that the St. James's Theatre is neither demolished nor converted for use other than as a theatre.

I am making inquiries of the London County Council, and I will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether, when a preservation order has been made on a building, he will take steps to require the owner to carry out repairs in order to prevent the structure in question being allowed to go to rack and ruin due to neglect.

The effect of a building preservation order is to prevent uncontrolled demolition or alteration of a building. There are no statutory powers to oblige an owner to carry out repairs to his house, if it is unoccupied, and not a danger to the public. If it is occupied as a dwellinghouse, he can be required by the Housing and Public Health Acts to make it fit for human habitation.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government the amount paid under the Local Government Act, 1947, by way of Exchequer Equalisation Grant to the County Borough of Sunderland in 1952–53 and 1953–54.

The amounts paid during 1952–53 and 1953–54 were respectively £373,084 and £475,474.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General how many new telephone kiosks he proposes to install in Berwickshire during the next 12 months.

We expect to install two kiosks in Berwickshire during the coming financial year, one of which will be provided under the rural allocation scheme.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General how many new telephone kiosks he proposes to install in East Lothian during the next 12 months.

We expect to install three kiosks in East Lothian during the coming financial year, one of which will be provided under the rural allocation scheme.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General how many applicants at present residing in the Clissold telephone area are on the waiting list; to give separate figures for private and business applicants; the present average waiting period for private applicants; and the approximate date when the Clissold Telephone Exchange will be converted from manual to automatic working.

There are 200 business applications and 449 residential applications on hand; 226 of these are in course of being met. I regret that the average waiting time cannot be given since this depends upon the availability of lines which varies from one locality to another. During the past 12 months, 564 telephones have been connected, and we plan a considerable increase in the coming year.Good progress is being made with the installation of the new automatic exchange, and we hope to bring it into use in the autumn.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware that no veterinary expert has yet been appointed to the advisory committee set up under the Protection of Birds Act, 1954; and whether, in view of the importance of such appointment, he will, in order to ensure an adequately scientific approach to the protection of birds, arrange to have the deficiency made good at an early date.

I considered this matter carefully before appointing the members of the advisory committee, and it did not seem to me that there were sufficient grounds for appointing a veterinary surgeon. I see no reason to alter this decision. I am grateful to the eminent ornithologists and others who have agreed to serve on the committee, and I have every confidence in their scientific competence.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he will take steps to send officers of his Department to study the effect of the one way working introduced in many streets in the centre of Paris in recent years.

My officers and I are familiar with Paris and the oneway system operating there. A special visit is therefore, unfortunately, unnecessary.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he is aware that the "No waiting" Regulations in Dover Street and Albemarle Street are disregarded almost continuously during the hours they are in operation: and if he will substitute unilateral waiting regulations so that one side of these streets is kept clear of parked vehicles.

I agree that conditions in Albemarle Street and Dover Street are by no means yet satisfactory. In November last I revoked the "No waiting" Regulations in part of Albemarle Street to enable the Commissioner of Police to experiment with unilateral waiting north of Stafford Street. This experiment is now in progress, and results will be carefully studied. I am not at the moment satisfied that similar measures would work in Dover Street, but I will re-examine the position in consultation with the police.

asked the Minister of Defence whether he will give further details of Soviet military strength and that of its satellites and East Germany, including the development of medium-and long-range rockets of the VI and V2 types.

The Soviet Navy, particularly its submarine branch, has continued to expand. Otherwise the size of the Soviet, satellite and East German Forces has not substantially altered since last year. There has been a steady improvement in quality, notably through increased mechanisation and the continued replacement of piston-engined aircraft with jets. As regards rocket development, we know that the Russians have been advised by German experts

asked the President of the Board of Trade if, in order to make comparisons easier, he will have the statistics given in the monthly Trade and Navigation Accounts rearranged so that in future issues for 1953 are not separated from those for 1954 and 1955, as was the case

asked the President of the Board of Trade the countries from which grapefruit was imported in 1954, together with the quantities and values from each.

Imports of grapefruit into the United Kingdom in 1954 were:with the 1952 figures in the 1954 issue of the Accounts.

The arrangement of the figures in the Trade and Navigation Accounts for December, 1954, was exceptional, and arose from the change in commodity classification made at the beginning of the year. In the 1955 Accounts, comparable figures will again appear side by side.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the countries from which wine was imported, other than in bottles, in 1954, together with the quantities and values from each.

Imports of wine, other than in bottles, into the United Kingdom 1954 were:

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is now able to make an announcement about the consultative Committee on the duty-free entry of machinery, whose appointment was recommended by the Wilson Smith Committee.

Yes. My right hon. Friend has now appointed this Committee. It consists of six industrialists, three with experience mainly as makers of machinery, and three with experience mainly as users of machinery, a trades union representative, and representatives of the Board of Trade and Ministry of Supply. The Chairman is an Undersecretary of the Board of Trade, and the Board of Trade and the Ministry of Supply will provide Joint Secretaries.The industrial members are: