asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air which publications of the Air Medical Service require those who refuse vaccination or inoculation to sign a form to the effect that should disease be contracted pension will be forfeit and that if such a disease is caught by an uninoculated or unvaccinated person a court of inquiry shall be convened.

I can assure the hon. Member that there are no instructions whatever to that effect.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air when he proposes to review the low-flying areas now covering nearly the whole of the Horncastle Parliamentary Division, and to allocate other areas to low flying to relieve the strain now placed on many of the people living in the present low-flying area.

I regret that so much of my hon. and gallant Friend's constituency is covered by low-flying areas. These areas, however, must be within reach of the airfields they serve, and they must be fairly flat. Within these limits, we are always trying to place them where they will cause the least possible disturbance to the general public.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air the minimum hourly rate paid by his Department to skilled civilian aircraft mechanics; and why this rate is lower than that paid by the nationalised air corporations for similar employees.

The present minimum basic rate for engineering fitters in Air Ministry establishments in Great Britain and Northern Ireland (excluding South Wales) is 150s. 4d. in London and 147s. 10d. in the provinces for a five-day week of 44 hours. These rates are those agreed with the trade unions on the Engineering Trades Joint Council for Government industrial establishments and are applicable to all Departments represented on that Council. The nationalised air corporations have their own negotiating machinery. In South Wales, the Government rate is 167s. 9d., paid by agreement with the Amalgamated Engineering Union.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what measures he proposes to take to meet the peril of pools of thick oil now drifting from the North Sea to the southern coast of Great Britain.

I assume that the hon. Member is referring to the oil discharged by a Danish tanker which went aground on 16th January in the entrance to the River Elbe. The Coastguards have been warned to keep a lookout, and both ships and aircraft have been asked to provide information. There is no evidence so far that this oil is drifting towards the United Kingdom.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what representations he has received from the motor industry about the effect of the recently announced increases in Atlantic freight charges upon the export of British vehicles to North America.

None. As the hon. Member will appreciate, freight rates are a commercial matter for negotiation between the parties concerned.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation when the Old Shoreham toll bridge was last tested for safety and what was the report on its condition; the sum collected during 1954 by British Railways through its toll imposition upon this bridge; and whether he will make a statement upon the progress of his discussions with the British Transport Commission with regard to the lifting of the present toll.

I am informed by the British Transport Commission that the bridge was last inspected on 10th December, 1954, and was found to be in a fair condition. The gross income from tolls in 1954 was £11,625. The British Transport Commission is not prepared to waive the toll without compensation, and I have no funds available at present for its purchase.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he will include the Medway towns' by-pass in the expanded road programme; and how soon, after authorisation, actual construction can be started.

I hope to include this scheme in due course but am not at present in a position to go beyond what was contained in my statement of 2nd February covering the first four years of the programme. As regards the second part of the Question, the length of time between authorisation and actual construction depends on the amount of preliminary work which has to be done in each particular case.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if, in order that the Road Improvement Scheme may be understood and appreciated, he will consider placing a map or maps in the Library indicating the work proposed to be carried out under the road improvement scheme and that local and national schemes should be additionally indicated as they are approved.

I am placing in the Library a map showing certain road proposals. These are confined to those listed in my statement of 2nd February, for the reasons I then gave, and do not therefore give more than an incomplete and preliminary view of the road programme.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation, in view of traffic congestion involving considerable inconvenience and waste of time to omnibus passengers and others, what recommendations he has made to local authorities to arrange for road repairs to be performed at week-ends, rather than during the week, in busy London thoroughfares.

As I told the hon. Baronet the Member for Maidstone (Sir A. Bossom) recently, I am going into the question of this and other similar cases of traffic delays.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what amounts remain unallotted and unspent, respectively, from the previous special grants allotted by this and the previous Government for Highland roads; and over what period they are to be expended.

The 1950 programme of £¾million was superseded by the 1953 programme of £1 million, which absorbed the two schemes, estimated to cost about £370,000, left over from the earlier programme. Schemes which will involve a total Exchequer expenditure of about £980,000 have been provisionally chosen under the 1953 programme. Total grants of £380,562 have so far been issued, and it is intended to issue the remainder by the end of the three-year period.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation to what extent the additional grant for Highland roads is in addition to the unexpended portions of similar special grants announced by this and the previous Government.

I confirm that, as I stated on 2nd February, provision now proposed is additional to that under the 1953 scheme, which itself will be, as I stated, carried to completion.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he will give some extra assistance towards the expenditure on roads to those Highland counties which have completed their work under the Crofter Counties Scheme.

As I announced on 2nd February, additional grants will be made. Counties which have completed their work under the Crofter Counties Scheme will, of course, be eligible to apply for a share in these.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he will authorise further investigation into the use of at least part of the Kingsway Tunnel for car parking, particularly in view of the increasing commercial and office building in the locality.

As I told the hon. Member for Dartford (Mr. Dodds) on 27th January, I have had a look at this tunnel. Although it would be possible to use it for a limited amount of car parking, the cost per vehicle parked would be little less than £2,000 per car.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he has now reached a decision with regard to the proposals made to him for improving the approaches to Honiton at a cost of £150,000, as an alternative to the suggested by-pass which would cost £2 million.

I do not know of any such proposals estimated to cost £150,000, but I hope to include some improvements on the narrow bends to the east of Honiton in the trunk road programme for 1955–56. These should not be regarded as an alternative to the by-pass, but as interim measures which could be carried out at an early date.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he is aware that the provisional total of road accident casualties last year is the highest since the year preceding the introduction of the 30-miles-per-hour speed limit; and whether, as the great majority of accidents occur in built-up areas, he will give renewed attention to the question of the speed limit and see that an expanded programme for the improvement of town roads by the installation of modern road lighting, non-skid road surfaces and pedestrian-actuated traffic signals is put in hand at once.

Yes. As previously announced, I have asked the London and Home Counties Traffic Advisory Committee to review speed limit restrictions in the London Traffic Area. I will consider whether there should be a country-wide review when I have its report. I am anxious to encourage local authorities, whose responsibility it is, to provide more or improved street lighting so far as their financial position allows; and within the limits of available funds I assist in providing new or improved lighting on trunk roads. While at most controlled crossings push-buttons are not practicable, they are included wherever it is thought desirable and possible. As regards non-skid surfaces I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave to his Question on this subject today.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation to what extent effective non-skid treatment is being applied to road surfaces; and what information he can give as to the reduction of accidents where the treatment has been applied.

Non-skid materials of several types are widely used for new surfaces and for treating surfaces which have become slippery. These materials are found to reduce appreciably the proportion of accidents directly due to skidding, and the whole question is under continuous study by my Department and by the Road Research Laboratory.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he is aware that there is some dissatisfaction in Newnham-on-Severn, Gloucestershire, at the alteration carried out by his Department in the main street of that town; and whether he will state the reasons for the construction of the concrete apron which has been the main cause of the complaint.

Yes. I have received representations about the road improvements recently carried out at Newnham-on-Severn. The reason for the construction of the concrete apron was to remove the steep and dangerous camber on the east side of the carriageway.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation how many pedestrian-actuated traffic lights are in operation in England and Wales; and what information and statistics he can provide as to the reduction of accidents where such lights have been installed.

Information is not available for England and Wales, but in the Greater London area, which contains 30 per cent. of all traffic light signals in Great Britain, approximately 175 signal installations incorporate pedestrian push-button mechanism. There are no reliable statistics from which conclusions can be drawn as to their effect on accidents.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what type of road lighting his Department recommends for classified roads in built-up areas; and what information he can give as to the safety value of that type of lighting.

My Department has advised the lighting authorities to adopt the lighting standards recommended by the Departmental Committee on Street Lighting. The standards recommended for busy classified roads in built-up areas are such as should make the use of headlamps by motorists unnecessary. Where lighting of that standard is provided the risk of traffic accidents by night should be little, if any, greater than by day.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he will make a further statement regarding an international airport to serve the northeast area.

An area at Boldon, County Durham, has been safeguarded since 1947 as a possible site for a future international airport to serve the north-east. I cannot foresee any requirement for international air services in that region which could not be adequately met at Woolsington, and I propose accordingly to withdraw safeguarding restrictions from Boldon, in order to remove public uncertainty.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he is aware that no proposals for modernisation are included in the British Transport Commission's plan in connection with the railway to Hayes and Harlington; and whether he will ask the Commission to consider this omission.

Although the line to Hayes and Harlington is not included in the proposals for electrification specified in the plan, the hon. Member should not assume that it will not benefit from the other developments proposed. The detail and timing of individual schemes will be worked out by the Commission in consultation with the area boards.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how many countries have now ratified the Convention on Genocide; which of those are Dominions; and why Her Majesty's Government have not yet done so.

Forty-eight countries, including Australia, Canada and Ceylon, have ratified or acceded. Her Majesty's Government have not yet done so, nor have the Governments of New Zealand, India and Pakistan. In reply to the last part of the Question, I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the present Minister of Supply on 17th May, 1954.

asked the Minister of Defence to state, concerning each member-State of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, the proportion of national income spent on defence and the proportion of male population in the Armed Forces; and what information he possesses on these matters concerning the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

I will, with permission, circulate the available information in the OFFICIAL REPORT. I should point out, however, that figures of this kind do not provide a valid basis for comparison of defence burdens.

Country	Percentage of gross national product spent on defence in 1953	Percentage of total population in Armed Forces (full-time) in 1953
(1)	(2)	(3)
	1953 figures
Belgium	Official figures not available but probably about 6·0	1·7
Denmark	3·7	1·0
France	12·6	2·2
Greece	6·5	2·2
Italy	4·8	1·0
Luxembourg	3·8	0·8
Netherlands	6·2	1·3
Norway	5·6	0·9
Portugal	4·3	0·8
Turkey	7·8	1·9
United Kingdom	11·3	1·8
U.S.S.R.	20·0	2·4

NOTE FOR N.A.T.O. COUNTRIES:

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, in view of the refusal of Mr. Chou En-lai to meet the United Nations, he will take immediate steps to have summoned an international conference of the same character as the last principal conference at Geneva to which both China and the United States of America will be invited, with a view to obtaining a cease-fire in the Formosan area.

The consequences of the Chinese refusal are being studied by Her Majesty's Government in close consultation with the Commonwealth and other friendly Governments.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what further consultations he has had with the Government of the United States regarding the status of Formosa and the Pescadores.

None. My right hon. Friend gave the House a full statement of Her Majesty's Government's view of the legal position of these islands in reply to a Question by the right hon. Member for Easington (Mr. Shinwell) on 4th February.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will state the extent to which recognition has been given by the Allied Powers to the formal proclamation of the Chinese Government at Chunking on 30th August, 1945, that Formosa was a new province of China.

I have been unable to trace any such proclamation. Unilateral declarations could not affect the legal status of Formosa, which my right hon. Friend explained fully in his reply to a question by the right hon. Member for Easington (Mr. Shinwell) on 4th February.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what period of notice is required for the denunciation of the agreement by which United States air bases, aircraft, and military personnel are maintained and stationed in the United Kingdom.

The United States Air Force units in this country are stationed here under informal arrangements which do not call for notice of termination and which will continue so long as they are needed in the interests of world peace and security.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will make a statement on the proposed Western Union Common Arms Agency.

A number of proposals are being studied by the Working Group of Western European Union which is now meeting in Paris. We are anxious that the United Kingdom should play its full part both in these discussions and in any arrangements which may result from them. The United Kingdom representative on the Working Group has put forward suggestions for improving cooperation within Western European Union in the field of armaments production and standardisation.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what part Her Majesty's Government will take in discussions on the implementation of the Saar Agreement of 23rd October.

The implementation of this Agreement is essentially a matter for the French and Federal German Governments.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will give a list of the special agreements entered into under Article 43 of the United Nations Charter.

No such agreements have been concluded.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if the Nigerian Government have yet completed their studies on the Report of Mr. A. V. Thomas on the fire-fighting services in Nigeria; and what steps have been taken to implement the specific recommendation for the establishment of a fire service independent of the police.

The answer to the first part of the Question is "No," and to the second, "None as yet." I understand however that the newly formed Federal Government is expected to give early attention to the matter.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will make a statement concerning the crash of the Bristol Wayfarer airliner on 5th February between Enugu and Calabar.

Yes. The House will have seen with great regret that at approximately 10 o'clock on the morning of 5th February a Bristol Wayfarer aircraft, owned by the West African Airways Corporation, crashed in dense bush about 60 miles north of Calabar with the loss of all of the 13 persons aboard (nine passengers, four crew). The cause of the accident is at present unknown but investigations are proceeding and, until these are concluded, it would be premature for me to make any further statement. I am sure that the House will wish to join me in expressing sympathy with the relatives of those who lost their lives.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what policy has been evolved by the Committee of both Houses of the Legislature of Mauritius for dealing with its over-population problem; and if he will see that similar committees are set up in other colonies to deal with this question.

The Mauritius Committee will shortly be drafting its Report. The appointment of similar committees elsewhere would be a matter for local decision. As the hon. Member is aware, problems of population have been considered by the East African Royal Commission and there have been local committees in Bermuda and Barbados.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will negotiate arrangements with the colonial Governments concerned by which citizens of the West Indies and Caribbean areas can travel by air between their homes and this country without political permission or screening at stopping-places en route.

The grant of travel documents is a matter within the discretion of colonial Governors, and I am not aware that such facilities are being unreasonably withheld. The admission of individuals to British Territories whilst in transit is subject to local immigration legislation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many students from the Colonies came to Britain in 1954; from which Colonies they came; and what subjects they came to study.

Exact figures are not available but it is estimated that at least 2,120 colonial students arrived in the United Kingdom during 1954 from the following territories:

Nigeria	670
Gold Coast	175
Sierra Leone and Gambia	100
Kenya	100
Uganda	75
Tanganyika and Zanzibar	30
Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland	10
Aden and Somaliland	25
Hong Kong	145
Malaya and Singapore	210
Sarawak and Borneo	28
Cyprus	20
Malta	5
Gibraltar	10
Mauritius and Seychelles	35
St. Helena	1
Bahamas	8
Barbados	60
Bermuda	7
British Guiana	75
British Honduras	3
Jamaica	150
Leeward Islands	23
Trinidad	110
Windward Islands	45

The main subjects they came to study are accountancy, agriculture, arts, architecture, dentistry, domestic science, enginering, forestry, law, local government, medicine, music, nursing, printing, science, secretarial and teacher training.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will now make a statement upon the proposed constitutional reforms for Nyasaland.

Yes. The Governor is today convening a conference of African, Asian, and European representatives to discuss with them proposals for the revision of the Constitution. These proposals will increase the total membership of Legislative Council from 21 to 23; the present provision for one nominated European member to represent African interests and for one nominated Asian member will be deleted; one official member will be added, making 12 in all including the Governor, and there will be six non-African unofficials and five African unofficials.The proposals also provide for the election of non-African members of Legislative Council on a non-African electoral roll by constituencies. No changes are proposed in the method of selection of African unofficial members of Legislative Council or in the composition of Executive Council.The recommendations and comments of the conference convened by the Governor will be submitted to me in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what will be the approximate numbers of African pupils taking the matriculation certificate or its equivalent, in Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland, respectively, in 1955 and 1956.

The matriculation standard for the University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland will be passes in a certain number of subjects of the Cambridge School Certificate or the Higher Certificate, taken at the appropriate levels. In 1955, there will be 70 African candidates for the School Certificate from Northern Rhodesia and 38 from Nyasaland. In 1956, the numbers will be 74 and 49, and in addition there will probably be eight candidates for the Higher Certificate from Northern Rhodesia and five from Nyasaland.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is now able to make a statement on the recruitment of co-operative officers in the Federation of Malaya.

The Co-operative Department is now up to strength except for 11 audit clerks. It has so far proved impossible to find qualified candidates for these posts but efforts to fill them continue.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the terms of the amnesty proposed by the Alliance leaders of Malaya which were rejected by the Director of Operations; what were the reasons for their rejection; and if he will keep under constant review the question of a settlement by other means than military.

The leaders of the Alliance made a suggestion to the Press that an amnesty might be offered, but did not specify terms. The hon. Member will see, from the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for Dundee, East (Mr. G. M. Thomson), on 26th January, that this suggestion was not simply rejected by the Director of Operations himself. The answer to the last part of the Question is "Yes."

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is aware that the amnesty proposed by certain Alliance leaders in Malaya has aroused resentment amongst wide sections of the population in that territory on the grounds that it would constitute a betrayal of the many civilians who have died or suffered at the hands of the Communist terrorists during recent years; and whether he will give an assurance that this proposal will not be adopted.

No. The Director of Operations' Committee has decided not to proceed with the proposal, but it is keeping the matter under review.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he is aware that the multi-lingual resolution discussed at the Singapore Legislative Assembly on 28th January was defeated by 13 votes to five; how many of the 13 were nominated members, and how many elected; and how many of the minority in favour were elected members of the Assembly.

Yes. Of the 13 members who voted against the multilingual motion, one was elected, three were nominated unofficials and nine were officials. The five members who voted for the motion were all elected. Two elected members abstained and four members were absent, including three elected and one nominated unofficial.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the total of registered voters on the electoral roll in the Federation of Malaya and of Singapore; and the number, or proportion, of these who are Malay, Chinese, Indian, and British European.

There are about 1,280,000 registered electors in the Federation and 299,850 in Singapore. No analysis of these figures by race is available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what reply has been sent by the Government of Northern Rhodesia to the protest of the African National Congress, dated 4th September, 1954, against the banning of Congress activities and dismissal of chiefs and civil servants associated with the Congress in various parts of the country.

The Northern Rhodesia Government received a letter dated 8th (not 4th) September, 1954, from the Secretary-General of the Congress, and has acknowledged it. No other reply is considered necessary.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what steps have been taken to investigate the question of franchise for British protected persons in Northern Rhodesia.

I have nothing to add to the statement made by my predecessor on 11th February, 1954. All parties concerned in Northern Rhodesia are considering this problem, and I do not expect the Governor to put forward agreed recommendations for some time yet.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many Africans have now been screened in the detention camps of Kenya; and how many of these have been returned to civil life.

According to the figures available to me, approximately 54,750 have been screened, of whom 7,350 have been released either directly or after passing through works camps.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General to give consideration to the erection of a transmitter in Central Wales to enable listeners to have regional weather reports as well as information upon road conditions caused by floods or snow and ice and which would also provide a better reception of the Welsh Regional Service programmes.

The location of transmitters is primarily a matter for the B.B.C., but the Corporation advises me that, with the limited number of medium wavelengths available to it, a station in Central Wales would not appreciably help reception of the Welsh Home Service. Although the new V.H.F. station at Wenvoe will not, unfortunately provide a complete solution to this problem, it is expected to improve reception of the Welsh Home Service in a considerable part of Brecknock and Radnor, when it comes into service about the end of this year.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General what technical considerations prevent the use of the British Broadcasting Corporation's mast at Holme Moss by the Independent Television Authority.

The matter is one for settlement between the B.B.C. and the I.T.A., but I understand that the difficulty lies in giving the I.T.A. technical facilities that would provide the coverage they need.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General what steps he is taking to improve the quality of wireless reception in north-east Lincolnshire, complaints of which have been sent to him by the Louth Rural District Council.

The B.B.C. tells me that reception of the Light and Third Programmes in the Louth area should be quite good, but the Home Service suffers after dark from some fading and more particularly from interference caused by a station in the Soviet Zone of Germany. Representations through the Foreign Office about this interference have recently been renewed.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General to take steps to see that administrative arrangements made between his Department and the principal relay companies ensure that before installation of the service, new subscribers are in possession of a wireless receiving licence; that local Post Office authorities are regularly informed of subscriber connections and disconnections; and that such local Post Office authorities advise the relay companies of the names of subscribers who have not renewed their licences, so that they may be disconnected from the service.

We are looking into the arrangements between the Post Office and all the relay companies, and hope to arrange a discussion soon to see whether the administrative arrangements can be improved.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General when it is intended to build a new telephone exchange at Naphill.

We plan to open a new exchange at Naphill towards the end of 1957.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General to consider extending the self-help scheme for the installation of the telephone to all applicants in rural areas.

This scheme, which has its own difficulties, was introduced as a quite exceptional concession to farmers because of the importance of food production, and I regret that we cannot extend it.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General how many applications for telephones were outstanding in the County Borough of Stockport at 31st December, 1954; and when it is anticipated these will be met.

One thousand four hundred and eighty-nine, excluding those in course of provision or under enquiry. Five hundred and forty-six telephones were connected last year. Additional plant is being provided, and there should be a marked improvement in the next 18 months.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General how many telephones were installed in Belfast during the past three years; and how many applications for new telephones there are at present outstanding there.

Nine thousand two hundred and eighty telephones were connected during the past three years; 2,589 applications are at present outstanding, of which about a third are in course of being met or are under inquiry.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he is aware of the hold-up in the shipment of coal due to the coal freezing in the trucks during cold weather; what representations he has made to the British. Transport Commission on this subject; and what reply they have made thereto.

This is a matter for the National Coal Board and the British Transport Commission. I understand that every effort was made to overcome the difficulties that arose during the recent cold spell.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he intends to introduce legislation to give effect to any or all of the recommendations of the Royal Commission on Capital Punishment which reported in September, 1953.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave on 3rd February to a Question by the hon. Member for Sunderland, North (Mr. Willey).

asked the Lord Advocate if a decision has yet been reached about criminal proceedings arising out of the disturbances in the city of Aberdeen on the occasion of the installation of the new Rector of Aberdeen University.

I have now had an opportunity of considering the whole evidence in connection with the disturbances referred to, and have decided to take no criminal proceedings.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what arrangements arc made by Scottish education authorities regarding payment by their employees of superannuation contributions while such employees are undergoing their period of National Service.

Where contributions are payable by a teacher on National Service, the education authority by whom he was employed endeavour to collect them from him while he is away, and, if it is successful, it accounts for them to the Secretary of State. If it is unsuccessful, the amount due, together with interest at the rate of 4 per cent., is recovered by the Secretary of State either by collection from the teacher after his return, or, failing this, by deduction from any benefits that may become payable to him.

asked the Minister of Health what action he proposes to take to increase the recruitment of hospital pharmacists, in view of the recommendations of the Linstead Report.

The shortage of pharmacists is not peculiar to hospitals. I am considering what can be done to solve the problem in hospitals in the light of information I have recently obtained from them. A salary claim for hospital pharmacists is at present under con-

PRESCRIPTIONS
(Figures for England and Wales)
—	Number of prescriptions	Average cost per prescription	Total cost
		d.	£
1953
October	19,199,466	47·02	3,761,153
November	18,512,492	47·47	3,661,862
December	18,491,706	48·94	3,770,436
1954
October	18,826,106	50·72	3,978,409
November	19,785,862	51·14	4,215,969
December	Not available.

These figures include prescriptions for appliances ordered by general practitioners and dispensed by chemists, and prescriptions given by hospital out-patient departments which were dispensed by chemists because hospital dispensing service was not available. No figures are available to show the number of prescriptions dispensed at hospitals to out-patients.

DENTAL TREATMENT
Month	Number of completed courses of dental treatment under normal procedure (Note 1)	Number of courses for limited treatment under emergency procedure (Note 2)	Estimated cost to Exchequer
			£
October, 1953 (5 weeks)	538,000	171,000	1,250,000
November, 1953 (4 weeks)	454,000	144,000	1,050,000
December, 1953 (4 weeks)	385,000	126,000	900,000
October, 1954 (5 weeks)	583,000	185,000	1,400,000
November, 1954 (4 weeks)	474,000	146,000	1,100,000
December, 1954 (4 weeks)	428,000	134,000	1,000,000

1. The courses exclude those for the provision of dentures to which the 1952 Act charges do not apply. Of the courses shown over half bear no charge being for exempted classes of patients or for items of treatment to which the charges do not apply.2. Courses for limited treatment consisting of extraction of one or two teeth cost under £1 and many patients may therefore be assumed to have had the treatment privately. Of the courses shown only about 5 per cent, bear a charge.

asked the Minister of Health the number and cost of prescriptions issued, dental treatment provided, and appliances issued for which charges were imposed under the National Health Service Act, 1952, for October, November, and December, 1954, as compared with the figures for the months of October, November, and December, 1953.

The information is as follows:

APPLIANCES—SURGICAL APPLIANCES DELIVERED TO HOSPITALS
—	1953
	October		November		December
	Issues	Cost	Issues	Cost	Issues	Cost
		£		£		£
Surgical boots/shoes	3,781	30,806	2,970	25,829	2,227	19,041
Repairs to boots/shoes	3,414	2,138	2,492	1,666	1,437	882
Surgical abdominal appliances	5,325	18,330	4,901	16,776	3,518	12,137
Elastic hosiery	2,605	5,637	2,182	4,777	1,660	3,569
Wigs	744	9,567	476	6,231	395	5,214

—	1954
	October		November		December
	Issues	Cost	Issues	Cost	Issues	Cost
		£		£		£
Surgical boots/shoes	3,103	27,344	3,570	31,622	3,242	28,864
Repairs to boots/shoes	2,142	1,461	2,604	1,795	2,555	1,743
Surgical abdominal appliances	4,184	14,448	5,340	18,673	4,443	15,425
Elastic hosiery	2,124	5,477	2,725	6,052	2,587	5,684
Wigs	655	8,598	636	8,559	686	8,980

asked the Minister of Food the total subsidy provided for the 33 million bottles of orange juice distributed last year; and whether he will provide a table showing the amount of this subsidy in each financial or calendar year since 1946.

The subsidy for each year was as follows:

Year to	Subsidy
	£
31st March, 1947	2,642,712
31st March, 1948	2,268,298
31st March, 1949	1,645,921
31st March, 1950	1,894,988
31st March, 1951	1,883,465
31st March, 1952	1,631,834
31st March, 1953	2,171,532
31st March, 1954	1,727,458

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects the task of the Iron and Steel Holding and Realisation Agency will be complete.

Progress so far has been very satisfactory, but it would be premature to estimate when the task may be completed.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance whether war pensioners in receipt of officers' rates of constant attendance allowance will now receive any increases in these rates.

Yes, unless they are already receiving an allowance in excess of the new increased rates payable to other ranks who require the same amount of attendance.

asked the President of the Board of Trade to arrange for the publication in the Board of Trade Journal, or other British periodicals, of details of the recent Anglo-Spanish Trade Agreement and whether he is aware that broad particulars have already been published in the Spanish Press.

Full information of the trade arrangements for 1955 recently made with Spain has been communicated to industry through standing arrangements which exist for that purpose and which should ensure that all interested exporters are informed immediately of any quotas that may have been obtained for their products.I am aware that actual lists of goods have been published in the Spanish Press. But the publication of such lists without much further explanation, which was not included in the Spanish publication, of the commitments actually entered into, would be bound to be misleading. I am satisfied that the existing arrangements for informing industry are more satisfactory.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what territories are meant by the headings "Arctic Regions" and "Antarctic Regions," respectively, on page 380 of the Trade and Navigation Accounts for December, 1954; and why these headings are included separately, in view of the fact that the only trade with either of these regions in the three years covered by that issue was £10 worth of imports from "Antarctic Regions" in 1952.

The headings "Arctic Regions" and "Antarctic Regions (not British)" relate to the territories within the Arctic or Antarctic Circles, respectively, which are not owned or administered by any Commonwealth country and are not included in any of the countries specified elsewhere in Account IV.The headings were added to the list of countries in 1933 to comply with the requirements of Part II of Annex I to the International Convention relating to Economic Statistics (Geneva, 1928) to which this country was a party. Revisions to this list of countries are at present being prepared by the United Nations Secretariat, on the basis of the resolution adopted by the Economic and Social Council on this subject. Some revision to the United Kingdom headings may be made when the United Nations list is available.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what are the islands in the Indian Sea, not particularly designated, shown as a heading on page 371 of the Trade and Navigation Accounts for December, 1954.

The description "Islands in the Indian Seas (not particularly designated)" which falls under the wider heading of "Commonwealth Countries" in Account IV of the Trade and Navigation Accounts allows the recording of goods imported from or exported to any of the islands in the area of the Indian Seas which do not come under any other heading under "Commonwealth Countries." Traders are not required to specify under this heading, in their Customs declarations, the particular islands with which the trade was done. In 1954, the former heading. "Ceylon and Dependencies," was changed to "Ceylon," and the Maldive Islands which were the sole dependencies should from that date have been declared as coming from "Islands in the Indian Seas."

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will show in Part IV of future issues of the Trade and Navigation Accounts, imports and exports from Togoland under British trusteeship and Cameroons under British trusteeship separately from those of the Gold Coast and Nigeria, respectively, in view of the fact that trade with the Cameroons and Togoland under French trusteeship is now shown separately from trade with French Equatorial Africa.

The Economic and Social Council of the United Nations has requested

"each Member Government, in compiling trade-by-country statistics, so far as it is able, to use the definition of that territory for customs purposes provided by the government concerned as the definition of the territory with which it has traded."

In accordance with the Trusteeship Agreement, Togoland and the Cameroons under British trusteeship are adminis- tered as integral parts, respectively, of the Customs Territories of the Gold Coast and Nigeria, so that it would accord with the international recommendation to continue to record this trade as at present, unless there were some special reason for distinguishing United Kingdom trade with these Trust Territories. Togoland and the Cameroons under French trusteeship are administered under a different type of agreement.