asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he is aware that there have been a number of accidents on that part of the trunk road A38, between the Kingsholm roundabout in Gloucester and the Longford Inn; and whether in view of this, he will consider erecting a second 30-mile-limit sign between these points.

I have no power to erect repeater signs of the kind suggested by the hon. Member. The street lamps in this road show clearly that it is restricted to 30 m.p.h.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation how long it is intended to leave the present experimental wire traffic fencing in Belgrave Square.

:The Westminster City Council, who are the highway authority, tell me that they propose to replace this by permanent traffic islands in about three months' time.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what study he has given to the possibility of making redundant and abandoned railway lines into new roads.

This possibility has been much studied but, except in a few instances, to adopt it would be prohibitively expensive.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he will reclassify Pelham Street, Lincoln, as an A road in view of its importance in connection with the new Pelham Bridge.

:Once the level crossing has been bridged I think that it would be appropriate to re-classify Pelham Street as a Class I road and High Street as Class II.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he is now able to make a statement as to the construction of a bridge over the River Wye on the Hay to Clyro road.

The consulting engineers have designed a new bridge and the Radnorshire and Breconshire County Councils have applied for a grant. I am now considering the application.

asked the Minister of Defence if a decision has yet been made with regard to the payment of an educational allowance for the children of Ser vice men stationed overseas.

:No, but I am considering the whole question of educational facilities for the children of Service men.

asked the Minister of Defence to what extent strategical objections still prevent the construction of a road-rail tunnel under the Channel from England to France.

Scarcely at all.

asked the Minister of Defence how many National Service men each year, expressed in numbers and as a percentage of the annual intake, are found, on entry, to be illiterate or semi-illiterate.

The terms "illiterate" and "semi-literate" are not used by the Services but, in the Army, the following numbers of National Service entrants and percentages proportionate to total intake have been found unable to write their names, addresses, etc., on a form:

asked the Minister of Defence the estimated sum to be saved in the next five years on defence expenditure of the United Kingdom as a result of rearmament in Western Germany.

:A German contribution to the forces of N.A.T.O. is not intended as a substitute for, but as a supplement to, the efforts of the Atlantic Treaty powers. There will, therefore, be no reduction of United Kingdom defence expenditure on this account.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what safeguards have been introduced into the Allied High Commission Law No. 84 regarding I. G. Farben, to prevent the successor companies from amalgamating; and whether he is satisfied that those safeguards suffice to prevent the re-emergence of excessive concentration of economic power in the hands of a few leaders of the German chemical industry.

Allied High Commission Law No. 84 is only designed to secure the completion of the allied deconcentration programme for I. G. Farben through German agencies and German law, and does not contain provisions imposing on the Federal German Republic an obligation to maintain the pattern of ownership established by that programme.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will make a statement on the progress of negotiations with the Federal German Government in regard to support-cost payments by the German Government towards the expense of maintaining British Forces in Germany.

The arrangements made for the support of our Forces after the termination of the occupation are set out in detail in paragraphs 7 to 10 of the Note on Financial Arrangements on page 59 of the White Paper on the Paris Agreements (Command 9304). No further negotiations on this subject are at present necessary.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will give a list of the regional arrangements or agencies formed under Chapter VIII of the United Nations Charter.

:I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Supply to the hon. Member for Oldham, West (Mr. Hale) on 5th July last.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what communication has recently been received from the Greek Government concerning a liberal constitution for Cyprus, with provision for a plebiscite, after a certain time, on the question of the island's future sovereignty; and what reply has been returned thereto.

None. The second part of the Question does not, therefore, arise.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, since the freedom of the seas is of paramount interest to this country and since it is possible for oil and other minerals to be discovered outside territorial waters, Her Majesty's Government will propose that the residual areas of the ocean bed and their super-jacent waters shall be put under the jurisdiction of the United Nations.

No. Her Majesty's Government are concerned to preserve the principle of the freedom of the seas, but they do not believe that this principle would be furthered by the adoption of the hon. Member's suggestion.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what reasons have caused him to curtail his proposed visit to the Far East.

As the hon. Member will have seen from a statement issued to the Press last week, I feel that owing to the present international situation I ought not to be absent from this country for so long as I had originally intended.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom will consult with the United States and French Governments with a view to proposing a Four-Power conference as soon as possible after the ratification of the Paris Agreements.

Her Majesty's Government maintain the closest contact with the French, United States and other interested Governments on these matters and will continue to do so. I have no further statement to make at present.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what payments Her Majesty's Government have agreed to make for the Jordan National Guard.

Provision for the additional payment of a special subsidy of £350,000 a year for the Jordan National Guard will be included in the Estimates for 1955–56, under the Foreign Office Grants and Services Vote. Subject to Parliamentary approval, further support up to a maximum of £350,000 annually will be given for the following four years.The main charge for the National Guard falls on the Jordan budget. A contribution of £750,000 is being made by Her Majesty's Government in the current financial year towards Jordan's over-all budget deficit. A similar contribution for the financial year 1955–56 was announced in the House on 22nd December.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how the decisions at the recent conference on the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, Geneva, will affect the economic difficulties at present existing in Jamaica.

The negotiations at Geneva for the revision of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade have not yet been concluded, and it is therefore premature to express any views on decisions which may or may not be reached in them.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he is aware that there is great unemployment in Jamaica; that this unemployment has caused large emigration from that island; and what are his present plans for dealing with this problem.

I regret that there is considerable unemployment and underemployment in Jamaica, and I am aware that this is one of the causes of emigration. The Jamaica Government are continuing their efforts to expand production and employment, and the Jamaican Ministers intend to give priority to economic development, particularly in agriculture. A new five-year development programme has recently been prepared by the Jamaica Government and, as hon. Members will be aware, legislation is at present before Parliament to make further CD. and W. provision from which Her Majesty's Government will be able to help the Jamaica Government financially with this programme.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will make a statement on the present constitutional position in Nigeria.

The new constitution came into operation on 1st October, 1954, in accordance with Orders in Council made on 30th August and laid before Parliament on 3rd September. The Governor-General of the Federation and the Governors of the Regions were duly appointed, and the new Regional Ministries with their Premiers took office. Two of the three Regional legislatures and the legislature of the Southern Cameroons have already met. The Northern Regional legislature is expected to meet next month.Fresh elections were required to the federal legislature, the House of Representatives, and these were completed by the end of December. No party obtained a majority over all other parties, but the Northern People's Congress (N.P.C.), which won 79

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies why there is no fire brigade in Enugu, Nigeria.

:Until recently the need has not been felt because of the type of structure of the majority of buildings and the success of traditional methods of fire-fighting in preventing any serious conflagrations. The whole question of the organisation and requirements of fire services throughout Nigeria is now being reviewed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies (1) the average number of locomotives and the proportion, to total available, out of action and awaiting repairs on the Nigerian Railways in 1952 and 1954;(2) the average monthly number of locomotives given general repairs in the workshops of Nigerian Railways during 1952 and 1954.

I have asked the Governor-General for this information and will circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what was the production of sugar in British Guiana for 1954; and how this compares with the production for 1953 and the target set for 1954.

Sugar production in 1954 reached 238,922 tons. The target was 235,000 tons. Production in 1953 was 240,176 tons.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many Mau Mau have surrendered in response to the Kenya Government's surrender offer which was made in January, 1955.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what measure of response has been secured to date in respect of the amnesty offered to the Mau Mau in Kenya.

The surrender rate has gone up sharply since 18th January; between then and 8th February there were 91 provisionally accepted surrenders, of which 73 have been accepted as bona fide.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies why Mr. J. Singh was not allowed to return to Kenya to answer charges made against him.

There is no obligation on the Kenya authorities to frame charges or to disclose the reasons why a person is declared a prohibited immigrant. The decision of the principal immigration officer has to be confirmed by the Governor-in-Council, and that was done in this case.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the casualties on each side during the military operations in Kenya in December, 1954, and January, 1955.

In the eight weeks ending 29th January, Mau Mau casualties were 439 killed and 2,819 captured (including 43 wounded); Security Force casualties were 13 killed and 18 wounded.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what is to be done to improve port facilities at Mombasa.

The construction of two new deep water berths was begun in 1953 and the first is very near completion. Unfortunately screw piles were carried away from the second as a result of a slip in the sea-bed last December. I understand that work has been suspended until the cause of the mishap has been fully investigated. In addition, a new lighter-age wharf and two large storage sheds have been built and the Railways and Harbours Administration is acquiring new rolling stock as part of its general programme for expansion.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the immigration figures for Europeans and Asians, respectively, into Kenya in 1954; and what are his plans for future immigration into this Colony.

6,721 Europeans and 5,362 Asians. The Colony's future immigration needs are being studied by the Kenya Government. No plans have yet been formulated.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will make a statement in respect of the nature of the constitutional dispute between Ashanti leaders and the Gold Coast Government.

The dispute arises from the demand of the Ashanti leaders for a federal constitution for the Gold Coast. The Prime Minister of the Gold Coast invited the Ashanti leaders to discuss with him their demand and offered a great degree of participation by Ashanti in Government development planning through a Regional Development Committee and the eventual establishment of a statutory Regional Council.The Ashanti leaders have replied stating that the setting up of a Regional Council is unacceptable to them and that they are prepared only to discuss with the Government what form of federal government would best suit a self-governing Gold Coast. They have asked that the Government should call for a constituent Assembly whose terms of reference should be to draw up a federal constitution to suit the needs of the Gold Coast in general and the autonomous regions in particular. Dr. Nkrumah is writing to

the Ashanti leaders noting that the different views expressed are irreconcilable and repeating the invitation to a discussion.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he is aware that two Malayan students were ordered by his Department to give up their studies in London within a few months of the completion of their course of three years and return home because they visited the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and China during their summer vacation; and what restrictions he places on colonial students as to where they spend their holidays.

:No. The hon. Member doubtless has in mind the case of an officer of the Johore State Civil Service holding a Johore State Civil Service Scholarship who disobeyed his Government's instruction that he should not undertake the visit in question. His scholarship was therefore withdrawn by the Johore State authorities who instructed him to return home. He has hitherto refused to obey these instructions. He was accompanied by his wife on the visit and the State Government also decided that she should be offered her passage home so that she could accompany her husband. My Department does not normally place restrictions on colonial students' choice where they should spend their holidays and did not do so in this case.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many Malayan students are now studying in this country under financially-aided schemes; how many are taking arts and how many science courses; and what assurances have been given that they will return to their own country on completing their course to help in its economic development.

:Six hundred and fifty-seven, from the Federation of Malaya and Singapore, of whom six are

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what further consideration has been given to the pos sibility of immigration from British Caribbean Colonial Territories into British Honduras, particularly in view of the recommendation of a Commission to that effect.

The measures which are being taken for the development of British Honduras with the assistance of Colonial Development and Welfare funds will create opportunities for a much larger population than the present one. There are, however, preliminary investigations, now being carried out, which must be completed, and the present population must be given full opportunities of guiding and taking part in the development of the territory.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies why, in his proposed constitutional changes for Nyasaland, there is no provision for the election of Africans in the Legislative Council in view of the fact that there are to be elections of non-African members by an electoral roll in constituencies.

I consider that the present method of selection of African members of Legislative Council is that most suited to the present stage of social and educational development of the African population in Nyasaland.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the amount of sterling reserves held by each Colony; and the proportion of such reserves held by commercial banks operating in the Colony concerned, by colonial currency boards, by marketing boards, and by way of free reserves, respectively.

I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the answer given to the hon. Member for Dudley (Mr. Wigg) on 27th January, 1954, by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State. For the reason given therein, I am unable to publish the detailed analysis for which my hon. and gallant Friend asks: but a considerable amount of relevant published material exists and this is being extracted. When this work is completed, the results will be sent to my hon. and gallant Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what proportion of the sterling currency reserves held on behalf of the Colonies was invested in 1953 and 1954, respectively, in securities maturing within two and 10 years, respectively.

According to the latest information available, in each case the reserves of the East African, West African, Malaya and British Borneo, and British Caribbean Currency Boards, which together comprise about 75 per cent. of the total colonial currency reserves, were held in the following proportions (calculated on the latest date of maturity of each holding):

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many Colonies have applied to him for authority to invest part of their sterling reserves in locally-issued securities; what is the total value of such application; how many have been accepted; and what is their value in sterling.

I presume that my hon. and gallant Friend refers to my proposal that a part of the colonial currency reserve funds might be invested in locally issued securities. Eleven Governments out of the 37 asked have so far welcomed the proposal, and the amounts that might be invested in their locally issued securities are now being worked out in consultation with them.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will make a statement on the present position of the European farmers in the Mount Meru District of Tanganyika in the light of the Report of the United Nations Mission.

A detailed statement of the Administering Authority's views on the Report of the United Nations Mission will be published in a few days and copies will be placed in the Library. In the meantime, I have no statement to make on this particular matter.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is aware of the public anxiety regarding the unsatisfactory conditions of the Kampala European and Asian Hospital; and when he hopes to appoint the committee which is to inquire into the development of the medical health services in the Uganda Protectorate.

The organisation of the services of this hospital was the subject of a departmental inquiry, but, in view of the public anxiety, the Governor later appointed a Committee under a judicial chairman to make further inquiries. With very few exceptions, the recommendations made by both Committees have been accepted in principle by the Uganda Government and some have already been put into effect. The Uganda Government also propose to appoint an independent Committee to review the Protectorate's medical and health policy on the widest basis. This proposal will shortly be discussed in the Uganda Legislative Council.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty how many Admiralty houses in Fife are occupied by people now retired from active Admiralty service; how many of these people have now been given notice to quit their houses within three months; and what steps he intends to take at the end of that stipulated period.

One hundred and fifty-two Admiralty houses in Fife are occupied by former Admiralty employees. None of the tenants has been given notice to quit, but they have been reminded that the houses are needed for a long waiting list of Admiralty employees, now numbering 712 in the Rosyth area, and that they must make all possible efforts to find other accommodation. Any further action will necessarily depend upon the circumstances of each case. I am sending the hon. Member a copy of the letter addressed to the tenants which fully explains the matter.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he will make a statement on the progress of talks on the question of assisted travel to workers employed at the Rosyth Dockyard.

:The Admiralty is reviewing all assisted travel schemes, including the one at Rosyth Dockyard. Any changes which may be proposed as a result of this review will be notified to the trade union side of the Admiralty Industrial Council who will have an opportunity to make representations before they are put into effect.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General how many applicants for telephone service in the urban area of Ashington and the borough of Morpeth, respectively, are on his list; and what action is being taken to meet their request for this service.

There are 63 applicants at Ashington and 26 at Morpeth. One hundred and nineteen were connected in these two places in 1954, and we hope to increase the figure to 175 this year.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General how many applications for telephones there are in the Sheldon, Birmingham, area; and how long it is expected that it will take to enlarge the Sheldon Exchange and install the necessary equipment.

Seven hundred and forty-two. The extension of the building has been in hand some months and the new equipment has been ordered, but it will not be installed and ready for service until early 1957.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General the basis on which priority is granted in Cardiff to various applicants for a private telephone service; and the categories of people who are entitled to claim this priority.

The general arrangement, in Cardiff as elsewhere, is that where we cannot give service on demand and subject to economic use of engineering labour residential subscribers are connected in order of application, except that removing subscribers have priority over new applicants and telephone managers have discretion to give a measure of priority in cases of special need.

asked the Undersecretary of State for Air if he will make a statement in regard to the proposed Government experiments in making artificial rain in the Salisbury Plain area.

I hope that it will be possible to hold the first trials during the spring. Although for various technical reasons Salisbury Plain may prove the most suitable area, the districts affected will depend upon the prevailing wind and may be as much as 50 miles away from the experimental site: they will cover only a small part of the country. I should emphasise that there is no question of changing fine weather into rainy weather by these experiments: they will be conducted in cloudy weather and the most that can be expected is some increase in the amount of rainfall. This, if it occurs, will be detectable only by careful measurements over long periods of time.

asked the Under secretary of State for Air whether he will reconsider his decision not to accept responsibility for the damage caused to 55, Ewbank Street, Stockton-on-Tees, by a low-flying Royal Air Force aircraft on 24th October, 1954, in view of the special circumstances of this case.

I regret we cannot accept responsibility for this damage.

asked the Under secretary of State for Air the minimum height for flying by Royal Air Force jet aircraft over the borough of Stockton-on- Tees.

Normally 1,000 feet,

asked the Minister of Supply what plans he has for placing further Government orders in Northern Ireland.

I am about to place an order for three Bristol Britannias Mark 250. The Government have under consideration plans for making these aircraft available on suitable terms to independent airline operators for trooping. The Bristol Aeroplane Company have informed me that on receipt of this order they will order the production of a total of eight Britannias Mark 250 by Short Brothers and Harland in Belfast, with whom they are associated. The labour force needed to make these eight aeroplanes will build up to about 1,500 within about 18 months.

asked the Minister of Education the number of school dentists in England and Wales at 31st December, 1954.

The equivalent of 979 full-time dentists were working in the school dental service in England and Wales on 31st December, 1954.

asked the Minister of Education what conclusions he has reached regarding the temporary transfer to local education authorities of the provision of equipment for the schools meals service; and how far it is proposed to return this work to the specialist technical staff in his Department when the present experimental arrangements expire in April.

The arrangements whereby local education authorities themselves purchase equipment for the school meals service are working well and I do not propose to make any changes.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what change he proposes to make in the rate of interest payable on Tax Reserve certificates.

I have agreed to the issue of a new Tax Reserve Certificate (fifth series), which will bear interest of 1¼ per cent. per annum tax free instead of 1 per cent. per annum tax free, the other terms being similar to those of the current issue. The new certificates will be available as from Monday, 21st February, 1955. The Bank of England are issuing a prospectus containing the full terms of issue today.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what action he now proposes to take to limit or control the imports of cotton textile fabrics from India, Japan and Hong Kong, which in recent months have grown at an alarming rate and are now threatening to cause large-scale unemployment and part-time working in the Lancashire cotton textile industry.

I would refer the hon. Member to my statement on this matter on 3rd February.

asked the President of the Board of Trade from which countries asbestos fibre was imported in 1954, giving the quantities and values of each; and if he will give the corresponding figures for exports from the United Kingdom during the same period.

The Trade Accounts do not distinguish between crude asbestos and asbestos fibre. Imports, exports and re-exports of asbestos, crude and fibre, in 1954 were: —

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is yet in a position to make a statement on the subject of copyright, with particular reference to the Report of the Copyright Committee.

I am glad to be able to inform my hon. Friend that a Bill dealing with some of the more urgent aspects of this subject has been introduced in another place. The Government accept, with minor modifications, the Report of the Committee and intend to introduce a comprehensive Bill to amend the law on the general lines of the Committee's rcommendations as soon as practicable. It will not, however, be possible to do this during the present Session.

asked the Minister of Food what amount it is now estimated will be paid this financial year by way of homegrown cereal deficiency payments and by way of deficiency payments for livestock.

Deficiency payments for the period July, 1954, to March, 1955, inclusive are estimated at £12·for cereals and £50·8 million for fatstock. These figures do not take into account any changes arising from the Special Review of Farm Prices.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he will include the County of Kent in the proposed free testing area for the eradication of tuberculosis of Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Berkshire, Surrey, and West Sussex.

I regret that Kent cannot yet be included among the counties, mentioned by my hon. Friend, which have achieved an appreciably higher level of voluntary attestation. I hope that greater progress in voluntary attestation in Kent will make it possible for the county to be made a free-testing area during the next four years.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he is aware that certain commanding officers in France and Germany are stopping leave to Britain of men who refuse to be vaccinated and, in view of the right of those serving in the Forces to refuse vaccination or inoculation and of the fact that there are no regulations in force requiring persons entering this country to be vaccinated, if he will instruct these officers that leave is not to be stopped in these circumstances.

Existing instructions emphasise that vaccination and inoculation are voluntary, and I have no knowledge of the cases to which the hon. Member refers. If he will let me have details, I will investigate them.

asked the Minister of Health when the Linstead Report on Hospital Pharmaceutical Services will be published; and what is the reason for the delay.

I am informed that it will be published on 3rd March. Consultation with the Central Health Services Council and the other advisory bodies concerned has necessarily taken some little time. It has also been necessary to obtain agreement to the form in which certain dissenting views which had been expressed in the Standing Pharmaceutical Advisory Committee should be presented with the report.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will be in a position to make a statement upon the Report on the South Wales Ports by the Council for Wales and Monmouthshire.

I am in consultation with my colleagues about this Report and hope to be able to make a statement in the near future.