asked the Minister of Health what steps he is taking to end the colour bar operated at the Cefn-Coed Mental Hospital, Swansea.

I am glad to say that, following consultations between the management committee and the staff, girls from Barbados are now to be engaged there as student nurses.

asked the Minister of Health the number of hospitals in Wales where coloured nurses are accepted for training; the number where approval has not been granted; and what policy he adopts in the latter cases.

I know of no training hospital in Wales which is not prepared to accept coloured students.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that a colour bar is being operated in recruitment of staff to some hospitals; and whether he will state his policy in this connection.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given today to the hon. Member for Cardiff, West (Mr. G. Thomas).

asked the Minister of Health how many full-time hospital chaplains are employed under the National Health Service; and how many are Church of England, Non-conformist, and Roman Catholic chaplains, respectively.

At the end of 1953, the latest date for which figures are available, there were 106 whole-time chaplains, of whom, so far as can be ascertained, 92 were Church of England, 10 Nonconformist and four Roman Catholic.

asked the Minister of Health what joint machinery has been set up for fixing the remuneration of the general dental practitioner; and what procedure is adopted in cases of a failure to agree.

:The remuneration of general dental practitioners is fixed by Regulations, after consultation between the Health Departments and the profession. The procedure for dealing with disputes is set out in Section 13 of the National Health Service (Amendment) Act, 1949.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if he will take steps to provide for the issue of medical certificates on the same basis for the purpose of pensions and superannuation as for voluntary sick societies.

No. I do not think it is any part of the functions of my Department to issue medical certificates for the purposes mentioned.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance whether, in view of the fact that already the National Assistance Board is paying rent increases at the rate of over £70,000 a year in respect of the Housing Repairs and Rents Act, he will introduce amending legislation to ensure that such increases should not be made until it is established that the local authority has inspected the premises and decided not to issue a certificate of disrepair.

No. I think this proposal would result in unjustifiable hardship to a number of applicants for assistance.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance to give a full list of the overseas countries and territories in which residents are not excluded from benefits under the National Insurance Act, 1946.

:There are no overseas countries in which all the National Insurance benefits can be paid but a list of the benefits which may be paid to residents in certain countries is given below.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance whether he will authorise an increase in the maximum rate of pensions given to the parents of ex-Service men in view of the fact that parents' pensions are based on need and such need has become greater during the last few years.

No. The governing factor is what the deceased might have been expected to contribute to his parents' support had he survived, and I think that the present arrangements enable justice to be done in individual cases.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will take steps to present the information concerning the ill-treatment of British prisoners of war in Korea to the appropriate committee of the United Nations Organisation.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (1) what protests have been, or will be, made to the Chinese Communist Government in connection with the ill-treatment of British prisoners of war during the campaign in North Korea;(2) if he will bring before the United Nations the instances of ill-treatment of prisoners of war by Chinese and North Korean authorities, with a view to appropriate remonstrances and protests being made to the Governments concerned.

Her Majesty's Government have not made any direct protest to the Chinese Government, but they were co-sponsors of a Resolution approved by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 3rd December, 1953, which expressed grave concern at reports of atrocities committed by the North Korean and Chinese Communist forces against United Nations prisoners of war in Korea.In view of this action taken by the General Assembly, my right hon. Friend does not consider that further remonstrances or protests at the present time are required.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what instructions have been sent to our representative at the United Nations and what representations have been made by the United Nations Organisation to the Governments concerned, with a view to relieving tension on the Egyptian-Israeli frontier.

:General Burns, Chief of Staff of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation, issued on 1st March a statement that on 28th February Israeli armed forces violently attacked the Egyptian military position near the Gaza railway station. Preliminary reports from United Nations Observers indicated that automatic weapons, mortars, hand grenades, Molotov cocktails, and a large quantity of explosives, were used. The Egyptian Government state that casualties on their side were 39 persons killed and 32 wounded.Her Majesty's Government at once expressed to the Israeli Government their grave concern at this incident. They also expressed to the Egyptian Government their sympathy with the victims. On 1st March the Secretary-General of the United Nations sent a message to the Governments of Egypt and Israel asking them to take urgent steps to protect United Nations property and personnel and to co-operate with General Burns in the immediate restoration of order.The Security Council met on 4th March to consider the Egyptian complaint. On instructions, the United Kingdom Delegate to the United Nations expressed Her Majesty's Government's concern at the incident and his deep sympathy with the Egyptian Government for the casualties suffered. He said that, without wishing to anticipate the findings of the Mixed Armistice Commission the

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (1) how many of the 880,000 odd Palestinian Arab refugees in the care of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency have attended a course of training in the engineering and building trades, or in industrial and commercial establishments in such subjects as shorthand and typing, and welding;

I have not the detailed information which the hon. Member requests, but I am having inquiries made and will inform him of the results as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what the total hours of daily broadcasting to European countries by the British Broadcasting Corporation after the proposed reductions will be; if he will give an estimate of the comparable figure for the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; and how these totals compare with those of a year ago.

The daily hours of the B.B.C. European Services after the proposed reductions will be 23 hours to the free countries of Europe, including services in English, and 11 hours to Russia and the satellite countries—an aggregate of 34 hours. A year ago the aggregate was 37 hours, of which 11 were directed to Cominform countries.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what reply he has now received in reply to the representations made on behalf of Mr. Chapman who is held a prisoner in Camp 26, Department 10, in Northern Siberia.

Her Majesty's Ambassador in Moscow has received no further communication from the Soviet authorities on this subject since he raised the matter on 5th February, when Mr. Gromyko said that it would be looked into.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what progress has been made in the discussions between Her Majesty's Government and the Government of the United States of America in respect of the issues and problems of South-East Asia.

:There have been no formal bilateral Anglo-United States discussions on South-East Asia. Continuous contact on this, as on other subjects, has naturally been maintained with all the members of the South-East Asia Collective Defence Organisation and with the other countries in the area.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if, in view of its importance to our foreign policy, he will obtain from our Ambassador in Moscow a verbatim copy of the speech made by Mr. Molotov on 8th February to the Supreme Soviet and have this published in HANSARD or publish the extracts referring to the question of the German problem and the Paris Agreements.

I understand that a full translation of Mr. Molotov's speech is available in the Library.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether, in view of the increasing number of registrations in the West Midlands Region, he will increase the global allocation of domestic fuel to that area.

The supplies available for the domestic consumer are already divided between the different regions on the basis of the number of their registrations. I am writing to my hon. Friend about the town in which he is particularly interested.

asked the Minister of Food what reply he has sent to the letter from Accrington Trades Council and Labour Party forwarding a resolution about the high cost of tea and other foods and asking for some attempt to stabilise the cost of living.

The council was thanked and the terms of its resolution noted.

asked the Minister of Food if he is aware that the price of instant coffee-powders rose in the third week in February from 2s. 2d. to 2s. 6d. a quarter-pound tin; and if he will impose price control.

The answer to both parts of the Question is "No."

asked the Minister of Food what action he intends to take to combat the milk price ring, and to ensure that the Milk Marketing Board, Preston, supply sufficient milk to milk distributors who have contracts to supply hospitals on Merseyside with milk in view of the present breakdown in arrangements, details of which have been sent to him.

Subject to normal commercial safeguards, the Milk Marketing Board will make raw milk available to any dairyman who has the equipment to pasteurise it. It is under no obligation to supply bottled or pasteurised milk from any of its premises, and my right hon. Friend has no power to require it to do so.

asked the Minister of Food whether he will refer the composition of chewing gum to the Food Standards Committee or other appropriate body.

The Committee is at present considering certain aspects of the composition of chewing gum. If the hon. Member has any particular aspect in mind, perhaps he will let me know.

asked the Minister of Supply what studies are being made of the practicability of atomic energy being used for the propulsion of aircraft.

:Research into fundamental problems which govern the application of nuclear power to the propulsion of aircraft is being undertaken by the Atomic Energy Authority. Close liaison is maintained between the Authority and the Ministry of Supply.

asked the Minister of Supply if he will give an estimate of the extent to which the aircraft industry is being hampered by the loss of skilled men and technicians during their two years period of National Service.

:It is not possible to give any precise estimate of the effect on the aircraft industry of the call-up of skilled men and technicians.

asked the Minister of Defence his policy concerning tenders by British firms for work to be done under the auspices of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation; what representatives we have on boards allocating such work; and what representations he made in the case which the hon. Member for Brighton, Pavilion, has sent him, where the British tender was the lowest, but the contract was allocated to an Italian firm.

It is Her Majesty's Government's policy to give every encouragement to British firms to tender for such work. Tenders are normally called for by the Government of the country in which the work is to be carried out: the placing of the contract is also the responsibility of that Government. If the Government consider it necessary to pass over the lowest tender, they refer the matter to a committee of the North Atlantic Council on which Her Majesty's Government are represented.The particular case to which my hon. Friend refers was considered by this committee, and the United Kingdom representative gave the fullest support to the claims of the British firm. The committee decided, however, that, for reasons of continuity, it was desirable that the firm which had already acted as consultants at an earlier stage, should be awarded the contract.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he has now completed the study of the reports of consulting engineers appointed to prepare plans for garages under certain London squares; and if he will make a statement.

I am not yet in a position to make a statement.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what use he has so far made of his powers under the Air Corporations Act, 1954, to make provisions for pensions for members of the boards of British Overseas Airways Corporation and British European Airways.

Under Section 2 (2) of the Air Corporations Act, 1953, I have determined the pension provision to be made in respect of the Chairman of the British European Airways Corporation. A statement will shortly be laid before Parliament in accordance with subsection (3) of Section 2.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what changes have been made to the composition of the boards of the British Overseas Airways Corporation and British European Airways since 1951; on what date each of the changes was made; and in what form, and when, the changes were announced to Parliament.

The following changes have been made:

asked the Minister of Works what steps he is taking to ensure that an adequate supply of trained engineers is available for the projected development of atomic energy.

Engineers from the British Electricity Authority and a number of industrial firms are training at the Atomic Energy Authority's Reactor School at Harwell, and teams of engineers are working with the Authority's experts on the design of nuclear power plants. Some universities are also holding courses on nuclear engineering.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works, as representing the Lord President of the Council, what research is being conducted on the problem of the increasing radioactive content of the atmosphere of London; and what evidence he has regarding the association between this increased radioactivity and bronchial disease.

:There is no evidence that there has been, during recent years, any significant increase in the radioactivity of the atmosphere, which remains mainly due to natural causes. Nor has there so far been any evidence that radioactivity is a contributory factor in the causation of bronchial cancer but investigations are continuing into this possibility. Measurements of atmospheric radioactivity under different conditions are being undertaken at London and in other centres.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will now withdraw or alter paragraph 26 of Command Paper No. 9092, to the effect that officers' pensions should be stabilised, in view of the fact that paragraph 114 and paragraph 173 of the May Committee Report, Command Paper No. 3920, recommend an opposite course; and whether he will make a statement.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that paragraph 26 of Command Paper No. 9092 does not represent the view of the May Committee as expressed in paragraphs 114 and 173 of its Report; and whether he will therefore publish a further paper amending Command Paper No. 9092.

I accept that paragraph 26 of Command 9092 is too telescoped a reference to the May Report. A perfectly clear description of the train of events will be found in paragraph 41 of the Command Paper.I do not accept that the May Committee recommended an entirely opposite course. While recommending an acceleration of the cost of living adjustment on pensions, with the cost of living falling as it was then, the Committee was critical of the whole system which related pay and pensions to changes in the cost of living, and it recommended that the pensions scheme for officers in all three Services should be reconsidered. In the circumstances, I do not think that the Command Paper gives a false impression.

asked the Minister of Labour the estimated shortage of general and mental nurses in the south-west region and in the city of Bristol; the main cause of this shortage; and what steps are being taken to encourage men and women to enter this profession in greater numbers.

In the South-West Region there are approximately 1,700 vacancies for nurses, including 800 for mental nurses. For Bristol the figures are 300 and 100 respectively. Over the country as a whole there has been a marked improvement; nursing and midwifery staffs in all hospitals have increased by some 13,000 in the past three years.Recruitment is less satisfactory in the case of the mental and mental deficiency hospitals, where there is a serious general shortage, owing largely to lack of accurate information by the public as to the nature of mental illness and modern methods of treatment. Local recruitment campaigns for mental and mental deficiency hospitals organised during recent months included a successful campaign for the Bristol hospitals.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General how many amateur broadcasting licences have been issued in the United Kingdom at the latest convenient date; and what restrictions, as to broadcast matter, are placed on these broadcasters.

:There were 7,535 licensed radio amateurs in the United Kingdom on 22nd February. Amateur licences permit the use of a station only for the purpose of sending to, and receiving from, other amateur stations messages of a personal nature. The broadcasting of messages to amateur stations in general is prohibited.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General (1) when the Television Advisory Committee was constituted;

:The first Television Advisory Committee was appointed in 1935. The Committee was discontinued during the war, and a new Committee was appointed in 1945. Further changes were made in 1949 and the Committee was reconstituted in November, 1952.The composition of the Committee is as follows:Admiral Sir Charles Daniel, K.C.B., C.B.E., D.S.O. (

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General how many applications for telephone service are now outstanding in the borough and rural district of Newcastle-under-Lyme; and how many such applications were dealt with in the calendar year 1954.

The figures are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department the balance between wastage and recruitment in each month from April to December, 1954,inclusive, in the police forces of England and Wales, giving separately the figures

The figures are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department the authorised establishment atthe end of each month in 1954 of the Metropolitan Police, all the county forces, and all the forces for cities

The figures are as follows: