asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies when it is expected that the harbour and wharf improvements at Apapa will be completed; and what is the policy in regard to the customs wharf in Lagos.

:Two berths at Apapa will be ready next month and all the work there should be completed early next year. The policy in regard to Customs Wharf will be decided later in the light of experience with the completed Apapa extension.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many effective aircraft are owned or in use by the West African Airways Corporation; and what programme of replacement and addition to these has been decided upon, and for what types of aircraft.

On 25th February the West African Airways Corporation had in operation nine aircraft, five of which were de Havilland Doves and four Bristol 170s. On the advice of the manufacturers and of the Air Registration Board all these aircraft have been temporarily withdrawn from service for modifications which are expected to take approximately one week for each aircraft. Meanwhile, the Corporation have obtained one Dakota aircraft on charter for two months and are hoping to acquire up to five de Havilland Herons in the near future.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how far contracts issued for works financed from funds to be provided under the Colonial Development and Welfare Bill will be open to tender to firms limited to the sterling area.

Contracts are so far as possible awarded on the basis of competitive tendering, and are not specifically limited to firms in the sterling area. In practice this system results in all but a very few C.D. & W. contracts going to sterling area firms.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies on what abandoned projects of the Colonial Development Corporation the Treasury have agreed to waive interest in accordance with Section 5 of the Overseas Resources Development Act, 1954; and the total annual sum involved.

The exact annual sum of interest involved will not be known until final accounts are available but it is likely to be about £200,000. Following is the list:

• Atlantic Fisheries.
• British Honduras Stock Farms.
• Dominica, Castle Bruce Estate.
• Dominica, Packing and Grading Station.
• East African Ramie Investigation.
• Gambia Poultry Farm.
• Gambia River Farms.
• Gambia Rice Farm.
• Nigerian Fibres Industries.
• Nyasaland Fisheries.
• Seychelles Fisheries.
• South Atlantic Sealing Co.
• West African Fisheries.
• Andros Development, Bahamas.
• Tanganyika Roadways.
• Limpaso Dambo Farm, Nyasaland.
• Works—Kano Depot, Nigeria.
• Works—Nkata Bay, Nyasaland.
• British Somaliland Camel and Sheep Abattoir and Trading Investigation.
• Kitario Gold Mine, Tanganyika.
• Marudu Rice, N. Borneo.
• Southern Tanganyika Transport.
• Keningau Cattle Ranch, N. Borneo.
• Tanganyika Fish Farm.
• Uganda Fish Farm.
• Kenya Fish Farm.
• Calaro Oil Palms, Nigeria.
• Vitingini Mine, Kenya.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will consider making a financial contribution to the Save the Children Fund to mark the appreciation of Her Majesty's Government of the excellent work done by that fund in many Colonial Territories.

Her Majesty's Government greatly appreciate the valuable work done by the Save the Children Fund in Malaya, Somaliland and Kenya. The Governments of the Federation of Malaya and of the Somaliland Protectorate give financial assistance to the work of the Fund in their own territories and the home for children in Somaliland was started with the aid of a grant under the Colonial Development and Welfare Acts. I am not contemplating making any grant to the organisation from United Kingdom funds.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what steps he takes to ensure that men intending to emigrate from the Colonies to this country are notified of the circumstances in which they will be liable for National Service here.

:At present no such steps are taken but my right hon. Friend is considering with my right hon. Friend, the Minister of Labour and National Service, whether there is anything which might usefully be done in this direction.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what action he proposes to take in order to make the practical contribution made by the colonial welfare and development fund to progress in the Colonies better known both in the United Kingdom and in foreign countries.

:This continues to be a prominent theme in all publicity activities undertaken by the Colonial Office and in the wide range of official written and visual material available in this country. In foreign countries, information on this theme is made available through the official information services.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what steps he is taking to circulate the pamphlet, Treatment of Prisoners of War in Korea, to our Colonies in Asia and Africa.

:Copies of this pamphlet will be furnished in the ordinary course by my Department to information officers in British Colonial territories.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he is aware that Africans are excluded from various hotels and bars in Nyasaland, including at least one bar to which they were admitted before the imposition of Federation; and what steps he is taking to end this racial discrimination.

:The practice of racial discrimination in hotels and bars rests solely with the proprietors, and is not supported by law: I deprecate the existence of the social colour bar; but believe that its progressive removal can only be effectively achieved by the development of an enlightened public opinion.The bar in question recently changed hands and the fact that its customers are now mainly Europeans has no connection with the creation of the Federation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what steps are being taken to abolish pay differentials based on race in the Territorial Civil Service in Nyasaland.

The Nyasaland Government have noted the recommendations of the Lidbury Commission with regard to pay differentials based on race in East Africa and are considering the matter.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many students from Nyasaland are at present in the United Kingdom for university or professional courses.

Fifteen.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he is aware that Africans travelling by rail in Northern Rhodesia, whether they are first-class or second-class passengers, are excluded from the dining-cars of trains; and what steps he is taking to end this racial discrimination.

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Rugby (Mr. J. Johnson) on 2nd March.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what provisions exist for legal aid to poor persons in Northern Rhodesia.

The Poor Prisoners Defence Ordinance and a Rule of the Rhodesia and Nyasaland Court of Appeal, of which I am sending the hon. Member copies.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will make a statement on housing improvements in Gibraltar, now proposed by his Department.

Gibraltar's main housing need is for new flats, of which about 900 have been built since the war. The Gibraltar Government are pressing on with further construction, and financial help from this country under the Colonial Development and Welfare Acts will supplement local resources.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what discussions are taking place with a view to providing, as a matter of urgency, facilities for developing the economic life of Gibraltar and providing suitable additional housing for its people.

The Government has made a number of proposals and those which concern the Service Departments are now being discussed with them. I would refer the hon. Member to my replies today to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Wells (Lieut.-Commander Maydon) and to the hon. Member for Goole (Mr. G. Jeger) as regards port development and housing.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is aware of the need for more technical education in Gibraltar; and what action is being taken to provide it.

Yes. There is a technical school providing for about 120 boys and provision is being made for improved training in handicraft in secondary schools. A site has recently been bought privately for a new technical school which will ultimately be run in association with the Department of Education.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what action is being taken to develop the tourist industry of Gibraltar by encouraging the provision of more hotel accommodation; if he will bring to the notice of shipping companies and travel agencies the desirability of making greater use of Gibraltar; and if he will see that day tourists are given adequate facilities for changing money on or near the landing quay.

The Gibraltar Government are giving every help and encouragement to the improvement of existing hotels and the building of new ones. My right hon. Friend is grateful for the hon. Member's two suggestions in the latter part of his question. Action has been taken on both points and my right hon. Friend has just heard that improved banking facilities will be available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies to take an early opportunity of visiting Gibraltar to study the problems on the spot and repeat to the inhabitants the assurance that Gibraltar will remain British.

:I very much hope to re-visit Gibraltar soon. I should certainly be prepared to repeat the assurances already given in this House.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies on what grounds missionaries of the organisation known as Jehovah's Witnesses have been refused admission to Trinidad.

The Government of Trinidad decided last year that no further representatives of the Society should be permitted to enter the Colony, since experience has shown that its teachings can be detrimental to public order and security. The Society already has 11 representatives in the Colony.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is now prepared to restore the former constitution to British Guiana.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is now prepared to report on the cases of Mr. Odede, a member of the Kenya Legislature, and of Ex-Chief Mbiyu Koinange and Richard Achiens who have been detained under the Emergency Regulations without any charge being preferred against them.

They are detained on grounds of public security. The Advisory Committee on Detainees, having heard appeals from each, has recommended that they should continue to be detained.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will publish Colonel Young's report to him on Kenya or otherwise make it available to hon. Members.

Colonel Young has not made any formal report to me. I have of course had a number of talks with him.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what steps have now been taken in Kenya to implement the recommendation of the All-Racial Committee on Wages which reported in February, 1954; and what are the prevailing statutory minimum wages in Government service, agriculture and industry, respectively.

:The steps taken are set out in Kenya Sessional Paper No. 21 of 1954, copies of which are in the Library of the House. The following table sets out the basic minimum wages and the minimum housing allowances payable to all employed persons, including those employed by the Kenya Government in the urban areas of the Colony in which a statutory minimum wage is in force:

SCHEDULE
Area	Basic Minimum Wages				Minimum Housing Allowances
	Monthly contracts per month		Ticket contracts per completed ticket		Monthly and ticket contracts per month
	Sh.	cts.	Sh.	cts.	Sh.	cts.
Eldoret Municipality	67	50	78	50	9	00
Kisumu Municipality	65	00	76	00	9	00
Kitale Municipality	65	00	76	00	8	00
Mombasa Island	68	50	80	00	12	00
Nairobi Municipality	71	50	83	50	13	00
Nakuru Muncipality	68	00	79	50	10	00
Nanyuki Municipality	67	00	78	00	11	00
Nyeri Municipality	66	00	77	00	11	00
Thika Municipality	66	00	77	00	11	00

There is at present no statutory minimum wage for agricultural workers.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he has now received the further report on the police investigations in Kenya in respect of action prejudicial to the surrender offer; and, in view of the new emergency regulations dealing with any such attempted prejudicial action, what charge will be brought against those who attempted to thwart the Government's intention and actions before the making of the new regulations.

No. Until police investigations have been completed, I cannot say what charges may be brought.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what further communications he has received from the Government of Kenya regarding the proposed visit of a delegation from the Legislative Council of this Colony.

The delegation is not able to come quite as early as had been hoped, but arrangements are now being made for their visit in the first fortnight of July.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, in addition to the facilities available at hospital out-patients' departments to the Masai of Kenya who suffer from venereal diseases, he will arrange that mobile clinics be made available to offer these facilities.

:Local authorities in Kenya such as the Masai African District Council are encouraged to provide mobile clinics in areas where the population is nomadic or scattered. Supervisory staff are provided by the Kenya Government.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what provision is made for the care of children in Kenya when their parents are arrested for screening.

Most children are cared for by relatives, by missions or by other institutions. In other cases they accompany their mothers and special arrangements are made for them in screening camps.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies to make a statement regarding the dock strike at Mombasa.

On 3rd March practically all African dock labour at Mombasa, approximately 5,700 men, came out on strike. They were first joined by other African employees in Mombasa Town but most of the latter returned to work on 7th March. At the time of the strike the Joint Industrial Council for the Dock Industry was examining wage rates and the dock workers trade union leaders on the Council condemned the strike and were active in trying to bring about a return to work. As a result of negotiation the membership of the Joint Industrial Council was expanded and at a meeting of the newly constituted Council on 8th March, the representatives of the dock workers accepted conditions by the employers on the basis of an immediate return to work. The conditions included an interim increase of 50 cents per shift for all registered casual daily paid labour and a submission to arbitration to decide the final award. I have good hopes that the workers will be back at work today.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what limitations are imposed on colonial civil servants in Kenya owning land or engaging in business during their period of service; how many actually do so; and of these how many are Europeans and how many Africans.

:An officer whose remuneration is fixed on the assumption that his whole time is at the disposal of Government is prohibited from engaging in trade, or employing himself in any commercial or agricultural undertaking. An officer may own land only with the approval of the Governor-in-Council and approval is given only if such ownership does not conflict with the officer's public duties. I am unable to state the number of officers concerned as these cases are not reported to the Colonial Office.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how much of the land in Kenya reserved for Africans has been designated as game reserves; and how much within the Masai reserve has been thus designated.

I am consulting the Governor and will write to the hon. Member when I have received his reply.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many Africans, tried and acquitted in Kenya during the emergency, were released on acquittal; how many were detained under the emergency regulations; how many were subsequently released; and how many are still detained.

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

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies on what conditions the Cocoa Purchasing Company of the Gold Coast makes loans to farmers; and in how many cases, to the most recent convenient date, the cocoa farmers have been evicted through inability to meet the conditions imposed.

I am seeking the information from the Governor of the Gold Coast and will write to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will make a further statement in regard to the Volta River project.

I have nothing to add to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Altrincham and Sale (Mr. Erroll) on 26th January.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what form the training of officers for the external affairs service of the Gold Coast will take; and what assistance will be given by Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom in respect of this training.

The arrangements for training the nucleus of a Foreign Service are being considered by the Gold Coast Government. They know that Her Majesty's Government will be glad to help them.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what information he has relating to the incidence of venereal disease among the Masai of Tanganyika; if he will give the percentage incidence in both males and females; and what preventive and remedial treatment is available.

There are no accurate figures, but incidence is believed to be high in both sexes. One hospital and 15 dispensaries are available in the tribal area for preventive and remedial treatment.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will authorise the appointment of African civil servants as official members of the Legislative Council of Tanganyika.

It is open to the Governor to make such appointments, if suitable persons are available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will amend the regulations forbidding public servants in Tanganyika from participating in the activities of societies promoting the African National Movement, as recommended by the United Nations Visiting Mission in paragraph 496 of their report.

No. These regulations apply to all political associations and I share the view of the Government of Tanganyika that it is undesirable for senior members of the Civil Service to engage in politics.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether in view of the emergency conditions still obtaining, he will make arrangements for the sending to Malaya of several persons with experience of electoral procedure and party organisation in the United Kingdom to act as observers and advisers during the forthcoming elections in Malaya.

No. My right hon. Friend sees no need for any such arrangements.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what information he has of the incidence of tuberculosis in Malaya; and what steps are being taken to combat and prevent this disease.

:This information is not available in the Colonial Office. I am asking the Government of the Federation for a report and will circulate the information in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many people living in Malaya are technically stateless; and how many of them are Chinese.

My right hon. Friend does not know the number, but he would expect it to be very small. It is unlikely that any Chinese living in Malaya are stateless since I understand that under Chinese Law all children of a Chinese father wherever born are citizens of China.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies to what extent plans to encourage the replacement of old rubber trees in Malaya are succeeding, particularly in respect of smallholders; what attempt is being made to bring smallholders into large-scale co-operative societies; and what further consideration has been given to the incidence of taxation affecting the Malayan rubber industry.

Over 50,000 acres have been replanted in the two years during which the Smallholders' Replanting Scheme has been in force. Estates have replanted some 300,000 acres since the war. At the end of 1954 there were 22 co-operative societies engaged in marketing rubber. The Department of Co-operative Development in the Federation is doing all that it can to encourage such societies. The Federation Government are now discussing replanting and the incidence of taxation with the Rubber Producers Council, which represents all sections of the industry, including smallholders.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies in view of the severe financial and social burden imposed on Hong Kong by the presence there of 600,000 refugees and dependants, what action he is taking to secure the adoption of the proposals by Dr. Edvard Hambro forwarded to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees in order effectively to supplement the efforts of the Hong Kong Government and local inhabitants.

Dr. Hambro's report has not yet been discussed by the United Nations High Commissioner's Advisory Committee and it would be premature for my right hon. Friend to comment at this stage.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will now say who have been appointed as Fiscal, Civil Service and Judicial Commissioners in connection with British Caribbean Federation.

I am glad to say that the following gentlemen have agreed to serve as Chairman of the three Commissions:Fiscal Commission—Sir Sydney Caine, K.C.M.G.Civil Service Preparatory Commission—Sir James Robertson, K.C.M.G., K.B.E.Judicial Commission—Sir Allan Smith, M.C.The other members of the Commissions will be appointed by the West Indian Governments concerned.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty when he proposes to revise the existing pay code in the Royal Navy.

The existing naval pay code was introduced on 1st April, 1954, and no revision is contemplated at present.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty why Mr. F. D. Vodden, an employee of the Devonport Dockyard, was invalided from the dockyard despite the fact that the senior medical officer had declared he was fit for light work; and what precedent exists in the past five years of an employee, with as much as 18 years' service in the dockyard, being discharged in similar circumstances.

Mr. Vodden was found medically unfit for the normal duties of his grade and capable only of light duty for an indefinite period. Light work within his capacity was not available, and it was therefore unfortunately necessary to invalid him. Men of even longer service have unavoidably been invalided in the past in similar circumstances.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty why he has not yet completed the arrangements leading to the provision of a new road between Fareham and Lee-on-Solent to replace that closed by his Department in 1941.

I regret that there has been further delay in this matter. The delay has been due to negotiations about the electricity cables, gas and water mains which it has been discovered are underneath the existing road. The Admiralty has decided that it is acceptable for the electricity cables and water main to remain in their present position, but that the gas main should be moved. I understand that my right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation is now arranging to publish the necessary draft order.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty to make a statement giving details of the part played by two helicopters on 5th February when the submarine depot ship "Montclare" was in difficulties during a gale.

Two Drangonfly helicopters and one Whirlwind helicopter went to the assistance of H.M.S. "Montclare." They were able to help in passing lines between the ship and two of the tugs which had gone to her assistance. One of the helicopters also transferred a medical officer.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty how many licences have been applied for, and how many refused, for building ships for the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics by Clyde shipbuilders.

The answer to both the first and the second part of the Question is "None."

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he is aware of the paucity of foreign orders for future execution by British shipyards; and if he will state the principle on which he is now acting in granting or refusing licences for the execution of foreign orders offered by eastern countries to British shipyards.

British shipyards have on order for overseas owners (excluding Commonwealth and Colonial owners) about one and a quarter million gross tons of merchant shipping, which is about 29 per cent. of their total order book. Whilst this figure is, I think, considerable, the rate of new ordering by overseas owners has been disappointing recently. The export of ships to China is prohibited, but, apart from warships and those merchant ships which are of particular strategic value, the export of ships to eastern Europe is not prohibited.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty how many shipbuilding berths are lying unoccupied at the present date.

:On 31st December, 1954, the latest date for which information is available, the number of vacant shipbuilding berths was 32.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty to state his plans for this year designed to assist, by means of licences for shipbuilding and repairing or otherwise, British shipyards to compete on favourable terms with foreign shipyards.

:The Admiralty is in constant touch with the shipbuilding and ship-repairing industries, and is ready and willing to assist these industries by any practicable means when they require help. The relatively large order book still held by our shipbuilding industry carries the disadvantage, in competition with foreign yards, that, in general, it is unable to quote fixed prices or early delivery dates. I have no reason to believe that the ship-repairing industry is not in a healthy state, but it must be remembered that most foreign yards have a very plentiful labour supply and are able to work shifts when owners' requirements make this necessary.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General how many portable coin-box telephones have now been provided throughout the country; how many have been made available for hospitals and what applications have been received for their use; and what is the approximate cost of their installation and the charge made for their use.

:These portable coinbox telephones are for use in hospitals only. Fifteen applications have been received, of which four have already been met and the rest are being provided. In addition there have been a number of inquiries. The cost depends on the size of the installation. Standard rentals are charged for the exchange line and for the equipment installed, and the ordinary coin-box fees apply for calls.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General what damage has been caused to the telephone services in Northern Ireland by snow storms and bad weather during the months of January and February; and whether he will make additional capital allocations to aid in making up the leeway which Northern Ireland has suffered from in the provision of telephone services.

:One or two small exchanges were isolated for short periods, but fortunately damage to telephone lines was very small. We have already given Northern Ireland a substantial increase in capital, and propose in 1955–56 to allocate half as much again as in 1953–54.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General whether he is aware that the number of telephone lines connected to subscribers in Scotland last year and the year before was 8.25 per cent. and 8 per cent., respectively, of the total for the United Kingdom; whether he will arrange that Scotland should have at least eleven-eightieths of the available equipment; and whether, in view of Scotland's annual exposure to greater storm damage proportionately than England and Wales, he will transfer extra personnel to Scotland for telephone maintenance.

I am not aware of the basis for the proportion of eleven-eightieths suggested by my hon. Friend, but I can assure him that Scotland receives a fair share of the available resources. This is borne out by the fact that, in proportion to population or the number of existing telephones, outstanding applications for telephone service in Scotland are slightly less than in the rest of the United Kingdom. Due account is taken of the liability to storm damage in making financial allocations and temporary loans of staff are arranged when damage is extensive

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General what instructions he has issued to postmen about pushing letters under the door where there is no letter box and no opportunity of delivery by hand but where the house is obviously inhabited.

Postmen are under instructions not to put letters under the door. If there is no letter box and they cannot gain attention they must take the letters back to the Post Office. The letters are then taken out again on later deliveries.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General how many television licences were issued in 1953 and 1954, respectively.

2,956,846 in 1953 and 4,155,989 in 1954.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General what complaints he has received that the closing of the former sub-post office in Wentloog Road, Rumney, will inconvenience local residents; and if, in view of the growing housing estate, he is satisfied that only one sub-post office is needed.

Representations have been made locally by the Cardiff City Council, the Rumney Ratepayers' Association and one resident. There are still two sub-offices in Rumney, the office formerly in Wentloog Road having been replaced by one in a more central position in Caeglas Road; the new office is well situated to serve the new housing estate.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air what changes there have been in the last two years in the medical standards for Regular commissions in the general duties branch of the Royal Air Force.

Standards of visual acuity have been slightly raised and the standard of colour perception slightly reduced.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air whether he has considered the application of 1853333 Sergeant Dunning, Royal Air Force, Bahrein, to have his wife and children sent out to Bahrein so that the family can be united; what inquiries he has made into the accommodation provided for Mrs. Dunning at Cranwell; and if he will make a statement.

I regret that there is at present no accommodation which we could offer to this airman's family in Bahrein. Sergeant Dunning is, however, likely to be posted to Cyprus within the next few months and it should be possible for them to join him there. The prewar quarter which Mrs. Dunning is occupying at Cranwell lacked up-to-date cooking and water heating facilities. These have now been provided.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation to state the number and value of road improvement schemes that have been, or will be, actually started during the current financial year; and the estimated amount that will have been spent upon them during this financial year.

On trunk and classified roads only, about 4,000. Their value is about £17½ million, and some £12½ million is likely to be actually spent on them in the current financial year.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation to give an approximate estimate of the cost of acquiring the land required for major improvements to, and new construction of, roads to be authorised in 1955, showing the amount per head of population in each of the 10 divisions of his Department.

No. I am afraid the information which would be required to make a sensible estimate is not available.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation the area of land already acquired for the Cromwell Road extension, Middlesex, the cost to date of its acquisition, and the probable total cost and area of land required for this extension.

Approximately 13·6 acres have been acquired on the section in Middlesex and 23 acres in the area of the London County Council. The total cost of land acquisition to date is about £¾ million. The total area of land required is about 50 acres and its estimated total cost £2·2 million, including accommodation work and rehousing.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation the estimated total cost of the announced scheme for widening Piccadilly; the cost and area of land acquired; and its rateable value.

£28,900. Land totals 146 square yards, and costs £20,800. The rateable value is not available.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he can now name a date by which the improvement in the Forth ferry services, which he instructed the British Transport Commission to proceed with, will make itself felt.

Neither my predecessor nor I gave or had power to give such instructions. But I am informed by the British Transport Commission that there is no reason to vary the answer which I gave to the hon. Member for Fife, West (Mr. Hamilton) on 21st February.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether his attention has been called to the plan sponsored by the United States Government to raise over 20,000 million dollars for new highway construction through 30-year bonds to be put on sale by a new Government Highway Corporation; and whether he will consider sending some officers of his Department to the United States to study the details of this arrangement, with a view to ascertaining to what extent it can usefully be followed in connection with the financing of new highway development in Great Britain.

:Yes. The question of the methods to be used for financing public expenditure is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation how many persons were killed or seriously injured on zebra crossings during the last quarters of 1953 and 1954, respectively.

26 and 238, and 34 and 292 respectively.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation how many miles of Class 1 road improvements scheduled under the 1935 crofter counties road programme have been completed.

:Five hundred and thirty-eight miles.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what steps he is taking to purchase the toll rights of the toll bridge at Selby; and when construction will commence on a new toll-free bridge.

I have no statement to make about this bridge at present.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation how many children were killed and how many injured on the roads of Lincolnshire in the last convenient year for which he is able to ascertain the figures; and how far a survey has been made to discover the county's black spots.

In 1954, 16 children were killed and 642 injured. No special survey has been made, but the police keep in close touch with the highway authorities concerning the places where accidents occur.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation when he proposes to have a start made with the reconstruction of the Great North Road where it by-passes Dunbar.

As I have already told my hon. and gallant Friend, proposals to improve the Dunbar by-pass have been included in the first four years of the expanded road programme for Scotland. I have nothing at present to add to this.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation with which year's programme of road construction he hopes to fit the two relief roads at Newbury, assuming that the preliminaries of land acquisition proceed promptly.

I am unable to add to the statement which I made on the 2nd February, for the reasons which I then gave.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he has yet considered the Report of the Committee of Inquiry into London Transport; and if he will make a statement as to the Government's intentions.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation to make a statement on the Report of the Committee of Inquiry into London Transport.

I have nothing to add at present to my reply to the hon. Member for Edmonton (Mr. Albu) on 2nd March.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation to carry out an urgent investigation of the bad conditions on H.M.T. "Empire Clyde" for Service men's families of the 1st Battalion King's Regiment, who are being brought back to this country, and are due to arrive in Liverpool on 1st March, details of which have been sent to him by the hon. Member for the Exchange Division of Liverpool.

I have investigated the case of which the hon. Lady was good enough to send me particulars. Berthing on this voyage was in accordance with existing standards. I am, however, specially reviewing these standards.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation to give a general direction to the British Transport Commission that all railway bridges, used by both passengers and trains, should be thoroughly inspected following the bad winter, to ensure their safety.

No. The engineers of the British Transport Commission, in the exercise of their responsibility for the safety of traffic at all times, maintain a special watch on all bridges and structures which may possibly have been affected by abnormal weather conditions.

asked the Minister of Defence if, in order to protect from interference and victimisation the British subjects who were prisoners of war in Korea, he will ensure that the identity of such individuals will not be disclosed except in connection with, or for the purposes of, judicial proceedings.

asked the Minister of Defence to publish the names of soldiers referred to in the Ministry of Defence statement on the Treatment of British Prisoners of War in Korea, who, it is claimed, were tortured.

:For the reasons given in my reply to the hon. Member for Aston (Mr. Wyatt) on 3rd March, it is not my intention to publish the names of individuals who were prisoners of war in Korea. If, however, legal proceedings were instituted affecting any of the Service personnel concerned, the question of disclosing their names would be reconsidered.

asked the Minister of Defence what representations he received from the British visitors to prisoner-of-war camps in Korea, on their return to this country, about the treatment of British prisoners by their Communist captors.

I have not myself received any representations, but I understand that one of the British visitors was interviewed, at his own request, by officers of the War Office and Air Ministry, It was agreed at the time that these interviews were to be regarded as confidential.

asked the Minister of Defence what machinery exists in his Department for the co-ordination and supervision of the production of the new rifle adopted for use in the British Services.

The Ministry of Defence exercises general co-ordinating functions over the whole field of defence production. The executive responsibility for the production of any particular item of equipment rests with the supply Department concerned, in this case the Ministry of Supply.

asked the Minister of Defence whether he will now review the retired pay of the surviving officers who have received no increases in the rates of retired pay which were fixed by Royal Warrant in 1877, 1881 and 1887, and which are inadequate in 1955; and if he will make a statement.

:These officers are eligible for pensions increase on grounds of hardship under the same conditions as other retired officers. As to the general question of pensions in a period of falling money values, I cannot add to the statement of Government policy set out in paragraphs 35–40 of the White Paper on Retired Pay and Pensions issued in March, 1954 (Cmd. 9092).

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to make a statement on the Gaza border clash.

:I would refer the right hon. Gentleman to the reply which my right hon. Friend the Minister of State gave to the hon. Member for Orkney and Shetland (Mr. Grimond) on 7th March. We have since had confirmation that the Mixed Armistice Commission adopted a resolution condemning Israel for her attack at Gaza on 28th February. Israel has appealed against this resolution to the Special Committee of the Truce Supervision Organisation.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what classes of cargoes are subject to the United States cargo rule which compels 50 per cent. of cargoes to Britain to be carried in United States ships.

:The United States legislation on this subject applies to any transactions where the United States Government obtains the commodity for its own account or furnishes it for account of Her Majesty's Government without provision for reimbursement, or where the United States Government advances funds or credits, or guarantees the convertibility of foreign currencies, in connection with the furnishing of such commodity.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, in view of the conflicting interpretations put by the Governments of France and of the German Federal Republic of the effect of the Saar Agreement of 23rd October, 1954, on the Allied undertakings of 10th April, 1947, 18th January, 1950, and 2nd August, 1951, whether Her Majesty's Government will issue a statement setting out clearly their obligations to France, to the German Federal Republic and to the Saar; and in what respects they are conditional.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to what extent the policy of the Government in regard to the Saar, as officially announced at Moscow on 10th April, 1947, has been, or will be, changed in consequence of the ratification of the Paris Agreements.

As regards the statement of 10th April, 1947, and Mr. Acheson's statement of 18th January,1950, the position of Her Majesty's Government was stated in another place by the then Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. The noble Lord then said:

"At the Council of Foreign Ministers in Moscow in 1947 my right hon. Friend and the United States Secretary of State supported the claim of France for the political and economic detachment of the Saar from Germany, and on 11th June, 1947, my right hon. Friend, in reply to a Question, made a statement to the effect that His Majesty's Government, subject always to decisions to be taken at the final Peace Settlement, supported French policy in the Saar"

In the communication of 2nd August, 1951, which the Allied High Commission made to the German Federal Government, it was stated that:

asked the Minister of Health if he will state the services and appliances under the National Health Service for which a charge is made, and the amount for each service and appliance.

For dentures provided under the General Dental Service the charges are:—

	£	s.	d.
1, 2 or 3 teeth	2	0	0
4 to 8 teeth	2	5	0
More than 8 teeth	2	10	0
Maximum for two dentures	4	5	0

Charges of up to £1 (persons under 21 and expectant and nursing mothers are exempt) are made for a course of dental treatment not involving dentures. The maximum combined charge for all types of dental treatment, including dentures, is £4 5s. 0d.For spectacles, the charges are 10s. 0d. for each lens and, in addition, the cost of the frame, with exemption from both charges for (a) hospital in-patients and (

asked the Minister of Health the results established by recent work in the United States of America confirmed by the results of his pilot study into the fluorine content of the urine of adults in connection with the fluoridation of water supplies; and what are the names of the authors and the dates and places of publication of these researches.

The results show that it is safe to add one part per million and that it is more practicable to decide the level of fluoridation in the light of dental surveys rather than by urinary examinations. References to all the relevant American work will be found in a recent publication of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, called "Fluoridation as a public health measure," which is published in Washington and can be obtained in London.

asked the Minister of Supply the total amount paid since 1946 to private firms engaged in aircraft and aero-engine production by way of grants or subsidies for experimentation and development.

Expenditure from public funds since 1946 under contracts placed with industry for research and development of aircraft and aero-engines has amounted to some £290 million. These payments have been for work done and are in no sense subsidies.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer to state the present membership of the University Grants Committee and of its Sub-Committee on Technology.

The present composition of the University Grants Committee is as follows:Sir Keith Murray, B.Sc., Ph.D., M.A., B.Litt. (Chairman), Previously Rector and Bursar, Lincoln College, Oxford.Professor W. M. Arnott, T.D., B.Sc., M.D., F.R.C.P., F.R.C.P.E., William Withering Professor of Medicine in the University of Birmingham.Professor J. F. Baker, O.B.E., M.A., D.Sc., Sc.D., M.I.C.E., Professor of Mechanical Sciences and Head of Department of Engineering in the University of Cambridge.Sir George Clark, LL.D., D.Litt., P.B.A., Provost of Oriel College, Oxford. President of the British Academy.Professor R. S. Edwards, B.Com., Professor of Economics, with special reference to Industrial Organisation, in the University of London.Mr. J. C. Gridley, C.B.E., Chairman, Vacuum Oil Co. Ltd.Sir Geoffrey Heyworth, LL.D., Chairman, Unilever, Ltd.Dr. Willis Jackson, D.Sc., D.Phil., F.R.S., Director of Research and Education, Metropolitan- Vickers Electrical Co. Ltd.Dr. E. J. F. James, M.A., D.Phil., High Master, Manchester Grammar School.Professor R. H. Matthew, C.B.E., M.A., A.R.I.B.A., Professor of Architecture in the University of Edinburgh.Professor P. B. Medawar, M.A., D.Sc., F.R.S., Jodrell Professor of Zoology and Comparative Anatomy, University College, London.Professor W. R. Niblert, B.A., B.Litt., Professor of Education in the University of Leeds.Professor A. Robertson, M.A., B.Sc., Ph.D., F.R.S., Heath Harrison Professor of Organic Chemistry in the University of Liverpool.Mr. E. L. Russell, C.B.E., M.A., Chief Education Officer, City of Birmingham.