asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement in respect to the decision he has reached following consideration of the proposal that the Monopolies Commission should look into the restrictive practices of the petroleum industry.

As soon as I make any further references, they will be announced as required under the provisions of the Monopolies and Restrictive Practices (Inquiry and Control) Act, 1948.

asked the President of the Board of Trade in what cities in Canada the United Kingdom Trade Commission had offices in January, 1955.

Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Vancouver and Halifax.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what action he proposes to take regarding the 734 cinemas which failed to fulfil the prescribed quota of British films.

Proceedings will be instituted where appropriate, but much detailed information has to be collected before decisions are taken. The hon. Member will appreciate that an exhibitor who has failed to achieve his quota may apply under Section 13 of the Cinematograph Films Act, 1938, for a certificate that his failure was due to circumstances beyond his control.

asked the President of the Board of Trade why there is to be no British Pavilion at the St. Eriks Fair, Sweden, for 1955.

I understand that the organisers have dropped the proposal because the British-Swedish Chamber ofCommerce and the Federation of British Industries, after consulting representative firms which exhibited in the Pavilion in previous years, consider that it is better to exhibit in trade sections rather than in a national pavilion.

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) what instructions have been given to the representative of Her Majesty's Government on the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations concerning the consideration to be given by the Council to the Report of the Ad Hoc Committee on Restrictive Business Practices;(2) what response has been made by Her Majesty's Government to the invitation of the Secretary-General of the United Nations to state their views on the Report of the Ad Hoc Committee on Restrictive Business Practices.

I would refer the right hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Hillsborough (Mr. G. Darling) on 16th March.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will introduce legislation in his forthcoming Budget providing for the repayment of post-war credits within three months on application for those who produce medical certificates of serious illness and who are unable to return to work.

I cannot anticipate my right hon. Friend's Budget statement.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is satisfied that the supplementary estimate in respect of the University Grants Committee will now be sufficient to implement the salary scales for university teachers announced by him last November; and if he will make a statement.

The only statement I can make is that the answer to the first part of the Question is "Yes."

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what purchasing power was left to a married man with two dependent children out of a gross income of £2,000 a year after payment of tax in the years 1935, 1938, 1951, and at the latest convenient date, respectively.

:The table below shows the net income after tax received by a married man with two children with a gross earned income of £2,000 per annum, together with the equivalent purchasing power at 1954 prices.

—			Net income after tax			Equivalent net income at 1954 prices
			£	s.	d.	£
1935–36	…	…	1,698	10	0	4,280
1938–39	…	…	1,640	17	6	3,759
1951–52	…	…	1,450	0	0	1,592
1954–55	…	…	1,548	10	0	1,548

The final column has been based on the changes in the Cost of Living Index between 1935 and 1938 and in the Consumer Price Index between 1938 and 1954.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer at what level of income in £s sterling at their current value a married man with two dependent children began to pay the standard rate of Income Tax in 1935, 1938, 1945, 1951, 1952, 1953 and 1954, respectively.

The table below shows the minimum earned income required by a married man with two children in order that any tax should be payable at the standard rate, together with the equivalent amounts after adjustment for changes in the purchasing power of the £.

—			Income at which tax at standard rate first became payable	Equivalent amount at 1954 values
			£	£
1935–36	…	…	506	1275
1938–39	…	…	544	1246
1945–46	…	…	450	667
1951–52	…	…	725	794
1952–53	…	…	1003	1036
1953–54	…	…	1003	1019
1954–55	…	…	1003	1003

The final column has been based on the changes in the Cost of Living Index between 1935 and 1938 and in the Consumer Price Index between 1938 and 1954.

asked the Minister of Agriculture details of the cost of the Government's assistance per unit of production of pigs, eggs and wheat, referred to in Command Paper No. 9406.

The estimated costs for the current financial year are as follows:Pigs, 15s. 3d. per score; Wheat, £10 10s. 0d. perton; Eggs, 1s. 1¼d. per dozen.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what factors caused the fall in tillage area of 469,000 acres in the United Kingdom in the last year.

:The tillage area depends on the decisions of individual farmers. In England and Wales, the heaviest fall was in the west where many farmers considered that, since feedingstuffs had become cheaper, the right course was to devote more of their resources to grassland farming and less to cereal growing. In addition, unfavourable ploughing conditions in February and the early part of March undoubtedly had a substantial effect on the crop acreage last year.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he is aware that, although it is illegal to strain milk in the cowshed, this is being done on quite a number of farms; and if he will take action to see that the law in this matter is generally observed.

I am not aware that the straining of milk in conditions liable to lead to its contamination is at all widespread, but my officers of the county agricultural executive committees take all practical steps to see that the law in this respect is complied with.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been drawn to the treasonable activities of certain British nationals as revealed in the Ministry of Defence Paper on the treatment of British prisoners of war in Korea; what legislation he proposes to prevent a repetition; and whether he will make a statement.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer which I gave to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Stafford and Stone (Mr. H. Fraser) on 3rd March and to the answer my right hon. and learned Friend the Attorney-General gave to a number of Questions on 7th March. I am unable to add anything to those answers.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in view of the fact that about 40,000 or 50,000 immigrants from the East have settled down in Britain after coming here as members of ships' crews and deserting their ships when in British ports, what steps have been taken to prevent this indiscriminate immigration

I am satisfied that very few alien seamen deserters succeed in evading the close control which is exercised under the powers conferred by the Aliens Order. I am aware that a considerable number of British seamen deserters from overseas are now resident in the United Kingdom, but I have no information to support the figures given in the Question. While the Merchant Shipping Acts provide for the punishment of deserters and in certain circumstances for their return to their ships, there is no power to prevent British subjects from taking up residencein the United Kingdom.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements have been made to alert the Civil Defence organisation to deal with an accidental explosion of an atom bomb or hydrogen bomb in this country while in storage or while undergoing transhipment.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given him yesterday by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Defence.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department the average weekly cost for the last year available of keeping a child in a remand home.

In 1954–55, when the number of admissions and the average length of stay have continued to decline, the average weekly cost per head of maintaining children in remand homes is estimated to be £10 19s.

asked the Minister of Education whether he will make arrangements for children who have attained the age of five but who cannot be admitted to school owing to a shortage of places to receive free milk.

:Local education authorities have no power to provide milk for children who are not attending school. The number of children affected is very small and should grow less.

asked the Minister of Education if he will give a list of new comprehensive schools that have been approved and those that have been disapproved since the present Government took office.

Since November, 1951, eleven comprehensive schools have been approved and one disapproved. Proposals for the establishment of comprehensive schools made under Section 13 of the Education Act, 1944, and decided since November, 1951, are:

asked the Minister of Education if he will list the new schools built, or begun, by the Cheshire Education Authority in the years 1952–53, 1953–54, 1954–55 and the proposed schools in the 1955–56 programme, together with details of the influx of new population in each case.

The answer to this Question is very long and I will give it in a letter.

asked the Prime Minister when the Royal Commission on Awards to Inventors will complete its work.

The Queen, by a Royal Warrant dated 17th March, 1955, has required the Commission to hear and determine all such claims as may have been referred to it by 15th April next. I understand that the Commission expects to be able to complete the hearing of claims soon after that date and will then prepare and present its final Report.

asked the Prime Minister if he will appoint the Minister of Defence to the British delegation in the Disarmament Conference now taking place in London.

No. I see no reason to change the present composition of the delegation.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he has now given permission to the Stroud Rural District Council to enable them to provide a sewage scheme for Toadsmoor, Bussage, Eastcombe and Bisley, Gloucestershire.

Subject to the clearance of certain points of detail, I am prepared to approve in principle the council's proposal for the laying of a valley sewer to serve these villages. I expect to be able to authorise a part of the scheme during the financial year 1955–56. Authorisation for the succeeding stages will be given as the work on the earlier stages is completed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the average yearly value of the output of diamonds in Sierra Leone; and on what terms and conditions the right to mine them is leased, and to whom.

:The average annual value of diamonds exported from Sierra Leone by the Sierra Leone Selection Trust Limited during the three years 1952–54 was £1,462,000. The company hold in return for substantial contributions to the revenue of Sierra Leone the sole and exclusive right to mine diamonds in the territory under the terms of agreements with the Sierra Leone Government. I am sending to the hon. Member copies of the ordinances embodying these agreements.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, in view of the increase in the number of fatalities in Scotland arising from coal-gas poisoning, he will appoint a technical committee to investigate the reason for the rapid increase and to make recommendations.

I have been asked to reply.A technical committee of the Gas Council's Watson House Research Centre has been at work on this problem since May, 1954. More recently the Council has, at my request, appointed a Safety in the Homes Committee representative of the 12 area gas boards to ensure that the best practice affecting the safety of installations and appliances is followed throughout the country. As the majority of gas poisoning accidents happen to old people, the Committee is enlisting the help of the various social organisations concerned with the problems of old age.

Yes. We plan to re-open this station when we have brought it up to modern operational standards. Squadrons of Fighter Command will be stationed there.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power how many tons of coal have been imported into this country in each of the years 1951 to 1954 andat what cost in dollars and sterling, respectively; and how many tons he anticipates will have to be imported in 1955.

The quantities and landed cost of coal imports were:

—				Thousand tons	£'000
1951	…	…	…	1,226	8,809
1952	…	…	…	320	2,747
1953	…	…	…	551	3,458
1954	…	…	…	2,955	16,879

The dollar cost amounted to about one quarter of the total expenditure over the whole period. Imports in 1955 will depend on the size of the gap between demand and home supplies