asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance how often different codes for scales of payment have been issued to officers serving under the National Assistance Board; and what effect this coding has had on the scales payable by the Board.

I regret that I do not know to what the hon. Lady's Question relates. Whenever changes are made in the Assistance Regulations, the Board's officers are, of course, instructed to give effect to them.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what amount was paid in hardship allowances to those on National Assistance during 1951, 1952, 1953, and 1954, respectively.

SILICOSIS MEDICAL BOARD (PNEUMOCONIOSIS MEDICAL PANELS)*
The following doctors are engaged full-time† as members of the Swansea panel:
Names	Qualifications	Length of medical experience
MACNAIR, Robert Alistair Cunninghame	M.B., Ch.B. (Edinburgh)	Qualified, 1922. Member of Silicosis Medical Board, 1947. 10 years previous special experience of chest work with local authorities and in hospitals.
PRICE, Frederick Noel Ritchie	M.B., Ch.B. (Edinburgh)	Qualified, 1923. Member of Silicosis Medical Board, 1931. Five years previous special experience of chest work in hospitals.
MCGORRY, Henry Desmond	M.A., M.D., B.Ch. (Dublin), D.P.H.	Qualified, 1934. Member of Silicosis Medical Board, 1955. 10 years previous special experience of chest work in hospitals.
HUTCHINSON, James Edmunds MacDonald	M.B., B.S. (Durham)	Qualified, 1949.Member of Silicosis Medical Board, 1954. Three years previous special experience of chest work in hospitals.
* Members of the Silicosis Medical Board became members of the Pneumoconiosis Medical Panel when the Industrial Injuries Act, 1946, came into operation on 5th July, 1948.
† Some additional help is given by members of other panels and by part-time members.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what, he estimates, would be the approximate extra burden on the Exchequer of amending the earnings rules so that no

There is no such thing as a special hardship allowance in connection with National Assistance. If the hon. Member is referring to discretionary additions to meet special circumstances the estimated annual cost of such additions was £5,770,000 in 1951, £6,830,000 in 1952 and £7,600,000 in 1953. An estimate for 1954 is not yet available.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance to circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT the names, qualifications and length of medical experience of the individual members of the Swansea panel of the Silicosis Medical Board.

The information is given below.deductions were made from retirement pensions unless pensioners' earnings exceeded £50 per quarter.

I regret that the information needed to make such an estimate is unobtainable.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance whether he yet has any further statement to make with reference to the payment of retirement pensions to persons permanently or temporarily resident in foreign countries; and, in particular, whether any such pensioner is entitled to or can be given the option to receive payment either in the foreign country or through a bank or other agent in the United Kingdom.

I am submitting to the National Insurance Advisory Committee draft Regulations which would enable people living in foreign countries to draw their pensions on the same terms as those residing in countries belonging to the Commonwealth.If these are approved then, subject to the production of the necessary declarations about earnings and to any exchange regulations, pensioners will be able to draw their pensions in either of the two ways suggested.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether a reply has now been received to the further approaches made to the Soviet High Commissioner on 20th January about the interference with the British Broadcasting Corporation's Welsh Regional station.

No reply has yet been received.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how far ratification of the Paris Agreements has proceeded; what ratifications are still to be made; and when he expects ratification in the countries concerned to be completed.

The Agreements have been approved by the Parliaments of the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Norway, Portugal and Turkey. In the other countries the Agrements are either before Parliaments or will shortly be submitted to them. The Instruments of Ratification have then to be deposited with the appropriate Governments. I cannot predict by what date ratification by all concerned will be completed.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what formal proposals have been made by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics for the opening of conversations regarding the conclusion of an Austrian peace treaty, the reunification of East and West Germany, and the removal of all causes of friction between East and West; and the policy of Her Majesty's Government on these proposals.

The last formal Soviet proposals on the subjects referred to by the right hon. Member were contained in the Soviet Government's Notes of 23rd October and 13th November, 1954 (Command 9327). Her Majesty's Government's position was set out in their Note of 29th November (Command 9327).

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will instruct the British Government's representative on the Commission on Human Rights to press for the inclusion in the covenants now under consideration by the Commission of a clause permitting all human beings the right to decide the mode of the disposal of their bodies after death.

No.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what steps are now taken by his officials to ascertain that the grade of coal delivered to the consumer corresponds with the grade charged on the delivery note.

I would refer the hon. Lady to the reply I gave to her supplementary question on 15th November. My right hon. Friend's enforcement officers are constantly on the watch for overcharging, in whatever circumstances it may arise.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power if he has considered the protests against his proposal to close the fuel office at West Drayton, and, in particular, the constructive alternative proposals made by the Yiewsley and West Drayton Urban District Council which are calculated to save expense and inconvenience to residents of that area who wish to visit a fuel office; and if he will make a statement.

Yes. The proposal made by the Council is under consideration, and I will let the hon. Member know when I have reached a decision.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what experiments are being conducted by his Department in Scotland for the raising of coal by pumping methods.

The National Coal Board is planning an experiment at a colliery in the Central East Area of the Scottish Division. It is hoped this will be started within a few months.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power is he will give an assurance that, in his consideration of implementing the Turner Committee Report, he will take fully into account the recommendations of the committee in regard to the agricultural aspects of the problem of coalmining subsidence.

Yes.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power when he expects that the supplies of smokeless fuel will be adequate to meet the domestic demand; and what steps are being taken to increase supplies.

Though for the reasons that I gave the House on 14th March there are at present difficulties in the distribution of solid smokeless fuels, production is in general sufficient to meet demand and is being increased to match the larger requirements that will result from the Government's clean air policy.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power how much domestic-type coal he estimates he would have to import over 12 months to free domestic supplies from the allocation system.

About 2 million tons extra.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power the result of his inquiries into the question of the formula for charging contributions towards the cost of rural electricity schemes.

I assume that the Question refers to my right hon. Friend's inquiry as to the South Western Electricity Board's new scheme for rural development contributions. I understand that this is meeting the requirements in this part of the country and there are no grounds for my right hon. Friend to intervene in the matter.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what action he intends to take in relation to the death and fear caused by fractured gas pipes in Orrell Street, Higher Openshaw, Manchester.

I am informed by the North Western Gas Board that new mains are now being laid in this street.

asked the Minister of Food if he is aware of the public concern at the increasing cost of meat, which is at a higher level than in previous years and has risen again within the last few weeks, when a seasonal decline of home-killed meat was experienced; and if he will introduce price control.

Although the price of fresh meat has risen, ample supplies of imported frozen meat are available at very reasonable prices. I am not prepared to re-introduce price control.

asked the Minister of Food what stocks of imported meat are at present held by his Department.

About 95,000 tons on 11th March.

asked the Minister of Food the estimated trading loss on the realisation of the stocks of meat held by his Department.

It would be both misleading and commercially imprudent to give such an estimate until the stocks have been sold.

asked the Minister of Food what shipping space is being used by his Department for the storage of meat; and why normal storage places are not being used for this purpose.

All the available space on one ship which has holding capacity for 5,300 tons. Normal storage is being used to the full.

asked the Minister of Food at what prices his Department is offering Australian, New Zealand and Argentine meat to the trade; and how these prices compare with home-killed meat.

Prices vary according to quality and grade; the following are representative of recent sales to importers:

Australian and new Zealand beef—11d. to 1s. 3d. per lb.

Argentine beef—1s. to 1s. 4d. per lb.

New Zealand lamb—1s. 3d. to 1s. 10d., wethers—6d. to 1s. 1¾d., and ewe mutton—4½d. to 8d. per lb.

There are no directly comparable prices for home-killed meat, but recently wholesale prices of imported frozen beef at Smithfield have been just over half the home-killed prices and frozen lamb 60 to 80 per cent. of home-killed prices.

asked the Minister of Food what prices have been arranged in the current agreement for the purchase of meat from the Argentine; and how these prices compare with those negotiated in the previous agreement.

Negotiations for a new agreement with Argentina are still proceeding. It is not contemplated that there will be any further arrangements for the Government purchase of meat.

asked the Minister of Food at what price, relative to the last control price, meat imported by his Department is now being sold.

For frozen meat at first hand, on average, about 20 per cent. below the last control prices.

asked the Minister of Food the total supply of carcase meat and offal in the first six months of decontrol, from July to December, 1954, compared with the corresponding periods in 1951 and 1953.

Supplies passing into consumption in the period July to December, 1954, are estimated at 1,115 thousand tons; during the corresponding periods in 1951 and 1953 they were 825 and 1,031 thousand tons respectively.

asked the Minister of Food what steps are taken to ensure that meat imported into the United Kingdom is fit for human consumption.

The Public Health (Imported Food) Regulations, 1937 and 1948, prohibit the import of meat unless it is accompanied by an official certificate recognised by me and issued by a competent authority in the country of export that the meat was derived from animals inspected both before and after slaughter and found to be fit for human consumption.

asked the Minister of Food when he hopes to introduce the promised consolidation Measure covering the various Food and Drugs Acts.

The preparation of this Bill is well advanced and I hope to introduce it shortly.

asked the Minister of Food what improvements he has been able to make since the beginning of the fatstock guarantee scheme in the facilities for the certification of meat sold on the hook.

There are now 360 centres in Great Britain where cattle, sheep and pork pigs can be sold on grade and deadweight and certified for guarantee payments, as compared with 166 in July, 1954. We shall extend the facilities for this type of sale as necessary, but most producers are now able to sell "on the hook," if they wish to do so. There are also 664 deadweight centres and bacon factories, where pig carcases can be certified for the guarantees, compared with 334 last July.

asked the Minister of Food what proportion of the retail milk supply is now subject to heat treatment; and how this compares with the position in 1945.

In the year ended September, 1954, about 87 per cent. of the milk supplied by retail in Great Britain was subject to heat treatment compared with about 69 per cent. in 1945–46.

asked the Minister of Food the wholesale price of bacon today compared with the price immediately before decontrol.

The wholesale price of Wiltshire sides of green bacon was 305s. per cwt. before decontrol. Prices now vary with the quality of the bacon and range from 222s. to 256s. per cwt.

Year			Under 5 years		5–9 years		10–14 years
			Notifications	Deaths	Notifications	Deaths	Notifications	Deaths
1940	…	…	—	973	—	1,043	—	284
1941	…	…	—	1,181	—	980	—	229
1942	…	…	—	730	—	728	—	179
1943	…	…	—	536	—	467	—	147
1944	…	…	4,171	352	7,200	342	4,417	104
1945	…	…	3,275	253	5,948	257	3,467	74
1946	…	…	2,371	192	3,460	126	2,122	33
1947	…	…	1,321	104	1,603	81	868	22
1948	…	…	820	68	1,010	55	596	14
1949	…	…	470	43	518	18	329	6
1950	…	…	262	19	245	11	146	5
1951	…	…	169	6	213	11	98	7
1952	…	…	74	9	135	8	46	—
1953	…	…	63	11	84	6	33	1

asked the Minister of Health the estimated percentage of children in the age-classes under one year, one to four years, five to nine years, and 10 to 14 years, respectively, who have been immunised against diphtheria in each of the years from 1940 for which the figures are available.

Information in the form requested is not available; but the following are the percentages of children in various age groups at 31st December, 1953, who had received a complete course of immunisation during the preceding five years:

• Under 1 year, 8·2^*.
• 1 to 4 years, 61·6.
• 5 to 14 years, 46·0.

^* Since immunisation is not normally undertaken until children reach 8 months of age, the maximum percentage would be 33⅓ per cent.

Similar information for years prior to 1953 is not available.

asked the Minister of Health the ages of children notified as suffering from diphtheria and recorded as dying from that disease in each of the years 1940 to 1953.

The numbers of notifications and of deaths in different age groups under 15 years were as follows. Ages for cases notified prior to 1944 are not available.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that old-age pensioners are obliged to pay a substantial amount towards their new glasses; and if he will take steps to make these aids free to all pensioners.

The charges mentioned by the hon. Member were introduced by the National Health Service Act, 1951, and were fully discussed when the Bill was before Parliament. The Act gives me no power to exempt old-age pensioners.

asked the Minister of Health to present a table showing how the four surgeons exclusively employed on thoracic surgery in the Manchester Region compare with the number so employed in each other region, and giving the estimated population figures in each case.

The figures are as follows:

Region	Number of surgeons	Estimated population (Mid 1953)
Newcastle	6	2,911,200
Leeds	6	3,044,900
Sheffield	7	4,172,700
East Anglia	4	1,462,900
N.W. Metropolitan	9	3,874,600
N.E. Metropolitan	5	3,039,800
S.E. Metropolitan	6	3,197,400
S.W. Metropolitan	9	4,620,900
Oxford	2	1,458,000
South Western	7	2,768,200
Welsh	5	2,594,000
Birmingham	8	4,470,000
Manchester	4	4,372,800
Liverpool	6	2,102,600

NOTES:1. The figures include surgeons employed at teaching hospitals except in London, since these do not serve any one region.2. The figures do not distinguish between whole-time andpart-time appointments.3. In addition to the above there are in some regions surgeons engaged in thoracic surgery and in other branches of surgery.

asked the Minister of Health how many people in this country are certified as lepers; how many leper hospitals or wings of hospitals there are in the United Kingdom; and where they are situated.

In England and Wales there are 164 notified leprosy patients and two special hospitals for them, one near Redhill, Surrey, the other near Chelmsford, Essex.

asked the Attorney-General whether he will take action under the Statute of Praemunire to prevent the withholding of supplies to traders carrying out the decisions of private courts set up by trade associations.

No. The withholding of supplies in these circumstances does not constitute an offence punishable with the penalties imposed by the Statute of Praemunire. The procedure has in any case been obsolete for at least 150 years.

asked the Attorney-General if his attention has been drawn to the fact that injustice may result from the present law and procedure relating to the preferment of indictments in criminal proceedings, particulars of which have been sent to him; and if he will now take steps to rectify this and to ensure that, whenever a person is committed for trial on indictment, the proper officer of the court of trial shall be obliged to supply a copy of the indictment free of charge to the accused person five days at least before the trial.

I do not think that any amendment of the law on these lines is called for. I am not aware that any injustice or hardship has resulted from the operation of the indictment rules in their present form and there are serious practical objections to the hon. and learned Member's proposal.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies why instructions were given by his Department forbidding Dr. Corcos to make a statement on his return to England from Trinidad.

As a colonial civil servant, Dr. Corcos is subject to Regulations, one of which is that an officer, whether on duty or on leave of absence, shall not allow himself to be interviewed on questions of public policy.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies to make a statement on the position of the coffee industry in Uganda, especially on the difficulties of marketing the crop.

Coffee production in Uganda has shown an increase over the last season, and owing to the sharp drop in world prices it will be necessary to draw substantially on the Coffee Price Assistance Fund to maintain the price guaranteed to African producers at the beginning of the season. I am informed that marketing is proceeding steadily and that prices realised at the Kampala auctions have been usually slightly above the corresponding New York quotations.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General what reply he has sent to the petition submitted to him by the residents of Rumney about the need for a post office in Wentloog Road, Rumney.

I am sending the hon. Member a copy of my reply to the petition of the residents of Rumney.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether, in view of increasing unemployment among those engaged in ship repairing in the Port of London, he will introduce legislation to discourage or prohibit British shipowners from having their ships repaired in foreign ports, save for emergency repairs.

No. Any such legislation would be quite contrary to the interests of both our ship-repairing and shipping industries.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what horticultural products are affected by the recent decision reached at the Geneva Conference on the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade to extend until the end of 1957 existing commitments not to raise import duties.

The various items on which the United Kingdom has entered into tariff commitments under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade are set out in Volume 3 of the Consolidated Schedules of Tariff Concessions, published by the Contracting Parties to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and obtainable from Her Majesty's Stationery Office. For convenience of reference, I am sending the hon. Member a list of those which relate to horticultural products. The texts of the proposals made by the recent Geneva Conference will appear in the White Paper which I am going to lay before the House.