asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he is yet in a position to make a statement regarding the future of Heston Airport.

Yes. The former Heston Airport and the land acquired for its proposed extension is being sold in accordance with the Government's policy on the disposal of surplus land.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he will make a further statement on the number and names of local authorities who have so far applied to operate a future helicopter passenger service; and what estimate he has made as to how long it will be before an experimental provincial service will be in operation.

No local authority has applied to operate a helicopter passenger service: 77 authorities have expressed interest in the possibility of air companies providing local helicopter services or have sought advice from my Department about the reservation of sites for airstops to be developed when helicopters come into commercial service. Experimental helicopter services have already been operated as part of the development programme being carried out by British European Airways Helicopter Experimental Unit, on the routes Cardiff—Wrexham—Liverpool, London—Birmingham and London Airport—Southampton. I cannot say when further experimental provincial services might be justified.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what progress is being made in the fitting of radiation filters to British commercial aircraft; and what other measures are being adopted to ensure safety to passengers and crews in the event of flying through and in the vicinity of radioactive clouds.

No action has been taken to fit radiation filters to British commercial aircraft; I am advised that there is no danger from radioactive clouds to passengers on any route on which British commercial aircraft fly.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he is now prepared to use the agreement made with the Manchester City Council for the provision of a municipal airport as the basis for further agreements to extend municipal airports to other parts of the country.

No. As I said in my answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Withington (Sir R. Cary) on 29th March, Manchester Airport has established itself as one of the most important aerodromes in the country.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what reply he has received from the Westminster City Council to his communication referring to an unauthorized "No Parking" sign on the pavement outside the Dorchester Hotel, Park Lane, W. A.

I am discussing this matter with the Westminster City Council.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he is aware that traffic conditions at New Road, Dagenham, continue to be unsatisfactory; and whether he will receive a deputation to discuss the problem.

Works recently completed have improved traffic conditions, but I agree they are not yet satisfactory. It is hoped to carry out further works this year, and it might be convenient therefore to defer a discussion until the effect of these is clear.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation the total supplementary allocations for maintenance and minor improvements of roads in England, Scotland and Wales for 1954–55.

The following are the figures:

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation how many accidents involving motor vehicles have occurred at the junction of Fossway and Coutts Road, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, in 1954 and 1955; what recommendations the local highway authority and the Chief Constable of Newcastle-upon-Tyne have made to his Department regarding this junction; and what were the dates on which they were made.

Two in 1954 and four in 1955. In one of the 1955 accidents one person was slightly injured. The answer to the second part of the Question is, "None." The third part does not therefore arise.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation when he expects the results of the comprehensive traffic census taken last August to be available.

These results will be available in respect of different areas from time to time during the next 12 months. They will be sent to the highway authorities concerned as soon as they are ready, and if it is the wish of the House, I will place copies in the Library. A report and survey of the whole census will be published when the work is completed.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation the estimated cost of acquiring land and easements at the Elephant and Castle and Holborn and Kingsway Junctions for the proposed construction of roundabouts which have been authorised as part of the National Road Building programme.

These schemes have not yet been formally authorised. The estimated costs of land and easements are roughly £¾ million for the first and £2 million for the second.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation how many accidents occurred and how many persons were killed, seriously injured and slightly injured on A48 between Gloucester and the western boundary of Newport, Monmouthshire, on A449 from the southern boundary of Wolverhampton to its junction with A38 at Worcester, on A38 from the southern boundary of Birmingham to Gloucester northern boundary, on A38 in Gloucester, and on A38 from Gloucester southern boundary to the northern boundary of Bristol, for the year 1954 or the last year available.

The information required by my hon. Friend will take a little time to collect. I will send it to him as soon as I can.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, in view of the number of young men who, having completed their National Service in England, take up appointments in Kenya and find that they are then called up for further National Service in Kenya for an indefinite period and are unable to return to this country when they wish, he will ensure that young men accepting official appointments in Kenya are warned of this liability to further service so that they are not kept against their will in a tropical country

Persons going to Kenya who have completed their National Service in England are not now liable for call-up for further National Service in Kenya.

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.

, pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 9th March, 1955; Vol. 538, c. 46] supplied the following information:Up to 12th March, 1955, 18,852 persons were tried and acquitted on charges connected with the emergency. Of these, 166 were immediately detained on orders issued by the Governor under Emergency

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what moneys have been spent by Her Majesty's Government on the Haud and the reserved areas bordering the Somaliland Protectorate since the 1944 Agreement.

Approximately £330,000, nearly the whole of which represents costs of administration.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what proportion of the British Somaliland Protectorate is under cultivation and when such cultivation was initiated; what proportion of the land in the reserved area is under cultivation and when cultivation was initiated there; whether the land under cultivation in the reserved area has been granted to Somalis of the British Protectorate; and whether the Somalis of the Protectorate will now be given all the assistance necessary to cultivate land within the territory of the Protectorate.

In the Protectorate the area under cultivation is approximately 200,000 acres or 0·5 per cent. of the whole. In the reserved area at the time of the withdrawal of British Military Administration about 10 per cent. of the land was under cultivation at any one time. Both in the Protectorate and in the reserved area there was some cultivation before the war, but it has been greatly extended since then.Somalis in the reserved area are occupying land which, by virtue of the fact that they have cultivated it, belongs to them and their heirs under Somali custom. Most of these Somalis are from British Protected tribes. It is the policy to encourage cultivation in the Protectorate wherever practicable, but by far the greater part of the country is unsuited by soil and climate to the growing of crops.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies when he proposes to publish the Report of the Committee of Inquiry into the Constitutional Development of the smaller Colonies.

I have nothing to add to the reply my right hon. Friend gave to the hon. Member for The Hartle-pools (Mr. D. Jones) on 30th March, 1955.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will cause inquiries to be made into the general conditions under which coloured persons are resident in this country with a view to taking such steps as are necessary to ensure that their welfare is safeguarded.

I cannot at present add to the statement which my right hon. Friend the Minister of State made on behalf of the Government on 5th November.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what steps are being taken to encourage the production of animal feeding stuffs in the West Indies.

The following is a list of developments which have taken place since my reply to my hon. Friend on 27th January, 1954:BRITISH GUIANAThe Government Marketing Division has expanded the operations of the processing factory for animal feeds.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what steps are being taken to increase the output of coconuts in Jamaica.

Grants of about £180,000 have been made by Her Majesty's Government to assist the rehabilitation of the coconut industry after the 1951 hurricane. The Jamaica Government also help farmers with the provision of seedlings. Research assisted from Colonial Development and Welfare funds is taking place into the problem of "Unknown Disease." The output of copra in Jamaica rose from about 3,500 tons in 1952 to over 9,000 tons in 1954, and it is estimated that it will reach 12,000 tons this year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies when the Report of the Fact-Finding Mission on the West Indian Citrus Industry will be published.

The report is being published today. Copies are available in the Library of the House.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he will make a statement on the position of the Naval Ordnance Inspection Department, having regard to the establishment of the new officer structure in the Royal Navy.

My right hon. Friend regrets that he is not yet in a position to make a statement on this matter.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty how the percentage of established dockyard workers in Malta compares with percentage of established workers at the Portsmouth, Plymouth and Chatham dockyards.

The percentage of established posts for locally-entered dockyard workers in Malta is approximately one-seventh of the percentage in Her Majesty's Dockyards at Portsmouth. Devonport and Chatham. The circumstances determining the amount of establishment granted in the two countries are, however, quite different.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty the cause of the large over-estimate for clothing, soap and tobacco issued to the Navy during 1953–54.

The relatively large underspending shown under Vote 2, Subhead M, in the Navy Appropriation Account for 1953–54 was due principally to short deliveries of clothing resulting from delays in production and to a small extent to a fall in prices.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if, in view of the passing of the Army and Air Force Acts, he will now give consideration to moving for the appointment of a Select Committee on the Naval Discipline Act.

Yes. Her Majesty's Government proposes to ask the House to agree to the appointment of a Select Committee to examine the Naval Discipline Act.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what information has been supplied to him by local authorities about the limits they are imposing on the use of conversion grants.

It is within the discretion of each local authority to decide whether and to what extent improvement grants under the Housing Acts, 1949 and 1954, shall be given in their area. Information of this kind supplied to me by local authorities is confined to the number of applications for grants approved.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he is aware of the concern felt by rural district authorities over the condition of omnibus bodies which are sold secondhand by omnibus transport companies for the purpose of caravan dwellings; and whether he will introduce legislation to prohibit the sale of these vehicles for such purposes except after inspection and certification by a local authority.

Local authorities already possess powers under the Town and Country Planning Acts and the Public Health Acts, which enable them to control the use of omnibus bodies as dwellings. New legislation does not therefore seem necessary.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what steps his Department have taken under Section 111 of the Public Health Act, 1936, to check that water does not contain a degree of fluorine which renders it unwholesome.

The section mentioned requires local authorities to satisfy themselves that the water supplies in their districts are wholesome. The advice of my medical and technical officers is available to them. Before I approve the use of a new public source I have to be satisfied that the proposed supply is wholesome and in recent years particular attention has been paid to fluoride. My officials are collecting information about the fluoride content of the water supplied by statutory water undertakers in England and Wales, beginning with those serving a population of more than 100,000.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost to the Exchequer would be if the age limit at which post-war credits are issued at present were reduced by one year.

A reduction of one year in the ages at which post-war credits are repayable would increase the amount to be repaid in the coming year by about £18 million.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the reason for the conflict between the figures given in Table 293 of the Annual Abstract of Statistics, 1954, and the figures given in Table 21 of the Economic Survey for 1954 relating to undistributed profits after tax.

There are two differences in method of presentation between the two tables; first, the table in the Economic Survey, as shown in a footnote, excludes banking, insurance and other financial institutions, which are included in the table in the Annual Abstract of Statistics; secondly, the table in the Economic Survey shows undistributed income after actual payments of taxes and dividends during each year, whereas the table in the Annual Abstract shows undistributed income after provision for tax and dividends arising from the income of each year. In addition, the table in the Economic Survey incorporates more recent information as a result of which the estimates of undistributed income in 1951 to 1953, after provision for tax, have been somewhat increased since the Annual Abstract was published.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will make a statement about improving the procedure of the Capital Issues Committee.

An Order was made yesterday exempting certain transactions from control, mainly those which do not involve the raising of new money, and making some minor technical amendments to the Control of Borrowing Order. The Order is available today in the Vote Office and will come into operation tomorrow.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what progress has been made in research work on the trace element problem carried out in Romney Marsh in regard to peas; and if he will publish results as soon as possible.

The National Agricultural Advisory Service, in co-operation with the Soil Survey of England and Wales, is continuing investigations on trace element deficiencies in Romney Marsh so as to bring to a conclusion earlier research on this subject. When results are available they will be published, but it is likely that the experiments will have to go on for several years.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he will now announce his decision regarding the outcome of the public inquiry into the Substitutional Potato Marketing Scheme.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and I have now completed consideration of the draft Scheme in the light of the objections and the report of the Commissioner who held the public inquiry. As a result, the promoters have been notified of certain proposed modifications, to which they have given their assent. The draft Scheme, as modified, is being laid before Parliament today.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General whether it was with his authority that the solicitor prosecuting for the General Post Office in a Nottingham police court stated that amateur transmitters were cluttering up the air and spoiling programmes.

I am glad to have this opportunity of clearing up any misunderstanding that may have arisen. The case before the court related to a transmitting station which was not only operated without a licence but was also worked on a frequency not available to amateurs. The solicitor's comment, of which varying reports have appeared in the Press, was to the effect that the air was crowded with transmitting stations of all kinds and unless there was a close check on them listeners' enjoyment would be spoiled. There was no intention whatever to cast any reflection on the numerous able and devoted amateurs who operate within the terms of their Post Office licence and on their properly allotted wavelengths.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General whether he is yet in a position to announce the wavelength be proposes to allocate to the land mobile radio services at present operating in the television band.

Yes. My noble Friend received a few days ago the report of a Committee he had appointed to advise him on this matter, and he has decided to accept their recommendations. Copies of the Report, including a minority report by one Member, and comments on it by the rest of the Committee, are available in the Library. The Report recommends that certain existing services should be transferred to a new frequency band, and shows how the short-term development can be provided for. It also draws attention to the need for examining the problem of future development, and my noble Friend proposes to ask the Committee to undertake this task.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General when he expects the Lincoln Exchange will be completely modernised and manually operated.

We expect to open a new automatic exchange to replace the present manually operated exchange in the second half of 1958.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General when the kiosk erected at Trimpley Road, Bartley Green, Birmingham, will be provided with a telephone.

The kiosk will be brought into use this month.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General whether he will give an assurance that, in agreement with the staffs concerned, he is arranging for the maximum possible amount of overtime to be worked in the Sale Telephone Exchange area so as to reduce the back log of telephone applications.

asked the Assistant Postmaster General what steps he is taking to employ outside contractors for trenching and other work in the area covered by the Sale Telephone Exchange in order to expedite the laying of the additional cables required to provide telephone service to applicants, some of whom have been waiting many years for service.

I can assure my hon. Friend that we are doing all we can to speed up the provision of additional plant in the Sale area and that the measures we are taking include a great deal of overtime by our own staff and the employment of outside contractors for trenching and laying of ducts. More than half the present applicants should be connected up within a year; our aim is to improve on the high rate of connection of telephones in the Sale area which we achieved last year.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is aware of the faulty workmanship in houses erected by the Scottish Special Housing Association in New Cumnock, Ayrshire; and what steps he is taking in the matter.

I understand that water has penetrated some of these houses. Remedial experiments, which were interrupted by bad weather, will, it is hoped, be resumed shortly. When an effective remedy is found, it will be applied without delay to all the houses concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if Duke Street Prison, Glasgow, has yet ceased to be used for prison purposes; and what proposals he has received from Glasgow Corporation regarding their desire to acquire the site.

Bad weather has delayed the adaptations at Greenock Prison, which will not be completed until late in May. It should therefore be possible to close Duke Street Prison early in June. Glasgow Corporation have indicated this week that they would be interested in the transfer of the property, and the matter will be discussed with them.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what proposals he has received from the Clyde Valley Planning Advisory Committee regarding the provision of a new town at Houston to deal with the overspill problem in the Clyde Valley area; and what action he proposes taking.

I have received no such proposal, but I understand that the Committee have the matter under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what consideration he has given to introducing legislation to make the notification of spastic cases compulsory;(2) whether he will send a circular to all local health authorities asking them to ascertain how many persons in their areas are suffering from cerebral palsy;(3) whether he is satisfied that local health authorities in Scotland have made adequate arrangements for the care and attention of adult persons, especially the elderly, suffering from cerebral palsy; and if he will make a statement.

Compulsory notification has hitherto been confined to infectious conditions, and I do not think there is enough to be gained in this case to justify a proposal to depart from that principle. Medical officers of health in Scotland have been asked to include, in their Annual Reports for 1954, statements of information available about the incidence of spastic paralysis or cerebral palsy in each area, and to review the facilities available under the local health services for persons suffering from this handicap. They have also been asked to review the degree to which these facilities are being co-ordinated with the diagnostic and treatment services and with the welfare services. When this information has been received, I propose to consider the position further.