Toys
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department to make a statement on steps to be taken to control dangerous toys, details of which have been supplied to him.
The sale and possession of live ammunition is strictly controlled by the Firearms Act, 1937, and under the Prevention of Crime Act, 1953, it is an offence for anyone without lawful authority or reasonable excuse to have with him in any public place any offensive weapon.
The toy of which details have been supplied to me is a harmless imitation bullet and in my view it does not provide grounds for thinking that an amendment of the law is called for.
War Pensioner Hospitals
asked the Minister of Health whether he yet proposes to transfer any of the directly administered war pensioner hospitals to the administration of the appropriate regional boards and management committees in accordance with the intention stated in paragraph 14 of the White Paper on the Transfer of Functions of the Ministry of Pensions.
Yes. I am satisfied that the time has come to make arrange-
Hospital board Project Provisionally Scheduled to start Newcastle Regional Hospital Board New hospital for West Cumberland 1956–7 Prudhoe and Monkton Mental Deficiency Hospital development scheme—phase I 1956–7 —phase II 1957–8 Middlesbrough General Hospital Accident and Orthopaedic Department 1956–7 Leeds Regional Hospital Board New Hospital at Huddersfield—phase I 1957–8 Sheffield Regional Hospital Board Scunthorpe and District War Memorial Hospital development scheme 1956–7 Aston Hall Hospital Extensions 1957–8 Doncaster Royal Infirmary development scheme 1957–8
ments of this kind for two of the hospitals, as has already been done for the war pensioner units at Taunton, Cosham and Stoke Mandeville. I have therefore decided to transfer administrative responsibility for Dunston Hill Hospital, Gateshead, and for Mount Pleasant Hospital, Chepstow, from 1st April next. The special character of these hospitals as centres for war pensioners will not be changed, and pensioners will continue to receive absolute priority of admission and treatment and the facilities they have enjoyed in the past. The various representative war pensioner organisations will be consulted when making appointments to the hospital management committees and house committees concerned to ensure adequate ex-Service representation. The necessary steps will be taken to safeguard the interests of all the staff concerned.
Building Programme
asked the Minister of Health whether he is now in a position to make a further statement on the Government's expanded hospital building programme announced by him on 9th February.
Yes. I am today inviting the boards concerned to bring to completion the planning of a number of further projects on the assumption that they can be started in 1956–58. With the projects previously selected the complete list is as follows:—
Hospital board Project Provisionally scheduled to start East Anglian Regional Hospital Board. St. Luke's Hospital, Lowestoft, reconditioning scheme 1956–7 Peterborough and District Memorial Hospital—extensions 1957–8 North East Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board. North Middlesex Hospital—New out-patient department 1956–7 South Ockendon Hospital—extensions 1956–7 New hospital for Harlow—phase I 1957–8 South West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board. St. James' Hospital, Balham—development scheme—phase II 1956–7 New hospital for Crawley—phase I 1956–7 Oxford Regional Hospital Board New hospital for Swindon—phase I 1956–7 South Western Regional Hospital Board. Southmead General and Stapleton hospitals—geriatric accommodation 1956–7 Digby Hospital—additional accommodation for mental patients 1956–7 New hospital at Truro 1957–8 Welsh Regional Hospital Board West Wales Hospital, Glangwili—development scheme—phase I 1956–7 Caernarvon and Anglesey Hospital, Bangor—development scheme 1956–7 New hospital at Swansea—phase I 1957–8 Llanfrechfa Grange Mental Deficiency Hospital—extensions 1957–8 Birmingham Regional Hospital Board. New mental hospital at Seisdon—phase I 1957–8 New hospital at Coventry 1957–8 Manchester Regional Hospital Board. Cranage Hall Hospital—additional accommodation for mental defectives 1956–7 New hospital at Wythenshawe—phase I 1957–8 Liverpool Regional Hospital Board Newchurch Mental Deficiency Hospital—extensions 1956–7 United Newcastle Hospitals Board of Governors. Royal Victoria Infirmary—new out-patient department 1957–8 United Leeds Hospitals Board of Governors. General Infirmary—extension to out-patient department 1956–7 United Sheffield Hospitals Board of Governors. New teaching hospital, Glossop Road—phase I (out-patient department) 1956–7 United Cambridge Hospitals Board of Governors. Addenbrooke's Hospital—development scheme—phase I 1957–8 United Manchester Hospitals Board of Governors. Royal Infirmary—reconstruction scheme 1956–7 University College Hospital Board of Governors. New dental hospital—Mortimer Market, W.1 1956–7 Charing Cross Hospital Board of Governors. New hospital at North wick Park 1957–8 Guy's Hospital Board of Governors Guy's Hospital Surgical Ward Block 1957–8
In order to encourage speedy action by the Boards concerned I have included in this list projects to a total value of more than the £17½ million allowed, and it will not therefore be possible to start all of them in this period. In general the
Hospital board Project Newcastle Regional Hospital Board Newcastle General Hospital—Pathological Institute and regional blood transfusion centre. Sheffield Regional Hospital Board Balderton Mental Deficiency Hospital—development scheme—phase I. North West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board. New hospital at Welwyn—first phase. South East Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board. Lewisham Hospital—new out-patient department. South West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board. Horton Hospital Estate—centralisation of boilers. Birmingham Regional Hospital Board Coventry and Warwickshire Hospital—development scheme—phase III. Liverpool Regional Hospital Board New mental deficiency hospital—Greaves Hall—phase I. United Bristol Hospital Board of Governors Royal Infirmary—Joint University Heating Scheme. United Oxford Hospitals Board of Governors Radcliffe Infirmary—development scheme. St. Thomas' Hospital Board of Governors St. Thomas' Hospital—reconstruction.
I am placing in the Library a copy of a memorandum which is being sent to hospital boards today listing the projects. This also gives details of the financial allocations to boards for 1956–58 for the "plant replacement" programme of £2 million in 1956–57 and £4 million in 1957–58, and for their normal capital programmes amounting to upwards of £7.5 million in 1956–57 and £9 million in 1957–58.
PIG REORGANISATION COMMISSION
asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he has yet completed the appointment of the Pig Reorganisation Commission; and when the first meeting will be held.
Yes, I am glad to say that the Commission will consist of the Chairman and the following four membersThe Lord de Ramsey (Chairman of the Huntingdonshire Agricultural Executive Committee), Sir Robert Maclean (Chairman of A. F. Stoddart & Co., Glasgow), Mr. A. G. Tomkins (General Secretary of the National Union of Furniture Trade Operatives), and Mr. R. C. Tress (Professor of Political Economy, Bristol University).
As I have previously informed the House, the Chairman of the Commission will be Dr. C. I. C. Bosanquet, Rector of King's College, Newcastle-on-Tyne, and projects which are ready soonest will be started first.
The following major projects are already in progress or are expected to start in the current financial year:
the following are the terms of reference of the Commission. ( a ) To consider the working of organised pig and bacon marketing in Great Britain under the Pigs and Bacon Marketing Schemes (now in suspense), having regard also to the provisions of the Bacon Industry Act, 1938; ( b ) to consider in the light of current and prospective conditions (including the level of production of pigmeat, the guarantees now given to producers under the Agriculture Act, 1947, and the Government's international obligations) whether these Schemes or any practicable modifications of them should continue in operation, and if so the nature of any alterations that may be required; or if not, whether any new marketing schemes should replace them and the form that any such new schemes should take; ( c ) to consider co-ordination between any schemes in Great Britain and corresponding arrangements in Northern Ireland; and ( d ) to make recommendations.
The first meeting of the Commission will be held on Wednesday, 13th July.
Halifax-Burnley Road
asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation the present position regarding the repair and reconstruction of the Halifax-Burnley road; and whether he will now give a date for the completion of this work, which has been in progress seven years.
No reconstruction work is being done on the Todmorden-Burnley section of the Halifax-Burnley road. So far as the section between Halifax and Todmorden is concerned the work is completed except on a section of 1 mile west of Hebden Bridge, which is awaiting the laying of a water-main by the Hepton Rural District Council, and a section of 1½ miles within Todmorden Borough which is to be reconstructed in the near future. I cannot yet give a date for the completion of these works but there will be no avoidable delay.
Cromwell Road Extension
asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what progress has been made with the Cromwell Road Extension plan; and whether he anticipates that the work will be completed before 1959.
The Cromwell Road Extension is partly trunk road, for which I am responsible, and partly classified road, for which the London County Council is responsible. The classified road portion extends from the eastern end of Colet Gardens to the Middlesex County boundary. Work has already commenced on the section between the County boundary and Hammersmith Bridge Road and the preparation of plans and contract documents is in hand for the remainder.
On the trunk road portion tenders have been invited for works between the Richmond branch of the District Railway and Dukes Avenue, approximately 1,400 yards out of a length of roughly 2 miles. It is expected that work will start in September. On the remainder the preparation of plans and contract documents is proceeding.
It is expected that a through road will be available before 1959 but for practical reasons the fly-over at Chiswick High Road may not be completed until a little later. Work on the scheme is being expedited by dividing it into sections which can be constructed simultaneously under separate contracts.
asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he has now decided under the Cromwell Road Extension plan to construct a fly-over from the western end of Cedars Road and Ellesmere Road, Chiswick, W.4, to connect with the Great West Road, or whether the junction will be made at ground level.
The intersection at this point will be at two levels. The Cromwell Road Extension will fly-over Chiswick High Road to connect the western end of Cedars Road with the Great West Road. Beneath the fly-over there will be an improved roundabout at ground level to which there will be slip-road connections with Cedars Road and the Great West Road.