asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the use of dogs in the war against crime in the Metropolitan Police area; when this system was introduced; how it has developed; and to what extent it has proved successful.

The Metropolitan police began using six trained Labrador dogs in 1946. They were first used experimentally on the outskirts of London and later in Hyde Park. Subsequent experience has shown that dogs can be effectively employed in built-up areas, and the establishment in the Metropolitan police district has been increased by stages to 272. The actual strength is at present 150 dogs, of which the great majority are Alsatians. These dogs are used for a variety of purposes, including tracking at scenes of crime, searching premises to locate thieves, and the pursuit of fleeing criminals, as well as general preventive work on patrol. There can be no doubt that dogs have a valuable contribution to make to police work.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action is taken in the Metropolitan Police area to ensure that the silencers on new motor-cars and motor-cycles are sufficiently efficient to conform with current regulations.

The Metropolitan police have the duty of enforcing the current regulations in the case of all motor vehicles irrespective of age. The Commissioner of Police informs me that during the nine months ended 31st March, 1955, 801 cases involving noisy silencers were dealt with in the Metropolitan police district either by prosecution or by written caution, apart from many other cases in which an oral warning was thought sufficient.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is aware of the uncertainty and confusion among motorists arising from occasions when a police constable is standing near a zebra crossing but gives no indication that he is not controlling the crossing; and whether he will give instructions to the Metropolitan Police that when they are in control of crossings they shall clearly indicate that fact by the recognised gestures.

The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis informs me that his officers have been instructed, when performing duty close to zebra crossings but not actually controlling traffic, to avoid giving the impression that they are controlling the traffic; the importance of giving clear and correct signals has also been impressed on officers who are in control of traffic at crossings.

asked the Minister of Education what plans he has for increasing the number of teachers' training colleges.

I am not at present considering any such increase.

asked the Minister of Education how many technical colleges, in respect of which 75 per cent. grant is paid to the local education authority, are in counties other than London situated south of the Thames.

One.

asked the Minister of Education what steps he proposes to take to ensure that the increased secondary school population will not lead to a reduction in the percentage of grammar school places available.

I have asked authorities to see that unless circumstances are exceptional, grammar and technical places should be available for from 15 per cent. to 25 per cent. of a secondary age group.

asked the Minister of Education how many classes were of over 40 and of over 50, respectively, in 1951 and at the last convenient date.

In January, 1951, there were 35,103 classes with more than 40 pupils, including 1,123 with more than 50 pupils. The comparable figures for January, 1954, were 43,751 and 1,189 respectively, but between 1951 and 1954 the number of children in school had risen by 638,000.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations whether he is aware that the Government of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is trying to encourage people to migrate from the United Kingdom to the territories of the Federation; and what steps is he taking to help the Government of the Federation to encourage people to migrate.

Yes. I am aware that the Federal Government desire to encourage migration from the United Kingdom to the Federation and, as I have stated before, I am always ready to discuss with them any aspect of this question should they so wish.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will make a statement on the question of duty-free imports of machinery in view of the hardship caused to small firms, especially in the wool textile trade, in consequence of the present minimum of £2,000.

I have nothing to add to the answer I gave to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Macclesfield (Air Commodore Harvey) on 5th July.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what international regulations or conventions govern the adoption and enforcement of special measures for the control and conservation of fish resources by any nation in an area not used by another nation for fishing purposes.

I am not aware of any such regulations or conventions. Where the nationals of only one State fish an area, that State is at liberty to institute conservation measures governing fishing by its nationals in that area.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air why Bryan Robin, 49, Lauriston Road, London, E.9, and some 30 other young men, received call-up notices and were ordered to report to the Royal Air Force Centre, 233, High Road, Ilford, on 4th July and, on arrival, they were informed that a mistake had been made and were told to sign on again for work at the employment exchange.

This young man volunteered for Regular service and was provisionally accepted. In company with six other volunteers, he reported at Ilford Recruiting Centre on 4th July preparatory to enlistment. After arrival at the Recruiting Centre, Robin and one other candidate withdrew their applications for Regular service and therefore returned home to await call-up under the National Service Acts.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will now recommend that a long service medal should be introduced for the Home Guard.

This matter is still being considered.

the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that, apart from a telegram informing Mrs. Rayner, of 68, St. Georges Road, Hanworth, Middlesex, that her son Private Bryan Derek Rayner had been seriously injured in a fire in Austria, no letter of sympathy was sent from the War Office; and if he will in future see that a letter of sympathy is sent to the next-of-kin whenever any accidents take place.

When a soldier is dangerously or seriously ill the officer in charge of Records, on behalf of my Department, sends an explanatory letter expressing regret at the same time as he notifies the next-of-kin by telegram. Such a letter was sent to Mr. Rayner on 12th March, the day after his son was injured.

the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will give the number of registered milk producers in both Breconshire and Radnorshire, and the number of these which are designated as tuberculin-tested milk producers; and whether he will indicate the average of designated tuberculin-tested milk producers in these counties as compared with the average for Wales and for England, respectively.

The following is the information as at 31st March, 1955: — Number of registered milk producers Number of tuberculin tested licences held Percentage (approximate) of licence holders to registered producers Brecon 566 430 76 Radnor 162 140 86 Wales 27,818 11,906 43 England 122,272 50,445 41

the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what investigations have taken place into the administration of the pig subsidies in view of the evidence that pigs have been passed twice in his Department's grading stations.

A number of cases where attempts may have been made to obtain guarantee payments on pigs fraudulently have been or are under detailed investigation. I am not satisfied that the existing certification mark gives sufficient protection against fraudulent re-presentation of pigs and a new mark will be introduced shortly.

the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress is being made in the programme for agricultural expansion.

The White Paper issued after the last Annual Review and the Economic Survey for 1955 indicated that there was a temporary setback in 1954–55 owing to the exceptional weather of 1954. Given reasonable harvest weather, there is good ground for expecting an appreciable recovery in 1955–56, partly from higher yields from crops than last year and partly from a net increase in output of livestock products.

asked the Attorney-General if he is aware that when privately-owned commercially operated graveyards are closed through lack of resources and the properties on liquidation fall to the Crown, private grave holders and local authorities are faced with difficulty and hardship; and what action he will take in such cases.

I assume that the hon. Member is referring to the case of Re Nottingham General Cemetery Company, in which the court made an order authorising the liquidator to disclaim land constituting a cemetery owned by the company. The land has not yet been disclaimed and I am not aware that the cemetery has been closed; no action appears to be called for.

asked the Minister of Health in view of his decision to transfer the Dunstan Hill Hospital to the appropriate regional board and management committee, whether he will place under the Gateshead and District Hospital Management Committee the hospital, in whose area it is, as they will be able to administer it economically and take up any surplus beds of which they have a great need.

asked I appreciate the consideration the hon. Member has in mind; but I have asked the regional hospital board for their proposals for this purpose, and I must await them before coming to a decision.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is satisfied that local health authorities in England and Wales are making adequate arrangements for the dental treatment of expectant and nursing mothers and children under the age of five years; and if he will make a statement.

asked Many local authorities have had difficulties in engaging enough dental officers, and I cannot yet be satisfied that the arrangements made are generally adequate. There has, however, been a gratifying improvement in the past few years in the number of sessions devoted to this work, the number of mothers and children treated and the increasing emphasis generally on conservative treatment rather than extraction. I have recently issued to local health authorities a memorandum on dental treatment and health education for mothers and young children suggesting ways in which these services can be developed, and I am confident that authorities will wish to respond to this lead.

the Minister of Health what tissue the two firms who are manufacturing anti-polio vaccine use as a basis for the preparation.

asked I understand that monkey kidney tissue is at present being used for this purpose.

the Minister of Health to what extent animals are being used in the intensive tests that are being made as to the exact effects of anti-polio vaccine; what condition results when the vaccine is dangerous or capable of communicating poliomyelitis; and what condition results when the vaccine is said to be safe.

asked Whilst most of the test for anti-poliomyelitis vaccine are carried out in test tubes, it is necessary to test each batch for safety by inoculating monkeys. If the vaccine contains the living virus the monkeys may develop poliomyelitis. If the vaccine is safe, the monkeys suffer no ill effects.

the Minister of Health what proportion of the Mahoney strain of poliomyelitis virus is used in the manufacture of poliomyelitis vaccines in this country.

asked I understand that the vaccine so far manufactured in this country contains virus strains of each of the three known types of roughly equal proportions. The strain of Type I virus which has hitherto been used has been the Mahoney strain. None of this vaccine has been used here except for laboratory purposes. The Medical Research Council has advised that no vaccine containing the Mahoney strain should be used in the immunisation of children, and investigations are proceeding with a view to replacing the Mahoney strain.

the Minister of Health if he is aware that in the table showing the immunisation state of cases and deaths from diphtheria on page 35 of the Report of the Ministry of Health, Part II, the total of cases immunised and cases not immunised in 1953 is not the same as the total of cases notified; what is the reason for the discrepancy; and if he will make a correction to explain the discrepancy.

asked The total of 180 notifications of diphtheria among children under 15 shown in the Table for 1953 was a figure corrected from an earlier total of 187. It was not possible to make a similar correction to the figures of immunised and unimmunised cases without individual inquiries in each case which did not appear to be justified. I regret that this was not explained in the Report.

Year Applications made Applications approved No. Estimated Winnable Coal No. Estimated Winnable Coal Tons Tons 1947 115 15,451,500 109 15,292,800 1948 118 17,898,200 101 17,113,000 1949 102 13,181,400 107 12,864,800 1950 89 12,684,100 78 10,483,700 1951 68 8,010,500 67 8,322,800 1952 114 12,189,100 101 10,789,200 1953 134 25,136,300 126 22,534,700 1954 95 15,735,500 79 8,416,900 1955 (Jan.-June) 64 27,270,800 36 3,791,400 Totals 899 147,557,400 804 109,609,300

the Minister of Labour what powers are possessed by the National Dock Labour Board under approved schemes to recruit new labour.

The Dock Labour Scheme embodied in the Dock Workers (Regulation of Employment) Order, 1947, places on the National Dock Labour Board the responsibility for regulating the recruitment and entry into the Scheme of dock workers and determining and keeping under review in consultation with the local dock labour board the size of the workers' register.

the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many applications by the National Coal Board for permission to extract coal from opencast sites were made, and how many were approved, in each of the years 1947 to 1954 and for the year 1955 to the latest date for which information is available; and what was the estimated total amount of winnable coal for each year in respect of applications made and approval given, respectively.

I have been asked to reply.

Responsibility for opencast production rested with my Department until 1st April, 1952, when it was taken over by the National Coal Board. The following table shows the total applications made and approved from 1947 to June this year:

asked the Minister of Labour (1) how many persons are employed in each of the Grenfell factories in South Wales; and what were the corresponding figures a year ago;

(2) how many Grenfell factories in South Wales are now in production; what is the total number employed in them; how many of these are disabled persons; and how many are ex-miners suffering from pneumoconiosis.

There are nine Grenfell factories in production in South Wales at present. At the end of March they employed 943 persons, of whom 288 were disabled persons, including 151 who were suffering from pneumoconiosis. At the end of March, 1954, 810 persons were employed, of whom 275 were disabled persons, including 140 suffering from pneumoconiosis. The information that my Ministry holds about the numbers employed in particular factories is confidential, and I could not properly disclose it.

asked the Postmaster-General when light-weight jackets will be issued to postmen in Wales; and whether in the meanwhile in hot weather postmen will be permitted to wear shirt sleeves.

I hope that the distribution of light-weight jackets to postmen in

Class Oils chargeable with Customs Duty Quantity Receipts of Duty Gallons £ Light Oils 2,019,474,759 252,434,402 Of which motor (including aviation) spirit (1,969,476,611) (246,184,694) Heavy Oils for use as road fuel 364,261,571 45,532,068 Other Heavy Oils 5,037,471,423 683,255 Of which fully rebatable (4,873,492,209) Oils chargeable with Excise Duty Quantity Receipts of Duty Gallons £ Light Oils 134,881,631 8,412,713 Of which motor (including aviation) spirit (91,643,367) (5,712,244) Heavy Oils for use as road fuel 25,041,824 1,565,114 Total 308,627,552 Allowances under Section 206 of the Customs and Excise Act, 1952 3,146,683 Net Total 305,480,869

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has now acceded to the request of the East

Wales will be completed in good time for wear next summer. Provision is made for some modification of clothing in hot weather, and this should suffice for the wide range of weather conditions experienced in summer.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the amount of each class of hydrocarbon oils retained for home consumption during the year ended 31st March, 1955, and the net amount received in respect of duty thereon, showing, in particular, the amounts received in respect of motor spirit and heavy oils used as fuel in road vehicles.

The required particulars are as follows:

Kilbride Development Corporation for permission to build a community hut in the Westwood district.

As the hon. Member has already been informed, approval was given on 1st February, 1955. I understand, however, that the Local Community Association do not now wish the project to proceed.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many houses have been completed by the East Kilbride Development Corporation; and how many had been occupied on 1st January, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, and at the last convenient date, respectively.

At 30th June, 1955, 3,109 houses had been completed and 2,871 of these were occupied. The numbers occupied at 31st March (the nearest convenient date to 1st January) in each of the years mentioned were 343, 712, 1,608 and 2,509, respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what provision is made in the school building programme for 1955–56 for providing special schools suitable for spastic children.

One new school for spastic children is included in the building programme for 1955–56. It is to be erected at Auchinraith, Lanarkshire.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many occupational centres for backward children there are in Scotland, Glasgow, and the county of Lanark, respectively; and how many children are awaiting accommodation at such a centre in the county of Lanark and at East Kilbride, respectively.

There are 23 centres in Scotland, including ten in Glasgow and one in Lanarkshire. Fifty-one children in Lanarkshire, including one child in East Kilbride, are awaiting admission to occupational centres. Thirty-nine of these will be accommodated in the new centres in Cambuslang and Coatbridge which are expected to open in January, 1956.