asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance the highest capital sum that a person may possess whilst still qualifying for National Assistance.

£775, that is to say, £375 "war savings" and £400 other capital; but if the applicant is married his wife may also have up to £375 of "war savings." Moreover, title to Assistance would not be affected by the capital value of the house owned and occupied by an applicant.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance (1) the reason for the deduction of 8s. 6d. per week from the disability pension allowances of ex-Service men in Rookwood Hospital, Cardiff;(2) the amount of money saved in 1954 by the deduction of 8s. 6d. a week from the allowances and disability pensions of ex-Service men patients at Rookwood Hospital, Cardiff; and how many of these are suffering from disabilities caused in the First World War.

No such deduction is made from disability pensions or treatment allowances. Additional payments of sickness benefit or its equivalent would, however, be subject to the usual deductions on account of maintenance.There is no readily available information of the total amount involved in such deductions at Rookwood in 1954, nor of the number of First World War pensioners affected by them.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if he is aware that men employed on the repairing of the highway are not entitled to industrial injuries benefit when they leave their work to go to a public convenience and sustain an accident while away from their work; and if he will take steps to rectify this anomaly.

I am not aware that any general rule of the kind has been laid down by the independent statutory authorities. If the hon. Member has an individual case in mind and will send me particulars, I will certainly look into it.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance the present value of the basic retirement pension in terms of the value of the £ in 1946.

On a comparison of the current Retail Prices Index figure with the October, 1946, cost-of-living index figure, 40s. now would be equivalent to 26s. 8d. in October, 1946.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what estimate the Fuel Research Office has made of the saving of domestic fuel that could be made if cinders were regularly sifted in all households.

In 1951 it was estimated that each year household cinders contained ¾ million tons of burnable coal. Since then no further estimate has been made but the quantity must have decreased substantially on account of the increased use of improved appliances which burn coal more efficiently. Moreover much of the burnable coal in cinders is recovered and used.

asked the Minister of Supply if he is aware that the residents of the Clacton area are not satisfied with the compensation paid by his Department as a result of explosions at Shoeburyness; and what account his inspector took of further explosions from Foulness.

I am aware that the claimants received less than they claimed and may therefore be dissatisfied. They have, however, formally accepted the Department's offers after a full explanation had been given to the assessors acting for them. The inspector took full account of explosions from Foulness.

asked the Minister of Supply if he is aware that explosions at Shoeburyness and Foulness are still causing damage and anxiety to the residents of the north-east Essex coast, especially the Clacton area; and whether, when future explosions are to take place, he will send an impartial observer to the Clacton area to assess the immediate damage caused by these explosions.

I much regret any disturbance that may have been caused by these explosions.As regards the second part of the Question, an observer has, in fact, been in the Clacton area on two occasions when explosions have taken place, but he heard and felt nothing. I am, however, prepared to send an observer again.

asked the Minister of Supply why he sanctioned a contract for ten new Mark I jet Provost trainers for the Royal Air Force to be built by Hunting-Percival Aircraft; if he is aware that these aircraft are equipped with pneumatic controls, whereas all standard controls in the Royal Air Force are operated by hydraulics; the cost of this particular contract to date; and if he will make a statement.

These aircraft were ordered because the quickest method of obtaining the primary jet trainers required by the Air Ministry for evaluation was by adaptation of the Provost trainer already in service. There is no standard method of control operation specified for Royal Air Force aircraft. The first nine jet Provosts will have pneumatic controls, as has the piston engined Provost. The tenth will be fitted with hydraulic controls. It is not the practice to make public the amounts paid under particular contracts.

asked the Minister of Supply what British civil aircraft his Department is sponsoring with approximately the same performance as the Boeing 707 and Douglas D.C.8, to be available in the future to compete with these aircraft.

None at present. British Overseas Airways Corporation considers that its requirements until well into the 1960s will be met by the aircraft already on order. I am in close touch with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation and the Corporation about their longer-term needs.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is aware that certain houses in Margaret Street, Immingham, have to pay a drainage rate, whereas others do not; and if he will make an order altering the boundary of the drainage district so as to end the injustices felt by certain householders in this matter.

I am aware of the position. The initiative for any alteration in the boundary of the drainage district rests with the Lincolnshire River Board and any representations on the subject should be addressed to the Board.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the average price per pound obtained for English run honey in October, 1954, and in October, 1955, respectively.

There are no official records of prices of honey received by English bee-keepers. Prices vary widely according to quality, kind, and mode of sale, and the quantities sold at the various prices are not known. I regret, therefore, that I am unable to give my hon. Friend the information for which he asks.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that in the Liverpool region there are two mental hospitals which collectively have 350 beds vacant through lack of staff; and if he is satisfied that the same difficulty will not arise in connection with the new accommodation envisaged at Greaves Hall.

My information is that the number of vacant beds is not 350 but 114. There may well be difficulty in staffing Greaves Hall, but I am hopeful that with the help of my right non. and learned Friend the Minister of Labour and National Service, the regional hospital board will succeed in overcoming the difficulty.

asked the Minister of Health if he will issue instructions to hospital authorities to ensure that electric shock treatment is administered to outpatients undergoing psychiatric courses in

asked the Minister of Health how many hospital farms were visited by the special committee set up by the Welsh Regional Hospital Board to inquire into farming activities of hospitals; how many hospital farms he has agreed to close; the acreage to be disposed of either by sale or letting; and how the disposal is to be carried out.

Fourteen hospital farms have been visited. Firm decisions have been reached in respect of six of these and involve the abandonment of full-scale farming, although pig and poultry keeping on a small scale may continue. In the remaining eight cases the question of the amount of land to be disposed of is still under consideration although it has been decided in principle that full-scale farming should be given up at six of these hospitals. At least 1,870 acres are to be sold or let. If the land is not required by other Government Departments or public authorities it is normally sold by public auction or let by public tender.

I am not aware of a need for any such instructions, but if the hon. Member will bring to my notice any instance he has in mind I will certainly investigate it.

asked the Minister of Health what new hospital buildings, extensions and renovations which come under the jurisdiction of the Barnsley Hospital Management Committee have been approved; their estimated cost; and when work is due to commence on them.

In addition to works already completed, the answer is as follows:

asked the Minister of Health what contribution Her Majesty's Government is prepared to make towards the special anti-malaria fund established by the World Health Organisation at its 1955 Annual Assembly.

Provision for the malaria eradication scheme has been made in the 1956 budget of the Organisation, and the United Kingdom's share will be included in its general contribution towards that budget. Her Majesty's Government do not propose to make a separate contribution to the special antimalaria fund.

asked the Minister of Health how many experimental centres are in existence in England and Wales, and how many are planned, for research into the effects of fluoridation of public water supplies upon humans and animals.

Four local authorities in England and Wales, and one in Scotland, are planning to demonstrate the benefits of fluoridation of public water supplies in reducing the incidence of caries in teeth.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will arrange that no further experiments be carried out in fluoridation of water without the approval of users who have no other source of supply.

No. It is for local authorities themselves to decide whether they wish to take part in studies in the fluoridation of public water supplies with a view to reducing the incidence of dental caries.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is now in a position to make a statement on the results of the recent Foreign Ministers' Conference.

Not yet.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs the present position with regard to the Japanese assets under Article 16 of the Japanese Peace Treaty; if he will state the total amount likely to be available for British Far-Eastern prisoners of war; and when the per capita distribution of such assets is likely to be made.

A sum of approximately £5½ million representing the value of Japanese assets in neutral and ex-enemy countries has been handed to the International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva. The Committee will distribute these funds in accordance with Article 16 of the Peace Treaty to appropriate national agencies for the benefit of former prisoners of war and their families. The International Committee is at present checking the lists of prisoners of war. As soon as this has been completed, the United Kingdom share, which may be in the neighbourhood of £1¼ million, will be handed over to the Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance for distribution. It is hoped that a per capita distribution will be possible in April, 1956.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will make representations to foreign countries which issue entry visas to the citizens of other foreign countries on terms more favourable than those accorded to British citizens to secure the benefit of such more favourable terms for British citizens.

Where appropriate Her Majesty's Government have made, and will continue to make, representations to the Government concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will now make a statement on the position of Christian missions in the southern Sudan.

During the mutiny of 18th August all the missionaries who remained at their posts played a valuable part in preventing looting and restraining violence. There has been no evidence of any attempt on the part of the authorities to obstruct or to expel them. The Anglican Bishop of Khartoum and the Apostolic Delegate from Mombasa are now touring their missions in Equatoria with the full co-operation of the authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what technical security qualifications and/or intelligence experience were held by the present Superintending Under-Secretary and by the present head of the Foreign Office Security Department at the time of their respective appointments to their present posts.

The officers concerned had no technical security qualifications but were appointed to these posts in the light of their high general qualifications, including experience of intelligence matters.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs why he is keeping in being the Foreign Office establishment at Wiston House, near Steyning, Sussex, known as the Wilton Park Centre; the total cost of this establishment during 1954; and what proportion of that cost comprised rent.

The purpose of the Wilton Park Centre is the furtherance of sound Anglo-German relations through lectures and discussions about political, economic and social problems of mutual interest, and I am satisfied that it continues to do valuable work. The total cost of the Centre during 1954 was £35,200, of which £1,450 comprised rent.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will cause to be printed in the OFFICIAL REPORT the names of the superintending undersecretaries and heads of department of the Foreign Office personnel and security departments on the date when Messrs. Maclean and Burgess were appointed to the last posts they held in the Foreign Office; and if he will do likewise in the cases of the superintending undersecretaries and heads of the two departments in question who were in charge on the day that these two men made good their escape.

When Messrs. Maclean and Burgess were appointed to the last posts which they held in the Foreign Service, in October, 1950, and July, 1950, respectively, the head of the Personnel Department of the Foreign Office was Mr. G. H. Middleton and the head of the Security Department was Mr. G. A. Carey-Foster. The Superintending Under-Secretaries were Mr. H. Ashley Clarke and Mr. D. P. Reilly.When Messrs. Maclean and Burgess disappeared in May, 1951, the head of the Personnel Department was Mr. R. W. J. Hooper and the head of the Security Department was Mr. G. A. Carey-Foster. The Superintending Under-Secretaries were Mr. H. Ashley Clarke and Mr. D. P. Reilly.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is aware that Egypt is being supplied with British Vampire jets from an Italian firm manufacturing them under licence; what similar licences have been granted to other countries or manufacturers in other countries; and what precautions were taken, or are to be taken, so as to prevent the sale of jets manufactured under such licences from nullifying the Tripartite Declaration of 1950.

The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has publicly denied that there is any current contract for the delivery of jet fighters to Egypt by Italian firms. The other parts of the Question, in consequence, do not arise.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to what extent there has been any reduction in the seditious radio propaganda directed from Egypt against British rule in African territories.

Egyptian broadcasts in Swahili have continued and have been extended during the past year. With an occasional lapse, the improved tone to which my right hon. Friend the Joint Under-Secretary referred in Answer to a Question by the hon. Member for Lanark (Mr. Patrick Maitland) on 22nd November last year has been maintained.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how many of the 59 Foreign Office and Foreign Service officers who have been compulsorily retired under the provisions of the Foreign Service Act, 1943, were thus retired since 28th May, 1951.

Twenty-one.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs the number of cases in which, under the new and positive procedure of security vetting introduced into the Foreign Office at the beginning of 1952, it was considered prudent to move officers of the Foreign Office and Foreign Service to other work of less importance to the national security, or to accept their resignations; how many officers resigned; what financial settlements were made in any of those cases; and if he will circulate in the Official Report the names of those officers it was considered prudent to transfer.

Since the beginning of 1952 four established officers of the Foreign Service have been moved under the positive vetting procedure to other work of less importance to the national security; none has resigned; and no financial settlements have been made.I am not prepared to give the names of the officers thus transferred.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how many of the successful candidates for the higher Foreign Service in each year since 1946 were educated, respectively, at a Scottish university followed by Oxford or Cambridge University.

The numbers are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how many of the successful candidates for the higher Foreign Service in each year since 1946 were educated, respectively, at independent Scottish schools, at direct grant Scottish schools, and at local authority Scottish schools.

The numbers of entrants to the senior branch of the Foreign Service who were educated respectively at independent Scottish schools, direct grant Scottish schools or maintained Scottish schools, were as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how many appointments have been made to the higher Foreign Service in each year since 1946.

The total number of appointments to the senior branch of the Foreign Service (excluding the legal advisers) was as follows:

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware of public demands at East Kilbride for sub-post office facilities for the Westwood, East Mains and Telford Road, Murray, areas of this rapidly growing new town; and when he expects to be able to arrange these facilities.

A temporary sub-office to serve the Westwood and Telford Road, Murray, areas is to be opened on 28th November. The question of providing a sub-office to serve the East Mains and the adjoining Calderwood areas will be considered when the latter has been further developed.

asked the Postmaster-General why a letter posted in the High Road, Chiswick, W.4, on a recent Sunday morning did not reach an address in Richmond, Surrey, until the following Monday afternoon; whether he is aware that letters posted in Chiswick, W.4, by the 7.30 and 8.30 p.m. post are not always distributed in central London districts by the first delivery the next morning; and whether he will make a statement on the time taken to deliver letters posted in Brentford and Chiswick to adjacent postal areas.

The letter should have been delivered by first post on Monday, and if my hon. Friend will let me have further details I shall be glad to have inquiry made. Fully-paid letters posted in Chiswick and Brentford for the 7.30 p.m. and 8.30 p.m. collections should be delivered by first post next morning in London and other adjacent postal areas; but owing to staff shortages there are delays from time to time which we are doing all we can to eliminate.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Report of the Royal Commission on the Civil Service will be available.

The Royal Commission has now presented its Report. It is being laid before Parliament today and will be published on Thursday, 17th November. Copies will be available to hon. Members in the Vote Office at 2 p.m. on that day.

asked the Minister of Works the approximate total value of office building in London, between 1945 and 1950; and the approximate total for the period from 1950 to the present time.

The approximate value of office building work carried out in London between 1945 and the end of 1950 was £16 million. By the end of this year it is estimated that about another £50 million of work will have been carried out.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will give details of the imports into this country of radio, radiogramophone and television cabinets by the country of origin, for the first nine months of this year as compared with the first nine months of 1954.

These cabinets are not separately specified in the Trade Returns.

asked the Minister of Education who are to be the colleagues of Lord Hives on the new award-making Council.

I am not yet in a position to announce the full composition of the National Council and its boards of studies, but I hope to be soon.