asked the Minister of Labour what further consideration has been given to the advisability of retaining in their employment young farm workers and others engaged in food production who become liable for National Service.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Morecambe and Lonsdale (Sir I. Fraser) on 1st November, 1955, of which I am sending him a copy.

asked the Minister of Labour if he is prepared to arrange to reintroduce the Class B Release Scheme allowing Service men to return to the mines.

No.

asked the Minister of Labour if he is aware that the cost-of-living index figure has risen from 143 points in September, 1954, to 150 points in September, 1955; and what is the reason for this rise.

Between September, 1954, and September, 1955, the all-items index figure of the Interim Index of Retail Prices rose by 4½ per cent. This was due to rises of 7½ per cent. in the general level of food prices, of 3 per cent, in rent and rates, of 9 per cent. in fuel and light, and of 5 per cent. in the group index covering various services. There was little change in the other components of the index. About two-thirds of the total rise of 4½ per cent. in the index was due to changes in the prices of food.

asked the Minister of Labour how many wages boards and wages councils have submitted proposals to him for wage increases during the last 12 months; which wages boards and councils are affected; what is the total number of employees affected by these proposals; and how many such proposals have been submitted to him since the recent budget was introduced.

Since 30th November, 1954, fifty-three wages boards and councils have submitted to me sixty proposals for increases in statutory minimum remuneration. I am sending the hon. Member a list of the wages boards and councils concerned. The number of employees affected is estimated at between 2 and 2½ millions. Six of the wages councils on the list have submitted proposals to me for wages increases since 26th October, 1955, but these proposals were formulated and published before that date.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that on the 19th October, 1955, there were 118,963 vacancies on the books of the employment exchanges and youth employment offices in the London and South Eastern Region; that during 1954 and the first six months of 1955, 554 new industrial building schemes were started in this region; that both vacancies and new industrial schemes in this region alone are greater than in the whole of the Development Areas; and what action he proposes to take to ensure full employment in Development Areas.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to Question No. 20 in the House today.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is now able to report on the experiment undertaken by his Department whereby there would be a speeding up of passport formalities for British holidaymakers returning with their cars from the Continent to this country.

Not yet.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department to advise Her Majesty to exercise the prerogative of mercy in the cases of all those persons sentenced to death from now until the Royal Assent or the negativing of the Death Penalty (Abolition) Bill, in view of the fact that the House of Commons has given the Bill a first reading without opposition; and if he will make a statement.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the remuneration now paid to prisoners in Her Majesty's prisons; and if he will take steps to increase the amount which will be put to the prisoner's credit, in order to give him a start in rehabilitating himself after he has completed his sentence.

In their first eight weeks all prisoners may earn 10d. per week. Thereafter, flat-rate workers earn an average of 2s. 6d. with a maximum of 4s. Piece-rate workers have no maximum but average about 2s. 9d. Preventive detention prisoners in central prisons earn a 50 per cent. bonus on these rates. These rates are at present under review, but any proposal to increase them by such an amount as would be necessary to justify a scheme of compulsory saving would require long and careful consideration, having regard not only to the greatly increased cost of such a scheme but also to its effect on the present system of helping prisoners on discharge.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department to publish the evidence on which he based his decision that the School of Planning and Regional Research Development was under Communist influence; and state what illegal activities it fostered.

It would be against the public interest to publish the detailed information on which the conclusion was reached that this body was under Communist influence. I am not aware that any of the activities which it fostered were illegal.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what grounds delegates were advised not to attend a conference of the Association for Regional Planning and Development.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to a Question by the hon. Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Mr. Swingler) on 25th October and to the statement made by my hon. Friend the Joint Under-Secretary of State in the Adjournment debate on 7th November.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if, in the light of the recent case involving the conference sponsored by the Association for Regional Planning and Development, he will review the whole policy over the banning by the Government of individuals or institutions as Communist and, if necessary, cause an inquiry to be made into the methods by which advice is given to Government servants about suspect organisations and individuals restrained from taking part in activities which may be undesirable but are not illegal.

No such review or inquiry seems to me necessary. It is the duty of any Government in the light of the information available to them to take such action as they consider to be appropriate to safeguard the national interest.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions there were in England and Wales for obstruction caused by motor vehicles parked on main roads including the near-side lanes of multiple-lane dual carriageways during 1954.

There were 50,498 prosecutions for obstruction altogether; separate figures for main roads are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been called to recent representations from authoritative sources to his Department as to the value of the drug heroin, particularly in cases of affections of the lung; and whether he will reconsider his decision to prohibit the manufacture of this drug.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what further decision he has reached on the proposal to prohibit the manufacture of heroin; and whether this is a final decision.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in view of the protests of practising clinicians, he will reverse his decision to ban the production of heroin.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, in view of the fact that there is no efficient substitute for heroin in certain illnesses, he will reconsider his decision to prohibit its manufacture.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in view of the widely-expressed concern among practising doctors, he is still satisfied that there are adequate reasons for terminating the use of heroin in this country; and if he will make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether he is aware that there is no adequate and effective substitute for heroin, as has been borne out by recently published statements from authoritative medical sources; and whether he will withdraw the proposed ban on the drug;(2) whether, in view of the British Medical Association's representation that there are many practising doctors who are alarmed at the prospect of heroin not being available for patients who need it, he will consider permitting the manufacture of a limited amount of heroin for medicinal use within the United Kingdom, whilst prohibiting the import and the export of the drug, after 31st December, 1955.

The possibility of dispensing with the use of heroin was considered as long ago as 1950, when the Minister of Health and the Secretary of State for Scotland were advised that it would be justifiable to prohibit the use of heroin in Britain if international agreement were reached to prohibit the manufacture of heroin.In July, 1954, the United Nations Economic and Social Council adopted a resolution urging all Governments to prohibit the manufacture, import and export of heroin except for such small amounts as might be necessary for scientific purposes. In December, 1954, the Minister of Health consulted his advisory bodies and was informed that they concurred with the Government's proposal to accept the Economic and Social Council's resolution.On 18th February, 1955, I announced in the House my decision not to grant further licences for the manufacture of heroin after 31st December, 1955, except in respect of small quantities needed for scientific purposes, or for the manufacture of nalorphine. It was not until April that a number of letters appeared in the Press disapproving of the decision, and the first indication that the British Medical Association was opposed to the decision reached the Minister of Health in May.On 11th July, with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Health and my hon. Friend the Joint Under-Secretary of State for Scotland, I received a deputation from the British Medical Association and discussed the matter very fully. I subsequently gave the most careful consideration, in consultation with my right hon. Friends the Minister of Health and the Secretary of State for Scotland, to the representations which the deputation had made. As my colleagues adhered to the advice they originally tendered to me after consulting the expert bodies who advise them on such matters, I decided that I must maintain my decision not to permit the general manufacture of heroin after the end of this year, and I so informed the British Medical Association on 17th October.The Government have given most anxious and sympathetic consideration to all aspects of this very complex problem, including the position and experience of other countries. It is our view that the proposed ban should be maintained, but we will, of course, keep its working under constant review in the light of the experience gained.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the percentage of heroin addicts in the population of the United Kingdom.

·0001 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware that warders at detention centres have used terms of opprobrium, referring to conscientious objection to National Service, towards individuals in their charge; and whether he will take steps to prohibit this practice.

I am aware that such allegations have been made by one inmate. They were denied by the staff of the centre concerned, and I have no hesitation in accepting the denial.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what health certification is required before young persons are accepted into detention centres; and what variation in the physical training programme is made according to the physical state of individuals.

The attention of the courts has been drawn to the need to ensure that boys sentenced to a term of detention in a detention centre should be physically fit for the strenuous activities that will be carried out there. Every boy is given a thorough medical examination on reception. Any boy found unfit for any of the normal activities of the centre is excused from participation in them and suitable alternative occupation is found.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is in a position to make a statement about the Scotland Yard documents relating to criminal records recently discovered in a private residence in London.

This matter is still under investigation, and I am unable to make any comment on it.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how the figure of 246 per 10,000 of the population for convictions for drunkenness in the City of London, is computed in Table 3 of the White Paper, Offence of Drunkenness, 1954, in view of the figures in Table 2, which give the total convictions as 116.

The estimated population aged 15 years and over of the City of London in 1954 was 4,715 and there were 116 offences. This is equal to 246 per 10,000 or 2½46 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of driving whilst under the influence of drink or drugs have been heard before petty sessional courts in the past 12 months; and in how many such cases convictions have been recorded.

I regret that figures are not available in the precise form for which the hon. Member has asked. The nearest I can get are the following:During the twelve months ended 31st December, 1954, 3,608 charges of driving or being in charge of a motor vehicle when under the influence of drink or a drug were preferred in England and Wales. In 2,806 cases the defendant was convicted at the magistrates' court and in 486 committed for trial.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of driving whilst under the influence of drink or drugs have been heard before Quarter Sessions in the past 12 months; and in how many such cases convictions have been recorded.

I regret that the statistics do not distinguish between charges of driving under the influence and drunk in charge or between cases dealt with at quarter sessions and those dealt with at assizes.During the twelve months ended 31st December, 1954, assizes and quarter sessions tried 395 cases in which the principal charge was driving or being in charge of a motor vehicle when under the influence of drink or a drug. In 187 the defendant was convicted.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will arrange for adequate immigration staff to be readily available during the autumn and winter months for emergencies at Blackbushe Airport, Bovingdon Airport and other airports to which aeroplanes are diverted from London through fog.

These airports already have adequate permanent staff to deal with their normal volume of traffic and additional officers are drafted to them on the rare occasions on which they are used for diversions.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will take action to reduce the difficulties, arising partly from the definition of Maintenance Order in Section 10 of the Maintenance Orders, Facilities for Enforcement Act, 1920, in the way of enforcing affiliation orders where the father has gone overseas.

I am considering the possibility of including substantive affiliation orders in the scheme for the reciprocal enforcement of maintenance orders between Commonwealth countries. It would be necessary to consult other Commonwealth Governments on any such proposal and I cannot say when it would be possible to introduce amending legislation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many men are at present under court order to maintain their wives; and what percentage of them known to his Department have defaulted on such payments in the years 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, and 1954.

I regret that statistics showing the number of wife maintenance orders in force and the number of men who have failed to pay under such orders are not available. About 14,000 orders under the Summary Jurisdiction (Separation and Maintenance) Acts, 1895 to 1949, are made by magistrates' courts in England and Wales each year, and about 3,400 men are received into prison in England and Wales each year, having been committed for nonpayment of wife maintenance.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department to make a statement on the recent act of armed aggression across the Northern Ireland border in County Fermanagh; and what positive action Her Majesty's Government are proposing to take to prevent any further attacks of this nature.

The maintenance of law and order within the limits of Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Government.I am informed that the Royal Ulster Constabulary station at Rosslea, County Fermanagh, was attacked at 5.40 a.m. on the morning of 26th November. A large hole was blown in the wall of the guard room and the constable on duty there was severely injured. The serjeant in charge of the station and his party rushed from their quarters into the station. There was heavy automatic fire from the attackers, which was returned by the officers, who behaved with the utmost gallantry. The attackers quickly fled and were pursued to the Eire border.After the attack a sub-machine gun, a carbine, some civilian gas masks, a number of hand grenades filled with gelignite and other articles were found in the station, or its immediate neighbourhood.I am informed that the Northern Ireland Government are taking measures designed to hinder raids across the border.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if his attention has been drawn to the fact that compartively junior officers in the Civil Defence Force are entitled to badges of rank, whilst controllers, sub-controllers, and sector controllers are not; and whether he will take steps to rationalise the situation.

Yes. There is much difference of opinion about this, but I am arranging for further consultations to take place, in the light of which I hope to reach an early decision in the matter.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is aware that members of the Welfare Section of the Civil Defence carry no badges of rank, whereas many in other sections do so; and if he will take steps to remedy this disparity.

The system of appointments to ranks, with corresponding badges, introduced for other sections of the Civil Defence Corps has not been considered appropriate for the Welfare Section. The matter is, however, being kept under review, and will be dealt with in the course of the futher discussions to which I referred in replying to my hon. and gallant Friend's previous Question.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in view of the public statements and writing of Mr. Ben Hecht, when he incited terrorists to murder British Service men in Palestine in 1946, why he has permitted him to enter the United Kingdom.

Mr. Hecht was admitted temporarily to the United Kingdom as a business visitor.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department to introduce legislation amending the law relating to the use of motor vehicles to convey voters to the poll.

I regret that I can hold out no prospect of legislation on this subject at present.

asked the Minister of Education what percentage of the secondary school places in Essex are grammar school; and how this compares with England as a whole.

In January, 1955, 17·9 per cent. of the 13-year-old children attending maintained and assisted schools in Essex were following a grammar school course in a grant-aided school, compared with 20 per cent. for England as a whole.

asked the Minister of Education whether the proposed new county primary school at St. Columb Minor, Cornwall, is still included in his list of approved new schools to be started in Cornwall during 1956–57.

Yes.

asked the Minister of Education to give details of the estimates for 1955–56 submitted by each of the Welsh education authorities in connection with Circular 283; and the corresponding amounts of expenditure he has sanctioned in that connection.

I am sending the hon. Member the detailed information for which he asks.

asked the Minister of Education the number of classes in Cardiff secondary modern schools with over 40 on the register on the nearest convenient date; and the comparable number last year.

In January, 1955, there were 12 classes in secondary modern schools in Cardiff with more than 40 pupils on the registers, compared with 11 in January, 1954.

asked the Minister of Education whether he is aware that the new scheme being adopted by some councils for selecting children for grammar and technical schools may result in technical schools being regarded as a receptacle for children with second-best brains; and whether he will circularise local education authorities urging them to ensure that selections are made having regard to the aptitude of the child rather than to the power to assimilate a grammar school education.

No. My right hon. Friend knows of no such new scheme, and would join the hon. Member in deploring any such result. He does not think that a circular such as the hon. Member suggests is needed.

asked the Minister of Education to state the number of children who were accepted during the last year as probably profiting from grammar school education, but for whom a place could not be found; whether he is aware of the dissatisfaction and disappointment of the parents of such children; and whether such children are ever given a place in a grammar school should a vacancy occur without recourse to further tests or examinations.

The practice to which my hon. Friend refers is obviously liable to lead to disappointment. I do not think that it is at all widely followed, but precise information for answering the first and third parts of the Question is not available.

asked the Minister of Education the yearly credit balances on the accounts of the Teachers' Superannuation Fund for the years 1935 to 1954.

The answer is as follows:

TEACHERS' SUPERANNUATION ACCOUNT
Year ending 31st March		Balance at credit of Account at end of year
		£
1935	…	71,454,352
1936	…	77,926,078
1937	…	84,549,141
1938	…	91,158,086
1939	…	97,813,549
1940	…	104,468,096
1941	…	111,088,085
1942	…	117,884,281
1943	…	124,827,513
1944	…	131,709,906
1945	…	139,353,331
1946	…	148,746,674
1947	…	157,947,744
1948	…	167,200,103
1949	…	176,986,765
1950	…	186,586,455
1951	…	195,393,802
1952	…	207,454,785
1953	…	220,061,568
1954 (provisional)	…	232,633,483
1955 (provisional)	…	247,333,389

asked the Minister of Education to consider the National Association of Schoolmasters for representation on the Burnham Committee.

I cannot add to the reply my right hon. Friend, gave to my hon. Friends the Members for Exeter (Mr. Dudley Williams) and Eastbourne (Sir C. Taylor) on the 27th October.

asked the Minister of Education (1) what financial asistance he contemplates providing for those students who will be taking the new diploma in technology; and, in particular, those coming from small firms and straight from school;(2) to what extent he is making State scholarships and technical State scholarships available to those students reading for the new diploma in technology; and what will be the corresponding annual increase of these scholarships.

Students at technical colleges taking courses approved for the new award will be eligible for the usual assistance from their local education authorities and for technical, but not ordinary, State scholarships. My right hon. Friend is considering whether the number of technical State scholarships should be increased.

asked the Minister of Education when the membership of the committee set up by him under Lord Hives to consider the question of awards in technology was completed; how many meetings of this committee have so far been held; and when it is expected to issue a report.

asked Minister of Education to announce the details of the composition of the National Council for Diplomas in Technology.

My right hon. Friend has appointed as members of the National Council:

Sir Harold Roxbee Cox, Director, Wilmot Breeden Holdings Limited and Director, The Brush Group Limited;

Sir Arnold Hall, Technical Director, The Hawker Siddeley Group;

Dr. Willis Jackson, Director of Research and Education, Metropolitan Vickers' Electrical Company;

Dr. Idris Jones, The National Coal Board; and

Mr. E. L. Russell, Chief Education Officer, Birmingham.

The remaining six members of the Council will be elected by the Boards of Studies, which are meeting for this purpose on the 15th December, and the full Council will meet for the first time on the 19th December. It will be for the Council to decide what statements and reports it is to issue from time to time.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement giving details of the

UNITED KINGDOM EXPORTS TO CERTAIN COUNTRIES
Country		Commodity		Value (£)
				Jan.-Oct. 1954	Jan.-Oct. 1955
Bulgaria	…	Woollen and hair rags	…	70,724	95,010
		Copper Sulphate	…	210,504	260,802
		Diesel generating sets, over 200 k.w.	…	44,700	357,600
		All other articles	…	192,930	61,012
		TOTAL	…	518,858	774,424
Czechoslovakia	…	Sugar, refined	…	—	670,487
		Sheep's and lamb's wool raw	…	83,599	238,878
		Wool tops	…	35,371	93,496
		Woollen and hair rags	…	243,373	234,570
		Chemicals	…	213,142	170,508
		Woollen and worsted yarns and woven fabrics	…	44,654	116,451
		Copper wire	…	33,192	186,435
		Machinery other than electric	…	46,902	78,181
		All other articles	…	492,286	474,892
		TOTAL	…	1,192,519	2,263,898
Hungary	…	Wool tops	…	443,063	320,529
		Cotton waste, unmanufactured	…	27,921	155,509
		Chemicals	…	83,199	98,824
		Copper wire	…	—	609,225
		Electric machinery, apparatus and appliances	…	89,048	99,820
		All other articles	…	710,243	627,606
		TOTAL	…	1,353,474	1,911,513
Poland	…	Wool and other animal hair and tops	…	2,067,116	1,263,187
		Woollen and hair rags	…	273,458	529,278
		Chemicals	…	370,366	505,262
		Pneumatic outer covers	…	115,416	226,069
		Synthetic fibre yarns and woven fabrics	…	93,086	63,190
		Miscellaneous textile manufactures	…	50,200	38,493
		Miscellaneous non-metallic mineral manufactures	…	45,375	34,316
		Iron and steel	…	50,993	95,582
		Copper wire	…	84,987	322,073
		Manganese metal	…	—	102,155
		Machinery other than electric	…	1,081,455	392,865
		Electric machinery, apparatus and appliances	…	551,223	194,636
		Railway vehicles	…	59,352	41,725
		Road vehicles and aircraft	…	165,886	88,627
		All other articles	…	1,404,611	1,246,077
		TOTAL	…	6,413,524	5,143,535
Roumania	…	Sugar, refined	…	—	193,306
		Wool tops	…	148,588	217,672
		Chemicals	…	84,148	91,855
		Cotton yarns	…	16,084	124,388
		Machinery other than electric	…	31,451	45,551
		Road vehicles and aircraft	…	10,658	91,332
		All other articles	…	258,790	222,484
		TOTAL	…	549,719	986,588

The following is the Answer:

asked the President of the Board of Trade what steps he is taking to continue to impress upon the United States Government the serious effect on the cotton textile industry in the United Kingdom of the prolonged uncertainty about United States cotton export policy.

This problem has been kept constantly before the United States authorities by Her Majesty's Ambassador in Washington, and the Permanent Secretary of my Department will be taking the opportunity of a visit to Washington next week to discuss the question again with the United States Department of Agriculture.A special meeting of the Standing Committee of the International Cotton Advisory Committee has been called in Washington tomorrow (Friday) to consider the world cotton situation. The United Kingdom representative has instructions to draw attention at this meeting to the effect of the support price policy of the United States in producing the present situation, and to the importance of steps being taken to effect a readjustment of world prices with a minimum of dislocation to industry and suffering to cotton farmers.In addition, I am glad to say that, acting on my advice, the industry in this country has decided to send a small delegation representing all sides of the trade to discuss the whole matter with the American interests concerned, including the United States Government. The mission will be leaving for the U.S.A. at an early date. The United States Departments of State and Agriculture have been informed and have welcomed the opportunity given them by the visit to hear the views of the leaders of the cotton textile industry in this country, as the second largest importer of United States cotton, on some of the problems created by the present cotton supply and price situation in the United States.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations whether, in view of recent outrages in Northern Ireland, he will make further representations to the Eire Government to suppress the activities of the Irish Republican Army in respect of recruiting meetings, and the printing in certain newspapers of the names and addresses of recruiting agents and inflammatory articles.

The Irish Republican Government have been left in no doubt as to our views as to the activities of the so-called I.R.A. I invite the attention of my hon. Friend to a speech made by Mr. Costello in the Dail last night.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations what instructions he will send to the United Kingdom High Commissioner in India with a view to correcting certain erroneous allegations against the United Kingdom made in India in official speeches by Mr. Bulganin and Mr. Krushchev.

None.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will arrange that in future all subsidies to farmers shall be paid on a basis of differentials, graded according to the means of each farmer.

No. Such a method, even if practicable, would not promote the object of efficient and economic production.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will review the working of the present machinery and regulations for the notification and control of fowl pest to see whether improvements can be made.

The methods used to control outbreaks of fowl pest are kept under constant review in consultation with representatives of the poultry industry. I am anxious to improve them if it is practicable, and we are looking into the points raised by my hon. Friend in his recent letter to my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the chemical contamination of vegetables and fruit by sprays.

This subject is being studied by the Inter-departmental Advisory Committee, set up last year, on Poisonous Substances used in Agriculture and Food Storage; and certain aspects are under consideration by the Metallic Contamination Sub-committee of the Food Standards Committee. The Food and Drugs Acts prohibit the sale of food containing substances which render it injurious to health or unfit for human consumption.

Year of leaving school		Number of students attending Commission's schools	Number of students who joined Commission	Retained in Commission
				1 year	2 years	3 years	4 years	5 years
1946–49	…	369	271	Not readily available
1950	…	128	93	77	72	66	66	65
1951	…	121	94	83	67	64	63	—
1952	…	124	97	83	76	70	—	—
1953	…	119	101	85	77	—	—	—
1954	…	115	97	77	—	—	—	—
1955	…	109	78	—	—	—	—	—
		1,085	831

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the decisions reached by the Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organisation in Rome and the part which this country will continue to take in financing and otherwise assisting the work of this Organisation in raising standards of farming and nutrition in the countries which most need help.

I will place in the Library of the House as soon as possible a note

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement about the future policy of the Government regarding subsidies for the white fish industry.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland, and I hope to be laying proposals before the House next week.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the number of trainees who have passed through the forestry schools of the Forestry Commission in the post-war period; how many of the trainees on passing out went into Forestry Commission service; and how many were retained in the Forestry Commission service for one, two, three, four or five years.

The following is the information:of the more important decisions taken at the Conference and of the attitude adopted on each of them by the U.K. delegation. A report of the Conference will be published later by the F.A.O. It remains the policy of the Government to support the objects of the Organisation, to contribute to its funds and to take an active interest in the promotion of practical measures designed to help those countries needing it, to expand and improve the efficiency of their food production and so to raise their nutritional standards.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government to confirm the compulsory purchase order submitted by Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council for area number 93, Shutt Lane, Chesterton, which has been awaiting his approval since July.

The order was confirmed on 28th November.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, in view of the recent exposure of this country to radio-active particles from Soviet hydrogen-bomb tests and, in view of the projected series of United States test explosions, he will now propose to the Governments of all countries concerned an agreement to cease the further testing, by means of explosions, of all weapons capable of emitting dangerous concentrations of radio-active particles.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, in view of the recent Soviet detonation of a further hydrogen bomb, he will now propose the abolition of further such tests as one practical measure of disarmament which is self-policing.

I have nothing to add to the reply given yesterday by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to the right hon. Member for Walthamstow, West (Mr. Attlee).

asked the Minister of Works whether, in view of the recent increase in the amount of building resources used for repair, renovation and extension of offices, public houses, cinemas and other non-essential building, and in view of the issues of public policy involved, he will take steps to arrange for regular estimates to be made of the amount of work in progress.

Figures are obtained from contractors of the value of repairs and maintenance work carried out, but they do not distinguish between the various types of private building. I should not feel justified in asking for this further information.

asked the Minister of Works what evidence is available of increased radio-activity in the atmosphere consequent on the recent explosion of a hydrogen bomb by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; and whether he will make a statement.

I understand that no increased radio-activity from the last bomb explosion has yet been detected over the United Kingdom.

asked the Minister of Works whether he will now make available the reports on nuclear energy in Europe made by the committee set up by the Messina Conference Powers, and also the reports on the same subject by the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation.

The Organisation for European Economic Co-operation has not completed its report. Publication will be a matter for that Organisation. The Messina Committee is making its report to the Ministers concerned.

asked the Postmaster-General if he is aware that some letters sent from London to British troops in Cyprus are taking nearly three weeks to reach their destination, whereas homeward letters take only three days; and if he will take steps to speed up the transmission of outward mail.

Fully paid airmail letters to our Forces in Cyprus should normally be delivered within about three to four days of posting, but letters prepaid at the surface rate may take about three weeks. I will gladly look into any case of delay if my hon. Friend will let me have details.

asked the Minister of Defence whether he will now publish the additional information in the possession of the Government regarding the nature of hydrogen-uranium bomb explosions; the composition of the fallout; and the extent of the area potentially exposed to dangerous radio-active particles.

I am not prepared to disclose any information concerning the design of nuclear weapons. The composition of fall-out from any nuclear explosion and the extent of the area exposed to dangerous radio-activity depend on the type and yield of the weapon and on the height at which it is detonated. The United States Atomic Energy Commission issued a Report on 15th February last giving information concerning the effects of one particular weapon exploded in particular circumstances. A copy of this Report is in the Library of the House.

asked the Minister of Defence to make a statement on the explosion of a hydrogen bomb in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply yesterday to the hon. Member for West Ham, North (Mr. Lewis).

asked the Minister of Defence what information he has regarding the recent hydrogen bomb explosion in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; and what reports of fall-out effects have reached him, and from what countries.

In reply to the first part of the Question, I would refer my hon. Friend to my answer yesterday to the hon. Member for West Ham, North (Mr. Lewis).With regard to the second part, I have seen in the Press reports from many countries of increased radio-activity in the atmosphere. My right hon. Friend the Minister of Works is answering a Question today about the situation in the United Kingdom.

asked the Attorney-General how many offences have been committed against the Auctions (Bidding Agreements) Act, 1927, since its enactment in 1927; and how many of those offences have been committed in the last five years.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the Answer I gave the hon. Member for Londonderry (Mr. Chichester-Clark) on 28th November.

asked the Minister of Health whether, in view of the concern that has been expressed by many members of the medical profession about the proposed prohibition of the manufacture of heroin, he will take steps immediately to consult practising doctors as a whole as to the wisdom of banning the drug.

Prior to advising my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary, I consulted as did my predecessors the Standing Medical Advisory Committee which includes the most highly-regarded medical opinion in the country. This Committee when it considered the problem had among its members nineteen doctors who were in active practice. I am sure this is the most suitable body to consult.

asked the Minister of Health which bodies, representative of the medical profession, he consulted before he reached his decision to ban the use of heroin.

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Surrey, East (Mr. Doughty) on 24th November.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance to give for the past 12 months, to the nearest convenient date, the number of applications to the pneumoconiosis panels in each division, stating the number given a certificate of disablement also the numbers refused a certificate.

Information is available for the twelve months to June, 1955, of the number of preliminary X-ray examinations following fresh pneumoconiosis claims, under the Industrial Injuries Acts,

Panel			Preliminary X-ray examinations	Clinical examinations by medical board
				Total	Cases diagnosed	Cases not diagnosed
All panels	…	…	14,737	9,596	5,987	3,609
Cardiff	…	…	4,785	1,432	818	614
Swansea	…	…	1,926	610	225	385
Stoke-on-Trent	…	…	1,643	1,796	1,586	210
Sheffield	…	…	1,458	1,257	560	697
Edinburgh	…	…	2,020	1,894	1,246	648
Manchester	…	…	1,001	901	479	422
Newcastle	…	…	1,412	1,409	889	520
London	…	…	223	169	112	57
Bristol	…	…	269	127	72	55

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland to consider the need for a nursery school at East Kilbride where many young mothers go to work.

Sites have been reserved in East Kilbride for the building of nursery schools at a later date, but it is not possible, in present circumstances, to remove the general restrictions on the provision of new nursery schools.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation how many monkeys have been flown from India through London Airport each month during the present year; how many of these went to destinations in Britain; and to what countries were the rest of the monkeys flown.

No information is available in official records of cargoes coming through London Airport, but I am informed by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals that the numbers given in the following table were cared for in the society's animal hostel at the airport. These figures probably include almost all the monkeys passing

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation how many monkeys flown from India arrived at London Airport in each of the years 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, and 1954; and how many of these were in transit to the United States of America.

No informaton is available in official records of cargoes coming to London Airport, and I am unable to give any figures in the form requested. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals estimates, however, that from the opening of its animal hostel at London Airport in December, 1952, until the end of 1954, 82,520 monkeys were cared for in the hostel. Most of them were probably destined for the United States of America.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation the average length of time an applicant for a motor driving licence waits for a driving test in the Feltham and Hounslow district; and whether he will speed up these tests and end the delay.

The most convenient centres for these districts are at Isleworth and Surbiton, where the waiting periods are ten and seven weeks, respectively. A large number of additional examiners are being recruited to reduce the delay generally throughout the country.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he will introduce legislation to give some uniformity to conditions of the car-hiring trade along the lines recommended by the Hindley Committee.

No.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the Pensions Increases Act Review which will be laid before Par- liament in the New Year will apply to Naval, Military and Royal Air Force pensioners.

The Pensions (Increase) Acts themselves do not apply to retired members of the Armed Forces, but their provisions, adapted as necessary, are extended to Forces pensioners by means of prerogative instruments. As I announced on Tuesday, 29th November, in reply to similar Questions on this subject, the measures which the Government have in mind will cover Forces pensioners, and when the Bill relating to civil pensioners has received the Royal Assent the Service Ministers will lay the appropriate instruments before Her Majesty the Queen.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the pre-Oaksey Police widows are included among the pensioners for whom an increase is now under consideration.

The needs of these pensioners are being borne in mind.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the total amount collected in Entertainments Duty in Norwich in the financial year 1954–55; whether he will break down this figure into convenient categories of entertainments; and how it compares with each of the previous three financial years.

I regret that this information is not available.