asked the Minister of Works if he will give an assurance that he will make every effort to furnish embassies, legations and high commissioners' houses in a manner befitting our position; and, further, where we can with advantage show the work of our modern craftsmen and designers, if he will do so in the hope of attracting buyers to this country.

It is my intention to do all that I can to see that these houses are furnished in a fitting and dignified manner. With regard to the last part of the Question, I am not sure what the hon. Lady has in mind, but where it is a question of providing modern furniture we shall do all we can to select the most suitable examples of contemporary design and craftsmanship.

asked the Minister of Works the purpose and cost of the alterations now being carried out in Parliament Square.

As my predecessor announced in the answer which he gave on 13th December last to the right hon. and learned Gentleman the Member for Montgomery, a site is being prepared in Parliament Square for the memorial to the late Field Marshal Smuts. The alterations will, for architectural reasons, provide space for a second memorial at any time in the future. The estimated cost, including the cost of the statue, is £16,500.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works, as representing the Lord President of they Council, for how long the office of the Director of the National Physical Laboratory has been vacant; and what is the salary of the post.

Sir Edward Bullard vacated the Directorship on 31st December last. Dr. R. L. Smith-Rose was appointed Acting Director as from 1st January, 1956, and will serve until Sir Edward Bullard's successor is in post. I expect that an announcement of the new Director will be made in a matter of weeks. The present salary is £3,250 per annum.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works, as representing the Lord President of the Council, the number of the field staff at present engaged on the geological survey of the United Kingdom.

Fifty-three.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works, as representing the Lord President of the Council, whether he will make a statement about the progress made in the building of a new ship-testing tank at Feltham.

As the hon. Member knows, work was begun in March, 1955. It is progressing according to schedule The concreting of the main tank is about half finished. Construction of the workshop and offices is also proceeding normally.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works, as representing the Lord President of the Council, what progress has been made with the provision of a new Department of Scientific and Industrial Research fuel research station.

As I told the hon. Member last year, a site for a new fuel research station has been selected at Stevenage. The preparation of plans and estimates is progressing and it is hoped that work will begin on the site in 1957.

asked the Secretary of State for War to what extent the forthcoming War Office publication "The Rules of War on Land" now places on the soldier the obligation of deciding whether or not orders given him by a superior officer violate internationally accepted rules of warfare.

I cannot anticipate the publication of this pamphlet.

asked the Secretary of State for War what arrangements were made with officers undertaking the duties of Home Guard adjutants; and if he is satisfied that the notice given to them of termination of engagement is sufficient to enable them to wind-up their battalions and at the same time to readjust their private affairs.

As I explained in answer to Questions last Tuesday, these officers were entitled to 61 days' notice by their contracts. I have extended this to 91 days.

asked the Secretary of State for War the purpose of the new regimental march of the Intelligence Corps;

Intake		Date					Total Numbers	Number from Scotland	Number from North of England
1st	…	25th September, 1953	…	…	…	…	48	Nil	17
2nd	…	22nd January, 1954	…	…	…	…	28	2	6
3rd	…	17th September, 1954	…	…	…	…	48	3	20
4th	…	13th January, 1955	…	…	…	…	30	2	9
5th	…	22nd September, 1955	…	…	…	…	48	2	21
6th	…	19th January, 1956	…	…	…	…	28	4	14

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government, in view of the increasing problem that parked cars present to the easy flow of traffic in the London area, if he will take steps to see that no buildings are erected without storage space for cars

It is customary for corps and regiments in the Army to have a regimental quick march; that of the Intelligence Corps is called "The Rose and the Laurel." The tune was adapted and arranged as a quick march by Captain G. H. Stunell, who was at the time Bandmaster at the Royal Military School of Music. No charge is made by the publishers for publication, and no expense in respect of the march fell on public funds.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether his Department has yet taken over the cottages at Hillend, Roberton, on the Roberton Training Ground; and when they will be modernised.

We have not yet bought these cottages, and I cannot therefore say when they will be modernised

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will give the date of each intake of pupils to Welbeck College so far; the total numbers in each intake; and the numbers in each intake who come from Scotland and the north of England, respectively.

The following is the reply:beneath such buildings for those who use them.

The London County Council and planning authorities in some of the other big cities, when giving permission for the construction of new offices and certain other buildings, make it a condition that parking space must be provided wherever practicable.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many local authorities have applied to him for orders to enable them to require owners of private streets and roads to repair them in each of the last three years.

Two in 1953, one in 1954 and none in 1955.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government (1) on what grounds the sanction given in August, 1955, to the street lighting scheme submitted by the Eton Urban District Council was withdrawn on 15th December, 1955; and why no consultation took place with the council before this reversal of policy;(2) if he will make a statement on the results of the conference between representatives of the Eton Urban District Council, the Buckinghamshire County Council and Eton College on the subject of street lighting in Eton.

I have already sent to the hon. Member a detailed account of the special circumstances which arose in this case.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether, in view of the recent revaluation of rateable values, he will reconsider the formula which he published for calculating discretionary grant under Section 10 (2) of the Requisitioned Houses and Housing (Amendment) Act, 1955.

No.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will inquire from the County Councils Association, the Association of Municipal Associations, the Urban District Councils Association, and the Rural District Councils Association, to what extent the arrangements for subsidising local authority housing since the war have militated for or against building one-bedroomed houses for the small fixed-income groups; and if he will publish the replies, together with an analysis of the percentage provision for old-age pensioners of the post-war housing programme of each local authority.

No. I do not know of any way of measuring the extent to which the subsidy has stimulated the building of houses of particular types.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what progress is being made with the review of local government finances, including the question of derating of industry, as announced last June.

I have no statement to make as yet on this subject.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will make a statement on the Government's policy with regard to wages in relation to the cost of living; and what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government in relation to full employment.

The detailed settlement of wages is left to free collective negotiation within industry. As the hon. Member knows, unemployment in December was 1 per cent. of the total number of employees.

asked the Minister of Labour whether the regular charge for delivery of coke for domestic use is included in the price shown in his index of prices.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give an assurance that he will in all cases permit local councillors who live in council houses the right to vote on their respective councils on all questions concerning rent policy.

My power to remove any disability imposed on members of local authorities by Section 73 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act, 1947, is strictly limited by that Section, which requires each case to be considered in relation to the criteria laid down.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will outline the Government's policy concerning prefabricated temporary houses in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

I am required by Statute to remove temporary bungalows at the request of the local authority unless I consider that the housing conditions in the district require that the houses should remain. Because conditions in different districts vary, each case must be considered on its merits and it is not possible to make any statement that would apply generally.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what complaints he has received from local authorities regarding shortage of supplies of glass for housing purposes; and if he will make a statement.

I have received two such complaints. In one case delivery has already been made: in the other, early delivery is expected.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the number of persons in Scotland, during each of the last ten years, who were convicted and imprisoned for criminal offences and then pardoned and released from prison, indicating the nature of the alleged offence and the circumstances of the pardon in each case.

No prisoner in Scotland has been given a free pardon during the past ten years.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when the regulations required under Section 12 of the Electricity Reorganisation (Scotland) Act, 1954, dealing with compensation to officials will be laid before Parliament.

I regret that it has not yet been possible to complete the preparation of these regulations, but every effort will be made to do so at an early date.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will appoint a Departmental inquiry into the desirability of having separate guaranteed prices for certain categories of Scottish agricultural produce.

No. The Government fully considers the extent to which equity is being maintained between producers in different parts of the United Kingdom under the system of guaranteed prices in consultation with the agricultural interests concerned, at the comprehensive review of the economic condition of the industry held annually in February each year.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the impending retirement of the Deputy Chairman of the White Fish Authority.

Yes. Captain J. S. Allan, Deputy Chairman of the White Fish Authority and Chairman of the Authority's Committee for Scotland and Northern Ireland, has asked to be relieved of his duties owing to other commitments. Captain Allan has rendered outstanding service to the Authority and the Committee, and my right hon. Friends and I have accepted his resignation with regret. I am glad to say that Sir John Ure Primrose, formerly Lord Provost of Perth, has agreed to accept appointment in place of Captain Allan from 15th February. I think we are fortunate in securing so distinguished a successor to Captain Allan in his arduous responsibilities.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what proportion of expenditure upon nuclear research and development is devoted to peaceful and civil purposes.

Much of the expenditure on research and development in nuclear energy is likely to help forward both the peaceful and military applications of atomic energy; and it is therefore impossible to estimate the proportion which the hon. Member requests.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether he will now state the date on which it is expected that Britain's first atomic power station at Calder Hall will commence fully to operate.

Her Majesty The Queen will switch into the National Grid the current generated by the first of the two reactors at Calder Hall power station on 17th October, 1956. The second reactor should be in operation within six months of the opening ceremony.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether he will now state the sites selected for further atomic power stations, following Calder Hall; the size of each station in terms of capacity; and planned completion dates.

Responsibility for the atomic power stations to be built under the Government's Civil Power programme announced in their White Paper of February, 1955, rests with the Minister of Fuel and Power and the electricity authorities. I assume that the hon. Member has in mind the six additional reactors of the Calder Hall type to be erected by the Atomic Energy Authority. These will have a total capacity of about 200 MW and will probably come into operation in 1959 or 1960. Two will be built at Calder Hall, and four near Annan in Dumfriesshire.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will cause an investigation to be made into the shale deposits in West Lothian as a possible source of fissionable material for nuclear fuel.

The answer must be "No." The shale deposits in West Lothian have a very low uranium content, which does not exceed 20 parts per million, and no process for extracting it at an economic cost is at present known.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he will state the factors determining the siting of the atomic power stations planned for completion, 1956 to 1965; how far such factors differ from those determining the siting of conventional power stations; and what progress has now been made in the disposal plans for radio-active waste and effluent from nuclear power establishments.

In choosing sites for atomic as distinct from other power stations, it can be assumed that fuel costs will not be affected by siting. Foundations and cooling water are therefore the chief requirements to be considered, and the first atomic power stations are to be sited away from built-up areas as an extra safety precaution. There will be no radioactive effluent, as spent fuel from the reactors will be returned to the Atomic Energy Authority's factories for treatment.

asked the Minister of Health, as representing the Lord President of the Council, if he is aware that the publication, "Alcohol: its Action on the Human Organism," is described in the Sectional List (No. 12) of Government publications as out of print; and whether, in view of its value to teachers and students and the need to counteract recent tendencies to inebriety among young people, he will arrange for the publication of a new edition of the work.

The attention of the Medical Research Council, who were responsible for the publication, has been drawn to the hon. Member's suggestion, and I will let him know the outcome.

asked the Minister of Health what progress has been made in establishing a statistics branch at his Department.

A statistician was appointed in July, 1955, to advise on the collection, analysis and interpretation of statistical information for the Department. The present staff of the Statistical Unit consists of fifteen executive and clerical staff and six trained machine operating staff.

asked the Minister of Health the number of clerical staff of the West Kent General Hospital, the Kent County Ophthalmic and Aural Hospital and Pembury Hospital at the time of the introduction of the National Health Service; and what is the present number.

Information is not available exactly in the form requested. The number of administrative and clerical grade staff employed in hospitals is recorded on a hospital group basis. Figures for the Tunbridge Wells Group Hospital Management Committee, which includes the Pembury Hospital, and for the Mid-Kent Hospital Management Committee which includes the other hospitals referred to, are given below:

NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATIVE AND CLERICAL GRADE STAFF
Hospital Management Committee	31st December, 1948	31st December, 1954 (the latest available date)
Tunbridge Wells Group	97	113
Mid-Kent	50	62½

NOTE.—The 1948 figures refer to the number of whole-time and part-time staff. The 1954 figures include whole-time equivalent of part-time staff.

asked the Minister of Health what was the condition as to immunisation of the six cases of diphtheria reported in the West Ham area at the end of December; and, if immunised, how long had the operation been performed before the attack of diphtheria.

All six children were immunised, two in 1945, two in 1951, and two in 1954.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is aware of the frequent practice of certain traders in offering apples and other fruits for sale under a wrong description; and if he will take action under the Merchandise Marks Act so as to put an end to these practices.

I am informed that a very small minority of traders sometimes offer for sale apples and other fruit under false descriptions, and that the practice contravenes not only the Merchandise Marks Acts, 1887–1953, but also the Food and Drugs Act, 1955. Appropriate local authorities have the power under the former enactments and an obligation under the latter to prosecute for such offences committed within their areas, and I believe that they are discharging their responsibilities in this respect. In these circumstances, I do not consider action by my Department necessary.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the purpose and estimated cost of the fox-breeding establishment which it is proposed to set up as part of the Infestation Department at Tolworth, Surrey.

There is no such proposal.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether the airfield at Aden is capable of handling the heaviest type of aircraft; and to what extent this airfield is capable of being used as a link in the chain of civil aviation communications of the Commonwealth.

B.O.A.C., Air India International, and Aden Airways, already use this airfield. The airfield can be used by Britannias.

asked the Minister of Education what progress has been made in the preparation for television lessons for schools.

I told the British Broadcasting Corporation and the School Broadcasting Council last October that I accepted their proposal to provide an experimental service of television to schools starting in the autumn of 1957. The purpose of this experiment is to secure sufficient evidence to determine the educational potentialities of television. Expenditure on the purchase of equipment for schools will be strictly limited to what is necessary for this purpose. The planning of the programmes is the responsibility of the British Broadcasting Corporation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why retirement pensions of wives are taken into account when considering pension increases paid to police pensioners.

This is a requirement of the Pensions (Increase) Acts and applies to public service pensioners generally. These Acts provide a higher rate of increase and higher income limits for pensioners who are married, and require that the pensioner's total income, including that of his wife, shall be taken into account in deciding whether he is eligible for an increase.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is in a position to make a further statement concerning the broadcasting of the Olympic Games in this country in 1956; and what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government in relation to the obtaining of sole exclusive rights in this connection by a British organisation.

I am informed that the Olympic Games Committee at first thought it might be convenient to appoint a single organisation to handle the broadcasting and filming arrangements for the 1956 Games and to distribute the television and newsreel films on reasonable terms to other interests all over the world. I understand that this idea has now been dropped, and there is to be the usual arrangement of a pool, in which all newsreel companies and television organisations are at liberty to share. In these circumstances, the question of exclusive rights does not arise.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that many complaints have been voiced in East Kilbride recently about the slowness of service at the telephone exchange even at night when the telephone is used much less.

With the rapid development of East Kilbride it has not been easy to maintain as good a service as we would like. Additional staff have been put on recently, and the position will continue to be closely watched.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what consideration has been given to the development of Aden as a link in the civil aviation communications of the Commonwealth.

Aden is already being used to the extent justified by its geographical position and present traffic requirements. The possible future use of this aerodrome in the Commonwealth network will be kept under review.