asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, with a view to co-ordinating existing knowledge and formulating a policy which will ensure for the future an adequate supply of metals and minerals, he will appoint a Minerals Advisory Board to assist him.

It is not clear that the appointment of a Minerals Advisory Board at the present time would be advantageous but I thank my hon. Friend for his suggestion, which I will bear in mind.

Has my right hon. Friend considered the prospect in the years ahead of a steadily expanding world demand for metals and the great opportunities for meeting that demand from within the Commonwealth? Can he assure the House that the policy of Her Majesty's Government is to help industry to make full use of those opportunities, if possible with British capital? Will he bear in mind that the first step is to make the facts available, and will he press the Chancellor of the Exchequer to do what he can in the sphere of taxation?

I will certainly bear in mind the important considerations which my hon. Friend has mentioned.

In speaking of considering the proposal to have a Minerals Advisory Board, did the President mean that he is not satisfied with the present arrangements?

No, Sir. I did not mean that.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is now in a position to give some details concerning the voluntary agreement reached by the laundry organisations, the British Standards Institution and the representatives of his Department on the problem of textile labelling for washing and cleaning purposes; and when he expects to be able to do so.

I cannot at present add to the reply I gave to the hon. Lady's Question on 26th January, but I hope to be able to do so shortly.

Is not the right hon. Gentleman getting very embarrassed at having to make this statement month by month? Does he hope that if I put a Question to him at the end of a month he will be in a less embarrassing position than he is today?

I have represented to those concerned that both the hon. Lady and myself have been embarrassed as a result of these Questions and Answers. I hope to be able to give the hon. Lady a satisfactory answer.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that ever-increasing quantities of flammable material are being sold for women's and children's dresses and that some of this material ignites on close proximity to fires, radiators, etc., however much these are protected in terms of the Heating Appliances Act; and if he will introduce legislation to ensure that all flammable material, made up or sold by any measurement, shall bear a warning label as to flammability.

I share the hon. Lady's concern about the danger of dresses catching fire, but I am not aware that this risk has increased significantly. The problem of what safety measures are appropriate presents a number of difficulties and research is going on into some of these. So far as I can see at present, I doubt whether the solution proposed by the hon. Lady is a practicable one.

If the right hon. Gentleman is hopeful of legislation to label garments according to their washability, is it not much more important that he should ensure that garments which are highly inflammable should be labelled? If the right hon. Gentleman is not convinced, will he allow me to come to his office and bring with me some of these materials, which are now used as bedcovers, and which ignite two feet away from an open flame? Does he not realise that this is a matter of life and death?

I appreciate the seriousness of what the hon. Lady says. Accidents of this kind, sometimes of the most tragic nature, take place. At the same time, this question of labelling with degrees of flammability presents serious practical problems, but I will bear in mind what the hon. Lady has said.

Will my right hon. Friend please give us an assurance that he will continue to do all he can to ensure that materials which are suitable for children's clothing, particularly nightgowns, are definitely guaranteed to have been tested for non-flammability? Is he aware that every year the number of deaths in the home due to burning is very shocking, and that it worries a great many of us? Anything that can be done to increase the safety of materials will be very much appreciated.

I am much obliged to my hon. Friend.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware of the claims made by toothpaste manufacturers in their Press advertisements which constitute an offence under the Merchandise Marks Acts; and what steps he is taking to deal with the matter.

No, Sir, but if the hon. Lady will let me have particulars of any claims I will consider them.

I will send them to the right hon. Gentleman, but is he aware that the whole trend of toothpaste advertising at present is really calculated to mislead the public and that the British Dental Association is very disturbed at this trend?

I am frankly not aware of it. Perhaps I do not study toothpaste advertisements sufficiently closely, but if the hon. Lady will let me have details I will certainly look into them.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what inquiries were made by the Committee on Weights and Measures Legislation into the number of household products in packages or containers which are sold to the public without obligation to state weight; and the result of these investigations.

Nearly all prepacked articles of food are required under existing legislation to bear a statement of the minimum weight, measure or number. The Committee considered proposals that similar requirements should be applied to a number of household articles other than food and recommended their application to a limited number of such articles.

But is the right hon. Gentleman not aware that it is now almost five years since the Committee on Weights and Measures Legislation made these recommendations? Is he not further aware that one of the most important recommendations extended to the self-service stores which are packed with pre-packed goods, none of which bears the weight? What is the use of a combine assuring us that it is going to stabilise prices over the next six months if, behind our backs, it can reduce the weights in the packages?

I am aware that this recommendation was made, amongst a large number of others in the voluminous Report of the Committee on Weights and Measures Legislation but, as the hon. Lady knows, this matter would require legislation which in any case could not be introduced this Session.

If a mere man may interpolate here, may I ask the President of the Board of Trade if he realises that cream and ice-cream are now often sold in little containers which have false bottoms that are obviously deliberately made to "fox" the customer?

I should require notice as to whether that was covered in the recommendations of the Committee on Weights and Measures Legislation.

Is it the intention of the President of the Board of Trade not to proceed with legislation for weights and measures? On an earlier occasion we were told that the Government were treating this as a most important matter.

As I said, not this Session.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that at the South Western Magistrates' Court on 1st February, when a London company was fined for carpet selling offences as the result of a successful prosecution by his Department, evidence was given that these cotton carpets were imported and marked with metric sizes; that they were then marked with the nearest British standard size; that this was always to the advantage of the wholesaler or retailer; and what steps he proposes to take, under the Merchandise Marks Acts, to deal with such a system of marking.

I am aware of the prosecution to which the hon. Lady refers. The Merchandise Marks Acts, under which this prosecution was taken, are adequate for dealing with any similar cases.

Whilst wishing to congratulate the President of the Board of Trade on having won this case, may I ask him if the British carpet manufacturers have not stated that this is a most unfair method of trading because British carpets are all correctly listed? Is he further aware that cotton carpet manufacturers have wondered how the prices of imported carpets have been able to undercut their own? Does he still say that the present Regulations cover that?

It seems that the Regulations are satisfactory because the prosecution succeeded.

Yes, but why was there any need for a prosecution if the Regulations were satisfactory? I feel that they are not.

This was a breach of the Regulations. The translation of the metric into the imperial measure was done in a manner which favoured the seller on every occasion. Under those circumstances the prosecution was brought, and succeeded. That is what the Merchandise Marks Act is for.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the need for an increased output of coal to sustain our economy, he will take steps to provide an adequate supply of steel to manufacturers of mining equipment and machinery.

Although steel production is rising rapidly, many industries are experiencing some shortage of steel. In order to ease the position, import duties on steel sheet are suspended until March, 1957, and on most other forms of steel until September, 1956. I do not accept the suggestion that steel should be allocated on a preferential basis to particular industries or manufacturers.

But does not the Minister agree that since the economy of this country is bound up with coal for at least the next twenty-five years, something should be done to see that there is a sufficient allocation of steel to the makers of mining equipment and other machinery for the mining industry?

I certainly fully appreciate the importance of steel to that industry, as to many others, at the present time. One of the important things is to proceed with the capital construction necessary for new steel production.

Did I gather from the right hon. Gentleman that he did not himself believe that some measure of priority ought to be given to the coal mining industry? Is he satisfied that the allocation of steel to that industry at the present time is adequate to develop the new plant as quickly as the country needs it?

I said that I did not think that a comprehensive steel rationing and allocation scheme ought to be brought in at present.

Could my right hon. Friend say what is the loss of output due to a shortage of modern equipment compared with the loss of output owing to voluntary absenteeism?

asked the President of the Board of Trade what disequilibrium occurred in Anglo-Canadian overall trade, including invisibles, during 1955; whether he will give figures for such trade; and what steps are being taken to restore balance, overall.

I cannot accept the implication that equilibrium in our balance of payments as a whole requires the attainment of the balance individually with Canada or any other country. But what we need to help ease our dollar problem is to win a larger share of Canada's import market. The visible deficit in our trade with Canada in 1955 was about £200 million; imports c.i.f. were £344 million; total exports f.o.b. were £145 million. I regret that the figures of our invisible trade with Canada cannot be separated from those of the dollar area as a whole. The measures which the Government have taken to curb inflation should result in an expansion of our exports to Canada as to other markets.

Since the deficiency— and there must be a deficiency from the United Kingdom point of view—presumably has to be met by gold payments, what is my right hon. Friend proposing to do about that, in view of the position of the gold and dollar reserve?

It has to be met by gold payments or else by sales to some other market. I do not think it would be practical politics to imagine that we can balance exactly with every country.

Can the President say what steps are being taken to restore the balance of trade, particularly in view of the latest trade returns, which show a further decline?

To start with, there is the series of measures which the Government have taken to counter inflation. The most important are the increase in the Bank Rate, the reintroduction of hire-purchase restrictions, the call upon the banks to reduce their overdraft facilities and the increases in Purchase Tax in the autumn Budget. All those measures, though no doubt unpopular, are the essential prerequisite of expanding exports to Canadian and other markets.

Can the President say why trade with Canada is still declining?

I do not accept that it is still declining.

May I ask my right hon. Friend, particularly in view of the amount of capital now being spent in Canada by the United States, whether he is taking every step to ensure that British people who wish to invest capital in Canada have that opportunity?

I attach importance to that matter, but the question is primarily one for my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what restrictions are still imposed on the import and use of newsprint.

Imports of newsprint this year are subject to a limit which has, in fact, proved much above the amounts for which the Newsprint Supply Company has been able to place contracts.

As regards the use of newsprint, I hope to be able to make an announcement shortly.

This has been going on a long time. Why do the Government cling so tenaciously to this last relic of rationing? [An HON. MEMBER: "Set the people free."] Are the Government so terrified of what the Daily Mirror,the Daily Expressor the Daily Heraldmight print if they had an extra page or two? Or is the balance of payments still so precarious, despite the last two successful Budgets, that we must choose between extra pages for newsprint or the devaluation of the £?

I can assure the hon. and gallant Gentleman that I am not clinging to rationing in this matter, and perhaps he will await the statement that I propose to make later this week.

asked the President of the Board of Trade why exports to foreign countries increased by only 10 per cent. in value in 1955 compared with 1954, Whereas imports increased by 22 per cent.; and if he will make a statement.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what circumstances resulted in a much greater increase in imports than in exports during 1955; and if he will make a statement.

The basic reason is that excessive home demand has checked our exports and swollen our imports.

Is my right hon. Friend satified that the measures which have been taken will stop that process say this month or next?

I think there are indications that the measures which have been taken are beginning to work in the economy.

Is my right hon. Friend considering the possibility of any special incentives, fiscal or otherwise, to encourage those who develop the export markets?

The subject of whether we should or should not have export subsidies has been debated in this House on a number of occasions. The policy of Her Majesty's Government remains as stated, that we are opposed to export subsidies in this or any other country.

Can the President say what are the indications that the situation is improving?

Not in the course of Question and Answer.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what reply he has given to the application by Italy for a reduction of 10 per cent. in the import tariff on artificial silk tissues.

I cannot disclose details about concessions sought or offered in tariff negotiations, nor anticipate the outcome of the discussions now going on at Geneva. Requests for reductions in the United Kingdom tariff have been discussed with the trade associations concerned, and their views will be fully taken into account.

Does my right hon. Friend realise that if he gives way on this, not only will the industry suffer, but other countries will queue up for the same concession? The silk and rayon industry is going through a difficult time. Will he do what he can to protect it in this instance?

I am anxious not to discuss the pros and cons of tariff concessions of any particular industry in the course of these negotiations, or we shall have to discuss the lot. I assure my hon. and gallant Friend that I shall bear in mind the representations made to me on this, as I have on other industries.

asked the President of the Board of Trade when he proposes to restore private trading facilities for importing jute goods; when he proposes to wind up jute control; and whether he will make a statement.

Not at the present time, Sir.

Does that reply mean that nationalised jute control is to be a permanent feature of Tory Government policy?

It means that it has not yet been possible to find proper measures to safeguard the United Kingdom manufacturing industry in conditions conducive to efficiency without this particular form of control. However, my hon. Friend has debated this point on a number of occasions, and I need not add to it at present.

Is the President of the Board of Trade aware that the views of his hon. Friend would cause almost immediate mass unemployment in Dundee, and that his attitude is wholly unrepresentative of the users of the product of the Dundee industry?

I am aware that the views of my hon. Friend, with whom I am on almost all occasions in complete agreement, do not on this occasion command universal acceptance.

The President of the Board of Trade said "not at present." Can he give an assurance that he will not do away with jute control without full consultation with employers and labour, and perhaps getting their assent?

I am sure that I shall fully take into account the views of everybody.

asked the President of the Board of Trade by what methods and on what basis he obtains information about capital expenditure by industries in the United Kingdom.

Information on capital expenditure is obtained from the annual census of production and from a quarterly inquiry on a voluntary basis in which I am happy to say a large number of public companies co-operate.

For further details I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to articles in the Board of Trade Journal of 31st December, 1955, and 4th February, 1956.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that a senior official in the Board of Trade recently wrote to the chairman of a company, saying:

"The companies to whose chairmen I wrote were selected at random from undertakings of various sizes in order that the results of our inquiry might be based on a balanced and representative sample."?

Does my right hon. Friend think that this method of taking samples at random is satisfactory.

I believe it to be, but I am always prepared to discuss it with my hon. and gallant Friend, if he has any improvement to suggest in the system, and I should be happy to do so on this occasion.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what agreement he has made with the steel industry regarding its imports and exports in 1956; and how this agreement differs from 1955.

The steel industry is free to import semi-finished steel, such as ingots and billets for further processing, on its own account. Finished steel is imported by steel consumers and merchants. Exports of sheet, plate and tin-plate are limited by export licensing, and the steel industry has undertaken to restrict its total exports to the 1955 level or slightly lower.

What estimate, after discussion with the industry, does the Minister make of the net effect on our balance of payments?

I do not know about the net effect on our balance of payments. It means that the policy with regard to steel exports in 1956 will be broadly the same as that followed in 1955.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what discussions he has had with the motor car industry regarding the level of its exports in 1956.

Export prospects for motor cars are discussed in the day-today contacts between the Board of Trade and the industry: the subject was also examined at the last meeting of the National Advisory Council for the Motor Manufacturing Industry on 30th November, 1955.

Does that reply mean that, following what one can only call the very disappointing response of the motor car industry in 1955, when it was completely feather-bedded by huge deposits on the home market, the Board of Trade is taking no action to see that that situation does not recur in 1956?

The view of the Society of Motor Manufacturers, expressed on 21st January in the Financial Times,was that the export of motor vehicles in 1956 would be higher than the record level achieved in 1955.

Is the President aware that in the opinion of many observers, both British and American, in North America there is a large market open to British cars which at present is largely going to the Volkswagen as a result of lack of effort by our manufacturers?

Yes, I am aware of the various comments made about British manufacturers. At the same time we have a very fine record in the export markets, and we should give some credit to the very great achievements by that industry.

Is it not a fact that one cannot sell British cars abroad on a greater scale by any decree or regulation of the British Government?

It is true that there is a limit to what Governments can do.

Has the attention of the right hon. Gentleman been drawn to the proposed increased freight rates across the North Atlantic which are to start on 1st April, and which will have a deleterious effect on the prospect of exporting more cars in 1956?

It is clear that freight rates are an important factor in this as in other matters.

Despite the Minister's complacency, is he aware of the great anxiety in Coventry which arises out of the proposed dismissal of more than 2,500 motor workers, which will inevitably result in a decline in output? As a matter of high national importance, will he consult his colleagues in the Government to work out for the motor industry a policy which will result in increased exports?

I do not think that the Government are called upon at present to intervene to sustain the home market.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what estimate he has made of the level of sheet steel imports in 1956.

I have not been able to make an estimate. A material increase in sheet steel production is expected in 1956, but I cannot tell how far manufacturers will find it necessary to buy from abroad to supplement domestic supplies.

Does this mean that if the motor car industry finds an opportunity to sell an enormous proportion of its output on the home market, instead of exporting it, we shall continue, as in 1955, importing sheet steel for home market cars at the rate we did then?

It is true to say that the proportion of sales on the home market will have an effect upon the import of sheet steel. That is a fair comment.

In view of our balance-of-trade situation, cannot the President of the Board of Trade inform the motor car industry that the level of imports of sheet steel will substantially depend on its success in exporting cars? Is he aware that pressure of that sort, proposals of that sort, had a most stimulating effect on the motor car industry in the period after the war?

I do not wish to be dogmatic about this, but I would be loath to introduce a system of steel allocation, even one of those ingenious systems which allocates raw materials to exports, and matters of that kind. They have not had universal success in the past, and I wish to avoid them in the future.

Would my right hon. Friend agree that by far the most effective stimulus to exports is a contraction of the home order book?

asked the President of the Board of Trade what progress has been made in the negotiations with the Danish Government about supplies of Danish bacon.

The negotiations are still in progress and I cannot therefore add at present to the Answers which I have already given on this subject.

Is the President of the Board of Trade aware that these discussions are proceeding on the basis of a 10 per cent. food tariff, to be met by retaliatory duties on British exports to Denmark? Will he at once intervene and see that these discussions do not proceed on that retrograde basis?

I have no comment to make on the basis upon which the discussions are proceeding. I merely say that they are going on, and no useful purpose would be served by debating them while they are in progress.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what efforts Her Majesty's Government are making to reach agreement with Dominion and colonial Governments to increase the supply of scarce raw materials to this country.

We attach importance to the continuous consultations between the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth Governments on all economic matters of common concern. I do not, however, think that agreements of the kind the hon. Member appears to have in mind would be the most effective way of securing adequate supplies of raw materials. These are not, generally speaking, scarce, and temporary shortages are most effectively dealt with by direct negotiations between the commercial interests immediately concerned.

Would not the President of the Board of Trade agree that this country is more dependent upon the import of raw materials, which are now becoming scarce, than is any other great manufacturing nation? Is he not further aware that the manufacturing potential of others is increasing at such a rate that, if we are not careful, we shall find ourselves in the middle of a raw material famine?

I am very much aware of the dependence of an importing-exporting country such as ours on supplies of raw materials from all over the world. That is why Her Majesty's Government have pursued a policy of opening up commodity markets and making materials available to manufacturing industries at the cheapest price.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will issue a White Paper outlining the supply position of the principal raw material imports upon which our industries depend, and the countries from which they come, with the estimated increases in world extraction and industrial consumption rates since 1950.

No, Sir. This information is readily available in various publications, but if the hon. Member would let me know of any particular raw material about which he requires information I will do my best to provide the answers.

The Minister has already informed me of a world shortage of nickel. Is he aware that other alloys, steel alloys and things of that type, are in short supply, and that this attitude of the Government of waiting until calamity hits us before they begin to do anything about it is disastrous? If he will consult industry—I am not merely instancing the trade union side—he will find that there is great apprehension in industry itself. Will he look at the problem and give us a White Paper which will clearly depict the state in which we hope our raw material supply will be in the future?

I am happy at all times to have the views of the industry, including of course those of the trade unions, on important matters of this kind. But I do not see that any useful purpose would be served at the moment by the issue of a wide-ranging White Paper which would probably be out of date in its information by the time it had been out for a week. I prefer to give information on individual cases, as requested by the hon. Gentleman.

A very polished performance indeed, if I may say so.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what quantities of dollars he has authorised to be spent by the programme contractors to the Independent Television Authority and by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the period since the authority was established; and the annual sums of dollar expenditure he is prepared to approve for the purchase of United States material for the Independent Television Authority and the British Broadcasting Corporation, respectively.

The amount authorised for the B.B.C. and I.T.A. together since 1st July, 1954, is about £1⅓ million. No precise ceiling has been fixed, hut my right hon. Friend is watching the position.

In view of the latest trade figures and the dollar gap, is not this a rather large sum to pay out to get "Hopalong Cassidy"? Will not the Treasury pay greater attention to the fact that a very large proportion of recorded material for commercial T.V. is being bought from the United States, and is not this in fact a breach of the Television Act and a wastage of dollars?

I cannot add to what I have said. Questions about the Television Act should be put to my right hon. Friend the Postmaster-General.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will introduce discriminatory tax reliefs in favour of the exhibition of British films as part of a scheme to lower the level of taxation on cinematograph entertainment.

The hon. Member will not expect me to anticipate my right hon. Friend's Budget statement.

Will not the Financial Secretary give an assurance that the Treasury will pay more attention to suggestions of this kind than it has done in the past? Will he, at any rate, give an undertaking that the Treasury will give serious consideration to proposals put to it for such a discriminatory tax relief, which would be beneficial both to the film-producing industry and cinemas in general?

I think that this proposal was put up by the Cinematograph Exhibitors' Association two or three years ago. The whole tax will be reviewed by my right hon. Friend before the Budget, but I cannot say more than that.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the amount of Treasury Bills outstanding at the latest available date; and the amount outstanding at the nearest equivalent date last year.

The figures are published weekly in the Exchequer Return.

Will not my right hon. Friend agree that in fact the figures, or at any rate the latest figures that I have seen, show a very considerable increase over the equivalent figure at the same time a year ago? Would not he agree that after a year of credit restriction this increase in Treasury Bills is most regret-able? Can he give some assurance that the Treasury will cease to finance long-term loans by further issues of Treasury Bills?

My hon. Friend has raised some large questions which are more suitable for debate. In fact, the rise in the number of Treasury Bills issued is not in itself inflationary.

What about Sir Oliver Franks?

Does the Minister regard this substantial increase in outstanding Treasury Bills as a cause or a symptom of the present inflationary condition?

That again is a question suitable for debate and is not capable of a short answer at Question Time.

Do not the figures also show a figure of about £200 million a year in interest bills over and above the figure of four years ago, and does the Financial Secretary really think that that huge rise in Government expenditure is justifiable?

I am not committing myself to any figure as to the rise in the interest bills, which is a separate issue from that raised in my hon. Friend's Question.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will adopt the recommendation of the Guillebaud Committee that the Ministry of Health should no longer be required to submit hospital building schemes of less than £100,000 for prior approval by the Treasury.

This matter is under consideration.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that this kind of day-to-day direct control by the Treasury on the spending of regional hospital boards is acceptable to no one except the Treasury itself? Will he seriously consider putting an end to this arrangement, which can lead only to delay?

As the hon. Gentleman knows, this is one of a number of interesting recommendations made by the Guillebaud Committee, and these are under consideration as a whole.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer to what degree the measures introduced in the autumn Budget to encourage small savings have been effective.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, in order to give further incentives to private savings, he will increase again the maximum permitted holdings of National Savings Certificates and Defence Bonds; and if he will make a statement.

Some £37 million has so far been subscribed to the new issue of 4 per cent. Defence Bonds. No figures are available of National Savings Certificates bought by holders who already possessed the previous maximum holding since the limit was raised at the beginning of November.

As the Prime Minister said in his Bradford speech on 18th January, we are actively considering what further steps we can take to make savings attractive. The suggestion about limits will be borne in mind, along with other suggestions.

Does my right hon. Friend agree that some more attractive and possibly entirely new sort of inducement will be required to ensure that this type of saving is fully carried out?

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his interest in this extremely important matter of expanding National Savings. Both the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer have made public reference to their interest in finding some new method of attracting savings, and in due course my right hon. Friend will, no doubt, be declaring his intentions.

Would my right hon. Friend agree that the existing limits appear to have little relevance at present?

Can the right hon. Gentleman say how much of the £37 million actually represents new savings and how much of it is made up by withdrawals from war savings at 2½per cent. and reinvestment in Defence Bonds at 4 per cent.?

No, I am afraid that it is impossible to say that.

Can the right hon. Gentleman say whether any of the other measures in the autumn Budget have been effective?

That supplementary question is a long way from the Question on the Order Paper.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what repayments of dollar loans incurred during the war were made in the immediate postwar years.

In the years 1945 to 1951, 296 million United States dollars on the Reconstruction Finance Corporation Loan and 402 and 12 million Canadian dollars on the interest-free loans from Canada and Newfoundland respectively.

May I ask my hon. Friend whether he will circulate that reply to hon. Members on the Opposition Front Bench, particularly in view of their constant statement that repayments of war-time loans was one of the main reasons why the American Loan was so quickly exhausted?

Is it not the fact that these loans are being repaid by £s which are worth much less than they were when the amounts were borrowed?

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state, as at the latest convenient date, the total of contingent liabilities incurred by Her Majesty's Government through Treasury Guarantees.

The total nominal net liability of Her Majesty's Government at 31st March, 1955, in respect of guaranteed loans in sterling was approximately £3,350 million. In addition there were contingent liabilities at that date in respect of certain loans in currencies other than sterling. Details can be found on pages 68 to 73 of Finance Accounts of the United Kingdom 1954–55.

Would my right hon. Friend consider, among other things, the question of reducing these liabilities, certainly so far as the nationalised industries are concerned, by making them go to the market at a much earlier date, rather than that they should be allowed to rely on funds under Treasury guarantee?

That opens up a very big question.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how far his instructions to the banks enable them to accept unemployment or short-time working in a given industry as a sufficient reason for relaxing existing credit restrictions in its favour.

No instructions have been given to the banks how to reduce their outstanding advances. This has been left to their discretion.

Is it the policy of the Government that an industry the products of which play an important part in our exports is to be permitted to languish, and to have unemployment and short-time working, at the same time as the import-export gap is widening month by month? Will the right hon. Gentleman ensure that priority is given to an industry which can help the export market?

The hon. Gentleman will remember that my right hon. Friend the former Chancellor of the Exchequer specifically mentioned in his statement last July the great importance of increased production in exports, and drew the attention of the banks to this.

Has the attention of the Economic Secretary been drawn to the statements of the chairmen of the banks, who, in chorus, have said how much they hate doing the Government's dirty work for them?

I have read all the statements of the chairmen of the banks.

Is it not a fact that not less that 80,000 of our manufacturing units employ fewer than ten men? Is it not further a fact that those are the people who, for the most part, have been squeezed? Will not they be the people who will go bankrupt and, in turn, affect the production of everyone else? Why are the Government following this insane policy?

The right hon. Gentleman will find that there is a later Question on this subject upon the Order Paper.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware that the credit squeeze is pressing with particular severity on the small independent businessman; and what action he will take to mitigate this.

My right hon. Friend is aware that small traders, like other members of the community, are finding it more difficult to get credit. But he does not think that the limitation of credit is affecting them so severely that he ought to ask the banks to discriminate in their favour.

Is my hon. Friend aware that the banks appear to be working on the principle of "the smaller the man the tighter the squeeze"? Will he ask them to tackle their larger customers with the same ferocity as they sometimes use towards their smaller ones?

If my hon. Friend has any evidence that he would like to send me in writing I shall be glad to consider it, but I would remind him that the control of credits to large businesses is operated not only by the banks but also by the Capital Issues Committee.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that his hon. Friend has accurately stated Tory Government policy in his Question? Is he further aware that there is an automatic discrimination against the small man, because of his lack of reserves? Would not it be desirable to ask the banks to counteract this discrimination and allow credits upon rather easier conditions to smaller businessmen?

It was precisely with the second half of the right hon. Gentleman's question in mind that I referred to the control now being operated by the Capital Issues Committee. With regard to the first part of his question, I think I can claim to be at least as authoritative an exponent of Conservative policy as he.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he can now give an estimate of the cost to the revenue during the financial year 1955-56 of the initial and investment allowances.

It is too early to give a firm figure, but, provisionally, the cost of initial and investment allowances combined is expected to be between £80 million and £90 million for the current year.

In view of the fact that since these allowances were reintroduced or instituted, substantial reductions in direct taxation have been made, does not my right hon. Friend consider that there is a case for considering their reduction or abolition, especially in view of the fact that the investment boom has exhausted our supply of men and materials?

If I were to seek to answer my hon. Friend's question it might be thought that I was anticipating my right hon. Friend's Budget statement, and that I cannot do.

Will the Financial Secretary save some of this vast sum by withdrawing investment allowances from those wasteful forms of capital investment to which the President of the Manchester Chamber of Commerce called attention in a recent speech?

I refrained from giving an answer to the previous supplementary question, and I must refrain equally in this case.

Has not the right hon. Gentleman's hon. Friend asked a very pertinent question? Why are the Government simultaneously discouraging investment by a credit squeeze and encouraging it by these allowances, both of which are expensive to the Treasury?

The right hon. Gentleman will realise that this is not Budget day and, therefore, it is not a day when announcements of any kind can be made.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state, to the latest convenient date, the amount that has had to be written off, or through accounts presented to this House will have to be written off, from sums made available to Public Corporations created between 1945 and 1951.

About £50 million; the figures call for some explanation, and I will, with permission, circulate a short note in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Can my right hon. Friend say whether this is the end of this dismal story of the money wasted during those years, or whether there are still further sums to be written off in the future?

I hope that it is the end, but if my hon. and gallant Friend will read the statement which I propose to circulate, he may wish to ask further Questions.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will arrange for the purchase out of the National Land Fund of the woodlands at Whyligh, Sussex, the property of the late Lord Courthope, now offered for sale, and hand them over to the Ministry of Works, so that the oak for repairs to the roof of Westminster Hall may always continue to come from the same estate as the oak used originally 650 years ago for its construction and continuously used since for its repair.

My right hon. Friend will certainly consider using the National Land Fund to enable these woodlands to be placed at the disposal of the Forestry Commission, if they should be offered towards payment of death duties, and if satisfactory arrangements can be made.

Is my right hon. Friend not aware—if he has read The Times—that these woodlands are being offered for sale? Will not he take steps to see that the Government make an offer for this traditional oak, which has been used in Westminster Hall for so long?

I very much appreciate my hon. and gallant Friend's Question. I did read in The Timesthat these woodlands were to be offered for sale. That is rather different from offering them to the Inland Revenue in part payment of Estate Duty.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many temporary prefabricated houses situated on public open spaces have been removed since the Housing Repairs and Rents Act, 1954, received Royal Assent; and how many of these were in Manchester.

One hundred, and none, respectively.

Is my hon. Friend aware that it will be impossible to rehouse the people who live in these houses in Manchester if they have to be pulled down by 1965, unless new sites are found for the city to build upon?

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what action he is taking about the proposals put forward to him for the provision of building sites for Manchester outside the city.

I have been giving much attention to this problem, following my visit to Manchester in September. Since then I have obtained further necessary information from the local authorities concerned. With the object of clarifying conflicting views, I have invited Manchester Corporation and the County Councils of Cheshire, Lancashire and Derbyshire to send representatives to discuss the whole position with me at a joint meeting next week.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that the announcement which he has just made will be received with considerable satisfaction in Manchester? I do not in any way wish to anticipate the course of those discussions, but may I ask my right hon. Friend if he is aware that the corporation will be able to build far fewer houses than they have built hitherto unless new sites are found outside the city; and that in a few years it will be quite impossible to proceed with a slum clearance programme unless Manchester can get some more sites?

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether his Department will accept financial responsibility for defects that are common to a type of non-traditional house whose construction has been authorised by his Department.

Only in exceptional circumstances.

Is not the right hon. Gentleman aware that with the B.I.S.F. type of house, and many other similar types, there is an additional fire risk which causes local authorities to have to bear a highly inequitable burden of expenditure? Is he further aware that the Ministry of Works laid down the specifications for these houses? Is not the Minister's refusal to accept responsibility for them a symptom of his prejudice against local authorities?

The last remark made by the hon. and learned Member contained an absurd deduction. I set out the general position in a reply which I gave to the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, Central (Dr. Stross) on 3rd November, of which I will send a copy to the hon. and learned Member. The Government offer such technical advice as current knowledge permits. This advice is given without charge and without liability.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will introduce legislation to compel owners of old pits, pools, lakes, etc., adjacent to urban areas which are a danger to young children, to either fence them or fill them in.

The existing laws already provide considerable powers for this purpose.

Will the right hon. Gentleman consider giving generous grants to local authorities who want to remove these danger spots to the lives of young children, so that those local authorities can use them towards making such places secure and safe?

I think I am right in saying that we are talking about ponds, quarries and pits which are not owned by local authorities. Such local authorities have power, within certain limits laid down by law, to require the owners to put up fences, and the cost falls upon the owners.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government the average time from agreement to payment by the Central Land Board of claims under the Town and Country Planning Act, 1954.

This information could not be obtained without a disproportionate expenditure of time and labour. The circumstances of individual cases vary greatly, but, generally speaking, if only the applicant is concerned, the Central Land Board makes the payment as soon as he agrees with its determination.

Surely my hon. Friend would agree that, when a claim is agreed, the Central Land Board is quite unable to state when the person is likely to receive payment. Might it not hasten payments if interest were paid on the same basis as is demanded by the Inland Revenue from taxpayers who have not paid?

The rate of interest is fixed by the relevant Statute, but I am advised that the time interval between agreement and payment is normally very short.