asked the President of the Board of Trade if he has yet considered the problems relating to Aberdeen trade and industry set out in the letter, dated 16th January, 1956, from Messrs. John M. Henderson and Company Limited, Aberdeen, engineers, and its enclosure; and if he will consult other appropriate Ministers upon those problems and make a statement.

As I said in my reply to the hon. and learned Member on 2nd February, the Board of Trade have invited the Association of Crane Makers to discuss with them the difficulties described in the enclosure to the letter to which he refers. The meeting will take place tomorrow.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the total quantity and value of canned salmon imported, respectively, from Canada and from Japan in each of the last three calendar years.

The following is the answer:

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware of the difficulties confronting the motor car manufacturing industry in maintaining full employment; and whether, as a means of assisting the industry, he will use every effort to initiate a trade agreement with China, particularly with regard to the sale of cars and lorries to the People's Republic of China.

As regards the first part of the Question. I have nothing to add to the reply which I gave on 2nd February to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mr. Moss). The export to China of nearly all types of motor car is freely allowed and sales can be expanded, if the Chinese Government are willing, without a trade agreement. In pursuance of the Resolution of the United Nations of May, 1951, we do not permit the export of lorries to China.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what action his Department has taken during the past three years to prevent commercial transactions with China, by refusal of export licences; what restrictions have been placed on the supply to that country of cars and lorries from the United Kingdom; and what was the total amount of sterling involved in the refusal of such export licences.

Following the United Nations Resolution of May, 1951, my Department has refused licences for the export of goods covered by the China list; the list includes many kinds of motor vehicle, but most passenger cars may be exported freely. Licences have been refused during the past three years for the export of 35 cars and lorries worth £27,000. I regret that I could not give the value of all other goods for which licences have been refused without holding up the day to day work of the Export Licensing Branch to an extent which would not be justified.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what is the total figure by which farm land and farm buildings in England and Wales are de-rated.

The Local Government Act, 1929, exempted agricultural land and buildings from rates and since then they have not been valued for rating. My right hon. Friend cannot therefore say what is the value of the exemption.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will now make a statement regarding the abolition of the de-rating of industry.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for Accrington (Mr. H. Hynd) on 31st January, of which I am sending him a copy.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what proportion of accepted and agreed claims under the Town and Country Planning Act, 1954, remain unpaid by the Central Land Board.

This information is not available. The Board do not keep separate records of the number of applications on which the payment falling to be made has been settled but not yet made. The number at any given time would however be small.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government the estimated gypsy population of the country; and how many local authorities have gypsy problems to deal with.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government the estimated numbers of gypsies in England and Wales, respectively; what evidence he has of cases where gypsies have been deprived of their traditional camping sites; and if he will make a statement.

The statistics asked for are not available. Sites used by gypsies are occasionally cleared in the interests of public health or because the site is needed for building. Where this happens, the authority concerned will normally satisfy themselves that those displaced have somewhere else to go to.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government the result of the conference called by his Department to discuss the future of the gypsies at Cogan, Penarth; and if they can look forward to a settled habitation in the near future.

It was agreed that representatives of certain of the Councils represented should ask their Councils to consider the possibility of providing sites on which the groups of gypsies under discussion might settle.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government the reasons for the unexpected delay in completing and publishing the report of the Pippard Committee on Thames River Pollution.

The reason is that the investigations and studies which are being carried out by the Water Pollution Research Laboratory have proved more complicated than was originally anticipated.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government when he proposes to announce his decisions with regard to the Middlesex County Development Plan.

I hope within the next few weeks.

asked the Minister of Labour when a Remploy factory will be built in Brighton to assist the employment of disabled persons.

I regret that Remploy Limited are not yet in a position to add to the number of their factories. There has been a further reduction in the number of unemployed severely disabled persons in the Brighton area compared with a year ago.

asked the Minister of Labour how many times Mr. Arthur Gwyn Parry, BQC 2668, was asked to attend for medical examinations; upon what date his deferment terminated and why; on what date a notice was sent for the last medical examination; why this skilled agricultural worker was called up when he had been hired by Messrs. Price and Sons, Llwynllwyd, Merthyr Cynog, Breconshire; what consultations were held with the Brecon Agricultural Executive Committee as to whether his services were essential to this farm; and what action he has taken to find a substitute to maintain food production on this farm.

Mr. Parry has been summoned to attend for medical examination on six occasions, five of them because his former employer failed to apply in time for deferment or renewal of deferment. The last period of deferment terminated on 3rd September, 1955, but a belated application for renewal made on 9th September was rejected on the advice of the Agricultural Advisory Panel and the employer was notified on 4th October. The last notice requiring Mr. Parry to attend for medical examination was issued on 7th October. As has already been explained to the hon. Member, a man who changes his employment after the date on which a summons to attend for medical examination is issued is not eligible for consideration for deferment in a new job.I understand that Messrs. Price and Sons Limited, have not notified any vacancy to the employment exchange; if they seek the assistance of my Department all possible help will be given to them.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will publish figures showing the numbers and proportion of applicants engaged in agriculture who have been granted deferment from National Service and to indicate the effect of the extension in October, 1955, of the grounds upon which deferment may be claimed.

Up to the end of 1955, the Agricultural Advisory Panels and National Service Deferment Boards had dealt with 51,086 first applications for the deferment of agricultural workers born on or after 1st January, 1933; in 45,027 or 88·1 per cent. of these cases deferment was granted. For the quarter ending 31st December, 1955, the proportion of cases in which deferment was granted was 94·2 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what further steps he intends to take to attract new industry to Glenrothes, Fife; and whether he will make a statement on the current position.

I understand that a new project which was recently the subject of negotiations in which my Department and the Board of Trade took part has unfortunately now been postponed because of organisation difficulties facing the firm concerned. The Government are continuing their efforts to attract industrial projects for the new town.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what consultations he has had with representatives of the Fife County Council and the Glenrothes Development Corporation in the course of the last two months; and what alteration of the newly announced plans for the future development of the new town of Glenrothes is now contemplated.

Consultations with both bodies have extended over the period mentioned and are continuing: in the meantime, I can add nothing to the Government announcement of 23rd November last.

asked the Minister of Works whether, in order to encourage the tourist trade, he will increase the floodlighting of historic buildings and monuments during the coming season.

As my hon. Friend knows, many public buildings and monuments in London are already floodlit during the summer months. Where Government buildings are concerned the London Electricity Board has provided the current free, but my Department has borne the cost of the installations. There are limits therefore to the expenditure which can be borne by my Ministry's Votes, but I am discussing with the British Travel and Holidays Association the possibility of financing from other sources the floodlighting of additional buildings in my charge in the country generally.

asked the Minister of Works how many Government offices are now burning smokeless fuel.

My Department supplies fuel for some 8.500 buildings, including offices. Of these, some 7,100 burn coke and a small number are heated by gas. Seventy-seven use oil fuel. This last figure includes some of the major buildings.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he is aware that on the night of Saturday, 28th January, a draft of about 150 Gordon Highlanders in transit from Aberdeen to Cyprus were obliged to spend the night in a disused air raid shelter at Goodge Street, London, which was 150 feet below ground and was hot, dirty and unsuitable for that purpose; that the men were obliged to carry their kit down and up about 200 steps and through long tunnels; why they were not given better accommodation; how often this place has been used for this purpose; and if he will take steps to alter this practice.

Forty-nine men of the Gordon Highlanders spent the night of 29th January at the London Assembly Centre, which is in the Goodge Street Underground Shelter. This Centre is used almost nightly to put up troops leaving, or returning to, the United Kingdom by air. I am well aware that it is unsuitable for the purpose, but for various good reasons we have not yet been able to provide alternative accommodation. We shall move out as soon as possible, and in the meantime things are made as clean and comfortable as the accommodation permits. There is only one small lift, and troops therefore usually have to carry their kit.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he has yet reached a decision, regarding the 16-year-old band boys now serving in Cyprus, following his receiving a deputation from some of the boys' parents.

I carefully considered the representations made to me by the parents of band boys now serving in Cyprus; but I have nothing to add to what I have already said in the House.

asked the Secretary of State for War how many hours per day of actual musical training band boys receive when at home bases and while in Cyprus; and how far such hours are laid down in the regulations governing their enlistment.

No fixed number of hours is laid down, but it is the responsibility of commanding officers to ensure that band boys spend as much time as possible on general and musical education in addition to the essential minimum on normal military training.

asked the Secretary of State for War why a former soldier, particulars about whom have been sent to him, was discharged with a good character, when he had served a sentence of 18 months' imprisonment after conviction by court-martial of theft and desertion; and whether he will take steps to ensure that such a thing does not occur again so that the value of Army discharge characters will not fall into disrepute.

This was a mistake. It occurred at a period when large numbers of men were being discharged from war-time service. I am satisfied that everything practicable is now done to ensure the accuracy of Army discharge certificates.

asked the Secretary of State for War what progress has been made with the building of new barracks and the renovation of old barracks since he presented the Army Estimates for 1955–56.

At home work is in progress on 25 barracks. In addition a start has been made on three more barracks and the modernisation of two others. Overseas the main projects are the two cantonments in Cyprus, the barrack block in Gibraltar and permanent cantonments in Tripolitania and Cvrenaica.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department the number of murders known to the police to have been committed in each of the last five years; and the number of these cases in which charges of murder have been preferred.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many cases, for which statistics are available, persons sentenced in England and Wales to imprisonment for murder have on release committed another murder.

I assume that my hon. Friend has in mind persons in respect of whom the capital sentence was commuted to one of life imprisonment. Between 1st January, 1900, and 31st December, 1955, four hundred and sixty-one such persons were released on licence from prison. Of these, one has since been convicted of murder. I could not answer with certainty for any earlier period.

asked the Minister of Health the cost for the Committee of Inquiry into the cost of the National Health Service, excluding the estimated cost of preparing and printing the Report.

About £633. This does not include the services of the Departmental secretaries or other facilities afforded by the Department to the Committee.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the total amount of money staked on totalisators on greyhound racecourses, including the

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give an estimate of the amount by which the present 10 per cent. Pool Betting Duty on bets placed on greyhound racetrack totalisators could be reduced if there were instituted a percentage flat rate tax on all bets placed on totalisators at greyhound and horse-racing tracks, so as to ensure the same total revenue to the Treasury as that received for last year on the 10 per cent. duty on greyhound racetrack totalisators.

I cannot give such an estimate since it is not possible to say how far a duty on totalisator bets at horse racecourses would result in a switch to betting with bookmakers, but the reduction would clearly be small.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware that there is a 10 per cent. betting duty on bets placed on greyhound racetrack totalisators whereas there is no such betting duty on bets placed on totalisators at horse-

Monthly figures of the amounts staked on totalisators on greyhound racecourses are not available as such; but the totalisator stakes in respect of which Pool Betting Duty was received during the first nine months of the current financial year, and the corresponding figures for the four preceding years are as follows:racing tracks; and what is the reason for this discrimination against greyhound racing.

Yes. This duty was introduced in this form in 1947 because of differences in the conditions of betting on horse and dog racing, and past experience has shown that, while these continue, the taxation of horse-race betting, whether on the totalisator or with bookmakers, is not practicable.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will undertake to back-date by regulation the pension increase granted under the new Pensions (Increase) Bill to 1st January, 1956.

I cannot give undertakings about particular aspects of matters which will be open to debate when the House comes to consider the Pensions (Increase) Bill.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in considering the Report of the Royal Commission on the Civil Service, he will give full weight to the view expressed in the second sentence of paragraph 8 of the Note of Reservation on Section V of Chapter XV.

The section of the Report referred to by the hon. and gallant Member will receive full consideration—as, of course, will the rest of the Report of the Royal Commission on the Civil Service.