asked the Minister of Defence how it is decided that an officer or other rank serving at home may be subject to frequent postings and entitled to claim the education allowances for each child between the ages of 11 and 18 years.

A Service parent in the United Kingdom is eligible to claim an education grant for each child who qualifies for it, if the appropriate Service authority certifies that the parent is unlikely to remain in his present place of duty for more than four years.

asked the Minister of Defence what action is now being taken to merge the medical branches of the fighting Services into one medical service.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Ripon (Colonel Stoddart-Scott) on 16th November. The Report of the Waverley Committee on the Forces Medical and Dental Services, which was mentioned in that reply will be published shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what information he has regarding the propaganda organisation maintained by the Ethnarchy in Cyprus.

I understand that the Ethnarchy does not maintain a separate propaganda organisation as such. The two Secretaries of the Ethnarchy act as Press and public relations officers, and Ethnarchy policy is publicised throughout the Island by the Greek Cypriot Press and the Orthodox Church.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he is aware that the Customs authorities in Cyprus have declared their intention to examine all parcels sent to our troops there with a view to collecting import duties; and what action is being taken in an effort to avert this happening.

The Cyprus law requires that all imported parcels should be subject to Customs examination, and this applies to Army Post Office mail; but no duty has been claimed on any parcel consigned through the Army Post Office.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies at what date, and why, the teaching of English was abolished in schools in Cyprus; and of all the Greek-speaking teachers in Government schools in Cyprus since 1940, how many were Cypriots, how many came from Greece and other Greek-speaking places, and how much in pensions Greece has paid to teachers in Cyprus since 1945.

The teaching of English has not been abolished in Cyprus. It has indeed been extended in recent years in both elementary and secondary schools. Figures are not available to cover the position back to 1940, but no Greek nationals are at present employed by the Government which controls all the elementary and one of the secondary schools. I regret that information is not available to answer the last part of the Question.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many primary and secondary schools in Cyprus have been closed on the Governor's orders; how many school children are not attending school; and what is the total number of children of school age in the island.

I have asked the Governor for the information requested in the first and second parts of the Question, and will communicate it to the hon. Member as soon as I receive it. The total number of children attending elementary and secondary schools in 1954 was 89,000.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies at what date, and why, the practice of the Governor's consent to the election of an Archbishop was altered; and if the Government of Cyprus was consulted before changing such a practice.

The decision to change the practice was taken in 1946. The right hon. Gentleman, the Member for Wakefield (Mr. Creech Jones), who was then Secretary of State said, in a statement to the House on 23rd October, 1946, that the retention of three local laws of 1937, dealing with this matter, seemed no longer to be justifiable; and that the decision that they should be repealed had been taken on the advice and with the concurrence of the Governor.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will now publish the texts of the proposals put to Archbishop Makarios on 27th January by Sir John Harding, and of the Archbishop's reply.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what reply has been sent to Archbishop Makarios in response to his last communication to the Governor of Cyprus.

The Governor has now replied to the Archbishop. I have nothing further to add today, but hope to be able to make a statement to the House in the near future.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will investigate the circumstances which caused the death of Petrakis Yiallouris in Cyprus on 7th February; and if he will make a statement.

Yiallouris was shot and killed by the security forces during rioting in Famagusta on the 7th February. Police investigations have been made and the circumstances of the shooting are the subject of a coroner's inquest which began in open court in Famagusta yesterday under the ordinary laws of the Colony. It would not be appropriate for me to make a statement before the inquest has been completed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the total sum of Government expenditure, to date, spent on the maintenance of families of persons in Cyprus who have been detained without trial.

I am asking the Governor for this information and will write to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will ask the Governor of British Guiana to review the sentence of six months passed on Rodwell Samuel Atherley at the City Magistrate's Court in Georgetown on 26th November last for importing a publication which he stated he did not know was banned.

As this case is still sub judice, it would be improper for my right hon. Friend to consider any action. In any case, the power to grant pardon or remission of sentence has been delegated by Her Majesty to the Governor to exercise as he sees fit and my right hon. Friend's normal practice is not to intervene in any way.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what progress is being made with the soil survey in British Guiana; and what assistance is being given by the United States Operations Mission on this project.

Since the survey of selected areas in the interior began in September last, 1,200 square miles of the Southern Rupununi District have been surveyed and mapped in detail. The United States International Co-operation Administration are assisting by providing technical staff for soil surveys in the coastal region where, since the end of 1954, a reconnaissance survey has covered 680 square miles and 27,000 acres have been surveyed in detail for reclamation and land settlement purposes.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what is the present plan for the development of roads in British Guiana.

The immediate major objectives are to complete the reconstruction of the East Bank road from Georgetown to Atkinson Field and to reconstruct to modern standards the East Coast from Georgetown to Rosignol. It is also planned to construct a road from Parika to a point opposite Bartica on the Essequibo river. Plans are under examinatoin for the further improvement of road communications with the interior.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what progress is being made with the building of new hospitals in British Guiana; and what steps are being taken to modernise existing hospitals in the Colony.

Of the five new State hospitals and five new cottage hospitals included in the development programme, one cottage hospital has been completed and one State hospital should be completed this year. Work will soon begin on another State hospital and two more cottage hospitals. Plans have been made for modernising existing hospitals, in which seven hospitals are given high priority. £40,000 has been provided for these plans this year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will make a further statement on economic and social progress in British Guiana.

Progress in the economic and social fields in 1954 was described in the booklet "Building Confidence" published by the Government Information Services and copies of this are available in the Library of the House. Expenditure on development in 1955 totalled about £3¼ million. The housing drive has gathered momentum and good progress has been made with self-help projects, drainage and irrigation work and improvements to transport facilities. Since June, 1954, the Credit Corporation has made loans totalling over £1,500,000 for housing, agriculture and industry. 5,000 new school places were provided in 1955. The co-operative movement has expanded considerably.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what steps are being taken to meet the shortage of school buildings and teachers in Mauritius, in view of the fact that only 76 of 152 schools were able to admit any new pupils at the beginning of the present term and where 10,000 children of school age have been excluded from education.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is aware that 10,000 children have recently been refused admission to the primary schools of Mauritius; that this is causing anxiety to the working class of this Colony; and what action he is taking in the matter.

My right hon. Friend is aware of this unsatisfactory situation, which has arisen mainly because of the rapid rise in population since the war. Comprehensive proposals designed to assist in a solution are being considered by the Colonial Government and I understand that an announcement is expected before the end of this month.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he is aware of the serious effects the embargo on the export of rubber from Malaya to China has had upon the economy of the Federation for the past five years; and if he wilt now take steps to remove this ban.

I am aware of the interest of the Federation of Malaya and Singapore in the export of rubber to China. As the Prime Minister informed the House on Monday the control on trade with China is to be reviewed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies in which of the Malayan States, besides Johore, village land titles are now being issued by the Government.

I am advised that titles to village land are issued in all Malay States.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies, in view of the large number of medical doctors in Hong Kong who have graduated from the university or who come from China, what effort is being made to recruit doctors from there for service in the Federation of Malaya.

The Federation Government plans to recruit from Hong Kong doctors who have the full qualifications necessary for registration in the Federation. Doctors from China will not be excluded.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will make a statement on the Referendum in Malta.

The voting in the referendum, in which 59·12 per cent. of those on the electoral register voted, to determine whether or not the Maltese people were in favour of proposals submitted by the Maltese Government, was as follows:

Yes	…	…	67,607 votes
No	…	…	20,177 votes
Not Valid	…	…	2,599 votes

The House will no doubt wish to study these results and take them into account together with all other relevant factors when it debates the Report of the Round Table Conference.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies why the protest of the Malta Nationalist Party about the conduct of the Governor and the Lieutenant-Governor of Malta, sent to the Colonial Secretary on Monday, 30th January, had not been answered by 8th February; and why no copies were available for placing in the House of Commons Library.

The protest was answered on 7th February. A copy of the protest was placed in the Library of the House on the day on which my hon. Friend requested it; a copy of the reply, which was made by the Governor, in accordance with normal procedures, was placed in the Library on the 13th of February.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many people have been prosecuted in Malta as a result of offences committed in connection with the referendum campaign; and with what results.

There have been no further prosecutions since those of which details were given in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Brighton, Pavilion (Mr. Teeling) on 8th February.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will give an assurance that, whether Malta integrates with the United Kingdom or does not, the economic aid promised to Malta at the Conference held in London last June, will still be forthcoming.

So far as Her Majesty's Government are concerned, the statement issued after that Conference will remain valid whatever the decision on integration may be, but as the statement made clear, the extent of economic aid will depend upon a number of conditions and the question how far the conditions will be satisfied is at this stage a hypothetical one. I would, however, draw the attention of my hon. Friend to paragraphs 58–61 of the Report of the Round Table Conference.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies on what grounds he has banned the formation of the Kenya African National Congress.

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Feltham (Mr. Hunter) on 8th February.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, in establishing the proved income from all sources of £120 as a qualification for African voting rights, referred to in paragraph 32 of the Kenya Government Sessional Paper 39 of 1955–56, allowance will be made for the subsistence value of a person's own agriculture in addition to the cash wage; and on what basis, and by whom, that value will be calculated.

I am consulting the Governor of Kenya on this matter and I will communicate with the hon. Lady.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty what action he is taking to remedy the shortage of steel supplies for the shipbuilding industry, following his recent discussions with the industry and with the Board of Trade.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether he will make a statement on the supply of steel to the shipbuilding industry.

Yes. As I informed my hon. Friend the Member for Sunderland, South (Mr. P. Williams) on 1st February, my noble Friend is in touch with my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade. Steps have been taken to curtail the export of steel plate in the interests of the shipbuilding and ship-repairing and other industries.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty how many men have been promoted from upper yardmen to commissioned rank, and how many men have been promoted to branch rank, during each of the last five years.

—	1951	1952	1953	1954	1955
Upper yardmen and R.M. cadets granted permanent commissions	35	30	49	37	23
Upper yardmen (Air) granted short service commissions	—	—	20	35	30
Ratings promoted to permanent branch rank	184	186	181	167	160
Ratings promoted to temporary branch rank	28	43	16	20	—

asked the Postmaster-General the total amount received in respect of inland telegrams for the last three months prior to the charges being increased and the total amount received in respect of inland telegrams for the last three months.

£828,000 and £905,000, respectively.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is satisfied that delivery of correspondence, both inwards and outwards, is taking no longer now that the postal address of Solihull, Birmingham, has been changed to Solihull, Warwickshire; and if he will make a statement.

The temporary difficulties which are liable to follow changes of this sort have been aggravated at Solihull by sickness and severe weather conditions, and have resulted in some delay to correspondence. Everything possible is being done to overcome the difficulties and the position is steadily improving.

asked the Postmaster-General on which services he is making a profit and on which services he is making a loss at the present rates and charges; and whether he will give an indication of the approximate amount of loss or gain on each.

The following are estimates of the income and the surplus or

The numbers were as follows:deficit in respect of the main Post Office Services for the forthcoming financial year (1956–57):

—	Revenue	Surplus(+) or deficit(-)
	£m.	£m.
POSTS:
Mail services	118·7	+3·0
Registration	2·9	-3·4
Remittance services	7·2	+0·1
Miscellaneous	0·9	-0·4
TELEGRAPHS	17·9	-2·4
TELEPHONES	158·5	+3·2

asked the Postmaster-General what action he has taken to date on those breaches of the Television Act, 1954, which have been brought to his notice concerning the intrusion of advertising material in artificial breaks in programmes.

I have nothing to add to my right hon. Friend's reply on this matter to the hon. Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Mr. Swingler) on 25th January.

asked the Postmaster-General to make a statement about exclusive arrangements for televising sporting events of national interest, having regard to Section 7 of the Television Act.

I am glad to say that the B.B.C. and the I.T.A. Programme Companies have agreed that neither the Corporation nor the Companies will seek exclusive television rights in any of the following events: the Derby; the Grand National; the English F.A. Cup Final; the Scottish F.A. Cup Final; Test Matches; Wimbledon Tennis; the Boat Race; the Empire Games (Cardiff) 1958; and the Olympic Games, when held in Great Britain.

asked the Postmaster-General why it is necessary to send out engineering staff from telephone area headquarters to fit suppressors; and what saving of public money would be made if this work were carried out by local electrical engineers.

Interference work is highly specialised and is usually concentrated at telephone area headquarters because this is the best way of organising it. Most of the time of the engineering staff concerned is occupied in visits to trace interference, and the fitting of suppressors is only an incidental item in such visits when the offending apparatus is found. The Post Office does, of course, charge for the fitting of suppressors and in July, 1955, we asked the industry to make suggestions for revised Post Office charges which would enable retailers to offer a service alternative to that of the Post Office, but so far no reply has been forthcoming.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation his estimate of the density of traffic in peak hours at the proposed roundabout in the Elephant and Castle improvement scheme.

The most recent figures available, recorded in September, 1955, give a peak hour density of 3,820 vehicles.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he will reimpose a speed limit on that part of Durham Road, Stockton-on-Tees, between the Mill House Hotel and the borough boundary.

There is at present a speed limit on this road as a result of the street lighting erected last year, but I have now informed the borough council that, after considering the report of a public inquiry, I have decided to make an order removing the speed limit from the greater part of this road.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what progress has been made to date on the replacement of the temporary Cavendish Bridge, on which work started in July, 1955; and what is the estimated date of completion.

Work is slightly ahead of schedule, and I hope it will be completed in July, 1957.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what progress has been made to date on the reconstruction of the widening of the Doncaster Mill bridge; when the work is likely to be completed; and whether any new estimate has yet been made of the total cost involved.

Tenders for the work have been asked for by 19th March, 1956. It is hoped that the work will be completed early in 1960. As regards the total cost, the current estimate will be reviewed when the results of the tenders are known.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation his present estimate as to the date of completion of the Markyate by-pass.

June, 1957.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation the present position with regard to the duplication of carriageways between Victoria Road and Park Royal Station in Western Avenue, which was authorised in January, 1955; and when he expects that this improvement will be finished.

Tenders for this work have been received and are being examined. It is hoped to complete the improvement in the summer of 1957.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what steps he intends to take to deal with the continuing increases in road casualties.

There is no single or simple solution to this grave problem; it demands constant action on many fronts, which cannot be comprehensively summarised in an answer to a Parliamentary Question. Of particular importance are the road safety provisions in the Road Traffic Bill; the continuing road safety campaign; the investigations being undertaken at the Pilot Vehicle Testing Station at Hendon; the "safety town" experiment at Slough; and the clearing up of accident black spots which forms part of the road programme. A new scale of payments from the Road Fund towards mobile police patrols came into effect on 1st January and this should enable more motor cycle patrols to be put on the road.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if, following his visit to Birmingham, he will now announce a decision on the application for permission to build the Inner Ring Road.

I visited Birmingham last Saturday and inspected the site of this proposal. I hope to announce a decision quite soon.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what percentage of the work on widening the road from Newcastle boundary to Chapel House, Throckley, remains to be completed; and whether he will give an estimated date as to when such completion will be achieved.

About 70 per cent. I hope the work will be completed by the spring of next year.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he will give an assurance that the Government's announced road programme under which schemes costing £120 millions would be authorised in the next three financial years and work commenced at the earliest opportunity on certain essential motorways, will not be delayed in any way and will be fully implemented; and whether he will now give some indication of the cost of the schemes which it is intended to authorise in each of the next three financial years.

I have nothing to add to the answer I gave on 8th February in reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Mr. Gresham Cooke).

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he will give careful consideration, in addition to installing white cat's eye studs down the middle of heavily-used roads in unlit and semi-rural districts, to installing red cat's eyes as well along the sides of the roads, as has already been done with beneficial results in a few cases such as the main road to the coast outside Maidstone.

Kerbside reflectors are useful on the bends of roads with flush kerbs, as, for example, in sections of the Thanet coast road. Roadside reflectors used with other kinds of kerb become obscured by dirt, and it is generally better in these conditions to depend on posts fitted with clusters of reflectors, such as are now used on many bends.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation when he anticipates the East Retford by-pass scheme on which work started in June, 1955, is likely to be completed; and what is the present estimate of the total cost involved.

At least one carriageway of the diversion is expected to be open to traffic by December, 1956, and it is hoped that the second carriageway will also be completed by then. Experimental works are, however, being undertaken in co-operation with the Road Research Laboratory in the construction of foundations and these may delay completion of the second carriageway by a few months. The present estimate of the total cost is £225,000.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what percentage of the work has so far been completed on the provision of a bridge on the Wilderspool level crossing, Warrington; and by what date the work is likely to be completed.

About 20 per cent. of the work has been done. The first half-width of the bridge should be open to traffic within eight months and the whole about a year later.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what progress has now been made towards completing the Ashford by-pass since August, 1955; and when it will be open to traffic.

About 20 per cent. of the work of completing the by-pass has been done since August, 1955. It is expected to be open to traffic in June, 1957.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he will give the earliest consideration to removing or amending the regulations which are holding up the matter of widening the Strand, including the forecourt of Charing Cross Railway Station, so that this long delayed essential improvement can be carried out as quickly as possible.

I understand that the London County Council propose to seek powers in their General Powers Bill to enable them to obtain possession of that part of the forecourt of Charing Cross Station which is required for the road improvement.

asked the Secretary of State for Air if he will allow Mr. William Bassett, of 58, Prestbury Road, Macclesfield, particulars of whose case have been sent him, to enter a regular engagement with the Royal Air Force for three years as a dental mechanic.

This trade is fully manned and I regret that no recruits can at present be accepted.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he will, in view of the achievement of three helicopters in bringing 41 shipwrecked men ashore from the stranded tanker "Dovrefjell" off the Orkney coast, consider the advisability of establishing a series of State helicopter life-saving stations around the coast to supplement the lifeboat service.

A service such as the hon. Member has in mind is already in being. Royal Naval and Royal Air Force helicopters stationed around the coast form an integral part of the rescue organisation.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation to what extent and for what period driving licences issued by the appropriate authority in Northern Ireland are acceptable and valid under his regulations in Great Britain.

Driving licences issued by the Government of Northern Ireland have the same validity in Great Britain as they have in Northern Ireland.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what inquiries he has made as to the merits of the scheme for constructing on the 310 foot contour in England a new system of wide canals and a water grid.

I have made no detailed inquiries into this scheme, but on the broad issue I would refer the hon. Member to what I said in the answer which I gave him on 8th February about the impracticability of constructing a new canal system.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation the percentage of applicants, respectively, in the city of Lincoln and in the country generally who pass their driving tests first time.

Records are not kept of the number of candidates who pass the driving test at the first attempt; a sample check in 1954, however, indicated that the national percentage was 55. No separate figures are available for the city of Lincoln, but the corresponding figure for the northern half of the East Midland Traffic Area, which includes Lincoln, was 54.

asked the Minister of Supply if he will make a statement on the forthcoming nuclear test explosions indicating the nature of the precautions which it is now planned shall be taken to prevent radio-active fall-out from being carried from the place of test to inhabited areas.

From meteorological information provided by the Australian Meteorological Service the scientific director of the trials will make an assessment of the fall-out patterns. An independent assessment will also be made by a safety committee of Australian scientists nominated by the Australian Government. The decision to fire will be made only when both the scientific director and this committee agree that conditions are safe.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will reduce by 2d. the egg-packing allowance of 8d. per long hundred.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the replies which I gave to the hon. Member for Sunderland, North (Mr. F. Willey) on 2nd and 9th February.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the purpose and cost of the recent official demonstration by pest officers at Marks Hall, Coggeshall, Essex; how many pest officers and how many farmers attended; and why a fully licensed bar was installed at this function.

The main purpose was to demonstrate up-to-date methods of scrub clearance; the cost to my Department was approximately £40 four pests officers were on duty on both days of the demonstration which was attended by about 100 farmers; the licensed bar was installed without charge to my Department for the convenience of those attending the demonstration.

asked the Minister of Education whether he will make a statement about the future of the Imperial Institute.

It has already been announced that as part of their plan for the development of the Imperial College of Science and Technology the Government is making arrangements to provide new premises elsewhere for the Imperial Institute. I cannot at present give further details but every effort will be made to minimise the inevitable disturbance and to ensure as much continuity as possible for its activities.

asked the Minister of Health how many children, per 1,000 of the child population, have had paralytic and non-paralytic poliomyelitis, respectively, fatal or otherwise, in the last five years; and how many children, per 1,000 of the child population, had poliomyelitis, fatal or non-fatal, in each of the years 1947 to 1950.

The numbers of children under the age of 15 years notified as suffering from poliomyelitis, expressed as a rate per 1,000 of the comparable child population, are as follows:

Year		Paralytic	—	Non-Paralytic
1947	…		0·56
1948	…		0·13
1949	…		0·44
1950	…		0·55
1951	…	0·10		0·07
1952	…	0·19		0·08
1953	…	0·19		0·10
1954	…	0·09		0· 04
1955*	…	0·25		0·19
* Provisional.

asked the Minister of Health what was the estimated child population in each of the years 1947 to 1950 as compared with the estimated population of England and Wales in each of the years 1951 to 1955.

The required information is included in the table below:

Year			Estimated population under 15	Estimated total population
			(thousands)	(thousands)
1947	…	…	9,111	43,050
1948	…	…	9,324	43,502
1949	…	…	9,497	43,785
1950	…	…	9,630	44,020
1951	…	…	9,738	44,007
1952	…	…	9,806	44,166
1953	…	…	9,876	44,301
1954	…	…	9,955	44,480
1955	…	…	10,026	44,623

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what is the present size of the National Insurance funds; what is the income from contributions, Exchequer grants and interest, respectively; and what is the annual outgo by classes of benefit for the last accounting year.

I would ask my noble Friend to await publication of the next Accounts of the National Insurance Funds and the Government Actuary's Interim Report, both of which will, I understand, shortly be laid before the House.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will now make a statement concerning the progress of trade discussions between his Department and Czechoslovakia.

I am not at present in a position to add to the Answer which I gave to the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, Central (Dr. Stross) and the hon. Member for Northfield (Mr. Chapman) on 2nd February.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is aware that three children were burned to death in a prefabricated house at Forth, in the County of Lanark, on 2nd February, 1956; whether he is satisfied that local fire precautions are adequate; and if he will make a statement.

I learned of the fatal fire at Forth on the 2nd February with deep regret, and I should like to express my sincere sympathy with the relatives of the children who lost their lives. Although the fire appears to have been discovered at 8.30 p.m. the brigade was not called until 8.39 p.m. When it reached the fire the building was already enveloped in flames and rescue work was impossible. I am assured that the fire arrangements in the area are in accordance with the standards of cover at present generally recommended.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland which local authorities have hitherto published detailed annual statements of expenses paid to councillors; and whether he will issue regulations prohibiting higher rates where publication is discontinued.

Local authorities are not required to publish detailed annual statements of expenses paid to councillors and I am not aware that any have done so. Maximum rates of travelling, subsistence and financial loss allowances for members of local authorities are prescribed by the Local Government (Travelling Allowances etc.) (Scotland) Regulations, 1954, and the Local Government (Travelling Allowances etc.) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations, 1954.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works, as representing the Lord President of the Council, what Government research has been conducted towards finding a practical use for fly ash waste from generating stations.

The Building Research Station of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research has established that bricks of good quality and appearance can be made by using mixtures containing up to 85 per cent. of pulverised fuel ash with suitable types of clay, the residual combustible matter in the ash providing an appreciable proportion of the heat required for firing them. It has also been found that the ash can be fused to form small lightweight pellets suitable for use as aggregate in concrete. This aggregate can be used in lightweight insulating concrete and can also be waterproofed with bitumen for use on flat roofs. The Building Research Station is in touch with industrial firms developing other methods of using fly ash.