asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what he estimates to be the direct saving to agriculture during 1955 through the absence of rabbits; and to what extent he is proposing to take this figure into account when reconsidering the February Farm Price Review and farm subsidies.

I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the replies given to the hon. Member for Shoreditch and Finsbury (Mr. Collins) on 31st October last, to my hon. Friend, the Member for Newbury (Mr. Hurd) on 24th November and to my hon. Friend the Member for Stockport, South (Mr. H. Steward) on 16th February.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will arrange for vaccinated pigs to be separated from other pigs at all markets, as is already done in some markets.

My Department is encouraging auctioneers to provide special sections in markets for pigs from registered vaccinated herds where the number of such pigs coming forward is sufficient to justify this arrangement. I do not think I can make this a general requirement, if only because of the difficulty of identifying vaccinated pigs.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will arrange for a monthly census for pigs, to check any undue fall in the breeding population.

My Department has been conducting experimental sample enquiries into pig numbers since November of last year, in order to obtain up-to-date information every month on trends in the breeding population. These small monthly samples are carried out by means of personal visits, by local officers of my Department, to about 1,600 farms selected at random, on each occasion. It takes some time to develop a reliable sampling technique, and I cannot yet say that we have solved all the problems involved.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will give consideration to including specialist pig husbandry officers in the Agricultural Advisory Service.

I am satisfied that advice on pig husbandry matters is provided by suitably qualified officers of the N.A.A.S. and I do not consider that I would be justified in appointing specialist officers solely for that purpose.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what decision the Government of Northern Rhodesia has reached on official proposals made to the Government by members of the Legislative Council that the stoning of cars involved in accidents should be punished by collective sentences and public floggings of members of the African community.

A Riot Damage Ordinance has been enacted. It will remain in force until the end of this year and will then expire unless re-enacted. It provides that when a riot occurs, whether or not occasioned by the stoning of cars involved in accidents, the Governor in Council may declare the area concerned to be a "riot damage area." He may then appoint a Commissioner to assess the damage, to find out the names of all the inhabitants of the area, and to discover how many of them were present at the riot, which of them tried to prevent the damage and to what extent the rest of the population failed to do so. On receiving this evidence the Governor may impose a levy on all or any of the inhabitants; but the levy must not exceed the total cost of the damage (including the cost to the Government) and no levy may be imposed if the Governor is satisfied that all those who were guilty of an offence have been prosecuted. The levy is to be paid into a Riot Damage Fund, from which compensation can be paid to the victims of riots.There has never been any official proposal for public flogging.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what was the total production of anthracite coal in 1955; how much of it was exported; and how much of it was exported to dollar countries.

4,366,000, 1,687,800 and 239,200 tons respectively.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power how much coal was imported in 1955; what countries it came from; and if he will give the figures of coal imports from each country separately.

The quantities of coal imported from each country into the United Kingdom during 1955, as included in the Trade and Navigation Accounts, were as follows:

asked the Minister of Health whether, in view of the fact that the cost to the National Health Service of medicine bottles and containers, for which no charge is made or deposit taken, was of the order of £1,181,000 for the 12 months ended November, 1955, he will now amend his regulations so as to ensure that a deposit is paid on each medicine bottle issued under the National Health Service, as in the case of beer bottles.

A system of deposits has often been considered, but involves many difficulties and has not so far been thought practicable. Moreover, unless the deposit were fixed at a very high figure, the amount saved would bear no relation to the cost of containers, which include many that cannot be used again.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police man-hours weekly are used in the Metropolitan area for the hand operation of traffic lights.

Two hundred and ten regularly and, in addition, a variable number where roads are temporarily obstructed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware of the danger to life caused by the volatilisation of the arsenic content of certain wallpapers; and if he will introduce legislation to control this arsenic content.

I am not aware of any such danger. If my hon. and gallant Friend has any information on this subject, I shall be glad to consider it.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether, and what, progress is being made in the stimulation of medical research in Scotland; and what amounts of money are likely to be spent this year.

Active encouragement continues to be given by the Medical Research Council and by my Advisory Committee on Medical Research. During the financial year 1955–56, expenditure amounting to £76,900 is likely to be incurred in Scotland by the Medical Research Council; and expenditure amounting to £35,000 by the Department of Health for Scotland on projects recommended by the Committee. These sums represent increases respectively of £20,000 and £3,000 over the corresponding expenditure in 1953–54. In addition substantial financial assistance is given by the Universities, by the Scottish Hospital Endowments Research Trust, by Boards of Management from endowment funds and by various voluntary organisations.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the actual number of adults and the actual number of children recorded as having had paralytic polio and non-paralytic polio, respectively, in each of the last five years; and how many of these cases were fatal.

The Scottish figures are as follows:These do not, however, distinguish between paralytic and non-paralytic cases. It is estimated that about 65 per cent. of notifications, and practically all deaths, relate to paralytic poliomyelitis.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what reply he has sent to the letter of 7th February from Mr. H. G. Brooke, of Lincoln, complaining that half his small capital invested in National Savings has been swept away by inflation, and asking that future issues of National Savings Certificates, Defence Bonds, etc., should be linked with an undertaking whereby they will be repaid in terms of purchasing power rather than in mere money value.

A reply was sent to Mr. H. G. Brooke on 9th February, saying that I would take note of his representations.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the differences in the conditions of betting on horse racing and dog racing which led him to institute a 10 per cent. totalisator Pool Betting Duty in 1947 on the latter type of sport, whilst at the same time exempting the former.

This duty was instituted in 1947. I would refer him to the statement of the Chancellor of the Exchequer of the day on 12th November. 1947.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what was the total he received in 1954 from the 10 per cent. tax on totalisators at greyhound race tracks; and what the total revenue would be if this tax was reduced to 6 per cent, and applied to the totalisator turnover for both horse racing and greyhound racing;(2) if he will estimate the revenue which the Treasury would receive if a 7½per cent. tax were introduced on totalisators at greyhound- and horse-racing tracks, using as the basis the totalisator turnover for 1954 for both horse racing and greyhound racing; and how this figure compares with the revenue received in 1954 from the 10 per cent. tax on greyhound totalisators.

Receipts from the 10 per cent. duty on greyhound totalisator bets amounted to £5,793,535 in 1954. For the reasons given in my reply to the hon. Member on 14th February, it is not possible to say what the revenue might be if the rate of duty were reduced and applied to totalisator bets on both greyhound and horse-racing. On the hypothetical basis suggested by the hon. Member, that is ignoring any consequential changes in turnover and all other things being equal, a duty of 7½per cent. on totalisator bets on both greyhound and horse-racing would theoretically have yielded £6½.2 million in 1954.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why the revenue from the 10 per cent. Pool Betting Duty on totalisators at greyhound race tracks has fallen from £9,473,182 in 1948 to £5,793,535 in 1954, whilst the turnover on totalisators at horse-racing tracks has remained almost static during the same period.

It is not possible to assess the various factors affecting totalisator turnover, and therefore also the yield of the 10 per cent. Pool Betting Duty, at greyhound race tracks in recent years.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the approximate amount of money received from the United States of America for British films during 1955.

I regret that no figures are available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the approximate amount of sterling paid to film companies in the United States of America during 1955.

I regret that the figure of remittances for United States films in 1955 is not yet available. But it is unlikely to differ greatly from the figure of £9 million in 1954. This includes royalties, import costs of exposed (but not of unexposed) films, the cost of bills, posters and other material; it excludes profits and payments which cannot be remitted under the Anglo-American Film Agreement.

asked the Secretary of State for War to what extent it is the practice of units and formations of battalion strength or larger to carry out tactical exercises over privately-owned land; or whether such exercises are normally confined to land owned and leased by his Department.

These exercises are normally confined to land owned or leased by my Department or to areas over which we have the right to train.