asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when, and in what manner, the Government intend to improve their subsidy scheme for the White Fish Industry.

The present scheme expires on 31st July next and a fresh scheme will be introduced later this session providing for subsidy at rates which will be determined after studying the fishing results which are now being collected.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are the arrangements at the present time under which, despite the fact that foot-and-mouth disease is indigenous to the Argentine, meat is exported from that country to Great Britain under rigid veterinary control; and whether he will consider the possibility of extending similar arrangements so as to permit the importation into this country of meat from France.

The risk of introducing foot-and-mouth disease with meat from the Argentine and other South American countries is reduced as far as possible by special precautions agreed with the exporting countries, including the permanent stationing of two of our veterinary officers in South America. I am sending the hon. Member details.Because the South American import is such a significant proportion of our total meat supply, the risk involved has to be accepted. There is not the same justification for imports from other sources, which are permitted only where the countries concerned have succeeded in controlling the disease.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to make a statement in respect to the investigations into the price of fish.

The Authority have received completed returns to date from about two-thirds of over 3,000 traders covered by their sample survey of distributive costs and earnings. I hope that the trade will expedite the remainder. Meanwhile, the examination of the returns in hand is proceeding as fast as possible with the staff available to the Authority.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what decision has been reached in the consideration given to the addition to foods of colouring matters, including coal-tar dyes.

The Report of the Food Standards Committee is now being examined in the light of the many representations recently received. I am as anxious as the hon. Member that a decision should be reached without avoidable delay. I hope, that it may be possible to announce a decision within about two months.

asked the Minister of Health how far the clinical trials of the Monopack Medresco Hearing Aid have progressed and with what success; whether he is aware of the need for these for young children particularly; and if he will make a statement as to when these will become available to supply the needs of partially deaf and hard-of-hearing children of school age.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 6th February to my hon. Friend the Member for Wythenshawe (Mrs. Hill), in which I indicated my intention not to proceed with the production of the valve monopack aids, but to await the development of transistor aids.

asked the Minister of Health, in view of the urgent needs of elderly sick persons, what further steps he is taking to secure additional accommodation for them.

I have just completed a survey of the hospital and other services for the chronic sick throughout England and Wales and I am considering the Reports.

asked the Minister of Health, in view of the fact that the total number of coal miners suspended from work in Great Britain owing to pneumoconiosis, together with tuberculosis, was 75, and that, of these 25 came from the West Midland division, whether he will offer the services of the mass radiography units in the area, so that all miners can be examined at the pithead for the presence of pulmonary tuberculosis.

The units have already visited all mines in Warwickshire and one in Shropshire and arrangements are n hand for other visits. Requests for further visits will receive sympathetic consideration.

asked the Minister of Health the increase in population in the Development Areas from 1931 to the latest date for which statistics are available; the population growth in Great Britain as a whole over the same period: and if the percentage increase in the Development Areas has been greater or smaller than that for Great Britain as a whole, and by how much.

The enumerated population of the Development Areas in England and Wales, as they are at present constituted, fell between the 1931 and 1951 censuses by just over 0·25 per cent., while the population of England and Wales as a whole increased by nearly 10 per cent.

asked the Minister of Health the number of times the Medical Practices Committee met during 1952, 1953. 1954 and 1955; and how many members were present at each meeting.

79, 76, 75 and 83 times, respectively. The average number of members present at each meeting was approximately eight out of a possible nine.

asked the Minister of Health the names of the members of the Medical Practices Committee now, and in 1953; with what organisations he has consulted prior to their appointment; what Regulations he has made with respect to their appointment, tenure of office and vacation of office; and what officers he has provided for the service of the committee.

The following is the information required:

asked the Minister of Health whether he will give an estimate of the annual cost to the National Health Service of the hearing aids, false limbs, invalid chairs, etc., which are written-off annually owing to the death of the patients to whom they were issued, and for the return of which to the National Health Service by the next of kin of the deceased no provision exists in his regulations.

This information is not available.

asked the Minister of Health whether, in view of the fact that no provision exists in his regulations to compel relatives to return hearing aids, false limbs, invalid chairs, etc., after the death of the National Health Service patient to whom they were issued, he will now amend these regulations so as to ensure that all such appliances are returned to the National Health Service on the death of the patient to whom they were issued.

I see no reason to alter the present arrangements, as at present an annual check is carried out to ensure the recovery of wheelchairs and tricycles when they are no longer required and there would be no justification for the expense involved in arranging for the recovery of other appliances that cannot be used again.

asked the Minister of Health what consultations took place with representatives of the medical profession before publicly announcing the proposals to inoculate up to 500,000 children with anti-polio vaccine before July.

My proposals were made following consideration which was given

asked the Minister of Health in how many mental hospitals the nurses have decided to ban overtime; how many nurses are involved; and if he will circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT the names of the hospitals and the numbers of patients and of trained nursing staff in each.

A decision to ban overtime is understood to have been taken in 24 mental and mental deficiency hospitals. The total nursing staff involved is 3,017.The following table gives particulars of the mental and mental deficiency hospitals in which a decision to ban overtime is understood to have been taken.

asked the Minister of Health what steps he is taking to ascertain and deal with the grievances of mental nurses which have led to a ban on overtime in certain hospitals.

I am examining the problem of staff conditions in mental hospitals. A claim for increases in pay for all nurses is now before the Whitley Council.

asked the Minister of Health if he is satisfied that the pay of junior house officers in hospitals is commensurate with their training and duties; and if he will make a statement.

This is a matter in the first place for the Medical Whitley Council. The present rates were agreed in 1954. The hon. Member will know that these are training posts.

asked the Minister of Health to what extent recruitment of staff for mental hospital service has fallen during the past year; what he estimates will be the position in mental hospitals a year hence at the present rate of recruitment for the nursing service; and what consideration has been given to the possibility of giving special inducements to mental hospital nurses to transfer to hospitals where there is an acute shortage of staff.

Figures for 1955 are not yet available and I cannot yet make the estimate referred to in the second part of the Question. It would not, in my view be wise to set up competition for staff between one mental hospital and another by special inducements.

asked the Minister of Health the number of tuberculosis patients awaiting admission to hospitals and sanatoria at the last convenient date.

3,017 in England and Wales on 31st December, 1954.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what progress has been made towards the object- tive of closer European co-operation through the Council of Europe, or other agencies, during the past twelve months.

Steady progress has been made during the past twelve months in the large number of European organisations through which international cooperation is effected. The most significant step forward in the field of European co-operation during the year was the entry into force of the Paris Agreements which restored full sovereignty to the German Federal Republic and brought her into full membership of N.A.T.O. and the newly created Western European Union.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs for what technical reasons Her Majesty's Government has found itself unable to sign the European Convention on Establishment; and when it is expected these technical obstacles will be overcome.

The Convention was signed last Friday on behalf of Her Majesty's Government by the United Kingdom Permanent Representative in Strasbourg.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, in view of the declared purpose of the Government to promote higher living standards and give economic help to underdeveloped areas, Her Majesty's Government will now support the early establishment of the special United Nations Fund for economic development, in which all nations including the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics could co-operate to the same ends; and whether he will give an assurance that the views and answers to be submitted to the United Nations Secretary-General by 31st March, 1956, are being drafted in this sense.

Her Majesty's Government, in principle, support the establishment of a fund when circumstances permit and when adequate resources become available, and to this end they will be submitting comments to the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs the total amount of money and services contributed to date by this country to the United Nations organisation.

The total of Her Majesty's Government's contributions to the budget of the United Nations, excluding Specialised Agencies, is £12,691,185, up to the end of 1955.

asked the Attorney-General whether he is aware that prize fights have in some recent and other cases resulted in the death of a prize fighter; and whether he will take steps to amend or clarify the law so as to establish or enforce the liability of promoters in such cases to pay damages or compensation to dependent relatives.

I assume that the right hon. Lady is referring to boxing contests. I am aware that on very rare occasions fatal accidents occur in them as they do in other popular sports, but I see no need to take the steps suggested in the Question.

asked the Attorney-General the number of decrees of limitation of liability granted by the Admiralty Court in England in limitation actions during the preceding six years, and the totals in such actions of the amounts allowed to the claimants and the amounts paid to the claimants, respectively.

Twenty-seven decrees of limitation of liability were granted by the High Court in England in the last six years. The claims allowed amounted to £1,918,559 and the amounts paid were £396,951.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance (1) whether he will take the initiative in suggesting to the National Assistance Board a better scale of allowances to meet the new higher cost of rents, bread and milk;(2) what increases he proposes in retirement and widows' pensions to meet the higher costs of rents, milk and bread resulting from the Government's latest announcements;(3) whether he will introduce legislation to amend the Royal Warrants so as to improve disability and widows' pensions in accordance with the new higher costs of rents, bread and milk.

The combined effect of the announcements made relating to bread and milk, which amounts to one point in the retail prices index between now and the end of July, does not, in my view, justify the action which the hon. Gentleman suggests. The National Assistance Board, as the hon. Member will be aware, makes separate allowance for rent on the basis of rents actually paid.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power to give figures to show how stocks of household coal are standing up to the present cold weather demand.

On 11th February, the end of the second week of the present spell of intense cold and the latest date for which figures are available, total stocks of house coal at merchants' yards were 1,190,500 tons, higher than for some years. Since then stocks will have fallen further but should still be high for the time of year.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power if he will give the present figure of household coal stocks in Scotland compared to the figure a year ago.

121,000 tons on 11th February, compared with 109,000 tons a year earlier.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what steps he will take by means of grant or otherwise to assist the Coal Utilisation Council to promote the saving of coal; and whether he will make a statement.

This Council, which is financed by the National Coal Board, the coal trade, and the producers and distributors of domestic solid fuel appliances, already works in close association with my right hon. Friend's Department and he does not think that any special Government assistance for its excellent work is called for.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what further communication he has received from the Chairman of the London Electricity Board concerning the criticisms made by the Chairman about the working of the wage negotiation machinery in the electricity supply industry.

In the further communications that I have had with the Chairman he has not withdrawn, nor have I asked him to withdraw, anything said on this subject in his letters to the Press or in our previous conversation.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what steps are being taken by his Department to investigate the causes of, and treatment for, pneumoconiosis amongst mine workers.

As the various steps at present being taken by the Departments concerned are very detailed, my right hon. Friend is writing to the Hon. Member on this matter; and, as he assured hon. Members on 20th February, last, he is in any ease considering what further action should be taken to deal with this grave problem.

asked the Secretary of State for Air (1) if the York aircraft, which crashed on 18th February, underwent Refurbishing Contract No. 2608 in 1951; what was its registration number before sale to the company; and how many other York aircraft which have crashed were concerned in that contract;(2) how many flying hours since Refurbishing Contract No. 2608 the York aircraft, which crashed on 18th February, had operated; and when this aircraft had had a base three-star inspection since 1951.

The former Royal Air Force serial number of this aircraft was M.W. 193. It was not refurbished in 1951. I understand that the aircraft underwent a Check 4 inspection, which is

asked the Minister of Labour what inquries he has held into the incidence of epitheliomatous cancer among men engaged in tar-spraying and spreading on our roads and working on the manufacture and use of pitch and tar; and what steps are being taken to prevent it in such industries.

The Factory Department of my Ministry investigates all cases of this disease notified to them under the Factories Acts. The Acts do not apply to tar spraying on roads, but an investigation into the risks involved in this work was carried out between 1933 and 1935. I am sending the hon. Member a copy of a leaflet issued by the Department which gives advice on precautionary measures.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland to make a statement on the extent and degree of emigration from Scotland during each of the last 10 years, giving, as far as his records allow, the age and sex of each emigrant, the reason for emigration, and the country to which they have emigrated.

pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 21st February, 1956; Vol. 549, c. 18], supplied the following information: