asked the President of the Board of Trade what is the number of workers that will be affected when the flax factory, Ripley, Derbyshire, closes down; and what other employment will be offered to them.

There were 85 industrial workers and 6 non-industrial workers employed at the flax factory at Ripley on 29th February, 1956. If any of the workers affected when the factory ceases to operate as a Government-owned flax factory needs help to find other employment, the Ministry of Labour, through its local offices, will do all it can to assist.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will inform the House as to the position of world tin production and consumption; whether he is satisfied that supplies to this country are adequate to our needs; and what are our future prospects.

Production of tin outside the Soviet bloc and China exceeded consumption in 1955 and supplies should be adequate this year unless production is interrupted for any reason. The output of the tin smelters in this country has been sufficient to meet the requirements of industry and to provide a surplus for export.

asked the President of the Board of Trade to what extent imports of foreign bacon will continue to be controlled by quota when the 10 per cent. tariff comes into effect on 1st October; and what provision is being made for the importation of Canadian bacon.

Our intention is that there should be no quota restriction on imports of bacon from the sterling area and Western Europe. I am not yet in a position to make a statement about imports from other sources.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in framing his Budget proposals, he will consider giving reliefs to the industries manufacturing television and wireless sets, vacuum cleaners, refrigerators and similar articles for which the demand has dropped in consequence of the hire-purchase restrictions and the credit squeeze.

I cannot anticipate my right hon. Friend's Budget Statement.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the amounts of dollar expenditure on television material he has authorised to be spent by programme contractors to the Independent Television Authority and by the British Broadcasting Corporation in each month since June, 1955.

The following are the figures for the United Kingdom television programme material—sterling equivalent of dollar authorisations:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer to what extent he will remove or reduce the cuts in capital expenditure on national undertakings, in order to counteract the unemployment and under-employment in the electronics industry in south-west Middlesex.

In present circumstances my right hon. Friend cannot contemplate any measures to increase the capital expenditure which has been agreed.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what basis import duty is charged on exposed cinematograph films sent by firms abroad for copies to be made in this country; and what arrangements exist for the payment of drawback when the films are reexported.

If the copies are to be retained in this country, duty is normally payable on the imported film at the rate of 5d. a foot, and no drawback would be payable on the re-exportation of the original film. But for news films imported for copying, duty-free facilities are available and, in other cases, duty-free facilities are provided if all the copies made here are to be exported without having been used in this country.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why no legislative action has been taken to increase the pensions of ex-employees of the Imperial Institute.

I am glad to be able to assure my hon. Friend that if the Pensions (Increase') Bill becomes law, its benefits will be extended to cover pensioners formerly employed in the Imperial Institute.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will arrange in his forthcoming Budget to have part of the present 10 per cent. pool betting duty on greyhound racetrack totalisators paid back to track managements to enable them to take such action as may be necessary to improve the tracks, prize money, breeding, etc.

No. Apart from any other consideration, it would be contrary to normal Exchequer arrangements to earmark the proceeds of this tax for a specific purpose.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will arrange to meet an all-party deputation to discuss the discriminatory nature of the 10 per cent. pool betting duty on totalisators at greyhound racetracks.

As my right hon. Friend has explained in a letter to the hon. Member, owing to the many calls on his time, he regrets that he is unable to receive this deputation himself and he has therefore asked my hon. Friend, the Economic Secretary to receive it on his behalf.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will consider in his forthcoming Budget the abolition of the present 10 per cent. pool betting duty on totalisators at greyhound race-tracks or putting this type of sport on the same basis as horse-racing so far as taxation is concerned.

My right hon. Friend will consider all suggestions that have been made when framing his forthcoming Budget. I cannot, however, anticipate his Budget statement.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why clergymen, beneficed and unbeneficed, are taxed under Schedule E, and therefore treated less leniently as regards necessary expenses than doctors, who are taxed under Schedule D.

Clergymen and ministers of religion are in general assessed under Schedule E because that is the Schedule which applies to income from an office or employment.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware that important capital development projects within the sterling area are being held back in consequence of the financial policies of Her Majesty's Government, and if he will take action to make facilities available for these developments.

I have no reason to believe that our financial policy has caused any absolute reduction in the level of capital development within the sterling area. Some restraint upon its rate of increase may be inevitable, but it is essential that we should not outrun our resources if we are to maintain steady progress.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the effects of Her Majesty's Government's financial policies on the rate of industrial production during the first quarter of 1956.

I expect industrial production in the first quarter of 1956 to be higher than it was in the same period last year, but I can make no precise forecast. The Index in January, 1956, is estimated at 139–40, against 135 in January, 1955. The financial policies of Her Majesty's Government are directed to promoting a high and rising rate of production, properly divided between production for the home market and production for export.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many overseas and foreign students are included among the 2,800 university graduates or diploma holders in the engineering and other applied sciences for the year 1954, referred to in Appendix A to Command Paper No. 9703, Technical Education.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why overtime has to be worked in such Departments as the War Histories section of the Cabinet Office, the Historical Manuscripts Commission, the National Debt Office, the Friendly Societies Registry, the Charity Commission, the University Grants Committee, the Capital Issues Committee, the Public Works Loan Commission, and the Public Record Office.

The offices to which my hon. Friend refers, like other Civil Service offices in London, at present work a standard working week of 45½ hours, which includes 31½ ours reckoned as overtime. This longer working week was decided on some years ago as a general measure to avoid adding to Civil Service numbers. The question whether it should continue was reviewed by the Royal Commission on the Civil Service, whose recommendations are now under consideration.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury (1) from what Customs and Excise station the staff are to be drawn to provide On Call Customs at Yeadon Aerodrome;(2) what are the grounds for providing On Call Customs at Yeadon, having regard to the refusal to consider other civil aerodromes.

All applications for Customs facilities at civil aerodromes are considered on their merits. Yeadon will receive these facilities for a trial period on the basis of its past and prospective foreign traffic. Customs and Excise staff will attend from Leeds.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will make a statement about the effect upon the sterling area gold and dollar pool of South Africa's restrictions of the movement of funds to London.

I would refer the right hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Economic Secretary to his Question on 8th March.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what instructions he has given to the Public Works Loan Board regarding the types of loans which may still be sanctioned, in view of the Government's restriction on types of loan previously granted.

None. The change of procedure introduced on 25th October, 1955, made no difference to the classes of borrowers to whom the P.W.L.B. can make loans nor to the purposes for which loans may be granted.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what was the amount of the Colonial sterling balances held in this country at 31st December. 1955, or the latest convenient date;(2) what was the amount of sterling balances held by this country on the behalf of self-governing Commonwealth countries, at 31st December, 1955, or the latest convenient date.

Figures of United Kingdom sterling liabilities to the rest of the sterling area (showing separately liabilities to the Colonies) at 31st December, 1955, will be published in about three week's time, in the next Balance of Payments White Paper. In the meanwhile my right hon. Friend regrets he con-not add to the information given in Command 9585.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will now consider a new issue of National Savings Certificates on more favourable terms to the investor.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, in view of the serious situation with regard to Post Office Savings, he will now take steps to arrest the decline.

My right hon. Friend has the whole savings field under review. He is not yet in a position to make a statement on the terms of any particular form of National Savings.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will make a statement about the effect of the new local rating assessments on Income Tax.

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 26th January to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Poole (Captain Pilkington).

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how soon he proposes to introduce legislation to permit the demolition of the Imperial Institute.

My right hon. Friend the Minister of Education is consulting the trustees of the Imperial Institute on the Government's plans for the future of the Institute and, subject to their views, he will in due course be introducing legislation to authorise the transfer of the Institute to a new building on a new site, at the Government's expense.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will give an estimate of the additional accommodation which could be provided in the Imperial Institute site by the demolition of the Royal College of Music.

From 30,000 to 70,000 square feet, according to which of a number of treatments was adopted. This has to be compared with a net loss of about 200,000 square feet involved in the retention of the Collcutt Building; and the Royal College of Music would require a new building to be completed, on a new site, before any of its present building could be demolished.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will obtain the views of the Royal Fine Art Commission on the proposed new building to replace the Imperial Institute before a final decision is taken to demolish the present building.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will reconsider his decision to demolish the Imperial Institute, in view of the representations which have been made to him by influential bodies, including the Royal Fine Art Commission.

As I stated on 8th March, the Royal Fine Art Commission has made further representations about the development of the South Kensington site and members of the Commission have been invited to discuss with me and with representatives of the University of London and Imperial College further details of the College scheme.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much he estimates it will cost to demolish the Imperial Institute.

I assume that the hon. and gallant Member is referring to the main Collcutt building, very little of which is actually occupied by the Imperial Institute. The net cost of its demolition would be about £20,000.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in view of the historical value of the Imperial Institute, if he will withdraw approval of the demolition of this building, in view of the adequate alternative building facilities for housing the Imperial College which have become available since his decision.

There is, I am afraid, no present indication that any alternative building facilities in the neighbourhood would be adequate to enable the College to develop on the scale announced by the Government without demolishing the Collcutt building; but discussions are continuing between Imperial College and the London County Council.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury what objections have been received to re-zoning certain residential sites which might be used for buildings for the Imperial College or for rehousing the Imperial Institute, in place of the site of the present Imperial Institute, which it is proposed to destroy.

I have at present no knowledge of proposals for re-zoning. They would of course be a matter in the first place for the London County Council as planning authority. I have been asked if I will meet representatives of the council for a discussion, and I have gladly agreed.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will give an assurance that the Government's intentions as to the Hill Farming and Livestock Rearing Acts, which terminate in November, will be made known before his statement or during his statement to the House on the agricultural price review.

The Government has decided to extend by seven years the period, due to end on 6th November next, in which schemes for the improvement of livestock rearing land may be submitted and to make available a further £5 million for grants for that purpose; it is also their intention to extend for a similar period the powers of the responsible Ministers to subsidise hill sheep and hill cattle. In reaching this decision the Government have had in mind along with other considerations the Report of the Welsh Agricultural Land Sub-Commission on the Area in Mid-Wales referred to them by my predecessor. Legislation will be introduced in due course.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will make spot inspections of imported ware potatoes at the ports of entry to ensure that no diseases such as ring rot are brought into this country.

Yes; my Department's inspectors at ports of entry have been instructed to exercise care in this matter.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what investigations his Department has carried out into the causes of the failure of the East Anglian herring fishing last autumn; and what conclusions have been reached.

The disappointing results of the 1955 East Anglian herring fishery have been carefully investigated by the scientific staffs of the Fishery Departments in the light of all the available information, and a statement of their conclusions is being published today. Copies are available in the Vote Office.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress has been reported to him in the negotiations between the British and Icelandic trawler fishery interests; whether Her Majesty's Government are now taking part in these negotiations; and whether he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend understands that the discussions between representatives of the British and Icelandic trawler owners about the orderly resumption of landings are expected to be resumed in the near future. At the suggestion of the O.E.E.C. Group, the meetings are being attended by Government observers from the two sides but Her Majesty's Government are taking no part in the discussions. Any statement would best await their conclusion.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action he proposes to take on the Report of the Milk Marketing Board on the sales of milk in nine British towns.

None. The Milk Marketing Board will no doubt draw its own conclusions from the survey.

asked the Minister of Labour what was the number of unemployed in the radio industry in southwest Middlesex at the latest convenient date.

The manufacture of radio and television sets is included in a classification which also covers gramophones, radar equipment, etc., and the manufacture of valves is included in the classification entitled "Wireless valves and electric lamps." For these two classifications the numbers registered as unemployed at 13th February at employment exchanges in south-west Middlesex were 46 and 3, respectively.

asked the Minister of Labour if he is aware of the short-time working now in operation at the Electrical and Musical Industries works at Hayes, and the proposal to make up to 1,800 men redundant; and what action he has taken in the matter.

Yes. My local officers are in close touch with the situation and with the co-operation of the employers, workers are being encouraged to register in advance so that efforts to find alternative work for them may begin before their present work ends.

asked the Minister of Labour the total number of stoppages and the total number of working days lost in the coal-mining industry for each of the years 1947 to 1955, inclusive.

The numbers were as follows:

asked the Minister of Labour on what grounds he has changed his basic promotion policy for the factory inspectorate without consulting the staff association concerned, thus contravening one of the basic principles of good staff relations; and if he will give an assurance, in view of the repercussions which may flow from this action, that it will not be repeated.

I assume that my hon. Friend refers to the recent promotion of a male officer to fill one of the higher posts in the factory inspectorate previously held by a woman. In making this promotion, my Department acted in accordance with the policy of regarding all posts in the inspectorate as open to both sexes on a basis of full equality, suitability for the post being the sole criterion to determine who should be appointed. This is the policy which in agreement with the Staff Side of the Departmental Whitley Council governs promotions in my Department in general. I regret however that the particular Association concerned on this occasion was not informed in advance that these general principles would be followed in filling this particular post.

asked the Minister of Labour what has been the percentage increase since 1951 of the cost of living and industrial earnings.

Average weekly earnings of manual wage-earners in the last pay-week of October, 1955, in the industries covered by my Department's half-yearly inquiries were 33 per cent. greater than in October 1951. Over the same period the Interim Index of Retail Prices rose by 18 per cent.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will reconsider the circumstances relating to the call up of Mr. Hooper, of Merriott, Somerset.

I have written to my hon. Friend about this case, and explained that Mr. Hooper was correctly called up.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has now considered the circulars he has received from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds protesting about the exclusion of certain birds from protection; and what steps he proposes to take.

I have considered a note which I understand the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has circulated to its members and which some hon. Members have sent me. The note is about the Wild Birds (Eggs of Common Birds) Order, 1955, which made it no offence to take the eggs of certain common birds. The Order does not remove protection from the birds themselves or their nestlings or nests. I will keep the effects of the Order under review, and if it has a bad effect I shall not hesitate to reconsider it.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will consider extending British territorial waters so as to include the Thames estuary from headland to headland.

It is in the general interests of the United Kingdom that States should limit their claims to territorial waters, and it is not therefore proposed to extend our territorial waters so as to include the Thames estuary from headland to headland, even if it were permissible under international law to do so.

asked the Secretary of of State for the Home Department how many persons, formerly resident in countries now under Communist rule, are now resident in the United Kingdom.

Records are kept of aliens registered with the police but they are kept by nationality and not according to former residence. On 31st December, 1955, there were approximately 170,000 aliens registered with the police as of nationalities of countries now under Communist rule.

asked the Minister of Education what plans he has for convening a conference of Commonwealth Ministers of Education to discuss matters of mutual interest.

My Department is in constant touch with other members of the Commonwealth. Exchange visits of teachers and other forms of co-operation are arranged with many of them. I do not see the usefulness at present of a conference of Ministers of Education.

asked the Minister of Education why Constantine College, Middlesbrough, has not been selected to be raised to the status of a college of advanced technology, in view of the important concentration of industry on Tees-side and its success as a technical college.

I would refer my hon. and learned Friend to the answers I gave following the Question by the hon. Member for Stockton-on-Tees (Mr. Chetwynd) on 8th March.

asked the Minister of Education whether his attention has been called to the shortage of secondary school teachers in Tipton, Staffordshire; and what action he is proposing to take.

Yes. I am asking the local education authority what they are doing to improve matters and I am ready to discuss their difficulties with them.

asked the Minister of Education how many of the 40,000 part-time teachers in technical colleges teach scientific or technical subjects.

I regret that this information is not available in my Department.

asked the Minister of Education when he proposes to re-publish the handbook "Health and Education."

A new version of this handbook is now being prepared. I hope it will be ready for publication before the end of this year.

asked the Minister of Education what were the awards obtained, and in what subjects, by the students of advanced courses at technical colleges, as described in paragraph 56 of Command Paper No. 9703, in the last year for which the figures are available.

The most up-to-date figures, which are for 1953–54, are as follows:

asked the Minister of Education if he will state for the years 1954–55 and 1955–56 those local education authorities which failed to start one or more projects in their major building programme; and how many projects were affected in each case.

By 1st April, 1955, the following numbers of major projects in the 1954–55 programme were not ready to receive my final approval. I cannot say precisely what projects in addition to these were approved but not started.

asked the Minister of Education the value of the major building programme approved for 1956–57; and how much he hopes to reduce it by the measures announced in Circular 298.

The total value of major projects in the educational building programme approved for 1956–57 is about £70 million. In answer to the second part of the Question, I cannot add to the reply I gave on 1st March last to the hon. Member for Stockton-on-Tees (Mr. Chetwynd).

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he is now in a position to publish a White Paper giving comparative tables of rateable values in the new valuation lists as deposited with rating authorities, and in the current lists as at 1st December, 1955.

In accordance with my earlier undertaking, I am today presenting to Parliament a White Paper which provides preliminary information about the effects of the new valuations for rating in England and Wales.The figures given are not final, since the new assessments are subject to appeals which may be lodged after 1st April; and the trend of the appeal decisions will not become evident for a number of months.Moreover, the picture is slightly distorted by the fact that the revaluation of Crown property has not yet taken place. This will be carried out during the coming year and is bound to result in some reduction in the percentage share of the total rateable value of other types of property.Furthermore, as has been announced, the Government are at present reviewing the problem of local authority finance in all its aspects. This is the most comprehensive review of its kind since 1929, and will include an examination of the system of de-rating. This will involve much detailed study and important decisions of policy; and, when the appropriate stage is reached, it will entail consultation with the representatives of local authorities. Until this whole review is complete, it will not be possible to arrive at a final appreciation of the future incidence of the rate burden.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what has been the percentage increase since 1951 of the old-age pension and the rates of National Assistance.

The retirement pension for a single person and the National Assistance scale rate for a single householder are both 54 per cent. higher than the rates in force during most of 1951, and 33 per cent. higher than the rates introduced in the autumn of that year. The rates for married couples have been increased by much the same proportions.

asked the Minister of Supply how many tyres and tubes went to make up the 344 tons of tyre and tube scrap sold by his Department at sales of Government surplus stock since 1st January, 1955; how much the scrap realised; who was the largest buyer; and if he will give the main reasons for disposing of these tyres and tubes as scrap.

No record was kept of the number of tyres and tubes comprising the tonnage. The amount realised was £8,596. I am not prepared to publish the names of individual buyers. The tyres and tubes were sold as scrap because they were not considered fit for any other purposes.

asked the Minister of Supply what negotiations have taken place respecting the future use of the Royal Ordnance factory at Dalmuir, Dunbartonshire.

None.

asked the Minister of Supply (1) what steps he is taking to provide continuity of employment at the Royal Ordnance factory, Dalmuir, Dunbartonshire, in view of the decrease in the work being allotted to this factory;(2) what representations have been made to him respecting the acquisition by an engineering company of the Royal Ordnance factory at Dalmuir, Dunbartonshire; and when a decision may be expected.

It will be some time before we can say with certainty what tank production will be required in future years, but there is sufficient work already on the books to keep R.O.F. Dalmuir employed until the end of the year, and I do not at present foresee any need to discharge workpeople during that time. Thus the question of the acquisition of the factory by an engineering company does not at present arise.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the weekly cost of a patient's diet in the Western Region's mental hospitals; and the weekly cost of diet per patient in general hospitals under the same board.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the weekly cost of a patient's diet in the South-East Region's mental hospitals; and the weekly cost of diet per patient in general hospitals under the same board.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the weekly cost of a patient's diet in the North-East Region's mental hospitals, and the weekly cost of diet per patient in general hospitals under the same board.

The cost of feeding patients is not recorded separately from the cost of feeding staff. Per person fed, the average weekly cost of provisions in 1954–55 was:

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what subsidy has been paid to the Herring Industry Board during each of the last three years.

Grants paid to the Herring Industry Board to subsidise the herring oil and meal scheme in the financial years ending on the 31st March, 1953, 1954 and 1955 were respectively £430,625, £765,261 and £305,614.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many mental hospitals are in the Western Region; and how many patients were in each of them, in each year of 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954 and 1955, respectively.

There are at present 16 hospitals or parts of hospitals serving this purpose in the Western Region. The following are the numbers of patients

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many mental hospitals are in the South-East Region; and how many patients were in each of them in each of the years 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954 and 1955, respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many mental hospitals are in the North-East Region of Scotland; and how many patients were in each of them in each of the years 1950,

There are at present seven hospitals or parts of hospitals serving this purpose in the South-East Region. The following are the numbers of patients on the registers at 31st December in each year:1951, 1952, 1953, 1954 and 1955, respectively.

There are five hospitals or parts of hospitals serving this purpose in the North-Eastern Region of Scotland. The following are the numbers of patients

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he is taking to allay the anxiety of teachers with the teacher's technical certificates as to their status and salaries.

On the recommendation of the National Joint Council I propose to appoint a Committee to consider the relationship of the various diplomas in technical subjects to each other and to other qualifications.The National Joint Council, in considering any difficulties that may have arisen through recent salary changes, and in deciding what recommendations to make with regard to salaries for these teachers will take into account the conclusions reached by this Committee.Recommendations on the grading of teachers in further education (with which the recent Command Paper on Technical

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what consultations he is having with the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation and/or local authorities over the width of Highland roads, in view of the proposed transfer of Departmental responsibility.

I have discussed this matter with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation, who is responsible for it until 1st April, and my noble Friend the Minister of State is to meet the Highlands Advisory Panel and certain county councils about it very shortly.