asked the Minister of Education whether he has approved the inclusion of the Dagenham Whalebone County Primary, Junior Girls, School, in the Essex school building programme for 1956–57.

Yes.

asked the UnderSecretary of State for Commonwealth Relations what discussions have taken place with the new Government of Ceylon on such aspects of their policy as affect relations between Ceylon and the United Kingdom.

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Eton and Slough (Mr. Fenner Brockway) on 19th April.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether payments by a firm of the school fees of a selected number of its employees are reckoned as expenses wholly and exclusively laid out for the purposes of the firm's trade.

The application of the law to particular cases depends on the precise facts, but I am advised that for tax purposes such payments would normally be expenses so laid out, and would accordingly be admissible as a deduction in computing trading profits.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much additional United Kingdom Income Tax and Surtax he estimates will be payable in 1956–57 by citizens of the United States of America as a result of the proposals contained in Clause 9, paragraph (1), of the Finance (No. 2) Bill.

I regret that there is insufficient information available to enable such an estimate to be made.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the new security regulations for the Civil Service will come into force.

My right hon. Friend is not yet in a position to make the statement promised during the debate on 21st March by my right hon. and gallant Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department, but he will do so as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what steps have been taken by Her Majesty's Government to develop economic and cultural co-operation between the member States of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation in accordance with Article 2 of the Treaty.

Collaboration between member Governments in the sense of Article 2 takes place not only within N.A.T.O. itself, but in many international organisations and by bilateral agreements between countries. The Permanent Council has been actively reviewing the whole question of non-military co-operation within N.A.T.O., and there will be further discussions when the Foreign Ministers meet in Paris tomorrow. I can assure the hon. Member that Her Majesty's Government are playing a full and constructive part.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is aware that within the last three months official speeches advocating closer co-operation in the economic and political fields by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation countries have been made by Presidents Eisenhower and Gronchi, and by Messrs. Adenauer. von Brentano, Dulles, Lange, Martino, Mollet, Pearson, Pineau, and Spaak; and whether he will make a public statement before the meeting of the North Atlantic Council on Friday, 4th May.

My right hon. and learned Friend will make his views known in the North Atlantic Council itself.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when the Report of the Reorganisation Commission on Pigs will be made public, in view of the present uncertainty for pig producers.

I understand that the Commission hope to complete their Report early in June. Arrangements will be made for the Report to be published as soon as possible after we have received it.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what strategic reserves of tinned or dehydrated potatoes his Department is holding; and whether he will consider the possibility of releasing some of these stocks for civilian consumption in the present situation.

It is not the policy of Her Majesty's Government to disclose what strategic reserves of food are held or to release such reserves to meet a temporary shortage.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give an estimate of the fall in the wholesale price of Argentine meat, cost, insurance, and freight, United Kingdom, which is attributable to the devaluation of the Argentine currency.

While the devaluation has increased the return to the Argentine exporter in terms of pesos, it does not directly affect the value of Argentine meat on the United Kingdom market, which is governed by market conditions here.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies when the new hospital at Paphos was opened; how many beds are in use; and whether there are separate wards for children and for maternity cases.

The male and female wards and the X-ray building have been completed. It had been intended to bring them into immediate use, but this was not found practicable, because the walls had not had sufficient time to dry out after the late rains. It is expected that the first patients will be moved into the new hospital by the end of this month. There will be separate wards for children and for maternity cases.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what reply has been sent to the complaint made by the Tanganyika African National Union that allegations of incitement by the union to illegal action were recently accepted without proof by the resident magistrate in Kondoa.

The chief Secretary told the union that it would not be proper for him to comment on remarks made by a magistrate in exercise of his judicial functions nor to institute any inquiry into matters falling within the province of the judiciary.

asked the Minister of Health what are the injections that may increase the risk of paralysis following vaccination against poliomyelitis.

In the absence of infection there is no risk of paralysis following vaccination against poliomyelitis with a safe vaccine. In the presence of infection any injection may be provocative of a paralytic form of the disease.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will inform all local authorities that excessive muscular exertion, tonsillectomy and certain injections may increase the risk of paralysis following vaccination against poliomyelitis in accordance with the advice which he has received.

These are not risks which are increased by vaccination against poliomyelitis. They are things which are best avoided in areas and at times when there is an outbreak of poliomyelitis in being. Local authorities have been fully warned of this since 1954, and I am sending the hon. Member a copy of the document sent to them.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what reply he has given to the recent request of the Association of Retired Police Officers to send a deputation to him about the position of those pre-Oaksey widows who are excluded from the recent concessions he announced.

I have invited representatives of the Association to discuss their proposals in more detail with officers of my Department.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what were the interest costs for a three-bed-roomed council house for the years 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954 and 1955, compared with interests costs in 1950.

Interest and repayment charges based on average prices in the fourth quarter of each of these years were £58 13s. 3d., £63 15s. 3d., £60 19s. 8d., £58 Os. 8d., £76 Os. 7d. and £47 4s. 2d., respectively.

asked the Minister of Labour when the Government Training Centre at Gypsy Lane, Leicester, was opened; and what was the intention of his Department in regard to the type of person to be trained there and the future employment of such persons after successful training.

The Government Training Centre at Gypsy Lane in Leicester was opened in July, 1936, when trade and employment were expanding in order to enable suitable unemployed persons, most of whom came from what were then known as the Scheduled Depressed Areas, to be trained in various engineering and other crafts.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what percentage of the population are now drawing the old-age pension; and if he will give an estimate of the percentage of pensioners in 1960, 1965, 1970 and 1975.

About 14¼ per cent. of the population are now over 65 (60 in the case of women). About 9¼ per cent. are drawing National Insurance retirement pensions and a very small percentage non-contributory old-age pensions. I have no statistics as to those in receipt of other pensions. It is estimated that in 1960, 1965, 1970 and 1975 the percentage of the population over these ages will be 14½, 15½, 16¾ and 17¾, respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the present number of junior secondary school places and senior secondary school places; and what increases in both are planned to meet the needs of the increasing numbers of children who will be passing into the secondary schools.

The number of pupils in secondary classes in Scottish public and grant-aided schools in January, 1955, was 227,077, of whom 94,260 were following senior secondary courses. It is estimated that in 1961 the number of pupils in secondary classes will rise to a peak of at least 274,000, and if the efforts to persuade more pupils to complete their courses are successful the number will be even greater. New schools and extensions now under construction will provide 44,358 secondary places and education authorities hope to start in the next three years projects which will provide some 60,000 more. The new accommodation has been planned not only to meet the increase in the number of secondary pupils but also to serve the needs of new housing areas, to reduce existing overcrowding, and to replace unsatisfactory premises.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works as representing the Lord President of the Council, when he expects to receive the Report of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research on Automation; and whether he intends to publish it.

The Report has been completed and will be published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office very shortly—probably this month.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what progress has been made towards the installation of automatic train control on British Railways.

The British Railways magnetic non-contact system of automatic train control for use with the vacuum brake has been under development and trial on a specially equipped length of the East Coast main line, and the reliability of the equipment under test is now satisfactory. The design of the many component parts has also reached a stage when production can be arranged. The British Transport Commission have accordingly applied for my formal approval to the adoption of this system for British Railways.The inspecting officers of railways, who have been closely associated with the trials, are now satisfied with the working of the system, and they have recommended my approval subject to proof of the reliability of the equipment in its production form, and to final inspection. With this reservation, I have given approval to the British Railways system of automatic train control as designed for use with the vacuum brake.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation how many accidents have occurred at the Higher Green Lane crossing on the Liverpool-East Lancashire Road at Astley in each of the last five years; and how many of these have proved fatal.

The numbers of accidents reported by the police are as follows: