asked the Secretary of State for War how many men in Scottish Highland regiments, and in which units, are now serving in Cyprus.

About 1,550 in the Highland Light Infantry and the Gordon Highlanders.

asked the Secretary of State for War the rank of the military member of the Board of Management of Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes; and how much time he spends on the business of that organisation.

He is a colonel and is employed full time.

asked the Secretary of State for War what arrangements are being made, in view of the reconstruction of the Territorial Army, to attach members of the Territorial Army to Regular Army units, or to send them on courses organised under Regular Army auspices.

I assume that my hon. Friend refers to Territorial Army units changing their role. Many of these units will have Regular officers and non-commissioned officers of their new arm serving with them and additional instructors from Regular units will be used to help. There will also be courses at War Office schools. It is not practicable to attach large numbers of the Territorial Army to Regular units for training except in special cases.

asked the President of the Board of Trade to consider amending the Regulations by which textiles coming from Hong Kong are labelled as Empire products even though only a small fraction of their cost of production has originated within the British Empire.

No. Imported goods, including textiles, should not be marked as Empire products unless they were produced, or last underwent before importation a substantial change, in an Empire country. It would be for the courts to decide what constitutes a substantial change in a particular case.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what reply he has made to the representations sent to him from the British Council of Churches in regard to Premium Bonds.

I have drawn attention to the statement that I made in the course of the debate on the Budget proposals on 23rd April.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware that between 1952 and 1955 the hourly earnings in manufacturing rose in the United Kingdom by 19 per cent, against the United States of America 11 per cent., Germany 12 per cent., France 13 per cent., Italy 10 per cent., and Switzerland 2 per cent.; and if he will take steps to call a conference of both sides of industry to discuss means by which increased production shall be a prerequisite of higher wages so that our ability to sell abroad may not be endangered.

The figures which I have obtained differ to some extent from those given by the hon. Member but they are broadly similar. On the second part of the Question, the Prime Minister has had a number of discussions with both sides of industry about prices and wages, including the effect of rising prices on the competitive position of our exports.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how expenses allowances paid to members of the boards of nationalised industries are dealt with for Income Tax purposes.

Expenses allowances paid to members of public boards engaged in trade are assessable to tax as income in the same way as expenses allowances paid to directors of companies. A deduction may be claimed in respect of expenses incurred wholly, exclusively and necessarily in the performance of the duties of the office.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury how many persons are now employed directly or indirectly by the War Damage Commission; the annual cost; and how these figures compare with the position three years ago.

The War Damage Commission shares a common staff with the Central Land Board. The estimated number engaged on war damage work at 1st April, 1956, was 800, compared with 1,650 three years ago. The administrative costs for 1955–56 were £825.000, compared with £1,314,000 for 1952–53. The estimated costs for the present financial year are £656,000.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will bring up to date the table published on 4th May, 1956, showing how the internal purchasing value of the £sterling has varied month by month, taking the value in October, 1951, as 20 shillings.

The figure for April, 1956, based on the Ministry of Labour's Index of Retail Prices, is 16s. 4d.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if, as a result of his Departmental inquiry, he can now give an estimate of the extra cost to local authorities in England and Wales resulting from burst water pipes in houses owned by them during the winter of 1955–56.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government as a result of his inquiries earlier this year, what advice he is now giving to local authorities for the avoidance of inconvenience and loss resulting from burst pipes in the houses they are now about to build.

The first stage of my inquiry into the problem of frozen pipes is now completed. A survey, covering about one-quarter of all houses owned by local authorities in England and Wales, has been carried out with the object of ascertaining the causes of trouble. The information derived from the survey is now being studied and the results will be discussed with the professional, trade and local authority associations principally concerned. In the light of these discussions, I shall decide what action should be taken.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he is aware of Manchester's urgent housing needs, and of the growing concern in that city arising from his delay in deciding which overspill sites he will approve; and whether he will make a statement.

I am, of course, well aware of Manchester's serious housing shortage. Apart from the slum areas which are to be cleared, the city will before long run out of land for new house building within and around its boundaries. The excess population will, therefore, have to be accommodated further afield. Unfortunately Manchester Corporation has, despite many discussions over a long period, been unable to agree with the councils of the adjoining counties on enough suitable sites to match the city's house building programme.In view of this prolonged deadlock, I am now considering what action should be taken; and I will make a further statement in due course.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government to make a statement on his recent official visit to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

During the Whitsun Recess I paid a twelve-day visit to the U.S.S.R. as the guest of the Soviet Government. This was a return visit following one to Britain last autumn by Mr. Kucherenko, Soviet Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Council of Ministers for Construction.In addition to my stay in Moscow, I spent a few days in Leningrad and in Kiev, and I was shown something of the progress of housing, town planning and reconstruction in each of these three cities.Before my departure, I had the opportunity of informal talks with Mr. Bulganin and Mr. Khrushchev.I should like to say how grateful I am for the generous hospitality extended to me and my wife by the Soviet authorities. We were much touched by the warmth of the welcome given to us wherever we went and by the friendliness and good will expressed to us, not only in official speeches, but also in numerous casual contacts with people of all kinds.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government his reasons for refusing to agree to the proposal of the local authority for a roof garden on the fifteen storey block of flats to be erected at Barton Hill, Bristol, when a garden could not be provided on the ground.

My right hon. Friend has not refused to agree to the provision of a roof garden to these flats.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what decisions he has made, and what conclusion he has reached as the result of the conference held in January last with the local authorities concerned, regarding the housing of London Airport employees.

My right hon. Friend and the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation have not yet completed their study of this question.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government when the hon. Member for The Hartlepools can expect to receive a final reply to the correspondence about the West Hartlepool Clearance Area, about which correspondence first began on 1st February, 1956.

Further inquiries have have been made from the West Hartlepool Council, and I hope to send the hon. Member a final reply after its observations are received.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what report he has received from the district alkali inspector about the experiment with a smoke arrestor, carried out at Chesterton, Newcastle-under-Lyme, on 9th May; and to what extent his Department will promote the use of such devices in the campaign for clean air.

The inspector informs me that he attended a most interesting demonstration of this equipment. However, much fuller information and more prolonged experiments are needed before I could give a reliable opinion as to its practicability and effectiveness in regular use under normal conditions.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government, what progress he has made with the review of rating assessments; and if he will make a statement.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Scarborough and Whitby (Sir A. Spearman) on 8th May.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will take steps to improve and coordinate water supplies.

A great deal has been done in recent years to develop water supplies, including the increase of storage capacity, improved purification arrangements and the extension of piped supplies to rural areas. Much information will be found in the last Report of my Department. Recently I have reconstituted the Central Advisory Water Committee for England and Wales, and, at my suggestion, that Committee has put in train an investigation into the growing demands for water for all purposes, and into the most practical methods of meeting that demand.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government when it is expected that the White Paper on the subjects of local government reorganisation will be published; and whether the White Paper will deal specifically with town and country planning functions.

I cannot at present add to the Answer I gave on 6th March to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Wembley, North (Wing Commander Bullus) of which I am sending him a copy.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government when the result of the public inquiry concerning the proposed burial ground at Beddgelert, Caernarvonshire, may be expected, in view of the anxieties of the local authorities concerned and the fact that this matter has been under consideration for three years.

Within a fewweeks.

asked the Minister of Labour if he is aware that an employers' order card sent to Wolverhampton employment exchange from the Midlands Electricity Board was marked "No Irish "; and what action he takes in dealing with such discriminatory requests.

Certain vacancies notified to the employment exchange at Wolverhampton by the Midlands Electivity Board originally carried the stipulation "No Irish ", but I am glad to say that the Board is now prepared to consider Irishmen on their merits.The employment exchanges themselves do not exercise any discrimination on grounds of race, religion, sex or belief, and if an employer seems to be exercising unjustifiable discrimination, efforts are made to persuade him to reconsider his attitude.

asked the Minister of Labour if he is aware that his Department sent trainees from the Park Royal Government Training Centre for employment as aircraft fitters by the Air Ministry in 1938; and when this practice commenced.

No records survive which show when the first placings were made of men trained before the last war at the Park Royal Government Training Centre for subsequent employment as aircraft fitters by the Air Ministry, but it is within the recollection of some of my officers that a few trainees went to Air Ministry employment before the large-scale training scheme for Air Ministry employment began early in 1939.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when the section of trunk road A9 adjacent to Turnhouse Airport, which is at present closed, is to be reopened for the use of through traffic to the North.

I expect that it will be possible to reopen this road before the end of this month and perhaps in about a fortnight's time.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many health visitors are employed in the National Health Service; and how many are still required to meet the estimated establishment needed.

Staff employed on health visiting duties in Scotland at the end of 1955 were equivalent to 1,160 whole-time visitors, about one-third not being fully qualified. The Working Party on Health Visitors, in its Report published yesterday, proposes a target of one visitor to 4,300 population, which for Scotland as a whole would be met by just under 1,200 visitors.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland to examine the possibilities of using heat from electric stations for domestic heating in district housing schemes in Scotland.

The Scottish Electricity Boards are willing to co-operate with local authorities in investigating the possibilities in any particular case, but experience tends to show that such schemes are justified only in very special circumstances.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what progress has been made in methods of using peat for electricity generation; and what recent evidence has been put before his Peat Research Council on new methods.

I would refer the right hon. Gentleman to paragraphs 63–70 of the White Paper on Industry and Employment in Scotland in 1955 (Cmd. 9737) in which the present position is explained.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has considered the memorandum from the Scottish Union of Students on the position of law students in the universities of Scotland in relation to eligibility for bursaries regulated by his Department; and what action he proposes to take in the matter.

I am considering the memorandum and hope to write to the Scottish Union of Students shortly. I will send my hon. and gallant Friend a copy of my reply to the Union.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works, as representing the Lord President of the Council, when the Departmental discussions about a new Patent Office and Scientific Reference Library will be completed.

These discussions, which embrace the question of a suitable site, are being vigorously pursued, but I regret that I am unable to say when they will be completed.

Hughes asked the Minister of Defence if he is aware of the recent changes in the call-up arrangements in various European and Asiatic countries; and, in view of these, whether he will now take comparable steps to alter, reduce or abandon the incidence in Britain of call-up for National Service.

I have nothing to add to the Answer I gave on 30th May last to the Questions by the right hon. Member for Easington (Mr. Shinwell) and the hon. Member for Birmingham, All Saints (Mr. D. Howell).

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the number of calves in respect of which calf subsidies have been paid from and including 1948–49 to the latest available year.

The numbers for the United Kingdom are as follows (the figures relate to financial years):

asked the Secretary of State for Air to what extent the establishment of the Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service is filled.

About 93 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what percentage of the personnel of the Medical Branch of the Royal Air Force is formed by women of the Women's Royal Air Force.

About I per cent. of the officers in the Medical Branch are women.

asked the Secretary of State for Air how many vacancies in the rank of warrant officer in the Medical Branch of the Royal Air Force are likely to be available during the next six years for airmen who are now flight sergeants.

So far as can be foreseen, about 50.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what proportion of National Service medical officers in the Royal Air Force reach squadron leader rank, substantive or acting before the completion of two years' service.

None reach the substantive rank of squadron leader, but at present about 7 per cent. are holding the acting rank.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what facilities are made available for medical officers of the Royal Air Force to experience flying in modern aircraft in order to gain an understanding of problems faced by aircrew.

A number of medical officers are trained to fly modern operational aircraft and serve for a time as pilots. They are subsequently employed in special posts at the Institute of Aviation Medicine, at certain flying stations and Command headquarters, and at the Air Ministry, where their flying experience is of particular value. From time to time they are replaced by younger men with similar training, so that the most up-to-date experience is always available.Medical officers not trained as pilots are encouraged to fly as passengers whenever this can be arranged.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what improvement in recruiting has followed the recent increases in pay in the Royal Air Force.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. and learned Friend the Minister of Defence to the hon. Member for All Saints (Mr. D. Howell) and my hon. Friend the Member for Norfolk, Central (Sir F. Medlicott) on 30th May.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what status, as metal-working craftsmen, or otherwise, was accorded by his Department to those employees who entered his Department and were employed as skilled aircraft fitters at No. 1 Flying Training School, Netheravon, Wiltshire, in 1938, and whose only other industrial background was a vocational training course at Park Royal Government Training Centre; and the present status of such of these employees as may still be employed by his Department.

In both cases they would be regarded as dilutees.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what minimum industrial history was agreed between the Amalgamated Engineering Union and his Department, subsequent to 21st October, 1939, to entitle employees of his Department to recognition as skilled metalworking craftsmen.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Air to what extent the establishment for dental officers in the Royal Air Force is filled.

About 80 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what further consideration has been given to the question of granting an overseas allowance to personnel of the Royal Air Force serving in Germany to meet the cost of food and clothing in the Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes and in the German shops.

The case for introducing a local overseas allowance in Germany is still under examination.

asked the Minister of Education how the length of full-time courses in engineering required to reach professional status in this country compares with that in other advanced industrial countries, as ascertained by his Department's studies of the systems in such countries.

For information about other countries, I would refer the hon. Gentleman to Appendix A of the White Paper on Technical Education (Cmd. 9703).

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if, in view of the fact that Communist China now owns sterling balances in the region of £100 million, he will scrap the special China list altogether and permit China to purchase any goods that can be purchased by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

No. As my right hon. Friend said on 30th May, we have to act in this matter with our Allies.

asked the Minister of Health the source of the poliomyelitis viruses which are used in the manufacture of poliomyelitis vaccine; and how are the three types of viruses, used by the manufacturers, identified.

With one exception, which was of British origin, all the strains of poliomyelitis virus used in the vaccine manufactured in this country came from clinical cases of poliomyelitis in the United States of America.Types are identified by testing strains against prototype sera.

asked the Minister of Health how many spastic children there are in the counties of Lincoln, Derby, Nottingham, Northampton and Leicester; and for what proportion of these it is estimated that there will be adequate hospital-school provision in the next five years.

I regret that precise figures are not available as spastic children are not recorded separately from other handicapped children. So far as can be foreseen, however, the provision for educable spastic children in hospital and special schools in these areas should be adequate to meet the need in the next five years.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation, in view of the fact that the Kent County Council has unanimously approved the plans for a by-pass for Maidstone and one for the Medway towns, if he will state when the Maidstone by-pass will now be started and give an estimate as to when it will be available for general use.

I know the views of the Kent County Council but I must also consider the representations which have been made to me in favour of an alternative central road through the county. I will reach a decision on this difficult and important matter as soon as I can.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department his estimate of the cost to the taxpayer and ratepayer of the recent local government elections; and how much he estimates would be saved over three years if all local government elections were triennial.

According to the Local Government Financial Statistics for England and Wales presented to Parliament by the Minister of Housing and Local Government the net expenditure from the rates on council elections was £415,000 in 1953. This is the latest available figure, and the expenditure in 1956 would be of the same order. There