asked the President of the Board of Trade how many vehicles, in the categories of private cars, commercial vehicles, and motor scooters,

				Numbers
—	Imports into the United Kingdom from Western Germany
	1953	1954	1955	Jan.—May, 1956
New cars (including taxis) and chassis for cars	1,032	2,352	4,527	1,490
Motor cycles and motor tricycles*	128	4,327	37,953	9,662
New commercial vehicles and chassis for commercial vehicles	1	599	909	298

—	United Kingdom Exports to Western Germany
	1953	1954	1955	Jan.—May, 1956
New cars (including taxis) and chassis for cars	3,072	3,159	3,852	1,394
Motor cycles and motor tricycles*	621	657	147	47
New commercial vehicles and chassis for commercial vehicles	247	61	308	218
* Motor scooters are included in this heading but not distinguished separately.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that the Australian Government have secured an improvement in their balance of payments problem mainly by introducing a system of import restrictions; and whether he will ascertain details of how their system operates with a view to introducing a similar system into this country.

The problems facing Australia and the United Kingdom are in certain respects very different. Her Majesty's Government are satisfied that an extension of import controls respectively, have been imported into the United Kingdom from Germany for the years 1953, 1954, 1955 and the latest figure available for 1956; and how many similar vehicles we exported to Germany during the same period.

The numbers are as follows:would be an inadequate method of dealing with our balance of payments difficulties.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the numbers of American cars, and the dollar costs involved, which have been imported into this country in each of the years from 1951; and whether, during the period of our balance of payments problem and the present recession in the British motorcar industry, he will ban the import of such vehicles.

Imports of cars for general sale from the United States of America and Canada together are limited by quota to 650 a year. I do not consider that it would be to our ultimate advantage to withdraw this facility from the United States, a country to which our own industry exports about 20,000 cars a year.The following are the figures:

UNITED KINGDOM IMPORTS OF NEW CARS FROM THE UNITED STATES
Year		Number	Value
			£
1951	…	94	84,840
1952	…	102	101,045
1953	…	128	108,821
1954	…	212	189,498
1955	…	528	502,477
Jan.—May 1956	…	180	180,561

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of total new capital investment has been in the motor car industry in recent years; what percentage it is expected to be in 1956; and what consultations he is having with the industry about its call on these scarce national resources.

The Answer to the first part of the Question is that in the years 1951 to 1955 the percentage of total gross fixed investment taken by the motor car industry has been as follows:

1951	…	…	…	1·2
1952	…	…	…	1·1
1953	…	…	…	0·9
1954	…	…	…	1·1
1955	…	…	…	1·8

(The corresponding figures for

asked the Secretary to the Treasury the remuneration paid to the chairmen and members of consumers councils, consultative councils and committees, and advisory councils established in connection with the nationalised industries; and the total cost of staff, office accommodation and other working expenses for each one of these bodies.

The only remuneration paid is as follows:

Chairman of Domestic Coal Consumers'Council—£100 a year allowance.

Chairmen of Area Gas and Area Electricity Consultative Councils—£250 in addition to remuneration as part-time members of these Boards.

Chairman, members and assessor, Air Transport Advisory Council—20 gns., 15 gns., and 6 gns., respectively, for each day's attendance (totalling £5,721 9s. in 1955–56).

Otherwise members of these bodies are unpaid, but receive travel and subsistence allowances at Government Committee rates.The latest available figures for the total annual cost of these bodies (excluding the remuneration mentioned above) are as follows:

	£
Coal Consumers' Councils*	2,000
Area Gas Consultative Councils	17,234
Area Electricity Consultative Councils	34,902
Air Transport Advisory Council*	8,605
Transport Users Consultative Committees	14,592
Scottish Transport Council (4 months only)*	150
* Expenditure borne by the Exchequer. The figures exclude the cost of accommodation provided by Ministry of Works.

Information is not available for the Scottish, Northern Ireland and Welsh Advisory Councils for Civil Aviation.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the undertakings on price stabilisation obtained from the nationalised industries, he will seek similar undertakings from the private sector.

The Government do not consider a specific appeal to private industry appropriate but they have emphasised to representatives of both industry and labour the importance of maintaining stability in costs and prices.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will issue a special instruction to the Capital Issues Committee regarding the provision of finance for the construction of an amusement tower in Battersea Park.

If the promoters need to raise fixed capital beyond £10,000 they will have to apply to the Treasury through the Capital Issues Committee for the necessary consent. I cannot anticipate the Committee's advice, but as the House knows, the Committee has been asked to recommend consent only where it is satisfied that the purpose is urgent under current requirements.If the project is to be financed out of the promoters' own resources, the law requires no consent to be obtained, but as I explained on 17th February, in such a case the promoters should themselves apply the same tests as if the money had to be borrowed.As was made clear by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Housing and Local Government in his reply of 26th June, the grant of planning permission does not imply that the expenditure is desirable. In the present economic situation, the construction of this tower is eminently a project which, in the opinion of the Government, should be postponed.I hope that this will be understood and accepted both by those who are considering building the tower and also by those who might be concerned whether directly or indirectly in providing the finance for it.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury if he will take steps to permit members of recognised rifle clubs to carry a rifle for legitimate purposes either to and from a gunsmith in connection with purchase or repair, or to and from a range in connection with an organised shoot, even though this may not be the range mentioned on the certificate.

The certificate in question exempts members of recognised rifle clubs from gun licence duty in respect of rifles used for musketry practice at, and carried to and from, ranges approved by competent military authority. It might present difficulty to extend the terms of the exemption, and I should hope that it would be possible to arrange for rifles to be collected and delivered by the gunsmith.

asked the Minister of Labour what action he took in an attempt to secure consultation of the unions by the British Motor Corporation during the two days when he had advance information that the sackings of 6,000 men were to be summarily announced.

As I have repeatedly said, it is extremely desirable that the earliest possible notice should be given when reduction of a firm's labour force is contemplated. In this particular instance, I was informed privately of the company's decision in advance of the public announcement, but there was no question of my advice being sought.

asked the Minister of Labour whether, in view of the prevalence of pneumoconiosis, he will make a health survey of foundries in West Bromwich, similar to that made in Stoke-on-Trent potteries.

The survey of potteries in Stoke-on-Trent, like that of all factories in Halifax, are pilot exercises designed, among other things, to throw light on the value of surveys of this kind in furthering the Government's aim to improve occupational health. The results will be studied in consultation with the Industrial Health Advisory Council. If it is decided to make further surveys, the hon. Member's suggestion will certainly be borne in mind.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that owing to recent redundancy in the motor industry, men registering at Washwood Heath Employment Exchange are having to wait for periods of more than three hours; and whether he will take steps to increase the staff and accommodation available at that exchange.

The staff of this employment exchange has been substantially increased to meet the large increase of short-time and wholly unemployed workers. Overtime is being worked and special premises have been opened to relieve congestion. Delays averaging 30-–50 minutes, and in a few cases of 1¼ hours, have occurred mainly because of applicants attending well in advance of their scheduled time. I am satisfied that all reasonable steps are being taken to keep delays to a minimum.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT details of the administrative economies totalling £475,000 recently proposed to be made by his Department as part of the Government's economy measures.

The greater part of the economies totalling £475,000 for 1956–57 will be on staff reductions which are expected to result from a thorough review of organisation and procedures and standard of work and staffing throughout the Ministry, and from a reduction in the scale of certain services. By the careful choice of economy measures, the Ministry will secure that reductions in staff are reflected to the smallest possible extent in the service provided, and the quality of service to industry and the public will continue at a high standard.

asked the Minister of Labour when the White Paper on the Terms of Service and Pay of the Factory Inspectorate will be published.

I am not yet in a position to say when the White Paper on the Factory Inspectorate will be published. It will deal with questions of organisation, methods and staffing and not, except incidentally, with terms of service and pay.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why no decision upon their application for an extension of permit to stay in this country has yet been communicated to two Iraqi students whose permits expired on 31st March, 1956.

The main reasons for the delays were, in one case, the need to verify the validity of the student's passport and, in the other, the unfortunate and regrettable mislaying of the student's application in the Department. I very much regret the inconvenience caused to these students, each of whom has now been given an extension of his stay to 31st December.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many cases during 1956, to the nearest convenient date, he has withdrawn the permit to stay in the United Kingdom of an alien married to a woman of British birth.

As I have explained on previous occasions, immigration statistics are not kept in such detail as to enable me to give this information.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will make a statement on the subject of retrospective pay increase for lower ranks of the police.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has now completed his examination of the possibility of amending legislation to give effect to the recent award of the arbitration award in connection with police pay; and whether he will make a statement.

I refer hon. Members to the statement which I made after Questions today.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will seek to make available to hon. Members a transcript of the evidence given by officers of the Criminal Investigation Department at the trial of the Messina brothers at Tournai.

The Belgian authorities have been asked for a transcript of these proceedings but it is not yet available. I will certainly consider this suggestion when it is.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why he has still not made a decision about issue of a visitor's visa to Mrs. Helen Bobak, Reference No. B108927, despite the fact that the application was made on 30th January; whether he is aware that this matter is urgent since Mrs. Bobak's passport is valid for only six months from April; why the application has again been referred back to Warsaw; and whether he will now see that a decision is reached immediately.

Dr. Bobak was advised in reply to his letter of 30th January that his mother should apply to the British Embassy in Warsaw for a visa for the purpose of her proposed visit to him. Her application appeared to be for permanent settlement, not for a visit, and the Visa Issuing Officer at Warsaw referred it to London on 12th June for further instructions. I should need more information before I could agree to Mrs. Bobak coming to settle here but I have authorised a visa for a visit.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will investigate the circumstances in which Paul Monaghan, now detained in St. George's School, Fresh-field, Formby, Lancashire, recently ran away from the school at a time when his diseased hip made even a short period of exposure a source of serious danger to him; and whether he is satisfied that the boy is now receiving treatment adequate and appropriate to his condition and should not either be given leave or treated in hospital.

From inquiries I have made, I find there is no foundation for the suggestion that this boy is suffering from a diseased hip or from any other physical disability. He is quite fit, and is not in need of any special treatment

asked the Minister of Education if he will reconsider his refusal in the case of a Huyton teacher, whose name has been supplied to him, to include in his service, for the purpose of increment, a period of war work under the direction of the Ministry of Labour.

The Burnham Committee Report provides that civilian employment during the war period can be reckoned as equivalent to teaching service for purposes of increment only if it is service which the Minister considers may properly be treated for the purposes of the Teacher Superannuation (War Service) Act, 1939, in the same manner as service in the Forces. I have reviewed the case of the teacher to which the right hon. Gentleman has previously drawn my attention, but, for the reasons I have given him, I cannot see any grounds for altering the decision sent to the teacher in 1950

asked the Minister of Education what representations he has received from Staffordshire Education Authority about shortage of teachers in the county; and what action he will take.

asked the Minister of Education what representations he has had from the Staffordshire County Council about teacher shortage; and how many teachers are required to make up the establishment.

The local education authority told me a week ago that about 450 of the teaching posts which they wish to fill for next term were still vacant on 1st June: and they urged me to introduce a scheme fixing maximum establishments for each authority. As I explained in replying to the debate on the Adjournment on 6th July, I do not think this suggestion practicable, but I shall be ready to meet the authority and discuss their difficulties if they wish.

asked the Minister of Education how many teachers are required to make up the establishment in Leek, Cheadle, Biddulph and Kidsgrove, respectively, in the Leek Division.

I understand that the local education authority would like to obtain 28 more teachers to serve in the Leek Division—six in Leek, two in Cheadle, nine in Biddulph and 11 in Kidsgrove.

asked the Minister of Education if he is aware that the situation regarding the shortage of teachers in the Birmingham schools is rapidly deteriorating; that unless some action is taken to stop the drain of teachers from that city, the number of teachers short will be 1,000 by the end of August and may possibly mean a closing of many classes; and if he will take immediate action in the matter.

I am aware of Birmingham's severe difficulties, but I am not sure what are the assumptions behind the hon. Member's figure. As to the last part of the Question, I would refer him to my speech in the Adjournment debate on 6th July.

asked the Minister of Education how many school projects were originally included in the 1956–57 school-building programme before the amount of the arrears of the 1955–56 programme was known.

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 17th May.

asked the Minister of Education how many school projects which were included in the 1955–56 programme and were not started by 31st March, 1956, were in Leek, Biddulph, Cheadle, and Kidsgrove, respectively.

Two. They were the secondary modern schools for the Waterhouse and Warslow areas of the Leek Rural District. Building work has now begun on the first and can begin in September on the second.

asked the Minister of Education how many new primary and secondary schools, respectively, are included in his 1957–58 school building programme for the administrative county of Cheshire; and how many of them are within the area of the Stalybridge and Hyde constituency.

Work on four primary and seven secondary schools is expected to start during the year ending 31st March, 1958. None of these is in the area of the Stalybridge and Hyde constituency, but a project for a new secondary school at Dukinfield is being held in reserve under paragraph 4 of Circular 306.

asked the Minister of Education how many new primary schools in the area covered by the Stalybridge and Hyde constituency have been included in each year's programme from 1950–51 to 1957–58; and how many have been built.

One primary school at Stalybridge was included in the 1950–51 programme, and one at Hyde in the 1951–52 programme, but work on them did not proceed owing to a change in policy. The Stalybridge school was included in the 1955–56 programme, and work on it is expected to start very soon.

asked the Minister of Education how many new secondary schools will be needed in Berkshire to serve the rural parts of the county; and if he will now give particulars of the building programme with starting dates for the five years to 1960.

Of eight new schools needed for this purpose, the building of one is nearing completion, and one is expected to start this summer and one next. Two further projects are to be

MAJOR PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL PROJECTS BUILT SINCE THE END OF THE WAR POSITION AT 31ST MAY, 1956
Name of School				Date started	Date completed
Completed since the end of the war:
Falmouth County Infants	…	…	…	31.12.49	30. 6.51
Newquay County Infants	…	…	…	31.10.50	29. 2.52
Saltash County Infants	…	…	…	1. 3.51	31 3.53
Torpoint County Primary	…	…	…	1.11.51	31. 3.53
Newquay Secondary Modern	…	…	…	1. 5.52	31.12.53
Launceston, Pennygillam Secondary Modern	…	…	…	30.11.52	30.11.53
Penzance, Alverton Junior	…	…	…	1. 2.54	30. 4.55
Camborne Secondary Modern	…	…	…	31. 3.54	29. 3.56
Under construction:
Carclaze County Junior	…	…	…	3.55	—
Wadebridge Secondary Modern	…	…	…	1. 3.55	—
St. Eval County Primary	…	…	…	1.11.55	—
Saltash County Junior	…	…	…	30. 1.56	—
Falmouth Secondary Modern	…	…	…	1. 8.55	—
Fowey County Secondary Modern	…	…	…	19.12.55	—
Hayle County Secondary Modern	…	…	…	31. 3.56	—
Looe County Secondary Modern	…	…	…	31. 3.56	—
Liskeard County Infants	…	…	…	1. 5.56	—

asked the Minister of Education what concessions he proposes to make to the Cornwall Education Committee under Circular No. 306, in view of the fact that the Committee complied with the Government's request for economy in the autumn of 1955 and postponed certain school building projects.

A deputation from the Cornwall Authority visited the Ministry this morning. I am considering their representations.

asked the Minister of Education how many all-age schools there were in Cornwall at the latest convenient date; and how many children of secondary school age they contained.

In January, 1956, there were 3,079 children in the senior classes of the 124 maintained all-age departments in Cornwall.

asked the Minister of Education what new schools have been built in Cornwall since the end of the war, and in which years.

The following is the information:

asked the Minister of Education what plans he is making to promote the pursuit of liberal education among persons engaged in technical and vocational studies.

This matter is being widely discussed, and interesting ideas are being put forward. I am considering various possibilities. In particular, I want to encourage more and longer full-time and sandwich courses, because these can provide the best opportunities for giving technical students a liberal education.

asked the Minister of Education if he will advise local education authorities when making contracts for meat for school meals not to exclude the use of home-produced meat as some are now doing.

My right hon. Friend has told local education authorities that, if a reasonable level of expenditure is to be maintained, the meat they buy for the school meals service must include a reasonable proportion of the cheaper cuts and kinds. Otherwise he has not thought it desirable or practicable to limit their discretion.

asked the Minister of Health how many pharmacists have been recruited to the permanent staff of the hospital service since the last salary award for pharmacists; what is the difference in the basic grade between a permanent pharmacist's salary and a locum pharmacist's salary; and how many locum pharmacists are employed in the hospital service.

I regret that the information asked for in the first and third parts of the Question is not available. On the second part I would refer the hon. Member to the reply to the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, Central (Dr. Stross) on 2nd July, 1956.

asked the Minister of Health how many chief pharmacists have left the hospital service during 1956; and how many general vacancies for permanent pharmacists now exist in the hospital service.

I regret that the information is not available.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations what conclusions were reached by the Dominion Prime Ministers' Conference on the subject of Cyprus.

As the hon. Lady will have seen in the statement issued at the end of the Commonwealth Prime Ministers' meeting, the Prime Ministers were informed of the situation in Cyprus, and welcomed the unceasing efforts of the United Kingdom Government to find a solution acceptable to all concerned.

asked the Postmaster-General why the Post Office notifies to the Inland Revenue the names of new applicants for business telephones; and under what authority.

This is a convenient and economical way of providing information which will, in any case, be subsequently published.