asked the Minister of Education if he will publish in HANSARD the correspondence he has received from the Surrey County Council voicing their objections to his Department's cuts in the proposed educational expenditure of the Surrey County Council.

No.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many cases are involved and what estimate he can give of the cost of giving retrospective effect to Section 19 of the Finance (No. 2) Act, 1956, as from the decision in the Stewart's Executors' case in April, 1952, and as from the enactment of Part III of the Finance Act, 1938.

I estimate that if retrospective effect were given to Section 19 of the Finance Act, 1956, the number of cases involved might be between 15,000 and 30,000 since April, 1952, or between 50,000 and 100,000 since 1938. No estimate of the cost and no more precise estimate of the number of cases could be given without a detailed examination of all the estates for the periods concerned which were liable to Estate Duty.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the National Debt payments cost in 1950, and at the latest convenient stated date ; what have been the reasons for this increase ; and by how much in the £ could the present Income Tax rate be reduced if the present National Debt payment were reduced to its 1950 level.

National Debt Services (comprising interest, management and expenses and sinking funds) in the financial years 1950–51 and 1955–56 cost £497 million and £674 million respectively. The major factors contributing to the increase of £177 million were the rise in short-term interest rates and the instalments of interest, which commenced on 31st December, 1951, on the Canadian and American Government loans.The sum of £177 million is equivalent to approximately 9d. in the Income Tax.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give consideration to the provision of additional wear and tear allowances to cover the increased cost of replacing shipping, on the basis that the gross amount of such additional allowances are to be deposited with the Treasury and released at the time when replacement occurs.

My right hon. Friend is giving close attention to the taxation position of the shipping industry. He can perceive objections to my hon. Friend's suggestion, but he will certainly bear it in mind.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the loss of revenue due to the contributions of employees to special pension schemes being tax free.

The cost of the relief given to employees in respect of their contributions to approved superannuation schemes is estimated at about £15 million a year.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the loss of revenue due to the employers' contributions to special pensions schemes for the workers or directors being recognised as a cost of production ; and what extra revenue he estimates would result if these amounts were considered as part of the profits.

Complete statistics of employers' contributions to superannuation schemes are not available but it is estimated that the cost of allowing such contributions to be deducted in arriving at taxable profits is of the order of £80 million a year. The additional revenue which would be received if these contributions were disallowed cannot be estimated as it would depend on the extent to which the contributions would be discontinued and replaced by higher wages and salaries.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the revenue from 6d. in the £ in 1955 on personal incomes and from 6d. in the £ from the income of companies, separately; what range of personal incomes contributed the largest amount of revenue in 1955 : and what was the average amount of Income Tax paid per head in this section.

The yield of Income Tax in 1955–56 was approximately £115 million for each 6d. in the £ of the standard rate with corresponding proportions of the reduced rates. Of this amount about £65 million accrued from personal incomes (including interest and dividends received from companies) and about £50 million from the undistributed profits of companies. As the hon. Member will see from Table 28 of the National Income Blue Book 1956, the range of incomes between £500 and £750 contributed more Income Tax in 1955 than any other range used in that Table. The 6½ million incomes (counting husband and wife as one) in this range paid, on average, about £35 each.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what sources of information his Department relies on for statistics about the harvest in Lincolnshire.

Reports on crop conditions in Lincolnshire, as in all counties, are made by the local officers of the National Agricultural Advisory Service on the basis of their knowledge of conditions on farms in the county. This is in accordance with the practice followed over a number of years.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how the cereal yields for this harvest in Lincolnshire compare with the last three years ; and what allowance has been made for the high moisture content and the depreciation of machinery which was used under such adverse conditions.

The yields per acre of wheat, oats and rye in Lincolnshire were estimated at 1st October to be below the yields obtained in 1953, 1954 and 1955. For barley and mixed corn, they were estimated to be below the yields obtained in 1953 and 1955 but a little above those obtained in 1954. The instructions under which the crops were estimated require allowances to be made for shedded grain or grain which cannot be harvested, but not for moisture content. Depreciation of machinery is a separate matter. Any additional costs incurred by farmers in dealing with the harvest will be taken into account in assessing farm income for the year at the time of the Annual Review.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement concerning the composition and salaries of the Sugar Board ; and when they will take up their duties.

The Sugar Board consists of Sir George Dunnet, K.B.E., C.B. (Chairman), Mr. J. A. Dyson, C.B.E., F.C.A. (Vice-Chairman), Sir Henry Brewer, M.B.E., F.C.I.S. and Mr. F. E. Harmer, C.M.G. The salaries of the chairman and vice-chairman are £4,250 and £2,750 per annum. respectively. The other members, who are part-time, have expressed the wish to serve without salary or fee. The Board was established on 15th October, 1956.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he is aware of the increasingly large traffic in live cattle from the United Kingdom to the continent ; and whether, with a view to reducing the hardship involved, he will seek powers to enable him to have such animals slaughtered here and the carcases sent abroad.

The transit of cattle to the continent is governed by regulations designed to prevent unnecessary suffering and I do not think that I would be justified in seeking the additional powers suggested by my hon. and gallant Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether as a token of friendship between the British people and the peoples of Poland and Hungary, he will propose discussions with these two countries for the purpose of granting them a loan without political ties to enable these Governments to improve the standard of living of their people.

My right hon. and learned Friend strongly shares the hon. Member's desire to help the peoples of Poland and Hungary. But he does not think that his proposal is practicable.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if negotiations are now to be initiated to revise the Anglo-Jordan Treaty.

No proposals for the revision of the Anglo-Jordan Treaty have been received from the Jordanian Government.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs under what convention or other instrument the United Kingdom retains the right to search ships suspected of carrying slaves.

The United Kingdom concluded at the end of the nineteenth century various bilateral treaties for the suppression of the slave trade and is a party to the Brussels Act of 1890. The Brussels Act specifically recognised reciprocal rights of visit, search and detention of vessels suspected of engaging in the slave trade within certain defined maritime areas. The United Kingdom is also a party to the Convention of St. Germain of 1919 which, though it purported to abrogate the Brussels Act as between the parties to that Convention, imposed an obligation to "secure the complete suppression of the slave trade by land and sea" and thus either facitly reaffirmed or left untouched the general provisions of Chapter III of the Brussels Act regarding the slave trade on the high seas. In pursuance of the obligations of the United Kingdom under the above-mentioned instruments British naval vessels have regularly patrolled the high seas in the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea watching for vessels engaged in the slave trade. The Supplementary Convention signed at Geneva on 7th September does not revoke or abrogate any previously existing treaty rights.

asked the Minister of Health what steps have been taken since February, 1955, to issue plans and estimates for the proposed out-patients' and physiotherapy departments at the Horsham Hospital ; and why there has been such a delay.

This scheme is one which supporters of the hospital have expressed a wish to finance from voluntary sources. The hospital management committee have not yet, however, received a definite proposal, but I understand local discussions are still continuing.

asked the Minister of Health the estimated annual cost of repairing the modern single-seater motor invalid tricycle ; and what is the estimated annual cost of repairing a two-seater motor invalid tricycle during the life of these vehicles.

This matter has been reexamined recently. Assuming an annual mileage of 5,000, the average annual cost over a period of years of repairing a modern single-seater invalid tricycle is estimated to be £30. Whilst there is no experience of the cost of repairing a two-seater invalid tricycle, on the same basis it would appear to be about £55 a year.

asked the Minister of Health how the United Kingdom representative voted upon the decision of the Ninth World Health Assembly to recommend a change in the form of the international certificate of vaccination or revaccination against smallpox ; and whether it is now his policy to accede to the proposed change.

The decision was adopted nemine dissentierte, but after further consideration Her Majesty's Government decided to reject the amended certificate on the ground that it no longer provided space for recording repeated attempts at primary vaccination.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government by what authority it is necessary for the tenant of a requisitioned tenement flat in Paddington previously paying £1 19s. 6d. rent now to be charged £5 16s. 9d. per week.

The responsibility for fixing the charges to be made to licencees of requisitioned premises rests with the local authority concerned.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what steps have been taken to relieve the traffic congestion in Horsham.

I am not aware of any special steps, but my hon. Friend may have in mind the temporary diversion of traffic by the police down Rushams Road at weekends, about which I have written to him.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation why Her Majesty's Government have not ratified the Convention on Road Traffic signed at Geneva on 19th September, 1949, and ratified by Australia, Austria, Belgium (including Belgian Congo and Ruanda Urundi), Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, France (including Morocco, Tunisia and all French teritories overseas as well as Togoland and the Cameroons under French mandate in addition to the principality of Andorra), Greece, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Philippines, Portugal, Sweden, Syria, Turkey, the Union of South Africa, the United States of America, Vatican City and Viet Nam.

Legal difficulties have been encountered in preparing the Statutory Instruments which will enable Her Majesty's Government to ratify the Convention. I hope however to be able to submit the draft Order in Council for Parliamentary approval in time to permit the Convention to be ratified before the beginning of the 1957 touring season.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether his attention has been brought to the observations of Mr. Justice Devlin in the recent case of St. John Shipping Corporation versus Joseph Rank Limited, namely, that Section 44 of the Merchant Shipping (Safety and Load-Line Conventions) Act, 1932, which imposes a fine of £100 for every inch by which the load-line was submerged might now be of little or no value as a deterrent ; if he is aware that, while a British master was liable to imprisonment for an offence under Section 44, a foreign master was not ; and if he will introduce legislation to amend the section so as to remedy it in both those respects.

I have every sympathy with the hon. Member's suggestion for increasing the fines which can be imposed for overloading. The matter has been noted for amending legislation when a suitable opportunity offers. To make foreign masters liable to imprisonment raises a more difficult problem and might have undesirable results for British masters abroad.

asked the Attorney-General what are the Government's proposals with regard to provision of legal advice to those with insufficient means to pay for it.

I am not in a position to make a statement about the Legal Advice Scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will make a statement regarding the strike on Rhodesian Railways as it affected railway workers in Northern Rhodesia and particularly the effect of the decision to reduce strikers to the lowest level in their wage grades.

On 24th September, 1956, the Railway African Workers' Union called a strike in protest against an arbitration award fixing new rates of wages and allowances. The council which made the award was recognised as an arbitration tribunal under Northern Rhodesian law, and the reference to arbitration was with the consent of both parties. The strike was only partially effective in Northern Rhodesia where all the African railway workers had returned to work by 28th September, without any reduction of rates of pay or of grade. They have been paid wages and allowances at the new rates with effect from 1st September in accordance with the award.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if the decision made to evacuate 60 Africans from Crown Lands in the Kawama Namalonga area of Northern Rhodesia was arrived at after consideration of the African claim to have lived on this land since 1936 had been investigated ; and whether the decision was made with his authority.

This matter has not been referred to me. I am making inquiries from the Governor and will write to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what decision has been reached on the claim of the Arab Association of Zanzibar that racial representation in the Legislative Council should be replaced by representation elected on a common voters roll.

The decree providing for constitutional changes came into operation on 15th September and the number of representative members of the Legislative Council has accordingly been increased to twelve.Proposals of His Highness the Sultan's Government for choosing these members, based on the report by Mr. W. F. Coutts, were submitted to the former Legislative Council in Sessional Paper No. 2 of 1956 and were adopted. Under these proposals six of the seats will be filled by common roll elections which it is intended to hold in July, 1957. The remaining six seats will continue to be filled by nomination, but the exact method of selection is still under consideration. Copies of the Sessional Paper have been placed in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what complaints he has received regarding passenger traffic facilities at the airport at Gibraltar ; and what steps he proposes to take to improve these facilities.

I have myself used these facilities, and I share the desire of the Gibraltar Government that they should be improved. Plans are now being prepared by the Gibraltar Government and the Air Ministry for a new terminal building.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what has been the total police security expenditure in Cyprus in the last year.

I have asked the Governor for the figures and will write to the hon. Member as soon as I have the information.

asked the Secretary of State for War what proportion of employers in the public and private sectors of industry, respectively, are paying to reservists the difference between their Service pay and their average earnings in industry.

I understand that the nationalised industries are making up the difference in cases where recalled reservists are receiving lower pay in the Army than in civilian life. I have not been able to ascertain the proportion of private employers who are doing the same.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power if he will now announce the results of the Government's consideration of opencast coal policy and compensation.

As far as we can foresee, it will be necessary to maintain opencast coal production at a high level for at least ten years. In view of this, the Government have decided to make the following extra-statutory improvements in the compensation paid to the owners and occupiers of agricultural land requisitioned for opencast coal production :

(a) the extra-statutory supplementary rental compensation normally paid to the occupiers of requisitioned agricultural land which is now at the same rate as the statutory rental compensation (or twice that rate in the case of certain small holdings) will be increased to three times that rate (or four times in the case of the small holdings);

(b) the rehabilitation allowance which is paid in some cases to landowners at the time of derequisition to cover loss of full beneficial use of the agricultural land will in future be paid in all cases at a flat rate of one year's rental compensation ; in special cases it may be increased to a sum not exceeding two years' rental compensation. The allowance will, as now, be paid only on condition that the benefit is passed on to the occupiers ;

(c) a further rehabilitation allowance equal to three years' rental compensation will be paid after derequisition to the owner of agricultural land for retention by him.

The improvements will apply as from 10th May, 1956, to land held under requisition then as well as to land requisitioned after that date.My right hon. Friends, the Secretary of State for Scotland and the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, and I are discussing with the agricultural organisations the possibility of improving the Code of Restoration adopted in 1951.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department the number of appeals to quarter sessions from the stipendiary magistrates for Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester for the periods of 12 months ended 31st December, 1954, 12 months ended 31st December, 1955, and six months ended 30th June, 1956, respectively.

The following table shows the number of persons whose appeals in criminal cases were disposed of by the Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester City Quarter Sessions, respectively, in 1954 and 1955. Owing to a change in the form in which the statistics are collected, the figures for the two years may not be directly comparable. I regret that it is not possible to distinguish appeals against the decisions of the stipendiary magistrates from those against decisions of lay justices, and that figures for 1956 are not yet available.

—	1954	1955
Birmingham	21	9
Liverpool	90	121
Manchester	42	45

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department in so far as appeals from the Liverpool Stipendiary Magistrate are concerned, in each of the periods of 12 months ended 31st December, 1954 and 1955, and of six months ended 30th June, 1956, respectvely, what number of appeals were allowed ; and what number were dismissed.

The following table shows the number of persons whose appeals in criminal cases were disposed of by the Liverpool City Quarter Sessions in 1955 and the result of the appeals. Owing to a change in the form in which the statistics are collected no directly comparable figures are available for 1954, but in that year the number of persons whose appeals in criminal cases were disposed of by the Liverpool City Quarter Sessions was 90. In the case of 42 the conviction or order was confirmed

—		Number of persons	Appeals against conviction only or against conviction and sentence or order			Appeals againt sentence or order only		Appeal abandoned
			Conviction quashed	Conviction confirmed		Sentence or order
				Without variation of sentence or order	With variation of sentence or order	Confirmed	Varied
1955	…	121	8	26	17	12	26	32

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many accused persons have elected to go for trial to Quarter Sessions from the stipendiary magistrates for Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester, during each of the 12 monthly periods ended 31st December, 1954 and 1955, and of the six monthly period ended 30th June, 1956.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions have there been in the last ten years for carnal knowledge of a mental defective.

In the eight years 1948 to 1955 134 persons were prosecuted under Section 56 of the Mental Deficiency Act, 1913, for carnal knowledge of a female defective, and eleven persons were so prosecuted in 1946. I regret that the number of prosecutions in 1947 is not available, but seven persons were convicted in that year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will now make a statement about giving county councils greater control over the activities of standing joint committees.

The County Councils Association have submitted certain proposals to me and I have arranged to discuss them with representatives of the Association in the near future. In the meantime, I have no statement to make.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why there have been no prosecutions of persons who, according to the Return of Experiments performed under the Cruelty to Animals Act, 1876, during 1955, had shown a reprehensible degree of carelessness.

As is explained in the last paragraph of the Return it did not appear that in any of these cases there had been any deliberate intention to contravene the Act. I was satisfied, after careful consideration of each case on its merits, that prosecution was not justified

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration he has given to setting up a Royal Commission to consider the difficulties of the police in countering vice in the West End of London.

No proposal for such a Royal Commission has been made to me. I do not think that any such inquiry is necessary or desirable.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many accidents at Cartland Bridge, Lanark, have been reported to his Department during the past three months ; and how many people have been killed and injured there, respectively ;(2) whether he has completed his inquiries about representations made to him by the hon. Member for Lanark about road safety at Cartland Bridge, Lanark ; and what steps he proposes to take ;(3) what representations he has received from the Lanark Town Council about Cartland Bridge ; and whether representatives of his Department have yet met the town council to consider the matter.

One accident has occurred on this bridge and three near it since 1st July last ; two people were killed and seven injured. Criminal proceedings are pending as a result of one of the accidents, and I regret that until these have been disposed of I am unable to comment on my hon. Friend's representations. I have received no representations from Lanark Town Council.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many school children were billeted in camps this season to assist with the potato harvest ; and what his plans are for next year.

This year the number of children billeted in camps for three weeks for potato lifting was 915, or about two per cent. of the children assisting with the harvest. As to next year, while children will again be required for the potato harvest, I have decided that none will be billeted.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will now make a statement on the Forth road crossing.

The Government have now made proposals relating to the financing of the Forth Road Bridge to the Joint Board, and I understand that the Joint Board agreed at the meeting this week to recommend to their constituent authorities that an amending order should be prepared to give effect to them.It is proposed that the constituent authorities and the Government should contribute to the capital cost of the bridge the sums of £500,000 and £4,650,000, respectively, referred to in the Order of 1947 and that the remaining part of the cost should be met in the first place from loans advanced to the Joint Board by the Government. These loans would be repayable from the proceeds of tolls.These proposals have been put forward subject to agreement being reached on satisfactory proposals regarding the other aspects of the scheme and on estimates of costs. I expect to receive a Report on the technical discussions very shortly.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will provide details of the trade between Great Britain and the Netherlands for the last 12 months for which figures are available ; and what additional particulars he has about the invisible trade in addition to the visible trade for the period in question.

In the 12 months ended September, 1956, the value of imports from the Netherlands was £141·8 m., of United Kingdom exports £110·9 m., and re-exports to the Netherlands £7·0 m. I regret that particulars of invisible trade are not available.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will provide an up-to-date list of imports which are still subject to quantitative control from the dollar area and the relaxation area, respectively ; and what changes have taken place in this list since 20th February.

The position is still generally as stated in the Answer which my right hon. Friend the Minister of State gave to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Northfield (Mr. Chapman) on 20th February but "bacon" should be deleted in column 2 of the table and "pulp and waste paper" in both columns. The item "newsprint, etc." should be amended to read "newsprint", paper manufactures and other stationery.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will give the value of any imports into the United Kingdom from the British Commonwealth which bore protective duties, during 1955 ; the total amount of such duty collected ; and the main classes under which such imports are listed.

Statistics are not available in respect of certain Commonwealth imports on which protective duties at full rates have been charged. Statistics of Commonwealth imports on which protective duties at preferential rates have been charged are as follows :

VALUE AND DUTY CHARGED ON CERTAIN GOODS LIABLE AT PREFERENTIAL RATES UNDER THE IMPORT DUTIES ACT, 1932, ENTERED FOR HOME USE DURING 1955
Description	Value	Duty paid
	£	£
Motor vehicles, parts and accessories :
Rubber tyres and tubes	722	160
Machinery other than electrical	29,815	6,626
Electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances	3,812	825
Motorcars	522,016	116,003
Other road vehicles	741	165
Parts, accessories, other than electrical	66,765	14,836
Watches and clocks	5,061	1,125
Musical instruments	5,557	1,020
	Total value:£634,489	Total duty paid:£140,760

VALUE OR QUANTITY AND DUTY CHARGED ON CERTAIN SILK AND ARTIFICIAL SILK GOODS LIABLE AT PREFERENTIAL RATES, ENTERED FOR HOME USE DURING 1955
Description	Value or Quantity (duty may be charged on alternative bases)	Duty paid
		£
Silk cocoons, waste, and tissues	1,424 lb.	542
Artificial silk waste, yarn and tissues	80,407 lb.	30,848
Stockings and socks	£120,752	36,226
Stockings	600 dozen pairs	270
Articles of apparel	£47,800	10,924
Articles of apparel	69,031 lb.	8,696
Textile bed furnishings	£1,171	410
Textile bed furnishings	113 lb.	11
Any other article, not elsewhere specified, wholly or partly of silk or artificial silk	£34,972	4,750
		Total duty paid:£92,677

asked the Minister of Works when Big Ben will be functioning again.

The hands of the clock will be started on Friday, 2nd November, to check the clock's accuracy. They will have to be stopped again when the bells are tested. I hope that both the clock and the bells will be in full working order within the next two weeks but I cannot yet give a definite date, as certain adjustments have still to be made.