asked the Minister of Works what action he is taking this winter to dislodge the starlings that roost round Trafalgar Square and foul the monuments and pavements.

Experiments with a loudspeaker device are continuing. But even if these were successful, which I am bound to say is unlikely, the cost of a full installation would be very great. I am afraid I see no prospect at present of finding an effective method of dislodging the starlings which is both humane and economical.

If my right hon. Friend does not see much hope of effective help from the scientists, would he consider calling in aid the sparrowhawk or the owl?

I do not think I could control the sparrowhawk or the owl, and if it were a stuffed one I think the starlings would get used to it quite soon.

Could not the Government persuade these birds to spend the winter in Port Said or Jamaica?

asked the Minister of Works what are the provisions made for the embellishment of the new district office building in Marylebone; whether by sculpture or murals; and whether any sculptors or painters have been approached.

None as yet. The first stage of the building is not planned to start for about two years, and it will be at least six months before planning has proceeded far enough to enable me to make any decision on these questions.

May we take it that by that Answer the right hon. Gentleman asserts again that consultations with appropriate painters and sculptors take place when the time comes, and will he make a declaration to the House, as his predecessors have done, that there will always be consideration for the proper embellishment of all Government buildings in this way?

While I am entirely in sympathy with the hon. Gentleman in appreciating the desirability of providing artistic embellishment for suitable buildings, I must, of course, have regard to the cost. I will consider the matter directly the plans have reached a suitable stage.

Will my right hon. Friend take care that the sculpture does not consist entirely of Mongoloid women in an advanced state of elephantiasis?

I will bear that point in mind.

asked the Secretary of State for War what casualties have been suffered by National Service men from Aberdeen in Cyprus and the Middle East during 1956; and what was in each case the nature of the casualty.

Two National Service soldiers, whose next-of-kin live in Aberdeen, have died. Three have been injured during operations against terrorists in Cyprus this year. One of these suffered head injuries and the rest sustained burns in the forest fire of last June. Elsewhere in the Middle East no National Service men from Aberdeen were casualties.

Can the right hon. Gentleman say what are the injuries of these gallant men, where they are now and how many of them have been sent home?

I will certainly let the hon. and learned Gentleman have those details if he so desires.

asked the Secretary of State for War how many Scottish soldiers and National Service men are now serving in Cyprus and the Middle East; and if he will state where they are.

This information is not readily available.

What is the youngest age at which National Service men are sent abroad, and how long are they expected to serve in a theatre of war?

That seems quite a different question.

asked the Secretary of State for War how long a soldier is required to serve in Cyprus before being allowed leave outside that island.

I assume that my hon. Friend refers to the scheme by which married Regular soldiers, whose families have had to remain in this country because of the emergency in Cyprus, may be allowed free travel to the United Kingdom. Among other conditions, they must have been overseas apart from their families for at least nine months.

Can my right hon. Friend deny that a soldier who went to Cyprus at the beginning of October has been told he can come home for Christmas leave if he pays his own fare? Will my right hon. Friend examine that case, because it seems quite wrong that a man's leave should depend on his parents' ability to pay his fare?

Naturally, I will look at the case if my hon. Friend will send the details of it to me, but, of course, this is a privilege which applies only to married men. It does not apply to single men. That may be the answer to my hon. Friend's question.

Is it correct that soldiers in Cyprus who have fulfilled all the conditions and are granted Christmas leave are asked to pay £57 for the cost of transport to England and back again?

The situation is this. The normal rule for men serving overseas is that they should take their leave locally. Exceptions are the married soldiers, as I have just told the House. Naturally, there are also the compassionate cases, for whom a payment of passage is given. For the unmarried soldiers the normal thing is that they should have their leave within Cyprus, for which special facilities are given. In cases where men are prepared to pay a reduced fare home, they may, with the permission of their commanding officer, do so.

Will the right hon. Gentleman not look at this matter again? I think hon. Members on both sides of the House would regard it as frightfully mean that young men who are asked to serve in Cyprus should be asked to pay their own fares home. Will the right hon. Gentleman not look at the matter again in order to meet what is, I am sure, the desire of the whole House?

We must be fair. This is a concession on the general rule which applies to overseas stations. I will certainly look at what the right hon. Gentleman has said, but I think the answer is probably going to be in the negative.

asked the Secretary of State for War how many reservists recalled for service in the Middle East failed to report for duty when required on the termination of their leaves; how many men were involved in protests against their retention in Cyprus or conditions there; how many in each category have been charged; of these, how many were acquitted; and what punishments were awarded to those found guilty.

I assume that the hon. Member refers to the 638 reservists who failed to embark on the "Asturias" to return to Germany at the end of their leave. Many of these had been granted extended leave; 32 were apprehended as absentees, and the remainder rejoined their units after only a short absence. I know of 116 cases in which disciplinary action has been taken. Seventy-one of the men concerned were admonished and the remainder received punishments ranging from three days' confinement to barracks to 28 days' detention. This information may not be complete as some of the units concerned are now in transit.

I assume that the second half of the hon. Member's Question refers to a demonstration which occurred at Headquarters Field Records Cyprus. Disciplinary action was taken against 23 noncommissioned officers and men; 16 of these were dealt with summarily by their commanding officer, 12 being acquitted and the remainder receiving minor punishments. Seven men were tried by general court-martial on 12th November. Six of them were found guilty of joining in the mutiny and one of disobeying a lawful command. Sentences range from reduction to the ranks and 12 months' detention to 14 days' detention.

While thanking the right hon. Gentleman for that very full reply, may I ask him, in view of the sense of frustration from which these men suffer—often kicking their heels and being in idleness for weeks—and the ultimate repudiation of military action by the United Nations, whether he will not reprieve these punishments altogether?

I do not think that is a helpful supplementary question. We really must not exaggerate these things. I admit that a number of these men were standing by with all their transport and with their equipment packed up and that they were not as fully employed as we should have liked them to have been, but as soon as news of the worsening international situation broke they hurried to their units. That is a fact which, I think, demonstrates that, basically, there was nothing wrong with their morale.

While it is quite impossible to condone the action of those men, would the right hon. Gentleman not agree that the numerous character of these incidents, almost unparalleled in Army history, shows the very repugnant nature of the military tasks the Government were asking these men to perform?

The right hon. Gentleman has got hold of the wrong end of the stick. I have pointed out that, as soon as news of the worsening international situation broke, these men hurried back to their units.

Would not my right hon. Friend agree that most of this conduct has been caused by the encouragement given to such individuals by Left-wing opinion in this country?

No, I think the House really should keep this in proportion. I think my answer is a fair one, and I believe it to be the truth.

Does not the right hon. Gentleman's previous answer prove conclusively what I suggested to him last week, namely, that if he were to allow all the reservists to go, they would come back on call, whether by wireless or by telegram and that, therefore, there is no reason why he should retain any more of the reservists in this country at the present time?

I am answering later a number of Questions on the Paper about the reservists.

Will they be the right answers?

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will state the terminal gratuities and periods of leave which will be granted to Army reservists on release from the Colours; whether they will be related to the differing condition of service and reserve pay and gratuities of Class A and reservists designated for service in Class A, Class B, Army Reserve, Category I A, I B, II B, and II A of the Army Emergency Reserve, respectively; whether, as the timing of release is related to the exigencies of the service, he will consider special cases of personal and business hardship; and whether he will introduce legislation to remove the anomalies revealed in the workings of the Army Reserve Act, 1950, and the Auxiliary and Reserve Forces Act, 1949.

The scales of leave to be granted were given by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Defence in a Written Answer to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Nottingham, Central (Lieut.-Colonel Cordeaux) on 20th November. No arrangements have been made to pay terminal gratuities. We are releasing all reservists who are no longer required as quickly as possible and regardless of their occupation. Applications by others for release on compassionate grounds or because of exceptional business hardship will be considered in the normal way. The composition of the Army Reserve will be reviewed in the light of experience in the present emergency.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that it has always been the practice when the Reserve has been mobilised to pay gratuities of some kind, and that in this case the Government were caught up in an imperfect mobilisation scheme, so that there was bound to be hardship? Ought not gratuities, therefore, to be paid which would take into account the fact that men were called up who received no Reserve pay, a fact which is bound to cause a great deal of heart-burning? Surely, the right hon. Gentleman must now admit that the unrest which has existed amongst reservists springs fundamentally from the fact that the mobilisation scheme of the Government just did not work, and that they called up far too many men.

I cannot accept the latter part of the hon. Gentleman's supplementary. I think the leave and pay arrangements which we are making are generous, and I think there is not a case for the gratuity for which the hon. Gentleman asks. I can assure him that we are getting on with the job of releasing reservists as quickly as we can.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will pay former National Service men recalled for the Suez war, who had not volunteered for the Reserve, the sum they would have been entitled to had they been on the Reserve since completing their National Service.

I am not sure what the hon. Member means, as all the men recalled were on the Army Reserve. It is a fact that some reservists receive more than others during their Reserve service, but these amounts are related to their greater liability for training and to recall.

Is it not utterly unfair that thousands of former National Service men who did not volunteer for the Reserve, many of them now with young families, should have suffered the same liability to recall as men who did volunteer? Will the Minister consider paying these men, as very partial compensation, the £27 a year minimum which they would have received as members of the Regular Reserve?

As the House knows, these bounties are related to the reservist's training liability and his liability to recall in an emergency without a proclamation. The National Service reservists in category II of the Army Emergency Reserve have a lesser liability, and the fact that it was necessary to recall some of them for the present emergency does not alter that. As to the other part of the hon. Member's supplementary question, I am prepared to consider whether any change in the future is desirable.

Do not these anomalies, which are undoubted in the scheme which the War Office has instituted in this recall, not call for a review of the arrangements for recall to service, of which the right hon. Gentleman spoke just now?

I have just said that I am prepared to look at this matter. The reason is obvious. Some men are more liable to recall than others and, because of that, they are paid a higher bounty.

Will not the right hon. Gentleman be good enough to look with care at the different categories recalled? Will he not realise that a man in category IIa of the Army Emergency Reserve has a tremendous grievance against the Government for not giving him some compensation for calling him without notice?

I am prepared to look at this matter, but for the future and not for the past.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he is now in a position to give further details about the demobilisation of reservists recalled for the Suez war and of other men retained beyond their normal period of service.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will make a further statement on the release of reservists.

I have nothing to add to my statement of last Tuesday, except to confirm that the process of release has already started.

Is the Minister aware of the widespread discontent among these men, particularly National Service men, who have now been away from their homes and their jobs for four months? What is to prevent the right hon. Gentleman from getting all these men, whether they are in Britain, Germany, Cyprus or Suez, home and demobilised in time for Christmas?

I have already explained the position of the Government on this matter. I did so to the House last week. I have nothing very much to add, except that I re-emphasise that we must have sufficient reservists and retained Regulars to enable us to meet our military commitments. Our policy is to release those no longer necessary because of the way this emergency has developed. I assure the hon. Member that we made a punctual start on Thursday and that the process is going well.

Have the Government any planned system of priorities for release, apart from individual application on compassionate grounds? Have they any regard to age, length of service, medical category and that sort of thing, or is it a pure fluke whether a man gets released now or next year?

The hon. and gallant Gentleman must realise that I had a choice of waiting and working out a complicated list of priorities or getting on with the job of releasing them. I took the latter view, and we are releasing men who are not needed. I assure the House that the estimate of 6,000 men released within six weeks will be honoured. In fact, I pitched my estimate low, but at this stage, because I do not want to create disappointment, I am not prepared to go further.

Will my right hon. Friend have full regard to the psychological effect of giving details about releasing men at a time when the main issue is still hanging in the balance?

I hope my noble Friend will agree that I have been careful to say that I do not wish to create disappointment.

Will the right hon. Gentleman answer my question which he would not answer earlier? He said in reply to another Question that people who had failed to return from leave returned immediately they realised how serious was the situation. Would the right hon. Gentleman, therefore, not agree that he can quite easily release people—and there are 14,000 of them at present serving in this country—on the understanding, which they have already recognised, that they must come cack speedily if wanted?

The right hon. Gentleman may be assured that I shall not keep them in unnecessarily, and I am getting on with what I call a fair and rapid scheme of demobilisation. I am not prepared to go any further at the moment

Does the right hon. Gentleman's reply to the noble Lord the Member for Dorset, South (Viscount Hinchingbrooke) mean that the Government are still prepared to go on defying the United Nations?

Order.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is yet able to release Barons Cross Camp, Leominster, which is being used on few occasions and which is occupying land suitable for the extension of Leominster Urban District Council house building.

No, Sir, there is a continuing need for this land.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that this camp of 34 acres, which is serviced with roads, sewerage and light, is very suitable for extending building accommodation which the local authority wants, and is also an attractive site for industry? Is my right hon. Friend aware that, no matter what his information may be to the contrary, this camp is one which is redundant in the opinion of the local people? Will he send someone down to have a local inquiry to see whether the loss of this land to the local authority by his retention of it may be avoided?

As I think my hon. Friend knows, this camp has a dual purpose. In peace-time it is not, I admit, fully occupied but, as my hon. Friend knows, this land is required should an emergency ever arise, and it is for that reason we find it difficult to adopt the suggestion my hon. Friend has made. I have not had any applications for the use of this land for houses. I have had applications for its use for industrial purposes and for its use for a highway depot, but there has been no application to me, apart from what my hon. Friend has just said, for this land to be used for housing.

asked the Secretary of State for War what firm of contractors built the St. George's Army School, Hong Kong, which was completed in April, 1955; and what repairs are now required to the school.

The main contractors were Messrs. Lap Hing and Company. As a result of investigations into this and other contracts they were suspended last July from tendering for further War Department work. The repairs which have been carried out to St. George's School and are pending are not large and will not cost in total more than a few hundred pounds. In addition, some concrete paving which has been discovered to be below specification will probably need replacement prematurely.

While thanking the right hon. Government for that reply, may I further ask him whether the cracks in the walls of this school, which let in the rain, will shortly be repaired?

Yes, we have made a thorough check of the school, and I think they would be included in the minor repairs which are necessary.

asked the Secretary of State for War on how many occasions the Egyptian forces have broken the cease-fire agreement since it came into force.

There have been three clear breaches of the cease-fire agreement.

Does not that show that the word of the Egyptian Government is absolutely valueless? What does my right hon. Friend propose to do about those breaches of the cease-fire agreement?

All these cases have been reported in the Press. There were three occasions on which the Egyptians fired on allied forward troops. In one case the fire was not returned. In the others minimum firing was used for self-defence. These masters were reported immediately to the United Nations.

What were the casualties on either side through these breaches of the truce?

There were no casualties on our side, and as far as I know there was none on the other.

asked the Secretary of State for War how many officers have been permitted to retire voluntarily before completing their full period on the active list in each of the last five years, to the latest convenient date.

The figures for each of the years 1952 to 1955 are 646, 531, 594 and 746. That for the first ten months of 1956 was 505.

Why must men below the rank of officer purchase their discharges while officers are given them voluntarily?

The quick answer is that officers are not permitted to resign in the early years of their service and, as long as there is no emergency, other ranks are permitted to do so.

Will my right hon. Friend place no barriers in the way of the right hon. Member for Easington (Mr. Shinwell) and the hon. Member for Wednesbury (Mr. S. N. Evans) completing their national service?

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will give details of the overseas allowance paid to officers and other ranks stationed in Germany.

As the answer to this Question is a table of figures, I will, with permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Are the allowances similar to those applied to Air Force personnel stationed in Germany?

Yes, Sir. They are very similar.

In that case, how is it that a married corporal, or anyone below the rank of corporal, having his family with him overseas is allowed only 1s. 6d.? Why is there this substantial differentiation between corporals and other ranks and those above them?

The point the hon. Member is getting at is that the sergeant is paid more than the corporal. It is my view and that of my Service colleagues that sergeants should be able to maintain a higher standard of living, not only for

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will order that the punishment awarded to Private K. Mason, of the 1st Battalion Worcestershire Regiment, for having his hands in his pockets and standing bareheaded whilst attending an open-air fete, be expunged from his records.

No, Sir. As my hon. Friend explained to the hon. Member in his letter of 20th November, this punishment was not irregular, and I think that such minor disciplinary cases are best dealt with by commanding officers.

Does not the Minister accept that this is a very unusual case? Is it not true that there are recruiting posters asking men to join the Services, depicting men without their hats on and in uniform with the caption, "This is the life "? Does the right hon. Gentleman not really think that, in view of the fact that if schoolboys were to sneak on their fellow-schoolboys in this way they would be sent to Coventry, it is time that we stopped this sort of thing altogether?

I know that everyone has his own opinion on this matter, but I think everyone agrees that soldiers off duty must maintain a reasonable standard of deportment and discipline. Also, it is extremely difficult to draw the line between this kind of case and that of the themselves but for their families, than Service men of other ranks.

In view of the unsatisfactory nature of the reply, I beg to give notice that I shall raise the matter on the Adjournment.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether his attention has been called to the observations of the Lord Chief Justice on 19th November on the hearing of the appeal of Private R. F. Renn, Portslade, against his conviction for murder by court-martial; and what action he is taking, having regard to the views expressed by the Lord Chief Justice to the effect that had he been tried by a civil court Private Renn might not have been found guilty of murder.

The Army Council have reviewed the proceedings of the court-martial held on Richard Frederick Renn at Herford in Germany on 10th May, 1956, and have taken into consideration the observations of the Courts-Martial (Appeal) Court on 19th November when the appeal against conviction was dismissed. The Council has decided that the sentence of ten years' imprisonment which this soldier is now serving shall be reduced to a sentence of two years' imprisonment. This reduction of sentence has been promulgated.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that the observations of the Lord Chief Justice, and the sense of urgency in his representations to the War Office, indicated his view that this soldier ought to be released at once? Will my right hon. Friend have the sentence of two years, to which it is now reduced, reviewed again?

I am sorry, but my hon. and learned Friend has absolutely the wrong end of the stick. The Lord Chief Justice, who was President of the Court, did not indicate anything of the kind, and I would ask my hon. and learned Friend to read carefully his report before making that kind of allegation.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what representations he has received from organisations in the cinema trade and film industry about the closure of cinemas in the current year; and what reply he has made to such representations.

When the Cinematograph Exhibitors' Association made representations about the Government's policy towards the film production industry, which my right hon. Friend announced in the House on 2nd August, they mentioned the number of cinemas which had been closed this year as evidence of the difficulties in which exhibitors find themselves. Their representations have been noted.

Is anything being done about this? Is this serious situation not spreading bankruptcy, especially amongst the small men in the cinema trade, and is it not a fact that the closure of a further 100 cinemas is pending at this moment? Is not the Department of the hon. Gentleman going to do anything about this?

The position is being carefully watched.

Is the Minister aware that these cinemas have closed because of the present high level of cinema taxation, and does he think that he will help other cinemas to keep open by adding another tax, as he proposes to do in his scheme?

The level of Entertainments Duty is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer. As regards the proposed levy, I ask the hon. Gentleman to await the publication of the Bill which is to be introduced shortly.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, with a view to furthering the ends of a common market, he will allow individuals to import up to, say, £100 worth of merchandise duty-free from the Continent.

No, Sir.

Is it not a fact that our import restrictions for individuals are more extensive than those of any other country in the world, and could my hon. Friend see that something is done as soon as possible on this account, as it would be a great help to people, especially to those living on fixed incomes?

I have considered the suggestion of my hon. Friend, but I can assure him that a number of practical difficulties would prevent its adoption.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what representations he has received from the Film Selection Committee about the exhibition of films showing the Olympic Games; and what action he has taken under Section 5 of the Cinematograph Films Act, 1948.

No application under subsection (2) of Section 5 of the Cinematograph Films Act, 1948, has so far been made to the Board of Trade in respect of any such film, and indeed it could not effectively be made until the film had been completed and registered as a British film. There has, therefore, been no reference to the Film Selection Committee and no recommendation from them.

But is the hon. Gentleman not aware that it has already been announced that a film of the Olympic Games will be shown only in very small extracts of not more than three minutes in newsreels or in stills, and that the major film circuits have boycotted the long film which is now being made whilst the Games are being played? Is not that a scandalous abuse of their monopoly powers, and will not the President of the Board of Trade compel them, with the powers that he has, to show this important film in Britain?

I should make it clear that nothing can be done until the film is in this country and registered as a British film. In any case, it should not be assumed that the United Kingdom exhibitors will refuse to show films that are made of the Olympic Games.

Is this not a matter that calls for further consideration? In view of the fact that the Games are being held in a British Commonwealth country and that the Duke of Edinburgh opened them, ought there not to be the maximum publicity in the Commonwealth and in the rest of the world? The Government really ought to give it more serious attention.

Very serious attention has been given to the matter, but nothing can be done under this Section until the film is in this country and registered as a British film.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the need to conserve our dollar resources for essential requirements, he will suspend further licences for dollar expenditure on items such as fruit and canned fruit which can be replaced from Commonwealth sterling sources.

No, Sir. Imports of fruit from the dollar area are severely restricted already. In any event, most of the licences already issued and to be issued cover fruit from the United States under Aid Programmes, and these imports do not cost us dollars.

Is my hon. Friend aware that, quite apart from the Mutual Security Aid allocations to which he has referred, and since my Question referred to those items needing dollar expenditure, in the current season alone we are spending 1£¼ million on soft fruit which could easily be replaced from Commonwealth sources?

Answer.

Is the Minister aware that there is very strong feeling indeed on this matter, particularly as we in the sterling area get no corresponding trade for canned goods going back into the dollar countries?

Or anything else.

In answer to both my hon. Friends, it is important to remember that we do not wish to pursue a policy of further discrimination in the realm of trade.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what steps he is taking to promote the substitution of Commonwealth-grown tobacco for tobacco of dollar origin in view of the need to conserve dollar resources for essential purposes.

United Kingdom tobacco manufacturers are restricted as to the proportion of dollar tobacco which they may include in cigarettes made for the home market. This proportion is at present 61 per cent., part of which is supplied by Canada.

Is my hon. Friend aware that there will be a surplus of Rhodesian tobacco, or there could be a surplus, available next year if Her Majesty's Government would limit the percentage of dollar-grown tobacco by a very slightly increased amount?

Our information is that United Kingdom cigarette manufacturers are taking up all the Rhodesian leaf that they conveniently can.

But will not the Parliamentary Secretary take more seriously the excellent advice that comes from behind him? As the Labour Government successfully raised the proportion of Rhodesian tobacco by a large margin and saved a lot of dollars, why cannot the present Government do the same?

Because the present very high proportion of Commonwealth leaf is about as much as United Kingdom manufacturers can usefully take.

On a point of order. In view of the very unsatisfactory replies to both those Questions, I beg to give notice that I shall raise this matter on the Adjournment.

Further to that point of order. Is the Minister aware that we shall be very pleased to help his hon. Friend in this matter?

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware of difficulties experienced by local authorities in respect of the disposal of their waste paper and cardboard; what action has been taken, in collaboration with the Waste Paper Recovery Association, to ensure useful disposal of surplus paper; and whether consideration has been given to the possibility of securing overseas markets for the waste.

I am aware that local authorities who collect this valuable indigenous material have recently been asked by the Waste Paper Co-ordinating Committee to reduce their deliveries to the mills by at least 10 per cent. for a period of six months. This is necessary because the amount collected and delivered is temporarily in excess of the present capacity of the mills and it is imperative to reduce stocks. I am glad to say that exports of waste paper are increasing. The overseas demand, however, is for good quality waste and the present large stocks are mainly of un-sorted, mixed waste.

Could not steps be taken to see whether more of this waste paper could be taken from local authorities, since they do not want to clog themselves with an unnecessary surplus of waste paper?

One problem is that waste paper does not keep very well in stock and it is imperative not to accumulate excessive stocks at the mills.

If good quality waste paper is wanted for export, why not destroy the waste paper not required in order to collect good quality papers which can earn us foreign currency?

I will certainly consider that suggestion.

Could the Minister say anything about the waste paper collected by private individuals? They, too, are finding it difficult to get rid of it.

I will look into that as well.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what further developments have taken place this year in this country in the commercial production of synthetic rubber; what quantity is now on the market; and what is the estimated production during 1957.

Production of synthetic rubber on a commercial scale has not yet begun, but two special purpose synthetic rubber plants with a total capacity of 14,000 tons a year are expected to be in commercial production early next year and a third such plant in the summer of 1957. Production of general purpose synthetic rubber is expected in 1958.

Is the Minister aware that last year I was informed that the plant was about to be in operation? What has happened meanwhile? Has it been found that the plant is not suitable, or what is the position?

I understand that it is a very complicated plant to bring into operation. It is essentially a matter for the operators themselves to bring it in.

Will the Minister tell us how the price of this synthetic rubber compares with that of the raw rubber which we get from Commonwealth countries?

No. I could not without notice.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what effect the imports and manufactures in Great Britain of synthetic rubber are having upon our trade in natural rubber with Malaya.

Imports of natural rubber are not affected by synthetic rubber production in this country, which has not yet begun on a commercial scale. It is not expected that Malayan exports of natural rubber will be adversely affected by consumption of synthetic in this country because world demand for natural rubber is sufficient to absorb total supplies. Retained imports of natural rubber into the United Kingdom rose steadily in the years 1953 to 1955 in spite of a sharp rise in imports of synthetic rubber. Retained imports of natural rubber have fallen this year mainly as a result of the recession in the car industry.

Since there is likely in the near future to be an increase in the production of synthetic rubber which will have an effect on our imports and will naturally affect the economic position in Malaya, will the Minister give an undertaking that when the increase in production arises, the damage to Malaya will fall gradually instead of in one dose?

It does not follow that the production of synthetic rubber will damage the exports from Malaya. Indeed, synthetic rubber has been imported into this country without causing any damage so far.

asked the President of the Board of Trade, in view of the fact that it is the largest single industrial consumer, what special steps he is taking to ensure that the steel industry receives supplies of fuel oil adequate to maintain output and avoid possible unemployment.

Arrangements are being made for the steel industry to obtain additional supplies of creosote pitch to make up for the 10 per cent. reduction in their supplies of fuel oil. It is expected that by this means output can be maintained and unemployment avoided.

Is the Minister aware that this is a question of particular concern to those who represent steel-making constituencies? Will he give the House an assurance that his right hon. Friend will watch the position of which we speak rather more closely than usual?

My right hon. Friend will certainly watch the position for the future, but it should be made plain that the supply of creosote pitch should make good entirely the cut in fuel oil.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in the 1958 Census of Distribution, information will be obtained about the development of self-service trading.

No, Sir. My right hon. Friend, after consulting his Advisory Committee, thinks that the questions to be asked in the Census should, for reasons of economy and to save traders time and trouble, be limited to the essential minimum,

Does not the Minister appreciate that the self-service shop is one of the most encouraging developments in recent years from the point of view of reducing the cost of living? Ought it not, therefore, to be very desirable to get as much information about them as possible and disseminate it amongst those engaged in distribution?

I have a good deal of sympathy with that point of view, but the fact is that the census is only a sample survey covering about 1 in 10 of the smaller independent traders. It might therefore give a very distorted impression if we examined self-service trading which is largely in the hands of the larger traders.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what steps he proposes taking to rectify the wide differences between the regions of which he has been informed as regards the rate of increase in numbers of insured workers.

My right hon. Friend will continue to do what he can to secure a balanced distribution of industry, but the number of jobs available in manufacturing industry is only one of a number of factors which affect the rate of increase in the number of insured workers in a region.

In view of the fact that the rate of increase varies between the regions by as much as fourteen times and that it is clearly shown that Scotland and Wales are suffering very badly and losing their industrial population, will not the Parliamentary Secretary ask his right hon. Friend to review the advance factory building policy?

My right hon. Friend, of course, can influence factory building only by means of the grant of industrial development certificates. He possesses no powers of direction either of factories or of labour.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state the net sales of Government-held dollar securities in the past 12 months and the past four months, respectively.

In the twelve months ending 22nd November, 1956, sales were made in the London market amounting to £12 million. For the four months ending on the same date, the figure was £5·4 million.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of the revenue in percentage and value is raised by tariffs of one kind or another.

I assume that the right hon. Gentleman is referring to protective Customs duties. The yield in the financial year 1955–56 from these duties was of the order of £90 million, representing just under 2 per cent. of the total net receipts from taxes.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what will be the estimated loss to the revenue in the current financial year and in a full year, respectively, consequent on the rationing of petrol and oils.

The loss of revenue will, of course, depend on the length of time for which rationing has to be maintained. It is estimated that it will amount to about £6 million a month.

Can the right hon. Gentleman tell the House how he proposes to recoup his losses in this direction? Further, can he give us any assurance that there will not be further additional bills consequent on the Government's action in Suez? Can he further say whether this particular bill is in addition to that which he announced in the House about a fortnight ago?

I was asked about additional expenditure the other day. This is a question of loss of revenue, and I have given the figure.

In view of this serious figure, plus the loss of revenue from the licensing of cars and Purchase Tax revenue on new cars—all this on top of the £50 million to which he referred the other day—does the Chancellor still maintain that the main structure of his Budget remains unaffected by the economic effects of the Suez crisis?

Broadly speaking. I expect that the Budget will produce a substantial surplus—slightly reduced, no doubt, but we cannot tell until the outturn—of the order which I estimated.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will give details of the proposed increased expenditure on university building projects as it applies to each university, together with the estimated increase in the number of students.

The allocation of these sums by the University Grants Committee is not yet fully settled, and in so far as those for 1958 and 1959 are to be devoted to works costing under £50,000, will not be settled for some time. I hope, however, to make available shortly a list of the works estimated to cost over £50,000 which it is proposed to start during the years 1957, 1958 and 1959.

The buildings themselves vary greatly in kind, and range from libraries, laboratories, and other buildings for teaching and research, to halls of residence and students' amenities. It is not, therefore, practicable to relate each project to a specific increase in the number of students in the university in question.

Will the Chancellor see that as far as possible there is an equitable distribution between all the universities, and that the bulk of this money does not go to the older universities, which are not necessarily the most needy or the most significant?

I think we can rely on the admirable advice we get from this Committee and from our other advisers to see that the object of the whole purpose is both to be equitable and to serve the real needs of the nation.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the additional dollar expenditure required through loss of oil supplies from the Middle East.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for West Ham, North (Mr. Lewis) on 20th November.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he has completed his consultations with local authorities in regard to caravan sites; and what conclusions were arrived at.

Not yet.

Will my hon. Friend invite local authorities to suspend notices of closure, which may become operative while the discussions are continuing, until after the discussions have been concluded?

Local authorities will, no doubt, bear in mind that these discussions are taking place, but I do not think that any such general suggestion can be properly made.

Is the hon. Member prepared for the steep rise in the demand for caravan sites which will inevitably follow the passing of the Rent Bill?

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what report he has received from his Department's engineering inspector who visited Newcastle-under-Lyme on 9th November to survey private streets; and if he will now give loan sanction for private street works in cases applied for by the borough council.

My right hon. Friend has considered the inspector's report and has decided to sanction a loan for the making up of the three streets in question.

While thanking the hon. Member and his right hon. Friend for that reply, which will be welcomed by the Newcastle-under-Lyme Council, which will now be able to get on with the work, is he aware that this is only the first instalment of a very big programme and that it is hoped that the Minister will give the same generous consideration to the later instalments?

These are the three streets to which the local authority gave the highest priority.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he is aware that the council house tenants of Penarth, Glamorgan, have voted against a differential rents scheme on a poll con ducted by the council by a majority of seven to one; and what policy is recommended in his circulars in such circum stances where the tenants express their preference for an alternative scheme.

My right hon. Friend is aware of the inquiry made by the council. It is for the local authority in each case to decide whether to introduce a differential rents scheme.

As this local authority has decided to ignore the result of its own poll, despite the overwhelming vote, is any remedy open to the tenants, except to turn out the council?

This is a matter rightly and entirely within the discretion of the local authority as a representative body.

Can the Parliamentary Secretary say whether a local authority has power to withdraw all subsidies from council houses and refuse rebates of rent on any houses, or give very small rebates to a minority, while using the balance for the reduction of rates?

Local housing authorities have power by law to make such reasonable charges for the tenancy or occupation of their houses as they may determine.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will withdraw Circular No. 59/56, based on Section 2 of the Housing Subsidies Act, 1956, with a view to easing the financial burden placed on local authorities.

This is a matter which will be for discussion on the draft Order under Section 2 laid before the House on 1st November.

I am aware of that. Is the hon. Member aware that I am giving him an opportunity of doing something before that Order is laid? Does he fully appreciate the aggravation which the Order has caused local authorities, especially those with very long waiting lists for houses? Will he try to dispel the general impression that the main ingredient of his right hon. Friend is cynicism?

Those are points which will no doubt be made and which will certainly be rebutted during the debate on the draft Order.

asked the Minister of Labour what information he has about short-time working at Ford's, Dagenham.

I understand that this firm intends to introduce short-time working, but details have not yet been announced. Discussions on the matter are taking place between the firm and the unions concerned.

Can the right hon. Gentleman help by speeding up the release of ships for exporting cars?

It is not a matter which comes directly within my province, but I will be glad to draw the attention of my right hon. Friends to the point.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that talks between the staff and the company concerned took place early last week and that the unions will certainly be informed before any short-time work plan is put into operation?

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is aware that, at the inquiry into the fatal accident on 5th October, 1955, in the Government Fisheries Research ship "Kathleen", of which details have been sent to him, it was stated that the ship was not suitable for the type of work she was doing and that steps are being taken to remedy this unsuitability by building a new research ship of different design; whether men are still working in this ship in the same dangerous conditions as Mr. Frost, the man who was killed; and what provisions are now being made for their safety.

No statement was made that the ship was unsuitable for the work that she was doing, and neither the sheriff nor the jury made any observations to that effect, or to the effect that conditions were dangerous. While greatly regretting this fatal accident, and sympathising with Mr. Frost's relatives. I do not think that the crew of the "Kathleen" faced any greater danger than other seamen. The system of working was in fact the same as that used on commercial fishing vessels; nevertheless a handrail and step have been fitted to assist the crew to step over the winch rope, and the posting of an additional man at the winch controls when seine net gear is being hauled has been authorised.

Does not the insertion of that handrail to which the Secretary of State has just referred indicate that the ship was unsuitable in that respect for the work which Mr. Frost was obliged to do? Does the Secretary of State not realise that when he sends men to work in an unsuitable ship at the risk of their lives, he owes to them and their dependants the added duty of seeing that they do not suffer injury, or, as in this case, death?

As I said, I sympathise most sincerely, but accidents do happen. As the sheriff said, nobody saw this accident and nobody knows how it occurred. The operation has been carried out hundreds of times.

In view of the unsatisfactory nature of that reply, I shall raise the matter in another way at the earliest opportunity.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is aware that the present system of treating outpatients at the Raigmore Hospital at Inverness sometimes causes unnecessary trouble to, and financial expenditure by, the out-patients; and whether he will review, and take steps to improve, this system.

I am not aware of any general complaint about the out-patient services at Raigmore. All boards of management have recently been asked to undertake a review of their out-patient departments and reports are at present awaited.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that a number of complaints have been made about the system of treatment of out-patients at the Raigmore Hospital at Inverness during the last few years, and that a review of the system at present operating there would be very much in the interests of local people?

I agree with my hon. Friend, but, of course, the regional hospital board wishes to avoid all unnecessary travelling and hardship, and that matter is now being considered.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether a decision has now been taken as to the site of the new hospital in the Isle of Skye; and when the work is expected to start.

With our present resources I am afraid that there is no early prospect of a major hospital development in Skye, and, therefore, no final decision has been taken as to the site for it.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that the decision that no hospital will be built in the Isle of Skye in the near future will be deeply regretted by the people of Skye and in the neighbouring parts of the west coast of Scotland?