asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance the total amount of compensation agreed to be paid to each of the British ex-prisoners of war and to civilian internees by the Japanese; and, in view of the large amount paid to similar individual American and Canadian personnel, what representations he made to secure a larger share for British ex-prisoners of war and civilian internees.

£76 10s. 0d. to former prisoners of war and £48 10s. 0d. to civilian internees. The two sources of funds were Japanese assets in the United Kingdom, which were covered by Article 14 of the Peace Treaty, and the United Kingdom's share of money paid over by Japan under Article 16 of the Peace Treaty, together with proceeds of sale of the Burma Siam railway. Representations could not affect the former figure under Article 14 which was a pure question of fact; the Article 16 money was allocated by the International Red Cross in accordance with the number of prisoners taken by the Japanese from each of the participating countries.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what reply he has sent to the petition from the Woolwich branch of the Old-Age Pensioners' Association forwarded to him on 12th November by the hon. Member for Woolwich, East.

My hon. Friend the Joint Parliamentary Secretary sent the hon. Member a full reply on 5th December.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what action is taken by his inspectors to ensure that all members of the community who should be insured under National Insurance Acts are so insured, and have the necessary cards.

Under Section 49 of the National Insurance Act all employers and insured persons are required to provide such information, and to produce such documents, as an inspector may reasonably require for the purpose of ascertaining, among other things, whether contributions are payable or have been paid. These powers are used as necessary, and particularly in the course of visits of inspection, to ensure that the provisions of the Act are being complied with.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he will include dental surgeons in the list of priority groups for supplementary petrol allowances.

No. There is no need to accord priority to dental surgeons generally. But regional petroleum officers will consider applications from dental surgeons whose practice renders them particularly dependent on the use of a car.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power why district nurses and welfare workers are required to use their basic petrol rations on their official work before supplementary coupons are issued.

I know of no such requirement.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what provision, by way of supplementary petrol rations, he is making for Methodist and other lay preachers to continue taking their preaching appointments in country districts where no convenient public transport services are available.

Methodist and other lay preachers, like other members of the community, must be prepared to use their basic ration for essential journeys which cannot be made by public transport. But regional petroleum officers are being authorised to issue additional allowances, where necessary, on application by the organisations concerned.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power how soon a measure will be introduced to provide a remedy for damage caused by subsidence resulting from coal mining.

This measure is in an advanced state of preparation but I am not yet able to give a date for its introduction.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what action he intends to take to control or restrict lubricating oil; whether there are ample reserves of this; and what notification he has received from the petroleum companies about the future price of lubricating oil.

Stocks are good; no restrictions are contemplated at present but I ask users to exercise all possible economy.One petroleum company has notified me of a proposed increase in the wholesale selling price of lubricating oil.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what is the present position in respect of wholesale and retail supplies of paraffin or kerosene; and what action is being taken to ensure that elderly people and others who largely or entirely rely on this oil for illumination, heating or cooking shall be able to meet their needs even if this may involve restriction of supplies to those to whom it is not essential.

Wholesale supplies arc being maintained and I am not aware of any general difficulty in obtaining retail supplies. But I shall keep a close watch on this, and I shall certainly bear the hon. Member's points in mind.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power if he will now make regulations covering pensioners formerly employed by municipal gas undertakings to give them improved benefits under the Pensions (Increase) Act, 1956.

I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the reply I gave to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for South Angus (Captain Duncan) and my hon. Friend the Member for Edinburgh, West (Sir I. Clark Hutchison) today.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what action he proposes to take on the recommendations of the Herbert Committee of Inquiry into the electricity supply industry that there should be relativity with outside industry in the matter of the salaries paid to board chairmen and others.

The Government recognise that there is much to be said for a review of the salaries paid to members of the hoards of nationalised undertakings, but I regret that the financial and economic situation makes it impossible for me to make any more definite statement on this matter at present.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what progress he has made in his consultations about the recommendations of the Committee of Inquiry into the Electricity Supply Industry with regard to retail trading activities of the electricity boards.

I have now agreed with the industry the changes to be made in the accounts for this part of the boards' business. In future they will show the receipts and direct costs for their contracting business separately from those for their sales of fittings. The present information in the accounts about indirect costs will not be split in this way, but it will be supplemented with estimated figures for the rent, rates and insurance properly chargeable to this business.In addition the boards will amplify the Notes on Accounts to include, amongst other points, an estimate of the capital employed in the business, thus making it possible to calculate the net return on that capital. The changes will involve extra work for the industry and I am grateful to the boards for their co-operation and particularly for agreeing to incorporate them in the accounts for the current year.

asked the Minister of Supply if he is now in a position to state the amount of compensation which has been paid in respect of the Swift aircraft.

The final settlement for work done by Vickers on orders for Swifts will not be made until existing orders for this aircraft and for spares are completed. No question of compensation arises.

asked the Minister of Supply why civil servants in the Chemical Inspectorate of his Department have been prevented from enrolling in appropriate sandwich courses in institutes of further education.

I am not aware that any member of the Chemical Inspectorate has been prevented from enrolling for a sandwich course. However, if the hon. Member will let me have particulars of any such case I will gladly look into the matter.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether, in view of the financial position of the country, he will now refrain from giving improvement grants for farm buildings to landlords who are liable to pay Surtax.

No. These grant-aided improvements are designed to bring about greater efficiency and lower working costs on farms. Any discrimination against individual landlords would frustrate this purpose.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, in view of reports of further increases in the price of bread and the hardship this will cause to many families, if he will now reconsider his previous decision not to control prices.

No.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food his estimate of the effect of the increase in the price of petrol on the price of fish.

So many factors affect the price of fish that it is impossible to isolate the effect of the increased price of petrol but we should expect it to be very small.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will now state the monthly average retail prices of beef for November, 1955, and for each month until the latest available month.

For the last four quarters the average prices per lb. of household purchases of beef and veal, as ascertained by The National Food Survey, were as follows:

			Pence per lb.
4th quarter, 1955	…	…	42·8
1st quarter, 1956	…	…	41·7
2nd quarter, 1956	…	…	42·5
3rd quarter, 1956	…	…	42·1

The figures do not distinguish between home produced and imported, nor do they take acount of variations in the proportions of different types of meat bought at different times.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether, now that he has approved, in principle, in the proposed British Egg Marketing Scheme, the sale of unstamped eggs in shops, he will withdraw forthwith the prohibition of such sales as contained in Article 3 of the Eggs Order, 1953.

No. The Scheme provides for the sale of unmarked eggs by producers direct to consumers but gives a Board the right to require registered producers to stamp with an identification mark eggs sold to retail shops. In the circumstances it would not be appropriate to amend the Eggs Order in the sense suggested.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the cost to public funds of operating the Eggs Division of the Ministry of Food.

The administrative cost of that part of the Eggs and Poultry Division of my Department which is concerned with eggs and egg products is approximately £118,000 per annum. This figure includes allowances for overheads. superannuation, travel and subsistence.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on how many occasions the Consumers' Committee for England and Great Britain, established under the Agricultural Marketing Acts, 1931 to 1949, have met during the past twelve months.

The Consumers' Committee for Great Britain has met once during the past twelve months. The Consumers' Committee for England last met in October, 1955. Its meeting arranged for November this year was postponed until early in 1957.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether it is his intention to include fencing of a permanent nature as fixed equipment within the scope of the proposed Farm improvement Scheme.

Yes, subject to the general qualifications set out in the White Paper on Long Term Assurances for Agriculture (Command 23).

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is satisfied that adequate consideration is being given to the special needs of Wales in regard to agricultural research.

Yes, Sir. I have consulted the Agricultural Improvement Council for England and Wales and the Agricultural Research Council. At my request a Sub-Committee of the Agricultural Improvement Council has been appointed to review the technical problems of agriculture in Wales and to advise whether there are any particular matters requiring research to which the attention of the Agricultural Research Council and my Department should be invited. Sir Frank Engledow, Drapers Professor of Agriculture at Cambridge University, and Vice-Chairman of the Agricultural Improvement Council, has accepted my invitation to be Chairman. The other members are:

• Mr. J. V. Allen.
• Mr. E. Gibby, O.B.E.
• Mr. T. E. Gwillim, M.B.E., J.P.
• Mr. T. H. Jones, M.R.C.V.S.
• Prof. E. J. Roberts. M.Sc., M.A

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware of the lack of general facilities for chiropodic treatment for old persons in the Uxbridge area under the National Health Service; and if he will take steps to have such facilities provided.

Yes, but I am afraid that the financial situation prevents any such development at present.

asked the Minister of Health what arrangements have been made for a chiropody service for old people in Braintree.

Some treatment is provided by a voluntary organisation. Treatment is also available for old people who are in St. Michael's Hospital.

asked the Minister of Health what reason is assigned by his medical advisers to the disturbing increase of 86 per cent. over 1938 of deaths from leukaemia in Great Britain.

I am advised that, while improved diagnosis plays some part, no one reason can be given for the increase; this disease and cancer generally is the subject of intensive research.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will consider enabling pensioners who are entitled to claim rebate in respect of medical prescriptions to avoid attending a post office for this purpose by arranging that the doctor should indicate on the prescription the entitlement of the pensioner to be relieved of payment for prescriptions or by the chemist recording the number of the pensioner's book.

I fear that neither arrangement would be practicable.

asked the Minister of Health if he will arrange for all camps accommodating Hungarian refugees to be visited by a mass radiography unit, in view of the danger of the spread of tuberculosis.

I do not consider that there is any need for such special measures.

asked the Minister of Health what reports he has received from the Standing Medical Advisory Committee and the Medical Research Council on the subject of chronic bronchitis; and whether he will now make a statement on the steps that are being taken for the prevention and cure of chronic bronchitis.

The Standing Medical Advisory Committee has not so far given me advice on this subject, nor has there been any report from the Medical Research Council, which is undertaking long-term research. I am therefore not yet in a position to make any further statement.

asked the Minister of Health what representations he has received asking him to prohibit the manufacture of moulded rubber footwear on the ground that synthetic materials in the footwear are responsible for foot ailments; what consideration has been given to the matter; and with what result.

I received representations to this effect from one trade association and contrary representations from two others. My inquiries produced no scientific evidence of increased risk to foot health through the use of this type of footwear.

asked the Minister of Health what steps he has taken to provide suitable alternative accommodation for people whose homes have to be demolished to make room for new hospital building, or extensions.

My right hon. Friend has asked hospital authorities to act with the utmost circumspection before instituting proceedings to obtain possession of houses and has advised them to consult the local housing authority about the possibility of providing alternative accommodation if hardship is likely to be caused.

asked the Minister of Health how many disabled men are in his Department's hospitals, under care and maintenance, because they have no home address.

Forty-six.

asked the Minister of Health, as representing the Lord President of the Council, what research is being made into the causes of leukaemia.

The Medical Research Council is sponsoring a number of investigations. In particular, the possible importance of exposure to radiation, the increasing use of certain drugs and other factors are being studied. Other research on this subject is being carried out in certain university departments.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what proposals Her Majesty's Government will submit to the United Nations for the investigation and restraint of the recent suppression of the population of North Vietnam by the Communist authorities there, before it leads to war between North and South Vietnam.

We are aware from a number of sources, including admissions by the authorities in the area, that basic human rights in North Vietnam have been disregarded, and it is not surprising that people tried to take matters into their own hands. We are in touch with other friendly Governments about the communication which the Government of Vietnam have addressed to the Secretary-General of the United Nations. But the restrictions imposed by the authorities in the North on contacts between members of the International Commission now in Vietnam and the populace, indicate the kind of obstacles which would he placed in the way of effective action by the United Nations. The declared policy of the Government in the South shows, I think, that they at any rate will avoid any action, which could lead to a resumption of hostilities.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT the numbers of information officers employed by his Department in each foreign country, together with the numbers of those who have had practical journalistic or advertising experience.

There are 152 officers who are employed by the Foreign Office solely or primarily on information work abroad. This figure includes those who are locally engaged as well as those on the United Kingdom based establishment. Of them 59 are known to have had practical journalistic or advertising experience.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs when he appointed a permanent Government liaison officer to the British Broadcasting Corporation External Services; the duties of this official; and since what date had this post been vacant.

A member of Her Majesty's Foreign Service was appointed on 1st November as liaison officer between the Foreign Office and the External Services of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The purpose of this appointment is to improve the arrangements for consultation between the Corporation and the Foreign Office. It is to supplement, and not to replace, the existing arrangements for such consultation, as set out in Clause 15 (5) of the Licence and Agreement between the Postmaster-General and the Corporation.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether Her Majesty's Government's representatives at the United Nations will propose that observers should be sent to Syria, in view of the conflicting reports and also of the build-up of arms in that area.

I have nothing to add to the reply which I gave to the hon. and gallant Member for South Angus (Captain Duncan) on 3rd December.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on his talks with the Foreign Minister of Turkey.

Her Majesty's Government welcomed the visit of the acting Turkish Foreign Minister and the Secretary-General of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs to London on 29th November. It provided an opportunity for a useful exchange of views on matters of common interest. As the discussions were confidential, I am unable to give details of them.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT the text of the speeches made by the British representative in the Security Council on 29th October and 30th October, explaining why Britain had used the veto and why Britain opposed the calling of a special meeting of the General Assembly.

No. The text of these speeches is available in the Library of the House and I do not think it is necessary to circulate them in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

asked the Attorney-General what were the differences in the evidence given before the magistrates and before the jury in the prosecution of Mrs. Richardson which led him to apply to the judge in chambers for a special bill of indictment on the ground that the magistrates had been plainly wrong in holding that Mrs. Richardson had no case to answer and which led counsel to concur in the submission of counsel for the defence at the trial that there was no case for her to answer.

The application to the judge, which was made by the Director of Public Prosecutions, was supported both by the evidence contained in the depositions and by evidence of the contents of a statement made by Mrs. Richardson. After hearing the evidence of seven witnesses who were not called before the magistrates the trial judge excluded evidence of this statement as inadmissible.

asked the Secretary of State for Air (1) what squadrons of the Royal Air Force took part in the bombing attacks on Egyptian airfields immediately on the expiry of the Anglo-French ultimatum;

The Valiant and Canberra aircraft which undertook these operations formed part of the military forces which were deployed from August onwards as a precaution against an outbreak of hostilities in the Middle East. Some of the Valiant and Canberra squadrons left the United Kingdom in September and the majority followed in the second half of October when the state of our military preparedness in the Mediterranean was stepped up in view of the growing tension in that area. Ground equipment and a small ground handling party were dispatched from this country by air and sea from early August onwards. The squadron ground crews left this country by air at about the same dates as their squadrons. Some of the Valiant and Canberra squadrons returned to this country at the end of the first week in November, and some more squadrons have returned within the last two weeks.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he will give and estimate of the size of tanker fleet necessary to guarantee an adequate flow of oil to this country when it is necessary to take the Cape route; what is the size of the present fleet; and what action he proposes to take to achieve an increase.

A fleet of tankers of about 7 million tons deadweight would be needed to bring sufficient oil to this country to meet normal demands. This assumes that all the oil imported from the Middle East is routed via the Cape.The present fleet of tankers available for this purpose, including many foreign ships on charter, probably totals under 5 million tons deadweight. The best short-term means of making good the loss of tanker capacity resulting from the haul round the Cape is by transferring tankers to shorter voyages especially those across the Atlantic as is now being done. In conjunction with my right hon. Friend the First Lord I have also taken steps to speed the repair and turn round of tankers during the present shortage in order that the greatest possible use can be made of existing ships.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation which are the food delivery services for which he proposes to make petrol allocations additional to the basic allowance; and on what basis the additional allocations will be made.

I would refer the hon. Member to the Answer I gave to the hon. Member for Shoreditch and Finsbury (Mr. Collins) on 5th December about supplementary rations for goods vehicles generally.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he is aware of the disorganisation in the carriage from Aberdeen to the south of Scotland and to England of food and other essential commodities which the present fuel rationing plan will cause to producers, distributors and consumers and hauliers; that this disorganisation will cause widespread unemployment, loss and damage; if he will reconsider and amend the plan so as to permit these essential services to continue as heretofore; and if he will make an early announcement of the amended plan.

Long-distance traffics should, wherever possible, be diverted from road transport. If this cannot be done my Regional Transport Commissioners will consider applications for supplementary fuel rations for the carriage of food and other essential traffics. I have already circulated in the OFFICIAL REPORT for 5th December the criteria which will govern the issue of supplementary rations.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether, in view of the difficulties which the travelling public will experience as a result of the new restrictions upon fuel oil, he will increase the allocation of petrol and oil for public transport services in Birmingham and other industrial centres.

No. Some reductions in public transport services will be unavoidable, but they will not be great. The precise application of the allocations I have made must be left to my regional transport commissioners.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he is aware that the holders of provisional licences must renew the licence every three months and if he will make an order extending the period until the emergency is over.

I do not propose to take any action in this matter at present, but I will bear the hon. Member's suggestion in mind.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation to what extent the expected delay of many years in providing dual carriageways at Temps-ford and Stibbington, both on the A.1 road, will affect the proposed inclusion of these schemes for authorisation between 1955–56 and 1958–59.

The scheme for widening A.1 between Sandy and the junction of A.428, which was announced on 27th July, 1955, provides for the use of the existing bridge at Tempsford by north bound traffic, whilst south bound traffic will use a new section of road some 130 yards to the east of the present road. Ultimately, the existing road and bridge will cease to be a trunk road and a second carriageway will be constructed on the new diversion. It is this work which will not be done for some years.The provision of dual carriageways between Stibbington School and Wansford Bridge entails the construction of a new and costly bridge over the River Nene and I cannot say at present when I shall be able to authorise this work. In the meantime, the 30 ft. carriageway will ease the flow of traffic on this important road.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland to what extent the supply of electricity in south-west Scotland will be increased during the next twelve months under schemes for capital expenditure so far approved.

New plant with an installed capacity of 60 megawatts and an expected output of 159 million units will come into operation at Barony in Ayrshire during the next twelve months.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will consider instituting a warning and all-clear system at Carstairs to give warning when a prisoner escapes from the State penitentiary there.

There are two sirens, one at the State Institution for Mental Defectives and one near the houses in which the staff reside.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland, on how many occasions in the past five years a prisoner has escaped from the State penitentiary at Carstairs.

Patients have escaped from the State Institution for Mental Defectives at Carstairs on four occasions in the past five years. Two patients escaped singly in 1953 and 1956 respectively, two patients escaped together in 1952 and three patients escaped together in 1954. None of the seven patients involved in these escapes was absent from the Institution for more than one day.

asked the Minister of Defence the amount and the cost of oil fuel supplied to the Armed Forces for the purposes of the armed conflict in Egypt.

I have been asked to reply.No separately distinguishable amount of oil fuel was supplied to the forces for this purpose.

asked the Minister of Defence on what date he will publish the Quarterly Armed Forces Recruiting, Prolongation of Service and Structure by Length of Engagement (SSS(R) (56) 4), Defence Whole-time and Part-time Manpower (SSS(M) (56) 4) and Strengths of the Reserve and Auxiliary Forces (SSS(AS) (56) 4) returns for the quarter ending 31st December, 1956; and whether he will publish special returns to coincide with the Defence White Paper for 1957.

I expect to publish these returns early in February. This is before the usual time for the issue of the annual Statement on Defence and I do not, therefore, intend to publish special returns at that time.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the internal purchasing value of the £ sterling based on the Interim Index of Retail prices in

INDEX NUMBERS OF WHOLESALE PRICES
30th June, 1949=100
—		Drugs and pharmaceutical preparations	Clothing and footwear	Manufactured foodstuffs	Domestic electrical appliances	Furniture
June, 1950	…	94·6	102·9	…	100·2	99·8
June, 1951	…	103·4	128·4	117·8	107·8	114·0
June, 1952	…	104·7	112·8	132·1	115·8	113·2
June, 1953	…	102·6	113·9	137·2	112·5	108·4
June, 1954	…	102·7	114·3	136·6	110·5	104·9
June, 1955	…	102·4	113·3	143·3	112·5	106·2
June, 1956	…	105·2	115·1	146·8	112·4	110·9
October, 1956	…	102·4	115·8*	150·5*	112·7	111·3*
*Provisional.

The figures are as follows:

			s.	d.
October, 1956	…	…	16	4
October, 1955	…	…	17	0
October, 1954	…	…	17	11
October, 1953	…	…	18	5
October, 1952	…	…	18	8
October, 1951	…	…	20	0

asked the President of the Board of Trade to publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT the official index of wholesale prices for drugs and pharmaceutical preparations in June each year since 1949, based on 100 in June, 1949, and the index for the latest month for which figures are known; and show how these figures compare with similar figures for wholesale prices for a typical broad range of consumer goods during the same period.

Following are the figures: