asked the Minister of Labour to state the latest figures of unemployment and short-time working in the Midlands and indicate the relationship between workers seeking jobs and jobs available.

On 10th December, 1956, 18,600 workers in the Midland Region were registered as wholly unemployed. In the week ended 19th January, 1957, 37,000 were estimated to be working short-time in manufacturing industries. On 12th December, 1956, there were 24,000 unfilled vacancies notified to exchanges in the region.

asked the Minister of Labour to what extent workers made redundant in the motor trade have found alternative jobs; and to what extent such jobs have been found locally.

As regards the first part of the Question, I would refer the hon. Member to my Answer to the hon. Member for Leicester, North-West (Mr. Janner) on 24th January. The only information I have about the extent to which jobs have been found locally relates to the workers discharged last summer by the British Motor Corporation. Out of 1,357 of these workers who were placed by my Exchanges all but 21 were placed in work within daily travelling distance of their homes. I have no reason to suppose that this is not typical of what has happened generally.

asked the Minister of Labour to what extent workers declared redundant in the motor industry have found jobs in the coal industry in the Midlands.

So far as I am aware, only a small number of workers discharged from the motor industry in the Midlands have obtained employment in coalmining. The easing in the pressure of demand from other industries, however, contributed to the improvement that took place in coalmining employment during 1956.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that British film exports are being frustrated by the inability of producers to engage international film stars not of British citizenship on long-term contracts owing to labour permit regulations enforced by his Department; and whether he will review the situation so as to permit British producers to compete on equal terms with other foreign interests.

No. In the only instance in recent years where permission was sought to employ a foreign film actor under a long-term contract it was granted for his employment in each film production for which he was required. Further applications would be considered with due regard to the interests of British film actors.

asked the Minister of Labour what special arrangements are made by his Department, and what special training facilities are available, to provide suitable employment for sufferers from haemophilia.

Information about this disability has been specially circulated to all disablement resettlement officers who do everything possible to find suitable employment for sufferers from it. No special training facilities are provided, but all the services supplied under the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act, including industrial rehabilitation and training, are available to haemophilics, as they are to other disabled.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will state the number of male and female workers registered as wholly unemployed, temporarily stopped, and on short-time, at the Oldham, Chadderton and Failsworth employment exchanges at the most recent convenient

asked the Minister of Labour to make a statement on the prospects of engineering employment in the East Lancashire industrial area.

There has been some increase in recent months in the numbers unemployed in the engineering, vehicle and other metal goods industries in Oldham and the surrounding district. Employment is still good, however, and there is a keen demand for skilled workers.

asked the Minister of Labour to state the percentage increase in the cost of living since the date on which Members of Parliament last received an increase in their salaries; and what has been the national average increase in salaries and wages since that date.

Between May, 1954, when daily attendance allowances became payable to Members of Parliament, and December, 1956, the index of retail prices rose by 12 per cent. and the index of rates of wages by about 16½ per cent. I

Following is the reply:have insufficient information to enable me to estimate the average rise in salaries over this period.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the number of murders known to the police in Scotland in October, November and December, 1956.

One case was reported to my Department in these months.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is causing the delay in the completion of the new school at Mill-of-Haldane, Balloch; and when he expects the school to be ready.

Some delay has been caused by late delivery of materials and by a shortage of plasterers. The education authority expects the infant block to be ready for occupation in about a month's time and it hopes that the rest of the school will be completed in the autumn.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects work to start on the new Roman Catholic school at Balloch.

Work on this school is expected to start towards the end of this year.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland to state when building will commence on the new fire station for Coatbridge, Airdrie, and district.

I hope that the building of the new fire station at Coatbridge will begin in September, 1957.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has received a letter from the Secretary of Coatbridge Labour Party concerning Section 355 (1) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act, 1947; and what reply he has sent to the question raised therein.

On 8th December Coat-bridge Local Labour Party asked my predecessor to hold an inquiry into the disbandment by Coatbridge Town Council of its Direct Works Department. The reply sent on 21st December explained that this is a matter for the local authority. I have no power to hold an inquiry into the town council's decision.

asked the Lord Advocate how many agents and landlords have, during the past five years, been prosecuted for uplifting premiums, including excessive charges for furniture and fittings as a condition of grant of a tenancy of a controlled house.

Owing to the shortness of the time it has only been found possible to make inquiry at the Sheriff Court districts of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Dundee and Hamilton. Only one prosecution has been taken in these districts. This was in Glasgow in 1953. If the hon. Lady desires, I shall have inquiry made at the other districts in Scotland and communicate with her.

asked the Prime Minister whether he and the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs will consult with the Leader of the Opposition in order to formulate jointly with the Opposition this country's foreign policy.

It is the duty of the Government in formulating their foreign policy to take into account the state of public opinion in the country as a whole. But it is not always practicable to proceed in formal consultation with the Opposition in this House.

asked the Prime Minister if he will allocate a particular day of the week for the answering of Questions on Welsh affairs, as was done when the Secretary of State for the Home Department was responsible for them; and which day he will so allocate.

No particular day has in the past been allotted to questions on Welsh affairs. Such Questions will be answered on Tuesdays by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Housing and Local Government as Minister for Welsh Affairs.

asked the Prime Minister the duties of the Paymaster-General in relation to the Ministry of Power.

My right hon. Friend the Paymaster-General's main duty will be to be the representative in this House of my noble Friend the Minister of Power in all his responsibilities. My right hon. Friend has undertaken this important duty without regard to rank.

asked the Prime Minister whether he is aware that an extract from a Report made to the Cabinet has been published in a newspaper, a copy of which has been sent to him; and whether this extract was released with his authority.

The extract to which the right hon. Gentleman is referring was published in Volume VI of the work on the Second World War by my right hon. Friend the Member for Woodford (Sir W. Churchill).

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works, as representing the Lord President of the Council, if he will arrange for the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research to carry out a research into the relationship between vehicle speed and petrol consumption with a view to giving advice to drivers upon the most economical use of petrol.

Further research is not really needed. A great deal is known, and advice on the subject has, I understand, already been given by the Press and the motoring organisations. I will, however, make inquiries to see whether further publicity should be arranged.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works, as representing the Lord President of the Council, what progress has been made by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research concerning the research recommended by the Advisory Committee on Development of Pig Production in the United Kingdom.

The Meat Division of the Food Investigation Organisation of the D.S.I.R. is carrying out research on the evaluation of pig carcases and the reasons for differences in the quality of pig meat, but I have at present no report to make.

asked the Secretary of State for War to what extent he proposes to follow the recommenda- tions of the Wolfenden Committee with regard to the use of National Service men.

I think that my hon. and gallant Friend will understand that, at this stage, I cannot say more about our intentions than is contained in the Memorandum by the Army Council which accompanies the Report.

asked the Secretary of State for War to make a statement concerning the circumstances of the death of Second-Lieutenant Moorhouse.

I would refer my hon. Friend to my Written Answer to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Chigwell (Mr. Biggs-Davison) on 22nd January.

asked the Secretary of State for War what facilities have been granted to Members of Parliament for ascertaining from British military personnel responsible the facts regarding the case of casualties during recent operations in Port Said.

I have not been asked to provide such facilities, but, had any hon. Member made such a request, I would gladly have considered what could have been done to help in this way.

asked the Secretary of State for War what proportion of the arms and ammunition captured on 7th December, 1956, from persons attempting to smuggle it into Port Said was of British manufacture.

I cannot be more specific than I was in a Written Answer to a similar Question by the hon. Member on 22nd January.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he is aware that 13 boy soldiers absconded on 22nd January, 1957, from the Bridge of Don Barracks, Aberdeen, and that some returned; who the boys are; how many are still missing; why they absconded; what their living and other conditions in the barracks were and are; what complaints had been made by or against the boys; how the boys who returned have been dealt with; and how those who have not returned will be dealt with when found.

Two bandsmen and twelve band boys absented themselves from the Brigade Bandmaster's Unit of the Highland Brigade which is located at the Depot of the Gordon Highlanders, Aberdeen. Thirteen have returned to their unit and one is still absent. An inquiry into the reasons for their absence is now being held and no disciplinary action will be considered until this is completed. In the meantime, I cannot answer the remainder of the hon. and learned Member's questions without possible risk of prejudicing the outcome of the inquiry.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will allow the hire-purchase companies to extend payments due from owners of hire cars and trade vehicles, in view of the fact that petrol rationing has in many instances made it impossible for the purchasers to continue their payments and must, in many instances, result in bankruptcy.

I am advised that it is not a contravention of the hire-purchase control for companies to accept whatever payments a hirer can afford to make, so long as there is no variation of the original hire-purchase agreement.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has taken note of the discussions in which the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics is now engaged with both West Germany and Japan with a view to agreements on trade; and whether, bearing in mind the advantages which such agreements would confer upon two of our main competitors, he will initiate discussions with the appropriate Soviet authorities in order to obtain assured supplies of essential commodities from this non-dollar source.

I am aware that discussions on trade relations have taken place from time to time between the U.S.S.R. and West Germany; but I have no knowledge of negotiations directed towards a trade agreement between the U.S.S.R. and Japan other than a reference to trade discussions in the communiqué issued after the recent political talks between the Soviet and Japanese Governments. Imports into this country from the Soviet Union are satisfactory for our needs, and I see no reason to initiate discussions of the kind the hon. Member suggests.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is prepared to offer the services of those grant-aided bodies for which he is responsible to the Governments of British overseas territories which may be in need of technical aid; and what co-operation exists between the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, the National Research Development Corporation, the British Productivity Council, and similar institutions, and British overseas governments, organised industries, and organised labour.

The National Research Development Corporation, a body financed by loans from the Board of Trade, has the statutory function of developing and exploiting inventions in the interests of this country. In fulfilling its function it co-operates with bodies having similar objectives in Commonwealth countries, and is ready at all times, if requested, to give such bodies the benefit of its experience.The British Productivity Council was set up to encourage productivity within the United Kingdom. It would be outside its province to undertake work in British countries overseas, but the Council is always willing to share its experience with other Commonwealth countries.I understand that the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, for which my noble Friend the Lord President of the Council is responsible, maintains close co-operation with Commonwealth countries mainly through the agency of the British Commonwealth Scientific Offices, of which the United Kingdom is a member, as well as through the individual scientific liaison officers which several Commonwealth countries maintain in the United Kingdom. There is also direct collaboration between corresponding Research Establishments of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research and Commonwealth Governments. The resources of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research are available to Colonial Territories and in addition there are Colonial research liaison officers at a number of Department of Scientific and Industrial Research Establishments to ascertain Colonial problems and to consider the possibility of application of the results of United Kingdom research. The Department of Scientific and Industrial Research is also represented on the Colonial Research Council.The British Standards Institution has wide contacts with Commonwealth and other countries on standardisation questions.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what co-operation exists between grant-aided bodies such as the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, the National Research Development Corporation and the British Productivity Council and the Colonial Development Corporation.

The Colonial Development Corporation is able to draw on the advice and experience of the three other bodies referred to as and when required without the need for formal liaison machinery.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what annual sum is paid by the Government to the European Productivity Agency; and why the British Productivity Council is not recognised as the official productivity centre in the United Kingdom.

The Agency, as was stated by the then Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in reply to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Merton and Morden on 20th July, 1956, has been financed mainly by a "once for all" grant by the United States, together with contributions by Member countries of the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation from counterpart funds derived from United States economic aid under Section 9c of the Mutual Security Act, 1952, and also approximately 150 million French francs per annum from the O.E.E.C. Budget. Her Majesty's Government have offered, subject to Parliamentary approval, to contribute up to £150,000 per annum to the cost of continuing the Agency for a further three years beginning on 1st July, 1957, provided that satisfactory arrangements can be made for the future financing of the Agency. These arrangements are still under discussion.As regards the second part of the Question, organisations known as national productivity centres have been set up in certain continental countries, to centralise work on productivity matters and to provide a link with the European Productivity Agency. The work of the British Productivity Council, which was set up to encourage productivity, in some way corresponds with that of these continental organisations, and the Council keeps in close touch with the Agency and other bodies working in this field. Certain aspects of productivity are however of particular concern to other bodies, both in industry and in Government. For this reason I do not consider that the centralised arrangements which have been adopted in some continental countries would be the best form of organisation here.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many people, men and women, respectively, were employed in the factories in Sunderland administered by the North-Eastern Trading Estates Limited on the latest available date.

In November, 1956, 2,497 men and boys and 2,801 women and girls, making a total of 5,298, were employed in these factories.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many people, men and women, respectively, were employed in the factories administered by the North-Eastern Trading Estates Limited on the latest available date.

In November, 1956, 22,457 men and boys and 29,500 women and girls, making a total of 51,957, were employed in these factories.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will state his present plans for establishing and increasing the amount of light industries in the North-East of Scotland.

The Government recognise the need for some additional light industry in North-East Scotland and will continue to encourage suitable industry to settle or expand there.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of the total Government expenditure was spent on new house building for the years 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, and 1955; and what proportion of the total national product this represented in each year.

Direct expenditure by the Central Government on new house building is limited to capital expenditure on married quarters for the Services and on dwellings for other Government employees. The major housing expenditure undertaken by the Central Government consists of annual subsidies paid to housing authorities over fixed periods, usually sixty years. As regards the second part of the Question, the only figures of expenditure which can be properly related to the total national product are those of the capital cost of the houses, which are as follows:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information he has as to purchases of sterling with gold in recent months by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in the open market; and if he will make a statement on the resultant position of sterling.

I am aware of such reports but have no information as to the volume of such sales.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what action he proposes to take in continuance of the efforts of his predecessor to cut down Government expenditure by £100 million in the current financial year.

My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, when he was Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced savings of about £93¼ million on the original Estimates for 1956–57. That represents a good measure of success in achieving his target. I propose now to concentrate my attention on the Estimates for next year.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the cost of the defence services for the financial year 1955–56; and the percentage of the national revenue this represents.

The total net expenditure on the defence services in 1955–56 was £1,407 million. This represents about 29 per cent. of total ordinary revenue in that year.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will introduce price control to prevent profiteering where shortages have arisen from the Suez crisis.

Apart from oil, I do not think serious shortages are likely to arise. On oil, I would refer the hon. Member to the answers given by the late Minister of Fuel and Power on 3rd December to a Question by the hon. Member for Govan (Mr. Rankin).

asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether he will take the necessary action to ensure that where a recipient of an unsolicited gift or present from overseas has to pay Customs and/or Purchase Tax on such presents, without being aware of the contents or value of the gift, the recipient will be allowed to return the article to Her Majesty's Customs authorities within a specified period and have returned to him the Customs and tax charges made at the time of delivery.

I am considering this matter and will write to the hon. Member.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, in view of the reduction in employment in the motor car industry, he will now reduce the Purchase Tax on motor cars.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, now that there has been a further increase in short-time working and unemployment in the motor car industry, he will review the incidence of Purchase Tax on cars.

I would refer my hon. Friend to my Answer to the Question by the hon. Member for Coventry, North (Mr. Edelman) on this subject on 22nd January.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the Government's plans for maintaining full employment in view of the unemployment and short-time working in the motor car industry.

I have nothing to add to the Answer given by my predecessor to the hon. Lady the Member for Coventry (Miss Burton) on 18th December.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what date the salaries of Members of Parliament were last adjusted; and, taking the £ sterling as having a purchasing value of 20s. at that date, what is the latest purchasing value of this salary.

The present salary of a Member of Parliament dates from 1st April, 1946. The purchasing power of £1,000 today is approximately the same as that of £626 in 1946.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that in recent months tea, bread, sugar, milk, flour, cheese, confectionery and petrol, have risen in price, that fares, transport costs, local authority rates, and rents, have risen, and further increases have been foreshadowed; and whether, in view of the need to combat inflation, he will move to appoint a Select or some such Committee to advise the Government on what action should be taken to stabilise and reduce the cost of living.

The Index of Retail Prices rose by only about three-quarters of a point between April and December of last year. While some further increase may in present circumstances occur, it should not be exaggerated. The answer to the second part of the Question is: No.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether the procedure has now been revised which is to be followed when the reliability of a civil servant, the nature of whose work is vital to the security of the State is thought to be in doubt on security grounds; and whether revised terms of reference have now been given to the three advisers who hear appeals from such persons.

The procedure has now been revised as follows:"1. The Minister

asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether he will give an assurance that civil servants and industrial workers engaged on secret work who may give hospitality to Hungarian refugees will not be treated as security risks.

It is a fundamental principle of our security policy that each individual case must be considered on its merits. Subject to this, it is most unlikely that a person would be held to be a security risk simply because he had followed the tradition of this country in offering hospitality to a genuine victim of Communist oppression.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether he is aware that Section 20 of the Superannuation Act, 1834, prohibits civil servants who are re-engaged pensioners from obtaining any benefits they might otherwise receive from pay increases due to the cost of living; and what action he proposes in this matter.

All Civil Service pensioners re-employed in the Civil Service are paid the current rate for the post in which they are re-employed.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government to give details of the deputations he has received during the past two weeks on the Government's Rent Bill; what were the demands made by these deputations; and what was the nature of his reply.

There have been no deputations during the past two weeks.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government the estimated cost per acre of the acquisition of 24 acres of land in the City of London covered by the compulsory purchase order on the land between Aldersgate Street and Moorgate, south of Javin Street and Fore Street.

I understand from the City Corporation that the average cost of this land, only part of which was acquired by compulsory purchase. was about £180,000 an acre.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what protection is given, in accordance with regulations or advice given by his Department, to the owners of one-man businesses whose premises are scheduled as a slum clearance area to tide them over the period between the demolition of the shop and the rebuilding of the estate.

The Report "Moving from the Slums," sent to local authorities in December last, deals with the problems of small business owners, and stresses the importance of giving full and early information to those affected by slum-clearance operations.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government to hold an inquiry before approving the sale of Southwood House site by Hornsey Borough Council.

Consent was given last August to the sale of this land, and there is no need for the council to refer the matter to me again provided that the sale is effected subject to the terms and conditions of the district valuer's report.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what has been the fall of the purchasing power of the basic retirement pension for a single person from the date of the granting of the last increase; and what proportion of that increase the fall represents.

On the basis of the Retail Prices Index, the fall has been 3s. since April, 1955, when the last increase came into operation. This is less than half the increase.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance the cost to the State of the present retirement scheme; and if he will give an estimate of the cost of substituting a minimum of 60 per cent. of the average yearly earnings of the pensioner during the previous 40 years.

Retirement pensions are costing the National Insurance Fund about £450 million a year currently, which on the present basis would rise to about £800 million in 25 years' time. I am afraid that my right hon. Friend has not been able in the time available to obtain data on which any estimate, as requested in the second part of the Question, would have to be based. I should add that there are serious gaps in the official information about average earnings over the past 40 years.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether he has considered the statements made by Auxiliary Air Force officers criticising the Government's proposals for reducing expenditure on the Royal Air Force; if he is aware that this conduct is contrary to Queen's Regulations and what action he proposes to take on the matter.

I have seen the statements to which the hon. Member refers. I do not propose to take any action.

asked the Minister of Supply, in view of proposed cuts in defence, how many workpeople at the Radway Green Royal Ordnance factory will now become redundant.

I cannot yet say whether a further reduction in defence expenditure will result in any redundancy at the Royal Ordnance Factory, Radway Green, in addition to that already announced.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what steps are being taken by the Government to give adequate compensation for those British subjects who had to leave Egypt as the result of the Suez crisis.

The Prime Minister hopes to make a full statement in the course of the next few days. I cannot anticipate that statement.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what was the status of the two British envoys who visited Archbishop Makarios in the Seychelles in December; and if he will make a statement on the negotiations or consultations which took place, or put a copy of their report in the Library of the House of Commons.

The status of the two officials was described by my right hon. Friend in the House on 19th December. The two officials, Mr. D. L. Pearson, Lord Radcliffe's Secretary, and Mr. C. Tornaritis of the Cyprus Government, gave Archbishop Makarios a Greek translation of Lord Radcliffe's Report and of my right hon. Friend's Statement of 19th December.They explained that the sole purpose of their mission was to give the Archbishop any elucidation he might require of Her Majesty's Government's constitutional proposals and to transmit any observations he might wish to make to my right hon. Friend. They informed him that Her Majesty's Government were prepared to provide the necessary facilities should he wish to see a representative group of Cypriots or someone from Greece. Archbishop Makarios said that he understood Lord Radcliffe's Report, but that he was not disposed under present conditions to discuss any question relative to the future of Cyprus.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will give a detailed statement of the use made of the African Agricultural Improvement Fund over the last three years; and what part of the fund has been used for the payment of European agricultural experts.

I presume that the hon. Member is referring to the African Farming Improvement Fund in Northern Rhodesia. The information required is as follows:(

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will publish in HANSARD the names of the members of the Legislative Council of the Seychelles.

On the 27th December, 1956, the following were members of the Legislative Council.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how frequently officers of the Government of the Seychelles are granted leave; and how mony officers in the last six months have been unable to take their leave, and for what reasons.

Normally, senior officers qualify for leave after two to three years' resident service and junior officers after three to four years' service. As in other overseas territories, any officer may be required to postpone his leave in the public interest. I am asking the Governor for information on the second part of the Question and will write to the hon. Member later.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many local authorities reserve the right to veto the election of a democratically elected alderman or counsellor.

Local authorities have no power to veto the election of a councillor. In general, aldermen are elected by the councillors themselves; but in the City of London they are elected by the local government electors and, by ancient custom, the election is subject to ratification by the Court of Aldermen.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he has yet been able to complete the report to Parliament on the operation of agricultural marketing schemes as required by Section 10 of the Agricultural Marketing Act, 1931.

Yes. A report on the operation of agricultural marketing schemes during the years 1938 to 1955 inclusive has been laid before Parliament today. Copies are available in the Vote Office and will be on sale to the general public tomorrow.

asked the Attorney-General under what authority money can be paid from the estate of a wife certified as insane towards her maintenance while detained without the request being made for a financial contribution from her husband.

Under an order of the Court made by virtue of Section 117 of the Lunacy Act, 1890.

asked the Attorney-General if he will arrange to reimburse Mrs. Harriett Thornton for the £1 per week paid from her estate by the official solicitor from 17th May, 1956, towards her maintenance whilst she was still certified as insane until discharged on 26th October, 1956, as a National Health Service patient.

No.

asked the Attorney-General, in view of Mrs. Harriett Thornton having been detained in the Cane Hill Mental Hospital from 1st April, 1953, if he will state the reasons for her financial affairs not being handed over to the Official Solicitor until 10th June, 1955; and what authority looked after her affairs in the intervening period.

Shortly after Mrs. Thornton was detained her next of kin was invited to consider whether a receiver was required to look after her property. No reply was received and it was not until the 16th June, 1954, that the Court of Protection received from another of her relatives information which disclosed the need for further inquiry about the management of her affairs.After preliminary inquiries had been made the Court on the 19th August, 1954, directed the Official Solicitor to investigate and report on Mrs. Thornton's property and liabilities. As is usual in these cases, the information about the patient's affairs had to be obtained from a variety of sources and answers to the Official Solicitor's inquiries were in some cases given only after coniderable delays. In consequence, the Official Solicitor was not in a position to lodge his report until the 13th April, 1955. On the 27th April he was directed to apply for appointment as receiver; the application was made formally on the 4th May and heard by the Court on the 10th June, when the order appointing him was made.The Lunacy Acts provide that only a receiver appointed by the Court can manage the property of a woman who is incapable of looking after her own affairs. Mrs. Thornton's property was not therefore under the management of any authority during the period referred to in the Question.The investigation of Mrs. Thornton's affairs necessarily occupied a long time, but my noble Friend the Lord Chancellor considers that the procedure should have been expedited and he has asked me to express his regret that there was some avoidable delay in this case.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what steps he has taken to ensure that the rule in force since 1st October, 1956, that trawlers and fishery-protection vessels must carry rubber life-rafts, is being observed fully; and what contraventions of it there have been by Scottish ships, and with what results.

The rule applies only to fishing vessels between 50 ft. and 145 ft. in length. For life-saving appliances fishery cruisers, whether registered or unregistered, are treated in the same way as coastal cargo vessels, none of which is required to carry inflatable life-rafts.I am informed that all owners of Scottish fishing vessels to which the rules apply have placed orders for the neces-life-rafts, but that in a number of cases, because of supply difficulties, they have not yet been delivered. I have recently written to owners drawing attention to their legal responsibilities.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he will make a statement on the cost of the aerodromes operated by the state.

The net operating cost of aerodromes under my control rose from about £1,669,000 in 1954–55 to £1,856,000 in 1955–56. But the cost in 1951 was over £2 million. Over the last five years, therefore, the net operating cost has been reduced by about £150,000 while the number of passengers handled has risen from 2½ million to 4½ million in the same period.The reduction took place in spite of a large increase in the cost of technical services which is essential—and indeed inevitable—at a time when aircraft are growing rapidly in numbers and speed and when air traffic control problems consequently become more complex every day. Our responsibility in this field extends far beyond the aerodromes themselves and involves control over long-distance routes, particularly the North Atlantic.As regards charges to aircraft, the problem cannot be treated as concerning airports alone. British aircraft pay landing fees abroad and a substantial increase in fees all over the world, which might follow unilateral action here, might injure British interests generally and our balance of payments. I have therefore waited for the conclusion of the International Conference on Airport Charges. I am studying the report, and I hope before long to announce a scheme for increased landing fees.