asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what negotiations are proceeding with the Jordanian Government to effect the ending of the British subsidy and the Anglo-Jordanian Treaty.

Negotiations with the Jordan Government for the termination of the Anglo-Jordan Treaty of 1948 opened in Amman on 4th February.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what sums have been paid to Jordan under the Anglo-Jordan Treaty of 1948 since the Jordan Government announced their wish to end the Treaty before its expiration in 1963.

Since the Jordan Government's announcement of 27th November last, £1,400,000 has been paid to the Jordan Arab Army out of the British subsidy. In addition, outstanding bills of £162,500 have been met on their behalf.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, in view of the loans which the United Kingdom has made for public works in Jordan, what steps Her Majesty's Government are now taking to bring about agreement between that country and her neighbours on a joint construction programme to facilitate the common use of water resources.

The United Kingdom development loans to Jordan are related to a specific programme of agreed projects on which progress can be made in the year for which funds are provided. In the absence of any agreed plan, no funds have been allocated for any project involving the common use of Jordan Waters. Although Her Majesty's Government have made known their support for any practicable plan to facilitate the common use of water resources in the area, this is a matter for the Governments concerned to settle.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if the United Nations Organisation has yet agreed on the action to be taken, first, should the clearance of the Suez Canal be deliberately delayed and, second, if, after the canal is opened, Egypt should refuse freedom of passage to all ships without discrimination.

No.The United Nations is not a world government and a general assembly cannot from its nature undertake forward planning.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is aware that on 7th and 20th November the Secretary-General of the United Nations laid down a programme for the clearance of the Suez Canal, through agents, from nations not involved in the conflict, clearance to begin after French and British troops had left Egypt and that the British delegate spoke and voted for this programme on 24th November; and whether he will make a statement about the progress made.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he can now say when the obstacles to the passage of ships through the Suez Canal will be removed and free navigation resumed.

I am not clear what action by the Secretary-General on 7th November the right hon. Gentleman has in mind. With regard to the Secretary-General's report of 20th November, I do not altogether accept the description of it given in this Question. On 24th November I voted for a Resolution which approved the progress so far made by the Secretary-General as set forth in his report, and (this was the point of the Resolution) authorised him to proceed with the exploration of practical arrangements and the negotiation of agreements so that the clearing operations might be speedily and effectively undertaken.With regard to the progress made, the latest information I have received is that the United Nations salvage operations are up to schedule and a channel will be open early next month.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what experience General Wheeler has had of engineering and marine canal work; and why Her Majesty's Government approved of his appointment as Chief of the United Nations Authority for the clearance of the Suez Canal.

General Wheeler is a retired officer of the United States Army and since 1949 has been Engineer Consultant of the International Bank. His experience of engineering in connection with waterways goes back to 1911. In 1927 to 1930 he was Assistant Engineer of Maintenance of the Panama Canal, and Engineer in 1940 to 1941. During the second war he served in South East Asia. In 1945 he was Chief of the Corps of Engineers in the United States Army. The appointment of staff is within the competence of the Secretary-General and these appointments therefore did not require the agreement of Her Majesty's Government.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what experience Mr. John McCloy had had of international, economic, and financial operations; and why Her Majesty's Government agreed to his appointment as Assistant to General Wheeler in the United Nations work of clearing the Suez Canal.

Mr. McCloy has been Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Chase Manhatten Bank since 1953. From 1947 to 1949 he was President of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and from 1949 to 1952 he was United States High Commissioner for Germany.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will instruct the British delegate to the United Nations to raise the question of the whereabouts of M. Nagy in relation to the current resolutions on Hungary.

The question of the whereabouts of M. Nagy is one of many which the British Delegate will continue to raise whenever the fulfilment of the Resolutions on Hungary is debated in the United Nations.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he proposes to attend in person at the forthcoming debate on Cyprus at the United Nations.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, in view of the announcement of the Eisenhower doctrine on the Middle East, what is now the policy of Her Majesty's Government particularly in relation to the present and future rôles of the United Nations and its Specialised Agencies in that area.

As the Prime Minister informed the House on 5th February, Her Majesty's Government have welcomed President Eisenhower's statement.Her Majesty's Government hope that the United Nations will take a positive role in seeking settlement of the problem between the Arab States and Israel. The activities of the Specialised Agencies of the United Nations in the area will have the continued support of Her Majesty's Government.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to what extent the United Nations Emergency Force has so far operated in Egypt without undue friction or obstruction; and, in the light of experience, what are the difficulties in respect of its further operation.

Her Majesty's Government are not aware that the United Nations Emergency Force has met with any undue friction or obstruction. Any operational force composed of contingents from ten different countries is of course bound to meet with technical and linguistic difficulties. But there is no reason to believe that these difficulties are not being satisfactorily surmounted.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will inform the Secretary-General of the United Nations that, in the event of the Egyptian Government, in the exercise of the rights reserved to them by the Secretary-General of the United Nations Organisation, requiring the withdrawal of all United Nations Emergency Force troops on Egyptian territory, he would be willing to consider a lend-lease transaction for providing an island or other possession inside the British Commonwealth for the stationing of such a force.

I will consider my hon. Friend's suggestion.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will make a further statement in respect of the request of the United Nations for the evacuation of the Gaza Strip by Israeli forces; and what information he has in respect of safeguarding the frontier against a recurrence of attacks or raids.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what intimation has so far been given to the United Nations by Egypt of her intention to withdraw her declaration of war against Israel; and what effective guarantees have been offered by her not to interfere with the passage of Israeli ships through the Suez Canal and the Gulf of Aqaba.

I have at present nothing to add to the Answer which I gave on 4th February to Questions by the hon. and learned Member for Aberdeen, North (Mr. Hector Hughes) and the hon. Members for Blackley (Mr. E. Johnson), Dundee, East (Mr. G. M. Thomson) and Leicester, North-West (Mr. Janner). Her Majesty's Government's policy is unchanged. In our view the General Assembly must see to it that attacks across the armistice lines do not recur, and as I have already said today, we shall support any acceptable form of internationalisation or any other arrangements guaranteeing free passage through the Straits of Tiran.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what instructions have now been sent to our representatives at the United Nations on the demand by Israel for guarantees against further fedayeen attacks before she withdraws behind her frontier.

The instructions sent to the United Kingdom Representative are in accordance with Her Majesty's Government's policy, and in particular as stated in my Answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Shrewsbury (Mr. Langford-Holt) today.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he has any further statement to make in respect of the situation in Korea, in the light of the United Nations responsibilities.

On 11th January, 1957, the General Assembly adopted by 57 votes to 8, with 9 abstentions, a resolution reaffirming the United Nations' objectives in Korea and urging that continuing efforts be made to achieve these objectives. The United Kingdom delegate voted in support of this Resolution.In his speech in the First Committee, Sir Pierson Dixon, the Permanent United Kingdom Representative to the United Nations, said:

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will propose that the United Nations should direct the International Law Commission to institute a study of the law of the air with a view to preparing a comprehensive statute similar to that which the commission has already prepared for the law of the sea.

The law of the air, unlike the law of the sea, largely rests on international treaties and conventions, by means of which it has in the main developed. The international Civil Aviation Organisation, as the United Nations Agency primarily concerned and technically best qualified, is in the view of Her Majesty's Government a more appropriate body than the International Law Commission to further the development of air law.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what countries technical assistance is given under the Expanded Technical Assistance programme of the United Nations; how much is the amount in each case; and for what purposes.

The hon. Member will find full details of the technical assistance to be given to ninety-eight countries under the Expanded Technical Assistance Programme in 1957, together with the figures for expenditure in these countries in 1955 and 1956, in United Nations document E/TAC/L.115 of 16th November, 1956, which is available in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs on how many occasions before October, 1956, Her Majesty's Government placed proposals before the United Nations for the formation of an international police force; and what action they have taken since that date to secure that the present United Nations Emergency Force is established on a permanent basis.

As regards the first part of the Question, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary to a Question asked by the hon. Member for Wembley, South(Mr. Russell) on 14th November. This gave a very full account of the efforts made by Her Majesty's Government in this direction.As regards the second part, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. and learned Friend to a Question asked by the hon. Member for Govan (Mr. Rankin) on 28th January.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs for how long he has refused to issue visas and no-objection certificates to representatives of the Press desiring to visit Bahrain; and when he proposes to relax this ban.

Visas for Bahrain are issued by the British authorities for and on behalf of the Bahrain Government, which is free to decide who shall or shall not be admitted to Bahrain. It is not the policy of the Bahrain Government to exclude Press correspondents. For a short period following the disturbances early in November some visa applications were held up owing to the uncertainty of the security situation. Since then visas have in general, been available and several have been issued to Press representatives.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs why he agreed to the request of the Ruler of Bahrain that arangements should be made for the detention in St. Helena of Bahraini subjects convicted in the Ruler's courts.

His Highness the Ruler of Bahrain and his predecessors have been in friendly treaty relations with Her Majesty's Government since the early nineteenth century. It is therefore hardly a matter for surprise that Her Majesty's Government agreed to the Ruler's request that three foreign-inspired political agitators convicted of very serious crimes should not serve their prison sentences on the small island of Bahrain where they might have provided a focus for continued unrest and demonstrations by the more irresponsible element in the local population.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, before agreeing to the detention in St. Helena of citizens of Bahrain convicted in the courts of the Ruler of Bahrain, he satisfied himself that the persons concerned were fairly tried and properly convicted, that the trials in such courts were conducted in accordance with civilised modern procedure and the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights; and what advice he received from the legal adviser to the British Residency on this matter.

The Answer to the first part of the Question is that my right hon. and learned Friend was satisfied that the prisoners had been properly convicted by a court duly constituted according to the law of Bahrain. Since the court was a judicial organ of the Bahrain Government, it would not have been proper for him to enter into the other matters to which the hon. Member refers. They are to a large extent matters of opinion.In answer to the second part of the Question, I cannot reveal what advice my right hon. and learned Friend received from a particular official.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what information services and radio broadcasts to China are provided from British sources.

Her Majesty's Government have no information services in China. The British Broadcasting Corporation broadcasts daily to the Far East for thirty minutes in the Kuoyu and fifteen minutes in the Cantonese dialects.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is aware that use of the exceptions procedure hampers British firms in negotiating business with the Chinese corporations, since they can never be certain that the procedure will necessarily apply in the particular instance; and whether he will begin consultations with a view to removing the embargoes completely, particularly on commercial vehicles and tractors for which orders are badly needed.

On the general question of the embargoes, I have nothing to add to the reply given on 29th October to the hon. Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Mr. Swingler). In the meantime we must continue to deal with specific cases as they arise, on their merits. Firms in uncertainty as to whether proposed exports can be authorised under the exceptions procedure should consult the Board of Trade.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs when the China Committee of the Paris Consulta- tion Group last met to consider the revision of the strategic control on trade with China; and whether he will report to the House the result of the general review of the strategic list foreshadowed by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs on 10th April, 1956.

The strategic controls on trade with China are under constant review by the participating countries. I cannot, however, disclose particulars of meetings of committees of the Consultative Group. The views of member Governments are, of course, made plain in these committees when particular cases are under consideration, but it has not proved possible yet to obtain agreement in favour of a general review.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will give particulars of the various treaties which are in force between Her Majesty's Government and the Government of the Yemen.

Relations between Her Majesty's Government and the Yemen Government are governed by the Treaty of Friendship and Mutual Cooperation signed at San'a on 11th February, 1934, and by an Exchange of Notes dated 20th January, 1951, in London. Article 3 of the 1934 Treaty provides that before the expiry of the Treaty in 1974 negotiations shall take place between the two Governments to settle the southern frontier of the Yemen and that pending the conclusion of these negotiations

"the high contracting parties agree to maintain the situation existing in regard to the frontier on the date of the signature of this treaty, and both high contracting parties undertake that they will prevent, by all means at their disposal, any violation by their forces of the above-mentioned frontier, and any interference by their subjects, or from their side of that frontier, with the affairs of the people inhabiting the other side of the said frontier."

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will make a statement on the proposed direct talks with the Government of the Yemen.

Her Majesty's Government still hope that the Yemen Government will agree to a meeting on the frontier between officials of the two Governments. Negotiations are continuing to that end.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will give an assurance that in any agreement on the future use of the Suez Canal to which Her Majesty's Government is a party, they will only assent to terms which guarantee the use of the waterway to ships of all nations.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which my hon. Friend gave to the hon. Member for Ilford, South (Mr. Cooper) on 31st January.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how many of the 500 employees of the Suez Canal Company repatriated last September were British subjects; how many of these were canal pilots; if alternative employment has been found for them; and if he will make a statement on their present position.

98 British subjects employed by the Suez Canal Company were repatriated to the United Kingdom last September. 28 British employees were already on leave in the United Kingdom at the time, making a total of 126. Of these, 61 were Canal pilots, 57 were workmen and foremen and 8 were clerical workers. 4 other British workmen were repatriated to Cyprus and 2 to Malta.One pilot and 22 workmen have found new employment in the United Kingdom and 19 workmen have emigrated to Australia. The remainder have so far remained on the payroll of the Suez Canal Company, so that the question of finding them new employment has not yet arisen, but I understand that the Company is now finding it necessary to discharge them. Every effort will be made to assist them to find employment.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what instructions are being issued to British ships as to the payment of canal dues when the Suez Canal is reopened.

I am not yet ready to make a statement upon this matter.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he has studied the official assurances given to the Evacuation Committee sitting in Her Majesty's Consulate at Port Said on 1st December, 1956, regarding the rates of exchange for currencies other than sterling, taken out by British subjects evacuated from Port Said; and what steps he proposes to take to comply with the assurances given, as set out in paragraph 10 of the Warning Administrative Order, Evacuation, issued by the committee, a copy of which has been sent to him.

No assurance was given to the Evacuation Committee by Her Majesty's Consulate regarding rates of exchange for any currencies. Her Majesty's Consul informed the Evacuation Committee and other inquirers that only £10 per person in sterling notes could be brought into the United Kingdom, but that he had no information about rates of exchange for other currencies. Moreover, British subjects taking Egyptian currency out of Port Said were informed in writing by Her Majesty's Consulate that Her Majesty's Government were not committed to accept such Egyptian currency or to give sterling currency in exchange for it.Her Majesty's Consulate thus did everything possible to make it clear to evacuees that Her Majesty's Government had no responsibility for exchanging their foreign currencies.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance why the claim for industrial benefit of Mr. F. J. Thomas, arising from an accident on 6th October, 1956, has not yet been dealt with by his Department.

The claim has been dealt with and my right hon. Friend wrote to the hon. Member on 7th February about the whole matter.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance whether he will take powers to increase the basic retirement pension to a level comparable with the scale of Government assistance given to Hungarian refugees in this country.

There is no such scale. Those few refugees who are temporarily on National Assistance receive the normal scale rates, while the refugees in hostels until they are resettled are maintained by the British Council for Aid to Refugees.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what arrangements he has made, in reply to their request to him for such an opportunity, for discussing with the National Federation of Old-Age Pensioners their demand for an increase in the basic pension; and whether he will make a statement.

As my right hon. Friend told the hon. Member for Feltham (Mr. Hunter) on 19th November I saw a deputation from this body on 14th November, and my right hon. Friend was also able to present during part of the discussion.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance whether he will state the number of retired pensioners who received National Assistance in November, 1954, 1955 and 1956, respectively.

These figures are not available for the month of November, but I can give the hon. Member those for December. The number of weekly assistance grants current in December as supplements to retirement pensions was 1,001,000 in 1954, 888,000 in 1955 and 927,000 in 1956. Some of the grants provided for the requirements of a household with more than one pensioner.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance the numbers of old-age pensioners who received assistance from the National Assistance Board in 1956.

The Board informs my right hon. Friend that it is not known how many different persons received grants in the course of the year, but that in December, 1956, 927,000 weekly assistance grants were being paid as supplements to national insurance retirement pensions and 152,000 as supplements to non-contributory old age pensions. Some of the grants provided for the requirements of a household with more than one pensioner.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware of the new pension scheme that is to apply in West Germany, whereby 60 per cent. of earnings will be paid as a pension up to a maximum pension of £9 per week; and whether he will take steps to introduce a similar insurance scheme for this country.

I have been asked to reply.I am aware of the new pensions scheme in the Federal Republic of Germany, which has many interesting features, some of which I had the opportunity of discussing with the Federal German Minister of Labour on his recent visit to this country. This scheme, which is highly complex, is designed for the circumstances existing and the previous arrangements ruling in the German Federal Republic, and I do not think would be necessarily suitable or feasible for adoption in this country.

asked the Paymaster-General if he will give a general direction to the National Coal Board that the maximum use should be made of the facilities at the South Wales ports for importation of coal supplies ordered from overseas and to be delivered in the United Kingdom during the next 12 months.

No. The choice of ports depends largely on the areas of the home market where imported coal is needed and is a matter for the National Coal Board to determine.

asked the Paymaster-General how many United States dollars were paid for the United States coal imported into the United Kingdom in 1955 and 1956, respectively; and what sums were paid in those years in other currencies for the imports of other foreign coal.

The dollar cost was about £18½ million and £12½ million respectively. The landed cost of imports from other sources in these years was about £36½ million and £18½ million respectively.

asked the Paymaster-General what steps have been taken recently, or are to be taken, to prospect for oil in any part of the United Kingdom and under the English Channel.

Survey parties in search of oil and natural gas are at work in the North Midlands, Yorkshire and Lancashire and test wells are being drilled or will shortly be started in these areas. Small-scale surveys were recently made off-shore in the Robin Hood's Bay, Weymouth Bay and Isle of Purbeck areas.

asked the Paymaster-General if he is aware that the production of oil from shale is being vigorously developed in the United States of America and in China; and if he will give Government support and encouragement to the shale oil industry in Scotland.

asked the Paymaster-General what steps he intends taking to encourage the development and expansion in output of the indigenous shale oil industry in the United Kingdom.

In common with other producers of indigenous oil the shale oil industry is already encouraged by a duty advantage of 1s. 3d. a gallon as compared with the duty on imported oils.I understand that in the United States the Government have ceased contributing to the development of shale oil and there is virtually no commercial production. I have no information about the economics of shale oil production in China but I understand that the output is relatively small.

asked the Paymaster-General if he is aware that the Intercontinental Air Caterers Limited of Harlington, who are under contract to victual aircraft at London Airport for four major international airlines, and the D. and G. Transport Limited, of Harlington, who are under contract to ferry aircrews to and from London Airport for three international airlines, are unable to fulfil their obligations on their present petrol allocation; and if, after studying the details sent by the hon. Member for Uxbridge which show that airlines uplift aviation fuel, although petrol is not adequately available for the necessary ground service, he will authorise a larger allocation of petrol for these firms.

I am writing to the hon. Member.

asked the Paymaster-General how many pensioners are affected by the Central Electricity Authority's scheme for improved pensions in the electricity supply industry; and what is the estimated annual cost of the proposed increases.

The Central Electricity Authority has not indicated how many would be affected, but it estimated the cost of implementing its proposals at £164,000 per annum.

asked the Paymaster-General whether he can now make a statement about proposals submitted by the Central Electricity Authority and the Gas Council for pension increases.

My noble Friend has informed the Central Electricity Authority and the Gas Council that he is now prepared to approve increases analogous to those under the Pensions (Increase) Act, 1956, for ex-municipal employees with the necessary qualifications who have retired from the two industries.

asked the Paymaster-General whether he is aware that the taxicab drivers of the Streamline Association of Hove have not yet received their supplementary petrol coupons; what is the cause of this delay; and when they may he expected.

I am making inquiries and will write to my hon. and learned Friend.

asked the Paymaster-General whether he will now permit units issued but unused during the first four months of petrol rationing to be valid during any subsequent rationing period.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to similar Questions on 28th January.

asked the Paymaster-General what progress he has made in meeting the claims of commercial travellers for an increased supplementary allowance of petrol in order that they can carry out their work.

Regional petroleum officers have been given wide discretion to grant more petrol to self-employed people, including travellers, who can show that they would otherwise face serious loss of livelihood. Firms are, of course, free to devote as much as they choose of their block allowance to the needs of their travelling representatives and regional petroleum officers have discretion to grant extra block allowances in cases where production or turnover would otherwise be seriously affected.

asked the Paymaster-General how many of the 29 fires reported in the pits administered by the National Coal Board during the three years 1954, 1955 and 1956, which were compared with 44 fires for the previous three-year period, arose from the conveyor systems; and how many from other sources.

The figures quoted relate only to fires on conveyor systems.

asked the Paymaster-General if he will make a statement on the petrol situation as compared with this time last year.

Thanks to the savings effected by rationing, and by the cooperation of all classes of consumer, stocks of petrol are now only a little below the level of a year ago. The major difference in the situation is, of course, that over the next few months supplies are unlikely to amount to more than between 70 and 80 per cent. of normal consumption.

asked the Paymaster-General why, in the year ended 31st December, 1956, only £414,982 worth of petroleum and petroleum products were imported from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; and, in view of Great Britain's urgent need for these commodities, what action he has taken, or proposes to take, to increase these imports in the current year.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply he received from my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs on 12th December last, to which I have nothing to add.

asked the Paymaster-General how many miners are now engaged in the National Coal Board's pits on development work, and how many on getting coal.

Out of a total labour force of 697,400 in 1956 the equivalent of some 20,000 underground workers were fully engaged on development work, in addition to 18,400 surface and underground workers fully engaged on other capital and special work.

asked the Paymaster-General, in view of the United States of America not supplying her western allies with all the oil which they had expected, what reappraisal of our strategic position, in this respect, has been made; and whether he will make a statement.

Although oil exports from the U.S. to Europe have not increased during recent months so much as was hoped, they have been substantially higher than they were before November. The House will have noted what President Eisenhower has recently said about the need for a further effort by the U.S. oil industry to provide Europe with the oil it needs, and it would be wrong to assume that no improvement will take place in the present level of supply.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what protest against the continued rise in the cost of living he has received from the Housewives' League.

None.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether a satisfactory trap has yet been evolved as an alternative to the gin.

I understand that several possible alternative traps are undergoing trials, but the Humane Traps Advisory Committee will not be ready to report until later on this year.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many cattle have been exported for killing and sale as meat abroad; and what is the value of these sales.

No precise statistics are available but it is estimated that during 1956 exports of cattle for slaughter amounted to some 80,000 head, worth between £4½ and £5 million.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps are taken to prevent cruelty arising from hunger and thirst among cattle exported to the South of France.

I would refer the right hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Norfolk, South-West (Mr. Dye) and others, on 7th February.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many farms have been connected to electricity in the South-West Region since the Electricity Board was established in that region.

This is a matter for the Central Electricity Authority, who will I am sure be glad to provide the hon. Member with the figures for which he has asked.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he expects the provisions of the Agriculture (Improvement of Roads) Act. 1955, to be implemented.

My right hon. Friend regrets that he cannot give any indication at present.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how the revised estimate of the subsidy on eggs compares with the actual subsidy for 1955–56.

The revised estimate of the subsidy on eggs for 1956–57 is £33·3 million compared with £19·1 million in 1955–56.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food by what quantity he now estimates milk production for 1956–57 will exceed the standard quantity.

For 1956–57 it is expected that sales off farms in England and Wales will exceed the standard quantity of 1,651 million gallons by about 160 million gallons.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, in view of the large surplus of potatoes in this country, if he will take measures to reduce the prices in order to help lower the cost of living.

No.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in how many cases since 1952 sheep scab has been found in sheep imported into Great Britain; where the sheep came from; and if he will require the dipping of sheep arriving at British ports, and approve for normal farm use the spraying methods which has proved effective and more economical than dipping.

From 1st January, 1952, to 31st December, 1956, sheep scab was found among imported sheep at landing places on 47 occasions. 92 animals were affected, of which 88 came from Northern Ireland and 4 from the Irish Republic. Imported store sheep (except those from the Isle of Man) are already required to be dipped in the landing places, but these represent only a small proportion of the total and I will look into the practicability of requiring all sheep to be dipped at the ports. As to the last part of the Question I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to him on 28th January.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food as representing the Lord President of the Council, whether the committee being set up to make recommendations about research into farm buildings will examine the question of the establishment of a Farm Buildings Research Station.

Yes.

asked the Minister of Supply if he will publish in HANSARD a table of figures showing, for each of the years since 1945, the number of employees engaged in disposing of Government surplus war material; the cost of administration of this division, including the wage and salary bill of the staffs involved; and when he anticipates winding up this section of his Department.

I would refer the hon. Member to the information given in the Estimates for the years in question. Disposable surpluses are still coming forward and so long as they do I consider it would be wrong to wind up this section of my Department.

asked the Minister of Supply the initial cost to the Government of the purchase of the war material which was subsequently sold by his Department since 1945 for approximately £790 million; and what was the net loss to Her Majesty's Goverment after taking account of the 5 per cent. costs involved in arranging for these auction sales.

It would be impossible to ascertain the original cost of all the surplus war material sold by the Ministry of Supply at home and abroad since 1945.

asked the Minister of Supply how much per annum he estimates could be saved by his Department by the winding-up of the division which deals with the disposal of Government war surplus supplies and stores, etc.

Nothing would be saved by winding up a branch whose work is bringing in about £14 million a year as well as saving the Services the cost of looking after stores which they no longer need.

asked the Minister of Supply whether he will make a statement outlining the Government's policy in respect to the Royal Ordnance factories; what are the figures of redundancy contemplated; and at which factories these will take place.

As I stated in reply to the hon. Gentleman the Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Mr. Swingler) on 28th January, I am undertaking a review of the Royal Ordnance capacity and will make a statement when the results are available. Meanwhile, in addition to the redundancy of 570 industrials and 30 non-industrials at the Royal Ordnance Factory, Radway Green, which was declared in October last year, the following redundancies have recently been announced:

asked the Minister of Health how many hospitals under his control refuse to employ non-resident nursing staff, full-time or part-time.

I have no information about the attitude of individual hospital authorities, but about half of the total full-time nursing staff are in fact nonresident.

asked the Minister of Health the members of the Management Committee of Rampton State Institution.

The State Institution at Rampton is managed by the Board of Control.

asked the Minister of Health how much of the Supplementary Estimate for the National Health Service is due to an increase in the number of medical and other staff of our hospitals.

None. Provision for staff increases was made in the original Estimate. With insignificant exceptions, the extra expenditure on hospital running costs provided for in the Supplementary Estimate is in respect of increases in pay, prices and rates.

asked the Minister of Health, in view of the part played by duly authorised officers and mental welfare officers in the certifying of people and their forcible detention in mental institutions, if all officers must be trained for the work; and what training and qualifications are essential for appointment.

There are no statutory requirements for training or qualification for these officers but it is for local health authorities to ensure that suitable training or experience is possessed before appointment. A Working Party is at present considering the position.

asked the Minister of Health upon what day he wrote to the hon. Member for The Wrekin informing him that the Midland Regional Hospital Board had decided to provide the extension to the Wrekin Hospital and not the Wrekin Cottage Hospital.

On 4th August, 1956, my hon. Friend the Member for Chislehurst (Miss Hornsby-Smith) wrote to my hon. Friend informing him that the original scheme at Wellington Cottage Hospital had been under review by the Regional Board which was now considering a larger extension at Wrekin Hospital.On 30th December, 1956, she wrote informing my hon. Friend that preliminary details of the extension at Wrekin Hospital had been received and were under consideration.

asked the Minister of Health the number of prescriptions dispensed during the first month of the new charges; and what was the number for the corresponding period last year.

An accurate figure is not yet available. From a representative sample it is estimated that the number dispensed in England and Wales during December, 1956, was of the order of 15·5 million. The total number in December, 1955, was 19,349,115.

asked the Minister of Health how many hospitals for the mentally deficient contain detention centres to which persons are sent from the courts.

None.

asked the Minister of Health the number of dispensing chemists under the National Health Service in the Borough of White-haven and in the Parishes of Cleator Moor, Frizington, Seascale and Millom, respectively; and what arrangements are made in each area for the dispensing of prescriptions on Saturdays and Sundays.

The following is the information required:

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that the average earnings of general practitioners supplied by his Department is comprised of wide variations; and whether he will give a breakdown of such an average to show how many general practitioners are earning less than £1,000 per year; how many between £1,000 and £2,000; how many between £2,000 and £3,000; how many over £3,000; and to what extent such variations correspond to seniority in the National Health Service.

Yes, but I regret that the breakdown of earnings for which my hon. Friend asks is not available.

asked the Minister of Health the average salary received by doctors working whole-time for the National Health Service after deduction of Income Tax.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Minister of Health if he will make a statement on plans for the further development of vaccination against poliomyelitis; and on the availability of supplies of vaccine.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply made to the hon. and learned Member for Gloucester (Mr. Turner Samuels) on 8th February.

asked the Minister of Health what progress has been made in the preparation of composite packs for the chronic sick, chargeable as one prescription for payment purposes.

I am still awaiting the views of the medical profession, but it seems doubtful if further packs can be provided.

asked the Minister of Health, as representing the Lord President of the Council, whether he will make a statement on the availability of dental hygienists for the general public in accordance with the provisions of the Dentists Act, 1956.

Some dental hygienists are already employed in the local authority and hospital dental services, but they cannot work with dentists in private practice until permitted by regulations made under the Dentists Act, 1956, by the General Dental Council. The General Dental Council has asked the Privy Council to approve draft regulations which provide that dental hygienists shall not be allowed to work in private practice until such time as the requirements of the local authority and hospital dental services are in the opinion of the General Dental Council, satisfied. This limitation would not appear to accord with the intentions of Parliament as expressed during the passage of the Bill and the proposals have therefore been referred back to the General Dental Council for further consideration.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he will authorise supplementary rations of petrol for essential use in the furniture and other woodworking industries in view of the deleterious effects which hire-purchase restrictions and the Purchase Tax have already had on production.

Regional Transport Commissioners have allocated considerable supplementary rations for use in the furniture industry but if any particular manufacturer is in difficulty he should use the appeal machinery which I have provided.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what the basis for compensation will be to owner-occupiers of houses required to be demolished under the Dartford Tunnel Scheme.

The basis for compensation will be that laid down in Part V of the Town and Country Planning Act, 1947, and Part III of the Town and Country Planning Act, 1954.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what now delays progress on the road promised between Fareham and Lee-on-Solent.

The necessary Order became effective on 18th January, after the withdrawal of the Southern Gas Board's objection. The Gosport Town Council is proceeding with land acquisition and, provided there is no undue difficulty, they expect to start work in about 3 months time.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation when he expects the Borrowash, Derbyshire, bypass road to be open to traffic.

The work on this scheme is proceeding satisfactorily and it is hoped to open the new road to traffic by the end of 1957 or early in 1958.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations, in view of the invitation of Her Majesty's Government to foreign Governments involved in European Economic Union to a meeting in London on 28th February, 1957, if he will also propose an immediate Commonwealth Conference to consider the political, economic and social obligations and duties of the United Kingdom to the peoples of Her Majesty's Dominions and Commonwealth.

I assume that my hon. Friend is referring to Press reports of a projected conference in London of the Western European Union. Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom are in constant consultation with other Commonwealth Governments on all matters of common concern, and my noble Friend does not consider that a meeting of the Western European Union necessitates a special Commonwealth Conference.

asked the Secretary of State for Air the numbers respectively, of men and officers below air commodore rank and of officers of air commodore rank and above serving in the Royal Air Force on 1st January this year and in each of the last six years.

Following are the figures:

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what progress is being made in the work of joining the village of Shareshill, near Cannock, Staffordshire, with the main sewerage system.

A scheme was submitted by the Rural District Council in September, 1955, but no progress can be made until the Council provides certain additional information for which it was at that time asked.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will publish in HANSARD a detailed list showing the number of local authorities which have expressed to him their support and opposition, respectively, to the Rent Bill.

Out of the 1,529 local authorities, seventeen have written criticising provisions of the Bill. I should not ordinarily expect local authorities to write to me in support of a Bill, but two have written specifically to dissociate themselves from criticism of this Bill.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the extent of damage to Scottish forests caused by the gales last week; and how this compares with 1953.

The Forestry Commission is making a survey and will announce the result as soon as possible. It is too early to estimate the damage accurately but preliminary reports do not suggest that it is on anything like the scale of 1953.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he will make the regulations required under Section 12 of the Electricity Reorganisation (Scotland) Act, 1954, for compensation to officers and members of Boards.