asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works, as representing the Lord President of the Council, if he will have a survey made of the deposits of non-ferrous metals in Britain.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the Answer I gave the hon. Member for Morpeth (Mr. Owen) on 4th February. I might add that some forty of the Geological Survey's Special Reports have dealt with mineral resources other than coal and ironstone. The most recent was "The Metalliferous Deposits of South-West England", published in 1956.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works, as representing the Lord President of the Council, what steps are being taken to increase the number of field staff engaged on the Geological Survey of the United Kingdom.

It is hoped to increase the field staff of the Geological Survey by six officers this year.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware of the concern expressed in the area regarding his proposal to extend the firing range at Weybourne, Norfolk; and if he will first seek the views of the local authorities and fishing interests.

No such extension is proposed.

asked the Minister of Works what is the total approximate value of office building under construction in London at the latest convenient date, and the total approximate value in the whole country.

Separate statistics for the various types of private building have not been collected for the last two years and I therefore cannot say how much office building is under construction either in London or in the country as a whole.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many motor vehicles of British manufacture were exported to China in 1956; and what are the proposals of Her Majesty's Government for increasing the volume of export of British motor vehicles to China.

585 were exported from the United Kingdom. Her Majesty's Government would welcome an increase in the civilian trade in motor vehicles, but this depends essentially on the purchasing policy of the Chinese authorities.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what are the proposals of Her Majesty's Government for increasing the volume of British trade with Poland and for providing long-term credits to that country.

A framework for trade during the three years 1957–59 was agreed in Warsaw last December. At the same time detailed arrangements were made for mutual trade in 1957. The facilities arranged will, if fully used, result in a substantial increase of trade both ways.As regards the second part of the Question, I have no reason to doubt that our exporters, with the cover, if they require it, of the Export Credits Guarantee Department, will be able to finance their trade with Poland on a satisfactory basis.

asked the President of the Board of Trade which of the grant-aided bodies under his surveillance have contributory pension schemes and which have not.

Of the bodies listed in the reply which I gave to my hon. and gallant Friend on 25th January, only the first three are required to consult the Board of Trade about the conditions of service of their staff. The British Travel and Holidays Association and the Council of Industrial Design have contributory pension schemes for their staff, and I understand that the British Productivity Council are considering the formulation of a scheme.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what salary is paid to each of the chief executives of bodies grant-aided by him and how these emoluments compare with those for positions of similar responsibility in the Civil Service.

Of the bodies listed in the reply which I gave to my hon. and gallant Friend on 25th January, only the first three are required to consult the Board of Trade about the salaries to be paid to their higher staff. The posts of Director-General of the British Travel and Holidays Association. Director of the Council of Industrial Design and Director of the British Productivity Council at present attract maximum salaries of £3,000, £3,250 and £2,500, respectively. These are broadly comparable to Under-Secretary and Assistant Secretary maximum salaries in the Civil Service. The salaries of the latter two posts are however at present under review.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he has yet made a decision about the quota of British films to be shown by exhibitors during the year beginning 1st October, 1957.

Yes. After consulting the Cinematograph Films Council I have decided not to make any Order this year to amend the Cinematograph Films (Quotas) Amendment Order, 1950, but to leave the prescribed quotas at 30 per cent. for first-feature films and 25 per cent. for the supporting programme, for the exhibitors' quota year beginning 1st October, 1957.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is the present circulation of "Target"; what charge is made to recipients; and why the cost of production is not offset by a charge for advertisements.

The circulation of "Target" is 70,000 copies; it is distributed free on request. Advertisements are not accepted because it is felt that a publication of this kind should not compete with the trade and technical Press for advertising.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much of our earnings, amounting to £348 million, for the year ended 30th June, 1956, from interest, profits and dividends, was in dollars; and whether he will state how much of that figure represents interest, profits or dividend on dollar securities in the Government portfolio.

Receipts in interest, profits and dividends from the dollar area in the year in question amounted to £74 million. It is not the practice to reveal the return on the securities held in the Exchange Equalisation Account.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the estimated value of our invisible imports in the year ended 30th June, 1956, in total and under the headings of interest, profits and dividends, tourist trade, shipping, and insurance; what were the comparable figures in 1938; and what proportion the total figure for the year constituted of the total imports, as compared with 1938.

Available figures show that in 1938, and the year ending 30th June, 1956, respectively, payments for shipping were £80 million and £372 million; travel £40 million and £125 million; interest profits and dividends £30 million and £281 million and Government payments less receipts £16 million and £186 million. The total of these items amounted to £166 million and £964 million which was equal to 20 per cent. and 28 per cent. of imports F.O.B.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will be in a position to give either the provisional or actual figures of our invisible trade for the period July-December 1956.

Provisional estimates of invisible transactions for the second half of 1956 will appear in the next balance of payments White Paper which is to be published early in April.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in order to help old-age pensioners, he will give consideration to a scheme for them to purchase milk at a reduced price.

No. It is not the intention of the Government to extend benefits in kind.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the estimated revenue which will be derived from the tariff on imported bacon, based on the imports for the last three months.

About £8 million in a full year.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer by what amount and by what percentage Government expenditure for 1956 exceeded that for 1950.

Figures for the full year 1956 are not yet available on the basis used in the National Income Blue Book. Excluding payments out of the National Insurance Fund, expenditure in 1955 was £1,046 million higher than in 1950, an increase of 30 per cent.; in the same period the gross national product rose by £5,148 million, or 44 per cent.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will now appoint a committee to examine our monetary and credit system.

My right hon. Friend has noted the hon. Member's suggestion.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury what procedure is now followed when the reliability of a person not in Government employment, whose work is vital to the security of the State, is thought to be in doubt on security grounds; whether such cases are now referred to the Three Advisers; and what terms of reference have been given to these advisers.

The procedure was described by my noble Friend the Lord Chancellor in another place on 21st June last. As was stated by the late Prime Minister on 10th July last, employees of Government contractors engaged on secret Government contracts who, as a result of a directive by a Minister are dismissed or, in his opinion, become liable to suffer financial loss, are given the same right as persons in the public service of having their case considered by the Three Advisers. The terms of reference of the Three Advisers in any such cases are the same as those where civil servants are concerned. These were stated in my reply to the hon. Member for Epping (Mr. Finlay) on 29th January.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what was the total demand for loan sanction for private street works from Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council in the year 1956; and what proportion of it was granted.

£7,120, of which £6,515 was granted.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what was the total demand from local authorities for loan sanction for private street works in the calendar year 1956; and what proportion of it was granted.

The information asked for in the first part of the Question is not available. The total value of loans sanctioned for private street works in 1956 amounted to £869,780.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will now introduce a system of grants to local authorities to enable them to relieve householders of the charges for private street works in cases where it is unreasonable to impose such charges on individual citizens.

No.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if, in view of the wide difference of interpretation of Section 8 (1) (c) of the Rating and Valuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1955, by local authorities, resulting in a denial of the intended protection of amateur sports clubs, he will introduce declaratory legislation or take other appropriate action.

I do not think that I could shoulder any further legislation at the moment, or that there is any other action which I could appropriately take.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will encourage local authorities to plant more trees.

I shall certainly continue the policy of my predecessor in this matter, as expressed in his Answer to a number of Questions on 26th June, 1956, and in the circular which was issued on that date to local authorities in England and Wales.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will publish in HANSARD the letter his Department received from the Trades Union Congress, dated 12th December, 1956, regarding the Rent Bill, and the reply made thereto.

No, but I should have no objection to the Trades Union Congress publishing the correspondence if they so desired.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many houses in the borough of Lewisham are likely to be decontrolled and have rent increases as a result of the Government's Rent Bill; and whether he will publish this information in HANSARD.

I am not able to give separate estimates for individual local authority areas.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what protest against the increased rents proposed by the Government he has received from the Housewives League.

None as yet.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he has yet received from the Thorne Rural District Council a letter of complaint that his policy is resulting in fewer houses being built for letting; and what reply he has sent.

Yes. I am sending the hon. Member a copy of the reply.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what instructions are given by him to rent tribunals to enable them to determine what is a reasonable rent and when the last instructions were given.

Copies of the relevant memoranda, the last of which was issued in August, 1950, were placed in the Library of the House in March, 1956.

asked the Minister of Labour what is the latest number of people unemployed at Gateshead; how this figure compares with figures twelve months earlier; and in which trades changes of employment have taken place.

At 14th January, 1957, there were 1,136 unemployed persons on the registers of the Gateshead Employment Exchange and Youth Employment Office, compared with 974 on 16th January, 1956. The increase of 162 consisted of small increases in a large number of industries, the largest increase being 34 in the engineering industry.

asked the Minister of Labour how many men and women are at present employed in Southampton Remploy.

28 men and 19 women.

asked the Minister of Labour if he is aware of the unemployment and short-time working in the box-making industry in Aberdeen; and what steps he is taking to resolve this problem.

NUMBERS OF UNEMPLOYED PERSONS ON THE REGISTERS OF THE BOROUGH EMPLOYMENT EXCHANGE AT 16TH JANUARY, 1956, AND 14TH JANUARY, 1957
—		Total number of unemployed persons on registers	Registered disabled persons unemployed
			Suitable for ordinary employment (included in Column (2))	Severely disabled persons classified as unlikely to obtain employment other than under special conditions (excluded from Column (2))
(1)		(2)	(3)	(4)
16th January, 1956:
Men	…	427	58	6
Boys	…	29	—	—
Women	…	101	23	4
Girls	…	6	1	1
Total	…	563	82	11
14th January, 1957:
Men	…	811	96	6
Boys	…	47	2	—
Women	…	116	28	3
Girls	…	16	—	—
Total	…	990	126	9

asked the Minister of Labour if he will state the unemployment figures at Macclesfield and Congleton at the last convenient date.

At 14th January, 1957, there were 164 males and 76 females registered as unemployed at Macclesfield Employment Exchange and Youth Employment Office. The corresponding

I am aware that there is some unemployment and short-time working; my local officers are doing everything that is possible to find other work for those unemployed.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will state the separate numbers of men, women, boys and girls registered as unemployed at the Borough Employment Exchange at the most recent date in 1957 and in the corresponding period in 1956, and the number on the disablement register at the same periods whether included or excluded from the total of registered unemployed.

The following table gives the information desired:figures for Congleton Employment Exchange were 69 males and 17 females

asked the Minister of Labour if he will publish in HANSARD a table of figures showing, for the latest convenient stated date, the number of persons unemployed and on short time in the borough of Lewisham; and how this compares with a similar date in 1951.

Statistics of unemployment are compiled only for employment exchange areas. The following table gives the figures for Lewisham Employment Exchange.

NUMBERS OF UNEMPLOYED PERSONS ON THE REGISTERS OF THE LEWISHAM EMPLOYMENT EXCHANGE
—	Wholly unemployed	Temporarily Stopped	Total
15th January, 1951	904	3	907
14th January, 1957	829	2	831

The numbers "temporarily stopped" represent the numbers working short-time or otherwise stood off who were not at work on 15th January, 1951 or 14th January, 1957.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what representation he has had from the Geological Society of London about the proposed afforestation of Glen Roy; and what action he is proposing to take.

The representation from the Geological Society of London expressed opposition to afforestation in any part of Glen Roy because of its unique importance to the science of geology. This representation, with other similar representations which have been sent to me, will be taken into account when I am giving final consideration, in consultation with my noble Friend the Lord President of the Council to the limited afforestation proposal at present before me.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland, in consideration of £17,800,000 having been expended by the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board upon new projects during 1956 whereas no new power projects were authorised by Statutory Instrument other than £267,500 for the Constructional Scheme No. 23C (Moriston Project), whether he will now state in respect of each calendar year since 1945 the cost in millions of pounds of new works executed compared with new works authorised in each year by Statutory Instrument; and what change in policy is implied by the disparity between the two figures, respectively, for work executed and work authorised in 1956.

The table below sets out for each year since 1945 in column A the amounts expended by the Board on hydro-electric works and in column B the value of the works authorised by Statutory Instruments which came into force during the year.No change of policy is implied in the disparity between the figures in the two columns for 1956 or any other year. Major hydro-electric schemes take several years to complete and expenditure on works authorised in any one year is usually spread over several subsequent years.

TABLE
		Column A	Column B
Year		Amount expended on new hydro-electric works during the year	Value of works authorised by Statutory Instruments coming into force in the year
		£ million	£ million
1945	…	0·02	31·38
1946	…	1·49	—
1947	…	4·70	20·22
1948	…	5·60	1·51
1949	…	10·61	52·27
1950	…	10·48	—
1951	…	6·89	0·08
1952	…	8·78	0·73
1953	…	11·45	31·20
1954	…	14·80	4·75
1955	…	16·33	3·78
1956	…	14·20	0·27
		£105·35	£146·19

NOTE: The figure of £17,800,000 referred to in the question is the total cost of hydro-electric works started in earlier years but completed in 1956; the amount expended on hydro-electric works in that year was £14,200,000 as shown in column A.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland, in regard to the 0North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board (Constructional Scheme No. 23C) Confirmation Order, 1956, and the explanatory memorandum thereto, whether he will state what proportion of the cost of the new road at £367,000 is to be borne by the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board and the amount so borne, and the proportion and amount to be borne by him.

The estimate of £367,000 given in the explanatory memorandum is the cost of a road designed to provide a single carriageway 11 feet in width. The Board's contribution towards this cost will be £267,500. As it is proposed that the road should be taken over as a trunk road the Government have since decided that the new road should be constructed to provide a double carriageway 18 feet in width. The cost of such a road is estimated at £597,000. The Board's contribution will remain unchanged and the Government will contribute the balance.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland, in connection with the Moriston Project No. 23C, what property the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board has acquired in anticipation of executing the scheme; how much of such property was acquired from objectors; what part of the £359,000 cost of the project is for land acquisition to build the road, and what part is for property acquired in excess of the immediate land requirement for the road; and whether he will publish an analysis of costs contributing to the total of £359,000 referred to in the explanatory memorandum to the Moriston Project.

The Board has as yet no powers to acquire property for the purpose of its Scheme No. 23C which is still before Parliament. I am informed, however, that in the course of settlement of claims under Schemes No. 23 and No. 24 it has acquired Ardochy Estate, through which the road proposed in Scheme No. 23C will pass, from Mr. Edmund Luxmoore, who was an objector to Scheme No. 23C: and that the estimated cost of that scheme includes a total of £7,000 for land acquisition and compensation, which sum does not allow for the purchase of property in excess of immediate land requirements.The analysis of the estimated cost is:

	£	£
Land and compensation	7,000
Civil Engineering Work (to be borne by the Board)	160,500	267,500
Civil Engineering Work (to be borne by the Secretary of State)		329,500
		£597,000

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to make public the Report of the Committee on Diligence, which has been sitting under the chairmanship of Sheriff McKechnie.

I am not yet able to say when the Committee will submit its report.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland to what extent it is the policy of his Department to refuse a hill cattle subsidy to farms that may qualify for the subsidy if the owners of these farms have another major arable farm in the area.

It is the policy of my Department to refuse hill cattle subsidy where the farming unit as a whole does not conform to the conditions of the Hill Cattle (Scotland) Scheme. A farming unit for this purpose may be a single farm or two or more farms adjoining or in close proximity, worked as one complete unit.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he can now make a statement concerning the Heneage Report on land drainage and the possibility of the recommendations of this Report being acted upon.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to the right hon. Member for the Don Valley (Mr. T. Williams) and the hon. Member for Anglesey (Mr. C. Hughes) on the 7th February.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when the Farm improvement Scheme may be expected to come into operation.

If the necessary legislation is enacted before the Summer Recess, it is intended that formal applications for grant should be accepted from 1st September next. Formal approval of proposals will, of course, be necessary before work can start, but intending applicants will be able during the summer to submit particulars of their proposed works so that they can be inspected and details recorded before the Scheme comes into operation. This should enable approval to be given speedily when formal applications are submitted after 1st September.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty if he will enumerate the establishments, buildings, lands and properties held by his Department within the boundaries of the borough of Gosport, together with the purpose for which they are held; and which of these properties were acquired by his Department later than 1936.

The following is the list of Admiralty establishments, etc., within the Borough of Gosport:

asked the Secretary of State for Air to what extent and under what conditions the facilities obtained for the United Kingdom under the recent agreement with the Maldive Islands will also be available to other Commonwealth countries.

It is our normal practice to make facilities at R.A.F. airfields available, on a reciprocal basis, to Commonwealth Air Forces.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what progress has been made in the Mauritius constitutional discussions.

A delegation of eight members representing various sections of political opinion in Mauritius will visit London shortly for further discussions on the basis of the statement I

—			Balances as at 31st December, 1956		Disbursed during 1956
			£		£
Sugar Industry Rehabilitation Fund	…	…	70,580		323,710
Millers Rehabilitation Fund	…	…	22,425	(subsidiary funds)	234,649
Planters Rehabilitation Fund	…	…	305,422		131,435
Sugar Industry Labour Welfre Funda	…	…	1,444,856		315,721

The sum disbursed during 1956 by the Labour Welfare Fund includes a non-recurrent contribution of £187,500 to the Sugar Industry Retiring Fund.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will place a copy of the Report of Sir Colin Campbell on the Administration of the Nairobi City Council in the Library.

This Report was not made to the Kenya Government but to the Nairobi City Council. By their courtesy I have now arranged to place a copy in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what were the reasons for the withdrawal of recognition

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what are the amounts now standing in the Mauritius Sugar Rehabilitation Fund, Prices Stabilisation Fund, and Labour Welfare Fund; and what sums were spent in 1956 by these three funds, respectively.

The price Stabilisation Fund was closed in 1953 and the balance transferred to the Cyclone and Drought Insurance Fund.The following table shows the balances standing in the other funds referred to at 31st December, 1956, and the amounts spent during that year:of Mukutuma as Chief Naluama of Mazabuka district of Northern Rhodesia.

pursuant to Mr. Maclay's reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 23rd January, 1957, Vol. 563, c. 39] supplied the following further information:The reasons were his laziness, intemperance, addiction to dagga (hashish), neglect of his court work, general mismanagement and bad behaviour, all resulting in lack of respect and confidence from his people. Administrative inquiries have been held on his conduct on four separate occasions since 1939, and he was repeatedly warned.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations what is the annual income per capita of the Bechuanaland Protectorate; what action is being taken by his Department to raise the living standards of the inhabitants; how many cases of bilharzia, yaws and ophthalmic diseases occurred in 1955; what is the number of hospital beds per head of population; and what constitutional change he contemplates in the Government of the Protectorate calculated to improve the lot of the indigenous population.

No statistics exist of the average annual per capita income of the Bechuanaland Protectorate. Development plans for the period 1956–60 financed from colonial development and welfare funds are now being carried into effect. These include schemes for the development of water supplies, and agricultural, veterinary, medical and educational services. In addition, for the same period, the Protectorate will receive, in accordance with the statement made on 1st April, 1954, in reply to a question from the hon. Member for Flint, East (Mrs. White) and subject to Parliamentary approval each year, grants-in-aid of up to £1½ million from Her Majesty's Government to enable adequate standards of administration to be maintained. These will also play a part in raising the living standards of the inhabitants.The following cases of bilharzia, yaws and ophthalmic diseases were reported during 1955:—

Bilharzia	…	65
Yaws	…	3
Ophthalmic diseases	…	3,574

The number of beds per 1,000 population is 1·9.As regards the question of constitutional change, I would refer my hon. Friend to the replies given by the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State to the hon. Members for Bristol. South-East (Mr. Benn) and Wavertree (Mr. Tilney) on 25th October and 1st November, 1956, and to my answer to the hon. and gallant Member for Haltemprice (Major Wall) on 24th January, 1957.

asked the Minister of Defence what contributions have been made from United States aid and German support funds to the total defence costs of £1,620 million for 1956–57.

The amount of American financial aid which we expect to receive for defence during the course of the present financial year is about £30 million. New support funds made available by the Federal German Government in respect of the period 5th May, 1956, to 31st March, 1957, amounted to some £34 million; in addition to this sum, funds still available from the previous support period have brought the total amount for the financial year as a whole to some £50 million.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Education if he will use his best endeavours to speed up the building of the three new classrooms at Berkeley School, Cranford, Middlesex, for the delay is causing inconvenience to parents and infants.

My noble Friend is informed by the Middlesex Local Education Authority that work on these classrooms has started, and is confident that the Authority will do all that is necessary to get them completed as quickly as possible.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Education what staff are employed in his Department in the statistical section.

One statistician and 41 subordinate staff.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Education how many pupils there were in Redruth County Secondary Grammar School at the latest convenient date; how many washbasins and W.C.'s, and what footage of urinal space are available for them; and what provision in each of these three categories are specified in his Department's latest building regulations for a grammar school to accommodate this number of pupils.

The regulations prescribe 28 wash basins and 28 closets and urinal stalls, including at least 10 closets, for a school of this size. There were 417 pupils in January, 1956. There are 13 wash basins, 6 water closets, and about 16 feet of urinal space. The Cornwall Local Education Authority are considering improvements to this school in 1957–58.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that in dermatological clinics throughout the country the average prescription requiring more than one preparation is higher than any other type of clinic; and whether, in view of the heavy burden that this puts on patients suffering from skin trouble in comparison with other types of cases, he will abolish making a charge of 1s. on all items in excess of a certain figure.

My information is that there is some tendency for the average number of items for these prescriptions to be higher than the general average; but I am not satisfied that any special action is needed in addition to the existing arrangements to give assistance when it is required.

asked the Postmaster-General how many applications for the telephone service were outstanding in Wembley at the latest convenient date; and what was the comparable figure twelve months earlier.

Including those already in hand, there were 239 applications outstanding in the borough of Wembley on 1st January, compared with 331 a year earlier.

asked the Postmaster-General what is the longest outstanding application for the telephone service in the borough of Wembley; and when he expects to clear the present list of those waiting for the service.

The oldest application is dated July, 1953. Most of those at present waiting for service will be connected this summer. But some applicants will have to wait until new cables are laid and this work will not be completed until the end of next year.

asked the Postmaster-General if, as a tribute to the work performed by women in British industry, and in the home, and to commemorate the Festival of Women being held at Wembley in June, he will give favourable consideration to the issue of a special postage stamp featuring some symbol of femininity.

I am sorry that it would not be possible to produce a special stamp; but I would suggest to my hon. and gallant Friend that our present stamps already bear a most gracious symbol of femininity.