asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what specialist staff has been added to his Department, or is contemplated, to assist in his duties of publicising the Government's home policy.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) how many civil servants are engaged for a substantial part of their time in assisting him with the co-ordination of Government information services;

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) if he will give a list of the principal officers of his staff appointed for assisting him in his responsibilities for co-ordinating information services, together with details of their previous public relations experience;

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many professional journalists are at present employed in his Department.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) how many of his staff have experience of information work in Colonial Territories;

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many staff of all grades are employed in his Department: and how many of them are solely engaged in the coordination of Government information services.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) what plans he has for increasing the establishment of his Department;

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what staff is employed under his supervision and control for the purpose of co-ordinating Government information services.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many of his staff have experience of propaganda in Yugoslavia.

Will the Chancellor—whose duties my hon. Friends and I thoroughly approve—give an assurance that there will be no attempt to have more than a very small nucleus of staff making contacts on the home front with newspapers, and so on, about the Government's home policy?

I agree with the hon. Gentleman that what is needed is a very small staff, but he will appreciate that the contacts with the Press will be the contacts of the individual Departments.

As the Leader of the House attributed the failure of the Conservatives at North Lewisham to a failure of public relations, may we take it that the right hon. Gentleman's staff will be progressively increased as the results of subsequent by-elections become apparent?

No, Sir. It is not unusual for information officers and those who coordinate information to bear the cross which the hon. Member has described. I shall bear it, I hope, with fortitude.

Does the right hon. Gentleman agree that up to now our propaganda abroad has been hopeless? Has he studied —if not, will he do so—an excellent document produced by the Daily Mirror entitled "Britain's Voice Abroad", which will guide him in his up-to-now very amateurish activities?

As the lion. Gentleman knows, I am hard at work scrutinising the overseas services. I have read the lively and stimulating publication to which he refers, as well as a number of other documents on the subject.

As the Minister is regarded as an authority on Yugoslavia since his famous broadcast referring to my right hon. Friend the Member for Ebbw Vale (Mr. Bevan) as "the Tito of Tonypandy," can we take it that he himself will be putting over the British case to Yugoslavia?

I would not dare to compete with the hon. Gentleman in being an expert on so many foreign countries.

Is the right hon. Gentleman going to reply to the unfair attack on him by the Lord Privy Seal? Who is going to co-ordinate the speeches of the Lord Privy Seal with those of the Chancellor of the Duchy?

I am grateful for the right hon. Gentleman's sympathy, but I see nothing in the speech of the Lord Privy Seal which is a reflection on me.

Can the right hon. Gentleman say to what extent he accepts responsibility for the activities of Mr. Evans and how far Questions can be put down to him and how far to the Prime Minister?

I share the services of Mr. Harold Evans with the Prime Minister. Questions relating to the co-ordination of information can no doubt be put down to me, as they have so generously been put down today.

In so far as the North Lewisham by-election has any bearing on the question of public relations, was not the real trouble not that the Government's policy was not fully known and understood but that it was?

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether he is aware of the anxiety in the British Broadcasting Corporation about the increase in guidance and pressure from Government sources about the handling of the Suez crisis in news items; and whether he will therefore define the extent to which his officials will be used to interpret the news to the British Broadcasting Corporation and to newspapers.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what direct contact he intends to establish and maintain between himself and the British Broadcasting Corporation and the Independent Television Authority.

My function is to assist the Press and the B.B.C. by securing a better supply of official news and information. I can see no reason why this should give grounds for anxiety on the part of the B.B.C. I shall not establish nor maintain any direct formal contact with the B.B.C. or the Independent Television Authority.

Is the Minister not aware that during the Suez crisis the B.B.C. received what was called an unprecedented amount of "guidance and hints" from official quarters? In view of that, would he give an assurance that there will be no attempt at lower levels by officials to influence the policy content of B.B.C. programmes?

I have had no indication of apprehension by the B.B.C. intimated to me. The hon. Member will appreciate that both at home and overseas the B.B.C. is autonomous about programme content. That is the position today.

In his former post as Postmaster-General, the right hon. Gentleman has been responsible to the House for B.B.C. services. What is the Postmaster-General's position today? Is his now a subordinate post?

No, Sir. The Postmaster-General has clear-cut functions under the Charter, Licence and Agreement in the case of the B.B.C., and under the Television Act, 1954, in the case of the I.T.A. Those functions and responsibilities remain entirely unaffected and untouched.

Does the right hon. Gentleman's original Answer mean that the British public is not now to have the "Radio Doctor" inflicted on it?

In view of the need for convincing people that the B.B.C. remains purely autonomous in these matters, will the right hon. Gentleman make representations to the Foreign Office about the undesirability of its maintaining a liaison officer at Bush House to give guidance, as it is called, to the B.B.C.?

The hon. Member will realise that there is a clause in the Licence and Agreement which relates to information for overseas programmes being made available. As for this particular appointment, I have no doubt that my right hon. and learned Friend the Foreign Secretary will take note of what the hon Member has said.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what machinery he proposes to use for coordinating the external services of the British Broadcasting Corporation with those of Government Departments; and whether he proposes to appoint a liaison officer between his Department and the external services of the British Broadcasting Corporation similar to that appointed by the Foreign Office.

My right hon. Friends, the Secretaries of State for Foreign Affairs, Commonwealth Relations and the Colonies, prescribe the countries to which broadcasts by the B.B.C. external services should be sent and the languages to be used, but they do not, of course, bear any responsibility for the content of the programmes. I understand that their Departments have established arrangements to keep the B.B.C. informed about the policies and actions of Her Majesty's Government and I do not propose to establish any additional channels of contact.

Does the right hon. Gentleman propose to have any consultations with regard to the strength of the stations broadcasting these programmes in the appropriate language? Secondly, does the latter part of his reply mean that the B.B.C., or whoever is in charge of overseas services, is free to broadcast precisely what it wants in commenting upon the news, as it wishes, just as is done in Britain?

The freedom of the B.B.C. in regard to programme content is in no way affected by my own organisation or work.

The Chancellor has said that the freedom of the B.B.C. in regard to the content of programmes is not affected. Is he in any way intervening in other spheres?

I have already given the answer that I am not proposing any additional channel of contact. The B.B.C.'s position remains precisely what it was before I began this work.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what methods he will use to publicise the Government's views on home and foreign policy; and to what extent these methods include the use of special public relations officers with duties similar to those under the war-time Ministry of Information.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what co-ordinating machinery he proposes to establish in his new capacity as coordinator of Government information services.

By co-ordinating, in regular meetings and otherwise, the day-to-day work of governmental information officers; by bringing them together to discuss their methods and problems; by helping to maintain a flow of news; by scrutinising the structure and functions of overseas information services—these are the main methods. Rather than create new channels of information I prefer, generally speaking, to try to secure a better flow through existing ones.

To relieve what I think are very legitimate anxieties, will the Chancellor give an assurance that there will be no attempt to set up some sort of Ministry of Information or Ministry of Propaganda on the lines of what is done by the less democratic nations?

I can give the hon. Member an unqualified assurance on that subject. My task is to quicken the flow of news and I hope that he and the House will accept the assurance I have given about there being nothing resembling a Ministry of Information.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what progress he has made in co-ordinating the work of the public relations officers of other Departments.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on the progress he has so far made in co-ordinating the Government's information services.

Good progress is being made.

Will the right hon. Gentleman make available to the House material which is published abroad as part of the Government's information services? In particular, will he make available, for Members at any rate, in the Library, the London Press Service which is put out by the Central Office of Information, in view of the fact that in the critical days of the Suez crisis the only London editorials quoted in the London Press Service were those which were entirely favourable to the Government of the day, thus giving a completely one-sided view of British opinion on this matter?

The hon. Member's question must be directed to the Ministers responsible rather than to me.

Is the Chancellor aware that the Prime Minister has told the House that the duties of the right hon. Gentleman are exactly those carried out by my right hon. Friend the Member for Lewisham, South (Mr. H. Morrison) in the period of the Labour Government? Is he aware that my right hon. Friend was not only the Minister responsible for coordinating information, but Leader of the House of Commons and Chairman of the Cabinet Economic Committee? Are we to take it, therefore, that one Labour Cabinet Minister is equal to three Tory Cabinet Ministers?

I am not certain whether the point is that I have too little time or too much time to devote to this work. I can say at the outset that the task of scrutinising information services is heavy as well as interesting, and I am substantially engaged on that.

Has the right hon. Gentleman been invited by the Government's supporters in Carmarthen, if there are any, to give there the same explanation of Government policy as he gave in North Lewisham?

In the capacity which is under question, I want to say quite plainly to the House that I am not concerned with party propaganda. In this capacity I am no more concerned with it than was the right hon. Gentleman the Member for Lewisham, South when engaged on this particular piece of work.

In case the right hon. Gentleman wants to search for Government supporters in Carmarthen, has he anyone on his staff who can speak Welsh?

As far as I know, there is no one on my staff who can speak Welsh, but I do not regard that as a disablement.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps he is taking, in view of the need for establishing the country's economic stability, to ensure that the propaganda issued by various Departments of Her Majesty's Government does not conflict with the country's economic and commercial interests.

I have arranged for regular consultation among the public relations officers of the various Government Departments and am trying to improve the flow of information between Departments, and from Departments to the Press. The responsibility of individual Ministers for the public relations and information activities of their own Departments, however, remains unaltered.

In the event of another war similar to the armed conflict in Suez, will the Minister ensure that the Foreign Office and the Ministry of Defence do not issue propaganda which is likely to make the job of British exporters impossible in many parts of the world?

The responsibility of my right hon. Friends remains untouched, as I said in answer to the original Question.

Can my right hon. Friend explain why his appointment has occasioned so many Questions and so much curiosity?

I welcome this thirst for information.

Will the right hon. Gentleman consult the Board of Trade about the question that my hon. Friend has put to him, in view of the fact that the amount of very stupid propaganda put out by the War Office in the Suez crisis has made things very much more difficult for British exporters in the Muslim world?

In the review to which I have referred there will be the closest consultation with the Board of Trade.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether he will cause to be published on 1st March a White Paper, or other similar document, giving the story of the work of the British in the territories now to be called Ghana from the beginning of the British occupation to date, especially showing the advance in economic wealth, health, and progress of the people of the territories under British colonial rule; and if he will consult with the information divisons of all Government Departments to ensure that this document is circulated widely in the countries of the world where there is criticism of Britain on grounds of colonialism.

A booklet called "The Making of Ghana" prepared for the Overseas Departments by the Central Office of Information was published on 30th January, 1957, by H.M. Stationery Office. This traces briefly the political, social and economic progress of the peoples of the Gold Coast under British rule. Copies will be distributed free through United Kingdom information offices in Commonwealth, colonial and foreign countries. The Central Office of Information is also preparing a popular illustrated booklet on a similar theme, as well as some material for visual presentation, to be published nearer the date of Ghana's independence. Nearly 50,000 copies of this booklet will be distributed overseas, including the United States of America.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that many people in foreign countries have no conception of the British idea of a colonial policy, that the document to which he refers and of which I hold a copy, although excellent, is a factual statement which does not put over the real intent and content of British colonial policy and the success which British colonial policy has achieved? Will he have a look at this document to see whether it can be revised with a view to putting across to people abroad the story of British colonial policy, of which Ghana is a very good example?

The document is the more serious reference document already published. What is to be published in the first few days of March is an attractive popular presentation of the whole problem. That is to be augmented by a great deal of other material. I am glad that my hon. and gallant Friend has said what he has said, and I am sure that he has the support of the whole House.

In view of the fact that the right hon. Gentleman has answered the Question, are we to deduce that in future similar Questions should be put to him and not to the Secretary of State for the Colonies, the Secretary of State for Commonwealth relations or the Financial Secretary, as responsible for the Central Office of Information?

No, Sir. It is because my hon. and gallant Friend was shrewd enough to include in his Question a reference to consolidating the information divisions of all Government Departments that his Question found its way to the Table to be answered by me.

Will the Chancellor take care to see that the new document which he is to publish is well circulated in the U.S.A., where it certainly seems to be believed that we have never done anything good in the British Colonies? We have a story to tell.

I will certainly see that it secures very wide distribution, including distribution in the United States of America.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether, in examining the overseas information services, he will take into account the recommendations of the Drogheda Committee; and what action it is now proposed to take in regard to their implementation.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is the purpose of his inquiries into the British Broadcasting Corporation's overseas and European services; when he hopes to complete them and if he intends to publish the results.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he expects to conclude his urgent consideration of the British Broadcasting Corporation's French, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish services.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will publish a White Paper surveying the existing Government information services and detailing his plans for co-ordinating and developing them.

The purpose of my review of the Government's information services is to seek ways in which they may be improved and to establish whether the balance of expenditure and effort which they involve needs to be adjusted. It will be some time before the review is completed and, thereafter, the Government will need to consider how they should inform the House of any decisions which may be taken. In the review, the recommendations of the Drogheda Committee will be taken fully into account.

I recognise that at long last the recommendations of the Drogheda Committee are at least to be considered—although one does not necessarily endorse them all—but why are the Government being so slow in giving consideration to them? Does the Minister appreciate that the Report was issued over three years ago and that no action has been taken upon it? If the Government had already considered the Report and taken action, would not the Minister's job now be redundant?

The review is now proceeding, and I had better confine myself to that in reply to the hon. Member.

In view of the serious damage done to our prestige in Western Europe as the result of the Suez crisis, will the right hon. Gentleman bear specially in mind how great a mistake it would be to curtail the services referred to in my Question, relating to broadcasts to Western Europe?

I will bear in mind the recommendations of the Drogheda Committee and all other considerations applying to Western Europe.

Is the Minister aware that by not announcing the purpose of this inquiry he is, perhaps wrongly, giving the impression that he is up to no good, and that the external services of the B.B.C. will be kicked around again as they have been by successive Governments? Does his assurance that he is making this inquiry in order to improve the services and not to cut them down mean that we can discuss his proposals before they are put into effect?

The hon. Member must await the conclusion of the review before any question of discussing the Government's decision arises. On the matter of being up to no good, he will no doubt have observed that one decision in regard to overseas broadcasting was taken without waiting for the result of the review, and that was the increase in the B.B.C.'s Arabic programmes from four and a half hours to rather more than nine hours a day.

As the Minister has just stated that his job has nothing to do with party propaganda, can he tell us as a fact whether he made a speech in North Lewisham? Secondly, as he is an expert on information, cannot he answer the simple question whether he will make the same speech in Carmarthen?

The right hon. Gentleman must be boring himself with the repetition of this question. The fact that my tasks in relation to the speeding up of news and its co-ordination have no relation to party politics does not preclude me, in other capacities, from offering a few pregnant observations upon the subject.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what space has been acquired in newspapers circulating in Asia in order to explain the Government's colonial policy.

It has never been the practice of Her Majesty's Government to purchase space in newspapers in Asia or elsewhere, on the grounds that there are better ways of securing the coverage in newspapers abroad of British policy and affairs. The news service and feature articles of the London Press Service are, for instance, widely available and used.

Whilst appreciating the difficulties of explaining, or indeed explaining away, some aspects of Government colonial policy, does the right hon. Gentleman not think that the suggestion in this Question might be pursued and might be of help?

I did phrase my reply so as to suggest that, while it had never been done in the past, it was not necessarily excluded in the future.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster to what extent it is proposed to seek the advice of foreign nationals as to the most effective ways of spreading information abroad about conditions in the United Kingdom.

I welcome advice from all fruitful sources on the best way to tell Britain's story abroad. I am getting a good deal.

Will the right hon. Gentleman not agree that during the war very excellent work was done in this respect by foreign nationals, and will he give every consideration to extending the use of such people?

I will, and I meant what I said; I have had letters from all over the world—many of them are of an interesting and useful kind—about the presentation of Britain's case.

Will my right hon. Friend make sure that if he requires advice from foreign nationals, he does not overlook the advice that he might obtain from the right hon. Member for Warrington (Dr. Summerskill)?

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will give an estimate of the proportion of his time which will be devoted to the work of the Duchy of Lancaster.

Although it is not possible to give a precise estimate of the proportion of my time that will be devoted to the work of the Duchy of Lancaster, as the requirements vary from week to week, the hon. Member can be assured that I allow adequate time for dealing with the affairs of the Duchy.

This will not do. Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that there really is some concern in the County of Lancaster as to whether or not its interests will be lost in this welter of coordination in other matters? Will he pay the county a visit and give us the advantage of his "delightful" Lancashire accent?

While not promising the linguistic feat to which the hon. Gentleman referred, I may say that the first thing I did on being appointed was to ask the Lord Lieutenant when I might conveniently pay a visit to the Duchy. It has been arranged, and the hon. Member's apprehensions will soon be allayed.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what proposals he has for securing economies in his Department.

The hon. Member's Question is pertinent but premature.

Does he mean to tell the the House that he is going to employ more civil servants and increase national expenditure?

The two specialist officers which I have I share with the Prime Minister, and no net addition in staff is involved.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many ecclesiastical appointments, magisterial appointments, and appointments in the public services, respectively, are in the gift of the Duchy of Lancaster.

Forty-five ecclesiastical, 1,924 magisterial and no public service appointments.

I recognise that the Chancellor is evidently going to be a rather busy man, but may I ask him whether, by and large, the powers of patronage exercised by the Duchy of Lancaster are greater or less than those exercised by the Duchy of Devonshire?

I should require very long notice of that question.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if he is aware that the continued rise in the cost of living is inflicting hardship on old-age pensioners; and if he will now take steps to increase the basic pension rates and public assistance rates to an extent proportionate to the increase in the cost of living.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance when he expects to be able to announce his decision with regard to the National Federation of Old-Age Pensioners' request for an increase of £1 per week in the basic pension; and whether he will make a statement.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance, in view of the fact that, in relation to purchasing power, the £2 per week old-age pension is now worth only 37s. 6d., if he will take urgent steps to raise the basic rates of old-age pensions.

I would refer the hon. Members to my answers to similar Questions on 28th January and 4th February.

Does the right hon. Gentleman recognise that the Government are grossly unjust in seeking increased incomes for landlords and others who are better off than old-age pensioners, many of whom are in penury and want, and will he reconsider his cruel and harsh answer?

Before the hon. and learned Gentleman calls my answer harsh and cruel, he should really appreciate that rates of retirement pension have never been moved frequently by any Government. It is less than two years since we gave an increase in the rate. Since then the cost of living has moved 9 per cent., whereas the former Government waited five years for an increase of 28 per cent.

But does the right hon. Gentleman not recollect that Mr. Osbert Peake told the House that the yardstick as to whether pensions should be increased would be the number of persons on assistance? Has not the number of retirement pensioners on assistance now reached almost the same point as it did when Mr. Peake made that statement?

I am answering a Question later on the number of persons on assistance. I do not think the right hon. Gentleman will find that it will provide very much assistance for his argument.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that he has not answered my Question as to when he expects to be in a position to announce his decision on the request by the National Federation of Old-Age Pensioners? Is the right hon. Gentleman further aware that when the Government did increase old-age pensions or retirement pensions last, they put the date forward so that the increase had lost its value before it was received? Bearing that fact in mind, is the right hon. Gentleman not aware that the nation is disturbed about what is happening to our old folk with this constant increase in the cost of living?

If the hon. Gentleman will study the previous answers to which I have referred him, he will see that I did answer his Question. On the second part of his supplementary, as I think he knows, when changes of this sort have taken place in the past there has always been, for obvious administrative reasons, a gap of some months between the initiation of the legislation and the putting into effect of the actual changes.

In view of the Minister's answer to me the other week to the effect that the £2 a week pension is now worth only 37s. 6d. a week, is the right hon. Gentleman not aware that that loss of 2s. 6d. a week means a lot to those receiving only £2 a week? Will the Minister investigate the position again?

I am not sure to which of the numerous answers that I have given the hon. Gentleman he is referring, but he will bear in mind that the real value of the pension is today higher than it was during the whole period between 1948 and 1955.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance by how much the cost of living has increased since retirement pensions were last increased.

By 9 per cent.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that his chief preoccupation ought to be with the poverty of the poor and that the old-age pensioner is steadily moving into poverty? Will the Minister treat this as a matter of some urgency and do something for the old-age pensioners?

I would ask the hon. Member to study the further lengthy supplementary answers I gave to his hon. Friends a few minutes ago.

As the right hon. Gentleman is constantly repeating to the House that there is nothing doing for the old-age pensioners, may I ask if his attention has been drawn to a statement in the old-age pensioners' journal that the Government are to increase the pension by 5s. in April next and that this matter is being considered by the Cabinet?

The hon. Member must not expect me to accept responsibility for publications of that kind, or, indeed, any kind; I answer to this House at this Box.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance (1) if he will give an estimate of the average weekly amount spent by old-age pensioners on food;

I would refer the hon. Member to the information about expenditure by pensioners on food available in the Reports of the National Food Survey. Other information arising from the inquiry by the Ministry of Labour into household expenditure is due, I understand, to be published about the middle of this year.

Is the Minister aware that an inquiry now being undertaken in the typical industrial area of Salford reveals that very many pensioners, even after receiving their supplementary allowance, have less than 2s. 6d. a day left to spend on food? Does he appreciate that they cannot feed themselves properly on that amount? Will not the inquiry reveal the different spending pattern for old-age pensioners as against those with more reasonable standards and show that the cost-of-living index is not properly reflecting the hardship of old-age pensioners?

As far as the last part of that question is concerned, I think that if the hon. Member studies my Answer, which, I am afraid, was a bit long, he will be somewhat reassured that these figures relate to the people about whom he is particularly concerned in the Question. As far as the first part of his Question is concerned, of course I cannot comment without knowing what other resources are available.

Has the Minister considered—and if not, will he do so—referring to his Advisory Committee the comments of the Phillips Committee on the relevance of the existing cost-of-living index to the pattern of spending of old-age pensioners?

I am not at all sure that that is an appropriate matter for reference to my Advisory Committee, but I am well aware of the Report of the Phillips Committee on this and on a good many other points.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what percentage of retirement pensioners were receiving National Assistance payments at the most recent available date.

Some 23·6 per cent of retirement pensioner households were receiving such payments at 30th September, 1956.

Is this percentage tending to rise?

It is quite true that it is 2 of 1 per cent. higher than for 1955, but it is rather lower than for the previous three years.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if, in view of the frequency of late claims for maternity allowances, he will take steps to disseminate more widely information about the nature of the regulations governing claims for such benefits.

Special steps are taken to spread this information by means of posters displayed in local National Insurance offices, ante-natal clinics and child welfare clinics, and by the issue of explanatory leaflets to all expectant mothers applying for welfare foods. If the hon. Member has any further suggestions for publicity, I will gladly consider them.

Is the Minister aware that in at least one case, of which I have informed him, his Department failed to supply the information to the mother, and the appeal tribunal took the view that the onus was on the mother to find out the nature of the regulations and not on his Department to supply the information when the mother applied for the welfare vouchers? Will the right hon. Gentleman inquire into this matter and ensure that the explanatory leaflet is issued to all expectant mothers when they apply for the welfare vouchers?

The information is certainly issued to all expectant mothers with the welfare food vouchers. That is the regular system, apart from the additional methods of publicity to which I referred in my answer; but I agree that no system can be absolutely certain of conveying information to everybody. If the hon. Gentleman has any further proposal, I will gladly consider it.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance whether he will now pay benefit under the Industrial Injuries Act to those who suffer from respiratory disease as a result of living in areas where the atmosphere is heavily contaminated by commercial processes.

I am afraid that the hon. Member's proposal, which raises wide questions, goes far beyond the provisions of the Industrial Injuries Act, 1946.

While recognising that the proposal contains a very wide suggestion, may I ask whether the Minister does not agree that to distinguish between injury and disease, irrespective of how it was obtained, is becoming very old-fashioned? Is it not a fact that when industrial processes contaminate an area, citizens who suffer from bronchial disease are suffering directly as a result of those industrial processes?

As the hon. Gentleman knows, the Industrial Injuries Act is designed to deal with the special risks of accidents and diseases arising from particular employments. Questions of diseases affecting people in different areas certainly, in my judgment, ought not to be dealt with by means of the Industrial Injuries Fund, contributions to which are made against accidents at work.

In view of the fact that air pollution is a great scourge in many places which are not regarded as being heavily affected—for example, Derby—and as it does have a measurable effect in these classes of disease, could not the Minister look into the matter again?

The right hon. Gentleman will be aware that disease suffered, apart from industrial causes, can be dealt with under the normal sickness benefit provisions of the National Insurance Acts, which I should have thought was a much better way of dealing with it.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance whether he has noted the proposals for retirement pensions now under consideration in Western Germany; and what consideration he is giving to the practicability of a similar scheme in Britain.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Wallsend (Mr. McKay) on 11th February.

Does not the right hon. Gentleman consider that the flat rates of contributions and flat rates of payments are now very old-fashioned indeed, and should we not think again on new lines?

That is quite a different question. The hon. Gentleman asked me about the German system, which although no doubt well designed and calculated for the German situation is certainly from our point of view a very complex and elaborate system.

Could not the right hon. Gentleman tell us whether the Government are considering a scheme of this kind?

If the right hon. Gentleman will put down such a Question, I will endeavour to answer it.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if he is aware that the recent award of special age allowance to war pensioners is being deducted from their National Assistance payments; and whether this is done by his authority.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if he is aware that war disabled pensioners who are now eligible for the age allowance but are in receipt of National Assistance are having their National Assistance grants reduced by the amount of their age allowance; and if he will take the necessary steps to ensure that these 1914–18 war disabled veterans receive in full the benefits he intended them to receive.

In the case of war disability pensioners receiving National Assistance who qualify for the special age allowance, 20s. of the pension will already be disregarded in the assessment of their resources for National Assistance purposes. The amount by which a pension exceeds 20s. is taken into account by the National Assistance Board in accordance with the National Assistance Act.

Is this not about the meanest thing yet that this Government has done? Is the right hon. Gentleman not aware that a lot of my constituents have got a special allowance of 5s. and that this amount is immediately knocked off their National Assistance payments? Is that not a mean thing to do?

I can to a certain extent understand the hon. Gentleman's feelings, but he should not try to make a political point out of this. The provision is exactly the same as that when other social benefits have been improved by various Governments. Under the original Act, the Act of 1948, the Assistance Board has been statutorily bound to take this into account in assessing the applicants' needs.

While that is true, does the Minister not think that many of these disregards are now stated in terms of money in 1948, and would it not be a good thing to review them and increase them?

I am always willing to consider any suggestion from the right hon. Gentleman, but he will himself appreciate that any widespread change in the system of disregards has the disadvantage of giving the extra relief in the very direction in which, in the nature of things, it is less needed than others.

Since Parliament in 1946 and 1948 agreed that there should be payments of a certain amount in various categories, is there not now a very strong case for reviewing these amounts in order to make their real value in 1957 equal to the increase in the cost of living?

I would not decline to look at any suggestions the right hon. Gentleman makes on this very difficult subject, but I would not necessarily agree with him that disregards should be treated in the same way as benefits from the point of view of the effect on them of changes in prices.

Was not this in fact a special concession made as a result of the campaign by B.L.E.S.M.A. to give additional benefits to ageing war veterans of the First World War? Was this not a question of disallowance on the first 20s. of pension, but a supplementary—not a pension? Is not this practice defeating the object which B.L.E.S.M.A. had in mind and to which the Minister acceded quite recently? Surely the right hon. Gentleman is clever enough not to be double-crossed by the Treasury on this matter?

This is a treatment of a supplementary allowance in exactly the same way as all the other supplementary allowances under The war pensions scheme have been treated. As the hon. Member for Brierley Hill (Mr. Simmons) with his experience of war pensions administration will know, in the case of many seriously war disabled the pension takes them out of the scope of National Assistance.

Will my right hon. Friend reconsider this question, having regard to the fact that this was a concession won after many years of fighting? Could not my right hon. Friend put to the Chairman of the National Assistance Board that it would be the wish of everyone that there should be some particular arrangement about this special new concession? Would it be within the power of the Chairman of the National Assistance Board to direct that it should be treated in a special fashion? If so, will my right hon. Friend make representations to that effect and to have that done? That is what we want to know.

I will try to answer some of the supplementary questions put to me by my hon. Friend. In reply to the penultimate question, the Assistance Board is bound by statute in this matter. In reply to the first part of my hon. Friend's supplementary question, I would refer her to what I said to hon. Members opposite about the more serious cases. I am sure my hon. Friend knows more than anyone else that most concessions are won after very vigorous fighting.

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

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if he has yet considered the resolution passed on 27th January by the Staffordshire County Conference of the British Legion concerning the special allowance for disabled pensioners, a copy of which has been sent to him; and if he will give sympathetic consideration to remedying this grievance.

Yes, Sir. I have seen this resolution and the hon. Member will by now have received my hon. Friend the Joint Parliamentary Secretary's letter in reply to the one with which the hon. Member was good enough to forward it. I have nothing to add to this except to say that I do not think that the word "grievance" is properly applied to the necessary limitations on an improvement which, as my hon. Friend explained, is designed to concentrate the resources available where they are most needed.

While thanking the Joint Parliamentary Secretary for his very full reply, may I ask whether the Minister is not aware that there is very strong feeling that this allowance should be only an interim measure and that it should be extended to all pensioners? Is he aware that there are many war pensioners who are not so severely disabled and not so old as to benefit from this allowance but who are, nevertheless, very hard hit by the spiral of rising prices and are having a difficult time? Will the Minister there- fore keep this matter before him all the while?

Of course, it is always possible to argue that the line of demarcation in any improvement should be further out, but if one allowed oneself to be deterred by that it simply would not be possible to make improvements of this kind to deal with the hardest cases.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance to what pension a widow, aged 49 years, is entitled, whose husband has fully paid his contributions; and at what age she is entitled to an old-age pension.

I am sending the hon. Lady a leaflet which sets out more fully than is possible within the reasonable compass of a Parliamentary Answer the various conditions of eligibility for widows pensions. The earliest age of entitlement to a retirement pension is 60. If the hon. Lady has any particular case in mind, perhaps she will be good enough to let me know.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the 10s. widow is having to contribute more than half of that pension to buy a stamp in order at some subsequent date to be entitled to a retirement pension? Will the right hon. Gentleman look again at the whole question of the 10s. widow, who is much worse off because her husband has died than the woman whose husband survives?

I am sure the hon. Lady will not overlook the fact that, within the last few weeks, I have made regulations which substantially improve the position in sickness and unemployment benefit for many of these widows.

Will the right hon. Gentleman agree that nothing he has said recently affects the position of the 10s. widow, who is in a particularly hard-hit category?

I am afraid the hon. Lady is misinformed, because the 10s. widow figures prominently among the ladies who are benefiting by this. If the hon. Lady studies the regulations, she will see that is so.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what the basic retirement pension was as a percentage of the average industrial earnings in 1946, 1950, 1955 and 1956.

As the answer contains a number of figures, I will, with permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Will the right hon. Gentleman bear in mind that the old-age pensioner has a just claim to share in the increasing standard of living as we move

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance (1) the total number of cases of pneumoconiosis in West Bromwich since 5th July, 1948, up to the present time, including those who have died therefrom;

I regret that in neither case is the information asked for by the right hon. Gentleman available.

Does the right hon. Gentleman's inability to provide this information not demonstrate the need to have an adequate diagnosis of this disease and in particular to have large-scale away from a war economy? Will not the handful of figures which he has not yet given me show that the relative position of the old-age pensioner is getting steadily worse as we move away from the war economy? Will the right hon. Gentleman bear these facts in mind?

I am not without sympathy with a certain amount of what the hon. Member has said, but I would not go so far as to say that current rates of wages are the only criteria to be taken into account.

No, Sir. The fact that I cannot give the right hon. Gentleman the figures for which he asks has nothing whatever to do with diagnosis or medical grounds but is due to the fact that the figures for this disease are not kept on a local basis.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance the number of foundry workers in West Bromwich who are receiving special hardship allowances in addition to disablement benefit in respect of pneumoconiosis.

I gave the right hon. Member the available information in reply to his Question on 19th December, to which Answer I would refer him.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance the number of persons in Gateshead in receipt of National Assistance at the most recent date, and twelve months earlier, and what was the average amount of assistance on those dates.

In an area extending a little beyond the county borough of Gateshead, 8,216 weekly Assistance grants were current on 24th January, 1956, and 8,217 on 22nd January, 1957. Information about the average amount of such grants is not available for particular areas.

Would the Minister agree that the figures which he has given reveal that there is increased need arising from the cost of living? Ought not the approach to this to be rather in the direction of increasing the basic rate of old-age pensions than in increasing the Assistance rates?

That is quite another question, but the figures which I have given the hon. Member reveal an increase of one on a total of over 8,000.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance how much of the Supplementary Estimate of the National Assistance Board is due to National Health prescription charges.

About £150,000.

Do the incidence of claims that are coming in show that the Supplementary Estimate is justified, or are the claims increasing and will they go beyond the Supplementary Estimate? Can the right hon. Gentleman give any reason why information is held back with regard to supplementary reports from the National Assistance Board concerning prescriptions?

I have no information as to any reports on this subject being held back by the Board. If the hon. Member gets in touch with me, I will be glad to clear that up. The figures are the Board's best estimate of the additional sum required for this purpose for the remainder of the financial year.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if he is aware that the Royal Warrant provisions for elderly war widows without children are now much lower than the National Assistance scales; and if he will consider the immediate granting of a rent allowance, through his Department, to all aged and/or incapacitated war widows.

No, Sir. I think the hon. Member is misinformed.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance the amount by which National Insurance benefits fall short of their 1946 value owing to the rise in the cost of living since that year.

About 1s. 8d. on the current single person's rate of retirement pension, and about 2s. 3d. on the married couple's rate. The other main National Insurance benefits did not come into operation until July, 1948.

What is this that we hear about the restoration of the 1946 purchasing power of these benefits? Will not the Minister fulfil his party's promise to keep the purchasing power of these benefits at 1946 values? Surely, this information, linked with that given in reply to Question No. 43 today, suggests that action is now needed.

I think that if the hon. Member considers the pattern of action in these matters, to which I have referred already twice this afternoon, he will appreciate that we have more than redeemed our pledge in these matters and have a record which compares very favourably with that of right hon. Gentlemen opposite.

asked the Prime Minister if he will arrange for the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster to accompany him to Bermuda in order to co-ordinate the information services on matters arising from his conference.

I have been asked to reply.

Will the Lord Privy Seal consult the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster so that the Chancellor can explain to him the difference between a shot in the arm and a kick in the pants?

Does the Answer of the Lord Privy Seal imply that no information about this meeting is to be given during the course of the conference in Bermuda?

If I may answer the hon. Member, who has invariably complained about communiqués following from our international meetings, it is our intention that a communiqué should be issued on this occasion. No doubt when the communiqué is issued it will be seen what a valuable meeting it is likely to have been. It will then be possible for the services of my right hon. Friend to be employed in unfolding the results of the meeting.

Would it not be a wise precaution for the Prime Minister to take the Chancellor of the Duchy with him to ensure that the communiqué is the right sort of communiqué?