asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether, in view of the long period already occupied in international discussion of the revision of the law regarding the liability of owners of seagoing vessels, he will now press for the holding of an early conference this year and make every effort to bring negotiations to a conclusion.

I have nothing at present to add to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend, the Member for Antrim, South (Mr. Knox Cunningham) on 6th February.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what progress has been made in relation to the proposed north-south roadway by-passing Wigan; and whether any indication can be given as to when the roadway is likely to be completed.

The draft scheme to fix the line of the Birmingham-Preston Motorway, which will pass within a few miles of Wigan, is in course of preparation and we are at present discussing it with my right hon. Friend, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.Until the draft scheme has been published, and the weight of objection to it is known, I cannot say when the road will be completed.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation the total value of road schemes in all development plans submitted, and in those approved; and to what extent such approval indicates that they are considered necessary.

I regret that the information asked for in the first part of the Question is not available. Approval of road schemes in development plans indicates that they are considered desirable in the general pattern of the development shown in the plans.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what was the outcome of the conference that he proposed on 5th December to call, to discuss the apportionment of dock charges in South Wales ports between shipowners and exporters.

I have been in touch with the interests concerned. It has been difficult to arrange a meeting, but one will be held soon.

asked the Paymaster-General, as representing the Lord President of the Council, what recommendations the recent researches of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Research Establishment, Harwell, have produced on the dangers of radiation leakage from ships propelled by nuclear energy by radiation of the surrounding seas; and if he will state the effect of such recommendations on the use of nuclear energy for the propulsion of ships as a practical proposition.

One of the papers presented to the Conference held at Harwell last October on Nuclear Ship Propulsion concerned safety aspects, including radiation problems, and these continue to be studied: but no recommendations have yet been made on this subject.

asked the Paymaster-General, as representing the Lord President of the Council, what he estimates will be the effect on the development of atomic energy of the new methods of inducing chain reactions discovered by American scientists; and whether such information as results from this discovery will be available for use in British plants.

I presume that the hon. Member refers to the discovery that fusion of hydrogen isotopes can be brought about by mesons. The discovery has no practical application at the present time because the meson exists for only about a millionth of a second after its formation. But basic information of this sort is normally published in scientific journals and is therefore freely available to British scientists.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what are the duties of the Department recently established at the Foreign Office to which British subjects who have been expelled from Egypt have been asked to send their claims for property that has been sequestrated.

As the Prime Minister explained in his statement on 5th February, the functions of this Department are to record information about the assets of British nationals in Egypt affected by the measures taken by the Egyptian Government, and about other debts outstanding; and to classify any eventual claims against the Government of Egypt.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what liaison is being maintained between the Department in the Foreign Office which is receiving claims from British subjects expelled from Egypt and the Association of the Councils of the British Communities in Egypt which is receiving similar claims.

The Government welcome the establishment of this Association which, they believe, has a useful part to play in assisting British subjects in submitting to the Foreign Office particulars of their assets in Egypt.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what action he is taking in the United Nations to ensure that canal dues and charges on British shipping will be paid to an international body controlling the Suez Canal and not to Egypt.

It has not yet been possible to open negotiations on a future regime for the Canal, since the Egyptian Government have informed the Secretary General of the United Nations that they are not yet ready for them. Discussions have been in progress between a number of user Governments on interim arrangements to take effect when the Canal is reopened and a proposal has been worked out. This proposal has been put to the Egyptian Government through the intermediary of Mr. Hammarskjöld. I am not yet in a position to disclose details of the proposal.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what instructions he has given to the British Council to suspend cultural relations with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, including reciprocal arrangements for visits by artists from both countries.

The right hon. Member is under a misapprehension about the position of the British Council, which does not receive instructions from Her Majesty's Government. The Soviet Relations Committee of the Council, on which the Foreign Office is represented, has done a great deal to encourage Anglo-Soviet understanding. The Committee recently considered how Soviet actions in Hungary affected its work and agreed that, because of the feeling aroused in this country by these events, it was neither practicable nor desirable to proceed at the present time with goodwill projects previously arranged between them and the Soviet Government. This decision has, of course, no bearing on normal free contacts between British and Soviet people, where restrictions come from the Soviet side.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, at the meeting of representatives of the United Slates of America, France and Great Britain, summoned by President Eisenhower on 28th October to discuss the implementation of the Tripartite Declaration in the event of an attack by Israel on Egypt, Her Majesty's representative made it clear that in the view of Her Majesty's Government the declaration was inapplicable to an attack by Israel on Egypt.

As I told the right hon. Member on 17th December, the view that the Tripartite Declaration was inapplicable in Egypt's defence was put forward in the course of the meeting with American and French representatives on 29th October, not 28th October.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will publish the terms of the ultimatum addressed to Israel by His Majesty's Government in 1948 in regard to a withdrawal behind the frontier line.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will publish the terms of the ultimatum addressed by His Majesty's Government to Israel in 1948.

On 30th December, 1948, on receipt of evidence that notwithstanding the Truce and United Nations resolutions, Israeli forces were fighting on Egyptian territory and were in possession of airfields there, Her Majesty's Government, who at that time had no relations with the Provisional Government of Israel, drew the attention of the United States Government to the situation and to the existence of their 1936 Treaty obligations to Egypt, which Her Majesty's Government might have to fulfil. Her Majesty's Government pointed out that they had no desire to get into conflict with the Israelis providing they accepted and acted on the decisions of the Security Council. They therefore hoped that the United States Government would so act on the Israelis as to make any military action by Her Majesty's Government on Egyptian territory unnecessary.The United States Ambassador in Tel Aviv was instructed by his Government to make suitable representations to the Provisional Government of Israel, and on 3rd January, 1949, he was assured that all Israeli forces had been recalled and that none remained on Egyptian soil.On 4th January, 1949, the State Department made a statement to the Press on the matter, the text of which is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether Her Majesty's Government will undertake to pay compensation to any fishermen and others who may suffer financial loss consequent on the decision to close to shipping vast areas of the Pacific Ocean for a period of approximately five months, in order to explode nuclear weapons.

I have nothing to add to what my right hon. and learned Friend told the House on 11th February.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what action Her Majesty's Government propose to take on the report of the Tribunal appointed to inquire into the conduct of the Prime Minister of Eastern Nigeria in relation to the African Continental Bank.

My right hon. Friend informed the House on 6th February that he had asked the Governor to pursue with Dr. Azikiwe certain matters arising from the Tribunal's findings.The Governor has now sent my right hon. Friend a message from Dr. Azikiwe in which Dr. Azikiwe states his intention to surrender his shares in the African Continental Bank without compensation, and agrees to repay to the bank the director's fees of £5,252 which were paid to him after public money had been injected into the bank, on the understanding that this sum of £5,252 is a debt due to him which waits to be met out of the bank's current earnings.Further study is being given in Nigeria to the future of the bank and in particular to the possibility of all its capital being acquired by the Eastern Regional Government. On this, difficult questions both of law and policy remain to be settled.Steps are thus being taken towards clearing up the relationship between the Premier and this bank. For the rest, the facts have been brought to light by the Tribunal.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the precise nature of the provincial authorities now proposed for the Northern Region of Nigeria; on what basis they are to be elected; and what are to be their powers and the powers of residents in relation to them.

The Government of the Northern Region are at present considering recommendations on the establishment of provincial authorities made by a Commission which has recently reported on this subject. The Regional Government hope to publish the report in the near future, with a White Paper embodying their preliminary views on it.I will arrange for copies of both to be placed in the Library of the House when they are available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what plans he has for the extension of Radio Sarawak; and when this work will be completed.

Plans have been approved for providing additional studios, more extensive programme and administrative facilities and a second shortwave transmitter. It is expected that the work will be completed by September, 1957.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will consider a proposal to give university status to the Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture, Trinidad.

The Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture already provides teaching in agriculture, and associated sciences, at advanced university level. The question of providing a first degree in agriculture in the Caribbean by developing a special relationship between the University College of the West Indies and the Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture is at present under discussion between the governing bodies of the two colleges.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will make a statement on the result of the conference on the Federal Capital Commission, now taking place in Jamaica.

The Standing Federation Committee, which has recently been meeting in Jamaica, considered the Report of the British Caribbean Federal Capital Commission and has chosen Trinidad for the capital. The choice of the precise site in Trinidad will be made later.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he is aware that 15 per cent. of the population of Malaya is suffering from tuberculosis and that the disease is spreading to a dangerous extent; and what steps he is taking to reduce the incidence of this disease in the Federation.

No. The incidence of tuberculosis in the Federation of Malaya is not at present known; but although it is suspected to be high, there is no reason to believe that it is spreading dangerously. The Federation Government is now considering proposals designed to reduce the incidence of the disease.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what grants are to be made to Malaya for the five year period following the date of independence; how much of this will be in the shape of military equipment; and how much for economic reconstruction.

I would invite the hon. Member's attention to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland to his Question of 23rd January.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what progress has been made in respect of the future constitution of the Federation of Malaya.

The Constitutional Commission has now presented its Report and it is being circulated to those concerned in the Federation of Malaya. I am arranging for duplicated copies to be placed in the Library of the House tomorrow, when the Report is being published in Malaya. It will be printed as a Non-Parliamentary Paper and will be made available in this form as soon as possible.The Report will now be considered by Her Majesty's Government, Their Highnesses the Malay Rulers and the Government of the Federation of Malaya. My right hon. Friend hopes in due course to present to Parliament agreed proposals on its recommendations.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what protests he has received against the intention of the Government to import 80,000 tons of synthetic rubber; what replies he has given; and what effect this will have upon our Malayan trade.

I have nothing to add to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the then President of the Board of Trade on 25th October, 1956, to the hon. and gallant Member for Knutsford (Lieut.-Colonel Bromley-Davenport), and to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade to the hon. Member himself on 27th November, 1956.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many terrorists have now been killed or captured by our forces in Cyprus.

Twenty-eight have been killed by the security forces. One thousand one hundred and forty-one persons have been either convicted of terrorists offences or detained because there was reason to believe that they were connected with terrorism.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what are the functions in the Government of Cyprus of the Secretary for Organisation and Methods; what are the qualifications of the present incumbent; and what other Colonial Governments employ an officer of this description.

The post of Secretary for Organisation and Methods is at present in abeyance. The officer who holds this title is performing other duties in the Financial Secretary's office. The second part of the Question does not therefore arise. Most Colonial Governments employ officers on duties connected with organisation and methods.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies why the Government of Tanganyika has banned public meetings at Tanga which were to be addressed by Julius Nyerere, President of the Tanganyika African National Union.

The meetings at Tanga and elsewhere have been banned because at earlier large open-air meetings the President of the Tanganyika African National Union had made statements which, if repeated at other public assemblies, were, in the opinion of the Commissioner of Police, likely to involve serious risk of breaches of the peace.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what are the total funds of the African Agricultural Improvement Fund of Northern Rhodesia; how many European agricultural officers and African agricultural assistants are employed by his organisation; and what subsidies are given to African peasant farmers.

The total assets at 31st December, 1956, were £468,250. The fund has no employees; agricultural experts are provided by the territory's Department of Agriculture. Subsidies totalling £72,400 were given to African peasant farmers in 1955–56.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty by how much the number of admirals on the active list of the Royal Navy has increased or decreased since July last year.

The present number of officers of flag rank, excluding those about to retire and those on loan to Commonwealth navies, is two below the corresponding number on 11th July, 1956.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty how many capital ships are in full commission; how many aerodromes are fully occupied by squadrons; and how many officers of flag rank there are at the latest convenient date.

There are two Fleet carriers and two light Fleet cariers in commission in the operational Fleet. There is also one light Fleet carrier engaged in the training of new entry seamen and one on special duties in connection with the nuclear tests in the Pacific.There are six naval air stations in the United Kingdom fully occupied by disembarked squadrons. There are, of course, other stations performing less immediate tasks.The present number of officers of flag rank, excluding those about to retire and those on loan to Commonwealth navies, is 96.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty the total strength, in squadrons and in men, of the Fleet Air Arm; and what proportion of this can be embarked at any one time.

It is not in the public interest to disclose the strength or disposition of Fleet Air Arm squadrons. It can be stated however that of the total number of squadrons 50 per cent. either are or readily can be embarked in carriers now in commission. The total number of men in the Fleet Air Arm on 30th September last was 16,763.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty if he will make a statement about the engine defects in H.M.S. "Ark Royal".

Defects have developed in two of the turbines of this ship. The cause of the trouble cannot be established without expert examination in a major dockyard and for that purpose she is returning shortly to Devonport.There is at present no reason to suppose that it will be difficult to put the trouble right once the turbine covers have been lifted.

asked the Postmaster-General the sum sanctioned for capital expenditure on work connected with his Department in the Glasgow area for each of the years 1952–53, 1953–54, 1954–55 and 1955–56.

The figures are:

asked the Postmaster-General the number of staff employed in his Department, working in the House of Commons, who have not received an increase in their wages or salaries since the date when the sessional allowance to Members of Parliament commenced.

None.

asked the Postmaster-General the nature, location, and value of the damage done to postal, telephone, and telegraph installations in Scotland by and during the recent winter storms; and the cost of making good the damage.

The storm of the 4th February cut off 18,000 subscribers and 144 telephone exchanges. The damage was caused mainly by trees falling on overhead wires and cables and affected most parts of Scotland, particularly Argyll, Inverness-shire, Perthshire and Ross and Cromarty. All the exchanges and almost all the subscribers have been reconnected, but permanent repairs will take some months.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he will make a further statement about the introduction of special greetings telegrams for weddings and birthdays.

I am glad to announce that a de luxe wedding greetings telegram will be available on 1st March. Wedding greetings telegrams will be delivered on special forms of high quality stiff paper, bearing on the front an attractive design by Miss E. Corsellis and with the greetings message displayed inside. The charge will be 5s. 0d. for twelve words, and 3d. for each word thereafter. I hope to make a further announcement soon about the birthday greetings telegrams. Copies of the new wedding greetings telegram form are being placed in the Library of the House.

asked the Postmaster-General how many applications for telephone service are on the waiting list, at a recent convenient date, for the Possilpark and Maryhill exchanges of Glasgow; and how many of these have been waiting for a period of three years and over.

99 and 453 respectively, of which 16 have been outstanding over three years. Arrangements are in hand to extend the exchanges, but this involves a good deal of work, and will take time to complete.

asked the Postmaster-General when a public telephone will be provided for residents of the Park Neighbourhood South district of the new Walcot Estate, Swindon.

We expect to provide a kiosk in this district by June of this year.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what progress has been made in improving the appearance of the Royal Air Force Station, Harpur Hill, Peak National Park, by removing all traces of derelict buildings, the carrying out of a tree-planting scheme, and the construction of new storage accommodation underground.

Clearance of the site has been delayed by the need to review our plans for new building.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether he is aware that the Service uniform worn by all airmen up to the rank of non-commissioned officer, classed at T 63 and not an issue, which is required to be purchased and paid for by the airman at the unit clothing stores at a cost of £9 14s., can be purchased from a civilian shop in Leeds at the price of £2 15s.; why there should be this marked discrepancy in the two prices; and what is the reason for the larger charge to the airman.

The uniforms on sale in the shop are among a small number rejected as sub-standard, and sold by public auction. The price of the uniform from Royal Air Force stocks is £9 5s. 9d. This is based on manufacturing costs, and is met by the non-commissioned officers entitled to buy the uniform out of their clothing upkeep allowance.

asked the Secretary of State for Air why the families of airmen serving in Germany are not allowed free treatment when they are patients in British hospitals.

The families are entitled to free treatment in Service hospitals provided their presence at the overseas station is approved. The operation of the proviso is at present under review.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what disciplinary action has been taken against Aircraftman Desmond Bishop for walking hand in hand with a white woman down a street in Durban.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Air how many air marshals there now are in the Royal Air Force, and by how much the number has risen or fallen since July last year.

The current establishment for air vice marshals and above is 101, an increase of three over the figure for last July.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to ensure that the recruitment of Civil Defence volunteers receives sufficient priority in our emergency preparations.

Regulations under the Civil Defence Act, 1948, place upon local authorities the function of recruiting divisions of the Civil Defence Corps. This is a continuing duty, in performing which the Corps authorities have the guidance and encouragement of my department and the Scottish Home Department. A national Civil Defence Week to aid recruiting was held as recently as last October.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will state the number of murders reported to the police in England and Wales for each month from October, 1956, to the most recent convenient date.

The latest figures available are those for October, November and December, 1956, which were given in reply to a Question by the hon. Member for Holborn and St. Pancras, South (Mrs. L. Jeger) on 31st January.

asked the Minister of Works whether he has yet made a final decision regarding the rehabilitation of the British Embassy in Monrovia.

Yes. I intend that, subject to the approval of Parliament, a new embassy should be built at Monrovia, starting in 1958.

asked the Paymaster-General whether he will now increase the allocation of petrol to motor schools to enable them to continue their work for the remainder of the rationing period.

Regional petroleum officers are authorised to increase the original supplementary allowance issued to a school of motoring if this is necessary to avoid hardship.

asked the Paymaster-General what supplies of petrol are available to enable workers at the Remploy Factory, Dagenham, to get to work; and whether they can be increased.

Neither my Department nor the Ministry of Labour knows of any difficulties arising at this factory which can be attributed to petrol rationing but if the hon. Member will let me know the point he has in mind I will look into the matter.

asked the Paymaster-General, in view of the anxiety of hotel and boarding house keepers in Argyll regarding the position of hotels if petrol rationing should continue over the holiday season, what has been the outcome of the inter-Departmental discussions on this subject.

I have nothing to add to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Ross and Cromarty (Mr. John MacLeod) on 4th February.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what agricultural use has been made of Horeham Manor Farm House since Lady Garbett was evicted from it on 28th May, 1956.

None. Temporary arrangements have been made for farming the land without occupation of the house.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will publish statistics showing the growth of cancer cases in Wales, and the comparable figures for other regions, since 1945.

No information is available about the growth of cancer cases in Wales since 1945.The number of deaths in Wales from cancer, on the basis of the classification at present in use, increased from 4,688 in 1945 to 5,486 in 1955. This represents an increase of 17 per cent. in the numbers of deaths and an increase of 9 per cent. in the death rate. The corresponding increases for England and Wales as a whole were 21 per cent. and 4 per cent.Owing to the changes in the composition of the regions used for statistical purposes, comparable figures for other regions are not available for 1945. The following table shows comparable figures for 1946 and 1955.