asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions his Department has had with the interests concerned in a proposed sale to a United States controlled company of a British mining undertaking, of which particulars have been furnished to him.

The Tsumeb Corporation Ltd. recently applied for consents under the Exchange Control Act and the Income Tax Act, 1952, to enable them to acquire control of the South West Africa Co. Ltd. These applications are still being considered.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether increases in rent under the provisions of the Rent Bill will be liable to Income Tax; and how this income will be assessed.

Yes, under Sections 175 and 176 of the Income Tax Act, 1952.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether payments made to those who appear in the "64,000 Question" programmes on Independent Television are liable to Income Tax.

Prizes received in such circumstances are not liable to Income Tax.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury what period normally elapses between the issue of a publication of Her Majesty's Stationery Office and the issue of the monthly list of publications in which it is included.

The Stationery Office aims at publishing the Monthly Catalogue three to four weeks after the end of the month. Printing difficulties have made it impossible to do so in recent months; but new arrangements have been made and it is expected that in future the list will be published as planned.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in view of the dislocation to business caused in industries whose products are subject to Purchase Tax by current speculation regarding the possible supersession of Purchase Tax by a sales tax, if he will make an early announcement with a view to removing this obstacle to a seasonal improvement in the affected trades.

I have no statement to make on Purchase Tax, except to say that any such change, if it were practicable at all, would be a major operation and could not be undertaken in a hurry.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many private brewers' licences were issued in the years 1950 to 1956 annually; and how many were renewed during this period.

Complete figures for the calendar years 1950 to 1956 are not available, but the numbers of private brewers' licences issued (including licences renewed) during each of the financial years 1950–51 to 1955–56, were as follows:—

1950–51	…	…	…	…	2,406
1951–52	…	…	…	…	2,225
1952–53	…	…	…	…	2,015
1953–54	…	…	…	…	1,758
1954–55	…	…	..	…	1,523
1955–56	…	…	…	…	1,396

The number of licences issued or renewed in the period from 1st April, 1956, to 31st December, 1956, was 1,344. Renewals are not recorded separately from new licences, but the latter account for only a very small proportion of the above figures.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the annual cost to the Exchequer of increasing the earned income allowance for Income Tax purposes from two-ninths to one-quarter if the present maximum were continued and if the maximum was increased by a proportionate amount, respectively.

About £84 million if the maximum relief was kept at the present figure of £450, or £90 million if the maximum was increased to £500.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in his forthcoming Budget, he will consider removing or reducing the additional petrol tax imposed as a result of the Suez crisis and thereby assist in reducing the cost of living.

The hon. Member will not expect me to anticipate my Budget statement.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will publish the Report of the inquiry of the sub-committee of the Central Advisory Water Committee into the growing demand for water and the problems involved in meeting it.

Yes, in due course.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he has considered the request from the Gateshead Borough Council to amend their development plan where land is required for housing purposes; and if he will make a statement.

The proposed amendment involves using for housing purposes land which is allocated in the plan for school sites, and I am anxious to discover what other provision the council has in mind for the schools. The council is being invited to discuss the matter with my officers.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government which local authorities currently discharge untreated sewage into the waters between the Isle of Wight and the mainland of Hampshire.

The County Borough of Portsmouth, the boroughs of Gosport, Lymington and Ryde, the urban district of Cowes and the rural districts of Isle of Wight and Winchester.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government why he refused to approve expenditure by local authorities on the purchase of talking books for the blind as part of their library service.

Because this service is a matter for the welfare authority under the National Assistance Act, 1948.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government to what extent the number of sanitary inspectors in his Department working on slum clearance areas has been increased during the last six weeks.

Inquiries into slum clearance schemes are held by housing and planning inspectors. Three additional inspectors have been recruited during the past six weeks. Eleven more have accepted appointment and will all, it is hoped, be in post by the beginning of May. Recruitment is continuing.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government the approximate time between a Government inquiry for a slum clearance area and the confirmation by the Minister to a local authority.

Excluding a very few cases where exceptional difficulties arise, the average time taken between inquiry and decision is, for slum clearance orders, just under three months.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what progress has been made with the installation of electrostatic precipitators at Bevan's Works, Swanscombe, which he announced on 3rd November, 1955, was to be undertaken.

The precipitators have been ordered, but their installation entails major alterations to the works, including the resiting of the slurry tanks and the erection of a 350 ft. chimney. Preparations for all this are now at an advanced stage.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what information he has received from his inspectors under the Alkali Acts as to how many precipitators were out of action at cement works on Thames-side during the last 12 months; and how long it will be before they are working again.

Apart from temporary suspension for normal replacements and maintenance, only two precipitators have been out of commission in this area in the last 12 months, one for refitting and the other for rebuilding. Work on the former was completed in a fortnight, and the rebuilding of the latter is expected to be finished in about a month's time.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what reply he has given to the several municipal associations who have made representations to him in respect of their increasing financial burden arising from the direct local effect of the policy of Her Majesty's Government.

I have not received any such general representations.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many acres of land are being annually reclaimed by the removal of colliery spoil heaps, giving the figures for each county.

Information on the complete removal of colliery tips is not available; the instances of this are thought to be few. But the cases of reclamation by levelling and seeding or tree planting known to my Department are being collected, and I will write to the hon. Member when I have the results.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will sanction the immediate construction of new roads, streets and services which are urgently required on the new housing estates in the City of Stoke-on-Trent and the carrying out of a policy of grassification and the planting of shrubs and trees.

If the Council submits proposals to me, I am prepared to sanction any that seem to me to be urgently required, provided that the prices are reasonable.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if, in respect of areas where there is an acute shortage of housing accommodation, he will introduce legislation to enable local authorities to requisition houses which will become vacant owing to the exercise of the powers granted to landlords under the Rent Bill.

No. A salutary effect of the Rent Bill will be to encourage all landlords to keep their houses tenanted, instead of, as at present, seeking vacant possession in order to sell.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will make a statement in regard to the deputation he received from the Manchester Corporation on 22nd February concerning the problem of overspill.

I thought it right that, as a newcomer, I should myself hear what the Corporation had to say before coming to a conclusion. Its representatives gave me a clear and forceful account of their problem, and explained their reasons for thinking that they needed a large area of land suitable for development of new town proportions. I promised to let them have advice as soon as possible, and I shall do so.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will make it obligatory in future building regulations that dwelling-houses be insulated.

My Department's model building byelaws include a byelaw requiring dwelling-houses to be adequately insulated against loss of heat. Out of a total of 1,438 local authorities entitled to make byelaws, 1,413 have adopted it.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will now reply to the application submitted to him on 26th April, 1956, in respect of the Harry Turner Almshouses, Macclesfield, by Messrs. Cecil Howitt and Partners, details of which have been forwarded to him.

The Macclesfield Council was informed on 25th February that this scheme could be approved. I am sorry that there was delay in dealing with the proposal.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how far the cost of building houses erected by local authorities and by private enterprise for the same type of house, respectively, has increased during the past five years in the Metropolitan Police area; and if he will indicate the main causes of this increase.

I have no figures showing the cost of houses erected in this area by private enterprise or by the London County Council. The situation in the London region is in any case exceptional because flats and not houses make up the greater part of the programme.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will give the approximate number of families from London and Middlesex who have been transferred to the new towns now being built for those areas.

By the end of 1956 about 10,500 families from the County of London and 10,000 from Middlesex had been housed in the eight new towns in the Home Counties.

asked the Prime Minister what further representations he has received from the Negotiating Committee of the medical profession since his letter to Sir Russell Brain with regard to the work of the proposed Royal Commission on doctors' remuneration; whether he has since clarified the sentence in his letter which referred to the possibility of an interim adjustment; and if he will make a statement.

None. On the second part of the Question, I have nothing to add to what I said yesterday.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will provide an exact link between the old and new index of rates of wages, by publishing the index numbers for 31st January, 1956, correct to one decimal place, for men, women and juveniles separately, for all industries and services, and for manufacturing industries, respectively.

Following is the reply:

THE INDEX OF WAGE RATES FOR 31ST JANUARY, 1956
(30th June, 1947=100)
——	All industries	Manufacturing industries only
Men	154·5	151·7
Women	159·8	163·1
Juveniles	168·7	170·8
All workers	156·1	154·5

asked the Minister of Labour the number of persons of each sex and in each trade now unemployed and on short-time working, respectively, in the City of Aberdeen; and how these numbers compare with the corresponding numbers this time last year.

NUMBERS OF PERSONS REGISTERED AS UNEMPLOYED IN ABERDEEN AT 13TH FEBRUARY, 1956, AND 11TH FEBRUARY, 1957*
Industry	13th February, 1956				11th February, 1957
	Male		Females		Males		Females
	Wholly unemployed	Temporarily stopped	Wholly unemployed	Temporarily stopped	Wholly unemployed	Temporarily stopped	Wholly unemployed	Temporarily stopped
Agricultural, horticulture and forestry	116	16	14	—	136	2	7	—
Fishing	113	17	1	—	170	33	—	—
Non-metalliferous mining products	58	4	—	—	75	—	1	—
Shipbuilding and ship repairing	39	10	—	—	60	—	—	—
Motor repairers and garages	17	—	1	—	48	8	4	—
Food industries	77	—	65	—	126	—	95	—
Timber (sawmilling, etc.)	100	14	10	—	98	2	12	29
Wooden containers and baskets	83	—	4	—	71	75	4	15
Building and civil engineering contracting	377	304	—	—	406	2	4	—
Road transport	39	1	3	—	99	—	5	1
Sea transport	115	—	1	—	133	—	2	—
Distributive trades	267	2	170	4	312	2	212	1
Local government service	79	2	17	—	114	—	21	—
Entertainment, sport, etc.	73	—	6	—	74	—	10	—
Catering, hotels, etc.	89	—	77	—	113	—	91	5
All other industries and services	484	30	232	3	602	37	323	4
Total, all industries and services	2,126	400	601	7	2,637	161	791	55
* Statistics of the total number on short-time are not available. The table shows the numbers registered as "temporarily stopped" owing to short-time working or other temporary suspensions who were not at work at the dates in question.

asked the Minister of Labour who are the persons authorised to act as chairmen of the Industrial Court and of the Industrial Disputes Tribunal; what are their terms of office; and what are the fees paid.

The following is the reply:

The table below gives the information desired:H. Lloyd-Williams, Esq., C.B.E., D.S.O., MC.Sir John Forster is the President of the Court and receives a salary of £5,000 a year. Other independent members are appointed or re-appointed for periods of two years at a time and receive a fee of £10 10s. for each day of service on the Court.

asked the Minister of Labour the membership of the Employers' Panel of the Industrial Court, the Trade Union Panel of the Industrial Court, the Employers' Panel of the Industrial Disputes Tribunal, and the Trade Union Panel of the Industrial Disputes Tribunal, respectively; what are their terms of office; what are the fees payable to them; and what organisations he consults in appointing the panels.

The Employers' and Workers' Panels of the Industrial Court each consists of one full-time member and two members paid by fees.The full-time members are appointed for periods of three years at a time and fee-paid members for periods of two

NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED PERSONS ON THE REGISTERS OF THE FAVERSHAM, SHEERNESS AND SITTINGBOURNE EMPLOYMENT EXCHANGES AT 13TH FEBRUARY, 1956, AND 11TH FEBRUARY, 1957
			13th February, 1956			11th February, 1957
Employment Exchange			Males	Females	Total	Males	Females	Total
Faversham	…	…	107	103	210	108	59	167
Sheerness	…	…	81	107	188	86	126	212
Sittingbourne	…	…	59	69	128	89	70	159

asked the Minister of Labour the numbers of registered unemployed at Faversham, Sheerness and Sittingbourne, respectively; and how these figures compare with the same period last year.

The following table gives the information desired.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what instructions he has given to the New Town Development Corporations concerning their future rent policies.

None, as yet.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is now satisfied with the feeding arrangements made for young calves in transit by rail.

As far as my right hon. Friend is aware the arrangements are satisfactory but, if my hon. and gallant Friend knows of any instance where feeding arrangements were unsatisfactory and sends him details, he will gladly make inquiries.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is aware of the present dilapidated condition of the pier at Portree; and how soon work can be expected to start on the new pier, in view of the fact that the plans for this have already been agreed and there are at present a considerable number of persons in Portree and the Isle of Skye now available for such work.

The Inverness County Council will be authorised this week to invite tenders for this scheme, with a view to a start being made as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a detailed statement on the incidence of the illness called erysipeloid among fishermen and fish workers in Scotland, the number of cases in Scotland, the places in which they occurred, and the steps taken to prevent and cure this illness.

No detailed information is available about the incidence of this relatively mild skin disease. I am advised that repeated washing of the hands and the avoidance of broken skin are the best means of prevention, and that antibiotic treatment is usually quickly effective.

asked the Lord Advocate what subjects he has remitted to the Scots Law Reform Committee for consideration and report; on which subjects the Committee has reported; and what are the dates on which the reports will be published.

I have remitted the following subjects to the Law Reform Committee for Scotland for consideration and report:

1. The liability of an occupier of land or other property to persons suffering injury while on the property, and the obligations of a lessor towards third parties invited or allowed by the lessee to be on the subjects let.

2. The procedural law relating to actions of removing and actions of ejection.

3. The rules governing the date from which interest on an award of damages is, or may be, ordered by the court to run.

4. The effect on the liability of insurance companies of special conditions and exceptions in insurance policies and of non-disclosure of facts by persons effecting such policies.

5. The relevance, in a question of the assessment of damages, of any liability to tax of the person entitled to the damage (with particular reference to the decision in British Transport Commission v. Gourley, 1956, A.C. 185).

The Committee has reported on the three first-mentioned subjects. The Report on the first-mentioned subject was presented to Parliament as a Command Paper (Cmnd. 88) on 25th February, 1957; the other two Reports are in the hands of the printer and will be presented as Command Papers in the near future.It is not possible to state the date on which Reports on the remaining two subjects will be published, but I understand that the Report relating to the liability of insurance companies will be ready for submission to me within the next few weeks.In addition to the subjects already mentioned I have asked the Committee to consider and report to me on the juridical implications of Nos. 67, 68 and 70 of the Scottish recommendations of the Morton Commission on Marriage and Divorce.

asked the Minister of Works whether the Palace of Westminster will be cleared of scaffolding in time for the opening of the Inter-Parliamentary Conference on 12th September.

The scaffolding on the Clock Tower and the West Front should be removed before September, but there will still be some scaffolding round St. Stephen's Entrance, in New Palace Yard Arcade and on the Victoria Tower.

asked the Minister of Works the estimated total cost of the restoration of Chiswick House; and if he will give figures showing how the actual expenditure compares with the original estimates.

The original estimate of the cost of restoring Chiswick House, which was made in 1948 before the building was examined in detail, was £80,000 to £100,000. Prices have risen by over 30 per cent. since then, and the last detailed estimate, made in 1955, was £130,000; it now seems likely that the eventual cost will be rather more than this. Just over £100,000 has been spent so far.

asked the Minister of Works what repairs still remain to be undertaken at Chiswick House and when it is expected that these will be completed.

Some external and much internal work, particularly decorations and plaster repairs, remain to be done to the Villa, and considerable repairs are needed to the Link Building and the Summer Parlour. I hope that work on the Villa will be completed next year. Work to the other buildings should be finished by 1961.

asked the Secretary of State for War how many generals, lieutenant - generals, major -generals and brigadiers are now serving on the active list of the Army; and how these numbers compare with 1951.

Five hundred and thirty-seven compared with 563 in 1951.

asked the Secretary of State for War, how many serving officers and civil servants are now employed at the War Office; and how these numbers compare with 1951.

1,023 serving officers, 201 retired officers and 4,901 civil servants on 31st December, 1956, as against 1,259 serving officers, no retired officers and 5,489 civil servants on 31st December, 1951. A total reduction of 623.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will make a statement on the resumption of discharge by purchase.

Discharge by purchase was re-introduced on 15th February.

asked the Secretary of State for War when the hon. Member for Clapham will receive a reply to his letter of 22nd January relating to lost civilian gear of certain Royal Army Ordnance Corps troops sent to Cyprus in November, 1956, and the question of compensation for this loss.

I dealt with the points raised in the hon. Member's letter in answering his subsequent Question of 5th February. I have now heard that some of the missing kit has just arrived in this country. It is being sent to its owners as soon as possible. The question of compensation will only arise if any kit actually turns out to be lost.

asked the Secretary of State for War what was the original estimated cost of the proposed new barracks at Cardross; what has been the actual cost of the work completed up to the date of suspension of operations; and when a decision to resume work is likely to be made.

Work has not begun on this project which was estimated to cost about £430,000, and no money has been spent on it apart from the cost of the site. Because the Army's requirements are at present under review, I cannot say whether this barracks will be built.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many persons, men and women were employed at the Bridgend Trading Estate in May, 1956, and at the latest available date.

On a basis of computation since discontinued, employment in factories on the Bridgend Estate on 2nd June, 1956, was:

Men	Women	Total
2,775	2,349	5,124

Comparable figures are no longer available.On the new basis of computation, employment by the larger firms at end-August, 1956, totalled 3,503 and at end-November, 1956, was:

Men	Women	Total
1,816	1,841	3,657

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is the reason for the delay which has held up publication of the Report of the Committee of Inquiry into the affairs of the Gordon Hotels, Limited.

There has been no delay in publication. Copies of the Report will be available to the public in a day or two.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the amount of money earned by the sale or renting of British films in the United States of America during the years 1954, 1955 and 1956.

This information is not available. Remittances from the United States of earnings of cinematograph films are estimated on the basis of confidential information to be of the order of £1 million annually.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will circularise the Hungarian refugees to the effect that their chances of emigrating overseas will not be prejudiced by their undertaking temporary employment in this country.

The preceding Home Secretary made this clear in his message to the refugees dated 20th December, 1956, and my right hon. Friend repeated it in his message dated 21st January, 1957. That advice still applies, and I do not think that any further assurance is necessary.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty how much money was spent on civil defence by his Department in the financial years 1952–53, 1953–54, 1954–55, 1955–56 and 1956–57, respectively.

Expenditure from Navy Votes on services which could properly be regarded as civil defence is not recorded in such a way as to enable me to give a positive answer to the right hon. Gentleman's Question, or even to give an estimate of what may have been spent. I am, however, assured that expenditure by the Admiralty for this purpose is not heavy.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he is now in a position to make a statement on the recommendations on land drainage contained in the Heneage Report.

Yes. The Government have reluctantly come to the conclusion that, in view of the divergent opinions held by the interests concerned, it would not be justifiable at present to implement the main recommendations of the Heneage Report under which all intermediate watercourses not now the responsibility of a drainage authority would be taken over by River Boards, and additional finance would be provided by means of a national charge on agricultural land outside internal drainage districts. Nevertheless, I am satisfied that on many of these intermediate watercourses improvement works, together with subsequent maintenance, are necessary, and that additional powers are needed to enable such works to be undertaken as and when they are required. I am therefore arranging for consultations with the associations concerned, and I hope that it may be possible to reach agreement on proposals designed to secure progressive improvements in this field.

asked the Secretary of State for Air if he will publish the latest available figures for organised recruitment, re-engagements, and the signing on for the 3-year period in lieu of National Service to the latest available date and for the comparable period before the pay increases announced in 1956.

Following are the figures for the period 1st April, 1956, when the pay increases took effect, to 31st January, 1957, and for the period 1st April, 1955, to 31st January, 1956:—

	Ten months to
	31st January,1956	31st January,1957
Recruits enlisted on regular engagements:—
Men (including apprentices and boys)	16,703	19,209
Women	1,039	1,162
Regular airmen prolonging their service (including re-engaged airmen waiving their option to discharge before the age of 55)	5,671	16,434

NOTE: The number of men enlisted on 3-year engagements was 7,715 in the ten months to 31st January, 1956 and 8,127 in the ten months to 31st January, 1957. These figures are included within the above totals.

asked the Secretary of State for Air how much money was spent on civil defence by his Department in the financial years 1952–53, 1953–54, 1954–55, 1955–56, and 1956–57, respectively.

It is not possible to cost this expenditure in detail.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will now permit the hon. Member for Swindon to communicate by letter with Archbishop Makarios of Cyprus.

As the hon. Member knows he can write to Archbishop Makarios, but correspondence to and from the Archbishop is subject to censorship.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will make a statement on the treatment of Mr. Christoforou while in custody and what answer has been given to the memorandum on the subject delivered to the Governor by the Bar Council of Cyprus on 2nd January.

I am consulting the Governor and will circulate a reply in the OFFICIAL REPORT as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT the result of the Cyprus Government's investigations into the allegation of ill-treatment during the interrogation of Maria Lambrou, together with details of the medical evidence in support of the conclusions reached.

The conclusions reached as a result of the Cyprus Government's inquiry into these allegations are as follows.Miss Maria Anassastasiou Lambrou was arrested on 13th October, 1956, and taken to the British Military Hospital to see a man in whom the police were interested. Later the same day she was taken to police cells. All the officers concerned at any stage in the case have categorically denied that she was in any way ill-treated or assaulted. While in her cell, Miss Lambrou had a miscarriage and was immediately removed to hospital for treatment. She was there attended by a Cypriot doctor who stated to a police officer that he diagnosed a septic abortion. Whilst he was unable to say with certainty what had caused it, he added that she probably had some weakness due to infection.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colones what are the rates of pay of members of the postal service in Uganda in different grades compared with the rates of pay of similar grades of other employees in the Government service; and what reply has been made to the application of the union of the postal staff for raising their rates of pay to the level of other Government employees.

The rates of pay of employees of the East African Posts and Telecommunications Administration are identical with the rates of pay of similar grades in the service of the East African Governments and the East Africa High Commission. No representations suggesting that this is not so have been received by the Postmaster-General from unions in the three territories.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations if he will now state what action has been taken in the case of Elias Monare who was irregularly arrested in Basutoland and returned to the Union of South Africa.

As the hon. Member has already been informed, the administrative instructions, which were not precise, are being revised. In the meantime, detailed instructions have been issued to administrative and police officers regarding the correct procedure to be followed under the Fugitive Offenders Act. The individual responsible for the irregularity to which the hon. Member refers has been appropriately dealt with by the Resident Commissioner, in accordance with my noble Friend's instructions.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that the recent proposals for increasing the contribution to the National Health Service will mean that the respective shares are 8½d. and 1½d., thus involving increased calculations and administrative costs; and whether he will alter the contribution so as to avoid this.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given on 4th March to the hon. Member for Farnworth (Mr. Thornton).

asked the Minister of Health whether he has considered the recommendations contained in the third memorandum of the Council for Wales and Monmouthshire, Command Paper No. 53, of the Rural Development Panel on the Mid-Wales Spas; and if he will make a statement.

I have carefully considered these recommendations but regret that I see serious difficulties in the way of accepting them.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will make a statement regarding the Government's proposals about the remuneration of medical and dental staff in hospitals.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to the hon. Member for Newcastle-upon-Tyne, East (Mr. Blenkinsop) on 4th March.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury if he will give the names of the newspapers whose editorials were quoted in the "Editorial Comment from Today's British Newspapers," in the London Press Service on each of the days from 30th October, 1956, to 30th November, 1956.

I have been asked to reply.Yes. Editorials from the following newspapers were quoted in the Leader Summary in Transmission One on each of the days from 30th October, 1956, to 30th November, 1956:—

asked the Secretary to the Treasury if he will arrange for the London Press Service to be put in the House of Commons' Library each day.

I have been asked to reply.I have nothing to add to the reply given by my hon. Friend the then Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to the hon. Member on 20th December last.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what was the amount spent in each year since the appointed day on capital equipment in civil aviation, London Transport, railways, and docks and inland waterways, respectively.

The figures are as follows:

BRITISH TRANSPORT COMMISSION
EXPENDITURE ON FIXED ASSETS CHARGED TO CAPITAL ACCOUNT FOR THE YEARS 1948 to 1955
£m.
Year		British Railways (including Collection and Delivery Services)	London Transport	Docks	Inland Waterways
1948	…	33·8	6·8	0·5	0·2
1949	…	36·7	10·0	0·6	0·1
1950	…	37·0	11·8	0·6	0·1
1951	…	40·7	8·1	0·5	0·1
1952	…	34·7	8·9	0·8	0·1
1953	…	48·3	6·4	1·1	0·2
1954	…	60·2	4·3	1·9	0·2
1955	…	66·8	2·0	2·2	0·2

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation when it is proposed to commence the alterations at the junction of the A.2 Road and Chalk-well Road, Sittingbourne.

The alterations cannot be started until an Order has been made under the powers of Section 14 (1) of the Special Roads Act, 1949. I hope to publish a draft Order later this year.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if he will give figures showing the comparative percentage number of deaths as between 1946 and 1956 of those who would have qualified for the old-age pension had they survived.

I regret that it is not possible to give an estimate in precisely this form, but I am writing to my hon. Friend about such information as is available.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance whether he will give the date in 1946 when retirement pensions were increased; and, taking the £ as having a purchase value on that date of 20s., what is the relative purchasing value of the present retirement pension at the latest convenient date, after allowing for the depreciation in the purchasing value of the £.

On the basis suggested a retirement pension of 40s. in January, 1957, would have been equivalent to one of 25s. in October, 1946, when the 26s. retirement pension was introduced.