asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether a decision has yet been reached concerning the payment this year of hill sheep subsidy.

After full consideration of all the relevant circumstances and consultation with the interests concerned, the Government have decided that they would not be justified in paying a hill sheep subsidy in the United Kingdom this year. The estimated financial returns to hill sheep farmers in 1956 were generally at a satisfactory level compared with 1955. The question of the subsidy will be reconsidered next year in the light of the economic conditions prevailing in the hill sheep industry in 1957.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many clerics of the Greek Orthodox Church are now in prison or in detention in Cyprus; and whether he will publish their names and the offences for which they are being held.

In prison one: Right Rev. Coastas Petrou Mamminous, Abbot of Stavrovouni, who was sentenced on 8th December, 1955, to three years' imprisonment for being in possession of two revolvers without lawful authority.In detention 35, whose names are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what private or personal papers were taken by security officials from the possession of Mr. Nikos Cranidiotis, of Nicosia; how long these papers have been impounded; and when they will be returned.

Sorting is not completed, but they are mainly miscellaneous correspondence and Ethnarchy minutes and correspondence. These papers have been held since 5th September, 1956, and will be retained until they have been fully examined.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what action has now been taken in the case of Inspector England, Sub-Inspector Ismail Hassan and the other members of the Cyprus police, whose ill-treatment of a prisoner was the subject of comment at the Nicosia Special Assizes.

I assume that the hon. Member is referring to the trial of Charalambos Christodoulides. No allegations of ill-treatment were made against Assistant Superintendent England or Sub-Inspector Ismail Hassan, or any other witness at the trial.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies, what is the number of detainees in Kenya who are at present employed in work camps; what are their hours of work, wages and living conditions; and on what projects they are employed.

Some 22,240 detainees are at present employed on work of different kinds in various camps in Kenya, apart from camp maintenance. They do not work more than eight hours a day and no work is done on Sundays or public holidays. They are paid for this work and their pay is calculated at prevailing local rates for similar work. They live under camp conditions in thatched huts or converted army huts.I have asked the Governor of Kenya to prepare a list of the various projects on which detainees are employed, which I will circulate later in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what provision has been made and what employment is available for African smallholders who will be excluded from farming their own land under the Land Consolidation schemes in Kenya; and what employment is available in industry or agriculture for Africans returning to their reserves from detention and work camps in Kenya.

The consolidation programme does not exclude right-holders from farming their own land. It does in the case of some individuals, whose established rights are found to be of limited extent, result in the demarcation of plots not large enough for farm planning or the production of cash-crops on an economic scale. Many of these right-holders are finding agricultural employment with farmers with larger holdings and it is not yet clear whether any unemployment problem will persist in consolidation areas for those seeking employment locally.Those Africans returning to the African land-units from detention and works camps who have no land of their own are being assisted by resettlement on irrigation schemes and in forest villages. Numbers are also being assisted to return to agricultural employment in the European settled areas or to find work with the growing industries in Nairobi and other industrial development areas.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what discussions he has had with the Governor of British Somaliland regarding the inadequate numbers of tribal police, Illalos, safeguarding the interests of British Somalis in the Haud and Reserved areas of Ethiopia; and whether he has yet made a decision to increase these from the present strength of 295 men towards the maximum of 700 as permitted under the 1954 Agreement with Ethiopia.

The Illalos' strength was discussed with the Governor during his visit to London last December, and he will now recruit 100, bringing the total up to 400.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will circulate in HANSARD the relevant statements of Mr. Julius Nyerere, President of the Tanganyika African Union, for which he has been banned holding meetings at Tanga.

No. I am asking the Governor whether any complete and accurate transcript of these statements is available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will inquire into the refusal of a passport to Mr. George Ivanhoe Khouri, of Jamaica, particularly since he will be separated from his wife if this refusal to grant him a passport is continue.

The Governor of Jamaica informs me that a passport is being issued to Mr. Khouri.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will state the financial assistance which is to be provided to Malta in 1957–58.

Subject to the approval of Parliament, agreement has been reached with the Maltese Government on the basis of the recommendations of the Economic Commission for both the recurrent and capital budgets. Under this agreement financial assistance to the Maltese Budget for 1957–58 will be up to a total of £6,077,000, as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will make a statement upon the talks he has had with the Mauritius Legislative Council delegation regarding the future constitutional status of that island.

Yes; the Conference agreed upon the following statement at its final meeting on the 1st March:1. A series of meetings have been held between a delegation from Mauritius and Ministers and officials of the Colonial Office, the Governor, Sir Robert Scott, being present throughout. The Conference was held to discuss, on the basis of the Secretary of State's statement in the House of Commons on the 12th December, 1956, the remaining points of disagreement in regard to the new constitution to be introduced in Mauritius.2.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what negotiations are now going on with Saudi Arabia to remove the ban on delivery of Saudi Arabian oil through the Sidon Tapline.

None. Her Majesty's Government are not in diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs which Trust Territories are to be inspected by visiting missions of the United Nations in 1957; and if he will give the composition of each of the missions.

A United Nations visiting mission is expected to visit the following Trust Territories in 1957; Ruanda Urundi, Somaliland (under Italian administration), and Tanganyika. The composition of the mission will be decided at the forthcoming session of the Trusteeship Council, which begins on 14th March.

asked the Minister of Health what is the annual cost of the repair of dental appliances; what evidence he has found of deficiency in the technical processes or in the materials used; and whether he is satisfied that money spent in research and development work would not result in some economy.

The cost to the general dental service of repairs to dental appliances is about £1 million a year in England and Wales. Conditions as to the materials to be used in the making of dental appliances are prescribed by Regulation and I have no evidence suggesting that undue expenditure on repairs is being caused by deficiencies in the technical processes or materials employed. A number of bodies are undertaking research into dental materials and last year my predecessor appointed a Committee under the Chairmanship of Sir William Kelsey Fry to help to co-ordinate their activities.

asked the Minister of Health why two infants' deaths from vaccination are given in Part II of the Report of the Chief Medical Officer of Health for 1955, whereas only one such death is shown in the Report of the Registrar General for the same year.

As stated in the Chief Medical Officer's Report, one child died over four months after being vaccinated in October, 1955. His death was therefore properly recorded in the report of the Registrar General for the year 1956.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government when he expects to complete his consideration of the West Sussex County Development Plan (Southern Section), which was begun by his predecessor on 15th February, 1952; and whether he is aware that some five years' delay in approving this plan causes uncertainty and embarrassment both to the local residents and local authorities in the area in question, and that 14 months ago his predecessor undertook to complete his consideration of this plan within a few months.

My consideration of this plan has been completed, and formal approval will be given when the modification maps have been prepared by the local planning authority. I regret the delay in approving this plan, which has been due to unforeseen complications relating to certain town map proposals.

asked the hon. Member for Woolwich, West, as Chairman of the Kitchen Committee, if he is aware that many hon. Members are unable to afford the costs of the meals and snacks provided in the Members' Dining Rooms, etc.; and whether, as a means of assisting these Members, he will make facilities available whereby Members can bring their own meals and sandwiches to an appointed canteen or room, and prepare their own tea, and snacks, etc.

Under the present catering arrangements Members can purchase snacks and meals at prices to suit all pockets. It is not considered either possible or desirable to attempt to provide facilities such as the hon. Member suggests.

asked the hon. Member for Woolwich, West, as Chairman of the Kitchen Committee, if he will give the number of his staff who have not received an increase in their wage and salary scale since the date when Members' salaries were last adjusted.

None.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if he will state the date when old-age pensions first commenced; the amounts then paid; and what has been the percentage increase in these pensions since that date.

Non-contributory old-age pensions, to which it is assumed the question refers, were first paid on 1st January, 1909. The pension has always varied according to means but the original maximum rate was 5s. a week. The current maximum rate, of 26s. a week therefore represents an increase of 420 per cent.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that if 25 per cent. again of the original cost is expended in Hong Kong on making-up Japanese material, and if some process is alleged to have been employed, such merchandise can be imported into the United Kingdom, duty free, as "Empire" goods and no infringement of the Merchandise Marks Act will have occurred; and what amendment he will make to the Act to enable him to put a stop to this state of affairs.

My hon. and gallant Friend is mistaken in thinking that goods which meet the statutory conditions for duty at reduced rates or free entry from Hong Kong are necessarily also qualified under the Merchandise Marks Acts to be marked "Empire." I do not think that any alteration to the Merchandise Marks Acts is required.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will so amend his regulations as to ensure that goods of a kind which would be subject to Purchase Tax and duty if brought into this country when new, should be exempted from such tax and duty if they are used or secondhand at the time of their import into the United Kingdom.

No. Such an exemption would be impossible to control, and would defeat the purpose of the Customs charges.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware of the disquiet felt by the Trades Union Congress, as expressed by its General Secretary, over the Government's announced cuts in the social services and increased National Insurance contributions; to what extent these new proposals were discussed during his recent discussions with the Trades Union Congress; and whether he will arrange a further meeting with the Trades Union Congress to hear their views and observations on these measures.

I am aware of these views; but the measures announced by me on 19th February, as I made clear, are in no sense cuts in the social services. I am always ready to discuss with the T.U.C. economic matters of common concern.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer which Ministerial offices had their Ministers' salaries fixed at their present level over 100 years ago; and whether he will give a list of the various grades of the civil servants employed in these Departments on that date, together with the salaries paid, showing, where possible, a comparison with the same or similar types of Civil Service employment and the salaries received at the latest convenient stated date.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, and the Secretaries of State for the Colonies, Foreign Affairs, the Home Department and War had their salaries fixed at their present level of £5,000 over 100 years ago. Salaries of £1,500 and £2,000 were then, as now, payable to Junior Ministers in those Departments.Civil servants 100 years ago were not graded uniformly in Departments as they are today, but, as a representative example of 1857 grading, the Treasury staff then comprised an assistant secretary (£2,500), principal clerks (£1,000-£1,500), first class clerks (£700-£900), second class clerks (£350-£600) and third class clerks (£100-£250). Owing to changes in the structure of the Civil Service no valid comparison can be made with current salaries, but a clerical officer now receives £240 at his minimum and the Joint Permanent Secretaries to the Treasury receive £6,500.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will detail the list of Ministers who had their salaries first fixed over 100 years ago; and, taking the £ as having a spending value of 20s. at the inception of these salaries, what is the relative worth today of these salaries, after allowing for the depreciation in the purchasing value in the £.

The salaries of the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretaries of State for the Colonies, Foreign Affairs and the Home Department were first fixed at £5,000 in 1831, and at the same time Under-Secretaries of State were given their present salary of £1,500; in terms of purchasing power, those salaries are now equivalent to £1,450 and £435 respectively.In 1851 Ministerial salaries were again reviewed, and among other changes the salary of the Financial Secretary to the Treasury was fixed at £2,000, which is now equivalent to £440. In 1855 the salary of the Secretary of State for War was fixed at £5,000, now equivalent to £1,450.No official price indices are available for the years before 1914, so for the greater part of the period unofficial estimates of price changes have had to be used in making the calculations.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Government's proposals regarding entertainments tax on the cinema industry will also apply to theatres, football, athletics, greyhound racing and all other sports and businesses paying entertainments tax.

No Government proposals have been made regarding Entertainments Duty on admissions to cinemas, but my review of this duty covers all its aspects.