asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what arrangements are proposed to deal with domiciliary visiting and other welfare arrangements for disabled persons, following the reorganisation of his Department's work in North Wales.

There has been no reorganisation of my Department's work that would affect the domiciliary visiting and other welfare arrangements for disabled persons in North Wales.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how milk consumption in January, February and March compared with these months in 1956.

It is provisionally estimated that sales of liquid milk from January to March, 1957, were about 1·2 per cent. less than in the same period last year.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what the wheat deficiency payment will be for the period from 1st December, 1956, to 28th February, 1957; and when it will be paid.

The ascertained average price for about 10·2 million cwt. of millable wheat despatched on delivery in the United Kingdom during the third accounting period (1st December, 1956, to 28th February, 1957) of the cereal year 1956–57 is 25s. 5·3d. per cwt.The standard price for the period is 30s. 8d. per cwt. and the deficiency payment will, therefore, be 5s. 2·7d. per cwt. as 4s. 6d. per ton). In addition, approximately 356,000 cwt. of wheat brought up to millable standard after sale will be included in the payment.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what arrangements have now been made for grants to local authorities toward the cost of inspecting meat in areas where much of the meat inspected is not for local consumption.

After consultation with their associations, a circular letter has been sent to local authorities explaining the basis on which grants towards costs of meat inspection incurred in the financial year 1956–57 may now be claimed. I am sending my hon. Friend a copy.

asked the Minister of Health how many farms taken over by the South-West Regional Hospital Board have now been sold; if they were offered to the authority that owned them before 1948; to whom they have been sold; and what was the amount received for each of them and their stock.

Farmland has been sold at four hospitals. In two cases the land was offered to the authority that owned it before 1948 but the offers were declined. In the other two cases the former owners were a voluntary hospital and a joint board now dissolved. The land was sold by public auction to private individuals; at Ham Green Hospital for£17,577, at Moorhaven Hospital for£3,810, at Tone Vale Hospital for£4,509 and at Royal Western Counties Hospital for£3,523. At the last-named a small area was sold to Devon County Council for£464, before auction. Stock and equipment were sold at Ham Green Hospital, and£23,146 was obtained at public auction.

asked the Minister of Health how many of the 40,000 acres of farmland operated by various hospitals in England and Wales have now been sold; and how many were sold to the authority which owned them prior to 1948.

1,784 acres of farmland have been sold, and agreements for sale have been reached in respect of a further 1,908 acres. No land has so far been sold to former owners but agreement has been reached to sell 114 acres to the local authority that formerly owned it.

asked the Minister of Health, in view of the fact that constituents of the hon. Member for Nottingham, North, are having to retain chronic mental cases in their care at home for as long as seven years, thus seriously affecting the upbringing of other normal children and family life, what improvements have been, and are to be. made in the facilities for institutional accommodation for chronic mental cases in and around Nottingham.

Recent extensions at Aston Hall have provided 120 additional beds for mental defectives and 250 more should be completed shortly at Balderton. The Regional Hospital Board hopes eventually to provide a total of 1,600 beds at these two places.

asked the Minister of Health what provision has been made in his Estimates for 1957–58 for the new rates of remuneration for hospital staff and for increasing specialist appointments.

Provision was made in the Estimates for salary and wage increases known at the time the Estimates were submitted, but not for subsequent increases. An increase in specialist appointments is part of the development of the hospital service for which general provision was included.

asked the Minister of Health how many clinical assistants have had their salaried hospital appointments terminated during the twelve months up to the latest convenient date; and the future policy in respect of this grade of hospital medical officer.

I regret that the information asked for in the first part of the Question is not available. I shall continue to encourage the employment of general practitioners as clinical assistants in suitable hospital posts.

asked the Minister of Health whether, as a a result of the site conference held on 4th April, he is now in a position to make a detailed progress statement on item one of the phase III rebuilding programme at Stoney Stanton Road Hospital. Coventry.

The work on this item is one-third complete. Ways of expediting it were considered at the meeting to which the hon. Member refers, and it is now estimated that it will be finished in July, 1958.

asked the Minister of Health the average number of patients of doctors in the National Health Service in Wales at the latest convenient date; how this figure compares with the average number in 1951; and how it compares with the average number in England.

The average number of patients per doctor in the National Health Service in Wales on 1st July, 1956, was 2,067. This compares with 2,321 on 1st July, 1952 the first year for which comparable figures are available. The corresponding figures for England were 2286 in 1956 and 2,451 in 1952.

asked the Minister of Health the average number of patients of each doctor in the National Health Service for each of the Welsh counties at the latest convenient date; and if he is satisfied with the trend since 1951.

The following statement shows the average number of patients per doctors for each of the Welsh counties. My right hon. Friend is very satisfied with the general trend since 1951.

asked the Minister of Health what steps he has now taken to provide for the implementation of the recommendations contained in paragraphs 505–8 of the Guillebaud Committee's Report.

In these paragraphs the Committee was endorsing recommendations made by earlier Committees, all of which have already been commended to hospital authorities and others concerned.

asked the Minister of Health how many general practitioners are under contract in the National Health Service; and the average number of visits paid by patients to general practitioners and by general practitioners to patients during the latest period for which information is available.

The number of general practitioners under contract to provide unrestricted general medical services under the National Health Service in England and Wales on 1st July, 1956, was 19,082.Exact information is not available on the second part of the Question but various surveys, none of them very recent, have indicated that the average number of visits by patients may be in the region of three a year, and by doctors in the region of two.

asked the Minister of Health how many applications have been made for loans from the Group Practice Fund; how many have been granted; and whether he proposes to increase the size of the fund.

So far the number of applications for loans from the Group Practice Loans Fund in England and Wales is 251, of which 107 have already been granted. The fund is now increasing by over£100,000 a year and I think this should be sufficient.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will make representations through the country watching our interests in Egypt to support the Australian and New Zealand protest concerning the desecration of the A.N.Z.A.C. Memorial at Port Said.

The A.N.Z.A.C. Memorial at Port Said was set up jointly by the Australian and New Zealand Governments. It is primarily a matter for these Governments to protest to the Egyptian authorities. Nevertheless, Her Majesty's Government fully share the feelings of indignation that have been aroused by this wanton act of desecration.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what instructions have now been given to British shipping about the use of the Suez Canal and the payment of dues.

Her Majesty's Government's advice to ship owners remains unchanged. I have nothing to add to the reply given to the hon. Member and to the hon. Member for Accrington (Mr. H. Hynd) on 8th April, but my right hon. and learned Friend hopes to be able to make a further statement shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what steps he is taking to protect British ships carrying goods to North Korea, in view of the threat made by the South Korean Foreign Minister, Cho Chung, on 11th April, that such ships will be stopped by the South Korean navy.

An official record of the Foreign Minister's remarks in the Korean National Assembly on 11th April is not yet available but the majority of Press reports agree that he was referring to carriage of strategic materials. Since it is not proposed to relax our controls on the export of such goods to North Korea, and the Foreign Minister himself has subsequently stated that it was "inconceivable" that we would do so, the question of protecting British ships does not arise.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what mechanised transport is employed by the United Nations Emergency Force; and how much it cost.

The United Nations Emergency Force is made up of a number of national contingents with widely varying scales of equipment, and no comprehensive information is available on the mechanical transport employed by the Force as a whole, nor on its cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how much of the 10 million dollars voted by the United Nations for the payment of the United Nations Emergency Force remains; and what proposals have been made at the United Nations for further payment of the United Nations Emergency Force.

The Secretary-General of the United Nations has not yet furnished an account of expenditure on the United Nations Emergency Force. He has been authorised to incur expenditure to a total of 16.5 million dollars, made up of the 10 million dollars voted by the General Assembly in November last and an additional 6.5 million dollars voted on 8th March.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will make a statement on the results of his recent discussions with the Prime Minister of Malta.

As announced in the joint communiqué issued at the conclusion of the recent discussions in London, satisfactory progress was made on the constitutional side, but the Prime Minister of Malta was unable to agree to the principle underlying the proposed economic arrangements. Mr. Mintoff returned to Malta to consult his colleagues and has promised to inform my right hon. Friend of the outcome.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies, how many slaves in the Aden Protectorates had applied to representatives of Her Majesty's Government for manumission certificates in each year since 1945, respectively; how many have been granted; and how many have been refused.

pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 14th February, 1957; Vol. 564, c. 220],supplied the following information:The numbers of slaves who have applied for, and have been granted. manumission are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he is aware that progress in the establishment of a pulp and paper industry in Nyasaland is being delayed on account of political considerations in the territory; and what steps he proposes to take to remedy this situation.

I am aware that it has been decided by the Nyika Forestry Development Syndicate not to proceed with its project in Nyasaland, but it is not my responsibility to define its reasons. As stated in my reply to the hon. and gallant Member's Question on 21st March. I have great faith in the future of Nyasaland as part of the Federation, and there are many industrial and other development projects being carried out successfully in Nyasaland, which indicates that political considerations are not having an adverse effect on development.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what amounts will be spent for the year 1957–58, respectively, on European, Asian and African education in Kenya.

The Kenya Government have not yet published their draft Estimates for 1957–58, which will, of course, be subject to approval by the Colony's Legislative Council, but I will circulate this information in the OFFICIAL Re PORT as soon as it is available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will introduce legislation to reassess the value of property for the purposes of Income Tax, Schedule A.

I do not propose to introduce such legislation this year, but, as I announced in my Budget statement, the Finance Bill will include provisions to deal with the effects on Schedule A liabilities in Scotland and Northern Ireland of recent changes in their rating laws.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware of the hardship imposed upon old-age pensioners by the£1 Excise licence on television sets; and whether he will arrange to reimburse old-age pensioners the£1 on production of their television licences.

No.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty what proportion of manpower serving in the Royal Navy are voluntary recruits.

On 28th February, the total Vote A strength of the Royal Navy, excluding Royal Marines, was 111,651. Of these, 103,411, or about 93 per cent. were voluntary recruits.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty what proportion of manpower serving in the Royal Marines are voluntary recruits.

On 28th February, the total strength of the Royal Marines was 10,130. Of these, 8,313, or about 82 per cent. were voluntary recruits.

asked the Minister of Labour if he has now considered the decision of the House of Lords in Lister versus Romford Ice Company Limited; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend has set up a small Inter-Departmental Committee to consider the implications of this decision.

asked the Minister of Labour what decisions have been reached by Her Majesty's Government regarding Recommendation No. 101 of the 39th Session of the General Conference of the International Labour Organisation concerning vocational agricultural education for agricultural wage-earners on the same conditions as other persons engaged in agriculture in dependent territories.

No decisions have yet been reached.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations what grades of work are held in the administration of Basutoland by the Basuto Africans employed; what are their rates of pay and opportunities for promotion; and the grades of work and rates of pay of the members of the administration who are citizens of the Union of South Africa, the United Kingdom and other territories, respectively.

In Basutoland there are 11 Africans in the senior service and 1,369 in the junior service.In the senior service both Basuto and Europeans hold administrative grade posts as well as posts of lesser responsibility. The range of salaries in the senior service is from£2,300 p.a. for the Resident Commissioner to a scale of£3204–480 p.a. for a telephonist. African senior service officers receive 75 per cent. of the rates payable to their European colleagues. The higher rate for Europeans is similar to the payment in other Colonies of expatriation or inducement allowances to European staff, and is necessary to attract recruits of the required calibre, The difference is offset by the fact that the Basuto do not

pay income tax. African members of the senior service have equal opportunities of promotion with their European colleagues.The junior service is composed entirely of Africans. It includes clerical, technical and manual workers. The salary scales vary from£375–£705 for the higher grade of the junior service, which includes such officers as assistant agriculture and livestock officers, administrative assistants and postmasters, to£64–£90 for the most junior grade in the junior service, which includes, for example. messengers.

asked the Minister of Supply in what ways the new defence programme will affect employment at the Royal Ordnance factories.

I would refer the hon. Member to the statement which I made in reply to a Question by the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, South (Mr. Ellis Smith) on 25th March last.

asked the Paymaster-General if he will give the prevailing price per ton of the various solid natural and manufactured smokeless fuels, the prices of which he is responsible for fixing.

As delivered prices vary considerably throughout the country the following figures are for the hon. Member's constituency.

asked the Minister of Works when the restoration work on Beaupre Castle, Glamorgan, will be completed; if it will be open to the public; and if it is proposed to repair the roadway leading to the Castle to such an extent that coaches will be able to use it to convey visitors to the gateway.

The Castle is already open to the public but extensive repair work has still to be done and this will have to be spread over several years. I regret that it would be too expensive to construct a road for coaches.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the other Commonwealth countries which supplied the United Kingdom with maize in 1956, as shown in the Trade and Navigation Accounts, together with the quantity and value from each.

The information is as follows: