asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what answer his Department has given to the proposal made to the Treasury by the United Nations Association and representatives of various church organisations, that Her Majesty's Treasury should undertake a savings drive to enable the Government to make a significant contribution to the proposed Special United Nations Fund for Economic Development.

It has been explained to representatives of the United Nations Association that it would be contrary to Government policy to allow the National Savings Movement to be used for special objects of this kind.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were the gold and dollar reserves of the United Kingdom in June, 1945, and November. 1951, respectively, as compared with today; and what was the gross total of dollar loans, grants, or other foreign aid received between those two dates.

I regret figures are not available covering precisely the periods for which the hon. Member has asked. But on 31st December, 1945, the gold and dollar reserves stood at £610 million and on 31st October, 1951, at £1,055 million, including the writing up of the reserves by £149 million due to devaluation. Between those dates the gross total of dollar loans, grants and other foreign aid directly affecting the gold and dollar reserves amounted to £2,181 million. The reserves at the end of March, 1957, stood at £789 million.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) to what extent the estimate of £50 million of loans to the British Transport Commission, as shown on page 28 of Financial Statement 134, has taken into account the effect of the recent wage settlement between the British Transport Commission and the railway unions;(2) whether the figure of £52 million shown on page 28 of Financial Statement 134 as loan to the British Transport Commission is for the same annual period as the financial return of the British Transport Commission, up to December, 1956.

The figure of £50 million was based on the best provisional estimate the British Transport Commission was able to make of its deficit on British Railways revenue account in the calendar year 1957, taking account of improvements in wages and all other factors. The figure of £52 million relates to the advance in the financial year 1956–57 which was in respect of the deficit on British Railways in the calendar year 1956.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what action he proposes to take to publicise and explain the Budget to the workers in industry.

A poster summarising the Budget in simple visual terms is in preparation and will be widely distributed to factories and elsewhere after the passing of the Finance Bill.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much it would cost to abolish the aggregation of the incomes of husbands and wives for Surtax purposes, and treat the two incomes separately.

About £4½ million in a full year, on the assumption that the separation applied only to earned income. There is no information on which to estimate the effect of aggregation of investment income.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many working wives are paying Surtax on the whole of their incomes; and what yield in taxation this produces.

About 80,000, taking the wife's earned income as the top slice of the joint income. The Surtax payable on the wife's earned income on the same assumption is nearly £4 million.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury why Her Majesty's Inspector of Taxes, Streatham District, has taken since 6th February, to date, to answer a request for information from Her Majesty's Inspector of Taxes, Cheltenham, concerning Mrs. D. M. Lidderdale, and has ignored letters on this question from her relatives in Brighton who deal with her Income Tax affairs.

Mrs. Lidderdale's claim was settled on 4th April. Appropriate action has been taken in regard to the delays, which I much regret.

asked the Minister of Works what has been the cost at the Palace of Westminster during the last twelve months of heating, lighting, water, cleaning, repairs and renewals, and general care and maintenance, respectively.

The following are the figures:

	Ministry of Works Expenditure in 12 months ending 31st March, 1957
	£
1.Fuel oil for heating, hot water and steam for cooking (1)	18,000
2.Electricity for lighting (2)	9,000
3.Water	3,500
4.Cleaning (3)	34,500
5 Repairs and Renewals including stonework restoration	120,500
6. General Care and Maintenance including redecoration, maintenance and repair of furnishings and equipment, and maintenance and operation of lifts and plant	117,500

(1) It is not practicable to give the cost of fuel for heating alone.(2) Estimated.(3) Include the cleaning of gutters, drains and windows, etc., as well as internal cleaning; the Ministry does not clean the whole of the Palace of Westminster.

asked the Minister of Works whether he is aware that the laurel plant at the foot of Mrs. Pankhurst's statue is lacking in both vitality and beauty; that its container is a disproportionate pot; and whether he will arrange some more worthy planting, or for none at all.

The laurel has been replaced by a cineraria.

asked the Prime Minister if, in view of the fact that a disarmament convention offers one of the most effective means of national defence and security, he will arrange for the Minister of Defence to have primary responsibility for British representation at the United Nations Disarmament Sub-Committee meetings.

No. Primary responsibility for negotiations with foreign Governments on behalf of Her Majesty's Government lies with my right hon. and learned Friend the Foreign Secretary. The Minister of Defence and other Ministers are, of course, regularly consulted on matters arising out of the work of the Disarmament Sub-Committee.

asked the Prime Minister what steps he intends to take to lighten the burden which now falls on the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations.

My noble Friend's responsibilities are indeed heavy, and I have in mind certain additional measures to help him to discharge them; but I have no statement to make about the matter today.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what tonnages of bacon and ham it is proposed to import from Yugoslavia during the life of the new trade agreement with that country.

As stated in reply to the hon. Member on 11th April, imports of bacon are on open individual licence and the quantities to be imported are, therefore, for the trade to determine.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will state for the most recent convenient period the numbers of calves submitted for the beef-rearing subsidy, and the rejections, compared with a year previously; and if he has given an amended ruling for the subsidy qualification of dual-purpose calves.

The figures for England and Wales are given in the following statement. My right hon. Friend has not revised the standard of eligibility for dual-purpose calves. In some areas, calves of predominantly dairy type were being accepted for the subsidy and steps have therefore been taken to enforce the standard originally set in 1952 when the subsidy for beef calves was introduced.

—		Total Calves not submitted	Calves not approved*
January, 1956	…	85,086	11,139
February, 1956	…	99,302	10,436
January, 1957	…	108,928	17,030
February, 1957	…	96,549	17,584
* Includes calves not suitable for beef production on inspection but which may have later become suitable.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what steps he is proposing to take to increase trade with and to make credits available to Poland in the light of the Bermuda conversations.

As my right hon. and learned Friend told the House on 1st April, the question of increasing trade with Poland was discussed at Bermuda. Nothing that emerged from these discussions, however, alters the Government's previous policy either in respect of trade or of credits for Poland. This policy was explained to the House in answer to Questions by the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, Central (Dr. Stross) on 12th February and my hon. Friend the Member for Nottingham, South (Mr. Keegan) on 1st April; and in the reply given by my right hon. and learned Friend the Minister of State, Board of Trade, to the hon. and learned Member for West Ham, South (Mr. Elwyn Jones) on 12th February.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs which Articles of the Treaty of Versailles are recognised by Her Majesty's Government as still binding the United Kingdom.

I ant writing to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the authorities concerned regarding the ending of the trade embargo with China and whether he will make a statement.

Following the discussions in Bermuda, the United States Government have made some proposals for reviewing the China Lists. We shall study these proposals in consultation with other members of the Consultative Group.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he will take action to complete the purchase of Springfield House, Talke Road, Chesterton, Newcastle-under-Lyme, which his Department requires for the A.34 road widening scheme, so as to enable the owner to complete arrangements to purchase alternative accommodation.

Action has already been taken as a result of which the purchase of Springfield House should be completed within the next two weeks.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he has yet received a reply from the Secretary-General of the United Nations on the clearance of mines from the Gulf of Suez.

No definitive reply from the Secretary-General of the United Nations has yet been received.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation why Her Majesty's Government have not ratified the Convention on Road Traffic signed at Geneva on 19th September, 1949, and ratified by Australia, Austria, Belgium, including the Belgian Congo and Ruanda Urundi, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, France, including Morocco, Tunisia and all French territories overseas as well as Togoland and the Cameroons under French mandate in addition to the principality of Andorra, Greece, Israel, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Portugal, Sweden, Syria, Turkey, the Union of South Africa, the United States of America, Vatican City and Viet Nam.

I hope to lay a draft Order before Parliament for the necessary affirmative Resolutions shortly after Easter. Ratification will follow as soon as possible thereafter.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he will make a further statement about his plans to relieve traffic congestion in London.

Yes. I have now made Regulations which will permit the police in England and Wales, in addition to their existing powers of removal, to remove vehicles which are parked on the streets where there is a prohibition on waiting or where they are causing obstruction at intersections or by double banking. The police are required by the Regulations to provide for the safe custody of vehicles which they have removed. These Regulations will come into force on the 1st May, and similar Regulations for Scotland have been made by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State. Recent traffic experience has shown that a small number of cars improperly parked can clog traffic over a wide area. I hope that these additional powers will help the Metropolitan and City of London Police to maintain the flow of traffic in London, where I carry a special responsibility.Other measures are in view. To help to deal with the increased traffic expected in London when petrol rationing ends, my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has arranged with the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis for a rearrangement of certain police duties which will enable additional supervision to be provided at difficult traffic points during the peak hours.The London and Home Counties Traffic Advisory Committee are pressing ahead at my request with reconsideration of the conditions which govern prohibitions and restrictions on waiting in London. As soon as I receive their advice I will issue consolidated regulations better adapted to the needs of motorists and the realities of today's traffic.I do not overlook the need for additional long-term parking space in Central London. I am discussing with the Minister of Works whether arrangements can be made to extend the area available for parking on the new Colonial Office site and, as has already been announced, the British Transport Commission have plans for increasing the sites available for parking at British Railways and London Transport Stations.The London Transport Executive have been deeply impressed during the petrol shortage by the benefits to the public and to themselves of the improved regularity of bus services. In an effort to preserve this regularity they have appointed an additional Divisional Superintendent in charge of running, and a number of additional inspectors. They also have other interesting and novel methods in view.The Committee for the Staggering of Working Hours in Central London, which I appointed last November, are making good progress. Six representative subcommittees have been appointed to deal with the problems in the various zones of London; one has put detailed proposals designed to further staggering to some ninety employers in its zone.I intend to press on with my policy of clearing traffic bottlenecks in congested city areas. As my hon. and gallant Friend knows, I have been trying for some time to find the right solution of the very difficult traffic problems at Hyde Park Corner and Marble Arch and this has required detailed examination of a number of possible alternatives. The Government have now come to the conclusion, subject to consideration of any views which the London and Home Counties Traffic Advisory Committee and the Royal Fine Art Commission may wish to put to me, that a scheme comprising a substantial enlargement of the roundabout at Hyde Park Corner together with the construction of an underpass for traffic from Piccadily to Knightsbridge, the use of Park Lane for southbound traffic and the construction of a second traffic way for northbound traffic, and considerable modification of the roundabout system at Marble Arch, will provide the best facilities for traffic. It is hoped that this scheme, and the works at Notting Hill and the Strand, will make a major contribution to the easing of traffic congestion in inner London.

asked the Lord Privy Seal, as the owner of the majority of the surrounding houses, whether he will take steps to make Carlton House Gardens an outlying part of St. James's Park by removing sooty bushes and opening them to the public.

The Crown Estate Paving Commissioners are the Statutory Authority responsible for the upkeep of the Carlton House Terrace Gardens. By Statute, the Gardens are maintained for the use and enjoyment of the residents in the adjoining Crown property.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Education whether he will make a statement about the provision of pensions for the widows, children and dependants of teachers under Section 8 of the Teachers Superannuation Act, 1956.

My noble Friend has consulted the teachers' representatives on the basis of a draft scheme sent them last July. The Joint Committee of the Four Secondary Associations has expressed its readiness to accept the scheme in present circumstances: the other Teachers' Associations have rejected it, the National Union of Teachers by a very large majority. They have made it clear that no scheme derived from Section 8 of the Teachers Superannuation Act, 1956, would be acceptable to them. My noble Friend has accordingly told the Teachers' Associations that, as this is the view of such a clear majority of teachers, he does not propose to proceed with any scheme under Section 8.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he is aware that where an appeal is made against the rateable value of a property for 1956–57, the amount of rates recoverable is limited to that paid for 1955–56, until the appeal is settled, but that no similar provision is made for payment of water rates; and if he will introduce legislation to remedy this anomaly.

The provision in respect of general rates to which the hon. Member refers applies when new valuation lists are prepared, and legislation which related to the effect of the lists which came into force last year would be too late to achieve the object which he has in mind.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what steps he will take to ensure that houses which have been used for offices and then reconverted while requisitioned at public expense for residential purposes shall not lapse into office use when derequisitioned.

The normal policy in London is to refuse planning permission for the office use of property which is suitable for residential occupation. Permission however, may not be required for the resumption of an office use on derequisitioning; and on my present information I do not consider that any special action is needed to deal with cases of this sort, which are likely to be few.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is now able to announce any revisions in the existing policy about deferment of call-up for the purpose of study or training.

Yes. I have decided to extend deferment of call-up for study or training, within the framework of the present policy, to cover certain classes of young men who have not hitherto been eligible. These include, among others, categories of apprentices and learners who for various reasons are at present outside the field for deferment, as well as men training to be technicians, and certain part-time students who are working for examinations of a high standard but do not satisfy the practical training requirements of the present student deferment arrangements.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many applications have been made since 1945 to have a 30-m.p.h. speed limit imposed on roads in Lanarkshire; and of how many occasions these applications have been opposed by motoring associations.

Since 1945, Lanarkshire County Council has applied for consent to seven orders imposing speed limits on classified roads; Hamilton Town Council for consent to two; and Airdrie Town Council for consent to one. One application was withdrawn, three refused and the remainder granted. The motoring associations objected in two of the cases in which consent was given.In the same period there have been six applications for the imposition of speed limits on trunk roads. Two requests were granted, two were refused and two are under consideration. The motoring associations have objected to one of the cases now under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the value of the derating concession to the shipbuilding, iron and steel, textile, and engineering industries, respectively, in each of the last eight years.

I regret that no details of the effect of derating on individual industries are available.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how much revenue has been lost, on account of the derating of industry, to the county councils of Fife, Midlothian, Stirlingshire, Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, Ayrshire, and to the cities of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen, respectively, in each of the last eight years.

The approximate amount of additional rates which would have been paid on industrial and freight transport subjects in these areas for the year 1956–57 if there had been no derating of such subjects under the Local Government (Scotland) Act, 1929, is shown in the following table. In view of the time required to make these calculations, figures are given only for the latest year for which data are available.

Year 1956–57
Area			Estimated Amount
			£
Landward area of the County of—
Fife	…	…	165,000
Midlothian	…	…	90,000
Stirling	…	…	117,000
Lanark	…	…	671,000
Renfrew	…	…	131,000
Ayr	…	…	283,000
County of City of—
Glasgow	…	…	1,400,000
Edinburgh	…	…	317,000
Dundee	…	…	283,000
Aberdeen	…	…	191,000

asked the President of the Board of Trade when he proposes to give directions to the Registrar of Restrictive Trading Agreements as to the first agreements to be taken before the Restrictive Practices Court.

A direction is being sent to the Registrar today, the text of which is as follows:RESTRICTIVE TRADE PRACTICES ACT, 1956

asked the President of the Board of Trade what was the total value of British exports to, and imports from, North and South Vietnam, respectively, during 1955, 1956 and 1957 to the latest date for which figures are available; and what were the principal commodities involved.

The figures for the North and South, respectively, are not separately recorded in the statistics of trade with Vietnam which was: