asked the Minister of Labour if he will state the number of persons unemployed for periods of more than one month in the Borough of Barry, at the latest convenient date; and how these figures compare with those for last January.

A detailed analysis according to duration of unemployment is only obtained quarterly. At 11th March there was 307 persons on the registers of Barry employment exchange and youth employment office who had been unemployed for more than four weeks. The corresponding figure for 10th December, 1956, was 276.

asked the Minister of Labour to make a statement upon the present level of employment in Wales and his estimate of prospects during the remainder of 1957.

The estimated number in civil employment in Wales in March, 1957, was approximately 930,000. On 11th March, 1957, the total number of unemployed was 27,400 representing about 2·9 per cent. of the insured employees. Apart from seasonal fluctuations I do not expect any substantial change during the remainder of the year.

asked the Minister of Labour when he anticipates receiving the reports of the Committee of Inquiry into the engineering and shipbuilding disputes.

I expect to receive the Reports soon after Easter.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will make a statement upon the present level of United Kingdom employment and his estimate of prospects during the remainder of 1957.

The latest figures are for Great Britain. At the end of February the number in civil employment was 22,948,000 and on 11th March there were 363,000 registered unemployed. I have no reason to suppose that apart from seasonal changes the situation will alter greatly in the remainder of 1957.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will introduce legislation to ensure that whatever rights insurance companies may have between themselves and insured companies against industrial accidents they should be bound to satisfy any judgment in favour of an injured person.

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to his other Question today.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will initiate legislation to make the registration of riding schools compulsory.

No. I have no information to suggest that such a requirement is necessary.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he proposes to take to reduce the surcharge on taxi-cabs, in view of the Government's decision to abolish the 1s. per gallon petrol tax.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now withdraw his authorisation of the surcharge of 6d. per hiring for taxicabs now that the tax on petrol has been reduced by 1s.

Power to make this additional charge in areas outside London automatically lapses by operation of statute a fortnight after the day when the increase of petrol duty was removed. My right hon. Friend has made an Order cancelling the surcharge in London with effect from the same time.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now allow local authorities to demolish emergency water tanks where it is deemed necessary, particularly in east London where the tanks are a menace to public health.

The great majority of emergency water tanks in London have been derequisitioned. My right hon. Friend has no power to authorise local authorities to demolish them. Under the Civil Defence (Fire Services) (Water) Regulations, 1956, it is the function of the fire authority to maintain in good order those tanks which are likely to be serviceable in an emergency, unless previously demolished by the owner to whom they have reverted after derequisition.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will consult with the Press Council as a preliminary to introducing legislation in order to protect the identity of victims of blackmail who come forward to give evidence in court proceedings and whose names are withheld by the discretion of the court.

It is the usual practice for the name of the victim of blackmail not to be disclosed in court or published in the Press, and my right hon. Friend does not think that it would be necessary or appropriate to introduce legislation on the subject.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department at what intervals between 1st January, 1947, and 1st January, 1957, were inspections made of the dangerous drugs register of Dr. John Bodkin Adams of Eastbourne; and what branch of his Department was responsible for such inspection.

Inspectors of the Home Office Drugs Branch and regional medical officers of the Ministry of Health are empowered by authorities issued by the Secretary of State under the Dangerous Drugs Act, 1951, to demand the production of registers which the Act requires shall be kept. My right hon. Friend is informed that the regional medical officer visited Dr. Adams on 13th August, 1948, and amongst other things discussed the dangerous drugs register.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department at what intervals between 1st January, 1947, and 1st January, 1957, were inspections made of the dangerous drugs registers of chemists in Eastbourne; and what branch of his Department was responsible for such inspections.

The routine inspection of registers kept by retail chemists in accordance with the provisions of the Dangerous Drugs Act, 1951, is the responsibility of the police. My right hon. Friend understands that the Eastbourne police made 587 visits to retail chemists in the borough during the period in question.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will make arrangements for a prisoner, of Northern Ireland domicile, who is serving a sentence of ten years preventive detention in Her Majesty's Prison, Nottingham, and who has served four years of his sentence with good conduct, about whom he has been informed by the hon. Member for Belfast, East, to be transferred for a month to a Belfast prison, so that he may be visited by members of his family, as similar arrangements are made for Scottish and Welsh born prisoners held in English prisons.

I have no power to transfer prisoners detained in England and Wales to a prison in Northern Ireland. I will consider, in consultation with the Government of Northern Ireland, the possibility of making provision for such transfers when a suitable opportunity occurs.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were electrocuted through the use of domestic washing machines and boilers during the, last year of which he has a record; and what byelaws exist to make regular inspection of such installations obligatory.

There were no fatal electrical accidents due to faulty domestic washing machines or boilers in 1956. No power of compulsory inspection of such machines exists by byelaw.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Education (1) if he will take up the space offered to his Department at the Festival of Women for the purpose of making a display designed to encourage girls to take up technical courses to be followed by careers in industry;(2) in what way his Department is co-operating in the task of ensuring that the Festival of Women is a success.

The organisers of this Festival hope to arrange an exhibit concerned with the further education of girls. The Department is in touch with them on this proposal, but my noble Friend did not feel able to accept the offer of free space in view of the cost involved in making use of it.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Education what difficulties have still to be surmounted before it becomes possible for the Thomas Willingale County Primary School, Debden, to be completed in September, 1957.

The Essex local education authority has told my noble Friend that good progress is being made with the erection of this school, and that there are now no abnormal difficulties to overcome. The authority hopes that both the infant and junior departments of the school will be ready for occupation in September.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Education by what authority a local authority in England or Wales can provide, maintain or assist a museum.

The information asked for is as follows:

1. A museum may be provided by a local authority under the Public Libraries Acts, 1892 to 1919, if the authority is a public library authority under those Acts: two or more library authorities may combine for this purpose.

2. A museum may be maintained by a local authority—

(a) under the Public Libraries Acts, 1892 to 1919, if the authority is a public library authority and the museum has been provided under those Acts or under the Museums and Gymnasiums Act, 1891: two or more public library authorities may combine for this purpose;

(b) under Section 268 of the Local Government Act, 1933, if the authority is a public library authority and accepts the museum as a gift: where the museum is a charity, acceptance involves the appointment of the authority as a trustee of the charity.

3. A museum may be assisted by a local authority—

(a) under Section 16 (2) of the Public Libraries Act, 1892, if the authority is a public library authority, the museum is a charity and the consent of the Minister of Education is given. (In practice. this power is exercisable only by authorities which are borough or urban district councils. In other cases, a poll of the electors is required.)

(b) under Section 126 of the Local Government Act, 1948, if the authority is a county council outside London, the museum is maintained by a county district council in that county and the consent of the Minister of Housing and Local Government is given;

(c) under Section 136 of the Local Government Act, 1948, if the authority is not a parish Council and the consent of the Minister of Housing and Local Government is given;

(d) under the Education Acts, 1944 to 1953, if the authority is a local education authority and the assistance is related to educational services provided by the museum.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations whether his attention has been drawn to the efforts by representatives of Commonwealth countries to stimulate Scottish emigration; and what is his policy in this connection.

I am not aware that the representatives of other Commonwealth countries are devoting to Scotland a disproportionate share of their activities in the United Kingdom in the field of migration.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations what consultations have taken place between Her Majesty's Government and the New Zealand Government on the subject to the effect on the health of the inhabitants of the Tokelau Islands of the projected explosion of the British megaton bomb on Christmas Island.

The New Zealand Government have been kept fully informed of the measures being taken by the United Kingdom Government to ensure that the proposed tests do not endanger life or property on any inhabited islands.The New Zealand Prime Minister, in a statement on 5th March, said that the New Zealand Government has accepted as adequate the assurances as to safety

Grade	31st March, 1939		31st March, 1957		1957 equivalents of 1939 figures
	Maximum salary at this date	Maximum retirement additional allowance after forty years' service	Maximum salary at this date	Maximum retirement additional allowance after forty years' service	Maximum salary	Maximum retirement additional allowance
(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	(6)	(7)
	£	£	£	£	£	£
Permanent secretary	3,000	4,500	6,000	7,500	26,983	11,790
Assistant secretary	1,450	2,175	2,600	3,537	5,528	5,698
Principal	1,100	1,650	1,950	2,582	3,751	4,323
Clerical officer	350	524	690	948	1,095	1,372
NOTES:
1. In columns (3) and (5) the additional allowances have been calculated on the assumption that maximum salary was receivable throughout the last three years of service.
2. The figures in column (6) are obtained by: first, deducting tax at 1939 rates (prior to the war) from the figures in column (2); secondly, increasing the net amounts so obtained in the proportion of 262 to 100; and, thirdly, grossing up the converted net amounts so obtained at 1957–58 rates of tax.
3. The figures in column (7) are obtained by increasing the figures in column (3) in the ratio of 262 to 100.
4. The adjustment for increase in prices by use of the ratio of 262 to 100 is based on the Consumer Price Index, with an estimate for the later period.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will take steps to remove the restrictions preventing the import of Egyptian pickling onions.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury the maximum salaries and lump sum retiring gratuities today for the following classes of civil servants: permanent secretary, assistant secretary, principal and clerical officer, on the assumption of forty years of service, married without dependent children; and what they would need to be today to compensate for increases in the cost of living and higher taxation since 1939.

The required information is given in the following table:

There are no United Kingdom imports licensing restrictions on onions from Egypt. I understand however that the Egyptian Government has placed a ban on trade between Egypt and the United Kingdom.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish in HANSARD a table showing the depreciation in the purchasing value of the£ sterling for each of the months from March, 1951, until the latest date taking as the basis the£ sterling having a purchasing value of 20s. in March, 1951, and basing his calculations on the monthly index of retail prices.

The figures are given below:

Purchasing power of the£
1951				s.	d.
March	…	…	…	20	0
April	…	…	…	19	8
May	…	…	…	19	3
June	…	…	…	19	2
July	…	…	…	18	10
August	…	…	…	18	9
September	…	…	…	18	8
October	…	…	…	18	6
November	…	…	…	18	5
December	…	…	…	18	4
1952				s.	d.
January	…	…	…	18	0
February	…	…	…	18	0
March	…	…	…	17	11
April	…	…	…	17	7
May	…	…	…	17	7
June	…	…	…	17	4
July	…	…	…	17	4
August	…	…	…	17	5
September	…	…	…	17	6
October	…	…	…	17	4
November	…	…	…	17	4
December	…	…	…	17	3
1953				s.	d.
January	…	…	…	17	3
February	…	…	…	17	2
March	…	…	…	17	1
April	…	…	…	16	11
May	…	…	…	17	0
June	…	…	…	16	11
July	…	…	…	16	11
August	…	…	…	17	0
September	…	…	…	17	0
October	…	…	…	17	0
November	…	…	…	17	0
December	…	…	…	17	0
1954				s.	d.
January	…	…	…	17	0
February	…	…	…	17	0
March	…	…	…	16	11
April	…	…	…	16	10
May	…	…	…	16	10
June	…	…	…	16	9
July	…	…	…	16	6
August	…	…	…	16	7
September	…	…	…	16	8
October	…	…	…	16	7
November	…	…	…	16	6
December	…	…	…	16	5

Purchasing power of the£
1955				s.	d.
January	…	…	…	16	4
February	…	…	…	16	4
March	…	…	…	16	4
April	…	…	…	16	3
May	…	…	…	16	3
June	…	…	…	15	11
July	…	…	…	15	11
August	…	…	…	16	0
September	…	…	…	15	11
October	…	…	…	15	9
November	…	…	…	15	6
December	…	…	…	15	6
1956				s.	d.
January	…	…	…	15	6
February	…	…	…	15	6
March	…	…	…	15	4
April	…	…	…	15	2
May	…	…	…	15	2
June	…	…	…	15	2
July	…	…	…	15	3
August	…	…	…	15	2
September	…	…	…	15	3
October	…	…	…	15	2
November	…	…	…	15	1
December	…	…	…	15	0
1957				s.	d.
January	…	…	…	14	11
February	…	…	…	14	11
March	…	…	…	14	11

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has any statement to make about the salaries of the sheriffs and sheriffs-substitute in Scotland.

The Government have decided that the salaries of certain judicial officers in Scotland, including the full-time sheriffs and the sheriffs-substitute, ought to be increased to the amounts shown in the following table. The increases will take effect from the date of this announcement.

	£
Sheriff of Lanark	3,750
Sheriff of the Lothians and Peebles	3,600
Chairman of the Scottish Land Court	3,600
Sheriff-substitute, Group A	3,400
Sheriff-substitute, Group B	2,850
Sheriff-substitute, Group C	2,350

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will make a statement about the salaries of the county court judges and the Metropolitan magistrates.

The Government have decided that the salaries of certain judicial officers, including the county court judges and the Metropolitan magistrates, ought to be increased to the amounts shown in the following table. The increases will take effect from the date of this announcement and, so far as legislation is necessary for this purpose, it will be introduced as soon as possible after the Easter Recess.

	£
Recorders of Liverpool and Manchester	4,500
Official referees	4,000
County court judges	3,750
Chief Metropolitan Magistrate	3,750
Metropolitan magistrates	3,400

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what additions he proposes to make to the list of fuel-saving plant which qualifies for the investment allowance.

I have it in mind that the following further plant should be prescribed:

Description of plant	Conditions
2 (a) The following oil firing equipment:—
Oil drip feeders	—
4 The following waste heat recovery equipment:	On condition that the equipment is installed for the purpose of recovering for use heat from hot waste gases, vapours or liquids.
(c) Flash steam vessels: piping, ducts, and fans.
8 (b) Indicating and recording instruments, the following:—	On condition that the instruments are affixed to boiler or other installations.
Fuel meters.
9 Heat pumps	On condition that the equipment is installed solely for heating purposes.
10 Capacitors	On condition that the equipment is installed for the purpose of improving the electrical power factor.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will so draft his forthcoming Finance Bill as to enable old-age pensioners to obtain a refund of the£1 Excise licence in production of their pension order book, together with similar facilities for those in receipt of National Assistance benefits.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what advice Her Majesty's Government have given to the Malayan Government in regard to that Government's membership of the South-East Asia Treaty Organisation.

None. The decision whether to join this organisation is entirely one for the free choice of the Federation Government after the Federation has bcome independent.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what was the number of skilled and semi-skilled European workers employed in the Copperbelt area of Northern Rhodesia for the years 1950–1956, respectively; and the proportion of European to African workers for the years 1950 and 1956, respectively.

pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 19th February, 1957; Vol. 565, 57–58] supplied the following further information:

Average number of European employees in service with the copper mining companies in Northern Rhodesia in each year:
			Skilled	Semi-skilled
1950	…	…	1,060	1,917
1951	…	…	1,235	2,118
1952	…	…	1,319	2,215
1953	…	…	1,433	2,363
1954	…	…	1,519	2,556
1955	…	…	1,574	2,635
1956	…	…	1,621	2,822

"Skilled" workers are defined as those who have undergone a recognised period of apprenticeship. All other Europeans are classed as "semi-skilled" although many work in a supervisory capacity or are highly proficient through years of experience.The above figures relate to daily paid workers only, since salaried staff are not normally assessed in terms of "skill".The figures do not include Europeans employed in industries other than mining, in respect of whom such details are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies in which of the projects in Nigeria, assisted financially by the Eastern Region Finance Corporation, Ministers in the Regional Government have or had a financial interest; who are the Ministers concerned; and the extent of their interest.

pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 10th April, 1957; Vol 568, c. 130], supplied the following further information:

I am informed that the Premier, Dr. Azikiwe, held ordinary shares to the value of£45 in the Nigerian Engineering and Manufacturing Company but disposed of them. His interests in the African Continental Bank were fully stated in the Report of the Foster Sutton Tribunal and steps are being taken to surrender his shares. Mr. C. E. Okeke, Minister of Transport, formerly held£500 ordinary shares in the Nigerian Engineering and Manufacturing Company and was a director. On appointment as Minister of Transport he resigned his directorship and disposed of his interest.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he is now in a position to say in what circumstances a member of the Kikuyu, Embu or Meru tribes who has been arrested under the Emergency Regulations has his loyalty certificate withdrawn, with a consequent loss of political rights.

A loyalty certificate would be withdrawn from a Kikuyu, Embu or Meru only if the holder were found guilty of a very serious emergency offence such as administering or taking an unlawful oath, or acting as or consorting with a terrorist. It would not be withdrawn if the holder were convicted of a less serious offence such as illegal movement, curfew breaking or passbook offences.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will make a statement on the anticipated effects of the project,of the British megaton Christmas Island on the health Majesty's subjects in the line, Ph Gilbert and Ellice groups, respective and on the inhabitants of other Bri territories in the South-West Pacific Ocean.

The tests will be so arranged as to avoid danger to persons or property in any of these islands or other inhabited areas of the Pacific. The explosions will take place far from any inhabited islands and will be high air-bursts which will not involve heavy fallout or contamination of fish. Full safety precautions are being taken to ensure that firing will not be carried out under any conditions in which inhabited islands might be affected by radioactive material.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty if he will increase the shipping space allowed to an industrial employee being transferred overseas when accompanied by his wife and family.

No. The Admiralty has no evidence that the existing allowance is inadequate.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many of the trade organisations set up by the National Farmers' Union are in receipt of Government subsidy, directly or indirectly.

So far as I am aware, the only trade organisation set up by the National Farmers' Union that is in receipt of subsidies from my Department is the Fatstock Marketing Corporation, which was set up jointly with the Farmers' Unions of Scotland and Ulster. This body receives deficiency payments under the Fatstock Guarantee Scheme on fat-stock purchased from farmers at prices inclusive of the guarantee. This arrangement applies equally to anybody else trading in the same way.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give further consideration to the possibilities of standardising methods of assessing moisture content in grain.

No one method would necessarily be appropriate for all conditions in which grain has to be tested for moisture. My right hon. Friend understands that the moisture testers already available give reasonably satisfactory results if properly used and that there is progressive improvement in the design and performance of such apparatus.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the grounds on which Her Majesty's Government, while increasing the guaranteed price for fat sheep for 1957–58 by 1½d. per pound, decided to leave unchanged the guaranteed price for wool.

The guarantee arrangements for wool differ from those for other products in that they include a stabilisation fund. This fund was created when wool was added in 1950 to the schedule of commodities guaranteed under the Agriculture Act, 1947, and is an essential part of the agreed financial arrangements between the Government and the British Wool Marketing Board.The Exchequer transferred to the fund in 1951 a sum of£14½6 million representing the profits realised on the sale of the 1950 clip. This sufficed until 1956 to meet deficiencies between the guaranteed price and the market price, but such deficiencies are now being met from the Exchequer.A stabilisation fund of this kind cannot operate if the guaranteed price remains continuously above the market price. But since 1950 the average market price for wool has been below the guaranteed price in every year. The fund can in future make no contribution to the stability of producers' returns unless on occasion the market price exceeds the guaranteed price.In reaching their determination for 1957–58, therefore, the Government took account of this factor, peculiar to wool, along with other relevant factors, including cost increases. They noted, however, the firmer tone of the market for wool over the recent past, and they concluded that in all the circumstances the guaranteed price should be left unchanged.

asked the Minister of Health how many confirmed cases of poliomyelitis were notified in England and Wales in 1956; how many were paralytic; what were their ages; how many were fatal; and what were the ages of the fatal cases.

The provisional figures of cases notified are shown in the following table. The numbers of fatal cases are not yet available.

NUMBER OF CASES OF POLIOMYELITIS NOTIFIED IN ENGLAND AND WALES, 1956
Age		Total Number of cases	Number paralytic cases
0–4	…	805	536
5–9	…	950	417
10–14	…	447	173
15 and over	…	1,003	582
Total	…	3,205	1,708

asked the Minister of Health whether supplies of the anti-polio vaccine will be available in sufficient quantities to immunise all those children in the recommended age groups, and what percentage of this maximum potential demand can be met this year; and what plans he has for providing 100 per cent. coverage.

Good progress is now being made with vaccination against poliomyelitis and it is my right hon. Friend's aim to increase the coverage as rapidly as possible. There will, however, be no relaxation of the safety precautions applied to the vaccine and I therefore do not think I would be justified in trying to make precise estimates of future progress.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will make a statement specifying Her Majesty's Government's present proposals for developing closer European co-operation at Parliamentary and Ministerial level, and indicating the steps which have been, or are to be, taken to implement them; and whether he will attend the meetings of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg to expound and explain Her Majesty's Government's policy.

Her Majesty's Government are seeking to promote closer co-operation in Europe. They have put forward in the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation the proposal for a European industrial Free Trade Area. They have sought to bring about fuller and more effective political consultation in both the North Atlantic and Western European Union Councils. They are also exploring the possibility of closer co-operation within Western European Union in the field of defence research and development. They are also co-operating in the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation in the development of the civil use of atomic energy. They have launched the idea of creating a single Assembly for Europe which could help to rationalise the present diversity of Assemblies and concentrate public attention on this valuable aspect of European unity.My right hon. Friend the Minister of State will represent me in Strasbourg throughout the first part of the Council of Europe Assembly's session, which is due to start on 29th April.

asked the Paymaster-General what were the figures for the administrative staff employed by the National Coal Board at the latest convenient date; and how these figures compare with those for two years before.

At the end of September, 1956, the National Coal Board employed 5,000 non-technical staff, other than clerical grades and draughtsmen, compared with 4,300 two years before

asked the Prime Minister whether he will give an approximate estimate of the amount of strontium 90 in the fall-out of one of the new fission-fusion bombs compared with that produced when a thermo-nuclear bomb of equal destructive power is discharged.

It would not be in the public interest to go into more detail than my statement on this subject in the debate on 1st April.

asked the Minister of Supply what production orders for guided weapons have been placed by his Department.

In addition to the Fairey "Fireflash", which is being delivered to the Royal Air Force, the de Havilland Propeller Company has a production order for an air-to-air guided weapon and the Bristol Aeroplane Company and the English Electric Company each have a production order for surface-to-air guided weapons.

asked the President of the Board of Trade in what form Vietnam is meeting the deficit in its trade with the United Kingdom incurred in 1956 and in the first two months of 1957.

Most of the United Kingdom's trade referred to is with South Vietnam which is included in the French franc area. Any deficit would be settled through the French account with the European Payments Union, or by selling other currencies.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been drawn to the fact that Sweden, Switzerland and West Germany have been shipping substantial quantities of electrical power station equipment to China in recent months; and when he intends to permit British manufacturers to accept orders for such equipment.

Yes. Shipments from Western Germany will have been made in conformity with agreements reached in the Paris Consultative Group. Neither Sweden nor Switzerland is a member of the Paris Group but we do not consider that the nature and volume of exports from those countries to China are such as to prejudice the effectiveness of the controls maintained by members of the Group.As to the second part of the Question, British manufacturers are already permitted to export electric power generating equipment to China within the limitations of the exceptions procedure.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation how many road accidents have been reported since 1st May, 1956, at the junction of Grove Park Terrace and Grove Park Gardens, Chiswick, W.4; and how many of these have involved personal injury.

From 1st May, 1956, to 15th April, 1957, one road accident at this junction was reported to the police. Two persons were injured.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation how many road accidents have been reported since 1st May, 1956, at the junction of Grove Park Gardens and Grove Park Road, Chiswick, W.4; and how many of these have involved personal injury.

From 1st May, 1956, to 15th April, 1957, one road accident at this junction was reported to the police. One person was injured.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether the Government are continuing to advise British shipowners to avoid using the Suez Canal in view of the discussions that are proceeding in Cairo and of the reports that a number of ships are passing through the Canal.

Yes. The Government are continuing to advise British shipowners to avoid using the Canal until the position is clearer. British shipowners are following this advice. Only comparatively few foreign ships have passed through the Canal since it was reopened and the shipowners of the other major maritime nations have adopted a policy similar to our own.

asked the Minister of Defence what knowledge he has as to the extent of the fall-out caused by recent Russian nuclear tests and, in particular, whether it would have reached as far as Japan.

It is to be expected that some radioactive particles released by Russian tests would reach Japan. There have, in fact, been reports in the Japanese Press of radioactivity attributed to these tests.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance how many men registered as unemployed at any time since 2nd March at the Falmouth and Redruth employment exchanges, respectively, have been denied unemployment benefit, although dismissed by their employers as redundant before the recent trade dispute in the ship-repairing industry began.

The only information available to me which bears on this matter is that in respect of these two exchanges, 1,779 men had unemployment benefit withheld under the trade dispute provisions of the National Insurance Acts.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance whether the distribution of the proceeds of Japanese assets under Article 16 of the Peace Treaty on a per capita basis is nearing completion; and whether he is able to state the further allocations to be made to voluntary organisations specially concerned with the interests of former prisoners of war of the Japanese.

Yes. The distribution of individual shares of the Article 16 assets is practically complete, though belated applications can still be considered if received not later than 30th June next. In order to make further provision for assistance in cases of need to former prisoners of war of the Japanese, or the dependants of those who have died, my right hon. Friend proposes to make the following allocations to voluntary funds:

	£
The Far East Prisoners of War Central Welfare Fund	17,500
The Returned British Prisoners of War Association	7,500
King's Fund (1940)	12,000

This will bring the total amount allocated to such funds for these purpose to£60,000.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what he estimates would be the cost to the National Insurance Fund in each of the years 1956, 1960, 1965, 1970 and 1980, of increasing retirement pensions by£1 for men, for single women aged 65 years and over on own insurance, for married women aged 65 years and over on own insurance, for widows aged 65 years and over on own insurance and for widows aged 65 years and over on husband's insurance, respectively; what part of the cost would be attributable to each sex, by five-year age groups; and what would be the expected consequential saving in the cost of National Assistance.

I regret that the figures for which the hon. Member asks are not available. However, it is estimated that the cost of increasing retirement pensions by£1 a week for the classes mentioned in this Question would rise from about£175 million a year immediately to about£300 million a year by 1979–80. On a very rough estimate the immediate annual saving in the cost of National Assistance might be of the order of£27 million.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance the cost of family allowances payable in a full year.

The estimated cost in the current financial year of family allowances under the Family Allowances Acts is E121½million.