asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Education what progress he has made in persuading the Yorkshire West Riding to include the L.D.S. diploma in the list of courses for which it offers awards.

The West Riding Local Education Authority has now decided to include L.D.S. among the courses for which they are prepared to consider candidates for major awards.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Education what reasons are given by the Yorkshire West Riding for refusing financial help to a student about whom he has received details and who is highly recommended and who is being partly financed by his university; and what action he proposes to take.

I am making inquiries into this matter and will write to the hon. Member.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what representations he has received from the London Chamber of Commerce and other trade associations for a relaxation of the embargo on exports to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; and what action he proposes to take on the proposals.

I have had representations in this sense from the Russian Section of the Chamber. But Her Majesty's Government do not consider that the time has come for a comprehensive review. There are a great many articles unaffected by the strategic controls which the U.S.S.R. could buy from us. It is estimated that the majority of the goods in the Russian purchasing programme submitted in April, 1956, during the visit to this country of the Soviet leaders are free from the embargo.

asked the President of the Board of Trade his proposals with regard to future imports of tomatoes from Spain; and to what extent consideration has been given to the application of adequate specific import duties.

Spain is one of the countries from which tomatoes may be imported under the open general licence. As announced by my Department today, an application for an increase in the existing import duty on tomatoes has been received by the Board of Trade and is under consideration.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he proposes to implement the recommendations of the Report of the Committee of Inquiry into the Export of Live Cattle to the Continent for Slaughter.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the statement that I made at the end of Questions yesterday.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are the latest weekly figures of cattle exported to the Continent for slaughter.

I have no firm figures, but the trade seems to have declined of late and, during the last month, has probably been running at a rate of about 2,000 head a week.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will alter the calf subsidy so as to provide a differential rate in favour of dehorned animals.

I propose to discuss this with the interests concerned when the future of the subsidy comes up for review this autumn.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on his policy and future projects to be financed out of the balance of the National Land Fund, especially in regard to the development of national parks after the cancellation of securities to the value of £50 million.

No change of policy is contemplated in regard to the purposes for which the National Land Fund is used. As regards national parks, the National Parks Act, 1949, provided for them to be financed by Vote and not out of the Fund, and my right hon. Friend sees no reason to alter this arrangement.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the cost of exempting from Income Tax all stipend income, including Easter Offerings, below £850 per annum, paid to clergymen, Roman Catholic priests, ministers of religion, and rabbis.

Detailed figures are not available, but the cost would not exceed £1 million.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, in view of the report sent to him four weeks ago by the Liverpool Police with reference to the case of Eugene A, Kerfoot, age 17£ years, at present in a reception centre, he can now arrange for the release of the boy.

No. Kerfoot was convicted of housebreaking with intent to commit felony. I have considered his case most carefully, but I have no grounds for thinking that he was wrongly convicted.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is yet able to state the date on which the report of the inquiry into alleged ill-treatment of prisoners at Walton Prison, Liverpool, will be available.

No, not yet.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cars have been towed away up to date for improper parking in the Metropolitan Police district.

I am informed by the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that in the first seven days of the operation of The Removal of Vehicles (England and Wales) Regulations, 1957, thirty-seven vehicles were removed from the roads in the Metropolitan Police District.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department by what authority the sale of tobacco to children is prevented; and if he is satisfied that this is adequate to achieve its objective.

Section 7 of the Children and Young Persons Act, 1933, makes it an offence to sell tobacco to anyone apparently under the age of 16 years. I have no reason to think that the provisions of this Section are not adequately observed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many cases his Department has given approval for the demolition of air-raid shelters in the last five years.

I regret that this information is not readily available, but I am having certain records examined and I will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what examination he is giving to the possibility of increasing fines imposed by statute in view of the fall in the value of money.

The question whether small fines fixed by statute, particularly those fixed some years ago, should be increased is one to which I am giving my attention.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why the hon. Member for Wednesbury was refused facilities for an unsupervised visit to a constituent undergoing psychiatric treatment at Her Majesty's Boys' Prison, Wormwood Scrubs, although, in a letter dated 2nd May, 1957, the Governor of the Prison stated that such facilities would be available; and, in view of the constituent's request to have an unsupervised interview with his Member, when facilities for such an interview will be granted.

The statement in the letter referred to was due to a misunderstanding by the Governor and was erroneous. I am sorry that the hon. Member was misled by it. It is not the practice to permit unsupervised interviews of this kind, and I regret that I cannot comply with the hon. Member's request.

asked the Secretary of State for Air the number of civilian staff employed at the Air Ministry of the rank of executive officer, or equivalent, and above on 1st April, 1938, 1955, 1956 and 1957.

The figures, which include all civilian staff with a maximum salary equal or superior to that of executive officer, are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies to what extent mail between the United Kingdom and the Seychelles is subject to censorship by the Government of the Seychelles.

There is no censorship.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies (1) if he will give details of the Africans who are members of committees of co-operative societies in Uganda and not employees, who have received official assistance to attend courses on co-operative subjects in Kenya or the United Kingdom, in 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, and 1956;(2) if he will give details of the Africans who were employed, or who have subsequently become employed, by the Department of Co-operative Development in Uganda who have attended courses on co-operative subjects in Kenya or the United Kingdom in the years 1952 to 1956 with official assistance.

pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 1st April, 1957; Vol. 568, c. 16–17], supplied the following information:

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the number of European members of the Police Reserve who have been seconded to the administration in the Central Province in Kenya; and what is the number of those seconded who are at present concerned with the land consolidation schemes.

pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 17th April, 1957; Vol, 568, c. 200-1], supplied the following information:None, though a very limited number of administrative officers and assistants, including temporary staff, have seen service, either full-time or part-time, with the Kenya Police Reserve before joining the Administration.

asked the Minister of Health what were the numbers of certified, temporary and voluntary patients, respectively, in mental hospitals in England and Wales on 1st May, 1957.

I regret that the figures for 1st May, 1957, are not available. The figures at 1st January, 1957, being the latest available information which is obtainable annually are:

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a White Paper about the functions of Scottish local authorities corresponding to the paper now published for England and Wales.

No. The proposals in the English White Paper arise out of discussions with the English local authority associations. There have been no corresponding discussions in Scotland; nor have I had evidence of any general demand for a change in the structure of local government in Scotland, which is quite different from that in England and Wales.