asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the volume of imports of yeast for the last convenient twelve months' period; how it compares with previous periods; from what countries yeast is imported; and Whether he is aware that the capacity for production of yeast in this country exceeds the present demand, with the result that a closing of some of that capacity is now contemplated.

In the calendar year 1956 imports of yeast were 2,816 tons. In the years 1955, 1954 and 1953 imports were 2,355, 1,515 and 818 tons respectively. The main sources of supply in 1956 were the Netherlands, Eire and South Africa.I understand that productive capacity in the United Kingdom for bakers' yeast exceeds current demand and is being reduced.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when was the increased contamination of soil and green vegetables by radiostrontium detected in some areas of Wales; what surveys have been made in other mountainous areas of the United Kingdom; and with what result.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when the tests were conducted which revealed a higher incidence of strontium 90 in the herbage on the Welsh mountains than in other parts of the United Kingdom; and to what cause this higher incidence is traced.

I would refer the hon. Members to the reply given to the hon. Member for Merioneth (Mr. T. W. Jones) today.

asked the Paymaster-General whether, in view of the increased coal stooks now being held, he will take stops to increase domestic allocations.

No. Only a small proportion of the increased stocks are in the sizes required for domestic use.

asked the Minister of Health if he will make a statement concerning the use and supply of polio vaccine.

asked the Minister of Health if he will state the number of children inoculated with poliomyelitis vaccine in 1956; how many children have already been inoculated in 1957; how many he estimates will have been inoculated by the end of the year; and to what extent he estimates that the children who have volunteered will have been inoculated by then; (2) when he estimates that there will be enough poliomyelitis vaccine available so that everybody wishing to be inoculated against infantile paralysis can be so treated.

I would ask my hon. Friends to await a progress statement which I hope to make on Wednesday.

asked the Minister of Health how many children have now been vaccinated with anti-poliomyelitis vaccine and if he will give an assurance that there are adequate supplies available.

I would ask the hon. Member to await a progress statement which I hope to make on Wednesday.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he is now able to state what arrangements are being made for an exhibition in the Palace of Westminster of material produced by the Central Office of Information for overseas use.

Yes. By permission of the Serjeant at Arms an exhibition of material prepared by the Central Office of Information for overseas use will be in place from today until Saturday, 25th May, in the Upper Waiting Hall off the Committee corridor.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance whether he has now completed his consideration of the case submitted by a deputation from the British Legion and other organisations on 20th March; and whether he has any improvements to announce.

As I explained to the hon. Member on 6th May, this deputation raised with me a number of points. So far as the question of the basic rate of pension is concerned, as the hon. Member will be aware I have written to the leader of the deputation. The other matters raised are still under consideration.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will now say when he intends to introduce legislation to amend the Weights and Measures Acts.

As soon as Parliamentary time permits.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer to what extent the 100 million dollar bond issue of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development was offered to institutions and individuals in the United Kingdom, and under what conditions; and whether he will make a statement.

These bonds were offered to the public through United States underwriters and could be applied for by institutions or individuals in the United Kingdom who could pay for them by realising existing holdings of foreign currency securities. Her Majesty's Government welcome the International Bank's success in augmenting the dollar funds which it has available for lending.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what benefit will be obtained from the improvements proposed in the Budget for the aged, in the case of a married man retired with an insurance retired pension, due to increments, of £208, and superannuation of £221 making a total income of £429; what his Income Tax would be in 1956–57; and how much less in 1957–58.

His Income Tax will be £14 10s. 0d. in 1957–58, compared with £14 14s. 11d. in 1956–57.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why he provided facilities for the television programmes transmitted by the British Broadcasting Corporation on Good Friday last entitled "In Prison" and "Scales of Justice".

Facilities for these programmes were provided because I welcomed the opportunity of having placed before the public an impression of conditions in a local prison compiled by an independent and responsible source. The selection of the date of showing was not my responsibility.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give an assurance that in future, when he authorises the provision of facilities in prisons for television programmes, he will make it a condition that medical questions be left to the Director of Prison Medical Services, or one of his colleagues, or if none can be spared, that any prison commissioner be briefed to give such particulars of the medical side of prison work which his training will allow.

The conditions to be attached to the provision of facilities in prisons for television programmes or other publicity projects must necessarily depend on the nature of the proposal, but the hon. Member can rest assured that any medical questions which may arise will be dealt with in consultation with the Director of Prison Medical Services.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in order to reassure relatives and others who have been led to think that prisoners are deprived of medical care, what provision exists for the medical care of prisoners; and if he is satisfied that it is adequate for its purpose.

All prisons have medical officers, and where the resources of a prison are insufficient to meet adequately the mental and physical needs of the prisoners arrangements exist for calling in consultant specialists and for sending prisoners to outside hospitals. These arrangements, which in my view are fully adequate, are described in the booklet "Prisons and Borstals", of which I am sending a copy to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in view of the fact that courts throughout the country have long relied on reports and evidence of prison medical officers, if he will give an assurance that present investigation and future policy concerning the treatment of psychopaths in prison shall depend on the Prison Medical Service and not on the theories of outside amateurs however eminent.

I rely mainly on the advice of the Prison Medical Service in all matters concerning the treatment of prisoners and I am grateful to the hon. Member for giving me this opportunity of expressing my admiration of the work of prison medical officers, but I cannot give any assurance that I will not, where appropriate, seek the advice and assistance of outside consultants, who have themselves for many years rendered great service in this field.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will give an assurance that the problem created by the presence of cement dust in the air in certain districts will be considered in future Government legislation connected with the provision of clean air,

I do not think further legislation is needed, as cement works in England and Wales are already controlled under the Alkali, &c. Works Regulation Act, 1906, and my alkali inspectors are responsible for ensuring that the best practicable means are employed to minimise the emission of dust.

asked the Minister of Labour what advice he proposes to give to secondary school boys who were born in the second quarter of 1939, who are terminating their secondary school course this year, and who will probably not be required to register for National Service this year, and whose liability for National Service will not be determined until late in 1958.

The White Paper which I am proposing to present shortly will give some general guidance on the position of men born in 1939. If the right hon. Member has a particular case in mind I shall be glad to look at it if he will let me have details.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will inquire into the causes of delay in so far as his own Department is concerned regarding the delivery by post of the International Edition of the New York Times to Members.

These papers are received in London from Amsterdam two days after the date of publication. They are normally delivered to the House on the day of arrival in this country. I am having inquiries made in order to see if it is possible to speed up the transmission time and I will write to the hon. Member when these inquiries are completed.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what reports he has received regarding the contamina- tion of the soil and of green vegetables by radiostrontium in Scotland; what warning or advice he has issued; and if he will make a statement.

No tests have so far been made in Scotland but, as a result of dis- cussions between my Department and the Atomic Energy Authority, arrangements have now been made for the regular sampling and analyses of soil, vegetation and sheep bones from a hill farm in Argyllshire and a farm in the Lothians.