asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when the Report of the Committee investigating commoners and other rights in the Forest of Dean is likely to be published.

I understand that the Report is now being drafted and it is hoped it will be ready for submission to the Forestry Commissioners in the autumn.

asked the Minister of Agriculture. Fisheries and Food to what extent he was consulted by the British Egg Marketing Board before they made their Prescriptive Resolution fixing the levy at the maximum rate allowed by the scheme of ½d. per dozen on all eggs sold to the Board by registered producers; what total revenue this levy is estimated to produce; and what expenditure is estimated as necessary to operate the scheme during 1957.

The responsibility under the Egg Marketing Scheme for all the matters to which my hon. Friend refers is with the Board and it is under no obligation to consult or inform me about them.

the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to what percentage of full capacity bacon factories were working in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, respectively, during April. 1957.

Expressed as a percentage of the highest output attained, production for the month of April, 1957, was 61 for England and Wales, 60 for Scotland, and 89 for Northern Ireland. My right hon. Friend regrets that information is not available for England and Wales separately.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) to what extent employees of his Department who visit agriculturists receive overtime pay when they find it impossible to do their work within normal working hours; at what rate such overtime is paid; and if. in the light of the sums so paid, he will examine the situation to ascertain if more employees are necessary;(2) how many technical stall are employed at the headquarters of his Department; and how many are carrying on their duties directly with agriculturists on farms and elsewhere.

My right hon. Friend will write to my hon. Friend as soon as the detailed information he requires has been assembled.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will take action to protect employers who have made proper provision of safeguards under the Agriculture (Safety, Health and Welfare Provisions) Act, 1956, and given instruction as to the use of them when an employee has failed to obey instructions.

My right hon. Friend does not think any action need be taken. Employers are already protected by Section 16 of the Act, which provides that it shall be a defence for a person charged with a contravention of a provision of the Act or of Regulations thereunder to prove that he used all due diligence to secure compliance with that provision.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in view of the likelihood of an early cherry season, if he will review the date of the Cherry Fruit Fly Order.

My right hon. Friend assumes that my hon. Friend refers to the restrictions on importation of raw cherries in Section 7 (6) of the Importation of Plants Order, 1955. The dates in that Section are regarded as appropriate for the protection of the health of the cherry crop in this country, and my right hon. Friend does not propose to change them.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will arrange for a grant to be made from the Development Fund to enable more research to be made by the Agricultural Central Co-operative Association into problems of grading, presentation and marketing of horticultural produce in accordance with the opinion expressed in the Runciman Report.

Grants from the Development Fund are made by the Treasury on recommendations by the Development Commission following applications from organisations such as the Agricultural Central Co-operative Association and my right hon. Friend has no power to arrange for such assistance from the Fund. In the first instance, therefore, it would be for the Association to submit detailed proposals to the Commission. I should, however, make it clear that, while the Runciman Committee suggested that there was need for research into matters such as those referred to in the Question, its Report contains no recommendations to the effect that grants should be made to the Association for that purpose.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give consideration to the payment of a larger subsidy for dehorned beef calves than for horned calves, to encourage the dehorning of cattle so as to reduce damage and suffering caused in transit.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the Answer I gave on 9th May to my hon. Friend the Member for Norfolk, South (Mr. J. E. B. Hill).

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will arrange that copies of the diagrams indicating the distribution of his Department's organisation, which have been shown at certain main branches of the National Farmers' Union throughout the country, be sent to the local National Farmers' Union county secretaries for reproduction in local agricultural papers, together with a brief description of the changes now proposed in the organisation.

Yes. If secretaries of county branches of the National Farmers' Union will make contact with the approprivate divisional executive office, or the regional controller, our officers will be glad to provide them with information.

asked the Minister of Labour the state of employment in Crawley New Town; whether redundancy has increased or diminished during the past three months; and if he will make a statement on the future prospects of employment in the foreseeable future.

Outstanding vacancies still considerably exceed the numbers unemployed, and the rate of unemployment remains below the national average. Fifty redundant workers were discharged during the past three months as compared with 53 in the preceding three. I understand that further redundancy is in prospect, but as new factories and extensions which are under construction come into operation they will pro. vide further opportunities for employment in addition to those which already exist.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will now arrange to defer the National Service of Mr. D. M. Rice, 88, York Road, Swindon, for a further period after July, 1957, to enable him to continue to prepare himself to become a scientific glassworker.

No. Mr. Rice was granted deferment of call-up until 18th July, 1957, to complete his apprenticeship with the Atomic Energy Research Establishment at Harwell. No arrangements exist for deferment to be granted for a further period in order to gain industrial experience.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in view of the dangers resulting from the use of air-guns, he will take steps to prohibit their sale.

No. As at present informed I can see no reason for amending the existing law, which prohibits the purchase or hire of air weapons by persons under the age of 17, but imposes no other restrictions on their use.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why Constitution Hill, the Mall and Birdcage Walk are closed to motor traffic on mornings when there are rehearsals of Trooping the Colour.

Birdcage Walk is closed for a short period after the rehearsals to permit the passage of troops from the parade ground. Constitution Hill and The Mall are closed to facilitate the forming up and passage of the procession from Buckingham Palace to the parade ground and back again; both roads are reopened for a time while the rehearsal of the Trooping is taking place.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what instructions he is giving to the Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis to ensure that hon. Members wishing to reach the Palace of Westminster by car on the morning of Friday, 7th June, are not delayed because of the rehearsal for Trooping the Colour.

The Commissioner of Police has issued an order, which is being brought to the notice of all police employed on the route and or traffic duty, that every facility must be afforded to allow Peers, hon. Members and others to pass on their way to or from the Palace of Westminster.

asked the Secretary of of State for the Home Department whether he will place in the Library of the House of Commons a copy of the memorandum on the shopping habits of the public and their views about closing hours which was prepared by the Social Survey for the Gowers Committee of Inquiry into the closing hours of shops; and whether he will arrange for the Social Survey to conduct a similar investigation to determine whether and to what extent those habits and views have now changed.

A copy of the memorandum is already in the Library. I will bear in mind the suggestion in the second part of the Question.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the number of off-licences granted in each of the past five years.

The following table gives the most recent information available. The 1955 figures are provisional

—		New off-licences granted*	New off-licences confirmed*	New off-licences premises opened
1951	…	586	568	241
1952	…	482	465	209
1953	…	490	475	224
1954	…	519	504	266
1955	…	512	501	285
* Including new off-licences granted or confirmed in respect of existing licensed premises.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is aware of the hardship caused to women who are prevented from obtaining or enforcing maintenance or affiliation orders because they are unable to obtain the man's address; and if he will consider whether arrangements can be made for such an address which is known to a Government Department to be made available to the woman or the court.

The Government have been giving careful and sympathetic consideration to this question and it has been decided to permit the disclosure of addresses from certain official records subject to a number of necessary safeguards.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Education if he is satisfied with the action being taken to discourage smoking by school children; on what evidence he states in "Health Education", pamphlet No. 31, that tobacco is not so difficult to obtain by schoolchildren; and what special steps he proposes to take to reduce the smoking of tobacco by school children in view of the increasing evidence of its bad effect upon health.

My noble Friend considers that his Department's handbook on Health Education gives sound advice on this matter, and will decide in due course whether any further advice should be given in the light of the review by the Medical Research Council to which my right hon. Friend the Minister of Health referred in his Answer on Monday, 27th May, to the hon. Member for Brixton (Mr. Lipton). He believes that this is the duty which falls to his Department, and that it must be left to teachers and above all to parents to decide how they deal with the children for whom they are responsible. In his view there is sufficient evidence in common experience for the statement in the handbook that cigarettes are not so difficult for children to obtain as are alcoholic drinks.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Education why the references to the dangers of alcohol have been curtailed in the most recent edition of "Health Education", pamphlet No. 31.

This results from the change in approach explained on page vii of the Introduction to the handbook.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Education if he is aware that children who have reached the age of 5 years are being refused admission to schools in Cardiff; and how soon this state of affairs will be remedied.

In some new housing areas the Cardiff local education authority is unable to admit children to school until the beginning of the term after they are 5. This is likely to continue for two or three years pending the completion of three new schools, and additions to two others, which my noble Friend has approved.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Education when it is expected that a primary school will be provided for the Millfields Estate in the Borough of Wednesbury.

Building is likely to start in the financial year 1959–60.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Education when work on the proposed grammar school at Ashington. Northumberland, will begin.

The Northumberland local education authority has told my noble Friend that it expects to begin work in September.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Education (1) whether he has now considered the application of the Governors of Leeds Grammar School for the admission of that school to the reopened list of schools eligible for direct grants; and if he will make a statement;(2) whether he has now considered the application of the Governors of Leeds Girls' High School for the admission of that school to the reopened list of schools eligible for direct grants; and if he will make a statement.

The Governors of the following schools have been informed that my noble Friend is prepared in principle to admit them to the direct-grant list:

• Blackburn, Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School.
• Coventry, Bablake School.
• Coventry, King Henry VIII School.
• Leeds Grammar School.
• Leeds Girls' High School.
• Oldham, Hulme Grammar School for Boys.
• Oldham, Hulme Grammar School for Girls.
• Stamford School.
• Stamford Girls' High School.

Applications from a number of schools are still under consideration.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Education (1) if he is aware that fees, assessed on an income scale, are being charged to Catholic parents in Northumberland whose children have won free scholarships but have been transferred on religious grounds to St. Cuthbert's Grammar School; and whether he will arrange for these sums to be refunded;(2) in view of the fact that no school fees are charged to parents who send their children to denominational primary schools, whether he will ensure that no fees are charged to parents whose children have won free scholarships to nondenominational secondary schools who then choose on religious grounds to send them to denominational secondary schools.

The hon. Member has written to me about this matter. I am looking into it and will write to him as soon as possible.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations whether he is aware of the increased fares charged by shipping companies for British migrants to Australia; and whether he will make representations to those companies on the subject.

I am aware that fares have gone up, due to increased costs. The increases apply generally and not specially to emigrants. Representations to the shipping companies are unlikely to be successful at the present time, but we are aware of the problems which this increase of fares creates for the Australian Government and migrants generally.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations if the agenda for the Commonwealth Prime Ministers' conference will include proposals for the future of Commonwealth development especially in newly-independent territories; and if the present Colonial Development Corporation will be included in such proposals with a view to the possibility of its expansion and incorporation in any future projects.

It is not the practice to disclose the subjects to be discussed at meetings of Commonwealth Prime Ministers.

asked the President of the Board of Trade upon what grounds the application by the National Farmers' Union on 17th May, 1957, for the imposition of a Customs duty against Canary Islands tomatoes under the Customs Duties (Dumping and Subsidies) Act, 1957, was rejected; whether he is aware of the concern throughout the industry over the losses suffered by glasshouse producers as a result of the dumping of Canary tomatoes in the United Kingdom during the past few weeks; and if he will make a statement.

It has never been the practice to give reasons for the rejection of applications for changes in Customs duties and there is no reason to adopt a different practice in the case of anti-dumping or countervailing duties. I am aware of the growers' concern over these imports, but my right hon. Friend is not satisfied that a case was made out under the terms of the Act for the imposition of an anti-dumping duty.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in order to make Customs Duties (Dumping and Subsidies) Act, 1957, more effective, and as a means of helping home producers who believe themselves to be adversely affected by dumping or subsidy policies adopted by overseas Governments, he will provide the organisations representing those producers with any evidence obtained by his Department through overseas trade attaches or other official channels of preparations for such activities.

Overseas officers would not necessarily have the kind of information to which the hon. Gentleman refers; but when such information is available, we shall normally be prepared to give it to interested parties and are already doing so.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what were the quantities and value of United Kingdom exports of fishing nets in 1938, 1950 and 1956; and what steps he proposes to take to offset the competition this industry is suffering from Japan.

Fishing nets are not separately distinguished in the export returns. If my hon. Friend can provide me with information of unfair competition by Japanese exporters in overseas markets, I shall be glad to examine it.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will publish a list of the chief Commonwealth and foreign countries to which waste paper and pulp were exported in 1954, 1955 and 1956, together with the quantity and value to each.

The details for 1954 and 1955 are published in the "Annual Statement of Trade of the United Kingdom for 1955" (Vol. III, page 69) to which I would refer my hon. Friend. The figures for 1956 are as follows:

UNITED KINGDOM EXPORTS OF PULP AND WASTE PAPER
Country		Quantity	Value
		'000 tons	£'000
Aden	…	0·4	9·6
India	…	2·2	51·4
Ceylon	…	4·3	106·3
Irish Republic	…	9·3	115·9
Western Germany	…	10·9	263·0
Netherlands	…	12·3	221·5
Belgium	…	7·3	89·7
France	…	19·8	370·6
Switzerland	…	2·4	45·1
Italy	…	3·1	68·1
French Morocco	…	3·0	40·9
Burma	…	0·9	21·0
Indonesia	…	3·7	92·8
All others	…	3·5	55·7
TOTAL	…	83·1	1,551·6

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is yet in a position to make a statement on his talks with representatives of the Cotton Board about the recent missions to India, Hong Kong, and Pakistan, for discussions about imports into the United Kingdom of cotton manufactures from those countries.

I should prefer to say no more at the present than that Sir Cuthbert Clegg and members of the Cotton Mission, together with representatives of the Cotton Board made a detailed progress report to me on Tuesday on the negotiations with the industries of India, Pakistan and Hong Kong. Their report gave rise to many important points which I am considering with my colleagues.

asked the President of the Board of Trade when he intends to publish the Regulations to be made under the Cinematograph Films Act, 1957; and if, in considering the method by which the levy from exhibitors will be raised, he will make his calculations on the same basis as that whereby, of the £6,500,000 relief in entertainments tax given in the Budget, £3,500,000 net in a full year are to be left with exhibitors.

Parliament will be asked to approve the Regulations before the summer Recess. They will be framed to comply with Section 2 (3) (a) of the Cinematograph Films Act, 1957.

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) if the common price agreement in the crown cork industry has yet been registered under the Restrictive Trade Practices Act, 1956; and whether he will exercise his powers under the provisions of that Act to ensure that the agreement receives early consideration by the Restrictive Practices Court;(2) if the common price agreement in the glass bottle industry has been registered under the Restrictive Trade Practices Act, 1956; and whether he will exercise his powers under the provisions of that Act to ensure that the agreement receives early consideration by the Restrictive Practices Court.

As I explained in reply to a Question on 4th June, information about particular agreements can be obtained from the Registrar of Restrictive Trading Agreements. My right hon. Friend is now considering additions to the list of agreements for early consideration by the Restrictive Practices Court and he will bear my hon. Friend's suggestions in mind.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether the Monopolies Commission has yet reported on the supply of chemical fertilisers; and what conclusions it has now reached in regard to the concentration of control of potash imports in the hands of a single company.

My right hon. has not yet received the Report Monopolies Commission on the of chemical fertilisers.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when Mr. James Lewis, Winslow, 10, Oakside, New Denham, an 86-year old-age pensioner may expect to receive the repayment of his post-war credits, from Her Majesty's Inspector of Taxes, Cornwall House, S.E.1 (Waterloo District), who is dealing with this matter under Reference No. 4034.

This claim was received on 28th May and paid on 4th June.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why the executors of an estate holding Premium Bonds are not allowed to participate in the draw.

As clearly stated on the Bond and in the Prospectus, the eligibility of a Bond for inclusion in further draws ceases when the bondholder dies. Bonds have been made non-transferable in all circumstances, so as to keep the scheme simple and economical.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state the percentage of all Premium Bonds sold in 1956 which at the end of the year were held by individuals whose total holdings were £500 or were in excess of £100, respectively.

It is not possible to give figures for holdings; but as regards sales, 27 per cent. of all Bonds sold in 1956 were in denominations of £500, and 40 per cent. (including the 27 per cent.) in denominations in excess of £100.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what reasons have influenced Her Majesty's Government in agreeing, even in principle, to the withdrawal by Egypt of a portion of her sterling balances held in this country.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has now decided to modify the blocking of Egypt's No. 1 Account.

No part of Egypt's blocked sterling balances has been placed at her free disposal. Arrangements have been made to permit exporters to be paid from the No. 1 Account for goods contracted for before 28th July, 1956. Many of the goods have been already delivered. The arrangements were forecast in the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 13th May.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in the next balance of payments White Paper, or otherwise, figures showing the balance of payments of the Colonial Territories and the independent sterling area members, respectively, with the United Kingdom, the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation area, the dollar area and the rest of the world.

Most of this information is already available in respect of the Colonial Territories in the Annual Reports of the Secretary of State for the Colonies. The United Kingdom balance of payments with the rest of the sterling area and with the Colonies separately has now been published in the United Kingdom Balance of Payments White Paper.Some information on the balance of payments of independent sterling area members with the rest of the world is already included in our Balance of Payments White Paper in so far as it is relevant to the balance of payments of the United Kingdom and in so far as it can be done from sources available in London. To go further than this would involve discussions with the countries concerned both to obtain the figures and to agree common definitions for all the major items. I am however considering with my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade whether some balance of payments information can be included in the Commonwealth Abstract.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has now replied to the request of the Association for the Preservation of Rural Scotland that he should receive a deputation on the subject of the litter problem, and whether he will state a date.

I hope to arrange for one of my Ministerial colleagues to receive a deputation from the Association early next month, but it has not yet been possible to fix a date. A letter to this effect has been sent to the Association.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when work will start on the improvements to the Fort William-Mallaig road which have already been approved.

A trunk road Order has been made in respect of nine minor diversions which are to be constructed as part of this scheme. Negotiations for the acquisition of the necessary land have started and if they proceed satisfactorily it is hoped to invite tenders at the beginning of August so that work may start after the holiday period.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is aware that the new housing scheme at present under construction by the Inverness County Council and nearing completion in Beauly has, up until now, had no provision made either for a septic tank or any other treatment of sewage discharging into the Beauly river; and, in view of this, if he will consider the desirability of making an order to bring the Beauly area within the scope of the Rivers (Prevention of Pollution) (Scotland) Act, 1951

I have asked the county council to provide treatment for the sewage discharged from the housing scheme concerned before the houses come into occupation; an order applying the Act of 1951 to the Beauty area is not necessary for this purpose

—	Starting date	Estimated completion date	Estimated final cost
Trunk roads			£
1. A.80 improvement east of Muirhead to Lanark County Boundary	October, 1956	Spring 1959	322,000
2. A.9 Bridge of Allan diversion (river bridge and approaches)	June, 1956	End 1958	215,000
3. A.82 Widening from Dumbuck to south-east of Barloan Crescent, Dumbarton	June, 1956	End 1957	119,000
4. A.92 Bridge of Don—widening of existing bridge	May, 1956	End 1958	293,000
Classified roads
5. A.838 Reconstruction of road between Rhiconich-Gualin, Sutherland	June, 1956	Mid 1958	159,000
6. A.81 Reconstruction of Gartmore Bridges and approaches, Perthshire	January, 1957	Mid 1958	103,000
7. A.72 Diversion and reconstruction of new bridge over river Clyde at Kirkfieldbank	September, 1956	Mid 1958	143,000
8. A.737 Paisley Road West—widening	January, 1957	Mid 1958	106,000

Notes

1. Item 1 is one part which has been let as a separate contract of the reconstruction of the Glasgow-Stirling Road A.80 from Cardowan Road, Stepps to Mollinsburn.

2. Item 2 does not include the reconstruction of an adjacent railway bridge which is included in the scheme as listed in Appendix I to the Roads, etc., Scotland Estimate for 1957–58.

3. Item 4 includes the classified road portion.

4. Item 6 was originally estimated to cost less than £100,000 and does not appear in Appendix II to the Estimate.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received from the Ayrshire County Council about the need for a new maternity unit at Ballochmyle Hospital, Ayrshire; and what was the nature of his reply.

Ayr County Council suggested to my Department in September, 1953, that a maternity unit should be provided at Ballochmyle, and was informed that the Regional Hospital Board considered that priority had to he given to areas with greater needs. In January, 1955, the council asked that a deputation should be received. It was then informed that as the matter was one

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will issue a list of schemes in the road programme costing over £100,000 which were started in the year ended 31st March, 1957, together with the present estimated completion date and total cost of each.

The following is a list of the schemes referred to:primarily for the Regional Hospital Board a meeting between the Department and the council would not serve any useful purpose.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will reconsider representations made to his predecessor about the need for a more effective warning system at Carstairs, to warn villagers when an inmate has escaped from the State Institution for Mental Defectives.

I have reconsidered these representations. In the light of experience I see no reason to alter the existing system.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland on how many occasions persons have escaped from the State Institution for Mental Defectives at Carstairs, Lanark, in the past ten years.

Patients have escaped from the State Institution for Mental Defectives at Carstairs on seven occasions since the Institution was established in 1948. Fourteen patients were involved, none being absent from the Institution for more than one day.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that two letters from Ivor R. Downes, Esq., serving on Christmas Island, sent via British Forces Post Office 170 to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. J. Downes, The Dingle Cottage, Highwood. Eastham, Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire, and delivered, respectively, on Thursday, 16th May, 1957, and Friday, 24th May, 1957, the first in an airmail envelope and the second in an envelope marked "Forces Airmail" and surcharged with the words "First British Megaton Trial 1957" had postage stamps removed; what inquiries he has made into their disappearance, and with what result; what recompense he now proposes to offer to the recipients of the letters; and whether he will make a statement.

Yes. A special inquiry has been made. It is not possible to establish how the stamps actually come to be missing, but it may be that they simply failed to adhere to the envelopes. I regret the loss of the stamps, but I am sorry that I cannot pay compensation in circumstances of this kind.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he will now give a definite date when the British Broadcasting Corporation will start operating the television station at Rosemarkie.

The Corporation expects that the station will be in operation towards the end of August or early September. It hopes to announce a definite opening date in a few weeks' time.

asked the Postmaster-General what percentage of the inland telegrams sent in the financial year 1956–57 were business and greetings, respectively.

About 47 per cent. were business, and 21 per cent. greetings telegrams. The rest (32 per cent.) were telegrams of a social character sent at the ordinary rate.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he will give a general direction to the British European Airways not to remove the Union Jack from its literature; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave yesterday on this subject. As I then indicated B.E.A. has assured me that it will continue to feature the Union Jack on its literature and in other ways where appropriate and I hope other British air transport operators will do the same.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he will consider prescribing an appropriate traffic sign under Section 48 of the Road Traffic Act, 1930, for use on roads where local authorities have made orders designating such roads as roads on which it would be an offence to cause, or permit a dog to be, unless the dog is held on a lead.

I do not wish to limit the discretion of local authorities in a matter where uniformity of signs is not essential. I shall, however, very shortly be circulating some suggested designs for guidance.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he is in a position to assess the value of the G Unit, tested recently by the British Transport Commission, Western Region, at Slough and elsewhere on Government-owned vehicles; how many Government-owned vehicles are attached to this region; arid what was the approximate saving in petrol, per vehicle, per week revealed by these tests.

Any tests carried out by the Commission have been on its own and not of Government-owned vehicles. The matter is therefore one of day-to-day administration and as such is purely for the Commission.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he will amend the present regulations whereby tractors, when fitted with transport boxes, are not allowed to use the public roads under the £2 agricultural licence.

The use of agricultural tractors taxed at the £2 rate is governed by Section 4 of the Vehicles (Excise) Act, 1949, as amended by subsequent Finance Acts, and any change would require legislation. 1 have my hon. Friend's point under examination at the present time.

asked the Secretary State for the Colonies whether he will give an undertaking that the Governor of Hong Kong will not issue a proclamation bringing into force Clause 27 of the Medical Registration Bill, 1957, until he is satisfied that no free clinics will be closed or hold fewer sessions as a result of the proclamation.

The matter is one primarily for the Hong Kong Government to decide. I understand that arrangements have been made by that Government to defer the operation of Section 27 of the Bill until 1st January, 1958.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies (1) if, in view of judicial observations on the con- duct of the police in Cyprus, lie will appoint an independent committee to investigate the conduct of the police and special branch personnel and their treatment of prisoners;(2) if he is aware of the evidence given at his trial by Nicos Sampson regarding brutal treatment by the police subsequent to his arrest in Dhali, Cyprus, on 30th January, 1957; and if he will hold an investigation into these charges.

I have nothing to add to my reply to Questions on this subject yesterday.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies why sheets have been removed from the beds of women prisoners in Nicosia Prison; and whether he will now give instructions that this and other penalties imposed on these women be immediately removed.

No such penalty as mentioned in the first part of the Question has been imposed. As regards the second part of the Question, certain privileges temporarily withdrawn were restored on 22nd May.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many persons are still in detention in Cyprus against whom no charge has been brought; and when he expects to complete the release of these political prisoners.

1,140 persons were in detention on 28th May. It is not possible to say now when they can be released. This must depend on the Governor's assessment in each case of the risk to public security which would be involved.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will give particulars of the economic projects in Somaliland which the Protectorate Government have begun to date, and those which are to be started during 1957.

I assume that the first part of the Question refers to economic projects which are still in progress. These are as follows—the amounts shown being those so far allocated in schemes approved under the 1955 Colonial Development and Welfare Act:

	£
Hides and skins (to improve their quality)	33,440
Agricultural credit (loans to farmers—revolving fund)	7,760
Camel abattoir (to cull old animals and produce fertilisers and other products)	68,000
Date cultivation (for the experimental growing of date palms)	39,000
Fisheries (to investigate the possibility of establishing an organised fishing industry)	5400
Bonification (improvement of agricultural land)	21,700
Transport pool for agricultural schemes	7,662
Experimental farms (to provide facilities for agricultural research and controlled experiment)	4,750
Forestry development	108,600
Range management (improvement of pasture land)	8,768
Agricultural education (for the training of agricultural instructors, forest rangers and stock inspectors)	2,500
Irrigation and soil conservation	57,900
Hydrological survey (to establish possible sources of water supply)	24,890
Improvement of Hargeisa water supply	80,000
Geological survey	58,876
Total:	£529,246

Some of the above schemes represents continuations of schemes started under the 1945 Colonial Development and Welfare Act, e.g., under that earlier Act, £41,556 was spent on date cultivation, and £74,372 was allocated for geological survey.Economic projects which are expected to be started in 1957 are:

	£
Improvement of Berbera Port, approx	300,000
Rural water supplies	20,000
Construction of a gum and incense warehouse in Aden (to provide storage for gum and incense, so that Somaliland may obtain additional revenue from sales and to enable the Somaliland merchants to obtain economics prices by avoiding forced sales)	18,900
	£358,900

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies upon what evidence the Finance Minister in Uganda estimated that the loss due to purchase by non-Africans of African coffee for resale under their own marks might be as much as £150,000 per annum.

I am consulting the Governor and shall write to the hon. Member when I have his reply.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what annual additions or reductions have been made since their inception in the Uganda Cotton and Coffee price assistance funds respectively; what was the balance in each fund at the end of 1956; what previous grants or loans have been made and for what purposes to allocate as a grant to the Uganda Government.

The Legislative Council, by resolution, in 1948 created the Cotton Price Assistance Fund from the previous Cotton Profits Fund with £3,457,000. Annual additions from further cotton profits and investment transactions were £2,126.000 in 1949; £2,992,000 in 1950; £12,828,000 in 1951; £5,963,000 in 1952; £7,442,000 in 1953; £2,169,000 in 1954; £422,000 in 1955; £383,000 in 1956. In December, 1951, the Legislative Council by resolution closed the Fund at £20,000,000 and directed that all surplus over that figure should be paid into the African Development Fund. Grants made by resolution to the African Development Fund were £5,000,000 in 1952; £9,500,000 in 1953; £2,500,000 in 1954; £1,200,000 in 1955. The balance in the Cotton Price Assistance Fund on 31st December, 1956, was £19,582,000, From this a loan has been made to the Lint Marketing Board, with a £5,000,000 limit, for working capital, of which £3,500,000 was outstanding on the 31st December, 1956.The Coffee Price Assistance Fund was created similarly in 1948 from the previous Coffee Control Fund with £501,000. Annual additions were £627,000 in 1949; £3,380,000 in 1950; £4,630,000 in 1951; £3,569,000 in 1952; £2,098,000 in 1953; £832,000 in 1954. There were reductions of £703,000 in 1955 and of £260,000 in 1956 due to depreciation of investments. Under the Coffee Industry Ordinance the whole balance in the Coffee Price Assistance Fund was transferred to the Coffee Industry Fund from which withdrawals for price assistance purposes were made amounting, to £4,609,000 in 1955 and to £254,000 in 1956. The balance in the Coffee Industry Fund on 30th December, 1956, was £9,811,000.It is now proposed by the Uganda Government to allocate £5,000,000 from the Cotton Price Assistance Fund and £2,500,000 from the Coffee Industry Fund to the Protectorate Capital Development Fund.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies (1) in which Colonial and Trust Territories community development officers are recruited from the indigenous populations in each territory, respectively; and the number in each case;(2) in which Colonial and Trust Territories full-time community development officers are employed by the respective Governments concerned;(3) which Colonial and Trust Territories provide establishments for the training of community development personnel; on what basis students are selected for training; and the number of students from the indigenous populations receiving training in each case, respectively.

As I explained in my reply to the hon. Member's Question of the 7th March, community development covers many aspects of government and consequently involves several Government Departments as well as voluntary agencies and the people themselves. In some territories community development has been adopted as the name of a specific department; in others, the work is carried out as part of their normal duties by officers of several departments working as a team.In both cases, Government officers, the majority of whom are recruited from the indigenous population, are engaged full-time on community development work though they may not be officially designated as community development officers In addition, voluntary agencies cooperate extensively in community development work. For these reasons, it is impossible to give accurate figures for the number of persons engaged in community development work at any given time.Because of the very nature of community development work, training for it in junior posts must be carried out to a large extent on the job, or at small centres as near the actual work as possible. Participants who show special aptitude are selected for further training at larger centres such as the Jeanes School in Kenya, Nzamisi in Uganda and Awgu in Eastern Nigeria. Up-to-date information about the numbers of persons receiving training in these and similar institutions is being obtained from the Governments concerned and I will write to the hon. Member when I have received their replies.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if in any forthcoming analysis of the balance of payments position of Colonial Territories, he will show the total amounts received in loans and grants both from the United Kingdom and elsewhere.

This information will be contained in my next Annual Report to Parliament, which will be published shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the amount allocated in 1952 on the Emergency Account of the Ministry of African Affairs in Kenya; the amount to be spent in 1957–58; to what purpose this account is devoted; and the amounts allocated on tribal police for the years 1952 and 1957–58 respectively.

In 1952 there was no Ministry of African Affairs. The amount spent from the Emergency Fund in that year on the Administration was £14,313.16.23 cents. In 1957–58 Emergency expenditure from the Vote of the Ministry of African Affairs is expected to lie about £500,000; mostly on salaries and expenses of temporary administrative staff employed in the Central and Rift Valley Provinces.In 1952 the amount spent on the tribal police was £61,277. In 1957–58 estimated expenditure is £391,000.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies (1) if the Government Actuary in Mauritius has yet completed his survey of pension liabilities; and if a decision has now been reached on the request made in the resolution of the Legislative Council asking that pensions of ex-Government employees should be increased in all cases where the amount of gratuity had been met by subsequent deductions in the pensions paid;(2) what decision has been reached on the resolution of the Legislative Council of Mauritius that, in the case of civil servants retrenched in 1932 who have met the cost of the gratuity given in that year by subsequent deductions from their pensions, the pensions should be restored to the normal level and arrears given to cover any excess in payments made.

It is expected that the Government Actuary will complete his survey of the Mauritius Government's pension liabilities in the near future.No decision has been taken by the Mauritius Government on the resolution of the Legislative Council pending the completion of that survey but, for reasons which I have already explained to the hon. Member in correspondence, I do not think it would be appropriate to increase pensions in the manner proposed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies, whether, in the light of the recent agreement on a new constitution for Singapore, he will make a state- ment about the Christmas Island which is now administered by Singapore.

In the light of the new constitutional arrangements now agreed upon for Singapore, Her Majesty's Government do not consider that they can ask the Singapore Government to continue to administer Christmas Island (which lies in the Indian Ocean some 800 miles to the south of Singapore) on their behalf. Christmas Island has since 1900 been associated for administrative purposes with Singapore.The sole activity on the island is the extraction of phosphates by the Christmas Island Phosphate Commission, which is wholly owned by the Australian and New Zealand Governments. Arrangements are accordingly being made to transfer the administration of the island to the Government of Australia, which draws about one-third of its phosphate requirements from the island and is the Government most closely concerned with its administration.The island, which should not be confused with Christmas Island in the Pacific Ocean which is the site for United Kingdom atomic tests, has no indigenous inhabitants as such, the present population being the labour force employed by the Phosphate Commission for working the phosphate deposits. The Australian Government have given assurances that British subjects ordinarily resident on the island at the time of transfer and those born there afterwards will enjoy the same rights regarding citizenship and immigration as were extended to the inhabitants of the Cocos Islands when these were transferred to Australia in 1955. The Singapore Government have in the past enjoyed certain revenues in respect of the phosphate operations and Her Majesty's Government are making an

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will arrange that, in future years, rehearsals of Trooping the Colour should take place at times when the traffic of London will not suffer undue interruption.

The rehearsal arrangements will be reviewed before next year's ceremony and I will consult with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department over measures to reduce inconvenience to traffic.

asked the Minister of Supply what action the Government proposes to take with respect to the pensions and gratuities of long-serving employees at the Royal ordnance factories who feel unable to accept employment at other premises owing to long distance travelling from their homes.

Pensions and lump sum payments on the retirement of established industrial civil servants, to whom I assume this Question relates, are awarded under the provisions of the Superannuation Acts. Those long-serving employees at Royal ordnance factories who are established have accepted the obligation to transfer as a condition of their establishment. If their work at any particular factory comes to an end, the Government will honour its obligation to provide alternative employment for them elsewhere in the Government service. Employment locally will be the first aim, but failing this, they will be required to transfer.To ease the difficulties of transfer, if their new place of employment is not within daily travelling distance of their homes, they may be paid a subsistence allowance of 23s. a night for the first week and 16s. a night for the next three weeks whilst seeking new accommodation. Thereafter, if they are married, they become entitled, subject to certain provisions, to a lodging allowance of 50s. a week and nine free travel warrants a year. There are also allowances towards the cost of removal, and any excess rent they may have to pay at their new station, together with a grant of from £20 to £40 to cover incidental expenses.If an offer of employment at a new station is refused by an established industrial employee, he will have to be discharged unless he elects to resign. Either course would involve, in accordance with the provisions of the Superannuation Acts, forfeiture of all superannuation rights except as stated below.Any established employees who are over 60 years of age can retire with an immediate pension if they have qualified for one. Any who are under 60 but over 50 years of age and who do not want to transfer will be free to retire and to receive at 60 any pension or allowance for which their service has made them eligible.Finally, if in any case the domestic circumstances are accepted to be such as to make transfer unreasonable, an award may exceptionally be authorised by the Treasury. The distance of the new place of employment from the home would, however, not of itself be accepted as justifying such an award.In the case of unestablished industrial employees, gratuities are paid on a scale proposals for the improvement of which are now before the House.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that the closure of the operating theatre in the North Staffordshire Royal Infirmary is causing pressure upon the other hospitals in Stoke-on-Trent and that both patients and medical staff are inconvenienced; and when the new theatre will be completed.

I am aware of the difficulties which have unfortunately resulted from the closure of these theatres. The Regional Board has arranged for beds to be available in another hospital for certain surgical cases, and for extra operating sessions at two further hospitals. It proposes to provide a temporary operating theatre at the Royal Infirmary as soon as possible, and hopes to be able to provide a new permanent twin-theatre suite within two years.

asked the Minister of Health the number of cases in Stoke-on-Trent awaiting operation at the latest available date and the number awaiting operation six months ago.

These figures are not available, but the number of patients awaiting admission for surgical specialties to hospitals administered by the Stoke-on-Trent Hospital Management Committee at 30th April, 1957, was 4,089 and at 31st December, 1956, was 4,205.

asked the Minister of Health if he will have a survey made of the hospital facilities provided in the City of Stoke-on-Trent, for the population of 274,000 which includes industrial workers who are subject to accidents and industrial diseases, and is the centre of a population of 400,000 people; if he will have the hospital facilities compared with other similar areas, in regard to the allocation allowed for capital and maintenance, particularly as regards the Birmingham Hospital Board; and if he will have a copy of the report circulated to all representative people in the City of Stoke-on-Trent.

I am not satisfied that action of this kind is required. The Birmingham Regional Hospital Board is fully informed of the needs of the hospital services in its area and is the body best qualified to assess priorities between one part of it and another.

asked the Minister of Health the capital sum allocated to the regional hospital boards per head of population for 1950, 1954, and 1956, for Bournemouth, Eastbourne, and York. respectively.

Following, in terms of annual expenditure per head of population, are the sums allocated by the regional hospital boards.

—	1950–51		1954–55		1956–57 (provisional)
	s	d.	s.	d.	s.	d.
Bournemouth	2	11	1	3	0	8
Eastbourne	4	7	4	7	11	8
York	3	6	3	2	4	4

asked the Minister of Health the capital sum allocated to the six regional hospital boards with the highest allocation per head of population and to the six with the lowest such allocation

(i) Six regional hospital boards with highest allocation per head of population.
—		1950–51	—	1954–55	—	1956–57 (provisional)
		£		£		£
E. Anglian	…	287,000	Oxford	512,614	Liverpool	912,224
N.E. Metropolitan	…	589,000	Newcastle	1,002,221	Newcastle	1,039,731
S.E. Metropolitan	…	625,557	Welsh	658,454	Oxford	510,474
S.W. Metropolitan	…	897,000	E. Anglian	361,841	Welsh	875,750
Newcastle	…	515,884	Sheffield	1,010,000	Sheffield	1,381,214
Leeds	…	512,000	S. Western	626,160	S.W. Metropolitan	1,241,962

(ii) Six regional hospital boards with lowest allocation per head of population.
—		1950–51	—	1954–55	—	1956–57 (provisional)
		£		£		£
Liverpool	…	334,000	N.E. Metropolitan	624,936	S. Western	659,000
Manchester	…	669,539	N.W. Metropolitan	716,500	E. Anglian	342,224
Oxford	…	225,000	Leeds	549,905	Leeds	715,286
N.W. Metropolitan	…	586,000	S.E. Metropolitan	571,731	Manchester	978,548
Sheffield	…	601,352	Manchester	707,319	N.W. Metropolitan	816,450
Welsh	…	350,000	Birmingham	725,950	N.E. Metropolitan	590,471

In both lists boards with higher allocations are shown above those with lower allocations per head of population.

asked the Minister of Health if he will give the number of

—			Numbers of ambulances* available		Average cost per patient				Average number of miles per patient
			1950–51	1955–56	1950–51		1955–56		1950–51	1955–56
					s.	d.	s.	d.
England and Wales	…	…	4,249	4,889	15	1	15	5	9·0	6·8
Birmingham	…	…	87	103	13	1	16	0	6·5	5·4
Newcastle-on-Tyne	…	…	40	45	13	3	12	4	7·9	5·1
Stoke-on-Trent	…	…	22	24	13	11	14	2	6·4	5·3
* Including sitting case and agency vehicles.

asked the Minister of Health if he will set out in tabular form the number of nurses engaged on the

Following are the figures in terms of annual expenditure:ambulances available, the average cost per patient, and the average number of miles per patient, for the years 1950, 1956, throughout the country, in the city of Birmingham, Newcastle-on-Tyne and in the city of Stoke-on-Trent, respectively.

The information is as follows:average per patient, the hours on duty, the payment received and the grades of nurses, respectively, in the hospitals of London, Birmingham, Manchester, and Stoke-on-Trent.

All the details asked for could not be obtained without an unjustified expenditure of time and labour, but I am writing to the hon. Member giving him such information as is readily available.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government (1) whether arrangements have now been made for a public local inquiry in connection with the amendment to the County of London Development Plan, in respect of the St. Paul's precinct;(2) if he will arrange for alternative schemes to be considered at the public inquiry on the treatment of the environment of St. Paul's, as well as the one tentative suggestion which has been published;(3) as it has not been generally known that the last date for lodging objections or variations to the suggested plan for the treatment of the environment of St. Paul's is 11th June, if he will consider extending this time, so that the matter can receive further and wider consideration.

Arrangements are being made to open a public local inquiry into the revised plan for the St. Paul's area on 15th July at the Guildhall. This matter has been before the public for a long time, and I am anxious to avoid further delay in dealing with it. I do not, therefore, proposed formally to extend beyond 11th June the already announced period for lodging objections, but I shall be prepared to allow a few days' latitude to persons who have real difficulty in making their objections or representations before this date.The inquiry will be into objections or representations relating to the scheme proposed by the London County Council and City Corporation, but it is open to any person to represent that an alternative scheme would be preferable.