asked the Minister of Health what supervision is exercised by his Department on the questions of food standards, dining room facilities and accommodation for nursing staffs in hospitals.

Advice on the planning of kitchens, dining rooms and nurses' accommodation is given when sought by hospital authorities and when plans are submitted for approval. In addition the advice of the Department's catering advisers and professional officers is at all times available to hospital authorities.

asked the Minister of Health if he is satisfied that the estimates of the No. 21 Hospital Group will be adequate for the required nursing establishment; and if he will make a statement.

The funds made available to regional hospital boards for the current financial year should be generally sufficient not only for maintenance of existing services but for a measure of expansion. Each board can decide how best to use these funds and what priorities to give to various objects, including the recruitment of staff.I understand that the share of the regional total allocated by the hospital board to this group should be sufficient not only to meet the cost of the considerable increase in nursing staff achieved during the last financial year, but also to provide for further essential recruitment during the current year.

asked the Minister of Health the present and the proposed nursing establishment for 1957–58, male and female, for the No. 21 Hospital Group of the Birmingham Region.

The present establishment, in terms of whole-time staff is 112 male and 1,036 female. It is proposed, subject to the approval of the regional hospital board, to increase the establishment by 36—male or female—during the present year.

asked the Minister of Health the date on which the new temporary twin operating theatre at the North Staffordshire Royal Infirmary will be ready for use.

I am informed that the regional hospital board expect the temporary operating theatre—which is a single theatre—to be available by the end of this month.

asked the Paymaster-General how far the five experimental schemes employing the Lloyd-Mandeno single-wire earth return have progressed; in which counties they are sited; and when he expects to be able to make a statement.

This work is being carried out by the industry as part of its normal programme of research and development and it will therefore be for the industry to announce the results. I am informed, however, that these schemes—of which two are in Dorset and one each in Buckingham, Somerset and Wiltshire—have so far been operating satisfactorily. It is intended to bring a further seven schemes into operation before attempting to draw firm conclusions from the programme and the results are not therefore likely to be available before next summer.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will indicate the proposed date of the closure of the office of collector of taxes in Brecon; how many staff will become redundant; and what proposals there are for carrying on with the services now performed by this office.

It is proposed to close this office at the end of September, 1958, and to divide its work between the offices in Aberystwyth and Merthyr Tydfil. Normal staff changes in the meanwhile may well absorb any redundancy.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what special items have been included in the figures for Miscellaneous under the heading Ordinary Revenue in the Exchequer Returns for the current financial year which show in the period to 22nd June an increase of £37 millions over the corresponding period of 1956–57.

The increase is due to the £37 million of interest on the United States and Canadian loans which was returned to the Exchequer on 30th April. I explained this item in my Budget statement on 9th April, as follows:

"The estimate for non-tax revenue is £268 million compared with £261 million last year. Under this heading, I must admit to one receipt which is not really revenue at all but merely a book-keeping windfall. As the Committee knows, the interest of £37 million due last December on the United States and Canadian loans was paid into a special account

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the nominal value of the various categories of holdings still in the possession of the Iron and Steel Holding and Realisation Agency.

The following table shows the nominal value of securities held by the Iron and Steel Holding and Realisation Agency at 30th June, 1957:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government in relation to the acquisition of foreign currency securities by United Kingdom residents.

United Kingdom residents are free to acquire foreign currency securities already in the possession of other United Kingdom residents and Her Majesty's Government do not propose to alter that situation. Hitherto, however, they have also been able to acquire legally foreign currency securities from residents in other parts of the sterling area and this has led to transactions in such securities by residents of those parts of the sterling area where free markets exist.While any additions to private holdings of foreign currency securities in the United Kingdom increase our current overseas income, the capital cost of these purchases falls immediately on the reserves and I am not willing to let this continue. I have therefore decided to control the acquisition of foreign currency securities by United Kingdom residents. Directions to this effect were laid before the House yesterday evening and came into force at midnight last night.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury what arrangements have been made for the supply to Members, for the discharge of their Parliamentary duties, of photoprint copies of out-of-print Acts and other Parliamentary papers.

One copy is made available free of charge on application to the Vote Office. Where the Act or paper exceeds 10 pages, the copy is only supplied where the hon. Member making application for it states that his requirement cannot be met by the loan of a copy from the Stationery Office or by reference to a copy in the Library.