asked the Minister of Supply whether he will make a statement on redundancies at the Ministry of Supply factory at Nancekuke, Cornwall.

Forty-eight industrial employees were declared redundant in June. So far only eight have gone. The remaining discharges will be spread over the next two months.

May I ask the Minister to bear in mind that the urban district in which this factory is situated suffered very severely from unemployment in the inter-war years? Will he take this into consideration?

Yes, Sir. I am very conscious of that, although it is primarily a consideration for my right hon. Friend the Minister of Labour.

asked the Minister of Supply how many workers at the Royal Ordnance factory, Barnbow, will be made redundant in the next three, six and twelve months, respectively.

I expect some reduction in the level of employment at this factory during the next twelve months, but I cannot at present say when and on what scale redundancy will occur.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that this news will be received with great dismay throughout the area from which this factory draws workers? Is he further aware that this redundancy culminates 30 per cent. redundancy in the factory over the last three years, and that this would be quite unnecessary if the Minister were prepared to carry out the undertaking to make Royal Ordnance factories a preferred source for the production of conventional armaments?

I should have thought that my statement would have been received with the very opposite of dismay. One of the reasons why I cannot at this moment declare what the extent of redundancy will be in this factory is that this factory depends on export orders, and no one can foresee exactly where and when export orders will arise. For the rest, I can only reiterate that it is my policy, which has been faithfully carried out, to make Royal Ordnance factories a preferred source of the arms they are equipped to produce.

asked the Minister of Supply to what extent it is his policy that the Royal Ordnance factories should be encouraged to tender for foreign arms contracts.

I am anxious to ensure that foreign arms contracts shall make as large a contribution as possible to the maintenance of employment at the retained Royal Ordnance factories and the factories will be regarded as a preferred source for foreign arms orders secured by Her Majesty's Government in exactly the same way as Service orders.

In that case, can the right hon. Gentleman explain why at the present time a private company is making profits which should be going to the taxpayers by sub-contracting to the Royal Ordnance factory at Barnbow a large part of the Swiss arms order which the Government themselves could easily have obtained several years ago, since the Royal Ordnance factories are capable of producing these tanks at least 20 per cent. cheaper than any private firm?

Yes, because it is part of the Swiss convention of neutrality, if not of their neutrality laws, that orders for arms should be placed not with foreign Governments but with firms. In this instance, the order was placed with a firm. The firm placed half the order with the Royal Ordnance factory. I should have thought that a solution eminently acceptable to the hon. Gentleman.

Can the right hon. Gentleman give us any details about the money which the firm is making by acting as a middleman between a foreign Government and the Ministry?

Had it not been for this firm's acting as a middleman this order would not have been secured by this country at all.

asked the Minister of Supply what was the expenditure at Swynnerton Royal Ordnance factory during 1956 on maintenance work; and how many workers outside the factory were employed.

£645,315. The average number of outside workers employed was 70.

Would the Minister give us an assurance that maintenance work, some of which obviously must be continued or the factory will become derelict and not even be saleable, so far as possible will be done by men and women who are working in the factory itself rather than by outside contractors?

In so far as it is possible, yes. As a matter of fact, 80 per cent. of the maintenance work now being done is being done by workers internal to the factory.

asked the Minister of Supply whether he will give the average age of men and women employees at the Royal Ordnance factory, Swynnerton, and the number who have at any time during their employment suffered from dermatitis or other diseases directly following their employment.

The average age of the men and women employed at the factory is 49 and 42, respectively. As regards the second part of the Question, full information is not readily available, but 250 cases of dermatitis or other occupational diseases have occurred since 1950.

Will the right hon. Gentleman agree that the average age of these men and women is rather high and that this makes it more difficult for them to find alternative employment if and when they are declared redundant, and that, in addition to that, there is a prejudice against people who have suffered from dermatitis, a prejudice both by their fellow workers and by other employers, and due in part to ignorance? Will the right hon. Gentleman, therefore, give special consideration to those who have so suffered?

Yes, these are both difficulties of which I am very conscious and which the Minister of Labour also has in mind.

asked the Minister of Supply what compensation is to be paid to workers in Royal Ordnance factory installations when they are declared redundant.

asked the Minister of Supply what compensation will be offered to those workers who are made redundant at Royal Ordnance factories as a result of cuts in the defence programme.

I would refer the hon. Members to the reply riven to the hon. Member for Newton (Mr. Lee)on 6th June.

Has the Minister noted that the amount of compensation appears to be very little compared with the quite rightly generous treatment which has been meted out to Regulars in the Forces who are now to be dispensed with, and that after five years' work the compensation gratuity to these people is five weeks wages? Does he not think it is abominably low?

One must not, of course, compare like with unlike. In the Services, one is terminating contracts of service. In the Royal Ordnance factories, one is not terminating contracts of service of established workers. As for the non-established, the rate of gratuity was established only recently under the Superannuation Act, and I do not think the point now being made by the hon. Gentleman was made then.

Would not the Minister reconsider this decision now in the light of the Government's White Paper about compensation to those made redundant in the Armed Forces? Is he not aware that many of the workers in these factories have given long years of service involving considerable danger to their health, and, in time of warfare, considerable danger to their lives? There are certain comparable factors here. Will he not, therefore, reconsider the whole question?

Yes, but surely the relevant question is whether or not the rates of gratuity are comparable to those in comparable industrial organisations. I think that they are.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the rate of gratuity for redundancy in Royal Ordnance factories is not comparable with the rate of gratuity or compensation in the mining industry?

I should not like to answer that without notice, but I have gone into the comparison with the normal industrial firm and, in the normal industrial firm, I do not think there is any very great difference.

asked the Minister of Supply what consideration has been given to the employment of persons on general maintenance work, who would otherwise become redundant at the Royal Ordnance factory, Swynnerton.

The factory has for some time employed surplus production workers on essential maintenance work and will continue to do so for as long as necessary. Work of this kind will, however, require only limited numbers.

While thanking the Minister for that reply, and the one which he gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Stoke-on-Trent, Central (Dr. Stross)a moment ago, may I ask him again to be very careful to see that as many as possible of these people who will otherwise become redundant are at least found work on mainteance in the factory, especially in view of the difficulty of their obtaining alternative employment in the north Staffordshire area?

Yes, and there will, of course, be quite a protracted period of decontamination of this factory that will require the employment of a proportion of the total labour force now employed.

asked the Minister of Supply what consultations he has had with representatives of trade unions since the announcement of the decision to close the Swynnerton Royal Ordnance factory; and if he will give an assurance that redundancies will not be created until a scheme has been agreed with the trade unions.

There have been discussions with trade union representatives both at factory level and, within the last few days, with the Ministry of Supply Joint Industrial Council, to which my hon. Friend referred in his reply of 8th July. There is already an agreement on redundancy procedure between my Department and the trade unions.

Will the Minister give a categorical assurance that no scheme will be implemented until an agreement has been reached with the local representatives of the trade unions at the Swynnerton factory?

The hon. Gentleman is always asking me for categorical assurances, but in this case there is a redundancy agreement which relates to all the factories. Swynnerton is no exception.

Would the right hon. Gentleman tell us what is to be the future finally of the Swynnerton factory?

As I indicated a fortnight or so ago, I think it was, I am endeavouring to dispose of all the factories no longer required for defence to industrial firms.

Can my right hon. Friend confirm that the real problem of this factory is that, having been a gunpowder factory, it cannot be turned over to other useful industrial employment? Is not that the real problem?

Yes, that is a problem. I think the problem of this factory is that no matter to what purpose it may be devoted it is relatively an uneconomical factory.

The Minister has just advised us that he is handing these factories over to other industrial concerns, but does he not remember that at West Kirby it was the local authority which took over the whole of the site and made a great success of it? Would he, therefore, consider approaching the county council and the Stoke City Council to treat this site in a similar way?

Gladly.

asked the Minister of Health to what extent there is a shortage of fully qualified meat inspectors.

I regret that this information is not available.

Will the Parliamentary Secretary bear in mind that there is much uninspected meat going on the market for human consumption? Does he not consider this very undesirable, and will he do what he can to recruit inspectors?

It is part of the general problem of the shortage of public health inspectors, but if the hon. Gentleman has any particular cases in mind, I must ask him to table a Question to my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

Is not the difficulty accentuated by the Government's slaughterhouse policy, and if there were not such a multiplicity of slaughterhouses would not the situation be very much simpler?

The problem surely is the shortage of public health inspectors.

Might I point out that my Question was originally addressed to the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food but was transferred to the hon. Gentleman's Department?

I was referring to detailed cases.

asked the Minister of Health what conclusions he has reached as a result of the replies received from medical officers of health of county borough councils to his letter regarding the Standing Tuberculosis Advisory Committee's suggestion that there are increasing difficulties in rehousing tuberculous families.

In general, the arrangements for giving priority in rehousing to people with tuberculosis continue to work satisfactorily, but those responsible for recommending priority are being reminded of the need to supply information about the infectivity of the case.

Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that local authorities are experiencing considerable difficulty in rehousing T.B. families, and will he consult the Minister of Housing and Local Government with a view to reinstating the subsidy for houses allocated for that purpose?

I can only say that there is very little evidence of such difficulty now.

Can the hon. Gentleman say why, if there is no evidence, the Standing Tuberculosis Advisory Committee made the suggestion that local authorities are not giving priority, and why it has taken it rather seriously?

It is only fair to say that the Report has not yet been considered by the Central Health Services Council.

asked the Minister of Health how many cases of smallpox have been notified during the first six months of this year.

Two cases were notified in the twenty-six weeks to 29th June, 1957.

asked the Minister of Health if, in view of the recent outbreak of smallpox in the London area, he will consider making vaccination compulsory.

This would require legislation. Experience of compulsory vaccination before 1948 does not suggest that a higher proportion of the population would be protected against smallpox than under the current voluntary arrangements.

As smallpox is becoming difficult to diagnose, and in view of the difficulty in a recent case when doctors disagreed, will the hon. Gentleman make certain that the officers of the Ministry have some knowledge of diagnosing smallpox so that the difficulty which has been experienced will not recur?

I will do my best to ensure that my officers comply with the hon. Lady's requirements, but I do not think I am the best person to teach them how to diagnose smallpox.

asked the Minister of Health what arrangements exist between his Department and the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation in respect of the medical examination and detection of smallpox and other infectious or contagious diseases among passengers to this country from Africa, India and elsewhere.

I assume this relates to air traffic. It is a joint responsibility to arrange for health control at State-owned airports. This gives wide powers for dealing with any case or suspected case of communicable disease arriving in this country, including medical examination and surveillance of passengers where necessary. The scheme is operated by local authorities through airport medical officers.

Is the Minister aware that I was not referring exclusively to air transport but to all kinds of overseas transport? Can he say why it is that a passenger did arrive with smallpox and was undetected either on disembarkation or in transit?

I suppose the answer is the troubles of diagnosis to which the hon. Member for Liverpool, Exchange (Mrs. Braddock)referred earlier.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware of the number of qualified doctors who are emigrating to appointments in the Commonwealth and the United States of America owing to not being able to find employment in the National Health Service and if he will make an inquiry into this situation.

It is no new thing for some doctors from this country to take appointments overseas. Figures of the number doing so are not available, but I will willingly consider any further statistics which my hon. Friend can produce. The report of the Committee which has been inquiring into future requirements for doctors and medical students is expected shortly.

I am not at the moment able to produce statistics, but might I none the less ask my hon. Friend to take careful note of what is undoubtedly a drift overseas, including to the United States, on the part of many of our more competent doctors? Might I inform him of at least one case of a very well trained and experienced doctor who returned from overseas, was unable to find a place in the National Health Service after searching for a year or eighteen months, and has now obtained a very excellent appointment in the United States in his specialty as a pediatrician, a post he was unable to obtain here?

I note my hon. Friend's remarks.

Would the hon. Gentleman say that, whatever health scheme was in operation today, the supply of doctors would still exceed the demand?

As large numbers of doctors are coming here from the Commonwealth, will my hon. Friend do absolutely nothing to stop this exchange, which is of mutual advantage?

I entirely agree with my hon. Friend's remarks.

If the Parliamentary Secretary is satisfied that there is a real surplus of doctors, will he draw the attention of the Secretary of State for Scotland to the fact that there are certain islands in my constituency which are without doctors?

I have not spoken in quite such categorical terms. What I said was that the Report is expected shortly.

asked the Minister of Health if he will state the date of the establishment of his Department of Research and Experiment for the improvement of artificial limbs and appurtenances, and list the major improvements approved for general issue to limbless persons since that date; when the last report was issued by his Standing Advisory Committee on Artificial Limbs; and when the next report may be expected.

I understand that a medical officer for research was first appointed in 1945. The Standing Advisory Committee ceased making formal reports after 1951, but I am considering the form in which information about developments might be published in future. It will take a little time to prepare the list which the hon. Member has asked for and I will send it to him as soon as possible.

The Minister states that this was started in 1945, but that was long before the merger. My purpose is to find out what his Ministry has done for the limbless disabled since he has been in control. Why was the practice of issuing the report of the Standing Advisory Committee on Artificial Limbs discontinued? Surely disabled men have the right to know what is being done on their behalf? That Report gave them that information.

I understand that, as far as can be ascertained, this was discontinued because the information was already available in other forms. I take it that the hon. Member is interested in this matter from the point of view of B.L.E.S.M.A., from whom I recently saw a delegation. I have promised to write to them about the points that they raised, and I hope to be able to make better arrangements for giving them information about research developments.

I am interested not only in connection with B.L.E.S.M.A. but with all limbless people, whether they are ex-Service men or civilians. I hope that the Minister will realise that.

If there are any other bodies whom the hon. Member thinks I should notify, I will do so.

asked the Minister of Health if he will state the average cost, excluding Purchase Tax, of the four-seater cars issued free to extremely disabled ex-Service war pensioners, and the cost of the latest coach-built single-seater motor invalid tricycles issued by his Department; and whether he contemplates converting the latter to two-seater vehicles.

It is contrary to Government policy to disclose the prices at which Government contracts are awarded. I have re-examined the possibility of providing two-seater tricycles in place of single-seaters, but the conclusion I have regretfully come to is that this is not a development which I can reasonably contemplate.

Surely the Minister knows that we cannot get a fair appraisal of what would be the cost of the invalid tricycles as compared with the cost of a car if he cannot give us the figures. Can he give us some idea of the cost of turning a tricycle into a two-seater car as compared with the already available four-seater car? Why should a disabled man be compelled to go out on his own every time? These people who use tricycles are badly disabled, and if they want to go out with their wives the wives have to travel either by tram or bus and the husbands have to meet them at the other end. It is not fair. Cannot the Minister do something about it?

I cannot quite remember the beginning of the hon. Member's supplementary, but I can assure him that I have tried to look at this matter very sympathetically. There are a great many difficulties in the way. I think that he asked me one question, to which the answer is that the additional cost of a two-seater would be about£25.

Does not my hon. Friend agree that the last people who should be allowed to travel alone are the badly disabled? Will not he examine the possibility of converting for that purpose the little three-wheeled, two-seater car, so many of which we see on the roads today?

I have looked into that proposal, but I am advised that from a technical point of view it has not so far proved feasible.

Will the Minister try to look at this matter from the point of view not only of disabled men but their wives? In very many cases those wives have a difficult time enough. Could not the Minister try to encourage some scheme which would make it possible for the wives to share in these outgoings and make the whole family a little happier in a very difficult situation?

I hope that I have given this matter sympathetic consideration. It has been before the House on many occasions. There still remain the outstanding difficulties to which I have referred.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will discuss with local authorities the need for special financial assistance to enable them to provide accommodation for the care of senile and elderly confused persons.

If the hon. Member has in mind the reference in paragraph 628 of the Report of the Royal Commission on Mental Health, my right hon. Friend will be discussing with representatives of the local authorities all the recommendations in that Report which affect them, when he has received their comments on those recommendations.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that there are some local authorities anxious to make a start with this work? Is he aware that this would relieve hospitals of many cases which are at present in their care and that there would be a great financial advantage, but that they need some financial advice?

This raises a wide issue which we must consider when we have had the opinions of local authorities.

Does not my hon. Friend feel that this matter might be better settled through the usual channels?

asked the Minister of Health if he will implement the recommendation of the Royal Commission on the Law relating to Mental Illness and Mental Deficiency that patients' letters shall no longer be subjected to censorship.

asked the Minister of Health what action he proposes to take on the recommendation of the Royal Commission on Mental Health that the outgoing letters from patients in mental and mental deficiency hospitals should be despatched unopened.

Superintendents are required by statute to forward unopened all letters addressed by patients to certain specified persons and bodies and may at their discretion forward other letters. The recommendation of the Royal Commission on this subject will be considered with others which involve legislation. Meanwhile, I am having a letter sent to superintendents suggesting that in view of the Commission's recommendations where this is not already being done, they should exercise their statutory discretion to open outgoing letters of patients only where they have cause to think that the contents might be offensive to the recipients.

In congratulating the hon. Gentleman upon virtually terminating this undesirable practice, may I now ask him to press ahead with some of the other recommendations in the Royal Commission's Report which do not require legislation?

With regard to the second part of the hon. Gentleman's supplementary question, I will certainly do my best. With regard to the first part, I do not think I ought to mislead the House into thinking that this is a very important step forward. The statutory right of censorship must remain with the superintendent, but I felt that what I have announced might be a little token of how we were trying to press on.

asked the Minister of Health how many applications for discharge by or on behalf of certified mentally ill and mentally deficient patients were received and how many were rejected during 1956; and how many were discharged but subsequently returned to hospitals.

I regret that this information is not available.

Surely the hon. Member should take steps to acquire this information, particularly in view of the statement made that large numbers of people who apply for discharge are not given it and others who ought to be outside mental hospitals are inside. Surely the information for which I have asked would be extremely helpful in this connection.

I have looked into the matter. It is rather difficult to know in what form this information could be recorded. I do not think that we want to create too much of a complicated central register. I fully appreciate the hon. Member's point, but I think that the best thing to do is to continue to look at individual cases.

Although the statistics regarding the first part of my hon. Friend's Question might be difficult to obtain, the second part of the Question is very important, and that would provide a guide to the efficacy of certain new therapeutic measures.

As a result of the Report of the Royal Commission the whole question of statistics will be looked at again. If I may go rather away from the narrower point, I would point out that the difficulty that we are in is that we do not want to change too often the basis upon which statistics are called for, and any final form must await legislation.

In view of the hon. Member's suggestion that people are detained in mental hospitals who are better outside, and also in view of the fact that there is a great shortage of vacancies in these hospitals, can my hon. Friend assure us that nobody is detained who can possibly be released?

This is hardly the moment to raise again the whole Report of the Royal Commission.

Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that I made no suggestion that large numbers of patients were inside who should be outside? I said that that was the impression. Could not the Minister at least obtain certain sample statistics from half a dozen prominent mental hospitals?

I will certainly consider that suggestion.

asked the Minister of Health how many working drawings for the Welwyn Garden City Hospital have been received by his Department; what proportion these form of the total number needed; and how many have been approved.

No working drawings have yet been submitted formally by the board for approval. I have, however, made informal arrangements for examining the drawings in batches as they are prepared for the Board. Some 50, about 9 per cent, of the total, were received on 11th July and are being examined. This should facilitate speedy approval when drawings are formally submitted with bills of quantities.

asked the Minister of Health whether building work on the Welwyn Garden City Hospital will commence immediately after the completion of the site work which is now in progress.

This must depend on the speed with which working drawings and bills of quantities can be prepared and whether satisfactory tenders are obtained, but even in the most favourable circumstances there may well be a short interval. There will be no avoidable delay.

In view of the delay which has occurred in building the hospital, does my hon. Friend appreciate that any substantial delay between the completion of site work and the beginning of building works would create a most unfortunate impression, and will he do his utmost to ensure that it is kept to the absolute minimum?

Yes, indeed, Sir.

asked the Minister of Health when he expects to be able to give permission for work to be undertaken in connection with the conversion of part of Downs Hospital, Belmont, in order to provide additional accommodation for the chronic sick in the Sutton and Cheam area.

The London County Council, who occupy the buildings concerned, hopes to release them by the end of the year. As soon as this has been done, and subject to completion of negotiations for transfer, it should be possible to begin the work.

Is my hon. Friend aware that it is now hoped that these buildings will be released by October? Is he aware that there is a very acute shortage of accommodation of this type in the area, and can he give an assurance that work will not be held up by administrative difficulties in his Department?

As far as I can see, I can give that assurance. The scheme for conversion for chronic sick accommodation has not yet been finally approved, but by the time possession of the property is obtained I think that will be well under way.

asked the Minister of Health the number of consultants per 100,000 population in the four metropolitan regions taken together, and in the rest of England and Wales.

18·7 and 12·7.

Do not those figures suggest that there is a very serious shortage of consultants in provincial areas? As there are many hundreds of senior trained registrars awaiting consultant appointments, will the hon. Gentleman consider authorising a considerable increase in consultative appointments in the provinces?

The disparity in the figures is not quite as great as is suggested. Expressed as whole-time equivalents, the figures are 13·95 in London and 10·51 in the rest of the country. There is a complication which slightly confuses the issue in the rather higher ratio of teaching to non-teaching beds in the Metropolitan area.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that in the North-Eastern Region, the Newcastle Regional Hospital Board is saying that his own Ministry is preventing appointments to consultant posts which it wants to make?

The hon. Gentleman has raised that matter in another way.

asked the Minister of Health if he has considered Sir Noel Hall's report on his official investigation into the existing hospital administration and clerical grading structure; and if he will make a statement.

I have not yet received the report but expect to have it before long.

This is a matter which arises from the Guillebaud Report. Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that the administrative and clerical staffs of the hospitals are anxious about the delay in this matter, which means much to them? Will he do his best to see that the report is available as early as possible?

I will certainly do what lies within my power. The report will be referred to the administrative and clerical Whitley Council as soon as possible.

Can the hon. Gentleman give an assurance that the report will be published?

No, I am afraid that I cannot.

asked the Minister of Health if he will draw the attention of the hospital boards to the undesirability of describing hospitals as hospital and home for incurables.

This is a matter for the hospital authorities themselves, but so far as I am aware the word "incurable" does not now appear in the name of any National Health Service hospital.

While appreciating that this is a matter for the hospital authorities, it appears that certain well-known hospitals still have such names which can have very unfortunate psychological results.

Which homes does the hon. Gentleman have in mind? There are four of which I know, but all are outside the National Health Service.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware of the shortage of nurses in the area of the Windsor Group Hospital Management Committee; and what steps are being taken to deal with it.

Yes, Sir. The shortage at 31st March last was about 13 per cent. of the approved establishment. The hospital management committee is advertising locally for nursing staff.

asked the Minister of Health what action he proposes to take to bring the nursing staff in hospitals under the control of the Manchester Regional Hospital Board up to the authorised establishment.

Energetic measures are being taken by the board and the nursing appointments offices of the Ministry of Labour and National Service to publicise the need for nurses and the attractions of a nursing career. These measures include visits of the mobile nursing exhibition, displays of the mental health exhibition and talks on nursing to senior pupils at schools and to adult organisations.

I thank the hon. Gentleman for that valuable information, but is he aware that within a radius of 12 miles of the centre of Manchester there is a population of more than 2¼million? Does he not agree that a shortage of more than 800 in nursing staff in a highly industrialised area such as this is sufficiently serious to warrant his personal attention, and will he give that?

It is probably the factor of population which has led the regional hospital board to arrange for the nursing exhibition to tour the Manchester area this year. The exhibition visited seven towns in May and is touring eight further towns in September and October.

Besides advertising the advantages of nursing, will the hon. Gentleman make a special effort to examine conditions and accommodation in which these women work? It may then be discovered why girls in this area are not attracted to the profession.

I will certainly draw the attention of the regional hospital board to that.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that the matrons of two hospitals in Manchester, Crumpsall Hospital and Withington Hospital, have been instructed not to recruit more nurses because the board is not in a position to meet their salaries? What does he say about that?

Even if it is true, which I do not know, against that should be set the fact that the board's nursing staff increased in the last year by 344.

May I press the hon. Gentleman on this matter, which is regarded with great concern in Manchester? Will he examine it again, because in Manchester it is believed that inadequate finances have been directly responsible for the shortage of nursing staff?

As I said in reply to a Question last week, the financial allocation is sufficient to maintain services at the level of last year and to provide for a measure of development and improvement. It is for the board to assess its priorities—this among others.

asked the Minister of Health what is the decrease in the number of patients in the Winterton Hospital as a result of the Sedgefield Isolation Hospital being transferred to the former hospital management committee, partly in October, 1956, and wholly in April, 1957.

None, since admission of mental patients to the former isolation hospital has not yet begun.

Can the hon. Gentleman confirm reports, circulated in the area at the time when the regional hospital board decided to transfer the hospital to the mental hospital management committee, that all the accommodation in the isolation hosiptal had been taken by the Winterton Hospital Management Committee for patients from that hospital?

Admissions will begin in a week or two. The hospital is to be used for patients suffering from mental instability due to old age.

asked the Minister of Health the numbers of admissions and discharges at the Winterton Hospital in 1954, 1955 and 1956.

For the three years admissions and discharges (including deaths)were respectively 767 and 774; 950 and 966; and 1,201 and 1,242.

Can the hon. Gentleman say how many patients being transferred to voluntary status are included in the figures for admissions, and whether the discharging of those patients—without their actually leaving the hospital—has been included in the number of discharges?

Not without a lot of notice.

Can the hon. Gentleman say why there is a very large increase in the numbers?

It is due to the extra voluntary admissions that there has been a big increase in the last two years.

Can the hon. Gentleman say whether the picture for this hospital is very different from that for other hospitals?

It is clear from the figures that there has been a surge in voluntary admissions to the hospital in the last two years.

asked the Minister of Health the number on the waiting list at the Sedgefield General Hospital to date.

279 on 31st May.

According to reports, there is every possibility of another ward being taken from the general hospital to provide accommodation for a new specialist service for maternity cases. If that happens, as the management committee has already given accommodation to the Stockton and Middlesbrough area for maternity cases, will not the number of people waiting for admission increase tremendously, and will not the Hardwick Hall Maternity Hospital be closed down?

I cannot claim the hon. Gentleman's knowledge of local conditions, but the points which he has mentioned will have to be considered by the regional board. The main and salient factor is that the waiting list has declined considerably over the last few years.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that this hospital serves a very large and heavily populated area, mainly of an industrial area, and that further hospital accommodation in the region is needed, especially for industrial and maternity cases?

I know something of the problems of the area from a recent visit.

asked the Minister of Health what number of maternity beds are provided under the National Health Service in Manchester, Salford, Sheffield, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Eastbourne, and Stoke-on-Trent, respectively.

The numbers of staffed beds allocated for this purpose on 31st December last at hospitals in the groups serving these towns were, 478, 78, 281, 583, 99, 41 and 157, respectively.

Does the Parliamentary Secretary realise that in an area like Stoke-on-Trent, which has a very small number of beds as compared with Birmingham, there is a very real need for a greater number of maternity beds, due to the fact that in the city almost the only cases which can gain admission are those cases where the woman is having her first baby or those which are real emergency cases? Is he aware that many of these women are living in overcrowded conditions, which create a social problem? Can he do anything about it?

The planning of the maternity services is a matter for the Birmingham Regional Hospital Board. As to the relative numbers of beds available in Birmingham and Stoke-on-Trent, I have examined the figures, and I do not think that the hon. Member's statement is borne out. In addition, in connection with figures for various local authority areas, we have to remember that many hospitals serve wider areas, so that it is very difficult to make a fair comparison.

That is not a large number, but in view of the comparatively small number of ordinary beds—apart from the pay-beds—and the fact that hospitals in the No. 21 Group serve a very much larger area than Stoke-on-Trent, as the Parliamentary Secretary has stated, cannot he ask that there should be further consideration of the whole question of the provision of maternity beds?

The figure given is a little misleading because the demand for maternity pay-beds is very small. In practice, it works out as equivalent to the full-time use of only five beds. I am assured that no application for maternity beds which is based on medical grounds is refused.

asked the Minister of Health how many pay-beds there are for maternity cases in Stoke-on-Trent No. 21 Hospital Group.

Fifteen.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is yet in a position to make a statement on the proposal he has received from the South West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board for the creation of a separate Regional Board for Wessex.

I am not yet in a position to announce a decision. I must remind my hon. Friend that before making an order creating a new region, it is incumbent on my right hon. Friend by statute to consult the various bodies which seem to be affected, A firm decision will however be announced as soon as possible.

Has my hon. Friend consulted the necessary bodies? Am I right in assuming from his reply that he is favourable to the setting up of a separate Wessex Regional Board, and are we in Wessex to take this as being a nod which is as good as a wink?

I have nothing to add to my very carefully worded answer. Regarding the last part of my hon. Friend's supplementary question, I can think of many occasions when a nod causes less embarrassment than a wink.

Will my hon. Friend take note that if he is able to come to the conclusion that he should set up a separate regional board, it will be very well received in the Winchester area?

asked the Minister of Health whether he will give support from central funds for the development of further day hospitals for the treatment of mental patients.

It is for hospital boards to decide on the priority of this development compared with others falling to be paid for out of the funds allocated to them.

Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware of the valuable work being done by some of these day hospitals? Does not he feel that some encouragement should be given to them?

It is a most interesting development which we are watching very carefully.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how many British subjects who left Egypt since 1st November, 1956, and were in possession of certificates from Her Majesty's Consul at Port Said have had the Egyptian currency they brought with them exchanged for sterling at par; and what was the amount involved.

Eighty-six British subjects holding Consular certificates have had their currency exchanged; the amount involved was£63,664 10s.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how many British subjects who left Egypt since 1st November, 1956, without a certificate from Her Majesty's Consul at Port Said, have applied to his Department to exchange the Egyptian currency they brought with them for sterling at par and have had their applications refused; and what was the amount involved.

Eighteen written applications have been refused on the grounds that the applicants did not hold Consular certificates; the amount involved totalled£13,895. In addition to these written applications, about a dozen personal inquiries have been received, but the amount of currency involved in these cases is not known.

In view of the very small sum involved, does not my hon. Friend think it would be a generous act to allow those people who have not these certificates to exchange their currency in the same way? Is it not rather unfair that they should be penalised because the machinery for issuing the certificates had not been set up at the time they left?

The position is a little different. The concession with regard to the certificates was granted because there was a widespread impression that a promise had been given that people who held Consular certificates would have their currency exchanged at par. People who did not hold certificates cannot claim that they were so misled.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will make a statement regarding the claims against the Egyptian Government by the former British officials who were dismissed in 1951.

The former British officials of the Egyptian Government who were dismissed in 1951 have made claims against the Egyptian Government for breach of contract, loss of career and vexatious dismissal. During the negotiations for the 1954 Agreement with Egypt, Her Majesty's Government obtained from the Egyptian Government an undertaking to set up a Commission to deal with these claims. The Commission was set up and claims were submitted to it, but no awards had been announced up to the time when relations between the two countries were disturbed by the Egyptian nationalisation of the Suez Canal Company in July, 1956.

Would not my right hon. and learned Friend agree that this class of claimant is in a special position and that the matter has been hanging over them for a very long time? I know that my right hon. and learned Friend is favourably disposed towards them; can he not accelerate the settlement of this just claim which was made six years ago? Is he not aware that because of their peculiar position these people should be given priority over any other claimants?

I am very conscious of the facts to which my hon. Friend has referred. It was with those facts in mind that we obtained a broadening of the definition of "hardship" in the Anglo-Egyptian settlement.