asked the Minister of Supply what progress has been made with the taxing, flight, and hovering trials of the jet-powered research aircraft SC-1 designed for vertical take-off and landing; and when he anticipates these will be completed

The aircraft has successfully completed taxi-ing trials and first flew in conventional forward flight on 2nd April, 1957. It has since made a number of flights to prove the arrangements made for forward propulsion. The hovering trials will be started later this year.

asked the Minister of Supply what orders have been given to the Royal Ordnance factory, Woolwich, for the manufacture of steel cartridge cases.

A small development order has been placed with the factory.

asked the Minister of Supply what encouragement and assistance he is giving to the aircraft industry for developing and producing light aircraft suitable for private touring, air racing and aerobatics.

Although my help has not so far been sought, I am very ready to consider any proposal which may be made.

asked the Minister of Health the rate of breakages of glass medicine cups in hospitals administered under the National Health Service in the United Kingdom during the last five years; and the annual expenditure on replacements.

I regret this information is not available, and could not be obtained without an inordinate amount of research.

asked the Minister of Health how many cases of eye injuries caused by air guns were treated in the Manchester hospitals in 1955, 1956 and the first six months of 1957, respectively.

Injuries of this kind would normally be treated at the Royal Eye Hospital, where the number of cases was one, four and five, respectively.

asked the Minister of Health what action is being taken to provide hospital accommodation for voluntary mental patients who may require observation or supervision for only a short period; and, in view of the shortage of beds for such cases in most regions, if he will take steps to deal with this problem nationally as distinct and separate from that of chronic cases.

Up to March, 1957, the programmes of the regional hospital boards had provided for 3,800 new mental hospital beds. The special mental million programme provided for 1,900 and the current major schemes programme provides so far for a further 1.000. These programmes have enabled the mental hospitals to make substantial improvements in their arrangements for treating short-stay cases. In addition, there are now more than 3,000 beds for short-stay psychiatric cases in general and neurosis hospitals.

asked the Minister of Health if he will take steps to ascertain accommodation requirements for mental patients in the various regions of the country; what is the estimated shortage in the south-west region; and if he will consider taking early action to supply these needs.

At the end of 1956 the designated mental hospitals in England and Wales were overcrowded by 17,000 patients, or 14 per cent. The figures for the South Western Region were 1,462 patients or 16·4 per cent. A comparison with previous years shows that overcrowding is being reduced, and additional accommodation is already started or projected.

asked the Minister of Health whether electric-light fittings at present being introduced into hospital operating theatres are the most modern; and whether they are British manufactured.

Modern fittings are being introduced, not solely of British manufacture.

asked the Minister of Health, as representing the Lord President of the Council, what action he is taking to encourage larger numbers of workers to take up research in the field of mental health.

Every effort is being made both under the Medical Research Council's auspices and otherwise to encourage research into the causes and treatment of mental illness. The main difficulty which has to be overcome is the shortage not only of trained workers but of promising ideas for research. With regard to specific steps which are being taken I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to the Question which he asked on 22nd July.

asked the Minister of Health whether all the suspected cases of smallpox in London and elsewhere were investigated by the Virus Research Laboratory, and which of them was stated by the laboratory investigators to be a case of smallpox.

Not all the suspected cases of smallpox were so referred, but extensive use was made of this service and smallpox virus was recovered in three cases, a boy aged 6, his grandmother aged 61, and his aunt aged 35.

asked the Minister of Health the final diagnosis of the illness of the man in Brixton prison who was suspected of having been a smallpox contact.

I understand that the man developed a heat rash following a bath.

asked the Minister of Health what information he has received of inoculated children developing poliomyelitis during recent outbreaks.

During 1957 six cases of poliomyelitis, three of them paralytic, have been reported in England and Wales in children who have had two injections of vaccine. So far, enough vaccine has been issued to local health authorities in England and Wales for the vaccination of over a million children.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will increase to £300,000 Her Majesty's Government's contributions for the year 1958 to the United Nations Refugee Fund.

The question of our contribution to the fund in 1958 is under consideration in the light of the special meeting recently held by the Executive Committee in Geneva to discuss the High Commissioner's proposals for the winding-up of his programme. I am not therefore yet able to say exactly what Her Majesty's Government will be prepared to contribute.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs approximately how many refugees now remain under the supervision of the United Nations compared with two years ago; in what areas encampments remain; and, in particular, what progress has been made in securing the aid and resettlement of Arab refugees now in Jordan and elsewhere.

There are estimated to be roughly 2 million refugees within the mandate of the United Nations High Commissioner (which does not include Palestine refugees). Of these only 50,330 were living in camps on 1st January, 1957. This was 34,000 less than on 1st January, 1955.In June, 1956, there were 922,279 registered Palestine refugees compared with 887,058 in June, 1954.There are refugee camps in Austria, Germany, Italy and Greece; and also in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Gaza.The Palestine refugees are maintained by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency on standards which provide for their essential basic needs. Little progress has been made in their resettlement owing to their unabated desire to return to their homeland.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what contribution Her Majesty's Government has made to the fund established by the United Nations Economic and Social Council to clear the refugee camps by 1960.

Her Majesty's Government have so far contributed £260,000 to the United Nations Refugee Fund established by a resolution of the General Assembly in 1954 to finance a four-year resettlement programme for refugees. This sum includes £80,000 paid earlier this year. A further £20,000 will be paid if Governmental contributions to the Fund reach the total of $3·25 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if, in view of the renewed evidence of the difficulties and dangers involved by the national defence forces of outside States intervening to restore order in the Middle East, he will make fresh endeavours to develop the United Nations Emergency Police Force into a permanent body capable of preventing border incidents.

I have nothing to add to what I said on 10th July when I gave the House an account of the Government's attitude to the question of a Permanent United Nations Police Force.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will now initiate discussions within the Bagdad Pact with a view to the resettlement of Palestinian-Arab refugees in the undeveloped areas of the member countries in the Middle East.

No. I think the solution of the problem of the Arab refugees must rest with a wider body than the Bagdad Pact.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what considerations now govern the supply of arms by Great Britain to Israel, in view of the changing situation in the Middle East.

The main consideration governing the supply of arms to Israel and her neighbours is Her Majesty's Government's desire to promote and maintain peace and stability in the area and to avoid an arms race.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will discuss with other Powers concerned proposals for the co-ordinated economic development of the Middle East, including a co-operative scheme for the extraction and distribution of oil along the lines of the plan put before the United Nations by the International Co-operative Alliance.

We are in close touch with the member countries of the Bagdad Pact as well as with the United States and our other Allies and friends on matters concerning the economic development of the Middle East.No plan has been put before the United Nations by the International Cooperative Alliance for some years.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance the comparative value of the retirement pension on the date when it was last increased and at the present date.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Gentleman, the Member for Feltham (Mr. Hunter), on 22nd July.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what recent representations he has received from the National Federation of Old-Age Pensioners concerning the basic rate of retirement pension; and what reply he has sent.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what recent representations he has received from the National Federation of Old-Age Pensioners for increasing the basic rate of retirement pensions; and what reply he has forwarded to the Federation.

The National Federation of Old-Age Pensions Associations wrote to me last on 8th July. The main emphasis of this letter was to protest against the increased remuneration of hon. Members, etc., and to repeat a request for an increase in the level of retirement pensions. In reply I invited their attention to the assurances given by Her Majesty's Government as to their attitude on this subject.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance the average National Assistance supplement made to old-age pensioners seeking it; and what is the highest supplement at present paid on account of a pensioner's rent.

The National Assistance Board informs me that at the end of 1956, the latest date for which the information is at present available, the average amounts of National Assistance grants paid as supplements to retirement and non-contributory old-age pensions were respectively 15s. 1d. and 24s. 8d. a week. The information asked for in the second part of the Question is not available.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance whether he is aware that since the last increase awarded to old-age pensioners the price of food, rates, coal, gas, electricity, fares and almost every other commodity has risen, that rents, coal, gas, electricity, fares, postage, telephones and telegrams are due to rise again; and, as this will still further depreciate the already low standard of living of old-age pensioners, whether he will increase old-age pensions before October.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if he will make a statement before the House rises for the summer Recess, on the question of increasing old-age pensions; what the increase will be; and when it will be given.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance, in view of the fact that the retirement pension, as increased to £2 per week in 1955, is now only worth £ 1 15s. 10d. in purchasing power, if he will take early steps to increase the basic pension.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance whether he will make a statement on the Government's intentions on the subject of old-age pensions before the Recess.

I have no statement to make on this matter at present.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance whether he will make arrangements to pay each retirement pensioner a holiday bonus of £5 on any convenient date in August.

No. Not only is there no power to make such payments, but also no Government has ever taken the view that they would be an appropriate use of the funds of a National Insurance scheme.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance the number of persons in Feltham and Hounslow on retirement pensions who are receiving supplementary pensions from the National Assistance Board.

I am informed by the National Assistance Board that a figure is not available for precisely the area mentioned, but that 2,756 weekly National Assistance grants were being paid on 25th June, 1957, to retirement pensioners in an area comprising Heston and Isleworth Municipal Borough and the Urban Districts of Feltham and Staines. Some of the grants provided for the requirements of a household with more than one pensioner.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if he will give consideration to making Service disability pensions permanent awards for life when a pensioner in receipt of a 100 per cent. disability plus unemployability supplement reaches the age of 60 years.

No. Since the 1939–45 war it has been settled policy not to make permanent awards, and I think this is the right policy, since the medical condition of war pensioners does in fact both improve and deteriorate.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if he will consider some additional help for the ageing severely disabled men of the 1914–18 war who are aged 58 to 64 and ineligible for the recently introduced age allowance at least equal to the lowered standard of occupation allowance, granted to many thousands of younger disabled men who are still able to work.

While I sympathise with the objects which the hon. Member has in mind, I do not think the particular provision which he suggests is appropriate. He will of course be aware that some of the most severely disabled men in this age group will already be receiving the allowance to which he refers or other special allowances, including the improvements in the amount and scope of comforts allowance which came into effect at the beginning of February.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance (1)why he divides late entrants to the National Insurance Group into four categories, each of which contributes a different amount to the Fund; and whether he will make a statement;(2)why late entrants to the scheme providing for a retirement pension pay £13 more in contributions if they are placed in Category D than if they are in Category A; and whether he will make a statement.

I think that the hon. Member has in mind the effect on late age entrants to insurance of the arrangements made in 1948 with a view to facilitating the collection of contributions and payment of benefit under the new scheme. These arrangements relieve all of these pensioners of some contributions prima facie payable, but as they save administrative costs both the Fund and pensioners are the better off for them. In any event as pensioners have made the option permitted by the Act on this basis, it is far too late to consider altering them now.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance whether he will instruct the officials of his welfare department to give what help they can to find accommodation for war widows who have been given notice, under Section 11 of the Rent Act, 1957, to quit their present accommodation.

My welfare officers are always anxious to give war widows what help they can in connection with problems of accommodation as in other matters, and no such special instructions are necessary.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance whether he has investigated the case, particulars of which have been sent to him by the hon. Member for Fulham, of a disability pensioner whose allowances have recently been reduced by 32s. 6d. a week; and with what result.

I have looked into this case and I am glad to say that I am able to restore the allowances amounting to 32s. 6d. which were discontinued. I will write to the hon. Member, and explain the somewhat complicated facts of this case.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance how many people in Edinburgh were drawing National Assistance at the end of June, 1957; and how many were drawing such assistance at the end of June, 1956.

I am informed by the National Assistance Board that on 25th June, 1957, 14,713 weekly National Assistance grants were being paid to persons living in the area served by the Board's offices in Edinburgh, which, however, extends considerably beyond the city boundaries; the number on 26th June, 1956, was 14,341.

asked the Paymaster-General if he is aware that the procedure of notifying changes of fuel prices o places inconvenience upon coal merchants; and whether, in future, he will delay announcing these increased prices until the day preceding, the date of price alterations.

I think that most coal merchants prefer to have reasonable notice of changes in their maximum selling prices.

asked the Paymaster-General the output of smokeless fuel in the United Kingdom during the last year for which figures are available; and what estimate he has made of the prospective output of such fuels during each of the next five years.

Total production of solid smokeless fuels in 1956 was about 34 million tons, excluding hard coke supplied to blast furnaces and foundries. Production in 1957 will probably be at about the same level. In subsequent years it will largely depend upon demand and I have no reason to believe that shortage of supplies will delay progress under the Clean Air Act, 1956.

asked the Paymaster-General whether he will make a statement on the Iron and Steel Board's special report on development in the industry.

The Government are grateful to the Iron and Steel Board for this most valuable survey of the problems facing the industry during the next five years. While the Board is, of course, solely responsible for the views expressed in its report, the Government is in general agreement with its analysis of the industry's prospects.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many proposals have been received by his Department relating to farm improvements under the Agriculture Act; how many inspections have been made by his officials; and what were the numbers of applications in the various categories of different types of improvement.

On 30th June, the latest available date, 3,325 provisional applications had been received and 1,099 inspections had been made. Following is the information asked for in the last part of the Question:

Analysis of applications by type of improvement proposed
(As an application may comprise more than one type of improvement, some applications figure more than once in this table.)
1. Erection, alteration, enlargement or reconditioning of permanent farm buildings (other than dwelling-houses), and making or improvement of permanent yards, loading banks and stocks	3,001
2. Provision of means of sewage disposal other than from dwelling-houses	162
3. Making and improvement of roads, fords and bridges.	378
4. Provision or laying-on of electric light or power to farms for agricultural purposes	470
5. Provision of pens and other fixed equipment for use in connection with the sheltering, gathering, marking, dipping, spraying, treatment or feeding of sheep and cattle	148
6. Making and improvement of permanent fences (including hedges), walls and gates	271
7. Provisions of cattle grids	38
8. Reclamation of waste land	34
9. Provision of shelter belts	19
10. Removal of hedges and banks, filling in of ditches, removal of boulders, tree roots and other like obstructions to cultivation	86
11. Claying and marling	1

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he proposes to issue regulations prohibiting the sale of uninspected meat.

My right hon. Friend and his right hon. Friend the Minister of Health are considering how we may achieve the hon. Member's purpose by requiring the inspection of all meat before it leaves the slaughterhouse; but there are considerable practical difficulties to be overcome.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the estimated production of apples for 1957; how this compares with post-war production; and what steps he is taking to encourage the British apple industry.

The 1957 crop of apples is at present forecast at about 450,000 tons, about half of which will be of cooking varieties, but this estimate is of course subject to weather and other conditions. This is substantially below the average production in the previous ten years. My Department gives considerable help to the industry through research, education and advice.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action has been taken upon the First Report of the Ministerial Committee for Agriculture and Food of the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation.

The conclusions of the First Report led to further studies whose results came before the Ministerial Committee when it met again last week on 25th and 26th July. The Committee decided to publish a report on agricultural price and income support policies, a resolution endorsing the Report's conclusions and a resolution on aids given to agricultural exports.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the income of the Tomato and Cucumber Marketing Board from levies and fines imposed on producers since the Board's inauguration.

Following is the information:

				Levies	Penalties
				£	£
1950–51	…	…	…	56,502	—
1951–52	…	…	…	52,075	12
1952–53	…	…	…	50,828	54
1953–54*	…	…	…	52,710	36
1955	…	…	…	46,870	28
1956	…	…	…	40,629	27
* From 1st September, 1953, to 31st December, 1954

These figures have been supplied by the Tomato and Cucumber Marketing Board

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what benefits have been gained by the producers and consumers of tomatoes and cucumbers from the activities of the Tomato and Cucumber Marketing Board since its inauguration.

The Board's activities include the promotion of better packing and grading, a market intelligence service, and publicity. My right hon. Friend is confident that such activities can be of substantial benefit to producers and consumers.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will now further review the case of Mr. Allen C. Westgate, of Cringleford, Norfolk, who served as a crop reporter under his Department for 50 years but failed to qualify for a gratuity through his services coming to an end only two weeks before the operation of the Superannuation Act, 1949.

I have reviewed this case very carefully but I regret that the provisions of the Superannuation Act, 1949, do not permit a gratuity to be paid to Mr. Westgate.

asked the Minister of Agriculture. Fisheries and Food by how many the number of his staff has been reduced since his Department ceased to trade in eggs.

The reduction in staff numbers so far made as a result of the Department ceasing to trade in eggs is 48.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he expects to receive a report from the Committee recently appointed by him to inquire into agricultural education at the farm institute level.

My right hon. Friend hopes the Committee which was appointed jointly by the Minister of Education and himself will be able to report during next year but it is too early to give a date.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what he is doing to encourage the dehorning of cattle and the breeding of polled cattle.

My Department issues a leaflet describing a simple method of disbudding young calves and drawing attention to the advantages of dehorning. Officers of the Ministry also give advice on the subject. Breeders attempting to introduce a polled strain into a horned breed are allowed to use cross-bred bulls for the purpose. My right hon. Friend and his right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland have also made several orders permitting the importation of polled cattle for breeding.

asked the Minister of Agriculture. Fisheries and Food, as representing the Lord President of the Council, how much public money was spent last year in research into artificial insemination in pig breeding.

It is not possible to give an accurate figure of the cost last year of research on the artificial insemination of pigs. This subject is being actively investigated at the Unit of Reproductive Physiology and Biochemistry at Cambridge under the auspices of the Agricultural Research Council as a part of a comprehensive programme of research on animal reproduction.The unit is working in close association with five cattle A.I. centres, at four of which pilot schemes for pig A.I. are being operated.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, as representing the Lord President of the Council, the amount of money spent or agricultural research in each of the last three years; and what approximate part of this was spent on veterinary research.

Expenditure from public funds on agricultural research has been just over £4 million during each of the last three years. Of this just under half has been devoted each year to farm animal research, of which about half in turn has been on research on animal diseases alone.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many copies of the pamphlet, entitled The Rent Act and You", have been printed and sold.

1,172,000 copies have been printed, of which so far the Stationery Office has sold 1,130,000. A further 128,000 are now being printed.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will introduce legislation empowering the Registrar of Friendly Societies to strike off the register any building society which refuses to make an advance to a coloured applicant solely on the ground of his colour.

No.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether any drawings have yet been made under the arrangements negotiated with the United States Export-Import Bank.

No.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will arrange to publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a table of figures showing for each of the months from January to June, 1957, the revenue received by the Treasury from the 10 per cent. duty on greyhound racing totalisators, with comparative figures for the same months in the year 1956.

The receipts in the months in question from the duty on totalisator betting at greyhound racecourses were as follows:

—			1956	1957
			£	£
January	…	…	365,179	466,212
February	…	…	325,387	381,447
March	…	…	459,059	457,250
April	…	…	494,691	498,643
May	…	…	642,955	637,072
June	…	…	545,590	*553,759
* This figure is provisional.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware that the incidence of 1½. Purchase Tax on a 6d. Form G, under the Rent Act, 1957, is a hardship to old-age pensioners, those on National Assistance, and others on small incomes; and why he will not remove Purchase Tax from these forms.

I would refer the hon. Member to the Answer I gave him on 25th July.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is aware that during the present dispute between the companies and unions in membership with the National Council for the Omnibus Industry the use of intimidation and physical violence by pickets against the employees and vehicles of companies, many of which are in no way involved in the dispute, has forced those companies to suspend many of their services; and what action he proposes to restore law and order and protect these companies, their employees and the passengers travelling in their vehicles.

I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister in reply to Questions on 25th July on the maintenance of law and order during the present disputes. If any per-son is the victim of intimidation or has reason to fear intimidation his proper course is to seek the assistance of the police.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in view of the fact that the police force of England and Wales is 5,000 under strength, he will take steps to alter the pension regulations in respect of men of the Armed Forces and thereby encourage the soldier who is declared redundant to join the police force, by allowing the time served in the Army to count towards the pension rights of a policeman.

—	Men						Women
	1955–56			1956–57			1955–56		1956–57
	Recruits	Resignation without gratuity or pension	Retirement with pension or gratuity	Recruits	Resignation without gratuity or pension	Retirement with pension or gratuity	Recruits	Total wastage	Recruits	Total wastage
Counties, Cities and Boroughs:
October	418	148	107	412	109	93	52	27	47	22
November	371	136	76	353	119	67	32	32	45	24
December	260	120	82	324	106	86	34	23	35	41
January	339	94	92	394	93	77	42	15	31	26
February	384	96	58	444	137	58	35	16	29	27
March	386	94	58	415	138	91	29	32	44	35
April	450	106	91	408	151	117	35	23	46	28
May	358	96	97	357	145	76	32	19	29	25
June	318	106	82	282	150	103	42	22	23	22
Metropolitan:
October	152	80	77	157	46	81	10	10	13	7
November	141	40	11	168	33	63	8	4	11	9
December	65	46	54	187	51	66	8	9	11	6
January	152	25	77	138	24	43	10	12	5	5
February	124	36	44	152	24	37	5	3	9	7
March	153	35	36	171	49	46	9	7	11	7
April	159	37	41	172	67	61	7	7	13	7
May	127	33	39	145	67	39	10	5	5	7
June	124	49	46	132	49	37	4	3	4	6
Totals	4,481	1,377	1,168	4,811	1,558	1,241	404	269	411	311

I am sure that police authorities and chief constables will be glad to enrol suitable applicants from the Armed Forces. The police pensions scheme provides for a half-pay pension after twenty-five years' police service, and I am satisfied that it already offers a suitable inducement to former members of the Armed Forces who are within the age limits for appointment to the police service.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will bring up to date the information he gave on 25th October, 1956, about recruitment to, and resignation from, the police forces including the Metropolitan Police.

The information is given in the following table.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Education, in view of recent acts of physical interference with passenger transport omnibuses, what steps he will take to protect school children when being transported by school omnibuses to school.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 25th July.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Education (1)how many county authorities in England provide grants for theological students;(2)which county authorities in Wales provide financial grants for ministerial students.

Grants to theological students for degree courses at universities are to the best of my knowledge available from all county authorities in England and Wales on the usual conditions for university awards. My noble Friend does not require authorities to tell him whether they make awards to students at denominational theological colleges, but, in Wales, Caernarvonshire, Cardiganshire, Carmarthenshire and Monmouthshire are known to be willing to receive applications. This list is not necessarily comprehensive.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will make a further statement on the provincial omnibus strike.

Following the award of the Industrial Disputes Tribunal, work has been resumed this morning.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will consider bringing within the scope of the Laundry Wages Council those employed in laundry receiving shops and dry cleaning shops.

I have considered the extension of the scope of the Laundry Wages Council to include these workers but I am not satisfied that it is necessary in present or foreseeable circumstances.

asked the Minister of Labour how many laundry receiving shops and dry cleaning shops there are in the country.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Minister of Labour what number of workers normally handle produce at Covent Garden; and what estimated percentage of this norm has been represented by workers, regular and emergency, who have been handling produce at Covent Garden during the current strike.

The number of workers normally handling produce at Covent Garden has been variously estimated at 1,200 to 1,600. I have no information on the second part of the Question.

asked the Minister of Labour, with a view to avoiding disputes such as that at Covent Garden, if he will arrange, in future, for the findings and recommendations of industrial courts, arbitration and wage tribunals, to be published in plain English language, avoiding Latin phrases and legal words which are not generally used and understood by the working man.

The arbitration awards on the Covent Garden dispute were clearly stated and contained no Latin phrases. It is not for me to suggest the form of arbitration awards, but I am sure those responsible for them are fully aware of the need for clarity.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of registered unemployed in Abertillery, New-bridge and Blaina Employment Exchanges, respectively; how many are registered as disabled; and how many have been registered as disabled for more than two years.

NUMBERS OF UNEMPLOYED PERSONS ON THE REGISTERS OF THE ABERTILLERY, NEWBRIDGE AND BLAINA EMPLOYMENT EXCHANGES AT 17TH JUNE, 1957
Employment Exchange		Total number on registers (excluding persons included in cols. 6 and 7)		Registered disabled persons unemployed
				Suitable for ordinary employment (included in cols. 2 and 3)		Severely disabled persons classified as unlikely to obtain employment other than under special conditions (excluded from cols 2 and 3)
		Men 18 and over	Women 18 and over	Men 18 and over	Women 18 and over	Men 18 and over	Women 18 and over
(1)		(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	(6)	(7)
Abertillery	…	89	157	46	6	12	—
Newbridge	…	49	172	16	2	2	1
Blaina	…	49	59	12	2	4	1

Information as to the number of Registered Disabled Persons according to the length of time they have been on the Register of Disabled Persons is not available.

asked the Minister of Labour what representations he has received about the closing of the Blaina Employment Exchange; and what was his reply.

Representations against the closing of Blaina Employment Exchange have been received from 90 residents in the area, and from the Monmouthshire County branch of the British Legion. The local employment committee also opposed my proposal to close this office. I have now decided to retain a part-time office at Blaina.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the average cost of maintaining a patient in hospital in the years 1956–57, or nearest available date, and 1950–51.

The latest figure for 195556 is £8 18s. 7d. per week; the corresponding figure for 1950–51 is £6 17s. 8d. per week.

The following table gives the information desired so far as it is available:

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many education authorities in Scotland provide financial grants for theological students.

It is the policy of all education authorities in Scotland to award bursaries for theological study.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland his present plans for improving the roads from King Street, Aberdeen, and up the east side of Aberdeenshire; and how these plans depend upon the progress made, and to be made, with the widening and reconstruction of the new bridge of Don.

At present work is being carried out on four schemes on the trunk road from Aberdeen to Fraserburgh; one of them is being progressed to fit in with the reconstruction of the Bridge of Don. I hope that two other schemes on this road will start this year, and preparatory work has been completed for two more. These eight schemes will cover about 8½miles in all and their estimated cost is about £390,000. Other roads in the area are the responsibility of Aberdeen County Council as highway authority.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will bring up to date the information he gave on 24th

NUMBER OF RECRUITS AND RESIGNATIONS OR RETIREMENTS IN THE SCOTTISH POLICE SERVICE BETWEEN OCTOBER, 1956 AND JUNE, 1957
—		(1)		(2)		(3)		(4)
			Number of recruits		Number of officers who resigned without receiving a pension		Total number of officers who resigned with less than 30 years' service (including officers shown in column (2))		Number of officers who retired with full pension (i.e. two thirds of average pensionable pay)
		Men	Women	Men	Women	Men	Women	Men	Women
October, 1956	…	42	5	14	3	16	3	8	—
November	…	68	4	18	1	21	1	9	—
December	…	66	4	14	1	18	1	9	—
January, 1957	…	45	1	19	2	23	2	9	—
February	…	59	—	25	7	26	1	11	—
March	…	53	7	27	7	30	7	11	1
April	…	54	5	24	4	29	4	18	—
May	…	22	5	24	3	28	3	18	—
June	…	42	3	24	4	26	4	8	—
Totals	…	451	34	189	26	217	26	101	1

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies which Governments are being invited to send representatives to the official celebrations of the independence of Malaya on 31st August, 1957.

Owing to the shortage of suitable accommodation in Kuala Lumpur, the Government of the Federation decided that only those countries most closely associated with the Federation could be invited. They there fore limited their invitations to countries within the following groups:

(a)Commonwealth countries and the Republic of Ireland.

(b)Colombo Plan countries.

(c)Countries with de carriere consular representation in the Federation.

(d)Muslim countries.

(e)British dependent territories in South East Asia and the Pacific.

The invitations were sent through Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom for transmission to the Governments concerned. Her Majesty's Government informed the Government of the Federation that they were not able to agree that invitations should be transmitted to those countries which had broken off diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom. These countries are Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Syria.Following is a list of the Governments invited to the celebrations of the Independence of the Federation of Malaya:

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies why Mr. Manoah Chirwa, M.P., and Mr. Kumbikano, M.P., have been given police protection by the Government of the Nyasaland Protectorate.

On 19th July, the Governor reports that Mr. Chirwa and Mr. Kumbikano have neither asked for nor been given personal police protection by the Government of the Nyasaland Protectorate.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies on what charges Africans in Northern Rhodesia have been arrested during the recent boycott of beer halls; if they are tried individually or in groups; and if they are provided with facilities for defence.

Sixteen men and four women have been charged with various offences arising out of the recent boycott of beer halls in Lusaka.Nine men and four women have been charged jointly with rioting; two of them have been further charged with assault on the police. Another four men have been charged jointly with rioting and assault. Both these cases are still in progress. Two men who had been arrested and charged jointly with threatening violence to two women were acquitted after the complainants had withdrawn the complaint which they had made to the police. One man who was alleged to have been exhorting a crowd to brew beer in their houses was charged with proposing breaches of the law to an assembly; he was found guilty, bound over for twelve months and ordered to report to the probation officer daily.Facilities for defence exist under the Poor Prisoners Defence Ordinance, the provisions of which may be applied if requested by the prisoner, or if thought fit by the magistrate. The Ordinance has not been invoked in any of these cases.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if Her Majesty's Government have replied to the official communication from the Secretary-General of the United Nations regarding allegations of forced labour among political detainees and suspects in Kenya.

If the hon. Member is referring to a communication from the International League for the Rights of Man, forwarded by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the answer is in the negative.

asked the Secretary of State for Air (1)how many civilian employees of his Department there were in the Federation to Malaya on 1st January, 1957; and approximately how many it is planned that there shall be on 1st January, 1958, and 1st January, 1959, respectively;(2)how many civilian employees of his Department there were in Singapore on 1st January, 1957; and approximately how many it is planned that there shall be on 1st January, 1958, and 1st January. 1959, respectively;(3)how many civilian employees of his Department there were in Hong Kong on 1st January, 1957; and approximately how many it is planned that there shall be on 1st January, 1958, and 1st January, 1959, respectively.

The number of locally engaged civilians employed by the Air Ministry in these areas on 1st January, 1957, was as follows:

Federation of Malaya	…	2,047
Singapore	…	7,071
Hong Kong	…	958

It is not yet possible to say how these figures will be affected by the new defence policy; but we shall give as much notice of reductions as we can.

asked the Secretary of State for Air if he will arrange to transfer the former Royal Air Force station at St. Angelo for use as a civil aerodrome for feeder services to Belfast.

This airfield is no longer needed by the Royal Air Force and we intend to dispose of it, but I have received no request for it to be taken over for civil flying.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware of the need for a telephone kiosk to be erected at the junction of Broadfield Road with Mardleybury Road, at Woolmer Green, Hertfordshire, to serve the 72 council houses in that area; and what steps he is taking to meet that need.

There is already a kiosk in this village a few minutes' walk from the council estate and I would not be justified in providing another. I am, however, arranging that the question of moving the existing kiosk should be discussed with the local interests.