asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many murders known to the police in Scotland took place in the months of July, August, and September, 1957.

Three cases of murder made known to the police in Scotland were reported in July, one in August and none in September.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his estimate of the effect of the recent interest rate increase on the local authority house-building programme in Scotland.

The number of houses completed in 1957 is likely to be much the same as in 1956. Thereafter, the normal decline which began after the peak year of 1953 may be expected to continue, but it is not possible to gauge at present the effect of the recent increase in the rate of interest.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland to make a detailed and comprehensive statement of his conclusions on the development plan for Aberdeen in relation to the Skene Street area; and, in particular, why, while accepting in principle that the area is suitable for redevelopment for residential purposes, he refuses to approve of the destruction of houses in the area bounded by Huntly, Summar, and Chapel streets, which destruction is necessary to complete the comprehensive development plan in that area.

As my right hon. Friend has already informed the Town Council of Aberdeen, he accepts in principle that the Skene Street area is suitable for redevelopment for residential purposes. Inclusion of the small area to which the hon. and learned Member refers is not necessary for redevelopment purposes, and my right hon. Friend does not feel justified in approving the destruction of the mainly sound properties which it contains.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what decision he has reached as between the alternatives of a roundabout or an under-pass at the junction of Westburn Road, Anderson, and the Lang Stracht, Aberdeen; and when he estimates that the necessary work will begin and be completed.

In my right hon. Friend's observations on the City Development Plan he suggested to the Town Council that they should undertake a thorough examination of alternatives to the roundabout proposed for this junction. The matter now rests with them.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is aware that the section of Union Street, Aberdeen, from Bon Accord Terrace to Alford Place is abnormal in its narrowness and the consequent congestion of traffic there; that he has refused to give Aberdeen Town Council loan sanction for widening this section, and that this refusal is contrary to public policy, interest, and safety; whether he will state his reasons for this refusal; and if he will reconsider the whole matter so that the public interest can be served by his agreeing to the necessary loan and to the immediate starting of the necessary work there.

This part of Union Street is about 36 ft. wide and in view of the continuing need to restrict capital expenditure to the most urgent schemes my right hon. Friend thinks that the public interest is best served by the deferment of the proposed widening until the trams are abandoned and the whole street reinstated.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland to state the new rent policy in respect of the houses of the Scottish Special Housing Association.

I would refer the hon. Member to the Answer given to him on this subject on 23rd July. Since then my right hon. Friend has had several discussions with the Association and a decision will be announced when certain outstanding points have been resolved.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) the number of overspill agreements which have been submitted to him by Scottish local authorities under the Housing and Town Development (Scotland) Act, 1957;(2) if, in view of the reluctance of Scottish local authorities to enter into overspill agreements, he will consider designating another New Town to deal with Glasgow's overspill problem.

Negotiations are in progress, or about to start, between Glasgow Corporation and a number of local authorities who have intimated their willingness to consider taking Glasgow overspill. None of the negotiations has yet reached the stage of a formal overspill agreement, nor could this have been expected. My right hon. Friend is afraid that he cannot undertake to designate another New Town in present circumstances.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what amount of grant money has been allocated to the seven crofter counties this year, respectively, for major road improvements.

The programme of major road improvements is subject to review throughout the year in the light of progress with the preparation of individual schemes and I cannot at present forecast what grants will be issued to individual highway authorities for this purpose during this financial year.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when, and why, work on the Rodel-Tarbert Crofter Counties road scheme, in the Isle of Harris, was discontinued; and when it is to be resumed.

Work on the final stage of this scheme began in May, 1956, and was stopped during last winter because of a breakdown of quarry plant. Work began again this spring, and I expect that it will be completed next month.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will order a fresh inquiry into the proposed university extension in St. Andrews, in view of the recommendations of the committee under Sir Oliver Franks.

This inquiry was conducted by a senior and very experienced advocate, wholly independent of my Department, and his report was sent to all concerned. The relevant statutes do not enable me now to review the proceedings.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is aware of the opposition by the Educational Institute of Scotland to his proposed block grant system of payment for education, health, fire, child care and other services; that this proposed system would restrict the development of these essential services and result in deterioration in their standards; and, in view of this opposition, if he will reconsider and amend his proposals accordingly.

I am aware of the views held by the Educational Institute of Scotland, but I consider that, as indicated in paragraphs 7 and 9 of Cmnd. 208, adequate provision will be made to ensure the maintenance and development of the services concerned.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what action he is taking with regard to the need for new industry in North Staffordshire, particularly with reference to the disposal of the site and works of the Royal Ordnance factory at Swynnerton.

The Board of Trade is bringing the facilities for establishing new industry in North Staffordshire to the notice of industrialists.The future use of the Swynnerton site is under consideration, but it is too early yet to express a view on what can be done with it.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether his Department will sponsor a United Kingdom Pavilion at the 1958 Rand Easter Show in Johannesburg.

Not in 1958, but the question of sponsoring such a pavilion for 1959 has been under examination by my Exhibitions Advisory Committee. As my hon. Friend knows, some very successful British Trade Weeks were held in South Africa this year.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what steps are being taken to increase the proportion of apples and canned salmon imported from Canada.

Apples and canned salmon may be imported from Canada under quotas shared jointly by Canada and the United States. In practice, Canada supplies the larger share of the trade under both quotas and is free to increase her share through normal commercial competition.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what representations he has made to the Government of Canada on the subject of existing or proposed tariffs or other restrictions on the import of British textiles into Canada.

The attention of the Canadian Government has been drawn to our concern about the possible outcome of the present review of textile tariffs by the Canadian Tariff Board. No restrictions on the import of British textiles into Canada have been suggested.

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) if, on the basis of the information collected for publication in his Journal, he will state the number of doctors who have qualified in Great Britain and who have emigrated to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, and Pakistan, respectively, for each year between 1946 and 1956, inclusively;

I regret that the precise information required by my hon. Friend is not available. I am, however, sending him some information from the records of my Department which I hope may be useful to him.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what further representations he has made to the Government of the United States of America on the subject of the tariff quota restricting the import into the United States of America of wool cloth from Great Britain; and what is the outcome of such representations.

The United States Government were reminded last month of our anxiety that there should be an early review of the working of the tariff quota, and they have now announced that they are undertaking this review forthwith.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will give a detailed statement of proposed cuts in the public investment programme.

I hope to make a statement in the economic debate later today.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a progress report on his recent visit to North America, with special reference to the Government proposals for an Anglo-Canadian free trade area.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) to make a statement on the recent meeting of the Commonwealth Finance Ministers;(2) what consultations he had with the Governments of other Commonwealth countries before the announcement of proposals for a free trade agreement with Canada.

My recent visit to North America covered three main meetings.First the Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and International Bank; second the meeting of the Commonwealth Finance Ministers in Mont Tremblant in Canada; and third meetings with Canadian Ministers in Ottawa on trade between the United Kingdom and Canada. My right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade took part with me in both meetings in Canada, and my right hon. Friend the Paymaster-General was also present at the Commonwealth Finance Ministers Meeting.At these meetings. I stated our determination to strengthen sterling and to deal with the problems of inflation at home. I was heartened by the support which I received, which was explicitly set out in the Communiqué issued at the end of the Finance Ministers Meeting.That meeting also proposed the convening of a Commonwealth Trade and Economic Conference in 1958, and discussed European economic co-operation, particularly the United Kingdom initiative for the establishment of a Free Trade Area in Europe. I was much encouraged by the evident desire on all sides for closer Commonwealth consultation and for the expansion of trade between Commonwealth countries, and by the understanding attitude of the Commonwealth countries to the initiative which we had taken in Europe.The discussions in Ottawa covered among other things the proposal of the United Kingdom Ministers for a free trade area with Canada. While this proposal was mentioned by me to the other Commonwealth Finance Ministers at Mont Tremblant, it would have been premature to discuss it before it had been examined with the Canadian Government.I have arranged for copies of the communiqués of both the meetings in Canada to be available in the Library.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware of the harmful effects of the increased Bank Rate on local government finances; and if he will take steps to make credit available to local authorities at reasonable rates for essential projects.

I cannot undertake to insulate any class of borrower from the effects of monetary policy.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer in view of the serious situation arising from a succession of higher interest rates for owner-occupiers who have borrowed at flexible rates, what consideration has been given, or is to be given, to the introduction of financial measures to alleviate the present position and safeguard the future against further increases.

The Government cannot intervene between lender and borrower, and I cannot consider asking the House to insulate any particular class of borrower from the effects of monetary policy. I have, however, noted that at its meeting on 18th October the Council of the Building Societies Association decided to make no change in its recommendations relating to the rates of interest paid on investments or charged on mortgages.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state his estimate of the direct additional cost of a 7 per cent. Bank Rate compared with a 5 per cent. Bank Rate on the National Debt Charge, the overseas balance, and on the interest and other charges of local authorities.

No. There is no direct connection between movements in the Bank Rate and in any of the costs mentioned.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware of the complaint made to the Stock Exchange Council that some people knew of the proposed Bank Rate increase the day before the public declaration of the Bank Rate increase; and if he will make a statement.

I am informed that the Stock Exchange Council has received no complaint to this effect.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he proposes to stimulate savings by increasing the rate of interest on Post Office Savings Bank deposits.

I am not proposing to ask Parliament for powers to vary this rate.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what grounds banks have been instructed to take into account sums advanced with Treasury guarantees for Export Credit in their total permitted advances; and what discretion banks have to refuse customers for Export Credit advances in order to meet the request of customers of good repute and long business standing.

Because of the importance of our export trade, the banks have been told that in calculating the total level of advances they can exclude medium-term advances guaranteed by the Export Credits Guarantee Department.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer by what percentage the supply of money in the United Kingdom, including bank deposits, has risen since 1948; and by how much, over the same period, retail prices have increased.

Between 1948 and 1956 the supply of money in the United Kingdom, consisting of notes and coin and bank deposits, has increased by 11 per cent., over the same period retail prices have increased by 36 per cent.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish in HANSARD a table of figures showing the monthly internal purchasing value of the £ sterling since October, 1951, until the latest convenient stated date, taking the £ as having a purchasing value of 20s. in October, 1951, and using as the basis the retail price index.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that, taking the internal purchas-

PURCHASING POWER OF THE £ STERLING BASED ON OCTOBER, 1951 = 20s.
		1951		1952		1953		1954		1955		1956		1957
		s.	d.	s.	d.	s.	d.	s.	d.	s.	d.	s.	d.	s.	d.
January	…			19	5	18	7	18	4	17	8	16	10	16	1
February	…			19	5	18	7	18	5	17	8	16	10	16	1
March	…			19	4	18	5	18	5	17	8	16	7	16	2
April	…			19	0	18	3	18	2	17	7	16	4	16	1
May	…			19	0	18	4	18	3	17	7	16	5	16	1
June	…			18	8	18	3	18	1	17	3	16	5	15	11
July	…			18	9	18	3	17	10	17	2	16	6	15	9
August	…			18	10	18	4	17	11	17	3	16	5	15	9
September	…			18	10	18	5	18	0	17	2	16	5	15	10
October	…	20	0	18	8	18	5	17	11	17	0	16	4
November	…	19	11	18	9	18	4	17	10	16	9	16	3
December	…	19	9	18	7	18	5	17	8	16	9	16	3

The above figures are based wholly on the index of retail prices, compiled by the Ministry of Labour.The usual method of computing changes in the internal purchasing power of the £ is to base the calculations on the consumer price index compiled annually by the Central Statistical Office in connection with estimates of national income and expenditure. On the basis the purchasing power of the £ since 1946 has been:—

		Based on 1946=20s.		Based on 1951=20s.
		s.	d.	s.	d.
1946	…	20	0
1947	…	18	8
1948	…	17	4
1949	…	16	11
1950	…	16	5
1951	…	15	2	20	0
1952	…	14	4	18	11
1953	…	14	0	18	6
1954	…	13	9	18	2
1955	…	13	4	17	7
1956	…	12	9	16	10
1957 (Jan.—Sept. provisional estimate)	…	12	4	16	4

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the Report of the Arts Council that art in Britain is in danger of dying from lack of enough financial help, he will consider increasing the present grant; or whether he will bring in legislation on the lines recommended by the Report for the establishment of a Lapsed Copyright Fund.

I must ask the hon. Member to await the Estimates.

The figure for September, 1957, comparable to those quoted for September, 1953, and September, 1955, was 15s. 10d. But I have added, for the information of hon. Members, an annual series of figures showing changes in the purchasing power of the £ since 1946.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what revenue is derived from Purchase Tax on safety helmets for motor cyclists, etc.; and what comparable articles are included in the Purchase Tax category in which crash helmets are grouped.

I regret that the information asked for in the first part of the Question is not available. Crash helmets are charged under the heading "headgear", which includes protective hats and helmets of all kinds.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will make available the full text of the letter recently circulated to all Government establishments with regard to the machinery for preventing the unauthorised disclosure of official information; and whether he will give an assurance that no Government official will be prevented by this machinery from being able to expose inefficiency or corruption in a Department in which he has served.

I am arranging for a copy of the Circular to be placed in the Library. The purpose of the Circular is to ensure that public servants are reminded of their obligations as laid down by Parliament in the Official Secrets Acts.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what form exists for Customs use by exporters for goods manufactured in the United Kingdom and consigned to another part of the British Empire or Commonwealth in place of Form No. 120 (Sale) which applies to goods consigned to the United Kingdom only.

Entitlement to preference varies according to the Commonwealth country concerned, and exporters to a particular country should seek advice from that country's representative here as to the form of certificate required.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer to state what proportion of the German Government's £75 million advance debt repayment had been deposited in London or otherwise crossed the exchanges by 30th September, 1957.

All.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that there are still delays in the Adjudication Section of the Stamp Office; and whether he will arrange to speed up the process for dealing with simple cases.

Yes, but the situation is improving. More trained staff are now at work, and every effort is being made to eliminate the delays. Cases which can be identified as simple are given priority.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) why the number of general statutory rules and orders and Statutory Instruments rose from 657 in 1955 to 722 in 1956;(2) why the number of local statutory rules and orders and Statutory Instruments rose from 1,350 in 1955 to 1,402 in 1956.

There is no one cause for these variations, which are the resultants of increases and decreases in the different types of instrument. For example, the increase from 10 to 78 in special orders declaring areas to be infected areas for the purpose of restrictions on movement by reason of foot-and-mouth disease (or varying previous declarations) is greater than the increase in the total number of local instruments; while the increase in the number of general instruments is partly attributable to 35 made under the Mines and Quarries Act, 1954, 7 under the Army Act, 1955, and 7 under the Air Force Act, 1955, all of which Acts came into operation on 1st January, 1957.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will give further consideration to his decision to place Chatsworth's main art treasures, acquired in respect of death duties, in London museums and consider placing them in the Midlands and North so that a fairer distribution of art treasures is made over the country as a whole.

No. The decision was taken on the merits of the particular case, and I am satisfied that it was the right one.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many cases were heard by the Capital Issues Committee during 1956; and what was the average time that it devoted to each hearing.

During 1956 the Committee considered 4,340 applications. It is not possible to give the average time devoted to each because the members of the Committee individually consider copies of the applications and related papers and meet only to decide their recommendations.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the cost of keeping the British Museum, the National Gallery, the Tate Gallery and the South Kensington group of museums open until 9 p.m. on weekdays; and what consideration he has given to the possibility of making a small charge for admission during the evenings.

About £70,000 a year. Charges for admission to State museums and galleries are a matter for the Trustees concerned.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will introduce legislation to empower him to require information from the joint stocks banks of unclaimed bank deposits at present lying at their disposal and enabling him to require that any deposits unclaimed after a certain period should be placed to the Exchequer Account.

I can see no need or justification for legislation on these lines.

aked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what steps are being taken to reduce the pollution of beaches round our coasts by sewage.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what steps are being taken to remedy the discharge of sewage into the sea, especially at holiday resorts.

Provided that the siting and design of the outfalls are such as to ensure that the sewage is carried out to the open sea and not along the coast, the discharge of sewage into the sea is not necessarily objectionable and, indeed, is often an efficient and economical method of disposal. Where nuisance is caused, as has happened with some of the older outfalls, it is for the local authorities concerned to provide a remedy. They are well aware of their responsibilities in this matter, and a number of schemes in coastal areas have been carried out in recent years, or are in preparation, to improve outfalls or to provide preliminary treatment or both.I am keeping a close watch on the position.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he is aware of the dissatisfaction about recent financial hardship arising from the present code of compensation when compulsory orders are made for the purchase of land; and what proposals he has for amending this code.

I have no present proposals for amendment.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government, to what extent he has approved the Essex County development plan.

I approved the Plan on 1st October, with some modifications aimed chiefly at preventing excessive industrial development in the Greater London area and strengthening the Metropolitan Green Belt.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government on what authority the £85, which is to be set off against principal owing to the Central Land Board for development charge by Mr. H. B. Hole, of Scunthorpe, is to be used to cancel the early instalments due from Mr. Hole rather than the later ones.

I regret that I cannot undertake to answer Questions about individual cases involving payment of development charge; this is a matter within the day to day administration of the Central Land Board under the relevant provisions of the Town and Country Planning Acts of 1947 and 1954.The Board's explanation of their action has already been conveyed to the hon. Member by letter.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many individuals or organisations have been paid compensation from the £300 millions Government fund because permission has been refused to them by the planning authorities; how much has been paid in compensation; how many claims are now pending; and what restrictions are placed on the recipients of this money as to the future use of the land concerned.

11,568 claims, totalling £27,599,000, had been paid up to 18th October. 3,332 claims were pending on that date. The figures are for Great Britain. Future development of the land is subject to planning control in the ordinary way, and the compensation may be required to be repaid if subsequently the land is developed.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he is aware of the growing tendency in the Leek division and elsewhere in the country for landowners and others to close footpaths and ancient rights of way; and what he is doing to see that these rights of way are preserved for the people.

I have no evidence of such a tendency. The National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act, 1949, in connection with the footpath survey affords machinery for settling disputes about footpaths and bridle ways. Once a footpath is shown on the definite map for which the Act provides, the existence of a public right of way over it is established conclusively, and local authorities have powers enabling them to deal with obstructions on such a path.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government to what extent private street works will be affected by the Government's current policy of restricting capital expenditure.

In view of the announcement made by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on 19th September, about the measures to be taken to maintain the value of the £, it becomes more than ever necessary that local authorities should limit their capital expenditure to work which is urgently necessary and cannot safely be deferred. I shall, however, continue to be prepared to sanction loans for private street works where there is real urgency.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what amount of capital expenditure on private street works he has authorised for Newcastle-under-Lyme in the current financial year.

None. The council has not applied for any loan sanction for private street works during the current financial year.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will now introduce legislation to remove the costs of drainage, lighting and other public services from payment by the occupiers of residences in streets not taken over by local authorities.

No.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many tenants applied before 17th August, 1957, under the provisions of the Rent Act for a reduction in the gross value and rateable value of their dwellings on the ground of improvements for which they had been responsible before 7th November, 1956.

The notice to which the hon. Member is referring—Form T—had to be served by the tenant on his landlord. I am not in a position to say how many were thus served. Up to 15th October, 713 applications had been made by tenants to valuation officers to certify the effect of improvements on the gross and rateable values. This figure relates, of course, only to cases where agreement could not be reached between landlord and tenant.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will make a statement on the effects of the Rent Act on the level of rents.

So far as the rents of controlled houses are concerned, none can have been increased by more than 7s. 6d. a week as a maximum, and there can be no increase at all where a certificate of disrepair is in force. As to decontrolled houses, new rents are for settlement between landlord and tenant, and many negotiations for this purpose are now going on.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what assistance he proposes to give to local authorities to enable them to provide accommodation to tenants evicted in October, 1958, in consequence of the operation of the Rent Act.

I feel sure that the great majority of tenants who find that for one reason or another they cannot stay in their present accommodation will be able to make arrangements to move to other accommodation before their protected tenancy expires. But in so far as there may be some who need help in finding other accommodation—and I am thinking here particularly of old people—local authorities can help them without special assistance from me.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will make a statement on his Department's inquiry into the housing of old people; how many local authorities answered the questionnaire; what information was obtained from the replies; and what further action he proposes to take.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will publish the result of his Departmental inquiry into the provision by local authorities of accommodation for old people.

I would refer to the Answer given by my predecessor to my hon. Friend the Member for Tynemouth on 23rd October, 1956. I have since then issued Circular No. 18/57, which contained advice to local authorities on the special housing needs of old people, and announced certain changes intended to encourage increased provision for them.I am sending copies of this circular to my right hon. Friend and to the hon. Member.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will give sanction to Liverpool Housing Authority to get on immediately with building in the clearance area of Darwen Street, Paget Street, Idris Street, Snowdon Street, Cemaes Street, Barmouth Street, and 5 and 6 clearance areas Boundary Street, which are war-damaged areas in the north end of the City of Liverpool.

No orders in respect of these clearance areas have yet been submitted to me by the housing authority.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he is aware of the high cost of thatched cottages at the present time; and whether, to save these cottages from falling into disrepair, he will consider some form of financial assistance or minor legislation to amend the rating valuation in respect of them.

Improvement grants can be paid for the replacement of a thatched roof by a roof of more durable and fireproof material. I could not recommend any other form of financial assistance to prevent cottages with thatched roofs from falling into disrepair.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government, to what extent local authorities who expend moneys in establishing rest centres, furniture storage depots, soup and food kitchens to deal with the problems resulting from evictions under the Rent Act, 1957, will be able to reclaim such expenditure from public funds.

I do not propose to follow the hon. Member in his flights of fancy.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government the total number of houses and flats which he anticipates will be completed by local authorities in England and Wales during 1958; and also the number that will be started during the same year.

No. This must depend to some extent on the intentions of the local authorities, and to some extent on what emerges from the debate that we are to have today and tomorrow.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will now give approval to the acquisition by the Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council of land to the west of Albemarle Road, Newcastle-under-Lyme, for housing purposes.

This land was acquired by the council for housing purposes many years ago. The hon. Member may have in mind the question of planning permission for the building of houses. This has now been settled; limited building is to be allowed, and the council has been so informed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies (1) if he will ensure that in future, where it is thought desirable to communicate the content of debates in this House to Departments of colonial Governments, this is done through the medium of the OFFICIAL REPORT, unaccompanied by comment of a partisan nature;(2) whether document C604/R /54 dated 13th October, 1956, and document 12014/56 dated 31st July, 1957, circulated by the Administrative Secretary to Departments of the Cyprus Government, were issued with his knowledge and approval.

It is sometimes necessary to circulate reports together with comments to Departments of colonial Governments in advance of the OFFICIAL REPORT or to send comments after the Report. Such comments should, of course, be as objective as possible in form.No. It was not necessary for my right hon. Friend to be consulted before these documents were issued.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies to make a statement on the motion passed by the Uganda Legislative Council accepting common roll elections in 1961.

In a statement which my right hon. Friend made in Uganda on 10th October, he said that, after studying the recent debates on elections in the Uganda Legislative Council, he and the Governor were agreed that it would be in the best interests of the political future of Uganda that direct elections for the African representative members of the Legislative Council should be introduced next year in all areas that want them, with the exception of Karamoja; and that, for the future, Her Majesty's Government were fully convinced that the electoral machinery to be set up for the 1961 elections should be based on the introduction of a common roll at that time. I am having copies of my right hon. Friend's statement placed in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has considered the need to develop consumer co-operatives in areas of Uganda where co-operative marketing schemes have been highly developed; and if he will make a statement.

The Governor is being consulted and when he replies my right hon. Friend will write to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what provision has been made by the Government of Uganda for the training of Africans for senior Government service; what is the number of Africans at present employed in administrative positions; and what are the qualifications necessary for obtaining such positions.

, pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 1st July, 1957; Vol. 572, c. 82], supplied the following information:—Apart from the provision of the secondary and higher education facilities which form the basis of any training, and apart from normal experience and training in lower grades leading to ordinary promotion on merit, Africans are trained specifically for senior posts in a special Training Grade of the Civil Service and by the award of scholarships for further education overseas. At present there are 68 Africans in the professional and administrative grades; four African Inspectors of Police are acting as Assistant Superintendents for one year to test their suitability for promotion; and there are 26 Africans in the Training Grade. The qualifications required, such as academic attainments, experience and character, necessarily vary according to the nature of the post.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the Government of Aden have now permitted the newspaper Al Ettihad to be published; and what decision has been reached about Al Ba'ath.

There have been two separate applications to publish a newspaper named Al Ettihad from two separate sources. The Governor is still considering both applications. In view of the persistent publication in Al Baath, until the withdrawal of its licence, despite repeated warnings, of misleading articles verging on the seditious, and since there is no evidence of a change of outlook by the Editor, the Governor of Aden has decided that it would be against the public interest to renew its licence.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what representations have been made to the Chief Minister of Singapore requesting the release of Dr. Chuang Chu-lin, Principal of Chung Cheng High School, from detention and the reversal of the banishment order made against him.

The Chief Minister of Singapore received a few representations of behalf of Dr. Chuang; these, together with other representations supporting the Government's action, were carefully considered before the final order of banishment was made. Since then two representations have been received asking for the order of banishment to be cancelled as an act of mercy.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies for what reasons the Nchanga Co-operative Society has been placed in voluntary liquidation by the Registrar of Co-operative Societies in Northern Rhodesia.

I have referred this inquiry to the Governor, and when I have his reply I shall write to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what candidates were nominated in the recent elections for the Legislative Council of British Guiana; to which parties they belonged; for what constituencies they stood; what was the electorate in each constituency; and how many votes each candidate received.

The details are as follows:

VOTES CAST FOR EACH PARTY AND CANDIDATE
Constituency	Number of Registered Voters	P.P.P. (Jagan Faction)	P.P.P. (Burnham Faction)	United Democratic Party	National Labour Front	Guiana National Party	Independents
1. Eastern Berbice	31,794	Dr. Cheddi B. Jagan 15,640	Patrick A. Tennassee 2,197	—	Cyril F. Kempadoo 576	—	—
2. New Amsterdam	5,879	Mrs. Jessica Huntley 561	George Younge 678	William O. R. Kendall 1,420	David A. Ho-A-Yun 163	—	Joseph Pimento 239 Albert Benfield 27
3. Berbice River	5,429	Ajdodha Singh 1,483	Roy B. G. Field 758	—	Arthur N. Thomas 742	—	—
4. Western Berbice	8,324	Sheik Mohamed Saffee 2,893	Miss Jessie Burnham 1,885	Dr. Allan C. Miller 245	William Shankland 770	Frank R. Allen 199	—
5. Eastern Demerara	18,295	Edward B. Beharry 6,689	Jane P. Gay 3,367	Reginald A. Moses 400	Sugrim Singh 559	—	—
6. Central Demerara	25,137	Balram Singh Rai 7,125	—	—	Charles A. McKenzie 924	—	Sydney King 6,285
7. North Georgetown	10,444	Charles R. Jacob (Jnr.) 385	Andrew Jackson 2,513	Percival A. Cummings 801	Lionel A. Luckhoo 2,182	—	—
8. Central Georgetown	12,472	Eric Gilbert 143	Linden Forbes S. Burnham 3,570	Mrs. Muriel Nurse 153	John Fernandes 2,932	—	—
9. South Georgetown	24,244	Patrick Alleyne 1,968	Jainarine Singh 6,183	John Carter 3,517	Cecil Gray 589	—	—
10. Demerara River	26,972	Fred Bowman 6,245	Dr. J. P. Lachmansingh 4,003	Clifton M. L. John 1,164	Oscar R. Green 574	—	Rudolph Lyte 32
11. Demerara-Essequibo	15,182	Ramkarran 5,776	Mohamed Nazir 1,571	—	Shivsudh Gangadeen 136	—	Capt. Joseph P. Coghlan 1,471
12. Essequibo River and Islands.	13,649	Brindley H. Benn 2,842	Basil B. Blackman 1,083	Eugene F. Forreia 1,915	Theophilus Lee 1,041	—	—
13. Western Essequibo	11,215	Janet Jagan 3,802	Rev. Alexander B. Trotman 1,719	—	Mohamed Sharief H. Rahaman 1,182	—	—
14. North Western District.	3,481	—	Flavio DaSilva 273	—	Stephen Campbell 995	—	Charles R. Jacob (Senior) 302
TOTAL	212,517	55,552	29,800	9,615	13,365	199	8,356

asked the Minister of Works to remove the central rail to the new bridge over the lake in St. James's Park.

The central barrier was in position for a few days only after the bridge had been opened so that the public could be kept to one side of the bridge while the paint on the railings dried.

asked the Minister of Works whether he will provide a list of those properties, other than Government property, presently occupied by Government Departments in Central London, together with the period left for the leases to run.

No. I do not think that it would be in the public interest to give this information.

asked the Minister of Works to take steps to permit the taking of photographs for advertising purposes in Trafalgar Square.

Yes. Reasonable facilities will in future be given for the taking of photographs for advertising purposes in Trafalgar Square.

asked the Paymaster-General how many licences to work coal have been issued to private persons to operate in Scotland since January, 1952.

I have written to the hon. Member.

asked the Paymaster-General whether he will take steps to prescribe safety precautions in the construction of the nuclear power station at Bradwell, in order to ensure that an occurrence similar to that which recently happened at Windscale will not be likely to happen.

The reactors at Brad-well power station will be of the improved Calder Hall type employing a closed carbon dioxide cooling circuit and incorporating many improvements on the Windscale type of reactor. I can, however, assure my hon. Friend that in the construction of Bradwell full account will be taken of any relevant lessons that may emerge from the report of the Committee of inquiry into the Windscale accident.

asked the Paymaster-General how far there is a decline in the output of large coal and why; and what steps are being taken to encourage the manufacture of more appliances which do not need it and to discourage its use by the public.

The proportion of large coal (i.e. coal screened over 2 in.) in deep-mined output has fallen from 331 per cent. in 1949 to 25⅔ per cent. in 1956—a fall from 62 million to 51 million tons. This has been due to increased mechanisation of coal-getting, the greater use of explosives and modern developments in underground transport, winding and coal preparation practice.The National Coal Board is doing everything possible to arrest this trend in production. Steps are also being taken to reduce the demand for large coal. Industry is being encouraged, with the co-operation of the National Industrial Fuel Efficiency Service, to use smaller sizes in more efficient appliances. The railway modernisation programme is replacing large coal by diesel and electric power.Distribution of house coal remains restricted by allocation, and the Coal Board, with my noble Friend's support and in conjunction with the distributive trade, is gradually substituting in this market the size known technically as doubles (i.e. coal sized 2 in, by 1 in.) as more supplies of this size become available. Doubles are particularly suitable for use in the many efficient modern appliances sponsored by the Coal Utilisation Council and, in addition, are generally about 1s. 6d. per cwt. cheaper than large house coal of the same quality.

asked the Minister of Supply how many men and women have been made redundant at Swynnerton Royal Ordnance factory since July; and for how many of them alternative employment has been found.

407 men and 281 women have left the factory. Of these only 41 are at present registered as unemployed.

asked the Minister of Supply to say when the English Electric P.1. B. will be ready for squadron service.

I would refer the right hon. Gentleman to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Air to the hon. Member for Lincoln (Mr. de Freitas) on 31st July.

asked the Minister of Defence what steps he is taking to prevent Scottish industry bearing more than its due proportion of defence cuts, having regard to the state of unemployment in Scotland before such cuts were contemplated.

asked the Minister of Defence if he is aware of the disquiet that the effects of the defence cuts and re-organisation in Scotland are heavier and more serious than elsewhere; and if he will make a statement.

I have been asked to reply. The detailed adjustments of the defence programme have to conform with broad policy decisions. Where there is scope for choice, the state of local employment and other relevant considerations, including those mentioned by the hon. Members, are taken into account.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance whether he will arrange an inquiry as to how many war widows have to seek National Assistance, and take immediate steps to discuss with the Soldiers', Sailors' and Airmen's Families Association the action necessary to end this situation.

There is no need for such an inquiry, as information is available on this subject. I am always glad to meet representatives of the Soldiers', Sailors' and Airmen's Families Association, and have in fact done so from time to time.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what further consideration he has given to amending the workmen's compensation laws, so as to bring the amounts and conditions of compensation more into line with those applicable under the Industrial Injuries Scheme.

I would refer the hon. Gentleman to the discussions which took place on the Workmen's Compensation and Benefit (Supplementation) Act of last year, to which I have at present nothing to add.

asked the Minister of Health if he will examine the circumstances surrounding the recent complaints concerning the smoke nuisance being committed by the authorities of the Nottingham General Hospital, with a view to an insistence on measures to abate this nuisance and to overcoming the effects of the plea of immunity of Crown property submitted on the hearing at the Appeal Court.

There was never any intention to escape obligation to abate this nuisance by pleading Crown immunity, and a scheme to abate it had, in fact, been initiated before the Nottingham Corporation served its statutory notice. This scheme, costing about £80,000, had removed the cause of complaint before the recent hearing in the Divisional Court.

asked the Minister of Health if he is satisfied that it is consistent with the public good to allow private architects regularly to attend meetings of Hospital Management Committees in an advisory capacity; and what regulations govern such practices.

The attendance of architects at meetings is not governed by regulation, and I would not wish to limit the discretion properly allowed to a hospital authority in seeking professional advice of this nature.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that since 1948 almost the whole of the architectural work at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Hospital Group, Oswestry, has been obtained by one firm of architects; how much are the total fees paid to this firm of architects; how much are the total fees paid to this firm since the Health Service was instituted; in view of public concern over this matter, whether he will make a statement as to how such a monopoly position arose; and what action he proposes to prevent any such recurrence.

I understand that one firm of architects has undertaken work at this hospital for some 30 years, and that since 5th July, 1948, the Regional Hospital Board have paid this firm some £20,000 in fees for work at this hospital. I have no information about fees paid before July, 1948.It is often of advantage to a hospital to retain architects with knowledge and experience of their buildings. Professional advisers are selected on their merits and can always be changed if the results are not satisfactory; no question of a monopoly arises.

asked the Minister of Health why the original authority of approximately £57,000 for the rebuilding of physiotherapy block and three wards at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Hospital Group, Oswestry, was exceeded by a sum of £135,000.

The figure of £57,000 was for the reinstatement in 1948 of the physiotherapy block and one ward. It was based on a tender accepted in that year by the former governing body of the hospital, obtained by the tendering firms pricing bills of quantities prepared for existing buildings. This proved to be a considerable under estimate. The cost was further increased by the addition to the contract of the reinstatement of three more wards and certain other work, and by variations in wages and the cost of materials.The additional expenditure was incurred without authority owing to misunderstanding of the proper procedure by the hospital authorities in the early days of the National Health Service. I am, however, satisfied that the work undertaken is such as would have received authority had it been sought.

asked the Minister of Health (1) why the Birmingham Regional Hospital Board has been involved in the payment of £452 abortive quantity surveyor's fees in respect of the reconstruction of two wards at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Hospital Group, Oswestry;(2) if he is aware that because of the large number of discrepancies and amendments to the major contract at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Hospital Group, Oswestry, the whole of the quantities had to be remeasured involving an excess expenditure of £6,000 plus the contingency sum of £4,500; and what steps have been taken to deal with this negligence;(3) whether he is aware of public concern over the control of architectural and building work at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Hospital Group, Oswestry; if he is aware that the disparity between the planning and the execution of the work is so great that it has proved impossible to have a satisfactory financial examination of the final accounts; and if he will hold an inquiry into this whole matter so as to ascertain the responsibility of the associated architects in this matter, to report what action has been taken in respect of unauthorised and illegal expenditure, and to assess the responsibility of the Birmingham Regional Hospital Board.

I am aware that certain building was undertaken between 1948 and 1953 without authority, and that estimates of cost were exceeded. Most of these matters came to the knowledge of my Department some years ago, and action was then taken to ensure that the hospital authorities were fully aware of the need to obtain proper authority for capital works. In view of that, and since it was then established that the work which had not been authorised was such as might properly have been authorised by the Minister, I do not at present think that formal inquiry is called for.I am, however, keeping the matter under consideration and making further inquiries about quantity surveyors' fees and the measurement of the quantities in connection with one contract, and will write to the hon. Member.

asked the Minister of Health (1) in what circumstances the Birmingham Regional Hospital Board have had to meet expenditure of £2,600 for site clearance at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Hospital Group, Oswestry; if he is aware that their work was undertaken without a licence at a time when one was necessary or without the authority of the Birmingham Regional Hospital Board and without any tenders being invited; and what action is being taken in the matter;(2) why contractors already on the site at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Hospital Group commenced building a nurses' home without any tenders being invited or without any authority; and what action he has taken in the matter.

I am informed that apart from the site works, competitive tenders were obtained, but the work was commenced, in 1950, before authority was obtained. This contravention of the building control procedure was brought to the notice of the Regional Hospital Board at the time.I am making further inquiries about the site clearance work and will write to the hon. Member when these are completed.

asked the Minister of Health why the lowest tender was not accepted for work in connection with the nurses' home garden at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Hospital Group. Oswestry; if he is aware that the additional sum of £431 thus involved was incurred without the knowledge of the Regional Hospital Board and in contradiction to the direction of the Board that the lowest tender should be accepted; and what action he proposes to take.

I am informed that the Hospital Management Committee had accepted the higher tender before the Board's instructions to the contrary were issued. While they certainly should not have done so, there was no additional cost to the Exchequer as the extra cost was met from other moneys at the Committee's disposal. I do not therefore propose at present to take specific action in regard to this. Model Standing Orders, commended to hospital authorities in January, 1956 (H.M. (56) 7) include specific Orders in regard to the acceptance of tenders.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that in respect of contract work at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Hospital Group, Oswestry, materials such as doors, flooring, fireplaces and wall tiles were bought without any competitive tenders being obtained; and, as this is contrary to the public interest, what action he proposes to take.

I am informed that on the occasions to which I assume the hon. Member refers competitive tenders were obtained for flush doors and door furniture; timber floor finishes were chosen at a time of scarcity, but an estimate was obtained; three fireplaces were bought as a specialist item following a single quotation; and the contractors obtained quotations for wall tiles. It does not at present seem to me that, in the context of the then circumstances, any action is now called for.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that the architectural work upon the boiler-house scheme at Shelton Hospital, Shrewsbury, was unsatisfactory; what inquiry has been made into this matter by the Birmingham Regional Hospital Board; and what are the conclusions reached.

I am not aware of unsatisfactory architectural work on this scheme, but if the hon. Member will let me have particulars of the work he has in mind I will make inquiries.

asked the Minister of Health in what circumstances it is the policy of his Department to allow building work to be undertaken upon a cost plus basis; how much work has been carried out at Shelton Hospital, Shrewsbury, upon this basis; what is the cost of such work at this hospital; and how long has it taken to complete the work.

REGIONAL HOSPITAL BOARDS IN ENGLAND AND WALES SECTION 5 BEDS 1956
Regional Hospital Board				Section 5 beds designated at 31st December, 1956	Percentage occupation*
					By paying patients	By non-paying patients
1. Newcastle	…	…	…	241	33·5	34·0
2. Leeds	…	…	…	332	57·7	13·0
3. Sheffield	…	…	…	357	48·6	18·8
4. East Anglian	…	…	…	138	48·8	16·9
5. N.W. Metropolitan	…	…	…	232	52·1	17·8
6. N.E. Metropolitan	…	…	…	208	48·6	24·5
7. S.E. Metropolitan	…	…	…	371	37·4	30·4
8. S.W. Metropolitan	…	…	…	475	51·4	23·5
9. Oxford	…	…	…	183	45·6	15·1
10. South Western	…	…	…	322	41·7	21·1
11. Welsh	…	…	…	106	32·5	28·3
12. Birmingham	…	…	…	488	43·5	20·4
13. Manchester	…	…	…	605	42·1	26·6
14. Liverpool	…	…	…	190	33·3	21·2
* To determine the percentage occupation figures the average daily bed occupation figures during the year have been expressed as percentages of the number of Section 5 beds designated at 31st December, 1956.

asked the Minister of Health if he will make a statement on the progress made in the rebuilding of Crawley Hospital.

The preparation of working drawings and bills of quantities

The cost plus basis is only appropriate exceptionally, in an emergency or when the full extent of the work required to be done can be ascertained only during the progress of the work. Two schemes costing some £7,000 were carried out simultaneously at Shelton Hospital over a period of slightly more than two years commencing in July, 1954.

asked the Minister of Health how many beds are allotted to paying patients (Section 5) by each of the regional hospital boards; and what was the percentage occupation of these beds by paying and ordinary patients, respectively, during the last year for which he has a record available.

The information is as follows:is in progress as a preliminary to going to tender. The detailed work is heavy, and will take some months, but the Regional Hospital Board and I are anxious that there should be no avoidable delay in bringing this scheme to a point where a start can be made with building.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware of the increasing concern in trade union circles at the lack of their representatives serving upon hospital management committees; whether the recent statement of the chairman of the Shrewsbury (No. 15) Hospital Management Committee to the effect that he will not allow any sectarian interest to be represented upon his committee is in accordance with Government policy; and whether he is satisfied that it is still in the interests of the National Health Service that chairmen of hospital management committees should determine who shall or shall not be members of their committees.

I am aware that the view has from time to time been advanced that trades union membership of these committees is inadequate, and that it has been expressed recently in the Birmingham region. I am, however, informed that the number has not varied significantly since 1948 in that region. These and other members of hospital management committees do not serve as representatives of particular interests but in their individual capacity, and their selection and appointment is a statutory responsibility of each regional hospital board.

asked the Minister of Health how many trade union nominees serve upon hospital management committees in the Birmingham Regional Hospital Board area; and what proportion this represents of the total number of appointments.

I am informed that in addition to trades union members not nominated as such the present number of nominees is 29, or about one in 18.

asked the Minister of Health the average payment made to doctors in general practice under the 10 per cent. interim grant for the first two-monthly period pending a final settlement of their claims.

The interim adjustment for general medical practitioners is 5 per cent. (not 10 per cent.) from 1st May, 1957.The average additional payment resulting, before deduction of superannuation contributions, is estimated to be about £21 for the months of May and June.

asked the Minister of Health in view of his policy that medical practitioners are in a position to judge in particular cases the relative merits of medication and dietary measures, to what extent dietary measures can be paid for under the National Health Service Scheme; and whether this includes payments in respect of diets involving moderate amounts of alcohol for tonic purposes.