asked the Secretary to the Treasury the number of retired civil servants of the executive and administrative grades who are in receipt of pensions on account of their service; and how many of these retired before the outbreak of war on 3rd September, 1939.

I regret that this information could not be obtained without a disproportionate expenditure of time and labour.

asked the Chancellor of Exchequer what would be the cost in the present financial year of allowing all unestablished service in the Civil Service between the years 1919 and 1949 to count in full for superannuation rights.

The cost in the rest of the present financial year would be about £2 million. In the first full year 1958–59, it would be about £5½ million.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will so amend the P.A.Y.E. regulations as to ensure that all public entertainers in the show business meet their taxation demands, as do other members of the community, and that they are henceforth prevented from evading their tax obligations by recourse to the bankruptcy courts.

This suggestion has been thoroughly examined in the past; but it has been found impracticable.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is prepared to consider the repayment of post-war credits to working blind persons before they reach the age of 65.

I regret that I cannot accept this suggestion.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he is aware that the increase in the rate of interest has raised the economic rent of a £2,000 house to £3 2s. 10d. a week plus rates; and, having regard to the fact that few workers are able to meet this liability, what steps are being taken to facilitate house ownership.

Local authorities may make advances for house purchase under either the Small Dwellings Acquisition Acts or Section 4 of the Housing Act, 1949. Under the former, interest rates are fixed by statute for the whole period of the loan and I have no discretion to vary them. Under the latter, the interest rates require my approval, and I would refer the hon. Member to Circular No. 54/57 issued yesterday, where it is pointed out that I will be ready to consider new or revised schemes which provide for varying rates of interest.New borrowers under Section 4 may therefore not have to pay the initial rate of interest for the whole period of the loan, but a varying amount related to borrowing rates as the period progresses.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he is aware of the deterioration in the housing position in the country; and what steps are being taken to restore housing subsidies and to make it easier for local authorities to borrow money at preferential rates of interest so that they can more adequately meet the housing needs of their people.

The housing position in the country has vastly improved over the last six years, and will go on improving. Subsidies are still available for the greatest needs; and provided that local authorities adopt fair and wise rent policies they can continue to provide, and to let at reasonable rents, houses for those who must look to them for help.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what arrangements are made for housing ex-Service men on their leaving the services.

I am glad to assure my hon. Friend that arrangements have been made for Service men, before leaving the Forces, to receive detailed advice about the various ways in which they can obtain housing accommodation.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what was the value and area of the land in Bristol for which the Treasury paid £22,500 as compensation because per mission to build houses on it was refused by the planning authority who desired to retain it as an open space.

I assume that the hon. Member has in mind the refusal of permission to allow building on the Henbury golf course. The area to which this planning application related was 94 acres. I have no information as to the current value of the land. The compensation paid, amounting to £22,514, was the amount of the unexpended balance of established development value attaching to the land.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what control, under his regulations, is retained either by his Department or by the local authority, over land in respect of which compensation has been paid for refusal of planning permission; and what restrictions on its use can be imposed other than the requirement to refund compensation if it is subsequently developed.

The development of such land continues to be subject to the ordinary planning controls provided for by the Town and Country Planning Acts.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what representations have been made to his Department by Essex local authorities and other representative bodies concerning atmospheric pollution by Thames-side oil refineries; to what precise cause his inspectors attribute this pollution; and what steps are being taken to eliminate the nuisance.

In addition to reports which are submitted from time to time to my District Alkali Inspector by the local authorities concerned, two recent complaints have been made by the Essex Borough and District Councils' Association about smells from the refineries. One incident appears to have been due to a mishap, and the other to the repair of a storage tank. I am sending my hon. Friend copies of the Chief Alkali Inspector's Annual Reports for 1955 and 1956, which describe the nature of the problem of air pollution from oil refineries and the steps which are being taken to prevent it.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will introduce legislation to repeal those provisions of the Metropolitan Paving Act, 1817, which enable the London County Council to acquire land compulsorily for road improvement schemes without inquiry or right of appeal.

I understand that the London County Council contemplate promoting legislation to this end in the present Session.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he is aware of the use which is being made by the London County Council of the Metropolitan Paving Act, 1817, in connection with the Holborn-Kingsway road improvement scheme to over-ride the provisions of the development plan without public inquiry; and whether he has approved the relevant alterations to the plan.

The Holborn-Kingsway road improvement scheme is already provided for in the Development Plan for the County of London which was approved by my predecessor in 1955. So far as I am aware, there is no question of any amendment to the plan being needed in connection with this scheme.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government to what extent, when he considers any written representations which may be submitted to him by objectors after a planning inquiry has been held, it is his practice to notify the planning authority and the developing authority of such representations and to obtain their observations thereon before he makes his decision.

It is my normal practice to notify the parties of any such representations, and to afford them an opportunity for submitting observations.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government the present position regarding the Cragg Vale Water Scheme in the Hebden Royd urban district area.

The scheme is in course of preparation. I am asking the urban district council to hasten its submission.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government when he expects to publish the Report on Government Action in Wales for the year ended 30th June, 1957.

Within the next few weeks.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies for what reasons the Africans inhabiting the Panda Hill area, near Mbeya, Tanganyika, have objected to the granting of land to the Mbeya Exploration Company Limited; and what proposals have been made to overcome these objections.

Three reasons have been given:—

(1) The Company should have negotiated with local Africans and not with the central government;

(2) It is unreasonable to alienate low lying land when the Company's mine is in the hills; and

(3) The people concerned have nowhere to go.

The land concerned is public land, and I am satisfied that it is right that the negotiations in connection with this important project should be conducted by the Tanganyika Government. My right hon. Friend expects to receive shortly the Governor's proposals for the grant of a right of occupancy to the Company and, if considered appropriate, these will no doubt include the payment of compensation to the families affected. I understand that there is a large area of suitable land in the immediate vicinity which is available for settlement.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what has been the incidence of tuberculosis and leprosy, respectively, for the years 1955 and 1956 in Hong Kong; and what steps are being taken by the Government of Hong Kong to prevent and cure these diseases.

14,148 cases of tuberculosis were notified in 1955 and 12,155 in 1956, 762 new cases of leprosy became known in 1955 and 751 in 1956. The steps taken to prevent tuberculosis include vaccination, X-ray surveys, the examination of those in contact with tubercular cases, and health education and social assistance by tuberculosis visitors. Treatment of tubercular patients during 1955 included 360,000 attendances at Government clinics.Lepers are rendered non-infective as quickly as possible and all children born to lepers or in contact with them are vaccinated. Attendances at leprosy clinics totalled 22,012 in 1955 and 25,789 in 1956. There are now nine clinics for leprosy patients and a leprosarium holding 500.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what steps have been taken to carry out the suggestions concerning detention camps in Kenya made by the visiting mission of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The Kenya Government have already put into effect most of the changes in detention camp organisation suggested by the visiting delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross and intend to make some other recommended changes when conditions allow.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many African women are employed in the community development service in Kenya; and in what capacity.

I am asking the Governor for this information and when it is received I will circulate a reply in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

asked the Minister of Works when the sixteenth century woodcarving of the Crucifixion, which was removed for cleaning from the summer house at Edzell Castle, Angus, about two years ago, and a photograph of which appears in his department's official guide to the castle, will be returned.

This woodcarving was removed from the Castle for treatment and for safe custody, as it was intended to carry out certain structural repairs to the roof of the summer house. As there is now little prospect of funds being available in the near future to enable the structural repairs to be started, I am arranging for the carving, which has now been cleaned, to be returned to the Castle at once.

asked the Minister of Works whether he will now thin the second row of trees in the Mall, as advised in the second report of his Advisory Committee.

Yes. The Committee has re-examined the trees in all these rows since the inner rows were thinned two years ago. It finds that the remaining trees have benefited from being given more space and, accordingly, it recommends that the outer rows should be similarly thinned this winter. I have accepted this recommendation, and alternate trees will be removed from the outer rows on either side of the Mall before Christmas.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works, as representing the Lord President of the Council, in view of the estimate of Doctor Findlay of the Forest Products Research Laboratory, Princes Risborough, that over £20 million is spent annually on dry rot and woodworm repairs, what he estimates would be the annual saving in national expenditure if all timber used in new building was pre-treated with wood preservative.

Attacks on house timbers by dry rot and woodworm are not officially notifiable and the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research has, therefore, no estimates of the present annual cost of repairs. It is also impossible to estimate what might be the potential saving from pre-treatment of housing timbers. However, it is common practice to treat vulnerable parts with preservative, and this is recommended by the Forest Products Research Laboratory.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will state the present position regarding Eyemouth harbour.

I understand that the investigation of the silting problem by the Hydraulics Research Station of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research will be completed early in 1958.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what he estimates the effects will be by 1959–60 in Scotland of the decision announced by Her Majesty's Government on 29th October to slow down house building by public authorities.

No specific cut in the Scottish programme is contemplated, but I should expect that the run-down which began after the peak year of 1953 will bring completions in 1959–60 to about 20,000, excluding private building.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he estimates that Scotland's school building programme will be cut further or speeded up as a result of his proposal to rephase the programme in Scotland while that of England remains unchanged.

Whether the Scottish school building programme will have to be rephased by postponing some starting dates, and if so how far, will not be known until about the end of February, when the education authorities' up-to-date building programmes for the two years commencing 1st April, 1958, will have been received and examined. The proposals for England and Wales are described in the Ministry of Education's Circular 331 of which I am sending the right hon. Gentleman a copy.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will state the proportion in which the £37 million received by local authorities in Scotland in 1956–57 was allocated in respect of each of the services proposed to be merged in a general grant.

The approximate figure of £37 million given in paragraph 5 of Command Paper No. 208 is made up as follows:

	£000
Education	33,002
Health Services	2,184
Fire	489
Child Care	766
Town planning	—
Road safety	8
Traffic patrol	16
Registration of electors	72
Physical training and recreation	5
Residential and temporary accommodation under the National Assistance Act, 1948	15
Street crossing patrols	43
Total	36,600

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the estimated financial gain or loss to each education authority in Scotland to be effected by the substitution of percentage grants by a general grant as proposed in Command Paper No. 208.

No, The Government's proposals, which include re-rating of industry to 50 per cent. and the introduction by stages of the payment of each year's general grant in full during the year to which it relates, and which will involve changes in the distribution of the Exchequer equalisation grant, will not come into complete effect until the expiry of the transitional arrangements and until after revaluation in 1961. No worthwhile estimate of the ultimate financial gains or losses of individual local authorities can therefore be prepared at present.

asked the Minister of Labour how many people have their wages or salaries tied to the cost-of-living index; and if he will consider the desirability of tying them instead to the figure for national productivity.

It is estimated that about 2 million workpeople are employed in industries which have arrangements for the automatic adjustment of wages following upon changes in the Index of Retail Prices. These arrangements or any other alternative arrangements which might be considered are matters for the parties in the industries concerned to decide.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will consider setting up a department within the Factory Inspectorate to select and specially train inspectors for the atomic energy power stations.

A training programme is being carried out covering protection against radiation hazards in industry generally, including atomic energy power stations. Four inspectors in the Chemical and Engineering Branch and 21 inspectors in the districts have already been trained, and 50 more are to be trained, under this programme. In addition, two inspectors in the Chemical and Engineering Branch have received training in the design, maintenance and running of reactors. It is not considered necessary to set up a special department.

asked the Minister of Labour how many persons resident in Deptford were registered as unemployed at the last available date compared with the same date last year.

The available figures relate to employment exchange areas. The number of unemployed persons on the registers of the Deptford Employment Exchange and Youth Employment Office at 14th October, 1957, was 1,040 compared with 815 at 15th October, 1956.

asked the Minister of Labour how many persons resident in Littlehampton and Shoreham-by-Sea, respectively, were registered as unemployed at the last available date compared with the same date last year.

The available figures relate to employment exchange areas. At 14th October, 1957, there were 214 registered as unemployed at Littlehampton Employment Exchange and 209 at the Shoreham-by-Sea Employment Exchange. The corresponding figures for 15th October, 1956, were 152 and 207, respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will now review the strategic restrictions on United Kingdom exports to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and other Communist countries.

The strategic controls on trade with the Soviet Union and other Communist countries are kept under continuous review by Her Majesty's Government in conjunction with their partners and allies in the Consultative Group. These controls are adjusted from time to time by mutual agreement as circumstances require.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what steps are being taken for obtaining repayment of the debts owed by Albania to the United Kingdom.

I assume the hon. Member is referring to the award by the International Court of Justice in 1949 of damages against Albania to the United Kingdom in respect of the Corfu Channel incident of 1946. No progress has been made in inducing the Albanian Government to pay the damages awarded by the judgment of the International Court.

asked the Minister of Health, as representing the Lord President of the Council, whether the Joint Committee of the Medical Research Council have yet completed their investigation on the effects of small doses of alcohol on motor drivers; and when their report will be published.

The particular series of experiments which has aroused great public interest have been completed and the report is in course of preparation. It will be published as soon as possible. Some delay has been caused because the interpretation of part of the data is proving difficult.

asked the Minister of Health whether the doctors' claims for higher remuneration will be vetoed under the Government's wage-freeze policy.

The remuneration of doctors in the National Health Service will be considered in the light of all the circumstances prevailing at the time when the report of the Royal Commission is received.

asked the Minister of Health what steps are taken to warn patients in mental hospitals of the risks of electric convulsant therapy before obtaining consent to this treatment.

It is for the doctor responsible to decide how this should be done in each individual case.

asked the Minister of Health if he will make a statement about his refusal to approve a three per cent. pay rise agreed by the Whitley Council for Health Service employees.

asked the Minister of Health for what reason he advised against payment of the three per cent. Whitley Council award to the administrative and clerical staffs; and what estimate he has made of the extent to which this decision will affect recruitment to the National Health Service.

I would refer the right hon. and hon. Members to what I said in the House on 6th November.

asked the Minister of Supply if he will give a list of the names of public and private companies which make munitions of war and defence under contract to Her Majesty's Government, indicating in each case the nature and extent of their products.

No.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many security officers are employed by his Department; what was the cost during 1956; and what are their duties.

No officer in my Department is employed full time on security duties. The Office Controller and his staff are responsible, among other duties, for security as regards premises, equipment and official documents; personnel security is dealt with through other officers in the Establishment Divisions as part of their normal duties.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether he will make a statement on the future of the Royal Air Force Station, Hendon.

Royal Air Force Station, Hendon, has been closed to flying and the R.A.F. Metropolitan Communications Squadron transferred from Hendon to Northolt in order to concentrate at one airfield all the Base facilities needed for R.A.F. flying in the London area. The station will continue in use by R.A.F. ground units.The use of the airfield by flying clubs and for light aircraft generally has been studied by my Department with the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation. My right hon. Friend and I consider that the advantages of transferring air traffic from Hendon to Northolt would be prejudiced by the serious air traffic control difficulties which would arise if Hendon were to continue in use for this type of flying. However, we see a possibility of the airfield being brought back into use at some future date for aircraft such as helicopters, short take-off and landing and vertical take-off aircraft. A study is being made of interim uses of the airfield which would be consistent with this future flying use.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will favourably consider making a free issue of shoes, in addition to gumboots, to members of the auxiliary fire service.

I do not consider that the present training requirements justify a free issue of shoes to auxiliary firemen.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department which of the 95 recommendations of the Oliver Franks Report are being accepted by the Government; which have been rejected; and which are still under consideration.

The recommendations which the Government do not feel able to accept are Numbers (16), (56), (68) and (94). The following recommendations are reserved in whole or in part for further consideration:—(20), (36), (37), (38), (39), (60), (66), (76), (77), (82), (90) and (95). The remaining 79 recommendations are wholly or partly acceptable.

asked the Postmaster-General (1) what has been the nature of tests carried out at the new television station at Londonderry; and what has been the measure of their success;(2) to what extent the operation of the new television station at Londonderry has been delayed by difficulties recently experienced; and whether he will now announce an opening date for the station.

The B.B.C. tests in preparation for the opening of the new station have shown the risk that the transmissions may be subjected to serious interference. Efforts are being made to overcome the difficulties and, as soon as the position is clear, I will write to my hon. Friend.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in collecting statistics in regard to the number of doctors and dentists entering and leaving the United Kingdom by sea, he will collect the statistics for doctors and dentists separately.

I am arranging for doctors and dentists to be recorded separately starting in January, 1958.

asked the Secretary of State for War what are the insuperable objections to any other type of amalgamation than that of amalgamating the Highland Light Infantry and the Royal Scots Fusiliers.

Every possible combination of Scottish infantry regiments was considered before it was decided which of them to amalgamate. Regimental history and tradition, recruiting records and recruiting areas were among the many factors to be borne in mind. Four Scottish regiments had to be amalgamated, and the final selection was made after the most thorough sifting of every alternative. The need for any reduction of our regiments is a matter for deep regret; there is no scheme of amalgamation which is free from grounds of objection.