asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what proposals are being made for the re-examination of the laws of Mauritius, including the modernisation of the procedure for Ministerial and Governmental responsibilities, the introduction of a comprehensive system of social insurance, and the increase of old-age pensions.

The whole body of the laws of Mauritius has been examined by a Ministerial Committee. Legislation designed to modernise procedure for Ministerial and Governmental responsibilities will be placed before the Legislative Council as soon as possible.Ministers in Mauritius are already conducting an inquiry into the prospects of establishing a comprehensive system of social security commensurate with the financial resources of the Colony.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the decisions of the Committee set up to investigate the population problem by the Government of Mauritius.

The Committee's recommendations, which were not unanimous, referred to the need for increased productivity and increased emigration and urged that family planning methods should be made widely available in Mauritius. The Committee also recommended that steps should be taken to improve the housing situation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the number of Sierra Leone Africans who are at present engaged in diamond mining in the diamond mining area of Sierra Leone, the number who have been granted licences to mine on Selection Trust land, and the number of areas of diamondiferous land on which Sierra Leone Africans have been granted licences.

The estimated number of those at present engaged in diamond mining, including those employed by licence holders, is between 55,000 to 60,000 men, on 3,083 licence areas. 89 diamond mining licences were incorrectly issued within the Sierra Leone Selection Trust area in March this year. These licences have since been cancelled.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what pro portion of the Sierra Leone Mining Benefit Fund has been allocated to the Kono district; and for what purposes has it been used.

There has been no specific allocation to the Kono district but works totalling £2,500 were undertaken last year, and two further projects, for the furnishing of a maternity centre and for drainage, are proposed in 1958.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what discussions there have been between the Governments of Sierra Leone and Liberia on the subject of the prevention of diamond smuggling.

Following recent consultations with the Governor of Sierra Leone, instructions have been sent to Her Majesty's Ambassador in Monrovia to discuss the question with the Government of Liberia in the near future.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the future plans for Her Majesty's East African Navy.

The Royal East African Navy is a local force administered by the East Africa High Commission on behalf of the East African Governments. I understand that plans for its future are at present under review by the High Commission.

asked the Prime Minister the policy of Her Majesty's Government in regard to the launching of an earth satellite, with particular reference to the cost of such a project and the advantages to be gained from it.

I do not consider that the advantages to be gained by this country from launching an earth satellite at present justify the duplication of scientific effort and the large expenditure which would be involved.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will move to appoint a Select Committee or some such form of independent committee to inquire into allegations and charges that labour and trade union leaders have been guilty of sabotage against the Government's economic policy, and to report on what action, legal or otherwise, should be taken against those found guilty of such sabotage.

No.

asked the Prime Minister if, in the Government's latest hydrogen bomb explosion, not only the local, but also the global, fall-out was negligible.

I would refer to the reply which I gave to the hon. Gentlemen the Members for Barnsley (Mr. Mason) and Uxbridge (Mr. Beswick) on Tuesday. Total global fall-out is very small and the latest explosion will have contributed to it only to a negligible extent.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department the arrangements at Scotland concerning the giving of information to the Press; if there is a Press officer; what are his duties; if they include issuing Press handouts; and if he will give an assurance that no statements will be issued to the Press by the Metropolitan Police concerning police inquiries in the provinces in which they are concerned, until those in charge of such provincial police are first given proper notice.

The Public Information Officer and Press Bureau at New Scotland Yard are responsible for providing information about police matters which are of general interest to the Press and public; and prepared statements may be issued from time to time. When the Metropolitan Police make inquiries at the request of a provincial force, no information is given to the Press except with the authority of that force.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what functions other than giving the right hon. Gentleman such protection as may be necessary, are carried out by the Metropolitan policeman who is continuously stationed near his house.

This duty is undertaken, in rotation, by a number of officers who are available, when performing it, to deal with any other police matter which comes to their attention.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many improperly parked motor cars have been towed away by the Metropolitan Police since the scheme was initiated.

I am informed by the Commissioner of Police that during the period from 1st May, when The Removal of Vehicles (England and Wales) Regulations, 1957, came into force, to 10th November 2,304 vehicles were removed from the roads in the Metropolitan Police District.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will state the comparative figures for robbery with violence in the twelve months immediately previous to the abolition of flogging for that offence, and also the comparative figures for the latest available 12 monthly period.

Corporal punishment was abolished as a judicial penalty in September, 1948. In 1947 the number of offences of robbery with violence known to the police was 842; in 1956 the number was 730.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give publicity to the appeal in the British Fire Services Journal that motorists should give way to fire engines wherever possible, emphasising that even a short wait on the part of the motorist might be instrumental in saving life.

Very many motorists and lorry drivers already give right of

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he intends during the current Session to introduce legislation to give effect to the recommendations of the Report of the Committee on the Supreme Court of Northern Ireland.

No, not this Session.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether it is still his practice, as in previous years, to make available particulars of betting on totalisators at individual licensed greyhound race tracks for the year 1956; and whether he will take the necessary action to enable this information to be made available to the hon. Member for West Ham, North.

The practice of collecting information from local authorities

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many private homes and business premises, respectively, fires have occurred in this country in each of the last five years; and what is the chief cause of such disasters.

The chief causes of fires in buildings during the last five years were: ignition of other materials by fires in grates; carelessness with smoking materials; children playing with matches; and chimney fires spreading beyond the chimney.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will now review the terms under which advisory boards decide whether to release a prisoner when he has served two thirds of his sentence.

The preventive detention advisory boards are an integral part of the present system of preventive detention and cannot be reviewed in isolation from the rest of the system. I do not think it is practicable to undertake a general review of the system at the present time.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in view of the fact that the performance of no legitimate trade or employment would in any way be hindered by the total prohibition of the use of spring clip knives, whether he will introduce legislation with a view to such prohibition.

For various reasons I do not consider that such legislation is practicable or necessary.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent expenditure he has incurred in advertising for recruits for Civil Defence; in which papers advertisements were inserted; at what cost; and how many recruits were obtained as a result.

Expenditure on advertising for civil defence is met, on behalf of my Department, by the Central Office of Information and Her Majesty's Stationery Office. The expenditure recently incurred was £61,391, of which £57,145 was spent on Press advertisements. Details are not yet available of the number of recruits obtained in the publicity campaign of which the advertisements formed part but preliminary reports show that the campaign has met with a good response.Following is a list of newspapers in which advertisements have appeared:Daily Express, Daily Herald, Daily Mail, Daily Mirror, Daily Telegraph, News Chronicle, The Times, Birmingham Post, East Anglian Daily Times, Eastern Daily Press, Guardian Journal (Nottingham), Liverpool Daily Post, Manchester Guardian, Newcastle Journal, Sheffield Telegraph, Western Daily Press, Western Mail, Western Morning News, and Yorkshire Post.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is yet able to give a general directive to local authorities advocating the demolition of old brick air-raid shelters; and what are the reasons for his decision.

Such shelters would give protection outside the area of complete devastation from a hydrogen bomb and I am therefore not prepared to authorise demolition except in individual cases where there are compelling grounds, such as that a particular shelter is structurally unsound, or its removal is essential for medical reasons or it obstructs road traffic or approved building development.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department to what extent recruitment for Civil Defence is succeeding; what is now the target; how many have enrolled; and what consideration is being given to a changeover of control and administration from town clerks and civil servants to military command.

The strength of the Civil Defence Corps in England and Wales on 31st October, 1957, was 327,326. This was 976 more than twelve months before. Some 45,000 recruits are estimated to have been obtained during the twelve months but most of this increase was off-set by losses due mainly to the discharge of inactive members. No limit has been placed on the number of volunteers that can be accepted at present. The statutory responsibility for making civil defence arrangements in each locality rests with local authorities, and new arrangements for control are being worked out in each civil defence region in consultation with the local authorities concerned. Although the closest liaison is maintained with the military authorities at all levels there is no intention of superseding the civilian control system by military command.

asked the Undersecretary of State for Commonwealth Relations whether he will make a statement about his noble Friend's tour of the Federation of the Rhodesias and Nyasaland.

Yes. My noble Friend spent some three weeks in the Federation, during which he visited all three Territories and had valuable discussions on a variety of subjects with the Federal Government, the Government of Southern Rhodesia and with the Governors of Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland, as well as with bodies and individuals of all races representing all shades of opinion. He has returned deeply impressed by the progress which the Federation is making.

asked the Undersecretary of State for Commonwealth Relations if he is aware that the Constitution Amendment Bill of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland violates the basic principle that the African members of the Federal Constitution should be representative of and elected by Africans; and whether he will reconsider his former decision and advise Her Majesty to withhold assent to the Bill.

No. I do not agree that any such basic principle is laid down in the Constitution of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. The Answer to the second part of the hon. Member's Question is therefore in the negative.

asked the Under secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations what constitutional changes are proposed in Basutoland.

My noble Friend told the Basutoland Council in May, 1956, that he was prepared to consider proposals whereby the Basutoland Council should be given power to make laws in regard to internal matters affecting the Basuto alone. He asked the Council to submit recommendations about the scope of these powers and about administrative arrangements that would be necessary to enable the Council to undertake the proposed new responsibilities.The Basutoland Council set up two committees to consider the Secretary of State's request. They will report to the Basutoland Council, which will then make recommendations through the High Commissioner to my noble Friend.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Common wealth Relations what steps have been taken by Her Majesty's Government to provide financial or technical assistance for the Volta River project in Ghana.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations if Her Majesty's Government have yet arrived at any decision for the financing of the Volta River project in Ghana; and if he will make a statement on the present position of this project.

The position of the United Kingdom Government in relation to the Volta River project remains as stated by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Colonies in a Written Answer on 27th July, 1956. Any final decision on the financing of the project on the basis of the 1952 White Paper is of course a matter for the aluminium companies as well as for the Ghana and United Kingdom Governments.

asked the Undersecretary of State for Commonwealth Relations what progress has been made towards the setting up of tribal and area advisory councils in the Bamangwato Reserve.

In 1954 it was agreed that the Government should initiate and encourage the development of more representative institutions in tribal territories in the Bechuanaland Protectorate. In 1955 proposals for the formation of councils in the Bamangwato tribal area were discussed in Serowe, and about a year ago a Committee of nine Africans, including Seretse Khama and Tshekedi Khama, and two European officials, was set up to make recommendations for the constitution of Bamangwato tribal and area councils, with advisory functions. The Committee's recommendations were accepted by the African Advisory Council. The African Authority of the Bamangwato, Rasebolai Kgamane, with Seretse Khama and Tshekedi Khama, accompanied by an administrative officer, then toured the main centres in the Bamangwato Reserve, explaining the Committee's proposals, and the tribe accepted them. The High Commissioner has promulgated Regulations putting into effect the Committee's recommendations for Bamangwato councils. Meetings are now being held in the Reserve to choose councillors.The chairman of the Bamangwato tribal council is to be the African

Authority; the chairman of each area council is to be the Subordinate African Authority of that area. One quarter of the members of the tribal council are to be nominated by the chairman and the remainder are to be elected by the area councils. One quarter of the members of each area council are to be nominated by that council's chairman and the remainder will be chosen by the people, in the traditional way, in

asked the Minister of Education what negotiations are now proceeding with regard to the need for additional free places in the direct grant schools in Northumberland for those children who have won scholarships in the County but on religious grounds wish to transfer to their own denominational school.

After consultation with my Department the authority is reviewing its practice. I will inform the hon. Member of the outcome.

asked the Minister of Education if he is satisfied that the standard of marking in the mathematics papers of this year's examinations in the Durham University area was not too high; whether he is aware of the wide spread dissatisfaction with the results; and what action he proposes to take in the matter.

I am aware of the criticisms of the examination in elementary mathematics conducted by the University of Durham School Examinations Board for the award of an ordinary level pass in the general certificate of education this year, and I understand that the board is investigating them. I should prefer to hear the result of its deliberations before I make any comment.

asked the Minister of Education if he will obtain a return from one of the smaller examining boards, say, Durham University, showing the number of years served as a qualified teacher in a school by every person employed in examining in the general certificate examinations, Advanced and Ordinary, held in the summer of 1957.

No.

asked the Minister of Education if he is yet in a position to announce his decision on the question of the St. Aloysius Church Hall, Roby, Lancashire, which has been before his Department for six years, and on which one of his predecessors received a deputation on 15th May, 1956.

This proposal raises a complicated issue of principle on which my discussions with the Cotholic Education Council are not yet complete. I will inform the right hon. Member of the outcome as soon as possible.

asked the Minister of Education what reply he has given the National Association of Schoolmasters in response to their request for representation on the Burnham Committee, and other appropriate committees.

I have told the Association that I see no reason to vary the decision given it by my predecessor.

asked the Minister of Education why the National Association of Schoolmasters is not represented on the Burnham Committee; and whether he will review the matter at an early date.

I see no reason to disagree with the view taken by my predecessors that the present membership of the Teachers' Panel of the Burnham Committee adequately represents all categories of teachers in the various types of schools, whose salaries are negotiated by the Committee.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what information he has in respect of the rapid development of mail order sales since 1950; and if he will take steps to acquire fuller revelant details.

Mail order traders are to be covered in the Census of Distribution for 1957, which will be taken next year. Until the results of the census are available, I have no detailed information on the development of mail order trading since 1950.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish in HANSARD a table of figures showing the monthly income from Pool Betting Duty on totalisators at greyhound racing tracks, for each of the individual licensed tracks in Great Britain, for the year 1956, and to the latest available date for the current year.

No. It would be contrary to practice to publish information about individual traders from their Revenue returns.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware that the City of Nottingham is advertising for a loan of £3,000,000, mainly in order to redeem a 3 per cent. maturing loan, and that it is to pay 6 per cent. on the newly-raised capital; and whether, in view of this transaction, he will make provision so that the local authority may avoid payments of this kind for capital necessary to carry on the city's business.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which my right hon. Friend gave to the hon. Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Mr. Swingler) on 29th October.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the net increase in United Kingdom holdings in long-term United States securities in the first six months of the year.

United States official statistics suggest that the net value of long-term United States securities purchased by United Kingdom residents in the first half of this year was 155 million dollars.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, of the £360 million earned by the United Kingdom from overseas interest, profits and dividends in the year ended 30th June, 1957, how much came from the dollar area.

£78 million.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will now hold a public inquiry into the treatment meted out to Mr. J. M. Davidson by the Glamorgan Agricultural Committee.

Very full inquiries have been made into the matter and my right hon. Friend is satisfied that no further action is needed; but if the hon. Member would like to examine with me the grounds for the various allegations made by Mr. Davidson I should be glad to arrange this.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the takings of net fishermen in the River Spey in 1957; and how this compares with previous years.

The Crown Estate Commissioners, in common with other owners of net fishings in Scotland, do not disclose this information. I would remind my hon. and gallant Friend that, under the provisions of Section 15 of the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries (Protection) (Scotland) Act, 1951, the Secretary of State is precluded from publishing the actual numbers of salmon caught in any one fishery within the preceding ten years.

asked the Attorney-General whether he will institute proceedings against the Central Council for the Care of Cripples for issuing an invitation to a luncheon as a facsimile of a police court summons with the Metropolitan Police crest at the top.

No. I have no evidence that would justify the institution of criminal proceedings.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty if he is aware that the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics have applied nuclear propulsion to ships; and when and to what extent Britain will be in a position to do so.

Except for the United States nuclear submarines, I do not know that either country has yet successfully applied nuclear power to the propulsion of ships, though both countries are believed to be working to that end. With regard to the second part of the Question, the Admiralty has ordered equipment for a prototype of a reactor intended for use in submarines, and as recently announced the experimental reactor Neptune is now in successful operation.As regards merchant ships, I would refer the hon. Member to the Answer given to him by the Prime Minister on Tuesday, 12th November.

asked the Post master-General whether he will make immediate arrangements for the installation of public telephone kiosks in the Britwell London County Council estate, Farnham Royal, and Burnham, where 3,000 people have already moved in.

Two telephone kiosks will be working by the end of November or early December, and others will be provided as the estate develops.

asked the Postmaster-General (1) whether he will take action to have letter-boxes installed in the Britwell London County Council estate, Farnham Royal, and Burnham,(2) when he intends to establish a sub-post office in the Britwell London County Council estate, Farnham Royal, and Burnham.

Three letter boxes will be put up very shortly one at least in about a fortnight, and others will be provided as the estate grows. A sub-post office will be opened as soon as shops are available on the estate.

asked the Postmaster-General how soon a telephone kiosk will be provided at Brynmawr, near Sarn, Caernarvonshire, in view of the fact that his department have agreed to the provision and are well acquainted with the need for it in the district.

We expect to provide this telephone kiosk early in the New Year.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what efforts are being made to re-employ the personnel made redundant by the decision to close the Royal Air Force signals station at Seaton Snook, County Durham; how many of the men displaced are technicians; and how many are unskilled.

We are in touch with the Ministry of Labour and National Service about the re-employment of the forty men who must be discharged, of whom eight are skilled tradesmen.

asked the Secretary of State for Air if he will supply details of the agreement between his Department and the trade unions under which merit pay may be awarded to civilian staffed Royal Air Force units.

There is no formal agreement but the scheme is operated in close association with the recognised trade unions concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Air if he will make a statement on the performance of the Valiant and Vulcan bombers in the bombing tests recently held in the United States of America.

Yes. At the invitation of the United States Air Force two Valiants and two Vulcans of Bomber Command took part in the Strategic Air Command Bombing Competition held between 30th October and 5th November. In all, 90 individual crews took part comprising 45 teams each of two aircraft.Of our individual crews, on Valiant achieved the second best blind bombing score in the competition and was placed 11th in the final analysis of the 90 individual crew results. In the team results for blind bombing and navigation combined, the Valiants were placed 27th and the Vulcans 44th.The standard of accuracy achieved by all entrants was very high and the competition very close. Although there were 63 places between the first and the last of the R.A.F. crews, the difference in their average margin of error on the final scoring was less than 250 yards.The competition was one in which the experience which the air and ground crews had gained of their equipment, played an important part. Considering the comparatively short time which our aircraft (particularly the Vulcan) have been in operational service, and the fact that they were operating away from their main supporting bases, I regard their performance as particularly encouraging.Both R.A.F. teams came through this stiff test with credit and the results confirm the high quality of Bomber Command's crews and aircraft.

asked the Minister of Defence if he will give an estimate of the cost to date, to the British taxpayer, of the manhunt in Cyprus to apprehend Colonel Grivas.

It would be impracticable to estimate the cost of this particular activity in isolation.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government, in view of the large number of different types of permit required before building work can be undertaken, and in view of the excessive time these take to obtain, if he will set up a committee to investigate the situation, and recommend ways in which many of these permits could be dispensed with or combined under one or two authorities, in order to speed up building and save money, without affecting the quality of the ultimate structure.

This is a subject which has already been thoroughly considered on more than one occasion in the past, but I should be very glad to examine any further material that my hon. Friend may care to put before me.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of persons without work registered at the Hayes Employment Exchange on the last convenient date and compared with October, 1956, and April, 1957; and the similar figures for other employment exchanges in West Middlesex.

The following Table gives the information desired.