asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance whether he will publish in HANSARD a table setting forth each of the benefits proposed to pensioners under the National Insurance Bill, with a total, opposite a similar list of withdrawn benefits.

I would refer the hon. Gentleman to the White Paper (Cmnd. 295) published in connection with the Bill.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is aware that many fish friers in Durham are experiencing hardship due to the high price of fish; and what steps he intends to take to remedy this matter.

My right hon. Friend is aware that there has recently been an increase in the price which fish friers generally have had to pay for their fish. This has been due to natural factors. The effect of autumn weather has been accentuated by a scarcity of fish on the distant-water grounds. The fleets are fishing all out.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is aware of the anxiety felt by fish and chip friers because of the indications of a potato shortage; and whether he will consider as quickly as possible the question of importing potatoes.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Brixton (Mr. Lipton) today.

asked the Minister of Agriculture. Fisheries and Food if he will state the potato yield per acre for 1957.

The latest estimate of the yield per acre of potatoes grown on agricultural holdings in the United Kingdom in 1957 is 7·0 tons per acre. The estimate is based on reports made by local officers of the three agricultural departments (as at 1st October in the case of Scotland, and 1st November in the case of England and Wales and Northern Ireland), and is subject to revision.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what evidence there is to suggest that initial outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease may be caused through the feeding of swill to pigs; and if he is satisfied that the existing regulations about the treatment of swill are adequate to prevent the spread of animal diseases by this means.

Of the 29 primary outbreaks confirmed this year, one is thought to have arisen out of feeding swill to pigs. I am satisfied that the Diseases of Animals (Waste Foods) Order, 1957, provides the most effective possible safeguard against the risk of infection from swill.

asked the Minister of Agriculture. Fisheries and Food the results of his experiments into the effect on pigs fed on feedingstuffs to which hormones have been added; and if he is satisfied that no harmful results will follow the consumption of pork or bacon from such animals.

I am informed by the Agricultural Research Council that experiments were arranged by it at a number of centres in 1953 to test claims that the addition to the diet of pigs of a combination of stilboestrol and thyroxine would improve growth rate. The results were discouraging. So far as the Council is aware no experiments involving the addition of hormones to the diet of pigs are being undertaken in this country.There is no evidence that any harmful effects would be caused to consumers of pork or bacon from pigs which have received small amounts of such hormones in their diet.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the reason for the increase in the export of live animals to Eire from a total of £71,226 in January of this year to £973,282 in August, as shown in the Trade and Navigation Accounts; and how many of these animals were intended for re-export to the countries of Western Europe.

The figures for the export of live animals to Eire given in the Trade and Navigation Accounts covered exports from both Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Exports from Great Britain are confined to high quality breeding animals and during the period January to August numbered only 43 cattle and 163 sheep and pigs. Apart from Regulations under Diseases of Animals legislation, trade in livestock between Northern Ireland and Eire has been free since October, 1956, and my right hon. Friend cannot say what the reason is for this increase in exports nor how many animals were intended for re-export to Western Europe. According to the "Trade Statistics of Ireland", exports of fat cattle from the Irish Republic to the Continent declined during the period January-August, 1957.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will consider consolidation of the Fisheries Acts.

I have been asked to reply.My right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and I recognise the desirability of consolidating the Fisheries Acts and are considering whether any action can be taken. But the task of consolidation would be a formidable one and would certainly take some time.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will publish the report made to him by the Cardiff City Police on their investigations into the allegations made by Mr. J. M. Davidson; and whether he will make a statement.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Barry (Mr. Gower) today.

asked the Minister of Supply to what extent and in what ways his Department is interested in the development of vertical take-off aircraft; and, in view of the fact that research and development on these aircraft have great potentialities, whether he will give an assurance that they are not being held back by lack of finance.

The Ministry of Supply is interested in many forms of vertical take-off aircraft in addition to helicopters. The S.C.1 research aircraft is already flying and other methods of vertical take-off are being considered. My right hon. Friend is satisfied that a sufficient proportion of the available funds is being devoted to vertical take-off aircraft.

asked the Minister of Supply whether he will establish special arrangements for the disposal of surplus stores arising from the readjustments of the defence programme.

The disposal of surplus stores by the Ministry of Supply has been continuous since the end of the war and no special arrangements are called for.

asked the Minister of Health, in view of the fact that people were told they could benefit in whole or in part from participation in the National Health Service, when he is proposing to allow people who employ doctors privately to have their drugs on the same basis as those who employ doctors within the National Health Service.

This proposal, which would involve legislation, raises difficulties, notably that it would increase the cost of the drug bill. Its implications are being explored with the British Medical Association but I could not hold out hope of embarking at the present time on a course which must lead to increased expenditure.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that, due to the employers refusing to implement a Whitley Council wage award, the trade unions in the hospital and medical services have given notice of their intention to take certain action to enforce this award; to what extent this action will interfere with the efficient administration of the hospital and medical services; what action he proposes to take to resolve this wage dispute; and whether he will make a further statement.

The hon. Member seems to be under some misapprehension and I would refer him to the statement which I made in the debate in this House on 6th November. I have seen reports in the Press that the unions concerned have recommended their members to take certain action, but it is too early to judge what effect this action, if taken, would have. In the technical sense there is at present no dispute.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will make a further statement regarding the implementation of Sir Noel Hall's Report.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and I will consider the recommendations of the Administrative and Clerical Staffs Whitley Council on the Report, on their merits and in the light of all the circumstances at the time they are received.

asked the Minister of Health when he proposes to introduce legislation for the registration of opticians.

As soon as Parliamentary time permits.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs which countries still require British subjects to have their fingerprints taken as a condition of giving an entry visa; and if he will make further representations to have this practice abolished.

The United States, Ecuador and Peru still require some form of finger-printing, in certain circumstances, as a condition of giving an entry visa to a British subject. Since October the United States regulations have been considerably relaxed and finger-printing is not required for visitors remaining less than one year. These requirements are the domestic administrative concern of the countries in question and there would appear to be no grounds for making official representations to have the practices abolished.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what assistance Her Majesty's Government is giving to the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees or other agencies for the resettlement of refugees of European origin who are now in Hong Kong, or have applied for transit facilities through Hong Kong.

My right hon. and learned Friend is considering this question now with my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

asked the Minister of Works whether he will list the properties presently occupied by the Ministry of Health in central London together with the period left for the leases to run.

The principal leased properties in central London occupied as headquarters offices by the Ministry of Health are:

• Chesham House, Regent Street, W.1.
• Fortress House, Savile Row, W.1.
• 13–16, Russell Square, W.C.1.

asked the Minister of Works whether he will list the properties presently occupied by the Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance in central London, together with the period left for the leases to run.

The principal leased properties in central London occupied as headquarters offices by the Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance are:

• Thames House South, Millbank, S.W.1.
• Little Adelphi, 10, John Adam Street, W.C.2.
• Ivybridge, House, 1–5, Adam Street, W.C.2.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what schemes of social welfare for Africans in Northern Rhodesia are financed by the proceeds of beer halls.

It is not possible to single out particular welfare schemes financed from this source. The profits from beer halls and wine shops, after providing for improvements, are paid into the general fund of the local authority and in practice devoted to expenditure of benefit to Africans, especially African welfare, to which the central Government also make a contribution.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the policy of Her Majesty's Government with regard to the granting of transit facilities for refugees from China who wish to pass through Hong Kong on their way to countries of resettlement.

Transit facilities are granted for all such refugees whose maintenance in Hong Kong and onward travel expenses are assured in advance.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies why matters affecting the Uganda Police Force have been excluded from the supervision of the Public Service Commission in Uganda.

There is a separate Police Service Commission which performs in relation to the Police Force broadly similar functions to those performed by the Public Service Commission in relation to the rest of the public service.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what efforts are being made by the Uganda Agricultural Department to encourage the improvement in quality of the cotton crop now necessary to maintain export markets; and in particular to secure an even-running staple and grade for the ginneries.

The Agricultural Department, the Empire Cotton-Growing Corporation and the Lint Marketing Board all co-operate in measures to improve the quality of Uganda cotton.At the Empire Cotton Growing Corporation's research station in Uganda new strains of B.P.52 cotton have been bred which produce a higher quality yarn, and replacement of former varieties by these improved strains should be completed in the 1958–59 season. In those areas of Uganda with a harsher climate where S.47 cotton is grown, existing varieties will have been replaced by improved strains with superior spinning qualities by the 1959–60 season.The Agricultural Department treats cotton-seed issued for planting against disease and supervises the buying of raw cotton to prevent the mixing of different grades.The Lint Marketing Board encourages better ginning by the operation of the lint quality incentive scheme and by regular inspection of ginneries.An even-running staple is of advantage to the spinning industry rather than to ginneries, and plant breeders in Uganda aim to improve evenness of staples. Unevenness in staple length is also reduced by dividing cotton producing areas into zones, thereby ensuring that cotton grown under differing climatic conditions is processed separately.A Cotton Advisory Committee, which draws on all available technical knowledge, ensures that every effort is made to sustain improvement in quality.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the total contribution of the Sierra Leone Selection Trust to the Mining Benefit Fund from 1934; what is its annual contribution; how much has been dispensed since the Fund was inaugurated and for what purposes; and what share in the disbursements Kono has received.

I am asking the Governor of Sierra Leone for information

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department the number of offences, by category, for which, prior to 1948, courts had power to order corporal punishment, becoming known to the police in 1938, 1948 and in each subsequent year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints have been made to the Metropolitan Police B Division by the Basil Street Fire Station concerning access to and from the fire station.

I am informed that seven written, and a number of oral, complaints have been made by the London Fire Brigade.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department the number of indictable offences classified as involving violence against the person, by category, becoming known to the police in 1938, 1948 and in each subsequent year.

The figures are as follows:

Separate statistics are available only in respect of offences under Section 23 (1) of the Larceny Act, 1916 (robbery with violence, armed robbery and robbery in company with others). By 1938 corporal punishment had almost ceased to be used for any of the other offences for which it was in law available as a judicial punishment. The figures are as follows:

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether he will state the total expenditure incurred in preserving the Nash houses in Regent's Park; and if he will give also, in as much detail as possible, how the money was spent, with special reference to preservation of the structure of the houses rather than to fittings for office use.

£1,620,958 was spent by the Ministry of Works on the 212 houses which they took over in 1945 for use as temporary Government offices. Of this about three-quarters was attributable to structural repair and redecoration, including the repair of war damage, and the remaining quarter to the adaptations necessary to make them suitable for office use. In addition, since 1942 the Crown Estate Commissioners have spent approximately £820,000 on the preservation of the Regent's Park houses (an equivalent of just over £100 per house per annum) made up as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will state the number of convictions for the latest convenient year under Section 56 (i) (a) of the Mental Deficiency Act, 1913, for having carnal knowledge of a mental defective.

In 1956 sixteen persons were convicted of this offence.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations on how many occasions during 1957 the United Kingdom High Commissioner in India has paid officials visits to Malaya; and if his visits were a charge upon the British taxpayer.

During 1957 the High Commissioner has made no visits to Singapore or Malaya for which fares have been chargeable to public funds. He did however return to India early in 1957 from an official visit at public expense which commenced in December, 1956.

asked the Minister of Education what advice or guidance he has given to the appropriate authorities as to the number of hours of teaching per week they should require of technical college staffs, and as to what reduction they should allow for members of the staffs engaged in approved research.

No general guidance has been given, since the number of teaching hours per week for teachers in technical colleges is a matter for the employing authority to determine.

asked the Minister of Education what decisions he has reached about the recommendations of the Willis Jackson Report on the recruitment and training of teachers for technical colleges.

I will announce my decisions on those recommendations in the Report which require action by my Department as soon as the necessary consultations are complete.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are our gold and dollar reserves, as at the latest convenient date, expressed as a percentage of the total as at the end of June, 1939.

At the end of October, 1957, the gold and dollar reserves were, in terms of sterling, 132 per cent. of the total as at the end of June, 1939, including in the latter the gold holdings of the Issue Department of the Bank of England.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will reconsider his decision not to consent to the borrowing of money by the Swindon Corporation for the development of a playing field at Penhill, in view of the growing need for outdoor recreational facilities for nearly 3,000 children living on this estate.

I understand that the land is already being used for recreation; what is at issue is solely the expenditure of money on equipment. I do not think that this can be held to be of great urgency in relation to other important needs, but I should be prepared to look at the matter again later.

asked the Postmaster-General under what authority instructions were issued to postmasters that television licences were not to be renewed, nor new ones issued, during part of last July.

No instructions were issued preventing the renewal of licences which were due for renewal before 1st August or the issue of new licences during any part of July.As regards licences due for renewal on 1st August the Finance Act made no provision for the collection of the excise duty of £1 before that date and renewal in July could not therefore be permitted.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a table showing the total annual amount of living space supplied by local authorities in terms of apartments and of cubic capacity, in each year since 1950.

I regret that information in terms of cubic capacity is not available, but Table 5 in the quarterly housing return now gives details of numbers of apartments in houses covered by approved tenders.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will refer the supply of imported fresh citrus fruits to the Monopolies Commission, under Section 2 of the Act of 1948.

In considering future references to the Monopolies Commission I will take into account any information that the hon. Member may wish to provide.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what proposals Her Majesty's Government are contemplating in regard to new weights and measures legislation; and what steps he is taking to implement the recommendations of the Hodgson Committee on Weights and Measures for the better protection of the public.

I would refer the right hon. Gentleman to the Answer which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Penrith and the Border (Mr. Whitelaw) on 7th November.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he has reached a decision concerning the representations recently made to him in favour of lowering the age limit and abolishing the driving test for riders of mopeds; and whether he will make a statement.

I have received from the Committee on Road Safety a Report on the minimum age for motor cyclists, which is being published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office and will be on sale tomorrow. The Committee's recommendations on age limits are that the minimum age for drivers of mopeds should be reduced to 15 and for motor cycles of over 250 c.c. should be increased to 17. Before I could consider lowering the minimum age I must be fully satisfied that it is safe to do so. I propose to seek the views of interested organisations on these proposals, which would require legislation.The Committee also report in favour of a survey to obtain further information on accidents to motor cyclists in different age-groups; I propose to put this in hand. The Committee recommend that driving tests should be retained for mopeds and that licences granted to drivers who pass the moped test should be limited to that type of vehicle. Changes in the classification of 3-wheeled motor cycles for driving test purposes are also proposed. I am in general agreement with these recommendations, and will circulate draft amending Regulations to the interested organisations for comment.