asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the effect on the work of administration of the Scottish Health Service of actions taken consequent on his deferment of the 3 per cent. salary increase for Health Service clerks and administrative workers.

I am informed that so far there has been inconvenience only in isolated cases. If this action continues, it may involve some delay in certain work not affecting patients.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on his conference with the Staff Side representatives of the Whitley Councils in the Health Service.

As my right hon. and learned Friend stated yesterday in answer to the hon. Member for Bermondsey (Mr. Mellish), he and I had a full and frank discussion with the deputation on varied aspects of the negotiating machinery in the Health Service and reaffirmed our undertaking to review in due course the decision to refuse a 3 per cent. salary increase.

TABLE
Name of School	Direct Grant	Pupils	Fees
			From			To
	£		£	s.	d.	£	s.	d.
Dollar Academy	38,179	675	27	0	0	38	0	0
Dundee High School	33,160	953	16	16	0	29	8	0
George Heriot's, Edinburgh	60,228	1,384	21	0	0	27	0	0
Merchant Company Education Board:	180,307		33	0	0	45	0	0
Daniel Stewart's, Edinburgh		842
George Watson's Boys' College, Edinburgh		1,421
George Watson's Ladies' College, Edinburgh		919
The Mary Erskine School for Girls, Edinburgh		941
Governors of Hutcheson's Educational Trust:	54,253
Hutcheson's Boys' Grammar School, Glasgow		684	11	17	0	23	0	0
Hutcheson's Girls' Grammar School, Glasgow		1,008	9	9	0	23	15	0
Governors of Morrison's Academy:	33,288		27	7	6	44	5	0
Morrison's Academy for Boys, Crieff		375
Morrison's Academy for Girls, Crieff		390
Queen's Cross Roman Catholic Secondary School for Girls, Aberdeen	7,647	228	12	12	0	15	15	0
Robert Gordon's College, Aberdeen	35,132	1,071	9	8	0	21	0	0
St. Aloysius College, Glasgow	24,495	695	15	15	0	30	3	0
The Marr College, Troon	26,469	692	Nil

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will send a circular to local authorities about the housing of old people, similar to that sent by the Minister of Housing and Local Government.

I am proposing shortly to issue a circular on various aspects of this important matter.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will name the direct-grant schools in Scotland; what was the amount of grant given to each of these schools in 1956; what is the number of pupils in each of these schools; and what fees are charged.

The information in the following table relates to the secondary schools receiving grant from the Education (Scotland) Fund. The direct grants and fees are for the financial year of each school ending in 1956 and the number of pupils for the session ending in July, 1956.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will name the schools under local education authorities in which pupils pay fees; and whether these are primary or secondary schools.

Education Authority		Name of School	Department in which fees are charged
Dundee	…	*Harris Academy	Primary
		*Lawside Academy	Primary
		*Morgan Academy	Primary
Edinburgh	…	Royal High School	Primary and Secondary
		James Gillespie's High School for Girls	Primary and Secondary
		James Gillespie's Boys' Primary School	Primary
		Trinity Academy	Primary and Secondary
		Wardie Primary School	Primary
		Leith Academy Primary School	Primary
		Holy Cross Academy	Primary
Glasgow	…	Allan Glen's School	Primary and Secondary
		High School	Primary and Secondary
		High School for Girls	Primary and Secondary
		Hillhead High School	Secondary
		Hillhead Primary School	Primary
		Notre Dame Roman Catholic High School for Girls	Secondary
		Notre Dame Primary Roman Catholic School	Primary
Angus	…	Arbroath High School	Primary
		Brechin High School	Primary
		Forfar Academy	Primary
		Montrose Academy	Primary
Bute	…	Rothesay Academy and Thomson's Institute, Bute	Primary
Clackmannan	…	Alloa Academy	Primary
Dumfries	…	Dumfries Academy	Primary
Fife	…	St. Andrews, Madras College	Primary
Inverness	…	† Inverness Royal Academy	Primary
		Inverness Convent Roman Catholic Primary School	Primary
Kincardine	…	Stonehaven, Mackie Academy	Primary
Kirkcudbright	…	Kirkcudbright Academy	Primary
Perth and Kinross	…	Perth Junior Academy	Primary
		Callander, McLaren High School	Primary
Renfrew	…	Paisley Grammar School and Wm. B. Barbour Academy	Primary and Secondary
		Paisley John Neilson Institution	Primary and Secondary
		Greenock Academy	Primary and Secondary
		Paisley, St. Margaret's Roman Catholic Senior Secondary School	Primary
Selkirk	…	Galashiels Academy	Primary
*Primary department being discontinued by stages and will be closed after session 1961–62.
†Primary department being discontinued by stages and will be closed after session 1960–61.

asked the Prime Minister if he will make a statement about the discussions which Sir Edwin Plowden recently had in Washington.

Sir Edwin Plowden and the Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Defence went to Washington to continue the discussions begun during my own visit in October. Further discussions between British and American experts are taking place, and it would not be appropriate at this stage to add to what was said in the communiqué issued at the end of my talks with President Eisenhower.

The following is a list of education authority schools in which pupils pay fees:

asked the Prime Minister how many United States aircraft carrying nuclear weapons have crashed within the frontiers of Britain in the last six months.

None.

asked the Prime Minister to what extent the Harwell successes in taming the hydrogen bomb for peaceful purposes have been denied publicity by the joint declassification committee; how close is the co-operation on this committee with United States scientists; and why a full interim statement cannot be made on the progress of these experiments.

The general state of progress of work on controlled thermonuclear reactions remains as explained to the House by my right hon. Friend the Paymaster-General on 11th November. Promising results have been obtained in the apparatus ZETA, but the interpretation of these will take time.There is full and mutually-beneficial collaboration between Great Britain and the United States on all research work in this field. One aspect of the collaboration is the adoption of common rules for the classification of information. The proposals of a joint United States/United Kingdom Committee for the declassification of certain categories of information are now under consideration. If these proposals are accepted, it will be possible to make public more details about the work now going on in both countries.

asked the Prime Minister whether, in view of the failure to reach a settlement between the Minister of Health and the Staff Side, Whitley Council, on the Minister's recent 3 per cent. salary increase veto, he will now agree to meet the Staff Side concerned.

I am arranging to meet a deputation from the Staff Side of the General Council of the Whitley Councils for the Health Services.

asked the Prime Minister if he is aware of the danger connected with Ministers appointing part-time personal assistants with no official position; and what control is exercised by him over Ministers making such personal part-time appointments.

I am not aware that there is any danger in making such appointments, if they are made with due discretion; and I am sure that a careful discretion is exercised by Ministers in this matter.

asked the Prime Minister what uranium supplies are provided to Great Britain and the United States of America, respectively, through the Combined Development Agency operating in South Africa; what proportion of British supplies are received from this source; how far the British supplies are used for nuclear weapons or for civilian purposes, respectively; what profits are permitted to the South African branch of the agency; and what safeguards are required regarding conditions of labour at the mines and to prevent racial discrimination.

During the year 1957, concentrates equivalent to between 5,000 and 6,000 tons of uranium oxide will have been sold by the South African Atomic Energy Board to the Combined Development Agency and allocated between the United States Atomic Energy Commission and the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority, according to their respective needs. During this year, much the greater part of the Authority's supplies will have been secured from South Africa. It would not be in the public interest to say in what proportions the Authority's supplies of uranium are allocated between defence and civil use.The Agency does not operate in South Africa except in the sense that it is a buyer of uranium from the South African Atomic Energy Board. Relations between the Board and the uranium mines, and conditions at the mines, are matters solely concerning the Government of the Union.

asked the Prime Minister which Ministers will be attending the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation talks in Paris next month.

I shall be attending the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation meeting in Paris from 16th to 18th December. My right hon. Friends the Foreign Secretary and the Minister of Defence will accompany me.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many planning schemes affecting property such as that concerning the British Museum have been shelved for several years under the authority of his Department, so that those persons likely to be affected by such schemes have no idea what their future will be; and whether, in view of the unrest and anxiety about the future held by such people, he will either make definite decisions about such schemes or cancel them altogether.

I take it that my hon. and gallant Friend has in mind the procedure whereby in certain circumstances land may be designated in an approved development plan as subject to compulsory acquisition. This can only be done where the Minister is satisfied that acquisition is likely to take place within ten years, and there is much to be said for publishing details of a firm proposal of this kind. I am, however, aware that publication also brings certain difficulties in its train, and I am considering whether anything can be done to lessen these difficulties.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government which London theatres have been the subject of planning application for change of user since his predecessor amended the London Development Plan with reference to theatres; and which applications have been granted, which refused, and which are still under consideration.

Since my predecessor approved the County of London Development Plan in March, 1955, the London County Council as planning authority has granted permission for the redevelopment of the following theatres:

• Alexandra, Stoke Newington.
• Bedford, Camden High Street.
• Gaiety.
• New Cross Empire.
• St. James's.^*
• Stoll.

A theatre is to be incorporated in the new building to be erected on the Stoll Theatre site. The Chelsea Palace Theatre; the Granville Theatre, Fulham Road; the Hackney Empire; and the King's Theatre, Hammersmith, are being used as television studios or theatres; and the Mercury Theatre, Ladbroke Grove, is being used as a ballet school.The New Lindsey Theatre, Notting Hill, has been demolished in connection with the Notting Hill Gate road widening. Permission has been refused for the redevelopment for other purposes of Collins Music Hall, the Granville Theatre, and the Palace Theatre.I understand that the Council has under consideration applications for permission to change the use of the Arts Theatre, the Camberwell Palace and the Queen's Theatre, Poplar, and also a new application in respect of the Alexandra Theatre, Stoke Newington.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what assurances he has received from the New Zealand Government that they will apply for planning permission as an act of courtesy in connection with any redevelopment of the site of Her Majesty's Theatre.

There is a well recognised procedure under which Crown development is the subject of consultation with the planning authorities, although it does not require formal permission; and I have no doubt that this procedure, or any modification of it which may be in force when the time comes, will be followed by the New Zealand Government.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government when he proposes to approve the West Sussex Development Plan, Southern Section.

With the agreement of the county council I propose to incorporate in this plan any change which may result from my decision on an important development application which has very recently been referred to me: as soon as the council can complete the modification maps thereafter, the formal approval of the plan will follow.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether his attention has been drawn to a resolution of the Fifth National Conference of Parish Councillors that the local government commissions should include a reasonable number of members with first-hand experience and knowledge of rural life derived from actual residence in the countryside for a number of years; and whether he will ensure that the commissions do in fact contain persons who are qualified in the manner suggested in the resolution.

My attention has been drawn to this resolution. It is, I think, too early to discuss the particular qualifications to be sought in individual members of the Commissions; but I certainly hope to find people whose experience is relevant to all aspects of the work.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what principles now govern his decision as to whether articles should be subjected to Purchase Tax at the various rates between 5 per cent. and 90 per cent., or whether they should be exempted from such tax altogether.

In all decisions on the rates and incidence of Purchase Tax the interests of trade and the consumer have to be balanced with the necessity to raise a given revenue.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reason it has been decided that a wooden pedestal desk, which is designed to sit more than one person, cannot be a domestic desk, and is therefore liable for Purchase Tax at the rate of 30 per cent. as against 5 per cent.

On trade advice. The rate of tax applicable is 15 not 30 per cent.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the decision was reached that the Purchase Tax of 30 per cent. should not apply to lawn-mowing machines with a cutting width of 18 inches or more; and whether he will review this regulation at an early date.

In July, 1955. In answer to the second part of the Question, I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer which I gave him on 19th November.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why the Capital Issues Committee adjudicates on a pure scrip issue where no element of raising capital is involved.

Because under the law such issues require the consent of the Treasury.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make arrangements to lend more of the pictures, now stored in the Reference Section of the National Gallery, to other public galleries, in addition to the 300 which are awaiting loan through the Arts Council.

This is a matter for the board of Trustees of the Gallery.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will break down the figure of £75 million, representing the total annual economic aid by the United Kingdom to under-developed countries, in such a way as to show by what organisations and methods this aid is given and for what broad purposes, what proportion is given in grants and what proportion in loans.

The following table gives details of economic aid by the U.K. Government for the three financial years 1954–55–1956–57. The classification of countries as under-developed is necessarily imprecise, and the table include asistance given towards the budget of certain Colonial Territories to meet, for example, administrative costs and the special military expenditures arising out of emergencies.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government, in view of the confusion in the Principality about a Welsh national flag, if he will issue appropriate advice by circular to Welsh local authorities or otherwise on the proper display of flags in Wales.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether to avoid confusion in the minds of Welsh people concerning a national flag for Wales, he will consider what advice or guidance can be given when it is desired to show the symbol of Wales on ceremonial and other occasions; and if he will make a statement.

I am considering whether it is desirable to issue further advice on this subject.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what was the estimated total number of unfit houses in the County Borough of Bootle at the time of his Department's survey; and how many are estimated to have been cleared by 31st December, 1958.

I would refer the hon. Member to the Blue Book published in November, 1955 (Cmd. 9593), and to the Appendix to the Housing Return which give the information he requires. The implementation of approved slum clearance proposals is a matter for the local authority.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many dwellings have been built in the County Borough of Bootle in the periods 1st January to 31st December for the years 1954–55, 1955–56; what is the estimated figure for 1956–57; how many of these houses in each year have been used for clearance purposes; and what are the estimated figures in that relationship for the years 1957–58, 1958–59 and 1959–60.

Information in reply to the first part of the Question is available in the Appendix to the Housing Return. The figures desired in the last part of the Question concern matters entirely within the discretion of the local authority.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many dwellings are still held by local authorities on requisition; how many of these are in the different metropolitan boroughs; how many are in cities with populations of 500,000 or more; and how many dwellings have been released in the past year.

The latest information available, at 31st October, 1957, is given below. The figures are subject to correction.

1. Dwellings held on requisition in England and Wales	44,118
2. Dwellings held by metropolitan boroughs	27,891
Individual metropolitan borough details as follows:
Battersea	804
Bermondsey	73
Bethnal Green	260
Camberwell	2,647
Chelsea	1,064
Deptford	847
Finsbury	380
Fulham	1,062
Greenwich	910
Hackney	2,132
Hammersmith	834
Hampstead	906
Holborn	613
Islington	1,118
Kensington	771
Lambeth	2,019
Lewisham	1,641
Paddington	1,535
Poplar	646
St. Marylebone	679
St. Pancras	871
Shoreditch	422
Southwark	291
Stepney	1,044
Stoke Newington	679
Wandsworth	2,306
Westminster	946
Woolwich	391
3. Dwellings held on requisition by cities with populations of 500,000 or more:
Birmingham	895
Liverpool	855
Manchester	97
4. Dwellings released from 1st November, 1956, to 31st October, 1957	12,676

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many unfit houses have been reported in the boroughs of Penryn and Falmouth, the urban district of Camborne—Redruth, and the rural districts of Kerrier, West Penwith, and Truro.

The following are the estimates of unfit houses submitted in accordance with Section 1 of the Housing (Repairs and Rents) Act, 1954, by the local authorities concerned:—

Penryn Borough	104
Falmouth Borough	110
Camborne—Redruth Urban District	260
Kerrier Rural District	2,000
West Penwith Rural District	384
Truro Rural District	800

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies when the visitor's permit, issued by the Fiji Government to Mr. J. E. Thornton, expired; why it was not renewed; and what were the reasons for his deportation.

Mr. Thornton entered Fiji in August, 1955, under the provisions of the Immigration Ordinance whereby visitors may stay for a period not exceeding four months. He was subsequently allowed to stay for another eight months until August, 1956, in order that he might complete a book that he was writing. It was made clear that no request to stay longer would be considered. A request in July, 1956, to remain for a further year was not granted, but he was allowed to remain in the Colony while he petitioned my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State. After this petition had been carefully considered the Governor was informed in December, 1956, that my right hon. Friend saw no reason to intervene.Accordingly, in January, 1957, Mr. Thornton was ordered to leave Fiji by the principal immigration officer in accordance with Section 8 of the Immigration Ordinance and, on failing to do so, was charged, tried and convicted in March, 1957, and in May the court recommended that a deportation order be made against him. His appeal to the Supreme Court of Fiji was dismissed in October and he was then deported.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what proposals have been made by the Governor of Nyasaland for making available low interest farming, business and housing loans to Africans in Nyasaland.

The question of loans to Africans from Government sources has been recently reported on by a representative Committee appointed by the Governor. The report has been accepted and published. The recommendations are detailed and difficult to summarise, but I have placed copies of the report in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will recommend the unofficial territorial sub committee, which has been set up in Nyasaland under the chairmanship of Mr. G. G. S. J. Hadlow, to examine the problems of adult education in the three territories of the Federation, to pay particular attention to the need to introduce travel ling library facilities throughout the Federation at are early date.

Mr. Hadlow's subcommittee is concerned only with Nyasaland. My right hon. Friend will certainly ask the Governor to bring the hon. Member's suggestion, so far as it relates to the needs of Nyasaland, to the attention of the sub-committee.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what steps he has taken to implement his undertaking of 8th May to amend the Order in Council of 1924 which prohibits Africans from holding title deeds in land, houses and shops in Northern Rhodesia, and allow the Protectorate Government to introduce a Bill enabling them to issue leases to Africans for residential and trading plots in municipal and African township areas.

The Order in Council did not prohibit the assignment of land on lease to Africans. It did, however, in practice make it impossible for Government to give leases to Africans owing to the fact that it contained provisions designed originally for the protection of Africans which prevented the normal enforcement of the conditions and convenants of leases in the ordinary form. As I informed the House in the Adjournment debate on 8th November, a new Order in Council which deals with the point was made in September.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what reports he has received of a recent armed clash between Somali Tribal Police and Ethiopian Asgaris; and what steps he is taking to preserve the rights of British protected persons on the border area of Ethiopia and Somaliland.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs to the Question asked on this subject by the hon. Member for Rugby (Mr. J. Johnson) yesterday. The Governor is keeping my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Colonies fully informed on the situation, and I assure the hon. Member that all appropriate action will be taken on behalf of the British protected persons in the Haud and Reserved Area of Ethiopia.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether, having regard to the present review of State scholarships and the survey of student expenditure submitted to him by the National Union of Students, he will review the value of his Department's scholarships; and whether he will also include in his Department's scholarship regulations provision for dependants' allowances similar to that included in State scholarship regulations.

My right hon. Friend will review the value of his Department's senior scholarships when the results of the present review of State scholarships are known. The suggestion about dependants' allowances has been noted.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what advice or instructions he has given to county agricultural executive committees in the last three years regarding the implementation of Part II of the Agriculture Act, 1947.

My right hon. Friend's advice to county agricultural executive committees in recent years has been that the disciplinary powers of the Agriculture Act, 1947, should be used only in really bad cases when other measures to bring about an improvement have been tried and failed.

asked the Attorney-General if he will state in detail the obstacles which prevent the bringing into operation of the Legal Advice Scheme provided for by the Legal Aid and Advice Act, 1949; and what steps he, alone or in conjunction with the Law Society, is taking to bring that scheme into operation.

Financial circumstances have so far prevented Sections 5 and 7 of the Legal Aid and Advice Act, 1949, which constitute the Legal Advice Scheme, from being brought into force. With regard to the latter part of the Question, would refer the hon. and learned Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Islington, East (Mr. E. Fletcher) today.

asked the Minister of Defence to what extent his strategical planning is based on the assumption that a permanent earth satellite may be launched within the next five years equipped with radio and television and other instruments.

I have nothing to add to what I said in the House in the debate on 7th November.