asked the Presirent of the Board of Trade if he is aware that dressed granite from India and South Africa is admitted to Britain free of duty, that it is so admitted from countries whose standards of living are lower than the standard of living in Britain, that such granite is sold in Britain at prices much lower than the prices at which Aberdeen granite can be sold in Britain, that this militates against the granite trade in Aberdeen, and that these conditions have imposed unemployment in that trade in Aberdeen; and what steps he is taking to rectify this matter.

Like most other goods, dressed granite is admitted free of duty from the Commonwealth. The Government are not proposing to change this traditional policy.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will now indicate the tonnage of potatoes in respect of which he proposes to issue import licences.

The licences will not impose a limit on the tonnage which can be imported but they will be revoked when imports are no longer necessary.

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) whether when issuing licences for the importation of potatoes, he will impose a condition that the potatoes imported shall be household varieties, and not potatoes produced for industrial purposes;(2) whether having regard to the fact that British growers are required to dress potatoes for household consumption to a 1½ inch riddle, he will take steps to ensure that all imported potatoes are sufficiently large to conform to similar requirements.

No. The choice of variety and size of potatoes to be imported is best left to the trade. In any case, I am advised that there would be serious practical difficulties in imposing the conditions suggested by my hon. Friend.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how the present export of motor cars to the United States of America compares with exports during the last five years; and what consultations he has had with motor car manufacturers with a view to their still greater adaptation of cars to meet United States requirements.

Exports to the United States of America of new cars during the first ten months of this year were valued at £31·4 million. The comparable figures for the previous five years have varied between £8·4 million and £12·6 million. The motor manufacturers have, therefore, been very successful in this market and they are the best judges of how to maintain the expansion of sales.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the fuel saving which would result if old and inefficient gas and electric heating appliances in domestic premises were replaced by up-to-date appliances such as heaters working on the convector principle, he will consider in his current review the early reduction of Purchase Tax on electrical and gas heating apparatus of all kinds.

I would refer my hon. Friend to my right hon. Friend's reply to his Questions on 19th November.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the amount of foreign currency and dollars earned by the British tourist industry during the last 12 months for which figures are available; and if he will give consideration to the influence of Purchase Tax on the ability of hotels in Britain to re-equip themselves and offer better facilities to tourists from overseas.

Receipts from visitors from overseas in the twelve months ending with last August were estimated at £126 million. On the second part of the Question, I would refer to my reply to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Morecambe and Lonsdale (Sir I. Fraser) on 5th December.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the approximate annual cost of reducing to 30 per cent. all Purchase Tax rates now in excess of that percentage.

About £120 million.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware of the addition which the high Purchase Tax on stationery makes to manufacturing costs of many industries, not least some of those concerned with export trade; and if he will reduce this tax at an early opportunity.

I will bear the hon. Member's point in mind.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why the arrangements to cover by insurance hon. Members who suffer death or injury whilst travelling on Parliamentary business do not extend to those all-party delegations invited by Ministers to inspect the work of their respective Departments; why the visit of the all-party delegation to the Royal Air Force Station, Waddington, on 26th September, and the proposed flight in the Vulcan bomber by two hon. Members, were specifically excluded; and what was the estimated saving achieved by these exclusions.

Because the arrangements to which the hon. Member refers relate to travel on the business of this House. They could not be applied to journeys such as those which the hon. Member mentions.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what response he has received to his official appeal to manufacturers and merchants to reduce prices.

It is too early to expect concrete results from my right hon. Friend's recent remarks about the need and opportunities for some price reductions.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he proposes to introduce new methods of financing the nationalised industries.

My right hon. Friend has no announcement to make at present.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what economies are being carried out in Government services; and what is his estimate of the amount to be saved over the estimates for the current year.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give a list of the directors of the Bank of England, showing the other financial businesses of which they are respectively directors.

Such information is available in public works of reference and my right hon. Friend would deprecate any questions which could be regarded as relating to matters now under consideration by the Parker Tribunal.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer to what extent he estimates that the amount of United Kingdom Government grants, loans, credits and technical assistance to be made available next year under the Colombo Plan will exceed the £6 million made available during the year 1956–57.

I am not in a position to give an estimate at this stage.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will propose in the forthcoming Estimates the payment of token sums out of Exchequer funds to the part-time personal assistants of Ministers in order to bring such persons within parliamentary control.

No.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury if he is aware that many firms and nationalised industries are still not sending duly stamped receipts for accounts amounting to over £2 paid by cheque or otherwise; and if he will make a further public statement to clear up the present continuing misunderstanding.

Yes. In general, the recipient of a payment is under no obligation to give a receipt if none is demanded, but he must give a stamped receipt for a payment of £2 or more if the payer asks for it. This has always been the position, and nothing in the Cheques Act has altered it.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury how many death duties are payable or can be claimed under his regulations in respect of a family of six, comprising two parents and four children, all killed simultaneously, assuming that the estate is of sufficent value and that no other live relative intervenes.

The answer depends on a great variety of circumstances; for example, if all are intestate and the children all minors, there is only one claim for Estate Duty.

asked the Minister of Education, in view of the now widely acknowledged status of Russian science and technology, what steps he is taking to encourage the study of the Russian language by science and technical students in universities and higher technological institutes.

I have been asked to reply.The curriculum of university courses is a matter for the universities themselves; but I am informed that Russian is taught at most of the larger universities, and that there are evening classes in Russian at a number of technical colleges, some of which are planning special courses in Russian for students of science and technology.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will propose the appointment of a Royal Commission to inquire into and report upon the organisation and activities of trade unions.

No. I see no sufficient reason at the present time for making such a recommendation.

asked the Prime Minister what is the estimated maximum area within which human beings, following the crash of a plane loaded with unarmed hydrogen bombs, may be subject to death or injury from plutonium, plutonium oxide or alpha rays emitted from the source.

As I have stated on several occasions, any hazard will be localised and there is little serious danger from this type of accident.

asked the Prime Minister which heading of the Churchill-Truman agreement of 9th January, 1952, whereby the use of the American bases in Britain in an emergency became subject to joint decision, regulates the placing of those United States Strategic Air Command bases in the United Kingdom on a fifteen minute alert.

The Statement of 9th January, 1952, reaffirmed a previous understanding reached in the time of Mr. Attlee's Government. This understanding relates to the use of the bases in emergency and is not concerned with the state of readiness of the forces stationed at the bases.

asked the Minister of of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received from the National Federation of Fish Friers Limited with regard to the high price of fish; and what reply he has sent.

The National Federation expressed perturbation over the course of fish prices and asked for an inquiry. They have been informed that the recent increases in fish prices have been due to a

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is aware that the policy of the Potato Marketing Board cost the taxpayer £12,750,000 last year, and resulted in a waste of 350,000 tons of potatoes; and what action he will take to prevent such extravagance in future.

The figure £12¾ million quoted by the hon. Member is the estimate made by the Potato Marketing Board at the time when its Annual Report was prepared of the total cost of the Agriculture Act guarantee for potatoes in Great Britain in respect of the 1956 crop. Of the total cost, the Exchequer bears 95 per cent. In years of very heavy yield, when feedingstuffs are plentiful, it is not practicable to move all surplus potatoes scarcity of fish on the grounds which has been the result of natural factors and that an enquiry would serve no useful purpose.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are the latest figures available of the food consumption of old-age pensioners corresponding to those given by his predecessor on 15th November, 1954.

The following is the information:into consumption. Neither the total cost of the guarantee nor the unusable surplus constitute any evidence of extravagance on the part of the Potato Marketing Board. Nevertheless, my right hon. Friend does not claim that the present scheme is perfection. Discussions with the farmers' unions about alterations in the system of implementing the guarantee for potatoes are due to begin next week.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what acreage of potatoes he estimates to be necessary to produce a sufficient supply in a season of normal weather conditions.

The total quantity of potatoes used for human consumption in 1956 is estimated at about 4,700,000 tons. On this basis and after making allowance for seed, for potatoes used on farms and waste, a crop of normal weight and quality from 800,000 acres would yield sufficient potatoes for human consumption assuming normal seasonal imports of new potatoes. But human consumption has been declining and average yields increasing in recent years and these trends may continue.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what arrangements have been made to carry out his undertaking that home growers would be kept fully informed through the Potato Marketing Board about the timing and quantity of potato imports in the coming months, so that the marketing of the home crop, on which housewives mainly rely, will continue in an orderly way.

Under the terms of their licences importers are required to provide information about the potatoes which they import. Information about the total quantity of imports disclosed by these returns will be made available regularly to the Potato Marketing Board and other interests concerned.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, in view of the Potato Marketing Board's assurance that there is no real shortage of supplies, what is the reason for the rise in potato prices.

Potato prices reflect current and prospective market conditions of supply and demand and it is to be expected that with a smaller crop this season, prices will be higher than last season.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he is aware of the continued shortage of potatoes and that the price has now risen to between 4d. and 6d. per 1b.; and whether it is still his declared intention not to ration potatoes.

My right hon. Friend has no evidence of any shortage of potatoes in the shops and he does not propose to ration them. The most usual range of retail prices is 3d. to 4d. per 1b.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is aware of the difficult economic position of the small farmers in Warwickshire; and whether he will institute a survey in Warwickshire so that he may ascertain the facts of their position.

Information on the financial position of farms of different types and sizes throughout the country is ascertained from accounts collected regularly by university agricultural economists. This materials is considered at Annual Reviews of farm prices and special consideration is given to the small farmer. My right hon. Friend is not aware that the position of small farmers in Warwickshire—who account for only one to two per cent. of all such farmers in England and Wales—is in any way exceptional or that it calls for a special survey.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether, in view of the harm which has been done to the export of sheep owing to the disease known as scrapie, he will make it a notifiable disease; and whether, when notified, he will take steps to isolate the flock affected or, if these steps are not effective, proceed with a slaughter policy.

Scrapie is difficult to recognise in its early stages, it has an incubation period of up to three years, and the source of any particular outbreak in this country cannot be determined. I am afraid that, in the circumstances, the measures suggested by my hon. Friend would not be practicable.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether, in view of the reluctance of some local authorities to give grants under the Housing (Rural Workers) Act, 1926, he will authorise improvement grants for rural houses under the Agriculture Act. 1957.

No. The Agriculture Act, 1957, expressly excludes dwelling-houses from the improvements which are eligible for grant.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if, in order to remove misunderstandings, he will publish the scientific evidence from which his Department deduced that more than half the outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease in Great Britain during the past two years were attributable to meat from South America.

We collect all the information we can having a bearing on the origin of each outbreak and attribute it to some source where the circumstantial evidence appears to justify it. I shall be happy to send my hon. Friend particulars of some typical cases.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, in order to prevent rabbits from once more spreading through the countryside, if he will set up a rabbit destruction council that

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what developments have taken place on the proposals for a world food reserve, buffer

The Secretary of State for Scotland and my right hon. Friend have decided to appoint an Advisory Council on Rabbit Clearance to keep the problem in all its aspects under review. My noble Friend Lord St. Aldwyn will act as Chairman of the new Council, and the names of the other members will be announced as soon as possible.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which county councils in Wales have submitted schemes for grants towards unadopted roads, as distinct from unclassified roads, under the Agriculture (Improvement of Roads) Act, 1955, for the year ending 31st March, 1958; what is the number of schemes submitted, and the number approved; and what is the estimated expenditure and grants allowed.

The following is the information:stocks, a world food capital fund and the international use of food surpluses since the Food and Agriculture Organisation's report on a world food reserve was published in June, 1956; and whether he will state Her Majesty's Government's attitude to these proposals at the present time.

The F.A.O. Conference in Rome last month approved the Director-General's proposal to submit a report to the Economic and Social Council in 1958 dealing with various aspects of these problems, including national food reserves. While Her Majesty's Government consider a world food reserve to be impracticable, they are glad to see this further study of national food reserves.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he is aware of the need for new industries in Malta to provide employment for the growing population there; and if he will state his plans for the industrial future of that island.

Yes. Plans for attracting new industries to Malta are being formulated by the Maltese Government, in whose responsibility this matter falls. The appointment of an Industrial Advisory Committee, whom the Maltese Government are consulting in the matter, was announced on 6th November.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what development schemes he has in mind for Pemba.

Considerable developments are being undertaken for Pemba. The main emphasis in development for Pemba is on the improvement of communications, both internally and with Zanzibar. The main North-South road on the island is being improved on at an estimated cost of £156,000, of which £70,000 has been spent; improvements to the access road to Wesha Port are expected to cost about £30,000. Port development is a most important factor in the improvement of communications and it is proposed to develop the port at Wesha at a cost of some £120,000; the improvement of the port at Mkoani is also planned at an estimated cost of £30,000. During the past two years, two new vessels, together costing approximately £500,000, have been built for the Zanzibar Government and they are used for the maintenance of communications between Pemba and Zanzibar. It is hoped in due course to provide a satisfactory airport on Pemba, subject to the availability of sufficient funds, amounting to at least £40,000.Great importance is attached in the island to the provision of an adequate electricity supply. The Zanzibar Electricity Board has approved a scheme for Pemba costing £250,000 and orders for the generators and main equipment have already been placed.The Zanzibar Government envisage the extension of health and education services, of water supplies and of town planning projects. Work on the general improvement and extension of Wete Hospital costing £38,500 will start in 1958. £5,000 has been spent on rural health services and an additional dispensary costing £1,000 will also be built next year.Education services are being expanded as quickly as possible: £25,000 has already been spent on town and country schools, and on houses for staff and a further £4,000 is to be spent in the near future. Work on three water supply schemes costing £90,000 is in progress. Housing areas are being developed at a cost of £12,000, of which £7,000 has been spent, and work on other town planning schemes costing £15,000 will begin in 1958. An aerial survey scheme is also being carried out, under which the photography has been mostly completed, leaving the mapping to be done.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the two detainees at Athi River Camp, whose case came before a High Court recently and on whom 70 weals and bruises were stated to have been found, were medically examined before the administration of corporal punishment.

These detainees were not sentenced to corporal punishment but were injured during the quelling of an incipient riot in which they were participating. Medical examination shortly afterwards showed that the injuries were not serious enough for the men to be sent to hospital.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether oriental languages are taught in primary as well as secondary schools in Mauritius; and for how many oriental language teachers provision was made in the 1956–57 and the 1957–58 estimates, respectively.

Yes. Hindu, Urdu and Tamil are taught in 117 of the 173 Government and aided primary schools. Provision was made for 70 teachers of oriental languages in the 1956–57 estimates and for 95 in 1957–58.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he is aware that 12 religious leaders of various denominations have spent six months in studying the operation of the Emergency Regulations of Singapore and have now condemned them; and if he will, therefore, take steps to withdraw these ordinances.

I am aware that a memorandum about the Preservation of Public Security Ordinance has been sent to the Singapore Government by a group of clergymen and laymen of various denominations, acting in their private capacities. The memorandum comments on certain aspects of the procedure under the Ordinance, but recognises that, in the present situation in Singapore, a public security ordinance is necessary. It is for the Singapore Government to decide on any action in regard to the Ordinance.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many vessels are available for passenger and commerce movement between the various islands of the Windwards and the Leewards.

There are ten small auxiliary vessels serving the Windward Islands, and in the Leeward Islands a similar vessel provides a regular fortnightly service. In addition, a considerable number of sloops and schooners plies between the islands, and several shipping lines serving the West Indies arrange calls at Windward and Leeward Islands ports when cargo offers.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what negotiations are taking place for better means of communication between the West Indies islands, pending the establishment of Federation.

To replace the present one-ship service between the islands, the Interim Shipping Commissioner, appointed with the approval of the West Indian Governments, is at present negotiating for the charter of two ships. He is also negotiating for the appointment of an operator to manage the service.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what communications exist between British Honduras and Guatemala.

There are all-weather roads linking the ports of Belize and Stann Creek with Benque Viejo which is within two miles of the Guatemalan frontier. There is a rough road from Benque Viejo to the Guatemalan village of Fallabon on the frontier, and a very rough track from Fallabon approximately one mile in length to Plancha de Piedra, also in Guatemala, where there is a well-kept grass landing ground which regularly takes D.C.3 aircraft from Guatemala City via Flores, the capital of the Peten Province.T.A.C.A. International Airways maintain a twice-weekly air service in each direction between Belize and Guatemala City. A coastal vessel maintains a once-weekly freight, passenger and mail service from Belize to Puerto Barrios calling at Stann Creek and Punta Gorda.There is a radio-telegraph system linking Belize and Guatemala City via Tegucigalpa.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what steps have been taken to construct airfields at Dominica and St. Vincent.

Detailed schemes for the two airfields are now being considered in consultation with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation, and if the schemes are satisfactory I hope that construction will begin shortly. Colonial development and welfare funds are available to meet the estimated cost of about £425,000.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what proportion of the trade of British Honduras, in the last five years, has been with Guatemala and other Central American Republics.

Slightly under 1½ per cent. of the trade over the last five years has been with the Central American Republics, of which half has been with Guatemala.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will make a further statement on the situation in British Honduras.

I am glad to be able to tell the House that an atmosphere of calm prevails in British Honduras. There have been no demonstrations or disorders. It has not been necessary for the police to use any force whatsoever nor to invoke the aid of the military and naval reinforcements which, purely as a precautionary measure, arrived in Belize last Friday. On the contrary, these reinforcements have met with the friendly reception which is traditional in Belize.The Governor addressed the Legislative Assembly on Friday on the events leading up to the suspension of my talks with the Delegation. The same afternoon the Governor-in-Council revoked the election of Mr. Price to the Executive Council on the grounds that he had failed to discharge the obligations imposed upon him by his Oath of Allegiance as an Executive Councillor.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what is the commencing salary in the Windward Islands for junior clerks in the Civil Service, and for teachers in elementary schools, respectively.

The usual commencing salary for junior (in most cases Class III) clerks is $864 (£180). Under proposals which I approved in July but which are still, in some cases, under consideration locally by the teachers' unions, probationer teachers in elementary schools, who have broadly the same qualifications as Class III Clerks, would commence at $720, $780 or $840 (£150, £162 10s., or £175) depending on the standard of their qualifications.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will state the final terms of the agreement between the Governor General of Nigeria and the Governor General of the Spanish territories in the Gulf of Guinea.

I am arranging for a copy of the labour agreement, to which no doubt the hon. Member refers, to be placed in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will announce the date and other details of the direct elections to be held in Uganda.

It is hoped that the necessary arrangements will be completed in time for elections to be held towards the end of 1958. These will be direct elections in such districts as want them, apart from Karamoja. The detailed arrangements are provided for in the Legislative Council (Elections) Ordinance, 1957, a copy of which I have placed in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what action he proposes to take to relieve the pressure on Ministers in Uganda; and, in particular, when it is proposed to set up separate Ministries to deal with education and health as recommended in the Frazer Report in December, 1955.

It is not considered that the present pressure of work on Ministers in Uganda necessitates any urgent reallocation of portfolios and no immediate action is contemplated. As regards the recommendation in the Frazer Report that the formation of separate Ministries of Education and of Health and African Housing should be considered, the Uganda Government indicated in Sessional Paper No. I of 1956–57 that it did not favour this proposal at the present time. The Minister of Social Services has a large and responsible portfolio but he is assisted by an Assistant Minister.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what reports he has received from British African territories concerning "Voice of Free Africa" broadcasts from Cairo in Swahili or other languages; and whether he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend has received reports that a station using this name transmits anti-British broadcasts in Swahili for 40 minutes each day to East Africa. A careful watch is kept on these broadcasts.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will make a statement on the disturbances in Cyprus last weekend; and whether he will give an assurance that there was no provocation of demonstrators by auxiliary police and that no unnecessary violence was used.

Outbreaks and demonstrations, clearly planned by Eoka to coincide with the United Nations debate on Cyprus and to provoke the Security Forces started last Saturday in Nicosia. There have since been disturbances in different parts of the island. I have no doubt that these outbreaks were deliberate and organised. Demonstrators were armed with petrol bombs, pick helves and sections of piping and in at least one instance stocks of these weapons had been collected in a school beforehand. On Tuesday the disturbances threatened to develop into serious communal disorders.Under great provocation, the Security Forces have exercised remarkable forbearance in dealing with demonstrators. In disturbances in Nicosia on the 7th, a force of six regular police and six military police faced 1,500 rioters and were later reinforced by 27 regular police of the mobile reserve and eight soldiers. In the face of severe stoning and some casualties they tried to disperse the rioters by peaceful means. Force was used only as a last resort to restore law and order. The rioters were dispersed and order restored in 15 minutes. Similar action was taken on the 10th. The Governor assures me that there was no provocation of the demonstrators by any of the Security Forces. There have been no fatal casualties.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many schools in Cyprus are closed and how long the closing orders have been in force in each case; and how many children are being deprived of their education as a result.

I am consulting the Governor and will give the hon. Lady the information as soon as he replies.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will make a statement on the Resolution passed last week by the Trusteeship Committee of the United Nations concerning a policy for self-government for Trust Territories.

This Resolution called upon countries administering Trust Territories to estimate the date by which they expected them to achieve self-government or independence. The U.K. delegation voted against the Resolution. This was because Her Majesty's Government continues to regard as unrealistic any attempt to regulate by an arbitrary time limit the organic growth of constitutional development in these Territories.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware that a number of motor vehicles are being driven at night in the London area with only one sidelight burning; and what action is being taken by the Metropolitan Police to stop this dangerous practice.

I am informed by the Commissioner of Police that appropriate action is taken whenever lighting offences come to notice. In 1956 in the Metropolitan Police District 2,277 persons were prosecuted and 12,581 received written cautions in cases in which either one or both front lights were not being shown. In addition, nearly 70,000 oral warnings were given.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the recent disturbances at Dartmoor Prison.

On Monday, 25th November, 130 prisoners complained to the Governor of Dartmoor about the food. On Wednesday, 27th November, this complaint was repeated to a member of the Board of Visitors and the complainers were told that the matter was being investigated. On Friday, 29th November, and on Monday and Tuesday, 2nd and 3rd December, there was a mass refusal of the midday meal. Three prisoners who had eaten their dinner were assaulted, a missile was thrown at an officer and a small fire was discovered in the mat shop. The suspected instigators were segregated and all prisoners kept in their cells (except for visits and exercise) pending further inquiry and a search of the prison. The search revealed a number of hidden prohibited articles, including ropes, incendiary materials and improvised weapons, mainly "coshes" and knives.By Monday, 9th December, only nine men refused their dinner, and on Tuesday normal working was restored. Since then the prison has been quiet.The complaints about food have been investigated and some adjustments are being made. I am satisfied, however, that the quality of the food was not the cause of the demonstrations, and that the trouble was due to a group of recalcitrant prisoners who intimidated the rest into taking part. A number of them have been dispersed to local prisons.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department the number of prisoners not certifiable as of unsound mind but requiring psychiatric treatment not available in prison who have received treatment as voluntary patients in mental hospitals under Section 22, subsection (2) (b), of the Prison Act, 1952.

The answer for the period 1952–56, inclusive, is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give an assurance that the Metropolitan Police will assist local authorities in cases where prosecutions are necessary under the Rent Act, 1957, such as when illegal premiums are demanded, particularly in cases where extensive inquiries are needed, which would be outside the scope of the officers of a local authority.

The enforcement of the Act cannot, generally speaking, be regarded as a matter for the police, but the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis tells me that he would be prepared to consider assisting in exceptional cases where extensive inquiries have to be made or many statements have to be taken before the local authority can decide whether to take proceedings.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether he is aware that, for revenue and other purposes, all licensing authorities are compelled to keep records of attendances at licensed greyhound racing tracks, together with the amounts staked on the totalisators, &c.; and, as this information is already available, how much he estimates it would cost his Department to send a circular letter to the authorities concerned requesting the information requested in the letter he received from the hon. Member for West Ham, North, dated 19th November, 1957;(2) how much it cost his Department in the years 1945–55, respectively, to obtain the information concerning greyhound racing returns, as contained in the Press Bulletin issued by his Department for the year 1955 and sent to the hon. Member for West Ham, North, on 27th November, 1957.

The compilation of the information referred to involved returns by all the local authorities concerned; and their collation in the Home Office required a small part of the time of a considerable number of people. I regret that it would not be practicable to calculate the total cost.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Common wealth Relations whether he has yet received the report of the inquiry by the Commonwealth Economic Committee into Commonwealth raw materials; and if he will make a statement.

I have seen a draft of the first volume. As regards the arrangements for its publication, I would refer my hon. Friend to my answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Essex, South-East (Mr. Braine) on 21st November.

asked the Under secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations if he is aware that Tungku Abdul Rahman, the Prime Minister of Malaya, has agreed to meet Mr. Chin Peng for the purpose of discussing terms to end the war in Malaya; and, in view of the continued employment of Imperial troops in the emergency, what arrangements have been made for the participation of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom in these negotiations.

I am informed that the Prime Minister of the Federation of Malaya has agreed to a preliminary meeting between representatives of himself and of Chin Peng to discuss arrangements for the surrender of the Communist terrorists. Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom do not seek to participate in any such discussions which are the responsibility of the Malayan Government.

asked the Under secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations if he is aware that the Chief Police Officer of Penang, with the explicit approval of the director of operations of the British forces engaged there, in formed the residents of the island who are believed to have relatives among the guerillas that he will expel them from the island if they fail to secure the surrender of certain guerillas; and if this approval was given with his authority.

No. The conduct of Emergency operations in the Federation of Malaya is the exclusive responsibility of the Government of the Federation of Malaya and the officers to whom the hon. Member refers are responsible to the Government of the Federation of Malaya.

asked the Minister of Education in what circumstances his regulations provide for the suspension or cancellation by him of a teacher's teaching certificate.

Teaching certificates are not now issued by the Ministry, but regulations enable me to debar teachers guilty of misconduct or grave professional default from service in maintained, assisted and direct grant schools and other grant-aided institution. They also provide in the case of maintained and certain other grant-aided schools that, after consultation with the authorities responsible for the school concerned, I may on educational or medical grounds require that the employment of a teacher be suspended or terminated or made subject to conditions.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether it is still the policy of the Government to seek the creation of a demilitarised zone between east and west in Europe.

If the hon. Member is referring to the proposal in the Outline Treaty of Assurance offered by the Western Powers at the 1955 Geneva Conference of Foreign Ministers for the limitation and control of armed forces and armaments on both sides of the line of demarcation between a re-unified Germany and East European countries the answer is that Her Majesty's Government stand by that proposal.

asked the Minister of Health what action he proposes to take to protect the public where hospitals are shown to be contravening the provisions of the Clean Air Act and claim exemption as Crown property; and if he will make a statement on future policy.

Crown property is subject to Section 22 of the Clean Air Act and if excessive smoke from a hospital is reported to me by a local authority, I will act as required by that Section.

asked the Secretary of State for War with what weapons, including personal weapons, the officers and men of the 1st Battalion Worcestershire Regiment, serving in British Honduras, are armed.

They have light machine guns, Mark 4 rifles, revolvers, anti-tank weapons and mortars.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will give an assurance that the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers will continue to wear the red hackle in their caps.

Yes.