asked the Secretary of State for Air whether he will make a statement on the damage to the Canberra bombers, Venom fighters and other equipment at the Royal Air Force station in Cyprus.

The fire which broke out on 26th November in a hangar at Akrotiri was almost certainly due to sabotage. It destroyed one Canberra aircraft. Three other Canberras and one Venom have been so damaged that they have had to be written off. Apart from the hangar itself, the remaining damage was small. Steps to tighten security still further are being taken.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what future constitutional arrangements are proposed for the Cayman Islands and Turks and Caicos Islands.

Her Majesty's Government propose that a Bill should be introduced this Session to enable fresh and separate provisions to be made by Orders in Council for the government of these islands. They will remain Dependencies of Jamaica, but it is agreed that they should exercise wide responsibilities through their elected representatives in the management of their internal affairs.

asked the Minister of Education how many backward children are being educated in special education sub-normal schools; and what percentage this represents, in terms of the total number of children in England and Wales, who should be in this type of school.

In January, 1957, the latest date for which figures are available, there were 26,362 children in special schools for educationally sub-normal pupils. Whilst opinions vary about the proportion of educationally sub-normal children who require to attend special schools, this represented approximately two-thirds of the total number of pupils for whom at the same date the local education authorities considered places were needed.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs from what date a five-day week will be worked in the Passport Office; and what provision is being made to issue passports in cases of emergency outside normal working hours.

After 1st January, 1958, the Passport Office will be open to the public for normal business on Mondays to Fridays only from 9.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. Cases of special urgency will be handled up to 6.30 p.m. on Mondays to Fridays, from 9.30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and from 10 a.m. to 12 noon on Sundays and public holidays. Those who are unable to call personally at the Passport Office during its normal working hours, and whose cases are not urgent, can submit their applications by post, through a travel agent, or through a local office of the Ministry of Labour.

asked the Minister of Health the average annual cost per in-patient bed of the services of medical consultants in each of the 14 hospital boards.

In the financial year 1956–57, the average cost of consultants' salaries per staffed bed of all types at 31st March, 1957, in the 14 regional hospital board areas was as follows:

Regional Board Area				Average Cost
				£
1.	Newcastle-on-Tyne	…	…	41·5
2.	Leeds	…	…	28·4
3.	Sheffield	…	…	33·6
4.	East Anglian	…	…	36·5
5.	N.W. Metropolitan	…	…	45·8
6.	N.E. Metropolitan	…	…	40·4
7.	S.E. Metropolitan	…	…	43·6
8.	S.W. Metropolitan	…	…	30·3
9.	Oxford	…	…	36·9
10.	South Western	…	…	30·3
11.	Wales	…	…	33·2
12.	Birmingham	…	…	34·9
13.	Manchester	…	…	28·5
14.	Liverpool	…	…	33·6

asked the Minister of Health the total expenditure on alcoholic liquor for use as a beverage in hospitals under his direction in connection with the Christmas festivities of 1954, 1955 and 1956, respectively.

I regret this information is not available.

asked the Minister of Health if he will consider the introduction to old-age pensioners of a concession whereby they may obtain their milk for 2d. per pint, as do children under five.

No. The rates of retirement pension are being substantially increased in January and this seems to be a much better and fairer way of helping pensioners.

asked the Minister of Health the total number of qualified doctors employed by the National Health Service; and the numbers who are employed by each of the three branches of the service, local authority, hospitals and executive councils, respectively.

Such figures are not collected for the Service as a whole. The approximate numbers employed in the hospital service and in general practice under the Service are:

Hospital service (excluding honorary staff)—17,300 at the end of 1956.

General practice (including assistants)—22,000 in January, 1957.

These figures are not mutually exclusive, as many doctors are employed both in the hospital service and in general practice.The latest available figure for local authorities relates to 1954, when 2,100 doctors were employed by local authorities generally: I regret that the number employed in the provision of local health services under the National Health Service is not available.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will estimate the numbers of school-leavers who will be seeking employment during each year in the period 1961 to 1965 inclusive; whether he is aware that there will be reduced numbers in the Armed Forces during this period; and what consideration he has given to the problems which will arise.

Estimates of the number of young people who will reach the statutory school-leaving age from 1961 to 1965 are as follows:

1961	…	…	…	857,000
1962	…	…	…	929,000
1963	…	…	…	822,000
1964	…	…	…	778,000
1965	…	…	…	744,000

It is anticipated that there will be reduced numbers in the Armed Forces during these years. There should in general be no serious difficulty about school leavers obtaining employment during this period though there may be problems in some areas and these are being studied. The National Joint Advisory Council will shortly be receiving the report of the sub-committee which has been considering the arrangements for the training of younger workers in industry having regard to the expected increase in the number of young people entering employment.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will consider the desirability of setting up a committee of inquiry into the present law with regard to the control of the rules of trade unions.

As stated on 5th December by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister the control of the affairs of trade unions is primarily the duty of the members themselves and I am not at present satisfied that a general inquiry of the kind indicated by my hon. Friend is called for.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance the maximum a bachelor who is 65 years of age on 1st January, 1958, can have paid in State insurance contributions; how much of that can be regarded as accruing exclusively to the retirement funds; how much, on the basis of current life expectation, such a man can be expected to draw as a retirement pension, assuming the new single rate of 50s. will be applicable and unchanged; and if he will give comparable figures in respect of a married man.

The maximum amount which an employed man who reaches 65 years of age on 1st January, 1958, can have paid in State insurance contributions since July, 1912 is about £240, whether he is married or single. Of this sum about £85 is attributable to retirement pensions. His employers would have contributed an approximately equal amount. A bachelor could expect to draw, on average, about £1,600 in retirement pension at the new rate. A married man and his wife, if she were five years younger than himself, could between them expect to draw about £3,500.

asked the Postmaster-General the result of recent tests at the new television station at Londonderry; and when the station will open.

The tests are not yet complete but the B.B.C. has decided that it will be able to open the station on 18th December.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he will arrange for the issue in 1958 of a postage stamp commemorating the International Geophysical Year, in common with many other participating nations.

Next year's programme for new stamps is already complete and I am sorry I cannot meet my hon. Friend's wishes.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that the letter box at Fowler Road, Hainault, which serves business organisations and factories on the Hainault Industrial Estate, is too small, usually being full half an hour before the 5.30 p.m. collection; and what action he proposes to take to remedy this state of affairs.

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for drawing attention to this difficulty, and I am arranging for a larger box to be put up as quickly as possible.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will appoint an independent commission to review the claims of Grangemouth as compared with other locations elsewhere in the United Kingdom for the site of the new steel strip mill.

Very thorough studies have already been made, and my colleagues and I have received numerous deputations and memoranda from Members of Parliament, local authorities and others on the merits of the different sites. I do not think that the appointment of an independent commission would assist the Government to reach a decision on this question.

asked the Minister of Supply what percentage by value of weapons and engineering stores, other than aircraft required by his Department, is at present being manufactured, respectively, by Royal Ordnance factories and by private firms.

In the third quarter of 1957 it is estimated that the Royal Ordnance Factories were responsible for about 65 per cent. by value of deliveries of weapons, and 25 per cent. of engineering stores other than aircraft. If, however, from the latter category are excluded proprietary articles, deliveries from agency factories, and equipment for which the Royal Ordnance Factories have no production facilities, it is estimated that they were responsible for about 65 per cent. by value.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what list of priorities exists as to which quotas imposed by Great Britain on Western European imports will be abandoned or relaxed as soon as there is any improvement in the balance of payments position; and what is the position of Dutch flower bulbs so far as this list of priorities is concerned.

The items to be removed from control when further liberalisation becomes possible must depend upon the circumstances at the time.

asked the President of the Board of Trade, in connection with his decision to remove the present restrictions on the imports of Dutch flower bulbs as soon as the balance of payments permits, whether he proposes to base his decision on the position of Great Britain's balance of payments with the world, or with Western European countries or with Holland; and to what extent the abolition of this quota will depend on a change in the present trade balance between Great Britain and Holland.

The Government must think mainly of our general balance of payments position.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will abolish the 33⅓ per cent. duty on the import of scientific instruments.

No.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will set out in tabular form the average price of raw materials, the average price of the principal raw materials used in the engineering, shipbuilding, pottery and principal export industries prior to the formaton of each trade association, and the price for two years after the formation of the trade association and for 1938, 1948, 1957, respectively.

The wide range of varieties, grades and units of measurement of raw materials makes it impossible to calculate a useful average of their prices. The information asked for in the second part of the Question is not available.