asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what reply has been given to the letter from the International Confederation of Free Trades Unions protesting against the detention, without trial, for many months of free trade unionists in Cyprus.

I am having placed in the Library copies of replies sent to the Confederation on 28th October and 10th December.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies in how many translations into the vernacular languages of Uganda, excluding the translation into Swahili, the proscribed work Hadithi Ya Bara Hindi has been infiltrated into Uganda; and how many such copies have been impounded by the authorities.

So far as is known no translations of this work have been imported info Uganda except that in Swahili.

asked the Minister of Health the number of children under eight, 10 and 15 years of age, respectively, now detained in Rampton Mental Hospital.

None under eight years: one under 10: seven between 10 and 15.

asked the Minister of Health how many teachers are concerned with the education of the children detained in the Rampton Mental Hospital and what are the educational qualifications of the teachers.

One certificated head teacher who is an Associate of the College of Preceptors, an Associate of the Royal Society of Health, and holds the Montessori Diploma (with distinction).

asked the Minister of Health the total cost of the upkeep of the Rampton Mental Hospital for the last financial year for which this information is available.

£444,814 for the year ended 31st March, 1957.

asked the Minister of Health the number of patients at the Rampton Mental Hospital during the last financial year for which the cost is known who were discharged into the community or whose recovery has been such as to send them to ordinary mental defective hospitals.

In the financial year 1956–57, seven patients were discharged into the community and 56 were transferred to other mental deficiency hospitals.

asked the Minister of Health what is the cost of each patient per week at the Rampton Mental Hospital.

£7 12s 2d. for the year ended 31st March, 1957.

asked the Minister of Health what has been the result of the consideration given to allowing in appropriate cases patients at Rampton Hospital to remain out of bed longer than the present custom of requiring them to go to bed between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m.

This is still under consideration.

asked the Minister of Health how many television sets are available for patients at Rampton Hospital; and during what hours on weekdays patients engaged in the workshops are allowed to watch the television programmes.

Twenty-six. Patients employed in the workshops ire allowed to watch the television programmes from 4 p.m. till bedtime.

asked the Minister of Health what was the number of patients in the Rampton Mental Hospital at the last convenient date who have not been dealt with as mental defectives either by the courts or by the Secretary of State whilst being detained in prisons approved schools, or elsewhere.

556 on the 31st December, 1957.

asked the Minister of Health what is the number of patients now in the Rampton Mental Hospital because of absconding from ordinary mental hospitals or approved schools.

None, unless they also have dangerous or violent propensities.

asked the Minister of Health how many patients at the Rampton Mental Hospital have been patients there for more than 15, 10 and five years, respectively.

The answer is:178 for more than 15 years:301 for more than 10 years:479 for more than five years.

asked the Minister of Health how many patients at the Rampton Mental Hospital were patients at ordinary mental hospitals and afterwards transferred to Rampton on the grounds of being either dangerous or of a violent disposition; and what investigation has been held to ascertain why patients in ordinary mental hospitals eventually develop into either dangerous or violent patients.

Seven hundred and eight. As regards the second part of the Question, I do not consider any such investigation is required.

asked the Minister of Health how many patients detained in mental hospitals are certified as moral defectives under Section 1 (d) of the Mental Deficiency Act, 1913.

Hospitals are not asked to distinguish such patients in their statistical returns; but a special census inquiry made by the General Register Office showed that there were 85 such patients on 31st December, 1954.

asked the Minister of Health, with whom the final decision rests as to the need for supplying an ambulance transport for a patient to a hospital; and to what extent, before making such a decision, consideration is given to the distance that must be travelled, the state of the patient's health and the ability of the patient to pay for his own conveyance.

The local health authority, whose discretion is exercised through their medical officer of health. The over-riding consideration is the medical need for ambulance transport, which in practice is provided to the nearest place at which suitable treatment can be obtained. In these circumstances there is no charge. Other ambulance journeys may be arranged by the authority if they have transport available and on payment of the full cost of the journey by the patient or on his behalf.

asked the Minister of Health which of the main recommendations by the Royal Commission on Mental Illness and Mental Deficiency can be implemented by administrative action; and which of these will require legislation.

I am advised that present powers permit the implementation, wholly or in part, of the following recommendations:Part IV—Recommendations 6, 7, 25.Part V—Recommendations 1–4, 6, 9–11, 13–14, 15 (except the recommendation for a special capital grant).Part VI—Recommendation 9.Part VIII—Recommendation 3.The Commission's other main recommendations would require legislation.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what progress has been made with the reorganisation of Bevan's Works, Swanscombe, to allow the installation of four electrostatic precipitators.

Considerable progress has been made with the site works, despite the extremely difficult nature of the ground, which will necessitate building the four precipitators and the 350 ft. chimney on piles. Half of the piles for the chimney have now been driven, and foundations for the steelwork for the new kiln-feeding equipment are under construction.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many houses have been built in the county of Norfolk in each of the years from 1946 onwards, distinguishing between those built by local authorities and those built privately.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the Appendix to the quarterly Housing Returns, where all this information is available.

asked the Minister of Labour whether an establishment resettlement committee for Scotland has yet been set up for the purpose of finding appointments for the officers who have retired and who this year will retire from Her Majesty's Forces; what is the personnel of the committee; where and when it will sit; and what standards of educational, technical and other tests it will apply to determine the fitness of retired officers for spheres of constructive activity other than those in which they gained experience in Her Majesty's forces.

As part of the arrangements for the resettlement of ex-Regulars, both officers and other ranks, a Resettlement Committee for Scotland is now being set up. The Chairman is General Sir Gordon MacMillan, and the membership will be announced shortly. It will be for the Committee itself to decide where and when it will sit and how it will carry out its functions.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what check he keeps on foreign butter sold in this country below the cost of production in the country of origin; and what quantities of such butter have been imported in each of the last three years.

It would not be practicable for the Board of Trade to keep the kind of check about which my hon. Friend inquires. The information asked for in the second part of the Question is therefore not available.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation how many complaints and how many suggestions for improvement were considered by the Central Transport Consultative Committee in the years 1950 and 1956; and how many of these were referred for consideration by the British Transport Commission.

I am informed that the Central Transport Consultative Committee considered about 50 complaints and suggestions in 1950 and about 20 in 1956; of these 34 and 11, respectively, were referred to the British Transport Commission for consideration. The figures for 1950 include a number of local complaints and suggestions which would nowadays be dealt with by the Area Transport Users' Consultative Committees, only two of which had then been formed.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation how many complaints and how many suggestions for improvement were considered by the Air Transport Advisory Council in the years 1950 and 1956; and how many of these were referred for consideration by the appropriate airways corporation.

The information is as follows:

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he has yet decided whether or not to hold a public inquiry into the accident to an aircraft of British European Airways which occurred at Nutts Corner on 23rd October last.

Yes. I have decided to order the holding of a public inquiry into this accident. Arrangements for the inquiry will be announced as soon as possible in the usual way.