asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that certain personal credit firms in Scotland are exploiting the public by charging extortionate rates of interest; that such firms are supplying goods on the hire-purchase system without asking for any initial deposit; and what steps he intends to take to stamp out such undesirable trading practices.

The trading activities of certain firms in Scotland are now under investigation by the Board of Trade in relation to the hire-purchase orders. These orders are not concerned with hire-purchase interest charges.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether any approaches have yet been made by any firm for the occupation of the textile mill recently closed in Prinlaws, Fife.

No.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he has now prepared an export guide for the guidance of the principal export trades; and what action is to be taken to increase exports.

No. We provide guidance by publishing information in the Board of Trade Journal and elsewhere and by advising individual exporters through the Export Services Branch. As to the second part of the Question, we shall continue our efforts to expand the openings for British goods abroad and to encourage our exporters to take full advantage of them.

asked the President of the Board of Trade why our exports to China have not increased at least as greatly as to other countries; what are the prospects; and what action is being taken to increase our exports to China.

Our exports and re-exports to China in 1957 were 13 per cent. greater than in 1956. The corresponding percentage for all destinations was 4·2 per cent. On the last part of the Question, I would refer the hon. Member to the remarks made by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade in the Adjournment debate on 3rd December last. The prospects for an increase in our exports to China appear quite good.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will state the prospects of increasing trade within the Commonwealth with particular reference to Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

These markets will be affected, especially in New Zealand, by the fall in commodity prices. But our trade prospects in these markets remain good. In particular, our exporters should be able to increase their comparatively small share of the Canadian market.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what alterations have been made during the past six months to the list of strategic goods and materials banned for export to Communist countries; and if he will publish the current list in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Apart from minor technical amendments to the definitions of measuring apparatus, attenuators and high speed cameras already under control, the only changes have been to include certain types of printed circuit equipment, centrifugal testing apparatus and servomechanisms which have a military application. The list of embargoed goods was published in the Board of Trade Journal on the 7th June, 1957, and amendments were issued in the Journal on the 2nd August, 1957, and 3rd January, 1958. I am sending copies to the hon. Lady.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that the index figure of raw materials fell last month by 1·4 per cent. and that this is the eighth consecutive month when this index has shown a reduction; and what statistical evidence his Department has to show the time-lag necessary before reductions in the price of raw materials are passed on to the general public by low prices of manufactured goods.

Yes. The time-lag between the purchase of raw materials and the sale of products made from them varies widely from case to case. The price of raw materials is only one of many factors affecting the price of the product and, therefore, I do not have the statistical evidence asked for.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that the German Democratic Republic are to hold their annual trade fair at Leipzig in March; and whether he will arrange to have representatives from his Department in attendance.

Provided the Soviet authorities will grant the necessary visas, officials for British staffs in Germany will attend the Fair in March as they did last year, but in an informal capacity, since Her Majesty's Government do not recognise the German authorities in the Soviet Zone.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the total cost of all established and non-established Civil Service salaries and pensions, excluding those paid to individuals in revenue-earning and self-balancing Departments like the Post Office; and if he will state this cost as a proportion of total public expenditure and total national income, respectively.

Excluding the Post Office, and 10 small self-balancing Departments, the cost in 1956–57 of salaries paid to non-industrial civil servants was £289 million. It is not possible to separate the cost of pensions paid to former industrial civil servants from those paid to former non-industrial civil servants, but together they amount to £24 million. The total of £313 million represents 7·7 per cent. of total Government expenditure and approximately 1·9 per cent. of total national income in that year.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in pursuance of the recommendation of the Franks Report, he will so amend his regulations as to allow persons to require of Her Majesty's Customs and Excise independent technical valuation in Customs and Excise assessment of liability for duty where the object imported is not new and therefore its exact value is disputable.

No. There is already recourse to independent technical valuation where necessary.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in pursuance of the recommendation of the Franks Report, he will consider setting up machinery for appeals from the decisions of individual Customs officers which at present are summary and, within the general framework of the regulations of Her Majesty's Customs and Excise, arbitrary.

No. Decisions by individual Customs officers can be contested and made the subject of appeal to the Commissioners of Customs and Excise, from whose decision there is recourse to the courts. If my hon. Friend has any particular case in mind and will let me have details, I will look into it.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why he regards as outside the scope of Purchase Tax containers for jewellery on retail sale of those articles but decided that where such containers are used when those goods pass the tax point their value must be included with the articles they contain for assessment of Purchase Tax; whether he is aware that retailers of imitation pearls now insist on the pearls and the cases being separated, causing wastage of clerical work and packaging; and, as much jewellery is exported, whether he will modify this ruling in order to free containers of tax at all stages.

Because these containers are not themselves taxable, whereas the value for tax of any chargeable article such as jewellery includes the value of the container. The answer to the last part of the Question is "No."

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware that post-war credits belonging to people who are permanently incapacitated from work are being held by the Treasury without any payment of interest; and if he will take steps to ascertain the number of people in such a position under retirement age, and review the possibility of payment being made to them.

I appreciate the sympathy the hon. Member has for these people, but I cannot anticipate my Budget statement.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware that the Bank of England Charter, Command Paper No. 6752 of 1946, is out of print; and whether, in view of public interest in this matter, he will arrange with all expedition for copies to be made available.

The Paper has been reprinted and copies are now available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what delay there has been in the publication by Her Majesty's Stationery Office of its monthly catalogue in each of the last three months.

The monthly catalogues for September, October and November last were issued on 29th October, 29th November and 31st December, respectively. It is expected that the December catalogue will be available early next week.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total cost of the tribunal appointed to inquire into allegations of improper disclosure of information relating to the raising of the Bank Rate.

About £7,700.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will state the cost of the recent inquiry into the alleged improper disclosures of information relating to the raising of the Bank Rate.

About £7,700.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the cost to the Inland Revenue in the current financial year if the earned income of married women was assessed for taxation separately from their husband's income.

If the earned income of a married woman were taxed as if it were, in all respects, the income of a single person, and the income of the husband were taxed as at present, the loss to the Revenue would be about £5 million.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer which directors of the Bank of England are members of the Committee of Treasury.

The choice of directors to serve on the Committee of Treasury is a domestic matter for the Bank of England and is not one in which I have any responsibility. The right hon. Gentleman will, however, find present membership given in Question and Answer No. 7676 in the Proceedings of the Parker Tribunal.

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

No.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will request the Committee on Wages and Prices to inquire into the reasons why, after eight consecutive months of a fall in the index of raw material prices, whereby the index is now 10 per cent. below that of last April, these reduced prices have not been passed on to the general public by means of lower-priced manufactured goods.

The Council is at liberty, within its terms of reference, to inquire into the inter-relationship of all wage and price movements.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that since April of last year the index of raw materials used by manufacturers has fallen by more than 10 per cent.; and what action he proposes to take to ensure that the reduced costs of these basic materials, used in the manufacture of various articles, are passed on to the public by reduced prices in the retail shops.

In so far as the fall in the cost of raw materials is not offset by increases in other costs, I expect them to result in lower retail prices without the need for any specific action on my part.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury, in the case of how many companies were Surtax directions under Section 245 of the Income Tax Act, 1952, given in the year ended 31st March, 1957; and how many companies offered to make additional distributions after action under that Section had been initiated.

Notice of a Surtax direction was given in the year to 886 companies. 808 of these were investment companies which are subject to automatic direction. During the same period action under the company Surtax legislation was discontinued against 258 companies which had offered to make additional distributions.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he has now completed his review of the conditions under which subsidies under Section 5 of the Housing Subsidies Act, 1956, are payable; and whether he will make a statement.

I would refer the hon. Member to Circular No. 57/57, issued on 31st December, 1957. I am sending her a copy.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will state the number of houses built to let in 1954, 1955, 1956 and 1957 by Sheffield. Liverpool, Nottingham and Stoke-on-Trent local authorities.

I would refer the hon. Member to the Appendix to the Housing Return, where all this information is available.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many letters of protest he has received against the Rent Act, 1957, since this measure became law.

I have received 1,800 letters about the Rent Act since it received Royal Assent. Some expressed approval of the Act and others disapproval, while many simply asked for information about the provisions of the Act. My records do not however show how many letters there are in each category.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will state the grounds on which he declined to confirm St. Pancras Borough Council's Gordon House Road (No. 1) Compulsory Purchase Order.

I was not satisfied that the council's redevelopment proposals would make the best use of the land.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will now designate the British Transport Commission as a public board for the purpose of the Superannuation (Local Government and Public Boards) Interchange Rules, 1949.

I am considering a request from the British Transport Commission that they should be designated. This is a complex matter involving intricate and detailed examination and discussion, and I expect it to be some time before I can give a decision.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether a permanent remedy has now been found for the noxious smell which afflicted Stockton-on-Tees and other areas of Teeside last summer.

Intensive efforts have been made to identify and remove the cause of the bad smell which led to complaints last summer. I greatly hope that it will be found that they have been successful.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government when he intends to give a decision about the application of the Lancashire County Council for the scheduling as an urban district of the parish of Kirkby in the Whiston rural district.

I am today notifying the local authorities concerned of the terms of my proposed decision.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he is aware that the Blackpool Town Council have a development scheme, the cost of which will be in the region of £7 million; and, in view of the Government's desire for restrictions on capital investments, &c., what action he proposes to take to restrict this development.

My right hon. Friend has received no application from the council in respect of such a scheme. If and when he does so he will consider it in the light of all the relevant circumstances.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he is aware that the sums of money provided to assist the Dependent Territories within the Empire and to newly independent realms within the Commonwealth to develop and exploit their educational, industrial, housing and other potentialities and requirements are insufficient for those purposes; that such territories and realms are being thereby driven to seek capital from foreign sources, and that this is inimical to the solidarity of the Commonwealth and Empire; and if he will take steps to provide sufficient capital for such territories and realms.

There are few countries in the world which at present are able to obtain all the capital they would like to have. The amounts we are providing for the Colonies are considerable; and our policies on all these matters were fully set out in the White Paper on the United Kingdom's rôle in Commonwealth Development published last July. The hon. and learned Member will see from the White Paper that we do not accept his view as to the undesirability of attracting foreign capital from suitable sources on suitable terms.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many British information officers there are in Gambia; and what is the extent of their staffs and the scope of their work.

There is no United Kingdom information office in the Gambia. Official United Kingdom Information material is made available to the Information Office of the Gambia Government.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will make a statement upon the constitutional position in Uganda following the boycott of the Uganda Legislative Council by the Buganda Electoral Council; and what steps he is taking in the matter.

My right hon. Friend deplores the refusal of the Buganda Electoral College to elect a member in the place of Dr. Muwazi who resigned from the Legislative Council last November. I sincerely hope that the Electoral College will decide to perform its prescribed constitutional function and that the vacant seat will be filled in the interests of the people of Buganda. In the meantime, the seat will remain vacant.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he is aware of the antiquated sanitary arrangements in the new territories of Hong Kong, where untreated human excreta are used for fertilizing vegetables, a practice which increases disease-carrying flies and the spread of malaria; and if he will take steps to preserve the public health by introducing more hygienic methods to ameliorate these conditions.

The amount of untreated night soil used is insignificant. Matured night soil, specially treated to eliminate the germs of the enteric diseases, is widely distributed to farmers by the Government-sponsored Vegetable Marketing Organisation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what steps are being taken to supervise the conditions of vessels in the coastal trade from Hong Kong and Singapore apart from the statutory surveys; how many prosecutions have taken place during the past three years for failure to conform to the regulations on these vessels; and how many lives have been lost as a result of vessels turning turtle as a result of being top heavy.

Apart from the statutory surveys on British ships and requirements as to production of statutory certificates, immediate steps are taken locally to investigate complaints by masters or other responsible persons. Surveys for overloading and compliance with the Merchant Shipping (Grain) Rules, 1952, are also carried out on vessels entering or leaving Hong Kong. During the past three years there have been three prosecutions in Hong Kong for overloading. So far as I know there has been no loss of life in British ships from this cause.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies (1) whether he will publish a table in the OFFICIAL REPORT showing the principal crops marketed by co-operative societies in Tanganyika, the value of each of these crops in each year from 1948 to the latest available year and the percentages of the total crop which these figures represent;(2) whether he will publish a table in the OFFICIAL REPORT showing the principal crops marketed by co-operative societies in Uganda, the value of each of these crops in each year from 1948 to the latest available year and the percentages

ANNUAL VALUE OF TURNOVER OF THE SOCIETIES, BY CROPS
£ thousand
Year*		1948	1949	1950	1951	1952	1953	1954	1955	1956
Coffee	…	887	578	2,098	2,777	4,255	3,249	7,437	7,020	7,597
Cotton (Seed)	…	—	—	—	—	—	150	170	1,164	1,964
Tobacco	…	42	42	118	115	63	48	32	76	49
Rice	…	18	18	41	51	27	59	158	149	146
Maize	…	—	—	—	1	22	22	12	45	124
Wheat	…	32	80	77	165	2	—	—	—
* Figures relate to the turnover of the societies in the financial year terminating at different times within the calendar year or on the 31st December of the previous year.

ANNUAL VOLUME OF TURNOVER OF SOCIETIES AS A PERCENTAGE OF ESTIMATED ANNUAL PRODUCTION, BY CROPS
Percentage
—		1948	1949	1950	1951	1952	1953	1954	1955	1956
Coffee	…	47	32	55	58	90	73	70	90	95
Cotton (Seed)	…	—	—	—	—	—	10	5	20*	35*
Tobacco	…	20	18	21	29	22	14	6	24	15
Rice	…	4·5	7·5	Not available	4·5	2·5	6·5	10·5	Not available
Maize†	…	—	—	—	—	·2	·2	·1	Not available
Wheat	…	46	44	45	96	1	—	—	—	1
* Approximate figures.
† Annual volume of turnover as a percentage of of maize, millets estimated annual production and sorghums.

The information requested relating to Uganda is as follows:

ANNUAL VALUE OF TURNOVER OF THE SOCIETIES, BY CROPS
£ thousand
Year			1948	1949	1950	1951	1952	1953	1954	1955
Coffee	…	…	19	14	35	253	451	975	1,343	2,905
Cotton (seed)	…	…	13	53	149	331	593	824	1,135	1,194
Maize	…	…	17	26	23	20	16	31	91	36
Tobacco	…	…	—	—	—	3	8	8	13	27

pursuant to his reply, [OFFICIAL REPORT, Friday, 20th December, 1957: Vol. 580, c. 116], supplied the following information:—The information requested relating to Tanganyika is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many Africans in Tanganyika have been arrested for not carrying receipts for the payment of the personal tax of 10s. and the local government tax of 15s.; how many have been detained in police cells overnight; and in how many cases non-payment of the taxes has been proved.

To obtain this information would demand a special search of the records of some 50 district courts and approximately 900 local courts in the territory, and I do not feel justified in asking the Governor to institute Rich extensive investigations.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will make a statement on the situation on the Aden frontiers.

Since 10th December, there has been a renewal of disturbances caused by the Yemenis on the Aden Protectorate frontier. Recently the Yemenis have begun to use artillery and heavy machine guns, firing across the boundary, even on one occasion against the escort of a medical officer carrying out a vaccination tour. The Protectorate Rulers and tribesmen, with the full support of our security forces, continue effectively to resist and deal with this aggression.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what steps are being taken by the Government of Northern Rhodesia to implement the recommendations of the Committee on Freehold Tenure in Northern Rhodesia.

The Report of the Urban Land Tenure Committee, which was published in November, has not yet been considered in Legislative Council.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland on how many occasions and for what reasons he has refused to confirm byelaws made by the Nature Conservancy in Scotland under Section 106 of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act, 1949.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether he will state the number of teachers who have retired at the ages of 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, and 65 years, respectively, in each of the last five years, giving the numbers for men and women, separately.

The following table gives the information desired:

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many farms, excluding crofts, in Scotland are owner-occupied; and how many are occupied by tenants.

On the basis of a classification of holdings in Scotland by type of farm it is estimated that, excluding crofts, there are 40,800 farms of which 19,600 are owner-occupied and 21,200 are tenanted.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has yet decided where and when he will hold a public inquiry into the proposal of Aberdeen Town Council to discontinue the primary departments of Aberdeen Grammar School and Aberdeen High School for Girls; and what arrangements he is making for Aberdeen Town Council to be represented and to adduce evidence at the inquiry.

I would refer the hon. and learned Member to my reply to the noble Lady the Member for Aberdeen, South (Lady Tweedsmuir) on 21st January.

asked the Minister of Defence (1) to what extent the policy of continuing to manufacture thermonuclear weapons is for the purpose of increasing stocks, replacing stocks or for continued experiment, respectively;(2) how many thermonuclear bombs are stocked in this country on behalf of the British and the United States forces, respectively; and how long it is intended to accumulate stocks of these weapons.

It would clearly not be in the public interest to give this information.

asked the Minister of Defence what are the exact terms of the restrictions placed by the Government on the use of United States missiles based in the United Kingdom; and how the terms of these restrictions have been communicated to the United States Government.

I must ask the hon. Member to await the statement which I shall be making very shortly.

asked the Minister of Defence why practice in unloading and loading a thermonuclear bomb to an aircraft cannot take place exclusively on the ground; and what are the operational training advantages of carrying the bomb in position in the aeroplane.

Nuclear bombs are carried only infrequently in peace time. This is not normally necessary except for special operational exercises or for training exercises which involve moving aircraft from one airfield to another with their weapons. Practice in loading and unloading bombs into aircraft is carried out on the ground. Those general principles apply equally to the Royal Air Force and to the units of the United States Air Force stationed at or visiting bases in the United Kingdom.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what steps it is proposed to take to safeguard British shipping from the effects of competition with United States-owned vessels sailing under flags of convenience.

By doubling the Investment Allowance for U.K. shipping the Government have already taken steps to reduce the competitive advantages of shipping registered under flags of convenience, whether United States-owned or otherwise. The problem of the rapid expansion of these tax free flags is at present under consideration, but I can promise no early solution.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what additional finance will be necessary to provide for the increase in salary awarded to the members of the British Transport Commission.

The additional cost which it will be necessary for the Commission to provide will be £20,000 a year.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation why he did not hold a public inquiry before confirming the order that prohibited vehicular traffic using the bridge over the River Rother at the county boundary, Bedgreave Mill, Beighton, Derbyshire, in view of the known opposition of the Beighton Parish Council; whether he will exercise his powers, under Section 46 (3) of the Road Traffic Act, 1930, to revoke the order; and whether he will give an assurance that a new order will not be confirmed unless a public inquiry is held and an opportunity given for the bridge concerned in the order to be suitably repaired.

This bridge is in a very dangerous condition, but no one will at present accept responsibility for its repair. Under the circumstances I felt bound in the interests of public safety to confirm an order made jointly by the West Riding and Derbyshire County Councils, closing the bridge to vehicular traffic. When this order was advertised certain persons affected objected, but not the parish council. I am under no obligation to hold a public inquiry, but the objections made were carefully considered before I came to a decision. I have much sympathy with the objectors, and if they can arrange for the bridge to be made safe I will consider whether the order should be revoked or modified.

asked the Minister of Labour how many men and women in the county of Norfolk, including Norwich, were registered as unemployed on 1st January in each of the years 1956, 1957, and 1958.

The following Table gives the information desired:

NUMBERS OF UNEMPLOYED PERSONS ON THE REGISTERS OF EMPLOYMENT EXCHANGES IN NORFOLK AT THE UNDERMENTIONED DATES
Date	Males	Females	Total
16th January, 1956	3,163	934	4,097
14th January, 1957	4,108	1,136	5,244
13th January, 1958	5,841	1,304	7,145

asked the Minister of Labour what steps he proposes to take to find alternative employment for the steelworkers of Smith & McLean Limited, Gartcosh, who have lost their employment.

About 150 men and boys were discharged from this steelworks on 24th January and 60 more will leave at the end of this week. My local officers are doing everything possible to help in finding other employment.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will state the number of crimes of murder brought to the notice of the police in England and Wales during each month from April to December, 1957, inclusive; and how these figures compare with the same months during 1956.

The numbers of murders recorded as known to the police in England and Wales in the months in question are as follows:

			1956	1957
April	…	…	12	27
May	…	…	16	21
June	…	…	15	34
July	…	…	15	15
August	…	…	11	20
September	…	…	13	11
October	…	…	24	18
November	…	…	14	13
December	…	…	19	17
			139	176

The figures include some cases which have been, or may be, found not to be murders. Since the more recent figures cannot yet be adjusted by deducting such cases, all the figures are given in the unadjusted form in order to provide a comparison.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on whose orders and for what purpose Metropolitan Police cars and constables on foot, including an inspector, patrolled the vicinity and grounds of a house in the Metropolitan district on 27th December, 1957, the temporary abode of a film actress named Eva Bartok; and against whom, or what, she was being protected.

At mid-day on 27th December the Metropolitan Police received complaints that persons attempting to obtain interviews with Miss Bartok were causing annoyance to the residents of neighbouring houses. The responsible officer of the Metropolitan Police visited the area in question and stationed a constable in the road to prevent trespass or annoyance. Later in the day a message was received from a member of the public to the effect that there was a disturbance. Three police cars went to the scene, but, finding no disturbance, withdrew shortly afterwards. There is no foundation for the suggestion that the police attended for the protection of Miss Bartok.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will state the number of crimes of violence to the person brought to the notice of the police in England and Wales during 1957.

I regret that this information is not yet available.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that the occupation officers in the State institutions of Broad-moor, Rampton, and Moss Side, who are civil servants, are treated differently from their counterparts in other establishments in the Civil Service; and if he will take steps to ensure that these officers receive the same conditions of service as those civilian instructors in other departments.

These officers have no true counterparts in the Civil Service and their conditions of service are determined through the machinery of the Central Whitley Committee for the State Institutions.

asked the Minister of Health whether he has yet received the recommendations of the Whitley Council on Sir Noel Hall's Report on the Grading and Structure of Administrative and Clerical Staff in the Hospital Service; and, having regard to the necessity for restraint during the critical period of the combat against inflation, when he expects to be able to announce the Government's proposals in connection with the Report.

No. This Report calls for the most careful consideration both by the Whitley Council and the other interests involved, and I cannot yet say when I shall be able to announce the Government's proposals.

asked the Minister of Health how far the basic pay of a

HOSPITAL SERVICE
Pharmaceutical Whitley Council, agreement operative from 1st November, 1956
Basic grade pharmacists, male and female	All areas except the Metropolitan Police Area	£580 × £30(6)—£760×£25(1)—£785
	Metropolitan Police Area	As above plus London weighting of £20 per annum at ages 21 to 25 and £30 per annum thereafter
	A higher qualification allowance of £25 is payable in addition to pharmacists holding a qualification higher than the normal pharmaceutical qualification (i.e., Ph.C.)

RETAIL PHARMACY
NATIONAL JOINT COUNCIL FOR RETAIL PHARMACY AGREEMENT OPERATIVE FROM 15TH OCTOBER, 1956
—	Minimum Rates (Annual (52 weeks) equivalents of weekly rates)
	1st year			2nd year			3rd year
	£	s.	d.	£	s.	d.	£	s.	d.
Pharmacists (Males)
Provincial A areas (broadly towns outside the Metro politan Police Area with population of more than 10,000)	564	4	0	590	4	0	616	4	0
Provincial B areas (all other provincial areas)	551	4	0	577	4	0	603	4	0
Metropolitan Police Area	577	4	0	603	4	0	629	4	0

The rates for females are lower by £18 4s. 0d. per annum.

AGREEMENT OF 1ST APRIL, 1957 BETWEEN THE NATIONAL WAGES BOARD OF THE CO-OPERATIVE UNION LTD. AND UNION OF SHOP, DISTRIBUTIVE AND ALLIED WORKERS
—				(Annual (52 weeks) equivalents of weekly rates)
				1st year			2nd year			3rd year
				£	s.	d.	£	s.	d.	£	s.	d.
Qualified Pharmacy Assistants (Males)
Provincial A areas	…	…	…	616	4	0	642	4	0	668	4	0
Provincial B areas	…	…	…	603	4	0	629	4	0	655	4	0
Metropolitan Police Area	…	…	…	629	4	0	655	4	0	681	4	0
The rates for females are lower by £18 4s. 0d. per annum.

Following are the negotiated rates of pay:

asked the Minister of Health how far below establishment the hospital pharmaceutical service is in the country generally, and in Lincoln in particular.

No figures are readily available for the country as a whole, but in Lincoln excluding students there is a shortage on the authorised establishment of four whole-time staff offset by one assistant in dispensing and one part-time pharmacist. In addition, applications for one post of chief pharmacist recently advertised are being considered.

asked the Minister of Health if he will give an estimate of the percentage of cases admitted to hospital, in any representative area, that have been in-patients previously for the same affection in the same or some other hospital.

I regret that the information needed to make such an estimate is not available to me.

asked the Minister of Health if he will make a statement on his visit to the hospitals in the city of Stoke-on-Trent; and what action he intends taking as a result.

This was one of a number of visits that I am making and hope to continue to make to different areas as opportunity offers in order to enable to to learn at first hand how the service is progressing and to meet those engaged in it. I shall continue to act in conformity with my statutory and other responsibility.

asked the Minister of Health if he will carry out an experiment for a limited trial period of allowing the Stoke-on-Trent Hospital Management Committee to have a grant direct and manage its own area.

No.

asked the Minister of Health how many people in England and Wales are awaiting admission to hospital; and what are the figures, region by region.

434,000 at the end of September, 1957. The waiting lists in teaching and non-teaching hospitals in England and Wales at 30th September, 1957, are as follows:

—		Number of persons
Total: England and Wales	…	434,437
Hospital region:—	…
Newcastle	…	28,282
Leeds	…	20,061
Sheffield	…	51,960
E. Anglian	…	12,977
N.W. Metropolitan	…	36,447
N.E. Metropolitan	…	26,583
S.E. Metropolitan	…	30,089
S.W. Metropolitan	…	39,771
Oxford	…	17,041
South Western	…	28,735
Welsh	…	30,547
Birmingham	…	41,063
Manchester	…	56,734
Liverpool	…	14,147

asked the Minister of Health (1) how the waiting list of patients at the end of 1956 compared with the waiting list during all the previous years of the National Health Service;(2) what was the number of patients awaiting admission to hospital at the end of 1955 and at the end of 1956.

At the end of 1956 the number of patients awaiting admission to hospital was 431,000, the lowest number recorded since the beginning of the Health Service. Figures for the period 1949 to 1956 are given below:

					Number of patients awaiting admission to National Health Service hospitals at 31st December in each year
					Thousands
1949	…	…	…	…	498
1950	…	…	…	…	531
1951	…	…	…	…	504
1952	…	…	…	…	500
1953	…	…	…	…	526
1954	…	…	…	…	474
1955	…	…	…	…	455
1956	…	…	…	…	431

asked the Minister of Health how the four tons of Salk vaccine which has arrived from Canada will be tested for purity before it is issued to the public.

The weight mentioned refers to a batch of vaccine as packed. In addition to the tests made by the manufacturers, samples of the vaccine had successfully undergone the necessary tests by the Medical Research Council before the batch was delivered in this country.

asked the Secretary of State for War what percentage by value of direct purchases and maintenance work required by his Department is at present carried out, respectively, by Service establishments and by private firms.

About 97 per cent. of Army equipment is bought through the Ministry of Supply or other Government Departments and the remainder direct from private firms. Production in Army establishments is negligible. In the United Kingdom, Army establishments undertake about 80 per cent. of repairs to military equipment. A very small proportion, mainly boot repairs, is done by civilian firms and the balance through the agency of the Ministry of Supply. Overseas our repairs are done almost entirely by the Army.