asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will state the figure of fathoms and cost in freight of pit props brought into this country by foreign vessels from 1st March to 22nd April.

No. The figures are not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a list of goods which are used in the major industries for safety purposes and which are currently subject to Purchase Tax.

Apart from the boots and helmets for which I recently restored the specific exemption, Purchase Tax is applicable to all goods falling within the appropriate group classifications whether or not they can be regarded as having protective character.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs which seaside local authorities make regular analyses of sea water with special reference to pollution by sewage.

My right hon. Friend has no information of local authorities who carry out such work, but the Public Health Laboratory Service Committee on Bathing-Beaches is conducting a programme of analyses.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he is aware that St. John's Church, Smith Square, is a building of special architectural and historic interest; what proposals for the confirmation of a demolition order have been submitted to him; and with what result.

St. John's Church is listed under Section 30 of the Town and Country Planning Act, 1947, as a building of special architectural or historic interest. The Act provides that notice of intended demolition must be given to the local planning authority, so that the making of a building preservation order can be considered. No such notice has been given.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what arrangements are being made for the election of municipal councillors in Uganda, in view of the fact that the present system of appointment by the Governor prevents the normal relationships being achieved between ratepayers and councillors.

Provision for the election of municipal councillors is made in the Urban Authorities Bill published in Uganda on 30th January, but detailed arrangements will be prescribed in rules to be made by the Minister of Local Government after the Bill becomes law and after consultation with all concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether it was with his authority that the White Paper on constitutional proposals for Northern Rhodesia was issued; what is the number of members of the Executive Council who have expressed their disagreement with any of the proposals in the White Paper; and what opportunities will be given to the Legislative Council of Northern Rhodesia to debate the White Paper before any decisions are reached.

The White Paper was issued on the authority of the Northern Rhodesian Government; the publication of these proposals for public discussion had my approval. It would not be proper for me to disclose what views may have been expressed in Executive Council. The Northern Rhodesia Government intend to provide time for a full debate during the next Session of the Legislative Council early in July, and no decisions will be reached until after it has taken place.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies on what basis citizens of Northern Rhodesia will be permitted to participate in that Government's scheme for the settlement on the land of British ex-Servicemen.

I presume the hon. Member is referring to the scheme at Mkushi. There are no qualifications on the basis of residence or citizenship. The scheme, incidentally, is not designed for British ex-Servicemen, arrangements for whose immigration are not the responsibility of the Northern Rhodesia Government, although it is hoped that some of them will take part in the scheme when they have acquired the necessary farming experience.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what amount of moneys from colonial development and welfare funds have been spent upon extramural work in East Africa by Makerere University College in the years 1956 and 1957, respectively; and what are the plans to expand this work, particularly with regard to establishing extra-mural studies in Tanganyika.

A colonial development and welfare grant of £12,000 has been made towards the salary and expenses of the Director of Extra-Mural Studies. Since July, 1956, issues of £9,600 have been made against this grant, of which the sum of £5,432 was spent in the year ending June, 1957. I am asking the Colonial Governments concerned whether they have considered with the Makerere College authorities any proposals the latter may have for extending the work of the Extra-Mural Department, and I will circulate a further reply in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will now make a statement regarding further progress with the proposals for constitutional development of Sierra Leone.

The proposals of the Sierra Leone Government embodied in Sierra Leone Sessional Paper No. 1 (copies of which are in the Library of the House) were endorsed by the House of Representatives on 6th February. I have now received from the Governor a despatch submitting them to me for the approval of Her Majesty's Government, and I hope to be able to reply to this in the very near future.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what restrictions there are on emigration from Mauritius to Tanganyika.

Mauritians wishing to enter Tanganyika must obtain either an entry permit or a temporary pass; the issue of these is governed by Section 9 of the Tanganyika Immigration Ordinance, 1957, and Sections 17–24 of the Immigration Regulations, 1957, copies of which have been placed in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT the number of Africans, Asians and Europeans, respectively, in Kenya, who will qualify for the annual personal tax under the Personal Tax Ordinance, 1957, under each category of income.

, pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 11th March, 1958; Vol. 584, c. 37], supplied the following information:The new Personal Tax is being collected on a non-racial basis, and statistics of taxpayers by race will not be kept. Estimates based on the system

of Personal Tax previously in force suggest that non-Africans who are likely to fall into the various grades of taxpayer will be grouped as follows:

Total Income	Below £120	£120–160	£160–200	Over £200
Asians (including Arabs).	15,000	5,000	5,000	40,000
Europeans	500	200	300	25,000

Since no personal tax based on income was previously in force for Africans no reliable estimates are available of the likely incidence of the new tax among Africans.

asked the Attorney-General when the Restrictive Practices Court is expected to consider the agreement registered with it governing the supply and sale of typewriters and their maintenance.

I understand that the restrictions in the registered agreement relating to typewriters have been abandoned since the date of the direction given to the Registrar. It is not, therefore, expected that the Restrictive Practices Court will consider the case for the time being.

asked the Prime Minister what recent representations he has made to the President of the United States of America regarding the possibility of the repeal or revision of the McMahon Act.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given yesterday by my right hon. and learned Friend the Foreign Secretary.

asked the Prime Minister whether the recent Royal Air Force Conference was held with Government consent; and upon what basis invitations to attend this conference were extended to hon. Members and other persons.

The Conference was held with the approval of my right hon. Friend the Minister of Defence. The Air Ministry made the audience as widely representative as the limitation of numbers allowed. Places were reserved for ten noble Lords and twenty-five right hon. and hon. Gentleman from this House, apart from those who were invited in other capacities.

asked the Prime Minister what decision has been taken by the Government to effect changes in the policy contained in this year's White Paper on Defence.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will now make a further statement following his study of schemes proposed by the late Miss Margery Fry for providing compensation for the victims of crimes of violence, including the dependants of murdered persons; and whether Her Majesty's Government will now consider proposing legislation for this purpose.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will specify the number, nature and content of the schemes he has considered, including those of the late Miss Margery Fry, designed to provide remedies and rights to compensation for the victims and dependants of unlawful attacks on their persons and property.

Miss Margery Fry proposed that the State should pay compensation to the victims of personal violence on a scale similar to that under the Industrial Injuries Scheme. I am still studying this proposal with care, but it gives rise to considerable difficulties, both of principle and of practice, and I cannot give an undertaking about legislation.

asked the Minister of Labour how many of the 70 Wear-dale quarrymen have accepted other employment; and what particular prospects of employment there are for the remainder.

Of the 19 men who were first discharged, eight are known to have found other work, none of the others registered at my local offices. Another 32 men were discharged at the end of last week of whom six have already been placed in other work. Efforts to place any others who register will continue.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will give full details of those parts of the resolution of the International Labour Organisation's Governing Body establishing a survey on freedom of association to which the Government took exception and which led to the United Kingdom delegate's abstention from voting on the proposals.

The proposals before the Governing Body of the International Labour Office authorised the Director-General to arrange directly with Governments for the sending of missions to carry out studies in their countries for the purposes of the survey without further reference to the Governing Body. In the Government's view the authorising of such missions, the estimated cost of which was disproportionately high, should remain within the control of the Governing Body and should be used only if other methods of assembling the necessary information proved to be inadequate.It was also proposed that the survey should be of wide scope covering all relevant aspects of national life, including those features of the political, economic and social conditions which affect the conception and practice of freedom of association, in the countries concerned. Despite requests for clarification, what was intended was not more precisely explained. In the Government's view, the scope of the survey needed to be more closely defined and should not extend to matters outside the proper field of the International Labour Organisation.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations what decisions were reached at the recent official discussions in Pretoria with representatives of South Africa on uranium production in the Union.

I am informed by the Atomic Energy Authority that during the recent discussions agreement was reached concerning the quantities of uranium to be purchased during the coming years by the Combined Development Agency, the organisation through which purchases are effected on behalf of the United States Atomic Energy Commission and the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority. The quantities to be purchased will maintain production at about the present rate. In other respects, the contract remains unaltered, except that in future any uranium produced in excess of the agreed figure will be available for sale elsewhere.The representatives of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority also had discussions with the South African Atomic Energy Board regarding the Authority's undertaking to buy uranium unilaterally from South Africa. Agreement was reached on the quantity to be bought and the price to be paid.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what progress has been made in finding proper institutional accommodation for the mental defectives at present in Westfield Park Home, Eskbank, Dalkeith.

The five mental defectives now remaining have recently been seen by a consultant physician and their cases will be considered by the Regional Assessment Panel on 22nd May in the light of his reports.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will make a statement about the application to inquiries in Scotland of the recommendations of the Franks Committee.

A memorandum governing the procedure at the great majority of future inquiries held under the requirements of statutes with which I am concerned has now been sent to local authorities in Scotland, under cover of circulars seeking their co-operation in the preliminary stages of the procedure leading to such inquiries. Copies have been placed in the Library.These documents have been drawn up in consultation with the Local Authority Associations, and are designed to give administrative effect to the Government's acceptance of most of the recommendations relating to inquiries in the Franks Report. They cover such points as the holding of inquiries in public as a general rule; the provision of statements by local and other public authorities so that potential appellants or objectors may see the case they have to meet in good time before inquiries; the order in which the parties to inquiries should be heard the availability of departmental representatives to give evidence on matters of fact and expert opinion; facilities for parties to inspect and comment on the factual parts of inquiry reports before Ministerial decisions are reached; the issue, along with Ministerial decisions, of reports in full to the parties concerned, or their deposit for local inspection where this is more appropriate; and the continuance of the present practice of explaining Ministerial decisions in the letters issuing them, including in future an explanation of reasons for any departure from recommendations in the inquiry report.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he will give an estimate of the variation in accident rate before and after the installation of a dual carriageway.

Investigations made by the Road Research Laboratory show that the provision of dual carriageways at suitable places reduces accidents. As local conditions vary so much it would be difficult to give any reliable overall estimates of expected reductions in accident rates.