Written Answers To Questions
Thursday, 12th June, 1958
Canada
United Kingdom Court Maintenance Order
13.
asked the Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations whether he is aware that Mrs. Ife, 24, Compton Avenue, Brighton, who in 1954 was granted a court maintenance order of £9 per week from her Canadian husband and the custody of their two sons, has received only £2 in all; and what official representations have been made on her behalf.
I have been asked to reply.The enforcement by courts in Canada of orders for maintenance made by English courts is governed by Canadian provincial legislation. My noble Friend is making inquiries of the Nova Scotia authorities in this case and he will write to my hon. Friend when he receives a reply.
Education
Cagthorpe Secondary Modern School, Horncastle
18.
asked the Minister of Education if the new buildings for the Horncastle Cagthorpe Secondary Modern School have been approved for inclusion in the major building programme for 1959–60.
20.
asked the Minister of Education if, in view of the present shortage of secondary modern school accommodation in the Bardney area of Lincolnshire, he will give priority to the construction of the Cagthorpe secondary modern school.
I regret that it has not been possible to include this project in the 1959–60 building programme.
Manchester Schoolchildren (Train Excursion)
24.
asked the Minister of Education what disciplinary action has been taken against the Manchester schoolchildren who pulled the communication cord on eight occasions during a school excursion on 22nd May, thereby delaying the train by over two hours and affecting the service of other trains.
This matter is being investigated.
National Finance
Veterinary Medicines (Tax)
41.
asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the amount received in Purchase Tax on veterinary medicines in the past year.
Human and veterinary medicines are treated alike for tax purposes. I regret that the figure my hon. Friend asks for is not separately available.
Ordnance Survey Maps (Manchester Sales)
48.
asked the Secretary to the Treasury why the bookshop of Her Majesty's Stationery Office in Manchester does not sell Scottish Ordnance Survey maps.
The appointed agent for the sale of Ordnance Survey maps in Manchester has a large shop less than 100 yards from the Stationery Office bookshop. There are few inquiries for Ordnance Survey maps at the Stationery Office and for this reason only maps in regular demand are held in stock. Inquirers for other Ordnance Survey maps are directed to the official agent.
Under-Developed Countries (Senior Appointments)
asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many senior appointments in under-developed countries the Gater Committee have considered and recommended, respectively, in 1956 and 1957.
In 1956, five senior appointments in the under-developed countries were considered by the Gater Committee and recommendations were made for four. In 1957, 25 appointments were considered and recommendations were made for 15.
Purchase Tax (Hollow-Ware)
asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish statistics showing variations in the Purchase Tax on hollow-ware since Purchase Tax was first levied.
The main variations since 1940 in file rates of Purchase Tax on hollow-ware are shown in the following table:
| Date and Provision | |
| 1. | 21st October. 1940—Enamelled hollowware and other iron and steel hollow-ware of a kind used for domestic purposes was charged at 16⅔ per cent. Other hollowware was charged at 33⅓ per cent. but in 1945 tax was reduced to 16⅔ per cent. on domestic hollow-ware of aluminium or copper. |
| 2. | 10th April, 1946—Hollow-ware of iron or steel (whether enamelled or not), aluminium, magnesium copper or brass, being articles of a kind used in the service of food or drink, was relieved of tax. |
| 3. | 10th July, 1947—Dustbins, buckets, pails and their lids were exempted from tax. |
| 4. | 13th November, 1947—The rate of tax on those articles of hollow-ware which were still chargeable was increased from 16⅔ per cent. to 33⅓ per cent. |
| 5. | 9th April, 1948—The relief under 2 was superseded by a relief for "Vessels designed for use primarily as containers for food or drink in the course of its storage, preparation or consumption and lids for use with such vessels, but not including … articles made wholly or partly of stainless steel, articles coated or plated with silver, or articles of nickel, Britannia metal, nickel silver, pewter or similar metals." |
| 6. | 11th April, 1951—Pedal operated sanitary bins, coal hods and coal scuttles were exempted from tax. |
| 7. | 27th October, 1955—Articles relieved from tax under 3, 5 and 6 were made chargeable at 30 per cent. |
| 8. | 10th April, 1957—The rate chargeable under 7 was reduced to 15 per cent. |
Kenya
Lokitaung Prison (Mau Mau Prisoners)
51.
asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what complaints he has had from Mau Mau prisoners in Lokitaung Prison; and what inquiries he has received from newspapers concerning the authenticity of these complaints.
No complaints have been made directly to my right hon. Friend, but as regards the recently published allegations I would refer my hon. Friend to my right hon. Friend's reply yesterday. On the second part of the Question, a number of daily newspapers have asked my Department about the allegations made.
Agriculture, Fisheries And Food
Part-Time Courses (Agricultural Subjects)
54.
asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many students were enrolled in part-time classes for agricultural subjects over the latest convenient period; and whether he is satisfied that this kind of educational provision is effectively meeting the needs of the industry.
In the academic year 1956–57, there were just under 30,000 enrolments for part-time courses in agricultural subjects. With regard to the second part of the Question, this is one of the matters on which my right hon. Friend is awaiting the advice of a Committee set up under my right hon. Friend Earl De La Warr to review the provision of further education for agriculture made by local education authorities.
Exchequer Support
55.
asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what has been the precentage increase in Exchequer support for British agriculture over the past two years; and what proportions have been due to expanding output and falling prices for farm products.
The cost of Exchequer support for British agriculture increased by 16 per cent. in the financial year 1956–57 and by a further 18½ per cent. in 1957–58. I regret that we are unable to isolate the proportion of the increase due to each of these factors.
Pigeons
56.
asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what licences have been issued in Brighton or other seaside resorts to use stupefying bait or other poison to eliminate pigeons; how far this dope can be dangerous for children, pets, etc.; and what his Department's policy is in this matter in view of the Protection of Birds Act, 1954.
No such licences have been issued. My right hon. Friend's present policy is to grant licences under Section 10 of the Protection of Birds Act, 1954, only for research work. My right hon. Friend is advised that stupefying baits as used for this purpose are not dangerous to children or pets.
Home Department
Aspirin
57.
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether in view of his reference to the Poisons Board of soporific drugs combining carbromal and brom valetone, he will similarly refer aspirin as having similar properties of habit formation and more than 10 times greater record of use in attempted suicide.
No. Carbromal and bhom valetone were referred to the Poisons Board because of evidence that preparations containing them can cause harmful personality changes if consumed to excess. This does not apply to aspirin.
Ministry Of Health
Homeless Families
62.
asked the Minister of Health if he has considered the resolution passed at the Annual Conference of the Association of Hospital and Welfare Administrators last May regarding dangers arising from the presence
| Rank | Royal Navy (incl. R.M.) | Army | R.A.F. | Indian Services | Total |
| (Army Ranks used for convenience) | |||||
| General Officers | 273 | 221 | 29 | 58 | 581 |
| Brigadier | 66 | 292 | 26 | 96 | 480 |
| Colonel | 240 | 518 | 85 | 130 | 973 |
| Lieut.-Colonel | 690 | 1,019 | 117 | 658 | 2,484 |
| Major | 349 | 1,096 | 143 | 478 | 2,066 |
| Captain | 703 | 660 | 130 | 247 | 1,740 |
| Lieutenant | 19 | 326 | 42 | 387 | |
| Senior Commissioned Officer, R.N. | 350 | — | — | — | 350 |
| Commissioned Officer, R.N. | 441 | — | — | — | 441 |
| 3,131 | 4,132 | 572 | 1,667 | 9,502 |
of homeless families for long periods in temporary accommodation at welfare establishments; what answer he has made; and what further steps he will take to provide alternative accommodation in the form of family rehabilitation centres, in view of the serious problems caused by the present inadequate arrangements.
I have seen reports of this resolution. In accordance with the announcement made by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister in replying to the hon. Member for Brixton (Mr. Lipton) on 11th March, my right hon. Friend the Minister of Housing and Local Government and I are arranging for discussions to be held with the local authority associations to see how existing arrangements for dealing with homeless families can be improved.
Ministry Of Defence
Widows' Pensions
asked the Minister of Defence how many widows of Regular officers of each rank in the three Armed Services are receiving widows' ordinary pensions; and how many of these are not receiving National Insurance widows' pensions in addition.
The number of widows of Regular officers, including officers of the Indian Armed Services, receiving widows' ordinary pensions is shown below. I regret that it is not possible to answer the second part of the Question, since the records of the Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance do not include this information.
Housing
Requisitioned Properties
asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs (1) whether he is aware that some requisitioned dwellings are remaining vacant for considerable periods, the great majority being those which form part only of a requisitioned house and were not constituted as separate dwellings before requisitioning, and that the main reasons for such vacancy are that under Section 8 (2) of the Requisitioned Houses and Housing (Amendment) Act, 1955, they cannot be released without the owners' consent and that his Department insists that they can only be re-let to licensees of other requisitioned dwellings to enable the other dwellings to be released in lieu; and what action he proposes to take to rectify this anomaly;(2) what is the total number of units of accommodation, which form part only of a requisitioned house and were not constituted as separate dwellings before being requisitioned, and which are at present being held vacant because of the restrictions imposed by Section 8 (2) of the Requisitioned Houses and Housing (Amendment) Act, 1955, and by his Department's conditions of re-letting, in London and in the remainder of the country, respectively; and whether he is satisfied that the resultant waste of housing accommodation is unavoidable bearing in mind the great shortage of accommodation, particularly in the London area;(3) what is his estimate of the total amount of money that has been expended by way of compensation rent to owners of vacant dwellings, which form part only of a requisitioned house and were not constituted as separate dwellings before being requisitioned, since the Act came into force on 6th May, 1955; and if he is satisfied that the consequent expenditure of public funds was unavoidable.
The purpose of the Requisitioned Houses and Housing (Amendment) Act, 1955, is to enable the use of requisitioned properties for housing purposes to be brought to an end by 31st March, 1960, and now that less than two years remain for this task to be accomplished it is increasingly necessary for local authorities to press on vigorously with the work of derequisitioning. This aim will however be frustrated if authorities are permitted to use requisitioned properties as if they were part of their pool of permanent accommodation, and to move in other families as dwellings become empty. That is why as a general rule I am not prepared to authorise the re-use of vacant units, other than for the purpose of transferring families from other requisitioned dwellings which will in consequence be released. I am aware that parts of requisitioned houses can remain empty unless the owners are willing to accept release of the parts only. But the remedy is in the hands of the local authority concerned. If they cannot re-use the vacant parts in the way I have indicated, they should take steps to secure the permanent rehousing of families in the occupied parts, so that the whole property can be released. In this way, they can both save public expenditure and set more acommodation free. I have no information on which to base estimates either of the number of empty part-properties or of the total amount of rental compensation paid in respect of them.
Welsh Affairs
Steel And Tinplate Industry, West South Wales (Report)
asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what conclusions were reached by the four-man Team which he appointed to examine the steel and tinplate problems of West South Wales; and whether he will make a statement.
The Team were asked to consider further methods of meeting the difficulties raised by the closure of certain steel, sheet and tinplate works in West South Wales and the threatened closure of further works. Their inquiry was confined to the area between Neath and Kidwelly, where the main difficulties of this kind lay, and to the present transitional situation.The Team were not asked to consider the problems concerned with the building of a new integrated steelworks and strip mill, since this subject was under consideration by Minister.
The Team visited most of the steel and tinplate works in the area and conferred with the managements. They also met representatives of the trade unions concerned and of certain other bodies.
Their report has been received and has been carefully considered by the Ministers concerned.
In their report, the Team reviewed the recent history of the tinplate and sheet industry and emphasised that what they had been examining was essentially the remainder of the industry after the technical revolution represented by the erection of the fundamentally different integrated plants at Ebbw Vale, Margam, Trostre and Velindre. In so far as the Team commented upon the relative inefficiency of the older plant, it was to be borne in mind that it was inherent in the erection of the modern capacity that most of the old plant would be superseded by it.
The Team concluded that there was virtually no prospect of any further work for the hand tinplate mills, which had mostly closed already. They pointed out that the capacity of the modern tinplate plants at Ebbw Vale, Trostre and Velindre was substantially greater than present demand, and in view of the development of these modern plants there was no hope of the re-opening of the old mills.
At some of the hand sheet works, operations were still continuing and might go on until the end of 1959. The scale of operations during that period would depend very much on general economic circumstances. At the end of 1959 extensions to the modern plants producing strip sheet would come into operation and this would inevitably mean little or no demand thereafter for the product of the hand sheet mills.
So far as the steelworks were concerned, the Team reported that there were difficulties which had overwhelmed some of them and in some degree faced them all. By modern standards all the works were small, and it was difficult for a small works making ordinary quality steels to compete with large modern plants, even where other circumstances were more favourable than in West South Wales. All the works made steel from cold pig iron and scrap, and not from hot metal straight from the blast furnace as in most modern plants. The only blast furnace in the area, itself obsolescent, was not "integrated" with a steel plant. Generally speaking, works making steel from cold metal tended to be at an economic disadvantage. Much of the equipment in the steel works was obsolete, and some of it completely worn out. Most of the works were restricted to a very limited range of products and of sizes. Formerly, when the works made sheet and tinplate bars, they were next door to their markets, but now they were obliged to send most of their products to distant markets. Some of these difficulties were inherent in the geography of the area; others could be overcome only by complete reconstruction of the works concerned on a larger scale. The question of constructing new and large-scale steelworks was in effect the same question as the siting of a further strip mill plant, which the Team were not called upon to consider. Their enquiry was confined to the possibility of adapting the existing works to the changed circumstances.
The Team reported that one steelworks had for some years ceased to make sheet and tinplate bars and had developed a new trade in billets, in association with rerolling interests in the Midlands. Improvements had already been carried out at this works and further modifications in process would increase its efficiency. The Team considered that its prospects of continuing in operation were good.
Of the nine other steelworks in the area, five were still in operation, though none was working to capacity. The Team saw little prospect of reopening the works that had been closed, and three of those still open were in difficulty. These three works were operating at a heavy loss, but the immediate danger was that sufficient orders could not be found for their products. Two of them had been adapted to convert part of their output into billets which were sent outside the area. At best all three were high cost billet producers, but in any event demand had fallen away. These three works were working on a week to week basis; it was hoped that they might continue for some time, but the Team thought it should be recognised that sooner or later they would have to close. The remaining two works were not in immediate difficulty; they were being adapted to extend their range of products, and further improvements were contemplated.
One important question was whether the existing mills could be adapted to roll finished steel products, e.g. light flats and sections. Certain steelworks were experimenting with this kind of work and the Team considered that they might be successful in developing this trade, particularly if local markets could be found. The transport costs of sending to distant markets, when added to the high production costs inseparable from small-scale plants making this kind of product, would probably be prohibitive unless they were balanced by substantial local sales. The Team considered that the market for such products in the areas where the West South Wales Works could hope to be competitive was unlikely to be large enough to be of help to more than one or two of the existing steelworks; there was no evidence that any development of this kind could replace a substantial part of the former trade in sheet and tinplate bars.
The Team pointed out that there had been a complete revolution in the tinplate industry. West South Wales now had two of the most modern tinplate plants in the world and the output of tinplate was greater in the area than it had ever been before, but fewer people were employed and the manning of the modern plants was almost complete. The revolution in the sheet industry had not yet gone quite so far, but before long most—and more probably all—of the old plants would be replaced by the modern plants in other parts of Wales. So far as the old steelworks were concerned, the Team considered that further contraction was almost inevitable. They believed that the improvements taking place at a few of the plants had a good chance of success and should be given such encouragement as lay in the Government's power. They did not consider that there was anything the Government could or should do to try to keep the other old plants going, since this would increase the risk that all would ultimately fail.
The Team accordingly recommended that the future of the area must lie in the development of a wider variety of industries there.
The Ministers concerned agree with the conclusions of the Team as to the general policy which ought to be pursued, and, in particular, with the need for diversification of the local industry. Ministers are concentrating their efforts on securing the establishment of new industries as quickly as possible. The difficulties of doing this are evident, but with hard work by all concerned there need be no lack of hope and determination that they can be overcome.
Trade And Commerce
Manchester Corporation (Ardwick Cemetery Limited)
asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will now state what further action he has taken with regard to the financial arrangements made by the Manchester Corporation for the take over of the Ardwick Cemetery Limited.
The sending out of the letter signed by the Town Clerk of Manchester to shareholders on 2nd December last may involve offences against the Prevention of Fraud (Investments) Act, 1939. The matter is in the hands of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Transport
Brentwood Rubbish Dump
asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what consultations took place with his Department and the Brentwood Urban District Council about the need for widening the lanes in the neighbourhood of South Weald to take the additional traffic which is proposed to bring refuse to the new rubbish dump for Brentwood and the adjoining local authorities.
None, but I understand that Brentwood Urban District Council considers that Croxtie Green Road, which leads to the dump, is wide enough to cope with the lorries which will be delivering the refuse.
Ministry Of Supply
Short Brothers And Harland Limited
asked the Minister of Supply whether he will state the respective numbers of persons, formerly employed by Short Brothers and Harland Limited at their branch factories at Altona, Lisburn, and at Ballyclare, who are now employed at their main factory in Belfast, and the respective numbers of persons formerly employed at such branch factories who have been declared redundant.
Three hundred and seventy-one of those previously employed at the Altona, Lisburn, and Ballyclare factories of Messrs. Short Brothers and Harland are now employed in the main factory at Belfast. Twenty-one left Shorts' employment of their own accord, and 100 have been declared redundant.