asked the Minister of Supply what progress has been made in the discussions with local authorities about the disposal of the Royal Ordnance Factory and site at Swynnerton.

Discussions with the local authorities are proceeding as expeditiously as possible, but the utilisation of an area of such a size and character cannot be settled without careful and, I am afraid, lengthy consideration.

asked the Minister of Supply to what repair depots, Government or private, is the work previously or now being done by the Bristol Commercial Vehicles, Company being transferred; what is to be done with this plant and equipment which recently gave employment to 400 men; and to what use they are to be put.

The much reduced volume of vehicle repair work now carried out by Bristol Commercial Vehicles, Limited at the Kingswood depot will be progressively transferred in the course of the next six months to Central Motor Transport Repair depots at Weston-super-Mare and Blackpool. The necessary plant and equipment will be similarly transferred and any surplus items will be sold.

asked the Minister of Supply the latest position about finding alternative tenants for the Royal Ordnance Factory, Cardiff.

So far no suitable buyer or tenant has been found and we have decided to advertise particulars of the factory in the national and local Press.

asked the Minister of Supply whether he has completed his investigation made following the Second Report of the Select Committee on Estimates, 1956–57, to ascertain the extent of contract draughting.

Yes, and a Memorandum has been sent to the Select Committee on Estimates.

asked the Minister of Supply whether he will make a statement on the profits made by firms from contracts awarded by his Department for the production of military aircraft.

I would refer the hon. Member to the Ministry of Supply's observations on this subject which are set out in the Fifth Special Report from the Select Committee on Estimates, Session 1956–57.

asked the Minister of Health what action he proposes to take to remedy the shortage of speech therapists in the North Riding of Yorkshire.

I am unaware of any such shortage but will have inquiries made if the hon. Member will let me know what he has in mind.

asked the Minister of Health whether the Royal Commission on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration have finished taking evidence; and when he expects to receive its report.

The process of taking evidence and collecting necessary information will not be completed for some months and while the Commission intends to submit its report as quickly as possible thereafter it does not expect to be able to do so until next year.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is now willing to reopen discussions concerning the salaries of radiographers.

In these matters the intiative for reviving a pay claim or making a fresh claim must lie with the Staff Side. Any claim for increases in radiographers' salaries will naturally have to be considered in the light of all relevant circumstances including the general circumstances of the country at the time.

asked the Minister of Health what steps he is taking to make known to local authorities and to hospital authorities his conclusions on the recommendations of the Report of the Piercy Committee on the Rehabilitation of the Disabled.

I sent circulars on 10th July to local authorities and to hospital authorities drawing their attention to matters arising out of this Report which are of concern to them. I am sending copies to my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what steps are being taken to overcome currency difficulties in Turkey, Indonesia, Israel or elsewhere which impede the purchase of British books, periodicals or films.

My right hon. and learned Friend is aware of these difficulties. They take different forms in different countries, however, and a single solution common to all is therefore not practicable. We are trying to apply methods appropriate to the particular circumstances in each country.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he has now received from the Russian Ambassador an explanation regarding the unauthorised landing of Russian sailors on Scottish soil.

No. The Soviet Embassy has asked for the extradition of the man whom the Soviet seamen were pursuing. This request has been duly considered and the Soviet Embassy has been informed that it cannot be entertained.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what monetary compensation the Panama Government has offered to Mr. Don White, Cann Hall Road, Leyton, for the maltreatment it is admitted he and his friend received from Panama officials some months ago; and what further steps he will take in respect of this incident.

Her Majesty's Ambassador in Panama has made representations to the Panamanian authorities. The latter have deplored the incident but, basing themselves on a different version of what took place, nevertheless refuse to accept responsibility for it. In these circumstances I regret that they have not offered to pay compensation and that it is unlikely that efforts to persuade them to do so would have any success.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on recent incidents on the Yemen border.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will hold the Yemen Government responsible for the shooting-down of British aircraft near the Yemen border recently; if it was attacked when flying over the Yemen or over Protectorate territory; what Yemeni aircraft have been observed near the border; and what further representations have been made to the Yemen Government in respect of Yemen-British relationship.

Only minor incidents had occurred on the Aden-Yemen border for some weeks before the serious incident on 8th July which involved the shooting down of a British aircraft. This aircraft was one of two which had been ordered to make a counter-battery attack on Yemeni machine-guns which were firing across the frontier on a platoon of Aden Protectorate Levies. The two aircraft came under heavy anti-aircraft fire from other guns sited in Harib and one aircraft was hit and crashed near the position of the machine-guns. The guns continued to fire at our aircraft and subsequently one of the guns was attacked and destroyed. In the circumstances it is impossible to say exactly where the aircraft was at the moment it was hit. The important point is that it was taking part in an action to defend Protectorate forces who were being subjected to an unprovoked and unwarranted attack from the Yemen. As in all cases of such unwarranted attacks Her Majesty's Government consider that the Yemeni Government are responsible for all the consequences. As regards the other points raised by the hon. Member for Leyton, no Yemeni aircraft have been observed near the frontier, as far as I am aware, since a helicopter was seen on 13th April. We are continuing our efforts to establish contact between officials from Aden and the Yemen to discuss ways of settling and preventing border incidents. The Yemeni authorities have now indicated that they will grant a visa for the new British Chargé d'Affaires.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will publish a list of the Committees which have reviewed the organisation of the foreign service since 1945; and what proposals for reorganisation are now under consideration.

No Committees have, since 1945, reviewed the organisation of the Foreign Service as a whole. Certain aspects of its organisation have been covered in the following reports:

(a) In its 13th Report, in the 1952–53 session, on "Assistance to Exporters", the Select Committee on Estimates dealt, inter alia, with commercial representation overseas.

(b) In its 7th Report in the 1953–54 session, the Select Committee on Estimates considered various aspects of the administration of the Foreign Service.

(c) In. April. 1954, and July, 1957, Reports were presented to Parliament on the Overseas Information Services. These dealt in part with the information work of the Foreign Service (these were published as Command 9138 and Command 225 respectively).

The organisation of the Foreign Service is always under Departmental review and minor modifications are made from time to time. No major proposals for the reorganisation of the Foreign Service are now under consideration.

asked the Prime Minister the Government's plans for the reorganisation of the Ministry of Defence and the Service Departments.

I have been asked to reply.My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister intends to publish a White Paper tomorrow.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will now make a statement on the implementation of the Heneage Report.

I am sorry that I am not yet in a position to make any further statement on this subject.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) the average retail prices of potatoes in October, 1957, and April, 1958, and the quantities of home-grown potatoes marketed in each month;(2) the average retail prices for home-produced eggs in November, 1957, and April, 1958, and the quantities despatched by packing stations in each month;(3) what evidence he has of changes in the quantities of food consumed related to seasonal prices changes affecting especially potatoes and eggs.

Such information as is available to me on retail prices and the quantities of eggs packed and potatoes marketed in the months to which my hon. Friend refers is contained in the statement below. Owing however to time lags and stock changes these quantities do not correspond with consumption in the periods stated. Some quarterly statistics of consumption of foodstuffs including potatoes and eggs as recorded by the National Food Survey and published in the Monthly Digest, are also available, but these cannot be closely related to seasonal changes in prices, which may vary considerably within quarters.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance how much has been paid in unemployment benefit since 1st January, 1955, to workers in the textile industries.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance whether he has now considered the proposal to permit retirement pensioners, who so desire, to have their pensions paid periodically by cheque or similar instrument instead of by weekly pension order; and if he will make a statement.

Yes. I have decided to introduce early next year a scheme under which retirement pensioners who so wish will be able to have their pensions paid quarterly in arrears by crossed postal drafts which they can pay into a banking account. Retirement pensioners who are interested should let their local National Insurance office know; they will then be given full information about the arrangements when it is available.

asked the Paymaster-General what general directions he has given to the National Coal Board with regard to the avoidance of damage in the neighbourhood of opencast coal operations and particularly with regard to the weight of explosive used.

None. But in authorising the National Coal Board to work opencast coal on sites requisitioned under the Defence Regulations my noble Friend imposes conditions in appropriate cases to minimise damage from blasting. These conditions vary from site to site.

asked the Paymaster-General what quantities of authorised fuel within the meaning of the Clean Air Act, 1956, were produced in 1957; and what is the estimated production for 1958.

Production in 1957 was as follows:

Anthracite	4·0	million tons.
"Phurnacite"	0·7	million tons.
Hard coke	20·5	million tons.
Gas coke	12·0	million tons.
Electricity	104,500	million kWh (a).
Gas	4,100	million therms (b).
Low volatile Steam coals	11·0	million tons.
(a) Includes industrial generation.
(b) Includes coke oven gas.

Information regarding production of the proprietary low temperature carbonisation fuels is confidential and cannot be given.Detailed estimates of production in 1958 are not available but supplies of coke, the fuel which will be the main substitute for house coal in smoke-control areas, are very good, and it has been necessary to limit production to check the rapid growth of stocks. Ample production capacity is available to satisfy a substantial extension of smokeless zones.

asked the Paymaster-General, in view of the fact that eight nuclear reactors will soon be producing plutonium at Chapel Cross and Calder Hall, to what extent it is still necessary to continue with the full programme announced by Her Majesty's Government to secure more high grade plutonium from atomic power stations planned purely for peaceful purposes.

The modification of certain civil nuclear power stations to enable military plutonium to be extracted should the need arise is only a precautionary measure designed to provide an insurance against the possibility that more plutonium might be needed than could be obtained from the eight reactors at Chapel Cross and Calder Hall.

asked the Paymaster-General to what extent a safety inspectorate has now been formed to examine periodically and keep under review safety conditions within the atomic power stations and allied establishments; and whether he is satisfied that sufficient emphasis is being placed on this development by Her Majesty's Government.

Yes. The Safety Branch of the Atomic Energy Authority is being strengthened in accordance with the recommendations of the Fleck Committee and the Government are preparing legislation to implement the policy of licensing and inspection outlined in the reply which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Clitheroe (Mr. Fort) on 10th February.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what major projects utilising structural steel, for which the authorisation of the Minister of Supply is required, are now so advanced in preparation that they could quickly be undertaken in the event of a a further decline in commercial demand for steel;(2) what major projects utilising structural steel, for which the authorisation of the Minister of Power is required, are now so advanced in preparation that they could quickly be undertaken in the event of a further decline in commercial demand for steel;(3) what major projects utilising structural steel, for which the authorisation of the Minister of Health is required, are now so advanced in preparation that they could quickly be undertaken in the event of a further decline in commercial demand for steel.

It would not be feasible quickly to undertake major projects for the purpose which the right hon. Member has in mind. On 21st April and on 3rd July my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer stated the Government's views on the nature and timing of action which might be taken as necessary to help sustain demand generally through increased public investment.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what action is now proposed to end the constitutional deadlock in Malta.

I would refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend's reply of 10th June, to my hon. Friends the Members for Sunderland, South (Mr. P. Williams) and Haltemprice (Mr. Wall).

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many persons have been imprisoned for offences under the emergency regulations in Malta; how many were sentenced for participation in unlawful assemblies of ten or more persons; and when it is proposed to withdraw these regulations.

The Preservation of Public Order Emergency Ordinance is the only piece of emergency legislation in Malta which confers additional powers for preserving public order. One person has been sentenced to six months' imprisonment under this Ordinance for cutting the wires of the Malta Rediffusion Service. Fifty persons have been sentenced under the Malta Criminal Code for participating in unlawful assemblies of ten or more persons for the purpose of committing an offence.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the number of postage stamps sold by the Crown Agents for the Colonies to dealers in England during 1957, and the total amount received from such sales.

The total number of stamps sold in this country and through the Crown Agents Bureau in Washington in 1957 was 20,295,652. The amount received from sales in the United Kingdom was £297,139 15s. 11d. out of a total of £494,712 2s. 4d.Records of the actual number of stamps sold in this country are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the number of postage stamps sold by the Crown Agents through their bureau in Washington to dealers in the United States of America for 1956, and the total amount received from such sales.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 25th June, 1957. Separate records of the numbers of stamps sold through the Crown Agents Bureau in Washington are not maintained but if the total for 1956 can be broken down I will write to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many Africans from Tanganyika applied for Government scholarships to study law in each of the last five years; and how many were granted scholarships.

Following are particulars of the numbers of Africans in Tanganyika who applied for Government bursaries to study law during the last five years, and of the numbers of bursaries granted:

1954 and 1955—No applications.

1956—Two applications both granted, though one candidate did not take up his award but went to Canada for further studies.

1957—Two applications, one granted and one rejected owing to lack of residential qualifications.

1958—Two applications, both granted.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what instructional facilities exist for study for the law examination taken by administrative cadets in Tanganyika.

I am consulting the Governor and will write to the hon. Member when I have his reply.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if, in view of the fact that Africans in Tanganyika have no legal titles to land, he will recommend to the Government of Tanganyika the setting up of an independent judicial inquiry into the delineation of boundaries between lands which have been alienated to non-Africans, public lands and African-owned lands, respectively.

No. In cases where land is lawfully used or occupied by Africans in accordance with native law or custom, the Land Ordinance provides that such Africans are regarded as having rights or occupancy over the land and their tenure is therefore legally secure, even though no documents of title have been issued. Th Land Registration Ordinance provides for the registration of titles in respect of land held under leasehold, freehold or rights of occupancy irrespective of the race of the holder, and the boundaries of the land so registered are delineated; it is intended to bring all such titles on to the register in due course. The Tanganyika Government have under consideration the adoption of a policy aimed at the individualisation of African land ownership in those areas where there is a general desire for it and registration of title with delineation of boundaries is part of that policy. In these circumstances I do not consider that there is any need for the setting up of an inquiry as suggested by the right hon. Gentleman.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies to what extent senior civil servants in his Department have had actual experience of administration in the Colonial Territories.

The Permanent Under-Secretary of State had spent thirty-three years in the Colonial Service overseas before taking up his present post. Both of the Deputy Under-Secretaries of State served for two years in a Colonial Territory before the war, and have paid visits of varying duration since. Of the Assistant Under-Secretaries of State one has just returned after five years' service in the West Indies. Another is now in New York after five years' service as a Colonial Governor.Of the remaining nine, six have also served in Colonial Territories for several years. All have paid frequent visits to Colonial Territories. More than half of the Assistant Secretaries have done, or are doing, similar tours of duty abroad; and almost all of them have paid visits to Colonial Territories since the war. In addition, the great majority of the professional advisers have been appointed to the Colonial Office after quite extensive periods of service in the Colonial Territories.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether he will give a list of the committees in Wales which advise the Government on matters of interest to the Principality.

The following is a list of the committees which advise about matters broadly affecting Wales as a whole:

• The Council for Wales and Monmouthshire.
• The Conference of Heads of Government Offices in Wales, with two Standing Committees: the Economic Committee and the Rural Wales Committee.
• The Sub-Committee for Wales of the Hill Farming Advisory Committee.
• The Welsh Board for Industry—with North, East and West Wales District Committees.
• The Distribution of Industry Panel for Wales.
• The Welsh Advisory Water Committee.
• The Welsh Advisory Council for Civil Aviation.
• The Transport Users Consultative Committee for Wales.
• The Nature Conservancy Committee for Wales.
• The Central Advisory Council for Education (Wales).
• The Welsh Joint Education Committee.
• The University of Wales Education Board.
• The Historic Buildings Council for Wales.
• The Ancient Monuments Board for Wales.
• The Wales Building Committee.
• The Building and Civil Engineering Industry Joint Advisory Committee for Wales.
• The Welsh Committee of the Arts Council.
• The Advisory Committee on Youth Employment for Wales.
• The Welsh Overseas Publicity Advisory Committee.

There are, in addition, advisory committees concerned with particular responsibilities in particular localities, such as the War Pensions Committees.