asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give an estimate of the amount of Income Tax contributed by ex-Service widows in respect of the pensions they receive following the deaths of their husbands in the last two wars; what this amount would be if Income Tax were charged at earned income rates; and whether he will consider abolishing Income Tax altogether on these pensions or charging the tax at the same rate as that on earned income.

Possibly about £2 million. The pensions already attract earned income relief. I could not agree to exempt them from tax.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury what salary adjustments are made in the case of civil servants who are seconded for similar work to their own at international, conferences.

None; though such allowances as are authorised are paid.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he has now formed an estimate of the number of tenants who have been unable to reach agreement with their landlords in respect of future tenancies and who are faced with the prospect of eviction.

I doubt whether such an estimate would serve any useful purpose. Even though some landlords and tenants have not so far agreed on future tenancies, the Landlord and Tenant Bill may encourage them to do so now.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether his attention has been called to the £1 down houses which have been built by Windsor Council; and whether he will recommend local authorities throughout the country to consider this experiment.

Yes. It is a scheme I welcome, and I would be glad to see local authorities taking the initiative in this way.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether he has yet considered the applications of the county councils of Brecon, Carmarthen and Monmouth to set up a joint advisory committee for the administration of the Brecon Beacons National Park; and whether he will make a statement.

I am at present considering the representations of the three county councils and the National Parks Commission. I shall be letting them know my conclusions shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies why ex-Senior Chief Koinange is kept in detention in view of his acquittal of charges brought against him in the Kenya courts; what is his age and present state of health; in which detention camp he is kept; and when relatives last visited him.

Ex-Senior Chief Koinange, who had been detained because the Governor was satisfied that his detention was necessary for the purpose of maintaining public order, is now living in restricted residence at Kabarnet Township. His detention order has been suspended. He is now about 90 years old and his state of health is satisfactory for a man of his years. While a house is being built for him he is accommodated in the hospital where good medical and nursing care are available. Permission has been given for a relation to join him permanently and he was last visited in April by his wife, his son Charles and a daughter.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what encouragement is being given by the Kenya Government to the development of inter-racial primary and secondary schools.

The Government of Kenya are prepared in principle to assist voluntary agencies who set up such schools by recurrent assistance, the form of which is now under examination. Two specific projects have been accepted in principle.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the average wage of children of fourteen years or under in tobacco grading establishments and tobacco sales floors in Northern Rhodesia.

I have consulted the Governor and will circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT full information when it is available. I can, however, say now that the employment of children under twelve years of age in industrial undertakings is prohibited by Section 4 of the Employment of Women, Young Persons and Children Ordinance, and it seems probable that tobacco grading establishments should be regarded as industrial undertakings, for the purpose of that Section: there are no tobacco auction floors.The Governor has, however, informed me that, as a result of his inquiries, it has been reported that up to 150 children whose age may be about ten years are employed in tobacco grading establishments in the Eastern Province; the period of their employment is three or four months each year, and their average monthly wage is 11s. 3d. plus mid-day meals and rations worth about 12s. This apparent infringement of the law is now under investigation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has any statement to make with regard to threatened famine in the native reserves of Northern Rhodesia.

As a result of adverse weather the harvest has been generally bad throughout Northern Rhodesia, but I am glad to inform the House that no famine is expected. In parts of the Barotseland Protectorate, plans have been made to import foodstuffs to prevent severe shortage.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will state the price at which mealies are sold to the natives of Northern Rhodesia.

I am consulting the Governor of Northern Rhodesia and will circulate a reply in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies to what extent Her Majesty's Government have co-operated in joint studies of ways and means of establishing a comprehensive system of social security in countries now entering upon more rapid economic and social development under United Kingdom administration, in accordance with the resolution of the United Nations Economic and Social Council at its 24th Session.

The resolution which I think the hon. Member has in mind related to joint studies by the United Nations Secretariat, the International Labour Organisation and other specialised agencies, and Her Majesty's Government have not been called upon to co-operate.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many acres in Cyprus are being used for military purposes; how many Cypriots have been dispossessed of land during the period since 1955; and what alternative opportunities for productive employment have been offered to them.

I am consulting the Governor and will write to the hon. Member when I receive the information.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if the emergency powers exercised by the Government of Cyprus in respect of the legality of secret organisations, the flying of national flags, the display of slogans and the imposition of the death penalty for carrying arms, apply equally to Cypriots of all races.

There are no emergency powers relating to the legality of secret organisations (which are regulated by the Criminal Code), and none in force relating to the flying of flags. The reply to the remainder of the Question is: Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many Greek Cypriots and how many Turkish Cypriots have been arrested in connection with communal disturbances since the beginning of June; and how many of each category are still detained.

The answer to the first part of the Question is 524 Greek Cypriots and 164 Turkish Cypriots: and to the second part of the Question, 43 and 48, respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies on what grounds the Turkish-Cypriot organisation Volkan is treated differently from EOKA; and why Ankara radio is permitted to broadcast inflammatory speeches to Cyprus when Athens radio is systematically jammed.

The nature and timing of counter-measures call for careful weighing of a number of factors; but if there is any suggestion of undue patience in relation to the Turks, I would point out that EOKA was not proscribed until five months after its first acts of violence, while it was only after repeated and unavailing representations had been made to the Greek Government over a period of eighteen months that Athens radio was jammed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if the report of the Nigerian Minorities Commission has yet been completed; and if he will place a copy in the Library in order that the report can be studied before the House rises and the resumed Constitutional Conference assembles in September.

I understand that the report is not yet complete. It will be printed as a Command Paper and copies will, of course, be placed in the Library as soon as they are available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what decisions were reached in his recent conversations with Aden Protectorate rulers who visited this country recently.

The discussions are not yet completed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if his attention has been drawn to the official statements made by the Chief Minister of Trinidad and Tobago on 6th and 20th June, 1958, regarding the United States leased areas in Trinidad and the Chaguaramas Joint Commission Report; and if he will now make a further statement thereon.

The Chief Minister's statement of 6th June was in support of a motion that a conference be held to consider the report of the Chaguaramas Joint Commission.As the House will recall, the Commission found that to move the base to the next best site would take at least 5½ years and cost some £47 million. Since they saw no possibility of entertaining such a proposition, H.M.G. have conveyed to the Governments of the West Indies and Trinidad their view that it would not serve any useful purpose to convene a conference on the subject.The statement of 20th June announced the Chief Minister's intention to set up a Committee to consider certain problems relating to the U.S. bases in Trinidad. I am informing the Governor that, particularly in view of the responsibility of H.M.G. for the external relations of Trinidad, I shall await with interest the result of the Committee's deliberations.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what facilities and assistance have been requested by and granted to hon. Members in connection with visits to Malta in the last few weeks.

None, other than the usual courtesies extended to hon. Members visiting the Colonies. The only visit by an hon. Member to Malta over the past few weeks was by the hon. Member for Eton and Slough (Mr. Brockway), which was entirely unofficial and private, and, of course, the hon. Member did not go at the request either of the Governor or of my right hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies when Members of Parliament will have an opportunity of seeing the Mace which is to be presented to the West Indies Federal House of Representatives later in the year.

The Mace has today been placed in the Library of the House where it can be seen until Friday, 18th July.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many medical staff are employed in the ante-natal clinics at the Tsan Yuk Hospital, Hong Kong; how many sessions are held per month; and what has been the average attendance per session in the past year.

, pursuant to his reply. [OFFICIAL REPORT, 17th June, 1958; Vol. 589, c. 883], supplied the following information:The medical staff in attendance at the clinics is two Lecturers from the University, one Senior House Officer and three to five House Officers. The Government Medical Officer in charge of the Hospital also attends certain patients. There are six sessions each week, two of them held especially for new cases. The average attendances per session in 1957 were 106 at sessions for new cases and 281 at the other sessions.Tsan Yuk Hospital, which has 200 beds, is the main training centre for obstetrics and is also a leading school for midwives. The number of pregnant women seeking to register there has gradually increased since the new building opened in June, 1955. Inevitably, the demand eventually exceeded the facilities available and this gave rise to the situation described in the "Hong Kong Standard" of 16th May last. At the beginning of June a new system was introduced of registration according to priority, and by the time the hon. Member asked her question, overnight queues were no longer forming. The Hong Kong Government is well aware of the need for more facilities for maternity cases and has plans for two new hospitals to provide an additional 510 beds.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works, as representing the Lord President of the Council, when he expects that the full report on the aerial geophysical survey of South-West Cornwall, made last year for the Atomic Energy Authority, will be published.

A brief description of the airborne geophysical survey made last year by the radiometric method has recently been made public by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. A scientific appraisal of the work will be presented in a paper to the Second International Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy to be held in early September at Geneva and will be published in the proceedings of that Conference. Ground investigations are continuing in Cornwall and it will be some time before all data recorded from the air have been assessed.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what measures he proposes taking to offset the adverse effects on British shipping being caused by the navigation laws of the United States of America.

It is the strong conviction of Her Majesty's Government that, in the interests of international trade, shipping should be free and unrestricted. This view is urged on the United States Government at every suitable opportunity.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he will issue a list of schemes under the road programme, costing over £100,000, which were started in the six months ended 30th June, 1958, with estimated completion date and total cost of each.

The schemes are:

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is aware of the case of Mr. Watt, who, in Scotland recently, was arrested on a murder charge, held in custody for a long time, and then released without trial; and what compensation he will seek to have awarded to him.

I am aware of the circumstances of this case, which were explained by my right hon. and learned Friend the Lord Advocate in replying to the hon. Member for South Ayrshire (Mr. Emrys Hughes) on 1st July. It is not the practice for any payment to be made from State funds to a person because he has been arrested and detained and proceedings against him have subsequently been abandoned.

asked the Minister of Education what estimate he has made of the number of teachers there will be in Dagenham at the start of next term; and how far this will be below the complement.

The Essex local education authority tell me that they need to recruit about 130 teachers by the beginning of next term to fill a complement of about 700.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what consultations he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer in respect of the first week's retirement pension paid to pensioners who, thenceforth, do not draw their pension because their earnings are in excess of £5 10s. per week; and approximately what is the total amount yearly that is borne by the Treasury for that purpose.

None. It is a normal and necessary provision of the National Insurance Act that the first week's pension following retirement is paid without regard to the last week's earnings before retirement. I imagine that the hon. Member has in mind the situation arising from the treatment under the National Insurance Act, 1946, of the late age entrants as retired ten years after the start of the scheme, with the consequence that a week's pension was paid for the week beginning 7th July, 1958, without regard to the previous week's earnings. The ultimate cost of this to the National Insurance Fund cannot be accurately stated, but will be relatively small.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) to what extent the state of disrepair of the floodgates at Battlesbridge was responsible for the damage done by flooding in the Wickford area on and about 27th June;(2) what representations have been made to the Essex River Board by residents in the Wickford area about the damage done by flooding there on and about 27th June.

I am informed that the Essex River Board received a petition from a number of residents at Wickford about the flooding which followed the abnormally heavy rainfall of 26th June. In reply, the board have said that the flooding was not caused by the condition or operation of the sluice gates at Battles-bridge but it has promised to investigate the cause. I have asked the River Board to write to my hon. Friend setting out the results of its inquiries.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether Her Majesty's Government have now considered the report of the United Nations Commission in the Lebanon; and if he will make a statement.

The Report of the United Nations Observation Group in the Lebanon of 3rd July is only its first report and makes clear that the degree of observation is still far from complete. It would therefore be premature to draw any conclusions.Nevertheless it seems appropriate to make the following comments, which may help to correct any initial impression that the Report may give, that the Lebanese Government's complaint to the Security Council which led to the appointment of the Observation Group was unfounded:

asked the honourable Member for Woolwich, West, as Chairman of the Kitchen Committee, if he will install electric fans in the Strangers' Cafeteria, particularly for the benefit of members of the staff at the serving end.

I will draw the attention of the Ministry of Works to the suggestion of the hon. Member.

asked the Prime Minister to what extent experiments, at present being conducted at Aldermaston towards harnessing nuclear fusion for peaceful purposes, have recently proved that nuclear power is now a more distinct possibility and may be obtained earlier than art first anticipated and to what extent more scientists are being recruited for this work to speed up its development.

I am informed by the Atomic Energy Authority that experimental work on thermonuclear fusion at the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment at Aldermaston is directed towards a better understanding of the mechanism by which high gas temperatures can be achieved. The encouraging results to date do not alter earlier predictions about the probable time-scale of the development of thermonuclear power. The Authority are recruiting some additional staff for this work.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many prosecutions have been effected during 1957 and to date under the Merchandise Marks Act.

The Board of Trade were responsible for twenty-three prosecutions during 1957 and for eleven during the first six months of 1958. I do not know how many have been brought by other bodies or by individuals.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that there is nothing to prevent anyone issuing a certificate based on trivial standards for a fee; and what steps he is taking to protect the consumer from such practices.

Yes, but I do not think there is, in practice, any serious abuse. There is already statutory protection against the application of false or misleading trade descriptions to goods and I see no need to add to this.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what representations he has received from Coatbridge Trades Council regarding heavy unemployment in the area; and what reply he has sent.

The Coatbridge Trades Council has sent me a copy of a resolution expressing concern at the rise in unemployment in their district and asking for Government action to increase employment by various means. I am sending the hon. Lady a copy of the reply which was sent to the council.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will extend the period of twenty-eight days, which is the maximum at present permitted, for officers due for retirement owing to redundancy to attend courses of up to three months at colleges of further education so that they may be adequately fitted for careers in civil life.

No. Officers and soldiers who are due to retire from the Army because of redundancy are given leave to attend a pre-release training course lasting twenty-eight days. This period is available to them whether they seek independent training or use the special facilities offered by the Army and the Ministry of Labour and National Service. If they decide to undertake longer training the extra time must be found from their terminal leave or after their return to civilian life, and the special capital payments made to soldiers retired prematurely take account of their need to train themselves for further employment.