asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what view was expressed by the United Kingdom representative on the Cocoa Study Group of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation regarding the proposal for international stabilisation of cocoa prices.

The representative of the United Kingdom expressed the view that international co-operation in the fields of production, marketing and statistics could make important contributions to the welfare of the cocoa industry. It was unlikely, however, in the absence of agreement about the problems confronting the industry, that further study at that stage would lead to a practicable scheme for stabilising prices.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he is yet able to make a forecast of the prospects for this year's harvest.

The reports for England and Wales indicated that, at 1st July, cereal crops looked well on the whole, but that some crops, particularly barley, had been laid by the heavy rains during June. The yields per acre of cereals, as well as pulses, were expected to be above average. The hay harvest had been seriously affected. A high proportion of grass intended for hay remained uncut and much of this was becoming over-mature, while in many areas that which had been cut had become spoiled. Outbreaks of potato blight were reported in several areas. The yield per acre of early potatoes was expected to be about average, but lifting had been delayed by the wet conditions. Root crops had made good progress.Supplementary reports obtained after the heavy rains and flooding which occurred in early July, and which particularly affected some 12,000 acres of mainly arable land in Lincolnshire, did not suggest that the general position had seriously worsened, though some crops in the worst affected areas had been laid and were waterlogged, while there had been some deterioration of root crops. There have also been some further outbreaks of potato blight.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what complaints he has received from Cypriot prisoners at Maidstone regarding delays caused by the censorship of their letters; and what action he proposes to remedy this.

On 23rd May, the prisoners complained of delays in censorship and they were informed on 5th June that new translation arrangements, designed to expedite censorship, had been made. Some of them nevertheless refused either to send or receive mail, and the rest declined to send it. The majority petitioned again on 12th June and were told that my right hon. Friend was not disposed to review the revised arrangements until experience of them had been gained. On 5th July, the prisoners resumed the receiving and writing of letters.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department in view of the results of the experiments which have been conducted for several years on the use of automatic projection equipment in cinemas, if he is now in a position to amend the Cinematograph Regulations to permit its use.

My right hon. Friend hopes to reach a decision on this matter soon.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the national average case-load for men and women probation officers, respectively, in rural and urban areas, respectively, in 1954, 1955, 1956 and 1957.

The national average case-loads for probation officers were as follows on 31st December, in the first three years mentioned:

—	Men	Women
1954	54·9	37·8
1955	55·9	38·1
1956	58·9	37·7

I regret that the figures are not recorded separately for rural and urban areas and that the figures for 31st December, 1957, are not yet available: they are likely to be somewhat higher than those for 1956.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the estimated shortage of permanent probation officers in England and Wales on 1st January, 1957, 1st April, 1957, 1st January, 1958, and 1st April, 1958, respectively.

The advertised vacancies outstanding on the various dates were:

1st January, 1957	12
1st April, 1957	32
1st January, 1958	56
1st April, 1958	57

The shortage of permanent probation officers would have been somewhat greater than these figures suggest, particularly in 1958, owing to there being some vacancies which were not advertised at the time.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations what representations he has received from the Government of Canada about the policy of Her Majesty's Government in relation to the troubles in the Lebanon.

In accordance with normal procedure, there has been constant exchange of views and information with other Commonwealth Governments about the situation in the Lebanon in recent weeks. The views of Her Majesty's Government in Canada were fully set out by its representative in the Security Council on 15th July.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations if he will make a further statement about the forthcoming Commonwealth Trade and Economic Conference to be held in Montreal on 15th September this year.

The Second Preparatory Meeting of officials for the Commonwealth Trade and Economic Conference took place in London during the first three weeks of June. Commonwealth officials held a most useful meeting under the chairmanship of Sir Roger Makins and their agreed Report has now been submitted to all Commonwealth Governments for their consideration. Preparatory work is continuing in Commonwealth capitals in order to ensure, as we con-

—						Year taken up
						1954–55	1955–56	1956–57	1957–58
						Per cent.	Per cent.	Per cent.	Per cent.
State Scholarships	…	…	…	…	…	0·9	0·4	0·8	1·1
Local Education Authority major awards				…	…	25·0	26·4	27·7	30·1
Local Education Authority awards of lesser value					…	86·8	91·2	94·9	97·1

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations if he will make a statement about the deliberations of the Commonwealth Economic Committee.

In addition to the Committee's regular publications and services, it is preparing the second volume of its Report on the Raw Materials of the Commonwealth, the present position regarding which is described in the reply given to the right hon. Member by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs on 12th June. The Committee is also considering in response to a request made to it by Commonwealth Prime Ministers last summer a possible expansion of its scope and functions. The Committee hopes to have its report on this matter available for consideration by the Commonwealth Trade and Economic Conference at Montreal in September.

asked the Minister of Education what was the percentage of total numbers of awards for England and Wales made far technical colleges for the years 1954–55, 1955–56, and 1956–57, respectively.

The following is the percentage of State scholarships and of local education authority awards which have been taken up at establishments of further education:

asked the Minister of Education how many children in the schools under his direction are suffering from orthodontic troubles; how many of these are undergoing treatment; and on how many has treatment not yet commenced.

I have no information on the number of school children requiring orthodontic treatment. During 1957 about 56,000 children received it through the School Dental Service; in about 27,000 of these cases the treatment began in 1957.

asked the Minister of Education if he is aware that the maintenance allowance for clothing for young people desiring to undertake higher education is confined to persons whose parents are earning less than £850 per annum, and that this creates hardship in large families; and if he will make arrangements permitting local authorities to raise the maximum income in such cases.

The number of dependent children in the family is already one factor which determines the gross income at which educational maintenance allowances cease to be payable. Perhaps the hon. Member would write to me about the particular case which I understand he has in mind.

asked the Minister of Education whether, in view of the shortage of teachers, he will consider reviving the emergency one-year training scheme; to what extent he proposes to help local authorities to expand existing training colleges; and whether he will consider sending round recruiting teams to sixth forms and universities, as industry does at present.

The answer to the first part of the Question is "No", since suitable older students can qualify in one year already. As regards the second part, I have nothing to add to the Answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Hertfordshire, South-West (Mr. G. Long-den) on 12th June. As regards the third part, I will bear in mind the hon. Member's suggestion that special efforts should be made to interest university graduates in teaching, but there is not in fact any shortage of candidates from sixth forms seeking admission to training colleges.

asked the Minister of Education (1) if he will give the figures to show the number of children in the Biddulph and Kids-grove area who were examined for grammar-school places in 1956, 1957, and 1958, respectively; how many secured places; and how many places were available in each of those years;(2) if he will give the figures to show the number of children in the Leek urban and rural areas who were examined for grammar-school places in 1956, 1957, and 1958, respectively; how many secured places; and how many places were available in each of those years;(3) if he will give the figures to show the number of children in the Cheadle town and rural district who were examined for grammar-school places in 1956, 1957, and 1958, respectively; how many secured places; and how many places were available in each of those years.

The following is the information:

Year	Number of children passing from primary to secondary schools (a)	Number taking up grammar school places (b)	(b) expressed as percentage of (a)
Bidudlph and Kidsgrove Urban Districts
1956	453	44	10
1957	542	65	12
1958	615	54*	9
Leek and Urban and Rural Districts
1956	489	107	22
1957	492	117	24
1958	645	115*	18
Cheadle Rural District
1956	494	75	15
1957	528	78	15
1958	664	92*	14
* The allocation of grammar school places this year has not yet been completed, and the final number will probably be a little higher.

asked the Minister of Education what progress in the past five years has been made in the reorganisation of rural schools in Berkshire to replace all-age schools; how many schools in this programme have yet to be built; and when the final stage in reorganisation will be completed.

The Berkshire Local Education Authority has made very good progress. 1,620 places have been provided, 1,200 more will be ready by next Easter, and 1,560 more will be started in 1959. One more complete school and one enlargement will still be needed to complete the reorganisation of rural schools in the county.

asked the Minister of Education why the building programme of the Devon County Education Committee for 1959–60 has been cut from £700,000 to £165,000; and if he will make a statement.

Because I cannot at present authorise school building projects designed exclusively for reorganisation, the replacement of old schools, or for housing children who can be accommodated elsewhere.

asked the Minister of Education to what extent his Department encourages the teaching of French in adult education centres in this country.

Local education authorities frequently provide French courses in establishments of further education. It is my policy to encourage them to do so where there is a sufficient demand and suitable accommodation and staff are available.

asked the Minister of Education how many applicants for places in training colleges who were qualified to enter had to be refused places in October, 1957, and October, 1958, because of lack of accommodation.

This information is not available. It is not possible to draw a precise distinction between candidates rejected for lack of accommodation and those rejected on other grounds.

asked the Minister of Education what was the number of applicants for places at training colleges and the number accepted for October, 1957, and October, 1958.

It is not possible to give the number of applicants, because there is no central register covering all the colleges. Numbers, excluding graduates, accepted are:

—	1957	1958
General colleges	12,045*	12,800*
Housecraft colleges	858*	850*
Physical education colleges	367	340
Technical training colleges	362	450
TOTAL	13,632*	14,440*
* Includes students accepted for the following January.
The figures for 1958 are provisional: the final figures will probably be higher.

asked the Minister of Education what is the average cost per year of providing a place in county secondary schools, including the cost of building, current costs, general up-keep, and teachers' salaries; and how much of this is met by the local education authorities and how much by his Department.

Separate figures are not available for county schools as distinct from other secondary schools maintained by local education authorities or for grammar schools as distinct from other types of secondary school. The average cost per pupil in all types of maintained secondary school in 1957–58 is estimated at about £77, of which about £45 is met from my Department's Vote and about £32 from the rates and Exchequer equalisation grant.

asked the Minister of Education when a child has gained a county grammar school place and is given a free transfer to a direct grant school, what is the average cost, exclusive of travelling expenses, to the local education authority; and what is the cost to his Department.

The average cost to the local education authority of a place in a direct grant grammar school is £22 a year. The cost to my Department is about £70 a year, or £110 a year in the case of a sixth form pupil undertaking advanced work.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what percentage of Hong Kong produced cotton yarn is necessary in made-up textiles to qualify them under his regulations, for importation into this country free of duty and quota.

Before duty-free entry is allowed on made-up textiles, they must be consigned from and manufactured in the Commonwealth, and 25 per cent of their ex-factory cost must be derived from prescribed expenditure within any part of th Commonwealth. There are no quotas on Hong Kong goods.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has considered ways in which he can help the movement of goods, etc., for exhibition purposes between towns in this country and France which have twinning arrangements.

I am not aware of any difficulties in this matter, but if my hon. Friend will give me details I shall be happy to look into the matter.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what review of the procedure for the transfer of prisoners to hospital and for their custody there has been held since the beginning of the emergency in Cyprus.

The procedure is regularly reviewed, and the Nicosia Prison Hospital is now being extended to reduce the necessity for transfer outside the prison.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will make a statement about the escape of three Greek Cypriot prisoners from Nicosia General Hospital on the night of 7th-8th July last.

At 11 p.m. on 7th July two detainees and one prisoner serving a sentence of seven years for possessing explosives who were undergoing treatment at the Nicosia General Hospital escaped from the detainees ward by removing the nails from the iron bar frame over the window, cutting a hole in the wire fence and crawling through. From there they climbed over a barbed wire fence and escaped through the Hospital grounds. The escape was first noticed by a nurse who entered the ward and gave the alarm.Police and tracker dogs were called in and road blocks set up at once but so far no trace has been found of the prisoners. Four other detainees in the same ward did not attempt to escape.Apart from a permanent military guard outside the ward there is a United Kingdom warder permanently on duty.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what action he is taking to prevent cruelty to wild birds which are being exported by air freight from Tanganyika and Northern Rhodesia.

I am consulting the Governor of Tanganyika and Northern Rhodesia and will write to my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will make a statement on the constitutional future of Malta.

Discussions with the Governor are continuing and I cannot yet make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if Her Majesty's Government will propose to the Commonwealth Economic Conference that financial aid should be given to the Government of Malta in recognition of the services of its population prior to and during the war, with the object of facilitating the reconstruction of its economy to meet civilian needs.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies under what conditions of unrest the Ordinance No. 49 to amend the Penal Code was passed by the Legislature of Tanganyika in November, 1955; and what charges have been made under this Ordinance for the years 1955 to 1958, respectively.

I would refer to the reply to the hon. Member for Attercliffe (Mr. J. Hynd) on 22nd February, 1956. I am consulting the Governor and will circulate details in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what information he has about the irregularities in the granting of building licences in Gibraltar, details of which have been sent to him by letter; and if he will make a statement.

I understand that the hon. Member is referring to allegations regarding the letting of certain sites in the Colony. I am awaiting further information from the Governor and will write to the hon. Member when I have received it.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he is aware that the Government of Jamaica have published a manual on the management of consumer co-operation; and whether he will consider issuing this guide, in languages suitable for other overseas territories, as United Kingdom administrative assistance for the efficient development of co-operative enterprise.

I know of this manual. A circular has already been sent to the heads of co-operative departments in territories where there are consumer co-operatives, commending it and suggesting that they should order copies.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what taxation is paid by textile firms in Hong Kong.

I am consulting the Governor and, when I have his reply, will circulate the information in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will make a statement upon his recent discussions with the various sheiks of the Aden Protectorate visiting London.

Five important rulers of the Western Aden Protectorate have recently discussed with Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom proposals which they initiated for establishing a federation. Her Majesty's Government have told them that they welcome these proposals and agree that this step would be in the best interests of the rulers and their peoples and that they are prepared to give financial and military assistance to the federation when established. The rulers are now returning to Aden to work out detailed arrangements with the Governor. The States at present concerned are the Audhali, the Upper Aulaqi Sheikhdom Dhala, and Fadhli and Beihan.

asked the Minister of Health at what time the siren was sounded at Broadmoor Institution on 8th July to alert local inhabitants that a dangerous inmate had escaped.

asked the Minister of Health why the Broadmoor alarm was not sounded immediately the escape of a dangerous inmate was discovered; and if he will institute a full inquiry as to why the machinery set up after the Straffen escape was not put into operation.

The siren was sounded at 9.55 a.m. I am unable at present to add to my replies to the right hon. Member for Lewisham, South (Mr. H. Morrison) on 9th July and to the hon. Member for Brixton (Mr. Lipton) on 14th July.

asked the Minister of Health if the report of the Board of Control on the happenings at Broadmoor on 8th July has now been completed; and what further security measures are to be enforced to prevent a recurrence.

Not yet, though the Board are proceeding as quickly as is consistent with thoroughness. In the meantime I cannot add to my reply to the hon. Member for Brixton on 14th July.

asked the Minister of Health what is the approximate number of children who have been registered for injections against poliomyelitis since 1st January and 1st June, 1958; and what will be the total cost of these inoculations.

Information for these periods is not available but the number of children who were registered between 1st January and 30th April, 1958, was approximately 1½ million, and figures for the period 1st May to 30th June will be available shortly. I regret that I cannot give any precise estimate of cost, including that incurred by the local health authorities, but the cost of the vaccine for two injections each for the 1½ million children is likely to be rather over £½ million.

asked the Minister of Health whether the young seaman who was found by Liverpool medical investigators not to be suffering from smallpox had been vaccinated; and what was the latest date of his vaccination.

The seaman had been vaccinated in infancy, in 1956, and most recently, on 5th June, 1958.

asked the Minister of Health whether all the passengers and crew of the s.s. "Parthia" were vaccinated during the recent smallpox scare in that ship; and to what extent the vaccinations were performed regardless of the last date on which these people had been formerly vaccinated.

Vaccination was offered to the passengers and members of the crew who could not produce evidence of a recent vaccination: as a result 74 of the 241 passengers and 26 of the 185 members of the crew were vaccinated.

asked the Minister of Health if he will suggest to all medical persons dealing with smallpox that, in view of the harm done in a large number of cases, no vaccinations shall be carried out before the existence of smallpox is confirmed, and that no families be asked to be vaccinated until they have been in actual contact with smallpox.

I cannot accept the implication in the Question that vaccination does harm in a large number of cases. It is generally regarded as good public health practice to institute control measures, including the vaccination of contacts, as soon as smallpox is suspected.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether he will make a statement on the position of members of the Royal Air Force and their families stationed at Habbaniyah and elsewhere in Iraq.

The great majority of R.A.F. and Air Ministry personnel and their families in Iraq are at the Iraq Air Force Station, Habbaniya. Intermittent messages received up to mid-day yesterday, 16th July, indicated that they were safe and that the Iraqi Air Force and Army authorities, who are in control of the airfield, appeared to be under instructions to safeguard British lives and property. Since then no further messages have been received from Habbaniya.So far as is known at present, the small number of personnel outside Habbaniya are safe. As my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary said yesterday, H.M. Ambassador in Bagdad has received firm assurances from leaders of the authorities in control in Bagdad that the personal safety and property of British subjects in Iraq will be safeguarded. Every attempt is being made to obtain further news.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs how many orders under the Defence Regulations enabling water undertakers to meet their needs by temporary means until permanent works have been completed are still in force; when it is expected that the permanent works will have reached a stage when the orders can be revoked; what are the names of the undertakings concerned; and what are the reasons that made it necessary to issue these orders.

Four orders are still in force. One order expires on 31st July, 1958; another expires on 10th December, 1958, but its purpose is the subject of a Private Bill now before Parliament. A third order is required until 31st March, 1959; and the purpose of the fourth is the subject of an application for permanent powers under the Water Act, 1945. The undertakers are, respectively, the Metropolitan Water Board, the Tees Valley and Cleveland Water Board, the North Devon Water Board and Matlock Urban District Council. Two orders were made during and just after the war to meet additional needs which arose suddenly from military camps or new factories. Two were made to overcome occasional shortages arising during the period before other works were completed.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what machinery is in force for checking and revising local government expenditure.

Local government expenditure is the statutory responsibility of the local authorities concerned with the several services, and they are answerable to their local electorates. In general, capital expenditure for which borrowing is required involves Ministerial sanction; but the Central Government have no general powers of checking or revising expenditure out of revenue except in so far as certain parts of it, if approved, may be assisted by Exchequer grants. Important proposals for changing the basis of a number of grants are contained in the local Government Bill. After the end of each financial year returns of local government expenditure on both capital and revenue account are collected and presented to Parliament in summary form as "Local Government Financial Statistics, England and Wales".

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what information is available as to the number of immigrants from the Commonwealth and Colonies who are receiving National Insurance benefits or National Assistance.

Neither my Department nor that of my right hon. Friend the Minister of Labour and National Service keep statistics of the country of origin of claimants to National Insurance benefits, who must all alike satisfy the contribution conditions of the scheme before they can draw benefit. Nor are such statistics kept by the National Assistance Board. While no figures are available for immigrants from the Commonwealth as a whole, an examination of the unemployment registers at employment exchanges in March this year showed that about 5,500 Asian Commonwealth or colonial workers were receiving unemployment benefit (including 1,100 who were also getting National Assistance). About 7,000 were receiving assistance only. The total resident population from the Asian Commonwealth countries and Colonial Territories was estimated at about 190,000.

asked the Secertary of State for Scotland how many medical students in Scotland satisfactorily completed their courses at the recent final examinations; how many of these he estimates are likely to take pre-registration posts in Scottish hospitals; and how far this estimate corresponds to the number of vacancies in such posts.

I am informed that 354 medical students in Scotland successfully completed their course at the recent final examinations. No information is available as to where these graduates will take their pre-registration training. There are some 600 house officer posts in Scottish hospitals approved for pre-registration service. There is, however, no direct relationship between this number and the number of recent passes. Some Scottish graduates go to England and abroad for their pre-registration training and similarly graduates from other countries come to Scottish hospitals; moreover, some of the posts are filled by graduates who qualified earlier.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what information he has as to the number of medical students in Scotland who satisfactorily completed their courses at the recent final examinations and who intend to take their pre-registration training abroad.

None.