asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will extend the eradication of bracken scheme to cover the spraying of bracken with the chemical sprays now on the market.

I will consider the possibility of doing so when I have further information, which I am hoping to get this season, on the use of chemical sprays for this purpose.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the total consumption and the estimated consumption per head of cheese, butter, margarine and eggs for the years 1951 and 1958, respectively.

The figures show substantial increases for butter and eggs, a slight decrease for cheese and a fall in margarine which is, of course, mainly due to the increase in butter. The information is as follows:

asked the Minister of Education whether he has yet completed his discussions with representatives of the authorities and the teachers on the duties of teachers in connection with the provision of school meals; and on what date he expects to issue his proposed circular.

Yes. This circular was issued on 20th March and a copy has been sent to the hon. Member.

asked the Minister of Education what Government grants for foreign travel are available for university students; what similar grants are available to students at teachers' training colleges; and whether he will make a statement.

State scholars reading modern languages who are required by their universities to study abroad may receive up to £15 for travelling costs for each visit. Grants are also available for training college students intending to teach French who, at the end of their initial training, attend a course lasting nine months at the Institut Brittanique, in Paris.I am writing to the hon. Member about grants for post-graduate study abroad.

asked the Minister of Education what progress has been made with the registration of independent schools under Part III of the Education Act, 1944.

1,497 independent schools recognised by me as efficient are, under Section 70 of the Education Act, 1944, deemed to be registered, and 2,640 other independent schools in England and Wales are now finally registered in the register of independent schools. The registration of 189 independent schools remains provisional.I have served notices of complaint upon the proprietors of 34 independent schools. In three cases the proprietors subsequently decided to close their schools; in two more cases the proprietors met my requirements and the schools are now finally registered; in a sixth case my requirements were not met within the specified period, and I have made an Order striking the school off the register as from 1st August next.There has been one appeal to an Independent Schools Tribunal against a notice of complaint, and the Tribunal which considered the matter upheld my decision. In the other 27 cases the notices of complaint are still current.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the estimated total amount of United States capital now invested in United Kingdom industry.

The latest information available from United States sources indicates that at the end of 1957 the value of United States direct investment in United Kingdom industry amounted to about £680 million.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the estimated amount of sterling paid in the last convenient year as interest on United States capital invested in United Kingdom industry.

The amount of interest, profits and dividends, included in the recent Balance of Payments White Paper (Cmnd. 700), arising from U.S. private investment in the United Kingdom and remitted to the U.S. in 1958 was about £50 million.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government regarding the complete, or partial, acquisition of United Kingdom companies by United States companies.

As my right hon. Friend reminded the House on Tuesday, the Government welcomes investment in United Kingdom companies by nonresidents and, unless it considers that national interests are adversely affected by any particular proposals, has no wish to impede the free flow of capital on which the prosperity of this country so much depends.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the annual revenue which would accrue by the increase of Income Tax and Surtax to their 1951 level.

If Income Tax and Surtax were imposed for 1959–60 at the rates in force for 1951–52 the extra revenue accruing in respect of 1959–60 is estimated at about £1,160 million.The figure for individuals alone would be about £1,010 million.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the revenue return during the current financial year on the taxation of all incomes above £1,000; and by how much this would be increased by the increase of Income Tax and Surtax to the rate in operation in April 1951.

The accrual in 1959–60 of Income Tax and Surtax at the proposed rates on all individual incomes above £1,000 is estimated at £896 million, though some of this amount would not be collected till 1960–61; the corresponding accrual at the 1951–52 rates would be increased by £520 million to £1,416 million.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has yet completed his inquiries into the trading practices of the Scottish firm, about which the hon. Member for West Fife wrote to him some weeks ago.

Yes. The hon. Member will now have received by hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary's letter. I regret that we were not able to write to him sooner.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how much factory space has fallen into disuse in Fife in each of the last eight years; and what is the total currently closed.

There is no obligation upon firms to report empty factory space to the Board of Trade, but my Controller for Scotland has particulars of 414,315 square feet of factory space in Fife which is at present vacant.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what recent discussions he has had with the Spanish Minister for Commerce; and on what dates.

On 14th and 16th April 1 had full discussions with the Spanish Minister of Commerce on questions affecting trade between the two countries.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what steps he is taking to ascertain the views of retailers on his proposed regulations relating to weights and measures.

My right hon. Friend has consulted 18 organisations representing retailers of food and drink about the proposed regulations.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what applications he has received from British manufacturers of boots and shoes for the imposition of an anti-dumping duty on imports of boots and shoes from certain European countries; and if he will make a statement.

No application has been received by the Board of Trade.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will make a statement on the recent visit by the Parliamentary Secretary to his Department to Scotland.

My hon. Friend arrived back last night and I have not yet had an opportunity of studying his report.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been drawn to the statement made in London on 17th April, 1959, by Mr. S. F. Anfimov, Deputy Trade Representative of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in Great Britain, concerning trade between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the United Kingdom; and, as the United Kingdom is almost the only country in Europe without a trade agreement with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, what further action he proposes to take to negotiate a trade agreement; and whether he will make a statement.

I would refer the hon. Member to the statement I made after Questions on the 21st April.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many applications he has received from industrial firms wishing to take advantage of the assistance afforded by the Distribution of Industry Act, 1958, to establish factories in North-East Suffolk; how many have been accepted; and, in view of the position in Lowestoft, where sites and premises are available with all necessary services, if he will now place Lowestoft on his list so that new enterprises in that town could attract unemployed labour from such areas in the neighbourhood where the incidence of unemployment brings them into the scheme.

I understand that so far two firm and eligible applications have been received by the Treasury for North-East Suffolk, of which one has been rejected and the other is under consideration by D.A.T.A.C. The rate of unemployment in Lowestoft does not warrant adding it to the places to which the Act applies, but projects located in Lowestoft would qualify for assistance if they would draw part of their labour force from a place on the list.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why, in certain prisons, prisoners are being prevented from receiving newspapers.

Subject to compliance with certain conditions every prisoner may have a personal copy of the daily newspaper of his choice at his own or his friend's expense. In the case which the hon. Member kindly brought to my notice there was a misunderstanding of the rule which I regret and which has now been put right.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will organise a police campaign in the Metropolis for the greater protection of children, similar to that carried out by the Metropolitan Police for the safeguarding of personal property in offices; and if he will call especially for the notification by the public to the police of all adults behaving suspiciously near children's playgrounds.

The public are already advised to tell the police of any suspicious acts. The Commissioner of Police is considering whether any special measures of the kind suggested by my hon. Friend would be likely to be useful.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department by what authority, and for what purpose, the Metropolitan Police have erected a sign marked "No Through Road", in Brunswick Road, near Park Royal, and another sign in the same road at its junction with Hangar Lane marked "No Entry".

The signs have been placed by the police, acting under the Road Traffic Act, 1956, and the Metropolitan Police Act, 1839, in order to prevent traffic emerging from Brunswick Road into Hangar Lane at peak traffic periods when congestion at this point is particularly severe because of nearby construction work on the Western Avenue underpass.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now make a further statement on the proposed constitutional changes in the Isle of Man.

The Constitutional Commission appointed in March, 1958, by the Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man, submitted its Report to him last month, and the Report has been published in the Island. It is now for those concerned in the Isle of Man to consider the Commission's recommendations. Meanwhile, I am not in a position to make any statement about them.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department the number of murders of children under the age of 12, excluding cases of infanticide, known to the police in each of the past twenty-five years, and in the present year to date, respectively.

I regret that the information asked for is not available for 1945 or earlier, and could be provided for later years only with considerable labour. The numbers of murders of children aged one and under 14 years known to the police in England and Wales in the years 1946 to 1958, adjusted by the removal of any cases ultimately dealt with as a lesser offence, are given in the following table.Of the cases dealt with as manslaughter, there were 6 in 1957 (4 male and 2 female) and 4 in 1958 (1 male and 3 female) which were found to be manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility under Section 2 of the Homicide Act, 1957. All the 1958 figures are provisional.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations have been made to the Metropolitan Police concerning the disturbance to the public caused by amplified music and chimes employed by ice cream vendors; and whether he will make a statement.

The Commissioner informs me that representations are made to the Metropolitan Police from time to time on this matter, and that the police do all that is possible to prevent cause for complaint. Many local authorities have made byelaws making it an offence to operate an amplifier in a street so as to cause a nuisance.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many prosecutions have been brought under the Litter Act, 1958; and how many of these were in towns or rural areas, respectively.

Between 7th August, 1958, when the Litter Act came into force, and 28th February, 1959, there were 316 prosecutions in Scotland for offences against the Act.The information my right hon. Friend has does not distinguish between prosecutions for offences in towns and for offences in rural areas, but 278 of the prosecutions were before burgh courts, and 12 and 26 before sheriff and justice of the peace courts, respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies when he proposes to lift the ban on the Independent Journal, in Kenya.

This is a matter for decision by the Kenya Government in the light of the security situation in the Colony.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what is the number of Africans registered on the ordinary and special rolls, respectively, in Northern Rhodesia; what proportion these numbers are of the total adult population of the protectorate; and how many Africans voted in the recent elections.

796 and 6,821. This represents about 0.8 per cent. of the estimated adult population. In the elections the ballot papers bore no indication of a voter's race and it is not possible to say therefore what proportion of registered African voters actually cast their votes.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies in which Colonies and Trust Territories there has been a full application of the International Labour Organisation Convention on freedom of association and the right to organise; and in which territories it has been applied with modifications.

Declarations applying International Labour Convention No. 87, concerning Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise, have been deposited by H.M.G. with the International Labour Office in respect of the following territories for which I am responsible.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will request the Federal German Government to include in their present investigations into allegations of the reappointment to judicial positions of former Nazi judges the cases of Judge Reimers, Provincial Court Judge in Ravensburg, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Judge Muhs, Senior Provincial Judge in Hanem, North Rhine-Westphalia, Judge Mohs, Provincial Court Judy in Frankenthal, Rhineland-Palatinate, Judge Hucklenbroich, Judge in Wuppertal, Judge Bannegger, Senior District Judge of Wiedenbrueck, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Judge Martin Claassen, Judge in the District Court of Wedding, West Berlin.

No. It is for the Federal German Government to decide what investigations to carry out.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what arrangements exist, and what official communications have recently passed, between Her Majesty's Government and the United States Government, concerning the use of the Berlin corridor by Allied aircraft.

I would refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply my right hon. and learned Friend gave to the hon. Members for Aston (Mr. J. Silverman) and Leek (Mr. Harold Davies) on 20th April.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is aware that Vice-President Nixon of the United States of America is to visit Moscow in July to open a six-week United States exhibition; and whether he will try to arrange with the Soviet Government for a similar exhibition in Moscow of the British way of life.

The answer to the first part of the Question is "Yes".As regards the second part of the Question, the London Chamber of Commerce, with the support of Her Majesty's Government, have recently been negotiating with the Russian authorities for an exchange of exhibitions between the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union in 1961.

asked the Minister of Health to what extent damage to human health can arise from brucellosis melitensis in cows, either through milk from such cows or any form of contact with the infected animal itself.

Organisms indistinguishable in the laboratory from brucella melitensis have been isolated from dairy herds in this country from time to time over the last twenty years, but no cases of human disease are known to have been caused. In the Mediterranean area a type of undulant fever, which is often a serious disease, is due to this organism and can be contracted from infected milk or by contact with infected material. Medical officers of health have powers in Regulation 20 of the Milk and Dairies (General) Regulations, 1959, to require heat treatment of milk infected with brucella, and so make it safe.

asked the Minister of Health what was the vaccination history in the recent case, details of which have been sent to him by the hon. Member for Willesden, West; and what evidence he has that poliomyelitis was contracted by contact with the vaccinated children or other vaccinated persons.

I am informed that the patient whom I understand the hon. Member has in mind was not vaccinated against poliomyelitis and that no evidence was obtained as to the source of the infection.

asked the Minister of Health the number of people on the waiting lists of hospitals in the South-Western Region, to the last convenient date.

29,683 at 31st December, 1958.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance whether he will publish statistics showing the real purchasing power of retirement pensions for each of the years 1945 to 1959.

Following are the figures:

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what is the maximum sum which a man who was 65 years of age on 1st January, 1959, can have paid in State insurance contributions towards retirement; how much, on the basis of current life expectations, such a man can be expected to draw as a retirement pension, assuming the single rate of 50s.; and if he will give comparable figures in respect of a married man.

The maximum sum which an employed man who was 65 years of age on 1st January, 1959, could have paid in State insurance contributions towards retirement (including an element in the contributions under the Contributory Pensions Acts for widows and orphans pensions) is about £97. His employer would have contributed an approximately equal amount.A single man could expect to draw, on average, about £1,600 in retirement pension at the current rate.A married man and his wife, if she were five years younger than himself, could between them expect to draw about £3,500.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what proportion of the total number of pensioners drawing supplementary payments from the National Assistance Board are over 75 and over 80 years of age, respectively; and what would be the cost of putting up the pension at 75 years by 10s. a week and at 80 years by a further 10s.

The National Assistance Board estimates that, of the retirement pensioners drawing weekly National Assistance grants, about 45 per cent. are aged 75 or over and about 20 per cent. are 80 or over.The cost to the National Insurance Fund of putting up the standard rate of retirement pension at 75 years by 10s. a week and at 80 years by a further 10s. would be about £55 million a year, increasing to about £100 million a year in twenty years' time.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware of the scope that now exists in the country for subscription television; and if he will make a statement as to the technical possibilities and the average cost to the viewer if such a service were introduced.

I am aware that a number of people are interested in such a development. Transmission of such a service would be possible by wire, or by radio given the necessary frequencies. As to the cost to the viewer this would depend on a number of factors such as the method of distribution adopted, the arrangements for reception in the home and the number of subscribers to such a service.