asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the policy of Her Majesty's Government with regard to the removal of the remaining restrictions on imports from the dollar area.

Restrictions on the import of a wide range of dollar consumer goods were, as already announced, removed on 8th June. The remaining restrictions will be dealt with when circumstances permit.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will give an estimate of unemployment likely to be caused by British firms setting up production units in countries of the European Common Market.

I can give no such estimate as the hon. Member requests. We have no evidence so far, however, that British firms intend to produce in the European Economic Community to the detriment of their existing production in this country.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he has yet considered the proposals put to his Department last January by the Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce in connection with the Government scheme of grants and loans available under the Distribution of Industry Act, 1958; and what steps he intends to take to implement those proposals.

The Department has no trace of the receipt of any proposals from the Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce which related to the Distribution of Industry (Industrial Finance) Act, 1958.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that the present restrictions on the operation of the Export Credits Guarantee Department and Industrial Credits Corporation affect prejudicially the export abroad of machinery from Aberdeen; and if he will make a comprehensive statement on the present incidence of those restrictions and take steps to remove them so that Aberdeen's foreign trade in export of machinery can be restored fully.

The facilities of the Export Credits Guarantee Department are available for exports from Aberdeen on the same basis as for all other United Kingdom exports. Cover is restricted only where it is necessary to limit liability for loss in particularly difficult markets. I have not been able to trace the existence of the Industrial Credits Corporation.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will make regulations for the payment of post-war credits under the hardship category to those persons who can prove they were eligible to receive National Assistance for 12 weeks ending after 7th April, 1959, but who did not apply for such assistance.

I shall bear my hon. Friend's suggestion in mind when it becomes possible to extend the classes qualifying for repayment of post-war credits.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury what co-ordination exists between the Civil Service Commissioners and Government Departments over the recruitment of information officers.

The Civil Service Commissioners recruit information class officers to fill vacancies notified to them. The Commissioners consult the employing Departments about the qualifications and experience required for their work and employing Departments are represented on the selection boards.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what progress has been made with the survey of private street works being conducted by his Department.

My Department is in touch with the local authority associations about the information to be sought from the authorities responsible for private street works.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what proportion of local authorities are making active use of their powers under the Litter Act, 1958; and whether he will circulate local authorities urging a wider use of these powers.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what further steps he proposes to take to support local authorities and others in the enforcement of the Litter Act and to attract greater public support for the objectives of the Act.

The statistics of prosecutions under the Act kept by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary do not distinguish those initiated by local authorities. I have drawn the attention of local authorities to their power to institute proceedings. I hope that they, and others, will do so wherever necessary. The winning of public support for the objectives of the Litter Act requires a sustained campaign of persuasion and education by all possible means. The Government will not only continue to play their part in this, but will do all they can to help and stimulate the many other agencies at work.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he will make available to the House copies of the circular he has sent to local authorities concerning the proposed changes in building byelaws.

I have not sent a circular to local authorities on this subject, but I have sent a letter to the local authority associations, the London County Council and certain other bodies. I will send the hon. Member a copy, and will also place a copy in the Library.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what number and proportion of council houses now under construction are for general needs; and what assessment he has made of the annual need for new homes to rent in the next five years, apart from slum clearance.

At 31st March, local authorities had approximately 100,000 houses under construction in England and Wales. The authorities have not furnished me with information showing how they intend to use these houses when completed, but I would expect that nearly half of them will become available for general needs, including the needs of old people.I cannot assess the future annual demand for new homes to rent, particularly as the House Purchase and Housing Act, which comes into operation next week, will afford new opportunities to people to buy homes of their own.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs how many houses and flats were completed by the Kensington Borough Council in North Kensington during 1958.

One hundred and eighty-eight.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will make known to schools, churches, colleges, universities and other interested bodies the aims and purposes of the World Refugee Year.

In bringing the World Refugee Year to the attention of Colonial Governments, my right hon. Friend has pointed out the desirability of giving the aims of the Year wide publicity. I have little doubt that this publicity will in fact extend to bodies in those territories of the kind to which the hon. Member refers. I will, however, see that the particular point raised by the hon. Member is also specifically brought to the notice of Governments.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will place in the Library a copy of the written report sent by Mr. Sullivan, commandant of Hola Camp, to Prison Head quarters, Kenya, on 13th February.

I am asking the Acting Governor whether he can supply copies of this report, and if so, I will place two in the Library.

asked the Minister of Works when it is proposed to re build the war-damaged Bernhard Baron Sports Pavilion in Regent's Park.

The estimated cost of replacing this pavilion is £30,000. So far I have not been able to find this money from the funds at my disposal, but I am looking into the matter again and I hope that ways and means of proceeding may be found.

asked the Minister of Works if he will give the reasons which lead him to the conclusion that there may be disorder in Trafalgar Square if a crib is placed there in connection with the World Refugee Year appeal.

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply on 4th June, 1959, to my hon. Friend the Member for Lanark (Mr. Patrick Maitland).I have now received the views of the Bishop of London and the Moderator of the Free Church Federal Council, both of whom feel that a crib should be permitted. In addition, the police authorities advise me that they would not now wish to oppose the application. I am therefore informing the Vicar of St. Martin-in-the-Fields that I am willing to allow a crib to be placed in the Square next Christmas.

asked the Minister of Works when he proposes to clean and restore the dirty and decayed facade of Westminster Hall facing New Palace Yard.

Work is due to begin next month. The cleaning of the stonework should be completed by September. The repair of decayed stone will continue into 1960.

asked the Minister of Works what action he is taking to avert a shortage of bricks in the Stockton-on-Tees area.

Where shortages of bricks have been reported or are expected, I have arranged for meetings of brick producers so that they can have full information about likely demands. This will be done on Thursday the 11th in the Stockton district. I do not expect any shortage to be of long duration.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works, as representing the Lord President of the Council, if he will make a statement on the experimental work at Torry Research Station, Aberdeen, carried out in, and since, 1956 in relation to the various designs of fish freezers for use in fishing trawlers, and indicate his present plans for encouraging the further use of the results of these experiments for commercial purposes; and how he proposes that the expense involved shall be met.

In 1956 full-scale commercial experiments on the distant water trawler "Northern Wave" proved the technical feasibility of freezing the first part of the catch and the suitability of the vertical plate freezer specially designed by Torry Research Station. They also afforded considerable information on costs. Subsequent work has improved the freezer and led to the design of a part-freezing trawler, of essentially the same size and cost as a modern diesel-electric trawler, while able to provide more fish of higher average quality, and possibly more cheaply. The staff of the Station are advising interested owners and manufacturers on design and layout.The White Fish Authority has indicated that, subject to certain conditions, it would be prepared to consider defraying the cost of the freezing equipment and cold storage on a part-freezing trawler built for commercial operations and give the owner of the vessel the option to buy these items after an agreed trial period, or have them removed at the Authority's expense.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will state the number of persons acquitted at courts of assize or quarter sessions in each year since 1952, and the number of cases in each year in which an order has been made under Section 1 (1) (b) of the Costs in Criminal Cases Act, 1952, for the payment out of local funds of the costs of the defence.

The number of persons acquitted at courts of assize and

asked the Minister of Health how many nursing officers, male and female, ward sisters and male quarter sessions in England and Wales in the years 1952 to 1958 are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what progress is being made over the financial negotiations with Egypt.

The financial negotiations with the United Arab Republic were concluded on 28th February with the signing of the Financial Agreement. Reasonable progress is being made in implementing the Agreement.

asked the Minister of Health what were the total numbers of consultants in general medicine, general surgery and mental health in England and Wales at 31st December, 1958; and what is the number of merit awards in each category, showing A, B and C awards, separately.

The information asked for is as follows:charge nurses, deputy ward sisters and male charge nurses, staff nurses, assistant nurses and nursing assistants, and student nurses, male and female, respectively, are employed full time and part time in mental hospitals, mental deficiency hospitals, maternity and general and other hospitals.

asked the Minister of Health how many nurses, including health visitors, district nurses and domiciliary midwives, are employed in the local authority health services.

At the end of 1958, 20,455 nurses were employed in the health services provided by local health authorities.

The numbers for England and Wales at 30th September, 1958, the latest date for which figures are available, were as follows:

asked the Postmaster-General when he will be able to announce his plans for establishing sub-post offices on the Hill View and Hylton Red House Estates in Sunderland.

I consider that the estates in question are adequately served by existing post offices and I am of the opinion that additional offices cannot be justified.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will now specify the various complaints which were made by the Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce, other trade and industrial organisations and persons there, to the Minister of State when he made an official visit to Aberdeen last January; and what steps he has since taken to deal with and resolve the problems which were then brought to the notice of the Minister of State.

The discussion which my noble Friend the Minister of State had with the Chamber ranged over a wide variety of topics, especially the building of factories by the Government or by local authorities. I am sending the hon. and learned Member a copy of three letters that my noble Friend sent the Chamber in February.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the advances made in the development of the British stern-fishing factory trawler; and what steps he is taking to assist the fishing industry towards increasing the number of such trawlers.

The first specially built ship of the kind has been in use since 1954. Two similar ships of improved design have since been ordered and full particulars of one of these have been given in the technical Press. Like other distant-water trawlers these ships are not eligible for Government assistance.