asked the Secretary of State for Air if he will state the scale of rations being issued to Royal Air Force other ranks at Salalah, Aden Protectorate; what proportion of this is from old emergency ration packs; and why fresh meat, fresh potatoes, fresh fruit, coffee and cocoa are not provided.

The scale of rations for all ranks at Salalah is the general Overseas Ration Scale, of which I am sending the hon. Member a copy. It is customary in all theatres to issue food periodically from emergency ration packs, in order to turn over supplies; at Salalah this is done on one day a month. Fresh commodities are provided at Salalah on the same scale as elsewhere overseas, except when bad weather interrupts air supply.

asked the Secretary of State for Air if he is aware that Royal Air Force other ranks at Salalah, Aden Protectorate, are having to spend money, both locally and by writing home, in order to obtain a sufficient and varied diet; and whether he will consider the payment of an extra allowance to this detachment to meet the special circumstances of the case.

Salalah is an isolated station 600 miles from Aden, and bad weather sometimes makes air supply of fresh foods impracticable. I do not at present see how a cash supplement would help matters; but I am considering whether any other measures should be taken to ensure a good standard of messing.

asked the Minister of Defence how many widows of Regular officers of each rank in the three Armed Services, including the Indian Armed Services, are receiving widows' ordinary pensions; In each case how many of them lost their husbands on or after 4th November, 1958; and how many widows of Regular officers of each rank are now over 71 years of age.

The information required is as follows:

asked the Minister of Defence how many members of Her Majesty's Forces have been posted as missing in West Berlin this year; and from how many of these no communications have been received.

Four Service men have been posted absent, believed to be in East Germany or East Berlin, during this year. Of those, two have since been returned to British hands. So far as I am aware, no communication has been received from the other two men.

asked the Minister of Education whether he will reconsider the present pass mark required in the General Certificate of Education "O" level examination in the light of the evidence which has been sent to him by the hon. Member for West Derby.

No. I am not prepared to encourage a lowering of the standard of pass in this examination. This is a complex question, and I have written more fully to my hon. Friend.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were the total expenses incurred in running the Premium Bond Scheme in the last convenient 12-months period; what percentage that was of the total amount invested; and what was the total amount of prize money paid out during the same period.

The total administrative, advertising and selling costs of the Premium Bond scheme during the financial year 1958–59 were £1,543,967. This was a little over 0·8 per cent. of the average amount remaining invested in Bonds over the year. The total amount of prize money allotted during the year was £6,866,125.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what, in each of the draws that have taken place since the inception of the scheme, were the respective odds against a holder of Premium Bonds winning a prize.

The odds against the holder of a single Premium Savings Bond winning a prize in each of the monthly draws since the inception of the scheme have been as follows:

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he will make a statement on the avoidance of air pollution which has been brought about by the collaboration of the Central Electricity Generating Board and the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, especially at the North Wilford power station.

These two bodies collaborate in the measurement of air pollution and, in conjunction with Messrs. Simon Carves Limited, have been conducting an experiment into a sulphur removal process on pilot plant scale at North Wilford Power Station. The results of this experiment are awaited.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs when he will announce decisions arising from an inquiry held on 10th June, 1959, into appeals by Mr. E. Mussellwhite and others in connection with the Norfolk County Council's plans for the districts round Norwich.

The purpose of this inquiry was to hear objections to the Norfolk County Council's proposals for an amendment of the county development plan covering a substantial area around the city of Norwich. I am now considering the council's proposals in the light of my Inspector's report. I cannot yet say when I shall be in a position to give a decision upon them, but I shall do so as soon as practicable.

asked the Minister of Labour what were the numbers of unemployed in Hull, in October, 1951, and October, 1959, respectively what were the causes of the increase; and what steps he intends to take to reduce this unemployment this winter.

At 12th October, 1959, there were 5,041 persons on the registers of the employment exchanges and youth employment offices in Hull and Hessle compared with 3,226 at 15th October, 1951. The main differences between the two figures were in respect of the construction industries (largely due to the completion of war damage repairs) and in the distribution, shipbuilding, fishing and sea transport industries (partly due to the rather slow recovery of Hull from the recent decline in world trade). My local officers will continue their efforts to find suitable vacancies for the unemployed.

asked the Minister of Labour what is the number of disabled men and women who are unemployed in Hull, and the number who are to be trained at Government training centres, industrial rehabilitation units, Remploy factories and other establishments, respectively.

On 19th October, 670 registered disabled persons were unemployed in Hull. I cannot forecast how many will make use in the future of the facilities named, but in the last six months 283 disabled persons from the area have started on industrial rehabilitation courses, 17 on vocational training courses and 19 have been placed with Remploy or in other sheltered employment.

asked the Minister of Labour what are the latest quarterly figures of unemployed men in Hull who have been out of work for over twelve months, six months, and three months, respectively.

The following Table gives the information desired: Numbers of wholly unemployed men aged 18 and over on the registers of the Hull and Hessle Employment Exchanges at 14th September, 1959.

asked the Minister of Labour what was the number of youths registered at the employment exchanges of Lanark, Carluke, and Lesmahagow, in the county of Lanark, at the latest available date who have been unemployed for eight weeks or longer; and the number of unfilled vacancies at each of these employment exchanges.

Young persons under eighteen years of age in Lanark and Carluke register, when unemployed, at the Lanark Youth Employment Office and young persons in Lesmahagow at the Larkhall Youth Employment Office. At 16th November, 1959, 55 young persons were registered as unemployed at the Lanark Youth Employment Office, of whom 15 had been unemployed for more than eight weeks, and 56 young persons were registered as unemployed at the Larkhall Youth Employment Office, of whom 13 had been unemployed for more than eight weeks. At 11th November, 1959, six notified vacancies remained unfilled at Lanark Youth Employment Office and five at Larkhall Youth Employment Office.

asked the Minister of Labour if he is aware that the receipt of a pension from a former employer does not disqualify a claimant from receiving unemployment benefit, and that many such pensioners apply for, and draw, unemployment benefit immediately following their retirement on a pension; and to what extent he separates such unemployed pensioners from those persons who are unemployed and not in receipt of a pension from a former employer when he compiles and issues his national unemployment figures and tables.

A person in receipt of a pension from a former employer may be entitled to receive unemployment benefit if he satisfies the statutory conditions, including that of being capable of and available for work. Such persons are not identified separately and are included in the unemployment figures in the normal way.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance whether he will pay the family allowance to the first child; and how much it would cost to do this.

The Government have no proposals for such legislation. It is estimated that the cost of the proposal would be nearly £140 million a year.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he is in receipt of the emergency resolution sent to him by the Edinburgh Central Constituency Labour Party regarding the collapse of a tenement building at 6 Beaumont Place, Edinburgh, in the early hours of Saturday, 21st November, 1959; and what action he intends to take to safeguard families residing in such dilapidated properties in the slum areas of Central Edinburgh;(2) if he is aware of the collapse of a tenement building at 6 Beaumont Place, Edinburgh, which was condemned as unfit for human habitation 20 years ago; whether he is further aware that the said tenement building is part of the area, referred to in his correspondence to the hon. Member for Central Edinburgh, on Tuesday, 17th November, now being compulsorily purchased by the Corporation of Edinburgh; to what extent he contemplates legislation to speed up the demolition of properties so scheduled for slum clearance; and if he will make a statement;(3) if he will institute an inquiry into the condition of the slum properties in the Beaumont Place, Carnegie Street, and Dalrymple Place areas, following the collapse of a tenement on Saturday, 21st November, in the city of Edinburgh, with a view to giving a directive to the Corporation for the speedy demolition of dangerous buildings.

I am aware of the partial collapse of this tenement, and I sympathise very much with the occupants in their most unpleasant experience. I have also received the resolution referred to.I understand that the property in the St. Leonard's area was inspected by Edinburgh Corporation some years before the last war and noted as calling for action in due course. While the first two parts of the redevelopment were actually carried out before the war, other housing needs in the post-war period were, until recently, given precedence over the redevelopment of the third part, which includes Beaumont Place, Carnegie Street and Dalrymple Place. As the hon. Member says, compulsory purchase for demolition was authorised earlier this month. Since the collapse on 21st November, the corporation has taken steps to secure that adjacent property is vacated, and is arranging to rehouse the occupants immediately.I do not think that new legislation is needed or would serve to speed up slum clearance operations. I have no doubt that this collapse will bring home to all local authorities, the need for speedy action to deal with properties such as this, and the vital importance of keeping a very close watch on such properties until they can be dealt with. The authorities have adequate powers to safeguard occupants where danger is apprehended, and I see no occasion for seeking to intervene.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a detailed statement on the hospital accommodation in Aberdeen city and county and the numbers of persons waiting for hospital beds there during each of the last five years; and for how long each person has had to wait for a bed.

I annex a summary, by specialties, of the hospital accommodation available in the City of Aberdeen and in Aberdeenshire. The information about waiting lists and waiting times requested by the hon. and learned Member is necessarily detailed and elaborate, and I am sending it to him separately.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many advance factories have been built in Aberdeen city and county, respectively, during the last 12 months; where they are situated; and what each produces.

Since Aberdeen city and county are not scheduled as Development Areas under the Distribution of Industry Act, 1945, the Board of Trade has no power to build factories there.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware of the high accident rate on the Birmingham-Stratford road where it passes through Shirley and Monkspath; and what proposals he has to improve this.

Yes. An improvement of this road between Birmingham City Boundary and School Lane, Shirley, has already been carried out; it was widened and improved in 1957 to provide a 44 feet carriageway, service roads and traffic signals at junctions. The section from School Lane, Shirley, through Monkspath to Hockley Heath has at present three-lane carriageway 30 feet wide, and an improvement to dual two-lane carriageways is under consideration.

asked the Minister of Works if he has noted the reference to Regulation 2 (6) of the draft Trafalgar Square Regulations, 1959, by the Select Committee on Statutory Instruments in their recent report and what action he proposes to take.

Yes; I have withdrawn the Draft Regulations so that I can give further consideration to the point raised by the Select Committee's Report.