asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what he estimates the cost to the Revenue would have been if the earned income allowance had been deducted before assessment of income for Surtax.

£27 million in a full year.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the present annual cost of administration of Surtax; and what saving he estimates would be possible if work on Surtax were decentralised to local inspectors' offices

The annual cost of administering Surtax, excluding the cost of determining the underlying Income Tax assessments is about £2 million. On the second part of the Question I would refer the hon. Member to my Answer of 15th December, 1959.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will make a statement about special Government assistance towards purchases of pictures by the National Gallery.

Yes. The National Gallery has recently acquired by private negotiation the "Portrait of a Man on Horseback" by Rembrandt. As an equestrian portrait this is unique among Rembrandt's works, and is perhaps one of the most important paintings by this artist remaining in private hands; my right hon. Friend has agreed, subject to the approval of Parliament, to make a special Exchequer grant of £128,000 towards the purchase by the National Gallery of this picture. The Pilgrim Trust and the National Art Collections Fund have offered £5,000 each, and the balance will be found by the Trustees of the Gallery from the resources at their disposal. The price paid—which remains confidential—takes account of the exemption from Estate Duty applicable under the Finance Act, 1930, Section 40.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs why he is withholding district valuers' reports on land which local authorities are endeavouring to purchase from new town development corporations.

As a result of the passing of the Town and Country Planning Act, 1959, the arrangements which have hitherto governed land transactions between development corporations and local authorities are in process of revision. I am anxious that no sales should be held up in the meantime, and if the hon. Member has any difficult case in mind I shall be pleased to look into it.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether he will grant loan sanction to local authorities for development on land which they have agreed to purchase from new town development corporations prior to the completion of an actual contract of purchase.

So far as I am aware, this question has arisen in only one new town. I issued loan sanctions as soon as letters had been exchanged embodying agreement to purchase, and I do not know of any current difficulties.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what progress he has made in his consultations about the Arton Wilson Report on Caravans; and when he proposes to introduce legislation to strengthen the powers of town planning authorities to deal with the caravan problem.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether he will now make a statement about the introduction of legislation to deal with the caravan problem.

My consultations have disclosed a wide measure of agreement on the need for remedying defects in the existing law, and I hope to introduce legislation for this purpose in the present Session.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what action is taken to rate caravans and caravan sites so that they make a reasonable contribution towards local government services including dealing with nuisances arising from caravan sites.

Caravan sites are rated. Caravans, as being chattels, are not ordinarily rateable. The rating position is referred to in paragraphs 233 and 234 of the Arton Wilson report on "Caravans as Homes" (Cmnd. 872). It is being considered in that context by my working party on rating and valuation.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs how soon he will be able to amend the Use Classes order made under the Second Schedule to the Town and Country Planning Act, 1947, so as to enable local planning authorities to limit the spread of secondhand car marts to the detriment of areas allocated for shopping in county plans.

My right hon. Friend hopes to make an order shortly.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs how much of his Department's current grant to local education authorities was intended to provide for maintenance allowances for children in secondary schools.

My right hon. Friend pays no grant to local education authorities as such. General grant is not apportioned to individual services.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what consideration he has given to the desirability of informing medical officers of health of the existence of all radioactive materials and radiation hazards in their areas.

The Department receives information about deliveries of radioactive materials but my right hon. Friend does not at present feel at liberty to pass this detailed information as a matter of routine to medical officers of health; they are however given, on request, general appreciation of the extent to which such materials are used in their areas. If the Radioactive Substances Bill now under consideration in another place is enacted in its present form, local authorities will be entitled, subject to considerations of national security, to be sent copies of certificates of registration relating to premises in their area.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he will consult with the Royal Fine Art Commission with a view to ensuring that the view of Westminster Abbey now revealed by the demolition proceeding in Victoria Street will be preserved in the redevelopment proposed for this site.

The London County Council consulted the Royal Fine Art Commission before granting permission on 8th May, 1958, for the new building to be erected on this site. The plans provide for setting back the northeastern end of the building so as to keep open a view of the Abbey from Victoria Street.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what consideration he has given to the information, recently sent to him by the hon. Member for Newcastle-upon-Tyne, East, regarding pollution of the River Tyne; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend has read the information referred to.The local authorities on Tyneside are carrying out research which is essential before a sewerage scheme can be prepared. My right hon. Friend is ready to help with advice.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether he will publish a table showing, for the latest convenient date, the names of local authorities having requisitioned houses in their possession, the number of such houses in the possession of each authority, and the number of such houses of which each authority expects to be in possession on 31st March, 1960.

The table below gives the information asked for in the first two parts of the Question. As to the third part, while it is impossible to be certain how many of these houses authorities will still hold on 31st March, I understand that all but a few of the authorities involved expect to have completed de-requisitioning by that date or very shortly thereafter.

asked the Minster of Housing and Local Government and Minisrer for Welsh Affairs if he will introduce legislation along the lines of the recommendations of the Pritchard Committee's Report for the remission of rates to cricket and other sports clubs.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which my right hon. Friend gave to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Wembley, North (Wing Commander Bullus) on 24th November.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs why he differed from his inspector's recommendation regarding Enfield Borough Council's compulsory acquisition of the ground at 1, Waverley Road, Enfield.

My reasons for not agreeing to compulsory acquisition of the land adjoining 1, Waverley Road, Enfield, were fully explained in the letter of 2nd December, 1959, conveying my decision to the parties concerned. I am sending a copy of this to the hon. Member.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs from what date the proposed increase of grants to Welsh books of £3,000 a year, rising to £5,000 a year is to commence; why the increase is not to be £5,000 a year from the first year of operation; who will supervise the allocation of the said grants; on what basis the allocation will be made; and what safeguards there will be that the grants will be properly spent.

It is proposed that the new arrangements should begin to operate in the next financial year. Their purpose is to encourage the publication of more Welsh books by increasing the grant year by year until 1965 to match a gradually expanding output.The grant will be administered, as it has been since 1956, by the University of Wales Press Board, which allots money to individual publishers. I am sure the Board will continue its administration to the satisfaction of all concerned for Welsh life and culture.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will move to appoint a Select Committee to consider the pay and pensions of Ministers and backbench Members of the House.

I have been asked to reply.My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister informed my hon. Friend the Member for Wycombe (Mr. John Hall) on 24th November, that he had at present no intention of appointing a Committee of independent persons to review the pay of Ministers. I think it likely that his attitude would be the same to a review by a Select Committee such as is suggested by the hon. Member, although he would be the first to recognise the importance of these subjects.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will instruct the Secretary of State for the Home Department and the Secretary of State for Air to investigate the methods of communication between the immigration service, the civil police, air intelligence, and the Service police, with a view to preventing a repetition of a similar case to that of Flying Officer Anthony Maynard Wraight who recently returned from Russia.

I have been asked to reply.I do not accept that there was any lack of co-operation between the services concerned in the case to which the hon. Gentleman refers, and it consequently follows that I could not accept the hon. Member's suggestion.

asked the Prime Minister if he will publish as a White Paper the text of his speeches and answers in Accra, Lagos and Salisbury, about the Government's policy towards the Central African Federation.

I have been asked to reply.My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has made, as is usual, on tours of this kind a large number of speeches at various functions in the territories visited. He has also, as is customary, held Press conferences in each of the territories visited. If there is any particular point which the hon. Member has in mind, perhaps he will put down a Question

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the powers delegated to the Governor of Northern Rhodesia to designate native trust and native reserve land for alienation on lease, given in Section 6 of Order in Council 296 of 1959, will be used on the responsibility of the Governor himself or on the responsibility of the Governor in Council.

The Governor would not normally consult his Executive Council in matters of this nature unless a major point of policy was involved; but it is mandatory under Section 12 (2) of the Order in Council for the Governor to consult the Native Authority where the proposal is to grant any rights to a person who is not normally and lawfully resident in the district.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what areas of land of what acreages are to be designated by the Governor of Northern Rhodesia under Section 6 of Order in Council 296 of 1959; to what extent the native authorities concerned have been consulted; and whether their consent has been obtained.

No areas of land have yet been designated. Consultations are however at present taking place over the leasing of certain small islands of a total area of 819 acres for research and of a small island of 401 acres for youth camps. Proposals for the designating of land for two harbours and adjacent townships, and certain minor services, are being examined and in due course the Native Authority will be consulted.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if his attention has been drawn to a pamphlet, "The Kariba Hydro-Electric Scheme", issued by the Central Office of Information in November, 1959, in which it is said that the development of the Kariba Lake will be put in the hands of a company in place of the Kariba Lake Co-ordinating Committee; and if he is satisfied that African rights in and around the lake will not thereby be endangered.

I have seen the pamphlet. My right hon. Friend's responsibility in this matter is confined to Northern Rhodesia. The Northern Rhodesia, Southern Rhodesia and Federal Governments are considering the functions of the proposed company and I am satisfied that African interests will be closely watched in these discussions.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what authority has been delegated by Her Majesty's Government to representatives of the Nyasaland Government concerning visits to British protected persons under their jurisdiction who are detained in prisons in Southern Rhodesia.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he is aware that some 17 co-operative associations of tomato growers, and some 65 farmers' associations, supplying seeds and fertilisers to their members, exist in the Bahamas; to what extent these associations are controlled by the Government at present; and whether he will make a statement.

Owing to the lack of foreign markets there are no longer any co-operative associations of tomato growers.There are at present 21 active farmers' associations. These associations are not controlled by the Government, but the local Board of Agriculture helps them by advancing seed and fertilisers and by marketing their crops.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the grounds for the official statement that Mr. Mbiyu Koinange and Mr. Joseph Murumbi were responsible for Mau-Mau.

My right hon. Friend is satisfied that sufficient grounds exist for his recent reference to these men as having had a great responsibility for the unhappy events in Kenya of a short time ago.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is satisfied that Somali tribesmen from the Protectorate can be, and are, given adequate protection when grazing their cattle in the Haud and Reserved areas; and if he will make a statement.

The Haud and Reserved Areas are a part of Ethiopia where the rights and facilities of Protectorate tribesmen are those defined in the Anglo-Ethiopian Treaty of 1897 and Agreement of 1954.Her Majesty's Government have always considered that the provisions of these two instruments, if properly observed, offer reasonable protection to Protectorate tribesmen in this large and sparsely populated territory.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies who is in charge of the Tourist Development Board of Malta; and what is his knowledge of Malta and the history and the religious beliefs of the inhabitants.

The Malta Government Tourist Board is a statutory board consisting of seven members, of whom only the Chairman is non-Maltese.Decisions and recommendations on tourist development are made by the Board as a whole and I am satisfied that it gives full weight to Malta's history and national characteristics.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what steps are being taken to cope with the likely influx of pilgrims into Malta during this year; and to what extent the Malta Tourist Board will bear in mind that these pilgrims may not be of the wealthy type for whom it seems to be catering at the present time.

The Centenary Celebrations Committee is making special temporary accommodation arrangements for pilgrims attending the Pauline celebrations.Since the Malta Government Tourist Board is not involved in these arrangements, the second part of the Question does not arise.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will give an assurance that no missile bases of any kind will be established in Malta prior to consultation with the people of the island.

Her Majesty's Government have no plans to establish missile bases in Malta. The question of consultation does not therefore arise.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will cause an inquiry to be made into the circumstances in which Mr. Joseph Tekam, Mr. Daniel Nouwou and Mr. Aloysius Nkamdun were deported to Kamarun in November and December, 1959, from the British Cameroons.

Joseph Tekam was declared a prohibited immigrant in November and repatriated. Daniel Nouwou was charged with assaulting the police but he broke his bail and a warrant for his arrest has been issued. Application has been made to have him declared a prohibited immigrant. Aloysius Nkamdun was detained but he has been released and not deported

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies to which colonial and trust territories the International Labour Organisation Convention, No. 105, dealing with forced labour, has not yet been applied.

Declarations applying International Labour Convention No. 105 concerning the abolition of forced labour have not yet been made in respect of the following territories for which I am responsible:

British Honduras, Fiji, The Gambia, Kenya, the Federation of Nigeria, Tanganyika, and Uganda

asked the Minister of Works what progress he has been able to make in arranging to distribute the exhibits in the Banqueting House to the National Maritime Museum and various other suitable Service and provincial museums.

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply which I gave on 8th December last to the hon. Member for Bristol, North-West (Mr. McLaren). I would remind the hon. Member that the exhibits in the Banqueting House are the property of the Royal United Service Institutions.

asked the Minister of Works, in view of the decision to continue London's experimental Pink Zone, why he has decided to close the special parking facilities in the Royal Parks which began when the Pink Zone was brought into operation.

These facilities were made available specifically to help meet the special problems of Christmas traffic. My right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport and I agreed, after discussions, that, except for the Horse Guards Parade, they should be withdrawn at the end of the Christmas period.

asked the Minister of Works whether he will make a statement on the request of Westminster City Council for parking meters to be set up in the Royal Parks.

The Westminster City Council has made no such request. Certain reports that it had done so were inaccurate.

asked the Minister of Works what plans he has in hand, at the request of the appropriate authorities, for improvements to offices in the Palace of Westminster.

In consultation with the appropriate authorities, I have arranged for certain offices to be redecorated during the Long Recess.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many small burghs have not built any houses for the last eight years; and in how many cases this is because housing needs have been completely satisfied.

Three small burghs have not built any houses during the last eight years. I have no record of an outstanding housing need in any of them.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether, in view of the pending establishment of a large tractor and heavy vehicle manufacturing plant at Bathgate, West Lothian, and the consequent substantial increase in road traffic in the area, he will expedite the dual carriageway proposals for trunk road A.8 and revise them so that this arterial highway between Edinburgh and Glasgow becomes Scotland's first motorway.

The British Motor Corporation's decision to develop at Bathgate has important highway implications which my Department and West Lothian County Council are examining urgently. It is too soon to say how our plans for A.8 may be affected.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what reply has been made to the representations forwarded to him by Dalkeith Town Council concerning Midlothian County Council and the allocation of building contracts in that County.

Detailed replies on the statements made by the Town Council so far as they affected matters within my responsibility were sent on 19th December, 1958, and 7th May, 1959. I am sending copies to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to give sanction for the road between Shieldaig and Torridon to be started.

I have asked the County Council to prepare the contract details of this scheme and I hope to authorise it as soon as they are ready.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how much has been offered in marginal agriculture production grants to farmers in Caithness for 1959–60; how this compares with the total sums paid in the previous two years; and how many applications for grant have been rejected for land which is indisputably marginal.

Grants totalling £60,000 are to be offered in Caithness for the 1960 cropping season compared with £89,000 for 1958 and £69,500 for 1959. No indisputably marginal farms have been refused grant.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is aware that the North-Eastern Regional Hospital Board, Scotland, recently asked the Scottish Association of Friendly Societies, Glasgow, to nominate members for appointment to local boards of management of hospitals in the Aberdeen area under the direction of his Department, that the Scottish Association of Friendly Societies did, as requested, make nominations, and that those nominations were ignored; why those nominations were asked for as aforesaid; why they were ignored; and what steps he proposes to take in the matter.

The North-Eastern Regional Hospital Board consulted the Scottish Association of Friendly Societies as part of its normal procedure for making appointments to boards of management. The regional board is free within the limits imposed by Statute, to choose the people in its view best suited to contribute to the efficient administration of the hospital service. When appointments to boards of management are next being considered the regional board will consider the Association's suggestions along with the others that it has received.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that the take-over bids and subsequent amalgamations are creating monopolies and restraining competition that is vital if the capitalist system is to work efficiently; and what steps he proposes to take to counteract this process.

It may be that some instances appear to support the hon. Member's contention, but I know of no evidence that their effects are significant. I would remind my hon. Friend that the Board of Trade may, if it thinks fit, have the activities of a monopoly investigated by the Monopolies Commission, and that monopoly conditions apply when one-third of all the goods in question are supplied in the United Kingdom by any one person.

asked the President of the Board of Trade, in view of the over-full employment in the motor trade, if Her Majesty's Government will now apply their policy of general liberalisation of trade and reduction of tariffs to the motor industry by reducing or abolishing the 30 per cent. tariff on imports of foreign cars.

No.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many people, men and women, respectively, were employed in the factories administered by the North-Eastern Trading Estates, Limited, on the latest available date.

At November, 1959, 23,138 males and 30,347 females, in total 53,485, were employed in these factories.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many people, men and women, respectively, were employed in the factories in Sunderland administered by the North-Eastern Trading Estates, Limited, on the latest available date.

At November, 1959, 2,366 males and 3,047 females, in total 5,413, were employed in these factories.

asked the President of the Board of Trade, in view of the high rate of unemployment existing in the County of Durham, what steps are being taken, and of what nature, to induce car manufacturers to acquire favourable industrial sites in the County.

As the House knows, I am anxious to encourage new industrial development in the North East, as in other areas of relatively high unemployment; the needs of this area and the advantages it can offer will be kept well in mind in any discussion with the motor industry. The regional office of the Board has investigated a number of possible sites in the area.

asked the President of the Board of Trade, in view of the fact that the British Match Corporation intends to invest more than £2,000,000 in the British wood chipboard industry and is to build and equip a new factory to produce chipboard, what consultations he is having with this firm regarding the siting of its new factory; and whether, in view of the proximity of large Forestry Commission plantations in the vicinity and the need to diversify industry there, he will draw the attention of the Corporation to the many suitable factory sites available for development in the north-east of England.

The Corporation has discussed its proposals with the Board of Trade, and I am satisfied that it has fully taken into account the facilities available in the north-east of England and other places.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether the sub-committee which has been set up to report on the machine-tool industry will be able to take into consideration the report on the industry made by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research.

The report on the research and development requirements of the machine-tool industry made by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research is not within the terms of reference of the Sub-Committee which will deal primarily with problems of production.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if any applications have yet been made for sites on the North-East Trading Estate, Hartlepool.

One application for a building lease on a small plot has been received.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will now make a relaxation in the arrangements which were announced on 9th December, 1958, in connection with the remission of duty on those instruments and apparatus covered by Section 6 of the Import Duties Act, 1958.

In the light of a year's experience, we can make some relaxation in these arrangements and will, in future, be prepared to consider applications for remission of duty in respect of instruments and apparatus where the amount of duty is £20 or more instead of £50 or more. To simplify administration, the same minimum limit of £20 duty will also be applied to applications covering parts for instruments and apparatus. Full details of the arrangements are being published today.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what action he is taking regarding the development of sites for industrial purposes in Hull, in order to reduce the unemployment in the city.

I share the hon. and gallant Member's wish to see new industry going to the city, but the Board of Trade has no power to develop industrial sites in Hull.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will give the date and place where the first meeting was held attended by representatives of his Department, the police, the London Transport Executive, the Road Haulage Association, British Road Services, the Corporation of London and the Port of London Authority to discuss the traffic jams over a wide area on both sides of the Thames as a result of the priority given to ships over road transport by the Tower Bridge Act of 1885; what was the date of the latest meeting; and when it is proposed to hold the next meeting

The meeting to which the hon. Member refers was held on 19th January at the Ministry of Transport. Further meetings will be arranged whenever circumstances warrant.

asked the Minister of Transport if he is aware that congestion is often caused by vehicles parking opposite one another in the narrow part of West End Lane, Hampstead, near the British Railways and London Transport stations; and if he will introduce unilateral waiting regulations.

Waiting restrictions in this length of West End Lane are at present under consideration I will inform my hon. Friend of the outcome.

asked the Minister of Transport Whether he will consider a proposal to construct off-street car parks under the Royal Parks.

My right hon. Friend the Minister of Works and I are at present examining various proposals of this kind.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will prohibit all parking in the narrow stretch of A.5 between the roundabout at Canon's Park, Edgware, and the junction with A.411 at Elstree.

I propose to take the advice of the London and Home Counties Traffic Advisory Committee on the need for waiting restrictions on A.5 near Elstree. I do not think that such restrictions would be justifiable over the remainder of the length southwards to Canon's Park roundabout.

asked the Minister of Transport by what date he expects British Railways to run without loss.

The British Transport Commission estimates that it should achieve, by about the end of 1963, a working surplus which can resonably be put at between £50 million and £100 million. This assessment is contained in the Commission's Reappraisal of its Modernisation Plan (Cmnd. 813) which is at present under study by the Government.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what representations on the subject of international traffic in animals have been made to the United Nations by Her Majesty's Government; and if he will make a statement.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (1) if he will ensure that the British delegation to the International Conference on the Law of the Sea to be held in Geneva next March will be led by a British Minister of Cabinet rank;(2) if he is yet in a position to make a detailed statement on Britain's representation on the International Conference on the Law of the Sea to be held in Geneva on 17th March, 1960.

I would draw the hon. Member's attention to the reply given by my right hon. and learned Friend yesterday.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in pursuance of the support of the World Refugee Year, he will admit another 1,000 refugees to this country before Easter.

Arrangements are being made in consultation with the United Kingdom Committee of the World Refugee Year, to ascertain the number of specially handicapped refugees who wish to come to this country and can be adequately sponsored by the voluntary organisations. I shall consider the matter further when this information is available.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he will arrange that there shall be no postal deliveries on Christmas Day, 1960, as an experiment to test out public reaction, in order that postmen may spend Christmas Day, particularly the morning, with their families.

This is not an easy matter to decide and I intend to examine it carefully when we come to consider the arrangements for next Christmas. I will certainly bear in mind the possibility mentioned by my hon. Friend.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he will make a statement about the building of a post office in the White Lion Square, Hatfield, bearing in mind the inadequate service available at the moment.

Tenders for the new building have been invited. A contract should be let in March and the building is expected to be completed about August, 1961. Meantime, we are increasing the staff at the existing office, St. Albans Road, adjoining White Lion Square, so as to improve the service to our customers there.