asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will make a statement on the movement since 1st July, 1955, of the prices in Nyasaland of such consumer goods, most commonly bought by Africans, as are not subject to federal price control.

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

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has approved the measures proposed under the Preservation of Public Security Ordinance in Northern Rhodesia.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. and learned Member for Aberdeen, North (Mr. Hector Hughes) on 9th February.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies (1) if he will speed up the release of those detainees in Kenya whom the Government does not intend to bring to trial;(2) if he will recommend to the Kenya Government the provision of legal representation to those detainees whose cases are being reviewed by the commission set up for that purpose.

The Kenya Government are making every effort, under the rehabilitation and review processes, to speed the release of all the remaining detainees. The Kenya Government accepted both the Fairn Committee's recommendation that a quasi-judicial review was to be preferred to formal judicial process and the corollary which the Committee attached to this recommendation to the effect that neither the Kenya Government nor the detainees should have legal representation. These questions are quite unrelated to negotiations for a settlement.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a further 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.

As my right hon. Friend informed the hon. and learned Member on 9th June last, the first specially built ship of this kind has been in use since 1954. A second factory trawler started fishing last year and a third has only recently sailed on her maiden voyage. Like other distant water trawlers, these ships are not eligible for Government assistance.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what acreage in Scotland was under crops and grass, rough grazings, including mountain, moor, deer forest and heath, and woodlands and afforestation, respectively, in 1959 and 1949.

The area in Scotland under crops and grass was 4,359,000 acres in 1959 and 4,416,000 in 1949. Rough grazings including mountain, moor, deer forest and heath land covered about 12,481,000 acres in 1959 and about 12,760,000 in 1949. Woodlands and afforested land amounted to 961,000 acres in 1959 and 629,000 in 1949.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is aware of the falling price of fish meal brought about by excessive and unrestricted imports of Peruvian fish meal; and what steps he is taking to protect herring fishermen, whose catches frequently go to fish meal, from bearing the losses involved.

My right hon. Friend is aware that the increase in the production of fish meal in Peru has had a considerable effect on the world market for fish meal. This has affected the operations of the Herring Industry Board, who have informed the Government of their difficulties.Pending a full review of the situation, the Board have been told that, if necessary, the Government will meet their losses on their oil and meal arrangements up to £30,000 during the period from 1st January to 31st May, 1960, so that during that period the schedule of prices which the Board pay to the fishermen for surplus herring may be maintained.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what provision he makes, in the design of new roads, and in particular new motorways, for bringing architectural advice to bear from the earliest stages.

The design of new roads is principally an engineering matter but, where necessary, I can be advised, not only by my engineers, but also by my planning and architecture staff. Where important structures are involved, the views of the Royal Fine Art Commission for Scotland are obtained and independent architectural advice may be sought.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is now in a position to grant the request of Glasgow Corporation to use the lands of Summerston for housing purposes.

As the Corporation is aware, any such request must take the form of a proposal to amend the Development Plan, involving the usual facilities for objection and public inquiry. No such proposal has yet reached me.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when it is proposed to commence the proposed Wallyford, or Musselburgh, by-pass.

I am unable to forecast when this scheme can be fitted into the roads programme.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the work of the Scottish Advisory Council on the Treatment of Offenders.

The Council has recently submitted to me two reports, one on short sentences of imprisonment and the other on the custodial sentences on young offenders. I am most grateful to Sheriff Leslie and the Council for the careful and comprehensive way they have dealt with these subjects.Most of the Council's recommendations would involve legislation, and will need careful study. Meantime, I am arranging for both reports to be printed and published, and for duplicated copies of the report on short sentences to be placed in the Library immediately, since it has a bearing on the First Offenders (Scotland) Bill now before the House.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware of the bad effect on the United Kingdom textile trade of the continuation during 1960 of the United States tariff quota on woollen and worsted cloth imports; what representations he has made in this matter; and if he will make a statement.

When my right hon. Friend was in Washington last month he expressed his concern about this matter to the United States authorities. My hon. Friend will be aware that, at the request of Her Majesty's Government, the United States Government have agreed to renegotiate the tariff quota arrangements. I hope that this will result in a satisfactory long-term settlement of the problem.

asked the President of the Board of Trade why no particular area within the three rural areas of the Sedgefield parliamentary constituency has been scheduled in the list published for assistance in accordance with the terms of the Local Employment Bill.

Sedgefield is part of the Tees-side travel-to-work area and conditions in this area are not such as to justify its inclusion in the list of Development Districts as defined in the Local Employment Bill.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that the list of places covered by the Local Employment Bill severely restricts industrialists in obtaining suitable land, and for certain processes water, and other essentials for production, such as access to railways or river transport, and that the delineation will reduce rather than increase the movement of industry to areas of high unemployment; and if he will review his decision so as to take account of this anomaly.

No. My right hon. Friend is confident that the effect of the Local Employment Bill will be to increase the movement of industry to areas of high unemployment.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how, under the designated places covered by the Local Employment Bill, he proposes to deal with pit closures in Northumberland.

The Haltwhistle area is on the list of Development Districts because we expect redundancies this year from pit closures, but other parts of the county will be added to the list if the position deteriorates. Although pits are closing elsewhere in Northumberland we do not expect this to result in high unemployment.

asked the President of the Board of Trade why Accrington and district has not been included in the list of Development Districts in view of its previous inclusion on the Development Areas Treasury Advisory Committee list and the prospects of further unemployment in that area.

Accrington is not on the first list of Development Districts because it is not a locality in which, in the opinion of the Board of Trade, a high rate of unemployment exists (or is expected) and is likely to persist. This conforms with the statutory requirement by which the Board of Trade will be bound.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what considerations he has taken into account in excluding from the list of Development Districts areas previously on the Development Areas Treasury Advisory Committee list.

In designating places as Development Districts my right hon. Friend is bound by the terms of the Local Employment Bill. The position and prospects of many places which were on the DATAC list, including Widnes, are now different from what they were when assistance under the Distribution of Industry Acts, 1945–58, was made available for them.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what are the prospects of new industry coming on to the Trading Estate at Aycliffe; and how many applications have been made over the last two years.

The Board of Trade is prepared to see more industry located at Aycliffe and the advantages of the area are brought to the attention of industrialists. There have been no applications from new industry in the last two years, but extensions have been authorised for 14 firms on the Estate in the last two years and these were estimated to provide about 550 new jobs.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware of the increase in the importation of fish meal from Peru and the threat that this constitutes to British industry, and to the fishing industry; and if he will communicate with the Government of Peru so that joint action will be taken to find a mutually acceptable solution to this problem.

I am aware that imports of fish meal from Peru have increased and that the fishing industry are concerned about them. While I am ready to make inquiries about the likely development of the Peruvian fish meal industry and its exports, and to receive representations, the British industry can apply for an increase in the import duty if it feels that it is being damaged by imports.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will state the terms of assistance, financial and otherwise, to be given to the motor car and other industries to help in establishing themselves in Merseyside, Wales, and Scotland.

My right hon. Friend cannot reveal the arrangements being made with industry without the consent of the individual firms: the terms negotiated with all firms moving into the areas referred to are, of course, governed by the powers of the Government under the legislation in force at the time.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many applications he has received from firms who have entered the scheme for scrapping machinery under the Cotton Industry Act, 1959, to continue operating the machinery to be scrapped after 31st March, 1960; and how many applications he has granted.

The Cotton Board has informed my right hon. Friend that it has received twenty such applications and granted ten.

asked the President of the Board of Trade when the Report of the Monopolies Commission on the supply of chemical fertilisers will be published; and if he will make a statement about its contents.

:1. The Report was published today. It covers the supply of the following chemical fertilisers:—

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what further representations he has now received for removal of Purchase Tax on musical instruments; and, having regard to widespread concern expressed about this form of taxation upon culture, education, and recreation, what steps he proposes to take.

The National Music Council has renewed its previous representations. As to the second part of the Question, I can assure my hon. Friend yet again that one step I do not propose to take is to anticipate my Budget Statement.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that an electrical pick-up for a guitar attracts Purchase Tax at the rate of 25 per cent., as does the guitar, whereas an amplifier to which the electrical pick-up is connected is not subject to tax at all; why this discrimination exists between a guitar pick-up and an amplifier for a guitar pick-up; and whether he will redress grievances expressed by musicians by removing both pick-ups and amplifiers from the Purchase Tax Schedule when used in conjunction with guitars.

The distinction exists because the tax applies to musical instruments and their parts and accessories; and this does not normally include amplifiers of this type. I am not aware that the distinction gives rise to grievances.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what part of his total revenue for the year 1959–60 he estimates will be derived from Purchase Tax; how this compares with the yield from Purchase Tax of £290 millions in 1950–51, representing 7 per cent. of total revenue and the yield from Purchase Tax in 1958–59, representing 10 per cent. of total revenue; and whether a further increase is expected by his Department in the present year 1959–60.

My Budget estimate of £471 million for receipts of Purchase Tax in 1959–60 represents 8·8 per cent. of the total estimated revenue. For the years 1950–51 and 1958–59, receipts of Purchase Tax represented 7·6 per cent. and 9·1 per cent. of total revenue respectively. As regards the last part of the Question, my hon. Friend must wait until the figures are available at the end of the financial year.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the average annual receipt from dutiable inter vivos gifts since 1946, and the average annual receipt for the same period of years prior to 1946.

In the thirteen years 1946–47 to 1958–59, the estimated average annual receipt of Estate Duty from dutiable inter vivos gifts was £6 million. I regret that no figure is available for the earlier period.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what advice or guidance he is giving to local housing authorities in the matter of finding accommodation for ex-service personnel who may have no clearly defined domiciliary entitlements.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 17th November to my hon. Friend the Member for Tynemouth (Dame Irene Ward).

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs why, when confirming the recent clearance order with respect to the demolition of a Georgian house in Bristol on which the owner has spent more than £500 during the past 12 months, he did not direct the local authority concerned to compensate the owner on a well-maintained basis.

I think the hon. Member must be referring to No. 50, Horfield Road. If that is so, he is under a misapprehension, for when a clearance order including this property was recently confirmed the Bristol Corporation were directed to make a well-maintained payment in respect of it.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether, following the recent fire tragedy on an unlicensed caravan site in Tipton, Staffordshire, he will consult the borough council of Tipton when preparing his legislative proposals for strengthening the powers of local authorities in relation to caravan sites.

I am in touch with the borough council, and will certainly consider any suggestions they may put forward.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether he has yet completed his consideration of the resolution of the Association of Municipal Corporations in favour of meeting travelling expenses of council members, within the area of their local authority, when on council business; and whether he will soon introduce legislation for this purpose.

Various matters affecting travelling and subsistence expenses have to be further discussed with the representatives of local authorities before my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and I can reach conclusions about amendment of the law. Meanwhile, I can hold out no hope of legislation this session.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether he is yet in a position to put forward proposals for Parliamentary control of Special Procedure Orders against which there is no petition.

Not yet. Consultation is now taking place with the House authorities.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether he is aware that the appeal of the Kettering Rural District Council against certain conditions sought to be imposed by the Nene River Board on the council's sewerage disposal scheme in Cranford raises questions of interest in other similar cases, and that a hearing and investigation took place on 20th May, 1959; and when he proposes to publish his decision.

I have now given my decision on the council's application, and am sending a copy to the hon. and learned Member.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether he is aware of the extent of coast erosion at Beachy Head and the Seven Sisters; what expert advice he has taken in the matter; and what steps he proposes to take to prevent further damage to these national places of beauty.

This is a matter for the Eastbourne County Borough Council as coast protection authority. If they consider any action is necessary, they will no doubt submit proposals to me.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food why the Supplementary Estimates shows increased sums of £150,000 and £97,000 in respect of trading transactions in cereals and oils and fats, respectively.

These Supplementary Estimates for cereals, and oils and fats are needed for the settlement of trading balances outstanding from the period of food control.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress has been made to date with the Great Ouse Flood Protection Scheme.

As my hon. Friend the Joint Parliamentary Secretary stated in reply to the hon. Member on the 9th November last, Part I of the scheme is complete and I expect Part II of the scheme to be finished by the end of 1961. Tenders for Part III, the Cut-Off Channel, will be opened early next month and work will start shortly afterwards.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will consider setting aside a fund to provide compensation for losses suffered by fishermen in heavy storms resulting in loss of gear, and thereby causing severe hardships.

Although I have every sympathy with fishermen who suffer losses of gear in bad weather, this must be accepted as a normal occupational risk in an industry such as fishing. Fishermen can do much to avoid hardship from this cause by the arrangement of mutual insurance schemes.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, as representing the Minister for Science, whether he will make a statement about plans for the development of experimental farm buildings.

Much research has been and is being done on the basic requirements which farm buildings should supply. It has, however, become increasingly apparent that there is a lack of facilities for development work to bridge the gap between research and practical application and a need for trials of experimental buildings. Development work and trials of this kind can best be carried out on farms, which can be chosen to provide the necessary range of conditions, rather than at a research centre or centres.To meet this situation, and at the same time to overcome the difficulty that buildings of an experimental or unproved nature would not qualify for assistance under the Farm Improvement Scheme, the Agricultural Research Council proposes to introduce a scheme of co-ordinated experiments under which grants, up to a maximum of 50 per cent. of the approved cost, would be available for the erection in approved cases of experimental buildings or structures on farms or for incorporating experimental features in traditional buildings. The scheme will be administered under the supervision of the Farm Buildings Research Committee of the Council, of which Sir Walter Drummond is the Chairman, and the experimental work will be under the control of the Council's Farm Buildings Unit.In return for a grant under this scheme the farmer or landowner by whom the building is erected will be required to co-operate with the Farm Buildings Unit in the design of the building and to provide facilities for the inspection of the building and the observations required during the course of the investigation.The scheme will be administered and the grants will be payable by the Agricultural Research Council. In no case will a grant be awarded for a building project for which a grant is being made under any other Government scheme. Experimental or unproved buildings are not in any case eligible for a grant under the Farm Improvement Scheme where grant may only be given if the building is such as a prudent landlord would erect and is such as would clearly provide long-term benefit to the land at a reasonable cost.It is not intended to give grant-aid in respect of all projects which comply with specified conditions but only in respect of proposals that can suitably form part of the experimental programme of the Farm Buildings Research Committee. Applications for grant will not in any case be considered in respect of building projects which have already been started. Further particulars of the scheme, and the way in which application should be made for grants under the scheme, will be announced in due course.Farms in England, Wales and Scotland will be eligible for grants under this scheme. The scheme will not cover Northern Ireland.

asked the Minister of Aviation if he is aware that the Eagle Airline Company offered, in April 1959, to operate a once-weekly passenger air service from Malta to London for £19 return fare, and that the applicants' case was stated before the authorities, and accepted, on the ground that it would increase the tourist traffic on which Malta must depend in the future; and when this application is to be endorsed in London.

I hope to announce my decision in the near future.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what is the total number of claims he has so far received for desequestration of assets in Egypt owned by British subjects; how many of these have been met in full; how many qualified for an interim payment under the Foreign Compensation (Egypt) (Interim Distribution) Order, 1959; in how many cases such payment has been made; and what further steps he is taking to speed up the process of desequestration and to protect the interests of British subjects, with special reference to the urgent needs of the smaller claimants.

British property in Egypt which was placed under sequestration by Egyptian Proclamation No. 5 of 1st November, 1956, was, with the exception of such property as was sold or "Egyptianised", desequestrated on 1st March, 1959. Applications for the return of such desequestrated property had to be made to the United Arab Republic authorities direct, and any "claims" in respect of its return are therefore not made to the Foreign Office. The return of such property by the United Arab Republic authorities is now proceeding at a rate which has been much accelerated in the last few months.Claims against the Egyptian Compensation Fund in respect of "Egyptianised" property, or in respect of loss, injury or damage which may be found to have occurred on property returned after sequestration, are made not to the Foreign Office but to the Foreign Compensation Commission. It is only to these claims that the Interim Distribution Order in Council mentioned in the question refers.I am informed that, by 15th February, there were seventy-one cases in which interim payments had been made by the Commission out of the Egyptian Compensation Fund. I understand that claims are now being dealt with by the Commission more and more rapidly.I am not certain to what my hon. Friend refers in the final part of his Question, but I am satisfied that every effort is being made to ensure that formerly sequestrated property is returned to its owners as quickly as possible, and to protect the interests of

British subjects generally. He will appreciate that the scale of interim payments from the Egyptian Compensation Fund laid down in the Interim Distribution Order in Council provides particularly for larger interim payments to the smaller claimants, who moreover were those most favoured under the

asked the Minister of Labour what was the number of unemployed registered in the aircraft and radio industries at the latest convenient date.

The table below gives the information desired:

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if he will state the numbers of war pensioners who are 50 per cent. or more disabled and aged 60 years or over, and the numbers of such men who are on his Department's lists for visitation by welfare officers and voluntary workers; and whether he plans to extend his scheme of visitation.

There are about 81,600 war pensioners with assessments of 50 per cent. or more who are aged 60 or over. The other figures asked for are not available in the form required, but it is estimated that at least half of the total of about 17,000 on the visiting lists are pensioners in this category.All war pensioners have been informed about the visiting arrangements, and those who are severely disabled and unable to work have been invited to let our welfare officers know if they wish to be included in these arrangements.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if he will state the numbers of welfare officers available to visit severely disabled war pensioners, by comparison with three years ago; and whether he will appoint more of his officers and appeal for additional voluntary workers to extend the scheme of visitation to all aged and severely disabled war pensioners, to ensure receipt of full entitlements and reference to voluntary funds for any necessary financial aid.

The visiting of severely disabled war pensioners is mainly done by members of War Pensions Committees and their voluntary workers who work in close co-operation with the Department's Welfare Officers. Excluding Welfare Officers stationed at hospitals there are now 69 Welfare Officers (three of whom are part-time) available for visiting as compared with 70 (including four part-time) three years ago. This team can meet the calls made on it at present but there is a shortage of voluntary workers in certain areas. Continuous efforts are being made to recruit voluntary workers in those areas, and the hon. Member may have noticed the reference to the need for additional voluntary workers which I made in a statement at Manchester on 4th December last. Valuable help in this matter has been given by some of the ex-Service organisations.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if he is satisfied that the efforts of his Department are bringing to light the cases of all aged and severely disabled war pensioners whose disabilities have worsened over the years and now warrant a higher rate of compensation than that originally awarded; and what plans he has to intensify and widen those efforts.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which my right hon. Friend gave to the hon. and learned Member for Cardigan (Mr. Bowen) on 14th December.

asked the Minister of Health what was the number of administrative and clerical staff employed in hospitals in England and Wales at the end of 1948 and 1958, respectively.

In terms of whole-time equivalents, 23,797 at the end of 1948 and 29,918 at the end of 1958.

asked the Minister of Power if he is aware of the shortage in supply of household coal; and what steps he is taking to deal with the matter.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave yesterday to the hon. Members for Morpeth (Mr. Owen), Hillsborough (Mr. Darling) and Erith and Crayford (Mr. Dodds).

asked the Minister of Transport what was the number of mopeds licensed in this country at the lastest convenient date; and what was the corresponding figure one and two years previously, respectively.

In the quarter ended 30th September, 1959 there were 347,307 motor cycles currently licensed of a cylinder capacity not over 50 c.c. The majority of these are mopeds. In the corresponding period of 1958, there were 272,795. There are no comparable figures for 1957.