asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that there are several industrial premises lying idle in the County of Fife, that one of them in particular, at Donibristle, is ideal for a major industry, and that there are plentiful supplies of male and female labour available; and what steps he is currently taking to inform industrialists of these facts.

My right hon. Friend is aware of the ready availability of premises and labour in the County of Fife, and we take every suitable opportunity to bring these facilities to the notice of industrialists seeking to expand.

asked the President of the Board of Trade when he intends to issue a further list of places eligible for assistance within the terms of the Local Employment Bill.

The initial list which was announced last month represents my right hon. Friend's judgment of the places which will be eligible for assistance when the Bill comes into force. Other places will be added to the list if it becomes clear that for any reason high and persistent unemployment is to be expected there. Similarly places will be removed from the list when, as I am confident will happen shortly, we can see good prospects that high unemployment will not persist. I naturally cannot forecast the exact date on which changes will need to be made.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will give the number of agreements authorised to be removed from the register under Section 12 of the Restrictive Trade Practices Act as being of no substantial economic significance.

The Board of Trade has so far given directions to the Registrar of Restrictive Trading Agree- ments authorising him to remove the particulars of seven agreements from the register.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what recommendations he proposes to make to the Cotton Board and to the leaders of the cotton industry regarding the renewal, in due course, of the current agreements with Hong Kong, India and Pakistan relating to the restriction of their exports of cloth to the United Kingdom.

None. These are inter-industry arrangements.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what further action the Government propose to take to establish new industries in areas where there is a high rate of unemployment, and where the inducements at present offered have failed to attract such industry.

I would draw the hon. Member's attention to the provisions of the Local Employment Bill at present under consideration by Parliament.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether after his visit to industrial sites at Harraton Hall and Washington in the Chester-le-Street constituency area on Monday, 29th February, 1960, he is now able to announce what industries would be suitable in that area; and what action he proposes to take to bring such industries to these industrial sites.

In my right hon. Friend's opinion a wide range of industry would be suitable in this area and the Board of Trade will continue to bring the facilities there, including the excellent industrial sites available, to the attention of industrialists.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will give up-to-date figures showing how the export of motor cars has increased since Purchase Tax thereon was reduced from 60 per cent. to 50 per cent. in the last Budget.

I would refer the hon. Member to Account II of the Trade & Navigation Accounts.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the dollar-export business involved, he has now agreed to the proposals put forward by the North-Eastern Trading Estates, Limited, in respect of Smith's Delivery Vehicles, Limited.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what report he has received of intimidation of Her Majesty's subjects in British African territories in connection with political opinions believed to be held by themselves or members of their families.

It is unfortunately clear from the reports which I have received that this kind of intimidation, in some places and from time to time, constitutes a serious problem.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies why it was enacted on 8th December last in Malta that it would be illegal for people to proceed to or from a meeting processionally even when the meeting is held in a constitutional manner.

Before 1955 it was unlawful to go to or from public meetings in procession. Owing to the frequency with which such meetings are held the ban has been re-imposed in order to relieve the police of the very heavy strain imposed on their resources by the need to regulate processional routes and the additional traffic problems caused by processions.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what conditions Mr. Wellington Chirwa made before agreeing to serve on the Monckton Commission.

I have nothing to add to the reply given to the hon. Member for Huddersfield, West (Mr. Wade) by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on Thursday, 18th February.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is now in a position to announce the date of his proposed visit to Nyasaland.

As announced yesterday, I intend to visit the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland between 23rd March and 9th April.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether electric light has now been provided in compounds C and D of the Kanjedza Detention Camp in Nyasaland.

I am seeking the information for which the hon. Member asks and will write to him in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will make a statement on the methods of rehabilitation being used in the Kanjedza Detention Camp in Nyasaland.

I am seeking the information for which the hon. Member asks and will write to him in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will make a statement on the continued detention of Dr. Hastings Banda and other Africans from Nyasaland who have been detained without trial, including particulars of their number.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 18th February to the hon. Member for Jarrow (Mr. Fernyhough) and the hon. Member for Islington, East (Mr. Fletcher). The number of persons in detention on 29th February was 222.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies to what extent the right of free assembly for meetings of industrial workers and for political meetings is now assured in the Fiji Islands.

Permission for the holding of processions and public assemblies in streets and public places, whether for industrial, political or religious purposes, is required under the Processions and Public Assemblies Regulations made under Chapter 59 of the Laws of Fiji. Permission is usually granted but has on occasion to be withheld on grounds of public safety. These Regulations have been in force since 10th December, 1959, when riots occurred in Suva following a strike by employees of the oil companies. Under them power is given to the Governor, magistrates and senior police officers to prohibit a meeting where there appears the likelihood of grave disorder, breach of the peace, the promotion of disaffection, or undue demand being made on the police or military forces. The revocation of the Public Safety Regulations will be considered by the Fiji Government shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will now state when the Report of the Burns Committee on the Fiji Islands is expected; and if he will make a statement.

The Burns Commission Report is expected to be in the hands of the Governor of Fiji, by whom the Commission was appointed, in the latter part of March. In these circumstances I am not at present in a position to make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the present constitutional position of the Northern and Southern Cameroons; and what further plebiscites are contemplated to determine their future.

The Northern and Southern Cameroons together comprise the British Cameroons which is a United Nations Trust Territory. Her Majesty's Government are the Administering Authority. The territory is administered as an integral part of Nigeria, the Northern Cameroons forming part of the Northern Region and the Southern Cameroons having a separate administration within the Federation of Nigeria.The United Nations have recommended that both parts of the territory should be constitutionally separated from Nigeria by the 1st October—when Nigeria expects to become independent—and that there should be separate plebiscites by March, 1961, in each part to ascertain whether the people wish to achieve independence as part of Nigeria or as part of the Republic of Cameroun.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will give forthwith a further sum of £50,000 to the Relief Fund for the victims of the recent cyclone in Mauritius to meet their immediate and urgent needs.

As I said in my reply to the hon. Member for Cardiff, South-East (Mr. Callaghan) on Monday, 29th February, Her Majesty's Government have undertaken to consider what further financial assistance the Mauritius Government will require when the cost of the reconstruction measures required after cyclone "Carol" is known. The amount of additional assistance to be given will, I am sure, prove to be considerably in excess of the sum mentioned by the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why the latest taxi-cabs are so designed that it is very difficult, particularly for strangers to London, to tell whether they are for hire or hired; if he is aware that this confuses many people daily; and if he will make a statement.

I understand that all London taxi-cabs, including the latest, carry signs on the roof and on the taximeter to indicate when they are plying for hire. The Commissioner of Police has received no complaints about the visibility of these signs.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is aware of the frustration caused to many people daily who unsuccessfully hail moving taxicabs apparently plying for hire; and why there is no approved and compulsory method for drivers of moving taxicabs to indicate when a vehicle without passengers is not for hire.

A compulsory system of indicating that an empty taxicab is not for hire would require legislation for which I can at present hold out no hope.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will instruct the Poisons Board to consider representations regarding habit-forming drugs, including Preludin, from the Medical Panel of the Advertising Inquiry Committee which first drew public attention to the danger of the unrestricted sale and advertisement of these drugs.

I shall be glad to consider referring to the Board any representations on matters coming within the Board's statutory functions.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he will take to control the advertisement of those noxious drugs, sedative, stimulant or euphoriant, listed in the recent report of the Poisons Board.

My power to make rules about poisons does not extend to the control of advertisements. I understand that the Working Party on the law relating to medicinal substances will review statutory restrictions on their advertisement.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what date Preludin, Persomnia, Relaxa, Menopax and Miltown will become available to the public only on a doctor's prescription or on the advice of a qualified chemist.

Before I make Orders giving effect to the recent recommendation of the Poisons Board that a number of substances including those in question should be supplied only on prescription, I must consider such representations as I may receive before the end of this week from those concerned. Thereafter there will be no avoidable delay.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he proposes to bring forward legislation to implement the recommendations of the Gowers Report on the conditions of workers in theatres and cinemas.

I have no statement to make at present.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what further progress has been made in the recruitment of students for training as probation officers; what is the present shortage in this service; whether the case loads of male probation officers have risen or fallen during the past twelve months; and what percentage of applicants for training have respectively been rejected, and have commenced training but have withdrawn before completion of the course during the past twelve months.

One hundred and twenty-one persons entered probation training during the twelve months ended 31st January, 1960. There are at present about seventy advertised vacancies in the probation service, but the shortage is probably somewhat greater. Information on the movement of case loads during 1959 is being collected, but will not be complete for some months. Many of the applications for training received during 1959 are still under consideration and I cannot say what the percentage rejected will be. Three students withdrew from training during 1959.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give an estimate of Metropolitan Police costs that, on present practice, might be attributable to traffic control operations on highways.

I regret that it is not possible to make such an estimate on any realistic basis. About 10 per cent. of the strength of the Metropolitan Police are employed whole-time on traffic duties; other beat officers give varying proportions of their time to the work of traffic control.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what system he has devised to give early warning to the civil population of the United Kingdom by means of the proposed early warning station on Fylingdales Moor.

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply on 24th February, to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Down, South (Captain Orr).

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1), in view of the large number of cars stolen daily in the Metropolitan Police area, what further action he proposes to take to reduce these crimes; and if he will make a statement advising the public what steps to take to lessen the risk of having their cars stolen;(2) if he will consider instituting an inquiry, with a view to taking steps to reduce the market and outlet for the large number of cars stolen daily in this country, thereby minimising the incentive for such thefts.

The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis already takes special measures, the nature of which it would not be in the public interest to disclose, to detect car thieves. He also gives advice to car owners, through leaflets, posters, films, and television. I would wish to emphasise that the main responsibility for reducing the occasion of theft lies on owners themselves.The general problem of car thefts throughout the country already receives the special attention of chief officers of police.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now make a further statement on the working of the new arrangements for admitting more refugees to Great Britain in World Refugee Year, and the numbers involved.

The situation is at present under active consideration in consultation with the Committee of the World Refugee Year. In the meantime I cannot add to the reply to a Question asked by my hon. Friend the Member for Eastleigh (Mr. D. Price) on 2nd February last.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department the result of his discussions with the Government of Malta regarding the possible amendment of the law in the United Kingdom to permit the deportation of Maltese nationals convicted in the United Kingdom of living on immoral earnings.

The consultations on this subject between Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom and the Governments of Commonwealth territories were on a confidential basis.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, since the Directory of Remand Homes, Approved Schools and Probation Hostels is now out of print, if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT the list of such establishments, showing sex and age groups, nature of management, when first approved by his Department, and date of most recent inspection.

Information about probation hostels is contained in the Directory of Probation Officers and Approved Probation Hostels and Homes, the latest edition of which has just been issued. A new Directory of Remand Homes and Approved Schools is in course of preparation and will be issued as soon as possible. Meantime, I am arranging for a list of these establishments to be placed in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department the number of convictions for living on immoral earnings in the Metropolitan Police District during 1959 before and after the coming into force of the Street Offences Act, 1959, respectively, and the average length of the prison sentences imposed in the respective periods.

The number of convictions for living on immoral earnings in the Metropolitan Police District between 1st January and 15th August, 1959, was 112; 102 resulted in sentences of imprisonment of which the average length was about seven months. During the remainder of the year there were 26 convictions, resulting in 21 sentences of imprisonment of an average length of about 13 months.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what instructions he has issued to the Metropolitan Police designed to prevent Fascist groups from interfering with peaceful demonstrations in an organised effort to provoke a breach of the peace by such acts as giving the Hitler salute, shouting "Sieg Heil," spitting at members of the public, and shouting indecent insults; and whether he will issue further instructions to prevent such deliberate acts of provocation in the future.

None. It is for the police to decide what action to take to enforce the law or to prevent a breach of the peace in any particular circumstances, and they are well able to deal with incidents of the kind envisaged by the hon. Member.

asked the Minister of Education if he is aware that 6,000 schoolchildren in Bristol will have to undergo another 11-plus intelligence test owing to typographical errors in the papers; why these were not detected before the examination; and what steps are being taken to prevent a recurrence.

Yes. The authority informs me that the error arose in the re-setting of type after the proofs of the test papers had been checked by the publishers and after specimen papers had been checked by the authority. The publishers and printers are revising their arrangements to prevent such a thing happening again.

asked the Minister of Education the estimated numbers of school leavers for the years 1960, 1961 and 1962; and by what percentage the number in The Hartlepools is expected to exceed the national average in each of these three years.

The number of pupils leaving school in England and Wales is expected to rise from 600,000 in 1960 to 680,000 in 1961 and 740,000 in 1962. Precise figures are not available for The Hartlepools.

asked the Minister of Education if he will give a list of the new teachers' training colleges and extensions to existing colleges being built with the date of commencement of building, the type of accommodation being provided, the contract date for completion of the work, and the number of extra places being made available.

Five new colleges are being built and 80 colleges are being extended to provide 15,600 places. Buildings provided for four-fifths of these places have been authorised to start this year and will be completed by September, 1962. I am sending details to the hon. Member.

asked the Minister of Education whether he will now include road safety as a subject in school curricula.

Instruction in road safety has an established place in the curriculum of the schools and I shall continue to encourage it. My Department's pamphlet on Safety Precautions in Schools is being revised and will include a chapter of suggestions on road safety. The revised edition will be published by the end of the summer.

asked the Minister of Education, as representing the Minister for Science, whether he has yet received the report on oil heaters from the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research; and what action he proposes to take.

My noble Friend has received the report which he has communicated to the Departments concerned. It is receiving urgent consideration and will be published as soon as possible.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how far overcrowding in broiler houses has affected the spread of fowl pest.

When fowl pest breaks out on premises where large numbers of young birds are kept intensively, the disease may spread widely in the flock before being discovered. The greater the number of diseased birds the greater the risk of further spread.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether the fees charged by his Department in respect of imported animals which have to be detained, examined and tested under the provisions of the Diseases of Animals Act, 1950, are sufficient to meet the cost of this work.

It has been brought to my notice that my Department has never carried out its obligation under the Act to charge such fees as are sufficient to meet the cost of the detention, examination and testing of certain imported animals. I am afraid that to put matters right the fees will have to be substantially increased. Having consulted the interests principally affected, I am satisfied that this should be done as from the earliest convenient date, which is 1st April.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he has yet received a report on the escape of virus from the Pirbright Research Station; and whether he will make a statement.

Yes. An African type of virus of foot and mouth disease was found to be responsible for the outbreak at Worplesdon on 18th January. Since this type of virus was present at the Research Institute and there is no evidence of the introduction of the virus with imported material, it must be supposed that it escaped from the institute despite the strict security precautions that are in force. The outbreak was stamped out, and a meticulous investigation has been undertaken by my veterinary staff and the Director of the Institute. A thorough review of the stringent disease security precautions taken at the Institute has been completed, but these inquiries have not produced precise evidence of the way in which the virus escaped from the Institute and reached the affected cattle.Since it must be accepted that an escape took place, it is thought that infective particles which were air-borne escaped through the ventilators of one of the isolation compounds and contaminated the ground in the vicinity, and that thereafter some mechanical transport of the virus took place, probably by a wild animal or bird. The ventilation arrangements for the compounds were designed to confine any escape of virus to the area within the existing vermin-proof fences which surround each unit.On these assumptions a number of recommendations have been made which have been accepted by the Agricultural Research Council and are being implemented by the Institute. They include further study of the existing ventilation arrangements and the erection of a single perimeter fence which will surround all the isolation units and within which crops attractive to wild life and vermin will no longer be grown. Movements of people and vehicles within the grounds of the Institute are to be reduced by the provision of a car park and bicycle store near the main entrance and the termination of the occupation of two houses which are within the Institute grounds. In this way the risk of contamination of vehicles, work-people or wild animal life will be still further reduced.Copies of the report will be available in the Library.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps have been taken to implement the recommendation in sub-paragraph 5 of paragraph 1029 of the Royal Commission on the Taxation of Profits and Income, Command Paper No. 9474.

None. The working of the provisions against tax avoidance is kept under constant review, and as at present advised my right hon. Friend does not think that it would be helpful to establish a committee such as the Royal Commission envisaged.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will give the number of forfeitures of indecent or obscene publications under the Customs and Excise Act, 1952, for the last twelve months.

The number of forfeitures during 1959 was 505.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware that the present Bank Rate plus Export Credits Guarantee Department charge imposes on British shipbuilding firms at least 10 per cent. extra on the cost of a new ship, which is handicapping British shipbuilding firms in competing with foreign firms for orders and is causing unemployment in British shipyards; and if he will state his plans for releasing British shipyards from those special burdens.

I have no evidence that the costs to United Kingdom shipbuilders of financing production and sales on deferred terms, and of insuring the credit risks with E.C.G.D., are in general greater than the comparable costs which have to be met by their competitors abroad.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will increase the limits on deposits in savings bank accounts.

I am proposing to increase from £3,000 to £5,000 the limit on the aggregate amount which anyone may deposit in the Post Office Savings Bank and in the Ordinary Department of a trustee savings bank. I also propose to suspend altogether the limit on the amount which may be deposited in or credited to a savings bank account in any one year. These changes will operate from 2nd May and a draft of the necessary Order will be laid before Parliament shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what plans he has for flying aircraft to Berlin above 10,000 feet.

I have no such plans at present.

asked the Minister of Transport how far the capital development plans for the electrification of British Railways in Scotland have been developed and extended during the last five years.

I am informed by the British Transport Commission that good progress has been made with the electrification of suburban lines in the Clyde Valley around Glasgow. Test running is taking place on a 6 mile section of the 51 route miles scheduled for electrification on the north side of the river and it is expected that the first of the public services will be introduced in 1960. The electrification of a further 19¾ route miles on the south side of the river is also planned.

asked the Minister of Transport if he is aware that the Government of Guatemala, in breach of international agreements, has just begun to operate flag discrimination against the shipping of other nations, including Great Britain, that the International Chamber of Shipping has issued a protest against this, that hundreds of British ships are already laid up idle in British ports, and that this new discrimination will further injure British shipping; and if he will make a detailed and comprehensive statement of his plans to protect British shipping in these circumstances.

Yes. Her Majesty's Government protested strongly to the Government of Guatemala about these discriminatory measures on 21st August, 1959 and I fully endorse the statement which was issued by the International Chamber of Shipping on 22nd October, 1959. The Guatemalan ships in question have since been withdrawn from the United Kingdom trade. With regard to flag discrimination generally there is no easy solution but Her Majesty's Government will continue to collaborate closely with the shipping industry and with other countries in opposing such practices, using all the means at our disposal.

asked the Attorney-General whether, having regard to the complex nature of Estate Duty legislation spread over at least fifty Finance and other Acts, and the difficulty that members of the public have in understanding the incidence of this tax, he will at an early date introduce a Bill to consolidate these enactments on lines similar to the Income Tax Act, 1952, in relation to Income Tax.

I can hold out no hope of legislation being introduced in the near future to consolidate these enactments.

asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty how many officers and ratings, respectively, are at present serving afloat.

In December, 1959, there were 2,920 officers and 32,500 ratings serving afloat at home and abroad.

asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty if he will make a report on the activities of Her Majesty's navy and protection vessels in Icelandic waters during the last twelve months, indicating the number of ships and men engaged in these operations, the cost to the Treasury and the results achieved to date.

In the last twelve months the Royal Navy has continued to provide protection for British trawlers fishing off Iceland. From two to four of Her Majesty's ships have been so engaged and two are on patrol at present. The average crew of each is about 200. As regard the cost, I would refer the hon. Member to the Answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Bodmin (Mr. Marshall) on 15th February. I am glad to say that during this period not only have we prevented any British trawlers being arrested on the internationally recognised high seas but on many occasions we have rendered medical and material help.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs the number and percentage of Foreign Service officers holding degrees involving post-graduate research, with details of the degrees held.

The majority of entrants to the senior branch join the Foreign Service immediately after graduating. The proportion with research degrees is therefore small. But there has since 1953 been an annual over-age competition with age limits which are now between 27–33 whereby we hope to encourage more post-graduate students to join the Service. A number of people have done post-graduate work or have held fellowships, lectureships, etc., without taking research degrees.Most members of the junior branch join direct from school but an increasing number are graduates and a few have research degrees. Entrants to the research cadre are normally graduates and a number have research degrees.The commissioned grades of the Foreign Service number about 1,250. According to our records, 13 have le-search degrees and about 30 others have done post-graduate research, held fellowships, etc., or taught at universities: the percentages are thus about 1 per cent. and 2½ per cent. respectively. Details are as follows:

asked the Minister of Health if he will indicate the steps taken by his Department in endeavours to alleviate the distressing phantom limb and other pains of amputation and whether he has any proposals for widening and intensifying research into these matters.

Treatment is given at a number of hospitals for phantom limb and amputation stump pains by the methods judged most appropriate in each case. At Queen Mary's Hospital, Roehampton, intractable cases are reviewed and given recognised forms of treatment under the supervision of various specialists: the methods used there are generally known. The study of causes and of methods of treatment is part of the general study of pain which is carried out in many places in this country and abroad.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that a rubber foot and ankle unit has been widely available on artificial limbs issued in Germany since 1949; and what steps he proposes to take to ensure that British limbs maintain their high standards and keep in line with tested improvements and developments obtained in other countries.

My right hon. and learned Friend is aware that a unit of this type has been in limited use in Germany. A rubber foot and ankle unit is available on limbs supplied in this country, and experiments are going on with foreign units of this kind and a German unit has been ordered for comparison. The Ministry's officers, through visits to foreign centres and their association with international organisations and with national organisations in other countries, are in touch with the major proved developments abroad in the design and methods of manufacture of limbs, and foreign components are tested by the research department at Roehampton with a view to incorporating any proved beneficial features in British limbs.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware of the substantial overloading of the facilities for limb fitting and repairs at Roehampton; and what proposals he has for the creation of additional limb and appliance centres so as to achieve a more personal and clinical approach to the individual problems of limb fitting.

My right hon. and learned Friend is considering whether an additional limb fitting centre should be established in the London area.

asked the Minister of Health what steps are taken by his Department to provide additional aids and gadgets, especially for arm amputees, to enable them to lead a normal unaided life; and how the availability of such aids is made known to arm amputees.

A wide range of appliances for use with artificial arms is supplied through the artificial limb service. Posters indicating to arm amputees how they may obtain information about these appliances are displayed at the Limb Centres, and corresponding leaflets are sent to amputees who may not have visited a Centre when repaired limbs are returned to them.

asked the Minister of Health the number of eight horsepower motor cars at present on issue to severely disabled war pensioners; whether he proposes to widen the scope of eligibilty for supply of a motor car so as to increase the numbers on issue to the agreed 2,100; and whether he is now able to announce the Government's intentions about the supply of a more suitable vehicle for severely disabled war pensioners to replace the single-seater tricycle at present on issue.

The number of cars on issue on 31st December, 1959 was 1,793. My right hon. and learned Friend has not yet completed his review of the possibility of replacing war pensioners' tricycles by larger vehicles.

asked the Minister of Health what percentage of hospital accommodation is provided by the South East Metropolitan Regional Board for mentally defective children; and how this compares with other regions and with the national average.

The position at the end of 1958 was as follows:

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether he is aware of continuing criticism against the unsatisfactoriness of the planning enforcement provisions in the Town and Country Planning Act, 1947; and whether he will consider simplifying them.

I agree that experience has shown the provisions in the 1947 Act not to be entirely satisfactory; and I have in mind to include some amendment of these provisions in the Bill I shall be introducing to deal with problems relating to caravans. The two matters are closely related. The provisions on planning enforcement will be of general application.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance whether he has yet received the Report of the National Insurance Advisory Committee on the question of long-term hospital patients; and what recommendation the Committee have made about the benefits of mentally disordered patients detained in legal custody.

Yes. The Advisory Committee's Report is being published today, and copies are available in the Vote Office. I am indebted to the Committee for a very valuable Report, and am accepting all its recommendations, the most important of which is that mentally disordered patients who, as the result of criminal proceedings, are sent to hospital and not sentenced to imprisonment, should be treated in the same way as other sick people and not be disqualified from any National Insurance benefits to which they may be entitled. I shall, as soon as possible, be submitting to the Committee draft regulations designed to implement its recommendations.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance whether, in view of the fact that the basic rate of war widow's pension is still only 66s. a week and barely more than the levels of National Assistance for a single person after allowing for reasonable rent, he will now increase the rate of war widow's pension so that this very special category of war pensioner may share in the country's increasing prosperity.

The basic rate of war widow's pension, which was increased to 66s. a week in January, 1958, is considerably above the level of widows' pensions provided under the social service schemes generally. In the case of elderly war widows it is supplemented by the additional allowance introduced in June, 1959, and as the hon. Member may be aware 15s. of it is now disregarded for National Assistance purposes. This pension is kept under constant review.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance the numbers of war widows at present receiving a rent allowance, and the numbers of such widows who qualify for the rent allowance at the maximum permissible rate of 25s. a week.

At the end of 1959 the numbers were 9,525 and 1,535, respectively.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance the numbers of war pensioners of the 1914–18 war assessed at 40 per cent. or more disability who died last year before reaching 65 years of age and without qualifying for the age allowance; and whether, in view of the high proportion of pre-65 deaths, he will now reduce the qualifying age for the age allowance to ensure that all who have borne severe disabilities for more than 40 years since the 1914–18 war qualify for the allowance.

It is estimated that the number was about between 1,600 and 1,700.As regards the second part of the Question, my right hon. Friend does not feel that since the age allowance was introduced in 1957 there has been any change in the position which would justify a lower age of eligibility. Indeed the average age of men disabled in the 1914–18 war is now about 68 and the number of allowances in payment has been increasing at the rate of about a thousand a quarter and at the end of 1959 it was over 64,000. As the hon. Member knows, the allowance is not confined to men who served in the 1914–18 war.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if he will indicate the purchasing value of the present basic rate of war pension of 85s., as compared with the 40s. in payment in 1938; and what steps he proposes to take to restore the purchasing value of war disability pensions.

On the basis of the Cost of Living Index to 1947 and the Retail Prices Index since, the amount now required to equal the purchasing value of 40s. in 1938 is 87s. 9d.The hon. Member is, however, no doubt aware that the 100 per cent. rate of disability pension which was payable to a man injured in 1938 was 32s. 6d., equivalent on the same basis as above to 71s. 4d. now.The value, however, of such comparisons in respect of the real value of the pension is small when account is taken of the wide variety of allowances which have been introduced to meet various needs of pensioners since 1938, most of which have been very substantially increased in recent years. Account also requires to be taken of the very different background of general social services. The rate of pension is, of course, kept under constant review.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if he will increase the annual allowance for wear and tear of clothing payable to war pensioner amputees so that it might more reasonably compensate them for the additional purchases of clothing resulting directly from artificial limb wearing.

Since the rates of this allowance were last increased, in 1955, there has been no appreciable rise in the Retail Prices Index figure covering the cost of clothing. My right hon.

asked the Prime Minister if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a list of the Royal Commissions and Committees of Inquiry into social and economic matters, including pay, appointed during the five years since 1955, naming, in each case, the chairman of each commission or committee, the length of time it took to report, the total number of members, and how many were Members of Parliament.

Since 1955 the following Royal Commissions have been appointed to inquire into social and economic matters, including pay:which seem to fall within the terms of my hon. Friend's Question: