asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that the regulations which require inner gates to lifts are a source of accidents; and whether he will issue regulations permitting the continental single door system.

I presume my hon. Friend has in mind the requirement about inner lift gates in Section 22 of the Factories Act, 1937. This requirement is modified by the Hoists Exemption Order, 1938, under which inner gates are not required if the lift-shaft is smooth and the doors are of solid construction and flush with it. I am informed that because of the nature of many lift shafts, inner gates are generally a necessary safety measure and that few accidents result from their use.

asked the Minister of Labour what steps he is taking to provide work for the 140 disabled persons at present unemployed in Jarrow and Hebburn.

My Disablement Resettlement Officers are doing their best to place these disabled persons in suitable employment, and they should be assisted by the additional opportunities which it is hoped will be provided in the area as a result of its inclusion in the list of development districts under the Local Employment Bill.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance how many widowed mothers he estimates will have their pensions extinguished under the new earnings regulations.

Until the new regulations, which will come into operation on 21st March, have been in operation for a little time, any figures which I can give must necessarily be speculative. Subject to this, it seems probable that a few hundred widowed mothers will have their personal allowances extinguished, and that perhaps 5,000 will have it reduced to the 10s. drawn on account of the husband's insurance under the old Acts. In no case, of course, will the allowance for the widow's children be reduced by reason of her earnings.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance why, in view of the practice whereby non-transferable meal vouchers to a maximum value of 3s. per day are free of tax irrespective of the income of the employee, meals valued at a lesser amount are included in the income of old-age pensioners and widows for the purposes of applying the earnings rule.

Because the National Insurance Commissioner, who as my hon. and gallant Friend knows is the final determining authority on matters of this kind, has ruled that the value of free meals provided by employers has to be taken into account for this purpose.

asked the Minister of Health the number of health centres established in Wales under Section 21 of the National Health Service Act: where these centres are situated; and what number of general practitioners work in them.

While no new health centres have so far been established in Wales under Section 21 of the National Health Service Act, there are six existing centres which have been approved under that Section These are at Blaenavon, Ebbw Vale, Rhymney and Tredegar. Thirteen general practitioners work in these centres.

asked the Minister of Health what conclusions he has come to as a result of the further representations he has received concerning the terms of engagement of staff in the National Health Service regarding interest to be paid on returned superannuation payments to staff on leaving the Service.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and I are still considering this matter, but expect to announce a decision very soon.

asked the Minister of Health the number of deaths in Wales attributed to leukaemia during each the years 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958 and 1959.

Deaths in the years 1955 to 1958 numbered 104, 111, 132 and 124. Figures for 1959 are not yet available.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that routine sampling and analysis of local stocks of frozen Dutch egg white at Pontypridd has disclosed that several of the samples were infected with food poisoning organisms of the type which caused the recent serious outbreak of food poisoning among school children at Pontyclun; and whether he will take steps to make it compulsory for the importation of frozen egg white to be heat treated prior to import into this country.

Yes. The Ministry recently gathered together a group of persons with special knowledge to examine ways of overcoming the technical difficulties of producing acceptable pasteurised egg products, including egg whites, on a commercial basis. Until these have been overcome it would be premature to consider making heat treatment compulsory.

asked the Minister of Health how many health authorities in Wales have received approval for schemes for chiropody services in their areas; and how many make charges to patients for such a service.

Six. My right hon. and learned Friend has approved the making of charges for this service and it is for the local health authorities to decide what charge, if any, to make, having regard to the means of the person concerned. I have no information as to the extent of the charges so made.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that the Committees of Inquiry into the number of future medical practitioners and medical students required, and into the recruitment to the dental profession, took 31 and 19 months, respectively, to report; and whether, in view of the fact that the conditions of recruiment of the medical and dental professions have altered so that there is now a greater number of dental students and smaller number of medical students than places available, instead of vice versa as was the case when these inquiries were appointed, he will ensure the appointment of further inquiries on medical and dental student recruitment with a view to speedy assessment of this new situation.

Trends of recruitment are already known and I do not, therefore, consider that further committees are necessary at the present time.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that the Committee of Inquiry on radiological hazards to patients, appointed in January, 1957, has not yet reported finally at the end of three years, whereas the Committee of Inquiry on the export of live cattle to the Continent for slaughter, appointed the following month, reported in two months; and when he anticipates that the report of the first named Committee will be received in final form.

The Committee on Radiological Hazards to Patients has been carrying out a very comprehensive programme of scientific investigation, and has already published an interim Report on the effects of mass miniature radiography. It expects to publish a second report before the autumn. This will deal with the possible danger to future generations arising from medical radiology. Further scientific work will be needed before the hazard to the individual can be assessed, and I cannot yet forecast when the Committee will be able to report on this aspect.

asked the Minister of Health what action he is taking to draw the attention of those concerned to the fact that 1960 has been designated World Mental Health Year; and if he will make a statement.

The Government welcome this imaginative concept, as indeed they welcome any responsible and informed project designed to stimulate interest in mental health, whether in this country or internationally. I am in touch both with the World Federation for Mental Health, which initiated the idea of a World Mental Health Year, and with the National Association for Mental Health, which is responsible for arrangements for observing the Year in this country; and I shall be writing to hospital and local health authorities about the latter.

asked the Minister of Health, as representing the Minister for Science, at what centres in Wales samples of pasture, grass, soil, and sheep bones are examined; how often such tests are made; and to whom such records are made available.

Detailed information about these examinations will be given in the second report on Strontium 90 in Milk and Agricultural Materials 1958–59 which is due to be published by the Agricultural Research Council Radiobiological Laboratory towards the end of the month.

asked the Minister of Health, in view of the decision to close the Royal Air Force hospital at St. Athan, Glamorgan, by 1961, what arrangements he is making in respect of the civilian work which has been carried out there.

My right hon. and learned Friend has asked the Welsh Regional Hospital Board to consider what arrangements will be necessary in respect of both civilian and Service work, when the Royal Air Force Hospital at St. Athan closes at the end of 1961, in the light of detailed information which has been obtained as to the numbers and types of patients treated there.

asked the Minister of Health what progress has been made in installing the beds promised at South Ockendon hospital for 1959.

Four new villas, with 170 additional beds, have now been built, and equipment of them is nearly complete.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that Customs Notice No. 78 states that the 25 per cent. Purchase Tax on figures relates to certain types of animate objects, and, whilst it applies to heads of such objects, does not apply to other parts such as arms, legs, wings, and feet; what is the reason for this distinction; and what would be the effect on the Revenue if, for the purposes of Group 25, representations of the arms, legs, wings, and feet were charged at the same rate as heads.

If my hon. Friend looks at Groups 25 and 29 of the Tax Schedule together, as is advised in Notice No. 78, he will realise that this distinction is of very little practical significance.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that some baskets are free from Purchase Tax, whereas baskets containing flasks of eau de cologne and other perfumes are chargeable at 50 per cent., and that other types of baskets and similar receptacles are chargeable at 25 per cent. under Group 23 (a), according to the materials of which they are made and the method of their construction; whether he will provide a list of the types of baskets and materials which are free from tax and chargeable, respectively, at 5, 15, 25 and 50 per cent.; and when he will introduce uniformity in this matter.

Perfumery is taxable at 50 per cent. of its wholesale value, which includes the value of its packing. The rates of Purchase Tax on baskets are fully set out in Customs and Excise Notice No. 78. As regards the last part of the Question, I would refer my hon. Friend to the Answer which my right hon. Friend gave him on 10th March, 1959.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that all the essential equipment for installing oil central heating operated by imported oil is free of Purchase Tax, whereas all the main equipment for installing a thermostatically-controlled electric con-vector heating system in a house is charged to Purchase Tax at 25 per cent., although it mainly uses home-produced coal as fuel; and whether he will remove purchase tax entirely from all electric and gas equipment in order to stimulate the demand for home-produced fuel and reduce that for foreign imported oil.

I cannot anticipate my right hon. Friend's Budget decisions.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many persons are assessed for Schedule A Income Tax annually.

There are about 6 million owner-occupiers of dwellings, but it is not known how many other owners of property there are including companies.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will take further steps to publicise the assistance given by the United Kingdom to overseas territories.

I have today laid before Parliament a White Paper on this subject which, I hope, will receive full publicity. It shows that assistance from the United Kingdom Government funds to less developed territories has risen from about £80 million in 1957–58 to nearly £140 million in 1959–60. This is in addition to the overseas investment of private capital estimated at about £300 million a year, of which not less than £100 million has been invested in such territories.

asked the hon. Member for Worcestershire, South, as Chairman of the Committee of Selection, the considerations which guide the Committee in its appointment of Members other than Ministers to Standing Committees of this House; to what extent activities or employment known or alleged to be undertaken by a Member outside the scope of his Parliamentary duties are taken to be a reason for non-appointment to a Standing Committee; and what dispensation is accorded to Privy Councillors.

The duties of the Committee of Selection are laid down in Standing Order No. 58. In selecting hon. Members to serve on Standing Committees the Committee has regard to the qualifications of Members and to the composition of the House. The Committee takes account of those Members who have spoken in the Second Reading debate on the Bill concerned. Furthermore, if any Member desires to be appointed to a Standing Committee in respect of a particular Bill, he may approach the Chairman of the Committee of Selection with his request; it will then be considered by the Committee. In this connection, it is appreciated that following the recent adoption by the House of a recommendation of the Select Committee on Procedure that the nucleus membership of Standing Committees should be abolished, there is now greater opportunity for the Committee of Selection to suit the membership of a Standing Committee to the nature of the Bill which it will have to consider. The Committee of Selection has regard to the Parliamentary duties of hon. Members which might prevent their attendance at the morning sittings of a Standing Committee, but does not have cognisance of Members' outside activities or employment. No exemption from appointment to Standing Committees attaches to Privy Councillors.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the estimated total quantity of silage made in 1958–59 and 1959–60, respectively.

Roughly 5 million tons in the United Kingdom in 1958 and roughly 4 million tons in 1959, which was a dry year. Owing to a change in the census form in England and Wales in 1959, the figures may not be exactly comparable.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give further details concerning the estimates of the agricultural subsidies for the United Kingdom for the purpose of Supplementary Estimates, dated 2nd February, with comparable figures for the preceding year.

I would refer the hon. Member to the Answer which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Harwich (Mr. Ridsdale) on 9th February, 1960.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he is aware that industrial fishing by foreign trawlers is increasingly threatening the livelihood of British inshore fishermen; and what action he proposes to take.

The effect of industrial fishing on the fish stocks is kept under continuing study by the Permanent Commission of the International Fisheries Convention. These studies have not shown any serious decline in catches of mature fish attributable to industrial fishing, and there is no evidence that our inshore fishing industry has so far been affected by this activity.The Government are, however, keenly alive to the possible dangers from indiscriminate industrial fishing: and will work for the introduction of such international conservation measures as are shown to be necessary.

asked the Minister of State for Commonwealth Relations how many pupils of secondary school age there are in Basutoland; and how many of these are attending secondary schools.

There are approximately 62,000 children in Basutoland, between the ages of 15 and 19 years. In 1959, 2,800 of these were attending formal secondary schools or receiving other training at secondary level.

asked the Minister of State for Commonwealth Relations how many children of primary school age there are in Basutoland; and how many of these are attending school.

There are approximately 145,000 children in Basutoland between the ages of 6 and 14 years. In 1959, 128,000 of these were attending primary schools.

asked the Minister of State for Commonwealth Relations what was the amount expended on education in the last completed financial year in Basutoland; and whether he will give details of this expenditure.

In the financial year 1958-59, £579,000 was spent on education. This was made up as follows:

(a) by the Education Department—£332,000

(b) by the Basuto National Treasury (Bursaries)—£5,600

(c) by voluntary agencies (Missions)— £223,400

(d) by other departments (Medical and Agriculture)—£18,000.

asked the Minister of State for Commonwealth Relations how many schools in Basutoland teach pupils up to matriculation level; how many pupils are now in the last pre-matriculation year; and how many of these are in receipt of Government bursaries.

Four high schools in Basutoland take pupils up to matriculation level. There are now 71 pupils in the last year of the matriculation course. Of these, 17 are in receipt of Government bursaries, and others are in receipt of bursaries from Missions and commercial concerns.

asked the Minister of State for Commonwealth Relations the normal qualifications for entry to the agricultural school in Basutoland; how many students have, in each year since its establishment, completed the two-year diploma course; and how many full-time instructors there are.

The normal qualification for entry to the Agricultural Training School in Basutoland is the junior certificate. Since the school opened in 1956, 37 students have completed the two-year diploma course—14 in 1957, 12 in 1958, and 11 in 1959. There are five full-time instructors, assisted by specialised officers of the Agricultural Department who give lectures on the more technical subjects.

asked the Minister of State for Commonwealth Relations when the Fifth Report of the Oversea Migration Board will be published; and what are the reasons for the delay.

The Fifth Report of the Oversea Migration Board will be presented to Parliament on Wednesday and published the following day.As regards the second part of the Question, the Board is not committed to produce annual reports, although it has recently aimed at publishing reports at approximately yearly intervals. Since its inception in 1953 four Reports have been published by the Board.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what average subsidy per week per dwelling, is represented by the £17,693,000 general rate fund contributions by the Treasury to housing revenue accounts referred to in a footnote to Local Government Financial Statistics, England and Wales. 1957–58, issued by his Department.

This sum is not contributed by the Treasury, but is the aggregate of the amounts contributed out of rates to housing revenue accounts. The sum amounts on the average to about 2s. 8d. per week on each of the dwellings owned by those housing authorities—about 72 per cent. of the total number—which made such contributions in 1957–58.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convictions in the nearest convenient five-year period were recorded for offences under the Street Betting Act, 1906; and in how many cases were the offenders sentenced to terms of imprisonment.

The following table shows the numbers of persons convicted at magistrates' courts in the years 1954 to 1958 under Section 1 of the Street Betting Act, 1906, and the numbers of offenders sentenced to imprisonment:

Year		Number Convicted	Number Imprisoned
1954	…	6,942	2
1955	…	6,311	4
1956	…	6,492	—
1957	…	7,068	7
1958	…	6,304	5

In addition a very few cases may have been dealt with on indictment, but the information is not available for the years 1954 to 1957. There were no such cases in 1958.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will consider introducing legislation to regulate fee-charging agencies in order to prevent abuses whereby an actor pays 10 per cent. of his salary to an agent who performs little or no service in return; and if he will call for evidence from Equity's Working Party on this subject.

I have this point in mind in connection with the legislation to which I referred in answer to a Question by the right hon. Member for South Shields (Mr. Ede) on 28th January. 1 shall be glad to consider anything that Equity may wish to add to the representations already received.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many children attend non-fee-paying schools outside the local education committee area in which they reside; and what fees are chargeable in respect of such children.

About 3,350. Inter-authority payments in respect of such pupils are a matter for agreement between the education authorities concerned. I understand that the local authorities' associations have recommended their members to adopt a standard charge of £65 a session.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when a Secretary of State for Scotland last visited the Burgh of Dalbeattie.

The last recorded visit of a Scottish Minister to Dalbeattie was in October, 1943, when the Joint Undersecretary of State discussed local government questions with the Town Council.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is satisfied as to the effectiveness of chemical control of bracken; and whether he will now assist chemical spraying with a grant under Bracken Eradication Scheme.

No. I am advised that further investigation is necessary in order to assess the degree of effectiveness of chemical spraying as a method of bracken control. The matter is being studied by the Agricultural Research Council which is in close touch with the wide range of experimental work which is going on.

asked the Minister of Transport whether, under his regulations, a boy of sixteen, who passes a driving test on a moped, is allowed to ride a heavy racing motor cycle.

Yes.

asked the Minister of Transport how many of the motor cyclists who suffered accidents during 1959 were holders of provisional licences.

The information asked for is not available for the whole year 1959. Analyses of fatal and serious accidents in June and November, 1959, show that about 20 per cent. of all motor cyclists, scooter and moped riders involved held provisional licences. A further analysis of those accidents in November showed that 19·3 per cent. of the motor cyclists, 22·3 per cent. of the scooter riders and 25·5 per cent. of the moped riders involved were learners. An analysis of this kind is being issued monthly from January, 1960.