asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state the number of cases in which penalties have been imposed under Sections 18, 25, 26, 27, 28, and 29, respectively, of the Income Tax Act, 1952, during the past 10 years.

I regret that information is not available as to the number of cases under Section 18 or, as respects personal returns, under Section 25. The answer as regards Sections 26, 27 and 29 is None; and. as regards Section 28, nine.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what indications he has of British capital investment in the European Economic Community countries by British manufacturers since the inauguration of the Common Market.

I gave the latest estimates of investment by United Kingdom firms in countries of the European Economic Community on 5th April, in reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Stroud (Mr. Kershaw). The amount of such investment is estimated to have been £20 million higher in 1959 than in 1958.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the equivalent tax reliefs at present money values of the personal tax reliefs for the year 1938–39, namely, £100 for a single person, £180 for a married man, £50 for a housekeeper and £25 for a dependent relative.

The equivalents at present money values of the amounts stated are about £281, £506, £140 and £70, respectively. These have been calculated by using the consumer price index brought up to date by the Retail Price Index.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what answer he has made to the official request from the Federal German Government for urgent conversations at Ministerial level between all the member Government of the Six and of the Seven.

I would refer the hon. Member to the Answer I gave to the right hon. Gentleman the Member for Bassetlaw (Mr. Bellenger) earlier today.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will now make a statement on trade negotiations with Poland.

Trade negotiations with Poland are now in progress, and it would be inappropriate to make a statement at this stage.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will state the date when the brochure, "Expanding Industry", was published by his Department indicating his powers to provide premises, grants and loans to create more work in named places suffering from high or persistent unemployment, including Aberdeen; and how many premises, grants and loans he has provided for Aberdeen since it was published, with facts and figures relating to each such transaction there.

The brochure, "Expanding Industry," was issued on 1st April. On the latter part of the Question, I have nothing to add to the reply given to the hon. and learned Member on 28th April.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many workers were employed by the Ford Motor Company in the Dagenham area in 1945; what was the anticipated increase in employment arising from all industrial development certificates granted since then; and how many workers are now employed.

I am precluded by the Statistics of Trade Act, 1947, from disclosing the employment figures of an individual firm without its agreement, and it has been the practice of successive Governments to treat confidentially the information given on applications for industrial development certificates.

asked the Prime Minister (1) whether, in order to break the deadlock on disarmament, he will propose at the Summit Conference that there should be a 10 per cent. cut in the existing levels of armed forces in the first stage of disarmament, with the measures of control appropriate to the carrying out of this cut;(2) whether he will submit at the Summit Conference the proposals for disarmament and control common to both the 1954 Anglo-French plan and the Soviet plan of 10th May, 1955. in order to provide an agreed basis for discussion on this subject.

I have been asked to reply.It would, I think, be undesirable to specify now what proposals my right hon. Friend may make.The hon. Gentleman is right to emphasise the need for measures of control. Under the Western plan those will be instituted during the second stage and under that plan during that stage we have proposed reductions in conventional forces greater than 10 per cent.So far as the hon. Gentleman's other Question is concerned, features from both the 1954 Anglo-French plan and the Soviet plan of 1955 are incorporated in the latest Western proposals. In particular, the final objective in the Western plan is the same as that in the Anglo-French plan of 1954 and the Soviet plan of 1955.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether he will place a preservation order on the various buildings at Euston Station which the British Transport Commission have served notice that they intend to demolish.

The London County Council has expert advice that the Great Hall at Euston Station prevents full advantage being taken of the Euston main line electrification. My right hon. Friend does not therefore feel justified in intervening, though he regrets the loss of the Hall. The experts advised that the Doric Arch must be moved but could be re-erected elsewhere on the site. The London County Council is in touch with the British Transport Commission on this and my right hon. Friend has asked to be kept informed.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he is aware that delays in the supply of bricks are creating considerable difficulties in the Spilsby region of Lincolnshire and are causing unemployment; and what steps he has taken to improve the situation.

I received a letter from the Spilsby Rural District Council the day after my hon. Friend put down his Question, and I am asking the council for further information. I have had no other complaints from this part of the country and, as regards unemployment locally, vacancies for building tradesmen far exceed the number of unemployed.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what regulations he has made, under Section 36 of the Local Government Act, 1958, with regard to the review of the North-East by the Local Government Commission for England.

The Local Government Commission Regulations, 1958, were made under this Section and approved by the House on 9th December, 1958. They set out considerations to which the Commission is to have regard in the exercise of its functions and deal with certain matters of procedure. They apply this review as to others.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he is aware that householders and tenants who have exchanged dwellings by arrangement between two local authorities may thus be liable to occupy decontrolled property and therefore to substantial rent increases, without appreciating this at the time of the exchange; to what extent this has been brought to his notice by local authorities; and what advice he has given to local authorities regarding this danger and the need to safeguard tenants whose exchange of dwellings they have effected.

Dwellings owned by local authorities have never come within rent control. Decontrol therefore can only occur where an exchange affecting a private landlord's tenancy is involved. Local authorities are occasionally able to arrange such exchanges, though not so often as I should like to see. and machinery for preserving the controlled status of the private tenancy in such cases exists in Section 17 of the Rent Act, 1957. Local authorities have not suggested to me that the position referred to in the Question is giving rise to difficulties.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if it is his policy to continue to ask local authorities for their housing programmes on the basis of calendar years despite the fact that these authorities usually plan for the fiscal year.

I cannot recall receiving any representations that the present arrangements cause inconvenience. I think that local authorities can generally relate their programmes with equal ease either to the calendar or the financial year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will make a statement on the situation in Northern Rhodesia.

On Wednesday, 11th May, the Governor decided that in order to bring the situation on the Copperbelt under control it was necessary to bring the provisions of the Public Security Ordinance into immediate operation.Under regulations made under this Ordinance, which affect the Western Province only, the Provincial Commissioner has prohibited meetings of ten or more persons. All branches of the United National Independence Party in the Western Province have been declared illegal organisations. The Governor and I have no doubt that it is to adherents of that party, particularly in the Western Province, that the extremist political agitation and defiance of the law which is at the root of the present trouble is to be ascribed. The Governor has also prohibited the entry into the Western Province of six members of the National Executive of the party. In addition, regulations have been made prescribing offences in relation to the possession of dangerous implements and petrol.All these measures are concentrated on the seat of the trouble in the Western Province; other areas are reported to be generally quiet.Whilst the Governor considered that the situation was sufficiently grave to justify bringing the whole of the Public Security Ordinance into force immediately, thereby empowering him to order the detention of persons if necessary for the preservation of public security, this power has not been exercised and no persons have so far been detained. All arrests made have been in respect of offences against the normal laws, or in a few cases, for breaches of the regulations mentioned above.Since 11th May there have been twenty-one further incidents, including arson, thefts of firearms and petrol, and assault. The Governor's latest report, however, is that the situation is generally quiet and there are signs of some relaxation of tension.The House will have heard with great regret of the death of Mrs. Burton early yesterday morning, and will wish to join me in extending deepest sympathy to her family and relatives.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what is the number of political detainees from Nyasaland; and when he proposes that they will be released.

Fifty-four. They will be released when the Governor is satisfied that they no longer present any threat to the maintenance of law and order.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies when he expects the Report by Mr. Justice Southworth on the incidents during the Prime Minister's visit to Blantyre, Nyasaland, to be available.

The Report was published in Nyasaland today and I have arranged for copies to be made available in the Library immediately.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies when he expects to convene a conference to discuss with leaders of political opinion in Uganda the establishment of a democratic constitution and the problems of the future relationship of the Treaty States within an independent Uganda.

No conference is planned, but I have agreed to meet a delegation of Representative Members of the Legislative Council next month to discuss these matters and I expect soon to hear whether, and if so when, the Rulers of Buganda, Bungoro, Toro and Ankole wish to accept a similar invitation.

asked the Minister of Works what progress has been made with the cleaning of the ceiling of the Painted Hall at Greenwich and the restoration of Wren's observatory; and when they are likely to be completed.

The cleaning and restoration of the ceiling of the Painted Hall is completed in the Vestibule and Lower Hall; the Upper Hall is due to be completed early next month. Work on the Wren observatory building at Flamsteed House is practically complete.

asked the Minister of Works what measures he proposes to take to ensure that sufficient deck chairs will be available for the public to hire this summer in the Royal Parks under his administrative control.

I have asked the contractor responsible for providing deck chairs in the Royal Parks to make the necessary arrangements to meet the expected demand.

asked the Minister of Works if he is aware that the tablet in Westminster Hall which marks the spot where King Charles I stood his trial and that marking where the Bar of the Court was erected, are becoming very worn and are difficult to read; and if he will have them renovated, counter-sunk in the stonework and covered by some transparent plastic material so as to preserve them.

Yes, I will restore these plates. I am advised that any transparent covering would rapidly become too scratched for the inscription underneath to be legible, so I propose that the plates should be replaced flush with the floor as at present.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what information he has given to the local authorities in Scotland setting out his long term proposals for trunk roads and the list of projects under construction now and contemplated during the next five to 10 years.

The list of major projects under construction now is to be found in the Appendices to the Roads etc. Scotland Estimate for 1960–61.As regards future projects, it is not my intention to announce lists of them five or ten years before work on them can begin. The local authorities concerned have been advised of the major trunk road schemes which will be considered for inclusion within the current four-year programme ending in March, 1962, and the preparation of these is proceeding satisfactorily, and I shall, of course, discuss schemes with them when our programme for the ensuing period is announced.I have already announced, in reply to a Question by the hop. Lady the Member for Renfrew, East (Miss Harvie Anderson) on the 17th December last, my plans for the progressive reconstruction of the Glasgow-Carlisle road, A.74; some of the schemes concerned will be put in hand after the end of the current programme.

asked the Minister of Transport what was the total amount of Exchequer funds provided for the freeing of the Langstone Bridge from tolls.

Nothing; my predecessor made a grant towards the cost of the new bridge.

asked the Minister of Transport what was the total amount of Exchequer funds expended in the construction of the toll-free bridge which replaced Conway Bridge.

Approximately £500,000.

asked the Secretary' of State for the Home Department Brow many motor vehicles have been removed by the Metropolitan Police without their owners' or drivers' consent during the twelve months up to 31st March, 1960.

Between 30th March, 1959, and 27th March, 1960, 39,243 vehicles were removed from streets in the Metropolitan Police District under powers conferred by the Removal of Vehicles (England and Wales) Regulations, 1957.

asked the Minister of Education how many education authorities specify the purchase of home-grown timber for use for instructional purposes in schools and colleges under their control.

Local education authorities make their own arrangements for the supply of timber for schools and colleges and I have not felt justified in making the special inquiries which would be necessary to provide the information asked for by my hon. Friend. But I hope this answer will bring the matter to their attention.