asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will now announce the names of the members of his Food Standards Committee, and the interests they represent.

The following are the names of the members of the reconstituted Foods Standards Committee. The reconstitution of the Committee will not take place until the autumn.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what effect he estimates the import of foreign potatoes is likely to have on the prospects of the sale of potatoes grown this year by British farmers.

Imports of new potatoes in the first four months of 1960 totalled 95,000 tons against 96,000 tons in the same months last year. The volume of imports in May is not yet known.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking to secure the eradication of swine fever.

The present arrangements for the control of swine fever include the isolation of infected herds and strict movement control together with restrictions on the holding of markets.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance how many allowances are paid by the National Assistance Board to persons in receipt of unemployment benefit.

Fifty-seven thousand on 29th March last.

asked the Prime Minister what Minister is responsible for giving the alert warnings to British air bases in various parts of the world.

I have been asked to reply.The Government as a whole are collectively responsible for decisions on such matters as the state of readiness of the Forces. I am not prepared to discuss details of how executive instructions are conveyed.

asked the Prime Minister whether he was consulted by President Eisenhower before the President approved the combat readiness alert on 15th May involving United States air forces based in this country.

I have been asked to reply.As President Eisenhower has himself made clear, this was a routine test of the efficiency of United States communications. There was accordingly no need for consultation between us.

asked the Prime Minister, in view of the prolonged absence from the country of the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies, if he will consider the appointment of an additional Minister in this Department.

Although the burden of work in the Colonial Office continues to be heavy, I am not convinced that the temporary absence of one Minister makes necessary the permanent creation of a new Ministerial post.

asked the Minister of Aviation whether he will give a timetable for the development, production, and delivery of Blue Steel, the British stand-off bomb.

I have nothing to add to the reply given to a similar. Question by the hon. Member last week.

asked the Minister of Aviation whether he has drawn the attention of the International Civil Air Organisation to the delays caused to British aircraft by the acute air traffic congestion in the New York area, despite the use of the VOR/DME system.

Air traffic control at Idle-wild is the responsibility of the United States authorities and I have no information on the causes of the delay to which the hon. Member refers. The International Civil Aviation Organisation is, of course, already aware of our views on the advantages of a hyperbolic area coverage navigation system.

asked the Minister of Aviation to what extent, apart from the team of British scientists which has for some time been officially involved in the project in the United States of America, Her Majesty's Government is contributing financially to the development of Skybolt.

Her Majesty's Government have made no financial contribution to the development of Skybolt.

asked the Minister of Health how many applications for petrol-propelled invalid carriage have been received during the last twelve months for which figures are available; how many have been rejected; how many have been provisionally granted; and the total number and the total cost of carriages actually supplied to such applicants.

I regret that statistics are not kept of the total number of applications received or rejected by hospitals or by the Ministry's offices. In 1959, 1,821 new applications were provisionally granted, and 1,278 petrol and 332 electric-engined machines have been supplied to these applicants. In regard to the last part of the Question, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the right hon. Member for Caerphilly (Mr. Ness Edwards) on 11th April.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will now reconsider the regulations as to the supply of petrol-propelled invalid carriages which exclude many seriously disabled applicants.

While all considerations are under continuous review my right hon. and learned Friend does not think that any particular reconsideration of the present arrangements is called for.

asked the Minister of Health how many industrially disabled miners in Derbyshire have been supplied by his Department with tricycles; and what would be the cost of replacing these vehicles with two-seater cars.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Rhondda, East (Mr. G. Elfed Davies) and other hon. Members on 23rd May.

asked the Minister of Health the detailed considerations which led to the decision to replace tricycles by two-seater oars in the case of the war disabled.

While the invalid motor-tricycle is an efficient machine for its purpose, it does not carry a passenger and it was for that reason that I decided to extend the war pensioner's car scheme which was introduced in 1948.

asked the Minister of Health if he will take the necessary steps to make it possible for paraplegics to be supplied with two-seater vehicles.

asked the Minister of Health if he will consider the provision of a more efficient vehicle for paraplegic cases in view of the congested state of the roads today.

Paraplegic cases who fall within the terms of my announcement on 4th April on war pensioners will be offered cars, but I am not in a position to go further.

asked the Minister of Health whether persons who were tied to their industry by the wartime labour controls and who were subsequently injured in their employment are to be included in the decision to replace single-seater tricycles by two-seater cars.

No. This extension applies to those war pensioners disabled in the service of their country who are eligible for Government power-propelled tricycles.

asked the Minister of Health whether paraplegic cases, due to war-time bombing in the case of civilians in directed employment, are to be included among those to be provided with two-seater cars.

Civilian war pensioners other than those injured whilst serving in the Merchant Navy will be excluded.

asked the Minister of Health how many cities and towns now have emergency night call services offering to deputise for general practitioners; how many of these are on a purely commercial basis; and how many are under the control of the local executive council.

I regret that there is no centrally available information regarding the numbers and types of deputising services, but I have no reason to suppose that such services are operating on a commercial basis in more than a very few areas. Deputising services are not controlled by executive councils and most of them are personal arrangements between doctors.

asked the Minister of Health what steps he is taking to secure more staff at the Department of Dermatology at Swindon, and more physiotherapists for the Swindon area.

I am not aware of any shortage of consultant staff in the Department of Dermatology. The regional hospital board has recently authorised the employment of a clinical assistant for a further three sessions a week subject to the cost being met within the hospital management committee's approved estimates. There is a considerable shortage of physiotherapists which the hospital management committee has been making every effort to improve. Physiotherapists' salaries have recently been increased by a Whitley Council agreement.

asked the Minister of Health how many cases of injury, resulting from wounds or blows, have been treated in hospital casualty wards in the twelve months up to the last convenient date; and in how many cases the injured persons have refused to give any, or any adequate, explanation as to how these injuries were sustained.

I regret that the information is not available.

asked the Minister of Health when allocating the sum of £2,500,000 for the proposed Wythenshawe Hospital, what details were submitted to him of the site chosen, and the number of beds to be provided.

The scheme under consideration at present is the first phase only of a new hospital at Wythenshawe, and no specific sum has been allocated for the whole hospital. Before approving the present site, which vests in my right hon. and learned Friend, he received details of its extent and stability, of access and availability of public utility and transport services, and of the town planning position. The number of beds proposed is 396.

asked the Minister of Health what steps are being taken to recruit the necessary staff for the New Villas, Ockendon; and when he hopes to bring this new hospital accommodation into full use.

All possible steps are being taken by the hospital management committee to recruit the necessary staff. It hopes to open one villa within the next month, and the remaining villas as staff are recruited and the laundry and kitchen services are extended.

asked the Minister of Health whether, in view of

asked the Minister of Health whether the plans of the proposed Wythenshawe Hospital, at the original site, were submitted to him; whether he approved them; and upon what date.

Preliminary sketch designs were sent to the Ministry in June, 1957, and sketch plans of the maternity unit and antenatal clinic in August, 1958. These plans were not approved, because the change of site necessitated the preparation of fresh plans.

asked the Minister of Health how far the strength of the Langthorne Hospital is below establishment; what steps are being taken to remedy this situation; and to what extent the establishment needs to be increased to meet modern needs.

Following are the figures:the failure to find immediate hospital accommodation for Susan Bell, a badly-burned casualty, he is satisfied that there is adequate provision in the northern region for treatment of burns, and that the administration is kept up to date on the appropriate hospitals to which emergency treatment for burns is available; and if he will make a statement.

I greatly regret that this patient was not taken direct to the most suitable hospital and I am glad to learn that she is making satisfactory progress. In the light of this incident the hospital authorities concerned are reviewing their arrangements for dealing with burns and will inform all concerned of any new arrangements. My right hon. and learned Friend is satisfied that the provision for treating burns in the Newcastle Hospital Region is generally adequate although it will be further improved as new hospital buildings are brought into use.

asked the Minister of Health on how many occasions his Standing Advisory Committee on the Nursing Services met during 1959; and what advice it tendered to him on the problem of the shortage of nurses.

The Standing Nursing Advisory Committee met twice in 1959. It tendered no advice on the shortage of nursing staff, but on this subject I look mainly to the National Consultative Council on the Recruitment of Nurses and Midwives. A Report by the Council on the distribution of nursing and midwifery staff, containing suggestions for improving distribution and recruitment to the less well-staffed hospitals, was circulated to hospital authorities in January, 1959.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that a new hospital ward in Oldham is unable to operate due to shortage of nurses; and what steps he proposes to take.

Yes. I understand that a special committee of the Oldham and District Hospital Management Committee, which had previously been appointed to consider other matters in relation to nurse recruitment, is now considering ways and means of obtaining staff which would make possible the opening of the additional beds.

asked the Minister of Health when the obstetric unit at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Swindon will be ready for use; and what steps will then be taken to make available some general practitioner beds in Cirencester for Swindon patients, in view of the anticipated inadequacy of such beds at Kingshill Hospital.

As I have recently informed the hon. Member, my Department and the Oxford Regional Hospital Board are examining whether detailed planning of the new maternity unit can be carried out in advance of the rest of stage III of the hospital. The Board is also considering as a matter of urgency the addition of beds to Kingshill Hospital and will consider with the hospital management committees concerned the possibility of using maternity accommodation in the areas surrounding Swindon.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will ask the United Kingdom permanent representative at the United Nations to find out when the Committee on South West Africa expects to report to the United Nations.

In a resolution adopted last November at its 14th Session, the General Assembly requested the Committee on South West Africa to report again to the Assembly at its 15th Session, which opens on 20th September.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will make a statement on his current discussions with other countries on fishery limits.

I have nothing to add to the Answers given to the hon. Member for Grimsby (Mr. Crosland) by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, and by myself on 25th May.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will make provision for selected Foreign Service officers to take paid study leave at those United States universities which conduct advanced specialised studies in foreign affairs, details of which have been sent to him by the hon. Member for Dunfermline Burghs.

My right hon. and learned Friend is anxious that the Foreign Service should profit as far as possible from the studies of foreign affairs undertaken in United States universities and institutions. The British Embassy in Washington is in touch with a number of these, and members of the staff frequently take part in seminars and discussions at them. For the past two years a senior Foreign Service officer has been appointed to spend a year at the Center for International Affairs at Harvard. A number of other officers have studied related subjects at various American institutions before or after passing into the Foreign Service.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, with a view to introducing similar arrangements into the Foreign Service, he will send a member of his staff to consult with the United States State Department in order to examine its method of providing comprehensive studies, by area and subject, for Foreign Service officers, and the way in which it works in close liaison with selected universities in the training of diplomats.

My right hon. and learned Friend does not consider it necessary to send a member of the Foreign Service to undertake the consultations suggested by the hon. Member. Views are frequently exchanged with the United States Foreign Service on matters of common interest in the field of administration. Two senior members of the staff of the Personnel Department have each served for four years at the Embassy in Washington and are familiar with these matters.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to what extent he enables Foreign Service officers, during the course of their careers, to attend refresher courses involving the historical, economic and political development of selected regions of the world, and in specialised subjects such as language, commerce, trade union studies and sociology at British or foreign universities.

The Foreign Service makes arrangements for officers to receive language training at various universities in this country and abroad. As I have explained in the Answer to another Question from the hon. Member, a senior officer has been appointed in each of the past two years to attend the Center for International Affairs at Harvard. Other officers have studied special subjects at various universities in this country or abroad before or immediately after passing into the Service.Foreign Service officers acquire knowledge of other subjects referred to in the Question by means of training given within the Service or on secondment or attachment to other Government Departments, and to international organisations and non-governmental bodies. There are introductory courses for new entrants which cover a wide range of subjects such as languages, commerce and industrial and labour questions. There are also refresher courses in information, consular and economic and commercial work as well as in languages. Language training, which goes on all the time, normally includes the study of conditions in the country concerned.There is an active and sizeable Research Cadre within the Foreign Service whose province is the study of historical, economic and political developments in the various regions of the world.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, in view of the recent disturbances in Turkey and Iran, what consultations Her Majesty's Government has had with its allies in the Central Treaty Organisation regarding the security of the area; and whether he will make a statement.

There have been no consultations in the Central Treaty Organisation of the kind suggested.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of unemployed in the aircraft and radio industries registered at the employment exchanges in May; and if he will give the comparative figures for the same period last year.

The figures for May, 1960, will be available in about 10 days' time and I will publish it in the OFFICIAL REPORT when it becomes available. As I informed the hon. Gentleman in reply to his Question of 9th December, 1959, accurate comparisons of the numbers unemployed in the industry in months before and after June. 1959. are not possible.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of unemployed registered at the Feltham and Hounslow employment exchanges in May; and if he will give the comparative figure for the same period last year.

At 16th May, 117 men and women were registered as unemployed at Feltham and 222 at Hounslow, compared with 166 at Feltham and 322 at Hounslow on 11th May, 1959.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will recommend to the Commonwealth Technical Training Committee set up to organise the Commonwealth Technical Training Week, that special consideration should be given to discussions of exchange visits between technical students and experts from one Commonwealth or Colonial Territory to another.

I will be glad to pass on the suggestion and I would hope that the Commonwealth Technical Training Week Committee will feel able to encourage the use of existing facilities for interchange, including those resulting from the Commonwealth Education Conference last year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will recommend the appointment of a Royal Commission to examine the working of the Government of Ireland Act, 1920, and in particular, Section 5 (1) of this Act prohibiting the taking of property without compensation.

I do not consider the appointment of a Royal Commission for this purpose either appropriate or necessary.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the estimated cost of the import duty on superphosphate and basic slag to the fertiliser industry in 1959.

During 1959 £31,602 was paid in duty on 9,419 tons of super-phosphates and £82,468 on 105,808 tons of basic slag.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what machinery exists to keep his Department informed of flights to and from the United Kingdom of United States Service aircraft.

Unted States Service aircraft entering or leaving the United Kingdom file a flight plan in advance. The procedures followed by the United States Services are similar to those for Royal Air Force aircraft.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much he collected from Purchase Tax on animal drugs and medicine during the year 1959.

Human and animal drugs and medicines are treated alike for tax purposes. I regret that the figure my hon. Friend asks for is not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware of the inconvenience caused to citizens of all classes in the Ashington area. Northumberland, who have to travel to Morpeth to visit the Income Tax office; whether he will consider either extending the hours during which this office is open to enable people to visit it outside their working hours, or setting up an office in Ashington; and whether he will make a statement.

There have been few complains about the present arrangements in this area. It would be neither economic nor efficient to open an office in Ashington, but any taxpayer may ask for special arrangements for an interview at Morpeth if he is inconvenienced by the present office hours.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what replies he has received from local authorities in the County of Northumberland to his circular concerning the clearing or the improvement of colliery slag heaps; what degree of Government help is available to local authorities for this purpose; and whether he will make a statement.

Northumberland County Council has informed my right hon. Friend of seven schemes agreed with the National Coal Board for improving the appearance of spoil heaps, and Ashington Urban District Council reports an agreement with the Board for the progressive planting of trees. Exchequer assistance is available where the spoil heap is in a development district or in a national park or area of outstanding natural beauty.

asked the Postmaster-General what proportion of the £3,500,000 annual loss on the public telephone kiosks is incurred in respect of the kiosks in the Outer Hebrides.

I have no separate figure for the loss in the Outer Hebrides. But I know that receipts from the kiosks in these islands are well below average while the cost of providing and maintaining them is well above average.

asked the Minister of Transport what steps he has taken to ensure that the advisory group appointed to examine the structure, finance and working of the organisations controlled by the British Transport Commission will take into account the need to provide effective arrangements for consultation between British Railways and Inland Waterway Carriers in regard to rates on those traffics for which Inland Waterway Carriers can cater economically.

The terms of reference of the advisory group are wide, and I am sure that the group will take account of all relevant factors. It has already expressed its readiness to receive representations from interested parties.