asked the Secretary of State for Scotland why it has been necessary to increase the staff of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland to 2,371, an increase of 315 compared with April, 1959.

Two hundred and eighty officers were transferred from the Scottish Home Department to the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries on 1st April this year when responsibility for fisheries and certain other work was transferred from the former to the latter Department. The balance of 35 is the net increase in staff required for a variety of services of which I can send my hon. Friend details if he so wishes.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a list of those local housing authorities whose housing needs have been completely satisfied; and what proportion they represent of the total number of such authorities currently not building houses.

There is room for debate about the factors to be taken into account in assessing housing needs, and accordingly I should not like to say that the housing needs of any particular authorities have been completely satisfied. As regards authorities with no houses under

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give the figures of the net decreases in agricultural area in Scotland from 1939 up to the present date in a similar form to the reply given by the Minister of Agriculture to the hon. Member for Newbury on 4th May, 1959.

My information on the net losses of agricultural land to other uses does not go back further than the year 1951–52 (May-June), and is incomplete, since it is based on information provided voluntarily by farmers in connection with their agricultural returns, and relates only to changes affecting crops and grass acreages and excludes land converted into forestry and allotments.construction, the position is, of course, that where needs have been largely met, any balance may not be such as to call for further building by the authority at the present time.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what reply he has made to the representations received from the Corporation of Greenock concerning unemployment in the burgh.

Following my meeting on 6th February last with a deputation from Greenock Town Council, I have been in correspondence with the town council on a number of matters affecting employment in Greenock; and I have promised to write them further as soon as I can.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the total cost of malicious damage committed in Glasgow's schools during the year 1959.

The information is not immediately available, but I shall write to the hon. Member as soon as I obtain it.

asked the President of the Board of Trade to what extent the recent announcement by the Government that capital expenditure in the public sector would be restricted next year to this year's level will affect the additional expenditure to which the Government is committed in areas of high and persistent unemployment under the Local Employment Act.

The announcement refers to the total of such expenditure and not to each item. The provision to be made to cover next year's expenditure under the Local Employment Act is still under consideration. Commitments already entered into will, of course, be honoured.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what has been the increase in imports of Belgian moquettes in the last five years; what contraction has taken place among British producers during the same period; and if he will refuse to grant the application for an increased tariff until he has satisfied himself as to the efficiency of the home producers.

Imports of moquette fabrics from Belgium increased from 9·9 million square yards in 1956 to about 17·2 million square yards in 1959, the only years for which separate figures are available. According to available estimates, domestic production was about 5·6 million square yards in 1959, as compared with some 6 million square yards in 1955. In considering the tariff application, all relevant factors will be taken into account.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will give financial assistance to breed societies or rearers of pedigree livestock so that they can participate in overseas agricultural exhibitions with the object of promoting the sale of pedigree British livestock.

My right hon. Friend is always ready to consider requests from industries to supplement their own efforts in staging collective exhibits at overseas exhibitions.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is his latest estimate of the prospects for an increase in East-West trade; and if he will make a statement.

Our total direct trade with the countries concerned increased by 15 per cent. in 1959 as compared with 1958 and by 43 per cent. in the first five months of 1960 as compared with the same period of 1959. My right hon. Friend hopes that the trend will continue to be favourable but cannot give the hon. Member a quantitative estimate of the possible increase.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will state the number of applications for assistance under the Board of Trade Advisory Committee scheme which have been received from firms wishing to establish themselves in Cornwall to the latest convenient date, and the number of applications which have been granted.

Since the Board of Trade Advisory Committee came into being on 1st April fourteen applications for assistance have been received. None has been granted, but eleven are under consideration.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he has considered the evidence from the Staffordshire Potteries Water Board sent to him by the hon. Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme, concerning identical tenders recently submitted to the Board for cast-iron pipes and special castings; and if he will bring this matter to the attention of the Registrar of Restrictive Trading Agreements.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been drawn to the collusion between contractors who present identical tenders for cast-iron pipes and special castings to the Staffordshire Potteries Water Board; and whether he will bring the matter to the attention of the Registrar of Restrictive Trading Agreements.

My right hon. Friend has sent to the Registrar the information he has received on this subject from the hon. Members for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Mr. Swingler) and Stoke-on-Trent, North (Mrs. Slater). Any further action is for the Registrar and not for my right hon. Friend. The fact that four firms submit closely similar tenders does not, of course, necessarily mean that they do so by agreement.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what were the quantities of Peruvian fishmeal imports for the years 1958, 1959, and 1960, to date.

The following are the figures required:—

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will advise the banks to vary their recent restrictions on credit on a regional basis so that industrial development in the North-East of England will not be impeded because of inflation elsewhere.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what effect it is estimated the recent credit restrictions will have on employment in the North-East of England;(2) what consideration he gave, before imposing his recent credit restrictions, to the effect such restrictions would have upon employment in the North-East of England.

It would not be possible to vary the level of interest rates or the amount of a call for special deposits on a regional basis. In deciding upon the recent measures I took into account the need to avoid any setback to the welcome improvement in employment in North-East England and other parts of the country where the level of unemployment has been relatively high, as well as the need to avoid overstrain in the economy as a whole. It is much too early to say anything certain about the effects of the recent measures; but there is no evidence that the measures taken in April had any bad effects on employment in North-East England, where the level of unemployment continued to fall in May and June, and, as I said in the House yestrday, I do not think that the latest restraining measures will have more than a marginal effect on industrial investment in fixed capital.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the extent to which local authorities in the north-east will be affected by the Government's policy for limitation of public expenditure.

The implementation of the policy I announced on 23rd June is at present under consideration.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what financial effect the reimposition of hire-purchase restrictions and the increase in the Bank Rate have had in the North-East.

Statistics are not available on a regional basis for bank advances or for hire purchase sales and debt.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer to what extent he ascribes the necessity of recent measures in restraint of credit to an increase in imports relatively to exports; what proportion of that increase was of food, basic materials and manufactured goods, respectively; and what reconsideration has been given to the policy of liberalising imports.

Recent measures in restraint of credit were directed to relieving the pressure on resources generally. The increase in imports relatively to exports is only one symptom of this and itseif constitutes only one aspect of the balance of payments situation. Of the increase of £290 million in imports between the first five months of this and the same period of last year, 3 per cent. consisted of food, 27 per cent. of basic materials and 70 per cent. of manufactured goods, including materials for further processing.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury what is the rate of Customs duty on imported cigarette lighters; and how this varies between different types of lighters.

Imported cigarette lighters are chargeable with revenue duty at the rate of 7s. each.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury how many established and unestablished civil servants were transferred from the Dublin Registry of Deeds and Land Registry to the Belfast Registry of Deeds and Land Registry, respectively, on the setting up of the latter in 1923; whether their pension rights were all equally preserved; and how many complaints, and from whom, he has received about those pensions.

In transfers of staff arranged in 1923, six officers went from the Registry of Deeds in Dublin, and five from the Land Registry, to the Belfast Registry of Deeds. Twelve officers transferred from the Land Registry in Dublin to the Land Registry in Belfast. These officers did not all have the same eligibility for pension, under the general rules governing the counting of their service. Complaints about the amount of service counted in their pension have been received from, or on behalf of, five of the officers.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he is aware that annoyance has been caused over a long period to residents in the Milk Street and Fazeley Street area of Birmingham, arising from offensive odours originating in the premises of Midland Organics Limited, of River Street, Birmingham; and if he will have an inquiry made with a view to the removal of the cause of this public complaint.

This firm's process is subject to the city council's control under the Public Health Act, 1936. I understand that after consultation with the council the firm have installed plant which has appreciably reduced the smell and the possibility of further improving this plant is now being investigated.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what was the total cost and the total amount of land purchased by local authorities for all purposes in 1951, 1955 and 1959, respectively.

The total amounts spent by local authorities on the acquisition of land and buildings in the financial years ended 31st March, 1951, 1955 and 1959 were, respectively, £27,694,000, £32,174,000, and £38,588,000. The corresponding figure for 1959–60 is provisionally estimated at £52,082,000. I regret that no figures are available as to the total amount of land purchased.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs when he expects to announce the result of his review of the rising cost of land for building.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 5th July to the hon. Members for Hayes and Harlington (Mr. Skeffington) and Fife, West (Mr. W. Hamilton).

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what steps he proposes to take to ensure that the community shall derive some part of the increased site value of land available for development when such increased value has been created by the community.

This is a very old question and has been the subject of many bright ideas. None of them has worked. I am concentrating my efforts on continuously improving the operation of planning control.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs when he expects to be able to announce his decision on Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council's application to re-zone for industrial purposes 75 acres of land in Chesterton.

My right hon. Friend is not satisfied that it would be wise to allocate more than 20–25 acres for industry, and he is asking the Staffordshire County Council, the local planning authority, to consider further the use of the rest of the land.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs by what method he proposes to encourage the fullest use of land within urban areas for development.

Infilling, redevelopment with increased density, use of all available land and the conversion of existing properties can all play their part. I am preparing a circular to local authorities on the planning issues arising.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs how many staff, and in what grades, are employed in his recently established Urban Renewal Research Unit.

A principal planner, a senior planning officer, a planning officer and an estate officer are at present engaged part-time on this work. Other officers, administrative and professional, are associated with them as required.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs when the consultations now taking place on the implementation of the Government's new financial policy in regard to council house building are expected to be completed; and whether he will make a statement.

I have nothing to add to what I said in reply to the hon. Member a week ago.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he will seek to obtain information from selected local authorities in the Home Counties, the Midlands, and the North, as to the price per acre they have paid for comparable council house sites in 1947, 1951, 1955, and 1959.

No. No two sites are precisely comparable; and I do not think that a laborious inquiry into the past such as the hon. Member suggests would produce any worth-while results for the future, with which I am mainly concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what action the Government of Fiji is taking to secure the commercial disposal of the sugar crop at a fair price to cane growers.

The commercial disposal of the sugar crop has previously been determined by a long-term contract between the cane growers and the Colonial Sugar Refining Company. This contract expired on 31st May, 1960, and its renewal is at present in dispute. The Government of Fiji is continuing its efforts to bring about a settlement of this dispute, of which I informed the House on 21st June in my reply to the hon. Member for Eton and Slough (Mr. Brockway).

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will make a statement on measures being taken by the Government of Northern Rhodesia to limit colour discrimination.

Following the report of the Select Committee of the Northern Rhodesia Legislative Council which was set up last year, a Bill to eliminate discriminatory practices in cafes, restaurants and cinemas has now been published and will be debated in the Legislative Council later this month. There will also be a debate shortly on the report of the Working Party set up to examine discriminatory practices in other fields, in the light of which the Government will consider what further action may be practicable and desirable.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies, what progress has been made in providing a television service in Malta.

As my hon. Friend will be aware, the Government of Malta have announced their intention of creating a Statutory Authority to be responsible for broadcasting as a whole (including television) in Malta. This Authority would be empowered to license a private contractor to operate a television service. The drafting of the necessary legislation for setting up the Authority is in hand An invitation was extended in February last to interested parties to apply for the granting of a license; a number of applications have since been received which are under close study.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what are the resources being made available to the Malta Industrial Development Board for development of industry on the island; and what progress is being made.

£5,425,000 is available for direct aid to industrial and tourist development in Malta under the Government's five-year Development Plan. This is over and above the £6 million which Her Majesty's Government are providing for the conversion of the Naval Dockyard for commercial use.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what he is doing to ensure that the terms of employment of the expatriate officers of the Tanganyika Civil Service are such as to give reasonable prospect that these officers will be available to serve that country as long as their services are needed there.

I would refer the hon. Member to the replies given to my hon. Friends the Members for Haltemprice (Mr. Wall) and Lewes (Colonel Beamish) on 24th May and 21st June. The terms of reference of the Salaries Commission specifically refer to the need to attract and retain overseas staff.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how frequently the Governor's Special Committee, to deal with bribery and corruption in Hong Kong, has met since its appointment in March last; whether it has received applications for permission to submit oral evidence; and whether these applications have been granted.

Six times, including a meeting due to be held today. The Committee has received one application to give oral evidence. This was not granted, but the applicant was invited to send his evidence in writing, which he has done.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will arrange for Colonial Regulations to be made available for inspection and reference in Hong Kong so that the public can readily ascertain their rights and obligations.

Colonial Regulations are freely open for inspection at the Colonial Secretariat library in Hong Kong.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies on what date he received from the Governor of Hong Kong Petition No. 3, dated 23rd November, 1959, addressed to Her Majesty in Council by Mr. W. S. Edwards; and when it was forwarded.

The petition was received on 3rd December, 1959. It was not forwarded to Her Majesty because another petition by Mr. Edwards on the same subject had been submitted to Her Majesty in June, 1959, and a reply conveyed to Mr. Edwards. It is customary not to forward more than one petition on any one subject to Her Majesty.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will now make a statement on the investigations following the arrest of four Triad Society members in connection with an alleged gambling organisation in the western area of Hong Kong Island.

The investigations into the gambling organisation have been completed and deportation orders have been issued against four of the persons arrested. Police inquiries are continuing.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether his attention has been drawn to the statement of the Commission of Inquiry into the Bukedo tax riots regarding the use of firearms; and whether he has offered any advice to the Uganda Government on the matter.

I was aware that the Commission of Inquiry had commented on the use of firearms. The observations of the Uganda Government in Sessional Paper No. 3 on this and other aspects of the Report were made with my approval.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies why he rejected the Wild Committee recommendations for universal adult suffrage in Uganda.

I consider that a qualitative franchise, though a very broad one, is appropriate at the present stage of Uganda's constitutional development.

asked the Minister of Works whether his attention has been drawn to the acute brick shortage, particularly in the West Midlands area, which is holding up the building of houses; if he is aware of the recent decision to increase the price of bricks; and, in view of the high degree of monopoly in this industry, if he will refer the structure of the brick industry to the Monopoly Commission for inquiry.

I know that despite a record delivery of bricks so far this year demands in some parts of the country cannot immediately be met. Nevertheless a very high level of building activity is being maintained. I am aware that the prices of some bricks have recently been increased. The question of referring the structure of the brick industry to the Monopoly Commission is a matter for my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade.

asked the Minister of Works what steps are being taken to relieve the acute shortage of bricks.

Brickmakers are increasing productions and trying to see that bricks go to sites where they are needed. 3,031 million bricks were delivered in the first five months of the year. I have in addition encouraged increased production and use of other materials.

asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty on what date he received a copy of the resolution passed by Rosyth Dockyard trade union representatives in respect of the proposed abolition of the Assisted Travel Scheme forwarded to him by the hon. Member for Dunfermline Burghs; if, in the forthcoming review of the scheme, he will take into consideration the fact that the payment of 27s. a week travelling expenses will leave the lowest paid workers with only £6 5s. 0d. a week; and if he will make a statement.

The resolution was passed to me on 7th July by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The views contained in it, including the particular one referred to by the hon. Member, will be taken into account when we review the scheme. There is nothing that I can usefully add at this stage to the answers I gave to the hon. Member on the 29th June and to the hon. Member for Fife, West (Mr. W. Hamilton) on 6th July.

asked the Minister of Education, as representing the Minister for Science, what are his plans to explore scientifically the potentialities of Scottish lochs, with particular regard to Loch Ness.

My noble Friend has no plans relating specifically to the Scottish lochs. A number of lochs are, however, included in the Nature Reserves in which the Nature Conservancy study the flora and fauna. The Fisheries Research which is undertaken by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries of Scotland, for which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland is responsible, includes some examination of the fisheries potential of lochs. No special study of Loch Ness is contemplated.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many accredited correspondents of newspapers and news agencies of Communist China have been granted permission to work in this country at the present time.

Four.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what was the cost to the taxpayer in 1959 of Scottish unemployment, in terms of unemployment benefit and National Assistance.

The cost to the National Insurance Fund of unemployment benefit was just under £10 million, and to the Exchequer for National Assistance about £4½ million.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will give an analysis of the number of radio frequencies in the low, medium, high, very high, and ultrahigh bands, from 10 kcs. to 10,000 mcs.; and how these are at present allocated to, and used by, home broadcasting, overseas broadcasting, navigation, military, civil, industrial, and any other main categories of uses.

Allocations of frequencies to the various types of radio service in the United Kingdom are in accordance with the International Radio Regulations annexed to the International Telecommunication Convention. I am sending a copy to my hon. Friend. I am also placing copies of the latest edition in the Library.

asked the Postmaster-General what was the extent of malicious damage to telephone kiosks in the City of Glasgow during 1959.

Figures for the City of Glasgow are not available, but in the Glasgow telephone area, which extends a little beyond the City, there were 2,333 cases of damage to the structure and equipment of kiosks, and 9,337 panes of glass were broken in 1959. The cost of the repairs was about £6,000.

asked the Minister of Transport if he is aware of the large number of thistles and other obnoxious weeds, now approaching maturity, on the banks of M.1; and what steps he is taking, in the interests of adjoining farmers, to have them removed.

My attention has already been drawn to the existence of these weeds on the banks of M.1. Instructions are being issued for their elimination, either by cutting or by selective spraying.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he has yet made a decision with regard to the Coventry Road Widening Scheme in Yardley, Birmingham; and whether it is proposed to demolish the habitable houses in Warwell Lane as far as No. 14.

I am awaiting an application from the Birmingham Corporation for a grant towards the cost of the scheme, which I have invited it to prepare for my consideration in the current year. I shall give my decision after it arrives and has been studied. I understand that the corporation proposes to demolish some properties in Warwell Lane, including No. 14, as part of a redevelopment scheme. Only two of these properties will have to be demolished for the road widening scheme.