asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much he estimates would be lost to the Exchequer if he abolished Schedule A tax forthwith.

Rather less than £50 million in a full year.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer by how much the level of retail prices has risen since July of last year; and what is his estimate of retail price movements during the remainder of this year.

The index of retail prices rose from 115 in July, 1961, to 118 in March, 1962. The abnormal current shortage of potatoes and other vegetables may cause a further temporary rise in the next month or two. But if the incomes policy succeeds and we can secure a more realistic relationship between total increases in incomes and total increase in production, there will be good hope of keeping prices fairly stable in the second half of 1962.

asked the Chancellar of the Exchequer whether he has studied the letter of February, 1962, sent by the Public Service Pensioners' Council to Members of Parliament, a copy of which has been sent to him; if he has noted the comparisons made on page 3 of this letter, of some older pensions with awards made in 1961 for similar service; and what action he proposes to take to deal with the matter.

Yes. But no Government has been able to accept the fundamental change in the basis of public service pensions which would be involved in bringing all past pensions up to parity with those currently being awarded for similar service. The last Act increasing public service pensions came into operation in August, 1959, and my right hon. and learned Friend does not consider that the time has come for a further increase at the expense of the taxpayers and ratepayers. The matter will be kept under review.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what he estimates would be the gross value which an estate would need to reach today to yield the same purchasing power after payment of Estate Duty as was yielded in 1938 by estates valued at £5,000, £7,500, £50,000, £100,000, and £150,000, respectively.

About £16,000, £26,500, £370,000, £975,000 and £1,750,000 respectively.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement about the modification of exchange control restrictions over investment in the non-sterling area.

Yes. Since last July the rule has been to permit only investments which promised a clear and commensurate benefit to the balance of payments in the short term. I am now prepared to permit a direct investment which would have been allowed before July but which does not satisfy the stricter test to take place through the switch dollar market or to be financed by suitable borrowing abroad. The two existing switch dollar markets are being amalgamated. Direct investment which satisfies the conditions introduced in July can be financed by the use of official exchange.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total revenue from direct and indirect taxes as a percentage of the gross national product in the years 1959, 1960 and 1961 for the United Kingdom; and what corresponding information he has received through the Organisation for European Co-operation and Development, regarding the United States of America, Western Germany, France, Belgium, Holland and Italy.

The table below shows total revenue direct and indirect taxes as a percentage of the gross national product at factor cost for the calendar years 1959, 1960 and 1961 for the United Kingdom and for 1959 and 1960 for the other countries mentioned. 1961 figures for these countries are not yet available on a comparable basis. The figures include both central Government and local taxes since the distinction between central and local taxation varies from one country to another. Death duties are not treated as direct taxes in the tables from which the figures for other countries have been drawn and have therefore been omitted from the United Kingdom figures. The extent to which social security benefits are financed from specific contributions or from general taxation varies greatly from one country to another and the table therefore shows in addition the figures including social security contributions.

—	Taxes	Taxes plus social security contributions
	Per cent.	Per cent.
Belgium—
1959	18·5	25·8
1960	18·8	26·5
France—
1959	28·4	39·8
1960	28·1	39·5
West Germany—
1959	27·6	38·9
1960	28·1	39·4
Italy—
1959	n.a.	31·9
1960	n.a.	32·6
Netherlands—
1959	23·6	32·1
1960	24·4	33·0
United States—
1959	25·4	29·3
1960	25·8	30·3
United Kingdom—
1959	28·2	32·4
1960	27·4	31·5
1961	28·3	32·8

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will consult local authorities with a view to giving them additional powers to control film advertisements, whether displayed outside cinemas, in public places or elsewhere, in view of the suggestive and crude posters, now being displayed in many places, which depict in an unnecessarily emphatic way the sex features of certain films.

Local cinema licensing authorities have power to control advertising material displayed on cinema premises. The poster advertising industry has its own voluntary censorship arrangements for posters displayed on public hoardings, and the trade organisation representing the majority of film distributors has established its own viewing committee. My right hon. Friend has no reason to think that further statutory powers are needed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department to what extent his regulations permit local authorities to vary or to abolish the Sunday charity levy on cinemas.

This matter is governed by the provisions of the Sunday Entertainments Act, 1932, and not by regulations made by my right hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the approximate cost of the measures taken by the police and other civil authorities for which Her Majesty's Government are responsible to deal with the walk of some nuclear disarmers from Aldermaston to London over Easter.

It has been calculated that the additional cost incurred by the Metropolitan Police on this occasion amounted to some £2,750.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the approximate cost of the measures taken by the police and other civil authorities for which Her Majesty's Government are responsible to deal with the nuclear disarmers' demonstration in Grosvenor Square on Thursday, 26th April; and what was the yield in fines.

I am informed that the additional cost incurred by the Metropolitan Police was about £700. Fines imposed on demonstrators came to £283, and the court ordered costs amounting to £440 to be paid by those convicted.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if his Inspectorate for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is fully staffed; and whether he is satisfied that they are now able to carry out the duties laid upon them by Parliament fully and effectively.

My right hon. Friend appointed an additional inspector earlier this year. He has no reason to think that the number of inspectors now in post is insufficient.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what further consideration he has given to proposals to demolish air-raid shelters in the rural district of Newcastle-under-Lyme.

Arrangements have been made to demolish one of the shelters referred to in the Question asked by the hon. Member on 25th January. On the information before him my right hon. Friend can find no grounds which would justify the removal of the others.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will now make a further statement about increases in the salaries of probation officers.

As my right hon. Friend explained in the debate on 10th May, the Joint Negotiating Committee for the Probation Service were informed that, on the basis of the White Paper on Incomes Policy, he would not at this stage be justified in approving any increase which exceeded 2½per cent., although the Government were in no doubt that the probation service ought to receive a substantial increase of pay at the appropriate time and were prepared to examine its claims at the beginning of next year. The Joint Negotiating Committee informed my right hon. Friend on 9th May that they had agreed that probation officers of all ranks should receive an increase of 10 per cent., with effect from 1st April, 1962. on the understanding that the recommendations of the Morison Committee would be examined early next year. The Government have carefully considered the arguments that the Committee have adduced in support of the agreement, but they regret that they have been unable to find grounds for departing from their previous view. The Committee are accordingly being informed that my right hon. Friend proposes to make rules giving an increase, with effect from 1st April last, of 2½ per cent., and that he is ready to examine the wider claims of the service at the beginning of 1963.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, in view of the dissatisfaction expressed by a number of small bookmakers about the granting of an excessive number of licences for betting shops to large bookmaking firms, he will make inquiries about the relative number of licences granted to each group, large and small, as part of a general review of the operation of the Gaming Act, 1960.

My right hon. Friend is not persuaded that a review of the operation of the Betting and Gaming Act, 1960 is required at present.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to provide better accommodation for single Metropolitan policemen at present obliged to live at 64, Harrow Road.

There are plans for the replacement of this police station and section house in Harrow Road by new buildings, but difficulty is being experienced in finding a suitable site.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, under his arrangements, when a prisoner is transferred to hospital under Section 72 of the Mental Health Act, he automatically forfeits remission in respect of that part of his prison sentence spent in hospital, or whether he is entitled to full remission if he is returned to prison before expiry of sentence.

A prisoner transferred to hospital under Section 72 of the Mental Health Act, 1959, ceases to be subject to the Prison Rules, under which remission of sentence may be earned for good conduct and industry. But if he is returned to prison before the expiry of his sentence, it is usual to credit him with the remission he could have earned had he remained in prison.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give an estimate of the total additional annual cost of police pensions if averaging of salary in the last three years of service was abolished.

If all pensions payable to retired police officers (and their widows and dependants) in England and Wales at the present time were adjusted so as to be related to final salary instead of average salary over the last three years of service, it is estimated that the cost would be raised by rather more than £1 million per annum.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (Central African Office) if he is aware that the home and tea-room in Ndola of Mr. Isaiah Nakalonga have been repeatedly stoned and he himself threatened with death by supporters of the United National Independence Party; and, as this is one of many instances of intimidation of Africans opposed to the United National Independence Party, what new measures are now to be taken to check political violence in Northern Rhodesia.

Mr. Nakalonga's tea-room was stoned both during the weekend 7th-8th April and the Easter weekend. These incidents appear to have taken place as the result of rivalry between the United National Independence Party and the African National Congress. The Governor has assumed additional powers under the Preservation of Public Security Regulations and this, together with increased police patrolling, appears to have checked the tendency to violence on the part of the adherents of these parties.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (Central African Office) what loans or grants have been arranged with the Federal Government of Rhodesia and Nyasaland in each of the last five years for the purpose of expanding educational opportunities for Africans in Southern Rhodesia.

Her Majesty's Government have contributed more than £1·8 million in Colonial Development and Welfare grants over the last five years towards the development of the University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland in Salisbury which is a multi-racial institution.

asked the Minister of Education if he will now indicate the recommendations of the Secondary School Examinations Council in regard to the advancement of the date of the summer examination for the General Certificate of Education; and if he will make a statement.

The Council advised me that it was greatly concerned about the educational difficulties likely to be involved in advancing the date of the G.C.E. examination, but that if such a change were to make an important contribution to the successful staggering of holidays it would be prepared to recommend that steps should be taken to secure that the examination would be completed by the end of June. The Government are considering this advice in the general context of measures to extend the holiday season.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether the major technical improvements at Guest Keen Iron and Steel Works, Splott, Cardiff, due for completion in the spring of 1962 for the purpose of reducing the grit and dust nuisance caused to the residents of Splott, have progressed according to schedule; and if he will make a statement on the position.

Of the three electrical precipitators included in the construction programme, two have been completed and put into operation. The company expect to have the third ready by the end of this month.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether, in connection with the reorganisation of local government in Greater London, he has consulted the British Medical Association about the interests of those public health medical officers whose future will be affected by this reorganisation; and to what extent new Greater London boroughs which have populations under 250,000 will be permitted to take over from the county councils' senior medical officers, with the services at present administered by them, despite the fact that Award No. 2327 of the Industrial Court indicated that senior medical officers could not be employed by local authorities with populations not exceeding 250,000.

Many staffing problems need to be examined in connection with the reorganisation of local government in Greater London and consultations with local authority and staff organisations will shortly be arranged. I am therefore not in a position to answer the specific points referred to in the second part of the question, but they were among a number of matters which have already been the subject of preliminary discussions between the British Medical Association and the Ministry of Health.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether he will alter the usual composition of United Kingdom delegations to international tribunals to include a Scottish Law Officer, particularly where Scottish interests are primarily involved.

The composition of United Kingdom delegations to international tribunals is decided upon the facts of each case. The persons selected are those whose qualifications and experience are best suited to the matter in hand. In the handling of international affairs no distinction is made between the constituent parts of the United Kingdom.

asked the Lord Privy Seal, in view of the recent European Economic Community meetings in Brussels, if he will give an assurance that no time limit will be accepted regarding the safeguards for Commonwealth interests now being negotiated.

My right hon. Friend assured the House yesterday that in these negotiations we are dealing with the long-term and not only with the short or transitional period.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether the Memorandum tabled by the eight neutral members of the Geneva Disarmament Conference proposing a system of international verifiation, covers atmospheric, as well as underground, explosions.

Yes. The Memorandum calls for the ending of all nuclear weapons tests. Its text was given in The Times of 17th April.

asked the Minister of Health what progress is being made towards the building of a new hospital in place of the Graig Hospital, Pontypridd; who are the architects; and if demolition of the existing building will commence this year.

Schedules of accommodation have been agreed and sketch plans and cost limits are under consideration; the Welsh Hospital Board's architect is responsible; a starting date has not yet been fixed.

asked the Minister of Health approximately how many Salford children are awaiting adenoid and tonsil operations; how this number compares with a year ago; and what is the average waiting time today.

The lists as hitherto maintained of patients waiting for tonsil and adenoid operations at hospitals in the Salford Group totalled 541 at 31st March, 1962, compared with 717 a year earlier. About 200 of the former were Salford children. 1,165 operations were performed in 1961, but these include urgent cases not on waiting lists.

asked the Prime Minister if he will issue a direction to all Government Departments that no contracts be issued to any firm known to have prevented their employees from attending Territorial training and, where possible, to cancel existing contracts with any such firm.

Service in the Territorial Army is one of the most worthy contributions a citizen can make to the defence of his country and I should deplore it if any member of the Territorial Army were prevented from fulfilling his obligations. But this is a voluntary service, and in my view it is better to rely on the voluntary cooperation of employers.

asked the Minister of Agriculture Fisheries and Food whether he is aware of the growing damage caused by seals to fishing activities off the east coast of Yorkshire; what action he intends to take to minimise this damage; and if he will make a statement.

From the reports which I have received, most of the damage to fishery interests off the Yorkshire coast is by the common seal. This species is not protected and there is, therefore, nothing to prevent fishermen taking action in their own protection.I am also aware of complaints of damage by grey seals which are a protected species but my right hon. Friend is waiting for a report from the Nature Conservancy before considering what action could be taken.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is aware that many manufacturers have increased the price of soft drinks by double the amount allowed for in the Budget proposals; and whether he will take powers to ensure that the increase in the price of such drinks following the Budget is not excessive.

I am aware that some manufacturers have increased the price of soft drinks by more than the amount arising from the Budget proposals, but I understand that they were already contemplating a price increase for other reasons before the Purchase Tax announcement.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many Chinese immigrants have entered the Crown Colony of Hong Kong legally each year since 1st January, 1959; how many it is estimated have entered the Crown Colony illegally since the same date; and under what conditions immigration of Chinese from China into this Colony is still permitted.

The following are figures for Chinese immigrants entering the Colony legally from the mainland of China:—

1959	35,000
1960	22,270
1961	29,000
Up to 30th April, 1962	10,000

Precise figures for illegal entry are not available but the number is roughly estimated at 20–30,000 a year during 1959–1961. Approximately 30,000 may have entered up to 5th May this year.Chinese other than Cantonese are required to obtain Hong Kong entry permits, applications for which are considered individually on merit. In practice,

permits are normally allowed to wives, children and aged parents of

asked the Minister of Labour why work in the trades for which training is provided at the Leeds workshop for the blind is not available in Barnsley; and whether he will take steps to remedy this situation.

As I stated in reply to the hon. Member on 8th May, the existing small workshop for the blind at Barnsley is full, but the local authority is proposing to build a new and larger workshop. This will provide employment both for blind and for other severely disabled people, but probably not in the trades provided at the Leeds Workshop. These are chiefly traditional hand-crafts, and in my view a local authority establishing a new workshop would be well advised to consider, as Barnsley is doing, the introduction of other kinds of work.

asked the Minister of Labour, if he is aware that because disabled and blind persons in need of training and employment are not allowed to enter workshops outside their own area numbers of people are permanently unemployed; and what steps he intends to take to solve this problem before his working party on workshops for the blind reports.

Disabled or blind people in need of sheltered employment may, and often do, enter workshops outside their own areas, for training and subsequent employment. The second part of the question does not therefore arise.

asked the Minister of Labour when he estimates that the new workshop for the blind and disabled in Barnsley will be built.

No date can at present be given. I have approved the local authority's proposals in principle, but the building plans are not yet settled.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will give the figure of registered disabled who are considered unsuitable for any form of training for employment; and what he will do to help this group of disabled persons.

The special inquiry carried out in August, 1961, to which I referred in the answer to the hon. Member on 8th May, showed that about 37,000 of some 44,800 registered disabled persons then unemployed were unsuitable for any form of Government vocational training. My disablement resettlement officers do their best to find work for such people which does not demand skilled training.

asked the Minister of Labour if he is now prepared to extend Remploy and change the qualifications for entry to allow more disabled persons the chance to work.

I have provided for an increasing grant to Remploy during their current five-year plan to enable them to employ more severely disabled people. I think it right that vacancies in Remploy factories should continue to be reserved for severely disabled people.

asked the Postmaster-General if he is aware that for the past two months illegal broadcasts have been sent at the termination of British Broadcasting Corporation television programmes; whether his engineers have been alerted to track down these transmissions; and what steps he is taking to stop this use of the wavelength.

I am aware that these illegal broadcasts have been taking place from time to time over the past few years. My engineers are under instruction to track down these transmissions and their efforts to do so are continuing. But there are severe practical difficulties about tracking down a transmitter which operates intermittently and at varying locations.

asked the Postmaster-General to what extent illegal broadcasting has been taking place from off-shore transmitting stations; and whether he is taking steps to curb this practice.

No such transmissions have yet taken place from stations off the shores of the United Kingdom. I am, however, aware of the reason for the hon. Gentleman's Question and I am watching the position closely.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will make a statement about further progress in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade tariff negotiations in Geneva.

Her Majesty's Government have now concluded a bilateral tariff agreement with the European Economic Community. This agreement, together with the agreement which we have already concluded with the United States, will result in a substantial reduction in tariff barriers on a reciprocal basis.The commitments on the Common Tariff of the Community which are now being made public on the completion of negotiations with Britain fall into two parts.First, the Community undertook commitments on the Common Tariff in negotiations with Britain under Article XXIV (6) of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade; in these negotiations the Six, by making compensatory concessions, secured release from prior commitments in cases where the application of the Common Tariff involves raising duties above the level at which they had previously been bound in the tariffs of individual member states. The Community (in addition to binding rates in the Common Tariff against increase) undertook to reduce the duties in the Common Tariff on products in which we estimate that our trade in 1959 was worth about £36 million. These products include agricultural tractors, worsted and flax yarns, woollen piece goods, whisky, electric washing machines, paint and biscuits. In addition, our exports will benefit from reductions in the Common Tariff as a result of agreements between the Community and third countries under Article XXIV (6); our trade in the products concerned in 1959 is estimated at some £28 million.Secondly, we have concluded with the Community an agreement for new tariff concessions in which they undertake to reduce, generally by one-fifth, the duties in the Common Tariff on a wide range of products including certain leather goods, marine engines, refrigerators, agricultural machinery, electrical equipment and commercial vehicles. British trade will also benefit from tariff reductions, mostly of one-fifth, which the Community undertook to make in their recent Agreement with the United States. British trade with the Community in the products affected by the reductions provided for in the agreements concluded with ourselves and the United States was worth in 1959 about £173 million. (These products are, in general, additional to those which were the subject of concessions in the agreements under Article XXIV (6)). On the other side imports into Britain from the Community valued in 1959 at £115 million will benefit from the tariff reductions (mostly of one-fifth) which we are now undertaking to make and from those provided for in the agreement which we recently concluded with the United States.Reductions which the Community have agreed to make in the Common Tariff will not come into full effect until it replaces the individual tariffs of the member States. Under the Treaty of Rome the difference between the duties in these tariffs and the duties in the Common Tariff is, in general, to be reduced in three stages, at the first stage by 30 per cent, at the second stage by a further 30 per cent., and finally to be eliminated by 1970.The Six have already taken the first of these three steps by which they will bring into operation the Common Tariff. In the case of most industrial products they approximated the duties in their individual tariffs to the Common Tariff notionally reduced by one-fifth. They have, therefore, already taken in most cases the first of the three steps by which they will bring into operation the concessions now agreed upon.