asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the exemption granted to mutual life assurance offices for tax under Case VII will be extended to the proposed further taxation of capital gains.

I have nothing to add to my Answer of 8th December.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what provisions he will make for charitable bodies to reclaim tax on their holdings or shares of companies liable for the new corporation tax; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to my Answer of 8th December.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will state the Government's policy on the United States and Canadian loan payments due at the end of this month.

Yes. Her Majesty's Government have decided to take advantage of the deferment provision in the financial agreements dated 6th March, 1957, in respect of the 1964 instalments and have advised the two Governments accordingly. The amounts involved are $138·1 million (£49·3 million) and $Canadian 37·7 million (£12·6 million) respectively.

asked the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs what was the total sum expended by Her Majesty's Diplomatic Service on Frais de Représentation during the financial year 1963–64 , how this sum compares with the previous estimate for 1963–64 under Subhead A4; and how the balance has been accounted for.

Her Majesty's Diplomatic Service, as such, was not in existence in the financial year 1963–64. The amount expended by Her Majesty's Foreign Service on Frais de Représentation in that year was £571,243, compared with the estimated figure of £586,000 under Subhead A2 of the Foreign Service Vote.The provision for

asked the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs if he will outline the military purposes on which agreement has been reached with the Nepalese Government, and on which Her Majesty's Government are intending to spend £715,000.

At the request of the Government of Nepal, Her Majesty's Government and the United States Government have agreed to provide limited defence aid to Nepal with the object of improving the communications and mobility of the army and of increasing its capacity for maintaining internal security and frontier control. The British contribution will consist of light transport aircraft, some infantry weapons and ammunition to make good certain existing deficiencies, and some related maintenance equipment. This aid is additional to and separate from the arrangements which exist between the Nepalese and Indian Governments for the supply of military equipment.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance why the lump sum Christmas bonus of £4 is limited to those retirement pensioners who draw a weekly allowance from the National Assistance Board; and whether she will consider making a similar payment to those retirement pensioners who prefer to eke out their pensions by earnings rather than having recourse to the National Assistance Board for a regular weekly allowance.

I would refer the hon. Member to my speech on Amendments Nos. 19 and 20 in Committee on the National Insurance &c. Bill on 4th December.

asked the Minister of Power what was the total numerical strength of the contracting sections of electricity boards in the years 1962, 1963, and 1964; and, for the same period, what was the figure, where appropriate, for each area board.

Information about the total numbers employed in contracting sections of the area electricity boards is not available. The following are estimates of the numbers of manual workers engaged on contracting and sales of fittings:

asked the Postmaster-General if he is aware that, despite the efforts of all sections of postal staffs con- cerned, there is dislocation in the postal services in the Petersfield constituency; and if he will take steps to remedy the situation, which is causing concern and inconvenience.

I am sorry that in the last few weeks shortages of staff in some of the main postal sorting centres through which mail for the hon. Member's constituency would pass have caused delay to both letters and parcels. We are doing everything we can to keep the delays to a minimum and I believe that there has recently been some improvement.

asked the Postmaster-General why a letter, whose cover has been sent to him, sent by the hon. Member for Gosport and Fareham and postmarked London, S.W.1, 8.15 p.m., 4th December, 1964, was not delivered at Le Breton Farm, Lee-on-the-Solent, until 8th December, having meanwhile been postmarked at Andover on 5th December and Freshwater, Isle of Wight on 7th December.

This letter should have been delivered in Lee-on-the-Solent on the 5th December. The additional postmarks on the cover show that it was mis-sent first to Freshwater, Isle of Wight, and then to Andover. I very much regret this mistreatment which I am investigating.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will make provision for miniature radio transmitters to be placed aboard life-rafts.

The Merchant Shipping (Life Saving Appliances) Rules require United Kingdom ships engaged on an international voyage, with certain exceptions, to carry a portable radio ready for use in an emergency, unless the ship carries two motor lifeboats each fitted with radio equipment.I do not consider that the provision of miniature radio transmitters on life-rafts would be justified. Experience shows that the existing arrangements are adequate and they were confirmed by the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1960, which is due to come into force on 26th May, 1965.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the outcome of recent negotiations in Geneva on the text of a new chapter on trade and development, to be included in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.

On 26th November, the Contracting Parties to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade at their second Special Session approved for submission to Governments the text of a new Part IV of the General Agreement, consisting of three new Articles containing special provisions to help the trade and development of the less developed countries.The first of the new Articles sets out the principles and objectives which should govern international trade policies in relation to less developed countries. The second contains undertakings by developed and less developed contracting parties in furtherance of these objectives. They include undertakings by developed contracting parties to refrain from increasing barriers to imports of products of particular export interest to the less developed, and to give high priority to the reduction of existing barriers. The governments concerned will not be bound to implement these provisions in cases in which they find that there are compelling reasons against doing so. Less developed contracting parties undertake to implement the provisions of the new Articles to the extent consistent with their own needs. The third Article provides for various forms of joint action to promote the trade and development of the less developed contracting parties.The new Part IV will accordingly give a new legal basis to the considerable amount of work already being done in the G.A.T.T. on the problems of the less developed countries and on the reduction of barriers to their trade. The agreement reached on the text is a substantial achievement and an important milestone in the progress of the work undertaken in this field, which in recent years has become an increasingly important part of activities in the G.A.T.T. I hope that the new Part IV will soon be incorporated in the General Agreement and will give a further impetus to work on behalf of the less developed countries.A meeting will be held on a date to be fixed in January at which contracting parties will sign the Final Act authenticating the texts of the new Part IV and related documents, as finally agreed by governments. It is proposed that at this meeting a Declaration should be made on behalf of countries taking part in the Session, by which they will declare their intention to apply Part IV de facto, so far as they are legally able to do so, pending the coming into force of the Protocol of Amendment to the General Agreement on its acceptance by two thirds of the contracting parties. It is also intended to set up a new Committee on Trade and Development, to be responsible for all work in the G.A.T.T. on the problems of the less developed countries and to keep under review the application of the new Part IV of the Agreement.I have placed in the Library of the House, for the convenience of hon. Members, ten copies of the text of Part IV. When this text and the texts of related documents have been authenticated, they will be set forth in a White Paper to be presented to the House.

asked the Minister of Transport, whether he is yet in a position to make the Inner Relief Road Order for Thetford, Norfolk.

I am now considering objections to the draft Order and hope to be able to announce a decision shortly.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what special measures he will take to offset the recent rises in the prices of imported barley and maize upon the farming industry in Northern Ireland.

Any cost increases affecting guaranteed commodities will be taken into account, together with all other relevant circumstances, at the Annual Review next February, and between Annual Review the guarantee arrangement for pigs and eggs automatically allow for changes in the cost of feedingstuffs.