asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware of the desirability of acquiring important works of art from the estate of the late Captain E. G. Spencer-Churchill for the national and provincial museums and galleries; and whether he will take action in this regard.

Captain Spencer-Churchill's will provides for certain categories of objects from his collection to be offered at a valuation to the British and the Ashmolean Museums. In addition, the executors have offered certain selected works of art to the Inland Revenue in part satisfaction of Estate Duty under Section 34 of the 1956 Finance Act and we are discussing this offer with them. The standard for acceptance under this provision is, of course, high and acceptance necessarily depends also on agreement on price.It is also open to both the national collections and to other public museums and galleries to approach the executors with a view to making purchases. It would, of course, be for the executors to say whether they felt able to negotiate for sale in any particular case, but the provisions of Section 40(2) of the Finance Act, 1930, should be of very considerable assistance to any public collection making such an approach. On a sale to a private purchaser, or on a sale at auction, the exemption from Estate Duty attaching to important works of art under Section 40(1) of the 1930 Act is lost, but on a private treaty sale to a public collection or Government Department, the exemption continues. In such cases, the Government regards it as a fair arrangement that the price offered should divide the benefit of the exemption—which is very large where the rate of duty is high—as to three-quarters to the Exchequer and one-quarter to the executors. This arrangement is advantageous to both parties and acts as an encouragement to the sale of works of art by private treaty to the national collections. It is open to any public collection covered by Section 40(2) of the Finance Act, 1930, to take advantage of the Exchequer subsidy on sales by executors to such collections which the exemption represents—making it more profitable, in the extreme case, to sell at 21 per cent. of market value to a public collection then to sell at full value at auction—and I would like to draw the attention of those concerned to this opportunity, both in relation to my hon. Friend's Question and more generally.Finally, it is open to provincial museums and galleries to make application for assistance with approved purchases to the Victoria and Albert Museum or to the Royal Scottish Museum, which administer funds for this purpose.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will publish the evidence given by his Department to the Review Body on Doctors' Pay.

asked the Minister of Health whether, in view of the fact that the evidence of the medical profession to the Review Body has been published, he will now, in the public interest, publish the evidence given to that body by the health Departments.

I would refer the hon. Members to the reply given on 16th February by the Prime Minister to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Holborn and St. Pancras, South (Mrs. Lena Jeger).

asked the Minister of Health, in view of the impending collapse of the nation's general medical services, what emergency steps he is taking to enable him to implement his statutory obligations to provide such services when mass resignations of general medical practitioners become effective later this year.

I do not accept the underlying assumption.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will acquire the land at present designated in planning for the new Clacton hospital, in view of the fact that if it is not acquired soon it will be used for other purposes.

This land is at present scheduled for another purpose and the method of safeguarding it is under consideration by the authorities concerned.

asked the Minister of Health what steps he is taking to improve the shortage of qualified nursing staff for theatre duties at the Clare Hall Hospital in the Barnet Group Hospital Management Committee area; and if he is aware that patients are being sent home from this hospital before they have had their operations.

I am aware of this isolated occurrence which I very much regret. It was due to the sudden illness of qualified theatre staff. Arrangements were made as soon as possible which have enabled operations to go on normally and efforts to improve recruitment continue.

asked the Minister of Health when he expects to begin building the Northwick Park Hospital; if those plans are affected by his recent review; and if he will make a statement.

Tenders have been invited and I expect building to start as soon as possible after a contract is placed.

asked the Minister of Health what arrangements are made for the provision of car parking for staff, outpatients, visitors and others when new hospitals or major re-building schemes are planned; and whether such arrangements are required to conform with standards for car parking laid down by local authorities.

Provision is made for essential users, and for other users as far as is compatible with reasonable cost: the local planning authority is always consulted.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the escaped mail train robber, Charles Wilson, has yet been recaptured; and for how long he has now been at liberty.

No; since 12th August, 1964.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions in 1964 within the Metropolitan Police area were for using a vehicle on the road either while uninsured or unlicensed, when the defendant was wheeling a stolen vehicle to a police station.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of persons in England and Wales arraigned for indictable crime were convicted in the years ended 31st December, 1961, to 31st December, 1964, respectively.

In 1961, 91 per cent. of the persons for trial at higher cour s were convicted. The corresponding figures for 1962 and 1963 were 90 per cent. and 87 per cent. respectively. Figures for 1964 are not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why prisoner K. E. Holmes, now in Her Majesty's Prison, Pentonville, was taken back into custody after being put on the hostel scheme.

Holmes, who is subject to a sentence of life imprisonment, was on the hostel scheme when he was released on licence on 13th February, 1964. On 10th July, 1964, he was recalled to prison because he was in breach of the conditions of his licence.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons in England and Wales were convicted of crimes involving the possession or use of firearms in the months January, 1963, January, 1964, and January, 1965, respectively.

I regret this information is not available. I have, however, already asked chief officers of police for information about the number of indictable offences known to them, in each of the years 1961 to 1964, in which firearms were involved and I will write to the right hon. Member when this is available.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development what aid it is proposed to give to Latin-American countries during 1965.

On existing policies I should expect technical assistance to Latin America to run at about £½ million next year. It is not possible at this stage to make proposals for capital aid in relation to an area like Latin America with many countries in differing circumstances; our present commitments for 1965–66 to this area are about £5 million.

asked the Postmaster-General what would be the estimated cost of providing amplified telephones for subscribers who are hard of hearing, without additional charges.

Our records do not show how many telephone users are hard of hearing. Amplifying telephones are useful for various reasons—for example when the telephone is in a noisy location.

asked the Postmaster-General what is the total cost of the poster entitled, "Someone wants a letter somewhere," including artist's fee, paper, seven-colour printing, and distribution to post offices and vans; how many copies of this poster have been printed and issued; and if he will estimate the revenue which has accrued to the Post Office as a result.

About £5,000 for 120,000 copies. It is not practicable to say what proportion of the increase in postal revenue is directly attributable to this poster.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will make representations to the Government of Eire for changes in the Anglo-Eire Trade Agreement.

Talks have been taking place and will continue between the British Government and the Government of the Irish Republic about the possibilities of improving the permanent trading arrangements between the two countries.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether the Shipbuilding Committee of Inquiry has now started its work; and how long be expects the inquiry to take.

The Committee met on 16th February and has issued a Press notice inviting evidence. I hope that it may find it possible to report in about a year's time. The Committee has assured the Minister of State that it will complete its work as quickly as is consistent with doing a thorough job.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what estimate he has made of the contribution made to the present strength of the Japanese shipbuilding industry by modern machine tools imported from the United States of America and Western Europe, and of the imports of such tools into Japan from the United Kingdom in the last five years.

I have made no such estimate. When in Japan I did not investigate the origin of the machine tools used in the Japanese shipbuilding industry but I saw no evidence to suggest that the machine tools used were better or more modern than those used in the British industry.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will take steps to ban the access of battery-driven commercial vehicles with a top speed of less than 40 miles per hour to motorways.

I will consider this suggestion.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he has received the proposal from the British Railways Board for the closure of the Edinburgh Hawick-Carlisle line; and whether this is a case where, in accordance with his announced policy, he will inform the Board that the proposal is obviously unacceptable.

I have received no particulars of such a proposal so far, and cannot therefore say what view I would take of it.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the last day on which evidence can be submitted to the Brambell Committee of Inquiry into factory methods of farming.

The Committee asked for written evidence to be submitted by 31st December last; whilst I have no doubt that it would consider any substantial new evidence after this date, any further points of substance should be put forward forthwith.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish the total weights of potatoes imported into the United Kingdom in December and January; from which countries they came; and at what price.

The figures for December are as follows:

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what information he has on intended landings of potatoes during February, March and April.

I have no precise information except that there will be no imports of main crap potatoes this season. New potatoes are imported under open general licence and the quantity arriving during February, March and April will depend on the availability of supplies and on the demand. If the trend in recent years is maintained, imports during these months will be mainly from the Canary Islands.

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance when she expects to announce increases in the rates of non-contributory old-age pensions.

I have no proposals to make for increasing the rates of noncontributory old-age pensions.