asked the Minister of Labour how soon the distribution of the booklet, "Release and Resettlement," to the Services will be completed; and how soon copies will be made available to the public.

Sufficient copies of the booklet have already been issued for distribution in the Navy and the R.A.F. Receipt of copies by individuals will of course depend upon their location. In the case of the Army where larger numbers are required, it will be a few weeks before all the booklets are issued. Sales to the public will commence as soon as the Services have been supplied.

Is it intended to grant any further priority for the release and resettlement of Socialist politicians?

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is satisfied that there are sufficient training facilities available to implement the further education and training schemes available to the Services and industrial workers on demobilisation.

In general I am satisfied that the training facilities should be adequate, but in respect of certain professions there is likely to be a shortage of accommodation and tutorial staff. I am, however, watching the situation closely in conjunction with the other Ministers concerned.

Will my right hon. Friend bear in mind the men from the Far East, who will be demobilised at a later stage, so that they will have a right to that training?

Yes, Sir, certainly.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that teachers of low category are being retained in the Services and sent to the Far East? Would it not be better to retain them in this country so that they can get on with the work of education?

That raises a broad question concerning the whole matter of release and the general policy which has been laid down.

In view of the fact that there are large numbers of men between 19 and 26 in the Forces, will my right hon. Friend consider shortened courses for the other professions, such as he established for teachers? Otherwise, it will be impossible to cope with the chronic shortage of trained personnel.

I will bear in mind every aspect of this important matter, one aspect of which I studied in my previous incarnation.

asked the Minister of Labour what arrangements he has been able to make with the employers and trades union organisations to attract men to the building industry in view of urgent need for building operatives.

Arrangements have been concluded with the two sides of the building industry under which men without previous experience may have six months' intensive training in a training centre, followed by 14 months' further training and experience in the industry on a progressive scale of wages, after which they will be accepted as fully skilled craftsmen.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that that does not quite answer my Question? Does he think that the arrangements offered to these men will be sufficiently attractive to bring them into the building industry?

:I think they will. These arrangements have been made by agreement and have the support of the industry, and I trust that they will have the desired result.

asked the Minister of Labour if he is aware that a number of ex-Servicemen and prisoners of war have received notice at the Spennymoor Royal Ordnance Factory and will terminate their employment at an early date; and what steps he is taking to give these men employment.

I am having inquiries made and will write to the hon. Member.

Is the Minister aware that I saw five of these men last Saturday evening; that some have been prisoners of war in Germany for four-and-a-half years, that they have worked for a short time in this factory, and have now been stood off? Will he do something to find them employment, as this is a poor reward for the services they have rendered?

I will note the information the hon. Member has given me, and, adding it to the information I shall obtain from inquiries, I will do my best for these men.

asked the Minister of Labour whether the groups to be demobilised under the Government Scheme will all come out at the same time in each of the three Services.

No, Sir. As was pointed out in the White Paper and in the Debate on the 16th May, military considerations make it necessary for release to proceed at different rates in the different Services.

Will my right hon. Friend give as much information as he can on this subject in view of the great interest taken in it?

I cannot at the moment improve upon the statement made by my predecessor, but of course I shall endeavour to give the House full information on this question, which affects everybody concerned very closely.

asked the Minister of Labour if service in the Merchant Navy will be taken into account in determining the group release number of a man who subsequently joined the Army.

Yes, Sir. Service in the Merchant Navy since 3rd September, 1939, will be taken into account.

asked the Minister of Labour whether, under the new Control of Engagement Order, men and women will be subject to direction to any part of the country and for any form of industrial activity.

The new Control of Engagement Order requires in general that engagements be made through the Ministry of Labour and National Service and does not in itself relate to the power of direction under Regulation 58A. Whilst the power of direction is being retained, the new Order enables its use to be dispensed with as far as possible and its use will be limited to directing persons to essential work of the highest urgency. Directions to work away from home will be used only where there is no alternative.

Has the right hon. Gentleman any hope that with a change of Government, an end will be put to this business, which reduces the workers to a state of serfdom?

asked the Minister of Labour if he is aware that a dispute exists between the workpeople and the employers represented on the Joint Industrial Council for the coal distribution trade in Kent, Surrey and Sussex because of the low margins allowed by the Ministry of Fuel and Power; and will he take steps with the authorities concerned to prevent a stoppage of work.

:I am aware that in declaring their inability to accede to a wage claim by the trade unions the employers have given the reason stated. As regards the second part of the Question, my Department has been in touch with the two sides on the matter and every effort will be made to assist towards an amicable settlement.

:Does not the right hon. Gentleman think it wise to contact the Minister of Fuel and Power to see if the margins can be increased, in order that the wages laid down as a result of agreement can be paid to the men concerned?

:It must be taken that my right hon. Friend the Minister of Fuel and Power has had regard to all the relevant facts in fixing these margins.

asked the Minister of Labour how many Joint Production Committees there are in Wolver Hampton, Willenhall and Wednesfield; how far they are actively operating; and what steps he is taking to secure that such councils in general remain a permanent feature of our industrial organisation.

:The establishment of joint production committees and similar bodies is a matter of voluntary arrangement between the employers and workers concerned, and no detailed information is available as to the number of such committees in any particular area, or the work they are doing. As regards the last part of the Question, it will be my policy to encourage the widest measure of co-operation between employers and workpeople, but the development and maintenance of works committees and similar bodies for this purpose will rest finally on the mutual desire and good will of those concerned.

:Will my right hon. Friend do all he can, by persuasion and negotiation, to persuade those concerned to carry on these committees?

:Naturally we like to see them, and we trust there will be the necessary good will and desire for them on the part of the parties concerned.

asked the Minister of Health what is the total area of land required by Eastbourne Town Council for housing purposes in addition to three acres at the junction of Church dale Road and Northbourne Road; what area of this land has been acquired; and if he will state the purchase price and the previous rateable value.

:None of the 37½ acres still required has yet been finally acquired for housing purposes, but sites totalling about seven acres have been or are being appropriated from other statutory purposes. I regret that in these latter cases it is not possible to give the particulars asked for in the last part of the Question.

:Why is it not possible to give the information? If I put the Question down again, will the right hon. and learned Gentleman be able to provide the information at a later date?

:No, Sir. Appropriation takes place on the basis of current value and not on an apportioned part of the original purchase price. My hon. Friend will appreciate that in the case of appropriation the conditions are different.

Why is it not permissible to tell the House what the appropriation value was?

Because my hon. Friend has asked for the purchase price, which is not relevant.

If I put a Question down asking for the appropriation price, will the Minister tell us that?

Yes, Sir.

asked the Minister of Health why it was necessary for the L.C.C. to resort to a compulsory purchase order for the acquisition of 921 acres on the Oxhey site at Watford for post-war housing; what price is being paid for this land; and what was its previous rateable value.

:I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 10th May.

As that answer was not an oral one delivered in the House, and never reached me, can the right hon. Gentleman tell me, or must I look it up in Hansard?

asked the Minister of Health (1) what steps he will take to provide housing immediately for the people of Hammersmith and, in particular, for two families living in overcrowded conditions, particulars of which have been sent to him;

(2) whether he is aware that at an address in North Hammersmith, which has been communicated to him, six people are sleeping in one room and a seventh member of the family is shortly coming home on leave from the Forces; and what steps he is taking to deal with such cases.

Inquiries have been made into the three cases to which the hon. Member has drawn my attention. I have in response to the application of the local authority concerned allocated to them 250 temporary houses to supplement the programme for permanent houses which they have formulated. I have also delegated to the clerks to all local authorities power to requisition suitable property for the accommodation of those inadequately housed. Individual applications should be made to the local authority whom I have asked to examine the cases submitted by the hon. and learned Member.

Can the right hon. and learned Gentleman inform the House how he intends to deal with requisitioned property for the inadequately housed, when, in many metropolitan boroughs, there is not sufficient property to requisition for the bombed-out families; and what is going to happen to the inadequately-housed families in one borough, when he brings to it families from other boroughs?

There are arrangements made through the Regional organisation whereby local authority boundaries become for this purpose by no means final.

:Will the right hon. Gentleman say how many houses have actually been allocated, and how many have actually been built?

asked the Minister of Health whether he is now aware that landlords and their agents are making a practice of letting dwellings for preference to tenants without young children, as a result of which those with young children find it impossible to get accommodation; and if he proposes to introduce legislation to deal with this problem.

:The number of complaints I have received does not lead me to believe that the practice to which the hon. Member refers is widespread or that additional powers are necessary. I am, however, keeping the matter under review, and I have, some while ago, delegated to local authorities power to requisition accommodation for people inadequately housed.

Would the right hon. and learned Gentleman distribute in some accessible form, through the Press or otherwise, information about this power to requisition; and will he get somebody to come down out of the clouds and realise that in every street in every town in Britain to-day landlords are saying, "You cannot have that house if you have got children"?

I have considered this problem and have had some inquiry made into the range and scope of it; and in quite a number of cases I have found that the unwillingness to have families with children added to the existing tenants is reasonable. The property is very often unsuitable for the additional numbers. [HON. MEMBERS: "Oh."] Yes, I have found such cases. On the other hand I feel certain that the hon. and learned Member would entirely appreciate the extreme difficulty of legislation on a a matter such as this. It is rather a matter for administration and the best possible administrative use of the very much reduced accommodation there is, particularly in the hon. Member's area.

Is it the policy of the Government and of the right hon. and learned Gentleman and his Department that in my constituency and in every industrial and urban constituency poor women with one or two children have to tramp round and round from agent to agent; and is he going to do nothing in this matter?

I think the hon. and learned Member will have understood from my answer that local authorities have power to requisition property for those inadequately housed, including those to Whom he is referring.

Cannot the Minister give us any indication of how far these powers of requisition are in use?

That would be possible, if I were given notice.

Is it not true that if local authorities themselves would build council houses, people with children could get in? Is it not also true that a good many people—

That sounds like the beginning of a speech and not a question.

I was asking the Minister a second supplementary question.

Can the right hon. and learned Gentleman say when he last drew the attention of local government authorities to these powers and, if it is a long time ago, will he draw their attention to them now?

I am quite prepared to look into the question whether local authorities are familiar with these powers. My impression is, however, that they are fully aware of them and are exercising them.

They do not use them.

asked the Minister of Health why he has not been able to authorise the Brighton Council to requisition the flats known as Embassy Court; whether he is aware that 20 out of 69 flats there come under the Rent Restrictions Act and of the extreme hardship the unreasonable raising of the rent and the refusal to accept less than a seven years' agreement is causing the wives and children of men serving abroad and recently demobilised and invalided soldiers.

I do not consider that it would be proper to exercise the powers of the Defence Regulations in a case of this kind. The tenants of such of the flats as fall within the scope of the Rent Restrictions Acts have the protection given them by those Acts. To requisition the building in order to control the rents and lettings of the remaining flats would be in effect to extend the limits of the Acts as fixed by Parliament. I may remind my hon. Friend that the report of the Ridley Committee does not recommend any such extension.

Does the answer mean that it is impossible to requisition particular flats without requisitioning the whole building, even though they come within the Rent Restrictions Act?

There would be no point, in this connection, in requisitioning flats that are within the Rent Restrictions Acts, as their rents are controlled. With regard to the other point, I see considerable difficulty in requisitioning, at high cost to the community, blocks of flats of the nature referred to, in order to allow those who obtained the flats when rents were low to have continued occupation.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware of the arrangements being made in Southend and other coastal areas under which the local authorities are taking over requisitioned property from the War Department to house bombed-out people; and whether he will ensure that the rental paid for such requisitioned property shall be brought up to the standard level of 1939 in those cases where it was taken over at lower rents by the War Department during the time when Southend was a defence area and partly evacuated.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to him by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 29th May.

asked the Minister of Health what steps he is taking to secure that a high proportion of all houses built shall be made available for Servicemen returning home; and if he has taken any census as to how far local authorities are doing this.

I have been discussing with the Service Departments and representatives of local authorities the steps to be taken to meet in the most effective manner the housing requirements of men released from the Services; and I hope to be able to make an announcement shortly.

Does that mean that my right hon. and learned Friend is also discussing the matter with the local authorities, to see what steps they are taking? Is he aware that Wolver Hampton, for example, is reserving 75 per cent. of the houses for Servicemen?

I am not aware of that particular fact, but discussions with the local authorities have been found an effective means of dealing with such matters.

Is my right hon. and learned Friend aware that quite a number of Servicemen coming back cannot get into their own homes because of the Rent Restrictions Acts?

Yes, Sir, we are considering this problem at the moment.

Does the right hon. and learned Gentleman endorse the view that people cannot get into their own homes, when they need those homes, because of the Rent Restrictions Acts?

That was the view expressed by the majority of the Ridley Committee.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that his decision to withhold further financial assistance from the Canvey Island Urban District Council means an increase in the rates of 6s. in the £, making a total rate of 23s. 6d. in the £ and entails the dismissal of 25 per cent. of the existing council staff; is he satisfied that his action is in accordance with the Government pledges to assist districts affected financially by the war; and will he reconsider his decision.

The estimates originally submitted to my Department showed that it would be necessary for the council to levy a rate of 21s. 1d. in 1945–46, but I understand that the council have recently revised those estimates to provide for expenditure which will involve a total rate of 22s. 6d. The increase attributable to loss of productivity of rates is only about 3d. in the £ and this is insufficient to justify an offer of special financial assistance from the Exchequer.

Is the right hon. and learned Gentleman aware that Canvey Island suffered considerably financially during the war through being a prohibited area, and that as a result of that, the financial position in Canvey is very serious; and is he further aware that the ratepayers in Canvey, especially the lower middle class type, are very poor?

I gather that my hon. Friend is challenging the statement that the increase due to loss of rate productivity is only 3d. in the £.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that the child welfare centre at Up Minster has been closed; that this causes great inconvenience to mothers in the neighbourhood; and whether steps will be taken to reopen it.

I understand that the centre re-opened on 16th May and is housed temporarily in a local school. The lease of the previous accommodation could not be extended and every effort is being made to secure suitable permanent premises.

asked the Minister of Health whether steps can now be taken to deal with the large number of tuberculosis patients in Middlesex whose treatment is being delayed owing to insufficient hospital accommodation.

The problem to which my hon. Friend refers is not confined to Middlesex and is receiving my constant and anxious attention. I am taking all possible steps, in close collaboration with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Labour and National Service, to ease the situation, but great difficulties are caused by the present demands on building labour and material and the dearth of nursing and domestic staff.

Are we to understand that there will be some rapid amelioration of the situation?

I hope the amelioration will be progressive, but I cannot promise that it will be rapid.

Will the right hon. Gentleman bear in mind that there are several evacuated American military hospitals which have been turned over to the military and which would make excellent sanatoria?

I shall be glad to look into that.

asked the Minister of Health if he will introduce legislation to enable local authorities to continue war-time nurseries, as a peace-time service with Government grant, to meet the needs of mothers whose husbands were killed or seriously injured in the war or by industrial accidents and have themselves to go to work, of mothers too ill to give full attention to their children, and of those whose housing accommodation make it impossible to provide proper play-time conditions for young children, free from the danger of the streets.

Welfare authorities are already empowered, by the Public Health Act, 1936, to make provision, subject to my general approval, for the care of children who have not attained the age of five years and are not being educated in schools recognised by the Minister of Education. I should be prepared to approve the establishment of a nursery under these powers provided that it does not prejudice or interfere with the provision of nursery schools or classes.

Is the right hon and learned Gentleman prepared to sanction the use of existing war nurseries which have been specially provided for the purpose?

The conditions with regard to existing war nurseries may, of course, change in peace-time.

asked the Minister of Health when it is contemplated that the main water supply will be brought to the village of Flecknoe, in the Rugby Division.

I am informed by the Rugby rural district council, which is the responsible local authority, that they will have regard to the needs of this village when framing their proposals for extensions of piped supplies in their district.

When will this situation be liquidated?

"Liquidation" is no doubt the appropriate word. I have given very great attention to the question of rural water supply, as has indeed this House, when and since the Act was framed. As the hon. Member no doubt knows, there are facilities for ratepayers to represent that authorities are failing in their duty.

asked the Minister of Health whether his attention has been drawn to the neglect of Lady Russell's son in a cottage hospital under his control; and will he give the name of the hospital and cause an inquiry to be made.

I have seen statements in the medical and lay press on the matter referred to by my hon. and gallant Friend, but I have no clue to the cottage hospital involved.

Since I am not allowed at Question Time to convey information but only to seek it, may I see the right hon. and learned Gentleman afterwards and tell him?

Perhaps the hon. and gallant Gentleman would let me know the name of the cottage hospital, without an interview.

asked the Minister of Health the number of medical men and women who have been enlisted into the medical services of the Navy, Army and Air Force, respectively, from the beginning of the war in 1939 to the latest convenient date.

The numbers of medical men and women recruited from Great Britain and Northern Ireland into the medical branches of the Services up to 24th May last are 2,405 in the Royal Navy, 12,200 in the Army and 2,564 in the Royal Air Force, making a total of 17,169. The figure for the Army includes a number recruited for work with the Indian Medical Service.

What proportion do the doctors recruited into the Fighting Services bear to the total number of active medical practitioners on the register?

:Perhaps it would be helpful to give the answer under two categories. The proportion of the total number recruited to the total on the register is 27·5 per cent. The proportion or the number recruited to the total number of active practitioners is 31·3 per cent. The proportion of general practitioners in the Services is 21.4 per cent.

Is the Minister able to give separate figures for Northern Ireland?

No, Sir, not without notice.

asked the Minister of Health the number of medical men and women who are expected to be demobilised in the first six months after 18th June; and whether this number of doctors will be enough to provide for the needs of the civil population.

:I am not yet able to give the number asked for by the hon. Member. It depends on various factors, including the decision of the Service Departments as to whether an officer's retention is necessary on military grounds.

:Has the Ministry of Health specially asked for the demobilisation of medical officers by special process?

I could not answer that question adequately without notice.

:Is it the fact that general duty medical officers, that is, apart from specialists, are to be demobilised according to the formula age-length of service and do the Class B releases apply only to specialists and special categories?

:I feel that my hon. Friend is rather going outside his Question. Perhaps he will give me notice of that point.

Are any civilian doctors to be called up?

I should not like to give a reply on that point but it may very well be that it will be right and just that those who have not been out should take their turn.

Is it not the case that many of these hospitals are understaffed?

That is another point.

asked the Minister of Health the composition of the Medical Personnel (Priority) Committee; and whether the work of this committee is to be continued.

The Medical Personnel (Priority) Committee consists of the hon. Baronet the Member for Norwich (Sir G. Shakespeare), as Chairman, and twelve medical men representing the several branches of the profession and the Service Departments. With permission I will circulate the names in the Official Report. The Committee and its chairman have done most valuable work and there is no intention of bringing it to an end so long as general questions affecting the release and continued recruitment of doctors are still likely to arise for their consideration.

asked the Minister of Health whether his attention has been called to the conditions of nurses in tuberculosis sanatoria; what is the minimum age for such nurses; how it compares with that for other nursing; if he has particulars respecting the number of nurses who catch this disease; and what precautions are urged on all hospitals to safeguard nurses, especially young nurses.

Yes, Sir. In co-operation with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Labour and National Service, I have had under consideration the conditions in a number of sanatoria. Many are satisfactory; others have defects that could be remedied only by building that cannot at present be undertaken; others are in isolated situations, so that the provision of certain amenities is difficult. Such steps as are practicable in present circumstances are being taken to remedy these defects. There is no prescribed minimum age either for tuberculosis nursing or for other types of nursing. It is preferable that girls undertaking nursing should not be under 18, and the Athlone Committee, which reported in 1938, considered that 17 should be the minimum age. Statistics as to the incidence of tuberculosis among sanatorium nurses are not available, but the general opinion of experts is that the sanatorium nurse is at no greater risk than other nurses. An inquiry is in progress, under the auspices of the Joint Tuberculosis Council. I am sending the hon. Member a copy of a Circular that I issued in March of last year, on the subject of the last part of the Question.

:Is the right hon. and learned Gentleman aware that quite a number of medical experts, including medical officers of health, declare that some of the younger nurses are more prone to catch this disease than the older ones? Will he give an assurance that he will pay particular care to the incidence of this disease among nurses, particularly among young girls, and will he ensure that no girls under 18 are employed as nurses in sanatoria?

On the first point, I am sure that the inquiry will take into account the considerations mentioned by the hon. Member. On the second point, he will understand that I must have notice on a question of that kind.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that his inspectors who visited the Bowling Institution, Bradford, passed strictures upon its administration; if he has considered the report of the special committee set up by the Bradford Corporation; and if he has accepted that report.

Yes, Sir. I have already told the council that as the services of the Master terminate at the end of the present quarter in the ordinary way, I am not prepared to concur in their recommendation that he should foe removed from his post. I am communicating further with the council in regard to the remaining recommendations, with which I am in general agreement.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will defer the proceedings of the Committee on London Government, presided over by Lord Reading, until after the General Election.

I understand that the Committee have arranged not to meet until after the General Election.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will consider the desirability; as a recognition of service and suffering, of issuing a distinguishing badge to be worn by repatriated British prisoners of war.

No, Sir.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will now arrange for an inspection by Members of this House of German King Tiger, Tiger and Panther tanks, together with the American Sherman and British types A22, A27 Comet and any other types he deems interesting.

Yes, Sir.

May I do rather an unusual thing, and thank the Prime Minister for his answer? May I also ask him when this exhibition will take place?

The exhibition will be ready in 10 days or a fortnight. The Tiger and the Panther could be shown. There is only one Royal Tiger at present in the country and it has been damaged. In various respects it is not complete. It is doubtful whether it can be made a showpiece. The following British and American tanks could be shown: Sherman; Sherman 17-pounder; Churchill A.22; Cromwell A.27; Comte; A Centurion A.41 could also be shown. It is on the secret list, but it is not likely to be used in the immediate future. I have asked the War Office to make special efforts to exhibit the Royal Tiger.

asked the Prime Minister whether the Government will endeavour to establish an Allied Committee composed of Ministers of Cabinet rank empowered to co-ordinate the activities of the various organisations, national and international, concerned with relief measures in Europe.

The United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration is already charged, under the terms of the Agreement signed at Washington on 9th November, 1943, by all the United Nations, with the duty of co-ordinating relief measures, though its power to do so is of course subject to the consent of the member Governments concerned. The Council which controls the policy of this international body consists of representatives of the United Nations, most of whom are of rank corresponding to that of Cabinet Ministers. It is the Committee of the Council for Europe which meets in London which is specially concerned with relief measures in Europe. The administration maintains close touch with the Allied military authorities and endeavours to combine its relief measures with theirs. No useful purpose would appear to be served by attempting to set up another Allied Committee for the same purpose.

Is my right hon. Friend satisfied that something more cannot, in fact, be done to prevent some of the overlapping which is taking place (between U.N.R.R.A. relief teams, the Red Cross and other organisations working with the Allied military commands?

I am doubtful whether prevention of the overlapping would be facilitated by the construction of such a committee as my hon. and gallant Friend has suggested.

Is this committee taking charge of the hundreds of Polish women who are now suffering untold hardships in Germany, and are really in a very parlous condition?

What does the Noble Lady mean by "this committee"? I read out the names of several committees which are already exerting themselves, and there is also the one proposed by my hon. and gallant Friend, which I have advised should not be set up. I cannot conceive any reason why they should exclude the task of aiding the victims of misfortune such as the Noble Lady has mentioned from the purview of their activities, but I am quite willing to find out whether they have neglected it, and if so, why.

asked the Prime Minister what British Departments are concerned in different aspects of European relief and reconstruction; what are the arrangements for co-ordinating their action; what are the combined organisations, including representatives of His Majesty's Government and other governments, similarly concerned; and what are the arrangements for ensuring co-ordination between them.

The principal responsibility in these matters lies with the Foreign Office, the War Office and the Ministry of Production. Their action and that of other Departments concerned is co-ordinated in the normal way, by means of Cabinet Committees and otherwise. The combined organisations include the Combined Boards, the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration, the Provisional Executive for European Inland Transport, the United Nations Maritime Authority, the European Coal Organisation and the Emergency Economic Committee for Europe. The Emergency Economic Committee for Europe, which held its first meeting on 28th May, will also, where appropriate, concert the action of specialist organisations in the European field.

:Is my right hon. Friend aware that hitherto we have had answers from five different Ministers, including those of Transport and Food? Could we now put all Questions down to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster?

I cannot answer that on the spur of the moment, but it is obvious that when you are dealing with the affairs of a Continent, there will be various aspects under which these affairs must be treated.

In view of the fact that these very important matters are being more and more co-ordinated, will my right hon. Friend give favourable consideration to the suggestion that we should be able to address Questions on matters of principle to one Minister?

I will certainly consider that.

:Arising out of the Prime Minister's last two answers, may I ask whether the Chancellor of the Duchy will be in charge of matters affecting U.N.R.R.A.?

He will not be in charge of them, but he will be concerned with them.

Will the Prime Minister draw the attention of the Chancellor of the Duchy to the great importance of supporting the work of U.N.R.R.A. in respect of displaced persons?

Yes, Sir. I think this interchange in the House will probably have the desired effect.

In view of the interest taken by hon. Members on all sides, would the Prime Minister consider issuing a White Paper to explain, when they are sufficiently clear, the number of bodies which are dealing with different aspects of this problem in Europe?

Yes, Sir. I see no reason why that should not be done, but I would rather not name an exact date when it will be done.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will define the duties to be entrusted to the Minister of State and the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

Yes, Sir. Both my right hon. Friends will assist the Foreign Secretary. The Minister of State will assist him in the general conduct of foreign policy and the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on matters affecting European reconstruction, especially on the economic side. In particular the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster will be the United Kingdom representative on, and for the time being Chairman of, the Emergency Economic Committee for Europe.

asked the Prime Minister the number of officers and men killed in Europe in the three Services, respectively, since the invasion of Europe was decided on at the first Quebec Conference; and the number killed or presumed killed in Bomber Command during the same period.

Perhaps my hon. Friend would be good enough to postpone his Question until next week when I hope to be in a position to give him an answer. I trust, however, that my hon. Friend is aware of the labour involved for hardworking Departments in making these special analyses.

asked the Minister of Agriculture the total cost of the war agricultural executive committees, including their staffs, rents, etc., in England and Wales far the year 1944.

:I am afraid that final figures for the financial year 1944 are not yet available. They will be published in due course in the Civil Appropriation Accounts. In the meantime, my hon. Friend will find the figures for 1943 in Class X of the Civil Appropriation Accounts for that year.

:As the splendid work of these committees, which has been mainly concerned with the ploughing up of grassland, is practically finished, is it not time something was done to economise their expenditure by the closing down of redundant departments?

Yes, but my hon. Friend will no doubt realise from his knowledge of agriculture that many of these accounts cannot be closed for a long time. They generally include such accounts as tenant right and live and dead stock on hand, and more important still, betterment claims for individual farms.

Will the Minister now be able to give the figures for separate war agricultural committees?

Not for some time.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if, in order to obtain reliable statistics for breeders of dairy cattle, he will institute a scheme of compulsory milk recording.

Under present conditions I am afraid it would not be practicable to institute a compulsory scheme.

:Will the Minister appreciate how very necessary this is in the interests of milk production, and how important it is for milk producers?

Yes, but I am sure the Noble Lady will appreciate that great progress has been made. Shortage of labour is the limiting factor in extending what she and I would like to see done.

Is the Minister aware that since the Milk Marketing Board took over the administration from the milk recording societies, there has been a considerable reduction in milk recording herds, while at the same time a considerable increase has been shown in the Milk Marketing Board's accounts for milk recording? Will my right hon. Friend look into the whole matter?

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he will state the number of veterinary surgeons employed by his Department in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, respectively.

As the answer contains a number of figures I will circulate it in the Official Report.

asked the Minister of Agriculture when the fishing fleet of Great Britain will be restored to its pre war strength both in boats and personnel.

I hope as soon as possible.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he will instruct the River Hull Catchment Board to clear at once, the channel of debris at its mouth as this is causing silting and possible flooding in the Holderness area; and if he is aware that there is need for dredging and immediate repair of the lower banks of the river.

I am not aware that any debris at the mouth of the River Hull is causing silting or possible flooding in the Holderness area, or that there is any need for such works as are suggested in the second part of the Question.

Will the right hon. Gentleman send one of his own officers to see the mouth of the river for himself, and he will then find that it is in a deplorable state?

I have had special inquiry made as a result of this Question, and everyone concerned is mystified at what induced my hon. Friend to put it down.

Is the Minister aware that no such complaints have reached the hon. Member for Holderness?

Did the Minister receive his report from Beverley, or from one of his own officers?

On a point of Order. Is there no answer to Question 55?

The hon. Member who put down Question 55 desired it to be postponed.

Does not the hon. Member for Thirsk and Malton (Mr. Turton) realise that he has denied the Minister of Agriculture an opportunity of giving us something more than a monosyllabic reply?

Is it not in Order for an hon. Member to postpone his Question, and thereby delay the delight of the hon. Member for Rugby (Mr. W. J. Brown); and may I inform him that I am attempting to postpone his delight until Tuesday next?

asked the Minister of Town and Country Planning if he is aware that the Rev. E. A. Hatrison, chaplain to the Whipps Cross Hospital and of the Central Homes, Leytonstone, had agreed with the owner to purchase No. 14, St. Vincent's Road, Southend, for use as a holiday home for aged poor persons, but that owing to objection by certain residents in the road being lodged, with the Southend Corporation the purchase is being held up; that this action of the residents is widely resented; and if he will take steps to secure for the aged poor of East London an opportunity for rest and change by the purchase of these premises.

I am aware that objections have been raised to the proposal to use these premises as a holiday home for aged persons. A formal appeal has been made to me against the refusal of the Southend-on-Sea County Borough Council to grant permission for this use of the premises, and I am accordingly instructing one of my Inspectors to hold a local inquiry. On the receipt of his report, I will give full consideration to all the representations made.

Is the Minister aware of the very widespread indignation in the district? Will he take a poll of the people in the immediate area? He would find that only nine people are objecting.

It is my statutory duty to consider both sides, but I will give due consideration to all the representations that are made.

Does the right hon. Gentleman realise that not only in Southend, but in Leyton, Leytonstone and Walthamstow, this matter has aroused considerable feeling?

asked the Minister of Pensions whether for the general convenience of the patients, and particularly those who have just come out of operations, he will arrange to have headphones installed over each bed at the Roehampton Hospital in the place of the present loud-speaker in each ward, which is working practically all day.

All beds in Roehampton Hospital are equipped for headphones, but at present a number of these instruments are under repair or awaiting repair. My right hon. Friend is making every effort to remedy this position. In the meantime, a complete headphone service is maintained in the wards set aside for very sick cases, and it is only in other wards, which are temporarily deficient in working headphones, that independent wireless sets are in use.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether he is yet in a position to state when the hearing will be resumed of the case of Private R. W. Bryan, 14, Lancaster Road, Stamford, which was adjourned at Nottingham on 29th November, 1944.

The case has been referred back to the tribunal, and I hope the date of resumption will soon be fixed.

Could my hon. and gallant Friend give an indication when the tribunal will sit? The case has now been hanging fire for six months.

The actual fixing of the date for the sitting of the tribunal is the responsibility of my Noble Friend the Lord Chancellor, but it is hoped that it will be at an early date.

asked the Secretary of State for India the mortality rates for malaria in India during the past 10 years; to what extent this is attributable to the shortage of quinine; and what percentage of the 244,000 lb. of quinine in stock in April was available for civilian consumption.