asked the Minister of National Insurance if he is aware that, following the appeal made by the Minister of Health, some old age pensioners who are providing accommodation in their homes for needy people and suffering in convenience and hurt to household goods, find their pensions reduced in consequence,as instanced by the lady pensioner of Deritend who found room for a married couple but had her net income increased by is. per week; and will he take steps to regulate and remedy the position.

I regret I am not at the moment able to add to the answer which I gave on 1st November to my hon. Friend the Member for East Rhondda (Mr. Mainwaring). If my hon. Friend will send me particulars of the case he mentions I will have inquiries made.

asked the Minister of National Insurance whether he is prepared to consider the holding of stocks of clothing by the Assistance Board, in order that those entitled to relief in kind may so obtain their clothing, thus getting better value for their money.

No, Sir, I do not think it would be practicable for the Assistance Board to administer a system of relief in kind on the scale suggested by the hon. and gallant Member.

Is the Minister aware that this system is being operated with great benefit to the recipients by a number of local authorities, and notably in Glasgow; and will he look further into the matter, and, if necessary, see whether the Glasgow system, or some similar system, can be instituted?

I am aware that the Glasgow Corporation has worked a system of this kind; but the hon. and gallant Member was asking whether the Assistance Board could adopt such a system, and he knows that raises great questions which cannot be discussed satisfactorily by question and answer.

asked the Minister of National Insurance whether he has considered the representations made to him in favour of the use of the approved societies in the proposed National Insurance Scheme; and whether he is in a position to make a statement on the matter.

Yes, Sir. The Government have given most careful and sympathetic consideration to the possibility of using the approved societies under the new arrangements. While they fully recognise the great services which approved societies have rendered in the administration of the Health Insurance Scheme they have, however, reluctantly felt bound to come to the same conclusion as their predecessors that it would be impracticable to use the societies as organised bodies in the administration of the comprehensive scheme of social provision now contemplated. The National Insurance Bill to be introduced later in this Session will be framed accordingly.

At the same time it is the Government's intention that in the administration of the new scheme the fullest possible use shall be made of the skilled and experienced staff who have been engaged on the work of approved societies and that sympathetic consideration be given in the case of full-time officers of such societies who for a substantial period have been dependent for their livelihood on Health Insurance work and who are displaced from their employment as a direct result of the new Measure.

There are many important questions arising out of these decisions such as the method of selection and terms of appointment to my Ministry of members of the staff in question; compensation for other displaced officers; and the maintenance of an efficient service to insured persons during the transitional period. Unless an early start is made upon the consideration of these questions the date of operation of the new schemes will be delayed. Without prejudice, therefore, to the ultimate decision of Parliament, I propose at an early date to invite representatives of the societies and of the staff organisations concerned to appoint small committees with whom 1 may consult with a view to securing acceptable solutions of outstanding questions.

In view of the fact that the Minister's answer is a departure from promises made a few months ago, will he acquaint the approved societies of this decision?

My duty was to report the decision of the Government to Parliament. Promises were made to look further at the possibility of using the friendly societies and trade union societies in this scheme. We have examined it very carefully, and the decision is to work this scheme so that it covers the whole of the! population. it will thus be essential for the Government to have its own administrative machinery throughout the country. We have further come to the conclusion that to have other machinery covering sections of benefits and of the people would be a duplication, which we believe, in the long run, would not be justified.

May I ask the Minister if his announcement means that these employees taken over by his Ministry will become whole-time civil servants?

What I have said is that the Government are anxious to make the fullest possible use of the skilled staff of approved societies in working this scheme, and to give sympathetic consideration to the question of compensation for those who cannot be used.

Am I to understand that all the approved societies as such are now about to disappear, and the State is going to run its own scheme independent of any other associations?

I think it is perfectly clear from the beginning of my statement that the Government have decided that we must now have one comprehensive machine to work this scheme.

Can the Minister say whether, in view of the great concern felt at this decision, the House will have an opportunity of discussing it?

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware of the extraordinary degree of dismay that this statement will cause among many millions of the population?

I shall be sorry for that. My duty is to bring before the House, and to carry on to the Statute Book as soon as possible, a comprehensive State Social Insurance scheme. My primary duty is to make up mymind—and for the Government to make up their mind—how that can be best administered having regard to the interests of the whole nation.

asked the Minister of National Insurance if he will resume the practice of repaying Unemployment Insurance contributions collected in error.

This work was suspended as a wartime measure. I propose to resume it as soon as practicable.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department the number of police and prison warders, respectively, who arc in receipt of rent aid.

Five hundred and seventy-one prison officers and some 44,000 members of police forces in Eng- land and Wales, including auxiliaries, are in receipt of rent aid.

If they do, that is not a matter for me but for the Treasury.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that members of the Police Force who are in receipt of rent aid are often worse off financially than those who have accommodation provided?

I think that there are some areas of the country, undoubtedly, where the present scale of rent aid does not represent what the individual policeman may have to pay. I have recently had under consideration the difficulties that arise in certain areas.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he will recommend to the police authorities that when samples of blood are taken on the instructions of the police from a motorist suspected of being under the influence of drink, one sample should be given to the motorist so that he may have a separate analysis made.

The law makes no provision for blood tests to be taken compulsorily in a case where a motorist is suspected of being under the influence of drink, and I am not aware of any cases in which these tests have been made on the instructions of the police. According to my information, where samples of blood have been taken from a motorist they have been taken at his own express request. It is, of course, open to a motorist to arrange for a separate analysis to be made. The difficulty in such cases would be to ensure that the analysis related to samples of blood taken from the defendant at the same time. If, however, the hon. and gallant Member has a particular case in mind, I shall be glad to consider it.

Is the Minister aware that it is a fairly regular practice in the Midlands for samples to be taken from suspected persons when they are in hospital receiving treatment for injuries sustained in a motor accident; and will he consider whether the practice, which is followed in the case of taking milk samples, of giving a duplicate to the suspected person, should not be followed when blood samples are taken?

My information is that this practice is not followed. If the hon. Member knows of such cases and will bring them to my notice, I will have the matter investigated.

I will do so.

I want to make it clear that, according to everything which is known at the Home Office, the police do not take these samples, and, if they did, it would clearly have to be the subject of some Regulation, so that the defendant might be in a position to produce his own independent expert evidence.

Has my right hon. Friend considered the necessity for some Regulation to regularise the practice, along the lines already practised in several other countries?

I understand that a practice of this kind prevails in some of the-States of the United States of America. I am grateful to the hon. Member for Daventry (Mr. Manningham-Buller) for assuring me that he will bring particular cases to my notice. I am not convinced that it is necessary f0r the police to be given this power in England, but if the matter is brought further to my notice I will give it the most careful consideration.

Has it not been held in the courts that a person under the influence of alcohol cannot give his consent at all?

I understand that consent is not asked but that on occasion the person who is suspected to be under the influence of alcohol makes the offer. Whether in such circumstances the offer should be accepted is a matter which I leave to my hon. Friend, who is a solicitor.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has considered a letter from ex-Constable Perrins in connection with an incident reflecting on the ex-constable's character, sent to him by the hon. Member for East Fife; and has he any statement to make.

Yes, Sir. I have considered this letter and replied to it on 14th November. As I said in my reply, I have gone fully into the case of ex-Police Constable Perrins, but I have not been able to find any grounds which would warrant any further action on my part.

Has the Minister not considered the letter in which it is made clear that at a social gathering a few weeks ago this man was pointed out as a thief, on the basis of a charge that was made against him by the Chief Constable several years ago? Is nothing to be done to remove the stigma from this man?

If an unjustifiable accusation is made against this man he has his own remedies, but that cannot be used as a reason why 1 should reopen a decision which was reached some time ago, in the period of office of one of my predecessors. It was debated in this House on the Adjournment on 28th March, 1944. I would point out that when the case was reheard this man was represented by counsel.

In view of the unsatisfactory nature of the reply, I propose to raise this matter again on the Adjournment.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware that considerable public disquiet has been aroused by the outbursts of burglaries and hold-ups in London; and what steps he is taking to bring the situation under control.

The figures for these classes of offences certainly show an appreciable increase, which is due to a variety of causes, although I cannot agree that it is of such a nature as to suggest that the situation is out of control. Within the limits of the resources at present available to the police the Commissioner is organising appropriate counter-measures. Arrangements have been made to secure the early return of regular policemen from the Armed Forces and to accelerate recruitment.

Is the Minister aware that one of the most recent victims was myself, and that public anxiety is now acute?

I was burgled seven times in 13 years. Therefore the hon. and gallant Member may be assured that in his start to overtake that record he has my complete sympathy.

Is the Home Secretary aware that a considerable number of these offences are committed by men who are deserters from the Army and have no means? Cannot the Government consider some system of inducing these men to give themselves up under a policy of an amnesty, so that this position might be ended?

I have reason to think that the first part of the hon. Member's question is based on fact. The second part of it does not rest with my Department.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is aware that ex-enemy alien refugees enjoy civil rights but that Allied nationals who have served here in the war and are unable to return for political reasons do not enjoy the same rights; and if he will remedy this state of affairs.

The answer to the first part of the Question is in the negative; and the second part does not therefore appear to arise.

As ex-enemy aliens are represented by the High Commissioner for Refugees, Sir Henry Emerson, and people like the refugee Poles and Yugoslavs are represented by no one, surely the position is otherwise than the right hon. Gentleman has stated? I have here two pages of disabilities suffered by these people.

If the hon. and gallant Member will consult with me on those two pages and any more he may produce I shall be very happy to meet him..

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what authority and upon what grounds was Mr. Assam, representative in Britain of the Indonesian seamen's section of the I.T.F., deported to Holland on 12th November, 1945.

From such information as I have been able to obtain I infer that my hon. Friend is referring to a Dutch seaman named Assan, who arrived about 18 months ago and embarked as a passenger for Rotterdam on 12th November. No deportation order has been made against him, and no steps were taken by my Department to enforce his departure.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is yet in a position to make a statement on the future of refugee industrialists, many of whom were encouraged and invited to come here from the Contined. during the years 1933 to 1939 by the Government to help solve the unemployment problem then existing.

I regret that I cannot go beyond the statement which I made last Thursday relating to the proposal to resume investigation of applications for naturalisation from foreigners who, in various ways, have special claims to consideration.

While recognising that delays in dealing with naturalisation may be inevitable because of the great numbers involved, cannot the right hon. Gentleman expedite his decision as to giving permission to the refugee industrialists to continue the work of their industries on a permanent basis, seeing that their numbers are under 1,000 and they are impeded in their planning by the uncertainty as to the future of their industries?

I cannot accept the hon. Lady's estimate of the numbers. The statement I made last week was quite clear and, I hope, sympathetic towards the claims of those people. I must ask that I be allowed to consider individual applications on their merits, because British citizenship is not a thing to be conferred unless one is certain that the person applying for it is not merely an industrialist, but is in other ways suitable for recognition.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements have now been made to enable Polish officers and men of the Polish Mercantile Navy who do not wish to return to Poland or serve under the existing Polish Government to take up residence and seek employment in this country.

I have in suitable cases authorised a variation of the conditions on which these officers and men had been given leave to land, so as to permit them to take temporary shore employment of such kinds as may be approved by the Ministry of Labour. As at present advised, I am not prepared to allow them to settle permanently on shore and they will be expected in due course to resume the sea employment as opportunity offers.

In view of the fact that there are several hundreds of these men involved, can my right hon. Friend give us any idea of the numbers who have been afforded this facility?

If my hon. Friend will put down the question I will endeavour to give him the information.

Will these concessions apply to the officers and men of the Polish Forces and civilians in this country?

Before I can broaden the statement which I have made here, I would like to see the question on the Paper.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if applicants for British nationality who have served in the Merchant Navy during the war will be among the categories given early consideration.

I understand that among the thousands of applicants whose consideration has been suspended, there are a number from persons who have served in the Merchant Navy during the war. Priority will be given to these applications provided that the applicants possess the necessary statutory qualifications and are otherwise suitable for naturalization. I am not yet in a position to say to what extent it will be possible to give priority to future applications.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will standardise all the connections for the fire protection system throughout the country to enable all fire-fighting apparatus to be interchangeable.

I presume that the hon. Mem- ber is referring to hydrants and their outlets. During the war the great variety of hydrants proved a serious handicap and is a complication at all times. Their standardisation is certainly desirable, but owing to the quantity of old-time equipment still in use this must be regarded as a long-term objective.

While I thank the right hon. Gentleman for that obviously true statement, would he sec that in any new developments the equipment is all standardised so that we do not continue with this trouble?

:Yes, Sir. I am hoping that we shall be able gradually to replace the old equipment with new which will conform to the standardised requirements.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will state the number of persons employed in the N.F.S. at Market Drayton, Shropshire; the cost of maintaining this service; the number of fires attended in the last twelve months; and whether similar conditions exist in the N.F.S. throughout the country.

There are 13 whole-time and seven retained firemen stationed in Market Drayton. The cost of their wages is approximately £3.000 a year. Fifty calls were answered during the year ending 30th October, of which 42 were to fires. As regards the last part of the Question, circumstances differ as between station and station and from one fire area to another, and it is not possible to make any general comparison.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that Market Drayton is the centre of an important agricultural district where farm workers are in great demand, and that it is felt that the excessive number of men employed in this fire service could be reduced?

Yes, but on occasion even farmers require fires to be put out.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department the cost of making good the damage caused to public and private interests in the Channel Islands by German occupation; and what steps are being taken towards obtaining reparations there for from Germany.

The damage to and loss of public and private property is estimated at just under £6,500,000. This figure is included in the United Kingdom claim now being discussed at the Conference on Reparations in Paris.

asked the Secretary of. State for the Home Department for what amount Guernsey has sent in claims for reparations from Germany, and on what grounds; and is His Majesty's Government forwarding the claims to the Reparations Conference now sitting in Paris.

A figure of £8,351,000 in respect of Guernsey has been included in the United Kingdom claim and was compiled on the basis prescribed for such claims. The United Kingdom claim, together with the claims of other Allies is now being discussed at the Reparations Conference in Paris.

Does the right hon. Gentleman's answer mean that His. Majesty's Government have given the fullest possible support to the claims put forward?

The Channel Islands are an integral part of His Majesty's Dominions and, having accepted their figures, we shall press them equally with all the other claims that it is our duty to bring before the Commission.

Can the right hon. Gentleman explain how it is that Guernsey has sent in a claim for over £8,000,000, when just now the right hon. Gentleman said that the claims in respect of. all the Channel Islands came to £6,500,000?

The figure of £6,500,000 was a strictly limited claim. The item which was mentioned was for wider interests than those covered by the statistics asked for in the Question by the hon. and gallant Member for Chichester (Lieut.-Commander Joynson-Hicks).

Can the right hon. Gentleman say whether this figure includes compensation for wages lost by British nationals who were interned in enemy occupied countries, such as Belgium?

It certainly includes claims for loss of manpower. If it is desired that more detailed information should be given, the question should be put on the Paper.

Does that mean a claim of £14,500,000 all in, or is there more to come?

No, Sir The £6,500,000 which I mentioned in reply to the hon. and gallant Member for Chichester is a part of the claim. Undoubtedly, the whole figure is greater than £8,000,000, but if hon. Members want to know what the total figure is I will be willing to supply the answer if a Question is put down.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that repatriated civilian internees from the Far East are unable to get free medical treatment in the Channel Islands in the same way that they can in Great Britain and Northern Ireland; and whether he will now make arrangements for these people to enjoy the same privileges.

I understand from my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary that the Island authorities are prepared to accord to such persons the same privileges as are accorded in the United Kingdom, and application should be made to the medical officer of health in Jersey or Guernsey.

While thanking my right hon. Friend very much for his answer and for what he has already done, may I ask whether he cannot do the same thing in Eire, from which country men have to come to England for free treatment?

I think that matter is outside the scope of the Question.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why it is necessary, five months after the conclusion of hostilities, to require visitors to hotels to record particulars about themselves on "forms; and whether the practice can now be discontinued.

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply on 10th October to a similar Question by the hon. and gallant Member for Altrincham (Colonel Erroll).

May I ask what steps have been taken to inform the hotels of the present position?

The question of the revised requirements is now being considered in my Department, and I hope to be able to make a statement that can be issued to all concerned at an early date.

Will the right hon. Gentleman consult with the hotel interests before final arrangements are made, in view of future tourist business?

I will see that all the appropriate interests are invited to submit their views.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when former Civil Defence personnel will get their deferred pay and gratuities.

Arrangements for the payment of these credits through the Post Office Savings Bank arc now in active operation, but my hon. Friend will realise that the necessary calculations throw a considerable strain upon the local authorities and that some time must elapse before all cases can be settled.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the present duties of the Welsh Church Commissioners; and what is the amount paid in salaries and expenses at present to each commissioner.

The duties of the Welsh Church Commissioners are those laid down in the Welsh Church Acts, 1914 to 1945. At the present time the Commissioners are mainly engaged in transferring to the beneficiaries under the Acts the properties which they are entitled to receive. Two of the Commissioners receive salaries of £1,000 and £500 respectively, and travelling and subsistence allowances at Civil Service rates. The third Commissioner—the hon. Lady the Member for Anglesey (Lady Megan Lloyd-George) —is unpaid.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether, in issuing Notices of Decision to claimants giving them the right to appeal on a pre scribed form, he will enclose copies of the form, thereby saving time and postage for the claimant and his own Department.

The proportion of appeals against the decision of my Department would not justify the adoption of the hon. and gallant Member's proposal, which would involve the sending of other documents as well as the appeal form.

asked the Minister of Pensions if he is aware that Mr. William Donn, M.B.E., of 14, Chapel Street, Hun- wick, County Durham, having served all through the war in the Merchant Navy and obtained the Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1941, the Lloyds War Medal for bravery and the two Stars, has been six weeks in the E.M.S. Hospital, Bishop Auckland, for treatment and now he is only able to do light work; that this man receives no pension or war gratuity; and will he take steps to assist this deserving case.

Mr. Donn has made no application to my Department, but arrangements have been made to initiate a claim to pension, and Mr. Donn was medically examined yesterday. I understand from my right hon. Friend the Minister of War Transport that, as was explained in a reply by my right hon. Friend to the hon. and gallant Member for Aston (Major Wyatt) on 15th October, war gratuities are not payable to members of the Merchant Navy.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that this man has a wife and three children, that he has tried everywhere for light work, which is not available, and that the only gratitude which seems to be available for persons like this is that they must sign on at the employment exchange?

The medical board has been operating; we are expecting a report, and we shall take action accordingly.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether he is aware that the Ecclesiastical Commissioners have paid stipends accumulated during the German occupation to incumbents in Jersey, plus 2½ per cent. compound interest; and why war pensioners have not been given the same treatment.

I am not aware of the action taken by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, but the procedure followed by my Department accords with the normal Government practice.

Will the Minister consider dealing with these war pensioners with the same justice and generosity as have been displayed by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners?

I am informed that, so far as Jersey is concerned, the pensions of widows and disabled men who continued to reside in Jersey were continued in payment throughout the German occupation, by the Stales of Jersey.

Is the Minister not aware that interest was paid on all the accumulated stipends of incumbents in Jersey but it has not been paid on the accumulated pensions of war pensioners?

Is the Minister aware that parsons of all denominations, both in Jersey and elsewhere, are most inadequately paid? Do they not deserve all they can get?

asked the Minister of Pensions why there is so long a delay in paying education grants; and will he take steps to ensure that these routine payments are made within seven days.

The recurring payment of an education grant is normally made within about the period mentioned by the hon. Member. A change in the circumstances of the parent may occasionally involve investigation and modification of the grant either up or down. I am looking into the two cases which the hon. Member has brought to my notice and I will write to him shortly.

asked the Minister of Health what practical steps he is taking to give priority in housing accommodation to ex-Servicemen.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for Oxford (Mr. Hogg) on 25th October. I am sending him a copy of the circular to which I then referred.

Would the Minister publish in the Official Report a list of the authorities who give priority, and of those who do not give priority, to ex-Service-men and to the families of Servicemen?

That question is irrelevant to the Question on the Order Paper. The local authorities are supposed to take note of the over-all needs of an applicant, and to that I hope they will adhere. Otherwise, grave injustice will arise.

asked the Minister of Health how many houses in England and Wales were classified unfit for human habitation in 1939; how many are still inhabited; in how many cases have the tenants been called upon to pay 47½ per cent, increase on the standard 1914 rent; and will he take steps to prevent this overcharge.

I would refer my lion. Friend to the reply which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Acton (Mr. Sparks) on 25th October. The information asked for in the third part of the Question is not available, but under the Rent Restriction Acts a tenant who obtains a certificate from the sanitary authority that his house is not in a reasonable state of repair may apply to the court for an Order suspending the 40 per cent. increase of the standard rent.

asked the Minister of Health if he proposes to introduce legislation. to make illegal the collection or payment of rent for dwellings which are unfit for human habitation.

The Rent Restriction Acts already contain provisions enabling part of the rent to be withheld where the house is not in a reasonable state of repair and I do not think further action is practicable at a time when owing to the shortage, unfit houses must continue to be occupied and palliative repairs carried out to them.

Owing to the unsatisfactory nature of that answer, I beg to give notice that I will raise the matter on the Adjournment.

asked the Minister of Health whether he wall approve the building of houses of good standard and design and sold at a fair and reasonable price to enable those working-class people to own their own house if they wish to do so.

Local authorities are empowered to license the erection of new houses for sale if they do not exceed 1,000 superficial feet, and do not cost more than £1,200 outside London, or £1,300 in London. Authorities will, I am sure, insist when issuing the licences, that the houses should be of a good standard and design.

Why restrict it to that figure, in view of current prices? Is it not a fact also that when the working-class own their own homes they become good Conservative voters?.

My reply to the first part of the question is that I explained the reasons for the limitation on the standard and on the amount, when I addressed the House of Commons on housing policy. My answer to the second part of the question is that it is obvious that the hon. Member had altruistic motives in putting the Question on the Paper.

In his desire that men should own their own homes what protection is the right hon. Gentleman giving to see that they own houses and not jerry-built shacks?

The House will be discussing the matter, I think, next week. I have already made arrangements to enable individuals to borrow money at cheap rates to buy the more expensive houses.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will encourage local authorities to make full use of housing societies, formed with the object of building or reconstructing cottages in rural areas; and whether he will ensure that such societies will be granted the same financial assistance and the same priorities for material and labour as are accorded to local authorities undertaking similar work.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will now give an assurance to non-profit-making housing societies and associations which are desirous of co-operating with local authorities in the provision of houses to let and are prepared to enter into suitable agreements with those authorities, that Exchequer subsidies will be made available to them on similar terms to those which will be applicable to local authorities, as in the case of the Act of 1930 and subsequent housing legislation; and that where such arrangements are entered into, labour and materials will be allocated accordingly.

I am prepared to approve arrangements made by a local authority with a housing association under Section 94 of the Housing Act, 1936, where I am satisfied that the houses which the association propose to provide will be houses of the kind which are most needed, and will effectively supplement the local authority's own housing programme. This will apply in rural areas as elsewhere. Approval under the Section means that the same financial assistance can be given to the association as to a local authority; and the same priorities for materials and labour would also be made available.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that a number of these very valuable associations have complete plans and technical assistance ready? Will he do all in his power to facilitate the immediate prosecution of their work?

I am prepared to consider sympathetically upon their specific merits all applications, but I am not prepared to encourage housing authorities to farm out their housing powers.

May I ask the right hon. Gentleman to urge upon reluctant local authorities to do all they can to give substantial help to these excellent societies in order to try to make some small amends for having deprived the countryside of the benefits of the Housing (Rural Workers) Act?

I am not aware that the local authorities are responsible for depriving the countryside of houses—[HON. MEMBERS: "No, you are."] —but I am aware that previous Administrations are responsible for the lack of houses in rural areas.

Will the Minister take steps to see that the houses built by these associations are not tied?

The application of a statutory condition to houses built by housing associations with funds provided by the community makes it perfectly clear that the. houses must be reasonably rented, of good design and built where the local authorities wish them to be built, and that they must not, in any circumstances, become part of the privileges of any property-owning organisation.

Will my right hon. Friend give an assurance that bodies which have no public accountability will not be encouraged to undertake work that ought to be done by local authorities?

The hon. Member can take it for granted that I should consider favourably applications from housing associations only where those associations, in special circumstances, can make contributions not otherwise available, but not in substitution of the obligations of local authorities.

asked the Minister of Health whether he has yet reached agreement with all other Ministers concerned upon a formula that will enable him to grant permission to the appropriate authorities, during the housing emergency, to issue one all-embracing building permit to cover all separate permits now required from all the various departments.

I hope shortly to be able to make a statement as to the arrangements to which I referred in my reply to a supplementary question by the hon. Member on 1st November.

asked the Minister of Health whether he has yet made the inquiry into the matter brought to his attention by the hon. Member for Mile End with regard to the repair of C (b) houses in Stepney; and if he now has any statement to make on the matter.

The investigation is not yet completed but I will communicate with the hon. Member as soon as possible.

Does not the right hon. Gentleman recall that he gave me a similar answer exactly three weeks ago? Could I therefore ask him to be as expeditious as possible, in view of the fact that the question which was brought to his attention three weeks ago is a matter which vitally affects the whole of London?

I have said that the most effective supplementary questions are the short ones.

The answer to the hon. Member is that this matter of the repair of houses in London is one of great per-plexity and very considerable concern. I have been left, I am bound to say, with the most depressing legacy in this matter. The "cost plus" system of repairs has had a demoralising effect both upon the employees and employers, and 1 hope to be able to announce very shortly the end of the whole system.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that there are many residences in the country containing considerable living accommodation which, at present, is not used; and whether he will instruct local authorities to use their powers to make this accommodation available for those at present in need.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Stafford (Captain Swingler) on 16th November.

Is the Minister aware that within the shadow of one of these great residences in my constituency there is a family, absolutely unable to obtain accommodation, which is threatened with eviction, and will he cause inquiries to be made and appropriate action taken to prevent this injustice?

If my hon. Friend will bring the case he mentions to my attention, I will have it investigated. There are probably a number of instances of the same kind.

asked the Minister of Health what steps are being taken to provide sufficient medical schools for women to be educated as doctors, in view of the shortage of such accommodation at the present time.

The Government have made it a condition of future grants to medical schools that a reasonable proportion of women students should be admitted, and medical schools which have not previously admitted them are making plans to do so, as soon as the difficulty of providing the necessary additional accommodation can be overcome.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will consider taking steps to make the appointment of dieticians compulsory in all hospitals and similar institutions.

I do not think that the appointment of a dietitian is necessary in every hospital nor have I power to require it. Such an appointment is, however, recommended wherever thought desirable by my advisers on dietetics who have visited' about 700 hospitals and similar institutions in the last eighteen months.

Would my right hon. Friend say whether this recommendation applies to mental hospitals?

If my hon. Friend will put that question on the Order Paper I will endeavour to answer it.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will appoint one Cabinet Minister to be exclusively responsible for dealing with the needs and problems of demobilisation.

I see no reason to alter the present system by which my right hon. Friend the Minister of Labour, in conjunction with the Service Ministers, is responsible for putting into effect the demobilisation scheme which has been approved by the Cabinet.

Despite the inability of the Government to appoint one Minister to deal with all demobilisation problems, would it be possible to appoint a Minister to bring pressure on all three Services to secure the release as quickly as possible of a couple of good fullbacks to stand up to the Moscow Dynamos?

asked the Minister of Labour by what authority and for what reasons Servicemen are held back one group in the Class A release scheme for every two months that they have spent in detention.

As stated in the White Paper, Cmd. 6548, on which the Government's release scheme is based, the war service which counts for release purposes is whole-time service in the Armed Forces since 3rd September, 1939, which counts for Service pay. Periods of detention do not count for Service pay and, therefore, do not come within this definition. There would be no justification for making an exception to the general rule in favour of men who have undergone detention.

Was there any indication in the original scheme as explained in the House by the then Minister of Labour that there was going to be this particular discrimination?

I could not say without notice.

Will the Minister explain this point? I understand his answer to be that as periods in detention do not count for Service pay, therefore they do not count in the period for release. By what authority is it held that half the period spent in detention does count since the whole period spent in detention equally does not count in Service pay?

Perhaps I may draw a parallel. A man who comes out of the Services and goes into industry ought not to be faced with a different position from that facing those who go out of the Services and go into prison.

The question I put to my right hon. Friend wag this: Why docs he count half the time spent in detention towards the period calculated for Class A release if the reason for not counting the first half is that it does not count for Service pay?

If my hon. Friend will put that question on the Paper, I will try to answer it.

asked the Minister of Labour on what grounds the decision was made to hold back men for release in Class A by one point for every two months spent in detention; and, in particular, if consideration was given to the fact that this, in effect, constitutes a double punishment for the one offence and penalises not only the man but his wife and family.

With regard to the first part of the Question, I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer given today on a similar Question to the hon. Member for Maldon (Mr. Driberg). As regards the second part, no question of punishment is involved. Interruptions of paid service from other causes, for example periods of leave without pay, do not count towards release from the Forces, and it would be wrong to give specially favourable treatment to men whose paid service is broken by a period of detention.

In view of the extremely illogical and inhumane nature of this discrimination, I beg to give notice that I shall raise this matter on the Adjournment, if ever I am lucky in the ballot.

asked the Minister of Labour if, in view of the shortage of teachers, he will include under Class B releases art students who had put in over two years as students at a university with a view to entering the teaching profession.

Part-trained teachers whose training can be completed in not more than one year may be released in Class B. If any student preparing for a qualification as a. teacher of art recognised by the Ministry of Education has had his course of training interrupted by his war service and could complete his training within a year, he should communicate with the college authorities so that the question of his release may be considered.

Does this apply to architectural students as well as to art students?

I thought art was part of architecture.

Can my right hon. Friend say when we are going to get the booklet on demobilisation so that we may know the answers to these things?

I expect it will be in the Vote Office tomorrow.

asked the Minister of Labour whether employment exchanges have been particularly instructed, in selecting applicants for jobs, to see that ex-Service men are not placed at a disadvantage through lack of recent experience of civilian employment.

Yes, Sir. Comprehensive instructions on the placing of ex-Service-men and women, which were issued to all local offices of my Department in June, provide that, in selecting applicants for submission to employers, ex-Servicemen are not placed at a disadvantage through lack of recent experience of civilian employment.

Will my right hon. Friend extend this preference particularly to men whose demobilisation is held up for a long time?

The preference will be utilised in all cases where it can usefully be applied.

asked the Minister of Labour what steps have been taken to distinguish ex-Servicemen from others in his Ministry's register, having regard to the undertaking given by his predecessor in the Debate in this House on 16th May ^IO45-

As stated by my predecessor in the Debate to which the hon. and gallant Member refers, the existing arrangements enable the cards of ex-Servicemen to be picked out very easily. When ex-Servicemen are submitted for vacancies a special introduction card is used which indicates that they are ex-Servicemen.

Does the term "ex-Servicemen" include men who served in the 1914–18 war?

It says "ex-Servicemen."

asked the Minister of Labour (1) whether he is aware that the administration of the Control of Engagement Order is becoming more difficult to operate; and whether he is in a position to announce any relaxation of this Order; and

(2) whether he is now in a position to announce the policy of the Government on the future of labour controls.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will consider removing the provisions of the Essential Work Order from all male labour over 42 years of age.

I propose to make a comprehensive statement shortly about labour controls, and I would ask hon. Members to allow me to deal with the whole Question together.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that there has been very considerable delay in dealing with this matter, in which both sides in industry are interested? Is he further aware that these Regulations are at present being defied, and is he taking proper action to see that they are enforced?

That there has been delay is admitted, but it is not avoidable delay.

It is necessary to examine the question of labour control, the right of men to seek employment, and the right of a man to choose whom he wishes to employ, at the same time as the other economic controls and the urgent need of certain industries for work of vital importance. The whole thing is being examined together, and I hope it will be possible to make a statement shortly.

Can the right hon. Gentleman tell the House of any other country in the world where, in peacetime, women are subjected to the control there is now?

I think I have quite enough to answer for in this country.

Will the right hon. Gentleman say whether the delay is due to the ineptitude of his immediate predecessor?

asked the Minister of Labour whether men conscripted for the N.F.S. can demand reinstatement in their former employment while this is denied to those who enlisted voluntarily; and whether he will consider the equity of making any distinction.

Men compulsorily enrolled in a Civil Defence Force under the National Service Acts after 10th April, 1941, acquired reinstatement rights under those Acts, and were therefore brought within the scope of the Reinstatement in Civil Employment Act, 1944. While it would have been inequitable to have deprived such persons of their rights, it was not considered practicable to bring within the scope of the Act the many other classes of persons, including volunteers for the National Fire Service and other forms of Civil Defence, who had performed valuable services during the war.

Does not the right hon. Gentleman feel that it is a litle unjust to treat volunteers less favourably than conscripts?

I am not prepared to express an opinion, but I can say that anything that is to be done will have to be done by amendment of the Reinstatement Act.

asked the Minister of Labour upon what date his Ministry replied to the letter dated 9th May, 1945, from the clerk of the Warwickshire County Council, concerning the shortage of staff at hospitals, institutions and children's homes under the jurisdiction of the public assistance committee; and what steps he took, or proposes to take, to relieve the shortage.

A reply to a similar letter addressed simultaneously to the Ministry of Health was sent on behalf of both Departments on 30th June. Considerable efforts have been made to meet the nursing and domestic staffing needs of the county council and particulars of a number of applicants have been submitted, but it is clear that, as in a number of other institutions throughout the country, many vacancies still exist. My right hon. Friend the Minister of Health and I are considering what further measures, in addition to those already taken, can be adopted, in the light of the Government statement on "Staffing the Hospitals," which would assist the council.