asked the President of the Board of Trade what progress has been made in implementing the recommendations of the School Furniture Post War Reconstruction Committee.

I am glad to say that one of the main recommendations of this interesting and useful Report, namely, better co-ordination between the school furniture industry, local education authorities and the Government has resulted in the scheme for utility school furniture designed to meet the special needs arising from the raising of the school leaving age. The successful introduction of this scheme is due in large measure to the co-operation of the Joint Industrial Council of the Educational and Allied Woodworking industries. In Circular 145 of 6th June last my right hon. Friend the Minister of Education announced his intention to ask local education authorities for forward estimates of the kind recommended in paragraphs 106 and 107 of the Report and the substantial building programme required to meet urgent needs from 1947 onwards should assist in spreading demands for furniture more evenly throughout the year than has been the practice in the past. The prevailing shortage of timber has affected the implementation of some of the other recommendations of the Report, but as my hon. Friend is aware, we are doing our utmost to secure increasing quantities of timber from all sources open to us. Meanwhile, the work of the Schools Section of the Ministry of Works Standardisation Committee is helping to ensure that the best use is made of the materials available.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what action he is taking to facilitate and encourage the installation of more automatic looms in the wool textile industry.

The scope for increasing the use of automatic looms in the wool textile industry was examined by the Wool Working Party, whose Report has recently been published. I shall be discussing the Report, including the views of the Working Party on this question, with the wool industry in the near future.

asked the President of the Board of Trade when he expects to be in a position to announce the necessary readjustments in retail margins on cloth and clothing.

Next week, Sir.

asked the Minister of Education whether he is aware that the London County Council has refused the offer of 80 boarding places, made by independent schools; and, as this offer is in accordance with the recommendations of the Fleming report and its refusal deprives some 80 schoolchildren of these advantages, if he will make inquiries into the reason for this action, with a view to its modification.

The L.C.C. are taking up 90 of the 170 places offered to them by independent schools. They are not taking up all the places because on the basis on which they have been proceeding this year an insufficient number of suitable applications was received by the time it was necessary to close with the schools' offers. These arrangements are quite distinct from the schemes recommended in the Fleming Committee's report.

asked the Minister of Education what is the basic salary scale provided by the Burnham Report for qualified teachers in primary and secondary schools; and what are the additions to that scale payable to a graduate teacher with four years' approved study or training.

I am grateful to the hon. Member for giving me this opportunity of correcting the reply given to the hon. Member on 31st March last. The scales for qualified assistant teachers are: Men, £300 to £525, annual increments of £15; Women, £270 to £420, annual increments of £12. For teachers who have spent four years in approved study and/or training, both the minimum and the maximum of the appropriate scale is increased by two increments. For graduates who qualify for a training addition, the minimum of the scale is further increased by one increment, and the maximum by two increments.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies to what extent the use of basic English is being considered in the Colonies.

The use of Basic English has been considered in all British Colonies and other non-self-governing territories. In certain territories, particularly Ceylon, Zanzibar, Tanganyika and Cyprus, and education departments are experimenting with the use of Basic English as a second language among pupils whose mother tongue not English. In other areas Basic English has been used in articles on agriculture and health, but none of the British Colonial Administrations at present favour the use of Basic English for administrative purposes

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs why his Department refused to issue permits to three members of the Young Co-operators to enable them to attend the second Free German Youth Parliament.

These three young men originally submitted individual applications for travel facilities. These were refused on the grounds that the restricted facilities in Germany had to be used in the best interests of the occupying authorities and were normally only made available to members of recognised organisations and not to individuals. There was also the further point that, as no Youth organisations from the British zone were to participate in this conference in the Russian zone. it would have been difficult to justify the attendance of individual delegates from England. Later, when it became known that a delegation from this country had been formally invited there was not sufficient time before the conference opened to reconsider the matter.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department the reasons for the continued delay in granting permission to Mr. and Mrs. Farcasanu, Rumanian Liberals, to visit this country on their way to the U.S.A.; and if he will hasten the granting of the necessary permits.

The Passport Control Officer in Rome has been authorised to grant Mr. and Mrs. Farcasanu visa facilities for a journey to the United Kingdom as soon as they furnish evidence that, if admitted to this country, they will be able to continue their journey to the United States. I understand that they have not yet obtained United States visas.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that, although the Housing Manual requires 11 electric plugs to be fitted in permanent prefabricated houses of approximately 900 square feet in floor area, in certain cases his regional officers are now cutting this number down to four and seldom requiring more than eight; and if he is satisfied that such an arrangement will give sufficient lighting for these houses.

The numbers recommended in the Manual for permanent houses vary according to the type: reductions in the numbers provided have been necessitated by shortages of supplies and the normal number provided at present is about eight. I should be glad to look into any case where it is suggested the number is being unreasonably reduced.

asked the Minister of Health whether the recent increase of £100 in the licensing limit for the price of new houses is to be made retrospective to a particular date; and whether any such instructions have been issued to local authorities.

The maximum permitted selling price is specified in the licence for the building of the house and local authorities were informed in the circular issued on 25th February that the new conditions as to selling price and standards of building would be applicable to licences issued after the date of the receipt of the circular.

asked the Post-master-General for what reason the free postage service previously available to troops in Malaya has been withdrawn.

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer regarding the Forces in Singapore which I gave to the hon. Member for Orpington (Sir W. Smithers) on 4th of June and of which I am sending him a copy. The position as regards the Forces in Singapore applies equally to the Forces in other parts of Malaya.

asked the Minister of Food the names of the persons appointed to examine the distribution of liquid food.

The membership of the Committee on Milk Distribution was announced in reply to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Spen Valley (Mr. Sharp) on 9th October, 1946, Mr. Wansborough has since resigned from the Committee and he has not been replaced.