asked the Secretary of State for Air whether he will make available for local purchase by auction or otherwise the plywood, wooden boxes, corrugated iron, asbestos roofing, canvas curtains, petrol pumps and storage tanks at Chipping Norton aerodrome.

This airfield is used as an Air Ministry storage depot, and the materials in question are not surplus. They are part of my Department's working stock of packing and building materials and equipment.

In view of the allegations that huge quantities of these things have, in fact, been destroyed, will the Secretary of State make inquiries and see that any such surpluses are made available rather than that they should be burned?

Following the question which the hon. Gentleman addressed to me three weeks ago I did initiate inquiries into the suggestions that were made, and it has been reported to me that there is no foundation for any suggestion that materials are being burnt improperly or being allowed to deteriorate.

asked the Secretary of State for Air how many experienced horticultural officers are employed by his Ministry for food production and other duties for the whole of Great Britain including Air Ministry, London, Northern Ireland, Germany, the Middle East and the Far East; and what are the terms of their employment.

There are five posts of horticultural adviser, of which one is vacant at the moment, for stations in the United Kingdom and Germany. Elsewhere overseas, advice is obtained locally. The senior horticultural adviser is paid on a scale rising from £600 to £800 a year, and the others on a scale of £500 to £600 a year.

In view of the excellent production which has been obtained by reason of these officers, is the right hon. Gentleman satisfied that the terms offered are sufficiently good to attract the right type of man?

The question of remuneration is under examination at the present moment.

asked the Secretary of State for Air on what date his Department decided to relinquish 17½ acres of land taken over from the Essex War Agricultural Committee in 1942 for incorporation in Boxted Aerodrome, Langham; when this relinquishment was formerly notified to the Ministry of Agriculture; and why delay took place, in view of the urgent need to get this land into cultivation for food production.

My Department decided to relinquish part of this land late in August of this year, and the other part in September, and the Ministry of Agriculture were notified in the first half of October. This land is not, however, available for cultivation, because it has buildings on it which are being transferred to other Government Departments for housing purposes. I should like to express my regret that one of the owners of the land was led to believe that it would shortly be returned to him.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Aviation how many of the B.E.A. services have been speeded up since 1st August; and what percentage increase in petrol consumption has resulted.

The answer to the first part of the Question is "Nine," and to the last part, "None, Sir."

Will the Parliamentary Secretary say how he gets an increase of speed without at the same time getting increased petrol consumption?

By the change of aircraft.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Aviation if he will give a list of the services operated by the three Corporations, which when working to a full capacity, must of necessity involve a loss.

No, Sir. It would not be in the public interest to give this information.

If, as I believe to be the case, there are runs which are losing as much as £8,000 on a return trip, is it not time the public knew the true facts about British civil aviation?

To take individual routes out of the network of services provided would be unfair and would not give the correct picture.

Is it not a fact that certain aircraft are not being operated on their full permissible pay load and that as a result losses amounting to hundreds of thousands of pounds are taking place?

Permissible pay loads may not always coincide with the operator's view in regard to safety, and safety is the first factor.

If the Parliamentary Secretary cannot give the losses for individual lines, can he give the gross figure of loss?

The House will have that information when the accounts of the three Corporations are published shortly.

When the hon. Gentleman says that it would not be in the public interest to give the information, does he mean that it would be contrary to the public interest to give it, and, if so, would he say why?

No, Sir. One is prepared to give information which one's competitors are prepared to give. Discussions are going on now through the International Civil Aviation Organisation to get all airline operators to agree to give statistics which will enable the public to judge for themselves; such agreed statistics will not place one operator at a disadvantage with another in regard to the information provided.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Aviation why B.O.A.C. have been failing to deliver passengers and mail in Teheran according to schedule.

Because of restrictions on transit imposed by certain Governments arising out of the cholera epidemic in Egypt and a report of plague in Persia.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that the Dutch, Swedish and French airlines have been able to keep a regular service going merely because they took the trouble to avoid Baghdad and fly straight from Lydda to Teheran? Is it not a pity for the sake of British prestige that we are not capable of making some alternative arrangements?

The flight stages and the pay load to be carried over them must be left to the individual operator to determine.

It is not a fact that private charter companies are keeping up a very accurate schedule for their flights in this area.

It is not a question of accurate flights but of not being able to operate into a particular airport because of restrictions on account of health regulations. The first supplementary question suggested that certain points could have been reached by over-flying other points, but they were not over-flown in this case.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Aviation what is the position of the construction of the third runway at Prestwick Airport; and whether he is now satisfied that development of the two existing runways will meet all reasonable needs.

In the present economic circumstances this work has necessarily been deferred. The answer to the second part of the Question is, "Yes, Sir, for the time being."

Will the Parliamentary Secretary give an assurance that these runways will be brought into a condition which will allow Prestwick to continue to fulfil the role of a first-class international airport, which the traffic during the past summer has abundantly justified?

Yes, Sir, and its meteorological conditions will assist in the matter.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Aviation what is the present position concerning an allocation of films for the B.O.A.C. staff at Augusta, Sicily; and whether Augusta will remain a B.O.A.C. port of call after 31st December, 1947.

The first part of the Question is a matter of management and is the responsibility of the Corporation. Future staging post facilities in Italy for B.O.A.C. flying boat services are under discussion with the Italian authorities.

With regard to the first part of the Question, is the hon. Gentleman aware that the company is hoping, and has been hoping, to get these films and that nothing has been done about it? Is it not within the purview of the Minister to do something about it? With regard to the second part of the Question, will he definitely answer me whether or not Augusta has been turned down by the Italians after 31st December, which is very near now?

As to the first part of the Question, it is a matter of staff welfare in which the operator and the staff are desirous of providing facilities for persons in isolated spots. Any and every facility we as a Ministry and His Majesty's Government can properly give to the operator, we will give. As to the second part of the Question, Augusta is being operated under an interim agreement until a commercial agreement is negotiated. Those negotiations are at present being carried on, and we hope they will be brought to a satisfactory conclusion.

Can the hon. Gentleman say whether the name "Augusta, Sicily" is the name of a "Tory brat?"

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Aviation why the empty seats in sectors other than Karachi to Singapore were not filled in the aircraft specially chartered to carry the Minister of Civil Aviation on his recent visit to Australia and the Far East in view of the waiting list of passengers, and the saving in cost of this trip to the taxpayer.

Because no space was available.

Is it not a fact that on certain sections of short haul, seats were available and were not available only for the long haul between Karachi and Singapore? Why were those empty seats over the short section not used?

No, Sir. I am afraid that the hon. Gentleman's information is wrong. A Lancastrian fitted out for the Australian route carries six persons, with sleeping bunks, and that is the passenger pay load throughout the route.

Can the Minister say that the aircraft was used for sleeping purposes and that the normal stops for sleeping were not made?

The answer is a combination of both. Stops were made and the aircraft was also used for sleeping purposes.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Aviation why the contract recently given by his Department to the Feltham Sand and Gravel Company Limited was not put out to public tender.

The company is being granted a lease of gravel-bearing land at Heston owned by the Ministry of Civil Aviation in return for the sale by the company to the Ministry of a gravel bearing site at Stanwell. The company had already received planning consent to excavate there but the site is now required for housing London Airport employees.

In view of the business relationship in another connec- tion between the chairman of this company and the Parliamentary Secretary's brother, would it not hare been wiser, in order to prevent disquieting rumours getting about, to put this contract out to public tender?

I was completely unaware that there was any connection in any shape or form and I should very much doubt it, but I accept the hon. Gentleman's statement. My brother is an accountant but what he is associated with, goodness alone knows.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Aviation in what respects the Tudor Aircraft has proved unsatisfactory for the North Atlantic; and what are the observations of the Courtney Committee of investigation on this matter.

An interim report by the Courtney Committee has been received, is under consideration by His Majesty's Government and until that consideration has been completed no useful purpose would be served by making any statement.

The Parliamentary Secretary made a statement on this matter about a fortnight ago and it was in order to elucidate the statement he then made that I asked this Question. What are the grounds for suggesting that this aircraft will not fly the North Atlantic, and is it true that the Courtney Committee, as announced on the wireless on Tuesday, has said that it could fly the North Atlantic?

In so far as the B.B.C. announcement is concerned, the hon. Member will remember that the B.B.C. stated "It is understood." Why the B.B.C. understood that I do not know. My previous statement was in relation to the B.O.A.C. claims that the weight, range and payload of the aircraft made it uneconomic, and any further questions should await the publication of the Report or a statement from the Government.

Does the Parliamentary Secretary mean to say that he had no evidence whatever, other than the assumption of B.O.A.C., for saying that the Tudor had been proved unsatisfactory for the North Atlantic service and that it would be unwise to permit it to do that service? Had he not already seen the Courtney Report?

No, Sir. The Courtney Committee had not reported: my answer to the House was on the basis of statements made by the operators and others in association with the aircraft. All the statements stand.

Can we take it for granted that the Courtney Report will be made public, and when may we expect its publication?

I cannot answer that question. All I can say is that it is under consideration by the Government, and that it is for the Government to make the decision and no doubt announce it to the House.

What is the purpose of the Courtney Report?

To find out the facts.

What facts?

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether compulsory arrest of Germans for medical examination in respect of V.D. still continues in the British zone of Germany; how many have been arrested during the past year compared with the previous year; and what percentage have been found to be suffering from this disease.

I have called for a report on the matter referred to in my hon. Friend's Question, and I will communicate with him as soon as possible.

I take it from that answer that we still have responsibility in that matter, and if the report shows that the present method has proved of little value, will that procedure be reconsidered?

I had better await the report.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will revise the arrangement in Germany under which British personnel are allowed petrol to cover 500 miles of recreational transport each month.

No, Sir. Five hundred miles a month is a maximum. I am making inquiries into the working of the scheme, which will, of course, be affected by the recent cut of 25 per cent. imposed on the Control Commission's petrol consumption.

Is it not because there is no other means of transport in Germany that the Control Commission has found it necessary to allocate petrol to people so that they may communicate with each other?

I have had strong representations made to me on this question of petrol consumption and communications, and I am looking into the whole matter.

Can my right hon. Friend tell me whether the whole of this petrol is used solely for business purposes or for pleasure as well?

Mainly for business purposes. I think it is for business purposes on the way out and for pleasure on the way home.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what accounts for the irregular and inconvenient shortage of petrol coupons in the British zone of Germany, and as some German pumps are unable to honour even those which are available, if he will cause an investigation to be made into the administration of petrol supplies generally.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs why the petrol supply for the British occupation authorities in Germany has partially broken down; and what steps are being taken to remedy this state of affairs.

There has been no breakdown in petrol supplies in Germany. Authority to issue petrol coupons to nonmilitary users, such as Press correspondents, commercial representatives and welfare organisations was transferred from B.A.O.R. to the Zonal Travel Directorate on 1st November. Coupons held then had to be exchanged for new ones. The demand for new coupons proved unexpectedly large, and a temporary shortage resulted in Berlin. Steps have been taken to remedy the shortage.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on the agreement concluded between the United Kingdom and the United States on the future financing of the bi-zonal area in Germany.

Yes, Sir. I am pleased to be able to state that agreement has now been reached and that the Agreement will be signed in Washington later this afternoon. The text is being prepared as a White Paper. I am arranging for advance copies to be placed in the Library of the House at 5 p.m. tomorrow.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has taken note of the recent public claim of the United States Secretary of the Army that henceforward America would control the economic and financial policies of the Anglo-American zones of Germany; and whether he will represent to the United States Government that in any plans which may be decided on it is the view of His Majesty's Government that Britain should have an equal say with the United States.

The answer to the first part of the Question is, "Yes, Sir." As regards the second part of the Question, I would prefer not to anticipate the statement which will be released tonight. I may, however, say that the negotiations are limited to questions of the financing of supplies and the operation and constitution of the Joint Export-Import Agency and the Joint Foreign Exchange Agency.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will draw the attention of the United Nations Organisation to the risk that the valuable and irreplaceable contents of the Rockefeller Archaeological Museum in Jerusalem may be looted or damaged if the museum area be the scene of fighting; and whether he will state the present and future position of the museum's endowments.

A working committee of the Trusteeship Council is now preparing a draft statute for the City of Jerusalem in accordance with the plan for the future of the city approved by the United Nations on 29th November. I shall arrange for the United Kingdom representative on the working committee to draw its attention to the risk referred to by the hon. Member. The endowment of the museum is held in investments valued on 30th June of this year at 320,000. Income from the endowment during the present financial year is estimated at £P.9,500. Consideration is being given to the future of this endowment so as to ensure its continued application to the purposes for which it was created.

Will the Secretary of State keep the risk to the museum and its contents under constant review?

Yes, most certainly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will make a statement about the future of the Palestine Currency Board.

The question will have to be discussed with the United Nations Committee, but I see no reason to doubt that the existing Board will continue to function, in the interests of holders of currency and Palestine generally, pending an orderly transition to whatever arrangements may in due course be made for the future management of the currency of Palestine.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what ships are still available to the Government of Palestine for the transhipment of unauthorised Jewish immigrants; how long these ship, will continue to be available; and what is to be their ultimate disposal.

With regard to the first part of the Question, there has been no change since the reply given to my hon. Friend on 5th November. These vessels will continue to be available so long as they are required for their present purpose. Questions regarding their future disposal should be addressed to the Minister of Transport.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that the sooner these ships revert to their original purpose of carrying food supplies to this country, the better it will be for all concerned?

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what action is being taken to resettle the Poles at present in Tanganyika Territory in more suitable surroundings.

The majority of these Poles are the dependants of members of the Polish Forces in this country, and will be brought here to join their relatives as soon as the necessary arrangements can be made. A few have already left. The question of the resettlement of the remainder is in the hands of the Preparatory Commission of the International Refuge Organisation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he has inquired into the case of Mr. Edmund Way, who was recently discharged from the Tanganyika Railways, and which was referred to him by the hon. Member for Taunton; and if he will make a statement.

I have not yet received the Governor's report. I will communicate with my hon. Friend when it arrives.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies for what reasons Mr. Louis Baudot was dismissed from his employment with the Board of Quatre Bornes, Mauritius; and why he has not been awarded a pension after 20 years' service.

Mr. Louis Baudot was dismissed from the service of the Board of Commissioners for Quatre Bornes with effect from the 1st March, 1945, On the grounds that in his capacity of Secretary and Treasurer to the Board he obtained six bicycle tyres from the Supply Control Department in his capacity as Secretary of the Board, whereas only three of these tyres were actually purchased and paid for out of the Board's funds. He subsequently sold a bicycle tyre for Rs.30 when the scheduled price was Rs.4.90. The Board of Commissioners decided to dismiss Mr. Baudot. In these circumstances, under the terms of the Pensions Ordinances, no pension could be granted to Mr. Baudot.

Is my right hon. Friend satisfied that the Board of Commissioners did in fact act entirely creditably in this matter, as I understand this civil servant has not had an opportunity of learning the basis of the charge, nor to state his case? Will he have the matter looked into, in view of the fact that a petition has been sent to him?

The man was charged, but, in the light of these representations, I will look into it. A person concerned has the right to petition if he is dissatisfied with the treatment given to him.

asked the Minister of Defence what is the approximate value of installations, stores and equipment in Palestine belonging to the Royal Navy, the Army, and the R.A.F., respectively, and what arrangements are to be made about these prior to the withdrawal of our Forces from Palestine.

I regret that I am unable to supply the figures asked for by the hon. Member. The valuation of the installations, stores and equipment belonging to the three Services in Palestine would have to be carried out locally by staffs whom it would be unwise to divert from their more pressing duties in organising and carrying out the evacuation of the Forces from that country. The basis of any such valuation, if attempted, would be very uncertain, since, for some categories of stores it would represent the replacement value, while for others it would represent only the disposal value obtainable from a willing buyer. As regards the second part of the Question, instructions with regard to the evacuation of stores have already been issued, and evacuation by sea and land is proceeding as quickly as possible; the disposal of fixed assets is in hand.

Can the right hon. Gentleman give the House any idea of the proportion of the installations, stores and equipment which will have been evacuated by August?

I do not think I could offhand. It will take some little evaluation to do that, but we are anxious to secure for ourselves, in the evacuation, those things which continue to be of replacement value to us, and we are concentrating upon them.

I presume that at some period the Minister of Defence will inform the House what is to happen to any of these installations, if any of them should be left there when the evacuation takes place?

I should think that would be quite proper, but I am not sure whether it would be my function or that of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Colonies. We will look into it.

Is it true that a large amount of motor transport will probably be left both in Palestine and Egypt, and has my right hon. Friend considered the possibility of making it available to nearby countries which suffered enemy occupation in the war, and are still very short of such transport?

All these matters are being taken into account, but the first consideration is to secure the utmost economy we can for our country.

Can the right hon. Gentleman tell us upon what, if any, principle, permanent and immovable installations are being left or destroyed?

The more permanent installations will certainly not fall within my category for negotiation; I have an interest in them but they are more a matter for negotiation with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Colonies.

Did any stores or equipment come under Lend-Lease originally, and will these have to be returned?

I cannot say without notice, but I should think that there would not be very much of that now.

asked the Minister of Defence if he will give an assurance that men now with the Forces will, on demobilisation, be given civilian clothes on the existing scale; and that it is not his intention to substitute a money payment in lieu of clothes.

Men called up in 1947 for a fixed term of two years or less will, as announced by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Labour on 21st January last, receive a supplementary allowance of clothing coupons on release. All men called up before 1st January, 1947, and released under the age and service group scheme will receive civilian clothes on the existing scale. Certain difficulties are being experienced in the supply of suits, and to overcome them some modifications in the method of issue are now being discussed with the trade, on whose cooperation I am sure we can rely.

Does the right hon. Gentleman's answer make it clear that the pledge which has been given to the men will be kept? Is he further aware that his own intervention and action in this matter are greatly appreciated?

My view is that the pledge must be kept. It may perhaps happen that there may be a little difficulty here and there,. We are discussing the best possible way out with the trade, who, I am sure, will desire to help us meet the pledge which has been given to the men.

asked the Minister of Defence to what extent administrative and operational co-ordination in the three Services has been achieved since his Ministry was established; and if he will make a statement on his future plans in this direction.

Under Ministers, the operations of the Services are fully coordinated through the organisation of the Chiefs of Staff which was described in the White Paper on the Central Organisation for Defence published in October, 1946. That White Paper also described the machinery to be established for co-ordination in the administrative sphere, including the appointment of a Standing Committee of Service Ministers under my Chairmanship. For a report on the progress made, I would ask my hon. Friend to await the publication of the Defence White Paper early next year.

Could not my right hon. Friend now detail his achievements more precisely than he has done? Is it not possible to achieve more co-ordination in such directions as maintenance, pay, photographic reconnaissance, etc., and thereby cut down the manpower involved?

All these matters have been under examination. I certainly cannot deal with them by question and answer.

asked the Minister of Defence the potato rations for the three Services.

The present potato ration of the Army at home is 1 lb. a day for men and 14 oz. for women. Under the Naval and Air Force systems of messing on a cash allowance basis, there are no fixed rations of potatoes. It is hoped shortly to announce the adjustment of various items of Service rations, including reductions in the amount of potatoes, in the case of all three Services.

asked the Minister of Food why the movement of carrots between Yorkshire and Lancashire has been prohibited; to what extent the current domestic crop is likely to satisfy demand; and how many tons of Danish carrots have been imported in the last six months.

Home supplies are lower this year than normal and my right hon. Friend has therefore arranged for the importation of 10,000 tons from Denmark. Danish carrots, of which about 800 tons have so far been imported, are being marketed in Lancashire and in other Northern Counties. The local demand is being met in this way and we are able to conserve our own supplies for the time being.

Does the hon. Lady realise that the public would rather have Danish butter than Danish carrots?

asked the Minister of Food if his attention has been called to the difficulty that hospitals and infirmaries are experiencing in Scotland in providing a necessary and varied diet to patients; and if he will exempt these institutions from pointage on oatmeal and potatoes.

Patients in hospitals and infirmaries in Scotland, as in England and Wales, get the same rations as they do at home. They may also get extra allowances when these are recommended by our medical advisers as necessary for the treatment of certain diseases. I greatly regret that the supply position does not permit me to do more.

asked the Minister of Food what was the profit per lb. made by the Ministry in the recent sales of edible nuts; and what percentage of profit does this represent on the cost price.

The profit per lb. was about 3s. 2d. which, based on ex-warehouse cost, was about 237 per cent.

Will the Minister agree that if the Association which normally handles these nuts had made that profit it would have been railed at and considered excessive?

Could the Minister say what the average price of these sales to the retailer was, and how it compares with the price of 10s. per lb. at which the nuts are selling in my constituency?

They have not been sold for a long time. We had not enough to sell last Christmas.

Does this mean that the Socialist Party is now convinced of the rightness of the profit motive?

Will the hon. Lady say why nuts imported in June, 1946, were not sold last Christmas?

Some were.

asked the Minister of Food what steps he is taking, to increase the supply of fishmeal for feeding to pigs and poultry; and the prospective supplies for 1948 compared with 1938.

Our supplies of fishmeal, which are mainly home produced, depend largely on the size of the fishing catch. During the war they fell to one-third of our prewar quantities. For 1948 it is estimated that we shall have three-quarters of the supplies available in 1938. We shall buy all we can obtain from foreign supplies, the main source being Iceland.

We all agree that nature has something to do with this; but is the Minister of Food making proper provision for surplus fish, such as herring, which are not required immediately for human consumption, to be taken up and made into these valuable foodstuffs for pigs and poultry?

We are prepared to take any herring from the fishermen at 30s. a cran.

asked the Minister of Food what export target he has set for his Ministry; to which countries food is being sent; and if he will show the varieties, quantities and values of these foods.

The export target for the food and drink industries as announced by my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 13th September, 1947, is £5,500,000 monthly by the end of 1948. The principal commodities are whisky, gin, beer, refined sugar and processed foodstuffs which have a high conversion value. Manufacturers are being urged to direct these exports, wherever possible, to hard currency countries.

Can the hon. Lady give an assurance that no oatmeal or oat products will be exported while oatmeal remains at four points a pound in this country?

I think I can, Sir.

What proportion of the £5,500,000 is attributable to food as distinct from drink?

I would have to have notice of that Question.

asked the Minister of Food what was the value of foodstuffs exported during the last three months, for which particulars are available, to dollar countries, non-dollar countries and the sterling area, respectively.

In the three months August to October, the latest period for which figures are available, the value of exports of foodstuffs, produced or processed in the United Kingdom was as follows: dollar countries, £3,562,000; non-dollar countries excluding the sterling area, £3,669,000; sterling area, £4,822,000.

Does not the hon. Lady agree that that is rather a large proportion for the non-dollar countries, and that our main object in exporting food, obviously, should be to get dollars?

I cannot agree with the right hon. and learned Gentleman. He must realise that we are under obligation to export some of this food to our Colonies.

Certainly.

Of course, a great deal of that is contained in these figures.

asked the Minister of Food whether dried bananas are on sale anywhere in Britain; and if he will consider making these available in larger quantities to housewives in Scotland.

My Department does not undertake the distribution of dried bananas. Supplies are imported on private account, under licence, and distributed to the health food stores.

asked the Minister of Food what percentage of whale-meat is now contained in the average sausage.