asked the Minister of Transport when he expects that the Docks and Inland Waterways Executive will report to him on the priority that should be given to steel allocation for the new deep-water quay in the River Tees; and if he will make a statement.

asked the Minister of Transport if he has yet received the report of the Docks and Inland Waterways Executive on the allocation of steel for the construction of the deep-water quay at Middlesbrough; and if he will make a statement.

As the result of a recommendation by the Docks and Inland Waterways Executive, dealing with port facilities in the Tees area, the British Transport Commission have asked them to proceed with the preparation of a scheme under Section 66 of the Transport Act. The purpose of the scheme will be to ensure, by unified control, the best possible use of existing facilities, and to enable the problem of future development to be considered against the wider background of the port as a whole, without the complications attendant on divided ownership and responsibility.

In these circumstances and having regard to the continuing need to limit capital investment, the proposal to provide new berths in the River Tees has been considered in relation to other projects and, in accordance with the Executive's recommendation, I am not prepared to authorise the commencement of this work at present.

In view of the deep anxiety which exists on Teesside about the lack of progress of this scheme and of the fact that there is something like £40 million or £50 million worth of development in this area, will my right hon. Friend look at this matter again in a more favourable light?

As my hon. Friend knows: this has occupied a good deal of my attention and I have considered it very fully, but, as I have indicated in my reply, in relation to other projects, especially port projects, throughout the country, I regret that I cannot reconsider the decision.

Can the right hon. Gentleman say what projects can possibly be more important than this one to Middlesbrough?

Not in rely to a supplementary question.

asked the Minister of Transport what was the amount of pilferage on the railways in 1938, 1946 and 1947, respectively.

Separate figures for pilferage are not available, but the amounts paid by the railway companies in respect of claims for articles lost or stolen in 1938, 1946 and 1947, were, respectively. £180,462, £2,441,023 and £2,671,383.

Is the Minister able to confirm that the figure for last year is even more disastrous than for 1947, and will he say what the Railway Executive are doing to save this wholesale loss?

As the hon. Member knows, last year is a matter for the British Transport Commission, but figures have been got out and I have arranged for them to be forwarded to the hon. Member.

asked the Minister of Transport when he proposes to lay before Parliament the new regulations which will finally clarify the rights and duties of motor traffic and pedestrians in the use of authorised road crossings.

New regulations relating to pedestrian crossing places have been drafted and I am about to consult interested organisations on them. I hope to lay the regulations as soon as this consultation has been completed.

Will the right hon. Gentleman remember that conditions are still chaotic, and that with the increased number of summer visitors to London the more speedily these regulations can be made operative the better for the prevention of deaths on the roads?

The hon. and gallant Member is aware that there is a statutory obligation upon the Minister to consult various organisations. I find that that takes a little time.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he has any information as to the effects of the special pedestrian traffic week from 3rd to 9th April last; and whether there has been any substantial fall in the number of road accidents as a result.

I cannot at present add much to the reply given to the hon. and gallant Member for Glasgow, Central (Colonel Hutchison) on 11th April. The improvement in the behaviour of road users noted during the week will, I hope, be maintained. I cannot yet answer the last part of the Question, since detailed analysis of the accident figures for April has not yet been completed.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will state the number of accidents during the three years. 1946, 1947 and 1948, caused by the colliding of motor vehicles with cattle straying on to the highway; and whether, in view of the increase in fast moving road traffic, he will consider legislation placing a legal obligation on the owner of land abutting on to the highway to maintain hedges or fences so as to prevent his animals from straying on to the highway.

I regret that this information is not available. A system of detailed road accident statistics was started on 1st January last which will enable such particulars to be extracted and examined. On the present evidence I do not feel justified in considering so far-reaching a measure as that suggested by my hon. Friend.

Will my right hon. Friend consult the Attorney-General to see whether something cannot be done in this direction to remove this anachronism, which entitles owners of land abutting the highway to be negligent and cause injury to other people through their animals straying, particularly at night?

I have no objection to consulting my right hon. and learned Friend the Attorney-General, but this is a very far-reaching proposal.

Will my right hon. Friend bear in mind that if he consults the Attorney-General on the matter he may discover that the proposed change in the law, so far from being a far-reaching matter of policy, is a very simple and long overdue reform, and that he may then be able to answer the Question a little more favourably?

For the moment we will share that hope together.

asked the Minister of Transport whether, in view of the fact that it was usual before the introduction of the Highway Code for the public to walk on the right side of the pavement and that the recommendation in the Highway Code was that the left side should be used, he will publicise the wishes of the authorities as expressed in the Highway Code, which is not generally read by pedestrians.

The Highway Code does not go quite so far as suggested by my hon. Friend, but advises against walking alongside the kerb in the same direction as the nearer stream of traffic. I will consider whether anything can usefully be done to make this advice more generally known.

Will the Minister agree that the best advice which he can give to the people will be to keep well to the left during the next 12 or 13 months?

asked the Minister of Supply in how many Royal Ordnance factories schemes for sick leave with full pay have been started; and what has been the rate of absenteeism subsequently as compared with the previous rate.

asked the Minister of Supply why the labour cost in the production in Royal Ordnance factories of electrical ceramics, mining machinery and oilfield equipment in 1947–48 was, respectively, 105 per cent., 82 per cent. and 72 per cent. above the estimate.

The Royal Ordnance factories undertook this work to meet acute shortages of supplies in this country. The type of production was a specialised one, of which they had had no previous experience.

Does the Minister appreciate that the Auditor-General called attention to these figures in his recent report, and does he think that a private

As the answer contains a number of figures I will, with the hon. and gallant Member's permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Is the Minister aware that since the scheme was brought in at the Royal Ordnance Factory at Pontypool the absenteeism on sick leave has risen from 3 per cent. to 17 per cent., and does he think that we can afford that sort of thing at the present time?

I have not the individual figures for the Royal Ordnance Factories.

These are special jobs, usually for short runs, carried out in order to remove some acute shortage which has been holding up some export or other, and the Ordnance factories have not been making these goods under ordinary commercial conditions.

asked the Minister of Supply how many of the 37 new cars purchased for the official car service this year are for the purpose of replacing old cars; what mileages have these old cars completed; and how they are being disposed of.

Twenty-six. Twenty-three of the cars being replaced had been previously used by the Services and there is no record of their total mileage. The remaining three, which are 10 h.p. models, have each completed about 50,000 miles. The old cars which cannot be repaired economically for reissue to Government Departments will be sold by auction.

Does not the answer show that the service is still expanding quite unnecessarily, and that old cars are being disposed of before they have done a proper mileage?

I do not think that it shows anything of the sort.

Can the Minister say why it is not possible to show what mileage a Service vehicle has done? That is something new.

Apparently their mileages are not all recorded, or the speedometers are faulty.

asked the Minister of Supply what approximate period of time elapses between his placing an order for a new car for the official car service and its receipt by him from the makers.

New cars for the official car service are included in orders placed by the Ministry of Supply for cars for all Government Departments. First delivery begins about six months after the placing of an order and it takes from nine to 18 months to complete the order.

Is it not the case that in view of the short time that elapses, namely, only six months, the Minister of Supply is able to secure a considerable priority through his influence over steel allocations?

No, there is no truth at all in that statement.

asked the Minister of Supply whether, having regard to the obsolescence of much of the printing-plant in this country, and the consequent disadvantage at which British trade and technical journals are placed in competition with similar periodicals published overseas, he will permit the retention in this country of sufficient printing-plant to replace machinery no longer capable of high-standard production.

During the last six months more printing machinery has been available to the home market, owing to increased production. My Department is at present reviewing the distribution, in consultation with the Board of Trade, to see what further help can be given to British printers.

Does the right hon. Gentleman realise what valuable ambassadors trade journals of this kind can be, if properly produced, and that they will not fulfil that function if they are not properly produced?

Yes, Sir.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what amount of petrol was granted for hospital car service throughout the country for the first quarter of 1949 compared with the first quarter of 1948.

The amount of petrol granted to the hospital car service throughout the United Kingdom during the first quarter of 1949 was 225,026 gallons as compared with 76,491 gallons for the corresponding period of 1948.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether, in view of the inadequacy of the existing petrol allowance to many domiciliary midwives, he will issue instructions to all regional petroleum officers that special consideration should be given to all such applications for petrol.

Regional petroleum officers have standing instructions to meet in full the reasonable requirements of all certified midwives. If the hon. Member knows of any midwife who is not able to obtain enough petrol for her work, I shall be glad to look into the case.

Will the right hon. Gentleman not only look into individual cases, but into the general policy? Is he aware that even those midwives who are lucky enough to have cars are seriously handicapped in their work by the inadequacy of the petrol allowance which they are granted?

No, there is no evidence whatever to that effect, but, as I say, if the hon. Member has an individual case in mind, I will certainly look into it.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he has received a report on the successful working of a drift mine at Oakwood Grange, Cossall; and whether he can make a statement on the possibility in certain areas of obtaining coal which is near the surface by drift mining instead of by opencast methods.

No, Sir, not on this particular drift mine. But a number of drift mines are of course being operated at present and I have in fact visited some of them. As regards the second part of the Question, I would refer my hon. Friend to the evidence given by the National Coal Board to the Select Committee on Estimates on the production and marketing of opencast coal, which made it clear that the Board were already developing drift mines to the greatest extent possible. There is full consultation between my Ministry and the National Coal Board before any decision to extract coal by opencast working is taken and if the Board indicate that drift mining might be appropriate, this alternative is fully considered. My hon. Friend will however appreciate that the coal is extracted much more quickly and in larger quantities by opencast methods, since in drift mining a certain amount of coal near the surface has to be left unworked.

Will the Minister consider the possibility of substituting drift mining for opencast mining at Greasley in Nottinghamshire when the matter comes before him for consideration, as the people there are greatly opposed to their amenities being destroyed by the latter method?

I will certainly look into that question.

Will the Minister bear in mind the fact that it is not only a matter of amenity but the serious and permanent waste of good agricultural land, and that if drift mining could be substituted we should retain the agricultural land and presumably get the coal as well?

In the recent Debate I dealt fully with this matter. Some of the agricultural experts who appeared before the Select Committee on Estimates were more opposed to drift mining than to opencast mining from the point of view of restoring the land for agricultural use.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power if he is aware of the shortage of bunkers; that this shortage is delaying the turn-round of vessels in United Kingdom ports; and whether he will take immediate action to rectify this matter.

Although shipments for foreign bunkers at United Kingdom ports and for coaling stations abroad have been about 20,000 tons more this year than in the corresponding period of last year, I understand there have been a few cases of delay due to a number of vessels requiring bunkers at the same time. The National Coal Board are doing everything possible to overcome these difficulties.

asked the Minister of Food whether he is aware of the dissatisfaction caused by the discrimination between the agricultural worker and the agricultural smallholder in respect of extra rations; and whether he will extend to the latter category the extra rations already allowed to the former.

Allowances for seasonal farming operations are already available to smallholders and agricultural workers alike. We are unable to extend the special cheese ration to self-employed workers since, as a general rule, they are able to make arrangements for obtaining a midday meal.

asked the Minister of Food if he is aware that, although under form S.A.4 (AG) farm workers are allowed extra seasonal allowances for the hoeing and singling of roots, extra rations have been refused to men who are hoeing kale in the same field; and whether, in view of the fact that the jobs are identical, he will take immediate steps to put an end to this anomaly.

The farming operations for which seasonal allowances are given were selected after consultation with the Advisory Committee of the Trades Union Congress, and we do not propose to add to the list.

May I ask the right hon. Lady if she is not aware that this is further evidence of want of co-operation between the Ministry of Food and the Ministry of Agriculture? Is she further aware that the situation was described to me by a farmer who said, "Don't worry, Waldron, this is the last bit of Socialist folly of Comrade John and our Edith."

The right hon. Lady says she will not reconsider the matter. Will not she put the question again to the unions because it is clear to all of us who live in the country districts there is an anomaly here which ought to be seen into?

I recognise that there is an anomaly here and I do not deny it.

Then why not do something?

The right hon. Gentleman must realise that we have to draw the line somewhere, and I think he would agree that the Advisory Committee of the Trade Union Congress does take everything into consideration.

Does the right hon. Lady realise that there are a great number of people living in the country who also take these things into consideration and have views which ought to be considered, too?

Is not this further proof that the T.U.C. are masters of this country?

asked the Minister of Food what are the ingredients of imitation honey; and what is its value as food in comparison with that of real honey.

The principal ingredient of imitation honey is invert sugar—[HON. MEMBERS: "What?"]—invert sugar. It sometimes contains other forms of sugar and may be flavoured, for example, with natural honey. There is no appreciable difference between the food values of imitation honey and natural honey.

How does one recognise the inversion of this imitation honey?

Invert sugar is the result of breaking up the sucrose with acid. It is a mixture of glucose and fructose.

Can the right hon. Lady say whether there is any difference in taste between real honey and imitation honey?

Very little.

Was not the recipe of this honey fully described in "Let us Face the Future"?

asked the Minister of Food whether he will now define his policy in relation to the export of confectionery to countries with which Britain has a favourable balance of trade with special reference to the urgent and increasing home demand.

Exports of chocolate and sugar confectionery in 1949 to countries with which we have a favourable balance of trade will not exceed the limited amounts exported to them in 1948. Our object is to retain our connection with these markets, principally in Commonwealth countries and Colonial possessions.

Does not the Minister fully realise the urgent need to give an additional allocation at home? It is no use derationing without giving a proper allocation. Why not ensure that there is a proper allocation? It would work if only the right hon. Lady gave an adequate quantity.

The hon. Member should have thought of that before he pressed for derationing.

I will press the right hon. Lady now, and keep on pressing.

asked the Minister of Food what steps he is taking to deal with a recurrence of the recent loss sustained by British fishermen when large catches were unsaleable for edible purposes owing to large scale foreign landings.

I presume the hon. Member is referring to the loss incurred during the week ended 21st May, when 825 tons of edible white fish were sent to the meal works at the four largest ports, out of 19,500 tons landed. In the light of these figures I cannot accept the implication that foreign landings are causing large losses.

Is it not also a fact that much of the fish landed fetches a very poor price; and what is the sense in sending out ships and using coal, men and ships to bring back nothing of value and at the same time paying foreign currency for landings elsewhere?

The hon. Member must realise that the general demand for fish is very good, but we cannot equate supply to demand every day.

Would not this problem disappear if the Ministry of Food refused to accept fish collected all round the coast of Iceland and brought here in cargo vessels? Why does not the Ministry insist on the same procedure with our fish as with fish bought for Germany, that is, that it goes on the actual catching trawler direct from the grounds to the port of Hamburg?

As the hon. Gentleman knows, if there is congestion at certain ports we are allowed to suspend landings.

asked the Minister of Food how many British subjects are living in European voluntary workers camps in England and Wales, and are in receipt of the full meat ration; and how many of them are doing work that entitles European voluntary workers to this ration.

Ninety-two thousand, two hundred workers, of whom 51,700 are foreign, are living in industrial or agricultural camps and hostels and get the allowances of food on either the industrial "A" or "B" scales.

Will the right hon. Lady say what steps are taken to ensure that unauthorised persons do not get an extra meat ration, because there is great resentment at this in rural areas?

The only answer I can give is that we have very responsible men in charge who are there for the purpose of preventing it from happening.

Is there any check periodically?

The men are there to check it.

asked the Minister of Food if he is now in position to make a statement on the termination of the carrot control.

No, Sir, I am not in a position to make a statement on the final termination of carrot control, but so far as the 1949 crop is concerned my right hon. Friend does not propose to control the price until the 1st November, and will not re-introduce licensing of traders.

Would the right hon. Lady consider retaining enough carrots to dangle in front of the electorate at the next Election?

asked the Minister of Food what proposals he has for providing wholesalers who started business since 1939 with allocations of fruits imported and controlled by his Department.

I am sorry that I am not at present in a position to add anything to the reply on this subject given by my right hon. Friend on 2nd March.

Could my right hon. Friend say whether the difficulty is technical, since this change is so desirable; and could not she decide on one of the two most favoured schemes put forward, so that this very desirable objective can be achieved?

There are wider issues. We are considering the de-control of citrus fruit.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether in view of the urgency of supplementing the present meat ration with pork he will forthwith increase the present farrowing sow allowance from 8 to 12 cwt. in order that the breeder of pigs may have sufficient food to feed on the young pigs to an age of 16 weeks.

No, Sir. The needs of breeders of pigs were fully considered before the Government decided upon the increases in pig rations that my right hon. Friend announced on 19th May.

How does the Minister expect to increase the pig population if he does not do something more than has already been done? Surely, it is important to secure an increase in the pig population if there is a shortage of food? I do not understand it.