asked the Minister of Munitions if he can give the names and occupations of the members of the Committee on Alcohol appointed to advise his Department; and whether any chemical expert is acting on the Committee?

The Committee is composed as follows:

Sir Frederick L. Nathan, Director of Propellant Supplies.

Sir Arthur J. Tedder, Board of Customs and Excise.

F. Gosling, Esq., Board of Trade.

R. J. Thompson, Esq., Board of Agriculture.

S. C. Bayne, Esq., Irish Patent Still Distillers.

Andrew Jameson, Esq., Irish Pot Still Distillers.

Richard F. Nicholson, Esq., English Patent Still Distillers and Rectifiers.

James Robertson, Esq., Scotch Pot Still Distillers.

William H. Ross, Esq., Scotch Patent Still Distillers.

T. Shelley, Esq., Methylators and Rectifiers.

Alexander Walker, Esq., Blenders and Merchants.

Secretary to the Committee—

Mr. W. H. Rattenbury, Propellant Supplies Branch, Ministry of Munitions, 32, Old Queen Street, Westminster, S.W.

The Committee have obtained expert chemical advice as and when it became necessary.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food (1) whether his attention has been drawn to the growing discontent amongst all classes engaged in the production of home-grown food at the refusal of the Government to take steps to make available a suitable supply of malt for the production of home-brewed beer for agricultural labourers during haysel and harvest; and whether, in the interests of efficient and zealous work during harvest, he will reconsider his decision; and (2) whether he is able to state how much malt would be required to provide the necessary quantity of home-brewed beer for agricultural labourers during harvest; whether he is aware that a slight diminution in zeal and efficiency on the part of agricultural labourers at harvest would be more costly to the nation's food supply than the setting free of the requisite quantity of malt; whether, in the interests of the nation's food supply, he will authorise such further malting as may be necessary for this purpose; and, if this be not possible, will he consider the question and take steps in some other direction which shall secure that there shall be made available for agricultural labourers a sufficient quantity of beer of suitable quality at reasonable prices during the periods of harvest?

The question whether it is possible under the present restrictions to make special provision for the supply of beer for agricultural labourers is engaging attention, but I am not in a position to make any definite announcement.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention had been called to the fact that, though Glasgow, Perth, and Inverness continue to receive fruit direct by rail from the South of England, the Railway Executive has stopped all fruit traffic to Edinburgh, Dundee, and Aberdeen, thereby inflicting great hardship on the fruit firms in these cities; and whether, seeing that the trucks conveying fruit for Glasgow, Perth, and Inverness must pass through junctions where they can be left and hooked on to trains proceeding to Edinburgh, Dundee, and Aberdeen, he will instruct the Railway Executive to act in the manner indicated?

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given yesterday to the question asked by the hon. Member for South' Aberdeen.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether at a conference that recently took place between his Department, the Tottenham Light and Gas Company, and the local authorities of the districts served by the company it was agreed that each local authority might test the gas for calorific power once per day; if so, why have the Board now made an Order restricting the testing by all the authorities to once per day at each station without hearing the reasons which the local authorities desired to advance against this course; and whether, in view of the disadvantages under which consumers are now placed in the matter and quality and price of the gas supplied, the Board will give them all the protection possible?

The gas supplied by the Tottenham District Light, Heat, and Power Company may be tested at three separate testing places, and, in accordance with the uniform practice of Parliament in local Acts relating to gas undertakings, the Board of Trade, in their recent Order fixing a calorific standard for the gas supplied by this company, provided that not more than one testing for calorific power should be made at each testing place on any one day. The Board of Trade do not think that, as a general rule, they are justified in imposing conditions in Orders of this nature more onerous than those imposed by Parliament on other gas undertakers in like circumstances. The representations made by the local authorities in this particular instance were very carefully considered, and the Board saw no reason to depart from the usual practice.

asked the Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs what Regulations or restrictions are in force at the present time affecting American citizens resident in the United Kingdom; and whether the existing Regulations are in any way modified from those in force before the United States came into the War; and, if so, will he state the terms of such modifications?

My right hon. Friend has asked me to reply to this question. The Regulations applying to American citizens under the Aliens' Restriction Order are the same as are in force with regard to all other alien friends, including the French and our other Allies. They are required to register with the police and report any change of residence, and, when staying in hotels, boarding-houses, etc. to register with the keeper thereof, and they must not enter prohibited areas unless they are in possession of an identity book or have obtained the permission of the chief officer of police of the area. The answer to the second part of the question is in the negative

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland the average price per acre paid by the Congested Districts Board for land in county Roscommon; what price do the Board now propose to pay to Mr. Conry, a relative for a member of the Board, for the land of Ballinturley, which he recently purchased for £400; whether the prices charged to recipients of allotments increase with the price paid by the Board for the whole; and, seeing that the Board have statutory power to acquire land for its value, whether that will be done in this case?

I assume that the question refers to the average price per aero paid by the Congested Districts Board for the occupation interest of land. This price varies considerably according to the tenure of the occupying tenant. If the holding is held under a future tenancy, the tenant is only entitled to compensation fixed by Statute. In the case of tenancies held subject to judicial rents, the compensation if not arranged voluntarily is fixed by the Land Commission at what they estimate to be its market value. In the case of Mr. Conry, the Board did not make any offer for his interest in the farm, for which he paid £400, but proceedings were taken to have the price fixed by the Land Commission. The case was heard at the Sessions on the 10th ultimo, but the decision has not yet been notified.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland if he will now state the entire cost to the public caused by the ultra vires order of the Local Government Board for Ireland to the Clonmel Asylum Committee (King v . M'Loughlin); and under what Statute or rule the public pay this, instead of the official responsible for the illegal order?

I am not able to add anything at present to the answer I gave the hon. Member on 26th February.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland if he will ascertain and state the means which Patrick Gilmore is alleged by the Local Government Board to possess disentitling him to the old age pension granted to him by the Colloney Pension Sub-committee, that sub-committee having certified that he has no means?

The means attributed to the claimant mentioned in the question consist of a farm of 13¼ acres, which he assigned to an unmarried son, a rural postman, apparently for the purpose of obtaining a pension.