asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether his attention has been drawn to the dispute at Glasgow Empire Exhibition between four German joiners engaged in the erection of a scenic railway and the joiners who are members of the Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers; that the four German joiners agreed, after protracted negotiations, to join this trade union, but the German Ambassador in London ordered the men to leave the union; and whether he will make representations to the German Government against interfering in the internal industrial affairs of this country and that Germans must conform to the rules of the country while working here?

I have seen reports of the matter in the Press, but I understand that the matter has now been settled on a basis satisfactory to all concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether his attention has been drawn to the failure of the Glasgow Corporation Education Committee to provide a school in the Tollcross area for Roman Catholic children, and that, in consequence, these children from a widely scattered and growing district require to attend a school in Lanarkshire county area, which has different holidays and many different arrangements and is some distance for many children to travel; and will he take steps to see that the Glasgow Education Committee provide the necessary school accommodation?

I understand that the Glasgow Education Authority have considered the question of providing a school for Roman Catholic pupils in the Tollcross district and that they have acquired a site for the purpose; but they are faced with a very large programme of building to meet the raising of the school age, the developments in new housing areas and the replacement of unsatisfactory buildings. It is primarily for them to determine the relative urgency of each individual scheme. I understand that all the children concerned live within approximately a mile of the Lanark school which they attend.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether, in view of the serious conditions prevailing in the herring fishing, and the consequent unemployment and distress in fishing towns, he is yet in a position to announce the Government's decision on the proposals made to him in November last by the deputation from the herring fishing industry of England and Scotland?

The proposals put forward in November last, which as the right hon. Gentleman will remember would involve legislation along with other representations also involving legislation recently received from various bodies, are being actively considered in connection with the Government's review of the general position of the fishing industry. The Minister of Agriculture and I received only last week a deputation from representative organisations of catchers and curers, and I shall endeavour to make a statement without avoidable delay.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he can state the number of persons who have had their funeral expenses paid by the Glasgow Public Assistance Department during the last three years; the cost during that period; and the average cost per person?

I am informed by the Corporation of Glasgow that during the last three years the Public Assistance Department paid, in whole or in part, the expenses of the funerals of 1,428 persons, at a total cost to the department of £2,954. With regard to the second part of the question, an average figure would, I think, be misleading in view of the fact that in many cases only part of the cost was met by the Corporation.

asked the Postmaster-General what has been the estimated increase in the number of telephones installed in the country following the reduction in rentals during recent years; and whether he will consider the desirability of reducing rentals still further with a view to increasing still further the number of telephone installations and thus provide not only additional employment for all concerned but benefit the revenue of the Post Office?

The number of telephones has increased from about 2¼ millions at the beginning of 1934 to over three millions at the present time, an increase of about 33 per cent. I can assure the hon. Member that I am fully alive to the desirability of reducing the charges for the telephone to the lowest level consistent with the provision of an efficient service and with an adequate financial return; but I am not at present in a position to contemplate reductions over and above those already made, some of the most important of which took effect less than 18 months ago.

asked the Postmaster General whether he is aware that Mr. Steven, 17, Wester Road, Mount Vernon, Lanarkshire, made an application for a telephone on 10th April, 1937, and why no installation has yet been made?

The delay in providing telephone service has been due to serious line plant shortage in the locality. The provision of additional line plant has been in hand for some time, but has been hampered by road widening operations. The difficulties have now been overcome and Mr. Steven was given service on 25th January.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that there are certain telephone calls with seven numbers to dial; and whether he will arrange to reduce all numbers which have more than five figures in them to that figure?

London, Birmingham and Manchester automatic subscribers for some years past have dialled seven digits for all local calls. In the rest of the country calls within the same area are usually obtained by dialling three, four or five digits and these form the great proportion of the calls made. For calls to adjoining areas the total number of digits to be dialled could not be restricted to five without the partial abandonment of automatic working.

asked the Postmaster-General the youngest age at which males and females may enter for employment in his Department?

The youngest Post Office entrants, boy messengers and girl probationers, are eligible for employment when they are legally exempt from attendance at school, i.e., at the end of the term in which they reach the age of 14.

asked the Postmaster-General what was the total value of the air mail carried by British air lines during 1937; how this volume compared with that carried in 1936; and what part of the increase may be attributed to the partial introduction of the Empire air mail scheme?

The total volume of air mail carried by British air lines during 1937 within, away from, and to the United Kingdom, and between points abroad, is estimated to be of about 1,500 tons as compared with a volume of about 1,000 tons in 1936. The increase during 1937 includes about 200 tons directly attributable to the partial introduction of the Empire Air Mail Scheme.

asked the Postmaster-General when arrangements will be made to provide a television service for the Manchester area?

The question of extending the television service to areas outside the present range of the London station has been considered by the Television Advisory Committee, who have decided that further research is necessary on certain aspects of the problem. This research is still in progress and, until it is completed, the committee will not be in a position to make any recommendation concerning the establishment of additional television stations.

asked the Postmaster-General when arrangements will be made to provide a television service for the Birmingham area?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer I have to-day given to my hon. Friend the Member for Moss Side (Mr. R. Duckworth).

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education how many unemployed teachers are in debt to education authorities for the loans advanced while in training colleges, and the average amount of the indebtedness?

My Noble Friend regrets that the information for which the hon. Member asks is not available.

asked the Minister of Transport what steps he is taking to comply with the representations made to him by temperance societies and others that a thorough investigation should be made into the relationship between alcohol and road accidents so that greater protection may be afforded to the general public?

I am not sure to what representations the hon. Member refers, but I would remind him that at the request of my predecessor, the British Medical Association furnished a full report in 1935 in regard to the "Relation of Alcohol to Road Accidents."

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he can make any statement with reference to the sinking of the "Alcira" on 4th February, off the coast of Barcelona, by attack from the air?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer given earlier this afternoon by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to other questions on the same subject.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether his attention has been drawn to the shooting of 22 Scotsmen who were taken prisoners by the army of General Franco at Teruel; and whether he has made any protest to the insurgent authorities against this massacre of men taken prisoner in warfare?

I have seen a report of this in the Press. I have received no official information that would confirm it, but I am making immediate inquiries on the subject. Should the hon. Member have any further information tending to substantiate the report, I should be grateful if he would forward it to me.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether, in view of the fact that there is a large volume of opinion that this reform is overdue, he can state if any decision on the question of travelling allowance for married naval officers has now been reached?

This is one aspect of the general question of the position of the married naval officer. I am not yet in a position to announce any decision on that subject.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether his attention has been drawn to the investigations carried out by the Hannah Institute of Dairy Research into the feeding of calves on raw and pasteurised milk by experiments with two groups of calves, the first group with ordinary commercial milk in its raw state, the second group with the same milk after it had been submitted to ordinary commercial pasteurisation in a local dairy; that the results showed that of the 36 calves fed on ordinary commercial milk in its raw state 23 were ultimately found to be infected by tuberculosis mainly in the lungs, and of the 37 calves fed on the same milk after it had been submitted to ordinary commercial pasteurisation in a local dairy no case of tubercular infection was found; and, in view of this, whether he will take steps to make compulsory pasteurisation of all milk marketed?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. As to the second part of the question, the Government's proposals regarding the compulsory pasteurisation of milk are outlined in the White Paper on Milk Policy issued in July last, and as already announced, it is the Government's intention to bring forward legislation this Session on these lines.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he is aware that the age group of those over 65 years of age is increasing, and, in view of the hardship caused by the low pension of 10s. per week, will he give consideration to increasing it to £1 per week?

I am aware that the numbers of persons in the age group of 65 and over are increasing, and I gave figures showing the striking increase and its effect in increasing the cost of pensions in reply to a question by my hon. Friend the Member for South Croydon (Mr. H. G. Williams) on 3rd February. The automatic growth of pension charges is such as to necessitate the utmost caution in considering proposals to increase the burden. I fear that the proposal in the second part of the question is impracticable.

asked the Minister of Health whether any progress has been made in the consideration of the difficult position in regard to insurance of a certain group of seamen who are resident in England but employed on vessels owned and registered in Eire?

I regret that it has not yet been possible to resolve the difficulties regarding the insurance of the small group of seamen resident in this country who are employed on ships owned and registered in Eire, and are consequently outside the Acts operative in the United Kingdom. My right hon. Friend is anxious to remove these difficulties, but my hon. Friend will appreciate that any solution must be conditional upon the agreement of the Government of Eire to changes that would have to be made in the Order concerning reciprocal arrangements.

asked the Minister of Health what his Department has done to carry out the suggestions contained in the report of the Joint Committee on Water Resources and Supplies, Session 1935–36 (H.C. 159)?

In pursuance of the main recommendation of the Joint Committee, and after consultation with the other Government Departments concerned, my right hon. Friend appointed in March last a Central Advisory Water Committee representative of all interested bodies to advise the Government Departments on matters relating to the conservation and allocation of water resources. The committee is actively engaged on its work.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware of the difficulties facing various local authorities in the Greater London area in securing free available sites for housing; and whether, when no proposals are put forward by the local authorities concerned for financial assistance under the Housing Act, 1935, he will consider bringing to their notice the desirability of doing so in the public interest?

I am aware that the question of obtaining suitable sites adequate for their housing needs is a difficulty to some authorities in the Greater London area. With regard to the last part of the question if my hon. Friend has any particular case in mind I shall be glad to look into it.

asked the Minister of Health whether, under Section 31 of the Housing Act, 1935, any requests have been made to his Department by any of the local authorities in the Greater London area for Exchequer contributions towards provision of flats on sites of high values; and, if so, can be give details?

I have received such applications and the following are the details:

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware of the hardship imposed by the provisions of the Housing Acts upon small property owners who cannot afford adequate legal advice and aid; and whether he will consider remedial action?

I presume my hon. Friend has in mind the provisions of the Acts relating to slum clearance. I have no reason to think that any owner is prejudiced by being unable to employ legal assistance at the inquiries which are held by officers of my Department. My hon. Friend is no doubt aware that the substantial issue at the inquiry is the condition of the property and that the Inspector makes a careful inspection of the property in the presence of the owner.

asked the Home Secretary at what date he expects to receive the report of the Departmental Committee on Judicial Corporal Punishment?

It is understood that my right hon. Friend may expect to receive the report in the course of the next two or three weeks.

asked the Home Secretary whether his attention has been drawn to the proposal of the Racecourse Betting Control Board to limit their allocations from the totalisator fund for charitable purposes and the purposes of improving breeds of horses and advancing veterinary science to 10 per cent. of the balance thereof; and whether it is intended that the remaining 90 per cent. shall be allocated solely to purposes conducive to the sport of horse-racing or divided fairly amongst all the purposes referred to in Sub-section (6) of Section 3 of the Racecourse Betting Act, 1928?

The proposal to which my hon. Friend refers does not limit the discretion of the board to recommend to my right hon. Friend the disbursement of more than 10 per cent. of the balance for the purposes to which he refers. The scheme merely involves the distribution of 10 per cent. through the Trustees in order that Income Tax may be recovered.

asked the Home Secretary what steps are being taken to ensure adequate supervision of any Spanish children who may become lost or escape from the control of the Basque Children's Committee before being returned to their own country?

I am informed that the Basque Children's Committee keep a careful check on the children under their care and that no child has disappeared from any of the homes in which they are living or while on their way back to Spain. The arrangements for their supervision would therefore appear to be adequate.

asked the Home Secretary whether, in view of the long hours spent by fruit-growers in country districts where the fruit is grown and the workers are in the fields until late, he will consider introducing legislation to bring in universal extension of the licensing hours of half-an-hour, from 10 p.m. to 10.30 p.m. during summer time, to enable the workers to obtain alcoholic refreshment after a hard day's work?

Licensing justices have power to make such an extension if satisfied that the special requirements of the district render it desirable; but on the question of legislation to make such extension compulsory, whether the justices consider it desirable or not, I am not in a position to make any statement.

asked the Home Secretary whether, in view of the fact that it is not proposed to allow the children in elementary schools the opportunity of collective practice in the use of gas masks, he proposes to suggest that inquiries should at times be set on foot as to whether these children have really become familiar with the use of respirators under the arrangements made for other members of the family?

Under the draft regulations made under Section II (1) (c) of the Air Raid Precautions Act, 1937, local authorities will be responsible not only for making arrangements for the distribution of respirators to the public, but also for giving instruction and advice to the public as to air raid precautions generally, and it is contemplated that local authorities will make such arrangements as will ensure that children are afforded opportunities of becoming familiar with the use of respirators. The suggestion made by my hon. and gallant Friend will, however, be borne in mind.

asked the Home Secretary whether satisfactory arrangements have been made in Nottingham to protect the public in the event of air raids; and whether such arrangements include bombproof shelters in new housing areas?

I understand that in anticipation of statutory powers good progress has been made in Nottingham in the preparation of general precautions but as there has not been time for a formal scheme to be submitted I am not in a position to give particulars.

asked the Home Secretary whether he can make any statement on the value, use, and desirability of adopting generally the Mark IV respirator designed to lessen the risks of silicosis in coal-mining and other similar operations?

The Mark IV respirator is designed for use by workers in processes which expose them to danger to health through dust. The design which has been evolved as the result of prolonged research is considered to represent a considerable advance. It affords a high degree of protection combined with suitability for wear over sustained spells of active work. The respirator is likely to be of value over a wide field, but its adoption for use in particular processes, whether in coal-mining or otherwise, is a matter which will have to be considered in detail in the light of the particular circumstances and in consultation with the industries concerned.