asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware of the serious congestion of traffic, especially during peak traffic hours, in Lord Street, Church Street, Parker Street, Elliott Street, and lower London Road, in the city of Liverpool, of which, railed tramway cars and parked motor cars are the main cause, and what steps are being taken to overcome the nuisance and danger?

I am aware of the difficulties to which the hon. Member refers which are, however, matters for the consideration of the Liverpool Corporation. No representations on this subject have been made to my Department and I have no power to initiate action, but I shall be glad to consider sympathetically any proposals which the corporation may wish to make for the better regulation of traffic in these streets.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he has considered the practicability of constructing under London squares bomb-proof shelters that would also serve as underground motor car parks?

The possibilities of underground car parks, which would also serve as shelters, are at present under close examination by my right hon. Friend the Lord Privy Seal in conjunction with my Department and the Ministry of Health. I have no power to provide or to assist in the provision of shelters or underground motor car parks. It is, however, my expressed desire that local authorities, in the exercise of their powers, should take whatever steps may be practicable to provide parking places off the highway particularly in the central area.

asked the Minister of Transport whether his attention has been drawn to the case of Donald William Spalton, charged and convicted at Burton-on-Trent county police court on the 22nd November for driving without due care and attention, when it appeared in evidence that some months before he had suffered from severe concussion in a motor accident; and whether he will issue regulations requiring a person who has suffered from an injury likely to impede his driving ability to pass a medical examination and a driving test before he is allowed to drive a motor car again?

Yes, Sir. I am informed that the person named was convicted for driving without due care and attention and also for failing to stop after an accident.I have no power to issue Regulations in the sense suggested, and in any case it would be difficult to define precisely the kind of injury to which Regulations of this character should apply. Section 5 of the Road Traffic Act, 1930, provides that an applicant for a driving licence shall declare whether or not he is suffering from a disease or disability which would be likely to make his driving a source of danger, and further that if a licensing authority has reason to suppose that the holder of a licence suffers from such a disability they may revoke the licence. In each case the sufferer may, except where certain specified disabilities are involved, claim to undergo a test.

asked the Minister of Transport what action, if any, has been taken to implement the provisions of the Street Playgrounds Act?

Draft Regulations were sent to the various local authority and road users' organisations concerned and, having considered their observations, I have now made the Regulations. These I am sending with an accompanying memorandum to all highway authorities, and I will let my hon. Friend have copies.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he has any figures showing the volume of road-haulage business carried on by the railway companies and their contractors, and the amount of capital invested by the railway companies in road transport undertakings?

In 1937 the tonnage of non-railborne merchandise traffic conveyed by the four Main Line Railway Companies under their Road Transport Acts of 1928 was 859,153 tons. No information is available as to the volume carried by contractors. The amount of capital invested by the four Main Line Railway Companies in other road transport undertakings at the 31st December, 1937, was approximately £4,400,o0o in undertakings mainly engaged in goods transport and £9,300,000 in undertakings mainly engaged in passenger transport.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will give the number of cases in which the railway companies have opposed the granting of carriers' licences for road transport since the passage of the Road and Rail Traffic Act, 1933?

This information could only be obtained by re-examination of the applications, numbering well over 250,000 which have been made for "A" and "B" licences or licence variations since the Act came into operation. Particulars of certain objections are given in the published Annual Reports of the Licensing Authorities.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will give the number of workers employed in connection with the mechanical transport of goods by road and the number of persons employed on the railways?

The total number of persons employed by the railway companies of Great Britain during the week ended the 12th March, 1938, including the London Passenger Transport Board and the Railway Clearing House was 607,278. Comparable statistics are not available in respect of the numbers employed in connection with the mechanical transport of goods by road, but I would refer the hon. Member to the estimates given by my right hon. Friend in moving the Second Reading of the Road Haulage Wages (No. 2) Bill on 11th May last.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will state the name of the local authority in England and Wales charging 9d. per unit for electricity for lighting, the names of the four other statutory undertakers in England and Wales charging 10d., and the local authority and the two other statutory undertakers in Scotland who charge rod. per unit?

The undertakings are (a) Dolgelley Urban District Council; (b) the Companies supplying electricity in Aberayron, Borth, Chudleigh and Woodstock; (c) the Tobermory Town Council, and (d) the Companies supplying electricity in Beauly and Stornoway.

asked the Minister of Health under what Act or regulation dockyard men who are on the sick list or hurt list and are entitled to draw half wages are not entitled to sick benefit from the National Health Insurance Fund?

Under the provisions of Section 51 of the National Health Insurance Act sickness or disablement benefit under that Act is not payable for incapacity due to an accident for which the insured person is entitled to compensation when the amount of the compensation (including any payment from the employer which may be taken into consideration, e.g., wages) is at least equal to the amount of the benefit which would ordinarily have been payable.Apart from these provisions of general application to insured persons, a small group of dockyard workers employed by the Admiralty are excepted from National Health Insurance under a certificate of exception issued in accordance with paragraph (

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that the three days waiting period for sickness benefit causes hardship; and whether he will take steps to ensure that benefit should be paid immediately on production of a doctor's certificate?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 24th November to my hon. Friend the Member for Denbigh (Sir H. Morris-Jones).

asked the Minister of Health whether, before coming to the final decision as to the best method to combat cancer, he will call a conference, and be guided by its decision, of the heads of cancer departments in the principal institutions in Great Britain engaged in the special study and treatment of this disease in order to be able to arrive at a balanced judgment as to the relative efficiency of several methods of treatment and thus be able to base his proposals on expert opinion as to the most effective and economic methods capable of application to the maximum number of sufferers?

The Bill at present before the House makes provision for arrangements designed to secure that the facilities for the treatment of persons suffering from cancer are adequate. In considering such arrangements I shall certainly be guided by the opinion of those engaged in the special study and treatment of this disease. I think it is premature to say whether any such conference as that suggested by the hon. Member would be desirable or whether less formal methods of consultation would be more satisfactory.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that the postage stamps in use above the value of threepence are still those of the issue of King George V; and whether it is proposed at an early date to put a new issue on sale bearing the portrait of King George VI?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which my right hon. Friend the Postmaster-General gave to the hon. Member for Colchester (Mr. Lewis) on 28th November.

asked the Attorney-General whether he can give the number of summons issued by Automatic Salesmen, Limited, of 40–42, Oxford Street, since the 1st January, 1937, in Bloomsbury County Court and in all the county courts, respectively?

The number of summons in Bloomsbury County Court is 32. The figure with regard to all other county courts could be ascertained only by a laborious research through a very large number of entries which would not, I think, be justified.

asked the Secretary of State for War (1) whether any Vickers machine-guns are now being delivered; and, if so, whether he can state the cost per gun of those recently produced as compared with 1935;(2) the cost per gun of various types produced for the Royal Artillery, showing separately the cost of those from the Royal Arsenals compared with those delivered by private firms;(3) the cost of medium tanks and light tanks, respectively; now delivered as compared with the cost in 1935?

The answer to the question whether any Vickers machine-guns are now being delivered is in the affirmative. As regards the other questions, it is contrary to rule to disclose the cost of individual weapons of war.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether, in view of the desire of the French Government that we should increase our expeditionary force, he will give reconsideration to the suggestion that a second line Territorial Army be created which will be capable of releasing both the Regular first line and Territorial Armies for service overseas immediately on the outbreak of war?

As my right hon. Friend has already informed my hon. Friend in correspondence, the creation of a second line Territorial Army is not considered practicable.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether it is the custom of the War Office Contracts Department to accept the lowest tender for clothing and other material; and in what particular is that custom varied?

The War Office Contracts Department follow the principle of accepting the lowest offer of goods which conform to the specification, but it reserves the right to vary the rule, in order, e.g., to secure quicker delivery, to spread orders when competition is limited, to enforce observance of the Parliamentary Resolution about the King's Roll, or to limit the size of orders given to inexperienced contractors.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury when the Government intends to make a statement of its policy upon the findings of the 1937 Committee on Medicine Stamp Duties?

I would refer the hon. Member to the statement which my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer made on this matter in his last Budget speech, to which he is not at present in a position to add.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he will state the references to the last six law actions by the Inland Revenue against firms, companies, or persons under the Medicine Stamp Acts; whether the commissioners have ever issued rulings upon the interpretation of those Acts; and, if so, whether such rulings are now available for reference by persons interested?

I regret that it is not possible to state the references to the last six cases under the Medicine Stamp Acts, which were heard by courts of summary jurisdiction, without inquiry of the courts concerned, as such cases are not as a rule reported. If the hon. Member is referring to the leading judicial decisions on this subject he will find a list in the "Memorandum on the law relating to the Medicine Stamp Duties" prepared by the Board of Customs and Excise for the information of the Select Committee on Medicine Stamp Duties which reported in 1937. The memorandum is reproduced at page r of the Minutes of Evidence—House of Commons Paper 54 of 1937.As regards the second and third parts of the question, I am sending the hon. Member a copy of an explanatory leaflet on the subject of the Medicine Stamp Duty which is published by the Board of Customs and Excise.

asked the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs whether, in view of the cessation of the South African subsidy for Italian shipping in February next, he can now state whether any alternative arrangements have yet been made involving British shipping companies?

I am not in a position to add anything to the information which I gave to my hon. Friend on 3rd November.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies on what lines the Masters and Servants Ordinance in Trinidad is being revised; and whether he can give any information on the arrangements for the statutory fixing of wages therein?

I have not yet received a copy of the Bill to amend the Trinidad Masters and Servants Ordinance, but I understand that its object is to eliminate the penalty of imprisonment for breaches of contracts between employers and employed. The statutory fixing of wages is already governed by the Labour (Minimum Wage) Ordinance, 1935.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he was consulted in any way and, if so, with what result, before the rating of site values was permitted in the chief towns of the Malay States?

I am not aware of the recent introduction of a new system of rating in the Federated Malay States. The principle to which the question refers has been in operation there for the last to years or more. No exception was taken to it at the time by the then Secretary of State, and no complaints have previously reached the Colonial Office.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, in considering the possibility of constitutional changes in Ceylon, he will bear in mind the communal riots of 1915, and the fact that the control of the police is in the hands of a Sinhalese Minister; and whether, in considering possible constitutional changes, he will also bear in mind the principle of weightage in the representation of minorities, such as obtains in India, and the desirability, or otherwise, of conceding the same principle to Ceylon?

The Donoughmore Commission definitely allotted the control of the police to an elected Minister, and I can see no ground for reconsidering the arrangement. The Governor has adequate powers in the event of a serious emergency arising. As regards the second part of the question, the principles adopted in the Government of India Act will be borne in mind when any changes in the Ceylon constitution are being considered.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether the paste used on the wings of aeroplanes to prevent ice accretion is satisfactory at high altitudes; whether it is suitable for military machines; and whether he will make a statement on the most recent experiments?

Paste has been extensively used on civil aircraft to prevent ice accretion, and there is no reason to suppose that it is affected by altitude or will be less satisfactory for military aircraft. In order, however, to provide direct experience of this method of protection against the accretion of ice, large quantities of paste have been ordered for trial by the Royal Air Force during the coming winter, while experiments on new compounds will continue at experimental establishments. In addition, experiments will also be undertaken with the two other methods of preventing or removing the accretion of ice to which I referred in the reply I gave on the 3oth November to my hon. Friend the Member for Stroud.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what is the nature of the restrictions imposed upon the flight of foreign aircraft over this country?

The flight of foreign aircraft over this country is primarily regulated by the International Air Navigation Convention (Paris, 1919), and certain bilateral conventions of a similar character. Foreign civil aircraft not possessing the nationality of a State party to one or other of these conventions may only fly over this country with special permission. There are certain restrictions peculiar to foreign civil aircraft flying here relating to the carriage of munitions of war; but as regards such matters as dangerous flying, flight over prohibited areas, and the observance of air traffic rules, there is no difference between British and foreign civil aircraft.Foreign military aircraft may not fly over this country without special invitation or permission, except to a limited extent in connection with visits paid by foreign warships.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether, in view of the volume of unemployment in North-East Cheshire, some sub-contracts will be placed with small engineering firms equipped to perform such work in this district?

Sub-contracts are now being placed so far as possible on a regional basis, and I would therefore suggest that the firms my hon. Friend has in mind should apply in the first

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that on 25th July, 1938, there were registered at the Liverpool Juvenile Employment Exchange instance to aircraft firms in the neighbourhood such as: The Fairey Aviation Company, Limited (Stockport), A. V. Roe and Company, Limited (Manchester), The Metropolitan Vickers Electrical Company, Limited (Manchester), Rootes Securities, Limited (Speke), and Vickers Aviation, Limited (Hawarden). If they are unsuccessful in obtaining sub-contract work in this way they should write, giving full particulars of their capacity and manufacturing experience, to the Under-Secretary of State, Air Ministry, Berkeley Square House, W.', when my Department will do its best to put them in touch with other aircraft firms.

asked the Minister of Labour what is the present retail price of sugar in this country; and how this price compares with the approximate equivalent sterling retail price of sugar in France, Holland, Germany, etc., and the United States of America?

Particulars of the retail prices of sugar, so far as available, in the countries specified were given in reply to a question by the hon. Member for Hallam (Sir L. Smith) on 29th November. The sterling equivalents, in pence per lb., of the prices quoted in that reply, calculated on the basis of the rates of exchange reported at or near the dates to which the prices related, were approximately as shown below:5,262 unemployed boys and girls; whether his Department is taking any steps, apart from transference schemes, to reduce the constant heavy degree of unemployment among juveniles in the city; and how many boys and girls have, during the last 12 months, been transferred to other places under schemes controlled by his Department?

Yes, Sir. The position has recently been the subject of special investigation by the Department, in conjunction with the local education authority, and certain measures designed to improve the employability of juveniles are now under consideration. During the 12 months ended the 30th November, 1938, 411 juveniles (407 boys and 4 girls) were transferred from Liverpool to other areas under official schemes.

asked the First Commissioner of Works whether he can make a statement on the strike now taking place on the Royal Ordnance Factory site, Euxton, Chorley, Lancashire; and why 200 men were discharged at short notice?

In order to complete an urgent section of the electrical work at Chorley the contractors instituted shift work, and for that purpose employed additional labour. When this work was within a few days of completion the men ceased work owing to alleged employment of non-union labour by other contractors engaged in laying cables. As it became clear that in such circumstances the intended date of completion of the urgent electrical work would not be adhered to, the electrical contractors were given an extension of time and they have now reverted to normal day work conditions, involving the employment of fewer men, and the work is proceeding accordingly.

asked the First Commissioner of Works whether he has received any report of the circumstances in which all employés of the Bective Electrical Company were discharged from work on the new Air Ministry building on 21st November; whether he is aware that before the men were notified of their dismissal the site was entirely surrounded by police, and when the men refused to listen to the general foreman until the arrival of their own stewards, police were called in to get him a hearing; and whether such steps were taken at the instance of any official at the Ministry?

The answer to each part of the question is in the negative. I may add that the contractual arrangements for the erection and completion of the building are the responsibility of the lessors and not of my Department.

asked the Prime Minister why, in the days immediately preceding the closing of the Catalan frontier by the French Government on 13th June, the British Ambassador in Paris, in a note verbale, informed the French Government that the latter was injuring Anglo-French relations by supporting the Spanish Republicans whose cause was not favoured by the British people?

No such communication was made at any time by His Majesty's Ambassador at Paris.

asked the Prime Minister whether he has considered the report of the League Commission on the conditions of refugees in Spanish Government territory; and whether the British Government proposes to take any action to carry out the recommendations of the League Commission?

His Majesty's Government are giving the report their urgent consideration in consultation with other Governments. It will be realised that the question of action on the part of His Majesty's Government is dependent, among other factors, on the extent of the support which the recommendations receive from other countries.

asked the Prime Minister whether, in view of the loan of £12,500,000 by Germany to Turkey, it is proposed to proceed with the British loan; what relation the two bear to each other; and whether, in both cases, a substantial amount will be used for the purchase of arms?

According to a communique issued in Turkey on the 7th October, the basic conditions had been laid down for the granting of a credit of 150 million Reichsmarks by Germany to Turkey. It was stated that the credit was to be used for the payment of industrial, military and public works orders. As regards the United Kingdom credits to Turkey, I would refer the hon. Member to the agreements signed on 27th May, 1938 (Command Papers 5754 and 5755).

asked the Prime Minister whether he has any statement to make with reference to the circumstances under which Captain Kendrick, the British passport officer at Vienna, was expelled from Germany as a spy?

This question was taken up with the German authorities at the time and has now been disposed of.

asked the Prime Minister whether he is aware of the default in the payment of interest on the Greek Refugee Loan; whether he will state the reasons for this default; and whether, in view of the fact that investors were induced by the strong recommendations of the League of Nations to invest in the loan, the Government will make representations to the Greek Government on the subject?

As from the 1st April, 1932, the Greek Government have suspended the full service of their external debt, including the Greek Refugee Loan, owing to budgetary and economic difficulties. Up to 31st March, 1937, reduced payments were made in accordance with agreements reached with the representatives of the bondholders. In respect of the period since 1st April, 1937, no agreement has, up to the present, been reached. Negotiations on this score are a matter primarily for the Greek Government and representatives of the bondholders. Both the Greek Government and the bondholders are aware of the importance which His Majesty's Government attach to a satisfactory settlement.

asked the Minister of Agriculture when he proposes to introduce the Bill for the better regulation of the poultry industry?

As my hon. Friend is aware, this Bill is referred to in the Gracious Speech, but I regret that I am not yet in a position to announce the date of presentation.