asked the Home Secretary whether he will have inquiries made into the causes that led to a lift accident which resulted in injuries to seven women at Messrs. H. Lotery and Company, Limited, Beaufort House, New Street, London, E., on Friday, 10th March; and whether he has any statement to make?

Further inquiries have been made and the result of these inquiries is now under consideration, but for the present I am unable to add to the answer given on the 13th instant.

asked the Home Secretary what permission, if any, has been given to enable Czech refugees to learn agriculture whilst staying in this country; and what provision has been made to prevent any action detrimental to British labour?

Among the Czech refugees who have been admitted to this country with a view to their emigration there are six who are being trained in agriculture. The arrangements for their training have been made by the Agricultural Sub-Committee of the Co-ordinating Committee for Refugees on which Committee the National Farmers Union and the Trans port and General Workers Union are represented. My right hon. Friend is satisfied that adequate steps are being taken to prevent any action detrimental to British labour.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether any investigation into the possibilites of refugee settlement in Northern Rhodesia is being under taken?

Yes, Sir. From information in my possession, I doubt whether it will be found that large-scale settlement in Northern Rhodesia is practicable. The Governor takes the view that only a limited number of settlers could be assimilated. I am anxious that all the possibilities should be examined and for this purpose a Commission is being sent to Northern Rhodesia by the voluntary organisations. It will be authorised to examine all the possibilities of settlement throughout Northern Rhodesia, and will receive the necessary facilities for the purpose of its investigation.

asked the Home Secretary whether there would be any practical difficulty or expense involved in placing in the Library a copy of the evidence hitherto given to the Depart mental Committee on Private Hire Vehicles in view of the fact that a transcript was provided for each member of the committee and for the parties concerned in the inquiry; and will he consider doing this?

A considerable labour would be involved in the revision of the evidence which was given in private and on the understanding that it would not be published without giving the witnesses an opportunity of deleting any confidential matter.

asked the Home Secretary whether he will ask the Depart mental Committee on Private Hire Vehicles to publish a list of those who gave evidence, and on behalf of what bodies, before the committee in view of the fact that the interim Report gives no such list?

In paragraph 2 of the report the committee indicated their intention of publishing a full list of the witnesses in their final report.

asked the Home Secretary whether he can give a return for the

asked the Minister of Transport whether a scheme for the protection of dock workers and seamen who will have to remain at work during air raids in time of war is under consideration for the port of Liverpool, on extensive lines such as the scheme being discussed by the Government and the Port of London Authority; and can he give the House any detailed information as to the scope and progress in relation thereto?

The Mersey Docks and Harbour Board have in hand comprehensive plans for air-raid protection in the port of Liverpool and the training of personnel is progressing satisfactorily. I have not yet received a detailed scheme. The general question of the financial arrangements for the provision of protection for persons using the docks but not employed by the various dock authorities is under discussion with the Dock and Harbour Authorities Association.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether he is now in a position to state, for the guidance of local authorities in the provision of adequate air raid protection, the Government's policy

The following is the information:on the provision of deep underground shelters where they are required; what steps have been taken or are contemplated to see that the required material is supplied and the price kept to a minimum; is it intended to invite local authorities to submit schemes; and will he consult with the Minister of Labour and the trade unions in order that employment can be given, where possible, to unemployed men at trade union rates and conditions?

As regards the general policy of the Government, I am not yet in a position to add anything to the statement which I made on 1st March in the course of debate. The hon. Member may be assured that I shall do all that is possible to ensure that costs are kept as low as possible consistent with efficiency; and that, in all suitable cases, local authorities will be urged—as they have been, for instance, in connection with the re construction of the trenches and the erection of the householders' shelter?—to use the opportunity to give the maximum relief to unemployment by obtaining necessary labour through the Employment Exchanges.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether, in view of the public un easiness in the city of Salford and other congested urban areas caused by the obvious unsuitability of the standard steel air-raid shelters provided in those districts for reason of limited backyard space, the absence of room for the necessary earth protection, and the flooding of shelters through water from yard surface-drainage, he will reconsider this part of the Government policy with a view to adopting an alternative policy?

I am aware that in Salford and in some other urban areas only a relatively small proportion of the population could be suitably protected by means of the householder's steel shelter. If, however, ray hon. and gallant Friend will refer to the statement which I made on the 21st December last, he will see that these steel shelters represent only a part of the Government's shelter policy; and that it has always been contemplated that protection should be afforded by other means in dwellings for which this particular type of shelter was not well adapted. The position in Salford will be specially surveyed in the near future.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether, in view of the increasing financial obligations falling upon local authorities arising out of work and measures undertaken at the instigation or with the approval of his Department, he is prepared to consult further with such local authorities in order to discuss ways and means for meeting such exceptional expenditure by additional or special grants-in-aid from national funds?

This matter has already been raised with me by some of the associations of local authorities. I would remind my hon. Friend that the existing legislation provides for very generous grants from the Exchequer, amounting in some cases to 85 per cent, of all approved expenditure in excess of that amount which would involve a net burden on the locality equivalent to a penny rate. Furthermore, the greater part of the equipment and materials required is supplied free by the Government. The Act of 1937 provides for a review of the position within three years, but I would emphasise that if Civil Defence is to be really effective it is essential that all sections of the community, including local authorities as well as the central Government, should play their part and bear their share of the burden.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether he will state the number of air-raid shelters that have been provided to the City of Manchester by the Government; the number provided free of cost, and the price per shelter; the total number of shelters it is intended to provide to the city free of cost; and the cost to those who are to be charged with price of same?

The total number of houses in Manchester to be included in the scheme of free distribution of air-raid shelters is estimated by the local authority to be 76,138. This estimate is being checked by means of a detailed survey, and arrangements have already been made for the supply of free shelters to 5,000 houses, of which particulars have so far been furnished to the Home Office. Shelters will not be available for purchase until the free distribution has been substantially completed, and a public announcement will then be made, including particulars of the cost.

asked the Lord Privy Seal how many gas-masks have now been supplied to the Huyton Urban District Council; and how many have been indented for?

A request was received for 39,000 respirators for this urban district, and this number has been supplied. These are the ordinary respirators: 3,000 appliances for babies and young children have also been asked for, and will be supplied when available.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether he will inform the House as to the number of towns in the provinces which have been provided with air-raid shelters, and the proportion of the population who are served by this safety device; the number delivered free; and the cost per head of those paid for?

A beginning has been made with the distribution of steel air raid shelters to 22 provincial towns. Until the local authorities have completed the survey which they have been asked to make, it is not possible to say what pro portion of the population will be served by this type of shelter. All the shelters so far delivered have been issued free of charge to the householder, and no shelters will be available for sale until the free issue has been substantially completed.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether he has yet considered a scheme for air-raid shelters submitted to him from the York authority; and whether he is in a position to make a statement thereon as to the acceptance by the Government of the scheme presented to him by that authority?

Proposals by the city authorities for the construction of shelters are now under consideration by my Department. They raise important issues, and I am not yet in a position to announce my decision in regard to them.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether he is aware that in the city of Leeds applicants to join the air-raid precautions organisation are being visited by police to find out their political affiliations and those that are found to be associated with the Communist party are being refused; and whether, as by taking this action the chief constable is exceeding his powers as chief air-raid precautions warden, he will take steps to avoid repetition of this political inquisition?

I have made inquiries and I am assured by the chief constable that the suggestions made in the first part of the question are without foundation: the second part of the question does not, therefore, arise.

asked the Minister of Health what would be the additional cost of paying old age pensions of 10s. per week to the wives of contributors as from the age of 60 in all cases where the contributor himself had become qualified for pension at the age of 65 and where the marriage of the contributor and his wife had taken place five years before the date at which the contributor reached the age of 65?

I have been asked to reply. As regards the cost of reducing to 60 the pension age for wives of contributory pensioners, I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer which I gave on 7th March to the hon. Member for Darwen (Mr. S. Russell). I regret that there are no data available which would enable a calculation to be made of the saving which would result from the restriction of such an extension of pensions to cases where the wife had been married to the pensioner for more than five years at the date when he attained the age of 65.

asked the Minister of Health (1) whether he will arrange for port medical officers of health to give in their annual reports particulars of all prosecutions instituted in respect of failures to remedy nuisances or defects in crews' accommodation;(2) whether steps are being taken by port health authority inspectors to notify the inspectors at the next port of call in cases in which they are unable to revisit vessels in order to ascertain whether nuisances and defects in crews' accommodation have been remedied;(3) what steps are taken to ensure that disinfestation of crews accommodation in coasting vessels, which cannot be carried out at ports of call while the men are still on board, is attended to at the home or terminal port?

There is no prescribed procedure in regard to these matters, but I propose to consult the Association of Port Health Authorities as to the practicability of the hon. Member's suggestions and before doing so will communicate further with the hon. Member.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that certain millers are introducing calcium into the flour they manufacture for human consumption; whether medical evidence shows if this practice is conducive to the good health of the public; what percentages are used; and whether his Department was consulted before this practice commenced?

I am aware that calcium in small quantities is introduced into flour in the form of acid calcium phosphate to improve its baking qualities and also as a self-raising ingredient. I have no evidence that its use is detrimental to health. The Departmental Committee on the treatment of flour with chemical substances reported in 1927 that the use of this substance had then been a regular practice for nearly 20 years, and that after consideration of all the available evidence they could not recommend its elimination.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will give the number of old age pensioners in receipt of public assistance in the county of Derby; and the number in receipt of such assistance in Ilkeston, Heanor, and Ripley for the year 1938?

On the 1st January, 1939, there were 3,293 old age pensioners in the administrative county of Derby in receipt of poor relief. The information desired in the second part of the question is not available as the returns made to my Department by public assistance authorities do not contain separate figures for parts of an administrative county.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will take steps to encourage and facilitate the establishment of a holiday and evacuation camp in the Longdendale Valley in Cheshire?

The site to which my hon. Friend refers will be noted, together with others to which my attention has been drawn, but it will be appreciated that as the present proposals relate to 50 camps only for England, Wales and Scotland, it will not be possible to locate a camp in every spot which provides a suitable site.

asked the Minister of Health whether he has considered the report of the Commissioners on Tuberculosis in Wales; whether he is going to take immediate steps to deal with the urgent question of malnutrition, particularly among women and children; and will he take steps to give added financial aid to distressed and Special Areas so that feeding can be carried out extensively in cur elementary, junior, and infants schools, in order to reduce the excessive loss of life and the great suffering among the people generally?

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I have to-day given to the hon. Member for Fulham, West (Dr. Summerskill).

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education whether, in view of the report of the Commissioners on Tuberculosis in Wales, he will have an immediate survey made in all the schools of Wales by his medical advisers to ascertain what additional measures should be taken to ensure that all children are properly fed?

The adequacy of the provision of free meals and milk in all areas in Wales is already being reviewed by the Board of Education and letters recommending improvements in the arrangements have been sent to a considerable proportion of the local education authorities. Visits to several areas have been or will be made by the Board's medical officers, at which the nutrition of children in typical schools is surveyed. The responsibility for surveying the schools as a whole rests, however, with the local education authorities and their medical officers, and it is the duty of my Department to co-ordinate as far as possible the standards used in the assessment of nutrition and to supervise and stimulate the activities of the authorities rather than to replace them.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will consider the possibility of giving relief in his coming Budget to blind Income Tax payers by increasing their personal allowance?

My hon. and gallant Friend will not expect me to anticipate my Budget statement, but I might point out that his suggestion has already received careful consideration and has been found to present serious difficulties.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will consider introducing legislation to amend Section 38 of the Finance Act, 1924, so as to give relief from death duties to any person in the various services of His Majesty, who, in carrying out orders from a superior, may die as a result of any dangerous peace time training?

The hon. Member will not expect me to anticipate my Budget statement but I may say that as at present advised I do not think that any amendment is called for of the provisions of the Section to which the hon. Member refers.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that the building societies have now practically ceased to make any further advances for building purposes pending an announcement by the Government as to the question of insurance against air raids and war risks; and whether, in view of the great distress and unemployment this is causing in the building and allied trades, he can make an early pronouncement on the subject?

I have made inquiries and my information does not confirm the suggestion in the first part of the question. As regards the second part of the question, I would refer to the answers given on Tuesday last in reply to the supplementary questions arising out of the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Lincoln (Mr. Liddall).

asked the Prime Minister whether, in view of the declaration of Slovakia as an independent state, support will be given by His Majesty's Government to Ruthenia to decide her own future by applying the principle of self-determination in the spirit of the Munich Agreement?

As my hon. and gallant Friend will have seen from the statement which I made at the end of Question Time, the status of Ruthenia is apparently being settled directly between the Ruthenian authorities and the Hungarian Government. I do not think that any useful purpose would be served by intervention on the part of His Majesty's Government.

asked the Prime Minister whether any reply has been received from General Franco as to his willingness or otherwise to agree to the evacuation from Republican Territory of Spaniards who have supported the Republican Government?

No, Sir.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will make a statement as to the latest development of the consultations with the French Government concerning Spanish refugees in France?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 13th March to the hon. Member for Cumberland, North (Mr. W. Roberts), to which I have nothing to add.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether, since herring drifters are regarded by the Admiralty as necessary for the defence of this country, but are now rapidly declining in numbers, he will indicate whether the new motor-drifters to be provided under the Herring Industry Act, 1938, are likely to be called into naval service in time of emergency; and, if so, what sizes and types of such vessels will first be requisitioned?

When the characteristics of these new motor drifters are known, the Admiralty will consider to what extent it will be necessary to utilise any of them for naval purposes in war.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether he is aware that Manchester men who apply to join the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve depôt ship at Liverpool are kept waiting considerable periods after their names have been entered on a waiting list; and whether he can assist Manchester in its Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve recruiting campaign?

I am glad to say that the Mersey Division of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve is up to strength and it is for that reason that all men who apply to join the Division have to wait for a time before they can be enrolled. As I informed the hon. Member on the 20th February, the claims of Manchester will be borne in mind if a further expansion of the Reserve becomes necessary.

asked the Secretary of State for War for what purpose it is proposed to use the premises now occupied by the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich when the academy is transferred to Sandhurst?

No decision has yet been reached.

asked the Attorney-General whether he is aware that the scope of the last index to local statutes was limited solely to a chronological list of such Acts, and had no index referring to the detailed contents and clauses of the Acts in question; and whether, in these circumstances, he can arrange that the new index which is now to be prepared shall include an index to such contents on the lines of Volume II of the index to public statutes in force?

The new index to local Acts, which in part already prepared, will give some general indication of the scope of each Act. The production of a detailed index to those Acts, section by section, would involve a great amount of labour which would, it is believed, be out of all relation to its usefulness.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether he is aware that there is a widespread feeling that many of the maximum age limits for the various categories of National Service are too low; and whether he will, therefore, consider certain upward adjustments?

I am not aware of the existence of any such general feeling, but if my hon. Friend will communicate with me, I shall be glad to consider the point in relation to the particular services which he has in mind.

asked the Secretary for Mines what is the amount paid in rates to local authorities from the coal-mining industry in South Wales, taking Glamorgan, Monmouthshire, Brecon and Carmarthen separately?

The amount paid in local rates by the coal-mining industry in South Wales and Monmouthshire during the year ended October, 1938, was estimated to have been £235,000. Separate particulars for the counties comprising this area are not available.