asked the Secretary for Mines whether he can give any details of the four new plants for the generation of petrol from coal which it is proposed to establish?

I am not aware of any scheme for the establishment of four new plants for the generation of petrol from coal at the present time, and I shall be glad if my hon. Friend will supply me with any information in his possession.

asked the Secretary for Mines whether he can state the average pithead price of coal, winter and summer, respectively, supplied in London for domestic consumption, freightage rates from colliery to London, and to the average price per ton as supplied to consumers in London?

I regret that there are no official statistics which would enable me to supply this information. Certain information in respect of the pithead price, transport costs and retail price of household coal for the London area is, however, contained in the published evidence submitted to the Departmental Committee on the Distribution of Coal by the London and Counties Coke Association, while information of a similar nature in respect of certain other areas in the country was submitted to the committee by the Coal Merchants' Federation of Great Britain.I am sending the hon. Member copies of the evidence given by these two bodies.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether he is aware of the widespread desire among members of the airraid precautions services for some form of uniform; and whether he will give immediate consideration to the matter?

Yes, Sir; and it has now been decided to place local authorities in a position to provide free uniform for members of their air-raid precautions services on a grant-aided basis. For men the uniform will consist of an overall suit in dark blue with a red A.R.P. badge on the left breast. Women will have a long coat of the same material, and a special coat has been designed for women ambulance drivers. Women serving in first-aid posts will have a uniform of the same type as that worn by the Nursing Auxiliaries. Contracts for the cloth have already been placed, but I ought to make it clear that owing to the heavy calls on the textile trades in connection with the demands of the Defence Services it will not be possible for the uniforms to be delivered to local authorities in any substantial numbers until October, and it will take several months thereafter to complete the issue.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether he will state the conditions, structural or otherwise, to be complied with by local authorities to qualify for grant for air-raid shelters below tenement property?

I am not sure what type of case the hon. Member has in mind. There is a wide variety of types of tenement buildings, and the methods of providing air-raid shelter will necessarily vary according to the type of the building. The minimum standard of structural protection necessary in order to qualify for Government grant is, however, broadly the same in all cases, namely a standard designed to afford reasonable protection against blast, splinter and the fall of debris. Expenditure by local authorities under approved schemes of shelter provision for the occupants of working-class tenements will attract grant at the normal rates. In addition materials are provided free for certain types of work such as the strutting of basements and the construction of steel concrete and brick shelters of standard patterns.

asked the Chancell or of the Duchy of Lancaster whether he can give an assurance, in connection with the Government's wheat reserve scheme, regarding the turning over and accepting the Government's wheat by the milling concerns, that these concerns have maintained, and are maintaining, their commercial stocks of wheat at the same level as they stood prior to the introduction of this scheme?

Commercial stocks vary from time to time. Those in the hands of the three large milling concerns are substantially higher at the present time than when the wheat storage scheme was introduced. I am quite satisfied that these concerns are carrying out the undertaking which they gave to the Government and which my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade reported to the House during his speech on the 2nd June, 1938, on the Second Reading of the Essential Commodities Reserves Bill.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India what complaints he has received from Hyderabad regarding the action of the Ruler of that State against the Hindu population; and whether the Resident has reported upon the restrictions upon the religious and social activities of the Hindu majority in the Hyderabad State?

I have seen copies of a number of such complaints, but practically all have come from outside the State. I have seen no report from the Resident of the character referred to by the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how much of the Exchequer subsidy voted under the Milk (Extension and Amendment) Act, 1938, is being used to help maternity and child welfare authorities to start cheap milk schemes, and the price charged to the local authorities for the milk; how many authorities have inaugurated such schemes, and their names; how many-expectant and nursing mothers are receiving milk free and for payment, and the price in the latter case; and how much milk is normally given daily in each case, and for what period?

A sum of £16,050 has been provided in the Estimates of the Department of Agriculture for Scotland for the current year in connection with the sale of liquid milk at a reduced price to local authorities in Scotland for the purpose of their maternity and child welfare arrangements. A scheme by the Scottish Milk Marketing Board was approved on 6th February, 1939. Local authorities within the board's area can obtain supplies at 8d. per gallon for ordinary milk or 9½d. per gallon for Tuberculin-Tested milk, plus the cost of distribution. Arrangements by Glasgow Corporation under the scheme have been approved and proposals by six other authorities (the County Councils of Dunbarton, Selkirk and Stirling and the Town Councils of Dumbarton, Dunfermline and Stirling) have been received and are under consideration. The arrangements provide that, normally, one pint of milk will be supplied daily, either free or at a price not exceeding 2d. to expectant or nursing mothers and to children under five years of age where the family income is within a scale adopted by the local authority and approved for the purposes of the scheme. So long as the applicant continues to be qualified, there will be no limit to the period during which a supply of one pint daily may be given. The Glasgow arrangements came into operation only on 1st July and information as to the number of participants is not yet available.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will give figures as to the number of accidents, fatal and non-fatal, during last year caused by motorists opening the off-side door of the cars?

The detailed investigation into road accidents for the year ending 31st March, 1937, showed 1,092 accidents due to "opening vehicle door without having regard to passing traffic." Of these three were fatal, 83 resulted in serious injuries and 1,006 in slight injuries. Similar figures are not available for last year.

asked the Home Secretary whether he has been made aware from the Irish Republican Army or other Irish sources of the grievances for which the bomb throwing in London and elsewhere is regarded as reprisals; and, if so, whether the Government would be prepared to consider any statement with a view to the removal of such injustices as may exist?

As regards the first part of the question, I am not aware of any communication except one received in January last, purporting to be sent by the Irish Republican Army, in which a demand was made for the withdrawal of all British armed forces stationed in Irelandand a declaration by His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom of abdication in respect of Ireland. There are no armed forces under the authority of the United Kingdom Government stationed in Ireland elsewhere than in Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom. The position of His Majesty's Government in relation to Northern Ireland has been made clear on many occasions, and cannot be affected by the commission of criminal outrages under the name of reprisals.